Thin-part feeding device

Abstract

A thin-part feeding device is provided which is compact and efficient. The device has a funnel portion with a feeding opening at the bottom thereof, a take-out tube for taking out thin parts from the funnel portion, and a receiving portion with separate opening for receiving thin parts from the discharge opening. The receiving portion is movable, and the receiving opening is sized to receive only one thin part. The device is operative to repeat a state where the receiving opening faces the discharge opening, and a state where the receiving opening is away from the discharge opening to enable thin parts to be taken out from the receiving opening. The device also features a novel, posture-correcting portion to correct vertical posture of thin parts, a delivery portion for receiving posture-corrected thin parts, and a transporting portion as described.

1 . A thin-part feeding device, comprising:
 a funnel portion that has a feeding opening at a bottom portion of a funnel and feeds thin parts;   a take-out tube that is arranged in the state that it is inserted into the feeding opening from below and takes out the thin parts from the funnel portion; and   a receiving portion that has a receiving opening that receives the thin parts discharged from a discharge opening at a lower end of the take-out tube,   wherein the receiving portion is provided so as to be able to move in the state that an upper surface of the receiving portion covers the discharge opening, and the receiving opening is recessed on the upper surface so as to have a size for enabling only one thin part to be stored therein,   thereby repeatedly bringing the receiving opening into the state that it faces the discharge opening and the state that it deviates from the discharge opening so that the thin part can be taken out therefrom.   
   
   
       2 . The thin-part feeding device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a posture correcting portion that corrects a vertical posture of the thin parts;   a delivery portion that has a delivery opening for receiving the thin parts whose posture is corrected and delivers the thin parts to the outside of the device; and   a transporting portion that transports the thin parts from the receiving portion to the posture correcting portion and from the posture correcting portion to the delivery portion.   
   
   
       3 . The thin-part feeding device according to  claim 2 , wherein the transporting portion has a transporting opening that sucks to house the thin parts and can eject to deliver them, and moves to transport the thin parts in the state that they are housed in the transporting opening. 
   
   
       4 . The thin-part feeding device according to  claim 3 , further comprising a posture detecting unit that detects the vertical posture of the thin parts stored in the transporting opening when the thin parts have the vertical posture. 
   
   
       5 . The thin-part feeding device according to  claim 4 , wherein when the thin parts have differences between top portions and bottom portions, the posture detecting unit detects a protruded state of the thin parts stored in the transporting opening so as to detect the vertical posture. 
   
   
       6 . The thin-part feeding device according to  claim 5 , wherein the posture correcting portion corrects the posture of the thin parts received from the transporting portion based on a post from the posture detecting unit. 
   
   
       7 . The thin-part feeding device according to  claim 6 , wherein the posture correcting portion has a rotational moving opening that houses the thin parts so as to reverse the vertical posture. 
   
   
       8 . The thin-part feeding device according to  claim 1 , wherein the thin parts are sucked from an upper end opening of the take-out tube. 
   
   
       9 . The thin-part feeding device according to  claim 8 , wherein the thin parts are sucked from the upper end opening of the take-out tube by the receiving opening which faces the discharge opening. 
   
   
       10 . The thin-part feeding device according to  claim 1 , wherein the take-out tube inserted into the feeding opening of the funnel portion reciprocates relatively so as to be taken into and out from the funnel portion, and the upper end opening is repeatedly protruded from the feeding opening into the funnel portion. 
   
   
       11 . The thin-part feeding device according to  claim 1 , further comprising an agitating unit that agitates the thin parts in the funnel portion. 
   
   
       12 . The thin-part feeding device according to  claim 1 , further comprising an agitating unit that emits air into the funnel portion. 
   
   
       13 . The thin-part feeding device according to  claim 1 , wherein a blade portion is disposed on an inner surface of the funnel portion, and an agitating unit that rotates the funnel portion in a slanted state is provided. 
   
   
       14 . The thin-part feeding device according to  claim 1 , wherein an agitating arm that agitates the inside of the funnel portion is the agitating unit. 
   
   
       15 . The thin-part feeding device according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the funnel portion, the take-out tube, and the receiving portion can be exchanged. 
   
   
       16 . The thin-part feeding device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a presence/non-presence sensor that detects whether the thin parts are present in the receiving opening,   wherein at least one of reception post that the thin parts are received properly by the receiving opening and a delivery post that the received thin parts are delivered properly can be acquired.   
   
   
       17 . The thin-part feeding device according to  claim 2 , wherein at least of the funnel portion, the take-out tube, the receiving portion, the posture correcting portion, the delivery portion, and the transporting portion can be exchanged. 
   
   
       18 . The thin-part feeding device according to  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a presence/non-presence sensor that detects whether the thin parts are present in a storage opening which is selected from respective storage opening including the receiving opening, the transporting opening, the rotational moving opening, and the delivery opening of the delivery portion,   wherein at least one of reception post that the thin parts are received properly by the storage opening and delivery post that the received thin parts are properly delivered to a next step can be acquired.   
   
   
       19 . The thin-part feeding device according to  claim 18 , wherein completion of the delivery whether the delivered thin parts are received by a destination portion is checked by confronting the delivery post with the reception post. 
   
   
       20 . The thin-part feeding device according to  claim 16  or  18 , wherein the delivery post and/or the reception post is an opportunity of a next step.