JP2013075767A - Aligning and feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an aligning and feeding device capable of aligning extremely minute articles without requiring complicated adjustment operation.SOLUTION: The aligning and feeding device includes: a rotating plate 3 arranged horizontally; a support plate 5 for supporting the bottom surface of the rotating plate 3; a rotation driving mechanism 15 for holding and rotating the rotating plate 3; guide members 10 and 11 which are arranged above the top surface of the rotating plate 3 with a space in between and guides the alignment target articles toward the peripheral edge of the rotating plate 3 to be aligned; a guide support member 21 for supporting the guide members 10 and 11; and a discharge mechanism for discharging the aligned alignment target articles to the outside. The support plate 5 has a plurality of discharge holes formed to be opened in the top surface, and each of the discharge holes is supplied with high pressure gas from a high pressure gas supply mechanism 30. The rotating plate 3 contacts the bottom surface of the guide members 10 and 11 by means of the high pressure gas supplied to each of the discharge holes.

Description

  The present invention relates to an alignment supply apparatus that discharges input alignment objects in a line and supplies them to other external apparatuses.

  The alignment supply device is attached to, for example, an automatic inspection device or an automatic packaging device, and after aligning the supplied inspection objects and packaging objects (alignment objects) in a line, the automatic inspection device, which is the next process, Supply to automatic packaging equipment. Examples of specific inspection objects and packaging objects include confectionery such as tablets, capsules, and candy, relatively small articles such as washers, buttons, batteries, and electronic elements.

  As an example of such an alignment supply device, one disclosed in International Publication No. 2009/150960 has been known.

  The aligning and supplying apparatus includes a rotary table provided so as to be horizontally rotatable, a driving unit that rotates the rotary table, a supply mechanism that supplies an alignment target onto the rotary table, and a transport target that is transported by the rotary table. And a guide mechanism that demarcates the conveyance path.

  The guide mechanism includes an introduction guide, a first alignment guide pair, a second alignment guide pair, and a discharge guide pair that are sequentially arranged from the upstream side to the downstream side of the transport path, and each guide is an object to be aligned. Has a guide surface that is in sliding contact with the upper surface of the rotary table with a slight gap between the upper surface and the upper surface of the rotary table so that an alignment target cannot pass therethrough.

  According to this aligning and supplying apparatus, the alignment objects supplied onto the rotating table by the supplying mechanism are conveyed in the same rotating direction by the rotation of the rotating table, and sequentially, the introduction guide, the first alignment guide pair, and the second alignment guide. After being arranged in a row by these via the pair, they are carried out to the outside via the discharge guide pair.

International Publication No. 2009/150960

  By the way, in the conventional alignment supply apparatus, as described above, each guide is fixed above the rotary table with a slight gap between the guide and the upper surface of the rotary table so that an alignment target cannot pass therethrough. Yes.

  From the standpoint that the objects to be aligned are brought into sliding contact with the guide surfaces of the guides and aligned in a row, it is preferable that there is no gap between the guides and the upper surface of the rotary table. If the guides are fixed so that the guides and the rotary table are slidably contacted without the gap, the rotary table may be damaged by the slidable contact. Such damage is achieved by finishing the planar accuracy of the turntable with high accuracy and finishing the height dimensional accuracy of each guide with high accuracy, and reducing the contact pressure between the upper surface of the turntable and the lower surface of each guide. Although it may be avoidable by adjusting the contact pressure so as not to cause damage, such adjustment is extremely rigorous and cumbersome and cannot be said to be a realistic response. In the conventional alignment supply apparatus, a slight gap is provided between the guides and the rotary table because of such a background.

  However, in recent years, miniaturization of alignment objects as handling articles has progressed, and when handling such fine articles as alignment objects, a gap between the guide and the rotary table is set to about 0.05 mm, for example. In addition, since it is necessary to adjust the error range between the guides within 10 μm, and the adjustment work is extremely delicate and complicated, the alignment supply apparatus according to the conventional example described above requires adjustment of the gap. There was a fundamental problem of taking a long time. The number of the guides varies depending on the properties of the alignment objects to be handled. However, the larger the number, the more serious the above-mentioned problem.

  Furthermore, in the field of electronic elements, there are also those having a thickness of only 0.08 mm. In order to align such fine electronic elements, such electronic elements are bitten between the guides and the rotary table. In order to prevent this, the gap needs to be 0.05 mm or less, and it is practically impossible to manually adjust the gap. That is, the conventional alignment supply apparatus cannot align such fine electronic elements.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and does not require a complicated adjustment work in the alignment work, and even an extremely fine article having a thickness of 1 mm or less can be aligned. The purpose is to provide an alignment supply device.

The present invention for solving the above problems is as follows.
A rotating plate made of a circular plate material, the installation angle with respect to the horizontal plane is set to an angle at which the alignment target object placed on the upper surface does not naturally slide,
A support plate for supporting the lower surface of the rotating plate;
A rotation drive mechanism connected to the central portion of the rotary plate to hold the rotary plate and rotate the rotary plate around an axis set in the central portion;
A member disposed above the rotating plate with a gap between the upper surface of the rotating plate and having a guide surface that intersects the rotating direction of the rotating plate, and is aligned on the rotating plate. A guide member that aligns an object while guiding the object toward the periphery of the rotating plate by the guide surface;
A guide support member for supporting the guide member;
An alignment supply apparatus comprising: a discharge mechanism for guiding an alignment object aligned by the guide member from the rotating plate to the outside thereof;
The rotary drive mechanism holds the rotary plate movably in a direction along the axis,
The support plate includes a plurality of discharge holes formed to open on the upper surface thereof,
Furthermore, the present invention relates to an alignment supply apparatus provided with a pressurized gas supply means for supplying a pressurized gas to each discharge hole.

  According to the aligned supply device of the present invention, the pressurized gas is supplied to each discharge hole formed in the support plate by the pressurized gas supply means. The pressurized gas supplied to each discharge hole is discharged from an opening formed on the upper surface of the support plate, and pushes the rotary plate in the axial direction between the lower surface of the rotary plate and the upper surface of the support plate. The pressure difference is generated between the atmospheric pressure acting on the lower surface of the rotating plate and the atmospheric pressure acting on the upper surface. Thus, a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure (atmospheric pressure) acting on the upper surface acts on the lower surface of the rotating plate, and this pressure difference further raises the rotating plate in the direction along the axis (axial direction). (Move), and the upper surface is in contact with the lower surface of the guide member without any gap.

  On the other hand, the rotating plate is driven by the rotation driving mechanism, and rotates in a predetermined direction around its axis.

  As described above, the rotating plate floats in the axial direction and is rotated in a predetermined direction in a state where the upper surface is in contact with the lower surface of the guide member.

  It should be noted that either the supply of pressurized gas to each discharge hole by the pressurized gas supply means and the rotational drive of the rotating plate by the rotational drive mechanism may be either first or simultaneously.

  When the alignment target object is supplied onto the rotating plate that is rotationally driven in this way, either manually or through an appropriate supply device, the alignment target object is moved in the same rotational direction by the rotation of the rotating plate, and the guide member is moved. Are aligned in a row while being guided toward the periphery of the rotating plate by the action of the guide surface.

  At that time, as described above, the rotating plate floats in the axial direction, and its upper surface is in contact (sliding contact) with the lower surface of the guide member without any gap. Even if it is extremely fine with a length of 1 mm or less, this does not cause the inconvenience of biting between the upper surface of the rotating plate and the lower surface of the guide member, and the alignment target object can be reliably placed on the guide surface of the guide member. Abut and align in a row.

  The alignment objects aligned in a row as described above are discharged from the alignment supply device to the outside by the discharge mechanism.

  In the present invention, since the upper surface of the rotating plate and the lower surface of the guide member are in sliding contact with each other, there is a concern that the upper surface of the rotating plate may be damaged. Such a problem can be prevented from occurring by appropriately adjusting the pressure of the pressurized gas and appropriately adjusting the contact pressure between the rotating plate and the guide member. Moreover, if the inclined surface or the R surface is chamfered at the edge portion of the lower surface of the guide member, the upper surface of the rotating plate can be more reliably prevented from being damaged.

  In the present invention, the central portion of the rotating plate may be connected to a rotation driving mechanism and fixed thereto. In this case, the rotating plate needs to have flexibility, and for example, it is preferable that the rotating plate is made of a resin sheet having a thickness of 0.05 to 0.2 mm.

  In this case, when pressurized gas is supplied to each discharge hole by the pressurized gas supply means, in the same manner as described above, the compressed gas is discharged from the opening formed on the upper surface of the support plate, and the rotation plate is pushed up to perform the rotation. It flows between the lower surface of the plate and the upper surface of the support plate, and causes a pressure difference between the atmospheric pressure acting on the lower surface of the rotating plate and the atmospheric pressure acting on the upper surface. Then, due to this pressure difference, the rotating plate is further bent upward, and the upper surface thereof is in contact with the lower surface of the guide member without a gap.

  Thus, even in such an aspect, the rotating plate is in a state in which the upper surface thereof is in contact (sliding contact) with the lower surface of the guide member without a gap, and the rotating plate is an extremely fine alignment object having a thickness of 1 mm or less. The inconvenience of biting between the upper surface of the rotating plate and the lower surface of the guide member does not occur, and this can be reliably brought into contact with the guide surface of the guide member and aligned in a row.

  From the viewpoint of bringing the upper surface of the rotating plate into contact with the lower surface of the guide member without any gap, the discharge hole is formed so that the opening thereof opens at least in a region below the guide member. However, in consideration of the overall balance of the behavior of the rotating plate, the discharge holes are preferably formed so as to be distributed and opened over the entire region facing the rotating plate.

  In addition, the diameter of the opening of the discharge hole is in the range of 10 to 100 μm from the viewpoint of uniformly displacing the entire rotating plate upward, that is, applying an equal pressure to the entire lower surface of the rotating plate. It is preferable that it is in the range of 20-50 micrometers. The most preferable aperture is 30 μm.

  In addition, as an aspect of supplying pressurized gas to each discharge hole, there is an aspect in which pressurized gas is directly supplied to each discharge hole from the pressurized gas supply means. A hole is formed so as to communicate with the space, and a pressurized gas is supplied from the pressurized gas supply means to the space, and the pressurized gas is supplied to the discharge holes through the space. It is good also as an aspect.

  In this case, since the space functions as an accumulator, the pressure of the pressurized gas supplied to each discharge hole is made uniform, and the pressure gas discharged from each discharge hole acts on the rotating plate. The pushing force to be made becomes uniform.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the rotating plate floats in the axial direction, and the upper surface thereof is in contact (sliding contact) with the lower surface of the guide member without a gap. Even if it is extremely fine with a length of 1 mm or less, this does not cause the inconvenience of biting between the upper surface of the rotating plate and the lower surface of the guide member, and the alignment target object can be reliably used as the guide surface of the guide member. They can be abutted and aligned in a row.

  In addition, according to the present invention, a complicated adjustment work such as adjusting the gap between the rotating plate and the guide member is unnecessary, and the work time required for aligning the alignment objects can be shortened. The cost required for this can be reduced. In addition, the processing accuracy in the height direction of the guide member and the planar accuracy of the upper surface of the support plate can be set to a more relaxed accuracy than before, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  In addition, there is a concern that the upper surface of the rotating plate may be damaged due to the sliding contact between the rotating plate and the guide member. However, the pressure of the pressurized gas supplied to each discharge hole is appropriately adjusted to appropriately adjust the rotating plate and the guide. Such a problem can be prevented by appropriately adjusting the contact pressure with the member.

It is the perspective view which showed the alignment supply apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the alignment supply apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the arrow AA direction in FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the effect | action of the alignment supply apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is the enlarged view to which the B section in FIG. 3 was expanded, and is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the effect | action in this embodiment. It is the enlarged view to which the B section in FIG. 3 was expanded, and is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the effect | action in this embodiment. FIG. 4 corresponds to an enlarged view in which a portion B in FIG. 3 is enlarged, and is an enlarged view for explaining another embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing similar to FIG. 3 which showed the alignment supply apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is the enlarged view which expanded and showed the center part of the alignment supply apparatus shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The alignment object P in this example is a rectangular parallelepiped electronic element having a thickness of 0.08 mm. Each drawing shows an outline of the alignment supply apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. Needless to say, the dimensions, scales, and the like are not accurate in a strict sense, but are related to the alignment target P. Also, for convenience of explanation, this is shown in an enlarged state.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the alignment supply device 1 of the present example includes a rotating plate 3 provided horizontally, a first outside guide 10 and a second outside guide disposed above the rotating plate 3. A guide 11 and an outer periphery guide 12, a support plate 5 that supports the rotating plate 3, a rotation drive mechanism 15 that horizontally rotates the rotating plate 3, and the first outer guide 10 and the second outer guide 11 are supported. And a discharge mechanism 25 that discharges alignment objects on the rotating plate 3 to the outside of the system, and a pressurized gas supply mechanism 30 that supplies pressurized gas.

  The rotating plate 3 is formed of a thin resin-made circular sheet having flexibility. The thickness of the resin sheet is not limited in a strict sense as long as appropriate flexibility is expressed, but according to the knowledge of the present inventors, the thickness is within a range of 0.05 to 0.2 mm. Is preferred.

  The support plate 5 is composed of an upper plate 6 and a lower plate 7 which are arranged vertically and are connected to each other and have a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and one of the four corners is cut out. A notch 5a is provided. The support board 5 is supported by four support columns 35 connected to the lower surface thereof.

  The rotary drive mechanism 15 includes a drive motor 16 fixed at the center of the lower surface of the support board 5, an upper fixing plate 17 fixed at the tip of the output shaft 16 a of the drive motor 16, and the upper fixing plate. The lower fixing plate 18 is disposed below the upper fixing plate 17 and sandwiches the rotating plate 13 in cooperation with the upper fixing plate 17.

  A central hole 7a is formed in the center of the lower plate 7 and includes a small diameter portion through which the output shaft 16a of the drive motor 16 is inserted and a large diameter portion into which the bearing 19 is inserted. 16 is fixed to the lower surface of the lower plate 7 with its output shaft 16 a inserted through the small diameter portion and the bearing 19.

  A central hole 6a is formed at the center of the upper plate 6 and is coaxial with the center hole 7a of the lower plate 7 and is similarly composed of a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion. The lower fixing plate 18 is located.

  The rotating plate 3 is sandwiched between the upper fixing plate 17 and the lower fixing plate 18 with the output shaft 16a of the drive motor 16 being passed through the center thereof, and is placed on the upper plate 6. It is in the state. Thus, when the rotating plate 3 is rotationally driven by the drive motor 16 in this state, the rotating plate 3 rotates horizontally in contact with the upper plate 6, and in this example, rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. (Rotate right).

  Further, the lower plate 7 is formed with a concave portion 7b in a portion facing the rotating plate 3 (a region where hatching is indicated by a one-dotted line in FIG. 2), and the lower plate 7 is formed on the upper plate 6. On the other hand, it joins so that the junction part may become an airtight state. On the other hand, the upper plate 6 has a plurality of discharge holes 6b which are uniformly distributed over the entire portion facing the rotating plate 3 (a region where hatching is indicated by a one-dotted line in FIG. 2) and penetrates vertically. The discharge hole 6b communicates with the recess 7b (see FIG. 5).

  The guide support member 21 is formed of a gate-shaped member, and both pillar portions are fixed to the side surface of the support plate 5, and the beam portion is disposed above the rotating plate 3.

  The first outer guide 10 and the second outer guide 11 are made of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped member, and are disposed above the rotating plate 3 so that each lower surface has a gap between the rotating plate 3 and the lower surface. Each upper surface is supported by the guide support member 21. In addition, the first outer guide 10 and the second outer guide 11 have guide surfaces 10a and 11a on the side surfaces intersecting the rotation direction of the rotary plate 3, respectively. The outer guide 11 is supported by the guide support member 21 in a state where the guide surfaces 10a and 11a are inclined in the rotational direction with respect to the radial direction. The first outer guide 10 and the second outer guide 11 are such that the guide start end of the guide surface 11a is located closer to the center than the guide end of the guide surface 10a in the radial direction of the rotary plate 3, and the guide Each of the guide ends of the surface 11a is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the guide end of the guide surface 10a.

  The outer peripheral guide 12 is formed of a strip-shaped plate material, and is formed of a member having a substantially circular arc shape in plan view and disposed along the peripheral edge with a predetermined gap above the peripheral peripheral edge of the rotating plate 3. A portion corresponding to the notch portion 5a of the support board 5 has a notch portion 12a.

  The discharge mechanism 25 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. In the first discharge guide 26 and the second discharge guide 27 provided in the cutout portion 12a of the outer peripheral guide 12, and in the cutout portion 5a of the support board 5, It comprises a discharge conveyor 28 provided below the rotary plate 3.

  The first discharge guide 26 is connected to one end portion of the cutout portion 12a of the outer periphery guide 12, and is disposed along the rotational tangential direction of the rotary plate 3 in the same portion, and the second discharge guide 27 is In parallel with the first discharge guide 26, it is arranged closer to the center of the rotary plate 3 so as to be connected to the other end of the notch 12a with an interval through which the alignment object P can pass. It is installed.

  The discharge conveyor 28 is disposed such that the conveying direction is along the longitudinal direction of the first discharge guide 26 and the second discharge guide 27, and the upper surface is in contact with the lower surface of the rotating plate 3.

  The pressurized gas supply mechanism 30 includes a compressor that compresses and pressurizes air, adjusts the pressure of the compressed air to a predetermined pressure, and supplies the compressed gas supply unit 31 to the outside. 7 is connected to the lower plate 7 so as to communicate with the concave portion 7b of the pipe 7, and the other end of the pipe 32 is connected to the pressurized gas supply section 31, and the compressed air adjusted to a predetermined pressure is supplied to the support plate 5. Supply to the recess 7b space.

  According to the alignment supply device 1 of the present example configured as described above, first, compressed air adjusted to a predetermined pressure is supplied from the pressurized gas supply mechanism 30 into the space of the concave portion 7b of the support board 5. . The compressed air supplied into the space of the recess 7b is discharged from the opening of each discharge hole 6b drilled in the upper plate 6 and pushes the rotary plate 3 upward, while the lower surface of the rotary plate 3 and the upper plate It flows in between the upper surface of 6.

  When compressed air flows between the rotating plate 3 and the upper plate 6, the atmospheric pressure (atmospheric pressure) acting on the upper surface of the rotating plate 3 and the atmospheric pressure (compressed air pressure) acting on the lower surface of the rotating plate 3. Due to the pressure difference, the rotating plate 3 is further pressed upward, bent further upward from its flexibility, and displaced. As a result, the upper surface of the rotating plate 3 is in contact with the lower surfaces of the first outer guide 10, the second outer guide 11, the outer periphery guide 12 and the second discharge guide 27 without any gap therebetween. On the other hand, there is a gap between the support plate 5 except for the central portion sandwiched between the upper fixing plate 17 and the lower fixing plate 18 (see FIG. 5).

  The pressure of the compressed air supplied from the pressurized gas supply mechanism 30 causes the rotating plate 3 to abut on the first outer guide 10, the second outer guide 11, the outer guide 12 and the second discharge guide 27. It is sufficient if the pressure can be adjusted, and it is not necessary to bend the rotating plate 3 excessively. In this sense, the pressure is related to the flexibility of the rotating plate 3 and the appropriateness of the guides 10, 11, and 27. It is set appropriately from the appropriate contact pressure.

  Next, the rotary plate 3 is driven by the rotary drive mechanism 15, and the rotary plate 3 rotates around the central axis in the direction indicated by the arrows shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

  As described above, the rotating plate 3 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in a state in which the upper surface thereof is in contact with the lower surfaces of the first outer guide 10, the second outer guide 11, the outer peripheral guide 12, and the second discharge guide 27. It is done.

  Note that the supply of compressed air to the support plate 5 by the pressurized gas supply mechanism 30 and the rotation drive of the rotating plate 3 by the rotation drive mechanism 15 may be either earlier or simultaneous, but the rotation Since the contact area between the plate 3 and the support plate 5 is considerably larger than the contact area between the rotary plate 3 and the guides 10, 11, 12, and 27, the rotary plate 3 and the support plate 5 are in sliding contact with each other. From the viewpoint of avoiding friction, it is preferable to supply compressed air to the support plate 5 first as described above.

  When the rotating plate 3 is rotationally driven in this way, a feeding device is then manually or appropriately provided in the insertion portion 2 set on the rotating plate 3 on the upstream side of the first outward guide 10 in the rotation direction. A plurality of alignment objects P are supplied through the vias. Then, the alignment target P supplied on the rotating plate 3 moves in the same rotating direction along with the rotation of the rotating plate 3 and sequentially engages with the guide surface 10a of the first outer guide 10. Then, the guide surface 10a is guided to the periphery of the rotating plate 3 by the action of the guide surface 10a, and after being gradually aligned in the process, the guide surface 10a is discharged from the guide surface 10a. Then, it moves again in the direction of the arrow together with the rotating plate 3 (see FIG. 4).

  Subsequently, the alignment objects P discharged from the first outer guide 10 are sequentially engaged with the guide surface 11a of the second outer guide 11, and the rotary plate is moved along the guide surface 11a by the action of the guide surface 11a. 3 is guided to the peripheral edge of the guide plate 11 and finally aligned in a line in the process. When the guide end of the guide surface 11a is reached, the guide surface 11a is discharged, and together with the rotary plate 3, the inner peripheral surface of the outer guide 12 (See FIG. 4).

  Then, the alignment object P that has moved along the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral guide 12 is introduced between the first discharge guide 26 and the second discharge guide 27 of the discharge mechanism 25 and is discharged outside the system by the discharge conveyor 28. (See FIG. 4).

  As described above, according to the alignment supply device 1 according to this example, the upper surface of the rotating plate 3 is on the lower surfaces of the first outer guide 10, the second outer guide 11, the outer guide 12, and the second discharge guide 27. Since it is in a state of contact (sliding contact) without a gap, even if the alignment object P is a very fine object having a thickness of 1 mm or less, this is the same as the upper surface of the rotating plate 3 and the guides 10, There is no inconvenience of biting between the lower surfaces of 11, 12, and 27, and the alignment objects P can be aligned and supplied to the outside. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the upper surface of the rotating plate 3 is in contact with the lower surface of the second outer guide 11 without a gap. FIG. 6 shows the upper surface of the rotating plate 3 and the lower surface of the second outer guide 11. There is a gap between them and the alignment target object P is bitten between them.

  The gaps in the initial state between the lower surfaces of the first outer guide 10, the second outer guide 11, the outer guide 12 and the second discharge guide 27 and the upper surface of the rotary plate 3 are not necessarily strictly defined. There is no need to be uniform, and the rotary plate 3 can be properly brought into contact with the guides 10, 11, 12, 27 by the compressed air discharged from the discharge holes 6b. It is sufficient if it is a gap.

  Therefore, in the alignment supply device 1 of the present example, the processing accuracy in the height direction of the first outer guide 10, the second outer guide 11, the outer peripheral guide 12, and the second discharge guide 27, and the plane of the upper surface of the support plate 5 are obtained. The accuracy can be set to a relaxed accuracy compared to the conventional case, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  In addition, since it is not necessary to adjust the gap between the rotary plate 3 and the guides 10, 11, 12, 27, which is required in the prior art, the work time for aligning the alignment objects P is longer than that in the prior art. The cost required for the alignment work can be reduced.

  Moreover, in the alignment supply apparatus 1 of this example, since the recessed part 7b is formed in the support board 5, and compressed air is supplied to each discharge hole 6b via this recessed part 7b, this recessed part 7b is a function of an accumulator. The compressed air with a uniform pressure can be supplied to each discharge hole 6b, and the rotary plate 3 can be displaced uniformly upward as a whole. In order to appropriately express such an effect, the diameter of the opening of each discharge hole 6b is preferably in the range of 10 to 100 μm, and more preferably in the range of 20 to 50 μm. preferable. The most preferable aperture is 30 μm.

  For example, when a sheet material such as a PET film having a thickness of about 50 μm is used as the rotating plate 3, when the diameter of each discharge hole 6 b is 500 μm, for example, and compressed air is discharged from the discharge hole 6 b, If the momentum is too strong and the rotating plate 3 is greatly bent, and there is no first outer guide 10 and second outer guide 11 etc. at the upper part of each discharge hole 6b, this bending causes If the rotating plate 3 is broken horizontally and its transportability is deteriorated, conversely, when there are the first outer guide 10 and the second outer guide 11 or the like, the rotary plate 3 is connected to these guides 10, 11 will be strongly pressed against.

Therefore, especially when such a low-rigidity sheet material is used as the rotating plate 3, as described above, the diameter of the opening of each discharge hole 6b is set within a range of 10 to 100 μm. By providing a large number (250 to 300) of fine discharge holes 6b, the momentum of the compressed air discharged from the discharge holes 6b is weakened, and a force is applied to the lower surface of the rotating plate 3 over a wide range. Is preferred. In this sense, it is preferable to provide one discharge hole 6b / (5 to 8 mm ² ). Incidentally, if it is a light PET sheet as described above, it can be lifted with compressed air of a slight pressure of about 100 kPa.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the specific configuration that can be adopted by the present invention is not limited to this.

  For example, when each of the discharge holes 6b is a fine hole having a diameter of 10 to 100 μm, the processing cost increases if the hole depth is deep. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, it is preferable that the countersink is appropriately sized so that the discharge hole 6b is perforated in the countersink portion 6c.

  Further, in the behavior of the rotating plate 3 in which the rotating plate 3 is deformed and displaced upward by compressed air, the discharge hole 6b is dispersed over the entire region facing the rotating plate 3 in consideration of the overall balance. From the viewpoint of bringing the upper surface of the rotating plate 3 into contact with the lower surfaces of the first outer guide 10, the second outer guide 11, and the outer guide 12 without any gaps, the discharge hole As for 6b, the opening part should just be pierced by the area | region below each said guide 10,11,12 at least.

  In the above example, the rotating plate 3 and the support plate 5 are disposed horizontally. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the rotation angle of the rotating plate 3 and the support plate 5 with respect to the horizontal plane of the rotating plate 3 is not limited thereto. You may arrange | position so that the alignment target object P mounted on the upper surface may become the angle which does not slide naturally.

  In the above example, the alignment object P is aligned by the first outside guide 10 and the second outside guide 11. However, the shape and the number of the guides are not limited to these. Can be appropriately set according to the properties of the alignment objects P.

  In the above example, the rotary plate 3 is sandwiched between the upper fixed plate 17 and the lower fixed plate 18 and fixed to the output shaft 16a of the drive motor 16. However, as shown in FIGS. It is good also as a structure which hold | maintained the board 3 so that the vertical movement was possible.

  The alignment supply device 1 ′ in this example is provided with a holding plate 17 ′ that is fixed to the output shaft 16 a of the drive motor 16 in place of the upper fixing plate 17 and the lower fixing plate 18 in the above example. It is the same structure as the alignment supply apparatus 1 of the above example. Therefore, in FIG.7 and FIG.8, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the said same component, and the description is abbreviate | omitted below.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the holding plate 17 ′ includes a shaft portion 17 a ′ and a flange portion 17 b ′, and this shaft portion 17 a ′ is fixed to the output shaft 16 a of the drive motor 16. . For example, a key or a tooth portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 17a ′, and the shaft portion 17a ′ is inserted into, for example, a key groove or a tooth portion formed in the center hole of the rotating plate 3. Thus, the rotating plate 3 is held by the holding plate 17 ′ so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and is rotated horizontally by the drive motor 16.

  In this case, the rotating plate 3 may be either flexible or non-flexible.

  Thus, according to the alignment supply apparatus 1 ′, when compressed air is supplied from the pressurized gas supply mechanism 30 into the space of the concave portion 7b of the support plate 5, the compressed air flows into the discharge holes 6b. Air pressure (atmospheric pressure) flowing between the lower surface of the rotating plate 3 and the upper surface of the upper plate 6 while being discharged from the opening and pushing the rotating plate 3 upward, and acting on the upper surface of the rotating plate 3 Due to the pressure difference with the atmospheric pressure (compressed air pressure) acting on the lower surface of the rotating plate 3, the rotating plate 3 as a whole moves further upward. Thereby, the upper surface of the rotating plate 3 is in contact with the lower surfaces of the first outer guide 10, the second outer guide 11, the outer guide 12 and the second discharge guide 27 without any gap therebetween. Become. FIG. 9 shows a state where the rotating plate 3 moves upward and the upper surface thereof is in contact with the lower surface of the first outer guide 10.

  Therefore, even with this alignment supply device 1 ′, even if the alignment object P is extremely fine with a thickness of 1 mm or less, this is between the upper surface of the rotating plate 3 and the lower surfaces of the guides 10, 11, 12, 27. The alignment object P can be reliably aligned in a line and supplied to an external device without causing any inconvenience such as biting into the apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Alignment supply apparatus 3 Rotating plate 5 Support board 6 Upper plate 6b Discharge hole 7 Lower plate 7b Recessed part 10 1st outside guide 11 2nd outside guide 12 Peripheral guide 15 Drive mechanism 16 Drive motor 17 Upper fixed plate 18 Lower fixed plate 21 Guide support member 25 Discharge mechanism 30 Pressurized gas supply mechanism

Claims (8)

A rotating plate made of a circular plate material, the installation angle with respect to the horizontal plane is set to an angle at which the alignment target object placed on the upper surface does not naturally slide,
A support plate for supporting the lower surface of the rotating plate;
A rotation drive mechanism connected to the central portion of the rotary plate to hold the rotary plate and rotate the rotary plate around an axis set in the central portion;
A member disposed above the rotating plate with a gap between the upper surface of the rotating plate and having a guide surface that intersects the rotating direction of the rotating plate, and is aligned on the rotating plate. A guide member that aligns an object while guiding the object toward the periphery of the rotating plate by the guide surface;
A guide support member for supporting the guide member;
An alignment supply apparatus comprising: a discharge mechanism for guiding an alignment object aligned by the guide member from the rotating plate to the outside thereof;
The rotary drive mechanism holds the rotary plate movably in a direction along the axis,
The support plate includes a plurality of discharge holes formed to open on the upper surface thereof,
The alignment supply apparatus further comprises a pressurized gas supply means for supplying a pressurized gas to each of the discharge holes. A rotating plate made of a circular plate material, the installation angle with respect to the horizontal plane is set to an angle at which the alignment target object placed on the upper surface does not naturally slide,
A support plate for supporting the lower surface of the rotating plate;
A rotation drive mechanism connected to the center of the rotating plate and rotating the rotating plate about an axis set in the center;
A member disposed above the rotating plate with a gap between the upper surface of the rotating plate and having a guide surface that intersects the rotating direction of the rotating plate, and is aligned on the rotating plate. A guide member that aligns an object while guiding the object toward the periphery of the rotating plate by the guide surface;
A guide support member for supporting the guide member;
An article alignment apparatus comprising: a discharge mechanism that guides an alignment object aligned by the guide member to the outside from the rotating plate;
The rotating plate has flexibility,
The support plate includes a plurality of discharge holes formed to open on the upper surface thereof,
The alignment supply apparatus further comprises a pressurized gas supply means for supplying a pressurized gas to each of the discharge holes.   The alignment supply apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rotating plate is made of a resin sheet having a thickness of 0.05 to 0.2 mm.   The alignment supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the discharge hole is formed so that an opening thereof opens at least in a region below the guide member.   The alignment supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the discharge hole is formed such that an opening thereof is distributed and opened in a region facing the rotating plate.   The aligned supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a diameter of the opening of the discharge hole is set in a range of 10 to 100 µm µm.   The aligned supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a diameter of the opening of the discharge hole is set in a range of 20 to 50 µm µm. The support plate has a space inside thereof,
The discharge hole is formed to communicate with the space,
The aligned supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressurized gas supply means is configured to supply the pressurized gas to a space of the support board.

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