JPH0578481B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an improvement of a magazine stocker in an IC handler that has a function of stacking magazines containing ICs and sending them out by sequentially dropping them under their own weight.

[Prior Art] An IC handler sequentially transports a large number of integrated circuits to a socket, attaches them to the socket, inspects their electrical performance, removes them from the socket, and processes them according to the inspection results. Integrated circuits are being sorted and transported.

A magazine containing a large number of integrated circuits as shown in FIG. 2 is used for supplying and unloading integrated circuits to and from an IC handler. The IC handler is loaded with such a large number of magazines 2,
A magazine stocker is built in to sequentially feed out the integrated circuits in the magazine, and a shuttle rail is built in to transport the fed out integrated circuits to the test socket.

For example, a magazine stocker has a guide column 3 consisting of a pair of channel cross-sectional members arranged with grooves facing each other, as shown in Fig. 3, and the magazines are stacked with both ends positioned in the grooves of the guide column. Every time the magazine 2' is stored and moved horizontally on the shoot rail, etc.
The magazines stacked at the top are designed to descend under their own weight. As shown in FIG. 4, the shoot rail 5 has a shape that fits into the space surrounded by the bottom surface of the integrated circuit 1 and the leads, and moves the integrated circuit 3 using, for example, gravity.

Integrated circuits come in many forms, large and small, and one
There is a need for IC handlers to be able to test these integrated circuits.
By configuring the magazine 2 to have a shape and size that correspond to the form of the integrated circuit 1, the guide columns are divided into two parts each having an L-shaped cross section as shown in FIG. member 3a,
3b, and by annealing these members a, a' and arrows b, b', approaching or separating them to correspond to the width dimension of the magazine, the shoot rail is made as shown in Fig. 5. Using the shuttle rail 5 whose cross section is approximately E-shaped as shown, that is, the large integrated circuit 1a is transported as shown in FIG. 5A, and the medium integrated circuit 1a is transported as shown in FIG. 5B. 1b is transported, and a small integrated circuit 1c is transported as shown in FIG. can do.

However, in such a device, the position of the shuttle rail 5 is fixed in relation to other devices, so when transporting a large integrated circuit 1a, the fifth
Even if it is possible to match the arrangement line M of the integrated circuits 1a in the magazine with the transport line on the shoot rail as shown in Figure A, when transporting a medium-sized integrated circuit 1b, as shown in Figure 5B, If the array line M of the integrated circuits 1b no longer matches the transport line m _b of the shoot rail and a smaller integrated circuit 1c is to be transported, as shown in FIG. Does not match line m _c .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a magazine stocker that allows magazines to be aligned with the shoot rail even if the magazine widths are different.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides a shoot rail, a magazine for storing integrated circuits in a line, and a guide for stacking and storing the magazines located on an extension of the integrated circuit transport line on the shoot rail. In a magazine stocker equipped with a post,
The shoot rail has a plurality of integrated circuit transport lines arranged in parallel, the magazine has different width dimensions depending on the form of the integrated circuit, and the guide post has two members that hold the longitudinal sides of the magazine and The present invention is characterized in that it has a first mechanism that moves the members toward and away from each other, and a second mechanism that moves the guide post together with the magazine in a direction perpendicular to the plurality of conveyance lines.

[Operation] The first mechanism moves the members constituting the guide post to hold the magazine according to the magazine loaded with large, medium, and small integrated circuits, and the second mechanism moves the members constituting the guide post and the magazine. The magazine is moved to match each transport line on the shoot rail with the arrangement line of the integrated circuits in the magazine.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of the magazine stocker of the present invention, and is a schematic partially cutaway plan view.

The brackets 7 and 7' are fixed to the stationary member 6 to support the pair of rails 8 in the X-axis direction, and the movable base 9
is slidably supported in the X-axis direction. In FIG. 1, for ease of reading, the cross-sections of the members fixed to the stationary member are marked with cross hatching. Among the structural members depicted in this figure, a stationary member 6,
The brackets 7, 7' and the rail 8 are members that do not move with respect to the floor surface on which the IC handler is installed.

A movable base 9 is constructed and guided by the rails 8 to be slidable in the X-axis direction.

In this Fig. 1, the movable base 9 is broken into three parts, the central part M is removed, and the right end part R in the figure is cut into three pieces.
The onboard equipment described below is schematically depicted. Although not shown in the left end L of the figure, the same equipment as in the R section described above is mounted and is configured symmetrically.

Three pairs of L-shaped cross-section guide angles 10a, 1
0b and each pair of guide angles 10a, 1
0b facing each other and magazine (shown by imaginary line) 2
be pinched. Guide angle 1 is shown in Figure 1 of this book.
Horizontal sections of 0a and 10b appear. These guide angles 10a, 10b are Z
It stands upright in the axial direction (perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 1).

A pair of connecting rods 11a and 11b are formed and arranged in alignment with each other in the X-axis direction, and the three guide angles 10a are fixed to the connecting rod 11a,
Three guide angles 10b are fixed to the connecting rod 11b.

A connecting rod driving section 12 is constructed and installed on the moving base 9, and configured to move the pair of connecting rods 11a and 11b in the X-axis direction. The movement in the X-axis direction (i.e., position adjustment) is performed by moving base 9
This is done based on the standard.

On the other hand, a base driving means 13 is provided between the bracket 7, which is a stationary member, and a driving section 12 installed and fixed on the movable base, so that the movable base 9 can be moved in the X-axis direction.

When the connecting rod drive unit 12 is operated to move the position of the pair of connecting rods 11a, 11b in the X-axis direction, the guide angles 10a, 1 fixed thereto are moved.
The interval W ₁ between 0b changes all at once. This results in
The above-mentioned interval W ₁ can be adjusted to fit loosely with respect to the width w of the magazine 3. Even if this adjustment is performed, the interval dimension W ₂ between the three magazines 3 does not change.

Although not shown, the above-mentioned guide angles 10a, 10b and the connecting rod 1 are attached to the left end L of the movable base 9.
1a, 11b, the connecting rod drive section 12, and the base drive means 13 are installed symmetrically with respect to the right end R.

Therefore, in this embodiment, three rows of magazines 3 are used.
4 x 3 = 12 guide angles are marked to support the. When carrying out the present invention, the installation unit of the guide angles is four (in this example, a total of four guide angles, two each of guide angles 10a and 10b).

Therefore, to support N rows of magazines, 4N
It consists in arranging the guide angles of the book.

The three U shown in FIG. 1 schematically represent the transport equipment that transfers ICs to the magazine 3, and the interval dimension W ₃ is the above-mentioned dimension W ₂
(It is not mounted on the movable base 9).

IC between the above transport equipment U and magazine 3
When transferring ICs, the IC transport line _U1 may shift in the X direction for the reason explained with reference to FIG. However, the amount of deviation is the same for the three transport devices U, and the interval dimension W ₃ does not change.

If the three transport lines u ₁ shift in the X-axis direction (without changing the interval W ₃ ) due to a change in the IC format dimensions, the width of the magazine 3 will change due to a change in the IC format dimensions. The dimension w also changes.

Therefore, by operating the connecting rod drive section 12, the guide angle interval _W1 is adjusted to have an appropriate clearance with respect to the magazine w, and at the same time, the base drive means 13 is operated to move the entire moving base 9. Move in the X-axis direction to align the center line of the supported magazine 3 with the IC transport line _u1 . At this time, the above-mentioned interval dimensions W ₃ and W ₂
Since they are constant and equal, alignment operations can be performed quickly and easily.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the magazine stocker of the present invention can take out an integrated circuit from a magazine and transport it to a shuttle rail regardless of changes in the type or dimensions of the integrated circuit, and can be easily automated, so it is easy to operate. You can get an IC handler with excellent performance.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic partially cutaway plan view. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a magazine in the prior art, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a guide column, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a shoot rail, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a shoot rail having an E-shaped cross section. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a tentative magazine stocker. 10a, 10b...Guide angle, 11a,
11b...Guide angle connecting rod.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A magazine stocker comprising a shoot rail, a magazine for storing integrated circuits in a line, and a guide post for stacking and storing magazines located on an extension of the integrated circuit transport line on the shoot rail, The shoot rail has a plurality of integrated circuit transport lines arranged in parallel, the magazine has different width dimensions depending on the form of the integrated circuit, and the guide post has two members that hold the longitudinal sides of the magazine and these members. a first mechanism for moving the guide posts toward and away from each other, and a second mechanism for moving the guide posts together with the magazines in a direction perpendicular to the plurality of conveyance lines. Tsuka.