Abstract:
The present invention discloses an exchanger for a tray feeder for transferring and exchanging a tray plate comprising: first and second support frames; a guide support unit including a support frame installed between the first and second support frames; a vacuum generator provided with a side of the first support frame; a nozzle support unit including a pitting unit for transferring a vacuum suction force by connecting it to the vacuum generator, a plurality of vacuum pad for performing a grasp of the tray plate with the vacuum suction force transferred from the pitting unit, and a plurality of stopper capable of supporting the tray plate; a head block connected to a side of the nozzle support unit; a guide block installed to a second belt as a state connected to the head block, thereby capable of guiding the nozzle support unit; a transfer means for transferring the guide block; a driving means for driving the transfer means.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to an exchanger for a tray feeder, and in particular to an improved exchanger for a tray feeder which can put or fetch a tray on which an electronic parts is mounted in/from a magazine.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Background Art  
           [0004]    Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, in a conventional electronic parts feeder for feeding an electronic parts along a tray, a magazine  3  receiving the electronic parts  4  is supported by a lifter  7  lifted or lowered along a ball screw  6  driven by a driving motor  5 .  
           [0005]    When a necessary electronic parts  4  is selected, the lifter  7  is moved in an upper or lower direction. The magazine  3  receiving a tray plate  2  is supported on the lifter  7 . After a position of the lifter  7  is decided, the tray plate  2  received in the magazine  3  is grasped and transferred by driving of a tray plate fetch unit  8 .  
           [0006]    Thereafter, the electronic parts  4  is moved to the upper portion of a centering table  11  by a moving unit  10  having a moving nozzle  9 . The centering table  11  on which the electronic parts is put is moved to the mounter side, thereby supplying the electronic parts  4 .  
           [0007]    However, the conventional electronic parts feeder has a disadvantage in that, when the tray plate fetch unit  8  is driven to grasp and fetch the tray plate  2  received in the magazine  3  during the operation of the mounter, the tray plate  2  received in the magazine  3  does not maintain a constant position by shaking due to the driving of the electronic parts feeder. As a result, the tray plate fetch unit  8  incompletely or imprecisely grasps the tray plate  2 , and thus the electronic parts are not normally mounted.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an exchanger for a tray feeder which can easily grasp a tray plate receiving an electronic parts with a suction force of a plurality of vacuum pads of a nozzle support unit, and which can stably precisely replace the tray plate.  
           [0009]    In order to achieve the above-described object of the invention, there is provided an exchanger for a tray feeder for transferring and exchanging a tray plate comprising: first and second support frames; a guide support unit including a support frame installed between the first and second support frames; a vacuum generator provided with a side of the second support frame; a nozzle support unit including a pitting unit for transferring a vacuum suction force by connecting it to the vacuum generator, a plurality of vacuum pad for performing a grasp of the tray plate with the vacuum suction force transferred from the pitting unit, and a plurality of stopper capable of supporting the tray plate; a head block connected to a side of the nozzle support unit; a guide block installed to a second belt as a state connected to the head block, thereby capable of guiding the nozzle support unit; a transfer means for transferring the guide block; a driving means for driving the transfer means. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    The present invention will become better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings which are given only by way of illustration and thus are not limitative of the present invention, wherein:  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a means for putting a tray in a magazine in a conventional electronic parts feeder;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the conventional electronic parts feeder;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a tray feeder having an exchanger in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a rear-perspective view illustrating a main frame of the tray feeder;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the exchanger; and  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a nozzle support unit of the exchanger. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0017]    An exchanger for a tray feeder in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS.  3  to  5 .  
         [0018]    The tray feeder (referred to as ‘electronic parts feeder’) of the present invention includes: an exchanger  100  for putting or fetching a plurality of tray plates  450 ; a stacker  200 ; a magazine  300  and a transfer  400 .  
         [0019]    The stacker  200  includes a cover frame  210  and a main frame  220 .  
         [0020]    The cover frame  210  has a plurality of horizontal frames  211 , longitudinal frames  212  and vertical frames  213  to surround an outer portion thereof. A base unit  214  is formed at the lower portion of the vertical frames  213 .  
         [0021]    As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the transfer  400  and the exchange  100  are connected at the upper portion of the main frame  220  positioned at one side portion of the cover frame  210 .  
         [0022]    A motor  215  is installed at one side portion of the upper portion of a support frame  217  positioned at one side portion of the main frame  220 . A ball screw  216  is connected to a motor shaft (not shown) of the driving motor  215 . Since the ball screw  216  is connected to one side portion of an elevator  240 , when the ball screw  216  is operated by driving the driving motor  215 , the elevator  240  is moved in a predetermined direction.  
         [0023]    In addition, a plurality of LM guides  218  for guiding the elevator  240  positioned on the base unit  214  are installed at one side portion of the support frame  217 .  
         [0024]    A plurality of guide blocks  232  connected to one side portion of the elevator  240  are inserted into the plurality of LM guides  218 . The other portions of the guide blocks  232  are connected to one side portion of the guide frame  230  connected to the elevator  240 , thereby lifting or lowering the elevator  240 .  
         [0025]    A plurality of electronic parts (refer to FIG. 1) are mounted on the plurality of trays  460  in the magazine  300 . The plurality of trays  460  are mounted on the plurality of tray plates  450 .  
         [0026]    First and second plates  430  and  440  for transferring the tray plates  450  are positioned at both end portions of the upper portion of the transfer  400  at a predetermined interval, and a driving unit  442  is formed at one side portion thereof, thereby driving the first and second plates  430  and  440 .  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the exchanger of FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the nozzle support unit of the exchanger.  
         [0028]    The exchanger  100  includes: a nozzle support unit  110 ; a guide support unit  120 ; a driving unit  130 ; a guide block  150 ; and a head block  140 .  
         [0029]    The guide support unit  120  includes a first support frame  123  and a second support frame  124  positioned at both ends of the support frame  125 . First and second support blocks  121  and  122  are installed at one end portions of the first and second support frames  123  and  124 . LM guides  126  are installed at both end portions of the first and second support blocks  121  and  122 .  
         [0030]    A sensor unit  170  for sensing a position and distance of the tray plate  450  is formed at one side portion of the first support frame  123 . The driving unit  130  for moving the nozzle support unit  110  is formed at the other side portion thereof.  
         [0031]    A driving shaft  134  is connected to a motor  139  of the driving unit  130 . In the driving shaft  134 , a first belt  133  is wounded and positioned in a driving pulley  131  and an idle pulley  132 . The idle pulley  132  is inserted and connected to a first roller shaft  135 .  
         [0032]    A first roller  138  is connected to one end portion of the first roller shaft  135 , and a second roller (not shown) is connected to one end portion of a second roller shaft  136 . A second belt  137  is wounded in the first and second rollers. The first roller shaft  135  is rotated, inserted into the guide block  121 . The second roller is inserted into the second roller shaft  136 , and the second roller shaft  136  is rotated, supported by the second support block  122 . The second support block  122  is formed at one end portion of the second support frame  124 .  
         [0033]    A vacuum generator  160  is installed on the second support frame  124 , and connected to a pitting unit  112  formed at one side portion of the nozzle support unit  110 . The guide block  150  is installed on the second belt  137 , for performing a guiding operation with the head block  140  formed at the lower portion of the guide block  150 . A guide groove  142  is formed at one side portion of the head block  140 , so that the LM guide  126  can be inserted thereinto.  
         [0034]    The nozzle support unit  110  is formed at the lower end portion of the head block  140 . A plurality of nozzles  111  are supported in the nozzle support unit  110 . A plurality of vacuum pads  111   a  for sucking one side portion of the tray plate  450  and a plurality of stopper  111   b  for supporting one side portion of the tray plate  450  are alternately formed on the respective nozzles  111 . The pitting unit  112  for transmitting a suction force from the vacuum generator  160  to the vacuum pads  111   a  is formed on the nozzle support unit  110 . The vacuum generator  160  and the pitting unit  112  are connected through a hose (not shown) for transmitting the suction force.  
         [0035]    The operation of the exchanger for the tray feeder in accordance with the present invention will now be explained.  
         [0036]    When the tray plate  450  transferred from the electronic parts feeder is received in the magazine  300 , and the driving motor  215  installed at one side portion of the cover frame  210  of the tray feeder stacker  200  is driven, the elevator  240  is lifted along the LM guide  218  by rotation of the ball screw  216  connected to a driving shaft (not shown) of the motor  215 .  
         [0037]    When the elevator  240  is lifted and stops at a predetermined position, the exchanger  100  is operated to fetch the tray plate  450  received in the magazine  300  mounted on the elevator  240 .  
         [0038]    When the motor  139  of the driving unit  130  provided at one side portion of the guide support unit  120  of the exchanger  100  is driven and the driving shaft  134  connected to the motor  139  is rotated, the driving pulley  131  connected to the driving shaft  134  is rotated. The first belt  133  positioned in the driving pulley  131  is rotated, and the idle pulley  132  is rotated. The idle pulley  132  rotates the first roller shaft  135 , inserted into the first roller shaft  135 , and the first roller shaft  135  is inserted into the support block  121  and rotated.  
         [0039]    When the first roller  138  is rotated by the first roller shaft  135 , the second belt  137  positioned in the first and second rollers is rotated along the outer surfaces of the first and second rollers.  
         [0040]    Here, the guide block  150  fixed on the second belt  137  is moved in a forward direction along the second belt  137 , and the head block  140  and the nozzle support unit  110  connected to the guide block  150  are also moved in a forward direction. The vacuum generator  160  provided at one side portion of the second support frame  124  connected to the pitting unit  112  formed on the nozzle support unit  110  supplies the suction force to the vacuum pads  111   a . Thus, when the vacuum pads are installed at the lower portion of the guide block  150 , the plurality of vacuum pads  111   a  formed at one side portion of the nozzle support unit  110  sucks and grasps support protrusions formed at one side portion of the tray plate  450 .  
         [0041]    When the driving pulley  131  is inversely rotated by inverse-driving of the motor  139  of the driving unit  130  installed at one side portion of the exchanger  110 , the driving pulley  131  is inversely rotated, and the first belt  133  is rotated along the outer surfaces of the driving pulley  131  and the idle pulley  132 , thereby inversely rotating the idle pulley  132 .  
         [0042]    When the first roller shaft  135  is inversely rotated, the first roller  138  inserted into the other end portion of the first roller shaft  135  is also inversely rotated, and thus the second belt  137  positioned in the first and second rollers are inversely rotated along the outer surfaces of the first and second rollers.  
         [0043]    When the guide block  150  installed on the second belt  137  is moved from the magazine  300  to the rear portion, the nozzle support unit  110  of the head block  140  connected to the guide block  150  grasps the tray plate  450  from the magazine  300 , moves in a back ward direction, and fetches it.  
         [0044]    When the suction force of the vacuum pads  111   a  is removed by the operation of the vacuum generator  160 , the fetched tray plate  450  is positioned on the second plate  440  formed at the upper portion of the side of the transfer  400 . The tray plate  450  is transferred to a mounter by the second plate  440  by driving of the transfer  400 . At the same time, the first plate  430  positioned at the other side portion of the transfer  400  is returned to the exchanger side.  
         [0045]    The tray plate  450  finishing the mounting operation of the electronic parts is mounted on the first plate  430 . A distance and position of the tray plate  450  are sensed by the sensor unit  170  provided at one side portion of the guide support unit  120 . When the tray plate  450  stops at a predetermined position, the nozzle support unit  110  formed at one side portion of the exchanger  100  is operated to grasp the tray plate  450 .  
         [0046]    The tray plate  450  is received in the magazine  300 , and then lowered with the magazine  300  by driving of the elevator  240 . The electronic parts is mounted on the tray plate  450  received in the magazine  300 . Then, the tray plate  450  is received in the magazine  300 , and lifted with the magazine  300  to transfer the electronic parts to the mounter.  
         [0047]    In accordance with the present invention, when the tray plate  450  on which the electronic parts transferred to the upper portion of the second plate  440  of the transfer  400  is mounted is transferred, the sensor unit  170  provided at one side portion of the guide support unit  120  senses the position of the tray plate  450 . Moreover, the tray plate  450  on which the tray  460  receiving the electronic parts is mounted can be stably precisely put and fetched due to suction and grasp of the vacuum pads  111   a  and fixing and supporting of the stoppers  111   b.    
         [0048]    As discussed earlier, in accordance with the present invention, the tray plate on which the electronic parts is mounted is precisely grasped by the operation of the tray feeder exchanger, and stably transferred to a predetermined position, which results in improved workability, reliability and productivity.  
         [0049]    As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described embodiment is not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalences of such metes and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.