JP5083701B2 - Parts conveyor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a component conveying apparatus that conveys an electronic component and a component piece incorporated in the electronic component.

  Conventionally, there are rotary types such as a turntable and an index table as a component conveying device. The rotary type component conveying apparatus is used when the components must be conveyed at high speed because the conveying efficiency is high. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a component conveying device that can control the posture of a component during conveyance by arranging a holding unit along a circumferential direction with respect to a rotating table and rotating the holding unit. Yes. Further, in this component conveying device, the holding portion is arranged so as to be reciprocally movable in the vertical direction (rotating axis direction) with respect to the table, and this holding portion is provided by a knock-type external urging device fixedly arranged outside the table. The holding portion can be moved up and down by urging up and down.

  In this type of component conveying device, it is common to place external biasing devices in the component receiving area and the unloading area. At this time, the holding unit is lowered by the external urging device in the receiving area to hold the part, and the part is returned to its original height on the spot, and then the table is rotated to carry the part to the carry-out area. Even in the carry-out area, the holding unit is lowered by the external urging device to open the part. During the conveyance, the posture of the component in the rotation direction can be adjusted.

JP 2009-196739

  However, in this conventional component conveying device, if the moving stroke of the holding portion provided in the table in the vertical direction (in the direction of the rotation axis) is increased, the time for reciprocating the holding portion by the external urging device becomes long. In the meantime, the table must be temporarily stopped, so that there is a problem that the conveyance efficiency is lowered.

  In addition, when it is necessary to temporarily move the part up and down during the conveyance, the table must be temporarily stopped and the holding unit must be moved up and down. As a result, there is a problem that the frequency of temporary stop of the table is increased and the conveyance efficiency is further deteriorated.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a component conveying device capable of increasing the vertical movement stroke.

  The above-mentioned object is achieved by the following means based on the earnest research of the present inventors.

That is, the present invention that achieves the above object is provided with a base member that rotates with respect to a fixed member, and a plurality of base members that are arranged around the base member along the rotation direction, and can freely reciprocate in the rotation axis direction of the base member. A holding portion capable of holding a component, and a guide mechanism that is disposed on the fixed member side and guides the holding portion that rotates together with the base member in the direction of the rotation axis. When the part held by the holding part is transported to the carry-out area of the part in conjunction with the rotation of the base member, the guide mechanism displaces the part in the rotation axis direction, and the guide mechanism Is provided on the side of the fixed member and includes a guide surface that extends in the circumferential direction in parallel with the movement trajectory of the component held by the holding portion and is displaced in the rotation axis direction. The portion is integrated around the fixed member by the rotation of the base member while being in contact with the guide surface, and is displaced in the direction of the rotation axis. A movable region is formed on a part of the guide surface. The movable area is independently displaced in the rotation axis direction with respect to the remaining area of the guide surface, and the movable area has a height in the rotation axis direction that matches the remaining area. When the base member is in a stopped state, the base member is intermittently rotated by being displaced between a matching state and a mismatching state in which the height in the rotation axis direction does not match the remaining region. The holding portion abuts on the movable region, and an external force in the rotation axis direction is applied to the holding portion or the movable region by a motor, so that the movable portion is applied to the movable region together with the movable region according to the rotation amount of the motor. Touch Moving the holding unit independently in a direction to the rotation axis direction, characterized in that it comprises an axial drive means for positioning a workpiece transport device.

It is preferable to provide a first biasing device that biases the movable region in the direction of the rotation axis so that the movable region is in the coincidence state .

It is preferable to include a second urging device that applies an urging force in the rotation axis direction to the holding portion so that the holding portion abuts on the guide surface.

The axial direction driving means is disposed in at least the receiving area and the unloading area, respectively, and in the middle of the receiving area and the unloading area, the height of the holding section is set to the holding section in the receiving area and the unloading area. It is preferable that a low region lower than the height is set, and an imaging device that captures an image of the component held by the holding unit in the low region from a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis is provided.

It is preferable that a plurality of the imaging devices are provided and the same part is imaged from a plurality of directions perpendicular to the rotation axis. The imaging device is preferably an X-ray imaging device.

The guide mechanism preferably varies the height of the holding portion between the receiving area and the unloading area.

It is preferable that the guide surface is disposed above the receiving area and the carry-out area in a state offset in the radial direction from the movement trajectory of the component held by the holding unit. Further, the apparatus further comprises standby part imaging means for imaging the part that is waiting in the receiving area, and the standby part imaging means places the plurality of holding parts disposed in the circumferential direction on the base member by the standby part imaging means. It is preferable that an interference avoidance space for imaging the component in the receiving area is formed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve an excellent effect that it is possible to increase the movement stroke of the component in the rotation axis direction while suppressing a decrease in the conveyance efficiency.

It is a front view of the conveying apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a left view of a conveying apparatus. It is a top view of a conveying apparatus. (A) is a top view of a base member and a component holding module, The same figure (b) is sectional drawing. It is the figure which showed the cross-section of a component holding module and a guide mechanism, and the external urging | biasing apparatus. It is the figure which showed the cross-section of a component holding module and a guide mechanism, and the external urging | biasing apparatus. It is the left view which showed the state which moved the base member 30 to the retracted position. It is the top view which showed operation | movement of the conveying apparatus. It is the figure which showed the other structural example of the conveying apparatus of this embodiment. It is the figure which showed the other structural example of the conveying apparatus of this embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of a transport apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a left side view of the transport apparatus 1, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the transport apparatus 1. In addition, each direction in the following description is based on the case where the transport apparatus 1 is viewed from the front in principle.

  The transport device 1 takes out and transports a component placed in a bulk state on the component supply device 2, temporarily lowers the height of the component on the way, performs a predetermined inspection on the inspection table, and then performs the component inspection. Is moved to the alignment tray 3a of the component carry-out device 3, and the components are placed in an aligned state on the alignment tray 3a. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the transport device 1 includes a base 10, an arm 20 that is swingably disposed on the base 10, and a turret table-like shape that is rotatably disposed on the arm 20. A base member 30, four component holding modules 40 disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the base member 30 along the circumferential direction, and two external urging devices (axial driving means) 50 disposed on the arm 20. A base member rotation driving means 60 that rotates the base member 30, a cylindrical fixing member 100 that is fixedly arranged on the arm 20 side so as to cover the outer periphery of the base member 30 with a gap, and the fixing member 100 side A guide mechanism 120 disposed on the base 10, a component inspection means 70 disposed on the center front side of the upper surface of the base 10, a swinging means 80 that swings the arm 20, and a central control device that controls the entire conveying device 1. With 90 It has been.

  The base 10 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped member. Inside the base 10, a central control device 90 and a power supply device (not shown) are arranged. A column member 11 is disposed at the back end of the upper surface of the base 10, and an arm bracket 11 a for movably supporting the arm 20 is disposed at the upper end of the column member 11. Yes. In the present embodiment, a receiving area 12 that receives a part that conveys the left part of the upper surface of the base 10 is set, and a right side of the upper surface of the base 10 is set as an unloading area 13 that is a part transfer destination. The central front side portion of the upper surface of the base 10 on which the component inspection means 70 is disposed is used as the component inspection region 14. The parts supply device 2 is disposed in the receiving area 12, and the alignment tray 3 a is disposed in the carry-out area 13. The component supply device 2 and the alignment tray 3a will be described later.

  The arm 20 is an arm-like member that extends from the arm bracket 11a toward the near side above the base 10. A base member 30 is rotatably held on the arm 20, and a base member rotation driving means 60, an external urging device 50, and a fixing member 100 are disposed.

  The base member 30 is a substantially disk-shaped member, and four component holding modules 40 are arranged at equal intervals on the outer peripheral surface. 1 to 3 show a state in which the base member 30 is located at an operation position where the parts can be conveyed. The base member 30 is held by the arm 20 so that the central axis of rotation is in the vertical direction at the operating position. When the base member 30 is rotated at the operating position, all the component holding modules 40 pass above the receiving region 12, the component inspection region 14, and the carry-out region 13. Further, when any one of the component holding modules 40 is in a position facing the receiving area 12 in the operation position, any of the other component holding means 32 faces the component inspection area 14, and yet another component holding module 40 is configured to be at a position facing the carry-out stage 12.

  4A is a plan view of the base member 30 and the component holding module 40, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the base member 30 and the component holding module 40. As shown in FIG. 4A, the component holding module 40 protrudes outward on the outer peripheral surface of the substantially cylindrical base member 30 at intervals of 90 degrees. In the present embodiment, the members between the component holding modules 40 are excluded (or cut out) in this way to generate the interference avoidance space 31. The function of the interference avoidance space 31 will be described later. Further, the component holding module 40 is disposed on the base member 30 so as to be easily detachable by a bolt (not shown). In addition, although the case where the interference avoidance space portion 31 is configured therebetween by arranging the component holding module 40 so as to protrude outward has been shown, for example, a part of the base member 30 is notched and the opening is formed. It is also possible to use the interference avoidance space 31.

  A hollow shaft 32 projects from the center of the upper surface of the base member 30. The hollow shaft 32 serves as a center of rotation of the base member 30 and is a portion that is rotatably held by the arm 20. The hollow shaft 32 has a double structure in which a large-diameter outer pipe 32a and a small-diameter inner pipe 32b are coaxially arranged. A gap between the outer pipe 32 a and the inner pipe 32 b of the hollow shaft 32 is a part of a passage connecting a vacuum pump (not shown) serving as a low pressure source and the component holding module 40. An air pipe 34 connected to a vacuum pump via a swivel joint 33 is connected to the upper end portion of the hollow shaft 32.

  A central air chamber 35 that is coaxially connected to the gap between the outer pipe 32 a and the inner pipe 32 b is formed in the center of the base member 30, and each component holding module 40 is further formed from the central air chamber 35. Four suction passages 36 individually connected to each other are formed radially. In the middle of each suction passage 36, a switching valve 37 for switching communication / blocking between the component holding module 40 and the vacuum pump is provided. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to individually switch communication / blocking between each component holding module 40 and the vacuum pump. The switching valve 37 in the present embodiment is composed of an electromagnetic valve that moves a valve element by a solenoid. Note that the switching valve 37 may have other configurations as long as it is electrically driven.

  Further, inside the base member 30, a switching valve 37 is controlled to control a suction nozzle switching control device 91 that controls suction / release of parts by a suction nozzle 42a, which will be described later, and a holding portion rotation driving means 43, which will be described later. A holding unit rotation control device 92 is provided. The suction nozzle switching control device 91 and the holding portion rotation control device 92 are control devices including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. The suction nozzle switching control device 91 and the holding portion rotation control device 92 are electrically connected to the switching valve 37 and the holding portion rotation driving means 43, respectively, and electrically connected to the central control device 90 by wiring not shown. Has been. The wiring connecting the central control device 90, the suction nozzle switching control device 91, and the holding portion rotation control device 92 is connected via a slip ring 38 disposed at the distal end portion of the hollow shaft 32. The wiring between the slip ring 38, the suction nozzle switching control device 91, and the holding portion rotation control device 92 is passed through the inside of the inner pipe 32b of the hollow shaft 32.

  5A and 5B are views showing a cross-sectional structure of the component holding module 40 and the external urging device 50. FIG. As shown in these drawings, the component holding module 40 includes a housing 41, a holding portion 42 that is rotatably arranged on the housing 41, and a holding portion rotation driving means 43 that drives the holding portion 42 to rotate. Configured.

  The housing 41 is a member that holds the holding portion 42 and the holding portion rotation driving means 43 inside and is detachably fixed to the base member 30 with bolts or the like.

  The holding part 42 is an elongated cylindrical member in which a suction nozzle 42a is disposed at a tip directed downward in the drawing. The holding part 42 is supported by the housing 41 so as to be rotatable (spinned) around a central axis parallel to the rotation axis of the base member 30 and to be reciprocally movable along the central axis (spinning axis) direction. The inside of the holding part 42 is a suction passage 42b connected to the suction nozzle 42a. The suction passage 42a of the holding portion 42 is connected to a switching valve 37 disposed on the base member 30 by a tube-like pipe connected to the shaft end.

  The suction nozzle 42a is provided so as to face the upper surface of the base 10 in the operation position. The switching valve 37 is configured to switch communication / blocking between the vacuum pump and the suction nozzle 42a, and at the time of blocking, the suction nozzle 42a is opened to the atmosphere. That is, when the vacuum pump and the suction nozzle 42a are communicated with each other by the switching valve 37, the holding unit 42 sucks and holds (holds) a component by the suction nozzle 42a, and the switching valve 37 causes the vacuum pump and the suction nozzle 42a to be sucked. When shut off, the parts held in the suction nozzle are released.

  The holding part rotation driving means 43 includes a motor 43 a fixed to the housing 41 and a transmission mechanism 43 b that transmits the rotational driving force of the motor 43 a to the holding part 42. In the present embodiment, the motor 43a is a stepping motor. The motor 43a is electrically connected to the holding unit rotation control device 92 via a wiring and a connector (not shown). The transmission mechanism 43b includes a drive gear 43b1 fixed to the output shaft of the motor 43a and a driven gear 43b2 coaxially fixed to the holding portion 42 so as to reduce the rotational speed of the motor 43a with a predetermined reduction ratio. It is configured. Note that the transmission mechanism 43b may be configured by three or more gear trains, or may be configured by a belt transmission mechanism, a chain transmission mechanism, or the like.

  The holding part 42 rotates by being driven by the holding part rotation driving means 43. In the present embodiment, the posture of the component sucked and held by the suction nozzle 42a is adjusted by rotating the holding portion 42 in this manner.

  A bracket 44 is connected to the base end portion (upper end portion in the figure) of the holding portion 42. The bracket 44 is disposed along the radial direction of the base member 30 at the upper end portion of the holding portion 42. The bracket 44 is engaged in the central axis direction (vertical direction) of the holding portion 42. The bracket 44 allows the holding part 42 to rotate. That is, even if the holding portion 42 rotates, the bracket 44 does not rotate, but when the bracket 44 reciprocates in the vertical direction, the holding portion 42 also reciprocates in the central axis (spinning axis) direction. .

  A cam follower 110 is disposed inside the bracket 44 in the radial direction. The cam follower 110 is in contact with a guide mechanism 120 disposed on the fixed member 100. The fixing member 100 is a cylindrical member that is fixed to the arm 20 and extends downward, and is disposed with a gap from the inner base member rotation driving means (DD motor) 60. A guide mechanism 120 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the fixing member 100. The guide mechanism 120 is engaged with the holding portion 42 that rotates together with the base member 30 via the cam follower 110 and the bracket 44. As a result, the guide mechanism 120 can mutate the holding portion 42 in the rotation axis direction.

  Specifically, the guide mechanism 120 includes a guide surface 122 that contacts the cam follower 110. The guide surface 122 is formed in a ring shape using a step formed in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the fixing member 100. The guide surface 122 extends in the circumferential direction along the movement locus of the holding portion 42 and is bent or curved toward the rotation axis direction of the holding portion 42. Therefore, when the cam follower 110 is driven with respect to the guide surface 122, the cam follower 110 is displaced in the axial direction due to the bending or bending of the guide surface 122. As a result, the holding portion 42 is displaced in the rotation axis direction while being engaged with the guide surface 122 and guided in the circumferential direction.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, a movable region 122A is formed in a part of the guide surface 122. This movable area 122A can be displaced independently of the remaining area of the guide surface 122 (see FIG. 5) in the direction of the rotation axis. A pressing spring 124, which is a kind of urging member, is disposed on the back surface side (lower side) of the movable region 122A on the guide surface 122. By pushing up the movable region 122A by this pressing spring 124, the movable region 122A and The heights of the guide surfaces 122 are matched (see FIG. 6A). By pushing down the movable region 122A against the urging force of the pressing spring 124, only the movable region 122A is displaced in the direction of the rotation axis (see FIG. 6B). The place where the movable region 122A is formed corresponds to the external biasing device 50. When the external biasing device 50 biases the bracket 44 downward, the cam follower 110 biases the movable region 122A downward in conjunction with this. When the movable region 122A is displaced downward by this urging force, the bracket 44 is also displaced downward together with the cam follower 110. When the urging force by the external urging device 50 is released, the urging force of the pressing spring 124 automatically returns the bracket 44 and the movable region 122A to their original positions.

  The bracket 44 is always biased downward from the housing 41 by an internal biasing device 45 serving as a tension spring. Thereby, since the cam follower 110 of the bracket 44 is always pressed against the guide surface 122, the guide surface 122 and the cam follower 110 can be prevented from separating. As a result, the position (height) of the holding portion 42 in the rotation axis direction is determined by the engagement state between the cam follower 110 and the guide surface 122. A pressure receiving member 44 a is projected from the upper surface of the bracket 44. The external urging device 50 applies an external force to the pressure receiving member 44a to press the bracket 44 downward. Note that the urging force of the pressing spring 124 disposed in the movable region 122A of the guide surface 122 is stronger than the urging force of the tension spring of the internal urging device 45. Therefore, even if the cam follower 110 is positioned in the movable region 122A, the movable region 122A is not displaced unless urged by the external urging device 50.

  The external urging device 50 includes an elongated cylindrical guide member 51 disposed on the arm 20 with its tip directed toward the pressure receiving member 44 a, an elongated bar-shaped pressing member 52 inserted into the guide member 51, and the arm 20. And a cam 54 fixed to the output shaft of the motor 53. The pressing member 52 has a distal end directed to the pressure receiving member 44 a and a proximal end connected to the cam 54. As the cam 54 driven by the motor 53 rotates, it is configured to reciprocate up and down in the figure (in the direction of approaching and separating from the pressure receiving member 44a). What is necessary is just to set the cam profile of the cam 54 suitably according to the conveyance speed of the conveying apparatus 1, etc. FIG.

  When the pressing member 52 moves in the direction approaching the pressure receiving member 44 a, the tip of the pressing member 52 abuts against the pressure receiving member 44 a, and an external force that exceeds the urging force of the pressing spring 124 disposed in the movable region 122 A of the guide surface 122. Applied to the pressure receiving member 44a. Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, the holding portion 42 is moved along with the rotation axis of the holding portion 42 together with the bracket 44. Further, when the pressing member 52 returns to the original position along with the rotation of the cam 54, the bracket 44 and the holding portion 42 are automatically returned to the state of FIG. 6A by the urging force of the pressing spring 124.

  The guide surface 122 is disposed above the receiving area 12 and the carry-out area 13 in a state offset radially inward from the movement locus of the electronic component held by the holding portion 42. Of course, it can also be offset radially outward. In this way, it is possible to avoid interference between the guide surface 122 and the imaging area of the standby part imaging unit 2c. As a result, the standby component imaging unit 2c can image the component on the receiving tray 2a from above using the timing when the component holding module 40 does not exist. Details of shooting will be described later.

  Returning to FIGS. 1 to 3, in this embodiment, the external urging device 50 is located at a position where the pressure receiving member 44 a of the component holding module 40 located at the position facing the receiving area 12 and the unloading area 13 is pressed in the operating position. It is arranged. Further, the movable area 122 </ b> A of the guide surface 122 is also formed at a position corresponding to the receiving area 12 and the carrying-out area 13.

  The base member rotation driving means 60 is fixed to the lower surface of the arm 20 in the figure, and is located between the arm 20 and the base member 30. In the present embodiment, the base member rotation driving means 60 is a DD motor including a stator fixed to the arm 20 and a cylindrical rotor that rotates on the outer periphery of the stator. A through hole is formed in the axial direction in the center of the stator. The base member 30 is fixed to the rotor in a state where the hollow shaft 32 is inserted into the through hole.

  In the present embodiment, the component inspection means 70 includes first and second X-ray inspection apparatuses 70A and 70B. This component inspection means 70 irradiates X-rays from the side surface in the component inspection region 14 and inspects the internal structure of the component nondestructively. As already described, in the present embodiment, the guide mechanism 120 forms a descending region in which the height of the component is once lowered in the middle of the receiving region 12 and the unloading region 13. Therefore, the X-rays irradiated to the side surfaces of the components do not interfere with the components held by the other holding portions 42 and the holding portions 42 themselves. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the X-ray first and second light receiving portions 70C and 70D can be arranged outside the movement locus of the holding portion 42. The component inspection means 70 is electrically connected to the central controller 90, and the imaging timing is controlled by the central controller 90. In the present embodiment, in order to further increase the safety, the imaging directions (arrows P, P) of the first and second X-ray inspection apparatuses 70A and 70B in a state where the holding unit 42 exists in the component inspection region 14 are used. The other holding portions 42 are not present on the extended line Q). That is, when setting the imaging directions (arrows P and Q) of the first and second X-ray inspection apparatuses 70A and 70B, the direction in which the other holding portions 42 do not interfere is selected.

  The swinging means 80 includes a motor 82, a screw shaft 84 connected to the output shaft of the motor 82, and a nut 86 provided on the arm 20. The motor 82 is a stepping motor, for example, and is swingably disposed on the left side surface of the column member 11 with the output shaft facing upward via a motor bracket 82a. The screw shaft 84 is a rod-like member having a screw formed on the outer peripheral surface, and is coaxially connected to the output shaft of the motor 82. The nut 86 includes a female screw that is screwed with the male screw of the screw shaft 84, and is rotatably disposed above the rear end of the arm 20 via a nut bracket 88. The nut 86 is screwed with the screw shaft 84, and is linearly moved along the screw shaft 84 when the screw shaft 84 is driven and rotated by the motor 82. The nut 86 is located on the left side of the swing center of the arm 20. Therefore, the base member 30 can be raised by moving the nut 86 downward, and the base member 30 can be lowered by moving the nut 86 upward.

  FIG. 7 is a left side view showing a state in which the base member 30 is moved to the retracted position. The swinging means 80 includes an operating position (see FIG. 2) where the component holding module 40 faces the receiving area 12, the unloading area 13 and the component inspection area 14, and the component holding module 40 includes the receiving area 12, the unloading area 13 and The base member 30 is configured to be movable between a retreat position where the component inspection area 14 is not opposed to the component inspection area 14. Specifically, the swinging means 80 moves the base member 30 from the operating position to the retracted position by rotating the arm 20 by approximately 90 degrees. Since the nut 86 and the motor 82 rotate or swing as the arm 20 rotates, the swinging means 80 can rotate the arm 20 smoothly even though it has a simple configuration. In the present embodiment, by moving the base member 30 away from the base 10 by moving to the retracted position, the lower surface of the base member 30 and the tip of the suction nozzle 42a of the component holding module 40 are opened sideways. I have to. By doing so, maintenance of the suction nozzle 42a and maintenance of the component supply device 2 arranged on the base 10, the alignment tray 3 of the component carry-out device 3, the component inspection means 70, and the like can be easily performed. .

  1-3, the central control device 90 is a control device including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and directly controls the external biasing device 50, the base member rotation driving means 60, the component inspection means 70, and the like. At the same time, control information is transmitted to the suction nozzle switching control device 91 and the holding portion rotation control device 92 to individually control the four switching valves 37 and the four holding portion rotation driving means 43.

  The component supply device 2 includes a substantially rectangular receiving tray 2 a, a tray moving unit 2 b composed of, for example, an XY table, and a standby component imaging unit 2 c disposed on the arm 20. The receiving tray 2a is disposed on the tray moving means 2b. Although not shown, the tray moving unit 2b is configured by combining linear motion devices driven by a motor at right angles to each other. The tray moving means 2b in the present embodiment can move the receiving tray 2a in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction in FIG. The standby part image pickup means 2c is disposed at a position where the part in the receiving area 12 is picked up from above while being placed on the receiving tray 2a in the operating position. The standby part imaging unit 2c is electrically connected to the central controller 90.

  The parts supply device 2 receives a plurality of parts placed on the receiving tray 2a in a bulk state from the outside in the supply area 15 shown on the left side of FIG. 3 by moving the receiving tray 2a by the tray moving means 2b. Transport to area 12. That is, the component supply device 2 also functions as a transport device that transports components. The component supply device 2 conveys the plurality of components to the receiving area 12, images the plurality of components in the receiving area 12 by the standby component imaging unit 2 c, and transmits the image information to the central control device 90. The central controller 90 analyzes the received image information and appropriately selects one of a plurality of components included in the image information. Then, the tray moving unit 2b is controlled so as to arrange the selected one part at a position where the suction nozzle 42a can suck. The tray moving means 2b moves the receiving tray 2a based on the control of the central control device 90, and arranges the position so that the selected component can be appropriately sucked by the suction nozzle 42a. That is, the component supply device 2 also functions as an alignment device that adjusts the position of the component with respect to the suction nozzle 42a.

  Since the standby part imaging unit 2c is disposed directly above the receiving area 12, when the part holding module 40 is located at a position facing the receiving area 12, the standby part imaging means 2c is obstructed by the part holding module 40 and is received by the receiving tray 2a. The upper part cannot be imaged. Therefore, the standby component imaging unit 2c moves the component holding module 40 holding the component from the receiving region 12 to the component inspection region 14 while the base member 30 is rotating, and the next component holding module 40 moves to the receiving region 12. Take images while arriving. Between the two component holding modules 40, as described above, the interference avoiding space 31 is formed by notching a large part and removing the member, and the guide surface 122 of the guide mechanism 120 is also offset radially inward. Therefore, the standby part imaging means 2c can image the parts on the receiving tray 2a from above through the interference avoidance space 31. Thereby, since the position of the component with respect to the suction nozzle 42a can be finely adjusted, even a component placed in a bulk state can be appropriately attracted to the suction nozzle 42a and transported. In addition, the interference avoidance space part 31 is not limited to the notch which excluded the member at all, For example, you may be comprised from the member which can permeate | transmit light, such as glass.

  The alignment tray 3a of the component carry-out device 3 is a tray in which a plurality of concave portions 3h arranged in a matrix are formed on the upper surface. For example, the alignment tray 3a is disposed on an alignment tray moving means 3b configured from an XY table. Yes. Although not shown, the alignment tray moving unit 3b is configured by combining linear motion devices driven by a motor at right angles to each other. The alignment tray moving means 3b in this embodiment is capable of moving the alignment tray 3a in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction in FIG.

  The alignment tray moving means 3b is controlled by the central control device 90, and the alignment tray is arranged so that one of the plurality of recesses 3h is sequentially positioned directly below the suction nozzle 42a of the component holding module 40 in the carry-out area 13. 3a is moved. That is, after a part released from the suction nozzle 42a in the carry-out area 13 is accommodated in the recess 3h, the recess 3h in which a part to be conveyed next is accommodated is directly below the suction nozzle 42a that reaches the carry-out area 13 next. The operation of arranging at the position to be repeated is repeated, and the parts are accommodated in all the recesses 3h. The alignment tray 3a in which the parts are accommodated in all the recesses 3h is carried, for example, to the next inspection process.

  Next, the operation of the transport device 1 will be described. FIGS. 8A to 8F are plan views illustrating the operation of the transport device 1.

  First, as shown in FIG. 8A, the component supply device 2 moves the reception tray 2 a on which a plurality of components are placed in the supply region 15 to the reception region 12. Then, as shown in FIG. 8B, the base member 30 rotates approximately 45 degrees counterclockwise in the figure. In this state, the standby part imaging means 2c images the parts on the receiving tray 2a while the base member 30 is rotating, and the tray moving means 2b moves the tray 2b based on this image information. When the base member 30 further rotates approximately 45 degrees, the suction nozzle 42a of the component holding means 40 is positioned on the selected one component in the receiving area 12, as shown in FIG. In the state of FIG. 8C, the base member 30 is temporarily stopped, and the external biasing device 50 lowers the holding portion 42 of the component holding means 40 in the receiving area 12 and sucks the component by the suction nozzle 42a. Hold. Thereafter, the pressing by the external urging device 50 is released and the holding portion 42 is returned to the original position.

  Next, the base member 30 rotates approximately 90 degrees, and temporarily stops at the position shown in FIG. As a result, the parts previously removed from the tray 2b are transported to the part inspection area 14. At this time, the holding portion 42 descends along the guide surface 122 of the guide mechanism 120 and becomes the lowest position in the component inspection region 14. While the base member 30 is stationary, the component inspection means 70 performs X-ray imaging of the component held by the suction nozzle 42a. After completion of imaging, the base member 30 is further rotated by approximately 90 degrees to be in the state shown in FIG. The part that has been X-rayed earlier arrives on the carry-out area 13 while rising along the guide surface 122. While the base member 30 is stationary, the external urging device 50 lowers the holding portion 42 of the component holding means 40 in the carry-out area 13 to release the component held by the suction nozzle 42a, thereby forming the recess 3h. To accommodate. Thereafter, the pressing by the external urging device 50 is released and the holding portion 42 is returned.

  As described above, the transport apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment repeats these operations, thereby picking up and transporting parts placed in a bulk state on the receiving tray 2a one by one, by X-ray imaging. After performing a nondestructive inspection, it is placed in an aligned state on the alignment tray 3a. In the transport device 1, by using the guide surface 122 of the guide mechanism 120 and displacing the holding unit 42 in the direction of the rotation axis during rotation, the intended height of the receiving area 12, the parts inspection area 14, and the carry-out area 13 is increased. Since it can approach in advance, the movement stroke by the external urging device 50 can be made extremely small. As a result, it is possible to increase the inspection speed and conveyance speed of parts.

  In addition, since the guide surface 122 is offset in the radial direction with respect to the component transport locus, the transport device 1 avoids interference with the guide surface 122 when photographing the component using the standby component imaging unit 2c. Yes. In particular, an interference avoidance space portion 31 for imaging a component in the receiving area 12 by the standby component imaging means 2c is also formed between the holding portions. For this reason, while the base member 30 is rotating, the components in the receiving area 12 can be imaged without being obstructed by the base member 30, the component holding module 40, the guide surface 122, and the like. Thereby, based on the image information imaged by the standby component imaging means 2c, it is possible to correct the position of the component in the receiving area 12 to a position where the suction nozzle 42a can appropriately suck. Parts placed in bulk on the receiving tray 2a can be reliably sucked and held.

  Further, the guide surface 122 is provided with a movable region 122A and is independently displaced in the rotation axis direction. As a result, by further displacing the holding portion 42 in the direction of the rotation axis together with the cam follower 110, it is possible to quickly realize the suction and release of components.

  In addition, since the guide surface 122 is formed so that the holding portion 42 is at the lowest position between the receiving area 12 and the carry-out area 13, for example, in the X-ray inspection of parts as in this embodiment, Interference with parts and suction nozzles can be avoided.

  Furthermore, in the transport device 1, the holding unit 42 or the base member 30 is provided with a biasing device (internal biasing device 45) for maintaining the contact state between the holding unit 42 and the guide mechanism 120. Therefore, separation between the cam follower 110 and the guide mechanism 120 is avoided, and the positioning accuracy of the holding portion 42 can be increased.

  Further, the holding unit axial direction driving means includes an external urging device 50 that applies an external force to a part of the holding unit 42 from the outside of the base member 30 only in a necessary place. There is no need to dispose an actuator or the like for movement on the base member 30 or the component holding module 40. Further, when the structure using the external biasing device 50 is employed, the temporary rest time of the base member 30 increases if the movement stroke is increased. However, by securing a necessary movement stroke in advance by the guide mechanism 120, the movement stroke of the external urging device 50 can be reduced, so that the temporary stationary time of the base member 30 can be shortened. As a result, the three advantages of a simple structure, a large movement stroke, and an increase in the conveyance speed can be achieved extremely reasonably.

  Further, in the transport device 1, a receiving tray 2 a on which a plurality of parts are placed in a bulk state is disposed in the receiving area 12, and an alignment in which a plurality of parts are placed in an aligned state in the carry-out area 13. A tray 3a is provided, and the components taken out from the receiving tray 2a are transported to the alignment tray 3a after the posture is adjusted, and placed on the alignment tray 3a in an aligned state. For this reason, the parts in a bulk state can be aligned on the alignment tray 3a at a high speed. Thereby, the production efficiency and inspection efficiency of parts can be improved.

  In addition, although the conveying apparatus 1 which concerns on this embodiment is provided with the four component holding modules 40, this invention is not limited to this, It is made to provide the other number of component holding modules 40. Good.

  Moreover, although the holding | maintenance part 42 has orient | assigned the suction nozzle 42a to the downward direction, it is not limited to this, You may face the suction nozzle 42a to the side or upward. Furthermore, the holding part 42 is not limited to the one provided with the suction nozzle 42a, and may have a structure that grips a component by air driving, for example.

  In addition, the base member 30 is disposed so that the central axis of rotation in the driving position is in the vertical direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the central axis of rotation in the driving position is horizontal or oblique. It may be arranged so that. Further, the base member 30 may have a shape other than the shape shown in the present embodiment.

  Moreover, the arm 20 is not limited to what is arrange | positioned at the base 10, The thing arrange | positioned at another member and the thing installed independently may be sufficient. Furthermore, the arm 20 may be configured to be able to perform an operation other than swinging. For example, the arm 20 may be configured to swing after linearly moving upward, or to swing or rotate about a plurality of different rotation axes.

  In the present embodiment, the structure in which the bracket 44 is pressed by the external urging device 50 when the cam follower 110 is present in the movable region 122A of the guide mechanism 120 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the movable region 122A has a groove structure that sandwiches the cam follower 110 from above and below, and the external biasing device 50 urges the movable region 122A to move the bracket 44 up and down. You may make it let it. At this time, the pressing spring 124 may be disposed on the external biasing device 50 side. That is, there is no particular limitation on the portion or structure that the external biasing device 50 presses.

  Further, the positions (including the height position) of the receiving area 12, the unloading area 13 and the parts inspection area 14 are not limited to the positions shown in this embodiment, but the receiving area 12, the unloading area 13 and the parts inspection. You may make it arrange | position the area | region 14 in another position. Furthermore, an area for processing and assembling parts and inspecting may be provided in the middle of conveyance. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, it is also preferable that the height of the holding portion 42 is different between the receiving area 12 and the unloading area 13 by the guide mechanism 120. If it does in this way, when receiving tray 2a and alignment tray 3a are enlarged, interference between trays can be avoided in the height direction. Further, even when the height positions of the receiving area 12 and the unloading area 13 are greatly different in this way, the tip of the holding portion 42 can be brought close to the respective heights during the transport process using the guide mechanism 120. The vertical stroke required to hold / release parts can be minimized. That is, the operation time of the external urging device 50 can be shortened, and this also improves the conveyance efficiency.

  Further, the rotation of the base member 30 is not limited to intermittent rotation that stops every 90 degrees, and the component holding module 40 is in a position that opposes the receiving region 12, the unloading region 13, and the component inspection region 14. In this case, the base member 30 may be continuously rotated at a low speed.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the case where the component is placed in a bulk state in the component supply apparatus 2 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and other supply methods may be used. For example, the component supply device may be a so-called transfer device, and may include a temporary alignment tray that includes alignment recesses for aligning components temporarily. It is also preferable that the temporary alignment tray is vibrated up and down, left and right or tilted so that the parts in the bulk state are aligned with the alignment recesses, and then the parts are supplied to the conveying device.

  In addition, various parts can be conceived in the present invention, and it is particularly preferable to apply to a crystal piece. In spite of being easily damaged by an external force, the crystal piece is required to be conveyed at a high speed due to the advanced manufacturing process. Therefore, according to the turret transport device of the present embodiment, it is possible to automatically control the holding posture of each crystal piece during rotation, thereby realizing high-speed transfer while reducing damage to the crystal piece. it can. In addition, since each suction nozzle can be rotated individually (independently), the posture control of one component does not affect the conveyance of other components, so that reliable conveyance can be realized.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, the conveyance apparatus of this invention is not limited to above-described embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it can add various changes. Of course.

  The present invention can be used in the field of manufacture of electronic equipment, electronic parts or other various articles, or physical distribution.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Conveyance apparatus 2 ... Component supply apparatus 2a ... Reception tray 2c ... Standby part imaging means 3 ... Component carry-out apparatus 3a ... Alignment tray 3h ... Concave part 12 ... Reception Area 13 ... Unloading area 14 ... Parts inspection area 20 ... Arm 30 ... Base member 31 ... Interference avoidance space 36 ... Suction passage 37 ... Switching valve 40 ... Parts Holding module 42 ... Holding part 42a ... Suction nozzle 43 ... Holding part rotation driving means 43a ... Motor 43b ... Transmission mechanism 45 ... Internal biasing device 50 ... External biasing device DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 70 ... Parts inspection means 91 ... Nozzle switching control apparatus 92 ... Holding | maintenance part autorotation control apparatus 100 ... Fixing member 110 ... Cam follower 120 ... Guide mechanism 122 ... Guide surface 122A ...・ Yes Area 124 ... pressing spring

Claims (9)

A base member that rotates relative to the fixed member;
A plurality of holders arranged around the base member along the rotational direction, and capable of reciprocating in the direction of the axis of rotation of the base member, and holding parts capable of holding components;
A guide mechanism that is disposed on the fixed member side and that guides the holding portion that rotates together with the base member in the direction of the rotation axis;
When the part held in the holding part in the part receiving area is transported to the part unloading area in conjunction with the rotation of the base member, the part is moved in the direction of the rotation axis by the guide mechanism. Displaced ,
The guide mechanism is
A guide surface that is disposed on the fixing member side, extends in the circumferential direction in parallel with the movement trajectory of the component held by the holding unit, and is displaced in the rotation axis direction;
The plurality of holding portions rotate integrally around the fixed member by the rotation of the base member while being in contact with the guide surface, and are displaced in the rotation axis direction.
A movable region is formed in a part of the guide surface, and the movable region is independently displaced in the rotation axis direction with respect to the remaining region of the guide surface ,
The movable region is displaced between a coincidence state in which the height in the rotation axis direction coincides with the remaining region and a mismatch state in which the height in the rotation axis direction does not coincide with the remaining region,
When the base member is intermittently rotated, when the base member is in a stopped state, the holding portion abuts on the movable region,
By applying an external force in the rotation axis direction to the holding unit or the movable region by a motor, the holding unit that contacts the movable region together with the movable region is independent in the rotation axis direction according to the rotation amount of the motor. An apparatus for conveying a component, comprising: an axial drive means for moving and positioning the component. A first urging device that urges the movable region in the direction of the rotation axis so that the movable region is in the coincidence state ;
The component conveying apparatus according to claim 1 . A second urging device is provided that applies an urging force in the rotation axis direction to the holding portion so that the holding portion abuts on the guide surface .
The component conveying apparatus according to claim 2 . The axial direction drive means is disposed in at least the receiving area and the unloading area,
In the middle of the receiving area and the carry-out area, a low area is set in which the height of the holding part is lower than the height of the holding part in the receiving area and the carry-out area,
An image pickup apparatus for picking up an image of the component held by the holding unit in the low region from a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis is provided.
The parts conveying apparatus in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3 . A plurality of the imaging devices are provided, and the same component is imaged from a plurality of directions perpendicular to the rotation axis .
The component conveying apparatus according to claim 4 . The imaging device is an X-ray imaging device,
The component conveying apparatus according to claim 4 or 5 . The guide mechanism is
The height of the holding portion is different between the receiving area and the carrying-out area,
The parts conveying apparatus in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 6 . The guide surface is disposed above the receiving area and the unloading area in a state offset in a radial direction from the movement trajectory of the component held by the holding unit.
The parts conveying apparatus in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 7 . It further comprises standby part imaging means for imaging the part that is waiting in the receiving area,
An interference avoidance space for imaging the component in the receiving area is formed by the standby component imaging unit between the plurality of holding units arranged in the circumferential direction on the base member. And
The component conveying apparatus according to claim 8 .

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