JP2016215285A - Vacuum adsorption device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a low-cost vacuum adsorption device that can exert sufficient adsorption force to an object to be adsorbed even if the object has flexibility and is large-sized and heavy-weighted.SOLUTION: The vacuum adsorption device, which is connected to a suction device and equipped with a hollow adsorption pad having an adsorption surface with an adsorption port formed on one surface, comprises a surrounding ingate provided around the adsorption surface of the adsorption pad so as to surround the adsorption surface, and a shielding body which is provided at a center area of the adsorption surface and arranged so as to shield the adsorption port and face the surrounding ingate at an upstream side of the adsorption surface. On the adsorption surface are dispersively formed many adsorption ports, and a side of the surrounding ingate and a side of the shielding body are oppositely arranged. Between the surrounding ingate and the shielding body is formed a suction space having an annular outlet opening.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a vacuum suction device suitable for suction of an article having flexibility.

In a system that automatically conveys an article by a conveyor or the like, a vacuum suction device that often sucks an article with a suction pad attached to the tip of a robot arm is often used. As a suction pad, soft silicon rubber is applied to the object to be adsorbed, and the suction pad is depressurized by a suction device such as a vacuum pump or an ejector that communicates with the suction pad. There is something that consists of.
Alternatively, there is a method of gripping the object to be transported by a mechanical hand using an electric type or pressurized air as a driving source instead of a vacuum suction type.

In the vacuum suction type, when the object to be adsorbed is a soft bag filled with a flexible object such as cream, mayonnaise, cheese, etc., the adsorbing surface of the adsorption pad follows the deformation of the object to be adsorbed. Sex is required. If there is no followability on the suction surface, the adhesion between the suction port and the object to be adsorbed is deteriorated, and sufficient suction force is not generated. In particular, if the object to be adsorbed is large and heavy, it may not be adsorbed.
Further, in the mechanical hand system, it is difficult to grip a flexible object, and it has not been put into practical use.

Patent Document 1 discloses a vacuum suction device for sucking a bag or the like filled with powder or the like, and this vacuum suction device has a suction surface of a suction pad formed of a punching plate (porous plate).
Patent Document 2 also discloses a vacuum suction device in which the suction surface of the suction pad is configured by a punching plate. This suction pad is provided with a crack prevention pad for shielding the suction port of the portion that hits the back so that cracks do not occur when sucking soft articles such as baked goods.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-091386 JP-A-11-225665

The suction pad of the vacuum suction device disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires a large amount of power to obtain a large suction force when the object to be adsorbed is heavy, and there is a risk that the cost will increase. In addition, when the object to be adsorbed has flexibility, a gap is easily generated between the adsorption port and the object to be adsorbed, and there is a concern that the adsorbing force is reduced and the object to be adsorbed falls.
In the suction pad of the vacuum suction device disclosed in Patent Document 2, if the object to be adsorbed is flexible and large and heavy, the adsorbing object may not be able to be exerted and the object to be adsorbed may fall. .

  In view of the above problems, at least one embodiment of the present invention proposes a low-cost vacuum suction device capable of exerting a sufficient suction force even when an object to be adsorbed has flexibility and is large and heavy. With the goal.

(1) A vacuum suction device according to at least one embodiment of the present invention includes:
In a vacuum suction device provided with a hollow suction pad having a suction surface formed on one surface and communicating with a suction device,
An enclosure weir provided around the suction surface of the suction pad so as to surround the suction surface;
A shielding body provided in a central region of the suction surface, shielding the suction port, and arranged to face the enclosure weir on the upstream side of the suction surface;
A large number of suction ports are dispersed and formed on the suction surface,
The side surface of the surrounding weir and the side surface of the shielding body are arranged to face each other, and a suction space having an annular outlet opening is formed between the surrounding weir and the shielding body.

According to the configuration (1), since the suction space having the annular outlet opening is formed on the upstream side of the suction surface, when the internal space of the suction pad is depressurized, the flexible object to be sucked is sucked into the suction space. Be drawn into space. As a result, the object to be adsorbed is brought into close contact with the outlet opening of the suction space and the intrusion of air from the outside is suppressed, so that a sufficient adsorbing force for the object to be adsorbed can be maintained.
Further, since the central area of the suction surface is shielded by the shield, the suction force per unit area of the suction surface can be increased. Thereby, even if the object to be adsorbed is large and heavy, a sufficient adsorbing force can be maintained.

When the object to be adsorbed has flexibility, a part of the object to be adsorbed from the adsorption surface may spread to the entire adsorption site and the object to be adsorbed may be separated.
On the other hand, the suction pad forms the suction space having an annular outlet opening on the upstream side of the suction surface, so that even if the suction target is large, the suction target facing the suction surface Uniform adsorption force can be generated on the entire surface. Therefore, even if the object to be adsorbed has flexibility, it is possible to maintain a sufficient adsorbing force and prevent the object to be adsorbed from being detached.

(2) In some embodiments, in the configuration (1),
An air supply source for supplying air to the suction pad;
A switching valve for allowing the suction pad to communicate with the suction device or the air supply source in a switchable manner.
According to the configuration (2), the suction operation and the separation operation of the suction pad can be quickly switched. As a result, when the vacuum suction device is provided in a system for transporting an object to be adsorbed, handling of the object to be adsorbed by the vacuum adsorption device becomes easy.

(3) In some embodiments, in the configuration (1) or (2),
The suction surface of the suction pad is composed of a punching plate.
According to the configuration (3), by forming the suction surface with a punching plate, a suction surface formed by dispersing a large number of suction ports can be manufactured at low cost. Moreover, a suction pad can be reduced in weight by using a punching board.

(4) In some embodiments, in any one of the configurations (1) to (3),
The enclosure weir is composed of a hollow metal tube having a square cross section.
According to the configuration (4), the manufacturing process of the enclosure weir can be simplified and reduced in cost, and high strength can be imparted to the enclosure weir. Thus, by increasing the strength of the enclosure weir, it is possible to effectively suppress the intrusion of external air into the reduced pressure region formed in the suction pad. Furthermore, the suction space can be formed at a low cost.

(5) In some embodiments, in any one of the configurations (1) to (4),
The shield is composed of a hollow metal tube having a square cross section.
According to the configuration (5), the manufacturing process of the shield can be simplified and reduced in cost, and high strength can be imparted to the enclosure wall. In addition, by using metal pipes with sides of the same length for the enclosure wall and the shield, the height of the enclosure weir and the shield can be easily adjusted, thereby enabling more stable adsorption of the object to be adsorbed. become.

(6) In some embodiments, in any one of the configurations (1) to (5),
An opening ratio of the suction port formed on the suction surface is 30% to 50%.
According to the configuration (6), the suction force of the suction surface can be increased appropriately. Therefore, sufficient adsorption power can be maintained, separation of the object to be adsorbed can be suppressed, excessive adsorption force can be suppressed, and damage to the object to be adsorbed can be suppressed when the object to be adsorbed has flexibility.

(7) In some embodiments, in any one of the configurations (1) to (6),
The outlet opening of the suction space is
The outer edge formed by the enclosure wall and the inner edge formed by the shield have a rectangle that is symmetric with respect to the center point of the suction surface,
The adsorbed material is a soft material in which a soft material is filled in a soft pillow-shaped bag.
According to the said structure (7), the suction force can be uniformly added to the surface of the said pillow-shaped flexible object because the exit opening of suction space has the said shape. For this reason, the soft material can be stably held in the adsorbed state.

  According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to realize a low-cost vacuum suction device capable of stably exhibiting a sufficient suction force even when the object to be adsorbed has flexibility, and is large and heavy. Therefore, when this vacuum suction device is applied to a transport system for an object to be adsorbed, handling of the object to be adsorbed becomes easy.

It is front view sectional drawing which shows the suction pad of the vacuum suction apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a top view of the said suction pad. It is a bottom view of the suction pad. It is a systematic diagram which shows the air supply / exhaust part of the said vacuum suction apparatus, (A) shows the time of attraction | suction, (B) shows the time of air supply. It is explanatory drawing which shows the action | operation of the said vacuum suction apparatus, (A) shows at the time of adsorption | suction of to-be-adsorbed object, (B) shows at the time of detachment | desorption of to-be-adsorbed object.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in the embodiments or shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but are merely illustrative examples.
For example, expressions expressing relative or absolute arrangements such as “in a certain direction”, “along a certain direction”, “parallel”, “orthogonal”, “center”, “concentric” or “coaxial” are strictly In addition to such an arrangement, it is also possible to represent a state of relative displacement with an angle or a distance such that tolerance or the same function can be obtained.
For example, an expression indicating that things such as “identical”, “equal”, and “homogeneous” are in an equal state not only represents an exactly equal state, but also has a tolerance or a difference that can provide the same function. It also represents the existing state.
For example, expressions representing shapes such as quadrangular shapes and cylindrical shapes represent not only geometrically strict shapes such as quadrangular shapes and cylindrical shapes, but also irregularities and chamfers as long as the same effects can be obtained. A shape including a part or the like is also expressed.
On the other hand, the expressions “comprising”, “comprising”, “comprising”, “including”, or “having” one constituent element are not exclusive expressions for excluding the existence of other constituent elements.

1 to 3 show a suction pad 12 (hollow sealed body) of a vacuum suction device 10 according to at least one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the suction pad 12 has an internal space Is, and the internal space Is communicates with a suction device 24 (see FIG. 4), and a large number of suction ports 14 a are formed on one surface. It has a suction surface 14.
An enclosure weir 16 is provided around the adsorption surface 14 so as to surround the adsorption surface 14. The enclosure weir 16 has a cross section such as a rectangle or a square.
Further, a shield 18 is provided in the central area of the suction surface 14 so as to shield the suction port 14 a and to face the surrounding weir 16 on the upstream side of the suction surface 14. The shield 18 also has, for example, a rectangular or square cross section, and these side surfaces are opposed to each other, and a suction space s having an annular outlet opening so is formed between the enclosure weir 16 and the shield 18. The suction space s is formed between the outlet opening so and the suction surface 14.

In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, an air supply source 26 for supplying air to the suction pad 12 and a suction pad 12 for switchably communicating with the suction device 24 or the air supply source 26. And a switching valve 28.
The suction pad 12 is, for example, a vacuum blower or an ejector, and the air supply source 26 is, for example, an air tank.
As shown in FIG. 4 (A), the suction pad 12 and the suction device 24 are communicated with each other via the switching valve 28 and the suction device 24 is operated, so that the internal space Is of the suction pad 12 is depressurized to be sucked. The object f can be adsorbed on the adsorption surface 14.
Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the suction pad 12 and the air supply source 26 are communicated to pressurize the internal space Is, and the object to be sucked f is detached from the suction pad 12.

In the exemplary embodiment, the suction surface 14 is constituted by a punching plate in which a large number of suction ports 14a are formed in a distributed manner.
In the exemplary embodiment, the enclosure weir 16 is comprised of a hollow metal tube having a square cross section. In the illustrated embodiment, the metal tube has a rectangular cross section, and the surrounding weir 16 is composed of four metal tubes that are linear in the axial direction.
In the exemplary embodiment, shield 18 is comprised of a hollow metal tube having a square cross section. In the illustrated embodiment, the shield 18 is shielded at both ends, has a square cross section, and is formed of a single metal tube having a linear shape.
In the illustrated embodiment, both side surfaces of the suction space s formed by the enclosure weir 16 and the shield 18 form flat surfaces that are substantially perpendicular to the suction surface 14.

In the exemplary embodiment, the opening ratio of the suction holes 14 a formed in the suction surface 14 of the suction pad 12 is 30% or more to 50% or less.
In the exemplary embodiment, the outlet opening so of the suction space s has a rectangle in which the outer edge formed by the enclosure weir 16 and the inner edge formed by the shield 18 are symmetrical with respect to the center point. Further, the object to be adsorbed f is a flexible object in which a flexible substance is filled in a flexible pillow-shaped bag.

In the illustrated embodiment, the suction pad 12 has a metal back plate 30, and the back plate 30 is fixed to one surface of the enclosure weir 16 by spot welding or the like. A communication pipe 22 is connected to the back plate 30, and the internal space Is of the suction pad 12 communicates with the suction device 24 or the air supply source 26 via the communication pipe 22. A switching valve 28 is provided in the communication pipe 22, and the communication pipe 22 communicates with the suction device 24 or the air supply source 26 by the switching valve 28.
L-shaped reinforcing members 32 are provided at the four corners of the internal space Is, and the suction surface 14 is supported by the back plate 30 via the L-shaped reinforcing member 32.
A one-dot chain line 34 in FIG. 2 indicates a connection position of a robot arm (not shown) connected to the back plate 30. The suction pad 12 is connected to the tip of the robot arm and is moved by the robot arm that is controlled in multiple axes.

In such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the object to be adsorbed f is adsorbed by the adsorbing pad 12, the switching valve 28 is operated to connect the internal space Is of the adsorbing pad 12 and the suction device 24. The internal space Is is decompressed by the suction device 24, and the object to be adsorbed f is adsorbed to the adsorption pad 12.
As shown in FIG. 5B, when the object to be adsorbed f is separated from the suction pad 12, the switching valve 28 is operated to connect the internal space Is of the suction pad 12 and the air supply source 26. The internal space Is is pressurized with air supplied from the air supply source 26, and the object to be adsorbed f is separated from the suction pad 12.

According to at least one embodiment, since the suction space s having the annular outlet opening so is formed, when the object to be adsorbed f has flexibility, the object to be adsorbed f is drawn into the suction space s. As a result, the object to be adsorbed f comes into close contact with the outlet opening so of the suction space s and suppresses the intrusion of outside air into the internal space Is. Therefore, a sufficient adsorbing force for the object to be adsorbed f can be maintained. The withdrawal of can be suppressed.
Further, since the central area of the suction surface 14 is shielded by the shield 18, the suction force per unit area of the suction surface 14 can be increased, so that sufficient suction is achieved even if the object to be adsorbed f is large and heavy. Can hold power.

When the object to be adsorbed f has flexibility, a part of the object to be adsorbed f may be spread over the entire adsorption site and the object to be adsorbed f may be separated.
On the other hand, since the suction pad 12 forms an annular suction space s on the upstream side of the suction surface 14, even if the suction target f is a large one, the suction target f facing the suction surface 14 is not affected. Uniform adsorption force can be generated on the entire surface. Therefore, even if the object to be adsorbed f has flexibility, it is possible to suppress part of the object to be adsorbed f from being detached and to stably maintain the adsorption state.

Further, by connecting the suction device 24 and the air supply source 26 to the suction pad 12 via the switching valve 28, the suction operation and the separation operation of the suction pad 12 can be quickly switched. Thus, when the vacuum suction device 10 is provided in a system for transporting the object to be adsorbed f, the handling of the object to be adsorbed f by the vacuum suction device 10 is facilitated.
Further, since the suction surface 14 is configured by a punching plate, a suction surface formed by dispersing a large number of suction ports can be manufactured at low cost, and the suction pad 12 can be reduced in weight by using the punching plate.

In addition, since the enclosure weir 16 and the shield 18 are formed of a hollow metal tube having a square cross section, the manufacture of the enclosure weir 16 and the shield 18 can be simplified and reduced in cost, and high strength can be imparted thereto.
Thus, by increasing the strength of the surrounding weir 16, it is possible to effectively suppress the intrusion of external air into the reduced pressure region formed inside the suction pad 12. Further, the suction space s can be formed at a low cost.
Further, by using metal pipes having sides of the same length for the enclosure weir 16 and the shield 18, it is possible to easily adjust the height of the enclosure weir 16 and the shield 18. Further stable adsorption becomes possible.
Furthermore, the intensity | strength of the whole suction pad can be improved by comprising the main body of the suction pad 12 with the enclosure weir 16 which has high intensity | strength and has a rectangular cross section.

Further, if the opening rate of the suction port 14a inside the enclosure weir 16 is set to 30% to 50%, the suction force per unit area of the suction surface 14 can be increased appropriately. As a result, separation of the object to be adsorbed f can be suppressed, and when the object to be adsorbed f has flexibility, damage to the object to be adsorbed f due to excessive adsorption force can be suppressed.
The suction surface 14 is located downstream of the suction space s, and the suction surface 14 prevents excessive entry of the object to be adsorbed f.
As a result of experiments by the present inventors, it has been found that sufficient adsorption force can be obtained and excessive adsorption force can be suppressed within the range of the aperture ratio.

  Further, the outer edge of the suction space s formed by the enclosure weir 16 and the inner edge of the suction space s formed by the shield 18 have a rectangular shape that is symmetric with respect to the center point of the suction surface 14, and In the case where the object to be adsorbed f is a flexible object in which a flexible substance such as cream, mayonnaise, cheese or the like is filled in a flexible pillow-shaped bag, an adsorption force can be uniformly applied to the surface of the flexible object. . Therefore, these soft materials can be stably held in the adsorbed state.

  According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to realize a low-cost vacuum suction device capable of exerting a sufficient suction force even when an object to be adsorbed has flexibility and is large and heavy.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vacuum suction device 12 Suction pad 14 Suction surface 14a Suction port 16 Enclosure weir 18 Shielding body 22 Communication pipe 24 Suction device 26 Air supply source 28 Switching valve 30 Back plate 32 L-type reinforcement Is Internal space f Adsorbed object s Suction space so exit opening

Claims (7)

In a vacuum suction device provided with a hollow suction pad having a suction surface formed on one surface and communicating with a suction device,
An enclosure weir provided around the suction surface of the suction pad so as to surround the suction surface;
A shielding body provided in a central region of the suction surface, shielding the suction port, and arranged to face the enclosure weir on the upstream side of the suction surface;
A large number of suction ports are dispersed and formed on the suction surface,
A vacuum suction device, wherein a side surface of the enclosure weir and a side surface of the shield are arranged to face each other, and a suction space having an annular outlet opening is formed between the enclosure weir and the shield. An air supply source for supplying air to the suction pad;
The vacuum suction device according to claim 1, further comprising: a switching valve that allows the suction pad to communicate with the suction device or the air supply source in a switchable manner.   The vacuum suction device according to claim 1, wherein the suction surface of the suction pad is formed of a punching plate.   The vacuum suction device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the enclosure weir is formed of a hollow metal tube having a square cross section.   The vacuum suction device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the shield is formed of a hollow metal tube having a square cross section.   The vacuum suction device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an opening ratio of the suction port formed on the suction surface of the suction pad is 30% or more to 50% or less. The outlet opening of the suction space is
The outer edge formed by the enclosure weir and the inner edge formed by the shield have a rectangle that is symmetrical with respect to the center point of the suction surface,
The vacuum suction apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the object to be adsorbed is a flexible object in which a flexible substance is filled in a flexible pillow-shaped bag.

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