JPH0674088B2 - Automatic sorting device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to an automatic distribution device, and more specifically, it emits a signal such as a light wave, a sound wave, or a radio wave, and a desired sample is obtained by blocking or opening the signal. The present invention relates to an automatic distribution device that detects a distribution part of the.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, for example, the following device has been used in a production line of an automobile axle housing. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional device. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 91 is an automobile axle housing having a through hole 92 inside. The axle housing 91 is sent from the left to the right in the figure by the conveyer 93, but the flow is stopped by the stopper 94. When the axle housing 91 collides with the stopper 94, the force of the collision is absorbed by the blade 95, and the limit switch 96 is turned on. When the limit switch 96 is turned on, the transport loader 97 pushes the axle housing 91 and the conveyor 93
It is carried out in the direction perpendicular to the direction of transportation. The transport loader 97 is provided at a predetermined position depending on the size of the axle housing 91, and is located on the extension line 98 in the transport direction at the center of the through hole 92 when the axle housing 91 collides with the stopper 94. The central portion of the transfer loader 97 is set to come.

That is, the size of the axle housing 91 is measured in advance, the positional relationship between the stopper 94 and the transport loader 97 is determined from the size, and the distribution portion of the axle housing 91 is set to a desired position determined by the transport loader 97. It is like coming.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above-described conventional device, the size of the axle housing 91 as a sample needs to be known in advance, and in order to use it for axle housings of different sizes, the stopper 94 is used. It is necessary to move the position according to the size of the axle housing, and it takes time and effort to change the positions of the stopper 94 and the transfer loader 97.

Furthermore, since the axle housing 91 collides with the stopper 94, the shaft supporting the stopper 94 bends or the limit switch 96 breaks, resulting in an accident accompanying the contact of the axle housing 91 and the stopper. There was a decrease in the detection accuracy of.

That is, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, it is not necessary to change the set of the device even if the sample is different size, further, the accident and the detection accuracy reduction due to contact of the sample It is an object of the present invention to provide an excellent automatic distribution device that can be prevented.

Configuration of the Invention [Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve such an object, the present invention has the following configurations as means for solving the problems. That is, according to the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a moving path M2 along which a sample M1 moves and a distribution means for arranging the sample M1 from the moving path to the next step are arranged at predetermined positions of the moving path M2. M8, a transmission unit M31 and a reception unit M32 that receives a signal from the transmission unit M31, the signal being the above-mentioned moving path M
2 crosses the sample M1
A first detector M3 that is provided separately on the upstream side in the moving direction of the sample M1 to detect the moving state of the sample M1, and a transmitter M41 and a receiver M42 that receives a signal from the transmitter M41. When the signal crosses the moving path M2, the sorting means
Second, which is provided near M8 and detects the moving state of the sample M1
Detecting unit M4, sample lapse time calculating unit M5 for calculating the time from when the sample M1 starts diagnosing or opening the signal of the first detecting unit 3 to ending the blocking or opening, and the sample lapse time calculating unit The dividing means M6 that divides the time calculated by M5 under a predetermined condition, and the sample M1 is the second detector M4.
The dividing means M6
When the time determined in step E has passed, the sample M1 is
The automatic distribution device is characterized in that it has an arrival determination means M7 for determining that the position to be distributed has been reached by.

Here, the moving path M2 means a space in which the sample M1 moves, for example, a moving space of the sample when it is conveyed by a conveyor or the like.

The signal transmitted from the transmitter M31 or M41 and reaching the receiver M32 or M42 is, for example, a light wave, a sound wave, a radio wave, or the like, which is blocked and opened by the sample M1. Note that the first detection unit M3 is not limited to one including a pair of the transmission unit M31 and the reception unit M32, and for example, the transmission unit and the reception unit that are arranged to face each other in the horizontal direction and the transmission that is arranged to face each other in the vertical direction. Section and receiving section, the total length of sample M1 and sample M1
The opening may be provided so that it can be detected separately.

The sample elapsed time calculating means M5, the dividing means M6 and the arrival determining means M7 are configured as, for example, a logical operation circuit incorporating a microcomputer, and perform control in accordance with the processing (operation) procedure stored in advance in the ROM or the like. is there.
The sample elapsed time calculating means M5 calculates the time from when the whole or part of the sample M1 starts to block the signal of the first detection unit to when the blocking ends, but the part is in the sample M1. In the case where the signal of the first detection unit M3 is started, the time from when the signal of the first detection unit M3 starts to when the signal ends is calculated.

The dividing means M6 is, for example, the sample elapsed time calculating means.
It divides the time calculated by M5 by a predetermined value and divides it.When the sample is distributed to the next process by the distribution means M8, the part where the operation such as pushing is applied (distribution part) is the sample. It determines the fraction of the total length of the sample from the edge.

[Operation] When the whole or a part of the sample M1 passes through the moving path M2, the automatic distribution device of the present invention having the above-mentioned configuration is the first detection unit.
The sample elapsed time calculating means M5 calculates the time from the start of passage through M3 to the end of passage. Then, the dividing means M6 causes the sample elapsed time calculating means M5 to have a desired distribution ratio of the sample M1 set in advance or input by other means.
The time calculated in is divided. And sample M1 is second
After passing through the detection unit M4 and after the time divided by the division unit M6 has elapsed, the arrival determination unit M7 detects the site of the sample M1 irradiated by the signal of the second detection unit M4 with time as a parameter.

[Embodiment] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings of FIGS. 2 to 5.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of this embodiment. In the figure,
Reference numeral 1 denotes a central component of an axle, which is an axle housing for an automobile to which a drive shaft, a brake, a wheel bearing, a suspension spring and the like are attached. The axle housing 1 is of a banjo type and has a through hole 2 inside thereof.
It is in a state where the lid is not made. The axle housing 1 is placed on a conveyor 3 for transportation. The transporting conveyor 3 is driven by the conveyor driving unit 4. When the axle housing 1 comes to a predetermined position, the axle housing 1 is moved to the conveyor 3
There is a transport loader 5 for unloading. The transport loader 5 is composed of a push-out section 6 and a loader drive section 7 that drives the push-out section.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a first transmissive photoelectric switch, which is composed of a first light projector 10a and a first light receiver 10b, and opposes each other so that their optical axes coincide with each other, and shields light from the axle housing 1 by the axle housing 1. It is installed so that it can be detected from the vertical direction. Reference numeral 11 denotes a second transmissive photoelectric switch, which is composed of a second projector 11a and a second light receiver 11b, and opposes each other so that their optical axes coincide with each other. It is installed so that the light shielding of the axle housing 1 can be detected from the horizontal direction of the axle housing 1 so as to intersect the axis vertically. That is, if the through hole 2 of the axle housing 1 is to be detected only by the first transmissive photoelectric switch 10, the space between the axle housing 1 and another axle housing will be mistaken as a through hole, so that irradiation is performed from the horizontal direction. The space and the through hole 2 are distinguished by the second transmission type photoelectric switch. Reference numeral 12 is a third transmissive photoelectric switch, which is composed of a third projector 12a and a third light receiver 12b, and is arranged on the downstream side of the first housing of the first transmissive photoelectric switch 10 in the moving direction of the axle housing. Are opposed to each other so that they coincide with each other, and are installed so that the light blocking of the axle housing 1 can be detected from the same direction as the optical axis of the first transmission type photoelectric switch 10, that is, the vertical direction of the axle housing 1.

Next, 20 is a microcomputer that receives the detection signals from each of the light receivers 10b, 11b, 12b, detects the distribution portion of the axle housing, and controls the conveyor drive unit 4 and the loader drive unit 7. The microcomputer 20 is the third
It is configured as shown in the figure.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the microcomputer 20
An input port 21 for inputting a detection signal from each of the light receivers 10b, 11b, 12b, and a distribution portion of the axle housing 1 is detected based on the detection signal input through the input port 21, and a conveyor is provided. Process for controlling the drive unit 4 and the loader drive unit 7 (hereinafter, simply referred to as distribution region detection control process)
Central processing unit (CPU) 2 that executes
2, a read-only memory (ROM) 23 that stores the control program and data necessary for the CPU 22 to execute the distributed part detection control process, and the data required for the distributed part detection control process temporarily. A random access memory (RAM) 24 that is read from and written to, an output port 25 that outputs the result of the distribution part detection control processing in the CPU 22 to the conveyor drive unit 4 and the loader drive unit 7, and the above units are connected to each other to pass data. A bus line 26, a CPU 22 and a ROM 23, RAM 24, etc., and a clock (timer) 27 for sending the control timing clock signal at a predetermined interval and being able to know the current time; And a power supply circuit 28 for supplying power.

Hereinafter, the distribution portion detection control processing of the axle housing 1 configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view for explaining the change of the photoelectric switch due to the movement of the axle housing 1, and FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the distribution part detection control processing executed by the microcomputer 20.

In FIG. 4, the axle housing 1 is shown in a schematic cross-sectional view, 41 is a first boundary line showing a sensing location of a first transmission type photoelectric switch (hereinafter referred to as a first switch) 10,
Reference numeral 42 is a second boundary line indicating a sensing location of the third transmission type photoelectric switch (hereinafter referred to as a third switch) 12. The boundary line indicating the sensing location of the second transmissive photoelectric switch (hereinafter referred to as the second switch) 11 is not shown in the direction perpendicular to the first boundary line.

Now, the axle housing 1 is being sent from the left side to the right side in FIG. 4 by the conveyor 3 at a constant speed. When the processing is started as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 5, first, a value m indicating where to allocate the distribution part is read from the RAM 24 (50). This value m means that there is a distribution part at a point 1 / m of the entire length of the axle housing 1 from the end of the axle housing 1, and it is input from a keyboard (not shown) in advance and stored in the RAM 24. It is what In the case of the present embodiment, it is necessary to detect the central portion of the axle housing 1, so the value 2 is input to m. Then, the flag F is cleared to zero as an initial setting (52).

Now, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), the axle housing 1
Does not reach the first boundary line 41 and the second boundary line 42, the first transmission type photoelectric switch (hereinafter simply referred to as the first switch) 10, the second transmission type photoelectric switch (hereinafter simply referred to as the second switch).
Neither switch 11) nor the third transmission type photoelectric switch (hereinafter simply referred to as the switch in FIG. 3) 12 does not detect the axle housing 1, and the process is executed as shown below in the flowchart of FIG. To be done. First, it is determined whether or not the second switch 11 has detected the axle housing 1, that is, whether or not the second light receiver 11b is not detecting light from the second light projector 11a (54). In the case shown in FIG. 4 (a), it is determined that the determination in step 54 is "NO", that is, it is determined that the second switch 11 does not detect the axle housing 1, and the process returns to step 54 and the process of step 54 is performed again. Repeat the execution.

Then, the axle housing 1 moves, and FIG. 4 (b)
When the axle housing 1 crosses the first boundary line 41 as shown in FIG. 5, the first switch 10 and the second switch 11 detect the axle housing 1, and the processing is executed as shown below in the flowchart of FIG. . First, the judgment of the above step 54 is executed. In this case, it is judged to be "YES", that is, it is judged that the second switch 11 has detected the axle housing 1, and subsequently, the first switch 10 has detected the axle housing 1. It is determined whether or not, that is, whether or not the first light receiver 10b senses the light from the first light projector 10a (56). In this case, “YES”, that is, it is determined that the first switch 10 has detected the axle housing 1, and subsequently,
It is determined whether the flag F set in step 52 is 1 (64). In this case, since F is still set to the value 0 in step 52, the process returns to step 54 and the processes of steps 54, 56 and 64 are repeated.

Then, when the axle housing 1 moves and the through hole 2 of the axle housing 1 reaches the first boundary line 41 as shown in FIG. 4 (c), the first switch 10 and the third switch 12 are 1 not detected, second
The switch 11 detects the axle housing 1. Therefore, in the flowchart of FIG. 5, the process is executed as follows. First, the judgment of the above step 54 is executed, but in this case, it is judged as "YES", that is, it is judged that the second switch 11 has detected the axle housing 1, and the following step
At 56, "NO", that is, it is determined that the first switch 10 does not detect the axle housing 1, and then the flag F has a value of 0.
Determine if it is (58). The flag F is a flag indicating whether or not it is immediately after the through hole 2 is detected. In this case, first,
The value 0 is set. Therefore, in step 58, "YE
Then, the current time T is set in the variable Ta (60), the value 1 is set in the flag F (62), and the process returns to step 54 again. Subsequently, steps 54, 56 and 58 are sequentially executed. However, since the flag F is set to the value 1, the judgment in step 58 becomes "NO", the steps 60 and 62 are skipped, and the step 54 is repeated. Then, the process returns to and the steps 54, 56 and 58 are repeated.

Then, the axle housing 1 is moved, the through hole 2 of the axle housing 1 crosses the first boundary line 41, and the end of the axle housing 1 in the traveling direction is the second boundary line 41 as shown in FIG. 4 (d). When the value reaches 42, the first switch 10, the second switch 11, and the third switch 12 have all detected the axle housing 1, and the processing is executed as shown below in the flowchart of FIG. First, the determination in step 54 is "YES", the determination in step 56 is "YES", and the subsequent step 64 is "YES" because the flag F has already been set to "1".
Subsequently, the time Ta when the through hole is detected in step 60 is subtracted from the current time T and set to the variable Tx (66). In this way, the time Tx required for the through hole 2 to pass is calculated. It Subsequently, it is determined whether the third transmissive photoelectric switch 11 detects the axle housing 1, that is, whether the third light receiver 12b does not sense the light from the third light projector 12a ( 68). In this case, step 68 returns "YES", that is, it is determined that the second switch 12 is detecting the axle housing 1, so the process returns to step 68 and the processing of this step is repeated. In this embodiment, when the through hole 2 of the axle housing 1 crosses the first boundary line 41, the end of the axle housing 1 in the traveling direction always crosses the second boundary line 42 of the third switch 12. The position is set.

Then, when the axle housing 1 moves and the through hole 2 of the axle housing 1 crosses the second boundary line 42 as shown in FIG. 4 (e), the first switch 10 and the second switch 11 are 1 is detected, the third switch
12 will not detect. Therefore, the judgment at step 68 becomes "NO", and the loop at step 68 is exited. Subsequently, the current time T is set in the variable TB (70), and it is determined whether Tb and Tx calculated above and Tb + Tx / m determined by the variable m input in step 50 are equal to or more than the current time T. (72). In this case, it is determined that T <Tb + Tx / m, so the process returns to step 70, and steps 70 and 72 are repeated until T ≧ Tb + Tx / m.

That is, as shown in (f) of FIG. 4, when the second boundary line 42 reaches the center of the through hole 2, the process of step 72 is exited. Then, a signal for instructing the conveyor drive unit 4 to stop the conveyor is output (74), and a signal for instructing the loader drive unit 7 to push out the pushing unit 5 is output (76), and this processing is ended.

If a number of axle housings 1 continue to flow, after completing the processing in step 76, perform step 52 again.
Processing is transferred to.

That is, the part irradiated by the third light projector 12a at the time of passing through the step 72 is detected as the distribution part.

Although the distribution part detection control processing of the axle housing 1 has been described in detail above, the automatic distribution device of the present embodiment detects the axle housing 1 by a photoelectric switch without contacting anything else. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the measuring device and the like from being destroyed and the measurement accuracy from being lowered due to the contact of the axle housing 1. Further, even if the size of the axle housing 1 is not constant, the size is measured and distributed over time. Therefore, even if the size of the axle housing 1 is different, it is necessary to change the device set. It does not take time and effort. In this embodiment, a desired distribution portion (center of the inner diameter of the through hole 2) is detected with respect to the through hole 2, but the center of gravity of the axle housing 1 is approximately at the center of the inner diameter of the through hole 2. Considering the above, it is very convenient when carrying out by the transfer loader.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, instead of detecting the distribution portion with respect to the through hole 2 as in the present embodiment,
You may make it detect the distribution part with respect to the full length of the axle housing 1. In this case, the time from the detection of the axle housing 1 by the first transmissive photoelectric switch 10 (the axle housing 1 blocks the light of the photoelectric switch) to the end of the detection (through the light of the photoelectric switch) is detected. Then, after the third transmissive photoelectric switch 12 detects the axle housing, the transmissive photoelectric switch 12 of FIG. . The structure thus configured has an advantage that the second transmissive photoelectric switch 11 is unnecessary.

It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the scope of the present invention.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION As described in detail above, the automatic distribution device of the present invention is designed to automatically measure the size of a sample and detect a desired distribution part of the sample. In that case, it is not necessary to change the set of the device and it does not take time and labor. Furthermore, since the desired distribution portion is detected without contact, it is possible to prevent an accident and a decrease in detection accuracy due to contact of the sample.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a basic configuration diagram illustrating the basic configuration of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of one embodiment, FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a microcomputer used in one embodiment, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state of a photoelectric switch that changes in a flow order of an axle housing, FIG. 5 is a flow chart for explaining the control process for detecting the distribution portion of the axle housing 1 performed by the microcomputer, and FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a conventional device using a stopper and a limit switch. M1 ... Sample M2 ... Movement path M3 ... First detection section M4 ... Second detection section M5 ... Sample elapsed time calculation means M6 ... Division means M7 ... Area judgment means M8 ... Distribution means 1 ... Axle housing 2 ... Through hole 5 ... Conveyor loader 10 ... First transmission type optical EE switch 11 ... Second transmission type photoelectric switch 12 ... Third transmission type photoelectric switch 20 ... Microcomputer

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-48-78653 (JP, A) Actual development-Sho 56-37104 (JP, U) JP-B 45-1765 (JP, B1) JP-B 49- 4901 (JP, B1) JP 48-44462 (JP, B1) JP 54-42514 (JP, B2) JP 52-2670 (JP, B2) JP 57-11938 (JP, Y2) Actual public Sho 52-35669 (JP, Y2)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A moving path on which a sample moves, a distribution means arranged at a predetermined position on the moving path, for distributing the sample from the moving path to the next step, a transmitting section and a signal from the transmitting section. A first detection unit that is configured to include a receiving unit that receives the signal, intersects the movement path, and is provided on an upstream side in the moving direction of the sample with respect to the distribution unit, and that detects a moving state of the sample Similarly, a second section, which comprises a transmitting section and a receiving section for receiving a signal from the transmitting section, the signal crossing the moving path and is provided in the vicinity of the distributing means, and detects the moving state of the sample. The detection unit, the sample elapsed time calculation unit that calculates the time from when the sample starts to block or open the signal of the first detection unit to when the blocking or opening of the signal is finished, and the sample elapsed time calculation unit Minutes according to specified conditions When the time obtained by the dividing means elapses after the sample starts to block or open the signal of the second detector, it is determined that the sample has reached the position to be distributed by the distributing means. An automatic distribution device comprising: arrival determination means.