Conveyor

Abstract

To suppress falling of a conveyance object in a conveyance device.SOLUTION: In a conveyance device for conveying a plate-shaped conveyance object held in a conveyance part, the conveyance part has an elongated conveyance belt having a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction and a clip attached to the conveyance belt, the conveyance belt includes a first holding part at an end in the transverse direction, the clip includes a second holding part opposite to the first holding part, the first holding part is provided with a first protrusion part extending in the transverse direction, the second holding part is provided with a second protrusion part extending in the longitudinal direction, and the conveyance object is conveyed while being sandwiched between the first protrusion part and the second protrusion part by a spring force of the clip.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device. [Background technology]

[0002] A conveying device for conveying a plate-shaped object is known. An example of such a conveying device is a plating device for plating the object. The conveying device used in the plating device includes a holding unit for holding the plate-shaped object.

[0003] The holding unit is made up of, for example, two opposing members, and the object to be transported can be sandwiched and held between the two opposing members due to the spring property of at least one of the members. The object to be transported is transported while held by the holding unit (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] WO2020 / 008662 publication [Patent Document 2] Special Publication No. 2005-500223 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the above-described conveying device, the object to be conveyed may shake during conveyance, causing the object to slip off the holder and fall off.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to prevent objects from falling off in a conveying device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] This conveying device is a conveying device that conveys a plate-shaped object to be conveyed held in a conveying section, which has an elongated conveying belt having a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction, and a clip attached to the conveying belt, the conveying belt having a first holding portion at an end in the lateral direction, the clip having a second holding portion opposite the first holding portion, the first holding portion having a first protrusion extending in the lateral direction, and the second holding portion having a second protrusion extending in the longitudinal direction, and the object to be conveyed is conveyed while being sandwiched between the first protrusion and the second protrusion by the spring force of the clip. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the disclosed technology, it is possible to prevent objects to be transported from falling off in a transport device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view illustrating a transport unit that configures the transport device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view illustrating a conveyor belt that constitutes a conveyor unit. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating clips that configure the conveying unit. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view illustrating a state in which a clip is attached to a conveyor belt. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of a state in which an object to be transported is held by a transport unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a state in which an object to be conveyed is tilted with respect to the Z-axis direction in the conveying device according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a conveying device according to a comparative example. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which an object to be conveyed is tilted with respect to the Z-axis direction in a conveying device according to a comparative example. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an experiment for confirming the holding force. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations may be omitted.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conveying device according to this embodiment. FIG. 1(a) is a schematic plan view of the conveying device, and FIG. 1(b) is a partial perspective view of the conveying device as viewed from the side. Note that 100 shown in FIG. 1(b) indicates an object to be conveyed by the conveying device 1. Examples of the object to be conveyed 100 include plate-shaped members such as lead frames, resin substrates, and silicon substrates. For reference, FIG. 1 shows X-, Y-, and Z-axes that are orthogonal to each other. Note that the same X-, Y-, and Z-axes as those in FIG. 1 may be shown in other figures as needed.

[0012] 1, the conveying device 1 according to this embodiment includes a conveying section 10, a driving roller 50, and a driven roller 60. The conveying section 10 is wound around the driving roller 50 and the driven roller 60. As the driving roller 50 is driven to rotate, an object 100 to be conveyed held in the conveying section 10 is conveyed from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction T indicated by the arrow.

[0013] On the upstream side in the conveying direction T, a stage 200 is provided for mounting an object to be conveyed, for example. On the downstream side in the conveying direction T of stage 200, a stage 210 is provided for processing the object to be conveyed, for example. On the downstream side in the conveying direction T of stage 210, a stage 220 is provided for removing the object to be conveyed, for example. One or more other stages may be further provided between stage 200 and stage 210. Furthermore, one or more other stages may be further provided between stage 210 and stage 220.

[0014] For example, plating is performed on stage 210. For example, if the transport object 100 is a lead frame and plating is performed on stage 210, stages provided between stage 200 and stage 210 include pre-processing, resist electrodeposition, exposure, development, etc. Furthermore, stages provided between stage 210 and stage 220 include resist stripping, post-processing, drying, etc. However, the processing performed on stage 210 is not limited to plating.

[0015] 2A and 2B are partial perspective views illustrating a conveying unit that constitutes the conveying device according to this embodiment, and are viewed from different directions.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the conveying section 10 includes an elongated conveying belt 20 having a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction, and a plurality of clips 30 attached to the conveying belt 20. The conveying belt 20 is, for example, an endless belt. In FIG. 2, the longitudinal direction of the conveying belt 20 is the X-axis direction, and the lateral direction is the Z-axis direction. The plurality of clips 30 are arranged spaced apart from each other in the X-axis direction. The plurality of clips 30 are arranged, for example, at equal intervals in the X-axis direction. The conveying belt 20 and the clips 30 can be made of, for example, a metal. An example of the metal is stainless steel.

[0017] Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view illustrating a conveyor belt constituting the conveying unit. As shown in Fig. 3, the conveyor belt 20 is provided with a plurality of first openings 21 arranged at intervals in the X-axis direction. The conveyor belt 20 is also provided with a plurality of second openings 22 arranged at intervals in the X-axis direction.

[0018] Each first opening 21 and each second opening 22 are disposed apart from each other in the Z-axis direction. The second opening 22 is disposed closer to the end in the negative Z-axis direction than the first opening 21. In the example of Fig. 3, the first opening 21 is elongated and longer in the X-axis direction than in the Z-axis direction. On the other hand, the second opening 22 is rectangular and has approximately the same length in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction.

[0019] The conveyor belt 20 is provided with a plurality of first holding portions 23 arranged at an end portion in the negative Z-axis direction and spaced apart from each other in the X-axis direction. In the Z-axis direction, each first holding portion 23 is disposed adjacent to each second opening 22 on the side opposite to the first opening 21. In other words, each first holding portion 23 is disposed adjacent to each second opening 22 in the negative Z-axis direction. When viewed from the Y-axis direction, a straight line connecting the center of the first opening 21, the center of the second opening 22, and the center of the first holding portion 23 is, for example, parallel to the Z-axis.

[0020] One surface of each first holding portion 23 is provided with a first protrusion 23x extending in the Z-axis direction and protruding in the negative Y-axis direction. Specifically, each first holding portion 23 has two regions 23a and 23b separated by a slit 24 extending in the Z-axis direction and communicating with the second opening 22. Regions 23a and 23b each have a first protrusion 23x extending in the Z-axis direction. The slit 24 allows regions 23a and 23b to bend appropriately when the first holding portion 23 and the second holding portion 32 grip the transport object 100. This allows the first holding portion 23 and the second holding portion 32 to grip the transport object 100 along its surface, improving the gripping force of the transport object 100. The two first protrusions 23x can be arranged, for example, at positions that are symmetrical with respect to the central axis of the slit 24, which is parallel to the Z-axis direction. In the first protrusion 23x, the surface facing the second holding part 32 preferably includes a curved surface that is convex toward the second holding part 32. In the first protrusion 23x, a cross section taken parallel to the XY plane may be, for example, semicircular, semielliptical, or another shape.

[0021] A third opening 25 is provided between region 23a of a first holding portion 23 and region 23b of another first holding portion 23 adjacent to that first holding portion 23 in the X-axis direction. In other words, the first holding portions 23 and the third openings 25 are arranged alternately in the X-axis direction at the end in the negative Z-axis direction. By providing the third openings 25 between adjacent first holding portions 23, the area of ​​the transport object 100 covered by the transport belt 20 can be reduced. This prevents the transport object 100 from being hindered in processing such as plating.

[0022] The conveyor belt 20 may be provided with a plurality of fourth openings 27 and a plurality of fifth openings 28 arranged at a distance from each other in the X-axis direction. The fourth openings 27 and the fifth openings 28 may be engaged with protrusions provided on the surfaces of the drive roller 50 and the driven roller 60, for example. The fourth openings 27 and the fifth openings 28 may be circular, for example. In this case, the fourth openings 27 and the fifth openings 28 may have the same diameter or different diameters. The fourth openings 27 and the fifth openings 28 may be arranged in a staggered pattern with the first openings 21.

[0023] The conveyor belt 20 may be provided with a plurality of slits 29 extending in the Z-axis direction and arranged at a distance from each other in the X-axis direction. By providing a plurality of slits 29, the conveyor belt 20 can be easily curved along the surfaces of the drive roller 50 and the driven roller 60. The slits 29 may communicate with the fourth opening 27.

[0024] 4A and 4B are perspective views of the clip constituting the conveying section, and FIG. 4C and FIG. 4D are partial side views.

[0025] 4, clip 30 has a bending portion 31 that is bent in a substantially V-shape when viewed from the X-axis direction, a second holding portion 32 that is provided at one end of bending portion 31 and extends in the negative direction of the Z-axis, and an insertion portion 33 that is provided at the other end of bending portion 31 and extends in the positive direction of the Z-axis. Clip 30 can be formed, for example, by punching a metal plate into a predetermined shape and bending it. Clip 30 has spring properties.

[0026] In bending portion 31, the width in the X-axis direction of the portion extending in the Y-axis direction is approximately constant, and the width in the X-axis direction of the portion bent relative to the portion extending in the Y-axis direction becomes thinner the closer to second holding portion 32. The width in the X-axis direction of second holding portion 32 is approximately constant. The width in the X-axis direction of insertion portion 33 is approximately constant. The width in the X-axis direction of second holding portion 32 is narrower than the width in the X-axis direction of insertion portion 33.

[0027] A second protrusion 32x extending in the X-axis direction and protruding in the positive direction of the Y-axis is provided on one surface of the second holding part 32. The shape of the second protrusion 32x is preferably such that it can come into contact with the transport object 100 in an area close to a line substantially parallel to the X-axis. Therefore, the surface of the second protrusion 32x facing the first holding part 23 preferably includes a curved surface that is convex toward the first holding part 23.

[0028] In the second protrusion 32x, for example, cross sections taken parallel to the YZ plane at different positions in the X-axis direction have the same shape. In the second protrusion 32x, cross sections taken parallel to the YZ plane at different positions in the X-axis direction may be, for example, semicircular, semielliptical, or another shape including a curved surface that is convex toward the first holding part 23.

[0029] In the clip 30, the surface on the side where the second protrusion portion 32x is not formed may be flat as shown in FIG. 4(c), or may have a recess 32y recessed toward the second protrusion portion 32x as shown in FIG. 4(d).

[0030] Fig. 5 is a partial perspective view illustrating how a clip is attached to a conveyor belt 20. As shown in Fig. 5, clip 30 is attached to conveyor belt 20 with insertion portion 33 inserted into first opening 21 from the positive direction of the Y axis and second holding portion 32 inserted into second opening 22 from the positive direction of the Y axis.

[0031] Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of how an object to be transported is held in the transport section. Fig. 6(a) is a perspective view, and Fig. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 6(a). Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of part B in Fig. 6. Fig. 7(a) is an enlarged view of Fig. 6(a), and Fig. 7(b) is an enlarged view of Fig. 6(b).

[0032] 6 and 7, the first holding portion 23 of the conveyor belt 20 and the second holding portion 32 of the clip 30 are disposed in positions facing each other. The spring force of the clip 30 causes the vicinity of the upper end of the conveyed object 100 to be sandwiched and held between two first protrusions 23x provided on the first holding portion 23 of the conveyor belt 20 and one second protrusion 32x provided on the second holding portion 32 of the clip 30. In the state shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the conveyed object 100 is conveyed from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction T indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1 by the rotational drive of the drive roller 50 shown in FIG.

[0033] In Figures 6 and 7, the object 100 to be transported is not tilted relative to the Z-axis direction. However, since the object 100 to be transported vibrates due to vibrations during transport, it is not always transported in a state where it is not tilted relative to the Z-axis direction. Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating a state where the object to be transported is tilted relative to the Z-axis direction in the transport device according to this embodiment. As shown in Figures 8(a) and 8(b), the object 100 to be transported may also be transported in a state where it is tilted relative to the Z-axis direction.

[0034] In this way, the transport object 100 is transported while changing the tilt direction with respect to the Z-axis direction. Therefore, if the holding force of the first holding part 23 and the second holding part 32 on the transport object 100 is insufficient, the transport object 100 may slip off the first holding part 23 and the second holding part 32 during transport.

[0035] The transport device 1 is configured to increase the holding force of the first holding part 23 and the second holding part 32 on the transport object 100. This will be described with reference to a comparative example shown in FIGS.

[0036] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a conveying device according to a comparative example. FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b) show portions corresponding to FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b). As shown in FIG. 9, the conveying device according to the comparative example differs from the conveying device 1 in that a second protrusion 32z is provided on the second holding portion 32. In the conveying device 1, the second protrusion 32x extends in the X-axis direction, whereas in the conveying device according to the comparative example, the second protrusion 32z extends in the Z-axis direction. In other words, the second protrusion 32z and the two first protrusions 23x are arranged so that their longitudinal directions are approximately parallel to each other.

[0037] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a state in which an object to be transferred is tilted with respect to the Z-axis direction in a transfer device according to a comparative example. For example, consider a case in which the object to be transferred 100 changes from the state shown in FIG. 10A to the state shown in FIG. 10B during transfer. In this case, the contact point between the object to be transferred 100 and the second protrusion 32z in a cross-sectional view shifts from P1 to P2. Therefore, when the object to be transferred changes from the state shown in FIG. 10A to the state shown in FIG. 10B during transfer, the holding force of the first holding unit 23 and the second holding unit 32 on the object to be transferred 100 decreases, and the object to be transferred 100 may slip off the first holding unit 23 and the second holding unit 32.

[0038] In contrast, in the transport device 1, even if the transport object 100 changes from the state of Fig. 8(a) to the state of Fig. 8(b) during transport, the contact point between the transport object 100 and the second protrusion 32x in a cross-sectional view hardly shifts. Therefore, even if the state changes from Fig. 8(a) to the state of Fig. 8(b) during transport, the holding force of the first holding part 23 and the second holding part 32 on the transport object 100 is maintained, and the transport object 100 can be prevented from slipping off the first holding part 23 and the second holding part 32.

[0039] Note that first holding portion 23 may have a structure having one first protrusion 23x. In this case, too, the longitudinal directions of first protrusion 23x and second protrusion 32x are perpendicular to each other, which provides a certain effect of preventing transport object 100 from slipping off first holding portion 23 and second holding portion 32. However, a structure in which first holding portion 23 has two first protrusions 23x is preferable in that it can further increase the holding force.

[0040] Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating an experiment for confirming the holding force. As shown in Fig. 11, first, a support member 300 was prepared, which had two support posts 320 spaced apart from each other in the X-axis direction on a plate-shaped base 310. Then, both ends of the conveyor belt 20 of the conveyor unit 10 were fixed to the vicinity of the upper ends of the two support posts 320 of the support member 300 in a bridging state. Next, the vicinity of the upper end of the conveying target object 100 was held by the conveyor unit 10.

[0041] Next, a spring scale 400 was attached near the bottom end of the transport object 100. The transport object 100 was then pulled in the direction of arrow F (negative direction of the Z axis) by the spring scale 400, and the load when the transport object 100 fell off was measured by the spring scale 400. This experiment was conducted not only on the transport device according to this embodiment, but also on a transport device according to the comparative example shown in FIG. 9 for comparison. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0042] [Table 1]

[0043] As shown in Table 1, the average load of the conveying device according to the comparative example was 630 gf, while the average load of the conveying device according to this embodiment was 1000 gf. That is, it was confirmed that the structure including the second protrusions 32x extending in the X-axis direction had a holding force that was approximately 60% higher than the structure including the second protrusions 32z extending in the Z-axis direction. This suggests that by adopting a structure including the second protrusions 32x extending in the X-axis direction, it is possible to significantly reduce the falling off of the conveyed object 100 compared to a structure including the second protrusions 32z extending in the Z-axis direction.

[0044] In the conveyance device 1, the first protrusions 23x are arranged to extend in the Z-axis direction, and the second protrusions 32x are arranged to extend in the X-axis direction. That is, the longitudinal directions of the first protrusions 23x and the second protrusions 32x are perpendicular to each other. For example, a structure in which the longitudinal directions of the first protrusions 23x and the second protrusions 32x are both oriented in the X-axis direction is conceivable. However, this structure is undesirable because even a slight deviation of the first protrusions 23x and the second protrusions 32x in the Z-axis direction would cause the conveyed object 100 to tilt. Therefore, it is preferable that the longitudinal directions of the first protrusions 23x and the second protrusions 32x are perpendicular to each other.

[0045] It is also possible to consider a structure in which the first protrusions 23x extend in the X-axis direction and the second protrusions 32x extend in the Z-axis direction, opposite to the conveying device 1. However, since it is structurally difficult to provide multiple first protrusions 23x extending in the X-axis direction on the conveying belt 20 side, the structure of the conveying device 1 is preferable.

[0046] Although the preferred embodiments have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1. Conveyor device 10 Conveying section 20 conveyor belt 21 First opening 22 Second opening 23 1st holding part 23a,23b area 23x 1st protrusion 24,29 Slit section 25 Third Opening 27 Fourth Opening 28 5th Opening 30 clips 31 Bend 32 Second holding part 32x,32z 2nd protrusion 32y recess 33 Insertion section 50 Drive roller 60 driven roller 100 Transported objects 200, 210, 220 stages 300 Support member 310 Base 320 Post 400 Spring balance

Claims

1. A conveying device that conveys a plate-shaped object to be conveyed held in a conveying section, the conveying unit includes an elongated conveying belt having a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction, and a clip attached to the conveying belt; the conveyor belt includes a first holding portion at an end portion in the short side direction, the clip includes a second holding portion facing the first holding portion, The first holding portion is provided with a first protrusion portion extending in the short-side direction, The second holding portion is provided with a second protrusion portion extending in the longitudinal direction, A conveying device in which the object to be conveyed is conveyed while being sandwiched between the first protrusion and the second protrusion by the spring force of the clip.

2. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the second protrusion includes a curved surface that is convex toward the first holding portion.

3. the clip has a bent portion, the second holding portion provided at one end of the bent portion, and an insertion portion provided at the other end of the bent portion, The conveyor belt is provided with a first opening and a second opening that are spaced apart from each other in the short-side direction, the second opening is disposed closer to the end in the short side direction than the first opening, The conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein the clip is attached to the conveying belt with the insertion portion inserted into the first opening and the second holding portion inserted into the second opening.

4. the first holding portion is disposed adjacent to the second opening on an opposite side to the first opening in the short-side direction, the first holding portion includes two regions separated by a slit portion that communicates with the second opening and extends in the short-side direction, The conveying device according to claim 3 , wherein the first protrusion is provided in each of the regions.

5. The conveying device according to claim 4 , wherein the two first protrusions are arranged at positions that are line-symmetrical with respect to a central axis that is parallel to the short-side direction of the slit portion.

6. 2. The conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object to be conveyed is a lead frame.

7. a plurality of the clips arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction; The conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein the conveying belt includes a plurality of the first holding portions at positions opposite to the second holding portions of the clips.

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