JP2002350483A - Circuit board sucker and circuit board inspection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a circuit board sucker capable of positively and easily sucking and holding an inspection objective circuit board. SOLUTION: The circuit board sucker 2 is provided with a board mounting block 11 provided with a box-like case 11a with one opened face and a mounting plate 11b attached to an opening portion of the case 11a and formed with a plurality of suction holes IH, IH, etc., and a sucking means 12 sucking air of an interior of the case 11a. In an interior of each suction hole IH, an automatic opening/closing valve gear BL is provided opening the suction hole IH when the sucking means 12 is in a non-operated state and blocking the suction hole IH when a pressure of the case IH interior is lowered by the sucking means 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a circuit board suction device provided with a suction type substrate mounting table, and a circuit board inspection device configured using the circuit board suction device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG.
A circuit board suction device 51 used in a circuit board inspection device 61 shown in FIG. The circuit board suction device 51 includes a suction-type substrate mounting table 52 and a suction unit (for example, an air pump) (not shown).
Is held on the substrate mounting table 52 by suction.
In this case, the substrate mounting table 52 includes a box-shaped case 52a having an open upper surface, and a mounting plate 52b mounted on a top opening portion of the case 52a and having a plurality of suction holes IH formed therein.
It is comprised including. The internal space S of the substrate mounting table 52 formed by being surrounded by the case 52a and the mounting plate 52b is communicated with an air pump through a suction port OH provided in the case 52a.

The circuit board inspection device 61 includes a circuit board suction device 51, inspection probes 4 attached to a moving mechanism (not shown) via probe fixing members 4a, 4a, a circuit board suction device 51, and a moving device. A control unit (not shown) that executes the operation control of the mechanism and the inspection process via the inspection probes 4 and 4 and a storage unit that temporarily stores the calculation result of the control unit and the inspection reference data absorbed from the non-defective substrate. And a ROM (not shown) for storing an operation program of the control unit.

When inspecting the circuit board P using the circuit board inspection apparatus 61, first, the circuit board P is mounted on the mounting plate 52b. Next, the masking film MF is placed on a region other than the circuit board P on the placing plate 52b, so that all the suction holes I formed in the placing plate 52b are formed.
Cover H and close. Then, according to the control of the control unit,
The air pump sucks the air in the internal space S of the substrate mounting table 52 through the suction port OH. As a result, air between the circuit board P and the mounting plate 52b and between the masking film MF and the mounting plate 52b are drawn by the suction ports IH and IH.
Is sucked into the internal space S via. Thereby, the circuit board P and the masking film MF are attracted to the mounting plate 52b, and the circuit board P is held at a predetermined inspection position. Next, the moving mechanism moves the inspection probes 4 and 4 above the conductor pattern (not shown) to be inspected formed on the surface of the circuit board P under the control of the control unit. Subsequently, the control unit drives the moving mechanism to move the inspection probes 4 and 4 downward, so that the tips of the inspection probes 4 and 4 are brought into contact with the conductor pattern as shown in FIG. In this state, the control unit sequentially outputs a predetermined inspection signal to the conductor pattern via the inspection probes 4 and 4, and outputs, for example, electric resistance such as resistance between both end points of the conductor pattern or between a pair of conductor patterns. The characteristic data. After that, the control unit stores the measured electrical characteristic data,
By comparing the reference data read from the RAM with the inspection reference data, the presence or absence of a disconnection of the conductor pattern or a short circuit between the conductor patterns is inspected. By performing this electrical inspection sequentially on all the conductor patterns to be inspected, the quality of the circuit board P is determined.

[0005]

However, the conventional circuit board suction device 51 and the circuit board inspection device 61 using the same have the following problems. That is, in the conventional circuit board suction device 51 and the circuit board inspection device 61, in order for the circuit board suction device 51 to securely hold the circuit board P at a predetermined inspection position, the suction holes I covered by the circuit board P are required.
Unless the suction holes IH other than H are surely covered with the masking film MF, there is a problem that it is difficult to securely hold the circuit board P by suction. When the mounting plate 52b is installed at an angle, the masking film MF
May fall from the mounting plate 52b due to gravity. For this reason, it is necessary to install a mechanism for fixing the masking film MF to the circuit board suction device 51,
There is also a problem that the configuration of the circuit board suction device 51 becomes complicated, resulting in an increase in size and cost of the device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and has as its main object to provide a circuit board suction device capable of securely and easily holding a circuit board to be inspected by suction. Another object of the present invention is to provide a circuit board inspection apparatus using the same.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a circuit board suction device, comprising: a box-shaped case having an opening on one side; A circuit board suction device comprising: a substrate mounting table provided with a mounting plate having holes formed therein; and suction means for sucking air inside the case, wherein the suction holes are provided inside the suction holes. An automatic opening / closing valve mechanism for opening the suction hole when the means is not in operation and closing the suction hole when the pressure inside the case is reduced by the suction means is arranged. I do.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the circuit board attraction device according to the first aspect, the automatic opening / closing valve mechanism is formed at an intermediate portion of the suction hole and is provided on one surface inside the case. A valve chamber formed with a communication hole communicating with the suction hole and formed with a communication hole communicating with the suction hole on the other surface, and the suction hole is openably and closably disposed in the valve chamber using the one surface as a valve seat. A valve body having an orifice hole formed in a central portion thereof, and biasing means for biasing the valve body in a direction away from the valve seat. When lowered by the means, the suction hole is closed by moving toward the valve seat against the urging force of the urging means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the circuit board attraction device according to the second aspect, the base of the valve chamber is fixed to the one surface of the valve chamber, and the distal end of the base is fixed to the one surface. An elastic tongue extending obliquely is disposed inside the valve chamber, and the elastic tongue has an intermediate portion connecting the distal end and the base with the distal end functioning as the valve element. The part functions as the urging means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a circuit board inspection apparatus for performing a circuit board inspection on a circuit board sucked and held by the circuit board suction apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects. And a control unit.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a circuit board suction device and a circuit board inspection device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the same components as those of the conventional circuit board suction device 51 and the circuit board inspection device 61 and the circuit board P to be inspected are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

First, the configurations of the circuit board inspection apparatus 1 and the circuit board suction apparatus 2 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, a circuit board inspection apparatus 1
Is provided with a circuit board suction device 2, moving mechanisms 3 and 3, inspection probes 4 and 4, a control unit 5, a RAM 6 and a ROM 7. In this case, the inspection mechanisms 4 and 4 are attached to the moving mechanisms 3 and 3 via the probe fixtures 4a and 4a.
(See FIG. 2). Control unit 5
Controls the operation of the circuit board suction device 2 and the moving mechanisms 3 and 3;
And an inspection process using the inspection probes 4 and 4. The RAM 6 temporarily stores the calculation result of the control unit 5 and the inspection reference data absorbed from the non-defective substrate. RO
M7 stores an operation program of the control unit 5.

As shown in FIG. 1, the circuit board suction device 2 includes a suction type substrate mounting table 11 and, for example, an air pump 12 as suction means, and suctions and holds the circuit board P on the substrate mounting table 11. I do. In this case, the substrate mounting table 11
As shown in FIG. 2, a box-shaped case 11a having an upper surface (one surface) opened, and a plurality of suction holes IH are mounted on the upper surface opening of the case 11a and arranged in a matrix. And a mounting plate 11b.
Inside 1, an internal space S is formed surrounded by a case 11a and a mounting plate 11b.

A suction port OH communicating with the air pump 12 is formed in the case 11a.
The internal space S and the air pump 12 communicate with each other. On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
It is configured by stacking the LO and the upper mounting plate 11UP, and a rectangular sheet material 31 is sandwiched between the lower mounting plate 11LO and the upper mounting plate 11UP. The sheet material 31 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, it is formed in a size corresponding to the outer shape of the mounting plate 11b, and is made of an elastically deformable material, for example, a resin material such as polyethylene or a metal material. Also,
In the sheet member 31, an automatic opening / closing valve mechanism BL (hereinafter, referred to as a below-described) is provided at each position facing each suction hole IH of the mounting plate 11b.
A plurality of elastic tongue pieces 32 that constitute a part of the “valve mechanism BL” are formed. In this case, the elastic tongue piece 32
Is formed by a portion surrounded by a U-shaped slit 33 formed in the sheet material 31 as shown in FIG. 3, and as shown in FIG.
Are formed.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the above-described valve mechanism BL is disposed inside the suction hole IH. As shown in FIG. 6, the valve mechanism BL includes a valve chamber 21 and the elastic tongue piece 32 described above. Valve room 2
Reference numeral 1 denotes a communication hole which is formed in the middle of the suction hole IH and communicates with the suction hole IH on the bottom surface (one surface) 21a (upper surface of the lower mounting plate 11LO) on the side of the internal space S and has a top surface (other surface).
Is formed with a communication hole communicating with the suction hole IH. That is, the valve chamber 21 is formed such that the inner diameter of the upstream region of the suction hole IH formed in the upper mounting plate 11UP is larger than the inner diameter of the downstream region of the suction hole IH formed in the lower mounting plate 11LO. It is configured.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the elastic tongue piece 32 has a base 24 (a main surface excluding the portion where the elastic tongue piece 32 of the sheet material 31 is formed) as the upper mounting plate 11UP and the lower mounting plate 11LO. Is fixed to the upper surface of the lower mounting plate 11LO (the bottom surface 21a of the valve chamber 21). The elastic tongue piece 32 has a distal end functioning as the valve body 22, and a connecting portion 23 at an intermediate portion connecting the valve body 22 and the base 24 functions as an urging means. ) Is urged to extend obliquely into the valve chamber 21. In this case, the valve body 22 is disposed inside the valve chamber 21 so as to be rotatable around the base 24, and the bottom surface 21a of the valve chamber 21 as a valve seat is provided.
To open and close the suction hole IH. Also,
The connecting portion 23 of the elastic tongue piece 32 is such that the valve body 22
For example, it is slightly bent from the bottom surface 21a (the upper surface of the lower mounting plate 11LO) as a valve seat of the valve chamber 21 while being bent about 10 degrees with respect to the seat surface (with respect to the lower mounting plate 11LO). So that the valve body 22 is constantly urged in a direction away from the bottom surface 21a.

In this case, the urging force of the connecting portion 23 is such that the pressure P1 in the region upstream of the valve body 22 is higher than the pressure P2 in the region downstream of the valve 22 due to the flow of air at a predetermined flow rate or more through the suction hole IH. When the pressure becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined pressure P0, the external force acting on the valve body 22 based on the pressure difference between the two pressures P1 and P2, and the suction hole IH
Since the flow rate of air flowing through the inside is less than a predetermined flow rate, the pressure P
1 is smaller than the pressure obtained by adding the predetermined pressure P0 to the pressure P2, the valve body 2 is determined based on the pressure difference between the two pressures P1 and P2.
2 is set to be larger than the external force acting on the second force.

Next, the operation of the circuit board inspection apparatus 1 when inspecting the circuit board P will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, when the air pump 12 is driven by the control unit 5, the air pump 12 sucks out the air in the internal space S of the substrate mounting table 11 under the control of the control unit 5. Along with this, from the outside of the substrate mounting table 11 through each suction hole IH formed in the mounting plate 11b,
Air flows into the internal space S of. In this case, the flow rate of the air flowing through each suction hole IH is equal to or higher than the above-described predetermined flow rate since the circuit board P is not mounted on the mounting plate 11b at the beginning of the inflow. Therefore, the pressure P1 in the upstream region of the suction hole IH is higher than the pressure P2 in the downstream region by the predetermined pressure P0 or more. Therefore, the valve body 22 instantaneously bottoms against the urging force of the connecting portion 23 by an external force acting on the surface of the valve body 22 on the upper mounting plate 11UP side based on the pressure difference between the two pressures P1, P2. 21a side. For this reason, in this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the valve body 22 comes into contact with the bottom surface 21a, and thereby the suction hole IH opened in the lower mounting plate 11LO.
Close the opening. In this state, air continuously flows from the outside of the substrate mounting table 11 into the internal space S through the orifice hole 22a formed in the valve body 22. On the other hand, since the inflow amount of air is restricted due to the small opening area of the orifice hole 22a, the pressure P1 becomes
The state where the pressure becomes higher than the predetermined pressure P0 by more than 2 is maintained.
Thereby, as a result of the valve body 22 continuously closing the opening of the suction hole IH, the state where the suction hole IH is closed by the valve mechanism BL is maintained. In this state, the internal space S of the substrate mounting table 11 maintains a negative pressure with respect to the atmospheric pressure.

Next, the circuit board P to be inspected is mounted on the board mounting table 11. At this time, in the suction hole IH in a region not covered by the circuit board P, air continuously flows from the outside of the substrate mounting table 11 into the internal space S, so that the closed state of the suction hole IH by the valve mechanism BL is maintained. Is done. On the other hand, the suction hole I in the area covered by the circuit board P
In H, the flow rate of air flowing into the internal space S from the outside of the substrate mounting table 11 through the orifice hole 22a is reduced by the circuit board P. In this case, the orifice hole 2
When the flow rate of the air passing through 2a is less than the predetermined flow rate, the function of the orifice hole 22a as the orifice is reduced, and the pressure difference between the two pressures P1 and P2 is reduced. As a result, the valve body 22 is determined based on the pressure difference between the two pressures P1 and P2.
The external force acting on the upper mounting plate 11UP side surface decreases. Therefore, as a result of the valve body 22 being automatically separated from the bottom surface 21a by the urging force of the urging means 23, the opening of the suction hole IH opened in the lower mounting plate 11LO is opened as shown in FIG. That is, the suction hole IH is opened by the valve mechanism BL. Therefore, the circuit board P
Since the pressure on the back side becomes negative pressure with respect to the upper side, the circuit board P is sucked by the board mounting table 11 and is securely held.

Next, the control unit 5 controls the driving of the moving mechanisms 3 and 3 to move the inspection probes 4 and 4 above the conductor patterns (not shown) formed on the circuit board P to be inspected. Let it. Subsequently, the control unit 5 drives the moving mechanisms 3 and 3 to move the inspection probes 4 and 4 downward, so that the tips of the inspection probes 4 and 4 are formed into a conductor pattern as shown in FIG. Make contact. Next, the control unit 5
However, while sequentially outputting a predetermined inspection signal to the conductor pattern via one inspection probe 4 and inputting the inspection signal via the other inspection probe 4, the circuit board P
Measure the electrical characteristic data for. Next, the control unit 5 compares the measured electrical characteristic data with the inspection reference data read from the RAM 6 to check for a disconnection or short circuit between the conductor patterns. By performing this electrical inspection sequentially on all the conductor patterns to be inspected, the quality of the circuit board P is determined.

As described above, according to the circuit board inspection apparatus 1, the valve mechanism BL provided in each suction hole IH automatically turns on when the circuit board P is not mounted on the substrate mounting table 11. The suction hole IH is closed to make the internal space S a negative pressure, and when the circuit board P is mounted on the substrate mounting table 11, the suction hole IH in the area covered by the circuit board P is automatically opened. As a result, the circuit board P is
1 and can be held by suction. For this reason, circuit boards P of various shapes can be held on the substrate mounting table 11 without using a masking film. Further, even when the board mounting table 11 is inclined, the circuit board P
Can be securely and easily fixed on the substrate mounting table 11 by suction.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in the above embodiment of the present invention. For example, a valve mechanism BL2 shown in FIG. 8 can be employed. This valve mechanism BL
Reference numeral 2 designates a valve element 42 disposed in the valve chamber 21 so as to be slidable in the up-down direction in FIG. The valve body 42 is supported by a spring (for example, a coil spring) 43 as an urging means disposed between the valve body 42 and the spring. An orifice hole 22a is opened at the center of the valve element 42. According to the valve mechanism BL2 having this configuration, similarly to the valve mechanism BL using the sheet material 31, the pressure P1 in the upstream area of the suction hole IH is provided.
Is higher than the pressure P2 in the downstream area of the suction hole IH by a predetermined pressure P0 or more, the valve body 42
Side to close the suction port IH, and the pressure P1 becomes the pressure P2.
When the pressure becomes smaller than the predetermined pressure P0, the valve body 42 is separated from the bottom surface 21a by the urging force of the spring 43 to open the suction hole IH. Therefore, the circuit boards P of various shapes can be suction-held on the board mounting table 11 without using a masking film.

In each of the valve mechanisms BL and BL2 in each of the above-described embodiments, the valve chamber 21 is formed on the upper mounting plate 11UP side. However, a configuration using the valve body 42 and the spring 43 is adopted. By doing so, the valve chamber 21 can be formed on the lower mounting plate 11LO side as in the valve mechanism BL3 shown in FIG.

[0026]

As described above, according to the circuit board suction device of the first aspect, the suction hole is opened when the suction means is in the non-operation state, and the pressure inside the case is reduced by the suction means. When the automatic opening / closing valve mechanism that closes the suction hole is arranged inside each suction hole, the valve mechanism automatically closes the suction hole when the circuit board is not mounted on the substrate mounting table. When the internal space of the substrate mounting table is set to a negative pressure, and the circuit board is mounted on the substrate mounting table, the circuit board is automatically placed on the substrate mounting table in order to automatically open the suction hole covered by the circuit board. It is possible to reliably and easily hold by suction. For this reason, the circuit boards of various shapes can be securely and easily held on the board mounting table without using a masking film. As a result, the time required for fixing the circuit boards can be reduced.

According to the circuit board suction device of the second aspect, the valve chamber, the valve element having the orifice hole formed in the central portion, and the urging element for urging the valve element in a direction away from the valve seat. By configuring the automatic opening and closing valve mechanism with the means, the valve mechanism can be realized with a simple configuration, and the cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the valve body and the biasing means are constituted by the elastic tongue pieces, the number of parts can be reduced and the material cost can be reduced. Therefore, the cost of the apparatus can be further reduced.

According to the circuit board inspection apparatus of the fourth aspect, by using a circuit board suction device capable of holding circuit boards of various shapes on a board mounting table without using a masking film, The time required to fix the circuit boards of various shapes to the board mounting table can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit board inspection apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of FIG.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a configuration of a circuit board suction device 2.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a configuration of a sheet material 31 used for a valve mechanism BL of the circuit board suction device 2.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the sheet material 31 shown in FIG.

5 is an enlarged plan view of an elastic tongue piece 32 formed on the sheet material 31 shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the valve mechanism BL when the circuit board P is mounted.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the valve mechanism BL when the circuit board P is not mounted.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the valve mechanism BL2 when the circuit board P is not mounted.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the valve mechanism BL3 when the circuit board P is not mounted.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a conventional circuit board inspection device 61.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Circuit board inspection apparatus 2 Circuit board adsorption apparatus 3 Moving mechanism 4 Inspection probe 5 Control part 11 Substrate mounting table 11a Case 11b Mounting plate 12 Air pump 21 Valve room 22 Valve element 22a Orifice hole 23 Energizing means BL, BL2, BL3 Automatic open / close valve mechanism IH suction port P circuit board

Claims (4)

[Claims] A substrate mounting table provided with a box-shaped case having an open surface, a mounting plate mounted on an opening of the case, and having a plurality of suction holes formed therein; A circuit board suction device comprising: suction means for sucking air, wherein the suction holes are opened inside the suction holes when the suction means is not in operation, and the pressure inside the case is reduced. An automatic opening / closing valve mechanism for closing the suction hole when lowered by the suction means is disposed. 2. The automatic opening / closing valve mechanism has a communication hole formed in an intermediate portion of the suction hole and communicating with the suction hole on one surface inside the case and communicating with the suction hole on the other surface. A valve body having a communication hole formed therein, a valve body having an orifice hole formed in a center portion, the valve body being disposed in the valve chamber so that the suction hole can be opened and closed using the one surface as a valve seat, and Urging means for urging in a direction away from the valve seat, wherein the valve body opposes the urging force of the urging means when the pressure inside the case is reduced by the suction means. The circuit board suction device according to claim 1, wherein the suction hole is closed by moving toward the valve seat. 3. An elastic tongue piece whose base is fixed to the one surface of the valve chamber, and whose tip end extends obliquely into the valve chamber on the one surface of the valve chamber, 3. The circuit according to claim 2, wherein the elastic tongue has its distal end functioning as the valve element, and an intermediate portion connecting the distal end and the base functions as the urging means. Substrate suction device. 4. A circuit board suction device according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit configured to execute a circuit board inspection on a circuit board sucked and held by the circuit board suction device. Circuit board inspection device.