JP5084661B2 - Substrate transfer device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transfer device, and more particularly to a substrate transfer device suitable for application when transferring a substrate such as a printed circuit board in an electronic component mounting apparatus.

  In general, a substrate transport device is used in a mounting device that mounts electronic components on a printed circuit board (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of a general substrate transfer apparatus, FIG. 2 is an internal side view of the substrate transfer apparatus viewed from the inside, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the substrate transfer apparatus viewed from the downstream side.

  The substrate transport apparatus includes an in-buffer 10 that loads and waits for a substrate S, a center station (substrate positioning and fixing unit) 12 that positions and fixes the loaded substrate and mounts electronic components on the substrate S, The board is composed of areas called out-buffers 14 for appropriately carrying out the produced substrates on which the electronic components have been mounted.

  In each of these areas 10 to 14, the fixed rail 20 disposed along the transport direction (X direction) of the substrate S and the opposite side (Y direction) perpendicular to the transport direction are disposed so as to be opposed to the fixed rail 20. Each movable rail 22 is provided. On each of these rails, a pair of transport belts 24 for transporting the substrate S is disposed, and the substrate S is guided upstream by a rail portion having a predetermined margin in the width direction (left direction in the figure). ) Can be transported downstream.

  In this substrate transfer apparatus, it is possible to adjust the distance from the fixed rail 20 by moving the entire movable rails 22 of the in-buffer 10 to the out-buffer 14 in accordance with the width of the substrate S to be produced. After appropriately adjusting the interval, when the substrate S is carried into the center station 12 through the in-buffer 10, the substrate S comes into contact with the stopper 26 and is mechanically stopped to be positioned in the transport direction.

  On the other hand, only the movable rail 22A of the center station 12 can be further advanced and retracted independently of the other movable rails 22, and is driven by a Y pusher 28 driven by an air cylinder adjusted to a predetermined pressure by an electropneumatic regulator. It can be pressed in the direction of the fixed rail 20. Then, the substrate S positioned in the X direction by the stopper 26 is moved to a Y reference position (on the fixed rail 20A defining the substrate position in the Y direction by the movable rail 22A pressed against the Y pusher 28 with a predetermined pressure. It is pressed against the (inner wall part) 30 and positioned.

  Thus, when the substrate S carried into the center station 12 is positioned in the X direction and the Y direction, the fixed rails 20A and 20A in the station 12 are placed by the backup table 32 installed at the lower part of the center station 12. The movable rail 22A and the conveyor belt 24A are pushed up at the same time, and are sandwiched between the conveyor belt 24A and the substrate upper surface positioning portion 34 above the conveyor belt 24A, and are positioned and fixed in the Z direction. Thereafter, electronic components are mounted on the fixed substrate S by a mounting head of a mounting apparatus (not shown).

  In the conventional substrate transfer apparatus described in detail above, when the substrate S is pressed against the reference position of the fixed rail 20A serving as a reference in the Y direction by one Y pusher 28 provided at the center portion in the transfer direction of the center station 12, the positioning is performed. If the substrate S has a sufficient length in the transport direction as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the movable rail 22A can be maintained parallel to the fixed rail 20A. It can be positioned and fixed accurately.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-142892

  However, as shown in FIG. 4A, in the case of a small substrate S having a short length in the transport direction, when the Y pusher 28 tries to position in the Y direction when the stopper 26 is positioned in the X direction. As shown in FIG. 5B, when the moment acts with the rear corner A of the substrate S as a fulcrum, the movable rail 22A tilts, and the movable rail 22A is placed at a uniform position with respect to the fixed rail 20A. There is a problem that it is difficult to accurately position the substrate S in the Y direction because it cannot be pressed (in parallel).

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and even when the substrate to be used is short in the transport direction, the positioning and fixing in the width direction perpendicular to the transport direction with respect to the substrate is reliably performed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate transfer apparatus capable of performing the above.

  The present invention relates to a fixed rail disposed along a substrate transport direction, a movable rail disposed opposite to the fixed rail and movable in the opposite direction, and both ends of each of the opposing substrates attached to each rail. A conveyor that supports and conveys each of them, a conveyance direction positioning means that stops the substrates carried by both conveyors, positions the conveyance direction, and presses the movable rail toward the fixed rail to be positioned in the conveyance direction. In a substrate transport apparatus having a substrate positioning and fixing portion provided with a width direction positioning means for positioning in the width direction by bringing the substrate into contact with a reference position, as the width direction positioning means, an upstream side and a downstream side in the transport direction The first pusher and the second pusher which are disposed to be spaced apart from each other and the first pressure adjusting means for adjusting the cylinder pressure of each pusher. A first range finder and a second pressure adjusting means, which are spaced apart from the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction and measure the distance between the fixed rail and the movable rail at each corresponding position. A 2-distance meter is provided, and after the substrates carried by the two conveyors are positioned in the transport direction, the first pusher and the second pusher are each driven with a predetermined cylinder pressure to start pressing the movable rail. At the same time, measurement by the first distance meter and the second distance meter was started, and after the measurement was started, the measurement value by at least one distance meter became less than the length corresponding to the preset substrate width. At the time, the driving of the first pusher and the second pusher is stopped, and when there is a deviation in the measured values by the both distance meters when the driving is stopped, the first pusher and the second pusher are moved in a direction in which the deviation is eliminated. 2 push By the provided with a control means for performing control for adjusting at least one of the cylinder pressure is obtained by solving the above problems.

  In the present invention, the control for adjusting the cylinder pressure of at least one of the first pusher and the second pusher in the direction in which the deviation is eliminated corresponds to the distance meter having a smaller measured value when the adjustment is stopped. Alternatively, the cylinder pressure of the pusher may be lowered.

  According to the present invention, the movable rail is pressed in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction with the same cylinder pressure by the two pushers (width direction positioning means) that are spaced apart on the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction. At the time when at least one of the first and second rangefinders, which are similarly spaced apart from the upstream side and the downstream side, becomes equal to or smaller than the substrate width, there is a difference between the detection values of both, and one of them is the substrate. If it is narrower than the width, for example, the cylinder pressure of the pusher with the smaller width is reduced, so the difference can be eliminated, and as a result, the movable rail in the entire conveyance direction matches the board width. And the substrate can be accurately positioned in the width direction.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  5 to 7 are a plan view, an internal side view, and a front view showing an outline of a substrate transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The basic structure of the substrate transfer apparatus of this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIGS.

  That is, an in-buffer 10, a center station (substrate positioning and fixing portion) 12, and an out-buffer 14 are provided along the transport direction.

  The center station 12 includes a fixed rail 20A disposed along the transport direction of the substrate S, a movable rail 22A that is disposed to face the fixed rail 20A and is movable in a facing direction orthogonal to the transport direction, An endless transfer belt (conveyor) 24A attached to the inside of each rail 20A, 20B and supporting both ends of the opposing substrate S and the substrate S carried by the opposing conveyors 24A are stopped. And a stopper (conveying direction positioning means) 26 for determining the position in the conveying direction.

  However, the width direction positioning means for pressing the movable rail 22A toward the fixed rail 20A and bringing the substrate S positioned in the transport direction into contact with the reference position 30 and positioning in the width direction is an upstream side in the transport direction. And a first pusher 40A and a second pusher 40B that are spaced apart on the downstream side, and adjust the cylinder pressure of each pusher 40A, 40B as shown in FIG. A first electropneumatic regulator R1 and a second electropneumatic regulator R2 are provided as pressure adjusting means.

  Similarly, a first detection sensor (displacement sensor) that measures the distance between the fixed rail 20A and the movable rail 22A at each corresponding position is provided on the fixed rail 20A at positions separated from the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction. A distance meter) 42A and a second detection sensor 42B are provided. Here, the first detection sensor 42A and the second detection sensor 42B are installed at both end positions of the center station 12, and are positioned outside the maximum size of a normally used substrate.

  Next, an outline of the control system in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This control system is included in the control device of the mounting apparatus body.

  In this control system, the detection values L1 and L2 from the first detection sensor 42A and the second detection sensor 42B are input to the comparator 44, and the difference calculated by the comparator 44 is input to the control unit 46. . The controller 46 controls the first electropneumatic regulator R1 and the second electropneumatic regulator R2 that adjust the cylinder pressures of the first pusher 40A and the second pusher 40B, respectively, based on the difference ΔL (L1-L2). To do.

  That is, in the control unit 46, after the substrate S carried in by both the conveyors 24A is positioned in the carrying direction by the stopper 26, the first pusher 40A and the second pusher 40B are respectively set at a predetermined (same) cylinder pressure. At the same time as driving and pressing of the movable rail 22A is started, measurement by the first detection sensor 42A and the second detection sensor 42B is started.

  After the measurement starts, when the measured value L1 or L2 by at least one of the detection sensors becomes equal to or less than the length corresponding to the substrate width W set in advance by inputting to the control unit 46, the predetermined cylinder pressure is applied. The driving of the first pusher 40A and the second pusher 40B is stopped. When there is a deviation ΔL in the measured values L1 and L2 by the detection sensors 42A and 42B when the driving of both the pushers 40A and 40B is stopped, the first pusher 40A and the second pusher are moved in a direction in which the deviation ΔL is eliminated. Control for adjusting at least one cylinder pressure of 40B is performed.

  The operation of the present embodiment having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, the size of the board to be produced is input to the control unit 46 (step 1). Next, the loading of the substrate S to the position of the stopper 26 is awaited (step 2). For example, when the board leading edge detection sensor (not shown) detects the board loading to the stopper position, the first detection sensor 42A and the second detection sensor 42B respectively set the rail width (distance) between the fixed rail 20A and the movable rail 22A. At the same time as the detection operation is started, the first pusher 40A and the second pusher 40B are driven.

  When driving the pushers 40A and 40B, the first electropneumatic regulator R1 and the second electropneumatic regulator R2 so that the distances (lengths) detected by the first detection sensor 42A and the second detection sensor 42B are the same. Thus, while adjusting the cylinder pressure of the first pusher 40A and the second pusher 40B to a predetermined value (usually the same value), the movable rail 22A is pressed toward the fixed rail 20A by both the pushers 40A and 40B (step 3).

  After driving the first pusher 40A and the second pusher 40B with a predetermined cylinder pressure and starting the pressing in the width direction of the substrate S, one of the first detection sensor 42A and the second detection sensor 42B is input in advance. When the width of the substrate becomes equal to or smaller than W, a stop signal is transmitted to both electropneumatic regulators R1 and R2, and the drive of both pushers 40A and 40B is stopped by fixing the cylinder pressure (step 4).

  Next, the difference between the distances L1 and L2 between the fixed rail 20A and the movable rail 22A measured by the first detection sensor 42A and the second detection sensor 42B is calculated by the comparator 44 (step 5), and the difference ΔL is 0. If not, a control signal is sent to either one of the electropneumatic regulators so that the cylinder pressure is automatically adjusted so that the detection values of both sensors coincide with the substrate width (steps 6 and 7).

  Incidentally, when positioning a short small substrate S in the transport direction of the same size as in FIG. 4, although not shown, when both pushers 40A and 40B are driven with the same cylinder pressure, FIG. As in the example shown, the pushing amount of the movable rail 22A upstream in the transport direction, that is, the first pusher 40A side becomes larger, and therefore the length L1 measured by the first detection sensor 42A becomes shorter.

  Therefore, as shown by the thickness of the arrow in FIG. 10, the cylinder pressure of the first pusher 40A is reduced so that L1 = L2, and the front (upstream) and the rear (downstream) in the transport direction. ) To balance the distance. Thereby, the inclination which arises in the board | substrate S as shown to FIG. 4 (B) can be eliminated, and the positioning precision of a Y direction can be improved by performing this adjustment for every board | substrate.

  According to this embodiment described in detail above, the small board S can be pressed uniformly against the fixed rail 20A, and the Y-direction positioning accuracy of the board S can be improved.

  In the embodiment, the case where the cylinder pressure of the pusher with the shorter distance between the rails is reduced when performing the control to adjust the cylinder pressure is not limited to this, but the longer cylinder pressure is reversed. It may be increased or both cylinder pressures may be adjusted.

Plan view showing an outline of a conventional substrate transfer apparatus Internal side view showing the outline of a conventional substrate transfer device Front view showing an outline of a conventional substrate transfer device Schematic diagram for explaining problems of a conventional substrate transfer apparatus The top view which shows the outline | summary of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on this invention The internal side view which shows the outline | summary of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus based on this invention The front view which shows the outline | summary of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on this invention The block diagram which shows the outline | summary of the control system of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus of this embodiment Flow chart showing the operation of this embodiment Schematic diagram showing the operation of this embodiment

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... In buffer 12 ... Center station 14 ... Out buffer 20 ... Fixed rail 22 ... Movable rail 24 ... Conveyor belt 26 ... Stopper 28 ... Y pusher 30 ... Reference position 32 ... Backup table 34 ... Substrate upper surface positioning part 40A ... 1st pusher 40B ... Second pusher 42A ... First detection sensor 42B ... Second detection sensor 44 ... Comparator 46 ... Control unit R1 ... First electropneumatic regulator R2 ... Second electropneumatic regulator S ... Substrate

Claims (2)

Fixed rails arranged along the substrate transport direction;
A movable rail disposed opposite the fixed rail and movable in the opposite direction;
A conveyor attached to each rail, respectively supporting and transporting both ends of the opposing substrate;
A transport direction positioning means for stopping the substrates carried by both conveyors and positioning in the transport direction;
A substrate transport apparatus having a substrate positioning and fixing unit including a width-direction positioning unit that presses the movable rail toward the fixed rail and brings the substrate positioned in the transport direction into contact with a reference position to perform positioning in the width direction. In
As the width direction positioning means, a first pusher and a second pusher, which are disposed separately on the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction, and a first pressure adjustment for adjusting the cylinder pressure of each pusher, respectively. Means and second pressure adjusting means,
In addition, the first distance meter and the second distance meter for measuring the distance between the fixed rail and the movable rail at each corresponding position, which are disposed apart from the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction, are provided.
After the substrates carried by the two conveyors are positioned in the transport direction, the first pusher and the second pusher are each driven with a predetermined cylinder pressure to start pressing the movable rail, and the first distance meter and Start measuring with the second rangefinder,
After the measurement is started, when the measured value by at least one distance meter becomes equal to or less than the length corresponding to the preset substrate width, the driving of the first pusher and the second pusher is stopped,
A control means for performing control to adjust the cylinder pressure of at least one of the first pusher and the second pusher in a direction in which the deviation is eliminated when there is a deviation in the measured value by the both distance meters when the driving is stopped; A substrate transport apparatus comprising the substrate transport apparatus.   The control of adjusting the cylinder pressure of at least one of the first pusher and the second pusher in the direction in which the deviation is eliminated is performed by adjusting the cylinder pressure of the pusher corresponding to the distance meter having the smaller measured value when the adjustment is stopped. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate transfer device is performed while lowering.

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