JP2024017625A - Part sorting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a part sorting device that improves the accuracy of part sorting.

SOLUTION: A part sorting device 1 is a part sorting device that inspects a part while conveying the part, and sorts a good part. The part sorting device 1 comprises: a turntable 30 that rotates and conveys the part; a plurality of imaging devices 40 that image a plurality of respective outer surfaces of the part on the turntable 30; an inspection sorting controller 70 that performs appearance inspection of the part based on an imaging result from the plurality of imaging devices 40 and sorts the good part based on a result of the appearance inspection; an ejection mechanism 50 that ejects the good part sorted by the inspection sorting controller 70 from the turntable 30; and a cover arranged on the turntable 30 and covering the part rotated and conveyed on the turntable 30.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a parts sorting device.

2. Description of the Related Art There is a device that separates good and defective surface-mounted electronic components (also referred to as chip components) such as multilayer ceramic capacitors. Patent Document 1 discloses an appearance inspection device as such a parts sorting device. The appearance inspection device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a linear feeder that conveys electronic components, a turntable that rotationally conveys the electronic components conveyed by the linear feeder, and a plurality of devices that image six sides of the electronic components on the turntable. It is equipped with an imaging device and conducts visual inspections on six sides of electronic components while transporting them. Thereby, good products and defective products can be sorted and discharged.

The appearance inspection apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 charges the electronic components by transporting the electronic components using vibration in a linear feeder, and electrostatically attracts the electronic components using static electricity and rotatably transports the electronic components in the turntable. The conveyance speed of the turntable is faster than the conveyance speed of the linear feeder. Thereby, it is possible to leave a space between the electronic components on the turntable, and it is possible to visually inspect the end face of the electronic component in the transport direction.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-44579

Such a component sorting device may inspect and sort different types of electronic components for each manufacturing lot. For example, some surface-mounted electronic components have different characteristics even if they are the same size. More specifically, multilayer ceramic capacitors include components that are the same size but have different capacities.

In addition, in such component inspection equipment, since the electronic components on the turntable are imaged by an imaging device, the turntable is generally in an open state, and there is a possibility that different types of electronic components may get mixed in on the turntable. There is. If electronic components of the same size/different characteristics are mixed in this way, even if the accuracy of appearance inspection is high, the accuracy of sorting will be reduced.

An object of the present invention is to provide a parts sorting device that improves the accuracy of parts sorting.

(1) The parts sorting device according to the present invention is a parts sorting device that inspects parts while conveying them and selects non-defective products, and includes a turntable that rotationally conveys the parts, and a plurality of parts on the turntable. a plurality of imaging devices that respectively image the outer surface of the component; an inspection and sorting controller that performs an appearance inspection of the component based on the imaging results from the plurality of imaging devices and selects the non-defective products based on the result of the appearance inspection; The present invention includes a discharge mechanism for discharging the non-defective products selected by the inspection and sorting controller from the turntable, and a cover that is placed on the turntable and covers the parts that are rotated and conveyed on the turntable.

(2) In the parts sorting device according to (1), the cover may have optical transparency.

(3) In the parts sorting device according to (1) or (2), the cover and the turntable may be spaced apart, and the distance between the cover and the turntable is determined by the length of the parts. , width, and thickness.

(4) In the parts sorting device according to any one of (1) to (3), the cover may be arranged to cover a rotational conveyance path of the parts on the turntable, and Each of the plurality of imaging devices may image the component through the cover.

(5) In the parts sorting device according to (4), the cover may have an arc shape along the rotational conveyance path on the turntable.

(6) In the parts sorting device according to (4) or (5), the cover may have a surface perpendicular to the line of sight of each of the plurality of imaging devices.

(7) In the parts sorting device according to (6), the cross-sectional shape of the cover intersecting the rotational conveyance path on the turntable may be an arc shape.

(8) In the parts sorting device according to (6), the cover may have a surface inclined in a direction along the rotational conveyance path on the turntable.

(9) In the parts sorting device according to any one of (6) to (8), a surface of the cover perpendicular to the line of sight of each of the plurality of imaging devices is larger than other surfaces of the cover. It may also be thin.

(10) In the parts sorting device according to any one of (1) to (9), the cover may have polarizing properties.

(11) In the parts sorting device according to any one of (1) to (9), the cover may be colored.

According to the present invention, the accuracy of parts sorting in a parts sorting device can be improved.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an example of the parts sorting device according to the present embodiment, viewed from above. FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic plan view of part II in the parts sorting device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the parts sorting device shown in FIG. 1 viewed from the side, and is an enlarged schematic side view of portion II. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of the parts sorting device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a parts sorting device according to a modified example, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of the parts sorting device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a parts sorting device according to a modified example, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of the parts sorting device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V of the parts sorting device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of the parts sorting device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. It is a schematic plan view seen from above of an example of a parts sorting device concerning a modification of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the external appearance of the component.

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding parts in each drawing.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an example of the parts sorting device according to the present embodiment viewed from above, FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic plan view of part II of the parts sorting device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. , is a schematic side view of the parts sorting device shown in FIG. 1 seen from the side, and is a schematic side view with portion II enlarged. Note that an XY orthogonal coordinate system is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

A component sorting device 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is a device that inspects a plurality of electronic components 3 while sequentially conveying them and selects non-defective products. The parts sorting device 1 includes a ball feeder 10, a linear feeder 20, a turntable 30, a cover 36, a plurality of imaging devices 40, a discharge mechanism 50, and an inspection sorting controller 70.

The electronic component 3 is a surface-mounted electronic component (also referred to as a chip component) such as a multilayer ceramic capacitor. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the electronic component 3 is arranged on a laminate 3a in which a plurality of dielectric layers made of a ceramic material and one or more conductor layers are laminated, and on each of two end faces of the laminate 3a. and two external electrodes 3b. The laminate 3a, that is, the electronic component 3, has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has two main surfaces TS1 and TS2 facing each other in the stacking direction, two side surfaces WS1 and WS2 facing each other in the width direction crossing the stacking direction, and two main surfaces TS1 and TS2 facing each other in the stacking direction. It has two end faces LS1 and LS2 that are opposite to each other in the length direction and intersect with the width direction.

The dimensions of the electronic component 3 are not particularly limited, but for example, the length direction dimension is 3.2 mm or more and 0.1 mm or less, the width direction dimension is 1.6 mm or more and 0.05 mm or less, and the lamination direction dimension is may be 1.6 mm or more and 0.05 mm or less. Note that these dimensions may vary due to intersections.

The electronic component 3 is not limited to the above-mentioned multilayer ceramic capacitor using dielectric ceramic, but may include various electronic components such as piezoelectric components using piezoelectric ceramic, thermistor using semiconductor ceramic, and inductor using magnetic ceramic. It may be.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the ball feeder 10 aligns and conveys a plurality of electronic components 3 supplied by a hopper, for example. The hopper is a device that detects a shortage in the number of electronic components 3 in the ball feeder 10, automatically replenishes the electronic components 3 to the ball feeder 10, and maintains the number of electronic components 3 in the ball feeder 10 at a constant level. It is.

The ball feeder 10 is provided with a vibration mechanism 12 that supplies vibration to the ball feeder 10. As the vibration mechanism 12, for example, a piezoelectric element that generates vibration at a frequency depending on a voltage can be used. The outer shape of the ball feeder 10 is circular. The ball feeder 10 moves the electronic components 3 in a circular motion outward from the center of the circular shape by vibration, and conveys the electronic components 3 in a spirally aligned manner.

The linear feeder 20 sequentially linearly transports the plurality of electronic components 3 that have been aligned and transported by the ball feeder 10 . The linear feeder 20 is provided with a vibration mechanism 22 that supplies vibration to the linear feeder 20. As the vibration mechanism 22, for example, a piezoelectric element that generates vibration at a frequency depending on a voltage can be used. Preferably, the linear feeder 20 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane. The linear feeder 20 transports the electronic components 3 by vibration.

The linear feeder 20 is preferably made of a material such as SUS. Thereby, in the linear feeder 20, when the electronic component 3 is conveyed by vibration, the electronic component 3 can be charged.

The turntable 30 sequentially rotates and transports the plurality of electronic components 3 transported by the linear feeder 20. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the turntable 30 has a guide mechanism 32 on the upstream side, and the guide mechanism 32 guides the electronic components 3 from the linear feeder 20 to a rotary conveyance path (rotary conveyance locus) 31. lead. The turntable 30 transports the electronic component 3 along a rotational transport path 31.

As shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable that an electrostatic adsorption mechanism 34 is provided below the turntable 30. Thereby, the electrically charged electronic components 3 can be electrostatically attracted and transported in the linear feeder 20 .

The conveyance speed of the turntable 30 is faster than the conveyance speed of the linear feeder 20. Thereby, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the electronic components 3 can be spaced apart, and the appearance of the end surface side of the electronic components 3 can be inspected.

The turntable 30 is made of a material such as glass or resin, and has transparency. This makes it possible to inspect the appearance of the back side of the electronic component 3.

As shown in FIG. 1, a cover 36 for covering the electronic component 3 is arranged on the turntable 30. Details of the cover 36 will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 1, the imaging device 40 is, for example, a camera or an image sensor. Although not shown, a light source is provided near the camera. Six imaging devices 40 are provided along the rotational conveyance path 31 of the turntable 30. The six imaging devices 40 image six outer surfaces of the electronic component 3 on the turntable 30, namely, two main surfaces TS1 and TS2, two side surfaces WS1 and WS2, and two end surfaces LS1 and LS2, respectively. . Each of the imaging devices 40 may be provided with a lighting device such as a ring lighting or a dome lighting that illuminates the imaging surface of the electronic component 3.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ejection mechanism 50 ejects non-defective products that have been selected by an inspection and selection controller 70 (described later) based on the results of the visual inspection from the turntable 30 and stores them in a case or the like. The method for discharging non-defective products by the discharging mechanism 50 is not particularly limited, and examples include air blowing, air suction, physical contact extrusion, and the like. For example, when a non-defective product is transported, the discharge mechanism 50 discharges the non-defective product from the turntable 30 and stores it in a case or the like by blowing air onto the non-defective product on the turntable 30 in accordance with a command from the inspection and sorting controller 70. do.

The inspection and sorting controller 70 controls the entire parts sorting device 1 . Specifically, the inspection and sorting controller 70 performs a visual inspection of the electronic components 3 on the turntable 30 based on the imaging results from the imaging device 40, and sorts non-defective products and defective products based on the results of the visual inspection. .

The inspection and sorting controller 70 also controls the discharge of non-defective products by the discharge mechanism 50. For example, the inspection and sorting controller 70 selects non-defective products from the discharge mechanism 50 based on information such as the conveyance speed (or rotational speed and rotational conveyance path length or radius) of the turntable 30 and the position of the imaging device 40 on the turntable 30. The timing for ejecting is calculated and the ejecting mechanism 50 is commanded.

The inspection and selection controller 70 is composed of, for example, an arithmetic processor such as a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). Various functions of the inspection sorting controller 70 are realized, for example, by executing predetermined software (programs) stored in a storage unit. Various functions of the inspection sorting controller 70 may be realized by cooperation between hardware and software, or may be realized only by hardware (electronic circuit).

The storage unit in the inspection selection controller 70 is a rewritable memory such as an EEPROM. The storage unit stores predetermined software (programs) for executing various functions of the sorting controller. Further, the storage unit stores various setting values inputted from the outside, for example. Various setting values include information regarding the conveyance speed of the linear feeder 20, the conveyance speed (or rotational speed, and rotational conveyance path length or radius) of the turntable 30, the position of the imaging device 40, and the position of the ejection mechanism 50; and criteria for determining good/defective products.

The cover 36 will be explained in detail below. As shown in FIG. 1, the cover 36 is placed on the turntable 30 and covers the electronic component 3 that is being rotated and conveyed on the turntable 30. More specifically, the cover 36 is arranged to cover the rotational conveyance path 31 of the electronic component 3 on the turntable 30. The cover 36 has an arcuate shape along the rotary conveyance path 31 on the turntable 30.

4A is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of the parts sorting apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line V-V of the parts sorting apparatus shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 5, the cross-sectional shape of the cover 36 intersecting the rotary conveyance path 31 on the turntable 30 is arcuate. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 4A, the cover 36 can have a surface perpendicular to the line of sight of the imaging device 40 that images the main surface of the electronic component 3, for example. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the cover 36 can have a surface perpendicular to the line of sight of the imaging device 40 that images the side surface of the electronic component 3, for example. In this way, when the surface of the cover 36 is perpendicular to the line of sight of the imaging device 40, refraction due to the cover 36 can be reduced, and the main surface and side surfaces of the electronic component 3 can be accurately imaged. Note that the shape is not limited to a circular arc shape, and includes a shape having a surface perpendicular to the line of sight of the imaging device 40. Further, a part of the cover may be formed into a lens shape to have a magnification function.

4A and FIG. 5, a surface of the cover 36 perpendicular to the line of sight of the imaging device 40 may be thinner than other surfaces of the cover 36. According to this, refraction caused by the cover 36 can be further reduced, and the main surface and side surfaces of the electronic component 3 can be imaged more accurately.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of the parts sorting device shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the cover 36 has a surface that slopes in a direction along the rotary conveyance path 31 on the turntable 30. As shown in FIG. Thereby, the cover 36 can have a surface perpendicular to the line of sight of the imaging device 40 that images the end surface of the electronic component 3, for example. In this way, when the surface of the cover 36 is perpendicular to the line of sight of the imaging device 40, refraction due to the cover 36 can be reduced, and the end surface of the electronic component 3 can be accurately imaged.

In FIG. 6 , a surface of the cover 36 that is perpendicular to the line of sight of the imaging device 40 may be thinner than other surfaces of the cover 36 . According to this, refraction caused by the cover 36 can be further reduced, and the end face of the electronic component 3 can be imaged more accurately.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 5, the cover 36 and the turntable 30 are spaced apart. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4A, the cover 36 is a cover support member 47 that includes support columns etc. fixed to a fixed member (not shown), and includes a plurality of cover support members 47 arranged at equal intervals. It may be suspended and supported by. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4B, the cover 36 may be suspended and supported by a plurality of cover support members 47 including support columns fixed to each of the imaging devices 40. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4C, the cover 36 is a cover support member 47 including wheels etc. provided between the cover 36 and the turntable 30, and is supported by a plurality of cover support members 47 arranged at equal intervals. , may be supported. Thereby, the turntable 30 can rotate without interfering with the cover 36. The distance between the cover 36 and the turntable 30 is smaller than the smallest dimension of the length, width, and thickness of the electronic component 3. Thereby, it is possible to prevent different types of electronic components from getting mixed into the cover 36, that is, the rotary conveyance path 31 on the turntable 30. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the electronic component 3 being transported from falling out of the cover 36, that is, outside the rotary transport path 31 on the turntable 30.

The cover 36 is made of a material such as glass or resin, and has light transmittance (for example, transparency). Thereby, the imaging device 40 can image the electronic component 3 through the cover 36.

Note that the cover 36 may be colored (for example, a color that modulates long wavelengths (red) or short wavelengths (blue)). Thereby, it is possible to modulate the light and detect the surface condition of the component that cannot be detected with transparent light. Alternatively, the cover 36 may have polarizing properties. Thereby, it is possible to detect the surface condition of the component that cannot be detected with transparent light. Note that the light modulation is not limited to the cover, and the light from the light source may also be modulated.

As explained above, according to the component sorting device 1 of the present embodiment, the transparent turntable 30 rotatably conveys the electronic component 3, and the six An imaging device 40 , an inspection and sorting controller 70 that performs a visual inspection of the electronic component 3 based on the imaging results from the imaged device 40 and selects non-defective products based on the results of the visual inspection, and non-defective products selected by the inspection and sorting controller 70 and a discharge mechanism 50 for discharging from the turntable 30. Thereby, it is possible to visually inspect the plurality of electronic components 3 while transporting them and to select non-defective products.

Here, in such a component sorting device, different types of electronic components may be inspected and sorted for each manufacturing lot. For example, some surface-mounted electronic components have different characteristics even if they are the same size. More specifically, multilayer ceramic capacitors include components that are the same size but have different capacities.

Furthermore, in the conventional component sorting apparatus, the top of the turntable was in an open state because the electronic components on the turntable were imaged by an imaging device. Therefore, there is a possibility that different types of electronic components may be mixed into the rotary conveyance path 31 on the turntable. In this way, electronic components of the same size/different characteristics are likely to be mixed in, and if they are discharged as non-defective products, the mixing of parts will occur.

Regarding this point, according to the component sorting device 1 of the present embodiment, a cover 36 is disposed on the turntable 30 to cover the electronic component 3 that is rotationally conveyed on the turntable 30. Thereby, it is possible to prevent electronic components of different types from getting mixed into the cover 36, that is, the rotary conveyance path 31 on the turntable. Therefore, the accuracy of parts selection can be improved.

In addition, in conventional component sorting equipment where the top of the turntable is open, electronic components being transported may fall outside the rotating transport path, and electronic components from the previous lot may remain on the turntable. . In such a case, if the type of electronic components in the current lot is different from the type of electronic components in the previous lot, there is a possibility that the electronic components in the current lot may be mixed with electronic components of a different type from the previous lot. If electronic components of the same size/different characteristics are mixed in this way, even if the accuracy of appearance inspection is high, the accuracy of sorting will be reduced.

Regarding this point, according to the component sorting device of this embodiment, the cover 36 is arranged so as to cover the rotational conveyance path 31 of the electronic component 3 on the turntable 30. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the electronic component 3 being transported from coming off outside the cover 36, that is, outside the rotary transport path 31 on the turntable 30. Therefore, the accuracy of parts selection can be improved.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes and modifications are possible. In the embodiment described above, the component sorting device 1 is illustrated as having one cover 36 that is continuous along the rotary conveyance path 31 of the electronic components 3 on the turntable 30 (FIG. 1). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the component sorting device 1 may include a plurality of covers 36 divided along the rotational conveyance path 31 of the electronic components 3 on the turntable 30. (FIG. 7; the cover support member 37 described above is omitted in FIG. 7). In this case, the distance between adjacent covers 36 is preferably smaller than the smallest dimension of the length, width, and thickness of the electronic component 3. For example, it is preferably 0.02 mm or less.

Further, in the embodiment described above, the component sorting device 1 includes the cover 36 having an arc shape along the rotational conveyance path 31 on the turntable 30 so as to cover the rotational conveyance path 31 of the electronic components 3 on the turntable 30. Illustrated as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the component sorting device 1 may include a cover 36 that covers the entire turntable 30.

Further, in the embodiment described above, the component sorting device 1 is illustrated in which the cover 36 is interposed between the turntable 30 and the imaging device 40. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the component sorting device 1 may have a configuration in which the cover 36 also covers the imaging device 40.

1 Component sorting device 3 Electronic components 10 Ball feeder 12 Vibration mechanism 20 Linear feeder 22 Vibration mechanism 30 Turntable 31 Rotary conveyance path (rotary conveyance path)
32 Guide mechanism 34 Electrostatic adsorption mechanism 36 Cover 37 Cover support member 40 Imaging device 50 Ejection mechanism 70 Inspection sorting controller

Claims (11)

A parts sorting device that inspects parts while transporting them and selects non-defective products,
a turntable that rotationally conveys the parts;
a plurality of imaging devices each capturing images of a plurality of outer surfaces of the component on the turntable;
an inspection and sorting controller that performs a visual inspection of the component based on imaging results from the plurality of imaging devices, and selects the non-defective products based on the results of the visual inspection;
a discharge mechanism that discharges the non-defective products sorted by the inspection and sorting controller from the turntable;
a cover that is placed on the turntable and covers the component that is rotated and conveyed on the turntable;
A parts sorting device equipped with The parts sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the cover has optical transparency. The cover and the turntable are spaced apart,
The distance between the cover and the turntable is smaller than the smallest dimension of the length, width, and thickness of the parts.
The parts sorting device according to claim 1. The cover is arranged to cover a rotational conveyance path of the component on the turntable,
each of the plurality of imaging devices images the component through the cover;
The parts sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The parts sorting device according to claim 4, wherein the cover has an arc shape along the rotational conveyance path on the turntable. The parts sorting device according to claim 4, wherein the cover has a surface perpendicular to the line of sight of each of the plurality of imaging devices. 7. The parts sorting device according to claim 6, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the cover intersecting the rotary conveyance path on the turntable is an arc shape. The parts sorting device according to claim 6, wherein the cover has a surface inclined in a direction along the rotational conveyance path on the turntable. 7. The parts sorting device according to claim 6, wherein a surface of the cover perpendicular to the line of sight of each of the plurality of imaging devices is thinner than other surfaces of the cover. The parts sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the cover has polarizing properties. The parts sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the cover is colored.

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