JP2006027827A - Substrate carrying device, image forming device with the device, and substrate carrying method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate carrying device and a substrate carrying method capable of carrying a substrate into a stage part, reducing a cycle time for discharging the substrate from the stage part, and easily performing the carrying in and out of the substrate manually and an image forming device having the substrate carrying device. <P>SOLUTION: This substrate carrying device 10 installed in the image forming device 100 comprises a first sucking unit 40 sucking the substrate 200 placed on a carrying part 12 and carrying it to the stage part 110, a second sucking unit 42 sucking the substrate 200 on the stage part 110 and carrying it to a discharge part 14, and a connection means 60 detachably connecting the first sucking unit 40 to the second sucking unit 42. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transport apparatus and method for transporting a printed wiring board and the like, and further, image formation for forming an image by exposing a drawing area on a printed wiring board and the like with a light beam modulated based on image information. Relates to the device.

  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.

  Specifically, the stage member on which the printed wiring board is placed moves in the sub-scanning direction at a predetermined speed, and alignment holes (alignment holes) provided at the four corners of the printed wiring board at a predetermined reading position. Mark) is imaged by the CCD camera. Then, the alignment process for the image information is executed by coordinate-transforming the drawing target area in the drawing coordinate system in accordance with the position of the printed wiring board obtained by the imaging.

  After execution of the alignment process, the printed circuit board on the stage member is modulated on the basis of image information at a predetermined exposure position and is formed on the upper surface by a laser beam deflected in the main scanning direction by a polygon mirror. The photosensitive coating film is scanned and exposed. As a result, an image (latent image) based on the image information (corresponding to the wiring pattern) is formed in a predetermined area (drawing area) on the printed wiring board.

The printed wiring board on which the image (latent image) is formed is taken out (unloaded) from the stage member after the stage member returns to the initial position, and the stage member from which the printed wiring board has been removed is the next printed board. The process proceeds to a step of exposing the wiring board (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2000-338432 A

  By the way, when manufacturing such a printed wiring board, in order to improve the manufacturing efficiency, it is necessary to efficiently carry in the substrate onto the stage member and discharge the substrate from the stage member. That is, it is desired to reduce the load and unload tact time.

  On the other hand, a relatively heavy substrate (for example, about 8 kg to 10 kg) may be exposed. In this case, a substrate transfer device that automatically carries in and out the substrate cannot be used. May be required to place the substrate on the stage member and eject the substrate from the stage member. That is, it is also desired that the substrate can be easily carried in and out of the stage member manually. However, no means for solving both conflicting events has been realized so far.

  Accordingly, in view of the above circumstances, the present invention can reduce the tact time for loading a substrate into the stage unit and discharging the substrate from the stage unit, and can easily carry in and discharge the substrate manually. It is another object of the present invention to obtain an image forming apparatus provided with the substrate transfer device.

  In order to achieve the above object, a substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a first suction unit that sucks a substrate placed on a carry-in portion and transports it to a stage portion, and the stage portion. A second suction unit that sucks the upper substrate and conveys it to the discharge unit, and a connecting means for detachably connecting the first suction unit and the second suction unit are provided.

  In the first aspect of the present invention, the first suction unit and the second suction unit can be connected to move together. Therefore, the substrate can be simultaneously sucked and transported by both the first suction unit and the second suction unit, and the tact time for loading the substrate into the stage portion and discharging the substrate from the stage portion can be reduced.

  Moreover, by releasing the connection between the first suction unit and the second suction unit, they can be moved separately. Therefore, for example, by moving the first suction unit toward the carry-in portion and moving the second suction unit toward the discharge portion, the suction unit can be excluded from above the stage portion. In other words, when the substrate is manually carried into and out of the stage portion, there is no problem that the first suction unit and the second suction unit interfere with each other, and the substrate carrying-in / out operation is easily performed. Can do.

  Further, the substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 2 is provided with drive means for moving the first suction unit between the carry-in section and the stage section in the substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1. It is characterized by.

  In the invention of claim 2, the first suction unit is moved by the driving means. Here, since the first suction unit transports the substrate from the carry-in unit to the stage unit, the movement involves positional accuracy. Therefore, with such a configuration, the first suction unit can be moved with high accuracy. Since the second suction unit transports the substrate from the stage unit to the discharge unit, the position accuracy is not required for the movement. Therefore, it is sufficient that the second adsorption unit is movable by being connected to the first adsorption unit. This also has the advantage that the disposition distance of the driving means can be shortened.

  Furthermore, the substrate transport apparatus according to claim 3 detects whether or not the first suction unit and the second suction unit are connected to each other in the substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. It is characterized by having a sensor.

  In the invention of claim 3, since the sensor which detects whether the 1st adsorption unit and the 2nd adsorption unit are connected is provided, the connection of the 1st adsorption unit and the 2nd adsorption unit is not connected. I know for sure. Therefore, erroneous operation can be avoided.

  The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 4 is the substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first transfer unit is configured to move the first suction unit between the carry-in unit and the stage unit. A second transport unit for moving the second suction unit between the stage unit and the discharge unit, and the first transport unit and the second transport unit are detachable by the connecting means It is connected to.

  In the invention of claim 4, the first transport unit for moving the first suction unit and the second transport unit for transporting the second suction unit are detachably connected. Accordingly, the connection and release of the first suction unit and the second suction unit can be easily performed.

  The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 5 is characterized in that, in the substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 4, drive means is provided only in one of the first transfer unit and the second transfer unit. Yes.

  In the invention of claim 5, the driving means is provided in only one of the first transport unit and the second transport unit. Therefore, the disposition distance of the driving means can be shortened. In particular, it is preferable to provide driving means in the first transport unit because the first suction unit can be moved with high accuracy.

  Furthermore, the substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 6 detects whether or not the first transfer unit and the second transfer unit are connected to each other in the substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 4 or 5. It is characterized by having a sensor.

  In the invention of claim 6, since the sensor for detecting whether or not the first transport unit and the second transport unit are connected is provided, the connection and disconnection of the first transport unit and the second transport unit are not performed. I know for sure. Therefore, erroneous operation can be avoided.

  Further, the substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 7 is configured such that the first suction unit and the second suction unit can be moved up and down in the substrate transfer apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6. It is characterized by being.

  In the invention of claim 7, since the first suction unit and the second suction unit are configured to be movable up and down, even if the thickness of the substrate changes, it can flexibly cope with it.

  An image forming apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention moves the substrate transport apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects and the stage unit along a predetermined transport path. A moving mechanism; and an exposure device that exposes a drawing area of the substrate placed on the stage unit with a light beam modulated based on image information, and forms an image in the drawing area. .

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since the substrate transport apparatus as described above is provided, it is possible to reduce the takt time for carrying the substrate into and out of the stage portion. Even when the substrate is manually carried into and out of the stage portion, the first suction unit and the second suction unit do not get in the way, so that the board carry-in / out operation can be easily performed. Can do.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate transport method according to the present invention, wherein the first suction unit and the second suction unit are connected and moved together, the substrate placed on the carry-in portion is sucked, and the stage portion The first conveyance unit and the first adsorption unit are disconnected, and the first conveyance unit is released from the first conveyance unit. The suction unit is retracted to the carry-in part, the second suction unit is retracted to the discharge part, and the substrate is transported by selectively switching between the manual transfer mode in which the substrate can be manually loaded into and discharged from the stage part. It is characterized by doing.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the tact time of the substrate carrying-in / out operation with respect to the stage portion can be reduced by the automatic conveyance mode. Further, in the manual transfer mode, the suction unit can be removed from above the stage unit, so that the substrate can be easily carried into and out of the stage unit manually. In addition, since the automatic transfer mode and the manual transfer mode are selected and the substrate can be transferred, versatility in carrying in / out the substrate can be improved.

  The substrate transfer method according to claim 10 is the substrate transfer method according to claim 9, wherein in the automatic transfer mode, the first transfer unit for the first suction unit and the second transfer unit for the second suction unit. Two transport units, and the first suction unit and the second suction unit can be integrally moved by the first transport unit and the second transport unit. In the manual transport mode, the first transport unit and the second transport unit can be moved together. The connection with the second transport unit is released, and the first suction unit and the second suction unit can be independently moved.

  In the invention of claim 10, the first transport unit for the first suction unit and the second transport unit for the second suction unit are detachably connected. Accordingly, the connection and release of the first suction unit and the second suction unit can be easily performed.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a substrate transfer apparatus that can reduce the tact time for loading a substrate into the stage unit and discharging the substrate from the stage unit, and can easily carry in and discharge the substrate manually. Further, it is possible to provide a method and an image forming apparatus including the substrate transfer device.

  DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below in detail based on examples shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a partially broken schematic perspective view showing a housing in which a laser exposure apparatus as an image forming apparatus according to the present invention and a substrate transport apparatus are accommodated, and FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the substrate transport apparatus and laser exposure with the housing removed. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the apparatus, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the laser exposure apparatus.

[Configuration of laser exposure system]
First, the laser exposure apparatus 100 will be described. The laser exposure apparatus 100 exposes a thin plate-like substrate material 200, which is a material of a printed wiring board (which may be a substrate for a liquid crystal display, etc.), with a laser beam modulated by image information. In the drawing area 200, an image (latent image) corresponding to the wiring pattern of the printed wiring board is formed.

  In the substrate material 200, a plurality of drawing areas (not shown) in which a latent image corresponding to the wiring pattern is formed in advance are set on the exposure surface (upper surface) 202, and each of these drawing areas corresponds. A plurality of sets of alignment marks (not shown) 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 FIGS. 2 to 4, the laser exposure apparatus 100 is provided with a support base 102 having 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. Accordingly, the stage member 110 is configured to be able to 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, as 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.

  Further, in this laser exposure apparatus 100, 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. 5A, as the stage member 110 moves, a strip-shaped exposed region 204 is formed in the substrate material 200 for each exposure head 120. 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.

[Operation of laser exposure equipment]
Here, the operation of the laser exposure apparatus 100 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 captured alignment marks, the positions of a plurality of alignment marks provided corresponding to one drawing area are 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).

[Configuration of substrate transfer device]
Next, the substrate transfer apparatus 10 that carries the substrate material 200 into the laser exposure apparatus 100 as described above and discharges the exposed substrate material 200 from the laser exposure apparatus 100 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, on the left and right sides orthogonal to the sub-scanning direction in which the stage member 110 of the laser exposure apparatus 100 moves, and on the start direction side (load / unload position) of the stage member 110, The carrying-in part 12 and the discharge part 14 are arrange | positioned adjacently, respectively. 2 and 3, assuming that the substrate material 200 is loaded from the right (indicated by arrow R) and discharged from the left (indicated by arrow L), the right side is the loading section 12 and the left side is the discharging section. 14

  An endless belt 18 wound around a pair of rollers 16 is disposed in the carry-in section 12, and the substrate material 200 conveyed from outside the apparatus is received on the endless belt 18. The substrate material 200 carried on the endless belt 18 is positioned on the endless belt 18 by positioning means (not shown).

  The discharge unit 14 is also provided with an endless belt 22 wound around a pair of rollers 20, and the exposed substrate material 200 placed on the endless belt 22 is transferred from the discharge unit 14 to the outside of the machine. It conveys to a conveyor (not shown). In addition, the carrying-in part 12 and the discharge part 14 are not limited to the thing of illustration, For example, instead of the endless belts 18 and 22, you may comprise a some roller side by side.

  Above the carry-in unit 12, the stage member 110, and the discharge unit 14, a pair of guide rails 26 are interposed via the frame 24 in a direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to the moving direction (sub-scanning direction) of the stage member 110. A first traveling body 30 serving as a first transport unit and a second traveling body 32 serving as a second transport unit are supported on the guide rail 26 so as to be movable.

  A ball screw 28 is installed next to the guide rail 26 in parallel with the guide rail 26. That is, a drive motor 38 for rotating the ball screw 28 in the forward and reverse directions is attached to one end of the ball screw 28, and the drive motor 38 is supported by the frame 24. The other end of the ball screw 28 is supported by a support stay 34 having a bearing (not shown) such as a bearing.

  A guide member 36 having a screw hole (not shown) is extended on the sub-scanning direction side of the first traveling body 30, and the ball screw 28 is screwed into the screw hole (not shown) of the guide member 36. Match. Therefore, the first traveling body 30 is configured to be reciprocally movable in the main scanning direction along the guide rail 26 via the guide member 36 when the ball screw 28 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions by the drive motor 38. .

  It is sufficient that the ball screw 28 extends to the stage member 110. That is, since the second traveling body 32 moves together by being connected to the first traveling body 30 by the connecting means 60 described later, the ball screw 28 is extended by a distance for moving the first traveling body 30. It's enough.

  A first suction unit 40 is attached to the first traveling body 30 so as to be movable up and down, and a second suction unit 42 is attached to the second traveling body 32 so as to be movable up and down. Each suction unit 40, 42 is configured by a plurality of suction cups 48, 50 suspended from the respective mounting plates 44, 46. Air suction tubes 52, 54 are connected to each suction cup 48, 50. (See FIGS. 8 and 10).

  Each suction cup 48, 50 has an opening (not shown) communicating with the tubes 52, 54 at the center of the tip, and air is sucked from the tip of the suction cups 48, 50 through the tubes 52, 54. Thus, the suction by the suction cups 48 and 50 is possible. The mounting plates 44 and 46 can be moved up and down by elevating mechanisms 56 and 58 including an LM guide and a drive motor (not shown). Therefore, it is possible to flexibly cope with a change in the thickness of the substrate material 200. The lifting mechanisms 56 and 58 are configured to be driven independently.

  Further, the first traveling body 30 and the second traveling body 32 are detachably connected by a connecting means 60. That is, for example, as shown in detail in FIGS. 6 and 7, the connected member 62 is provided on the upper surface of the first traveling body 30 so as to protrude toward the second traveling body 32, A connecting member 64 is provided on the upper surface so as to project toward the first traveling body 30 side.

  A rotating portion 66 pivotally supported so as to be pivotable upward is provided at the tip of the connecting member 64, and a support plate 68 that prevents the pivoting portion 66 from rotating downward is provided on the bottom surface of the connecting member 64. Is extended from the second traveling body 32. A handle 70 having a substantially “U” shape in front view is projected on the upper surface of the rotating portion 66, and an engaging portion 72 having a substantially T shape in plan view extends at the tip of the rotating portion 66. It is installed. The engaging portion 72 is adapted to fit into a groove portion 74 having a substantially T shape in plan view formed at the tip of the connected member 62.

  Further, a support plate 76 that extends from the first traveling body 30 is provided on the lower surface of the coupled member 62 to prevent the engaging portion 72 fitted in the groove portion 74 from dropping downward. The support plate 76 is provided with a sensor (not shown) so that it is possible to detect that the engaging portion 72 is fitted in the groove portion 74 and that the engaging portion 72 is detached from the groove portion 74. Yes.

  Further, on the upper surface of the connected member 62, there is provided a substantially elliptical plate-like stopper 80, one end of which is pivotally supported by a rotation shaft 78 and is rotatable in the horizontal direction. The stopper 80 rotates the substantially cylindrical operation portion 82 fixed to the upper end of the rotation shaft 78 so that the other end protrudes to the upper surface of the engaging portion 72 fitted in the groove portion 74. The engaging portion 72 is prevented from being inadvertently rotated upward and disengaged from the groove portion 74. A sensor (not shown) is also provided for the stopper 80 so that the rotational position of the stopper 80 is determined.

[Operation of substrate transfer device]
Next, the operation of the substrate transfer apparatus 10 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 8 to 13. First, the normal auto transport mode will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11. In this auto transport mode, the first traveling body 30 and the second traveling body 32 are connected by the connecting means 60. Accordingly, the first suction unit 40 and the second suction unit 42 move together along the guide rail 26 as a unit.

  When the first substrate material 200 is carried on the endless belt 18 of the carry-in section 12 and positioned by positioning means (not shown), the mounting plate 44 of the first suction unit 40 is lowered by the lifting mechanism 56 and is moved to the mounting plate 44. The plurality of suction cups 48 that are provided adsorb the substrate material 200 by sucking air from the front end opening. When the suction cup 48 holds the substrate material 200 by suction, the mounting plate 44 is raised by the elevating mechanism 56, and the ball screw 28 is rotated by the drive motor 38, whereby the first traveling body 30 is moved along the guide rail 26 to the stage member 110. Move to the side.

  When the first suction unit 40 is moved and stopped on the stage member 110 (when the rotation of the ball screw 28 is stopped), the mounting plate 44 is lowered by the lifting mechanism 56 and the substrate material 200 is placed on the stage member 110. To do. Then, the suction of air is stopped, and the suction of the suction cup 48 to the substrate material 200 is released.

  Thus, when the substrate material 200 is placed on the stage member 110, the mounting plate 44 of the first suction unit 40 is raised to a predetermined height by the elevating mechanism 56, and the first traveling body 30 is moved to the carry-in portion 12 side ( Return to the initial position. At this time, since the exposed substrate material 200 does not yet exist on the stage member 110, the second suction unit 42 only moves along the guide rail 26 without sucking anything.

  The substrate material 200 placed on the stage member 110 is transported to the alignment detection step by the CCD camera 118 and the exposure step by the exposure head 120 as the stage member 110 moves in the sub-scanning direction. That is, as described above, the alignment mark of the substrate material 200 is detected by the CCD camera 118, and the image based on the image information is exposed by the exposure head 120, and a latent image (image) such as a wiring pattern of the printed wiring board is formed. The When the exposure processing for the substrate material 200 is completed, the stage member 110 returns to the initial position (load / unload position) where the substrate material 200 is placed.

  When the stage member 110 moves back to the initial position (load / unload position), the substrate material 200 on the stage member 110 is adsorbed by the suction cup 50 of the second adsorption unit 42. That is, the mounting plate 46 of the second suction unit 42 is lowered by the elevating mechanism 58, and the suction plate 50 provided on the mounting plate 46 sucks air from the front end opening, whereby the exposed substrate material 200 on the stage member 110. Is adsorbed and raised to a predetermined height. At this time, the first suction unit 40 sucks the new unexposed substrate material 200 as described above in the carry-in portion 12 and rises to a predetermined height. This state is shown in FIGS.

  When the second suction unit 42 sucks and holds the exposed substrate material 200 and the first suction unit 40 sucks and holds the new unexposed substrate material 200, the first traveling body 30 is moved by the drive motor 38 and the ball screw 28 is moved. By rotating, it moves to the stage member 110 side. At this time, since the second traveling body 32 is connected to the first traveling body 30 by the connecting means 60, the second traveling body 32 also moves together with the first traveling body 30 to the discharge portion 14 side. This state is shown in FIGS.

  When the first traveling body 30 moves on the stage member 110 and stops, the mounting plate 44 of the first suction unit 40 is lowered by the lifting mechanism 56 as described above, and the substrate material 200 is placed on the stage member 110. To do. Then, the suction of air is stopped, the suction of the suction cup 48 to the substrate material 200 is released, and the height is raised again.

  On the other hand, when the second traveling body 32, that is, the second suction unit 42 moves onto the discharge portion 14, the mounting plate 46 is lowered by the elevating mechanism 58 and the substrate material 200 is placed on the endless belt 22 of the discharge portion 14. . Then, after the suction of air is stopped and the suction of the suction cup 50 to the substrate material 200 is released, the mounting plate 46 rises by a predetermined height. The substrate material 200 placed on the endless belt 22 of the discharge unit 14 is transported to a transport conveyor (not shown) and transported to the next process.

  Here, the first traveling body 30 supports the first suction unit 40 that places the substrate material 200 on the stage member 110, and the second traveling body 32 removes the substrate material 200 from the stage member 110. Since the suction unit 42 is supported, only the first traveling body 30 is acted on by the driving means including the ball screw 28 and the driving motor 38.

  That is, positional accuracy is required for the operation of placing the substrate material 200 from the carry-in unit 12 onto the stage member 110, but the operation of placing the substrate material 200 from the stage member 110 to the discharge unit 14 is not so much. In some cases, high positional accuracy is not required. In other words, the second traveling body 32 can move from the stage member 110 to the discharge portion 14 even if there is some backlash between the connecting member 64 (rotating portion 66) and the connected member 62. It only has to be done.

  Therefore, only the first traveling body 30 is provided with the guide member 36 into which the ball screw 34 is screwed, so that the first suction unit 40 can be moved with high accuracy. That is, the substrate material 200 can be placed so that its surface center coincides with the surface center of the stage member 110 within a certain error range. Further, such a configuration has an advantage that the arrangement distance of the ball screw 28 can be shortened.

  Next, a manual transfer mode in which the substrate material 200 is manually carried in / out will be described with reference to FIGS. This manual transfer mode is selected when a relatively heavy substrate material 200 (for example, about 8 kg to 10 kg) is exposed. That is, since the heavy substrate material 200 of about 8 kg to 10 kg may be difficult to be sucked by the suction cups 48 and 50, the substrate material 200 is manually carried onto the stage member 110 and discharged from the stage member 110.

  First, as shown in FIG. 7, the connection between the first traveling body 30 and the second traveling body 32 is released. That is, on the connected member 62 side, the operating portion 82 is rotated to retract the stopper 80 from the upper surface of the engaging portion 72, the handle 70 on the connecting member 64 side is gripped, and the rotating portion 66 is rotated upward. The engaging part 72 is removed from the groove part 74.

  This state can be confirmed by displaying the detection result of the sensor on a display unit provided outside the apparatus. The reason for confirming the release of the connection with the sensor in this manner is that, as shown in FIG. 1, the door 92 of the housing 90 which is a dark room is opened, and a finger is inserted through the opening 94 to perform the connection release operation. This is because visual confirmation is difficult.

  Thus, when the connection between the connecting member 64 and the connected member 62 is released, the first suction unit 40 (first traveling body 30) is moved to the carry-in portion 12 side, and the second suction unit 42 (second traveling body 32) is moved. Move to the discharge unit 14 side. That is, the first suction unit 40 (first traveling body 30) is moved by rotating the ball screw 28 by the drive motor 38, and the second suction unit 42 (second traveling body 32) is moved by human power.

  When the connection with the first traveling body 30 is released, the second traveling body 32 can move freely along the guide rail 26, and therefore can be easily moved manually. This state is shown in FIGS. In addition, when the 1st adsorption | suction unit 40 (1st traveling body 30) is already located above the carrying-in part 12, it cannot be overemphasized that only the 2nd adsorption | suction unit 42 (2nd traveling body 32) is moved. .

  In any case, since the first suction unit 40 and the second suction unit 42 do not exist above the stage member 110, the door 92 is opened and the substrate material 200 is opened from the opening 94 as shown in FIG. Can be carried in and out manually. That is, when the door 92 is opened and the substrate material 200 is manually carried in / out through the opening 94, it is obstructed if the first suction unit 40 or the second suction unit 42 exists above the stage member 110. become. Therefore, if the connection means 60 is released and the first suction unit 40 and the second suction unit 42 can be removed from above the stage member 110, the operation can be facilitated.

  When the manual transfer mode (manual loading / unloading operation of the substrate material 200) is completed, the connecting member 64 and the connected member 62 are connected again. That is, the handle 70 is gripped and the rotating portion 66 is rotated downward, and the engaging portion 72 is inserted into the groove portion 74. Then, the operation portion 82 is turned to interpose the stopper 80 on the upper surface of the engagement portion 72. Thereby, the 1st traveling body 30 and the 2nd traveling body 32 are connected. Whether or not the connecting means 60 is securely connected can be grasped by displaying the detection results of each sensor outside the machine, so that it is possible to reliably perform an erroneous operation such as shifting to the automatic conveyance mode in a state where connection failure occurs. Can be avoided.

  As described above, the first suction unit 40 that automatically sucks the unexposed substrate material 200 and conveys it from the loading unit 12 onto the stage member 110 and the exposed substrate material 200 are automatically sucked. Since the second suction unit 42 transported from the stage member 110 to the discharge unit 14 can be moved integrally, both operations can be performed simultaneously. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the tact time for carrying in / out the substrate with respect to the stage member 110.

  Further, the connection between the first traveling body 30 that supports the first suction unit 40 and the second traveling body 32 that supports the second suction unit 42 is released as necessary, and both can be moved separately. Therefore, the first suction unit 40 and the second suction unit 42 can be moved to an unobstructed position when the substrate is manually loaded and unloaded onto the stage member 110. Therefore, the board | substrate carrying in / out operation | work can be performed easily. That is, by adopting such a configuration, it is possible to improve the versatility of the substrate carrying-in / out operation with respect to the stage member 110.

  The structure of the connecting means 60 is not limited to that shown in the figure, and any structure can be used as long as it can be easily connected and disconnected in the dark housing 90 by hand search. It may be a thing. Moreover, you may make it the structure which can adjust the space | interval of the 1st adsorption | suction unit 40 (1st traveling body 30) and the 2nd adsorption | suction unit 42 (2nd traveling body 32) by this connection means 60. FIG.

  In any case, it is preferable that the connecting means 60 is configured such that the connection state and the connection release state are determined by a sensor or the like and displayed outside the apparatus. Further, the substrate transfer apparatus 10 according to the present invention is not limited to the one applied to the laser exposure apparatus 100, and it is needless to say that the substrate transfer apparatus 10 can also be applied to, for example, a substrate inspection apparatus.

Partially broken schematic perspective view showing a housing in which a substrate transfer device and a laser exposure device are accommodated Schematic perspective view showing the substrate transfer apparatus and laser exposure apparatus with the housing removed Schematic plan view Schematic perspective view of laser exposure equipment (A) Plan view showing exposure area by exposure head, (B) Plan view showing arrangement pattern of exposure head The schematic perspective view which shows the connection state of a connection means. The schematic perspective view which shows the connection cancellation | release state of a connection means. Schematic side view showing a state where the substrate on the carry-in portion and the substrate on the stage member are adsorbed Schematic plan view Schematic side view showing a state where each substrate is transported onto the stage member and the discharge unit Schematic plan view Schematic side view showing a state in which the suction unit is removed from above the stage member Schematic plan view

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Substrate conveyance apparatus 12 Carry-in part 14 Discharge part 30 1st traveling body (1st conveyance part)
32 2nd traveling body (2nd conveyance part)
Reference Signs List 40 first suction unit 42 second suction unit 60 connecting means 62 connected member 64 connecting member 66 rotating part 70 handle 72 engaging part 74 groove part 80 stopper 82 operating part 90 housing 100 laser exposure apparatus (image forming apparatus)
110 Stage member (stage part)
200 Substrate material (substrate)

Claims (10)

A first suction unit that sucks the substrate placed on the carry-in portion and transports it to the stage portion;
A second suction unit that sucks the substrate on the stage unit and conveys it to the discharge unit;
Connecting means for detachably connecting the first suction unit and the second suction unit;
A substrate transfer device comprising:   The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a drive unit that moves the first suction unit between the carry-in unit and the stage unit.   3. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor that detects whether or not the first suction unit and the second suction unit are connected.   A first transport unit for moving the first suction unit between the carry-in unit and the stage unit, and a second for moving the second suction unit between the stage unit and the discharge unit. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transfer unit, wherein the first transfer unit and the second transfer unit are detachably connected by the connecting unit.   5. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a driving unit is provided in only one of the first transfer unit and the second transfer unit.   6. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a sensor that detects whether or not the first transfer unit and the second transfer unit are connected to each other.   The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first suction unit and the second suction unit are configured to be movable up and down. A substrate transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A moving mechanism for moving the stage portion along a predetermined transport path;
An exposure apparatus that exposes a drawing region of a substrate placed on the stage unit with a light beam modulated based on image information, and forms an image in the drawing region;
An image forming apparatus comprising: The first suction unit and the second suction unit are connected and moved together to suck the substrate placed on the carry-in portion and transport it to the stage portion; the substrate on the stage portion is sucked; and the discharge portion An automatic transfer mode that enables the process to be transferred to
The connection between the first suction unit and the second suction unit is released, the first suction unit is retracted to the carry-in part, the second suction unit is retracted to the discharge part, and the substrate is carried into and out of the stage part manually. Manual transfer mode enabled,
A substrate transfer method characterized in that the substrate is transferred by selectively switching between. In the automatic conveyance mode, the first conveyance unit for the first adsorption unit and the second conveyance unit for the second adsorption unit are connected, and the first adsorption unit and the second conveyance unit perform the first adsorption. Making the unit and the second adsorption unit movable together,
10. In the manual transport mode, the connection between the first transport unit and the second transport unit is released so that the first suction unit and the second suction unit can be independently moved. The board | substrate conveyance method as described in.

Images