JP2007008697A - Sheet material positioning device and positioning method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet material positioning device and a positioning method capable of efficiently and quickly performing accurate positioning (end face leveling) in response to the type of a sheet material without causing a fold or a cockle in the sheet material. <P>SOLUTION: After a plurality of sheet materials 1 are supplied and piled in a loading base 3 provided with a stopper 5 having an abutment surface 4 for abutting on an edge of the sheet material 1, a first positioning process is performed by tilting the loading base 3 with a tilting mechanism 6 at the angle of 10-30° with respect to the horizontal surface, and thereafter, a second positioning process is performed by tilting the loading base 3 at a tilting angle larger than the tilting angle in the first positioning process to vibrate the loading base 3 at a vibration level lower than that in the first positioning process. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet body alignment apparatus and a sheet body alignment method, and more specifically, a sheet body alignment that uses a tilt of a mounting table on which the sheet body is placed and vibrations to align the sheet body. The present invention relates to an alignment apparatus and a sheet body alignment method.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), the casing 61 of the OCR device 51 is placed on one of the sheet body alignment devices so as to have an appropriate inclination angle θ with respect to the horizontal plane. And the hopper 64 is vibrated at an appropriate low frequency by the vibrator 55 so that the sheets 53 stacked on the hopper 64 are shifted to the side plate 64a on the lower side of the hopper 64, and each sheet 53 is moved to a predetermined position. There is a device that smoothly feeds to the pinch roller 63 (Patent Document 1).

  However, in the above-described conventional apparatus, since the inclination angle of the mounting table is fixed to a predetermined angle so as to give vibration, high-accuracy alignment according to the type of the sheet (sheet body) (end surface level) Aligning) is difficult.

  In addition, when the tilt angle is small and the applied vibration is increased, the sheet (sheet body) rebounds on the lower side plate 64a of the hopper 64 increases, and the alignment accuracy (end surface level alignment accuracy) decreases. Yes, if the applied vibration is weakened, it is possible to improve the alignment accuracy (end surface level alignment accuracy), but it takes time to align (end surface level alignment) and the productivity is lowered. There is.

In addition, even if an attempt is made to shorten the time required for alignment by increasing the tilt angle and applying strong vibrations, there is a possibility that “folding” or “wrinkles” may occur in the paper (sheet body). There is a problem in that only vibration can be applied, and alignment (end face level alignment) takes time.
JP-A-6-56280

  The invention of the present application solves the above-mentioned problem, and enables high-accuracy alignment (alignment of the end face level) according to the type of the sheet body without causing “folding” or “wrinkle” in the sheet body. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet body alignment apparatus and alignment method that can be performed in the same manner.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the sheet body alignment apparatus of the present invention (Claim 1) includes:
A mounting table on which a plurality of sheet bodies are stacked;
A contact surface that contacts the edge of the sheet body, and the contact surface is disposed in a posture to contact the main surface of the sheet body placed on the mounting table; A stopper configured to function as an alignment reference surface for a plurality of sheet bodies to be stacked by contacting the edge;
A tilt mechanism capable of adjusting the tilt angle, tilting the mounting table in a posture such that the side on which the stopper is disposed is on the lower side;
An excitation mechanism capable of adjusting the vibration level for vibrating the mounting table,
And a control unit that controls the tilt mechanism and the vibration mechanism so that the tilt angle and the vibration level have a predetermined combination.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the sheet body alignment apparatus according to the first aspect, further comprising a condition input unit for inputting a combination condition of the tilt angle and the vibration level. It is said.

In addition, the sheet body alignment method of the present invention (Claim 3)
A sheet body supplying step of supplying and stacking a plurality of sheet bodies on a mounting table having a stopper having an abutting surface that abuts against an edge of the sheet body;
A first alignment step in which the mounting table is tilted at an angle of 10 to 30 ° with respect to a horizontal plane so that the side on which the stopper is disposed is positioned downward, and the mounting table is vibrated to perform positioning. ,
The mounting table is tilted so that the side on which the stopper is disposed is on the lower side and at an inclination angle larger than the tilt angle in the first positioning step, and the mounting table is moved from the first positioning step. And a second alignment step of performing alignment by oscillating at a low vibration level.

  The sheet body alignment apparatus of the present invention (Claim 1) includes a mounting table on which a plurality of sheet bodies are stacked and a contact surface that comes into contact with an edge of the sheet body. And arranged so as to contact the sheet body mounted on the mounting table, and configured to function as an alignment reference plane for a plurality of sheet bodies to be stacked by contacting the edge of the sheet body. The tilting mechanism is capable of adjusting the tilt angle, the tilting mechanism is tilted in such a posture that the side on which the stopper is disposed is on the lower side, and the vibration level of the mounting table is adjustable. Since it includes a vibration mechanism and a control unit that controls the inclination mechanism and the vibration mechanism so that the inclination angle and the vibration level have a predetermined combination, high-precision alignment according to the type of the sheet body ( Align the end face level) to the sheet body Re "and" wrinkles "without causing the like, it becomes possible to perform quickly.

  That is, in the sheet body alignment apparatus of the present invention, the tilt angle and the vibration level can be adjusted. For example, a strong vibration is applied at a small tilt angle to roughly align the stack body in which the sheet bodies are stacked. Then, by increasing the tilt angle and applying weak vibrations, the stacks can be aligned accurately without causing “folding” or “wrinkles” of the sheets, and the overall accuracy can be reduced in a short time. High alignment can be performed.

  Also, when aligning various sheet bodies having different properties, various sheet sheets are adjusted by adjusting the inclination angle and the vibration level to be applied according to the surface roughness, weight, planar shape, area, etc. of the sheet body. Body alignment can be performed efficiently and accurately.

  Further, like the sheet body alignment apparatus of claim 2, in the configuration of the invention of claim 1, when the configuration further includes a condition input unit for inputting the combination condition of the tilt angle and the vibration level, It is possible to easily and reliably set the tilt angle and the vibration level to a desired appropriate relationship, and the present invention can be further effectively realized.

  The sheet body positioning method of the present invention (Claim 3) is a sheet body in which a plurality of sheet bodies are supplied and stacked on a mounting table having a stopper having an abutting surface that abuts against an edge of the sheet body. The first alignment step of performing alignment by inclining the mounting table at an angle of 10 to 30 ° with respect to the horizontal plane and vibrating the mounting table so that the side on which the stopper is disposed is on the lower side And the mounting table is tilted at an inclination angle larger than the inclination angle in the first alignment step so that the side on which the stopper is disposed is on the lower side, and the mounting table is less vibrated than in the first alignment step. And a second alignment step for performing alignment by vibrating at a level, so that a strong vibration is applied at a small inclination angle to roughly align the stack of stacked sheets, and then the inclination angle is increased. The By providing a weak vibration, without causing the "break" or "wrinkle" in the sheet, it is possible to align the stack precisely, yet in a short time.

  That is, when the inclination angle is small, the force applied to the sheet body in the direction parallel to the main surface of the sheet body is small, the sheet body is moved in the direction along the main surface, and the edge of the sheet body is abutted against the stopper. In order to perform alignment by abutting against the contact surface, it is necessary to perform alignment by applying a large vibration. The greater the vibration, the greater the rebound of the sheet on the contact surface of the stopper, and the more precise Although it is difficult to perform alignment, a certain degree of alignment (coarse alignment) can be performed in a short time.

  Also, when the tilt angle is large, the force applied to the sheet body in the direction parallel to the main surface of the sheet body is large, so that the edge of the sheet body can hit the contact surface of the stopper only by applying a small vibration. It becomes possible to move to. Further, since the applied vibration is weak, it is possible to reduce the rebound of the sheet body at the contact surface of the stopper, and it is possible to perform precise positioning in a short time.

  Therefore, according to the sheet body alignment method of the present invention, which combines the first alignment process and the second alignment process described above, the alignment of various sheet bodies is accurately performed in a short time as a whole. It becomes possible.

  In the first alignment step, the mounting table is inclined at an angle of 10 to 30 ° with respect to the horizontal plane, even if a certain degree of strong vibration is applied to the mounting table when the inclination angle is less than 10 °. This is because it takes a long time for the sheet body to move to a position where the edge of the sheet abuts against the abutting surface of the stopper, and when the inclination angle exceeds 30 °, a strong vibration is applied to the mounting table. In addition, “folding” and “wrinkle” may occur in the sheet body.

  The features of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a sheet body alignment apparatus used for carrying out a sheet body alignment method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 (a), 2 (b), 3 (a), and 3 (b) are diagrams for explaining a sheet body alignment method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, a case where ceramic green sheets are stacked and aligned (positioned) in the manufacturing process of the multilayer ceramic electronic component will be described as an example.
As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet body alignment apparatus of this embodiment includes a mounting table 3 on which the sheet bodies 1 are stacked and mounted, a stopper 5 that functions as an alignment reference for the sheet body 1, and a mounting table. The tilting mechanism 6 that tilts 3, the excitation mechanism 7 that vibrates the mounting table 3, the tilt angle θ (FIGS. 2A and 2B, FIGS. 3A and 3B), and the vibration level A control unit 8 that controls the tilt mechanism 6 and the vibration mechanism 7 and a condition input unit 9 for inputting a combination condition of the tilt angle θ and the vibration level are provided so as to obtain a predetermined combination (relation).

  In the sheet body alignment apparatus of this embodiment, the mounting table 3 is a mechanism unit for stacking and mounting a plurality of sheet bodies 1 and is a flat surface on which the plurality of sheet bodies 1 are stacked and mounted. The sheet body mounting surface 2 is provided.

  The stopper 5 functions as an alignment reference for the plurality of sheet bodies 1 stacked on the sheet body placement surface 2 of the placement table 3, and the abutment surface 4 that abuts against the edge 1 a of the sheet body 1. The contact surface 4 is arranged in a posture so as to be substantially perpendicular to the sheet body placement surface 2 of the placement table 3 (that is, substantially perpendicular to both the front and back main surfaces of the sheet body 1). The contact surface 4 is configured to be aligned with the edge 1a of the sheet body 1 so that the plurality of sheet bodies 1 are aligned at the edge level. Configured to work.

  Further, the tilt mechanism 6 is a mechanism for tilting the mounting table 3 in such a posture that the side on which the stopper 5 is disposed is downward, and the tilt angle θ can be arbitrarily adjusted within a predetermined range. It is configured as follows. As the tilt mechanism 6, for example, a servo motor or a stepping motor can be used, but there is no particular restriction on the specific configuration.

  The vibration mechanism 7 is a mechanism for causing the mounting table 3 to vibrate so that the edge 1a of the sheet body 1 abuts against the abutment surface 4 of the stopper 5 so that alignment is performed. It is configured to be able to adjust. For example, an AC solenoid or a vibrator can be used as the vibration mechanism 7, but there is no particular restriction on the specific configuration.

  The control unit 8 is a mechanism for controlling the tilting mechanism 6 and the swinging mechanism 7 so that the tilting angle θ and the vibration level have a predetermined relationship. The vibration mechanism 7 cooperates to bring the edge 1a of the sheet body 1 into contact with the contact surface 4 of the stopper 5 so that the sheet body 1 is reliably aligned. .

  The condition input unit 9 is a mechanism for setting a combination condition of the inclination angle θ and the vibration level. By inputting the combination condition of the inclination angle θ and the vibration level from the condition input unit 9, the condition input unit 9 can easily and reliably incline. The angle θ and the vibration level are set.

  Next, a method of aligning the sheet body using the sheet body alignment apparatus configured as described above will be described.

  (1) First, as shown in FIG. 1, a sheet body (ceramic green sheet) 1 is supplied onto the sheet body placement surface 2 of the placement table 3. In addition, when supplying the sheet body 1, it may be configured such that the stacked body 10 of the sheet bodies 1 is formed on the sheet body mounting surface 2 by supplying one sheet or a predetermined number of sheets. It is also possible to configure so that the stacked body 10 in which a predetermined number of sheet bodies 10 are stacked in advance is supplied onto the sheet body mounting surface 2.

(2) Then, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), after the mounting table 3 is inclined at an angle of 15 ° from the horizontal plane (that is, after the inclination angle θ is set to 15 °), FIG. 2 (b) As shown, the vibration mechanism 7 is operated at an output voltage of 70% to apply vibration to the mounting table 3, and the edge 1 a of the sheet body 1 is brought into contact with the contact surface 4 of the stopper 5. Coarse alignment (first alignment) is performed.
The first alignment step is a step of roughly aligning the sheet bodies 1 constituting the stacked body 10 in a short time by applying strong vibration with a small inclination angle.
At this time, since the inclination angle θ is small, the force in the direction parallel to the main surface of the sheet body 1 applied to the sheet body 1 is small, and it is necessary to perform alignment by applying a large vibration. Although the rebound of the sheet body 1 at the contact surface 4 of the stopper 5 becomes large and precise alignment cannot be performed, a certain level of alignment (coarse alignment) can be performed in a short time.

  (3) Then, as shown in FIG. 3A, the inclination angle θ of the sheet body mounting surface 2 of the mounting table 3 is set to be larger than the inclination angle 15 ° during the first alignment, that is, After the tilt angle θ (60 ° in this embodiment) at the time of the second alignment, as shown in FIG. 3B, the vibration mechanism 7 is operated at an output voltage of 25% to The sheet body 1 is aligned (second alignment) by applying vibration and bringing the edge 1 a of the sheet body 1 into contact with the contact surface 4 of the stopper 5.

  In this second alignment, each sheet body 1 constituting the stacked body 10 can be accurately obtained without causing “folding” or “wrinkle” in the sheet body by giving a weak vibration at a large inclination angle. This is a process of aligning well.

At this time, since the inclination angle is large, the force applied to the sheet body in a direction parallel to the main surface of the sheet body 1 is large, and the edge 1a of the sheet body 1 is contacted by the stopper 5 only by applying a small vibration. The contact surface 4 can be moved.
Further, since the vibration to be applied is weak, it is possible to reduce the rebound of the sheet body 1 at the contact surface 4 of the stopper 5 and to perform precise positioning.

  In the above embodiment, the inclination angle is 15 ° and the output voltage of the vibration mechanism is 70% in the first alignment step, the inclination angle is 60 ° and the output voltage of the vibration mechanism is 25 in the second alignment step. However, the relationship between the inclination angle and the magnitude of the applied vibration in the first alignment process and the inclination angle and the magnitude of the applied vibration in the second alignment process is not limited to this. In the alignment step, vibration is applied at an inclination angle of 10 to 30 °, and in the second alignment step, the inclination angle is larger than the inclination angle in the first alignment step, and the vibration level is lower than that in the first alignment step. Various conditions can be set according to the type of the sheet body within a range that satisfies the requirement of “vibrate with”.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the ceramic green sheet is aligned has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the ceramic green sheet, but may be a sintered ceramic sheet, a resin sheet, a metal sheet, a paper sheet, or the like. The present invention can be widely applied when aligning various sheet bodies.

  In still other respects, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the types and arrangements of the tilting mechanism and the vibration mechanism, the tilt angle in the first positioning process and the second positioning process, Various applications and modifications can be made within the scope of the invention regarding the strength of vibration to be applied.

  As described above, the sheet body alignment device of the present invention is configured to be able to adjust the inclination angle of the sheet body mounting surface and the vibration level when vibrating the mounting table. Since the sheet body can be aligned while applying an intended vibration at an appropriate inclination angle, the sheet body can be aligned accurately and efficiently.

  Further, in the first alignment step, the sheet body alignment method of the present invention provides a strong vibration at a small inclination angle, roughly aligns the stacked body in which the sheet bodies are stacked, and then the second alignment process. In the alignment process, the stacking body is aligned accurately by increasing the tilt angle and applying weak vibration, so that the sheet body can be shortened without causing “folding” and “wrinkles”. It becomes possible to perform highly accurate alignment in time.

  Therefore, the invention of the present application includes the case where the ceramic green sheets are aligned in the manufacturing process of the electronic component, and the sintered ceramic sheets, the resin sheets, the metal sheets, and the paper sheets. The present invention can be widely applied to the alignment of various sheet bodies such as.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the positioning apparatus of the sheet body used in order to implement the positioning method of the sheet body concerning one Example of this invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a sheet body alignment method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and (a) is a diagram illustrating a state in which a mounting table on which a sheet body is mounted is inclined in a first alignment step; FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating a state where the sheet body is roughly aligned by applying vibration from the excitation mechanism. It is a figure explaining the alignment method of the sheet | seat body concerning one Example of this invention, (a) The inclination angle in the 1st alignment process of the mounting base which mounts a sheet | seat body in a 2nd alignment process. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a state in which the sheet body is aligned with high accuracy by applying vibration from an excitation mechanism. (a) is a perspective view which shows the conventional alignment apparatus of a sheet | seat body, (b) is a side view which shows the principal part structure.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sheet body 1a Edge of sheet body 2 Sheet body mounting surface 3 Mounting base 4 Contact surface 5 Stopper 6 Inclination mechanism 7 Excitation mechanism 8 Control unit 9 Condition input unit 10 Stack body θ Inclination angle

Claims (3)

A mounting table on which a plurality of sheet bodies are stacked;
A contact surface that contacts the edge of the sheet body, the contact surface disposed in a posture to contact the sheet body mounted on the mounting table, and an edge of the sheet body; A stopper configured to function as an alignment reference surface for a plurality of sheet bodies to be stacked by abutting; and
A tilt mechanism capable of adjusting the tilt angle, tilting the mounting table in a posture such that the side on which the stopper is disposed is on the lower side;
An excitation mechanism capable of adjusting the vibration level for vibrating the mounting table,
A sheet body alignment apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls the tilt mechanism and the vibration mechanism such that the tilt angle and the vibration level are in a predetermined combination.   The sheet body alignment apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a condition input unit for inputting a combination condition of the tilt angle and the vibration level. A sheet body supply step of supplying and stacking a plurality of sheet bodies on a mounting table having a stopper having an abutting surface that abuts against an edge of the sheet body;
A first alignment step in which the mounting table is tilted at an angle of 10 to 30 ° with respect to a horizontal plane so that the side on which the stopper is disposed is on the lower side, and the mounting table is vibrated to perform positioning. ,
The mounting table is tilted so that the side on which the stopper is disposed is on the lower side and at an inclination angle larger than the tilt angle in the first positioning step, and the mounting table is moved from the first positioning step. And a second alignment step of performing alignment by oscillating at a low vibration level.

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