JP2010064024A - Screening apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a screening apparatus, which enables a miniaturization of the external form of the apparatus, and has little installation floor area. <P>SOLUTION: The screening apparatus houses a target (W) sectioned along certain standards preliminarily given to the corresponding tray among a plurality of trays (51) corresponding to the segmentation. The screening apparatus comprises an inlet port (IN) in which the sectioned target is carried, and a plurality of trays, arranged respectively substantially on the same circumference, and a rotating arm part (40) arranged at the central part of the circle, having a plurality of arms (42) provided with a holding part (43) which is able to hold the target at the end, on the outer circumference of a rotary shaft part (41), and being able to rotate in a state holding the target by the arm. By a lifting movement of the whole rotating arm part, the target carried in the inlet port is held by the arm, and the target held by the arm is carried from the inlet port up to the tray corresponding to the segmentation of the target by the rotation of the rotating arm part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sorting apparatus that separates and stores objects divided according to a predetermined standard in a plurality of trays prepared for each section, and in particular, to reduce the outer shape of the sorting apparatus. The present invention relates to the provision of a sorting apparatus that makes it possible.

After the assembly of the solar cell panel is completed, the wafer or the like on which the semiconductor device is formed is subsequently inspected by a tester and classified according to the inspection result (Patent Documents 1 and 2). In order to automatically perform classification, a sorting device that automatically sorts inspection objects such as solar cell panels according to the inspection results is used. For example, in the sorting apparatus described in Patent Document 3, a plurality of trays are arranged on the side of the belt conveyor, and objects classified according to the sorting result are placed in the tray.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-95731 JP 2007-225553 A JP 2008-62123 A

  However, the sorting device that arranges a plurality of trays on both sides of the belt conveyor has a problem that the installation space increases as the number of trays increases. In some cases, the number of trays installed, that is, the classification of inspection objects is limited without entering a predetermined place.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sorting apparatus with a small installation floor area.

  In order to achieve the above object, a sorting apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention provides an object divided according to a predetermined standard and corresponding to a plurality of trays corresponding to the division. In the sorting apparatus to be accommodated, the object placed on the substantially same circumference, the inlet part into which the sorted object is carried in, the plurality of trays, and the center part of the circle, A rotating arm portion that has a plurality of arms each having a holding portion provided at a front end portion of the rotating shaft portion and that can rotate in a state where the object is held by the arm. The object carried into the inlet part by the lifting and lowering operation of the whole part is held by the arm, and the object held by the arm by the rotation of the rotating arm part is from the inlet part to the tray corresponding to the classification of the object. They are fed, characterized in that.

  According to such a configuration, since a plurality of trays are arranged in an annular shape, there is an advantage that a space for sorting is relatively small (see a comparative example described later). In addition, the structure of the rotating arm portion having a plurality of arms is relatively simple, and the operations to be controlled are the lifting operation of the entire rotating arm portion and the rotating operation of the rotating arm portion. There is an advantage to end.

  In addition, a sorting apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes a sorting method in which objects classified according to a predetermined standard are accommodated in corresponding ones of a plurality of trays corresponding to the sorting. In the apparatus, each of the objects placed on substantially the same circumference, into which the sorted objects are carried, and the plurality of trays, and the objects placed in the center of the circle can be held. A rotating arm portion that has a plurality of arms provided on the outer periphery of the rotating shaft portion and that can rotate in a state where the object is held by the arm. The object carried into the entrance is held by the arm, and the object held on the arm by the rotation of the rotating arm is conveyed from the entrance to the tray corresponding to the classification of the object. Features and That.

  By adopting such a configuration, each arm moves up and down at the entrance to hold the object, so that the lifting operation of the entire rotating arm described above can be made unnecessary, and the object accompanying the lifting operation of the entire rotating arm can be eliminated. It is possible to avoid imparting vibration to objects. In addition, when the number of arm stages is increased and the weight of the rotating arm portion is increased as described below, there is an advantage that the entire rotating arm portion does not have to be moved up and down.

  The inlet section and the plurality of trays are configured in a plurality of stages in the extending direction of the rotating shaft section, and the plurality of arms of the rotating arm section are correspondingly formed in a plurality of stages in the extending direction of the rotating shaft section. It is desirable to be configured. Accordingly, the trays can be arranged in a multi-stage configuration in the axial direction (for example, the vertical direction), and it is possible to increase the number of trays with the same apparatus floor area.

  It is desirable that the rotating shaft portion is a columnar body, and the plurality of arms extend outward from a side surface of the columnar body on a plane orthogonal to the central axis of the columnar body. Thereby, it becomes easy to configure the tray and the arm in a plurality of stages. Moreover, when raising and lowering the whole rotation arm part and hold | maintaining a target object, there exists an advantage by which the structure of a rotation arm part provided with a some arm becomes simple.

  The holding unit provided on the arm can use a gripping mechanism, a locking mechanism, a magnetic suction (electromagnet suction) mechanism, or the like of a so-called transfer arm robot in addition to the negative pressure suction described later. . The arm may extend and contract in the extending direction. Thereby, a plurality of trays can be arranged in a double ring or a triple ring (a plurality of rings), and the number of sorting sections (classifications) can be increased.

  It is desirable that the object is held by the holding unit by suction. By holding the object by adsorption (for example, air absorption), the object can be held and released with a simple configuration.

  It is desirable that the object includes one of a wafer and a solar cell panel. Silicon wafers, wafers on which semiconductor devices are formed, solar cells, solar panels, and the like tend to have product characteristics distributed in a certain range. Therefore, it is convenient to use a sorting device to classify products by characteristics.

  In addition, a sorting device according to another aspect of the present invention includes an inspection device that performs a predetermined inspection on a workpiece (object) to be inspected, an inlet portion into which the inspected workpiece is loaded, There are a plurality of arms provided on the outer periphery of the rotary shaft portion, each of which has a holding portion capable of holding the workpiece at the tip, and the rotary shaft portion can be rotated while the workpiece is held on the arm, and the rotary shaft portion An annular storage portion having a plurality of trays arranged in a ring around the periphery, and the arm tower portion holds the inspected work carried into the entrance portion on the basis of the result of the inspection. A control unit that transports the tray to a corresponding tray.

  By adopting such a configuration, the sorting device that distributes the workpiece to be inspected to the tray corresponding to the inspection result, the plurality of trays are arranged in a ring shape, and the rotary arm portion including the plurality of arms is placed at the center of the ring. This makes it possible to install the sorting device with a small floor area.

  In an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of trays for distinguishing (or classifying) inspected objects are arranged in an annular shape, and (if necessary) the plurality of trays arranged in an annular shape are arranged in a plurality of stages up and down. By configuring in this way, a large number of trays can be used with as little installation area as possible.

  In the first embodiment, the plurality of arms corresponding to the annular tray arrangement are simultaneously moved up and down to hold the object conveyed to the entrance at the arm end. Next, the entire plurality of arms are rotated, and when the object comes on the transport destination tray, the holding is released and stored in the tray. In the second embodiment, the plurality of arms are individually moved up and down to hold the object conveyed to the entrance at the arm end. Next, the entire plurality of arms are rotated, and when the object comes on the transport destination tray, the holding is released and stored in the tray.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

    (Example 1)

  1 to 5 are explanatory views for explaining a first embodiment of the sorting apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a top view illustrating the sorting device. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a cross section in the A-A ′ direction of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a top view for explaining the rotating arm portion shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the lower tray section in a cross section in the B-B ′ direction of FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the sorting apparatus using a shift register. In the drawings, corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the sorting device 1 is configured on a gantry 10. The gantry 10 is composed of a steel frame (not shown) and an iron plate or the like serving as a skirt cover that covers the inside, and serves as a base for supporting the sorting device 1. The gantry 10 is provided with a control device 70, a power source 72, a power source 73 such as an air compressor (or hydraulic pressure), a switchboard (not shown), and the like.

  The work surface 11 at the top of the gantry 10 is roughly provided with a conveyance unit 20, an elevating unit 30, a rotating arm unit 40, an annular storage unit 50, an inspection device 60, and the like.

  The conveyance unit 20 is a belt conveyor type conveyance device 21 that conveys a workpiece (object) W to be selected (or distinguished) supplied from outside (not shown) to an inspection device, and the workpiece W is an upper tray or a lower tray. , A transport device 22 having a lifting function, a transport device 23 for transporting the workpiece W to the inlet portion IN of the lower tray, and a transport device 24 for transporting the workpiece W to the inlet portion IN of the upper tray. The transport unit 20 transports the workpiece W to be inspected via the inspection device 60 to each inlet portion IN of the upper tray and the lower tray of the annular storage unit 50. Each transport device of the transport unit 20 is adjusted by the control unit 70 so as to be synchronized (aligned) with the rotational transport operation of the rotary arm unit 40.

  The elevating unit 30 is configured by a cylinder 32 that raises and lowers the loading platform 31, a guide pin 34 that guides the raising and lowering of the loading platform 31 through a sleeve 33 provided on the work surface 11. The cylinder 32 is operated by compressed air supplied from the compressor 73. The supply of compressed air is performed by control of an air valve (not shown) by the control unit 70.

  A motor 35, a rotary encoder 36, and a rotating arm unit 40 are placed on the loading platform 31. The motor 35 rotationally drives the rotating shaft portion 41 of the rotating arm portion 40 from its lower end portion. The rotary encoder 36 detects the rotation angle amount (rotation position) of the rotation shaft 41 and sends it to the control unit 70 as control information. When the loading platform 31 moves up and down by the operation of the cylinder 32, the entire rotary arm unit 40 moves up and down.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the rotating arm portion 40 includes a plurality of arms 42 at equal intervals on the side surface of a columnar rotating shaft portion 41. In the embodiment, the number of arms 42 is the number of trays in each stage + 1 (inlet part) per stage. For example, in this embodiment, 12 arms (an angle of the arm 42 of 30 degrees) are provided. The number is not limited to this. Each arm 42 extends outward from the side surface of the rotation shaft portion 41. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the arm 42 is configured in two stages in the axial direction (vertical direction in the drawing) of the rotating shaft portion 41.

  At the tip of each arm 42, a suction pad portion 43 is provided as a holding portion for sucking the workpiece W by vacuum (negative pressure) through four resin pads. The vacuum is supplied from the compressor described above via a path (not shown). The control unit 70 performs suction and release of the workpiece W. Each arm 42 forms an annular conveyance path (upper conveyance path, lower conveyance path).

  As the holding portion provided in the arm, a so-called holding (grabbing) mechanism, a locking mechanism, a magnetic adsorption (electromagnet suction) mechanism, or the like of a transfer arm robot can be used.

  The operation of the rotating arm unit 40 configured as described above is controlled by the control unit 70. For example, in one control mode, the control unit 70 raises and lowers the rotating arm unit 40 every time the rotating arm unit 40 is rotated by a predetermined rotation angle (for example, 30 degrees when the number of arms is 12). That is, at a predetermined rotational position (for example, 0 degree position), the entire rotating arm unit 40 descends and the work W conveyed to the inlet portion IN of the annular storage unit 50 is adsorbed to the arm tip, and then the rotating arm unit 40 is moved. The whole rises. Next, the rotating arm unit 40 is rotated while repeating rotation and descending by a predetermined angle, and conveys the workpiece W onto the corresponding tray 51. The rotating arm unit 40 descends on the corresponding tray 51, releases the workpiece W onto the tray, and rises. The transfer operation to the target tray using the operation of continuously holding the workpiece W on each arm 42 will be described later.

  As another control mode, the control unit 70 lowers the rotary arm unit 40 and causes the workpiece W conveyed to the inlet unit IN to be adsorbed to the adsorption pad unit 43 of one arm 42, and then the corresponding tray. The rotary arm unit 40 is rotated up and lowered to release the workpiece W from the arm 42. During the lowering, the next work W is held on the suction pad portion 43 of the empty arm 42. By repeating this, the work W is sorted and conveyed. In this case, there is an advantage that the transfer interval of the work W on each arm 42 is increased, but the number of times the rotary arm unit 40 is moved up and down in the transfer of one work W is reduced.

  Note that the sorting conveyance using the rotating arm unit 40 is not limited to the above-described control mode.

  In the present embodiment, the annular storage unit 50 is configured by a two-stage tray of an upper tray and a lower tray. As shown in FIG. 4, the lower tray has a plurality of trays 51 (No. 1 to 11) and an inlet portion IN (position of the workpiece W of the transport device 23) on a disk-shaped (or annular) base 52. It arrange | positions at equal intervals and is arrange | positioned on the substantially identical circumference of the circle | round | yen centering on the rotating shaft of the rotating shaft part 41. FIG. As described above, the number of each tray and the inlet portion IN is the same as the number of the arms 42 of the rotary arm portion 40 (12 in this embodiment). Each tray 51 is configured by a frame having a concave portion at the center. Each tray 51 has a material and a shape corresponding to the type and shape of the workpiece W that is the object. Examples of the workpiece W include a silicon wafer, a solar cell cell substrate (solar cell panel), and an electric circuit substrate. It may be food or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the upper tray has a plurality of trays 51 (Nos. 12 to 22) and an inlet portion IN (work W of the transport device 24) on a disk-like (or annular) base 53, like the lower tray. Are arranged at equal intervals in a ring shape, and are arranged on substantially the same circumference of a circle around the rotation axis of the rotation shaft portion 41. The number of each tray and the inlet portion IN is the same as the number of arms 42 of the rotary arm portion 40 (12 in this embodiment). The annular bases 52 and 53 are made of, for example, an iron plate, and are fixed to the gantry by support pillars 55.

  Each tray is assigned a tray number (No. 1 to 22) for identification in order to distinguish (classify) and store the inspected work.

  When the workpiece W is moved to a predetermined position by the transport device 21, the inspection device 60 performs a measurement, a test, or the like set in advance on the workpiece W, and performs classification (discrimination / sorting) processing based on the result. The test result or the like may be sent to the control unit 70, and the control unit 70 may perform classification. For example, when the workpiece is a solar cell panel, the inspection device 60 irradiates the workpiece W with simulated sunlight, and measures the power generation voltage and power generation efficiency of the solar cell panel. Based on the measurement result, the work W is stored in the tray of the corresponding class. For example, when the workpiece W is a silicon wafer, the inspection apparatus 60 is a semiconductor test apparatus. Further, when sorting the workpiece W by weight, the inspection device 60 is an electronic balance.

  Next, the operation of the selection device 1 according to the one control mode described above will be described. FIG. 5 shows the functions implemented in the control program of the CPU in the control device 70 in a pseudo logic circuit. As the control device 70, for example, a commercially available programmable controller can be used.

  The inspection device (test device) 60 measures the characteristics of the workpiece W, performs classification, determines the tray number S to be stored, and sends it to the control unit 70. The control unit 70 determines whether the tray is an upper tray or a lower tray based on the tray number, and controls the transporting devices 22 to 24 to transport the workpiece to the entrance portion IN. The transfer destination tray number of the transferred work W is set in the upper buffer register 71 or the lower buffer register 72 corresponding to the number S. “0” is set in a non-selected buffer register. A shift register 73 having a number of stages (the number of registers) corresponding to the number of the plurality of upper trays 51 is connected to the buffer register 71. A shift register 74 having a number of stages corresponding to the number of the plurality of lower trays 51 is connected to the buffer register 72.

  Each output of the shift register 73 is supplied to one input of a plurality of data comparators 75. The tray numbers 12 to 22 of the plurality of upper trays 51 are supplied to the other inputs of the plurality of data comparators 75, respectively. Similarly, each output of the lower shift register 74 is supplied to one input of a plurality of data comparators 76. The tray numbers 1 to 11 of the plurality of lower trays 51 are supplied to the other inputs of the plurality of data comparators 76, respectively.

  The control unit 70 controls the motor 35 to rotate the arm 42 that has attracted the workpiece W at the inlet portion IN by 30 degrees counterclockwise. In synchronization with the rotation of 30 degrees, data shift (movement of the tray number to the next stage) is performed in each shift register, and the tray number sequentially moves to the right. For example, when the tray number “4” moves in synchronization with the rotation of the arm 42 in the shift register 74 of the lower tray and moves to the fourth stage of the shift register 74, the data comparator 76 compares the tray number “4”. A coincidence with the reference number “4” is detected, and a detection signal D4 is output.

  In response to the generation of the detection signal D4, the control unit 70 stops the suction of the arm 42 on the tray number 4 to release the workpiece W, drops it onto the lower tray 4 and stores it in the tray. Similarly, the number of the arm currently located on the tray of an arbitrary number can be obtained by circulating the shift registers of the number of stages corresponding to the number of trays (Nos. 1 to 12) of the 12 arms 42. I can know. The control operation described with reference to FIG. 5 is executed by software by a control program.

    (Example 2)

  FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment. In the figure, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

  In this embodiment, each arm 42 is provided with a joint (pivot) structure 45 so that each arm 42 can be individually moved up and down. Each arm is moved up and down by a power source 46. As the power source 46, an electric motor, an electromagnetic actuator, a cylinder using air pressure or hydraulic pressure, or the like is used. Each arm 42 is controlled by the control unit 70. Each arm 42 is moved up and down individually to hold (suck) the workpiece W. Further, the amount of falling of the workpiece W can be reduced by moving the arm 42 up and down when the workpiece W is held and released. The elevating unit 30 that moves the entire rotary arm 40 up and down by this movable arm mechanism is not necessary. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  The advantage of this embodiment is that the rotary arm 40 is not moved up and down, so that the workpiece W held by the arm 42 is not subjected to vibration accompanying the raising and lowering of the rotary arm 40. In addition, when the weight of the rotary arm 40 is increased due to the multi-stage arm configuration or the like, it is not necessary to move up and down, so that the condition is good.

    (Comparative example)

  7 and 8 are comparative examples for explaining the advantages of the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a plan view of a comparative example, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the comparative example. Parts corresponding to those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In the comparative example, the inspected workpiece W is conveyed linearly by a belt conveyor, and the workpiece W is conveyed to a corresponding tray by a robot LB that moves in the XY direction.

  When the same number (11) of trays 51 are arranged on a straight line as in the comparative example, the floor area of the entire sorting device increases and a large room is required. On the other hand, in each Example of this application, since each tray 51 is arrange | positioned cyclically | annularly and it is set as the tray structure of the multistage in the up-down direction, the installation area of a sorting device can be reduced.

  In the embodiment, the upper and lower trays (two-stage configuration of the first and second trays) and the arms 42 configured in two stages are described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The tray and arm can have a larger number of stages.

  Further, the arm 42 may extend and contract in the extending direction. Thereby, a plurality of trays can be arranged in a double ring or a triple ring (a plurality of rings), and the number of sorting sections (classifications) can be increased.

  In the embodiment, air pressure is used for cylinder operation and suction, but hydraulic pressure may be used as a power source.

  Further, as described in the embodiments, the sorting device can be operated in various control modes, and is not limited to a specific control mode.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a sorting apparatus that requires a relatively small installation area even with the same number of trays.

It is a top view explaining the 1st example of the present invention. It is sectional drawing explaining the 1st Example of this invention. It is a top view explaining a rotation arm part. It is a top view explaining a lower tray part. It is explanatory drawing explaining operation | movement of an Example. It is sectional drawing explaining the 2nd Example. It is a top view explaining a comparative example. It is sectional drawing explaining a comparative example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sorting device, 20 Conveying unit, 21-24 Conveying device, 30 Lifting unit, 40 Rotating arm unit, 41 Rotating shaft unit, 50 Annular storage unit, 51 Tray, 60 Inspection device, IN entrance unit, W Workpiece (object)

Claims (6)

A sorting device that accommodates objects classified according to a predetermined standard in a corresponding one of a plurality of trays corresponding to the classification,
An inlet portion and a plurality of trays, each of which is placed on substantially the same circumference, into which the divided object is carried, and
In a state in which a plurality of arms provided at the tip of the holding portion, which are arranged at the center of the circle, are provided at the tip of the rotating shaft, and the object is held by the arm. A rotatable arm part, and
The object carried into the inlet part by the lifting and lowering operation of the entire rotating arm part is held by the arm, and the object held by the arm by the rotation of the rotating arm part is used to classify the object from the inlet part. A sorting apparatus characterized by being conveyed to a corresponding tray. A sorting device that accommodates objects classified according to a predetermined standard in a corresponding one of a plurality of trays corresponding to the classification,
An inlet portion and a plurality of trays, each of which is placed on substantially the same circumference, into which the divided object is carried, and
In a state in which a plurality of arms provided at the tip of the holding portion, which are arranged at the center of the circle, are provided at the tip of the rotating shaft, and the object is held by the arm. A rotatable arm part, and
The object carried into the inlet by the vertical movement of the arm is held by the arm, and the object held by the arm by the rotation of the rotating arm is from the inlet to the tray corresponding to the classification of the object. A sorting device characterized by being conveyed.   The inlet section and the plurality of trays are configured in a plurality of stages in the extending direction of the rotating shaft section, and the plurality of arms of the rotating arm section are correspondingly formed in a plurality of stages in the extending direction of the rotating shaft section. The sorting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sorting apparatus is configured.   The rotation shaft portion is a columnar body, and the plurality of arms extend outward from a side surface of the columnar body on a plane orthogonal to the central axis of the columnar body. The sorting apparatus according to any one of the above.   The sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the object is held by the holding unit by suction.   The sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the object includes at least one of a wafer and a solar cell panel.

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