JPH0672546A - Pallet feeding and discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simultaneously inspect a plural number of inspected articles and to discriminate a pallet individual body. CONSTITUTION:This device is constituted to have pallet stoppers 5a-5d and a pallet transfer part 6 at the position of each inspection stations 4a-4d of a conveyor 3 and to be furnished with a mechanism to conjest a pallet on the conveyor 3 by the pallet stoppers 5a-5d at the time when there is no pallet on the inspection stations 4a-4d and to move the pallet by the pallet transfer part 6 until it is fixed at an inspection position apart from the conveyor 3 and to thereafter move the pallet to a position not to interfere a pallet with an inspected article placed on it passing the position of the inspection stations on the conveyor 3. Additionally, the pallet 2a with the inspected article 1a is constituted to have a wiring for discrimination to discriminate an individual body of the pallet 2a.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pallet feeding / discharging device, and more particularly to a pallet feeding / discharging device for feeding a pallet carrying an object to be inspected by a conveyor and disposing the pallet at an inspection station installed in the middle of the conveyor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As electronic circuits have become more sophisticated, the inspection time and electrical adjustment time of the electronic circuits have become longer than the time required to connect the electronic circuits to the inspection device. .

The electronic circuit to be inspected is, for example, a circuit group component of a printed circuit board unit, etc., and in order to cope with the recent high-mix low-volume production, a plurality of types of inspected objects are respectively put into a plurality of types of pallets according to the production amount. It is installed and transported to the inspection station for inspection. Then, if necessary, make electrical adjustments.

The inspection time and adjustment time differ depending on the type of electronic circuit to be inspected, and usually one person sticks to one inspection station to perform inspection and adjustment. Therefore, by using a semi-automatic device that allows multiple inspection stations to simultaneously inspect multiple inspected objects and makes electrical adjustments if necessary, and one person can be in charge of multiple inspection stations. It is desirable to improve the inspection efficiency.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention meets the above demands and prepares pallets corresponding to a plurality of types of inspected objects.
The present invention provides a pallet feeding / discharging device that automatically feeds the pallets to a plurality of inspection stations without delay. Further, the present invention is to provide a pallet feeding / discharging device having a function of checking the failure of the pallet itself so that the individual pallet can be identified.

[0006]

FIG. 1 is a top view of a pallet feeding / discharging device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a top view of an inspection station.
3 is a side view of the inspection station, FIG. 4 is a side view for explaining lifting of the pallet, and FIG. 5 is a top view of the pallet on which the inspection object is placed.

The above-mentioned problem is related to a pallet feeding / discharging device which sends pallets 2a-2d on which objects to be inspected 1a-1d are placed by a conveyor 3 and is arranged at inspection stations 4a-4d installed in the middle of the conveyor 3. , Each inspection station of the conveyor 3
If the inspection stations 4a to 4d have no pallets, the pallet stoppers 5a to 5d have pallet stoppers 5a to 5d and a pallet moving unit 6 at the positions 4a to 4d, and the pallet stoppers 5a to 5d stop the pallet on the conveyor to move the pallet. Part 6 moves the pallet until it is fixed in the inspection position away from the conveyor,
Then, the pallet moving unit 6 is solved by a pallet feeding / discharging device having a mechanism for moving the pallet on which the object to be inspected is placed so as not to obstruct the passage of the position of the inspection station on the conveyor.

Further, the pallet 2a on which the inspection object 1a is placed is solved by the pallet feeding / discharging device having the identification wiring 7 for identifying the individual pallet 2a.

[0009]

In the present invention, when there is no pallet in the inspection stations 4a to 4d, the pallet stoppers 5a to 5d hold the pallet on the conveyor and the pallet moving unit 6 moves the pallet until it is fixed at the inspection position away from the conveyor. After that, the pallet moving unit 6 moves to a position that does not prevent the pallet on which the inspection object is placed from passing the position of the inspection station on the conveyor. Therefore, if the pallet stoppers 5a to 5d do not act. The pallet on which the object to be inspected is then sent by the conveyor 3 can pass through the position of the inspection station that has already taken in the object to be inspected, and is sent to the next inspection station where the pallet has not yet been taken in. And fixed at the inspection position there.

In this way, the pallets carrying the objects to be inspected one after another can be sent to the inspection stations where the pallets have not yet been taken in and fixed at the inspection positions there.

Therefore, even if the inspection time or the subsequent adjustment time extends for a long time, the work can be simultaneously progressed in a plurality of inspection stations, and the inspection efficiency can be improved. The pallet on which the inspected object that has been inspected is returned to the conveyor 3 and moved, and the pallet on which the inspected object is placed is placed again in the empty inspection station.

Further, if the pallet 2a on which the inspection object 1a is placed has the identification wiring 7 for identifying the individual pallet 2a, the inspection result can be known by combining the inspection object 1a and the pallet 2a. Therefore, it is possible to obtain information about the presence or absence of a defect in the pallet 2a at the same time as the inspection result of the inspection object 1a, and it is possible to remove the defective pallet.

[0013]

1 is a top view of a pallet feeding / discharging device according to the present invention,
2 is a top view of the inspection station, FIG. 3 is a side view of the inspection station, and FIG. 4 is a side view for explaining lifting of the pallet. 1a to 1d are inspected objects, 2a to 2d are pallets, and 3 is a conveyor. A progressive conveyor, 4a to 4d are inspection stations, 5a to 5d are pallet stoppers, 6 is a pallet vertical movement part, 7 is a wiring for identification, 7a is wiring for connecting an object to be inspected with a pallet, and 8a to 8d are inspections 9a and 9b are return conveyors, 10 is a cushion, 10 is a connector, 12 is a connector (female side), 13 is a connector (male side), 14 is a connector connecting telescopic part, and 15 is a leaf spring.

The objects to be inspected 1a to 1d are circuit group parts such as a printed board unit. Pallets 2a to 2d are inspected
A table on which 1a to 1d is placed is electrically connected to the DUTs 1a to 1d by the connector 11. As a conveyor that conveys the pallets 2a to 2d by a pallet feed roller 3a that is rotated by a drive source (not shown), one row of the forward conveyor 3 in the forward direction and two rows of the return conveyors 9a and 9b on the return side are arranged. The pallets 2a to 2d are provided with cushions 10 that absorb the impact of collision with front and rear pallets.

A plurality of inspection stations 4a to 4d are arranged in the middle of the progressive conveyor 3 at a certain interval. Each inspection station 4a-4d has a connector (male side) 13 electrically connected to the inspectors 8a-8d, and this connector (male side) 13 is fitted into the connector (female side) 12 of the pallet 2a.

At the conveyor end, return conveyors 9a, 9b
There is a traverse section for moving the pallet from the forward conveyor 3 to the return conveyors 9a and 9b.

First, assuming that the inspection object is not placed in the inspection stations 4a to 4d, when the pallet 2a on which the inspection object 1a is placed moves to the vicinity of the inspection station 4a provided in the middle of the progressive conveyor 3. The cylindrical pallet stopper 5a projects from below and blocks the passage of the pallet 2a. After the pallet 2a hits the pallet stopper 5a and stops, the pallet up-and-down moving part 6 extends upward to lift the pallet 2a, and the pallet 2a is supported by the leaf springs 15 to fix the pallet 2a at the stop position. After that, the expansion part for connector connection
14 extends laterally, the connector (male side) 13 fits into the connector (female side) 12, and the inspection object 1a and the inspector 8a are electrically connected.

When the inspection object 1a is ready for electrical inspection and adjustment, the pallet up-and-down moving part 6 and the pallet stopper 5a are lowered to the inspection in which the inspection object has already been arranged. The position of the station is returned to a position that does not prevent the pallet on which the next object to be inspected is passed.

The pallet on which the next inspection object 1b is placed passes through the position of the inspection station 4a, and the next inspection station 4b is reached.
When the pallet 2b moves to the vicinity, the column-shaped pallet stopper 5b projects from the bottom and blocks the passage of the pallet 2b. Thereafter, in the same manner as in the case of the inspection object 1a described above, the inspection object 1b is fixed at the inspection position of the inspection station 4b, and the inspection object 1b and the inspection device 8b are electrically connected.

In the same manner, the inspection object 1c is placed in the inspection station 4c, and the inspection object 1d is placed in the inspection station 4d.
To place. Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which the inspection stations 4a to 4d are provided at four places on the way of the conveyor 3, the situation is the same even if the inspection stations are further increased.

The pallet on which the object to be inspected, which has been inspected and adjusted, is placed on the pallet up-and-down moving portion 6 pushed up again from below, and the connector (male side) 13 is separated from the connector (female side) 12, Further, the pressing of the leaf spring 15 is released and the leaf spring 15 is moved downward, returned to the conveyor 3 and conveyed in the forward direction. Then, a new object to be inspected is transported and placed in the vacant inspection station.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the pallet on which the object to be inspected is placed, and FIG. 6 is a wiring diagram. 1a is the object to be inspected, 2a is the pallet, 7
Is a wiring for identification, 7a is a wiring for connecting an object to be inspected with a pallet, 8a is an inspector, 10 is a cushion, 11 is a connector, 12 is a connector (female side), and 13 is a connector (male side).

The pallet 2a is a wiring 7a connected to the inspection object 1a.
And a wiring 7 for identification for identifying the individual pallet. The identification wiring 7 selects a plurality of contacts to bring the contacts into conduction. The combination of contacts to be selected is made different for each type of the inspection object 1a and for each pallet. That is, if the signal from the identification wiring 7 is read, the type of the inspection object 1a can be recognized and the individual pallet can be recognized. For example, the identification wiring 7 having eight contact points can identify up to 256 individuals by the combination of connections. In addition, electrical inspection is performed, and if necessary, electrical adjustment of the inspection object 1a is also performed based on the result.

The advantages of identifying individual pallets are as follows. If it is assumed that the same defect always occurs when a specific pallet object is used in the inspection of the inspected object, the pallet object is more likely to be defective than the inspected object, and the use of the pallet object is expected. Can be banned.

[0025]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Prepares pallets corresponding to multiple types of inspected items and automatically inspects multiple and multiple types of inspected items at the same time with a pallet feeding / discharging device that automatically supplies the pallets to multiple inspection stations without delay. Can be raised.

Since the individual pallets can be identified,
It is easy to find and remove defective pallets from among the pallets used for inspection.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top view showing a pallet feeding / discharging device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view of an inspection station.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the inspection station.

FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating pushing up of a pallet.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a pallet on which an object to be inspected is placed.

FIG. 6 is a wiring diagram of a pallet.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1a to 1d are objects to be inspected 2a to 2d are pallets 3 are conveyors, and a forward conveyor 3a is a pallet feed roller 4a to 4d is an inspection station 5a to 5d is a pallet stopper 6 is a pallet moving unit and a pallet vertical moving unit 7 Is a wiring for identification 7a is a wiring for connecting an object to be inspected with a pallet 8a to 8d is an inspector 9a, 9b is a conveyor, and a return conveyor 10 is a cushion 11 is a connector 12 is a connector (female side) 13 is a connector (male side) ) 14 is a flexible part for connector connection 15 is a leaf spring

Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification number Office reference number FI technical display location G01R 31/28 // B23Q 39/04 C 8107-3C

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A pallet (2) on which an object to be inspected (1a-1d) is placed.
a to 2d) is sent by a conveyor (3) and is installed at an inspection station (4a to 4d) installed in the middle of the conveyor (3). Set the pallet stoppers (5a to 5d) to the positions (4a to 4d).
d) and the pallet moving part (6), and when there is no pallet at the inspection stations (4a to 4d), the pallet stoppers (5a to 5d) stop the pallet on the conveyor and the pallet moving part (6a). ) Moves the pallet until it is fixed at the inspection position away from the conveyor, and then the pallet moving part (6) is at a position that does not prevent the pallet carrying the inspection object from passing the position of the inspection station on the conveyor. A pallet feeding / discharging device characterized by having a mechanism for moving up to. 2. The pallet feeding / discharging device according to claim 1, wherein the pallet (2a) on which the object to be inspected (1a) is placed has an identification wiring (7) for identifying an individual pallet (2a).