TWI908464B - Selling device and selling method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a pin-retrieving device and a pin-retrieving method, which can stably retrieve a portion of the pins from a plurality of pins. The pin-retrieving device (1) vibrates the pin-carrying part (3) with a groove (6) to make a plurality of pins jump up. The adsorption arm (10) adsorbs and fixes a plurality of pins among the jump-up pins. The pins are stored inside the bottle part (23) that can hold the pins in an upright state. The bottle part vibrates and discharges a single pin through an insertion hole provided on the bottom surface of the internal space. One end of the single pin contacts a stop member (40) to hold the single pin in an upright state. The stop member (40) is disposed at a position that is shorter than the total length of the pin in the direction of pin discharge from the outlet of the insertion hole.

Description

Selling device and selling method

This invention relates to a pin-collecting device and a pin-collecting method, and more particularly to a pin-collecting device and a pin-collecting method capable of collecting a portion of the pins from a majority of the supplied pins.

Previously, since most of the pins were stored in a cylindrical box, the operator would directly take the pins out of the box and place them on a table or flat workbench, so that the pins were scattered on the workbench. The operator would then use tweezers or similar tools to pick up and remove the pins from the workbench by hand.

The pins being handled are very small, for example, as small as about 30 μm in diameter and 10 mm to 20 mm in length. Because the pins are small, they require delicate handling, which can easily lead to errors and requires a high level of skill from the operator.

Patent document 1 discloses a micro-pin feeding device that arranges flanged micro-pins and inserts (feeds) them one by one to a predetermined position. According to patent document 1, the micro-pin feeding device includes: a vibrating chute that arranges micro-pins in a hopper; a rotary arm with a protrusion having a suction port configured to engage with the front end of the vibrating chute for sucking and capturing the micro-pins, and which moves backward and forward and rotates via a reciprocating table; and a baffle plate inserted between the front end of the vibrating chute and the second micro-pin, which acts as a stopper on the protrusion of the rotary arm to stop the micro-pins advancing via the vibrating chute. After capturing a micro-pin using the suction port of the protrusion, the baffle plate separates from the second micro-pin, moving the captured micro-pin to a junction position. In this way, micro-pins can be fed one by one to a predetermined position.

[Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 04-45013

[Problem Solved by the Invention] Previously, the task of removing a single pin from a large number of small pins was done manually. Because the pins are small and require meticulous handling, this manual process was prone to errors and demanded a high level of skill from the operator.

Furthermore, it is conceivable that the micro pin feeding device disclosed in Patent 1 handles pins with a diameter of about 0.4 mm, and thus flanged pins. Therefore, it is difficult to use the micro pin feeding device for pins with a diameter of about 30 μm and no flange.

In this situation, the inventors of this invention have repeatedly conducted research and experiments to improve the aforementioned problem, and thus came up with the following invention: In the past, the operation of removing a single pin from a large number of small pins was carried out manually. However, in order to solve this problem, when obtaining pins, some pins are made to jump from the large number of pins by vibration. The axis of the jumping pins is restricted and they are attracted and fixed. The invention has an internal space that stores the attracted and fixed pins and allows the pins to be held in an upright position. A single pin is discharged through an insertion hole with a diameter that can be passed through the bottom surface of the internal space. In this way, the number of pins is reduced in stages from the supply of the large number of pins, thereby enabling the single pin to be removed in an upright position.

Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to provide a pin-retrieving device and a pin-retrieving method, which, when retrieving a pin, causes a portion of the pins to jump off from the majority of the pins by vibration, attracts and fixes the jumping pins, and gradually reduces the number of pins, thereby stably retrieving the pins and enabling the removal of a single pin in an upright state.

[Means for Solving the Problem] To achieve the aforementioned objective, the present invention provides a pin-retrieving device that retrieves a portion of pins from a plurality of pins. The pin-retrieving device includes: a pin-carrying portion configured as a groove, capable of restricting the axial direction of a plurality of pins placed therein to align with the groove direction; a first vibration application portion, capable of vibrating the pin-carrying portion, causing at least a portion of the plurality of pins to jump up within the pin-carrying portion; an adsorption arm above the pin-carrying portion, which draws in and adsorbs and fixes a plurality of the jumping pins via the belly of the plurality of pins; and a bottle portion having an internal space for storing the plurality of pins adsorbed and fixed to the adsorption arm, and for providing... The plurality of pins are held in an upright position, and a single pin is discharged from the bottle through a through-hole located on the bottom surface of the internal space, the through-hole having a diameter through which only one pin can pass; a second vibration application unit vibrates the bottle and discharges the single pin through the through-hole; and a stop member is disposed at a distance from the outlet of the through-hole that is shorter than the total length of the pin in the pin discharge direction, wherein one end of the single pin contacts the stop member and the other end of the single pin contacts the through-hole, thereby holding the single pin in an upright position.

In addition, in one embodiment of the present invention, the adsorption arm of the present invention has an air inlet facing the pin mounting portion, the air inlet being disposed inside the guide portion, the guide portion facing the pin mounting portion and forming a groove shape, which can restrict the axial direction of the plurality of pins adsorbed and fixed to the adsorption arm to be consistent with the groove direction.

In another embodiment of the invention, the internal space of the pin mounting portion is configured such that the cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the groove direction gradually expands toward the opening direction.

In another embodiment of the invention, the bottle portion of the invention stores the plurality of pins in the internal space via the cap portion, and vibrates vertically in the closed state to discharge the individual pins.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the present invention further includes: a compressed air supply unit capable of supplying compressed air to the internal space, wherein the compressed air supply unit supplies the compressed air when the bottle section vibrates.

Furthermore, the present invention is a pin-retrieving device for retrieving a portion of pins from a plurality of pins. The pin-retrieving device includes: a pin-carrying portion configured as a groove, capable of restricting the axial direction of a plurality of pins placed therein to align with the groove direction; a first vibration application portion, capable of vibrating the pin-carrying portion, causing at least a portion of the plurality of pins to jump up inside the pin-carrying portion; an adsorption arm above the pin-carrying portion, which draws in and adsorbs and fixes a plurality of the jumping pins via the belly of the plurality of pins; and a bottle portion having an internal space, which stores the plurality of pins adsorbed and fixed to the adsorption arm via a cap portion, and allows the plurality of pins to be in an upright state. The device is configured to hold a single pin in place, wherein the bottle cap is closed and a single pin is discharged through an insertion hole located on the bottom surface of the interior space; a compressed air supply unit supplies compressed air to the interior space and discharges the single pin through the insertion hole; and a stop member is disposed at a distance from the outlet of the insertion hole that is shorter than the total length of the pin in the direction of pin discharge, wherein one end of the single pin contacts the stop member and the other end of the single pin contacts the insertion hole, thereby holding the single pin in an upright position.

Furthermore, this invention relates to a pin-retrieving method for obtaining a portion of pins from a plurality of pins. The pin-retrieving method includes: a first step, arranging a plurality of pins in a pin-carrying portion, the pin-carrying portion being configured as a groove and capable of restricting the axial direction of each of the plurality of pins placed therein to be aligned with the groove direction; a second step, vibrating the pin-carrying portion to cause at least a portion of the plurality of pins to jump up inside the pin-carrying portion, and adsorbing and fixing a plurality of the jumping pins to an adsorption arm, the adsorption arm being above the pin-carrying portion and drawing in and adsorbing the pins through the belly of the plurality of pins; a third step, fixing the adsorption to the pin-carrying portion... The plurality of pins of the adsorption arm are stored inside the bottle portion, which has an internal space for holding the plurality of pins in an upright position; and in the fourth step, the bottle portion is vibrated and a single pin is discharged through an insertion hole provided on the bottom surface of the internal space with a diameter through which only one pin can pass, so that one end of the single pin contacts a stop member disposed at a distance from the outlet of the insertion hole that is shorter than the total length of the pin in the direction of pin discharge, thereby holding the single pin in an upright position by means of the insertion hole and the stop member, and setting the single pin in an accessible position.

Furthermore, this invention relates to a pin-retrieving method for obtaining a portion of pins from a plurality of pins. The pin-retrieving method includes: a first step, arranging a plurality of pins in a pin-carrying portion, the pin-carrying portion being groove-shaped and capable of restricting the axial direction of each of the plurality of pins placed therein to be aligned with the groove direction; a second step, vibrating the pin-carrying portion to cause at least a portion of the plurality of pins to jump up inside the pin-carrying portion, and adsorbing and fixing a plurality of the jumping pins to an adsorption arm, the adsorption arm being above the pin-carrying portion and drawing in and adsorbing the plurality of pins through the belly of the pins; a third step, transferring the plurality of pins adsorbed and fixed to the adsorption arm... The bottle portion is stored inside the cap, which has an internal space for holding the plurality of pins in an upright position; and in the fourth step, compressed air is supplied to the bottle portion with the cap closed, and a single pin is discharged through an insertion hole provided on the bottom surface of the internal space with a diameter through which only one pin can pass, so that one end of the single pin contacts a stop member located at a distance from the outlet of the insertion hole that is shorter than the full length of the pin in the direction of pin discharge, thereby holding the single pin in an upright position through the insertion hole and the stop member, and setting the single pin to an accessible state.

[Effects of the Invention] According to this invention, when acquiring sales, the supply of sales from the majority of sales is divided into two stages, and sales are reduced in stages, thereby ensuring a stable acquisition of individual sales.

That is, according to the present invention, as a first stage, the pin mounting part is vibrated so that at least a portion of the majority of the pins jumps up inside the pin mounting part. The suction arm above the pin mounting part draws in and holds the majority of the jump-up pins by passing through the abdomen of the majority of the pins. The axial direction of the adsorbed pins is aligned with the groove of the suction arm. Therefore, a portion of the pins can be stably removed from the pin mounting part.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, as a second stage, multiple pins fixed to the adsorption arm are stored in the internal space of the bottle. The bottle, including the bottom surface of the internal space and having an insertion hole with a diameter through which only one pin can pass, vibrates and discharges a single pin through the insertion hole. One end of the single pin contacts a stop member, and the other end of the single pin contacts the insertion hole, holding the single pin in an upright state, thereby allowing the single pin to be removed stably. The stop member is located at a distance from the outlet of the insertion hole that is shorter than the total length of the pin in the direction of pin discharge.

Furthermore, according to this invention, even for pins with small diameters, since they cannot be gripped and held like tweezers, pins can still be obtained stably.

Furthermore, according to this invention, when obtaining a portion of sales from a majority of sales, no operator proficiency is required, and sales acquisition operations can be carried out continuously. Therefore, the productivity of sales acquisition operations is improved.

The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, illustrates the form of the pin-retrieving apparatus and method for implementing the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention provides a pin-retrieving apparatus and method for retrieving a portion of pins from a plurality of pins. In this apparatus and method, a pin-carrying portion containing a plurality of pins is vibrated, causing a portion of the pins to jump within the pin-carrying portion. A suction arm then draws in and holds the pins in place via the undersides of the jumping pins, thus retrieving a portion of the pins. The number of pins is reduced in stages during the retrieving process, thereby stably retrieving a portion of the pins, ultimately enabling the extraction of a single pin. Furthermore, a portion of the pins refers to a plurality of pins including a single pin.

[Structure of the Pin Retrieval Device] First, a pin retrieval device capable of retrieving a portion of small pins will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. Furthermore, regarding the size of the pins in the pin retrieval device of this invention, as an example, they are micro-sized with a diameter of approximately 30 μm and an overall length of 10 mm to 20 mm. However, as long as the diameter is 10 μm or larger, it is conceivable that embodiments of this invention are not limited to micro-sized pins, and neither the diameter nor the overall length is limited.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the general structure of a pin-collecting device that collects a portion of pins from a plurality of pins. Figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional view including a pin mounting platform in the pin placement section, showing the internal spatial shape of the pin mounting platform and the state in which the pins are placed on the pin mounting platform. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the shape of the front end of the pin adsorption arm. Figure 3(a) is a perspective view of the front end of the pin adsorption arm, Figure 3(b) is a front view of the front end of the pin adsorption arm, Figure 3(c) is a bottom view of the front end of the pin adsorption arm, and Figure 3(d) is a perspective view showing the state in which a pin is adsorbed and fixed at the front end of the pin adsorption arm. Figure 4 is a side view including a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of the bottle section. As shown in Figure 1, the pin-collecting device 1 has a pin placement section 3, an adsorption arm 10, and a bottle section 23.

[Structure of the Pin Loading Unit in the Pin Retrieving Device] First, the pin loading unit 3 of the pin retrieving device 1 will be explained. As shown in FIG. 1, the pin loading unit 3 of the pin retrieving device 1 has a pin mounting platform 5 that houses a majority of pins 50 (shown in FIG. 2) and a swinging mechanism 8. As shown in FIG. 2, the pin mounting platform 5 is configured as a groove, and its cross-sectional shape, orthogonal to the groove direction, gradually expands towards the opening direction. For example, it has a V-shaped or U-shaped groove 6. Herein, the groove 6 is configured such that the axial direction of each of the majority of pins 50 housed therein is aligned with the groove direction, thereby restricting the axial direction of the pins 50. The groove 6 of the pin mounting platform 5 is, for example, large enough to hold more than 100 pins 50.

Additionally, as shown in Figure 1, the pin mounting section 3 has a oscillation mechanism 8 that acts as a first vibration application section, causing the pin mounting platform 5 to oscillate and vibrate the pins 50 inside the pin mounting platform 5. The oscillation mechanism 8 mounts the pin mounting platform 5 and oscillates it in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the axis of the majority of pins 50 mounted inside the pin mounting platform 5. In Figure 1, the vibration direction 43 of the pin mounting platform 5 oscillating by the oscillation mechanism 8 is indicated by an arrow.

The pin mounting platform 5 is oscillating via the oscillating mechanism 8, thereby causing the pins 50 stored inside the pin mounting platform 5 to vibrate. The axial direction of the pins 50 is aligned with the groove direction of the pin mounting portion 3. Furthermore, inside the pin mounting platform 5, the pins 50 whose pin axial direction is aligned with the surface pins spring up, and the pins 50 become dispersed. At this time, the spring-up pins 50 are a portion of the majority of pins 50 stored inside the pin mounting platform 5, for example, about 10 pins. Moreover, by adjusting the vibration frequency of the oscillating mechanism 8, the number of spring-up pins 50 can be changed.

The oscillating mechanism 8, which serves as the first vibration application unit, is preferably a linear motor capable of generating vibration by reciprocating in one axial direction. Furthermore, the oscillating mechanism 8 is not limited to a linear motor that generates vibration by reciprocating movement; it can also be other mechanisms that generate vibration, such as a vibrator.

[Structure of the Adsorption Arm in the Pin Retrieval Device] Next, referring to Figures 1 and 3, the adsorption arm that draws in and adsorbs the undersides of multiple pins above the pin mounting platform will be described. As shown in Figure 1, the adsorption arm 10 of the pin retrieval device 1 includes a pin adsorption arm 12, a pin adsorption arm front end 13, a vacuum adsorption connection 17, a pin adsorption arm sliding part 18, a pin adsorption arm drive mechanism 19, a rotating shaft 20, a rotating shaft arm 21, and a rotating shaft drive part (not shown).

The adsorption arm 10 adsorbs and fixes the pins 50 from the pin mounting platform 5. The pin adsorption arm 12 of the adsorption arm 10 has a pin adsorption arm front end 13 at its front end that draws in and adsorbs and fixes multiple pins 50. Figure 3 shows the shape of the pin adsorption arm front end 13 of the pin adsorption arm 12. As shown in Figure 1, the pin adsorption arm front end 13 is arranged facing the pin mounting part 3. As shown in Figures 3(a), 3(b) and 3(c), it has a guide part 15 that is configured in a groove shape and can restrict the axial direction of multiple pins 50 adsorbed and fixed to the pin adsorption arm front end 13 to be aligned with the groove direction. An air inlet 16 is provided inside the guide part 15. As shown in Figure 3(d), multiple pins 50 are adsorbed and fixed to the pin adsorption arm front end 13 in such a way that the pin axial direction is aligned with the groove direction. Therefore, the groove direction of the guide portion 15, which is formed in the shape of a groove, is configured to face each other in a manner consistent with the groove direction of the groove 6 of the pin mounting platform 5.

Additionally, as shown in Figure 1, the pin adsorption arm 12 has a vacuum adsorption connection 17 at its upper part. The vacuum adsorption connection 17 is connected to the air intake 16 at the front end 13 of the pin adsorption arm 12 via an exhaust path (not shown) provided inside the pin adsorption arm 12. Furthermore, an externally provided vacuum adsorption device (not shown) is connected to the vacuum adsorption connection 17 of the pin adsorption arm 12, and the pin 50 is sucked and fixed to the air intake 16 by the vacuum adsorption device. Moreover, the vacuum adsorption device can control the vacuum adsorption operation according to the ON/OFF signal.

A pin-adsorption arm 12 is disposed on a pin-adsorption arm sliding part 18 that can move vertically. The pin-adsorption arm sliding part 18 can move vertically via a pin-adsorption arm drive mechanism 19. As the pin-adsorption arm sliding part 18 moves vertically, the front end 13 of the pin-adsorption arm descends above the pin mounting platform 5, thereby adsorbing the pin 50. In Figure 1, the arrow indicates the direction of movement 44 of the pin-adsorption arm sliding part 18.

A pin suction arm drive mechanism 19 that drives the pin suction arm sliding part 18 is provided on the rotating shaft arm 21, and the rotating shaft arm 21 is directly connected to the rotating shaft 20. The rotating shaft 20 is driven by the motor (not shown) of the rotating shaft drive part.

The rotating shaft arm 21 is configured to rotate 90 degrees vertically via the rotating shaft 20. The rotating shaft arm 21 rotates 90 degrees counterclockwise in the rotation direction 45 indicated by the arrow in Figure 1 via the rotating shaft 20, thereby causing the pin suction arm sliding portion 18 to also rotate 90 degrees, with the groove of the pin suction arm front end 13 positioned vertically. Furthermore, with the pin suction arm 12 rotated 90 degrees, the pin suction arm sliding portion 18 moves via the pin suction arm drive mechanism 19, thereby allowing the pin suction arm front end 13 to move horizontally. Moreover, Figure 8, described later, shows the pin suction arm sliding portion 18 rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise from the state in Figure 1.

[Structure of the Bottle Section in the Pin Retrieval Device] Next, the bottle section that holds and maintains multiple pins fixed to the adsorption arm in an upright position will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 4. As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the bottle section 23 of the pin retrieval device 1 has a bottle body 24, a cap 30, and a stop member 40. As shown in Figure 4, the bottle body 24 of the bottle section 23 is generally cylindrical, and the lower part of the bottle body 24 forms a chamfered cone that gradually tapers downwards and has a horizontal lower end.

The bottle body 24, shown in cross-section in Figure 4, has an internal space 25 that holds multiple pins 50 adsorbed and fixed to the pin adsorption arm 12, and allows the pins 50 to be held in an upright position. An insertion hole 28 with a diameter allowing only one pin 50 to pass through is provided on the bottom surface of the internal space 25 of the bottle body 24. The insertion hole 28 is located at the center of the bottom surface of the internal space 25 of the bottle body 24. Thus, a single pin 50 can be discharged from the bottle body 24 through the insertion hole 28.

Furthermore, the bottom surface of the inner space 25 of the bottle body 24 shown in Figure 4 is a flat surface, but for example, the bottom surface of the inner space 25 of the bottle body 24 may also be an inclined surface for guiding the pin 50 to the through hole 28, and the inclined surface is provided from the inner circumferential surface of the bottom surface of the inner space 25 toward the bottom of the through hole.

[Structure of the Cap in the Bottle] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the cap 30 is located on a cap sliding part 32 situated at the top of the bottle body 24, allowing it to move vertically. In Figure 1, the arrow indicates the direction of movement 47 of the cap sliding part 32.

As shown in the cross-sectional view in Figure 4, the cap 30 has a space at its lower part, which covers the upper part of the inner space 25 of the bottle body 24 when the bottle body 24 vibrates, to prevent the pin 50 from flying out. On the other hand, when the self-adhesive arm 10 supplies the pin 50 to the bottle body 24, the cap 30 moves to open the upper part of the inner space 25 of the bottle body 24. In addition, the upper surface of the cap 30 has an air supply connection 31 for supplying compressed air to the inner space 25 of the bottle body 24, and the cap 30 blows the compressed air supplied from the air supply connection 31 into the inner space 25 of the bottle body 24.

As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the bottle body 24 and the cap sliding part 32 are disposed on the L-shaped bottle sliding part 29. The bottle body 24 is located at the lower part of the bottle sliding part 29, and the cap sliding part 32 is disposed at the upper part of the bottle sliding part 29. The bottle sliding part 29 can move in the up-down (vertical) direction and is driven by the bottle up-down mechanism 35.

Furthermore, the cap sliding part 32 of the bottle sliding part 29 moves up and down by a cap driving part 33, which can be provided on the bottle sliding part 29. In this way, the cap part 30 of the cap sliding part 32 can move up and down independently on the bottle sliding part 29, and furthermore, the cap part 30 can move up and down together with the bottle body 24 by means of the bottle sliding part 29.

The cap drive unit 33 operates in such a way that it moves the cap 30 of the cap sliding unit 32 up and down. When the pin 50 is supplied to the bottle body 24 by the pin suction arm 12, the cap 30 rises and retracts, thereby opening the upper part of the internal space 25 of the bottle body 24. In addition, when the bottle body 24 vibrates or compressed air is supplied, the cap 30 falls and seals the inside of the bottle body 24.

The air supply connection 31 of the cap 30 is connected to an external air supply device (not shown) to supply compressed air from the upper part of the cap 30 to the insertion hole 28 of the bottle body 24, thereby discharging the single pin 50. Furthermore, the air supply device can control the air supply operation according to the ON/OFF signal.

Furthermore, the bottle section 23 has a bottle section lifting mechanism 35 that moves the bottle body 24 and the cap section 30 vertically up and down. When the pin 50 is supplied to the bottle body 24 by the pin suction arm 12, the vertical movement of the bottle body 24 is carried out by the bottle section lifting mechanism 35. In addition, the bottle section lifting mechanism 35 also serves as a second vibration application part that vibrates the bottle body 24 (and the cap section 30). By moving the bottle section lifting mechanism 35 back and forth at high speed for a short distance in the vertical direction, the bottle body 24 vibrates in the vertical direction, thereby discharging a single pin 50 from the outlet of the insertion hole 28.

In the discharge action of pin 50 in bottle section 23, the following three actions are listed as examples. As a first action, the bottle body 24 is vibrated only by the bottle section up-and-down mechanism 35. As a second action, compressed air is supplied to the bottle body 24. As a third action, the vibration of the bottle body 24 and the supply of compressed air are performed simultaneously. The discharge action can be performed by any of these actions. Furthermore, the bottle section up-and-down mechanism 35 vibrates the bottle body 24 only in the vertical direction, but it can also be a mechanism that vibrates in the horizontal direction or in a direction combining the vertical and horizontal directions as a second vibration application unit.

Furthermore, a vacuum ejector, used as a conveying component for suction-based objects, can be further connected to the air supply device, and the negative pressure flow path of the vacuum ejector is also connected to the air supply connection 31. The vacuum ejector generates negative pressure by causing compressed air to flow into the diffuser (vacuum generating mechanism) and performs a suction operation. In this case, the air supply connection 31 can not only supply compressed air based on the air supply device, but can also be switched to supply compressed air for connecting the negative pressure flow path for the suction operation based on the vacuum ejector. That is, compressed air can also flow into the diffuser, and the vacuum ejector can perform a suction action that is opposite to the air flow. Regarding the suction action, when the suction action stops, disruptive air (compressed air from the air supply device) can be supplied to the negative pressure flow path of the vacuum ejector to reliably stop the action.

When the air supply device is connected to a vacuum ejector, during the suction action of the vacuum ejector, the pin 50 stored inside the bottle 23 is moved towards the cap by suction. When the suction action stops, broken air (compressed air from the air supply device) is supplied to the negative pressure flow path of the vacuum ejector, thereby discharging the single pin 50 from the outlet of the through hole 28 along the flow of broken air.

[Structure of the Stopper in the Bottle Section] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the stopper 40 of the bottle section 23 is positioned at a distance from the outlet of the insertion hole 28 that is shorter than the total length of the pin 50 in the discharge direction of the pin 50. By using the stopper 40 located on the lower side of the bottle body 24 to block the pin 50 from being pulled out of the bottle body 24, the pin 50 stops on the stopper 40. The bottle section 23 holds the individual pin 50 in an upright position by having one end contact the stopper 40 and the other end contact the insertion hole 28.

As shown in Figures 1 and 4, a first pin detection sensor 41 is provided near the upper part of the bottle body 24 to detect the presence or absence of the pin 50. The first pin detection sensor 41 detects whether the pin 50 is in the internal space 25 of the bottle body 24, and the detection signal is used to control the feeding action of the pin 50 from the pin adsorption arm 12.

Additionally, a second pin detection sensor 42 is provided to detect whether the pin 50 has been discharged from the bottle body 24. The second pin detection sensor 42 is located near the midpoint between the through hole and the stop member 40 of the bottle body 24. As the first pin detection sensor 41 and the second pin detection sensor 42, for example, a reflective sensor is used to detect the presence of an object by illuminating light with a self-emitting part and receiving reflected light from the object.

The pin 50 discharged from the bottle body 24 is in a state that can be obtained using a pin holding device or pin suction device (not shown). That is, the pin 50 discharged from the bottle body 24 is held upright by the stop member 40 below the bottle body 24. The pin 50 is sucked or held horizontally from the belly of the pin 50 using a pin holding device (not shown). In this state, the bottle body 24 is raised, thereby obtaining a pin 50.

In addition, the pin-collecting device 1 has a control unit (not shown) with a built-in computer, which executes computer programs to control the motors, sensors, etc. of each drive unit of the pin-carrying unit 3, the suction arm 10, and the bottle unit 23.

[Sales Acquisition Steps] Next, referring to Figures 5 through 12, the sales acquisition methods for acquiring a portion of multiple sales and for individual sales will be explained.

Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of obtaining a single pin from multiple pins. Figure 6 shows the state where a pin is held on the pin mounting platform of the pin-retrieving device. Figure 7 shows the state where a pin is held and fixed by the pin suction arm of the pin-retrieving device. Figure 8 shows the state where the pin held and fixed by the pin suction arm is supplied to the bottle body. Figure 9 shows the state where the bottle body rises, and the pin is held in the bottle body. Figure 10 shows the state where the pin suction arm retracts, and the pin is held inside the bottle body. Figure 11 shows the state where the top of the bottle body is closed by the cap and vibrates. Figure 12 shows the state where the pin is discharged from the insertion hole of the bottle body.

[First Step in Obtaining Pins] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, as the first step, most of the pins 50 are pre-positioned inside the grooves 6 of the pin mounting platform 5 in the pin holder 3 (step S1). At this time, it is sufficient that the axial direction of most of the pins 50 is approximately aligned with the groove direction of the groove 6. This is because, in the subsequent second step, the pin mounting platform 5 can use vibration to naturally align the axial direction of the most of the pins 50 placed inside with the groove direction.

[Second Step Regarding Pin Acquisition] Next, as the second step, following the vibration direction 43 of the pin mounting platform indicated by the arrow in Figure 7, the pin mounting platform 5 is moved at high speed reciprocating in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the axis of the pin 50 by the swing mechanism 8, causing the pin mounting platform 5 to vibrate (step S2). This causes a portion of the pin 50 stored in the pin mounting platform 5 to jump upwards within the internal space of the pin mounting platform 5.

As shown in Figure 7, for multiple pins 50 that have jumped up, the pin suction arm 12 is lowered above the pin mounting platform 5 to suction the abdomen of the multiple pins 50, thereby adsorbing and fixing them to the pin suction arm 12 in a horizontal state with the axis of the pin 50 as the horizontal (step S3). Here, the number of pins 50 adsorbed by the pin suction arm 12 is about 10. At this time, the axis of the multiple pins adsorbed is consistent with the groove direction of the groove-shaped guide part 15 at the front end 13 of the pin suction arm, so the pins can be stably removed from the pin mounting platform 5.

In this case, the number of pins 50 adsorbed by the pin adsorption arm 12 can be adjusted according to the vibration frequency of the swing mechanism 8, the distance between the front end 13 of the pin adsorption arm 12 and the pin mounting platform 5 generated by the descent of the pin adsorption arm 12, the adsorption force of the vacuum adsorption device, and the groove shape of the groove-shaped guide part 15 in the front end 13 of the pin adsorption arm.

[Third Step Regarding Pin Acquisition] Next, as shown in Figures 5 and 8, as the third step, the pin-adsorption arm 12 is raised. As shown in Figure 8, the rotation axis 20 rotates 90 degrees towards the bottle body 23, in the direction of rotation 45 degrees of the rotation axis arm indicated by the arrow. This changes the axial direction of the adsorbed pin 50 from horizontal to vertical. The pin 50, in its vertical position, is moved horizontally on the pin-adsorption arm 12 by the sliding part 18, thereby moving the pin 50 onto the bottle body 24 (step S4).

As shown in Figures 5 and 9, after the pin 50 moves onto the bottle body 24, the bottle body 24 is raised by the bottle lifting mechanism 35, and the pin 50 is inserted into the inner space 25 from the upper part of the bottle body 24, so that a portion of the entire length of the pin 50 is located in the inner space 25. In this state, the adsorption of the pin adsorption arm 12 is released. After the adsorption is released, the pin 50 falls and is stored in the inner space 25 of the bottle body 24 (step S5). Thus, as shown in Figure 10, multiple pins 50 adsorbed and fixed to the pin adsorption arm 12 are stored in the bottle body 24, which has an inner space 25 that allows multiple pins 50 to be held in an upright state.

[Fourth Step Regarding Pin Acquisition] Next, as shown in Figures 5 and 11, as the fourth step, after the multiple pins 50 are stored in the bottle body 24, the pin-adhesive arm 12 is retracted away from the bottle body 24, causing the cap 30 to descend and contact the upper part of the bottle body 24, thereby sealing the interior of the bottle body 24 (step S6).

Then, as shown in Figures 5 and 12, the bottle body 24 is vibrated by the high-speed reciprocating motion of the bottle body 24 using the bottle-mounting mechanism 35, causing the pin 50 to jump up inside the bottle body 24 (step S7). Each pin 50 falls from the insertion hole 28 (shown in Figure 4) on the lower side of the bottle body 24, which corresponds to a pin, due to the vibration. The stopper 40 at the lower part of the bottle body 24 blocks the falling pin 50, stopping it at the lower part of the bottle body 24. The second pin detection sensor 42 checks whether the pin 50 has been discharged (step S8). When the pin 50 has been discharged (step S9), the vibration of the bottle body 24 is stopped (step S10).

Since the stop member 40 is located at a distance from the outlet of the insertion hole 28 of the bottle body 24 at the bottle portion 23 that is shorter than the total length of the pin 50 in the discharge direction of the pin 50, one end of the single pin 50 contacts the insertion hole 28, and the single pin 50 is held in an upright state by the stop member 40.

The pin 50 discharged from the bottle body 24 is in a state that can be obtained using a pin holding device or pin suction device (not shown). By using a pin holding device (not shown) to suck or hold the pin 50 from the horizontal direction through the belly of the pin 50, the bottle body 24 is raised in the above state, thereby obtaining a pin 50.

[Regarding another fourth step in pin acquisition] On the other hand, as another fourth step, after step S6, compressed air can be supplied from the air supply device instead of vibrating the bottle body 24 by high-speed reciprocating motion. Figure 13 is a flowchart showing the pin acquisition step of supplying compressed air to the internal space of the bottle body to expel individual pins, replacing the bottle body up-and-down mechanism which acts as the second vibration application unit. Furthermore, since the steps shown in Figure 13 are the same as those up to step S6 shown in Figure 5, the steps after S6 will be explained.

As shown in Figure 13, after sealing the interior of the bottle body 24, compressed air is supplied to the interior (step S11). Here, a single pin 50 is expelled (falls) by air flowing through the through-hole 28 corresponding to a pin on the lower side of the bottle body 24. The falling pin 50 is stopped at the lower part of the bottle body 24 by the stopper 40 at the bottom of the bottle body 24. The second pin detection sensor 42 checks whether the pin 50 has been expelled (step S12). When the pin 50 has been expelled (step S13), the supply of compressed air to the interior of the bottle body 24 is stopped (step S14).

The stop member 40 is positioned at a distance from the outlet of the insertion hole 28 of the bottle body 24 in the bottle portion 23 that is shorter than the total length of the pin 50 in the discharge direction of the pin 50. In this way, the individual pin 50 is held in an upright position.

The pin 50 discharged from the bottle body 24 is in a state that can be obtained using a pin holding device or pin suction device (not shown). By using a pin holding device (not shown) to suck or hold the pin 50 from the horizontal direction through the belly of the pin 50, the bottle body 24 is raised in the above state, thereby obtaining a pin 50.

Furthermore, as a new fourth step, it is also possible to make the vibration of the bottle body 24 and the supply of compressed air work simultaneously, thereby expelling the single pin.

Furthermore, in the air supply device, when the negative pressure flow path of the vacuum ejector is also connected to the air supply connection 31, after the inside of the bottle body 24 is sealed by the cap 30, a suction operation is always performed except when the individual pin 50 is discharged from the bottle section 23. This prevents the individual pin 50 from being discharged from the outlet of the insertion hole 28 of the bottle section 23 at an unexpected time. In this case, when the individual pin 50 is discharged from the bottle section 23, the suction operation is stopped, and disruptive air (compressed air from the air supply device) is supplied to the negative pressure flow path of the vacuum ejector, so that the individual pin 50 can be discharged from the outlet of the insertion hole 28 by the flow of disruptive air. In addition, the vibration of the bottle body 24 can also be used simultaneously in combination with the suction action and the supply of compressed air as the breaking air.

As described above, according to the present invention, when obtaining sales, the supply of most sales is divided into two stages to reduce sales in stages, thereby ensuring a stable acquisition of individual sales.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, as a first stage, the pin mounting portion is vibrated so that at least a portion of the majority of the pins jumps up inside the pin mounting portion. The suction arm above the pin mounting portion draws in and holds the majority of the jump-up pins by the abdomen of the majority of the pins. The axial direction of the adsorbed pins is aligned with the groove of the suction arm, so that a portion of the pins can be stably removed from the pin mounting portion.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, as a second stage, multiple pins fixed to the adsorption arm are stored in the internal space of the bottle. The bottle, including the bottom surface of the internal space and having an insertion hole with a diameter through which only one pin can pass, vibrates and discharges a single pin through the insertion hole. One end of the single pin contacts a stop member, and the other end of the single pin contacts the insertion hole, holding the single pin in an upright state, thereby allowing the single pin to be removed stably. The stop member is located at a distance from the outlet of the insertion hole that is shorter than the total length of the pin in the direction of pin discharge.

Furthermore, according to this invention, even for pins with small diameters, since they cannot be gripped and held like tweezers, they can still be obtained stably.

Furthermore, according to this invention, when obtaining a portion of sales from a majority of sales, no operator proficiency is required, and sales acquisition operations can be carried out continuously, thus improving the productivity of sales acquisition operations.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, by simultaneously vibrating the bottle body 24 and drawing in gas from the internal space of the bottle, the movement of the pin and the supply of gas switched from the drawing in to the internal space can discharge a single pin, thus enabling reliable removal of a single pin.

This invention can be embodied in many forms without departing from its essential characteristics. Therefore, the described embodiments are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the invention.

1: Pin Picking Device 3: Pin Loading Unit 5: Pin Mounting Platform 6: Groove 8: Swinging Mechanism (First Vibration Application Unit) 10: Adsorption Arm 12: Pin Adsorption Arm 13: Front End of Pin Adsorption Arm 15: Guide Unit 16: Air Inlet 17: Vacuum Adsorption Connection Unit 18: Pin Adsorption Arm Sliding Unit 19: Pin Adsorption Arm Drive Mechanism 20: Rotating Shaft 21: Rotating Shaft Arm 23: Bottle Part 24: Bottle Body 25: Internal Space 28: Insertion Hole 29: Bottle Sliding Unit 30: Cap Part 31: Air Supply Connection Unit 32: Cap Sliding Unit 33: Cap Drive Unit 35: Bottle upper and lower mechanism (second vibration application unit) 40: Stopper 41: First pin detection sensor 42: Second pin detection sensor 43: Vibration direction of the pin mounting platform 44: Movement direction of the pin suction arm sliding part 45: Rotation direction of the rotating shaft arm 46: Movement direction of the bottle sliding part 47: Movement direction of the cap sliding part 50: Pin

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the general structure of a pin-grabbing device for retrieving a single pin from multiple pins. Figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional view including the pin mounting platform in the pin placement section, showing the internal spatial shape of the pin mounting platform and the state in which the pin is placed on the pin mounting platform. Figure 3 shows the shape of the front end of the pin-adsorption arm. Figure 3(a) is a perspective view of the front end of the pin-adsorption arm, Figure 3(b) is a front view of the front end of the pin-adsorption arm, Figure 3(c) is a bottom view of the front end of the pin-adsorption arm, and Figure 3(d) is a perspective view showing the state in which a pin is adsorbed and fixed at the front end of the pin-adsorption arm. Figure 4 is a side view including a partial cross-sectional view of the bottle section. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the steps of retrieving a single pin from multiple pins. Figure 6 shows the state where a pin is held on the pin mounting platform of the pin-collecting device. Figure 7 shows the state where a pin is held and fixed by the pin suction arm of the pin-collecting device. Figure 8 shows the state where a pin held and fixed by the pin suction arm is supplied to the bottle body. Figure 9 shows the state where the bottle body rises, and the pin is held within the bottle body. Figure 10 shows the state where the pin suction arm retracts, and the pin is held inside the bottle body. Figure 11 shows the state where the top of the bottle body is closed by the cap and vibrates. Figure 12 shows the state where a pin is discharged from the insertion hole of the bottle body. Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of supplying compressed air into the interior space of the bottle body to obtain the pin for discharging a single pin, replacing the upper and lower mechanism of the bottle section, which acts as the second vibration application unit.

1: Pin Retrieval Device

3: Pin mounting section

5: Sales platform

6: Slot

8: Oscillating Mechanism (First Vibration Application Unit)

10: Adsorption Arm

12: Pin Adsorption Arm

13: Front end of the pin suction arm

17: Vacuum Adsorption Connection

18: Pin Adsorption Arm Sliding Part

19: Pin Adsorption Arm Drive Mechanism

20: Rotation axis

21: Rotating Shaft Arm

23: Bottle section

24: Bottle Body

29: Bottle sliding part

30: Cover section

31: Air Supply Connection Unit

32: Cover sliding part

33: Cover Drive Unit

35: Bottle upper and lower mechanism (second vibration application unit)

40: Stopper

41: First Pin Detector

42: Second pin detection sensor

43: Vibration direction of the pin mounting platform

44: Direction of movement of the sliding part of the pin adsorption arm

45: Direction of rotation of the rotating shaft arm

46: Direction of movement of the sliding part of the bottle

47: Direction of movement of the sliding part of the cover

Claims (8)

A pin-retrieving device for retrieving a portion of pins from a plurality of pins, characterized in that it comprises: a pin-carrying portion configured as a groove, capable of restricting the axial direction of a plurality of pins placed therein to align with the groove direction; a first vibration application portion capable of vibrating the pin-carrying portion, causing at least a portion of the plurality of pins to jump out within the pin-carrying portion; a suction arm, located above the pin-carrying portion, for suctioning and adsorbing and fixing a plurality of the jump-out pins via the undersides of the plurality of pins; A bottle portion having an internal space for storing the plurality of pins adsorbed and fixed to the adsorption arm, and for holding the plurality of pins in an upright position; the bottle portion allows a single pin to be discharged through an insertion hole located on the bottom surface of the internal space, the insertion hole having a diameter allowing only one pin to pass through; A second vibration application portion vibrates the bottle portion and discharges the single pin through the insertion hole; and A stop member is disposed at a distance from the outlet of the insertion hole that is shorter than the total length of the pin in the pin discharge direction; wherein, one end of the single pin contacts the stop member, and the other end of the single pin contacts the insertion hole, thereby holding the single pin in an upright position. The pin-receiving device as described in claim 1, wherein: the adsorption arm has: an air intake facing the pin-carrying portion; the air intake is disposed inside a guide portion; the guide portion, facing the pin-carrying portion, is configured as a groove, capable of restricting the axial direction of the plurality of pins adsorbed and fixed to the adsorption arm from being aligned with the groove direction. The pin-receiving device as described in claim 1, wherein, the internal space of the pin-carrying portion is configured such that the cross-sectional shape, orthogonal to the groove direction, gradually expands toward the opening direction. The pin-retrieving device as described in claim 1, wherein, the bottle portion holds the plurality of pins in the internal space via the cap portion, and, with the cap portion closed, vibrates vertically to expel the individual pins. The pin-receiving device as described in claim 4 further includes: a compressed air supply unit capable of supplying compressed air to the internal space, the compressed air supply unit supplying the compressed air when the bottle vibrates. A pin-retrieving device for retrieving a portion of pins from a plurality of pins, characterized in that it comprises: a pin-carrying portion configured as a groove, capable of restricting the axial direction of a plurality of pins placed therein to align with the groove direction; a first vibration application portion capable of vibrating the pin-carrying portion, causing at least a portion of the plurality of pins to jump out within the pin-carrying portion; a suction arm, located above the pin-carrying portion, for suctioning and adsorbing and fixing a plurality of the jump-out pins via the undersides of the plurality of pins; A bottle portion having an internal space, which, via a cap, holds the plurality of pins adsorbed and fixed to the adsorption arm, and allows the plurality of pins to be held in an upright position. The bottle portion allows a single pin to be discharged through a through-hole located on the bottom surface of the internal space, the through-hole having a diameter allowing only one pin to pass through. A compressed air supply unit, which, with the cap of the bottle portion closed, supplies compressed air to the internal space and discharges the single pin through the through-hole; and a stop member, disposed at a distance from the outlet of the through-hole that is shorter than the total length of the pin in the pin discharge direction. Specifically, one end of the single pin contacts the stop member, and the other end of the single pin contacts the through hole, thereby holding the single pin in an upright position. A pin acquisition method, comprising acquiring a portion of pins from a plurality of pins, characterized in that it includes: A first step, arranging a plurality of pins in a pin-holding portion, the pin-holding portion being configured as a groove and capable of restricting the axial direction of each of the plurality of pins held therein to align with the groove direction; A second step, vibrating the pin-holding portion to cause at least a portion of the plurality of pins to jump up within the pin-holding portion, and adsorbing and fixing a plurality of the jumping pins to an adsorption arm, the adsorption arm being positioned above the pin-holding portion and drawing in and adsorbing the plurality of pins through the belly of the pins; A third step, storing the plurality of pins adsorbed and fixed to the adsorption arm inside a bottle portion, the bottle portion having an internal space for holding the plurality of pins in an upright position; and The fourth step involves vibrating the bottle and ejecting a single pin through a through-hole with a diameter allowing only one pin to pass through, located on the bottom surface of the internal space. One end of the single pin contacts a stop located at a distance from the outlet of the through-hole that is shorter than the total length of the pin in the ejection direction. The through-hole and the stop hold the single pin in an upright position, thus making the single pin retrievable. A pin acquisition method, comprising acquiring a portion of pins from a plurality of pins, characterized in that it includes: A first step, arranging a plurality of pins in a pin-holding portion, the pin-holding portion being configured as a groove and capable of restricting the axial direction of each of the plurality of pins held therein to align with the groove direction; A second step, vibrating the pin-holding portion to cause at least a portion of the plurality of pins to jump up within the pin-holding portion, and adsorbing and fixing a plurality of the jump-up pins to an adsorption arm, the adsorption arm being above the pin-holding portion and adsorbing the plurality of pins via the belly of the pins; A third step, storing the plurality of pins adsorbed and fixed to the adsorption arm within a bottle portion via a cap portion, the bottle portion having an internal space for holding the plurality of pins in an upright position; and In the fourth step, with the cap closed, compressed air is supplied to the bottle, and a single pin is discharged through an insertion hole located on the bottom surface of the internal space, with a diameter allowing only one pin to pass through. One end of the single pin contacts a stop located at a distance from the outlet of the insertion hole that is shorter than the total length of the pin in the discharge direction. The insertion hole and the stop hold the single pin in an upright position, thus making the single pin retrievable.