Magnet Extraction Device

Abstract

To provide a magnet take-out device capable of appropriately taking out magnets sequentially from above.SOLUTION: A take-out device 10 takes out, sequentially from above, a plurality of magnets 90 stacked vertically inside a container 80 having a peripheral wall 81 and an upper opening 82. The take-out device 10 includes a push-up portion 20 that pushes up the plurality of magnets 90 upward, a restriction portion 30 that is arranged laterally adjacent to the magnets 90 projecting upward from an upper opening 82, a take-out portion 40 that grips and takes out the first magnet 90 from the top projecting upward from the restriction portion 30, and a control portion 50 that controls the drive of the push-up portion 20 and the take-out portion 40. When the first magnet 90 from the top is gripped and taken out by the take-out portion 40, the second magnet 90 from the top is separated from the first magnet 90 from the top by cooperation of the take-out portion 40 and the restricting portion 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a take-out device for sequentially taking out a plurality of magnets stacked vertically inside a container having a peripheral wall and an upper opening, from above.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a rotor core of a magnet-embedded motor. The rotor core includes a core body having a central hole and a plurality of magnet accommodation holes, and magnets inserted into the respective magnet insertion holes and fixed to the core body via a resin material.

[0003] The manufacturing process of the rotor core includes a magnet insertion process of inserting magnets into the magnet accommodation holes of the core body. In the magnet insertion process, a plurality of magnets stacked vertically inside a container having a peripheral wall and an upper opening are sequentially taken out from above by a take-out device.

[0004] The take-out device includes a pushing-up mechanism for pushing up a plurality of magnets upward, and a take-out part for gripping the topmost magnet protruding upward from the upper opening of the container. The magnet gripped by the take-out part is moved together with the take-out part above the magnet accommodation hole. Then, the magnet is inserted into the magnet accommodation hole by releasing the gripping force of the take-out part.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Incidentally, a rust-preventive film is provided on the surface of the magnet. Further, in the manufacturing process of the rotor core in which a plurality of magnets are inserted into the magnet accommodation holes, the magnets inserted into the common magnet accommodation holes may be adhered to each other by an adhesive. Further, a plurality of magnets stacked vertically inside the housing are pressurized by their own weight. From these facts, the magnets adjacent to each other vertically may be attached via the film or the adhesive. In this case, when the topmost magnet is gripped and taken out by the taking-out portion, the other magnets including the second magnet from the top will be taken out together. As a result, the manufacturing line may be stopped, deteriorating the manufacturing efficiency.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a magnet taking-out device capable of appropriately taking out magnets in order from the top.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] A magnet taking-out device for solving the above problems is a taking-out device for taking out a plurality of magnets stacked vertically inside a housing having a peripheral wall and an upper opening in order from the top, the pushing portion for pushing up the plurality of magnets upward, a regulating portion arranged adjacent to the side of the magnet protruding upward from the upper opening, a taking-out portion for gripping and taking out the topmost magnet protruding upward from the regulating portion, and a control portion for controlling the driving of the pushing portion and the taking-out portion. When the topmost magnet is gripped and taken out by the taking-out portion, the second magnet from the top is configured to be separated from the topmost magnet by the cooperation of the taking-out portion and the regulating portion.

[0009] According to the same configuration, when the topmost magnet is gripped and taken out by the taking-out portion, the second magnet from the top is separated from the topmost magnet by the cooperation of the taking-out portion and the regulating portion. Thereby, even when the magnets adjacent to each other vertically are attached, only the topmost magnet can be taken out. Therefore, the magnets can be appropriately taken out in order from the top.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0011] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a first embodiment of a magnet extraction device will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the magnet extraction device (hereinafter, extraction device 10) is used in the manufacturing process of a rotor core, more specifically, in the magnet insertion process of inserting a magnet 90 into a magnet accommodation hole (both not shown) of a core body.

[0012] The extraction device 10 sequentially extracts a plurality of magnets 90 stacked one above the other inside the container 80 from the top. The extraction device 10 includes a pressing portion 20, a regulating portion 30, an extraction portion 40, and a control portion 50.

[0013] First, the container 80 and the magnet 90 will be described. (Container 80) As shown in FIG. 1, the container 80 accommodates a plurality of magnets 90 stacked one above the other. The container 80 has a peripheral wall 81, an upper opening 82, a lower opening 83, and a stopper 84. Note that the container 80 may be attached to equipment (not shown).

[0014] The peripheral wall 81 extends in the vertical direction and has the same cross-sectional shape throughout the vertical direction. The upper opening 82 and the lower opening 83 may be rectangular in plan view. A pair of stoppers 84 are provided at the lower part of the peripheral wall 81. The pair of stoppers 84 connect a pair of opposing inner surfaces of the peripheral wall 81 to each other. The pair of stoppers 84 are provided at intervals in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction and parallel to each other. The pair of stoppers 84 prevent the magnet 90 from falling out of the lower opening 83 by abutting against the lower surface of the lowermost magnet 90.

[0015] (Magnet 90) As shown in FIG. 1, the magnet 90 is a substantially flat permanent magnet. A plurality of magnets 90 are stacked in the thickness direction of the magnet 90 (the vertical direction in the figure).

[0016] The size of the magnet 90 in plan view is slightly smaller than the size of the internal space of the peripheral wall 81 in plan view. A rust-preventive film may be provided on the surface of the magnet 90.

[0017] Next, the pressing upper part 20, the restricting part 30, the taking-out part 40, and the control part 50 will be described. (Pressing upper part 20) As shown in FIG. 1, the pressing upper part 20 pushes up a plurality of magnets 90 housed inside the housing 80. The pressing upper part 20 includes a rod 21 and a rod driving part 22.

[0018] The rod 21 extends in the vertical direction. The upper part of the rod 21 is located inside the housing 80. The upper end of the rod 21 abuts against the lower surface of the lowermost magnet 90.

[0019] The rod driving part 22 is connected to the rod 21 and slidably drives the rod 21 in the vertical direction. The rod driving part 22 may include a motor and a well-known conversion mechanism (both not shown in the figure) that converts the rotational motion of the motor into the linear motion of the rod 21.

[0020] (Restricting part 30) As shown in FIG. 1, the restricting portion 30 is disposed adjacent to the side of the magnet 90 that protrudes upward from the upper opening 82 of the housing 80. Note that the restricting portion 30 may be attached to the housing 80. Further, the restricting portion 30 may be attached to equipment other than the housing 80.

[0021] The restricting portion 30 is adjacent to the side of the second magnet 90 from the top (hereinafter, the second magnet 90 from the top) that protrudes upward from the upper opening 82 of the housing 80, and is not adjacent to the side of the first magnet 90 from the top.

[0022] In the present embodiment, the restricting portion 30 is provided over the entire circumference of the upper opening 82. (Taking-out portion 40) As shown in FIG. 1, the taking-out portion 40 grips and takes out the first magnet 90 from the top (hereinafter, the first magnet 90 from the top) that protrudes upward from the restricting portion 30.

[0023] The taking-out portion 40 includes a chuck 41 and a chuck driving portion 42. The chuck driving portion 42 is connected to the chuck 41 and drives the chuck 41 to grip. Further, the chuck driving portion 42 moves the chuck 41 in the vertical direction and in the orthogonal direction orthogonal to the vertical direction.

[0024] (Control portion 50) As shown in FIG. 1, the control portion 50 controls the driving of the pressing portion 20 and the taking-out portion 40. The control portion 50 is electrically connected to the rod driving portion 22 and the chuck driving portion 42, respectively.

[0025] The control portion 50 controls the rod driving portion 22 so that two magnets 90 protrude upward from the upper opening 82 of the housing 80. The control portion 50 controls the chuck driving portion 42 so that the chuck 41 grips the first magnet 90 from the top.

[0026] Here, when the extraction device 10 grips and extracts the topmost magnet 90 by the extraction unit 40, the second magnet 90 from the top is configured to be separated from the topmost magnet 90 by the cooperation of the extraction unit 40 and the restricting unit 30.

[0027] More specifically, in the present embodiment, the control unit 50 is configured to move the extraction unit 40 to the side where the restricting unit 30 is present after the extraction unit 40 grips the topmost magnet 90 and before moving the extraction unit 40 upward.

[0028] Note that when the topmost magnet 90 is extracted, the control unit 50 controls the rod driving unit 22 so that two magnets 90 protrude upward from the upper opening 82 of the container 80. Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2, after gripping the topmost magnet 90 by the chuck 41 of the extraction unit 40, before moving the chuck 41 upward, it is moved to the side (the right side in FIG. 2) where the restricting unit 30 is present. As a result, the second magnet 90 from the top is pressed against the restricting unit 30. Thereby, a shearing force acts between the topmost magnet 90 and the second magnet 90 from the top.

[0030] That is, when the extraction unit 40 grips and extracts the topmost magnet 90, the second magnet 90 from the top is configured to be separated from the topmost magnet 90 by the cooperation of the extraction unit 40 and the restricting unit 30. Thereby, even when the magnets 90 adjacent to each other vertically are stuck together, only the topmost magnet 90 can be extracted.

[0031] Next, the effects of the present embodiment will be described. The control unit 50 is configured to move the extraction unit 40 to the side where the restricting unit 30 is present after the extraction unit 40 grips the topmost magnet 90 and before moving the extraction unit 40 upward.

[0032] According to such a configuration, since the above-described operation is achieved, the topmost magnet 90 can be appropriately taken out with a simple configuration. <Second Embodiment> Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 3, the second embodiment of the magnet extraction device will be described centering on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0033] In the second embodiment, for the components that are the same as or corresponding to those in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are used, and duplicate explanations are omitted. As shown in FIG. 3, the restricting portion 30 is configured to be able to grip the second magnet 90 from the top.

[0034] More specifically, the restricting portion 30 includes a pair of gripping portions 31 that can grip the second magnet 90 from the top, and a gripping drive portion 32 that drives the pair of gripping portions 31. The pair of gripping portions 31 are arranged to sandwich the magnet 90 on the side of the second magnet 90 from the top. The pair of gripping portions 31 are configured to be movable between a gripping position where they grip the magnet 90 at the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 3 and a release position where they are separated from the magnet 90 at the position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3.

[0035] The gripping drive portion 32 drives the pair of gripping portions 31 between the gripping position and the release position. In addition to the pressing portion 20 and the extraction portion 40, the control portion 50 controls the drive of the restricting portion 30. The control portion 50 is electrically connected to the gripping drive portion 32.

[0036] In this embodiment, the control portion 50 is configured such that when the extraction portion 40 grips and extracts the topmost magnet 90, the pair of gripping portions 31 grip the second magnet 90 from the top.

[0037] The control portion 50 is configured to move the extraction portion 40 upward or laterally while the pair of gripping portions 31 grip the second magnet 90 from the top. Note that when the topmost magnet 90 is taken out, the control unit 50 controls the gripping drive unit 32 to release the gripping of the magnet 90 by the pair of gripping units 31. Then, the rod drive unit 22 is controlled so that two magnets 90 protrude upward from the upper opening 82 of the container 80.

[0038] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, when the topmost magnet 90 is gripped and taken out by the take-out unit 40, the second magnet 90 from the top is gripped by the pair of gripping units 31 of the restricting unit 30. In this state, as shown by the arrow A in FIG. 3, if the take-out unit 40 is moved laterally, a shearing force acts between the topmost magnet 90 and the second magnet 90 from the top. Also, in this state, as shown by the arrow B in FIG. 3, if the take-out unit 40 is moved upward, a tensile force acts between the topmost magnet 90 and the second magnet 90 from the top.

[0039] That is, when the topmost magnet 90 is gripped and taken out by the take-out unit 40, the second magnet 90 from the top is separated from the topmost magnet 90 by the cooperation of the take-out unit 40 and the restricting unit 30. Thereby, even when the magnets 90 adjacent to each other vertically are stuck together, only the topmost magnet 90 can be taken out.

[0040] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. The restricting unit 30 is configured to be able to grip the second magnet from the top. The control unit 50 controls the driving of the restricting unit 30, and is configured to cause the restricting unit 30 to grip the second magnet 90 from the top when the take-out unit 40 grips and takes out the topmost magnet 90.

[0041] According to such a configuration, since the above operation is achieved, only the topmost magnet can be reliably taken out. <Modification Example> This embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. This embodiment and the following modification examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically consistent range.

[0042] ·In the first embodiment, an example was given of a configuration in which the restricting portion 30 is provided over the entire circumference of the upper opening 82. However, the restricting portion 30 does not necessarily have to be provided over the entire circumference. The restricting portion 30 may be located on the side of the magnet 90 that protrudes upward from the upper opening 82 of the container 80 and in front of the moving direction of the taking-out portion 40.

[0043] ·In the second embodiment, an example was given of a configuration in which both of the pair of gripping portions 31 are driven between the gripping position and the releasing position. Alternatively, one of the pair of gripping portions 31 may be fixed at the position of the solid line in FIG. 3, and only the other may be driven between the gripping position and the releasing position.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0044] 10... Taking-out device 20... Upper pressing part 21... Rod 22... Rod driving part 30... Restricting portion 31... Gripping portion 32... Gripping driving part 40... Taking-out portion 41... Chuck 42... Chuck driving part 50... Control portion 80... Container 81... Peripheral wall 82... Upper opening 83... Lower opening 84... Stopper 90... Magnet

Claims

1. A take-out device for sequentially taking out a plurality of magnets stacked vertically inside a container having a peripheral wall and an upper opening, from the top, comprising: a pushing part for pushing up the plurality of magnets upward; a restricting part arranged adjacent to the side of the magnet protruding upward from the upper opening; a take-out part for gripping and taking out the topmost magnet protruding upward from the restricting part; a control part for controlling the driving of the pushing part and the take-out part, wherein when the take-out part grips and takes out the topmost magnet, after the take-out part grips the topmost magnet, the control part moves the take-out part to the side where the restricting part is located and presses the second magnet from the top against the restricting part, so that the second magnet from the top is separated from the topmost magnet; a magnet take-out device.

2. The inner surface of the restricting part is located on the outer peripheral side of the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall. The magnet take-out device according to Claim 1.

3. A take-out device for sequentially taking out a plurality of magnets stacked vertically inside a container having a peripheral wall and an upper opening, from the top, comprising: a pushing part for pushing up the plurality of magnets upward; a restricting part arranged adjacent to the side of the magnet protruding upward from the upper opening; a take-out part for gripping and taking out the topmost magnet protruding upward from the restricting part; a control part for controlling the driving of the pushing part and the take-out part, wherein the restricting part is configured to be able to grip the second magnet from the top, and the control part controls the driving of the restricting part, and is configured such that when the take-out part grips and takes out the topmost magnet, the restricting part grips the second magnet from the top; a magnet take-out device.

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