Component feeder

• US 6,189,733 B1
• Filed: 07/22/1999
• Issued: 02/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: Takahashi, Shigeki, Nemoto, Akira, Kaishita, Nihei
• Primary Examiner(s): Noland, Kenneth W.
• Application Number:
  US09/358,428
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• Field of Search: 221/159, 221/162, 221/182, 221/163, 221/167, 221/277, 193/44
• US Class Current: 221/162
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/028 Simultaneously loading a plurality of loose objects, e.g. by means of vibrations, pressure differences, magnetic fields

Abstract

A component feeder minimizes damage to chip components and efficiently discharges chip components aligned in a line. A bulk case is attached on the top portion of an external storage housing capable of being supplied with a large number of chip components. A predetermined number of the chip components is supplied at a time from the external storage housing to an inner housing of a component storage housing via a supplying path. The chip components in the inner housing enter into the outer housing from the reception inlet via a guide path by being scooped up by pockets in accordance with rotation of a rotary drum. The chip components are dropped into an aligning groove to be aligned and are discharged aligned in a line via a gate and a discharge path. The chip components slide down on the aligning groove to be discharged to a discharge path, via the gate, aligned in a line. Since excess components in the outer housing are returned to the inner housing via the return path by raking them up by a raking-up portion formed in the rotary drum, the number of chip components in the outer housing is small, resulting in maintaining increased alignment efficiency.

Claims

1. A component feeder comprising:

a feeder body;

a rotary drum rotating relative to said feeder body about a horizontal axis;

a component storage housing formed between said feeder body and said rotary drum for storing chip components;

a circumferential wall formed in said rotary drum, which divides said component storage housing into an inner housing and an outer housing;

supplying means for supplying a predetermined number of chip components at a time from the inner housing to the outer housing in accordance with the rotation of said rotary drum;

an aligning and discharging section disposed in the outer housing for aligning chip components in a line and discharging them;

a return path for returning chip components from the outer housing to the inner housing; and

raking-up means rotating along the outer housing for raking up excess chip components in the outer housing so as to return them to the inner housing via said return path.

2. A component feeder according to claim 1, wherein said supplying means comprises a pocket disposed in said circumferential wall for raking up a predetermined number of chip components in the inner housing at a time in accordance with the rotation of said rotary drum, a reception inlet disposed in a position of said feeder body facing to the inner housing for receiving chip components raked up by the pocket, and a guide path disposed in said feeder body for guiding chip components received by the reception inlet to the outer housing.

3. A component feeder according to claim 1, wherein said supplying means is a communicating path formed so as to form a connection between the inner peripheral side of said circumferential wall and the outer peripheral side thereof for transferring chip components from the inner housing to the outer housing in accordance with the rotation of said rotary drum.

4. A component feeder according to claim 1, wherein said raking-up means is unitarily formed with said rotary drum.

5. A component feeder according to claim 1, wherein said raking-up means is a return lug member protrudingly formed on the outer peripheral surface of said circumferential wall, and wherein said return path is a communicating path which passes through said circumferential wall from the immediately front position of the return lug member in the rotational direction so as to communicate with the inner peripheral side of said circumferential wall, being inclined toward the outer diameter of said rotary drum relative to the rotational direction thereof.

6. A component feeder according to claim 1, further comprising:

an external storage housing disposed in the upper portion of the inner housing; and

a supplying path for supplying the chip components from said external storage housing to the inner housing, being inclined downward from said external storage housing toward the inner housing.

7. A component feeder according to claim 6, further comprising a bulk case for accommodating a predetermined number of chip components, said bulk case being detachably disposed with an opening potion thereof directed downward on a component supplying inlet formed in the upper portion of said external storage housing.

8. A component feeder according to claim 1, wherein said aligning and discharging section is formed on an inner surface of said feeder body forming the outer housing, said aligning and discharging section comprising an aligning groove for aligning chip components in a predetermined direction so as to slide the chip components downward, a gate formed at a lower end of the aligning groove for passing the chip components therethrough sliding along the aligning groove in a predetermined orientation one at a time, and a discharge path joined to a lower portion of the gate, being inclined downward, and wherein said rotary drum is provided with a lug member for urging the chip component standing at the gate in an abnormal orientation to move toward the opposite direction to that of discharge so as to clear the blockage.

9. A component feeder according to claim 2, wherein said raking-up means is unitarily formed with said rotary drum.

10. A component feeder according to claim 3, wherein said raking-up means is unitarily formed with said rotary drum.

11. A component feeder according to claim 2, wherein said raking-up means is a return lug member protrudingly formed on the outer peripheral surface of said circumferential wall, and wherein said return path is a communicating path which passes through said circumferential wall from the immediately front position of the return lug member in the rotational direction so as to communicate with the inner peripheral side of said circumferential wall, being inclined toward the outer diameter of said rotary drum relative to the rotational direction thereof.

12. A component feeder according to claim 3, wherein said raking-up means is a return lug member protrudingly formed on the outer peripheral surface of said circumferential wall, and wherein said return path is a communicating path which passes through said circumferential wall from the immediately front position of the return lug member in the rotational direction so as to communicate with the inner peripheral side of said circumferential wall, being inclined toward the outer diameter of said rotary drum relative to the rotational direction thereof.

13. A component feeder according to claim 4, wherein said raking-up means is a return lug member protrudingly formed on the outer peripheral surface of said circumferential wall, and wherein said return path is a communicating path which passes through said circumferential wall from the immediately front position of the return lug member in the rotational direction so as to communicate with the inner peripheral side of said circumferential wall, being inclined toward the outer diameter of said rotary drum relative to the rotational direction thereof.

14. A component feeder according to claim 2, further comprising:

an external storage housing disposed in the upper portion of the inner housing; and

a supplying path for supplying the chip components from said external storage housing to the inner housing, being inclined downward from said external storage housing toward the inner housing.

15. A component feeder according to claim 3, further comprising:

an external storage housing disposed in the upper portion of the inner housing; and

a supplying path for supplying the chip components from said external storage housing to the inner housing, being inclined downward from said external storage housing toward the inner housing.

16. A component feeder according to claim 4, further comprising:

an external storage housing disposed in the upper portion of the inner housing; and

a supplying path for supplying the chip components from said external storage housing to the inner housing, being inclined downward from said external storage housing toward the inner housing.

17. A component feeder according to claim 5, further comprising:

an external storage housing disposed in the upper portion of the inner housing; and

a supplying path for supplying the chip components from said external storage housing to the inner housing, being inclined downward from said external storage housing toward the inner housing.

18. A component feeder according to claim 2, wherein said aligning and discharging section is formed on an inner surface of said feeder body forming the outer housing, said aligning and discharging section comprising an aligning groove for aligning chip components in a predetermined direction so as to slide the chip components downward, a gate formed at a lower end of the aligning groove for passing the chip components therethrough sliding along the aligning groove in a predetermined orientation one at a time, and a discharge path joined to a lower portion of the gate, being inclined downward, and wherein said rotary drum is provided with a lug member for urging the chip component standing at the gate in an abnormal orientation to move toward the opposite direction to that of discharge so as to clear the blockage.

19. A component feeder according to claim 3, wherein said aligning and discharging section is formed on an inner surface of said feeder body forming the outer housing, said aligning and discharging section comprising an aligning groove for aligning chip components in a predetermined direction so as to slide the chip components downward, a gate formed at a lower end of the aligning groove for passing the chip components therethrough sliding along the aligning groove in a predetermined orientation one at a time, and a discharge path joined to a lower portion of the gate, being inclined downward, and wherein said rotary drum is provided with a lug member for urging the chip component standing at the gate in an abnormal orientation to move toward the opposite direction to that of discharge so as to clear the blockage.

20. A component feeder according to claim 4, wherein said aligning and discharging section is formed on an inner surface of said feeder body forming the outer housing, said aligning and discharging section comprising an aligning groove for aligning chip components in a predetermined direction so as to slide the chip components downward, a gate formed at a lower end of the aligning groove for passing the chip components therethrough sliding along the aligning groove in a predetermined orientation one at a time, and a discharge path joined to a lower portion of the gate, being inclined downward, and wherein said rotary drum is provided with a lug member for urging the chip component standing at the gate in an abnormal orientation to move toward the opposite direction to that of discharge so as to clear the blockage.

21. A component feeder according to claim 5, wherein said aligning and discharging section is formed on an inner surface of said feeder body forming the outer housing, said aligning and discharging section comprising an aligning groove for aligning chip components in a predetermined direction so as to slide the chip components downward, a gate formed at a lower end of the aligning groove for passing the chip components therethrough sliding along the aligning groove in a predetermined orientation one at a time, and a discharge path joined to a lower portion of the gate, being inclined downward, and wherein said rotary drum is provided with a lug member for urging the chip component standing at the gate in an abnormal orientation to move toward the opposite direction to that of discharge so as to clear the blockage.

22. A component feeder according to claim 6, wherein said aligning and discharging section is formed on an inner surface of said feeder body forming the outer housing, said aligning and discharging section comprising an aligning groove for aligning chip components in a predetermined direction so as to slide the chip components downward, a gate formed at a lower end of the aligning groove for passing the chip components therethrough sliding along the aligning groove in a predetermined orientation one at a time, and a discharge path joined to a lower portion of the gate, being inclined downward, and wherein said rotary drum is provided with a lug member for urging the chip component standing at the gate in an abnormal orientation to move toward the opposite direction to that of discharge so as to clear the blockage.

23. A component feeder according to claim 7, wherein said aligning and discharging section is formed on an inner surface of said feeder body forming the outer housing, said aligning and discharging section comprising an aligning groove for aligning chip components in a predetermined direction so as to slide the chip components downward, a gate formed at a lower end of the aligning groove for passing the chip components therethrough sliding along the aligning groove in a predetermined orientation one at a time, and a discharge path joined to a lower portion of the gate, being inclined downward, and wherein said rotary drum is provided with a lug member for urging the chip component standing at the gate in an abnormal orientation to move toward the opposite direction to that of discharge so as to clear the blockage.