Longitudinal vacuum clamping device

Abstract

The invention relates to a longitudinal vacuum clamping device. The clamping device comprises a cylindrical main body internally provided with an air ejector installed in the longitudinal direction, a connector fastened to the lower end of the main body, and an adsorption pad connected to the connector. In particular, the main body includes: an upper cover formed with a plurality of air supply ports; a waste pipe which is a pipe formed parallel to the ejector on the lower bottom surface, and the interior of which communicates with the internal space of the pad; an air outlet formed in the lower part of the side surface; and a channel formed on the bottom surface so as to communicate the inner space of the upper body and the inner space of the lower pad, thereby forming a vacuum flow path extending to the first supply port, the ejector, and the discharge port, and a waste flow path extending to the second supply port, the waste pipe, and the inner space of the pad.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vacuum gripping device, and more particularly, to a device for adsorbing and gripping an object by acting with high-speed compressed air in a vacuum conveying system. Background Art

[0002] Generally, a vacuum gripping device includes: a hollow-shaped main body, an adsorption pad connected to a suction port on one side of the main body, and a vacuum ejector installed inside the main body. In a state where the adsorption pad is in contact with the surface of an object, when compressed air passes through the ejector at high speed, the internal air of the adsorption pad is introduced into the ejector and discharged to the outside together with the compressed air, and during this process, a vacuum and negative pressure are generated inside the adsorption pad.

[0003] The object is adsorbed to the adsorption pad by the negative pressure generated as above and is conveyed to a specified position by an automated or robotic system.

[0004] As an example, "Vacuum Gripping Device" is disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2009-0131617. From this disclosure, it can be seen that the vacuum gripping device is configured in a horizontal-direction, i.e., "horizontal type", box shape with the internal ejector as a reference, and the adsorption pad is usually connected to the side port of the box in a straight-down direction. This "horizontal type" device occupies a large amount of space when installed, which is uneconomical and has an application limitation in that it is difficult to use in the form of multiple closely connected manifolds.

[0005] As another example, "In-line Vacuum Pump" is disclosed in Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1157542 (U.S. Patent No. 9,151,300). The in-line vacuum pump disclosed here is configured in a longitudinal-direction, i.e., "longitudinal type", cylindrical shape with the internal ejector as a reference, and the adsorption pad is connected to the end of the cylinder in a straight-down direction.

[0006] The disclosed "longitudinal type" device has advantages in terms of its installation and application compared to the "horizontal type" device. However, there are the following problems:

[0007] The design for generating a vacuum on the adsorption pad and abolishing the vacuum as needed is complex and cumbersome to operate;

[0008] It is very troublesome to install and operate an air valve, i.e., a check valve, inside the device. There is also:

[0009] Since it is difficult to change the number of ejectors used in the device, the problem of not being able to meet the gripping characteristics required in the actual field exists.

[0010] Prior Art Documents

[0011] Published Patent Gazette No. 10-2009-0131617

[0012] Registered Patent Gazette No. 10-1157542

[0013] Registered Patent Gazette No. 10-1659517

[0014] Registered Patent Gazette No. 10-1019948 Summary of the Invention

[0015] Technical Problem

[0016] The present invention relates to a "longitudinal type" vacuum chucking device, and is proposed to solve the problems of the existing longitudinal type vacuum chucking device.

[0017] The object of the present invention is to provide a longitudinal type vacuum chucking device that can be easily manufactured and operated by simplifying the design of vacuum generation and abolition. Another object of the present invention is to provide a longitudinal type vacuum chucking device in which each valve is optimally arranged inside the device, so that the setting and operation of the valve are more effective. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a longitudinal type vacuum chucking device that can flexibly cope with the grip characteristics of the device required on site by changing the number of ejectors applied to the device.

[0018] Technical Solution

[0019] The vacuum chucking device of the present invention:

[0020] The device includes a cylindrical main body having an air ejector installed along the longitudinal direction, a connector fastened to the lower end of the main body, and a suction pad connected to the connector.

[0021] The main body includes:

[0022] An upper cover formed with a plurality of air supply ports;

[0023] A waste pipe formed as a pipe parallel to the ejector on the lower bottom surface, and the inside of the pipe is communicated with the internal space of the pad;

[0024] An air discharge port formed at the lower part of the side; and

[0025] A passage formed on the bottom surface to communicate the internal spaces of the upper side main body and the lower side pad with each other.

[0026] A vacuum flow path is formed extending from the first supply port via the ejector to the discharge port, and a waste flow path is formed extending from the second supply port via the waste pipe to the internal space of the pad.

[0027] Preferably, the connector:

[0028] It is an annular member, formed with a first hole and a second hole that respectively communicate the internal space of the pad with the waste pipe and the passage, and is provided at a certain interval from the bottom surface;

[0029] The second hole has a check valve that allows air flow only in the direction from the internal space of the pad to the passage, and the check valve moves up and down within the range of the interval to open and close the second hole.

[0030] In addition, the first hole has a check valve that allows air flow only in the direction from the waste pipe to the internal space of the pad, and the check valve moves up and down under the pressure of compressed air to open and close the first hole.

[0031] Preferably, the main body includes:

[0032] A plurality of ejector brackets, which are formed around the waste pipe, and more specifically, are formed around the waste pipe with the waste pipe as the center;

[0033] Since each ejector is detachably provided on the bracket;

[0034] The number of ejectors applicable in the vacuum chucking device is variable.

[0035] In addition, the main body further includes:

[0036] A pressure pipe, which is formed in parallel with the ejector and the waste pipe, penetrates the bottom surface and communicates with the internal space of the pad;

[0037] A sensor connection port, which extends from the pressure pipe to one side of the cover and can directly measure the pressure (-kPa) in the internal space of the pad.

[0038] Advantages of the Invention

[0039] According to the vacuum chucking device of the present invention, the main elements such as the ejector, the waste pipe, and the pressure pipe are all formed longitudinally and in parallel within the main body, and are designed to extend through the cover at the upper end of the main body. Therefore, it has the effect of simplifying the manufacture and operation of the entire device. In addition, it has the effect of easily arranging the check valve at an appropriate position by using the connector structure. In addition, by detachably arranging the air ejector on the bracket, it has the effect of appropriately changing the number according to the on-site situation. Description of the Drawings

[0040] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of the vacuum chucking device according to the present invention.

[0041] Figure 2 It is Figure 1 an exploded view of

[0042] Figure 3 is Figure 1 a plan view of

[0043] Figure 4 is Figure 3 the 'A - A' sectional view of

[0044] Figure 5 is Figure 3 the 'B - B' sectional view of

[0045] Figure 6 is the 'vacuum' action diagram using Figure 4 of

[0046] Figure 7 is the 'abolition' action diagram using Figure 5 of

[0047] Explanation of reference numerals

[0048] 10. Vacuum chucking device

[0049] 11. Injector 11a. Through - hole

[0050] 12. Main body 13. Connector

[0051] 14. Pad

[0052] 15a. First supply port 15b. Second supply port

[0053] 16. Cover 17. Bottom surface

[0054] 18. Abolition pipe 19. Discharge port

[0055] 20. Channel

[0056] 21. Vacuum flow path 22. Abolition flow path

[0057] 23. First hole 24. Second hole

[0058] 25, 26. Check valve

[0059] 27. Bracket 28. Pressure pipe

[0060] 29. Connection port

[0061] 30. Muffler 31. Sound - absorbing material

[0062] 32. Discharge hole 33. Filter

[0063] d. Spacing

[0064] W. Object Detailed implementation manners

[0065] The features and effects of the "longitudinal vacuum chucking device" of the present invention, whether described above or not, will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Throughout the drawings, the vacuum chucking device of the present invention is denoted by the symbol 10.

[0066] Reference Figures 1 to 5 , the vacuum chucking device 10 of the present invention includes: a cylindrical main body 12 having a longitudinally mounted air injector 11 therein, a connector 13 fastened to the lower end of the main body 12, and a suction pad 14 connected to the connector 13. Here, the injector 11 is an ordinary air injector having through holes 11a formed in its side wall. In the drawings, although the pad 14 is directly connected to the connector 13, a hose or the like may also be used to be at a distance from the connector 13.

[0067] Specifically, the main body 12 includes:

[0068] an upper cover 16 formed with a plurality of air supply ports 15a, 15b;

[0069] a waste pipe 18, which is a pipe formed parallel to the injector 11 on the lower bottom surface 17, and the inside of the pipe communicates with the inside space of the pad 14;

[0070] an air discharge port 19 formed in the lower part of the side; and

[0071] a passage 20 formed on the bottom surface 17 to communicate the internal spaces of the upper main body 11 and the lower pad 14 with each other.

[0072] Therefore, a vacuum flow path 21 extending from the first supply port 15a of the cover 16 via the injector 11 to the discharge port 19 and a waste flow path 22 extending from the second supply port 15b of the cover 16 via the waste pipe 18 to the internal space of the pad 14 are respectively formed.

[0073] The connector 13 is an annular member, in which a first hole 23 and a second hole 24 are formed to communicate the internal space of the pad 14 with the waste pipe 18 and the passage 20 respectively, and it is provided below the bottom surface 17 at a certain interval d. In addition, in the second hole 24, a check valve 25 is provided, and the check valve 25 only allows air to flow in the direction from the internal space of the pad 14 to the passage 20, and the check valve 25 moves up and down within the range of the interval d to open and close the second hole 24.

[0074] Among them, the check valve 25 of the second hole 24 is a soft rubber plate.

[0075] In addition, a check valve 26 is provided in the first hole 23. The check valve 26 only allows the flow of air from the waste pipe 18 towards the inner space of the pad 14. The check valve 26 moves up and down under the pressure of compressed air to open and close the first hole 23. Among them, the check valve 26 of the first hole 23 is a valve elastically supported by a spring.

[0076] In this embodiment, the main body 12 includes a plurality of ejector brackets 27 formed around the waste pipe 18. In addition, since each ejector 11 is detachably provided on the bracket 27, the number of ejectors 11 applied in the vacuum chucking device 10 can be appropriately changed. For example, it can be adjusted as follows. If the object W is large and heavy, the number of ejectors 11 is increased. On the contrary, if the object is lighter, the number of ejectors 11 is decreased.

[0077] In addition, the main body 12 further includes:

[0078] A pressure pipe 28 is formed parallel to the ejector 11 and the waste pipe 18, penetrates the bottom surface 17, and communicates with the inner space of the pad 14.

[0079] A sensor connection port 29 extends from the pressure pipe 28 to the side of the cover 16 and is formed to directly measure the pressure (-kPa) in the inner space of the pad 14.

[0080] The sensor of the connection port 29 can determine whether the inner space of the pad 14 in the vacuum conveying system has reached an appropriate vacuum and negative pressure capable of holding the object W, and accordingly provides favorable information for judging whether to supply compressed air.

[0081] The symbol 30 is a so-called "silencer", which is installed on the outer wall of the main body 12 around the air discharge port 19, and a spiral sound-absorbing material 31 is arranged inside, and a discharge hole 32 communicating with the spiral path is formed at the end. The structure of the silencer 30 has the effect of extending the discharge port 19 as long as possible, and can minimize the exhaust resistance while effectively absorbing and removing the noise generated when discharging air.

[0082] In this embodiment, the silencer 30 is rotatably installed, so that the discharge direction of air can be arbitrarily adjusted. For the convenience of installation, the silencer 30 is composed of two parts to be assembled on the left and right of the main body 12.

[0083] Here, the first supply port 15a, the second supply port 15b and the sensor connection port 29 are arranged adjacent to each other on the cover 16 of the main body 12 (refer to Figure 3 ), and compressed air is supplied to the first supply port 15a or the second supply port 15b, thereby forming or abolishing the vacuum in the adsorption pad 14.

[0084] Refer to Figure 6 , first, in a state where the pad 14 is in contact with the surface of the work object W, compressed air is supplied to the first supply port 15a (refer to arrow ①), and the supplied compressed air passes through the vacuum flow path 21 extending from the first supply port 15a → injector 11 → discharge port 19 at high speed and is discharged to the outside (refer to arrows ②, ③, ④).

[0085] During this process, the pressure drops at the through hole 11a portion on the side wall of the injector 11. Therefore, the internal air of the pad 14 sequentially passes through the second hole 24 of the connector 13 and the passage 20 of the bottom surface 17, and then moves into the main body 11, and then is attracted into the injector 11 and discharged to the outside together with the compressed air (see arrows ④, ⑤). In this way, as the exhaust of the internal space of the pad 14 proceeds, a vacuum and negative pressure are generated in the internal space of the pad 14, and the object W can be adsorbed and held on the pad 14 by the generated negative pressure.

[0086] During this exhaust process, impurities on the surface of the object W will interfere with the suction flow path extending from the internal space of the pad 14 to the second hole 24 → passage 20 → injector 11 → discharge port 19, thus hindering the exhaust. Therefore, in this embodiment, the air filter 33 is arranged at the optimal position. In the figure, although the filter 33 is arranged inside the pad 14, it can also be arranged inside the connector 13 or between the pad 14 and the connector 13.

[0087] For example, when the vacuum pressure of the pad 14 reaches an appropriate level, the supply of compressed air can be interrupted by the sensor signal of the connection port 29. At this time, the check valve 25 moves downward to block the second hole 24 of the connector 13.

[0088] When the object W is adsorbed onto the pad 14 at an appropriate vacuum pressure level, it will be transported to a predetermined location by an automated or robotic system connected to the main body 11. In addition, when the transportation is completed, the pad 14 and the object W are separated, and the pad 14 will be prepared for subsequent operations. However, for the productivity of the operation, it is necessary to quickly separate the pad 14 from the object W.

[0089] Refer to Figure 7 , when the transportation of the object W is completed, compressed air is supplied to the other supply port, that is, the second supply port 15a (see arrow ⑥), and the supplied compressed air sequentially flows through the waste flow path 22 extending to the second supply port 15b → waste pipe 18 → the internal space of the pad 14 (see arrows ⑦, ⑧). During this process, impurities attached to the bottom surface of the filter 33 are removed by the direct downward pressure of the supplied compressed air.

[0090] In summary, the compressed air supplied to the second supply port 15a is directly supplied to the inner space of the pad 14 through the waste flow path 22, so that the vacuum and negative pressure formed in the inner space of the pad 14 are instantly abolished, and thus the pad 14 can be quickly separated from the object W. As described above, when the pad 14 is separated, the supply of compressed air is interrupted, and at this time, the check valve 26 elastically moves upward by the spring to block the first hole 23 of the connector 13.

[0091] From the above description, it can be seen that the vacuum chucking device 10 of the present invention is designed such that:

[0092] The main components of the device 10, such as the ejector 11, the waste pipe 18, and the pressure pipe 28, are all formed longitudinally and parallelly within the main body 12 and extend through the cover 16 at the upper end of the main body 12;

[0093] The valves 25 and 26 are arranged in appropriate positions by using the connector 13 structure;

[0094] The ejector 11 is detachably provided on the bracket 27, so that the number thereof can be appropriately changed according to the on-site situation.

Claims

1. A longitudinal vacuum clamping device, characterized in that, the device includes: a cylindrical main body (12) with an air injector (11) installed along the longitudinal direction; a connector (13) fastened to the lower end of the main body (12); and an adsorption pad (14) connected to the connector (13), the main body (12) includes: an upper cover (16) formed with a plurality of air supply ports (15a, 15b); a waste pipe (18) formed as a pipe parallel to the injector (11) on the lower bottom surface (17), and the inside of the pipe is communicated with the internal space of the pad (14); an air discharge port (19) formed on the lower side of the side surface; and a channel (20) formed on the bottom surface (17) to communicate the internal spaces of the upper main body (12) and the lower pad (14) with each other, a vacuum flow path (21) is formed extending from the first supply port (15a) via the injector (11) to the discharge port (19), and a waste flow path (22) is formed extending from the second supply port (15b) via the waste pipe (18) to the internal space of the pad (14), including: a plurality of injector brackets (27) formed around the waste pipe (18), and each injector (11) can be detachably provided on the bracket (27), so that the number of injectors (11) applicable in the main body (12) can be changed.

2. The longitudinal vacuum clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, the connector (13) is an annular member, formed with a first hole (23) and a second hole (24) for communicating the internal space of the pad (14) with the waste pipe (18) and the channel (20) respectively, and is provided at a certain interval (d) from the bottom surface (17); the second hole (24) has a check valve (25) that only allows air to flow in the direction from the internal space of the pad (14) to the channel (20), and the check valve (25) moves up and down within the range of the interval (d) to open and close the second hole (24).

3. The longitudinal vacuum clamping device according to claim 2, characterized in that, the first hole (23) has a check valve (26) that only allows air to flow in the direction from the waste pipe (18) to the internal space of the pad (14), and the check valve (26) moves up and down under the compressed air pressure to open and close the first hole (23).

4. The longitudinal vacuum clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, the main body (12) includes: a plurality of injector brackets (27) formed around the waste pipe (18).

5. The longitudinal vacuum clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, the main body (12) further includes: a pressure pipe (28) formed parallel to the injector (11) and the waste pipe (18), penetrating the bottom surface (17) and communicating with the internal space of the pad (14); a sensor connection port (29) extending from the pressure pipe (28) to the side of the cover (14), capable of directly measuring the pressure (-kPa) in the internal space of the pad (14).

6. The longitudinal vacuum clamping device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a muffler (30) installed around the air discharge port (19) on the outer wall of the main body (12), and the muffler (30): is internally provided with a spiral sound-absorbing material (31), and an air discharge hole (32) communicating with the spiral path is formed at the end.

7. The longitudinal vacuum chucking device according to claim 6, wherein: the muffler (30) is installed in a rotatable manner so that the direction of the discharge hole can be adjusted arbitrarily.

8. The longitudinal vacuum chucking device according to claim 6, wherein: the muffler (30) is composed of two parts for assembly on the left and right of the main body (12).

9. The longitudinal vacuum chucking device according to claim 1, wherein: an air filter (33) is disposed inside the pad (14), inside the connector (13), or between the pad (14) and the connector (13).

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