JP2000118715A - Suction device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a suction device capable of handling sheet type materials over a wide range from a thin sheet or a film to a thick sheet without causing a flaw. SOLUTION: This device has suction type sucking means 32 capable of freely elevating relative to a sheet type material land the lower sucking surface (a) of the sucking means 32 is formed out of a flat porous plate 32A. In this case, the suction of the sheet type material 1 with the suction means 32 is implemented via low pressure vacuum suction through the porous plate 32A in the case of a thin sheet or film product or the like, and a thick sheet is handled by the high pressure vacuum suction. Thus, the device can be easily applied to the wide range of a thin sheet and film to a thick sheet product. Also, a method of insertion from an upper or a lower level can be adopted and the sheet type material 1 is lightly pressed to the lower suction surface (a) of the porous plate 32A for improving adhesion between the porous plate 32A and sheet type material surface material, thereby enhancing suction effect.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is used, for example, in a transfer apparatus for transferring a sheet-like material (plate-like product) from a thin sheet / film to a thick sheet between a stacking section and a transport line. The present invention relates to a suction device to be used.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, a transfer apparatus for loading a sheet-like material (plate-like product) conveyed to a predetermined position on a conveyance line on a pallet of a loading section provided on one side is shown in FIG. 8 is provided.

[0003] First, a suction pad 43 provided below a transfer unit 42 is placed on the upper surface of a sheet 41 conveyed to a predetermined position by a conveyor 40.
Is lowered and brought into contact. Here, a large number of suction pads 43 are attached in accordance with the size of the sheet-like material 41, and the pads are made of rubber or the like.

Then, the suction force of the vacuum pump is applied to the hollow hole inside the pad to cause the group of suction pads 43 to suck the sheet-like material 41, and in this state, the group of suction pads 43 is lifted, so that the conveyor 40 Lift the sheet-like material 41 from above. Then, the suction pads 43 sucking the sheet-like material 41 are moved in the horizontal direction (or forward direction) by the movement of the transfer / transfer unit 42, and are stopped facing the stacking unit.

[0005] A lifter 44 is provided in the loading section,
The lifter 44 supports a pallet 45. Then, the suction pad 43 is lowered, and the sheet 41 is stacked on the pallet 45 or the sheet 41 already stacked on the pallet 45. Next, the suction pad 43 is raised after releasing the vacuum suction,
By moving the sheet 41 above the conveyor 40, a series of transfer operations of the sheet 41 is completed.

[0006]

However, in the transfer device having the above-mentioned conventional configuration, in order to improve the adhesion of the suction pad 43 to the sheet 41, it is necessary to strongly press the suction pad 43 against the sheet 41. It is an essential condition that the sheet-like material 41 does not deform and curve due to this pressing. Therefore, it is frequently used for stacking a sheet 41 having a high rigidity or a thick sheet 41, and such a sheet 41 can be stacked with high accuracy. However, it cannot be easily applied to a thin (thin plastic sheet or film) sheet 41 or a sheet 41 having low rigidity and easily deforming or bending.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a suction device capable of handling a wide range of sheet-like materials from thin sheets / films to thick sheets without being damaged. .

Another object of the present invention is to provide a suction device capable of handling a sheet-like material without generating a contact mark.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a suction device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a suction device for handling a sheet-like material, wherein the suction device has a relative position with respect to the sheet-like material. The suction means is a suction type which can be moved up and down freely, and the lower suction surface of the suction means is formed by a flat porous plate.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the suction of the sheet by the suction means can be performed by low-pressure vacuum suction through a perforated plate for a thin sheet or a film product, and the high-pressure vacuum suction can be performed on a thick sheet. Then, by adopting the sandwiching method from above and below, the sheet-like material can be lightly pressed against the lower adsorption surface of the perforated plate, and the adhesion between the perforated plate and the surface of the sheet-like material can be enhanced.

[0011] Further, according to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an adsorption apparatus comprising:
In the above-described structure of the first aspect, the perforated plate is characterized in that suction holes are uniformly formed at substantially equal intervals on the entire surface.

Therefore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the suction force per one suction hole can be reduced by sucking the sheet-like material through the plurality of suction holes. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the suction device of the first or second aspect, the width of the suction means is substantially the same as the maximum width of the sheet material to be handled, and the length is reduced. A plurality of suction means are arranged corresponding to the length of the sheet-like material.

Therefore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the suction device can be reduced in size and weight, the inertia force can be reduced, and the internal sealing effect of the hollow suction means can be enhanced. Further, the suction device according to claim 4 of the present invention is the above-described claim 1.
In the configuration according to any one of to 3, the lower suction surface is
It is characterized by being formed by laminating an elastic body on a flat perforated plate.

Therefore, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the contact mark at the time of suction is further prevented from being generated due to the buffering action due to the elastic deformation of the elastic body. Moreover, in the suction device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, it is preferable that the suction unit is moved between above a plurality of sheet handling units. It is a characteristic.

Therefore, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the sheet-like material is sucked by the suction means facing the sheet-like material handling portion at a certain location from above, and the suction means is handled at another location. By moving the sheet-like material upward, the sheet-like material can be transferred to a sheet-like material handling unit at another location.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in a state where a sheet-like material conveyed on a conveyance line is applied to a transfer device for stacking on a pallet located in a stacking section. This will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, an example of one sheet handling section is formed by a transport conveyor 2 for transporting a sheet-like article (plate-like product) 1. The transport conveyor 2 includes a plurality of sheets. It is composed of a belt 3 and the like. A lifting means 4 is provided at a predetermined position (end portion, etc.) of the transport conveyor 2, and the lifting means 4 includes an elevating body 6 which can be moved up and down by an air cylinder 5 and the like, and an elevating body 6
It is composed of the lifting members 7 provided at a plurality of places above. Here, the lifting member 7 is configured to be able to move up and down through a plurality of belts 3 so as to be able to move up and down with respect to the conveying surface of the conveying conveyor 2 by moving up and down.

On both sides of the predetermined position of the conveyor 2, stacking portions 10 and 15 of the sheet-like material 1 as an example of another sheet-like material handling portion are provided.
The stacking units 10 and 15 are provided with pantograph-type lifters 11 and 16, respectively, and these lifters 11 and 16 can support pallets 12 and 17. Note that the two stacking units 10 and 15 are disposed with the same distance L left and right with respect to the center of the conveyor.

At the above-described predetermined position, the fixed frame 2 extends between the conveyor 2 and the upper portions of the stacking portions 10 and 15.
0 is provided, and a lifting frame 21 is provided on the fixed frame 20 side. Between the fixed frame 20 and the lifting frame 21,
For example, a crank type lifting drive 22 is provided,
Further, a guide means (not shown) for vertically moving smoothly is provided.

On the side of the lifting frame 21, a conveyor 2
And a movable body 23 that is movable between the upper portions of the stacking portions 10 and 15, and the movable body 23 is
By being supported and guided by a rail provided on the side via wheels (both not shown), it is configured to be reciprocally movable along a fixed path.

A reciprocating drive 24 is provided between the fixed frame 20 and the moving body 23. This reciprocating drive 24
Is a drive unit (motor) 2 provided on the fixed frame 20 side.
5, a control unit (electromagnetic clutch or brake) 26, an interlocking unit (bevel gear mechanism) 27, a crank type transmission unit 28 provided on an output shaft of the interlocking unit 27, and a moving distance doubled on the moving body 23 side. Double speed mechanism (not shown)
The transmission unit 28 and the double speed mechanism are interlocked with each other in a structure that allows the amount of elevation of the elevating frame 21.

Below the movable body 23, a pair of suction devices 30, 31 are provided. At that time, the suction device 3
0 and 31 are disposed at an interval P equivalent to the distance L described above, so that when one suction device 30 or 31 is opposed to the conveyor 2, the other suction device 31 or 30 is disposed.
Are configured to face either one of the stacking portions 10 and 15.

The two suction devices 30, 31 are of the suction type and are similarly constructed. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, on a lower surface side of the moving body 23, a rectangular parallelepiped and hollow box-shaped suction means 32 is provided at three locations (one or more locations) in the direction along the transport line. The inside of the suction means 32 is connected to the blower 36 via a hose 33, a switching valve (such as an electromagnetic valve) 34, a flow control valve 35, and the like.

Thus, the inside of the adsorption means 32 can be evacuated by the blower 36, and the vacuum state can be instantaneously released by using the blower exhaust. The lower suction surface a of the suction means 32 is formed by a flat porous plate 32A. At that time, the perforated plate 32A
In this example, suction holes 32a having a diameter of, for example, about 10 mm are formed uniformly at substantially equal intervals over the entire surface.

The width of the suction devices 30 and 31, that is,
The width W of the suction means 32 is substantially the same as the maximum width of the sheet 1 to be handled. Further, the length n is small (300 to 5).
(About 00 mm), and the number of the small suction means 32 is set to three (plural) corresponding to the length N of the sheet-like material 1.

The operation of the first embodiment will be described below. After the sheet-like material 1 conveyed by the conveyor 2 is stopped at a fixed position by a detection signal or the like, the elevating frame 21 is
Is lowered to lower both adsorption devices 30 and 31. Then, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 4, the suction device 31 stopped above the transport conveyor 2, that is, on the center line, descends as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. The lifting member 7 to be lifted lifts the sheet-like object 1 on the conveyor 2 as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 4, whereby the sheet-like object 1 is sandwiched from above and below.

As described above, by adopting the method of sandwiching from above and below by descending and ascending, the stroke on the suction device 31 side can be reduced, and the cycle can be speeded up.

The above-described sandwiching from above and below is performed in a state in which the sheet-like material 1 is lightly pressed against the lower suction surface a of the porous plate 32A, whereby the sheet-like material 1 and the suction holes 32a of the porous plate 32A are brought into close contact with each other. Can enhance the character. Therefore, the suction effect of the blower 36 can be efficiently given to the sheet-like material 1, and the suction device 31 can surely hold the sheet-like material 1 by suction.

On the other suction device 30 side, the stacking operation of the sheets 1 is performed in a state where the suction device 30 is lowered as shown by the phantom line in FIG. Since this is the same as the loading operation described later, details thereof are omitted.

As described above, in a state where the sheet-like material 1 is sucked and held by the suction device 31, the lifting frame 21 is raised by the raising operation of the lifting / lowering device 22, whereby the sheet-like material is moved through the suction device 31. Increase 1 Next, the movable body 23 is moved laterally (leftward) in a direction perpendicular to the transport line by the operation of the reciprocating drive device 24,
As shown by the solid line in FIG. 5, the sheet-like material 1 sucked and held by the suction device 31 is placed on the pallet 17 of the stacking unit 15.
Position above.

Then, the lifting frame 21 is lowered by the lowering operation of the lifting / lowering device 22, whereby the sheet-like material 1 sucked and held by the suction device 31 is placed on the pallet 17 as shown by a virtual line in FIG. To the upper surface of the uppermost sheet-like material 1 already stacked on the pallet 17
Close to the upper surface of.

Next, by switching the switching valve 34, the exhaust gas G of the blower 36 is introduced into the suction means 32,
The suction state of the perforated plate 32A via the suction holes 32a is instantaneously released. Thus, the sheet-like objects 1 can be accurately aligned and loaded on the uppermost sheet-like object 1 or on the pallet 17, that is, at a predetermined position.

As described above, in the state where the stacking of the sheet-like materials 1 is completed, the lifting frame 2
1 to thereby raise the empty suction means 31. Thereafter, the moving body 23 is laterally moved (moves to the right) in a direction perpendicular to the transport line by the reverse operation of the reciprocating drive device 24, and the empty suction device 31 is transported again as shown by the solid line in FIG. It is located above the conveyor 2. As described above, a series of transfer operations of the sheet-like materials 1 in which the sheet-like materials 1 conveyed by the conveyance conveyor 2 are sequentially stacked on the pallet 17 of the stacking unit 15 using the suction device 31 are performed. Will end.

At this time, as described above, the suction device 30 side also advances simultaneously, and the sheet-like materials 1 conveyed by the conveyance conveyor 2 are sequentially used by the pallet 12 of the stacking unit 10 using the suction device 30. Can be loaded on top. At that time, both the adsorption devices 30 and 31 alternately repeat exactly the same operation.

That is, as shown in FIG.
1 is performing the suction holding operation on the sheet-like material 1 on the conveyor 2, the suction device 30
The pallet 12 of the stacking unit 15 performs a loading operation on the pallet 12 of the stacking unit 15 as shown in FIG.
When the stacking operation is being performed on the sheet, the suction device 30 performs the suction holding operation on the sheet-like material 1 on the transport conveyor 2.

Thus, the suction devices 30 and 31 on both sides are
By alternately and completely repeating the same operation efficiently, a high-speed cycle and high-precision loading of the sheet-like material 1 are realized without lowering the production efficiency. Stacking unit 1
The loading levels on the 0 and 15 sides are adjusted to be optimal by the automatic operation of the lifters 11 and 16.

As described above, the length n of the suction means 32 is reduced, and the number of the small suction means 32 is increased to three (increase or decrease in number) in accordance with the length N of the sheet. In addition, since the suction devices 30 and 31 can be reduced in size and weight and inertia force can be reduced, high-speed and high-accuracy transfer can be performed. In addition, the internal sealing effect of the hollow suction means 32 is enhanced, and even a low vacuum suction force is ensured. The sheet-like material 1 can be held by suction.

The level of the vacuum suction force by the blower 36 and the like depends on the flow rate control valve 35 depending on the sheet 1 to be handled.
Can be arbitrarily adjusted by adjusting. In other words, many plastic sheet products, including thin sheets and films, can be reliably attracted and held by low-pressure vacuum suction. In addition, a thick plastic sheet product or a plate product having a high specific gravity can be reliably sucked and held in the same manner as a thin material by sucking and holding with a high vacuum suction pressure.

The suction means 32 in the suction devices 30 and 31 has suction holes 32a formed in the perforated plate 32A uniformly over the entire surface at substantially equal intervals. Such a large number of suction holes 3
By adsorbing the sheet material (product) 1 through 2a, the suction force per suction hole 32a can be reduced, and contact marks on the product surface can be avoided. Nevertheless, since the perforated plate 32A is in direct contact with the sheet-like material 1, if the perforated plate 32A is made of a plastic material for a soft plastic product, no contact marks will be generated during adsorption. Similarly, the material of the conveyor 2 in contact with the sheet 1 is preferably made of soft plastic.

In the above-described first embodiment, a series of operations of the suction devices 30 and 31 and the conveyor 2 include
Since a strong pressing operation of the pad to the sheet-like material as in the conventional vacuum pad method does not occur, the soft sheet-like material 1 is not used.
In addition to the fact that the sheet-like material 1 is not damaged, the sheet-like material 1 is not deformed or bent by the pressing force.

Then, the adsorption devices 30, which are arranged at two places,
31 efficiently realizes the minimum necessary operation in any of the processes of lowering, adsorbing, raising, transporting, and discharging and stacking. Can be transferred at a high speed and with high accuracy without being damaged. Furthermore, as the sheet-like material 1,
The present invention can be applied to all plate-shaped products having a smooth surface and capable of giving a vacuum suction effect. In particular, the present invention is applied to a plastic sheet-like product having a specific gravity smaller than that of metal and light or a composite sheet product based on plastic.

The following is a description of implementation data. That is, as a typical example that cannot be loaded with the prior art apparatus, a PET thin sheet product having a high adhesiveness of the resin, a relatively soft surface and being easily scratched is 0.2 mm thick × 1000.
A long thin sheet product without protective paper having a width of 2,000 mm and a length of 2,000 mm was selected, and the performance of the loading device was evaluated.

As shown in Table 1, the results were as follows: Max 30 m / m
With a loading accuracy of ± 3 mm on the high-speed production line, the sheet could be loaded without damaging the sheet surface.

[0044]

[Table 1]

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
It will be described based on. The lower portion of the suction means 32 is formed by a flat porous plate 32A, and the lower suction surface a is provided on the lower surface of the porous plate 32A by a porous rubber plate (an example of an elastic body, such as a sponge. 38). The porous rubber plate 38 is made of silicon rubber or the like.

As described above, since the perforated plate 32A is in direct contact with the sheet-like material 1, the perforated rubber plate 38, that is, the elastic material is particularly suitable for a soft plastic product as in this alternative embodiment. By stacking the layers, the contact mark at the time of suction is further prevented from being generated due to the buffering action due to the elastic deformation.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
It will be described based on. The moving body 23 has one suction device 3
The transfer device is of a type in which the sheet-like material 1 conveyed by the conveyor 2 is stacked on the stacking unit 10 on one side by the suction device 30.

In the above-described first embodiment, the length n of the suction means 32 is reduced, and the number of the small suction means 32 is set to three in accordance with the length N of the sheet. The suction means 32 may be of a type in which one piece acts on the sheet-like material 1.

In the above-described first embodiment, the type in which the sheet-like material 1 conveyed by the conveyor 2 is distributed and stacked on the stacking sections 10 and 15 on both sides is shown. The sheet-like materials 1 stacked on the units 10 and 15 may be alternately transferred onto the conveyor 2. Similarly, in the above-described third embodiment, the sheet-like materials 1 stacked on the stacking unit 10 may be transferred to the transport conveyor 2.

In the first and third embodiments described above, the drive unit 25 and the control unit 26 serve as the reciprocating drive unit 24 for moving the moving body 23 between the conveyor 2 and the stacking units 10 and 15. Although the type constituted by the interlocking part 27, the transmission part 28 and the like is shown, this may be a linear motor type, an air cylinder type, or the like.

[0051]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the suction of the sheet by the suction means can be performed by low-pressure vacuum suction through a perforated plate for a thin sheet or film product, and the high-pressure vacuum can be applied to a thick sheet by a perforated plate. It can be performed by suction, so that it can be easily applied to a wide range of products from thin sheets and films to thick sheet products. And, since the sandwiching method from above and below can be adopted, the sheet-like material can be lightly pressed against the lower suction surface of the perforated plate, and the adhesion between the perforated plate and the surface of the sheet-like material can be increased, thereby increasing the suction effect. Can increase.

According to the second aspect of the present invention,
By adsorbing the sheet through a number of suction holes, the suction force per suction hole can be reduced, and contact marks on the surface of the sheet can be avoided.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the length of the suction means is reduced, and the number of the small suction means is made plural in accordance with the length of the sheet-like material. It is possible to reduce the inertia force by making it smaller and lighter, to enable high-speed and high-accuracy transfer, to enhance the internal sealing effect of the hollow suction means, and to reliably hold and hold a sheet-like material even with a low vacuum suction force. .

Further, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to further perform the suction without generating the contact mark by the buffering action by the elastic deformation of the elastic body. Further, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the sheet-like material is sucked by the suction means facing the sheet-like material handling part at a certain position from above, and the suction means is handled at another place. By moving the sheet-like material upward, the sheet-like material can be transferred to the sheet-like material handling portion at another location without being damaged.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention and is a perspective view of a suction device.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a suction unit in the suction device.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway side view of a suction unit in the suction device.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a transfer device using the suction device in an operation state on one side.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the transfer device using the suction device in an operation state on the other side.

FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, and is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of a suction unit in a suction device.

FIG. 7 shows a third embodiment of the present invention and is a front view of a transfer device using a suction device.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a transfer device using a suction device, showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sheet-like material (plate-like product) 2 Conveyor (sheet-like material handling part) 4 Lifting means 10 Stacking part (sheet-like material handling part) 11 Lifter 12 pallet 15 Stacking part (sheet-like material handling part) 16 Lifter 17 pallet Reference Signs List 21 lifting frame 22 lifting drive 23 moving body 24 reciprocating drive 30 suction device 31 suction device 32 suction means 32A porous plate 32a suction hole 34 switching valve 35 flow control valve 36 blower 38 porous rubber plate (elastic body) a lower suction Surface L Distance P Interval W Width of suction means 32 N Length of sheet 1 n Length of suction means 32 G Exhaust

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Tetsuro Kuroda 1-7-89 Minami Kohoku, Suminoe-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Inside Hitachi Zosen Corporation (72) Inventor Sakuhiro Sakane 1 Minami-Kohoku, Suminoe-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 7-89, Hitachi Zosen Corporation (72) Inventor Hayato Doi 3799-1, Tohoji-cho, Tondabayashi-shi, Osaka F-term (reference) 3D029 BA09 CA82 DA04 3F030 AA02 AB04 BC02 BC03 3F072 AA28 GD05 GF01 KA01 KD03 KD12

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A suction device for handling a sheet-like material, comprising suction means of a suction type which can move up and down relatively to the sheet-like material, wherein a lower suction surface of the suction means is a flat porous plate. An adsorption device characterized by being formed by: 2. The suction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the perforated plate has suction holes formed uniformly at substantially equal intervals on the entire surface. 3. The width of the suction means is substantially the same as the maximum width of the sheet material to be handled, and the length is made small, and a plurality of suction means are arranged corresponding to the length of the sheet material. The adsorption device according to claim 1, wherein the suction device is used. 4. The suction device according to claim 1, wherein the lower suction surface is formed by laminating an elastic body on a flat perforated plate. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction unit is moved between above a plurality of sheet handling units.
The adsorption device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein