JPH0790431B2 - Crankshaft thrust bearing delivery device - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a crankshaft thrust bearing transfer device applied to an automated engine assembly line.

2. Description of the Related Art In the engine assembly line of recent years, there has been a rapid progress from manual work to automation using robots and the like. Then, in an engine assembly line that assembles many parts, there is a process of assembling a thrust bearing, which is divided in half into a roughly crescent-shaped cross section, on a crankshaft.The thrust bearing is received from a payout device and supplied to an automatic assembling device. A delivery device is required.

However, the conventional engine assembly line is mainly assembled manually, and there is no device capable of automatically receiving the thrust bearing supplied from the payout device and delivering it to the automatic assembling device. It should be noted that two substantially crescent thrust bearings are assembled as one set so as to surround the circumference of the slide shaft.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention By the way, there is a strong demand for automation of an engine assembly line, and in order to realize this, a crankshaft thrust bearing delivery device is indispensable. That is, the crankshaft thrust bearing automatic assembling process in the engine automatic assembly line comprises a crankshaft thrust bearing payout device, a delivery device and an automatic assembling device, and an object of the present invention is to provide a large number of thrust bearings. It is an object of the present invention to provide a crankshaft thrust bearing delivery device that can receive thrust bearings from a dispensing device that stores and dispenses them one by one and deliver them to an automatic assembling device.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and a pair of side work holders are symmetrically arranged about a central work holder slidably supported in a vertical direction via an elastic body. The side work holders, which are arranged independently of each other and are slidably supported in the vertical direction through elastic bodies, are concave thrusts provided on the surface facing the central work holder according to the shape of the thrust bearing. A bearing holding portion and a push pin that is attached to a rocking fitting that receives a horizontal bias and is capable of protruding from the horizontal direction into the thrust bearing holding portion, and include the central work holder and the side work holder. Drive means for integrally rotating the delivery mechanism section by 180 °; drive means for vertically moving the delivery mechanism section; A crankshaft thrust, characterized in that a drive means for moving the mechanism part between the dispensing device and the automatic assembling device is provided, and the thrust bearing received from the dispensing device is passed to the automatic assembling device. It is a bearing delivery device.

Action According to the above-mentioned means, when the transfer mechanism part is moved up and the upper ends of the central work holder and the side work holder come into contact with the predetermined position of the payout device or the automatic assembly device, the contacted central work holder and The elastic body of the side work holder is compressed and sinks downward. When receiving the thrust bearing from the dispensing device, if the thrust bearing outlet of the dispensing device and the thrust bearing holding portion face each other, the leading one of the thrust bearings stored side by side in the dispensing device is pushed to the push pin. Is pushed into the thrust bearing holder. The thrust bearing pushed into the thrust bearing holder is held in the order of the end of the dispensing device and the side surface of the central thrust bearing that are continuous on the same straight line by descending the delivery mechanism, and one thrust bearing is delivered. Complete. In addition, 18
The transfer mechanism rotated by 0 ° rises again and receives another thrust bearing by the same operation, and the side work holders symmetrically arranged around the central work holder receive each thrust bearing holder. The thrust bearing is now held by the side of the central work holder.

In this way, the delivery mechanism section that has completed the reception of the thrust bearing moves to the bottom of the automatic assembling apparatus by the operation of the driving means, and ascends toward the thrust bearing receiving section of the automatic assembling apparatus. When the thrust bearing is passed from the transfer mechanism to the automatic assembly device, if the thrust bearing receiving groove of the automatic assembly device with the central work holder pushed in and the thrust bearing holding part face each other, the thrust bearing holding part Two thrust bearings are pushed out by the push-out pin and moved to the automatic assembling device at the same time, and the automatic assembling device holds the thrust bearing to complete the delivery. After that, the delivery mechanism unit moves again to below the dispensing device, and the same operation is repeated to continue delivery of the thrust bearing.

Embodiment An embodiment of a crankshaft thrust bearing transfer device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. This crankshaft thrust bearing delivery device is applied to a process of assembling a thrust bearing to a crankshaft in an automatic engine assembly line, and is a payout device that stores a large number of thrust bearings 1 having a substantially crescent-shaped cross section. It has the function of passing the thrust bearing received from 2 to the automatic assembly device 3. That is, the delivery device for the crankshaft thrust bearing serves as a delivery mechanism unit 7 including the central work holder 4 and the pair of side work holders 5 and 6, and as a drive unit for integrally rotating the delivery mechanism unit 7 by 180 °. A robot cylinder which is connected to the SELEX rotary 8 via the transfer mechanism 7 and the arm 9 and serves as a driving means for moving the transfer mechanism 7 up and down and moving it between the payout device 2 and the automatic assembling device 3. Equipped with 10.

Next, the structure of the transfer mechanism section 7 will be described. A pair of side work holders 5 are symmetrically arranged around a central work holder 4 slidably supported in the vertical direction via a coil spring 11 as one of elastic bodies. , 6 are arranged, and the side work holders 5, 6 are also independently coil springs 12.
It is supported slidably in the vertical direction via. The central work holder 4 and the side work holders 5 and 6 are guided by the pair of slide shafts 13 and 14 and slide in a predetermined vertical range. The side work holders 5 and 6 are provided with a concave thrust bearing holding portion 17 matching the shape of the thrust bearing 1 on the surface facing the central work holder 4, and apply a horizontal bias from the coil spring 18. Rocker bracket to receive
The three push-out pins 20 attached to 19 project into the thrust bearing holding portion 17. The push-out pin 20 is, for example, screwed with the swing fitting 19,
The mounting structure is such that the amount of protrusion to the thrust bearing holder 17 can be adjusted. Further, a proximity switch 21 is provided on the outer side of the two swinging fittings 19 in the swinging direction (the side opposite to the central work holder 4), and the push pin 20 is a thrust bearing holding portion.
It is possible to detect a state in which the integral swinging metal member 19 is pushed out from the outer periphery 17 and swings outward around the pin 22, that is, a state in which the thrust bearing 1 is held by the thrust bearing holding portion 17. The transfer mechanism section 7 is disposed on the pedestal 23, is configured to rotate 180 ° together with the pedestal by the operation of the select rotary 8, and is further connected to the robot cylinder 10 via the arm 9.
Is operated to move up and down in the vertical direction and move between the payout device 2 and the automatic assembling device 3.

Here, the operation of the delivery device for the crankshaft thrust bearing having the above configuration will be described in order. First, the transfer device needs a step of receiving the thrust bearing 1 from the dispensing device 2, and as shown in FIG. 5, the transfer device is lifted by the operation of the robot cylinder 10, and the central work holder 4 and the side work holder 6 are moved. The upper end surface of the abutment device contacts the lower surface of the dispensing device 2. At this time, the right side surface of the central work holder 4 (on the side work holder 5 side) and the end surface of the dispensing device 2 are positioned on the same straight line. For example, a positioning pin 24 is provided on the upper end surface of the central work holder 4. At the same time, by providing a recess corresponding to the lower surface of the dispensing device 2, reliable positioning can be performed. When the delivery device is further raised from this state, the central work holder 4 and the side work holder 6
The coil springs 11 and 12 are compressed, and the side work holder 5
Only the ascends along the end surface of the dispensing device 2. Then, the side work holder 5 eventually comes into contact with the lower end portion of the opening / closing door 26 that closes the outlet 25 of the dispensing device 2, and the opening / closing door is opened.
When the outlet 25 and the thrust bearing holding portion 17 coincide with each other, the thrust bearing 1 located at the top is attached to the coil spring 18 when the outlet 25 and the thrust bearing holding portion 17 coincide with each other. Defeat the force and push pin 20
The thrust bearing 1 that has been pushed outward enters the thrust bearing holding portion 17. A large number of thrust bearings 1 are lined up in a stock position inside the payout device in a predetermined posture, and are stored in a state in which they are pressed from the rear to the outlet by an extruding mechanism (not shown). Thus, the thrust bearing 1 is installed in the thrust bearing holding portion.
When it is received by 17, the proximity switch 21 detects the rocking metal fitting 19 that has rocked outward together with the push pin 20, and the transfer device starts descending. By the descending of the transfer device, the thrust bearing 1 of the thrust bearing holding portion 17 is held in order from the end face of the payout device 2 on the same straight line to the side face of the central work holder 4, and when it descends to a predetermined position, the thrust bearing 1 The receipt of the pieces is completed.
Then, the transfer mechanism unit 7 rotates 180 ° integrally with the pedestal 23 by the operation of the SELEX rotary 8, and the same operation is repeated, and the thrust bearing 1 is also held in the thrust bearing holding unit 17 of the side work holder 6 on the opposite side. receive. It should be noted that FIG. 6 shows a state in which the transfer device has completed receiving the two thrust bearings.

Next, a process of passing the two thrust bearings received from the payout device 2 to the automatic assembling device 3 will be described. In the delivery device that has received the two thrust bearings from the delivery device 2, the delivery mechanism unit 7 is moved directly below the automatic assembly device 3 by the operation of the robot cylinder 10. Then, as the transfer mechanism 7 is raised again, as shown in FIG. 7, the upper end surface of the central work holder 4 comes into contact with the lower end surface of the head 28 of the automatic assembling apparatus 3 and the coil spring 11 is compressed. The central work holder 4 sinks. Therefore, the side work holders 5 and 6 rise so as to sandwich the head 28, and the upper end surfaces of the side work holders 5 and 6 come into contact with the protruding portions 30 of the presser pawl 29. The pressing claw 30 is slidably supported in the vertical direction via a coil spring 31 that applies downward force, and forms a thrust bearing receiving groove 32 with the head 28. Since the coil spring 12 that supports the side work holders 5 and 6 is set to be stronger than the coil spring 31 that biases the presser pawl 30, the side work holder
Reference numerals 5 and 6 push up the presser pawl 30 so that the thrust bearing holding portion 17 of the transfer device and the thrust bearing receiving groove 32 expanded on the automatic assembly device side eventually match. Therefore, the thrust bearing 1 in the thrust bearing holding portion 17 has the push pin 20 that is biased by the coil spring 18.
The two are simultaneously pushed out to the thrust bearing receiving groove 32 by the proximity switch 21, and the descending of the delivery device is started. When the delivery device descends,
Presser jaws 29 pushed up by the side work holders 5 and 6
Also descends, and the presser pawl 29 that is biased by the coil spring 31
The thrust bearing 1 is sandwiched between it and 28, and the delivery from the delivery device to the automatic assembly device 3 is completed. 8a shows the automatic assembling apparatus 3 before receiving the thrust bearing, and FIG. 8b shows the state after receiving.

In this way, the automatic assembling device that received the thrust bearing from the delivery device starts the work of assembling the thrust bearing to the crankshaft of the engine flowing through the assembly line, and the delivery device that has finished passing the thrust bearing. Moves to the lower part of the dispensing device 2 by the operation of the robot cylinder 10 and starts receiving a new thrust bearing. Then, the same operation is repeated again.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the crankshaft thrust bearing transfer device of the present invention described above, a coil spring is used for many of the movable parts, which results in a compact device, and moreover,
The delivery time of the thrust bearing is short. Further, it is possible to realize an automatic assembly line for a crankshaft thrust bearing, which is provided with each process of paying out, delivering and assembling the thrust bearing, which has a great effect on automation of the engine assembly line and labor saving.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing an embodiment of a delivery device for a crankshaft thrust bearing according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a delivery mechanism portion which is a main part of FIG. 1, and FIG. 1 is a plan view and FIG. 4 is IV-IV in FIG.
Sectional views taken along the line, FIGS. 5 to 8b are schematic views for explaining the operation of the delivery device, and FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which the thrust bearing is received from the dispensing device, FIG.
The figure shows the state where two thrust bearings are received from the dispensing device, Fig. 7 shows the state in which the thrust bearings are passed to the automatic assembly device, and Figs. 8a and 8b show the thrust of the automatic assembly device. Shows bearing receiving part, 8a
The figure shows the state before receiving the thrust bearing,
FIG. 8b is a view showing a state where the thrust bearing is received, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an outline of an automatic assembly line of the crankshaft thrust bearing. 1 ... Thrust bearing, 2 ... Payout device, 3 ...
… Automatic assembly device, 4 …… Central work holder, 5,6 ……
Side work holder, 7 ... Handover mechanism, 8 ... SELEX rotary, 10 ... Robot cylinder, 11, 12,
18 …… Coil spring, 17 …… Thrust bearing holder,
19 …… Swing fitting, 20 …… Extruding pin.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Shungo Takahashi 5-3-8 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (72) Inventor Yuichi Hazaki 1 Nakasiri, Hashime-cho, Okazaki-shi, Aichi Mitsubishi Motors Engineering Co., Ltd. Okazaki Plant

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A pair of side work holders are arranged symmetrically with respect to a central work holder slidably supported in the vertical direction via an elastic body, and each side work holder is independently vertical in the vertical direction via the elastic body. The side work holder slidably supported on the side work holder includes a concave thrust bearing holding portion provided on the surface facing the central work holder in accordance with the shape of the thrust bearing, and a swinging metal fitting for receiving a horizontal bias. A drive means that is attached to the thrust bearing holding portion and that can push out from the horizontal direction into the thrust bearing holding portion, and that integrally rotates the delivery mechanism portion including the central work holder and the side work holder by 180 °; Driving means for moving the delivery mechanism up and down, and moving the delivery mechanism between the dispensing device and the automatic assembly device. Provided a Mel driving means, delivery devices of the crankshaft thrust bearing, characterized in that the thrust bearing received from the dispenser is configured to pass the urging automatic assembly device.