JP4087804B2 - Substrate adsorption device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate adsorbing device for changing the posture or transferring a substrate having a large number of holes, such as a printed board, a ceramic substrate, and the like, particularly in a configuration capable of adsorbing stacked substrates one by one. The present invention relates to a substrate suction apparatus that can be held in a suction state even when the substrate being turned upside down or tilted.

  For example, in a production line of a substrate having a large number of holes such as a printed circuit board and a ceramic substrate, a substrate suction device using a negative pressure suction force is frequently used as a means for changing or transferring the posture of the substrate.

As this type of substrate suction device, there has been conventionally proposed a configuration having a suction head connected to a negative pressure generating device via an intake pipe, and having an air suction path and a valve mechanism therein. (For example, see Patent Document 1)
FIG. 9 shows a conventional example of this substrate suction apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the substrate suction device 1 includes a suction head 2 connected to a negative pressure generator (not shown) via an intake pipe.

  The suction head 2 has a block shape and has an intake port 3 and a header 4. Below the header 4, a plurality of air suction paths 5 each having a cylinder hole are provided in parallel.

  The upper end portion of the air suction path 5 communicates with the header 4 through the intake hole 6. Further, a pad is provided on the lower end side of the air suction path 5 as a suction port 7 for sucking the substrate.

  Inside the air suction path 5, a ball as a valve body 8 movable in the vertical direction is housed.

  The valve body 8 has a diameter larger than the diameter of the intake hole 6. The lower end portion of the intake hole 6 is used as a valve seat portion, and is lifted and received by the air flow when air is sucked to close the intake hole 6. Has been.

  Further, the substrate 9 as the adsorbent has a large number of holes 10 and a plurality of layers are laminated as shown in FIG.

  At the time of suction of the substrate 9, the suction head 2 is lowered and the suction port 7 is brought into contact with the surface of the substrate 9.

At this time, in the air suction path 5 suction port 7 strikes the flat surface rather than the site hole 10 of the substrate 9, the internal air is initially only flow, the valve body 8 closes the air suction hole 6 first rises Then, it moves downward by its own weight, and the valve body 8 rises due to the air current. Thereafter, the suction state due to the suction cup state continues.

On the other hand, in the air suction path 5 where the suction port 7 hits the portion of the hole 10 of the substrate 9, since the lower air is sucked from the hole 10 of the substrate 9, the valve body 8 is raised by the airflow. Then, in a state that continues to block the air intake hole 6 by the valve body 8.

  As a result, the second substrate 9 from the top is not sucked, and the two stacked substrates 9 are not picked up at the same time, and only the top one substrate 9 is always picked up. It can be picked up and lifted one by one.

In addition, since air suction is not performed in the air suction path 5 that hits the portion of the hole 10 of the substrate 9, negative pressure suction is efficiently performed in the air suction path that hits the flat portion of the substrate 9.
JP 11-42583 A

  However, in the prior art, the valve body 8 of the air suction path 5 contributing to the suction of the substrate 9 is in a state in which it can freely move in the vertical direction within the air suction path 5 by its own weight.

Therefore, 180 ° rotating the substrate adsorption device 1 for example on the horizontal axis in the adsorption state, when the state of placing the suction port 7 on the lower side of the substrate 9, the valve body 8 closes the air suction hole 6, adsorption The power may be lost and the substrate may fall.

  Therefore, when performing a lifting action that changes the orientation and orientation of the substrate, there arises a disadvantage that the substrate is damaged by dropping or requires some holding mechanism.

  In view of such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate suction device capable of reliably sucking a substrate without losing the suction force even when the suction port is directed upward.

In order to achieve the above object, a substrate suction apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is a substrate suction apparatus provided with a vertical cylindrical suction head, the suction head being supported by a rotation mechanism, Is provided with an air suction path constituting an internal space and a valve mechanism disposed in the air suction path. The air suction path is provided with an intake hole on the upper end side. The suction mechanism is provided on the lower end side, and the valve mechanism includes a valve seat portion provided on the upper end side in the air suction path, and the valve seat portion. And a valve body that is movable in the vertical direction in the air suction path, and the spring separates the valve body from the valve seat portion side toward the suction port side. It is configured to urge in the direction, and when the negative pressure generator starts to drive F1 is a suction force that pulls the valve body from the substantially vertical position in the air suction path toward the valve seat, F2 is an elastic force of the spring that biases the valve body toward the suction port, and the valve When the force due to the weight of the body is F3, F1> F2 + F3 and F2> F3 are set so that the substrate is adsorbed to the adsorption port, and the suction force is increased as the air suction path is in a vacuum state. The valve body is held at the substantially central position in the vertical direction in the air suction path by the elastic force of the spring without acting, and the suction port holds the state where the substrate is sucked. The suction head is configured to rotate up and down when the rotation mechanism is driven .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the substrate suction apparatus, the valve body is a ball having a constant weight, and the spring is a compression coil spring having one end fixed to the valve seat portion side and the other end contacting the surface of the ball. It is characterized by that.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the substrate suction apparatus, wherein the valve seat portion protrudes downward toward the center position on the upper end side in the air suction path of the suction head and has a tip opening-like tube having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the ball. The suction hole is provided on the lower end side of the cylindrical body, and one end of the compression coil spring is externally fitted and fixed .

In the substrate suction device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a ball receiving portion is formed at the lower end of the cylindrical body so that the ball comes into contact with the compression coil spring in a contracted state. An orifice is formed to communicate the inside of the cylindrical body and the inside of the air suction path when the ball is in contact with the ball receiving portion .

  According to the substrate suction device of the invention of claim 1 of the present invention, the valve body is directed from the valve seat portion side to the suction port side in the vertical cylindrical suction head having an air suction path and a valve mechanism inside. Therefore, when the substrate is lifted, the valve element is always separated from the valve seat portion side toward the suction port side when the substrate is lifted.

  For this reason, even when the adsorbed substrate is turned upside down, the valve body does not fall by its own weight and block the intake hole. Therefore, it is possible not only to lift the substrate while the sucked substrate is sucked and held from below, but also to reliably hold the substrate upside down or in an inclined state.

  Therefore, when performing a lifting action that changes the orientation and orientation of the substrate, the substrate is not damaged by dropping or does not require any holding mechanism, and effects such as improved work efficiency and simplified equipment can be obtained. It is done.

  In the substrate suction device of the invention of claim 2 of the present invention, the valve body is a ball having a constant weight, and the spring is a compression coil spring having one end fixed to the valve seat side and the other end contacting the surface of the ball. Yes.

  As a result, it can be easily installed in the cylinder-shaped suction head, and is engaged with the ring-shaped tip of the compression coil spring in a state where the surface of the valve body made of the ball fits, so that the valve body holding function is enhanced.

  Further, in the substrate suction device according to the third aspect of the present invention, the valve seat portion is configured by a cylindrical body having a tip opening shape that projects to the center position on the upper end side of the suction head and has a smaller diameter than the diameter of the ball. The structure is simple and a reliable valve function can be obtained.

  In the substrate suction device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the valve seat portion is configured such that an orifice is formed in the ball receiving portion at the tip, the valve body once contacts the valve seat portion. The function of separating can be increased, and the suction of the substrate can be made more effective by reliably preventing the suction hole from being blocked.

In the substrate suction device of the present invention , the suction force (F1) in the air suction path is set to be larger than the elastic force (F2) of the spring and the force (F3) due to the weight of the valve body. The above functions can be surely exhibited.

Furthermore, in the substrate suction apparatus of the present invention, the suction head can be rotated or tilted so that the suction port is turned upside down. Can be demonstrated reliably.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First Embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 6)
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of the substrate suction apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing a cylinder portion of the suction device shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

  First, in terms of configuration, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the substrate suction device 11 of the present embodiment is a vertical cylinder connected to a negative pressure generator 12 via an intake pipe 13 and a branch pipe 14. A plurality of suction heads 15 are provided as a set.

  The suction head 15 is supported by a rotation mechanism 16 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis, for example.

  The suction head 15 has an outer shape formed by a vertically long tubular body 17, an upper cap 18 attached to the upper end of the tubular body 17, and a lower cap 19 attached to the lower end of the tubular body 17.

  The internal space of the suction head 15 is an air suction path 20 and has an intake hole 21 on the upper end side. The intake hole 21 is connected to the branch pipe 14.

  The lower end side of the suction head 15 is a suction port 22 for substrate suction. For example, a suction pad 22 is provided at the suction port 22.

  Further, a valve seat portion 24 is provided as a valve mechanism on the upper end side in the air suction path 20. The valve seat portion 24 is constituted by a cylindrical body 25 having a tip opening shape projecting downward at the center position on the upper end side in the air suction path 20. The cylindrical body 25 has a smaller diameter than the diameter of a ball that is a valve body described later.

  On the peripheral wall at the downward tip of the valve seat portion 24, an orifice 26 made of, for example, a rectangular opening is formed.

  When the adsorbent (substrate 9) hits the pad 23 of the adsorbing port 22 from the state where the adsorbing port 22 has no adsorbed material and the valve body 27 blocks the opening surface of the valve seat portion 24, the orifice 26 The body 27 is formed to give a function of facilitating separation from the valve seat portion 24.

  In addition, a valve body 27 made of a ball having a constant weight is provided in the air suction path 20. The valve body 27 is movable in the vertical direction within the air suction path 20.

  A spring 28 is provided in the air suction path 20 to urge the valve element 27 away from the valve seat portion 24 toward the suction port 22, that is, downward.

  The spring 28 is a compression coil spring, one end of which is fixed to the valve seat portion 24 side and the other end is a free end so as to come into contact with the surface of the ball as the valve body 27. That is, the tip of the compression coil spring has a ring shape and can be supported in a state of fitting to the ball that is the valve element 27.

  A filter 31 is held by a pair of upper and lower net-like holders 29 and 30 on the lower end side in the air suction path 20, that is, on the suction port 22 side.

In the present embodiment, when the inner cross-sectional area of the pipe body 17 is S1, the central cross-sectional area of the valve body 27 is S2, the cross-sectional area in the branch pipe 14 is S3, and the opening area of the orifice 26 is S4, S1> The relationship of S2>S3> S4 is set.

  Further, the relationship of S3> S1-S2> S4 is set.

  Based on the relationship between these cross-sectional areas and the mechanical relationship described later, an optimum substrate coercive force can be obtained.

Next, the operation of the substrate suction device 11 of the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 4 shows the situation when the posture is changed to the upside-down arrangement after the substrate 9 is adsorbed by the substrate adsorbing device 11, sequentially shown in (a) to (e).

  This (A) shows a state in which the substrate suction device 11 is lowered in a vertical posture with respect to the upper surface of the substrate 9 arranged horizontally, and the substrate 9 starts to be sucked. The pads 23 of the suction port 22 are installed in a part where the hole 10 of the substrate 9 is not present and a part where the hole 10 is present. The suction action is performed by the pad 23 of the suction port 22 installed in the part where the hole 10 of the substrate 9 is not provided.

  From the state of (A), after the suction, it rotates around the horizontal axis, and the inclination angle gradually increases as in (B), (C), and (D).

  In the state (d), the suction surface of the substrate 9 starts to face downward. In this state, in the conventional example, the valve body blocks the intake hole, loses the suction force, and the substrate 9 starts to fall.

  And finally, as shown in (e), the substrate 9 was inverted, and the substrate 9 was dropped.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the suction hole 21 is not blocked by the valve body 27, the adsorbed state is maintained, and no drop occurs.

  This fall prevention function will be described with reference to FIGS.

  5A, 5 </ b> B, and 5 </ b> C are diagrams for explaining the operation of the substrate suction device 11, and show a case where the surface of a portion of the substrate that is an adsorbent that does not have holes is adsorbed. 5A, 5B, and 5C show the state shown in FIG. 4E, that is, the state shown in FIGS.

  FIG. 5A shows a state where the pad 23 of the suction port 22 hits the substrate 9 and suction is not yet performed. In this state, since no suction action is performed, the entire weight of the valve body 27 is supported by the spring 28. In this case, the valve element 27 is held at a substantially central position in the vertical direction in the air suction path 20.

  FIG. 5B shows a state at the start of adsorption. In this state, immediately after the suction action is started, as shown by the arrow a in FIG. 5B, the air in the space between the pad 23 and the substrate 9 is sucked, and the downward suction force acts. To do.

  Therefore, as shown by the arrow b in FIG. 5B, the valve body 27 has a downward moving force due to the sum (F1 + F3) of the negative pressure suction force (F1) and the force (F3) due to its own weight. Increase. Assuming that the spring force in the relaxed state of the spring 28 is (F2), the relationship of (F1> F2 + F3) is set in this embodiment.

  The relationship between (F2) and (F3) is set to (F2> F3).

  Due to these mechanical relationships, the valve element 27 moves downward in the air suction path 20, that is, toward the intake hole 21 side. Then, the spring 28 contracts, and the valve body 27 comes into contact with the tip of the valve seat portion 24 and stops.

  Further, FIG. 5C shows a state where the suction is continued. In this case, the air in the pad 23 is exhausted and the air suction path 20 is in a vacuum state, so the negative pressure suction force (F1) does not act. For this reason, as indicated by an arrow c in FIG. 5C, the valve element 27 is approximately centered in the vertical direction in the air suction path 20 again by the spring force (F2) of the spring 28, as in FIG. Held in position. That is, the suction hole 21 is not blocked, and the substrate 9 is always held in a state of being reliably sucked by the suction head 15. Therefore, the substrate 9 does not fall off.

  In this case, in the present embodiment, as described above, the orifice 26 is provided in the valve seat portion 24, so that there is no substrate 9 in the suction port 22 and the valve body 27 blocks the opening surface of the valve seat portion 24. Therefore, when the substrate 9 hits the pad 23 of the suction port 22, the valve element 27 is easily separated from the valve seat portion 24.

  6 (A), 6 (B), and 6 (C) are operation explanatory views of the substrate suction device 11 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and show a case where the pad 23 is provided at the position of the hole 10 of the substrate 9. It is.

  6A, 6B, and 6C also show a state in which the state of FIG. 1 and FIG.

  FIG. 6A shows a state where the pad 23 of the suction port 22 hits the substrate 9 and suction is not yet performed. In this state, since no suction action is performed, the entire weight of the valve body 27 is supported by the spring 28. In this case, the valve element 27 is held at a substantially central position in the vertical direction in the air suction path 20.

  FIG. 6B shows a state at the start of adsorption. In this state, immediately after the suction action starts, outside air is introduced from the hole 10 of the substrate 9 as shown by an arrow a1 in FIG. 6B, and a downward suction force acts.

  Therefore, as shown by the arrow b in FIG. 6B, the valve body 27 has a downward moving force due to the sum (F1 + F3) of the negative pressure suction force (F1) and the force (F3) due to its own weight. Increase. The mechanical relationship in this case is the same as that in the case of FIG. 5B, and description thereof is omitted here.

Also in this case, the valve element 27 moves downward in the air suction path 20, that is, toward the intake hole 21 side. Then, the spring 28 contracts, and the valve body 27 comes into contact with the tip of the valve seat portion 24 and stops. In addition, since outside air is introduced from the hole 10, no attracting force to the substrate 9 is generated.

  FIG. 6C shows a state where the suction is continued. In this case, although the pad 23 is compressed, it is not due to the suction force through the pad 23.

  Since the substrate 9 is moved by the adsorption action shown in FIG. 5C, the pad 23 is compressed.

  In this case, since the outside air continues to be sucked, as indicated by an arrow b in FIG. 6C, it is lowered by the sum (F1 + F3) of the negative pressure suction force (F1) and the force (F3) by its own weight. The state in which the moving force increases continues.

According to the first embodiment described above, the valve element 27 is urged in the suction head 15 having the air suction path 20 and the valve mechanism inside in a direction away from the valve seat portion 24 side toward the suction port 22 side. Since the spring 28 is provided, when the substrate 9 is lifted, the valve element 27 is always separated from the valve seat portion 24 side toward the suction port 22 side by the spring 28.

  For this reason, even when the adsorbed substrate 9 is turned upside down, the valve body 27 does not fall by its own weight and block the intake hole.

  Therefore, not only can the substrate 9 be lifted while the sucked substrate 9 is sucked and held from below, but it can also be reliably held in an upside-down state or an inclined state.

  In this way, when performing a lifting action that changes the orientation and orientation of the substrate 9, the substrate 9 is not damaged by dropping or needing any holding mechanism, improving work efficiency, simplifying equipment, etc. The effect is obtained.

  The valve body 27 is a ball having a constant weight, and one end of the spring 28 is fixed to the valve seat portion 24 side, and the other end is a compression coil spring in contact with the surface of the ball.

  As a result, the spring 28 can be easily housed in the cylindrical suction head 15, and the valve body 27 is engaged with the ring-shaped tip of the compression coil spring in a state where the surface of the valve body 27 made of a ball fits. Will increase.

  Further, since the valve seat portion 24 protrudes from the center position on the upper end side of the suction head 15 and is constituted by the cylindrical body 25 having a tip opening shape smaller than the diameter of the ball, the valve function is simple and reliable. Can be obtained.

In addition, the valve seat portion 24 has an orifice 26 formed at the ball receiving portion at the tip. When the inner cross-sectional area of the pipe body 17 is S1, the central cross-sectional area of the valve body 27 is S2, the cross-sectional area in the branch pipe 14 is S3, and the opening area of the orifice 26 is S4, S1>S2>S3> S4 The relationship is set.

  Further, the relationship of S3> S1-S2> S4 is set.

  Thereby, in this embodiment, when the board | substrate 9 contacts the pad 23 of the suction opening 22 from the state which the valve body 27 closed the opening surface of the valve seat part 24, the valve body 27 tends to leave | separate from the valve seat part 24. Become.

  Further, the suction force (F1) in the air suction path is set to be larger than the elastic force (F2) of the spring and the force (F3) due to the weight of the valve body. be able to.

Further, since the suction head 15 can be rotated or tilted so that the direction of the suction port 22 is upside down, the operation of the substrate 9 takes various postures or directions, and the above functions are reliably exhibited. be able to.
[Second Embodiment] (FIG. 7)
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of the substrate suction apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  First, in terms of configuration, the substrate suction device 11 of the present embodiment is one in which a square pad 32 made of a flexible material is applied instead of the suction pad 23 in the first embodiment.

  The rectangular pad 32 has a long configuration, and a plurality of suction ports 22 are formed. A plurality of suction heads 15 are collectively connected to the square pad 32.

  Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described.

  According to the substrate suction device 11 of the second embodiment configured as described above, a large square pad 32 made of a flexible material is applied instead of the pad 23 of the first embodiment, and a plurality of square pads 32 are applied to the square pad 32. Since the suction heads 15 are connected together, effects such as a reduction in the number of constituent members and a reduction in assembly man-hours are exhibited.

Other configurations and operational effects are the same as or equivalent to those of the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.
[Third Embodiment] (FIG. 8)
FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a substrate suction apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the valve seat 1 24 is not formed orifice 26 as openings. And as shown in FIG. 8, the unevenness | corrugation is formed in the valve body 127a surface which consists of a ball | bowl. This unevenness, when the valve body 127a is in contact with the valve seat portion 1 24 is configured to orifices are formed.

With such a configuration, through the orifice, after the valve body 127a is brought into contact with the valve seat 1 24, reliably moved away the valve body 127a from the valve seat 1 24, it can be made easily separated .

  Other configurations and operational effects are the same as or equivalent to those of the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the whole structure of the adsorption | suction apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which expands and shows the cylinder part of the adsorption | suction apparatus shown in FIG. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the adsorption | suction apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention, and shows the fall prevention function at the time of making an adsorbate upside down. (A), (B), (C) is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the adsorption | suction apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention, and shows the case where an adsorbate does not have a hole. (A), (B), (C) is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the adsorption | suction apparatus by 1st Embodiment of this invention, and shows the case where an adsorbate has a hole. It is explanatory drawing which shows the whole structure of the suction device by 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the suction device by 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the adsorption | suction apparatus by a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Board | substrate adsorption | suction apparatus 12 Negative pressure generator 13 Intake pipe 14 Branch pipe 15 Adsorption head 16 Rotating mechanism 17 Tube 18 Upper cap 19 Lower cap 20 Air suction path 21 Intake hole 22 Adsorption port 23 Pad 24 Valve seat part 25 Cylindrical body 26 Orifice 27, 127a Valve body 28 Spring 29 Holder 30 Holder 31 Filter 32 Square pad

Claims (4)

A substrate suction device provided with a vertical cylindrical suction head,
The suction head is supported by a rotation mechanism, and an air suction path constituting an internal space and a valve mechanism disposed in the air suction path are provided inside,
The air suction path is provided with an intake hole on the upper end side, and the intake hole is connected to the negative pressure generator via the intake pipe, while an adsorption port is provided on the lower end side,
The valve mechanism includes a valve seat portion provided on an upper end side in the air suction passage, and a valve body connected to the valve seat portion via a spring and movable in the vertical direction in the air suction passage. Have
The spring is configured to urge the valve body in a direction away from the valve seat portion side toward the suction port side,
The suction force for attracting the valve body toward the valve seat portion side from the substantially vertical center position in the air suction path at the start of driving of the negative pressure generating device is F1, and the valve body is urged toward the suction port side. When the elastic force of the spring is F2 and the force due to the weight of the valve body is F3, F1> F2 + F3 and F2> F3 are set so that the substrate is adsorbed to the adsorption port,
As the inside of the air suction passage becomes a vacuum state, the suction force does not act and the valve body is held at a substantially vertical center position in the air suction passage by the elastic force of the spring. Holding the mouth adsorbing the substrate,
The substrate suction apparatus is configured such that the suction head rotates up and down when the rotation mechanism is driven in this state . 2. The valve body according to claim 1, wherein the valve body is a ball having a constant weight, and the spring is a compression coil spring having one end fixed to the valve seat portion side and the other end contacting the surface of the ball. Substrate adsorption device. The valve seat portion, said is constituted by a small-diameter end opening shape of the cylinder than the diameter of the upper-side center the ball project downward to the position of the air suction path of the suction head, the lower end of the cylindrical body 3. The substrate suction apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the suction hole is provided, and one end of the compression coil spring is externally fitted and fixed . A ball receiving portion is formed at the lower end of the cylindrical body so that the ball comes into contact with the compression coil spring in a contracted state, and the ball receiving portion is in contact with the ball receiving portion. 4. The substrate suction apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein an orifice that communicates the inside of the cylindrical body and the inside of the air suction path is formed .

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