TW201830569A - Treatment apparatus, component feeder, and treatment method - Google Patents

Abstract

An object is to improve capacity of treatment of an element body constituting an electronic component. The treatment apparatus includes a feeding device and a laser device. The feeding device includes a feeding rotor and a motor. The feeding rotor is rotatably supported. In the outer peripheral surface of the feeding rotor, a support portion extending in the circumferential direction of the feeding rotor is formed, and the holding grooves are formed in the support portion at equal angular intervals. The laser device treats the element body fed to a treatment position. A control device controls the motor so as to stop the feeding rotor every predetermined angle (an angle at which the holding groove is formed) and to feed the element body to a treatment position. Then, the control device controls the laser device so as to treat a surface of the element body.

Description

 Processing device, component conveying device and processing method  

The present invention relates to a processing apparatus and a processing method for performing processing related to the manufacture of electronic parts. Further, the present invention relates to a component conveying device constituting the processing device.

Conventionally, electronic components mounted on a wiring board and the like are produced through various processing steps. For example, in the external terminal of the electronic component, there is a method in which a base electrode formed by applying a conductive paste to the element body is plated, and an end surface of the internal electrode included in the element body is exposed and formed by electroless plating. (for example, refer to Patent Document 1) and the like.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-40084

However, the miniaturization and high-performance development of electronic devices such as mobile phones have increased the demand for miniaturization of electronic components mounted on such electronic devices. Moreover, in the manufacturing steps of small electronic parts, high processing power is required. However, for example, in various methods of forming the above external terminals, it is difficult to improve the processing capability.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the invention is to provide a processing apparatus, a component transport apparatus, and a processing method capable of improving the capability of processing an element body constituting an electronic component.

A processing device that solves the above-described problem is a processing device that processes an element body that constitutes an electronic component, and includes a transport mechanism that has a transport rotor that is rotatably supported and that is disposed at an equiangular interval in the circumferential direction at the transport rotor. a plurality of holding grooves for holding the element body at the end portion, and a driving portion for driving the rotation of the conveying rotor, and conveying the element body held by the holding groove; and a supply mechanism for supplying the element body to the plural a holding groove for processing the element body at the processing position; and a control mechanism for controlling the transfer mechanism by driving the element body to the processing position in order to drive the transfer rotor to rotate The processing unit is controlled by processing the transferred element body.

According to this configuration, the wafer is transported by the circular transfer rotor, and the element body is processed at a predetermined processing position. For example, compared with the case where the wafers arranged on the stage are processed, the processing can be performed efficiently, that is, the processing can be performed. The ability to improve. Further, by driving the transfer rotor to rotate and transporting the element body, it is possible to process a plurality of element bodies without changing the position of the processing mechanism, and thus it is possible to improve the processing capability.

In the above processing apparatus, preferably, the holding groove is formed so as to abut on a part of two adjacent surfaces of the element body to hold the element body, and the two faces parallel to the abutting surface are entirely from the above The element body is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a surface of the element body that is parallel to the two surfaces abutting the holding groove is a side surface, and the two faces and the two side faces abutting The two orthogonal faces are end faces, and the control means controls the processing means to process one of the two side faces and the two end faces that are not in contact with the holding groove. In addition, the "cuboid shape" includes, for example, a case where the corner portion of the rectangular parallelepiped and the ridge line portion are rounded.

According to this configuration, the adjacent two side faces of the element body can be brought into contact with the holding grooves of the transfer rotor, and the element body can be stably held. Moreover, it is possible to treat at least one of the two side faces and the two end faces that are not in contact with the holding groove in the element body held in the holding groove.

In the above processing apparatus, preferably, the control means controls the transport mechanism to stop the transport rotor at an angle at which each of the holding grooves is formed, and controls the processing means to process the element body stopped at the processing position.

According to this configuration, the transfer of the rotor is stopped at each angle at which the holding groove is formed, and the element body can be surely stopped at the processing position. Moreover, it is possible to perform processing with high precision on the element body stopped at the processing position.

In the above-described processing apparatus, it is preferable that the transport rotor has a horizontally supported rotating shaft and is rotatably supported, and has a support portion extending in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface, and the holding groove is formed to be disposed on the above The outer peripheral surface of the support portion extends in the thickness direction of the transfer rotor, and the support portion is formed such that both end faces of the element body held by the holding groove protrude from the support portion in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the transfer rotor.

According to this configuration, the rotor is vertically rotated (longitudinal rotation) by being supported by a horizontal rotating shaft. The element body is held by the support portion of the transport rotor that is vertically rotated in such a manner that the end surface protrudes in a direction parallel to the rotation axis. Therefore, the end surface of the element body can be easily processed. Further, the element body is held so that the end surface protrudes from the support portion, and it is possible to suppress the processing of the processing mechanism from affecting the support portion, that is, the transfer rotor.

In the above-described processing apparatus, it is preferable that the transport rotor has a rotating shaft that is vertically supported and supported to be horizontally rotatable, and the transport rotor has an annular support portion extending in the circumferential direction on the upper surface, and the holding groove is formed. In order to be disposed on the upper surface of the support portion and extending in the radial direction of the transport rotor, the support portion is formed such that one end surface of the both end faces of the element body held by the holding groove protrudes radially inward from the support portion The other end surface of the both end faces protrudes outward in the radial direction from the support portion.

According to this configuration, the rotor is horizontally rotated (lateral rotation) by the rotation axis supported by the vertical. Since the element main body is held by the support portion of the transport rotor that rotates horizontally in this manner, the element main body can be transported in a stable state. Further, the element body is held so that the end surface protrudes from the support portion, and it is possible to suppress the treatment of the processing mechanism from affecting the support portion, that is, the transfer rotor.

Preferably, the processing device has an imaging unit that captures the element body and the transport rotor at a predetermined recognition position, and the control unit grasps a position of the element body based on a result of imaging by the imaging unit, and corresponds to the grasped element body. The position is corrected by the position of the processing performed by the processing means on the element body.

According to this configuration, when the element body is transferred from the supply mechanism to the transfer rotor, the position of the element body may be shifted. Therefore, the position of the element body is captured by the imaging means, the position of the element body is grasped, and the position at which the processing is performed is corrected based on the position, whereby highly accurate processing can be realized.

In the above processing apparatus, preferably, the electronic component includes the element body as a ceramic body and an external electrode formed on a surface of the element body, and the processing means partially heats a surface of the ceramic body to form the ceramic A part of the body is a low-resistance laser processing device.

According to this configuration, local heating of the surface of the minute element body can be performed with high precision by irradiating the element body of the ceramic body with a laser. Further, the ceramic body is reduced in resistance by such local heating, and the portion can be plated to form an external electrode.

In the above processing apparatus, preferably, the processing mechanism has: a first processing mechanism for processing one of the two side faces; and a second processing mechanism for processing the other of the two side faces; And a third processing mechanism and a fourth processing mechanism for processing the two end faces separately.

According to this configuration, the end surface and the side surface of the element body can be handled in the element body held by the transport rotor. Further, the element body is held so that the two side faces that are not in contact with the holding groove protrude from the holding groove, so that the processing of the processing mechanism can be suppressed from affecting the transfer of the rotor.

In the above processing apparatus, preferably, the control unit controls one of the first processing unit and the second processing unit, the third processing unit, and the fourth processing unit to process one side surface and two sides of the element body. End face.

According to this configuration, one side surface and two end surfaces of the element body can be processed. Further, in a case where one of the two side faces of the element body held in the holding groove that does not abut against the holding groove is the surface of the processing object, the state of the element body held by the holding groove is corresponding (posture) The first processing means or the second processing means is controlled to perform processing so that the side surface of the transported element body can be processed without being affected by the state of the element body.

In the above processing apparatus, preferably, the control unit controls the first processing unit or the second processing unit based on a result of imaging by the imaging unit, and processes a side surface corresponding to the controlled processing unit.

According to this configuration, the first processing means or the second processing means corresponding to the surface of the processing target is controlled by the surface of the processing target which is not in contact with the holding groove, and the processing is performed by the first processing means or the second processing means corresponding to the surface of the processing target. The state of the component is processed on the side of the transferred component body.

Preferably, the processing device sets the processing positions of the first to fourth processing units to process the element body in accordance with the rotation direction of the transport rotor.

According to this configuration, the element body is held such that the side surface abuts against the holding groove. For example, in the case where the processing of the surface of the element body is performed, a positional shift occurs in the element body. The positional offset of the element body is produced along the side that is held on the retaining groove. However, in the case where the end face of the element body is viewed from the direction along the side of the element body, no positional shift occurs. Therefore, after the side surface is processed, it is possible to perform high-precision processing on each surface by processing the end surface.

In the above processing apparatus, preferably, the element body has a shaft portion, a first flange portion connected to one end of the shaft portion, and a second flange portion connected to the other end of the shaft portion, the flanges Each of the first side surface, the second side surface connected to one end of the first side surface, the third side surface connected to the other end of the first side surface, the other end of the second side surface, and the third side surface a fourth side surface connected to the other end and an end surface connected to all of the first side surface, the second side surface, the third side surface, and the fourth side surface, wherein the holding groove has the first surface of each of the flange portions a first holding surface that is in contact with the side surface and a second holding surface that is in contact with the second side surface of each of the flange portions, wherein the control means controls the processing means to face a surface constituting at least one of the flange portions The surface that is not in contact with the first holding surface and the second holding surface is processed.

According to this configuration, the first side surface of the flange portion is brought into contact with the first holding surface of the holding groove, and the second side surface of the flange portion is brought into contact with the second holding surface of the holding groove, whereby the conveying rotor can be held by The groove stably holds the element body. Further, the surface of the at least one flange portion of the element body held in the holding groove, which is not in contact with the first holding surface and the second holding surface of the holding groove, that is, the third side surface, At least one of the four sides and the end faces are treated.

In the above-described processing apparatus, it is preferable that the transport mechanism is configured to suction at least one flange portion of each of the flange portions of the element body held by the holding groove.

According to this configuration, at least one flange portion of each flange portion of the element body is attracted to the surface constituting the holding groove, and the element body can be held by the holding groove.

In the above-described processing apparatus, it is preferable that the transport rotor has a convex portion that protrudes from the first holding surface between the first flange portion and the second flange portion of the element body held by the holding groove. .

According to this configuration, when the direction in which the first flange portion, the shaft portion, and the second flange portion are arranged is the axial direction of the element body, the element body held by the holding groove can be suppressed from being in the axial direction by the convex portion. Displacement. That is, it is possible to suppress the positional deviation of the element body held by the holding groove.

In the above-described processing apparatus, it is preferable that the transport rotor has a convex portion that protrudes from the first holding surface between the first flange portion and the second flange portion of the element body held by the holding groove. An adsorption port for sucking the shaft portion of the element body held by the holding groove is provided in the convex portion.

According to this configuration, in addition to at least one flange portion of each of the flange portions of the element body held by the holding groove, the shaft portion can be attracted. Therefore, it is possible to improve the suppression accuracy of the holding positional deviation of the element body held by the holding groove.

In the above processing apparatus, it is preferable that the holding groove has a shape corresponding to a shape of each of the flange portions of the element body held by the holding groove.

According to this configuration, the holding groove is formed in a shape corresponding to the shape of the flange portion constituting the element body, so that it is easy to hold the element body by holding the groove.

In the above processing apparatus, preferably, each of the flange portions of the element body is configured such that the first side surface is longer than the second side surface, and the holding groove is configured such that the first holding surface is longer than the second holding surface .

According to this configuration, the contact area between the first side surface of the flange portion that is in contact with the first holding surface and the first holding surface can be maximized. Therefore, the stability when holding the element body by the holding groove can be further improved.

A component transporting apparatus that solves the above-described problems is a component transporting apparatus that transports an element body that constitutes an electronic component. The component body includes a shaft portion, a first flange portion that is connected to one end of the shaft portion, and another end of the shaft portion. a second flange portion that is connected to each of the flange portions, wherein each of the flange portions has a first side surface, a second side surface that is connected to one end of the first side surface, and a third side surface that is connected to the other end of the first side surface a fourth side surface connected to the other end of the second side surface and the other end of the third side surface, and an end surface connected to all of the first side surface, the second side surface, the third side surface, and the fourth side surface, and having: The transport mechanism includes a transport rotor that is rotatably supported, a plurality of holding grooves that are disposed at an end portion of the transport rotor at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction, and that hold the element body, and a drive that drives the rotation of the transport rotor. And conveying the element body held in the holding groove; and a supply mechanism for supplying the element body To the plurality of holding grooves, the holding groove has a first holding surface that is in contact with the first side surface of each of the flange portions, and a second holding surface that is in contact with the second side surface of each of the flange portions, The conveying mechanism is configured to suction at least one flange portion of each of the flange portions of the element body held by the holding groove.

According to this configuration, the conveyance direction of the element body that performs the predetermined process by the processing mechanism is the rotation direction of the conveyance rotor. Therefore, in the transport mechanism configured as described above, the positional accuracy of the element body held in the holding groove when controlling the rotation angle of the conveyance rotor can be improved as compared with the positional accuracy when the element body conveyed in the linear direction is stopped. Therefore, when the process is performed on the element body held by the holding groove of the transfer rotor in the component transfer device configured as described above, the processing capability can be improved.

The processing method for solving the above-described problem is a processing method for processing the surface of the element body constituting the electronic component, and has a plurality of holdings arranged at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction at the end of the transport rotor supported to be rotatable a step of holding the element body in the groove; a step of driving the transfer rotor to rotate the element body to a processing position set in a rotation direction of the transfer rotor; and processing a surface of the element body at the processing position step.

According to this configuration, the element body is conveyed by the transfer rotor and the element body is processed at a predetermined processing position, and the processing is performed efficiently, for example, in comparison with the case where the element body arranged on the table is processed. Increased ability. Further, since the rotor body is rotationally driven to transport the component body, a plurality of component bodies can be processed, and thus the processing capability can be improved.

According to the processing apparatus, the component transport apparatus, and the processing method of the present invention, it is possible to improve the processing of the component body constituting the electronic component.

10, 100, 210, 300‧‧‧ processing devices

11, 210‧‧‧ parts supplier (supply agency)

12, 112, 212, 312‧‧‧Transporting device (transporting mechanism)

13, 13a~13d, 213, 213a~213c‧‧ ‧ laser device (processing mechanism)

20, 120, 220, 320‧‧‧Transfer rotor

20a, 120a, 220a, 320a‧‧‧ rotating shaft

21, 121‧‧‧ support

22, 122, 222, 322 ‧ ‧ keep the groove

222a, 322a‧‧‧ first holding surface

222b, 322b‧‧‧ second holding surface

235‧‧‧ convex

51, 251‧‧‧ control device (control mechanism)

53, 253‧‧ ‧ camera (photographing agency)

70, 270‧‧‧ electronic parts

71, 271‧‧‧ component body

71a‧‧‧ side

71e, 71f‧‧‧ end face

72, 73, 272~275‧‧‧ external electrodes

271a‧‧‧ first side

271b‧‧‧ second side

271c‧‧‧ third side

271d‧‧‧fourth side

271e‧‧‧ end face

280‧‧‧Axis

281‧‧‧First flange

282‧‧‧Second flange

P1, P21‧‧‧ identification position (inspection position, processing position)

P2a~P2d, P22a~P22c‧‧‧1st to 4th irradiation position (processing position)

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of a processing apparatus according to a first embodiment.

Fig. 2(a) is a perspective view showing the disk portion of the first embodiment, and Fig. 2(b) is a perspective view showing the periphery of the holding groove.

In Fig. 3, (a) is a side view showing an electronic component, and (b) is a perspective view showing the element body.

4 is a schematic view showing the delivery of electronic components.

In Fig. 5, (a) to (c) are enlarged views showing states of the disk portion and the electronic component.

In Fig. 6, (a) is a partially exploded perspective view of the disk portion, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the disk portion.

Fig. 7 is a schematic view showing positions of various processes with respect to the disk unit.

Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a processing device.

Fig. 9 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing of the processing device.

In Fig. 10, (a) to (c) are perspective cross-sectional views showing the processing of the electronic component.

In Fig. 11, (a) and (b) are schematic views showing a disk portion of a comparative example.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing an electronic component of another processing target.

Fig. 13 (a) is a perspective view showing an outline of a processing apparatus according to a second embodiment, and Fig. 13 (b) is a perspective view showing a disk unit according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing an outline of a process of an electronic component held by a disk unit.

Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing an outline of a processing apparatus according to a third embodiment.

In Fig. 16, (a) and (b) are perspective views showing electronic components.

In Fig. 17, (a) is a perspective view of the element body, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the element body.

Fig. 18 is a perspective view of the conveying rotor.

Fig. 19 is a schematic view showing the transfer of the element body.

In Fig. 20, (a) and (b) are enlarged views showing a state in which the rotor and the element body are transported.

21 is a perspective view showing a part of a transport rotor.

Fig. 22 is a partially exploded perspective view of the conveying rotor.

Fig. 23 is a view schematically showing a cross section of a part of a transfer rotor.

Fig. 24 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a processing device.

Fig. 25 is a schematic view showing a position of various processes for transporting a rotor.

Fig. 26 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing of the processing device.

In Fig. 27, (a) to (c) are perspective cross-sectional views showing the process of the element body.

(a) is a perspective view showing an outline of a processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment, and (b) is a perspective view showing a transport rotor according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view showing an outline of a process of holding the element body of the transport rotor.

In Fig. 30, (a) is a perspective view showing a part of a transport rotor according to another embodiment, and (b) is a view schematically showing a cross section of a part of the transport rotor.

Hereinafter, each aspect will be described.

In addition, the drawings sometimes show enlarged constituent elements for easy understanding. The size ratio of the constituent elements may be different from the actual situation or the situation in other drawings.

(First embodiment)

Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described.

As shown in Fig. 1, the processing apparatus 10 has a component supplier 11 as a supply mechanism, a transport device 12 as a transport mechanism, and a laser device 13 as a processing mechanism. The processing device 10 has a plurality of laser devices 13. Further, in Fig. 1, although two laser devices 13 are shown, a number of processing mechanisms corresponding to the processes may be provided. In the following description, when the laser devices are described one by one, each laser device is denoted by a symbol, and when the laser device is used for common explanation, "13" is used as a symbol.

The component supplier 11 sequentially supplies the object processed by the laser device 13 to the conveying device 12 by vibration. The object to be processed is an element body constituting a wafer-shaped electronic component. The transport device 12 transports the supplied component body to the processing position. In the present embodiment, the processing device 10 has a plurality of laser devices 13 and sets a processing position for each of the laser devices 13. The transport device 12 sequentially transports the element main bodies to the respective processing positions, and the laser device 13 processes the transported element main body, that is, irradiates the laser. The processed element body is transported to the discharge position by the transport device 12 and discharged.

Here, the component body to be processed will be described.

As shown in Fig. 3 (a) and Fig. 3 (b), the electronic component 70 of the present embodiment has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and has six faces. Among the surfaces of the electronic component 70, the two surfaces that are in contact with the holding groove 22 (see FIG. 2(b)), which will be described later, and the two surfaces that are parallel to the two surfaces that are in contact with each other are side surfaces, and The four orthogonal surfaces are the end faces. That is, the electronic component 70 has four side faces and two end faces. In addition, in the present specification, the "cuboid shape" includes, for example, a shape in which a corner portion of a rectangular parallelepiped and a ridge portion are rounded. The electronic component 70 is, for example, a capacitor, a piezoelectric component, a thermistor, or the like.

The electronic component 70 is an electronic component that is surface-mounted on a substrate or the like, and is, for example, a wafer ferrite bead. Further, as the electronic component 70, for example, a wafer inductor or a wafer capacitor can be processed.

The electronic component 70 has an element body 71 as a processing object and two external electrodes 72, 73 formed on the surface of the element body 71. The element body 71 of the present embodiment is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has four side faces 71a, 71b, 71c, and 71d and two end faces 71e and 71f. The electronic component 70 is a small component and has a size of, for example, 0.6 mm × 0.3 mm × 0.4 mm.

The element body 71 is, for example, a sintered ceramic body. The ceramic body is composed of a ferrite material containing nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn). As the ferrite material, for example, a Ni—Zn ferrite containing Ni and Zn as a main component, and a Ni—Cu—Zn ferrite containing Ni, Zn, and copper (Cu) as a main component can be used. For example, the element body 71 is obtained by compressing the above ferrite material and sintering.

The external electrodes 72, 73 are formed to cover the two end faces 71e, 71f of the element body 71, respectively. Further, the external electrodes 72, 73 are formed to cover a part of one side surface 71a and are continuous from the end surfaces 71e, 71f. The external electrodes 72, 73 are formed by a plating process. As a material of the external electrodes 72 and 73, for example, Cu, gold (Au), (Ag), (Pd), Ni, (Sn) or the like is used. Further, the external electrodes 72, 73 may be formed by multi-layer plating of metal.

The external electrodes 72, 73 are formed by a plating process after subjecting the element body 71 to a partial heat treatment. In Fig. 3(b), the portion where the local heat treatment is performed is shown hatched. The above-described laser device 13 is used for performing local heat treatment on the element body 71. As the laser device 13, for example, a YVO ₄ laser device (wavelength: 1064 nm) can be used. Further, as the processing device, an electron beam irradiation device, a heating furnace, or the like can be used. The laser device 13 preferably changes the illumination position in the element body 71 quickly.

The local heating by the laser device 13 deteriorates the ceramic body on the surface of the element body 71. The insulating material (ferrite) constituting the ceramic body is deteriorated by local heating to form a low-resistance portion having a lower resistance value than the insulating material. This is considered to be caused by the reduction of iron (Fe) or Cu contained in the ferrite due to local heating. The depth and size of the low resistance portion can be adjusted in accordance with the irradiation energy of the laser.

The element body 71 having a low resistance portion is immersed in a plating solution to perform electroplating. The current density in the low-resistance portion having conductivity is higher than that of the other portions, so that plating metal is deposited on the surface of the low-resistance portion. Thus, the external electrodes 72 and 73 can be formed by the deposited plating metal.

The growth rate of the plated metal in the region where the laser is not irradiated is slow compared to the growth rate of the plated metal in the region irradiated with the laser. Therefore, even if the plating treatment time is not strictly controlled, the plating metal can be selectively grown in the region irradiated with the laser. Further, by controlling the plating treatment time, voltage or current, the formation time and thickness of the external electrode can be controlled. Further, by performing an additional plating treatment on the external electrode formed by the first plating treatment, it is also possible to form an external electrode having a multilayer structure. At this time, an external electrode serving as a base has been formed, and thus the additional plating treatment time can be short.

As described above, the processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment sequentially transports the element body 71 constituting the electronic component 70, and performs processing by the laser device 13. Hereinafter, the conveyance of the element body 71 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the processing apparatus 10 has a component supplier 11 and a conveying device 12. The component supplier 11 arranges and transports the component body 71 (see Fig. 3(a)) by vibration. In the present embodiment, the component supplier 11 arranges the element body 71 such that the side surface 71a to be processed faces the lower side. The component body 71 that has been transported by the component supplier 11 is transferred to the transport device 12 through the vibration-free portion 14 disposed at the distal end of the component supplier 11 .

The transport device 12 includes a transport rotor 20 and a motor 40 that is a drive unit that rotationally drives the transport rotor 20 . The size of the transport rotor 20 is, for example, 70 mm in diameter. Since the diameter is relatively small, even if the rotation is driven at a high speed (for example, 4000 rpm), the displacement of the position due to the vibration of the transport rotor 20 can be reduced. The rotation shaft 20a of the conveyance rotor 20 is rotatably supported by the support base 41 which has a bearing. The rotating shaft 20a and the output shaft 40a of the motor 40 are coupled by a coupling 42. The coupling 42 allows the shaft to be displaced between the rotating shaft 20a of the rotor 20 and the output shaft 40a of the motor 40.

As shown in FIG. 2( a ), a support portion 21 that extends in the circumferential direction of the transport rotor 20 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the transport rotor 20 that is formed in a circular shape. As shown in FIG. 2(b), a holding groove 22 is formed in the support portion 21, and the element body 71 is held by the holding groove 22. Further, the element body 71 is held by the holding groove 22 by vacuum suction.

The holding groove 22 is formed to extend in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the conveying rotor 20. The holding groove 22 is formed in a V shape, and the element body 71 that is conveyed obliquely is viewed from the direction in which the rotation axis of the rotor 20 is conveyed. At this time, the side surface 71a of the element body 71 held as the processing target is located radially outward of the transport rotor 20. In other words, the component supplier 11 arranges the element body 71 so that the side surface 71a of the processing target is radially outward of the transport rotor 20. Further, the component supplier 11 may arrange the element bodies 71 such that the side faces 71a of the processing object are aligned in a certain direction.

The holding grooves 22 are formed at equal intervals (equal angular intervals) in the circumferential direction at the ends of the conveying rotor 20. For example, the holding groove 22 is formed every 3 degrees. That is, 120 holding grooves 22 are formed in the conveying rotor 20. Thereby, the processing of 120 element bodies 71 is performed in one rotation of the conveyance rotor 20.

Next, the transfer of the element body 71 from the component supplier 11 to the transfer rotor 20 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 4, a vibration-free portion 14 is disposed at the front end of the component supplier 11. The non-vibration portion 14 has an abutting part 14a for abutting the element body 71 and a separating pin 14b for separating the element body 71. The separation pin 14b is moved in the vertical direction in FIG. 4 by a separation pin driving portion which will be described later. The abutting part 14a is connected to a vacuum pump which will be described later. When the separation pin 14b is lowered, the element body 71 is attracted by the abutting part 14a. Then, the element body 71 to be conveyed next time is separated from the element body 71 adsorbed to the contact member 14a by the rise of the separation pin 14b. The element body 71 adsorbed to the abutting part 14a abuts against the abutting part 14a, and is positioned by the abutting part 14a. Moreover, the element body 71 is held by the holding groove 22 shown in Fig. 2(b).

The state of the element body 71 held by the transport rotor 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5(a) to 5(c). As shown on the left side of Fig. 5(a), the element body 71 is held such that the two side faces 71a, 71d protrude from the side surface (outer peripheral surface) 21a of the support portion 21 to the radially outer side (upper side in Fig. 5(a)). . Further, as shown on the right side of FIG. 5(a), the element body 71 is held to protrude from the two side faces 71a, 71b. In other words, the holding groove 22 is formed to abut a part of the adjacent two side faces 71b, 71c (or the side faces 71c, 71d) of the element body 71, and the two side faces 71a, 71d (or the side faces 71a, 71b) that are not abutted The entirety protrudes from the upper end of the holding groove 22. As shown in FIGS. 5(b) and 5(c), the element body 71 is held such that the end surface of the element body 71 is opposite to the support portion 21 in the thickness direction of the support portion 21 (in FIG. 5(b) and FIG. 5(c). The middle is a vertical direction, which is a direction parallel to the rotation axis. In other words, the support portion 21 holds the central portion of the element body 71 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

Next, an example of the configuration of the transport rotor 20 will be described.

As shown in Fig. 6(a), the transport rotor 20 is composed of three circular plates 31, 32, and 33 which are laminated in the axial direction.

The first circular plate 31 is formed in a plate shape. The second circular plate 32 is formed with a plurality of through holes 32a penetrating in the thickness direction thereof. The through hole 32a is formed at a predetermined angle (in every third embodiment in the present embodiment), and extends in the radial direction to the end of the circular plate 32. The circular plate 32 has inclined surfaces 32b and 32c which are inclined with respect to the circumferential direction at the radially outer end portion of the through hole 32a, and the inclined surfaces 32b and 32c are formed at right angles to each other. The holding grooves 22 shown in Fig. 2(b) are formed by the inclined faces 32b and 32c. In a state in which the first to third circular plates 31 to 33 are laminated, the first circular plate 31 and the third circular plate 33 are formed to face a portion of the through hole 32a formed in the second circular plate 32 at the second circular plate 32. Cover the thickness direction. As shown in FIG. 6(b), the second circular plate 32 is formed larger than the first and third circular plates 31, 33. The second circular plate 32 forms the support portion 21 shown in Fig. 2(b) by the protruding portion.

A communication groove 33a extending in the circumferential direction is formed in the third circular plate 33. As shown in FIG. 6(b), the communication groove 33a communicates with the through hole 32a formed in the second circular plate 32 in a state in which the first to third circular plates 31 to 33 are stacked. The communication groove 33a is connected to a vacuum pump 55 which will be described later. Therefore, the through hole 32a and the communication groove 33a constitute an adsorption port formed at the bottom of the holding groove 22 and adsorbing the element body 71 (see FIG. 2(b)). In addition, FIG. 6(a) and FIG. 6(b) show the outline of the components required for forming the adsorption port in the conveyance rotor 20.

In this way, the transport rotor 20 is constituted by the first to third discs 31 to 33, whereby the formation of the transport rotor 20 having the suction port is facilitated, and the manufacturing cost is reduced. That is, the conveying rotor 20 has an adsorption port that extends in the radial direction. In order to adsorb the minute element body 71, the inner diameter (diameter) of the adsorption port is extremely narrow (for example, 0.25 mm). For example, it is extremely difficult to form such an adsorption port by a drill or the like, and it takes a long time to process. Therefore, in order to form the adsorption port in the radial direction, the manufacture of the transfer rotor is extremely difficult, and the manufacturing cost is increased.

On the other hand, in the transport rotor of the present embodiment, the through hole 32a penetrating in the thickness direction is formed in the second circular plate 32, and the through hole is covered by the first circular plate 31 and the third circular plate 33 laminated on the second circular plate 32. A portion of 32a thereby forming a radially extending adsorption port. In the second circular plate 32, the formation of the through hole 32a penetrating in the thickness direction and extending in the radial direction is easy. Further, in the third circular plate 33, it is also easy to form the communication groove 33a extending in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the transport rotor 20 composed of the first to third discs 31 to 33 can be easily formed, and the cost of manufacturing can be reduced.

Next, the electrical configuration of the processing apparatus will be described.

As shown in FIG. 8, the processing apparatus 10 has a control apparatus 51 as a control means, a component supply 11, a separation pin driving section 52, a motor 40, a camera 53, which is a photographing means, a lighting device 54, a laser device 13, and a vacuum pump 55. And a gas supply pump 56.

The separation pin drive unit 52 is, for example, a solenoid. The control device 51 controls the separation pin driving portion 52 to move the separation pin 14b shown in Fig. 4 up and down.

The vacuum pump 55 is connected to the abutting part 14a shown in FIG. 4, and is used for the transfer of the element body 71. Further, the vacuum pump 55 is used to hold the element body 71 by the suction port constituted by the through hole 32a and the communication groove 33a shown in FIG. 6(b).

The air supply pump 56 is utilized in order to discharge the element body 71 by supplying compressed air.

The camera 53 and the illumination device 54 are used to grasp the position of the element body 71 held by the transport rotor 20 and correct the processing position of the laser device 13. Further, the camera 53 and the illumination device 54 are used in the element body 71 to determine the side surface on which the processing is performed. The correction of the processing position and the determination of the side surface will be described later.

Next, various processing positions of the processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 7, the component supplier 11, the camera 53, the illumination device 54, and the laser devices 13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d are disposed centering on the conveyance rotor 20. The black circles shown on the circumference of the transport rotor 20 indicate the processing position. The processing position includes a handover position P0, an identification position (inspection position) P1, illumination positions P2a, P2b, P2c, P2d, and a discharge position P3. Each processing position is set corresponding to the angle at which the holding groove 22 shown in Fig. 2(b) is formed. In the present embodiment, the holding grooves 22 are formed every three degrees. Therefore, each processing position is set at an angle which is an integral multiple of the angle at which the holding groove 22 is formed.

Specifically, the component supplier 11 is disposed below the transport rotor 20 . The element body 71 conveyed by the component supplier 11 is held by the holding groove 22 (see FIG. 2(b)) of the conveyance rotor 20 at the delivery position P0 at the lowest point.

In Fig. 7, the conveying rotor 20 is rotationally driven in the direction indicated by the arrow. The transported component body 71 is imaged by the camera 53 at the recognition position P1. The camera 53 and the illumination device 54 are disposed corresponding to the identification position P1. The illumination device 54 is, for example, a ring illumination device. The camera 53 images the element body 71 and the transport rotor 20 from the outer peripheral side of the transport rotor 20. As shown in FIG. 5(b), the element body 71 is held by the support portion 21 of the transport rotor 20. When the rectangular parallelepiped element body 71 is held, a positional shift may occur in the longitudinal direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 5(b), that is, the direction perpendicular to the end surface). Therefore, the camera body 53 and the transport rotor 20 are imaged by the camera 53, and the position of the element body 71 is grasped. Specifically, the control device 51 grasps the position of the element body 71 with respect to the transport rotor 20 . Further, the control device 51 corrects the processing position of the laser device 13 on the side surface of the processing element main body 71 in accordance with the position of the identified element body 71. In the present embodiment, the laser device 13 is a laser processing device, and the control device 51 corrects the emission angle of the laser of the laser device 13. By this correction, the side surface of each element body 71 can be processed with high precision.

In FIG. 7, the first to fourth irradiation positions P2a to P2d are set along the rotation direction of the conveyance rotor 20. The first and second irradiation positions P2a, P2b are processing positions of the side surface of the processing element body 71. The third and fourth irradiation positions P2c, P2d are processing positions for sequentially processing the both end faces of the element body 71.

The first laser device 13a processes the surface (side surface) of the element body 71 conveyed to the first irradiation position P2a. The first laser device 13a that emits the laser light is disposed such that the optical axis La of the laser is perpendicular to the side surface of the element body 71 that is transported to the first irradiation position P2a.

The second laser device 13b processes the surface (side surface) of the element body 71 conveyed to the second irradiation position P2b. The second laser device 13b that emits the laser light is disposed such that the optical axis Lb of the laser is perpendicular to the side surface of the element body 71 that is transported to the second irradiation position P2b.

Further, the first laser device 13a and the second laser device 13b are disposed such that their respective optical axes are perpendicular to different sides from each other. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 5(a), the element body 71 is held by the V-shaped holding grooves 22 to the adjacent side faces 71b, 71c or the side faces 71c, 71d. Therefore, the element body 71 that is held in the rotation direction of the transport rotor 20 (the right direction in FIG. 5( a )) is held in the direction in which the side surface 71 a faces the rotation direction (reverse rotation direction). The component bodies 71 are mixed together.

The control device 51 shown in FIG. 8 determines which of the rotation direction and the reverse rotation direction the side surface of the element body 71 is based on the image of the element body 71 imaged by the camera 53. Further, the control device 51 controls the processing device corresponding to the direction in which the side surface 71a of the element body 71 faces, based on the determination result, and processes the side surface 71a of the processing target.

The third laser device 13c processes the surface (side surface) of the element body 71 conveyed to the third irradiation position P2c. The third laser device 13c that emits the laser beam is arranged such that the laser beam is incident substantially perpendicularly with respect to one end surface of the element body 71 conveyed to the third irradiation position P2c. The fourth laser device 13d processes the surface (side surface) of the element body 71 conveyed to the fourth irradiation position P2d. The fourth laser device 13d that emits the laser light is arranged such that the laser is incident substantially perpendicularly with respect to the other side surface of the element body 71 conveyed to the fourth irradiation position P2d. Further, the third and fourth laser devices 13c, 13d may be configured to use one or a plurality of mirrors to incident a laser substantially perpendicularly to the end surface of the element body 71. Also, the first and second laser devices 13a, 13b may be configured to use one or more mirrors to make the optical axis perpendicular to the side of the element body 71. Further, the third and fourth laser devices 13c and 13d shown in FIG. 7 do not indicate their respective shapes, and indicate the cases corresponding to the irradiation positions P2c and P2d.

Thus, the element body 71 whose side surface and end surface are processed is discharged at the discharge position P3 shown in FIG.

Next, the processing flow of the processing device will be described.

FIG. 9 shows a flow of processing executed by the control device 51 of the processing device 10.

The control device 51 performs the processing of steps S1 to S5 shown in FIG. 9 and processes the element body 71 (see FIG. 3) to be processed.

In step S1, the element body 71 is supplied to the transport rotor 20 shown in Fig. 1 . Then, the transport rotor 20 that has adsorbed the element body 71 is rotated to transport the element body 71.

In step S2, the position of the element body 71 is identified using the camera 53 shown in FIG.

In step S3, the side surface of the element body 71 is processed. That is, a part of the side surface of the element body 71 is processed using the first laser device 13a or the second laser device 13b shown in FIG. The laser is scanned on the side of the element body 71 to process a predetermined area. For example, a laser with a spot diameter of 40 μm is scanned back and forth. At this time, the position of the laser beam irradiated to the side surface 71a of the element body 71 is corrected based on the position of the element body 71 identified in step S2. By this correction, the irradiation position of the laser can be accurately aligned with respect to each element body 71.

In step S4, the end face of the element body 71 is processed. That is, the entire two end faces of the element body 71 are processed using the third laser device 13c and the fourth laser device 13d shown in FIG. In step S5, the element body 71 is discharged.

10(a) to 10(c) show the processing of the element body 71.

First, as shown in FIG. 10(a), the side surface 71a of the element body 71 is processed using the first laser device 13a. Further, the same applies to the case of using the second laser device 13b. Next, as shown in FIG. 10(b), one end surface 71e of the element body 71 is processed using the third laser device 13c, and the other end surface 71f of the element body 71 is processed using the fourth laser device 13d. Then, as shown in FIG. 10(c), the compressed air supplied from the air supply pump 56 shown in FIG. 8 is injected through the nozzle 56c, and the element body 71 is discharged.

Thus, the processing apparatus 10 sequentially processes the two end faces 71e, 71f of the element body 71 after the side surface 71a of the element body 71 is processed. The laser device 13 irradiates a portion of the surface of the element body 71 with a laser, and locally heats the surface of the element body 71 by the irradiation energy of the laser. The position of the element body 71 is sometimes shifted due to the irradiation of the laser. This positional shift is also caused by the irradiation of the laser beam to the end face. Therefore, it is considered to identify the position of the element body 71 before each process.

The positional shift of the element body 71 causes the accuracy of the processing of the side surface 71a to be lowered. Therefore, after the processing for recognizing the position of the element body 71 (step S2 of FIG. 9), the irradiation position is corrected corresponding to the position of the element body 71 to process the side surface (step S3 of FIG. 9), thereby suppressing the deterioration of the processing accuracy. .

On the other hand, the element body 71 is held by the conveying rotor 20 to the side surface. Therefore, the positional deviation of the element body 71 is generated in the direction along the side. Thus, even if a positional shift occurs, the position of the end face of the element body 71 in the direction along the end face, in detail, does not shift the position at which the element body 71 transports the rotor 20. That is, in the third irradiation position P2c and the fourth irradiation position P2d shown in FIG. 7, no positional shift occurs. Therefore, after the processing on the side surface (step S3 of FIG. 9), the processing of the end surface can be performed without recognizing the position of the element body 71 (step S4 of FIG. 9).

Next, the operation of the above processing apparatus 10 will be described.

The processing device 10 has a transfer device 12 and a laser device 13. The conveying device 12 has a conveying rotor 20 and a motor 40. The transport rotor 20 is rotatably supported and formed in a circular shape. A support portion 21 extending in the circumferential direction is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the conveyance rotor 20, and the support groove 21 is formed at equal angular intervals in the support portion 21. The laser device 13 processes the surface of the element body 71 transported to the processing position. The control device 51 controls the motor 40 to stop the transport rotor 20 at a predetermined angle (the angle at which the holding groove 22 is formed), and transports the element body 71 to the processing position. Moreover, the control device 51 controls the laser device 13 to process the surface of the element body 71.

According to this configuration, the wafer is conveyed by the circular transfer rotor 20 and the element body 71 is processed at a predetermined processing position, and the processing is performed efficiently, for example, compared with the case of processing the wafers arranged on the stage. The ability to seek treatment is improved. In addition, by rotating the transport rotor 20 and transporting the element body 71, the plurality of element bodies 71 can be processed without changing the position of the laser device 13, and thus the processing capability can be improved.

In the processing apparatus 10, the control apparatus 51 stops the conveyance rotor 20 every angle at which the holding groove 22 is formed, and processes the surface of the element body 71 stopped at the processing position. Thus, by stopping the transport rotor 20 at every angle at which the holding groove 22 is formed, the element body 71 can be surely stopped at the processing position. Moreover, it is possible to perform processing with high precision on the element body 71 stopped at the processing position.

The element body 71 is a ceramic body, and the laser device 13 is a laser processing device that locally heats a surface of the ceramic body to reduce a part of the ceramic body. Therefore, local heating in the surface of the minute element body 71 can be performed with high precision by irradiating the element body 71 of the ceramic body with laser light with high precision. Further, the ceramic body is reduced in resistance by such local heating, and the portion can be plated to form an external electrode.

The holding groove 22 of the conveying rotor 20 is formed to abut against a part of the adjacent two side faces of the rectangular parallelepiped element body 71, and the two side faces that are not abutted integrally protrude from the holding groove 22. The laser device 13 has a first laser device 13a and a second laser device 13b corresponding to the two side faces that are not held, and a third laser device 13c and a fourth laser device 13d corresponding to the two end faces.

The end surface and the side surface of the element body 71 can be handled in the element body 71 held by the transfer rotor 20. Further, the element body 71 is held so that the two side faces that are not in contact with the holding groove 22 protrude from the holding groove 22, so that the processing of the laser device 13 can be suppressed from affecting the conveying of the rotor 20.

The control device 51 controls one of the first laser device 13a and the second laser device 13b, the third laser device 13c, and the fourth laser device 13d to process one side surface and both end faces of the element body 71. One side face and two end faces of the element body 71 can be processed by the third and fourth laser devices 13c, 13d. Further, in a case where one of the two side faces that are not in contact with the holding groove 22 is the surface to be processed, the first laser is controlled corresponding to the state (posture) of the element body 71 held by the holding groove 22 The device 13a or the second laser device 13b performs processing. Thereby, the side surface of the conveyed element main body 71 can be processed without being affected by the state of the element main body 71.

The control device 51 controls the first laser device 13a or the second laser device 13b based on the imaging result of the camera 53, and processes the side surface corresponding to the controlled laser device 13. The first laser device 13a or the second laser device 13b corresponding to the surface of the processing target is controlled to grasp the surface of the processing target that is not in contact with the holding groove 22, and can be processed without being subjected to the component. The state of the body 71 affects the side surface of the transported element body 71 in an influential manner.

The processing positions of the processing element main body 71 of the first to fourth laser devices 13a to 13d are set in accordance with the rotation direction of the transport rotor 20. The element body 71 is held to abut against the holding groove 22 . A positional shift occurs in the element body 71 due to the treatment of the surface of the element body 71. The positional deviation of the element body 71 is generated along the side held by the holding groove 22. However, in the case where the end face of the element body 71 is viewed from the direction along the side of the element body 71, no positional shift occurs. Therefore, by processing the end faces after the side faces are processed, it is possible to perform highly precise processing on each of the faces.

Here, a comparative example of the present embodiment will be described.

In the transport rotor 501 shown in FIG. 11( a ), a rectangular holding groove 502 is formed, and the element body 71 is housed in the holding groove 502 . In this case, the laser beam is irradiated with respect to one side surface and both end faces of the element body 71. Therefore, if the element bodies 71 are not arranged correctly, the processing on the side faces cannot be performed. Further, there is a case where the laser beam on the processing side is irradiated to the transport rotor 501. Since the irradiated laser deteriorates the transport rotor 501, the life of the transport rotor 501 is shortened.

Further, in the transport rotor 511 shown in FIG. 11(b), the holding groove 512 is larger than the size of the element body 71. In this case, the two side faces 71a, 71d of the side surface of the element body 71 that do not abut against the holding groove 512 do not protrude from the holding groove 512 as a whole. Therefore, there is a case where the laser beam of the processing side surface 71a is irradiated to the transport rotor 511. Since the irradiated laser deteriorates the transport rotor 511, the life during which the rotor 511 is transported can be shortened.

With respect to the above-described comparative example, in the processing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the transport rotor 20 has a horizontal rotating shaft and is supported to be vertically rotatable, and has a support portion 21 extending in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface. The holding groove 22 is formed to be disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the support portion 21 and extends in the thickness direction of the conveying rotor 20 . The support portion 21 is formed such that both end faces of the element body 71 held by the holding groove 22 protrude from the support portion 21 in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the transfer rotor 20 .

The conveying rotor 20 is vertically rotated (longitudinal rotation) by being supported as a horizontal rotating shaft. The element body 71 is held by the support portion 21 of the transport rotor 20 that is vertically rotated in such a manner that the end surface projects in a direction parallel to the rotation axis. Therefore, the end surface of the element body 71 can be easily processed. Further, the element body 71 is held so that the end surface protrudes from the support portion 21, and it is possible to suppress the processing of the laser device 13 from affecting the support portion 21, that is, the transfer rotor 20.

The control device 51 grasps the position of the element body 71 based on the imaging result of the camera 53, and corrects the position of the processing performed by the laser device 13 on the element body 71 based on the position of the identified element body 71.

When the component body 71 is transferred from the component supplier 11 to the transport rotor 20, positional displacement may occur in the component body 71. Therefore, the camera body 53 is imaged by the camera 53 to grasp the position of the element body 71, and the position of the process is corrected based on the position, whereby highly accurate processing can be realized.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

(1-1) The processing apparatus 10 has the conveying apparatus 12 and the laser apparatus 13. The conveying device 12 has a conveying rotor 20 and a motor 40. The transport rotor 20 is rotatably supported and formed in a circular shape. A support portion 21 extending in the circumferential direction is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the conveyance rotor 20, and the support groove 21 is formed at equal angular intervals in the support portion 21. The laser device 13 processes the surface of the element body 71 transported to the processing position. The control device 51 controls the motor 40 to stop the transport rotor 20 at a predetermined angle (the angle at which the holding groove 22 is formed), and transports the element body 71 to the processing position. Moreover, the control device 51 controls the laser device 13 to process the surface of the element body 71.

According to this configuration, the wafer is conveyed by the circular transfer rotor 20 and the element body 71 is processed at a predetermined processing position, and the processing is performed efficiently, for example, compared with the case of processing the wafers arranged on the stage. The ability to seek treatment is improved. Further, by rotating the transport rotor 20 and transporting the element body 71, the plurality of element bodies 71 can be processed without changing the position of the laser device 13, and thus the processing capability can be improved.

(1-2) In the processing apparatus 10, the control apparatus 51 stops the conveyance rotor 20 every angle at which the holding groove 22 is formed. And the surface of the element body 71 stopped at the processing position is processed. Thus, by stopping the transport rotor 20 at every angle at which the holding groove 22 is formed, the element body 71 can be surely stopped at the processing position. Moreover, it is possible to perform processing with high precision on the element body 71 stopped at the processing position.

(1-3) The element body 71 is a ceramic body, and the laser device 13 is a laser processing device that locally heats a surface of the ceramic body to reduce a part of the ceramic body. Therefore, local heating of the surface of the minute element body 71 can be performed with high precision by irradiating the element body 71 of the ceramic body with laser light with high precision. Further, the ceramic body is reduced in resistance by such local heating, and the portion can be plated to form an external electrode.

(1-4) The holding groove 22 of the conveying rotor 20 is formed to abut against a part of the adjacent two side faces of the rectangular parallelepiped element body 71, and the two side faces that are not abutted integrally protrude from the holding groove 22. The laser device 13 has a first laser device 13a and a second laser device 13b corresponding to the two side faces that are not held, and a third laser device 13c and a fourth laser device 13d corresponding to the two end faces.

The end surface and the side surface of the element body 71 can be handled in the element body 71 held by the transfer rotor 20. Further, the element body 71 is held so that the two side faces that are not in contact with the holding groove 22 protrude from the holding groove 22, so that the processing of the laser device 13 can be suppressed from affecting the conveying of the rotor 20.

(1-5) The control device 51 controls one of the first laser device 13a and the second laser device 13b, the third laser device 13c, and the fourth laser device 13d to process one side of the element body 71 And two end faces. One side face and two end faces of the element body 71 can be processed by the third and fourth laser devices 13c, 13d. Further, in a case where one of the two side faces that are not in contact with the holding groove 22 is the surface to be processed, the first laser is controlled corresponding to the state (posture) of the element body 71 held by the holding groove 22 The device 13a or the second laser device 13b performs processing so that the side surface of the transported element body 71 can be processed without being affected by the state of the element body 71.

(1-6) The control device 51 controls the first laser device 13a or the second laser device 13b based on the imaging result of the camera 53, and processes the side surface corresponding to the controlled laser device 13. The first laser device 13a or the second laser device 13b corresponding to the surface of the processing target is controlled to grasp the surface of the processing target that is not in contact with the holding groove 22, and can be processed without being subjected to the component. The state of the body 71 affects the side surface of the transported element body 71 in an influential manner.

When the side surface of the element body 71 is processed by the first laser device 13a or the second laser device 13b, a positional shift sometimes occurs in the element body 71. This positional deviation is generated in the direction along the side of the element body 71, that is, in the direction orthogonal to the end surface. Moreover, the amount of positional displacement generated by the element body 71 is smaller than the range of the focus of the laser irradiated from the third and fourth laser devices 13c, 13d of the processing end face. Therefore, the end surface of the element body 71 can be processed with high precision.

(1-7) The transport rotor 20 has a horizontal rotating shaft and is supported to be vertically rotatable, and has a support portion 21 extending in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the transport rotor 20. The holding groove 22 is formed to be disposed on the outer circumferential surface of the support portion 21 and extends in the thickness direction of the conveying rotor 20 . Further, the support portion 21 is formed such that both end faces of the element body 71 held by the holding groove 22 protrude from the support portion 21 in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the conveyance rotor 20.

The conveying rotor 20 is vertically rotated (longitudinal rotation) by being supported as a horizontal rotating shaft. The element body 71 is held by the support portion 21 of the transport rotor 20 that is vertically rotated in such a manner that the end surface projects in a direction parallel to the rotation axis. Therefore, the end surface of the element body 71 can be easily processed. Further, the element body 71 is held so that the end surface protrudes from the support portion 21, and it is possible to suppress the processing of the laser device 13 from affecting the support portion 21, that is, the transfer rotor 20.

(1-8) The control device 51 grasps the position of the element body 71 based on the imaging result of the camera 53, and corrects the position of the processing performed by the laser device 13 on the element body 71 based on the position of the identified element body 71.

When the component body 71 is transferred from the component supplier 11 to the transport rotor 20, positional displacement may occur in the component body 71. Therefore, the position of the element body 71 is grasped by the camera 53 in the element body 71 held by the transport rotor 20, and the position of the process is corrected based on the position, whereby highly accurate processing can be realized.

(Second embodiment)

Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described.

In the embodiment, the same components as those of the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a part or all of the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 13(a), the processing apparatus 100 includes a component supplier 11, a conveying device 112, and a laser device 13 as a processing device. In Fig. 13 (a), three laser devices 13 are shown. Further, the straight line connecting the laser device 13 and the transport device 112 indicates the relationship between the laser device 13 and the transport device 112, and does not indicate the processing position performed by the laser device 13.

The conveying device 112 has a conveying rotor 120 and a rotating shaft 120a that supports the conveying rotor 120. In the present embodiment, the rotating shaft 120a is vertically supported by the main body portion 112a of the conveying device 112. Therefore, the conveying rotor 120 rotates in the horizontal direction (lateral direction).

As shown in FIG. 13(b), a support portion 121 that extends in the circumferential direction of the transport rotor 120 is formed on the upper surface 120b of the transport rotor 120 that is formed in a circular shape. A holding groove 122 is formed in the support portion 121, and the element body 71 is held in the holding groove 122. Further, in order to facilitate the understanding of the holding state of the element body 71, the element body 71 is shown enlarged, and thus the element body 71 having a smaller number than actually held is shown in Fig. 13(b).

The retaining groove 122 is formed to extend in the radial direction of the conveying rotor 120. The holding groove 122 is formed in a V shape, and the conveyed element body 71 is obliquely held as viewed from the radial direction of the conveying rotor 120.

At this time, the side surface 71a of the element body 71 held as the processing target becomes the upper surface side of the conveyance rotor 120. In other words, the above-described component supplier 11 arranges the element body 71 so that the side surface 71a of the processing object is on the upper surface side of the transport rotor 120.

The holding grooves 122 are formed at equal intervals (equal angular intervals) at the ends of the conveying rotor 120. An adsorption port (not shown) is formed at the bottom of the holding groove 122. As in the first embodiment, the element body 71 is held by the holding groove 122 by a vacuum pump.

Further, the element body 71 is held by the holding groove 122 of the support portion 121 at the center in the longitudinal direction as in the first embodiment. The retaining groove 122 is formed to extend in the radial direction of the conveying rotor 120. Therefore, the element body 71 is held such that the end faces protrude radially inward and outward with respect to the support portion 121.

As shown in FIG. 14 , the element body 71 supported by the transport rotor 120 is irradiated with a laser beam Lc (indicated by a dot chain) to the end surface 71 e of the element body 71 by a mirror 150 disposed inside the transport rotor 120 . Further, the laser beam Ld is directly irradiated from the outer side of the transport rotor 120 to the end surface 71f of the element body 71.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment described above, the following effects are obtained.

(2-1) In the processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the transport rotor 120 has a rotation shaft that is supported perpendicularly and is supported to be horizontally rotatable, and has an annular support portion 121 extending in the circumferential direction on the upper surface. . The holding groove 122 is formed to be disposed on the upper surface of the support portion 121 and extends in the radial direction of the conveying rotor 120. Further, the support portion 121 is formed such that both end faces of the element body 71 held by the holding groove 122 protrude radially outward from the support portion 121 and radially outward.

Thus, the conveyance rotor 120 is horizontally rotated (lateral rotation) by being supported by a vertical rotation axis. Since the element main body 71 is held by the support portion 121 of the transport rotor 120 that is horizontally rotated, the element main body 71 can be transported in a stable state. Further, the element body 71 is held so that the end surface protrudes from the support portion 121, so that the processing of the laser device 13 can be suppressed from affecting the support portion 121, that is, the transfer rotor 120.

Further, the first and second embodiments described above may be implemented as follows.

. In the first and second embodiments, the processing devices 10 and 100 that process the side surface and the end surface of the element body 71 are designed. However, the shape and processing surface of the element body 71 to be processed are not limited to the above-described implementation. form. For example, only one side of the element body 71 can be processed. In addition, only the end faces of the element body 71 may be processed.

The electronic component 80 shown in Fig. 12 has an outer electrode 82 covering the side faces 81a, 81b of the component body 81 and an outer electrode 83 covering the side faces 81a, 81c. When the external electrodes 82, 83 of the element body 81 are formed, it can be used as a processing means for processing a part of the side faces 81a, 81b, 81c of the element body 81. Further, in the element body 81, the two side faces (for example, the side faces 81a, 81b) are processed and discharged, and the remaining side faces (for example, the side faces 81c) are processed by being reintroduced into the processing apparatus 10, thereby enabling Treatment of 3 sides.

. In the first and second embodiments described above, the processing apparatuses 10 and 100 of the laser device 13 having the external electrodes 72 and 73 shown in Fig. 3(a) and partially heating the surface of the element body 71 are designed. However, it can also be embodied as a system for performing other processing. For example, in the case where a wafer inductor is formed by, for example, laser-forming an electrode formed on a surface into a desired shape, a system capable of performing the process can be designed. Further, it is possible to design a system for displaying characters such as a model on the surface of a wafer transistor or the like. Further, it is also possible to design the processing devices 10 and 100 that use the device other than the laser processing device as the laser device 13 to process the element body 71. For example, a device for coating a liquid or a resin with a jet type dispenser can also be used.

. In the first and second embodiments described above, the processing of the element body 71 transported by the transport rotors 20 and 120 may be any processing other than the processing of irradiating the surface of the element body 71 with the laser light from the laser device 13. For example, as such a process, a process of checking the appearance of the element body 71 reaching the processing position and a process of checking the performance of the element body 71 reaching the processing position can be cited. In this case, the device to be inspected corresponds to the processing mechanism.

(Third embodiment)

Hereinafter, the third embodiment will be described. The wafer-shaped electronic component processed in this embodiment is different in shape from the electronic component 70 processed in the first and second embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 15, the processing apparatus 210 has a component supplier 211 as a supply mechanism, a conveyance device 212 as a conveyance mechanism, and a laser device 213 as a processing mechanism. The processing device 10 has a plurality of laser devices 213. Further, in Fig. 15, although two laser devices 213 are shown, a number of processing mechanisms corresponding to the processes may be provided. In the following description, when the laser devices are described one by one, each laser device is denoted by a symbol, and when the laser device is used for common explanation, "213" is used as a symbol. In the present embodiment, the component supplier 211 and the transport device 212 constitute an example of the "part transfer device".

The component supplier 211 sequentially supplies the object processed by the laser device 213 to the transport device 212 by vibration. The object to be processed is an element body constituting the electronic component. The transport device 212 transports the supplied component body to the processing position. In the present embodiment, the processing device 210 has a plurality of laser devices 213, and the processing position is set for each of the laser devices 213. The transport device 212 sequentially transports the component main body to each processing position, and the laser device 213 processes the transported element main body, that is, irradiates the laser. The processed element body is transported to the discharge position by the transport device 212, and is discharged.

Here, the component body to be processed will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 16(a) and 16(b), the electronic component 270 of the present embodiment is an electronic component that is surface-mounted on a substrate or the like, and is, for example, a wafer ferrite bead. Further, the electronic component 270 may be, for example, a chip inductor or a wafer capacitor.

The electronic component 270 has an element body 271 as a processing object and four external electrodes 272, 273, 274, and 275 formed on the surface of the element body 271. As shown in FIGS. 17(a) and 17(b), the element body 271 has a rectangular parallelepiped shaft portion 280, a first flange portion 281 connected to one end of the shaft portion 280, and the other end of the shaft portion 280. The second flange portion 282. Further, although not shown, a plurality of (for example, two) coils are wound around the shaft portion 280. Further, the ends of the coils are fixed to the respective external electrodes 272 to 275.

Each of the flange portions 281 and 282 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape in plan view. That is, as shown in FIGS. 17(a) and 17(b), each of the flange portions 281 and 282 has a first side surface 271a, a second side surface 271b connected to one end of the first side surface 271a, and a first side surface 271a. The other end is connected to the third side surface 271c and the fourth side surface 271d connected to the second side surface 271b and the third side surface 271c. When the end connected to the first side surface 271a of the both ends of the second side surface 271b is one end, the fourth side surface 271d is connected to the other end of the second side surface 271b. When the end of the both ends of the third side surface 271c that is connected to the first side surface 271a is one end, the fourth side surface 271d is connected to the other end of the third side surface 271c. Further, an end surface 271e that is connected to the first side surface 271a, the second side surface 271b, the third side surface 271c, and the fourth side surface 271d is provided in each of the flange portions 281 and 282.

The first side surface 271a and the second side surface 271b of each of the side surfaces 271a to 271d of the flange portions 281 and 282 are flat. On the other hand, concave portions 281a and 282a are formed at the center in the longitudinal direction of the fourth side surface 271d.

Further, the electronic component 270, that is, the component body 271 is a very small component. For example, the size of the shaft portion 280 is, for example, 1.4 mm × 0.8 mm × 2.0 mm. Further, the size of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 is, for example, 2.5 mm × 1.3 mm × 0.6 mm. In this case, the length of the first side surface 271a in the longitudinal direction corresponds to 2.5 mm, and the length of the second side surface 271b and the third side surface 271c in the longitudinal direction corresponds to 1.3 mm. That is, in the present embodiment, the first side surface 271a is longer than the second side surface 271b and the third side surface 271c.

The element body 271 is, for example, a sintered ceramic body. The ceramic body is composed of a ferrite material containing nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn). As the ferrite material, for example, a Ni—Zn ferrite containing Ni and Zn as a main component, and a Ni—Cu—Zn ferrite containing Ni, Zn, and copper (Cu) as a main component can be used. For example, the element body 271 is obtained by compressing the above ferrite material and sintering.

As shown in FIGS. 16(a) and 16(b), the external electrodes 272 and 273 of the external electrodes 272 to 275 are formed at intervals in the first flange portion 281. On the other hand, the remaining outer electrodes 274, 275 are formed at intervals in the second flange portion 282. Each of the external electrodes 272 to 275 is formed by a plating process. As a material of the external electrodes 272 to 275, for example, Cu, gold (Au), (Ag), (Pd), Ni, (Sn) or the like is used. Further, the external electrodes 272 to 275 may be formed by multi-layer plating of metal.

The external electrodes 272 to 275 are formed by a plating process after the partial heat treatment of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271. The laser device 213 is used to perform local heat treatment on the flange portions 281 and 282. As the laser device 13, for example, a YVO ₄ laser device (wavelength: 1064 nm) can be used. Further, as the processing device, an electron beam irradiation device, a heating furnace, or the like can be used. The laser device 213 is preferably capable of rapidly changing the illumination position in the element body 271.

The local heating by the laser device 213 degrades the ceramic body on the surfaces of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271. The insulating material (ferrite) constituting the ceramic body is deteriorated by local heating to form a low-resistance portion having a lower resistance value than the insulating material.

The element body 271 having a low resistance portion is immersed in a plating solution to perform electroplating. The current density in the low-resistance portion having conductivity is higher than that of the other portions, so that plating metal is deposited on the surface of the low-resistance portion. Thus, the external electrodes 272 to 275 can be formed by the deposited plating metal.

As described above, the processing device 210 of the present embodiment sequentially transports the element body 271 constituting the electronic component 270, and performs processing by the laser device 213. Hereinafter, the conveyance of the element body 271 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 15, the processing device 210 has a component supplier 211 and a conveying device 212. The component supplier 211 arranges and transports the element body 271 (see FIG. 17( a )) by vibration. In the present embodiment, the component supplier 211 arranges the element body 271 so that the fourth side surface 271d which is the side surface to be processed among the side faces 271a to 271d of the respective flange portions 281 and 282 faces downward. The component body 271 that has been transported by the component supplier 211 is transferred to the transport device 212 through the vibration-free portion 214 disposed at the distal end of the component supplier 211.

The transport device 212 includes a transport rotor 220 and a motor 240 that is a drive unit that rotationally drives the transport rotor 220. The size of the transport rotor 220 is, for example, 70 mm in diameter. Since the diameter is relatively small, the displacement of the position due to the vibration of the transport rotor 220 can be reduced even if the rotational drive is performed at a high speed (for example, 4000 rpm). The rotating shaft 220a of the conveying rotor 220 is rotatably supported by a support base 241 having a bearing. The rotating shaft 220a and the output shaft 240a of the motor 240 are coupled by a coupling 242. The coupling 242 allows the shaft to be offset between the rotating shaft 220a of the rotor 220 and the output shaft 240a of the motor 240.

As shown in FIG. 18, a plurality of holding grooves 222 are provided along the circumferential direction of the transport rotor 220 on the outer peripheral side of the transport rotor 220 formed in a circular shape. The transport rotor 220 can hold the element body 271 by the above-described holding groove 222. Further, the details will be described later, but the element body 271 can be held by the holding groove 222 by vacuum suction. Further, in FIG. 18, in order to easily understand the shape of the holding groove 222 and the manner of holding the element body 271 holding the groove 222, the holding groove 222 and the element body 271 are exaggeratedly illustrated.

The holding groove 222 is formed to extend in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the conveying rotor 220. The holding groove 222 is formed in a V shape, and the element body 271 that is conveyed obliquely is viewed from the direction of the rotation axis of the conveying rotor 220. At this time, the element body 271 is held such that the fourth side surface 271d of each of the flange portions 281 and 282, that is, the processing target side is located radially outward of the transport rotor 220. In other words, the component supplier 211 arranges the element body 271 such that the fourth side surface 271d of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 faces the radially outer side of the transport rotor 220. Further, the component supplier 211 may arrange the element bodies 271 such that the fourth side faces 271d of the respective flange portions 281, 282 are aligned in a certain direction.

The holding grooves 222 are formed at equal intervals (equal angular intervals) in the circumferential direction on the outer side in the radial direction of the conveying rotor 220. For example, the holding groove 222 is formed every 3 degrees. That is, 120 holding grooves 222 are formed in the conveying rotor 220. Thereby, the processing of 120 element bodies 271 is performed in one rotation of the transport rotor 220.

Next, the transfer of the element body 271 from the component supplier 211 to the transfer rotor 220 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 19, a vibration-free portion 214 is disposed at the front end of the component supplier 211. The non-vibration portion 214 has an abutting part 214a for abutting the element body 271 for positioning and a separating pin 214b for separating the element body 271. The separation pin 214b is moved in the vertical direction in FIG. 19 by a separation pin driving portion which will be described later. The abutting part 214a is connected to a vacuum pump which will be described later. When the separation pin 214b is lowered, the element body 271 is attracted by the abutting part 214a. Then, the element body 271 to be conveyed next time is separated from the element body 271 adsorbed to the contact member 214a by the rise of the separation pin 214b. The element body 271 adsorbed to the abutting part 214a abuts against the abutting part 214a, and is positioned by the abutting part 214a. Moreover, the element body 271 is held by the holding groove 222 shown in FIG.

The state of the element body 271 held by the transport rotor 220 will be described with reference to FIGS. 20(a) and 20(b). As shown in FIG. 20(a), the element body 271 is held by the holding groove 222 so that the first side surface 271a and the second side surface 271b of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 are supported. Further, as shown in FIG. 20(b), the element body 271 is held by the holding groove 222 so as to convey the position of the first surface 220b of the rotor 220 in the extending direction of the rotating shaft 220a and the end surface 271e of the first flange portion 281. The position is the same, and the position of the second surface 220c of the conveying rotor 220 is the same as the position of the end surface 271e of the second flange portion 282.

Next, an example of the configuration of the transport rotor 220 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the transport rotor 220 is composed of three circular plates 231, 232, and 233 which are laminated in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 220a. The thickness of the second circular plate 232 located in the middle of each of the circular plates 231 to 233 is thicker than the thickness of the remaining two circular plates, that is, the first circular plate 231 and the third circular plate 233. Further, the thickness of the first circular plate 231 and the third circular plate 233 is thinner than the thickness of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271.

In the present embodiment, the diameter of the second circular plate 232 is the same as the diameter of the first circular plate 231 and the third circular plate 233. Further, each of the holding grooves 222 provided at the edge portion on the radially outer side of the conveying rotor 220 has a first holding surface 222a that is in surface contact with the first side surface 271a of each of the flange portions 281 and 282, and a flange portion 281. a second holding surface 222b that is in surface contact with the second side surface 271b of the 282. Each of the holding grooves 222 is configured to have a shape corresponding to the shape of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271 held by the holding groove 222. In the present embodiment, the first side surface 271a is longer than the second side surface 271b in each of the flange portions 281 and 282. Therefore, each of the holding grooves 222 is configured such that the first holding surface 222a is longer than the second holding surface 222b. For example, the length dimension of the first holding surface 222a in the longitudinal direction is the same as the length dimension of the first side surface 271a in the longitudinal direction, and the length dimension of the second holding surface 222b in the longitudinal direction and the length direction of the second side surface 271b. The length is the same size. Furthermore, the length dimension of the first holding surface 222a in the longitudinal direction may be slightly larger than the length dimension of the first side surface 271a in the longitudinal direction, and the length dimension of the second holding surface 222b in the longitudinal direction may be smaller than the second side surface. The length dimension of the 271b in the longitudinal direction is slightly larger. Further, an angle formed by the first holding surface 222a and the second holding surface 222b and an angle formed by the first side surface 271a and the second side surface 271b of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 are equal. Thereby, the entire first side surface 271a of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 can be brought into surface contact with the first holding surface 222a, and the entire second side surface 271b of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 can be made to face the second holding surface 222b. contact.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, a plurality of suction holes 260 are formed in the transfer rotor 220, and the second circular plate 232 and the third circular plate 233 are penetrated in the axial direction, that is, in the thickness direction of the circular plates 232 and 233. . Each of the suction holes 260 is disposed at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction of the conveyance rotor 220. The number of suction holes 260 is the same as the number of the holding grooves 222. The suction holes 260 are disposed at the same circumferential position as the corresponding holding grooves 222. Each of the suction holes 260 is connected to the vacuum pump 255. Further, the illustration is exaggerated in FIG. 23, but the diameter of the portion of the suction hole 260 provided in the second circular plate 232 gradually becomes smaller as it approaches the third circular plate 233 in the axial direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 21 and FIG. 23 , the transport rotor 220 is provided with a first suction passage 261 and a second suction passage 262 that extend outward from the suction hole 260 in the radial direction of the transport rotor 220 . The position of the first suction passage 261 in the circumferential direction of the conveyance rotor 220 is the same as the position of the second suction passage 262 in the circumferential direction of the conveyance rotor 220. Further, the first suction passage 261 is located closer to the first disc 231 than the center in the axial direction of the transfer rotor 220, and the second suction passage 262 is located closer to the third disc 233 than the center in the axial direction of the transfer rotor 220. Side position. Further, the first suction passage 261 is opened so as to straddle both the first holding surface 222a and the second holding surface 222b of the holding groove 222. Similarly, the second suction passage 262 is opened to straddle both the first holding surface 222a and the second holding surface 222b of the holding groove 222. In the present embodiment, the opening of the first suction passage 261 is referred to as "first adsorption port 261a", and the opening of the second suction passage 262 is referred to as "second adsorption port 262a".

Further, as shown in FIG. 22, a surface of the second circular plate 232 on the side of the first circular plate 231 is provided with a suction groove 232a extending in the radial direction. Further, the first suction passage 261 is formed by the peripheral wall of the suction groove 232a and the first circular plate 231. Further, a surface of the second circular plate 232 on the side of the third circular plate 233 is also provided with a suction groove 232b extending in the radial direction. Further, the second suction passage 262 is formed by the peripheral wall of the suction groove 232b and the third circular plate 233.

Further, in the case where the element body 271 is held by the holding groove 222, the first adsorption port 261a is blocked by the first side surface 271a and the second side surface 271b of the first flange portion 281. Similarly, the second adsorption port 262a is blocked by the first side surface 271a and the second side surface 271b of the second flange portion 282. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the transport rotor 220 holds and holds the element body 271 of both the first flange portion 281 and the second flange portion 282 by the holding groove 222.

In the present embodiment, the two suction passages 261 and 262 can be provided to one of the holding grooves 222 without providing a through hole that is connected to the suction hole 260 on any one of the circular plates 231 to 233. In other words, in the present embodiment, the suction grooves 232a and 232b are formed in the second circular plate 232, and the second circular plate 232 is sandwiched between the first circular plate 231 and the third circular plate 233, thereby being able to be held relative to one. The groove 222 is provided with two suction passages 261, 262. Therefore, the suction passages 261 and 262 can be easily formed as compared with the case where the extremely narrow through hole is provided in the circular plate (for example, the second circular plate 232).

Next, the electrical configuration of the processing apparatus will be described.

As shown in FIG. 24, the processing apparatus 210 has a control apparatus 251 as a control means, a component supplier 211, a separation pin driving section 252, a motor 240, a camera 253 as an imaging mechanism, a lighting device 254, a laser device 213, and a vacuum pump 255. And a gas supply pump 256.

The separation pin driving portion 252 is, for example, a solenoid. The control device 251 controls the separation pin driving unit 252 to move the separation pin 14b shown in Fig. 19 up and down.

The vacuum pump 255 is connected to the abutting member 214a shown in Fig. 19, and is used for the transfer of the element body 271. Further, the vacuum pump 255 is used to suck the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271 by the first adsorption port 261a and the second adsorption port 262a shown in FIG. 21 .

The air supply pump 256 is utilized in order to discharge the element body 271 by supplying compressed air.

The camera 253 and the illumination device 254 are used to grasp the position of the element body 271 held by the transport rotor 220 and correct the processing position in the laser device 213. Further, the camera 253 and the illumination device 254 are used in the element body 271 to determine the side surface on which the processing is performed. The correction of the processing position and the determination of the side surface will be described later.

Next, various processing positions in the processing device 210 of the present embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 25, a component supplier 211, a camera 253, an illumination device 254, and laser devices 213a, 213b, and 213c are disposed centering on the transport rotor 220. The black circles shown on the circumference of the transfer rotor 220 indicate processing positions. The processing position includes a delivery position P20, an identification position (inspection position) P21, irradiation positions P22a, P22b, P22c, and a discharge position P23. Each processing position is set corresponding to the angle at which the holding groove 222 shown in FIG. 18 is formed. In the present embodiment, the holding grooves 222 are formed every three degrees. Therefore, each processing position is set at an angle that forms an integral multiple of the angular gradient of the holding groove 222.

Specifically, a component supplier 211 is disposed below the transfer rotor 220. The element body 271 conveyed by the component supplier 211 is held by the holding groove 222 (see FIG. 18) of the conveyance rotor 220 at the delivery position P20 at the lowest point.

In Fig. 25, the conveying rotor 220 is rotationally driven in the direction indicated by the arrow. The transported component body 271 is imaged by the camera 253 at the recognition position P21. A camera 253 and an illumination device 254 are disposed corresponding to the identification position P21. Illumination device 254 is, for example, a ring illumination device. The camera 253 images the element body 271 and the transport rotor 220 from the outer peripheral side of the transport rotor 220. The element body 271 is held by the transport rotor 220 in the posture shown in FIGS. 20( a ) and 20 ( b ). When the element body 271 is held by the holding groove 222, a positional shift may occur in the axial direction of the element body 271 (the vertical direction in FIG. 20(b), that is, the direction perpendicular to the end surface). Therefore, the camera main body 271 and the transport rotor 220 are imaged by the camera 253, and the position of the element main body 271 is grasped. Specifically, the control device 251 grasps the position of the element body 271 with respect to the transport rotor 220. Further, the control device 251 corrects the processing position of the laser device 213 on the surface of the processing element body 271 in accordance with the position of the identified component body 271. In the present embodiment, the laser device 213 is a laser processing device, and the control device 251 corrects the emission angle of the laser of the laser device 213. By this correction, the side surface of each element body 271 can be processed with high precision.

In FIG. 25, the first to third irradiation positions P22a to P22c are set along the rotation direction of the conveyance rotor 220. The first irradiation position P22a is a processing position of the fourth side surface 271d of each of the flange portions 281, 282 of the processing element body 271. The second and third irradiation positions P22b and P22c are processing positions for sequentially processing the end faces 271e of the respective flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271.

The first laser device 213a processes the fourth side surface 271d of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271 that is transported to the first irradiation position P22a. The first laser device 213a that emits the laser beam is disposed such that the optical axis La of the laser beam is perpendicular to the fourth side surface 271d of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271 that is transported to the first irradiation position P22a.

The second laser device 213b processes the end surface 271e of the first flange portion 281 of the element body 271 that is transported to the second irradiation position P22b. The second laser device 213b that emits the laser beam is disposed such that the laser beam is incident substantially perpendicularly with respect to the end surface 271e of the first flange portion 281 of the element body 271 conveyed to the second irradiation position P22b. The third laser device 213c processes the end surface 271e of the second flange portion 282 of the element body 271 that is transported to the third irradiation position P22c. The third laser device 213c that emits the laser beam is arranged such that the laser beam is incident substantially perpendicularly to the end surface 271e of the second flange portion 282 of the element body 271 conveyed to the third irradiation position P22c. Further, the second and third laser devices 213b, 213c may be configured to inject laser light substantially perpendicularly with respect to the end surface 271e of the flange portions 281, 282 of the element body 271 using one or more mirrors. Similarly, the first laser device 213a may be configured to use one or more mirrors to make the optical axis perpendicular to the fourth side surface 271d of each of the flange portions 281, 282 of the element body 271. Further, the second and third laser devices 213b and 213c shown in FIG. 25 do not indicate their respective shapes, and indicate the cases corresponding to the irradiation positions P22b and P22c.

Thus, the element body 271 whose side surface and end surface are processed is discharged at the discharge position P23 shown in FIG.

Next, the processing flow of the processing device will be described.

FIG. 26 shows a flow of processing executed by the control device 251 of the processing device 210.

The control device 251 performs the processing of steps S21 to S25 shown in FIG. 26, and processes the element body 271 (see FIG. 17(a)) to be processed.

In step S21, the element body 271 is supplied to the transport rotor 220 shown in FIG. Then, the transport rotor 220 that has adsorbed the element body 271 is rotated to transport the element body 271.

In step S22, the position of the element body 271 is identified using the camera 253 shown in FIG.

In step S23, the fourth side surface 271d of each of the flange portions 281, 282 of the element body 271 is processed. That is, a part of the fourth side face 271d of each of the flange portions 281, 282 is processed using the first laser device 213a shown in FIG. The laser is scanned on the fourth side surface 271d of each of the flange portions 281, 282 to process a predetermined area. For example, a laser with a spot diameter of 40 μm is scanned back and forth. At this time, the position of the laser beam irradiated to the fourth side surface 271d of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 is corrected based on the position of the element body 271 identified in step S22. By this correction, the irradiation position of the laser can be accurately aligned with respect to each element body 271.

In step S24, the end faces 271e of the respective flange portions 281, 282 of the element body 271 are processed. That is, a part of the end surface 271e of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271 is processed by the second laser device 213b and the third laser device 213c shown in Fig. 25 . In step S25, the element body 271 is discharged.

27(a), 27(b), and 27(c) show the processing of the element body 271.

First, as shown in Fig. 27 (a), the fourth side surface 271d of each of the flange portions 281, 282 of the element body 271 is processed by the first laser device 213a. Next, as shown in FIG. 27(b), the end surface 271e of the first flange portion 281 of the element body 271 is processed using the second laser device 213b, and the second flange of the element body 271 is processed using the third laser device 213c. The end surface 271e of the portion 282. Then, as shown in Fig. 27(c), the compressed air supplied from the air supply pump 256 shown in Fig. 24 is ejected through the nozzle 256c, and the element body 271 is discharged.

Thus, after the processing device 210 has processed the fourth side surface 271d of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271, the two end faces 271e of the flange portions 281 and 282 are sequentially processed. The laser device 213 irradiates a portion of the surface of the element body 271 with a laser, and locally heats the surface of the element body 271 by the irradiation energy of the laser. The position of the element body 271 is sometimes shifted due to the irradiation of the laser. This positional shift may also occur due to the irradiation of the laser beams to the end faces 271e of the flange portions 281 and 282. Therefore, it is considered to identify the position of the element body 271 before each process.

The positional displacement of the element body 271 causes the accuracy of the processing of the fourth side surface 271d of each of the flange portions 281, 282 to be lowered. Therefore, after the processing for identifying the position of the element body 271 (step S22 of FIG. 26), the irradiation position is corrected corresponding to the position of the element body 271 to process the side surface (step S23 of FIG. 26), thereby suppressing the deterioration of the processing accuracy. .

On the other hand, the element body 271 is held by the conveying rotor 220 on the side faces of the respective flange portions 281 and 282. Therefore, the positional deviation of the element body 271 is generated in the axial direction of the element body 271. Thus, even if a positional shift occurs, the position of the element body 271 with respect to the transport rotor 220 does not shift in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the element body 271 in the direction along the end surface 271e. That is, in the second irradiation position P22b and the third irradiation position P22c shown in FIG. 25, no positional shift occurs. Therefore, after the processing of the side surface (step S23 of Fig. 26), the processing of the end surface can be performed without recognizing the position of the element body 271 (step S24 of Fig. 26).

Next, the operation of the above-described processing device 210 will be described.

The processing device 210 has a transfer device 212 and a laser device 213. The conveying device 212 has a conveying rotor 220 and a motor 240. The conveying rotor 220 is rotatably supported and formed in a circular shape. Holding grooves 222 are formed at equal angular intervals at the radially outer edge portions of the conveying rotor 220. The laser device 13 processes the surface of the element body 271 that is transported to the processing position. The control device 251 controls the motor 240 to stop the transport rotor 220 at a predetermined angle (the angle at which the holding groove 222 is formed), and transport the element body 271 to the processing position. Moreover, the control device 251 controls the laser device 213 to process the surface of the element body 271.

According to this configuration, the wafer is transported by the circular transfer rotor 220, and the element body 271 is processed at a predetermined processing position, whereby the processing can be performed efficiently, for example, compared with the case of processing the wafers arranged on the stage. Ability to improve processing. In addition, by rotating the transport rotor 220 and transporting the element body 271, it is possible to process a plurality of element bodies 271 without changing the position of the laser device 213, and thus it is possible to improve the processing capability.

In the processing device 210, the control device 251 stops the transport rotor 220 every angle at which the holding groove 222 is formed, and processes the surface of the element body 271 stopped at the processing position. Thus, by stopping the transport rotor 220 at every angle at which the holding groove 222 is formed, the element body 271 can be surely stopped at the processing position. Moreover, the component body 271 stopped at the processing position can be processed with high precision.

The element body 271 is a ceramic body, and the laser device 213 is a laser processing device that locally heats a surface of the ceramic body to reduce a part of the ceramic body. Therefore, local heating in the surface of the minute element body 271 can be performed with high precision by irradiating the element body 271 of the ceramic body with laser light with high precision. Further, the ceramic body is reduced in resistance by such local heating, and the portion can be plated to form an external electrode.

The holding groove 222 of the conveying rotor 220 is formed such that the two side faces adjacent to each other of the respective flange portions 281, 282 of the element body 271 are in surface contact. The laser device 213 has a first laser device 213a corresponding to the unsupported fourth side surface 271d of the side faces 271a to 271d of the respective flange portions 281 and 282, and a corresponding portion corresponding to the end faces 271e of the flange portions 281 and 282. Two laser devices 213b and a third laser device 213c.

Further, two suction ports 261a and 262a are provided so as to straddle both the first holding surface 222a and the second holding surface 222b of the holding groove 222 with respect to one holding groove 222. Further, the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271 are vacuum-adsorbed to the respective holding surfaces 222a and 222b by the two suction ports 261a and 262a. Thereby, the element body 271 can be held by the rotating transport rotor 220.

Further, as shown in FIG. 23, the connection portion of the second suction passage 262 in the suction hole 260 is closer to the vacuum pump 255 than the connection portion of the first suction passage 261 in the suction hole 260. Therefore, the passage sectional area of the connection portion of the first suction passage 261 in the suction hole 260 is larger than the passage sectional area of the connection portion of the second suction passage 262 in the suction hole 260. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the deviation of the force of the first flange portion 281 of the attraction element body 271 from the force of the second flange portion 282.

The fourth side surface 271d and the end surface 271e of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 can be processed in the element body 271 held by the transfer rotor 220.

The control device 251 controls the first laser device 213a, the second laser device 213b, and the third laser device 213c to process the fourth side surface 271d and the end surface 271e of each of the flange portions 281, 282 of the element body 271. Specifically, the control device 251 controls the first laser device 213a based on the imaging result of the camera 253, and processes the fourth side surface 271d of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271. Then, the control device 251 controls the second laser device 213b to process the end surface 271e of the first flange portion 281 of the element body 271, and then controls the third laser device 213c to the second flange portion 282 of the element body 271. The end surface 271e is processed.

The processing positions of the element body 271 are processed by the first to third laser devices 213a to 213c in accordance with the rotation direction of the transport rotor 220. The element body 271 is held by the holding groove 222. A positional shift occurs in the element body 271 due to the treatment of the surface of the element body 271. The positional deviation of the element body 271 is generated in the axial direction of the element body 271 held by the holding groove 222. However, the end faces 271e of the respective flange portions 281, 282 of the element body 271 are not displaced in the direction along the end surface 271e. Therefore, after the fourth side surface 271d is processed, it is possible to perform high-precision processing on each surface by the processing end surface 271e.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

(3-1) The processing device 210 has a transport device 212 and a laser device 213. The conveying device 212 has a conveying rotor 220 and a motor 240. The conveying rotor 220 is rotatably supported and formed in a circular shape. A holding groove 222 is formed at an angular outer edge of the conveying rotor 220 at equal angular intervals. The laser device 213 processes the surfaces of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271 that are transported to the processing position. The control device 251 controls the motor 240 to stop the transport rotor 220 at a predetermined angle (the angle at which the holding groove 222 is formed), and transport the element body 271 to the processing position. Further, the control device 251 controls the laser device 213 to process the surfaces of the respective flange portions 281, 282 of the element body 271.

According to this configuration, the wafer is transported by the circular transfer rotor 220, and the element body 271 is processed at a predetermined processing position, whereby the processing can be performed efficiently, for example, compared with the case of processing the wafers arranged on the stage. Ability to improve processing. In addition, by rotating the transport rotor 220 and transporting the element body 271, it is possible to process a plurality of element bodies 271 without changing the position of the laser device 213, and thus it is possible to improve the processing capability.

(3-2) In the processing device 210, the control device 251 stops the transport rotor 220 every angle at which the holding groove 222 is formed, and processes the surfaces of the flange portions 281, 282 of the element body 271 stopped at the processing position. . Thus, by stopping the transport rotor 220 at every angle at which the holding groove 222 is formed, the element body 271 can be surely stopped at the processing position. Moreover, the component body 271 stopped at the processing position can be processed with high precision.

(3-3) The element body 271 is a ceramic body, and the laser device 213 is a laser processing device that locally heats a part of the ceramic body to reduce the resistance of a part of the ceramic body. Therefore, by irradiating the element body 271 of the ceramic body with laser light, local heating in the surface of the minute element body 271 can be performed with high precision. Further, the ceramic body is reduced in resistance by such local heating, and the portion can be plated to form an external electrode.

(3-4) The holding groove 222 has a first holding surface 222a that is in surface contact with the first side surface 271a of each of the flange portions 281, 282 of the element body 271, and a second side surface 271b of each of the flange portions 281, 282 The second holding surface 222b that is in contact. According to this configuration, the first side surface 271a of the flange portions 281, 282 can be brought into contact with the first holding surface 222a of the holding groove 222, and the second side surface 271b of the flange portions 281, 282 and the holding groove 222 can be made. The second holding surface 222b is in contact, so that the conveying rotor 220 can stably hold the element body 271 by the holding groove 222. Further, the first holding surface 222a and the second holding surface 222b of the holding groove 222 are not in contact with each of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271 held by the holding groove 222 by the laser device 213. The surface, that is, the fourth side surface 271d and the end surface 271e are processed.

(3-5) The conveying device 212 is configured to suction the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271 held by the holding groove 222. Thereby, each of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271 can be attracted to the first holding surface 222a and the second holding surface 222b, and the element body 271 can be held by the holding groove 222. In other words, unlike the case of the adsorption axis portion 280, the respective adsorption ports 261a and 262a can be closed by the flange portions 281 and 282. Therefore, the element body 271 can be appropriately held by the holding groove 222.

(3-6) Further, the first holding surface 222a and the second holding surface 222b of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 are held in a plane, and no convex portion is provided. Therefore, the component supplier 211 can be brought close to the transport rotor 220. Therefore, the time required to transfer the component body 271 from the component supplier 211 to the transport rotor 220 can be shortened.

(3-7) The holding groove 222 is configured in a shape corresponding to the shape of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271. Therefore, each of the flange portions 281 and 282 is in surface contact with the first holding surface 222a and the second holding surface 222b of the holding groove 222. As a result, it is easy to hold the element body 271 by the holding groove 222.

(3-8) Each of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271 is configured such that the first side surface 271a is longer than the second side surface 271b, so that the first holding surface 222a is longer than the second holding surface 222b in the holding groove 222. . Therefore, the contact area of the first side surface 271a of the flange portions 281 and 282 which are in contact with the first holding surface 222a and the first holding surface 222a can be maximized. Therefore, the stability when the element body 271 is held by the holding groove 222 can be further improved.

(3-9) The control device 251 controls the first laser device 213a, the second laser device 213b, and the third laser device 213c to process the surfaces of the flange portions 281, 282 of the element body 271. In the case where the fourth side surface 271d which is not in contact with the holding groove 222 among the side surfaces 271a to 271d of the flange portions 281 and 282 is the surface to be processed, the element body 271 held by the holding groove 222 is correspondingly held. The state (posture) controls the first laser device 213a to perform processing so that the fourth side surface 271d of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the transported element body 271 can be processed without being affected by the state of the element body 271.

(3-10) The control device 251 controls the first laser device 213a based on the imaging result of the camera 253, and processes the fourth side surface 271d of the flange portions 281, 282 of the element body 271. By grasping the fourth side surface 271d of the flange portions 281 and 282 and controlling the first laser device 213a to perform processing, the fourth flange portion 281, 282 of the element body 271 that can be transported can be affected without being affected by the state of the element body 271. The side surface 271d is processed.

When the fourth side surface 271d of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271 is processed by the first laser device 213a, a positional shift occurs in the element body 271. This positional shift occurs in a direction orthogonal to the end faces 271e of the flange portions 281, 282. Moreover, the amount of positional displacement generated in the element body 271 is smaller than the range of focus of the laser irradiated from the second and third laser devices 213b, 213c of the processing end surface 271e. Therefore, the end faces 271e of the flange portions 281 and 282 can be processed with high precision.

(3-11) The control device 251 grasps the position of the element body 271 based on the imaging result of the camera 253, and corrects the position of the processing performed by the laser device 213 on the element body 271 based on the position of the identified element body 271.

When the component body 271 is transferred from the component supplier 211 to the transport rotor 220, a positional shift may occur in the component body 271. Therefore, the image main body 271 held by the transport rotor 220 is photographed by the camera 253, the position of the element main body 271 is grasped, and the position at which the processing is performed is corrected based on the position, whereby highly accurate processing can be realized.

(Fourth embodiment)

Hereinafter, the fourth embodiment will be described.

In the embodiment, the same components as those in the above-described third embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a part or all of the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 28(a), the processing apparatus 300 has a component supplier 211, a conveying device 312, and a laser device 213. Three laser devices 213 are shown in Fig. 28(a). Further, the straight line connecting the laser device 213 and the transport device 312 indicates the relationship between the laser device 213 and the transport device 312, and does not indicate the processing position based on the laser device 213.

The conveying device 312 has a conveying rotor 320 and a rotating shaft 320a that supports the conveying rotor 320. In the present embodiment, the rotating shaft 320a is vertically supported by the main body portion 312a of the conveying device 312. Therefore, the conveying rotor 320 rotates in the horizontal direction (lateral direction).

As shown in FIG. 28( b ), an annular support portion 321 extending in the circumferential direction of the transport rotor 320 is formed on the upper surface 320 b of the transport rotor 320 formed in a circular shape. The support portion 321 is formed with a plurality of holding grooves 322 which are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction thereof, and the element bodies 271 are held in the respective holding grooves 322. Further, in order to facilitate understanding of the holding state of the element body 271, FIG. 28(b) shows the element body 271 in an enlarged manner, and thus shows the element body 271 in a smaller number than actually held.

The retaining groove 322 is formed to extend in the radial direction of the conveying rotor 320. The holding groove 322 is formed in a V shape, and the conveyed element body 271 is obliquely held as viewed from the radial direction of the conveying rotor 320.

At this time, the fourth side surface 271d of the flange portions 281 and 282, which are the side surfaces of the element body 271 held as the processing target, is the upper surface side of the transport rotor 320. In other words, the above-described component supplier 211 arranges the element body 271 such that the fourth side surface 271d is located on the upper surface side of the transport rotor 320.

The holding grooves 322 are formed at equal intervals (equal angular intervals) at the ends of the conveying rotor 320. Two adsorption ports (not shown) are formed so as to straddle both the first holding surface 322a and the second holding surface 322b of the holding groove 322. The first side surface 271a of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271 is in contact with the first holding surface 322a, and the second side surface 271b of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 is in contact with the second holding surface 322b. Further, as in the third embodiment, the element body 271 is held by the holding groove 322 by a vacuum pump.

Further, similarly to the third embodiment, the first side surface 271a of the element body 271 is in surface contact with the first holding surface 222a, and the second side surface 271b is entirely in surface contact with the second holding surface 222b. Further, the length in the radial direction of the support portion 321 is equal to the length in the axial direction of the element body 271.

As shown in FIG. 29, the element body 271 supported by the transport rotor 320 is irradiated with a laser beam Lc to the end surface 271e of the second flange portion 282 of the element body 271 by a mirror 350 disposed inside the transport rotor 320 ( Expressed with a little chain line). Further, the laser beam Ld is directly irradiated from the outer side of the transport rotor 320 to the end surface 271e of the first flange portion 281 of the element body 271.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects of the third embodiment described above, the following effects are obtained.

(4-1) In the processing apparatus 300 of the present embodiment, the transport rotor 320 has a rotating shaft 320a that is supported vertically and is supported to be horizontally rotatable, and has a support portion that extends in an annular shape in the circumferential direction on the upper surface 320b. 321. The holding groove 322 is formed to be disposed on the upper surface of the support portion 321 and extends in the radial direction of the conveying rotor 320.

Thus, the conveyance rotor 320 is horizontally rotated (lateral rotation) by being supported by the vertical rotation shaft 320a. Since the element body 271 is held by the support portion 321 of the transport rotor 320 that is horizontally rotated in this manner, the element body 271 can be transported in a stable state.

Further, the third and fourth embodiments described above can be implemented as follows.

. In the third embodiment described above, the convex portion 235 shown in Figs. 30(a) and 30(b) can be provided in the second circular plate 232 constituting the transport rotor 220. The convex portion 235 is located between the first flange portion 281 and the second flange portion 282 of the element body 271 held by the holding groove 222. Therefore, when the direction in which the first flange portion 281, the shaft portion 280, and the second flange portion 282 are aligned, that is, the direction in which the rotation shaft 220a extends is the axial direction, the held portion 222 can be suppressed by the convex portion 235. The retained element body 271 is displaced in the axial direction. That is, the positional deviation of the element body 271 held by the holding groove 222 can be suppressed.

Further, the convex portion 235 may have a shape in which the front end 235a abuts against the side surface of the shaft portion 280 of the element body 271. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 30(a) and 30(b), the third circular plate 232 may form a third suction passage 263 extending in the radial direction thereof and communicating with the suction hole 260. The third suction passage 263 is opened at the front end 235a of the convex portion 235, whereby the third suction port 263a can be provided in the convex portion 235, and the third suction port 263a is attached to the shaft portion of the element body 271 held by the holding groove 222. 280 to attract. According to this configuration, in addition to the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271 held by the holding groove 222, the shaft portion 280 can be attracted. Therefore, it is possible to improve the suppression accuracy of the deviation of the holding position of the element body 271 held by the holding groove 222.

In the example shown in FIGS. 30(a) and 30(b), the convex portion 235 is provided on the first holding surface 222a, but the convex portion 235 may be provided on the second holding surface 222b.

In addition, when the third suction passage 263 is provided in the transport rotor 220 as described above, the first suction passage 261 can be omitted as long as the element body 271 can be stably held by the holding groove 222 by the force of the suction shaft portion 280. And at least one of the second suction passages 262.

. In the third and fourth embodiments, the element body 271 can be stably held by the holding groove 222 by sucking at least one of the flange portions of the first flange portion 281 and the second flange portion 282. One of the first suction passage 261 and the second suction passage 262 is omitted.

. In the third and fourth embodiments described above, the processing devices 210 and 300 that process the fourth side surface 271d and the end surface 271e of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271 are designed, but the object body to be processed is The surface to be treated in 271 is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, only the fourth side surface 271d of at least one flange portion of each of the flange portions 281, 282 may be processed. Further, only the end surface 271e of at least one flange portion of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 may be processed. Further, only the fourth side surface 271d of each of the flange portions 281 and 282 and the end surface 271e of at least one flange portion may be processed.

. In the third and fourth embodiments described above, the laser device 213a corresponding to the element body 271 located at the first irradiation position P22a is only one. However, the laser device corresponding to the element body 271 located at the first irradiation position P22a may also have a plurality of (2 or 4) laser devices 213a.

. In the third and fourth embodiments described above, in order to form the external electrodes 272 to 275 shown in Figs. 16(a) and 16(b), the surface of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271 is designed. The processing devices 210 and 300 of the laser device 213 that are locally heated may be embodied as a system for performing other processes. Further, it is also possible to design the processing devices 210 and 300 that use the device other than the laser processing device as the laser device 213 to process the element body 271. For example, a device for coating a liquid or a resin with a jet type dispenser can also be used.

. In the third and fourth embodiments described above, the processing of the element body 271 carried by the transport rotors 220 and 320 may be performed by irradiating the surface of the flange portions 281 and 282 of the element body 271 with the laser light from the laser device 213. Any processing other than processing. For example, as such a process, a process of checking the appearance of the element body 271 reaching the processing position and a process of checking the performance of the element body 271 reaching the processing position can be cited. In this case, the device to be inspected corresponds to the processing mechanism.

Next, the following technical ideas that can be grasped from the above embodiments and other embodiments will be added.

(a) Preferably, the control means controls the transport means to stop the transport rotor at an angle at which each of the holding grooves is formed, and control the processing means to constitute the first convex body of the element body stopped at the processing position At least one of the edge portion and the second flange portion is treated.

(b) Preferably, the transport rotor has a horizontally supported rotating shaft and is rotatably supported, and has a support portion extending in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface, and the retaining groove is formed to be disposed on the support portion. The outer peripheral surface extends in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the transport rotor. Preferably, the supply mechanism is configured to transport the element body toward the transport mechanism in the extending direction of the rotating shaft.

(c) Preferably, the transport rotor has a vertically supported rotating shaft and is horizontally rotatable, and the transport rotor has an annular support portion extending in the circumferential direction on the upper surface, and the retaining groove is formed to be disposed Preferably, the supply mechanism is configured to convey the element body toward the transport mechanism in a radial direction of the transport rotor in an upper surface of the support portion and extending in a radial direction of the transport rotor.

(d) preferably having an imaging means for capturing the element body and the transport rotor at a predetermined inspection position, wherein the control means grasps the position of the element body based on the imaging result of the imaging means, and corresponds to the grasped element body The position is corrected by the position of the processing performed by the processing means on the element body.

(e) Preferably, the electronic component includes the element body including a ceramic body, and an external electrode formed on a surface of at least one of the first flange portion and the second flange portion of the element body. Preferably, the processing means is a laser processing apparatus that heats a part of the one of the flange portions to reduce the resistance of a part of the ceramic body.

(f) preferably, the processing means includes: a first processing means for processing the third side surface of the at least one flange portion of the first flange portion and the second flange portion; a mechanism for processing the end surface of the first flange portion; and a third processing mechanism for processing the end surface of the second flange portion.

(g) preferably, the control means controls at least one of the first processing means, the second processing means, and the third processing means to face the first flange portion and the second flange portion of the element body The face of at least one of the flange portions is treated.

(h) Preferably, the control means controls at least one of the first processing means, the second processing means, and the third processing means based on a result of imaging by the imaging means, and processes a surface corresponding to the controlled processing means.

(i) Preferably, the processing position at which the first to third processing means handles the element body is set in accordance with the rotation direction of the transport rotor.

Claims (19)

 A processing apparatus that processes an element body that constitutes an electronic component, and has a transport mechanism that has a transport rotor that is rotatably supported, and that is disposed at an end portion of the transport rotor at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction and holds the above-described a plurality of holding grooves of the element body and a driving portion that drives the rotation of the conveying rotor, and conveys the element body held by the holding groove; and a supply mechanism that supplies the element body to the plurality of the holding grooves a processing mechanism for processing the element body at the processing position; and a control unit that controls the transfer mechanism to transport the transfer mechanism by driving the element body to the processing position in order to drive the transfer rotor The component body is processed to control the processing mechanism.    The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding groove is formed to abut against a part of two adjacent surfaces of the element body to hold the element body, and two parallel to the abutting surface The entire surface of the surface protrudes from the holding groove, and the element body has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The surface of the element body that faces the two surfaces that are in contact with the holding groove is a side surface, and the two abutting surfaces The two faces orthogonal to the two side faces are end faces, and the control mechanism controls the processing mechanism to perform at least one of one of the two side faces and the two end faces that are not in contact with the holding groove. deal with.    The processing device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls the transport mechanism to stop the transport rotor at an angle at which each of the holding grooves is formed, and control the processing mechanism to stop at the processing position. The above component body is processed.    The processing apparatus according to the second or third aspect of the invention, wherein the transport rotor has a horizontally supported rotating shaft and is supported to be vertically rotatable, and has a support portion extending in a circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface, the retaining groove The support portion is formed to be disposed on an outer circumferential surface of the support portion and extends in a direction parallel to a rotation axis of the transfer rotor, and the support portion is formed to be supported from the support portion at both end faces of the element body held by the holding groove. The rotation axis of the transfer rotor protrudes in a direction parallel to the rotation.    The processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transport rotor has a rotating shaft that is vertically supported and supported to be horizontally rotatable, and has an annular support portion extending in the circumferential direction on the upper surface, The holding groove is formed on the upper surface of the support portion and extends in the radial direction of the transport rotor, and the support portion is formed to be held by one end surface of the element body of the holding groove from the support portion Projecting radially inward, the other end of the both end faces of the element body protrudes outward in the radial direction.    The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the photographing means for photographing the element body and the transport rotor is provided at a predetermined inspection position, and the control means grasps the element based on a photographing result of the photographing means The position of the body and the position of the processing performed by the processing mechanism on the element body is corrected corresponding to the position of the element body being grasped.    The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the electronic component comprises the element body composed of a ceramic body and an external electrode formed on a surface of the element body, wherein the processing mechanism is the ceramic A laser processing apparatus that heats a part of the ceramic body to reduce the resistance of the ceramic body partially.    The processing device of claim 2, wherein the processing mechanism has: a first processing mechanism for processing one of the two side faces; and a second processing mechanism for processing the two The other of the sides; and a third processing mechanism and a fourth processing mechanism for processing the two end faces, respectively.    The processing device according to claim 8, wherein the control unit controls one of the first processing unit and the second processing unit, the third processing unit, and the fourth processing unit to process the element body. One side and two end faces.    The processing device according to claim 8, wherein the control unit controls the first processing unit or the second processing unit based on a result of imaging by the imaging unit, and processes a side surface corresponding to the controlled processing unit.    The processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processing positions of the first to fourth processing means for processing the element body are set in accordance with a rotation direction of the transport rotor.    The processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the element body has a shaft portion, a first flange portion connected to one end of the shaft portion, and a second flange portion connected to the other end of the shaft portion, Each of the flange portions has a first side surface, a second side surface connected to one end of the first side surface, a third side surface having one end connected to the other end of the first side surface, and the other end of the second side surface and the a fourth side surface connected to the other end of the third side surface, and an end surface connected to all of the first side surface, the second side surface, the third side surface, and the fourth side surface, wherein the holding groove has the flange portion The first holding surface in contact with the first side surface and the second holding surface in contact with the second side surface of each of the flange portions, the control means controls the processing means to form at least one of the flange portions Among the faces of the edge portions, the surfaces that are not in contact with the first holding surface and the second holding surface are treated.    The processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the conveying mechanism is configured to suction at least one flange portion of each of the flange portions of the element body held by the holding groove.    The processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the transport rotor has the first portion between the first flange portion and the second flange portion of the element body held by the holding groove Keep the convex part protruding from the surface.    The processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the transport rotor has the first holding surface between the first flange portion and the second flange portion of the element body held by the holding groove In the protruding convex portion, an adsorption port for sucking the shaft portion of the element body held by the holding groove is provided in the convex portion.    The processing apparatus according to any one of claims 12, 13, wherein the holding groove is formed in a shape corresponding to a shape of each of the flange portions of the element body held by the holding groove.    The processing apparatus according to claim 16, wherein each of the flange portions of the element body is configured such that the first side surface is longer than the second side surface, and the holding groove is configured such that the first holding surface is larger than the first surface Second, keep the face long.    A component conveying device that conveys an element body constituting an electronic component, wherein the component body has a shaft portion, a first flange portion connected to one end of the shaft portion, and a connection to the other end of the shaft portion The second flange portion has a first side surface, a second side surface connected to one end of the first side surface, a third side surface connected to one end of the first side surface, and the first side surface a fourth side surface connected to the other end of the two side surfaces and the other end of the third side surface, and an end surface connected to all of the first side surface, the second side surface, the third side surface, and the fourth side surface, and having: The mechanism includes a transport rotor that is rotatably supported, a plurality of holding grooves that are disposed at an end portion of the transport rotor at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction, and that hold the element body, and a drive unit that drives the transport rotor to rotate. And transporting the element body held in the holding groove; and a supply mechanism that supplies the element body to the plurality The holding groove has a first holding surface that is in contact with the first side surface of each of the flange portions and a second holding surface that is in contact with the second side surface of each of the flange portions, and the conveying mechanism At least one flange portion of each of the flange portions of the element body held by the holding groove is configured to be adsorbed.    A processing method for processing an element body constituting an electronic component, comprising: a plurality of holding grooves arranged at equal angular intervals in an circumferential direction of an end portion of a transport rotor supported to be rotatable; a step of the element body; a step of driving the transfer rotor to transfer the element body to a processing position set in a rotation direction of the transfer rotor; and a step of processing the element body at the processing position.