JP4456910B2 - Suction transfer device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is for visual inspection of small articles such as electronic parts such as resin pellets, button batteries, pharmaceuticals such as tablets and capsules, small confectionery such as candy, etc., for transporting the small articles to an inspection area of an inspection apparatus. The present invention relates to a suction conveyance device.

  The appearance of the above small articles is inspected by an appearance inspection apparatus using a CCD camera or the like in order to inspect for quality defects such as mixing of impurities, dirt, and chips.

  Conventionally, an apparatus described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-65405 is known as this appearance inspection apparatus. The inspection apparatus includes a rectifier that aligns and discharges a large number of small articles supplied in a batch, a first suction conveyance apparatus that adsorbs and conveys the small articles discharged from the rectifier, and a conveyance upstream end. Is arranged so as to face the downstream conveyance end of the first suction conveyance device, and takes over the small article that has been sucked and transported by the first suction transport device, and carries the second suction transport device, A first inspection apparatus in which an inspection area is set in the suction conveyance path of the suction conveyance apparatus, a second inspection apparatus in which an inspection area is set in the adsorption conveyance path of the second adsorption conveyance apparatus, and a second The small article | item discharged | emitted from the adsorption | suction conveyance apparatus is comprised from the sorter etc. which sort based on the test result of these 1st and 2nd test | inspection apparatuses.

  The first and second suction conveyance devices are individually guided to a slit serving as an intake port, a guide rail provided at each edge of the slit, a negative pressure chamber having an exhaust port, and each guide rail. The two endless round belts that run and the suction means for exhausting air from the negative pressure chamber are provided, and the negative pressure chamber is made negative pressure by the suction means, so that a pair of round belts are provided via the slits. When a small article is placed on the pair of round belts so that a negative pressure acts between the belts, the small articles are adsorbed on the round belt and conveyed in the traveling direction of the round belt.

  According to such an appearance inspection apparatus, the small articles supplied in a batch are aligned and discharged by the rectifier, and are transported in a state in which the lower surface is adsorbed by the first suction transport apparatus disposed downstream thereof. Then, the upper surface side is inspected by the first inspection device during the conveyance, and is transferred to the second suction conveyance device after the inspection. Next, the small article is transported in a state where the upper surface is sucked by the second suction transport device, and the lower surface side is inspected by the second inspection device in the middle of the transport. Selected.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-65405

  However, in the above-described conventional suction conveyance device, since a round belt is used as the conveyance belt, as shown in FIG. This can be adsorbed on the round belt 102 in a stable state, but in the case of small articles such as resin pellets that are smaller in size than tablets etc., as shown in FIG. Since the belt 102 is in a state of being caught between the belts 102 and 102, the posture of the small article is changed when it is transferred from the first suction conveyance device to the second suction conveyance device. There is a problem that inspection cannot be performed, that is, accurate inspection cannot be performed. In the figure, reference numeral 101 denotes a negative pressure chamber, and reference numeral 103 denotes a slit.

  One way to solve this problem is to reduce the distance between the pair of round belts 102, 102. In this case, the small articles can be adsorbed in a stable posture between the belts 102, 102. When the interval is narrowed, as shown in FIG. 15, the width W of the slit 103 is also reduced accordingly, so that the negative pressure in the negative pressure chamber 101 is difficult to act between the belts 102 and 102, and the small article is firmly attached. Another problem is that it cannot be adsorbed.

  As a method for drastically solving such a problem, it is conceivable to use an endless V-belt 104 as a conveying belt as shown in FIG. The V-belt 104 has an advantage that the posture when the small article is adsorbed is a flat surface, and thus has an advantage that the posture when adsorbed is stable, and the shoulder portion to which the small article is adsorbed protrudes. There is an advantage in that it is not necessary to reduce the width of the slit 103 even if the interval between the 104 and 104 is reduced.

  However, this V-belt 104 also has the above-described advantages, but on the other hand, there are problems as described below.

  The V belt 104 is generally used in a state of being wound around a pair of pulleys having a V groove formed on the outer periphery. When the V belt 104 is supported between the pulleys, a V-shaped guide groove is used. The guide plate in which is formed is arranged below the V-belt 104, and the travel of the V-belt 104 is guided by this guide groove. At that time, the V groove of the pulley and the guide groove of the guide plate are formed so that the V-shaped angle is the same as the V-shaped angle of the V-belt 104. It is driven in a state where it is in contact with only both side surfaces and not in contact with the bottom surface of the V-groove. Similarly, its travel is guided in contact with only both side surfaces of the guide groove and not in contact with the bottom surface of the guide groove.

  By the way, the commercially available endless V-belt 104 is not necessarily finished with a uniform circumferential length, and varies within a predetermined tolerance. Accordingly, when V belts 104 having different lengths are wound around pulleys and separated from each other and tension is applied to the V belt 104, the V belt 104 having a short peripheral length and a strong tension acts as shown in FIG. In addition, as compared with the V belt 104 having a long peripheral length and a weak tension acting, the belt enters the V groove, and the height position of the upper surface thereof is lowered. The same applies to the guide plate. Incidentally, reference numeral 105 in the figure denotes a pulley.

  In such a state, the circumferential speed of the pulley 105 is different from that of the pulley 105 in the radial direction, and the V-belt 104 with high tension travels at a slower speed than the V-belt 104 with low tension. The small articles adsorbed on the V-belt 104 are rotated by this speed difference.

  Thus, when the small article is rotated during conveyance in this way, there arises a problem that an accurate appearance inspection cannot be performed. In addition, if there is a step between the pair of V-belts 104, 104, the small article adsorbed on the V-belt 104 becomes unstable and easily generates vibration due to disturbance. In this sense, an accurate inspection can be performed. Can not. In particular, in the case of an irregularly shaped small article that does not have a uniform shape, such as a resin pellet, it tends to be unstable.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a suction conveyance device capable of conveying a small article having a very small volume in a stable posture.

The present invention for solving the above problems is as follows.
A driving pulley and a driven pulley each having at least two pairs of annular V-grooves on the outer periphery, and arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval so that the V-grooves face each other;
A hollow casing disposed between the driving pulley and the driven pulley, and provided with V-shaped guide grooves formed along the straight lines connecting the opposing V grooves on the upper surface, And a negative pressure box provided with one or a plurality of intake holes leading to the internal space between the pair of guide grooves along the guide grooves;
Exhaust means for exhausting the gas in the negative pressure box;
At least two pairs of endless V belts wound around the driving pulley and the driven pulley so as to be engaged with the V grooves of the driving pulley and the driven pulley, and the guide grooves of the negative pressure box;
Drive means for driving the driving pulley,
Each V groove of the driving pulley and the driven pulley and each guide groove of the negative pressure box are formed to have a size that at least the bottom surface thereof can contact the lower surface of the V belt ,
The present invention relates to a suction conveyance device in which one or a plurality of through-holes leading to the internal space of the negative pressure box are opened on the bottom surface of the pair of guide grooves and the inner surface on the side close to each other .

  According to this suction conveyance device, first, the gas in the negative pressure box is exhausted by the exhaust means to make the internal space have a negative pressure. As a result, negative pressure acts between the pair of V-belts via the intake holes. Thereafter, the driving pulley is driven by the driving means to rotate the V belt wound around the driving pulley and the driven pulley.

  Next, when the aligned small articles are supplied onto the pair of V belts so as to straddle them, the small articles are attracted and held on the pair of belts by the negative pressure acting between the belts, and the V belt runs. Is conveyed in the traveling direction.

  By the way, as described above, the endless V-belt is not necessarily finished with a uniform circumferential length, and varies within a predetermined allowable range. Therefore, in the above-mentioned conventional mode, the V belt with a short peripheral length and a strong tension acts is in a state of entering into the V groove compared to the V belt with a long peripheral length and a weak tension. The traveling speed becomes slow, and the small article adsorbed on the V-belt rotates due to this speed difference.

  Further, if there is a step between the pair of V belts, the small article adsorbed on the V belt becomes unstable and easily vibrates due to disturbance.

  Conventionally, the V-belt is mainly used for power transmission, and such power transmission needs to be set so that transmission loss is minimized. For this reason, conventionally, both the inner surfaces of the V grooves of the driving pulley and the driven pulley are in contact with both outer surfaces of the V belt, in other words, used in such a manner that the bottom surface of the V groove and the lower surface of the V belt do not contact each other. Thus, a state in which the V belt is in strong contact with the inner surface of the V groove is created by the tension acting on the V belt, and the power transmission efficiency is enhanced by the frictional force acting between the two.

  However, when a V-belt is used for conveyance, a very large load does not act on the V-belt. Therefore, it is not necessary to adopt the above-described mode in which power transmission effectiveness is emphasized. The above-mentioned problem occurs.

  Therefore, in the present invention, each V groove of the driving pulley and the driven pulley and each guide groove of the negative pressure box are formed in such a size that at least the bottom surface thereof can come into contact with the lower surface of the V belt.

  Even in this case, in the state where a large load is not applied, the rotational force of the driving pulley can be sufficiently transmitted to the V belt by the frictional force between the lower surface of the V belt and the bottom surface of each pulley V groove. it can. And by making the lower surface of the V belt contact the bottom surface of the V groove, it is possible to suppress the displacement of the V belt in the radial direction of the pulley regardless of the magnitude of the tension. The problem in can be avoided.

  Thus, according to the present invention, the pair of V belts to which the small articles are adsorbed are not displaced in the radial direction of the pulley, so that it is possible to prevent a step between the two V belts. The traveling speeds of the two V belts can be made substantially the same, whereby the small article can be adsorbed and transported in a state where the posture is stable.

  In the present invention, the V groove bottom surface of each pulley and each guide groove bottom surface of the negative pressure box and the bottom surface of the V belt are in contact with each other. The V-shaped dimension is formed to the same dimension, and both the inner and bottom surfaces of the V-groove and the guide groove are in contact with both the outer surface and the lower surface of the V-belt, and the V-shaped dimension of the V-groove and the guide groove is V It is set to be larger than the V-shaped dimension of the belt, and the lower surface of the V-belt is formed between the outer surface of the V-belt and the inner surface of the V-groove and the guide groove. The aspect which contacted the bottom face can be mentioned.

However, in the aspect in which the V-shaped dimension of the V-groove and the guide groove is larger than the V-shaped dimension of the V-belt, a gap exists between the V-groove and the guide groove and the V-belt. Tends to be displaced in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction, causing blurring in traveling .

Therefore, in the present invention, as described above , one or a plurality of through-holes leading to the internal space of the negative pressure box are opened on the bottom surface of the pair of guide grooves and the inner surface on the side close to each other. Yes. In this way, the V-belt is attracted to the bottom surface of each guide groove and the inner surface on the side close to each other by negative pressure, and travels in contact with them, so that the V-belt is perpendicular to the traveling direction. And the travel path of the V-belt becomes more stable.

As described above, according to the suction conveyance device according to the present invention, at least the bottom surface of each V groove of the driving pulley and the driven pulley and each guide groove of the negative pressure box can contact the lower surface of the V belt. Since it is formed in a size, it is possible to suppress the displacement of the V-belt in the radial direction of the pulley regardless of the magnitude of the tension acting on each V-belt. A step can be prevented from occurring, and the traveling speeds of both V-belts can be made substantially the same. As a result, the small article can be adsorbed and transported in a stable posture. In addition, since one or more through-holes leading to the internal space of the negative pressure box are opened on the bottom surface of the pair of guide grooves and the inner surface on the side close to each other, the V belt is orthogonal to the traveling direction. It is possible to prevent displacement in the direction, and the traveling track becomes more stable.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described. First, based-out in FIGS. 1 to 11 of the accompanying drawings, a description will be given of the basic forms for understanding the present invention. In this example, resin pellets are used as inspection objects. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and small articles such as electronic parts such as button batteries, pharmaceuticals such as tablets and capsules, and small confectionery such as candy are inspection objects. It can be.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the appearance inspection apparatus 1 of the present example includes a transport mechanism unit 10 that transports resin pellets that are collectively loaded in a plurality of rows (eight rows in this example), and the transport mechanism unit 10. The first inspection mechanism unit 45 and the second inspection mechanism unit 55 that inspect the appearance of the resin pellets P disposed and conveyed along the inspection results of the first inspection mechanism unit 45 and the second inspection mechanism unit 55 are shown. Based on the above, a defective product collecting mechanism 60 that sucks and removes defective products from the conveyed resin pellets P, a good product collecting mechanism 75 that collects non-defective resin pellets P, and negative pressure is applied to the transport mechanism 10 and the like. Exhaust pump 70 to be supplied, operation control unit 81 for controlling operations of the transport mechanism unit 10, the first and second inspection mechanism units 45 and 55, the defective product recovery mechanism unit 60, the exhaust pump 70, etc., and two upper and lower stages This support structure is equipped with And the like supporting frame 2 which supports the respective parts.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transport mechanism unit 10 is discharged from a funnel-shaped supply hopper 11 into which a large number of resin pellets P are charged and a supply block 12 connected to the lower end thereof, and the supply block 12. The first vibration feeder 13 that diffuses and conveys the resin pellets P, the second vibration feeder 17 that conveys the resin pellets P discharged from the first vibration feeder 13 in eight rows, and the second vibration feeder 17 The first adsorption conveyance device 30 and the second adsorption conveyance device 50 that sequentially adsorb and linearly convey the eight rows of resin pellets P discharged from the apparatus.

  The first vibration feeder 13 is placed and fixed on the base 14, the vibrator 15 disposed on the base 14, and the vibrator 15 so as to be inclined downward toward the downstream side in the transport direction. The feed block 12 is fixed to the upstream end of the feed plate 16 in the transport direction.

  A supply path is formed inside the supply block 12, and a lower end portion of the supply hopper 11 is connected to an upper end portion of the supply path so that the interior and the supply path communicate with each other.

  Thus, the resin pellet P supplied into the supply hopper 11 penetrates into the supply path of the supply block 12 from the lower end opening of the supply hopper 11, and due to vibration propagated from the vibrator 15 to the supply block 12, The feed path moves toward the feed plate 16 and is supplied onto the feed plate 16. Then, the resin pellets P supplied onto the feed plate 16 are diffused (widened) in the width direction of the feed plate 16 (direction perpendicular to the conveying direction) by vibrations propagated from the vibrator 15 to the feed plate 16. While moving toward the second vibration feeder 17, it is discharged to the second vibration feeder 17.

  Similarly to the first vibration feeder 13, the second vibration feeder 17 includes a base 18, a vibrator 19 disposed on the base 18, and a vibrator so as to incline downward toward the downstream side in the transport direction. 19 and a rectifying plate 20 mounted and fixed on 19.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the rectifying plate 20 is made of a plate-like member, and the upper surface of the rectifying plate 20 has eight rows each having a substantially V-shaped cross section formed by the vertical surface 20 b and the inclined surface 20 c. A straight conveyance path 20a is provided, and the conveyance path 20a on the downstream side in the conveyance direction is provided with a long hole-shaped discharge hole 20d penetrating the front and back surfaces. In addition, the depth of the conveyance path 20a composed of the vertical surface 20b and the inclined surface 20c is higher than the second step when the conveyed resin pellets P are in a multi-layered state as shown in FIG. The resin pellet P has a depth that protrudes upward from the upper end of the rectifying plate 20. The position and width of the discharge hole 20d in the width direction of the transport path 20a and the width dimension thereof are such that other than the resin pellets P that are transported in contact with the vertical surface 20b fall into the discharge hole 20d. It is a dimension.

  As described above, the resin pellet P discharged from the first vibration feeder 13 is supplied onto the rectifying plate 20, and the first rectifying plate 20 is vibrated from the vibrator 19 to the rectifying plate 20. It is conveyed toward the suction conveyance device 30. At that time, the resin pellets P supplied onto the rectifying plate 20 enter the respective conveying paths 20a formed on the upper surface thereof, and are moved toward the vertical surface 20b side by the action of the inclined surface 20c, while the first adsorption is performed. The resin pellets P that are transported toward the transport device 30 and are not in contact with the vertical surface 20b in the transport process fall into the discharge holes 20d and are discharged out of the transport system, and are transported in contact with the vertical surface 20b. Only one row of resin pellets P reaches the downstream end of conveyance.

  Above the discharge hole 20d, a stack release mechanism that removes the resin pellet P that is transported on the transport path 20a above the second stage in a multi-layered state from the discharge hole 20d to the outside of the transport system. 21 is provided, and a reflux mechanism 26 connected to the supply hopper 11 is provided below the discharge hole 20d.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 10, the delamination mechanism 21 is connected to an air supply pipe 22 connected to a compressed air supply source (not shown) and a lower end portion of the air supply pipe 22, and receives compressed air from its tip opening. The L-shaped nozzle 23 to be discharged and the same L-shaped guide plate 24 arranged in front of the nozzle 23 in the discharge direction are set as one set, and the eight sets are individually associated with the respective transport paths 20a. The provided structure is provided. The air supply pipe 22 and the nozzle 23 are divided into two groups, with the four sets as one group, and for each group, each set constituting the group is arranged at a position slightly shifted along the transport direction. In addition, each air supply pipe 22 is supported by a support plate 25 provided above the rectifying plate 20, and each nozzle 23 has a tip opening located in the vicinity of the upper end of the vertical surface 20b of the corresponding conveyance path 20a. Each guide plate 24 is disposed such that the lower end thereof comes into contact with the upper end position of the inclined surface 20c of the corresponding conveying path 20a.

  As described above, the resin pellets P supplied from the first vibration feeder 13 onto the rectifying plate 20 are aligned in a line for each transport path 20a by the action of the discharge holes 20d during the transport process. Depending on the supply state from the vibration feeder 13, these may be stacked in two or more stages. In this case, when the resin pellet P above the second stage passes near the nozzle 23, it is blown off to the guide plate 24 side facing this by the air flow discharged from the nozzle 23. 24 is guided into the discharge hole 20d and discharged out of the transport system.

  Thus, the resin pellets P supplied from the first vibration feeder 13 are aligned in a single row by the action of the discharge holes 20d and the stack release mechanism 21 in each transport path 20a and reach the transport downstream end.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 11, the reflux mechanism 26 is connected to a recovery hopper 26a provided below the discharge hole 20d and a lower end portion of the recovery hopper 26a, and a reflux path 26c formed therein is recovered. A block 26b provided so as to communicate with the inside of the hopper 26a, one end is appropriately connected to a compressed air supply source, and the other end is attached to a mounting hole 26d communicating with the reflux path 26c of the block 26b, and provided at the tip thereof. A distal end portion of the L-shaped nozzle 26f is disposed in a state of entering the reflux path 26c, and a compressed air supply pipe 26e for supplying compressed air from the compressed air supply source into the reflux path 26c, and one end thereof A reflux pipe 26g is disposed above the supply hopper 11 and connected to the block 26b so that the other end is connected to the reflux path 26c.

  The resin pellet P discharged from the discharge hole 20d to the outside of the transport system is recovered in a recovery hopper 26a provided below the recovered resin pellet P, and the recovered resin pellet P is compressed by compressed air supplied from the compressed air supply source. The inside of the reflux path 26 c and the reflux pipe 26 g is pumped and refluxed into the supply hopper 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first suction conveyance device 30 includes a driving pulley 37 and a driven pulley 38 arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval, and a lower part of the intermediate portion between the driving pulley 37 and the driven pulley 38. The driven pulley 39 and the endless V-belt 40 wound around the driving pulley 37 and the driven pulleys 38, 39, and the driving pulley 37 and the driven pulley 38. A guide plate 34 that guides the traveling, frames 31 and 32 that support the guide plate 34 and rotatably support the driving pulley 37 and the driven pulleys 38 and 39, a lower surface of the guide plate 34, and the frames 31 and 32 A plate-like wall body 33 which is fixed in an airtight manner on the mutually opposing surfaces and forms an internal space together with the guide plate 34 and the frames 31 and 32, and a drive motor for driving the driving pulley 37 ( Constructed from Shimese not) and negative pressure box 41 with the internal space by the guide plate 34, a frame 31, 32 and the wall 33 is formed.

  The frame 31 is formed with an exhaust hole 35 penetrating the front and back at the center thereof, and an exhaust pipe 36 connected to the exhaust pump 70 is connected to the exhaust hole 35. The air in the negative pressure box 41 is exhausted through the exhaust hole 35 and the exhaust hole 35, and the negative pressure box 41 becomes negative pressure.

  The driving pulley 37 and the driven pulleys 38 and 39 each have a total of eight pairs of annular V-grooves having two pairs on the outer periphery (39a in FIG. 4 is the V-groove of the driven pulley 39, and the driving pulley 37 and the driven pulley 39). Since the illustration of the V-groove of the pulley 38 is omitted, hereinafter, the reference numerals of the V-groove are omitted), and the V-grooves are arranged so as to face each other. Further, the guide plate 34 has eight pairs of V-shaped guide grooves 34a on the upper surface thereof along straight lines connecting the V grooves of the driving pulley 37 and the V grooves of the driven pulley 38 facing each other. Is formed. Then, eight pairs of the V belts 40 are paired with the driving pulley 37 and the driven pulleys 38 and 39, respectively, and the driving pulley 37 and the driven pulley are engaged with the guide grooves 34a of the guide plate 34, respectively. It is wound around pulleys 38 and 39.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the V groove of the driving pulley 37 and the driven pulleys 38 and 39 and the guide groove 34 a of the guide plate 34 are formed to have the same V shape and the V belt 40. Both inner side surfaces and bottom surface of the V groove, both inner side surfaces 34b, 34c and bottom surface 34d of the guide groove 34a, and both outer side surfaces 40a, 40b and lower surface 40c of the V belt 40 are in contact with each other.

  Further, on the lower surface of the guide plate 34, a long groove 34g is formed along the longitudinal direction at a position corresponding to the pair of guide grooves 34a, 34a, and the bottom surface of the long groove 34g (the state shown in FIG. 5). In FIG. 5, a long groove 34f is formed along the upper surface of the pair of guide grooves 34a and 34a, and a bottom surface of the long groove 34f (the upper surface in the state shown in FIG. 5). A plurality of slit-like intake holes 34e are formed in a line. In addition, a plurality of round hole-shaped through holes 34h that open to the bottom surface of the long groove 34g are formed in a row on the bottom surface of each guide groove 34a.

  According to the first suction conveyance device 30, when the air in the negative pressure box 41 is exhausted by the exhaust pump 70 and the negative pressure box 41 becomes negative pressure, the pair of V belts 40 are connected via the intake holes 34e. , 40 acts as a negative pressure. In addition, the driving pulley 37 is driven by a drive motor (not shown), and thereby the V belt wound around the driving pulley 37 and the driven pulleys 38 and 39 is rotated. Then, when the resin pellets P of each row aligned by the second vibration feeder as described above are supplied on each pair of V belts so as to straddle them, between the V belts 40 and 40, respectively. Due to the acting negative pressure, the lower surface of the resin pellet P is attracted and held on the pair of V belts 40 and 40 and is conveyed by the V belts 40 and 40 in the traveling direction. Thus, in the first first suction conveyance device 30, eight rows of suction conveyance paths are formed by eight pairs of V belts.

  Further, the negative pressure in the negative pressure box 41 acts on the bottom surface of each guide groove 34a through the through hole 34h, and the lower surface of the V-belt 40 that runs while being guided by the negative pressure box 41 is sucked by this negative pressure. The vertical displacement of the V-belt 40 is prevented, and the V-belt 40 travels in a stable state.

  The second suction transfer device 50 has the same configuration as the first suction transfer device 30 and will not be described in detail. However, as shown in FIG. Provided on the upper surface of the resin pellets P in each row adsorbed and conveyed by the first adsorption conveyance device 30. The upper surface of the resin pellets P is arranged to be opposed to the conveyance downstream end of the first adsorption conveyance device 30. They are sucked and transported in a suspended state. In addition, at the conveyance downstream end of this 2nd adsorption conveyance apparatus 50, the adsorption | suction is cancelled | released and the resin pellet P is discharge | released by an inertia in the moving direction.

  The first inspection mechanism unit 45 is provided above the first suction conveyance device 30, and a CCD camera 46 that images the upper surface of the resin pellet P sucked and conveyed by the first adsorption conveyance device 30, and the CCD camera 46 Illumination devices 47 and 47 that illuminate the imaging region, and a first inspection processing unit 82 that analyzes the image of the resin pellet P imaged by the CCD camera 46 and determines its quality.

  Similarly, the second inspection mechanism unit 55 is provided below the second suction transfer device 50, and a CCD camera 56 that images the lower surface of the resin pellet P sucked and transferred by the second suction transfer device 50, and this Illumination devices 57 and 57 that illuminate the imaging region of the CCD camera 56, and a second inspection processing unit 83 that analyzes the image of the resin pellet P imaged by the CCD camera 56 and determines its quality.

  The first inspection processing unit 82 and the second inspection processing unit 83 are provided in the control panel 80 together with the operation control unit 81. When a defective product is detected, the first inspection processing unit 82 and the second inspection processing unit 83 include information related to the suction conveyance path that detected the defective product. Each defective product detection signal is transmitted to the operation control unit 81.

  The defective product collection mechanism 60 is provided on the downstream side of the CCD camera 46 in the transport direction and above the first suction transport device 30, and is positioned above the pair of V belts 40 and 40, respectively. A suction body 62 having eight suction nozzles for sucking and removing the resin pellets P sucked and transported by the V belts 40 and 40, a downstream side in the transport direction from the CCD camera 56, and the second suction transport device 50 And a suction body 64 provided with eight suction nozzles that are positioned below each pair of V belts and suck and remove the resin pellets P sucked and conveyed by the V belts, The defective product collection box 61 connected to the negative pressure source as appropriate, the pipe 63 connecting the defective product collection box 61 and the suction body 62, and the defective product collection box 61 and the suction body 64 are connected to each other. Piping 65, solenoid valves (not shown) that are respectively connected to the pipes that branch from the pipe 63 and are connected to the suction nozzles of the suction body 62, and the suction bodies 64 that branch from the pipe 65 It consists of a solenoid valve (not shown) interposed in each pipe connected to the nozzle.

  The operation of each solenoid valve (not shown) is controlled by the operation control unit 81, and the operation control unit 81 receives a defective product detection signal from the first inspection processing unit 82 and the second inspection processing unit 83. Then, after a predetermined time has elapsed from this reception (after the resin pellet P is imaged by the CCD cameras 46 and 56, it is the time until it reaches each suction nozzle, which is set in advance by experience). The electromagnetic valve (not shown) which concerns on this is opened, and a negative pressure is made to act on the suction nozzle corresponding to this. As a result, the defective resin pellet P is sucked from the suction nozzle and is collected in the defective product collection box 61 through the pipes 63 and 65.

  The non-defective product recovery mechanism unit 75 is provided on the movement path of the resin pellets P discharged from the second suction conveyance device 50, and is installed in the vicinity of the recovery hopper 78 for recovering the discharged resin pellets P and the support frame 2. A recovery box 76 having one end connected to the recovery hopper 78 and another end connected to the recovery hopper 78 and collecting the resin pellet P recovered in the recovery hopper 78 into the non-defective product recovery box 76. Become.

  The support frame 2 is covered with a cover (not shown).

  According to the appearance inspection apparatus 1 of the present example having the above-described configuration, first, a large number of resin pellets P are collectively charged into the supply hopper 11. The supplied resin pellet P enters the supply path of the supply block 12 from the lower end opening of the supply hopper 11, and the inside of the supply path is directed toward the feed plate 16 due to vibration propagated from the vibrator 15 to the supply block 12. And moved toward the second vibration feeder 17 while diffusing in the width direction of the feed plate 16 due to vibrations that are supplied onto the feed plate 16 and propagated from the vibrator 15 to the feed plate 16. It is discharged to the second vibration feeder 17.

  The resin pellets P discharged from the first vibration feeder 13 are then supplied onto the rectifying plate 20 and are propagated on the rectifying plate 20 from the vibrator 19 to the rectifying plate 20. It is conveyed toward. At that time, the resin pellets P enter the respective transport paths 20a, and are transported toward the first suction transport device 30 while being moved toward the vertical surface 20b by the action of the inclined surface 20c. The resin pellets P that are not in contact with the vertical surface 20b fall into the discharge hole 20d and are discharged out of the transport system, and those stacked in multiple stages are those above the second stage, which are the stack release mechanism 21. Are blown off by the air flow discharged from the nozzles 23 and discharged from the discharge holes 20d to the outside of the transfer system, aligned in a single row in each transfer path 20a, and reach the transfer downstream end.

  On the other hand, the resin pellets P discharged from the discharge hole 20d to the outside of the transport system are recovered by a recovery hopper 26a provided below, and are supplied from the recovery hopper 26a to the supply hopper 11 through a return path 26c and a return pipe 26g. The mixture is refluxed and supplied again onto the feed plate 16 of the first vibration feeder 13.

  The resin pellet P that has reached the conveyance downstream end of the first vibration feeder 13 is then supplied to the pair of V belts 40, 40 constituting the first suction conveyance device 30 so as to straddle the V pellets. The lower surface is attracted and held on the pair of V belts 40, 40 by the negative pressure acting between the 40, 40, and is conveyed in the traveling direction by the V belts 40, 40.

  Then, while being conveyed by the first suction conveyance device 30, the upper surface is inspected by the first inspection mechanism unit 45, and the resin pellet P determined to be defective is recovered from the suction body 62 via the pipe 63 as a defective product. Only the resin pellets P collected in the box 61 and determined to be non-defective products reach the conveyance downstream end of the first suction conveyance device 30.

  The resin pellet P that has reached the downstream end of conveyance of the first suction conveyance device 30 is then delivered to the second adsorption conveyance device 50, and the upper surface is adsorbed by the second adsorption conveyance device 50 and suspended. In the transport process, the lower surface is inspected by the second inspection mechanism unit 55, and the resin pellets P determined to be defective are recovered from the suction body 64 through the pipe 65 into the defective product recovery box 61, Only the determined resin pellet P is discharged from the second suction conveyance device 50 and is collected in the non-defective product collection box 76 through the collection hopper 78 and the collection pipe 77.

  By the way, in this example, the V-shaped dimension of the V-groove of the driving pulley 37 and the driven pulleys 38 and 39 and the guiding groove 34a of the guide plate 34 and the V-shaped dimension of the V belt 40 are formed in the same dimension as described above. In the state where both inner side surfaces and bottom surface of the V groove, both inner side surfaces 34b, 34c and bottom surface 34d of the guide groove 34a, and both outer side surfaces 40a, 40b and lower surface 40c of the V belt 40 are in contact with each other. Is configured to travel.

  As described above, the endless V-belt 40 is not necessarily finished with a uniform circumferential length, and varies within a predetermined allowable range. Therefore, in the above-described conventional mode, the V-belt 40 having a short circumferential length and a strong tension is in a state of entering the V groove 39a as compared with the V-belt 40 having a long circumferential length and a weak tension. As a result, the running speed is slowed down, causing the problem that the resin pellets P adsorbed on the V-belt 40 rotate due to this speed difference, and a step is generated between the pair of V-belts 40, 40. The resin pellet P adsorbed on the belt 40 becomes unstable and causes a problem that it easily vibrates due to disturbance.

  In this example, as described above, both inner side surfaces and bottom surfaces of the V grooves of the pulleys 37, 38, 39, both inner side surfaces 34b, 34c and bottom surfaces 34d of the guide grooves 34a, and both outer side surfaces 40a of the V belt 40 are used. , 40b and the lower surface 40c are in contact with each other, regardless of the magnitude of the tension acting on the V-belt 40, this may be displaced in the radial direction of the pulleys 37, 38, 39, or Therefore, the traveling speed of the pair of V-belts 40, 40 can be made substantially the same, and a step between the pair of V-belts 40, 40 can be achieved. As a result, the resin pellets P can be adsorbed and transported in a stable posture.

  In this example, since the negative pressure is applied to the bottom surface of each guide groove 34a and the lower surface of the V belt 40 is sucked by this negative pressure, the V belt 40 is not displaced in the vertical direction. In terms of meaning, the resin pellets P can be transported in a stable state.

As described above, the basic form for understanding the present invention has been described. In the present invention , as shown in FIG. 12, in particular, the through hole 34h is formed on the bottom surface of each pair of guide grooves 34a. 34d and the inner side surface 34b on the side close to each other are opened .

In the present invention, the V-shaped dimension of each of the pulleys 37, 38, 39 and the guide groove 34a of the guide plate 34 and the V-shaped dimension of the V-belt 40 are formed to be the same dimension. Further, the inner surfaces 34b and 34c and the bottom surface 34d of the guide groove 34a and the outer surfaces 40a and 40b and the lower surface 40c of the V-belt 40 may be in contact with each other. Instead, as shown in FIG. 12, the V-shaped dimension of the V-groove and guide groove 34a is made larger than the V-shaped dimension of the V-belt 40, and the lower surface 40c of the V-belt 40 and the V-groove and guide groove 34a Even though the bottom surface 34d is in contact with the bottom surface 34d, a mode in which there is a slight gap between the outer surface 40a of the V-belt 40 and the inner surface 34c of the V-groove and the guide groove 34a can be adopted.

In this case, the V-belt 40 is likely to be displaced in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction, and the traveling is likely to be blurred. Therefore, as described above, if the through hole 34h is opened on the bottom surface 34d of each pair of guide grooves 34a and the inner side surface 34b on the side close to each other, the V belt 40 is mutually close to the bottom surface 34d of the guide groove 34a. It can be made to run in a state where it is attracted to and slidably contacted with the inner side surface 34b on the side, and the running track of the V belt 40 can be made stable.

Of course, specific modes that the present invention can take may be different from the above examples without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example , as shown in FIG. 12, the pair of V belts 40 exhibiting the suction conveyance function may have chamfered portions 40d formed on the upper edge portions on the opposite sides. When the chamfered portion 40d is provided, the resin pellet P can be supported by the chamfered portion 40d. It can be held, can be prevented from being displaced in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and the delivery from the first suction transport device 30 to the second suction transport device 50 can be made more stable. it can.

  In the above example, a plurality of slit-like intake holes 34e are provided in a single row. However, they may be connected to form a single slit, or may be provided in multiple rows. Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of the hole is not limited to the slit shape, and various shapes such as a round hole and a square hole can be adopted. The same applies to the through-hole 34h, and various other shapes such as a slit shape and a square hole can be adopted, and one slit or a double row may be used.

  As described above, the present invention is a visual inspection of small articles such as electronic parts such as resin pellets, button batteries, pharmaceuticals such as tablets and capsules, and small confectionery such as candy. It is particularly suitable as an adsorption transport device for transporting to the surface.

It is a front sectional view showing the whole appearance inspection device provided with the adsorption conveyance device concerning the basic form of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the conveyance mechanism part which concerns on this basic form. It is a front sectional view showing the 1st adsorption conveyance device concerning this basic form. It is a sectional side view which shows the 1st adsorption conveyance apparatus which concerns on this basic form, and is a sectional side view in the arrow AA direction in FIG. It is a sectional side view which shows the guide plate which concerns on this basic form. It is a top view which shows the baffle plate which concerns on this basic form. It is a front view which shows the baffle plate which concerns on this basic form. It is a sectional side view which shows the baffle plate which concerns on this basic form, and is a sectional side view in the arrow BB direction in FIG. It is a sectional side view which shows the baffle plate which concerns on this basic form, and is a sectional side view of the arrow CC direction in FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the delamination mechanism etc. which concern on this basic form. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the collection | recovery hopper etc. which concern on this basic form. It is a sectional side view which shows the guide plate which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows the suction conveyance apparatus which concerns on a prior art example. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the problem which concerns on a prior art example. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the problem which concerns on a prior art example. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the problem which concerns on a prior art example. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the problem which concerns on a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Appearance inspection apparatus 10 Conveyance mechanism part 13 1st vibration feeder 17 2nd vibration feeder 30 1st adsorption | suction conveyance apparatus 34 Guide plate 34a Guide groove 34e Intake hole 34h Through-hole 37 Drive pulley 38 Drive pulley 39 Drive pulley 40 V belt 41 Negative Pressure box 45 First inspection mechanism part 55 Second inspection mechanism part 60 Defective product recovery mechanism part 70 Exhaust pump 75 Non-defective product recovery mechanism part

Claims (1)

A driving pulley and a driven pulley each having at least two pairs of annular V-grooves on the outer periphery, and arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval so that the V-grooves face each other;
A hollow casing disposed between the driving pulley and the driven pulley, and having V-shaped guide grooves formed on the top surface along straight lines connecting the opposing V grooves. And a negative pressure box provided with one or a plurality of intake holes communicating with the internal space between the pair of guide grooves along the guide grooves,
Exhaust means for exhausting the gas in the negative pressure box;
At least two pairs of endless V belts wound around the driving pulley and the driven pulley so as to be engaged with the V grooves of the driving pulley and the driven pulley, and the guide grooves of the negative pressure box;
Drive means for driving the driving pulley,
Each V groove of the driving pulley and the driven pulley and each guide groove of the negative pressure box are formed to have a size that at least the bottom surface thereof can contact the lower surface of the V belt ,
One or a plurality of through-holes leading to the internal space of the negative pressure box are opened on the bottom surface of the pair of guide grooves and the inner surface on the side close to each other .

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