CN116534638B

CN116534638B - System for changing reels and method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN116534638B
Application number: CN202211538068.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 赖元焱; 阿惹士列贺·阿里瑞扎; 游丽洁
Original assignee: Suzhou Zhengqi Semiconductor Equipment Co ltd
Current assignee: Suzhou Zhengqi Semiconductor Equipment Co ltd
Priority date: 2022-12-02
Filing date: 2022-12-02
Publication date: 2023-12-29
Anticipated expiration: 2042-12-02
Also published as: CN116534638A

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to control of handling and transport of workpieces on a semiconductor manufacturing line. In particular, the invention relates to a system (1) for changing reels and a method (100) thereof.

Description

System for changing reels and method thereof

Technical Field

Embodiments of the invention herein generally relate to how to control handling and transport of workpieces on a semiconductor manufacturing line. In particular, the present invention relates to a system for automatically changing reels and a method thereof.

Background

Tape-and-reel (tape-and-reel) is a widely accepted standard for packaging electronic components for the purpose of safely transporting the electronic components to a customer for final assembly. Tape packaging is mostly the last step of the semiconductor packaging operation, whereby semiconductor components that are of good quality and have passed the required inspection are stored in packaging containers, as follows. First, a plurality of holes in a carrier tape are used for accommodating semiconductor components, and in the case that the semiconductor components are stored in the holes respectively, the holes in the carrier tape are sealed by a cover tape, and then the carrier tape is wound on a reel by a winder. After the winder has completed winding the carrier tape with the semiconductor assembly, the full carrier tape reel must be replaced with an empty reel and the full reel moved to a storage area for collection. At this time, if the reels are manually replaced and the fully wound reels are manually collected and transported, the operator must feel tired, and the work efficiency is also low. How to transport the full reel after the tape-packing operation is completed has a great influence on the processing efficiency of the semiconductor device. In addition, conventional reel handling systems and methods require additional cassettes or additional materials for machine handling, which not only increases downtime, but also affects output. While conventional systems can perform at lower speeds, their stability, reliability, cost and efficiency are reduced if the throughput per unit time is increased.

In addition, as the production of semiconductor devices continues to grow under the drive of global demands, reel loading and unloading performance is increasingly important to the manufacturing line in order to meet the demands of mass production operations. And to meet the above requirements, it is necessary to technically push out new ones. Although KR20210025142a has disclosed an automatic replacement system for reels that can replace a full reel with an empty reel in a sufficient manner, the invention still requires an operator to manually load the empty reel onto a reel stacker and manually collect the full-wound reel.

Accordingly, to overcome the above-described drawbacks, the following disclosure is in fact desirable to the public.

Disclosure of Invention

To this end, the main object of the present invention is to provide a system and a method for automatic replacement of reels.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a system and method for replacing reels with an automated delivery system.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system and method for changing reels that reduces downtime and improves output.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system and method for changing reels that does not require additional use of cassettes or accompanying materials.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system and method for changing reels that has high productivity, high reel insertion rate, and low maintenance costs.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a one-stop automated system and method for changing reels and encompassing reel transfer, reel loading, reel packaging, and reel unloading operations.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention or the actual practice of the invention.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention provides:

a system for replacing a spool, comprising:

at least one loading port for placing at least one reel; and

At least one tape winding unit for packaging the semiconductor packages onto the reel;

the method is characterized in that:

the system further includes at least one overhead hoist conveyor for loading at least one empty reel onto the load port and unloading at least one full reel from the load port.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides:

a method for changing reels, comprising the steps of:

loading at least one reel in a substantially horizontal state on a load port; and

Winding the belt body;

the method is characterized in that:

the step of loading at least one empty reel in a substantially horizontal state on the load port is performed by an overhead hoist conveyor; and is also provided with

The method further comprises the following steps:

loading the full reel into the load port after the tape winding operation; and

The full reel is picked up from the load port using the overhead hoist conveyor.

Drawings

Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic layout of a system for changing reels according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary front view of an overhead hoist conveyor of the system for changing reels of the present invention;

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an exemplary front view and top view, respectively, of a spool holder of the system for changing spools of the present invention;

FIGS. 4A-4H illustrate an exemplary operational flow of the system for changing reels of the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary method of the present invention for changing reels;

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate another exemplary method of the present invention for changing reels;

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate another exemplary method of the present invention for changing reels;

FIG. 8 illustrates another exemplary method of the present invention for changing reels;

FIG. 9 illustrates another exemplary method of the present invention for changing reels.

Detailed Description

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that these specific details need not be employed to practice the present invention. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and/or components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the present invention.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention taken with the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are for illustration purposes only and the drawings are not to scale.

In this disclosure and the claims that follow, singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the disclosure of this patent specification and the claims that follow, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to mean "including but not limited to", and not excluding, for example, other elements, integers or steps. "exemplary" means "as an example of …" and does not represent a preferred or ideal embodiment. The term "such as" is also not limiting, but rather is provided for purposes of illustration.

Fig. 1 shows a system (1) for changing reels according to the invention, wherein the system (1) comprises: at least one loading port (10) for placing at least one reel (5); at least one flipping unit (12) for flipping the reels; at least one tape winding unit (14) or winder for packaging semiconductor packages onto reels (5); at least one reel transfer unit (16) for transferring the reels (5) between the flipping unit (12) and the tape winding unit (14); and at least one electrical tray unit (18) comprising an electrical module or component configured to provide, supply, control or regulate electrical power to the various parts of the system (1), whereby the tray unit (18) may act as a power supply system for the system 1 for reel replacement. The system (1) further comprises at least one overhead hoist conveyor (Overhead Hoist Transport, OHT) (20) for loading at least one empty reel (5) into the load port (10) and unloading at least one full reel (5) from the load port (10).

Fig. 2 shows an illustrative example of an Overhead Hoist Transport (OHT) of the system (1). As the name suggests, overhead ceiling-based conveyors (20) are automated conveyor systems that move on overhead rails (22) and directly use the load ports (10) of the system (1). The overhead hoist conveyor (20) includes at least one hoist mechanism (24) for raising and lowering the reels (5), and at least one gripper mechanism (26) coupled to the hoist mechanism (24) for gripping, grabbing, and/or releasing the reels (5).

Referring to fig. 3A and 3B, the system (1) further comprises at least one holder (28) for holding the reel (5), the holder (28) comprising at least one holder engagement member (30), at least one mounting member (32), at least one lock (34), at least one holder grip (36) and at least one orientation changer (38). The gripper engagement member (30) is engaged with the gripping mechanism (26), wherein the gripper engagement member (30) is gripped by the gripping mechanism (26) of the overhead hoist conveyor (20), as shown in fig. 2. The mounting member (32) of the holder (28) mounts the holder (28) on the load port (10), wherein the holder (28) is positioned on the load port (10) before the reel (5) is released for subsequent use. The lock (34) of the holder (28) is used to lock and hold the reel (5) in the holder (28) and to provide protection for the reel (5) during transport and handling of the reel (5). The holder grip (36) is designed for the operator/user to grasp. The orientation changer (38) of the holder (28) may change the orientation of the reel (5) when the orientation of the reel (5) is different from the orientation required by the reel holder (28), the load port (10) or the system (1). Preferably, the orientation of the reel (5) can be changed to 0 °, 60 ° or 120 °.

Fig. 4A to 4H show an exemplary operation flow of the system (1) for changing reels, the steps of which are divided by arrows and serial numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Referring to fig. 4A, when the overhead hoist conveyor 20 conveys or carries a reel holder 28 containing at least one empty reel 5 above the load port 10, a hoist 24 of the overhead hoist conveyor 20, which is responsible for carrying the reel 5, is lowered to the load port 10, and then the holder 28 is mounted or positioned on the load port 10 by a mounting member 32 of the holder 28. When the holder (28) is mounted or positioned on the load port (10), the lock (34) of the holder (28) unlocks the reel (5) and releases it onto the load port (10). Alternatively, it is contemplated that the system (1) further comprises an unlocking device for unlocking the lock (34) of the holder (28) and for retaining the lock (34) in the unlocking device. It is worth mentioning that the reels are loaded on the load port (10) in a substantially horizontal state by the overhead hanging conveyor (20). Then, as shown in fig. 4B, the flipping unit (12) of the system (1) picks up the empty reel (5) from the loading port (10) and flips the empty reel (5) from a substantially horizontal state to a substantially vertical state. Subsequently, as shown in fig. 4C and 4D, the reel transfer unit (16) transfers the empty reel (5) from the reversing unit (12) to the tape winding unit (14) or the winder in a substantially vertical state to perform a tape winding operation or a tape packaging operation. According to the invention, the empty reel (5) takes about 2 seconds to load from the first reel transfer unit (16 a) to the tape winding unit (14). It should be appreciated that: in tape-and-reel packaging operations, a carrier tape containing semiconductor packages, devices or components is supplied to or inserted into the empty reel (5), and the reel (5) is also at this stage a full reel. Then, as shown in fig. 4E and 4F, the reel transfer unit (16) transfers the full reel (5) from the tape winding unit (14) to the reversing unit (12) of the system (1), so that the full reel (5) is reversed from a substantially vertical state to a substantially horizontal state by the reversing unit (12), and the full reel (5) is transferred onto the loading port (10), as shown in fig. 4G. The full reel (5) is then locked in the holder (28). Finally, as shown in fig. 4H, the overhead hoist conveyor (20) clamps the reel (5) or the reel holder (28) and unloads from the load port (10) to the next station or subsequent operation. At least one bar code scanner and at least one sensor are provided in the system (1) to continuously detect the status of the reel, the orientation of the reel, and the position of the reel.

The system (1) further comprises at least one control unit (not shown) operable to operate the system (1). The control unit is electrically linked to the system (1) or is operatively coupled to the system (1) to perform its function. The control unit may coordinate an operation of transferring the reel (5) from the reel storage station (or another station/another operation) to the load port (10), an operation of flipping the empty reel (5) by the flipping unit (12), an operation of transferring the reel (5) from the flipping unit (12) to the tape winding unit (14) by the reel transfer unit (16), a tape winding operation or a tape packaging operation by the tape winding unit (14), an operation of transferring the full reel (5) from the tape winding unit (14) to the flipping unit (12), an operation of flipping the full reel (5) by the flipping unit (12), an operation of loading the full and flipped reel (5) to the load port (10), an operation of transferring the full reel (5) from the load port (10) by the overhead hanging conveyor (20), and an operation of unloading the full reel (5) to the next station/operation.

In another embodiment of the invention, multiple overhead ceiling conveyors (20) and reel transfer units (16) may be used. In this embodiment, after a first reel holder (28) or reel (5) is loaded into the load port (10) by an overhead hoist (20), the overhead hoist (20) or another overhead hoist (20 b) may transfer a second empty reel (5 b) or reel holder (28 b) to the load port (10). When the first reel (5) completes the tape packaging operation, the first reel transfer unit (16) can pick up the first full reel (5) and move away from the tape winding unit (14). The second empty reel (5 b) is then picked up by the flipping unit (12), and the second empty reel (5 b) is transferred to the tape body winding unit (14) by the second reel transfer unit (16 b). When the second empty reel (5 b) is loaded on the tape winding unit (14), the first reel transfer unit (16) transfers the first full reel (5) to the reversing unit (12) for reversing, and then the first full reel (5) is loaded on the loading port (10) by the same overhead hanging conveyor (20) or another overhead hanging conveyor (20 b). It should be appreciated that: the operation is continuous, and the subsequent reels can be handled in the same way. It should also be appreciated that: the load port (10) may include a plurality of mounting areas for empty reels and for full reels.

Another embodiment of the invention provides an exemplary method (100) for replacing a spool. Referring to fig. 5, a method (100) for replacing a reel includes: a step (120) of loading at least one empty reel (5) in a substantially horizontal state on the load port (10), the step (120) being performed by an overhead hoist conveyor (20); a step (140) of performing a tape winding operation or a tape packaging operation on the empty reel (5); a step (160) of loading the wound reel (5) into the loading port (10) after the tape winding operation; and a step (180) of picking up the wound reel (5) from the load port (10) by means of an overhead hoist conveyor (20).

Referring to fig. 6A, the step (120) of loading at least one empty reel (5) in a substantially horizontal state on the loading port (10) comprises the following sub-steps: clamping or carrying at least one empty reel (5) (121) with an overhead hoist conveyor (20); moving the overhead hoist transport (20) to a position above the load port (10) (123); engaging (125) the overhead hoist transport (20) with the load port (10); erecting (127) the reel (5) on the loading port (10); and releasing the reel (5) (129) if the reel (5) is mounted on the load port (10).

Referring to fig. 6B, the loading of at least one empty reel (5) on a load port (120) in a substantially horizontal state further comprises a sub-step (128) of sensing the state of the reel (5) on the load port, the sub-step (128) being performed after the sub-step (127) of mounting the reel (5) on the load port and before the sub-step (129) of releasing the reel (5) if the reel (5) is mounted on the load port.

Referring to fig. 7A, the method (100) further includes a step (130) of flipping the reel (5), and the step (130) is performed by the flipping unit (12). Step (130) is performed after step (120) of loading at least one empty reel (5) in the load port (10) and before step (140) of performing a tape winding operation on the empty reel (5), thereby turning the empty reel (5) from a substantially horizontal state to a substantially vertical state. Referring to fig. 7B, the step 130 of flipping the reel 5 may also be performed after the tape winding operation of step 140 and before the step 160 of loading the full reel 5 into the load port, thereby flipping the full reel 5 from a substantially vertical state to a substantially horizontal state.

Referring to fig. 8, the step (180) of picking up the full reel (5) from the load port (10) using the overhead hoist conveyor (20) comprises the following sub-steps: engaging (181) an overhead hoist conveyor (20) with the load port (10); picking up or picking up the reel (5) if the reel (5) is mounted on the load port (10) (183); and transferring the full reel (5) to the next station (185). Referring to fig. 9, the step 180 of picking up the full reel 5 from the load port 10 by the overhead hoist conveyor 20 further includes a sub-step 182 of sensing the status of the reel 5 on the load port, thereby determining whether the reel is a full reel or is mounted on the load port. This substep (182) is performed before the substep (183) of picking up or picking up the reel (5).

As can be seen from the above description, the present invention discloses a system (1) and a method (100) for automatically moving and replacing reels, which can automatically complete the loading of reels (5), the winding operation of a tape body and the unloading of reels (5) at a single station through an automatic conveying system (in detail, an overhead hanging conveyor), and has significant advantages compared with the manual reel moving mode in the prior art. As can be seen from the above description, the present invention has a shared load port (10) that can be used to load and unload reels. Preferably, the invention is suitable for reels of dimensions 7 inches and 13 inches, and carrier tapes of widths 8 mm, 12 mm and 16 mm. It is contemplated that the present invention is applicable to reels and carrier tapes of other sizes. The overhead hoist conveyor (20) of the present invention can load an empty reel and unload a full reel approximately every 8 minutes. In other words, if the present invention is used, the replacement operation of a single reel (including the insertion of the tape) takes about 8 minutes.

While the present specification has provided drawings and descriptions of preferred embodiments of the invention and has shown the effects of the invention and its advantages over the prior art, the invention is not limited to those specific embodiments. Accordingly, the form of the invention depicted and described in this specification is to be taken by way of illustration only. Other embodiments may be utilized without departing from the scope of the present invention, which is defined by the appended claims. The scope of the invention encompasses various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents. There are many alternative configurations and embodiments of the present invention that meet the specific installation and environmental requirements and provide the biological results exhibited by different designs.

[ symbolic description ]

1: system and method for controlling a system

5: reel disc

10: load port

12: turnover unit

14: belt winding unit

16: reel transfer unit

18: electric disk unit

20: overhead hanging conveyer

22: overhead track

24: hanging mechanism

26: clamping mechanism

28: holder for holding articles

30: clamp holder joint

32: erection member

34: locking device

36: holder grip

38: direction converter

Claims

1. A system (1) for changing reels, comprising:

at least one loading port (10) for placing at least one reel (5); and

At least one tape winding unit (14) for packaging semiconductor packages onto the reel (5);

the method is characterized in that:

the system (1) further comprises at least one overhead hoist conveyor (20) for loading at least one empty reel (5) into the load port (10) and unloading at least one full reel (5) from the load port (10);

wherein the system (1) further comprises at least one holder (28) for holding the reel (5), the reel (5) being individually loaded in the holder (28) in the load port (10); wherein the holder (28) comprises at least one holder engagement member (30), at least one mounting member (32), at least one lock (34) and at least one orientation changer (38);

wherein the reel (5) is loaded in the loading port (10) in a substantially horizontal state;

wherein the system (1) further comprises at least one flipping unit (12) for flipping the reel (5);

wherein the empty reel (5) from the load port (10) is transferred to the tape winding unit (14) after the empty reel (5) is turned to a substantially vertical state by the turning unit (12), and the full reel (5) from the tape winding unit (14) is unloaded from the load port (10) by the overhead hoist conveyor (20) after the full reel (5) is turned to a substantially horizontal state by the turning unit (12);

wherein the system (1) further comprises at least one reel transfer unit (16) for transferring the reels (5) between the flipping unit (12) and the tape winding unit (14).

2. System (1) for changing reels according to claim 1, wherein the overhead hoist conveyor (20) comprises at least one clamping mechanism (26).

3. A method for changing reels, comprising the steps of:

loading at least one empty reel (5) in a substantially horizontal state on the loading port; and

Winding the belt body;

the step of loading at least one empty reel (5) in a substantially horizontal condition on the load port is performed by an overhead hanging conveyor (20); and is also provided with

The method further comprises the following steps:

after the tape winding operation, loading the full reel (5) into the loading port; and

Picking up the full reel (5) from the load port using the overhead hoist conveyor;

further comprises: a step of turning over the reel (5), wherein the step of turning over the reel (5) is performed after loading at least one empty reel (5) in the load port (10) and before the tape winding operation; alternatively, the step of turning the reel (5) is performed after the winding operation of the tape and before loading the full reel (5) on the loading port (10);

wherein if the step of turning over the reel (5) is performed after loading at least one empty reel (5) in the load port and before the tape winding operation, the reel (5) is turned over from a substantially horizontal state to a substantially vertical state;

wherein if the step of turning over the reel (5) is performed after the winding operation of the tape body and before loading the full reel (5) on the load port (10), the reel (5) is turned over from a substantially vertical state to a substantially horizontal state.

4. A method for changing reels according to claim 3, wherein the step of loading at least one empty reel in a substantially horizontal state on the load port comprises the sub-steps of:

i. engaging the overhead hoist transport with the load port;

erecting a reel holder on the load port; and

Releasing the reel after the reel is mounted on the load port.

5. The method for replacing a spool of claim 4, wherein loading at least one empty spool in a substantially horizontal state at the load port further comprises: a substep of sensing the status of the reel (5) on the load port (10) is performed after the substep of setting the reel (5) on the load port (10) and before the substep of releasing the reel (5) after the reel (5) is set on the load port (10).

6. A method for changing reels according to claim 3, wherein the step of picking up the full reel (5) from the load port (10) with the overhead hoist conveyor (20) comprises the sub-steps of:

a. engaging the overhead hoist transport (20) with the load port (10);

b. sensing the status of the reel (5) on the load port (10); and

c. If the reel (5) is mounted in the loading port (10), the reel (5) is picked up.