JP6045376B2 - Substrate transfer device and substrate transfer method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transport apparatus and a substrate transport method for transporting a substrate toward a mounting area in a mounting apparatus for mounting electronic components on a substrate.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a substrate transport device that transports a substrate to a mounting area in a mounting device, a device in which a plurality of transport belts are arranged in a line to form a transport path is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). From the upstream to the downstream, an in-buffer that is a standby area for subsequent boards, a center station that is a board mounting area, and an out-buffer that is a standby area for boards on which components are mounted are set on the transport path. . The in-buffer, the center station, and the out-buffer are respectively provided with conveyor belts corresponding to each of the in-buffer, the center station, and the out-buffer, and the substrates are transferred by transferring the substrates between the conveyor belts.

  A backup table for pushing up the conveyor belt is provided below the conveyor belt of the center station. A holding plate is provided above both sides of the upper surface of the substrate above the transport belt of the center station. When the substrate is loaded from the in-buffer to the center station, the transfer belt is pushed up by the backup table, and the substrate is pressed against the holding plate. Then, the substrate is sandwiched and fixed between the transport belt and the holding plate at a predetermined height, and in this state, the mounting head moves upward and mounting of the electronic components is performed.

JP 2010-219142 A

  In the substrate transfer apparatus described in Patent Document 1, three areas of an in-buffer, an out-buffer, and a center station must be provided on the transfer path, and there is a problem that the apparatus becomes large. Therefore, instead of the buffer, a substrate transfer apparatus has been proposed in which the center station is divided into a plurality of divided areas in the transfer direction, and the divided areas that are not mounted are used as buffers. However, in this substrate transport apparatus, a backup table and a drive source must be provided for each divided area of the center station, and there is a problem that the number of parts increases and the cost increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transport apparatus and a substrate transport method capable of reducing the size of the apparatus without increasing the number of parts and cost. To do.

  The substrate transport apparatus of the present invention is a substrate transport apparatus that transports a substrate to a mounting area where electronic components are mounted, and holds the substrate at a predetermined height in the mounting area. The plurality of support units in a backup table that is divided into a plurality of divided areas and has a plurality of conveyance units provided corresponding to each of the plurality of division areas and a plurality of support units corresponding to the plurality of conveyance units. An elevating mechanism that allows the plurality of conveying units to be raised and lowered by supporting the plurality of conveying units via the support unit, and the elevating mechanism is partially supported from a support position that supports the plurality of conveying units. The plurality of transport units are selectively raised to the predetermined height by moving the support unit.

  The substrate transport method of the present invention is a substrate transport method for transporting a substrate to a mounting area where electronic components are mounted, and holding the substrate at a predetermined height in the mounting area, wherein the mounting area is transported. Dividing the substrate into a plurality of divided areas by a direction, and transporting the substrate by a plurality of transport units provided corresponding to each of the plurality of divided areas; and a plurality of support units corresponding to the plurality of transport units. By having the backup table support the plurality of conveyance units via the plurality of support units, a lifting mechanism that allows the plurality of conveyance units to be lifted and lowered from a support position that supports the plurality of conveyance units. And a step of selectively raising the plurality of transport units to the predetermined height by moving some of the support units.

  According to these configurations, it is not necessary to separately secure a buffer space on the transport path by using, as a buffer, a divided area that is not mounted among a plurality of divided areas. In addition, the plurality of transport units can be selectively raised to a predetermined height using a common backup table and drive source for the plurality of divided areas obtained by dividing the mounting area. Therefore, the apparatus can be made compact without increasing the number of parts and the cost. In addition, the conveyance tact can be improved by using a part of the divided areas as a buffer.

  Moreover, the said board | substrate conveyance apparatus of this invention WHEREIN: The said raising / lowering mechanism raises the said several conveyance part selectively according to the length of the said board | substrate in a conveyance direction. According to this structure, when a board | substrate is long, a some conveyance part can be raised simultaneously, and when a board | substrate is short, only a part of conveyance part can be raised. Therefore, the transport unit can be appropriately raised according to the length of the substrate, and energy saving of the lifting mechanism can be achieved.

  Moreover, the said board | substrate conveyance apparatus of this invention WHEREIN: The said raising / lowering mechanism moves only the said support part on the said backup table. According to this configuration, the plurality of transport units can be selectively raised to a predetermined height with a simple configuration.

  In the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention, the backup table is divided into a plurality of divided tables in the transfer direction, and the lifting mechanism moves the support part together with the divided table divided in the transfer direction. According to this configuration, the plurality of transport units can be selectively raised to a predetermined height with a simple configuration.

  Further, in the substrate transport apparatus of the present invention, the plurality of transport units, the transport width can be adjusted according to the width of the substrate, the backup table is divided into a plurality of divided tables in the transport width direction, The elevating mechanism has individual drive sources corresponding to the division tables divided in the conveyance width direction, and adjusts the number of drive sources according to the width of the substrate. According to this configuration, the backup table can be moved up and down using a small drive source. In addition, by appropriately controlling the number of driving sources according to the width of the substrate, it is possible to save energy in the lifting mechanism.

  According to the present invention, the mounting area is divided into a plurality of divided areas, and the conveying unit corresponding to each divided area is selectively raised to a predetermined height without increasing the number of parts and the cost. Can be made compact.

It is a perspective view of the mounting apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on this Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the carrying in / out operation | movement which uses the center station first half which concerns on this Embodiment as a mounting area. It is explanatory drawing of the carrying in / out operation | movement which uses the center station second half which concerns on this Embodiment as a mounting area. It is explanatory drawing of the carrying in / out operation | movement which makes the whole center station which concerns on this Embodiment the mounting area. It is a schematic diagram of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on a modification. It is a schematic diagram of the board | substrate conveyance apparatus which concerns on another modification.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the mounting apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the following description, a case where the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention is applied to an electronic component mounting apparatus will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention may be applied to other processing apparatuses.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the mounting apparatus 1 is configured to mount an electronic component (not shown) supplied from a parts feeder 12 as a component supply apparatus on a substrate W by a mounting head 13. In the center of the base 11 of the mounting apparatus 1, a substrate transfer device 14 is disposed along the X-axis direction. The board transport device 14 carries the board W before component mounting from one end side in the X-axis direction below the mounting head 13 and carries the board W after component mounting from the other end side in the X-axis direction. On the base 11, a large number of parts feeders 12 are arranged side by side on both sides of the substrate transfer device 14.

  A tape reel 21 is detachably attached to each part feeder 12, and a carrier tape in which a large number of electronic components are packaged is wound around the tape reel 21. Each parts feeder 12 feeds out the electronic components in order toward the delivery position picked up by the mounting head 13 by the rotation of the tape reel 21. At the delivery position of the mounting head 13, the cover tape on the surface is peeled from the carrier tape, and the electronic components in the pocket of the carrier tape are exposed to the outside.

  A mounting head moving mechanism 15 that moves the mounting head 13 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction is provided on the base 11. The mounting head moving mechanism 15 is supported by support columns 16 erected at the four corners of the base 11 and moves the mounting head 13 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction at a predetermined height from the upper surface of the base 11. . The mounting head moving mechanism 15 includes a Y-axis table 23 and a slide guide 24 parallel to the Y-axis direction supported on the support column 16, and an X-axis direction supported on the Y-axis table 23 and slide guide 24. And an X-axis table 25. The mounting head 13 is supported on the X-axis table 25 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction.

  The mounting head moving mechanism 15 moves the mounting head 13 in the X-axis direction along the X-axis table 25 by a motor (not shown). The mounting head moving mechanism 15 moves the mounting head 13 together with the X-axis table 25 in the Y-axis direction along the Y-axis table 23 and the slide guide 24 by a motor (not shown). With such a configuration, the mounting head 13 is horizontally moved above the substrate W, can hold the electronic component supplied from the parts feeder 12, and can be mounted at a desired position on the substrate W. .

  The mounting head 13 has a suction nozzle (not shown) that can suck electronic components. The suction nozzle is rotated around the Z axis by a θ motor (not shown) and moved up and down in the Z axis direction by the Z axis motor. The mounting head 13 is configured to suck a plurality of electronic components from the parts feeder 12 by individually driving each suction nozzle. In addition, the nozzle of the mounting head 13 should just be able to take out an electronic component from the parts feeder 12, and may be comprised with the gripper nozzle, for example.

  The mounting head 13 is provided with an imaging unit 26 for teaching and a height sensor (not shown). The imaging unit 26 images the electronic component and the mark on the substrate W sent to the delivery position of the parts feeder 12. Based on the captured image of the imaging unit 26, the electronic component suction position and the substrate W mounting position in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are adjusted. The height sensor measures the height by irradiating the electronic component or the substrate W with light and receiving the reflected light. According to the measurement result of the height sensor, the suction position of the electronic component and the mounting position of the substrate W in the Z-axis direction are adjusted.

  An imaging device 17 that performs highly accurate component recognition is provided on the movement path of the mounting head 13 from the parts feeder 12 toward the substrate W on the base 11. The imaging device 17 images the electronic component held by the mounting head 13 from below. By imaging the state in which the mounting head 13 holds the electronic component with the imaging device 17, the type of the electronic component, the positional deviation of the electronic component, and the like are inspected. In addition, the mounting apparatus 1 is provided with a processor that acquires the above-described captured images and measurement results and executes various processes, various memories, and the like. The memory is composed of one or a plurality of storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory) depending on the application.

  In the mounting apparatus 1 configured as described above, the substrate W taken from the previous process is transported by the substrate transport device 14 to the center station A (see FIG. 2) as a mounting area. The position is adjusted to the height (mounting reference height). Then, in a state where the position of the substrate W is adjusted, the mounting head 13 moves above the substrate, and electronic components are mounted. In this case, the center station A is divided into a plurality of divided areas A1 and A2 (see FIG. 2), and the height of the substrate W is adjusted for each of the divided areas A1 and A2. For this reason, when only a part of the divided areas is used, such as the substrate W that is short in the transport direction, the remaining divided areas are used as buffers.

  Hereinafter, the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present embodiment. 2A is a schematic top view of the substrate transfer apparatus, and FIG. 2B is a schematic side view of the substrate transfer apparatus.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the substrate transport apparatus 14 is arranged so that the transport belts 33, 43, 48, and 38 of the carry-in part 31, the first transport part 41, the second transport part 46, and the carry-out part 36 are aligned. The transfer path of the substrate W is formed by disposing them. The carry-in unit 31 is located on the upstream side of the conveyance path, and is configured by providing a pair of conveyance belts 33 on opposing surfaces of the pair of conveyance rails 32. The pair of transport belts 33 are belt conveyor type transport mechanisms, and a transport motor 34 is connected to a drive pulley of the transport mechanism. Both ends of the substrate W in the width direction are placed on the pair of transport belts 33, and the substrate W taken from the previous process is transported toward the first transport unit 41 by the transport belt 33.

  The first and second transport units 41 and 46 form a center station A as a mounting area in the center of the transport path, and a pair of transport belts 43 and 48 on opposite surfaces of the pair of transport rails 42 and 47, respectively. Is provided. The first transport unit 41 forms a first divided area A1 of the center station A, and the second transport unit 46 forms a second divided area A2 of the center station A. The pair of transport belts 43 and 48 is a belt conveyor type transport mechanism, and transport motors 44 and 49 are connected to drive pulleys of the transport mechanism, respectively. When the transport belts 43 and 48 receive the substrate W from the transport belt 33, the substrate W is positioned at the center station A.

  The carry-out unit 36 is located on the downstream side of the conveyance path, and is configured by providing a pair of conveyance belts 38 on opposite surfaces of the pair of conveyance rails 37. The pair of transport belts 38 is a belt conveyor type transport mechanism, and a transport motor 39 is connected to a drive pulley of the transport mechanism. When the transport belt 38 receives the substrate W from the transport belt 48, the substrate W is unloaded for the subsequent process. Further, the pair of transport rails 32, 37, 42, 47 has a fixed rail and a movable rail facing each other, and a width adjusting motor 51 is connected to the movable rail. The movable rail is separated or moved closer to the fixed rail by the width adjusting motor 51, and the transport width is adjusted according to the width dimension of the substrate W.

  In the center station A, an IN sensor 53, a STOP1 sensor 54, a STOP2 sensor 55, and an OUT sensor 56 are installed as a plurality of substrate detection sensors. The IN sensor 53 detects the loading of the substrate W in the divided area A1. The STOP1 sensor 54 detects the stop timing of the substrate W in the divided area A1 in the first half of the center station A. The STOP2 sensor 55 detects the stop timing of the substrate W in the divided area A2 in the latter half of the center station A. The OUT sensor 56 detects carry-out of the substrate W in the divided area A2. The control using each substrate detection sensor will be described later.

  A pair of holding plates 71 and 72 facing the pair of transport belts 43 and 48 are provided above the first and second transport units 41 and 46. The lower surfaces 71a and 72a of the holding plates 71 and 72 are set to a mounting reference height at which electronic components are mounted. Below the first and second transport units 41 and 46, an elevating mechanism 61 that selectively lifts and lowers the first and second transport units 41 and 46 is provided. The elevating mechanism 61 raises the first and second transport units 41 and 46 and sandwiches and fixes the substrate W between the transport belts 43 and 48 and the holding plates 71 and 72. At this time, the upper surface Wa of the substrate W contacts the lower surfaces 71a and 72a of the holding plates 71 and 72, so that the substrate W is positioned at the mounting reference height.

  The elevating mechanism 61 has a backup table 62 that supports the first and second transport units 41 and 46 from below. The backup table 62 is spaced downward from the first and second transport units 41 and 46 in the initial state, and is lifted by the lifting motor 65 and brought into contact with the first and second transport units 41 and 46. . In addition, a plurality of contact portions 74 and 75 projecting toward the backup table 62 are provided below the first and second transport portions 41 and 46. Side beams 63 and 66 as support portions are provided on the backup table 62 in correspondence with the plurality of contact portions 74 and 75 of the first and second transport portions 41 and 46.

  When the side beams 63 and 66 abut on the abutting portions 74 and 75, the first and second transport portions 41 and 46 are supported on the backup table 62 via the side beams 63 and 66. The first and second transport units 41 and 46 are lifted and lowered by being supported by the backup table 62 via the side beams 63 and 66. The side beams 63 and 66 are connected to cylinders 64 and 67 and are slidably disposed on the backup table 62. The side beams 63 and 66 move on the backup table 62 between a support position that supports the first and second transport units 41 and 46 and a non-support position that deviates from the support position.

  When the side beams 63 and 66 move to the support position, the side beams 63 and 66 come into contact with the contact portions 74 and 75, and the first and second transport units 41 and 46 are supported by the backup table 62. When the side beams 63 and 66 are moved to the non-supporting position, the side beams 63 and 66 are detached from the contact portions 74 and 75, and the first and second transport units 41 and 46 are separated from the backup table 62. In this way, by moving the side beams 63 and 66 and eliminating the support of the backup table 62 with respect to the first and second transport units 41 and 46, the first and second transport units 41 and 46 are selectively used. It is possible to go up and down.

  With reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, the loading / unloading operation of the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the loading / unloading operation with the first half of the center station according to the present embodiment as the mounting area. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the loading / unloading operation with the second half of the center station according to the present embodiment as the mounting area. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the loading / unloading operation in which the entire center station according to the present embodiment is the mounting area. 3 to 5 show an example and can be changed as appropriate.

  With reference to FIG. 3, a description will be given of a configuration for transporting a short substrate W (for example, 50 mm to 230 mm) in the transport direction using the divided area A1 in the first half of the center station A as a mounting area. In this configuration, the cylinder 64 is set to OFF, and the side beam 63 is positioned at the support position. Further, the cylinder 67 is set to ON, and the side beam 66 is positioned at the non-supporting position.

  In section A, the READY OUT signal is turned ON, and the substrate W loading operation is performed. When the substrate W is loaded from the previous process and the IN sensor 53 is turned on, the transport motor 44 is driven and the transport belt 43 transports the substrate W to the divided area A1 in the first half of the center station A. When the STOP1 sensor 54 is turned on by the transport of the substrate W, the transport motor 44 is decelerated and the lift motor 65 is driven. The transport motor 44 is stopped at a position where the substrate W has advanced about 20 mm from the detection position of the STOP 1 sensor 54.

  As shown in FIG. 3C, when the backup table 62 is raised by the lifting motor 65, the contact portion 74 of the first transport unit 41 is brought into contact with the side beam 63 at the support position, and the side beam 66 at the non-support position. Therefore, the contact portion 75 of the second transport unit 46 is not contacted. Thereby, only the 1st conveyance part 41 raises in the state supported by the backup table 62. FIG. Then, the upper surface Wa of the substrate W on the transport belt 43 is brought into contact with the holding plate 71, and the substrate W is sandwiched and fixed between the transport belt 43 and the holding plate 71. In this way, the substrate W is carried into the divided area A1 and positioned at the mounting reference height. In the section B, the mounting head 13 (see FIG. 1) moves above the substrate W and the electronic component mounting operation is performed.

  In the section C, the unloading operation of the substrate W is performed. When the backup table 62 is lowered, the transport motors 44 and 49 are driven and the transport of the substrate W is resumed. When the STOP2 sensor 55 is turned ON, the READY OUT signal is turned ON, and the subsequent substrate W loading operation is performed in parallel with the previous substrate W unloading operation. Then, the subsequent substrate W is carried in from the previous process, the IN sensor 53 is turned ON, and the subsequent substrate W is transported together with the preceding substrate W by the transport belt 43. At this time, the subsequent substrate W is transferred to the division area A1 in the first half of the center station A, and the preceding substrate W is transferred to the division area A2 in the second half of the center station A. Then, the STOP1 sensor 54 and the STOP2 sensor 55 are sequentially turned OFF by the transport of the preceding substrate W.

  When the STOP1 sensor 54 is turned on by the subsequent transport of the substrate W, the transport motor 44 is decelerated and the lift motor 65 is driven. The transport motor 44 is stopped at a position where the subsequent substrate W has advanced about 20 mm from the detection position of the STOP 1 sensor 54. Further, the OUT sensor 56 is turned ON by the transport of the preceding substrate W, and the transport motor 49 is decelerated. The transport motor 49 is stopped at a position where the substrate W has advanced about 5 mm from the detection position of the OUT sensor 56. When the backup table 62 is raised by the elevating motor 65, only the first transport unit 41 is raised while being supported by the backup table 62.

  Then, the upper surface Wa of the substrate W on the transport belt 43 is brought into contact with the holding plate 71, and the substrate W is sandwiched and fixed between the transport belt 43 and the holding plate 71. As a result, the substrate W is positioned at the mounting reference height. In this state, the mounting head 13 (see FIG. 1) moves above the substrate W, and an electronic component mounting process is performed. At this time, the preceding substrate W stands by in the divided area A2.

  In section D, the READY IN signal is turned ON, the transport of the preceding substrate W is restarted, and the unloading operation of the preceding substrate W is started for the subsequent process. As described above, in the carry-in / carry-out operation shown in FIG. 3, the lifting motor 65 is driven with the STOP 1 sensor 54 being turned on as a trigger. Further, the divided area A2 in the latter half of the center station A is used as a standby buffer for the preceding substrate W during the subsequent loading operation of the substrate W.

  With reference to FIG. 4, a configuration for transporting a short substrate W (for example, 50 mm to 230 mm) in the transport direction using the divided area A2 in the latter half of the center station A as a mounting area will be described. In this configuration, the cylinder 64 is set to ON, and the side beam 63 is positioned at the non-supporting position. Further, the cylinder 67 is set to OFF, and the side beam 66 is positioned at the support position.

  In section A, the READY OUT signal is turned ON, and the substrate W loading operation is started. When the substrate W is loaded from the previous process and the IN sensor 53 is turned on, the transport motor 44 is driven and the transport belt 43 transports the substrate W to the divided area A1 in the first half of the center station A. When the STOP 1 sensor 54 is turned on by the transport of the substrate W, the transport motor 49 is driven and the transport belt 48 transports the substrate W to the divided area A 2 in the latter half of the center station A.

  Then, after the STOP 2 sensor 55 is turned on, the transport motors 44 and 49 are decelerated and the lift motor 65 is driven after the substrate W has traveled a predetermined distance. The transport motors 44 and 49 are stopped at a position where the substrate W has advanced about 20 mm from the detection position of the STOP 2 sensor 55. When the transport motor 44 is stopped, the READY OUT signal is turned ON, and the carry-in operation for the subsequent substrate W is started in parallel with the mounting process for the previous substrate W.

  As shown in FIG. 4C, when the backup table 62 is raised by the lifting motor 65, the contact portion 75 of the second transport unit 46 is brought into contact with the side beam 66 at the support position, and the side beam 63 at the non-support position. Thus, the contact portion 74 of the first transport unit 41 is not contacted. Thereby, only the 2nd conveyance part 46 raises in the state supported by the backup table 62. FIG. Then, the upper surface Wa of the substrate W on the transport belt 48 is brought into contact with the holding plate 72, and the substrate W is sandwiched and fixed between the transport belt 48 and the holding plate 72. In this way, the substrate W is carried into the divided area A2 and positioned at the mounting reference height.

  In the section B, the mounting head 13 (see FIG. 1) moves above the substrate W and the electronic component mounting operation is performed. When the IN sensor 53 is turned ON by carrying in the subsequent substrate W during the mounting process, the transport motor 44 is driven and the subsequent substrate W is transported by the transport belt 43 to the divided area A1 in the first half of the center station A.

  In the section C, the unloading operation of the substrate W is performed. When the backup table 62 is lowered, the transport motor 49 is driven and the transport of the preceding substrate W is resumed. On the other hand, when the STOP1 sensor 54 is turned on by the subsequent transport of the substrate W, the transport motor 44 is decelerated. Then, the subsequent substrate W stands by in the divided area A1 until the unloading process of the previous substrate W is completed. When the STOP2 sensor 55 is turned off by carrying the preceding substrate W, the OUT sensor 56 is turned on and the carry motor 49 is decelerated. The transport motor 49 is stopped at a position where the substrate W has advanced about 5 mm from the detection position of the OUT sensor 56.

  In section D, the READY IN signal is turned ON, the transport of the preceding substrate W is restarted, and the unloading operation of the preceding substrate W is started for the subsequent process. As described above, in the loading / unloading operation shown in FIG. 4, the lifting / lowering motor 65 is driven as a trigger after the STOP 2 sensor 55 has been moved a predetermined distance. Further, the divided area A1 in the first half of the center station A is used as a standby buffer for the subsequent substrate W during the unloading operation of the previous substrate W. Therefore, at the time of carrying out the preceding substrate W, it is possible to reduce the tact time by bringing the subsequent substrate W close to the mounting area and waiting.

  With reference to FIG. 5, a configuration for transporting a substrate W (for example, 230 mm to 570 mm) long in the transport direction with the entire center station A as a mounting area will be described. In this configuration, the cylinders 64 and 67 are set to OFF, and the side beams 63 and 66 are positioned at the support positions.

  In section A, the READY OUT signal is turned ON, and the substrate W loading operation is started. When the substrate W is loaded from the previous process and the IN sensor 53 is turned on, the transport motor 44 is driven and the transport belt 43 transports the substrate W to the divided area A1 in the first half of the center station A. When the STOP 1 sensor 54 is turned on by the transport of the substrate W, the transport motor 49 is driven and the transport belt 48 transports the substrate W to the divided area A 2 in the latter half of the center station A. Then, after the STOP 2 sensor 55 is turned on, the transport motors 44 and 49 are decelerated and the lift motor 65 is driven after the substrate W has traveled a predetermined distance. The transport motors 44 and 49 are stopped at a position where the substrate W has advanced about 20 mm from the detection position of the STOP 2 sensor 55.

  As shown in FIG. 5C, when the backup table 62 is lifted by the lifting motor 65, the contact portions 74, 75 of the first and second transport portions 41, 46 come into contact with the side beams 63, 66 at the support position. Is done. As a result, the first and second transport units 41 and 46 are raised while being supported by the backup table 62. The upper surface Wa of the substrate W on the transport belts 43 and 48 is brought into contact with the holding plates 71 and 72, and the substrate W is sandwiched and fixed between the transport belts 43 and 48 and the holding plates 71 and 72. In this way, the substrate W is carried into the center station A and positioned at the mounting reference height.

  In the section B, the mounting head 13 (see FIG. 1) moves above the substrate W, and the electronic component mounting operation is performed. In section C, the backup table 62 descends, the transport motors 44 and 49 are driven, and the substrate W unloading operation is started. As described above, in the carry-in / out operation shown in FIG.

  As described above, according to the substrate transport apparatus 14 according to the present embodiment, when the substrate W having a small length in the transport direction is transported, any one of the plurality of divided areas A1 and A2 is used as a standby buffer. There is no need to secure a separate buffer space on the transport path. In addition, the first and second transport units 41 and 46 can be selectively lifted and lowered using the common backup table 62 and lift motor 65 for the divided areas A1 and A2 obtained by dividing the center station A. Therefore, the apparatus can be made compact without increasing the number of parts and the cost.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can change and implement variously. In the above-described embodiment, the size, shape, and the like illustrated in the accompanying drawings are not limited to this, and can be appropriately changed within a range in which the effects of the present invention are exhibited. In addition, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the object of the present invention.

  For example, in the present embodiment, the side beams 63 and 66 on the backup table 62 are moved. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. As shown in FIG. 6, the backup table 62 may be divided into a plurality of division tables 81 in the transport direction, and the side beams 63 and 66 may be moved together with the division table 81. In this case, the cylinders are connected to the respective split tables 81 instead of the side beams 63 and 66.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration for transporting the substrates W having the same width has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The transport width may be adjusted in accordance with the width dimension of the substrate W. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the backup table 62 may be divided into a plurality of division tables 82 in the conveyance width direction, and the division table 82 that is driven according to the width dimension of the substrate W may be adjusted. In this case, the elevating mechanism 61 has an individual drive source corresponding to each division table 82.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, when the width dimension of the substrate W is small, the conveyance width between the conveyance rails 42 and 47 is narrowed and only one division table 82 is used. As shown in FIG. 7B, when the width dimension of the substrate W is large, the transport width between the transport rails 42 and 47 is widened, and both the dividing tables 82 are used. Thereby, the backup table 62 can be moved up and down using a small drive source. Further, by appropriately controlling the drive number of the drive source according to the width dimension of the substrate W, it is possible to save energy in the lifting mechanism.

  In the present embodiment, the center station A is divided into two divided areas A1 and A2. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The center station A only needs to be divided into a plurality of divided areas. For example, the center station A may be divided into three or more.

  In the present embodiment, the conveyor belts 43 and 48 are provided on the conveyor rails 42 and 47 to configure the first and second conveyor units 41 and 46. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The first and second transfer units 41 and 46 may have any configuration as long as they are arranged so as to form a transfer path and can transfer the substrate W.

  In the present embodiment, the side beams 63 and 66 are slidably provided on the backup table 62. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The side beams 63 and 66 may be provided on the backup table 62 so as to appear and disappear. Even in such a configuration, it is possible to avoid contact between a part of the transport unit and the side beams 63 and 66 and to use a part of the transport unit as a buffer.

  As described above, the present invention has an effect that the apparatus can be made compact without increasing the number of parts and the cost, and in particular, the substrate transport apparatus for transporting the substrate toward the mounting area, and This is useful for a substrate transfer method.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mounting apparatus 13 Mounting head 14 Substrate conveyance apparatus 41 1st conveyance part (conveyance part)
46 2nd conveyance part (conveyance part)
61 Lifting mechanism 62 Backup table 63, 66 Side beam (supporting part)
64, 67 Cylinder 65 Lifting motor (drive source)
71, 72 Holding plate 81, 82 Dividing table A Center station (mounting area)
A1, A2 Divided area W substrate

Claims (6)

A substrate transfer device that transfers a substrate to a mounting area where electronic components are mounted, and holds the substrate at a predetermined height in the mounting area,
Dividing the mounting area into a plurality of divided areas in the conveying direction, a plurality of conveying units provided corresponding to each of the plurality of divided areas;
A lifting mechanism that allows a plurality of support parts to be raised and lowered by supporting a plurality of transport parts via a plurality of support parts on a backup table having a plurality of support parts corresponding to the plurality of transport parts. And
The lift mechanism selectively raises the plurality of transport units to the predetermined height by moving some support units from a support position that supports the plurality of transport units. Conveying device.   2. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lifting mechanism selectively raises the plurality of transfer units according to a length of the substrate in a transfer direction.   3. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lifting mechanism moves only the support portion on the backup table. The backup table is divided into a plurality of division tables in the conveyance direction;
The substrate transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elevating mechanism moves the support unit together with the division table divided in the conveyance direction. The plurality of transport units can adjust the transport width according to the width of the substrate,
The backup table is divided into a plurality of division tables in the conveyance width direction,
2. The lifting mechanism includes an individual drive source corresponding to a division table divided in a conveyance width direction, and adjusts the number of drive sources according to the width of the substrate. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 4. A substrate transport method for transporting a substrate to a mounting area where electronic components are mounted and holding the substrate at a predetermined height in the mounting area,
Dividing the mounting area into a plurality of divided areas in the transport direction, and transporting the substrate by a plurality of transport units provided corresponding to each of the plurality of divided areas;
A lifting mechanism that allows a plurality of support parts to be raised and lowered by supporting a plurality of transport parts via a plurality of support parts on a backup table having a plurality of support parts corresponding to the plurality of transport parts. And a step of selectively raising the plurality of transport units to the predetermined height by moving a part of the support units from a support position that supports the plurality of transport units. Substrate transport method.

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