JP2012106273A - Transport device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stabilize the running of a chain transporting a substrate.SOLUTION: A transport rail 10 configured to transport a printed substrate is laid down in a tunnel of a reflow device. In a lower rail 10A of the transport rail 10, a groove part 12 is formed and in an upper rail 10B, a groove part 14 is formed. A lower key material 20 is inserted into the groove part 12 and supports the lower part of a chain 82. An upper key member 30 is placed on the upper surface of bushings 82c of the chain 82 by its own weight and at the same time, is arranged movably in the groove part 14 via spaces A1 and A2 and supports the upper part of the chain 82. For example, when the chain vibrates during the running, the vertical vibration of the chain 82 is absorbed by the upper key member 30 and stable running of the chain is assured.

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport device used for transporting a substrate of a soldering apparatus that performs soldering of a substrate. Specifically, the second support member that supports the upper part of the chain is disposed in the second groove part of the rail part so as to be movable through a gap, so that the chain can be stably absorbed by absorbing the vibration and expansion of the chain. It is intended to run.

  When soldering a printed circuit board and an electronic component, a soldering apparatus is generally used. In general, the soldering apparatus can be roughly classified into a reflow method and a flow method. The reflow soldering apparatus includes a transport device that transports a substrate and a tunnel-like reflow device body (muffle). A preheating zone, a main heating zone, and a cooling zone are provided inside the reflow apparatus main body. After the solder paste is printed on the printed circuit board with the metal mask and the electronic components are placed, in the preheating zone and the main heating zone, hot air is blown against the board transported by the transporting device to solder the solder paste. Is melted to fix an electronic component or the like to the electrode of the substrate. In the cooling zone, the substrate heated in the preheating zone and the main heating zone is cooled to solidify the solder. The printed circuit board is soldered by such a series of processes.

  Since the conveyance device needs heat resistance and heat resistance against a high temperature environment, a chain with a bush is generally used. The chain with the bush is configured as a pair to support both ends of the substrate, and runs along the tunnel of the reflow apparatus main body. A plurality of holding pins for holding the substrate are provided on the opposing plate surfaces of the pair of chains with bushes, and the substrate is placed on the holding pins so that the substrate is placed in the tunnel of the reflow apparatus main body. Transported to the zone.

  Here, the chain with a bush that travels through the reflow device has a wider distance between the pair of chains during traveling, or the printed circuit board placed on the holding pin falls due to intense vibration of the chain, Insufficient board transport may affect the soldering process.

  In order to prevent this conveyance failure of the chain, a reflow soldering apparatus has been proposed in which guide members for guiding the running of the chain are provided at the upper and lower parts of the chain (see Patent Document 1). For example, in this soldering apparatus, the chain that is arranged in the upper stage is supported by an upper chain guide and an intermediate chain guide, thereby achieving stable running of the chain.

JP-A-9-214125

  However, the reflow soldering apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the following problems. In other words, the upper chain guide is in contact with the upper part of the chain and is integrally formed with the upper support part, and the intermediate chain guide is in contact with the lower part of the chain and fixed to the support member. It is fixed with no gap between it and the chain guide. Therefore, when the chain vibrates while traveling, there is a problem that the chain vibration cannot be absorbed by the upper chain guide and the intermediate chain guide, and the chain operation is stopped by the vibration. In addition, there is also a problem that the chain is pressed by expansion due to the material of the upper chain guide and the middle chain guide, and the operation of the chain is stopped.

  In addition, the flow type soldering apparatus is an apparatus for performing soldering by jetting solder that has been melted in advance upward and bringing the printed circuit board into contact with the jet surface and carrying the same as the above-described reflow apparatus. Having the device has the same problem. Further, regardless of the soldering apparatus, this type of conveying apparatus has the same problem.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transport apparatus that can stabilize the traveling of a chain that transports a substrate.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a conveyance chain, a first guide portion provided below the chain, and a second guide portion provided above the chain are provided, and the chain is transported in the substrate direction. A rail portion that travels along the rail, a first support member that is attached to the first guide portion of the rail portion and that supports the lower portion of the chain, and a second guide portion that is movably disposed on the rail portion. And a second support member that supports the upper part of the first support member.

  In the present invention, the second support member is disposed in the second guide portion via a gap, and is configured to be movable within the gap. Therefore, when the chain vibrates during traveling, the vibration of the chain is absorbed by the second support member, and stable traveling of the chain is ensured. Further, even when the second support member or the chain is expanded by its material, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the expansion is absorbed in the gap by the second support member and the operation of the chain is stopped.

  According to the present invention, since the second support member is movably disposed in the second guide portion via the gap, the vibration of the chain can be absorbed by the second support member when the chain vibrates during traveling. As a result, the chain can be driven stably.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the reflow apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structural example of a conveying apparatus. It is a top view which shows the structural example of a conveying apparatus. It is sectional drawing along the AA line of the conveying apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the structural example of the principal part of the conveying apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing along the BB line of the conveying apparatus shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, as an example, the best mode (hereinafter referred to as an embodiment) when the invention is applied to a transfer device applied to a reflow apparatus will be described.
[Configuration example of reflow equipment]
First, a schematic configuration of the reflow apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of the reflow apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 1, the reflow device 100 includes a reflow device main body 40, a transport device 80, a heater 50, a fan 60, and a motor 62. The reflow device main body 40 is a tunnel-shaped housing having a carry-in port 40a and a carry-out port 40b, and is configured to have a preheating zone Z1 and a main heating zone Z2 along a transfer path H1 from the carry-in port 40a to the carry-out port 40b. A cooling zone Z3 is provided.

  The transport device 80 transports the printed circuit board 70 along the transport path H <b> 1 in the reflow device main body 40, and includes an endless chain 82 with a bush (hereinafter referred to as a chain 82) and a sprocket 86. The chain 82 is stretched by four sprockets 86 to which the rotational force of a driving motor (not shown) is transmitted, and the transport path H1 in the tunnel of the reflow device main body 40, the side and the lower side of the reflow device main body 40. It is laid to go around. The transport device 80 will be described later.

  The heater 50, the fan 60, and the motor 62 are installed in each of the preheating zone Z <b> 1 and the main heating zone Z <b> 2, and are arranged to face each other in the vertical direction of the transport device 80. The heater 50 heats the gas inside the reflow apparatus main body 40 and generates hot hot air. The fan 60 is composed of, for example, a sirocco fan, and blows hot air heated by the heater 50 by rotation of the motor 62 from above and below the printed circuit board 70. As a result, the solder of the printed circuit board 70 is melted, and electronic components and the like are fixed to the electrodes of the printed circuit board 70. In this example, the heater 50, the fan 60, and the motor 62 installed in the preheating zone Z1 and the main heating zone Z2 have the same configuration.

  The cooling unit 92 includes, for example, a cooling member, a fan, a motor, and the like, and is installed in the cooling zone Z3. The cooling unit 92 solidifies the molten solder by cooling the printed circuit board 70 heated in the preheating zone Z1 and the main heating zone Z2.

[Configuration example of transport device]
Next, an example of the configuration of the transport device 80 will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a main part of the configuration of the transport device 80. FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a configuration example of the transport device 80. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the transport device 80 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration example of a main part of the transport device 80 illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of the transport device 80 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the conveyance device 80 includes a conveyance rail (rail portion) 10, a chain 82, a lower key material 20, and an upper key material 30. As shown in FIG. 4, the transport rail 10 is composed of a pair of transport rails 10 and 10 arranged to face each other in the width direction of the printed circuit board 70, and the reflow apparatus main body 40. Are laid along the longitudinal direction (conveyance path H1). For the transport rail 10, for example, a metal material such as aluminum is used.

  The pair of transport rails 10 and 10 has a substantially U-shaped side surface opened on opposite sides, and has a lower rail 10A provided below the chain 82 and an upper rail 10B provided above the chain 82. is doing. A groove 12 for attaching the lower key material 20 is formed in the inner surface of the lower rail 10 </ b> A facing the upper rail 10 </ b> B along the longitudinal direction of the transport rail 10. As shown in FIG. 5, the width W <b> 1 of the groove 12 is selected to be substantially the same as the width W <b> 2 of the lower key material 20, and the depth D <b> 1 is the chain 82 when the chain 82 is placed on the upper surface of the lower key material 20. The depth is such that the lower end of the inner plate 82a is not in contact with the inner surface of the lower rail 10A. In addition, the groove part 12 comprises an example of a 1st guide part.

  On the inner surface of the upper rail 10B facing the lower rail 10A, a groove 14 for attaching the upper key material 30 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the transport rail 10. As shown in FIG. 5, the width W3 of the groove portion 14 is selected to be slightly larger than the width W4 of the upper key member 30, and a gap A1 is formed between the groove portion 14 and the upper key member 30. The The depth D2 of the groove portion 14 is selected so that a slight gap A2 is formed between the upper surface of the upper key material 30 and the groove upper surface of the groove portion 14 when the upper key material 30 is disposed on the bush 82c of the chain 82. The In addition, the groove part 14 comprises an example of a 2nd guide part.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the chain 82 has a pair of inner plates 82a, 82a, a pair of outer plates 82b, 82b, a bush 82c, a pin 82d, and a holding pin 84e. The two inner plates 82a and 82a are press-fitted through a bush 82c and coupled. The pin 82d is inserted inside the bush 82c, and outer plates 82b and 82b are press-fitted and coupled to both ends of the pin 82d and to the outside of the inner plates 82a and 82a, respectively. The holding pins 84e hold the printed circuit board 70, and are provided so as to protrude from the plate surface of the outer plate 82b disposed on the transport rail 10 side facing each other. The printed circuit board 70 is placed on the holding pins 84 and is transported along the transport path H1. In this example, a pair of chains 82 is shown, but actually, a plurality of inner links having an inner plate 82a and a bush 82c and a plurality of outer links having an outer plate 82b and a pin 82d are alternately arranged. Concatenated and configured.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the lower key member 20 is a long columnar body, and is made of a metal material having excellent corrosion resistance and heat resistance, such as stainless steel (SUS). The lower key material 20 is fitted into the groove portion 12 so that the upper side of the lower key material 20 is exposed from the groove portion 12 and supports the bush 82c of the traveling chain 82 slidably on the upper surface portion thereof. Further, the lower key material 20 is fitted into the groove portion 12 without a gap, and is fixed to the groove portion 12 so as not to move in the transport path H1 and the direction orthogonal thereto. The width W4 of the lower key member 20 is selected to be substantially the same as the length in the longitudinal direction of the bush 82c. The lower key material 20 constitutes an example of a first support member.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the lower key material 20 is divided into a plurality of key materials 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D, and adjacent key materials 20A and 20B, key materials 20B and 20C, and key materials 20C and 20D. Is fitted into the groove 12 with a predetermined interval X1. This is because, for example, the lower key material 20 may expand due to expansion based on the material of the lower key material 20, so that it is necessary to provide some clearance between the adjacent lower key materials 20. Therefore, the interval X1 is selected based on the expansion coefficient of the lower key material 20 and the like. In FIG. 6, only the key materials 20B and 20C are shown for the sake of convenience as an example in which adjacent key materials are separated.

  At both ends of the lower key member 20 in the longitudinal direction, tapered portions 22 that are inclined downward from the upper surface thereof are provided. Specifically, a tapered portion 22a is provided at the end of the key member 20A on the carry-in port 40a side, and a tapered portion 22d is provided at the end of the key member 20D on the carry-out port 40b side. These tapered portions 22a and 22d function as guide portions for smoothly transporting the chain 82 inside and outside the tunnel of the reflow apparatus main body 40. Further, a tapered portion 22b is provided at an end portion of the key material 20B facing the key material 20C, and a tapered portion 22c is provided at an end portion of the key material 20C facing the key material 20B. These tapered portions 22b and 22c function as guide portions for smoothly transporting the chain 82 inside the tunnel of the reflow apparatus main body 40.

  In this example, as shown in FIG. 6, each lower key member 20 is fixed on the upstream side with respect to the conveyance path H1 of the printed circuit board 70, and the downstream side is a free end. Specifically, a stopper 23 provided on the lower key material 20 is fixed by being inserted into the recess 11 of the groove 12. This is because when the lower key material 20 expands due to heat, the lower key material 20 is configured to expand in the transport direction side. As a result, the traveling direction of the chain 82 and the extending direction of the lower key member 20 coincide with each other, and the extension of the lower key member 20 is not stressed by the traveling of the chain 82. There will be no hindrance to driving. When the downstream side is fixed and the upstream side is the free end, the chain 82 travels to cause vibration of the lower key material 20 with the fixed side as a base point. As a result, the free end of the lower key material 20 is transferred to the transport path. Since the lower key material 20 is stretched in the direction opposite to the conveying direction due to the force that is lifted inward and hinders the chain traveling or due to heat, the chain 82 is traveling in the conveying direction. The extension of the lower key material 20 affects the travel of the chain 82, as stress is applied to the lower key material along with the expansion, and the lower key material 20 swells in the transport path and impedes the travel of the chain 82. May affect.

  Similar to the lower key material 20, the upper key material 30 is a long columnar body and is made of a metal material having excellent corrosion resistance and heat resistance, such as stainless steel (SUS). The upper key member 30 is inserted into a space formed by the groove portion 14 and the chain 82, and is placed on the bush 82c of the chain 82 by its own weight. As a result, the bush 82c of the chain 82 slides in contact with the lower surface portion of the upper key member 30, and the inner plate 82a of the chain 82 is supported by the upper key member 30, thereby restricting the traveling direction of the chain 82. .

  As shown in FIG. 5, a gap A1 is provided between the peripheral surface of the upper key member 30 and the groove peripheral surface of the groove portion 14, and between the upper surface of the upper key member 30 and the groove upper surface of the groove portion 14. A gap A2 is provided, and the upper key member 30 is disposed in the groove portion 14 with play. That is, the upper key member 30 is disposed in the groove portion 14 so as to be movable up and down and left and right through the gaps A1 and A2. The upper key member 30 constitutes an example of a second support member.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper key material 30 is divided into a plurality of key materials 30A, 30B, and 30C (support members). This is because the upper key member 30 is divided and smoothly attached to the groove portion 14. Here, the plurality of key members 30A, 30B, and 30C are attached by sequentially inserting the lower key member 20 and the chain 82 into the space portion formed by the groove portion 14 and the chain 82. Therefore, a stopper 34 for preventing the previously inserted upper key material 30 (key material 30C) from dropping or jumping out from the carry-out port 40b side of the groove portion 14 is provided at the other end of the groove portion 14 on the carry-out port 40b side. Is provided. In this example, the upper key material 30 is composed of three, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a tapered portion 32 is provided at the end of the key member 30 </ b> A on the side of the carry-in port 40 a, which is inclined outward from the lower surface portion. The tapered portion 32 functions as a guide portion for ensuring a wide entrance of the chain 82 and smoothly transporting the chain 82 into the reflow apparatus main body 40.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the end portion 30a of the upper key material 30 (key material 30A) on the carry-in port 40a side is a distance X2 from the end portion 20a on the carry-in port 40a side of the lower key material 20 (key material 20A). It is provided at a position shifted to the downstream side of the transport path H1. This is because, when the end portion 20a of the key material 20A and the end portion 30a of the key material 30A are set at the same position, the entrance between the key material 20A and the key material 30A becomes narrow, so the carry-in port 40a. This is because there is a case where the chain 82 that is carried in from the key 82 comes into contact with the key materials 20A and 30A and bites, and the travel of the chain 82 is stopped. By shifting the upper key material 30 (key material 30A) and the lower key material 20 (key material 20A) from each other, the opening of the entrance is widened, and the chain 82 carried from the carry-in port 40a is connected to the lower key material 20 Since the chain 82 is guided by the upper key member 30 after being guided by the above, the chain 82 can be prevented from being bitten and stable running of the chain 82 can be ensured.

[Assembly example of transport device (key material)]
Next, an example of assembling the transport device 80 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the lower key material 20 is fitted into a predetermined position of the groove 12. At this time, as described above, the stopper 23 is inserted into the recess 11, and the adjacent lower key members 20 and 20 are fitted into the groove 14 with a predetermined interval X1. Subsequently, after attaching the unconnected chain 82 to the upper surface of the lower key member 20 using the lower key member 20 as a guide, the chain 82 is stretched over the four sprockets 86. Link.

  Next, the upper key member 30 is inserted into the space formed between the upper portion of the chain 82 and the groove portion 14 of the transport rail 10 from the carry-in entrance 40a side. Since the upper key member 30 is divided into a plurality of pieces, these are sequentially inserted into the space portion. Since the stop portion 34 is provided on the carry-out port 40 b side of the groove portion 14, the upper key material 30 is pushed in until the previously inserted upper key material 30 is stopped by the stop portion 34. In this way, the transport device 80 can be configured.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the upper key member 30 is movably disposed in the groove portion 14 via the gaps A1 and A2, even when the chain 82 vibrates during running, Since the key member 30 can absorb the vibration in the vertical direction of the chain 82, the chain 82 can be driven stably. Further, even when the upper key material 30 and the chain 82 are expanded by the material, the upper key material 30 can absorb the expansion in the range of the gaps A1 and A2, so that the chain 82 can be run stably. . As a result, the situation where the operation of the chain 82 stops can be avoided.

  It should be noted that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes those in which various modifications are made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In the above-described embodiment, the case where the first and second guide portions are configured as the groove portion 12 and the groove portion 14 has been described. However, the guide portion may be formed in a convex shape instead of the groove. . In this way, when the guide portion is formed in a convex shape, the key material may be provided with a concave portion so as to engage with the convex portion.

  Furthermore, although the case where this invention was implemented to the oil supply apparatus of the conveying apparatus applied to a reflow apparatus as an example was demonstrated, this invention is applicable also to a flow type soldering apparatus and the similar conveying apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Transport rail, 12, 14 ... Groove part, 20 ... Lower key material, 22, 22a, 22b, 22c ... Tapered part, 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D ... Support member, 30 ... Upper key material, 30A, 30B, 30D ... Support member, 32 ... Tapered part, 82 ... Chain with bush

Claims (7)

A transport chain;
A rail portion that has a first guide portion provided below the chain and a second guide portion provided above the chain, and that causes the chain to travel along the transport direction of the substrate;
A first support member attached to the first guide portion of the rail portion and supporting a lower portion of the chain;
And a second support member that is movably disposed on the second guide portion of the rail portion and supports an upper portion of the chain.   The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first support member is fixed to the guide portion on an upstream side in the transport direction so that the first support member can extend in the transport direction of the substrate. The first support member is composed of a plurality of support members,
The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the support members adjacent to each other are arranged at a predetermined interval.   The conveyance according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the longitudinal ends of the first support member has a tapered surface facing the chain. apparatus. The carry-in port side end portion of the substrate of the second support member is arranged to be shifted from the carry-in port side end portion of the first support member by a predetermined distance to the downstream side of the transfer path. The conveyance apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4. 6. The transport according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the second support member on the side of the carry-in entrance of the substrate facing the chain is a tapered surface. apparatus. The transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second support member includes a plurality of support members.

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