JPH0798568B2 - Supply device for helical spring-like parts - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a supply device for helical spring-shaped parts.

[Conventional technology and its problems]

FIG. 1 shows a spiral spring (1) for a floppy disk device. However, there is a case where it is desired to feed one component having such a complicated shape in the direction indicated by the arrow to the next step. On the other hand, it is conceivable to apply a known vibratory component feeder, but it is not possible to perform the aligned feed as it is.

In general, in order to feed one component to a subsequent process in a vibrating component feeder, it is necessary to stock a linear trough in a row and in a predetermined posture so as to be connected to each other. However, since the spiral spring (1) as shown in FIG. 1 has a complicated shape, a pressing plate is required for the linear trough, and the spiral spring (1) is closed when it goes under the pressing plate. Cheap. Furthermore, if the spiral spring (1) is closed, it must be released manually.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is possible to reliably supply the helical spring-shaped component as shown in Fig. 1 and to supply the helical spring-shaped component at the inlet of the holding plate on the linear trough. It is an object of the present invention to provide a supply device for a helical spring-like component that can automatically release even if it is closed.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

At least the discharge end of the track of the vibrating parts feeder is designed to transfer the parts along the spiral track by torsionally vibrating a bowl having a spiral track formed on the inner peripheral wall thereof. Is a stepped transfer surface that inclines downward toward the radially outer side of the bowl and has the lower side as a lower stage. From the winding portion of the coil spring-like component hung on the radially inner edge of the bowl to the outside. The first bending portion that bends downward of the extending winding start arm portion is engaged, and the winding portion is positioned at the lower stage of the stepped transfer surface, and the helical spring-like component is transferred by torsional vibration. , The upstream end of the linear trough of the linear vibrating feeder is located with a gap from the stepped transfer surface, the transfer surface of the trough is aligned with the stepped transfer surface of the bowl and is inclined downward, Lower stepped transfer surface And a linear groove for guiding the first bent portion is formed in parallel to the edge on the upper stage side, and the winding portion is located in the lower stage of the stepped transfer surface, and substantially the entire area of the trough. A holding plate for holding the posture of the component is attached over the second bending portion that bends upward of a winding end arm portion extending outward from the winding portion of the spiral spring-like component for holding the posture of the component. The trough of the vibrating parts feeder and the trough of the linear vibrating feeder are made to project outward from the lower edge of the pressing plate so that the trough can be transferred by linear vibration, and the pocket communicating with the bowl is provided. And an air jetting means for jetting air toward the inlet of the linear vibrating feeder toward the holding plate, which is arranged below the connecting portion of the linear vibrating feeder. When the component detecting means provided at a predetermined position close to the linear trough detects that no component exists on the linear trough for a predetermined time or longer, the air ejecting means is operated to operate the The present invention is achieved by a device for supplying a helical spring-like component, characterized in that air is blown to the helical spring-like component clogged at the inlet of the pressing plate so that the helical spring-like component falls into the pocket.

[Action]

If the spiral spring-like component transferred from the vibrating parts feeder in a specified posture is blocked at the inlet of the component position holding plate installed above the trough of the linear vibrating feeder, it will be transferred to the truck downstream from this. The component detection means provided close to each other detects that the component has not been transferred for a predetermined time or longer, and the air ejection means ejects air toward the inlet of the pressing plate to automatically release the blockage.
Then, it is possible to efficiently and reliably supply one spiral spring-shaped component to the next step in a predetermined posture.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, a vibrating component supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a component (1) applied to this embodiment. This is the coil part (1a), the arm part (1b) (1b) that is the winding part.
And a helical spring having a protrusion (1c) at the tip of each arm (1b), which is fed in the direction shown by the arrow in the posture shown in FIG. 1 and supplied to the next step.

2 and 3, the vibrating parts feeder is generally designated by (2), and as is well known, a spiral track (4) is formed on the inner peripheral wall of the bowl (3). The track (4) is provided with an abstractly shown part aligning part (5) (shown by hatching), and the part (1) is placed in a desired posture, that is, a part having the posture shown in FIG. A component posture holding track portion (6) which is capable of passing only 1) and holding and holding the posture of the component (1) is connected to this downstream side. The component posture holding track portion (6) has the same cross sectional shape as the cross section of the trough (8) of the linear vibrating feeder (7) which will be described later, and the end portion thereof is notched diagonally and the end portion thereof is also slanted. It is connected to the trough (8) of the notched linear vibrating feeder (7) with a slight gap S therebetween.
Also, a pocket (9) fixed to the outer peripheral wall of the bowl (3) is arranged below the connecting portion between the component posture holding track portion (6) and the trough (8), and this pocket (9) is described later. The hole (1) formed in the outer wall of the bowl (3) receives the component (1) blown away by the compressed air ejected from the (22).
The part (1) is returned to the inside of the bowl (3) by guiding it to (0).

A plate spring mounting block (11) is fixed below the bowl (3), and this block is connected to the base block (12) by a plurality of plate springs (13) arranged at an inclination. Further, the movable core (14) is integrally fixed to the leaf spring mounting block (11), which has a slight gap with the electromagnet (16) around which the coil (15) fixed to the base block (12) is wound. They are facing each other. Further, the torsional vibration drive unit configured as described above is covered with the cover (17), and the entire vibration part feeder (2) is supported by the vibration damping rubber (18) on the base (19).

The trough (8) of the linear vibrating feeder (7) has a pressing plate (20) fixed to the upper surface of the trough (8) by a bolt.
An air ejection hole (21) is formed in the upstream side of the (0), that is, in the vicinity of the inlet, and an air ejection pipe (22) connected to an air source (not shown) by an air hose via a solenoid valve (not shown). ) Is connected. Further, a stopper (23) is fixed to the downstream end of the trough (8), and the downstream end of the pressing plate (20) and the stopper (23) are spaced apart by one component (1). It is set. Further, an overflow / parts blockage detection device (24) is arranged in the vicinity of the trough (8). This comprises a photoelectric element (25) and a light receiving element (26) provided on an element fixing member (27) fixed to the bottom surface of the trough (8).

The entire trough (8) is fixed to the trough support member (28),
In addition, a leaf spring mounting block (2
9) is a leaf spring mounting block (31) integrally connected to the base block (30) and a pair of front and rear inclined leaf springs (32)
Bound by (32). The leaf spring mounting block (29) fixed to the trough support member (28) has a movable core (33) fixed by hanging downward to the leaf spring mounting block (31) fixed to the base block (30). It faces the electromagnet (35) around which the fixed coil (34) is wound with a slight gap. Further, the whole vibration drive section is covered by the cover (36), and the whole linear vibration feeder (7) is fixed to the base (19) by the vibration-proof rubber (37).
Supported above.

Next, detailed configurations of the air ejection pipe (22) as the air ejection means and the overflow / parts obstruction detection device (24) as the parts detection means according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. .

FIG. 4 is a side view of the linear vibrating feeder (7),
As shown, the trough (8) is inclined and the trough support member (2
Fixed to 8). The upper surface of the trough (8) has a stepped shape, and is in contact with the pressing plate (20) made of a band-shaped flat plate, and the upper surface with a step parallel to the contact surface (39) and having a height of S _1. A supporting step surface (40) is formed, a lower supporting step surface (41) is formed at a step having a height of S _{2, and} a contact surface (39) and an upper supporting step surface (40) are formed. () Is formed with a groove (42). The width of the upper supporting step surface (40) is shorter than the length of the arm portion (1b) of the component (1), and the width of the groove (4
The width of 2) is larger than the wire diameter of the component (1), the depth thereof is larger than the height of the protrusion (1c), and the step S ₁ is higher than the wire diameter of the component (1). The height S ₂ is approximately equal to the height of the coil portion (1a) of the component (1).
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the width of the pressing plate (20) is such that it does not interfere with the upward projection (1c) of the component (1) that is transferred through the trough (8). In the figure, a convex portion (43) is formed on the lower left side. Further, the upstream end of the pressing plate (20) is obliquely cut out (5th
In addition, an air ejection hole (21) is formed at the upstream end, that is, slightly downstream of the inlet of the pressing plate (20), and the air ejection pipe (22) is connected to this. Also trough (8)
Groove (44) on the contact surface (39) and the upper support step (40)
Is formed (FIG. 6) so that the light receiving element (26) can receive the light projected from the photoelectric element (25) of the overflow / parts blockage detection device (24). The presence of the component (1) is confirmed by blocking the light by the component (1) that is transferred. Further, the bottom surface of the groove (44) is equal to the lower support step surface (41) and has a depth that does not hinder the engagement between the protrusion (1c) of the component (1) and the groove (42).

The configuration of the vibrating component supply apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Next, this operation will be described.

A large amount of parts (1) are put in the bowl (3) of the vibrating parts feeder (2). When an alternating current is applied to the coil (15), the bowl (3) undergoes a known torsional vibration, and the component (1) is transferred along the track (4) to the component aligning portion (5) which is abstractly shown in the figure. Reach Here, only the component (1) having the posture shown in FIG. 1 is allowed to pass, and the other parts are removed from the transfer surface by air ejection means or the like. The component (1) having a predetermined posture is held in that posture and the component posture holding track (6) is transferred. Troughs (8) for the component posture holding track section (6) and the linear vibration feeder (7)
Since the connecting portion with is obliquely cut out, the component (1) is transferred to the trough (8) without dropping the component (1) downward from the gap of the connecting portion. Also trough (8)
A holding plate (20) is arranged in this for pooling the parts, and the part (1) goes under the holding plate (20) and is transferred on the trough (8), and its downstream end portion. At this position, it is stopped by the stopper (23), and at that position, it is supplied to the next step by a suction means or the like not shown.

As described above, the component (1) is supplied one by one in a predetermined posture in the next process, but when the component (1) sunk below the holding plate (20), the component (1) is vertically moved by vibration. Since it is transferred while jumping to, it is easy to stay at this position without swallowing quickly, and also the vibration parts feeder (2)
The part transfer speed is higher than the transfer speed of the linear vibrating feeder (7) and the part (1) has a complicated shape, so that the parts (1) are in contact with each other, entangled with each other, and easily clogged.
However, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the light receiving element (26) of the overflow / parts obstruction detection device (24) continues to receive light for a predetermined time or longer to detect obstruction of the component (1) and open the solenoid valve (not shown). By doing so, the compressed air is blown from the air ejection hole (21) through the air ejection pipe (22) onto the closed component (1), and from the trough (8) to the pocket (9).
It is designed to release the blockage of the component (1) by dropping it to the bottom. In this way, the component (1) is dropped to a specific place, that is, the pocket (9), because the component (1) blown off by the compressed air is dropped onto the component posture holding track portion (6). Then, it is not considered that the dropped component (1) is in the predetermined posture in which the component aligning portion (6) is aligned, that is, the posture shown in FIG. This is to prevent it from being blocked again at the entrance of the pressing plate (20) due to the cause.

Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the light receiving element (26) of the overflow / parts blockage detection device (24) does not receive light for a predetermined time or more, the current to the coil (15) of the vibrating parts feeder (2) is increased. Of the vibrating parts feeder (2) is stopped and the excessive supply of the parts (1) to the trough (8) causes the parts (1) at the inlet of the holding plate (20) to be stopped. Can be prevented from blocking.

The operation of the vibrating component supply apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Next, this effect will be described.

According to the vibrating component feeder according to the embodiment of the present invention, the trough (8) of the linear vibrating feeder (7) is provided with the pressing plate (20) so that the trough (8) stably maintains a predetermined posture. As shown in the figure, the spiral spring-like component (1) can be pooled or stocked, and
When the component (1) goes under the pressing plate (20), even if the component (1) is closed, it can be automatically detected and released. When the trough (8) overflows, it can be automatically detected and released.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, needless to say, the present invention is not limited to these, and various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention.

For example, although the air ejection hole (21) is formed in the pressing plate (20) according to the present embodiment, it may be formed in the bottom surface of the trough (8). Also, the upstream end of the pressing plate (20) is notched obliquely as shown in FIG. 5, but it may be straight, or the upstream end of the pressing plate (20) may be pressed. The plate (20) may be formed with a slope facing the downstream side in the plate thickness direction so that the component (1) can be easily introduced below the pressing plate (20). Further, although the detection device (24) is arranged in a horizontal state on the transfer surface of the trough (8), through holes for aligning the trough (8) and the pressing plate (20) are respectively provided, and the detection device (24) is provided. It may be arranged perpendicular to the transfer surface.

Moreover, the present invention is applicable not only to the spring (1) but also to parts of any shape.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the vibrating component supply device of the present invention, it is possible to stably hold the spiral spring-shaped component on the linear trough in the predetermined posture by the pressing plate for retaining the component posture, and pool or stock the component. Even if the spiral spring-like component is blocked at the inlet of the pressing plate, the component detection means provided on the downstream side in the vicinity of the trough detects the closure of the spiral spring-like component and moves toward the inlet of the pressing plate. By ejecting air by the air ejecting means, the closure of the spiral spring-like component can be automatically released, and the spiral spring-like component can be efficiently and reliably delivered in a predetermined posture to the next step. Can be supplied to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a component applied to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of a vibrating component supply apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the same, and FIG. Part side view, 5th
FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view of the main part, and FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway enlarged plan view of the main part. In the figure, (2) …… Vibration parts feeder (3) …… Bowl (4) …… Track (7) …… Linear vibration feeder (8) …… Trough (20) …… Pressing plate (21) …… Air ejection hole (22) …… Air ejection pipe (24) …… Overflow / parts blockage detection device

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. At least a discharge end of the track of a vibrating parts feeder adapted to transfer parts along the spiral track by torsionally vibrating a bowl having a spiral track formed on an inner peripheral wall thereof. The portion is a stepped transfer surface that inclines downward toward the radially outer side of the bowl and has the lower side as a lower stage, and is wound outward from the winding portion of the coiled spring-like component hung on the radially inner edge of the bowl. A first bending portion that bends downward of a winding start arm portion that extends, and the winding portion is located at a lower stage of the stepped transfer surface, and the helical spring-like component is transferred by torsional vibration. And the upstream end of the linear trough of the linear vibrating feeder is positioned with a gap from the stepped transfer surface, the transfer surface of the trough is aligned with the stepped transfer surface of the bowl, and is inclined downward. Stepped transfer surface with bottom And a linear groove for guiding the first bent portion is formed in parallel to the edge on the upper stage side, and the winding portion is located in the lower stage of the stepped transfer surface, and substantially the entire area of the trough. A holding plate for holding the posture of the component is attached over the second bending portion that bends upward of a winding end arm portion extending outward from the winding portion of the spiral spring-like component for holding the posture of the component. The trough of the vibrating parts feeder and the trough of the linear vibrating feeder are made to project outward from the lower edge of the pressing plate so that the trough can be transferred by linear vibration, and the pocket communicating with the bowl is provided. And an air jetting means for jetting air toward the inlet of the linear vibrating feeder toward the holding plate, which is arranged below the connecting portion of the linear vibrating feeder. When the component detecting means provided at a predetermined position close to the linear trough detects that no component exists on the linear trough for a predetermined time or longer, the air ejecting means is operated to operate the An apparatus for supplying a spiral spring-like component, characterized in that air is blown onto the spiral spring-like component clogged at the inlet of the pressing plate so that the spiral spring-like component is dropped into the pocket. 2. The drive of the vibrating parts feeder is stopped when the parts detecting means detects that parts are continuously present on the linear trough for a predetermined time or more. The supply device for a helical spring-like component according to item (1).