JP2000118815A - Film transferring device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To correct curve of a film orthogonal to the transferring, by transferring the film in a state of both ends of the film grabbed between two sets of pressure rollers and a pressure roller rotation shaft inclined in relation to the transferring direction. SOLUTION: Two sets of pressure rollers 3, 5 rotate with vertically grabbing respective right and left ends of a film 2 with a constant pressure. Rotation shafts 4, 6 are kept in parallel with each other, and are inclined by an angle θin relation to the transferring direction of the film 2. The pressure rollers 3, 5 for grabbing the left end operates a force that moves the film 2 left in relation to the transferring direction. The right pressure rollers 3, 5 operate a force for moving the film 2 right. When forces of two sets of pressure rollers 3, 5 are balanced, the film 2 is pulled orthogonally to the transferring direction at a place grabbed by the pressure rollers 3, 5 to eliminate looseness, and therefore, the film becomes linear and can keep flatness.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is used for an apparatus for optically inspecting the width and scratches of a film or a thin tape.
The present invention relates to a device for transferring a film or the like, and more particularly to a transfer device having a function of eliminating curvature of a film or the like in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a device for transporting a horizontally long film or tape (hereinafter referred to as a film) in a longitudinal direction has been used to print a photograph on a film or to form an electric circuit by etching a copper plate on the film. It has been used in devices that inspect film flaws. Some of these devices include a film formed in the center of the film, for example, a printed circuit or the like, and a film that does not allow other objects to come into direct contact with the film, for example, a CSP film (Chip Size Pa).
In the case of transporting these films, the transport means is brought into contact only with the edge portion of the film (hereinafter referred to as the edge) in parallel with the transport direction of the film, and the tension in the transport direction is applied to the film. The transfer was carried out.

[0003] In the case of this type of film, since it is generally impossible to bend with a small radius of curvature, the film has been transported by being wound around a film supply roller and a winding roller having a large radius of curvature, for example, a radius of curvature of 100 mm or more. . In the case of such a method, in a conventional transfer device,
The ability to straighten the film in the direction perpendicular to the direction of transport, in other words, the ability to correct the curvature, at the long intermediate portion between the film supply roller and the winding roller, even though the film can be transported in the longitudinal direction. There was no. For this reason, a device for optically inspecting the film for scratches at the intermediate portion or an optical device for inspecting the width of the film optically, often due to the curvature of the film surface to be inspected. However, there is a defect that small scratches are missed or an error occurs in the width inspection value. Conventionally, in order to eliminate these drawbacks, very complicated software and calculation circuits were used.

[0004]

According to the present invention, there is provided a simple and inexpensive mechanical method that does not make any mechanical contact with the central portion other than the end portion of the film. In the part to be inspected optically, while the film is transported in a straight line without bending the film, the curvature in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the film is corrected to make it almost flat, and the film at the inspection point The challenge is to bring the entire surface into the depth of focus of the optical device and to be able to measure the exact width, in other words, to transport the film in the longitudinal direction while maintaining the flatness of the film at the required parts. I do.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is directed to an optical inspection portion of a film between two rollers (hereinafter referred to as pressure rollers) at both ends of the film. And transport the film while applying pressure between the pressure rollers. At this time, the rotation axis of the pressure roller is not inclined at right angles to the transfer direction, but is slightly inclined. Then, depending on the tilting direction, the film is moved by the pair of pressure rollers sandwiching one end of the film as the film is transported to the right or left with respect to the transport direction.

When the film being transported is viewed from above, a pair of pressure rollers sandwiching the left end with respect to the transport direction of the film is a force that moves the film to the left in the transport direction. Tilt its axis of rotation so that
A pair of pressure rollers on the right side with respect to the transport direction of the film tilt the rotation axis so as to exert a force to move the film to the right side with respect to the transport direction. The rollers cause the film to receive tension in a direction perpendicular to its transport direction. Depending on the purpose, the number of pressure rollers may be increased, or a movable pressure roller may be used. In this way, the present invention uses the tension generated by the pressure roller to maintain the flatness of the film surface at a necessary portion without touching any surface other than the end of the film.

In this case, even if the two rotation axes of a pair of pressure rollers are parallel and both are inclined from a right angle to the film transport direction, or one of them is in the transport direction. In both cases, the film can be tensioned, even though it is perpendicular to it and only one is slightly inclined to the transport direction.

[0008] When two sets of pressure rollers are used in such a pressure roller in which the force for moving the film to the left and right is opposite to each other and the size is the same, the film does not tilt to the left or right and moves in the original transport direction. Go straight. If there is a difference between the forces, the film is transported while moving to the left or right by the force corresponding to the difference between the forces. A film guide is provided to advance the film straight even when there is a difference in force.

[0009]

FIG. 1 is a side view (a) and a plan view (b) showing a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a film transfer device, 2 is a film being transferred in the direction of the arrow, 3 is a pressure roller on the film 2 in FIG. 1, 4 is a rotation axis of the pressure roller 3, and 5 is a top in FIG. , A pressure roller below the film 2, 6 is a rotation axis of the pressure roller 5, 7 is a supply roller for sending out the film 2, 8 is a pinch roller for pressing the film 2 against the supply roller 7, 9 is a winding roller for winding up the film 2, 1
Reference numeral 0 denotes a pinch roller for pressing the film 2 against the take-up roller 9.

The operation will be described with reference to FIG. The film 2 supplied by the supply roller 6 and the pinch roller 7 is wound up by a winding roller 8 and a pinch roller 9, and the film 2 is transported in the direction of the arrow.
The pressure rollers 3 and 5 form a pair, and sandwich the film 2 from above and below at a constant pressure as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 1B, the two left and right ends of the film 2 are sandwiched between two sets of pressure rollers 3 and 5. When the film 2 is being transported in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1, the rotating shafts 4 and 6 are kept parallel to each other, and as shown in FIG. It is inclined by the angle θ shown in the figure.

As shown, when the rotating shafts 4 and 6 are inclined by the angle θ, the pair of pressure rollers 3 and 5 located above in FIG. 1B will carry the film 2 in the upward direction. , And the lower set of pressure rollers 3 and 5 generates a force to carry the film 2 in the downward direction. If the force is properly selected, the force of the two sets of upper and lower pressure rollers 3 and 5 should be reduced to a level that does not tear the film 2 up or down or give permanent distortion to the film 2. When balanced, the film 2 is compressed by pressure rollers 3 and 5
The film is pulled in the direction perpendicular to the transfer direction at the point where the film is not slackened, and the film becomes straight. An optical inspection is performed at or near this straight line. After being straightened, if the film is further pulled in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, a slip occurs at the pressure roller, and the film goes straight without going in any of the upper and lower directions.

With respect to the moving component of the film 2 in the transfer direction, the pressure rollers 3 and 5 rotate and follow, but the force of the moving component in the direction perpendicular to the transfer direction is balanced. They can't move in that direction and slip. At that time, a tension indicated by a symbol F in FIG. 1B is applied to the pressure rollers 3 and 5. The tension F is determined by the force between the pressure rollers 3 and 5 for pinching the film 2 and the coefficient of friction between the pressure rollers 3 or 5 and the film 2, and has a relationship with the contact area between the film 2 and the pressure rollers 3 and 5. Absent.

The magnitude of the angle does not have a direct relationship with the tension F, but when the curvature of the film 2 is large, the end of the film 2 must be moved much in the direction perpendicular to the direction of transport of the film 2. Since the plane of the film 2 cannot be obtained, the magnitude of θ is changed according to the required movement amount. When the required movement amount is large, θ is increased, and when the movement amount is small (when the curvature of the film 2 is small), θ is reduced. Depending on the material of the film 2, for example, whether it is metal, plastic, paper, or the like, the strength, bending, and the like of the film 2 differ. Therefore, the pinching force, the friction coefficient, and θ between the pressure rollers 3 and 5 are appropriately selected. For example, when the strength is small, the pinching force is reduced, and when the bending is large, θ is increased.

The amount of work for slipping in accordance with the unit movement in the transport direction of the film 2 increases in proportion to tan θ. Therefore, it is not necessary to merely increase the power for transporting the film 2 to unnecessarily increase θ. For the above-described reason, θ is limited to a range in which some slip occurs, and is generally not so large and is selected from about 1 degree to about 10 degrees.

Conventionally, a large tension is applied to the film 2 between the film supply roller 7 and the film take-up roller 9 in a direction parallel to the transfer direction so as to maintain the flatness of the film 2. Such tension is not required. The curvature of the film 2 is straightened between the pressure rollers 3 and 5, and the pressure rollers 3 and 5 apply an appropriate load also in the transport direction of the film 2, so that the pressure rollers 3 and 5 and the winding roller It is not necessary to apply a particularly large force between the first and the second. It does not matter if the film 2 between the supply roller 6 and the pressure rollers 3 and 5 has some slack.

FIG. 2 shows an example of an assembling structure of the pressure rollers 3 and 5, which is a main part of the first embodiment. In FIG.
(A) is a plan view, (b) is a side view, 21 is a bearing for supporting the upper pressure roller 3 with the rotating shaft 4, 22 is a rotating shaft of a rotary solenoid that supports the rotating shaft 4 to be able to rotate, Reference numeral 23 designates the lower pressure roller 5 as the rotating shaft 6
, 24 is a rotary solenoid, 25 is a film guide, and 26 is another film guide.

The rotating shaft 4 is integrated with the pressure roller 3 via the bearing 21, and does not rotate with the rotation of the pressure roller 3 itself. Although not shown, the rotary solenoid 24 and the rotary shaft 6 are fixedly supported on the housing of the film transfer device by an appropriate method. Usually, the rotating shafts 4 and 6 are supported so as to be parallel.

When the film 2 is not mounted, the pressure roller 3 is used to facilitate the mounting of the film 2.
Due to the function of the rotating shaft 4 and the rotating shaft 23 of the rotary solenoid 24, it is at the upper position indicated by the dotted line. When the film 2 is mounted, the pressure roller 3 is lowered to the position indicated by the solid line below by the action of the rotary solenoid 24, and the film 2 is sandwiched between the film 2 and the pressure roller 5.
At this time, the pressure sandwiching the film 2 is adjusted by the rotation force of the rotary solenoid. Of course, this operation can be performed by a manual lever and spring without using the rotary solenoid 24.

The rotating shafts 4 and 6 are tilted by an angle θ with respect to the transport direction of the film 2 as shown in FIG.
In the direction perpendicular to the transfer direction. At this time, the rotating shafts 4 and 6 are provided with a total of four rotating shafts, two each at the upper and lower ends of the left and right ends with respect to the transport direction of the film 2. At least one of them is inclined by the angle θ shown in FIG. 1, and the same purpose is achieved even if the axial direction of the remaining rotating shaft is perpendicular to the transport direction. In this case, the pressure roller inclined by the angle θ is made of a soft material such as rubber so that it is easily deformed so as to come into contact with the film 2 and the coefficient of friction between the pressure roller and the film 2 is determined by the other pressure roller. It is desirable to keep it larger than the coefficient of friction.

Since it is difficult for the two sets of pressure rollers 3 and 5 for pressing the right and left ends of the film 2 to completely apply the same tension to the film 2, it is necessary to avoid the meandering of the film 2 due to the difference in tension. A film guide 25 is provided in order to transfer 2 in a normal direction. The film guides 25 may be provided one by one on the left and right in the traveling direction of the film 2, but one of the two sets of pressure rollers 3 and 5 applies tension to the film 2 and the other set applies tension to the film 2. It may be designed to be larger than the applied tension and provided only on the side where the tension is higher. Alternatively, one set of rotating shafts 4 and 6 may be perpendicular to the transport direction, and only the other set of rotating shafts 4 and 6 may be inclined by θ with respect to the transport direction of film 2. In this case, the film 2 is always a rotating shaft 4 tilted by θ.
In this case, the film guide 25 may be provided only on that side.

The film guide 25 may be formed in a simple rod shape so that the film 2 does not move up and down in FIG. 2A, but when the film 2 passes through the film guide 25, If the film 2 is rubbed against the film 2, the film 2 may be damaged. In such a case, the portion of the film guide 25 that touches the film 2 should be constituted by a lightly rotating member such as a ball bearing. good. The film guide 26 shown in FIG.
Indicates such a case. Film guide 26
In order to prevent the film 2 from moving up and down on FIG. 2 (b), a member provided with a groove for sandwiching the film 2 is supported by a bearing as shown in FIG. 2 (b). I have.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the film guide. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 31 denotes a film guide formed at the pressure roller 3 or 5, which is formed as a side wall concentric with the pressure roller 5. Side wall 31 is film 2
Lateral movement with respect to the transport direction of the vehicle. While the film 2 is being transported, the film guide 31 is prevented from running over the outer periphery of the film guide 31.
Part of the inner cross section of the film 2 is as shown in FIG.
On the other side, in other words, slightly inclined outward.

In the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the rotation axis of the pressure roller 5 provided with the film guide 31 is perpendicular to the transport direction of the film 2, and only the pressure roller 3 has an angle as shown in FIG. By tilting by θ, the rotation surface of the side wall 31 becomes parallel to the transport direction of the film 2, so that the risk that the film 2 runs on the film guide 31 is further reduced.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state where the pressure rollers 3 and 5 sandwich the film 2. In FIG. 4, (a) is a case where it is sandwiched between two rollers made of a hard material such as metal, and (b) is a case where it is sandwiched between a roller made of a hard material and a roller made of a soft material such as rubber. (C) shows a case where both are sandwiched between rollers made of a soft material such as rubber.

In the case of (a), the pressure rollers 3 and 5 and the film 2 are hardly deformed and are transported almost linearly, but the contact area between the pressure rollers 3 and 5 and the film 2 is small. Generally speaking, since the friction coefficient of metal is smaller than that of rubber or the like, the force of the pressure roller 3 for holding the film 2 required to obtain the tension indicated by F in FIG. 1 is (b), (c) ). Since the force applied to the film 2 increases due to the increase in the force and the contact area, the thickness of the film 2 may be permanently changed depending on the material of the film 2. In this case, it is necessary that the rotating shafts 4 and 6 be completely parallel. Otherwise, only one small point of contact with the film 2 is undesirable.

In the case (b), the soft pressure roller 3 is deformed along the radius of curvature of the hard pressure roller 5, and accordingly, the film 2 is also deformed along the radius of curvature of the hard pressure roller 5. Transported. Since the energy required for this deformation must be given, the power for transporting the film 2 necessary for obtaining the tension F is larger than in the case of FIG. The pressure rollers 3 and 5 need less force to hold down the film 2 than in the case of (a), but the biggest drawback is that the film 2 itself is deformed and fed.
In this case, the rotating shafts 4 and 6 do not necessarily have to be parallel.

In the case of (c), since both the pressure rollers 3 and 5 are soft, if the softness is made substantially equal, both are deformed in substantially the same manner, and the film 2 is not deformed and is substantially straight. It is transferred in a state. It is a great advantage that the film 2 is fed straight without deformation. The contact area between the pressure rollers 3 and 5 and the film 2 is the largest in the above three cases, and the force for holding the film 2 required to obtain the tension F is the smallest. However, since the pressure rollers 3 and 5 are both deformed and rotated, the film 2 is required to apply the same tension F to the film 2.
However, there is a disadvantage that the power for transferring the oil is the largest.
Also in this case, the rotating shafts 4 and 6 need not necessarily be parallel.

Since the above three cases have advantages and disadvantages, any method may be selected according to the situation. However, the case (c) is generally recommended because it does not damage the film 2 most. You.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment in which the film 2 is fed by a plurality of sets of pressure rollers 3 and 5 to obtain a wide flat surface. FIG. 5 shows an embodiment using four sets of pressure rollers 3 and 5 as an example. In FIG. 5, 51, 52,
53 and 54 indicate four sets of pressure rollers 3 and 5, and F indicates the tension applied to the film 2 there.

In an apparatus for optically inspecting the scratches of the film 2, inspection cannot be performed on a thin linear plane formed by tension of two sets of pressure rollers due to an optical path, and inspection is performed on a wide planar plane. You may need to. For example, the pressure rollers 3 and 5 may block the light path of a line sensor for inspection or the like, the light path of a light source, or the like, or the inspection apparatus using a planar light receiving element such as a video camera. . In such a case, as shown in FIG. 5, four or more sets of the pressure rollers 3 and 5 are used.

In the case of FIG. 5, four sets of pressure rollers, 51,
The tension F applied to the film 2 by the rollers 52, 53 and 54 and the tension in the transport direction by the winding roller 8 cooperate with each other to remove the curvature of the film 2 and
A plane having four corners 1, 52, 53 and 54 is formed. Optical inspection is performed using this plane to achieve the intended purpose. When it is desired to obtain a flat surface over a wider area than in the case of FIG. 5, the number of sets of the pressure rollers 3 and 5 is further increased to 6
As many as eight sets or eight sets of pressure rollers 3 and 5 may be used as needed.

When a large number of sets are used in this manner, the curvature of the film 2 is almost corrected by being pulled in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction by the first set of pressure rollers 3 and 5, after which the film 2 becomes flat. The main purpose is to maintain the flat surface formed in the first stage by applying tension to the film 2 by the subsequent pressure rollers 3 and 5 because the film is fed in a state close to or flat. Therefore, the pressure rollers 3 and 5
Is increased in the first stage, and the angle θ2 in the subsequent stage is decreased. By doing so, useless slip can be reduced, and the power required to transfer the film 2 can be reduced.

FIG. 6 shows still another embodiment, which shows a pressure roller device capable of automatically applying an appropriate tension to the film 2 as described above even when the transport direction of the film 2 is reversed. (a) is a plan view and (b) is a side view. 6, reference numeral 61 denotes an arm that rotatably supports the pressure roller 3, 62 denotes an arm that rotatably supports the pressure roller 5, 63 denotes a support fixed to the housing of the film transfer device, and 64 denotes a support that is supported by the support 63. The arms 61 and 62 are rotatably supported in the left and right directions in FIG. A hinge 65 supports the arm 61 rotatably between a solid line and a dotted line in FIG. 6B, and 66 and 67.
Is a stopper for limiting the range of movement of the arms 61 and 62.

The operation of this device will be described with reference to FIG.
The arms 61 and 62 rotatably support the pressure rollers 3 and 5 via bearings in the same manner as the rotating shaft of FIG. 2 and do not rotate by themselves. As described with reference to FIG. 2, in the initial state where the film 2 is not present, the arm 61 and the pressure roller 3 are at the positions indicated by the dotted lines in FIG. When the film 2 is loaded, the arm 61 is moved by a suitable method not shown, for example, such as a rotary solenoid of FIG. 2, and nips the film 2 in cooperation with the pressure roller 5. The pressure roller 5 is rotatably supported by an arm 62 and has a positional relationship parallel to the arm 61.

When the film 2 is mounted and transported in the direction indicated by the solid arrow in FIG. 6, both the pressure rollers 3 and 5 move rightward in the figure as the film 2 moves.
At this time, the arms 61 and 62 rotate about the rotation shaft 64, move in the direction of the solid arrow in FIG. 7A, and stop where the arms 61 and 62 contact the stopper 66. The stopper 66 is fixed to the housing by an appropriate method, and at a position where the angle formed by the rotating shaft 64 and the arms 61 and 62 is stopped at the angle AB and the straight line AB as shown in FIG. It has been placed. Here, the straight line AB is the film 2
Is a straight line that is perpendicular to the transfer direction.

The rotation axis of the pressure rollers 3 and 5 is the film 2
As shown in FIG. 6, when the pressure rollers 3 and 5 are at the position inclined by θ1, the pressure rollers 3 and 5 rotate on the film 2 while being rotated at the position, and for the reason described above with reference to FIG.
Then, tension is applied in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction. Next, assuming that the transport direction of the film 2 is reversed and the film 2 is transported in the direction of the dotted arrow, the arms 61 and 62 move in the direction of the dotted arrow with the rotation of the rotating shaft 64 as the film 2 moves. , Stops at the place where it contacts the stopper 67.

The situation at this time is shown by a dotted line. At this time, the position of the stopper 67 is selected such that the angle formed by the rotating shaft 64 and the arms 61 and 62 is stopped at a position where the angle becomes θ2 on the opposite side to that when the transfer is performed in the direction of the solid arrow. Then, while rotating at that position, the pressure rollers 3 and 5 automatically apply tension to the film 2 in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction even in the case of transfer in the opposite direction for the same reason as described above with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the pressure rollers 3 and 5
Is one set at each of the left and right ends in the transfer direction of the film 2, but when only one set of pressure rollers 3 and 5 is used as shown in FIG. 6
Θ1 and θ2 are selected equally, but when a plurality of sets of pressure rollers 3 and 5 are used as shown in FIG. 5, θ1 of the first-stage pressure rollers 3 and 5 when viewed from the transport direction of the film 2 is θ2. Larger choice. Further, θ1 of the pressure rollers 3 and 5 of the last set is selected to be smaller than θ2. In the case of the pressure rollers 3 and 5 in the middle stage, θ1 and θ2
Are equal, and are smaller than θ1 in the first stage. The reason for this is that, as described in FIG. 5, the angle θ1 at which the pressure rollers 3 and 5 are inclined is increased in the first stage, and the angle θ2 in the subsequent stage is decreased, thereby reducing unnecessary slip and transferring the film 2. This is in order to reduce the power required for the operation.

[0039]

The present invention is directed to a pressure roller having a rotation axis which is not perpendicular to the transport direction of the film but has a slightly inclined rotation axis. The edge of the film is sandwiched from above and below, and the film surface is curved (slack) while transporting the film. A simple mechanism for maintaining the flatness of the film surface by applying a tension to the film in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction can facilitate the optical work on the film, By applying the present invention to an apparatus for inspecting the size, inspecting the width, and printing the drawing on the film surface, it is possible to obtain a film transfer apparatus excellent in performance and economy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a first embodiment of the present invention (a).
And sectional view (b)

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are side views showing a third embodiment of the present invention; FIGS.

FIG. 4 shows three side views (a), (b) and (c) showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Film transfer apparatus 2 Film 3 Pressure roller 4 Rotation axis of pressure roller 5 Pressure roller 6 Rotation axis of pressure roller 24 Film guide 31 Side wall of pressure roller 51-54 Set of pressure rollers 61 Arm supporting pressure roller 64 Rotation axis 67, 68 Arm 61 stopper

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A film transport device for transporting a vertically long film in a longitudinal direction, wherein a portion of an end of the film parallel to a transport direction of a transported film is sandwiched between two rollers, and at least one of the rollers is A film transport device characterized in that a rotation axis is inclined from a direction perpendicular to a film transport direction. 2. The film transfer direction is regulated by providing a rotating body having a rotation axis perpendicular to the transfer direction at at least one end of both ends parallel to the transfer direction of the film to be transferred. The film transfer device according to claim 1, wherein 3. The film transfer device according to claim 1, wherein a side wall serving as a film guide is provided at an end of one of the two rollers sandwiching the film. 4. The two rollers sandwiching the film are both made of a hard material such as metal, or one roller is made of a hard material and the other is made of a soft material such as rubber. 2. The film transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the two rollers are made of a soft material. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a pair of two rollers sandwiching the film are formed as a set, and a plurality of the sets are arranged on both right and left ends of the film along the transport direction of the film. Film transfer device. 6. A film transport device in which the transport direction of a film may be reversed in a forward direction and a reverse direction, wherein two arms supporting two rollers sandwiching the film are fixed around a fixed rotation axis. 2. The film transporting device according to claim 1, wherein the film is automatically reversed by an angle of?