JP2011157199A - Substrate conveying device, substrate conveying method, and image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a substrate conveying device, a substrate conveying method, and an image pickup device capable of ensuring the flatness of a surface to be conveyed, and preventing any generation of dust, usable for a step requesting cleanness, and capable of precisely controlling the conveying speed and the position. <P>SOLUTION: The conveying device 5 provided on the image pickup device 1 includes a belt 8 stretched along the conveying direction of substrates 2a, 2b, 2c while suction holes being formed therein, a suction table 11 which is arranged along a lower side of the belt 8 to suck an upper surface side thereof, an air cylinder 150 for bringing/separating the suction table 11 and the belt close to/from each other, and a straight moving mechanism 16 for moving the belt 8 sucked by the suction table 11 by the suction of the suction table 11 and the substrate 2a, 2b, 2c on the belt 8 in the conveying direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transfer device, an imaging device, and a substrate transfer method, and more specifically, a substrate transfer device, a substrate transfer method, and a substrate transfer device for transferring a substrate such as a printed circuit board or a glass substrate for manufacturing electronic components. It is related with the imaging device which image | photographs the board | substrate, conveying by.

  For example, in a printed circuit board manufacturing process, a belt-type transport device is generally used as a transport device for transporting a target printed circuit board. However, when visual inspection is performed while the printed circuit board is being transported, it is necessary to capture an image of the printed circuit board, and the belt-type transport device has a flatness necessary for capturing images due to belt deflection and board warpage. It may not be obtained. In such a case, a transport method is adopted in which the substrate is sucked onto a flat suction table and the suction table is moved. However, in this method, the next substrate cannot be placed unless the substrate is taken out from the suction table, and it takes time to transfer the substrate, and the carrying ability is low.

  Further, Patent Document 1 proposes a transport device that can transport a belt-type transport device while applying a suction force to an object to be transported.

JP 2007-302406 A

  In the transport device described in Patent Document 1, dust is generated by rubbing between the decompression chamber and the belt for applying a suction force during transport. For this reason, there is a problem in using it for processes that require cleanliness such as manufacturing and inspection of printed circuit boards.

  In addition, because conveyance is performed by the friction between the belt and pulley, unevenness in the conveyance speed is likely to occur, and for applications where precise conveyance speed control is required, for example, photographing the appearance of the object being conveyed at a constant speed It could not be used for applications such as an imaging device.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a substrate transfer apparatus that can ensure the flatness of the surface to be transferred, does not generate dust, can be used in processes requiring cleanliness, and can perform precise transfer speed control and position control, An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate carrying method and an imaging device.

  In order to solve this problem, the invention according to claim 1 includes a belt having suction holes formed therein and stretched along the conveyance direction of the object to be conveyed, and a flat suction surface. A suction stand disposed toward the belt; a proximity / separation mechanism for bringing the suction stand and the belt close to and away from each other; the belt sucked by the suction stand by suction of the suction stand; A substrate transport apparatus comprising a moving mechanism for moving an object in a transport direction.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate transfer apparatus according to the first aspect, the moving mechanism is configured to move the suction table to which the suction table is attached, and the belt being sucked by the suction table and the transported object. An object is driven by the suction table.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a guide mechanism for guiding the suction table in the moving direction.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate transfer apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, a suction chamber having a suction hole is provided on the belt side of the suction table. It is connected to a suction means.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the substrate transfer apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the surface of the suction table is formed of a porous member having air permeability.

  The invention according to claim 6 includes a step of placing the object to be transported on the belt in which the suction hole is formed, and a step of sucking the belt and the object to be transported by suction from the back surface of the belt by the suction mechanism; A step of moving the suctioned object in the transport direction to move the sucked object to be transported together with the belt, and a step of releasing the suction by the suction mechanism. This is a substrate transport method.

  An invention according to claim 7 includes the substrate transfer apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and an image pickup mechanism for picking up an image of a surface of the substrate transferred by the substrate transfer apparatus. Device.

  According to the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, the flatness of the surface to be transported can be ensured, dust is not generated, and it can be used in a process requiring cleanness, and precise transport speed control and position control are possible. A substrate transport apparatus and a substrate transport method capable of performing the above can be provided.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the flatness of the surface to be transported can be ensured, dust is not generated, it can be used in processes requiring cleanliness, and precise transport speed control and position control are possible. It is possible to provide an imaging apparatus that can transport a substrate by a proper substrate transport apparatus and can photograph the substrate being transported satisfactorily.

It is a side view showing an imaging device which is one embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view for demonstrating operation | movement of the imaging device 1 shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the imaging device 1 shown in FIG. It is a side view for demonstrating operation | movement of the imaging device 1 shown in FIG. It is a side view for demonstrating operation | movement of the imaging device 1 shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In FIG. 1, an imaging apparatus 1 is configured to clean a surface of a substrate supplied from a cassette that stores a plurality of substrates in a previous process or in a manufacturing process of a printed circuit board (hereinafter simply referred to as a substrate). A part of the appearance inspection apparatus that inspects the wiring pattern from the picked-up image is picked up and sent to a subsequent process or cassette.

  The imaging apparatus 1 is roughly divided into substrates 2a, 2b, and 2c (hereinafter collectively referred to as the substrate 2) that are transported objects, and these are moved from the left (upstream side) to the right in FIG. A transport device 5 transported to the (downstream side), a cleaner 6 that cleans the surface of the substrate 2 being transported by the transport device 5, and a camera 7 that captures an image of a wiring pattern on the surface of the substrate 2 being transported It consists of.

The cleaner 6 includes a rubber roller 60 whose surface is adhesive and a roller support portion 61 that supports the rubber roller 60 so as to be movable up and down. The roller support 61 urges the rubber roller 60 downward by an elastic member such as a spring (not shown), contacts the surface of the substrate 2 passing below, and removes the foreign matter adhering to the surface by adhering to the surface. Clean it. The camera 7 is provided with an image sensor and optical parts (not shown), takes an image of the surface of the substrate 2 passing below in a non-contact state, and outputs the image to an inspection circuit of an appearance inspection apparatus.
In the transport device 5, an upstream pulley 9 is provided at the transport start point, and a downstream pulley 10 is provided at the transport end point by a support mechanism (not shown) such as a bearing so as to be rotatable around a horizontal rotation axis. Yes. Both the upstream pulley 9 and the downstream pulley 10 are free rollers that do not have a driving source such as a motor, and the conveyance belt 8 on which the substrate 2 is placed is conveyed between the two. It is stretched along. A plurality of suction holes 8 a (details will be described later) are formed at positions where the substrate 2 is placed on the belt 8 according to the shape of the substrate 2. In the following description, a portion of the belt 8 positioned above the upstream pulley 9 and the downstream pulley 10 is referred to as an upper belt 8, and a portion positioned below is referred to as a lower belt 8.

  At a position between the upper belt 8 and the lower belt 8, a suction stand 11 for sucking the upper belt 8 from the lower lower surface side is provided along the upper belt 8. The suction table 11 includes a vacuum box 12 having a plurality of suction holes 12 a formed on a flat upper surface, and a suction plate 13 attached to the upper surface of the vacuum box 12. The suction plate 13 is made of a porous material having air permeability, specifically, a resin or aluminum plate in which a large number of ventilation holes are formed, a resin mesh belt, or the like.

  The suction table 11 is supported by a support member 14 including a pair of support side plates 14 a that support both sides of the vacuum box 12 through both sides of the lower belt 8, and a support plate 14 b that couples them under the lower belt 8. Supported. In the vacuum box 12, an exhaust source (not shown) such as a decompression pump or a factory exhaust utility is connected to an exhaust port 12b formed on a side surface via an opening / closing mechanism. By opening the opening / closing mechanism, the inside is evacuated and decompressed. By this pressure reduction, suction is performed from the surface of the suction plate 13 through the suction holes 12a on the upper surface of the vacuum box 12, but the suction plate 13 is also formed flat with a uniform thickness, and the upper surface of the suction plate 13 is flat. It becomes a simple suction surface.

  Below the support member 14, a support / separation mechanism 15 that supports and lifts the suction table 11 via the support member 14, thereby bringing the suction table 11 into contact with and separating from the upper belt 8 from below, and its A linear movement mechanism 16 that is coupled to the proximity / separation mechanism 15 and drives the support member 14 to move in the direction in which the belt 8 is erected, that is, in the conveyance direction, is provided.

  The linear movement mechanism 16 includes a base 17 that is long in the conveyance direction, a pair of linear guides (in a guide rather than a limit) 18 that are provided in parallel with the upper surface of the base 17, and a moving base 19 that is guided by the linear guide 18. And a ball screw mechanism 20 that drives the moving table 19 to move along the linear guide 18. The ball screw mechanism 20 includes a motor (not shown) as a driving source, a nut coupled to the moving table 19, and the like, and constitutes a moving mechanism capable of precise conveyance speed control and position control.

  The approach / separation mechanism 15 includes an air cylinder 150 fixed to the upper part of the moving table 19 and a guide (not shown) for guiding the raising and lowering of the suction table 11 with respect to the moving table 19. It couple | bonds with the lower surface of the support plate 14b, and the adsorption stand 11 is driven up and down.

  Thus, the operation of this apparatus will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 1, the three substrates of the substrates 2 a, 2 b, and 2 c on the belt 8 with the moving table 19 positioned on the most upstream side in the substrate transport direction and the suction table 11 lowered downward. Suppose that is placed. Here, the substrate 2c is an unprocessed substrate immediately after being transported to the imaging device 1, and is placed at the transport position upstream of the belt 8 of the image capturing device 1 in the transport direction by a transport mechanism (not shown). The substrate 2b has been transferred to the imaging device 1 before the substrate 2c and has been cleaned by the cleaner 6. The substrate 2a has been transferred to the imaging device 1 before the substrate 2b and has been cleaned by the cleaner 6 and the camera 7 Has already been taken. The operation of the imaging apparatus 1 from this state is as follows.

  First, the air cylinder 150 which has been in a contracted state is extended on the moving table 19 which has come to the most upstream side in the conveyance direction in FIG. 2 and 3 to bring them into the state shown in FIGS. In this state, the inside of the exhaust port 12b of the vacuum box 12 is exhausted by an exhaust source. As a result, the inside of the vacuum box 12 is depressurized, and suction is performed through the suction holes 12a formed on the upper surface of the vacuum box 12 and the suction holes 13a formed on the belt 8 and the breathable suction plate 13 attached to the upper surface. Then, the placed substrates 2a, 2b, 2c are sucked to the suction table 11. Further, along with this, the belt 8 itself sandwiched between the substrate 2 and the suction plate 13 is also sucked by the suction table 11.

  The ball screw mechanism 20 of the moving mechanism 16 is driven in a state where the substrates 2a, 2b, 2c and the belt 8 are sucked in this way, and the moving table 19 and the sucking table 11 are moved along the direction in which the belt 8 is stretched. The transfer operation is performed. FIG. 4 shows a state during conveyance. During this conveyance, the rubber roller 60 of the cleaner 6 is pressed against the substrate 2c on the belt 8 to perform cleaning. Further, the cleaned substrate 2b passes under the camera 7, and an image such as a wiring pattern on the surface thereof is taken. The imaged substrate 2a is transported toward the carry-out position from the imaging device 1 on the downstream side of the transport device 5.

  During the conveyance, the belt 8 and the suction table 11 are moved together by suction and do not rub, so dust is not generated and the belt 8 and the suction table 11 can be used in a process requiring cleanliness. Further, since the substrate 2 is adsorbed from the bottom of the belt 8 by the adsorption table 11, and the flatness is secured by the rigid adsorption table 11, the substrate 2 is bent even when the image is taken during conveyance. Shooting focus is not lost. Since the conveyance speed is not driven depending on the belt 8 but is the linear movement mechanism 16 using the ball screw mechanism 19, the belt 8 is expanded or contracted, the friction is slipped between the upstream pulley 9 and the downstream pulley 10. This makes it possible to precisely control the conveyance speed. In this embodiment, the camera 7 has a one-dimensional image sensor extending in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, and the surface of the substrate 7 is transported under the camera 7 at a constant speed in the transport direction at the substrate 2 that is the subject. Can be taken.

  When the transport operation is continued from the state of FIG. 4 and the state shown in FIG. 5 is reached, the transport due to the movement of the movable table 19 and the suction table 11 is stopped. That is, the substrate 2a on the most downstream side in the transport direction reaches the unloading position in the vicinity of the downstream pulley 10, the next substrate 2b is photographed under the camera 7, and the last substrate 2c is the cleaner 6 Cleaning has been completed. In the state of FIG. 5, the opening / closing mechanism connected to the vacuum box 12 is closed to stop the exhaust of the vacuum box 12, and the suction of the substrate 2 and the belt 8 by the suction table 11 is stopped. Then, the air cylinder 150 in the extended state is contracted, the suction table 11 is lowered and separated from the lower surface of the upper belt 8, and then the moving table 19 is returned to the position shown in FIG. To prepare for the transfer of the substrate 2. The substrate 2a on the most downstream side that has reached the carry-out position ends the processing by the imaging device 5, and is stored in a cassette (not shown) by a carry-out mechanism (not shown) provided in the vicinity of the carry-out position, or is carried out to a subsequent processing apparatus or the like. Is done.

  Here, the suction mechanism of the transport device 5 and the suction stand 11 will be described in more detail. In the transport device 5, the belt 8 between the upstream pulley 9 and the downstream pulley 10 has such a size that four substrates 2 to be transported by the transport device 5 can be arranged in the transport direction. A position where the substrate 2c is present in FIG. 1 is a position where the substrate 2 is carried in (received) from the upstream apparatus, and a position where the substrate 2a is present in FIG. 5 is a position where the substrate 2 is carried out (delivery) to the downstream apparatus. It is.

  The belt 8 of the transport device 5 has a length that is an integral multiple of the transport distance of each substrate 2 by a single transport operation, and the position on the belt 8 where the substrate 2 is placed is constant each time, and is the same position. A substrate 2 is placed. The suction holes 8a are formed only in a portion corresponding to a position where the substrate 2 of the maximum size to be processed by the imaging device 1 is placed in both the width direction and the transport direction of the belt 8. When processing a substrate 2 smaller than the maximum size, the substrate 2 is adsorbed only by a part of the adsorption hole 8a as shown in FIG. 3, and an adsorption hole 8a that does not contribute to the adsorption appears. In that case, air is sucked into the vacuum box 12 from the suction holes 8a not blocked by the substrate 2, and the suction force of the substrate 2 is reduced. However, in the present embodiment, the suction plate 13 is provided between the suction hole 12a of the vacuum box 12 and the belt 8, and air inflow from the suction hole 8a that is not blocked by the substrate 2 and does not contribute to suction is suppressed. Even if it is the board | substrate 2 which is not a size, it is trying to maintain the adsorption | suction force required for adsorption | suction.

  In the above embodiment, the moving table 19 is moved by the ball screw mechanism 20, but other linear moving mechanisms can also be used, and for example, a linear motor can be used. In the above embodiment, the moving table 19 is moved by the ball screw mechanism 20, but instead of the ball screw mechanism 20, the upstream pulley 9 and the downstream pulley 10 are rotationally driven by a motor or the like to drive the belt 8. It is also possible to drive the suction table 11 fixed to the belt 8 by sucking the belt 8. In this case, the same performance as that of the above embodiment can be obtained in terms of maintaining the flatness of the substrate 2, and in terms of transport speed and position control, it depends on the driving accuracy of the belt 8, the upstream pulley 9, and the downstream pulley 10. . If a timing belt is used for the belt 8 or a linear scale is provided on the moving table 19 to perform position detection control, the accuracy of the conveyance speed control and position control can be improved.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Imaging device 2, 2a, 2b, 2c Board | substrate 5 Conveyance device 6 Cleaner 7 Camera 8 Belt 8a Adsorption hole 11 Adsorption stand 12 Vacuum box 12a Adsorption hole 15 Proximity separation mechanism 16 Linear movement mechanism 19 Movement stand 20 Ball screw mechanism 150 Air cylinder

Claims (7)

A suction hole is formed, and the belt is stretched along the conveyance direction of the object to be conveyed;
A suction stand having a flat suction surface, the suction surface being arranged facing the belt;
A proximity separating mechanism for relatively approaching and separating the suction table and the belt;
A moving mechanism for moving the belt adsorbed to the adsorption table by the suction table and the object to be conveyed on the belt in the conveyance direction;
A substrate transfer device comprising: 2. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving mechanism is attached to the suction table to move the suction table, and causes the belt and the object to be transported that are sucked to the suction table to follow the suction table. A substrate transfer apparatus characterized by being a thing. 3. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a guide mechanism for guiding the suction table in the moving direction. 4. The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a suction chamber having suction holes is provided on the belt side of the suction table, and the suction chamber is connected to suction means. A substrate transfer device. 5. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the adsorption table is formed of a porous member having air permeability. 6. A step of placing an object to be conveyed on a belt in which suction holes are formed;
Sucking the belt and the object to be transported by suction from the back surface of the belt; and
Driving the suction mechanism in the transport direction to transport the suctioned object to be transported together with the belt; and
Releasing suction by the suction mechanism;
A substrate carrying method comprising: A substrate transfer apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5;
An imaging mechanism for imaging the surface of the substrate conveyed by the substrate conveyance device;
An imaging apparatus comprising:

Images