Joints and connections – Manually releaseable latch type – Having operating mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-23
2001-05-08
Browne, Lynne H. (Department: 3629)
Joints and connections
Manually releaseable latch type
Having operating mechanism
C403S325000, C403S322300, C403S322400, C403S013000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227755
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
In a parts installation device or the like whereby parts such as electronic components are installed on a circuit board, the present invention relates to a fixing device for a parts supply device whereby the parts supply device can be mounted on the parts supply table by a “one-touch” operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known conventional electronic components installation device has a construction for example as shown in FIG.
9
. In
FIG. 9
,
1
is a circuit board on which the electronic components are to be installed,
2
is a circuit board intake unit,
3
is an XY table for positional location of a circuit board
1
in an installation position, and
4
is a circuit board discharge unit.
5
is an installation head that installs electronic components onto circuit board
1
, and
6
is a parts supply unit that supplies electronic components that may be selected at will to installation head
5
; the construction is such that a large number of parts supply devices
8
are mounted on a supply table
7
that can be displaced in the left/right direction, aligned in the direction of displacement.
A circuit board
1
is fed in by circuit board intake unit
2
and fixed on XY table
3
and located in a prescribed position on XY table
3
. Simultaneously, supply table
7
of parts supply unit
6
is displaced such that a parts supply device
8
holding the desired electronic components faces installation head
5
, and an electronic component is extracted by installation head
5
from parts supply device
8
and installed on circuit board
1
.
A constructional example of parts supply device
8
will now be described with reference to
FIG. 10. A
running guide surface
12
is provided on the upper face of body
11
, and a parts extraction unit
13
is arranged at its leading end. A reel
9
on which is wound a tape carrier
10
carrying a large number of electronic components can be fitted at the rear of body
11
, so that this tape carrier
10
can be pulled out over running guide surface
12
.
14
is a depression lever for pitch feed; by depressing this, tape carrier
10
is pitch-fed by a pitch-feed mechanism (not shown) arranged at the front end of body
11
. Simultaneously, a top tape covering the upper surface of tape carrier
10
is peeled off and is wound up on to top tape take-up reel
15
.
An installation surface
16
for supply table
7
is provided at the bottom face of body
11
, with position locating pins
17
a
,
17
b
projecting at its front and rear. Also, body
11
is provided with a clamping device
20
whereby an installation plate
7
a
on the side of supply table
7
is clamped and fixed. Clamping device
20
is constructed such that it fixes parts supply device
8
on supply table
7
with installation plate
7
a
clamped by hook
18
and installation surface
16
, by rotation of an operation lever
19
at its top from the upright position shown by the dotted line into the horizontal position shown by the solid line.
However, there was the problem of poor operating characteristics since, when mounting the above conventional parts supply device
8
on supply table
7
, it was necessary to fit the pair of positional location pins
17
a
,
17
b
projecting from installation surface
16
in positional location holes formed in installation plate
7
a
on the side of supply table
7
before operating operation lever
19
of clamping device
20
. Time was thus required for mounting of parts supply device
8
since a further operation of operation lever
19
was necessary.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the foregoing in view, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fixing device for a parts supply device of good operating characteristics and wherein the parts supply device can be mounted with respect to the supply table by a “one-touch” operation.
A parts supply device according to the present invention is mounted on a parts supply table and constructed to be capable of supplying parts to a prescribed position, and comprises: an engagement part provided at a front end side that is fixed by engagement, by displacement in forwards/rearwards direction of the parts supply device, with an abutment part that is provided on the side of the parts supply table; and a fixing shaft provided at a rear end side, wherein on the side of the parts supply table there is provided a toggle link mechanism type fixing means comprising an abutment link that can be rocked in a vertical direction, that is formed at its free end with an engagement groove, and that is biased towards two positions: an attitude in which this engagement groove is directed upwardly, and an attitude in which it is horizontal or directed downwardly, provided on the side of the parts supply table, and the fixing shaft of he parts supply device is constructed to be capable of fitting into and engage said engagement groove of the toggle ink mechanism type fixing means.
Further, a fixing device for the parts supply device according to the present invention comprises: an engagement part provided at a front end side of the parts supply device, that is fixed in vertical and left/right directions by engagement, by displacement in forwards/rearwards direction, with an abutment part provided on the side of the parts supply table; a fixing shaft provided in a horizontal direction at a rear end side of the parts supply device; and, a toggle link mechanism type fixing means provided on the side of the parts supply table comprising an abutment link that is capable of vertical rocking and that is formed at its free end with an engagement groove into which this fixing shaft fits and engages, the arrangement being such that the abutment link is biased towards two positions: an attitude in which this engagement groove is directed upwardly and an attitude in which it is horizontal or directed downwardly.
According to the present invention, the abutment lever rocks such that the engagement groove is horizontal or directed downwards after the fixing shaft has been made to fit into and engage the engagement groove of the abutment link by depressing the rear end side on engagement of the engagement part of the front end side of the parts supply device with the abutment part, and this condition is maintained by strong downwards biasing by the toggle link mechanism.
A slot is formed in a shaft support part of the abutment link that is capable of rocking movement, the parts supply device being biased in the forwards/rearwards direction by means for biasing of the toggle link mechanism, the arrangement being such that the engagement part is pressed onto the abutment part in the forwards/rearwards direction. The engagement part can be thus pressed onto the abutment part by utilizing the means for biasing of the toggle link mechanism, thereby making it possible for the parts supply device to be precisely located in position in the forwards/rearwards direction.
The toggle link mechanism type fixing means comprises an abutment link, an operating link whereof one end is pivoted at the opposite end of the abutment link to that of the engagement groove, a bracket comprising a first shaft support part that supports an intermediate part of the abutment link and a second shaft support part that supports the other end of the operating link freely slidably in the longitudinal direction thereof, and a compression spring that is interposed between the leading end of the operating link and the second support shaft part, whereby the desired action can be reliably obtained by a straightforward construction.
Furthermore, precision of positional location of the parts supply device can be ensured by providing a restraining pin which depends at the front or rear of the toggle link mechanism type fixing means and a position locating part which the restraining pin engages provided on the parts supply table.
If the restraining pin depends for a long distance such that engagement of the restraining pin with the position locating part is commenced before the fixing shaft fits into the eng
Hata Kanji
Morimoto Masahiro
Negishi Shigetoshi
Oji Shiro
Browne Lynne H.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Price and Gess
Walsh John B.
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