JP2002079482A - Method for aligning crystal piece and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To align crystal pieces without manual labor. SOLUTION: Crystal pieces are crowd-ed in rows and columns in storage vessels 4, and the storage vessels 4 are fed into a crystal piece aligning device 10 by a feed means 11. A robot 37 uses either of a holding means 36 and a gripping means 61 selectively. The holding means 36 holds the crystal pieces together, and the crowded crystal pieces are separated in the directions of the rows and columns by a separating means before fed to a position detecting means 79 by the robot 37. The position detecting means detects the position of each of the separated crystal pieces, and the gripping means 61 grips the position-detected crystal pieces one by one to align them in a predetermined direction in alignment trays 100.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for aligning the direction of a crystal blank.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When manufacturing a crystal blank for optical use, a large crystal blank is generally adhered to a plate made of glass or the like with a water-soluble adhesive. Cut into crystal pieces. Then, the plate and the crystal blank are dissolved in a liquid for dissolving the water-soluble adhesive and separating the crystal blank from the plate, for example, immersed in warm water to dissolve the water-soluble adhesive, and the crystal of the crystal is removed. The piece material is separated from the plate and settles in the reservoir.
At this time, the crystal blank obtained by cutting the crystal blank into predetermined dimensions and the residual material generated together with the crystal blank will sink in the reservoir, and thereafter, the settled crystal blank is removed. They picked them up one by one and arranged the crystal pieces used as products.

[0003]

In the above-described manual alignment of the crystal blanks, since the crystal blanks to be handled are small and transparent (including translucent; the same applies hereinafter), it is very difficult to align the crystal blanks. It was labor intensive and inefficient. According to the present invention, the plurality of crystal pieces on the plate are densely arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows in a state where the water-soluble adhesive is dissolved, and furthermore, the top and bottom sides and the front and back are aligned. The present invention is directed to a method and an apparatus for aligning the direction of a crystal piece in which the crystal pieces in a dense state can be aligned in a predetermined direction without human intervention.

[0004]

In other words, the method of the present invention for aligning the orientation of crystal blanks comprises a step of supplying a plurality of crystal blanks in a state of being densely packed in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows; A separation step of separating the densely packed crystal pieces in the column direction and the row direction, a position detection step of detecting the respective positions of the crystal pieces separated from each other, and each of the positions based on the position data detected in the position detection step. And a step of holding the crystal blank and aligning the held crystal blank in a predetermined direction. Further, the crystal piece direction aligning apparatus of the present invention is a supply means for supplying a plurality of crystal pieces in a state of being densely packed in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows, and holding the densely packed crystal pieces in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows. Holding and conveying means for conveying the held crystal pieces to the position detecting means, separating means for separating the dense crystal pieces in the column direction and the row direction, and each of the crystals separated in the column direction and the row direction by the separating means. The position detecting means for detecting the respective positions of the pieces, and gripping and conveying means for gripping each crystal piece whose position has been detected by the position detecting means and aligning and holding the crystal pieces in a predetermined direction. And characterized in that:

According to the above-described method of arranging the directions of the crystal blanks according to the present invention, the plurality of crystal blanks are supplied in a plurality of columns and rows in a dense state in the supply step. Then, the mutually separated crystal pieces in a plurality of columns and rows are separated in the column direction and the row direction by the next separation step, and when the respective crystal pieces are separated in the column direction and the row direction, they are separated from each other by the position detection step. The position of each of the crystal blanks detected is detected. In this state,
Since the direction of each crystal blank and the front and back are aligned, each crystal blank is gripped based on the position data detected in the position detection step in the next alignment step, and the gripped crystal blank is oriented in a predetermined direction. Can be aligned. Further, according to the above-described crystal piece direction aligning apparatus of the present invention, the supply means supplies a plurality of crystal pieces in a state of being densely arranged in a plurality of columns and rows. The densely packed crystal pieces in the plurality of columns and rows are held by the holding and transporting means and transported to the position detecting means, and the separating means separates the densely packed crystal pieces in the column direction and the row direction. When each crystal piece is separated in the column direction and the row direction by the separation means, the position of each crystal piece is detected by the position detection means, and in this state, the direction of each crystal piece is aligned with the front and back. Each of the quartz pieces whose position has been detected by the position detecting means is gripped by the gripping and transporting means, and is aligned in a predetermined direction.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (Crystal Plate Material 1A) The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiment. FIGS. 1 to 7 show that a crystal blank 1 as a product is obtained by removing residual material 1a from a crystal plate material 1A. FIG. 2 shows a process and an apparatus for bringing a plurality of columns and rows into a dense state. In FIG. 1, a large rectangular thin plate-shaped crystal blank material 1A is made of a plate 2 made of glass or the like.
It is adhered on top with a water-soluble adhesive. In the illustrated embodiment,
Six pieces of crystal blanks 1A are adhered to the plate 2 so as to be adjacent to each other in a state of 2 rows and 3 rows, and each crystal blank 1A is a product in a state of 5 rows and 9 rows. Is cut and divided. At this time, an excessive residual material 1a is formed around a large number of crystal element groups on the center side. Each crystal blank 1 has a size of, for example, 7 × 8 mm square. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the crystal blank 1A is formed by laminating six crystal blanks 1A and bonding them together with the water-soluble adhesive. The crystal blank 1 and the remaining material 1a are cut and divided. Therefore, in the illustrated embodiment, the total number of the crystal blanks 1 on the plate 2 is 1620 pieces of 6 pieces × 5 rows × 9 rows × 6 layers.

(Separation device 3) Next, FIG. 2 shows a quartz plate blank 1A.
Separation device 3 for separating crystal blank 1 and residual material 1a from
3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. The separation device 3 has a storage tank 4,
The storage tank 4 can store a liquid for dissolving the water-soluble adhesive and separating the crystal blank 1A from the plate 2, for example, hot water. At the bottom of the storage tank 4, a plate-like base plate 5 is arranged in a horizontal direction,
The base plate 5 is fixed to the storage tank 4 by a base plate support 6. At the four corners on the upper surface of the base plate 5, prism-shaped support members 7 are attached, respectively.
Can support four corners of the plate 2. At this time, concave portions 7a into which the corners of the plate 2 are fitted are formed on the upper surface of each support member 7, and these concave portions 7a prevent the plate 2 from being displaced. In this embodiment, a support means for supporting the plate 2 by the four support members 7 is formed, and the plate 2 is supported by the support member 7 with the crystal blank 1A facing downward. In this state, the crystal blank 1A and the plate 2 are immersed in the liquid in the storage tank 4.

A block 8 is provided above the base plate 5 for receiving only the crystal blank 1 as a product from the crystal blank 1A that is separated from the plate 2 and settles.
In this embodiment, since the crystal blank 1A is attached to six places of the plate 2, the same number of the blocks 8 are provided as 6 blocks, and each block 8 is provided with each crystal blank 1A.
Are slightly smaller than the contours of all the crystal element groups in the above. Therefore, the outermost crystal blank 1 of each crystal blank group is received by each block while projecting slightly outward from each block 8. In the state shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the blocks 8 are arranged in two rows vertically and three rows horizontally and are separated from each other. The material 1a is not received by each block 8, but falls downward from its surroundings. At this time, the upper surface of each block 8 is disposed immediately below and adjacent to the respective crystal blank group, so that when each block 8 receives the crystal blank 1, each crystal blank 1 is displaced. Is prevented as much as possible.

Each of the blocks 8 can be moved from the above-mentioned mutually separated positions to the mutually dense positions, whereby the six crystal blank groups received by each block 8 can be densely packed. I can do it. As shown in FIG. 2, the two blocks 8A and 8B at the center are moved right and left toward the center of the storage tank 4 in order to move each of the blocks 8 to a position separated from each other and a position dense to each other. And the other surrounding blocks 8C, 8D, 8E, 8F can be slid obliquely toward the center of the storage tank 4.

In order to slide the center blocks 8A and 8B to the left and right, the base plate 5 has a slot 5a at a position below each of the blocks 8A and 8B along the moving direction.
And each screwed to each block.
The bolt 8a is passed through the long hole 5a. Therefore, each of the blocks 8A and 8B can slide left and right by each of the two bolts 8a being guided by the elongated hole 5a, and the bolt 8a abuts on the outer end portion of the elongated hole 5a, so that both the blocks 8A and 8B can be moved. The blocks 8A and 8B are arranged at the positions separated from each other as described above.
On the other hand, in order to position the two blocks 8A and 8B at a dense position, the bolts 8a protruding below the base plate 5 through the long holes 5a of the base plate 5 are arranged.
The connecting plate 8b is attached to the lower end of the base plate 5.
The stopper 5c is attached to the bottom surface of. When the blocks 8A and 8B are moved to the center, the connecting plates 8
By contacting the stopper b with the stopper 5c, the stoppers 5c can be positioned at a dense position. In this state, the crystal blank groups received by the blocks 8A and 8B can substantially contact each other. (See FIGS. 6 and 7).

Other blocks 8C, 8D, 8E, 8F
And the connecting plate 8b provided for each block is connected to the stopper 5c and the central block 8
Each block 8 can be positioned at a mutually dense position by making contact with the connecting plates 8b of A and 8B. In this state, all blocks 8A
Each of the crystal blank groups received at ８8F can substantially contact each other. On the other hand, each block 8C
By contacting the bolts 8a provided for every .about.8F with the outer ends of the elongated holes 5a, the blocks can be located at positions separated from each other. Furthermore, when the blocks 8 are densely packed after the remaining material 1a is dropped into the storage tank 4,
The remaining material 1a is sandwiched between the
In order not to hinder the approaching operation of the storage tank 4, a concave portion 8c for preventing interference is provided on each side surface except the side surface facing the outside of the storage tank 4 (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

Next, guides 9 are provided on the four outer sides of each block 8 in order to move each block 8 located at a position separated from each other to a position densely located at each other. Each guide 9 is capable of moving forward and backward toward the center of the storage tank 4, and is provided with bolts 9 a, similarly to the above blocks 8, and each bolt 9 a passes through a long hole 5 a provided in the base plate 5. It extends downward and has a connecting plate 9 at its lower end.
b. As shown in FIG. 3, each guide 9 is movable at a position lower than the plate 2, but the inner end face of each guide has a height capable of contacting the crystal blank 1 received by each block 8. It has become. At this time, similarly to the block 8, the recess 9c is provided on the inner side surface of the guide 9 so that the remaining material 1a does not hinder the approach operation between the guide 9 and the block 8.

Each of the guides 9 is provided such that the plate 2 is
When it is placed on the support member 7 inside, it is located at an outside position so as not to interfere with the remaining material 1a of the crystal blank material 1A attached to the plate 2. On the other hand, each guide 9
Is manually advanced toward the center of the storage tank 4, the inner end face of each guide 9 comes into almost contact with the crystal blank 1 of each block 8, but at the same time, the connecting plate 9b of the guide 9 Abuts on the connecting plate 8b of each block 8, and pushes and advances each block 8 via the connecting plates 9b, 9b. Thus, each connecting plate 8b can be brought into contact with the stopper 5c and the connecting plates 8b of the central blocks 8A and 8B.

In the sorting apparatus 3 having the above structure, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, each block 8 and the guide 9 are manually located at the farthest position from the center of the storage tank 4. The tank 4 is filled with warm water.
In this state, the plate 2 to which the crystal blank 1A is attached is placed on four support members 7 as support means with the crystal blank 1A facing downward.
The positioning is performed by engaging with the concave portion 7a provided in the above. Then, the plate 2 and the crystal piece material 1A supported by the support member 7 are immersed in the warm water filled in the storage tank 4, so that the water-soluble adhesive to which the plate 2 and the crystal piece material 1A are adhered becomes hot water. Is melted by the
The remaining material 1a is separated from the plate 2 and settles down to the storage tank 4. At this time, as shown in FIG.
Since each block 8 and the guide 9 in the storage tank 4 are located at a distance from each other as shown in the drawing, only the crystal blank 1 falls on the block 8 and is received, and the remaining material 1a is a gap between the block 8 and the block 8. Or from the gap between the block 8 and the guide 9 to the bottom of the storage tank 4.

Next, in FIGS. 6 and 7, when it is confirmed that the crystal blank 1 is mounted on the block 8, the right and left guides 9 in FIG. It is pressed manually. The movement of both guides 9 causes the connecting plate 9b fixed to the guide 9 to abut on the connecting plate 8b fixed to the block 8, so that each block 8 is moved toward the center of the storage tank 4. When each connecting plate 8b comes into contact with a stopper 5c fixed to the base plate 5, the block 8
Of the guide 9 is simultaneously stopped. Next, the vertical guide 9 in FIG.
When the blocks are pressed by hand toward the center of the block, the connecting plates 9b fixed to the guides 9 abut against the connecting plates 8b fixed to the blocks 8C to 8F at the upper and lower positions.
8F is moved to the center of the storage tank 4 along the stopper 5c. Each connecting plate 8b is connected to the central blocks 8A, 8A.
When the block 8A comes into contact with the connecting plate 8b, the blocks 8A, 8B
Cannot move in the vertical direction, so blocks 8C to 8F
Of the guide 9 is simultaneously stopped. In this state, the crystal blank 1 is held in a state in which the side faces are held by the respective guides 9 and the blocks 8 in the storage tank 4 are tightly closed.
Will be aligned above. At this time, the remaining material 1a settled at the bottom of the storage tank 4 enters the respective recesses 8c, 9c provided in the block 8 and the guide 9, so that the movement of the block 8 and the guide 9 is not hindered. . And finally, as shown in FIG.
When the plate 2 supported by the crystal is removed, the crystal blank 1 as a product is placed on the block 8 in a state in which the crystal blanks 1 are arranged vertically and front and back, so that the work of aligning the crystal blanks 1 can be efficiently performed. Can be done The work of removing the plate 2 is performed by a crystal blank alignment device 10 described below.
Automatically done by

(Supplying means 11) As described above, the crystal blanks 1 densely arranged in a plurality of columns and rows by the sorting apparatus 3 are supplied together with the storage tank 4 into the crystal blank aligning apparatus 10 as shown in FIG. They are sequentially supplied via the means 11. As shown in FIG. 9 and FIG.
A roller conveyor 20 for transporting the storage tank 4, a stopper 21 for roughly positioning the storage tank 4, a positioning device 22 for accurately positioning the storage tank 4, and a device for reliably separating the crystal blank 1 in the storage tank 4. Ultrasonic generator 23
It has. The rollers constituting the roller conveyor 20 are interconnected by a belt (not shown), and are rotated by a motor (not shown) to convey the storage tank 4 placed on the rollers. As shown in FIG. 8, guides 26 are provided at both ends on the upstream side of the roller conveyor 20, and the storage tank 4 is passed between the guides 26, thereby placing the storage tank 4 in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction. The position is regulated so as to be substantially a predetermined position.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, two stoppers 21 are provided on the downstream side of a predetermined supply position of the storage tank 4, and these stoppers 21 are projected upward from between adjacent rollers to store them. By making contact with the tank 4, the storage tank 4 can be roughly positioned. Each of the stoppers 21 can be moved up and down by an air cylinder 21b connected to the positive pressure source 18 via a valve 21c. Usually, the stopper 21 is at a position protruding above the roller. A limit switch 27 connected to the control device is provided on the side of the stopper 21. When the side of the storage tank 4 comes into contact with the limit switch 27, the control device moves the storage tank 4 to the supply position. Can be detected.

The positioning device 22 includes two positioning pins 28 arranged at diagonal positions of the storage tank 4 and air cylinders 22a for respectively raising and lowering the positioning pins 28. Each air cylinder 22a is provided with a valve. It is connected to the positive pressure source 18 via 22b. As shown in FIG.
Each positioning pin 28 is arranged so as to be located above a positioning hole 5 e formed in the base 5 in the storage tank 4 when the storage tank 4 is stopped by the stopper 21.
The diameter of each positioning pin 28 is made slightly larger than the diameter of the positioning hole 5e and the tip is conical, and is attached to the air cylinder 22a via an angle 29 so that the tip faces downward. It can be moved up and down in any direction. When the positioning pins 28 are lowered, they are engaged with the positioning holes 5e so that the storage tank 4 can be positioned at an accurate position. The ultrasonic generator 23 is disposed beside one of the positioning pins 28 so as to move up and down integrally with the positioning pins 28. When the positioning pin 28 is lowered, the ultrasonic wave generating device 23
The crystal piece 1 in the storage tank 4 can be reliably peeled off by the ultrasonic wave generated by being immersed in the liquid.

The supply means 11 having the above-described structure sequentially transports the storage tank 4 to a predetermined supply position. The storage tank 4 passes through a guide 26 while being conveyed on the roller conveyor 20, and is positioned at a rough position in a direction perpendicular to the direction of conveyance of the storage tank 4 by the guide 26. The stopper 21 stands by at a position protruding above the roller, and when the storage tank 4 comes into contact with the stopper 21, this is detected by the limit switch 27, and the control device stops the roller conveyor 20. In this state, the control device controls the valve 22b of the positioning device 22.
Is operated, and the positioning pin 28 is lowered by the air cylinder 22a. Accordingly, when the conical portion at the tip of the positioning pin 28 is inserted into the positioning hole 5e formed in the base 5, the storage tank 4 is accurately positioned. When the positioning pin 28 is lowered, the ultrasonic generator 23 is lowered integrally therewith, and generates ultrasonic waves when immersed in the storage tank 4. Therefore, the laminated quartz pieces 1 are surely peeled off by the ultrasonic waves. Thereafter, when the plate 2 and all the crystal blanks 1 are taken out from the storage tank 4 as described later, the air cylinders 21b and 22a are operated by the control device to lower the stopper 21, and the positioning pins 28 and The sound wave generator 23 is raised. When the motor of the roller conveyor 20 is started, the roller conveyor 20 carries out the empty storage tank 4 to the downstream side. The empty storage tank 4 is the stopper 21
When the stopper 21 passes above, the stopper 21 projects again onto the roller conveyor 20, and waits at that position until the storage tank 4 in which the next crystal blank 1 is aligned is loaded.

(Holding / Conveying Means 35) Next, FIGS.
As shown in the figure, the holding / transporting means 35 for simultaneously holding and transporting the crystal blanks 1 densely packed in a plurality of columns and rows in the storage tank 4 are provided in a plurality of rows and rows of densely packed crystal blanks. 1 is provided, and a robot 37 (see FIGS. 8 and 12) as a transporting means for transporting the retaining means 36 is provided. The robot 37 is controlled by a control device, and an attachment 37a is provided at a tip of an arm of the robot 37.
As shown in FIG. 12, an attachment 36a is also provided on the upper part of the frame 38 constituting the holding means 36,
The robot 37 and the holding means 36 can be separated and connected by the attachments 37a and 36a. As will be described later in detail, each crystal blank 1 is gripped and aligned one by one by the gripping / transporting means 60 (FIG. 15). Make up. That is, the holding and conveying means 60 is provided with a holding means 61 for holding the crystal blanks 1 one by one.
And the robot 37 as a transporting means for transporting the gripping means 61. An attachment 61b is provided above a frame 62 constituting the gripping means 61, and the robot 37 and the gripping means 61 can be separated and connected by the attachments 37a and 61b. That is, the robot 37
Can selectively use the holding means 36 and the gripping means 61 to convey each as necessary. The configuration of the attachments 37a, 36a, and 61b of the robot 37 that replaces the working head according to the necessary work in this manner is conventionally known, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, the frame 38 of the holding means 36 is provided with three sets of two slide shafts 40 in parallel with each other, and thus a total of six slide shafts 40 are provided. In addition, each of the slide shafts 40 rotatably supports six slide members 41. As shown in FIG. 12, a suction head support plate 42 is mounted orthogonally to the slide shaft 40 across slide members 41 provided on the two slide shafts 40 of each set. 42 is the slide shaft 4 of each set.
The slide members 41 are attached in a fixed order. Therefore, the suction head support plate 42 has a total of 18
And each suction head support plate 42
Are provided with 15 suction heads 43 respectively. As a result, the suction head 43 has a total of 270
Are provided. When the suction head support plates 42 are in close contact with each other, the suction heads 43 are at the same intervals as the crystal blanks 1 densely packed in the storage tank 4. Thus, 270 pieces of crystal pieces 1 can be adsorbed simultaneously.

(Separation means 44) Next, as shown in FIG. 13, the separation means 44 for separating the dense crystal blanks in the column direction and the row direction expands / contracts the space of the suction head support plate 42 in the column direction. An enlargement / reduction mechanism 45 that enlarges / reduces the distance between the suction heads 43 is provided. The enlargement / reduction mechanism 45 includes a V-shaped positioning metal fitting 46. Each positioning metal fitting 46 has a suction head supporting plate 42 other than the two left and right outermost suction head supporting plates 42.
Are rotatably supported by pins 47, respectively.
Each positioning metal fitting 46 has a long hole 46a formed in a portion opposite to the pin 47, and the pin 47 provided on the adjacent suction head support plate 42 is engaged with each long hole 46a. The pin 47 can reciprocate in each of the long holes 46a. At this time, only the pins 47 that engage with the long holes 46a are provided on the suction head support plates 42 at both left and right ends.
One suction head support plate 42 of the two center suction head support plates 42 is fixed to a slide shaft 40, and a rectangular positioning bracket 48 is attached to one of the two suction head support plates 42 by a pin 49. A pin 49 provided on the other suction head support plate 42 is attached to a long hole 48 a formed in the positioning metal fitting 48. Further, air cylinders 50a are connected to the two outermost suction head support plates 42, respectively.
13 to move left and right in FIG. Each air cylinder 50a is connected to the positive pressure source 18 via a valve 50b.

In FIG. 13, the right side from the center shows a state where the outer suction head support plate 42 is moved to the center side, and the left side from the center shows a state where the outer suction head support plate 42 is moved outside. I have. Each of the above air cylinders 50
a is usually the two outermost suction head support plates 4
2 are moved toward the center of each other, whereby the suction head support plates 42 are in close contact with each other. In this state, as described above, each of the suction heads 43 has the same interval as each of the crystal blanks 1 that are densely packed in the storage tank 4, so that each of the suction heads 43 has 270 vertical and horizontal crystal units at once. The piece 1 can be adsorbed. On the other hand, when the two outermost suction head support plates 42 are moved outward by the respective air cylinders 50a, the pins 47 fixed to the outermost suction head support plates 42 move outward. The pin 47 moves in the long hole 46a.
When the pin 47 abuts on the end of the long hole 46a, the positioning metal member 46 provided on the second suction head support plate 42 from the outside is pulled by the pin 47, and the outside fixing the positioning metal member 46 is performed. The second suction head support plate 42 moves along the slide shaft 40. When the suction head support plates 42 are sequentially moved outward in this way, the pins 47 of the suction head support plates 42
Are spread at intervals that abut against the ends of the. In this state, the densely packed crystal pieces 1 are in contact with each other in the vertical direction, but are mutually expanded in the horizontal direction.

The separating means 44 is provided with the above-described expansion / contraction mechanism 45.
In addition, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 14, in order to expand each crystal blank 1 in the horizontal direction, each suction head 4 in the horizontal row direction is used.
3 and an air passage 51 for each row,
And an opening / closing valve 52 for each row provided in the above. FIG.
In 4, the connecting pipe 53 is provided in each suction head support plate 42 in parallel with the slide shaft 40 while keeping the airtight. Each connecting pipe 53 has a large-diameter portion 53a and a small-diameter portion 53b, and the small-diameter portion 53b is airtightly slidable from the suction head support plate 42 into the large-diameter portion 53a of the adjacent suction head support plate 42. Is fitted. The inside of each connecting pipe 53 is the above-mentioned air passage 51, and therefore, each connecting pipe 5
The air passages 51 in the inside 3 communicate with each other in the horizontal row direction via the connecting pipes 53, and the suction head supporting plates 42 can be brought into contact with and separated from each other. The air passages 51 in the connection pipes 53 communicate with the suction heads 43 via air passages 54 formed in the suction head support plates 42. Therefore, each suction head 43 communicates with each row in the horizontal direction via the air passage 51 in the connecting pipe 53,
As shown in FIG. 11, an air passage 51 for each row, that is, a total of 15 air passages 51, is provided with an open / close valve 52 for each row provided in each air passage 51 (only one open / close valve 52 is shown in FIG. 11). ) To the negative pressure source 17. As shown in FIG. 11, a connecting pipe 53 provided on the suction head support plate 42 at the right end is connected to a flexible pipe 55.
And a connection pipe 53 provided on the suction head support plate 42 at the left end, a flexible conduit 55 and the open / close valve 52.
Is connected to the negative pressure source 17 via the As shown in FIG. 12, in order to prevent the air passages 51 from interfering with each other, the vertical positions of the air passages 51 are alternately arranged in two stages.

As in this embodiment, the suction head support plate 42
Are provided with connecting pipes 53, respectively.
Are formed so as to extend and contract with each other so as to form an air passage 51 communicating therewith in the lateral direction, compared to a case where the flexible conduits 55 are connected to all the suction heads 43, respectively, and the piping is simplified, and There is an advantage that the holding and conveying means 35 can be reduced in weight.

In FIG. 8, according to the holding / transporting means 35 having the above structure, the crystal blanks 1 densely packed in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows in the storage tank 4 are simultaneously held, and this is detected by the position detection described below. The separation means 44 can spread the crystal blanks 1 densely arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions in the position detecting means 56 in the vertical and horizontal directions. That is, when the storage tank 4 is supplied to the supply position and positioned as described above, the control device controls the robot 37 and attaches the holding means 36 to the tip of the arm of the robot 37 via the attachments 37a and 36a. At this time, the suction heads 43 of the holding means 36 are in a state of being densely arranged with each other. Next, the robot 3
Reference numeral 7 moves the holding means 36 onto the plate 2 placed on the storage tank 4 and causes the suction head 43 to suck and hold the plate 2. Then, when the suction head 43 sucks the plate 2, the robot 37 conveys the plate 2 to a stocker 57 provided at a position adjacent to the storage tank 4, and causes the stocker 57 to collect the plate 2. After removing the plate 2 from the storage tank 4 in this manner, the robot 37 moves each suction head 43 onto each of the crystal blanks 1 in the positioned storage tank 4, and moves the suction heads 43 to the respective suction heads 42 one by one. The piece 1 is held by suction. At this time, the crystal blanks 1 stacked in six layers in the storage tank 4 are reliably separated from the crystal blanks below by the ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic generator 23, and therefore the uppermost crystal blanks are respectively provided. Only 1 is sucked and held by the suction head 43. When each of the suction heads 43 sucks and holds the crystal blank 1 and lifts it from the storage tank 4, each crystal blank 1 is immersed in hot water in a cleaning tray 58 provided at a position adjacent to the storage tank 4 and washed. When the cleaning of the crystal blanks 1 is completed, the expansion / contraction mechanism 45 of the separating means 44 operates the air cylinder 50a to expand the space between the suction head support plates 42 in the row direction, thereby increasing the distance between the suction heads 43. Are spread out to separate the densely packed crystal pieces 1 in the lateral direction.

In this state, the robot 37 transports the crystal blank 1 to the position detecting means 56 while holding the crystal blank 1 on each suction head 43. Then, when the suction head 43 on the first row is moved to a predetermined position of the position detecting means 56,
Since the on-off valve 52 in the first row is closed to release the suction, the first suction sucked by the suction head in the first row is performed.
The crystal blank 1 in the row is a tray 59 provided in the position detecting means 56.
(See FIG. 18). When the crystal blank 1 in the first row is placed on the tray 59 in this way, the robot 37 moves the suction head 43 by a predetermined distance, and moves the suction head 43 in the second row to the next predetermined position. Let it. In this state, the crystal pieces 1 in the second row, which are suction-held by the suction head 43 in the second row, are separated from the crystal pieces 1 in the first row by a predetermined distance. In this state, by closing the opening / closing valve 52 in the second row and releasing the suction of the crystal blank 1 by the suction head in the second row, the second
The crystal blank 1 in the first row is placed on the tray 59 while being separated from the crystal blank 1 in the first row by a predetermined distance. Similarly, the holding of the crystal blanks 1 by the suction heads 43 in each row is sequentially released while the suction heads 43 are moved little by little, so that the crystal blanks densely arranged in the row direction can be sequentially separated in the row direction. Therefore, the crystal blanks 1 can be aligned on the tray 59 in a state where a gap is opened both vertically and horizontally. In this state, the directions of all the crystal blanks 1 and the front and back sides are the same.

(Position detecting means 56) Next, FIGS.
In the above, the position detecting means 56 can detect the position of each of the crystal blanks 1 separated in the column direction and the row direction by the separating means 44. Each crystal blank 1 is sequentially gripped based on the position data detected by the position detecting means 56, and the held crystal blanks 1 are aligned in a predetermined direction. The position detecting means 56 is provided with the above-mentioned tray 59 on which the crystal blanks 1 separated in the column direction and the row direction by the separating means 44 are placed.
The tray 59 is made of a transparent member. A light source 64 is provided below the tray 59, and light from the light source 64 is shielded by the crystal blank 1. The robot 37 is provided with a camera (not shown) for photographing the crystal blank 1 on the tray 59. That is, since the crystal blank 1 blocks light from the light source 64, if the crystal blank 1 is photographed by a camera, the image of each crystal blank 1 is captured as a black silhouette even if each crystal blank 1 is transparent. Therefore, the position of each crystal blank 1 can be detected.

The tray 59 is filled with water, and the crystal blank 1 is immersed in the water and placed on the bottom of the tray. The reason why the water is put in the tray 59 is that, unless the crystal blank 1 is immersed in water, when the crystal blank 1 is dried, it cannot be removed by the storage tank 4 or the cleaning tray 58 due to an adhesive or drying. This is because scales adhere to the crystal blank 1 and it becomes difficult to remove these stains in a subsequent washing step. Further, a wiper 65 for cleaning the tray 59 is provided. The lower surface of the wiper 65 is in contact with the bottom surface of the tray 59, and is reciprocated right and left by an actuator 66 provided on the side of the tray 59 to be separated from the crystal blank 1 and settle on the bottom of the tray 59. Cleaning such as residue of the agent can be performed. When the wiper 65 is not operated, it stands by at a stop position shown in the drawing, which is out of the alignment position of the crystal blank 1, so as not to hinder irradiation of light from the light source 64.

(Gripping Means 61) Next, as shown in FIG. 15, the above-mentioned gripping means 61 is attached to the frame 62 and holds the crystal blank 1 on the tray 59 by suction. A gripper 70 for gripping both sides of the horizontal crystal blank 1 sucked by 69;
By rotating the gripper 70 in the vertical plane, the gripper 7 is rotated.
And a rotating means 71 for vertically raising the horizontal quartz plate 1 gripped at 0. An attachment 61 is provided on the upper part of the frame 62 in the same manner as the holding means 36 described above.
b is provided so as to be detachable from an attachment 37 a provided on the arm of the robot 37. The holding means 61 and the holding means 36 are selectively attached to and detached from the robot 37, and the holding means 36 or the holding means 6 which are not used.
As shown in FIG. 8, reference numerals 1 are respectively mounted on racks (not shown) provided within the movable range of the robot 37.

The suction head 69 of the gripping means 61 is moved up and down by an air cylinder 72a connected to the positive pressure source 18 via a valve 72b, and the suction head 69 is negatively moved via a valve 73b. It is connected to the pressure source 17. The rotating means 71 includes: a rotating plate 75 pivotally supported by a rotating shaft 74 provided on the frame 62;
And an air cylinder 77a which is connected to the positive pressure source 18 via a valve 77b. The air cylinder 77a is connected to the rotating plate 75 to rotate the rotating plate 75 and the actuator 76 integrally. The actuator 76 can open and close the gripper 70. I have. In the non-operation state of the gripping means 61, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the suction head 69 is located at the rising end, and when the suction head 69 is holding the crystal blank 1, the gripper 70 moves to a position where the crystal blank 1 can be gripped from both sides. Has become.

Accordingly, when the position of the crystal blank 1 aligned and placed on the tray 59 is detected by the camera (not shown), the gripping means 61 detects the position based on the position data of the crystal blank 1. It moves on one crystal blank 1. In this state, the air cylinder 72a of the suction head 69 is operated to move the suction head 69 downward, and the valve 73 communicated with the suction head 69 is operated.
b is opened to hold the crystal blank 1 by suction. Next, when the suction head 69 holding the crystal blank 1 by the air cylinder 72a is lifted to the rising end, the crystal blank 1 sucked by the suction head 69 is gripped from both sides by the gripper 70. Thereafter, the holding of the crystal blank 1 by the suction head 69 is released, and the crystal blank 1 is transferred to the gripper 70.

When the crystal blank 1 is gripped by the gripper 70, the gripper 70 is rotated by the rotating means 71, and the horizontal crystal plate 1 gripped by the gripper 70 stands upright. At this time, since the direction and the front and back of the crystal blank 1 are known, the crystal blank 1 can be aligned in a predetermined direction and aligned in an upright state in the alignment tray 100 (FIG. 8). However, in this embodiment, before aligning the crystal blanks 1 in the alignment tray 100, a crystal blank inspection unit 79 for checking whether the size of each crystal blank 1 is a predetermined size is provided. .

(Crystal Chip Inspection Means 79) As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the crystal piece inspection means 79 includes a laser inspection device 80 for measuring the size of the crystal blank 1.
The laser inspection device 80 includes a laser irradiation unit 83 and a laser light receiving unit 84. The laser emitted from the laser irradiator 83 is received by a laser receiver 84,
The result is analyzed by the control device. The crystal blank 1 includes the laser irradiation unit 83 and the laser receiving unit 8
The laser beam supplied by the laser irradiation unit 83 and irradiated by the laser irradiation unit 83 is blocked by the crystal blank 1 so that the vertical, horizontal, and height of the crystal blank 1 can be measured. The above-mentioned laser inspection device 80 is a turntable 8
The laser inspection device 80 can be swung by a turntable 81 with a width of about 3 degrees with respect to the loaded crystal blank 1. This is because the movement accuracy of the robot 37 is not as high as the inspection accuracy required for measuring the crystal blank 1. That is, every time the robot 37 carries the crystal blank 1 into the laser inspection apparatus 80, the carry-in position of the crystal blank 1 varies due to the variation in the movement of the robot 37, and the crystal blank 1 is moved to the laser inspection apparatus 8
This is because there is a possibility that the wafer may be carried slightly inclined with respect to zero. Therefore, if the laser inspection device 80 is swung by the turntable 81 so as to obtain the minimum value when measuring the size of the crystal blank 1, it is possible to measure the exact size of the crystal blank 1. .

The turntable 81 is mounted on an arc-shaped slide rail 85 via two slide members 86, and has an actuator 89 connected to a rod 88 attached to the turntable 81. The actuator 89 is controlled by the control device, and the turntable 81 can be reciprocally oscillated by the expansion and contraction of the actuator 89. L-shaped angles 87 are attached to both ends of the turntable 81, respectively. The laser irradiating section 83 is attached to one angle 87, and the laser receiving section 84 is attached to the other angle 87.
Are fixed, and the laser irradiating unit 83 and the laser receiving unit 84 face each other at a predetermined distance.

The crystal blank 1 is carried by the robot 37 between the laser irradiating section 83 and the laser receiving section 84. The turntable 81 holds the loaded crystal blank 1 with N ₂ gas. Is provided to remove water droplets from the crystal piece. The water drop removing device 90 includes two nozzles 91 attached to a turntable 81 toward a position where the crystal blank 1 is carried in, a cylinder 92 for supplying N ₂ gas to each of the nozzles 91, 92, and a valve 93 that is opened and closed by a control device. The water droplet removing device 90 removes water droplets adhering to the crystal blank 1, thereby preventing the laser from being interrupted by the water droplets during inspection by the laser inspection device 80, thereby preventing an inspection failure.

As described above, the crystal blanks 1 arranged on the tray 59 in a state in which a gap is opened both vertically and horizontally are gripped one by one by the gripper 70 of the gripping means 61, and the rotation of the gripper 70 causes the crystal blanks 1 to move in the horizontal direction. The crystal blank 1 comes to stand in the vertical direction. However, when the crystal blank 1 is in the horizontal state, the first dimension inspection is performed by the laser inspection apparatus 80, and the dimension in the X direction in FIG. 16 is measured. That is, the gripper 70 is attached to the suction head 6.
When holding the crystal blank 1 in the horizontal direction from the robot 9, the robot 37
In this state, the crystal piece is carried between the laser irradiation unit 83 and the laser light receiving unit 84 in this state, and the surface in the X direction to be measured faces the laser irradiation unit 83. When the quartz piece 1 is carried in, the valve 93 of the water drop removing device 90 is opened, and N2 gas is ejected from the tip of the nozzle 91 toward the quartz piece 1, whereby the water drops attached to the quartz piece 1 are removed. You. Although the gripper 70 holds the crystal blank 1, the laser radiated from the laser irradiating unit 83 causes the crystal blank 1 to move as shown in FIG.
6, the X-direction dimension of the crystal blank 1 can be accurately measured even with the gripper 70. At this time, the laser inspection device 80 is swung by the turntable 81, and the minimum dimension of the plurality of measurements is determined as the dimension of the crystal blank 1 in the X direction.

After the dimension of the crystal blank 1 in the X direction has been measured, the gripper 70 is then rotated to move the crystal blank 1 in the horizontal direction.
Are raised in the vertical direction. In this state, the surface in the Y direction to be measured next faces the laser irradiation unit 83, and the dimension in the Y direction is measured in the same manner as described above. Thereafter, the surface in the Z direction to be measured next is opposed to the laser irradiation unit 83, and the dimension in the Z direction is measured. In this way, the vertical, horizontal, and height dimensions of the crystal blank 1 are measured, and if the measurement results are determined to be good as compared with the regular data stored in the control device, the robot operates the crystal blank. The pieces 1 are conveyed to the alignment tray 100 and aligned. On the other hand, if the crystal blank 1 is determined to be defective, the crystal blank 1 will not be transported to the alignment tray 100 but will be discarded. In the dimension inspection of the crystal blank 1, all the crystal blanks 1 may be inspected, or, for convenience, the four crystal blanks 1 at the four corners of each layer may be used.
Only the inspection may be performed. In such a case, if at least one of the four crystal blanks 1 is defective, the control device may stop the crystal blank alignment device 10 and issue an alarm.

(Alignment Tray 100) Next, the crystal blanks 1 transported by the gripping and transporting means 60 are aligned in the predetermined direction in the alignment tray 100. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, an alignment jig 101 is fixed in the alignment tray 100, and a number of holding portions 102 each holding one crystal blank 1 in an upright state in the alignment jig 101. Is provided. This holding unit 102
Are provided in 270 rows of 15 columns in the row direction and 18 columns in the column direction, so that one crystal blank 1 can be aligned and accommodated. The holding section 102 is made of a soft synthetic resin, rubber, or the like, and is capable of holding the crystal blank 1 pushed from above in a state of being raised by the gripping / transporting means 60. In addition, the alignment tray 10
0 is filled with water so that the held quartz plate 1 is not exposed to the atmosphere.

In FIG. 8, the empty alignment tray 100 is carried into a predetermined position by the carrying-out means 103, where the crystal blanks 1 are aligned inside. Then, the alignment tray 100 on which the crystal blanks are aligned is placed in the unloading means 103.
Is carried out from the predetermined position, and a new empty alignment tray 100 is carried in to this position. The unloading means 103 includes a roller conveyor 104, a stopper 105 and an alignment jig 101 as in the supply means 11 described above.
Is provided. The positioning means 106 is connected to the positive pressure source 18 via a valve 106b.
Air cylinders 106a communicated with each other, and a positioning member 107 operated by each air cylinder 106a
It has. Each positioning member 107 is provided with an alignment jig 10.
The jigs 101 are arranged at one diagonal position, and can be engaged with the corners of the alignment jig 101 to be positioned.

The empty alignment tray 100 is a roller conveyor 1
The carriage 104 is stopped at the stop position by being brought into contact with the stopper 105 that has been lifted. When the limit switch 108 detects that the empty alignment tray 100 has been supplied, the roller conveyor 104 is stopped. Next, the air cylinder 1 of the positioning means 106
When the positioning members 107 are moved forward by operating 06a and the respective positioning members 107 abut against the corners of the alignment jigs 101 provided in the alignment tray 100, the alignment jigs 101 are positioned and fixed.

In this state, the quartz piece inspection means 7
When the crystal piece 1 is determined to be non-defective according to 9, the gripping and conveying means 60 conveys the crystal piece 1 onto the alignment jig 101, and the holding unit 102 of the alignment jig 101 is moved by a camera (not shown) provided on the robot 37. Shoot. When the control device confirms the position of the holder 102 into which the crystal blank 1 is to be inserted based on the image, the crystal blank 1 is inserted into the holder 102 by the gripping / transporting means 60. When all the crystal blanks 1 are inserted into the respective holding portions 102 in this manner, the inside of the alignment jig 101 becomes full. In this state, the positioning of the alignment jig 101 by the positioning member 107 is released, the stopper 105 is lowered, and the roller conveyor 10 is released.
4 is activated, the full alignment tray 100 is carried out to the downstream side, and a new empty alignment tray 1 is released.
00 is supplied.

Next, FIG. 23 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In the above embodiment, the separating means 44 is constituted by the expanding / contracting mechanism 45, the air passage 51 and the opening / closing valve 52. However, the separating means of this embodiment has two expanding / contracting mechanisms. That is, the separating means of the present embodiment is provided with a first enlargement / reduction mechanism 45 having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment.
And a plurality of elongated slide plates 201 provided in the tray 59 of the position detecting means 56 and parallel to each other, and a second expansion / contraction mechanism 202 for expanding / contracting the interval between the respective slide plates 201. The slide plates 201 are provided by the same number as the number of rows of the crystal blanks 1 aligned in the storage tank 4 in the vertical direction.
Each is made of a transparent member. Each slide plate 2
The connecting rods 203 are connected to each other.
Is bent and its tip is pulled out of the tray 59, and the second expansion / contraction mechanism 202 is linked to that portion. The second enlarging / reducing means 204 has a pantograph mechanism 204, and the pantograph mechanism 204
In principle, they correspond to the positioning fittings 46 and the pins 47 of the above-described expansion / contraction mechanism 45. This pantograph mechanism 2
04 is expanded and contracted by an air cylinder 205a connected to the positive pressure source 18 via a valve 205b, and accordingly each slide plate 201 can be expanded and contracted via a connecting rod 203.

In this embodiment, the slide plate 201
Are close together. The densely packed crystal blanks 1 in the storage tank 4 are sucked and held by the holding / transporting means 35 in that state, and are first moved in the column direction by the first expanding / contracting mechanism 45 having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. Become separated. In this state, the crystal blank 1 is transported to the position detecting means 56 by the holding / transporting means 35, the suction is released on the slide plate 201 in the tray 59, and the crystal blank 1 is placed on each slide plate 201. In this state, the second expansion / contraction mechanism 202 is
1 are separated from each other, so that the crystal blank 1
Means that the spacing in the row direction is increased. In this state, the crystal blanks 1 are arranged on the tray 59 in a state where a gap is opened both vertically and horizontally. Further, since the tray 59 and the slide plate 201 are formed of a transparent member,
The light from the light source 64 is not blocked by them. Then, the light is shielded by the crystal blank 1 so that the position of each crystal blank 1 can be detected.

FIGS. 24 to 32 show a third embodiment of the present invention. In the above embodiment, the robot 37 exchanges the holding means 36 and the gripping means 61 by alternately attaching and detaching them. However, the robot 337 of the present embodiment employs, as shown in FIG. The holding means 336 and the gripping means 361 are provided at the same time, and one of them can be exchanged by rotating one of them to a working position facing downward and the other to a non-working position facing horizontal. I can do it. In addition, the holding means 36 in the above-described embodiment has a total of 27 pieces arranged in the same manner as the arrangement of the crystal pieces 1 so that a total of 270 pieces of crystal pieces 1 arranged in 15 rows and 18 rows are sucked and held at a time.
Although zero suction heads 43 are provided, the holding means 336 of the present embodiment is configured to hold eighteen crystal blanks 1 in one horizontal row.
Only one is provided.

More specifically, in FIG.
An angle 302 is attached to the tip of the arm of the robot 337, and a rotating means 303 such as a rotary actuator is attached to the angle 302. This rotating means 3
No. 03 is capable of rotating the frame 304 back and forth within a range of 180 degrees.
The holding means 336 and the holding means 361 are attached so as to form an angle of 90 degrees. The rotating means 303 is controlled by a control device, and can position any one of the holding means 336 and the gripping means 361 in a downward working position. FIG. 24 shows that the holding means 336 is in the working position facing downward, and in this state, the gripping means 361 is in the non-working position facing in the horizontal direction. Then, when the rotating unit 303 rotates the frame 304 by 180 degrees under the control of the control device from this state, the holding unit 361 becomes the working position in which the holding unit 336 faces downward, and the holding unit 336 becomes the non-working position in which the holding unit 336 faces in the horizontal direction. Further, when the holding means 336 is returned to the working position from here, the rotating means 303 may be rotated 180 degrees in the opposite direction.

The holding means 336 is provided on the frame 304.
, Two suction heads 307 are provided to suck and remove the plate 2. As described above, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the holding unit 36 includes a total of 270 suction heads 43 in the vertical and horizontal directions. However, the holding unit 336 in the present embodiment employs 18 holding heads in one horizontal row. Only the suction head 343 is provided, and it becomes difficult to suck and remove the plate 2 using only the suction head 343. Therefore, the suction head 307 is provided. FIG. 24, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the two suction heads 307 are lifted and lowered by an air cylinder 308a provided on the frame 304, and the air cylinder 308a is connected to the positive pressure source 18 via a valve 308b. . The suction head 307 communicates with the negative pressure source 17 via a valve 307b.

26 to 28, the holding means 336 includes 18 suction heads 343 arranged in one horizontal line and suction heads 343 arranged in one horizontal line.
28 (see the left half of FIG. 28), it is converted into two columns by moving every other one in the vertical direction orthogonal to the horizontal direction.
The right and left sides of the crystal blanks 1) are provided, so that the crystal blanks 1 are separated from each other in each row. As shown in FIG. 27, the expansion / contraction means 344 includes an actuator 309 fixed to the frame 304, and two suction head support plates 342A and 342B which are actuated by the same amount in opposite directions by the actuator 309. The two suction head support plates 342A, 34
2B are comb-shaped so as to mesh with each other. The suction heads 343 are attached to the comb-shaped portions of the suction head support plates 342A and 342B, respectively, and the actuator 309 controls the suction head support plates 342A and 342B.
When A and 342B come into close contact with each other, as shown in the left half of FIG. 28, the comb-shaped portions of each other mesh with each other so that the suction heads 343 are aligned in one row. Has become. At this time, the interval between the suction heads 343 is
The interval corresponds to the spacing between the one row of crystal blanks 1 densely arranged in the storage tank 4 described above. On the other hand, the actuator 3
When the suction head supporting plates 342A and 342B are separated from each other by the step 09, the comb-shaped portions of the suction heads are separated from each other as shown in the right half of FIG. They are arranged in two rows.
In this state, the crystal blanks 1 sucked by the suction heads 343 are separated from each other in two rows vertically and horizontally. Each of the suction heads 343 is connected to the suction head support plate 3.
Each of the air passages 312 communicates with the negative pressure source 17 via a valve 343b.

As shown in FIG. 27, a plate 310 is provided adjacent to the suction heads 343 so as to abut against and align the side surfaces of the one row of crystal blanks 1. This plate 310 is provided on one suction head support plate 3.
42A are attached to the lower ends of two rods 313 (see FIG. 28) provided on the suction head support plate 342 so as to be able to move up and down, and a cam follower 313a provided at the upper end of each rod 313 is a lifting frame. 314 is engaged with a horizontal cam groove 314a. The elevating frame 314 includes an actuator 3 provided on the frame 304.
15 to move up and down. Therefore, when the lifting frame 314 is raised and lowered by the actuator 315, the rod 31 is moved through the cam follower 313a engaged with the cam groove 314a of the lifting frame 314.
3, the plate 310 can be moved up and down. Also, when the suction head support plate 342A is moved by the expansion / contraction means 344,
The rod 313 provided on the suction head support plate 342A so as to be able to move up and down is also moved integrally. At this time, the cam follower 313a at the upper end of the rod 313 moves in the cam groove 314a of the elevating frame 314. Is maintained.

Further, the holding means 361 includes a suction head 369, a gripper 370, and a rotating means 371 as in the above embodiment. However, in the above embodiment, the rotating means 71 is constituted by the air cylinder 77a and the rotating plate 75, whereas in the present embodiment, the rotating means 371 is constituted by a rotary actuator, and the gripper 370 is provided by the rotary actuator. It can be rotated by a rotary actuator. Other configurations are
The configuration is the same as that of the above-described embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the crystal blanks 1 have six layers, but in this embodiment, the crystal blanks 1 are densely arranged in two layers. Then, when the storage tank 4 containing the crystal blank 1 is conveyed by the supply means 11 and accurate positioning is performed at a predetermined supply position as in the above embodiment,
The robot 337 includes the suction head 343 and the suction head 3
07 is moved onto the plate 2 in the storage tank 4. When the suction head 343 is brought into close contact with the plate 2, the valve 3
43b is opened and the plate 2 is sucked.
At the same time, the valve 308b is opened and the suction head 307 is lowered by the air cylinder 308a, and the valve 307b is opened and the suction head 307 also sucks the plate 2. In this state, the robot 33
7 transports the plate 2 to the stocker 57 while holding the plate 2, and when the valve 343 b and the valve 307 b are closed and the suction is released, the plate 2 is moved to the stocker 5.
7 to be collected. And the suction head 307
Is returned to the rising end position by the air cylinder 308a. At this time, the plate 310 is held at the rising end position.

Next, each suction head 34 of the holding means 336
Numeral 3 sucks and holds each of the 18 crystal blanks 1b in one row, and lifts them. At this time, as shown in FIG. 30, the lower crystal blank 1c may not be completely separated from the upper crystal blank 1b lifted by the suction head 343, and may be lifted integrally with the upper crystal blank 1b. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the upper crystal piece 1b rises to a position slightly beyond the adjacent guide 9, the suction heads 3
43 is moved horizontally to the guide 9 side. As a result, the lower crystal blank 1c abuts on the guide 9 and cannot move integrally with the upper crystal blank 1b, so that the lower crystal blank 1c is reliably separated from the upper crystal blank 1b and sinks into the storage tank 4. . Therefore, in the present embodiment, the ultrasonic generator 23 can be omitted as necessary. As in the above-described embodiment, the crystal blank 1b sucked by the suction head 343 is transported to the cleaning tray 58, and the crystal blank 1b immersed in the cleaning tray 58 and cleaned is moved to the upper portion of the tray 59 of the position detecting means 56. Conveyed. When the two suction head support plates 342A and 342B are separated from each other by the actuator 309 of the expansion / contraction means 344,
The crystal blank 1b sucked by each suction head 343 is
The crystal blanks 1b are vertically and horizontally separated from each other in a row, and the respective crystal blanks 1b are placed on the tray 59 of the position detecting means 56 in this state.

Thereafter, when the enlargement / reduction means 344 returns the suction heads 343 to the horizontal single row state again, the suction heads 343 are moved above the crystal blank 1d adjacent to the crystal blank 1b which has already been carried out. You. At this time, this crystal blank 1d
As shown by the imaginary line in FIG.
c may be slightly moved from its original position by the water flow in the storage tank 4 generated when the c is separated from the upper crystal piece 1b and settles in the storage tank 4. Therefore, before the crystal blank 1d is sucked by the suction heads 343, the crystal blank 1d is aligned to the original position. That is,
First, the lifting frame 314 is moved by the actuator 315.
And the plate 310 is lowered via the rod 313. In this state, the robot 337 lowers the plate 310 at a position sufficiently distant from the crystal blank 1d to a position at which it can abut against the crystal blank 1d.
0 is moved toward the crystal blank 1d. As a result, the plate 310 comes into contact with the crystal blank 1d, and the crystal blank 1d can be aligned at the original position.

After aligning the crystal blank 1d at the original position, the actuator 315 raises and lowers the frame 314.
The plate 310 is lifted via the rod 313 and then the suction head 343 is lowered, and the crystal blank 1 is lowered.
adsorb d. Thereafter, the suction head 343 lifts the sucked crystal blank 1d. At this time, as shown in FIG. 32, the lower crystal blank 1e is completely separated from the upper crystal blank 1d lifted by the suction head 343. not,
There is a risk of being lifted together with the upper crystal blank 1d.
Therefore, in this case, when the upper crystal blank 1d is slightly raised, the suction heads 343 remain in the storage tank 4 and are horizontally moved to the adjacent crystal blank 1c side. As a result, the lower crystal blank 1e abuts on the adjacent crystal blank 1c and cannot move integrally with the upper crystal blank 1d, so that the lower crystal blank 1e is reliably separated from the upper crystal blank 1d and settles in the storage tank 4. Become like Thereafter, the above-described operation is repeated, and the horizontal row of crystal blanks 1 is sequentially expanded into two rows separated from each other. When all the crystal blanks 1 in the storage tank 4 are placed on the tray 59 of the position detecting means 56 in this manner, the gripping means 361 is switched by the rotating means 303 to the working position facing downward, and the above-described operation is performed. As in the example, the suction head 3 of the gripping means 361 is used.
The crystal pieces 1 can be gripped and aligned one by one by the 69 and the gripper 370.

In the third embodiment, all the crystal blanks 1 in the storage tank 4 are removed from the tray 59 of the position detecting means 56.
The one row of crystal blanks 1 is placed on the tray 59, and the one row of crystal blanks 1 is immediately placed on the suction head 369 and the gripper 370 of the gripping means 361. May be grasped and aligned one by one. In this case, the separating means may simply separate the one row of dense crystal blanks in the column direction or the row direction. In each of the above-described embodiments, the holding units 36 and 336 and the holding units 61 and 361 are alternately selected and used by one robot 37 and 337. Of course, it may be provided to two separate robots.

[0056]

As described above, according to the present invention, the crystal blanks supplied in a state of being densely packed in a plurality of columns and rows are provided.
An advantage is obtained in that alignment can be performed in a predetermined direction without requiring human intervention.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a state of a plate 2 and a plurality of crystal element blanks 1A attached thereto.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the sorting apparatus 3.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a step subsequent to FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a step subsequent to FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a step subsequent to FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing the entire alignment device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged plan view showing a supply unit 11;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a main part of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a front view showing a holding unit and a separating mechanism 45;

FIG. 12 is a side view of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged plan view of a main part of FIG. 11;

14 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the suction head 43 shown in FIG.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged front view of the holding means 61.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a state in which the gripper 70 holds the crystal blank 1;

FIG. 17 is a front view showing a state different from FIG. 15;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged plan view of the position detecting means 56.

FIG. 19 is a partial sectional front view of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged plan view of the unloading means 103.

FIG. 21 is an enlarged plan view of a main part of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a sectional view of FIG. 20;

FIG. 23 is a plan view of a main part showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a front view showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a left side view of the main part of FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is a side view of the holding means 336.

FIG. 27 is a partial sectional view of FIG. 26;

FIG. 28 is a plan view showing the non-operating state and the operating state of the holding means 336.

FIG. 29 is a front view of the holding means 361.

FIG. 30 is an operation explanatory view showing a state in which a crystal blank 1 is taken out in a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 31 is an operation explanatory view showing a state different from FIG. 30;

FIG. 32 is an operation explanatory view showing a state different from FIG. 31;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Quartz piece 3 Sorting device 4 Storage tank 10 Alignment device 11 Supply device 35 Holding and conveying means 36, 336 Holding means 37, 337 Robot 43, 343 Suction head 44, 344 Separating means 45 Expansion / contraction mechanism 51 Air passage 52 Open / close valve 56 Position detection Means 59 Tray (transparent member) 60 Grasping and conveying means 61, 361 Grasping means 64 Light source 69, 369 Suction head 70, 370 Gripper 79 Quartz piece inspection means 80 Laser inspection apparatus 100 Alignment tray 102 Holder 103 Unloading means 201 Slide plate 202 2 expansion and contraction mechanism 310 plate

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A supply step of supplying a plurality of crystal pieces in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows in a dense state, and a separating step of separating the plurality of crystal pieces in a plurality of rows and a row in a column direction and a row direction. And, a position detecting step of detecting the respective positions of the crystal blank separated from each other, and gripping each crystal blank based on the position data detected in the position detecting step, the gripped crystal blank is predetermined. An alignment step of aligning in a direction. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the aligning step includes an inspecting step of inspecting the held crystal blank to determine whether the crystal blank is acceptable. 3. A supply means for supplying a plurality of crystal blanks in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows in a densely packed state, and holding a plurality of the plurality of densely packed crystal blanks in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows and holding the held crystal blanks. Holding and transporting means for transporting the pieces to the position detecting means, separating means for separating the dense crystal pieces in the column direction and / or row direction, and determining the respective positions of the crystal pieces mutually separated by the separating means. It is characterized by comprising: the above-mentioned position detecting means for detecting, and a gripping / transporting means for gripping each crystal piece whose position has been detected by the position detecting means, and aligning and holding the crystal pieces in a predetermined direction. Crystal piece aligner. 4. The holding and transporting means includes a holding means for holding a crystal piece and a transporting means for transporting the holding means. The gripping and transporting means includes a gripping means for gripping the crystal piece and a gripping means. Transport means for transporting, the transport means of the holding and transporting means and the transporting means of the gripping transporting means are constituted by a robot common to both, and this robot selectively uses the holding means and the gripping means. 4. The crystal blank aligning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the crystal blanks are transported respectively. 5. The holding and transporting means includes a plurality of suction heads provided in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows for sucking and holding densely packed crystal pieces, and the separating means is arranged in a column direction of the suction head. An expansion / contraction mechanism for expanding / contracting an interval between the air suction passages, an air passage for each row communicating with each suction head in the row direction, and an opening / closing valve for each row provided in each air passage. The above-mentioned expansion and contraction mechanism expands the spacing in the column direction of the suction head to separate the densely-spaced crystal pieces in the column direction, and holds the open / close valve for each row. It is designed to be closed sequentially according to the movement of the transport means,
The opening / closing valve in the first row is closed to release the holding of the crystal piece in the first row by the suction head in the first row, and when the holding / transporting means moves by a predetermined amount, the opening / closing valve in the second row is closed to close the second row. 5. The crystal piece aligning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the holding of the crystal pieces in the second row by the suction head is released, so that the crystal pieces densely arranged in the row direction are sequentially separated in the row direction. . 6. The holding and transporting means includes a plurality of suction heads provided in a plurality of rows and a plurality of rows for sucking and holding densely packed crystal pieces. A first expanding / contracting mechanism for expanding / contracting an interval between the plurality of suction heads, a plurality of elongate slide plates provided so as to be able to contact / separate from each other, and a second enlarging / reducing mechanism for enlarging / reducing the interval between the slide plates. The first and second enlargement / reduction mechanisms expand the gap in the column direction of the suction head to separate the densely packed crystal pieces in the column direction, and further hold the second crystal element in the column direction. The expansion and contraction mechanism, when receiving the crystal pieces densely arranged in the row direction on each slide plate in a state where the distance between the slide plates is reduced, expands the interval between each slide plate to increase the space between the crystal pieces in the row direction. Claim 3 Crystal piece alignment device of claim 4. 7. The holding / conveying means includes a plurality of suction heads arranged in a row to suck and hold densely packed crystal pieces, and the separation means includes a plurality of detachably provided detachable heads. A suction head support plate is provided. Each of the suction head support plates has a comb-shaped portion, and the suction head is provided on each of the comb-shaped portions. When the plurality of suction head support plates approach each other, When the suction head support plates are separated from each other, the suction heads provided on the comb teeth are vertically and horizontally aligned in two rows. The crystal blank aligning device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the crystal blanks are separated from each other. 8. The crystal piece supplied by the supply means is composed of a plurality of layers, and the holding and conveying means absorbs the crystal piece when the suction head suctions the upper layer crystal piece and slightly raises it. The crystal piece is moved in a horizontal direction, and a crystal piece, which is a lower layer of the sucked crystal piece, is brought into contact with an adjacent crystal piece remaining in the supply means, and is separated from the sucked crystal piece. Item 8. A crystal piece aligning apparatus according to Item 7. 9. The holding / transporting means includes a vertically movable plate on a side of the suction heads arranged in a line.
9. The quartz piece aligning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the plate abuts against a side face of the quartz piece remaining in the supply means and aligns the quartz piece at an original position. 10. The position detecting means includes: a transparent member on which each of the quartz pieces separated in the column direction and the row direction by the separating means is mounted; and a light beam shaded by the quartz piece from below the transparent member. The crystal piece aligning device according to any one of claims 3 to 9, further comprising a light source for irradiating, and a camera for photographing the crystal piece on the transparent member. 11. An apparatus for aligning a crystal piece, comprising crystal piece inspection means for inspecting the crystal piece to determine the quality of the crystal piece, and wherein the holding and conveying means supplies the held crystal piece to the crystal piece inspection means. 11. The crystal piece aligning device according to claim 3, wherein the quality of the crystal piece is determined by the crystal piece inspection means, and the crystal pieces determined to be non-defective are aligned.