JP2006224284A - Retaining apparatus and conveyance apparatus therewith - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a retaining apparatus for detachably, securely and stably sucking and retaining an article to be conveyed. <P>SOLUTION: This retaining apparatus includes: a coupling portion 111 arranged at a base and having a first passage 111A; a front end 113 of a nozzle having a second passage 113A, and sucking the article D to be conveyed through the first passage 111A and the second passage 113A so as to retain it; an expandable shell portion 114 for connecting the front end 113 of the nozzle with the coupling portion 11, and for communicating the second passage 113A with the first passage 111A; an energizing member disposed between the front end 113 of the nozzle and the coupling portion 111, and for energizing the front end 113 of the nozzle along the direction apart from the coupling portion 111; and a receiving portion 116 fixed to the base, and which has a guide hole for guiding the front end 113 of the nozzle in moving the front end 113 of the nozzle in an axial direction of the front end 113 of the nozzle against the force of the energizing member 115, when the front end 113 of the nozzle sucks the article D to be conveyed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a holding device for detachably holding an object to be conveyed and a conveying device having the holding device.

A device such as an IC (semiconductor integrated circuit device) performs an electrical test to determine the reliability and electrical characteristics of the circuit. Such a device performs various electrical tests by being sucked and conveyed by a nozzle in an apparatus called an IC test handler. For example, a large number of bumps formed on the device are contacted with contact terminals on the IC socket side, thereby determining the electrical characteristics of the device and the reliability of the circuit.
The device is held and transported by a structure in which the device is detachably sucked and held by suction (for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-1487 (second page, FIG. 4)

In the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, a bellows-like skirt portion is structured to adsorb and hold an IC, and the skirt portion is contracted. After the IC is mounted on the IC socket side, the IC is also removed from the IC socket side. In this case, the bellows-like skirt portion is disposed in the IC positioning receiver, but the upper end portion of the bellows-like skirt portion is attached to the mounting base, but the lower end portion of the bellows-like skirt portion. Has a free end for adsorbing the IC, and has a structure in which the position can be easily changed with respect to the IC positioning receiver. For this reason, when the lower end of the accordion-like skirt part adsorbs the upper surface of the IC, the position of the lower end part of the skirt part may shift, and the accordion-like skirt part adsorbs and holds the IC accurately. There is a fear that you can not.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and to provide a holding device that can reliably and stably adsorb and hold an object to be transported in a detachable manner and a transport device having the holding device.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a holding device for detachably attracting and holding an object to be conveyed, a base portion, and a joint portion disposed on the base portion and having a first passage. A nozzle tip for holding the object to be conveyed by suction through the first passage and the second passage; and a telescopic body for connecting the nozzle tip and the joint. The nozzle tip is disposed between the body portion that communicates the second passage of the nozzle tip and the first passage of the joint, and the nozzle tip and the joint. An urging member for urging the portion along a direction away from the joint portion, and a receiving portion fixed to the base portion, and the nozzle tip portion adsorbs the object to be conveyed when the nozzle The nozzle tip against the force of the biasing member at the tip Said receiving portion having a guide hole for guiding the nozzle tip when moving in the axial direction, the holding device, characterized in that it comprises a is achieved.

According to the structure of 1st invention, a coupling part is arrange | positioned at a base and has a 1st channel | path. The nozzle tip has a second passage, and the nozzle tip holds the object to be conveyed by suction through the first passage and the second passage.
The body portion is a stretchable portion that connects the nozzle tip portion and the joint portion. The body portion communicates the first passage at the nozzle tip and the second passage at the joint.
The urging member is disposed between the nozzle tip and the joint, and urges the nozzle tip along the direction away from the joint. The receiving part is fixed to the base part. The receiving portion has a guide hole for guiding the nozzle tip when the nozzle tip moves in the axial direction of the nozzle tip against the force of the urging member.
As a result, when the tip end of the nozzle sucks and holds the object to be conveyed, it can be sucked through the first passage and the body portion of the tip of the nozzle and the second passage of the joint portion. The urging member urges the nozzle tip along the direction away from the joint, but when the nozzle tip moves in the axial direction of the nozzle tip against the urging member, this receiving member The guide hole of the part guides the nozzle tip.
When the nozzle tip adsorbs the object to be conveyed, the guide hole of the receiving part can reliably guide the nozzle tip along the axial direction, and the axial direction of the nozzle tip is not shaken. The nozzle tip portion can adsorb and hold the object to be transported reliably and stably in a detachable manner.

According to a second invention, in the configuration of the first invention, the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle tip has a tapered shape, and the guide hole has a tapered inner peripheral surface corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle tip. It is characterized by that.
According to the configuration of the second invention, the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle tip is tapered, and the inner peripheral surface of the guide hole is also tapered.
Thereby, the nozzle tip can be more reliably and stably guided along the axial direction by the guide hole.

According to a third invention, in the configuration of the first invention or the second invention, the urging member is a compression coil spring, and the urging member is arranged coaxially inside or outside the body portion. It is characterized by.
According to the configuration of the third aspect of the invention, the urging member is a compression coil spring, and the urging member is disposed coaxially inside or outside the body portion.
Thereby, it can prevent that a trunk | drum part remains contracted by low temperature, for example with the force of a biasing member.

According to a fourth invention, in the configuration of the first invention or the second invention, the urging member is a compression coil spring, and the urging member is embedded in the body portion.
According to the configuration of the fourth invention, the urging member is a compression coil spring, and this urging member is embedded in the body portion.
Thereby, it is possible to prevent the body portion from being contracted due to, for example, a low temperature by the force of the urging member, and to reduce the number of parts.

According to a fifth invention, in the configuration of the first invention, the base portion and the receiving portion cover the joint portion and the body portion.
According to the configuration of the fifth invention, the base portion and the receiving portion cover the joint portion and the body portion.
Thereby, the base part and the receiving part protect the joint part and the body part from the outside, and can prevent damage.

According to a sixth invention, in the configuration of the first invention, the receiving portion has a guide projection for guiding the position of the object to be conveyed with respect to the nozzle tip.
According to the configuration of the sixth invention, the receiving portion has the guide protrusion, and the guide protrusion guides the position of the object to be conveyed with respect to the nozzle tip.
As a result, when the nozzle tip adsorbs and holds the object to be conveyed, the guide projection can accurately guide the position of the object to be conveyed and can prevent a side slip phenomenon of the object to be conveyed.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the sixth aspect of the invention, the receiving portion abuts against a tray that accommodates the object to be conveyed, so that the receiving portion and the nozzle tip are pushed into the object to be conveyed. It has a push-in preventing projection that prevents it from being excessively formed.
According to the configuration of the seventh aspect of the invention, the receiving portion pushes the receiving portion and the nozzle tip portion against being pushed into the conveyed object by abutting against a tray that accommodates the conveyed object. have.
As a result, it is possible to prevent the receiving portion from being excessively pushed into the tray and the object to be conveyed, and to reliably prevent an unnecessary pressure from being applied to the object to be conveyed.

An eighth invention is characterized in that, in the configuration of the first invention, the body portion is formed of rubber having flexibility at a low temperature.
According to the configuration of the eighth invention, the trunk portion is formed of rubber having flexibility at a low temperature.
Thereby, it can suppress that a softness | flexibility falls or permanent distortion arises when a trunk | drum part is low temperature.

According to a ninth invention, in the configuration of the fifth invention, a heating medium supply unit that supplies a heating medium for warming the body part to a space formed by the base part and the receiving part is connected to the base part. It is characterized by being.
According to the ninth aspect of the invention, the heating medium supply unit that supplies the heating medium for warming the body part to the space formed by the base part and the receiving part is connected to the base part.
Thereby, a trunk | drum can be warmed and the fall of the softness | flexibility by the low temperature of a trunk | drum and the generation | occurrence | production of a permanent distortion can be prevented.

A tenth aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the configuration of the first aspect of the invention, there is provided a heat source for heating the body part in a space formed by the base part and the receiving part.
According to the structure of 10th invention, it has a heat source for heating the trunk | drum in the space which the base and the receiving part form.
Thereby, the heat source can prevent the body portion from being deteriorated in flexibility or permanent distortion when the body portion is at a low temperature by warming the body portion.

An eleventh aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the configuration of the tenth aspect of the invention, a temperature measuring sensor for detecting a temperature heated by the heat source is provided.
According to the configuration of the eleventh aspect of the invention, the temperature of the body part can be kept appropriate by detecting the temperature at the time of heating by the heat source with the temperature sensor.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, the base portion is provided via a floating mechanism in the robot hand for transport.
According to the configuration of the twelfth aspect, the base can be held in a floating state with respect to the robot hand for transport by the floating mechanism.

In the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the thirteenth aspect of the present invention includes a holding device for detachably holding a transfer object, and the transfer device transfers the transfer object held by the holding device. The holding device has a base portion, a joint portion disposed on the base portion and having a first passage, and a second passage, and holds the object to be conveyed by suction through the first passage and the second passage. And a telescopic body part that connects the nozzle tip part and the joint part, and connects the second passage of the nozzle tip part and the first passage of the joint part. And a biasing member disposed between the nozzle tip portion and the joint portion for biasing the nozzle tip portion in a direction away from the joint portion, and fixed to the base portion. The nozzle tip is the transported portion. The receiving portion having a guide hole for guiding the nozzle tip when the nozzle tip moves in the axial direction of the nozzle tip against the biasing member when adsorbing an object. This is achieved by means of a transport device having a characteristic holding device.
As a result, when the tip end of the nozzle sucks and holds the object to be conveyed, it can be sucked through the first passage and the body portion of the tip of the nozzle and the second passage of the joint portion. The urging member urges the nozzle tip along the direction away from the joint, but when the nozzle tip moves in the axial direction of the nozzle tip against the urging member, this receiving member The guide hole of the part guides the nozzle tip.
When the nozzle tip adsorbs the object to be conveyed, the guide hole of the receiving part can reliably guide the nozzle tip along the axial direction, and the axial direction of the nozzle tip is not shaken. The nozzle tip portion can adsorb and hold the object to be transported reliably and stably in a detachable manner.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a transport device having a holding device of the present invention. The conveyance device shown in FIG. 1 is an IC handler 10 as an example. The IC handler 10 can also be called an IC test handler. The IC handler 10 includes a base 11, a normal temperature chamber 12, a low temperature chamber 13, a supply robot 20, a recovery robot 21, a slide table 421, a slide table 422, and a plurality of conveyors 23 to 28.

  The base 11 has the above-described elements mounted thereon, and the base 11 has a rectangular shape as seen in the plan view of FIG. The room temperature chamber 12 is a portion surrounding a large area of the base 11, and dry air is supplied to the inside thereof. The room temperature chamber 12 accommodates the supply robot 20, the recovery robot 21, the low temperature chamber 13, the slide tables 421, 422, and the like.

One end of the conveyors 23 to 28 is located outside the room temperature chamber 12, while the other end of the conveyors 23 to 28 is located inside the room temperature chamber 12.
In FIG. 1, the horizontal direction in the drawing is the X direction, and the vertical direction in the drawing is the Y direction. The vertical direction in the drawing is the Z direction, and the X, Y, and Z directions are orthogonal to each other.
The conveyors 23 to 28 are for conveying the tray 30 along the Y1 direction or the Y2 direction. Accordingly, the tray 30 can be transported from the outside of the room temperature chamber 12 into the room temperature chamber 12 or from the room temperature chamber 12 to the outside of the room temperature chamber 12.

The supply robot 20 includes an X-axis frame 31 and a Y-axis frame 32. The collection robot 21 includes an X-axis frame 31 and a Y-axis frame 33.
The X axis frame 31 is arranged in the X direction. The Y-axis frames 32 and 33 are respectively arranged in parallel along the Y direction, and can be positioned by moving along the X direction in the X-axis frame 31 by a drive source (not shown).
The Y-axis frame 32 is on the supply robot 20 side, and the Y-axis frame 33 is on the collection robot 21 side. However, the X-axis frame 31 is used in common for the supply robot 20 and the collection robot 21. The supply robot 20 has a robot hand unit 40. The collection robot 21 has a robot hand unit 41. The robot hand unit 40 can be positioned by moving in the Y direction along a Y-axis frame 32 by a drive source (not shown). The robot hand unit 41 can be moved and positioned along the Y-axis frame 33 by a drive source (not shown) in the Y direction.

  The supply robot 20 is a robot for supplying, for example, the device D that is a transported object mounted on the tray 30 to the slide table 421 side. The device D supplied to the slide table 421 side by the robot hand unit 40 of the supply robot 20 is placed in the socket 36 in the measurement robot 35 in the low temperature chamber 13 to determine the electrical characteristics of the device D and the like. It is like that. After the determined device D is moved from the socket 36 side to the slide table 422 side, the robot hand unit 41 of the recovery robot 21 moves the upper side of the tray 30 on one of the recovery-side conveyors 26, 27, 28. Can be discharged.

FIG. 2 shows a structural example in the vicinity of the line BB in FIG. 1, and shows the vicinity of the supply robot 20 and the recovery robot 21.
The robot hand units 40 and 41 have a plurality of nozzle tip portions 50. The nozzle tip 50 absorbs the device D mounted on, for example, the tray 30 on the conveyor 23 shown in FIG. 1 and then transports the device D to, for example, the slide table 421 side. Then, the robot hand unit 41 can discharge the device D transferred to the slide table 422, for example, as the measured device D on the tray 30 on the discharge-side conveyor 28, for example.

FIG. 3 shows a structural example in the vicinity of the line AA in FIG.
The measurement robot 35 has robot hand units 60 and 61. The robot hand units 60 and 61 can be positioned by moving up and down in the Z direction by a motor 62 and a ball screw 63, respectively.
The robot hand unit 61 can be moved and positioned in the Y direction by another motor 64 and a ball screw 65. The robot hand units 60 and 61 can exchange the device D between the slide table 421 and the socket 36 shown in FIG. 1 and exchange the device D on the socket 36 and the slide table 422 side.

FIG. 4 shows a preferred embodiment of the holding device. The holding device 100 can be applied to, for example, the robot hand units 40 to 41 shown in FIG. 2 or the robot hand units 60 to 61 shown in FIG.
The holding device 100 is connected to the robot hand units 40, 41, 60 and 61 via the floating mechanism 101. The floating mechanism 101 has a structure that allows the robot hand unit to float to some extent in the Z direction. In the embodiment, the floating mechanism 101 uses a coil spring.

4 includes a robot hand tip 102, a base 110, a nozzle joint 111, a nozzle tip 113, a bellows-shaped pad 114 as a body, a compression coil spring 115 as a biasing member, and a receiving part. At least a nozzle receiving portion 116 is provided.
The robot hand tip 102 is made of, for example, metal, and a base 110 is fixed to the lower part of the robot hand tip 102. The base 110 is made of, for example, metal, like the robot hand tip 102.

The nozzle joint 111 is an example of a joint, but the nozzle joint 111 is detachably connected to the connection hole 110 </ b> A of the base 110.
The nozzle joint portion 111 has a first passage 111A. The first passage 111 </ b> A is connected to the third passage 110 </ b> C in the base 110. The third passage 110C is connected to one end of the tube 119. The other end of the tube 119 is connected to the vacuum suction and pressure gas supply unit 120.

The nozzle joint portion 111 is connected to the upper end portion of the bellows-shaped pad 114, which is an example of a body portion, so as to be detachable and not come out. The nozzle joint portion 111 is made of metal.
The nozzle tip portion 113 has a second passage 113A therein. The second passage 113A is formed in the axial direction of the nozzle tip 113. The second passage 113A is disposed on the same extension line (axial direction, Z direction) with respect to the first passage 111A. The lower end of the bellows-shaped pad 114 is connected to the nozzle tip 113.
The bellows-shaped pad 114 is a stretchable member that mechanically connects the nozzle tip 113 and the nozzle joint 111, and includes a second passage 113 </ b> A of the nozzle tip 113 and a first passage 111 </ b> A of the nozzle joint 111. Have contacted.

The bellows-shaped pad 114 has a bellows shape and is a member that can expand and contract in the axial direction, that is, the Z direction. The bellows-shaped pad 114 is preferably made of, for example, a rubber material corresponding to a low temperature. As the rubber material, phenyl group silicon rubber or the like can be used. By using such low-temperature rubber, the bellows-shaped pad 114 can suppress the decrease in flexibility and the occurrence of permanent strain at low temperatures.
The bellows-shaped pad 114 has a cylindrical shape or a bellows shape, and is a member that can be elastically deformed with a weak force (for example, several grams).
The compression coil spring 115 is disposed between the nozzle joint portion 111 and the nozzle tip portion 113 as shown in FIG. 4, and the compression coil spring 115 moves in the direction away from the nozzle joint portion 111, i.e., lower in FIG. 4. This is for urging the nozzle receiving portion 116 toward the inner surface 116A along the direction.

FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of the vicinity of the nozzle tip 113, the compression coil spring 115, the bellows-shaped pad 114, the nozzle joint 111, and the like.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the compression coil spring 115 is coaxial with the bellows-shaped pad 114 and is disposed outside. The compression coil spring 115 prevents the bellows-shaped pad 114 from being kept in a contracted state even when the bellows-shaped pad 114 is exposed to a low temperature state. The nozzle tip 113 can be urged toward the inner surface 116 </ b> A of the nozzle receiver 116.

  The nozzle tip 113 in FIG. 5 is a substantially cylindrical member, for example, and has a flange 113F. The flange portion 113F plays a role of stopping the nozzle tip portion 113 from further lowering in the Y direction, that is, in the downward direction by abutting against the inner surface 116A of the nozzle receiving portion 116.

Next, the nozzle receiver 116 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 will be described.
The nozzle receiving portion 116 is fixed on the lower surface side of the base portion 110, and the base portion 110 and the nozzle receiving portion 116 accommodate the nozzle joint portion 111, the compression coil spring 115, the bellows-shaped pad 114, and the flange portion 113F of the nozzle tip portion 113. To protect it from the outside. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the nozzle receiving portion 116 has a substantially U shape when viewed in cross section.

  The nozzle receiving part 116 has a side part 116S and a bottom part 116T. The side surface portion 116S is, for example, a cylindrical portion, and the bottom surface portion 116T is a flat surface. At the center of the bottom surface portion 116T, there is a guide hole 125 having a circular cross section and the same inner diameter along the axial direction. The guide hole 125 is for positioning the nozzle tip portion 113 in the X direction and the Y direction by guiding the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle tip portion 113. The guide hole 125 of the nozzle receiving portion 116 is configured so that the nozzle tip portion 113 resists the force of the compression coil spring 115 in the axial direction (Z ) When moving in the direction, the nozzle tip 113 is guided.

  As a result, when the nozzle tip 113 contacts and attracts the surface of the device D, the axial direction of the nozzle tip 113 can always be forcibly aligned with the center of the guide hole 125 of the nozzle receiver 116. Therefore, the nozzle tip 113 can reliably suck the correct position of the surface of the device D in the tray 30.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the nozzle receiving portion 116 has a guide protrusion 130 and a push-in prevention protrusion 133 in addition to this.
The guide protrusion 130 can follow the device D by contacting the side surface 135 of the device D of FIG. For this reason, after the nozzle tip 113 adsorbs the surface of the device D, the guide projection 130 can reliably guide the side surface 135 of the device D, and the side slip phenomenon of the device D can be prevented.

A plurality of push-in preventing protrusions 133 are provided, and the push-in preventing protrusions 133 apply an extra pressing force to the device D due to the holding device 100 including the nozzle receiving portion 116 being too close to the device D and the tray 30. Can be prevented. That is, the push-in preventing protrusion 133 abuts against the surface 30S of the tray 30 to reliably prevent the holding device 100 including the nozzle receiving portion 116 from being pressed further downward against the tray 30 and the device D. can do.
By preventing this pushing phenomenon, it is not necessary to apply an extra load to the nozzle tip 113, the compression coil spring 115, and the bellows-shaped pad 114, so that the durability of the robot hand unit including the holding device 100 and the holding device 100 can be improved. Can increase the sex.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the nozzle receiving portion 116 has a hole 116 </ b> H in addition to this. Correspondingly, the tray 30 has pins 30P. By pinching the pin 30P into the hole 116H, the relative position between the tray 30 and the nozzle receiving portion 116 can be mechanically and forcibly secured. In addition, the parallelism between the tray 30 and the nozzle receiving portion 116 can be maintained.
As shown in FIG. 4, the tray 30 has a recess 126. The recess 126 has a flat bottom surface 127 and an inclined side surface 127A. On the bottom surface 127, the bottom surface side of the device D is disposed. The device D is accommodated in the recess 126 in such a manner.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 4, 6, 7, and 8, an operation in which the holding device 100 sucks and holds the device D in the tray 30 will be described.
FIG. 4 shows a state where the holding device 100 is disposed above the device D of the tray 30. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the holding device 100 is lowered along the Z direction and the nozzle tip 113 is in contact with the surface of the device D.
FIG. 7 shows a state in which the nozzle tip 113 sucks and holds the surface of the device D and lifts the device D slightly. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the device D is separated above the tray 30 by the holding device 100 itself rising along the Z direction.

In FIG. 4, when the vacuum suction and pressure gas supply unit 120 performs vacuum suction, the second passage 113 </ b> A of the nozzle tip 113 is formed of the tube 119, the third passage 110 </ b> C, the first passage 111 </ b> A, and the bellows-shaped pad 114. Vacuum sucked through and through.
In this state, the compression coil spring 115 presses the flange 113F of the nozzle tip portion 113 against the inner surface 116A side of the nozzle receiving portion 116. Each guide protrusion 130 is at a position that substantially corresponds to each side surface 135 of the device D in the tray 30.

In FIG. 6, when the holding device 100 is lowered along the Z direction, the push-in preventing protrusion 133 hits the surface 30 </ b> S of the tray 30. Thereby, it can prevent that the holding | maintenance apparatus 100 is pushed into the tray 30 and the device D side further below. By causing the guide protrusion 130 to follow the side surface 135 of the device D, the posture of the device D with respect to the nozzle tip 113 is corrected. The nozzle tip 113 begins to suck the surface of the device D.
As shown in FIG. 7, the nozzle tip 113 absorbs the device D, and the bellows-shaped pad 114 is elastically deformed in the Z direction and contracts. In this case, the bellows-shaped pad 114 contracts against the force of the compression coil spring 115. As a result, the nozzle tip 113 rises upward and the flange 113F separates from the inner surface 116A. In the mounted state in FIG. 6, the flange portion 113F is slightly separated from the inner surface 116A. In this case, the guide hole 125 guides the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle tip portion 113, and no blurring occurs in the axial direction of the nozzle tip portion 113.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8, when the holding device 100 is further raised, the device D can be lifted upward from the recess 126 of the tray 30.
Thereafter, when the holding device 100 moves and is placed on another tray 30 on the slide table 421 as shown in FIG. 1, for example, the vacuum suction and pressure gas supply unit 120 shown in FIG. By stopping and supplying the pressure gas to the second passage 113A through the tube 119, the third passage 110C, the first passage 111A and the bellows-shaped pad 114, the nozzle tip 113 immediately places the device D on the tray 30. Can be released.

9 to 14 show another embodiment of the present invention.
In each embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 to 14, the same portions as those in the embodiment shown in FIG.
The embodiment shown in FIG. 9 differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 in that the compression coil spring 115 is arranged inside the bellows-shaped pad 114. The compression coil spring 115 is disposed between the nozzle joint portion 111 and the nozzle tip portion 113, and the compression coil spring 115 is disposed coaxially with the bellows-shaped pad 114.

  The embodiment shown in FIG. 10 differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 in that the compression coil spring 115 is built in the bellows-shaped pad 114. The compression coil spring 115 is disposed between the nozzle joint portion 111 and the nozzle tip portion 113. Thereby, the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the case where the compression coil spring and the bellows-shaped pad are separate members.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 11 differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 in that the shape of the outer peripheral surface 113G of the nozzle tip and the shape of the inner peripheral surface 135T of the guide hole 135 are different. Both the outer peripheral surface 113G and the inner peripheral surface 135T are tapered, that is, have a shape that tapers toward the bottom along the Z direction in FIG. That is, the outer peripheral surface 113G and the inner peripheral surface 135T are both tapered.
Thus, when the nozzle tip 113 contacts the surface of the device D and sucks by making the outer periphery 113G fit into the inner periphery 135T, the axis of the nozzle tip 113 is always The nozzle receiving portion 116 can be positioned at the center of the guide hole 135. For this reason, the nozzle tip portion 113 can be more stably and reliably adsorbed and held with respect to the accurate position of the surface of the device D.

12 is different from the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 in that a piping 160 for heating medium and a piping 161 for exhaust are connected to the base 110. The heating medium pipe 160 is connected to the heating medium supply unit 163. The heating medium supply unit 163 can be supplied into the space 166 through the piping 160 for the heating medium and the passage 165 of the base 110.
The space 166 is a space formed by being surrounded and covered by the base 110 and the nozzle receiving portion 116. A bellows-shaped pad 114 is disposed in the space 166. For this reason, since the heating medium can heat the bellows-shaped pad 114 from the outside, the flexibility of the bellows-shaped pad 114 is reduced or permanent deformation is caused even when exposed to a low temperature state. Can be prevented.

  Another embodiment of FIG. 13 differs from the embodiment of FIG. 4 in that a lamp 200 as a heat source is fixed to the base 110. The lamp 200 can heat the bellows-shaped pad 114 in the space 166. The lamp 200 is turned on by the power source 200R. As a result, the lamp 200 heats the bellows-shaped pad 114 through the air in the space 166 of the nozzle receiving portion 116, so that it is possible to prevent the flexibility of the bellows-shaped pad 114 from being lowered and the occurrence of permanent distortion.

  14 is different from the embodiment of FIG. 4 in that a heater 201 and a temperature sensor 203 are provided as heat sources. The heater 201 is provided with respect to the base 110. When the heater 201 generates heat, the bellows-shaped pad 114 can be heated through the air in the space 166. In this case, the heating temperature is measured by the temperature sensor 203, whereby it is possible to know how much the bellows-shaped pad 114 is heated, and the heating temperature of the bellows-shaped pad 114 can be maintained appropriately. By heating the bellows-shaped pad 114, the heater 201 can prevent a decrease in flexibility of the bellows-shaped pad 114 and the occurrence of permanent distortion.

In the embodiment of the present invention, when the tip end of the nozzle sucks and holds the object to be conveyed, it can be sucked through the first passage and the bellows-shaped pad at the tip of the nozzle and the second passage of the nozzle joint portion. The compression coil spring urges the nozzle tip along the direction away from the nozzle joint, but when the nozzle tip moves in the axial direction of the nozzle tip against the force of the compression coil spring, The guide hole in the receiving part guides the nozzle tip.
As a result, when the nozzle tip adsorbs the object to be conveyed, the guide hole of the nozzle receiving part can reliably guide the nozzle tip, and the axial direction of the nozzle tip does not shake, The tip of the nozzle can adsorb and hold the object to be transported reliably and stably in a detachable manner.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the compression coil spring can prevent the bellows-shaped pad from being contracted due to, for example, a low temperature. When the nozzle tip adsorbs and holds the object to be conveyed, the guide projection can accurately guide the position of the object to be conveyed and can prevent the skid phenomenon of the object to be conveyed.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the lamp and the heater can heat the bellows-shaped pad at a low temperature, and can suppress the decrease in flexibility and the occurrence of permanent distortion.

The material of the nozzle tip can be made of, for example, a resin or metal with little deformation. If the nozzle tip is made of a flexible rubber material, strain deformation may remain when used at low temperatures.
When the nozzle tip is pushed in the axial direction (downward) of the nozzle tip by the extension force of the bellows-shaped pad and / or the compression coil spring, the nozzle receiving part comes into contact with a part of the nozzle tip. It is designed to receive the nozzle tip. Thereby, when the nozzle tip is in contact with the device, the position of the nozzle tip in the axial direction can always be a constant position.

In FIG. 4, when the tube 119, the third passage 110C, the first passage 111A, the inside of the bellows-shaped pad 114 and the second passage 113A are close to atmospheric pressure or higher than atmospheric pressure, The bellows-shaped pad 114 made of a rubber material extends downward in the Z direction by the restoring force of the compression coil spring 115, but this expanded shape does not always have a constant dimension. That is, the nozzle tip may not have a constant height in the downward direction when viewed from the base 110.
For this reason, the nozzle receiving portion 116 is provided, and when the bellows-shaped pad 114 extends downward by the force of the compression coil spring 115 and the shape returns, the flange portion 113F hits the inner surface 116A of the nozzle receiving portion 116. Thus, the lower surface (suction surface) of the nozzle tip portion 113 can always be at a constant height when viewed from the surface 30S of the tray 30 or from the base 110 side.

By making the bellows-shaped pad 114 a rubber material compatible with low temperature, it is possible to suppress a decrease in flexibility even in a low temperature environment. As a result, when the device D is attracted, the impact force on the device D can be suppressed. By providing the bellows-shaped pad 114 with an urging member such as the compression coil spring 115, the shape restoring property of the bellows-shaped pad 114 can always be maintained even in a low temperature environment, and the height of the nozzle tip 113 in the Z direction can be increased. The position can be stabilized. For this reason, the nozzle front-end | tip part 113 can adsorb | suck the device D stably and reliably.
The push-in preventing protrusion 133 shown in FIG. 4 may be provided on the robot hand tip portion 102 side of the robot hand unit in addition to the nozzle receiving portion 116, or may be provided on the tray 30 side. Can perform the function.

In the embodiment of the present invention, an IC handler is taken as an example of the transport device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the conveying device may be another type of device, and the object to be conveyed may be other than the device.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims.
A part of each configuration of the above embodiment can be omitted, or can be arbitrarily combined so as to be different from the above.

The top view which shows the structural example of the IC handler which is preferable embodiment of the conveying apparatus of this invention. The figure which shows the structure of the BB line vicinity in the IC handler of FIG. The figure which shows the structure of the AA line vicinity in the IC handler of FIG. Sectional drawing which shows preferable embodiment of the holding | maintenance apparatus of this invention. The figure which expands and shows the area | region containing the nozzle receiving part, nozzle front-end | tip part, bellows-shaped pad, etc. in FIG. The figure which shows the state in which the nozzle front-end | tip part is contacting the surface of a device. The figure which shows the state by which the device is adsorb | sucked by the nozzle front-end | tip part. The figure which shows the state by which the adsorbed device was raised by the holding | maintenance apparatus. The figure which shows another embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows another embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows another embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows another embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows another embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows another embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... IC handler (an example of a conveyance apparatus), 30 ... Tray, 40, 41, 60, 61 ... Robot hand unit, 100 ... Holding device, 111 ... Nozzle joint part (joint part) ), 113... Nozzle tip, 114... Bellows-shaped pad (an example of body), 115... Compression coil spring (biasing member), 116. ), 130... Guide protrusion, 133... Push-in prevention protrusion, D... Device (an example of an object to be conveyed), 111 A... First passage, 113 A.

Claims (13)

A holding device for detachably adsorbing and holding an object to be conveyed,
The base,
A joint portion disposed on the base and having a first passage;
A nozzle tip having a second passage and holding the object to be conveyed by suction through the first passage and the second passage;
A telescopic body part connecting the nozzle tip part and the joint part, the body part communicating the second passage of the nozzle tip part and the first passage of the joint part;
An urging member disposed between the nozzle tip and the joint, for urging the nozzle tip along a direction away from the joint;
A receiving portion fixed to the base, and when the nozzle tip adsorbs the object to be conveyed, the nozzle tip against the force of the biasing member in the axial direction of the nozzle tip The receiving part having a guide hole for guiding the tip of the nozzle when moving;
A holding device comprising:   The outer peripheral surface of the nozzle tip has a tapered shape, and the guide hole has a tapered inner peripheral surface corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the nozzle tip. Holding device.   The holding device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the urging member is a compression coil spring, and the urging member is disposed coaxially inside or outside the body portion.   The holding device according to claim 1, wherein the urging member is a compression coil spring, and the urging member is embedded in the body portion.   The holding device according to claim 1, wherein the base portion and the receiving portion cover the joint portion and the body portion.   The holding device according to claim 1, wherein the receiving portion has a guide projection for guiding the position of the object to be conveyed with respect to the nozzle tip.   The receiving portion has a push-in preventing protrusion that prevents the receiving portion and the nozzle tip from being pushed too much into the conveyed object by abutting against a tray that accommodates the conveyed object. The holding device according to claim 6.   The holding device according to claim 1, wherein the body portion is formed of rubber having flexibility at a low temperature.   The holding device according to claim 5, wherein a heating medium supply unit that supplies a heating medium for warming the body part to a space formed by the base part and the receiving part is connected to the base part. .   The holding device according to claim 1, further comprising a heat source for heating the body portion in a space formed by the base portion and the receiving portion.   The holding device according to claim 10, further comprising a temperature measuring sensor that detects a temperature heated by the heat source.   The holding device according to claim 1, wherein the base is provided via a floating mechanism in a robot hand for conveyance. It has a holding device for detachably holding an object to be conveyed, and is a conveying device for conveying the object to be conveyed held by the holding device,
The holding device is
The base,
A joint portion disposed on the base and having a first passage;
A nozzle tip having a second passage and holding the object to be conveyed by suction through the first passage and the second passage;
A telescopic body part connecting the nozzle tip part and the joint part, the body part communicating the second passage of the nozzle tip part and the first passage of the joint part;
An urging member disposed between the nozzle tip and the joint, for urging the nozzle tip along a direction away from the joint;
A receiving portion fixed to the base, and when the nozzle tip adsorbs the object to be conveyed, the nozzle tip against the force of the biasing member in the axial direction of the nozzle tip The receiving part having a guide hole for guiding the tip of the nozzle when moving;
A conveying device having a holding device.

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