Waste conveyor belt recovery device

Abstract

A waste belt recovery device is used while connected to an assembly line configured to pick up and assemble a component fed by a belt feeder, and recovers the waste belt after the component has been picked up. The device comprises a housing, a receiving box which includes a suction port and an outlet port, arranged within the housing for picking up and removing the waste belt, a waste belt path connected to the suction port, with the waste belt passing through the waste belt path, an outlet path connected to the outlet port, and a filter arranged in the outlet port.

Description

Technical field

[0001] The present description discloses a waste belt recovery device. State of the art

[0002] Previously, a waste belt recovery device was known to be one that cuts a belt element fed by a belt feeder, from which a component has been removed, and collects the cut belt element (waste belt) in a receiving box. For example, patent literature 1 discloses a waste belt recovery device comprising a drop chute into which the waste belt falls, a waste belt storage area in which a dust container is arranged, a transport path (pipe element) arranged between the drop chute and the waste belt storage area, and a negative pressure application section that exerts a negative pressure on the transport path from the side of the waste belt storage area. Patent citation list

[0003] Patent literature 1: WO 2017 / 026030 Summary of the invention; Technical task

[0004] In a waste belt recovery device where a receiving box is located inside a housing for retraction and extension, and where a waste belt is drawn in by negative pressure and collected in the receiving box, the waste belt can fall out of a gap between the housing and the receiving box during this process. In this case, when the receiving box containing the collected waste belt is removed from the housing and the waste belt is recovered, the waste belt that fell into the housing must be removed, increasing the worker's workload.

[0005] A main objective of the present disclosure is to receive a waste belt into a receiving box without the waste belt falling out, wherein the receiving box is arranged so that it can be inserted into and removed from a housing, and the waste belt is drawn in by negative pressure and received into the receiving box. Solution to the problem

[0006] The present disclosure uses the following means to achieve the main objective described above.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, a waste belt recovery device is provided for use in conjunction with an assembly line configured for removing and assembling a component fed by a belt feeder, wherein the waste belt recovery device is configured to recover a waste belt after the component has been removed, the waste belt recovery device comprising: a housing; a receiving box with a suction port and an outlet port arranged within the housing to be extended and retracted, and configured to receive the waste belt; a waste belt path connected to the suction port, wherein the waste belt passes through the waste belt path; an outlet path connected to the outlet port; and a filter arranged in the outlet port.

[0008] In the waste belt recovery device of the present disclosure, the suction port and the outlet port are arranged in the receiving box, which is positioned so that it can be inserted into and removed from the housing, the waste belt path being connected to the suction port and the outlet path being connected to the outlet port. The filter is arranged in the outlet port. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a gap from forming between the waste belt path and the receiving box, and it is possible to collect the waste belt that has passed through the waste belt path without it falling out into the receiving box. Brief description of the characters Fig. Figure 1 is a schematic configuration view of a component assembly line. Fig. Figure 2 is an external perspective view of the component assembly line and a waste conveyor recovery device arranged in the component assembly line. Fig. Figure 3 is a schematic configuration view of a component assembler. Fig. Figure 4 is a schematic configuration view of a waste belt removal device. Fig. Figure 5 is a view illustrating an aspect where a waste belt is transported between adjacent conveyors of a waste belt conveyor device. Fig. Figure 6 is an external perspective view of the waste belt recovery device. Fig. Figure 7 is an exterior view of a recording box. Fig. Figure 8 is a schematic configuration view of a connection section. Fig. 9A is a view illustrating an aspect where a connecting passage is linked to a suction port of the receiving box. Fig. 9B is a view illustrating an aspect where the connecting passage is linked to the suction port of the receiving box. Fig. 10A is an external perspective view of a lever mechanism. Fig. Figure 10B is a side view of the lever mechanism. Fig. Figure 11 is a view showing a second arrangement example of the waste belt recovery device. Fig. Figure 12 is a view showing a second arrangement example of the connecting passage of the connecting section. Description of the embodiments

[0009] Next, embodiments for implementing the present disclosure will be described with reference to the figures.

[0010] Fig. Figure 1 is a schematic configuration view of component assembly line 10. Fig. Figure 2 is an external perspective view of the component assembly line 10 and the waste conveyor recovery device 50 arranged in the component assembly line 10. Fig. Figure 3 is a schematic configuration view of the component assembler 20. Fig. Figure 4 is a schematic configuration view of the waste belt removal device 30. Fig. Figure 5 is a view illustrating an aspect in which a waste belt is conveyed between adjacent conveying devices 41 of the waste belt conveying device 40. Fig. Figure 6 is a schematic configuration view of the waste belt recovery device 50. It should be noted that in the Fig. 1 to 3 the right-left direction is defined as the X-axis direction, the front-back direction as the Y-axis direction and the up-down direction as the Z-axis direction.

[0011] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the component assembly line 10 comprises a printer 12, several component assemblers 20, and a waste conveyor 40. The printer 12 is a solder printer for printing solder onto the plate S. The component assemblers 20 are aligned along a plate conveying direction (X-direction) to mount a component onto the plate S. In the component assembly line 10, the printer 12 and the component assembler 20 are arranged in this order along the plate conveying direction. It should be noted that, in the following, each device comprising the component assembly line 10 can be referred to as module M.

[0012] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 3, the component assembler 20 comprises a housing 21, a feeder base 22, a plate conveyor 23, a head 24, and a head movement mechanism 25. Several feeder bases 22 are aligned in the X direction and hold the feeders 26 in a detachable manner. The plate conveyor 23 is a belt conveyor and conveys the plate S from left to right. The head 24 holds a suction nozzle, picks up the component P, which is fed by the feeder 26 mounted on the feeder base 22, with the suction nozzle, and assembles the component P onto the plate S. The head movement mechanism 25 moves the head 24 between the feeder 26 and the plate S.

[0013] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the feeder 26 comprises a spool 27 onto which the belt T is wound. The belt T has longitudinally spaced recesses (ejected sections) arranged at predetermined intervals, in which the components P are housed. The components P are protected by a cover film attached to the top of the belt T. The feeder 26 conveys the components P, in an exposed state, to a receiving position by pulling the belt T from the spool 27 with a feeding device (not shown) and removing the cover film from the belt T. The component P conveyed to the receiving position is removed by the suction nozzle. The used belt, after the component P has been removed by the suction nozzle, is discharged by the waste belt removal device 30.

[0014] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 3, the waste belt discharge device 30 comprises an inlet passage 31, which inserts the belt fed by the feeder 26 behind the feeder 26, which is mounted on the feeder base 22; a belt cutter 32, which finely cuts the inserted belt with a cutter; and an outlet passage 33, which discharges the cut belt (hereinafter referred to as the waste belt). Whenever the feeder 26 feeds belt T for the feeding of component P, the belt cutter 32 cuts the belt by driving the cutter. The waste belt is fed via the outlet passage 33 to the conveying device 41 and conveyed by the conveying device 41 to the outside of the component assembler 20. The waste belt conveyed to the outside of the component assembler 20 is recovered by the waste belt recovery device 50 of the present embodiment.

[0015] The waste conveyor belt 40 comprises a conveying device 41. The conveying device 41 is arranged for each module M. When the modules M form the component assembly line 10, the conveying devices 41 are aligned in a row in the plate conveying direction. As shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 5, each conveying device 41 is installed such that it is inclined upwards in the direction of the waste conveyor device and configured so that the end sections of adjacent conveying devices 41 overlap vertically. In this way, each conveying device 41 can smoothly transport the waste conveyor to the adjacent conveying device 41 and prevent the waste conveyor from falling off during transport. In the present embodiment, the waste conveyor conveying direction is set opposite to the plate conveying direction (upstream of the component assembly line), but it can also be set in the same direction as the plate conveying direction.

[0016] Each conveying device 41 is controlled by a control device located in the corresponding module M. In addition to the conveying device 41, the control device also controls the entire corresponding module M. For example, the control device that controls the component assembler 20 as module M also controls the plate conveying device 23, the head 24, or the head movement mechanism 25, in addition to the conveying device 41.

[0017] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the waste belt recovery device 50 is installed adjacent to the module M at an initial end in the plate conveyor direction and draws in the waste belt conveyed by the waste belt conveyor device 40 by means of negative pressure and recovers it. As shown in Figure 1, the waste belt recovery device 50 is installed adjacent to the module M at an initial end in the plate conveyor direction and uses negative pressure to draw in and recover the waste belt conveyed by the waste belt conveyor device 40. Fig. As shown in Figure 6, the waste belt recovery device 50 comprises a recovery device main body 51, a receiving box 60, a suction hose 71, an outlet hose 72 and a vacuum source 90 (see Figure 6). Fig. 2).

[0018] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 6, the recovery device main body 51 is a box-shaped housing and comprises a receiving section 52 with an opening in a front face and a receiving chamber into and out of which the receiving box 60 can be inserted and removed through the opening, as well as a connecting section 53 to which the suction hose 71 and the outlet hose 72 are connected. The receiving section 52 is arranged in a lower section of the recovery device main body 51, and the connecting section 53 is arranged in an upper section of the recovery device main body 51.

[0019] An opening door 52a is provided on the front of the receiving section 52, which can be opened and closed using the left side as a pivot axis. The receiving box 60 is inserted into and removed from the receiving section 52 when the opening door 52a is open. When the opening door 52a is closed, the interior of the recovery device main body 51 is sealed.

[0020] As in the Fig. 8, Fig. 9A and Fig. As shown in Figure 9B, the connecting section 53 comprises suction hose connection ports 54a and 54b, to which a first end section of the suction hose 71 is connected, and outlet hose connection ports 55a and 55b, to which a first end section of the outlet hose 72 is connected, a bellows-shaped connecting passage 56, the first end section of which is detachable from each of the suction hose connection ports 54a and 54b and can be expanded and contracted, and a lever mechanism 80 for attaching and detaching a second end section of the connecting passage 56 to and from a receiving box 60, which is housed in the recovery device main body 51 (receiving section 52). A second end section of the suction hose 71 is arranged at a conveying end of each of the conveying devices 41 arranged in a series. A second end section of the outlet hose 72 is connected to a vacuum source 90.

[0021] The receiving box 60 is a container for storing waste tape. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 7, the receiving box 60 comprises a box-shaped body 61, the upper end of which is open, and a lid element 62 that closes the opening of the upper end of the body 61. A handle opening 61a is formed in a front upper section of the body 61 so that a worker can remove the receiving box 60 from the main body 51 of the recovery device (receiving section 52). Additionally, handle openings 61b are formed in the upper right and left side surfaces of the body 61 so that the worker can carry the body 61.

[0022] The cover element 62 has a suction port 62a and an outlet port 62b. The suction port 62a is a circular opening, and the second end of the connecting passage 56 is attached to and detached from the suction port 62a. The connecting passage 56 is attached to the suction port 62a to connect the inside of the suction hose 71 to the inside of the receiving box 60. The outlet port 62b is an opening larger than the suction port 62a and is positioned to avoid the suction port 62a. The outlet port 62b is covered by a filter 63.The interior of the connecting section 53 is divided between the inside and outside of the connecting passage 56, and the connecting section 53 causes the outlet hose 72 and the interior of the receiving box 60 to communicate with each other through a space outside the connecting passage 56 within the interior of the connecting section 53. It should be noted that the cover element 62 is provided with a handle 64 so that the worker can remove the cover element 62 from the receiving box 60 and carry it. A hook element 52b is arranged on the rear side of the opening door 52a of the recovery device main body 51 as a temporary storage area. The cover element 62, which the worker removed from the receiving box 60 while removing the waste belt accumulated in the box body 61, is hooked onto the hook element 52b.

[0023] As in the Fig. 9A and Fig. As shown in Figure 9B, the lever mechanism 80 is an actuating element that manually raises and lowers the coupling frame 56a, which is arranged at the second end section of the bellows-shaped connecting passage 56. The coupling frame 56a is coupled to the suction port 62a of the receiving box 61 by lowering it to a lower end by the lever mechanism 80 in a state where the receiving box 61 is received in the receiving section 52. The coupling frame 56a is detached from the suction port 62a of the receiving box 61 by raising it by the lever mechanism 80.

[0024] As in the Fig. 10A and Fig. As shown in Figure 10B, the lever mechanism 80 comprises a pair of guide elements 81, a lever main body 82, and a sensor 85 for detecting attachment / removal. The pair of guide elements 81 is attached to the connecting section frame 53a, which is a frame body of the connecting section 53, and to the coupling frame 56a, which can be raised and lowered. The lever main body 82 is essentially a U-shaped element and comprises a base section 82a, which serves as a handle, and a pair of leg sections 82b, which are curved and extend from both end sections of the base section 82a. The middle sections of the pair of leg sections 82b in one direction of extension are rotatably connected to the coupling frame 56a with slight play. The tip end sections of the two leg sections 82b are connected to the connecting section frame 53a via springs 83.Furthermore, the tip end sections and the middle sections of the two leg sections 82b are directly rotatably connected to the connecting section frame 53a. Accordingly, the worker can connect the coupling frame 56a to the suction port 62a by lowering the coupling frame 56a of the connecting passage 56 by grasping and pushing down the base section 82a (handle). The worker can also detach the coupling frame 56a from the suction port 62a by lifting the coupling frame 56a of the connecting passage 56 by grasping and pulling upwards on the base section 82a. The sensor for detecting the attachment / removal 85 is attached to the coupling frame 56a and detects the attachment and detachment of the coupling frame 56a from the suction port 62a, respectively. A proximity sensor, such as a magnetic sensor, is used, for example, as the sensor for detecting the attachment / removal 85.

[0025] The sensor for detecting the accumulation quantity 86, which detects the amount of waste belt accumulated in the receiving box 60, is also attached to the coupling frame 56a. The sensor for detecting the accumulation quantity 86 is configured as a reflective optical sensor, which has a light-emitting section that emits light L through the opening 62c (see Fig. 7) emits downwards into the box body 61, which is formed in the lid element 62 next to the suction port 62a, and comprises a light-receiving section that receives reflected light from a detection target (waste belt) in the box body 61. The accumulation quantity sensor 86 (optical sensor) detects the accumulated quantity of the waste belt by measuring the time until the light L from the light-emitting section is reflected from a surface of the waste belt accumulated in the box body 61 and received by the light-receiving section.

[0026] The suction hose connection port 54a and the outlet hose connection port 55a are located on the right side of the connection section 53 (housing), and a similar suction hose connection port 54b and outlet hose connection port 55b are also located on the left side of the connection section 53. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 2 shown, when the waste belt recovery device 50 is arranged on the left side, when the component assembly line 10 is viewed from the front, the worker closes the suction hose connection port 54b and the outlet hose connection port 55b in the left side surface with the covers C1 and C2 and connects a first end section of the connection passage 56 to the suction hose connection port 54a in the right side surface, as shown in Fig. Figure 8. The worker then connects the suction hose 71 to the suction hose connection port 54a and the outlet hose 72 to the outlet hose connection port 55a. If, however, as shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 11, the waste belt recovery device 50 is arranged on the right side when looking from the front at the component assembly line 10. The worker closes the suction hose connection port 54a and the outlet hose connection port 55a in the right side surface with the covers C1 and C2 and connects the first end section of the connection passage 56 to the suction hose connection port 54b in the left side surface, as shown in Figure 11. Fig.Figure 12 shows this. The worker then connects the suction hose 71 to the suction hose connection port 54b and the outlet hose 72 to the outlet hose connection port 55b. Accordingly, the suction hose 71 and the outlet hose 72 can be connected to the recovery device main body 51 independently of the arrangement of the waste belt recovery device 50 with respect to the component assembly line 10, without having to extend the hose length, and the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the waste belt recovery device 50 can be ensured.

[0027] Furthermore, the vacuum source 90 is controlled by a control device (not shown) of the waste belt recovery device 50. The control device is configured as a microprocessor, primarily comprising a CPU, and in addition to the CPU includes a ROM, a RAM, an input / output port, and a communication port. A detection signal from the sensor for detecting the attachment / removal 85 and a detection signal from the sensor for detecting the accumulation quantity 86 are input to the control device via the input port. The control device outputs a control signal to the vacuum source 90 via the output port. Additionally, the control device of the waste belt recovery device 50 communicates with the control device of the component assembly line 10 via the communication port and exchanges various signals with it.

[0028] If the sensor for detecting the attachment / removal 85 does not detect that the connecting passage 56 is attached to the suction port 62a, or if the sensor for detecting the accumulation quantity 86 detects that the receiving box 61 is completely filled with the waste belt, the control device of the waste belt recovery device 50 stops the vacuum source 90 and sends a stop signal to the control device of the component assembly line 10 to stop the transport of the waste belt. In this way, it is possible to prevent the waste belt from overflowing in the waste belt recovery device 50.

[0029] Here, a correspondence relationship between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements described in the scope of the claims is described. That is, the component assembly line 10 of the present embodiment corresponds to an assembly line of the present disclosure, the recovery device main body 51 corresponds to a housing, the receiving box 60 corresponds to a receiving box, the suction hose 71 corresponds to a waste conveyor path, the discharge hose 72 corresponds to a discharge path, and the filter 63 corresponds to a filter. The box body 61 corresponds to a box body, and the cover element 62 corresponds to a cover element. The opening door 52a corresponds to a door, and the hook element 52b corresponds to a temporary storage area.The suction hose connection ports 54a and 54b correspond to suction ports, the outlet hose connection ports 55a and 55b correspond to outlet ports, and the connection passage 56 corresponds to a connecting pipe. The lever mechanism 80 corresponds to a lever mechanism. The sensor for detecting attachment / removal 85 corresponds to a connection detection section. The sensor for detecting the accumulation quantity 86 corresponds to an accumulation detection section.

[0030] It goes without saying that the present disclosure is in no way limited to the embodiment described so far and can be implemented in various forms without deviating from the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0031] For example, in the embodiment described above, the connecting section 53 of the recovery device main body 51 is provided with two suction hose connection ports 54a and 54b and two outlet hose connection ports 55a. However, the number of suction hose connection ports can be one, three, or more. The number of outlet hose connection ports can be one, three, or more.

[0032] In the embodiment described above, the waste conveyor recovery device 50 (recovery device main body 51, vacuum source 90) is arranged adjacent to the component assembly line 10. However, the recovery device main body 51 can be arranged at a position away from the component assembly line 10 by extending the suction hose 71. The vacuum source 90 can also be arranged at a position away from the component assembly line 10 by extending the outlet hose 72.

[0033] In the embodiment described above, the waste belt recovery device 50 draws in the waste belt conveyed by the waste belt conveyor 40 by means of a vacuum and recovers it. However, instead of connecting a conveying end of the conveyor 41 to the suction hose 71, the conveying end can be connected directly to the connection passage 56 of the recovery device main body 51 without providing a suction hose 71. In this way, the waste belt can be recovered in the waste belt recovery device even if it is difficult to generate a vacuum, as long as space can be secured for the installation of a conveyor.

[0034] As described above, in the waste belt recovery device of the present disclosure, the suction port and the outlet port are arranged in the receiving box, which is positioned so that it can be inserted into and removed from the housing. The waste belt path is connected to the suction port, and the outlet path is connected to the outlet port. The filter is located in the outlet port. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a gap from forming between the waste belt path and the receiving box, and it is possible to collect the waste belt, which has passed through the waste belt path, in the receiving box without it falling out.

[0035] In the waste conveyor belt recovery device of the present disclosure, the receiving box can comprise a main body with an opening and a lid element detachably attached to the opening of the main body, and the suction port and the outlet port can be located in the lid element. In this case, it is not necessary to provide a suction port or an outlet port in the main body, thus ensuring sufficient receiving capacity for the waste conveyor belt within the main body. The housing can include a door that can be opened and closed and is configured such that the receiving box can be removed and replaced in a state where the door is open, and the door can be provided with a temporary storage area in which the lid element is temporarily placed.With this configuration, it is possible to ensure a temporary storage location for the lid element without providing a separate room when the worker removes the lid element from the receiving box and takes out the waste belt accumulated in the main body of the box.

[0036] In the waste conveyor recovery device of the present disclosure, the housing can comprise a suction connection port to which the waste conveyor path is connected, and an extendable connecting tube, the first end of which is connected to the suction connection port, wherein a second end of the connecting tube can be detachable from the suction port of the receiving box arranged in the housing. With this configuration, the waste conveyor path can communicate with the interior of the receiving box by attaching the second end of the connecting tube to the suction opening.In this case, the housing may further include a drain port to which a first end of the drain path is connected, wherein the vacuum source may be connected to a second end of the drain path, wherein the drain path may be connected to the drain port to supply a vacuum generated by the vacuum source to the receiving box, the waste belt path may be connected to the suction port to supply the vacuum generated by the vacuum source from the receiving box to the assembly line, and at least the suction port and the outlet port may be arranged at several locations on the housing.In this way, the waste conveyor path can be connected to the housing with a suitable path length, independent of the arrangement of the waste conveyor recovery device relative to the assembly line, thus ensuring flexibility in the arrangement of the waste conveyor recovery device. In these cases, the housing can include a lever mechanism that attaches and detaches the second end of the connecting pipe from the suction port of the receiving box located within the housing. This improves the efficiency of attaching and detaching the connecting pipe. Furthermore, a connection detection section can be provided, configured to detect a connection between the connecting pipe and the suction port, and the recovery process can be performed as long as the connection between the connecting pipe and the suction port is detected by the connection detection section.This allows the waste conveyor belt to be collected more reliably in the receiving box.

[0037] Furthermore, the waste belt recovery device of the present disclosure can further comprise an accumulation detection section configured to detect an accumulation state of the waste belt in the receiving box, and the accumulation detection section can be a reflective sensor arranged such that an optical axis passes through an opening of the receiving box located in the housing. In this way, it is possible to detect the accumulation state of the waste belt in the receiving box without providing a sensor in the receiving box.

[0038] The present description also discloses a technical idea wherein “the waste belt recovery device according to claim 1” is amended in claim 4 of the originally filed version to “the waste belt recovery device according to one of claims 1 to 3”, a technical idea wherein “the waste belt recovery device according to claim 4” is amended in claim 6 of the originally filed version to “the waste belt recovery device according to claim 4 or 5”, and a technical idea wherein “the waste belt recovery device according to claim 4” is amended in claim 7 of the originally filed version to “the waste belt recovery device according to one of claims 4 to 6”. Industrial applicability

[0039] The present disclosure is applicable to the manufacturing industry for waste conveyor belt recovery devices and assembly lines. List of reference symbols

[0040] 10: Component assembly line, 12: Printer, 20: Component assembler, 21: Housing, 22: Feeder base, 23: Plate conveyor, 24: Head, 25: Head movement mechanism, 26: Feeder, 27: Spool, 30: Waste belt removal device, 31: Infeed passage, 32: Belt cutter, 33: Removal passage, 40: Waste belt conveyor, 41: Conveyor, 50: Waste belt recovery device, 51: Recovery device main body, 52: Receiving section, 52a: Opening door, 52b: Hook element, 53: Connecting section, 53a: Connecting section frame, 54a, 54b: Suction hose connection, 55a, 55b: Outlet hose connection, 56: Connecting passage, 56a: Coupling frame, 60: Receiving box 61: Box body, 61a, 61b: Handle opening, 62: Lid element, 62a: Suction port, 62b: Outlet port, 62c: Opening, 63: Filter, 64: Handle, 71: Suction hose, 72: Outlet hose, 80: Lever mechanism, 81: Guide element, 82: Lever main body, 82a: Base section, 82b: Leg section,83: Spring, 85: Sensor for detecting attachment / removal, 86: Sensor for detecting accumulation quantity, 90: Vacuum source, L: Light, M: Module, P: Component, S: Plate, T: Tape. QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] WO 2017 / 026030

[0003]

Images