Material or article handling – Apparatus for moving intersupporting articles into – within,... – Removes intersupporting article from row
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-10
2001-06-05
Krizek, Janice L. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Apparatus for moving intersupporting articles into, within,...
Removes intersupporting article from row
C198S750100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06241461
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for transporting parts, and particularly relates to an apparatus for transporting parts which separates the first part in a row of parts being transported from the second part in this row.
2. Description of the Related Art
Regarding apparatuses for transporting small parts such as chip parts, an apparatus is known wherein an endless belt comprises the bottom of a transporting groove through which parts are guided, and wherein the parts are transported by means of intermittent driving of this belt (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-48419). In the case of this apparatus, a mechanism is provided for separating the first part in the row on the belt from the second part in the row, so as to allow the first part in the row to be extracted therefrom. This separating mechanism acts so that a stopper is brought into contact with the front-most end of a guiding groove at the time that the parts on the belt move forward with the forward motion of the belt, the first part is stopped at a certain position, and upon the first part coming into contact with the stopper so that motion of all parts is stopped, the second part is held in the same position by a holding pin while the stopper is opened forwards so as to allow the first part to proceed forward while remaining in the state of being attached by a permanent magnet on the stopper, thereby forcibly forming a gap between the first part and the second part.
However, this method in the above separating mechanism involves stopping the movement of all parts, attaching the first part by a permanent magnet provided in the stopper, and pulling this part forward by magnetic force, meaning that the parts cannot be separated in the event that the part is formed of a non-magnetic material, or that debris or the like is on the part such that magnetism does not effectively work. Also, friction occurs between the part and belt at the time of extracting the first part, so there is the possibility that the attachment between the permanent magnet and the part may be separated. Thus, such an arrangement has the problem of being unreliable.
Also, even in the event that the first part and second part are separated, the first part on the belt may not be correctly extracted at the time of extracting the part with an suction head such as a mounter or the like. In the event that the equipment fails to extract the part, the stopper cannot return to the original position (i.e., the position at which the stopper comes into contact with the tip of the guiding groove), since subsequent parts are being pressed forward by the belt. Accordingly, the first and second part cannot be separated. Known arrangements necessitate monitoring to check whether or not such failures occur, and in the event that such an extracting failure does occur, the entire apparatus being shut down.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for transporting parts, wherein the first part and second part can be separated in a sure manner even in the event that the parts are non-magnetic material, wherein ease of extracting of the first part is facilitated, and wherein parts can be supplied in a stable manner even in the event that an extracting failure occurs.
In order to achieve the above objects, a first embodiment of the present invention consists of a part transporting apparatus, comprising: a guiding groove for lining up parts in one row and guiding the parts; a transporting member which is provided at the base of the guiding groove and transports parts in one direction by itself moving forwards and backwards along the groove; a driving means for reciprocally driving the transporting member in the forward and backward directions; a first stopper which is provided at the tip of the guiding groove to stop the first part in the row; a second stopper which operates so as to open and close in the width direction of the guiding groove, and hold the second part from the front of the row of parts being transported on the upper plane of the transporting member; a synchronizing means for opening and closing the second stopper synchronously with the reciprocal forward and backward movement of the transporting member; and a synchronizing mechanism for moving the first stopper forwards synchronously with the transporting member immediately before completion of the forward movement of the transporting member, and for moving the first stopper backwards following the backward movement of the transporting member; wherein, once the stopper holds the second part, the transporting member moves forward by a certain distance, thereby separating the first part in the row and the second part.
The first characteristic of the present invention is that the transporting member is reciprocally driven in the forward and backward directions to transport the parts forward, and that once the stopper holds the second part, the transporting member moves further forward, thereby separating the first part and the second part. Accordingly, the driving mechanism is simplified in comparison with known intermittent driving mechanisms using belts, and the first part and second part can be separated in a sure manner even in the event that the part is non-magnetic.
The second characteristic of the present invention is that a first stopper is provided at the tip of the guiding groove to stop the first part in the row, and a synchronizing mechanism is also provided for moving the first stopper forwards synchronously with the transporting member immediately before completion of the forward movement of the transporting member and for moving the first stopper backwards following the backward movement of the transporting member. That is, the first part is abutted against a first stopper at the time of separating the first part and the second part, thereby facilitation ease of extracting. Also, even in the event that an extracting failure leaves the first part remaining on the transporting member, the first part is pressed back by the first stopper to a position at which it is in contact with the second part, so that the separation/extraction can be attempted any number of times. Accordingly, even in the event that an extracting failure occurs, supply can be continued without stopping the overall apparatus.
FIGS. 1A through 1G
illustrate an example of the operating principle of the part transporting apparatus according to the present invention. This operating principle corresponds to a certain arrangement of the present invention.
FIG. 1A
is the initial position, with both sides of the parts P being guided by a guiding groove (not shown), and thereby arrayed in a single row. A transporting member M capable of moving forwards and backwards is provided to the bottom plane of the guiding groove. The parts P ride on the upper surface of the transporting member M, and an opened second stopper S
2
is located by the side of the first part P
1
. In this drawing, the second stopper S
2
is positioned above the parts P, but in actual use is positioned to the side of the parts P (in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the drawing). In front of the transporting member M is the first stopper S
1
at a certain distance away. The transporting member M and the first stopper S
1
are linked with a certain gap g therebetween by means of a synchronizing member R. Also, the first stopper S
1
is held by a certain amount of friction resistance by a resistance member E formed of elastic material.
FIG. 1B
shows the transporting member M in a state of having been moved forward by one pitch. At this point, the first part P
1
comes into contact with the first stopper S
1
. Here, the first stopper S
1
is motionless at the initial position by means of the friction resistance of the resistance member E, and the front of the transporting member M has not yet come into contact with the rear of the first stopper S
1
.
FIG. 1C
shows the second stopper S
2
being operated in the closin
Kaishita Nihei
Nemoto Akira
Takahashi Shigeki
Burns Doane , Swecker, Mathis LLP
Krizek Janice L.
Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
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