WO2012056545A1

WO2012056545A1 - Button supply device and button supply method

Info

Publication number: WO2012056545A1
Application number: PCT/JP2010/069201
Authority: WO
Inventors: 祐一谷川; 清水　徹; 清水　昇; 寿和岡部; 隆徳浜潟
Original assignee: Ykk株式会社
Priority date: 2010-10-28
Filing date: 2010-10-28
Publication date: 2012-05-03
Also published as: BR112013010457B1; BR112013010457A2; CN103281923A; CN103281923B

Abstract

Provided is a button supply device (10) configured in such a manner that buttons (1) having a polygonal or other outer peripheral shape do not become stuck at the inlet or in the middle of a chute (30) and that the button supply device (10) can supply the buttons (1) to a button attaching device (50) with the buttons (1) held in a specific orientation. A hopper (20) in which a large number of the buttons (1) having a square outer peripheral shape are housed is rotated and the buttons (1) are discharged to the outside of the hopper (20) from cutouts (24) in the hopper (20). Then, the buttons (1) are aligned in a predetermined orientation by an attitude change roller (41). The buttons (1), the orientation of which has been aligned, are introduced into the chute (30) and supplied on a piece-by-piece basis to an automatic button attaching device (50) with the buttons (1) held in a predetermined orientation. The hopper (20) discharges the buttons (1) from the cutouts (24) with the orientation of the front and rear surfaces of the buttons (1) directed in a specific direction. The attitude change roller (41) rotates the buttons (1) about the axes thereof to set the buttons at a predetermined orientation.

Description

Button supply device and button supply method

The present invention relates to a button supply device and a button supply method, and more specifically, a button supply device for continuously supplying a button having a non-circular shape such as a polygonal shape or an oval shape to a button mounting device, and It relates to a button supply method.

When a button is attached to a cloth such as clothes with an automatic button attachment device, the button and the stopper for the button are continuously supplied to the automatic button attachment device one by one from separate button (stopper) supply devices. As disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-11121, etc., the button supply device includes a rotating hopper and a chute that receives buttons discharged from the rotating hopper one by one and sends them to the automatic button mounting device one by one. ing. In recent years, a wide variety of buttons have been required, and buttons having a polygonal shape or an oval shape whose outer periphery is not a perfect circle have been manufactured. When such a button having a polygonal shape or an oval shape is to be supplied to the automatic button mounting device by the button supply device described in the above document, there is a problem that the button is easily clogged at the entrance of the chute or in the middle. In addition, when a button having a plurality of polygonal shapes, oval shapes, etc. is continuously attached to one fabric by an automatic button attachment device, the posture in the circumferential direction (circumferential posture) around the axis of the button is the same for all buttons. In many cases, they are arranged to be the same. In this case, in the conventional button supply device, since the circumferential direction posture of the button having a polygonal shape, an oval shape, or the like cannot be controlled, the button is provided immediately after being attached to the cloth by the automatic button attachment device after coming out of the chute of the button supply device. It was necessary to manually adjust the circumferential posture of the.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-11121

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and the object thereof is to prevent a button having a polygonal shape or an oval shape from being clogged at the entrance or midway of a chute, and an automatic button mounting device. An object of the present invention is to provide a button supply device and a button supply method capable of supplying polygonal, oval, etc. buttons in a fixed orientation.

In order to solve the above-described problems, according to the present invention, a button supply device for continuously supplying a button with a non-circular outer peripheral shape to a button attachment device one by one, which contains a large number of the same kind of buttons. The hopper that discharges the button to the outside from the plurality of discharge portions while rotating, and the button discharged from the hopper one by one in a predetermined orientation posture, and one in the predetermined orientation posture to the button mounting device side There is provided a button supply device including a tubular chute that passes through each of the chute and a posture changing means that is provided between the hopper and the chute and adjusts the orientation posture of the button to the predetermined orientation posture.

In the present invention, the “button having a non-circular outer peripheral shape” means that the outer peripheral shape centering on the axis of the button is a shape other than a perfect circle, and the orientation posture is changed by rotating around the axis. A button. Specific examples of the outer peripheral shape of the button include a polygon such as a triangle, a square, and a rectangle, an ellipse, an oval, a star, and a heart shape, but are not limited thereto.

In the present invention, the posture changing means may include a roller or abutting member that can change the posture of the button by friction or abutment, or a device that changes the posture by blowing air, but is not limited thereto. Is not to be done.

In the present invention, the chute can accept the buttons one by one in a predetermined orientation and pass them one by one to the button mounting device side in a predetermined orientation. For this reason, buttons having orientation postures other than the predetermined orientation posture cannot enter the chute. The buttons discharged from the hopper to the outside have a different orientation posture, and the button can be introduced into the chute by adjusting the orientation posture to a predetermined orientation posture by the posture changing means.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the discharging portion of the hopper discharges the button to the outside of the hopper in a state where the front and back directions are constant, and the posture changing means is in a state where the front and back directions are constant. The button is rotated around its axis. In this case, the button discharged from the hopper through the discharge part to the outside of the hopper has a fixed orientation, so the posture changing means does not need to adjust the orientation of the front and back, and the button is centered on its axis. It is only necessary to control the circumferential posture to be rotated. In addition, the discharge part is a notch part of a shape that matches the shape of the front part of the button, for example, and a large number of discharge parts can be provided in the entire circumferential direction of the hopper.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the posture changing means is accommodated in an attachable / detachable posture changing unit having a housing. By accommodating the posture changing means in the housing to be a posture changing unit that can be attached and detached, maintenance of the posture changing unit can be easily performed.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the posture changing means includes a roller for rotating the button by friction. The outer peripheral surface of the roller can be roughened by a number of grooves or the like in order to increase the frictional force with the button.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the posture changing means rotates the button by abutting a butting member against the button. The abutting member can be reciprocated linearly by a cylinder or the like.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, the posture changing means blows air to the button to rotate the button. In this case, air can be blown continuously or intermittently to the button.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a button supply method for continuously supplying a non-circular outer peripheral shape button one by one to a button mounting device by rotating a hopper containing a number of similar buttons. , The process A for discharging the button from the discharge part of the hopper to the outside of the hopper, the process B for adjusting the button discharged from the hopper to a predetermined orientation, and the button adjusted to the predetermined orientation by the process B as a chute A button supply method is provided that includes the step C of introducing and passing the chutes one by one in a predetermined orientation posture toward the button mounting device side. In the process B, the posture changing means described above is used.

In one embodiment of the present invention, in the step A, the discharge part of the hopper discharges the button to the outside of the hopper in a state where the front and back directions are constant, and the step B has the front and back directions in the step A. Rotate the button in a fixed state around its axis. In this case, the posture changing means used in the process B does not need to arrange the front and back directions of the button, and only needs to control the circumferential posture of rotating the button about its axis.

In the present invention, since the posture of the button whose outer periphery is polygonal, oval, etc. can be adjusted by the posture changing means before entering the chute, the button is not clogged at the entrance of the chute or in the middle, and the button is attached. Polygonal and oval buttons can be smoothly supplied to the apparatus in a fixed orientation. Therefore, it is not necessary to arrange the circumferential posture of the button immediately before attaching it to the cloth with the button attaching device.

FIG. 1 is an overall explanatory view schematically showing a button supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a broken explanatory view showing a part of the rotary hopper of FIG. 1 in an enlarged manner. FIG. 3 is an explanatory perspective view showing an attached state of the posture changing unit. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional explanatory view of the attitude changing roller provided at the chute inlet. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the button supplied by the button supply device as viewed from above. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the button of FIG. 5 as viewed from below. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which the button of FIG. 5 is attached to the fabric with a stopper. FIG. 8 is a perspective explanatory view showing a state in which a plurality of buttons of FIG. 5 are attached to the fabric. FIG. 9 is a horizontal sectional view of the chute while the button is passing. FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional explanatory view showing a usage state of the posture change roller. FIG. 11 is an explanatory view similar to FIG. 10 showing a state where the circumferential posture of the button having an elliptical outer periphery is adjusted. FIG. 12 is an explanatory view similar to FIG. 10 showing an example in which an abutting member is used as the posture changing means. FIG. 13 is an explanatory view similar to FIG. 10 illustrating an example in which air is blown as a posture changing unit on a button having a triangular outer periphery.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall explanatory view schematically showing a button supply apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The button supply device 10 is for continuously supplying the buttons 1 one by one to the automatic button mounting device 50 represented by a punch 51 and a die 52 for convenience. A rotary hopper (hereinafter also simply referred to as a “hopper”) 20 that is rotationally driven by the motor 11, and a tubular chute 30 that receives the buttons 1 one by one from the hopper 20 and supplies them to the automatic button mounting device 50 below by gravity drop. And a posture changing roller (hereinafter also simply referred to as “roller”) 41 (see FIG. 3 etc.) as posture changing means for changing the posture of the button 1 installed at the entrance of the chute 30. The rotary hopper 20 has one end connected to the output portion of the motor 11, a horizontally disposed rotary shaft 21, a circular bottom 22 to which the other end of the rotary shaft 21 is connected, and an outer peripheral portion of the bottom 22. And a peripheral side portion 23 that extends forward (motor side) while the inner and outer diameters increase. The front end surface of the peripheral side portion 23 is closed by a hopper support structure 12 (only a part of the hopper support structure 12 is shown in FIG. 3). FIG. 2 shows a part of the peripheral side portion 23 of the hopper 20 in an enlarged manner. As shown in the figure, a triangular notch 24 as a discharge portion is formed at the front end portion of the peripheral side portion 23. Many are formed continuously in the entire circumferential direction. The button 1 in the rotating hopper 20 goes out of the hopper 20 through the notch 24 and then enters the chute 30. The button 1 has a quadrangular pyramid-shaped front portion 2 (see FIG. 5), which will be described in detail later. The front portion 2 needs to be aligned with the cutout portion 24 in order for the button 1 to pass through the cutout portion 24. Therefore, the button 1 immediately before entering the chute 30 (and in the chute 30) passes through the cutout portion 24 to the outside of the rotary hopper 20 and the front portion 2 is in a state of facing a certain direction (rear of the hopper 20). (See FIG. 10). Reference numeral 46 in FIG. 2 is a sensor for stopping the rotation of the hopper 20 when the button 1 is clogged above the chute 30 for some reason. Although there is an automatic button attachment device 50, in this attachment device 50, the punch 51 is moved down to the die 52 side by electricity and is attached to the cloth. In addition to electric power, there is a manual button mounting device that lowers the punch in a stepped manner.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the posture changing unit 40 including the posture changing roller 41 is attached to the hopper support structure 12 above the chute 30. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional plan view of the posture changing unit 40 attached to the hopper support structure 12. The posture changing unit 40 further includes a rotational drive mechanism (not shown) that transmits the power from the drive source to the roller 41 to rotationally drive the roller 41, and a housing 42 that houses the roller 41 and the rotational drive mechanism. In the present embodiment, since the motor 11 that is the driving source of the hopper 20 is shared as the driving source of the roller 41, the rotation of the roller 41 is driven from the output portion of the motor 11 of the hopper 20 via the endless belt 45 (see FIG. 1). Power is transmitted to the mechanism. The roller 41 is housed in the housing 42 such that a part of the roller 41 is exposed from the one side surface 43 of the housing 42 to the outside of the housing 42, and an axial line of the roller 41 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the roller 41 to increase friction with respect to the button 1. A large number of fine grooves 41a parallel to each other are provided so as to be continuous in the circumferential direction. The posture changing unit 40 is fixed to a predetermined portion of the plate-like base portion 13 of the hopper support structure 12 by bolts 44 so as to be replaceable. Easy to maintain because it is replaceable. The hopper support structure 12 has a raised portion 14 that rises from the base portion 13 at a location adjacent to the posture changing unit 40 below the hopper 20. The raised portion 14 includes a side surface 15 that faces the side surface 43 of the housing 42 of the posture changing unit 40 where the roller 41 is exposed at a predetermined interval. One side surface 43 of the posture changing unit 40 and one side surface 15 of the raised portion 14 constitute an inlet 31 (hereinafter referred to as “chute inlet”) 31 of the chute 30 as will be described in detail later. The chute inlet 31 extends downward substantially along one of the two tangents along the vertical (vertical) direction of the front end portion of the peripheral side portion 23 of the hopper 20 (the back side of the drawing in FIG. 1). A chute inlet 31 through which the button 1 passes is formed between a discharge portion (notch portion) 24 of the hopper 20 and a posture changing unit (posture changing means) 40. That is, the hopper 20 and the posture changing unit 40 are in positions facing each other across the chute inlet 31.

5 and 6 are perspective views of the button 1 as viewed from above and below. The button 1 is a metal die-cast molded product, and is a decorative button attached to a leather jacket or the like for decoration. The button 1 includes a square quadrangular pyramid-shaped front portion 2, four side surfaces 3 having the same rectangular shape, and a square-shaped back surface 4. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the button 1 is fixed to the fabric 9 using the stopper 7. On the back surface 4 of the button 1, when the button 1 is attached to the fabric 9, a stopper locking portion 5 is provided for receiving, deforming and locking the shaft portion 8 of the stopper 7 penetrating the fabric 9. Yes. The stopper locking portion 5 includes a convex portion 5a that protrudes in an annular shape from the back surface 4, and a concave portion 5b that is recessed in a columnar shape from the back surface 4 on the radially inner side of the convex portion 5a. The inner diameter of the convex portion 5a and the diameter of the concave portion 5b are gradually reduced in the protruding direction of the convex portion 5a. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which a plurality of buttons 1 are continuously attached to the fabric 9 by the automatic button attachment device 50. Each button 1 needs to be attached so that the vertical and horizontal directions of the front portion 2 are all parallel to each other in the fabric 9. The button 1 is continuously supplied to the automatic button attachment device 50 one by one through the chute 30 from the button supply device 10, and at the same time, the stopper 7 is supplied from a separate stopper supply device through the chute 60 (see FIG. 1). Continuously supplied. FIG. 9 is a horizontal sectional view of the chute 30. The chute 30 is formed by integrating two

half pipes

30a and 30b. A front side guide path 32a having a horizontal cross-sectional shape corresponding to the front part 2 of the button 1 is provided on the inner side of the half pipe 30a, and a side surface of the button 1 is provided on the inner side of the half pipe 30b. 3 and the back side guide path 32b of the horizontal cross-section rectangle shape corresponding to the back surface 4 are each provided. The front side guide path 32 a and the back side guide path 32 b form an internal passage 32 having a shape that substantially matches the horizontal cross section of the button 1. The chute 30 can receive and pass only the button 1 in a predetermined orientation state into the internal passage 32. That is, the chute 30 is a button in which the front portion 2 faces the front side guide path 32a, the back surface 4 side faces the back side guide path 32b, and is closer to the side surface 32c of the internal passage 32 (the face facing in the left-right direction in FIG. 9). The left and right side surfaces 3 of the button 1 are substantially along the vertical direction (the vertical direction, the direction in which the button 1 falls by its own weight) and are perpendicular to the side surface 32c of the internal passage 32. Only the button 1 in a substantially aligned state (hereinafter referred to as “positive orientation state”) can be received from the upper chute inlet 31 and sent to the lower automatic button mounting device 50. On the other hand, the button 1 in a state other than the positive orientation state (hereinafter referred to as “non-positive orientation state”) cannot enter the chute 30, but as described below, the button 1 enters the positive orientation state by the roller 41 at the chute inlet 31. Can be introduced into the chute 30.

Next, the usage state of the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the posture of the button 1 is controlled at the chute inlet 31. Note that both the hopper 20 and the posture changing roller 41 are rotated in the counterclockwise direction (see arrow). Here, the roller 41 rotating in the counterclockwise direction is a part of the roller 41, and a portion protruding to the chute inlet 31 rotates in a direction in which the button 1 passes through the chute 30 with its own weight. The button 1 is discharged from the rotating hopper 20 through the notch 24 and out of the hopper 20 to the upper side of the roller 41 of the chute inlet 31, and falls from here to the lower roller 41 side by its own weight. Above the roller 41 outside the hopper 20, the front portion 2 of each button 1 is facing the rear of the hopper 20 (front side in FIG. 10) due to the passage of the notch 24. The posture in the circumferential direction (circumferential posture) around the axis (the line passing through the center of the button in the direction perpendicular to the fabric surface when placed on the fabric) is disjoint, and the side surface 3 is vertically and It is in a non-positive orientation state inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. When such a non-positively oriented button 1 is in contact with the rotating roller 41, the button 1 is rotated around the axis of the button 1 by the outer peripheral surface with the groove 41a of the roller 41. 1 is introduced into the chute inlet 31 under the roller 41 in the positive orientation state, and further sent to the automatic button mounting device 50 through the internal passage 32 of the chute 30 while maintaining the positive orientation state. Therefore, the button 1 is not clogged above the roller 41 or inside the chute inlet 31 and the chute 30, and the button 1 having a square outer periphery is smoothly supplied to the automatic button mounting device 50 in a fixed orientation. Can do. If the button 1 is clogged above the roller 41 for some reason, the sensor 46 is activated to stop the motor 11, and the rotation of the hopper 20 and the roller 41 is stopped. Note that the axis of the roller 41 and the axis of the button 1 and the central axis of the rotary hopper that is driven to rotate are parallel.

In the above embodiment, the button 1 having the square outer periphery is given as an example of the button, but the present invention is not limited to this. FIG. 11 is an explanatory view similar to FIG. 10 when a button supply device supplies a button 71 having an elliptical outer periphery as another example of the button. Also in this case, the button 71 is discharged out of the hopper 20a from a notch (not shown) having a shape that matches the surface of the button 71 of the rotary hopper 20a. Turn to the direction. The chute inlet 31a and the chute (not shown) below the chute inlet 31a allow the button 71 to pass only when the major axis of the button 71 is substantially along the vertical direction and the minor axis is substantially along the horizontal direction (positive orientation state). To do. The button 71 having a different circumferential posture is rotated counterclockwise above the roller 41 outside the hopper 20a (the same reference number is used because it is substantially the same as the roller 41 in FIG. 10 described above). The roller 71 is rotated about the axis of the button 71 by being in contact with the roller 41, and the button 71 is in a positive orientation during the rotation and is introduced into the chute inlet 31a under the roller 41. It is sent to the automatic button mounting device through the chute while maintaining the positive orientation state. In FIG. 11, the front portion is flat, but may be hemispherical (dome-shaped), for example. Further, although the rotation direction of the roller 41 is counterclockwise, it may be clockwise.

In the above embodiment, the roller 41 is given as an example of the posture changing means, but the present invention is not limited to this. FIG. 12 is an explanatory view similar to FIG. 10 when a bar-shaped abutting member 81 is used as another example of the posture changing means. The abutting member 81 can reciprocate linearly in the hole 83 connected perpendicularly to the upper end portion of the chute inlet 31b by the cylinder 82 so that the tip end portion 81a can continuously appear and disappear in the chute inlet 31b. . Thereby, the front-end | tip part 81a can be abutted with respect to the button 1 of the non-positive orientation state which is going to enter into the chute | shoot inlet 31b, and the button 1 can be rotated to one direction or the other direction around the axis line, and can be made into a positive orientation state. . Even in this example, the abutting member 81 can be accommodated in the housing, and can be easily attached and detached by using the posture changing unit.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory view similar to FIG. 10 when air is blown as still another example of the posture changing means. The button 91 illustrated in FIG. 13 is a decorative button having a triangular outer periphery and a triangular pyramid shape on the outer surface, and the hopper 20b has a notch (not shown) having a shape that matches the front surface of the button 91. have. As shown by the two lower buttons 91 in FIG. 13, the button 91 has one side of the ridge 14 that is substantially the same as one side 15 of the ridge 14 (the one side 15 of the ridge 14 in FIG. 4). Therefore, it can be introduced into the chute inlet 31c only in a state (positive orientation state) along the vertical direction on the side denoted by the same reference number. An air passage 101 opening at the upper end of the chute inlet 31c is formed, and air is blown from the air source (not shown) to the chute inlet 31c through the air passage 101. In the present embodiment, the air passage 101 is set to be inclined obliquely upward from the horizontal on the proximal end side to the opening side, and air is blown obliquely upward at the chute inlet 31c. As a result, air can be blown to the non-positively oriented button 91 that is about to enter the chute inlet 31c, and the button 91 can be rotated around its axis to be in the positively oriented state. Note that air can be blown continuously or intermittently. Even in this example, the air passage 101 can be formed, and the air passage 101 can be accommodated in the housing to form the posture changing unit, which can be easily attached and detached.

1, 71, 91 Button 10

Button supply device

20, 20a, 20b Rotating hopper 24 Notch (discharge section)
30

Chute

31, 31a, 31b, 31c Chute inlet 40 Posture change unit 41 Posture change roller 50 Automatic button mounting device 81 Abutting member 101 Air passage

Claims

A button supply device (10) for continuously supplying non-circular outer peripheral shaped buttons (1, 71, 91) to the button mounting device (50) one by one,
A hopper (20, 20a, 20b) that accommodates a number of the same type of buttons (1, 71, 91) and discharges the buttons (1, 71, 91) from the plurality of discharge portions (24) while rotating,
The buttons (1, 71, 91) discharged from the hopper (20, 20a, 20b) are received one by one in a predetermined orientation posture, and one by one in a predetermined orientation posture toward the button mounting device (50). A tubular chute (30) to be passed;
Position change means (41, 81, provided between the hopper (20, 20a, 20b) and the chute (30) for adjusting the orientation of the buttons (1, 71, 91) to the predetermined orientation 101).
The discharge part (24) of the hopper (20, 20a, 20b) discharges the button (1, 71, 91) to the outside of the hopper (20, 20a, 20b) in a state where the direction of the front and back is constant. The button supply device according to claim 1, wherein the posture changing means (41, 81, 101) rotates the button (1, 71, 91) in a state in which the orientation of the front and back surfaces is constant around the axis.
The button supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the posture changing means (41, 81, 101) is accommodated in a posture changing unit (40) having a housing (42) which can be attached and detached.
The button supply device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the posture changing means (41) includes a roller (41) for rotating the button (1, 71, 91) by friction.
The button supply device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the posture changing means (81) rotates the button (1, 71, 91) against the abutting member (81).
The button supply device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the posture changing means (101) rotates the button (1, 71, 91) by blowing air onto the button (1, 71, 91).
A button supply method for continuously supplying non-circular outer peripheral shaped buttons (1, 71, 91) one by one to the button mounting device (50),
The hopper (20, 20a, 20b) containing a number of the same type of buttons (1, 71, 91) is rotated, and the hopper (20, 20a, 20b) is discharged from the discharge part (24) of the hopper (20, 20a, 20b). ) To discharge the buttons (1, 71, 91) to the outside,
A step B of adjusting the buttons (1, 71, 91) discharged from the hopper (20, 20a, 20b) to a predetermined orientation;
The buttons (1, 71, 91) adjusted in the predetermined orientation posture in step B are introduced into the chute (30), and the chute (30) one by one in the predetermined orientation posture toward the button mounting device (50) side. A button supply method including the step C of passing through.
In the step A, the discharge part (24) of the hopper (20, 20a, 20b) is arranged outside the hopper (20, 20a, 20b) with the buttons (1, 71, 91) kept in a fixed direction. 8. The button supply method according to claim 7, wherein the step B rotates the button (1, 71, 91) in the state in which the orientation of the front and back surfaces is made constant by the step A around the axis.