Sheet application device and sheet application method

Abstract

The present invention provides a sheet application device and a sheet application method that can prevent the object to be applied from being lifted up together with the holding means. [Solution] The sheet application device EA has an internal space 21C that communicates with a suction hole 21B provided on the holding surface 21A, and includes a holding means 20 that sucks and holds the adhesive sheet AS by reducing the pressure in the internal space 21C, and a pressing means 30 that presses the adhesive sheet AS held by the holding means 20 onto the adherend WK to apply it, and includes a gas supply means 40 that supplies gas to the internal space 21C when the adhesive sheet AS is pressed onto the adherend WK by the pressing means 30.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet sticking device and a sheet sticking method.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a sheet sticking device that sucks and holds an adhesive sheet by holding means having an internal space communicating with a suction hole, and presses and sticks the adhesive sheet to an adherent with the holding means (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the label sticking device 1 (sheet sticking device) described in Patent Document 1, the driving of the fan 18 (fan) that decompresses the hollow part (internal space) of the suction device 3 (holding means) is stopped after the sticking of the label L (adhesive sheet) to the adherent M (adherent) is completed. However, there is a problem that the negative pressure state of the internal space cannot be completely released, and when the holding means is lifted, the adherent is lifted together with the holding means.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet sticking device and a sheet sticking method that can prevent the adherent from being lifted together with the holding means.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention employs the configuration described in the claims.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, by supplying gas to the internal space of the holding means that presses the adhesive sheet against the adherend, the negative pressure state in the internal space is released, preventing the adherend from being lifted up together with the holding means. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] (A) is an explanatory diagram of a sheet application device according to an embodiment of the present invention. (B) is a cross-sectional view of (A) taken along the arrow BB. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the X, Y, and Z axes are orthogonal to each other. The X and Y axes are axes within a predetermined plane, and the Z axis is an axis perpendicular to the predetermined plane. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when directions are indicated based on a view from the front direction in Figure 1(A) parallel to the Y axis, "up" is the direction of the Z-axis arrow and "down" is the opposite direction, "left" is the direction of the X-axis arrow and "right" is the opposite direction, "front" is the front direction in Figure 1(A) parallel to the Y axis and "back" is the opposite direction.

[0010] The sheet application device EA comprises a sheet supply means 10 that performs a sheet supply process for supplying an adhesive sheet AS, a holding means 20 that has an internal space 21C communicating with a suction hole 21B provided on the holding surface 21A and performs a holding process in which the adhesive sheet AS is sucked and held by the holding surface 21A by reducing the pressure in the internal space 21C, a pressing means 30 that performs a pressing process in which the adhesive sheet AS held by the holding means 20 is pressed onto the adherend WK and applied, and a gas supply means 40 that performs a gas supply process in which gas is supplied to the internal space 21C when the adhesive sheet AS is pressed onto the adherend by the pressing means 30, and is arranged in the vicinity of a conveying means 50 that performs a conveying process for conveying the adherend WK.

[0011] The sheet supply means 10 includes a base plate 11 that directly or indirectly supports the components constituting the sheet supply means 10, a support roller 12 that supports a raw roll RS on which an adhesive sheet AS is temporarily attached to a strip-shaped release sheet RL, a guide roller 13 that guides the raw roll RS, a release plate 14 as a release means that folds the release sheet RL at the release edge 14A and peels the adhesive sheet AS from the release sheet RL, a drive roller 15 supported on the output shaft (not shown) of a rotary motor 15A as a drive device and sandwiches the release sheet RL between itself and a pinch roller 15B, and a recovery roller 16 supported on the output shaft of a drive device (not shown) and constantly applies a predetermined tension to the release sheet RL between itself and the pinch roller 15B while the sheet application device EA is in automatic operation and recovers the release sheet RL.

[0012] The holding means 20 includes a suction box 21 having an internal space 21C, and a fan 22 that rotates in a predetermined rotational direction to exhaust the air in the internal space 21C from the exhaust port 22A, thereby reducing the pressure in the internal space 21C. The suction box 21 includes a holding surface 21A having a suction hole 21B that communicates with the internal space 21C, and an air supply port 21D provided on the upper surface of the suction box 21 that communicates with the internal space 21C.

[0013] The pressing means 30 includes a linear motor 31 as a drive device, a support 32 supported on the output shaft 31A of the linear motor 31, a shaft 33 inserted through a through hole 32A formed in the support 32 and supporting the suction box 21 at its lower end, and a coil spring 34 which is a biasing means for biasing the suction box 21 downward and is an expandable / contractable means that expands and contracts in the direction of movement of the holding means 20.

[0014] The gas supply means 40 includes a plurality of brackets 41 supported on the lower surface of the support 32 and inserted into the air intake port 21D, a lid 42 supported at the lower end of the brackets 41 and capable of opening and closing the air intake port 21D within the internal space 21C, a sealing member 43 such as a sealing material, rubber, or resin provided along the outer edge of the upper surface of the lid 42 to seal the air intake port 21D, and a moving means for moving the lid 42 so as to open the air intake port 21D. In this embodiment, the gas supply means 40 also uses the moving means as a pressing means 30, and when the adhesive sheet AS is pressed against the adherend WK by the pressing means 30, the coil spring 34 contracts, and the lid 42 moves accordingly to open the air intake port 21D, thereby supplying air as a gas to the internal space 21C from the air intake port 21D.

[0015] The conveying means 50 includes a conveyor 51 such as a belt conveyor or roller conveyor for conveying the object to be attached WK.

[0016] The operation of the sheet application device EA described above will now be explained. First, the user of the sheet application device EA (hereinafter simply referred to as "user") sets the raw material RS as shown in the Figure 1(A), with each component positioned in the initial position shown by the solid line in the Figure 1(A). Then, a signal to start automatic operation is input via an operating means (not shown), such as an operation panel or a personal computer. The sheet supply means 10 then drives the rotary motor 15A to feed out the raw material RS. As shown in Figure 1(A), when the leading end of the adhesive sheet AS reaches a predetermined position near the peeling edge 14A of the release plate 14, the driving of the rotary motor 15A is stopped.

[0017] Next, the transport means 50 drives the conveyor 51 to transport the adherend WK to the left, and when the adherend WK reaches a predetermined position below the suction box 21, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 1(A), the drive of the conveyor 51 is stopped. After that, the sheet supply means 10 drives the rotary motor 15A to feed out the raw material RS, and the holding means 20 drives the fan 22 to suck out the air in the internal space 21C and exhaust it from the exhaust port 22A. As a result, the leading adhesive sheet AS is peeled off from the release sheet RL at the release edge 14A of the release plate 14 and is held by suction on the holding surface 21A, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 1(A). When the leading edge in the feeding direction of the next adhesive sheet AS following the leading adhesive sheet AS reaches a predetermined position near the release edge 14A of the release plate 14, the sheet supply means 10 stops the drive of the rotary motor 15A.

[0018] Next, the pressing means 30 drives the linear motor 31, lowering the support body 32 together with the suction box 21, and pressing the adhesive sheet AS onto the object WK with the suction box 21, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 1(A). Then, the holding means 20 stops driving the fan 22, and as the pressing means 30 continues to lower the support body 32 after the adhesive sheet AS has been pressed onto the object WK, the coil spring 34 contracts, and the support body 32 approaches the suction box 21. As a result, the lid 42 descends within the internal space 21C, opening the air intake port 21D, and air is supplied to the internal space 21C from the air intake port 21D. This releases the negative pressure in the internal space 21C, and after the adhesive sheet AS is released from suction on the holding surface 21A, the pressing means 30 drives the linear motor 31 to return the suction box 21 and lid 42 to their initial positions. Next, the transport means 50 drives the conveyor 51 and transports the object WK to the left toward the next process, and the same operation as described above is repeated thereafter.

[0019] According to the above embodiment, by supplying air to the internal space 21C of the holding means 20 that presses the adhesive sheet AS against the adherend WK, the negative pressure state in the internal space 21C is released, and it is possible to prevent the adherend WK from being lifted up together with the holding means 20.

[0020] As described above, the best configuration, method, etc. for implementing the present invention are disclosed in the above description, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, although the present invention has been particularly illustrated and described mainly with respect to specific embodiments, various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art to the above-described embodiments in terms of shape, material, quantity, and other detailed configurations without departing from the scope of the technical idea and purpose of the present invention. Further, the descriptions that limit the shape, material, etc. disclosed above are exemplified for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. Therefore, the description using the names of members with some or all of the limitations of those shapes, materials, etc. removed is included in the present invention. Also, the means and steps in the present invention are not limited in any way as long as they can perform the operations, functions, or steps described for those means and steps. Moreover, they are not limited to the configurations and steps of merely one embodiment shown in the above-described embodiment. For example, any pressing means may be used as long as it presses and attaches the adhesive sheet held by the holding means to the adherend, and it is not limited as long as it is within the technical scope in light of the common technical knowledge at the time of filing the application (the same applies to other means and steps).

[0021] The sheet supply means 10 may peel and supply the adhesive sheet AS from a web in which a predetermined area partitioned by a cut formed by forming a closed loop or a cut across the short width direction in a strip-shaped adhesive sheet base material temporarily attached to a strip-shaped release sheet RL is used as the adhesive sheet AS. Alternatively, a strip-shaped adhesive sheet web in which a strip-shaped adhesive sheet base material is temporarily attached to a strip-shaped release sheet RL may be adopted, and during the supply of the strip-shaped adhesive sheet web, a closed loop or a cut across the short width direction is formed in the adhesive sheet base material with a cutting blade as a cutting member, and the adhesive sheet AS may be peeled and supplied from the web in which the predetermined area partitioned by the cut is used as the adhesive sheet AS. Alternatively, the adhesive sheet AS may be peeled and supplied from a web RS, for example, fan-folded without being wound. Alternatively, a recovery means for recovering the release sheet RL by, for example, fan-folding, cutting with a shredder, or randomly accumulating without winding may be adopted, or the recovery means may not be adopted. It may be provided in the sheet sticking device EA of the present invention, or may not be provided. In the case where it is not provided, the adhesive sheet AS may be supplied to the holding means 20 by another device or manually.

[0022] The holding means 20 may have a plurality of fans 22 provided in the suction box 21, or may suck and hold the adhesive sheet AS by depressurizing the internal space 21C with a depressurizing means such as a vacuum pump or a vacuum ejector. The driving of the fan 22 may be stopped after the suction box 21 starts to descend and before pressing the adhesive sheet AS against the adherent WK. The suction box 21 may have a plurality of air supply ports 21D provided therein.

[0023] The pressing means 30 may be arranged upside down or horizontally together with the holding means 20, and the adhesive sheet AS may be pressed and adhered to the lower surface, side surface, etc. of the adherent WK.

[0024] The gas supply means 40 may, instead of or in combination with a configuration in which the lid 42 is moved to supply gas to the internal space 21C, use the fan 22 as a holding means 20, and when the adhesive sheet AS is pressed against the adherend WK by the pressing means 30, rotate the fan 22 in a direction opposite to the predetermined rotation direction, thereby supplying air to the internal space 21C as shown by the dashed arrow in Figure 1(A). Alternatively, a separate fan for gas supply may be provided in the suction box 21, or pressurizing means such as a pressurizing pump or turbine may be used to supply gas to the internal space 21 through the open air intake port 21D or other air intake ports not shown. Air may be supplied to C, or a gas such as a mixture of gases or other gases may be supplied to the internal space 21C from the open air intake port 21D or other air intake ports not shown. Multiple lids 42 and moving means may be provided, and the moving means may not be used in conjunction with the pressing means 30. If the moving means is not used in conjunction with the pressing means 30, when the adhesive sheet AS is pressed against the object WK, the lid 42 may be moved by a drive device separate from the linear motor 31 to open the air intake port 21D in the suction box 21. The lid 42 may be provided inside the internal space 21C, or the lid 42 may be provided on the surface side of the suction box 21. The sealing member 43 may or may not be provided in the gas supply means 40, as long as the lid 42 is a member capable of sealing the air intake port 21D by itself.

[0025] The conveying means 50 may be used in place of or in combination with the conveyor 51 to convey the object to be attached WK using a drive device such as an articulated robot, the drive of the conveyor 51 does not need to be stopped during the pressing process, and the sheet attaching device EA of the present invention may or may not have the conveying means 50, and if it does not have the conveying means 50, the object to be attached WK may be conveyed by another device.

[0026] The material, type, shape, etc., of the adhesive sheet AS and the adherend WK in the present invention are not particularly limited. For example, the adhesive sheet AS and adherend WK may be circular, elliptical, polygonal such as a triangle or square, or other shapes, and the adhesive sheet AS may have a pressure-sensitive adhesive or heat-sensitive adhesive form. If a heat-sensitive adhesive sheet AS is used, it may be bonded by an appropriate method, such as providing a suitable heating means such as a suitable coil heater or the heating side of a heat pipe to heat the adhesive sheet AS. Furthermore, such an adhesive sheet AS may be any type, such as a single layer of only an adhesive layer, a two-layer sheet with a substrate and an adhesive layer laminated together, a three-layer or three-or-more-layer sheet with one or more intermediate layers laminated between the substrate and the adhesive layer, a three-layer or three-or-more-layer sheet with one or more cover layers laminated on the upper surface of the substrate, a sheet in which the substrate, intermediate layer or cover layer is peelably provided, a single-layer double-sided adhesive sheet consisting only of an adhesive layer, or a double-sided adhesive sheet with adhesive layers laminated on both outermost surfaces of one or more intermediate layers. Furthermore, the adherend WK may be a single object such as food, a resin container, a semiconductor wafer such as a silicon semiconductor wafer or a compound semiconductor wafer, a circuit board, an information recording substrate such as an optical disc, a glass plate, a steel plate, a ceramic, a wooden board, or a resin, or it may be a composite object formed from two or more of these, and any form of component or article can also be included. The adhesive sheet AS may be any sheet, film, tape, etc., such as an information label, decorative label, protective sheet, dicing tape, die attach film, die bonding tape, or recording layer forming resin sheet.

[0027] The drive equipment in the above embodiment may be electric motors such as rotary motors, linear motors, single-axis robots, and so-called articulated robots with two or three or more joints, or actuators such as air cylinders, hydraulic cylinders, rodless cylinders, and rotary cylinders, either individually or in combination directly or indirectly. Furthermore, the drive equipment may be capable of or incapable of torque control or speed control of the output section of the electric motors or actuators.

[0028] In the above embodiment, an object (hereinafter referred to as "object A") and an object moving relative to object A (hereinafter referred to as "object B"), that is, object A and object B moving relative to each other, may be moved relative to object A which does not move, object A which does not move, or both object A and object B which do move, and either object A or object B may move as long as the result achieved by the movement is the same. If a rotating member such as a roller is used, a drive device for rotating the rotating member may be provided, the surface of the rotating member or the rotating member itself may be made of a deformable material such as rubber or resin, or the surface of the rotating member or the rotating member itself may be made of a non-deformable material, or other members such as a rotating or non-rotating shaft or blade may be used instead of a roller. Alternatively, if a means or member for peeling off the material to be peeled, such as a peeling plate or peeling roller, is used, a plate-shaped member, a round bar, a roller, or other member may be used instead of or in combination with those exemplified above. The material to be peeled may be made of a deformable material such as rubber or resin, or a non-deformable material. If a means or member for cutting the material to be cut, such as a cutting means or cutting member, is used, a cutter blade, laser cutter, ion beam, thermal power, heat, water pressure, electric heating wire, spraying of gas or liquid, etc., may be used instead of or in combination with those exemplified above. Alternatively, the material to be cut may be moved and cut using a combination of appropriate drive equipment. If a biasing means is used, it may be made of a spring, rubber, resin, or drive equipment, etc. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0029] EA... Sheet application device 20...Holding means 21A…Holding surface 21B…Suction hole 21C…Internal space 21D…Air supply port 22...fan 30… means of pressing (means of moving) 40...Means of supplying gas 42... Lid AS...Adhesive sheet WK...Adherend

Claims

1. A holding means having an internal space that communicates with a suction hole provided on the holding surface, and holding the adhesive sheet by suction on the holding surface by reducing the pressure in the internal space, A sheet application device comprising a pressing means for pressing and attaching the adhesive sheet held by the holding means to an object to be applied, A sheet application device characterized by comprising a gas supply means that supplies gas to the internal space when the adhesive sheet is pressed against the object to be applied by the pressing means.

2. The holding means is equipped with an air intake port that communicates with the internal space, The sheet application device according to claim 1, wherein the gas supply means includes a lid that can open and close the air intake port, and when the adhesive sheet is pressed against the object to be adhered by the pressing means, the lid moves to open the air intake port and supply gas to the internal space.

3. The sheet application device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the gas supply means includes a fan that rotates in a predetermined rotational direction to exhaust gas from the internal space, and when the adhesive sheet is pressed against the object by the pressing means, the fan is rotated in a rotational direction opposite to the predetermined rotational direction to supply gas to the internal space.

4. A holding step in which the adhesive sheet is held by suction on the holding surface by reducing the pressure in the internal space that communicates with the suction holes provided on the holding surface, A sheet application method comprising a pressing step in which the adhesive sheet held in the holding step is pressed onto an object to be applied, A sheet application method characterized in that, when the adhesive sheet is pressed against the object to be adhered in the pressing step, a gas supply step is performed to supply gas to the internal space.

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