JPH0551129A - Transport device for light product - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To carry a light synthetic resin product and the like in a high speed and nearly continuously by arranging a main nozzle for blowing out a low pressure air while penetrating a wall by which the start end of a transport pipe is closed and arranging a sub-nozzle while penetrating the upper wall of the transport pipe. CONSTITUTION:The bottom end of a supply pipe 1 is blocked by a bottom wall 7 and a nozzle 8 for supplying is arranged so as to turn in the upper/lower direction while penetrating the bottom wall 7. A product supply port 11 is opened on the upper wall 10 of the start end of the transport pipe 2 and the end part of the start end is blocked by a wall 13 and a main nozzle 14 is arranged in the axial direction of the transport pipe 2 while penetrating the wall 13. Further, a first sub-nozzle 15, a second sub-nozzle 16 and a third sub-nozzle 17 are arranged on the way of the transport pipe 2. When a light product is thrown in the product supply port 11 of the transport pipe 2, the product is blown off or slided in the transport pipe 2 by a jet stream in the axial direction from the main nozzle 14. Even if a sliding power declines on the way, when the product passes the positions of the sub-nozzles 15-17, its sliding power is encouraged again by the jet stream of the sub-nozzle further so that the product can be carried to the take out port 23.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transportation device for lightweight products. More specifically, the present invention relates to an air chute type transportation device used for transporting lightweight products such as plastic products within a factory at a short distance (several meters to several tens of meters).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a transparent synthetic resin is molded around the elements of a light emitting diode (LED) lamp, a lead frame 52 having a plurality of elements 51 as shown in FIG. A synthetic resin mold (hereinafter referred to as a PP pin) 54 having a cavity 53 for
Epoxy resin or the like is injected into the cavity 53, and the PP pin 54 is removed after the resin is polymerized and solidified.

Such a resin casting process is carried out in units of five PP pins 54 as shown in FIG. 4. For example, a parts feeder 55 for supplying PP pins as shown in FIG.
Automation is achieved by an automatic assembly machine 56 that attaches 54 to the lead frame 52 and a resin injection device 57. Further, after the resin is injected, it is dried and solidified in a drying oven 58, and the PP pin is automatically removed from the lead frame 52 by a separator 59.

The removed PP pin 54 is sent to the parts feeder 55 for reuse, and the drying furnace 58 is used.
Is long (the distance L from the separator 59 to the parts feeder 55 is about 11 m), and it comes out in small increments of 5 units in 9 second cycles.
The container 60 is transported to the parts feeder 55 (arrow A) every 90 minutes when the container 60 is full.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the above conventional method,
Parts feeder with approximately 3000 PP pins 54 for one container
If you put it in 55 all at once, the flow of the parts feeder will be slow. For this reason, the worker must put in a small amount of time while checking the remaining amount in the parts feeder while appropriately taking time. Therefore, not only is the container 60 transported, but labor is needed to replenish the parts feeder,
Production efficiency is low.

On the other hand, it is conceivable to use a large-volume continuous transfer system such as a belt conveyor, but PP pin 1
Individual size is 45 mm (length) x 20 mm (width) x 6 to 9.5 mm
Since it is relatively small (height), light in weight (0.7 g), and transported in small amounts, the equipment becomes excessively large, and there is a problem that the cost performance is significantly lowered.

In the present invention, instead of the conventional container-based transportation, small-sized and lightweight products are transported in small lots.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a product transportation device that can be efficiently performed and has a low manufacturing cost.

[0008]

According to the present invention, there is provided a transportation device for a lightweight product, comprising: (a) a transportation pipe extending substantially horizontally; and (b) a product supply port provided in the vicinity of a start end of the transportation pipe, c) a main nozzle that penetrates the wall that closes the starting end of the transport pipe and ejects low-pressure air in the axial direction of the transport pipe; and (d) is provided in the middle of the transport pipe and penetrates the upper wall of the transport pipe. The sub-nozzle that ejects low-pressure air in the axial direction of the transport pipe, and (e) the product outlet provided near the end of the transport pipe.

In such an apparatus, a plurality of the sub-nozzles are provided, the air supply conduit from the low pressure compressed air source is branched into the main nozzle and the sub-nozzle, and the sub-nozzle conduits are used for the first sub-nozzle and the second nozzle. It is preferable to branch to the following.

Further, at the product supply port of the transportation pipe of the device,
It is preferable to provide a vertically extending supply pipe for supplying the product from below. Such a supply pipe is provided with a product supply port near its lower end and a supply nozzle for ejecting low-pressure air upward through a bottom wall closing the lower end, and an air supply pipe from the low-pressure compressed air source. It is preferable that the path is branched into one for the transport nozzle including the main nozzle and the sub nozzle and one for the supply nozzle.

Further, it is preferable that any of the above nozzles ejects air in response to a signal from a sensor that detects the introduction of a product, because waste of an air source and noise can be reduced.

The term "substantially horizontally extending transportation pipe" as used herein refers to a transportation pipe that includes a portion of the transportation pipe that faces upward or downward, or that gradually rises or descends throughout. It includes a pipe.

[0013]

When a lightweight product is put into the product supply port of the transport pipe, first, the product jets in the axial direction by the main nozzle to fly or slide in the transport pipe.

Even if the momentum of slipping on the way is weakened, when the product passes the position of the sub-nozzle, it is further re-energized by the jet flow of the sub-nozzle and conveyed to the outlet.

When there are a plurality of sub-nozzles, the product is forced every time it passes through the sub-nozzles, and the kinetic energy lost due to friction during the process is replenished.

The above is the operation centered on the product, but focusing on the flow of air in the transport pipe, the main nozzle and the sub-nozzle each create an air flow in the same direction in the transport pipe. It is considered that the fluid friction and the pressure drop associated with product transportation are recovered by the jet flow from each sub-nozzle.

When the supply pipe extending in the vertical direction is provided on the upstream side of the transportation pipe, the transportation pipe can be installed in a high and unobtrusive place, and the drop from the product take-out port to the product supply port of the supply pipe is possible. Also, there is an advantage that the drop from the product take-out port of the transportation pipe to the supply destination such as the parts feeder can be used for transportation by the chute or the like. When there is only one air supply source, it is sufficient to branch from the upstream side to the downstream side in sequence, and as a result, a stronger jet can be ejected from the nozzle on the upstream side, which makes the product flow smoother. There is.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, the device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part showing an embodiment of a sub-nozzle according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an example of a product conveyed by the apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the main part showing the (PP pin), and FIG.
It is a schematic side view which shows the attachment state to the lead frame of a pin.

The product conveying apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a PP pin (FIGS. 3 to 5) which is a mold for molding the synthetic resin portion of the LED.
54) of 4) is returned almost continuously from the separator 59 to the parts feeder 55, and is roughly divided into an upstream supply pipe 1 and a downstream transport pipe 2.

The supply pipe 1 is arranged substantially vertically.
A product receiving hopper 5 is provided around the supply port 4 formed in the side wall 3 near the lower end thereof. From the separator 59 to the receiving hopper 5, the PP pin 54 is guided by the chute 6.

The bottom end of the supply pipe 1 is closed by a bottom wall 7,
A supply nozzle 8 is provided so as to extend vertically through the bottom wall 7. The upper end 9 of the supply pipe 1 is bent in a U shape, and its lower end is open.

A product supply port 11 is opened in an upper wall 10 of the starting end of the transport pipe 2 (on the right in FIG. 1), and a flange or a hopper 12 is provided around the product supply port 11. The end of the starting end is closed by a wall 13, and a main nozzle 14 that penetrates through the wall 13 and faces the axial direction of the transport pipe 2 is provided.

Further, three nozzles of a first sub-nozzle 15, a second sub-nozzle 16 and a third sub-nozzle 17 are provided in the middle of the transportation pipe 2. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the sub-nozzles 15, 16 and 17 is provided by penetrating a hole 18 formed in the upper wall 10 of the transport pipe 2, and a tube for supplying low pressure air to the root portion 19 via a joint 20. 21 is connected.

The tip of each of the sub-nozzles 15, 16 and 17 is bent toward the downstream side of the transport pipe 2, and the position of the tip is located slightly above the center of the transport pipe 2. There is. This is to prevent the product to be transported from colliding with this sub-nozzle.

Returning to FIG. 1, the downstream end of the transport pipe 2 is provided with a delivery port or product outlet port 23 extending downward. The product outlet 23 is the hopper 24 of the parts feeder 55.
Open towards.

The supply pipe 1 and the transport pipe 2 can be composed of, for example, a transparent synthetic resin pipe having an inner diameter of 44 to 55 mm.

The main nozzle 14 and the sub nozzle 15,
16 and 17 collectively constitute a transportation nozzle, and like the supply nozzle 8, are constituted by a stainless pipe having an inner diameter of about 2 mm.

Next, the supply pipeline for supplying air to each nozzle will be described.

The compressed air source 26 is a low pressure air source of about 0.1 to 0.15 MPa, and a flow rate of about 0.001 to 0.0015 m ³ / sec is required. On the downstream side of the compressed air source 26, a 2-position 2-way solenoid valve 27 for switching between a shut-off state and a communication state is provided, and a regulator 28 is further provided downstream thereof.

The pipe coming out from the regulator 28 is a branch pipe.
It is branched into two by 29, one of which is connected to the supply nozzle 8. The other branch 31 is further branched by a branch pipe 32, one of which 33 is connected to the main nozzle 14, and the other 34 is further branched by a branch pipe 35. The branched one 36 is connected to the first sub-nozzle 15,
The other 37 is further branched by a branch pipe 38 and then connected to the second sub nozzle 16 and the third sub nozzle 17, respectively.

As the branch pipe, a so-called cheese made of usual synthetic resin or metal is used. Further, each of the conduits may be composed of a synthetic resin tube or a rubber hose.

Next, the control method and operation of the transportation apparatus constructed as above will be described.

Air may be constantly ejected from each nozzle, but since the PP pin 54 separated from the lead frame by the separator 59 is taken out in a cycle of about 9 seconds, it may be synchronized with the operation of the separator 59, or PP pin
The signal from the sensor that detects the sending of 54, 1 in 9 seconds
If the air is jetted by the electromagnetic valve 27 for each time, for example, for 3 to 5 seconds, there is no problem in the transportation and the waste of the air can be prevented.

The supply nozzle 8, the main nozzle 14, the first nozzle 15, the second nozzle 16 and the nozzles on the downstream side are sequentially branched by a branch pipe so that a stronger jet flow is made to flow toward the upstream side. This is because the flow will be smoother if it is attached.

From the separator 59 to the PP pin 54, the chute 6
When it is dropped through, the solenoid valve 27 opens the circuit and air is ejected from all the nozzles. Therefore, the PP pin 54 that has fallen to the bottom end of the supply pipe 1 is blown up by the jet flow from the supply nozzle 8 and drops into the product supply port 11. Then PP
The pin 54 is connected to the product supply port by the flow of the main nozzle 14.
The power to suck in 11 works.

Next, the PP pin 54 dropped at the starting end of the transport pipe 2 is made to flow downstream along the transport pipe 2 by the main nozzle 14. The flowing PP pin 54 is further in the middle of the first sub-nozzle 15, the second sub-nozzle 16, the third sub-nozzle.
Since the momentum is sequentially applied in the order of 17, the kinetic energy lost due to friction or the like is replenished, reaches the product take-out port 23 at the end of the transport pipe 2, and is dropped into the hopper 24 of the parts feeder 55.

The number of PP pins 54 in the parts feeder 55 is
Since the amount that goes out is the same as the amount that is replenished, the parts feeder 55 can always operate with the most appropriate remaining amount.

The transportation pipe 1 may be normally formed in a straight line, but may be gently curved in a horizontal plane or a vertical plane depending on surrounding facilities. In that case, a sub-nozzle may be added at an appropriate position according to the flow situation. The mounting position and direction of the sub-nozzle may be adjusted while checking the speed of the product flowing in the transparent transport tube 2.

[0039]

According to the lightweight product transporting apparatus of the present invention, a lightweight synthetic resin product or the like can be transported in a relatively short distance at a high speed almost continuously. Therefore, especially when intermittently transporting small lots of lightweight products, it is much more efficient and requires less labor than batch-type transportation using containers. It also has the advantage of much lower manufacturing and operating costs compared to mass transit equipment such as belt conveyor systems.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an embodiment of the device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an essential part showing an embodiment of a sub-nozzle according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing an example (PP pin) of a product conveyed by the device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing a usage state of the PP pin of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an example of a resin casting facility for explaining a conventional transportation method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Supply Pipe 2 Transport Pipe 4 Supply Port 7 Bottom Wall 8 Supply Nozzle 10 Top Wall 11 Product Supply Port 13 Wall 14 Main Nozzle 15 First Sub Nozzle 16 Second Sub Nozzle 17 Third Sub Nozzle 23 Product Outlet 26 Compressed Air Source

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A transport pipe extending substantially horizontally, (b) a product supply port provided in the vicinity of a start end of the transport pipe, and (c) a wall which closes the start end of the transport pipe, A main nozzle that ejects low-pressure air in the axial direction of the transport pipe; and (d) a sub-nozzle that ejects low-pressure air in the axial direction of the transport pipe, provided in the middle of the transport pipe, penetrating the upper wall of the transport pipe. (E) A device for transporting a lightweight product, comprising a product outlet provided near the end of the transport pipe. 2. A plurality of the sub-nozzles are provided, an air supply conduit from a low-pressure compressed air source is branched into a main nozzle and a sub-nozzle, and a sub-nozzle conduit is the first.
The device according to claim 1, which is branched into a sub nozzle and a second nozzle and below. 3. The product supply port of the transport pipe is provided with a supply pipe for supplying a product from below, the supply pipe extends in the vertical direction, and the product supply port is provided near the lower end thereof. , And has a supply nozzle for ejecting low-pressure air upward through a bottom wall that closes the lower end, and an air supply pipeline from the low-pressure compressed air source is for a transfer nozzle including the main nozzle and the sub-nozzle. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is branched into one for the supply nozzle.