Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor system for arranging or rearranging stream of items – By queueing items from quantity source of items into stream...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-25
2004-08-31
Ridley, Richard (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor system for arranging or rearranging stream of items
By queueing items from quantity source of items into stream...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06782992
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vibratory parts-feeding unit and, in particular, to a parts-feeding unit having a pair of linear-transferring means for transferring, by vibration, parts in mutually opposite directions.
In general, as a vibratory parts-feeding unit, which transfers and feeds minute parts by vibration, a parts-feeding unit, which is constructed by connecting a vibratory linear-feeder is connected to the exit of a vibratory parts-feeder having a bowl-shaped vibrating tray, is known. In this parts-feeding unit having a bowl-shaped vibratory parts-feeder, a spiral parts-feeding path is formed inside the vibrating tray, and at a part of this parts-feeding path, a parts-screening portion for making the posture of parts uniform or screening the parts quality is provided.
However, in this parts-feeding unit having a bowl-shaped parts-feeder, since it is necessary to provide a parts-screening portion on a spiral parts-feeding path, the vibrating tray itself having the spiral parts-feeding path becomes expensive, moreover, respective components of the parts-screening portion, which is fabricated in response to this parts-feeding path, also become expensive. Therefore, a problem exists such that a reduction in manufacturing cost is difficult. In addition, if an improvement in parts-feeding ability is intended in this unit, it is necessary to enlarge the diameter of the vibrating tray. Furthermore, in this unit, in order to transfer and mount aligned parts from the bowl-shaped parts feeder to the linear feeder, the linear-feeder which linearly vibrates must be connected and arranged in a condition where a minute distance is provided with respect to the vibrating tray which vibrates in the tangential direction (in a twisted motion). However, since high accuracy is required for this connection area, assembly and maintenance are difficult, and a problem also exists such that parts-feeding path is easily clogged with parts at the connection area.
Therefore, in place of such a former expensive parts-feeding unit having a bowl-shaped parts feeder whose installation area is great considering its parts-feeding ability as described above, in recent years, a successor circulating parts-feeding unit, which is low cost and downsizable, has received considerable attention. This circulating parts-feeding unit is of a construction such that a pair of vibratory linear feeders which transfer parts in the mutually opposite directions is closely juxtaposed, parts are fed by one of the linear feeders (feeding linear feeder), and parts rejected from a parts-screening portion in a feeding process of these parts are received by the other linear feeder (collecting linear feeder) and transferred in the opposite direction so as to return the upstream side of the feeding linear feeder. In further detail, a construction is provided, wherein a parts-screening portion is provided at a position on the downstream side of a parts-feeding path of the feeding linear feeder so that parts rejected from the parts-feeding path in a process for aligning parts are guided to a position on the upstream side of a parts-collecting path of the collecting linear feeder, and a construction is provided, wherein a parts feedback portion is provided at a position on the downstream side of the parts-collecting path of the collecting linear feeder so that parts are returned from this parts returning portion to a position on the upstream side of the parts-feeding path of the feeding linear feeder. This type of unit is disclosed in the Japanese Patent Opening Gazette No. 1998-175724, No. 2001-63816 (this is corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,985), and Japanese Patent No. 1988-53084.
However, in the above circulating parts-feeding unit, if a pair of linear-feeders having mutually opposite transferring directions is juxtaposed, it is necessary to construct both linear feeders so as not make contact with each other and, in order to enable parts delivery (transfer) between the pair of linear feeders, it is also necessary to provide a construction with a crossing arrangement such that the upstream side of the parts-collecting path of the collecting linear-feeder is arranged slightly downward the downstream side of the parts-feeding path on the feeding linear feeder and the downstream side of the parts-collecting path is arranged slightly above the upstream side of the parts-feeding path. Accordingly, with respect to the whole length of the pair of linear feeders, the length of a range of the parts-screening portion, that is, a range where parts can be rejected from the feeding linear feeder to the collecting linear feeder is limited, therefore, a problem exists such that downsizing of the unit and performance (parts screening ability) of the unit are hardly compatible, for example, in some cases, parts-feeding ability declines and inferior parts-screening increases.
In addition, as in the above, since the pair of linear feeders mutually cross when viewed in the up-and-down direction, portions of the feeding linear-feeder and collecting linear feeder; which are mutually opposed with a slight distance in the horizontal direction, inevitably exist at a cross point. Therefore, maintainability is poor and a problem also exists such that parts and/or dust drops and clogging in the gap between such opposed portions, causing a motion failure of vibrating movement in both of linear feeders.
Furthermore, as described in the above, in the pair of linear feeders of a crossing arrangement, when one of the parts-feeding path of the feeding linear-feeder or the parts-collecting path of the collecting linear-feeder is constructed to become horizontal, the other is accordingly arranged with an inclination so as to become an upslope toward a parts transferring direction. Therefore, problems also exist such that a feeding rate at the parts-feeding path declines or the flow ability of parts on the parts-collecting path becomes low.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the present invention is made to solve the above problems, and it is an object thereof to provide a vibratory parts-feeding unit wherein downsizing and an improvement in performance of the unit can be compatible. In addition, it is an object to provide a parts-feeding unit wherein an improvement in maintainability and a reduction in motion failure is possible. Furthermore, it is an object to provide a parts-feeding unit wherein an improvement in parts feeding ability is possible.
In order to achieve the above objects, a vibratory parts-feeding unit of the present invention comprises:
(a) first linear-transferring means for screening and feeding parts while transferring the parts along a parts-feeding path by vibration,
(b) parts-lifting means for raising parts from a parts-receiving portion located downward and feeding the parts to the upstream side of said first linear-transferring means by a parts-sending portion located upward, and
(c) second linear-transferring means which has a parts-collecting path, receives parts rejected from said parts-feeding path, and transfers the parts in a direction opposite to that of said first linear-transferring means along said parts-collecting path by vibration to return the parts to said parts-receiving portion of said parts-lifting means.
According to this invention, in the process where parts are fed along the parts-feeding path of the first linear-transferring means, parts rejected from the parts-feeding path through parts-screening are transferred and mounted onto the parts-collecting path of the second linear-transferring means, transferred along the parts-collecting path in the direction opposite to a parts feeding direction, and returned to the parts-receiving portion of the parts-lifting means. Therefore, the parts are furthermore lifted upward by the parts-lifting means and fed from the parts-sending portion to the first linear-transferring means. Accordingly, in the feeding process of parts, some of the parts circulate through the first linear-transferring means, the second linear-transferring means and t
Mimura Taro
Nonaka Hironobu
Cook Alex McFarron Manzo Cummings & Mehler, Ltd.
Daisin Co., Ltd.
Ridley Richard
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