JPH0324513Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to a separating and discharging device for separating stacked and stored substrates one by one and transporting them to the next processing step.

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a plurality of substrates are stored in a magazine that also serves as a protective container and are transported between manufacturing processes. For this reason, substrate loading and unloading devices are often used, which take out the substrates housed in the magazine from the magazine, supply them to the substrate processing apparatus, and after the processing is completed, discharge them from the substrate processing apparatus and again house them in the magazine. The substrates stacked in this magazine are generally separated by suction by applying negative pressure to the surface of the substrate using a means such as a suction pad, but if a new substrate with a smooth surface is stacked, the substrate Since there is no air layer between the two, the suction pad has the drawback of picking up two or more substrates at the same time. When multiple boards are transported at the same time, various inconveniences can occur, such as some boards falling off and being damaged, or extra boards being sent to the next process, causing work to stop.
A mechanism is required to reliably separate the substrates one by one.

Therefore, in addition to the conventional suction pad, a mechanism has been proposed in which compressed air is blown onto the substrate to separate it when the substrate is lifted up by suction, but as mentioned above, the two substrates are in close contact with each other. It was difficult to separate them reliably because of the presence of

Furthermore, some substrates have holes drilled at arbitrary positions (through-hole substrates), so it may be necessary to shift the position of the suction pad, or there may be situations where the suction pad still cannot be suctioned. was. To protect the substrate surface, mechanical contact with the surface must be kept to a minimum and the use of suction pads is less desirable.

Further, although substrates are generally stored in a dedicated stacking magazine, a magazine must be prepared each time the size of the substrate changes. For example, from 50mm square to 125mm
It is difficult to manufacture magazines that can accommodate a wide range of sizes up to the corners. Therefore, a large number of loaded magazines and a stocker for empty magazines are required, resulting in a large device and a disadvantage that space efficiency is poor.

Furthermore, in the method of taking out the substrates stacked in the magazine one by one from the top end, the substrates added later are taken out first, which has the disadvantage of complicating the lot management of the process.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention The purpose of the invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, to be able to reliably separate only one board regardless of the type or size of the board, and to be able to insert the board into the board. To provide a substrate separation/discharge device capable of discharging substrates according to the first-in, first-out principle without using a magazine.

Means for Solving the Problems and Their Effects The above-mentioned objects of the present invention are to provide an inclined stocker for accommodating a large number of boards in diagonal alignment with the boards facing vertically; an upper stopper and a lower stopper that come into contact with the upper and lower positions of the board at the lowest end position; a push-down plate that is arranged adjacent to the upper stopper; and a push-up plate that is arranged adjacent to the lower stopper. and a compressed air injection nozzle located adjacent to the lift plate.

Based on this configuration, according to the present invention, a large number of substrates are housed in a diagonally aligned manner in an inclined stocker while facing vertically. Therefore, a step is created in the diagonal direction between adjacent substrates, and a downward force due to gravity acts, so that feeding is performed by the substrate's own weight. The substrate at the lowest position of the stocker is fixed in position by an upper stopper and a lower stopper, and the push-up plate is activated first to lift only that substrate. At this time, when compressed air is blown toward the bottom of the substrate from the injection nozzle, the moment the lower end of the substrate leaves the lower stopper, the lower end swings forward and separates from the second substrate. Then the push-down plate operates,
When the upper end of the substrate leaves the upper stopper, the substrate falls under its own weight and is sent to the next process.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

1. Since no suction pad is used, the substrate can be separated without touching the substrate surface.

2. Since there is a step difference between adjacent substrates, the degree of adhesion is weakened and separation becomes easier.

3. Even a board with holes can be handled in the same way as a board without holes.

4. Does not require a dedicated stacking magazine.

5. Since the new board is fed using its own weight, no special power source is required.

6. When changing the dimensions of the board, most changes can be made simply by adjusting the upper and lower stoppers and the positions of the push-up and push-down plates.

7 New boards can be added without stopping the equipment.

8. Since the substrates accommodated first are transported to the next process in order, the first-in, first-out principle is followed and process lot management is facilitated.

9. Can be easily connected to various automation devices.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the embodiments of the accompanying drawings.

Embodiment FIG. 1 shows the basic mechanism of the separating and discharging apparatus according to the present invention, in which a large number of substrates 10 are housed in an inclined stocker 11 in an oblique direction, each facing vertically. Board input section 1
A pressurizing weight 30 having a pressing surface 30A that becomes vertical according to the inclination of the stocker is placed on the upper end of 2 to prevent the substrate from falling and to feed the substrate to the substrate separating section 13. . As shown in the cross-sectional views of FIG. 2 (in the case of a large substrate) and FIG. 3 (in the case of a small substrate), the new substrate inserted from the input section 12 is placed between the lower guide bar 14 that slides on the bottom surface of the substrate, and the substrate. is guided in contact with a side guide bar 15 that slides on the side surface of the container, and is sent to the separation 13.

The substrate separation unit 13 has the substrate 1 located at the lowermost position.
Upper stopper 16 abuts near the upper end of 0A, lower stopper 1 abuts near the lower end of board 10A
7. A push-down plate 18 adjacent to the upper stopper 16;
A push-up plate 19 adjacent to the lower stopper 17, a cylinder 20 that drives the push-down plate 18, and a push-down plate 19.
A cylinder 21 for driving the substrate, a substrate guide 22 for guiding the substrate so that the upper surface thereof does not protrude, and a compressed air injection nozzle 28 adjacent to the push-up plate 19 are arranged. Based on this arrangement, the substrate separating section 13
Then, the separation operation as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 is performed.

In FIG. 4, the lowest board 10A is stopped by upper and lower stoppers 16 and 17, and the cylinder 21 is activated first to drive the push-up plate 19, and the upper end of the push-up board 19 pushes up the board 10A. . The substrate 10A is pushed up along the lower stopper 17. At the same time, compressed air injection nozzle 2
Clean compressed air is injected from 8 toward the bottom surface of the substrate 10A. At this time, the vicinity of the upper end of the board 10A is pushed downward by the second board 10B from the bottom, so the lower end of the board 10A is pushed downward by the lower stopper 1.
At the moment of separation from the substrate 10B, the air jet force is applied to the substrate 10A, causing the substrate 10A to swing in an arc as shown by the arrow in FIG. Stop at. Next, the cylinder 20 operates to drive the push-down plate 18, and the lower end of the push-down plate 18 pushes the substrate 10A downward. As shown in FIG. 4, the tip of the push-down plate 18 is formed of a flat part 18A with a narrow width and a tapered part 18B on the inner side surface, and as shown in FIG. At the same time, the tapered portion 18B functions to push back the next substrate 10B. In this way, the substrate 10A is separated from other substrates and pushed out, slides on the sliding guide plate 23, the separation and discharge of the substrate is confirmed by the substrate detection sensor 24, and the substrate is transferred to the next process conveyor belt 25 (for example, a printing press automation device). Sent. The injection of air from the injection nozzle 28 is stopped, and the cylinder 2
When substrates 0 and 21 are returned to their initial positions, the next substrate 10B is stopped at position 10A, and the above-described separation and ejection operation is repeated.

Note that the thickness of the push-up plate 19 is made smaller than the thickness of the substrate 10. The thickness of the central part of the push-down plate 18 is larger than that of one board and smaller than that of two boards, and the thickness of the flat part 18A at the tip is the same as or slightly smaller than the thickness of the board.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the separation and discharge device according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which the upper surface of the push-up plate 19 is 19A,
It is formed by three protruding parts 19B and 19C, and compressed air injection nozzles 2 are installed at two positions between the valleys of the protruding parts.
8 is provided. Therefore, it should be understood that in FIG. 5, the air injected from the nozzle 28 does not collide with the push-up plate 19, but is directly injected toward the gap between the substrates 10B and 10B. As mentioned above, since there is a step between the substrates, the degree of adhesion is weakened, and jetting compressed air into the gap between the substrates is an effective means to separate them. .

FIG. 8 shows the right side of the device shown in FIG. 7, and shows a state in which the sliding surfaces of the upper stopper 16 and the push-down plate 18 are inclined at an angle θ with respect to the vertical plane. FIG. 9 shows a portion shown by arrow R in FIG.

If the manufacturing process changes and the thickness or vertical and horizontal dimensions of the board 10 are changed, some or all of the upper and lower stoppers 16, 17, push-down plates 18, 19, etc. may be adjusted or replaced. By doing so, the device of the present invention can be used almost as is.

It is preferable that the device of the present invention combines various sensors and limit switches to execute each operation by sequence control.

Effects of the invention As explained in detail above, according to the present invention, the above-mentioned effects can be obtained, and in particular, new substrates can be reliably separated one by one without touching the surface, resulting in high performance. Its practical value is remarkable, such as making it possible to manufacture high-quality thick-film circuit boards.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 is a side cross-sectional view showing the mechanism of the separation and discharge device according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a front cross-sectional view taken along line P-P in FIG. Figure 3 is a front sectional view similar to Figure 2, and Figure 4 is a front sectional view similar to Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a side sectional view showing the board in a stationary state, Figure 5 is a side sectional view showing the board being separated, Figure 6 is a side sectional view showing the board being pushed out, and Figure 7 is a side sectional view showing the board being pushed out.
The figure is a front view of the separation and discharge device, FIG. 8 is a side sectional view taken from the right along the center portion of FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a front view of the portion R in FIG. 8. 10... Board, 11... Stotsuka, 112...
Input part, 13...Separation part, 16...Upper stopper, 17...Lower stopper, 18...Pushing down plate,
19... Push-up plate, 28... Injection nozzle.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] An inclined stocker for accommodating a large number of boards in diagonal alignment while facing in the vertical direction; and an inclined stocker that accommodates a large number of boards arranged in a diagonal direction while facing in the vertical direction; an upper stopper and a lower stopper that abut against the position; a push-down plate disposed adjacent to the upper stopper; a push-up plate disposed adjacent to the lower stopper; and a push-up plate disposed adjacent to the push-up plate. 1. A substrate separation and discharge device comprising: a compressed air injection nozzle;