Patent ID: 7743903

Claim:
A panel feeding method that feeds a panel to a working position, comprising: a panel conveying process that conveys the panel along a conveying path from a receiving position to a delivery position, the conveying path comprising a pair of carrier rails disposed substantially in parallel to the conveying path; and a panel receiving and moving process that receives the panel at the delivery position by a panel holder by holding the panel, and moves the panel to the working position, via a standby position, the panel being assembled at the working position, wherein the receiving position, the delivery position and the standby position are located in order of the receiving position, the delivery position and the standby position from an upstream of the conveying path, wherein the panel conveying process, by means of a pair of panel placing parts each provided slidably on the pair of carrier rails, synchronously moves the pair of panel placing parts on the carrier rails, with the panel being held at both ends of bottom surface thereof, from the receiving position to the delivery position, wherein a direction X is defined as a direction parallel to the pair of carrier rails, a direction Z is defined as a direction perpendicular to a plane including the pair of carrier rails and a direction Y is defined as a direction perpendicular to the directions X and Z, wherein the panel receiving and moving process, by moving the panel holder from the standby position to the delivery position in the direction X horizontally relative to the pair of carrier rails and then moving the panel holder up along the Z direction, executes a panel receiving action, the panel receiving action including holding the panel on the panel placing part positioned at the delivery position, by the panel holder at a bottom surface of the panel, the panel holder being separated from the pair of carrier rails and movable along the directions X, Y and Z, and wherein in the panel receiving and moving process, after the panel holder is further moved along the direction X from the delivery position to the standby position, the panel held by the panel holder is moved to the working position by further moving the panel holder in the direction Y.