Shaft-shaped part supply device

Abstract

To reduce the load on a driving means and improve structural integrity in a stop-and-pass unit for temporarily stopping or sending out a shaft-shaped part and in a supply device for feeding the shaft-shaped part to a destination. [Solution] A stop passing unit 5 connected to a part supply pipe 9 is provided, and an opening / closing drive means 14 for operating the unit 5 is provided. A first advance / retract drive means 19 is attached to a base member 17 fixed to a stationary member 18, the opening / closing drive means 14 is fixed to an output member 20 of the drive means 19, and a second advance / retract drive means 22 is connected to the opening / closing drive means 14. By integrating the first advance / retract drive means 19, the opening / closing drive means 14 and the second advance / retract drive means 22, a columnar assembly 300 is formed in an upright state from the base member 17, a retaining socket 24 for receiving an axial part 1 is connected to the output member 23 of the second advance / retract drive means 22, and a retaining hole 31 for receiving the axial part 1 is formed in a support member 29 fixed to the base member 17.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This invention relates to a supplying device for shaft-shaped parts, and is composed of a stop-and-pass unit that temporarily stops shaft-shaped parts that have been fed at high speed and then sends them out at a low speed after this temporary stop, and a drive means that holds the shaft-shaped parts sent out from the stop-and-pass unit and transports them to the destination. [Background technology]

[0002] JP 2013-151366 A describes an invention related to a stop and pass unit of a transport component. Its main configuration is described in FIG. 8 of the present application. This FIG. 8 is a copy of FIG. 1 described in the above publication. The central member here is a support base member 31 having a shape extending in the vertical direction, and an air cylinder 32 for moving a stop and pass unit 36 ​​and a supply rod 1 back and forth is fixed to this support base member 31, so that the entire support base member 31 can be raised and lowered. An insert air cylinder 23 is fixed to the support base member 31, and its piston rod 25 is connected to a support member 22 in a stationary state.

[0003] By supplying operating air to either the ascending chamber 26 or the descending chamber 27 of the inserted air cylinder 23, all members other than the piston 24 and the piston rod 25 are caused to ascend and descend simultaneously. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-151366 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the technology described in the above patent document, all of the components, such as the support base member 31, the stop and pass unit 36, the air cylinder 32, and the inserted air cylinder 23, which have large mass due to their functions, are raised and lowered by the inserted air cylinder 23 and the piston 24, so that the load acting on the piston 24 and the piston rod 25 becomes significantly large, which causes problems such as impeding smooth raising and lowering operations and preventing the durability of the inserted air cylinder 23 from being extended. In particular, considering the function of the support base member 31, it seems that a thick steel plate with large vertical and horizontal dimensions is optimal, but raising and lowering such a large component together with other functional components should be avoided in order to reduce the burden on the lifting and lowering drive means.

[0006] The present invention is devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to reduce the load on the driving means and improve structural integrity in an axial part supplying device which comprises a stop-and-pass unit which temporarily stops axial parts fed at high speed and then sends them out at a low speed after this temporary stop, and a driving means which holds the axial parts sent out from the stop-and-pass unit and transports them to the destination. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The invention described in claim 1 is A stop and pass unit is provided for stopping the shaft-shaped parts fed at high speed by the conveying air blown into the parts feed pipe, and then feeding the shaft-shaped parts at a low speed after the stop. The stop and pass unit has an opening and closing member incorporated in a case body in a state in which the opening and closing member can advance and retreat, and an opening and closing drive means for moving the opening and closing member back and forth to stop or pass the shaft-shaped part is integrated with the case body, A first forward / backward driving means is attached to a base member fixed to a stationary member, The opening / closing drive means is fixed to an output member of the first forward / backward drive means, A second forward / backward drive means is coupled to the opening / closing drive means, a columnar assembly standing upright from the base member is formed by integrating the first advancing / retreating drive means, the opening / closing drive means, and the second advancing / retreating drive means, a holding socket that receives and holds the shaft-shaped part sent out from the stop passing unit is connected to an output member of the second forward / backward driving means; a columnar support member fixed to the base member has a holding hole formed therein for receiving the shaft-shaped part; This is a shaft-shaped part supplying device, characterized in that the shaft-shaped part held in the holding socket is inserted into the holding hole by the output action of the second advancing / retreating driving means and the output action of the first advancing / retreating driving means. Effect of the Invention

[0008] A first advancing / retreating driving means is fixed to a base member fixed to a stationary member, and an opening / closing driving means of a stop-passing unit which stops the shaft-shaped part temporarily and then sends it out at a low speed after this temporary stop is fixed to an output member of the first advancing / retreating driving means, a second advancing / retreating driving means is connected to this opening / closing driving means, and the first advancing / retreating driving means, the opening / closing driving means and the second advancing / retreating driving means are integrated to form a columnar assembly that stands up from the base member, a holding socket that receives and holds the shaft-shaped part sent out from the stop-passing unit is connected to the output member of the second advancing / retreating driving means, and a holding hole for receiving the shaft-shaped part is formed in a columnar support member fixed to the base member.

[0009] As a result, since the base member, which has a large mass and large dimensions such as length, width and thickness, is fixed to the stationary member and remains stationary, the first advancing / retreating drive means is subjected to the load of only the stop passing unit, the second advancing / retreating drive means, the holding socket and the part supply pipe, which is effective for smooth operation of the first advancing / retreating drive means and for reducing its size and output.

[0010] The first forward / backward drive means, the opening / closing drive means of the stop / passage unit, and the second forward / backward drive means are present on the base member as a columnar assembly in an upright state that is integrated with a continuum, and at the same time, a columnar support member having a retaining hole is in an upright state. The columnar assembly and the upright support member are arranged in a positional relationship such that they face each other on the base member. Therefore, the columnar assembly and the support member can be arranged in a cohesive manner on the base member, which is effective for miniaturizing and simplifying the device structure.

[0011] A member having a part passing position of the stop passing unit, i.e., a case body of the stop passing unit, is arranged between the columnar assembly and the support member in an upright state. With such an arrangement, the first advance / retract drive means, the opening / closing drive means of the stop passing unit, and the second advance / retract drive means are arranged in an upright state on one side of the base member, the case body of the stop passing unit is arranged on the adjacent side, and the support member is arranged on the other side of the base member adjacent to that. With the above-mentioned arrangement, the drive means, the case body, the support member, etc. can be well integrated on the base member, which is a fundamental existence, and is effective for miniaturization of the device. In particular, since the columnar assembly and the support member are arranged on both ends of the base member, respectively, and the case body of the stop passing unit is arranged between them, an operating form in which the case body protrudes outside the supply device can be avoided, and a compact supply device can be obtained.

[0012] The present invention is a supply device invention as described above, but as will be apparent from the examples described below, it can also exist as a method invention that specifies the operation of the stop-and-pass unit and the transport timing of the shaft-shaped parts, etc. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the entire supply device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the support member. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a mechanism for cutting out a shaft-shaped part. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an opening / closing member of the stop passing unit. [Figure 6] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an operating state of the holding socket. FIG. [Figure 7] This is a cross-sectional view taken along line (7)-(7) in Figure 1. [Figure 8] This figure is a reproduction of [Figure 1] from JP 2013-151366 A. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Next, an embodiment of the shaft-shaped part supplying device according to the present invention will be described. EXAMPLES

[0015] 1 to 7 show an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] First, a general aspect of the present invention will be described.

[0017] In Fig. 1, reference numeral 100 denotes a sending structure for sending out shaft-shaped parts, and has the function of sending out shaft-shaped parts one by one from a part feeder by conveying air. Reference numeral 200 denotes a supply device for receiving the shaft-shaped parts sent out from the sending structure 100 and supplying them to a target location.

[0018] 1, one supply device 200 is shown in solid lines and a second supply device 200 is shown surrounded by a two-dot chain line, and shaft-shaped parts are supplied from the delivery structure 100 to both supply devices 200. Since both supply devices 200 have the same structure, only one supply device 200 will be described in the following embodiment.

[0019] Next, the shaft-shaped part will be described.

[0020] There are various types of shaft-shaped parts, such as solid round bars, pipe members, and bolts, but here we will use a headed bolt. We will explain with reference to Figure 6, which shows a bolt in an easy-to-see format. Bolt 1 is composed of a shaft 2 with a male thread, a hexagonal head 3, and a flange 4 arranged between the head 3 and shaft 2. The shaft-shaped part is made of iron, which is a magnetic material.

[0021] Next, the supply device 200 will be described.

[0022] The supply device 200 of the present invention stops the head 2 of the bolt 1 at a predetermined location, and the stopped head 2 is held by a robot device or a screw tightening device, etc., and transported to another predetermined location.

[0023] Next, the stop and pass unit will be described.

[0024] The stop and pass unit 5 temporarily stops the bolt 1, which has been fed at high speed, and then sends it out at a low speed.If the bolt 1 collides with the retaining socket described below at high speed, there is a risk of damage such as dents or cracks occurring on the receiving surface of the retaining socket, so the bolt is stopped temporarily and then sent out at a low speed to reach the retaining socket.

[0025] A sliding space 7 is formed in an elongated case body 6 having a rectangular cross section, into which an opening / closing member 8 having a rectangular cross section is slidably inserted. A component supply pipe 9 extending from a delivery structure 100 is connected to the case body 6 by a plug-in structure, and the component supply pipe 9 opens into the sliding space 7. That is, the component supply pipe 9 in the area of ​​the supply device 200 serves as an inlet pipe for the stop-pass unit 5. Meanwhile, a short outlet pipe 10 is connected to the case body 6 by a plug-in structure, and the outlet pipe 10 also opens into the sliding space 7. The component supply pipe 9 and the outlet pipe 10 are arranged coaxially. The outlet pipe 10 is made of a metal material such as stainless steel.

[0026] The parts supply pipe 9 is made of a synthetic resin material such as urethane resin, and can be curved as needed to set the piping position as desired. In addition, when the shank length of the headed bolt is about 30 mm, the length of the parts supply pipe can reach 5 m to 10 m.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 5, the opening / closing member 8 is a rectangular parallelepiped member, with the lower surface of the solid portion serving as a stop surface 12 and a through hole 13 formed adjacent to it. In order to cause the opening / closing member 8 to perform opening and closing operations, an air cylinder 14, which is an opening / closing drive means, is fixed to the case body 6 via a cylindrical distance piece 15. A piston rod 16 of the air cylinder 14 passes through the distance piece 15 and is connected to the opening / closing member 8. Hereinafter, the opening / closing drive means will also be denoted by the reference symbol 14.

[0028] Although the air cylinder 14 has been exemplified as the opening / closing drive means, it is also possible to use an electric motor with forward and backward movement instead. This electric motor with forward and backward movement can be configured as a linear actuator operated by an electric motor such as a servo motor. Alternatively, the rotation of the electric motor can be converted into forward and backward movement by a rack and pinion mechanism.

[0029] In Figure 1, the stopping surface 12 closes the opening of the parts supply pipe 9, where the head 2 of the bolt 1, which has been fed at high speed, hits and stops, and the bolt 1 is stopped in the position shown by the dynamic pressure of the conveying air, which will be described later. When the air cylinder 14, which is the opening and closing drive means, performs a retracting operation to the right, this time the passing hole 13 aligns with the parts supply pipe 9 and the outlet pipe 10, and the stopped bolt 1 is sent out at a low speed through the passing hole 13.

[0030] After this slow-speed delivery, the stopping surface 12 moves with the operation of the air cylinder 14, closing the openings of the component supply pipe 9 and the outlet pipe 10, and preparing for the arrival of the next bolt 1.

[0031] Next, the base member will be described.

[0032] The base member 17 performs the fundamental function of the supply device 200, and is endowed with strength and rigidity suitable for this purpose. For this purpose, the base member 17 is made of a thick rectangular plate material made of stainless steel or the like. The base member 17 is also firmly fixed to the stationary member 18 so that it will not easily shift position even if some external force acts on it. Although not shown, the stationary member 18 here is a machine frame or a base plate of the supply device 200. The base member 17 is arranged in a horizontal position, and the mounting position of the stop and pass unit 5 is selected so that the forward and backward direction of the opening and closing member 8 is also horizontal.

[0033] The component supply pipe 9 extending from the delivery structure 100 penetrates the base member 17 and reaches the case body 6 of the stop-pass unit 5. For this reason, the base member 17 is provided with a through hole 11 having a diameter slightly larger than that of the component supply pipe 9, so that the outer surface of the component supply pipe 9 is not strongly rubbed against the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 11 when the component supply pipe 9 advances or retreats relative to the base member 17.

[0034] Next, the first forward and backward driving means will be described.

[0035] The first advancing / retreating drive means 19 supports the stop passing unit 5 and moves the stop passing unit 5 forward and backward in the central axial direction of the retaining hole 31, and as is clear from Fig. 7, is installed offset to the right end side of the base member 17. An air cylinder or an advancing / retreating output type electric motor can also be used as the first advancing / retreating drive means 19. The advancing / retreating output type electric motor includes a linear actuator operated by an electric motor such as a servo motor. Alternatively, the rotation of the electric motor can be converted into advancing / retreating motion by a rack and pinion mechanism.

[0036] Here, an air cylinder 19 is used as the first advancing / retreating drive means. The output member of the first advancing / retreating drive means is a piston rod 20 of the air cylinder 19, and the end of the piston rod 20 is connected to the air cylinder 14, which is the opening / closing drive means described above. The advancing / retreating direction of the piston rod 20 is perpendicular to the horizontal direction of the base member 17 and the advancing / retreating direction of the air cylinder 14. Below, the first advancing / retreating drive means will also be designated by the reference symbol 19.

[0037] Next, the second forward and backward driving means will be described.

[0038] The second advancing / retreating drive means 22 is coupled to the air cylinder 14, which is the opening / closing drive means, and drives a holding socket 24, which will be described later, to advance and retreat. An air cylinder or an advancing / retreating output type electric motor can be used as the second advancing / retreating drive means 22. A linear actuator operated by an electric motor such as a servo motor can also be used as this advancing / retreating output type electric motor. Alternatively, the rotation of the electric motor can be converted into advancing / retreating motion by a rack and pinion mechanism.

[0039] Here, an air cylinder 22 is employed as the second advancing / retreating drive means. The output member of the second advancing / retreating drive means is a piston rod 23 of the air cylinder 22, and a holding socket 24 is coupled to the end of the piston rod 23. The advancing / retreating direction of the piston rod 23 is parallel to the horizontal direction of the base member 17 and the advancing / retreating direction of the air cylinder 14. Hereinafter, the second advancing / retreating drive means will also be designated by the reference symbol 22.

[0040] The second advancing / retreating drive means 22 is connected to the opening / closing drive means 14, but this connection may be made by directly connecting the air cylinder 22 to the air cylinder 14, or, as shown in the figure, by interposing a connecting member 25 such as a distance piece between the two air cylinders 14 and 22. Interposing the connecting member 25 is adopted when it is necessary to expand the operating space of the holding socket 24 and prevent adjacent members from interfering with the advancing / retreating movement of the holding socket 24.

[0041] Next, the structure of the retaining socket will be described.

[0042] The holding socket 24 is connected to the piston rod 23, which is the output member of the second forward / backward driving means 22, and receives and holds the bolt 1 sent out at low speed from the stop-passing unit 5, and then moves it to a predetermined location by the advancement of the air cylinder 22.

[0043] A receiving recess 27 for receiving the head 2 of the bolt 1 is formed on the underside of the body 26 of the retaining socket 24, and a permanent magnet 28 is embedded in the body 26 to prevent the bolt 1 from falling out of the receiving recess 27.

[0044] Next, the support member will be described.

[0045] The support member 29 is composed of a columnar member fixed to the base member 17, and has a retaining hole 31 formed at its end for receiving the shaft portion 2 of the bolt 1. The axial direction of the retaining hole 31 is parallel to the forward and backward direction of the air cylinder 19. A permanent magnet 32 ​​is embedded near the bottom of the retaining hole 31, and its magnetic attractive force is set to be stronger than the attractive force of the permanent magnet 28 on the retaining socket 24 side.

[0046] In order to prevent the shaft 2 of the bolt 1 inserted into the retaining hole 31 from rotating within the retaining hole 31, a pressing member 33 is pressed against the shaft 2 to prevent the shaft 2 from rotating, as shown in Fig. 2. The pressing member 33 is composed of a piston rod of an air cylinder 30.

[0047] Next, the layout of each component will be described.

[0048] The air cylinder 19 fixed to the base member 17, the air cylinder 14 connected to its piston rod 20, and the air cylinder 22 connected to the air cylinder 14 are arranged in a column-like shape in a vertical direction, so that the columnar assembly 300 is configured by such an arrangement. The arrangement direction of the columnar assembly 300 is perpendicular to the base member 17 and perpendicular to the advancing and retreating direction of the opening and closing member 8 of the stop and pass unit 5. The central axis of the holding hole 31 of the support member 29 is parallel to the arrangement direction of the columnar assembly 300. The component supply pipe 9 penetrating the base member 17 is arranged coaxially with the outlet pipe 10 as described above, and the central axes of the component supply pipe 9 and the outlet pipe 10 are parallel to the arrangement direction of the columnar assembly 300 and the central axis of the holding hole 31 of the support member 29. Furthermore, the advancing and retreating directions of the air cylinder 22 and the air cylinder 14 are perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the columnar assembly 300.

[0049] Next, the delivery structure will be described.

[0050] The delivery structure 100 has a function of delivering the bolts 1 stored in the parts feeder 34 one by one by conveying air. The bolts 1 delivered from the parts feeder 34 are sent to the cut-out unit 36 ​​via the inclined conveying rail 35. The bolts 1 are supported in the conveying rail 35 and the cut-out unit 36 ​​in a suspended state with the shaft 2 positioned in the space between two parallel guide rails 37 and the flange 4 of the bolt 1 placed on the upper surface 38 of the guide rails 37. Therefore, the flange 4 slides on the upper surface 38 of the guide rail 37. The parts feeder 34 is a commonly used type in which a spiral passage plate is welded to the inside of a circular bowl and operates by applying vertical and circumferential vibrations to the bowl.

[0051] The cutting unit 36 ​​will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The unit body 39 is also provided with two unit-side guide rails 41, between which the shaft portion 2 passes. The flange 4 slides on the upper surface 42 of the unit-side guide rails 41.

[0052] A delivery hole 43 is formed at the end of the unit side guide rail 41. A cutting unit 44 is attached to this delivery hole 43 to deliver the bolts 1 one by one. A piston rod 46 of an air cylinder 45 fixed to the unit body 39 is inserted into the end of the unit side guide rail 41 to prohibit the movement of the shaft portion 2. When the piston rod 46 retracts, the foremost bolt 1 is pushed by the bolt 1 from behind and moves to the delivery hole 43. Immediately after this movement, the piston rod 46 is inserted to prohibit the movement of the second bolt 1. Reference numeral 47 denotes a guide tube attached to the unit body 39 so as to be continuous with the delivery hole 43.

[0053] A large diameter hole 49 into which the head 3 and flange 4 of the bolt 1 are inserted is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped retaining member 48, and a small diameter hole 51 into which the shaft 2 is inserted is formed continuous with the large diameter hole 49. A step 52 is formed at the boundary between the large diameter hole 49 and the small diameter hole 51, on which the flange 4 is placed. The retaining member 48 is connected to a piston rod 56 of an air cylinder 55, and depending on the advanced position of the air cylinder 55, the delivery hole 43, guide tube 47, large diameter hole 49, and small diameter hole 51 are arranged on the same axis. An air hole 53 is opened at the bottom of the small diameter hole 51 through which conveying air is blown.

[0054] A parts supply pipe 9 that supplies bolts 1 to one supply device 200, and a parts supply pipe 9 that supplies bolts 1 to another supply device 200 (shown by a two-dot chain line) are fixed to a support plate 54 fixed to a stationary member 18, and each parts supply pipe 9 opens downward at its inlet.

[0055] By advancing the air cylinder 55, the holding member 48 is inserted between the air supply pipe 57 arranged coaxially with the component supply pipe 9 (see Figs. 1 and 3). A nozzle hole 58 is provided at the upper end of the air supply pipe 57.

[0056] The air cylinder 55 feeds the bolt 1 to the first component supply pipe 9, and an air cylinder 59 is fixed to the stationary member 18 to feed the bolt 1 to the second component supply pipe 9. A piston rod 60 of the air cylinder 59 is connected to the air cylinder 55. The holding member 48 performs a first motion with the first air cylinder 55 and a second motion with the second air cylinder 59, so that the bolt 1 is fed to both component supply pipes 9 in a two-stage motion.

[0057] The supply and discharge of working air to each air cylinder is performed by operating an air selector valve 62 by a signal from a control device 61. Reference numeral 63 denotes a start switch for starting the entire device. The control device 61 is also composed of a simple computer device, a sequence circuit, etc.

[0058] Next, a description will be given of the feeding mechanism that holds the bolt and feeds it to the target location.

[0059] The feeding mechanism 400 feeds the bolt 1 held in the holding hole 31 of the support member 29 to the target location. Various types of feeding mechanism 400 can be used, such as a simple supply rod that holds the bolt 1 and feeds it to the target location, or a robot device equipped with a screw tightening structure that holds the bolt 1 and feeds it to the target location. Here, the latter type of robot device is used.

[0060] A screw tightening unit 65 is attached to a normal six-axis robot device 64. In the screw tightening unit 65, a socket 68 is coupled to the output shaft 67 of an electric motor 66, and the socket 68 has a hexagonal receiving hole 69 into which the head 3 of the bolt 1 fits snugly. A permanent magnet 70 is embedded in the socket 68 to prevent the bolt 1 from falling off. The attractive force of this permanent magnet 70 is set to be stronger than the attractive force of the permanent magnet 32 ​​of the support member 29.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the base member 17 is in a horizontal state. However, the base member 17 may be placed in an upright position in the vertical direction, and the opening / closing member 8 and the air cylinder 22 may be moved in the vertical direction.

[0062] Next, the operation of the device will be described.

[0063] When the bolt 1 sent out from the parts feeder 34 is inserted from the feeder unit 36 ​​into the large diameter hole 49 and small diameter hole 51 of the waiting holding member 48, the air cylinder 55 is operated to send the holding member 48 between one of the parts supply pipes 9 and the air supply pipe 57. Then, conveying air is sprayed from the nozzle hole 58, and the bolt 1 moves at high speed inside the parts supply pipe 9 and is received by the stop surface 12 of the closing opening / closing member 8. The other air cylinder 59 is operated in the same manner as the air cylinder 55, and the air cylinder 55 is also pushed out, the holding member 48 mates with the other parts supply pipe 9, and the bolt 1 is supplied to the second supply device 200 shown by the two-dot chain line.

[0064] Next, when the air cylinder 14, which is the opening / closing drive means, is actuated and the opening / closing member 8 moves to the right in Fig. 1, the passage hole 13 aligns with the parts supply pipe 9 and the outlet pipe 10. As a result, the bolt 1, which has been subjected to the dynamic pressure of the conveying air, is sent out at a low speed, and its head 3 is received in the receiving recess 27 of the holding head 24. This received state is maintained by the attractive force of the permanent magnet 28. In the vicinity where the parts supply pipe 9 is connected to the case body 6, the flow rate of the conveying air is also greatly reduced, so the dynamic pressure acting on the bolt 1 is also greatly reduced. This reduction in dynamic pressure causes the bolt 1 to be sent out at a low speed.

[0065] Thereafter, the air cylinder 22 is actuated, and when the bolt 1 held by the holding head 24 reaches a position where it is coaxial with the holding hole 31, the advancing operation of the air cylinder 22 stops at that position. Then, the contracting operation of the air cylinder 19 is started, and the stop-pass unit 5 (air cylinder 14), the air cylinder 22, the holding socket 24, and the parts supply pipe 9 are lowered together, and the shank 2 of the bolt 1 is inserted into the holding hole 31. During this insertion, the attractive force of the permanent magnet 32, which has been made stronger than the attractive force of the permanent magnet 28, becomes dominant, and the shank 2 is further drawn into the holding hole 31, and the entry of the shank stops when the flange 4 comes into close contact with the upper end surface 21 of the support member 29. Following this, the air cylinder 30 is actuated, and the shank 2 is pushed against the inner surface of the holding hole 31, and the bolt 1 cannot rotate.

[0066] When the bolt has been completely inserted into the retaining hole 31, the air cylinder 19 extends, the air cylinder 22 contracts, and the air cylinder 14 extends, causing the stop-and-pass unit 5, retaining socket 24, etc. to enter a standby state in preparation for the arrival of the next bolt 1.

[0067] Thereafter, the robot device 64 is operated, and while the socket 68 rotates, the lower surface of the socket 68 is pressed against the upper surface of the hexagonal head 3, as shown in Fig. 6. When the hexagonal receiving hole 69 of the rotating socket 68 in this pressurized state matches the hexagon of the head 3, the head 3 relatively advances into the receiving hole 69 and is attracted by the permanent magnet 70.

[0068] Thereafter, the robot device 64 operates to screw the bolt 1 into a screw hole (not shown) of a target member waiting at a predetermined location.

[0069] The above series of operations are carried out by transmitting signals from stroke sensors attached to each air cylinder and signals from sensors indicating the operating position of the robot device 64 to the control device 61, so that each air cylinder operates in a predetermined sequence. In other words, the above-mentioned operations such as the forward and backward movement of each air cylinder and air injection can be easily performed by a commonly adopted control method. The predetermined operations can be ensured by combining an air switching valve that operates with a signal from the control device or sequence circuit, and a sensor that issues a signal at a predetermined position on the air cylinder and sends it to the control device.

[0070] The above-mentioned air cylinders may be replaced by the above-mentioned forward and backward output type electric motors, and the permanent magnets may be replaced by electromagnets or air suction.

[0071] The effects of the embodiment described above are as follows.

[0072] A first advancing / retreating driving means 19 is fixed to a base member 17 fixed to a stationary member 18, and an opening / closing driving means 14 of a stop-passing unit 5 which stops the bolt 1 temporarily and then sends it out at a low speed after this temporary stop is fixed to an output member 20 of the first advancing / retreating driving means 19. A second advancing / retreating driving means 22 is connected to this opening / closing driving means 14, and by integrating the first advancing / retreating driving means 19, the opening / closing driving means 14 and the second advancing / retreating driving means 22, a columnar assembly 300 is formed in an upright manner from the base member 17, and a retaining socket 24 which receives and holds the bolt 1 sent out from the stop-passing unit 5 is connected to the output member 23 of the second advancing / retreating driving means 22, and a retaining hole 31 which receives the bolt 1 is formed in a columnar support member 29 fixed to the base member 17.

[0073] As a result, since the base member 17, which has a large mass and large dimensions such as length, width and thickness, is fixed to the stationary member 18 and is stationary, the first advancing and retreating driving means 19 is subjected to the load of only the stop and pass unit 5, the second advancing and retreating driving means 22, the holding socket 24 and the component supply pipe 9, which is effective for smooth operation of the first advancing and retreating driving means 19 and for achieving compactness and low output.

[0074] On the base member 17, the first advance / retract drive means 19, the opening / closing drive means 14 of the stop / passage unit 5, and the second advance / retract drive means 22 are present as an upright columnar assembly 300 integrated with continuity, and at the same time, a columnar support member 29 having a holding hole 31 formed therein is in an upright state. The columnar assembly 300 and the upright support member 29 are disposed in a positional relationship such that they face each other on the base member 17. Therefore, the columnar assembly 300 and the support member 29 can be disposed in a cohesive manner on the base member 17, which is effective for miniaturizing and simplifying the device structure.

[0075] A member having a part passing position of the stop passing unit 5, that is, the case body 6 of the stop passing unit 5, is arranged between the columnar assembly 300 and the support member 29 in an upright state. With this arrangement, the first forward / backward driving means 19, the opening / closing driving means 14 of the stop passing unit 5, and the second forward / backward driving means 22 are arranged in an upright state on one side of the base member 17, the case body 6 of the stop passing unit 5 is arranged on the adjacent side, and the support member 29 is arranged on the other side of the base member 17, which is adjacent to the first forward / backward driving means 19. With the arrangement as described above, the driving means, the case body 6, the support member 29, etc. can be well integrated on the base member 17, which is a fundamental existence, which is effective for miniaturizing the device. In particular, the columnar assembly 300 and the support member 29 are arranged on both ends of the base member 17, respectively, and the case body 6 of the stop passing unit 5 is arranged between them, so that an operating form in which the case body 6 protrudes outside the supply device 200 can be avoided, and a compact supply device 200 can be obtained.

[0076] The component supply pipe 9 connected to the stop passing unit 5 is structured to penetrate the base member 17, pass between the columnar assembly 300 and the support member 29, and reach the case body 6. The component supply pipe 9 is arranged with a small gap between the through hole 11 and the penetration point of the base member 17. Therefore, even if the component supply pipe 9 swings abnormally for some reason, the amount of movement of the component supply pipe 9 is restricted at the point where the component supply pipe 9 penetrates the base member 17, so that the amount of swing of the component supply pipe 9 between the point where the component supply pipe 9 penetrates the base member 17 and the case body 6 can be restricted to an insignificant level, which is beneficial for preventing the connection point between the component supply pipe 9 and the case body 6 from coming loose and for improving the durability of the component supply pipe 9.

[0077] Since the component supply pipe 9 is positioned with a small gap between it and the through hole 11 at the penetration point of the base member 17, when the component supply pipe 9 moves in and out of the through hole 11, the degree of rubbing of the outer surface of the component supply pipe 9 against the inner surface of the through hole 11 is mitigated, and the rubbing wear of the component supply pipe 9, which is made of a synthetic resin material, can be reduced to an insignificant level.

[0078] Since the support member 29 is disposed close to the end of the base member 17, it is possible to avoid placing obstacles around the bolt 1 inserted into the retaining hole 31 of the support member 29. Therefore, it is possible to reliably remove the bolt 1 using a robot device 64, a screw tightening device, or the like. [Industrial Applicability]

[0079] As described above, the feeder of the present invention is a feeder for shaft-shaped parts that includes a stop-and-pass unit that temporarily stops shaft-shaped parts fed at high speed and then sends them out at a low speed after the stop, and a drive unit that holds the shaft-shaped parts sent out from the stop-and-pass unit and transports them to a destination, and reduces the load on the drive unit and improves structural integrity. Therefore, it can be used in a wide range of industrial fields, such as the assembly process of automobile bodies and the sheet metal assembly process of home electrical appliances. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1 Volt 2 Shaft section 3 head 4 Flanges 5 Stop and Pass Unit 6 Case body 7 Sliding Space 8 Opening and closing members 11 Through hole 12 Stop surface 13 Passing hole 14 Opening and closing drive means, air cylinder 16 Piston rod 17 Base member 18 Stationary Members 19 First forward / backward driving means, air cylinder 20 Output member, piston rod 22 Second forward / backward driving means, air cylinder 23 Output member, piston rod 24 Retaining Socket 29 Support member 31 Retaining hole 64 Robotic Device 65 Screw tightening unit 100 Delivery structure 200 Feeding device 300 Columnar aggregate 400 Feeding mechanism

Claims

[Claim 1] A stop and pass unit is provided for stopping the shaft-shaped parts fed at high speed by the conveying air blown into the parts feed pipe, and then feeding the shaft-shaped parts at a low speed after the stop. The stop and pass unit has an opening and closing member incorporated in a case body in a state in which the opening and closing member can advance and retreat, and an opening and closing drive means for moving the opening and closing member back and forth to stop or pass the shaft-shaped part is integrated with the case body, A first forward / backward driving means is attached to a base member fixed to a stationary member, The opening / closing drive means is fixed to an output member of the first forward / backward drive means, A second forward / backward drive means is coupled to the opening / closing drive means, a columnar assembly standing upright from the base member is formed by integrating the first advancing / retreating drive means, the opening / closing drive means, and the second advancing / retreating drive means, a holding socket that receives and holds the shaft-shaped part sent out from the stop-pass unit is connected to an output member of the second forward / backward driving means; a columnar support member fixed to the base member has a holding hole formed therein for receiving the shaft-shaped part; a shaft-shaped part supplying device configured to insert the shaft-shaped part held in the holding socket into the holding hole by the output operation of the second advancing / retracting driving means and the output operation of the first advancing / retracting driving means.

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