JPH0431280A - Cassette for storing electronic chip parts - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To discharge electronic chip parts as they are aligned in a specified direction by a method wherein a control member moves along the inside of a common path, and each containing space has a common path junction which is opened to the common path after the control member goes past. CONSTITUTION:Only a first containing space 6 on the left is communicated to a common path 7 at the lower end, and the other containing spaces 6 are closed by a control member 10 at the lower ends. Therefore, electronic chip parts 5 in the first containing space 6 on the left are discharged from a discharge port 8 as they are aligned in a row. Then, a cylinder 19 is operated and a rack 13 is moved by a latch by one pitch 14. Thereby, the control member 10 is moved to a position where the second container space 6 on the left is opened at the lower end. As a result, the electronic chip parts 5 in the second containing space on the left are discharged from the discharge port 8 through the common path 7. Similarly, the container spaces 6 are opened in turn with the movement of the control member 10 and the electric chip parts 5 are discharged in sequence.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is applicable not only to a form suitable for packaging and transporting electronic component chips, but also to electronic chip mounting machines such as chip mounting machines that mount electronic component chips onto printed circuit boards, etc. The present invention relates to an electronic component chip storage cassette which also provides a configuration suitable for use in supplying a large number of electronic component chips to an apparatus for handling component chips.

In this specification, the term "electronic component chip" includes passive components, active components, and other electrical components;
In addition to chip-shaped electronic components as finished products,
It also includes electronic component chips as semi-finished products.

[Prior Art] The present applicant has developed an electronic device used for supplying a plurality of electronic component chips to a device for handling electronic component chips, as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-272686. We proposed a component chip storage cassette.

The electronic component chip storage cassette described above basically includes a plurality of electronic component chips, a storage space for storing these electronic component chips in a random state, and an ejection port for discharging the electronic component chips. The storage device includes a case that is formed to communicate with a storage space, and an openable lid that closes the discharge port. Such electronic component chip storage cassettes are not only used as-is as a packaging form when electronic component chip manufacturers ship electronic component chips, but also used as-is by electronic component chip consumers. It can be applied to a chip mounting machine to supply a plurality of electronic component chips to a chip mounting process.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] For example, in a chip mounting process, after an electronic component chip is picked up by an appropriate chuck mechanism,
With the same chuck mechanism, it is mounted in a predetermined position on a printed circuit board, etc. An electronic component chip mounted in a predetermined location on a printed circuit board or the like must be oriented in a predetermined direction. Therefore, it is necessary for electronic component chips to be oriented in a predetermined direction before being picked up by the chuck mechanism. Must be oriented.

Since the conventional electronic component chip storage cassette described above stores electronic component chips in its storage space in a random manner, the electronic component chips discharged from the discharge port are oriented in an arbitrary direction. Therefore, the electronic component chips must be aligned in a predetermined direction before being picked up by the chuck mechanism, and an alignment device for this purpose is usually installed in a device that handles electronic component chips, such as a chip mount machine. It has been added.

However, in order to streamline processes that handle electronic component chips, such as the chip mounting process, and to simplify equipment that handles electronic component chips, such as chip mount machines, it is necessary to It is desirable that the electronic component chips supplied to the handling device are already aligned in a predetermined direction.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic component chip storage cassette that can eject electronic component chips in an aligned state facing in a predetermined direction.

[Means for Solving the Problems] An electronic component chip storage cassette according to the present invention includes a plurality of electronic component chips and a case for storing the plurality of electronic component chips.

The case is for accommodating a plurality of electronic component chips aligned in a predetermined direction, and includes a plurality of parallel accommodating units extending in the vertical direction and curved in the same direction at each lower end. A space is formed, and a common passageway is formed that joins the lower ends of the storage spaces and has an outlet facing outside of the case.

The confluence points of each of the storage spaces and the common passage are located at equal intervals on the common passage.

The cross-sectional dimensions of the common passageway are selected to allow the electronic component chips to pass therethrough while maintaining alignment of the electronic component chips within the storage space.

A control member for closing the lower end of the storage space is movably arranged within the common passage.

Preferably, a portion of the control member is exposed from the case. This allows a force to be applied to the control member to move it through this exposed portion.

Instead of the above configuration, the case may have a built-in mechanism for intermittently moving the control member at a constant pitch.

Preferably, an openable lid may also be provided for selectively closing the outlet.

II] In the electronic component chip storage cassette according to the present invention,
Each of the plurality of electronic component chips stored in each storage space is all led to a common passage and finally discharged from a common discharge port.

In the movement of the electronic component chips in the case as described above, when the electronic component chips reach the common passage from each storage space, the control member controls the movement of the electronic component chips so that only the electronic component chips located in a specific storage space are introduced into the common passage. be done. That is, the control member closes the lower end of the storage space and prevents the electronic component chips in the storage space from flowing into the common passage.

and when the control member moves within the common passage,
The storage space in which the merging point is located after the control member passes is in communication with the common passage.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of electronic component chips can be ejected from the ejection port in an aligned state facing in a predetermined direction. Therefore, when the electronic component chip storage cassette according to the present invention is applied to a process in which electronic component chips are handled, such as a chip mounting process, electronic components are placed in a state where they are already oriented in a predetermined direction with respect to the process. Since chips can be supplied, there is no need to provide a special alignment device, and the device can be simplified, and since a special alignment process is not required, the process can be carried out efficiently.

Further, the electronic component chip storage cassette according to the present invention includes:
Since the control member having the above-described function is provided, it is possible to advantageously prevent jamming from occurring at the confluence point due to electronic component chips from a plurality of storage spaces being guided to one common passage. Further, since the electronic component chips stored in the storage space are already aligned, the electronic component chips can be smoothly moved from the storage space to the common path. For these reasons, the movement of the electronic component chip within the case can be made smoother and faster.

Furthermore, by increasing the number of storage spaces, it is possible to increase the number of electronic component chips that can be stored in one case.

In addition, since the confluence points of each storage space and the common passage are located so as to be distributed at equal intervals on the common passage, when the control member is moved to open the lower ends of the storage spaces one by one, the control The movement pitch of the members may be selected to be constant. Therefore, the drive mechanism for moving the control member is
It can be realized with a simple structure.

When a part of the control member is exposed from the case,
Via this exposed portion, a force can be applied to the control member to move it. Therefore, the movement of the control member can be easily controlled from outside the case.

Moreover, if a mechanism for moving the control member intermittently at a constant pitch is built into the case, the drive mechanism for moving the control member can be simplified.

In addition, if an openable lid is provided that selectively closes the ejection port, it will be possible to eject electronic component chips only when necessary, which will prevent undesirable damage when handling the electronic component chip storage cassette. It can also prevent electronic component chips from falling out.

[Embodiment] FIGS. 1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows the external appearance of the electronic component chip storage cassette 1 in a perspective view. The cassette 1 includes a case 2,
The case 2 is divided into a case body 3 and a cover 4, as shown in FIG. FIG. 1 shows the cassette 1 in front view with the cover 4 removed.

Mainly referring to FIG. 1, a case body 3 of a case 2 is formed with a plurality of parallel storage spaces 6 for storing a plurality of electronic component chips 5 in an aligned state facing a predetermined direction. . On the case body 3, the storage space 6 is
They are in the form of grooves, and when the cover 4 is fitted to the case body 3, the upper openings of these grooves are closed by the cover 4, forming a storage space 6.

Each lower end of the storage space 6 is curved in the same direction and merges into one common passage 7. The common passage 7 extends diagonally in this embodiment. The cross-sectional dimensions of the common passage 7 are selected so as to allow the electronic component chips 5 to pass through while maintaining the alignment of the electronic component chips 5 in the storage space 6.

The common passage 7 has an outlet 8 facing outside of the case 2 .

The confluence point 9 of each storage space 6 and the common passage 7 is the common passage 7
They are located at equal intervals on the top.

A control member 10 that closes the lower end of the storage space 6 is movably arranged within the common passage 7. The control member 10 is movable within the common passage 7 and the guide groove 11 communicating with the common passage 7.

In this embodiment, the guide groove 11 extends along one side 12 of the case body 3 while communicating with the common passage 7 via a curved portion. Therefore, since the control member 10 moves while being curved at a portion thereof, it is made of a flexible material.

A portion of the control member 10 extending along the side surface 12 is exposed from the case 2. A rack 13 is provided in this exposed portion.

The force for moving the control member 10 is applied via the rack 13. A feed pawl 14 engages with the rack 13 . The feed pawl 14 is rotatably supported by a moving block 15 via a pin 16, and is biased by a compression spring 17 so as to rotate in the direction of engaging the rack 13.

The moving block 15 is held by a linear movement guide 18 so as to move in a linear direction, that is, in the vertical direction in FIG. A piston 20 of one cylinder is connected to the moving block 15 . Instead of the cylinder 19, a driving source such as a solenoid may be used.

When the cylinder 19 is driven once, the moving block 15 is moved in the direction shown by the arrow 21, and the rack 13 is sent upward by a predetermined pitch via the feeding claw 14. As a result, the control member 10 is moved within the common passage 7 by a predetermined pitch.

After such movement, when the cylinder 19 is returned to its original state, the feed claw 14 rotates in a direction away from the rack 13 due to its shape, and no action is exerted on the rack 13 to displace it. .

After the movement of the control member 10 via the rack 13 as described above, in order to keep the control member 10 in its position,
The control member 10 is provided with a plurality of recesses 22 at equal intervals. On the other hand, the case body 3 side is provided with a protrusion 23 that selectively engages with one of these recesses 22.

An openable lid 24 for selectively closing the outlet 8 is provided near the outlet 8 of the case body 3. The lid 24 is held so as to be rotatable about a pin 25 with respect to the case body 3, and is biased by a compression spring 26 so as to rotate in a direction to close the discharge port 8. In FIG. 1, the lid 24 is shown in an open state. Such a lid 24 is opened when it is attached to a chip mount machine, for example, but in this embodiment, the lid 24 is
It is configured to open automatically when it is attached to a chip mount machine. That is, when the cassette 1 is mounted on a chip mount machine, the lower surface 27 of the cassette 1 is brought into contact with the mounting surface on the chip mount machine side. Therefore, this mounting surface pushes up the end of the lid 24 on the side where the compression spring 26 is located, causing the lid 24 to rotate to the open state.

The lid 24 prevents the electronic component chip 5 from undesirably spilling out from the outlet 8.

However, such a lid 24 does not necessarily need to be provided; for example, if the control member 10 is dimensioned to close the lower ends of all storage spaces 6 at once, a special lid 24 may be provided. There is no need to provide it.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which the electronic component chip 5 in the leftmost storage space 6 has been ejected.

In this state, only the leftmost storage space 6 is
Its lower end communicates with the common passage 7, and the lower ends of the other storage spaces 6 are all closed by the control member 10. Therefore, the electronic component chips 5 in the leftmost storage space 6 are ejected from the ejection port 8 while maintaining their alignment. In order to facilitate the movement of the electronic component chip 5, the tip end 28 of the control member 10 is shaped so as to form part of a series of passages that smoothly extend from the storage space 6 to the common passage 7. It is designed to give

Next, the cylinder 19 is driven, and via the feed claw 14,
The rack 13 is fed by one pitch.

As a result, the control member 10 is moved to a position where the lower end of the second storage space 6 from the left side is opened.

Therefore, the electronic component chip 5 in the second storage space 6 from the left is discharged from the discharge port 8 through the common passage 7. In order to maintain the position of the control member 10 in this state, the convex portion 23 engages with the second four portion 22 from the top.

Similarly, by moving the control member 10, the storage space 6
are sequentially opened, and the electronic component chips 5 in each storage space 6 are sequentially discharged from the discharge port 8 without jamming.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the invention.

In addition, in Fig. 4, to avoid duplication of explanation, the first
Elements corresponding to those shown in the figures are provided with similar reference numerals.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is characterized in that a mechanism for moving the control member 10a intermittently at a partial pitch is built into the case 2.

That is, a space 29 is formed below the common passage 7 of the case body 3. A portion of the common passage 7 is in communication with the space 29. Therefore, the common passage 7
The control member 10a disposed therein includes, in part,
It is exposed towards the space 29. Space 2 of control member 10a
A rack 30 is provided on the surface facing 9. A feed pawl 31 that engages with the rack 30 is arranged within the space 29 .

The feed pawl 31 is rotatably attached to one end of a lever 32, which is generally L-shaped, via a pin 33. Lever 3
2 is rotatably attached to the case body 3 via a pin 34 at its intermediate portion. The other end of the lever 32 is positioned so that it can be pressed from outside the case 2, as shown by an arrow 35. The end of the circumferential movement of the lever 32 due to this suppressing operation is defined by a pin 36 provided on the case body 3. A torsion spring 37 and 38 is provided around each of the bins 33 and 34, respectively. Both of these torsion springs 37 and 38 serve to bias the feed pawl 31 in the direction in which it engages with the rack 30.

For example, when lever 32 is pushed in the direction shown by arrow 35 by a driving source (not shown) such as a cylinder or solenoid, lever 32 rotates against the elasticity of torsion spring 38, thereby causing The pawl 31 moves the control member 10a by one pitch. When the pressure on the lever 32 in the direction of the arrow 35 is removed, the lever 3 is moved by the action of the torsion spring 38.
2 returns to its original state, the feed pawl 31 rotates in a direction away from the rack 30 against the elasticity of the torsion spring 37, and comes into engagement with the next tooth of the rack 30.

FIGS. 5 and 6 each show other examples of the shape of the common passage.

The common passage 7a shown in FIG. 5 extends horizontally near the discharge port 8.

In FIG. 6, the common passage 7b is arranged to extend horizontally through the opening.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, elements corresponding to those shown in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

Although this invention has been described above in connection with the illustrated embodiments, various other modifications are possible within the scope of this invention.

For example, in the illustrated embodiments, the storage space 6 extends vertically, but it is sufficient that the electronic component chip 5 can be guided into the common passage 7 by gravity, and therefore, it is not necessary to deviate from the vertical direction. It is sufficient that it extends in the vertical direction relatively.

Furthermore, the common path does not need to be sloped so that the electronic component chip 5 can move there by gravity. It is also possible to take out the electronic component chip 5 from the discharge port 8 by vacuum suction.
It may also extend horizontally like the common passage 7b shown in the figure.

Further, the control member movable within the common passage does not need to be moved while being guided by the curved guide groove 11, but may be configured to move linearly through the common passage and a passage linearly connected thereto. may be done. Therefore, the control member need not be flexible, but may be constructed of a rigid body.

The case 2 may be made of any material such as resin or metal. Note that when the case 2 is made of resin, static electricity may be generated due to the movement of the electronic component chip 5, and this static electricity may prevent the electronic component chip 5 from moving smoothly. In order to prevent the generation of static electricity as much as possible, it is preferable that at least the surface that comes into contact with the electronic component chip 5 be treated to prevent static electricity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front view showing an electronic component chip storage cassette 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, with a cover 4 provided on a case 2 removed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the cassette 1 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the case 2. FIG. 4 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 1 showing an electronic component chip storage cassette according to another embodiment of the present invention, and only the main parts thereof are shown. 5 and 6 are front views respectively showing a case body 3 of an electronic component chip storage cassette according to still another embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is an electronic component chip storage cassette, 2 is a case, 5 is an electronic component chip, 6 is a storage space, 7.7a,
7b is a common passage, 8 is a discharge port, 9 is a confluence point, 10.10
a is a control member, 13 is a rack, 24 is a lid, 31 is a feed claw, and 32 is a lever. Figure 2 Figure 4 Figure 6 Figure 7

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A plurality of electronic component chips; and a case for accommodating the plurality of electronic component chips, the case having an aligned state in which the plurality of electronic component chips are oriented in a predetermined direction. It is intended for storage in
A plurality of parallel storage spaces are formed that extend in the vertical direction and are curved in the same direction at each lower end, and one common passage has a discharge port that joins the lower ends of the storage spaces and faces outside of the case. are formed, the confluence points of each of the storage spaces and the common passage are located so as to be distributed at equal intervals on the common passage, and the cross-sectional dimension of the common passage is such that the electronic component chip in the storage space is an electronic component chip storage cassette, wherein a control member is selected to allow the electronic component chips to pass through while maintaining an aligned state of the electronic component chips, and a control member that closes a lower end of the storage space is movably disposed in the common passage. (2) A portion of the control member is exposed from the case, and a force for moving the control member is applied through the exposed portion. Parts chip storage cassette. (3) The electronic component chip storage cassette according to claim 1, wherein the case has a built-in mechanism for moving the control member intermittently at a constant pitch. (4) The electronic component chip storage cassette according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an openable lid for selectively closing the outlet.