JP7342632B2 - Insert automatic assembly system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic insert assembly system.

Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a screw insert insertion tool. This insertion tool is a tool for inserting a screw insert into a female thread of a workpiece, and includes a spline shaft, a head, a clutch, a motor, a prewinder, a first male screw, a second male screw, a mandrel, a mandrel fine adjustment means, and The mandrel includes a spring, and has grooves at both ends into which the tongues of the threaded insert engage, and the first male thread and the second male thread have the same shape and size.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-28678

By the way, the above-mentioned background technology is a tool (insertion tool) that is held and operated by an operator, and when inserting a screw insert into a workpiece in which a large number of female threads are formed, the operator must control the number of female threads. Forced to perform repetitive tasks. That is, the above-mentioned background art gives a great deal of fatigue to the operator when there are many places where inserts are attached, and also reduces work efficiency.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic insert assembly system that can reduce the burden on the operator.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides, as a first solving means related to an automatic insert assembly system, an insert insertion part for inserting an insert bush into an assembly hole, and a supply of the insert bush to the insert insertion part. an insert supplying device for moving the insert insertion portion relative to the workpiece in which the plurality of assembly holes are formed and the insert supplying device; and a moving device for detecting abnormal assembly of the insert bushing to the assembly hole. This means that the system is equipped with an abnormality detection device that detects abnormalities.

In the present invention, as a second solving means related to an insert automatic assembly system, in the first solving means, the insert insertion section has an outer shape guide that accommodates the insert bushing brought into contact with the predetermined workpiece. the insert bushing is inserted into the assembly hole in the state, the moving device moves the outer shape guide so as to come into contact with the workpiece, and the abnormality detection device brings the outer shape guide into contact with the workpiece. A means for detecting the abnormal assembly is adopted based on the operating state of the moving device.

In the present invention, as a third solving means related to an insert automatic assembly system, in the first solving means, the insert insertion section has an outer shape guide that accommodates the insert bushing brought into contact with the predetermined workpiece. the insert bush is inserted into the assembly hole in the state, and the moving device moves the outer shape guide so as to come into contact with the workpiece, and further includes a distance sensor that detects the position of the outer shape guide, The detection device employs means for detecting the abnormal assembly based on the position of the outer shape guide.

In the present invention, as a fourth solving means related to an automatic insert assembly system, in any one of the first to third solving means, the insert insertion portion contacts the workpiece in a state with cushioning properties. , the insert bush is inserted into the assembly hole.

In the present invention, as a fifth solving means related to an insert automatic assembly system, a means is adopted in which the insert bushing has a coil spring form in any one of the first to fourth solving means.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an insert automatic assembly system that can reduce the burden on workers.

1 is a front view and a top view showing the system configuration of an automatic insert assembly system A according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. They are a perspective view showing the structure of an insert bush B and a side view showing the structure of a hand tool T in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the tool 10 and the outer shape guide 18 in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the tool 10, the external guide 18, and the workpiece W in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the abnormally assembled state of the insert bush B in one Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, with reference to FIG. 1, the system configuration of an automatic insert assembly system A according to the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), this automatic insert assembly system A includes an indexing table D, a robot R, a hand rack H, an insert supply device K, a control panel S, a pendant P, and an emergency stop switch. It is equipped with I.

The indexing table D is a movable table on which the workpiece W is placed on its upper surface (placing surface), and the position and posture of the workpiece W are set to a desired state. The indexing table D sets the position and orientation of the workpiece W to a desired state based on a control signal input from the control panel S. Such an indexing table D includes, for example, a fixture that fixes the workpiece W to a mounting surface, and the position and posture of the workpiece W on the mounting surface are fixed by the fixture, and the position and posture of the mounting surface are fixed. Vary your posture.

The workpiece W is a member in which a large number of engagement holes are formed in advance. This workpiece is a member of a predetermined shape made of a relatively soft metal material, such as an aluminum alloy or a titanium alloy, and has a large number of engagement holes formed therein for fixing other members. These engagement holes vary depending on the form of the fixture, but for example, when a male screw is used as the fixture, it is a threaded hole (female thread).

Here, the screw thread of the screw hole (female thread) is likely to be crushed if the material of the workpiece W is a relatively soft metal material. The insert bush B in this embodiment is a reinforcing component that is attached in advance to the screw hole (female thread) in order to reinforce the screw hole (female thread) whose threads are easily crushed, and is shown in FIG. 2(a). It is a coil spring.

That is, this insert bush B is an annular coil spring in which wire material is tightly wound at a predetermined pitch, and has a predetermined diameter (outer diameter and inner diameter), a predetermined length (dimension in the axial direction), and a pitch (coil diameter). pitch). Such an insert bush B has an engagement groove b formed in the inner circumference near the tip. Although details will be described later, a tool 10 of a hand tool T, which will be described later, is engaged with this engagement groove b.

The automatic insert assembly system A according to the present embodiment is a system for automatically assembling such an insert bush B into a screw hole h of a workpiece W. This screw hole h corresponds to an assembly hole in the present invention.

The robot R is an articulated robot that three-dimensionally moves a hand tool T attached to its tip. This robot R positions a hand tool T at each position of a large number of screw holes h formed in a workpiece W. That is, the robot R moves the hand tools T based on control signals input from the control panel S, and sequentially moves the hand tools T to the positions of the screw holes h in a predetermined order. Although the details of the hand tool T will be described later, this hand tool T corresponds to the insert insertion portion of the present invention.

The hand rack H is a storage section that stores a plurality of tools 10 and an external guide 18 shown in FIG. 2 in a predetermined posture. This hand rack H accommodates a plurality of tools 10 with different specifications and an external shape guide 18, and when the first hand changer 11 shown in FIG. When the second hand changer 16 operates, one of the plurality of external shape guides 18 is delivered to the hand tool T.

The insert supply device K is a device that automatically supplies the insert bush B to the hand tool T. Although details will be described later, this insert supply device K sequentially supplies insert bushes B one by one to a hand tool T that is set in a predetermined posture at a predetermined supply position by the operation of the robot R.

The control panel S includes a control section that centrally controls the automatic insert assembly system A, and an operation panel for manually inputting control information required by the control section. Specifically, this control panel S sequentially assembles the insert bushing B into the screw hole h by controlling the indexing table D, the insert feeding device K, the robot R, and the hand tool T based on a predetermined control program. let

The pendant P is a portable operation panel, and is communicably connected to the control panel S by wire or wirelessly. This pendant P manually inputs control information required by the control section of the control panel S into the control panel S. The emergency stop switch I is connected to the control panel S in a wired or wireless communication manner, and manually sends an operation instruction to the control panel S to emergency stop the operation of the automatic insert assembly system A as one of the control information. input.

Here, the indexing table D, the robot R, and the control panel S constitute the moving device of the present invention. That is, the indexing table D, the robot R, and the control panel S have the overall function of inserting the hand tool T (insert insertion part ) is moved relatively.

Next, details of the hand tool T will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
As shown in FIG. 2, this hand tool T includes a base plate 1, a connecting member 2, an LM guide 3, a first LM block 4A, a second LM block 4B, a first bracket 5, a first air cylinder 6, a second bracket 7, Rotation drive unit 8, tool holder 9, tool 10, first hand changer 11, distance sensor 12, third bracket 13, second air cylinder 14, fourth bracket 15, second hand changer 16, fifth bracket 17, and external shape A guide 18 is provided.

Among the components constituting such a hand tool T, the rotation drive unit 8, the tool holder 9, the tool 10, and the main shaft M in this embodiment are configured. This main shaft M is a mechanism for rotating the insert bush B around its axis.

Further, among the components of the hand tool T, the first air cylinder 6, the rotation drive unit 8, and the second air cylinder 14 are controlled parts controlled by the control panel S. These first air cylinder 6, rotation drive unit 8, and second air cylinder 14 operate based on control signals input from the control panel S, and output their own operating states as operation detection signals to the control panel S. .

Further, the second air cylinder 14 and the control panel S constitute an abnormality detection device of the present invention. That is, the control panel S detects the operation state of the second air cylinder 14 based on the operation detection signal input from the second air cylinder 14, and adjusts the screw hole h( Detects abnormal assembly of insert bush B into the assembly hole).

The base plate 1 is an L-shaped plate material in which a pair of flat parts are connected in an orthogonal state, one of which is fixed to the tip of the robot R via a connecting member 2, and the other flat part has an LM guide. 3 is fixed. This base plate 1, that is, the hand tool T takes various postures in three-dimensional space based on the movement of each joint of the robot R.

Here, when the plane (reference plane) on which the screw holes h are formed by the indexing table D is set horizontally, when the insert bushes B are sequentially assembled into the screw holes h, the base plate 1 is moved by the robot R. The other plane part is set in an up-down direction (vertical direction) as shown by an arrow L. That is, when the reference plane is horizontal, the hand tool T is set in a posture in a direction perpendicular to the reference plane, that is, in an up-down direction (vertical direction). In the following, each part will be explained on the premise that the hand tool T is set in an up-down direction (vertical direction).

The connecting member 2 is a connector that detachably connects the base plate 1 to the tip of the robot R. The LM guide 3 is a pair of rails extending in the up-down direction (vertical direction). The LM guide 3 is attached to one surface (the left side surface in FIG. 2) of the other flat surface of the base plate 1 so as to face each other in parallel at a predetermined interval.

The first LM block 4A is a moving block that moves up and down along such an LM guide 3. That is, the first LM block 4A is slidably attached to the LM guide 3 by interposing a bearing. Such a first LM block 4A guides the movement of the above-mentioned main shaft M in the vertical direction.

The second LM block 4B is a moving block that moves up and down along the LM guide 3, similar to the first LM block 4A. This second LM block 4B is attached to the lower side of the first LM block 4A with respect to the LM guide 3 extending in the vertical direction, and is slidable with respect to the LM guide 3 by interposing a bearing. . Such a second LM block 4B guides the movement of the outer shape guide 18 in the vertical direction.

The first bracket 5 is a plate-like member fixed to the base plate 1 and supports the first air cylinder 6. The first bracket 5 includes a flat portion in a horizontal position, and the first air cylinder 6 is fixed to the lower surface side of the flat portion. That is, this first bracket 5 supports the first air cylinder 6 in a suspended state in a vertical position (vertical position).

The first air cylinder 6 is an actuator that uses compressed air as a working fluid, and is fixed to the first bracket 5 in a vertical position as described above. That is, in this first air cylinder 6, the moving direction of the movable rod is the vertical direction (vertical direction), and the second bracket 7 connected to the tip (lower end) of the movable rod is moved up and down.

The second bracket 7 is a member fixed to the first LM block 4A, and supports the main shaft M, the first hand changer 11, and the distance sensor 12 described above. That is, the second bracket 7 includes a first portion for fixing the rotation drive unit 8 to the first LM block 4A, a second portion for fixing the tool holder 9 to the first LM block 4A, and a first hand changer. 11 and a third portion for fixing the distance sensor 12 to the first LM block 4A.

The rotation drive unit 8 includes a rotation shaft 8a, and is fixed to the first LM block 4A by a first portion of the second bracket 7. The rotation drive unit 8 is a drive mechanism that rotates the rotation shaft 8a around the shaft at a predetermined number of rotations. In addition to the rotating shaft 8a, the rotary drive unit 8 includes a motor as a power source, a reducer that reduces the rotation speed of the motor, a coupling that connects the reducer and the rotating shaft 8a, and a coupling that connects the rotating shaft 8a. It is equipped with bearings etc. that support it rotatably.

The tool holder 9 is a holding member that rotatably holds the tool 10, and is fixed to the first LM block 4A by a second portion of the second bracket 7. This tool holder 9 holds a rod-shaped tool 10 in a vertical position (vertical position) and rotatably.

The tool 10 is a rod-shaped member that engages with the insert bush B. This tool 10 is prepared in advance with various specifications depending on the type of insert bush B, and is housed in the above-mentioned hand rack H. The tool 10 mounted on the hand tool T is the one selected on the hand rack H.

As shown in FIG. 3, such a tool 10 is a rod-shaped member in which an engaging protrusion 10 is provided at the tip of a main body 10a, and a flange 10c is provided at the rear end of the rod-shaped main body 10a. The main body portion 10a is a rod-shaped portion (cylindrical portion) that is thinner than the inner diameter of the insert bush B described above, and can be easily inserted into the insert bush B.

The engagement protrusion 10 can freely protrude from the bar-shaped main body 10a and be housed in the bar-shaped main body 10a, and engages with the engagement groove b of the insert bush B in the protruding state. The flange portion 10c is a cylindrical portion having a larger diameter than the rod-shaped main body portion 10a, and comes into contact with the upper end of the outer guide 18 when the tool 10 is inserted into the outer guide 18.

The first hand changer 11 is a mechanism for exchanging such a tool 10 with the hand rack H. That is, the first hand changer 11 operates with the hand tool T set in a predetermined position and a predetermined posture near the hand rack H by the robot R, thereby changing the plurality of tools 10 housed in the hand rack H. One of them is selectively selected and attached to the hand tool T.

The distance sensor 12 detects the distance between the tool 10 and the external guide 18 in the vertical direction. This distance sensor 12 outputs a distance detection signal indicating a detection result to the control panel S as one piece of control information. Note that as the distance sensor 12, a laser distance meter capable of highly accurate distance detection can be employed.

The third bracket 13 is a member fixed to the lower end of the base plate 1 and supports the second air cylinder 14. The third bracket 13 includes a horizontal plane part, and the second air cylinder 14 is fixed to the upper surface side of the plane part. That is, this third bracket 13 supports the second air cylinder 14 upward in a vertical position (vertical position).

The second air cylinder 14 is an actuator that uses compressed air as a working fluid, and is fixed to the third bracket 13 in a vertical position as described above. That is, in this second air cylinder 14, the moving direction of the movable rod is the vertical direction (vertical direction), and the second LM block 4B connected to the tip (upper end) of the movable rod is moved up and down.

The fourth bracket 15 is a member fixed to the second LM block 4B, and supports the second hand changer 16, the fifth bracket 17, and the external guide 18. In other words, the fourth bracket 15 includes a flat portion in a horizontal position, and directly supports the second hand changer 16 provided on the lower surface side of the flat portion. Further, this fourth bracket 15 indirectly supports a fifth bracket 17 and an external guide 18 fixed to the lower part of the second hand changer 16.

The second hand changer 16 is provided between a fourth bracket 15 and a fifth bracket 17 that face each other in the vertical direction with a predetermined distance therebetween. This is a mechanism for exchanging it. That is, the first hand changer 11 operates with the hand tool T set at a predetermined position and in a predetermined posture near the hand rack H by the robot R, so that the first hand changer 11 changes the shape of the plurality of external guides housed in the hand rack H. One of the 18 is alternatively selected and attached to the hand tool T.

The fifth bracket 17 is a plate-like member that faces the flat part of the fourth bracket 15 with the second hand changer 16 in between. This fifth bracket 17 supports the external guide 18 in a vertical position (vertical position) and coaxially with respect to the tool 10 above.

The external guide 18 is a cylindrical member that holds the insert bush B inside. This external guide 18 includes a through hole 18a and an insertion window 18b, as shown in FIG. The through hole 18a is a round hole that passes through the inside of the external guide 18 in the vertical direction, and a thread groove 18c that corresponds to the outer diameter of the insert bushing B is formed on the lower circumferential surface of the insertion window 18b. The insertion window 18b is provided in the middle of the through hole 18a, and is an opening for receiving the insert bush B into the through hole 18a.

Such an external guide 18 comes into contact with the periphery of the screw hole h (assembly hole) in the workpiece W when the insert bushing B is assembled to the workpiece W. Since this external guide 18 is supported by the base plate 1 via the second air cylinder 14, when it comes into contact with the work W, it comes into contact with the work W while having a cushioning property.

Next, the operation of the automatic insert assembly system A according to this embodiment will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 in addition to FIGS. 1 to 3.

This automatic insert assembly system A starts assembling the insert bushing B to the workpiece W when the operator inputs a work start instruction from the operation panel of the control panel S. That is, the control panel S first controls the indexing table D to set the posture of the workpiece W to a posture that facilitates the assembly of the insert bushing B. Further, the control panel S controls the robot R to move the hand tool T to the insert supply device K and attach the insert bush B to the external guide 18.

Here, when the posture of the workpiece W is set so that the forming surface of the screw hole h (assembly hole) to be assembled is horizontal, for example, the control panel S operates the robot R to control the hand tool T. Position it directly above the screw hole h (assembly hole). In this state (initial state), the lower end of the outer guide 18 is not in contact with the workpiece W, and the tool 10 is not inserted into the through hole 18a of the outer guide 18, as shown in FIG. 3(a).

By controlling the first air cylinder 6 and the second air cylinder 14 from this initial state, the control panel S lowers the main shaft M and the outer shape guide 18 as shown in FIG. 3(b), and moves the outer shape guide 18 into the workpiece. Bring the forming surface of W into contact. The control panel S then controls the rotary drive unit 8 to rotate the tool 10 and controls the first air cylinder 6 to further lower the main shaft M, as shown in FIG. 4(a).

As the tool 10 descends while rotating, the lower end of the main body 10a comes into contact with the upper end of the insert bushing B, and the engagement protrusion 10b provided at the lower end of the main body 10a is brought into contact with the lower end of the main body 10a. It is housed in 10a. Therefore, the main body portion 10a is sequentially inserted into the insert bush B from above. When the engagement protrusion 10b of the tool 10 faces the engagement groove b formed on the inner surface of the insert bush B, the engagement protrusion 10b protrudes from the main body 10a and enters the engagement groove as shown in FIG. 4(b). b.

As a result, the insert bush B starts rotating in the same way as the tool 10, passes through the thread groove 18c of the external guide 18, and enters the threaded hole h (assembly hole) as shown in FIG. 4(c). When the entire insert bush B enters the screw hole h (assembly hole), the flange portion 10b of the tool 10 comes into contact with the upper end of the external guide 18, as shown in FIG. 4(d).

In this contact state, the load on the rotation drive unit 8 that rotates the main shaft M increases extremely. That is, in this contact state, the drive current of the motor that is the power source of the rotary drive section 8 increases extremely. By detecting such an increase in the drive current, the control panel S that controls the rotary drive unit 8 detects that the flange portion 10b is in contact with the external guide 18, that is, the entire insert bush B is aligned with the screw hole h (assembly hole ), and the assembly operation is finished. That is, the control panel S returns the main shaft M and the external guide 18 to their initial states.

Here, in the insert automatic assembly system A according to the present embodiment, even when only a part of the insert bushing B enters the screw hole h (assembly hole) (abnormal assembly state), the flange portion 10b of the tool 10 may come into contact with the upper end of the contour guide 18. For example, after the engagement protrusion 10b and the engagement groove b engage and a part of the insert bush B enters the screw hole h (assembly hole), the engagement protrusion 10b and the engagement groove b engage with each other. may come off.

When the engagement protrusion 10b and the engagement groove b are disengaged, the insert bush B stops rotating, so that only the tool 10 is inserted into the screw hole h (assembly hole) as shown in FIG. 5(a). The flange portion 10b finally comes into contact with the external guide 18. That is, the insert bush B is left in a half-assembled state in the screw hole h (assembly hole).

However, in such an abnormally assembled state, the insert bush B is engaged with both the screw hole h (assembly hole) of the workpiece W and the thread groove 18c of the external guide 18, so the external guide 18 cannot be initialized. cannot be moved to the state. The control panel S detects such an abnormal state of the external guide 18, that is, an abnormally assembled state of the insert bush B, based on the operating state of the second air cylinder 14 that moves the external guide 18 up and down.

According to this embodiment, the insert bushes B are automatically and sequentially assembled into the screw holes h (assembly holes) of the workpiece W having a large number of screw holes h (assembly holes), thereby reducing the burden on the operator. It is possible to provide an insert automatic assembly system A that can be reduced.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since an abnormal assembly state of the insert bush B is detected, more accurate assembly of the insert bush B can be realized for a workpiece W having a large number of screw holes h (assembly holes). Is possible.

Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, since the external guide 18 is moved toward the work W using the second air cylinder 14, the external guide 18 can be brought into contact with the work W while having a cushioning property. It is. As a result, it is possible to prevent or suppress damage to the workpiece W formed of a relatively soft metal material.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an insert automatic assembly system that can reduce the burden on the operator.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and for example, the following modifications can be considered.
(1) In the above embodiment, the moving device of the present invention is composed of the platform D, the robot R, and the control panel S, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the platform D may be removed, the workpiece W may be fixedly installed, and the hand tool T (insert insertion portion) may be moved relative to the workpiece W by the robot R and the control panel S. Further, the mechanism for moving the hand tool T (insert insertion portion) relative to the workpiece W is not limited to the robot R (articulated robot). For example, the hand tool T (insert insertion portion) may be moved using an XY stage.

(2) In the embodiment described above, the abnormal assembly state of the insert bush B was detected based on the operating state of the second air cylinder 14, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the abnormal assembly state of the insert bushing B may be determined based on the position of the outer shape guide 18 detected by the distance sensor 12.

(3) In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which the insert bush B in the form of a coil spring is assembled into the screw hole h (assembly hole) of the workpiece W, but the present invention is not limited thereto. As is well known, there are various types of insert bushings. The present invention can be applied to the assembly of these various types of insert bushes.

A Insert automatic assembly system B Insert bushing b Engagement groove D Indexing base h Screw hole (assembly hole)
H Hand rack I Emergency stop switch K Insert supply device M Spindle P Pendant R Robot S Control panel T Hand tool W Workpiece 1 Base plate 2 Connection member 3 LM guide 4A 1st LM block 4B 2nd LM block 5 1st bracket 6 1st air cylinder 7 Second bracket 8 Rotation drive part 8a Rotating shaft 9 Tool holder 10 Tool 10a Main body part 10b Engagement protrusion 10c Flange part 11 First hand changer 12 Distance sensor 13 Third bracket 14 Second air cylinder 15 Fourth bracket 16 Second Hand changer 17 Fifth bracket 18 External guide 18a Through hole 18b Insertion window 18c Thread groove

Claims (5)

an insert insertion part for inserting the insert bush into the assembly hole;
an insert supply device that supplies the insert bushing to the insert insertion portion;
a moving device that moves the insert insertion portion relative to the workpiece in which the plurality of assembly holes are formed and the insert supply device;
and an abnormality detection device that detects abnormal assembly of the insert bushing into the assembly hole ,
The insert insertion portion inserts the insert bushing into the assembly hole in a state in which an external guide housing the insert bushing is brought into contact with the predetermined workpiece,
The moving device moves the outer shape guide so as to come into contact with the workpiece.
An automatic insert assembly system characterized by : The automatic insert assembly system according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality detection device detects the abnormal assembly based on the operating state of the moving device that brings the external guide into contact with the workpiece. further comprising a distance sensor that detects the position of the external guide,
The insert automatic assembly system according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality detection device detects the abnormal assembly based on the position of the outer shape guide. The insert automatic according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the insert insertion portion contacts the workpiece in a cushioned state and inserts the insert bushing into the assembly hole. Assembly system. The insert automatic assembly system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the insert bush has the form of a coil spring.

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