JP7505920B2 - TRANSPORTATION APPARATUS AND TRANSPORTATION METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a conveying device and a conveying method.

A conveying device that conveys an object in a predetermined conveying direction is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-138210

Regarding the positioning of the container 1 (carried object) in the transfer device (conveying device) described in Patent Document 1, the transfer piece 12 (positioning means) is simply pressed against the carried object from the rear in the conveying direction, so the movement of the carried object toward the front in the conveying direction is not restricted. Therefore, there is the inconvenience that the carried object is conveyed with uneven intervals in the conveying direction.

The object of the present invention is to provide a conveying device and a conveying method that can convey objects with equal intervals in the conveying direction.

The present invention employs the configuration described in the claims.

According to the present invention, the clamping members are moved relative to one another to clamp the transported objects from the front and rear in the transport direction, so that the transported objects can be transported with equal intervals between them in the transport direction.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In this embodiment, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are mutually orthogonal, the X-axis and Y-axis are axes within a specified plane, and the Z-axis is an axis orthogonal to the specified plane. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the view from the front direction of Fig. 1(B) parallel to the Y-axis is used as a reference, and when indicating directions, "up" is the direction of the Z-axis arrow, "down" is the opposite direction, "left" is the direction of the X-axis arrow, "right" is the opposite direction, "front" is the direction of the Y-axis arrow, and "rear" is the opposite direction.

The conveying device EA of the present invention includes a conveying means 10 that conveys the conveyed object WK in a predetermined conveying direction TD, and a positioning means 20 that positions the conveyed object WK, and is disposed near the supply device 30. In this embodiment, the conveyed object WK has a tapered neck portion WK1 to which a cap member WK2 is attached.

The conveying means 10 includes a rotary motor 11 as a driving device, three first driving pulleys 12 supported on the output shaft 11A of the rotary motor 11 so as not to rotate freely, three first driven pulleys 13 paired with the first driving pulleys 12, three first belts 14 looped around each of the first driving pulleys 12 and first driven pulleys 13 and supporting multiple push members 14A at a predetermined interval ED, and a ball roller conveyor 15 that supports the conveyed object WK with multiple freely rotating balls 15A.

The positioning means 20 is equipped with a spacing adjustment means 21 that clamps the transported object WK from the front and rear of the transport direction by moving the positioning member 21F and the rear push member 14A as clamping members relative to each other, and makes the spacing of the transported object WK equal in the transport direction TD, and a position alignment means 22 that aligns the position of the transported object WK in the orthogonal direction RD perpendicular to the transport direction TD.
The interval adjustment means 21 includes a push member 14A shared with the conveying means 10, a rotary motor 21A as a driving device, two second driving pulleys 21C supported on the output shaft 21B of the rotary motor 21A so as not to rotate freely, two second driven pulleys 21D that are paired with the second driving pulleys 21C and supported on the output shaft 11A of the rotary motor 11 so as to rotate freely, and three second belts 21E that are wound around the second driving pulleys 21C and the second driven pulleys 21D and support a plurality of positioning members 21F at predetermined intervals ED. Each of the first driven pulleys 13 is supported on the output shaft 21B of the rotary motor 21A so as to rotate freely.
The position alignment means 22 includes two guide members 22A arranged side by side in the vertical direction. Each guide member 22A includes an intake section 22B that, in a plan view seen from above, moves away from the ball roller conveyor 15 in the transport direction TD of the transported object WK and has a wider spacing toward the right in a side view seen from the front side, and a parallel section 22C that extends from the intake section 22B in parallel with the transport direction TD in a plan view, and is arranged at a spacing wider than the vertical spacing of the neck section WK1 and narrower than the vertical spacing of the cap member WK2.

The supply device 30 includes a mounting table 31 and an air cylinder 32 as a driving device that supports a pusher 33 with an output shaft 32A.

The operation of the above-mentioned conveying apparatus EA will now be described.
First, the user of the conveying device EA (hereinafter, simply referred to as the "user") inputs the width WKW of the conveyed object WK in the left-right direction to a control means (not shown), such as a personal computer or a sequencer, via an operation means (not shown), such as an operation panel or a personal computer, and inputs a signal to start automatic operation. Next, when the user or a transfer means (not shown), such as an articulated robot or a belt conveyor, places the conveyed object WK on the placement table 31, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the supply device 30 drives the air cylinder 32 and moves the pusher 33 leftward to supply the conveyed object WK to the conveying device EA. At this time, the neck part WK1 of the conveyed object WK enters between the guide members 22A, and is guided forward by the guide members 22A, and is supplied to the conveying device EA while being positioned in the orthogonal direction RD (front-back direction). Thereafter, as shown by the dotted line in Figures 1 (A) and (B), when the transported object WK reaches a position where it can be transported by the pushing member 14A, the supply device 30 drives the air cylinder 32 to return the pusher 33 to its initial position.

Next, when the conveying means 10 drives the rotary motor 11 and rotates the first belt 14 in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in FIG. 1(C), the rearward pushing member 14A abuts against the rear end face WKR of the conveyed object WK in the conveying direction, and then conveys the conveyed object WK in the conveying direction TD (leftward) as shown by the two-dot chain line in the same figure. Note that in this specification, the "clockwise direction" and the "counterclockwise direction" are all rotation directions in a side view of the conveying device EA as seen from the front side. Then, as shown in FIG. 1(D), when the distance between the rearward pushing member 14A and the positioning member 21F becomes the same as the width WKW of the conveyed object WK in the left-right direction, and the positioning member 21F abuts against the front end face WKF of the conveyed object WK in the conveying direction, the positioning means 20 drives the rotary motor 21A and rotates the second belt 21E in the same direction as the first belt 14 at the same moving speed. As a result, the transported object WK is clamped from the front and rear of the transport direction by the positioning member 21F and the rear pushing member 14A, and is transported in the transport direction TD with its positioning in the transport direction TD.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1(E), when the pushing member 14A moves a predetermined distance ED, the conveying means 10 stops driving the rotary motor 11, and stops the movement of the conveyed object WK in the conveying direction TD. After this, the positioning means 20 continues to rotate the second belt 21E in the counterclockwise direction without stopping the driving of the rotary motor 21A, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1(E), and when the positioning member 21F moves a predetermined distance ED, as shown in FIG. 1(F), the positioning means 20 stops driving the rotary motor 21A, and the same operation as above is repeated. When the same operation as above is repeated in this manner, the conveyed object WK is conveyed in the conveying direction TD with the intervals in the conveying direction TD being equal. The conveyed object WK conveyed in the above manner is subjected to a predetermined process, such as, for example, a known sheet attaching device or a known printing device, which is a processing device not shown, by which an adhesive sheet not shown is attached or a predetermined printing is applied.

According to the above embodiment, the positioning member 21F and the rear push member 14A are moved relative to each other to clamp the transported object WK from the front and rear in the transport direction, so that the transported object WK can be transported with equal intervals between the transported object WK in the transport direction TD.

As described above, the best configurations, methods, etc. for implementing the present invention have been disclosed in the above description, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In other words, the present invention has been mainly illustrated and described with reference to specific embodiments, but those skilled in the art can make various modifications to the above-described embodiments in terms of shape, material, quantity, and other detailed configurations without departing from the scope of the technical idea and purpose of the present invention. Furthermore, the descriptions limiting the shapes, materials, etc. disclosed above are provided as examples to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and do not limit the present invention. Therefore, descriptions of the names of components that remove some or all of the limitations on the shapes, materials, etc. are included in the present invention.

For example, the conveying means 10 may be one that feeds the conveyed object WK intermittently or continuously, and may support the conveyed object WK with a support member such as a cylindrical or columnar roller, a flat plate, or a round bar instead of or in combination with the ball roller conveyor 15, and may be provided with one or two sets of the first driving pulley 12, the first driven pulley 13, and the first belt 14, or may be provided with four or more sets, and the ball 15A, the cylindrical or columnar roller, etc. may be driven by a driving device to move the conveyed object WK in the conveying direction. The object WK may be transported in the transport direction TD, or the object WK may be placed on the first belt 14 and transported in the transport direction TD. When the object WK is placed on the first belt 14 and transported, the ball roller conveyor 15 and support members may or may not be present. When the balls 15A and rollers are driven by a driving device, or the object WK is placed on the first belt 14 to transport the object WK, and the pushing member 14A is not shared with the positioning means 20, the pushing member 14A may not be present.

The positioning means 20 may position the transported object WK in the transport direction TD as follows. That is, when the transported object WK reaches a position where it can be transported by the pushing member 14A, the transport means 10 and the positioning means 20 drive the rotating motors 11 and 21A to rotate the first and second belts 14 and 21E in a counterclockwise direction so that the positioning member 21F moves at a faster speed than the pushing member 14A. Next, when the positioning member 21F approaches the pushing member 14A, which is pushing another transported object WK forward in the transport direction, by a predetermined distance, the transport means 10 and the positioning means 20 drive the rotating motors 11 and 21A to move the positioning member 21F and the pushing member 14A at the same speed, and the transported object WK is transported without being sandwiched between the positioning member 21F and the pushing member 14A. Thereafter, when the positioning member 21F and the pushing member 14A have moved a predetermined distance ED, the driving of the rotary motors 11 and 21A is stopped to position the transported object WK in the transport direction TD.
When the transported object WK reaches a position where it can be transported by the pushing member 14A, the transporting means 10 and the positioning means 20 drive the rotating motors 11, 21A to rotate the first and second belts 14, 21E in a counterclockwise direction so that the positioning member 21F moves at a slower speed than the pushing member 14A, and when the positioning member 21F and the pushing member 14A clamp the transported object WK from the front and rear in the transport direction, the positioning means 20 rotates the first and second belts 14, 21E in the counterclockwise direction at the same speed, and when the positioning member 21F and the pushing member 14A have moved a predetermined distance ED, the driving of the rotating motors 11, 21A is stopped to position the transported object WK in the transport direction TD.
When the transported object WK reaches a position where it can be transported by the pushing member 14A, the transporting means 10 and the positioning means 20 drive the rotating motors 11, 21A to rotate the second belt 21E in a counterclockwise direction and rotate the first belt 14 in a clockwise direction, and when the positioning member 21F and the pushing member 14A clamp the transported object WK from the front and rear in the transport direction, the first and second belts 14, 21E are rotated counterclockwise at the same speed, and when the positioning member 21F and the pushing member 14A have moved a predetermined distance ED, the drive of the rotating motors 11, 21A is stopped to position the transported object WK in the transport direction TD.
The positioning means 20 does not have to share the pushing member 14A with the conveying means 10, or it may adopt a spacing adjustment means that supports the positioning member 21F with a slider of a multi-joint bot as a driving device or a linear motor as a driving device, and use the positioning member 21F and the pushing member 14A to clamp the conveyed object WK from the front and rear of the conveying direction to position the conveyed object WK in the conveying direction TD, or a set of the second driving pulley 21C, the second driven pulley 21D and the second belt 21E may be provided, or three or more sets may be provided, or a pressure detection means such as a pressure sensor or regulator, or a torque detection means that detects the torque of the rotating motors 11, 21A may be adopted as a positioning confirmation means, and the positioning of the conveyed object WK in the conveying direction TD may be completed when the pressure or torque of clamping the conveyed object WK between the pushing member 14A and the positioning member 21F reaches a predetermined value.
The positioning means 20 may move the positioning member 21F and the rear push member 14A in a direction inclined to the conveying direction TD to clamp the conveyed object WK from the front and rear in the conveying direction, or may move one of the positioning member 21F and the rear push member 14A in a direction parallel to the conveying direction TD and move the other in a direction inclined to the conveying direction TD to clamp the conveyed object WK from the front and rear in the conveying direction.
The positioning means 20 may position the transported object WK in the transport direction TD within a range that allows the spacing of the transported object WK in the transport direction TD to be equal. For example, the positioning of the transported object WK in the transport direction TD may be completed when the spacing between the push member 14A and the positioning member 21F becomes the desired spacing that is wider than the left-right width WKW of the transported object WK, or, in the case where the transported object WK is deformable, etc., the positioning of the transported object WK in the transport direction TD may be completed when the spacing becomes narrower than the left-right width WKW of the transported object WK.
The positioning member 21F and the pushing member 14A may or may not be aligned in the Y axis direction when placed in the initial position.
The alignment means 22 may be composed of a single guide member 22A either at the top or the bottom, or a guide member 22A having an inlet section 22B that does not move away from the ball roller conveyor 15 or approaches the ball roller conveyor 15 in a plan view as it moves toward the conveying direction TD of the transported object WK, or a guide member 22A having inlet sections 22B that do not become wider apart as it moves toward the right in a side view, or a configuration that abuts against the front and back sides of the transported object WK and aligns the transported object WK in the perpendicular direction RD, or a guide member 22A that is circular, L-shaped or U-shaped in cross section may be used, and may or may not be provided in the transporting device EA of the present invention.

The supply device 30 may support the pusher 33 with, for example, a slider of an articulated robot as a driving device or a linear motor as a driving device, and supply the transported object WK to the conveying device EA, or may be provided in the conveying device EA of the present invention, or may not be provided, and if not provided, the transported object WK may be supplied to the EA manually.

The conveying device EA may be configured so that the left-right width WKW of the transported object WK is input in advance to a control means not shown, or may be configured to employ imaging means such as a camera or projector, or detection means such as various sensors such as optical sensors or ultrasonic sensors, to detect the left-right width WKW of the transported object WK and input it to the control means not shown.
The transported object WK transported by the transport device EA does not need to be subjected to a predetermined treatment by a treatment device or the like (not shown).

The means and steps of the present invention are not limited in any way as long as they can perform the operations, functions or steps described for those means and steps, and are in no way limited to the components and steps of a single embodiment shown in the above embodiment. For example, the conveying means may be any means that conveys the object to be conveyed in a predetermined conveying direction, and is not limited in any way as long as it is within the technical scope in light of the common general technical knowledge at the time of filing (the same goes for other means and steps).

The material, type, shape, etc. of the adhesive sheet and the transported object WK are not particularly limited. For example, the adhesive sheet and the transported object WK may be circular, elliptical, polygonal such as a triangle or a rectangle, or other shapes, and the adhesive sheet may be pressure-sensitive adhesive, heat-sensitive adhesive, or other adhesive form. In addition, such an adhesive sheet may be, for example, a single layer of only an adhesive layer, one with an intermediate layer between the substrate and the adhesive layer, one with three or more layers such as a cover layer on the upper surface of the substrate, or even a so-called double-sided adhesive sheet in which the substrate can be peeled off from the adhesive layer. In addition, the transported object WK may be, for example, a single object such as food, a resin container, a semiconductor wafer such as a silicon semiconductor wafer or a compound semiconductor wafer, a circuit board, an information recording substrate such as an optical disk, a glass plate, a steel plate, a ceramic, a wooden board, or a resin, or may be a composite formed of two or more of them, and may be a member or an item of any shape. In addition, the adhesive sheet can be interpreted in terms of its function or purpose, and can refer to any sheet, film, tape, etc., such as an information label, decorative label, protective sheet, dicing tape, die attach film, die bonding tape, or recording layer-forming resin sheet.

The driving equipment in the above-described embodiments may be electric equipment such as a rotary motor, a linear motor, a single-axis robot, or a multi-joint robot having joints on two or more axes, or an actuator such as an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a rodless cylinder, or a rotary cylinder, or a direct or indirect combination of these may also be used.
In the above-described embodiments, when a rotating member such as a roller is used, a driving device for rotating the rotating member may be provided, the surface of the rotating member or the rotating member itself may be made of a deformable material such as rubber or resin, the surface of the rotating member or the rotating member itself may be made of a non-deformable material, or other members such as a rotating or non-rotating shaft or blade may be used instead of the roller.

EA... conveying device 10... conveying means 14A... pushing member (clamping member)
20: Positioning means 21: Spacing adjustment means 21F: Positioning member (sandwiching member)
TD: conveying direction WK: conveyed object

Claims (2)

A conveying means for conveying the object in a predetermined conveying direction;
a positioning means for positioning the transported object,
the positioning means is shared with the conveying means and includes a gap adjustment means for relatively moving a positioning member at the front in the conveying direction and a rear pushing member at the rear in the conveying direction to sandwich the conveyed object from the front and rear in the conveying direction, thereby making the gap between the conveyed objects in the conveying direction equal ;
The conveying device is characterized in that the gap adjustment means conveys the conveyed object in the conveying direction and maintains equal intervals between the conveyed objects in the conveying direction by moving the push member in the conveying direction to clamp the conveyed object without moving the positioning member in the opposite direction to the conveying direction . a conveying step of conveying an object in a predetermined conveying direction;
A positioning step of positioning the transported object is carried out,
In the positioning step, a positioning member at the front in the conveying direction and a rear pushing member at the rear in the conveying direction are moved relative to each other to sandwich the conveyed object from the front and rear in the conveying direction, and a spacing adjustment step is performed to make the intervals between the conveyed objects in the conveying direction equal;
The conveying method is characterized in that in the gap adjustment process, the positioning member is not moved in the opposite direction to the conveying direction, but the push member is moved in the conveying direction to clamp the conveyed object, thereby conveying the conveyed object in the conveying direction and making the intervals between the conveyed objects in the conveying direction equal .

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