JP5315786B2 - Tape feeder and tape processor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a tape feeding device and a tape processing device for feeding a processed tape in a horizontal direction.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of tape feeder, an apparatus mounted on a droplet ejection device that forms a functional component such as a metal wiring on a tape of a flexible film by an inkjet type functional droplet ejection head is known (patent) Reference 1). The tape feeding device guides the tape fed from the feeding reel to the suction table facing the functional liquid droplet ejection head via the feeding-side feeding roller, the first path changing roller, and the second path roller, and further winding the tape. It winds up on a take-up reel through a side feed roller. That is, the functional liquid is ejected from the tape on the suction table while discharging the functional liquid and the metal wiring is drawn, and then the drawn part of the drawn tape is driven by the take-up side feed roller. In this way, functional parts such as metal wiring are continuously formed on the tape by repeating this operation. Further, the tape that has slackened due to the feeding of the tape is sensed so that the tape is wound around the take-up reel while the slack is always maintained.
JP 2006-116435 A

  In such a conventional tape feeder, since the suction table and the take-up side feed roller are provided apart from each other, the tape in between is loosened or stretched due to its own weight, and the tape feed amount becomes unstable. There is. In this case, the inconvenience can be solved by providing the take-up side feed roller in the vicinity of the suction table. However, in this case, the take-up side feed roller and the take-up reel are separated from each other, and even if a guide rail, a guide roller, etc. are provided, the tape itself does not have sufficient waist (rigidity) and is slightly It is assumed that the tape that is fed by receiving the feeding resistance is bent so as to wave in the vicinity of the downstream side of the take-up feed roller without reaching the take-up area of the take-up reel, and jamming occurs.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a tape feeding device and a tape processing device that can smoothly feed a tape after processing to a tape winding mechanism that winds the tape while allowing slack underneath.

The tape feeding device of the present invention is arranged near the end of the tape guide, a tape feeding mechanism for feeding the processed tape in the horizontal direction, a tape guide for guiding the horizontal feeding of the tape fed by the tape feeding mechanism, and The tape take-up mechanism that winds while allowing slack under the tape that is being sent, and the tape feed mechanism is arranged on the downstream side in the tape feed direction of the tape feed mechanism, and air is blown to the tape being sent to the tape An air blow mechanism that maintains a posture along the guide, and the tape guide is composed of a pair of guide rails that support the tape from below, and the air blow mechanism is formed on the pair of guide rails from above. It is characterized by blowing air .

According to this configuration, the tape feeding mechanism maintains the posture along the tape guide by blowing air to the tape that is fed in the horizontal direction along the tape guide by the air blow mechanism. For this reason, the tape sent toward the tape winding mechanism forcibly maintains a flat posture. As a result, the tape is low in rigidity (without waist), does not cause bending of the tape, and the feeding force of the tape feeding mechanism effectively acts on the tape on the tape guide. Therefore, jamming of the tape in the vicinity of the downstream side of the tape feeding mechanism is prevented, and the tape can be smoothly and appropriately fed into the tape winding mechanism.
Further, air is blown from the lower side in the feed direction to the tape supported by the tape guide. For this reason, the feeding force by air can be efficiently applied to the tape, and the tape can be smoothly fed along the tape guide.
Further, the portions of the tape that are separated from the pair of guide rails are not slackened by the air, and the feeding force by the air can be applied to the tape more efficiently.

Other tape feeding device of the present invention includes a tape feed mechanism for feeding the tape after processing in the horizontal direction, and the tape guide for guiding a horizontal feeding of the tape fed by the tape feed mechanism, near the end of the tape guide A tape take-up mechanism that winds up while allowing slack under the tape that is placed and sent, and a tape feed mechanism that is arranged on the downstream side in the feed direction and blows air to the tape that is being sent An air blow mechanism that applies a feed force in the feed direction to the tape , and the tape guide is composed of a pair of guide rails that support the tape from the lower side, and the air blow mechanism is provided at a portion of the pair of guide rails. It is characterized in that air is blown from obliquely above the feeding direction .

According to this configuration, air is blown by the air blow mechanism to the tape that is fed in the horizontal direction along the tape guide by the tape feed mechanism, and feed force is applied to the tape. For this reason, it is possible to always apply a feeding force to the tape that is separated from the tape feeding mechanism and fed toward the tape winding mechanism. Thus, the tape is low in rigidity (without waist), the tape is smoothly fed, and the tape being fed does not bend. Therefore, jamming of the tape in the vicinity of the downstream side of the tape feeding mechanism is prevented, and the tape can be smoothly and appropriately fed into the tape winding mechanism.
Further, air is blown from the lower side in the feed direction to the tape supported by the tape guide. For this reason, the feeding force by air can be efficiently applied to the tape, and the tape can be smoothly fed along the tape guide.
Further, the portions of the tape that are separated from the pair of guide rails are not slackened by the air, and the feeding force by the air can be applied to the tape more efficiently.

  In these cases, it is preferable that the tape is one obtained by punching out a functional component by pressing from a carrier tape in which a large number of functional components are formed.

  According to this configuration, even a tape having no waist after a functional part is punched out by a press can be smoothly fed into the tape winding mechanism without causing jamming.

  The tape processing apparatus of the present invention is provided on the upstream side in the feeding direction of the above-described tape feeding apparatus, the tape feeding apparatus, and punches each functional component from the carrier tape by pressing, and on the upstream side in the feeding direction of the pressing apparatus. And a tape feeding device for feeding the carrier tape to the press device.

  According to this configuration, each functional component is punched out by pressing with a press device on the carrier tape fed out from the tape feeding device, and the tape after the functional component is further punched out can be stably wound by the tape winding mechanism. Therefore, a series of operations of the apparatus can be performed stably, and productivity can be improved.

  A tape processing apparatus to which a tape feeding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this tape processing apparatus, for example, FPC (Flexible Print Circuit), which is a functional component, is punched one by one with a press on a carrier tape (hereinafter referred to as “tape”) in which a large number of packages are packaged in the extending direction. It is.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tape processing device 1 includes a press device 4 for punching out a printed circuit 3 that is an FPC from a tape 2, a feeding portion 6 having a feeding reel 5 for feeding out the tape 2, and a tape after punching. And a take-up portion (tape take-up mechanism) 8 having a take-up reel 7 for taking up 2.

  In addition to the above-described feeding reel 5, the feeding unit 6 includes a back tension mechanism 9 that applies a back tension to the tape 2 that is fed into the press device 4, a tape guide 11 that guides the horizontal feeding of the tape, and a feeding reel 5. A spacer reel 6a that winds down the spacer 2a of the tape 2 and a ionizer 6b that discharges static electricity from the tape 2 facing the feeding reel 5 are provided. A pair of sensors 5a, 5a are disposed directly below the supply reel 5 so as to sandwich the tape 2. When the upper sensor 5a detects the tape 2, the supply reel 5 is supplied and rotated to supply the tape 2. Further, when the feeding of the tape 2 proceeds and the lower sensor 5a detects the slack tape 2, the feeding reel 5 stops the feeding rotation. That is, the portion immediately below the supply reel 5 cooperates with the supply reel 5 to function as a supply-side tape buffer.

  In addition to the above-described take-up reel 7, the take-up unit 8 applies a forward tension in the horizontal feed direction to the tape 2 after being fed from the press device 4 (tape feed mechanism: tape feed device). 10, a tape guide 12 that guides the tape in the horizontal direction, an air blow mechanism 13 that is disposed downstream of the forward tension mechanism 10 and blows air to the tape 2 to be fed, and static electricity on the tape 2 is eliminated. An ionizer 8b. Also in this case, a pair of sensors 7a and 7a are disposed immediately below the take-up reel 7 so as to sandwich the tape 2, and when the lower sensor 7a detects the loosened tape 2, the take-up reel 7 The tape 2 is wound by rotating the winding. Further, when the winding of the tape 2 proceeds and the upper sensor 7a detects the tape 2 in which the slack has been reduced, the winding reel 7 stops the winding rotation. That is, the portion immediately below the take-up reel 7 cooperates with the take-up reel 7 and functions as a tape buffer on the take-up side.

  The press device 4 includes a press mold part 21 for punching the printed circuit 3 of the tape 2, a pair of clamp hand parts 22 and 22 for holding both sides of the tape 2 when the tape 2 is punched by the press mold part 21, and Instead of the clamp hand portions 22, 22, a grip feeder 23 is provided which intermittently feeds the tape 2 to the press die portion 21 at a predetermined pitch (arrangement pitch of the printed circuit 3). The pair of clamp hand portions 22, 22 and the grip feeder 23 operate alternately, and the grip feeder 23 sends the tape 2 to the position of the press die portion 21. The press die portion 21 is mounted on a table 24 that can be slightly linearly moved in the X direction and the Y direction and can be slightly rotated in the θ direction, and a rectangular frame-shaped female die on the table 24 side. It has a blade 25 and has a rectangular male blade 27 on the top plate portion 26 side. The male blade 27 enters the female blade 25 and cuts the periphery of the printed circuit 3 of the tape 2, and the cut printed circuit 3 falls from the female blade 25 and is accommodated in the tray. The vertical movement of the male blade 27 is guided by the guide shaft 28, and the male blade 27 moves up and down by a hydraulic cylinder 29. The tray in which the printed circuit 3 is fully accommodated is replaced with a new tray.

  Each clamp hand portion 22 is composed of a pair of upper and lower blocks that grip the tape 2 close to and away from each other, and the pair of upper and lower blocks are arranged in the front and rear of the press mold portion 21 in the tape feeding direction. The clamp hand unit 22 grips a portion about several mm inside from both side edges of the tape 2 from above and below. The clamp hand portions 22 and 22 hold the both sides in the longitudinal direction of the press die portion 21 away from the printed circuit 3 of the tape 2 during the processing operation in which the press die portion 21 punches the periphery of the printed circuit 3 of the tape 2, and the male blade 27 is After leaving the female blade 25, the tape 2 is released. The grip feeder 23 reciprocates in the range indicated by the arrow A in order to intermittently feed the tape 2 to the press die 21 at a predetermined pitch in place of the clamp hand portions 22 and 22. In the pitch feed range A of the tape 2, the position on the supply reel 5 side is the feed start position, and the position on the press die part 21 side is the feed end position. The grip feeder 23 is composed of a pair of upper and lower blocks for gripping the tape 2 and is operated by a gripping mechanism and a moving mechanism (not shown).

  Next, the operation of the tape processing apparatus 1 configured as described above will be briefly described. In this tape processing apparatus 1, from the start of operation of the tape processing apparatus 1, the supply reel 5 and the take-up reel 7 rotate so as to feed the tape 2 slowly. In this state, the back tension mechanism 9 and the forward tension mechanism 10 are turned on, and tension is applied to the tape 2 to pull both sides in the longitudinal direction. At this time, the clamp hand portions 22 and 22 are turned off, and are in an unclamped state away from the tape 2.

  From this state, the grip feeder 23 is turned on, grips both edges of the tape 2, and moves from the feed start position to the feed end position. When the grip feeder 23 grips the tape 2 and reaches the feed end position, the opened clamp hand portions 22 and 22 are closed and the clamp hand portions 22 and 22 grip both edges of the tape 2. On the other hand, the grip feeder 23 opens to release the tape 2 and return to the feed start position. Thereby, the holding of the tape 2 by the grip feeder 23 and the clamp hand portions 22 and 22 is performed. When the clamp hand portions 22 and 22 hold the tape 2, the press operation by the press die portion 21 is performed, and the printed circuit 3 is punched out.

  The tape 2 from which the printed circuit 3 has been punched is fed along the tape guide 12 by the forward tension mechanism 10. On the tape guide 12, the air blow mechanism 13 which is always turned on feeds the tape 2 forward so that jamming does not occur. The tape 2 sent directly below the take-up reel 7 is taken up on the take-up reel 7 as appropriate.

  Thus, the tape 2 sent out from the press device 4 is not stiff because the printed circuit 3 is punched out, and even if the tape 2 is sent out by the forward tension mechanism 10, the tape 2 is bent on the tape guide 12 and jammed. May occur. For this reason, in this embodiment, the air blow mechanism 13 is provided in the winding part 8.

  Next, the winding part 8 including the air blow mechanism 13 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. As described above, the main part of the winding unit 8 includes the forward tension mechanism 10, the tape guide 12, and the winding reel 7 from the upstream side in the feeding direction of the tape 2, and is positioned above the tape guide 12. An air blow mechanism 13 is provided. Further, a buffer area B of the tape 2 is formed between the terminal end of the tape guide 12 and the take-up reel 7 and is located immediately below the take-up reel 7.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the forward tension mechanism 10 for feeding the tape 2 punched out of the printed circuit 3 has a base frame 39 and a nip roller 30 so as to project inwardly, and is disposed opposite to the base frame 39. A pair of roller units 40, a pair of rectangular rails 33 attached to the inside of each roller unit 40 and extending in a direction perpendicular to the base frame 39, and both nip rollers 30 of both roller units 40 are simultaneously driven to rotate. And a motor (not shown).

  Each roller unit 40 includes a nip roller 30 including a driving roller 31 and a driven roller 32 with a torque limiter, a roller frame 36 that is rotatably supported on the base frame 39 and supports the driving roller 31. A roller holder 42 that rotatably holds the roller 32; a belt transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the motor to the driving roller 31; and a coil spring 43 that presses the driven roller 32 against the driving roller 31 via the roller holder 42. It is equipped with.

  Each square rail 33 includes a rail main body 34 and a rail plate 35 fixed to the upper surface of the rail main body 34, and guides the feeding of the tape 2 between the step portion inside the upper surface of the rail main body 34 and the rail plate 35. A guide groove 33a is formed. That is, the feed path of the tape 2 is configured such that the pair of guide grooves 33a are opposed to each other, and the tape 2 is supported at both ends in the width direction by the pair of guide grooves 33a having a “U” shape. And it is guided and tape fed. The back tension mechanism 9 has the same structure as the forward tension mechanism 10.

  On the other hand, the tape guide 12 includes a pair of guide rails 12 a and 12 a having an “L” cross section, and each guide rail 12 a is connected to each square rail 33. The horizontal piece of each guide rail 12a having a “L” cross section is guided to support both ends in the width direction of the tape 2 from below, and the vertical piece from both sides of the width direction of the tape 2 from the side. To guide. Needless to say, the tape guide 12 is made of a material having a small coefficient of friction with respect to the tape 2.

  By the way, if the tape 2 itself has a sufficient weight, the tape 2 in the buffer area B immediately below the take-up reel 7 pulls the tape 2 on the tape guide 12, so that the tape feeding is not hindered. The tape 2 from which the printed circuit 3 has been punched has no weight and has a reduced rigidity, so that it is poorly fed on the tape guide 12 and bends like a wave. Therefore, in the present embodiment, an air blow mechanism 13 is provided above the tape guide 12, and air is blown onto the tape 2 to apply a feeding force (conveyance force).

  As shown in FIG. 4, the air blow mechanism 13 includes a box-shaped blow body 51 having an air chamber 52, and a pair of blow nozzles 53 that protrude from the tip of the blow body 51 and communicate with the air chamber 52. It is provided and is inclined and disposed so as to blow air obliquely onto the tape 2 (see FIG. 4A). A compressed air pipe 54 of factory equipment is connected to the base of the blow body 51, and supply air from the compressed air pipe 54 is blown out from the pair of blow nozzles 53 through the air chamber 52. On the other hand, the pair of blow nozzles 53 substantially coincides with the positions of the pair of guide rails 12a, and blows air obliquely from above to both ends in the width direction of the tape 2 (see FIG. 4B).

  When air is blown by the air blow mechanism 13, both end portions of the tape 2 are pressed against the pair of guide rails 12 a, and at the same time, pressed on the pair of guide rails 12 a toward the buffer region B. That is, the component force in the vertical direction of the air blown obliquely suppresses the deflection of the tape 2, and the component force in the horizontal direction gives a feeding force to the tape 2. As a result, the tape 2 is smoothly fed to the buffer area B without bending on the pair of guide rails 12a.

  Instead of the pair of blow nozzles 53, a single slit-like blow nozzle may be used. Further, a blower may be incorporated in the blow body 51 instead of the compressed air of the factory equipment. Furthermore, in this embodiment, air is blown onto the tape 2 obliquely from above, but it may be simply blown downward (in the vertical direction) (see the phantom line in FIG. 4A). In such a case, air is blown over a wide range of the tape guide 12 to prevent the tape 2 from being bent as much as possible, and the feed force of the forward tension mechanism 10 is applied to the tape 2 held in a straight line so that the tape 2 is fed. To do.

  As described above, in the tape processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, a series of operations is stably performed, and the tape 2 set in the feeding unit 6 is sent to the press apparatus 4, and the printed circuit 3 is transferred from the tape 2. After the punching, the pressed tape 2 is taken up on the take-up reel 7 of the take-up unit 8. At that time, the tape 2 sent out from the forward tension mechanism 10 receives a feeding force by the air blow mechanism 13 and is sent along the tape guide 12, so that jamming is suppressed. Thereby, the tape 2 can be smoothly and reliably fed into the buffer area B.

  In the tape processing apparatus 1, the punching process of the tape 2 has been described, but wiring or other coating processes or processing processes may be used. Further, the tape 2 is not limited to the tape 2 in which a printed circuit such as an FPC is packaged, and may be a photosensitive tape, a recording tape, or the like.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the tape processing apparatus of embodiment. It is a top view of an FPC tape. It is a perspective view of a forward tension mechanism. It is explanatory drawing of an air blow mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

  1: Tape processing device, 2: Tape, 4: Press device, 5: Feeding reel, 6: Feeding part, 7: Winding reel, 8: Winding part, 10: Forward tension mechanism, 12: Tape guide, 12a: Guide rail, 13: Air blow mechanism, 53: Blow nozzle, B: Buffer area

Claims (4)

A tape feeding mechanism that feeds the processed tape in the horizontal direction;
A tape guide that guides horizontal feeding of the tape fed by the tape feeding mechanism ;
A tape take-up mechanism that is disposed near the end of the tape guide and winds up while allowing slack under the tape to be fed;
An air blow mechanism disposed on the downstream side of the tape feed direction of the tape feed mechanism and maintaining the posture in which the tape being fed is blown with air to follow the tape guide;
The tape guide is composed of a pair of guide rails that support the tape from below,
The tape blower, wherein the air blow mechanism blows air from above to the pair of guide rails . A tape feeding mechanism that feeds the processed tape in the horizontal direction;
A tape guide that guides horizontal feeding of the tape fed by the tape feeding mechanism ;
A tape take-up mechanism that is disposed near the end of the tape guide and winds up while allowing slack under the tape to be fed;
An air blow mechanism that is disposed on the downstream side in the feeding direction of the tape feeding mechanism and blows air to the tape to be fed to give the tape a feeding force in the feeding direction;
The tape guide is composed of a pair of guide rails that support the tape from below,
The tape blower according to claim 1, wherein the air blow mechanism blows air on the pair of guide rails obliquely from above in the feed direction . 3. The tape feeding apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the tape is obtained by punching out the functional component from a carrier tape in which a large number of functional components are formed. A tape feeder according to claim 3 ;
A press device disposed on the upstream side in the feed direction of the tape feeder, and punching each functional component from the carrier tape by pressing;
A tape processing apparatus, comprising: a tape feeding device that is disposed upstream of the pressing device in the feeding direction and feeds the carrier tape into the pressing device.

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