JP2587045B2 - Method and apparatus for automatically separating and supplying thin plates - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a method for automatically separating and supplying thin plates, such as lead frames, which are stacked in large numbers and automatically supplying one by one to a next process. And its device.

(Prior Art) In general, in a semiconductor component manufacturing process, a component is usually supplied to an assembling apparatus by a magazine.
When supplying parts to this magazine, it has been customary to manually supply the parts. However, when components are supplied manually, secretions of the hands adhere to the surface of the lead frame, which is a semiconductor component, causing corrosion, resulting in defective products.

In addition, the work efficiency is poor in such manual work, and a device that automates this work has been proposed.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As one example, there is a "separation and removal device for lead frame" disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 49-42828. This device is
A plurality of X-shaped members crossed in an "X" shape and engaged at the cross portion; a support arm for connecting the X-shaped members and opening and closing the X-shaped members; and a connection to the support arm. An elastic member having a high degree of friction is fixed to the vicinity of the tip of each X-shaped member. However, this apparatus can be applied to separating and picking up the lead frames stacked flat (in a state where the plate-shaped ones are stacked horizontally) one by one. At this time, the crossing angle of the X-shaped member is enlarged by the opening / closing operation described above, and one of the uppermost layers of the flat stacked lead frames is gripped by the elastic member,
By moving the lead frame upward, the lead frame can be separated and picked up, and the lead frame can be automatically separated without manual operation and supplied to the next step. However, this device has many operation steps such as opening and closing or up-and-down movement of the X-shaped member, which is an obstacle to performing the operation at high speed. Further, in order to speed up the operation of gripping the lead frame with the X-shaped member, the gripping force has to be increased to prevent the lead frame from being dropped, so that the lead frame may be bent and the lead frame may not be used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and separates a thin plate such as a lead frame at high speed and accurately one by one, and quickly transfers the separated thin plate to the next step. It is an object to provide a method and a device that can be supplied.

(Means for Solving the Problems) According to the present invention, in order to achieve the object as described above, a plurality of thin plates arranged and stacked in an upright state are moved forward one by one in the stacking direction. (A) rotating the contact moving member to rotate the contact moving member so as to be in front of the upper outer peripheral portion of one of the plurality of thin plates positioned at the top in the stacking direction; The contact surface of the contact moving member is brought into contact only with the edge of the thin plate, and the contact surface is brought into contact with the front edge of the upper outer peripheral portion of the one thin plate positioned at the head. When rotating while contacting, the contact surface exerts an elastic force such as to press the one thin plate positioned at the head, and the contact surface moves along with the rotation of the contact moving member. A diagonally downward and forward force is applied to the upper outer peripheral portion of one thin plate positioned at the top. Thus, the upper outer peripheral portion is rotated about the lower outer peripheral portion of the one thin plate positioned at the head, and the one thin plate positioned at the head is turned forward to be separated from the subsequent thin plate. (B) continuing the rotation of the contact moving member to separate the contact surface from the one thin plate positioned at the top which has been inverted, and further continuing the rotation of the contact moving member; The inverted one of the stacked sheets
A method for automatically separating and supplying thin plates, wherein the process of (a) is repeated for thin plates except for one sheet.

In one aspect of the present invention, the elastic force is based on a spring.

According to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for separating and supplying a plurality of thin plates arranged and stacked in an upright state one by one forward in the stacking direction. Holding and sending means for aligning and holding the plurality of thin plates in an upright state and sending them forward, a rotating body rotating about a rotating shaft, and a plurality of sheets held by the holding and sending means A contact moving member attached to the rotating body so that the contact surface can contact only the front edge of the upper outer peripheral portion of one of the thin plates positioned in the leading direction in the feeding direction; An elastic member for applying an elastic force to the moving member, wherein the contact moving member presses the one thin plate located at the head based on the elastic force of the elastic member, and the contact surface is Positioned at the head with the rotation of the rotating body A diagonally downward and forward force is applied to the upper outer peripheral portion of the thin sheets, and the upper outer peripheral portion is rotated about the lower outer peripheral portion of the one thin plate positioned at the leading end to rotate the upper peripheral portion to the position located at the leading end. Automatic separation and supply of thin plates, characterized in that the thin plates are turned forward and separated from subsequent thin plates, and a supply means is provided for feeding the separated thin plates. An apparatus is provided.

In one aspect of the present invention, the contact member is attached to the rotating body so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis, and the contact moving member has the head at one end thereof. The nail is formed with the contact surface that is in contact with one thin plate located at the other end, and the other end is connected to the elastic member.

In one aspect of the present invention, the elastic member is a spring.

(Operation) According to the above-described method and apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to perform a separating / supplying operation on a thin plate such as a lead frame arranged and placed in an upright state. That is, a contact moving member, for example, a rotating claw is brought into contact with each of the thin plates arranged and placed in an upright state to separate them from other thin plates, and after the separation, the thin plates that have been transferred onto the belt are appropriately separated into a magazine or the like. Can be supplied continuously.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the operation process required by the conventional apparatus, that is, gripping and picking up the flat stacked sheets one by one, moving the sheets one by one while holding the picked up thin sheets and supplying them to a magazine or the like Most of the operation steps, such as carrying out or returning and gripping after supply, can be simplified or omitted.

In order to separate the leading one of the thin plates arranged and placed in an upright state from the other thin plates, the one thin plate may be inverted in the supply direction, and in the present invention, the contact moving member, for example, rotates. Performed by nails. The device for this purpose is much simpler than the conventional device in which one thin plate is gripped and picked up, and its operation is much quicker. In the present invention, the thin plates that have been separated and then inverted in the supply direction can be conveyed one by one to the next step by appropriate means. In addition, these separation / supply operations can be performed continuously and independently of each other.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an automatic thin sheet separating / supplying apparatus according to the present invention.

In the figure, a shaft 2a supported by a motor 1 and a shaft 2b provided at a certain interval on the shaft 2a.
, Two delivery belts 3 are wound around via pulleys. However, the mounting position of the shaft 2b is
The belt 3 is located at a position slightly higher than 2a, and the belt 3 is inclined so as to increase in height in the delivery direction indicated by the arrow A. A delivery head 4 having a delivery surface 4 'substantially perpendicular to the inclined surface is provided between the belts 3, and the head 4 is synchronized with the rotation of the belt 3 so that the delivery head 4 is rotated. Is movable in the sending direction. A plurality of thin plates 5 are placed on the two belts 3 in an upright state, and are supported by a delivery surface 4 ′ of a head 4. When the motor 1 is driven by such a configuration, the head 4 can push out the thin plate 5 in the sending direction in synchronization with the rotation of the belt 3. Further, the belt 3 is provided with the inclination as described above, and the thin plate 5 placed on the belt 3
Is supported by the delivery surface 4 'of the head 4,
The thin plate 5 can be kept upright and aligned without falling down even at the time of feeding. A sensor 13 is provided near the end of the belt 3 on the shaft 2b side. The sensor 13 can detect that the leading end of the thin plates 5 arranged and placed in an upright state has reached near the end of the belt 3 on the shaft 2b side. When the leading thin plate 5a arranged and placed at the detection position reaches the head, the head 4 and the belt 3 are temporarily stopped.

A supply belt 8 having the same inclined surface as the belt 3 or an inclined surface having a larger inclination angle is provided in the sending direction of the sending belt 3. The conveying surface of the belt 8 is in the same plane as that of the belt 3, but the rotation of the belt 8 is performed independently of that of the belt 3 by a motor (not shown). It is possible to rotate.

Above the vicinity of the end of the supply belt 8 on the shaft 2b side, there is provided a rotary plate 6 supported by a shaft 9, and this rotary plate is rotatable in the direction of arrow B by the drive of the motor 11. . The number of the rotating plates 6 can be appropriately provided,
In this embodiment, the number is two as shown. A claw connected to a tension spring 7 is provided on the rotating plate 6.
14 is rotatably supported and is always urged in the direction of arrow D. An elastic member 17 having a certain degree of frictional force is provided outside the claws 14. The claw 14 operates so as to always raise the claw in the direction of arrow D by the spring force of the tension spring 7, but this operation is stopped by a stopper 16 fixed to the rotating plate 6. The elastic member 17 may be made of a material having a high friction coefficient and hardly deforming, for example, a hard rubber. When the rotating plate 6 rotates in the direction of arrow B and the elastic member 17 comes into contact with the leading one of the thin plates 5,
Based on the fact that the claw 14 is urged in the direction of arrow D by the tension spring 7, this elastic member 17 is moved forward and obliquely downward in the direction of arrow D with respect to the first sheet of the thin plate 5. ).

The position of the rotating plate 6 in the feeding direction of the belt 3 can be adjusted by a position adjusting mechanism 12.
Thereby, the height of the belt 3 with respect to the inclined surface can be adjusted.

In the above-described configuration, the tension spring 7 is used as a means for urging the claw 14 in the direction of arrow D. In addition, a push spring is attached via a rod and the length or strength of this spring is adjusted as appropriate. You may do it.

Next, the operation of the apparatus of this embodiment configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 (a) to 2 (d). 2 (a) to 2 (d) are main part side views of the present apparatus in various rotation states of the rotating plate 6. FIG.

In operation of the present apparatus, first, the height and position of the rotating plate 6 with respect to the supply belt 8 are adjusted by the height adjusting mechanism 10 and the position adjusting mechanism 12. This adjustment is performed when the first sheet 5a of the stacked thin plates 5 is sent out to the detection position of the sensor 13, and the surface of the elastic member 17 provided on the claw 14 is rotated by the rotation of the rotary plate 6. The leading thin plate 5a comes into contact with the leading end of the thin plate 5a in the supply direction C.

At the start of the operation of the present apparatus, the thin plates 5 horizontally stacked on the belt 3 are in a state of waiting together with the delivery head 4 on the shaft 2a side. When the driving of the motor 1 is started, the head 4 pushes out the thin plate 5 in the sending direction in synchronization with the rotation of the belt 3.
When the first sheet 5a of the thin plate reaches the detection position of the sensor 13, the rotation of the belt 3 and the movement of the head 4 are temporarily stopped. At the same time, the rotating plate 6 is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow B by the motor 11 (FIG. 3A). When the elastic member 17 attached to the claw 14 comes into contact with the tip of the leading thin plate 5a (FIG. 2B), the leading thin plate 5a is turned over on the supply belt 8 in the supply direction C. (FIGS. 2 (c) and (d)). At this time, the belt 3 and the head 4 are driven again by the detection of the sensor 13, and the thin plate 5 is sent out until the leading thin plate 5a reaches the detection position of the sensor 13. During this time, the rotation of the rotating plate 6 causes the claw 14 to approach the vicinity of the leading end of the thin plate 5, and separates the leading thin plate 5a in the supply direction again and performs an operation of inverting. On the other hand, the thin plate 5b that has already been placed on the supply belt 8 is transported in the supply direction C with the rotation of the supply belt 8, and is supplied to the next step, for example, a magazine. Thereafter, by repeating the same operation, the thin plates 5 are sequentially supplied one by one to the next step.

When the rotating plate 6 rotates and the surface of the elastic member 17 of the claw 14 comes into contact with the upper end of the leading thin plate 5a during the operation of the present apparatus described above, the claw 14 is moved to the arrow E shown in FIG. Is lifted in the direction, but is urged in the opposite direction D by the spring force of the tension spring 7, so that the claw 14 separates the thin plate 5a from the other thin plates 5 while abutting on the leading end of the thin plate 5a. It can be turned over on the supply belt 8.

In the structure of the apparatus of the present embodiment, it is convenient to use a slippery steel belt as the delivery belt 3 and a rubber belt having a high friction coefficient as the supply belt 8. This is desired in terms of the function that each belt should have, but in particular, in the case of the supply belt 8,
Since the belt 8 is installed with an inclination, it is preferable to use a rubber belt or the like having a high coefficient of friction so that the thin plate 5b placed on the belt does not slide down.

Further, when the leading thin plate 5a is separated from other thin plates 5, it is necessary to use a tension spring 14 having an appropriate spring force so that the thin plate 5a is not damaged by being pressed by the claw 14. In particular, when the thin plate does not have sufficient strength in the height direction, it is necessary to replace the tension spring 14 with a material having a weak spring force.

Furthermore, when the leading thin plate 5a falls down in the supply direction C, the thin plates 5a should be prevented from being damaged by increasing the inclination angles θ and θ ′ of the belts 3 and 8 as much as possible. In particular, when the inclination angle of the belt 8 is increased, it is necessary to consider the friction coefficient of the belt 8 so that the thin plate 5b placed on the supply belt 8 does not slide down.

In order to increase the speed of separating the leading thin plate 5a, the number of claws 14 to be attached to the rotating plate 6 can be increased to an appropriate number.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the present invention, the contact time with the thin plate can be reduced as much as possible, and the separating operation is extremely stable and smooth due to the contact movement of the contact moving member, for example, the rotation of the claw. It can be supplied without any complicated operations such as grabbing, carrying, releasing, and returning the thin plate.

Therefore, it is possible to perform reliable automatic separation and supply of sheets one by one without causing defects such as breakage and bending or dropping off even when operated at a high speed, in addition to manual corrosion.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic thin sheet separating / supplying apparatus according to the present invention, and FIGS. 2 (a) to 2 (d) are explanatory views of the operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3 ... delivery belt, 4 ... delivery head, 5 ... thin plate placed on the belt, 5a ... leading thin plate, 5b ... thin plate on supply belt, 6 ... rotating plate, 7 …… Tension spring,
8 ... supply belt, 10 ... height adjustment mechanism, 12 ... position adjustment mechanism, 13 ... sensor, 14 ... claw, 17 ... elastic member.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Atsudo Imaseki 4- 14-12 Koishikawa, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo Inside Kyodo Printing Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Toshiki 4- 14-12 Koishikawa, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo In Kyodo Printing Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-63-97540 (JP, A) JP-A-61-257842 (JP, A) Jpn.

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method for feeding a plurality of thin plates, which are aligned and stacked in an upright state, one by one forward in the stacking direction, comprising: (a) rotating a contact moving member; The contact surface of the contact moving member is brought into contact only with the front edge of the upper outer peripheral portion of one of the plurality of stacked thin plates positioned at the top in the stacking direction, and When the moving member is rotated while the contact surface is in contact with the front edge of the upper outer peripheral portion of the one thin plate positioned at the head, the one thin plate whose contact surface is positioned at the head An elastic force is applied such that the contact moving member rotates and a force obliquely downward and forward is applied to the upper outer peripheral portion of the one thin plate positioned at the head by the contact surface with the rotation of the contact moving member. And thereby the center of the lower outer peripheral portion of the one thin plate positioned at the head The upper outer peripheral portion is rotated so that the one thin plate positioned at the head is turned forward and separated from the subsequent thin plate, and the rotation of the contact moving member is continued so that the contact surface is inverted. (B) keeping the rotation of the contact moving member apart from the one thin plate positioned at the top, and (b) the inverted one of the plurality of stacked thin plates
A method for automatically separating and supplying thin plates, wherein the process of (a) is repeated for thin plates except for one sheet. 2. The method for automatically separating and feeding a thin plate according to claim 1, wherein said elastic force is based on a spring. 3. An apparatus for feeding a plurality of thin plates which are aligned and stacked in an upright state one by one forward in the stacking direction, wherein the plurality of thin plates are provided in an upright state. Holding and sending means for aligning and holding the sheet and sending it forward; a rotating body rotating about a rotation axis; and a thin plate held by the holding and sending means, which is positioned at the top in the sending direction. A contact moving member attached to the rotating body so that the contact surface can contact only the front edge of the upper outer peripheral portion of the thin plates; and an elastic member for applying an elastic force to the contact moving member. The contact moving member is located at the head with the rotation of the rotating body while pressing the one thin plate located at the head based on the elastic force of the elastic member. Obliquely downward and forward with respect to the upper outer peripheral portion of one thin plate Applying the force, rotate the upper outer peripheral portion around the lower outer peripheral portion of the one thin plate located at the head, and invert the one thin plate located at the head forward to remove the subsequent thin plate. An automatic thin plate separating / supplying device, characterized in that it is provided with a supplying means for supplying the separated thin plate by being inverted. 4. The contact moving member is mounted on the rotating body so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis, and the contact movement member is located at one end thereof at the leading end. 4. The automatic separation / supply of a thin plate according to claim 3, wherein the contact surface for contacting the one thin plate is formed, and the other end is a claw connected to the elastic member. apparatus. 5. The automatic thin plate separating / supplying device according to claim 3, wherein said elastic member is a spring.