JP2007335454A - Equipment and method for cleaning circuit board - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To clean a circuit board effectively without imposing stress, or the like. <P>SOLUTION: A circuit board CQ is conveyed in the conveyance direction X by a substrate conveyance mechanism 200 having conveyance belts 9 and 10, and first and second nozzles NZL and NZU supported by nozzle transport mechanisms 300A and 300B are transported while opposing each other in the nozzle transporting direction Y intersecting the substrate conveyance mechanism X perpendicularly. Pressure of air injected from the first nozzle NZL toward the backside of the circuit board CQ is equalized to the pressure of air injected from the second nozzle NZU toward the surface of the circuit board CQ. Under a state where the circuit board CQ is held between both nozzles, air is injected to the surface and the backside of the circuit board CQ, thus cleaning the circuit board CQ. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a circuit board cleaning apparatus and a circuit board cleaning method for removing foreign matters such as dust adhering to a circuit board.

  In production lines that manufacture electronic devices, they are attached to circuit boards in key steps to prevent electrical defects such as poor contact and short circuits from occurring in products and to improve product quality. Removing dust and the like (hereinafter collectively referred to as “foreign substances”) has become an important issue.

  For example, in a circuit board creation process of forming a wiring pattern on a circuit board, if a wiring pattern is formed on the circuit board while foreign matters such as cutting dust generated when cutting to the circuit board of a required size are attached In some cases, foreign matter may cause problems such as disconnection, peeling, or short-circuiting of part of the wiring pattern due to the presence of foreign matter. Need to be removed.

  Also, in the soldering process in which electronic elements are soldered to a circuit board on which a wiring pattern has already been formed by reflow soldering or the like, soldering is performed with foreign matters such as fine wiring scraps attached to the circuit board. If this is done, for example, an electrical short circuit may occur between the electronic elements, between the wiring patterns, or between the electronic elements and the wiring pattern due to the presence of foreign matter, or the solderability may deteriorate due to the presence of foreign matter, resulting in poor contact. May occur. For this reason, it is necessary to remove the foreign substances adhering to the circuit board in advance before soldering.

  Further, in the assembly process of assembling an electronic device (product) using a circuit board on which electronic elements are mounted after soldering is completed, for example, if a foreign substance adheres to the circuit board, the quality of the product may deteriorate. The foreign matter that has adhered to the circuit board will peel off or fall off after assembly and re-attach to other electronic elements, causing electrical defects such as poor contact and short circuit, and foreign matter in products with moving parts. In products with a display device such as a liquid crystal display, which may cause clogging, foreign matter may reattach to the display surface, resulting in poor visibility. It is necessary to remove foreign matter adhering to the surface.

  As described above, in a production line for manufacturing an electronic device, it is necessary to remove foreign matter adhering to a circuit board in a critical process, and the attachment position of the foreign matter is unspecified and fine. Therefore, it has been desired to develop a circuit board cleaning apparatus that can effectively perform cleaning work.

  1A to 1C are configuration diagrams schematically showing a configuration of a conventional circuit board cleaning apparatus.

  The conventional circuit board cleaning device shown in FIG. 1 (a) was developed to clean a circuit board formed of a relatively hard insulating material such as bakelite resin or glass epoxy resin, and transports the circuit board. It comprises a path, a cleaning roller, an adhesive roller that rotates in contact with the cleaning roller, and an urging mechanism.

  That is, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 1B, the transport path is configured by a belt conveyor that supports both ends of the circuit board and transports in a predetermined direction. It is formed of a cylindrical rotating roller made of an elastic material such as rubber, and is arranged orthogonal to the transport direction and rotates in the transport direction. Further, an adhesive is applied on the surfaces of the cleaning roller and the adhesive roller. The urging mechanism has a structure that urges the cleaning roller toward the circuit board in order to improve the mechanical contact between the cleaning roller and the circuit board.

  When the belt conveyor conveys the circuit board under the driving force of the drive motor, the cleaning roller contacts the surface of the circuit board and adheres the foreign matter, and the adhesive roller further adheres the foreign matter attached to the cleaning roller. By removing, the foreign matter adhering to the circuit board is removed (cleaned).

  Further, in the conventional circuit board cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 1C, a cylindrical rotating brush is provided instead of the cleaning roller shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, and is being conveyed by a belt conveyor. The surface of the circuit board is brushed with a rotating brush to scrape foreign matter, and the scraped foreign matter is sucked with a pump or the like to remove (clean) the foreign matter attached to the circuit board. ing.

  By the way, in the conventional circuit board cleaning apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (c), the cleaning roller and the rotating brush are brought into contact with the circuit board to remove the foreign matter, and thus there are the following problems.

  First, as shown in FIG. 1D, when the cleaning roller or the rotating brush contacts the circuit board, the circuit board is stressed by the urging force, and the circuit board is easily deformed and damaged.

  For example, if the circuit board is cleaned with the cleaning roller or the rotating brush before the circuit board creating process, the circuit board is easily deformed and damaged, and if the circuit board is cleaned before the soldering process, There have been problems such as the circuit board being deformed and damaged, and the wiring pattern being peeled off from the deformed circuit board. Furthermore, the circuit board itself is not necessarily a flat plate. If a circuit board that is deformed or distorted due to warping or the like is cleaned by bringing a cleaning roller or a rotating brush into contact with the circuit board, the cleaning roller or the rotating brush becomes Since the circuit board is cleaned while correcting the deformation and distortion of the circuit board, excessive stress is applied to the circuit board, causing problems such as damage to the circuit board and peeling of the wiring pattern from the circuit board. .

  Also, if the circuit board is cleaned with the cleaning roller or the rotating brush before the above assembly process, the circuit board is deformed and damaged, the wiring pattern is peeled off from the deformed circuit board, or the stressed electronic element. Sometimes deviated from the wiring pattern, leading to poor contact. Furthermore, since the electronic elements mounted on the circuit board are generally different in shape and size, there is a case where the foreign substance adhering in the gap between the electronic elements cannot be removed with a regular cleaning roller or rotating brush. It was. In addition, even when trying to clean a circuit board on which electronic elements are mounted (mounted) with high density with a regular cleaning roller or rotating brush, it is not possible to remove foreign matter adhering in the gaps between the electronic elements. was there.

  Further, the urging mechanism is provided with a mechanism for adjusting the urging force of the cleaning roller and the rotating brush, but it is extremely difficult to optimize the adjustment amount for each circuit board, and complicated adjustment work is required. There was a case.

  Furthermore, as a problem of the circuit board cleaning apparatus that removes foreign matter with the cleaning roller shown in FIG. 1A, the adhesive applied to the cleaning roller adheres to the circuit board and contaminates the surface of the circuit board. There was a case. Therefore, in the above circuit board preparation process for forming the wiring pattern on the circuit board, it becomes difficult to form the wiring pattern on the surface of the circuit board contaminated with the adhesive, and it is necessary to clean again. was there. Further, in the above-described soldering process in which the electronic element is soldered to the circuit board on which the wiring pattern is already formed, the solder does not get on the surface of the wiring pattern contaminated with the adhesive. Solderability sometimes deteriorated.

  In the circuit board cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 1 (c) that removes foreign matter with a rotating brush, the tip of the brush (planted hair) implanted in the rotating brush may damage the surface of the circuit board during cleaning. There was a problem such as peeling off the wiring pattern. Furthermore, since there is a limit to the density of the brush (planted hair), even if an attempt is made to clean the circuit board on which the above-described electronic elements are mounted (mounted) at a high density, they adhere to the gaps between the electronic elements. In some cases, foreign matters could not be removed.

  In addition, although the problem of the conventional circuit board cleaning device was illustrated, basically, it gives stress or damage to the circuit board during cleaning, and sufficient cleaning effect cannot be obtained was there. Therefore, it has been desired to develop a circuit board cleaning apparatus capable of performing cleaning work more effectively.

  The present invention has been made in view of these conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a circuit board cleaning apparatus having a novel structure capable of more effectively cleaning a circuit board.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a circuit board cleaning device for cleaning a circuit board, wherein a substrate transport mechanism that transports the circuit board, and jet air is applied to a back surface of the circuit board that is transported by the substrate transport mechanism. First nozzle means for spraying, second nozzle means for spraying spray air onto the surface of the circuit board transported by the substrate transport mechanism, and jet for spraying the spray air of the first and second nozzle means A carriage mechanism that supports the first and second nozzle means with the outlets facing each other, and compressed air of the same pressure is supplied to the first and second nozzle means, and the first and second nozzles Compressed air supply means for injecting the jet air from the jet outlet of the means at the same pressure, between the jet air jetted from the jet outlets of the opposed first and second nozzle means Across the circuit board, to clean the back surface and the surface of the circuit board, and wherein.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 2 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the circuit board cleaning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a main part structure of the cleaning mechanism 100.

  In FIG. 2, the circuit board cleaning apparatus 1 is provided with a cleaning mechanism 100 (see FIG. 3) described later in a rectangular parallelepiped housing 2.

  On the front surface of the housing 2, there are an operation unit 3, a viewing window 4 formed of a glass window for visually recognizing the internal cleaning mechanism 100, and an open / close door 5 for taking in and out a dust collection net NT and the like described later. Is provided.

  On the left side surface of the housing 2, a carry-in port 6 for introducing a circuit board is provided. On the right side surface of the housing 2, a carry-out port (not shown) for leading out the cleaned circuit board is provided at almost the same height as the carry-in port 6. And in the housing | casing 2, the cleaning mechanism 100 is provided between the above-mentioned carrying-in entrance 6 and carrying-out exit.

  The operation unit 3 is provided with a liquid crystal display 3a that displays the operation state of the cleaning mechanism 100 with numerical values and images, and various operation switches B1 to B5 for an operator to adjust the operation of the cleaning mechanism 100, and the like. .

  Here, the operation switch B1 is a main power-on switch, the operation switch B2 is an operation control switch for instructing the start or stop of a later-described transport operation, and the operation switch B3 is a circuit board transport speed described later in multiple stages. A multistage adjustment button switch for adjusting, an operation switch B4 is a multistage adjustment button switch for adjusting a nozzle transfer speed described later in multiple stages, and an operation switch B5 is an injection injected from nozzles NZL and NZU described later. It is a multi-stage adjustment button switch for adjusting the air pressure in multiple stages.

  Further, a control circuit unit (see FIG. 4B) 400 for controlling the operation of the cleaning mechanism 100 is provided on the back side of the operation unit 3, and the operation switches B1 to B5 operated by the operator are provided. In response to the command, the control circuit unit 400 controls the operation of the cleaning mechanism 100.

Next, the structure of the cleaning mechanism 100 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the following description, the direction from the carry-in port 6 to the carry-out port is the substrate transport direction X, the horizontal direction orthogonal to the substrate transport direction X is the nozzle transport direction Y, and the trajectory in which the nozzles NZL and NZU are transported is the transport trajectory. This will be described as Yg. The nozzles NZL and NZU will be described as being transferred between a predetermined home position HP (X0, YO) and an end position EP (X0, Ye) along the transfer locus Yg.

  In FIG. 3, the cleaning mechanism 100 transports the circuit board introduced from the carry-in entrance 6 in the board transport direction X and transports the circuit board to the carry-out exit, and the nozzles NZL and NZU in the nozzle transport direction Y. The carriage mechanism 300 includes a compressed air supply mechanism (not shown) for supplying high-pressure compressed air to the nozzles NZL and NZU.

  The substrate transport mechanism 200 includes transport pulleys 7a to 7d and 8a to 8d arranged to face each other according to the opening width between the transport inlet 6 and the transport outlet, and a narrow transport belt mounted on the transport pulleys 7a to 7d. 9, a narrow conveyor belt 10 mounted on the conveyor pulleys 8 a to 8 d, and a drive motor MTD that rotates the conveyor pulleys 7 a and 8 a at the same speed.

  The transport pulleys 7a to 7c and 8a to 8c are provided on the carry-in entrance 6 side, the transport pulleys 7d and 8d are provided on the carry-out exit side, the transport pulleys 7a and 8a are connected to the drive shaft 11 of the drive motor MTD, and the transport pulley The upper part of the conveyor belt 9 stretched by 7b and 7d and the upper part of the conveyor belt 10 stretched by the conveyor pulleys 8b and 8d are aligned with the heights of the carry-in entrance 6 and the carry-out exit. .

  When the transport pulleys 7a and 8a rotate forward in response to the driving force of the drive motor MTD, the transport belts 9 and 10 start the transport operation and transport the circuit board CQ introduced through the transport inlet 6 in the substrate transport direction X. To do. That is, the upper portions of the above-described transport belts 9 and 10 form a transport path, and the transport belts 9 and 10 transport in the substrate transport direction X while supporting both ends of the circuit board CQ within the transport path. .

  Further, a guide member 12 that covers the upper portion of the transport belt 9 extends along the substrate transport direction X, and a guide member (not shown) that covers the upper portion of the transport belt 10 also extends along the substrate transport direction X. Has been. With this structure, both end edges of the circuit board CQ being transported are regulated by the guide member 12 and the guide member (not shown), and the circuit board CQ is transported without being dropped from the transport belts 9 and 10. Yes.

  Furthermore, a detection element (in this embodiment, an optical sensor) PS for detecting the circuit board CQ passing through the conveyance path is provided at a predetermined position on the carry-out side in the conveyance path, and irradiates light into the conveyance path. The circuit board CQ is detected by detecting the reflected light reflected by the circuit board CQ being conveyed. The details of the light irradiation position of the detection element PS will be described later.

  Further, below the transport mechanism 100, a dust collection box AS including a dust collection net NT that collects foreign matters such as dust falling when the circuit board CQ and the transport belts 9 and 10 are cleaned is provided. When the open / close door 5 shown in FIG. 2 is opened, it is possible to remove the dust collection net NT and dispose of the collected foreign matter.

  Next, the carriage mechanism 300 is configured by two nozzle transfer mechanisms 300A and 300B having substantially the same structure and provided so as to sandwich the transport path of the substrate transport mechanism 200.

  The nozzle transfer mechanism 300A provided below the transfer path has a cylindrical support shaft 13L and a screw screw 14L provided below the substrate transfer mechanism 200 and on the carry-out side, and a drive shaft connected to the screw screw 14L. The drive motor MTL is fixed in the housing 2 and the nozzle support member 15L is slidably supported by the support shaft 13L and meshed with the screw screw 14L.

  The support shaft 13L and the screw screw 14L are parallel to each other and extend in the nozzle transfer direction Y, both ends of the support shaft 13L are fixed in the housing 2, and the tip of the screw screw 14L is the drive shaft of the drive motor MTL. And the rear end of the screw screw 14L is rotatably supported by a bearing 16L fixed in the housing 2. The nozzle NZL is attached to the nozzle support member 15L so as to face the conveyance path.

  Here, when the drive motor MTL is activated and the drive shaft rotates in the normal direction so that the screw screw 14L also rotates in the normal direction, the nozzle support member 15L changes the meshing position with respect to the screw screw 14L, thereby causing the transfer belt 10 to move from the transfer belt 10 side. It slides on the support shaft 13L to the 9 side, and the nozzle NZL is transferred. Further, when the drive shaft of the drive motor MTL is reversed and the screw screw 14L is also reversed, the nozzle support member 15L is moved from the conveying belt 9 side to the conveying belt 10 side by changing the meshing position with respect to the screw screw 14L. Slide over and transfer nozzle NZL.

  Further, the transferable range of the nozzle NZL transferred in the nozzle transfer direction Y by the nozzle support member 15L is as shown schematically in the plan view of FIG. Is determined within a range from a predetermined position (home position) HP to a predetermined position (end position) EP on the carry-out side of the upper portion of the conveyor belt 9, and is provided on the home position HP side. When the nozzle support member 15L comes into contact with the micro switch (not shown) and the first micro switch is turned on, the control circuit unit 400 detects the on state, so that the nozzle NZL is positioned at the home position HP. Judge that

  Further, when the nozzle support member 15L comes into contact with a second micro switch (not shown) provided on the end position EP side and the second micro switch is turned on, the control circuit unit 400 detects the on state. Thus, it is determined that the nozzle NZL is located at the end position EP.

  Then, assuming that the position of the home position HP in the substrate transport direction X and the nozzle transfer direction Y is coordinates (X0, Y0) and the position of the end position EP is coordinates (X0, Ye), the coordinates (X0, Y0) and (X0, The nozzle NZL is transferred along the transfer locus Yg in the nozzle transfer direction Y connecting Ye).

  That is, the positions of the home position HP and the end position EP in the substrate transport direction X are set to the same position (X0), and include the same position (X0) and the position (Y0) of the home position HP in the nozzle transfer direction Y. The nozzle NZL is transferred by the nozzle support member 15L along the transfer locus Yg that connects the end position EP to the position (Ye). The range of the positions (Y0) and (Ye) in the transfer locus Yg is the clean range in the nozzle transfer direction Y by the nozzle NZL.

  The nozzle transfer mechanism 300B provided above the transport path has a cylindrical support shaft 13U and a screw screw 14U provided above the substrate transport mechanism 200 and on the carry-out side, and a drive shaft connected to the screw screw 14U. The drive motor MTU is fixed in the housing 2 and the nozzle support member 15U is slidably supported by the support shaft 13U and meshed with the screw screw 14U.

  The support shaft 13U and the screw screw 14U are parallel to each other and extend in the nozzle transfer direction Y, both ends of the support shaft 13U are fixed in the housing 2, and the tip of the screw screw 14U is the drive shaft of the drive motor MTU. And the rear end of the screw screw 14U is rotatably supported by a bearing 16U fixed in the housing 2. The nozzle NZU is attached to the nozzle support member 15U so as to face the conveyance path.

  Here, when the drive motor MTU is activated and the drive shaft rotates in the normal direction so that the screw screw 14U also rotates in the normal direction, the nozzle support member 15U changes its meshing position with respect to the screw screw 14U, thereby causing the transfer belt 10 to move from the transfer belt 10 side. It slides on the support shaft 13U to the 9 side, and the nozzle NZU is transferred. When the drive shaft of the drive motor MTU is reversed and the screw screw 14U is also reversed, the nozzle support member 15U is moved from the conveying belt 9 side to the conveying belt 10 side by changing the meshing position with respect to the screw screw 14U. Slide over and transfer nozzle NZU.

  Further, the transferable range of the nozzle NZU transferred in the nozzle transfer direction Y by the nozzle support member 15U is also from the above-mentioned home position HP to the end position EP as schematically shown in the plan view of FIG. When the nozzle support member 15U comes into contact with a third micro switch (not shown) provided on the home position HP side and the third micro switch is turned on, the control circuit unit When 400 detects the ON state, it is determined that the nozzle NZU is located at the home position HP. Further, when the nozzle support member 15U comes into contact with a fourth micro switch (not shown) provided on the end position EP side and the fourth micro switch is turned on, the control circuit unit 400 detects the on state. Thus, it is determined that the nozzle NZU is located at the end position EP.

  As described above, the position of the home position HP and the end position EP in the substrate transport direction X is set to the same position (X0), and includes the same position (X0) and the home position HP in the nozzle transfer direction Y. The nozzle NZU is transferred by the nozzle support member 15U along the transfer locus Yg connecting the position (Y0) and the position (Ye) of the end position EP. Therefore, the clean range in the nozzle transfer direction Y by the nozzle NZU is also within the range of the positions (Y0) and (Ye) on the transfer locus Yg, as with the nozzle NZL.

  With the nozzle transfer mechanisms 300A and 300B having the above-described configuration, the nozzles NZL and NZU are both home position HP and end position along the same transfer locus Yg in the nozzle transfer direction Y orthogonal to the substrate transfer direction X. Transported within EP.

  Further, the nozzles NZL and NZU are formed of a substantially trapezoidal hollow tube as shown in the figure, and the upper end portion of the nozzle NZL has a large width W in the substrate transport direction X (reference sign). A slit-shaped spout AL having a narrowed shape is formed, and a slit-shaped spout AU having the same shape as the spout AL is also formed at the lower end of the nozzle NZU. That is, the jet outlets AL and AU have the same shape so that the shape of the cross section (jet cross section) perpendicular to the jet direction of the jet air described later is substantially the same, and the pressure distribution in the jet cross section is substantially uniform and the same. It is formed in a slit shape. However, if the jet cross sections of the jet air jetted from the jet outlets AL and AU and the pressure distribution are substantially uniform and the same, the width W in the substrate transport direction X and the width in the nozzle transfer direction Y are appropriately set. You may adjust.

  The jet outlets AL and AU are both directed to the conveying path surface (supporting surface when the circuit board CQ is supported on the conveying belts 9 and 10), and further, the interval between the jet outlet AL and the conveying path surface, The nozzles NZL and NZU are attached to the nozzle support members 15L and 15U so that the intervals between the ejection port AU and the conveyance path surface are substantially equal.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4A, the nozzles NZL and NZU are attached to the nozzle support members 15L and 15U so that the centers of the ejection ports AL and AU move along the transfer locus Yg.

  Thus, since the nozzles NZL and NZU are formed with the nozzles AL and AU, as shown in FIG. 3, when the nozzles NZL and NZU are transferred along the transfer locus Yg and opposed to each other, The jet air can be jetted with the same jetting cross section and the same pressure on the same position on the back surface and the front surface of the circuit board CQ (that is, the back surface portion and the front surface portion that are in a positional relationship integrated with each other). It is like that.

  The detection element PS described above is mounted at an appropriate position within the range of the home position HP and end position EP on the transfer locus Yg so as not to collide with the nozzle NZU, and on the transfer locus Yg in the transport path. The circuit board CQ is detected by irradiating light toward a predetermined position and detecting reflected light reflected from the circuit board CQ.

  Next, a flexible pipe PL is connected to an opening (not shown) formed at the lower end of the nozzle NZL, and compressed air is supplied from the compressed air supply mechanism to the nozzle NZL through the pipe PL. Thus, the compressed air is jetted as jetted air from the jetting port AL. A flexible pipe PU is also connected to an opening (not shown) formed at the upper end of the nozzle NZU, and compressed air is supplied from the compressed air supply mechanism to the nozzle NZU through the pipe PU. The compressed air is jetted from the jet outlet AU as jet air.

  Next, although not shown in FIG. 3, the compressed air supply mechanism adjusts the compressed air generated by the compressor and the compressed air generated by the compressor to a predetermined pressure in accordance with an instruction from the control circuit unit 400, and the same And a pressure adjusting valve for supplying compressed air adjusted to pressure to the nozzles NZL and NZU through pipes PL and PU. Further, the pressure regulating valve described above is configured to switch between supply of compressed air to the nozzles NZL and NZU and non-supply (supply cutoff) in accordance with an instruction from the control circuit unit 400.

  As described above, the cleaning mechanism 100 includes the substrate transport mechanism 200, the carriage mechanism 300, and the compressed air supply mechanism. As schematically shown in the plan view of FIG. Nozzles NZL and NZU for injecting jet air toward the surface of the conveyance path (conveyance path surface) defined by the upper portion of 10 are transferred along a transfer locus Yg within the range of the home position HP and end position EP. The detection element PS detects the circuit board CQ passing through the transfer locus Yg in the transport path.

  Next, the configuration of the control circuit unit 400 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.

  4B, the control circuit unit 400 is provided on the back side of the operation unit 3 shown in FIG. 2, and is a micro that manages and controls the operation of the cleaning mechanism 100 by executing a predetermined system program. A central control unit 401 having a processor (MPU) and a peripheral circuit 402 as an input / output port are configured. Then, via the peripheral circuit 402, the monitor 3a, the operation switches B1 to B5, etc., the detection element PS, the drive motors MTD, MTL, and MTU, the above-described compressor (reference numeral omitted), the pressure adjustment valve (reference numeral omitted), the first The first to fourth micro switches (not shown), the main power source (not shown), and the like are connected to the central control unit 401 by wiring.

  Next, operation | movement of the circuit board cleaning apparatus 1 which has the structure demonstrated above is demonstrated with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, when the operator turns on the operation switch B1, the main power is turned on. Next, the operator operates the operation switch B3 in an appropriate order to specify the circuit board transport speed, operates the operation switch B4 to specify the nozzle transfer speed, and operates the operation switch B5 to perform ejection. When the air pressure is designated, the designation information is stored in the central control unit 401 of the control circuit unit 400.

  Next, when the operator turns on the operation switch B2, the control circuit unit 400 activates the drive motor MTD and operates the conveyor belts 9 and 10 at the above-described designated conveyance speed. Further, the detection element PS starts a detection operation.

  When the circuit board CQ is introduced from the carry-in entrance 6 in such an operating state, the conveyor belts 9 and 10 convey the circuit board CQ, and when the leading end portion of the circuit board CQ is detected by the detection element PS, step ST1. Then, the control circuit unit 400 determines that the circuit board CQ has been conveyed, and proceeds to step ST2.

  In step ST2, the control circuit unit 400 temporarily stops the drive motor MTD and temporarily stops the conveyance of the circuit board CQ by the conveyance belts 9 and 10. As a result, the circuit board CQ stops with its tip portion aligned with the above-described transfer locus Yg.

  Next, in step ST3, the control circuit unit 400 detects whether or not the first and third micro switches provided on the home position HP side are on. If both the first and third micro switches are turned on, it is determined that the nozzles NZL and NZU are positioned at the home position HP and the jet outlets AL and AU face each other. Transition to processing.

  On the other hand, if any one of the first and third micro switches is off, it is determined that the nozzles NZL and NZU are not located at the home position HP, and the process proceeds to step ST4.

  In step ST4, when the first micro switch is off and the third micro switch is on, the drive motor MTL is reversely rotated until the first micro switch is turned on until the first micro switch is turned on. The nozzle NZL is positioned at the home position HP together with the nozzle NZU. Further, when the first micro switch is on and the third micro switch is off, the drive motor MTU is reversed to move the nozzle support member 15U until the third micro switch is on. The nozzle NZU is positioned at the home position HP together with the nozzle NZL. If both the first and third micro switches are off, the drive motors MTL and MTU are reversely rotated until the first and third micro switches are turned on. 15U is transferred, and the nozzles NZL and NZU are positioned at the home position HP. Thus, after both the nozzles NZL and NZU are located at the home position HP and face each other, the process proceeds to step ST5.

  In step ST5, the control circuit unit 400 starts the compressor to inject the injection air from the nozzles NZL and NZU, and further controls the pressure adjusting valve to control the pressure of the injection air with the operation switch B5. Set to the specified pressure.

  Next, in step ST6, the drive motors MTL and MTU are started while the jet air is being injected, the screw screws 14L and 14U are rotated forward, and both the nozzle support members 15L and 15U are designated by the operation switch B4 described above. The nozzle is transferred to the end position EP side along the transfer locus Yg at the nozzle transfer speed. As a result, the nozzles NZL and NZU face each other and are transferred toward the end position EP along the transfer locus Yg. Then, during the transfer, foreign matter such as dust adhering to the circuit board CQ is blown away and cleaned by the jet air jetted from the jet outlets AL and AU.

  When the second and fourth micro switches are turned on in step ST7, the control circuit unit 400 determines that the nozzles NZL and NZU have reached the end position EP. In step ST8, the drive motors MTL and MTU are temporarily turned on. Stop.

  As described above, when the nozzles NZL and NZU are made to face each other at the same nozzle transfer speed from the home position HP to the end position EP by the processing of steps ST6 and ST7, the jet outlets AL and AU are also connected to the circuit board during the transfer. The circuit board CQ always moves in opposition to each other via the CQ, and the part on the back side of the circuit board CQ to which the jet air from the jet outlet AL is blown and the surface side of the circuit board CQ to which the jet air from the jet outlet AU is blown. The portion is in the same positional relationship as the front and back. Furthermore, spray air of substantially the same pressure is blown onto the back side portion and the front side portion that have the same positional relationship of the front and back surfaces. Therefore, unnecessary stress that causes deformation or peeling of the wiring pattern is not applied to the circuit board CQ, and the cleaning process can be performed.

  Further, when electronic elements are already mounted on the circuit board CQ, the jet air is dispersed and flows according to the shape of the electronic elements, and is also distributed and flows between the electronic elements. Therefore, spray air is blown with substantially the same pressure on the back side portion and the front side portion, which are in the same positional relationship as the above-described front and back, preventing unnecessary stress from being applied to the circuit board CQ. Further, it is possible to prevent pressure from being concentrated on the electronic element. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems such as damaging the circuit board CQ by deforming it, peeling off the wiring pattern, or damaging the electronic element by applying excessive stress to perform the cleaning process. It is possible.

  When the transfer of the nozzles NZL and NZU is temporarily stopped in the above-described step ST8, in the next step ST9, the control circuit unit 400 restarts the drive motor MTD and causes the conveyor belts 9 and 10 to perform the conveying operation. After the substrate CQ is transported in the substrate transport direction X by a distance (W / 2) half the width W of the nozzles NZL and NZU, the ejection ports AL and AU, the drive motor MTD is temporarily stopped again. The circuit board CQ is rotated by a rotation amount corresponding to the width of W / 2 in accordance with the known widths W of the outlets AL and AU, so that the circuit board CQ is rotated by the nozzles NZL and NZU. It is transported by a distance (W / 2) that is a half of the width W of the AU.

  Next, in step ST10, the drive motors MTL and MTU are activated while the jet air is being jetted, and the screw screws 14L and 14U are reversed to move the nozzle support members 15L and 15U to the home position along the transfer locus Yg. Transfer to HP side. That is, while the nozzles NZL and NZU are made to face each other and the jet air is jetted, the nozzle NZL and NZU are moved toward the home position HP along the transfer locus Yg at the nozzle transfer speed specified by the operation switch B4.

  In step ST11, when the first and third micro switches are turned on, the control circuit unit 400 determines that the nozzles NZL and NZU have reached the home position HP. In step ST12, the drive motors MTL and MTU are temporarily turned on. Stop.

  As described above, in steps ST10 and ST11, the same cleaning process as in steps ST6 and ST7 described above is performed to clean up the remaining foreign matter, and the circuit board CQ conveyed with the width (W / 2) described above. Clean the new back and front part of the. Even during cleaning on the return path, the jet outlets NZL and NZU move to face each other via the circuit board CQ, so that both jet airs jetted from the jet outlets NZL and NZU become the circuit board CQ. The circuit board CQ is deformed and damaged, the wiring pattern is peeled off, and excessive stress is applied to the electronic elements. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems such as damage and to perform a cleaning process.

  And the reciprocating cleaning for 1 time is performed by the process of step ST6-ST12.

  Next, in step ST13, the control circuit unit 400 restarts the drive motor MTD to cause the transport belts 9 and 10 to perform the transport operation, and the circuit board CQ is connected to the nozzles NZL, NN similarly to the process in step ST9 described above. After being transported in the substrate transport direction X by a distance (W / 2) half the width W of the NZU outlets AL and AU, the drive motor MTD is temporarily stopped again.

  Next, in step ST14, the control circuit unit 400 determines whether or not the detection element PS detects the circuit board CQ. Then, as a result of examining the detection output of the detection element PS, if it is determined that the circuit board CQ is detected, it is determined that the circuit board CQ exists on the transfer locus Yg and the cleaning process should be continued. Repeat the process from ST6. That is, the back and front surfaces of the circuit board CQ that have not yet been cleaned are reciprocated and cleaned. Then, until the detection element PS does not detect the circuit board CQ in step ST14, the reciprocating cleaning in steps ST6 to ST13 is repeated to clean the entire surface of the circuit board CQ.

  Finally, in step ST14, when the detection element PS no longer detects the circuit board CQ, the control circuit unit 400 has already transferred the rear end of the circuit board CQ to the carry-out side of the transfer locus Yg. Therefore, it is determined that the cleaning is completed, and the process proceeds to step ST15.

  In step ST15, while the drive motors MTL and MTU are temporarily stopped, the nozzles NZL and NZU are made to stand by at the position of the home position HP, and further, the conveyor belts 9 and 10 are continuously operated to thereby clean the circuit board CQ after cleaning. Is carried out from the conveyance path through a carry-out port.

  Next, in step ST16, the conveyor belts 9 and 10 are continuously operated, and the jet air is blown from the nozzles NZL and NZU located at the home position HP to the conveyor belt 10, and the foreign matters adhering to the conveyor belt 10 are blown away. Clean.

  When the conveyor belt 10 is cleaned for a predetermined time, the drive motors MTL and MTU are then started in step ST17 to transfer the nozzles NZL and NZU together with the nozzle support members 15L and 15U to the end position EP, and then the drive motor. MTL and MTU are temporarily stopped.

  Next, in step ST18, the conveyor belts 9 and 10 are continuously operated for a predetermined time, and jet air is blown from the nozzles NZL and NZU located at the end position EP to the conveyor belt 9 and adheres to the conveyor belt 9. Blow away any foreign objects that are present and clean.

  Next, after the conveyor belt 9 is cleaned, in step ST19, the drive motors MTL and MTU are activated to move the nozzles NZL and NZU together with the nozzle support members 15L and 15U to the home position HP, and then the drive motors MTL and MTU. Is paused.

  In this way, the processing of steps ST16 to ST19 is performed to remove foreign matters and the like that have adhered to the conveyor belts 9 and 10 when the circuit board CQ is cleaned, and the circuit board to be introduced next is removed. Preparing to clean.

  Next, in step ST20, the control circuit unit 400 checks whether or not the operation switch B2 has been turned off by the operator and an instruction to stop conveyance has been issued. If not, the process from step ST1 is repeated. When the next circuit board is cleaned and turned off, it is determined that an instruction to end the circuit board cleaning process has been given, and the process proceeds to step ST21, where the drive motors MTD, MTL, MTU and Stop the operation of the compressor and pressure control valve completely, and finish the cleaning process.

  As described above, according to the substrate cleaning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when cleaning the circuit board, the nozzles NZL and NZU are transferred to face each other, and the circuit board is placed on the back surface and the front surface portion having the same positional relationship. On the other hand, the sprayed air is blown at the same pressure, so that the adhered foreign matter is blown away and cleaned, so that it can be cleaned without applying mechanical stress to the circuit board or the mounted electronic elements. it can. In other words, the circuit board is mechanically held in a non-contact state between the jet air of the same pressure jetted from the nozzles NZL and NZU and cleaned, so that the mechanical problem that has been the most fundamental problem of the prior art The stress can be cleaned without being applied to the circuit board or the electronic element. Furthermore, since the cleaning roller coated with an adhesive is not brought into contact with the circuit board as in the prior art, the problem that the adhesive adheres to the circuit board can be avoided, and an excellent cleaning effect can be obtained.

  Also, when the circuit board is deformed or distorted, such as warping, the jet air is dispersed and flows in accordance with the shape of the circuit board deformed or distorted, so that the circuit board is cleaned without applying excessive stress. be able to.

  In addition, when cleaning a circuit board on which electronic elements are mounted at high density, the jet air penetrates into a small gap between the electronic elements and cleans it. It can be removed and the cleaning effect can be improved.

  Moreover, the pressure adjustment of the blast air with respect to a circuit board can be performed comparatively easily. That is, if the both jet air jetted from the nozzles NZL and NZU are adjusted so as to have substantially the same pressure by the pressure regulating valve, as described above, the shape of the circuit board and the presence of the mounted electronic elements Therefore, the pressure of the front side becomes excessively high compared to the back side of the circuit board, or the pressure on the back side is excessive compared to the front side of the circuit board. Problems such as highs are avoided. Therefore, taking into account the shape of the circuit board and the presence of electronic elements, complicated adjustments such as adjusting the pressure of the jet air of the nozzle NZL and the pressure of the jet air of the nozzle NZU are almost unnecessary, and both Since it is only necessary to adjust the pressure of the jet air so as to be substantially equal, it is possible to make a relatively simple adjustment.

  Further, even with such a relatively simple adjustment, as described above, the circuit board and the mounted electronic element can be cleaned without applying stress.

  In addition, since the transfer speed of the nozzles NZL and NZU can be adjusted by the control of the control circuit unit 400, the transfer speed is reduced according to the adhesion state of foreign matter on the circuit board, etc. Selection can be made such as increasing the transfer speed and performing a faster cleaning process.

  Further, since the pressure of the jet air jetted from the nozzles NZL and NZU can be adjusted by the control of the control circuit unit 400, for example, the nature of the foreign matter (viscosity, weight, shape, etc.) adhering to the circuit board It is possible to perform more effective cleaning by adjusting the pressure according to the above.

  In addition to being able to clean relatively hard circuit boards made of bakelite resin, glass epoxy resin, etc., explained in the prior art, they are made of materials that are relatively easy to deform when subjected to external mechanical stress. Even the formed circuit board can be cleaned. In other words, the circuit board is cleaned by sandwiching the circuit board mechanically in a non-contact state between jet air of the same pressure injected from the nozzles NZL and NZU. Even so, it can be cleaned without causing deformation or the like as much as possible.

  In addition, the circuit board cleaning apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment cleans a circuit board for forming a wiring pattern in advance, or solders an electronic element to a circuit board on which the wiring pattern has already been formed by reflow soldering. It can be cleaned or cleaned before assembling the circuit board on which the electronic element is mounted, and can be used for a wide range of applications.

  Further, the circuit board cleaning device 1 can be connected to the carry-out port of the circuit board cleaning device 1 by connecting a circuit board forming device for forming a wiring pattern, a soldering device for performing reflow soldering, or an assembly device. 1 can be assembled to the production line. Therefore, it can be widely applied to configure an automated production line.

  In the circuit board cleaning device 1 described above, when the conveyor belts 9 and 10 are cleaned after the circuit board CQ is cleaned, jet air is supplied to the conveyor belts 9 and 10 with the nozzles NZL and NZU facing each other. Although cleaning is performed by spraying, when the transport belts 9 and 10 are cleaned, it is not always necessary to spray the jet air with the nozzles NZL and NZU facing each other. That is, the nozzles NZL and NZU may be separately transferred, and cleaned by, for example, a method of cleaning the transport belt 9 with the jet air of the nozzle NZL and cleaning the transport bell 10 with the jet air of the nozzle NZU.

  In addition, while the circuit board CQ is transported at a distance (W / 2) that is a half of the width W of the jet outlets AL and AU, the reciprocal cleaning is performed. Not what you say. For example, the circuit board CQ is sequentially transported at a distance substantially equal to the width W of the jet outlets AL and AU, and in the case of odd-numbered cleaning, the nozzles NZL and NZU are opposed to perform cleaning in the forward path, When cleaning, the nozzles NZL and NZU may be opposed to perform cleaning in the return path.

  In short, the entire surface of the circuit board CQ may be cleaned by transferring the nozzles NZL and NZU to face each other and sandwiching the circuit board CQ between the jet air of both.

  Moreover, it is good also as a structure described next as a modification of the circuit board cleaning apparatus of this embodiment demonstrated above.

  First, in the cleaning mechanism 100 of the circuit board cleaning apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 3, the first and second nozzle transfer mechanisms with the nozzles NZL and NZU facing each other in the nozzle transfer direction Y orthogonal to the substrate transfer direction X. It is transported by 300A and 300B. Therefore, the back surface and the front surface portion of the circuit board CQ to which the jet air from the nozzles NZL and NZU is blown are shifted along the nozzle transfer direction Y, and can be cleaned.

  In a modified example with respect to such a configuration, the first and second nozzles NZL and NZU are installed with the direction of the ejection ports AL and AU facing the nozzle transfer direction Y. That is, the direction (widthwise direction) of the slit-shaped jet outlets AL and AU is aligned with the nozzle transfer direction Y, and the width W of the jet outlets AL and AU is substantially the same as the arrangement interval of the conveyor belts 9 and 10. The nozzles NZL and NZU are formed by expanding the width. Then, the nozzles NZL and NZU are fixed inside the casing 2 with the outlets AL and AU whose widths are increased facing each other.

  Then, the jet air jetted from the above-described enlarged jet nozzles AL and AU is sprayed on the back surface and the front surface of the circuit board CQ conveyed from the carry-in port 6 to the carry-out side to be cleaned.

  According to such a modification, the nozzle transfer mechanisms 300A and 300B for transferring the nozzles NZL and NZU can be omitted, and the nozzles NZL and NZU may be opposed to each other and fixed by a predetermined carriage mechanism. It can be a structure.

  In the embodiment and the modification described above, air is blown from the nozzles NZL and NZU to the circuit board CQ, but another gas may be blown. For example, nitrogen gas, water vapor, mixed gas of fluorine and air, etc. may be blown in consideration of the nature (viscosity, weight, shape, etc.) of foreign matters adhering to the circuit board and cleaning efficiency. Good. The gas to be blown can be changed according to the type of circuit board such as a circuit board before the wiring pattern is formed, a circuit board before soldering, or a circuit board on which electronic elements are mounted.

It is a figure for demonstrating the conventional circuit board cleaning apparatus. It is a perspective view showing the appearance structure of the circuit board cleaning device concerning this embodiment. It is a perspective view showing the principal part structure of the cleaning mechanism provided in the inside of the circuit board cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 4A is a plan view illustrating the function of the cleaning mechanism illustrated in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the control circuit unit. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of the circuit board cleaning apparatus which concerns on this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Circuit board cleaning apparatus 200 ... Board | substrate conveyance mechanism 300 ... Carriage mechanism 300A, 300B ... Nozzle transfer mechanism 400 ... Control circuit unit NZL, NZU ... Nozzle AL, AU ... Spout CQ ... Circuit board

Claims (8)

A circuit board cleaning device for cleaning a circuit board,
A board transfer mechanism for transferring the circuit board;
First nozzle means for spraying jet air on the back surface of the circuit board transported by the substrate transport mechanism;
Second nozzle means for blowing spray air onto the surface of the circuit board transported by the substrate transport mechanism;
A carriage mechanism for supporting the first and second nozzle means by facing the jet outlets of the first and second nozzle means for injecting the jet air;
Compressed air supply means for supplying compressed air of the same pressure to the first and second nozzle means and injecting the injected air at the same pressure from the outlet of the first and second nozzle means;
Comprising
Cleaning the back and front surfaces of the circuit board by sandwiching the circuit board between jet air jetted from the jet ports of the first and second nozzle means opposed to each other;
A circuit board cleaning device characterized by the above. By adjusting the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the first and second nozzle means from the compressed air supply means, the pressure of the injected air injected from the outlet of the first and second nozzle means Control means to adjust,
The circuit board cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: Control means for controlling the transport speed of the circuit board in the substrate transport mechanism;
The circuit board cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: The carriage mechanism is
A first nozzle transfer mechanism for transferring the first nozzle means in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the transfer direction of the circuit board by the transfer mechanism;
A second nozzle transfer mechanism for transferring the second nozzle means in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the transfer direction of the circuit board by the transfer mechanism;
Comprising
The first and second nozzle transfer mechanisms are opposed to the jet outlets of the first and second nozzle means and are transferred in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the transport direction, whereby the jet air is Spray and clean the back and front of the circuit board,
The circuit board cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The first and second nozzle transfer mechanisms oppose the jet outlets of the first and second nozzle means to reciprocate in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and the jet air is Spray and clean the back and front of the circuit board,
The circuit board cleaning apparatus according to claim 4. Control means for adjusting the transfer speed of the first and second nozzle means in the first and second nozzle transfer mechanisms;
The circuit board cleaning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the circuit board cleaning apparatus is provided. The first and second nozzle transfer mechanisms are:
When the cleaning of the circuit board is completed, the first and second nozzle means are transferred to the board transfer mechanism side, and the board transfer mechanism is cleaned by the jet air.
The circuit board cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein A circuit board cleaning method for cleaning a circuit board,
A board transfer step of transferring the circuit board;
The ejection port of the first nozzle means and the ejection port of the second nozzle means are opposed to the back surface and the front surface of the circuit board transported in the substrate transporting process, and jet air of the same pressure is supplied from each of the ejection ports. A cleaning step of spraying the back and front surfaces of the circuit board;
Comprising
Cleaning the back and front surfaces of the circuit board by sandwiching the circuit board between jet air jetted from the jet ports of the first and second nozzle means opposed to each other;
A circuit board cleaning method characterized by the above.

Images