JPH0474260B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a suction cup device used in a sheet feeder or the like that picks up stacked rectangular sheets one by one from the top and feeds them forward.

(Prior art) As this type of adsorption device, for example,
Publication No. 24699, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 145972-1987, Publication No. 145972, Japanese Patent Application Publication No.
Those described in JP 56-7848 and the like are known.

In these conventional suction means that do not use a vacuum, the sheet is picked up by a suction cup, and when the sheet is moved to a predetermined position, a ventilation hole is opened using a stopper member or the like provided on the fixed side to supply outside air. This was to release the adsorption of the sheet.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) In the conventional suction cup device, a plurality of suction cups are provided and each suction cup suctions the sheet at the same time,
When releasing the adsorption, the following problems occur.

That is, in the device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 52-145972, since a plurality of suction cups are fixedly attached to one suction cup mounting body, the height of each suction cup cannot be adjusted.

In addition, the mounting body is formed with a hollow chamber that communicates with each suction cup, and is provided with only one valve mechanism that communicates and shuts off the hollow chamber with the outside. , a situation occurs in which some of the suction cups cannot be released from suction.

Furthermore, since there is only one opening/closing valve mechanism for multiple suction cups, if the width of the sheet to be suctioned is narrow and not all suction cups are suctioned, in other words, some suction cups may contact the sheet, but If the other suction cups are idle, the idle suction cups and the hollow chamber are in communication, so the suction cups that come into contact with the sheet will not be in an airtight state and will not be able to suction the sheet.

That is, such a configuration becomes unusable when the sheet width is changed.

In the device described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 56-7848, for example, when a plurality of suction cup assemblies are provided on one transfer member, the number of stoppers that operate each on-off valve must be provided as many as the number of on-off valves. . Moreover,
Since the stopper is provided on the main body and the suction device is provided on the moving side, the timing adjustment must be performed individually after the suction device is assembled into the main body, making the adjustment work very troublesome.

Furthermore, when a plurality of suction devices described in the above-mentioned Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 52-24699 are provided on one transfer member, each device is fixed to the mounting member with a nut.
It is difficult to adjust the height of each suction cup, and furthermore, since the operation of the actuating body for releasing suction is performed individually, it is extremely difficult to adjust the timing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a suction cup device that solves the problems of the above-mentioned conventional examples.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following measures.

That is, the present invention is characterized by a pair of left and right swinging members that are swingably attached to the fixed side, a mounting member fixed between the pair of swinging members, and a longitudinal direction of the mounting member. A plurality of suction cup shafts are provided vertically slidably at predetermined intervals and vertically penetrating the mounting member, and an upper protruding portion of the suction cup shafts is provided to freely come into contact with and separate from the top surface of the mounting member. a fixed shaft mounting plate; a first elastic member interposed between the lower surface side of the mounting member and the suction cup shaft to urge the sucker shaft downward; and a first elastic member extending vertically through the axial center of the suction cup shaft. a valve shaft that is provided to be slidable in the vertical direction, and a vent hole that is formed within the suction cup shaft and has one end opening at the lower end surface of the suction cup shaft and the other end communicating with the outside world;
a second valve member that is fixed to the lower end of the valve shaft and opens and closes the vent opening at the lower end surface of the sucker shaft; and a second valve member that is interposed between the valve shaft and the sucker shaft and urges the valve shaft upward. an elastic member, a parabolic suction cup attached to the lower end of the suction cup shaft so as to surround the valve member, and a parabolic suction cup provided between the pair of swinging members and rotatably supported on the shaft mounting plate. and,
The valve lever includes a valve lever that is rotated by contacting a stopper member provided on the fixed side, and an adjustment screw that is screwed into the valve lever so that it can move forward and backward while facing the top of each of the valve shafts. When the valve lever contacts and rotates against the stopper member, the valve shaft is lowered and the vent hole is released from being closed by the valve member.

(Operation) In order to suction the topmost sheet of the stacked rectangular sheets using the suction cup device of the present invention, the following operation is performed.

Note that the sheets are stacked below the suction cup device of the present invention.

Initially, the suction cup is waiting above the sheet.
The swinging member starts swinging to take out the sheet. When the swinging member starts swinging, the mounting member and the suction cup shaft move together, and the suction cup provided at the lower end of the suction cup shaft descends toward the top surface of the seat, and the suction cup comes into contact with the top surface of the seat.

If the magazine storing the sheets is not movable up and down, the position of the top surface of the stacked sheets is not constant depending on the stacking height. Initially, the upper surface of the sheet is at the upper level, and as the sheet is removed, the upper surface position lowers.

However, since the movement locus of the swinging member is constant, when the position of the top surface of the seat changes, the suction cup comes into contact with the top surface of the seat strongly or weakly.

In the present invention, the first elastic member functions to absorb changes in the position of the upper surface of the sheet.

That is, the suction cup shaft is attached to the mounting member so as to be slidable in the vertical direction, is prevented from falling from the mounting member by the shaft mounting plate, and is urged upward by the first elastic member. Therefore, even if the suction cup contacts the upper surface of the seat at an early stage, the first elastic member interposed between the suction cup shaft and the mounting member is compressed and deformed, and the suction cup is not properly pressed against the upper surface of the seat. can be maintained. Therefore, even if the heights of the plurality of suction cups relative to the mounting member are uneven, each suction cup can contact the upper surface of the seat with an appropriate pressing force.

As the suction cup presses against the upper surface of the sheet, the suction cup deforms and the air in the parabolic recess is expelled.

At this time, the valve member closes the vent, so
The inside of the suction cup recess is kept airtight.

The rocking member then continues its rocking motion to lift the sheet, and the suction cup moves upwards. Due to the upward movement of the suction cup, the pressure inside the suction cup recess sealed by the sheet becomes negative pressure, and the sheet is attracted to the suction cup and one of the sheets is lifted.

At this time, the compressed first elastic member returns to its original length, and the shaft mounting plate fixed to the upper protrusion of the suction shaft comes into contact with the top surface of the mounting member, and the space between the suction cup and the mounting member The distance returns to the predetermined value.

When the swinging member further swings and the sheet moves to the position of another conveyance device connected to the device of the present application,
The valve lever abuts against the stopper member.

Due to this contact, the valve lever rotates, and the adjustment screw screwed into the valve lever contacts the valve shaft, thereby lowering the valve shaft. This lowering of the valve shaft causes the valve member to open the vent hole and release the airtightness of the suction cup recess. By releasing the airtightness, the suction cup releases the suction of the sheet, the sheet is separated from the suction cup, and is conveyed by the conveyance device.

Since the plurality of adjustment screws corresponding to each of the valve shafts are screwed into one valve lever, the timing of contact between the adjustment screws and the valve shaft can be adjusted within the apparatus of the present invention. That is, before incorporating the device of the present invention into the main body, individual timing adjustments may be made within the unit, and after the timing adjustment, the device of the present invention may be incorporated into the main device, making the adjustment easy.

Furthermore, according to the device of the present invention, suction and release of multiple suction cups is performed independently, so that, for example, when suctioning a narrow sheet, even if there is a suction cup that does not come into contact with the sheet, it will not affect other suction cups. It is not as good as the sucker of
Other suction cups can reliably suction the sheet and release it.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the medical tomographic X-ray camera 1 equipped with the film autoloader 2. As shown in FIG. This film autoloader 2 takes out films one by one from a set magazine 3 storing rectangular films, transports them to a photographing position, and stores the films in a receive magazine 4 after photographing.

FIG. 3 shows the detailed structure of the film autoloader 2, and the autoloader 2 is provided with a sheet feeder 5. As shown in FIG.

The film autoloader 2 has a box-shaped frame 6, and a set magazine insertion hole 7 and a receive magazine insertion hole 8 are vertically arranged on the front side of the frame 6. 8
are covered with covers 9 and 10 that can be opened and closed. The covers 9 and 10 automatically open when a magazine is inserted, and automatically close when the magazine is removed, keeping the inside of the frame 6 in a dark room.

The set magazine 3 inserted into the set magazine insertion hole 7 located above stores unused rectangular sheet-like films (sheet-like members) 11 in a stacked manner. Film 1 is in this magazine 3.
Positioning positions for positioning the film 11 are provided according to the size of the film 11. The set magazine 3 is provided with a slide cover that can open and close the upper part of its front part. This slide cover cannot be opened or closed unless the locking device is released. When the lock device is released and the slide cover is opened, the film 11 inside can be taken out. When the magazine 3 is inserted into the insertion hole 7 and the slide cover is then opened, the frame 6 and the magazine 3 are locked, and the magazine 3 cannot be taken out from the frame 6 in this state. To take it out, the slide cover must be closed. By employing such a mechanism, the film 11 in the set magazine is prevented from being accidentally exposed to light.

The receive magazine 4 inserted into the receive magazine insertion hole 8 located below is the same as the set magazine 3 described above. The receive magazine 4 is attached to the frame 6 in an empty state and stores film after shooting.

Film 1 stored in the set magazine 3 above
1 is taken out one by one from the top by the sheet feeder 5 and conveyed forward.

As shown in FIG. 4, the seat feeder 5 has a crank motor 12 on the side surface of the frame 6 in front of and below the front end of the magazine 3. The crank motor 12 rotates the crank pin 13 in one direction. One end of a connecting rod 14 is pivotally connected to the crank pin 13. An intermediate arm 16 is pivotally connected to the other end of the connecting rod 14 via a pin 15. intermediate arm 16
The middle part is the support shaft 1 fixed to the side of the frame 6.
7 so that it can rotate up and down. This spindle 1
Position 7 is located near the top of the front end of the set magazine 3. At the rear end of the intermediate arm 16,
A long hole 18 is provided along the front-rear direction.

A swinging arm (swinging member) 19 is pivotally connected to the tip of the intermediate arm 16 . Swing arm 19
A pin 20 is fixed to the front end portion of the holder 20, and the pin 20 is rotatably and movably fitted into the elongated hole 18 to form a front joint portion 21. One end of a spring 22 is locked to the tip of a pin 20 protruding from the elongated hole 18, and the other end of this spring 22 is locked to a locking pin 23 protruding from the intermediate arm 16.
It is locked to. The spring 22 biases the pin 20 against the rear end of the elongated hole 18.

A long hole 24 is formed at the tip of the swing arm 19 along the front-rear direction. This elongated hole 24 is rotatably and movably fitted into a pin 25 fixed to the side surface of the frame 6. A rear joint portion 26 is formed by fitting the elongated hole 24 and the pin 25. The pin 25 is located rearward from the front end of the set magazine 3 and at a height approximately equal to the height of the top surface of the film 11. The rear joint part 26 is located below the front joint part 21.

The intermediate arm 16 and the swing arm 19 are provided in pairs on the left and right sides of the frame 6, facing each other. The front ends of the pair of left and right swinging arms 19 are connected by a connecting arm (attachment member) 27. Four sheet suction means 28 are provided on this connecting arm 27 along the left-right direction.

FIG. 1 shows details of the suction device of the present invention, that is, the sheet suction means 28. Furthermore, enlarged views are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and a side view is shown in FIG.

The connecting arm 27 has four suction cup shaft insertion holes 29, and a cylindrical suction cup shaft 30 is slidably inserted into each hole 29. The upper end of the suction cup shaft 30 has an insertion hole 29
The shaft mounting plate 31 is fixed to this projection by a nut 32, and the shaft mounting plate 31 comes into contact with the upper surface of the connecting arm 27, thereby preventing the suction cup shaft 30 from falling downward. There is.
Incidentally, this shaft mounting plate 31, as shown in FIG.
It is an integral piece to which the four suction cup shafts 30 are attached at the same time, and both ends thereof are bent upward. A retaining ring 33 is fixed to the lower part of the suction cup shaft 30, and a compression coil spring (first elastic member) 34 is interposed between the upper surface of the retaining ring 33 and the lower surface of the connecting arm 27. This spring 34 urges the suction cup shaft 30 downward. The suction cup shaft 30 resists this spring 34.
When pushed upward, the spring 34 contracts and the suction cup shaft 30 moves relative to the insertion hole 29.

A suction cup 35 is fixed to the lower end of the suction cup shaft 30. This suction cup 35 has a parabolic recess 36, and the suction cup 35 is placed between the back surface and the end surface of the suction cup shaft 30 in the valve chamber 3.
7 is formed. A through hole 38 communicating the recess 36 and the valve chamber 37 is provided on the back surface of the suction cup 35. The suction cup 35 is molded from rubber or soft synthetic resin.

An inner hole 39 communicating with the valve chamber 37 is provided at the axial center of the sucker shaft 30 . Further, on the side surface of the suction cup shaft 30, there is an intake hole 4 that communicates the inner hole 29 with the outside world.
3 have been established.

Thus, the valve chamber 37 is connected to the inner hole 39 and the intake valve 43.
It communicates with the outside air through a ventilation hole 51 consisting of.

A valve shaft 40 is slidably inserted into the inner hole 39. A valve member 41 is fixed to the lower end of the valve shaft 40, and when the valve member 41 comes into contact with the end surface of the sucker shaft 30, communication between the valve chamber 37 and the inner hole 39 is closed. A compression spring (second elastic member) 42 is interposed in the inner hole 39 and urges the valve shaft 40 upward. The urging force of the spring 42 causes the valve member 41 to close the inner hole 39 . The upper end of the valve stem 40 is the inner hole 3
It protrudes above 9. The upper end surface of the valve stem 40 is
It is pushed downward by the valve lever 44.

The valve lever 44 is rotatably provided on a shaft 45 horizontally installed between the pair of left and right swing arms 19. The shaft 45 is attached to bent portions at both ends of the shaft mounting plate 31. This shaft 45 is located behind the axis of the suction cup shaft 30 and at a height near the upper end surface of the valve shaft 40 . The valve lever 44 passes above the valve stem 40. The valve lever 44 passes above the valve shaft 40 and is bent downward in front of the sucker shaft 30. A tongue member 46 that comes into contact with the upper end surface of the valve shaft 40 is fixed to the lower surface of the valve lever 44 with a set screw 47 . Each tongue member 46 for the four valve shafts 40 is
An adjustment screw 48 is provided on the valve lever 44 to press the tongue member 46 so as to uniformly contact the upper end surface of the valve shaft 40.

Next, the operation and other configurations of the sheet feeder 5 will be explained with reference to FIG. The front end portion swings in the direction of arrow b in the figure. In conjunction with the swinging of the intermediate arm 16, the swinging arm 19 swings in the direction of arrow c in the figure.

Due to the swing b of the intermediate arm 16, the swing arm 1
The front end of 9 is connected to the support shaft 17 in its upper position.
Moves in an arc with radius r1 around . At this time, the pin 20 of the front joint part 21 is connected to the spring 2
2 is pressed against the rear end of the elongated hole 18.

The rear end of the swing arm 19 is moved in the direction of arrow d in the figure by means of an elongated hole 24 fitted with a pin 25. When the rear end of the swinging arm 19 moves a predetermined amount, it moves into the elongated hole 2.
4 collides with the pin 25, and the rear end of the swing arm 19 can no longer move rearward. However, even in this state, the front joint part 21 of the swing arm 19 tries to swing downward, so the pin 20 of the front joint part 21 is held by the spring 22.
The elongated hole 18 will be moved against the As a result, the front end of the swing arm 19 rotates about the pin 25 of the rear coupling part 26 in an arc of radius r2 in its lower position.

Thus, the suction cup 35 of the suction means 28 provided on the swing arm 19 via the connecting arm 27 moves along the trajectory c. At the lowest end of the trajectory c, the suction cup 35 comes into contact with the upper front surface of the film 11. Due to this contact, the suction cup 35
The air in the recess 36 is discharged, and the suction cup 35 attracts the film 11 (see FIG. 5).

At this time, four suction cups 35 are provided on the connecting arm 27, and it is extremely difficult to assemble all the suction cups 35 so as to maintain a constant distance from the film 11. However, in this embodiment, the suction cup shaft 30 is provided to be vertically slidable with respect to the connecting arm 27, and is pushed down by the spring 34, so that even if the suction cups 35 are uneven in height, the spring 34 The film 11 is absorbed, and each suction cup 35 uniformly attracts the film 11.

Thereafter, as the crank pin 13 further rotates in the same direction, the front end portion of the swing arm 19 moves in the opposite direction along the same path as the trajectory c and returns to its original state. Therefore, the suction cup 35 interlocked with the swing arm 19 moves the front edge of the film 11 rearward and upward about the pin 25 while adhering to the front end of the film 11 . In this way, sucker 3
5 is the film 11 from the front edge side of the film 11.
In order to lift the film 11, the film 11 at the top and the film below it are gradually peeled off from the front edge toward the rear, and a negative pressure is applied between the film 11 at the top and the film below it. It will no longer occur. Therefore, the mistake of taking out two sheets at the same time is prevented.

Furthermore, after the suction cup 35 lifts the film 11 backward and upward as described above, it moves to the support shaft 17 along the trajectory c.
Move forward around the center. When the film 11 moves to the forefront of the trajectory c, as shown in FIG.
The front end edge of is bitten between a pair of upper and lower biting rollers 49.

At this time, as shown in FIG.
The valve lever 44 contacts the stopper member 50. As a result, the valve lever 44 rotates around the shaft 45, and the tongue member 46 pushes the valve shaft 40. This pushing movement causes the valve shaft 40 to move downward against the spring 42, the valve member 46 being released from contact with the lower end surface of the sucker shaft 30, and the valve chamber 37 and the inner hole 39 communicating with each other. As a result, the valve chamber 37 communicates with the outside air through the ventilation hole 51 consisting of the inner hole 39 and the intake hole 43, so that air is supplied to the recess 36 of the suction cup 35, and the suction cup 35 is able to attract the film 11. Release (see Figure 6).

At this time, the suction release timing for each suction cup 35 can be made the same by adjusting with the adjustment screw 48, so that suction release of each suction cup 35 is performed at the same time, and misfeed does not occur.

The film, which has been released from suction by the suction cup 35, is then sent forward by the feed roller 49. The film 11 is guided by a guide member 52 and is further sent forward by a first feed roller 53. The film 11 is reversed and sent upward by the reversing guide member 54, and further sent backward by the second feed roller 55. In this state, the front and back sides of the film 11 are reversed. And film 11
is located at the photographing position 56.

At the photographing position, the film 11 is attracted to the photographing position 56 by a blower 57.

When taking out the film 11, two sheets are not taken out from the magazine 3 at the same time, but there is a risk that two sheets may be taken out due to an accident, so a safety device is provided to prevent this.

This is a scraping roller 58 that comes into contact with the front edge of the film and scrapes the second film downward when the film 11 is lifted from the magazine 3 by the suction means 28. This roller 5
8 has a protrusion on the outer periphery. Yet another safety device is a double feed detection sensor 59. A misfeed sensor 60 is also provided to detect when no sheet is fed.

Next, when the shooting is finished, the rotary solenoid 6
1, the return lever 62 moves in the direction of arrow e and pushes back the film 11 at the photographing position 56. In this return cycle, the first and second feed rollers 53 and 55 are rotating in the opposite direction.
Therefore, the film 11 caught by the second feed roller 55 is sent in the opposite direction along the reversing guide member 54 and reaches the first feed roller 53. Thereafter, the film 11 is guided by the return guide member 63, reaches the third feed roller 64, and is stored in the receive magazine 4 by the third feed roller 64.

With this, one cycle is completed.

The above-mentioned biting roller 49, scraping roller 58, and third feed roller 64 are always rotationally driven in one direction by a chain 66 that is revolved by one motor 65.

First feed roller 53 and second feed roller 55
is driven by a forward and reverse rotation motor 67 via a chain 68. The forward/reverse switching of the forward/reverse motor 67 and the operation of the rotary solenoid 61 are as follows:
This is done by the crank pin 13 actuating the limit switch 69.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

(Effect of the invention) In a suction cup device having a plurality of suction cups,
Each suction cup must reliably adsorb the sheet-like member, but according to the present invention, each suction cup Even if the distances between the suction cups provided at the lower end of the shaft and the sheet member are uneven, the unevenness is absorbed by the first elastic member, so that each absorption disk can reliably attract the sheet member.

Further, although multiple suction cups must be released from suction at the same time, according to the present invention, since an adjustment screw is provided corresponding to each suction cup shaft, it is possible to release suction at the same timing. , misfeeds are prevented. Further, this timing adjustment can be performed within the device of the present invention, and after the timing adjustment is performed, the device of the present invention can be incorporated into the main device, so the adjustment is extremely easy.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, suction and release of each suction cup are performed independently for each suction cup, so even if there is an inconvenience in releasing suction of one suction cup due to, for example, a clogged ventilation hole, the effect will not be affected. Not as good as other suckers.

Also, when picking up narrow sheets,
Even if one of the suction cups is not in contact with the sheet and is in an idle state, the influence of this idle suction cup does not extend to the other suction cups, and the other suction cups can reliably release the suction from the sheet.

Therefore, a single device of the present invention can adsorb sheets of various widths, eliminating the need for mold changing operations.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a front view of the X-ray tomography camera, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the film auto-order, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the drive mechanism of the sheet feeder, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the sheet when it is released from suction, and FIG. 7 is a side view of FIG. 1. 11...sheet-like member, 19...swinging member, 2
7... Attachment member, 30... Suction cup shaft, 34... First elastic member, 35... Suction cup, 36... Recess, 40
... Valve shaft, 41 ... Valve member, 42 ... Second elastic member, 44 ... Valve lever, 48 ... Adjustment screw, 50
...stopper member.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A pair of left and right swinging members 19 swingably attached to the fixed side, and a mounting member 2 fixed between the pair of swinging members.
7, a plurality of suction cup shafts 30 provided on the mounting member 27 at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction and penetrating the mounting member 27 in the vertical direction so as to be slidable in the vertical direction; a shaft mounting plate 31 fixed to the upwardly protruding portion of the suction cup shaft 30 so as to come into contact with the suction cup shaft 30; a first elastic member 34; a valve shaft 40 that vertically penetrates through the axial center of the suction cup shaft 30 and is slidably provided in the vertical direction; a vent hole 51 that opens in the lower end surface of the valve shaft 30 and has the other end communicating with the outside world;
a second elastic member 42 that is interposed between the valve shaft 40 and the suction cup shaft 30 and urges the valve shaft 40 upward; a second elastic member 42 that urges the valve shaft 40 upward; The suction cup shaft 3 surrounds the member 41.
Parabolic suction cup 3 attached to the lower end of 0
5, provided between the pair of swinging members 19 and rotatably supported on the shaft mounting plate 31;
A valve lever 44 that is rotated by contacting a stopper member 50 provided on the fixed side; and an adjustment screw that is screwed into the valve lever 44 so as to be able to move forward and backward while facing the top of each valve shaft 40. 4
8, the valve lever 44 is provided with the stopper member 50.
The suction cup device is characterized in that the valve shaft 40 descends by contacting and rotating, thereby opening the vent hole 51 closed by the valve member 41.