Pick-up Mechanism

Abstract

To solve the problem that as a work-piece becomes extremely small and extremely thin, it becomes harder to pick up the work-piece and place it at a conveyance destination.SOLUTION: A pick-up mechanism 1 comprises: a cylinder part 4 which is provided penetrating through across one end face and the other end face of a negative pressure chamber, and in which a porous pad 3A (a pad made of a porous material) is arranged at an opening part at a tip thereof; an opening / closing part 4 that opens and closes a suction hole 3a of the cylinder part 3; an elastic body 5 interposed at a rear end of the cylinder part 3; a pressing mechanism 6 that presses the cylinder part 3 in a direction of the tip; and a motor 4D (an opening / closing actuation mechanism) that actuates the opening / closing part 4.EFFECT: The porous pad 3A can prevent the work-piece from being suctioned into the cylinder part 3 even if the work-piece becomes extremely small and extremely thin further in the future. Further, as moving so as to pick up the work-piece and moving so as to place the work-piece at a transfer position, the cylinder part 3 can surely and properly transfer the work-piece without dropping the work-piece and while retaining a posture thereof.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pickup mechanism that reliably and stably picks up and transfers extremely small and thin objects to another location. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-505624) has been proposed as a mechanism for transferring and transporting extremely small objects (hereinafter referred to as workpieces) such as electronic components.

[0003] Patent Document 1 proposes a configuration in which, with the aim of providing a nozzle that can be used regardless of the size of the workpiece, the opening of the nozzle, which sucks in and grips the workpiece by air, is provided with a breathable cover that allows the nozzle to suck in and hold parts of different sizes during operation.

[0004] In recent years, workpieces have become smaller in size than 100 μm (0.1 mm) and as thin as 50 μm (0.05 mm), and the trend for workpieces to become extremely small and thin is expected to continue.

[0005] In light of this trend toward miniaturization of workpieces, Patent Document 1 is capable of suction and gripping regardless of the size of the workpiece; however, if the workpiece is sucked in by air and then stopped at the destination, the workpiece will fall. However, since the workpiece is thin and light, there is a possibility that it will fly down and not fall in the intended location. Furthermore, depending on the size of the workpiece, simply stopping the suction may cause the workpiece to remain stuck to the cover due to residual internal negative pressure and not fall.

[0006] Therefore, if one were to move the entire mechanism up and down instead of dropping the workpiece, that is, to lower the mechanism at the destination where the workpiece is to be transported and placed, it would be necessary to move the entire mechanism up and down with an extremely small stroke. If this stroke setting is not appropriate, for example, the workpiece may be pressed excessively against the destination loading surface. Conversely, if the descent stops at a position above the destination loading surface, the workpiece will be dropped, making there no point in moving the entire mechanism up and down.

[0007] In addition, if the nozzle is actively evacuated in an attempt to solve the problem of the workpiece sticking to the nozzle cover, very small workpieces may be blown away. In other words, in Patent Document 1, if the workpiece becomes very small and thin, it becomes even more difficult to pick up the workpiece and place it at the destination. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2002-505624 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The problem that the present invention is intended to solve is that with conventional techniques including the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, as the workpiece becomes extremely small and thin, it becomes even more difficult to pick it up and place it at the destination. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a vacuum chamber having a hollow interior and connected to a vacuum device, and a suction hole provided in a portion of the vacuum chamber so as to penetrate from one end surface to the other end surface of the vacuum chamber. and air inlet A cylinder part having a pad made of a porous material at an opening at the tip facing the workpiece, and a suction hole inserted into the cylinder part. and the air inletan elastic body interposed at the rear end of the cylinder portion; a pressing mechanism that presses the cylinder portion toward the front end; and an opening / closing actuation mechanism that actuates the opening / closing portion. The air inlet hole is opened and closed in conjunction with the opening and closing of the suction hole by the operation of the opening and closing part by the opening and closing operation mechanism. The composition was as follows. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, a pad made of a porous material is provided at the opening at the tip of the cylinder section, so even if the workpiece becomes even smaller and thinner in the future, the workpiece will not be sucked into the cylinder section. Furthermore, the cylinder section moves to pick up the workpiece at the source and moves to place the workpiece at the destination at the transfer location, so that the workpiece can be transferred reliably and stably without dropping it or losing its posture.

[0012] Furthermore, according to the present invention, when the cylinder section moves to pick up the workpiece and to place the workpiece at the transfer location, an elastic body is interposed at the rear end of the cylinder section, so that if the stroke is adjusted so that the workpiece contacts the destination loading surface, the elastic body can cushion and absorb situations where the workpiece is pressed excessively against the destination loading surface, for example. As a result, the workpiece will not fall from above the destination loading surface, or conversely, the workpiece will not be pressed excessively against the destination loading surface and damaged. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a pickup mechanism of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a pickup mechanism according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] 5(a) to 5(d) are diagrams for explaining operational conditions for picking up a workpiece by the pickup mechanism of the present invention. [Figure 4] 6(a) to 6(c) are diagrams illustrating an operation state in which a pick-up mechanism of the present invention places a workpiece at a transport destination. [Diagram 5]5(a) and 5(b) are diagrams illustrating the operating conditions of an opening / closing part in the pickup mechanism of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] The present invention solves the problem that picking up and placing a work at a destination becomes more difficult when a work is made extremely small and thin, by providing a negative pressure chamber with a hollow interior connected to a negative pressure device, and a suction hole provided in part of the negative pressure chamber, penetrating from one end surface to the other end surface of the negative pressure chamber. and air inlet A cylinder part having a pad made of a porous material at an opening at the tip facing the workpiece, and a suction hole inserted into the cylinder part. and the air inlet an elastic body interposed at the rear end of the cylinder portion; a pressing mechanism that presses the cylinder portion toward the front end; and an opening / closing actuation mechanism that actuates the opening / closing portion. The air inlet hole is opened and closed in conjunction with the opening and closing of the suction hole by the operation of the opening and closing part by the opening and closing operation mechanism. This was improved by configuring

[0015] When picking up a workpiece, the negative pressure chamber, inside which is in a negative pressure state, is connected to the suction hole of the cylinder section, whose opening / closing section is in an open state by the opening / closing operating mechanism, so that the inside of the cylinder section is also in a negative pressure state and air is sucked in from the opening at the tip of the cylinder section.

[0016] From the above state, the cylinder portion is pressed by the pressing mechanism so that its tip protrudes into the negative pressure chamber. When the tip of the cylinder portion protrudes into the negative pressure chamber, the elastic body is pressed by the rear end of the cylinder portion and compressed from its natural state.

[0017] Then, the tip of the cylinder is protruded into the negative pressure chamber, and the pad made of a porous material at the tip of the cylinder is brought close to the source mounting surface. At this time, the pad may come into contact with the workpiece and the source mounting surface via the workpiece. The reason for this is that even if the tip of the cylinder comes into excessive contact with the source mounting surface, the contact pressure is buffered by the elastic body.

[0018] Even if the workpiece is smaller than the inner diameter of the cylinder portion, the pad made of a porous material is provided, so that the workpiece is not sucked into the inside of the cylinder portion but is picked up by being sucked into the pad.

[0019] The pad made of a porous material at the tip of the cylinder contacts the loading surface of the destination via the workpiece, and the workpiece is loaded. At this time, the excessive contact pressure when loading the workpiece is buffered by the elastic body, so that the workpiece can be prevented from being damaged.

[0020] To place the workpiece on the placement surface of the destination, the tip of the cylinder part is brought into contact with the placement surface of the destination as described above, and then the opening and closing part closes the suction hole by the opening and closing mechanism, which blocks the intake of air from the negative pressure chamber through the suction hole of the cylinder part, releases the negative pressure of the cylinder part, and separates (peels off) the workpiece from the pad made of the porous material.

[0021] Further, in the above-mentioned configuration, the present invention is characterized in that an air inlet hole is formed in the cylinder portion, and the suction hole is opened by the operation of the opening and closing portion by the opening and closing operation mechanism. Opening and closing In conjunction with The air inlet is closed Configuration to be performed The reason is Therefore, negative pressure can be reliably released even in the case of a workpiece large enough to completely block the opening through the pad made of a porous material at the tip of the cylinder portion.

[0022] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned configuration, the present invention may further include an imaging means for imaging the workpiece at the source of conveyance, and a rotation mechanism for rotating the cylinder unit based on the placement state of the workpiece captured by the imaging means. In this way, the posture of the workpiece at the source of conveyance can be adjusted to an appropriate posture before it reaches the destination of conveyance. EXAMPLES

[0023] The pickup mechanism of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The pickup mechanism 1 of the present invention has the following configuration. 2 is a negative pressure chamber that is hollow inside and connected to a negative pressure device (not shown). The negative pressure chamber 2 is provided with a connection pipe 2a that connects the inside with the negative pressure device, and in this example, an external connection pipe 2b that is connected to an air inlet hole 3b of a cylinder part 3 described later and communicates with the outside of the negative pressure chamber. In addition, holes 2A (one end surface) and 2B (the other end surface) are formed on one end surface and the other end surface of the negative pressure chamber 2, and seal members 2Aa and 2Ba are provided therein, respectively.

[0024] Reference numeral 3 denotes a cylinder portion provided penetrating holes 2Aa, 2Ba from one end surface to the other end surface of the negative pressure chamber 2. A suction hole 3a communicating with the negative pressure chamber 2 and an air inlet hole 3b are formed at diametrically opposed positions on the circumferential surface of this cylinder portion 3. The air inlet hole 3b is connected to the external connection pipe 2b of the negative pressure chamber 2.

[0025] A porous pad 3A made of a porous material is provided at an opening 3c at the tip of the cylinder portion 3 facing the workpiece W. Furthermore, a flange portion 3B is provided at the rear end of the cylinder portion 3 to prevent the elastic body 5 described below from coming off.

[0026] The cylinder portion 3 penetrates through hole 2A on one end surface of negative pressure chamber 2 and hole 2B on the other end surface, and moves forward and backward with its front and rear ends facing each other. In other words, when the front end of the cylinder portion 3 protrudes from the negative pressure chamber 2, its rear end retracts into the negative pressure chamber 2, and when the front end retracts into the negative pressure chamber 2, its rear end protrudes from the negative pressure chamber 2. Note that the front and rear ends of the cylinder portion 3 are never completely immersed in the negative pressure chamber 2.

[0027] Reference numeral 4 denotes an opening / closing part that is inserted into the cylinder part 3 and moves together with the cylinder part 3. In this example, the opening / closing part 4 comprises a cylindrical rotor 4A that can be inserted into the cylinder part 3, a shutter 4B (for suction hole 3a) and a shutter 4C (for atmosphere inlet hole 3b) that are provided corresponding to the suction hole 3a and the air inlet hole 3b of the cylinder part 3 via an arm part 4a provided on the circumferential surface of the rotor 4A, and a motor 4D that is provided at the center of the inner surface at the rear end of the cylinder 3 and serves as an opening / closing operating mechanism for axially rotating the rotor 4A.

[0028] Reference numeral 5 denotes an elastic body that is interposed at the rear end of the cylinder portion 3 between a flange portion 3B provided at the rear end of the cylinder portion 3 and the other end surface of the negative pressure chamber 2. In this example, the elastic body 5 is, for example, a spring in a stretched state at its natural length.

[0029] A pressing mechanism 6 presses the cylinder portion toward the front end. The pressing mechanism 6 is provided with a pressing table 6a on the surface of the flange portion 3B of the cylinder portion 3 toward the rear end of the flange portion 3B. A cylinder device 6A is provided at the center of the pressing table 6a.

[0030] When the piston of the cylinder device 6A protrudes and presses the pressure table 6a, the tip of the cylinder portion 3 protrudes from one end surface of the negative pressure chamber 2 via the flange portion 3B. When the piston of the cylinder device 6A is retracted, the tip of the cylinder portion 3 retracts into one end surface of the negative pressure chamber 2 due to the elastic restoring force of the elastic body 5.

[0031] Reference numeral 7 denotes an imaging means, such as a camera, for imaging the workpiece W at the transport source, and in this example, it is provided, for example, on one end surface of the negative pressure chamber 2, at a position that does not interfere with the protruding and retracting strokes of the cylinder section 3. In addition, a motor 7A as a rotation mechanism having a rotation shaft aligned with the axis of the cylinder section 3 is provided on the surface of the flange section 3B of the cylinder section 3 on the cylinder device 6A side.

[0032] This camera 7 captures an image of the workpiece W that is about to be picked up, and a control unit (not shown) processes the captured image data to determine whether the workpiece W is tilted in the horizontal plane by, for example, θ°. In this case, the motor 7A is driven to rotate the cylinder unit 3 by -θ° while the workpiece W is picked up.

[0033] In addition, although not shown, the pickup mechanism 1 of the present invention also has a horizontal movement mechanism that moves the entire pickup mechanism 1 configuration in the XY direction, so that the work W can be picked up from the source and moved to the destination.

[0034] The pickup mechanism 1 having the above configuration operates as shown in Figures 3 to 5. In Figures 3 and 4, the open state of the suction hole 3a and the air inlet hole 3b is shown by "no black hatching" and the closed state is shown by "black hatching."

[0035] As shown in Fig. 3(a), until the horizontal movement mechanism reaches the transport source, the tip of the cylinder part 3 retracts into the negative pressure chamber 2, and the elastic body 5 is in an elastic restoration state, i.e., at its natural length. Also, the motor 4D of the opening / closing part 4 rotates the rotor 4A clockwise as shown in Fig. 5(a), so that the shutter 4B of the suction hole 3a is open and the shutter 4C of the air inlet hole 3b is closed.

[0036] 3(b), when the horizontal movement mechanism reaches the transport source, the opening / closing unit 4 closes the shutter 4B of the suction hole 3a and opens the shutter 4C of the air inlet hole 3b, and the pressing mechanism 6 presses the cylinder unit 3 to protrude the tip of the cylinder unit 3 from the negative pressure chamber 2 to pick up the workpiece W. At this time, the elastic body 5 is in a compressed (contracted) state.

[0037] In this example, before the tip of the cylinder portion 3 is protruded, the workpiece W is imaged by the camera 7, and the angular deviation of θ° of the workpiece W is recognized. In addition, this example is described with the workpiece W loaded in the pocket in advance as shown in the figure, but if the workpiece W is not loaded in the pocket and the workpiece W comes into contact with the porous pad 3A, the elastic body 5 buffers the pressing force, so that the workpiece W is not damaged.

[0038] As shown in Figure 3(c), when the tip of the cylinder section 3 is extended to pick up the workpiece W, the opening / closing section 4 opens the shutter 4B of the suction hole 3a and closes the shutter 4C of the air inlet hole 3b, and suction begins from the tip of the cylinder section 3, and the workpiece W is adsorbed to the porous pad 3A.

[0039] At this time, the pickup mechanism 1 of the present invention, although the workpiece W is extremely small and thin and the negative pressure capacity (= suction force) of the negative pressure chamber 2 is high, goes to pick up the workpiece W as described above and performs suction at a sufficiently close distance (even contact is acceptable), so that the workpiece W does not lose its posture when moving through the air during suction, and in the unlikely event that it is damaged by this suction.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 3(d), after the workpiece W is sucked in, the opening / closing part 4 opens the shutter 4B of the suction hole 3a, while the shutter 4C of the air inlet hole 3b remains closed, and the cylinder device 6A of the pressing mechanism 6 retracts its piston. As a result, the elastic body 5, which had been in a contracted state until then, returns to its initial state by elastic restoration, and the cylinder part 3 retracts into the negative pressure chamber 2.

[0041] At this time, if there is an angle deviation of θ° in the workpiece W imaged by the camera 7, the motor 7A is driven to rotate the cylinder unit 3 by -θ° based on the image data from the camera 7 to correct the position of the workpiece W. After that, the horizontal movement mechanism moves the workpiece W to the destination.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 4(a), when the workpiece arrives at its destination, the opening / closing section 4 opens the shutter 4B of the suction hole 3a, while the shutter 4C of the air inlet hole 3b remains closed. The cylinder device 6A is then operated to protrude the cylinder section 3 from the negative pressure chamber 2, and the workpiece W being sucked is placed on the loading surface of the destination.

[0043] In this example, the workpiece W is loaded into a pocket as shown in the figure. However, if the workpiece W is not loaded into a pocket and comes into contact with the loading surface of the destination, the elastic body 5 buffers the pressing force, so that the workpiece W will not be damaged.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 4(b), after the cylinder section 3 is extended, the motor 4D of the opening / closing section 4 rotates the rotor 4A counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 5(b), closing the shutter 4B of the suction hole 3a and opening the shutter 4C of the air inlet hole 3b, thereby allowing air to flow into the cylinder section 3 and releasing the negative pressure, and the workpiece W is placed on the loading surface of the destination.

[0045] At this time, by opening the air inlet hole 3b while there is still a slight residual negative pressure inside the cylinder portion 3, the negative pressure inside the cylinder portion 3 is instantly released, so that the workpiece W does not remain stuck to the porous pad 3A.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 4(c), after the workpiece W is placed at the placement position at the transfer destination, the shutter 4B of the suction hole 3a is closed by the opening / closing unit 4, the shutter 4C of the air inlet hole 3b is opened, the piston of the cylinder device 6A of the pressing mechanism 6 is retracted, the elastic body 5 is returned to its natural length state by elastic restoration, and the tip of the cylinder part 3 is retracted into the negative pressure chamber 2. After that, returning to Fig. 3(a), the next workpiece W is picked up at the transfer source.

[0047] In this way, the pickup mechanism 1 of the present invention has a porous pad 3A provided at the opening at the tip of the cylinder section 3, so not only will the workpiece W not be sucked into the cylinder section 3 even if it is extremely small and thin, but the cylinder section 3 will suck up the workpiece W when it gets close enough to the loading position at the source of the transport, and will release the suction when it gets close enough to the loading position at the destination of the transport, so the workpiece W will not move in the air (sucked up, falling), meaning that proper and stable transfer is possible without losing its posture.

[0048] Furthermore, according to the pickup mechanism 1 of the present invention, an elastic body 5 is interposed at the rear end of the cylinder portion 3, so that even if the workpiece W is pressed excessively against the mounting surface, this can be cushioned and absorbed. As a result, the workpiece W will not fall from above the mounting surface at the destination, or conversely, the workpiece W will not be pressed excessively against the mounting surface at the destination, causing damage. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 Pickup mechanism 2. Negative Pressure Chamber 3 Cylinder section 3A Porous Pad 3a Suction hole 3b Air inlet 4 Opening and closing section 4A Rotating Body 4B, 4C Shutter 4D motor (opening / closing mechanism) 5 Elastic body 6 Pressing mechanism 6A Cylinder device 7 Camera (imaging means) 7A motor (rotating mechanism) W work

Claims

1. A mechanism for picking up extremely small and thin workpieces, the picking mechanism comprising: a negative pressure chamber which is hollow inside and connected to a negative pressure device; a cylinder section which penetrates from one end face to the other end face of the negative pressure chamber, with a suction hole and an air inlet hole formed in a part of it and which has a pad made of a porous material at an opening at the tip facing the workpiece; an opening / closing section which is inserted into the cylinder section and opens and closes the suction hole and the air inlet hole; an elastic body interposed at the rear end of the cylinder section; a pressing mechanism which presses the cylinder section toward the tip; and an opening / closing operating mechanism which operates the opening / closing section, the picking mechanism comprising: an opening / closing section which opens and closes the air inlet hole in conjunction with the opening and closing of the suction hole due to the operation of the opening / closing section by the opening / closing operating mechanism.

2. A pick-up mechanism as described in claim 1, comprising an imaging means for imaging the workpiece at the source of transport, and a rotation mechanism for rotating the cylinder portion based on the placement state of the workpiece captured by the imaging means.

Images