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US-20260124861-A1 - COMPONENT CONVEYANCE DEVICE, CARRIAGE, AND METHOD FOR COUPLING CARRIAGE AND TOWING DEVICE

US20260124861A1US 20260124861 A1US20260124861 A1US 20260124861A1US-20260124861-A1

Abstract

A component conveyance device includes a carriage, a towing device, and a connecting portion. The carriage conveys a component which is to be used in a substrate work machine configured to perform a predetermined substrate work on a substrate. The towing device tows the carriage. The connecting portion electrically connects the carriage and the towing device in accordance with positioning and coupling between the carriage and the towing device.

Inventors

  • Yoshihiro Fujita

Assignees

  • FUJI CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20221031

Claims (11)

  1. 1 . A component conveyance device comprising: a carriage configured to convey a component to be used in a substrate work machine configured to perform a predetermined substrate work on a substrate; a towing device configured to tow the carriage; and a connecting portion configured to electrically connect the carriage and the towing device in accordance with positioning and coupling between the carriage and the towing device.
  2. 2 . The component conveyance device according to claim 1 , wherein a first device, which is one of the carriage and the towing device, includes a positioning portion that positions a second device, which is the other of the carriage and the towing device, the second device includes a positioned portion that is positioned by the positioning portion of the first device, the first device or the second device includes a moving mechanism configured to move the positioned portion along a contact surface between the positioning portion and the positioned portion by causing relative movement between the positioning portion and the positioned portion, thereby performing the positioning and the coupling, the connecting portion includes a first connecting portion provided in the first device, and a second connecting portion provided in the second device, and the moving mechanism is configured to position and connect the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion by the relative movement between the positioning portion and the positioned portion.
  3. 3 . The component conveyance device according to claim 2 , wherein an inclined surface that guides the relative movement between the positioning portion and the positioned portion is formed on at least one of the positioning portion and the positioned portion.
  4. 4 . The component conveyance device according to claim 3 , wherein the positioned portion is a hole portion provided in an outer plate of the second device, the positioning portion is a protrusion portion capable of fitting into the hole portion, and the moving mechanism is configured to move a first one of the protrusion portion or a base member on which the protrusion portion is fixed, and the hole portion toward a second one thereof to fit the protrusion portion into the hole portion, thereby performing the positioning and the coupling.
  5. 5 . The component conveyance device according to claim 3 , wherein the positioned portion is a recessed portion provided in an outer peripheral portion of the second device, the positioning portion is a plate-shaped member capable of coming into surface contact with the recessed portion, and the moving mechanism is configured to move a first one of the plate-shaped member and the recessed portion with respect to a second one thereof while bringing the plate-shaped member and the recessed portion into surface contact with each other, thereby performing the positioning and the coupling.
  6. 6 . The component conveyance device according to claim 2 , wherein the positioning portion and the positioned portion are provided in multiple sets, and the multiple sets of the positioning portion and the positioned portion are evenly arranged around the connecting portion.
  7. 7 . The component conveyance device according to claim 6 , wherein the positioning portion and the positioned portion are provided in three or more sets.
  8. 8 . The component conveyance device according to claim 2 , wherein the connecting portion is a floating connector in which the first connecting portion is fixed to the first device so as not to be relatively movable, and the second connecting portion is fixed to the second device so as to be relatively movable with respect to a plane perpendicular to a connection direction with the first connecting portion.
  9. 9 . A carriage, comprising: a delivery mechanism configured to perform delivery of a component to be used in a substrate work machine configured to perform a predetermined substrate work on a substrate; a coupling mechanism configured to be mechanically coupled to a towing device; and a connecting portion configured to be electrically connected to the towing device, wherein the connecting portion is electrically connected to the towing device in accordance with positioning and coupling with the towing device.
  10. 10 . The carriage according to claim 9 , wherein the connecting portion includes a power connecting portion to which a power line capable of transmitting power to and from the towing device is connected, and a signal connecting portion to which a signal line capable of transmitting a control signal to and from the towing device is connected, and the signal connecting portion is electrically connected to the towing device, thereby enabling a worker to operate the towing device.
  11. 11 . A method for coupling a carriage configured to convey a component to be used in a substrate work machine configured to perform a predetermined substrate work on a substrate, and a towing device that is capable of towing the carriage and automatically moving along a traveling path, the method comprising: a first positioning step of performing a first-stage positioning with respect to the carriage; and a coupling and connection step of, after the first positioning step is performed, operating a moving mechanism, thereby performing mechanical positioning and coupling, and electrically connecting the carriage and the towing device in accordance with the positioning and the coupling between the carriage and the towing device.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present description discloses a technique related to a component conveyance device, a carriage, and a method for coupling the carriage and a towing device. BACKGROUND ART A conveyance vehicle described in Patent Literature 1 includes a first transfer device and a traveling device. The conveyance vehicle is moved to a target station by the traveling device and sends out a component or an accommodation case to the target station by the first transfer device. The conveyance vehicle can also receive the component or the accommodation case from the target station by the first transfer device. A lifting mechanism described in Patent Literature 2 may include one or more couplers for providing electrical, optical, and mechanical connection between a robot and a tool. Further, the lifting mechanism causes the robot to communicate with the tool, supply power to the tool, and perform tasks such as coupling with the tool. CITATION LIST Patent Literature Patent Literature 1: WO 2021/144866Patent Literature 2: JP-A-2018-513817 BRIEF SUMMARY Technical Problem However, Patent Literature 1 does not describe a specific connection form between the first transfer device and the traveling device. In addition, Patent Literature 2 does not explicitly describe the coordination of positioning, coupling, and electrical connection between the robot and the tool. In view of such circumstances, the present description discloses a component conveyance device capable of coordinating positioning, coupling, and electrical connection between a carriage and a towing device, a carriage, and a method for coupling the carriage and the towing device. Solution to Problem The present description discloses a component conveyance device including a carriage, a towing device, and a connecting portion, The carriage is configured to convey a component to be used in a substrate work machine configured to perform a predetermined substrate work on a substrate. The towing device is configured to tow the carriage. The connecting portion is configured to electrically connect the carriage and the towing device in accordance with positioning and coupling between the carriage and the towing device. The present description discloses a carriage including a delivery mechanism, a coupling mechanism, and a connecting portion. The delivery mechanism is configured to perform delivery of a component to be used in a substrate work machine configured to perform a predetermined substrate work on a substrate, The coupling mechanism is configured to be mechanically coupled to the towing device. The connecting portion is configured to be electrically connected to the towing device, and is electrically connected to the towing device in accordance with positioning and coupling with the towing device. Furthermore, the present description discloses a method for coupling a carriage configured to convey a component to be used in a substrate work machine configured to perform a predetermined substrate work on a substrate and a towing device that is capable of towing the carriage and automatically moving along a traveling path, The method for coupling the carriage and the towing device includes a first positioning step and a coupling and connection step. The first positioning step performs a first-stage positioning with respect to the carriage. The coupling and connection step, after the first positioning step is performed, operates a moving mechanism, thereby performing mechanical positioning and coupling, and electrically connects the carriage and the towing device in accordance with the positioning and the coupling between the carriage and the towing device. Advantageous Effects With the component conveyance device described above, it is possible to electrically connect the carriage and the towing device in accordance with positioning and coupling between the carriage and the towing device. The above description of the component conveyance device can be similarly applied to a carriage and a method for coupling the carriage and the towing device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a configuration example of a production facility, FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view illustrating a configuration example of a station and a carriage. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a state where an accommodation case capable of accommodating a component is loaded on the carriage in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a partial transparent perspective view illustrating a configuration example of a coupling mechanism. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a control block of a component conveyance device. FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating an example of a positioned portion. FIG. 7A is an enlarged view of two positioned portions on a right side of the drawing of FIG. 6. FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the two positioned portions on the right side of the drawing of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating an example of a positioning portion.