JPH042492B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Outline This is a device that separates floppy media stacked and placed on a mounting table one by one, and after adsorbing the uppermost layer of floppy media with an adsorption means, the floppy media is The method is characterized in that one sheet of the uppermost floppy medium is separated from the lower floppy medium by horizontally shifting the sheet to a cut-out portion provided with a level difference of at least two sheets but less than two sheets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a floppy media separating device for separating only the top layer from stacked floppy media.

With the development of information processing technology, processing systems, etc.
Floppy disks of various sizes are used as information storage media that are simpler and more convenient to carry, and recently, miniaturized floppy disks with high-density storage have started to be mass-produced. ing. Therefore, even with floppy disks, which are becoming popular as a storage medium,
Demand for higher precision storage media is also increasing.

However, due to the electrical and magnetic properties, the condition of individual storage media cannot be said to be completely the same. Therefore, the electrical and magnetic properties of floppy disks were measured and tested, and the test results determined the conditions for use as a storage medium. For example, there may be restrictions on what can be used at standard density and what can be used at double density.

Floppy disk storage medium (in this specification, a disk-shaped storage medium is referred to as a floppy medium,
In order to measure and test the electrical and magnetic properties of floppy media (the state in which these floppy media are housed in a jacket is called a floppy disk), the floppy media stacked on a mounting table are separated one by one. However, since the storage surface of floppy media coated with magnetic material has a mirror finish, it has very good adhesion, and it is difficult to reliably separate the media one by one. Therefore, there is a need for the development of an apparatus that can reliably separate floppy media one by one.

Prior Art Conventional methods and devices for separating stacked floppy media include separating the uppermost layer of floppy media one by one by hand, or separating the top layer of floppy media one by one by hand, or by coating a magnetic material provided in the center of the floppy media. By adsorbing the remaining part using a vacuum suction means and squeezing the uppermost layer of floppy medium together with the lower floppy medium while adsorbing it,
Methods and apparatus are known for separating the topmost sheet of floppy media.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, the method of manually separating floppy media one by one has the problem of very poor productivity, and in addition, the method of manually separating floppy media one by one has the problem that the storage surface coated with magnetic material of the floppy media is often damaged. This resulted in the user touching the floppy medium with their hands, which had a negative effect on the floppy medium. Furthermore, in the method and apparatus in which the uppermost layer of floppy media is separated by suctioning the center portion and then squeezing, stress is applied to the floppy medium due to the squeezing, which has an adverse effect. Furthermore, even when this apparatus was used, there was a problem that the productivity of separating the floppy medium was poor.

The present invention has been made in view of these points, and its purpose is to provide a floppy media separation device that can reliably separate the top layer of stacked floppy media with high productivity. It is to be.

Means for Solving the Problems The floppy media 48 are stacked and placed on the placing means 28, and a placing means raising/lowering means for raising and lowering the placing means 28 is provided. It has a suction surface 50a with suction holes 52 opened above the floppy medium 48, and a cut-out surface 50b provided below the suction surface 50a with a step between the suction surface and the floppy medium of one or more but less than two floppy media. A suction plate 50 is provided, and a cutout surface 50b of the suction plate 50 is slidably abutted on a fixed receiving plate 66. By communicating the suction holes 52 of the suction plate 50 with suction means, the uppermost layer of floppy medium is suctioned by the suction plate 50. The floppy media separating apparatus of the present invention further includes a cutting means 76 for moving the uppermost layer of floppy media that has been adsorbed in this way by a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction and cutting it out from the lower floppy media by using the step. is composed of

Function Floppy medium 4 stacked on mounting means 28
8 is raised by the lifting/lowering means of the mounting means, and the top layer of the floppy medium is brought into contact with the suction surface 50a of the suction plate 50. The uppermost layer of the floppy medium is suctioned by the suction plate 50 by suction by the suction means. After confirming suction, the mounting means 28 is lowered slightly by the mounting means raising/lowering means.

After that, the cutout surface 50b of the suction plate 50 is attached to the receiving plate 66.
While sliding it on the surface, the cutting means 76 moves the top layer floppy medium adsorbed by the suction plate 50 by a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction, and uses the step formed on the suction plate 50 to remove the top layer floppy medium. Cut and separate the media from the underlying floppy media. At this time, if two or more floppy media are in close contact with each other, they are cut out at the stepped portion and finally separated.

Note that "cutting out" as used in this specification refers to moving one of the top layers of stacked floppy media in the horizontal direction to form a level difference with the side surface of the lower floppy media.

Embodiments Hereinafter, the floppy medium separation apparatus of the present invention will be explained in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, in which a reversible motor 1 is mounted on a plate 10.
2 is installed. A screw shaft 14 having a spiral screw is provided so as to be rotatable through the plate 10. A pulley 18 is attached to the output shaft 16 of the reversible motor 12, and a pulley 20 is fixed to the lower end of the screw shaft 14. The signal is transmitted to the screw shaft 14. Screw shaft 14
A plate 24 is fixed to the upper end of the holder.

A magazine 26 is composed of a mounting table 28 on which floppy media 48 are stacked, a plate 30 placed on the plate 24, and an upright member 32 mounted upright on the plate 30. . Although two upright members 32 are shown in FIG. 1, in reality four upright members 32 are attached to the plate 30, and the floppy medium 4 placed on the mounting table 28
Guide the side of 8.

A plate 34 is attached to the screw shaft 14 so as to be able to move up and down via a screw member 36 in which a corresponding screw is cut into the inner surface of the screw member 36. By rotating the screw shaft 14 forward or backward, the plate 34 can be moved up and down. It is configured to move. A rod 38 is attached to the plate 34 so as to be movable up and down, and a mounting table 28 is attached to the upper end of the rod 38. Rod 38 is 2
Although only one is shown in the figure, there are actually four, and they support the mounting table 28 horizontally. Rod 3
Retainer 42 and plate 34 attached to 8
A spring 40 is interposed between the rod 38 and the rod 38 to elastically support the rod 38. An overload detection sensor 44 is composed of, for example, a transmission type optical sensor, and detects the presence or absence of an overload by detecting the lower end 46 of the rod 38.

Reference numeral 50 designates a suction plate, which has a suction surface 50a on the lower side for holding the floppy medium 48, and a cutting surface provided below the suction surface 50a with a step between the suction surface 50a and the floppy medium of one or more but less than two sheets. 50b
It has According to a preferred embodiment, since the thickness of one sheet of floppy medium is 80 μm, the height difference H is about 100 μm. The suction surface 50a is provided with one or more suction holes 52, and the suction holes 52 are connected via a conduit 54 to a vacuum suction means such as a blower motor. The suction plate 50 is attached to the shaft 5
6 is attached to the hand member 58, and the other end of the hand member 58 is attached to the member 6 with the shaft 60 as the rotation center.
It is rotatably attached to 2. The member 62 is configured to be moved on a rail 64 by means not shown.

66 is a receiving plate fixed in a fixed position. A plurality of air outlets 68 are opened on the inner peripheral surface 66a of the receiving plate 66, and the stacked floppy media 4
Air is blown onto the sides of the floppy medium to promote separation of the floppy medium. Further, the cut-out surface 50b of the suction plate 50 is placed in contact with the upper end surface 66b of the receiving plate 66, and the suction plate 50 has its cut-out surface 50b in contact with the upper end surface 66b of the receiving plate 66. It is configured so that it can be moved in the horizontal direction.

The operation of cutting out and separating one sheet of the uppermost layer floppy medium using the separating apparatus configured as described above will now be described.

First, by rotating the reversible motor 12, the screw shaft 14 is rotated, and the floppy media 48 stacked on the mounting table 28 of the magazine 26 are moved so that one of the top layers of the floppy media 48 is placed on the suction surface 50a of the suction plate 50. Raise it to the position where it touches. Next, the vacuum suction means is activated to vacuum-adsorb the uppermost layer of the floppy medium using the suction plate 50 (see FIG. 2). After confirming suction, the reversible motor 12 is reversed and the mounting table 28 is moved a predetermined distance, for example, 10
Lower it by mm (see Figure 3). This typically separates the top layer of floppy media 48 from the underlying floppy media stack.

Next, the cutout means (not shown) is operated to align the cutout surface 50b of the suction plate 50 with the upper end surface 6 of the receiving plate 66.
6b, the suction plate 50 is moved horizontally by a predetermined distance, for example, about 3 mm. At this time, if two or more floppy media 48 are overlapped as shown in FIG. 4, since the step H is formed to be smaller than the thickness of two floppy media, 48 is the uppermost layer of floppy medium 4 that abuts against the inner circumferential surface 66a of the receiving plate 66.
Only 8 is reliably cut out. This cutting operation causes air to flow between the uppermost floppy medium 48 and the next floppy medium, allowing the two to be easily separated.

After the uppermost layer of floppy media 48 is reliably cut out in this way, the suction plate 50 is raised by a conveyance mechanism as shown in FIG. 5, and the uppermost layer of floppy media 48 is removed from the lower floppy media stack. After the floppy medium is reliably separated, the floppy medium is conveyed to a measuring section (not shown).

The floppy medium transport mechanism will now be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5, the receiving plate 6
6 is an air blowing nozzle 70, which is not shown in FIG. 1, but is preferably similarly provided in the embodiment shown in FIG. This air blowing nozzle 70 blows air to the left end of the uppermost layer of floppy medium 48 in FIG.

In FIG. 5, a guide member 72 is configured to be moved on a rail 90. A bracket 74 is fixed to one end of the guide member 72, and the cutting cylinder 7 is attached to this bracket 74.
6 is installed. The guide member 72 is provided with a rail 64 along which a member 78 moves. A bracket 8 is attached to the member 78.
0 is fixed to the bracket 80, and a stopper 82 is attached to this bracket 80.

FIG. 5 shows that a moving assembly including the member 78, suction plate 50, hand member 58, etc. is moved away from the suction position where the suction plate 50 is above the receiving plate 66 by a cylinder 83 for back and forth movement provided in the guide member 72. Although the piston rod 77 of the cut-out cylinder 76 is in the suction position, the piston rod 77 is at the stopper 8.
It is in contact with 2. Cylinder 76 for twisting and cutting
By operating the piston rod 77, the piston rod 77 is moved to the stopper 82.
The moving assembly is moved horizontally by approximately 3 mm by pressing , and the top layer of floppy media 48 is cut out. The state shown in FIG. 5 is that the moving assembly is then moved in the horizontal direction by operating the cylinder 83 for longitudinal movement.

The member 78 is provided with a vertical rail 84, and by operating the vertical movement cylinder 86, the member 62 to which the hand member 58 is attached moves vertically along the vertical rail 84. 8
Reference numeral 8 denotes a 180° rotation cylinder, which functions to rotate the suction plate 50 and the hand member 58 by 180° around the shaft 60. Reference numeral 92 denotes a timing belt, and by rotating a timing pulley 94 attached to the guide member 72 by the timing belt 92, the entire transport mechanism including the guide member 72 moves on the rail 90.

When the cutting cylinder 76 finishes cutting out the uppermost layer of floppy medium 48, the vertical cylinder 86 raises the suction plate 50 by a predetermined distance, for example, about 5 mm. Next, the cylinder 83 for forward and backward movement is operated to move the member 78 along the rail 64 and retract the suction plate 50 from above the receiving plate 66 as shown in FIG. Next, the 180° rotation cylinder 88 is operated to rotate the suction plate 50 and the arm member 58 180° about the shaft 60, and then the timing belt 92 is driven to rotate, thereby transporting the suction plate 50 and the arm member 58 along the rail 90. The entire mechanism is moved a predetermined distance and the floppy medium is transported to the measuring section. After the measurement is completed, the transport mechanism is operated in reverse to sort and store the samples in the sorting/separating holes 96 and 98 according to the measurement results.

Effects of the Invention By employing the cutout mechanism as described in detail above, the present invention has the effect that a floppy medium with good adhesion can be reliably separated from other stacked floppy media.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing one embodiment of the floppy media separation device of the present invention, Figs. 2 to 4 are explanatory diagrams of the cutting operation, and Fig. 2 shows the adsorption of a sheet of floppy media in the top layer. 3 shows the state in which the magazine is lowered after the floppy medium has been sucked, and FIG. 4 shows the state in which the magazine is cut out. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a transport mechanism suitable for use with the floppy media separation apparatus of the present invention. 12... Reversible motor, 14... Screw shaft, 26... Magazine, 28... Mounting table, 44... Overload detection sensor, 48...
...Floppy medium, 50...Adsorption plate, 50a...
Suction surface, 50b...cutting surface, 52...suction hole,
58... Hand member, 64, 84, 90... Rail, 66... Receiving plate, 66b... Upper end surface of receiving plate, 76
... Cylinder for cutting out, 83 ... Cylinder for longitudinal movement, 86 ... Cylinder for vertical movement, 88 ...
Cylinder for 180° rotation, 92...timing belt.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A device that separates floppy media 48 stacked and placed on a loading means 28 one by one, and includes a lifting and lowering mechanism for raising and lowering the loading means 28. A suction plate 50 having a suction surface 50a with suction holes 52 opened therein and a cut-out surface 50b provided below the suction surface 50a with a step difference between the suction surface and the suction surface of one or more floppy media but less than two floppy media. a receiving plate 66 that comes into contact with the cut-out surface 50b of the suction plate 50 and receives the suction plate 50 thereon; a suction means communicating with the suction hole 52 of the suction plate 50; A floppy medium separating device characterized by comprising a cutting means 76 that moves one sheet of the upper layer floppy medium 48 a predetermined distance in the horizontal direction and cuts it from the lower floppy medium using the step. 2. The floppy medium separating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a conveying means for conveying the uppermost layer of floppy medium cut out from the lower floppy medium by the cutting means 76 to a predetermined position. . 3. The floppy medium separation device according to claim 1, further comprising air blowing means for blowing air onto the side surface of the floppy medium stacked on the mounting means 28.