JP4891251B2 - Suction head device - Google Patents

Description

【Technical field】
[0001]
  The present invention relates to a suction head device that sucks and transfers a workpiece such as a semiconductor-related electronic component or mechanical component, and more particularly, a suction head that sucks and removes a workpiece from a storage position and positions and transfers the workpiece to a predetermined position. Relates to the device.
[Background]
[0002]
  In a production line for semiconductors or other small electronic components, the target workpiece (electronic component) is transferred to various processing steps by a conveyor, and is taken out of the conveyor by a transfer device and placed at a predetermined position in the processing section. Transferred and given processing.
  On the other hand, for such a workpiece (electronic component), since the life cycle of the applied product is short, the model is frequently changed to cope with it. Therefore, in order to cope with this model change, it is necessary to process at high speed while ensuring quality on the production line so that various parts can be manufactured at low cost, and the workpiece is transferred from the conveyor to the processing unit. As a transfer device to be mounted, in particular, a device provided with a suction head device that can easily hold (suck) various sizes of workpieces and can transfer to a processing unit while positioning with high accuracy is desired.
[0003]
  As a conventional suction head device, for example, a base plate having a through hole in the center, a suction pipe movable up and down through the through hole of the base plate, a suction pad provided at the tip of the suction pipe, and a radial direction with respect to the base plate Two pairs of chuck claws that are arranged so as to be close to and away from each other and can hold the arm, a link mechanism that drives the two pairs of chuck claws, a cam mechanism, and the like, and when the suction pipe descends, the two pairs of chuck claws Are separated, and when the suction pipe rises with the suction pad sucking the workpiece, two pairs of chuck claws are known to sandwich the workpiece (for example,Patent Document 1).
  However, in this suction head device, since the two pairs of chuck claws hold the workpiece while the suction pad sucks the workpiece, when the workpiece is sucked with the center of the workpiece shifted from the center of the suction pad, The two pairs of chuck claws are held in a state where the suction pad is elastically deformed so that the workpiece is positioned at the center of the suction pad.
  Therefore, even if the workpiece is positioned by the chuck claw, when the workpiece is transferred to the predetermined processing section, if the positioning by clamping the chuck claw is released, the suction pad is elastically restored and the workpiece returns to the shifted position. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately transfer the workpiece to a predetermined position.
[0004]
  Other suction head devices include a nozzle shaft having a suction nozzle at the tip, a cam member having a rotation shaft in the horizontal direction and driven to rotate by a motor, a rod having a follower linked to the cam member, a rod, and a nozzle shaft. A link member connected to the chuck, a chuck arranged around the suction nozzle, a lifting mechanism that raises the nozzle shaft to prevent the nozzle shaft from falling due to its own weight and colliding with a workpiece, etc. in the event of a power failure By rotating the cam member, the nozzle shaft moves up and down through the rod and link member, and the workpiece adsorbed by the adsorption nozzle is clamped by the chuck. Is known to be raised to a predetermined position (for example,Patent Document 2).
  However, in this suction head device, the mechanism for raising and lowering the nozzle shaft has a structure including a cam member, a rod, a link member, and the like having a rotating shaft in the horizontal direction, and a lift that prevents the nozzle shaft from falling due to its own weight. Since the mechanism is provided separately, the overall structure is complex, and the equipment is larger than necessary compared to the target workpiece, making it difficult to meet the demands for space saving, consolidation, miniaturization, etc. It is.
[Prior art documents]
[Patent Literature]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-24882
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-5-21997
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
[0005]
  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to simplify the structure, consolidate each mechanism, downsize the entire apparatus, save installation space, and transfer workpieces. While reducing the time required for processing, it is possible to adsorb workpieces such as semiconductor chips, substrates, etc. or mechanical parts and transfer them to a predetermined processing section with high accuracy, thereby improving productivity. An object of the present invention is to provide a suction head device capable of achieving the above.
[Means for Solving the Problems]
[0006]
  The suction head device of the present invention that achieves the above object includes a shaft that extends in the vertical direction and moves up and down, a suction pad that is coupled to the lower end of the shaft and that is elastically deformable and sucks a workpiece, and suction to the suction pad. A suction generating mechanism for generating force, a lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the shaft, a clamping mechanism for clamping the work sucked by the suction pad from the horizontal direction and positioning it at a predetermined position, a suction generating mechanism, a lifting mechanism, and a clamping mechanism And a control means for controlling the drive of the suction head device, wherein the control means is positioned at a predetermined position while holding the workpiece by the holding mechanism,By stopping the suction operation of the suction generation mechanism and then driving the lifting mechanism to raise the shaft onceIt is characterized in that suction by the suction pad is once released, the suction pad is elastically restored to its original shape, and thereafter, the clamping mechanism and the suction generation mechanism are driven and controlled so that the workpiece is sucked again by the suction pad.
  According to this configuration, when the shaft is lowered to the position where the workpiece is sucked by the operation of the lifting mechanism, the suction pad sucks the workpiece by the suction operation of the suction generation mechanism. Then, when the shaft rises to a predetermined position by the operation of the lifting mechanism, the clamping mechanism is activated to clamp the workpiece from the horizontal direction. afterwards,The suction operation by the suction generation mechanism is temporarily stopped for the workpiece clamped by the clamping mechanism, and the suction pad is once lifted away from the workpiece to release the suction.,Thereafter, the workpiece is sucked again.
  Therefore, even when the workpiece is attracted to the suction pad in a state of being deviated from the center position to be attracted and is positioned by the sandwiching mechanism in the shifted state and the suction pad is in an elastically deformed state, the workpiece is sandwiched by the sandwiching mechanism. Since the work is once released from the suction pad in this state, the suction pad is elastically restored to eliminate the deviation, and the work is sucked again in a state of being positioned at a predetermined position. Thereby, even if the holding state by the holding mechanism and the suction state by the suction pad are sequentially released, the workpiece is reliably transferred to a predetermined position (for example, a predetermined processing unit) in a state of being positioned with high accuracy.
[0007]
  In the above configuration, the shaft has a diameter-enlarged portion having a flange at the lower end thereof, and a restriction that regulates the upward movement of the work formed by hanging vertically in the flange of the diameter-enlarged portion and adsorbed by the suction pad. A configuration including a piece can be employed.
  According to this configuration, when the suction pad sucks the work, the restriction piece can restrict the suction pad from adhering to the work more than necessary. Can be regulated.
[Brief description of the drawings]
[0014]
  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a control system for a suction head device according to the present invention.
  FIG. 2 is a front view showing an embodiment of the suction head device according to the present invention.
  FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged sectional view of the suction head device shown in FIG.
  FIG. 4A is a plan view showing a disc cam that is part of the suction head device, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line E1-E1 in FIG. 4A.
  FIGS. 5A and 5B are a plan view and a side view for explaining the operation of the clamping mechanism forming a part of the suction head device.
  FIGS. 6A and 6B are a plan view and a side view for explaining the operation of the clamping mechanism forming a part of the suction head device.
  7A, 7B, and 7C are operation diagrams for explaining a part of a series of operations of the suction head device.
  8A, 8B, and 8C are operation diagrams for explaining a part of a series of operations of the suction head device.
  9A, 9B, and 9C are operation diagrams for explaining a part of a series of operations of the suction head device.
  FIG. 10 is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the suction head device according to the present invention.
  FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which a clamping mechanism forming a part of the suction head device shown in FIG. 10 clamps a workpiece.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0015]
  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the suction head device includes a frame 10 that is a basic structure, a suction pad 20 that sucks a workpiece W, a shaft 30 that moves up and down while holding the suction pad 20 at the lower end, and a shaft 30. Elevating mechanism 40 for elevating and lowering, two pairs of holding arms 50 and a driving mechanism 60 as a holding mechanism for holding the work W adsorbed to the suction pad 20 from a substantially horizontal direction, and a suction generating mechanism for generating suction force on the suction pad 20 And a control unit 80 as control means for controlling the drive of the entire apparatus.
  This suction head device is, for example, a part of a workpiece transfer device that sucks the workpiece W transported by a conveyor or the like and transfers it to a predetermined processing unit in a production line for manufacturing various semiconductor-related parts and the like. And is moved three-dimensionally by a vertical drive mechanism and a horizontal drive mechanism included in the workpiece transfer device.
[0016]
  The frame 10 is formed using a metal material or the like. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the flat base frame 11, the cylindrical guide frame 12 provided at the center of the base frame 11, and the base frame A mounting frame 13 attached to a part of the transfer device so as to suspend 11, a bearing frame 14 provided so as to protrude below the base frame 11, and a plate-like shape connected to the base frame 11 at a predetermined interval A support frame 15 and the like are provided.
[0017]
  The suction pad 20 is formed in a cavity using an elastically deformable resin material or the like, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, so that the lower end has a trumpet shape and has a bellows that facilitates deformation in the middle. The upper side thereof is coupled to the lower end of the shaft 30.
  The suction pad 20 sucks the work W when air is sucked through the pressure adjuster 70 and the shaft 30 to be described later in a state where the lower end surface of the suction pad 20 is in contact with the work W. When the pressure is adjusted or blown against the work W (air or gas other than air is blown out), the work W is released.
[0018]
  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the shaft 30 is formed as a cylindrical pipe extending in the vertical direction (vertical direction) Z and having a hollow inside, and spreads horizontally at the lower end in a flat plate shape. An enlarged diameter portion 31 having a flange 31a, a connection portion 32 connected to a flexible pipe communicating with the pressure regulator 70 at the upper end thereof, and a substantially L-shape that rotatably supports a follower 43 described below below the connection portion 32. A holding bracket 33 and the like are provided. Here, the flange 31a of the enlarged diameter portion 31 is provided with a regulation piece 34 that regulates the upward movement of the work W that is formed to hang vertically downward and is attracted to the suction pad 20.
  The shaft 30 is supported so as to be movable up and down in the up-down direction Z with respect to the guide frame 12 provided at substantially the center of the base frame 11.
[0019]
  2 and 3, the elevating mechanism 40 is directly connected to a stepping motor 41 and a rotating shaft 41a fixed to the base frame 11 so as to have a rotating shaft 41a extending in the vertical direction (vertical direction) Z. In addition, a rotating cam 42 having a cam surface 42a that cams in the vertical direction Z, and a follower 43 that is rotatably supported by the holding bracket 33 of the shaft 30 and engages with the rotating cam 42 (cam surface 42a), and an expansion of the shaft 30. A coil spring 44 and the like that are arranged in a compressed state between the diameter portion 31 and the support frame 15 and constantly bias the shaft 30 downward are provided.
  That is, when the stepping motor 41 rotates, the rotating cam 42 rotates and exerts a cam action in the vertical direction Z on the follower 43, so that the shaft 30 moves up and down against the urging force of the coil spring 44.
[0020]
  Here, as an elevating mechanism, a linear portion is connected to the rotary cam 42 that rotates about an axis extending in the vertical direction Z and exerts a cam action in the vertical direction Z, and the follower 43 that is connected to the shaft 30 and engages with the rotary cam 42. By adopting (a structure for preventing the rotating cam 42 from operating due to its own weight), even if a power failure occurs, the rotating cam 42 does not rotate due to its own weight or the like. It is possible to prevent the suction pad 20 from colliding with the work W due to the lowering of 30, and the structure can be simplified and integrated, and the apparatus can be downsized. Furthermore, since unnecessary pressure is not exerted on the workpiece being held, the quality of the workpiece can be maintained.
[0021]
  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the two pairs of sandwiching arms 50 are sandwiching arms that approach and separate from each other in the X direction in the horizontal plane, and sandwiching arms that approach and separate from each other in the Y direction in the horizontal plane. (Not shown for the sake of convenience), and are formed to protrude above the sandwiched piece 51 that engages with the workpiece W, the guided portion 52 that is reciprocally fitted to the support frame 15, and the guided portion 52, respectively. A pin 53 that engages with a cam groove 65a of a disc cam 65, which will be described later, is provided.
[0022]
  The two pairs of sandwiching arms 50 respectively sandwich the workpiece W in the horizontal direction and separate from the workpiece W in a horizontal direction (release the workpiece W). Further, the two pairs of sandwiching arms 50 are arranged so that the center of their moving range and the center of the suction pad 20 coincide with the center HC of the head (device), and this suction head device has the center HC at a predetermined position. It is positioned with respect to (for example, the processing position of the processing unit).
  Therefore, when the two pairs of holding arms 50 hold the workpiece W, the workpiece W is positioned in the suction head device. If the two pairs of sandwiching arms 50 sandwich the workpiece W sucked in a state of being deviated from the center HC of the suction pad 20, the workpiece W is moved in the horizontal direction by the amount of deviation and centered (ie, The suction pad 20 is elastically deformed so that the center WC of the workpiece W is aligned with the center HC of the head.
  As described above, the two pairs of sandwiching arms 50 are positioned while approaching the workpiece W from the horizontal direction (X direction and Y direction) and sandwiching the workpiece W, and from the workpiece W in the horizontal direction (X direction and The position in the vertical direction Z (holding position) where the holding arm 50 engages with the work W can be set with high accuracy because it moves away from the work W in the Y direction), and stable holding operation without variation is achieved. Obtainable.
[0023]
  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the drive mechanism 60 is directly connected to the stepping motor 61 and the rotation shaft 61a fixed to the base frame 11 so as to have a rotation shaft 61a extending in the vertical direction (vertical direction) Z. The driving pulley 62, a driven pulley 63 rotatably supported by the bearing frame 14, an endless belt 64 for power transmission wound around the driving pulley 62 and the driven pulley 63, and the driven pulley 63 rotate integrally. And a disc cam 65 having a cam groove 65a for receiving the pin 53 of the holding arm 50 and exerting a cam action.
[0024]
  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the disc cam 65 is coupled to the driven pulley 63 at the four cam grooves 65a for engaging the respective pins 53 of the two pairs, that is, the four holding arms 50, and the radially inner side thereof. And an annular flange 65b. The four cam grooves 65a are curved so that one end 65a 'is positioned closer to the outer side in the radial direction and the other end 65a' 'is positioned closer to the inner side in the radial direction. Therefore, when the disc cam 65 rotates within a predetermined angle range, the pins 53 of the four clamping arms 50 reciprocate between one end 65a ′ and the other end 65a ″ of the cam groove 65a. ing.
[0025]
  That is, when the disc cam 65 rotates in one direction through the drive pulley 62, the endless belt 64, and the driven pulley 63 by the activation of the stepping motor 61, as shown in FIG. Guided by the cam groove 65 a, moves outward in the horizontal radial direction, that is, away from each other in the X and Y directions, and leaves the workpiece W.
  On the other hand, when the disc cam 65 rotates in the other direction through the driving pulley 62, the endless belt 64, and the driven pulley 63 by reverse activation of the stepping motor 61, as shown in FIG. The cam grooves 65a are guided to move radially inward in the horizontal direction, that is, move toward each other in the X direction and the Y direction, and the workpiece W is clamped and positioned.
[0026]
  As described above, since the drive mechanism 60 includes the disc cam 65 having the cam groove 65a, the two pairs of sandwiching arms 50 can be reliably interlocked and separated, and the workpiece W can be sandwiched and released. In addition, the apparatus can be thinned and miniaturized in the vertical direction Z. Further, by using a numerically controllable motor such as a stepping motor 61 as a drive source of the drive mechanism 60, the disc cam 65 can be arbitrarily rotated to stop the clamping arm 50 at an arbitrary position. Thus, various workpieces having different sizes can be controlled to be held and held at optimum positions.
[0027]
  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pressure regulator 70 serving as a suction generation mechanism is disposed upstream of the coupling portion 32 of the shaft 30 and communicates with the suction pad 20 through the internal passage of the shaft 30. Air is sucked in and air or gas other than air is blown out through the passage.
[0028]
  As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 80 mainly controls the whole, that is, a control circuit 81 that determines the state of the apparatus based on signals obtained from various sensors (not shown) and generates various control signals. A drive circuit 82 that drives and controls the stepping motor 41 of the drive mechanism 40 based on a command signal issued from the control circuit 81, and a drive circuit that drives and controls the stepping motor 61 of the drive mechanism 60 based on a command signal issued from the control circuit 81. 83, a drive circuit 84 for driving and controlling the pressure regulator 70 based on a command signal issued from the control circuit 81, and the like.
[0029]
  The control unit 80 is set so as to drive and control the pressure regulator 70 so that the suction by the suction pad 20 is once released after the work W is held by the holding arm 50 and is again sucked.
  Therefore, even if the workpiece W is deviated from the center position where the workpiece W is to be sucked and is pinched by the pinching arm 50 in a state of being sucked by the suction pad 20, the workpiece W is once released from the suction pad 20. The deformation is restored and the deviation is eliminated, and the workpiece W is attracted again in a state of being positioned at a predetermined position. As a result, the workpiece W is reliably transferred to a predetermined processing unit in a state of being positioned with high accuracy.
[0030]
  Further, as drive control for once releasing the suction by the suction pad 20, for example, after the suction operation of the pressure regulator 70 is stopped (the suction release state), the lifting mechanism 40 is driven and the shaft 30, that is, the suction pad 20 is moved. There is a method in which the suction pad 20 is once lifted and separated from the work W, and then lowered again to bring the suction pad 20 into close contact with the work W and then sucked again.
  According to this method, when the suction pad 20 is lifted once after the suction is released and reliably separated from the work W with respect to the work W held by the holding arm 50, the suction pad 20 is elastically deformed. In addition, the suction pad 20 can be reliably elastically restored to its original shape. In addition, as a suction pad used in this case, the suction pad which does not comprise a bellows part may be sufficient.
[0031]
  Further, as another drive control for temporarily releasing the suction by the suction pad 20, for example, the pressure adjuster 70 is controlled so as to blow against the workpiece W, and the suction pad 20 is released from the contact state with the workpiece W. Then, there is a method of controlling the pressure regulator 70 so that the suction operation is performed again and the work W is sucked to the suction pad 20.
  According to this method, the workpiece W sandwiched by the sandwiching arm 50 is blown (air or gas other than air is blown) so that a gap is created between the workpiece W and the suction pad 20 and the suction state. Since the suction pad 20 (shaft 30) does not need to be lifted, that is, the operation time is shortened, the suction pad 20 is reliably elastically returned to the original shape and the workpiece W is positioned with high accuracy. be able to.
[0032]
  Next, the operation of this suction head device will be described with reference to FIGS. 7A to 9C. This operation is appropriately controlled by the control unit 80.
  First, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the suction head device is moved to the workpiece W take-out position, the center of the suction pad 20 (head center HC) is slightly shifted from the center WC of the workpiece W. Is positioned.
  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 7B, the entire suction head device is lowered and the suction pad 20 comes into contact with the workpiece W. Then, the pressure adjuster 70 performs a suction operation, and the suction pad 20 sucks the workpiece W. At this time, the restricting piece 34 restricts the suction pad 20 from adhering more than necessary, and restricts the posture of the workpiece W during suction.
  In this state, the workpiece W is sucked in a state where the center WC is shifted from the center (head center) HC of the suction pad 20.
[0033]
  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 7C, the entire suction head device is raised to a predetermined height in order to move toward the predetermined processing unit.
  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 8A, the pair of sandwiching arms 50 perform positioning to bring the center WC of the workpiece W to the center HC of the head while approaching each other and sandwiching the workpiece W. The suction pad 20 is elastically deformed in the horizontal direction by the clamping force accompanying this alignment.
  Subsequently, after the suction operation by the pressure regulator 70 is stopped and the suction is released, the suction pad 20 (and the shaft 30) is raised to a predetermined height by driving the lifting mechanism 40 as shown in FIG. 8B. Then, the suction pad 20 is completely separated from the workpiece W. Thereby, the suction pad 20 is elastically returned to the original shape while the workpiece W is held by the holding arm 50 and positioned at a predetermined position. Here, the pressure regulator 70 may be driven so as to blow against the workpiece W.
[0034]
  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 8C, the suction pad 20 (and the shaft 30) is lowered and brought into contact with the work W by driving the elevating mechanism 40, and the pressure adjuster 70 is operated by suction. The workpiece W is adsorbed again. At this time, the center of the suction pad 20 coincides with the center WC of the workpiece W.
  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 9A, the pair of sandwiching arms 50 move away from each other and are separated from the workpiece W to release the sandwiching state.
[0035]
  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the entire suction head device is positioned immediately above a predetermined processing unit to which the workpiece W is to be transferred, the suction head device starts to descend toward the processing unit, as shown in FIG. 9C. The workpiece W is transferred to the processing unit, and a series of transfer operations is completed.
  Thereafter, the initial state as shown in FIG. 7A is restored, and a series of operations are continuously performed, whereby a plurality of workpieces W are transferred to a predetermined processing unit.
  Here, since the operation shown in FIG. 7B to the operation shown in FIG. 9A are performed when the entire suction head device is transferred to a predetermined processing unit by the drive mechanism of the transfer device, the operation time is saved. Can be shortened.
[0036]
  As described above, since the work W sucked by the suction pad 20 is controlled to be once released and sucked again, the work W is sucked to the suction pad 20 in a state of being deviated from the center position HC to be sucked. Even when the suction pad 20 is positioned by the holding arm 50 in the shifted state and is elastically deformed, the elastic deformation of the suction pad 20 is eliminated and the workpiece W is positioned at a predetermined position. As a result, the workpiece W is positioned with high accuracy and reliably transferred to a predetermined processing section.
[0037]
  10 and 11 show another embodiment of the suction head device according to the present invention. Basically, the suction head device is basically the same as the above-described embodiment except that the support frame and the clamping mechanism forming a part of the frame 10 are changed. Since they are the same, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.
  That is, in this suction head device, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, as a clamping mechanism, two pairs of swing arms 50 ′ swinging around an axis extending in a substantially horizontal direction and approaching and separating from each other. A drive mechanism 60 ′ that swings the two pairs of swing arms 50 so as to be separated when the shaft 30 is lowered and close when the shaft 30 is lifted is employed.
[0038]
  The support frame 15 'is coupled to the lower side of the base frame 11, and has a simple structure that guides the shaft 30 in the vertical direction Z and only holds a part of the swing mechanism.
  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the two pairs of swing arms 50 ′ are swingably supported around a swing support shaft 15 a ′ extending in the Y direction in the horizontal plane and are moved close to and away from each other. The movable arm 50 'is formed by a swing arm (not shown for convenience of explanation) which is supported so as to be swingable around a swing support shaft (not shown) extending in the X direction in the horizontal plane and which is close to and away from each other. Each includes a clamping piece 51 ′ that engages with the workpiece W, a spring receiving portion 52 ′ accommodated in the support frame 15 ′, a regulating member 53 ′ that regulates the swing range of the swing arm 50 ′, and the like. .
[0039]
  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the drive mechanism 60 ′ is provided on a flange 61 ′ coupled to the shaft 30 and a spring receiving portion 52 ′ (the lower surface) of each swing arm 50 ′ provided on the flange 61 ′. There are provided four plungers 62 ′ that can be engaged, four coil springs 63 ′ arranged in a compressed state between the spring receiving portion 52 ′ and the support frame 15 ′.
[0040]
  Then, as shown in FIG. 10, the two pairs of swing arms 50 ′ are rotated and biased by the coil spring 63 ′ so as to rotate upward about the respective support shafts 15a ′ and move away from each other. When the shaft 30 is lowered, the plunger 62 ′ is separated from the spring receiving portion 52 ′, and is separated from the workpiece W and released from the workpiece W (releases the workpiece W).
  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, in the two pairs of swing arms 50 ′, when the shaft 30 is lifted, the plunger 62 ′ pushes up the spring receiving portion 52 ′, and the push-up operation causes the respective support shafts 15a ′ to be centered. The workpiece W is held close to each other by rotating downward.
  The two pairs of swing arms 50 'are arranged so that the axis of symmetry of the swing operation and the center of the suction pad 20 coincide with the center HC of the head (device). Is positioned with respect to a predetermined position (for example, the processing position of the processing unit).
[0041]
  Therefore, when the two pairs of swing arms 50 ′ sandwich the workpiece W, the workpiece W is positioned in this suction head device. Temporarily, when the two pairs of swing arms 50 ′ sandwiched the workpiece W sucked in a state of being deviated from the center WC of the suction pad 20, the workpiece W was moved in the horizontal direction by the amount shifted and centered. (In other words, the suction pad 20 is elastically deformed so that the center WC of the workpiece W is aligned with the center HC of the head).
  The operation of this suction head device is substantially the same as the operation shown in FIGS. 7A to 9C except that the above-described sandwiching arm 50 is changed to the swing arm 50 ′, and the workpiece W is made highly accurate. It can be positioned and transferred reliably to a predetermined processing section.
  Further, in this suction head device, the drive mechanism 60 'interlocked with the movement of the shaft 30 drives the two pairs of swing arms 50' sandwiching the workpiece W, so the number of components is reduced and the structure is reduced. Simplification and downsizing of the apparatus can be achieved.
[0042]
  In the above-described embodiment, the case where two pairs of sandwiching arms 50 and two pairs of swinging arms 50 ′ are employed as the sandwiching mechanism has been described. However, if the workpiece W can be held and positioned, a pair of sandwiching arms is used. 50 or a pair of swing arms 50 'may be employed, or three sandwiching arms or swing arms disposed at equal intervals may be employed.
  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the disc cam 65 rotated by the stepping motor 61 is employed as the driving mechanism for driving the clamping arm 50 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Other mechanisms may be adopted as long as they can be driven horizontally.
[0043]
  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the plunger 62 ′, the coil spring 63 ′, and the like that move integrally with the shaft 30 are employed as the drive mechanism that oscillates the oscillating arm 50 ′ is shown. Any other mechanism may be employed as long as it swings the swing arm 50 ′ in conjunction with the lifting and lowering operation of the shaft 30.
  In the above embodiment, the stepping motors 41 and 61 are employed as the drive sources of the drive mechanisms 40 and 60. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other motors or actuators may be employed.
[0044]
  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the workpiece W and the suction pad are aligned by the holding mechanism and the suction generation mechanism is shown when the suction head device is transferred by the transfer device. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The alignment may be performed in a state where the suction head device is stopped at a predetermined position.
  As described above, according to the suction head device of the present invention, the structure is simplified, the mechanisms are consolidated, the entire device is downsized, the installation area is saved, the time required for transferring the workpiece is shortened, etc. While achieving the above, the workpiece W can be transferred to a predetermined processing section with high accuracy, and can be made compatible with various workpieces W, thereby improving the productivity of many types of electronic components and the like. it can.
[Industrial applicability]
[0045]
  As described above, the suction head device of the present invention is a field of semiconductor manufacturing as long as it is a field that requires relatively small parts to be transferred from a predetermined position to another position. It is also useful in production lines for parts such as other electronic devices or production lines related to other machines or electronic parts.
[Explanation of symbols]
[0046]
W Workpiece, 10 frame, 20 suction pad, 30 shaft, 31 expanded part, 31a flange, 32 connecting part, 33 holding bracket, 34 regulating piece, 40 lifting mechanism, 41 stepping motor, 41a rotating shaft, 42 rotating cam, 42a Cam surface, 43 follower, 44 coil spring, 50 clamping arm (clamping mechanism), 51 clamping piece, 52 guided portion, 53 pin, 60 driving mechanism, 61 stepping motor, 61a rotating shaft, 62 driving pulley, 63 driven pulley, 64 endless belt, 65 disc cam, 65a cam groove, 65b flange, 70 pressure regulator (suction generation mechanism), 80 control unit (control means), 81 control circuit, 82, 83 drive circuit

Claims (2)

A shaft extending vertically and moving up and down;
A suction pad that is coupled to the lower end of the shaft and is elastically deformable and sucks the workpiece;
A suction generating mechanism for generating a suction force on the suction pad;
An elevating mechanism for elevating the shaft;
A clamping mechanism for clamping the work sucked by the suction pad from a horizontal direction and positioning the work at a predetermined position;
Control means for driving and controlling the suction generation mechanism, the elevating mechanism, and the clamping mechanism;
A suction head device comprising:
The control means, after positioning the workpiece at the predetermined position while clamping the workpiece by the clamping mechanism, after stopping the suction operation of the suction generating mechanism and driving the lifting mechanism to raise the shaft once. Release the suction by the suction pad to elastically return the suction pad to its original shape, and then drive and control the clamping mechanism and the suction generation mechanism so that the workpiece is sucked again by the suction pad.
A suction head device characterized by that. The shaft has a diameter-enlarged portion having a flange at a lower end thereof, and a restriction piece that restricts the upward movement of the work formed by hanging vertically from the flange of the diameter-enlarged portion and adsorbed by the suction pad. including,
The suction head device according to claim 1.

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