JP2007070060A - Sheet body supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet body supply device, which can surely take out sheet bodies one by one with simple mechanism, and in which a cost of the device is reduced and its maintenance is simplified. <P>SOLUTION: The sheet body supply device takes out sheet bodies S one by one from a plurality of stacked sheet bodies S. The sheet body supply device comprises: a housing part 10 housing the plurality of sheet bodies S; a suction mechanism 20 capable of elevating and having a suction part 21 which can suck the sheet body S of the uppermost layer out of the plurality of sheet bodies S; a drive part 30 elevating the suction mechanism 20; a claw part 40 having a pin 41 which can be brought into contact with an upper face of the sheet body S which is moved up with a state where it is sucked by the suction part 21; and a rotary mechanism 50 rotating the suction mechanism 20 and the claw part 40 around a vertical axis. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet supply apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a sheet body supply apparatus that is used to take out sheet bodies one by one from a plurality of stacked sheet bodies and to supply the removed sheet bodies to the next step.

  Conventionally, a metal sheet or a thin plate called a metal tag has been used to manage various products. This metal tag generally has a rectangular shape of about 50 to 60 mm × 80 to 100 mm, and is made of a metal sheet having a thickness of about 0.1 to 0.3 mm. On the metal tag, information such as the product name, material, and number required for product management is printed by stamping or stamping oil-based ink or evaporating the coating on the surface of the metal tag with a laser. The

By the way, when the printing process is automatically performed, it is necessary to continuously supply a metal sheet body to a station that performs printing, and conventionally, this continuous supply has been performed using a rotating roller or suction means.
That is, in the method using a rotating roller, a plurality of sheet bodies are stacked and stored in a cassette, and the rotating roller disposed so as to come into contact with the uppermost sheet body of the plurality of sheet bodies is rotated, and the The sheet body is taken out one by one by sliding the upper sheet body. In this case, the second and lower sheet bodies from the uppermost layer are configured to be separated from the uppermost sheet body by being caught by the step (wall body) of the cassette.
In the method using the suction means, the suction means is brought into contact with the uppermost sheet body of the plurality of sheet bodies stored in the cassette in the same stacked state, and the suction means in the state where the sheet body is sucked is moved. Thus, the sheet bodies are taken out one by one.

  However, in the method using the rotating roller, since the sheet body is taken out by sliding the uppermost sheet body on the upper surface of the second sheet body from the uppermost layer, the sheet bodies rub against each other. The surface of the sheet body may become wrinkled. In addition, when the thickness of the sheet body is small, it is not possible to hook the second or lower sheet body from the uppermost layer at the level difference of the cassette. A piece may be transferred.

  On the other hand, in the method using the adsorbing means, the surface of the sheet body is not wrinkled like a rotating roller, but a plurality of stacked sheet bodies are not formed on the surface of the sheet body when producing the sheet body. Since they are in a state where they adhere to each other due to attached oil or the like, a plurality of sheets may be taken out in a stuck state.

  In the conventional method using a rotating roller or suction means, when a plurality of sheet bodies are taken out in this way, it is necessary to remove the extra sheet bodies, but in the past, it was blown away by air or mechanically scraped off. As a result, the excess sheet was removed. In this case, it is necessary to equip a sensor for detecting an extra sheet body, an electromagnetic valve for supplying and discharging air, a drive device for driving a scraping mechanism, etc. It was a factor. Further, the maintenance of the sheet supply device is complicated by the scraping mechanism.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a sheet capable of reliably taking out sheet bodies one by one with a simple mechanism, reducing the cost of the apparatus and simplifying maintenance. The object is to provide a body supply device.

The sheet body supply apparatus of the present invention is a sheet body supply apparatus that takes out sheet bodies one by one from a plurality of sheet bodies in a stacked state,
An accommodating portion for accommodating the plurality of sheet bodies;
An up and down adsorption mechanism having an adsorption portion that can adsorb the uppermost sheet body among the plurality of sheet bodies,
A drive unit for raising and lowering the suction mechanism;
A claw portion including a pin that can come into contact with the upper surface of the sheet body that is lifted in a state of being sucked by the suction portion;
And a rotation mechanism for rotating the suction mechanism and the claw portion around a vertical axis.

  In the sheet supply device of the present invention, a claw portion including a pin that can come into contact with the upper surface of the sheet body that is lifted in a state of being sucked by the suction portion is provided, and further after the pin comes into contact with the upper surface of the sheet body The sheet body is bent by raising the suction mechanism. At that time, even if a plurality of sheet bodies are adsorbed to the adsorbing portion, the second and lower sheet bodies from the uppermost layer do not receive the adsorbing force from the adsorbing portion. It tries to return to its original flat state by restoring force (repulsive force). As a result, a gap is formed between the uppermost sheet body and the second and lower sheet bodies from the uppermost layer, and the adhesive force between them is released. The sheet body falls downward due to its own weight. Thus, only the uppermost sheet can be taken out. And since the said nail | claw part is a simple structure only provided with the pin which can contact the upper surface of the sheet | seat body raised in the state attracted | sucked by the adsorption | suction part, it is low-cost and maintenance is also easy.

  The claw portion is connected to a substantially U-shaped main body portion having two arms parallel to each other, and the main body portion, and the vicinity of the end opposite to the main body portion is rotated by the rotation mechanism. And a base portion supported by a shaft, and at least one pin can be provided on each of the two arms so as to be symmetric about the suction portion. In this case, a downward force can be applied symmetrically to the sheet body centering on the suction part that adsorbs the sheet body, and the sheet body is surely placed between the uppermost sheet body and the second and lower sheet bodies from the uppermost layer. A gap can be formed. As a result, it is possible to reliably take out only the uppermost sheet.

  It is preferable that the vertical position of the pin is adjustable. By making the vertical position of the pin of the claw portion adjustable, the downward protruding distance of the pin can be adjusted. This makes it possible to adjust the amount of bending that can be applied to the sheet body, and by adjusting the protruding distance of the pins below according to the material and thickness of the sheet body, the second and lower sheets from the top layer can be adjusted. A gap for reliably dropping the sheet body downward can be formed between the uppermost sheet body and the second and lower sheet bodies from the uppermost layer. Further, by changing the protruding distance depending on the position of the pin, not only bending but also twisting can be applied to the sheet body, and the extra sheet body can be more reliably dropped downward.

  The pin is formed of a bolt body, and the bolt body is screwed into a female screw hole formed in the arm and a nut disposed on the arm so as to be concentric with the female screw hole. Is preferred. According to this configuration, it is possible to easily adjust the downward projecting distance of the pin simply by rotating the bolt body.

  According to the sheet supply apparatus of the present invention, the sheet bodies can be reliably taken out one by one with a simple mechanism, and the cost of the apparatus can be reduced and the maintenance can be simplified.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a sheet supply device (hereinafter also simply referred to as a supply device) of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1-3 have shown the supply apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention, (a) is front explanatory drawing, (b) is side explanatory drawing, respectively. 1 to 3 are also diagrams for explaining the principle of taking out the sheet bodies one by one using the supply device of the present invention. FIG. 1 is in contact with the upper surface of the sheet body on which the suction portions of the suction mechanism are stacked. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the sheet body adsorbed by the adsorbing portion is lifted and the pin of the claw portion is in contact with the upper surface of the sheet body, and FIG. 3 shows the position shown in FIG. Furthermore, the sheet | seat body further raises and the state which the sheet | seat body curved by the pin which contacts the said sheet | seat body is shown.

  The supply device of the present embodiment is used to take out the sheet bodies S one by one from the plurality of sheet bodies S in a stacked state and supply them to the next step, and accommodates the plurality of sheet bodies S. A retractable adsorbing mechanism 20 having an accommodating portion 10, an adsorbing portion 21 that can adsorb the uppermost sheet body S among the plurality of sheet bodies S, a drive unit 30 that raises and lowers the adsorbing mechanism 20, and the adsorption A claw portion 40 having a pin 41 that can come into contact with the upper surface of the sheet body S that is lifted while being sucked by the portion 21, and a rotation mechanism 50 that rotates the suction mechanism 20 and the claw portion 40 about a vertical axis. It is mainly composed of.

  The sheet body S is made of a metal such as steel, and is coated on a thin metal plate having a thickness of about 0.1 to 0.3 mm, then punched by a press, and deburred as necessary. By performing the post-processing, a rectangular shape having a surface of about 50 to 60 mm × 80 to 100 mm can be obtained. This sheet body S is used as a metal tag for managing products such as reinforcing bars and steel materials, for example, and information such as product name, material, and number necessary for product management is stamped on the surface with oil-based ink. Printing is performed by stamping or evaporating the coating on the surface of the metal tag by a laser.

  After the sheet body S is manufactured, the sheet body S is transported and stored in a state of being firmly bundled by a predetermined number (for example, 200 sheets), and a string that bundles the sheet body S prior to the printing process. Is removed and set in the container 10 of the supply device. At that time, the sheet bodies S may be in a state where they are adhered (adhered) to each other due to the influence of oil or the like adhering to the surfaces thereof.

The accommodating portion 10 is composed of five cylindrical bodies 11 arranged so as to surround the periphery of the rectangular sheet body S, and the five cylindrical bodies 11 move the sheet body S up, down, left and right (up, down, left and right in the plane). ) Is positioned. The cylindrical body 11 is disposed one by one with respect to both short sides of the sheet S and one long side, and the other long side (left side in FIGS. 2 are disposed only on the long side on the back side. By disposing at least two on one long side, it is possible to suppress the sheet body S from rotating in the accommodating portion 10.
A pair of the adsorbing portions 21 are disposed along a center line parallel to the short side direction of the sheet S, and are fixed to a bracket 22 having a substantially L-shaped cross section. The bracket 22 is fixed to the head 32 of the drive unit 30 having a substantially L-shaped cross section with bolts 33. A suction cup 23 made of rubber, soft synthetic resin, or the like is provided at the distal end of the suction portion 21, while a tube 24 is connected to the proximal end of the suction portion 21, and the tube 24 is a sheet body S. Is connected to a vacuum source (not shown).

  The drive unit 30 includes a piston 31, and the suction mechanism 20 can be moved up and down by advancing and retracting the piston 31 by supplying and discharging air. The drive unit 30 is fixed to a base of a claw unit 40 described later, and is connected to the other end of a tube (not shown) having one end connected to a vacuum source.

  A feature of the present invention is that, together with the suction mechanism 20 that sucks the sheet body S, a claw portion 40 that abuts on the sheet body S and can bend the sheet body S is provided. As shown in FIG. 4, a substantially U-shaped main body 43 having two arms 42 that are parallel to each other and the main body 43 are connected to each other, and the vicinity of the end opposite to the main body 43 is in the rotation direction. And a base portion 44 supported by a rotation shaft 51 of the moving mechanism 50. In addition, two pins 41 are provided on each of the two arms 42 so as to be symmetric with respect to the suction portion 21.

  By providing the claw portion 40 including the pin 41 that can come into contact with the upper surface of the sheet body S that is lifted in the state of being sucked by the suction portion 21, the suction mechanism 20 is further moved after the pin 41 contacts the upper surface of the sheet body S. By raising, the sheet body S can be bent. For the reason described above, even if an extra sheet S is attached to the uppermost sheet S, the second and lower sheets from the uppermost layer receive the adsorption force from the adsorption unit 21. Since there is not, it tries to return to the original flat state by the restoring force (repulsive force) of the sheet S itself. As a result, a gap G is formed between the uppermost sheet body S and the second and lower sheet bodies S from the uppermost layer, and the adhesive force (adhesion force) between them is released. The sheet body S below the eye drops into the lower accommodating portion 10 by its own weight.

  Further, in the present embodiment, two pins 41 are provided on each of the two arms 42 so as to be symmetric with respect to the suction portion 21, so that the suction portion 21 that sucks the sheet body S is provided. A downward force can be applied symmetrically to the sheet body S around the center, and a gap G is reliably formed between the uppermost sheet body S and the second and lower sheet bodies S from the uppermost layer. Can do. As a result, only the uppermost sheet S can be reliably taken out.

  As shown in FIG. 4, each of the pins 41 is composed of a bolt body. The bolt body is formed in the arm 42 so that the bolt body is concentric with the female screw hole. The nut 46 is screwed to the arranged nut 46. In this case, by rotating the bolt body, the position of the bolt body in the vertical direction (direction approaching or separating from the upper surface of the sheet body S) can be adjusted. That is, the downward projecting distance of the bolt body can be adjusted, and thereby the amount of bending that can be applied to the sheet body S can be adjusted. Then, by adjusting the downward projecting distance of the pin 41 (bolt body) according to the material and thickness of the sheet body S, the second and lower sheet bodies S are reliably dropped downward from the uppermost layer. The gap G can be formed between the uppermost sheet body S and the second or lower sheet body S from the uppermost layer. Further, by changing the protruding distance depending on the position of the pin 41, the sheet body S can be twisted as well as bent, and the extra sheet body S can be more reliably dropped downward to make one sheet body S one. It can be taken out only from the accommodating part 10.

Next, a procedure for taking out the sheet bodies S one by one using the above-described supply device will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, a predetermined number of sheet bodies S are set inside the cylindrical body 11 constituting the accommodating portion 10 (at this time, the suction mechanism 20 is in a position to release the taken sheet body S for the next processing). A photosensor (not shown) is disposed near the uppermost end of the cylindrical body 11 so as to detect the side surface of the uppermost sheet S. Further, a push-up means 12 is disposed at the bottom of the housing portion 10, and the push-up means 12 is connected to a drive means such as a servo motor (not shown). In a state where the sheet body S is set in the accommodating portion 10, the front end surface of the lifting means 12 is in contact with the bottom surface of the lowermost sheet body S. When the uppermost sheet S is taken out and the photosensor is in a non-detection state, the stacked sheet S is driven until the servomotor is driven and the photosensor detects the side surface of the sheet S. Is configured to push up.

  When the operation start button is pressed, the suction mechanism 20 and the claw portion 40 are rotated so that the suction portion 21 is located above the sheet body S, and then the suction cup 23 of the suction portion 21 contacts the uppermost sheet body S. The suction mechanism 20 and the claw portion 40 are lowered by the rotation mechanism 50 (see FIG. 1). At this time, a suction force by air acts on the suction cup 23, whereby the sheet body S is adsorbed by the adsorbing portion 21.

Next, when the piston 31 of the drive unit 30 advances, the suction mechanism 20 rises. As a result, the sheet body S sucked by the suction unit 21 also rises and contacts the tip of the pin 41 of the claw portion 40 (FIG. 2). reference).
When the piston 31 of the driving unit 30 further advances, the vicinity of the center of the sheet body S rises because it is adsorbed by the adsorbing unit 21, but the peripheral part in contact with the pin 41 interferes with the pin 41. Therefore, the sheet body S is curved so as to form an upwardly convex curved surface around the portion adsorbed by the adsorbing portion 21 (see FIG. 3). At this time, as described above, a gap G is formed between the uppermost sheet body S and the second or lower sheet body S from the uppermost layer, and the adhesive force (adhesion force) between them is released. The second and lower sheets S from the uppermost layer fall into the lower accommodating portion 10 due to their own weight.

  Next, the suction mechanism 20 and the claw portion 40 are rotated by a predetermined angle by the rotation mechanism 50, and the suction force of the suction mechanism 20 is released at that position, and the piston 31 of the drive unit 30 is retracted. The suction mechanism 20 moves downward, and the sheet body S falls downward. In this lower position, conveying means such as a belt conveyor is disposed, and the sheet body S dropped on the belt conveyor is conveyed to a station where printing processing on the sheet body S is performed.

  The supply device of the present invention can have various modes other than the above-described embodiment. For example, the suction of the sheet body S can be performed by using a magnetic force (when the sheet body S is a magnetic body) in addition to vacuum suction. ), And the number of the adsorbing portions 21 may be only one, or may be three or more. Further, the supply device of the present invention can be applied to other sheet bodies such as a synthetic resin sheet as long as it has a certain amount of elastic force (repulsive force), not limited to a metal tag.

In one Embodiment of the sheet | seat body supply apparatus of this invention, the adsorption | suction part of an adsorption | suction mechanism has shown the state which contacted the upper surface of the laminated | stacked sheet | seat body, (a) is front explanatory drawing of a supply apparatus, (b) Is a side explanatory view. The sheet | seat body adsorb | sucked by the adsorption | suction part rises and the state which the pin of the nail | claw part contacted the upper surface of the said sheet | seat body is shown, (a) is front explanatory drawing of a supply apparatus, (b) is side explanatory drawing similarly. It is. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the sheet body further rises from the position shown in FIG. 2 and the sheet body is curved by a pin that contacts the sheet body, (a) is a front explanatory view of the supply device, and (b) is the same. FIG. An example of the nail | claw part in the sheet | seat supply apparatus of this invention is shown, (a) is plane explanatory drawing, (b) is side explanatory drawing.

Explanation of symbols

10 accommodating portion 11 cylindrical body 12 push-up means 20 suction mechanism 21 suction portion 23 sucker 30 drive portion 31 piston 40 claw portion 41 pin 42 arm 43 body portion 44 base portion 46 nut 50 rotation mechanism S sheet body G gap

Claims (4)

A sheet body supply apparatus for taking out sheet bodies one by one from a plurality of sheet bodies in a stacked state,
An accommodating portion for accommodating the plurality of sheet bodies;
An up and down adsorption mechanism having an adsorption portion that can adsorb the uppermost sheet body among the plurality of sheet bodies,
A drive unit for raising and lowering the suction mechanism;
A claw portion including a pin that can come into contact with the upper surface of the sheet body that is lifted in a state of being sucked by the suction portion;
A sheet supply apparatus comprising: a suction mechanism and a rotation mechanism that rotates the claw portion about a vertical axis.   The claw portion is connected to the substantially U-shaped main body portion having two arms parallel to each other, and the main body portion, and the vicinity of the end on the opposite side of the main body portion rotates the rotation mechanism. The sheet body according to claim 1, further comprising: a base portion supported by a shaft, wherein at least one pin is provided on each of the two arms so as to be symmetric with respect to the suction portion. Feeding device.   The sheet body supply device according to claim 1, wherein a position of the pin in the vertical direction is adjustable.   The pin is formed of a bolt body, and the bolt body is screwed into a female screw hole formed in the arm and a nut disposed on the arm so as to be concentric with the female screw hole. The sheet | seat body supply apparatus of Claim 3.

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