Abstract:
A gripping device that grips a plate member provided with a long plate body, a first recess formed along a shorter length of the plate body, and a second recess formed at a position spaced apart from the first recess along a longer length of the plate body, the gripping device including: a first movable member entering the first recess; a second movable member entering the second recess; and opposing members opposed to the first and second movable members along the shorter length of the plate body and serving to grip the plate member in cooperation with the first and second movable members, wherein the gripping device grips the plate member by causing the second movable member to press against at least two positions of the second recess as well as the first movable member to press against a bottom of the first recess.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is based on and claims priority under 35 USC 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-165427 filed Jun. 25, 2008. 
     BACKGROUND 
     (i) Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to a plate member, a gripping device that grips the plate member, and a gripping method of the plate member. 
     (ii) Related Art 
     Conventionally, there have been known an image forming apparatus in which a toner-developed image formed on an image carrier is transferred and fixed onto a recording medium, thereby forming an image on the recording medium. Some such image forming apparatuses are provided with a cleaning unit that causes the tip of a cleaning blade to touch the surface of the image carrier after the developed image is transferred onto the recording medium, thereby cleaning unnecessary matters such as toner residues remaining on the surface of the image carrier. 
     Further, some such cleaning units are designed to collect the unnecessary matters scraped by the cleaning blade and to store them in a casing of the cleaning unit. The blade is fixed to part of the casing by means of a plate member that supports the blade. 
     It is conceivable that the procedure of attaching the plate member supporting the blade to the casing can be automated by using a robot system with multiple arms. In the automated system, for example, one of the multiple arms has, on its front end, a component gripping device that grips a plate member. More specifically, each of the plate members is accommodated in an accommodation area on a predetermined tray where multiple accommodation areas are arranged. The plate member accommodated on the tray is gripped by the component gripping device. The plate member gripped by the component gripping device is carried, as the arm moves, to a different location where a casing is placed and is attached to a predetermined location. Subsequently, a fixing device attached to a front end of the robot&#39;s different arm secures the plate member to the casing. 
     The accommodation area on the tray used in such an automated system has a size sufficient for the plate member. Thus, even when the multiple accommodation areas are arranged regularly on the tray, positions of the plate members in the accommodation areas on the accommodation tray are likely to be irregular. Accordingly, in order to enable easy attachment of the plate member at a predetermined position on the casing, the plate member needs to be gripped at a fixed position of the component gripping device. 
     Here, it is conceivable to form notches, at both ends of the plate member, having such a shape that becomes narrower as it goes further in the depth direction, i.e., the center, and move pins provided at the component gripping device toward the center to slide into the notches and grip the plate member by the component gripping device. This idea is deemed to rectify irregular positions of the plate members in the accommodation areas on the tray and enable the plate members to be gripped at a fixed position of the component gripping device. 
     However, due to recent demands for a smaller image forming apparatus, layout of the plate member in the longitudinal direction is restricted. Thus, it is difficult to secure a space for notches to be formed in the both ends of the plate member and to be used for the component gripping device to grip the plate member. 
     This problem is not limited to the plate member that is used for automatic assembly of an image forming apparatus, and may occur in any device that is automatically assembled by using a plate member that is restricted in terms of layout in the longitudinal direction. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gripping device that grips a plate member provided with a long plate body, a first recess formed as a part of the plate body and has a shape recessed along a shorter length of the plate body, and a second recess formed as a part of the plate body at a position spaced apart from the first recess along a longer length of the plate body and has a shape recessed along the shorter length of the plate body, the gripping device including: a first movable member entering the first recess; a second movable member entering the second recess; and an opposing member group including at least one opposing member, the opposing member group being opposed to the first and second movable members along the shorter length of the plate body and serving to grip the plate member along the shorter length of the plate body in cooperation with the first and second movable members, wherein the gripping device grips the plate member by causing the second movable member to press against at least two positions of the second recess as well as causing the first movable member to press against a bottom of the first recess. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
       Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the following Figures, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic sectional view of an image forming apparatus; 
         FIG. 2  is an external view of part of a cleaning unit; 
         FIG. 3  is a view of a blade supporting plate that supports a blade; 
         FIG. 4  is a view showing a cleaning frame; 
         FIG. 5  is a view showing a flow of assembling the cleaning unit; 
         FIG. 6  shows the cleaning frame attached with the blade supporting plate; 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of the cleaning frame; 
         FIG. 8  is a view showing the blade supporting plate accommodated in an accommodation tray; 
         FIGS. 9A-9E  are schematic views of a component gripping device as viewed from its side surface; and 
         FIGS. 10A-10D  are plane views of the component gripping device as viewed in the direction indicated by X of  FIG. 9A . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below by referring to the attached drawings. 
     A component gripping device that is one exemplary embodiment of a gripping device according to the present invention serves to grip a component and is attached to one of arms of an industrial robot used for an automatic assembly line for a cleaning unit constituting an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet. Hereafter, the structure of the image forming apparatus will be described first, followed by description of a component gripping device used in a process of assembling the cleaning unit constituting the image forming apparatus and detailed description of a blade supporting plate that is one exemplary embodiment of a plate member according to the present invention, is a part of the cleaning unit and gripped by the component gripping device at automatic assembly for the cleaning unit. 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic sectional view of an image forming apparatus. 
     In an image forming apparatus  1  shown in  FIG. 1 , a surface of a photoreceptor drum  10  that rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow A is given a predetermined charge by a charging roll  11 , and irradiated with an exposure light that is generated at an exposure unit  12  based on image data. A resultant latent image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor drum  10  is developed with toner stored in a developing unit  13  provided with a developing roll  131  that rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow C. The developed image is transferred by a transfer roll  14  rotating in a direction indicated by the arrow D and is fixed onto a sheet of recording paper pulled out of a paper cassette (not shown) and conveyed in the direction of the arrow B and fixed by a fuser  15 , which forms an image on the sheet of recording paper. Incidentally, the image forming apparatus  1  is intended for a solid color image. 
     In addition,  FIG. 1  shows a cleaning unit  2  that touches part of the photoreceptor drum  10  where the developed image is already transferred onto the sheet of recording paper and thereby removes unnecessary matters remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor drum  10 . 
       FIG. 2  is an external view of part of the cleaning unit  2 . 
       FIG. 2  shows one end of the cleaning unit  2  viewed from the developing unit  13  over the photoreceptor drum  10 . As the cleaning unit  2  is symmetrical, only the one end thereof shown in  FIG. 2  will be described hereafter. 
     The cleaning unit  2  has a cleaning frame  21 , a blade  22 , a blade supporting plate  23  for supporting the blade  22 , a film member  24 , and a pair of sliding felt members  25 . 
     The blade  22  is an elastic body serving to remove unnecessary matters remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor drum  10  that an edge of a blade  221  touches. And for example, a blade made of rubber can be used. 
     The blade supporting plate  23  is a metal plate member for supporting the blade  22  and secured to the cleaning frame  21  with a screw  230 . 
     The cleaning frame  21  has a concave opening for storing unnecessary matters removed from the surface of the photoreceptor drum  10 , a main body  210  to which the blade supporting plate  23  for supporting the blade  22  is secured, and a holding portion  211  for rotatably holding the both ends of the photoreceptor drum  10 . It should be noted that the main body  210  is provided with a boss  2101  used for positioning the blade supporting plate  23  as well as a boss  2102  used for “arranging a charging frame that houses a charging member (not shown) at a predetermined position of the cleaning frame  21 .” The blade supporting plate  23  for supporting the blade  22  is screwed onto the cleaning frame  21  via thermoplastic elastomer that is a liquid sealant applied to a periphery of an entrance  210   a  of the cleaning frame  21 , which will be described later in detail. 
     The felt member  25  is formed of a felt layer that is a surface layer and an elastic layer that is an under layer (unshown). The felt layer  25  also has a protrusion portion  250  that is protruding toward the entrance  210   a.    
       FIG. 2  shows a state in which a side surface of the protrusion portion  250  and another blade-side surface of the felt member  25  other than the protrusion portion  250  are tight close to the corner of the blade  22 . Thus, it is possible to prevent escape of unnecessary matters through a side surface  222  of the blade  22 . 
     The film member  24  is a polyurethane film. A front edge  241  of the film member  24  is designed to touch the photoreceptor drum  10  held by the holding portion  211  of the cleaning frame  21 , thereby preventing escape of unnecessary matters through a peripheral portion H. 
       FIG. 3  is a view of the blade supporting plate  23  that supports the blade  22 . 
     In  FIG. 3 , the blade supporting plate  23  supporting the blade  22  before being screwed to the cleaning frame  21  of the cleaning unit  2  shown in  FIG. 2  is shown with its surface facing the cleaning frame  21  directed upward in the drawing. 
     Also, shown in  FIG. 3  is that the blade supporting plate  23  is provided with a through hole  23   a  through which the screw  230  shown in  FIG. 2  is passed and a through hole  23   b  through which the boss  2101  of the cleaning frame  21  is passed. 
     Further, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the blade supporting plate  23  has a bent portion  231  formed by bending part of the blade supporting plate  23  so as to enhance its own rigidity. The blade supporting plate  23  also has a triangle notch  23   d  and a rectangular notch  23   e  (see  FIG. 8 ) respectively formed in areas adjacent to the ends of the bent portion  231  so as to prevent deformation of the bent portion  231  when being bent. The details will be described later. 
       FIG. 4  is a view showing the cleaning frame  21 . 
       FIG. 4  shows the cleaning frame  21  before the blade supporting-plate  23 , the felt member  25  and the film member  24  are attached to its main body  210 . In the Figure, the entrance  210   a  that is a concave opening for storing unnecessary matters is exposed. A peripheral portion E, a peripheral portion F, and a peripheral portion G that surround the entrance  210   a  are located on the same plane that is perpendicular to a plane where the peripheral portion H is located. 
     Here, edges  2101   a  and  2102   a  define the entrance  210   a  for the concave opening in the axial direction of the photoreceptor drum  10  which direction is perpendicular to rotation of the surface thereof, while an edge  2103   a  defines the entrance  210   a  in the direction along the side of the entrance  210   a  where the blade supporting plate  23  is disposed. The remaining edge defines the entrance  210   a  in the direction along the side of the entrance  210   a  where the film member  24  is disposed. The peripheral portion F and the peripheral portion G respectively include areas along portions of the cleaning frame  21  formed by the edges  2101   a  and  2102   a  as well as an area between the portions formed by the edges  2101   a  and  2102   a  and ends of the blade  22  in the axial direction of the photoreceptor drum  10 , according to the present exemplary embodiment. The peripheral portion E includes an area along a portion formed by the edge  2103   a  as well as an area where the blade supporting plate  23  faces the cleaning frame  21  outside the portion formed by the edge  2103   a  away from the concave opening, according to the present exemplary embodiment. The periphery portion H includes an area along a portion formed by the edge on the side of the film member  24  as well as an area between the portion and the film member  24 . 
     Hereafter, a method of assembling the cleaning unit  2  will be briefly described referring to  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 . 
       FIG. 5  is a view showing a flow of assembling the cleaning unit  2 . 
     In step S 1  of  FIG. 5 , a liquid thermoelastic elastomer  20 , which is to coagulate and thereby seal the gap between members, is applied to the peripheral portions E, F, and G forming the periphery of the entrance  210   a  of the cleaning frame  21 . In step S 2 , the blade supporting plate  23  supporting the blade  22  is screwed and thereby fixed onto the cleaning frame  21 . In this state, part of the peripheral portions E, F, and G are covered by the blade supporting plate  23  supporting the blade  22 , so that the entrance  210   a  becomes narrower compared with the one shown in  FIG. 4 . 
       FIG. 6  shows the cleaning frame  21  attached with the blade supporting plate  23 . In  FIG. 6 , edges of the entrance  210   a  that are invisible covered with the members are expressed in dashed lines. The thermoelastic elastomer  20  applied to the periphery portions that is invisible covered with members is expressed in dotted lines. 
     In  FIG. 6 , thermoelastic elastomer  20  that is applied to the peripheral portions E-G forming the periphery of the entrance  210   a  and that is covered with the blade supporting plate  23  supporting the blade  22  is pressed and extended in the lateral direction when the blade supporting plate  23  is fixed to the cleaning frame  21 . Now, descriptions will continue referring back to  FIG. 5 . 
     In step S 3 , the felt member  25  is affixed to a felt member affixing surface  2103  (see  FIG. 6 ). In step S 4 , the film member  24  is adhered onto the periphery portion H via a double-sided adhesive tape. This is a brief description of an assembly method of the cleaning unit  2 . 
     Subsequently, in step S 5 , the photoreceptor drum  10  is rotatably installed onto the holding portion  211  of the assembled cleaning frame  21 . 
     Now, the process of step S 2  in  FIG. 5  will be described in detail. Specifically, description will be made on an automatic process in which a component gripping device  100  performs a process of mounting the blade supporting plate  23  supporting the blade  22  to the cleaning frame  21  whose periphery portions E-G are applied with the thermoelastic elastomer  20 . It should be noted that other processes including applying thermoelastic elastomer  20  onto the periphery portions E-G of the cleaning frame  21  and screwing the blade supporting plate  23  to the cleaning frame  21  are also automatically performed respectively by exclusive devices mounted on the multiple arms of an industrial robot that presents the exclusive devices alternately to a worktable. 
     In the mounting process, the blade supporting plate  23  is mounted onto the cleaning frame  21  placed at a predetermined position on the worktable with its periphery portions E-G applied with the thermoelastic elastomer. At first, the component gripping device  100  installed at the front end of the arm grips one of the multiple blade supporting plates  23  accommodated in an accommodation tray. Subsequently, the blade supporting plate  23  gripped by the component gripping device  100  is carried, as the arm tracing a predetermined path, close to a target mounting position on the cleaning frame  21  placed on the working table. Further, the bosses  2101  formed on the cleaning frame  21  are inserted respectively into the round hole  23   b  and a long hole  23   c  formed in the blade supporting plate  23 , thereby performing final positioning of the blade supporting plate  23  relative to the cleaning frame  21 . 
       FIG. 7  is a top view of the cleaning frame  21 . 
     In  FIG. 7 , the cleaning frame  21  with its periphery portions E-G applied with thermoelastic elastomer  20  is shown upside down relative to the one shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     Also, in  FIG. 7 , the bosses  2101  to be used for positioning the blade supporting plate  23  on the cleaning frame  21  are shown below the felt member affixing surface  2103  onto which the felt member  25  is to be affixed. Further, threaded holes  210   b  to be used for screwing the blade supporting plate  23  into the cleaning frame  21  are shown below the bosses  2101 . 
       FIG. 8  is a view showing the blade supporting plate  23  accommodated in the accommodation tray. 
       FIG. 8  shows that the blade supporting plates  23  supporting the blades  22  are accommodated in chambers partitioned by protruding portions  301  on an accommodation tray  300 . It should be noted that each chamber has a size sufficient for accommodating the blade supporting plate  23 . Thus, there are some irregularities in positions where the blade supporting plates  23  are located in chambers. 
     In addition,  FIG. 8  shows that the blade supporting plate  23  accommodated in each chamber has, on its ends, the round hole  23   b  through which the boss  2101  formed in the cleaning frame  21  is inserted, the long hole  23   c , and though holes  23   a  to be used for screwing the blade supporting plate  23  onto the cleaning frame  21 . 
     Further,  FIG. 8  shows that the triangle notch  23   d  and the rectangular notch  23   e  are formed in the blade supporting plate  23 . Here, the first recess corresponds to the rectangular notch  23   e  and the second recess corresponds to the triangle notch  23   d.    
     Now, descriptions will be made on the component gripping device  100  that is installed onto one of arms of an industrial robot and is to grip the blade supporting plate  23  accommodated in the accommodation tray  300 . 
       FIGS. 9A-9E  are schematic views of the component gripping device  100  as viewed from its side surface, and  FIGS. 10A-10D  are plan views of the component gripping device  100  as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrow X of  FIG. 9A . 
     The component gripping device  100  has a vacuum section  101 , a vacuum pipe  1011 , an arm control section  102 , a lateral arm  103 , a first vertical arm  104 , a second vertical arm  105 , and a third vertical arm  106 . 
     The vacuum section  101  is a base of the component gripping device  100  and serves to suck the blade supporting plate  23  in contact with the edge of the vacuum pipe  1011  by vacuuming operation of the vacuum pipe  1011 . 
     The arm control section  102  controls movement of the lateral arm  103  in a lateral direction as well as movement of the first vertical arm  104 , the second vertical arm  105 , and the third vertical arm  106  in a vertical direction. Specifically, movement of the lateral arm  103  in the lateral direction is controlled by being extended from and pulled into the inside of the arm control section  102  via the rack and pinion mechanism. Similarly, via the rack and pinion mechanism, movement of the first vertical arm  104  in the vertical direction is controlled by being caused to move close to and away from the arm control section  102  and the movement of the second vertical arm  105  and the third vertical arm  106  in the vertical direction is caused to move close to and away from the lateral arm  103 . Note that the arm control section  102  and the lateral arm  103  are respectively disposed in pairs as shown in  FIGS. 10A-10D . In addition, the first vertical arm  104 , the second vertical arm  105 , and the third vertical arm  106  are of cylindrical shape and disposed in pairs as shown in  FIGS. 10A-10D . Further, as indicated by dotted lines in  FIGS. 10A-10D , there are  3  vacuum pipes  1011  disposed in the component gripping device  100 . Incidentally,  FIGS. 9A-9E  show the movements of the arm control section  102 , the lateral arm  103 , the first vertical arm  104  and the second vertical arm  105  that represent only left side of the component gripping device  100  shown in  FIGS. 10A-10D . The second vertical arm  105  is an example of the first movable member of the present invention, and the third vertical arm  106  is an example of the second movable member of the present invention. 
       FIG. 9A  shows that the component gripping device  100  installed at one of the industrial robot&#39;s arms is moved to a position above one of the blade supporting plates  23  accommodated in the accommodation tray  300  to grip it. In  FIG. 9A , the lateral arm  103  is extended to a position farthest away from the arm control section  102 , and the first vertical arm  104  and the second vertical arm  105  are in the positions farthest away from the arm control section  102  and the lateral arm  103 , respectively. 
     In the component gripping device  100  shown in  FIG. 9B , the front edge of the vacuum pipe  1011  is caused to contact the upper surface of the blade supporting plate  23 . In this state, there is a gap between the blade supporting plate  23  and the first, second, and third vertical arms  104 ,  105 ,  106 . Although the positions of the blade supporting plates  23  accommodated in the chambers of the accommodation tray are irregular, the margin of error in the positions is suppressed such that the first, second, and third vertical arms  104 ,  105 ,  106  do not collide with the blade supporting plate  23  when they come down to grip the blade supporting plate  23 , if the lateral arm  103  is extended to the greatest extent.  FIG. 10A  shows that the component gripping device  100  shown in  FIG. 9B  is viewed in the direction indicated by the arrow X in  FIG. 9A . 
     In  FIG. 9C , while the first vertical arm  104  and the second vertical arm  105  remaining in the same position, the lateral arm  103  is moved closer to the arm control section  102  and enter the inlet of the entrance of the triangle notch  23   d .  FIG. 10B  shows the component gripping device  100  as viewed in the direction expressed in X. 
     In  FIG. 10C , as the lateral arm  103  is further moved toward the arm control section  102 , the blade supporting plate  23  is moved toward the right side in the drawing so that the second vertical arm  105  comes in the center of the triangle notch  23   d . Also in  FIG. 9D , the second vertical arm  105  is moved to reach the center of the triangle notch  23   d . At this stage, positioning of the blade supporting plate  23  relative to the component gripping device  100  in the lateral and vertical directions is almost determined. Note again that, although the positions of the blade supporting plates  23  accommodated in the chambers of the accommodation tray are irregular, margin of error is suppressed such that the second vertical arm  105  and the third vertical arm  106  respectively enter the triangle notch  23   d  and rectangular notch  23   e  without fail, if the second vertical arm  105  move following the lateral movement of the lateral arm  103  from the position where they go down into the accommodation tray  300  at the time of gripping the blade supporting plate  23 . 
     In right side of  FIG. 10D , as the lateral arm  103  shown in the right side of the drawing is moved toward the arm control section  102 , the third vertical arm  106  also shown in the right side enters the rectangular notch  23   e  of the blade supporting plate  23 , so that the blade supporting plate  23  is held between the first vertical arm  104  and the second vertical arm  105 . At this stage, the blade supporting plate  23  is made level by adjusting any inclination particularly toward the left side of the drawing, so that the position of the blade supporting plate  23  gripped by the component gripping device  100  is determined. In the component gripping device  100 , the first vertical arm  104  and the second vertical arm  105  first hold the triangle notch-side portion of the blade supporting plate  23  therebetween to almost determine the position of the blade supporting plate  23  gripped by the component gripping device  100  both in the lateral direction and longitudinal direction. Subsequently, by holding the rectangular notch-side portion of the blade supporting plate  23  between the first and third vertical arms  104 ,  106  shown in the right side of  FIG. 10A , the position of the blade supporting plate  23  gripped by the component gripping device  100  is finalized. On the contrary, if the rectangular notch-side portion is held first, the amount of movement of the blade supporting plate  23  relative to the predetermined gripping position may become larger depending on the position where the blade supporting plate  23  is gripped in the rectangular notch  23   e , which causes overload on the blade supporting plate  23 . In addition, the round hole  23   b  used for arranging the blade supporting plate  23  in the cleaning frame  21  is formed in a position closer to the triangle notch  23   d  away from the rectangular notch  23   e . This is because positioning of the blade supporting plate  23  relative to the cleaning frame  21  is performed based on the triangle notch-side portion that determines a unified gripping position of the blade supporting plate  23  relative to the component gripping device  100  in the lateral and vertical directions. Accordingly, positioning of the blade supporting plate  23  relative to the cleaning frame  21  can be accurately performed based on the position of the blade supporting plate  23  gripped by the component gripping device  100 . 
     In  FIG. 9E , the first and second vertical arms  104 ,  105  are moved closest to the arm control section  102  and the lateral arm  103  respectively, which cancels their front ends to extend off the blade supporting plate  23  in the thickness direction of the blade supporting plate  23 . However, this cancellation does not affect determined positioning of the blade supporting plate  23  relative to the component gripping device  100 , since this movement of the first and second vertical arms  104 ,  105  are performed after the blade supporting plate  23  is sucked by vacuuming operation of the vacuum pipe  1011 . On the contrary, if the front ends of the first and second vertical arms  104 ,  105  remain extended off the blade supporting plate  23  in the thickness direction, they collide with the cleaning frame  21  at the time of mounting the blade supporting plate  23  on the cleaning frame  21 , which causes misalignment of the blade supporting plate  23  relative to the cleaning frame  21 . In order to prevent collision, there arises the need to form a recess to prevent collision between the cleaning frame  21  and the front ends of the first and second vertical arms  104 ,  105 . At the time shown in  FIG. 9E , the extension of the front ends of the first and second vertical arms  104 ,  106  shown in the right side of  FIG. 10A  is already solved. 
     As described above, the blade supporting plate  23  that is gripped by the component gripping device  100  in unified positional relationship to the component gripping device  100  is to be mounted on an approximately fixed position of the cleaning frame  21  that is placed in a predetermined position of the work table. Thus, it becomes possible to easily insert the bosses of the cleaning frame  21  into the holes formed in the blade supporting plate  23 . Accordingly, the blade supporting plate  23  of the present embodiment is capable of contributing to improved installation operability as well as meeting the demand for miniaturization. In addition, the component gripping device  100  of the present embodiment is capable of gripping the blade supporting plate  23  favorably. 
     In the above exemplary embodiment, the rectangular notch  23   e  is described as an example of the second recess according to the present invention, and the third vertical arm  106  having a shape of a cylindrical bar is described as an example of the second movable member according to the present invention. However, the second recess may be a rectangular notch having an approach at its entrance to guide the third vertical arm  106  and the bottom having a width equal to the diameter of the third vertical arm  106 , if the relative position of the main body of the plate member and the second movable member is restricted both in the lateral direction and the longitudinal direction by pressing the second movable member against at least two positions in the second recess. Or the second recess according to the present invention may be a trapezoid notch or a U-shaped notch that becomes narrower toward the bottom. Alternatively, the second movable member according to the present invention may have a triangular cross section. 
     Although in the exemplary embodiment, the component gripping device  100  sucks the blade supporting plate  23  in a predetermined gripping position by vacuuming operation, the component gripping device according to the present invention may suck the blade supporting plate by electromagnet. 
     Further, although in the exemplary embodiment, the first recess and the second recess also serve as notches necessary at the time of bending a reinforcement member, but the first recess and the second recess maybe formed independently of the notches. 
     The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention has been provided for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, thereby enabling other skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with the various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.