Attitude changing apparatus, aligning apparatus, attitude changing method and aligning method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9728433-B2
Application number	US-201615271510-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2016
Priority date	Mar 27, 2014
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

An attitude changing apparatus which can change an attitude of a component with certainty without damaging the component. The component has a rectangular parallelepiped shape where a pair of rectangular end surfaces opposite to each other are connected to each other by four side surfaces. The component is stored in a cavity which penetrates between main surfaces of a conveyance member, the conveyance member is moved relative to a base, and the component is made to pass through an engaging groove formed on a reference surface of the base.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An attitude changing apparatus used for a component having a rectangular parallelepiped shape where the component includes a pair of rectangular end surfaces which are opposite to each other and four side surfaces which connect the end surfaces to each other, the attitude changing apparatus comprising:
a base having a reference surface and a first engaging groove formed in a groove shape with respect to the reference surface; and
a conveyance member disposed along the reference surface of the base and having first and second main surfaces which are opposite to each other and a cavity which penetrates between the first and second main surfaces, the cavity being formed such that the component is stored in the cavity either in a state where the end surface of the component is brought into contact with the reference surface or in a state where any one of side surfaces of the component is brought into contact with the reference surface,
the conveyance member being configured to move relative to the base such that the cavity moves while facing the first engaging groove from a first end to a second end of the first engaging groove, wherein
the first engaging groove includes: a first groove bottom portion in a linear shape which connects the first end and the second end of the first engaging groove to each other; and a first inclined surface which is disposed adjacently to the first groove bottom portion and extends to one side of the first groove bottom portion; and a second inclined surface which is disposed adjacently to the first groove bottom portion and extends to the other side of the first groove bottom portion,
the first inclined surface is configured to suck and hold the component,
the first inclined surface is formed such that
the inclination of the first inclined surface with respect to the reference surface in a first orthogonal cross section orthogonal to the first groove bottom portion is increased as the first inclined surface extends toward the second end from the first end of the first engaging groove in at least a partial region from the first end to a first predetermined position of the first engaging groove, and
with respect to the component which is stored in the cavity such that either one of the end surfaces faces the reference surface in the first end,
as the component is conveyed along the first engaging groove along with the relative movement of the conveyance member with respect to the base while the end surface of the component stored in the cavity is sucked to and held by the first inclined surface, the inclination of the end surface of the component with respect to the reference surface is increased and the inclination of the pair of side surfaces of the component which is opposite to each other with respect to the reference surface is decreased,

the second inclined surface is formed such that
the side surface of the component is moved to the reference surface along with the conveyance of the component while the side surface of the component which is stored and conveyed in the cavity is supported in at least a partial region of the engaging groove from the first predetermined position to the second end, and
the side surface of the component is brought into contact with the reference surface when the component passes the second end of the first engaging groove.

2. An attitude changing apparatus used for a component having a rectangular parallelepiped shape where the component includes a pair of rectangular end surfaces which are opposite to each other and four side surfaces which connect the end surfaces to each other, the attitude changing apparatus comprising:
a base having a reference surface and a first engaging groove formed in a groove shape with respect to the reference surface; and
a conveyance member disposed along the reference surface of the base and having first and second main surfaces which are opposite to each other and a cavity which penetrates between the first and second main surfaces, the cavity being formed such that the component is stored in the cavity either in a state where the end surface of the component is brought into contact with the reference surface or in a state where any one of side surfaces of the component is brought into contact with the reference surface,
the conveyance member being configured to move relative to the base such that the cavity moves while facing the first engaging groove from a first end to a second end of the first engaging groove, wherein
the first engaging groove includes: a first groove bottom portion in a linear shape which connects the first end and the second end of the first engaging groove to each other; and a first inclined surface which is disposed adjacently to the first groove bottom portion and extends to one side of the first groove bottom portion; and a second inclined surface which is disposed adjacently to the first groove bottom portion and extends to the other side of the first groove bottom portion,
the first inclined surface is configured to suck and hold the component,
the first inclined surface is formed such that
the inclination of the first inclined surface with respect to the reference surface in a first orthogonal cross section orthogonal to the first groove bottom portion is increased as the first engaging groove extends toward the second end from the first end in at least a partial region of the engaging groove from the first end to a first predetermined position, and
with respect to the component which is stored in the cavity such that any one of the side surfaces faces the reference surface in the first end,
as the component is conveyed along the first engaging groove along with the relative movement of the conveyance member with respect to the base while the side surface of the component stored in the cavity is sucked to and held by the first inclined surface, the inclination of the pair of side surfaces of the component which is opposite to each other with respect to the reference surface is increased and the inclination of the end surface of the component with respect to the reference surface is decreased and,

the second inclined surface is formed such that
the end surface of the component is moved to the reference surface along with the conveyance of the component while the end surface of the component which is stored and conveyed in the cavity is supported in at least a partial region of the engaging groove from the first predetermined position to the second end, and
the end surface of the component is brought into contact with the reference surface when the component passes the second end of the first engaging groove.

3. The attitude changing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a first suction opening is formed in the first inclined surface so as to allow sucking and holding of the component on the first inclined surface by sucking the component in vacuum through the first suction opening, and
a second suction opening is formed in the second inclined surface so as to allow sucking and holding of the component on the second inclined surface by sucking the component in vacuum through the second suction opening.

4. The attitude changing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein a third suction opening which overlaps with the first inclined surface, the first groove bottom portion and the second inclined surface is formed at the first predetermined position or a region in the vicinity of the first predetermined position so as to allow sucking and holding of the component on the first engaging groove by sucking the component in vacuum through the third suction opening.

5. The attitude changing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein an opening center of the one first suction opening on the first inclined surface, an opening center of the one second suction o

Assignees

• Murata Manufacturing Co

Inventors

• Harada Masatoshi
• Kudo Atsushi
• Matsumoto Keiji

Classifications

• H10P72/3218

  Conveying cassettes, containers or carriers · CPC title

• H10P72/3212

  the substrates to be conveyed not being semiconductor wafers or large planar substrates, e.g. chips or lead frames · CPC title

• H10P72/3202

  Mechanical details, e.g. rollers or belts · CPC title

• H10P72/78

  using vacuum or suction, e.g. Bernoulli chucks · CPC title

• H10P72/50 Primary

  for positioning, orientation or alignment · CPC title