TWI876681B - Component moving device, component moving equipment and component moving method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a component moving device, a component moving equipment and a component moving method. The component moving device is suitable for moving a plurality of components. Each of the components is provided with a first part and a second part. The component moving device is provided with a holding unit and a restraining unit which can be driven to move laterally along a first direction. The holding unit is provided with a plurality of retainers arranged along a second direction different from the first direction. Each of the retainers can hold the first part of a respective one of the components. The restraining unit can restrain the second part of the component. The component moving device of the present invention can operate on a plurality of the components simultaneously, so the present invention has the characteristic of high working efficiency.

Description

Component moving device, component moving equipment and component moving method

The present invention relates to a mobile device, a mobile equipment and a mobile method, and in particular to a component moving device, a component moving equipment and a component moving method for components of mobile electronic products.

In the process of manufacturing several components of electronic products, in order to ensure the quality of the components, the components are usually arranged in groups on a feeding tray, so that the components are sent to a testing device for testing through the feeding tray, and then the components are classified into several defective products or several good products according to the test results. At the same time, the defective products (or good products) are taken out from the feeding tray and placed in another receiving tray for classification and collection.

In the current existing practice, the components are usually taken out from the feed tray manually and then placed on the receiving tray. Since the efficiency of manual operation is not as high as that of mechanical operation, the work efficiency needs to be further improved. In addition, since the components usually have flexible parts composed of circuit boards or wires, the deflection or curling of the flexible parts may affect the work efficiency when the components are taken out from the feed tray or placed on the receiving tray during the operation. In summary, there is still a need to improve the current operation method.

The purpose of the component moving device of the present invention is to improve at least one shortcoming of the prior art.

The component moving device of the present invention is suitable for moving several components. Each of the components is provided with a first part and a second part. The component moving device is provided with a holding unit and a restraining unit. The holding unit can be driven to move along a first direction. The holding unit is provided with a plurality of retainers arranged along a second direction different from the first direction. Each of the retainers can hold the first part of a respective one of the components. The restraining unit can be driven to move along the first direction. The restraining unit can restrain the second part of the component.

The function of the component moving device of the present invention is that the retainer can respectively hold the first parts of a plurality of the components, and the restraining unit can restrain the second parts of a plurality of the components. Therefore, the component moving device of the present invention has the characteristics of higher working efficiency because it replaces manual labor with machinery and can operate on a plurality of the components at the same time.

The purpose of the component moving device of the present invention is to improve at least one shortcoming of the prior art.

The component moving device of the present invention is provided with the component moving device as described above, and is further provided with a carrier device and a conveying device. The carrier device is provided with a first carrier and a second carrier for the component to be arranged. The conveying device is provided with a first conveying unit and a second conveying unit spaced from each other along the first direction. The first conveying unit and the second conveying unit can respectively convey the first carrier and the second carrier along the second direction.

The effectiveness of the component moving device of the present invention is that: since the component moving device is also provided with the component moving device, the component moving device of the present invention also has the characteristic of high working efficiency.

The purpose of the component moving method of the present invention is to improve at least one shortcoming of the prior art.

The component moving method of the present invention is suitable for moving several components from a first carrier to a second carrier. Each of the components is provided with a first portion and a second portion extending transversely to each other. The component moving method comprises: moving a holding unit to the first carrier to hold the first portion of the component on the first carrier through a number of retainers. Moving the holding unit to the second carrier so that the retainer places the component on the second carrier. When the retainer holds the component, a restraining unit restrains the second portion of the component.

The component moving method of the present invention has the effect of using the retainer to respectively retain the first parts of a plurality of the components, and using the restraining unit to restrain the second parts of a plurality of the components. Therefore, the component moving method of the present invention has the characteristic of higher working efficiency because the mechanized retainers are used to operate on a plurality of the components.

The purpose of the component moving device of the present invention is to improve at least one shortcoming of the prior art.

The component moving device of the present invention can be used to execute the component moving method as described above.

The effect of the present invention is that since the component moving device can be used to execute the component moving method, the component moving device also has the characteristic of high working efficiency.

1: Component moving equipment

11: Machine equipment

111: Machine table

12: Transport device

121: First transport unit

122: Second transport unit

123: The third transport unit

13: Carrier device

131: First carrier

132: Second carrier

133: Fixed seat

134: The third carrier

135: The fourth carrier

14: Component moving device

141: Support your feet

142:Supporting beam

2: First drive mechanism

21: First drive

22: First screw group

23: First transmission belt

24: First slider group

25: Mobile seat assembly

3: Main lifting mechanism

31: Motor unit

311:Servo motor

32: Connection unit

321: Sliding plate seat

322: Support plate seat

33: The first support unit

331: First plate seat

34: Second support unit

341: First plate group

342: Second plate group

4: Auxiliary lifting mechanism

41: Cylinder unit

42: Stopper unit

43: The third support unit

5: Second drive mechanism

51: Second drive

52: Second screw group

53: Second transmission belt

54: Second slider group

6: Pick-and-place mechanism

61: Keep unit

611: Retainer

62: Constraint unit

621: Cylinder group

622:Bindings

623: convex part

624: Positioning space

63: Imaging unit

631: Photography Team

632: Light source set

9: Components

91: Part 1

92: Part 2

D1: First direction

D2: Second direction

H1: Loading hole

L1: Extension length

L2: Arrangement length

M1: Component movement method

R1: Movement path

S11: First moving step

S12: Keep step

S13: Second moving step

S14: Constraint step

S141: Constraint sub-step

S142: Guidance sub-step

S143: Guide step

S15: Insertion step

M2: Component movement method

S21: First movement step

S22: First maintenance step

S23: Second moving step

S24: First constraint step

S241: First constraint sub-step

S242: First guide sub-step

S243: First guide step

S25: First insertion step

S26: Second maintenance step

S27: The third moving step

S28: Second constraint step

S281: Second constraint sub-step

S282: Second guide sub-step

S283: Second guide step

S29: Second insertion step

Other features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the embodiments with reference to the drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating one of the components used in conjunction with a first embodiment of the component moving device, component moving equipment and component moving method of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a top view illustrating a component moving equipment of the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating the component moving equipment; FIG. 4 is an incomplete three-dimensional diagram illustrating the component and a first carrier of the component moving equipment; FIG. FIG5 is an incomplete three-dimensional diagram illustrating a component moving device of the component moving device; FIG6 is a side view illustrating the component moving device; FIG7 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating several auxiliary lifting mechanisms and a pick-and-place mechanism of the component moving device; FIG8 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating a constraint unit of the pick-and-place mechanism in an enlarged manner; FIG9 is a step flow chart illustrating a component moving step of the first embodiment; FIG10 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating an actuation process of the pick-and-place mechanism; FIG11 is a three-dimensional diagram, FIG12 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating an operation process of the pick-and-place mechanism; FIG13 is a top view illustrating an operation process of the component moving device; FIG14 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating an operation process of the pick-and-place mechanism; FIG15 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating an operation process of the pick-and-place mechanism; FIG16 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating an operation process of the pick-and-place mechanism; FIG17 is an incomplete three-dimensional diagram, which is an enlarged view of the two constraint members of the constraint unit. 18 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating an operation process of the pick-and-place mechanism; FIG. 19 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating an operation process of the pick-and-place mechanism; FIG. 20 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating an operation process of the pick-and-place mechanism; FIG. 21 is a step flow chart illustrating another implementation of the component moving method; FIG. 22 is a three-dimensional diagram illustrating a second implementation of the component moving device, component moving equipment, and component moving method of the present invention; and FIG. 23 is a top view illustrating the second implementation.

Referring to Figures 1, 2, and 3, a first embodiment of the component moving device, component moving equipment, and component moving method of the present invention is suitable for use with a plurality of components 9 as shown in Figure 1 (only one of them is shown as a representative). The first embodiment includes a component moving device 1 as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and a component moving method M1 as shown in Figure 9.

Each of the elements 9 is provided with a first portion 91 extending horizontally in a first direction D1, and a second portion 92 extending downward from one end of the first portion 91 and lower than the first portion 91.

In the first embodiment, each of the first parts 91 is a button of an electronic product, so the material of each of the first parts 91 is a hard material that is convenient for pressing operation, such as metal, glass or plastic. Each of the second parts 92 is a strip-shaped circuit board (strip) that extends up and down and is flexible. Among them, because the second part 92 is a flexible circuit board, the second part 92 may actually be swayed or curled left and right in the first direction D1.

Referring to Figures 2, 3, and 4, the component moving device 1 is provided with a machine device 11 (see Figure 2), a conveying device 12 (see Figure 2) arranged on the machine device 11, a carrying device 13 (see Figure 2) arranged on the machine device 11 and the conveying device 12, and a component moving device 14 mounted on the machine device 11.

The machine device 11 is provided with a machine table 111 for providing support.

The conveying device 12 is provided with a first conveying unit 121 and a second conveying unit 122 arranged in a right-left interval along the first direction D1. The first conveying unit 121 and the second conveying unit 122 both extend forward and backward along a second direction D2, and each of the first conveying unit 121 and the second conveying unit 122 can convey objects forward and backward. In the first embodiment, each of the first conveying unit 121 and the second conveying unit 122 is provided with two conveying belts (not shown) located on the left and right sides and extending forward and backward, and the conveying belts cooperate to support and convey objects, but the implementation is not limited to this.

In the first embodiment, the first direction D1 is not limited to the positive left and right directions. In other embodiments of the present invention, the first direction D1 may also be a left and right direction slightly deviated from the positive left and right directions. Similarly, the second direction D2 is not limited to the positive front and back directions. In other embodiments of the present invention, the second direction D2 may also be a front and back direction slightly deviated from the positive front and back directions. In addition, in the first embodiment, the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 are orthogonal (perpendicular) to each other, but are not limited thereto. In other embodiments of the present invention, the first direction D1 may also cooperate with the second direction D2 to define a sharp angle or a blunt angle. That is to say, in other embodiments of the present invention, the first direction D1 may also only intersect the second direction D2.

The carrier device 13 is provided with a first carrier 131 (see FIG. 2) and a second carrier 132 (see FIG. 2) that can be transported by the first transport unit 121 and the second transport unit 122 respectively, a fixed seat 133 (see FIG. 2) disposed on the machine table 111 and located between the first transport unit 121 and the second transport unit 122, and a third carrier 134 disposed on the fixed seat 133. (See FIG. 2)

The first carrier 131 is a carrier plate formed with a plurality of carrier holes H1 as shown in FIG4 (see FIG7 for reference). Each carrier hole H1 is used for a respective component 9 to be detachably embedded. Specifically, each carrier hole H1 can be used for the first portion 91 of a respective component 9 to be embedded, and can be used for the second portion 92 of the component 9 to be penetrated. In the first embodiment, the first carrier 131 is a feeding plate that is initially loaded with the component 9 and is full (see FIG7 for reference).

During implementation, the first carrier 131 will be transported by the first transport unit 121 to a fixed point corresponding to the position of the component moving device 14 in the front-rear direction (i.e., the second direction D2), so that the component moving device 14 can pick up the component 9 located on the first carrier 131.

The structure of the second carrier 132 is the same as that of the first carrier 131, and is also a carrier plate formed with a plurality of carrier holes H1 (see Figure 14). During implementation, the second carrier 132 is transported by the second transport unit 122 to a fixed point that is equivalent to the position of the component moving device 14 in the front-rear direction, so that the component moving device 14 can place the component 9 on the second carrier 132. In this first embodiment, the second carrier 132 is a receiving tray that is initially empty because it carries the component 9 (see Figure 14).

The fixing seat 133 is fixedly disposed on the machine table 111 of the machine device 11, and is located between the first conveying unit 121 and the second conveying unit 122, and is used to support the third carrier 134.

The third carrier 134 is also a carrier plate provided with the carrier hole H1 and capable of carrying the component 9, but the size of the third carrier 134 is smaller than that of the first carrier 131 and the second carrier 132.

Referring to Figures 3, 5, and 6, the component moving device 14 is provided with two supporting legs 141 disposed on the machine table 111 (see Figure 2) of the machine device 11, a supporting beam 142 extending transversely and connected between the supporting legs 141, a first driving mechanism 2 disposed on the supporting beam 142, a main lifting mechanism 3 disposed on the first driving mechanism 2, and a plurality of auxiliary lifting mechanisms 4 disposed on the main lifting mechanism 3, a second driving mechanism 5, and a pick-and-place mechanism 6.

The first driving mechanism 2 is provided with a first driving device 21 (see FIG. 3) located at the rear side of the supporting beam 142, a first screw assembly 22 located at the front side of the supporting beam 142 and extending horizontally in the first direction D1, a first transmission belt 23 (see FIG. 3) for the first driving device 21 to drive the first screw assembly 22 to rotate, a first slide block assembly 24 sleeved on the first screw assembly 22, and a moving seat assembly 25 mounted on the first slide block assembly 24.

The first driver 21 can drive the first screw assembly 22 to rotate through the first transmission belt 23, thereby driving the first slider assembly 24 to move horizontally left and right on the first screw assembly 22 along the first direction D1, and driving the moving seat assembly 25 to move horizontally left and right along the first direction D1.

Referring to Figures 5, 6, and 7, the main lifting mechanism 3 is provided with two motor units 31 located on the moving seat assembly 25 and arranged side by side, two connecting units 32 respectively installed on the motor units 31, and a first supporting unit 33 and a second supporting unit 34 respectively arranged on the connecting units 32.

Each motor unit 31 is provided with a servo motor 311. Each connecting unit 32 is provided with a sliding plate seat 321 that can be driven to move up and down, and a supporting plate seat 322 fixed on the sliding plate seat 321.

The first supporting unit 33 is provided with a first plate seat 331 disposed on one of the supporting plate seats 322. The first plate seat 331 is in an inverted L shape when viewed from the front and rear direction, and is used to support the auxiliary lifting mechanism 4.

The second support unit 34 is provided with a first plate set 341 and a second plate set 342 respectively located at the upper and lower opposite ends of the support plate seat 322 of another block. The purpose of the first plate set 341 and the second plate set 342 is to support each component so that each component is located at a fixed point. There are many variations in form, and it is not limited to the figure.

Each of the auxiliary lifting mechanisms 4 is provided with a cylinder unit 41 (see FIG. 7) fixed on the first plate seat 331 of the first supporting unit 33, a plug rod unit 42 (see FIG. 7) that can extend and retract into the cylinder unit 41, and a third supporting unit 43 (see FIG. 7) disposed at the bottom end of the plug rod unit 42. Each of the third supporting units 43 can move downward or upward with the extension and contraction of a respective plug rod unit 42.

The second driving mechanism 5 is provided with a second driver 51 located at the top of the second plate group 342 of the second supporting unit 34, a second screw group 52 located at the bottom of the second plate group 342 and extending forward and backward along the second direction D2 (see FIG. 6), a second transmission belt 53 for the second driver 51 to drive the second screw group 52 to rotate, and a second slider group 54 sleeved on the second screw group 52.

The pick-and-place mechanism 6 is provided with a holding unit 61 located on the third supporting unit 43 of the auxiliary lifting mechanism 4, a restraining unit 62 provided on the second slider group 54 of the second driving mechanism 5, and an imaging unit 63 provided on the first plate group 341 and the second plate group 342 of the second supporting unit 34 of the main lifting mechanism 3.

The holding unit 61 is provided with a plurality of retainers 611 respectively located on the third supporting unit 43 of the auxiliary lifting mechanism 4. The retainers 611 are arranged in a straight line in front and back intervals along the second direction D2. Each retainer 611 is a negative pressure suction nozzle that can suck the first part 91 (see FIG. 7) of each component 9 and hold the component 9.

Each of the retainers 611 can be driven by a respective one of the auxiliary lifting mechanisms 4 to move up and down. Specifically, the retainers 611 can be driven by the auxiliary lifting mechanisms 4 to move up and down together or individually. In addition, since the auxiliary lifting mechanisms 4 are arranged on the first supporting unit 33 of the main lifting mechanism 3, the retainers 611 of the holding unit 61 can also be driven by the main lifting mechanism 3 to move up and down. Finally, since the main lifting mechanism 3 is arranged on the first driving mechanism 2, the retainers 611 of the holding unit 61 can actually also be driven by the first driving mechanism 2 to move horizontally left and right along the first direction D1. In summary, the holding unit 61 can be driven by the first driving mechanism 2 to move horizontally, and can be driven by the main lifting mechanism 3 to move up and down. The retainer 611 can be driven by the auxiliary lifting mechanism 4 to move up and down.

The restraint unit 62 includes a cylinder group 621 disposed on the second slider group 54 of the second driving mechanism 5, and two restraint members 622 that can be driven by the cylinder group 621 and can move laterally along the first direction D1 to open and close relative to each other (see Figure 14).

The cylinder group 621 is used to drive the restraining member 622 to move toward each other so that the restraining member 622 can cooperate to restrain the second part 92 of a plurality of the elements 9 (see Figure 16), or drive the restraining member 622 away from each other so that the restraining member 622 releases the restraint of the second part 92 of the element 9. (See Figure 20) The specific operation of the restraining member 622 will be described later.

Referring to Figures 6, 7, and 8, each of the restraining members 622 extends longitudinally in the front-to-back direction along the second direction D2, and an extension length L1 (see Figure 6) of each of the restraining members 622 extending in the front-to-back direction is greater than an arrangement length L2 (see Figure 6) of the retainer 611 arranged in the second direction D2. One of the restraining members 622 is formed with a plurality of protrusions 623 protruding toward the other restraining member 622. The protrusions 623 are grouped in two. The protrusions 623 of different groups are spaced from each other in the front-to-back direction, and the protrusions 623 of the same group are also spaced from each other in the front-to-back direction, and cooperate to define a positioning space 624 (see Figure 14) that can be used to restrain and position the second portion 92 (see Figure 1) of each element 9.

Referring to Figures 5, 6, and 7, since the constraint unit 62 is disposed on the second slider group 54 of the second driving mechanism 5, the constraint unit 62 can be driven by the second driving mechanism 5 to move forward and backward transversely along the second direction D2 (for example, as shown in Figures 14 and 15), and since the second driving mechanism 5 is disposed on the second plate group 342 of the second supporting unit 34 of the main lifting mechanism 3, the constraint unit 62 can also be driven by the main lifting mechanism 3 to move up and down. In addition, since the main lifting mechanism 3 is also disposed on the first driving mechanism 2, the constraint unit 62 can also be driven by the first driving mechanism 2 to move transversely. In summary, the restraint unit 62 can be driven by the first driving mechanism 2 to move horizontally, can be driven by the main lifting mechanism 3 to move up and down, and can be driven by the second driving mechanism 5 to move forward and backward.

When the restraint unit 62 moves horizontally, it is driven by the first driving mechanism 2 together with the holding unit 61 to move horizontally left and right along the first direction D1. In addition, since the restraint unit 62 and the holding unit 61 are respectively arranged on different connecting units 32 of the main lifting mechanism 3 through the second supporting unit 34 and the first supporting unit 33 of the main lifting mechanism 3, the restraint unit 62 and the holding unit 61 can be driven by different motor units 31 to move up and down together or separately.

The imaging unit 63 includes a camera group 631 disposed on the first plate group 341 of the second supporting unit 34 of the main lifting mechanism 3, and a light source group 632 disposed at the bottom of the supporting plate seat 322 of one of the connecting units 32. The camera group 631 is suitable for imaging the component 9. The light source group 632 can illuminate the component 9 to facilitate the imaging of the camera group 631.

Referring to Figures 2, 7, and 9, before explaining the component moving method M1 performed by the component moving device 1, the reader should understand that the component 9 will be placed on the first carrier 131 after production, and transported to the bottom of the component moving device 14 by the first transport unit 121. Among them, since there may be defective components 9 in the production process, it is necessary to pick out one or more components 9 with poor quality from the first carrier 131, and then move the components 9 with poor quality along a moving path R1 (see Figure 2) to the second carrier 132 which is initially an empty tray.

In the above description, the example of picking out defective products is used, but in practice, the picked out component 9 can also be a good product, that is, the good products are picked and collected, and the defective products are left on the first carrier 131. Since the object picked can be a good product or a defective product, in the following description of the component moving method M1, unless necessary, it is no longer emphasized that the object picked is a good product or a defective product. In addition, before the implementation of the component moving method M1 of the present invention, the detection equipment and detection method other than the component moving device 1 have been used to determine whether the component 9 is a good product or a defective product, but since the equipment and method for determining whether it is a good product are not the focus of the present invention, they are not described in detail.

Referring to Figures 2, 5, and 9, the component moving method M1 includes a first moving step S11, a holding step S12, a second moving step S13, a constraint step S14, and an insertion step S15.

In the first moving step S11, the holding unit 61, the restraining unit 62 and the imaging unit 63 of the pick-and-place mechanism 6, together with the main lifting mechanism 3, are driven by the first driving mechanism 2 and move to the top of the first carrier 131 located on the first transport unit 121 as shown in FIG. 2 .

In the process of movement, the image capturing unit 63 of the pick-and-place mechanism 6 captures the component 9 located above the first carrier 131 and transmits the image to a control unit such as a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), a PC (Personal Computer) or an IPC (Industry Personal Computer) for interpretation, so that the control unit confirms the position of the component 9 to be picked up, controls the first driving mechanism 2 to drive the component moving device 14 to move along the first direction D1, and controls the first conveying unit 121 to drive the first carrier 131 to move along the second direction D2, so that the retainer 611 of the retaining unit 61 is conducive to picking up the component 9.

Referring to Figures 9 and 10, in the holding step S12, the retainer 611 of the holding unit 61 holds one or more of the components 9 located on the first carrier 131. Since each retainer 611 can be driven by a respective auxiliary lifting mechanism 4, the retainer 611 absorbs (picks up) the component 9 to hold the component 9. Depending on the distribution position of the component 9, the retainer 611 can be driven to rise and fall one by one to take turns to absorb (pick up) the component 9, or the retainer 611 can be driven to rise and fall together and absorb (pick up) the component 9 together. When the retainer 611 absorbs (picks up) or holds the component 9, it absorbs (picks up) the top surface of the first part 91 of the component 9.

Referring to Figures 9, 11, and 12, for example, when the object to be picked is a good product, since the number of good products is large and they may be distributed continuously, the retainer 611 can absorb/pick up several components 9 arranged continuously as shown in Figure 11. In addition, since the spacing distance between the retainers 611 of the holding unit 61 is greater than the spacing distance between the supporting holes H1 of the first supporting member 131, if there is no special control and the retainers 611 are directly made to pick up the components 9 together, the components 9 will be picked up at intervals as shown in Figure 12.

In addition, when the object to be picked is a defective product, since the number of defective products may be small and randomly distributed, the retainer 611 can absorb/pick up the component 9 according to the distribution of defective products. Of course, during the picking process, that is, in the holding step S12, the first driving mechanism 2 can drive the retainer 611 to fine-tune the left and right position in the first direction D1, and the first conveying unit 121 can drive the first carrier 131 to fine-tune the front and rear position in the second direction D2.

Referring to Figures 2, 9, and 13, in the second moving step S13, the main lifting mechanism 3 is driven by the first driving mechanism 2 to move horizontally to the left along the first direction D1 and along the moving path R1, and drives the pick-and-place mechanism 6 to the top of the second carrier 132 as shown in the variations of Figures 2 to 13. In this process, the holding unit 61 will drive the component 9 from the top of the first carrier 131 to the top of the second carrier 132, and the imaging unit 63 is also used to position the component 9 and the bearing hole H1 of the second carrier 132 relative to each other. In the moving process, the constraint unit 62 moves together with the holding unit 61.

Referring to Figure 9, the constraint step S14 specifically includes a constraint sub-step S141, a guidance sub-step S142, and a guidance sub-step S143.

Referring to Figures 14, 15, and 16, in the constraint sub-step S141 (see Figure 9), the second part 92 of the element 9 is constrained by the constraint unit 62 while the retainer 611 holds the first part 91 of the element 9 respectively.

Specifically, the restraining member 622 will first be driven by the cylinder group 621 of the restraining unit 62 as shown in FIG14 to move away from each other in the first direction D1 and open, and then the restraining unit 62 will be driven by the second driving mechanism 5 (see FIG6) to move forward in the second direction D2 as shown in FIG15, so that the restraining member 622 is located below the retainer 611 and is located on the left and right sides of the second part 92 of the element 9. Finally, the restraining member 622 will be driven by the cylinder group 621 as shown in FIG16 to move toward each other and close, thereby limiting the top part of the second part 92 of the element 9 (i.e., the part of each second part 92 close to a respective first part 91), and restraining the second part 92 of the element 9.

Referring to Figs. 8 and 17, the element 9 is constrained by the constraining member 622 in such a manner that each of the second portions 92 is located between two protrusions 623 of one of the constraining members 622 and in a respective one of the positioning spaces 624. In other embodiments of the present invention, the protrusions 623 may be omitted, and the main body of the constraining member 622 may be directly matched to define a slit extending in the lengthwise direction D2 and for the second portion 92 of the element 9 to be inserted, and the second portion 92 of the element 9 is limited by the slit. The width of the slit or the positioning space 624 along the first direction D1 is not less than the thickness of the second portion 92 of each of the elements 9. Preferably, the width of the slit or the positioning space 624 along the first direction D1 is slightly larger than the thickness of the second portion 92 of each element 9, so as to provide a margin so that the restraining member 622 and the second portion 92 can move up and down relative to each other.

In addition, since the top of the second part 92 of each element 9 is connected to the respective first part 91, it is less likely to deflect or curl due to the restriction of the first part 91. Therefore, the second part 92 is constrained by first limiting the top of the second part 92, which is conducive to the operation of each second part 92 to align with a respective positioning space 624 and be limited by the protrusion 623.

Referring to Figs. 9, 18, and 19, in the guiding sub-step S142, the restraining member 622 restrains the top portion of the second portion 92 of the element 9, and moves vertically downward to the bottom portion of the second portion 92 (i.e., the portion where each second portion 92 is away from a respective first portion 91), and restrains the bottom portion of the second portion 92 of the element 9 as shown in Fig. 18. As mentioned above, since the second portion 92 of the element 9 is flexible, it may deflect due to inertia or slightly curl due to the characteristics of the material during the movement process of the second moving step S13, making it difficult to insert into the bearing hole H1 of the second bearing member 132 later. By means of the guiding sub-step S142, the second portion 92 of the element 9 can be straightened, which facilitates the subsequent insertion of the second portion 92 into the bearing hole H1.

In the guiding sub-step S143, the holding unit 61 and the restraining unit 62 are driven by the main lifting mechanism 3 to move downward together, so that the positioning space 624 (see Figure 17) corresponds to the supporting hole H1 respectively, and the bottom end of the second part 92 of the component 9 is inserted into the supporting hole H1 of the second supporting member 132. That is to say, in the guiding sub-step S143, the holding unit 61 and the restraining unit 62 cooperate to make the second part 92 of the component 9 first penetrate into the supporting hole H1 of the second supporting member 132 (see Figure 20).

Referring to Figures 6, 9, and 20, in the insertion step S15, the constraint member 622 of the constraint unit 62 is first driven by the cylinder group 621 of the constraint unit 62 to open left and right to release the constraint on the element 9 (i.e., release the second portion 92 of the element 9), and then the constraint unit 62 is driven by the second driving mechanism 5 to move backward, leaving the space below the retainer 611, and is spaced behind the retainer 611 and the element 9, as shown in Figure 20. Finally, the holding unit 61 is driven by the main lifting mechanism 3 to move downward, and the second part 92 of the component 9 is completely inserted into the bearing hole H1 of the second carrier 132, and the first part 91 of the component 9 is embedded in the bearing hole H1, and the component 9 is placed on the second carrier 132.

The first embodiment is characterized in that the holding unit 61 can hold the component 9 with a plurality of the retainers 611, and the restraining unit 62 can restrain and correct the second part 92 of the component 9 at the same time to reduce or eliminate the amplitude of the lateral deviation or deflection of the second part 92, and guide the second part 92 of the component 9 to be inserted into the bearing hole H1. Since the first embodiment adopts mechanized operation and can operate on a plurality of the components 9 at the same time, it has the characteristics of high working efficiency.

In other embodiments of the present invention, the constraint sub-step S141 may also be performed between the holding step S12 and the second moving step S13 to reduce the degree of deflection of the second portion 92 when the element 9 is moved.

Referring to Figures 2, 7, and 21, in the above description, the example of moving the component 9 directly from the first carrier 131 to the second carrier 132 is used for explanation, but in practice, the component 9 may be first moved from the first carrier 131 to the third carrier 134 on the fixed seat 133 for temporary storage, and then moved from the third carrier 134 to the second carrier 132. In this implementation, the component moving method M2 includes a first moving step S21, a first holding step S22, a second moving step S23, a first constraining step S24, a first inserting step S25, a second holding step S26, a third moving step S27, a second constraining step S28, and a second inserting step S29.

In the component moving method M2, the first moving step S21 is the same as the first moving step S11, the first holding step S22 is the same as the holding step S12, and the second restraining step S28 and the second inserting step S29 are the same as the restraining step S14 and the inserting step S15. In the second moving step S23, the holding unit 61, the restraining unit 62 and the imaging unit 63 of the pick-and-place mechanism 6, together with the main lifting mechanism 3, are driven by the first driving mechanism 2 and moved to the top of the third carrier 134 located on the fixed seat 133.

After the second moving step S23, the first constraint step S24 and the first insertion step S25 are successively performed to insert the component 9 into the bearing hole H1 of the third carrier 134. Then, the second holding step S26 is performed to suck (hold) the component 9 on the third carrier 134 again, and the third moving step S27 is performed to move the component 9 to the top of the second carrier 132, and the second constraint step S28 and the second insertion step S29 are performed again to insert the component 9 into the bearing hole H1 of the second carrier 132.

The advantage of this implementation is that since the first conveying unit 121 and the second conveying unit 122 are composed of conveying belts, the accuracy of positioning the first carrier 131 and the second carrier 132 along the second direction D2 is relatively low. By temporarily placing the fixed seat 133 and the third carrier 134 midway, that is, setting a relay station with a relatively accurate position due to being fixed during the process, the accuracy and smoothness of picking and placing the component 9 can be improved.

Referring to Figures 22 and 23, a second embodiment of the component moving device, component moving equipment and component moving method of the present invention is similar to the first embodiment, except that the conveying device 12 is further provided with a third conveying unit 123 located on the side of the first conveying unit 121 opposite to the second conveying unit 122. The supporting device 13 includes two fixed seats 133 and two third supporting members 134, and a fourth supporting member 135 that can be transported by the third conveying unit 123. The fourth supporting member 135 is the same as the first supporting member 131, and is initially used to transport a full feeding tray containing the components 9.

One set of the fixing seat 133 and the third carrier 134 is located between the first transport unit 121 and the second transport unit 122, and the other set of the fixing seat 133 and the third carrier 134 is located between the first transport unit 121 and the third transport unit 123.

The component moving device 1 is provided with two component moving devices 14. The first driving mechanism 2 of the component moving device 14 is arranged up and down as shown in FIG. 22. One set of the pick-and-place mechanism 6 can be driven to operate between the first conveying unit 121 and the second conveying unit 122, and the other set of the pick-and-place mechanism 6 can be driven to operate between the third conveying unit 123 and the fixed seat 133 on the left side of the drawing in FIG. 23. The feature of the second embodiment is that the component moving device 14 can be used to operate two production lines, that is, the components 9 located on the first carrier 131 and the fourth carrier 135 can be picked, thereby further improving the production efficiency.

In summary, the component moving device, component moving equipment and component moving method of the present invention have the following functions: the retainer 611 is used to hold a plurality of the components 9, and the restraining unit 62 is used to restrain a plurality of the components 9. Therefore, the present invention has the characteristic of high working efficiency because it can mechanizedly operate on a plurality of the components 9.

The above is only an embodiment of the present invention and cannot be used to limit the scope of the patent application of the present invention. In addition, simple equivalent changes and modifications according to the scope of the patent application of the present invention and the patent specification should also be covered by the scope of the patent application of the present invention.

1: Component moving equipment

14: Component moving device

141: Support your feet

142:Supporting beam

2: First drive mechanism

22: First screw group

24: First slider group

25: Mobile seat assembly

3: Main lifting mechanism

31: Motor unit

311:Servo motor

32: Connection unit

321: Sliding plate seat

322: Support plate seat

33: The first support unit

331: First plate seat

34: Second support unit

341: First plate group

342: Second plate group

4: Auxiliary lifting mechanism

5: Second drive mechanism

51: Second drive

53: Second transmission belt

54: Second slider group

6: Pick-and-place mechanism

61: Keep unit

611: Retainer

62: Constraint unit

621: Cylinder group

622:Bindings

63: Imaging unit

631: Photography Team

632: Light source set

D1: First direction

D2: Second direction

Claims (17)

A component moving device is suitable for moving a plurality of components, each of which is provided with a first part and a second part. The component moving device is provided with: A holding unit, which can be driven to move along a first direction; the holding unit is provided with a plurality of retainers arranged along a second direction different from the first direction, and each of the retainers can hold the first part of a respective component; A restraining unit, which can be driven to move along the first direction; the restraining unit can restrain the second part of the component. An element moving device as described in claim 1, wherein the second part of each element extends downward from a respective first part, and the constraint unit is provided with two constraint members that can move along the first direction and can open and close relative to each other, and an extension length of each constraint member extending along the second direction is greater than an arrangement length of the retainer along the second direction, so that the constraint members can cooperate to constrain the second part of the element retained by the retainer. The component moving device as described in claim 1, wherein the holding unit and the constraint unit can be driven by a first driving mechanism to move together along the first direction; the component moving device is also provided with a main lifting mechanism located on the first driving mechanism, and the main lifting mechanism can drive the holding unit and the constraint unit to move up and down. The component moving device as described in claim 3 is also provided with a plurality of auxiliary lifting mechanisms arranged on the main lifting mechanism, each of which is provided for a respective one of the retainers and can drive a respective one of the retainers to move up and down. The component moving device as described in claim 3 is also provided with an imaging unit, which can image the first part of at least one of the components. The component moving device as described in claim 3 is also provided with a second driving mechanism located on the main lifting mechanism, and the second driving mechanism is provided for the constraint unit and can drive the constraint unit to move along the second direction. A component moving device is provided with a component moving device as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, and the component moving device is further provided with: A carrier device is provided with a first carrier and a second carrier for the component to be set; A conveying device is provided with a first conveying unit and a second conveying unit spaced from each other along the first direction, and the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit can respectively convey the first carrier and the second carrier along the second direction. The component moving equipment as described in claim 7, wherein the supporting device is further provided with a fixed seat fixedly located between the first transport unit and the second transport unit, and a third supporting member arranged on the fixed seat and on which the component can be placed. A component moving method is applicable to moving several components from a first carrier to a second carrier, each of the components having a first portion and a second portion extending transversely to each other, the component moving method comprising: moving a holding unit to the first carrier to hold the first portion of the component on the first carrier through a number of retainers; moving the holding unit to the second carrier so that the retainer places the component on the second carrier; wherein when the retainer holds the component, a restraining unit restrains the second portion of the component. A component moving method as described in claim 9, wherein the constraint unit can constrain the deviation amplitude of the second part; the constraint unit uses two constraint members that can move away from or close to each other to constrain the second part between the constraint members. A component moving method as described in claim 9, wherein the holding unit and the constraining unit can move together; the holding unit and the constraining unit can move up and down respectively; and the retainer of the holding unit can move up and down respectively. A component moving method as described in claim 9, wherein the retaining unit and the constraining unit can move along a first direction to move the component, and the constraining unit can also move along a second direction different from the first direction to the bottom of the retainer. A component moving method as described in claim 9, wherein the first portion of each component extends along a first direction, the components are arranged at intervals along a second direction different from the first direction and are located on the first carrier, and the retainers are arranged at intervals along the second direction. A component moving method as described in claim 9, wherein each second part extends downward from a respective first part, and the constraint unit constrains the second part by first constraining the top portion of the second part and then moving downward to constrain the bottom portion of the second part. A component moving method as described in claim 9, wherein before the retainer places the first part of the component on the second carrier, the constraint unit first guides the second part of the component to penetrate into the second carrier. A component moving method as described in claim 15, wherein, after the second part of the component penetrates into the second carrier, the restraint unit releases the restraint on the second part, and the restraint unit leaves the bottom of the retainer to allow the retainer to place the first part of the component on the second carrier. A component moving device for executing the component moving method as described in any one of claims 9 to 16.

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