Apparatus for feeding articles from tube magazines

Abstract: Component feeder for feeding components (8) from a tube magazine (2) comprises a pusher (44) on the end of a flexible steel tape (48) which extends from a tape housing (52). A filled tube (2) is supported on retractable pins (30, 30') in alignment with the pusher (44) and in alignment with a pickup station. The tape (48) is fed by feed rolls (50) so that the pusher (44) moves through the tube magazine (2) and feeds the components (8) along a guide track (36) to the pickup station. When the tube supported on pins (30, 30') is empty, the pusher (44) is retracted to its housing, the pins (30, 30') are retracted, and the empty tube falls on a conveyor belt (88) which carries it from the machine. A full tube (2) is then dropped onto the pins (30, 30') by a further pair of pins (32, 32') and (34, 34') which are moved between extended and retracted positions to control the movement of the filled tube which is supplied from an inventory of filled tubes supported on the pins (32, 32').

Description: This invention relates to feeding apparatus for feeding articles, e.g. electronic components, according to the preamble of claim 1. It is common practice to package electronic components, such as connectors, integrated circuits, sockets, and the like in extruded tubes which have an interior cross-section that conforms to the shape of the articles or components. The components are simply placed in the interior of the tube, and the ends of the tube are closed during shipment. When the articles, or components, are placed in service, a feeding apparatus is used which automatically feeds the individual articles from one end of the tube to a delivery station of an assembly machine. A robot or similar transfer device picks up the article located at the pickup station and places it on a circuit board or other device which is being assembled. Alternatively, the delivery station might be a station at which an operation is carried out on the component, such as the attachment of wires to the component. Some of the previously known types of feeding devices depend upon gravity to move the articles from the tubes and to the pickup or delivery station; see U.S. Patent 4,636,126. Other types of feeding apparatus hold the tube in a horizontal attitude and feed the articles from one end of the tube along a horizontal feed path over a guide track to a pickup station; see U.S. Patent 4,862,578. Feeding apparatus of this type are usually arranged to support a plurality of tubes, one on top of the other, and have a system for ejecting a tube after the articles have been fed therefrom and automatically place another filled tube in position for the article feeding process. Said US-A-4,862,578 discloses a feeding apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1 wherein the pushing means is in the form of an air nozzle disposed at the first tube end to eject an air stream for expelling the articles onto a component track provided at the second tube end. The present invention is directed to the achievement of a horizontal type feeding apparatus having a means for positively feeding the articles from the tube to the delivery station. The invention is particularly directed to an improved means for feeding the articles from the tube to the delivery station and to improvements in positioning the article in a precise location at the delivery station. According to claim 1, the invention comprises an apparatus for feeding articles, including the features of claim 1. Articles such as electronic components are fed from a tube magazine to a delivery station, the tube magazine comprising an elongated station, the tube magazine comprising an elongated hollow tube having first and second ends. The articles are in end-to-end or side-by-side relationship in the tube, and the apparatus comprises a tube support and an article feeding means for feeding the articles from the tube to the pickup station which is adjacent to and spaced from the second end of the tube. The apparatus is characterized in that the article feeding means comprises a flexible tape, tape feeding means, and control means. The tape is contained in a tape housing which is located adjacent to the first end of the tube. The tape has a leading end portion which extends from the housing and which has an article pushing means thereon, the article pushing means being in alignment with the first end of the tube of the beginning of an operating cycle. The control means is programmed to actuate the tape feeding means and feed the tape from the housing and through the tube towards the second end whereby the article pushing means on the leading end portion of the tape pushes the articles from the second end of the tube to the delivery station. Advantageously, the feeding means comprises feed rolls which are located between the tape housing and the article pushing means, and the article pushing means comprises a rigid article pusher which conforms to the interior cross-section of the tube and which is connected to the leading end portion of the tape. The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 shows a tube magazine and an electronic component exploded from, and in alignment with, the tube magazine. FIGURE 2 is a side view of the left side portion of an apparatus for the practice of the invention and Figure 3 shows the right-hand side. These views show the positions of the parts when a tube magazine is in feeding position. Figures 4 and 5 are views similar to Figures 2 and 3 showing the positions of the parts during ejection of an empty tube and placement of a filled tube in feeding position. Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the lines 6-6 of Figures 2 and 3. Figure 7 is an enlarged view showing the left-hand portion of figure 6. Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 showing the positions of the parts during ejection of an empty tube. Figure 9 is a view looking in the direction of the arrows 9-9 of Figure 4. Figure 10 is a view looking in the direction of the arrows 10-10 of Figure 9. Figure 11 is a view looking in the direction of the arrows 11-11 of Figure 10. Figure 12 is a side view of the right-hand side of the apparatus showing portions of a robot arm. Figures 13 and 14 are views looking in the directions of the arrows 13-13 and 14-14 of Figure 12. Figure 15 is a side view showing a tape twisting guide. Figure 16 is a block diagram of a control system for the apparatus. Figure 1 shows a typical tube magazine 2 having first and second ends 4, 4' and containing a plurality of electronic components 8. The components may be of any desired type, for example, integrated circuit devices, connectors, socket members, etc. The component 8 which is disclosed has an elongated prismatic body and has leads 10 extending from its lower surface and arranged in two spaced-apart rows. The components are loaded into the magazine 2 at the time of manufacture and the open ends of the tube are temporarily plugged for shipment. When the components are placed in service, the individual components are fed from the tubes to a pickup station in a feeding and dispensing apparatus 12 as described below. The apparatus 12, Figures 2-14, is supported on a horizontal base plate 14 which in turn would be supported on a support surface. The apparatus 12 would, in use, be part of an assembly apparatus including a robot having fingers 42, Figure 12, for picking up a component at a delivery station shown at the right in Figure 3. The apparatus comprises first and second column assemblies 16, 16' which are spaced-apart by a distance substantially equal to the length of the tube magazines 2 which it is intended to receive. The column assemblies 16, 16' are similar to each other in most respects so that a description of one will suffice for both, and the same reference numerals, differentiated by prime marks, will be used to identify corresponding structural elements in the two column assemblies. In the description which follows, only the first column assembly 16 is described in detail, and features of the second column assembly 16' are noted where appropriate. The column assembly 16 comprises two individual spaced-apart column members 18, 20, Figure 6, which are secured to an adaptor or foot plate 22 which in turn is secured to the base plate 14. The column members 18, 20 have opposed internal surfaces 24, 26 which are spaced-apart by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of a tube magazine so that the tubes will be supported between the first and second column assemblies and will be confined by the surfaces 24, 26. A cover plate 28 is fastened to the leftwardly facing sides of the column members to confine the tube magazines against axial movement. The lower edge 29 of the cover plate is spaced from the plate 22 for the reason that clearance must be provided for the pusher 44 and pins 30, 32 which move into the space between the surfaces 24, 26. Side panels 17, Figure 6, extend between columns 18, 18' and between columns 20, 20'. The lowermost tube 2 shown in Figures 2 and 3 is supported on pins 30, 30' which are part of the two column assemblies and which extend beneath the lowermost tube. Additionally, upper supporting pins 32, 32' are provided which support an inventory of filled tube magazines 2 which are dispensed, one at a time, to the lowermost pins 30, 30' when the lowermost tube is empty. An intermediate set of pins 34, 34', Figures 6-8, are also provided which move between retracted and extended positions when an empty tube is being removed as will be described below. A guide track assembly 36 extends rightwardly from the column assembly 16' and is in alignment with the tube 2 which is in feeding position and is supported on pins 30, 30'. This guide track is dimensioned such that it can be straddled by the two rows of leads 10 which extend from the component 8. At the end of the guide track, there is provided a fixed stop block 38 which contains a sensor and which contains a leftwardly facing stop surface 40. This stop surface defines the pickup station in that the component located against surface 40 is precisely located so that it can be picked up by the arm 42 of a robot and transferred from the pickup station to a further work station in the machine, see Figures 12 and 13. The individual components are fed from the tube magazine, which is in feeding position and supported on the pins 30, 30', by a rigid pusher 44 that has a cross-section which conforms to the cross-section of the interior of the tube magazine. The trailing end of the pusher 44 is connected to the leading end portion 46 of a flexible tape 48. The tape extends from the pusher through a feed roll assembly 50 and into a cylindrical tape housing 52 which is adjacent to the first column assembly. The tape and tape housing are of the type used for steel measuring tapes and need not be described in detail. The tape is coiled within the housing and a spring is provided in the housing to retract the tape after it has been pulled from the housing. The tape may be of a medium carbon steel such as AISI 1095 which is formed with a camber. Such carbon steel tapes are conventionally fully hardened to a Rockwell hardness of C62 and then tempered until the Rockwell hardness is in the range of about C48-52. Tapes suitable for the practice of the invention are commercially available, for example, in widths of about 6.3 mm and about 12.7mm. Under some circumstances, as where the components and tube magazines are relatively small, it is necessary to use a 6.3 mm tape and such tapes are entirely satisfactory for pushing small components which have a relatively low mass. Where larger components are involved, the tube will necessarily have greater inside dimensions and a 12.7 mm width tape is used. The feed roll assembly 50 and the tape housing (Figure 10) are supported between spaced-apart side plates 54, 56 which are secured to, and which extend vertically from, the foot plate 22 which is supported on base plate 14. The feed roll assembly comprises an upper idler feed roll 58 which is rotatably supported on a shaft 60 in a frame or housing 62. A spring is provided in the housing 62 to adjust the force exerted by the upper feed roll on the lower feed roll 66. The lower roll 66 is keyed or otherwise secured to a shaft 68 which has a pulley 70 on its end. A drive belt 72 extends over pulley 70, around an idler pulley 74, around a pulley 76 on a shaft 78, around a pulley 80 on a shaft 82 and then back to the pulley 70. The idler pulley is adjustably supported as shown at 75 to permit adjustment of the tension in the belt. Shaft 82 is the power shaft and is coupled by a right angle drive to a motor 83 which is controlled by the control system of the machine. Motor 83 is reversible so that rotation in one direction causes the feed rolls to withdraw the tape 48 from its housing 52 and movement of the pusher 44 through a tube 2 which is in feeding position and rotation in the opposite direction retracts the tape and pusher. When the apparatus is in service and is being operated continuously, the tubes will be emptied in a relatively short time, and it is desirable to provide a system for removing empty tubes from the machine. The tube ejecting system comprises a conveyor belt 88 which extends around rolls 84, 84' that are adjacent to the first and second column assemblies. The roll 84 is secured to shaft 78 so that when the tape feed rolls 50 are rotated in the direction which feeds tape from the tape housing and through the tube supported on the pins 30, the roll 84 is rotated in a direction which causes the upper course of the conveyor belt to move leftwardly thereby moving a previously ejected empty tube leftwardly from the apparatus. The tube 2 which is being removed by the conveyor is guided by rollers 85, Figure 9, which are journaled on a shaft supported on one of the side plates. As best shown in Figure 9, clearance is provided above the belt 88 for the tube so that it can be ejected axially by the conveyor. The pin 30, which supports, in cooperation with pin 30', the tube in a feeding position, extends from a block 92 which in turn is adjustably secured in a recess in a horizontally reciprocable block 96. The block 92 can be vertically adjusted within the recess and locked in position by a set screw 93. Adjustment of the position of pin 30 is required for different sizes or types of tube magazines. The upper pin 32 is similarly adjustably secured on a block 92 in a recess in block 96. The block 96 is slidably supported on pins 95 which extend from column 20 and is horizontally movable a short distance between the two positions shown in Figures 2 and 4. In the position of Figure 2, block 96 is adjacent to column assembly 16 and the pins 30, 32 project into the space between the columns 18, 20 thereby to support tube magazines. The upper pins 32, 32' support an inventory of filled tubes while the lower pins 30, 30' support the tube which is in its feeding position. The horizontal movement of the block 96 is described below. A slide block 98 (Figure 7) is provided in a recess 100 in the column 20 and is pivoted at its lower end 102 to a link 104, Figure 2, which in turn extends to a pivotal connection 106 on a disk 107. The disk is oscillated through an angle of about 30 degrees to cause reciprocating vertical movement of the slide block 98. The block 96 is connected by a link 110 to the vertically reciprocable block 98, link 110 being pivoted at 112 and 108 to the blocks 96 and 98, respectively. As shown by Figures 2 and 4, upward movement of the block 98 causes the carrier block 96 to move horizontally away from the column 20 to the position of Figure 4 and downward movement of block 98 causes the block 96 to move towards the column 20 so that the pins 30, 32 move from, and then back into, their supporting positions. The intermediate pin 34 extends horizontally into the space between the opposed surfaces 24, 26 of the column members 18, 20 when the parts are in the positions of Figure 8. When it is in this extended position, it supports a single tube magazine, and when withdrawn to its retracted position, Figure 7, it releases the tube magazine which then falls down onto the pins 30, 30'. The movement of the intermediate support pin 32 is achieved by a camming plate 122 which is mounted on slide block 98. The camming plate has a cam track 120 therein which receives a cam follower 118 extending from a block 116 which is integral with pin 34. The block 116 is movable horizontally along with the pin 34, and such movement is achieved by the cam follower 118 and cam track 120. The disk 107 is coupled to a disk 107' by a connecting rod 124 and the disk 107' is oscillated by a motor 126 which is under the control of the control system, the disk 107 being coupled to the motor by a right angle drive. The mechanisms on the right side of the apparatus, shown in Figures 3 and 5, are similar to the mechanisms described above and are identified by the same reference numerals, differentiated by prime marks. The control system for the apparatus (Figure 16) may be conventional electronic control system composed of an electronic module or microprocessor having conductors extending to the robot, solenoids which control the clamping devices, and to the two motors described above. The operation of the apparatus is as follows. An inventory of filled magazines 2 is placed in the apparatus above the pins 32 with the lowermost magazine supported by the pins 32 and the others stacked on top of the lowermost tube magazine. At the beginning of an operating cycle, a filled magazine will be supported on the pins 30, 30' and an empty ejected magazine will rest on the conveyor belt 88. When operation beings, the pusher 44 is moved by the tape 48 into the tube 2 and feeds the leading component 8 in the tube against the stop 40 at the pickup station. The presence of the leading component is sensed, and the robot arm 42 grasps the leading component. A compressive force is retained on the stack of components in the tube by the pusher 44 until the robot arm grips the leading component, at which time a signal is sent which causes the tape 48 and pusher to retract a short distance so that the leading component is unclamped. In other words, the leading component is maintained in a clamped position and therefore is precisely positioned until it is gripped by the robot arm. After the robot arm 42 removes the leading component from the pickup station, the control system 130 operates to rotate the feed rolls 50 and move the next adjacent component 8 to the pickup station. This process continues until the tube supported on the pins 30, 30' is empty, at which time the tape 48 is retracted and the pusher 44 is pulled leftwardly from between the column assemblies 16, 16' and into a pusher housing 45 (Figure 6). When this motion is sensed by the control system, the disks 107, 107' are rotated in a counter-clockwise direction through an angle of about 30 degrees thereby to withdraw the pins 30, 32 from their supporting positions and move the pins 34, 34' into their supporting positions. A filled tube then drops onto the pins 34, 34' and the disks 107, 107' are rotated in a counter-clockwise direction so that the pins 32, 32' are moved into their supporting positions. The withdrawal of the pins 34, 34' permits the tube magazine which was previously supported thereon to fall by gravity onto the pins 30, 30' in preparation for the next operating cycle. The empty tube is ejected leftwardly as viewed in Figure 2 by the conveyor belt 88. Figure 15 shows a tape twisting guide 134 which twists the tape through an angle of 90 degrees and is required under some circumstances. The guide is located adjacent to the feed rolls and adjacent to the pusher housing. The twisting guide is required when the components, and the magazine tubes are relatively narrow in their horizontal dimension and are relatively tall in a vertical sense. If the tape has a width which is greater than the width of the interior of the tube but less than the vertical dimension thereof, the tape must be twisted so that it will be in a vertical orientation when it moves through the tube. The twisting guide 134 is located between the feed roll assembly 50 and the block 96. In order to provide space for the twisting guide, the feed rolls and the tape housing 52 are moved leftwardly from their positions of Figure 2. Several advantages are achieved by the practice of the invention. The tape 48 and pusher 44 provide an extremely simple and effective system for feeding the components 8 from the tube magazine 2 to the delivery station and the need for two feeding systems as in some prior feeders (a first feeding system for feeding components from the tube to the guide track 36 and a second feeding system for feeding the components along the guide track) is avoided. A further advantage is that a highly effective system is provided for ejecting empty tubes. The empty tubes are moved axially from the apparatus, rather than laterally, a feature which permits the apparatus to be of minimum width. Feeding apparatus 12 of the type described herein are usually mounted side-by-side with identical feeding devices 12 on an assembly machine for assembling circuit boards or the like. It is important that the widths of the feeders be kept to a minimum in order to permit mounting the feeders in the limited space available on the assembly machine.

Claims: Feeding apparatus (12) for feeding articles, such as electrical components (8), from a tube (2) to a delivery station (40), the tube having first and second tube ends (4, 4'), the apparatus comprising a tube support (30, 30') supporting the tube (2) with the second tube end (4') adjacent to the delivery station (40), and pushing means for pushing a stack of the articles from the first tube end (4) towards the second tube end (4') thereby to deliver the articles to the delivery station (40), the apparatus being characterized in that: the pushing means comprises a flexible tape (48) having a first tape end (46), the length of the tape being at least equal to the length of the tube (2), the first tape end (46) being located, at the beginning of an operating cycle, adjacent to, and in alignment with, the tube (2) at the first tube end (4) of the tube confining and guide means (52) are provided for confining and guiding the portion of the tape (48) which extends away from the first tube end (4) and actuator means (58, 66, 72, 80, 130) are provided for moving the tape (48) linearly through the tube (2), from the first tube end (4) towards the second tube end (4') thereby to feed the articles (8) from the second tube end (4') to the delivery station (40). Feeding apparatus as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the flexible tape (48) has the characteristics and physical properties of a steel measuring tape. Feeding apparatus as set forth in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the tape (48) has a rigid pusher (44) on its first tape end (46), the pusher having a cross section which conforms to the cross section of the interior of the tube (2). Feeding apparatus as set forth in claim 1, 2, or 3, characterized in that the actuator means comprises feed rolls (58, 66) and the confining and guide means comprises a cylindrical housing (52) in which the tape is coiled. Feeding apparatus as set forth in claim 4, characterized in that control means (130) are provided for rotating the feed rolls (58, 66), the control means being programmed to feed the tape (48) incrementally. Apparatus as set forth in either of claims 3, 4, or 5, characterized in that a fixed stop (40) is provided at the delivery station, and means (130) are provided for maintaining the pusher (44) against the articles in the tube after the leading article in the tube moves against the fixed stop (40) thereby to clamp the leading article against the stop and maintain the leading article in a precise position at a pickup station. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that a transferring means is provided at the pickup station, the transferring means having article gripping means (42) for gripping the leading article, the control means (130) being programmed to respond to the gripping of the leading article by retracting the tape (48) thereby to unclamp the leading article and permit the transferring means to transfer the leading article from the delivery station. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, 6, or 7, characterized in that empty tube ejecting means are provided comprising empty tube receiving means, tube support disengaging means, and empty tube transporting means, the tube receiving means (88) being located beneath, and being in alignment with, the tube support (30, 30'), the tube transporting means (84) being effective to move an empty tube on the receiving means (88) axially from the apparatus, the tube support disengaging means (96, 110) being effective to withdraw support from a tube supported on the tube support (30, 30') so that the tube falls onto the tube receiving means (88), and the control means (130) is programmed to actuate the disengaging means (96, 110) after all of the articles in a tube supported on the tube support have been fed to the delivery station and to thereafter actuate the tube transporting means whereby empty tubes are removed from the apparatus by moving the tubes axially from the apparatus. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, 6, 7, or 8, characterized in that a second tube support (32, 32') is provided for supporting an inventory of tubes filled with the articles, the second support being above the first support (30, 30') and being movable between an extended position and a retracted position, the second support functioning to support the inventory of filled tubes when in its extended position, and the control means (130) is programmed to move the second tube support (32, 32') between its extended and retracted positions in synchronism with the first tube support (30, 30').

Inventors: SCHUPPERT LEO VINCENT JR, STAKEM KERRY JOSEPH, SCHUPPERT, LEO VINCENT, JR., STAKEM, KERRY JOSEPH
Applicants: WHITAKER CORP, THE WHITAKER CORPORATION
Application year: 1992
Main classification: H05K13
IPC codes: B65G47, B23P19, H05K13, B65G59