JP2920711B2 - Transfer device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for continuously transferring a work at a constant pitch, and more particularly to a transfer device suitable for an automatic machine which performs a plurality of operations on one facility.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in the case of manufacturing an electronic component, there are steps in which the processing time of each operation is different, such as characteristic measurement, sorting, marking, taping, and the like. As described above, in an automatic machine that performs a plurality of operations on one facility,
In these work processes, electronic components are mounted on a holder and transported. The product holder is attached to the endless chain at regular intervals, and intermittent conveyance is performed by driving the chain.

[0003]

In this type of transport apparatus, when the processing time of each operation is different, a method of adjusting the processing speed of the entire equipment to the operation requiring the longest time is generally adopted. Therefore, in a process with a short processing time, it is necessary to wait until a process with a long processing time is completed, and there is a disadvantage that the processing speed of the entire equipment is reduced and efficiency is poor. In particular, this problem becomes serious when the processing time of each operation is extremely different. In addition, with the current trend of high-mix low-volume production, when the types of work with different work times flow on the line or the work time of the most time-consuming work is changed, the processing time of the entire Has to be changed, and there is a problem that the adjustment operation requires a great deal of time. Therefore, a first object of the present invention is to provide a transport device capable of processing a plurality of operations having different operation times at high speed. A second object is to provide a transfer device that can easily cope with a case where individual work times are changed.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an endless end provided with holding portions for holding works one by one on an outer peripheral surface at a constant pitch. A timing belt, a plurality of drive pulleys for driving the feed side of the timing belt at partially different feed pitches, and buffer means provided between drive pulleys having different feed pitches to absorb a feed pitch difference between the drive pulleys. The buffer means comprises a lifting member capable of moving up and down in a vertical direction, a first support pulley rotatably attached to an upper end of the lifting member, and supporting the inner peripheral surface on the feed side of the timing belt. A second support pulley rotatably attached to the lower end of the elevating member, and supporting the inner circumferential surface on the return side of the timing belt, and a elevating member.
Biasing means for biasing upward with a force greater than the weight of

[0005] For example, when there are two processes whose working times are different by 10 times, the driving pulley of the process having the short working time is driven at one pitch interval and the driving pulley of the long process is moved by 10 pitches.
Drive at pitch intervals. Further, in a process in which the working time is short, one work piece is processed, and in a long process, 10 workpieces are processed.
Process multiple workpieces at the same time. Then, a buffer means is provided for absorbing a difference in feed pitch of at least 10 pitches between a process having a short working time and a process having a long working time.
This makes it possible to mix a plurality of parts having extremely different transport modes, in other words, a plurality of parts having greatly different working times, in one transport system, and adjust the processing speed of the entire equipment to a process in which the working time is short. The speed can be remarkably increased. In addition, since the timing belt can always be driven by the buffer means without slack, the work held on the timing belt can be conveyed without falling off.

In the present invention, a timing belt is used instead of a chain as the conveying means. Since the feed teeth on the inner peripheral side of the timing belt mesh with the timing pulley (drive pulley), highly accurate component feeding according to the rotation angle of the timing pulley can be realized. In addition, since it is much lighter than a chain, the inertia of the transfer system is small, high-speed transfer is possible, and vibration and noise are reduced.

[0007] When the timing belt passes through the buffer means, there are portions where the transport direction is up and down. Therefore, if the work is merely placed on the timing belt, the work will fall. Therefore, the timing belt needs to have a holding portion for holding the works one by one at a constant pitch interval. As the holding part, for example, when the workpiece is made of a magnetic material, a magnet is attached to the timing belt, or a recess is formed in the non-magnetic timing belt, and a magnet is laid on the guide rail side of the timing belt, The work may be held by suction on the timing belt. Alternatively, the holding portion may be formed in a concave shape with a rubber material, and a part or the whole of the work may be elastically fitted into the concave portion to hold the work. Further, a separate clamping means may be provided as a holding portion. By providing the holding portion on the timing belt in this way, the degree of freedom of the transport mode is increased, and the workpiece can be transported without falling off the timing belt.

In the first aspect of the invention , a vertical buffer means is used as the buffer means. The buffer means includes an elevating member capable of moving up and down in a vertical direction, a first support pulley rotatably attached to an upper end of the elevating member, and supporting the inner peripheral surface on the feed side of the timing belt. And a second support pulley that is rotatably attached to the lower end of the timing belt and winds and supports the inner peripheral surface on the return side of the timing belt. Such a vertical buffer means can reduce the installation space in the transport direction of the timing belt, and can reduce the installation space even if the amount of absorption of the feed pitch difference is increased. Can be arranged adjacent to each other, and the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the process is greatly improved. Also, since the urging means for urging the lifting member upward with a force greater than the weight thereof is provided, the second
The load on the return side of the timing belt via the support pulley can be reduced, and the life of the timing belt can be improved. As the urging means, besides a spring, a weight having a weight greater than that of the lifting member can be used. It is desirable to provide a pair of holding pulleys for holding the timing belt on both sides fixed portions of the elevating member, and to hold the upper surface of the timing belt pushed up by the support pulley.

[0009] When a product having a different working time flows into the equipment line or the working time is changed in the middle, a process having a long working time (large feed pitch) is a process having a short work time (small feed pitch). Requires a relatively large space as compared with the above, so it is necessary to change the entire arrangement of the lines. Therefore, if the feed pitch of at least one of the drive pulleys can be changed and the drive pulley and the buffer means are integrally moved in the feed direction by a moving mechanism, the front and rear of the drive pulley can be changed. In addition to being able to respond quickly to changes in the work time of the process, the space of the adjacent process can be effectively used, and there is no need to change the overall arrangement of the line. As the moving mechanism, a guide mechanism that movably supports the driving pulley may be provided, and the driving pulley may be manually moved in the feed direction, or may be automatically moved by a motor, a cylinder, or the like.

[0010]

[0011]

1 (a) and 1 (b) are schematic diagrams of a first embodiment of a transfer apparatus according to the present invention. The transfer device includes a take-in process A for taking in the electronic components integrally provided on the hoop-shaped lead frame from the front, a cutting process B for separating the individual electronic components from the lead frame, and measuring the electrical characteristics of the individual electronic components. Measuring steps C and D, marking step E for printing on the main body of the electronic component with a laser marker, etc.
The method includes an NG removal process F for removing defective products and the like, a rank cutting process G for dividing electronic components into a plurality of ranks, and a taping process H for taping lead terminals of the electronic components.

One endless timing belt 1 shown in FIG. 2 is wound around the above steps. The belt 1 is made of a non-magnetic rubber material, and has internal teeth 2 on its inner peripheral side.
Are formed at an equal pitch, and a set of three holding grooves 3 is formed on the outer peripheral side.
Are formed in the width direction at a constant pitch interval. In the holding groove 3, three plate-shaped lead terminals 6 of a radial lead type electronic component 5, which is an example of a work, are fitted and held in a horizontal state.

The timing belt 1 has five drive pulleys 10.
-14 are driven in the direction of the arrow at separate feed pitches. Among them, the drive pulleys 10, 12, and 13 are driven by a single drive motor 15 into a shaft 16 and an index bed 17.
The pulleys 10 and 13 are driven intermittently by two pitches, and the pulley 12 is driven intermittently by one pitch. The pulley 11 is intermittently driven at intervals of 40 pitches by a pulse motor 20, and the taping pulley 14 is
Is continuously driven via the shaft 16 and the belt 21. Therefore, the taking-in step A to the measuring step C are sent by two pitches, the measuring step D is sent by 40 pitches, the marking step E is sent by one pitch, the NG unloading step F and the rank cutting step G are sent by two pitches, and the taping step H is A plurality of processes having different feed pitches are mixed, such as continuous feed. However, the average transport speeds of the processes are equal to each other.

A large buffer means 22 for absorbing a feed pitch difference of 40 pitches between portions having greatly different feed pitches, that is, between the measuring step C and the measuring step D, and between the measuring step D and the marking step E. , 23 are provided.
Further, between the marking process E and the NG removal process F, which are portions having a small feed pitch difference, and the rank cutting process G
A small buffer means 24, 25 for absorbing a feed pitch difference of two pitches is provided between the head and the taping step H.

Here, the specific structure of each part of the above-described transport device will be described. As shown in FIG.
Pulleys 30, 31, 32 are provided, and the lower pulley
The arm 30 is swingably supported in the front-rear direction by an arm 33, and is constantly urged forward (in the direction of the arrow) by a spring 34. As a result, a constant tension is applied to the belt 1 on the return side. The belt 1 on the return side is sent from the pulley 30 to the toothed guide pulley 32 via the intermediate pulley 31, and enters the take-in step A. A rail 35 having the structure shown in FIG. 4 is provided horizontally at this portion. The rail 35 has a non-magnetic rail guide 37 fixed on a mounting base 36 and a non-magnetic head guide 38 fixed on its upper end surface. Two yokes 39, 40 is fixed with the permanent magnet 41 interposed therebetween. The upper ends of the yokes 39, 40 project slightly upward from the permanent magnets 41, and the timing belt 1 is smoothly guided along the rail grooves formed by the yokes 39, 40 and the permanent magnets 41. The lead terminal 6 of the electronic component 5 held in the holding groove 3 of the timing belt 1 is close to the yokes 39 and 40 in a non-contact manner.
Therefore, a closed magnetic path from the permanent magnet 41 to the permanent magnet 41 via the yoke 39, the lead terminal 6, and the yoke 40 is formed, and the lead terminal 6 is strongly attracted and held in the holding groove 3 direction. That is, the yokes 39 and 40 also serve as a guide member of the timing belt 1 and a magnetic path forming material. The movement of the electronic component 5 to the left in FIG. 4 is restricted by the head guide 38, and the movement to the right is restricted by the wide portion of the lead terminal 6 and the side edge of the holding groove 3. Horizontal displacement of the electronic component 5 is prevented.

FIG. 5 shows the downstream end of the rail 35 in the transport direction .
The drive pulley 10 shown in FIG. The drive pulley 10 includes a drive shaft 43 that is intermittently driven by the index head 17 at intervals of two pitches. The drive shaft 43 includes a non-magnetic head guide 44, a yoke 45, a permanent magnet 46, and a flange 47 serving as a yoke. It is fixed by overlapping in order. A non-magnetic sprocket 48 is fixed on the outer peripheral side of the permanent magnet 46 and between the yoke 45 and the flange 47. The sprocket 48 meshes with the internal teeth 2 of the belt 1 and drives the belt 1 to rotate. Also in this case, since a magnetic path is formed from the permanent magnet 46 to the permanent magnet 46 via the yoke 45, the lead terminal 6, and the flange 47, the electronic component 5 is stably held in the holding groove 3 of the belt 1. A guide plate 49 fixed to a fixed portion is provided above the drive pulley 10, and the outer peripheral surface of the belt 1 is guided by an arc surface 49 a of the guide plate 49. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the electronic component 5 from falling off or being displaced when the transport direction suddenly changes from the linear direction to the arc direction. The other driving pulleys 11 to 13 have the same structure as the driving pulley 10, and the description is omitted.

The belt 1 passing through the driving pulley 10 is bent downward, moves downward along a rail 50 (see FIG. 3), and is then bent upward by a holding pulley 51. The rail 50 has a structure similar to that of the rail 35 shown in FIG. 4, and prevents the electronic component 5 conveyed downward from dropping from the belt 1 by the attraction force of the permanent magnet. The holding pulley 51 is constantly urged downward by a spring (not shown), and absorbs the inertia during the 40-pitch operation in the subsequent measurement process D to prevent the belt 1 from going too far. A shock absorber 52 elastically receives the upward movement of the holding pulley 51.

The large buffer means 22 has a vertically extending support plate 54, and an elevating plate 55 is vertically slidably mounted on the surface of the support plate 54. One end of a chain 56 is connected to the upper end of the elevating plate 55, and the chain 56 is connected to a support plate 54 as shown in FIG.
It is connected to a weight 59 movably mounted on the back side of the support plate 54 via two sprockets 57, 58 mounted on the upper end of the support plate 54. The weight of the weight 59 is adjusted by a lifting plate 55 including support pulleys 60 and 61 and rails 70 and 71 described later.
Since it is set heavier than the total weight, the lifting plate
55 is constantly biased upward. Support pulleys 60 and 61 are rotatably attached to the upper and lower ends of the front side of the lifting plate 55, and a pair of rails 70 and 71 extending vertically are fixed to both front and rear sides of the lifting plate 55. I have. The upper support pulley 60 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 62 fixed to a lifting plate 55 via a bearing 63 as shown in FIG. The support pulley 60 includes a non-magnetic head guide 64, a non-magnetic flange 65, and yokes 66 and 67 and a permanent magnet 68 sandwiched therebetween. Form a groove for guiding the timing belt 1. The reason that the belt 1 wound around the supporting pulley 60 is received by the flange 65 in this way is that the weight of the weight 59 causes the belt 1 to be strongly wound around the supporting pulley 60, so that the load does not damage the permanent magnet 68. That's why. Belt 1 around support pulley 60
Is moved, the lead terminal 6 of the electronic component 5 is stably held in the holding groove 3 of the belt 1 by the magnetic force of the permanent magnet 68,
The electronic component 5 is prevented from falling off. The lower support pulley 61 presses the return belt 1 downward, and this support pulley 61 is not provided with a permanent magnet unlike the upper support pulley 60.

Rails 7 provided on both sides of the lifting plate 55
Numerals 0 and 71 are non-magnetic rail guides fixed to the elevating plate 55 via spacers 72 by bolts 73 as shown in FIG.
74, a non-magnetic head guide 75, 76 fixed to the rail guide 74, yokes 77, 78 and
79,80 and permanent magnets 81,82. Therefore,
While the timing belt 1 moves up and down the rails 70 and 71, the electronic components 5 are moved by the magnetic force of the permanent magnets 81 and 82.
Of the belt 1 is stably held in the holding groove 3 of the belt 1. The rail 70 on the upstream side in the transport direction is formed slightly longer than the rail 71 on the downstream side in the transport direction .

The timing belt 1 having passed through the rail 71 on the downstream side in the transport direction of the buffer means 22 has its transport direction changed in the horizontal direction by a holding pulley 84, and has a measuring step D along the rail 85. Is transported. This rail 85 has the same structure as that shown in FIG. After the measurement is completed, FIG.
Then, the processing shifts to the marking step E via the buffer means 23. The structure of the buffer means 23 is exactly the same as that of the above-described buffer means 22, and the description is omitted.

The timing belt 1 is fed by two pitches in front of the buffer means 22 on the upstream side in the transport direction.
40 pitch feed between 3 and buffer means on the downstream side in the transport direction
After 23, it is conveyed by one pitch feed. Therefore, the conveyance direction increase at the stage just before the driving pulley 11 performs a 40 pitched
The supporting pulley 60 of the buffer means 22 on the upstream side is at the uppermost position, and the buffer means 23 on the downstream side in the transport direction is at the lowermost position. When the drive pulley 11 starts operating, the buffer means 22 on the upstream side in the transport direction moves up, and the buffer means 23 on the downstream side in the transport direction moves down . And at the end of 40 pitch operation
The support pulley 60 of the buffer means 22 on the upstream side in the transport direction is at the lowermost position, and the buffer means 23 on the downstream side in the transport direction is at the uppermost position. Thereafter, while the drive pulley 11 is at rest, the buffer means 22 on the upstream side in the transport direction gradually rises while applying a constant tension to the timing belt 1 fed by two pitches from the measurement step C, and the buffer means 22 on the downstream side in the transport direction The buffer means 23 gradually descends while feeding the timing belt 1 to the marking step E one pitch at a time. As described above, the two buffer means 22 and 23 move in the opposite directions to absorb the difference in the feed pitch.

During the marking step E, the timing belt 1 is conveyed by the drive pulley 12 along the rail 86 one pitch at a time. The drive pulley 12 has a structure similar to that of FIG.
The rail 86 has a structure similar to that of FIG. After the marking is completed, a small buffer means 24 shown in FIG. This buffer means 24
Is composed of a rotatable buffer pulley 88 located below the drive pulley 12, and a guide pulley 89 located above the buffer pulley 88. The buffer pulley 88 is movable in the vertical direction, and is constantly urged downward by a spring 91. Therefore, the timing belt 1 reaching the buffer pulley 88 via the driving pulley 12 can absorb the feed pitch difference while maintaining the tension. A pair of front and rear rails 92 and 93 each having a permanent magnet are provided on both front and rear sides of the buffer pulley 88 in the same manner as in FIG. 4 while the timing belt 1 passes through the buffer means 24.
The electronic component 1 is prevented from falling off.

[0023] After passing through the buffer means 24, the timing belt 1 as shown in FIG. 10 along the rail 95 having the same structure as FIG. 4 is conveyed NG removal step F and rank cutting step G 2 pitch feed You. At the end of the rail 95, a small buffer means 25 similar to the buffer means 24 is provided. After passing through the buffer means 25, the taping step H is performed by continuous feeding through a rail 96 having the same structure as that shown in FIG.
Move to. Here, the electronic component 5 is transferred from the timing belt 1 to the taping pulley 14 and is taped with another pulley (not shown). Then, the timing belt 1 after the transfer of the electronic component 5 is returned to the start end side through the lower side.

In the above embodiment, a permanent magnet is used as the magnet means, but an electromagnet may be used instead of the permanent magnet. In particular, it is easy to substitute a permanent magnet with an electromagnet for the fixed rail portion.

FIGS. 11 and 12 are overall schematic diagrams of a second embodiment of the present invention. This transport device includes a first step I for performing a predetermined operation on the radial lead type electronic component 5 as a work, a second step J, and a third step K. An endless timing belt 100 shown in FIG. 13 is wound around each step. The belt 100 is made of a non-magnetic rubber material. Internal teeth 101 are formed at an equal pitch on the inner peripheral side, and a set of three holding grooves 102 are formed on the outer peripheral side at fixed pitch intervals in the width direction. I have. Holding groove 10
2, three plate-shaped lead terminals 6 of the electronic component 5 are fitted in a horizontal state. A rod-shaped permanent magnet 103 is embedded in the internal teeth 101 in the width direction, and the lead terminals 6 are attracted and held in the holding grooves 102 by the magnet 103. Therefore, the electronic component 5 can be prevented from dropping from the timing belt 100 even if the transport direction is the vertical direction.

The timing belt 100 has three driving pulleys.
Drives 110 to 112 are driven in the direction of the arrow at separate feed pitches. Of these, the first driving pulley 110 is constantly driven at a constant pitch speed by a motor 113, and the second and third driving pulleys 111 and 112 are respectively driven by motors 114 and 115 having variable feed pitch speeds. In particular, the second driving pulley 111 is supported by a moving plate 118 together with the following buffer pulley 116 and guide pulley 117, and the moving plate 118 is guided by a guide rail 119 so as to be slidable in the horizontal direction. Constituting motor
It can be moved in the horizontal direction by a ball screw shaft 121 and a ball screw shaft 121. The buffer pulley 116 is connected to the moving plate 11
8 is movably mounted in the vertical direction, and is constantly urged downward by urging means 122 such as a spring or a weight, and absorbs a difference in feed pitch between the front and rear of the drive pulley 111. The guide pulley 117 is a pulley for changing the conveying direction of the timing belt 100 passing through the buffer pulley 116 to the horizontal direction.

Similarly, the buffer pulleys 123 and 124 and the guide pulley 1 are also provided at the rear portions of the first and third drive pulleys 110 and 112.
25,126 are provided respectively. Further, guide pulleys 127, 128, 129, 130, 131 and slack prevention pulleys 132, 133 are provided at the front and rear ends of the transport device, and the timing belt 10 is provided.
A constant tension is applied to the return side of zero.

Here, the operation of the transfer device having the above structure will be described. The working time of the second step J is the shortest, and the first step I
When the operation time of the third step K is four times as long as that of the step J, and the operation time of the third step K is twice as long as that of the step J, the first step I is fed by four pitches and the second step J is sent by one pitch The third step K is 2
In the step I, four works 5 are processed simultaneously, and in the step K, two works 5 are processed simultaneously. As a result, all the processes can be synchronized, and the overall processing speed can be increased. At this time, Step I
The difference in the feed pitch between the steps J and K is absorbed by the buffer pulley 123, and the difference in the feed pitch between the steps J and K is determined by the buffer pulley 116.
, And the difference in the feed pitch between the processes K and I is absorbed by the buffer pulley 124.

Now, it is assumed that the second step J is changed to two-pitch feeding and the third step K is changed to one-pitch feeding.
In this case, the feed speed of the second motor 114 is changed to 2 pitches, and the feed speed of the third motor 115 is set to 1 pitch.
The pitch is changed, and at the same time, the moving motor 120 is driven to move the second drive pulley 111, the buffer pulley 116, and the guide pulley 117 integrally to the right to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. Thereby, the space X ₁ of the second process J
There is extended to X _2, the space Y ₁ of the third step K is reduced to Y ₂ in the reverse. This is because a large number of workpieces must be processed simultaneously in a process with a large feed pitch, and a large space is required. With this configuration, the space can be effectively used, and a change in the feed pitch can be promptly dealt with. In the second embodiment, an example is shown in which two pulleys, a buffer pulley 116 and a support pulley 117, are attached to the moving plate 118 as buffer means. However, as in the first embodiment, a holding pulley, a support pulley and a holding pulley are provided. Three pulleys including pulleys may be attached.

FIGS. 14 and 15 are general schematic views of a third embodiment of the present invention. The transport device of this embodiment includes a first process L, a second process M, and a third process N, and a timing belt 100 similar to that of the second embodiment is wound between these processes. In the second step M, a vertical furnace 140 such as a heat treatment furnace or an ultraviolet irradiation furnace is provided. In the furnace 140, an upper part of a vertically movable plate 143 movable in the vertical direction is accommodated.
The timing belt 10 is located in front of the upper end of the lifting plate 143.
A support pulley 141 for supporting the inner periphery on the feed side of the roller 0 is rotatably mounted.
A presser pulley 142 that supports the inner circumference on the return side of the rotator is rotatably mounted. The back of the lifting plate 143 is shown in FIG.
The nut member 144 is fixed as shown in FIG.
4 is a ball screw shaft 14 driven by a lifting motor 145
6 and is slidably engaged with the guide rail 147 in the vertical direction. Therefore, the lifting motor 14
When 5 is driven, the lifting plate 143 is moved up and down by the ball screw shaft 146, and the support pulley 141 and the holding pulley 142 can be moved up and down integrally.

A buffer pulley 149 is disposed on the upstream side of the elevating plate 143 in the transport direction, and a holding pulley 150 is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction . These pulleys 149,
150 is installed on a fixed part different from the lifting plate 143. A drive pulley 148 is provided upstream of the buffer pulley 149 in the transport direction . The drive pulley 148 determines the feed speed of the timing belt 100 passing through the first step L. The buffer pulley 149 can be moved up and down, and the timing belt 100 is moved by a spring 149a.
Is biased to apply a constant tension to the for that reason,
Buffers the tension and slack applied to the timing belt 100 as the elevating plate 143 (support pulley 141) moves up and down.

The conveying direction of the vertical furnace 140 as the second step M
A drive pulley 151, a buffer pulley 152, and a support pulley 153 are provided on the downstream side , and the feed speed of the timing belt 100 passing through the vertical furnace 140 is determined by the drive pulley 151. Furthermore, downstream of the third step N in the transport direction
A drive pulley 154, a buffer pulley 155, and a support pulley 156 are also provided on the side, and the feed speed of the timing belt 100 passing through the third step N is determined by the drive pulley 154. 160-166 are guide pulleys, 167,
168 is a pulley for preventing loosening.

In the above embodiment, when it is desired to change the working time in the vertical furnace 140, it can be easily coped with only by moving the lifting plate 143 up and down. For example, if the elevating plate 143 is moved upward, the length of the timing belt 100 located in the vertical furnace 140 becomes longer, and the work staying time in the furnace can be lengthened accordingly. At this time, a shortage occurs on the feed side of the timing belt 100, and this shortage can be compensated for by the return pulley 142 on the return side. In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the support pulley 141 and the holding pulley 142 are mounted on the common lifting plate 143.However, the present invention is not limited to this. Only the supporting pulley 141 can be moved up and down, and the holding pulley 142 is separately provided. May be provided.

In the present invention, the method for holding the work on the holding portion of the timing belt is not limited to the method using the attraction force of the permanent magnet as in the embodiment, and for example, as shown in FIG. A holding groove 201 having a narrow opening portion may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of 200, and a lead terminal or the like may be mechanically fitted and held in this holding groove 201. In order to take out the lead terminal from the holding groove 201, the timing belt 200 can be easily taken out by bending the timing belt 200 so that the outer peripheral surface side is convex and expanding the opening of the holding groove 201. In this case, the holding groove of the timing belt 200
The portion 201 may be formed of a material having a higher elasticity than other portions. Further, the work is not limited to the electronic component with the lead terminal as described above, but may be a chip component or other mechanical components. Correspondingly, the shape of the holding portion can be variously changed.

[0035]

As is apparent from the above description, claim 1
According to the invention described in (1) , the buffer means is provided in the middle of the transport system, so that when processes having different working times are mixed in the equipment line, processes having different feed pitches can be mixed. This makes it possible, for example, to simultaneously process a large number of works having a low processing speed, and to achieve a remarkably high transport speed as a whole. In particular, the buffer means is a vertical type, that is, an elevating member that can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction, and a first support pulley that is rotatably attached to the upper end of the elevating member and that winds and supports the feeder inner peripheral surface of the timing belt. If, rotatably attached to the lower end of the elevating member, a second support pulleys winding supports an inner peripheral surface of the return side timing belt, the weight following the lifting member
With the urging means for urging upward with the upper force, the installation space in the transport direction of the timing belt can be reduced, and the installation space can be reduced even if the amount of absorption of the feed pitch difference is increased. Therefore, two processes having a very large feed pitch difference can be arranged adjacent to each other, and the degree of freedom in arranging the processes is greatly improved . Further, the second support is provided by the urging means.
Negative on the return side of the timing belt via the pulley
Load can be reduced, improving the life of the timing belt
There is a feature that can be made . Further, since the timing belt is used as the transporting means, the weight can be significantly reduced as compared with the conventional chain, the inertia of the transporting system is small, high-speed transporting is possible, and vibration and noise are reduced. In addition, since the buffer means can be reduced in size and weight by using the timing belt, the difference in feed pitch can be absorbed with a simple structure even if the difference in feed pitch is large. Claims
If the drive pulley and the buffer means are moved integrally in the feed direction as in 2, the space can be effectively used and a change in the feed pitch can be quickly dealt with.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic front view and a plan view of a transfer device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example of a timing belt.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a starting end of the transfer device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged right side view of the upper part of the buffer means.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is a front view of an intermediate portion of the transfer device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a front view of a terminal portion of the transfer device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a schematic front view of a transport device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an example of a timing belt and a work in the second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a schematic front view of a third embodiment of the transport device.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view taken along line XV-XV in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 FIG. 10 is a side view of another embodiment of the timing belt.
You.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1,100,200 Timing belt 3,102 Holding groove 5 Electronic component (work) 6 Lead terminal 10,11,12,13,14,110,111,112 Driving pulley 22,23 Buffer means 51,84 Holding pulley 55 Elevating plate 59 Weight 60 Support pulley 111 Drive Pulley 116 Buffer pulley 120 Moving motor 121 Ball screw shaft 141 Support pulley 145 Elevating motor 146 Ball screw shaft 149 Buffer pulley

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Noriaki Tsuno 2-2-10-10 Tenjin, Nagaokakyo-shi, Kyoto Inside Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-54-47287 (JP, A) JP-A Sho 62-185620 (JP, A) JP-A-62-126014 (JP, A) JP-A-60-107031 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B65G 23/38

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An endless timing belt provided with holding portions for holding works one by one on an outer peripheral surface at a constant pitch interval; and a plurality of driving devices for driving a feeding side of the timing belt at partially different feeding pitches. And a buffer means provided between the drive pulleys having different feed pitches to absorb a difference in feed pitch between the drive pulleys. Is rotatably attached to the upper end of the belt and wraps around and supports the inner peripheral surface on the feed side of the timing belt.
And a second support pulley rotatably attached to the lower end of the elevating member and wrapping around the inner peripheral surface on the return side of the timing belt, and lifting the elevating member by its weight or more.
And a biasing means for biasing upward with a force . 2. An endless timing belt having holding portions for holding works one by one on an outer peripheral surface at a constant pitch interval, and a plurality of drive pulleys for driving the timing belt at partially different feed pitches. And buffer means provided between the drive pulleys having different feed pitches to absorb a feed pitch difference between the drive pulleys. At least one of the drive pulleys can change the feed pitch. A transport device comprising the buffer means provided on the downstream side in the transport direction, and a moving mechanism for integrally moving the drive pulley and the buffer means in the feed direction of the timing belt.