JP2022115618A - Cutting device and inspection method for cutting-edge detection unit - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a cutting device that is able to properly determine a state of a cutting-edge detection unit.SOLUTION: A cutting device includes: a chuck table holding a work piece; a cutting unit including a spindle and that cuts the work piece, held by the chuck table, with an annular cutting blade attached to a tip of the spindle; a cutting-edge detection unit that detects a leading edge of the cutting blade; a determination unit that determines a state of the cutting-edge detection unit; and a notifying unit; wherein the cutting edge detection unit includes: a light-projecting unit and a light-receiving unit disposed so as to sandwich the leading edge of the cutting blade; and a received light quantity measurement unit that measures a quantity of light received by the light-receiving unit; wherein the determination unit determines a state of the cutting-edge detection unit by comparing a waveform indicating a change in the quantity of received light measured by the received light quantity measurement unit, with a reference waveform; and wherein the notifying unit that notifies a result of a determination made by the determination unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a cutting apparatus for cutting a workpiece with a cutting blade, and to an inspection method for a cutting edge detection unit that detects the tip of a cutting blade.

A plurality of device chips each having a device are manufactured by dividing a wafer on which a plurality of devices are formed into individual pieces. Also, a package substrate is obtained by mounting a plurality of device chips on a predetermined substrate and covering the mounted device chips with a resin sealing material (mold resin). By dividing the package substrate into individual pieces, a plurality of packaged devices each having a plurality of packaged device chips are manufactured. Device chips and packaged devices are incorporated into various electronic devices such as mobile phones and personal computers.

A cutting device is used to divide workpieces such as wafers and package substrates. A cutting device includes a chuck table that holds a workpiece and a cutting unit that cuts the workpiece. The cutting unit is equipped with an annular cutting blade that cuts the workpiece. The workpiece is cut and divided by rotating the cutting blade to cut into the workpiece.

When a workpiece is cut with a cutting blade, a load is applied to the tip of the cutting blade that contacts the workpiece, and chipping may occur at the tip of the cutting blade. If the cutting of the workpiece is continued with the cutting blade chipped, there is a possibility that the machining of the workpiece is defective or the cutting blade is damaged. Therefore, chipping of the cutting blade is required to be quickly detected.

Therefore, the cutting apparatus is sometimes equipped with a cutting edge detection unit that monitors the state of the cutting blade during cutting. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a cutting edge detection unit (optical detection means) that includes a light projecting section and a light receiving section arranged to sandwich the tip of a cutting blade. The optical detection means is arranged so that the light traveling from the light projecting section to the light receiving section is blocked by the cutting blade. When chipping occurs at the tip of the cutting blade, the light emitted from the light projecting section reaches the light receiving section through the chipping of the cutting blade, and the amount of light received by the light receiving section increases. Therefore, chipping occurring at the tip of the cutting blade can be detected by monitoring the amount of light received by the light receiving portion.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-370140

As described above, the cutting edge detection unit monitors the state of the tip of the cutting blade by measuring the amount of light (the amount of light received) reaching the light receiving section from the light emitting section. However, the amount of received light measured by the cutting edge detection unit may fluctuate due to various factors.

For example, during cutting of the workpiece, liquid such as pure water (cutting fluid) supplied to the cutting blade and the workpiece, and foreign matter such as chips generated by cutting the workpiece (cutting waste) scatter. may adhere to or damage the light-receiving part. In this case, the light is not properly received by the light receiving portion, and the amount of light received by the cutting edge detection unit decreases. Also, the amount of light received by the blade edge detection unit may decrease due to deterioration of a light receiving element (such as a photoelectric conversion element) included in the blade edge detection unit.

If the amount of light received decreases, there is a risk that chipping occurring at the tip of the cutting blade will not be detected correctly. Therefore, the operator of the cutting equipment periodically checks the amount of light received when the light is emitted from the light emitter to the light receiver, and checks whether the cutting edge detection unit is operating normally. do.

However, the sensitivity of the cutting edge detection unit is changed at any time during operation of the cutting device. For example, when cutting is performed under conditions where a large amount of cutting fluid and cutting waste can scatter around the cutting blade, the light emitted from the light projecting part is less likely to reach the light receiving part. Therefore, the sensitivity of the cutting edge detection unit is increased so that the light that reaches the light receiving section is reliably detected. If the blade edge detection unit is inspected in this state, there is a possibility that even if the blade edge detection unit is abnormal, a high amount of received light will be detected and the blade edge detection unit will be determined to be normal. be.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a cutting apparatus and an inspection method for a cutting edge detection unit that can appropriately determine the state of the cutting edge detection unit.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a chuck table holding a workpiece and a spindle are provided, and the workpiece held by the chuck table is cut by an annular cutting blade attached to the tip of the spindle. cutting unit, a cutting edge detection unit that detects the tip of the cutting blade, a determination unit that determines the state of the cutting edge detection unit, and a notification unit, wherein the cutting edge detection unit detects the tip of the cutting blade a light projecting unit and a light receiving unit arranged to sandwich a unit; A cutting device is provided in which the state of the cutting edge detection unit is determined by comparing a waveform indicating a change in amount with a reference waveform, and the notifying section notifies the result of the determination by the determining section.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cutting edge detection unit inspection method using a cutting device and an inspection blade, wherein the cutting device includes a chuck table holding a workpiece and a spindle. a cutting unit that cuts the workpiece held by the chuck table with an annular cutting blade attached to the tip of the spindle; and a cutting edge detection unit that detects the tip of the cutting blade. , the cutting edge detection unit includes a light projecting part and a light receiving part arranged to sandwich the tip of the cutting blade, and the inspection blade has an outer surface whose distance from the rotation axis varies depending on the angle of the inspection blade. a light receiving amount measuring step of measuring the light receiving amount of the light receiving unit while rotating the inspection blade attached to the tip of the spindle including the peripheral edge around the rotation axis; and measuring the light receiving amount measuring step. a determination step of determining the state of the cutting edge detection unit by comparing the waveform indicating the change in the received light amount with a reference waveform.

Preferably, the outer peripheral edge of the inspection blade is formed in a circular or elliptical shape so that the distance between the rotating shaft and the outer peripheral edge decreases as the distance from the reference position set on the outer peripheral edge decreases. It is Further, preferably, the reference position of the inspection blade is provided with a notch. Preferably, the inspection method for the cutting edge detection unit further includes a notification step of issuing a warning when the determination step determines that the state of the cutting edge detection unit is abnormal.

In the cutting apparatus and cutting edge detection unit inspection method according to one aspect of the present invention, the state of the cutting edge detection unit is determined by comparing the waveform indicating the change in the amount of received light measured by the cutting edge detection unit with the reference waveform. be done. That is, it is determined whether the cutting edge detection unit is normal or abnormal, not based on the value of the amount of received light at a certain point in time, but on the trend of the amount of received light. As a result, the state of the blade edge detection unit can be appropriately determined even if the value of the amount of received light fluctuates due to a change in the sensitivity of the blade edge detection unit or the like.

It is a perspective view which shows a cutting device. FIG. 2(A) is a perspective view showing a cutting unit, and FIG. 2(B) is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the cutting unit. 4 is a block diagram showing a control section and a cutting edge detection unit; FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an inspection procedure of the cutting edge detection unit; FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an inspection blade; FIG. 6A is a graph showing the relationship between the rotation angle of the inspection blade and the amount of received light in the registration step, and FIG. 6B is the relationship between the rotation angle of the inspection blade and the amount of received light in the received light amount measurement step. is a graph showing FIG. 7A is a waveform diagram showing the reference waveform, FIG. 7B is a waveform diagram showing the measured waveform, and FIG. 7C is a waveform diagram showing the reference waveform and the measured waveform.

An embodiment according to one aspect of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, a configuration example of a cutting device according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cutting device 2. FIG. In FIG. 1, the X-axis direction (processing feed direction, front-rear direction, first horizontal direction) and the Y-axis direction (indexing feed direction, left-right direction, second horizontal direction) are perpendicular to each other. Also, the Z-axis direction (vertical direction, vertical direction, height direction) is a direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

The cutting device 2 includes a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped base 4 that supports or houses each component that constitutes the cutting device 2 . A rectangular opening 4 a is provided at the front corner of the base 4 . Inside the opening 4a, a cassette support base 6 is provided which is lifted and lowered by an elevating mechanism (not shown). A cassette 8 capable of accommodating a plurality of workpieces 11 to be processed by the cutting device 2 is arranged on the upper surface of the cassette support table 6 . In FIG. 1, the contour of the cassette 8 is indicated by a chain double-dashed line.

The workpiece 11 is a disk-shaped wafer made of a semiconductor material such as silicon, and has a front surface and a rear surface. The workpiece 11 is partitioned into a plurality of rectangular regions by a plurality of planned division lines (street) arranged in a lattice so as to intersect each other. In addition, on the surface side of the workpiece 11, a plurality of regions partitioned by the planned division lines include ICs (Integrated Circuits), LSIs (Large Scale Integration), LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) and other devices are formed.

A circular tape 13 having a diameter larger than that of the workpiece 11 is attached to the back side of the workpiece 11 . The tape 13 includes a film-like base material and an adhesive (paste layer) on the base material. For example, the base material is made of a resin such as polyolefin, polyvinyl chloride, or polyethylene terephthalate, and the adhesive is an epoxy, acrylic, or rubber adhesive. Further, as the adhesive, an ultraviolet curable resin that is cured by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays may be used.

The outer peripheral portion of the tape 13 is attached to an annular frame 15 made of metal or the like. The frame 15 has a circular opening in the center with a larger diameter than the workpiece 11 , and the workpiece 11 is placed inside the opening of the frame 15 . When the central portion of the tape 13 is attached to the workpiece 11 and the outer peripheral portion of the tape 13 is attached to the frame 15 , the workpiece 11 is supported by the frame 15 via the tape 13 .

The workpiece 11 is accommodated in the cassette 8 while being supported by the frame 15 and processed by the cutting device 2 . For example, a plurality of device chips each including a device can be obtained by cutting and dividing the workpiece 11 along the dividing lines by the cutting device 2 .

However, the type, material, shape, structure, size, etc. of the workpiece 11 are not limited. For example, the workpiece 11 may be a wafer (substrate) made of a semiconductor other than silicon (GaAs, InP, GaN, SiC, etc.), glass, sapphire, ceramics, resin, metal, or the like. Also, the workpiece 11 may be a package substrate. For example, a package substrate includes a base substrate, a plurality of device chips mounted on the base substrate, and a resin layer that covers and seals the plurality of device chips.

An opening 4b having a rectangular shape in a plan view and having a longitudinal direction along the X-axis direction is provided in a region located on the side of the opening 4a on the upper surface side of the base 4. As shown in FIG. A ball screw type moving unit (moving mechanism) 10 is provided inside the opening 4b. The moving unit 10 includes a flat plate-like moving table 12 arranged to cover the top of the moving unit 10 . In front of and behind the moving table 12, accordion-like dust and drip proof covers 14 are provided to cover the top of the moving unit 10. As shown in FIG.

A chuck table (holding table) 16 for holding the workpiece 11 is provided on the moving table 12 . The upper surface of the chuck table 16 is a flat surface formed substantially parallel to the horizontal direction (XY plane direction), and constitutes a holding surface 16a that holds the workpiece 11 . The holding surface 16 a is connected to a suction source (not shown) such as an ejector through a channel (not shown), a valve (not shown), and the like provided inside the chuck table 16 .

The moving unit 10 moves the chuck table 16 together with the moving table 12 along the X-axis direction. A rotary drive source (not shown) such as a motor is connected to the chuck table 16, and the rotary drive source rotates the chuck table 16 around a rotary shaft substantially parallel to the Z-axis direction. Furthermore, a plurality of clamps 18 are provided around the chuck table 16 to hold and fix the frame 15 that supports the workpiece 11 .

A transport unit (not shown) for transporting the workpiece 11 between the cassette 8 and the chuck table 16 is provided in the vicinity of the openings 4a and 4b. The workpiece 11 is pulled out from the cassette 8 by the transport unit and transported to the chuck table 16 . At this time, the workpiece 11 is placed on the holding surface 16a of the chuck table 16 with the tape 13 interposed therebetween. Also, the frame 15 is gripped by a plurality of clamps 18 . In this state, when the negative pressure of the suction source is applied to the holding surface 16a, the workpiece 11 is suction-held by the chuck table 16 via the tape 13. As shown in FIG.

Above the chuck table 16, a pair of cutting units 20a and 20b for machining the workpiece 11 are provided. An annular cutting blade 66 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B) for cutting the workpiece 11 is attached to each of the cutting units 20a and 20b.

A gate-shaped support structure 22 for supporting the cutting units 20a and 20b is arranged on the upper surface of the base 4 so as to straddle the opening 4b. At both ends of the front side of the support structure 22, a moving unit (moving mechanism) 24a for moving the cutting unit 20a along the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction, and a cutting unit 20b moving in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction. A moving unit (moving mechanism) 24b for moving along is provided. The moving units 24a and 24b are mounted on a pair of guide rails 26 arranged on the front side of the support structure 22 along the Y-axis direction.

The moving unit 24a includes a planar moving plate 28a. The moving plate 28a is slidably mounted on the pair of guide rails 26. As shown in FIG. A nut portion (not shown) is provided on the back side (rear side) of the moving plate 28a, and a ball screw 30a arranged substantially parallel to the guide rail 26 is screwed into this nut portion. there is A pulse motor 32 is connected to the end of the ball screw 30a. When the ball screw 30a is rotated by the pulse motor 32, the moving plate 28a moves along the guide rail 26 in the Y-axis direction.

A pair of guide rails 34a are fixed along the Z-axis direction on the surface (front) side of the moving plate 28a. A flat moving plate 36a is slidably mounted on the pair of guide rails 34a. A nut portion (not shown) is provided on the back side (rear side) of the moving plate 36a, and a ball screw 38a arranged substantially parallel to the guide rail 34a is screwed into the nut portion. . A pulse motor 40a is connected to the end of the ball screw 38a. When the ball screw 38a is rotated by the pulse motor 40a, the moving plate 36a moves in the Z-axis direction along the guide rail 34a.

On the other hand, the moving unit 24b includes a planar moving plate 28b. The moving plate 28b is slidably mounted on the pair of guide rails 26. As shown in FIG. A nut portion (not shown) is provided on the back side (rear side) of the moving plate 28b, and a ball screw 30b arranged substantially parallel to the guide rail 26 is screwed into the nut portion. . A pulse motor 32 is connected to the end of the ball screw 30b. When the ball screw 30b is rotated by the pulse motor 32, the moving plate 28b moves along the guide rail 26 in the Y-axis direction.

A pair of guide rails 34b are fixed along the Z-axis direction on the surface (front) side of the moving plate 28b. A flat moving plate 36b is slidably mounted on the pair of guide rails 34b. A nut portion (not shown) is provided on the back side (rear side) of the moving plate 36b, and a ball screw 38b arranged substantially parallel to the guide rail 34b is screwed into the nut portion. . A pulse motor 40b is connected to the end of the ball screw 38b. When the ball screw 38b is rotated by the pulse motor 40b, the moving plate 36b moves in the Z-axis direction along the guide rail 34b.

Cutting units 20a and 20b are fixed to the lower portions of moving plates 36a and 36b, respectively. An imaging unit 42 for imaging the workpiece 11 and the like held by the chuck table 16 is provided at a position adjacent to the cutting unit 20a.

For example, as the imaging unit 42, a visible light camera having an imaging element that receives visible light and converts it into an electric signal, or an infrared camera that has an imaging element that receives infrared light and converts it into an electric signal is used. The image acquired by the imaging unit 42 is used for alignment between the workpiece 11 held by the chuck table 16 and the cutting units 20a and 20b.

A circular opening 4c in a plan view is provided on the side of the opening 4b on the upper surface side of the base 4 opposite to the opening 4a. A cleaning unit 44 for cleaning the workpiece 11 is provided inside the opening 4c. The cleaning unit 44 includes a spinner table (chuck table) 46 that holds and rotates the workpiece 11, and nozzles 48 that supply a cleaning fluid (cleaning fluid) to the workpiece 11 held by the spinner table 46. Prepare.

The upper surface of the spinner table 46 is a flat surface formed substantially parallel to the horizontal direction (XY plane direction), and constitutes a holding surface 46a for holding the workpiece 11 . The holding surface 46a is connected to a suction source (not shown) such as an ejector through a channel (not shown) provided inside the spinner table 46, a valve (not shown), and the like. Further, the spinner table 46 is connected to a rotational drive source (not shown) such as a motor for rotating the spinner table 46 around a rotation axis substantially parallel to the Z-axis direction.

Nozzle 48 supplies cleaning fluid toward holding surface 46 a of spinner table 46 . As the cleaning fluid, liquid such as pure water, mixed fluid in which liquid (pure water, etc.) and gas (air, etc.) are mixed, or the like can be used.

The workpiece 11 machined by the cutting units 20 a and 20 b is transported to the spinner table 46 by a transport unit (not shown) and placed on the holding surface 46 a of the spinner table 46 via the tape 13 . In this state, when the negative pressure of the suction source is applied to the holding surface 46 a , the workpiece 11 is suction-held by the spinner table 46 via the tape 13 . Then, while rotating the spinner table 46 holding the workpiece 11 , the cleaning fluid is dripped from the nozzle 48 and supplied to the workpiece 11 . As a result, the cleaning fluid flows along the upper surface side of the workpiece 11 to clean the workpiece 11 .

A cover 50 is provided on the upper side of the base 4 to cover the components mounted on the base 4 . In FIG. 1, the outline of the cover 50 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. A display unit (display unit, display device) 52 for displaying various information about the cutting device 2 is provided on the side surface of the cover 50 .

For example, the display unit 52 is configured by a touch panel display. In this case, the display unit 52 also functions as an input unit (input unit, input device) for inputting various kinds of information to the cutting device 2 , and the operator can input processing conditions, etc. to the cutting device 2 by touching the display unit 52 . information can be entered. That is, the display section 52 functions as a user interface.

A notification unit (notification unit, notification device) 54 for notifying the operator of information is provided on the upper surface side of the cover 50 . For example, an indicator light (warning light) is provided as the notification unit 54 . Then, when an abnormality occurs in the cutting device 2, an indicator lamp lights up to notify the operator of the abnormality. Also, as the notification unit 54, a speaker that notifies the operator of information by sound or voice can be used. In this case, when an abnormality occurs in the cutting device 2, the speaker oscillates a sound or voice notifying the occurrence of the abnormality.

Components constituting the cutting device 2 (cassette support base 6, moving unit 10, chuck table 16, clamp 18, cutting units 20a, 20b, moving units 24a, 24b, imaging unit 42, cleaning unit 44, display unit 52, notification 54 etc.) are connected to a control section (control unit, control device) 56 . The controller 56 controls the operation of each component of the cutting device 2 .

For example, the control unit 56 is configured by a computer and includes a calculation unit that performs calculations necessary for operating the cutting device 2 and a storage unit that stores various types of information (data, programs, etc.). The calculation unit includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Also, the storage unit includes various memories functioning as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, and the like.

The workpieces 11 stored in the cassette 8 are conveyed one by one to the chuck table 16 by a conveying unit (not shown). The workpiece 11 is cut by the cutting units 20a and 20b while being sucked and held by the chuck table 16. As shown in FIG. After that, the workpiece 11 is transported to the cleaning unit 44 by a transport unit (not shown) and cleaned. Then, the workpiece 11 after cleaning is housed in the cassette 8 again.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing the cutting unit 20a, and FIG. 2B is a partial cross-sectional side view showing the cutting unit 20a. In addition, in FIG. 2B, illustration of a blade cover 72, which will be described later, is omitted for convenience of explanation. Also, although the configuration of the cutting unit 20a will be described below, the configuration of the cutting unit 20b is the same as that of the cutting unit 20a.

The cutting unit 20a includes a cylindrical housing 60. As shown in FIG. The housing 60 accommodates a cylindrical spindle 62 (see FIG. 2B) arranged along the Y-axis direction. A tip portion (one end side) of the spindle 62 is exposed from the housing 60 . A rotation drive source (not shown) such as a motor for rotating the spindle 62 is connected to the base end (the other end) of the spindle 62 .

A mount 64 (see FIG. 2B) is fixed to the tip of the spindle 62 . The mount 64 includes a disk-shaped flange portion 64a and a cylindrical support shaft (boss portion) 64b protruding from the central portion of the flange portion 64a. An annular cutting blade 66 for cutting the workpiece 11 is attached to the mount 64 .

As the cutting blade 66, for example, a hub type cutting blade (hub blade) is used. The hub blade is integrally constructed by an annular base made of metal or the like and an annular cutting edge formed along the outer peripheral edge of the base. The cutting edge of the hub blade is composed of an electroformed grindstone in which abrasive grains made of diamond, cubic boron nitride (cBN), or the like are fixed by a binder such as a nickel plating layer. A washer-type cutting blade (washer blade) can also be used as the cutting blade 66 . A washer blade is composed only of an annular cutting edge to which abrasive grains are fixed by a binder made of metal, ceramics, resin, or the like.

A central portion of the cutting blade 66 is provided with a cylindrical opening penetrating through the cutting blade 66 in the thickness direction. The cutting blade 66 is attached to the mount 64 so that the support shaft 64b is inserted into the opening. A thread groove (not shown) is formed at the tip of the support shaft 64b, and a fixing nut 68 for fixing the cutting blade 66 is screwed into this thread groove. When the fixing nut 68 is tightened to the support shaft 64b while the cutting blade 66 is attached to the mount 64, the cutting blade 66 is sandwiched between the flange portion 64a and the fixing nut 68. As shown in FIG.

A cutting blade 66 is thus attached to the tip of the spindle 62 . The cutting blade 66 rotates about a rotation axis substantially parallel to the Y-axis direction by power transmitted from the rotation drive source via the spindle 62 and the mount 64 .

A plate-shaped support member 70 is fixed to the tip of the housing 60 . A box-shaped blade cover 72 (see FIG. 2A) is attached to the surface of the support member 70 to cover the cutting blade 66 . One end of the blade cover 72 is provided with a pair of first connection portions 74 connected to a tube (not shown) that supplies a liquid (cutting fluid) such as pure water. Further, the other end of the blade cover 72 is provided with a second connection portion 78 and a third connection portion 80 that are connected to a tube (not shown) that supplies a liquid (cutting fluid) such as pure water.

A pair of nozzles (cooler nozzles) 76 arranged to sandwich the lower end of the cutting blade 66 is connected to the pair of first connection portions 74 . Each of the pair of nozzles 76 is provided with a supply port (not shown) that opens toward the cutting blade 66 . When the cutting fluid flows into the first connecting portion 74 , the cutting fluid is supplied from the supply ports of the pair of nozzles 76 toward the front and back surfaces of the cutting blade 66 .

A nozzle (shower nozzle, not shown) provided inside the blade cover 72 is connected to the second connection portion 78 . The tip of the shower nozzle opens toward the outer edge of the cutting blade 66 . When the cutting fluid flows into the second connecting portion 78 , the cutting fluid is supplied from the tip of the shower nozzle toward the outer peripheral edge of the cutting blade 66 .

A pair of nozzles (spray nozzles) 82 opening downward are connected to the third connecting portion 80 . When the cutting fluid flows into the third connecting portion 80, the cutting fluid is supplied from the tip of the nozzle 82 toward the chuck table 16 (see FIG. 1).

The workpiece 11 is cut by rotating the cutting blade 66 to cut into the workpiece 11 held by the chuck table 16 (see FIG. 1). During machining of the workpiece 11 , cutting fluid is supplied to the workpiece 11 and the cutting blade 66 from the nozzle 76 , shower nozzle (not shown), and nozzle 82 . As a result, the workpiece 11 and the cutting blade 66 are cooled, and debris (cutting debris) generated by cutting the workpiece 11 is washed away.

A monitoring unit 84 is provided on the upper portion of the blade cover 72 to monitor the state of the tip (cutting edge) of the cutting blade 66 attached to the cutting unit 20a. As shown in FIG. 2B, for example, the monitoring unit 84 has a rectangular parallelepiped frame 86 . Inside the frame body 86, a housing portion 86a that opens on the lower surface side of the frame body 86 is provided. A cutting edge detection unit 88 that detects the tip of the cutting blade 66 is accommodated in the accommodation portion 86a.

The cutting edge detection unit 88 has a nut portion (not shown), and a ball screw 90 arranged along the Z-axis direction is screwed into this nut portion. A pulse motor 92 is connected to the end of the ball screw 90 . When the ball screw 90 is rotated by the pulse motor 92, the cutting edge detection unit 88 moves (lifts/lowers) along the Z-axis direction, and the height position (position in the Z-axis direction) of the cutting edge detection unit 88 is adjusted.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the control section 56 and the cutting edge detection unit 88. As shown in FIG. The cutting edge detection unit 88 is an optical sensor that detects the tip of the cutting blade 66 and includes a detection section 94 . The detection unit 94 includes a rectangular parallelepiped base portion 94a, and a light projecting portion 94b and a light receiving portion 94c projecting downward from the base portion 94a. The light projecting portion 94b and the light receiving portion 94c are arranged to be separated in the Y-axis direction and face each other. A space between the light projecting portion 94b and the light receiving portion 94c corresponds to a blade insertion portion 94d into which the tip of the cutting blade 66 is inserted.

A light source 96 is connected to the light projecting portion 94b. An LED or the like can be used as the light source 96 . The light emitted by the light source 96 is guided to the light projecting portion 94b via an optical fiber or the like, and is irradiated from the light projecting portion 94b toward the light receiving portion 94c. The light emitted from the light projecting portion 94b reaches the light receiving surface of the light receiving portion 94c and is received by the light receiving portion 94c.

The light receiving portion 94c is connected to a light receiving amount measuring portion 98 that measures the amount of light (light receiving amount) received by the light receiving portion 94c. The light received by the light receiving section 94c is guided to the received light amount measuring section 98 via an optical fiber or the like. For example, the light-receiving amount measurement unit 98 includes a photoelectric conversion element that converts the light received by the light-receiving unit 94c into an electric signal (voltage), and generates a signal containing information on the light-receiving amount. Then, the amount of light received by the light receiving section 94 c measured by the light receiving amount measuring section 98 is output to the control section 56 .

When the cutting blade 66 is attached to the cutting unit 20a, the height position of the detector 94 is adjusted, and the tip (upper end) of the cutting blade 66 is inserted into the blade insertion portion 94d. As a result, the light projecting portion 94b and the light receiving portion 94c are arranged so as to sandwich the tip portion of the cutting blade 66 therebetween. At this time, the cutting blade 66 is arranged so as to block the light emitted from the light projecting portion 94b toward the light receiving portion 94c.

When machining the workpiece 11 (see FIG. 1), the cutting blade 66 is rotated to cut into the workpiece 11 held by the chuck table 16 (see FIG. 1). During machining of the workpiece 11 , the state of the cutting blade 66 is monitored by the cutting edge detection unit 88 . Specifically, light is emitted from the light projecting portion 94b toward the light receiving portion 94c, and the light receiving amount measuring portion 98 measures the amount of light received by the light receiving portion 94c.

When the tip of the cutting blade 66 is not chipped, the light emitted from the light projecting portion 94b is blocked by the tip of the cutting blade 66, so the amount of light received by the light receiving portion 94c is small. On the other hand, when the tip of the cutting blade 66 is chipped and the chipped region of the cutting blade 66 is positioned between the light projecting portion 94b and the light receiving portion 94c, the light emitted from the light projecting portion 94b is projected onto the cutting blade 66. reaches the light-receiving portion 94c through the region where the light is missing, and the amount of light received by the light-receiving portion 94c increases.

Therefore, by measuring the amount of light received by the light receiving portion 94c with the light amount measuring portion 98, it is possible to determine whether or not there is chipping at the tip portion of the cutting blade 66. FIG. For example, the received light amount measured by the received light amount measurement unit 98 is output to the control unit 56 . Then, the control unit 56 compares the received light amount input from the received light amount measuring unit 98 with a preset reference value (threshold value) to determine whether the received light amount is a normal value or an abnormal value. judge.

The amount of received light measured by the amount-of-received-light measuring unit 98 may fluctuate due to various factors. For example, during machining of the workpiece 11, foreign substances such as cutting fluid and cutting chips may scatter, adhere to the light receiving section 94c, or damage the light receiving section 94c. In this case, the light is not properly received by the light receiving section 94c, and the amount of light received measured by the light receiving amount measuring section 98 decreases. Further, the amount of light received by the light receiving amount measuring section 98 may decrease due to deterioration of the light receiving element (photoelectric conversion element or the like) included in the light receiving amount measuring section 98 .

If the amount of light received decreases, there is a risk that chipping occurring at the tip of the cutting blade 66 will not be detected correctly. Therefore, the operator of the cutting device 2 periodically checks the amount of received light measured by the received light amount measuring unit 98 when light is emitted from the light emitting unit 94b to the light receiving unit 94c, and the cutting edge detection unit 88 Check if it is working properly.

However, while the cutting device 2 is in operation, the sensitivity of the cutting edge detection unit 88 is changed as needed. For example, when cutting is performed under conditions where a large amount of cutting fluid and cutting waste can scatter around the cutting blade 66, the light emitted from the light projecting portion 94b is less likely to reach the light receiving portion 94c. Therefore, the sensitivity of the cutting edge detection unit 88 is increased so that the light that reaches the light receiving portion 94c is reliably detected. If the blade edge detection unit 88 is inspected in this state, even if the blade edge detection unit 88 is abnormal, a high amount of received light will be detected and the blade edge detection unit 88 will be determined to be normal. there is a possibility.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the state of the cutting edge detection unit 88 is determined by comparing the waveform indicating the change in the amount of received light measured by the received light amount measuring section 98 with the reference waveform. As a result, even if the sensitivity of the received light amount measuring section 98 fluctuates, it is possible to appropriately determine the state of the cutting edge detection unit 88 . Details of the determination of the state of the cutting edge detection unit 88 performed by the cutting device 2 will be described below.

The state of the cutting edge detection unit 88 is determined by the controller 56, for example. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 56 includes a determination unit 100 that determines the state of the cutting edge detection unit 88, and a storage unit 110 that stores information (data, programs, etc.) used for determination by the determination unit 100. .

The determination unit 100 includes a waveform generation unit 102 that generates a waveform based on the amount of received light measured by the amount of received light measurement unit 98 . The received light amount measured by the received light amount measurement unit 98 is sequentially input to the waveform generation unit 102 . Then, the waveform generating section 102 generates a waveform (measured waveform) that indicates the change (transition) of the amount of received light measured by the amount of received light measuring section 98 .

The storage unit 110 also stores a waveform (reference waveform) that indicates the change (transition) in the amount of light received when the cutting edge detection unit 88 is operating normally. For example, before the cutting device 2 is shipped, the amount of light received by the new cutting edge detection unit 88 is measured by the amount of received light measuring section 98 . A reference waveform is generated based on the measured change in the amount of received light and stored in the storage unit 110 .

The determination section 100 also includes a waveform comparison section 104 that compares the measured waveform generated by the waveform generation section 102 and the reference waveform stored in the storage section 110 . If the measured waveform and the reference waveform match or are similar, the waveform comparison section 104 determines that the cutting edge detection unit 88 is normal. On the other hand, when the measured waveform and the reference waveform are dissimilar, the waveform comparison section 104 determines that the cutting edge detection unit 88 is abnormal. Specific examples of the measured waveform and the reference waveform, and details of a method of comparing the measured waveform and the reference waveform will be described later.

Furthermore, the determination unit 100 includes a notification control unit 106 that notifies the determination result of the determination unit 100 . When the waveform comparison section 104 compares the measured waveform with the reference waveform and determines the state of the cutting edge detection unit 88 , the determination result is input to the notification control section 106 . Then, the notification control unit 106 generates a control signal that causes the display unit 52 and the notification unit 54 to notify the determination result.

For example, when the measured waveform and the reference waveform match or are similar, the notification control unit 106 outputs a control signal to the display unit 52 to display a message on the display unit 52 informing that the cutting edge detection unit 88 is normal. Let On the other hand, when the measured waveform and the reference waveform are dissimilar, the notification control section 106 outputs a control signal to the display section 52 to display a message on the display section 52 informing that the cutting edge detection unit 88 is abnormal. Let In this case, the display section 52 functions as a notification section for informing the operator of the state of the cutting edge detection unit 88 .

Further, when the measured waveform and the reference waveform are dissimilar, the notification control section 106 outputs a control signal to the notification section 54 to notify the notification section 54 that the cutting edge detection unit 88 is abnormal. For example, if the notification unit 54 is an indicator lamp, the notification control unit 106 lights the indicator lamp in a predetermined color or pattern. Further, when the notification unit 54 is a speaker, the notification control unit 106 causes the speaker to emit a sound or voice to notify the occurrence of the abnormality.

As described above, the determination unit 100 determines the state of the cutting edge detection unit 88 not based on the amount of light received measured by the light amount measuring unit 98 at a certain time, but based on the shape of the waveform indicating changes in the amount of light received. do. As a result, even if the sensitivity of the received light amount measuring section 98 is changed and the scale of the received light amount measured by the received light amount measuring section 98 fluctuates, the state of the cutting edge detection unit 88 can be accurately determined.

Next, a specific example of an inspection method for the cutting edge detection unit 88 using the cutting device 2 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the inspection procedure of the cutting edge detection unit 88. As shown in FIG. In the following, the case where the state of the cutting edge detection unit 88 (see FIG. 2B) attached to the cutting unit 20a is determined will be described. Determination of the state of 88 can be similarly implemented.

Before determining the state of the cutting edge detection unit 88, a reference waveform is registered in advance in the storage section 110 of the control section 56 (see FIG. 3) (registration step). In the registration step, first, an inspection blade for acquiring the waveform of the amount of received light is attached to the cutting unit 20a (step S1).

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the inspection blade 120. FIG. The inspection blade 120 includes an annular base 122 made of metal, resin, or the like, and an annular light blocking portion 124 projecting radially outward from the base 122 from the outer peripheral edge of the base 122 . The light blocking portion 124 is made of a material capable of blocking light emitted from the light projecting portion 94b (see FIG. 3) of the cutting edge detection unit 88. As shown in FIG.

The inspection blade 120 includes an annular outer peripheral edge 120 a corresponding to the tip of the light shielding portion 124 . Further, in the central portion of the inspection blade 120, a cylindrical opening 120b is provided that penetrates the inspection blade 120 (the base 122 and the light shielding portion 124) in the thickness direction. The opening 120 b is provided concentrically with the base 122 so that its center overlaps with the center of the base 122 .

The diameter of the opening 120b is approximately equal to the diameter of the opening provided in the central portion of the cutting blade 66 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B) for cutting the workpiece 11. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the inspection blade 120 can be attached to the cutting unit 20a in the same manner as the cutting blade 66. Specifically, the inspection blade 120 is attached to the mount 64 so that the support shaft 64b (see FIG. 2B) of the mount 64 is inserted into the opening 120b. The inspection blade 120 is held between the mount 64 and the fixing nut 68 . As a result, the inspection blade 120 is attached to the tip of the spindle 62 .

The attachment of the inspection blade 120 may be performed manually by the operator, or may be performed automatically by the cutting device 2 . For example, the cutting device 2 may include a blade changing device for changing blades. In this case, the operation of the blade exchange device is controlled by the controller 56 (see FIG. 3). Then, the blade changing device removes the cutting blade 66 attached to the tip of the spindle 62 and attaches the inspection blade 120 to the tip of the spindle 62 .

When the spindle 62 is rotated with the inspection blade 120 attached to the tip of the spindle 62, the inspection blade 120 rotates. At this time, the inspection blade 120 rotates around a rotation axis 126 that passes through the center of the opening 120b and is substantially parallel to the thickness direction of the inspection blade 120. As shown in FIG.

The outer peripheral edge 120 a of the inspection blade 120 is formed such that the distance from the rotation shaft 126 varies depending on the angle of the inspection blade 120 . For example, the light shielding part 124 is formed in a circular shape and is fixed to the base 122 so that the center thereof does not overlap the center of the base 122 (rotating shaft 126). In this case, the distance between the outer peripheral edge 120 a and the rotating shaft 126 changes continuously according to the rotation angle of the inspection blade 120 .

FIG. 5 shows the reference position 128 of the inspection blade 120 and the perfect circle 130 . The reference position 128 corresponds to a portion of the outer peripheral edge 120 a of the inspection blade 120 positioned farthest from the rotating shaft 126 . The perfect circle 130 is an imaginary line whose center overlaps the rotation axis 126 and whose radius is equal to the distance between the rotation axis 126 and the reference position 128 .

The outer peripheral edge 120a of the inspection blade 120 is formed in a circular shape so that the distance between the outer peripheral edge 120a and the rotating shaft 126 decreases as the distance from the reference position 128 increases. Specifically, when the reference position 128 of the inspection blade 120 is positioned in the 0° direction of the perfect circle 130, the distance between the outer peripheral edge 120a and the rotation axis 126 in the 90° and 270° directions of the perfect circle 130 is r2 is shorter _than the distance r1 between the outer peripheral edge 120a of the perfect circle ₁₃₀ and the rotation axis 126 in the 0° direction. Also _, the distance r3 between the outer peripheral edge 120a and the rotation shaft 126 in the 180° direction of the perfect circle 130 is shorter _than the distance r2.

Rotating the inspection blade 120 around the rotation axis 126 causes the reference position 128 of the inspection blade 120 to move along the perfect circle 130 . As a result, the distance between the outer peripheral edge 120a and the rotating shaft 126 in the 0° direction of the perfect circle 130 varies. Specifically, when the inspection blade 120 rotates by 180°, the distance between the outer peripheral edge 120a and the rotating shaft 126 in the 0° direction of the perfect circle 130 continuously increases. Further, when the inspection blade 120 is further rotated by 180° in the same direction, the distance between the outer peripheral edge 120a and the rotation shaft 126 in the 0° direction of the perfect circle 130 continuously decreases, and the angle of the inspection blade 120 is changed to the initial state. back to

Note that the shape of the outer peripheral edge 120 a can be changed as appropriate within a range that satisfies the condition that the distance between the outer peripheral edge 120 a and the rotation shaft 126 varies depending on the angle of the inspection blade 120 . For example, the light shielding portion 124 may be formed in an elliptical shape with a longer axis and a shorter axis larger than the diameter of the base 122 , and arranged so that its center overlaps the center of the base 122 . In this case, an inspection blade 120 having an elliptical outer peripheral edge 120a is obtained.

A cutout portion 120c is provided at a reference position 128 set on the outer peripheral edge 120a. The cutout portion 120c corresponds to a recess formed from the outer peripheral edge 120a of the inspection blade 120 toward the center. As will be described later, the cutout portion 120c is used to adjust the initial placement of the inspection blade 120 when the amount of received light is measured by the amount of received light measuring section 98 (see FIG. 3).

Next, the amount of light received by the light receiving portion 94c is measured using the inspection blade 120 attached to the cutting unit 20a (step S2). The amount of light received is measured by a normally operating blade edge detection unit 88 (eg, a brand new blade edge detection unit 88).

Specifically, first, the height position of the detection section 94 is adjusted so that the tip (upper end) of the inspection blade 120 is inserted into the blade insertion section 94d (see FIG. 3) of the cutting edge detection unit 88. be. After that, the inspection blade 120 is rotated at a predetermined speed while emitting light from the light projecting portion 94b toward the light receiving portion 94c. Then, the amount of light received by the light receiving portion 94 c during the rotation of the inspection blade 120 is measured by the amount of light received measuring portion 98 .

FIG. 6A is a graph showing the relationship between the rotation angle of inspection blade 120 and the amount of received light in the registration step. When measuring the amount of received light, first, the angle of the inspection blade 120 is adjusted so that the chipped portion 120c (see FIG. 5) is arranged between the light projecting portion 94b and the light receiving portion 94c (see FIG. 3). be done. When the cutting edge detection unit 88 is operated in this state, the light emitted from the light projecting portion 94b passes through the chipped portion 120c and reaches the light receiving portion 94c, and the amount of light received by the light receiving portion 94c is measured by the light receiving amount measuring portion 98. be done.

When the inspection blade 120 rotates slightly from the initial arrangement and the chipped portion 120c moves out of the space between the light projecting portion 94b and the light receiving portion 94c, the light emitted from the light projecting portion 94b is blocked by the inspection blade 120. The amount of light received decreases. Then, when the inspection blade 120 rotates further, the received light amount continuously increases until the inspection blade 120 rotates 180° from the initial position, and then continuously decreases. When the inspection blade 120 is finally rotated by 360° from the initial position, the amount of received light becomes equal to that before the inspection blade 120 was rotated.

The received light amount measured by the received light amount measuring unit 98 is sequentially output to the control unit 56 (see FIG. 3). As a result, transition information of the amount of received light as shown in FIG. 6A is obtained.

Next, a reference waveform is acquired based on the amount of received light measured by the amount-of-received-light measuring unit 98 (step S3). Specifically, the received light amount (see FIG. 6A) measured by the received light amount measurement unit 98 is output to the waveform generation unit 102 (see FIG. 3). Then, the waveform generation unit 102 generates a reference waveform indicating changes in the amount of received light based on the transition information of the amount of received light.

FIG. 7A is a waveform diagram showing the reference waveform 140. FIG. For example, the waveform generator 102 plots the amount of received light measured by the amount of received light measuring unit 98 for each angle of the inspection blade 120 (see FIG. 6A), and connects the plotted points with straight lines or curves. Thus, a reference waveform 140 is generated. Then, the reference waveform 140 generated by the waveform generation section 102 is stored in the storage section 110 (see FIG. 3).

Through the above registration steps (steps S1, S2, S3), the reference waveform 140 indicating transition of the amount of light received by the cutting edge detection unit 88 that is operating normally is obtained and registered in the control section 56 . The registration step may be performed by the manufacturer of the cutting device 2 before shipment of the cutting device 2 or may be performed by the user of the cutting device 2 after shipment of the cutting device 2 .

Next, the workpiece 11 is machined by the cutting device 2 shown in FIG. 1 (step S4). Specifically, the workpiece 11 held by the chuck table 16 is cut by the cutting blade 66 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B) attached to the cutting unit 20a. During cutting of the workpiece 11 , the cutting edge detection unit 88 monitors the state of the tip of the cutting blade 66 .

After the machining of the workpiece 11 by the cutting device 2 continues for a predetermined period, the cutting edge detection unit 88 is inspected. In this inspection, the amount of light received by the light receiving portion 94c (see FIG. 3) of the cutting edge detection unit 88 is measured (a step of measuring the amount of light received).

In the received light amount measuring step, first, the cutting blade 66 is removed from the cutting unit 20a (see FIG. 2(B)). Then, an inspection blade 120 (see FIG. 5) is attached to the tip of the spindle 62 (step S5). The method for mounting the inspection blade 120 is the same as the method for mounting the inspection blade 120 in the above-described registration step (step S1).

Next, the amount of light received by the light receiving portion 94c is measured (step S6). Specifically, the received light amount of the light receiving section 94c is measured by the received light amount measuring section 98 in the same procedure as the above-described registration step (step S2).

FIG. 6B is a graph showing the relationship between the rotation angle of the inspection blade 120 and the amount of received light in the step of measuring the amount of received light. When the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 94c is measured by the light receiving amount measuring unit 98 while the inspection blade 120 (see FIG. 5) is rotated around the rotation shaft 126, the inspection blade 120 is measured as shown in FIG. Transition information of the amount of received light that changes according to the angle of is obtained.

The light receiving state of the cutting edge detection unit 88 after the cutting device 2 has been operated for a certain period of time is detected by the above light receiving amount measuring steps (steps S5 and S6). The received light amount measured by the received light amount measuring unit 98 is sequentially output to the control unit 56 (see FIG. 3).

When cutting a workpiece with the cutting device 2, the sensitivity of the received light amount measuring section 98 may be changed. In this case, the received light amount measured in the registration step (before cutting) (see FIG. 6A) and the received light amount measured in the received light amount measurement step (after cutting) (see FIG. 6B) , the scale of the value of the received light amount is different.

Next, the state of the cutting edge detection unit 88 is determined by comparing the waveform indicating the change in the amount of light received by the light receiving portion 94c measured in the light amount measurement step with the reference waveform 140 (see FIG. 7A). (decision step).

In the determination step, first, a measured waveform is obtained based on the amount of light received by the light receiving section 94c (step S7). Specifically, the received light amount (see FIG. 6B) measured by the received light amount measuring unit 98 in the received light amount measuring step is output to the waveform generating unit 102 (see FIG. 3). Then, the waveform generation unit 102 generates a measurement waveform indicating changes in the amount of received light based on the transition information of the amount of received light.

FIG. 7B is a waveform diagram showing the measured waveform 142. As shown in FIG. For example, the waveform generator 102 plots the amount of light received for each angle of the inspection blade 120 (see FIG. 6B), and connects the plotted points with straight lines or curves to generate the measurement waveform 142. .

Next, the reference waveform 140 and the measured waveform 142 are compared (step S8). A measured waveform 142 generated by the waveform generator 102 is input to the waveform comparator 104 (FIG. 3). Then, the waveform comparison section 104 reads the reference waveform 140 from the storage section 110 and compares the reference waveform 140 and the measured waveform 142 .

FIG. 7C is a waveform diagram showing the reference waveform 140 and the measurement waveform 142. FIG. When the cutting device 2 is operated for a certain period of time, the characteristics of the cutting edge detection unit 88 may change due to various causes, and the amount of received light measured by the amount of received light measuring section 98 may fluctuate. For example, if a part of the area of the light receiving section 94c (see FIG. 3) is contaminated or damaged by foreign matter, the amount of light received in that area of the light receiving section 94c decreases. Further, when some of the light receiving elements included in the light receiving amount measuring unit 98 deteriorate, the electric signals generated by the light receiving elements fluctuate.

Then, when the characteristics of the cutting edge detection unit 88 change, a measured waveform 142 having a shape different from that of the reference waveform 140 is generated as shown in FIG. 7(C). Therefore, by comparing the reference waveform 140 and the measured waveform 142, the state of the cutting edge detection unit 88 can be determined.

Specifically, the waveform comparator 104 (see FIG. 3) compares the reference waveform 140 and the measured waveform 142 to calculate the degree of similarity (difference) between the reference waveform 140 and the measured waveform 142 . Then, the waveform comparison section 104 determines the state of the cutting edge detection unit 88 by comparing the calculated similarity (dissimilarity) with a reference value (threshold value) stored in advance in the storage section 110 .

For example, the waveform comparison unit 104 calculates the area (deviation area) of a region 144 (see FIG. 7C) surrounded by the reference waveform 140 and the measured waveform 142, and compares the deviation area with the reference value (threshold). do. When the deviation area is equal to or less than the reference value (or less than the reference value), the waveform comparison section 104 determines that the reference waveform 140 and the measured waveform 142 are similar, and the cutting edge detection unit 88 is normal. Determine that there is. On the other hand, when the deviation area is larger than the reference value (or equal to or greater than the reference value), the waveform comparison section 104 determines that the reference waveform 140 and the measured waveform 142 are dissimilar and the cutting edge detection unit 88 is abnormal. Determine that there is.

However, the method of comparing the reference waveform 140 and the measured waveform 142 is not limited. For example, the waveform comparison unit 104 may compare the reference waveform 140 and the measured waveform 142 by image processing such as pattern matching. In this case, the waveform comparison unit 104 compares the similarity calculated by the image processing with the reference value to determine whether the reference waveform 140 and the measured waveform 142 are similar. Determine whether it is normal or abnormal.

The state of the cutting edge detection unit 88 is determined by the determination steps (steps S7 and S8). Then, the determination result of the state of the cutting edge detection unit 88 by the determination unit 100 is notified to the operator as necessary (notification step, step S9). It is output to the unit 106 (see FIG. 3). Then, the notification control unit 106 outputs a control signal to the display unit 52 and the notification unit 54 to notify the result of determination by the waveform comparison unit 104 .

For example, when the waveform comparison section 104 determines that the cutting edge detection unit 88 is abnormal, the notification control section 106 outputs a control signal for causing the display section 52 and the notification section 54 to issue a warning. As a result, the display unit 52 displays, for example, a message that the cutting edge detection unit 88 is abnormal. In addition, the notification unit 54 lights up in a predetermined color or pattern to notify that an abnormality has occurred in the cutting device 2 .

As described above, in the cutting apparatus and the cutting edge detection unit inspection method according to the present embodiment, by comparing the waveform indicating the change in the amount of received light measured by the cutting edge detection unit 88 with the reference waveform, the cutting edge detection unit 88 state is determined. That is, it is determined whether the cutting edge detection unit 88 is normal or abnormal based on the tendency of the transition of the amount of received light rather than the value of the amount of received light at a certain time. As a result, even if the value of the amount of received light fluctuates due to a change in the sensitivity of the blade edge detection unit 88 or the like, the state of the blade edge detection unit 88 can be appropriately determined.

The inspection method for the cutting edge detection unit according to the present embodiment is realized by controlling the operation of each component of the cutting device 2 with the control section 56 (see FIG. 3). Specifically, the storage unit 110 (memory) of the control unit 56 stores a program for causing the cutting device 2 to execute part or all of the registration step, the received light amount measurement step, the determination step, and the notification step. there is This program includes commands for causing the control unit 56 to generate control signals to be output to the respective components of the cutting device 2 in order to implement the above steps.

When inspecting the cutting edge detection unit 88 , the control unit 56 reads a program from the storage unit 110 and executes it, and outputs control signals to each component of the cutting device 2 . Thereby, each step included in the inspection method for the cutting edge detection unit according to the present embodiment is automatically performed.

In addition, the structures, methods, and the like according to the above-described embodiments can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 11 workpiece 13 tape 15 frame 2 cutting device 4 base 4a, 4b, 4c opening 6 cassette support 8 cassette 10 moving unit (moving mechanism)
12 moving table 14 dust and drip proof cover 16 chuck table (holding table)
16a holding surface 18 clamp 20a, 20b cutting unit 22 support structure 24a, 24b moving unit (moving mechanism)
26 guide rails 28a, 28b moving plates 30a, 30b ball screws 32 pulse motors 34a, 34b guide rails 36a, 36b moving plates 38a, 38b ball screws 40a, 40b pulse motors 42 imaging unit 44 cleaning unit 46 spinner table (chuck table)
46a holding surface 48 nozzle 50 cover 52 display unit (display unit, display device)
54 notification unit (notification unit, notification device)
56 control unit (control unit, control device)
60 housing 62 spindle 64 mount 64a flange portion 64b support shaft (boss portion)
66 cutting blade 68 fixing nut 70 support member 72 blade cover 74 first connecting portion 76 nozzle (cooler nozzle)
78 second connection portion 80 third connection portion 82 nozzle (spray nozzle)
84 monitoring unit 86 frame body 86a housing portion 88 cutting edge detection unit 90 ball screw 92 pulse motor 94 detection portion 94a base portion 94b light projection portion 94c light receiving portion 94d blade insertion portion 96 light source 98 received light amount measurement portion 100 determination portion 102 waveform generation portion 104 Waveform comparison unit 106 Notification control unit 110 Storage unit 120 Inspection blade 120a Outer peripheral edge 120b Opening 120c Missing portion 122 Base 124 Light shielding portion 126 Rotation shaft 128 Reference position 130 Perfect circle 140 Reference waveform 142 Measurement waveform 144 Area

Claims (5)

a chuck table for holding a workpiece;
a cutting unit having a spindle for cutting the workpiece held by the chuck table with an annular cutting blade attached to the tip of the spindle;
a cutting edge detection unit that detects the tip of the cutting blade;
a determination unit that determines the state of the cutting edge detection unit;
and a reporting unit,
The cutting edge detection unit includes a light projecting unit and a light receiving unit arranged to sandwich the tip of the cutting blade, and a light receiving amount measuring unit that measures the amount of light received by the light receiving unit,
The judging section judges the state of the cutting edge detection unit by comparing the waveform indicating the change in the received light amount measured by the received light amount measuring section with a reference waveform,
The cutting device, wherein the notification unit notifies the result of determination by the determination unit. A cutting edge detection unit inspection method using a cutting device and an inspection blade,
The cutting device
a chuck table for holding a workpiece;
a cutting unit having a spindle for cutting the workpiece held by the chuck table with an annular cutting blade attached to the tip of the spindle;
a cutting edge detection unit that detects the tip of the cutting blade,
The cutting edge detection unit includes a light projecting part and a light receiving part arranged to sandwich the tip of the cutting blade,
The inspection blade includes an outer peripheral edge whose distance from the axis of rotation varies depending on the angle of the inspection blade;
a light receiving amount measuring step of measuring the light receiving amount of the light receiving unit while rotating the inspection blade attached to the tip of the spindle around the rotation axis;
a determination step of determining the state of the cutting edge detection unit by comparing a waveform indicating a change in the received light amount measured in the received light amount measuring step with a reference waveform; Unit inspection method. The outer peripheral edge of the inspection blade is formed in a circular or elliptical shape so that the distance between the rotating shaft and the outer peripheral edge decreases as the distance from the reference position set on the outer peripheral edge decreases. 3. The method for inspecting a cutting edge detection unit according to claim 2. 4. The method for inspecting a cutting edge detection unit according to claim 3, wherein the reference position of the inspection blade is provided with a missing portion. 5. The inspection of the cutting edge detection unit according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising a notification step of issuing a warning when the determination step determines that the state of the cutting edge detection unit is abnormal. Method.

Images