Article dispensing – Cellular magazine type – Rolled or folded web type magazine
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-03
2001-10-02
Noland, Kenneth W. (Department: 3651)
Article dispensing
Cellular magazine type
Rolled or folded web type magazine
C198S803600
Reexamination Certificate
active
06296145
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a parts feeder using a strip carrier, and more particularly to a parts feeder designed to hold parts being transported in an orientation required to be picked up by a vacuum pickup.
2. Background Art
Parts feeders are known which have a strip carrier and a vacuum pickup. The strip carrier stores small parts in recesses formed in line and is moved intermittently to a pickup station. The vacuum pickup is disposed above a travel path of the strip carrier to pick up the parts one from each of the recesses of the strip carrier.
Such prior art parts feeders have a drawback in that vibrations of the strip carrier during moving may cause the parts to stand vertically, thereby making it difficult to take up the parts from the recesses using the vacuum pickup.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a parts feeder designed to hold parts being transported in an orientation required to be picked up at a pickup station.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a parts feeding apparatus which comprises: (a) a pickup station; (b) a strip carrier moved intermittently to the pickup station along a given travel path, the strip carrier having storage chambers arrayed in a lengthwise direction thereof, the storage chambers having openings and storing therein parts each of which is made of a plate member and has electrodes formed on ends thereof, the electrodes having at least a magnetic portion; (c) a pickup picking up one of the parts from a corresponding one of the openings of the storage chambers of the strip carrier upon arriving at the pickup station; and (d) a magnet disposed at the pickup station so as to be opposed to the pickup through the strip carrier for magnetically keeping each of the parts in a desired orientation within one of the storage chambers, the magnet having a non-pole face oriented to the strip carrier.
According to the second aspect of the invention, there is provided a parts feeding apparatus which comprises: (a) a pickup station; (b) a strip carrier moved intermittently to the pickup station along a given travel path, the strip carrier having storage chambers arrayed in a lengthwise direction thereof, the storage chambers having openings and storing therein parts each of which is made of a plate member and has electrodes formed on ends thereof, the electrodes having at least a magnetic portion; (c) a pickup picking up one of the parts from a corresponding one of the openings of the storage chambers of the strip carrier upon arriving at the pickup station; and (d) a magnet disposed at the pickup station beneath the pickup, the magnet having a length extending from a downstream side to an upstream side of the pickup for magnetically keeping each of the parts in a desired orientation within one of the storage chambers, the magnet having a non-pole face oriented to the strip carrier.
According to the third aspect of the invention, there is provided a parts feeding apparatus which comprises: (a) a pickup station; (b) a strip carrier moved intermittently to the pickup station along a given travel path, the strip carrier having storage chambers arrayed in a lengthwise direction thereof, the storage chambers having openings and storing therein parts each of which is made of a plate member and has electrodes formed on ends thereof, the electrodes having at least a magnetic portion; (c) a pickup picking up one of the parts from a corresponding one of the openings of the storage chambers of the strip carrier upon arriving at the pickup station; and (d) a magnet disposed at the pickup station, the magnet having a length extending from at least a lower side of the pickup to an upstream side of the pickup for magnetically keeping each of the parts in a desired orientation within one of the storage chambers. The magnet has a non-pole face oriented to the strip carrier and a width in a direction perpendicular to a length of the strip carrier which is greater than that of the parts.
In the preferred mode of the invention, the strip carrier also has a cover tape covering the openings of the storage chambers. A stripping portion is further disposed upstream of the pickup station to strip the cover tape off the strip carrier. The length of the magnet extends from an upstream side of the stripping portion to the downstream side of the pickup.
A non-magnetic supporting member is disposed over the magnet on which the strip carrier moves. The supporting member has a recessed portion greater than each of the openings of the storage chambers for allowing the strip carrier to be deformed when pressed by the pickup at the pickup station, thereby preventing the parts from sticking in the bottom of the strip carrier. The supporting member is made of an elastic material. A pressure member is disposed so as to urge the strip carrier against the supporting member.
The magnet may be disposed within the supporting member.
The magnet may be arranged so as to expose the non-pole face to the recessed portion of the supporting member.
An distance adjusting means may further be provided for adjusting a distance between the parts and the non-pole face of the magnet.
Each if the parts has an upper surface, a lower surface, a pair of first opposed side surfaces, and a pair of second opposed side surfaces formed adjacent the first opposed surfaces. Each of the electrodes extends from an end portion of the upper surface to an end portion of the lower surface across one of the first opposed surfaces without occupying the second opposed surfaces.
The magnet may be a ferrite magnet.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5836437 (1998-11-01), Saito et al.
patent: 0876091 (1998-11-01), None
patent: 07 038286 (1995-02-01), None
Fujita Tomonori
Nagaya Toshihiko
Sumida Hiroto
Tanaka Kunio
Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Noland Kenneth W.
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