JPH0623328A - Part assortment device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To assort various kinds of parts in terms of kind automatically from a container containing the parts which are copresent, and seggregate the parts into reject and perfect part categories. CONSTITUTION:The part assortment device consists of a rotary part feeder (composed of a bowl 1 and a rotating disc 8) which transports parts along a specified transport path 1a, a CCD camera arranged near the transport path 1a, and memory which stores the shape of various kinds of the part as m, n and d. In addition, the device comprises a computer which receives a signal representing the shape of a part transported on the transport path 1a from the CCD camera and interprets the identity of the part, and assortment mechanism 40, 40', Q1, Q2,16 which assort various kinds of part m, n, j, in units of kind, receiving an interpretation signal from the computer.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a parts sorting apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, when three kinds of parts are mixed in a large amount, it is sometimes desired to sort them into respective kinds and store them in respective containers. In such a case, a person visually checks and mixes the mixed containers into one container for each container. Alternatively, it may be desirable to remove a defective product that is partially scratched or chipped even if it is one type of component. Even in such a case, a large amount of such defective components may be mixed. Workers visually separated defective parts and non-defective products from the parts.

As described above, when several kinds of parts are stored together, even if they are sorted into each kind of parts, defective parts are removed from the container that contains a large amount of one kind of parts. Even in such work, human labor is required, which naturally raises the human cost, and the amount of processing varies greatly depending on the skill level. , The accuracy of the assortment decreases.

[0004]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and when various parts are mixed, the parts are sorted according to type and a large amount of one kind of parts is stored. Even in such a case, it is an object to provide a parts sorting apparatus that can automatically sort good products and defective products.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above object is to provide a parts transfer device for transferring parts along a predetermined transfer path, an image pickup device arranged near a predetermined position of the transfer path, and various types. The shape of each component is stored, a signal representing the shape of the component transferred on the transfer path by the image pickup device is received, and a computer that determines which of the various components the computer receives, and various signals received by the computer This is achieved by a parts sorting device including a sorting mechanism that sorts parts by type.

Further, the above object is to store a component transfer device for transferring a component along a predetermined transfer path, an image pickup device arranged near a predetermined position of the transfer path, and a shape of a good part. Then, a computer that receives a signal representing the shape of a component transferred on the transfer path by the image pickup device and determines whether or not it is within the standard of the good component, and a determination signal of the computer, determines the transfer component as a good product. This is achieved by a parts sorting device including a sorting mechanism for sorting defective products.

[0007]

When the component transferred along the predetermined transfer path reaches the predetermined position, the image pickup device arranged in the vicinity thereof supplies a video signal for picking up the shape of the part to the computer. . In this computer, for each type of part, it stores all the shapes of possible transfer postures. Therefore, by taking these or's, it is judged as a part of this type if any Also, or is taken for all possible shapes of various kinds of parts, and if any of them is judged, it is judged as this kind of parts, and the sorting mechanism arranged on the downstream side is judged by the discrimination signal of the computer. Thus, it is possible to automatically sort the various types of components that are mixedly stored by being driven in a predetermined state, by type.

[0008] Or, even if it is one kind of part, the computer stores all the transfer forms of the part which is transferred along a predetermined transfer path, and as a standard condition of the defective part, it is scratched or damaged. If you set a predetermined range for the shapes of all possible parts for chipping, etc.,
Whether the product is a good product or a defective product is determined based on whether or not the product is within this range, and the defective product can be laterally eliminated by, for example, an air jetting device provided on the downstream side.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A parts sorting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

2 and 3 show the whole of the parts sorting apparatus of this embodiment. In the figures, the uppermost portion 8a of the bowl 1 having a substantially cylindrical shape is integrated with the upper edge of the bowl 1. There is provided a rotating disk 8 which is arranged so as to be inclined so as to be substantially at the same level as the horizontal flange portion 1a formed on the. It extends downward through a central opening 1b formed at the bottom and is coupled to a motor 13 by a coupling 12. The rotating shaft 9 is rotatably supported by a long bearing member 10 fixed to a stationary portion 11.

A pulley 2 is integrally fixed to the bottom wall of the bowl 1 via a bearing B, and a belt 3 is wound around a groove formed in the peripheral portion of the bowl 2. The belt 3 is wound around a motor pulley 4 on the other hand. It is equipped. The rotary shaft 5 fixed integrally to the motor pulley 4 is integrated with the rotary shaft of the motor 6. In addition, along the outer edge of the flange portion 1a of the bowl 1,
In addition, the side wall forming member 14 in the shape of an arc is fixed to the stationary portion 7 with a gap.
It is fixed by a mounting member 15. The bowl 1 is rotated in the arrow direction shown in FIG. 3 by the motor 6 via the pulleys 2, 4 and the belt 3. The disk 8 is rotated in the same direction by the motor 13 via the coupling 12, but the rotation speed is higher than that of the bowl 1. Also, the flange portion 1a
Is formed horizontally, the belt conveyor device 16 is also horizontally arranged so as to extend in the tangential direction.

As shown in FIG. 8, the belt conveyor device 16 is mounted slidably on the support block 20 because the belt conveyor main body 21 is very long, and the lower traveling portion 21b thereof is placed on the block 20. It is abutted against, but it is driven by a motor 17 so that a part m to be fed to the upper traveling portion 21a thereof is cross-sectioned on both sides so as to be transferred with its longitudinal direction oriented in the transfer direction. Is L
A pair of letter-shaped side wall forming members 22a and 22b are arranged with a gap as shown in FIG. 8, and a horizontal arm portion thereof is fixed to the block 20 by a screw 24.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a light projector 18 and a light receiver 19 are provided in the vicinity of the upstream end of the belt conveyor device 16.
The overflow detecting device consisting of (1) and (2) is provided, and for this reason, small holes 23a and 23b are formed so as to be aligned with the light projector 18 and the light receiver 19 as shown in FIG.
Therefore, when the component m passes through this, the light beam from the light projector 18 is blocked so that the light receiver 19 detects that the component m is present at this position. That is, when the component m is continuously detected for a predetermined time or longer, it is recognized as an overflow.

Next, the component discriminating apparatus 30 will be described with reference to FIG.
And FIG. 5 will be described.

The bowl 1 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and the side wall forming member 14 arranged concentrically with the flange portion 1a is fixed to the stationary portion 7 by a mounting member 15. However, this is composed of three segments as shown in FIG. 3, each of which can be adjusted by loosening the screw of the mounting member 15 in the radial direction. As shown in FIG. 5, in the component discrimination device 30,
The side wall forming plate 14A has a narrow width and is arranged with a slight gap s between the large arc-shaped segments 14B and 14C on both sides thereof.
4A is also movable and adjustable within the range of the elongated hole 38a formed in the mounting member 38 by loosening the screw 35, that is, in the left-right direction in the drawing. That is, it can be adjusted in the radial direction. Accordingly, when the diameter of the component m is larger than that shown in the drawing, the side wall forming members 14B and 14C and the side wall forming plate 1 are loosened by loosening the screw 35.
4A is also moved radially outward, and if the diameter of the component m is smaller than that shown in the figure, the screw 35 is loosened to move radially inward.

Further, a wire 29 is attached to the inner edge portion of the flange portion 1a of the bowl 1 so that the component m on the flange portion 1a is restrained from moving in the width direction in a recumbent posture while the bowl 1 is being held. The paper is conveyed in this rotation direction with the rotation of.

As clearly shown in FIG. 5, the side wall forming plate 14
A has a slit 14a in the direction perpendicular to the flange portion 1a.
Is formed, and this height is sufficiently larger than the diameter of the part m. A CCD camera (Charge Coupled Dvise) 33, which is fixed to the stationary portion 7 via a mounting member 31, is provided as an image pickup device outside the diameter of the stationary portion 7 and can be lengthened by loosening the screw 32. Within the range of the hole 31a, FIG.
In this case, it is possible to adjust to the left and right, and thereby a zoom function is given so that the magnification can be changed for a certain component m. The stationary portion 7 is provided with an opening 7a facing the lens portion 33a of the CCD camera 33,
This is aligned with the above-mentioned slit 14a, and the light source 34 is disposed inward of the diameter of the stationary portion 7 in line with this. The light source 34 illuminates the part m passing in front of it, and the CCD camera 33 captures the shadow of the part m through the slit 14a. That is, according to the present embodiment, the CCD camera 33 as a line sensor takes an image of the shadow of the component m passing through the slit 14a, which changes sequentially, and the transfer posture of the component m through a delay circuit or the like. Is supplied to the controller 60 shown in FIG. As is well known, the line sensor has CCDs as one pixel arranged in parallel with the slit 14a in one row or several rows. These are slits of the component m depending on whether the light from the light source 34 is irradiated or not. The computer in the controller 60 calculates the shadow based on the temporal change of the shadow.

Further, as clearly shown in FIG. 3, a component removing device 40 is provided at a predetermined angle downstream side from the position of the component discriminating device 30. The details are shown in FIG. The air jet nozzle 42 attached to the tip of the side wall of the side wall forming member 14 is fixed to the stationary portion 7.
The part m passing through the circular hole 14b formed at the lower end of the container m and not in a predetermined posture is removed into the container Q by the air blown from the jet nozzle 42. As shown in FIG. 6, the container Q is attached to the stationary portion by a mounting member 1
Supported through 00.

Further, as clearly shown in FIG. 7, the encoder 50 has a bottom wall portion 7 of the stationary portion 7 near the outer wall portion 1b of the bowl 1.
A rubber roller 50a, which is fixed to a and is fixed to the tip of this rotary shaft, is in pressure contact with the outer wall portion 1b of the bowl 1. That is, the rotation amount of the bowl 1 is converted into the rotation of the roller 50a, and the encoder 50 detects how many times the bowl 1 has rotated from this rotation angle. This detection signal is shown in FIG.
Is supplied to the controller 60.

Although the controller 60 is shown in FIG. 9, the shape of non-defective parts is displayed on the display 61. That is, various function buttons, a power switch, etc. are arranged on the front panel portion of the controller 60, but by the selective operation of these, in the component discriminating apparatus 30, the good component m is actually designated as either A or B in FIG. By flowing in such a posture, the slit 14a is passed through the side, and this shape is stored in the computer of the controller 60. Then, the controller 60 outputs the image pickup signal of the CCD camera 33 for these shapes and the shapes of the parts actually flowing in the defective part identification device 30.
And the shape is stored in the memory.
When the computer determines that the shape is not the predetermined shape within the allowable range, the solenoid 64 of the solenoid valve 63 is excited to eject the compressed air from the compression tank 62 from the air ejection nozzle 42, and the front of the air ejection nozzle 42. The component m passing through is discharged into the container Q. The operation timing of the air ejection nozzle 42 is synchronized with the detection signal of the encoder 50, and the solenoid 6
4 is excited.

That is, the non-defective parts shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B are transferred to the computer in the controller 60 along the transfer path in either posture. B'in the portion of b as shown in C of FIG.
If it is damaged as shown in FIG. 1, it is out of the allowable range from the shapes of A and B of FIG. 1 stored in the computer when it passes by the side of the defective part discriminating apparatus 30. It is determined that the air ejection device 40 is activated. From the shapes of A and B of FIG. 1, if there is any shape error in the computer, it is set as a defective part. Therefore, it is determined that a small damage within this range is a good product, and the air is ejected to the outside without operating the air ejection device 40.

The structure of the first embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Next, this operation will be described.

Now, description will be given of a case where defective products are removed by the component m as shown in FIG. 1 and only non-defective products are supplied to the next step.

As described above, two postures, that of FIG. 1A and that of FIG. 1B, are conceivable. For the component m, the cylindrical portion a having a small height and the cylindrical portion b having a large height are used. Also, a case will be described in which a part m having a cutout b'as shown in C of FIG. In this case, the component m in the posture shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B in the component discriminating apparatus 30 is passed by actually rotating the bowl 1 by the side of the slit 14a, and at this time, the camera 33 captures an image. Video signal to controller 6
It supplies to the computer in 0, and this is the display 61.
The operator confirms this, sets the allowable range of good parts, and presses the function button on the front panel to store the shape range of good parts to be supplied to the next process.

When the motors 6 and 13 are driven, the rotary disk 8 rotates at high speed in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3, and the bowl 1 concentrically arranged outwardly of the rotary disk 8 also rotates in the same direction, but more Rotate at low speed. Although shown only in a scattered manner for the sake of clarity, a large number of parts m for sorting good and bad are stored on the disk 8. Due to the high speed rotation of the rotary disk 8, the disk 80 is propelled radially outward by the centrifugal force and transferred from the upper edge 8a thereof onto the flange 1a of the bowl 1. The flange portion 1a is also low in speed, but since it is rotating in the same direction, the component m placed on the flange portion 1a moves along the component transfer path formed by the wire 29 and the side wall forming member 14,
As the bowl 1 rotates, it is conveyed in one line. When reaching the side of the component discriminating apparatus 30, when the component m passes through the slit 14a, a camera 33 as a line sensor reads a shadow that changes in accordance with its orientation with respect to time, and this image pickup signal is a controller. The rotation angle of the bowl 1 is detected by the encoder 50 on the other hand, and it is conveyed from the slit 14a by a predetermined angle. When the component m is not within the allowable range at the time of being activated, the solenoid portion 64 is excited by the excitation signal from the controller 60, the solenoid valve 63 is operated, and the ejected air is ejected from the nozzle 4
The component m is ejected from the container 2 and is eliminated in the container Q when passing through the side of the round hole 14b.

As described above, only the non-defective part m is supplied from the flange portion 1a of the bowl 1 to the belt conveyor device 16 that follows, and on the belt main body 21 with the length direction oriented in the transfer direction, the next step is performed. I am trying to supply one to each.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a component of any shape can be stored in the computer in the controller 60 by actually flowing the component, and a predetermined range from this shape can be stored. Since the solenoid valve 63 is operated to be excluded from the container Q when it is out of the predetermined range, it can be applied to parts of any shape. Also, this can be done without making any device changes.

10 to 14 of the parts sorting apparatus in the vibrating parts feeder according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
Will be described with reference to.

In FIG. 10, the vibration parts feeder 101
A spiral track 103 for transferring parts is formed on the inner peripheral wall of the bowl 102, and only non-defective parts m are supplied from the discharge end to the next process. Bowl 1
The movable core 105 is integrally fixed to the bottom wall of 02,
This is connected to the base block 106 by leaf springs 107 arranged at equal angular intervals. Base block 1
An electromagnet 109 having a coil 108 wound thereon is fixed on 06. The vibrating parts feeder 101 is configured as described above, but the whole is supported on the floor by the vibration isolating rubber 110.

At a predetermined position of the bowl 102, a CCD (Char
ge Coupled Device) The camera 111 has its lens unit 111.
The mounting member 112 is fixed to the bowl 102 on the side wall of the bowl 102 so that a is opposed to the component d. Further, the lens part 111a takes an image of the part d transported in front of the camera. The light source 113 is arranged in front of the camera 111 through the side wall portion 103a 'made of a transparent material (acrylic). Therefore, the shadow of the part d is picked up. That is, the black level signal is picked up according to the shape.

Further, on the downstream side of the CCD camera 111, an air ejecting device 114 is fixed to the bowl 102 in the vicinity thereof, and the nozzle portion thereof faces the track 103, which is not a good product by the computer as described later. The component d determined to be blown is configured to be blown into the container Q ′ by this compressed air. The solenoid valve 115 connected to this tube is controlled by a computer. The container Q'is the container Q'of the first embodiment.
It is constructed similarly to the above, and is supported by the stationary portion through the support member 100 ′.

Next, an electric circuit connected to the CCD camera 111 will be described. The driving power is supplied from the driving circuit 120 to the coil 108 of the electromagnet 109, which is the driving unit of the vibrating parts feeder 101, and this is an alternating current, so that the synchronizing signal generating circuit 121 generates the signal synchronized with this frequency. It is connected. This is also an image input control device 12 connected to the output terminal of the CCD camera 111.
2, and only the image synchronized with the vibration by the CCD camera 111 is supplied to the computer 123. That is, according to the present embodiment, the CCD camera 111 performs an image pickup operation at a frequency higher than the drive frequency of the drive circuit 120. Therefore, the logical product of each image pickup signal and the synchronization signal from the synchronization signal generation circuit 121 is taken and simultaneously generated. At this time, the image pickup signal of the CCD camera 111 is supplied to the computer 123. The shape of a non-defective product among the parts d and the allowable range from the part d are stored in the computer 123 by various button operations, and this is compared with the image pickup signal supplied from the image input control device 122. If they match, the computer 123 The solenoid portion of the solenoid valve 115 connected to is not driven, but when they do not match, this solenoid portion is driven to supply compressed air to the air ejection device 114.

The parts sorting device in the vibrating parts feeder of this embodiment is constructed as described above, and its operation will be described below.

When the coil 108 is excited by the drive circuit 120, the bowl 102 oscillates with torsion at the drive frequency of the drive circuit 120, whereby the component d is transferred along the track 103 in the direction indicated by the arrow.

When coming in front of the lens portion 111a of the CCD camera 111, the light source 113 is irradiated with light and its shadow is imaged. The shutter time is higher than the driving frequency of the bowl 102. This image pickup signal is supplied to the image input control device 122. On the other hand, the excitation signal of the coil 108 is supplied from the drive circuit 120 to the synchronization signal generation circuit 121, and the circuit 121 supplies the rectangular pulse-shaped synchronization signal to the image input control device 122. Here, it is synchronized with the image pickup signal from the CCD camera 111. That is, when the logical product is obtained and coincident, that is, only the synchronized imaging is supplied to the computer 123. Computer 123
Since a predetermined shape and a permissible range from now on are stored in advance, the solenoid part of the solenoid valve 115 is not excited at all when compared with this and the part d passes directly in front of the nozzle part and the track is passed. It is supplied to the next step via 103. If the computer 123 determines that they do not match, the solenoid portion of the solenoid valve 115 is excited, compressed air is ejected from the nozzle portion, and the component d that is not in the predetermined posture is blown inward of the container Q ′. There is. An example of the part d ′ that is not within the predetermined range, that is, the defective part d ′ is shown in FIGS.

As described above, it is possible to supply only one non-defective part d to the next step, and the input operation of the predetermined shape and the allowable range in the computer 123 by various buttons or analog. Since it can be stored in memory, it can be dealt with promptly even if the shape of the part changes. In addition, even when the shape of a part that should be distinguished as a good product or a defective product is very small, the CCD
Since the lens section 111a of the camera 111 can be magnified by the magnifying action and the image can be compared and compared in the computer 123, the present apparatus can be applied to any small parts. Further, even if the shape of the part is changed, only the predetermined shape and the input operation within the allowable range from now on are performed on the computer 123, so that the change in the shape of the part can be promptly dealt with.

Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

Portions corresponding to those in FIG. 10 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 11, an acrylic plate 131 made of a transparent material is fitted and fixed to a part of the bowl 102 in the component discriminating portion 130, but its cross-sectional shape is substantially L-shaped, and its side wall portion 131a and this side wall portion 131a. Bottom wall 1 almost perpendicular to
31b is integrally formed, and the bottom wall portion 131b
The second light source 132 is provided in the recess 133 formed below
Is provided, and as shown by an arrow h, light that is substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall surface f of the bottom wall portion 131b is projected. The first light source 113 is the same as that of the second embodiment, and from now on, the light q that is substantially perpendicular to the side wall portion 131a is projected.

The third embodiment of the present invention is constructed as described above. The other structure is exactly the same as that of FIG.
When an alternating current is applied to 8, the component d is transferred along the track 103, and when it reaches the component discriminating unit 130, its shape is imaged by the camera 111. At this time, the bottom wall surface f
Even if the shutter is released in a phase synchronized with the state of jumping from, there is no shadow of the bottom wall surface f, the angle conversion around the center of gravity thereof can be easily performed, and preprocessing for comparison with a predetermined shape is easy. Can be done

Here, the pretreatment will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the second
Also in the embodiment, the track 103 in the bowl 102 has the side wall portion 1
03a and a bottom wall portion 103b that is substantially perpendicular thereto, but in the defective component discriminating portion, only the side wall portion is formed of an acrylic plate 103a 'made of a transparent material (bowl 1).
A notch is formed in the side wall portion 103a of No. 02, and an acrylic plate 103a 'is fitted and fixed to this notch. ), The component d is transferred by torsional vibration in the direction indicated by the arrow a as shown in FIG.
Since the shutter is released in synchronization with the driving force of the feeder driving circuit 120 by the camera 11, the camera 111 is also mounted on the bowl 1
Since it is fixed to 02, the component d is fixed to the bottom wall surface 10
It is stated that since the relative movement does not occur between the bowl 102 and the part d when moving together with the part 3b, the shape of the part d is surely discriminated.
Is jumping from the bottom wall surface 103b, and if the shutter of the camera 111 is released during this transfer, the shadow of the component d as shown in FIG. In other words, the camera 111 is rotated by a certain angle around the center of gravity G of the component d, and the camera 111 is in such a phase.
When the shutter is released, the bottom wall surface 103b becomes a thin black line and an image is captured. If the light beam from the light source 113 is perpendicular to the acrylic plate 103a 'forming the side wall, that is, parallel to the bottom wall surface 103b, a black line may not appear, but in reality it is slightly tilted. , A thin black line appears. Therefore, before the comparison with the predetermined posture in the computer 123, the component d is not rotated around the center of gravity G, that is, the center of gravity G is parallel to the bottom wall surface 103b.
It is rotated around the
It must be compared to the posture stored in it. That is, coordinate conversion is performed in the computer 123, and the postures are compared on the coordinate conversion. At this time, the bottom wall surface 103b
Is a black line, and when it is determined that this is a part of the part d, when performing angle conversion around the center of gravity G,
Since an error occurs, the black line 103b representing the bottom wall surface is deleted before the angle conversion.

Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the part d may take its rotation posture even in the vibration phase in which a part of the part d is landed on the bottom wall surface 103b and is transferred together with the bottom wall surface 103b, as shown in FIG. It does not always take a posture.

As is apparent from the above, the third embodiment is the second
Compared with the embodiment, it is possible to quickly and accurately determine the posture of the component without requiring the operation of deleting the shadow of the bottom wall surface of the transfer path to determine the shape of the component.

FIG. 14 shows a parts discriminating apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The parts corresponding to those of the third embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

That is, also in this embodiment, the side wall portion 14
An acrylic plate 141 having an L-shaped cross section formed by integrally integrating 1a and the bottom wall portion 141b is fitted in the opening of the bowl 102, and the reflecting mirror 15 is further provided inside the acrylic plate 141.
0 is embedded at the illustrated inclination angle, and unlike the third embodiment, the second light source 132 is omitted. That is, in this embodiment, the light q from the light source 113 'is projected onto the side wall 141a and is reflected by the reflecting surface of the reflecting mirror 150 as indicated by an arrow p to become a light beam substantially orthogonal to the bottom wall surface f. .

It is apparent that the same effects as those of the third embodiment can be obtained also in the present embodiment, but the present embodiment may have only one light source and can have a simpler structure. The light source 113 'is sized to illuminate almost the entire left surface of the acrylic plate 141.

FIG. 16 shows a parts sorting apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. The parts corresponding to those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

That is, in this embodiment, the bowl 1 storing a plurality of types of parts is automatically sorted into each type of parts. In FIG. 16, the bowl-shaped rotating body 1 contains a large amount of cylindrical parts j and conical parts n in addition to the parts m of the first embodiment. The defective part discriminating apparatus 30 is applied as it is in the first embodiment, but in the present embodiment, it is used to recognize the shapes of a plurality of types of parts. That is, for the part m, as in the first embodiment, the computer stores all the transfer forms that it takes, but for the cylindrical part j, the upper edge portion of the rotating body 1 in a standing posture. Even if it is attempted to be supplied to 1a, it is not transferred through this transfer path as it is, and the first rotary member on the inner side is rotated to the second rotary member on the outer side.
When the vehicle moves to the upper edge of the rotating body, it tilts almost at the same time, and its longitudinal direction is oriented in the transfer direction. Therefore, the shape is not distinguishable between the front and back, and this one shape is stored in the computer. As for the conical part n, the second rotating body 8 to the upper edge portion 1a of the first rotating body 1 as well.
Immediately after moving to, the robot takes an inverted posture and takes a posture in which the apex of the cone is in front or the bottom is in front. Therefore, the shapes of both cars are stored in the computer.

Further, although the air ejecting device 40 of the first embodiment is provided as it is, an air ejecting device 40 'having a similar structure is further provided in parallel with the air ejecting device 40, 40'. The component receivers Q ₁ and Q ₂ are arranged facing each other. Similar to the first embodiment, these are supported by the stationary portion via mounting members.

When any of the parts m, n, j transferred to the upper edge portion 1a of the second rotating body reaches the side of the parts discriminating device 30, the transfer form of the parts to be sorted stored in the computer is displayed. Which one corresponds to is searched, and, for example, when the part j passes the side of the air jetting device 40 ′ according to the search result, the rotary encoder 50 is used as in the first embodiment.
Accordingly, the air ejection device 40 'when it is transported by the rotation angle to the position at which mounting and immediately actuates this air ejection device 40' blow off into the component receptacle Q ₂ to which opposite the.

When the part n passes by the side of the part discriminating device 30, the computer which stores these two possible shapes discriminates that it is the part n, and again from the rotation angle of the rotary encoder 50 ( When the sorting position is set to reach the side of the air ejecting device 40, it operates and is blown into the component receiver Q ₁ facing the air ejecting device 40. When the component m passes by the side of the air jetting devices 40 and 40 ', since they do not operate at all, they are directly transferred to the belt conveyor device 16 and supplied to the next process. As described above, the components m, n and j are the component receivers Q ₁ and Q.
₂ and below the discharge end of the belt conveyor device 16 are fed into a component receiver, which is also provided (not shown), and three types of components can be reliably sorted into each type.

FIG. 17 shows a parts sorting apparatus according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. The parts corresponding to those of the second embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

That is, this embodiment is also used to sort a plurality of kinds of parts. In this embodiment, in addition to the part d having the shape shown in FIG. 17, the bowl 102 has a structure as shown in FIGS. Plate-shaped parts p and r having different shapes are mixed. The component p has a transfer attitude of A or B in FIG.
However, the recess Pa is directed toward the front end or the recess Pa toward the rear end. Therefore, the computer stores the shapes of A and B for the part p. If the shape corresponds to any of these, the part p
Recognize that.

Since the part r in FIG. 19 is not distinguished in terms of front and rear, only the shape shown in FIG. 19 is stored in the computer, and if it matches, it is recognized as the part q. For the parts d, p and r,
It may be possible to take a posture rotated by 0 degree, that is, a standing posture, but this may be inverted on the upstream side of the detection position by using, for example, a wiper, although not shown. Since the track width in the lateral direction is sufficiently small, the track falls into the bowl 102 due to gravity.

On the peripheral wall portion of the bowl 102, in addition to the air ejecting device 114 of the second embodiment, a second air ejecting device 114 'is provided in parallel with the air ejecting device 114.
Opposite 'to another ₁ second component receptor Q' components receptors Q provided located within the bowl 2 to 4 ₂ faces the air injection device 114 ', respectively mounting members 100a, 10
It is fixed to the stationary part via 0b. Further, the air jetting device 114 'is connected to the second electromagnetic valve 115', and this solenoid portion is connected to the electric line which supplies the judgment output of the computer from the computer 123.

In this embodiment, a large amount of the component d shown in FIG. 17 and the components p and r shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 are mixed in the bowl 102, but this reaches the front of the CCD camera 111. Then, as in the second embodiment, the shape is determined and it is recognized which part is the part. However, when it is recognized that the part is p, the air ejection device 114 is recognized.
Is operated, and is blown off by the component receiver Q ′ ₂ facing it, and is accommodated therein. Further, when it is recognized as the component r, the side of the air ejecting device 114 'passes, and when it passes the side of the air ejecting device 114 on the downstream side, it operates, and the component receiver opposed to this operates. Q 'blown into _1, is accommodated here. Further, when the part d passes, the air ejection devices 114 and 114 'are supplied to the next process outside from the discharge end of the truck of the bowl 102 without being operated.

FIG. 20 shows a seventh embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the belt 20 of the belt conveyor 200 is shown.
2 is wound around a driving roller 201a and a driven roller 201b, and one side of the belt 202 has a component receiver M
a, Mb, and Mc are arranged in parallel, and air ejection nozzles 211, 212, and 213 are arranged to face them.
These are respectively connected to solenoid valves 206, 207 and 208, and these solenoid parts are connected to the output terminals of the computer 205. In addition, solenoid valves 206, 207, 2
The input port of 08 is connected to the compressor 209. The light source 203 is provided on the side of the upstream end of the belt 202.
Further, the CCD camera 204 is arranged opposite to this, and the video signal of the CCD camera 204 is supplied to the computer 205. A fourth component receiver Md is arranged immediately below the discharge end of the belt conveyor 200.

This embodiment is also used to sort many kinds of parts. In this embodiment, four kinds of parts m are used.
It is used to sort d, mc, mb and ma. The computer 205 includes a belt conveyor 2 of components ma to md.
All of the postures that can be taken when the robot is transported on 00 are stored, and when any one of these postures is recognized, it is determined to be the part. Now ma parts are light source 203 and CC
When passing through the D camera 204, the computer 205 remembers all possible postures, so if it matches any one of them, it is determined to be this part ma, and at this time, the computer 205 is electromagnetic. Valve 20
Energize the 6 solenoid. Therefore, the component ma is the nozzle 2
When it passes the side of 11, it is blown into the component receiver Ma facing it by this operation. When the mb part reaches the detection position, the coincidence signal that it is one of all the possible postures,
The computer 205 energizes the solenoid of the solenoid valve 207, actuates the nozzle 212 and blows it into the component receiver Mb as it passes by this side. Next, when the component mc reaches the detection position, the component is similarly recognized,
At this time, the output terminal of the computer 205 is the solenoid valve 2
The solenoid No. 08 is excited, the jet nozzle 213 is operated, and the jet nozzle 213 is blown into the component receiver Mc facing the jet nozzle 213. Finally, when the component md is detected, the ejection nozzle 21
1, 212, and 213 do not operate, and fall from the discharge end of the belt conveyor 200 into the component receiver Md disposed immediately below this. A rotary encoder is connected to the drive roller 201a as in the first embodiment, and when the computer 205 recognizes which component the drive roller 201a rotates by a rotation angle corresponding to the component. At that time, the nozzle 211, 212 or 213 corresponding thereto is actuated to surely blow the nozzle into the component receiver Ma, Mb or Mc facing the nozzle.

Although the respective embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these, and various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention.

For example, in the above second and sixth embodiments, CC
Although the D camera 111 is fixed to the bowl 102, the D camera 111 may be supported on the ground via a column without being fixed. Alternatively, the shutter may be released in synchronization with the signal from the feeder drive circuit.

Further, in the above second and sixth embodiments, the vibrating parts feeder having the so-called spiral track is described as the vibrating parts carrier, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a linear trough having a linear trough is used. The present invention is also applicable to transfer parts on a vibrating feeder.

Further, in the above embodiment, the shutter timing of the CCD camera 111 and the driving force of the vibration driving unit are synchronized in order to image the posture of the component in synchronization with the vibration. The light source 113 may be composed of a strobe, and the flash timing of the strobe may be synchronized with the vibration driving unit to capture an image.

As a method of synchronizing the vibration of the transfer path and the image pickup of the image pickup device, the shutter itself of the image pickup device may be synchronized with the driving power itself to release the shutter.

Further, in the above second and sixth embodiments, the electromagnet type driving unit has been described as the vibration driving source, but the present invention can be applied to a vibrating component carrier having another vibration driving unit.

In the first embodiment described above, the good parts and the bad parts are classified as the parts m, but other parts may be arranged so as to be arranged in parallel with the air ejecting device 40 to further eject the parts into the bowl. The present invention is also applicable to the case where an air jetting device is provided and the component m is placed in a predetermined posture and supplied to the next process in accordance with the video signal from the component identifying device 30. In this case, for example, when the posture shown in A of FIG. 1 is supplied to the next process, the posture is stored in the computer, and the components of the posture B are stored in the bowl by the newly provided air ejection device. It should be returned to. In this case, the non-defective part m can be supplied to the next process from the belt conveyor device 16 in a predetermined posture.

Similarly, in the second embodiment, the parts d are classified into good products and defective products. It is desired to supply the good products to the next process in a predetermined posture, for example, the posture shown in FIG. In such a case, a second air ejecting device may be further provided in parallel with the air ejecting device 114 on the downstream side of the posture detecting device to return the component d not in a predetermined posture into the bowl 12. In this case, a non-defective part d can be obtained from the discharge end of the discharge track of the bowl 102 in a predetermined posture.

In FIG. 16, the parts m, n, and j are used for sorting, and the part m is supplied from the discharge end of the belt conveyor device 16 to the next process. , 40 'are arranged in parallel to each other and a third air ejecting device is provided on the downstream side of the component discriminating device 30, and when it is desired to supply the component m by the CCD camera as described above in FIG. The jet nozzle may be used to discharge the parts indicated by (1) into the bowl. In this case, the non-defective part m can be supplied from the belt conveyor device 16 to the next process in a predetermined posture.

The same applies to the fifth embodiment shown in FIG.

In the fifth embodiment, the parts m, n, and j are sorted, but the parts receivers Q ₁ and Q ₂ are respectively connected to, for example, an air transportation device so that the _first parts can be provided.
A rotary parts feeder similar to that of the embodiment or the fifth embodiment is provided, and a predetermined attitude is stored by a computer for each of the parts m, n, and j, and each of the parts m, n, and j has a predetermined attitude. The belt conveyors corresponding to the above may be supplied to the next process.

Further, in the seventh embodiment shown in FIG. 20,
The parts ma, mb, mc and md are sorted into the respective containers Ma, Mb, Mc and Md.
Further, a defective part collection container is provided, and the allowable range is determined based on the shapes of non-defective products of the respective components ma, mb, mc, and md as in the first embodiment. Parts outside this range are regarded as defective products.
The component receivers newly provided in FIG. 20 may be sorted by the air ejected from the nozzles facing the component receivers, or the defective products may be collected in common.

Alternatively, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 20, the computer 2 which receives a signal from the CCD camera 204 by providing a vacuum suction device on the downstream side of the detection position of the belt conveyor 200.
The discriminating signal from 05 is supplied to this vacuum suction device, and after the vacuum suction device sucks it according to the type of parts,
You may make it convey to a predetermined position according to the kind of components along each predetermined route. In this case, of course,
Air ejection nozzles 211, 212, 213 and a container Ma,
Mb, Mc and Md are omitted.

[0073]

As described above, according to the component sorting apparatus of the present invention, each component is automatically stored in a container in which various components are mixed and stored automatically without requiring any operator. It is possible to sort by type, and it is possible to automatically sort good products and defective products.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is one of the parts applied to the first embodiment of the present invention
It is a perspective view which shows one attitude | position, B is a perspective view of the component which shows another attitude | position. C is a perspective view of the defective part.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the parts sorting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the same.

4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part in FIG. 2 and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line [4]-[4] line in FIG.

5 is an enlarged front view of the component discriminating unit in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of another main part.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of another main part.

8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line [8]-[8] in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the controller for the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway front view of a parts sorting device in a vibrating parts carrier according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a parts sorting device in a vibrating parts carrier according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged front view for explaining the operation of the second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a partially enlarged front view for explaining another operation of the second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an essential part of a partial sorting device in a vibrating component carrier according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15A is a plan view showing an example of a defective product of a component applied to the third embodiment, and B is a plan view showing another example of a defective product of a component applied to the third embodiment. .

FIG. 16 is a plan view of a parts sorting device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a partially cutaway front view of a parts sorting device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18A is a plan view of one posture of a component applied to the sixth embodiment, and B is a plan view of the other posture of the component applied to the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a plan view of another component applied to the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a plan view of a parts sorting device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Bowl 8 Rotating Disc 14a Slit 30 Component Discriminating Device 33 CCD Camera 34 Light Source 40 Air Ejecting Device 40 'Air Ejecting Device 50 Encoder 103a' Acrylic Plate 111 CCD Camera 113 Light Source 113 'Light Source 114 Air Ejecting Device 114' Air Ejecting Device 130 Component discriminating unit 131 Acrylic plate 131a Side wall 131b Bottom wall 132 Second light source 141a Side wall 203 Light source 204 CCD camera 211 Air ejection nozzle 212 Air ejection nozzle 213 Air ejection nozzle Ma Component receptor Mb Component receptor Mc Component receptor Md parts receptor Q ₁ part receptacle Q ₂ parts receptor Q _'1 part receptacle Q' ₂ parts receptor

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A component transfer device for transferring a component along a predetermined transfer path, an image pickup device arranged in proximity to a predetermined position of the transfer path, and shapes of various parts are stored, A computer that receives a signal representing the shape of a component transferred on the transfer path by the imaging device and determines which of the various components is included; and a sorting mechanism that receives the determination signal of the computer and sorts the various components into types. Parts sorting equipment consisting of. 2. A component transfer device for transferring a component along a predetermined transfer path, an image pickup device arranged in proximity to a predetermined position of the transfer path, and a shape of a good part stored in the image pickup device. A computer that receives a signal indicating the shape of a component transferred on the transfer path by the device and determines whether the component is within the standard of the good component, and a determination signal of the computer to determine the transfer component as a good product and a defective product. A parts sorting device consisting of a sorting mechanism for sorting. 3. The component transfer device has a first cylindrical shape.
The rotating body and the uppermost part of the rotating body are the first rotating body.
Sloped to match the level of the upper edge of the body
Disc-shaped second rotating body and upper end surface of the first rotating body
Along the axis and concentrically with the first rotating body
A side wall forming member having a shape,
It rotates in the same direction independently of the second rotating body,
The components housed on the rolling element are mounted on the upper end surface of the first rotating body and
Toward the circular component transfer path formed by the side wall forming member
Is moved by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the second rotating body.
The side wall shape on the upper end surface of the second rotating body.
Open the side wall forming member so that it is conveyed along the forming member.
Forming a mouth and facing the light source arranged on one side of the opening
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the image pickup device is provided on the other side.
On-board parts sorter. 4. The component sorting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the image pickup apparatus includes a charge coupled device. 5. The component sorting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the opening has a slit shape extending in a direction perpendicular to an upper end surface of the component transfer path. 6. The parts assortment according to claim 3, wherein the sorting mechanism includes a rotation detecting means for detecting a rotational transfer of the first rotating body, and a parts removing body driven by a detection output of the rotation detecting means. apparatus. 7. The component sorting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the rotation detecting means is an encoder arranged near the first rotating body. 8. The component sorting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the component removing body is an air ejection nozzle and is arranged at a predetermined angular position on the downstream side of the imaging device. 9. The component transfer device is a vibrating component transfer machine configured to transfer a component by vibration along a predetermined transfer path including a side wall portion and a bottom wall portion substantially perpendicular to the side wall portion. Of at least a part of the side wall of the transparent material, the illuminating means is arranged on one side wall of the transparent material, and the image pickup device is arranged on the other side wall, and the image pickup device uses the light from the illuminating means. Claim 1 or 2 which imaged the shadow of
The parts sorting device described in. 10. The bottom wall portion is also made of a transparent material, and light is projected so as to be substantially orthogonal to the bottom wall portion.
The parts sorting device described in. 11. A reflecting mirror is disposed below the bottom wall portion made of the transparent material, the light from the illumination means is reflected by the reflecting mirror, and the light is projected so as to be substantially orthogonal to the bottom wall portion. The parts sorting device according to claim 10, wherein the parts sorting device is illuminated.