GB2067149A - Supply magazines for component parts - Google Patents

Abstract

A supply magazine 1 for component parts 8 includes a resilient body 2 having a spiral or helical channel 2a for conveying the component parts 8. The body 2 includes a pneumatic inlet opening 6 at an inner end 4 and a pneumatic outlet opening 7 at its outer end 5. The outer end 5 is arranged to be connected to an automatic assembly machine so as to enable the component parts 8 contained in the channel 2a to be conveyed through the channel 2a under air pressure to the assembly machine. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Supply magazines for component parts This invention relates to supply magazines for component parts such as, for example, seifpiercing nuts.

So-called self-piercing nuts find wide application in, for example, motor cars and electric appliances. Generally, such nuts include a pilot portion at the centre of a top face thereof, with the pilot portion being designed to function as a piercing punch when applied against a metal panel so as to punch its own installation aperture in the metal panel. The pilot portion is secured in the self-pierced installation aperture by a swaging operation; For this purpose, the pilot portion is applied to the metal panel placed on a swaging die.

Compression forces are then applied to the piercing nut resulting in a punching of the installation aperture and subsequent anchoring of the self-piercing nut to the metal panel.

Normaliy, a piercing nut assembly machine is attached to or built into a press and the self-piercing nuts are individually supplied onto the swaging die in synchronism with the movement of a ram of the press. In this way, self-piercing nuts can readily be secured to the metal panel in an efficient and automatic manner. However, to provide a smooth assembly operation and also to avoid any defective assembly, it is essential continuously to supply the self-piercing nuts to the swaging die without any interruption.

In order to ensure a continuous supply of self-piercing nuts, it has been proposed to employ a supply magazine constructed as a flexible hose in which continuously linked selfpiercing nuts are accommodated. By virtue of the flexibility of the hose, it is possible to form it as a hoop which may then be mounted on a reel hanging on a stand located adjacent to an automatic assembly machine. In this proposed construction, the band of continuously linked piercing nuts is intermittently conveyed as a whole to the assembly machine.

A disadvantage of the above proposed construction is that to effect the conveying of the linked self-piercing nuts, it is necessary to provide a special mechanical feeder at the assembly machine as otherwise it would be difficult to move the linked nuts out of the supply magazine. As can readily be appreciated, the provision of a special mechanical feeder makes the structure of the assembly machine somewhat more complicated and also poses the problem of a malfunctioning in.

the feeding due to, for example, a breakdown in the special mechanical feeder. Additionally, the provision of an additional mechanical feeder to feed the nuts to the assemblying machine not only increases the overall size of the machine but also substantially increases the overall costs thereof. Moreover, it becomes extremely difficult to secure self-piercing nuts at a small pitch because of the impossibility of locating the individual piercing nuts on the swaging die.

According to the present invention there is provided a supply magazine for component parts, the supply magazine comprising: a body member; means provided in said body member for defining a channel for accommodating the component parts, the channel extending throughout the body member along a spiral or helical path; means at a first end of the channel for enabling air pressure to be directed into the channel; and means at a second end of the channel for enabling component parts to be discharged to an assembly means; wherein component parts accommodated in the channel are slidable along the channel towards said second end by air pressure.

The air pressure is forced into the spiral or helical channel so as to exert on the individual component parts therein a sufficient force to enable the component parts to move in the direction of the flow of the air.

By virtue of the conveying of the component parts under air pressure introduced into the channel, it is possible to eliminate the necessity of providing any complicated feeder at the assembly machine. Moreover, this ensures a small-sized structure at the assembly machine.

The channel has a sufficient space to allow the compressed air to pass through thereby enabling the air pressure to exert a sufficient force on the individual component parts in the channel. Due to the exerting of a force on the individual component parts a relatively low pressure such as, for example, 3 Kg/cm2 or less is sufficient to effect an efficient and reliable feeding of the component parts accommodated in the channel.

Moreover, embodiments of the supply magazine do not rotate like a wheel but are maintained stationary while feeding the component parts.

Additionally, since the component parts are not linked but individually separated, this is particularly advantageous when a chute hose must be bent in a zig-zag form to lead to an assembly machine or an assembly section in a pressing machine. More particularly, if the component parts were linked in a band form it would be impossible to convey such parts over an irregular path leading to the assembly machine. Additionally, when the component parts are individually separated, the fall of each of the component parts due to gravity can be utiiized for conveying the component parts, thereby facilitating the entire feeding operation.

An additional advantage of embodiments of the invention is that there is an overall reduc tion in the total costs of assembling the component parts such as self-piercing nuts to a metal panel. For example, when the components parts such as self-piercing nuts are linked in a band form, the production cost is relatively high since there are odds and ends which are unavoidedly produced from the end portions of the band. These odds and ends represent waste which must be calculated into the overall production costs.

Moreover, by virtue of the spiral or helical channel, embodiments of the invention can be made as a portable, handy unitary magazine which can be located at any convenient place.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, throughout which like references designate like elements, and in which: Figure 1 is a partly cross-sectional plan view of an embodiment of a supply magazine for component parts and according to the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken along the line ll-ll in Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a partially schematic perspective view of the supply magazine of Fig. 1 arranged at an assembly machine; and Figure 4 is a partially schematic view of the supply magazine of Fig. 1 connected to an assembly section of an assembly machine.

Referring to Fig. 1, a component part supply magazine 1 is formed by a resilient tube or hose 2 of, for example, a polyethylene material. The tube 2 is spirally wound and held in the spiral configuration by, for example, fastening bands 3. As can readily be appreciated the tube 2 may alternatively be helically wound.

As shown in Fig. 2, the tube 2 has a rectangular cross-sectional configuration and the inner walls of the tube 2 define channels 2a in which are disposed component parts such as, for example, self-piercing nuts 8 which are arranged in the respective channels 2a so as to assume the same position. The self-piercing nuts 8 are disposed so as to be slidable on only one of the inside walls of the respective channels 2a.

At an inner end 4 of the spiral, the tube 2 is provided with a coupler 6 which is arranged to be connected to, for example, a source of air pressure such as, for example, an air compressor (not shown). A coupler 7 is provided at an outer end 5 of the spiral so as to enable the tube to be attachably connected to a coupler 1 6 of a chute hose 1 5 which leads to an automatic assembly section 1 8 built into a press 10, as shown most clearly in Figs. 3 and 4.

As evident from the above description, the supply magazine 1 readily takes on a portable handy form and, for example, may be hung on an arm 14 of a stand 1 3 located adjacent to the press 10 as shown in Fig. 3 or may be hooked onto a bracket 1 2 fastened to a ram 11 of the press 10 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

As shown in Fig. 3, the supply magazine 1 may be supplied with compressed air from an air compressor through a supply hose or conduit 1 7 which is connected to the inner end 4 of the tube 2 by way of the coupler 6.

In operation, after the supply magazine 1 has been appropriately located at either the stand 1 3 or the bracket 12, or in any other convenient location, compressed air is introduced into the tube 2 through the supply hose or conduit 1 7 continuously or intermittently. The channels 2a are dimensioned so that there is sufficient space for the compressed air to exert a force on the individual nuts 8 thereby ensuring a smooth movement towards the other end 5 of the tube 2. From the tube 2 the nuts 8 are then delivered to the chute hose 1 5 through which they are supplied to the assembly section 1 8 of the press 10 one by one.

As can readily be appreciated, while the supply magazine 1 has been described as being formed by spirally or helically wound tube, it can also be made in one piece of a moulded plastics material in which a single channel 2a is spirally or helically formed.

Claims (7)

1. A supply magazine for component parts, the supply magazine comprising: a body member; means provided in said body member for defining a channel for accommodating the component parts, the channel extending throughout the body member along a spiral or helical path; means at a first end of the channel for enabling air pressure to be directed into the channel; and means at a second end of the channel for enabling component parts to be discharged to an assembly means; wherein component parts accommodated in the channel are slidable along the channel towards said second end by air pressure.

2. A supply magazine according to claim 1 wherein said body member is a tu-be, said tube being wound in a spiral or helical path, and wherein the walls of said tube form the means for defining the channel.

3. A supply magazine according to claim 2 wherein the tube is made of a resilient material.

4. A supply magazine according to claim 3 wherein the tube is made of a polyethylene material.

5. A supply magazine according to one of the preceding claims wherein said channel has a rectangular cross-section.

6. A supply magazine according to claim 5 with component parts therein, wherein said component parts are self-piercing nuts.

7. A supply magazine for component parts, the supply magazine being substantially hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.