TW202035257A - Parts feeder and air ejection device for parts feeder including a hoper, an outlet member, and a tank - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a parts feeder and an air ejection device for a parts feeder, which can prevent dropping of workpieces and randomness of posture of workpieces at a transition portion of a hopper feeder and a linear feeder. The parts feeder of the present invention includes a hopper that transmits vibrations from a hopper-side vibration source, an outlet member, and a tank that transmits vibrations from a linear-side vibration source other than the hopper-side vibration source. The outlet member and the tank each include a conveying trough for conveying a workpiece by means of the transmitted vibrations. A downstream end portion of the outlet member in the conveying direction is located above an upstream end portion of the tank in the conveying direction. The hopper and the outlet member and the tank are structured in a manner of being arranged separate with a gap for isolating the vibrations in order to convey the workpiece from the end portion of the outlet member to the end portion of the tank. In the end portion, the thickness of the part corresponding to a bottom portion of the conveying trough is smaller than the thickness of the periphery of the part corresponding to the bottom portion.

Description

Parts feeder and air ejection device for parts feeder

The present invention relates to a parts feeder for conveying objects (workpieces) such as electronic components by vibration, and an air ejection device for the parts feeder.

As the parts feeder, for example, a part feeder combining a hopper feeder that conveys a workpiece in a circumferential shape and a linear feeder that conveys a workpiece in a linear shape is included. The hopper feeder and the linear feeder contain different vibration sources.

In this parts feeder, since the vibrations (amplitude, frequency, etc.) generated in the hopper feeder and the linear feeder are different, if these feeders are directly connected, for example, vibration interference may occur, causing a malfunction in the conveyance of the workpiece, or The possibility of failure of the parts feeder due to the concentration of stress. Therefore, in the parts feeder of Patent Document 1, a gap that can insulate the vibration is formed between the feeders so that the vibration of one feeder does not adversely affect the other feeder.

However, if the gap between the feeders is large, there is a possibility that the workpiece may fall from the gap. Therefore, the gap between the feeders is designed to be extremely small. However, in recent years, the size of the work is becoming smaller and smaller. Even if the gap between the feeders is reduced, the work may fall from the gap.

In addition, the parts feeder has the following requirements: arrange in a manner that does not overlap a group of conveyed workpieces in the longitudinal direction or the transverse direction, and predetermine the predetermined posture of each workpiece, and send it out to the next process.

Therefore, in the parts feeder, there are cases where an air ejection device is installed near the conveying path for conveying workpieces, and air is blown out against overlapping workpieces, etc., and the upper workpiece is blown away from the conveying path, or against A workpiece with an inappropriate posture blows air to promote its rotation (for example, Patent Document 2).

Prior art literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-284336

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-114651

Regarding the above-mentioned problem of the workpiece falling from the gap between the feeders, it is considered that the downstream end of the hopper feeder is positioned above the upstream portion of the linear feeder. In this parts feeder, since a gap where the workpiece falls between the hopper feeder and the linear feeder does not occur, it is possible to prevent the workpiece from falling into the gap.

However, in such a structure in which the downstream end of the hopper feeder is located above the upstream part of the linear feeder, it is unavoidable that the transition part (overlapping part) of the hopper feeder and the linear feeder forms a vertical drop. . Therefore, when the workpiece passes through the gap between the hopper feeder and the transition portion of the linear feeder, the workpiece falls on the gap and the posture is scattered. If the posture of the work is scattered in this way, a mechanism for correcting the posture of the work is required on the linear feeder or on the downstream side of the linear feeder.

In addition, in order to reduce the gap between the hopper feeder and the straight feeder, the thickness of the downstream end of the hopper feeder was reduced (thinned). However, if this is the case, the strength of the components is reduced, so there is a hopper feeder. The downstream end of the machine vibrates and the workpiece cannot be transported properly.

An air ejection device for blowing unaligned workpieces and the like from the conveying path typically ejects air in a direction orthogonal to the conveying path when viewed from above. In order to eject this type of air, in this type of air ejection device, an elongated nozzle with a discharge port formed at the tip is arranged in a posture orthogonal to the transport path when viewed from above in the longitudinal direction, and is arranged on the side of the transport path. For example, when a hopper feeder (that is, a hopper in which a spiral conveying path is formed on the inner surface of a side wall is vibrated, and a device that conveys a workpiece along the conveying path, that is, a hopper feeder) is provided with this type of air ejection device In this case, the elongated nozzle faces the inner surface of the side wall of the hopper with its front end on the discharge port side, and is embedded in the side wall of the hopper with its longitudinal direction along the radial direction of the hopper in a plan view. And, at the rear end of the nozzle, a supply pipe is connected from the axial direction.

However, with this structure, the supply pipe for supplying air extends in the axial direction from the rear end of the nozzle extending in the radial direction of the hopper in a plan view. Therefore, the supply pipe extends from the side wall of the hopper in the radial direction. Outstanding configuration. Therefore, in addition to the poor appearance, the supply piping may interfere with the operator and interfere with surrounding equipment.

In addition, an air ejection device for promoting rotation of a workpiece in an improper posture typically ejects air in a direction along the conveyance path when viewed from above. In order to spray this kind of air, in this type of air spray device, a nozzle formed by a freely bendable tube (such as a SUS tube) extends along the conveyance path when viewed from above, and is arranged on the conveyance path Above. In addition, the operator can appropriately bend the tubular nozzle and change the position and posture of the discharge port, so that the position and angle of the discharged air can be finely adjusted appropriately.

However, with this structure, the pipe-shaped nozzle is provided above the conveying route so as to extend along the conveying route. Therefore, there is still a problem that the appearance is poor and the nozzle hinders the operator.

The present invention provides a parts feeder that can prevent objects to be transported (workpieces) from falling at the transition portion between feeders and can prevent the posture of the transported objects from being disordered.

In addition, the present invention provides an air ejection device that hardly obstructs an operator and can make the target of the entire parts feeder compact and beautiful.

A parts feeder according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first vibration member to which vibration is transmitted from a first vibration source and a second vibration member to which vibration is transmitted from a second vibration source different from the first vibration source. The vibrating member and the second vibrating member respectively include a first conveying groove and a second conveying groove for conveying the object by the transmitted vibration, and the first end of the first vibrating member on the downstream side in the conveying direction is located in the second Above the second end on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the vibrating member, the first end and the second end are provided with a gap for insulating vibration between them, and they are arranged to move the conveyed object from the first end When transported to the second end portion, the thickness of the portion of the first end portion corresponding to the bottom of the first conveying groove is smaller than the thickness of the periphery of the portion corresponding to the bottom portion.

Thus, in the above-mentioned parts feeder, by making the thickness of the part corresponding to the bottom of the first conveyance groove in the first end of the first vibrating member smaller than the thickness of its surroundings, the first vibrating member can be made smaller. The gap with the transition part of the second vibrating part. Therefore, in the transition portion between the first vibrating member and the second vibrating member, it is possible to prevent the conveyed object (workpiece) from falling and suppress the dislocation of the posture of the conveyed object.

In the above-mentioned parts feeder, the thickness of the cross section perpendicular to the conveying direction of the first end portion is gradually reduced toward a portion corresponding to the bottom of the first conveying groove.

Thus, in the above-mentioned parts feeder, by forming the thickness of the cross section perpendicular to the conveying direction of the first end of the first vibrating member to gradually decrease toward the part corresponding to the bottom of the first conveying groove, even in the first When the first end of one vibrating member is reduced in thickness of the portion corresponding to the bottom of the first conveying tank, it is possible to suppress the decrease in the strength of the first end of the first vibrating member.

In the above-mentioned parts feeder, the thickness of the cross section parallel to the conveying direction of the first end portion gradually decreases toward the tip of the first end portion.

Therefore, in the above-mentioned parts feeder, by forming the thickness of the cross section parallel to the conveying direction of the first end portion to gradually decrease toward the tip of the first end portion, even at the first end portion of the first vibrating member Even when the thickness of the portion corresponding to the bottom of the first conveyance groove is reduced, the strength of the first end of the first vibrating member can be suppressed from decreasing.

In the above-mentioned parts feeder, the first end portion is formed in a tapered shape so that the thickness becomes gradually smaller toward a portion corresponding to the bottom of the first conveying groove.

In the above-mentioned parts feeder, at least one of the lower surface of the cross section perpendicular to the conveying direction of the first end and the lower surface of the cross section parallel to the conveying direction of the first end is formed in a tapered shape, so that the first The end part is processed so that the thickness becomes smaller toward the part corresponding to the bottom part of the 1st conveyance tank.

An air ejection device according to another embodiment of the present invention is an air ejection device for a parts feeder, and includes a nozzle and a supply pipe that supplies air to the nozzle. The nozzle includes an axial direction that intersects the conveyance path in a plan view and is arranged in A cylindrical main body on the side of the conveying path, a discharge port formed at a position deviated from the center on the end surface of the main body, an elongated groove formed on the peripheral surface of the main body in the circumferential direction, and communication The communicating portion of the groove portion and the discharge port, and the supply pipe communicates with the internal space of the groove from a direction intersecting the axial direction of the main body portion, and supplies air to the internal space.

According to this structure, the supply pipe that supplies air to the nozzle supplies air from a direction that intersects the axial direction of the main body of the nozzle, so the supply pipe does not protrude in the axial direction of the main body. Therefore, the supply pipe hardly obstructs the operator, and the overall appearance of the parts feeder is small and beautiful. In addition, in this structure, the discharge port is formed at a position offset from the center in the end surface of the main body. Therefore, the position of the discharge port, that is, the air ejection position, can be changed by rotating the main body around its axis. In addition, according to this structure, even if the main body rotates around its axis, as long as it is within a range corresponding to the length of the groove, the air supply to the discharge port can be maintained. In this case, there is no need to rotate the main body. The supply piping moves, so the retrieving structure of the supply piping can be simplified.

Preferably, in the air ejection device for the parts feeder, the main body is disposed in a hopper in which a spiral conveying path is formed on the inner surface of the side wall with an axial direction along the radial direction of the hopper in a plan view.

According to this structure, the main body of the nozzle is arranged in a posture with the axial direction along the radial direction of the hopper in a plan view. As a result, the supply pipe for supplying air to the nozzle supplies air from a direction intersecting the axial direction of the main body. The middle supply pipe does not protrude in the radial direction of the hopper. Therefore, the supply piping is particularly hard to hinder the operator, and the overall appearance of the parts feeder is particularly small and beautiful.

In addition, an air ejection device according to another embodiment of the present invention is an air ejection device for a parts feeder, and includes a nozzle, a support portion that supports the nozzle, and a supply pipe that supplies air to the nozzle. The nozzle includes a cylindrical body portion and a A part of the discharge port in the circumferential direction of the peripheral surface of the main body portion, and the support portion supports the main body portion so that the axial direction intersects the conveyance path in a plan view and allows rotation about the axis of the shaft.

According to this structure, the nozzle includes a main body portion having a discharge port formed on the peripheral surface, and the main body portion is supported in a posture in which the axial direction intersects the conveyance path in a plan view. Therefore, compared with the case where the conventional tubular nozzle is arranged along the conveyance path in a plan view, the nozzle hardly obstructs the operator, and the overall appearance of the parts feeder is small and beautiful. In addition, in this structure, since the discharge port is formed in a part of the circumferential surface of the main body portion in the circumferential direction, the position of the discharge port, that is, the air ejection position, can be changed by rotating the main body portion around its axis. The method of changing the air ejection position by changing the rotation angle of the main body has higher reproducibility of position adjustment than the conventional method of changing the air ejection position by changing the posture of the tip of the tubular nozzle. Therefore, even if there is no skilled operator, the air ejection position can be adjusted simply and accurately.

Preferably, in the air ejection device for the parts feeder, the nozzle includes a long groove formed on the peripheral surface of the main body portion along the circumferential direction thereof, and a communication portion that communicates the groove portion and the discharge port, and the supply pipe is from The direction intersecting the axial direction of the main body portion communicates with the internal space of the groove portion, and air is supplied to the internal space.

According to this structure, the supply pipe that supplies air to the nozzle supplies air from a direction intersecting the axial direction of the main body of the nozzle, so the supply pipe does not protrude in the axial direction of the main body. Therefore, the supply piping hardly obstructs the operator, and the overall appearance of the parts feeder is particularly small and beautiful. In addition, according to this structure, even if the main body rotates around its axis, as long as it is within a range corresponding to the length of the groove, the supply of air to the discharge port can be maintained. In this case, it is not necessary to supply air according to the rotation of the main body. The piping moves, so the retrieving structure of the supply piping can be simplified.

Preferably, the air ejection device for the parts feeder blows air to the object to be transported through the drop portion where the shape of the transport path changes from a V-shaped cross-section to an arc-shaped cross-section.

In this structure, the rotation of the workpiece can be promoted by blowing air against the workpiece at the timing when the workpiece falls onto the arc-shaped conveyance path of the cross section. The workpiece that falls while rotating is in the most stable rotation posture (that is, the rotation posture with the lowest center of gravity) when it hits the ground to the arc-shaped conveyance path of the cross section. Therefore, by promoting the rotation of the workpiece when falling, the posture of the workpiece is aligned to The rotation posture. This structure is effective when, for example, a long workpiece is aligned in a posture along the conveying direction.

In addition, a parts feeder according to another embodiment of the present invention includes the air ejection device of each structure described above.

The effects of the present invention are as follows.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a parts feeder in which the conveyed object (workpiece) can be prevented from falling at the transition portion between the first vibrating member and the second vibrating member, and the posture of the conveyed object can be prevented from being scattered.

In addition, according to the present invention, the air ejection device hardly obstructs the operator, and the overall appearance of the parts feeder can be made small and beautiful.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the following description, upstream and downstream are based on the conveyance direction (the conveyance direction from the hopper feeder 1 to the linear feeder 2) of the object (workpiece) in the parts feeder.

[First Embodiment]

Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

>1. The overall structure of the parts supplier 100>

As shown in FIG. 1, the parts feeder 100 of this embodiment includes a hopper feeder 1 for arranging workpieces such as IC wafers, tiny coils, etc., and a linear feeder that further conveys the workpieces conveyed by the hopper feeder 1 in a constant direction.器2. The hopper feeder 1 and the linear feeder 2 are arranged on the base 6.

The hopper feeder 1 includes a hopper 11 capable of accommodating a workpiece supplied by a supply mechanism (not shown), and a hopper-side vibration source 16 as a first vibration source located below the hopper 11. The hopper 11 includes a bottom portion 11 a bulged in the center and circular in plan view, and a wall surface (side wall portion) 11 b inclined upward from the peripheral edge of the bottom portion 11 a. In this embodiment, for example, a case where a workpiece of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped is conveyed will be described.

A spiral conveying groove 12 formed in the circumferential direction is formed on the wall surface 11b. As shown in FIG. 2, the conveyance groove 12 is formed in a V-shape in the vertical section at the downstream end in the conveyance direction (the end near the linear feeder 2 ). The conveyance groove 12 is formed of a running surface 12a as a gentle slope and a wall surface 12b as a steep slope. The wall surface 12b is a surface orthogonal to the width direction end (right side end edge of FIG. 2) of the running surface 12a. Therefore, the workpiece conveyed along the conveyance groove 12 is guided by the wall surface 12b while in contact with the traveling surface 12a and the wall surface 12b, and moves on the traveling surface 12a.

The hopper side vibration source 16 includes an electromagnet and a leaf spring that supports the hopper 11 from below. The hopper side vibration source 16 transmits vibration to the hopper 11 by the excitation of the electromagnet, and the hopper 11 performs torsional vibration. The hopper 11 is vibrated by driving the hopper-side vibration source 16 to sequentially convey workpieces in the circumferential direction.

The outlet member 3 as a part of the hopper feeder 1 is connected to the downstream end of the hopper 11 in the conveying direction. The outlet member 3 can be attached to and detached from the downstream end of the hopper 11 in the conveying direction. In addition, in this embodiment, the hopper 11 and the outlet member 3 of the hopper feeder 1 correspond to the "first vibrating member" of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the outlet member 3 is bolted to the hopper 11, and the hopper side vibration source 16 vibrates together with the hopper 11. The adjustment of the position of the outlet member 3 relative to the linear feeder 2 is performed by moving the hopper 11 and the outlet member 3 relative to the base 6.

A conveyance groove 31 extending substantially in the horizontal direction is formed in the upper portion of the outlet member 3. The conveyance groove 31 is formed in a V-shape in the longitudinal section as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5. The conveyance groove 31 is the same as the conveyance groove 12 of the hopper 11, and is formed by the running surface 31a which is a gentle slope, and the wall surface 31b which is a steep slope. The wall surface 31b is a surface orthogonal to the width direction end of the traveling surface 31a (the right end edge in FIG. 2), and the traveling surface 31a and the wall surface 31b form the bottom 31t of the conveyance tank 31. Therefore, the workpiece conveyed along the conveyance groove 31 is guided by the wall surface 31b while in contact with the traveling surface 31a and the wall surface 31b, and moves on the traveling surface 31a.

The linear feeder 2 is arranged on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the hopper feeder 1, and the workpiece is conveyed from the hopper 11 through the outlet member 3 to the groove 21 of the linear feeder 2 in the horizontal direction. The linear feeder 2 includes a groove 21 linearly extending in the conveying direction and a linear side vibration source 56 as a second vibration source (vibration source different from the first vibration source) located below the groove 21. The end 51a on the upstream side of the conveyance direction of the tank 21 is adjacent to the outlet member 3 at an interval that does not transmit vibration. In addition, in this embodiment, the groove 21 of the linear feeder 2 corresponds to the "second vibration member" of the present invention.

A conveyance tank 72 extending substantially in the horizontal direction is formed on the upper part of the tank 21. The conveyance groove 72 is formed in a V-shape in the longitudinal section as shown in FIG. 2. The conveyance groove 72 is the same as the conveyance groove 12 of the hopper 11 and the conveyance groove 31 of the outlet member 3, and is formed by the running surface 72a which is a gentle slope, and the wall surface 72b which is a steep slope. The wall surface 72b is a surface orthogonal to the width direction end part (right side end edge part of FIG. 2) of the running surface 72a. Therefore, the workpiece conveyed along the conveyance groove 72 is guided by the wall surface 72b while in contact with the traveling surface 72a and the wall surface 72b, and moves on the traveling surface 72a.

The linear side vibration source 56 includes an electromagnet and a plate spring supporting the slot 21, and vibration is transmitted from the linear side vibration source 56 to the slot 21 by the excitation of the electromagnet, and the slot 21 reciprocates. By driving the linear side vibration source 56 to vibrate the groove 21, the workpieces conveyed from the exit member 3 are sequentially conveyed to the downstream side in the conveying direction.

An end 32 protruding toward the linear feeder 2 is formed at the downstream end of the outlet member 3 in the conveying direction. The end portion 32 includes a plate-shaped portion 32a arranged at the downstream end of the traveling surface 31a in the conveying direction and a plate-like portion 32b arranged at the downstream end of the wall surface 31b in the conveying direction. The plate-shaped portion 32 b is positioned above (vertically above) so as to overlap on the running surface 72 a of the groove 21, and the plate-shaped portion 32 b is positioned so as to overlap on the wall surface 72 b of the groove 21. Therefore, the part corresponding to the bottom part 31t of the conveyance tank 31 in the downstream side end part of the conveyance direction of the end part 32 is located upwards (vertical upper direction) so that it may overlap on the tank 21. The plate-shaped portion 32a is arranged above the upstream end of the traveling surface 72a of the tank 21 in the conveying direction with a gap therebetween. Therefore, the vibration is insulated between the end 32 of the outlet member 3 and the groove 21 of the linear feeder 2. That is, the vibration of the hopper side vibration source 16 of the hopper 11 and the outlet member 3 is not transmitted to the tank 21, and the vibration of the linear side vibration source 56 is not transmitted to the hopper 11 and the outlet member 3. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that, for example, vibration interference may cause an obstacle in the conveyance of the workpiece, or the failure of the parts feeder 100 due to stress concentration.

The portion of the plate-shaped portion 32a of the end portion 32 and the portion of the plate-shaped portion 32b corresponding to the bottom 31t of the conveying tank 31 (the portion corresponding to the bottom 31t of the conveying tank 31 in the downstream end of the end 32 in the conveying direction) The thickness is smaller than the thickness around the portion corresponding to the bottom 31t. That is, the periphery of the part corresponding to the bottom 31t is a part located in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the part corresponding to the bottom 31t, and a part located on the upstream side of the conveying direction of the part corresponding to the bottom 31t. In the present embodiment, the thickness of the cross section perpendicular to the conveying direction of the end portion 32 gradually decreases toward the portion corresponding to the bottom 31t of the conveying tank 31. That is, as shown in FIGS. 4( a) and 4 (b ), the thickness of the plate-shaped portion 32 a and the plate-shaped portion 32 b gradually decreases toward the portion corresponding to the bottom portion 31 t of the conveyance tank 31. In addition, the thickness of the cross section of the end portion 32 parallel to the conveying direction gradually decreases toward the tip of the end portion 32. That is, the thickness of the part corresponding to the bottom part 31t of the conveyance tank 31, as shown in FIG. 5(b) which is the cross section in the A-A line of FIG. Thereby, the plate-shaped part 32b and the plate-shaped part 32b of the end part 32 are each formed in a tapered shape so that thickness may become small toward the part corresponding to the bottom part 31t of the conveyance tank 31.

As described above, in the hopper feeder 1, the spiral conveying groove 12 formed in the circumferential direction is formed on the wall surface 11b of the hopper 11. However, as shown in FIG. 6, the spiral conveying groove 12 is outside (diameter Toward the outside), a plurality of transport grooves 60 for layer restriction are formed. The plurality of layer restriction conveyance grooves 60 are formed in a plurality of places separated along the spiral conveyance groove 12, but FIG. 6 illustrates one layer restriction conveyance groove 60 formed outside a part of the spiral conveyance groove 12.

In this embodiment, by forming the layer restricting conveyance groove 60 on the outer side of the spiral conveyance groove 12, in the hopper feeder 1, when the workpiece is conveyed along the spiral conveyance groove 12 in the hopper 11. When the two workpieces are in a state where the upper and lower layers overlap, the layer restriction of the workpiece in the hopper feeder 1 can be performed (the two workpieces that overlap the upper and lower layers are not overlapped).

The layer restriction conveyance groove 60 for layer restriction is formed along a part of the spiral conveyance groove 12 on the outside of the spiral conveyance groove 12. After the layer restriction conveyance groove 60 is formed on the outer side of the spiral conveyance groove 12 with a distance of one workpiece or more, the distance from the spiral conveyance groove 12 is gradually reduced. The conveyance trough 60 for layer restriction is inclined from the vicinity of the end on the upstream side in the conveying direction to the vicinity of the end on the downstream side in the conveying direction so as to gradually increase toward the downstream side in the conveying direction. The end on the downstream side in the direction merges with the spiral conveying groove 12.

Figs. 7(a) to 7(c) are cross-sectional views of the vicinity of the entrance part, the vicinity of the intermediate part, and the vicinity of the exit part of the conveyance tank 60 for layer regulation in the hopper 11. Specifically, FIGS. 7(a) to 7(c) are cross-sectional views taken along lines A1-A1, A2-A2, and A3-A3 in FIG. 6, respectively.

The conveyance groove 60 for layer regulation is the same as that of the spiral conveyance groove 12, and as shown to Fig.7 (a)-FIG.7(c), it is formed in the V shape in a longitudinal cross section. The conveyance groove 60 for layer regulation is formed by the running surface 60a which is a gentle slope, and the wall surface 60b which is a steep slope. The wall surface 60b is a surface orthogonal to the width direction end part (right side end edge part of FIG. 7) of the running surface 60a. Therefore, the workpiece conveyed along the layer restriction conveyance groove 60 is guided by the wall surface 60b in a state in which it abuts on the traveling surface 60a and the wall surface 60b, and moves on the traveling surface 60a.

As shown in Fig. 7(a), in the vicinity of the entrance of the tier restriction conveyance tank 60 (cross section along the line A1-A1 in Fig. 6), the bottom 60t of the tier restriction conveyance tank 60 is arranged more than the spiral conveyance tank 12 The bottom 12t is low. Therefore, a step 61 is formed between the spiral-shaped conveyance groove 12 and the conveyance groove 60 for a layer restriction at the end of the conveyance direction upstream side of the conveyance groove 60 for layer regulation. The step portion 61 is a part connecting the running surface 60a of the conveying groove 60 for layer restriction and the running surface 12a of the spiral conveying groove 12, and is the travel of the running surface 60a of the conveying groove 60 for layer restriction relative to the spiral conveying groove 12 The portion where the surface 12a protrudes upward. The height of the bottom 12t of the spiral conveying tank 12 is as shown in Fig. 7(b) and Fig. 7(c), from the entrance to the middle part of the conveying tank 60 for layer restriction (section A2-A2 in Fig. 6) , The way in which the exit part (section A3-A3 in Figure 6) gradually becomes higher.

The distance between the bottom part 12t of the spiral conveyance tank 12 and the bottom part 60t of the conveyance tank 60 for layer regulation becomes gradually smaller from the upstream side in the conveyance direction toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction. The height of the bottom part 60t of the conveyance tank 60 for level regulation gradually increases from the upstream side of the conveyance direction toward the downstream side of the conveyance direction over the whole area of the conveyance channel 60 for level regulation. The gradient in the conveying direction of at least a part of the conveyance groove 60 for layer regulation is smaller than the gradient of the spiral conveyance groove 12 in the conveyance direction. The distance between the bottom 60t of the tier restriction conveyance tank 60 and the bottom 12t of the spiral conveyance tank 12 gradually decreases from the entrance of the tier restriction conveyance tank 60 to the middle part and the outlet part of the tier restriction conveyance tank 60, spiraling The height of the step 61 between the conveying tank 12 and the conveying tank 60 for layer restriction gradually decreases. Therefore, there is no step 61 (the height of the step 61 is 0) between the spiral conveying groove 12 and the conveying groove 60 for layer restriction near the end on the downstream side of the conveyance groove 60 for layer restriction. The running surface 12a of the rectangular conveying tank 12 and the running surface 60a of the conveying tank 60 for layer regulation are arrange|positioned on the same plane.

In this way, by forming the transport groove 60 for layer restriction on the outer side of the spiral transport groove 12, as shown in FIG. 8(a), in the case where two workpieces overlap in the upper and lower layers in the spiral transport groove 12, such as As shown in Figure 8(b) and Figure 8(c), the upper workpiece moves to the layer restriction conveyance groove 60, and then, as shown in Fig. 8(d), as it is conveyed in the layer restriction conveyance groove 60, the spiral The height of the step 61 between the helical conveyance tank 12 and the tier restriction conveyance groove 60 is reduced, if the travel surface 12a of the spiral conveyance tank 12 and the travel surface 60a of the tier restriction conveyance groove 60 are arranged on the same plane , The workpiece conveyed on the spiral conveying groove 12 moves to the conveying groove 60 for layer restriction on the outer side.

In a plan view, at the downstream end of the conveying groove 60 for layer restriction in the conveying direction, the position of the bottom 12t of the spiral conveying groove 12 is switched radially outward to the position of the bottom 60t of the conveying groove 60 for layer restriction. That is, on the downstream side of the conveyance direction downstream side of the conveyance groove 60 for layer restriction, a spiral conveyance groove is arranged at a portion extending the bottom 60t of the conveyance groove 60 for layer restriction toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction. The bottom of the 12 is 12t. Therefore, if the workpiece conveyed on the spiral conveying groove 12 and the workpiece conveyed on the layer restriction conveying groove 60 merge, the spiral conveying groove 12, as shown in FIG. 8(e), eliminates the overlap of the workpiece The state becomes the state where the workpieces do not overlap.

>2. Effect>

The parts feeder 100 of the present embodiment includes a hopper 11 that transmits vibration from a hopper-side vibration source 16 and an outlet member 3, a tank 21 that transmits vibration from a linear side vibration source 56 different from the hopper-side vibration source 16, a hopper 11, and an outlet member 3 and trough 21 respectively include conveying troughs 12, 31 and conveying trough 72 for conveying workpieces by the transmitted vibration, and the downstream end 32 of the outlet member 3 in the conveying direction is located above the upstream end 51a of the trough 21 in the conveying direction , The hopper 11, the outlet member 3, and the tank 21 are arranged with a gap to insulate the vibration, and the workpiece is transported from the end 32 of the outlet member 3 to the end 51a of the tank 21, and the end 32 is connected to the conveying tank The thickness of the portion corresponding to the bottom 31t of 31 is smaller than the thickness around the portion corresponding to the bottom 31t.

Thus, in the parts feeder 100 of the present embodiment, the thickness of the portion corresponding to the bottom 31t of the conveying groove 31 in the end 32 on the downstream side of the conveying direction of the outlet member 3 can be made smaller than the thickness of its surroundings. The gap between the transition part of the outlet member 3 and the groove 21 is reduced. Therefore, at the transition portion between the outlet member 3 and the groove 21, the workpiece can be prevented from falling and the posture of the workpiece can be suppressed from being scattered.

In the parts feeder 100 of the present embodiment, the thickness of the cross section perpendicular to the conveying direction of the end 32 on the downstream side of the conveying direction of the outlet member 3 gradually decreases toward the portion corresponding to the bottom of the conveying groove 31.

Therefore, in the parts feeder 100 of the present embodiment, the thickness of the cross section perpendicular to the conveying direction of the end 32 on the downstream side of the conveying direction of the outlet member 3 is formed toward the part corresponding to the bottom 31t of the conveying groove 31 It becomes smaller gradually, even if the thickness of the portion corresponding to the bottom 31t of the conveying groove 31 is reduced in the end 32 on the downstream side of the conveying direction of the outlet member 3, the strength of the end 32 of the outlet member 3 can be suppressed from decreasing .

In the parts feeder 100 of the present embodiment, the thickness of the cross section parallel to the conveying direction of the end 32 on the downstream side of the conveying direction of the outlet member 3 gradually decreases toward the front end of the end 32.

Thus, in the parts feeder 100 of the present embodiment, the thickness of the cross section parallel to the conveying direction of the end 32 on the downstream side of the conveying direction of the outlet member 3 is gradually reduced toward the tip of the end 32. In the end 32 of the outlet member 3 on the downstream side in the conveyance direction, even when the thickness is reduced toward the front end, the strength of the end 32 of the outlet member 3 can be suppressed from decreasing.

In the parts feeder 100 of the present embodiment, the end 32 on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the outlet member 3 is formed in a tapered shape so that the thickness becomes smaller toward the portion corresponding to the bottom 31t of the conveying groove 31.

In the parts feeder 100 of the present embodiment, the lower surface of the end 32 on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the outlet member 3 in the cross section perpendicular to the conveying direction and the lower surface of the end 32 in the cross section parallel to the conveying direction are respectively formed as The tapered shape allows the end portion 32 to be easily processed so that the thickness becomes smaller toward the portion corresponding to the bottom portion 31t of the conveyance groove 31.

[Second Embodiment]

Hereinafter, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the description and drawings related to the second embodiment, the configuration that is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment described above will be omitted by denoting the same reference numerals.

>1. The overall structure of the parts feeder 100ˊ>

The structure of the parts feeder of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9. Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the structure of the parts feeder 100' of the embodiment.

The parts feeder 100' is a device that conveys workpieces such as IC wafers and tiny coils by vibration. In this embodiment, it has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

The parts feeder 100 includes a hopper feeder 1 that conveys workpieces in a spiral shape and is arranged, and is arranged on the downstream side of the conveying direction of the hopper feeder 1 and linearly conveys the workpieces supplied from the hopper feeder 1 and is arranged in a determined direction. Up and down linear feeder 2 supplied to the next process. The hopper feeder 1'and the linear feeder 2 are arranged on the base 6.

The hopper feeder 1′ includes a hopper 11′ that stores a workpiece supplied by a supply mechanism not shown in the figure, and a vibration source (hopper-side vibration source) 16′ arranged below the hopper 11′. A spiral conveying path 111 is formed on the inner surface of the hopper 11'. By torsional vibration of the hopper 11' by the hopper-side vibration source 16', the workpiece is conveyed along the conveying path 111.

The linear feeder 2 includes a groove 21 extending linearly and a vibration source (linear-side vibration source) 22 arranged below the groove 21. By vibrating the groove 21 by the linear side vibration source 22, the workpiece is conveyed along the groove 21.

Next, in addition to Fig. 9, the hopper feeder 1′ will be described more specifically with reference to Figs. 10 and 11. Fig. 10 is a plan view of the hopper feeder 1'. Fig. 11(a) is a view of the main part of the hopper feeder 1′ viewed from the side, and Fig. 11(b) is a view of the main part of the hopper feeder 1′ viewed from the bottom side.

The hopper 11' includes a bottom portion 11a bulged in the center and circular in plan view, and a side wall portion 11b that extends from the peripheral edge of the bottom portion 11a and slopes outward as it goes upward. A groove-shaped conveyance path 111 is spirally formed on the inner surface of the side wall portion 11b. In addition, two types of air ejection devices (a first air ejection device 4 and a second air ejection device 5) are installed in the vicinity of the conveyance path 111. The structure of each air ejection device 4, 5 will be described in detail later.

As shown in FIG. 11, the hopper-side vibration source 16 ′ includes a support portion 121 including a fixed member 1 groove 21 a and a movable member 121 b, and an electromagnetic drive portion 122 housed in the support portion 121.

As shown in FIG. 11( a ), a concave portion is formed in the center of the fixed member 121 a, the electromagnetic drive portion 122 is arranged here, and the movable member 121 b is provided so as to block the concave portion from the upper side. The movable member 121b is a movable member that vibrates in accordance with the action of the electromagnetic drive unit 122. The movable member 121b is connected to the fixed member 121a by four leaf springs 123 arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the fixed member 121a, and is resilient to the fixed member 121a. To support. The leaf springs 123 are all installed obliquely in the same direction. When the electromagnetic drive unit 122 operates, the leaf springs 123 are skewed, and the movable member 121b generates vibration that combines displacement in the torsional direction and the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 11( b ), the movable member 121 b has a swastika (swastika) shape in a plan view (that is, each side of the square is formed with extensions that are at right angles to each other from the vicinity of the vertex on the same side). Each protruding part of the movable member 121b is provided with an insertion hole H, and a fixing member (not shown) such as a bolt is inserted into each insertion hole H, and these are connected to the bolt insertion hole (not shown) provided on the bottom surface of the hopper 11'. Pictured) Threaded connection connects the movable part 121b and the bottom surface of the hopper 11'. Thereby, the hopper 11' is attached to the hopper-side vibration source 16'. In this state, when the electromagnetic drive unit 122 operates, the vibration is transmitted to the hopper 11' via the movable member 121b, and the workpiece is conveyed along the conveyance path 111 formed in the side wall portion 11b of the hopper 11'.

In this way, here, the movable member 121b not only functions as a movable member that vibrates in accordance with the operation of the electromagnetic drive unit 122, but also includes a function as a mounting member for mounting the hopper 11' with respect to the hopper-side vibration source 16'. In the existing general structure, the outer peripheral side connection structure of the member (movable member) that vibrates in accordance with the action of the electromagnetic drive unit becomes a different mounting member. By fixing the mounting member to the bottom of the hopper, the hopper Install the vibration source on the side of the hopper. However, with this structure, it is necessary to bear both the adhesion between the movable part and the mounting part (adhesiveness in the vertical direction) and the adhesion between the mounting part and the hopper (adhesion in the horizontal direction) If the adhesion between the two parties cannot be sufficiently ensured, the vibration cannot be properly transmitted, and the conveying performance is reduced. In contrast, in this embodiment, when the movable member 121b as a movable member functions as an attachment member, there is no need to consider the vertical adhesion as in the prior art, as long as only the movable member 121b and the hopper 11ˊ Adherence in the horizontal direction between the two is sufficient. Therefore, it is easier to ensure the conveyance performance compared with the conventional general structure. In addition, since there is no need for mounting parts different from the movable part 121b, it is possible to reduce the number of parts and the assembly process. In addition, as compared with the case where the movable member 121b and the mounting member are configured by different bodies, the rigidity of the entire hopper side vibration source 16' is also higher.

>2. Air spray device>

>2.1 The location of the air ejection device>

Next, the arrangement positions of the air ejection devices 4 and 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10, 12, and 13. Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing a part of the hopper 11' where the air ejection devices 4 and 5 are arranged. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a drop portion 111 a formed in the middle of the conveyance path 111.

As shown in FIG. 10, two types of air ejection devices (a first air ejection device 4 and a second air ejection device 5) are provided on the hopper 11'.

The first air ejection device 4 blows air in a direction intersecting the conveying path 111 from the upper side of the workpieces that overlap in the longitudinal direction when viewed from above (that is, in a plan view), for blowing the workpiece away from the conveying path 111 Device. In this embodiment, the two first air ejection devices 4 and 4 are arranged in the vicinity of the conveying path 111 and spaced apart in the extending direction of the conveying path 111.

The second air blowing device 5 is a device that blows air in a direction along the conveyance path 111 as viewed from above on the workpiece and promotes the rotation thereof. In this embodiment, the two second air ejection devices 5 and 5 are arranged at intervals in the extending direction of the conveying path 111 in the vicinity of the conveying path 111.

Here, as shown in FIG. 13, in the middle of the conveyance path 111 formed in the hopper 11', a drop portion 111a in which the downstream side of the conveyance direction AR1 is relatively low is formed. And, with the drop portion 111a as the boundary, the shape of the longitudinal section (cross section orthogonal to the conveying direction) on the upstream side of the conveying direction AR1 is a conveying path portion (V-shaped groove portion) 111b composed of a V-shaped groove The shape of the longitudinal section on the downstream side in the conveying direction AR1 is a conveying path portion (arc-shaped groove portion) 111 c constituted by an arc-shaped groove.

The V-shaped groove portion 111b is composed of a running surface Q1 as a gentle slope and a wall surface Q2 as a steep slope. The wall surface Q2 is a surface orthogonal to the traveling surface Q1, and the workpiece conveyed along the V-shaped groove portion 111b is guided by the wall surface Q2 while in contact with the traveling surface Q1 and the wall surface Q2, and moves on the traveling surface Q1. On the other hand, the arc-shaped groove portion 111c is constituted by a curved surface, and the workpiece 9 to be conveyed here is in a state in which both sides of the bottom surface along the conveying direction abut on the arc-shaped groove portion 111c. mobile.

The first air ejection device 4 is arranged in the vicinity of the V-shaped groove portion 111 b in the conveying path 111, and ejects air toward the work conveyed in the V-shaped groove portion 111 b (see FIG. 14 ). On the other hand, the second air ejection device 5 is arranged in the vicinity of the drop portion 111a in the conveyance path 111 and faces the workpiece passing through the drop portion 111a (ie, the workpiece falling from the V-shaped groove portion 111b to the arc-shaped groove portion 111c) Blow out air (refer to Figure 13).

>2.2. The first air ejection device>

Next, the structure of the first air ejection device 4 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16 in addition to FIG. 12. FIG. 14 is a side sectional view of the first air ejection device 4. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the disassembly of each element included in the first air ejection device 4 in FIG. 14. FIG. 16( a) is a perspective view of the nozzle 41 included in the first air ejection device 4, and FIG. 16( b) is a front view of the nozzle 41 included in the first air ejection device 4.

The first air ejection device 4 includes a nozzle 41 and a supply pipe 42 that supplies air to the nozzle 41.

The nozzle 41 includes a cylindrical main body 411. A discharge port 412 is formed on one end surface 411 a of the main body portion 411. Specifically, a part of the peripheral edge of the end surface 411a of the discharge port 412 is formed by cutting into a U-shape.

An elongated groove 413 is formed on the peripheral surface 411b of the main body 411 along the circumferential direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 16( b ), the groove portion 413 is a long groove extending in an arc shape when viewed from the axial direction of the main body portion 411. When viewed from the axial direction of the main body 411, the groove 413 is formed such that the center portion (the center of the arc) substantially coincides with the discharge port 412. In addition, the central angle θ of the arc of the groove portion 413 when viewed from the axial direction of the main body portion 411 is a sufficiently large value (for example, 120 degrees or more). In addition, the groove 413 is formed in an arc-shaped ellipse at both ends in the longitudinal direction in a plan view.

The main body portion 411 is formed with a communication portion 414 that communicates the groove portion 413 and the discharge port 412. Specifically, the communication portion 414 is an elongated groove formed on the circumferential surface 411 b of the main body portion 411 along the axial direction thereof, and one end communicates with the groove portion 413 and the other end communicates with the discharge port 412.

A jig insertion hole 415 that penetrates the peripheral surface 411b of the main body portion 411 in the radial direction is formed in the vicinity of the end surface on the opposite side to the end surface 411a on which the discharge port 412 is formed in the main body portion 411. The clamp insertion hole 415 is used for inserting a rod-shaped clamp here.

On the other hand, in the side wall portion 11b of the hopper 11', a cylindrical through hole 112 extending in the radial direction of the hopper 11' in a plan view is formed on the side of the conveying path 111. The through hole 112 is inclined downward from the inner side of the hopper 11' to the outer side, and its axial direction is approximately parallel to the running surface Q1 of the V-shaped groove portion 111b.

The through hole 112 is used to allow the main body portion 411 of the nozzle 41 to penetrate therethrough. That is, the main body 411 is inserted into the through hole 112 until the end surface 411a on the side where the discharge port 412 is formed faces the conveyance path 111, and thereby the main body 411 is arranged in the hopper 11'. As described above, the through hole 112 is provided to extend in the radial direction of the hopper 11' in a plan view on the side of the conveyance path 111. Therefore, the main body portion 411 is arranged on the side of the conveying path 111 with its axial direction along the radial direction of the hopper 11' (that is, the direction orthogonal to the conveying path 111) in a plan view (two-dot chain line in FIG. ). In addition, as described above, the axial direction of the through hole 112 is substantially parallel to the running surface Q1. Therefore, the main body 411 is arranged in a posture in which its axial direction is substantially parallel to the running surface Q1.

The inner diameter of the through hole 112 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the main body portion 411, and when the through hole 112 is inserted, the peripheral surface 411b of the main body portion 411 and the inner surface of the through hole 112 are in airtight contact. That is, the main body portion 411 is inserted into the through hole 112 in an airtight manner, thereby closing the internal space of the groove portion 413 and the internal space and the discharge port 412 are in airtight communication through the communication portion 414.

The main body portion 411 inserted into the through hole 112 allows rotation about its axis. For example, the operator inserts a rod-shaped clamp through the clamp insertion hole 415 provided in the main body portion 411, and applies a force to one end of the clamp to easily rotate the main body portion 411 about its axis using the principle of leverage. On the other hand, in the hopper 11', a fixing member insertion hole 115 whose one end communicates with the through hole 112 and extends substantially at right angles to the through hole 112 is formed above the through hole 112. A fixing member (for example, a fixing screw) is screwed into the fixing member insertion hole 115, and one end of the fixing member is crimped to the peripheral surface of the main body 411 inserted into the through hole 112, so that the main body 411 does not rotate around its axis. Make restrictions.

The hopper 11' is formed with a pipe insertion hole 113 extending in a direction (substantially perpendicular here) intersecting the extending direction of the through hole 112 below the through hole 112, and one end of the supply pipe 42 is inserted here. That is, the tip of the supply pipe 42 is arranged to extend in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the main body 411 inserted into the through hole 112. The upper end of the pipe insertion hole 113 communicates with the through hole 112 through the supply hole 114. However, the supply hole 114 is formed at a position communicating with the internal space of the groove portion 413 when the main body portion 411 is inserted into the through hole 112. Therefore, the air supplied from the supply pipe 42 inserted into the pipe insertion hole 113 fills the internal space of the groove portion 413 through the supply hole 114 and is discharged from the discharge port 412 through the communication portion 414.

In this way, here, the supply pipe 42 communicates with the internal space of the groove 413 from the direction intersecting the axial direction of the main body portion 411, and supplies air to the internal space. Therefore, the supply pipe 42 does not protrude in the axial direction of the main body portion 411. . In addition, here, a long groove portion 413 is included between the supply pipe 42 and the discharge port 412. Therefore, even if the main body portion 411 rotates around its axis, as long as it is within a range corresponding to the length of the groove portion 413, the direction can be maintained. Supply of air to the exhaust port 412.

Next, the operation of the first air ejection device 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 14 to 16.

As described above, the main body portion 411 of the nozzle 41 is airtightly inserted into the through hole 112 formed in the hopper 11' in a state where the discharge port 412 faces the conveyance path 111. The operator first inserts a rod-shaped clamp through the clamp insertion hole 415 formed in the main body 411, applies force to one end of the clamp, rotates the main body 411 around its axis, and adjusts the height of the discharge port 412 (arrow AR2 in FIG. 12) . Here, the rotation position of the main body portion 411 is adjusted so that the height of the discharge port 412 is higher than the workpiece conveyed on the conveyance path 111 in an appropriate posture.

When the rotation position of the main body portion 411 is determined, the operator screws the fixing member 43 into the fixing member insertion hole 115 and presses one end of the fixing member 43 to the peripheral surface of the main body portion 411. This restricts the main body 411 from rotating about its axis.

After that, when the workpiece starts to be conveyed, a valve (not shown) provided in the supply pipe 42 is controlled to start the supply of air from the supply pipe 42. The air supplied from the supply pipe 42 fills the internal space of the groove portion 413 through the supply hole 114 and is discharged from the discharge port 412 through the communication portion 414. Here, while the workpiece is being conveyed, the supply of air to the supply pipe 42 is continued, and the air is continuously ejected from the discharge port 412 at a predetermined pressure.

As described above, here, the rotation position of the main body portion 411 is adjusted so that the height of the discharge port 412 is higher than the height of the workpiece conveyed on the conveying path 111 in an appropriate posture. Therefore, if the workpieces conveyed in a state of being overlapped in the longitudinal direction are included on the conveying path 111, the upper workpiece is blown away by the air ejected from the discharge port 412. As a result, the overlapping state of the workpieces is released.

>2.3. The second air ejection device>

Next, in addition to FIGS. 12 and 13, the structure of the second air ejection device 5 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 19. In FIGS. 17 and 12, each element included in the second air ejection device 5 is an exploded perspective view. FIG. 18 is a side cross-sectional view of the second air ejection device 5. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the disassembly of each element included in the second air ejection device 5 in FIG. 18.

The second air ejection device 5 includes a nozzle 51, a support portion 52 supporting the nozzle 51, and a supply pipe 53 that supplies air to the nozzle 51.

The nozzle 51 includes a cylindrical main body 511. A hollow space V with one end open and the other end closed is formed inside the main body portion 511, and the open end of the hollow space V is closed by setting a fixing screw (for example, a fixing screw with a hexagonal hole) 512 at the end of the opening.

A discharge port 513 which is a through hole communicating with the hollow space V is formed in a part of the circumferential surface 511 a of the main body portion 511 in the circumferential direction. The discharge port 513 is formed in the vicinity of the end on the closed side in the hollow space V of the main body portion 511.

On the peripheral surface 511a of the main body portion 511, a long groove portion 514 is formed along the circumferential direction thereof. The groove portion 514 is an annular groove formed along the entire circumference of the main body portion 511 in the circumferential direction. A communicating portion 515 is formed at the bottom of the groove portion 514, and the internal space of the groove portion 514 communicates with the hollow space V through the communicating portion 515. That is, the groove portion 514 communicates with the discharge port 513 through the communication portion 515 and the hollow space V.

The support portion 52 is an L-shaped member in a side view, and includes a base portion 52a extending linearly and a hanging portion 52b bent downward from one end thereof. The support part 52 is fixed to the upper end surface of the side wall part 11b of the hopper 11' by the bolt B inserted in the elongate hole 521 formed in the base part 52a. However, at this time, the base portion 52a is in a posture extending in the radial direction of the hopper 11' in a plan view above the conveyance path 11.

A cylindrical through hole 522 extending parallel to the base portion 52a is formed in the hanging portion 52b. The through hole 522 is for inserting the main body 511 of the nozzle 51 therethrough. That is, the main body part 511 arranges the part where the discharge port 513 is formed above the conveyance path 111, and is inserted into the through hole 522 until the groove part 514 is housed in the through hole 522. Thereby, the main body part 511 is supported with respect to the hopper 11' by the support part 512. As described above, the support portion 52 is fixed to the hopper 11' in a posture that the base portion 52a extends in the radial direction of the hopper 11' in a plan view, and the through hole 522 extends in parallel with the base portion 52a. Therefore, the main body 511 is supported above the conveying path 111 in a posture with its axial direction along the radial direction of the hopper 11' (that is, a direction orthogonal to the conveying path 11) in a plan view (two-dot chain line in FIG. 10) .

The inner diameter of the through hole 522 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the main body portion 511, and when inserted into the through hole 522, the peripheral surface 511a of the main body portion 511 and the inner surface of the through hole 522 are in airtight contact. That is, the main body portion 511 is inserted into the through hole 522 in an airtight manner, thereby sealing the internal space of the groove portion 514 and the internal space and the discharge port 513 are in airtight communication with the communication portion 515 and the hollow space V.

The main body 511 inserted into the through hole 522 is allowed to rotate around the axis of its axis. That is, the support part 52 allows the main body part 511 to support the main body part 511 allowing rotation about its axis. For example, the operator inserts the jig into the hexagonal hole of the hexagon socket screw 512 provided in the main body portion 511 of the support portion 52, and rotates one end thereof, so that the main body portion 511 can be rotated about its axis. On the other hand, in the support portion 52, a fixing member insertion hole 524 whose one end communicates with the through hole 522 and extends substantially at right angles to the through hole 522 is formed on the side of the through hole 522. A fixing member (for example, a fixing screw) 54 is screwed into the fixing member insertion hole 524, and one end of the fixing member (such as a fixing screw) 54 is crimped into the peripheral surface of the main body portion 511 inserted into the through hole 522, so that the main body portion 511 does not rotate around its axis. Way to limit.

The support portion 52 is formed with a pipe insertion hole 523 extending in a direction (substantially perpendicular here) intersecting the extending direction of the through hole 522 above the through hole 522, and one end of the supply pipe 53 is inserted here. That is, the tip of the supply pipe 53 is arranged to extend in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the main body portion 511 inserted into the through hole 522. The lower end of the pipe insertion hole 523 communicates with the through hole 522. However, the pipe insertion hole 523 is formed at a position that communicates with the internal space of the groove portion 514 when the main body portion 511 is inserted into the through hole 522. Therefore, the air supplied from the supply pipe 53 inserted into the pipe insertion hole 523 fills the internal space of the groove portion 514, is filled into the hollow space V through the communication portion 515, and is discharged from the discharge port 513.

In this way, here, the supply pipe 53 communicates with the internal space of the groove portion 514 from the direction intersecting the axial direction of the main body portion 511. Since air is supplied to the internal space, the supply pipe 53 does not protrude in the axial direction of the main body portion 511. . In addition, here, a long groove portion 514 is included between the supply pipe 53 and the discharge port 513. Therefore, even if the main body portion 511 rotates around its axis, as long as it is within a range corresponding to the length of the groove portion 514, the direction can be maintained. Supply of air to the exhaust port 513.

Next, the operation of the second air ejection device 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12, 13, and 17 to 19.

As described above, the support portion 52 is fixed to the hopper 11' by the bolt B inserted into the elongated hole 521 along the extending direction of the base portion 52a. The operator loosens the bolt B and slides the support portion 52 to adjust the installation position of the support portion 52, that is, the position of the main body portion 511 in the radial direction of the hopper 11' (arrow AR3 in FIG. 12). Here, the position of the main body portion 511 in the radial direction of the hopper 11' is adjusted so that the discharge port 513 is directly above the conveyance path 111.

In addition, as described above, the main body portion 511 of the nozzle 51 is airtightly inserted into the through hole 522 formed in the support portion 52 so that the discharge port 513 faces the conveyance path 111. The operator inserts the jig into the hexagonal hole with the hexagonal hole fixing screw 512, rotates the main body 511 around its axis, and adjusts the height and direction of the discharge port 513 (arrow AR4 in FIG. 12). Here, the rotation position of the main body part 511 is adjusted so that the air discharged from the discharge port 513 may be blown out toward the position on the rail of the workpiece|work dropped on the drop part 111a (FIG. 13). Particularly, it is preferable to finely adjust the rotation position of the main body portion 511 and the like by blowing air to a position as far away as possible from the center of gravity of the workpiece (for example, the corner portion in the case of a rectangular parallelepiped in this embodiment).

When the rotation position of the main body 511 is determined, the operator screws the fixing member 54 into the fixing member insertion hole 524 and press-contacts one end of the fixing member 54 to the peripheral surface of the main body 511. This restricts the main body 511 from rotating about its axis.

After that, when the workpiece starts to be conveyed, a valve (not shown) provided in the supply pipe 53 is controlled to start the supply of air from the supply pipe 53. The air supplied from the supply pipe 53 fills the hollow space V through the internal space of the groove portion 514 and the communication portion 515 and is discharged from the discharge port 513. Here, while the workpiece is being conveyed, the supply of air to the supply pipe 53 is continued, and the air is continuously ejected from the discharge port 513 at a predetermined pressure.

As described above, here, the air discharged from the discharge port 513 is discharged toward the position on the track of the workpiece dropped on the drop portion 111a, and the rotation position of the main body portion 511 is adjusted. Therefore, by blowing air to the workpiece falling on the drop member 111a, the rotation of the workpiece is promoted, and the workpiece falls while rotating. In order to achieve the most stable posture (that is, the rotating posture with the lowest center of gravity, in this embodiment, the longitudinal direction is the posture in which the longitudinal direction is along the conveying direction) when the workpiece falling while rotating reaches the arc-shaped groove portion 111c. , By promoting the rotation of the workpiece when falling, the posture of the workpiece becomes the rotating posture.

>3. Effect>

The first air ejection device 4 included in the parts supplier 100' of the above-described embodiment includes a nozzle 41 and a supply pipe 42 that supplies air to the nozzle 41. In addition, the nozzle 41 includes a cylindrical main body portion 411 arranged on the side of the conveying route 111 with the axial direction along the direction intersecting the conveying route 111 in a plan view, and an end surface 411a formed in the main body portion 411 deviated from the center. The discharge port 412 at the position of, the elongated groove portion 413 formed in the circumferential surface of the main body portion 411 in the circumferential direction, and the communication portion 414 connecting the groove portion 413 and the discharge port 412. In addition, the supply pipe 42 communicates with the internal space of the groove 413 from a direction intersecting the axial direction of the main body 411, and supplies air to the internal space.

According to this structure, the supply pipe 42 that supplies air to the nozzle 41 supplies air from a direction intersecting the axial direction of the main body portion 411 of the nozzle 41, so the supply pipe 42 does not protrude in the axial direction of the main body portion 411. Therefore, the supply pipe 42 hardly obstructs the operator, and the overall appearance of the parts feeder 100' is small and beautiful.

In addition, in this structure, the discharge port 412 is formed at a position deviated from the center on the end surface 411a of the main body portion 411. Therefore, by rotating the main body portion 411 around its axis, the position of the discharge port 412, that is, the air ejection position, can be changed. .

In addition, according to this structure, even if the main body portion 411 rotates around its axis, as long as it is within a range corresponding to the length of the groove portion 413, the air supply to the discharge port 412 can be maintained. In this case, the supply pipe 42 is not required. Since the operation is performed in accordance with the rotation of the main body portion 411, the retrieving structure of the supply pipe 42 can be simplified.

In addition, in the first air ejection device 4, the main body portion 411 is disposed in the hopper having the spiral conveying path 111 formed on the inner surface of the side wall portion 11b in a posture with the axial direction along the radial direction of the hopper 11' in a plan view. 11ˊ.

According to this structure, the main body portion 411 of the nozzle 41 is arranged in a posture with the axial direction along the radial direction of the hopper 11' in plan view. As a result, the supply pipe 42 that supplies air to the nozzle 41 crosses the axial direction of the main body portion 411. Since air is supplied in the direction, the supply pipe 42 does not protrude in the radial direction of the hopper 11' in a plan view. Therefore, the supply pipe 42 is particularly hard to hinder the operator, and the overall appearance of the parts feeder 100' is particularly small and beautiful.

In addition, in the first air ejection device 4, the main body portion 411 is airtightly inserted into the through hole 112 formed in the side wall portion 11b of the hopper 11' to close the internal space of the groove portion 413, and the internal space and the discharge port 412 It communicates airtightly through the communicating portion 414.

According to this structure, the structure of the first air ejection device 4 can be simplified.

In addition, the second air ejection device 5 included in the parts feeder 100 ′ of the above-described embodiment includes a nozzle 51, a support portion 52 that supports the nozzle 51, and a supply pipe 53 that supplies air to the nozzle 51. In addition, the nozzle 51 includes a cylindrical main body portion 511 and a discharge port 513 formed in a part of the circumferential surface 511 a of the main body portion 511 in the circumferential direction. In addition, the support portion 52 supports the main body portion 511 so as to allow rotation around the axis of the shaft in a state where the axial direction is along the direction intersecting the conveyance path 111 in a plan view.

According to this structure, the nozzle 51 includes the main body portion 511 having the discharge port 513 formed on the peripheral surface 511a, and the main body portion 511 is supported in a posture in which the axial direction crosses the conveyance path 111 in a plan view. Therefore, as in the past, compared to the case where the tubular nozzle is arranged along the conveyance path in a plan view, the nozzle 51 is less likely to hinder the operator, and the overall appearance of the parts feeder 100' is small and beautiful.

In addition, in this structure, the discharge port 513 is formed in a part of the circumferential surface 511a of the main body portion 511 in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the position of the discharge port 513, that is, the ejection of air, can be changed by rotating the main body portion 511 around its axis. position. In addition, by sliding the main body 511 along its axis, the position of the discharge port 513 in the direction intersecting the conveyance path 111 can also be changed. The method of changing the air ejection position by changing the rotation position of the main body 511 around the axis and the position in the axial direction is compared with the conventional method of changing the air ejection position by changing the posture of the tip of the tubular nozzle. High sex. Therefore, even if an operator is not a skilled operator, the air ejection position can be adjusted simply and accurately.

In addition, in the conventional method of restricting the position and angle of the discharge port by the posture of the tip of the tubular nozzle, there is a possibility that the position and angle of the discharge port may deviate only by applying a small external force to the tip of the nozzle. In contrast, in this structure, compared with a tubular nozzle, the position and angle of the discharge port 513 can be defined by the rotation position of the cylindrical main body 511 with high rigidity and the position in the axial direction. It will not simply deviate.

In addition, in the second air ejection device 5, the nozzle 51 includes a long groove portion 514 formed in the circumferential direction of the main body portion 511 on the peripheral surface 511a, and a communication portion 515 that communicates the groove portion 514 and the discharge port 513. In addition, the supply pipe 53 communicates with the internal space of the groove portion 514 from a direction intersecting the axial direction of the main body portion 511, and supplies air to the internal space.

According to this structure, the supply pipe 53 that supplies air to the nozzle 51 supplies air from a direction intersecting the axial direction of the main body portion 511 of the nozzle 51, so the supply pipe 53 does not protrude in the axial direction of the main body portion 511. Therefore, the supply pipe 53 hardly obstructs the operator, and the overall appearance of the parts feeder 100' is particularly small and beautiful.

In addition, according to this structure, even if the main body portion 511 rotates around its axis, as long as it is within a range corresponding to the length of the groove portion 514, the air supply to the discharge port 513 can be maintained. The rotation of φ causes the supply pipe 53 to move the nozzle, so that the retrieving structure of the supply pipe 53 can be simplified.

In addition, in the second air ejection device 5, by airtightly inserting the main body portion 511 into the through hole 522 formed in the support portion 52, the internal space of the groove portion 514 is closed, and the internal space and the discharge port 513 pass through the communication portion 515. And the hollow space V communicates airtightly.

According to this structure, the structure of the second air ejection device 5 can be simplified.

In addition, the second air ejection device 5 ejects air toward the workpiece passing through the drop member 111 a whose shape of the conveying path 111 is converted from the V-shaped cross section to the arc-shaped cross section.

In this structure, when the workpiece falls on the conveying path portion (arc-shaped groove portion) 111c having an arc-shaped cross section, the rotation of the workpiece can be promoted by blowing air against the workpiece. When the workpiece falling while rotating is on the ground to the arc-shaped groove portion 111c, in order to achieve the most stable rotating posture (that is, the rotating posture with the lowest center of gravity, in the above embodiment, the longitudinal direction is directed to the conveying direction). The rotation of the workpiece when falling is promoted, and the posture of the workpiece becomes the rotating posture.

[Modifications]

The structure of an embodiment of the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment.

In the above-mentioned first embodiment, the thickness of the cross section perpendicular to the conveying direction at the end 32 on the downstream side of the conveying direction of the outlet member 3 becomes gradually smaller toward the portion corresponding to the bottom of the conveying groove 31, and the outlet member 3 The thickness of the cross section parallel to the conveying direction of the end 32 on the downstream side in the conveying direction gradually decreases toward the tip of the end 32, but the thickness of the cross section perpendicular to the conveying direction of the end 32 on the downstream side of the outlet member 3 in the conveying direction becomes At least the part corresponding to the bottom of the conveying tank 31 is gradually reduced, and the thickness of the cross section parallel to the conveying direction of the end 32 on the downstream side of the conveying direction of the outlet member 3 is gradually reduced toward the tip of the end 32. In either case, the effect of the present invention is obtained. In addition, the end portion 32 on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the outlet member 3 is not limited to being formed in a tapered shape so that the thickness becomes smaller toward the portion corresponding to the bottom 31 t of the conveying groove 31.

In the second embodiment described above, while the workpiece is being conveyed, air is continuously ejected from each of the air ejection devices 4 and 5, but the air from the first air ejection device 4 or (and) the second air ejection device 5 may be ejected It is intermittent. For example, a detection unit that detects the state of the workpiece is provided on the upstream side of the first air ejection device 4, and when a workpiece that is in an inappropriate posture or overlapped work is detected here, air can be ejected from the first air ejection device 4 . In the case of this structure, the timing of air ejection (specifically, the timing of switching the valve inserted into the supply pipe 42 from the closed state to the open state) is based on the distance from the position of the detected workpiece to the discharge port 412 and the workpiece The handling speed requirements. As described above, in the first air ejection device 4, the position of the discharge port 412 can be changed, and the separation distance varies according to the position of the discharge port 412. Therefore, it is preferable to determine the timing of spraying the air in consideration of the adjusted position of the discharge port 412. The same is true even in the second air ejection device 5.

In the second embodiment described above, the main body portion 411 of the nozzle 41 included in the first air ejection device 4 is configured such that the axial direction is arranged along the direction orthogonal to the conveyance path 111 in a plan view, but the main body portion 411 only needs to What is necessary is just to make the axial direction cross the conveyance path 111 at an angle larger than 0 in a plan view, and it does not necessarily arrange|position orthogonally to the conveyance path 111. Similarly, the main body portion 511 of the nozzle 51 included in the second air ejection device 5 only needs to have the axial direction intersecting the conveying path 111 at an angle greater than 0 in a plan view, and does not need to be arranged orthogonal to the conveying path 111 .

In the second embodiment described above, the discharge port 412 is formed by cutting a part of the peripheral edge of the end surface 411a of the main body portion 411, but the discharge port 412 may have any shape as long as it is formed at a position deviated from the center of the end surface 411a. For example, the discharge port may be formed by a through hole formed at a position deviated from the center of the end surface 411a. In this case, the main body portion 411 is formed into a hollow shape as long as the discharge port formed in the end surface 411a and the groove portion 413 formed in the peripheral surface 411b communicate through the hollow space.

In the second embodiment described above, the first air ejection device 4 is arranged near the V-shaped groove portion 111b and ejects air to the workpiece conveyed in the V-shaped groove portion 111b. However, the arrangement of the first air ejection device 4 The position is not limited to this, and it may be arranged in the vicinity of the arc-shaped groove portion 111c, and air may be sprayed toward the workpiece conveyed in the arc-shaped groove portion 111c.

In the second embodiment described above, the second air ejection device 5 is arranged near the drop portion 111a and ejects air toward the work passing through the drop portion 111a. However, the arrangement position of the second air ejection device 5 is not limited to this, and can be arranged in In the vicinity of the V-shaped groove portion 111b (or the arc-shaped groove portion 111c), air is sprayed toward the workpiece conveyed in the V-shaped groove portion 111b (or the arc-shaped groove portion 111c).

In the second embodiment described above, the first air ejection device 4 and the second air ejection device 5 are respectively mounted on the hopper 11 ˊ two each, but the number of each air ejection device 4, 5 mounted on the hopper 11 ˊ may be One or more than three. In addition, it is not necessary to mount both the first air ejection device 4 and the second air ejection device 5 on the hopper 11', and only one of them may be mounted. In addition, at least one of the first air ejection device 4 and the second air ejection device 5 may be arranged in the vicinity of the groove 21 of the linear feeder 2 and eject air toward the workpiece conveyed in the groove 21. In addition, at least one of the first air ejection device 4 and the second air ejection device 5 is arranged in the vicinity of the transition portion from the hopper feeder 1'to the linear feeder 2, and blows air toward the work passing through the transition portion.

In the second embodiment described above, the objects to be transported in the parts feeder 100' are not limited to workpieces such as IC wafers and minute coils, and the shape of the objects to be transported is not limited to a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

Other structures can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1.1ˊ: Hopper feeder 11, 11ˊ: Hopper 111: Transport path 111a: drop part 111b: V-shaped groove part 111c: Arc groove part 112: Through hole 113: Piping insertion hole 115: fixed part insertion hole 12: Transport trough (first transport trough) 121: Support 121a: fixed parts 121b: movable parts 122: Electromagnetic Drive 123: Leaf Spring 16, 16ˊ: Vibration source on the side of the hopper 2: Linear feeder 21: Groove (the second vibrating part) 3: Export parts (the first vibration part) 31: Transport trough (first transport trough) 31a: driving surface 32: The end of the outlet part (the first end) 4: The first air ejection device 41: Nozzle 411: main body 411a: end face 411b: peripheral surface 412: Outlet 413: Groove 414: Connecting part 415: Fixture insertion hole 42: Supply piping 43: fixed parts 5: The second air ejection device 51: Nozzle 511: main body 511a: peripheral surface 513: Outlet 514: Groove 515: connecting part 52: Support 521: Long Hole 522: Through hole 523: Piping insertion hole 524: Fixed part insertion hole 53: Supply piping 54: fixed parts 56: Linear side vibration source (second vibration source) 6: Base 72: Conveying trough (second conveying trough) 100, 100ˊ: parts feeder

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a parts feeder according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of main parts showing the downstream end portion of the hopper feeder and the upstream end portion of the linear feeder in the parts feeder of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side view of main parts showing the downstream end portion of the hopper feeder and the upstream end portion of the linear feeder in the parts feeder of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4(a) is a perspective view of the outlet member viewed from above, and Fig. 4(b) is a perspective view of the outlet member viewed from below.

Fig. 5(a) is a schematic side view of the outlet member, and Fig. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view along the line A-A of Fig. 5(a).

Fig. 6 is a partial plan view of the hopper of the hopper screening program.

Figs. 7(a) to 7(c) are cross-sectional views of the vicinity of the entrance portion, the vicinity of the intermediate portion, and the vicinity of the exit portion of the conveyance tank for layer regulation in the hopper of the hopper feeder of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating the layer restriction of the workpiece in the hopper feeder of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing the structure of a parts feeder according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the hopper feeder of Fig. 9.

Fig.11 (a) is the figure which looked at the main part of the hopper feeder of FIG. 9 from the side, and FIG.11(b) is a figure which looked at the main part of the hopper feeder of FIG. 9 from the bottom surface side.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing a part where the air ejection device is arranged.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a drop portion formed in the middle of the conveyance path.

Fig. 14 is a side sectional view of the first air ejection device.

Fig. 15 is a side cross-sectional view showing disassembled elements included in the first air ejection device.

Fig. 16(a) is a perspective view of the nozzle included in the first air ejection device, and Fig. 16(b) is a front view of the nozzle included in the first air ejection device.

Fig. 17 is a perspective view showing disassembled elements included in the second air ejection device.

Fig. 18 is a side sectional view of the second air ejection device.

Fig. 19 is a side cross-sectional view showing the disassembled elements of the second air ejection device.

3: Export parts (first vibration part)

11: Hopper

12: Transport slot (first transport slot)

12a: driving surface

12b: wall surface

21: Groove (second vibration part)

31: Transport slot (first transport slot)

31a: driving surface

31b: wall surface

31t: bottom

32: The end of the outlet part (the first end)

32a: Plate part

32b: Plate part

51a: end

72: Transport slot (second transport slot)

72a: driving surface

72b: Wall

Claims (10)

A parts feeder includes a first vibration member to which vibration is transmitted from a first vibration source and a second vibration member to which vibration is transmitted from a second vibration source different from the first vibration source, The first vibrating member and the second vibrating member respectively include a first conveying tank and a second conveying tank for conveying objects to be conveyed by the transmitted vibration, and The first end on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the first vibrating member is located above the second end on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the second vibrating member, The first end portion and the second end portion are provided with a gap for insulating vibration between them, and are arranged to convey the object to be conveyed from the first end portion to the second end portion, The thickness of the part corresponding to the bottom of the said 1st conveyance tank in the said 1st end part is smaller than the thickness of the periphery of the part corresponding to the said bottom. The parts supplier according to claim 1, wherein: The thickness of the cross section perpendicular to the conveying direction of the first end portion gradually decreases toward the portion corresponding to the bottom of the first conveying tank. The parts supplier according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The thickness of the cross-section parallel to the conveying direction of the first end portion gradually decreases toward the tip of the first end portion. The parts supplier according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The first end portion is formed in a tapered shape so that the thickness becomes gradually smaller toward the portion corresponding to the bottom of the first conveyance groove. An air ejection device for a parts supplier, comprising a nozzle and a supply pipe that supplies air to the nozzle, The above nozzle contains: A cylindrical main body with the axial direction along the direction intersecting the conveying path in a plan view and arranged on the side of the conveying path; A discharge port formed at a position deviated from the center in the end surface of the main body; An elongated groove formed on the peripheral surface of the main body portion along its circumferential direction; and A communicating portion that communicates the groove portion and the discharge port, The supply pipe communicates with the internal space of the groove from a direction intersecting the axial direction of the main body, and supplies air to the internal space. The air ejection device for a parts supplier according to claim 5, wherein The said main body part is arrange|positioned in the said hopper in which the spiral conveyance path was formed in the inner surface of a side wall part in the posture of the axial direction along the radial direction of a hopper in a plan view. An air ejection device for a parts supplier, comprising; nozzle; A support portion supporting the nozzle; and Supply piping for supplying air to the above nozzles, The nozzle includes a cylindrical main body portion and a discharge port formed in a part of the circumferential direction on the peripheral surface of the main body portion, The support portion supports the main body portion so that the axial direction is in a direction intersecting the conveyance path in a plan view and allows rotation about the axis of the shaft. The air ejection device for a parts supplier according to claim 7, wherein The nozzle includes a long groove portion formed in the circumferential direction of the main body portion along the circumferential direction thereof, and a communication portion connecting the groove portion and the discharge port, and The supply pipe communicates with the internal space of the groove from a direction intersecting the axial direction of the main body, and supplies air to the internal space. The air ejection device for a parts supplier according to claim 7 or 8, wherein Air is blown out to the conveyed objects passing through the drop portion where the shape of the conveying path changes from a V-shaped cross section to an arc-shaped cross section. A parts feeder including the air ejection device for a parts feeder according to any one of claims 5-9.

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