JP2009021382A - Hold elevator device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hold elevator device capable of storing a number of workpieces in a storage chamber, actualizing a FIFO mechanism for carrying out the workpieces precedingly carried into the storage chamber, in sequence, and preventing the contamination of the workpieces during storage and carriage by using a cylinder mechanism for elevating workpiece trays on which the workpieces are placed. <P>SOLUTION: The hold elevator device 1 includes the workpiece trays 14 on which the workpieces are placed in a fixed posture, a tray circulating means for circulating and moving the workpiece trays in the storage chamber, and a tray supporting means for supporting the workpiece trays on which the workpieces are precedingly held and releasing the support when the workpiece trays on which the workpieces are followingly held are built up. In the state that the workpieces precedingly carried into the storage chamber are placed on the workpiece trays and temporarily supported by the tray supporting means, the workpiece trays are circulated and moved by the tray circulating means so that the workpieces precedingly carried are carried out of the storage chamber 5, in sequence. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a hold elevator apparatus, and more particularly to a hold elevator apparatus that moves and moves a work in a storage room to store and hold the work.

  In the process of manufacturing a printed wiring board, there is a step of carrying a substrate (workpiece) to be processed into a box having a high temperature atmosphere, storing it for a predetermined time, and drying it. The hold elevator apparatus is an apparatus used in the above process as an example, and is configured to be capable of storing a large number of workpieces in a storage chamber and including means for raising or lowering to a transfer position for the next process. The

  Here, as a conventional example of a plate-type workpiece hold elevator apparatus, there is a hold elevator apparatus 100 shown in FIG. FIG. 5A is an overall schematic diagram, and FIG. 5B is a partial perspective view. As shown in the figure, the hold elevator apparatus 100 includes a substrate holding unit 113 capable of storing a plurality of cassettes 102 on which a plurality of substrates A are placed in a vertical manner in a shelf shape, and a cassette 102 in a horizontal direction in the next process. It has a horizontal conveyance roller 117 for conveyance. Inside the substrate holding unit 113, a support shelf 128 that supports the cassette end portion and can store the cassette 102 in a shelf shape at a constant pitch, and a heater 114 close to the cassette corresponding to the number of cassettes, They are provided in the vertical direction, respectively, and can be heated to a predetermined temperature while the substrate is stored. Further, the substrate holding unit 113 is engaged with the lifting unit 118 at an upper portion thereof and is suspended from the lifting unit 118. The lifting unit includes an engagement portion with the substrate holding unit, a load support portion, and a driving portion. It comprises a belt mounting bracket 121 for fixing one end and a pulley 120. Here, the other end of the suspension belt 119 is engaged with a pulley 120, and this pulley 120 is connected to a drive motor 125 via a drive shaft. Accordingly, when the drive motor 125 is driven to rotate the pulley 120, the suspension belt 119 can be wound and rewound, and the substrate holding unit 113 connected to the suspension belt 119 can be moved up and down. Further, by controlling the operation of the motor, the substrate holding unit 113 can be raised and lowered intermittently by a length corresponding to the vertical pitch of the cassette 102 accommodated in the substrate holding unit. By combining the vertical movement of this fixed pitch and the operation of the horizontal transport roller 117, the cassette 102 can be freely stored and taken out from the substrate holding unit.

JP-A-10-250839

  Generally, it is necessary to apply a lubricant such as oil or grease to the lifting / conveying mechanism in the storage chamber. However, since the lubricant easily evaporates in a high vacuum and high temperature atmosphere, it is necessary to further prevent scattering and to further cool the screw part, which complicates the apparatus and provides a work space for cleaning. The maintenance is remarkably deteriorated. Moreover, even if such complicated measures to prevent evaporation of the lubricant are taken, the lubricant is easily exhausted due to the high evaporation rate of the lubricant, and even higher loads act, so the rotating and sliding parts wear out. In addition to shortening the service life of the apparatus, there is a problem in that dust is scattered from and adhered to the substrate through the gaps in the anti-scattering means such as abrasion powder, and the substrate is soiled.

  On the other hand, when the work is dried for a predetermined time in the storage room, it is necessary to carry out the work carried into the storage room after a predetermined time. However, in the conventional hold elevator apparatus, complicated movement and There is a need to perform control with time management, and a solution has been desired.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can store a large number of workpieces in a storage chamber at room temperature or in a heated atmosphere. The workpieces are sequentially transported from the storage chamber to the storage chamber. The so-called “first-in first-out” mechanism can be realized, and the work tray on which the work is placed in the storage chamber is raised and lowered by the cylinder mechanism to prevent the work from being soiled during storage and transport. It is an object of the present invention to provide a hold elevator apparatus that can be used.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems by the solving means described below.

  The hold elevator device according to the present invention supports a work tray on which a work is placed in a fixed posture, a tray rotating means for moving the work tray in a storage chamber, and the work tray on which the work is previously held, Tray support means is provided for releasing the support when the work trays holding the work are stacked afterwards, and the tray support means is placed on the work tray from the work previously carried into the storage chamber. In this case, the work tray is moved around by the tray turning means while being temporarily supported by the above-mentioned means, and is sequentially carried out from the storage chamber from the work previously loaded.

  In addition, the tray surrounding means includes elevating means for raising and lowering the work trays carried in the storage chamber while being stacked, and transfer means for individually transferring the work trays stacked in the storage chamber. Features.

  Further, the elevating means includes a cylinder mechanism, and the cylinder mechanism is disposed so as to be movable up and down while supporting the lowermost stacked work trays.

  It is preferable that a heating means for heating the storage chamber to a predetermined temperature is provided.

  According to the first aspect, the work tray can be circulated in the storage chamber. That is, it is possible to realize a so-called “first-in first-out” mechanism in which the workpieces are carried out from the storage chamber in order from the workpieces that have been carried into the storage chamber first. As a result, the storage time of each work can be kept constant without performing complicated movement control, time management for each work tray, and the like.

  According to the second and third aspects, the work tray can be moved up and down using the cylinder mechanism as a power source, and the conventional mechanism using a chain or belt as the power source can be eliminated. Thereby, it is possible to prevent impurities such as grease, oil, dust and the like adhering to the chain and the belt from being evaporated and scattered in the storage chamber to contaminate the work, and clean conveyance is possible.

  According to the fourth aspect, by providing the heating means, it is possible to produce the action and effect of positively heating and drying the workpiece.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a hold elevator apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the work tray 14 of the hold elevator apparatus 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the conveyance path of the workpiece 3. FIG. 4 is a schematic view for explaining a second embodiment of the hold elevator apparatus 1 according to the present invention. Regarding the reference numerals in the drawings, reference numeral 8 is used as a general term for reference numerals 8a and 8b (the same applies to other reference numerals).

  As shown in FIG. 1, a hold elevator apparatus 1 according to the present invention includes a storage chamber 5 in which a workpiece 3 can be stored, a plurality of work trays 14 on which the workpiece 3 is placed in a fixed posture, and a storage chamber. 5 and a tray rotating means 6 for moving the work tray 14 in a circular manner. In the present embodiment, the workpiece 3 has a plate shape, and is, for example, a printed board.

  By providing the storage chamber 5, the workpiece 3 can be stored and held for a predetermined time. Thereby, for example, when the work 3 is a printed circuit board, leveling at normal temperature (making ink on the surface familiar) can be performed.

  Further, the storage chamber 5 is preferably provided with heating means 29 for heating the inside of the storage chamber 5 to a predetermined temperature. For example, the heating unit 29 may be configured by a combination of a heating wire heater and a blower. By providing the heating means 29, in addition to the above-described leveling at normal temperature, it is possible to produce the action and effect of positively heating and drying the workpiece 3.

  The work tray 14 has a structure for placing the work 3 in a fixed posture. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the plate-like workpiece 3 is held in a planar state. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the work tray 14 preferably includes a placement portion 14 a that can be held by contact with only the end face of the work 3. As a result, the plate-like workpiece 3 can be held in a non-contact state on the front surface and the back surface, and both surfaces can be prevented from being damaged or soiled. 2A is a top view of the work tray 14, and FIG. 2B is a front view of the work tray 14.

  The work tray 14 is provided with a spacer portion 14b. Thereby, the work tray 14 can be stacked in the vertical direction while holding the work 3. At this time, it is necessary to set the height of the spacer portion 14b appropriately so that the workpiece 3 is not crushed. Moreover, the structure for preventing the position shift to the horizontal direction of the laminated | stacked work tray 14 is needed. As an example, a configuration in which a fitting convex portion 14c is provided at the upper portion of the spacer portion 14b and fitted with a fitting concave portion 14d provided at the lower portion of the work tray 14 can be considered. In addition, by making the spacer part 14b exchangeable, even for workpieces 3 of different heights, if the spacer part 14b corresponding to the workpiece height is prepared, it is possible to stack without replacing the entire work tray 14 Therefore, it is possible to flexibly cope with a change in the shape of the workpiece.

  The tray turning means 6 includes a mechanism for moving the work tray 14 around in the storage chamber 5. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the lifting / lowering means 7 for vertically moving the work trays 14 carried into the storage chamber 5 while being stacked, and the work trays 14 stacked in the storage chamber 5. And a transfer means 9 for individually transferring them.

  More specifically, two sets of elevating means 7 are provided adjacent to each other, and one of the elevating means 7 is configured as an ascending portion 7 a that elevates the work tray 14, and the other is configured as a descending portion 7 b that elevates the work tray 14.

  The transfer means 9 includes a mechanism capable of delivering the work tray 14 between the ascending portion 7a and the descending portion 7b, and the work tray 14 that has reached the top of the ascending portion 7a is placed at the top of the descending portion 7b. The upper transfer part 9a which transfers separately and the lower transfer part 9b which transfers individually the work tray 14 which reached | attained the lowest part of the descending part 7b to the lowest part of the raising part 7a were comprised. Here, as an example, the upper transfer unit 9a is configured by a clamp mechanism, and the lower transfer unit 9b is configured by a conveyor mechanism.

  In addition, about the raising / lowering means 7, it is not limited to the case where one raising part and one descending part are provided, but as a structure in which a plurality of sets are provided side by side such as an ascending part, a descending part, a raising part, a descending part,. Also good. In that case, the transfer means 9 may be added as necessary. Thereby, for example, even when there is not enough space in the height direction, the number of work trays 14 held in the storage chamber 5 can be secured or increased.

  By providing the above configuration, the hold elevator apparatus 1 can circulate the work tray 14 in the storage chamber 5 (the circular operation is indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1). That is, since a mechanism that sequentially circulates from the workpiece 3 that has been previously loaded into the storage chamber 5 is realized, the workpiece 3 can be unloaded from the storage chamber 5 in the order of being loaded first. As a result, the storage time of each work can be kept constant without performing complicated movement control, time management for each work tray, and the like. Thus, for example, when leveling a printed circuit board, it is possible to realize leveling without variation for each workpiece, and there is a remarkable effect that a uniform product can be provided.

  Here, as a characteristic configuration of the present invention, the elevating means 7 includes a cylinder mechanism 8. In this embodiment, the cylinder mechanisms 8a and 8b are arranged at the lower position of the ascending portion 7a and the lower position of the descending portion 7b, respectively. The number of cylinders to be installed is not particularly limited.

  As an action thereof, the stacked work tray 14 is raised by the cylinder mechanism 8a while supporting the lowermost part thereof. On the other hand, the stacked work tray 14 is lowered by the cylinder mechanism 8b while supporting the lowermost part thereof.

  Furthermore, as a characteristic configuration of the present invention, the hold elevator apparatus 1 includes a tray support means 21. As will be described later, the tray support means 21 supports the work tray 14 on which the work 3 is first held, and releases the support when the work tray 14 on which the work 3 is held is stacked later. .

Here, the operation of the tray support means 21 will be described in detail together with the operation of the cylinder mechanism 8 and the like.
The work 3 on the conveyor 2 is carried onto the empty work tray 14 by the work carry-in means 35 (see FIG. 3). The conveyance path of the workpiece 3 at this time is indicated by an arrow in FIG. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, it is carried into the work tray 14 at the lowermost part, but may be a mechanism for carrying it into work trays 14 other than the lowermost part. In addition, the workpiece | work carrying-in means 35 is provided with the conveyor mechanism as an example.
At this time, the work tray 14 positioned one level higher than the lowermost work tray 14 is supported by the tray support means 21a, whereby the entire work tray 14 stacked further upward is supported. .
Subsequently, the lowermost work tray 14 is pushed up and raised by the cylinder mechanism 8a. When the lowermost work tray 14 comes into close contact with the work tray 14 positioned one above, the tray support means 21a is opened.
Furthermore, when the height of one work tray is raised by the cylinder mechanism 8a, the tray support means 21a is switched from the open state to the support state. Thereby, the operation of raising the work tray 14 is completed. Thereafter, the cylinder mechanism 8a returns to the state before starting to push up. Note that the work tray 14 that has reached the uppermost part of the rising part 7a is individually transferred to the uppermost part of the lowering part 7b by the upper transfer part 9a as described above.

The work tray 14 is lowered in parallel or continuously with the work tray 14 ascending. This downward movement is performed by the reverse operation of the upward movement. That is, when the upper end of the cylinder mechanism 8b below the descending portion 7b rises and comes into close contact with the lowermost portion of the work tray 14 stacked on the descending side (left side in FIG. 1), the tray support means 21b is opened. Thereby, the support of the work tray 14 is switched to the support by the cylinder mechanism 8b.
Subsequently, the cylinder mechanism 8b is lowered, and the stacked work trays 14 are lowered. When the height and lowering of one work tray are performed, the tray support means 21b changes from the open state to the support state. As a result, the support other than the lowermost work tray 14 is supported by the tray support means 21b, and only the lowermost work tray 14 is supported by the cylinder mechanism 8b.
The cylinder mechanism 8b is further lowered, and the lowermost work tray 14 is lowered to a predetermined position of the lowering portion 7b. Thereby, the operation of lowering the work tray 14 is completed, and the cylinder mechanism 8b returns to the state before starting the lowering.
Here, the work 3 is unloaded from the work tray 14 lowered to a predetermined position by the work unloading means 36 and moved onto the conveyor 2. As an example, the workpiece carry-out means 36 includes a conveyor mechanism. The work tray 14 that has been emptied after the work 3 is carried out is individually transferred to the lowermost part of the ascending part 7a by the lower transfer part 9b. Thereby, the empty work tray 14 becomes a state in which the work 3 can be carried in and held again.

  According to said structure, the hold elevator apparatus 1 which concerns on this invention raises / lowers the work tray 14 by using a cylinder mechanism as a power source instead of the mechanism which uses a chain and a belt as a power source like the past. It becomes possible. As a result, the chain, belt, etc. are exposed in the storage chamber 5, so that impurities such as grease, oil, and dust adhering to the chain evaporate and scatter in the storage chamber 5 to contaminate the work 3. It becomes possible to eliminate the problem which becomes the cause to do.

  The tray support means 21 may be constituted by only the main hook portions 22a and 22b provided at the lower position of the tray rotating means 6, but as shown in FIG. 1, the auxiliary hook portions 23a and 23b are provided at the intermediate positions. It is good also as a structure to provide. By providing the auxiliary hook portions 23a and 23b, for example, when the work 3 or the work tray 14 is heavy or when the lifting distance is long, all the stacked work trays 14 are only the main hook portions 22a and 22b. When there is a possibility that an excessive load will be concentrated if it is to be supported by the support, it is possible to disperse the support load, and each hook can have a compact structure. In addition, what is necessary is just to set suitably the position and number in the case of providing auxiliary hook part 23a, 23b.

  In the above example, the work 3 is loaded at the lower position of the hold elevator apparatus 1 and unloaded at the lower position. However, the loading position and the unloading position are not limited to the lower position, and may be set as appropriate. That is, various configurations such as upper carry-in / upper carry-out, intermediate carry-in / middle carry-out, lower carry-in / upper carry-out, and the like are conceivable.

  Furthermore, as another embodiment of the hold elevator apparatus 1 according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, the storage chamber 5 is loaded from the outside of the apparatus with the work 3 held in place of the work tray 14. An external tray holding portion (not shown) capable of holding the external tray 42 to be used is provided, and instead of the work carry-in means 35, an external tray carry-in means 45 for carrying the entire external tray 42 into the apparatus and a work carry-out means 36 are provided. Instead, it is conceivable that an external tray unloading means 46 for unloading the entire external tray 42 to the outside of the apparatus is provided. The conveyance path of the external tray 42 at this time is indicated by an arrow in FIG.

  That is, the work tray is not circulated only in the storage chamber 5, but is shared with devices used in other processes, and is moved around the entire system including these devices. According to this, since the mechanism / process for loading and unloading the workpiece into / from the work tray for each apparatus can be omitted or reduced, the mechanism can be simplified and the efficiency of the process can be improved. Moreover, since the frequency | count of contact to the workpiece | work 3 reduces, risks, such as a workpiece | work's damage and contamination, can be reduced.

  As described above, according to the hold elevator apparatus according to the present invention, a large number of workpieces can be stored in a storage chamber at room temperature or in a heated atmosphere, and the workpieces that have been carried into the storage chamber first. Thus, it is possible to realize a so-called “first-in first-out” mechanism that carries out from the storage chamber in order. As a result, the storage time of each workpiece can be easily maintained without complicated control and movement, and a uniform product without variation can be provided. In addition, the work tray on which the work is placed in the storage chamber can be lifted and lowered by the cylinder mechanism. As a result, impurities such as grease, oil, and dust are compared with the conventional mechanism using a chain or belt. However, it is possible to prevent the workpiece from being soiled due to evaporation and scattering in the storage chamber.

  Although the present invention relates to a hold elevator device, it is of course possible to apply the technical idea to other storage devices, transport devices, drying devices, and the like.

It is the schematic which shows an example of the hold elevator apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the work tray of the hold elevator apparatus of FIG. It is the schematic for demonstrating the conveyance path | route of the workpiece | work in the hold elevator apparatus of FIG. 1, and the conveyor following this apparatus. It is the schematic for demonstrating the 2nd Example of the hold elevator apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is the schematic which shows an example of the hold elevator apparatus which concerns on the conventional embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hold elevator apparatus 2 Conveyor 3 Workpiece | work 5 Storage chamber 6 Tray surrounding means 7 Elevating means 7a Lifting part 7b Lowering part 8, 8a, 8b Cylinder mechanism 9 Transfer means 9a Upper transfer part 9b Lower transfer part 14 Work tray 21, 21a, 21b Tray holding means 22, 22a, 22b Main hook part 23, 23a, 23b Auxiliary hook part 29 Heating means

Claims (4)

A work tray for placing the work in a fixed posture;
Tray rotating means for rotating the work tray in the storage chamber;
A tray support means for supporting the work tray on which the work is held first and releasing the support when the work tray on which the work is held later is stacked;
The work tray loaded on the work tray is placed on the work tray and temporarily supported by the tray support means, while the work tray is moved around by the tray turning means, and is loaded first. A hold elevator apparatus that is sequentially carried out of the storage chamber from the workpiece. The tray rotating means is a lifting means for moving up and down while laminating the work trays carried into the storage chamber,
The hold elevator apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transfer unit that individually transfers the work trays stacked in the storage chamber. The elevating means comprises a cylinder mechanism,
3. The hold elevator apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cylinder mechanism is disposed so as to be able to move up and down while supporting the stacked lowermost work trays. The hold elevator apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a heating unit that heats the storage chamber to a predetermined temperature.

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