JP7643398B2 - Refilling method and refilling device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method and device for refilling multiple workpieces.

For example, in the process of assembling a rectangular workpiece, such as a plate-shaped magnet for a motor (a plate-shaped permanent magnet that is attached to the rotor of a brushless motor), into another device, there is a process of transferring the workpiece from a delivery tray to a tray on the equipment side.

Conventionally, the workpieces in the delivery tray were often arranged in the same orientation and at the same intervals as in the tray on the equipment side so that they could be smoothly introduced into the process, and it was often sufficient to transfer them in that state.

However, due to factors such as lower costs, smaller sizes, and differences in specifications depending on the product destination, the orientation of the workpieces in the delivery tray in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular parallelepiped may differ from that in the equipment tray, or multiple workpieces may be in a row, touching each other without any partitions.

In such cases, in order to transfer the workpieces to the tray on the equipment side, it is necessary to remove the large number of workpieces that are in contact with each other from the delivery tray, turn them around, and separate them one by one.

The present invention was created in light of this point, and its purpose is to provide a method and device for refilling multiple workpieces that can remove multiple workpieces that are in close contact with each other all at once when transferring them from tray to tray, change their orientation, and separate and refill them one by one.

The first aspect of the present invention is a method for refilling multiple workpieces, in which a group of workpieces (77) in which rectangular parallelepiped workpieces (7) are placed in contact with each other in the grooves (51) of a tray (5) is chucked together from both sides in the row direction, moved while changing the orientation, and each workpiece is separated from the group of workpieces one by one and inserted into the workpiece receivers (61) of a holder (6). One workpiece is inserted into each workpiece receiver, and includes a transfer step (S1) and a separation step (S2).

In the transfer step, when the plate (211) that is parallel to the upper surface (77F) of the work group and is movable up and down, and the work holder (215) that is movable along with the plate between the work group and the plate and is guided by the guide shafts (216, 217), are lowered and come into contact with the upper surface, a pair of chuck jaws (212, 213) provided on the plate are driven by the actuator (214) to chuck the work group as a whole, and the swivel movement means (26) moves while changing the orientation of the plate itself, and the work group is placed on the alignment table (31).

In the separation step, the feed pusher (33) pushes one side of the work group placed on the alignment table in the row direction and presses the other side against the reference surface (321), and the separation pusher (34) descends from above the reference surface to push down the first work (771) of the work group and insert it into the work receiver.

With the above configuration, the first aspect of the present invention makes it possible to remove multiple workpieces (e.g., plate-shaped magnets) that are in close contact with each other at once, change their orientation, and separate and repack them one by one when transferring the workpieces from tray to tray.

The second aspect of the present invention is a multiple workpiece refilling device (1) that chucks a group of workpieces (77) in which rectangular parallelepiped works (7) are placed in contact with each other in the grooves (51) of a tray (5) as a whole from both sides in the row direction, moves while changing the orientation, separates each workpiece from the group of workpieces, and inserts them into the workpiece receivers (61) of a holder (6).The device inserts one workpiece into each workpiece receiver, and includes a transfer unit (2) and a separation unit (3).

The transfer unit has a plate (211) that is arranged parallel to the upper surface (77F) of the work group and can be raised and lowered, a pair of chuck jaws (212, 213) arranged on the plate, an actuator (214) that drives the chuck jaws along the row direction of the work group, a work holder (215) that is arranged between the work group and the plate and can move in accordance with the movement of the plate and abuts the upper surface, and a chuck means (21) that has guide shafts (216, 217) that guide the movement of the work holder, and a swivel movement means (22). The transfer unit chucks the work group as a whole, and the swivel movement means moves while changing the orientation of the plate itself, placing the work group on the alignment table (31).

The separation unit has an alignment table, a feed pusher (33) that pushes one side of the workpiece group placed on the alignment table in the row direction and presses the other side against a reference surface (321), and a separation pusher (34) that descends from above the reference surface to push down the first workpiece (771) of the workpiece group and insert it into the workpiece receiver.

With the above configuration, the second aspect of the present invention achieves the same effects as the first aspect.

FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a part of the loading/unloading unit and a tray. FIG. FIG. FIG. Schematic diagram of the feed pusher pressure setting. 1 is a flow chart of a refilling method. FIG. FIG.

(One embodiment)
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a plate-like magnet 7 before magnetization is used as the "rectangular parallelepiped workpiece". The dimensions of each magnet 7 are about 10 mm wide, about 30 mm high, and about 2 to 3 mm thick, and a magnet group 77 in which several tens of magnets are stacked in the thickness direction is stored in a row on a tray. In this example, the height direction is referred to as the longitudinal direction, and the width direction is referred to as the short direction. This embodiment is a refilling device 1, in which the magnet group 77, in which the magnets 7 are placed in contact with each other in a plurality of grooves 51 of a tray 5, is chucked together from both sides in the row direction, and the magnets 7 are changed in orientation or moved, and the magnets 7 are separated one by one from the magnet group 77 and inserted into each workpiece receiver 61 of a holder 6. At this time, one magnet 7 is inserted into one workpiece receiver 61. The refilling device 1 includes a transfer unit 2, a separation unit 3, and a positioner 4.

(Tray and holder)
The embodiment shown below is used for supplying magnets 7 to an assembly machine in a manufacturing process for assembling plate-shaped magnets 7 to a rotor core. As a specific example, FIG. 2 shows a tray 5, which is a container for supplying magnets 7 to an assembly machine (not shown). In the tray 5, the magnets 7 are laid down (i.e., the longitudinal sides are in contact with the bottom surface of the groove portion 51 of the tray 5) and are compactly stored in a state of contact without a partition. Next, FIG. 3 shows a holder 6 on the receiving side, which keeps the magnets 7 waiting on the equipment side until the assembly work. In the holder 6, a plurality of magnet receivers 61 are provided in accordance with the configuration of the assembly machine, and the magnets 7 laid down on the tray 5 must be rotated 90° so that the longitudinal direction is in the vertical direction, and the magnets 7 must be separated one by one and inserted into each work receiver 61.

(Transfer unit)
The loading and unloading unit 2 is shown in Fig. 1. The loading and unloading unit 2 has a chuck means 21 and a swivel means 22. If the operations of the loading and unloading unit 2 are arranged in chronological order, Fig. 1 shows a state in Fig. 4 described later in which the loading and unloading unit 2 chucks and lifts up the magnet group 77 from the tray 5, and then rotates the chucked magnet group 77 by 90° so that the longitudinal direction is the up-down direction.

The chuck means 21 includes a plate 211, chuck jaws 212, 213, an actuator 214, a workpiece holder 215, guide shafts 216, 217, and a rotating movement means 26. The plate 211 is provided on the upper surface 77F of the magnet group 77 so as to be parallel and movable up and down. A pair of chuck jaws 212, 213 are provided on both sides of the plate 211. The actuator 214 drives at least one of the pair of chuck jaws 212, 213 along the row direction of the magnet group 77. The workpiece holder 215 is provided between the magnet group 77 and the plate 211, is movable in accordance with the movement of the plate 211, and abuts against the upper surface 77F of the magnet group 77. The guide shafts 216, 217 guide the movement of the workpiece holder 215.

In the chuck means 21, the workpiece holder 215 abuts against the upper surface 77F of the magnet group 77, aligning the magnet group 77 and ensuring chuck stability even when the ratio of the row length to the contact area between the magnets 7 is large or when the center of gravity is biased to one side due to individual variations in the magnets 7. The chuck means 21 further has an elastic material to prevent the workpiece from shifting at the points where the chuck jaws 212, 213 abut against both sides in the row direction of the magnet group 77, and chuck stability is enhanced by chucking via the elastic material. As a result, the chuck means 21 can chuck the magnet group 77 collectively and stably hold the load without it collapsing.

The rotating and moving means 22 includes a rotating mechanism 221 and a moving mechanism 222. The rotating mechanism 261 is configured to be able to change the orientation of the chuck means 21 while holding the magnet group 77 as a unit, and the moving mechanism 222 is configured to be able to move the chuck means 21 while holding the magnet group 77 as a unit. The rotating mechanism 261 and the moving mechanism 262 can operate independently of each other or in cooperation with each other.

The chuck means 21 and the turning mechanism 221 are shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. Fig. 4 shows the state before the turning mechanism 221 operates after the chuck means 21 has chucked and lifted the magnet group 77 from the tray 5, and Fig. 5 shows the state after the turning mechanism 221 has turned the chuck means 21 90° while chucking and lifting the magnet group 77, which is the same as Fig. 1. In this way, the turning mechanism 261 drives the two arms connected to each other so as to be rotatable to open and close like a hinge mechanism to turn the chuck means 21 itself 90° (Fig. 1), and moves the turning mechanism 221, which has been turned 90° while holding the magnet group 77, as a whole, and places the magnet group 77 on the alignment table 31 described later. As a result, the orientation of the magnet group 77 is adjusted to the vertical direction (top-bottom direction) by raising the longitudinal direction of the magnet 7 at a right angle from the horizontal direction.

(Separation unit)
6 and 7 show the separation unit 3. The separation unit 3 has an alignment table 31, a feed pusher 33, and a separation pusher .

The alignment table 31 is a table on which the magnet group 77 that the transfer unit 2 chucks and moves from the tray 5 is placed, and is disposed between the feed pusher 33, which presses the placed magnet group 77 against the reference surface 321, and a reference surface member having the reference surface 321 against which the leading magnet 771 in the front row of the magnet group 77 is pressed. The feed pusher 33 pushes one side of the magnet group 77 placed on the alignment table 31 in the row direction and presses the other side against the reference surface 321. The magnet 7 pressed against becomes the leading magnet 771 of the magnet group 77. The separation pusher 34 descends from above the leading magnet 771 pressed against the reference surface 321, and inserts it into the workpiece receiver 61.

Now, we will explain the sending pusher 33. The pressing force of the sending pusher 33 must be such that the magnet group 77 is not pressed too hard against the reference surface 321 so that the separation pusher 34 can reliably press down the leading magnet 771 and the surface of the magnet 7 is not scratched. Also, as the separation and insertion work progresses, the number n of remaining magnets in the magnet group 77 decreases and the pressing force decreases proportionately, so this decrease must be adjusted. For this reason, the sending pusher 33 has a built-in spring.

Here, if the thickness tolerance of magnet 7 is ±0.05 mm and the number of magnets in magnet group 77 is 60, the spring must absorb the thickness tolerance of ±0.05 x 60 = 3.00 mm. In order to apply an appropriate preload N to magnet group 77 and press it against reference surface 321 regardless of the number of remaining magnets n, a spring that satisfies the following two requirements regarding load F and preload N is selected. This ensures a constant level of preload even if the preload N decreases as the number of remaining magnets n decreases, and also avoids the occurrence of a situation in which the surface of magnet 7 is scratched by the application of a preload exceeding the preload limit. An image of this preload setting is shown in Figure 8.
(Requirement 1) Load F of the feed pusher 33>2.0 Newtons (=weight of the magnet group 77×coefficient of friction)
(Requirement 2) Minimizing the spring constant (Figure 8 * mark, minimize the range of pressure applied to the reference surface 321)

(Positioner)
6 and 7 again, the positioner 4 will be described. The positioner 4 has a fixing means 41 for placing the holder 6 on the positioner 4 and for stably fixing the holder 6 even during movement, and a positioning means 42 for changing the position of the holder 6. In this specification, "positioning" includes the meaning of "changing the position" of the holder 6.

With the holder 6 fixed on the fixing means 41, the positioner 4 places an empty work receptacle 61 on the reference surface 321 and waits until the magnet 7 is inserted into one of the multiple work receptacles 61 by the separation unit 3. When the magnet 7 is actually inserted into that work receptacle 61, the positioner 4 places another empty work receptacle 61 into which no magnet 7 has been inserted, on the reference surface 321, directly below the separation pusher 34. The positioner 4 repeats this operation until magnets 7 are inserted into all of the work receptacles 61 of one holder 6.

(How to refill)
The refilling method is shown in Fig. 9. The refilling method includes a transfer step S1, a separation step S2, and a placement step S3, and the following operations are performed by the refilling device 1 described above.

In the transfer step S1, when the plate 211, which is provided parallel to the upper surface 77F of the magnet group 77 and can be raised and lowered, and the workpiece holder 215, which is provided between the magnet group 77 and the plate 211 and can move with the plate 211 and is guided by the guide shafts 216 and 217, are lowered and come into contact with the upper surface 77F, a pair of chuck claws 212 and 213 provided on the plate 211 are driven by the actuator 214 to chuck the magnet group 77 as a unit, and the rotating movement means 22 changes the orientation or moves the plate 211 itself, and the magnet group 77 is placed on the alignment table 31.

In the separation step S2, the feed pusher 33 pushes one side of the magnet group 77 placed on the alignment table 31 in the row direction and presses the other side against the reference surface 321, and then the separation pusher 34 descends from above the reference surface 321 to push down the leading magnet 771 and insert it into the workpiece receiver 61.

Furthermore, in the placement step S3, when one of the magnets 7 is inserted into one of the workpiece receivers 61, the placement means 42 that positions the holder 6 places another workpiece receiver 61 into which a magnet 7 has not yet been inserted, directly below the reference surface 321 or the separation pusher 34.

(effect)
Fig. 10 shows a conventional tray as a comparative example, and Fig. 11 shows a conventional transfer device as a comparative example. Conventionally, a tray that supplies magnets to a magnet assembly machine used in a rotor production line is stored with each magnet separated as shown in Fig. 10, and a transfer device as shown in Fig. 11 has made it possible to feed the magnets into a work receiver on the equipment side while maintaining the aligned state (pitch and orientation) in the tray. However, in recent years, due to cost reduction, miniaturization, and differences in specifications depending on the product destination, the orientation of the work in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular parallelepiped may differ from that of the conventional method, or multiple workpieces may be abutting each other and lined up in a row without any partitions.

At this time, there are no partitions in the grooves in which the magnets are stored, and as the magnets are in close contact with each other it is impossible to remove them one by one, so they must be removed all at once in order to be inserted into the magnet receiver on the equipment side. However, with the batch chucking method, there is a risk that the center part of the chucked magnet group will lose its alignment and fall. Also, when rotating 90 degrees to change position, the magnets will be swung around and the alignment will be lost in the direction of rotation, causing them to fall. Furthermore, as there is a tolerance of approximately ±3 mm in the thickness direction of the magnet group, a mechanism was needed that would take this into account and stably separate the magnets one by one.

To solve these problems and remove the magnet group all at once, change its position, and separate them one by one to transfer them to another tray, the chucking means of the present invention is equipped with a magnet presser that can stably contact the magnet group with a guide shaft, and an elastic material is provided on the contact surface of each chuck jaw, making it possible to chuck stably and change its position. In addition, after the magnet group is placed on the alignment table, the feed pusher of the present invention is equipped with a spring that satisfies a predetermined spring constant and can push out the weight of the magnet group while taking into account the friction coefficient, making it possible to insert the magnets into the desired transfer destination in order, starting from the leading magnet, while always pushing out the entire magnet group with a load above a certain level. The above configuration makes it possible to efficiently transfer magnets between trays.

Other Embodiments
The above embodiment is designed to transfer magnets between trays to supply plate-shaped magnets to a rotor core, but the rectangular workpiece is not limited to motor magnets, and may be any workpiece that has a similar shape and requires refilling. In addition, if the size is adapted by scaling up or miniaturizing, it is expected to be applicable to various situations that require smooth and efficient transfer of workpieces between trays.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1 refilling device, 2 transfer unit, 21 chucking means,
211 plate, 212, 213 chuck jaws, 214 actuator,
215 Work holder, 216, 217 Guide shaft, 22 Swivel movement means,
3 Separation unit, 31 Alignment table, 321 Reference surface,
33: Feed pusher; 34: Separation pusher; 4: Positioner; 42: Placement means;
5 Tray, 51 Groove, 6 Holder, 61 Workpiece receiver,
7 Magnet (work), 77 Magnet group (work group), 77F Top surface,
771 Leading magnet (leading workpiece), S1 Transfer step, S2 Separation step.

Claims (4)

A method for refilling multiple workpieces, comprising the steps of: chucking a group of workpieces (77) in which rectangular parallelepiped workpieces (7) are placed in a groove (51) of a tray (5) so as to be in contact with each other, together from both sides in the row direction; moving the group of workpieces while changing their orientation; separating each workpiece one by one from the group of workpieces; and inserting each workpiece into a workpiece receiver (61) of a holder (6), wherein one workpiece is inserted into each workpiece receiver;
a transfer step (S1) in which a plate (211) provided parallel to an upper surface (77F) of the work group and capable of being raised and lowered, and a work holder (215) provided between the work group and the plate and movable with the plate and guided by guide shafts (216, 217) are lowered to abut against the upper surface, a pair of chuck jaws (212, 213) provided on the plate are driven by an actuator (214) to chuck the work group as a whole, and a swivel moving means (22) moves while changing the orientation of the plate itself, and the work group is placed on an alignment table (31);
A separation step (S2) in which a feed pusher (33) pushes one side of the workpiece group placed on the alignment table in the row direction and presses the other side against a reference surface (321), and a separation pusher (34) descends from above the reference surface to push down the leading workpiece (771) and insert it into the workpiece receiver;
Refill methods including. The refilling method according to claim 1 further includes a placement step (S3) in which, when one of the workpieces is inserted into one of the workpiece receivers, the placement means (42) for placing the holder places another of the workpiece receivers into which the workpiece has not yet been inserted, on the reference surface or directly below the separation pusher. A multiple workpiece refilling device (1) that chucks a group of workpieces (77) in which rectangular parallelepiped workpieces (7) are placed in a groove (51) of a tray (5) so as to be in contact with each other, from both sides in the row direction, moves while changing the orientation, separates the workpieces one by one from the group of workpieces, and inserts them into workpiece receivers (61) of a holder (6), and inserts one workpiece into one of the workpiece receivers;
a chuck means (21) including a plate (211) provided parallel to an upper surface (77F) of the work group and capable of being raised and lowered, a pair of chuck jaws (212, 213) provided on the plate, an actuator (214) for driving the chuck jaws along the row direction of the work group, a work holder (215) provided between the work group and the plate and movable in association with the movement of the plate and abutting the upper surface, and guide shafts (216, 217) for guiding the movement of the work holder; and a swivel movement means (22). The transfer unit (2) chucks the work group as a whole, and the swivel movement means moves while changing the orientation of the plate itself, and places the work group on an alignment table (31);
a separation unit (3) having the alignment table, a feed pusher (33) that pushes one side of the work group placed on the alignment table in the row direction and presses the other side against a reference surface (321), and a separation pusher (34) that descends from above the reference surface to push down the leading work (771) of the work group and insert it into the work receiver;
A refilling device comprising: The refilling device according to claim 3, further comprising a positioner (4) that, when one of the workpieces is inserted into one of the workpiece receivers, positions the holder with a positioning means (42) that positions another workpiece receiver into which the workpiece has not yet been inserted, on the reference surface or directly below the separation pusher.

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