KR102304697B1 - An Apparatus for Investigating a Metal Mask - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a metal mask inspecting apparatus. The metal mask inspecting apparatus comprises: a balance plate (12) placed on top of a main frame (11); a transportation plate (14) placed on top of the balance plate (12) and configured to induce movement of a mask; a vision module (16) obtaining an image of the mask fixed on the transportation plate (14); a light module (17) supplying light; and a tension measuring module (18) configured to measure surface tension of the mask. The vision module (16) obtains a partial image of the mask while moving in a predetermined direction on top of the transportation plate (14). The metal mask inspecting apparatus inspects a defect of the metal mask using vision.

Description

An Apparatus for Investigating a Metal Mask

The present invention relates to a metal mask inspection apparatus, and more particularly, to a metal mask inspection apparatus for detecting a defect in a metal mask by an image obtained by a vision means such as a camera.

A metal mask having a substrate structure in which a hole for applying solder cream to a printed circuit board (PCB) is processed may be made of a material such as stainless steel or an alloy of steel and nickel. The metal mask should have a structure suitable for the position or shape of the component to be mounted on the PCB, and may be made by etching or laser processing. Techniques related to metal masks are known in this field, and for example, Patent Publication No. 10-2004-0110565 discloses a metal mask and a method for manufacturing the same and a method for manufacturing a multilayer printed circuit board using the same. do. In addition, International Publication No. WO2002/27073 discloses a method of manufacturing a metal oxide mask which is preferably used in a manufacturing process of various electric devices, in particular, a manufacturing process of an electroluminescent (EL) device. Since a number of PCBs are manufactured based on the metal mask, it is necessary to inspect the metal mask for defects in advance. However, the prior art does not disclose a means for inspecting whether the made metal mask has a defect.

The present invention has the following objects to solve the problems of the prior art.

Patent Document 1: Patent Publication No. 10-2004-0110565 (DP, Inc., published on December 31, 2004) Metal mask and method for manufacturing the same, and method for manufacturing a multilayer printed circuit board using the same Patent Document 2: WO 2002/27073 (Eastman Kodak Company, published on April 4, 2002) Method for manufacturing a metal mask and a metal mask

It is an object of the present invention to provide a metal mask inspection apparatus capable of detecting defects of a metal mask by a vision means.

According to a suitable embodiment of the present invention, the metal mask inspection apparatus is a balance plate disposed above the main frame; a transfer plate disposed above the balance plate to induce movement of the mask; a vision module for acquiring an image of a mask fixed to a transfer plate; an optical module providing light; and a tension measurement module for measuring the surface tension of the mask, wherein the vision module acquires a partial image of the mask while moving in a predetermined direction above the transfer plate.

According to another suitable embodiment of the present invention, a pair of base blocks are installed on both sides of the balance plate, and a transfer guide unit for guiding the movement of the transfer plate is disposed on each base block.

According to another suitable embodiment of the present invention, the transfer plate comprises a mask stage formed on at least one side.

According to another suitable embodiment of the present invention, the vision module comprises a lens unit in which at least a portion for guiding light is cylindrical and a laser pointer for indicating the detection position.

According to another suitable embodiment of the present invention, the light module comprises a ring light unit for guiding light in a cone shape.

The metal mask inspection apparatus according to the present invention enables detection of a defect in a hole formed in a metal mask by a vision unit such as a camera. In addition, it is possible to detect whether the metal mask has a predetermined design structure by detecting the surface tension of the metal mask made of a metal material. The inspection apparatus according to the present invention may be applied to a metal mask made of various methods or materials, and the present invention is not limited thereby.

1 shows an embodiment of a metal mask inspection apparatus according to the present invention.
Figure 2 shows an example of the installation of the support structure applied to the metal mask inspection apparatus according to the present invention.
3 illustrates an embodiment of a metal mask transfer structure applied to a metal mask inspection apparatus according to the present invention.
4 illustrates an embodiment of a vision module applied to a metal mask inspection apparatus according to the present invention.
5 is a view showing an embodiment of a lighting module applied to the metal mask inspection apparatus according to the present invention.
6 illustrates an embodiment of a tension measuring module applied to a metal mask inspection apparatus according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, but the embodiments are for a clear understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. In the following description, components having the same reference numerals in different drawings have similar functions, so they will not be repeatedly described unless necessary for the understanding of the invention, and well-known components will be briefly described or omitted, but the present invention It should not be construed as being excluded from the embodiment of

1 shows an embodiment of a metal mask inspection apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the metal mask inspection apparatus includes a balance plate 12 disposed above the main frame 11 ; a transfer plate 14 disposed above the balance plate 12 to induce movement of the mask; a vision module 16 for acquiring an image of the mask fixed to the transfer plate 14; an optical module 17 for providing light; and a tension measurement module 18 for measuring the surface tension of the mask, wherein the vision module 16 acquires a partial image for the mask while moving in a predetermined direction above the transfer plate 14 .

The metal mask may be applied to the mounting of components or devices on various substrates such as a substrate such as a printed circuit board (PCB) or a substrate for a display, and the present invention is not limited by the use of the metal mask. The main frame 11 may have an accommodating space formed therein while being in a box shape as a whole, and may be made of a solid material. Various devices for operation may be arranged in the accommodation space, and the upper portion of the main frame 11 may have various structures in which a planar structure may be installed. A square plate-shaped balancing plate 12 may be installed on the upper portion of the main frame 11, and the balancing plate 12 may be a square plate-shaped having a uniform thickness, and horizontal maintenance or horizontal adjustment is possible. It may have a structure to prevent vibration or shock applied from the outside from being transmitted to the detection means while doing so. For example, the balance plate 12 may have a granite plate structure, but is not limited thereto. The balance plate 12 may have various structures that can prevent external vibration or shock from being transmitted during the inspection of the mask, and is not limited to the presented embodiment. The balance plate 12 may be installed to be separated from the upper part of the main frame 11 by the separation brackets 121 and 122, and the separation brackets 121 and 122 are made of, for example, a material such as a stone plate during the movement process. It may have a function to prevent the resulting balancing plate 12 from being damaged. Four or more air mounters are installed above the balance plate 12 so that the shock applied to the balance plate 12 is absorbed and not transmitted to the inspection module. And a pair of base blocks 13a and 13b may be installed on both sides of the balance plate 12 , and each of the base blocks 13a and 13b has the same or similar shape as the upper side of the balance plate 12 . They may be separated from each other in a plane and extend side by side. Each of the base blocks 13a and 13b may have a block structure extending linearly while having a rectangular cross section. The lower surface of each of the base blocks 13a and 13b may have a structure that is fixed in close contact with the balance plate 12, and the transfer plate 14 moves along the pair of base blocks 13a and 13b. The metal mask may be transported to the inspection position or discharged to the outside from the inspection position. The transfer plate 14 may have a suitable structure in which a metal mask may be loaded and fixed, and the metal mask may be fixed to an appropriate frame and loaded onto the transfer plate 14 . A movement control module (15a, 15b) may be disposed on each of the base blocks (13a, 13b), and the movement control module (15a, 15b) has a clamp function for fixing the transfer plate (14); A gap adjustment function in which the gap is adjusted according to the width of the transfer plate 14; And it may have a movement function of moving the transfer plate 14 to the inspection position, or moving the transfer plate 14 moved to the inspection position to the discharge position. When the metal mask to be inspected is loaded on the upper surface of the transfer plate 14 , the transfer control modules 15a and 15b are operated to adjust the spacing between the loading surfaces of the transfer plate 14 so that the metal mask is transferred to the transfer plate 14 . ) can be firmly fixed to the upper surface of the For example, an operating cylinder may be operated by an operating valve installed in the transport control module 15a to adjust the widths of the movement control modules 15a and 15b according to the width of the mask, and the mask may be fixed at a predetermined position. Thereafter, when the transfer plate 14 is moved to the inspection position by the operation of the movement control modules 15a and 15b, the metal mask may be moved to the inspection position. A vision module 16 for acquiring an image of the mask may be disposed at the inspection position, and whether the mask is normal may be determined by the image of the mask acquired by the vision module 16 . The vision module 16 may be disposed on the lower side of the transfer plate, or may be disposed on the upper side to obtain an image of a lower portion or an upper portion of the mask loaded on the transfer plate 14 . The vision module 16 may include a camera, for example, in a first direction or X-axis direction corresponding to the width direction of the conveying plate 14 , a second direction corresponding to the moving direction of the conveying plate 14 , or It may move in the Y-axis direction or the Z-axis direction corresponding to the third direction. For example, the vision module 16 may be moved along the X-axis, Y-axis, or Z-axis direction along the first, second, or third movement guides 161 , 162 , and 163 . As the vision module 16 is moved along the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction, a partial image of a partial region of the mask may be acquired. The moving distance of the vision module 16 may be determined in advance, and each partial image obtained from the vision module 16 may be stored, processed as a graphic, and transmitted to a display for display. For example, it may be checked whether the mask has a defect by contrasting the reference image with the acquired partial image, and such a verification process may be automatically performed according to a programmed method. Acquisition of the image by the vision module 16 and thus the detection of the defect may be accomplished in a variety of ways and is not limited to the embodiments presented. Appropriate light needs to be provided in order for an appropriate partial image to be obtained by the vision module 16 . The light required for image acquisition by the vision module 16 may be provided by the optical module 17 . The optical module 17 may be disposed at positions facing each other with respect to the transport plate 14 . For example, when the vision module 16 is disposed below the transport plate 14 , the optical module 17 may It may be disposed above the transfer plate 14 . As described above, the vision module 16 and the optical module 17 are disposed at positions facing each other with respect to the transfer plate 14 or the mask, so that a clear partial image is obtained by the light passing through the hole formed in the mask. The optical module 17 may be moved along the positioning guide 171 , and the optical module 17 may be moved in association with the vision module 16 in at least one direction. Alternatively, the optical module 17 may be moved in synchronization with the vision module 16 in at least one direction, for example, a movement distance, a movement time, or a movement range may be synchronized. 1 , the first movement guide 161 for movement in the X-axis direction of the vision module 16 and the positioning guide 171 for movement in the X-axis direction of the optical module 17 are the same guide It can be installed in a block, whereby the first movement guide 161 and the positioning guide 171 are operated in conjunction with each other to move the vision module 16 and the optical module 17 along the X-axis direction, respectively. have. The vision module 16 and the optical module 17 may be operated in conjunction with each other as needed, and may be independently moved to various positions. The optical module 17 may be moved in the Y-axis or Z-direction in an appropriate manner, and the present invention is not limited by the movement structure or method of movement of the optical module 17 .

The metal mask needs to have a predetermined level of tension, and the tension of the metal mask needs to be detected by the metal mask inspection apparatus. The detection of the tension of the metal mask may be performed before, during, or after image acquisition by the vision module 16 , and the surface tension of the metal mask may be detected by the tension measurement module 18 . The tension measuring module 18 may have a structure capable of moving up and down, and for example, it is coupled to the optical module 17 and moved together with the optical module 17 to measure the surface tension of various positions of the metal mask. . The tension measuring module 18 may have various moving structures or measuring structures, and the present invention is not limited thereby.

Figure 2 shows an example of the installation of the support structure applied to the metal mask inspection apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2 , a pair of base blocks 13a and 13b are installed on both sides of the balancing plate 12 , and a transfer inducing movement of the transfer plate 14 to each of the base blocks 13a and 13b Induction units 153a, 153b are arranged. The balance plate 12 may be separated from the upper surface of the main frame and fixed by the separation brackets 121 and 122 installed at the front and rear while being in the shape of a square plate. The separation brackets 121 and 122 may be of an L-shape or similar shape, but are not limited thereto. A fixing bracket (FB) for fixing the driving part to a predetermined position is installed on the upper surface of the balance plate 12 so that the transfer plate is stably fixed to the predetermined position during the inspection process. A guide hole 21 is installed in the middle or other suitable part of the balance plate 12 so that the operation-related means installed inside the main frame and various measuring means installed above the balance plate 12 are structurally or electrically to be connected to each other. A pair of base blocks 13a and 13b may be installed on the upper surface of the balance plate 12 , and the base blocks 13a and 13b extend in the longitudinal or Y-axis direction of the balance plate 12 . It may be installed on both sides of (12) to face each other in parallel. And a movement control module for moving the transfer plate may be installed in the pair of base blocks (13a, 13b). The movement control module includes, for example, a support block (151a, 151b) installed on the upper surface of each of the base blocks (13a, 13b); cable conveyors 152a, 152b; And it may include a transfer induction unit (153a, 153b) installed on the inner surface of each of the base blocks (13a, 13b) to move the transfer plate. The transfer induction units 153a and 153b may have a structure extending along the respective base blocks 13a and 13b. The transfer induction units 153a and 153b may function to induce the transfer of the transfer plate or move the transfer plate, and for example, the transfer induction units 153a and 153b may be a linear motor. The linear motor may be a motor having various structures that convert a rotational motion into a linear motion while having a linearly extended structure by cutting the rotational motor in the axial direction. When the transfer plate is moved by the linear motor, noise generation is reduced and the horizontality is easily maintained. The transfer plate can be moved by various driving means and is not limited to the embodiment presented.

3 illustrates an embodiment of a metal mask transfer structure applied to a metal mask inspection apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the transfer plate 14 includes a mask stage 31 formed on at least one side surface. The transfer plate 14 may have a rectangular plate shape as a whole, and may be moved along the Y-axis direction by the transfer guide module as described above. a flat body 141 of the conveying plate 14; a reference window 142 in the shape of a square plate corresponding to the mask inside the flat body 141; and a mask stage 31 formed to extend in the Y-axis direction on at least one surface of the reference window 142 . A mask may be loaded on the transfer plate 14 , and the mask may be loaded on the transfer plate 14 with respect to the reference window 142 . The reference window 142 may be made of a transparent material capable of transmitting light, and a mask stage 31 disposed on at least one side of the reference window 142 is installed so that the mask is transferred to the transfer plate 14 or the reference window 142 . ) to be separated from the upper surface and fixed. The mask stage 31 may have a stepped structure or an L-shaped structure, and a rear partial stopper 311 is formed to fix the mask at a predetermined position in the longitudinal direction. A fixing unit 32 for fixing the transfer plate 14 to a predetermined position may be coupled to the mask stage 31 . The fixing unit 32 is a fixing plate 322 that is movably coupled to the post block 323 and a fixing block 321 that is coupled to the end of the fixing plate 322 and is in contact with the upper part of one edge of the mask. may be made, and the fixing block 321 may be a reference plane for setting the position of the mask. For example, two cylinders may be disposed below the fixing unit 32 or at other suitable locations to move the mask in the direction of the fixing block 321 so that the mask is secured in a predetermined position. The post block 323 may have a structure having a rectangular cross-section having a relatively large height while extending in the extending direction of the mask stage 31 . A fixing plate 322 that is movable up and down on the post block 323 or movable by the operation of the driving means 34 in the width direction or the X-axis direction of the transfer plate 14 may be installed, and the fixing plate ( A fixing block 321 may be installed on the 322 to face the mask stage 31 up and down. For example, the operation cylinder is operated by the operation valve RB shown in FIG. 1 to move the fixing block 321 in the X-axis direction to adjust the width of the fixing blocks 321 facing each other. When the mask is loaded on the mask stage 31 and the lower part of one edge or the edge is in contact, the fixing block 321 is moved by the operation of the driving means 33 and is in contact with the upper part of one edge or the edge to fix the mask can do it The fixing block 321 may be made of, for example, a synthetic resin material such as acetal resin, but is not limited thereto. A mask fixing means having the same or similar structure to the fixing unit 32 may be disposed on the other side or edge of the transfer plate 14 . The fixing means installed on the other side may have a structure movable in the width direction or the X-axis direction of the transfer plate 14 by the control drive means 34 . Thereby, masks having various widths can be fixed to the upper side of the transfer plate 14 . The transfer plate 14 may have various structures in which a mask may be loaded and fixed, and is not limited to the presented embodiment.

4 illustrates an embodiment of a vision module applied to a metal mask inspection apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the vision module 16 includes a lens unit 46 in which at least a part of guiding light has a cylindrical shape, and a laser pointer 47 indicating a detection position. As described above, an image of the mask may be acquired by the vision module 16 , and the image of the mask may be acquired in the form of a plurality of partial images for precise and accurate mask inspection. The vision module 16 includes an X-axis block 41 coupled to a moving rail or moving guide; a base board 43 having a structure extending in the vertical direction while being coupled by the X-axis block 41 and the connector 42; a cable guide board 44 coupled to the base board 43; and a vision unit 45 such as a camera coupled to the cable guide board 44 . The vision module 16 may be moved in the X-axis or Y-axis direction, and may be moved along the Z-axis direction by the vertical movement of the X-axis block 41 or the base substrate 43 . By the connector 42 , the base board 43 may be maintained in a vertical state with respect to the X-axis block 41 . A lens unit 46 in which at least one lens is disposed while at least a portion has a cylindrical shape may be disposed in front of the vision unit 45 . According to one embodiment of the present invention, the laser is emitted through the lens unit 46 to form a laser point may include a laser pointer (47). A position at which a partial image is acquired may be identified by the laser pointer 47 . The vision module 16 may have various structures for acquiring a partial image and is not limited to the presented embodiment.

5 is a view showing an embodiment of a lighting module applied to the metal mask inspection apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the light module 17 includes a ring light unit 54 for guiding light in a cone shape. The optical module 17 may be moved in association with the vision module, and the ring light unit 54 may be moved to a predetermined position according to the movement of the optical plate 51 . One part fixing rib 52 of the light plate 51 may be coupled, and the ring light unit 54 may be coupled to the fixing rib 52 . The ring light unit 54 may include a plurality of light emitting devices arranged in a circular or ring shape, and the light emitting devices may be, for example, an LED device and a light emitting device, but is not limited thereto. Illumination may be provided to a portion for which a partial image is acquired by the ring light unit 54 , for example, a cone-shaped focal-formed illumination may be formed, and the focal portion of the illumination may be determined by the laser point 53 . can be displayed. Various lighting structures may be applied to the optical module according to the present invention and are not limited to the presented embodiment.

6 shows an embodiment of the tension measurement module 18 applied to the metal mask inspection apparatus according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the tension measurement module 18 includes a measurement housing 61 in which the tension detection sensor is accommodated; a pressure plate 62 disposed below the measurement housing 61; a contact detection block 63 connected to the tension detection sensor while being disposed in the central portion of the pressing plate 62; and indicating means 64 in which the detected tension is displayed. The tension measuring module 18 may have a structure that can be moved up and down by a moving means such as an induction cylinder, and the linear contact protrusions formed on both edges of the pressing plate 62 according to the movement of the tension measuring module 18 are masked. may be in contact with the upper surface of the As such, when the mask surface area where the tension is measured by the pressure plate 62 is determined, the tension is detected by the contact detection block 63 and transmitted to the tension detection sensor to detect the tension. The detected tension can be converted into a digital value and displayed on the display means 64 . The tension of the mask can be detected in a variety of ways and is not limited to the examples presented.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the presented embodiments, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and modified inventions without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention with reference to the presented embodiments. . The present invention is not limited by such variations and modifications, but only by the claims appended hereto.

11: main frame 12: balance plate
13a, 13b: base block 14: transfer plate
15a, 15b: movement control module 16: optical module
17: optical module 18: tension measurement module
21: induction hall 31: mask station
46: lens unit 47: laser pointer
51: light plate 54: ring light unit
121, 122: separation brackets 153a, 153b: transfer guide unit
161, 162, 163: movement guide 171: positioning guide

Claims (5)

a balance plate 12 disposed above the main frame 11;
a transfer plate 14 disposed above the balance plate 12 to induce movement of the mask;
a vision module 16 for acquiring an image of the mask fixed to the transfer plate 14;
an optical module 17 for providing light; and
a tension measurement module (18) for measurement of the surface tension of the mask;
The vision module 16 acquires a partial image for the mask while moving in a predetermined direction from the top of the transfer plate 14,
The balance plate 12 has a granite plate structure that can prevent external vibrations or shocks from being transmitted during the inspection of the mask,
The vision module 16 and the optical module 17 are disposed at positions facing each other with respect to the transfer plate 14 or the mask so that a partial image of the mask is acquired by the light passing through the hole formed in the mask,
The tension measurement module 18 is coupled to the optical module 17 to move together with the optical module 17, and includes a measurement housing 61 in which the tension detection sensor is accommodated; a pressure plate 62 disposed below the measurement housing 61; and a contact detection block (63) disposed at the center of the pressure plate (62) and connected to the tension detection sensor. The method according to claim 1, wherein a pair of base blocks (13a, 13b) are installed on both sides of the balance plate (12), the transfer guide to induce the movement of the transfer plate (14) to each of the base blocks (13a, 13b) A metal mask inspection apparatus, characterized in that the units (153a, 153b) are disposed. The metal mask inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer plate (14) includes a mask stage (31) formed on at least one side surface. The metal mask inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vision module (16) comprises a lens unit (46) in which at least a part of which is a cylindrical shape for guiding light and a laser pointer (47) for indicating a detection position. The metal mask inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical module (17) includes a ring light unit (54) for guiding light in a cone shape.

Images