Feeder for electronic chip components

Details Feeder for electronic chip components Feeder for electronic chip components

1999-03-18

2001-05-22

Bidwell, James R. (Department: 3651)

Conveyors: power-driven

Conveyor for changing attitude of item relative to conveyed...

By conveying randomly faced items and turning items to...

Reexamination Certificate

active

06234298

ABSTRACT:

This application corresponds to Japanese Patent Application No. 10-80819, filed on Mar. 27, 1998, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a feeder for feeding electronic chip components, and more specifically to a feeder for feeding a plurality of randomly oriented electronic chip components in an aligned state.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to feed electronic chip components such as capacitors, resistors, transistors, and filters, a plurality of randomly oriented electronic chip components are dispensed in an aligned state one by one by a feeder.
FIG. 6
schematically illustrates a related feeder
1
for electronic chip components. The feeder
1
for feeding electronic chip components includes a pooling section
2
, an aligning section
3
, a conveying section
4
, and a dispensing section
5
, as respective functional sections.
The pooling section
2
is formed of a hopper
7
for pooling a plurality of randomly oriented electronic chip components
6
(shown in aggregation). A discharge opening
8
is formed in the bottom portion of the hopper
7
. The above-mentioned aligning section
3
is arranged in association with this discharge opening
8
.
FIG. 7
is a perspective cut-away view illustrating the aligning section
3
. As indicated there, an aligning path forming member
10
is formed in the aligning section
3
, forming a tubular aligning path
9
. The aligning path forming member
10
is placed inside of the discharge opening
8
. The aligning path forming member
10
reciprocates in the axis direction of the discharge opening
8
as shown by a predetermined stroke range
11
. This movement is provided by a driving mechanism
30
. The broken line indicates an upper bound of the stroke range
11
. Because of this movement, the aligning path forming member
10
acts on electronic chip components
6
, which are to be discharged from the discharge opening
8
, so as to agitate them. Only the electronic chip components
6
which have become oriented in the predetermined aligning direction by this agitation pass into the tubular aligning path
9
.
In the aligning section
3
shown in
FIG. 7
, in order to enable electronic chip components
6
of small size to be fed, a fixed pipe
12
for guiding electronic chip components
6
in an aligned state is further formed within the tubular aligning path
9
of the aligning path forming member
10
. The inner diameter of the fixed pipe
12
is selected so as to be able to receive an electronic chip component
6
only when the longitudinal direction of the electronic chip component
6
substantially agrees with the axis direction of the fixed pipe
12
.
In this manner, the aligning path forming member
10
agitates electronic chip components
6
, which are to be discharged from the discharge opening
8
, by its reciprocating movement so as to smoothly move electronic components
6
in the hopper
7
and to guide them to the aligning path
9
or the fixed pipe
12
as well. In order to more smoothly guide electronic chip components
6
to the aligning path
9
or the fixed pipe
12
, an inverse conical-shaped concave surface is formed on an end face
13
, located within the hopper
7
, of the aligning path forming member
10
.
Referring again to
FIG. 6
, the electronic chip components
6
passed through the aligning path forming member
10
, or more specifically, through the fixed pipe
12
, will advance to the conveying section
4
. In the conveying section
4
, a conveying path
14
such as a conveyor belt (not shown) is formed. The conveying path
14
is used for conveying the electronic chip components
6
passed through the fixed pipe
12
in an aligned state.
At the end of the conveying path
14
, the above-mentioned dispensing section
5
is formed. In the dispensing section
5
, a dispensing mechanism (not shown) for dispensing electronic chip components
6
is disposed. A picking-up apparatus for picking up electronic chip components
6
(such as a vacuum chuck) can be used for the dispensing mechanism.
As described above, since the aligning path forming member
10
agitates electronic chip components
6
by its reciprocating movement so as to guide them to the aligning path
9
or the fixed pipe
12
, one or more electronic chip components
6
must be ideally guided into the fixed pipe
12
every cycle of the reciprocating movement of the aligning path forming member
10
without any discontinuance.
However, while the aligning path forming member
10
repeats the reciprocating movements, there are some occurrences in which electronic chip components
6
are not guided into the aligning path
9
or the fixed pipe
12
. These occurrences are more likely when a comparatively large number of electronic chip components
6
remain in the hopper
7
. One reason for these occurrences may be that the agitation movement by the aligning path forming member
10
does not sufficiently act on (e.g., agitate) the electronic chip components
6
.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the stroke
11
of the reciprocating movement of the aligning path forming member
10
is increased to obtain harder agitating action. However, when the stroke
11
of the aligning path forming member
10
is increased in this way, the following problems may occur.
First, since an impact on the electronic chip components
6
by the aligning path forming member
10
is increased, electronic chip components
6
may be damaged, reducing the quality of electronic chip components
6
.
Next, when a cycle per unit time is maintained while the stroke
11
of the aligning path forming member
10
is increased, it is necessary to increase the driving speed of the aligning path forming member
10
. This causes an increase in the load to the mechanism
30
for driving the aligning path forming member
10
. This can result in disadvantages such as a breakdown of the mechanism, a reduced life of the mechanism, and/or frequent maintenance of the mechanism.
Also, if the stroke
11
of the aligning path forming member
10
is increased, when a small number of electronic chip components
6
remain in the hopper
7
, the electronic chip components
6
“jump” in the hopper
7
. This may prevent the components
6
from smoothly entering into the aligning path
9
or the fixed pipe
12
.
SUMMARY
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a feeder for electronic chip components which solves or reduces at least the above-mentioned problems.
A feeder for electronic chip components according to the present invention comprises a hopper for accommodating a plurality of electronic chip components, having a discharge opening in the bottom portion thereof. The feeder also includes an aligning path forming member placed in the discharge opening for agitating electronic chip components which are to be discharged from the discharge opening by reciprocating movement of the aligning path forming member in the axis direction of the discharge opening. The aligning path forming member forms a tubular aligning path which receives only the electronic chip components aligned in a predetermined direction therein. The feeder also includes a conveying path for conveying the electronic chip components which have passed through the aligning path forming member in an aligned state, and a dispensing mechanism for dispensing electronic chip components from the end portion of the conveying path. In addition to the reciprocation, the aligning path forming member is driven so as to be rotated around the axis thereof in order to reduce the above-mentioned technological problems.
The feeder according to the present invention may further comprise a fixed pipe for guiding electronic chip components in an aligned state within the tubular aligning path of the aforementioned aligning path forming member.
The aligning path forming member can be coupled to the feeder such that its rotation movement is tied to its reciprocation movement (e.g, such that one type of movement causes the other

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