JP2004114220A - Article adsorbing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an article adsorbing device in which the entire device is made compact and adsorbing/holding operation of the article is surely carried out with small suction power. <P>SOLUTION: A pressure reducing means 2 connected to a main body 1 is connected with an operation chamber 3 performing air sucking operation. A first valve hole 4 connected to the pressure reducing means is provided on one side in the operation chamber, and a second valve hole 5 opened to an adsorption side of the article b on the other side of the first valve hole in the operation chamber. A valve body 6 to be positioned at the first valve hole or the second valve hole selectively corresponding to the first valve hole or the second valve hole is movably provided in the operation chamber. The main body is provided with an adsorbing member 7 adsorbing the article outside the second valve hole, and an elastic member 8 urging the valve body to the second valve hole under normal operation is provided in the operation chamber. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
[Industrial applications]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article suction device capable of reliably operating an article with small power in the suction and holding of an article by pneumatic pressure.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The present inventor has already provided an apparatus capable of lifting, holding, moving and transporting a member having a flat surface such as a sheet glass, a metal plate, or a wooden finished plate (for example, Patent Document 1). reference).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-341089 A
However, this device has a large space through which suction air passes between the inner wall and the outer peripheral portion of the valve body in the working chamber. Therefore, even if air suction is performed on the decompression means side, the negative pressure in the working chamber is reduced. In order to suck up the valve element which is hardly generated and is in contact with the second valve hole, a pressure reducing means having a large suction force is required.
Further, since the spring for urging the valve body toward the second valve hole projects outside of the second valve hole, from the outside of the so-called main body, and has a configuration in which the spring is attached via an outer cylinder guide body, Not only does the number of parts increase, the assembly becomes complicated, but also the production cost rises. In addition, the entire apparatus is large and cannot be used for a compact suction unit.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and a decompression means connected to a main body is connected to a working chamber for performing an air suction action, and one side of the working chamber is connected to the decompression means. Providing a first valve hole, providing a second valve hole opened to the suction side of the article on the other side of the first valve hole in the working chamber, selectively into the working chamber to the first valve hole and the second valve hole Correspondingly, the valve body located in the first valve hole or the second valve hole is movably provided, and an adsorbing member for adsorbing an article is provided outside the second valve hole in the main body. By providing an elastic member for urging the device to the second valve hole, it is possible to manufacture the device as a whole compactly and to provide an article suction device capable of reliably performing an article suction and holding operation with a small suction force. It is intended to be.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Means of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object,
A main body, a decompression means connected to the main body for suctioning air, a working chamber connected to the decompression means to perform an air suction action, and provided on one side of the working chamber and connected to the decompression means. A first valve hole, a second valve hole that is provided on the other side of the first valve hole in the working chamber and that is opened to the suction side of the article, and a first valve hole that is provided movably into the working chamber. And a valve element positioned in the first valve hole or the second valve hole selectively corresponding to the second valve hole, and an adsorbing member that is provided outside the second valve hole in the main body to adsorb an article, An elastic member that is provided in the working chamber and always urges the valve body toward the second valve hole,
An air flow passage is formed between the inner wall of the working chamber and the outer peripheral portion of the valve body,
The first valve hole and the second valve hole have a structure of an article suction device provided with a first air leaking means and a second air leaking means through which a part of air can flow when the valve body abuts. is there.
[0007]
The elastic member is set to a biasing force smaller than the suction force on the first valve hole side of the main body,
The suction at the first valve hole side of the main body is set to a suction amount larger than the flow amount of air flowing through the flow passage formed between the inner wall of the working chamber and the outer peripheral portion of the valve body.
[0008]
The connecting member connected to the existing suction member is cut in the middle, the one connecting member connected to the suction member is connected to the second valve hole side of the main body, and the cutting is performed to the first valve hole side of the main body. The other connected member is connected.
[0009]
The main body is provided with detection means for detecting whether or not the article is adsorbed by the pressure reducing means.
[0010]
【Example】
Next, an embodiment of an article suction device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In FIGS. 1 and 2 and FIGS. 6 and 7, A denotes an article suction device, for example, one or a plurality of which are attached to a suction unit W as shown in FIG. 2, on a mounting table 12 such as a table or a conveyor. The main body 1, the pressure reducing means 2, the working chamber 3, the first valve hole 4, the second valve hole 5, and the valve 6 , A suction member 7, an elastic member 8, a flow passage 9, a first air leaking means 10, and a second air leaking means 11.
[0011]
The main body 1 is supported by a frame 13 that can move up and down and move in the left-right and front-rear directions, for example, in the suction unit W, so that, for example, the above-described predetermined movement is given.
[0012]
The above-described decompression means 2 is provided so as to be connected to the main body 1 and applies an air suction force to the article b via an adsorption member 7 described later. It comprises a valve 15, a pipe 16, and the like.
[0013]
The above-mentioned working chamber 3 is provided in the main body 1 connected to the depressurizing means 2 so that a predetermined depressurizing force is applied by the suction force of air by the depressurizing means 2.
[0014]
The first valve hole 4 is provided on one side of the working chamber 3 in the main body 1, that is, on the upper wall, and is arranged so as to communicate with the working chamber 3. A valve seat 4a corresponding to the valve element 6 is provided.
[0015]
The second valve hole 5 is opened on the other side of the first valve hole 4, that is, on the lower side wall of the working chamber 3 toward the atmosphere (adsorption side of the article b). A valve seat 5a is provided so as to communicate with the hole 4 and a peripheral portion thereof corresponds to a valve element 6 described later.
[0016]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and FIGS. 6 to 7, the valve body 6 is provided movably in the working chamber 3 so that the valve seats 4a and 5a of the first valve hole 4 and the second valve hole 5 are provided. These are selectively located in the valve holes 4 and 5 and are generally formed in a spherical shape, but may be provided in a plate shape or a cube shape, and the inside is a solid body. However, it is preferable that the inside is hollowed out, and that the whole is made relatively light by synthetic resin or the like so as to be easily subjected to the air suction action by the depressurizing means 2 with as small a power as possible.
[0017]
In the first valve hole 4 and the second valve hole 5, a first air leaking means 10 and a second air leaking means 11 through which a part of air when the valve body 6 comes into contact can be formed. The first air leaking means 10 and the second air leaking means 11 are provided so that the amount of air flowing therethrough is smaller than the amount of air suctioned by the pressure reducing means 2. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3A, the surfaces of the valve seats 4a and 5a of the first valve hole 4 and the second valve hole 5 are formed in a linear surface or a curved surface. A thin groove (slit) through which air can flow through the valve seat is formed at one or more locations. In FIG. 3, the first valve hole 4 and the second valve hole 5 are schematically illustrated with their respective main parts divided into left and right parts.
[0018]
Further, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), the upper surfaces of the valve seats 4a and 5a are formed in a concave shape of an arc so as to match the spherical valve body 6, and the outer shape of the valve body 6 is formed into an elliptical spherical body (not shown). 3 (c), a small hole having a small diameter is formed in a hollow valve body b as shown in FIG. 3 (c). A detour (bypass) is formed, and in any case, the first air leak is caused by the decompression means 2 and the working chamber 3 or the working chamber 3 and a suction chamber described later. Part of the air is circulated through the means 10 and the second air leaking means 11.
The part of air is a small amount of air that does not adversely affect the suction force of the air by the decompression means 2.
In the first air leaking means 10 and the second air leaking means 11 between the first valve hole 4 and the second valve hole 5, the first air leaking means 10 slightly leaks air. The second air leaking means 11 receives the valve element 6 through the second valve hole 5 and may be a relatively large air leak.
[0019]
The adsorbing member 7 is provided outside the second valve hole 5 in the main body 1 to adsorb the article b, and is provided below the second valve hole 5 so as to surround the second valve body 5. Forming a suction chamber 17 for the article b, thereby preventing the outside air from flowing into the second valve hole 5 when the suction chamber 17 comes into contact with the surface of the article b. By molding from a flexible or elastic material such as rubber, sponge, foamed urethane, or the like, which has good adhesion to the surface of the article b, the adsorption to the article b is further ensured, and the surface of the article b is improved. Even when there is some unevenness, the cushioning effect of obtaining a predetermined amount of contraction when it comes into contact with the surface of the article b is exhibited, and the suction effect is obtained. Further, the suction member 7 can be detachably exchanged with one having a different size or shape.
[0020]
Further, the suction member 7 performs a buffering action when the article suction device A descends and the suction member 7 comes into contact with the surface of the article b, and absorbs an excessive drop amount of the article suction device A. Although not shown, it may be formed in a bellows shape.
In addition, by forming it on a flexible material, even if it abuts on the surface of the article b which is easily damaged, the article b is not damaged, but depending on the article b to be treated, a material having no cushioning property may be used. Needless to say, it may be molded, and a cushioning property may be provided at an appropriate position on the main body 1 side.
[0021]
The elastic member 8 is provided in the working chamber 3 and normally biases the valve body 6 toward the second valve hole 5, and uses a coil spring or the like.
The elastic member 8 is set or adjusted to a biasing force weaker than the suction force of the air by the pressure reducing means 2, that is, a spring force weaker than the suction force. The body 6 is sucked, and the valve body 6 is drawn toward the first valve hole 4 or toward the first valve hole 4 against the urging force of the elastic member 8. The spring force only needs to have a force to urge the valve body 6 toward the second valve hole 5 in a state where the air is not sucked by the pressure reducing means 2, that is, the main body 1 is moved up and down. Conversely, when mounted, the valve element 6 only needs to exhibit an effect of not abutting on the first valve hole 4 due to its own weight (separating the first valve hole 4 from the valve element 6).
[0022]
Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, an air flow passage 9 is formed between the inner wall of the working chamber 3 and the outer peripheral portion of the valve body 6, and this air flow passage 9 is at a minimum. It is provided with a relatively narrow gap through which air can flow. That is, with this configuration, the suction force of the air on the side of the first valve hole 4 in the main body 1 performed by the decompression means 2 causes the flow passage 9 formed between the inner peripheral wall of the working chamber 3 and the outer peripheral portion of the valve body 6. Is set to a suction amount larger than the flow amount of the flowing air.
A so-called Venturi effect is obtained by narrowing the flow passage 9 in its cross section in the working chamber 3. This is a narrower section where the valve body 6 is located, that is, the flow passage 9 is narrowed, than a section where the valve body 6 is not located in the working chamber 3.
Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, in a state where the valve element 6 is pressed against the second valve hole 5 by the elastic member 8, the suction on the first valve hole 4 side of the main body 1 by the pressure reducing means 2 causes the working chamber 3. When the air flows through the second valve hole 5, the suction air flows through the narrow flow passage 9, the flow resistance increases, and the flow velocity increases, so that the upper portion of the valve body 6 and the lower portion of the second valve hole 4 A negative pressure is generated in the space of the working chamber 3 formed between the space and the negative pressure difference between the space and the second valve hole 5 and the suction chamber 17 side. Thus, the elastic member 8 is lifted against the urging force of the elastic member 8.
[0023]
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 20 denotes a detecting means provided at an appropriate position of the main body 1 for detecting whether or not the article b is adsorbed by the pressure reducing means 2. For example, the detecting means 20 is disposed near the first valve hole 4 in the working chamber 3. When the detecting means 20 detects that the valve body 6 is positioned for a predetermined time (for example, time) on the first valve hole 4 side, it detects that the article b is not sucked and held, and it is not shown. It is transmitted to control means and the like.
[0024]
The second valve hole 5 in the main body 1 is provided with a removing member 21 for preventing foreign substances such as dust from entering the working chamber 3. As shown in FIG. A perforated plate having the air holes 22 formed therein, or a net having a large number of air holes 22 as shown in FIG. 5B is used. In addition, these through holes 22 are formed narrower (smaller) in the working chamber 3 than the gap of the flow passage 9 formed between the inner wall of the working chamber 3 and the outer peripheral portion of the valve body 6, so that the through holes 22 are formed in advance. Intrusion of foreign matter into the working chamber 3 is prevented, and malfunction of the valve element 6 caused by the foreign matter clogging in the flow passage 9 is prevented.
The removing member 21 may be a porous body made of a synthetic resin such as a sponge.
[0025]
Therefore, the article adsorbing device A according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above has the following operation. The article adsorbing device A, as shown in FIG. An example in which the suction member 7 suction-holds from above will be described.
First, in a state where the pressure reducing means 2 is not operated, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6A, the valve body 6 is pushed down by an elastic member 8 such as a coil spring, and the valve body 6 The valve hole 5 corresponds to the valve seat 5a. Note that the valve element 6 does not necessarily need to be pressed against the valve seat 5a.
At this time, in the valve body 6 and the valve seat 5a of the second valve hole 5, air leakage is generated by the second air leaking means 11 to such an extent that the air suction force by the pressure reducing means 2 is not reduced. It is arranged so as not to be in a so-called closed state.
[0026]
Then, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), when the pressure reducing means 2 is operated in a state where the article b does not correspond to the suction member 7, the suction force of the air is applied to the working chamber 3, and the working chamber 3 The suction air which flows through the second valve hole 5 via the suction member 7 through the suction member 7 forms a narrow flow passage formed in the working chamber 3 and the outer periphery of the valve body 6. 9, the flow resistance of the air is increased and the flow velocity increases, and a negative pressure (between the outside air and the outside) As shown in FIG. 6 (b), the valve body 6 can be attached to the elastic member 8 by the relatively small suction force of the pressure reducing means 2 together with the weight reduction of the valve body 6 itself. Lifted against the power.
[0027]
Further, the valve body 6 lifted up against the urging force of the elastic member 8 abuts on the first valve hole 4 to close the first valve hole 4 and prevent the suction of the air from the suction member 7. And
However, in this state, since the first air leaking means 10 is provided between the first valve hole 4 and the valve body 6 or between the two, 4 and 6, as shown in FIG. In addition, a small amount of external air, that is, external air that does not lower the suction force by the pressure reducing means 2 as described above, is leaked from the first valve hole 4.
On the other hand, since the suction of air in the first air leaking means 10 is extremely small, the normal operation of the pressure reducing means 2 does not decrease, and the valve body 6 is lightweight and the elastic member 8 Since the spring force is set to be weaker than the air suction force of the pressure reducing means 2, and further, the flow passage 9 formed between the inner wall of the working chamber 3 and the outer peripheral portion of the valve element 6 is narrow, so that the working chamber 3 Since the negative pressure is generated in the space m, the valve body 6 is not drawn to the first valve hole 4 and does not move to the second valve hole 5 side.
In particular, when a negative pressure cannot be generated in the space m of the working chamber 3, an extremely large suction force of the pressure reducing means 2 is required, and a driving source of large horsepower is required. The fact that 9 is narrow is a major point in the operation of this embodiment.
[0028]
Next, as shown in FIG. 6 (c), when the suction member 7 of the article suction device A in a state in which the suction is ready is pressed against the surface of the article b, the lower peripheral edge of the suction member 7 is placed on the surface of the article b. In contact, the opening of the suction member 7 is closed by the surface of the article b.
[0029]
Then, as shown in FIG. 6C, the suction force by the pressure reducing means 2 is continuously induced by the action of the first air leaking means 10 due to the air leak, and the suction chamber 17 The suction force immediately acts on the suction chamber 17, and a negative pressure is suddenly applied to the suction chamber 17.
[0030]
Then, when the negative pressure of the suction chamber 17 and the negative pressure between the upper part of the valve body 6 and the first valve hole 4 in the working chamber 3 are approximated, as shown in FIG. The valve body 6 is separated from the first valve hole 4 by the urging force of the above, so that the valve body 6 is further applied to the working chamber 3 and the suction chamber 17 at a stretch, and the working chamber 3 and the suction chamber 17 become substantially the same negative pressure. The pressure is maintained, and as a result, as shown in the figure, since the suction member 7 sucks and holds the article b, when the main body 1, that is, the suction unit W is pulled up, it is sucked and lifted by the suction member 7.
At this time, the valve element 6 is returned to the second valve hole 5 side, but through the second air leaking means 11, the suction chamber 17 performs the air suction action of the pressure reducing means 2. In addition, since the article suction device A maintains a state in which air is constantly sucked from the first valve hole 4 by the first air leaking means 10, the article suction device A is in contact with the article b at the moment when the article b comes into contact with the suction member 7. The article b can be adsorbed.
In the case of the article adsorbing device A of the present embodiment, if the valve body 6 is in close contact with the first valve hole 4 and the valve seat 4a is closed without the first air leaking means 10, the adsorbing member 7 is attached to the article b. If the pressure reducing means 2 is not operated after the pressing, the article b cannot be adsorbed. Therefore, it takes time to adsorb the articles, and it is difficult to perform continuous operations.
[0031]
In this embodiment, in the above-mentioned state, the article b adsorbed and held is transferred to another processing machine or the like. When the operation is completed, the article b is placed in another step, and the pressure reducing operation of the pressure reducing means 2 is performed. Is stopped (or the switching valve is operated), and then the inside of the working chamber 3 is evacuated or supplied to separate the adsorbing member 7 and the article b.
[0032]
In particular, the effective configuration of the apparatus A according to the present invention is such that when the article suction device A is pressed against the article b, a predetermined projecting portion or an irregular shape is formed at a suction position on the article b surface, or Even if the upper surface has a recess or a recessed portion, or as shown in FIG. 2, the suction acting portion of the suction member 7 protrudes from the outer peripheral edge of the article b, a plurality of other articles provided The suction device A can perform the suction holding of the article b without causing a malfunction.
[0033]
That is, when the plurality of suction members 7 correspond to the surface of the article b, one or more of the suction members 7 in the article suction device A are off the surface of the article b as shown in FIG. In this case, since the valve element 6 corresponding to the suction member 7 is lifted upward by the suction force of the pressure reducing means 2 and comes into contact with the first valve hole 4, almost no suction force is applied to the suction chamber 17 of the suction member 7. Does not work, and almost no air is sucked from the first valve hole 4 except for the air leak from the first air leaking means 10.
[0034]
Therefore, the valve body 6 corresponds to the first valve hole 4, and the predetermined suction force by the pressure reducing means 2 is reduced by another suction member without reducing the suction force of the pressure reducing chamber 17 due to excessive suction due to the absence of the article b. Are uniformly supplied to the suction chambers 17 in 7, 7,..., The article b can be surely suction-held by the remaining suction members 7, 7,. The article b can be moved.
Alternatively, predetermined processing by another processing machine can be performed in a state in which the article b is reliably sucked and held by the suction members 7, 7,.
[0035]
Further, in the article suction device A of the embodiment of the present invention, by providing the elastic member 8 for urging the valve body 6, not only can the article b be sucked downward, but also the direction of sucking the article b is horizontal. Even if the article suction device A is used at an arbitrary angle such as upward or upward, the same function and effect can be exerted, the range is expanded in the use of the article suction device A.
[0036]
In FIG. 7, reference numeral A denotes another example of an article suction device, in which a mounting portion of the suction member 7 in the main body 1 can be replaced by a fastening member 25 such as a screw. A so-called connecting member 26 such as a hose connected to the existing suction member 7a attached to the existing suction unit is cut off and connected to the suction member 7a on the second valve hole 5 side of the main body 1. The connecting member 26a is connected, and the other cut connecting member 26b is connected to the first valve hole 4 side of the main body 1, so that an existing one can be used.
[0037]
That is, a cut 30 is made at an appropriate position of the connection member 26 such as an air hose in the existing suction member 7a, and a fastening member 25 is attached to the suction member 7a on the other side 26a side. Is provided on the fastening portion 27 of the main body 1, and the cut end of the other connecting member 26 b is attached to the mounting portion 29 on the first valve hole 4 side of the main body 1 by the fastening member 28, thereby providing an existing connection. The article suction device A according to the embodiment of the present application can be easily used without the need for remodeling the suction unit or the like.
[0038]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, an elastic member for biasing a valve element provided in an operating chamber toward a first valve hole is provided in the operating chamber, and the valve element is provided so as to press the valve element against a second valve hole. Therefore, the number of components can be reduced, the whole device can be made compact, and it can be offered on the market at low cost. The performance is improved.
In particular, the flow passage formed between the inner wall in the working chamber and the outer peripheral portion of the valve body is narrow, and the flow amount of air passing through this flow passage is smaller than the air suction amount on the first valve hole side. Even if the air suction on the side is relatively small power, a negative pressure can easily be generated in the space of the working chamber, and the valve body can be easily drawn to the first valve hole, and further this drawing is performed. The contact of the valve body with the first valve hole can be reliably maintained, and the configuration can contribute to downsizing of the device.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional front view showing a main part of an embodiment of an article suction device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a plurality of article suction devices in FIG. 1 are provided.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing respective examples of first and second air leaking means of the article suction device in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a flow passage inside an operation chamber of the article suction device in FIG.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing each example of a removing member provided in the article suction device in FIG. 1;
6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing each step of an article suction state of the article suction device in FIG.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of mounting another suction member of the article suction device in FIG. 1;
[Explanation of symbols]
A: Article adsorbing device. b ... article. 1. Body. 2. Decompression means. 3. Working chamber. 4: First valve hole. 5 ... second valve hole. 6. Valve body. 7, 7a ... adsorption member. 8 Elastic member. 9 ... Flow passage. 10. First air leaking means. 11 Second air leaking means. 26, 26a, 26b ... connecting member.

Claims (4)

A main body, a decompression means connected to the main body for suctioning air, a working chamber connected to the decompression means for performing an air suction action, and provided on one side of the working chamber and connected to the decompression means. A first valve hole, a second valve hole provided on the other side of the first valve hole in the working chamber, the opening being provided on the suction side of the article, and a first valve hole provided movably into the working chamber. And a valve element positioned in the first valve hole or the second valve hole selectively corresponding to the second valve hole, and an adsorbing member that is provided outside the second valve hole in the main body to adsorb an article, An elastic member that is provided in the working chamber and constantly urges the valve body toward the second valve hole,
An air flow passage is formed between an inner wall of the working chamber and an outer peripheral portion of the valve body,
An article characterized in that the first valve hole and the second valve hole are provided with a first air leaking means and a second air leaking means through which a part of air can flow when the valve body abuts. Suction device. The elastic member is set to a biasing force weaker than the suction force on the first valve hole side in the main body,
The suction on the first valve hole side in the main body is set to a suction amount larger than a flow amount of air flowing through a flow passage formed between an inner wall of the working chamber and an outer peripheral portion of the valve body. The article suction device according to claim 1, wherein 2. The article suction device according to claim 1, wherein the main body is provided with a detection means for detecting whether or not the article is sucked by the pressure reducing means. The connecting member connected to the existing suction member is cut in the middle, the one connection member connected to the suction member is connected to the second valve hole side of the main body, and the cutting is performed to the first valve hole side of the main body. 2. The article suction device according to claim 1, wherein the other connecting member is connected.

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