Vibration type component conveyance device

Abstract

To provide a vibration type component conveyance device capable of conveying a component at a high conveying speed.SOLUTION: In a vibration type component conveyance device, intermediate vibrators 3a, 3b are arranged on the lower side of a base 1, plate springs 6a, 6b for horizontal vibration are arranged so as to extend in a vertical direction while avoiding the base 1, upper end parts of the plate springs 6a, 6b for horizontal vibration are fixed to an upper vibrator 4, and lower end parts of the plate springs 6a, 6b for horizontal vibration are fixed to the intermediate vibrators 3a, 3b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vibratory part transport device that transports parts by vibrating a trough. [Background technology]

[0002] A known vibration type part transport device that transports parts by vibrating a trough having a part transport path that extends linearly in the forward and backward directions is a composite vibration type that generates vertical and horizontal vibrations using separate vibrating electromagnets and transports parts using a combined vertical and horizontal vibration (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The vibration-type part transport device of Patent Document 1 includes a base supported on a floor member via a vibration-proof member, an intermediate vibrator connected to the base via a horizontal vibration leaf spring, an upper vibrator connected to the intermediate vibrator via a vertical vibration leaf spring, a trough attached to the upper vibrator, a vertical vibration electromagnet that applies up-down vibration to the upper vibrator, and a horizontal vibration electromagnet that applies front-rear vibration to the upper vibrator. A part transport path extending linearly in the front-rear direction is provided in the trough.

[0004] This vibration-type part transport device generates elliptical vibrations (movement in which each point on the trough moves back and forth along an elliptical trajectory with its major axis inclined relative to the horizontal) in the upper vibrating body by combining, with a specified phase difference, vertical vibrations in the up-and-down direction generated by a vertical vibration electromagnet and horizontal vibrations in the front-to-back direction generated by a horizontal vibration electromagnet, and this elliptical vibration moves the parts on the trough from the rear to the front. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-95597 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When the horizontal vibration of the upper vibrator is applied in the front-rear direction by the horizontal vibration electromagnet fixed to the base, the upper vibrator and the base are subjected to forces in the front-rear direction opposite to each other due to the action-reaction relationship. At this time, the upper vibrator and the base each undergo a pitching motion (a motion of swinging so as to tilt forward and backward) due to the misalignment of the lines of action of the respective forces acting on the upper vibrator and the base from the center of gravity. Here, the pitching motion of the upper vibrator as seen from above the floor is a combination of the pitching motion of the base as seen from above the floor and the relative pitching motion of the upper vibrator with respect to the base, and further, the pitching motion of the base as seen from above the floor and the relative pitching motion of the upper vibrator with respect to the base are in an opposite phase relationship with each other. Therefore, in the vibration-type part conveying device of Patent Document 1, in order to effectively cancel the pitching motion of the upper vibrator with the pitching motion of the base, a weight for adjusting the mass of the base is provided, and the magnitude of the amplitude of the pitching motion of the base as seen from above the floor can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the weight.

[0007] However, if the number of weights for adjusting the mass of the base is increased in order to adjust the amplitude of the pitching motion of the base, the mass of the entire device also increases, resulting in a problem of a lower natural frequency of the entire device and a slower component transport speed.

[0008] In addition, in the vibration type part transport device of Patent Document 1, the spring connecting the upper vibrator and the intermediate vibrator is a vertical vibration leaf spring, and the spring connecting the intermediate vibrator and the base is a horizontal vibration leaf spring. Therefore, when the horizontal vibration electromagnet applies vibration to the upper vibrator, the trough, the upper vibrator, and the intermediate vibrator vibrate together in the front-rear direction, and the base moves in the front-rear direction in the opposite phase. Here, the ratio of the front-rear amplitude of the upper vibrator to the front-rear vibration of the base is the ratio of the reciprocal of the total mass of the trough, the upper vibrator, and the intermediate vibrator to the reciprocal of the mass of the base. Therefore, the front-rear amplitude of the upper vibrator (i.e., the front-rear vibration of the trough) tends to be small, making it difficult to increase the part transport speed.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a vibratory component transport device capable of transporting components at a high transport speed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a vibratory part transport device having the following configuration. [Configuration 1] a base supported on a floor member via a vibration-isolating member; an intermediate vibrator connected to the base via a vertical vibration leaf spring; an upper vibrator connected to the intermediate vibrator via a horizontal vibration leaf spring; a trough attached to the upper vibrator and having a part transport path extending linearly in the front-rear direction; a vertical vibration electromagnet that applies vertical vibration to the upper vibrator; a horizontal vibration electromagnet that applies vibration in a front-rear direction to the upper vibrating body, The intermediate vibrator is disposed below the base, The horizontal vibration leaf spring is disposed so as to extend in the vertical direction while avoiding the base, a vibrating part transport device, wherein an upper end of the horizontal vibration leaf spring is fixed to the upper vibrating body, and a lower end of the horizontal vibration leaf spring is fixed to the intermediate vibrating body.

[0011] When this configuration is adopted, the spring connecting the upper vibrator and the intermediate vibrator is a leaf spring for horizontal vibration, and the spring connecting the intermediate vibrator and the base is a leaf spring for vertical vibration. Therefore, when vibration is applied to the upper vibrator by the horizontal excitation electromagnet, the trough and the upper vibrator vibrate together in the front-rear direction among the trough, the upper vibrator, the intermediate vibrator, and the base, and the base and the intermediate vibrator move together in the front-rear direction in the opposite phase. Here, the ratio of the magnitude of the amplitude of the upper vibrator in the front-rear direction to the magnitude of the amplitude of the base in the front-rear direction is the ratio of the reciprocal of the total mass of the trough and the upper vibrator to the reciprocal of the total mass of the base and the intermediate vibrator. Therefore, the amplitude of the upper vibrator in the front-rear direction can be made larger than that of a plate spring for horizontal vibration and a plate spring for vertical vibration that are reversed (i.e., the upper vibrator and the intermediate vibrator are connected by a plate spring for vertical vibration, and the intermediate vibrator and the base are connected by a plate spring for horizontal vibration), and parts can be transported at a high transport speed.

[0012] In addition, since the intermediate vibrator is disposed under the base, the horizontal vibration leaf spring is disposed so as to extend in the vertical direction avoiding the base, and the upper end of the horizontal vibration leaf spring is fixed to the upper vibrator, and the lower end of the horizontal vibration leaf spring is fixed to the intermediate vibrator, the length of the horizontal vibration leaf spring is long. Therefore, the amplitude of the upper vibrator in the front-rear direction can be set large, and parts can be transported at a high transport speed.

[0013] [Configuration 2] The intermediate vibrator is composed of a front intermediate vibrator and a rear intermediate vibrator that are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction, the horizontal vibration leaf spring is composed of a front horizontal vibration leaf spring that connects the front intermediate vibrator and the upper vibrator, and a rear horizontal vibration leaf spring that connects the rear intermediate vibrator and the upper vibrator, The vibratory part conveying device according to configuration 1, wherein the vertical vibration leaf spring is composed of a front vertical vibration leaf spring that connects the front intermediate vibrating body and the base, and a rear vertical vibration leaf spring that connects the rear intermediate vibrating body and the base.

[0014] When this configuration is adopted, the intermediate vibrator is composed of a front intermediate vibrator and a rear intermediate vibrator that are spaced apart from each other in the front and rear directions, and the front intermediate vibrator and the rear intermediate vibrator can move in the up and down direction independently of each other with respect to the base, so that the pitching motion of the base can be prevented from being restricted by the intermediate vibrator. Therefore, the pitching motion of the upper vibrator can be effectively countered by the pitching motion of the base.

[0015] [Configuration 3] The front horizontal vibration leaf springs are provided in a pair so as to face each other at a distance in the front-rear direction, The upper ends of the pair of front horizontal vibration leaf springs sandwich a front spring fixing piece provided on the upper vibrator from the front and rear, and the lower ends of the pair of front horizontal vibration leaf springs sandwich the front intermediate vibrator from the front and rear, The rear horizontal vibration leaf springs are provided in a pair so as to face each other at a distance in the front-rear direction, The vibratory component conveying device according to configuration 2, wherein the upper ends of the rear leaf springs for horizontal vibration of the pair sandwich the rear spring fixing piece provided on the upper vibrating body from the front and rear, and the lower ends of the rear leaf springs for horizontal vibration of the pair sandwich the rear intermediate vibrating body from the front and rear.

[0016] When this configuration is adopted, the front intermediate vibrator and the upper vibrator are connected by the front horizontal vibration leaf springs arranged in a pair facing each other with a gap in the front-rear direction, so that even when the front horizontal vibration leaf spring is deformed in the front-rear direction, the inclination of the upper vibrator relative to the front intermediate vibrator is restricted, and the upper vibrator moves in the front-rear direction while maintaining parallelism to the front intermediate vibrator. Similarly, the rear intermediate vibrator and the upper vibrator are connected by the rear horizontal vibration leaf springs arranged in a pair facing each other with a gap in the front-rear direction, so that even when the rear horizontal vibration leaf spring is deformed in the front-rear direction, the inclination of the upper vibrator relative to the rear intermediate vibrator is restricted, and the upper vibrator moves in the front-rear direction while maintaining parallelism to the rear intermediate vibrator. Therefore, stable vibration of the upper vibrator in the front-rear direction can be obtained.

[0017] [Configuration 4] the pair of front horizontal vibration leaf springs are provided on the left and right sides of the upper vibrator, respectively; The front spring fixing pieces are projections provided on the left and right sides of the upper vibrating body, the pair of rear horizontal vibration leaf springs are provided on the left and right sides of the upper vibrator, respectively; The vibratory component conveying device according to configuration 3, wherein the rear spring fixing pieces are protrusions provided protruding from the upper vibrating body on both the left and right sides.

[0018] When this configuration is adopted, a total of four horizontal vibration leaf springs - two front horizontal vibration leaf springs on the left and right and two rear horizontal vibration leaf springs on the left and right - surround the center of gravity of the upper vibrating body from the front, back, left and right when viewed from above, making the horizontal vibration of the upper vibrating body and the trough particularly stable.

[0019] [Configuration 5] one front leaf spring for horizontal vibration and the other front leaf spring for horizontal vibration constituting the pair of front leaf springs for horizontal vibration are each formed of a plurality of stacked leaf springs, A vibration-type part conveying device according to configuration 3 or 4, wherein one rear leaf spring for horizontal vibration and the other rear leaf spring constituting the pair of rear leaf springs for horizontal vibration are each formed of multiple stacked leaf springs.

[0020] With this configuration, the front and rear leaf springs for horizontal vibration each use multiple stacked leaf springs, making it possible to use thinner leaf springs than using a single leaf spring with the same spring constant as the multiple stacked leaf springs. Therefore, it is possible to set the spring constants of the front and rear leaf springs for horizontal vibration large while preventing spring breakage, and increase the part transport speed.

[0021] [Configuration 6] The front vertical vibration leaf springs are provided in pairs facing each other with a gap in the up-down direction, the pair of front vertical vibration leaf springs sandwich the front intermediate vibrating body and the front spring fixing block provided on the base from above and below at positions spaced apart in the horizontal direction, The rear vertical vibration leaf springs are provided in a pair facing each other at a distance in the up-down direction, A vibratory part conveying device according to any one of configurations 2 to 5, wherein the pair of rear vertical vibration leaf springs sandwich the rear intermediate vibrating body and the rear spring fixing block provided on the base from above and below at positions spaced apart horizontally.

[0022] When this configuration is adopted, the front intermediate vibrator and the base are connected by the front vertical vibration leaf springs arranged in a pair facing each other with a gap in the vertical direction, so that even when a rotational force acts on the front intermediate vibrator from the front horizontal vibration leaf spring, the inclination of the front intermediate vibrator with respect to the base is restricted, and the front horizontal vibration leaf spring can be prevented from falling. Similarly, the rear intermediate vibrator and the base are connected by the rear vertical vibration leaf springs arranged in a pair facing each other with a gap in the vertical direction, so that even when a rotational force acts on the rear intermediate vibrator from the rear horizontal vibration leaf spring, the inclination of the rear intermediate vibrator with respect to the base is restricted, and the rear horizontal vibration leaf spring can be prevented from falling. Therefore, stable front-rear and up-down vibrations of the upper vibrator can be obtained.

[0023] [Configuration 7] The vertical vibration electromagnet is disposed at a central position in the front-rear direction of the base, the horizontal vibration electromagnet is disposed at a position shifted in one direction in the front-rear direction from a center position in the front-rear direction of the base, A vibration-type part conveying device according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, wherein the base is provided with a base center-of-gravity adjustment convex portion having a mass corresponding to the horizontal vibration electromagnet at a position shifted in the other direction in the front-to-rear direction from the center position in the front-to-rear direction.

[0024] By adopting this configuration, the shift in the center of gravity of the base caused by placing the horizontal vibration electromagnet at a position shifted in one direction from the center position of the base in the fore-and-aft direction can be eliminated by providing a base center of gravity adjustment convex portion having a mass corresponding to the horizontal vibration electromagnet at a position shifted in the other direction from the center position of the base in the fore-and-aft direction, making it possible to position the center of gravity of the base at the center position of the base in the fore-and-aft direction.

[0025] [Configuration 8] The upper vibrator is provided with a vertical excitation iron core that faces the vertical excitation electromagnet with a gap therebetween in the up-down direction, and a horizontal excitation iron core that faces the horizontal excitation electromagnet with a gap therebetween in the front-rear direction, The vertical vibration core is disposed at a central position in the front-rear direction of the upper vibrating body, the horizontal vibration iron core is disposed at a position shifted in one direction in the front-rear direction from a center position in the front-rear direction of the upper vibrating body, A vibratory part conveying device according to any one of configurations 1 to 7, wherein the upper vibrator is provided with an upper center-of-gravity adjustment convex portion having a mass corresponding to the horizontal vibration iron core at a position shifted in the other direction in the front-to-rear direction from the center position in the front-to-rear direction.

[0026] By adopting this configuration, the shift in the center of gravity of the upper vibrator caused by placing the horizontal vibration iron core at a position shifted in one direction from the central position of the upper vibrator in the fore-and-aft direction is eliminated by providing an upper center of gravity adjustment convexity having a mass corresponding to the horizontal vibration iron core at a position shifted in the other direction from the central position of the upper vibrator in the fore-and-aft direction, making it possible to position the center of gravity of the upper vibrator at the central position in the fore-and-aft direction of the upper vibrator.

[0027] [Configuration 9] A front weight fixing rail is provided at a front end of the base and extends in the front-rear direction, A front weight is fixed to the front weight fixing rail so that the fixing position of the weight can be adjusted in the front-rear direction. A rear weight fixing rail is provided at the rear end of the base and extends in the front-rear direction, A vibratory part transport device according to any one of configurations 1 to 8, wherein a rear weight is fixed to the rear weight fixing rail so that the fixing position of the weight can be adjusted in the front-rear direction.

[0028] When this configuration is adopted, the moment of inertia around the center of gravity of the base can be increased by moving the fixing position of the weight to the front weight fixing rail provided at the front end of the base to the front side and moving the fixing position of the weight to the rear weight fixing rail provided at the rear end of the base to the rear side, and conversely, the moment of inertia around the center of gravity of the base can be decreased by moving the fixing position of the weight to the front weight fixing rail provided at the front end of the base to the rear side and moving the fixing position of the weight to the rear weight fixing rail provided at the rear end of the base to the front side. That is, it is possible to adjust the moment of inertia of the base without changing the mass of the base and to adjust the magnitude of the amplitude of the pitching motion of the base as seen from above the floor. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the moment of inertia of the base to cancel the pitching motion of the upper vibrator with the pitching motion of the base without increasing the mass of the entire device, and there is no decrease in the natural frequency of the entire device or the decrease in the conveying speed of the parts due to the adjustment of the moment of inertia of the base.

[0029] [Configuration 10] 10. The vibratory part transport device according to any one of configurations 1 to 9, wherein side panels for adjusting mass are removably attached to both left and right side surfaces of the base.

[0030] By adopting this configuration, it is possible to change the ratio between the total mass of the trough and upper vibrator and the total mass of the base (including the side plates for adjusting the mass) and the intermediate vibrator by changing the mass of the side plates, which in turn changes the ratio between the magnitude of the front-to-back amplitude of the upper vibrator and the magnitude of the front-to-back amplitude of the base, thereby making it possible to adjust the part conveying speed.

[0031] [Configuration 11] A vibration-type part conveying device according to any one of configurations 1 to 10, wherein a vertical displacement sensor that detects the upward and downward displacement of the upper vibrating body relative to the base, and a horizontal displacement sensor that detects the front-to-rear displacement of the upper vibrating body relative to the base are provided in a central portion of the base in the front-to-rear direction.

[0032] When this configuration is adopted, even when the upper vibrator is pitching relative to the base, the relative positional relationship of the upper vibrator to the base is less affected in the fore-to-aft central part of the base, so that the vertical displacement sensor and horizontal displacement sensor provided in the fore-to-aft central part of the base can accurately detect the displacement of the upper vibrator relative to the base. Effect of the Invention

[0033] In the vibration type part transport device of this invention, the spring connecting the upper vibrating body and the intermediate vibrating body is a horizontal vibration leaf spring, and the spring connecting the intermediate vibrating body and the base is a vertical vibration leaf spring, so that when vibration is applied to the upper vibrating body by the horizontal vibration electromagnet, the trough and the upper vibrating body among the trough, upper vibrating body, intermediate vibrating body, and base vibrate together in the front-to-back direction, and the base and intermediate vibrating body move together in the front-to-back direction in the opposite phase. Therefore, the amplitude of the front-to-back direction of the upper vibrating body can be made larger than that of a device with the horizontal vibration leaf spring and the vertical vibration leaf spring reversed, and parts can be transported at a high transport speed.

[0034] In addition, since the intermediate vibrator is disposed under the base, the horizontal vibration leaf spring is disposed so as to extend in the vertical direction avoiding the base, and the upper end of the horizontal vibration leaf spring is fixed to the upper vibrator, and the lower end of the horizontal vibration leaf spring is fixed to the intermediate vibrator, the length of the horizontal vibration leaf spring is long. Therefore, the amplitude of the upper vibrator in the front-rear direction can be set large, and parts can be transported at a high transport speed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0035] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a vibration-type part transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2]The vibration-type parts transport device in Figure 1 is shown from above with part of the trough omitted. [Diagram 3] A bottom view of the vibration-type part transport device in Figure 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the front part of the vibration-type part transport device of FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the rear part of the vibration-type part transport device of FIG. [Figure 6] Cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Figure 4. [Figure 7] Cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in Figure 4. [Figure 8] A diagram explaining the pitching motion when the upper vibrating body shown in FIG. 1 moves horizontally backward and the base moves horizontally forward. [Figure 9] A simplified model for explaining the pitching motion of the vibration-type part transport device shown in FIG. 1 (with the trough removed). [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the amplitude of the pitching motion of the lower rigid body is larger than the amplitude of the relative pitching motion of the upper rigid body with respect to the lower rigid body in the simplified model shown in FIG. [Figure 11] The figure shows the time change in the relative displacement of the front end of the upper rigid body with respect to the front end of the lower rigid body in the state of Figure 10 (dashed line graph), the time change in the absolute displacement of the front end of the lower rigid body (dash-dotted line graph), and the time change in the absolute displacement of the front end of the upper rigid body (solid line graph). [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which the fixing positions of the front weight and the rear weight shown in FIG. 10 are brought closer to the center of gravity of the lower rigid body (base); [Figure 13] The figure shows the time change in the relative displacement of the front end of the upper rigid body with respect to the front end of the lower rigid body in the state of Figure 12 (graph of dashed line), the time change in the absolute displacement of the front end of the lower rigid body (graph of dashed dotted line), and the time change in the absolute displacement of the front end of the upper rigid body (graph of solid line). [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a trough is attached to the upper rigid body in the simplified model shown in FIG. 9, and the amplitude of the pitching motion of the lower rigid body becomes smaller than the amplitude of the relative pitching motion of the upper rigid body with respect to the lower rigid body. [Figure 15] The figure shows the time change in the relative displacement of the front end of the upper rigid body with respect to the front end of the lower rigid body in the state of Figure 14 (dashed line graph), the time change in the absolute displacement of the front end of the lower rigid body (dash-dotted line graph), and the time change in the absolute displacement of the front end of the upper rigid body (solid line graph). [Figure 16] FIG. 15 shows a state in which the fixing positions of the front and rear weights shown in FIG. 14 are moved away from the center of gravity of the lower rigid body (base). [Figure 17] The figure shows the time change in the relative displacement of the front end of the upper rigid body with respect to the front end of the lower rigid body in the state of Figure 16 (graph of dashed line), the time change in the absolute displacement of the front end of the lower rigid body (graph of dashed dotted line), and the time change in the absolute displacement of the front end of the upper rigid body (graph of solid line). [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration in which the front intermediate vibrating body and the upper vibrating body are connected by a single front horizontal vibration leaf spring. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the front horizontal vibration leaf spring is elastically deformed by the upper vibrator shown in FIG. 18 moving in the front-rear direction relative to the front intermediate vibrator; [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration in which the front intermediate vibrator and the upper vibrator are connected by a pair of front horizontal vibration leaf springs that are provided to face each other with a gap in the front-rear direction. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the front horizontal vibration leaf spring is elastically deformed by the upper vibrator shown in FIG. 20 moving in the front-rear direction relative to the front intermediate vibrator; [Figure 22] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a modification in which a plurality of leaf springs are stacked as the front horizontal vibration leaf spring shown in FIG. 4. [Diagram 23] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a rotational force is applied to the front intermediate vibrator in a configuration in which the front intermediate vibrator and the base are connected by a single front vertical vibration leaf spring; [Figure 24] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a rotational force is applied to the front intermediate vibrator in a configuration in which the front intermediate vibrator and the base are connected by a pair of front vertical vibration leaf springs that are provided facing each other with a gap in the vertical direction. [Diagram 25]FIG. 2 is a simplified model for explaining vertical displacement caused by the back-and-forth reciprocating motion in the vibration-type part transport device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 26] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining vertical displacement accompanying reciprocating motion in the front-back direction in a comparative example in which the center of gravity of the upper vibrating body shown in FIG. 1 and the center of gravity of the base are shifted in the front-back direction; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0036] FIG. 1 shows a vibration type part transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This vibration type part transport device includes a base 1, vibration-proof members 2a and 2b supporting the base 1, intermediate vibrators 3a and 3b arranged below the base 1, an upper vibrator 4 arranged above the base 1, vertical vibration leaf springs 5a and 5b connecting the base 1 and the intermediate vibrators 3a and 3b, horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a and 6b connecting the intermediate vibrators 3a and 3b and the upper vibrator 4, a trough 7 attached to the upper vibrator 4, a vertical vibration electromagnet 8 that applies vertical vibration to the upper vibrator 4, and a horizontal vibration electromagnet 9 that applies front-rear vibration (left-right direction in the figure) to the upper vibrator 4. The vertical vibration leaf springs 5a and 5b are leaf springs for vibrating the upper vibrator 4 in the vertical direction, and the horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a and 6b are leaf springs for vibrating the upper vibrator 4 in the front-rear direction.

[0037] The trough 7 has a component conveying path 10 that extends linearly in the front-rear direction (the component conveying direction). As shown in Fig. 6, the component conveying path 10 is a groove that extends horizontally on the upper surface of the trough 7. The trough 7 is detachably fixed to the upper vibrating body 4 with bolts (not shown).

[0038] 2, the upper vibrating body 4 is a rectangular member that is elongated in the front-rear direction when viewed from above. A trough mounting surface 11 is formed on the top surface of the upper vibrating body 4. The trough mounting surface 11 is an upwardly facing flat surface in which a screw hole (not shown) for fixing the trough 7 is formed.

[0039] The upper vibrating body 4 is formed in a frame shape with a plurality of rectangular hollowed-out openings 12 that penetrate vertically and are spaced apart in the front-rear direction. The upper vibrating body 4 has a pair of left and right side frame portions 13 extending in the front-rear direction, a front frame portion 14 connecting the front ends of the left and right side frame portions 13, a rear frame portion 15 connecting the rear ends of the left and right side frame portions 13, a central frame portion 16 connecting central portions in the front-rear direction of the left and right side frame portions 13, a front reinforcing frame portion 17 connecting the left and right side frame portions 13 between the central frame portion 16 and the front frame portion 14, and a rear reinforcing frame portion 18 connecting the left and right side frame portions 13 between the central frame portion 16 and the rear frame portion 15.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 1, the base 1 is attached to a floor member 19 via vibration-isolating members 2a and 2b provided between the base 1 and the floor member. The vibration-isolating members 2a and 2b are composed of a front vibration-isolating member 2a that supports the front end of the base 1 and a rear vibration-isolating member 2b that supports the rear end of the base 1. Each vibration-isolating member 2a and 2b is a member that elastically deforms in the vertical and front-rear directions in response to the vibration of the base 1 so as to prevent the vibration of the base 1 from being transmitted to the floor member 19. The vibration-isolating members 2a and 2b may be made of rubber in the elastically deforming portion. The upper ends of the vibration-isolating members 2a and 2b are fixed to the lower surface of the base 1, and the lower ends of the vibration-isolating members 2a and 2b are fixed to the upper surface of the floor member 19.

[0041] 2, the base 1 is formed into a rectangular shape that is elongated in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in the figure) when viewed from above. The base 1 and the upper vibrating body 4 are arranged such that the center position in the front-rear direction of the base 1 (center of gravity of the base 1) coincides with the center position in the front-rear direction of the upper vibrating body 4 (center of gravity of the upper vibrating body 4) when viewed from above.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate vibrators 3a and 3b are composed of a front intermediate vibrator 3a and a rear intermediate vibrator 3b that are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. The front intermediate vibrator 3a is disposed between a portion of the base 1 that is forward of the center in the front-rear direction and the floor member 19, and the rear intermediate vibrator 3b is disposed between a portion of the base 1 that is rear of the center in the front-rear direction and the floor member 19. The front intermediate vibrator 3a and the rear intermediate vibrator 3b are separate members that are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction so that they can move up and down independently of each other. The front intermediate vibrator 3a and the rear intermediate vibrator 3b are each formed in a square pillar shape that extends in the left-right direction (in the figure, the direction perpendicular to the paper surface).

[0043] The horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a, 6b are composed of a front leaf spring 6a for horizontal vibration that connects the front intermediate vibrating body 3a and the upper vibrating body 4, and a rear leaf spring 6b for horizontal vibration that connects the rear intermediate vibrating body 3b and the upper vibrating body 4. The front leaf spring 6a for horizontal vibration and the rear leaf spring 6b for horizontal vibration are each a leaf spring arranged such that the front-to-rear direction is the plate thickness direction and the up-down direction is the longitudinal direction.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 4, the front leaf springs for horizontal vibration 6a are arranged in a pair facing each other in parallel with a gap in the front-to-rear direction, and the upper ends of the pair of front leaf springs for horizontal vibration 6a are fixed to the front spring fixing piece 20a provided on the upper vibrating body 4 in a state in which the front and rear of the front leaf springs 6a are sandwiched between the front and rear of the front spring fixing piece 20a. Also, the lower ends of the pair of front leaf springs for horizontal vibration 6a are fixed to the front intermediate vibrating body 3a in a state in which the front intermediate vibrating body 3a is sandwiched between the front and rear of the front leaf springs 6a.

[0045] Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5, the rear leaf springs for horizontal vibration 6b are also arranged in a pair facing each other in parallel with a gap in the front-to-rear direction, with the upper ends of the pair of rear leaf springs for horizontal vibration 6b fixed to the rear spring fixing piece 20b provided on the upper vibrating body 4 in a state in which the rear spring fixing piece 20b is sandwiched between the pair from the front and rear, and the lower ends of the pair of rear leaf springs for horizontal vibration 6b fixed to the rear intermediate vibrating body 3b in a state in which the rear intermediate vibrating body 3b is sandwiched between the pair from the front and rear.

[0046] 2, the front horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a are provided on the left (lower side in the figure) and right (upper side in the figure) of the upper vibrating body 4, and the front spring fixing pieces 20a are also provided on the left and right sides of the upper vibrating body 4. The front spring fixing pieces 20a are protrusions that protrude to the left and right from a portion forward of the center position of the upper vibrating body 4 in the front-rear direction. The front reinforcing frame 17 is disposed at the same position in the front-rear direction as the pair of left and right front spring fixing pieces 20a.

[0047] Similarly, the rear horizontal vibration leaf springs 6b are provided on the left and right sides of the upper vibrating body 4, and the rear spring fixing pieces 20b are also provided on the left and right sides of the upper vibrating body 4. The rear spring fixing pieces 20b are protrusions that protrude to the left and right sides from a rear portion of the upper vibrating body 4 relative to the center position in the front-to-rear direction. The rear reinforcing frame 18 is disposed at the same position in the front-to-rear direction as the pair of left and right rear spring fixing pieces 20b.

[0048] When viewed from above, the pair of left and right front spring fixing pieces 20a are provided so as to protrude outward from the left and right side surfaces of the base 1. The pair of left and right rear spring fixing pieces 20b are also provided so as to protrude outward from the left and right side surfaces of the base 1. The four horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a, 6b, consisting of the two left and right front horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a and the two left and right rear horizontal vibration leaf springs 6b, are arranged so as to surround the center of gravity of the upper vibrating body 4 from the front, back, left and right.

[0049] 3, the front intermediate vibrator 3a has a dimension longer than the left-right dimension of the base 1 so that both left and right ends of the front intermediate vibrator 3a protrude outward beyond the left and right side surfaces of the base 1 when viewed from below. The rear intermediate vibrator 3b also has a dimension longer than the left-right dimension of the base 1 so that both left and right ends of the rear intermediate vibrator 3b protrude outward beyond the left and right side surfaces of the base 1 when viewed from below.

[0050] Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper end of the front leaf spring for horizontal vibration 6a is fixed to the portion of the front spring fixing piece 20a that protrudes outward from the left and right side surfaces of the base 1 when viewed from above, and as shown in FIG. 3, the lower end of the front leaf spring for horizontal vibration 6a is fixed to the portion of the front intermediate vibrating body 3a that protrudes outward from the left and right side surfaces of the base 1 when viewed from below, so that the front leaf spring for horizontal vibration 6a can be positioned so as to extend in the vertical direction, avoiding the base 1, as shown in FIG. 1.

[0051] Similarly, as shown in FIG. 2, the upper end of the rear leaf spring for horizontal vibration 6b is fixed to the portion of the rear spring fixing piece 20b that protrudes outward from the left and right side surfaces of the base 1 when viewed from above, and as shown in FIG. 3, the lower end of the rear leaf spring for horizontal vibration 6b is fixed to the portion of the rear intermediate vibrating body 3b that protrudes outward from the left and right side surfaces of the base 1 when viewed from below, so that the rear leaf spring for horizontal vibration 6b can be positioned so as to extend in the vertical direction, avoiding the base 1, as shown in FIG. 1.

[0052] 1, the vertical vibration leaf springs 5a, 5b are composed of a front leaf spring 5a for vertical vibration that connects the front intermediate vibrating body 3a to the base 1, and a rear leaf spring 5b for vertical vibration that connects the rear intermediate vibrating body 3b to the base 1. The front leaf spring 5a for vertical vibration and the rear leaf spring 5b for vertical vibration are each a leaf spring arranged such that the up-down direction is the plate thickness direction and the front-rear direction is the longitudinal direction.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 4, the front vertical vibration leaf springs 5a are provided in a pair facing each other in parallel with a gap in the vertical direction, and the pair of vertically facing front vertical vibration leaf springs 5a are assembled in such a manner that they sandwich the front intermediate vibrating body 3a and the front spring fixing block 21a fixed to the base 1 from above and below at positions spaced apart in the horizontal direction.

[0054] Specifically, the front-to-rear end portions of a pair of front vertical vibration leaf springs 5a facing each other in the vertical direction are fixed to the underside of the base 1 in a state in which they sandwich a front spring fixing block 21a provided on the base 1 from above and below, and the central portions of the pair of front vertical vibration leaf springs 5a are fixed to the front intermediate vibrating body 3a in a state in which they sandwich the front intermediate vibrating body 3a from above and below.

[0055] Here, a groove 22 extending in the left-right direction (direction perpendicular to the paper in the drawing) is formed on the lower surface of the base 1 in a portion facing the front intermediate vibrating body 3a. The groove width of the groove 22 is larger than the width dimension of the front intermediate vibrating body 3a. Of the pair of front vertical vibration leaf springs 5a facing each other in the up-down direction, the upper front vertical vibration leaf spring 5a is provided to span the groove 22, and both ends of the leaf spring are fixed to the lower surface of the base 1. In addition, a pair of front spring fixing blocks 21a are fixed to the lower surfaces of both ends of the upper front vertical vibration leaf spring 5a, and the front intermediate vibrating body 3a is fixed to the lower surface of the center part of the upper front vertical vibration leaf spring 5a. Of the pair of front leaf springs for vertical vibration 5a facing each other in the up-down direction, both ends of the lower front leaf spring for vertical vibration 5a are fixed to the underside of the pair of front spring fixing blocks 21a, and the center of the lower front leaf spring for vertical vibration 5a is fixed to the underside of the front intermediate vibrating body 3a. The vertical thickness of the front spring fixing block 21a is the same as the vertical thickness of the front intermediate vibrating body 3a.

[0056] Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5, the rear leaf springs for vertical vibration 5b are also provided in a pair facing each other in parallel with a gap in the vertical direction, and the pair of rear leaf springs for vertical vibration 5b facing each other in the vertical direction are assembled in such a manner that they sandwich the rear intermediate vibrating body 3b and the rear spring fixing block 21b fixed to the base 1 from above and below at positions spaced apart in the horizontal direction.

[0057] Specifically, both front-rear end portions of the pair of rear leaf springs for vertical vibration 5b facing each other in the up-down direction are fixed to the underside of the base 1 in a state in which the rear spring fixing block 21b provided on the base 1 is sandwiched from above and below, and the central portions of the pair of rear leaf springs for vertical vibration 5b are fixed to the rear intermediate vibrating body 3b in a state in which the rear intermediate vibrating body 3b is sandwiched from above and below. The rear leaf springs for vertical vibration 5b and the surrounding structure are similar to the front leaf springs for vertical vibration 5a, so the same reference numerals are used for corresponding parts and explanations are omitted.

[0058] 3, the front vertical vibration leaf springs 5a are provided on the left (upper side in the figure) and right (lower side in the figure) of the base 1. Similarly, the rear vertical vibration leaf springs 5b are provided on the left and right sides of the base 1. The four vertical vibration leaf springs 5a, 5b in total, including the two front vertical vibration leaf springs 5a on the left and right and the two rear vertical vibration leaf springs 5b on the left and right, are arranged to surround the center of gravity of the base 1 from the front, back, left and right.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 1, the vertical excitation electromagnet 8 is fixed to the center of the base 1 in the front-rear direction. The vertical excitation electromagnet 8 is an AC electromagnet (a coil wound around a core made of a laminate of electromagnetic steel sheets). A vertical excitation iron core 23 is fixed to the lower surface of the upper vibrating body 4, facing the vertical excitation electromagnet 8 with a gap therebetween. The vertical excitation iron core 23 is disposed at the center of the upper vibrating body 4 in the front-rear direction. When an AC voltage having a predetermined frequency is applied to the vertical excitation electromagnet 8, an electromagnetic attraction force acts intermittently between the vertical excitation electromagnet 8 and the vertical excitation iron core 23, and a vertical excitation force in the up-down direction is applied to the upper vibrating body 4.

[0060] The horizontal excitation electromagnet 9 is fixed at a position shifted rearward (to the right in the figure) from the center position in the front-rear direction of the base 1. The horizontal excitation electromagnet 9 is an AC electromagnet. A horizontal excitation iron core 24 is fixedly provided on the underside of the upper vibrating body 4, facing the horizontal excitation electromagnet 9 in the front-rear direction with a gap in between. The horizontal excitation iron core 24 is disposed at a position shifted rearward (to the right in the figure) from the center position in the front-rear direction of the upper vibrating body 4. When an AC voltage with a predetermined frequency is applied to the horizontal excitation electromagnet 9, an electromagnetic attraction force acts intermittently between the horizontal excitation electromagnet 9 and the horizontal excitation iron core 24, and a horizontal excitation force in the front-rear direction is applied to the upper vibrating body 4.

[0061] The base 1 is provided with a base center-of-gravity adjusting protrusion 25 having a mass corresponding to the horizontal vibration electromagnet 9 at a position shifted forward from the center position in the front-to-rear direction. By providing this base center-of-gravity adjusting protrusion 25, a forward shift of the center position of the base 1 caused by arranging the horizontal vibration electromagnet 9 shifted forward from the center position in the front-to-rear direction of the base 1 is eliminated, and the center position of the base 1 is returned to the center position in the front-to-rear direction of the base 1.

[0062] The upper vibrating body 4 is also provided with an upper center-of-gravity adjusting protrusion 26 having a mass corresponding to the horizontal vibration iron core 24 at a position shifted forward from the center position in the front-to-rear direction. By providing this upper center-of-gravity adjusting protrusion 26, the forward shift of the center position of the upper vibrating body 4 caused by arranging the horizontal vibration iron core 24 shifted forward from the center position in the front-to-rear direction of the upper vibrating body 4 is eliminated, and the center position of the upper vibrating body 4 is returned to the center position in the front-to-rear direction of the upper vibrating body 4.

[0063] A front weight fixing rail 27a extending in the front-rear direction is provided at the front end of the base 1. A front weight 28a is fixed to the front weight fixing rail 27a so that the fixing position of the weight can be adjusted in the front-rear direction. Similarly, a rear weight fixing rail 27b extending in the front-rear direction is provided at the rear end of the base 1. A rear weight 28b is fixed to the rear weight fixing rail 27b so that the fixing position of the weight can be adjusted in the front-rear direction.

[0064] As shown in Figures 4 and 7, the front weight 28a is formed in a U-shaped cross section, having a pair of opposing pieces 29 that face each other on the left and right with the front weight fixing rail 27a in between, and a connecting piece 30 that connects the upper ends of the pair of opposing pieces 29. The pair of opposing pieces 29 are formed with screw holes 31 that penetrate in the left-right direction, and the front weight 28a can be fixed to the front weight fixing rail 27a by tightening a male screw member 32 inserted into the screw hole 31 and pressing the tip of the male screw member 32 against the front weight fixing rail 27a. The rear weight 28b is configured in the same way as the front weight 28a.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 4, a vertical displacement sensor 33 for detecting the vertical displacement of the upper vibrating body 4 relative to the base 1 and a horizontal displacement sensor 34 for detecting the vertical displacement of the upper vibrating body 4 relative to the base 1 are attached at the center position in the front-rear direction of the base 1. A vertical displacement detection dog 35 is fixedly provided on the lower surface of the upper vibrating body 4 so as to face the vertical displacement sensor 33 in the vertical direction. The vertical displacement sensor 33 outputs a signal that changes depending on the distance between the opposing surface and the vertical displacement detection dog 35, and it is possible to detect the vertical displacement of the vertical displacement detection dog 35 based on the output signal. In addition, a horizontal displacement detection dog 36 is fixedly provided on the lower surface of the upper vibrating body 4 so as to face the horizontal displacement sensor 34 in the front-rear direction. The horizontal displacement sensor 34 outputs a signal that changes depending on the distance between the opposing surface and the horizontal displacement detection dog 36, and it is possible to detect the front-rear displacement of the horizontal displacement detection dog 36 based on the output signal.

[0066] As indicated by the two-dot chain lines in FIGS. 1 and 2, side plates 37 for adjusting the mass can be detachably attached to the left and right side surfaces of the base 1.

[0067] This vibration-type part transport device controls the voltage applied to the vertical vibration electromagnet 8 and the horizontal vibration electromagnet 9 based on the horizontal displacement in the front-to-back direction of the upper vibrator 4 detected by the horizontal displacement sensor 34 and the vertical displacement in the up-down direction of the upper vibrator 4 detected by the vertical displacement sensor 33, thereby generating elliptical vibration in the trough 7 (a reciprocating motion in which each point on the trough 7 moves back and forth along an elliptical trajectory with its major axis inclined relative to the horizontal), and the elliptical vibration moves the parts on the trough 7 from the rear to the front.

[0068] When generating elliptical vibration in the trough 7, a pitching motion (a rocking motion tilting back and forth) may occur in which the trough 7 and the upper vibrating body 4 are tilted relative to the horizontal direction. This pitching motion of the trough 7 and the upper vibrating body 4 is a major issue in causing the trough 7 to generate the desired elliptical vibration. This pitching motion will be described below.

[0069] When electricity is applied to the horizontal excitation electromagnet 9 shown in Fig. 1, the horizontal excitation iron core 24 is attracted to the horizontal excitation electromagnet 9, and the upper vibrating body 4 moves horizontally backward (to the right in the figure), and the base 1 moves horizontally forward (to the left in the figure), as shown in Fig. 8. Here, the ratio of the movement distance of the upper vibrating body 4 to the movement distance of the base 1 is the ratio of the reciprocal of the total mass of the trough 7 and the upper vibrating body 4 to the reciprocal of the total mass of the base 1 and the intermediate vibrating bodies 3a and 3b.

[0070] At this time, a rotational force is generated in the upper vibrating body 4 and the base 1 about the center of gravity of the entire device, causing the upper vibrating body 4 and the base 1 to swing in opposite directions. Specifically, as shown by the arc arrows in Fig. 8, the upper vibrating body 4 swings such that the front portion of the upper vibrating body 4 moves upward and the rear portion of the upper vibrating body 4 moves downward, while the base 1 swings such that the front portion of the base 1 moves downward and the rear portion of the base 1 moves upward.

[0071] When the power supply to the horizontal excitation electromagnet 9 shown in FIG. 1 is cut off, the electromagnetic attraction force of the horizontal excitation electromagnet 9 disappears, and the elastic restoring force of the horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a, 6b causes the upper vibrating body 4 and the base 1 to move horizontally in the opposite direction to when power is supplied to the horizontal excitation electromagnet 9, and to swing in the opposite direction to when power is supplied to the horizontal excitation electromagnet 9.

[0072] By repeating the above operation, the upper vibrating body 4 and the base 1 perform pitching motions in opposite phases to each other.

[0073] 8, if the fixing position of weight 28a to front weight fixing rail 27a is moved to the front (left side in the figure) and the fixing position of weight 28b to rear weight fixing rail 27b is moved to the rear (right side in the figure), the moment of inertia around the center of gravity of base 1 increases and the amplitude of the pitching motion of base 1 decreases. Conversely, if the fixing position of weight 28a to front weight fixing rail 27a is moved to the rear (right side in the figure) and the fixing position of weight 28b to rear weight fixing rail 27b is moved to the front (left side in the figure), the moment of inertia around the center of gravity of base 1 decreases and the amplitude of the pitching motion of base 1 increases. Furthermore, the pitching motion of the upper vibrating body 4 as viewed from above the floor is a combination of the pitching motion of the base 1 as viewed from above the floor and the relative pitching motion of the upper vibrating body 4 with respect to the base 1. Therefore, by adjusting the moment of inertia of the base 1, the amplitude of the pitching motion of the base 1 can be made closer to the amplitude of the relative pitching motion of the upper vibrating body 4, making it possible to suppress the pitching motion of the upper vibrating body 4 (i.e., the pitching motion of the trough 7).

[0074] Furthermore, a method for suppressing pitching motion will be specifically described using a simplified model shown in FIG.

[0075] In Fig. 9, the upper rigid body 40 corresponds to the upper vibrating body 4 and the intermediate vibrating bodies 3a and 3b shown in Fig. 1, and the lower rigid body 41 corresponds to the base 1 shown in Fig. 1. The intermediate vibrating bodies 3a and 3b are connected to the upper vibrating body 4 via horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a and 6b, but since the horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a and 6b do not deform in the up-down direction, here, the intermediate vibrating bodies 3a and 3b are regarded as a rigid body integrated with the upper vibrating body 4.

[0076] 10 and 11 show a simplified model in which the amplitude of the pitching motion of the upper rigid body 40 relative to the lower rigid body 41 is smaller than the amplitude of the pitching motion of the lower rigid body 41. The dashed line in Fig. 11 indicates the relative vertical displacement of the front end 42 of the upper rigid body 40 shown in Fig. 10 relative to the front end 43 of the lower rigid body 41, the dashed dotted line in Fig. 11 indicates the absolute vertical displacement (displacement as viewed from above the floor) of the front end 43 of the lower rigid body 41 shown in Fig. 10, and the solid line in Fig. 11 indicates the absolute vertical displacement of the front end 42 of the upper rigid body 40 shown in Fig. 10.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 11, the vertical relative displacement (dashed line) of the front end 42 of the upper rigid body 40 relative to the front end 43 of the lower rigid body 41 and the vertical absolute displacement (dash line) of the front end 43 of the lower rigid body 41 are in opposite phase, and the amplitude of the vertical relative displacement (dashed line) of the front end 42 of the upper rigid body 40 relative to the front end 43 of the lower rigid body 41 is smaller than the amplitude of the vertical absolute displacement (dash line) of the front end 43 of the lower rigid body 41.

[0078] In this case, as shown in Fig. 12, the fixed position of front weight 28a is moved rearward and the fixed position of rear weight 28b is moved forward so that the positions of front weight 28a and rear weight 28b approach the center of gravity of base 1, thereby reducing the moment of inertia of lower rigid body 41 and increasing the amplitude of the pitching motion of lower rigid body 41. This makes it possible to bring the amplitude of the pitching motion of lower rigid body 41 closer to the amplitude of the pitching motion of upper rigid body 40 relative to lower rigid body 41, thereby suppressing the pitching motion of upper rigid body 40, as shown in Fig. 13.

[0079] 14 and 15 show a simplified model in which a trough 7 is attached to an upper rigid body 40 and the amplitude of the pitching motion of the upper rigid body 40 relative to a lower rigid body 41 becomes larger than the amplitude of the pitching motion of the lower rigid body 41.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 15, the vertical relative displacement (dashed line) of the front end 42 of the upper rigid body 40 relative to the front end 43 of the lower rigid body 41 and the vertical absolute displacement (dash line) of the front end 43 of the lower rigid body 41 are in opposite phase, and the amplitude of the vertical relative displacement (dashed line) of the front end 42 of the upper rigid body 40 relative to the front end 43 of the lower rigid body 41 is greater than the amplitude of the vertical absolute displacement (dash line) of the front end 43 of the lower rigid body 41.

[0081] In this case, as shown in Fig. 16, the fixed position of front weight 28a is moved forward and the fixed position of rear weight 28b is moved rearward so that the positions of front weight 28a and rear weight 28b are moved away from the center of gravity of base 1, thereby increasing the moment of inertia of lower rigid body 41 and reducing the amplitude of the pitching motion of lower rigid body 41. This makes it possible to bring the amplitude of the pitching motion of lower rigid body 41 closer to the amplitude of the pitching motion of upper rigid body 40 relative to lower rigid body 41, thereby suppressing the pitching motion of upper rigid body 40, as shown in Fig. 17.

[0082] 1, in this vibration type part transport device, the springs connecting the upper vibrating body 4 and the intermediate vibrating bodies 3a, 3b are horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a, 6b, and the springs connecting the intermediate vibrating bodies 3a, 3b and the base 1 are vertical vibration leaf springs 5a, 5b, so that when vibration is applied to the upper vibrating body 4 by the horizontal vibration electromagnet 9, among the trough 7, upper vibrating body 4, intermediate vibrating bodies 3a, 3b, and base 1, the trough 7 and the upper vibrating body 4 vibrate together in the front-rear direction, and the base 1 and the intermediate vibrating bodies 3a, 3b move together in the front-rear direction in the opposite phase. Here, the ratio of the magnitude of the front-rear amplitude of the upper vibrating body 4 to the magnitude of the front-rear amplitude of the base 1 is the ratio of the reciprocal of the total mass of the trough 7 and the upper vibrating body 4 to the reciprocal of the total mass of the base 1 and the intermediate vibrating bodies 3a, 3b. Therefore, the amplitude of the upper vibrating body 4 in the front-to-rear direction can be made larger than when the horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a, 6b and the vertical vibration leaf springs 5a, 5b are reversed (i.e., when the upper vibrating body and the intermediate vibrating body are connected by a vertical vibration leaf spring and the intermediate vibrating body and the base are connected by a horizontal vibration leaf spring as in JP 2013-95597 A (Patent Document 1)), and parts can be transported at a high transport speed.

[0083] 1, this vibration type part transport device has the intermediate vibrating bodies 3a, 3b disposed below the base 1, the horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a, 6b disposed so as to extend in the vertical direction avoiding the base 1, the upper ends of the horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a, 6b fixed to the upper vibrating body 4, and the lower ends of the horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a, 6b fixed to the intermediate vibrating bodies 3a, 3b, so that the length of the horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a, 6b is long. Therefore, the amplitude of the front-rear direction of the upper vibrating body 4 can be set large, and parts can be transported at a high transport speed.

[0084] 1, the intermediate vibrating bodies 3a, 3b of this vibration type part transport device are configured with the front intermediate vibrating body 3a and the rear intermediate vibrating body 3b spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction, and the front intermediate vibrating body 3a and the rear intermediate vibrating body 3b can move independently of each other in the vertical direction with respect to the base 1, so that the pitching motion of the base 1 can be prevented from being restricted by the intermediate vibrating bodies 3a, 3b. Therefore, the pitching motion of the upper vibrating body 4 can be effectively countered by the pitching motion of the base 1.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 4, in this vibration type part conveying device, the front intermediate vibrating body 3a and the upper vibrating body 4 are connected by a pair of front horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a that are arranged facing each other with a gap in between in the fore-and-aft direction. Therefore, even when the front horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a are deformed in the fore-and-aft direction, the inclination of the upper vibrating body 4 relative to the front intermediate vibrating body 3a is regulated, and the upper vibrating body 4 moves in the fore-and-aft direction while maintaining its parallelism to the front intermediate vibrating body 3a.

[0086] That is, assuming a configuration in which the front intermediate vibrator 3a and the upper vibrator 4 are connected by a single front leaf spring for horizontal vibration 6a as shown in FIG. 18, when the front leaf spring for horizontal vibration 6a is deformed in the front-to-rear direction as shown in FIG. 19, the bending of the front leaf spring for horizontal vibration 6a causes the upper vibrator 4 to tilt relative to the front intermediate vibrator 3a, and the front spring fixing piece 20a of the upper vibrator 4 may not be able to withstand the torsional stress and may be damaged, or the front-to-rear vibration of the upper vibrator 4 may become unstable.

[0087] In contrast, when the front intermediate vibrator 3a and the upper vibrator 4 are connected by a pair of front leaf springs for horizontal vibration 6a arranged opposite each other with a gap in the fore-and-aft direction as shown in FIG. 20, even if the front leaf springs for horizontal vibration 6a deform in the fore-and-aft direction, as shown in FIG. 21, the inclination of the upper vibrator 4 relative to the front intermediate vibrator 3a is restricted, and the upper vibrator 4 moves in the fore-and-aft direction while remaining parallel to the front intermediate vibrator 3a.

[0088] 5, the rear intermediate vibrating body 3b and the upper vibrating body 4 are connected by the rear horizontal vibration leaf spring 6b, which is provided in a pair facing each other with a gap in the front-rear direction, so that even when the rear horizontal vibration leaf spring 6b deforms in the front-rear direction, the inclination of the upper vibrating body 4 relative to the rear intermediate vibrating body 3b is restricted, and the upper vibrating body 4 moves in the front-rear direction while maintaining its parallelism with the rear intermediate vibrating body 3b. Therefore, this vibration-type component transport device can obtain stable vibration of the upper vibrating body 4 in the front-rear direction.

[0089] In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, when viewed from above, this vibratory part conveying device has four horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a, 6b, namely two front leaf springs 6a on the left and right and two rear leaf springs 6b on the left and right, which surround the center of gravity of the upper vibrating body 4 and the center of gravity of the base 1 from the front, back, left and right. This makes it possible to make the horizontal vibration of the upper vibrating body 4 and the trough 7 particularly stable.

[0090] In addition, as shown in Fig. 2, this vibration type part transport device uses horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a, 6b in a total of eight locations, which is a large number. Therefore, it is possible to increase the overall spring constant of the horizontal vibration leaf springs 6a, 6b and increase the part transport speed.

[0091] In addition, as shown in Fig. 22, this vibration type part transport device can use a plurality of stacked leaf springs as the front horizontal vibration leaf spring 6a, and similarly, a plurality of stacked leaf springs can be used as the rear horizontal vibration leaf spring 6b. In this way, a thinner leaf spring can be used than if a single leaf spring having the same spring constant as the stacked leaf springs is used, so it is possible to set the spring constants of the front horizontal vibration leaf spring 6a and the rear horizontal vibration leaf spring 6b to be large while preventing spring breakage, and to increase the part transport speed.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 4, in this vibration type part conveying device, the front intermediate vibrating body 3a and the base 1 are connected by the front vertical vibration leaf springs 5a which are arranged in a pair facing each other with a gap in the vertical direction. Therefore, even when a rotational force acts on the front intermediate vibrating body 3a from the front horizontal vibration leaf spring 6a, the inclination of the front intermediate vibrating body 3a with respect to the base 1 is regulated, and the front horizontal vibration leaf spring 6a can be prevented from falling over.

[0093] That is, assuming a configuration in which the front intermediate vibrator 3a and base 1 are connected by a single front leaf spring for vertical vibration 5a as shown in FIG. 23, when a rotational force acts on the front intermediate vibrator 3a from the front leaf spring for horizontal vibration 6a, the front intermediate vibrator 3a will tilt relative to the base 1 due to deformation of the front leaf spring for vertical vibration 5a, causing the front leaf spring for horizontal vibration 6a to fall, which may cause the front-rear vibration and up-down vibration of the upper vibrator 4 to become unstable.

[0094] In contrast, as shown in FIG. 24, if the front intermediate vibrating body 3a and the base 1 are connected by a pair of front leaf springs for vertical vibration 5a arranged opposite each other with a gap in the vertical direction, even when a rotational force acts on the front intermediate vibrating body 3a from the front leaf springs for horizontal vibration 6a, the inclination of the front intermediate vibrating body 3a with respect to the base 1 is regulated, and the front leaf springs for horizontal vibration 6a can be prevented from falling over.

[0095] 5, the rear intermediate vibrating body 3b and the base 1 are connected by the rear vertical vibration leaf springs 5b arranged in a pair facing each other with a gap in the vertical direction, so that even when a rotational force acts on the rear intermediate vibrating body 3b from the rear horizontal vibration leaf springs 6b, the inclination of the rear intermediate vibrating body 3b with respect to the base 1 is restricted, and the rear horizontal vibration leaf springs 6b can be prevented from falling. Therefore, this vibration-type part transport device can obtain stable front-rear and up-down vibrations of the upper vibrating body 4.

[0096] In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, this vibration type part conveying device has a base center of gravity adjustment convexity 25 having a mass corresponding to the horizontal vibration electromagnet 9, so that the center of gravity of the base 1 is located at the center of the base 1 in the front-to-rear direction, and an upper center of gravity adjustment convexity 26 having a mass corresponding to the horizontal vibration iron core 24, so that the center of gravity of the upper vibrating body 4 is located at the center of the upper vibrating body 4 in the front-to-rear direction. As a result, the positions of the centers of gravity of the trough 7 and the upper vibrating body 4 and the positions of the centers of gravity of the intermediate vibrating bodies 3a, 3b and the base 1 are aligned in the vertical direction without any misalignment in the front-to-rear direction, making it possible to keep the vertical displacement associated with the arc-shaped reciprocating motion in the front-to-rear direction small.

[0097] An explanation will be given based on the simplified model shown in Fig. 25. When electricity is applied to the horizontal vibration electromagnet 9 shown in Fig. 1, the trough 7 and the upper vibrating body 4 vibrate horizontally together, and the intermediate vibrating bodies 3a, 3b and the base 1 vibrate horizontally together in the opposite phase to the horizontal vibration. Therefore, in the simplified model shown in Fig. 25, the trough 7 and the upper vibrating body 4 are the upper member 50, and the intermediate vibrating bodies 3a, 3b and the base 1 are the lower member 51.

[0098] In this simple model, the center of gravity of the upper member 50, the center of gravity of the lower member 51, and the center of gravity G of the entire device are aligned vertically without any misalignment in the front-to-rear direction (left-to-right direction in the figure). The centers of gravity of the upper member 50 and the lower member 51 reciprocate in an arc with amplitudes of x1 and x2, centered on the center of gravity G of the entire device. At this time, the centers of gravity of the upper member 50 and the lower member 51 generate vertical displacements of z1 and z2 due to the reciprocating arc motion.

[0099] Here, as shown in Fig. 26, if the centers of gravity of the upper member 50, the lower member 51, and the center of gravity G of the entire device are shifted in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in the figure), the vertical displacements z1', z2' of the centers of gravity of the upper member 50 and the lower member 51 accompanying the arc-shaped reciprocating motion of amplitudes x1 and x2 become larger than the vertical displacements z1, z2 shown in Fig. 25. In other words, the greater the shift in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in the figure) of the centers of gravity of the upper member 50, the lower member 51, and the center of gravity G of the entire device, the larger the vertical displacements of the centers of gravity of the upper member 50 and the lower member 51 accompanying the arc-shaped reciprocating motion of the centers of gravity of the upper member 50 and the lower member 51 about the center of gravity G of the entire device, and as a result, a large pitching motion is more likely to occur in the entire device.

[0100] In this regard, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, by providing a base center of gravity adjustment convex portion 25 and an upper center of gravity adjustment convex portion 26, the positions of the centers of gravity of the trough 7 and the upper vibrating body 4 and the positions of the centers of gravity of the intermediate vibrating bodies 3a, 3b and the base 1 are aligned in the vertical direction without any misalignment in the front-to-rear direction, so that vertical displacement accompanying the arc-shaped reciprocating motion in the front-to-rear direction can be effectively suppressed, and the pitching motion of the entire device can be suppressed to a small value.

[0101] 1, it is possible to adjust the moment of inertia of the base 1 and adjust the magnitude of the amplitude of the pitching motion of the base 1 as viewed from the floor, without changing the mass of the base 1. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the moment of inertia of the base 1 to cancel the pitching motion of the upper vibrator 4 with the pitching motion of the base 1, without increasing the mass of the entire device, and adjustment of the moment of inertia of the base 1 does not result in a decrease in the natural frequency of the entire device or a decrease in the part conveying speed.

[0102] Furthermore, with this vibration type part conveying device, by changing the mass of the side plate 37 shown by the dotted line in FIG. 1, it is possible to change the ratio between the total mass of the trough 7 and the upper vibrating body 4 and the total mass of the base 1 (including the side plate 37 for adjusting the mass) and the intermediate vibrating bodies 3a, 3b. This makes it possible to change the ratio between the magnitude of the forward / backward amplitude of the upper vibrating body 4 and the magnitude of the forward / backward amplitude of the base 1, and adjust the part conveying speed.

[0103] In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, in this vibration type part conveying device, the vertical displacement sensor 33 and the horizontal displacement sensor 34 are provided in the central portion in the fore-aft direction of the base 1. Even when the upper vibrating body 4 is making a pitching motion relative to the base 1, the relative positional relationship of the upper vibrating body 4 to the base 1 is less affected in the central portion in the fore-aft direction of the base 1. Therefore, the vertical displacement sensor 33 and the horizontal displacement sensor 34 can accurately detect the displacement of the upper vibrating body 4 relative to the base 1.

[0104] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 1 Base 3a Front intermediate vibrator 3b Rear intermediate vibrator 4 Upper vibrator 5a Front vertical vibration leaf spring 5b Rear vertical vibration leaf spring 6a Front horizontal vibration leaf spring 6b Rear horizontal vibration leaf spring 7 Trough 8 Vertical excitation electromagnet 9 Electromagnet for horizontal excitation 10 Parts transport path 20a Front spring fixing piece 20b Rear spring fixing piece 21a Front spring fixing block 21b Rear spring fixing block 23 Vertical vibration core 24 Horizontal vibration core 25 Base center of gravity adjustment protrusion 26 Upper center of gravity adjustment protrusion 27a Front weight fixing rail 27b Rear weight fixing rail 28a Front weight 28b Rear weight 33 Vertical Displacement Sensor 34 Horizontal Displacement Sensor 37 Side Panel

Claims

1. A base (1), an intermediate vibrator (3a, 3b) connected to the base (1) via a vertical vibration leaf spring (5a, 5b); an upper vibrator (4) connected to the intermediate vibrator (3a, 3b) via horizontal vibration leaf springs (6a, 6b); a trough (7) attached to the upper vibrator (4) and having a part transport path (10) extending linearly in the front-rear direction; a vertical vibration electromagnet (8) for applying vertical vibration to the upper vibrator (4); a horizontal vibration electromagnet (9) for applying vibration in the front-rear direction to the upper vibrator (4); The intermediate vibration body (3a, 3b) is disposed under the base (1), The horizontal vibration leaf springs (6a, 6b) are arranged to extend in the vertical direction while avoiding the base (1), A vibrating part conveying device in which the upper ends of the horizontal vibration leaf springs (6a, 6b) are fixed to the upper vibrating body (4), and the lower ends of the horizontal vibration leaf springs (6a, 6b) are fixed to the intermediate vibrating body (3a, 3b).

2. The intermediate vibrator (3a, 3b) is composed of a front intermediate vibrator (3a) and a rear intermediate vibrator (3b) that are arranged in a front-rear direction and spaced apart from each other, The horizontal vibration leaf springs (6a, 6b) are composed of a front horizontal vibration leaf spring (6a) that connects the front intermediate vibrator (3a) and the upper vibrator (4), and a rear horizontal vibration leaf spring (6b) that connects the rear intermediate vibrator (3b) and the upper vibrator (4), 2. The vibratory part conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the vertical vibration leaf springs (5a, 5b) are composed of a front vertical vibration leaf spring (5a) that connects the front intermediate vibrator (3a) and the base (1), and a rear vertical vibration leaf spring (5b) that connects the rear intermediate vibrator (3b) and the base (1).

3. The front horizontal vibration leaf springs (6a) are provided in a pair so as to face each other at a distance in the front-rear direction, The upper ends of the pair of front horizontal vibration leaf springs (6a) sandwich a front spring fixing piece (20a) provided on the upper vibrator (4) from the front and rear, and the lower ends of the pair of front horizontal vibration leaf springs (6a) sandwich the front intermediate vibrator (3a) from the front and rear, The rear horizontal vibration leaf springs (6b) are provided in a pair so as to face each other at a distance in the front-rear direction, 3. The vibratory part conveying device according to claim 2, wherein the upper ends of the pair of rear horizontal vibration leaf springs (6b) sandwich a rear spring fixing piece (20b) provided on the upper vibrator (4) from the front and rear, and the lower ends of the pair of rear horizontal vibration leaf springs (6b) sandwich the rear intermediate vibrator (3b) from the front and rear.

4. The pair of front horizontal vibration leaf springs (6a) are provided on the left and right sides of the upper vibrating body (4), The front spring fixing pieces (20a) are projections protruding from the upper vibrating body (4) on the left and right sides, The pair of rear horizontal vibration leaf springs (6b) are provided on the left and right sides of the upper vibrator (4), 4. The vibration type component transport device according to claim 3, wherein the rear spring fixing pieces (20b) are projections provided so as to protrude from the upper vibrator (4) on both the left and right sides.

5. one front leaf spring for horizontal vibration (6a) and the other front leaf spring for horizontal vibration (6a) constituting the pair of front leaf springs for horizontal vibration (6a) are each formed of a plurality of stacked leaf springs, 5. A vibration-type part conveying device as described in claim 3 or 4, wherein one rear leaf spring (6b) for horizontal vibration and the other rear leaf spring (6b) for horizontal vibration constituting the pair of rear leaf springs (6b) for horizontal vibration are each formed of a plurality of stacked leaf springs.

6. The front vertical vibration leaf springs (5a) are provided in pairs facing each other with a gap in the vertical direction, The pair of front vertical vibration leaf springs (5a) sandwich the front intermediate vibrator (3a) and a front spring fixing block (21a) provided on the base (1) from above and below at positions spaced apart in the horizontal direction, The rear vertical vibration leaf springs (5b) are provided in a pair facing each other with a gap in the vertical direction, 5. A vibratory part conveying device as described in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the pair of rear vertical vibration leaf springs (5b) sandwich the rear intermediate vibrator (3b) and a rear spring fixing block (21b) provided on the base (1) from above and below at positions horizontally spaced apart from each other.

7. The vertical excitation electromagnet (8) is disposed at a central position in the front-rear direction of the base (1), The horizontal vibration electromagnet (9) is disposed at a position shifted in one direction in the front-rear direction from a center position in the front-rear direction of the base (1), 5. A vibration-type part conveying device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the base (1) is provided with a base center of gravity adjustment convex portion (25) having a mass corresponding to the horizontal vibration electromagnet (9) at a position shifted in the other direction in the fore-and-aft direction from the center position in the fore-and-aft direction.

8. The upper vibrator (4) is provided with a vertical excitation iron core (23) facing the vertical excitation electromagnet (8) with a gap therebetween in the up-down direction, and a horizontal excitation iron core (24) facing the horizontal excitation electromagnet (9) with a gap therebetween in the front-rear direction, The vertical vibration core (23) is disposed at a central position in the front-rear direction of the upper vibrating body (4), The horizontal vibration iron core (24) is disposed at a position shifted in one direction in the front-rear direction from a center position in the front-rear direction of the upper vibrating body (4), 8. A vibratory part conveying device as described in claim 7, wherein the upper vibrator (4) is provided with an upper center of gravity adjustment convex portion (26) having a mass corresponding to the horizontal vibration iron core (24) at a position shifted in the other direction in the front-to-rear direction from the center position in the front-to-rear direction.

9. A front weight fixing rail (27a) extending in the front-rear direction is provided at the front end of the base (1), A front weight (28a) is fixed to the front weight fixing rail (27a) so that the fixing position of the weight can be adjusted in the front-rear direction. A rear weight fixing rail (27b) extending in the front-rear direction is provided at the rear end of the base (1), 5. A vibratory part transport device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a rear weight (28b) is fixed to the rear weight fixing rail (27b) so that the fixing position of the weight can be adjusted in the front-rear direction.

10. 5. The vibration type parts transport device according to claim 1, wherein side plates (37) for adjusting mass are removably attached to both left and right side surfaces of the base (1).

11. 5. A vibration-type part conveying device according to claim 1, wherein a vertical displacement sensor (33) for detecting the upward and downward displacement of the upper vibrating body (4) relative to the base (1) and a horizontal displacement sensor (34) for detecting the front-rear displacement of the upper vibrating body (4) relative to the base (1) are provided in a central portion of the base (1) in the front-rear direction.

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