Parts supply device

Abstract

To provide a part supply device configured to prevent attached matters removed from a screw from scattering.SOLUTION: A part supply device 10 comprises: a chute rail 30 on which a rodlike headed part S having a head portion and a leg portion is conveyed in an aligned state; and a cleaning unit 40 that cleans the rodlike headed part S hung on the chute rail 30. A hanging groove 31 with a bottom to which the leg portion of the rodlike headed part S is loosely fitted and ventilation holes 32 crossing the hanging groove 31 are formed in the chute rail 30. The cleaning unit 40 comprises an exhausting part 41 that jets air toward the ventilation holes 32 and an air suction part 44 that suctions air from the ventilation holes 32. The exhausting part 41 and the air suction part 44 are arranged oppositely across the chute rail 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a component supply device that supplies screws to processing machines such as automatic fastening devices. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a component supply device for supplying headed rod-shaped components such as screws to processing machines such as automatic fastening devices, the one disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. This component supply device comprises a storage hopper capable of storing a large amount of screws, a guide rail member that suspends and conveys screws in a single row, and a discharge part connected to the terminal end of the guide rail member for discharging screws, and is configured to pressure-feed the screws conveyed to the discharge part to the automatic fastening device. Further, this component supply device is provided with air nozzles on both sides of the guide rail member, and is configured to eject air toward the screws passing through the guide rail. The ejected air blows off deposits such as dust adhering to the surface of the screws, as well as chips and plating residue generated during the manufacturing process, so that only cleaned screws can be supplied from the discharge part to the next process. A dust box is provided below the guide rail, and deposits blown off from the screw surfaces are configured to be collected in the dust box. Prior Art Documents Patent Documents

[0003] Patent Document 1 Japanese Patent No. 5718257 Summary of the Invention Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, conventional parts supply devices have air nozzles on both sides of the guide rail, and the compressed air ejected from these nozzles collides near the guide rail, creating turbulence in that area. As a result, debris blown off the surface of the screw is scattered into the surrounding area and may reattach to screws before or after the screw in question. In addition, because the dust box and the guide rail were separated, debris scattered from the screws could not be collected efficiently, leading to problems such as contamination of the area around the parts supply device by the scattered debris.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a parts supply device configured to prevent the scattering of adhering material removed from the screw. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a parts supply device comprising a chute rail for aligning and conveying rod-shaped parts with heads and legs, and a washing unit for washing the rod-shaped parts with heads suspended from the chute rail, wherein the chute rail has a bottomed suspension groove for loosely fitting the legs of the rod-shaped parts with heads, and ventilation holes intersecting the suspension groove, and the washing unit comprises an exhaust unit for blowing air toward the ventilation holes and an intake unit for drawing air from the ventilation holes, and the exhaust unit and the intake unit are arranged opposite each other so as to sandwich the chute rail. Preferably, a plurality of ventilation holes are formed in the longitudinal direction of the suspension groove, and the exhaust unit is configured to blow air simultaneously into a plurality of ventilation holes. Preferably, the ventilation holes are formed in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction. Preferably, the intake unit has an intake port that opens toward the chute rail, and preferably, the lower side wall portion of the intake port is located below the ventilation hole and the upper side wall portion is located above the chute rail. Preferably, the upper side wall of the intake port extends to above the exhaust port, and a closing member is provided at this tip to close the gap between it and the exhaust nozzle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the above invention, since an exhaust section for ejecting air and an intake section for drawing in air are provided so as to sandwich a chute rail having ventilation holes, the deposits removed from the screw are immediately collected by the intake section. At the same time, since the chute rail has a bottom, it is prevented that air that enters the suspension groove of the chute rail escapes to the lower side of the suspension groove. These have advantages such as preventing the deposits removed from the surface of the screw from scattering into the surroundings. In addition, since the intake section is provided near the chute rail, it has advantages such as being able to draw in sufficient air even with a relatively small amount of intake air. Furthermore, since multiple ventilation holes are formed in the longitudinal direction of the suspension groove, and the exhaust section is configured to eject air to multiple ventilation holes simultaneously, it is possible to apply air to the screw for a relatively long time, which has advantages such as being able to thoroughly remove deposits from the screw. In addition, since the ventilation holes are formed in multiple stages in the vertical direction, it has advantages such as being able to remove deposits from the entire leg of a screw, even if the leg is relatively long. Furthermore, the intake port of the intake section is configured such that its lower side wall is located below the ventilation hole and its upper side wall is located above the chute rail. This allows for the intake of not only air mixed with deposits coming out of the ventilation hole, but also air coming out from above the suspension groove, which has the advantage of making it more difficult for deposits to scatter. Moreover, the upper side wall of the intake port closes above the chute rail, and a closing member closes the space between the upper side wall and the exhaust section, which makes it difficult for air to escape to the outside of the cleaning unit, further reducing the scattering of deposits. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a right side view showing the structure of the parts supply device according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a plan view showing the structure of the parts supply device according to the present invention. [Figure 3] This is an enlarged partial cross-sectional front view showing the structure of the cleaning unit of the parts supply device according to the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In Figures 1 to 3, 10 is a parts supply device that supplies screws S, which are an example of a headed rod-shaped part, to a separately provided screw tightening machine (not shown). The parts supply device 10 of the present invention consists of an alignment unit 20 that aligns and delivers the screws S, a chute rail 30 that transports the screws S received from the supply unit 50 forward, a cleaning unit 40 that cleans the screws S while they are being transported by the chute rail 30, and a supply unit 50 that supplies the screws S received from the chute rail 30 to the next process, such as a screw tightening machine.

[0010] The alignment unit 20 has a hopper 21 configured to store a large number of screws S inside, and a scoop plate 22 that moves up and down inside the hopper 21. The hopper 21 is configured in the shape of a hollow funnel, and a rectangular hole is formed through its lowest part, through which the scoop plate 22 can pass. On the other hand, the scoop plate 22 is configured to swing around a predetermined pivot axis 23 when driven by a motor 25, and a scoop groove 24 is formed on its upper surface that is loosely fitted with the legs of the screws S, that is, it is slightly wider than the diameter of the legs of the screws S and sufficiently deep compared to the length of the legs. When the scoop plate 22 configured in this way descends inside the hopper 21, the screws S stored inside the hopper 21 fall onto the scoop plate 22, and some of the fallen screws S have their legs loosely fitted into the scoop groove 24. Therefore, when the scoop plate 22 rises, the loosely fitted screw S also rises with it, and as shown in Figure 1, it slides down the upper surface of the scoop plate 22 when it reaches top dead center and is handed over to the chute rail 30. The scoop plate 22 is designed so that at its top dead center, the end of its upper surface on the side of the central axis is slightly above the upper surface of the chute rail 30.

[0011] The chute rail 30 is a long member extending in the front-rear direction and fixed to the vibration drive source 33. A bottomed suspension groove 31 extending with a uniform width in the longitudinal direction is notched into its upper surface. Similar to the scoop groove 24 of the scoop plate 22, the suspension groove 31 is configured to allow the legs of screws S to be loosely fitted. The rear end of the chute rail 30 penetrates the hopper 21, while the front end penetrates the supply unit 50, which will be described later. It is configured to receive the drive from the vibration drive source 33 and supply the screws S received from the hopper 21 to the supply unit 50. The chute rail 30 also has a plurality of ventilation holes 32 that penetrate in a direction perpendicular to the scoop groove 24. These ventilation holes 32 are formed symmetrically with respect to the scoop groove 24 as the axis of symmetry, and in this embodiment, they are formed in two stages, upper and lower, at equal intervals in the front-rear direction and alternating between upper and lower. Furthermore, a regulating member 34 is provided above the chute rail 30, extending parallel to the chute rail 30. The restricting member 34 is positioned such that there is a slight gap between it and the top surface of the head of the screw S suspended from the chute rail 30. This gap is shorter than the length of the leg of the screw S, and is set so that the top surface of the head of the screw S and the restricting member 34 come into contact before the leg of the screw S disengages from the rake groove 24.

[0012] As shown in Figure 3, the cleaning unit 40 consists of an exhaust section 41 and an intake section 44, which are positioned opposite each other on either side of the portion of the chute rail 30 where the ventilation holes 32 are formed. The exhaust section 41 of the cleaning unit 40 includes a connecting joint 42 to which an exhaust hose 61 connected to an external exhaust means (not shown), such as an external compressor, is attached, and an exhaust nozzle 43 mounted on the tip of this connecting joint 42. This exhaust nozzle 43 is positioned to discharge air toward the ventilation holes 32 of the chute rail 30. In this embodiment, the exhaust nozzle 43 is sized to discharge air toward multiple ventilation holes 32 in the front-rear direction, as well as toward the upper and lower ventilation holes 32.

[0013] On the other hand, the intake section 44 consists of a connection section 45 to which an intake hose 62, which is continuous with an external intake means (not shown), such as a vacuum pump, is connected, and an intake port 46 continuous with this connection section 45. This intake port 46 is configured in a substantially funnel shape that opens toward the chute rail 30. This intake port 46 is configured to be larger in the front-rear direction than the exhaust nozzle 43, with its lower side wall 461 located below the lower ventilation hole 32 and its upper side wall 462 located above the regulating member 34. Furthermore, the tip of the upper side wall 462 of the intake port 46 passes above the regulating member 34 and extends above the exhaust nozzle 43, and a closing member 47 is provided at the tip of the upper side wall 462 to close the gap between it and the exhaust nozzle 43. The closing member 47 is configured in a U-shape in plan view to close off the area around the exhaust nozzle 43, and has a lateral closing portion 471 that closes the ventilation holes 32 in front of and behind the exhaust nozzle 43. The amount of air drawn in by the air supply means is set to be greater than or equal to the exhaust amount of the discharge means, and is configured to draw in air through the gaps between the covering portion and various parts such as the chute rail 30. In addition, a filter (not shown) capable of collecting deposits from the drawn-in air is provided in the middle of the intake hose 62, and is configured so that deposits do not reach the intake means.

[0014] As shown in Figure 2, the supply unit 50 is continuous with the rear end of the chute rail 30 and includes a separation member 51 that separates the frontmost screws S that have been transported to the chute rail 30 one by one, and a supply mechanism that supplies the screws S separated by the separation member 51 to a predetermined supply position (not shown).

[0015] Furthermore, the parts supply device 10 is equipped with a control unit that controls the operation of the alignment unit 20, the cleaning unit 40, and the supply unit 50. This control unit is configured to determine the number of screws S suspended from the chute rail 30 by receiving signals from sensors (not shown) appropriately placed on the chute rail 30. When screws S are present on the chute rail 30, the control unit drives the cleaning unit 40 and the supply unit 50, and when the number of screws S falls below a predetermined number, it drives the alignment unit 20.

[0016] Next, the operation of the parts supply device 10 configured as described above will be explained. When a drive signal is input, the parts supply device 10 drives the motor 25 and the vibration drive source 33 to raise and lower the scoop plate 22 within the hopper 21 and vibrate the chute rail 30. As a result, the screws S stored in the hopper 21 are scooped up by the scoop plate 22 to the chute rail 30 and then slide down the scoop plate 22 to be transferred to the chute rail 30. The screws S transferred to the chute rail 30 are then moved toward the supply unit 50 in front by the vibration of the chute rail 30.

[0017] Furthermore, when the drive signal is input, the parts supply device 10 also drives the exhaust means and the intake means. As a result, air sprayed from the exhaust nozzle 43 enters the suspension groove 31 through the vent hole 32, and the air in the suspension groove 31 is sucked in by the intake unit 44, causing a strong airflow within the suspension groove 31 from the exhaust nozzle 43 side to the intake unit 44 side. As a result, when the screw S suspended from the chute rail 30 reaches the cleaning unit 40, the airflow removes any attached materials such as metal shavings and dust from its surface. In addition, since a regulating member 34 is provided above the chute rail 30, even if an upward force is applied to the screw S by the airflow within the suspension groove 31, the screw S is prevented from coming off the chute rail 30.

[0018] As described above, when removing deposits, a plurality of vent holes 32 are formed in the chute rail 30, and air passes forcefully through the vent holes 32. Therefore, the intensity of the air hitting the screw S varies between the portion located on the extension line of the vent holes 32 and the portion not located on said extension line. Such variation in the intensity of the air hitting the screw S enables efficient removal of deposits from the surface of the screw S. Furthermore, since the vent holes 32 are formed in a plurality of stages, air hits the entire leg portion of the screw S, thus enabling removal of deposits from the entire leg portion.

[0019] Furthermore, as described above, the exhaust nozzle 43 and the suction part 44 are arranged opposite each other with the chute rail 30 interposed therebetween. Since the deposits are sucked by the suction part 44 immediately after being removed from the surface of the screw S, they do not scatter to the surroundings. Moreover, since the periphery of the chute rail 30 is closed by the upper side wall part 462 of the suction port 46 of the suction part 44 and the closing member 47, air that has entered the rake groove 24 is less likely to escape in directions other than toward the suction part 44. Therefore, scattering of deposits together with the air that has entered the rake groove 24 can be prevented, and contamination of the area around the cleaning unit 40 can be further prevented.

[0020] As described above, only the screws S that have been cleaned by the cleaning unit 40 and had surface deposits removed are supplied to the supply unit 50. Therefore, the screws S can be fastened by a screw S fastening machine that fastens the screws S to a workpiece that may suffer defects caused by dust or cutting chips from electronic substrates or the like.

[0021] It should be noted that the component supply device 10 according to the present invention is not limited to the one described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the supply unit 50 and the discharge unit are not limited to those described above, and may have other conventionally known configurations as long as they can be connected to the chute rail 30. Further, in the above embodiment, the vent holes 32 are configured in two upper and lower stages, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and there is no problem even if they are configured in one stage or three or more stages. Similarly, the shape and size of the vent holes can be appropriately adjusted according to the screws used. Furthermore, the discharge means is not limited to the compressor described above, and may have a structure that discharges ion-containing air or heated air such as a static elimination blower or a dryer. By modifying the discharge means in this manner, it is also possible to eliminate static electricity from the screws, and remove moisture and oil from the screw surfaces, etc.

[0022] Furthermore, as described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 56-51714, when a screw S that is not loosely fitted in the scooping groove 24 is supplied from the scooping plate 22 to the chute rail 30, there is no problem even if an exclusion mechanism is provided to exclude the screw S from above the chute rail 30 to the hopper 21 side.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0023] 10 … Component supply device 20 … Alignment unit 21 … Hopper 22 … Scooping plate 23 … Swing shaft 24 … Scooping groove 25 … Rotary drive source 30 … Chute rail 31 … Suspension groove 32 … Vent hole 33 … Vibration drive source 34 … Regulating member 40 … Cleaning unit 41 … Exhaust section 42 … Connection joint 43 … Exhaust nozzle 44 … Intake section 45 … Connection section 46… Air intake 461 … Lower wall part 462 … Upper wall part 47 ... Closing member 471 … Lateral closure part 50 ... Supply Unit 51 ... Separation member 61… Exhaust hose 62… Intake hose S... screw

Claims

1. A parts supply device comprising a chute rail for aligning and transporting rod-shaped parts with heads and legs, and a washing unit for washing the rod-shaped parts with heads suspended from the chute rail, The aforementioned chute rail has a bottomed suspension groove into which the legs of a rod-shaped component with a head are loosely fitted, and ventilation holes that intersect this suspension groove. The cleaning unit is a parts supply device characterized by comprising an exhaust unit that ejects air toward the vent hole and an intake unit that draws air from the vent hole, wherein the exhaust unit and the intake unit are arranged opposite each other so as to sandwich the chute rail.

2. The component supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of ventilation holes are formed in the longitudinal direction of the suspension groove, and the exhaust section is configured to simultaneously eject air into the plurality of ventilation holes.

3. The component supply device according to claim 2, characterized in that the ventilation holes are formed in multiple stages in the vertical direction.

4. The component supply device according to Claim 1, wherein the intake section has an intake port that opens toward the chute rail, and the intake port is configured such that its lower side wall is located below the ventilation hole and its upper side wall is located above the chute rail.

5. The component supply device according to claim 4, characterized in that the tip of the upper side wall of the intake port extends to above the exhaust port, and a closing member is provided at the tip to close the gap between it and the exhaust nozzle.

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