JP2006058784A - Substrate positioning mechanism, substrate positioning method, substrate carrying apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate positioning mechanism and a substrate positioning method for positioning a substrate in a simple structure while preventing deformation or damages in the substrate, and to provide a substrate carrying apparatus equipped with the substrate positioning mechanism, and an image recording apparatus equipped with the substrate carrying apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: A top end positioning unit 50 disposed in the downstream side of a carrying support roller 16 in the carrying direction includes a plurality of sensor holders 52 and a holding block 54 integrally holding the sensor holders 52. When the substrate material 200 is detected by a positioning sensor 62 mounted on the sensor holder 52, a ball screw 59 is rotated by a top end positioning motor 60 to move the top end positioning unit 50 in the downstream side of the carrying direction. This reduces the contact pressure on touching and prevents deformation or damages in the substrate material 200. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate positioning mechanism, a substrate positioning method, a substrate transport apparatus, and an image forming apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a substrate positioning mechanism and a substrate positioning method for positioning a substrate such as a printed wiring board at a predetermined position, and this substrate positioning. The present invention relates to a substrate transport apparatus including a mechanism, and an image forming apparatus including the substrate transport apparatus and forming an image by exposing a drawing region on a printed wiring board or the like with a light beam modulated based on image information.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a laser exposure apparatus is known as an image forming apparatus that forms a wiring pattern on, for example, a printed wiring board (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “substrate”). This laser exposure apparatus is provided with a stage member on which a printed wiring board to be subjected to image exposure is placed (loaded), and the stage member is moved along a predetermined conveyance path.

  Since it is necessary to accurately position and support the substrate at a predetermined position on the stage, for example, the moving mechanism unit is controlled based on the detection signal from the detection means and the size information signal input in advance. A preliminary positioning mechanism that performs preliminary positioning is known (see Patent Document 1).

By the way, when positioning the substrate, the substrate can be positioned with a simple configuration if it is positioned by abutting against a certain member. However, if the substrate is simply abutted, the substrate may be deformed or damaged.
JP 2003-229470 A

  In consideration of the above-described facts, the present invention provides a substrate positioning mechanism and a substrate positioning method that can be positioned with a simple configuration while preventing deformation and damage of the substrate, a substrate transport apparatus including the substrate positioning mechanism, and the substrate transport An object is to obtain an image recording apparatus including the apparatus.

  In the first aspect of the present invention, the abutting member that abuts the front end of the substrate carried in along a predetermined carrying-in direction and the abutting member in the same direction as the carry-in at a speed slower than the carry-in speed of the substrate. And moving means for moving to.

  In this substrate positioning mechanism, for example, the substrate can be positioned by the substrate positioning method according to claim 5.

  That is, the front end of the substrate is pushed against the abutting member while the abutting member is moved by the moving means in the same direction as the loading at a speed slower than the loading speed of the substrate with respect to the substrate carried in along the predetermined loading direction. Hit it. Thereby, compared with the case where the abutting member is stationary, the relative speed of the substrate with respect to the abutting member at the time of abutting is reduced, so that the substrate can be positioned while preventing deformation and damage of the substrate. Since only the abutting member is moved by the moving means, the configuration is simple.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, as described in the second aspect, it is possible to have a drive unit that drives the moving unit at a timing when the substrate is abutted against the abutting member that is moving. It is.

  In the substrate positioning mechanism according to the second aspect, for example, the substrate can be positioned by the substrate positioning method according to the sixth aspect.

  That is, the drive means stops the movement of the abutting member after the substrate is abutted against the abutting member. Thus, by stopping the movement of the abutting member, the substrate can be reliably positioned.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the abutting member can be brought into contact with the substrate loading direction edge at at least two locations in the width direction with respect to the substrate. It is characterized by.

  In this substrate positioning mechanism, for example, the substrate can be positioned by the substrate positioning method according to claim 7.

  That is, when the front end of the substrate is abutted against the abutting member, it abuts against the substrate in contact with the edges in the loading direction of the substrate at at least two places in the width direction. Thereby, the inclination of the substrate can be corrected.

  Further, in the substrate positioning method according to claim 7, as described in claim 8, if the abutting member is moved by a predetermined distance in the direction opposite to the loading of the substrate after the abutting member is stopped, this abutting is performed. The inclination of the substrate can be more reliably corrected by the movement of the contact member in the reverse direction.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the detection means provided on the upstream side in the carry-in direction with respect to the abutting member, and the substrate is detected by the detection means Control means for moving the abutting member by controlling the moving means.

  In this substrate positioning mechanism, for example, the substrate can be positioned by the substrate positioning method according to claim 9.

  That is, after the presence of the substrate is detected by the detection means, the movement of the abutting member by the movement means is started. Since the abutting member is not moved when the substrate is not present, the substrate can be positioned efficiently.

  In invention of Claim 10, The board | substrate positioning mechanism of any one of Claims 1-4, The adsorption | suction unit which adsorb | sucks the board | substrate positioned by the said board | substrate positioning mechanism, and conveys to a stage part It is characterized by having.

  Since the substrate positioning mechanism for the base material is provided in any one of claims 1 to 4, the substrate can be positioned with a simple configuration while preventing deformation and damage of the substrate.

  Then, the positioned substrate can be sucked by the suction unit and transported to the stage unit.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate transfer apparatus according to the tenth aspect, and an exposure apparatus that exposes a drawing area of the substrate placed on the stage unit and forms an image in the drawing area. It is characterized by that.

  The substrate transfer device according to claim 10 constituting the image forming apparatus includes the substrate positioning mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, so that the substrate can be deformed with a simple configuration. The base can be positioned while preventing damage.

  Then, a desired image can be formed on the drawing region of the substrate by the exposure apparatus on the substrate that has been positioned and transported to the stage unit.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the eleventh aspect, the apparatus further comprises a moving mechanism that moves the stage unit along a predetermined transport path, and the exposure apparatus is placed on the stage unit. The drawing area of the substrate is exposed by a light beam modulated based on image information, and an image is formed in the drawing area. Accordingly, the stage unit is moved by the moving mechanism and moved together with the stage unit. An image can be formed in the drawing area by irradiating the substrate with a light beam by an exposure apparatus.

  Since the present invention has the above-described configuration, it can be positioned with a simple configuration while preventing deformation and damage of the substrate.

  1 and 2 show an image forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image forming apparatus 100 includes a laser exposure device 126 and a substrate transfer device 10. The laser exposure device 126 exposes a thin plate-like substrate material 200 that is a material of a printed wiring board (which may be a substrate for a liquid crystal display or the like) with a laser beam modulated by image information. An image (latent image) corresponding to the wiring pattern of the printed wiring board is formed in the drawing area in FIG. The substrate transport apparatus 10 transports the substrate material 200 carried in from a pre-processing step (not shown) to the laser exposure apparatus 126 and discharges the exposed substrate material 200 from the laser exposure apparatus 126.

  In the present embodiment, since the carry-in direction from the pretreatment process to the substrate transfer apparatus 10 and the transfer direction from the substrate transfer apparatus 10 to the laser exposure apparatus 126 coincide with each other, these will be distinguished below. Instead, the “conveyance direction” is used.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of drawing regions (not shown) in which a latent image corresponding to the wiring pattern is formed in advance on the exposure surface (upper surface) 202 of the substrate material 200. A plurality of sets of alignment marks (not shown) corresponding to the respective drawing regions are formed. In the following, the moving direction of the stage member 110 is defined as a sub-scanning direction (indicated by an arrow S in FIG. 4), and a direction orthogonal thereto is defined as a main scanning direction (indicated by an arrow M in FIG. 4).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the laser exposure apparatus 126 is provided with a support base 102 formed to a predetermined thickness. The upper surface of the support base 102 has a substantially rectangular shape whose longitudinal direction is the sub-scanning direction with respect to the substrate material 200. The support base 102 is horizontally placed on the floor via an anti-vibration rubber 104 or the like so that vibration is blocked. is set up.

  A pair of guide rails 106 are arranged on the upper surface of the support base 102 in parallel with the sub-scanning direction, and a stage member 110 for placing a substrate is movable on the guide rails 106. Has been placed. The stage member 110 has an upper surface shape that is substantially rectangular with the sub-scanning direction with respect to the substrate material 200 as a longitudinal direction, and extends linearly along the sub-scanning direction at the lower surface and at the four corners. A guide member 108 having a substantially concave “concave” shape in cross-sectional view is attached. These guide members 108 are slidably fitted to the guide rails 106.

  Further, between the pair of guide rails 106, a ball screw 112 is arranged along the sub-scanning direction (in parallel with the guide rail 106) via a bearing (not shown) such as a bearing fixed on the support base 102. ) Is provided. One end of the ball screw 112 is provided with a drive motor 114 that rotationally drives the ball screw 112. In the center of the lower surface of the stage member 110, a cylindrical member (not shown) to which the ball screw 112 is screwed is disposed along the sub-scanning direction. Therefore, the stage member 110 can move forward and backward (reciprocate) along the pair of guide rails 106 via the cylindrical member when the ball screw 112 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions by the drive motor 114.

  Further, a support gate 116 having a substantially inverted “concave” shape in front view is erected so as to straddle the stage member 110 at a substantially center in the sub-scanning direction on the support base 102. A plurality of (for example, four) CCD cameras 118 for reading a plurality of sets of alignment marks provided on the substrate material 200 are disposed at predetermined positions of the support gate 116. Each CCD camera 118 has a built-in strobe with a very short light emission time as a light source at the time of imaging, and the sensitivity is adjusted so that imaging can be performed only when the strobe emits light.

  Therefore, each CCD camera 118 emits a strobe at a predetermined timing when the stage member 110 passes through an imaging position located on the optical axis, thereby setting an imaging range including an alignment mark in the substrate material 200. It is possible to image. Each CCD camera 118 has a different imaging area along the width direction (main scanning direction) of the substrate material 200, and positions of a plurality of alignment marks formed on the substrate material 200 to be imaged. In response to this, it is disposed in advance at a predetermined position.

  An exposure unit 124 that supports the plurality of exposure heads 120 is disposed downstream of the support gate 116 to which the CCD camera 118 is attached in the sub-scanning direction. The exposure head 120 irradiates the exposure surface 202 of the substrate material 200 with a plurality of laser beams modulated based on the image information when the substrate material 200 passes through the exposure position directly below the exposure head 120. An image (latent image) corresponding to the wiring pattern of the printed wiring board is formed.

  The exposure heads 120 are arranged in a substantially matrix of m rows and n columns (for example, 2 rows and 4 columns) along the width direction (main scanning direction) of the support base 102, and is shown in FIG. As described above, the exposure area 122 by one exposure head 120 has a rectangular shape with a short side in the sub-scanning direction and is inclined at a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the sub-scanning direction.

  In the laser exposure device 126, a light source unit (not shown) is disposed at a location that does not hinder the movement of the stage member 110 (for example, the farthest side from the door 92 in FIG. 1). The light source unit accommodates a laser generator, and guides laser light emitted from the laser generator to each exposure head 120 via an optical fiber (not shown).

  Each exposure head 120 controls the incident laser light guided by an optical fiber in units of dots by a digital micromirror device (hereinafter referred to as “DMD”) (not shown) which is a spatial light modulation element. Is exposed to a dot pattern. The density of one pixel is expressed using the plurality of dot patterns.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4A, with the movement of the stage member 110, a strip-shaped exposed region 204 is formed in the substrate material 200 for each exposure head 120, but the two-dimensional array of dot patterns is By being inclined with respect to the sub-scanning direction, the dots arranged in the sub-scanning direction pass between the dots arranged in the direction crossing the sub-scanning direction. For this reason, a substantial pitch between dots can be narrowed, and high resolution can be realized.

  Here, the operation of the laser exposure apparatus 126 will be described. First, when the substrate material 200 is placed on the stage member 110 waiting at the load / unload position, the ball screw 112 is rotated by the drive motor 114 and the stage member 110 moves in the sub-scanning direction. Then, the alignment mark is imaged by the CCD camera 118. Based on the position information of the imaged alignment marks, the positions of a plurality of alignment marks provided corresponding to one drawing area are respectively determined, and the sub-scanning direction and main scanning of the drawing area are determined from the positions of these alignment marks. A position along the direction (width direction) and an inclination amount of the drawing area with respect to the sub-scanning direction are determined.

  Then, based on the position of the drawing region in the substrate material 200 along the main scanning direction (width direction) and the amount of inclination with respect to the sub-scanning direction, a conversion process is performed on the image information (wiring pattern), and the converted image information is displayed. Store in frame memory. This image information is data representing the density of each pixel constituting the image as binary values (whether or not dots are recorded).

  The contents of the conversion processing include coordinate conversion processing for rotating image information around the coordinate origin, image rotation processing along the sub-scanning direction, and image information along the coordinate axis corresponding to the main scanning direction (width direction). Includes a coordinate transformation process for translating. Furthermore, if necessary, a distortion correction process for expanding or contracting image information is executed in accordance with the expansion amount and the reduction amount along the main scanning direction (width direction) and sub-scanning direction of the drawing area.

  Thereafter, the stage member 110 is moved, and the image information stored in the frame memory is sequentially read out for each of a plurality of lines in synchronization with the timing at which the leading end of the drawing area in the substrate material 200 reaches the exposure position directly below the exposure head 120. Each DMD is on / off controlled based on the image information. When the DMD is irradiated with laser light, the laser light reflected when the DMD is on is imaged on the exposure surface 202 of the substrate material 200 by a lens system (not shown).

  In this way, the laser light emitted from the light source unit is turned on / off for each pixel, so that the drawing area of the substrate material 200 is approximately the same number of pixels (exposure area 122) as the number of pixels used in the DMD. Exposed. In other words, when the stage member 110 is moved at a constant scanning speed, the substrate material 200 is scanned and exposed with a plurality of laser beams in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the stage member 110, and a strip shape is formed for each exposure head 120. The exposed region 204 is formed (see FIG. 5A).

  Next, the substrate transfer apparatus 10 that carries the substrate material 200 into the laser exposure apparatus 126 as described above and discharges the exposed substrate material 200 from the laser exposure apparatus 126 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, on the left and right sides orthogonal to the sub-scanning direction in which the stage member 110 of the laser exposure device 126 moves, and on the start end side (load / unload position) of the stage member 110 in the moving direction, 12 and the discharge part 14 are arrange | positioned adjacently. In FIG. 2, assuming that the substrate material 200 is loaded from the right (indicated by an arrow R) and discharged from the left (indicated by an arrow L), the right side is the loading unit 12 and the left side is the discharging unit 14. The carry-in unit 12 includes the substrate positioning mechanism 13 of the present invention, positions the loaded substrate material 200, and sends it to the stage member 110.

  A pair of guide rails (not shown) are installed above the carry-in unit 12, the stage member 110, and the discharge unit 14 in a direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to the moving direction (sub-scanning direction) of the stage member 110. One or a plurality of (two in FIG. 2) traveling bodies 30 are movably supported on the guide rail.

  Next to the guide rail 26, a ball screw 27 is installed in parallel with the guide rail 26 and screwed into a screw hole (not shown) of the traveling body 30. Accordingly, the traveling body 30 reciprocates in the main scanning direction along the guide rail 26 when the ball screw 27 rotates in the forward and reverse directions by the drive motor 38.

  An adsorption unit 40 is attached to the traveling body 30 so as to be movable up and down. The suction unit 40 is provided with a plurality of suction cups 48 for transportation, and a tube (not shown) for air suction is connected to each suction cup 48 for transportation. Then, air is sucked from the tip of the suction cup 48 for conveyance through this tube, so that the substrate material 200 can be adsorbed by the suction cup 48 for conveyance.

  The suction unit 40 can be moved up and down by a lifting mechanism 56. Therefore, it is possible to flexibly cope with a change in the thickness of the substrate material 200.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the carry-in unit 12 (substrate positioning mechanism 13) includes a holder 22 positioned below the conveyance path for the substrate material 200. A ball screw 23 is screwed to the holder 22, and the ball screw 23 is rotated by the width direction moving motor 24 so as to move in the width direction (arrow W direction) of the substrate material 200. By this movement, as will be described later, the center in the width direction of the substrate material 200 can be made to coincide with the transport center C1 in the substrate transport apparatus 10.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the holder 22 is provided with a plurality of transport support rollers 16 arranged at regular intervals along the carry-in direction, and on the upstream side of the transport support roller 16 in the transport direction. An introduction roller 18 is provided. The conveyance support roller 16 and the introduction roller 18 have the same diameter and length, and are rotated by receiving the rotational driving force of the conveyance motor 20. Therefore, the substrate material 200 can be conveyed by rotating while supporting the substrate material 200 by the conveyance support roller 16 and the introduction roller 18.

  Furthermore, a substantially flat lifting stage 28 is disposed on the holder 22 so as to be lifted by a lifting support member (not shown). A ball screw 29 is screwed onto the elevating stage 28, and an approach position (see, for example, FIG. 5B) approaching the substrate material 200 supported by the conveyance support roller 16 by driving the stage elevating motor 32. It raises / lowers between a separation position (see, for example, FIG. 14B) separated from the substrate material 200. Further, the lifting / lowering stage 28 faces the suction cup 48 for conveyance with the substrate material 200 interposed therebetween. Therefore, as will be described later, when the substrate material 200 pressed by the transport suction cup 48 is bent at the approaching position, the bent substrate material 200 comes into contact with the elevating stage 28 and the bending is limited. Further, at the separation position, the substrate material 200 is retracted from the conveyance path so as not to hinder the conveyance of the substrate material 200. The lift amount of the lift stage 28 is detected by a lift sensor 31.

  Note that a hole is formed in the elevating stage 28 so as not to interfere with the transport support roller 16 and a fixing suction cup 34 to be described later.

  The holder 22 is provided with a suction cup 34 for fixing located between the conveyance support rollers 16. As shown in FIG. 6, a pump 44 and a silencer 46 are selectively connected to the stationary suction cup 34 via a filter 36 and a valve 42 (a silencer 47 is also connected to the pump 44). If the connection with the pump 44 is established by switching the valve 42, the substrate material 200 supported by the transport support roller 16 can be temporarily adsorbed and fixed by sucking the suction cup 34. Further, if the connection with the pump 44 is released, the suction fixation of the substrate material 200 is also released.

  Between the conveyance support rollers 16 (in FIG. 5B, between the second conveyance support roller 16 and the third conveyance support roller 16 from the downstream side in the conveyance direction), an upstream sensor 58 that detects the presence or absence of the substrate. The presence or absence of the substrate material 200 can be detected.

  A center position sensor 66 provided in the holder 22 detects the sensor dog 68 of the lifting stage 28 and can detect the position of the lifting stage 28 in the width direction.

  A tip positioning unit 50 is disposed downstream of the transport support roller 16 in the transport direction. The tip positioning unit 50 includes a plurality of (seven in the present embodiment) sensor holders 52 arranged at regular intervals in the width direction, and a holding block 54 that integrally holds the sensor holders 52. The plurality of sensor holders 52 and the holding block 54 constitute an abutting member of the present invention. . A ball screw 59 is screwed into the screw hole formed in the holding block 54. By rotating the ball screw 59 by the tip positioning motor 60, the tip positioning unit 50 as a whole is moved to a predetermined downstream side in the transport direction. It can be moved at a moving speed.

  As shown in detail in FIG. 7, the sensor holder 52 is formed in a horizontal U shape opened toward the elevating stage 28, and is attached so that the positioning sensor 62 faces the upper part 52 </ b> A and the lower part 52 </ b> C. The presence or absence of the substrate material 200 can be detected.

  The aperture of the positioning sensor 62 is formed in a circular shape when viewed in a plane parallel to the substrate material 200 to be conveyed, so that directionality does not occur in detection sensitivity. Therefore, for example, the presence / absence of the substrate material 200 can be detected with the same sensitivity in the conveyance direction and the width direction.

  The position of the sensor holder 52 is adjusted so that the intermediate portion 52B is arranged in a straight line along the width direction of the substrate material 200, and is attached to the holding block 54. Therefore, for example, even when the substrate material 200 is inclined with respect to the conveying direction, the tip positioning unit 50 presses the tip side of the substrate material 200 at a plurality of locations (at least two locations) to correct the inclination and convey the material. There can be no inclination in the direction.

  A downstream sensor 70 is disposed below the tip positioning unit 50, and the downstream sensor 70 detects the presence or absence of the substrate material 200 and the tip positioning unit 50 at this position. Here, a right angle jig (not shown) is used in advance, and inclinations (inclination reference values) with respect to the width direction of the plurality of sensor holders 52 are determined according to the number of pulses from the home position position of the substrate material 200 detected by the downstream sensor 70 to the right angle jig. ) Is measured.

  In this embodiment, one of the seven sensor holders 52 is arranged at the center in the width direction, five are arranged on the right side (lower side in the drawing) in the conveyance direction, and the remaining one is arranged on the opposite side. is doing. By arranging the sensor holder 52, that is, the positioning sensor 62 in this way, it is possible to detect the presence / absence of the substrate material 200 of various widths without providing more positioning sensors 62 than necessary. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the upstream sensor 58, the positioning sensor 62, the downstream sensor 70, the transport motor 20, the stage elevating motor 32, the tip positioning motor 60, and the suction unit 40 are connected to the control device 64. The control device 64 controls the transport motor 20, the stage elevating motor 32, the tip positioning motor 60, and the suction unit 40 based on the presence / absence information of the substrate material 200 in the upstream sensor 58 and the positioning sensor 62. Further, the control device 64 controls the transport motor 20, the stage lifting / lowering motor 32, and the tip positioning motor 60 at a desired timing by pulses at regular intervals.

  Next, the process of positioning and transporting the substrate by the substrate transport apparatus 10 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Note that the size of the substrate material 200 to be transferred is input to the control device 64 in advance by an input operation from an operator or detection by a sensor (not shown). In addition, the control device 64 stores in advance the amount of deviation of each positioning sensor 62 from the transport center C1 as a specific parameter, for example, by a reference plate.

  First, before the board | substrate material 200 is carried in into the board | substrate conveyance apparatus 10, the raising / lowering stage 28 is dropped to a separation position by step 302 (refer FIG. 5 (A) and (B)). Further, in step 304, the tip positioning unit 50 is moved (advanced) upstream in the transport direction.

  Next, in step 306, the conveyance motor 20 is driven to rotate the conveyance support roller 16. The loaded substrate material 200 is conveyed while being supported by the conveyance support roller 16. Since the elevating stage 28 is in the separated position, the substrate material 200 to be carried in does not inadvertently contact the elevating stage 28 and can be carried in smoothly. The conveyance speed at this time is set to, for example, 100 mm / second to 250 mm / second as shown in FIG.

  In step 308, it is determined whether or not the tip of the substrate material 200 is detected by the upstream sensor 58. If it is detected (see FIGS. 11A and 11B), the detection is performed in step 310. After the elapse of a predetermined time (for example, the number of pulses a), the rotation speed of the transport support roller 16 is started to decrease. Thereby, the conveyance speed of the substrate material 200 is also reduced to, for example, 20 mm / second to 60 mm / second.

  Next, in step 312, it is further determined whether or not the tip of the substrate material 200 is detected by any one of the positioning sensors 62 (for example, the positioning sensor 62 at the center in the width direction). In steps 314, the tip positioning motor 60 is driven to move the tip positioning unit 50 backward in the transport direction. As shown in FIG. 10, the reverse speed is set to 10 mm / second, for example.

  Then, after elapse of a predetermined time (for example, the number of pulses b), in step 316, the tip positioning unit 50 is stopped at a predetermined position. The retraction speed of the front end positioning unit 50 at this time is slower than the transport speed of the substrate material 200, and the front end of the substrate material 200 is moved from the retreat start to the stop until the front end positioning unit 50 (the holding block 54 or the sensor holder 52). It is set as the speed which contacts the intermediate part 52B) (for example, 10 mm / second). As described above, the front end positioning unit 50 is retracted, and the front end of the substrate material 200 is brought into contact, so that the front end positioning unit 50 is brought into contact with the front end positioning unit 50 in a stopped state. The relative speed is reduced. Thereby, the contact pressure at the time of contact is relieved and the deformation | transformation and damage of the board | substrate material 200 are prevented (refer FIG. 13 (A) and (B)).

  Next, in step 318, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the tip positioning unit 50 has stopped moving backward (for example, α seconds), the conveyance motor 20 is stopped to stop the rotation of the conveyance support roller 16, and the conveyance of the substrate material 200 is also stopped. .

  In step 320, the valve 42 is switched to the pump 44 to drive the pump 44, and the substrate material 200 is adsorbed and fixed by the fixing suction cup 34. However, since this fixing is sufficient if the substrate material 200 can be integrated with the transport support roller 16 and the like, so-called semi-fixing may be used.

  Further, in step 322, the stage elevating motor 32 is driven to raise the elevating stage 28 (see FIGS. 14A and 14B). The upper surface of the elevating stage 28 is substantially flush with the portion located at the upper end of the outer peripheral surfaces of the plurality of transport support rollers 16. Therefore, the upper surface of the elevating stage 28 is in contact with the substrate material 200 or opposed with a very small gap (for example, about 1 mm).

  Next, in step 324, the tip positioning motor 60 is driven (forward rotation), and the tip positioning unit 50 is advanced by a predetermined distance to the upstream side in the transport direction (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. 15A and 15B). (See the tip positioning unit 50). As a result, the substrate material 200 is pushed to the upstream side in the transport direction in a state where the tip side thereof is in contact with the tip positioning unit 50 (the holding block 54 or the intermediate portion 52B of the sensor holder 52), and is positioned at a predetermined position. Therefore, at this stage, the alignment (position correction) of the substrate material 200 in the transport direction is completed. Further, when the substrate material 200 is tilted with respect to the transport direction, the tilt is corrected.

  Further, in step 326, the tip positioning motor 60 is reversed, and the tip positioning unit 50 is moved backward by a predetermined distance in the transport direction (see the tip positioning unit 50 indicated by the solid line in FIGS. 15A and 15B). This backward movement amount is preferably longer than the advanced amount of the tip positioning unit 50 in step 324. Thereby, the intermediate part 52 </ b> B of the sensor holder 52 is separated from the front end side of the substrate material 200. However, even in this state, the upper limit of the retraction amount is determined so that the positioning sensor 62 can detect the vicinity of the front end side of the substrate material 200.

  Next, in step 328, the width direction moving motor 24 is driven to move the elevating stage 28 in the width direction (see FIGS. 16A and 16B). The amount of movement is a predetermined amount of movement calculated from the size information because the size of the substrate material 200 is known in advance.

  In step 330, the movement in the width direction is continued until the change in the detection state of the substrate material 200 in any of the positioning sensors 62 is detected by the movement in the width direction. That is, as the substrate material 200 moves in the width direction, any one of the positioning sensors 62 changes from a state in which the substrate material 200 is not detected to a detected state. Stop moving in the width direction. From the time (number of pulses) required for this movement and the moving speed, the moving distance (measured value) in the width direction is known.

  Here, the control device 64 stores the deviation amount of each positioning sensor 62 from the transport center C1 as a unique parameter. In step 332, based on the previously known width of the substrate material 200 and the movement distance (number of detection pulses) of the substrate material 200 obtained in step 33 in the width direction, the home position (in the width direction of the elevating stage 28 ( The amount of deviation from (detected by the center position sensor 66) is calculated.

  In step 334, the width direction moving motor 24 is driven for a predetermined time based on the calculated amount of deviation, and the substrate material 200 is moved by ½ of the amount of deviation, so that the center in the width direction coincides with the transport center C1. (See FIGS. 17A and 17B).

  In step 336, the tip positioning motor 60 is reversed to move the tip positioning unit 50 backward in the transport direction (see FIGS. 18A and 18B). While the tip positioning unit 50 is retracting, in step 338, the amount of inclination of the substrate material 200 with respect to the transport direction is calculated. That is, the detection state of the substrate material 200 is monitored by the positioning sensor 62 during the backward movement. Here, for example, when the substrate material 200 is tilted with respect to the transport direction, there is a difference in the timing at which the detection state of the substrate material 200 changes in the positioning sensor 62 (the number of pulses at which the positioning sensor 62 is turned off). Arise. Then, based on this time difference, the amount of inclination of the substrate material 200 can be found by comparing with the above-mentioned inclination reference value measured in advance with a right angle jig (not shown).

  In step 340, it is determined whether or not the calculated inclination amount of the substrate material 200 exceeds a critical value. If it exceeds, a notification means (not shown) notifies that fact. Instead of (or concurrently with) the notification by the notification means, a retry may be performed so as to correct the amount of inclination of the substrate material 200, or a process of discharging the substrate material 200 to the outside of the substrate transfer apparatus 10 may be performed. .

  If the amount of inclination of the substrate material 200 does not exceed the critical value, in step 344, the driving of the tip positioning motor 60 is stopped and the backward movement of the tip positioning unit 50 is stopped. The retraction amount is a retraction amount in which the substrate material 200 is completely removed from between the upper part 52A and the lower part 52C of the sensor holder 52. Therefore, the substrate material 200 does not contact the sensor holder 52 when the substrate material 200 is raised in a subsequent process.

  In step 346, the suction unit 40 is driven, and the suction cup 48 for conveyance is brought into contact with the substrate material 200 for suction. At the same time, the driving of the pump 44 is stopped and the valve 42 is connected to the silencer 46 to release the temporary fixing of the substrate material 200 by the fixing suction cup 34 (see FIGS. 20A and 20B).

  When the transport suction cup 48 comes into contact with the substrate material 200, the substrate material 200 is locally pressed and tends to bend. However, since the elevating stage 28 is located at a position facing the suction cup 48 for conveyance with the substrate material 200 interposed therebetween, this bending is limited, and the substrate material 200 is maintained in a substantially flat shape. For this reason, the adhering state of the suction cup 48 for conveyance and the board | substrate material 200 is maintained, and it can adsorb | suck reliably. In the state of being sucked in this way, the suction unit 40 moves the substrate material 200 from the lifting stage 28 to the stage member 110 (see FIGS. 21A and 21B).

  Thus, a series of steps for positioning and transporting one substrate material 200 is completed in the substrate transport apparatus 10 of the present embodiment.

  As can be seen from the above description, in this embodiment, when the substrate material 200 is carried in and positioned by the tip positioning unit 50, the substrate material 200 is brought into contact with the tip positioning unit 50 while being retracted. For this reason, compared with the structure which contacts the board | substrate material 200 in the state which stopped the front-end | tip positioning unit 50, the deformation | transformation and damage of the front-end | tip (contact part to the front-end | tip positioning unit 50) of the board | substrate material 200 can be prevented. In particular, even a thin substrate material 200 can be positioned while preventing deformation and damage. Since the tip positioning unit 50 is merely retracted, a simple configuration is sufficient.

  Instead of the tip positioning unit 50 described above, for example, a configuration in which a plurality of abutting pins are arranged along the width direction may be employed.

1 is a perspective view showing an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the substrate conveying apparatus in an exposed state in the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the laser exposure apparatus of the image forming apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention in an internal exposure state. (A) is explanatory drawing which shows the exposure area | region in the laser exposure apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention, (B) is a top view which shows the arrangement | sequence pattern of this laser exposure apparatus. It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the board | substrate semi-fixation mechanism of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the sensor holder to which the positioning sensor of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention was attached. The It is explanatory drawing which shows the control block of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the board | substrate positioning and conveyance sequence in the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a timing chart which shows the speed | rate of the board | substrate in the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention, and a front-end | tip positioning unit. It is a top view which shows the process of positioning and conveying a board | substrate in the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the process of positioning and conveying a board | substrate in the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the process of positioning and conveying a board | substrate in the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the process of positioning and conveying a board | substrate in the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the process of positioning and conveying a board | substrate in the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the process of positioning and conveying a board | substrate in the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the process of positioning and conveying a board | substrate in the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the process of positioning and conveying a board | substrate in the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the process of positioning and conveying a board | substrate in the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the process of positioning and conveying a board | substrate in the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the process of positioning and conveying a board | substrate in the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Substrate conveyance apparatus 12 Carry-in part 13 Substrate positioning mechanism 14 Discharge part 16 Conveyance support roller 18 Introduction roller 20 Conveyance motor 22 Holder 24 Width direction movement motor 26 Guide rail 28 Elevating stage 30 Traveling body 32 Stage elevating motor 34 Fixing suction cup 36 Filter 38 Drive motor 40 Suction unit 42 Valve 44 Pump 46 Silencer 48 Transport suction cup 50 Tip positioning unit 52 Sensor holder 52A Upper part 52B Middle part 52C Lower part 54 Holding block 56 Lifting mechanism 58 Upstream sensor 60 Tip positioning motor 62 Positioning sensor (Detection) means)
64 Control device 66 Center position sensor 68 Sensor dog 70 Downstream sensor 92 Door 100 Image forming device 102 Support base 104 Anti-vibration rubber 106 Guide rail 108 Guide member 110 Stage member 114 Drive motor 116 Support gate 118 Camera 120 Exposure head 122 Exposure area 124 exposure unit 126 laser exposure apparatus 200 substrate material 202 exposure surface 204 exposed area F transport direction W width direction

Claims (12)

An abutment member against which the tip of the substrate carried in along a predetermined carry-in direction is abutted;
Moving means for moving the abutting member in the same direction as loading at a speed slower than the loading speed of the substrate;
A substrate positioning mechanism comprising: Drive means for driving the moving means at a timing when the substrate is abutted against the abutting member being moved;
The substrate positioning mechanism according to claim 1, wherein:   3. The substrate positioning mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the abutting member is capable of contacting a substrate loading direction end with respect to the substrate at at least two places in the width direction. Detection means provided on the upstream side of the abutting member in the loading direction to detect the substrate;
Control means for moving the abutting member by controlling the moving means after the substrate is detected by the detecting means;
The substrate positioning mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the substrate positioning mechanism is provided. A substrate positioning method for positioning a substrate at a predetermined position using the substrate positioning mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A substrate positioning method, wherein the abutting member is abutted against the abutting member while the abutting member is moved in the same direction as the carry-in by the moving means at a speed slower than the carrying-in speed of the substrate. The substrate positioning method according to claim 5, wherein the substrate positioning mechanism according to claim 2 is used.
The substrate positioning method, wherein the driving means stops the movement of the abutting member after the substrate is abutted against the abutting member. The substrate positioning method according to claim 6, wherein the substrate positioning mechanism according to claim 3 is used.
A substrate positioning method, wherein when a front end of a substrate is abutted against an abutting member, the substrate is brought into contact with and abutted against at least two positions in the width direction with respect to the substrate.   8. The substrate positioning method according to claim 7, wherein the abutting member is moved by a predetermined distance in a direction opposite to the loading of the substrate after the abutting member is stopped. A substrate positioning method according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the substrate positioning mechanism according to claim 4 is used.
After the presence of the substrate is detected by the detection means, the movement of the abutting member by the moving means is started. The substrate positioning mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A suction unit for sucking and transporting the substrate positioned by the substrate positioning mechanism to the stage unit;
A substrate transfer apparatus comprising: The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 10,
An exposure apparatus that exposes a drawing area of the substrate placed on the stage unit and forms an image in the drawing area;
An image forming apparatus comprising: A moving mechanism for moving the stage unit along a predetermined transport path;
With
The exposure apparatus exposes a drawing region of the substrate placed on the stage unit with a light beam modulated based on image information, and forms an image in the drawing region;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 11.

Images