JPH04347341A - Inserting method for throttle valve and device thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To insert a throttle valve automatically into a slit of a valve stem inserted through a valve body with an inexpensive industrial robot. CONSTITUTION:A valve stem 2 is positioned so as to become upside aslant tilted as far as an angle theta toward up and down in the opening direction of a slit 4, and a throttle valve 1 is lowered till the lower end edge 1b is reached to the side of an opening of the slit 4 by an industrial robot, and then it is driven in the horizontal direction, having the lower end edge 1b engaged with an opening edge 4a of the slit 4. As keeping this engaged state intact, the throttle valve 1 is driven in the oblique upward direction or horizontal direction, rotating the valve stem 2, and the throttle valve 1 is driven downward and inserted into the slit 4 whose opening direction has turned upward.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method and device for inserting a throttle valve, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a method and device for inserting a throttle valve. The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for doing so.

0002

[Prior Art] Conventionally, in order to insert a throttle valve into a slit in a valve stem inserted into a valve body, a worker rotates the valve stem by hand so that the opening direction of the slit faces upward. The hand-held throttle valve was inserted into the slit by hand, which required manpower and was inefficient.

0003

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] Therefore, in order to save labor, it may be possible to insert the throttle valve using an industrial robot.
), the thickness of the throttle valve 1 and the width of the slit 4 of the valve stem 2 are generally machined with small dimensional tolerances. If you try to insert it by driving it downward, the horizontal repeatability of the robot will be ±0.
．． Even a diameter of about 1 mm is insufficient and requires an extremely precise and expensive robot, making it difficult to put it into practical use.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and aims to provide a throttle valve insertion method and insertion device that can automatically insert a throttle valve using an inexpensive industrial robot. It is something.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The method of the first invention of this application is to insert a throttle valve provided in the valve shaft by inserting the valve shaft into the valve shaft through hole of the valve body held by the holder. Position the slit with the opening direction diagonally upward, and drive the vertically extending throttle valve, which is gripped by the hand of the industrial robot and inserted into the valve body, horizontally or diagonally downward to open the throttle valve. After the lower edge side of the throttle valve is engaged with the opening edge of the slit, the throttle valve is driven diagonally upward or horizontally while maintaining the engaged state, so that the opening direction of the slit is directed upward. This method of inserting a throttle valve is characterized in that the valve shaft is rotated until the valve shaft is rotated, and then the throttle valve is driven downward to be inserted into the upward slit.

[0006] The method of the second invention of this application is to move a valve shaft inserted into a valve shaft through hole of a valve body held by a holder in the opening direction of a slit for inserting a throttle valve provided in the valve shaft. The throttle valve, which extends vertically and is gripped by the hand of an industrial robot and inserted into the valve body, is driven diagonally downward.
Insertion of a throttle valve characterized in that after a lower edge side of the throttle valve is engaged with an opening edge of the slit, the throttle valve is driven downward and inserted into the upward slit. It's a method.

The device of the present invention also includes a holder for holding the valve body with the valve shaft through hole oriented in a predetermined direction, and a slit for inserting the throttle valve provided in the valve shaft inserted into the valve shaft through hole. A valve shaft positioning device that positions the opening direction diagonally upward or upward, an industrial robot whose arm moves in at least two degrees of freedom in vertical and horizontal directions, and a throttle valve attached to the arm. This is a throttle valve insertion device characterized by comprising a gripping hand.

[0008]

[Operation] In the method of the first invention, as shown in FIG. 4, the slit 4 of the valve stem 2 having a width W is opened diagonally upward at an angle θ with respect to the vertical direction. To position the valve shaft 2, the lower end edge 1b of the throttle valve 1 is lowered within the vertical range of H=Wsinθ as shown by the solid line arrow, and then moved horizontally, or the lower end edge 1b of the throttle valve 1 is lowered as shown by the broken line arrow. By simultaneously performing horizontal movement and diagonally downward movement, the side portion of the lower edge 1b can be engaged with the opening edge 4a of the slit 4. When W=1.6mm, θ=20 degrees, H=0.55m
m, so the vertical positional accuracy of the industrial robot that transfers the throttle valve only needs to be at this level, and the throttle valve 1 remains horizontal until the lower edge 1b engages with the opening edge 4a of the slit 4. Since the robot is moved, the horizontal positional accuracy of the industrial robot may be relatively poor, and an inexpensive industrial robot having normal positional accuracy and having at least two degrees of freedom in the vertical and horizontal directions can be used.

Furthermore, in the method of the second invention, as shown in FIG. It is only necessary to lower the lower edge 1b within the upper and lower range h in which the lower edge 1b can engage with the opening edge 4a of the slit 4 under conditions that do not interfere with the opening edge 4b of the slit 4,
Further, since it is sufficient to horizontally move the lower end edge 1b until it engages with the opening edge 4a of the slit 4, an inexpensive industrial robot can be used as in the method of the first invention. In particular, if the opening edge 4b of the slit 4 is chamfered as shown by the chain line 42, the above-mentioned vertical range h can be made sufficiently large.

0010

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. 1 and 2 show a throttle valve insertion device used in the method of the present invention, in which 10 is 6.
It is an industrial robot with a degree of freedom, and the tip of its arm 11 has a scissor-type hand 1 having two claws 12a and 12b.
3 is installed. This hand 13 is for gripping the throttle valve 1, and one claw 12a has a pin 14 that fits into a hole 1a drilled in the throttle valve 1 for attachment to the valve shaft 2. It has been set up.

Further, 20 is a base, and on this base 20,
A holder 21 for holding the valve body 3 is fixedly attached. This holder 21 is attached to a base 22 as shown in FIG.
A centering jig 23 that fits into the bore 3a of the valve body 3 for centering is fixed to the center of the valve body 3, and a positioning pin 24 is provided protruding from the upper surface of the base 22. 25 is a fitting surface formed on the outer periphery of the centering jig 23, which is fitted into and removed from the bore 3a, and 26 is a fitting surface that prevents the throttle valve 1 from falling after being inserted into the slit 4 of the valve stem 2 and is used in the subsequent process. This is a guide surface that guides the lower end edge of the throttle valve 1 when the valve shaft 2 is rotated. Further, the pin 24 is fitted into a positioning hole 5 provided on the lower surface of the valve body 3 to position the valve body 3 so that the valve shaft through hole 6 of the valve body 3 faces in a predetermined horizontal direction. It is something. The thickness of the throttle valve 1 and the width of the slit 4 of the valve stem 2 are as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 27 denotes a valve shaft positioning device mounted on the base 20, which has a push plate 29 at the tip of a pneumatically driven piston rod 28. The position (rotation position) of the valve shaft 2 is such that the slit 4 opens obliquely upward at an angle θ with respect to the vertical direction, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. It is for making decisions. Further, 30 is a valve shaft fixing device similarly mounted on the base 20, which has a stopper 32 at the tip of a pneumatically driven piston rod 31, and the stopper 32, which is driven upward, is pressed against the valve shaft 2 and the valve shaft 2 is fixed. This locks the rotation of the

Next, a method for inserting a throttle valve using the apparatus having the above structure will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4. First, the valve body 3 is mounted on the holder 21, and the valve stem 2 is inserted into the valve stem through hole 6 by hand or the like. Grasp one throttle valve 1 and move it to a standby position located just above the valve body 3 and slightly eccentric from the bore center line 8, as shown by the solid line in FIG.

Meanwhile, during this time, the valve shaft positioning device 27 is operated to position the slit 4 in a direction inclined at an angle θ with respect to the vertical direction, and then the industrial robot 10 moves the valve shaft positioning device 27 to the vertical direction. The valve 1 is lowered and inserted into the valve body 3, and the lower end edge 1b of the throttle valve 1 is inserted into the slit 4 as shown in FIG.
until it reaches the side of the opening. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the lower end edge 1b is made to be within the vertical width dimension H of both opening edges of the inclined slit 4.

Next, the industrial robot 10 moves the throttle valve 1 in the horizontal direction, and as shown in FIGS.
As shown by the chain line 9, the lower edge 1 of the throttle valve 1
The side part of b is engaged with one opening edge 4a of the slit 4. Next, the valve shaft positioning device 27 is moved backward to make the valve shaft 2 free to rotate, and the throttle valve 1 is moved to the direction indicated by the arrow
If the valve shaft 2 is moved diagonally upward by a small angle or horizontally as shown in FIG.
It is pressed and driven by b and rotates in the direction of arrow R. Figure 3 (
When the valve shaft 2 rotates to the position where the slit 4 opens upward as shown in C), the throttle valve 1 is opened at that position.
Stops driving. This stopping is performed by detecting the rotational position of the valve shaft 2 by a switch (not shown) or by detecting that the horizontal movement amount of the hand 13 has reached a set value after the operation of the valve shaft positioning device 27 has been canceled.

In this state, the throttle valve 1 and the slit 4 are aligned approximately concentrically from side to side and extend vertically in a straight line, so the hand 13 is lowered to open the throttle valve 1. When the lower part of the throttle valve 1 passes through the slit 4 as shown in FIG. 3(D), the valve stem fixing device 30 is operated to lock the valve stem 2 and prevent accidental rotation. prevent, claws 12a, 12
Open b to release the grip. The throttle valve 1 falls under its own weight and the lower edge 1b comes into contact with the guide surface 26 of the centering jig 23, completing the insertion.Then, the empty hand 13 is raised and the next new throttle valve is inserted. Prepare for.

The valve shaft 2 inserted into the valve body 3 in this manner can be automatically inserted into the slit 4 of the throttle valve 1 by the industrial robot 10. Note that by simultaneously lowering and horizontally moving the throttle valve 1 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the lower end edge 1b is driven diagonally downward as shown by the dashed arrow in FIG. It may be made to engage with the edge 4a.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. This embodiment also uses the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but the valve shaft positioning device 27 is
The shape of the push plate 29 is set so that the opening direction of the slit 4 faces upward (θ=0 in FIG. 2) during operation. First, as in the previous embodiment, the valve stem 2 is attached to the valve body.
3, the throttle valve 1 is held in a standby position where one side is located directly above the valve body 3 and near the bore center line 8, as shown by the chain line 40 in FIG.

After operating the valve shaft positioning device 27 and positioning the slit 4 so that it opens upward, the hand 13 is lowered to move the throttle valve 1 into the valve body.
3 and lowered until the lower edge 1b reaches just above the opening of the slit 4, as shown in FIG. 6(A). Next, move the hand 13 diagonally downward, and as shown by the chain line 41 in FIGS. is engaged with one opening edge 4a of the opening edge 4a. Note that the other opening edge 4b of the slit 4 is indicated by a chain line 42 in FIG.
It is preferable to chamfer the opening as shown in FIG. 1 because interference between the rear lower end 1c of the throttle valve 1 and the opening edge 4b during the engagement operation can be reliably avoided.

[0020] In this state, the throttle valve 1 and the slit 4 are aligned approximately concentrically from side to side and extend vertically in a straight line, so the hand 13 is lowered as in the previous embodiment. When the lower part of the throttle valve 1 passes through the slit 4 as shown in FIG. .

[0021] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment; for example, the industrial robot 10 may be any robot having at least two degrees of freedom in the vertical and horizontal directions. In addition, other types of valve shaft positioning devices 27 may be used. Furthermore, after inserting the lower part of the throttle valve 1 into the slit 4, the throttle valve 1 can be moved by using a slightly opened hand claw or other guide mechanism. If it is possible to prevent accidental overturning of the valve stem fixing device 30, the valve stem fixing device 30 may be omitted. Furthermore, the horizontal and vertical directions in this invention include directions that are inclined with respect to the strict horizontal and vertical directions, as long as they do not interfere with the operation of each part.

[0022]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention,
Using an inexpensive industrial robot with two or more degrees of freedom, the throttle valve can be automatically inserted into the slit of the valve stem, contributing to labor savings.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a throttle valve insertion device showing one embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the holder and valve body portion of the device of FIG. 1; FIG.

3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part showing a throttle valve insertion process using the apparatus of FIG. 1; FIG.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing the movement state of the throttle valve in the initial step of the steps shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of dimensions of the valve shaft and throttle valve in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 showing another embodiment of the present invention.

7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the movement state of the throttle valve in the initial step of the steps shown in FIG. 6. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Throttle valve 1b Lower edge 2 Valve stem 3 Valve body 4 Slit 4a Opening edge 6 Valve stem through hole 10 Industrial robots 11 Arm 13 Hand 21 Holder 27 Valve shaft positioning device

Claims (3)

[Claims] Claim 1: A valve shaft inserted into a valve shaft through hole of a valve body held by a holder is positioned with the opening direction of a slit for inserting a throttle valve provided in the valve shaft facing diagonally upward. A vertically extending throttle valve, which is gripped by the hand of the robot and inserted into the valve body, is driven horizontally or diagonally downward to engage the lower edge of the throttle valve with the opening edge of the slit. After this, while maintaining the engaged state, the throttle valve is driven diagonally upward or horizontally to rotate the valve shaft until the opening direction of the slit faces upward, and then the throttle valve is rotated. A method for inserting a throttle valve, comprising driving the throttle valve downward and inserting the throttle valve into the upward slit. [Claim 2] A valve shaft inserted into a valve shaft through hole of a valve body held by a holder is positioned with the opening direction of a slit for inserting a throttle valve provided in the valve shaft facing upward. The valve body is held by a robot hand.
The throttle valve inserted into the slot and extending in the vertical direction is driven diagonally downward to engage the lower edge of the throttle valve with the opening edge of the slit, and then the throttle valve is moved downward. A method for inserting a throttle valve, comprising driving the throttle valve and inserting it into the upward slit. 3. A holder for holding the valve body with the valve shaft through hole oriented in a predetermined direction, and a slit for inserting a throttle valve provided in the valve shaft inserted into the valve shaft through hole, the opening direction of which is oriented diagonally upward. Alternatively, a valve shaft positioning device that positions the valve shaft upward; an industrial robot whose arm moves in at least two degrees of freedom in vertical and horizontal directions;
1. A throttle valve insertion device comprising: a throttle valve gripping hand attached to a throttle valve;