JPH08171834A - Rubber cup insertion structure and insertion method for membrane key board - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To make a rubber cup insertion structure flexible to deal with pitch alteration of a product and make adsorption and insertion of a cup with an abnormal shape possible by pushing a single cap formed by rubber blanking dies into a circular space of a housing by vacuum adsorption by a rubber cup adsorption head and then separating the cup. CONSTITUTION: A single cup rubber 5 produced by blanking from a rubber sheet is conveyed to a conveying table by vacuum adsorption and vacuum- adsorbed to a rubber cup adsorption head 6. The cup 5 is pushed in a circular space 9 of a housing 8 to form a membrane key board by the head 6 and the cup 5 is separated from the heat 6 which is released from the vacuum-adsorption and automatically attached to the housing 8. The described method can flexibly deal with the pitch alteration of a paroduct by program alteration and even a cup with an abnormal shape can be adsorbed and inserted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rubber cup insertion structure and insertion method used for assembling a membrane keyboard that is widely used as an input device for information processing equipment, office equipment, industrial equipment and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It is well known that a membrane type keyboard is intended to be made thin, and a key cup is pushed up by a rubber cup from the back side of the key top to support it. This rubber cup is generally inserted into a circular space in the housing located between the key top and the membrane sheet.

By the way, when inserting a rubber cup into such a housing, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 5, the back of the housing 8 is placed facing upward, and a single rubber cup (hereinafter, single cup rubber) 15 is operated. A person manually picks it and inserts the single cup rubber 15 into the circular space 9 on the back of the housing.

In addition, as another automatic insertion method, as shown in FIG. 6, after storing a plurality of single cup rubbers 15 in a parts feeder 11, the single cup rubbers 15 are inserted through a supply rail 12 to an insertion portion by a transfer mechanism. There is something to move. At the insertion portion, the insertion head 13 adsorbs the single cup rubber 15 and inserts it into the circular space 9 on the back of the housing 8 as a product. FIG. 7 shows an example of the suction structure of the head portion at the tip of the insertion head 13. Air suction routes 16a and 16b are provided on the circumferential surface of the rubber cup contacting portion of the rubber cup suction head 16 and a part of the tip of the head, respectively, so that the single cup rubber 15 is sucked over the entire surface. In the case of this head, only the single cup rubber 15 having a specific shape and size adapted to the air suction routes 16a and 16b is sucked.

[0005]

In the above-mentioned conventional rubber cup insertion structure and insertion method, particularly when an automatic insertion machine is applied, the automatic insertion machine is a product due to a specification change accompanying a customer request. Since it is not possible to handle when changing the rubber pitch of the product, it becomes an automatic inserter dedicated to that product, and with this, the automatic inserter can insert only products of the same shape and has a different shape. There is a drawback that it is impossible to insert other products with the same automatic insertion machine.

Further, in the case of manual insertion, there are drawbacks that the work is complicated and the number of assembling steps is large, and in some cases, there is a risk of erroneous insertion of the rubber cup.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, and to automatically insert single cup rubber punched from a single rubber sheet into products having different pitches, or to insert irregular shaped cups. An object is to provide an insertion structure and an insertion method.

[0008]

According to the rubber cup insertion structure for a membrane keyboard of the present invention, a rubber sheet having a single sheet shape is punched into a predetermined single cup shape and punched on a moving table installed on a lower stage. A punching die mechanism having a die for unloading the single cup, a transport mechanism including a moving table for vacuum-sucking the transported single cup and moving in a horizontal two-dimensional direction, and an inner surface transported by the transport mechanism. A rubber cup suction head having an air suction route and having a suction function with the single cup above the single cup, which is positioned with the upper side facing upward, after sucking the inner surface of the single cup, An insertion mechanism for inserting the single cup into the circular space on the back surface of the housing, which is a member of the product, by moving, descending, and raising the head. Further, the rubber cup suction head has a structure in which the air suction route is arranged not only on the circumferential surface but also at the tip end portion, and not only the inner surface suction of the single cup but also a plate-shaped member, etc. It is also possible to adsorb irregularly shaped parts, and further, the insertion mechanism corresponds to the change of the control program in which the insertion position of the rubber cup adsorption head is changed, corresponding to the above-mentioned products for various products having different pitches. It is also possible to allow the insertion of a single cup.

The membrane keyboard rubber cup inserting method of the present invention comprises a step of punching a single sheet rubber sheet into a predetermined single cup shape by a punching die, and a step of punching the punched single cup into the punching die and its receiving die. The process of carrying out to the moving table installed on the lower stage,
A step of vacuum-adsorbing the carried out single cup on the moving table that is movable in the horizontal two-dimensional direction with its inner surface facing upward, and a rubber cup suction head having a suction function of the moving table with the single cup. A step of moving the rubber cup suction head downward, a step of sucking the inner surface of the single cup moved downward of the rubber cup suction head to the rubber cup suction head via an air suction route, and a step of manufacturing the rubber cup suction head. The step of moving the single cup to the circular cavity portion on the back surface of the housing, which is the member of FIG.

[0010]

[Function] In a keyboard structure using a rubber cup, which is switched on and off by pressing the key top,
When assembling the membrane keyboard, after punching a single sheet-shaped rubber sheet into a single cup shape with a punching die, the table that sucks and holds this rubber sheet moves by the movement of the transport mechanism, A single cup rubber that has moved so as to correspond to a predetermined insertion space is automatically inserted into the product housing by lowering or raising the rubber cup suction head. Capable of sucking and inserting cups.

[0011]

Next, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block perspective view showing the structure and process of one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the operating state of the insertion mechanism of this embodiment in sequence, and FIG. 3 is a rubber cup suction head. A detailed cross-sectional view, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the operation of the insertion mechanism.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, in order to automatically insert the rubber cup into the housing of the membrane keyboard, it is composed of three main mechanisms, a punching die mechanism 1, a conveying mechanism 2 and an inserting mechanism 3. There is.

The punching die mechanism 1 comprises a rubber receiving die 1a and a rubber removing die 1b. The rubber receiving die 1a on which a rubber sheet 4 in the form of a single sheet is placed by an operator moves below the rubber removing die 1b. A predetermined single cup rubber 5 is punched out from the rubber sheet 4 in the shape of a single sheet by the rubber punching die 1b from above, and is carried out downward.

The transport mechanism 2 is composed of a moving table 2a and a single cup rubber receiving portion 2b provided thereon,
The moving table 2a in which the single cup rubber 5 carried out below the punching die mechanism 1 is vacuum-sucked and positioned in the single-cup rubber receiving portion 2b with the inner surface facing upward is moved below the rubber cup suction head 6. Has become.

The insertion mechanism 3 comprises a rubber cup suction head 6 and a rubber insertion machine 7 for positioning and holding the rubber cup suction head. The single cup rubber 5 is lifted by the rubber cup suction head 6 from above the moving table 2a. The inserter 7 is moved onto the product cradle 3a on which the product housing 8 is placed, and is lowered and raised to insert the single cup rubber 5 into a predetermined position of the housing 8.

The operation of this embodiment having such a configuration will be described below.

The rubber sheet 4 in the form of a single sheet is manually set on the rubber receiving mold 1a. After setting, the rubber receiving mold 1a moves to below the rubber removing mold 1b, and the single cup rubber 5 is punched and formed by the cutting operation of the rubber removing mold 1b. The single cup rubber 5 is installed below the rubber receiving mold 1a after cutting. It is carried out onto the movable table 2a, and the positioning is performed by the single cup rubber receiving portion 2b. In order to fix the position of the single cup rubber 5 on the moving table 2a, the single cup rubber 5 is sucked upward by the vacuum suction method of the single cup rubber receiving portion 2b to improve the position accuracy. The moving table 2a moves below the rubber cup suction head 6 positioned by the rubber inserter 7. At this position, the single cup-shaped single cup rubber 5 is lifted after the inner surface thereof is sucked by the rubber cup suction head 6.

The suction structure of the rubber cup suction head 6 is as follows.
It is as shown in FIG. That is, the cross-sectional areas of the air suction route 6a leading to the tip of the rubber cup suction head 6 and the air suction route 6b on the circumferential surface that serves as the rubber cup contact portion are both greatly expanded, and also provided at the tip of the head. Further, by making the shape of the air suction route 6c concave and inverted, the suction force at the time of the single suction of the single cup rubber 5 as shown in FIG. 3 (a) is greatly improved as compared with the conventional case. Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, only the air suction route 6c portion can be used to adsorb odd-shaped parts other than the rubber cup (such as the odd-shaped rubber 10).

After the suction is completed, the rubber insertion machine 7 and the rubber cup suction head 6 move to the insertion mechanism 3, and the head position is set above the circular space 9 of the housing 8 as shown in FIG. After that, a series of operations of suction, insertion, and separation shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C are performed, and the rubber cup suction head 6 is held in the circular space 9 of the housing 8 while the single cup wrapper 5 is suctioned. Descend to the bottom (Fig. 2
(A), (b)).

By the way, the movement of the rubber cup suction head 6 on the rubber inserter 7 can be freely moved in the horizontal two-dimensional directions of the X-axis and the Y-axis, as shown in FIG.
It is possible to cope with any change in the insertion pitch of the single cup rubber 5. The position of this movement is set by the program that controls the insertion mechanism 3,
The same single rubber sheet 4 is used for various products with different insertion pitch dimensions, and the structure allows flexible insertion only by changing the program.

After the rubber cup suction head 6 is lowered to the set lower position of the housing 8, the lowering is finished, and at the same time, the suction function is released, and the rubber cup suction head 6 and the single cup rubber 5 are released. Are separated.
After that, the rubber cup suction head 6 alone rises to the initially set height and stops (FIG. 2C). As a result, the single cup rubber 5 is inserted into the predetermined circular space 9 of the housing 8. When all the single cup rubbers 5 are inserted into the circular empty space 9 of the housing 8 by repeating this operation, the housing 8 which is a completed insertion product moves to the operator's hand as shown in FIG.

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention, a single cup rubber punched into a predetermined shape from a single rubber sheet is adsorbed and held on a moving table, and the inner surface is adsorbed by a rubber cup adsorbing head. By adopting a configuration and method of inserting into a predetermined space of the housing, even for products with various different pitches, a flexible cup can be automatically inserted into the product from a common single rubber sheet by changing the program. There is an effect that it is possible to deal with it, and various differently shaped cups can be sucked and inserted by the same suction head. Further, compared to the conventional manual insertion, the number of steps is small and the probability of erroneous insertion is reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block perspective view showing the configuration and process of one embodiment of the present invention.

2 shows the operating state of the insertion mechanism in FIG.
(A) is a sectional view showing a suction step before inserting a rubber cup, (b) is an inserting step, and (c) is a separating step after inserting.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the rubber cup suction head of FIGS. 1 and 2 in detail, in which (a) is a surface suction and (b) is a partial suction.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the operation of the insertion mechanism of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a conventional rubber insertion state by manual insertion.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a rubber insertion state by conventional automatic insertion.

7 is a sectional view showing details of the insertion head in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Punching Mechanism 1a Rubber Receiving Mold 1b Rubber Removing Mold 2 Conveying Mechanism 2a Moving Table 2b Single Cup Rubber Receiving Section 3 Inserting Mechanism 3a Product Stand 4 Rubber Sheet 5 Single Cup Rubber 6 Rubber Cup Adsorption Heads 6a, 6b, 6c Air Inhalation route 7 Rubber insertion machine 8 Housing 9 Circular void 10 Rubber with irregular shape

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A punching die mechanism comprising a die for punching a single-sheet rubber sheet into a predetermined single cup shape and carrying out the punched single cup on a moving table installed on a lower stage. , A suction mechanism that suctions the discharged single cup in a vacuum and that moves in a horizontal two-dimensional direction, and a suction mechanism above the single cup that is transported by the transfer mechanism and has its inner surface facing upward. After the rubber cup suction head having a root and having a suction function with the single cup has sucked the inner surface of the single cup, the rubber cup suction head is moved, lowered, or raised to move the lower surface of the housing, which is a member of the product. A rubber cup insertion structure for a men brake board, comprising: an insertion mechanism for inserting the single cup in a circular space. 2. The rubber cup suction head has a structure in which the air suction route is arranged not only on the circumferential surface but also on the tip end portion, and not only the inner surface suction of the single cup but also a plate-shaped member or the like. The rubber cup insertion structure for a membrane keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the deformed parts can be sucked. 3. The insertion mechanism inserts the single cup into products having different pitches in response to a change in a control program in which the insertion position of the rubber cup suction head is changed. The rubber cup insertion structure for a membrane keyboard according to claim 1, wherein 4. A step of punching a single sheet rubber sheet into a predetermined single cup shape with a punching die, and a punching single cup on a moving table installed on the lower stage of the punching die and its receiving die. A step of carrying out, a step of vacuum-adsorbing the carried-out single cup on the moving table that is movable in the horizontal two-dimensional direction with the inner surface facing upward, a rubber having a suction function of the moving table with the single cup Moving the cup suction head below the rubber cup suction head, sucking the inner surface of the single cup moved below the rubber cup suction head to the rubber cup suction head via an air suction route, and the rubber cup Move the suction head to the circular space on the back of the housing, which is a member of the product, and lower and raise it to move the single cup to the circular space. A method for inserting a rubber cup for a membrane keyboard, which comprises a step of inserting.