JPH0441330A - Workpiece conveyor device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent workpieces from being overlapped during conveyance by conveying the workpieces with gas flow generated by sucking exhaust so as to allow them slide on the floor surface of a passage. CONSTITUTION:Because of being discharged from a exhaust sucking port 13, gas in a gas lead-in passage 2 flows toward the suction exhaust port 13, and also the vacuum state is generated inside the passage 2. Accordingly, gas in a workpiece passage 1 also flows toward the exhaust sucking port 13 through a slit, and gas flow moving from the conveyance starting end toward the conveyance terminal end is generated inside the workpiece passage 1, so that workpieces W in the workpiece passage 1 are pushed by this gas flow and move toward the conveyance terminal end. In this case, since suction force acts upon each workpiece W from the slit 15, the workpieces W slide on the floor surface of the workpiece passage 1 as they are in the state of being aligned along the slit 15.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a workpiece conveyance device configured to convey a small thin plate-like workpiece, such as a ceramic green sheet punched into a small diameter, by a gas flow.

<Conventional technology> Conventionally, a belt conveyor has been commonly used as a device for conveying this type of workpiece, but when conveying a small thin plate-like workpiece made of ceramic green sheet by a belt conveyor, It is difficult to transfer the workpieces, ■ Workpieces may overlap at the sending end of the conveyor, which may cause inconvenience in later processes. ■ There are many mechanically moving parts, and dust generated from the workpieces may adhere. There are other problems, such as the possibility of malfunctions.

Therefore, as a conveying device to replace the belt conveyor,
As shown in the figure, there is a work transfer device that uses gas flow.

This workpiece transfer device is equipped with a pressurized gas ejection plate 01 along the floor surface of the workpiece W transfer path, and the ejection plate 01 has ejection holes inclined toward the front in the transfer direction A. 02. ... are formed in large numbers. 03 is ejection plate 0
1 is a pressurized gas chamber formed on the lower side of 1, 04 is a frame forming chamber 03, 05 is chamber 0
3 is a pressurized gas introduction pipe, and 06 is a filter.

That is, according to this device, the workpiece W is floated and supported on the ejection plate 01 by the gas ejected from the ejection holes 02, and the same ejected gas provides a propulsive force.

Therefore, in this workpiece transfer device, the workpiece travels floating, which not only makes it easier to transfer the workpiece to and from the previous and subsequent processes, but also causes malfunctions due to dust because there are no mechanically moving parts. It becomes difficult.

Although not shown in the drawings, there is another conventional device using gas that includes a blowout plate with gas blowout holes directly above the blowout plate, and the entire blowout plate is tilted forward at a small angle. and,
According to this device, the workpiece is floated and supported by the ejected gas and moves downward under its own weight.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> By the way, in the workpiece conveyance device shown in FIG.
When transporting a small workpiece W, the degree of contact with the ejected gas changes depending on the position of the workpiece W, and the workpiece W moves up and down or tilts during transport. the result,
Even with this device, the workpieces W may overlap each other and be sent out with the workpieces W overlapped.

Also, since each workpiece W is given a constant propulsive force by the ejected gas, if there is a weight difference between the workpieces W,
This creates a considerable speed difference, and the works 1 may collide with each other during transportation, resulting in cracks or chips.

Furthermore, it is difficult to adjust the speed at the end of the conveyance path, and there are still difficulties in connecting to the next process.

In addition, there is also the problem that dust generated from the workpiece is scattered by the ejected gas, contaminating the surrounding atmosphere.

The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to transport even small workpieces in a lined state without overlapping, and furthermore, it is possible to adjust the transport speed at the end of the transport path. It is an object of the present invention to provide a workpiece conveyance device that can be connected to the next process without any problems.

<Means for Solving the Problems> In order to achieve the above-mentioned problems, the work transfer device according to the present invention includes a tunnel-shaped work passage and a gas introduction passage formed under the floor surface of the work passage. A suction/exhaust port is provided at the conveyance end side of the gas introduction path, and a slit that communicates with the gas introduction path is formed in the floor surface of the workpiece path along its length. That is.

<Operation> In the above configuration, by being exhausted from the suction/exhaust port, the gas flows toward the suction/exhaust port in the gas introduction path, and the internal pressure becomes negative. Therefore, the gas in the workpiece passage also flows toward the suction and exhaust port through the slit, and a gas flow is generated in the workpiece passage from the conveyance start end to the end, and the workpiece in the workpiece passage is pushed by the gas flow. It will move to the end of the conveyance. In this case, since a suction force is applied to each workpiece from the slit, the workpieces slide on the floor surface of the workpiece passage while remaining aligned along the slit.

<Example> Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on an example shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a vertical side view of a workpiece circulation device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in FIG. 1, and FIG.
The figure is a perspective view showing a main part cut away.

As shown in these figures, this work transfer device includes a tunnel-shaped work passage I and a gas introduction passage 2.

The work passage l has a pair of left and right floor plates 3.4, an upper plate 5,
The left and right wall spacers 6.7 are formed substantially horizontally along the conveyance path of the workpiece W. A presser plate 8 is provided on the upper surface side of the workpiece passage 1 to prevent the workpiece W from turning over. It is configured such that its vertical position can be adjusted by a spring IO installed therein.

The gas introduction path 2 consists of a floor plate 3.4 of the work passage 1 and a frame 12 below the floor plate 3.4 having a U-shaped cross section, and is provided at a lower position along the work passage 1.

Then, the transport start end of this gas introduction path 2 (on the right side in Figure 1)
has an opening 2a, and this opening 2a is provided with a shutter 12 whose opening degree can be adjusted.

In addition, a suction/exhaust port I3 is opened at the end of the conveyance (on the left side in FIG. 1), and the gas in the gas introduction path 2 is suctioned and exhausted by suction by an exhaust means such as a suction pump 14 that communicates with this suction/exhaust port 13. It is now possible to do so.

Furthermore, a pair of floor plates 3. which constitute the floor surface of the work passage l.
4, there is a slit 1 along the length direction of the work passage 1.
5 is formed, and the work passage 1 and the gas introduction passage 2 communicate with each other through this slit 15. As clearly shown in FIG. 3, the width of the slit 15 is set to be wide on the conveyance start end side and narrow on the terminal end side. Note that 16 in the figure is a bonding material between the floorboards 3 and 4 and the frame 11. In the above configuration, in order to transport the workpiece W, first, the suction pump 14 is operated to exhaust air from the suction exhaust port 13 . Due to this suction and exhaust, in the gas introduction path 2,
As the air inside flows toward the suction/exhaust port 13, the inside becomes negative pressure. Therefore, the air inside the work passage l is also a slit! 5 toward the suction/exhaust port 13, and an air flow is generated in the workpiece passage l from the transport start end to the end end. Therefore, when there is a workpiece W in this workpiece passage l, the air around the workpiece W flows toward the end of the conveyance, so the workpiece W is pushed by the air flow and is conveyed by sliding on the floor plates 3 and 4. Move to the end.

In this case, since suction force is applied to each workpiece W from the slit I5, the workpieces W slide on the floor plate 3.4 while being aligned along the slit 15.

Also, at this time, at the end of the work passage 1, the slit 1
5 is narrow and the air flow rate is small, so the work W
The speed of the process will decrease, and the process will proceed to the next step at a slower speed. In this manner, by changing the width of the slit 15 in a portion of the workpiece path 1, the conveyance speed at the core portion can be partially adjusted.

The average conveyance speed in the entire workpiece path 1 can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the amount of suction and exhaust, but the amount of inflowing air can be changed by changing the opening degree of the shutter 12 at the end of the gas introduction path 2. It can also be adjusted by

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, in the present invention, the workpieces are transported by the gas flow generated by suction and exhaust, so the workpieces slide on the floor of the passage, and as a result, the workpieces do not overlap during transport. It disappears. In addition, since the workpieces are supported on the floor and transported, there are almost no speed differences due to differences in weight, and even small workpieces can be transported in a lined state without overlapping along the slit. I can do it.

Furthermore, by setting the width of the slit appropriately according to the position on the conveyance path, it is possible to adjust the speed at each part, so by setting the speed at the end of conveyance to a low speed, connection with the next process will be hindered. You can do without it.

Moreover, since the present invention sucks the surrounding air,
The atmosphere can be maintained clean by removing dust without scattering it.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional side view of one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 1--2, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a main part broken away. Moreover, FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional example. ! ...Work passage, 2...Gas introduction path, 3, 4...
Floorboard, 13...Suction/exhaust port, 15...Slit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) It is equipped with a tunnel-shaped work passage (1) and a gas introduction passage (2) formed under the floor of this work passage (1), and on the conveyance terminal side of the gas introduction passage (2). Suction exhaust port (13)
A workpiece conveying device characterized in that a slit (15) communicating with a gas introduction path (2) is formed in the floor surface of the workpiece path (1) along its length.