Refilling method and refilling device

Abstract

To provide a repacking method and a repacking device for a plurality of workpieces which collectively take out the plurality of workpieces that are in close contact with each other, change the orientation, and separate the workpieces from each other in workpiece transfer between trays.SOLUTION: A repacking method includes a transfer step S1 and a separation step S2, integrally chucks a workpiece group 77 placed so as to be in contact with each other in a groove part 51 of a tray 5, moves it while changing the orientation, and separates the workpieces from each other to insert it to a workpiece receiver 61 of a holder 6. In the transfer step S1, when a plate 211 and a workpiece presser 215 move downward and come into contact with an upper surface 77F of a workpiece group, chuck claws 212, 213 driven by an actuator 214 integrally chuck the workpiece group 77, rotation movement means 22 changes the orientation or moves to place the workpiece group on an alignment base 31. In the separation step S2, when a feed pusher 33 presses the workpiece group 77 to press it against a reference surface 321, a separation pusher 34 moves downward from the upper side and pushes down a top workpiece 771 to insert it to the workpiece receiver 61.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and device for refilling multiple workpieces. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in the process of assembling a rectangular workpiece, such as a plate-shaped motor magnet (a plate-shaped permanent magnet attached to the rotor of a brushless motor), into another device, there is a process of transferring the workpiece from a delivery tray to a tray on the equipment side.

[0003] Traditionally, the workpieces in the delivery tray were often arranged in the same orientation and at the same intervals as on the tray on the equipment side so that they could be smoothly introduced into the process, and it was often sufficient to transfer them in that state. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, due to factors such as lower costs, smaller sizes, and differences in specifications depending on the product destination, the orientation of the workpieces in the delivery tray in the longitudinal direction of their rectangular prisms may be different from that in the equipment tray, or multiple workpieces may be placed in a row, touching each other without any partitions.

[0005] In such cases, in order to transfer the workpieces to the tray on the equipment side, it is necessary to remove a large number of workpieces that are in contact with each other from the delivery tray, turn them around, and separate them one by one.

[0006] The present invention was created in consideration of this point, and its purpose is to provide a method and device for refilling multiple work pieces that can remove multiple work pieces that are in close contact with each other all at once, turn them around, and separate and refill them one by one when transferring them from tray to tray. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The first aspect of the present invention is a method for transferring multiple workpieces, in which a group of workpieces (77), in which rectangular parallelepiped works (7) are placed in contact with each other in a groove portion (51) of a tray (5), is chucked together from both sides in the row direction, moved while changing the orientation, and each workpiece is separated from the group of workpieces one by one and inserted into a workpiece receiver (61) of a holder (6).One workpiece is inserted into one workpiece receiver, and the method includes a transfer step (S1) and a separation step (S2).

[0008] In the transfer step, a plate (211) which is arranged parallel to the upper surface (77F) of the work group and which is capable of being raised and lowered, and a work holder (215) which is arranged between the work group and the plate and is capable of moving with the plate and is guided by guide shafts (216, 217) are lowered to abut against the upper surface, and a pair of chuck claws (212, 213) provided on the plate are driven by an actuator (214) to chuck the work group as a whole, and the swiveling movement means (26) moves while changing the orientation of the plate itself, and the work group is placed on the alignment table (31).

[0009] In the separation step, the feed pusher (33) pushes one side of the work group placed on the alignment table in the row direction and presses the other side against the reference surface (321), and the separation pusher (34) descends from above the reference surface to push down the leading work (771) of the work group and insert it into the work receiver.

[0010] With the above configuration, the first aspect of the present invention makes it possible, when transferring workpieces from tray to tray, to remove multiple workpieces (e.g., plate-shaped magnets) that are in close contact with each other all at once, turn them around, and separate and repack them one by one.

[0011] A second aspect of the present invention is a multiple work refilling device (1) that chucks a group of workpieces (77) in which rectangular parallelepiped works (7) are placed in contact with each other in a groove portion (51) of a tray (5) as a whole from both sides in the row direction, moves while changing the orientation, separates each workpiece from the group of workpieces one by one, and inserts them into workpiece receivers (61) of a holder (6), and is provided with a transfer unit (2) and a separation unit (3).

[0012] The transfer unit has a plate (211) that is provided parallel to the upper surface (77F) of the group of works and that can be raised and lowered, a pair of chuck jaws (212, 213) provided on the plate, an actuator (214) that drives the chuck jaws along the row direction of the group of works, a work holder (215) that is provided between the group of works and the plate and can move in accordance with the movement of the plate and abuts on the upper surface, and a chuck means (21) that has guide shafts (216, 217) that guide the movement of the work holder, and a swivel movement means (22). The transfer unit chucks the group of works together, and the swivel movement means moves while changing the orientation of the plate itself, and places the group of works on the alignment table (31).

[0013] The separation unit has an alignment table, a feed pusher (33) that pushes one side of a group of works placed on the alignment table in the row direction and presses the other side against a reference surface (321), and a separation pusher (34) that descends from above the reference surface to push down the leading work (771) of the group of works and insert it into a work receiver.

[0014] With the above configuration, the second aspect of the present invention also provides the same effects as the first aspect. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a part of the loading / unloading unit and a tray. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] Schematic diagram of the feed pusher pressure setting. [Figure 9] 1 is a flow chart of a refilling method. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] (One embodiment) An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a plate-like magnet 7 before magnetization is used as the "rectangular parallelepiped workpiece". The dimensions of each magnet 7 are about 10 mm wide, about 30 mm high, and about 2 to 3 mm thick, and a magnet group 77 in which several tens of magnets are stacked in the thickness direction is stored in a row on a tray. In this example, the height direction is referred to as the longitudinal direction, and the width direction is referred to as the short direction. This embodiment is a refilling device 1, in which the magnet group 77 in which the magnets 7 are placed in contact with each other in a plurality of grooves 51 of a tray 5 is chucked together from both sides in the row direction, and the magnets 7 are changed in orientation or moved, and the magnets 7 are separated one by one from the magnet group 77 and inserted into each workpiece receiver 61 of a holder 6. At this time, one magnet 7 is inserted into one workpiece receiver 61. The refilling device 1 includes a transfer unit 2, a separation unit 3, and a positioner 4.

[0017] (Trays and holders) The embodiment shown below is used for supplying magnets 7 to an assembly machine in a manufacturing process in which plate-shaped magnets 7 are assembled to a rotor core. As a specific example, FIG. 2 shows a tray 5, which is a container for supplying magnets 7 to an assembly machine (not shown). In the tray 5, the magnets 7 are laid down (i.e., the longitudinal sides are in contact with the bottom surface of the groove portion 51 of the tray 5) and are compactly stored in a state of contact without a partition. Next, FIG. 3 shows a holder 6 on the receiving side, which keeps the magnets 7 waiting on the equipment side until the assembly work. In the holder 6, a plurality of magnet receivers 61 are provided in accordance with the configuration of the assembly machine, and the magnets 7 laid down on the tray 5 must be rotated 90° so that the longitudinal direction is aligned with the top-bottom direction, and then separated one by one and inserted into each work receiver 61.

[0018] (Transfer unit) The transfer unit 2 is shown in Fig. 1. The transfer unit 2 has a chuck means 21 and a rotating movement means 22. If the operations of the transfer unit 2 are arranged in chronological order, Fig. 1 shows a state in Fig. 4 described later in which the transfer unit 2 chucks and lifts up the magnet group 77 from the tray 5, and then rotates the chucked magnet group 77 by 90° so that the longitudinal direction is the up-down direction.

[0019] The chuck means 21 includes a plate 211, chuck jaws 212 and 213, an actuator 214, a workpiece holder 215, guide shafts 216 and 217, and a rotating movement means 26. The plate 211 is provided on the upper surface 77F of the magnet group 77 in a parallel manner and movable up and down. A pair of chuck jaws 212 and 213 are provided on both sides of the plate 211. The actuator 214 drives at least one of the pair of chuck jaws 212 and 213 along the row direction of the magnet group 77. The workpiece holder 215 is provided between the magnet group 77 and the plate 211, is movable in accordance with the movement of the plate 211, and abuts against the upper surface 77F of the magnet group 77. The guide shafts 216 and 217 guide the movement of the workpiece holder 215.

[0020] In the chuck means 21, the workpiece holder 215 abuts against the upper surface 77F of the magnet group 77, aligning the magnet group 77, and chucking stability can be ensured even when the ratio of the row length to the contact area between the magnets 7 is large or when the center of gravity is biased to one side due to individual variations in the magnets 7. The chuck means 21 further has an elastic material for preventing the workpiece from shifting at the points where the chuck jaws 212, 213 abut against both sides in the row direction of the magnet group 77, and chucking via the elastic material assists chucking stability. As described above, the chuck means 21 can chuck the magnet group 77 collectively and stably hold the load without causing it to collapse.

[0021] The turning and moving means 22 includes a turning mechanism 221 and a moving mechanism 222. The turning mechanism 261 is configured to be capable of changing the orientation of the chuck means 21 while integrally holding the magnet group 77, and the moving mechanism 222 is configured to be capable of moving the chuck means 21 while integrally holding the magnet group 77. The turning mechanism 261 and the moving mechanism 262 can operate independently of each other or in cooperation with each other.

[0022] The chuck means 21 and the turning mechanism 221 are shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. Fig. 4 shows the state before the turning mechanism 221 operates after the chuck means 21 chucks the magnet group 77 from the tray 5 and lifts it upward, and Fig. 5 shows the state after the turning mechanism 221 turns the chuck means 21 by 90° while chucking and lifting the magnet group 77, and turns it sideways, which is the same as Fig. 1. In this way, the turning mechanism 261 drives the two arms rotatably connected to each other to open and close like a hinge mechanism to turn the chuck means 21 itself by 90° (Fig. 1), moves the turning mechanism 221 turned by 90° while holding the magnet group 77, and places the magnet group 77 on the alignment table 31 described later. As a result, the orientation of the magnet group 77 is aligned vertically (top-bottom direction) by raising the longitudinal direction of the magnets 7 at a right angle from the horizontal direction.

[0023] (Separate unit) The separation unit 3 is shown in Figures 6 and 7. The separation unit 3 has an alignment table 31, a feed pusher 33, and a separation pusher .

[0024] The alignment table 31 is a table on which the magnet group 77 chucked and moved from the tray 5 by the transfer unit 2 is placed, and is disposed between the feed pusher 33, which presses the placed magnet group 77 against a reference surface 321, and a reference surface member having a reference surface 321 against which a leading magnet 771 in the front row of the magnet group 77 is pressed. The feed pusher 33 pushes one side of the magnet group 77 placed on the alignment table 31 in the row direction and presses the other side against the reference surface 321. The magnet 7 on the pressed side becomes the leading magnet 771 of the magnet group 77. The separation pusher 34 descends from above the leading magnet 771 pressed against the reference surface 321 to press it down and insert it into the workpiece receiver 61.

[0025] Here, the sending pusher 33 will be described. The pressing force of the sending pusher 33 must be such that the separation pusher 34 can reliably press down the leading magnet 771 and the surface of the magnet 7 is not scratched, so that the magnet group 77 is not pressed too hard against the reference surface 321. Also, as the separation and insertion work progresses, the number n of remaining magnets in the magnet group 77 decreases and the pressing force decreases proportionately, so this decrease must be adjusted. For this reason, the sending pusher 33 has a built-in spring.

[0026] Here, if the thickness tolerance of magnet 7 is ±0.05 mm and the number of magnets in magnet group 77 is 60, then the spring must absorb the thickness tolerance of ±0.05 x 60 = 3.00 mm. In order to apply an appropriate preload N to magnet group 77 and press it against reference surface 321 regardless of the number of remaining magnets n, a spring that satisfies the following two requirements for load F and preload N is selected. This ensures a constant level of preload even if preload N decreases as the number of remaining magnets n decreases, and also prevents damage to the surface of magnet 7 caused by the application of a preload above the preload limit. An image of this preload setting is shown in Figure 8. (Requirement 1) Load F of the feed pusher 33 > 2.0 Newtons (= weight of the magnet group 77 × coefficient of friction) (Requirement 2) Minimizing the spring constant (Figure 8, * mark, minimize the range of pressure applied to the reference surface 321)

[0027] (Positioner) 6 and 7, the positioner 4 will be described. The positioner 4 has a fixing means 41 for placing the holder 6 on the positioner 4 and for stably fixing the holder 6 even during movement, and a positioning means 42 for changing the position of the holder 6. In this specification, "positioning" includes the meaning of "changing the position" of the holder 6.

[0028] With the holder 6 fixed on the fixing means 41, the positioner 4 places an empty work receiver 61 on the reference surface 321 and waits until the magnet 7 is inserted into one of the multiple work receivers 61 by the separation unit 3. When the magnet 7 is actually inserted into that work receiver 61, the positioner 4 places another empty work receiver 61 into which no magnet 7 is inserted, on the reference surface 321, directly below the separation pusher 34. The positioner 4 repeats this operation until the magnets 7 are inserted into all of the work receivers 61 of one holder 6.

[0029] (How to refill) The refilling method is shown in Figure 9. The refilling method includes a transfer step S1, a separation step S2, and a placement step S3, and the refilling device 1 performs the following operations.

[0030] In the transfer step S1, when the plate 211, which is arranged parallel to the upper surface 77F of the magnet group 77 and capable of being raised and lowered, and the work holder 215, which is arranged between the magnet group 77 and the plate 211 and is capable of moving with the plate 211 and is guided by guide shafts 216, 217, descend and abut against the upper surface 77F, a pair of chuck claws 212, 213 provided on the plate 211 are driven by the actuator 214 to chuck the magnet group 77 as a unit, and the rotating movement means 22 changes the orientation or moves the plate 211 itself, and the magnet group 77 is placed on the alignment table 31.

[0031] In the separation step S2, the feed pusher 33 pushes one side of the magnet group 77 placed on the alignment table 31 in the row direction and presses the other side against the reference surface 321, and then the separation pusher 34 descends from above the reference surface 321 to push down the leading magnet 771 and insert it into the work receiver 61.

[0032] Furthermore, in the placement step S3, when one magnet 7 is inserted into one workpiece receiver 61, the placement means 42 that positions the holder 6 places another workpiece receiver 61 into which a magnet 7 has not yet been inserted, directly below the reference surface 321 or the separation pusher 34.

[0033] (effect) Fig. 10 shows a conventional tray as a comparative example, and Fig. 11 shows a conventional transfer device as a comparative example. Conventionally, a tray that supplies magnets to a magnet assembly machine used in a rotor production line was stored with each magnet separated as shown in Fig. 10, and a transfer device like that in Fig. 11 made it possible to feed the magnets into the work receiver on the equipment side while maintaining the aligned state (pitch and orientation) in the tray. However, in recent years, due to cost reduction, miniaturization, and differences in specifications depending on the product destination, the orientation of the work in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular parallelepiped may differ from the conventional direction, or multiple workpieces may be lined up in a row, abutting each other without any partitions.

[0034] In this case, since there are no partitions in the grooves in which the magnets are stored, and since it is impossible to remove the magnets one by one while they are in close contact with each other, they must be removed all at once in order to be inserted into the magnet receiver on the equipment side. However, with the batch chucking method, there was a risk that the center part of the chucked magnet group would lose its alignment and fall. Also, when rotating 90 degrees to change the position, there was a risk that the magnets would be swung around and lose their alignment in the direction of rotation, causing them to fall. Furthermore, since there is a tolerance of approximately ±3 mm in the thickness direction of the magnet group, a mechanism was needed that took this into account to stably separate the magnets one by one.

[0035] To solve these problems, the chuck means of the present invention is provided with a magnet presser that can stably contact the magnet group with a guide shaft, and an elastic material is provided on the contact surface of each chuck jaw, so that the magnet group can be chucked stably and its position can be changed. After the magnet group is placed on the alignment table, the feed pusher of the present invention is provided with a spring that satisfies a predetermined spring constant and can push out the weight of the magnet group while taking into account the friction coefficient, so that the magnet group can be inserted into the target transfer destination in order starting from the leading magnet. The above configuration enables efficient magnet transfer between trays.

[0036] (Other embodiments) The above embodiment is designed to transfer magnets between trays to supply plate-shaped magnets to a rotor core, but the rectangular workpiece is not limited to motor magnets, and may be any workpiece that has a similar shape and requires refilling. In addition, if the size is adapted by scaling up or miniaturizing, it is expected to be applicable to various situations that require smooth and efficient transfer of workpieces between trays.

[0037] As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1 refilling device, 2 transfer unit, 21 chucking means, 211 plate; 212, 213 chuck jaws; 214 actuator; 215 workpiece holder; 216, 217 guide shaft; 22 swivel means; 3 separation unit, 31 alignment table, 321 reference surface, 33 feed pusher, 34 separation pusher, 4 positioner, 42 placement means, 5 tray, 51 groove, 6 holder, 61 workpiece receiver, 7 Magnet (work), 77 Magnet group (work group), 77F Top surface, 771 Leading magnet (leading workpiece), S1 Transfer step, S2 Separation step.

Claims

1. A method for refilling multiple workpieces, comprising the steps of: chucking a group of workpieces (77) in which rectangular parallelepiped workpieces (7) are placed in contact with each other in a groove (51) of a tray (5) from both sides in the row direction; moving the group of workpieces while changing their orientation; separating each workpiece one by one from the group of workpieces; and inserting each workpiece into a workpiece receiver (61) of a holder (6), wherein one workpiece is inserted into each workpiece receiver; a transfer step (S1) in which a plate (211) provided parallel to an upper surface (77F) of the work group and capable of being raised and lowered, and a work holder (215) provided between the work group and the plate and movable with the plate and guided by guide shafts (216, 217) are lowered to abut against the upper surface, a pair of chuck jaws (212, 213) provided on the plate are driven by an actuator (214) to chuck the work group as a whole, and a swivel moving means (22) moves while changing the orientation of the plate itself, and the work group is placed on an alignment table (31); A separation step (S2) in which a feed pusher (33) pushes one side of the workpiece group placed on the alignment table in the row direction and presses the other side against a reference surface (321), and a separation pusher (34) descends from above the reference surface to push down the leading workpiece (771) and insert it into the workpiece receiver; Refill methods including.

2. The refilling method according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning step (S3) in which, when one workpiece is inserted into one of the workpiece receivers, a positioning means (42) for positioning the holder positions another workpiece receiver in which no workpiece has yet been inserted, on the reference surface or directly below the separation pusher.

3. A multiple workpiece refilling device (1) that chucks a group of workpieces (77) in which rectangular parallelepiped workpieces (7) are placed in a groove (51) of a tray (5) so as to be in contact with each other, from both sides in the row direction, moves while changing the orientation, separates the workpieces one by one from the group of workpieces, and inserts them into workpiece receivers (61) of a holder (6), and inserts one workpiece into one of the workpiece receivers. a chuck means (21) including a plate (211) provided parallel to an upper surface (77F) of the work group and capable of being raised and lowered, a pair of chuck jaws (212, 213) provided on the plate, an actuator (214) for driving the chuck jaws along the row direction of the work group, a work holder (215) provided between the work group and the plate and movable in association with the movement of the plate and abutting the upper surface, and guide shafts (216, 217) for guiding the movement of the work holder; and a swivel movement means (22). The transfer unit (2) chucks the work group as a whole, and the swivel movement means moves while changing the orientation of the plate itself, and places the work group on an alignment table (31); a separation unit (3) having the alignment table, a feed pusher (33) that pushes one side of the work group placed on the alignment table in the row direction and presses the other side against a reference surface (321), and a separation pusher (34) that descends from above the reference surface to push down the leading work (771) of the work group and insert it into the work receiver; A refilling device comprising:

4. The refilling device as described in claim 3, further comprising a positioner (4) in which, when one of the workpieces is inserted into one of the workpiece receivers, the positioning means (42) for positioning the holder positions another of the workpiece receivers into which the workpiece has not yet been inserted, on the reference surface or directly below the separation pusher.

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