TWI841309B - Suction nozzle and conveying device having the suction nozzle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention proposes a suction nozzle and a transport device having the suction nozzle, the transport device having a platform with a plurality of suction holes thereon, and a plurality of suction nozzles are respectively arranged at the suction holes. The suction nozzle has a body, an elastic member, and a sealing member, and the body is sealed and combined with the suction holes. The body has a channel, which penetrates the body and forms a first opening and a second opening on two opposite surfaces of the body, and the channel can be connected with the suction holes through the second opening. The elastic sheet surrounds the first opening of the channel and can bend toward the second opening. The sealing member is arranged in the channel and has a gap with the inner wall surface of the channel. The cross-sectional area of the sealing member is larger than the cross-sectional area of the first opening, and when the elastic sheet bends toward the second opening, it can be sealed against the sealing member, thereby blocking the channel so that the airflow cannot flow and avoid air leakage.

Description

Suction nozzle and conveying device having the suction nozzle

This invention relates to a pneumatic device and accessories for pneumatic devices, in particular to a transport device and a suction nozzle thereof for carrying items in a negative pressure manner.

In the production line of circuit substrates, there is a conveying device that absorbs and transports substrates by suction. The conveying device has a platform with multiple suction holes, and each suction hole is connected to a flow channel under the platform. When the conveying device transports the substrate, the substrate is placed above the platform, and the conveying device generates negative pressure in the flow channel, whereby the substrate is pressed by the atmospheric pressure and adheres to the platform, and moves with the conveying device.

Due to the popularity of customized circuit substrates, current substrates have a variety of sizes and shapes. Therefore, when transporting smaller or unusually shaped substrates, the aforementioned transport device may not be able to cover all the suction holes on the platform, causing the flow channel to be unable to form a negative pressure and thus unable to stably absorb the small-sized substrate. To solve this problem, the transport device must continuously evacuate the flow channel, but continuous evacuation will cause vibration, causing damage to the substrate and reducing the yield; or a transport device with different suction holes is manufactured for substrates of different sizes or shapes, but in the current situation where customized circuit substrates are popular, the cost of manufacturing a transport device with different suction holes is not enough and does not cover the cost.

In view of this, a better solution is an urgent problem to be solved in this industry.

The main purpose of this invention is to propose a suction nozzle and a transport device having the suction nozzle. The suction nozzle can block the connection state to avoid air leakage after the transport device creates low pressure through the suction nozzle.

To achieve the above purpose, the invention proposes a suction nozzle, which is used to be arranged at an air suction hole; the suction nozzle has: a body, which can be sealed and combined with the air suction hole, the body has: a channel, which penetrates the body, and a first opening and a second opening are formed on two opposite surfaces of the body, and the channel can be connected with the air suction hole through the second opening; an elastic sheet, the elastic sheet surrounds the first opening of the channel, and the elastic sheet can be bent toward the second opening; and a sealing member, which is arranged in the channel and has a gap between it and the inner wall surface of the channel; the cross-sectional area of the sealing member parallel to the first opening is larger than the cross-sectional area of the first opening, and when the elastic sheet is bent toward the second opening, it can be sealed against the sealing member.

In addition, to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention also proposes a transport device, which has: a platform, on which a plurality of suction holes are provided; and a plurality of suction nozzles, which are respectively arranged at the suction holes; each of the suction nozzles has: a body, which is sealed and combined with one of the suction holes; the body has a channel, which penetrates the body, and a first opening and a second opening are formed on two opposite surfaces of the body, and the channel is connected to the first opening by the second opening. Two openings are connected to the air intake hole; an elastic sheet, which surrounds the first opening of the channel and can bend toward the second opening; and a sealing member, which is arranged in the channel and has a gap with the inner wall surface of the channel; the cross-sectional area of the sealing member parallel to the first opening is larger than the cross-sectional area of the first opening, and the elastic sheet can be sealed against the sealing member when it bends toward the second opening.

Therefore, the advantage of this invention is that when the transport device sucks air, the elastic sheet can bend toward the second opening of the channel and seal against the sealing member, thereby blocking the channel so that the air flow cannot flow and avoid air leakage. When the transport device with the suction nozzle carries an object, even if the object does not contact and cover all the suction nozzles at the same time, it still does not need to continue to suck air to maintain the low pressure in the channel, that is, it can be securely fixed on the transport device.

As described above, the sealing member has a first abutment surface, the first abutment surface faces the elastic sheet, and the elastic sheet can seal against the first abutment surface when bending toward the second opening.

As described above, the nozzle, wherein the channel forms a blocking surface, the blocking surface faces the first opening; and the sealing member has a second abutting surface facing the second opening; the second abutting surface selectively abuts against the blocking surface, thereby preventing the sealing member from leaving the channel.

The nozzle as described in any of the preceding items further has a carrier which is sealedly connected to a surface of the main body where the first opening is located and surrounds the first opening. The carrier extends in a direction away from the main body.

The suction nozzle as described above further has a suction space, the carrier surrounds the suction space, and the suction space is connected to the first opening; one end of the suction space away from the first opening is the first end, and one end of the suction space connected to the first opening is the second end, wherein the inner diameter of the first end is larger than the inner diameter of the second end, and the inner diameter of the second end is not less than the inner diameter of the first opening.

The nozzle as described above has a through direction along the line connecting the first opening and the second opening, and has a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the through direction, and the first direction and the second direction are not parallel to each other; wherein in at least one cross section perpendicular to the through direction of the channel, the length of the sealing member along the first direction is greater than the width of the channel along the second direction.

The suction nozzle as described above further has a connecting portion which surrounds and is connected to the main body and is used to be detachably sealed and connected to the suction hole.

10: Body

11: Channel

111: First opening

112: Second opening

113: Blocking surface

20: Connection part

30: Elastic sheet

31: Periphery

32: Inner periphery

40: Seal

41: First abutment surface

42: Second abutment surface

50: Carrier

51: Adsorption space

511: First end

512: Second end

A1: Platform

A2: Nozzle

A3:Fixed components

D1: First direction

D2: Second direction

Figure 1 is a partial three-dimensional schematic diagram of the transport device of this creation.

Figure 2 is a three-dimensional diagram of the top view of the nozzle of this creation.

Figure 3 is a three-dimensional diagram of the bottom side view of the nozzle of this creation.

Figure 4 is a three-dimensional exploded schematic diagram of the nozzle of this creation.

Figure 5 is a bottom view of the nozzle of this creation.

Figure 6 is a top view of the nozzle of this creation.

Figure 7 is a side cross-sectional diagram of the nozzle of this invention.

Figure 8 is a side cross-sectional diagram of the flexible sheet of the nozzle of this invention when it is bent against the seal.

First, please refer to Figure 1. This invention proposes a transport device, which has a platform A1, and the platform A1 has multiple air suction holes, and the suction nozzles A2 are respectively set at the air suction holes. There is a flow channel in the platform and it is connected to each air suction hole. By evacuating the flow channel, the air flow can flow from each suction nozzle through the air suction hole to the flow channel.

Please refer to Figures 2 to 4 and Figure 7. The suction nozzle proposed in this invention has a body 10, a connecting portion 20, an elastic sheet 30, a sealing member 40, and a carrier 50. The body 10 is sealed and combined with the suction hole, and the body 10 has a channel 11. The channel 11 penetrates the body 10, and a first opening 111 and a second opening 112 are formed on two opposite surfaces of the body 10. When the body 10 is set at the suction hole, the first opening 111 of the channel 11 is connected to the outside world, and the second opening 112 is connected to the suction hole, so the suction hole can be connected to the outside world through the channel 11. The channel 11 can further have a blocking surface 113, which faces the first opening 111.

The connecting portion 20 surrounds and is connected to the main body 10, and is used to be detachably sealed and connected to the air intake hole. Specifically, when the main body 10 is set at the air intake hole, the connecting portion 20 is sealed and connected to the air intake hole. In addition, in this embodiment, there may be a fixing component A3, which includes a lock plate and a plurality of screws. The lock plate is fixed to the connecting portion 20 and the air intake hole at the same time through the screws, thereby further preventing air leakage or displacement between the suction nozzle and the air intake hole, but it is not limited to this. In other embodiments, there may be no fixing component A3.

The elastic sheet 30 surrounds the first opening 111 of the channel 11 and can bend toward the second opening 112. When the elastic sheet 30 bends toward the second opening 112, it can seal against the sealing member 40. Specifically, the elastic sheet 30 has an outer periphery 31 and an inner periphery 32. The elastic sheet 30 is fixed to the body 10 via the outer periphery 31, and the inner periphery 32 surrounds the first opening 111. The inner periphery 32 can move toward the second opening 112 relative to the outer periphery 31 and abut against the sealing member 40, thereby the elastic sheet 30 bends toward the second opening 112.

Please refer to Figures 4 to 7. The seal 40 is disposed in the channel 11, and as shown in Figures 5 and 6, there is a gap between the seal 40 and the inner wall surface of the channel 11. The cross-sectional area of the seal 40 parallel to the first opening 111 is larger than the cross-sectional area of the first opening 111. Specifically, the seal 40 has a first abutment surface 41 and a second abutment surface 42. The first abutment surface 41 faces the elastic sheet 30 and the cross-sectional area of the first abutment surface 41 is larger than the cross-sectional area of the first opening 111, so that the elastic sheet 30 can seal against the first abutment surface 41 when bending toward the second opening 112. The second abutment surface 42 is located in the direction of the seal 40 toward the second opening 112, and the second abutment surface 42 can abut against the blocking surface 113 in the channel 11, thereby preventing the seal 40 from leaving the channel 11.

The channel 11 of the body 10 has a through direction along the line connecting the first opening 111 and the second opening 112, and has a first direction D1 and a second direction D2 perpendicular to the through direction, and the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 are not parallel to each other. In at least one cross section perpendicular to the through direction of the channel 11, the length of the sealing member 40 in the cross section along the first direction D1 is greater than the width of the channel 11 in the cross section along the second direction D2.

As shown in FIG. 6, one of the cross sections of the nozzle in this embodiment, the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 may be perpendicular to each other, and the seal 40 has two protrusions formed on opposite sides in the first direction D1, and two planes on opposite sides in the second direction D2. The shape of the inner space of the channel 11 corresponds to the shape of the seal 40, so the two protrusions will be blocked by the inner wall surface of the channel 11, so that the seal 40 maintains a fixed direction and does not rotate, but it is not limited to this; in other embodiments, the length of the seal 40 in the cross section along the first direction D1 may not be greater than the width of the channel 11 in the cross section along the second direction D2. In other words, in other embodiments, the seal 40 can rotate in the channel 11.

The support member 50 is sealed and connected to one side of the body 10 where the first opening 111 is located, and surrounds the first opening 111. The support member 50 extends in a direction away from the body 10. The body 10 may further include an adsorption space 51, and the support member 50 surrounds the adsorption space 51. The adsorption space 51 is connected to the first opening 111, and one end of the adsorption space 51 away from the first opening 111 is a first end 511, and one end of the adsorption space 51 connected to the first opening 111 is a second end 512. The inner diameter of the first end 511 is larger than the inner diameter of the second end 512, and the inner diameter of the second end 512 is not less than the inner diameter of the first opening 111. Thus, when the suction nozzle contacts the object carried by the transport device, a larger low-pressure area is generated, not just the size of the first opening 111, so as to more stably fix the object; in addition, the inner diameter of the second end 512 is not less than the inner diameter of the first opening 111, so as to prevent the first opening 111 from leaking air during suction. In this embodiment, the inner diameter of the suction space 51 gradually decreases from the first end 511 to the second end 512, but it is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the inner diameter of the suction space 51 may not be in a gradual form.

Next, please refer to FIG. 8 . When the transport device of the present invention absorbs air, the air flows from the adsorption space 51 to the channel 11 of the main body 10. At this time, if the carrier 50 is completely covered by the object carried by the transport device, a low pressure is formed inside the adsorption space 51. The low pressure will cause the object carried by the transport device to be pressed against the carrier 50 under the atmospheric pressure. If the carrier 50 is not completely covered, the air flowing from the adsorption space 51 to the channel 11 of the main body 10 will pull the elastic sheet 30 and bend it toward the second opening 112. When the elastic sheet 30 is bent, the inner periphery 32 abuts against the first abutting surface 41 of the sealing member 40, and together block the connection of the channel 11. At this time, the air between the seal 40 and the inner wall of the channel 11 is extracted, forming a low pressure in the channel 11, so that the inner periphery 32 of the elastic sheet 30 is maintained against the seal 40, blocking the flow of air between the adsorption space 51 and the channel 11, achieving the effect of no air leakage.

In summary, the conveying device of the invention can automatically close its nozzle when it is not covered by the object to avoid air leakage and firmly adsorb the object. In addition, the seal 40 of the nozzle of the invention can maintain a fixed direction without rotating in the channel 11, which can avoid unnecessary energy consumption and maintain stability.

10: Body

11: Channel

111: First opening

112: Second opening

113: Blocking surface

20: Connection part

30: Elastic sheet

31: Periphery

32: Inner periphery

40: Seal

41: First abutment surface

42: Second abutment surface

50: Carrier

51: Adsorption space

511: First end

512: Second end

Claims (8)

A suction nozzle is used to be arranged at an air suction hole; the suction nozzle has: a body that can be sealed and combined with the air suction hole, the body having: a channel that penetrates the body, and a first opening and a second opening are formed on two opposite surfaces of the body, the channel can be connected with the air suction hole through the second opening; an elastic sheet that surrounds the first opening of the channel, the elastic sheet can be bent toward the second opening; and a sealing member that is arranged in the channel and has a gap with the inner wall surface of the channel; the cross-sectional area of the sealing member parallel to the first opening is larger than the cross-sectional area of the first opening, and when the elastic sheet is bent toward the second opening, it can be sealed against the sealing member. The nozzle as described in claim 1, wherein the sealing member has a first abutment surface, the first abutment surface faces the elastic sheet, and the elastic sheet can seal against the first abutment surface when bending toward the second opening. A nozzle as described in claim 1, wherein: the channel forms a blocking surface, the blocking surface faces the first opening; and the sealing member has a second abutting surface facing the second opening; the second abutting surface selectively abuts against the blocking surface, thereby preventing the sealing member from leaving the channel. The nozzle as described in any one of claims 1 to 3 further comprises: a carrier, which is sealedly connected to a surface of the main body where the first opening is located and surrounds the first opening, and the carrier extends in a direction away from the main body. The suction nozzle as described in claim 4 further has a suction space, the carrier surrounds the suction space, and the suction space is connected to the first opening; one end of the suction space away from the first opening is the first end, and one end of the suction space connected to the first opening is the second end, wherein: The inner diameter of the first end is larger than the inner diameter of the second end, and the inner diameter of the second end is not less than the inner diameter of the first opening. The nozzle as described in any one of claims 1 to 3 has a through direction along the line connecting the first opening and the second opening, a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the through direction, and the first direction and the second direction are not parallel to each other; wherein: in at least one cross section perpendicular to the through direction of the channel, the length of the sealing member along the first direction is greater than the width of the channel along the second direction. The suction nozzle as described in any one of claims 1 to 3 further comprises: a connecting portion which surrounds and is connected to the main body and is used to be detachably sealed and connected to the suction hole. A transport device, comprising: a platform with a plurality of suction holes on it; and a plurality of suction nozzles, which are respectively arranged at the suction holes; each of the suction nozzles comprises: a body, which is sealed and combined with one of the suction holes; the body has a channel, which penetrates the body, and a first opening and a second opening are formed on two opposite surfaces of the body, and the channel is connected with the suction holes through the second opening; an elastic sheet, which surrounds the first opening of the channel and can bend toward the second opening; and a sealing member, which is arranged in the channel and has a gap with the inner wall surface of the channel; the cross-sectional area of the sealing member parallel to the first opening is larger than the cross-sectional area of the first opening, and the elastic sheet can be sealed against the sealing member when it bends toward the second opening.

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