JPH0365919B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to an etching apparatus for printed circuit boards.

[Prior Art] An automated line, for example, an automated line for manufacturing printed circuit boards, includes various processes such as an etching process, a printing process, and a polishing process.
In each of these steps, printed circuit board materials (hereinafter referred to as parts) need to be conveyed along the line at precise intervals. The reason for this is that for products that require precision, such as printed circuit boards, if the parts are not sent at accurate pitches (part spacing), accurate processing cannot be performed in each of the above steps, and stable products cannot be achieved. This is because it cannot be manufactured. Therefore, in a process such as an etching process in which a chemical solution is passed through a certain length of chemical device (furnace-like etching device), it is difficult to ensure that the parts being carried into and out of the etching device are accurately carried in, passed through, and processed.
It is necessary to monitor whether it has been taken out or not.

Conventionally, the above-mentioned monitoring was performed visually by the operator.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the conventional monitoring system described above poses the following major problems for workers. That is, when parts 1 are continuously carried into the etching apparatus 2 from the entrance 2a as shown in FIG. If there is any trouble inside, such as falling off the conveyor 3 or entrance 2a.
It can be determined whether or not a problem has occurred. This is because the parts 1 that are continuously brought in from the entrance 2a
This is because if even one component is carried out from the outlet 2b in a discontinuous state, it is considered that some kind of trouble has occurred within the etching apparatus 2 in that discontinuous state. However, as shown in Fig. 4b, if only one or several items are excluded from the series as defective in the previous process, for example, the inspection process, the supervisor at the exit 2b ,1
If you look at a group of parts on the line that are out of stock, you can determine whether this is due to a problem in the etching device 2 or if it is already out of stock before being brought into the etching device 2. I can't tell if there is. Conventionally, workers make decisions and respond using lights, buzzers, etc. connected to sensors placed at entrances and exits, but this lacks certainty in judgment and has an impact on work efficiency, work efficiency, and work accuracy during monitoring work. The result was a lack of quality. Further, in the conventional monitoring system described above, since the operator is an essential factor, labor saving in the automated line has been hindered.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art described above, and is intended to solve the above problems by configuring the system so that it can be automatically monitored.

[Means and effects for solving the problem] The present invention includes a detection device for detecting the quantity of printed circuit board materials and the distance between the printed circuit board materials on the conveyance line of the printed circuit board materials passing through the etching processing apparatus. , a detection device for detecting whether or not the printed circuit board material carried into the etching processing apparatus is normally passed through and carried out; and a conveyance line for the printed circuit board material and etching processing according to output signals from each of the detection devices. Etching of a printed circuit board can be automatically performed, characterized in that the present invention includes a control device for controlling the stoppage of the device.

[Example] Hereinafter, one example of the present invention will be described in detail using the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the etching process in an automated line for manufacturing printed circuit boards. In the figure, numeral 10 indicates printed circuit board materials (hereinafter referred to as parts) on the transport line 11 that have been processed in the previous process. This is an etching device that performs an etching process on 12. Reference numeral 13 denotes an entrance sensor disposed at the front upper part of the entrance 10a of the etching apparatus 10, which is connected to the measuring section 14 and measures the length of the parts 12 and the quantity of the parts 12 carried into the etching apparatus 10. , so that the interval between one part 12 and the next part 12 can be measured by time measurement. The measured value in the measuring section 14 is converted into a digital quantity via the A/D converter 15, and the comparison circuit 16 converts it into a reference value 17 during normal operation.
The control signal section 18 is configured to issue a stop signal for the etching apparatus 10 and other lines if the etching is not normal. That is, the stop signal is issued when the parts 12 are not flowing on the conveyance line 11 (when the parts are out) or when the inlet part 12 of the device 10 is caught, and therefore, when the parts 12 are not flowing on the conveyor line 11 (when the parts are out), the stop signal is issued. It is also possible to detect whether the component 12 is caught or caught at the entrance 10a.

There is also an inlet 10 at the outlet 10b of the etching device 10.
An exit sensor 19 is installed as well as on the a side,
Similarly to the entrance 10a side, the length of the parts 12 carried out from the etching apparatus 10, the quantity of parts 12, and the distance between one part 12 and the next part 12 can be measured via the measuring part 20. There is. At the same time, each part 12 from the inlet 10a to the outlet 10b
The settings are made so that the transport time for each transport can be measured.
Then, similarly to the entrance 10a side, the A/D converter 2
The comparison circuit 22 compares the measured value from 1 with the reference value 23 during normal operation, and if it is not normal, a stop signal for the etching device 10 etc. line is sent to the control signal section 2.
It is configured to emit from 4. Therefore, the detection at the outlet 10b may cause a malfunction of the conveyor section (not shown) of the etching device 10, a component 12 getting caught in the etching device 10, a component 12 falling off in the etching device 10, etc. It has become possible to detect

The entrance sensor 13 and the exit sensor 19 are an entrance counter 25 and an exit counter 26, respectively.
The measured values of both counters 25 and 26 are connected to the entrance counter 25 through a calculation section 27.
The total value is accumulated at the exit counter 26, and the value is subtracted at the exit counter 26. When the calculated value exceeds the reference value 28, the control signal section 29 is set to issue a stop signal. Therefore, by calculating the counters 25 and 26, it is possible to detect whether the component 12 is caught in the etching device 10 or if the component 12 is falling out of the etching device 10.

According to the above configuration, the entrance sensor 13, the measurement unit 14, etc. can detect parts breakage on the conveyance line 11, parts 12 caught at the device entrance 10a, etc., and accidents such as parts cuts and parts caught. When this occurs, the conveyance line 11 and the like are automatically stopped. Therefore, the labor of the supervisor who should be placed on the entrance 10a side can be saved.

In addition, the exit sensor 19 and the measuring unit 20 detect malfunction of the device conveyor and the etching device 1.
Part 12 caught in 0, etching device 10
It is possible to detect the falling off of parts 12 inside, and when such an abnormality occurs, the conveyance line 11 etc. are automatically stopped. Also, entrance counter 25, exit counter 2
6, it is possible to detect whether the component 12 is caught or fallen off in the etching device 10, and in this case, if an abnormality occurs, the transport line 11 is
etc. will be automatically stopped. Therefore, troubles such as malfunction of the device conveyor and parts 12 getting caught or falling off in the etching device 10 can be detected without placing a supervisor at the exit 10b, and when these troubles occur, the conveyor line can be quickly removed. 11 can be automatically stopped and controlled. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to completely automate the monitoring system in an automated line, which has been extremely difficult to automate in the past, improving monitoring accuracy, preventing a large number of defective products, and saving labor in the automated line. It is understandable.

In addition, in the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 2a, when the parts 12 are conveyed continuously on the conveyance line 11 in a joined state or regularly while maintaining a fixed interval, it is especially useful as a monitoring device. Although it can function effectively, the parts 12 on the transport line 11 are not always transported regularly. That is, as shown in FIG. 2b, the parts 12 may be transported on the transport line 11 in an irregular manner. In such a case, the etching device 1
If some of the parts 12a, 12b are caught in the apparatus conveyor and shifted to the position shown by the imaginary line in the 0, it is difficult to detect the shift. Part 1
If 2a and 12b are displaced within the etching apparatus 10, this is often considered damage, so it is necessary to detect it as a defective product. Therefore, in such a case, a detection device 30 as shown in FIG.
This can prevent the occurrence of defective products. That is, what is indicated by 31 in the figure is a plurality of integrated circuits (ICs).
It is an arithmetic processing unit composed of 32, and is set to have the same arithmetic function as a CPU. Note that this arithmetic processor 31 is the same as a commonly used one, so a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted. The arithmetic processor 31 is connected to the entrance sensor 13, stores the data measured by the entrance sensor 13, and sends the data to the comparison circuit 33 after the standard passage time (standard passage time from loading to unloading of each part 12) has elapsed. The data is sent and compared with the measured data from the exit sensor 19 to detect whether or not the parts 12 being carried out are transported at the correct position. If it is determined that the component 12 is not in the correct position (if the component 12 has shifted or fallen off, etc.), control such as stopping the conveyance line 11 can be performed via the control signal section 34. . Reference numeral 35 indicates a reference signal for the clock pulse.

With the above configuration, even if the parts 12 are being transported in an irregular state, it is possible to detect whether or not the parts 12 are being transported at the correct position, and the monitoring function in the automated line can be extended over a wider range. In addition, it is possible to automatically detect defective products in irregularly transported parts.

Additionally, a component position detector 3 as shown in FIG. 3b
6 may be configured to detect equipment failures, malfunctions, etc. of the etching apparatus 10. That is, the arithmetic processor 31 stores the presence or absence of parts detected by the entrance sensor 13 in FIG.
The planned passing position is synchronized with the moving speed of Ramp 3.
7, and when the positions of the parts 12 are compared and are not correct, it may be determined that the equipment is malfunctioning or malfunctioning, and a line stop signal or the like may be issued. 38 is a resistor, and 39 is a transistor.

Therefore, according to each of the above configurations, regardless of whether the conveyance state of the component 12 is regular or not, the component 12 will not be cut, the component 12 will get caught at the entrance 10a, and the component 12 will not get caught in the etching device 10. It can reliably detect and monitor things such as jamming, falling off, equipment conveyor breakdowns, malfunctions, etc., saving labor in automated lines, reliably detecting defective products, preventing large numbers of defective products, and significantly increasing monitoring capabilities. This allows for early detection of transport line equipment failures, malfunctions, etc.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, it is possible to automate the etching process for a printed circuit board and to perform the same process accurately.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing one embodiment of the device according to the present invention, FIGS. 2a and b are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the present invention, and FIG.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams showing other configurations of essential parts of the present invention, and FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining problems in the prior art. 10... Etching device (parts processing device), 1
1... Conveyance line, 12... Parts, 13... Inlet sensor, 19... Outlet sensor, 18, 24...
...Control signal unit, 31...Arithmetic processor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A detection device that detects the quantity of printed circuit board materials and the spacing between printed circuit board materials on the conveyance line of printed circuit board materials passing through the etching processing device, and a detection device that detects whether the printed circuit board materials carried into the etching processing device are normally carried into the etching processing device. The present invention is characterized by comprising: a detection device that detects whether or not it has passed through or has been carried out; and a control device that controls the stoppage of the printed circuit board material conveyance line and the etching processing device in accordance with output signals from each of the detection devices. Etching equipment for printed circuit boards.