Parts supply device

Abstract

To provide a component feeder small in size and low in cost.SOLUTION: A component feeder 10 comprises a lifting plate 2 that has an inclined surface 2a at a vertically upper part and is allowed to vertically move and a component-catching unit 4 that is placed closer to a lower end of the inclined surface 2a in parallel with an axial direction of the lifting plate 2. The component-catching unit 4 has a pin 4a allowed to catch a component 1 sliding down the inclined surface 2a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a component supply device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Various component supplying devices have been developed that align and supply various components, such as electronic components, stored in an unrestricted orientation. Patent document 1 discloses a component supply device that can send components stored in a chamber in an unrestricted direction into a supply passage in a two-way restricted state by rotating a roller with a permanent magnet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-287826 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A device that lines up parts using a vibrating feeder, aligns them with a guide, and supplies them one by one is suitable for supplying a large number of parts in a short period of time, but this tends to make the device larger and more expensive as it requires more actuators. The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such problems, and aims to provide a small, low-cost component supply device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect for achieving the above object is a component supply device comprising a lifting plate having an inclined surface at the top in the vertical direction and movable in the vertical direction, and a component receiving portion arranged parallel to the axial direction of the lifting plate at the lower end side of the inclined surface, wherein the component receiving portion has a pin that can receive a component sliding down the inclined surface.

[0006] In the component supply device according to the present disclosure, the inserted component slides down the inclined surface and is then received by the pin, thereby enabling the component supply device to be miniaturized and, further, reducing costs by eliminating the need for multiple actuators. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, a small-sized, low-cost component supply device can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a component supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a component supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams for explaining a method of using the component supply device according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Previous component supply devices were designed to supply a large number of components in a short amount of time, in order to maximize the benefits of automation. This meant that the devices were configured with separate operations, such as lining up the components, using guides to align their position while transporting them, and then cutting them out one by one. Each operation required an actuator, which tended to increase equipment costs. Therefore, introducing such devices into processes with a small number of component supplies was sometimes difficult due to high purchase costs and efficiency considerations. Furthermore, in order to provide versatility, each unit is often configured separately. For example, in an effort to reduce investment, parts are transported and guided along a guide, which results in a large device size that may not be able to be installed in a small space.

[0010] On the other hand, the component supply device according to this embodiment (hereinafter also referred to as this device) can adjust the orientation of components and cut out and supply them one by one using a single actuator, which allows the device to be small in size and low in cost.

[0011] Hereinafter, specific embodiments to which the present disclosure is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments. In addition, the following description and drawings have been simplified as appropriate for clarity of explanation.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, this device includes a lift-up plate 2 having an inclined surface 2a at an upper portion in the vertical direction X and movable in the vertical direction X, and a component receiving portion 4 disposed at the lower end of the inclined surface 2a parallel to the axial direction of the lift-up plate 2, i.e., vertically. Furthermore, in the component supply device 10 of this embodiment, the component receiving portion 4 has a pin 4a capable of receiving a component 1 sliding down the inclined surface 2a. In this device shown in these figures, only the lift-up plate 2 is movable in the vertical direction X by a lift-up plate movement actuator 3 (described later), while the other portions are fixed to the device. In this way, this device requires only one actuator, which allows for a small device size and low costs. 1 and 2 are schematic diagrams for explaining the configuration of the present device. Also, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining how to use the present device. It should be noted that the device components other than those focused on in the following explanation can be appropriately configured within the scope of obtaining the effects of the present disclosure, and for example, conventionally known configurations can be applied.

[0013] Although the symbol X in FIG. 2 indicates the vertical direction, as long as an inclination angle that allows the component 1 to slide down the first inclined portion 7 and the inclined surface 2a is secured, for example, if the installation surface of this device is inclined, the X direction may not be the vertical direction but may be perpendicular to the installation surface.

[0014] In Figures 1 to 3, a cylindrical part is used as part 1, and pins 4a are used that have a shape that allows the cylindrical part to be stored without rolling off. That is, Figures 1 to 3 show a cylindrical part alignment, cutting, and supplying device as the device. However, in this device, the shape of the pins can be appropriately set depending on the shape of the parts to be supplied, and these shapes are not particularly limited. In the following explanation, we will focus on cylindrical parts and pins that utilize the shape of the cylindrical parts, but the device is not limited to this embodiment.

[0015] As shown in Figures 2 and 3(a) to 3(c), this device can be used, for example, in the following manner. First, a component 1 is introduced into the device from the component introduction section 5 (component introduction process). The introduced component 1 passes through the first inclined section 7. As shown in these figures, the first inclined section 7 is positioned vertically lower (lower) than the pin 4a of the component receiving section 4, which is positioned parallel to the vertical direction X. Then, as shown in Figure 3(a), the lifting plate 2 is moved in the vertical direction X (for example, the lifting plate 2 is lowered) so that the position of the lower end of the first inclined section 7 is aligned with the position of the upper end of the inclined surface (second inclined section) 2a of the lifting plate 2. The lower end of the first inclined section 7 refers to the downstream end of the first inclined section 7 in the component conveyance direction. The upper end of the inclined surface 2a refers to the upstream end of the inclined surface 2a in the component conveyance direction. This allows the component 1 sliding down the first inclined portion 7 to land on the inclined surface 2a without falling off to other areas (first lift-up plate movement process). In this case, as long as the component 1 can land on the inclined surface 2a without falling off to other areas, the vertical positions of the lower end of the first inclined portion and the upper end of the inclined surface may be aligned, or the upper end of the inclined surface may be positioned vertically lower than the lower end of the first inclined portion. The inclination angles of the first inclined portion 7 and the inclined surface 2a relative to the horizontal plane (or the installation surface of the device) are not particularly limited and can be appropriately set from angles that allow the component 1 to slide off. Also, in FIGS. 1 to 3 (see FIG. 1(c) in particular), a V-shaped groove is formed on the inclined surface 2a of the lift-up plate 2, and this V-groove prevents the cylindrical component from falling off to areas other than the inclined surface. The shape of the groove formed on the inclined surface is not limited to a V-shape and can be appropriately set within a range that achieves the effects of the present disclosure. Next, as shown in Figure 3(b), the lift-up plate 2 moves in the vertical direction X with the component 1 placed on the inclined surface 2a. Specifically, the lift-up plate 2 rises from the vertically lower position so that the inclined surface 2a is positioned vertically above the pin 4a of the component receiving portion 4 (lift-up plate second movement step). At this time, the component 1 placed on the V-shaped groove (V-groove portion) of the lift-up plate 2 slides down along the inclined surface toward the pin 4a. Next, as shown in Fig. 3(C), the components 1 slide down the inclined surface 2a and are caught on the pins 4a. Then, the components 1a stored on the pins are supplied from the component removal unit 6 in an aligned state (component storage and supply process).

[0016] 1(a) and 2(a), the vertical movement of the lift-up plate 2 is performed by the lift-up plate movement actuator 3. The lift-up plate movement actuator 3 can raise the lift-up plate 2 from the vertical lower part (the lower part of the component supply device) to the pin 4a part of the component receiving part 4, or move (lower) it so that the lower end of the first inclined part 7 and the upper end of the inclined surface 2a are aligned.

[0017] As described above, the shape of the component 1 and the shape and arrangement of the pins 4a can be set as appropriate within the scope of obtaining the effects of the present disclosure, and for example, the following configurations can be used (see particularly Figures 1(b) and (d) and Figures 2(b) and (c)). The shape of the part 1 can be a cylindrical part with an outer diameter of 12 mm, an inner diameter of 10.5 mm, and a height of 12 mm. The shape of the pin 4a can have a gap of approximately 1 mm in the front-to-back direction (direction A in FIG. 2(c)) and a gap of approximately 1 mm in the left-to-right direction (direction B in FIG. 2(c)) relative to the width (symbol W in FIG. 2(a)) of the cylindrical part 1. The sliding portion angle of the component receiving portion 4 (angle θ1 in FIG. 2(b)) is preferably 30° to 35°. If the angle θ1 is 35° or less, it is easy to prevent two components 1 from being placed on the pins 4a at the same time. If the angle θ1 is 30° or more, it is easy to prevent the components 1 from getting caught on the pins 4a and falling. The shape of the sliding portion can also be set appropriately, and in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the lower end of the sloping sliding portion is sharply shaped. Furthermore, the height of the pins 4a (symbol H in FIG. 2(a)) is preferably 10 to 12 mm. If the pin height H is 10 mm or more, it is possible to easily prevent the component 1 from not fitting properly onto the pin 4a and rolling off. If the pin height H is 12 mm or less, it is possible to easily prevent two components 1 from fitting onto the pin 4a. From the viewpoint of storing components, it is preferable that the angle θ2 of the pin 4a is set to a right angle (90°) with respect to the inclined surface of the sliding portion. Furthermore, if the position of the pin 4a is far from the lower end of the inclined surface 2a of the lifting plate when aligned, the component 1 may not fit onto the pin 4a. Also, if the position of the pin 4a is too close to the lifting plate, it may interfere with (contact with) the plate, causing the component 1 that was seated on the pin 4a to roll off. Therefore, it is preferable to install the pin of the component receiving portion 4 at a position at least the thickness of the component 1 (+α: α can be set appropriately within the range in which the effects of the present disclosure are obtained) away from the end of the lifting plate side. In Figures 1 and 3, two device configurations each consisting of a lift-up plate 2 and a component receiving portion 4 are arranged in parallel, but the device may have one such configuration or two or more such configurations (for example, three such configurations may be arranged in parallel).

[0018] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0019] 1 part 1a Parts housed in pins 2. Kakiage Plate 2a Slope (second slope) 3. Actuator for moving the lifting plate 4 Parts holder 4a pin 5 Parts input section 6 Parts extraction section 7 First slope 10 Parts supply device X vertical direction (up and down direction)

Claims

1. a scraping plate having an inclined surface at an upper portion in the vertical direction and movable in the vertical direction; a component receiving portion disposed on a lower end side of the inclined surface and parallel to the axial direction of the lifting plate; a component removal unit for removing components; Equipped with The part has a cylindrical shape, the component receiving portion has pins capable of receiving the components one by one as they slide down the inclined surface, the component receiving portion is capable of receiving only one component, the pin is installed at a position at least a thickness of the component away from the end of the component receiving portion on the lift-up plate side, A component supply device characterized in that the component received on the pin can be supplied one by one from the component removal section.

2. the inclination angle of the inclined surface and the component receiving portion is 30° to 35°; 2. The component supply device according to claim 1, wherein the pins are disposed at right angles to the inclination angle of the component receiving portion.

3. 3. The component supply device according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surface of the lifting plate has a V-shaped groove.

Images