JPH0349852B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A. Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an apparatus for taking out large-sized work pieces stacked in bulk one by one and automatically feeding them to a predetermined position.

B. Prior Art In order to automatically supply workpieces one by one to an assembly line or the like, a ball feeder is generally used, or a configuration is used in which the workpieces are stored in a magazine in an aligned state and the workpieces are cut out one by one from the magazine.

Let us now consider a case in which comparatively large workpieces, for example rectangular frame-shaped workpieces 1 as shown in FIG. 1, are supplied one by one to an assembly line. Note that the above work 1
Usually, as shown in FIG. 2, the materials are packed in bulk in containers such as cardboard boxes and transported to the assembly process.

Since the ball feeder is mainly used for aligning and feeding small parts, it is not suitable for use with the large workpiece 1 described above. In addition, in the case of using a magazine, it takes time to align and store the workpieces in the magazine, and in particular, workpieces with uneven thickness, such as workpiece 1 shown in Figure 1, tend to tilt when stacked. This method cannot be used if the corners of the workpiece 1 tend to unnecessarily fit into the lower workpiece 1 and are difficult to align.

C. Purpose of the Invention The present invention comprises a device that takes out large workpieces stacked in bulk one by one while correcting their posture and automatically feeds them to a predetermined position, with a simple mechanism. The aim is to make it easy to do in a short amount of time.

D. Structure of the Invention The present invention provides a supply table on which bulk workpieces are placed and moved, a presser plate that corrects the posture of the workpieces by contacting the take-out side of the workpieces sent by the movement of the supply table, and a presser plate that corrects the posture of the workpieces. a first drive mechanism that moves the plate between a correction position and a retracted position; a chuck mechanism that chucks the workpiece whose posture has been corrected; and a second drive mechanism that moves the chuck mechanism in the direction of movement of the supply table; a third drive mechanism that moves the second drive mechanism in a direction intersecting the moving direction of the second drive mechanism; The first drive mechanism moves the holding plate away from the workpiece, and the second drive mechanism and third drive mechanism are moved in this order to take out the workpiece chucked by the chuck mechanism from the supply stand. be.

E. Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 3 to 5.
Reference numeral 2 denotes a supply table on which rectangular frame-shaped works 1, 1... are placed and moved in the vertical direction.
is loaded in bulk, guided by four guides 3, 3, etc., as shown in Figure 6, that is, in the horizontal direction.
Items that have been flipped 180 degrees are stacked together. 4 is a support frame; 5 is a holding plate that comes into contact with the take-out side of the workpiece 1 sent by the movement of the supply table 2 and corrects the posture of the workpiece 1 horizontally; and 6 is a holding plate that corrects the holding plate 5. A first cylinder 7, which is a first driving mechanism that moves the workpiece 1 up and down between position A and retracted position B, moves the workpiece 1 whose posture has been corrected by means of claws 7a and 7, which are opened and closed by high-pressure air.
8 is a second cylinder that is a second drive mechanism that moves the chuck mechanism 7 in the moving direction of the supply table 2, that is, in the vertical direction; 9 is a second cylinder that is a second drive mechanism that moves the chuck mechanism 7 in the vertical direction; The third cylinders 10a and 10b, which are third drive mechanisms that move in the direction crossing the moving direction of the cylinders, that is, in the horizontal direction, correct the uppermost part of the workpiece 1 pushed up by the supply table 2. This is a photoelectric switch that detects when position A has been reached by emitting and receiving light from an oblique direction.

The operation of the above-mentioned component device is as follows.

When a workpiece 1 as shown in Fig. 1 is delivered packed in a cardboard box in the state shown in Fig. 2, the worker must check the front and back orientation and the vertical and horizontal orientation of the workpiece. Check if there is any problem, correct the inversion of the direction, and drop the workpieces 1, 1... into the four guides 3, 3... in the same posture and store them. At this time, some of the works 1, 1, etc. are inverted by 180 degrees in the horizontal direction. When the works 1, 1, ... are thus supplied onto the supply table 2, the above-mentioned device feeds the works 1 one by one to the assembly line 11 while correcting their horizontal posture in the procedure shown in Fig. 7. do.

First, the first cylinder 6 is extended, and the pressing plate 5 is lowered to the correction position A, where it is kept on standby. In this state, the supply stand 2 is raised. When the workpiece 1 at the top rises and reaches the correction position A, the photoelectric switches 10a and 10b detect it. This detection is performed when a plurality of light source switches, for example, two light source switches installed at different positions, detect that the workpiece 1 and the holding plate 5 are in contact with each other,
As a result of this detection, the raising of the supply table 2 is stopped.
At this time, the upper edge 1a of the workpiece 1 located at the top is entirely in close contact with the lower surface of the holding plate 5, and the posture of the workpiece 1 is corrected in the horizontal direction at position A. That is, when the supply table 2 is raised, only the uppermost work 1 makes elastic contact with the holding plate 5 when the supply table 2 is raised. is forced into a horizontal state. Next, the second cylinder 8 is extended to lower the chuck mechanism 7. At this time, the claws 7a and 7b are open.
When the claws 7a, 7b reach the correction position A, the second cylinder 8 is stopped, and one side of the workpiece 1 is gripped by the claws 7a, 7b. After that, in order to separate the uppermost workpiece 1 from the other workpieces at the chuck position, the supply table 2 is lowered to its original position.
Also, the first cylinder 6 is reduced and the presser plate 5 is
to the retracted position B. Here, the second cylinder 8 is contracted and the chuck mechanism 7 is raised,
The workpiece 1 chucked by the chuck mechanism 7 is stopped at a position where the upper edge 1a of the workpiece 1 contacts the lower surface of the holding plate 5. In this state, when the third cylinder 9 is extended, the second cylinder 8 and the chuck mechanism 7 move in the horizontal direction. At the beginning of this horizontal movement, if the workpiece 1 is configured so that the upper edge 1a of the workpiece comes into contact with the lower surface of the holding plate 5 and slides as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7
Even when the upper edge comes into contact with the holding plate when rising,
At position B, it is also possible to correct the workpiece in the horizontal direction.
The extension operation of the third cylinder 9 moves the workpiece 1 to position C.
This will be done until it is sent to. When the workpiece 1 reaches position C, the second cylinder 8 is extended to move the workpiece 1 to position D on the assembly line 11. here,
Open the claws 7a and 7b of the chuck mechanism 7 and remove the workpiece 1.
is separated from the chuck mechanism 7 and placed on the assembly line 11. After this, the second cylinder 8 is contracted,
Subsequently, the third cylinder 9 is contracted to return the chuck mechanism 7 to position B. In this way, one work supply operation is completed. To send the second and subsequent works 1, the above series of operations may be repeated.

In the above embodiment, the works 1, 1... were stacked vertically on the supply table 2, but the works 1, 1... were stacked vertically on the supply table 2.
It is also possible to have a configuration in which 1... are stacked horizontally on a supply stand. In this case, the first cylinder and the second cylinder are
It is configured to expand and contract in a direction tilted at 90 degrees, that is, in the horizontal direction.

Furthermore, although the structure of the chuck mechanism 7 in the above embodiment is the pawls 7a and 7b which are opened and closed by links, the chuck mechanism 7 may be other chuck means. An example of this is a vacuum adsorption method.

Further, although the workpiece 1 in the above embodiment has a rectangular frame shape, the workpiece to be supplied by the apparatus of the present invention is not limited to this shape. In short, the apparatus of the present invention is suitable for supplying large-sized works that are difficult to align because of their slightly deformed shapes, but can be easily stacked as long as a slight inclination is allowed.

F. Effects of the Invention According to the apparatus of the present invention, it is not necessary to supply the workpieces onto the supply table by aligning the workpieces perfectly. Since so-called bulk stacking is sufficient, this can be done easily and in a short time. Furthermore, since the device of the present invention corrects the posture of the workpiece to be taken out by the holding plate, the workpiece can be taken out reliably even though the mechanism is simple. Furthermore, since the device of the present invention does not involve a process in which the workpieces rub against each other, it is extremely difficult to damage the workpieces and does not generate noise or vibration in the workplace, compared to when a vibrating feeding device such as a ball feeder is used in conjunction with the device. It has its advantages.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a workpiece that is an example of the object to be supplied according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a general form of the workpiece shown in FIG. 1 packed in a box. FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5 are a front view, a plan view, and a left side view, respectively, of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which a workpiece is housed in the guide in FIG. 3, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the operating procedure of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. 1... Workpiece, 2... Supply stand, 5... Holder plate, 6...
1st drive mechanism, 7... chuck mechanism, 8... second drive mechanism, 9... third drive mechanism.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A supply table on which a large number of bulk works are placed and moves vertically, and a holding plate that corrects the posture of the workpiece by contacting the uppermost workpiece sent to the take-out side by the upward movement of the supply table. , a first drive mechanism that moves this holding plate between the correction position and the retreat position, a chuck mechanism that chucks the uppermost workpiece after posture correction, and a first drive mechanism that moves this chuck mechanism in the moving direction of the supply table. a second drive mechanism, and a third drive mechanism that moves the second drive mechanism in a direction intersecting the movement direction thereof,
After the workpiece whose posture has been corrected by the holding plate is chucked by the chuck mechanism, the holding plate is moved by the first drive mechanism, the supply table is moved downward to make the uppermost workpiece independent, and the second 1. A bulk workpiece supply apparatus characterized in that a drive mechanism and a third drive mechanism are operated in this order to take out the workpieces chucked by the chuck mechanism from a supply table.