Screw replenishment device

Abstract

To reduce the workload of replenishing screws to the screw supply device. [Solution] The screw supply device for supplying screws to the stocker of a screw supply device comprises a screw housing section having multiple compartments capable of accommodating multiple screws, a bottom member that rotatably supports the screw housing section and has an opening that allows screws housed in the compartments to pass through, and a support member that defines the supply position for supplying screws to the stocker of the screw supply device and has a discharge port that communicates with the opening. When the screw housing section is rotated and one of the multiple compartments is positioned in the opening, the screws housed in the compartment are supplied to the stocker through the opening and the discharge port.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a screw replenishing device for replenishing screws to a screw feeding device.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, a screw feeding device is a device having a function of unwinding a large number of screws collectively input into a stocker (screw storage section) by vibration or rotation so that the screws do not overlap or jam, aligning them all in the same direction, and feeding them out. The replenishment of screws to the stocker of the screw feeding device is, for example, the responsibility of the administrator of the line where the screw feeding device is installed. The administrator needs to replenish the screws, for example, 24 times a day, and also needs to work while confirming with two people to avoid mistakes in the number and type of screws to be replenished during replenishment. For this reason, there has been a situation where the work burden on the administrator for replenishing screws is large.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] Conventionally, the replenishment of screws to the screw feeding device has required frequent replenishment work by the administrator, and the burden on the administrator has been large, such as working while confirming with two people to avoid the risk of misidentifying the screws to be replenished.

[0004] It is desired to reduce the work burden of replenishing screws to the screw feeding device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The screw supply device in this embodiment is a screw supply device for supplying screws to a stocker of a screw supply device, comprising: a screw housing section having a plurality of compartments capable of accommodating a plurality of screws; a bottom member that rotatably supports the screw housing section and has an opening through which screws housed in the compartments can pass; and a support member that defines a supply position for supplying screws to the stocker of the screw supply device and has a discharge port communicating with the opening, wherein the screw housing section is rotated so that one of the plurality of compartments is positioned in the opening, and the screws housed in the compartment are supplied to the stocker through the opening and the discharge port. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0006] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the screw supply device according to this embodiment attached to a screw supply device. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the procedure for mounting the screw supply device shown in Figure 1 onto the screw supply device. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the screw supply device of Figure 1 with screws housed inside. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the screw supply device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the rotation operation of the storage container during screw replenishment in this embodiment. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a modified version of the storage container in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. The screw supply device according to this embodiment is a device (jig) for supplying screws to the stocker of a screw supply device. The screw supply device according to this embodiment is mounted, for example, in the stocker opening of a screw supply device installed along an assembly line. The screw supply device according to this embodiment has a structure that allows it to be attached to and detached from the stocker opening of the screw supply device.

[0008] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the screw replenishment device 5 according to this embodiment placed on the upper part of the stocker opening of the screw supply device 1, Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the attachment of the screw replenishment device 5 to the screw supply device 1, Figure 3 is a diagram showing the screw replenishment device 5 with screws stored inside, and Figure 4 is an exploded view of the screw replenishment device 5.

[0009] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the screw supply device 5 of this embodiment includes a support plate (support member) 10, a bottom member 12, a storage container (screw housing section) 14, and a lid member 16.

[0010] The support plate 10 is a generally flat plate-shaped member that covers the opening of the stocker 2, which is located on the upper part of the screw supply device 1. The support plate 10 has locking parts 11, which are protrusions such as claws, on the lower end of the support plate 10 so as to engage with the locking parts 3, which are recesses provided on two opposing edges of the opening of the stocker 2. When the support plate 10 is placed on the opening of the stocker 2, the locking parts 11 of the support plate 10 engage with the locking parts 3 of the stocker 2, thereby positioning the support plate 10 on the stocker 2. The support plate 10 supports the bottom member 12, to which the storage container 14 is attached, on the upper part of the screw supply device 1. The storage container 14 is a cylindrical container, and the bottom member 12 is a short cylindrical member with a bottom. When the storage container 14 is inserted into the bottom member 12, the two work together to function as a container body that houses and holds screws.

[0011] The support plate 10 is provided with an outlet 101 that defines the supply position for supplying screws to the stocker 2 of the screw supply device 1. The outlet 101 is an opening provided so that screws that have passed through the bottom member 12 fall into the stocker 2, and is provided in a shape that fits within the opening range of the stocker 2, for example, in a roughly fan shape or roughly triangular shape. An opening guide frame 102 is provided around the opening of the outlet 101 by rising in a direction perpendicular to the plate surface. When the bottom member 12 is placed on the support plate 10, the outlet 101 communicates with the discharge opening 124 provided in the bottom member 12 by the opening guide frame 102 engaging with the discharge opening 124 provided in the bottom member 12. In addition, the bottom member 12 placed on the support plate 10 is held in place by the opening guide frame 102 locking with the discharge opening 124 of the bottom member 12.

[0012] The support plate 10 is provided according to the opening of the stocker 2 of the screw supply device 1. Therefore, even for other screw supply devices with different shapes (sizes, etc.) of openings in the stocker 2, the bottom member 12, storage container 14, and lid member 16 can be standardized by replacing the support plate with one configured to match the shape and size of the respective opening.

[0013] The bottom member 12 rotatably supports the storage container 14 and, as shown in Figure 4, has an opening 124 that allows a screw housed in a compartment of the storage container 14 to pass through. The bottom member 12 has a cylindrical side portion 121 having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cylindrical bottom of the storage container 14, and a flat bottom portion 122. The bottom member 12 holds the outer circumference of the storage container 14 by the side portion 121 when the storage container 14 is placed on the bottom portion 122. Since the storage container 14 is placed on the bottom member 12 (bottom portion 122), it can be rotated circumferentially on the bottom member 12 by, for example, manual operation. The inside of the side portion 121 is provided with a recess or protrusion for locking, and the outer circumference of the storage container 14 is provided with a protrusion or recess that engages with the recess or protrusion, so that the storage container 14 is locked with a click at each rotation position corresponding to each compartment.

[0014] A bearing hole 123 is provided in the center of the bottom portion 122 into which a projection provided on the storage container 14 is inserted. The bottom portion 122 is also provided with a discharge opening 124 that allows a screw housed in a compartment of the storage container 14 to pass through. The discharge opening 124 is provided, for example, in a roughly fan shape or a roughly triangular shape, and is similar in shape to the discharge port 101 of the support plate 10, and the opening guide frame 102 of the support plate 10 is provided to engage with the discharge opening 124. As shown in Figure 4, when the discharge opening 124 is formed in a roughly fan shape, for example, the central angle of the fan is positioned near the bearing hole 123, and the arc is formed along the side portion 121.

[0015] A guide slit 126 is provided parallel to the bottom surface 122, aligned with the position of the discharge opening 124 on the side surface 121, allowing the gate member 125 to be inserted and removed. The gate member 125 is a member for opening and closing the discharge opening 124 and is detachably attached to the bottom surface 12 through the guide slit 126. The gate member 125 has a plate-shaped member that matches the shape of the discharge opening 124, and the discharge opening 124 is closed by inserting the plate-shaped member through the guide slit 126. A slide guide 127 is provided on the inner circumferential surface of the discharge opening 124. The slide guide 127 guides the plate-shaped member of the gate member 125, inserted through the guide slit 126, to the correct position parallel to the bottom surface 122, and holds the gate member 125 in the position that closes the discharge opening 124.

[0016] The storage container 14 is a screw storage section having multiple compartments capable of accommodating multiple screws. The storage container 14 is provided with a cylindrical outer peripheral member 141, a rotating support part 142 located in the center of the cylinder, and multiple partition ribs 143 that divide the internal space of the outer peripheral member 141 into multiple compartments in the circumferential direction. The bottom of the rotating support part 142 is provided with a projection (not shown) that is inserted into a bearing hole 123 of the bottom member 12 when the storage container 14 is placed on the bottom member 12. When the projection is inserted into the bearing hole 123, the position of the storage container 14 placed on the bottom member 12 is rotatably maintained, and the storage container 14 is stably rotated circumferentially when a rotational operation is performed on the storage container 14. The partition ribs 143 are flat plates arranged radially from the rotating support part 142 in the internal center of the outer peripheral member 141 to the outer peripheral member 141. The examples shown in Figures 3 and 4 illustrate an example in which four partition ribs 143 are provided to divide the internal space of the storage container 14 into four equal parts in the circumferential direction.

[0017] Each compartment separated by the partition rib 143 does not have a bottom surface to receive the screws to be stored in it, and the screws can be stored by placing the storage container 14 on the bottom member 12. Each compartment separated by the partition rib 143 has a volume capable of accommodating multiple screws to be supplied to the screw supply device 1 at one time. In other words, the multiple compartments enable repeated quantitative replenishment to the screw supply device 1. Therefore, in the configuration example shown in Figures 3 and 4, four sets of screws can be prepared in advance. The shape of the surface parallel to the bottom surface 122 of each compartment is roughly fan-shaped, and the size of the roughly fan-shaped area of ​​one compartment is equal to or larger than the size of the discharge opening 124 (discharge port 101). That is, the discharge opening 124 (discharge port 101) communicates with only one of the multiple compartments, and the screws stored in one compartment can be supplied to the screw supply device 1.

[0018] The lid member 16 is a lid that covers the upper surface of the storage container 14. A knob 161 for an operator to grip during opening and closing is provided at the center of the lid member 16. The lid member 16 is provided with, for example, a transparent member, so that screws stored in the storage container 14 with the lid on and the rotational position during rotational operation with respect to the storage container 14 can be easily visually confirmed.

[0019] Each part constituting the screw replenishing device 5 in the present embodiment has a simple structure and can be formed of, for example, plastic, so that it can be manufactured at low cost. Further, since it is sized to be placed on the screw supply device 1, little installation space is required.

[0020] Next, the usage method and operation and effect of the screw replenishing device 5 in the present embodiment will be described. [[ID=I0]]When storing screws in the storage container 14, the gate member 125 is attached to the bottom member 12 to close the discharge opening 124. Thereby, when the storage container 14 is placed on the bottom member 12, screws can be stored in the section of the storage container 14 corresponding to the discharge opening 124.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the support plate 10 is installed above the stocker 2 of the screw supply device 1, and further, the bottom member 12 is placed on the support plate 10 such that the discharge opening 124 of the bottom member 12 engages with the opening guide frame 102 of the support plate 10. The storage container 14 is placed on the bottom member 12. Thereby, the storage container 14 is placed on the bottom member 12 in a state where it can rotate in the circumferential direction.

[0022] When storing screws in the screw replenishing device 5, the number of screws to be replenished at one time with respect to the screw supply device 1 is stored in each of a plurality of sections (four sections in the configurations of FIGS. 3 and 4) provided in the storage container 14. FIG. 3 shows a state in which screws are stored in three sections of the screw replenishing device 5. Even in the section including the range of the discharge opening 124, since it is closed by the gate member 125, screws can be stored.

[0023] At this time, the line manager may perform the work while having two people confirm in order to avoid the risk of mistakes in the number and type of screws to be replenished when replenishing the screw supply device 1. In the screw replenishing device 5 in the present embodiment, since it is possible to confirm the screws to be replenished four times to the screw supply device 1 during one operation of storing the screws in the storage container 14, the burden on the administrator for the confirmation work can be reduced. For example, when it is necessary to replenish the screw supply device 1 24 times a day, the confirmation work in a two-person system can be reduced to six times.

[0024] After storing the screws in each section of the storage container 14, when replenishing the screws to the screw supply device 1, the screws are replenished by manually operating the screw replenishing device 5. As shown in FIG. 1, in the state where the screw replenishing device 5 is placed on the screw supply device 1, at the first replenishment, the gate member 125 is extracted from the bottom member 12. As a result, the discharge opening 124 of the bottom member 12 becomes open, the section including the range of the discharge opening 124 and the discharge opening 124 and the discharge port 101 communicate with each other, and the screws stored in the section fall onto the stocker 2 of the screw supply device 1. In the configuration of the present embodiment, since one section is wider than the area of the discharge opening 124, a part of the screws stored in the section may remain on the bottom surface portion 122 and not fall. In this case, the administrator manually rotates the storage container 14 within the range until the partition rib 143 of the section to be replenished reaches the end of the discharge opening 124. Since the storage container 14 can be rotated in a state of being placed on the bottom member 12, it can be arbitrarily rotated manually in either the clockwise / counterclockwise direction. As a result, the screws remaining on the bottom surface portion 122 can be made to reach the discharge opening 124 and fall onto the stocker 2 of the screw supply device 1.

[0025] During the next replenishment, the manager rotates the storage container 14 so that the partition rib 143 of the next adjacent compartment containing the screw reaches the discharge opening 124. That is, if the rotation stopped at the position where the partition rib 143 reached the end of the discharge opening 124 during the previous replenishment, the storage container 14 is rotated by a predetermined angle until the entire compartment containing the next screw passes through the discharge opening 124 and the next partition rib 143 reaches the end of the discharge opening 124. In this embodiment, since the storage container 14 is divided into four compartments, it is rotated by 90 degrees.

[0026] As shown in Figure 5, by rotating the storage container 14 in the direction of the arrow, the screws contained in the compartment are pushed toward the discharge opening 124 by the partition rib 143 and sequentially fall from the discharge opening 124 into the stocker 2 of the screw supply device 1.

[0027] Similarly, at each replenishment, the storage container 14 is rotated by a predetermined angle through manual operation, allowing multiple screws contained in each section to be sequentially supplied to the screw supply device 1. In other words, since screws can be supplied quantitatively on a section-by-section basis, variations in the supply amount can be suppressed.

[0028] The screws stored in each compartment of the storage container 14 have been checked by two people in terms of number and type at the time of storage. Therefore, when replenishing the screw supply device 1, the worker does not need to perform a check and there is no risk of mistaking screws. The worker only needs to rotate the storage container 14 for one compartment to replenish the screw supply device 1. Thus, the worker's work can be simplified and the burden on the worker can be greatly reduced, and the work time during replenishment can be shortened.

[0029] In this way, the screw supply device 5 of this embodiment realizes pre-quantitative replenishment by section, quantitative and sequential supply by manual rotation, and direct replenishment to the screw supply device. This embodiment allows for quantitative replenishment of screws in section units in conjunction with the rotation operation, which is fundamentally different in technical concept from controlling the flow rate when transferring and discharging screws.

[0030] This system reduces the burden on administrators and enables accurate supply of screws to the screw supply device. Specifically, it includes a storage container 14 that houses screws in multiple compartments, and by rotating the storage container 14 by a predetermined angle corresponding to one compartment, the screws stored in each compartment can be sequentially supplied to the screw supply device 1. This eliminates the need to check the number and type of screws each time screws are supplied, thus reducing the chance of mis-inserting screws. Furthermore, since screws for multiple replenishments can be stored in the storage container 14 in advance, the number of screw replenishment operations can be reduced, thereby easing the burden on administrators. Moreover, because of its simple structure, it can be manufactured inexpensively and easily installed on existing screw supply devices 1.

[0031] The following describes some modified versions of the screw supply device 5 in this embodiment.

[0032] In the above explanation, the storage container 14 was configured to have four compartments, but the number of compartments can be changed arbitrarily. Figure 6 shows an example in which the storage container 14 shown in Figures 1 to 4 has twice the number of compartments (eight compartments) and the height of the outer peripheral member and partition ribs is doubled. The storage container 24 shown in Figure 6 has a cylindrical outer peripheral member 241, a rotating support part 242 in the center of the cylinder, and eight partition ribs 243 that divide the internal space of the outer peripheral member 241 into eight compartments in the circumferential direction. In this case, the size of the discharge port 101 provided on the support plate 10 is formed to be smaller than the area of ​​the bottom of one compartment of the storage container 24.

[0033] By dividing the storage container 24 into eight sections, for example, if screws need to be replenished to the screw supply device 1 24 times a day, the verification process when screws are placed in the screw supply device 5 can be reduced to three times, further reducing the burden on the administrator.

[0034] Furthermore, if the number of compartments is doubled, the number of screws that can be accommodated in one compartment will be halved if the heights of the outer peripheral member 141 and partition rib 143 shown in Figures 1 to 4 remain the same. Therefore, in order to ensure that the same number of screws can be accommodated in one compartment, the heights of the outer peripheral member 241 and partition rib 243 are increased to twice the heights of the outer peripheral member 141 and partition rib 143, as shown in Figure 6. In addition, to accommodate variations in screw size and the number of screws supplied to the screw supply device 1 at one time, multiple storage containers (for example, storage container 14 and storage container 24) with different numbers of compartments or heights of outer peripheral members can be prepared, and the storage container can be easily selected and used when changing the screws being handled.

[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the internal space of the storage containers 14 and 24 is divided into multiple compartments at equal intervals, but it is not necessary to divide them at equal intervals. That is, each compartment only needs to be able to accommodate the number of screws to be supplied to the screw supply device 1 in one batch. For example, if the number of screws supplied to the screw supply device 1 is not constant, compartments of different capacities, each corresponding to the number of screws supplied at the time, can be provided.

[0036] Furthermore, although the outer peripheral members 141 and 241 of the aforementioned storage containers 14 and 24 are configured in a cylindrical shape, they may also be rectangular tubes with a hexagonal polygonal cross-section, for example. When the storage container is rectangular tubes with a polygonal cross-section, the rotation angle of the storage container becomes easier to see. When placed on the bottom surface 122 of the bottom member 12, the storage container is held by the side surface 121 of the bottom member 12, and the projection provided on the rotation support part of the storage container is inserted into the bearing hole 123 of the bottom member 12, allowing it to rotate circumferentially in a stable manner. The partition ribs that divide the internal space of the outer peripheral member into multiple sections are, for example, arranged radially at equal intervals from the rotation support part to the vertices of the polygonal outer circumference.

[0037] Furthermore, as described above, when replenishing screws to the screw supply device 1, the storage container 14 is rotated manually while visually checking, and stopped when the screws for one section have been replenished, that is, when the partition rib 143 reaches the discharge opening 124. However, a rotation restriction mechanism may be provided to determine the position at which rotation stops. For example, a projection can be formed on the outer peripheral member 141 of the storage container 14 to match the position where the partition rib 143 is provided, and a locking part can be provided at the position where the discharge opening 124 of the bottom member 12 is provided (the position where the partition rib 143 reaches the discharge opening 124) to engage with the projection of the storage container 14. This allows the operator to recognize when the projection has reached the locking part not only by visual confirmation but also by touch, and stop the rotation operation of the storage container 14. Thus, it is possible to avoid the operational error of rotating the storage container 14 to the next section and supplying screws to the screw supply device 1 in excess. The protrusion and locking part are configured so that the locking is released by rotating the storage container 14 with a little force, so as not to hinder the rotation of the storage container 14. The configuration of the rotation restricting mechanism may be other than the configuration with the protrusion and locking part described above.

[0038] Furthermore, although this embodiment describes a screw supply device 5 that supplies screws, it is also possible to configure it as a device that supplies other components besides screws. For example, instead of screws, it is possible to configure it as a component supply device that supplies bolts, nuts, pins, and other components to other devices.

[0039] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0040] 1...Screw supply device, 5...Screw replenishment device, 2...Stocker, 3...Locking part, 10...Support plate, 101...Discharge port, 102...Opening guide frame, 12...Bottom member, 121...Side part, 122...Bottom surface part, 123...Bearing hole, 124...Discharge opening, 125...Gate member, 126...Guide slit, 127...Slide guide, 14...Storage container, 141,241...Outer peripheral member, 142,242...Rotating support part, 143,243...Partition rib, 16...Lid member, 161...Knob.

Claims

1. A screw supply device for supplying screws to the stocker of a screw supply device, A screw housing section having multiple compartments capable of accommodating multiple screws, A bottom member that rotatably supports the screw housing section and has an opening that allows the screw housed in the section to pass through, The screw supply device includes a support member having a discharge port that communicates with the opening, which defines a supply position for supplying the screws to the stocker of the screw supply device, A screw supply device, wherein the screw housing section is rotated so that one of the plurality of compartments is positioned in the opening, and the screws housed in the compartment are supplied to the stocker through the opening and the discharge port.

2. The screw housing is a cylindrical container, The screw supply device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of compartments are provided in the circumferential direction of the container.

3. The screw housing is a cylindrical container, The screw supply device according to claim 1, wherein four compartments are provided in the circumferential direction of the container.

4. The screw supply device according to claim 1, wherein the opening provided in the bottom member is fan-shaped.

5. The screw supply device according to claim 1 or claim 4, wherein the bottom member has an opening / closing member for opening and closing the opening.

6. The screw supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a rotation regulating mechanism that determines the rotational position of the screw housing portion.

7. The screw housing portion is a rectangular tubular container having a polygonal cross-section. The screw supply device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of compartments are provided in the circumferential direction of the container.

8. The screw supply device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of compartments are arranged at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction.

9. A screw supply device for supplying screws to the stocker of a screw supply device, A first screw housing section having multiple compartments capable of accommodating multiple screws, The first screw housing is a second screw housing which differs from the second screw housing in at least one of the number of compartments and height, A bottom member that rotatably supports either the first screw housing portion or the second screw housing portion and has an opening formed therein that allows screws housed in the compartment to pass through, The screw supply device comprises a support member having a discharge port that communicates with the opening, which defines a supply position for supplying screws to the stocker of the screw supply device, A screw supply device in which the first screw housing portion or the second screw housing portion is rotated so that one of the plurality of compartments is positioned in the opening, and screws housed in the compartment are supplied to the stocker through the opening and the discharge port.

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