JPH11165222A - Workpiece aligning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase the efficiency of workpiece aligning work by a simple means more than conventional means when an algining tray is mechanically operated to align the desired number of and many workpieces. SOLUTION: This is a workpiece aligning device provided with an aligning tray 1 in which a plurality of recessed parts for storing workpiece 11 are provided in a top face part and a mechanism part which causes the mechanical operation of the aligning tray 1 so as to store a plurality of workpieces charged on the aligning tray 1 into the recessed parts for storing workpiece 11 individually by moving them on this aligning tray 1. It has a control means 7 controlling the mechanism part in such a way that the contents of the mechanical operation of the aligning tray 1 are changed as time elapses when the mechanism part is driven.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a work aligning apparatus used for aligning a desired large number of works such as semiconductor chips in a desired arrangement.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 10 shows an example of a conventional work aligning apparatus. The work aligning apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes an alignment tray 9 having a plurality of recesses 90 for accommodating workpieces on an upper surface thereof.
, And swingable about the axis 92 at a predetermined constant angle θ in the vertical direction at a constant cycle. An air suction hole 93 connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) is provided at the bottom of the work accommodating recess 90.
Is provided so that a constant negative suction pressure is generated at the bottom of the work accommodating recess 90.

[0003] In the work aligning apparatus having the above-described configuration, by swinging the alignment tray 9 in the vertical direction, a large number of works W previously loaded on the upper surface thereof can be moved on the alignment tray 9. By such an operation, each of the large number of works W is fitted into the work accommodating recess 90 in a predetermined posture, and the air suction holes 9 are formed.
The suction can be performed by the suction negative pressure of No. 3. In this way, a large number of works W can be aligned on the alignment tray 9 in a predetermined arrangement state. Therefore, it is convenient to carry out an operation of taking out each of the works W from the alignment tray 9 and supplying it to a desired location by using a predetermined mechanical device thereafter.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned conventional work aligning apparatus has the following disadvantages.

That is, in the conventional work aligning apparatus, when the alignment tray 9 is swung, the swing angle and the swing speed (swing cycle) are always constant. Until that time, the same mode of operation was merely repeated. Further, the value of the negative suction pressure acting on the air suction holes 93 was always constant. For this reason, conventionally, a large number of workpieces W loaded on the alignment tray 9 basically move on the alignment tray 9 with a certain regularity similarly to the operation of the alignment tray 9, and the workpiece W It has been difficult to give unexpected or large irregularities to the movements of a person. Therefore, conventionally, it is difficult to widely disperse a large number of works W in various directions so as to be evenly distributed over the upper surface of the alignment tray 9. May simply reciprocate and remain unfit in the work accommodating recess 90. As a result, conventionally, it has been difficult to accommodate a large number of works in each of the work accommodating recesses 90 in a short time, and the work alignment work efficiency has deteriorated. In addition, since the so-called work alignment rate is deteriorated, when the work aligned on the alignment tray 9 is taken out from the alignment tray 9 in the next process and used, the work in the next process may be hindered. there were.

Conventionally, there is also a work aligning apparatus in which the swing angle θ of the aligning tray 9 can be changed. However, this conventional work aligning device is merely configured so that the operator can arbitrarily adjust the swing angle of the alignment tray 9 when the operation of the device is stopped. The swing angle of No. 9 was constant. Therefore, in such a configuration, FIG.
As in the case of the work aligning apparatus described in (1), it is difficult to efficiently move the work so that it can be evenly distributed to various places on the aligning tray, and there is a certain limit in enhancing the work aligning work efficiency.

The present invention has been devised in view of such circumstances, and when a large number of desired works are aligned by mechanically operating an alignment tray, the work efficiency of the alignment work is increased. It is an object of the present invention to make it possible to increase the value by a simple means.

[0008]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following technical means.

That is, according to the present invention, there is provided an alignment tray having a plurality of recesses for accommodating a workpiece on an upper surface thereof.
A mechanism for causing a mechanical operation of the alignment tray so that a plurality of works put on the alignment tray are moved on the alignment tray so as to be individually accommodated in the work accommodation recesses. A work aligning device provided with control means for controlling the mechanism so as to change the mechanical operation content of the alignment tray over time when the mechanism is driven. It is characterized by being.

According to the present invention, when a plurality of works are put on the alignment tray and the mechanical section is driven to cause a predetermined mechanical operation on the alignment tray, the mechanical movement of the alignment tray is prevented. The content of the operation will change over time. That is, in the present invention, for example, when the aligning tray is caused to perform a swinging operation in the vertical direction, the aligning tray does not always repeat the swinging operation in the same mode. And the swing speed changes. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to efficiently move the plurality of works put on the alignment tray to an irregular state and to spread the work evenly to various parts of the alignment tray. The possibility of being accommodated early in each of the accommodation recesses is increased. As a result, according to the present invention, it is possible to increase the work alignment work efficiency as compared with the related art, and to obtain effects of shortening the work time and improving the work alignment rate. In addition, when the alignment rate of the workpieces is increased, when the plurality of workpieces arranged on the alignment tray are processed in the next process, the plurality of workpieces can be handled well, and the next process operation can be efficiently performed. Also useful.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mechanism section includes a revolving operation mechanism for revolving the alignment tray along a surface direction of an upper surface portion of the alignment tray, and swinging the alignment tray in a vertical direction. A swinging operation mechanism for causing the aligning tray to revolve, the revolving speed and the revolving radius when the aligning tray revolves, the oscillating speed when the aligning tray oscillates, and the oscillating At least one or more of the angle elements may be changed.

According to such a configuration, the upper surface of the alignment tray can be alternately tilted left and right by swinging the alignment tray in the vertical direction, so that a plurality of works can be fixed on the alignment tray. Can be reciprocated in any direction. In addition, by revolving the alignment tray when swinging, it is possible to cause a plurality of works on the alignment tray to move in substantially the same direction as the revolving operation. Therefore, it is possible to move a plurality of works in various directions by a synergistic effect of the above two operations, and it is possible to more efficiently perform the work of housing the work in the work housing recess. In addition, when at least one or more of the elements of the revolving speed, the revolving radius, the oscillating speed, and the oscillating angle of the aligning tray change, an irregular operation is performed on a plurality of workpieces on the aligning tray. It can be positively and reliably generated.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention,
A suction means for generating a suction negative pressure inside the work accommodating recess so as to suck and hold the work accommodated in the work accommodating recess of the alignment tray; and A configuration is possible in which the suction negative pressure can be increased or decreased while the unit is driven.

According to such a configuration, when a work is accommodated in the work accommodating recess of the alignment tray, the work is appropriately placed in the work accommodating recess by the suction negative pressure acting on the work accommodating recess. The work can be prevented from unreasonably jumping out of the work accommodating recess. Further, since the suction negative pressure can be increased or decreased during the work aligning operation, for example, by making the suction negative pressure relatively small in an initial stage of the work aligning operation, the work on the aligning tray can be reduced. By increasing the suction negative pressure at the end of the work alignment operation, the work accommodated in each work accommodating recess can be prevented from protruding outside while increasing the degree of freedom of movement of the work. It is possible to further increase the work efficiency of the work.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an example of a work aligning apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional side view of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an alignment tray of the work alignment device shown in FIGS. FIG. 4 is an explanatory plan view showing a revolving operation state of the alignment tray.

In FIG. 1, this work alignment device A is
A pair of left and right frames 3, 3a, a pair of shafts 4, 4a supported by each of the pair of frames 3, 3a,
A tray support 2 supported by the shafts 4 and 4a; an alignment tray 1 provided on the tray support 2; a first motor M1 connected to the shaft 4; , A second motor M2, a controller 7, a control valve 60, a vacuum pump 61, and components to be described later.

As shown in FIG. 3, the alignment tray 1 is configured by mounting a tray body 10 and a frame 19 on an upper surface of a base member 15. The tray main body 10 is formed of, for example, a metal plate made of stainless steel or the like having a rectangular shape in a plan view. They are provided in a predetermined arrangement at an interval. Each of the plurality of work accommodating recesses 11
The recess is a circular shape in a plan view, and two air suction holes 12 are provided at a bottom thereof at a predetermined interval so as to avoid the center position of the work accommodating recess 11. The frame portion 19 is a portion for preventing a plurality of works 8 to be described later from being spilled to the outside when a plurality of works 8 described later are put on the upper surface 1a of the alignment tray 1. The tray body 10 is formed so as to protrude upward by an appropriate height from the upper surface portion 1a, and is provided over the entire outer periphery of the tray body 10.

The base member 15 has a first ventilation hole 1 extending substantially horizontally and communicating with the plurality of air suction holes 12.
3, the first member extending in the thickness direction of the base member 15;
A second ventilation hole 14 communicating with the end of the ventilation hole 13 is provided. The check valve mechanism 5 is provided in the second ventilation hole 14. The check valve mechanism 5 includes connectors 52 a and 52 b attached to both upper and lower ends of the second ventilation hole 14, two upper and lower balls 51 a and 51 b inserted into the second ventilation hole 14, and a spring 50. It is provided and comprised. The spring 50 connects each of the pair of balls 51a and 51b to a connector 52.
The balls 51a and 51b exert resilience so as to be pressed against the tapered inner wall surfaces of the a and 52b.
53b can be closed. However, one end of the air pipe 6 is connected to the lower part of the second ventilation hole 14 via connectors 52b and 62, and the lower end opening 53b of the second ventilation hole 14 is open. . That is, a pin 63 is attached to the connector 62 of the air pipe 6, and the pin 63 lifts the lower ball 51 b upward against the elastic force of the spring 50.

As shown in FIG. 1, the other end of the air pipe 6 is connected to a vacuum pump 61 via a control valve 60. Therefore, by driving the vacuum pump 61, it is possible to generate a predetermined negative suction pressure in each of the air suction holes 12 through the second ventilation holes 14 and the first ventilation holes 13. However, the suction pressure is not always constant, and is changed to a predetermined state by controlling the control valve 60 as described later.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the tray support 2 is provided on the first plate 21 with an XY table mechanism 2.
A second plate 22 is provided through the third plate 3, and the alignment tray 1 is detachably mounted on the second plate 22. The XY table mechanism 23 includes an X table mechanism combining a first bed 23a and a first table 23b that can move relative to each other only in the left-right direction (X direction) in FIG. 2 and a direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. This is a combination of a Y table mechanism combining a second bed 23c and a second table 23d that can move relative to each other only in the (Y direction). Since the XY table mechanism 23 is provided between the first plate 21 and the second plate 22, the second plate 22 and the alignment tray 1 move in the X direction relative to the first plate 21. It is possible to move in any of the directions Y and Y. That is, the alignment tray 1 is movable in various directions in which the upper surface 1a is widened, and the orbiting operation described later is possible.

The second motor M2 is provided at an appropriate position such as the lower surface of the first plate 21. In the present embodiment, the second motor M2 is used for the alignment tray 1 using the second motor M2. A revolution operation mechanism for causing the revolution operation is configured. That is, the first plate 21 is provided with the bevel gear 7 of the output shaft 71 of the second motor M2.
A rotating shaft 74 having a bevel gear 73 that meshes with the rotating shaft 2 is attached. A rotating shaft 74 is provided at its upper end with an eccentric pin 75 at a position eccentric by an appropriate dimension L from the rotating center of the rotating shaft 74. A plate 76 is mounted.
The eccentric pin 75 is engaged with the second plate 22 by, for example, being inserted into a hole 22 a formed in the second plate 22. According to the configuration of such a revolution operation mechanism, when the second motor M2 is driven, the eccentric pin 7
5 can be revolved with the orbital radius of the dimension L, so that the first plate 21 and the alignment tray 1 can be revolved with the same orbital radius. That is, in FIG. 4, when the eccentric pin 75 revolves as shown by the arrows N1 to N4, the alignment tray 1 also moves along the arrows N1 'to N1.
It will revolve like 4 '.

In FIG. 2, the shaft 4 is formed, for example, by a bracket 21a provided on the side of the first plate 21.
It is connected to. As a result, when the shaft 4 rotates, the tray support 2 and the components of the alignment tray 1 are tilted up and down around the shaft 4. The first motor M1 drives the shaft body 4 to rotate in both the forward and reverse directions. As a result, the tray support 2 and the alignment tray 1 have their left and right ends shifted vertically. Will be swung like this.

The controller 7 includes, for example, a CPU and the like. As shown in FIGS. 8A to 8C, the controller 7 changes the swing angle, the revolving speed, and the suction pressure of the air suction holes 12 of the alignment tray 1 with the elapse of the operation time. The first motor M1 and the second motor M1
, And each of the control valve 60 is controlled. The waveform in FIG. 8A shows a change in the swing angle of the alignment tray 1, and the slope of this waveform indicates the swing speed.

Next, a description will be given of an example of use and operation of the work alignment device A.

First, a number of works to be aligned are put on the alignment tray 1. As these works,
For example, a pellet 8 as shown in FIG. 5 is applied. This pellet 8 is a so-called glass shield type LE.
This is a semiconductor chip that is a component of the D light emitting lamp, and has a form in which a spherical projection 80 is provided on one side surface of a rectangular parallelepiped portion 81. The width and height of the rectangular parallelepiped portion 81 are each 0.3 mm, and the thickness thereof is, for example, about 0.1 to 0.2 mm.

After the plurality of pellets 8 are put on the alignment tray 1, the work alignment device A is started.
Then, the alignment tray 1 swings up and down with the rotation of the shaft body 4 and revolves with a predetermined radius along the surface direction of the upper surface 1a with the revolving operation of the eccentric pin 75. Operation will be performed. Therefore, the plurality of pellets 8 on the alignment tray 1 roll in various directions on the alignment tray 1 as shown in FIG. 6, for example, and sequentially fit into the recess 11 for accommodating the work. In addition, FIG.
As shown in (b), when the alignment tray 1 performs a mechanical operation, the swing angle and the revolving speed are not always constant but variously change. Therefore, the plurality of pellets 8 move more irregularly on the alignment tray 1 and spread in various directions on the alignment tray 1, and may be accommodated in each of the large number of work accommodating recesses 11. Is increased.

In the present embodiment, in the initial stage of the work alignment work, the amplitude of the swinging operation of the alignment tray 1 is made relatively large, and the revolving speed is made relatively high, while the alignment work proceeds. , The amplitude tends to be small and the revolution speed tends to be low.
For this reason, in the initial stage of the operation, after the pellets 8 put in a piled state are largely moved on the alignment tray 1 and dispersed in a wide area, it is possible to gradually reduce the movement amount of the pellets 8. In addition, the operation of fitting the pellets 8 into the work accommodating recesses 11 can be performed more efficiently.

On the other hand, since a suction negative pressure is generated in the air suction hole 12, when the pellet 8 is fitted into the work accommodating recess 11, the pellet 8 is sucked and held in the work accommodating recess 11. be able to. Therefore,
It is possible to prevent the pellets 8 from inadvertently coming out of the recess 11 for accommodating the work. However, the suction negative pressure is not always constant, and in this embodiment, FIG.
As shown in (1), a large suction pressure is not generated in the initial stage of the work, but the suction pressure tends to gradually increase (low pressure) as the work time elapses.
For this reason, in the initial stage of the operation, the degree of freedom of movement of the pellets 8 on the alignment tray 1 can be increased, and the plurality of pellets 8 are scattered over a wide range, so that the efficiency is increased within each of the plurality of work accommodating recesses 11. This is advantageous for accommodating well. In addition, immediately before the end of the work, each of the pellets 8 fitted in each of the work accommodating recesses 11 can be reliably sucked and held, and the aligned state of the pellets 8 can be accurately maintained.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the two air suction holes 12 are provided at positions away from the center of the recess 11 for accommodating the work. Even if the pellet 8 enters the recess 11 for accommodating the workpiece in an upside-down state, the pellet 8 is
12 prevents firm adsorption and holding.
For this reason, it is advantageous to align the pellets 8 in a proper posture in which the protrusion 80 faces upward.

As described above, in the work alignment device A,
When the alignment tray 1 is operated and the pellets 8 are aligned, the swinging operation, the revolving operation, and the suction negative pressure generated in the air suction holes 12 of the alignment tray 1 are changed to give a change. Thus, each pellet 8 can be accommodated in the work accommodating recess 11 at an early stage. According to the test of the inventor of the present invention, it was confirmed that when the work aligning apparatus A was operated for 3 minutes to perform the aligning operation of a large number of pellets 8, the alignment rate was 99.5%. On the other hand, in the case of the conventional work aligning apparatus in which the swing angle of the aligning tray is always constant, the aligning ratio is about 95%. Therefore, when the work aligning apparatus according to the present invention is used, when the pellets 8 arranged on the alignment tray 1 are used in the next process, the work of taking out the pellets 8 from the alignment tray 1 can be performed accurately. The work loss can be significantly reduced.

After the work alignment operation is completed, the alignment tray 1 may need to be transported to the next process position. In this case, the alignment tray 1 is transported, for example, as shown in FIG. be able to. That is, in the configuration shown in the figure, the air pipe 6 is separated from the lower part of the second ventilation hole 14, and instead, the second ventilation hole 1
4 is connected to another air pipe 6A. When connecting the air pipe 6A, the upper ball 51a of the check valve mechanism 5 is pushed down by the pin 63A, thereby opening the upper end opening 53a of the second ventilation hole 14. On the other hand, the lower ball 51b closes the lower end opening 53b of the second ventilation hole 14 by the elastic force of the spring 50. In this way, a suction negative pressure can be generated in each air suction hole 12 by using the air pipe 6A, and even if the alignment tray 1 is slightly shaken, each pellet 8 Can be easily removed from the work accommodating recess 11. Therefore, it is convenient to transport the plurality of pellets 8 to a desired position while keeping them aligned on the alignment tray 1.

The specific configuration of each part of the work aligning apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be variously changed in design.

For example, in the above embodiment, the swing angle and the revolving speed of the alignment tray are changed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in addition to or in addition to the swing angle and the revolving speed described above. Instead, the swing speed or the revolving radius of the alignment tray may be changed. In order to change the swing speed, for example, if the work alignment device of the above embodiment is described as an example, the rotation speed of the drive shaft of the first motor M1 may be changed. To change the orbital radius, for example, the eccentric dimension L of the eccentric pin 75
May be changed, and the dimension L may be changed as appropriate.

Further, in the present invention, specific examples of the mechanical operation of the alignment tray are not limited to the revolving operation and the swinging operation. You may make it do. Therefore, the specific configuration of the mechanism section in the present invention is not limited. Specific examples of other mechanical movements of the alignment tray include:
For example, there is an operation of vibrating the alignment tray vertically by using a vibrator.

In addition, in the present invention, the specific type of the work to be aligned is not limited. In the present invention, it is possible to use the present invention for aligning various articles such as electronic parts and electric parts other than the pellets 8.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an example of a work alignment device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional side view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an alignment tray of the work alignment device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory plan view showing a revolving operation state of an alignment tray.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a pellet as an example of a work.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing an example of an operation state of the work alignment device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state in which the work is fitted upside down in the work accommodating recess.

8A is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the swing angle of the alignment tray and time, FIG. 8B is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the revolution speed of the alignment tray and time, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a relationship between suction pressure acting on an air suction hole and time.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state when the alignment tray of the work alignment device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is transported.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional work alignment device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List A Work aligning device 1 Alignment tray 1a Upper surface 2 Tray support 4 Shaft 7 Controller (control means) 11 Work accommodating recess 12 Air suction hole 13 First ventilation hole 14 Second ventilation hole 60 Control valve 61 Vacuum pump M1 First 1st motor M2 2nd motor

Claims (3)

[Claims] An alignment tray provided with a plurality of work accommodating recesses on an upper surface thereof, and a plurality of workpieces loaded on the alignment tray are moved on the alignment tray so as to move the plurality of works into the work accommodating recess. And a mechanism for causing the alignment tray to perform a mechanical operation so as to be individually accommodated in the work tray. A mechanical operation of the alignment tray when the mechanism is driven A work aligning device, comprising: a control unit for controlling the above-mentioned mechanism so that the contents change over time. 2. A revolving operation mechanism for revolving the alignment tray along a surface direction of an upper surface of the alignment tray, a swing operation mechanism for swinging the alignment tray in a vertical direction, and , And the control means includes: a revolving speed when the alignment tray revolves, a revolving radius, a oscillating speed when the arranging tray swings, and a swing angle of each element. Wherein at least one element is changed.
The work alignment device according to claim 1. 3. A suction means for generating a suction negative pressure inside the work accommodating recess so as to suck and hold the work accommodated in the work accommodating recess of the alignment tray, and the suction means. The work aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means is configured to be able to increase or decrease the suction negative pressure when the mechanism is driven.