JP7685368B2 - Vibration type parts transport device - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a vibrating part transport device that transports parts by vibrating a trough.

A known vibration-type part transport device that transports parts by vibrating a trough with a part transport path that extends linearly in the front-to-rear direction is a composite vibration-type device that generates horizontal vibration in the front-to-rear direction and vertical vibration in the up-down direction independently, and transports parts by a vibration that combines the horizontal and vertical vibrations (e.g., Patent Documents 1 and 2).

The vibration-type part transport device of Patent Document 1 has a trough with a part transport path that extends linearly in the front-to-rear direction, an upper vibrating body to which the trough is attached, an intermediate vibrating body, and a base. The upper vibrating body and the intermediate vibrating body are connected by a vertical vibration leaf spring that vibrates in the up-down direction, and the intermediate vibrating body and the base are connected by a horizontal vibration leaf spring that vibrates in the front-to-rear direction. In addition, a front-to-rear vibration force is applied to the upper vibrating body by the operation of a horizontal vibration electromagnet, and a vertical vibration force is applied by the operation of a vertical vibration electromagnet. The base is connected to a base plate installed on the floor via an anti-vibration connecting member.

This vibration-type part transport device creates elliptical vibrations of the trough and upper vibrator (reciprocating motion in which each point on the trough and upper vibrator moves back and forth along an elliptical trajectory with the major axis inclined relative to the horizontal) by combining, with a specified phase difference, horizontal vibrations in the front-to-back direction generated by a horizontal vibration electromagnet and a horizontal vibration leaf spring, and vertical vibrations generated by a vertical vibration electromagnet and a vertical vibration leaf spring, and this elliptical vibration moves the parts on the trough from the rear to the front.

Figure 17 is a simplified model diagram of a composite vibration type part transport device. In Figure 17, the vibration type part transport device has a trough A with a part transport path that extends linearly in the front-to-rear direction (left-to-right direction in the figure), an upper vibrator B, an intermediate vibrator C, a base D, a vertical vibration leaf spring Kb that connects the upper vibrator B and the intermediate vibrator C, and a horizontal vibration leaf spring Kc that connects the intermediate vibrator C and the base D. The base D is connected to the floor F via an anti-vibration connecting member Kd.

The vertical vibration leaf spring Kb is arranged so that the up-down direction is the plate thickness direction and the front-to-rear direction is the longitudinal direction, with one front-to-rear end of the vertical vibration leaf spring Kb fixed to the upper vibrating body B and the other end fixed to the intermediate vibrating body C. This vertical vibration leaf spring Kb allows the upper vibrating body B and the intermediate vibrating body C to be displaced relative to each other in the up-down direction, but connects the upper vibrating body B and the intermediate vibrating body C so as not to allow relative displacement between the upper vibrating body B and the intermediate vibrating body C in the front-to-rear direction.

Similarly, the horizontal vibration leaf spring Kc is arranged so that the front-to-rear direction is the plate thickness direction and the up-to-down direction is the longitudinal direction, with the upper end of the horizontal vibration leaf spring Kc fixed to the intermediate vibrator C and the lower end fixed to the base D. This horizontal vibration leaf spring Kc connects the intermediate vibrator C and the base D so as to displace the intermediate vibrator C and the base D relative to each other in the front-to-rear direction but not to allow relative displacement between the intermediate vibrator C and the base D in the up-to-down direction.

JP 2018-34950 A JP 2013-95597 A

The vibration type part transport device shown in Figure 17 has three major components as a vibration system, namely, an integrated trough A and upper vibrator B, an intermediate vibrator C, and a base D. The center of gravity of the trough A, upper vibrator B, and intermediate vibrator C (hereinafter referred to as the "center of gravity of the upper member ABC") is Gabc, the center of gravity of the base D is Gd, the center of gravity of the trough A, upper vibrator B, intermediate vibrator C, and base D (hereinafter referred to as the "center of gravity of the entire device") is Gabcd, the distance from the center of gravity Gabc of the upper member ABC to the center of gravity Gabcd of the entire device is r1, and the distance from the center of gravity Gd of the base D to the center of gravity Gabcd of the entire device is r2.

When only the horizontal excitation electromagnet (not shown) is operated, of the trough A, upper vibrator B, intermediate vibrator C, and base D, the trough A, upper vibrator B, and intermediate vibrator C move together in one direction in the front-to-rear direction, and only the base D moves in the other direction in the front-to-rear direction. At this time, as shown in FIG. 18, a vibration force F1 in one direction in the front-to-rear direction acts on the center of gravity Gabc of the upper member ABC, and as a reaction to this, a vibration force F2 in the other direction in the front-to-rear direction acts on the center of gravity Gd of the base D. Therefore, a moment load M of F1×r1 and F2×r2 is generated around the center of gravity Gabcd of the entire device, and as a result, the entire device rotates around the center of gravity Gabcd of the entire device.

When only the horizontal excitation electromagnet (not shown) is operated, the center of gravity Gabc of the upper member ABC and the center of gravity Gd of the base D move in opposite directions in the front-rear direction, as shown in FIG. 19. At this time, the center of gravity Gabc of the upper member ABC and the center of gravity Gd of the base D maintain a positional relationship on a common straight line e passing through the center of gravity Gabcd of the entire device, so the ratio of the vibration displacement (the amplitude in the front-rear direction of the upper member ABC) X1 of the center of gravity Gabc of the upper member ABC to the vibration displacement (the amplitude in the front-rear direction of the base D) X2 of the center of gravity Gd of the base D is the ratio of the distance r1 from the center of gravity Gabc of the upper member ABC to the center of gravity Gabcd of the entire device to the distance r2 from the center of gravity Gd of the base D to the center of gravity Gabcd of the entire device, i.e., the ratio of the reciprocal of the mass of the upper member ABC to the reciprocal of the mass of the base D.

Furthermore, when only the horizontal vibration electromagnet (not shown) is activated, as shown in Figures 20 and 21, the center of gravity Gd of base D is displaced in the front-to-rear direction, and the moment load M around the center of gravity Gd of base D generated at this time causes base D to tilt by α degrees with respect to the horizontal direction, and in response to this tilt of base D, as shown in Figure 22, trough A also tilts with respect to the horizontal direction. In this way, the pitching motion (tilting) of base D causes the pitching motion (tilting) of trough A, which poses a major challenge in causing trough A to produce the desired elliptical vibration.

Therefore, in order to suppress the pitching motion of the trough, the vibrating part transport device of Patent Document 2 attaches multiple weights to the base, and by increasing or decreasing the number of weights, the magnitude of the pitching motion of the base is adjusted, and the pitching motion of the base is intended to offset the pitching motion of the trough.

However, even if the magnitude of the pitching motion of the base is adjusted by the number of weights attached to the base, as in Patent Document 2, the trough is usually designed and manufactured individually in relation to the properties of the parts being transported by the vibrating part transport device and the devices to be placed upstream and downstream of the vibrating part transport device, and the length and mass of the trough differ depending on the properties of the parts being transported, making it difficult to completely suppress the pitching motion of the trough.

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a composite vibration type part transport device that can reliably suppress the pitching motion of the trough.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a vibratory part transport device having the following configuration.
a trough having a part transport path extending linearly in the front-rear direction;
an upper vibrating body to which the trough is attached;
A base plate installed on the floor;
A base is disposed on an upper side of the base plate to face the base plate;
a vibration-isolating connecting member that connects the base and the base plate;
an intermediate vibrator provided between the upper vibrator and the base;
a first vibrating leaf spring connecting the upper vibrating body and the intermediate vibrating body;
a second vibration leaf spring that connects the intermediate vibrator and the base;
a horizontal excitation electromagnet that applies a vibration force in the front-rear direction to the upper vibrator;
a vertical excitation electromagnet that applies a vertical excitation force to the upper vibrator,
In a vibration type part transport device, one of the first vibrating leaf spring and the second vibrating leaf spring is a horizontal vibrating leaf spring that vibrates in a front-back direction, and the other of the first vibrating leaf spring and the second vibrating leaf spring is a vertical vibrating leaf spring that vibrates in an up-down direction,
A vibrating part conveying device characterized in that the vertical vibration electromagnet is composed of a front vertical vibration electromagnet and a rear vertical vibration electromagnet arranged in a front-to-rear direction with the horizontal vibration electromagnet in between so that the front and rear portions of the upper vibrating body can be vibrated independently.

In this way, the front vertical excitation electromagnet and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet are arranged side by side with the horizontal excitation electromagnet in between so that the front and rear parts of the upper vibrator can be excited independently. This makes it possible to set separately the timing and magnitude of the excitation force applied to the front part of the upper vibrator and the timing and magnitude of the excitation force applied to the rear part of the upper vibrator. This makes it possible to reliably suppress the pitching motion of the trough and upper vibrator that occurs when the upper vibrator is vibrated in the front-to-rear direction.

a horizontal displacement sensor for detecting a displacement of the upper vibrator in the front-rear direction;
a front vertical displacement sensor that detects a vertical displacement of a front portion of the upper vibrating body with respect to the base plate;
a rear vertical displacement sensor that detects a vertical displacement of a rear portion of the upper vibrating body with respect to the base plate;
It is preferable to further provide a controller that controls operation of the horizontal vibration electromagnet, the front vertical vibration electromagnet, and the rear vertical vibration electromagnet based on the output signal of the horizontal displacement sensor, the output signal of the front vertical displacement sensor, and the output signal of the rear vertical displacement sensor.

In this way, it is possible to perform feedback control so that the trough and upper vibrator produce the desired elliptical vibration based on the forward/backward displacement of the upper vibrator detected by the horizontal displacement sensor, the upward/downward displacement of the front part of the upper vibrator detected by the front vertical displacement sensor, and the upward/downward displacement of the rear part of the upper vibrator detected by the rear vertical displacement sensor.

In addition, the front vertical displacement sensor and the rear vertical displacement sensor are arranged to detect vertical displacement with respect to the base plate, rather than vertical displacement with respect to the base. Therefore, even if the base tilts due to deformation of the vibration-proof connecting member, it is possible to accurately detect the vertical displacement of the front and rear parts of the upper vibrating body regardless of the tilt of the base. Therefore, even when the base is pitching, it is possible to effectively suppress the pitching motion of the trough and upper vibrating body.

It is preferable to adopt a configuration in which the first vibration leaf spring connecting the upper vibration body and the intermediate vibration body is the horizontal vibration leaf spring, and the second vibration leaf spring connecting the intermediate vibration body and the base is the vertical vibration leaf spring.

In this way, the ratio of the mass of the base side relative to the horizontal vibration leaf spring to the mass of the upper vibrator side relative to the horizontal vibration leaf spring becomes larger, so that the pitching motion that occurs in the base when the horizontal vibration electromagnet is operated can be suppressed, and the part conveying speed can be increased. That is, when the member on the side of the upper vibrator side relative to the horizontal vibration leaf spring is moved in one direction in the front-rear direction, the member on the base side relative to the horizontal vibration leaf spring moves in the other direction in the front-rear direction due to the reaction. Here, when the upper vibrator and the intermediate vibrator are connected with a horizontal vibration leaf spring, and the intermediate vibrator and the base are connected with a vertical vibration leaf spring, the ratio of the mass of the base side relative to the horizontal vibration leaf spring to the mass of the upper vibrator side relative to the horizontal vibration leaf spring becomes larger than when the upper vibrator and the intermediate vibrator are connected with a vertical vibration leaf spring, and the intermediate vibrator and the base are connected with a horizontal vibration leaf spring. Therefore, by adopting a configuration in which the upper vibrator and the intermediate vibrator are connected by a leaf spring for horizontal vibration, and the intermediate vibrator and the base are connected by a leaf spring for vertical vibration, the vibration displacement (amplitude in the front-to-back direction) of the base becomes relatively small, making it possible to reduce the pitching motion that occurs on the side of the base when the horizontal vibration electromagnet is activated. In addition, since the vibration displacement (amplitude in the front-to-back direction) of the upper vibrator becomes relatively large, it is also possible to increase the part transport speed.

The horizontal vibration leaf spring is arranged such that the front-rear direction is the plate thickness direction, and the left-right direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction among the horizontal directions, is the longitudinal direction,
It is preferable to adopt a configuration in which one left-right end of the horizontal vibration leaf spring is fixed to the upper vibrating body, and the other end is fixed to the intermediate vibrating body.

In this way, the horizontal vibration leaf springs are arranged so that their longitudinal direction faces the horizontal direction, so the vertical thickness of the upper vibrator and intermediate vibrator connected by the horizontal vibration leaf springs can be reduced compared to when the horizontal vibration leaf springs are arranged so that their longitudinal direction faces the vertical direction. This brings the center of gravity of the upper vibrator closer to the center of gravity of the base, making it possible to effectively suppress pitching motion that occurs in the base when the horizontal vibration electromagnet is activated.

the base has a pair of left and right side plates disposed opposite to each other in a left-right direction, which is a direction perpendicular to a front-rear direction in a horizontal direction, with the upper vibrating body and the intermediate vibrating body between them,
It is preferable that the pair of side plates have a height that extends above the upper end of the upper vibrating body.

By doing this, the center of gravity of the base is raised by the side plate that extends above the top end of the upper vibrator, and the center of gravity of the upper vibrator side and the center of gravity of the base side are brought closer together. This makes it possible to effectively suppress the pitching motion that occurs in the base when the horizontal excitation electromagnet is activated.

the horizontal excitation electromagnet is fixed to a central portion of the base in a state in which the horizontal excitation electromagnet is accommodated in a horizontal excitation electromagnet accommodating hole formed by penetrating a central portion of the intermediate oscillator in a vertical direction so that the intermediate oscillator and the horizontal excitation electromagnet are arranged to overlap each other when viewed in the horizontal direction;
a horizontally exciting iron core attracted by the horizontally exciting electromagnet is fixed to a lower surface of a central portion of the upper vibrating body so as to face the horizontally exciting electromagnet in a front-rear direction within the horizontally exciting electromagnet accommodating hole,
the front vertical excitation electromagnet is fixed to a front portion of the base in a state of being accommodated in a front vertical excitation electromagnet accommodating hole formed by penetrating a front portion of the intermediate vibrator in a vertical direction so that the intermediate vibrator and the front vertical excitation electromagnet are arranged to overlap each other when viewed in a horizontal direction;
a front vertical excitation iron core attracted by the front vertical excitation electromagnet is fixed to a lower surface of a front portion of the upper vibrating body so as to face the front vertical excitation electromagnet in a vertical direction;
the rear vertical excitation electromagnet is fixed to a rear portion of the base in a state of being accommodated in a rear vertical excitation electromagnet accommodating hole formed by penetrating a rear portion of the intermediate vibrator in a vertical direction so that the intermediate vibrator and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet are arranged to overlap each other when viewed in a horizontal direction;
It is preferable to adopt a configuration in which a rear vertical excitation iron core, which is attracted to the rear vertical excitation electromagnet, is fixed to the underside of the rear part of the upper vibrating body so as to face the rear vertical excitation electromagnet in the vertical direction.

In this way, the horizontal vibration core, the front vertical vibration core, and the rear vertical vibration core are all fixed to the upper vibrator rather than the intermediate vibrator, so that the vibration force can be applied to the upper vibrator directly, not via the intermediate vibrator, and as a result, it is possible to precisely control the vibration of the upper vibrator. In addition, the horizontal vibration electromagnet is accommodated in a horizontal vibration electromagnet accommodating hole formed by vertically penetrating the center part of the intermediate vibrator, the front vertical vibration electromagnet is accommodated in a front vertical vibration electromagnet accommodating hole formed by vertically penetrating the front part of the intermediate vibrator, and the rear vertical vibration electromagnet is accommodated in a rear vertical vibration electromagnet accommodating hole formed by vertically penetrating the rear part of the intermediate vibrator, so that the vertical dimension of the vibration type part conveying device can be kept low.

The vibratory part transport device of this invention has a front vertical excitation electromagnet and a rear vertical excitation electromagnet arranged side by side with a horizontal excitation electromagnet in between so that the front and rear parts of the upper vibrator can be vibrated independently. This makes it possible to set separately the timing and magnitude of the excitation force applied to the front part of the upper vibrator and the timing and magnitude of the excitation force applied to the rear part of the upper vibrator. This makes it possible to reliably suppress the pitching motion of the trough and upper vibrator that occurs when the upper vibrator is vibrated in the front-to-rear direction.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a vibration-type part transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the front portion of the vibration-type part transport device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the rear portion of the vibration-type part transport device of FIG. 1; A cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in FIG. VI-VI line cross-sectional view of FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a controller of the vibration-type part transport device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the change over time in displacement detected by the horizontal displacement sensor, the front vertical displacement sensor, and the rear vertical displacement sensor when only the horizontal vibration electromagnet of the vibration type part transport device of FIG. 1 is operated. FIG. 2 shows a Lissajous figure obtained based on the displacement detected by the horizontal displacement sensor and the displacement detected by the rear vertical displacement sensor when only the horizontal vibration electromagnet of the vibration type part transport device of FIG. 1 is operated. FIG. 2 shows a Lissajous figure obtained based on the displacement detected by the horizontal displacement sensor and the displacement detected by the front vertical displacement sensor when only the horizontal vibration electromagnet of the vibration type part transport device of FIG. 1 is operated. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the positive and negative directions of displacement detected by the horizontal displacement sensor shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 2 shows the time change in applied voltage when the voltages applied to the horizontal excitation electromagnet, the front vertical excitation electromagnet, and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet are controlled so as to eliminate the pitching motion that occurs in the upper vibrator when only the horizontal excitation electromagnet of the vibration-type part transport device of FIG. 1 is operated, and the time change in displacement detected by the horizontal displacement sensor, the front vertical displacement sensor, and the rear vertical displacement sensor, respectively, are shown. FIG. 2 shows the change over time in displacement detected by the horizontal displacement sensor, the front vertical displacement sensor, and the rear vertical displacement sensor when elliptical vibration is generated in the upper vibrator of the vibration-type part conveying device of FIG. 1 by controlling the voltages applied to the horizontal vibration electromagnet, the front vertical vibration electromagnet, and the rear vertical vibration electromagnet so that the timing and magnitude of the voltage applied to the front vertical vibration electromagnet and the timing and magnitude of the voltage applied to the rear vertical vibration electromagnet are the same. FIG. 14 shows the time change of the displacements detected by the horizontal displacement sensor, the front vertical displacement sensor, and the rear vertical displacement sensor when control is performed to correct the applied voltage of the front vertical excitation electromagnet and the applied voltage of the rear vertical excitation electromagnet so that the amplitude of the front vertical displacement and the amplitude of the rear vertical displacement shown in FIG. 13 become a common target value. FIG. 15 shows the time change of the displacements detected by the horizontal displacement sensor, the front vertical displacement sensor, and the rear vertical displacement sensor when control is performed to correct the applied voltage of the front vertical excitation electromagnet and the applied voltage of the rear vertical excitation electromagnet so that the phase difference of the front vertical displacement relative to the horizontal displacement and the phase difference of the rear vertical displacement relative to the horizontal displacement shown in FIG. 14 become a common target value. FIG. 16 shows a Lissajous figure obtained based on the displacement detected by the horizontal displacement sensor and the displacement detected by the front vertical displacement sensor (or the displacement detected by the rear vertical displacement sensor) when the correction shown in FIG. 15 is performed. A simplified model diagram of a conventional composite vibration type parts transport device FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining vibration forces and moments acting on the center of gravity Gabc of the upper member ABC and the center of gravity Gd of the base D when the trough and the upper vibrating body of FIG. 17 are horizontally vibrated in the front-rear direction. FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining the magnitude of vibration displacement of the center of gravity Gabc of the upper member ABC and the magnitude of vibration displacement of the center of gravity Gd of the base D when the trough and the upper vibrating body of FIG. 17 are horizontally vibrated in the front-rear direction. FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing a state before the upper vibrator of FIG. 17 is horizontally displaced when a horizontal vibration force in the front-back direction is applied to the upper vibrator; FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing a state after the upper vibrating body of FIG. 17 is horizontally displaced when a horizontal vibration force in the front-back direction is applied to the upper vibrating body; FIG. 22 shows the part conveying device in the state shown in FIG. 21, corresponding to FIG. 17. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the center of gravity Gab on the side of the upper vibrator that vibrates when the upper vibrator of the vibration type part transport device shown in FIG. 1 is horizontally vibrated in the front-back direction, and the center of gravity Gcd on the side of the base, corresponding to FIG. 18.

Figure 1 shows a vibration type part transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This vibration type part transport device has a trough 1, an upper vibrating body 2 to which the trough 1 is attached, an intermediate vibrating body 3, a base 4, a base plate 5 installed on a floor F, a first vibration leaf spring 6 connecting the upper vibrating body 2 and the intermediate vibrating body 3, a second vibration leaf spring 7 connecting the intermediate vibrating body 3 and the base 4, a horizontal excitation electromagnet 8 that applies an excitation force in the front-back direction (the direction in which the parts are transported) to the upper vibrating body 2, a vertical excitation electromagnet 9 that applies an excitation force in the up-down direction to the upper vibrating body 2, and an anti-vibration connecting member 10 that connects the base 4 and the base plate 5.

The trough 1 has a part transport path 11 that extends linearly in the front-rear direction. The part transport path 11 is a groove that extends horizontally on the top surface of the trough 1 (see FIG. 5). The trough 1 is removably fixed to a trough mounting surface 12 formed on the top surface of the upper vibrating body 2 with bolts (not shown).

The upper vibrating body 2 is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from above. A trough mounting surface 12 is formed on the upper surface of the upper vibrating body 2. The trough mounting surface 12 is an upwardly facing flat surface in which a screw hole (not shown) for fixing the trough 1 is formed. A pair of leaf spring mounting pieces 13 are formed on the lower surface of the upper vibrating body 2, which extend downward in a columnar shape from two diagonal corners of the rectangle as shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the intermediate vibrator 3 is formed in a rectangular frame shape when viewed from above. The intermediate vibrator 3 has a pair of leaf spring mounting parts 14 formed at two diagonal corners of the rectangle. One end of the first vibration leaf spring 6 in the left-right direction (the horizontal direction perpendicular to the front-back direction) is fixed to the leaf spring mounting piece 13 of the upper vibrator 2 (see FIG. 1), and the other end of the first vibration leaf spring 6 in the left-right direction is fixed to the leaf spring mounting part 14 of the intermediate vibrator 3.

The first vibration leaf spring 6 is a horizontal vibration leaf spring arranged so that the front-to-back direction is the plate thickness direction and the left-to-right direction is the longitudinal direction of the horizontally orthogonal front-to-back and left-to-right directions. This first vibration leaf spring 6 (horizontal vibration leaf spring) allows the upper vibrating body 2 and the intermediate vibrating body 3 to be displaced relative to each other in the front-to-back direction, but connects the upper vibrating body 2 and the intermediate vibrating body 3 so as not to allow relative displacement between the upper vibrating body 2 and the intermediate vibrating body 3 in the up-down direction.

The front leaf spring mounting piece 13 of the pair of front and rear leaf spring mounting pieces 13 of the upper vibrating body 2 and the front leaf spring mounting part 14 of the pair of front and rear leaf spring mounting parts 14 of the intermediate vibrating body 3 are arranged opposite each other in the left-right direction. In addition, the rear leaf spring mounting piece 13 of the pair of front and rear leaf spring mounting pieces 13 of the upper vibrating body 2 and the rear leaf spring mounting part 14 of the pair of front and rear leaf spring mounting parts 14 of the intermediate vibrating body 3 are also arranged opposite each other in the left-right direction.

The pair of leaf spring mounting pieces 13 of the upper vibrating body 2 and the pair of leaf spring mounting portions 14 of the intermediate vibrating body 3 are arranged such that, when viewed from above, a straight line connecting the pair of leaf spring mounting pieces 13 and a straight line connecting the pair of leaf spring mounting portions 14 are imagined to intersect. In other words, the left-right positional relationship between the front leaf spring mounting piece 13 and the front leaf spring mounting portion 14 is swapped with the left-right positional relationship between the rear leaf spring mounting piece 13 and the rear leaf spring mounting portion 14.

As shown in FIG. 1, the base 4 is disposed facing the upper side of the base plate 5. A plurality of anti-vibration connecting members 10 are provided in the front and rear to connect the lower surface of the front part of the base 4 to the upper surface of the base plate 5 and the lower surface of the rear part of the base 4 to the upper surface of the base plate 5. The upper end of the anti-vibration connecting member 10 is fixed to the lower surface of the base 4, and the lower end of the anti-vibration connecting member 10 is fixed to the base plate 5. The anti-vibration connecting member 10 is an elastic member that deforms in response to the vibration of the base 4 so as to prevent the vibration of the base 4 from being transmitted to the floor F. The anti-vibration connecting member 10 may be made of rubber or a coil spring in the deforming portion. The base plate 5 is fixed to the floor F with bolts (not shown).

As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the second vibration leaf spring 7 connecting the intermediate vibrator 3 and the base 4 is a vertical vibration leaf spring arranged so that the plate thickness direction is the up-down direction. The intermediate vibrator 3 has a through hole 15 that penetrates from top to bottom, and a columnar protrusion 16 formed on the top surface of the base 4 is inserted into the through hole 15. The second vibration leaf spring 7 (vertical vibration leaf spring) is arranged so that the longitudinal direction is the front-to-rear direction, and both front-to-rear ends of the second vibration leaf spring 7 are fixed to the front and rear edges of the through hole 15 of the intermediate vibrator 3, and the center of the second vibration leaf spring 7 is fixed to the upper end of the columnar protrusion 16 of the base 4.

The second vibration leaf spring 7 (vertical vibration leaf spring) connects the intermediate vibrator 3 and the base 4 so as to displace the intermediate vibrator 3 and the base 4 relative to each other in the up-down direction, but does not allow relative displacement between the intermediate vibrator 3 and the base 4 in the front-rear direction. The second vibration leaf spring 7 is arranged so that the longitudinal direction is the left-right direction, and both left-right ends of the second vibration leaf spring 7 may be fixed to the left and right edges of the through hole 15 of the intermediate vibrator 3.

As shown in FIG. 1, a horizontal excitation electromagnet 8 is fixed to the center of the base 4 in the front-to-rear direction, and a horizontal excitation iron core 17, which is attracted to the horizontal excitation electromagnet 8, is fixed to the underside of the center of the upper vibrator 2. The horizontal excitation electromagnet 8 and the horizontal excitation iron core 17 are arranged facing each other in the front-to-rear direction. The horizontal excitation electromagnet 8 is an AC electromagnet (a coil wound around a core made of laminated silicon steel plates). When electricity is applied to the horizontal excitation electromagnet 8, a horizontal excitation force in the front-to-rear direction is applied to the upper vibrator 2 by the electromagnetic attraction force generated between the horizontal excitation electromagnet 8 and the horizontal excitation iron core 17.

A horizontal excitation electromagnet accommodating hole 18 is formed in the center of the intermediate vibrator 3, penetrating the intermediate vibrator 3 in the vertical direction. A horizontal excitation electromagnet 8 is accommodated in the horizontal excitation electromagnet accommodating hole 18, and the intermediate vibrator 3 and the horizontal excitation electromagnet 8 are arranged to overlap when viewed in the horizontal direction. In addition, the horizontal excitation iron core 17 is also accommodated in the horizontal excitation electromagnet accommodating hole 18, and the intermediate vibrator 3 and the horizontal excitation iron core 17 are arranged to overlap when viewed in the horizontal direction.

The vertical excitation electromagnet 9 is composed of a front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a and a rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b, which are arranged side by side with the horizontal excitation electromagnet 8 in between, so that the front and rear parts of the upper vibrating body 2 can be excited independently. Both the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b are AC electromagnets.

The front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b are arranged in front and behind, sandwiching the horizontal excitation electromagnet 8 between them. In addition, the second vibration leaf spring 7 (vertical vibration leaf spring) is arranged in a pair in front and behind, sandwiching the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b between them.

As shown in FIG. 3, a front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a is fixed to the front part of the base 4, and a front vertical excitation iron core 19a, which is attracted to the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a, is fixed to the underside of the front part of the upper vibrating body 2. The front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a and the front vertical excitation iron core 19a are arranged opposite each other in the vertical direction, and when electricity is applied to the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a, a vertical excitation force in the up-down direction is applied to the front part of the upper vibrating body 2 by the electromagnetic attraction force generated between the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a and the front vertical excitation iron core 19a.

A front vertical excitation electromagnet accommodating hole 20a is formed in the front portion of the intermediate vibrator 3, penetrating the intermediate vibrator 3 in the up-down direction. A front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a is accommodated in the front vertical excitation electromagnet accommodating hole 20a, and the intermediate vibrator 3 and the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a are arranged to overlap when viewed in the horizontal direction.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 4, a rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b is fixed to the rear portion of the base 4, and a rear vertical excitation iron core 19b is fixed to the underside of the rear portion of the upper vibrating body 2, and is attracted to the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b. The rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b and the rear vertical excitation iron core 19b are arranged opposite each other in the vertical direction, and when electricity is applied to the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b, a vertical excitation force in the up-down direction is applied to the rear portion of the upper vibrating body 2 by the electromagnetic attraction force generated between the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b and the rear vertical excitation iron core 19b.

A rear vertical excitation electromagnet housing hole 20b is formed in the rear portion of the intermediate vibrator 3, penetrating the intermediate vibrator 3 in the up-down direction. A rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b is housed in the rear vertical excitation electromagnet housing hole 20b, and the intermediate vibrator 3 and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b are arranged to overlap when viewed in the horizontal direction.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the base 4 has a base body 4a facing the upper side of the base plate 5, and a pair of left and right side plates 4b extending upward from both the left and right ends of the base body 4a. The pair of left and right side plates 4b are arranged facing each other in the left-right direction with the upper vibrating body 2 and intermediate vibrating body 3 between them. The pair of side plates 4b have a height that extends above the upper end (trough mounting surface 12) of the upper vibrating body 2. The intermediate vibrating body 3 is arranged between the upper vibrating body 2 and the base body 4a.

As shown in FIG. 2, the base body 4a is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from above. The length of the side plate 4b in the front-to-rear direction can be set to be the same as or longer than the length of the base body 4a in the front-to-rear direction. In the figure, the length of the side plate 4b in the front-to-rear direction is set to be longer than the length of the base body 4a in the front-to-rear direction, and the front end of the side plate 4b protrudes forward from the base body 4a so as to be located forward of the front end of the base body 4a, and the rear end of the side plate 4b protrudes rearward from the base body 4a so as to be located rearward of the rear end of the base body 4a.

The base plate 5 is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from above. The length of the base plate 5 in the front-to-rear direction is longer than the length of the intermediate vibrator 3 in the front-to-rear direction. When viewed from above, the base plate 5 has a portion that protrudes forward from the intermediate vibrator 3 of the base plate 5, and a front vertical displacement sensor 21a is attached to this portion. Similarly, when viewed from above, the base plate 5 has a portion that protrudes rearward from the intermediate vibrator 3 of the base plate 5, and a rear vertical displacement sensor 21b is attached to this portion.

As shown in FIG. 3, the front vertical displacement sensor 21a is disposed below and facing the front vertical displacement detection dog 22a attached to the front end of the upper vibrating body 2. The front vertical displacement sensor 21a outputs a signal that changes according to the change in the vertical distance between the front vertical displacement detection dog 22a and the front vertical displacement sensor 21a, and based on the output signal, it is possible to detect the vertical displacement of the front part of the upper vibrating body 2 relative to the base plate 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b is disposed below and facing the rear vertical displacement detection dog 22b attached to the rear end of the upper vibrating body 2. The rear vertical displacement sensor 21b outputs a signal that changes according to the change in the vertical distance between the rear vertical displacement detection dog 22b and the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b, and based on the output signal, it is possible to detect the vertical displacement of the rear part of the upper vibrating body 2 relative to the base plate 5.

As shown in FIG. 3, a horizontal displacement sensor 23 is attached to the upper surface of the center portion of the base 4 in the front-rear direction. The horizontal displacement sensor 23 is arranged facing the horizontal displacement detection dog 24 attached to the lower surface of the center portion of the upper vibrating body 2 in the front-rear direction in the front-rear direction. The horizontal displacement sensor 23 and the horizontal displacement detection dog 24 are accommodated in the horizontal vibration electromagnet accommodation hole 18 formed in the intermediate vibrating body 3.

The horizontal displacement sensor 23 outputs a signal that changes according to the change in the distance between the horizontal displacement detection dog 24 and the horizontal displacement sensor 23 in the fore-and-aft direction, and based on the output signal, it is possible to detect the fore-and-aft displacement of the upper vibrating body 2 relative to the base 4.

As shown in FIG. 11, the horizontal displacement sensor 23 is configured to set the forward/rearward displacement of the upper vibrating body 2 to 0 when the horizontal displacement detection dog 24 is stationary, to detect a negative displacement when the horizontal displacement detection dog 24 approaches the horizontal displacement sensor 23, and to detect a positive displacement when the horizontal displacement detection dog 24 moves away from the horizontal displacement sensor 23.

Similarly, the front vertical displacement sensor 21a shown in FIG. 3 is configured to set the vertical displacement of the front part of the upper vibrating body 2 to 0 when the front vertical displacement detection dog 22a is in a stationary state, detect a negative displacement when the front vertical displacement detection dog 22a approaches the front vertical displacement sensor 21a, and detect a positive displacement when the front vertical displacement detection dog 22a moves away from the front vertical displacement sensor 21a. The rear vertical displacement sensor 21b shown in FIG. 4 is also configured to set the vertical displacement of the rear part of the upper vibrating body 2 to 0 when the rear vertical displacement detection dog 22b is in a stationary state, detect a negative displacement when the rear vertical displacement detection dog 22b approaches the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b, and detect a positive displacement when the rear vertical displacement detection dog 22b moves away from the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b.

The operation of the horizontal excitation electromagnet 8, the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a, and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b is controlled by a controller 25 shown in FIG. 7. The horizontal displacement sensor 23, the front vertical displacement sensor 21a, the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b, the horizontal excitation electromagnet 8, the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a, and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b are electrically connected to this controller 25, and it is possible to control the operation of the horizontal excitation electromagnet 8, the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a, and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b based on the output signal of the horizontal displacement sensor 23, the output signal of the front vertical displacement sensor 21a, and the output signal of the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b.

The vibration type part transport device shown in FIG. 1 can generate horizontal vibrations in the front-rear direction in the upper vibrating body 2 by intermittently energizing the horizontal vibration electromagnet 8 at a predetermined frequency, using the excitation force applied to the upper vibrating body 2 from the horizontal vibration electromagnet 8 and the elastic restoring force acting on the upper vibrating body 2 from the first vibration leaf spring 6 (horizontal vibration leaf spring). The frequency of the current (period of intermittent current) of the horizontal vibration electromagnet 8 at this time is set to a frequency closer to the natural frequency of the vibration system on the base 4 side than the first vibration leaf spring 6 (horizontal vibration leaf spring).

Similarly, by intermittently energizing the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b at a predetermined frequency, the excitation force applied to the upper vibrating body 2 from the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b and the elastic restoring force acting on the upper vibrating body 2 from the second vibration leaf spring 7 (vertical vibration leaf spring) can generate vertical vibration in the upper vibrating body 2. The frequency of the current flow through the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b at this time is set to the same magnitude as the frequency of current flow through the horizontal excitation electromagnet 8.

This vibration-type part transport device creates elliptical vibrations of the trough 1 and upper vibrator 2 (reciprocating motion of each point of the trough 1 and upper vibrator 2 tracing an elliptical trajectory) by combining, with a predetermined phase difference, horizontal vibrations in the front-to-back direction generated by the horizontal vibration electromagnet 8 and the first vibration leaf spring 6 (horizontal vibration leaf spring) with vertical vibrations in the up-down direction generated by the front vertical vibration electromagnet 9a and rear vertical vibration electromagnet 9b and the second vibration leaf spring 7 (vertical vibration leaf spring), and this elliptical vibration makes it possible to move parts on the trough 1 from the rear to the front.

When the trough 1 and the upper vibrating body 2 vibrate horizontally in the front-to-back direction, a pitching motion (the trough 1 and the upper vibrating body 2 repeatedly tilt up and down around a left-to-right axis) may occur, causing the trough 1 and the upper vibrating body 2 to tilt relative to the horizontal direction. This pitching motion of the trough 1 and the upper vibrating body 2 poses a major challenge in making the trough 1 produce the desired elliptical vibration.

To address the issue of the pitching motion of the trough 1, the vibrating part transport device of this embodiment employs a configuration in which the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b are arranged side by side with the horizontal excitation electromagnet 8 sandwiched between them so that the front and rear parts of the upper vibrating body 2 can be vibrated independently. Therefore, by separately setting the timing and magnitude of the voltage applied to the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a and the timing and magnitude of the voltage applied to the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b, it is possible to separately set the timing and magnitude of the excitation force applied to the front part of the upper vibrating body 2 and the timing and magnitude of the excitation force applied to the rear part of the upper vibrating body 2, which makes it possible to suppress the pitching motion of the trough 1 and the upper vibrating body 2 that occurs when the upper vibrating body 2 is vibrated in the front-rear direction.

The control mechanism for suppressing the pitching motion of the trough 1 and upper vibrator 2 using the vibratory part transport device of this embodiment is described below.

Figure 8 shows the time change in displacement detected by the horizontal displacement sensor 23, the front vertical displacement sensor 21a, and the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b when only the horizontal excitation electromagnet 8 out of the horizontal excitation electromagnet 8, the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a, and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b is activated to horizontally vibrate the upper vibrator 2 in the front-to-rear direction. In Figure 8, the vertical axis indicates displacement and the horizontal axis indicates time. As shown in Figure 8, the displacement detected by the front vertical displacement sensor 21a (vertical displacement of the front part of the upper vibrator 2) and the displacement detected by the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b (vertical displacement of the rear part of the upper vibrator 2) change in opposite phases over time, which indicates that the upper vibrator 2 is pitching.

Figure 9 shows a Lissajous figure of the change in displacement of the rear part of the upper vibrating body 2 when the upper vibrating body 2 is horizontally vibrated in the fore-and-aft direction, as in Figure 8, with the vertical displacement on the vertical axis and the fore-and-aft displacement on the horizontal axis. In Figure 9, the vertical axis represents the displacement detected by the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b, and the horizontal axis represents the displacement detected by the horizontal displacement sensor 23.

As with FIG. 8, FIG. 10 also shows a Lissajous figure of the change in displacement of the front part of the upper vibrating body 2 when the upper vibrating body 2 is horizontally vibrated in the front-rear direction, with the vertical displacement on the vertical axis and the front-rear displacement on the horizontal axis. In FIG. 10, the vertical axis is the displacement detected by the front vertical displacement sensor 21a, and the horizontal axis is the displacement detected by the horizontal displacement sensor 23.

From Figures 9 and 10, it can be seen that when only the horizontal excitation electromagnet 8 is activated among the horizontal excitation electromagnet 8, the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a, and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b, the front and rear parts of the upper vibrating body 2 vibrate at an angle to the horizontal direction, and the upper vibrating body 2 performs a pitching motion, even though the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b are not activated.

Figure 12 shows a state in which the output signals of the horizontal displacement sensor 23, the front vertical displacement sensor 21a, and the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b are processed by the controller 25 to separately set the timing and magnitude of voltage application to the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a and the timing and magnitude of voltage application to the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b so as to eliminate the pitching motion shown in Figure 8.

In FIG. 12, when the displacement detected by the front vertical displacement sensor 21a becomes positive in FIG. 8 (i.e., when the front part of the upper vibrating body 2 in FIG. 1 is displaced upward due to pitching motion), a voltage is applied to the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a, and when the displacement detected by the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b becomes positive in FIG. 8 (i.e., when the rear part of the upper vibrating body 2 in FIG. 1 is displaced upward due to pitching motion), a voltage is applied to the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b, resulting in the pitching motion of the upper vibrating body 2 being suppressed.

Figures 13 to 15 show the process for generating elliptical vibration in the upper vibrator 2.

Figure 13 shows the change over time in displacement detected by the horizontal displacement sensor 23, the front vertical displacement sensor 21a, and the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b when voltages are applied to the horizontal excitation electromagnet 8, the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a, and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b so that the timing and magnitude of the voltage applied to the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a and the timing and magnitude of the voltage applied to the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b are the same, generating elliptical vibration in the upper vibration body 2.

In FIG. 13, due to the pitching motion of the upper vibrator 2, the magnitude of the amplitude of the displacement detected by the front vertical displacement sensor 21a differs from the magnitude of the amplitude of the displacement detected by the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b.

Figure 14 shows the time change in the displacements detected by the horizontal displacement sensor 23, the front vertical displacement sensor 21a, and the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b when the timing of applying voltage to the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a and the magnitude of that voltage are corrected so that the magnitude of the displacement amplitude detected by the front vertical displacement sensor 21a and the magnitude of the displacement amplitude detected by the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b are both a common target value, relative to the state shown in Figure 13.

In FIG. 14, the effect of the pitching motion of the upper vibrating body 2 is corrected, and as a result, the magnitude of the amplitude of the displacement detected by the front vertical displacement sensor 21a is the same as the magnitude of the amplitude of the displacement detected by the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b. However, due to the effect of the pitching motion of the upper vibrating body 2, the phase of the displacement detected by the front vertical displacement sensor 21a is shifted from the phase of the displacement detected by the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b.

Figure 15 shows the time change in the displacements detected by the horizontal displacement sensor 23, the front vertical displacement sensor 21a, and the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b when the timing of applying voltage to the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b and the magnitude of that voltage are corrected so that the phase difference between the phase of the displacement detected by the front vertical displacement sensor 21a and the phase difference between the phase of the displacement detected by the horizontal displacement sensor 23 and the phase difference between the phase of the displacement detected by the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b and the phase difference between the phase of the displacement detected by the horizontal displacement sensor 23 are all common target values, in addition to the state shown in Figure 14.

In FIG. 15, the effect of the pitching motion of the upper vibrating body 2 is further corrected, so that the magnitude and phase of the amplitude of the displacement detected by the front vertical displacement sensor 21a are the same as those of the displacement detected by the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b.

Figure 16 shows the change in displacement of the front and rear parts of the upper vibrating body 2 when the correction in Figure 15 is performed, plotted as a Lissajous figure with the vertical displacement on the vertical axis and the front-to-back displacement on the horizontal axis. In Figure 16, the vertical axis is the displacement detected by the front vertical displacement sensor 21a and the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b, and the horizontal axis is the displacement detected by the horizontal displacement sensor 23. As can be seen from Figure 16, both the front and rear parts of the upper vibrating body 2 are moving in the same elliptical shape.

The controller 25 shown in FIG. 7 is configured to perform the above-mentioned control. The controller 25 shown in FIG. 7 has a DC converter that converts the sine wave signal output by the horizontal displacement sensor 23 into a DC signal, and an amplitude correction calculator that compares the DC signal output by the DC converter (a signal corresponding to the magnitude of the amplitude in the front-to-rear direction of the upper vibrator 2) with the target value of the amplitude set by the horizontal amplitude setting device, and sends the deviation to the output generator as corrected amplitude information.

The controller 25 also has a square wave converter that converts the sine wave signal input to the controller 25 from the horizontal displacement sensor 23 into a square wave, and a resonance point detector that detects the resonance point of the forward/rearward vibration of the upper vibrating body 2 from the square wave output by the square wave converter.

The controller 25 also has an output generator that generates a PWM signal based on the correction amplitude information sent from the horizontal amplitude correction calculator and the resonance frequency information output by the resonance point detector, and a power amplifier that amplifies the power of the PWM signal generated by the output generator. The rectangular voltage obtained by this horizontal power amplifier is applied to the horizontal excitation electromagnet 8.

The controller 25 also has a DC converter that converts the sine wave signal output by the front vertical displacement sensor 21a into a DC signal, and an amplitude correction calculator that compares the DC signal output by the DC converter (a signal corresponding to the magnitude of the vertical amplitude of the front part of the upper vibrator 2) with the target value of the amplitude set by the vertical amplitude setting device, and sends the deviation to the output generator as corrected amplitude information.

The controller 25 also has a rectangular wave converter that converts the sine wave signal input to the controller 25 from the front vertical displacement sensor 21a into a rectangular wave, a phase comparator that compares the phase of the rectangular wave output by the rectangular wave converter with the phase of the rectangular wave output by the horizontal rectangular wave converter to detect the phase difference, and a phase corrector that compares the phase difference output by the phase comparator with a target value of the phase difference set by a phase difference setter and corrects the phase of the PWM signal (rectangular voltage signal) based on the deviation.

The controller 25 also has an output generator that generates a PWM signal based on the correction amplitude information sent from the front vertical amplitude correction calculator and the phase correction value output by the front vertical phase corrector, and a power amplifier that amplifies the power of the PWM signal generated by the output generator. The rectangular voltage obtained by the front vertical power amplifier is applied to the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a.

Similarly, the controller 25 has a DC converter that converts the sine wave signal output by the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b into a DC signal, and an amplitude correction calculator that compares the DC signal output by the DC converter (a signal corresponding to the magnitude of the vertical amplitude of the rear part of the upper vibrator 2) with the target value of the amplitude set by the vertical amplitude setting device, and sends the deviation to the output generator as corrected amplitude information.

The controller 25 also has a rectangular wave converter that converts the sine wave signal input to the controller 25 from the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b into a rectangular wave, a phase comparator that compares the phase of the rectangular wave output by the rectangular wave converter with the phase of the rectangular wave output by the horizontal rectangular wave converter to detect the phase difference, and a phase corrector that compares the phase difference output by the phase comparator with a target value of the phase difference set by the phase difference setter and corrects the phase of the PWM signal (rectangular voltage signal) based on the deviation.

The controller 25 also has an output generator that generates a PWM signal based on the correction amplitude information sent from the rear vertical amplitude correction calculator and the phase correction value output by the rear vertical phase corrector, and a power amplifier that amplifies the power of the PWM signal generated by the output generator. The rectangular voltage obtained by the rear vertical power amplifier is applied to the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b.

By repeating the above operation, the controller 25 can always bring the phase difference of the vertical displacement of the front part of the upper vibrator 2 in the up-down direction relative to the phase of the horizontal displacement of the upper vibrator 2 in the fore-and-aft direction, and the phase difference of the vertical displacement of the rear part of the upper vibrator 2 in the up-down direction relative to the phase of the horizontal displacement of the upper vibrator 2 in the fore-and-aft direction, close to the target value (the phase difference set by the phase difference setter).

As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment of the vibration-type part transport device, the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b are arranged side by side with the horizontal excitation electromagnet 8 in between so that the front and rear portions of the upper vibrator 2 can be vibrated independently. This allows the timing and magnitude of the excitation force applied to the front portion of the upper vibrator 2 and the timing and magnitude of the excitation force applied to the rear portion of the upper vibrator 2 to be set separately. This makes it possible to reliably suppress the pitching motion of the trough 1 and the upper vibrator 2 that occurs when the upper vibrator 2 is vibrated in the front-rear direction.

In addition, this vibration-type part transport device has a horizontal displacement sensor 23, a front vertical displacement sensor 21a, a rear vertical displacement sensor 21b, and a controller 25 that controls the operation of the horizontal vibration electromagnet 8, the front vertical vibration electromagnet 9a, and the rear vertical vibration electromagnet 9b based on the output signals of these sensors, so that the trough 1 and the upper vibrator 2 can be feedback-controlled to vibrate in the desired elliptical direction based on the forward/rearward displacement of the upper vibrator 2 detected by the horizontal displacement sensor 23, the upward/downward displacement of the front part of the upper vibrator 2 detected by the front vertical displacement sensor 21a, and the upward/downward displacement of the rear part of the upper vibrator 2 detected by the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b.

In addition, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, in this vibration-type part transport device, the front vertical displacement sensor 21a and the rear vertical displacement sensor 21b are arranged to detect vertical displacement with respect to the base plate 5, rather than vertical displacement with respect to the base 4. Therefore, even if the base 4 tilts due to deformation of the vibration-proof connecting member 10, it is possible to accurately detect the vertical displacement of the front and rear parts of the upper vibrating body 2 regardless of the tilt of the base 4. Therefore, even when the base 4 is pitching, it is possible to effectively suppress the pitching motion of the trough 1 and the upper vibrating body 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, this vibration type part transport device uses the first vibration leaf spring 6 connecting the upper vibrator 2 and the intermediate vibrator 3 as a horizontal vibration leaf spring, and the second vibration leaf spring 7 connecting the intermediate vibrator 3 and the base 4 as a vertical vibration leaf spring. This increases the ratio of the mass of the horizontal vibration leaf spring (first vibration leaf spring 6) on the base 4 side to the mass of the horizontal vibration leaf spring on the upper vibrator 2 side. As a result, the pitching motion that occurs in the base 4 when the horizontal vibration electromagnet 8 is activated can be kept small, and the part transport speed can be increased.

That is, when the member on the side of the upper vibrator 2 is moved in one direction in the front-rear direction relative to the horizontal vibration leaf spring, the member on the side of the base 4 is moved in the other direction in the front-rear direction relative to the horizontal vibration leaf spring due to the reaction. Here, in the case of adopting a configuration in which the upper vibrator 2 and the intermediate vibrator 3 are connected with a horizontal vibration leaf spring (first vibration leaf spring 6) and the intermediate vibrator 3 and the base 4 are connected with a vertical vibration leaf spring (second vibration leaf spring 7) as in the above embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, the ratio of the mass of the base 4 side relative to the horizontal vibration leaf spring (first vibration leaf spring 6) to the mass of the upper vibrator 2 side relative to the horizontal vibration leaf spring (first vibration leaf spring 6) is larger than the case in which the upper vibrator 2 and the intermediate vibrator 3 are connected with a vertical vibration leaf spring and the intermediate vibrator 3 and the base 4 are connected with a horizontal vibration leaf spring. That is, as shown in FIG. 23, the ratio of the mass of the center of gravity Gcd (total mass of the intermediate vibrator 3 and base 4) on the base 4 side to the mass of the center of gravity Gab on the side of the upper vibrator 2 that vibrates when the upper vibrator 2 is horizontally vibrated in the front-rear direction (total mass of the trough 1 and the upper vibrator 2) is large. Therefore, as in the above embodiment, if the upper vibrator 2 and the intermediate vibrator 3 are connected by a horizontal vibration leaf spring (first vibration leaf spring 6) and the intermediate vibrator 3 and the base 4 are connected by a vertical vibration leaf spring (second vibration leaf spring 7), the vibration displacement (amplitude in the front-rear direction) of the base 4 becomes relatively small, and it is possible to suppress the pitching motion that occurs on the side of the base 4 when the horizontal vibration electromagnet 8 is operated. In addition, since the vibration displacement (amplitude in the front-rear direction) of the upper vibrator 2 becomes relatively large, it is also possible to increase the part conveying speed.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, in this vibration type part transport device, the horizontal vibration leaf spring (first vibration leaf spring 6) is arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the horizontal vibration leaf spring faces the horizontal direction, so the thickness in the vertical direction of the upper vibrating body 2 and the intermediate vibrating body 3 connected by the horizontal vibration leaf spring (first vibration leaf spring 6) is suppressed compared to the case where the horizontal vibration leaf spring (first vibration leaf spring 6) is arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the horizontal vibration leaf spring faces the vertical direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 23, the center of gravity position (center of gravity position of the trough 1 and the upper vibrating body 2) Gab on the side of the upper vibrating body 2 that vibrates when the upper vibrating body 2 is horizontally vibrated in the front-back direction is close to the center of gravity position (center of gravity position of the intermediate vibrating body 3 and the base 4) Gcd, and the pitching motion generated in the base 4 when the horizontal vibration electromagnet 8 is operated can be effectively suppressed.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, this vibration type part transport device has a side plate 4b on the base 4 that extends above the top end of the upper vibrator 2. This raises the center of gravity of the base 4 as shown in FIG. 23, and the center of gravity Gab (center of gravity of the trough 1 and upper vibrator 2) on the side of the upper vibrator 2 that vibrates when the upper vibrator 2 is horizontally vibrated in the front-to-back direction is closer to the center of gravity Gcd on the side of the base 4 (center of gravity of the intermediate vibrator 3 and base 4). This makes it possible to effectively suppress the pitching motion that occurs in the base 4 when the horizontal vibration electromagnet 8 is activated.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, in this vibration type part transport device, the horizontal vibration core 17, the front vertical vibration core 19a, and the rear vertical vibration core 19b are all fixed to the upper vibrating body 2 rather than to the intermediate vibrating body 3, so that the vibration force can be applied to the upper vibrating body 2 directly rather than via the intermediate vibrating body 3, and as a result, the vibration of the upper vibrating body 2 can be precisely controlled.

In addition, in this vibration type part transport device, the horizontal excitation electromagnet 8 is accommodated in the horizontal excitation electromagnet accommodation hole 18 formed by vertically penetrating the central part of the intermediate vibrator 3, the front vertical excitation electromagnet 9a is accommodated in the front vertical excitation electromagnet accommodation hole 20a formed by vertically penetrating the front part of the intermediate vibrator 3, and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet 9b is accommodated in the rear vertical excitation electromagnet accommodation hole 20b formed by vertically penetrating the rear part of the intermediate vibrator 3, so that it is possible to keep the vertical dimension of the vibration type part transport device low.

The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Trough 2 Upper vibrating body 3 Intermediate vibrating body 4 Base 4b Side plate 5 Base plate 6 First vibrating leaf spring 7 Second vibrating leaf spring 8 Horizontal vibration electromagnet 9 Vertical vibration electromagnet 9a Front vertical vibration electromagnet 9b Rear vertical vibration electromagnet 10 Vibration-proof connecting member 11 Parts conveying path 17 Horizontal vibration iron core 18 Horizontal vibration electromagnet accommodating hole 19a Front vertical vibration iron core 19b Rear vertical vibration iron core 20a Front vertical vibration electromagnet accommodating hole 20b Rear vertical vibration electromagnet accommodating hole 21a Front vertical displacement sensor 21b Rear vertical displacement sensor 23 Horizontal displacement sensor 25 Controller F Floor

Claims (6)

A trough (1) having a part conveying path (11) extending linearly in the front-rear direction;
an upper vibrating body (2) to which the trough (1) is attached;
A base plate (5) installed on a floor (F);
A base (4) arranged on an upper side of the base plate (5) so as to face the base plate (5);
a vibration-proof connecting member (10) that connects the base (4) and the base plate (5);
an intermediate vibrator (3) provided between the upper vibrator (2) and the base (4);
a first vibration leaf spring (6) connecting the upper vibrating body (2) and the intermediate vibrating body (3);
a second vibration leaf spring (7) connecting the intermediate vibrator (3) and the base (4);
a horizontal excitation electromagnet (8) for applying a vibration force in the front-rear direction to the upper vibrator (2);
a vertical excitation electromagnet (9) for applying an excitation force in a vertical direction to the upper vibrator (2);
In a vibration type part conveying device, one of the first vibrating leaf spring (6) and the second vibrating leaf spring (7) is a horizontal vibrating leaf spring that vibrates in a front-back direction, and the other of the first vibrating leaf spring (6) and the second vibrating leaf spring (7) is a vertical vibrating leaf spring that vibrates in an up-down direction,
The vertical excitation electromagnet (9) is composed of a front vertical excitation electromagnet (9a) and a rear vertical excitation electromagnet (9b) arranged side by side in front and behind the horizontal excitation electromagnet (8) so that the front and rear portions of the upper vibrating body (2) can be excited independently of each other ,
A vibratory part transport device comprising : a controller (25) for separately controlling the voltage applied to the front vertical vibration electromagnet (9a) and the voltage applied to the rear vertical vibration electromagnet (9b) . a horizontal displacement sensor (23) for detecting a displacement of the upper vibrator (2) in the front-rear direction;
a front vertical displacement sensor (21 a) for detecting a vertical displacement of a front portion of the upper vibrating body (2) with respect to the base plate (5);
a rear vertical displacement sensor (21b) for detecting a vertical displacement of a rear portion of the upper vibrator (2) relative to the base plate (5) ,
2. The vibration-type part conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the controller (25) controls operation of the horizontal vibration electromagnet (8), the front vertical vibration electromagnet (9a), and the rear vertical vibration electromagnet (9b) based on an output signal of the horizontal displacement sensor (23), an output signal of the front vertical displacement sensor (21a), and an output signal of the rear vertical displacement sensor (21b). The vibration-type part transport device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first vibration leaf spring (6) connecting the upper vibration body (2) and the intermediate vibration body (3) is the horizontal vibration leaf spring, and the second vibration leaf spring (7) connecting the intermediate vibration body (3) and the base (4) is the vertical vibration leaf spring. The horizontal vibration leaf spring is arranged such that the front-rear direction is the plate thickness direction, and the left-right direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction among the horizontal directions, is the longitudinal direction,
4. A vibratory parts transport device according to claim 3, wherein one end of said horizontal vibration leaf spring in the left-right direction is fixed to said upper vibrator (2), and the other end is fixed to said intermediate vibrator (3). The base (4) has a pair of left and right side plates (4b) arranged opposite to each other in a left-right direction, which is a direction perpendicular to a front-rear direction in a horizontal direction, with the upper vibrating body (2) and the intermediate vibrating body (3) between them,
5. The vibratory part transport device according to claim 1, wherein the pair of side plates (4b) have a height such that they extend above an upper end of the upper vibrator (2). the horizontal excitation electromagnet (8) is fixed to a central portion of the base (4) in a state of being accommodated in a horizontal excitation electromagnet accommodating hole (18) formed by penetrating a central portion of the intermediate oscillator (3) in a vertical direction so that the intermediate oscillator (3) and the horizontal excitation electromagnet (8) are arranged to overlap each other when viewed in the horizontal direction;
a horizontally exciting iron core (17) attracted by the horizontally exciting electromagnet (8) is fixed to a lower surface of a central portion of the upper vibrator (2) in the horizontally exciting electromagnet accommodating hole (18) so as to face the horizontally exciting electromagnet (8) in the front-rear direction;
the front vertical excitation electromagnet (9a) is fixed to a front portion of the base (4) in a state of being accommodated in a front vertical excitation electromagnet accommodating hole (20a) formed by penetrating a front portion of the intermediate vibrator (3) in a vertical direction so that the intermediate vibrator (3) and the front vertical excitation electromagnet (9a) are arranged to overlap each other when viewed in the horizontal direction;
a front vertical excitation iron core (19a) attracted by the front vertical excitation electromagnet (9a) is fixed to a lower surface of a front portion of the upper vibrator (2) so as to face the front vertical excitation electromagnet (9a) in the up-down direction;
the rear vertical excitation electromagnet (9b) is fixed to the rear portion of the base (4) in a state of being accommodated in a rear vertical excitation electromagnet accommodating hole (20b) formed by penetrating a rear portion of the intermediate vibrator (3) in the up-down direction so that the intermediate vibrator (3) and the rear vertical excitation electromagnet (9b) are arranged to overlap each other when viewed in the horizontal direction;
6. A vibratory part conveying device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a rear vertical excitation iron core (19b) attracted to the rear vertical excitation electromagnet (9b) is fixed to the underside of the rear part of the upper vibrator (2) so as to face the rear vertical excitation electromagnet (9b) in the vertical direction.

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