JP2563225B2 - Disc clamp device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a disc clamp device for fixing or clamping a disc such as a hard disc.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A hard disk inspection apparatus used in a manufacturing line conveys a disk by a robot hand to improve productivity, and the disk clamping and inspection are automated. ing.
In a conventional disc clamp device, a plurality of annularly arranged support pieces contract inward when a disc is mounted and spread outward after the mounting so that each support piece presses the inner diameter edge of the disc so that the disc is pressed. To clamp. However, in this device, each piece partially presses the inner edge of the disc, so that when the disc size becomes smaller and the disc becomes thinner, the disc becomes deformed, and the disc near the clamp position is brought about. In the vicinity of the inner diameter edge portion, the distortion waveform caused by the deformation of the disk may be included in the measurement waveform and normal measurement may not be performed. As a structure for preventing such deformation of the disc, the disc is placed on a clamp base body having a peripheral edge portion that comes into contact with a flat surface near the inner diameter edge portion of the disc, and a clamp cap having a peripheral edge portion equivalent to the clamp base body is used. It is conceivable that the disc is pressed by surface contact from the upper side. According to this, the flat surface near the inner diameter edge of the disk is uniformly pressed by the clamp cap, and the disk is not deformed. But in this case, grasp the clamp cap,
A robot hand is required for proper positioning with respect to the clamp substrate. However, the use of a general-purpose robot hand capable of performing normal arbitrary position control and gripping operation makes the device expensive. In addition, if the robot hand that can control the arbitrary position is used for both disc transportation and clamp cap placement, the robot hand
This is not desirable because the number of hand movements per cycle increases and the inspection processing time per disc increases.

During inspection, the disk spins at high speed,
If the clamp comes off due to a failure of the clamp device, the clamp cap will scatter vigorously and
The cap may damage surrounding devices or physically destroy the disc. However, when the conventional general-purpose robot hand is used, no measures are taken to prevent such scattering of the disc and the clamp cap.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a disc clamp device which accurately positions a clamp cap with respect to a clamp base and improves an inspection processing speed with a robot hand which performs a simple operation. It is in.

Another object of the present invention is to prevent the disc and the clamp from
An object of the present invention is to provide a disk clamp device in which the cap does not scatter.

[0006]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The disk clamping device of the present invention comprises a clamping base, a clamping cap, a robot hand and a clamping and rotary drive. The clamp cap has a protruding peripheral portion on the lower surface, a columnar portion extending at a right angle to the surface on the upper surface, and a holding portion such as a hemispherical portion connected to the tip of the columnar portion. The robot hand has a hand portion including upper and lower hands, each of which has an engaging portion that comes into surface contact with the planar upper surface and the spherical side surface of the holding portion of the clamp cap, and opens and closes the upper and lower hands. Control movement and position. The clamp base has a peripheral edge portion corresponding to the protruding peripheral edge portion of the clamp cap for arranging the hard disk to be inspected, and is coupled to the clamp and the rotary drive to clamp the clamp cap and the clamp base body. Motion and rotation are controlled. When mounting the clamp cap on the clamp base,
When the hand portion is closed and the holding portion of the clamp cap is held, the holding portion of the clamp cap and the engaging portion of the hand portion can hold the clamp cap in the correct positional relationship without tilting with respect to the clamp base. .

[0007]

FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram showing a clamp base 10, a clamp cap 12, a robot hand 14, and a clamp drive and rotary drive 20, which are the main components of the disk clamp device of the present invention. Inspected hardware
The state just before the disc 16 is clamped by the clamp device is shown. The hard disk 16 is arranged such that its flat surface near the inner diameter edge is on a flat annular peripheral edge 18 provided on the top of the clamp base 16. The lower part of the clamp base 10 is connected to a clamp and rotation driver 20 including an air supplier for supplying air for controlling a clamp state and a motor for rotating the clamp base 10 when inspecting the disk 16, as described later. To be done. Clamp and cap 12
Are arranged on the clamp base 10 and the clamp base 1
Clamp the hard disk 16 with 0.
The robot hand 14 includes a hand unit 24 and a hand unit 2.
4, and a hand drive unit 26 for controlling the vertical and forward / backward (left and right in the drawing) movement and the opening / closing operation, and the hand unit 24 holds the clamp cap 12 in the closed state as shown in FIG. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the hand drive unit 26 can be configured, for example, by using a plurality of cylinders as actuators.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the clamp cap 12 in detail, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along a line passing through the center of the clamp cap 12 after assembly. The clamp cap 12 includes a cap portion 28, a clamp shaft 30 and a cover portion 32, preferably the cap portion 28 and the cover portion 32 are made of aluminum, and the clamp shaft 30 is made of a material such as SUS400C having a high surface hardness. Has been done. The cap portion 28 has a columnar shape, and has a hole 34 formed in the central portion thereof, which is formed of a spherical concave portion formed on the upper surface side and a cylindrical hollow portion connected to the top of the spherical concave portion and communicating with the lower surface. On the lower surface of the cap portion 28,
A protruding peripheral portion 36 is formed. The lower surface of this peripheral part is
Since the surface is in contact with the hard disk to be inspected during clamping, the flatness is high. Further, on the upper surface of the cap portion 28, a plurality of screw holes 38 for attaching the cover portion 32 are formed.

The clamp shaft 30 has a hemispherical portion 40.
And a shaft portion 42 connected to the top of the hemispherical portion, and is inserted into the hole 34 of the cap portion 28. Hemispherical part 4
0 has the same radius of curvature as the spherical recess of the cap portion 28, but is slightly smaller than the spherical recess. The shaft portion 42 has a large-diameter portion having a diameter slightly smaller than that of the cylindrical hollow portion of the cap portion 28, and a constricted portion 44 which is a small-diameter portion formed near the tip and having a smaller diameter than the large-diameter portion. . The tip of the shaft portion 42 is formed in a tapered shape.

The cover portion 32 has a disc-shaped portion 46, a columnar portion 48 extending from the central portion of the upper surface of the disc-shaped portion at right angles to the surface, and a holding portion or a hemispherical portion 50 connected to the tip of the columnar portion. . The hemispherical portion 50 does not have to have the same radius of curvature as the hemispherical portion 40 and the spherical recess of the hole 34. Disk-shaped part 4
Through holes 52 are formed in the cap 6 at positions corresponding to the screw holes 38 of the cap portion 28. The clamp cap 12
After the clamp shaft 30 is inserted into the hole 34 of the cap portion 28, the cover portion 32 is placed on the upper surface of the cap portion 28, and the screw 54 is screwed into the screw hole 38 through the through hole 52 to assemble. In the assembled state, the spherical concave portion of the cap portion 28 and the hemispherical portion 40 are in spherical contact with each other, and the lower surface of the protruding peripheral portion 36 of the cap portion 28 and the cover portion 3 are covered.
The plane portions of the two hemispherical portions 50 are parallel. Although the clamp shaft 30 extends substantially perpendicular to these parallel planes, the hemispherical portion 40 is slightly smaller than the spherical recess of the cap portion 28, as described above, and the large diameter portion of the clamp shaft 30 is Since it is slightly smaller than the cylindrical cavity of the cap portion 28, there is a gap and the clamp shaft 30 can move somewhat about the spherical center of the hemispherical portion 40.
Thereby, the clamp base 1 of the clamp shaft 30
When attaching to 0, the robot hand 14 clamps
Even when the cap 12 is conveyed to a position deviated from the predetermined position with respect to the clamp base body 10, the clamp shaft 30 smoothly enters the predetermined part of the clamp base body 10, and when the clamp shaft 30 is pulled down during clamping, the hemispherical portion 40. The spherical surface of the hard disk 16 uniformly contacts the spherical concave portion of the cap portion 28, and the hard disk 16 can be uniformly pressed by the projecting peripheral edge portion 36, so that the hard disk 16 can be prevented from being distorted.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the tip of the hand portion 24 of the robot hand 14. The hand unit 24 is
For example, elongated upper and lower hands 6 made of aluminum
0 and 62, one end of which is connected to a hand drive unit 26 for controlling the position and operation of the hand unit 24, and the other end, which is the tip end, performs a gripping operation of the clamp cap 12. The lower hand 62 has a spherical side surface with the same radius of curvature as the hemispherical portion 50 of the cover 32 at the tip, and an engagement opening 64 cut out from this spherical side surface to the tip is formed. . The lower surface facing the lower hand 60 of the upper hand 60 is a uniform flat surface. The upper hand 60 is a proximity switch that detects whether or not the hand portion 24 is in the gripping operation state by detecting the distance from the plane of the hemispherical portion 50 at a position corresponding to the engagement opening portion 64. It has a clamp detector 66. The hand portion 24 is composed of the upper and lower hands 6
0 and 62 are closed and the hemispherical part 50 is gripped and the clamp cap 12 is conveyed.
The spherical surface of 0 and the spherical side surface of the engagement opening portion 64 come into contact with each other, and the flat surface of the hemispherical portion is pressed by the lower surface of the upper hand 60 so that the lower surface of the protruding peripheral portion 36 of the cap portion 28 becomes horizontal. The cap portion 12 can be gripped by adjusting to. As a result, it is possible to prevent the clamp operation from being impossible or insufficient by disposing the clamp cap 12 on the clamp base 10 in an inclined state. Thus, in the disc clamp device of the present invention,
With a simple opening / closing operation of the robot hand,
The cap 12 can be correctly held horizontally.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view for explaining the mechanical operation of the disk clamp device of the present invention and the structure of the clamp base 10. In FIG. 5A, the hand unit 24 is clamped.
FIG. 5B shows a state immediately before clamping, in which the cap 12 is transported and attached to the clamp base body 10, and FIG. 5B shows a clamped state.
The clamp base 10 has a cylinder body 70 and a piston rod 74 that slides in an opening 72 of the cylinder body. The piston rod 74 has a cylindrical shape, has a hollow portion 76 into which the shaft portion 42 of the clamp shaft 30 is inserted, and has a pair of radially projecting edge portions 78 at its lower portion. A packing 79 for increasing airtightness with the cylinder body 70 is fitted in the groove formed between the pair of projecting edge portions 78. The cylinder body 70 is provided on the protruding edge portion 78.
A coil spring 80 is arranged in the gap between the piston rod 74 and the piston rod 74 to press the piston rod 74 downward. A ring 82 is provided near the lower end of the opening 72 of the cylinder body 70 so as not to come off from the cylinder body 70 even if the piston rod 74 is pushed down by the spring 80, as shown in FIG. 5B. When high-pressure air is supplied from the lower side of the opening 72 of the cylinder body 70 by the clamp and the rotation driver 20,
As shown in FIG. 5A, the piston
When the rod 74 is pushed up and the air supply is stopped,
As shown in FIG. 5B, the spring 80 causes the piston rod 74 to move.
Is pushed down.

The blind wall 76 of the piston rod 74 is provided with three blind holes 84 at equal intervals along the circumference of the rod. Steel balls 8 in each blind hole 84
6 is arranged. The blind hole 84 does not completely penetrate the wall portion but leaves a part on the cavity portion 76 side of the wall portion, so that the steel ball 86 is locked and the clamp shaft 3 is inserted.
Even if 0 is removed, it does not fall into the cavity 76. Figure 5A
In the state shown in, the cylinder body 7 facing the blind hole 84
Clamp shaft 30 with steel ball 86 at the position of the inner wall of 0
Since the escape portion 88 including the inclined portion for escaping is formed on the opposite side, the steel ball 88 does not press and fix the clamp shaft 30, and the tip of the piston rod 74 fixes the clamp cap 12. Pushed up and unclamped. In the state shown in FIG. 5B, the steel ball is pushed down together with the piston rod 30 from the relief portion 88, abuts against the constricted portion 44 of the clamp shaft 30, and pushes down the clamp shaft 30, whereby the clamp cap 1
2 is a clamped state by pressing the disk 16.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a system for controlling the mechanical operation of the disk clamp device of the present invention. The system controller 100 includes a CPU and a memory that stores a control program, and manages the entire system according to the program. First, the system controller 1
00 causes the disk robot hand 104 to place the disk 16 on the clamp base 70 via the robot controller 102. When the placement is completed, the robot controller 104 sends placement completion information of the disk 16 to the system controller 100. Upon receiving the placement completion information, the system controller 100 starts the air delivery operation of the clamp and rotary driver 20. When air is delivered, as shown in FIG. 5A, the clamp base 70
Is unclamped. Next, the system controller 100 clamps the clamp cap robot hand 14 via the robot controller 102.
The cap 12 is gripped, conveyed, and attached to the clamp base 70. When the clamp cap 12 is attached, the lower hand 62 of the hand unit 24 descends and is in a state of not contacting the clamp cap 12. When the robot controller 102 informs the system controller 100 that the lower hand 62 has been lowered, the system controller 100 stops the clamp and rotary driver 20 from delivering air. When the air delivery is stopped, the clamp cap 12 is pushed down into the clamped state, as shown in FIG. 5B. When the clamp detector 66 notifies the system controller 100 that the clamp cap 12 has been separated from the upper hand 60, the system controller 100 starts the rotation operation of the clamp and rotation driver 20. When the disc 16 rotates together with the clamp base 70, the disc 16 is inspected.

While the disk 16 is rotating, the upper and lower hands 60, 62 remain in non-contact with the clamp cap 50 sandwiched, as shown in FIG. 5B.
As a result, even if an abnormality occurs such that the clamp comes off during rotation, the clamp cap 12 can be prevented from being scattered.
4 prevents the cap 12 from colliding with a person and injuring it, colliding with other device parts and damaging them, and the disc 16 from being damaged. When the inspection of the disk 16 is completed, the system controller 100 stops the rotation of the clamp base 70, sends air to the clamp base 70, and brings the clamp device into the unclamped state. In the unclamped state, the lower hand 62 rises to grip the clamp cap 12 again and convey it to its original position. In this way, the upper and lower hands 60, 62 are
Standing close to the hemispherical portion 50 of the cap 12,
Since the clamp cap 12 can be immediately grasped by the closing operation thereof, the processing speed of the inspection can be improved.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of the clamp cap and the clamp base of the disk clamp device of the present invention, and the same components as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals. However, a dash is added to the same number in the modified configuration. In this figure, in this embodiment, the clamp cap 12 'has the same hemispherical portion 50 and columnar portion 48 as in the first embodiment, but the cap portion 28' is a cup shape having a hollow portion. Yes, the clamp shaft 30 is not provided. Further, the clamp base body 10 ′ has only the cylinder body 70 ′, and
0'has a cylindrical opening 72 'penetrating through the central portion.
The opening 72 ′ communicates with the hollow portion of the cap portion 28 ′ with the clamp cap 12 ′ mounted on the clamp base 10 ′. The clamp operation of the clamp base body 10 'and the clamp cap 12' is performed by making the inside of the cap portion 28 'a vacuum by means of discharging air.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the spherical side surfaces of the hemispherical portion 50 and the lower hand 62, which are the holding portions of the clamp caps 12 and 12 ′, may be conical instead of spherical. Also, clamp cap 1
The flat portions of the hemispherical portion 50 are joined to the tips of the columnar portions 2 and 12 ', and the upper and lower hands 60 and 6 are correspondingly formed.
The two engaging portions may be formed on the spherical side surface and the flat surface, respectively.

[0018]

According to the disk clamp device of the present invention,
With a simple operation of the robot hand, the clamp cap can be accurately positioned with respect to the clamp base, and the inspection processing speed can be improved. Further, even if the disc clamp is released during the disc inspection, the disc and the clamp cap can be prevented from scattering.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram showing a disc clamp device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the clamp cap 12.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the clamp cap 12.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of a tip of a hand portion 24.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a clamp operation of the disc clamp device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a system for controlling the operation of the disc clamp device of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the disc clamp device of the present invention.

[Explanation of reference numerals] 10, 22 Clamping means 12 Clamping / capping member 14 Robot hand means

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A protrusion-shaped peripheral portion formed on the lower surface of a disk portion, and an upper portion.
A columnar portion extending from the upper surface of the circular plate portion, a clamp cap member including a holding portion having a flat end surface coupled to the tip of the columnar portion and a side surface extending toward the end surface , and the clamp cap member described above. opposite the protruding peripheral portion has an annular peripheral portion which disc is arranged, said projection
-Shaped peripheral portion and a clamp portion for operating the clamp of the disc by pressing the annular peripheral portion , and an end surface of the holding portion of the clamp cap in the closed state.
And a robot hand means for operating the opening and closing and the movement of the first and second hands, the first and second hands holding the holding portion in surface contact with each other. Disc clamp device to do.