JP2009006461A - Pitch conversion conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To transfer the workpieces by conversion to a plurality of different pitches, to facilitate a switching operation by product switching and to reduce manufacturing costs of a pitch conversion conveying device when aligning the plurality of workpieces in one line and transferring them with the pitch converted line by line. <P>SOLUTION: In this pitch conversion transferring device, workpieces are aligned in one line and transferred between at least two transferring positions with different arranging pitches of workpieces. The device comprises a plate cam 60 with a plurality of guide grooves 62 communicated from one end side toward the other end side of a plate-like element at different groove arranging pitches at arbitrary positions from the one end side to the other end side, an attachment 78 for supporting a workpiece engaged with the guide grooves 62 movably along the respective guide grooves 62, and a moving mechanism for relatively moving the plate cam 60 and the attachment 78 in a cam actuating direction parallel to the direction from one end side to the other end side of the plate cam 60. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a pitch converting and conveying apparatus, and more particularly, to a pitch converting and conveying apparatus that converts and transfers a pitch between works when transferring works in a state of being aligned in a row.

  In a plating apparatus used in an electronic component manufacturing process, an object to be plated is arranged on a plating jig and plated, and then the plating product is stored in the tray from the plating jig. . The plating jig is for aligning and supporting the products to be plated. In the case of electrolytic plating, the power supply pins are brought into contact with the products to be plated for plating. For this reason, the product to be plated may be displaced on the plating jig after plating. When the plating product is transferred from the plating jig to the tray, the plating product is aligned using the alignment stage before the tray. Have been transferred to. As a method of aligning the plated products on the alignment stage, there is a method of aligning using alignment pins (see Patent Document 1).

FIG. 5A shows a planar arrangement of the plating jig 10, the alignment stage 20, and the storage tray 30, and FIG. 5B shows a side arrangement.
As shown in FIG. 5 (a), a set frame portion 12 for setting a workpiece is arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions on the plating jig 10, and a set portion 32 for storing the workpiece in the tray 30 is aligned in the vertical and horizontal directions. Is provided. The number of the set portions 32 for one row in the tray 30 is the same as the number of the workpieces 14 for one row in the plating jig 10, and as shown in FIG. The workpieces 14 are transferred from the alignment stage 20 to the alignment stage 20 and from the alignment stage 20 to the tray 30 one row at a time.
In the example shown in FIG. 5, the arrangement pitch of the set portions 32 in the tray 30 is narrower than the arrangement pitch of the workpieces 14 on the alignment stage 20, so that the workpiece 14 is transferred from the alignment stage 20 to the tray 30. Therefore, it is necessary to change the pitch between the workpieces 14 for transfer.

  The alignment stage 20 is provided with positioning pins 22 for aligning and positioning the work 14. The positioning pin 22 has a conical tip, and is arranged at each arrangement position of the workpieces 14 on the alignment stage 20 so as to surround the arrangement position by a plurality of positioning pins 22. Even when the workpiece 14 is transferred with a slight displacement, the workpiece 14 is guided by the outer surface formed in the conical shape of the positioning pin 22 and arranged in a predetermined position.

  FIG. 6 shows a configuration of the suction head 40 when the work 14 is transferred from the plating jig 10 to the alignment stage 20. The suction head 40 is provided with suction pads 42 according to the arrangement of the set frame portions 12 in the plating jig 10. When transferring from the plating jig 10 to the alignment stage 20, the arrangement pitch of the workpieces 14 does not change, so the arrangement interval of the suction pads 42 is fixed. The suction head 40 is provided with a chuck portion 44 for connecting an air pipe for air connection to each suction pad 42.

  FIG. 7 shows the configuration of the suction head 50 used when transferring the workpiece 14 by converting the pitch from the alignment stage 20 to the tray 30. The suction head 50 is formed so that the arrangement pitch of the suction pads 42 is variable. In other words, a support arm 45 that supports the suction pad 42 is slidably engaged with a slide guide 47 fixed to the support plate 46, and a connecting arm 48 is provided that guides the spacing between adjacent support portions 45 with a variable spacing. It has been. Of the support portions 45, the support portion 45 a at the base end portion is fixed to the support plate 46, and the support portion 45 b at the row end is connected to the drive head 52 a of the air cylinder 52.

The air cylinder 52 is fixed to the support plate 46 so that the drive head 52 a protrudes in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the slide guide 47.
FIG. 7B shows a state in which the drive head 52a of the air cylinder 52 is in the protruding position, and FIG. 7A shows a state in which the drive head 52a is in the retracted position. FIG. 7B shows the arrangement in a state in which the work 14 is picked up from the alignment stage 20 with the support portion 45 in the open position, and FIG. 7A shows the tray 30 in the state in which the support portion 45 is in the closed position. An arrangement for transferring the workpiece 14 is shown.
In this suction head 50, the work 14 is transferred from the alignment stage 20 to the tray 30 by switching the pitch by switching between a state in which the support portion 45 is in the open position and a state in which the support portion 45 is in the closed position by the air cylinder 52. It can be transferred.
JP 2004-176122 A

  The suction head 50 shown in FIG. 7 makes it possible to transfer the workpiece 14 in accordance with the arrangement position of the workpiece 14 on the alignment stage 20 and the tray 30 by making the arrangement pitch of the support portions 45 on the support plate 46 variable. However, the transfer operation of the suction head 50 corresponds to a transfer operation in a single pitch conversion in which the relationship between the arrangement pitches of the workpieces 14 on the alignment stage 20 and the tray 30 is determined in advance. When a product with different arrangement intervals of the set portions 32 is used as the tray 30, the suction head 50 must be replaced with the product.

  Therefore, when the suction head 50 having the configuration shown in FIG. 7 is used, the arrangement pitch of the workpieces 14 between the alignment stage 20 and the tray 30 is adjusted every time the arrangement pitch of the set portions 32 in the tray 30 is different. It is necessary to prepare and prepare the suction heads 50 separately. The trouble of preparing several suction heads 50, and when storing the workpieces 14 in different trays 30, the suction heads 50 must be prepared each time. There is a troublesome work of replacing and remounting.

  The present invention has been made to solve these problems. When a plurality of workpieces are aligned in a row and transferred after pitch conversion for each row, the workpieces are transferred by a plurality of different pitch conversions. It is possible to provide a pitch conversion transport device that can be mounted, eliminates the troublesome work of exchanging the suction head when switching products, and reduces the manufacturing cost of the transfer device. Objective.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises the following arrangement.
That is, a pitch conversion transport device that transfers workpieces in a line between at least two transport positions having different workpiece placement pitches, the pitch conversion unit for pitch converting the workpieces, and the pitch conversion unit A conveyance mechanism that conveys between the conveyance positions, and the pitch conversion unit communicates from one end side to the other end side of the plate body, and a groove arrangement at an arbitrary position from the one end side to the other end side A plate cam in which a plurality of guide grooves are formed with different pitches, a workpiece support attachment mounted so as to be movable along each of the guide grooves, and the plate cam; And a moving mechanism that relatively moves the attachment in a cam operation direction parallel to a direction from one end side to the other end side of the plate cam.

In the guide groove, when the plate cam and the attachment are relatively moved in the cam operating direction, the movement position of the attachment is positioned, and the arrangement pitch of the attachment is defined in a stepwise manner. By providing the stop position, when the plate cam and the attachment are moved relatively to change the arrangement pitch of the attachment and transfer, the pitch can be transferred with more certainty. .
In addition, when the plate cam and the attachment are moved relative to each other in the cam operation direction, guide means for guiding the attachment in a row is provided, so that the attachments can be more accurately arranged in a row. Can be transferred.

Further, as the guide means, a slide guide that allows a movement direction of the attachment only in a direction orthogonal to the cam operation direction is provided, and the attachment of the attachment to the slide guide makes the plate cam and the attachment relative to each other. Thus, when the movement is performed, it is possible to reliably prevent the displacement of the attachment from the row direction and transfer.
The attachment includes a slide arm having a guide shaft that is movably engaged with the guide groove, a guide plate that is fixed to the slide arm and engages the slide guide, and a suction pad that sucks and supports the workpiece. Can be configured.

In addition, a pitch conversion unit used for pitch conversion of a workpiece in a pitch conversion conveyance device that transfers workpieces in a line, and communicates from one end side to the other end side of the plate, A plate cam in which a plurality of guide grooves are formed with different groove arrangement pitches at arbitrary positions from the side to the other end side, and a guide cam that is movably engaged with each guide groove and mounted. An attachment for supporting a workpiece, and a moving mechanism for relatively moving the plate cam and the attachment in a cam operation direction parallel to a direction from one end side to the other end side of the plate cam. It is characterized by.
In the guide groove, when the plate cam and the attachment are moved relative to each other in the cam operation direction, the movement position of the attachment is positioned, and the arrangement pitch of the attachment is defined stepwise. The stop position is provided.

  A pitch conversion transport device according to the present invention includes a plate cam provided with a guide groove and a workpiece support attachment engaged with the guide groove as a pitch conversion unit that transfers the workpiece after converting the pitch. As a result, the arrangement pitch of the attachment can be converted simply by moving the plate cam and the attachment in the direction of cam movement, making it possible to easily handle multiple pitch conversion operations. In addition, an operation of exchanging the suction head for pitch conversion is unnecessary, workability can be improved, and the manufacturing cost of the pitch conversion device can be reduced.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
(Pitch conversion transport device)
FIG. 1A is a plan view showing a configuration of a main part of an apparatus provided with a mechanism for converting a pitch of a suction pad that sucks and supports a workpiece as an example of a pitch conversion transport device according to the present invention, and FIG. Is a side view.
The pitch conversion conveyance device of the present embodiment is characterized by including a pitch conversion unit that can convert the arrangement interval of the suction pads 42 using the plate cam 60.

  FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the pitch converter 100. The pitch conversion unit 100 includes a plate cam 60 and an attachment 78 attached to the lower surface of the plate cam 60 for sucking and supporting a workpiece. The attachment 78 includes a slide arm 72 slidably attached to the plate cam 60, a guide plate 74 fixed to the front end of the slide arm 72, and a support arm extending forward from the lower end of the guide plate 74. 76 and a suction pad 70 fixed to the support arm 76.

A plurality of guide grooves 62 are formed in a concave groove shape on the lower surface side of the plate cam 60. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1A, seven guide grooves 62 are formed in the plate cam 60. One attachment 78 is attached to each guide groove 62.
The guide groove 62 is provided so as to communicate from one end side to the other end side of the plate cam 60 formed in the plate body, and guides from the one end side to the other end side of the plate cam 60. The planar shape of the guide groove 60 is set so that the interval between the grooves 62 gradually increases. The guide groove 60 formed in the plate cam 60 can of course be designed so that one end side of the plate cam 60 is wide and the other end side is narrow, contrary to the illustrated example.

  Stop positions A to D of the slide arm 72 (attachment 78) are set at two positions of the both ends of each guide groove 62 and two positions in total, a total of four positions. At these stop positions A to D, the guide groove 62 is provided in a shape that bends slightly in a planar arrangement so that the guide shaft 72a provided at the base end of the slide arm 72 clicks.

  The attachment 78 is attached to a guide groove 62 provided in the plate cam 60 by engaging a guide shaft 72a provided at the base end of the slide arm 72 so as to be movable and prevented from coming off. The guide shaft 72 a is rotatable with respect to the slide arm 72. The upper surface of the slide arm 72 is in sliding contact with the lower surface of the plate cam 60, and the slide arm 72 is in surface contact with the lower surface of the plate cam 60, and the plate cam 60 moves forward and backward with respect to the plate surface of the plate cam 60. Relative sliding.

A guide plate 74 provided at the front end of the slide arm 72 extends downward perpendicular to the extending direction of the slide arm 72. The slide guide 80 is engaged with the guide plate 74.
FIG. 3 shows a configuration in which the guide plate 74 and the slide guide 80 are engaged. FIG. 3A is a plan view, and FIG. 3B is a front view. The slide guide 80 extends in the left-right direction substantially the same width as the plate cam 60, and the guide plate 74 is fixed to a slide block 82 slidably attached in the longitudinal direction of the slide guide 80. That is, the attachment 78 is movably supported by the slide guide 80 via the guide plate 74 and the slide block 82. The slide guide 80 and the slide block 82 constitute guide means.

Since the attachment 78 is engaged and attached to the slide guide 80 in this way, the attachment 78 is allowed (unconstrained) in the lateral movement, and the movement in the front-rear direction is restricted (restrained).
The slide guide 80 is fixed to the base body with a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal movement of the plate cam 60 as a guide direction (longitudinal direction), and an attachment 78 is engaged with a guide groove 62 provided in the plate cam 60. By engaging the respective attachments 78 in common with the slide guide 80, the attachments 78 are arranged in a row in the lateral direction as shown in FIG.

  The support arm 76 is fixed to the lower end of the guide plate 74 so that the tip extends forward, and the suction pad 70 is supported at the front end of the support arm 76 with the pad portion facing downward. A port 71 for connecting an air pipe is provided at the top of the suction pad 70. The port 71 is connected to a pipe connected to an air mechanism that sucks and exhausts air.

The plate cam 60 is provided with a moving mechanism (not shown) that moves the plate cam 60 forward and backward relative to the attachment 78. The movement direction of the plate cam 60 is restricted so that the plate cam 60 moves back and forth only in the front-rear direction. A guide member may be attached to the plate cam 60 to restrict the moving direction of the plate cam 60, or a means for restricting the moving direction of the plate cam 60 may be provided in the moving mechanism itself.
In this specification, the front-rear direction is the direction in which the plate cam 60 moves forward and backward (the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1A), and the lateral direction is the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction. The direction in which 60 moves forward and backward is the cam operation direction.

The moving mechanism for moving the plate cam 60 forward and backward positions the moving position of the plate cam 60 step by step in accordance with the stop positions A to D of the guide shaft 72 a in the guide groove 62 provided in the plate cam 60. Be controlled.
FIG. 4 shows a side view of an example in which a drive source 90 as a moving mechanism of the plate cam 60 is attached. Connected to the other end of the plate cam 60 is a drive rod 92 that is pushed by a drive source 90 in parallel with the surface direction of the plate cam 60. As the drive mechanism constituting the drive source 90, a drive mechanism such as an air cylinder with a stopper or a servo motor that moves the drive rod 92 at a predetermined position is preferably used.

The pitch conversion transport device includes the above-described pitch conversion unit 100 and a transport mechanism that transports the pitch conversion unit 100 between two transport positions such as between an alignment stage and a tray.
This transport mechanism moves the pitch converter 100 in alignment with the work transport position. Arbitrary transfer operations can be performed by moving the pitch conversion unit 100 to a predetermined transport position and using the operations of sucking and releasing the workpiece by the pitch conversion unit 100 together. The transfer position at which the pitch conversion unit 100 is transferred by the transfer mechanism is not limited to two positions, and three or more transfer positions are set, and control is performed so that the workpiece is transferred between these transfer positions. You can also.

(Pitch conversion operation)
FIG. 1A shows a state in which the plate cam 60 is moved to the most retracted position in the front-rear direction by the moving mechanism. In this state, the guide shaft 72 a provided on the slide arm 72 of the attachment 78 engages with the stop position A at the foremost end of the guide groove 62. At the stop position A, the interval between the guide grooves 62 is set to be the narrowest, and the adjacent attachments 78 are in the closest state.

FIG. 2 shows a state in which the plate cam 60 is moved forward by one stage by the moving mechanism, and the guide shaft 72 a of the slide arm 72 is engaged with the stop position B of the guide groove 62. At the stop position B, the distance between the guide grooves 62 is increased by one step compared to the stop position A, so the arrangement pitch of the attachments 78 is expanded by one step from the state of FIG.
As described above, the guide plate 74 is engaged with the slide guide 80, and the attachment 78 is allowed to move only in the lateral direction and is restrained from being displaced in the front-rear direction. The guide shaft 72a moves along the guide groove 62, and the pitch of the attachment 78 is converted.

  4 shows a state in which the plate cam 60 is moved by the drive source 90. FIG. 4A shows a state in which the plate cam 60 is in the retracted position, and FIG. 4B shows a state in which the plate cam 60 is in FIG. ) State pushed forward from the state. The slide guide 80 is fixed to the base body, and the attachment 78 is guided by the slide guide 80 and moves in the lateral direction.

  In this embodiment, since four stop positions A to D are set for the plate cam 60, the arrangement pitch of the attachment 78 is converted into four types by moving the plate cam 60 forward and backward according to each stop position. . Among these pitch patterns, the arrangement pitch at the stop position A is the narrowest, and the pitch interval increases as the stop positions B → C → D. Thus, in this embodiment, by selecting the stop position of the plate cam 60, the pitch interval of the attachment 78 can be selected from four pitch patterns.

  For example, when the work 14 is transferred from the alignment stage 20 to the tray 30 shown in FIG. 3, the arrangement pitch of the suction pads 70 at the stop position B of the plate cam 60 matches the arrangement pitch of the work 14 on the alignment stage 20. The arrangement pitch of the suction pads 70 at the stop position A of the plate cam 60 is made to coincide with the arrangement pitch of the set portion 32 of the tray 30, and the pitch conversion unit 100 is moved between the alignment stage 20 and the tray 30 by the transport mechanism. While conveying, the workpiece | work 14 can be transferred by carrying out pitch conversion by moving the plate cam 60 back and forth between the stop position B and the stop position A. FIG.

The arrangement interval and the number of arrangement of the guide grooves 62 formed in the plate cam 60 can be designed as appropriate, and the stop position of the plate cam 60 can also be designed as appropriate. By appropriately designing the plate cam 60 according to the method, it is possible to cope with various workpiece transfer operations.
In the example shown in FIG. 3, when the arrangement pitch of the work 14 on the alignment stage 20 and the arrangement pitch of the set portion 32 of the tray 30 are different depending on the product, all the arrangement pitches of these different products are included (reflected). Since the guide groove 62 provided in the plate cam 60 and the stop position are designed, the product can be transferred by changing the pitch of the workpiece according to the product simply by controlling the forward / backward movement position of the plate cam 60 when switching products. It becomes possible to do.

  If the pitch conversion method is performed by appropriately selecting the stop position of the plate cam 60, it is not necessary to change the suction head each time the product is switched, and it is possible to cope with it simply by controlling the operation of the plate cam 60. Therefore, workability is improved, and it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the pitch conversion conveyance device by designing the pitch conversion unit 100 to correspond to various products in general.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the workpiece 14 is transferred by changing the arrangement pitch between the alignment stage 20 and the tray 30. However, the pitch 14 is transferred between the plating jig 10 and the alignment stage 20 and transferred. Of course, it can be applied when necessary. Further, even when the arrangement pitches of the plating jig 10, the alignment stage 20, and the tray 30 are all different, the transfer operation is performed between the three transport positions by controlling the stop position of the plate cam 60 to be switched in three stages. It is also possible.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the workpiece is attracted and transported to all the attachments 78 attached to the plate cam 60 has been described. However, depending on the case, some of the attachments 78 attached to the plate cam 60 may be selected. Thus, it is also possible to control such that the workpiece is adsorbed only to the selected attachment 78 and transferred. This is because, depending on the arrangement pitch of the attachments 78 or the number of workpieces to be transferred, it is possible to select transferring without attaching the workpieces to all the attachments 78.

  Since the positional relationship between the plate cam 60 and the attachment 78 is relative, the pitch can be changed by moving the attachment 78 relative to the plate cam 60 instead of moving the plate cam 60. In this embodiment, the guide plate 74 of the attachment 78 is engaged with the slide guide 80 so that the attachment 78 does not move in the front-rear direction. However, when the attachment 78 is moved in the front-rear direction, the plate cam 60 is fixed and the slide is moved. The guide 80 may be translated in the front-rear direction.

  Moreover, since the pitch conversion conveyance apparatus which concerns on this invention is comprised from the conveyance mechanism which conveys the pitch conversion part 100 and the pitch conversion part 100, in the plating operation mentioned above by the combination of the pitch conversion part 100 and a conveyance mechanism. The present invention is not limited to the transfer operation of the workpiece 14, and can be used for various workpiece transfer operations.

It is the top view (a) and side view (b) which show the structure of the principal part of the pitch conversion conveying apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is the top view (a) and side view (b) which show the effect | action of the pitch conversion part of a pitch conversion conveyance apparatus. It is the top view (a) and front view (b) which show the structure which engages an attachment with a slide guide. It is a side view which shows the structure of the moving mechanism which moves a plate cam. It is explanatory drawing which shows the plane arrangement | positioning (a) and transfer operation | movement (b) of the plating jig | tool, the alignment stage, and tray which transfer a workpiece | work by converting pitch. It is a front view which shows the example of the suction head which transfers a workpiece | work. It is a front view which shows the example of the suction head which transfers a workpiece | work.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Plating jig 14 Work 20 Alignment stage 30 Tray 32 Set part 40 Suction head 45 Support part 48 Connection arm 50 Suction head 60 Plate cam 62 Guide groove 70 Suction pad 72 Slide arm 72a Guide shaft 74 Guide plate 76 Support arm 78 Attachment 80 Slide guide 82 Slide block 90 Drive source 92 Drive rod 100 Pitch converter

Claims (7)

A pitch converting and conveying apparatus for transferring workpieces in a line between at least two conveying positions having different arrangement pitches of workpieces,
A pitch conversion unit that converts the pitch of the workpiece; and a transport mechanism that transports the pitch conversion unit between the transport positions.
The pitch converter is
A plate cam in which a plurality of guide grooves are formed as different arrangements of groove arrangement pitches at arbitrary positions from the one end side to the other end side, communicating from one end side to the other end side of the plate body;
An attachment for supporting a workpiece, which is attached to the guide groove so as to be movable along each of the guide grooves;
A pitch converting and conveying apparatus comprising: a moving mechanism for relatively moving the plate cam and the attachment in a cam operation direction parallel to a direction from one end side to the other end side of the plate cam. .   In the guide groove, when the plate cam and the attachment are relatively moved in the cam operation direction, the movement position of the attachment is positioned, and a plurality of stops for defining the arrangement pitch of the attachment in stages. 2. The pitch converting and conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a position is provided.   3. The pitch conversion conveyance according to claim 1, further comprising guide means for guiding the attachment in a line when the plate cam and the attachment are relatively moved in the cam operation direction. 4. apparatus.   4. The pitch according to claim 3, wherein the guide means is provided with a slide guide that allows a movement direction of the attachment only in a direction orthogonal to the cam operation direction, and the attachment is engaged with the slide guide. Conversion transport device.   The attachment includes a slide arm including a guide shaft that is movably engaged with the guide groove, a guide plate that is fixed to the slide arm and engages with the slide guide, and a suction pad that sucks and supports a workpiece. 5. The pitch converting and conveying apparatus according to claim 4, wherein A pitch conversion unit used for pitch conversion of a workpiece in a pitch conversion conveyance device that transfers workpieces in a line,
A plate cam in which a plurality of guide grooves are formed as different arrangements of groove arrangement pitches at arbitrary positions from the one end side to the other end side, communicating from one end side to the other end side of the plate body;
An attachment for supporting a workpiece, which is attached to the guide groove so as to be movable along each of the guide grooves;
A pitch converter comprising: a moving mechanism that relatively moves the plate cam and the attachment in a cam operation direction parallel to a direction from one end side to the other end side of the plate cam.   In the guide groove, when the plate cam and the attachment are relatively moved in the cam operation direction, the movement position of the attachment is positioned, and a plurality of stops for defining the arrangement pitch of the attachment in stages. The pitch converter according to claim 6, wherein a position is provided.