JP2005288595A - Suction pad device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a suction pad device capable of eliminating the risk to damage a work owing to a high followup performance of the work after the surface to be sucked even if a hard material is applied to the abutting part of a suction pad for avoiding the problem of heat resistance or leaving suction marks and capable of being embodied in a simple and small (less tall) construction. <P>SOLUTION: The suction pad device includes the suction pad 2 furnished with through-hole(s) 10 and sucking the work abutting to the abutting part 12 around the other end of the through-hole 10, and is equipped with a casing 4 arranged so that one end of the through hole 10 in the suction pad 2 opens to inside and the suction pad 2 can protrude to inside and outside and where an inhaling hole 4b is formed for inhaling the air from the through-hole 10 and a sheet-form resilient member 6 installed stretching between the casing 4 and the suction pad 2 and supporting the suction pad 2 on the casing 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a suction pad device for sucking and holding a workpiece when the workpiece is transported.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a suction device including a suction pad has been used as means for holding a workpiece when a workpiece such as a product material is transported in a factory or the like.
The suction device includes a suction pad that sucks a workpiece that comes into contact with a contact portion around the other end of the through hole by forming a through hole and sucking air from one end of the through hole, and air in the through hole. A suction device or the like for sucking the water

A conventional suction pad is generally provided with a contact portion (skirt portion) made of an elastic material (for example, Patent Document 1 Conventional Technology, FIGS. 12 and 13). NBR (nitrile butadiene rubber) or the like is widely used as an elastic material constituting the contact portion (skirt portion).
As described in Patent Document 1, as problems of such a conventional suction pad, the contact portion (skirt portion) is inferior in heat resistance, the material component of the contact portion (skirt portion), and the like. The point that it adheres to a workpiece | work along an abutting part, and what is called an adsorption trace remains is mentioned.

  In order to solve the problem of heat resistance and adsorption marks, as described in Patent Document 1 (paragraph 0007 and the like), the contact portion (skirt portion) is made of elastic material such as fluoro rubber and has heat resistance. Although a means composed of a high material (elastomer) can be considered, since such a material is very expensive compared to NBR or the like, there arises a new problem that the material cost of the suction pad is increased.

In order to solve the problem of material cost while avoiding the problems of heat resistance and suction marks, there can be a solution to make the material of the contact part of the suction pad cheap material such as hard resin or metal .
However, in this case, since the flexibility of the contact portion is impaired, the followability of the contact portion with respect to the angle of the suction surface of the workpiece is poor, and a gap is generated between the workpiece and the contact portion, and the workpiece cannot be sucked. (Adsorption failure) New problems arise such that the hard contact portion comes into contact with the work and the work is easily damaged.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228688 describes a technique for improving the followability of the contact portion to the work and preventing the work from being damaged while using a hard material as the material of the contact portion of the suction pad. The suction pad described in Patent Document 2 has a suitable suction performance by forming a bellows part by cutting hard resin or metal in a part that forms the contact part, and making the contact part elastic. It can be realized and can prevent the workpiece from being damaged (paragraphs 0010-0015, FIG. 1).

JP 2002-144269 A (conventional technology, paragraphs 0007, 12 and 13) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-171080 (paragraphs 0010-0015, FIG. 1)

  However, the suction pad described in Patent Document 2 has a bellows portion that extends in the suction direction of the suction pad (direction perpendicular to the suction surface of the workpiece), and thus the suction pad is reduced in size (reduced in height). However, there is a limit, and there is a problem that it cannot be formed compactly. Furthermore, since the vicinity of the contact portion of the suction pad is cut to form the bellows portion, there is a problem that the processing takes time and cost.

  The present invention is made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and the purpose thereof is to adopt a hard material for the contact portion of the suction pad in order to avoid problems of heat resistance and suction marks, An object of the present invention is to provide a suction pad device that has high followability to the suction surface of a workpiece, does not damage the workpiece, and can be downsized (reduced in height) with a simple structure.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the suction pad device according to the present invention has the following configuration. That is, a through-hole is formed, and by sucking air from one end of the through-hole, a suction pad that sucks a workpiece that comes into contact with a contact portion around the other end of the through-hole, and a through-hole of the suction pad The one end of the hole is opened to the inside and the suction pad can be protruded, and a casing having a suction port for sucking air from the through hole is formed between the casing and the suction pad. And a sheet-like elastic member that supports the suction pad with respect to the casing.
Furthermore, the sheet-like elastic member is stretched across the inner peripheral portion of the casing and the outer peripheral portion of the suction pad.
According to this, by sucking air from the suction port of the casing, air in the through hole of the suction pad can be sucked and the work can be sucked. Since the casing and the suction pad are connected by the sheet-like elastic member and the suction pad is elastically supported, the suction pad preferably follows the suction surface of the workpiece and the suction pad contacts the workpiece. The workpiece is not damaged when touching. Furthermore, since it is a simple structure and uses a sheet-like elastic member, it can be reduced in size (reduced in height) compared to a conventional suction pad having a bellows portion or the like.

The sheet-like elastic member is a sealing member that shields air from leaking from between the casing and the suction pad when sucking air in the casing and the through-hole through the suction port. It is characterized by that.
According to this, it is not necessary to provide a separate sealing member in addition to the sheet-like elastic member, the structure of the apparatus can be simplified, and the size can be reduced (low profile).

In the suction pad, at least the contact portion is made of a material harder than the sheet-like elastic member.
According to this, since the suction pad is supported by the softer sheet-like elastic member, the followability to the suction surface can be maintained and the work is not damaged. Therefore, in order to avoid the problems of heat resistance and suction marks, an inexpensive material (hard resin, metal, etc.) can be employed for the contact portion of the suction pad.

The suction pad may further include a biasing member that biases the suction pad in a direction protruding from the casing.
According to this, even when the suction pad is pressed by the workpiece, the suction pad can be suitably pressed against the suction surface of the workpiece by the biasing force of the biasing member, and the position recoverability of the suction pad is improved. be able to.

The suction pad may further include a restricting means for restricting a movement range of the suction pad in a direction protruding from the casing.
According to this, even when the suction pad is strongly pulled due to the weight of the workpiece or the like, damage and elongation of the sheet-like elastic member can be prevented. Further, the position recovery property of the suction pad and the position accuracy at the time of position recovery can be improved.

  According to the suction pad device of the present invention, even when a hard material is used for the contact portion of the suction pad in order to avoid the problems of heat resistance and suction marks, the followability of the workpiece to the suction surface is ensured. It has the effect of being high in size, not damaging the workpiece, and having a simple structure and miniaturization (low profile).

  The best mode for carrying out the suction pad device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a suction pad device A according to an embodiment of the suction pad device of the present invention.
The suction pad device A includes a suction pad 2, a casing 4, a sheet rubber 6 made of synthetic rubber as a sheet elastic member, and a spring 8 as a biasing member.

The suction pad 2 includes a cylindrical member 2a in which a through hole 10 is formed, and a skirt member 2b having a contact portion 12 with which a workpiece contacts at one end.
A protrusion 14 is formed at one end of the skirt member 2b. Further, the skirt member 2 b is formed with a through hole 18 that connects the recessed portion 16 formed by being surrounded by the projecting peripheral portion 14 and the other end 20.
The cylindrical member 2a is formed so that the outer diameter is substantially the same as that of the through hole 18 of the skirt member 2b, and a large diameter portion 22 having a larger diameter is formed at one end.
The cylindrical member 2 a is inserted into the through hole 18 from the other end side of the large diameter portion 22. Then, the ring-shaped fastener 24 is fitted into the groove portion 26 formed on the outer periphery of the other end of the cylindrical member 2a, so that the skirt member 2b is sandwiched between the large-diameter portion 22 and the fastener 24, The cylindrical member 2a and the skirt member 2b are connected. In addition, the connection means of the cylindrical member 2a and the skirt member 2b is not limited to that by the fastener 24, and may be replaced by other connection means such as bonding with an adhesive or screwing.
The skirt member 2b has a high heat resistance and is made of a material such as hard resin or metal so that an adsorption mark does not remain when contacting the workpiece.

  The casing 4 has a bottom portion 4a at one end and is formed in a cylindrical shape having an opening at the other end. An opening that communicates the inside and outside of the casing 4 is formed in the bottom 4a as a suction port 4b.

  The suction pad 2 is disposed so that one end portion (the other end portion of the contact portion 12) where the large-diameter portion 22 of the cylindrical member 2 a is formed is located in the casing 4. Thereby, one end of the through hole 10 opens into the casing 4.

The sheet-like rubber 6 is provided on the end surface of the other end (opening end) of the casing 4 by being hermetically bonded with an adhesive.
The sheet rubber 6 has an opening at the center, and the inner edge of the opening is airtightly connected to the outer periphery of the suction pad 2. More specifically, the inner edge portion of the opening of the sheet-like rubber 6 is connected to the outer peripheral portion of the suction pad 2 by being sandwiched between the large-diameter portion 22 of the tubular member 2a and the end face of the skirt member 2b. The
Thereby, the sheet-like rubber 6 is stretched across the inner peripheral part of the casing 4 and the outer peripheral part of the suction pad 2. The sheet rubber 6 acts as a sealing member between the casing 4 and the suction pad 2 and is hermetically shielded, and the inside of the casing 4 is configured to communicate with the outside only through the suction port 4 b and the through hole 10. The

  The connecting means between the sheet-like rubber 6 and the suction pad 2 and the casing 4 is not limited to bonding with an adhesive or clamping between the large diameter portion 22 and the skirt member 2b. For example, means such as screwing may be used.

A regulating member 28 for regulating the moving range of the suction pad 2 is attached to the other end (opening end) of the casing 4. The regulating member 28 is formed in a ring shape, has an outer diameter that is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the casing 4, and an inner diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the large-diameter portion 22 of the suction pad 2.
Thereby, when the large-diameter portion 22 is hooked on the restricting member 28, restricting means for restricting the movement range of the suction pad 2 in the direction protruding from the casing 4 is configured.

  The means for attaching the regulating member 28 to the casing 4 is not particularly limited, and any means such as bonding with an adhesive or screwing can be employed. For example, the restriction member 28 and the sheet-like rubber 6 may be attached to the casing 4 with screws that penetrate the restriction member 28 and the sheet-like rubber 6.

The spring 8 is disposed in the casing 4 so that one end is in contact with the inner surface of the bottom portion 4a of the casing 4 and the other end is in contact with one end surface of the suction pad 2 (end surface of the large diameter portion 22). The urging is performed in a direction protruding from the casing 4.
Since the movement range of the suction pad 2 in the direction protruding from the casing 4 is restricted by the restriction means, the suction pad 2 is always at the initial position (position shown in FIG. 1) where the large-diameter portion 22 is caught by the restriction member 28. Be placed.

  The suction pad device A according to the present embodiment is attached to a transport device that transports a workpiece such as a product material (liquid crystal panel as an example) installed in a factory or the like. The transport device includes a suction device capable of sucking air, and the suction port 4b of the suction pad device A is communicated with the suction device via a pipe (not shown). The transport device sucks and holds the product material on the suction pad device A by the suction device, and drives the drive mechanism linked to the suction pad device A to transport the material.

  Next, a method for sucking and transporting a workpiece using the suction pad device A according to the present embodiment, and the operation and action at that time will be described.

  First, the drive mechanism of the transport device is driven, and the suction pad device A is moved to a position where the suction pad device A is lightly in contact with the suction surface S of the workpiece as shown in FIG.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, even if the angle of the suction surface S of the workpiece is inclined with respect to the angle of the contact portion 12 at the initial position of the suction pad 2, the suction pad 2 is a sheet-like rubber. 6 and the spring 8 are elastically supported, so that the angle of the contact portion 12 of the suction pad 2 suitably follows the suction surface S of the workpiece, and the suction pad 2 (skirt member 2b) contacts the workpiece. The workpiece is not damaged when touching.

  Subsequently, the suction device is driven to suck air from the suction port 4b of the suction pad device A.

  At this time, the casing 4 and the suction pad 2 are hermetically shielded by a sheet-like rubber 6 constituting a sealing member, and the inside of the casing 4 is configured to communicate with the outside only through the suction port 4 b and the through hole 10. Therefore, air is sucked from the through hole 10. Then, a negative pressure is generated in the recess 16 of the skirt member 2 b communicating with the through hole 10, and the suction surface S of the workpiece that contacts the contact portion 12 and closes the recess 16 is sucked to the suction pad 2.

  Subsequently, by driving the drive mechanism and raising the suction pad device A, the workpiece can be lifted and transported to another location.

  When the workpiece is raised, the suction pad 2 is pulled downward by the weight of the workpiece, but the movement of the suction pad 2 is restricted by the restriction member 28 and the large-diameter portion 22 being caught. In other words, an excessive pulling force due to the weight of the workpiece is not applied to damage or elongation.

  When the workpiece is transported to a desired place, the suction by the suction device is released, so that the negative pressure in the casing 4, the through hole 10 and the recess 16 is released, and the drive device is further driven to remove the suction pad device A from the workpiece. By pulling apart, the workpiece can be transported.

  At this time, the suction pad 2 can return to the initial position quickly and with high positional accuracy by the biasing force of the spring 8, and the subsequent re-suction operation can be suitably repeated.

  Further, according to the suction pad device A according to the present embodiment, the suction pad 2 has a simple structure and uses a thin sheet-like rubber 6, so that the suction pad 2 is compared with a conventional suction pad having a bellows portion or the like. The length of the suction direction (the direction perpendicular to the suction surface S of the workpiece) can be shortened to reduce the size (reducing the height).

As described above, various preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the configuration of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.
As another example, another configuration example included in the present invention is shown below.
In the present embodiment, the sheet-like rubber 6 is configured to elastically support the suction pad 2 and at the same time have a function of a sealing member that shields between the casing 4 and the suction pad 2. In addition to the sheet-like elastic member, a sealing member that shields between the casing 4 and the suction pad 2 may be provided separately.
Further, the joining position of the sheet-like elastic member is not limited to the end of the casing, and may be provided so as to connect the bottom 4a of the casing and the suction pad 2, for example.
The present invention is particularly effective when a hard material is used for the contact portion of the suction pad, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a soft material is used for the contact portion. Even when applied to the above, the sheet-like elastic member has an effect that is not found in the prior art, such as an effect of improving the followability of the suction pad to the suction surface without causing an increase in the size of the apparatus.

  In the said embodiment, although the example in the case of using this invention for the conveyance of the material in a factory was demonstrated, this invention is not limited to this, For every apparatus which adsorb | sucks a to-be-adsorbed object (workpiece | work) with a suction pad. Can be applied.

It is sectional drawing of the suction pad apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. It is sectional drawing at the time of adsorb | sucking a workpiece | work using the suction pad apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

A Suction pad device S Suction surface of workpiece 2 Suction pad 2a Cylindrical member 2b Skirt member 4 Casing 4a Bottom 4b Suction port 6 Sheet rubber (sheet elastic member)
8 Spring 10 Through-hole 12 Contact part 14 Projection part 16 Concave part 22 Large diameter part (regulation means)
28 Restriction member (regulation means)

Claims (6)

A suction pad that sucks a workpiece that comes into contact with a contact portion around the other end of the through hole by forming a through hole and sucking air from one end of the through hole;
A casing in which the one end of the through hole of the suction pad opens to the inside and the suction pad can be protruded, and a suction port for sucking air from the through hole is formed;
A suction pad device comprising a sheet-like elastic member that is stretched between the casing and the suction pad and supports the suction pad with respect to the casing.   The suction pad device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet-like elastic member is stretched across an inner peripheral portion of the casing and an outer peripheral portion of the suction pad.   The sheet-like elastic member forms a seal member that shields air from leaking between the casing and the suction pad when air in the casing and the through-hole is sucked through the suction port. The suction pad device according to claim 1, wherein the suction pad device is provided.   The suction pad device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least the contact portion of the suction pad is made of a material harder than the sheet-like elastic member.   The suction pad device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a biasing member that biases the suction pad in a direction protruding from the casing.   The suction pad device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a restriction unit that restricts a movement range of the suction pad in a direction protruding from the casing.

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