JP7837303B2 - Resin molding apparatus, method for manufacturing resin molded products, and program - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a resin molding apparatus, a method for manufacturing resin molded products, and a program.

Patent Document 1 discloses a compression molding apparatus. In this compression molding apparatus, granular resin is spread evenly on a single sheet of film, and the resin-covered film is transported to a press section. In the press section, the resin spread on the film is used to perform compression molding of the workpiece.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-136942

In a compression molding apparatus like the one described in Patent Document 1, the appearance of the molded workpiece is affected by how the resin is scattered on the film. That is, depending on the scattering of the resin supplied to the film, molding defects may occur. For example, if the resin material is significantly unevenly distributed on the film, molding defects may occur.

The object of the present invention is to provide a resin molding apparatus, a method for manufacturing resin molded products, and a program that can appropriately determine the dispersion state of resin material supplied onto an object for molding resin molded products, and appropriately prevent the occurrence of molding defects.

A resin molding apparatus according to a certain aspect of the present invention comprises an imaging unit, a molding mechanism, and a control unit. The imaging unit captures an image of the resin material supplied onto the object. The molding mechanism uses the resin material supplied onto the object to mold a resin product. The control unit acquires the image and controls the operation of the molding mechanism. The control unit calculates the occupancy ratio of areas where resin material is present or absent within each of a plurality of blocks contained in the image. Based on the similarity between the calculated occupancy ratios for each of the plurality of blocks and a plurality of pre-set reference ratios for each of the plurality of blocks, the control unit determines whether molding using the resin material by the molding mechanism is possible.

A method for manufacturing a resin molded article according to another aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a resin molded article using the above-described resin molding apparatus, comprising the steps of: placing a resin material in a mold; and clamping the mold containing the resin material.

A program according to yet another aspect of the present invention causes a computer connected to a molding mechanism that performs molding of a resin molded product to perform the following steps: acquire an image of the resin material supplied onto an object; calculate the occupancy ratio of the area where the resin material is present or absent in each of a plurality of blocks contained in the image; and determine whether or not molding using the resin material by the molding mechanism is possible based on the similarity between the plurality of occupancy ratios calculated for each of the plurality of blocks and a plurality of reference ratios predetermined for each of the plurality of blocks.

According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately determine the dispersion state of resin material supplied onto an object for molding resin molded products, thereby appropriately preventing the occurrence of molding defects.

This is a schematic plan view of a resin molding apparatus. This is a schematic lateral cross-sectional view showing the area around the resin material supply mechanism. This is a diagram used by the photography department to explain the shooting conditions. This is a flowchart showing the operating procedure of a resin molding machine. A diagram illustrating the blocks set within an image. A graph comparing the occupancy rate and the standard rate. Another figure comparing graphs of occupancy rates and baseline rates.

The following describes one embodiment of the present invention in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, identical or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are not repeated. Furthermore, for ease of understanding, each drawing is schematic, with parts omitted or exaggerated as appropriate.

[1. Configuration of the resin molding apparatus]
Figure 1 is a schematic plan view showing a resin molding apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. The resin molding apparatus 100 performs resin molding of an object to be molded. In this description, a substrate W1 on which electronic components such as semiconductor chips are mounted is used as an example of the object to be molded. The resin molding apparatus 100 uses a resin material P to perform resin encapsulation on the substrate W1 to produce a resin molded product substrate W2. Although not limited to this, in this case, the component mounting surface of the substrate W1 on which the electronic components are mounted is resin-encapsulated.

Examples of substrates W1 include semiconductor substrates such as silicon wafers, lead frames, printed circuit boards, metal substrates, resin substrates, glass substrates, and ceramic substrates. The substrate may also be a carrier used in FOWLP (Fan Out Wafer Level Packaging) or FOPLP (Fan Out Panel Level Packaging). The substrate may or may not have pre-installed wiring.

As shown in Figure 1, the resin molding apparatus 100 comprises a master module M1, a mold module M2, and a resin module M3. The mold module M2 includes a molding mechanism 5. The molding mechanism 5 performs resin molding, processing electronic components on a substrate W1 into a substrate W2 by encapsulating them with resin using a resin material P. The master module M1 supplies the substrate W1, which is the object to be molded, to the molding mechanism 5, and collects and stores the molded substrate W2 (resin molded product) from the molding mechanism 5. The resin module M3 supplies the resin material P to the molding mechanism 5. These modules M1 to M3 are connected in this order as an integrated apparatus, but each module M1 to M3 is detachable and interchangeable with other modules. Although two modules M2 are shown in Figure 1, there may be only one module M2, or three or more modules may be deployed. The same applies to modules M1 and M3; the number of modules M1 to M3 can be increased or decreased.

The resin molding apparatus 100 further comprises a control unit 10 and a storage unit 12. The control unit 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), and ROM (Read Only Memory), and controls the operation of each part of modules M1 to M3 by executing a program 15 stored in the storage unit 12 and/or ROM. The control unit 10 is connected to various mechanisms, such as the molding mechanism 5 included in modules M1 to M3, and coordinates the operation of these mechanisms. The storage unit 12 includes any form of storage medium, such as a hard disk or flash memory, and may be configured by combining multiple types of storage media. The control unit 10 may consist of a single unit, or it may consist of multiple units distributed within or outside modules M1 to M3. Similarly, the storage unit 12 may consist of a single unit, or it may consist of multiple units distributed within or outside modules M1 to M3.

In the example shown in Figure 1, the program 15 is stored in the storage unit 12. The program 15 may also be provided to the resin molding apparatus 100 using a non-temporary storage medium 16 that stores the program 15 in a readable format. The storage medium 16 is, for example, a portable memory. Examples of portable memory include CD-ROMs, USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, SD cards, microSD cards, or CompactFlash®. If the storage medium 16 is a portable memory, the CPU of the control unit 10 may read the program 15 from the storage medium 16 using a reading device (not shown). The read program 15 is written to the storage unit 12. Furthermore, the program 15 may also be provided to the resin molding apparatus 100 by a communication unit (not shown) of the resin molding apparatus 100 communicating with an external device. In this case, the CPU of the control unit 10 acquires the program 15 through the communication unit. The acquired program 15 is written to the storage unit 12. The number of CPUs in the control unit 10 is not limited to one; it may be two or more. If the control unit 10 has multiple CPUs, these multiple CPUs may cooperate in executing the operations of each part of modules M1 to M3.

Furthermore, the resin molding apparatus 100 includes user interface (UI) equipment 14, such as an input device and a display device. The UI equipment 14 can be implemented, for example, as a touch panel.

The master module M1 comprises a supply mechanism 1, a storage section 2, a mounting section 3, and a transport mechanism 4. The supply mechanism 1 supplies the substrate W1 onto the mounting section 3. The storage section 2 stores the substrate W2. The mounting section 3 moves in the Y direction between a position corresponding to the supply mechanism 1 and a position corresponding to the storage section 2. The transport mechanism 4 is movable in the X, Y, and Z directions within the master module M1 and the mold module M2. The transport mechanism 4 holds the substrate W1 on the mounting section 3, transports it to the mold module M2, and hands it over to the molding mechanism 5. The transport mechanism 4 also retrieves the substrate W2 from the molding mechanism 5, transports it to the master module M1, and places it on the mounting section 3. Afterward, the substrate W2 is stored in the storage section 2. The X and Y directions correspond to the left-right and up-down directions in Figure 1, respectively. The Z direction corresponds to the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 1.

The molding mechanism 5 manufactures the substrate W2 by compression molding. Here, a granular resin material P is used. Note that other forms of resin material P, such as liquid resin material P, may also be used in compression molding. The following example shows the use of granular resin material P. The molding mechanism 5 comprises a mold 50 and a mold clamping mechanism 53. The mold 50 includes an upper mold 52 (first mold) and a lower mold 51 (second mold) facing the upper mold 52. The upper mold 52 is capable of holding the substrate W1 on its lower surface. The substrate W1 is held with the component mounting surface facing downwards. The lower mold 51 comprises a bottom member and a frame-shaped side member. The bottom member is positioned inside the frame-shaped side member. This forms a concave cavity 51A. The bottom member constitutes the bottom surface of the cavity 51A, and the side member constitutes the side surface of the cavity 51A.

Within the cavity 51A, the resin material P is arranged in a scattered state on the film 73, as described later. The resin material P in the cavity 51A is heated by a heating device (not shown). The mold clamping mechanism 53 clamps the upper mold 52 and lower mold 51 together while the heating device is heating the resin material P, thereby curing the resin material P in the cavity 51A. This seals the component mounting surface of the substrate W1 held in the upper mold 52 with the resin material P. Subsequently, the mold clamping mechanism 53 opens the upper mold 52 and lower mold 51, and the substrate W2 is removed from the mold 50. In this embodiment, the resin material P is thermosetting, but it may also be thermoplastic. If the resin material P is thermoplastic, during resin molding, the resin material P is heated and melted, then cooled to cure it.

The resin module M3 comprises a movable table 6, a housing section 7, and a supply mechanism 8. The movable table 6 is movable in the X and Y directions within the resin module M3. Figure 2 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing the area around the supply mechanism 8. As shown in Figure 2, a film 73 supplied from a film supply mechanism (not shown) is laid on the movable table 6, and a frame 72 is placed on top of this film 73. This forms a housing section 7 having a space 71 with the film 73 as the bottom surface and the frame 72 as the sides. The film 73 is a release film. The space 71 opens upward and has a shape and size corresponding to the cavity 51A of the lower mold 51. In this embodiment, the frame 72 and the space 71 are rectangular. Resin material P is supplied into the space 71 of the housing section 7 from the supply mechanism 8. The resin material P is supplied by scattering it into the space 71 from above.

As shown in Figure 2, the supply mechanism 8 comprises a storage section 80, a transport path 81, and a vibration mechanism 82. The storage section 80 temporarily stores the resin material P. The transport path 81 communicates with the storage section 80 and is a transport path for the resin material P flowing out of the storage section 80; it has a discharge port 85. The vibration mechanism 82 vibrates the storage section 80 and the transport path 81, thereby discharging the resin material P from the storage section 80 and further transporting it along the transport path 81 towards the discharge port 85. After reaching the discharge port 85, the resin material P falls through the discharge port 85 and is contained within the storage section 7. During the operation of the vibration mechanism 82, the moving table 6 moves relative to the discharge port 85 in the X and Y directions. This ensures that the resin material P is evenly distributed within the storage section 7. In Figure 2, the Y direction is perpendicular to the plane of the paper. The X direction is the left-right direction.

The supply mechanism 8 further includes a weighing mechanism 83, which supplies a preset target amount of resin material P into the storage section 7. For example, the weighing mechanism 83 weighs the resin material P in the storage section 80 and the transport path 81. Based on the weighing results from the weighing mechanism 83, the control unit 10 controls the vibration mechanism 82 so that the amount of resin material P supplied into the storage section 7 reaches the target amount.

Referring again to Figure 1, the resin module M3 further comprises an imaging unit 20 and a transport mechanism 9. The imaging unit 20 captures an image of the resin material P supplied onto the film 73 by the supply mechanism 8. In other words, the imaging unit 20 captures the image of the resin material P scattered on the film 73 within the storage unit 7. The image generated by the imaging unit 20 is transmitted to the control unit 10 and, as appropriate, stored in the storage unit 12.

Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the shooting state by the shooting unit 20. As shown in Figure 3, the shooting unit 20, for example, shoots the resin material P in the storage unit 7 from above when the moving table 6 is positioned below the shooting unit 20. The shooting unit 20 comprises one or more camera modules 21. The camera modules 21 include, for example, an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The shooting unit 20 also includes a light source 22 positioned above the camera modules 21. Alternatively, a backlight may be used instead of such a light source 22. That is, the light source and light guide plate may be positioned behind the subject as viewed from the camera modules 21, or in other words, below the film 73.

Referring again to Figure 1, the transport mechanism 9 is movable in the X, Y, and Z directions within the mold module M2 and the resin module M3. The transport mechanism 9 transports the film 73, on which the resin material P is placed, to the mold module M2. Then, the film 73 with the resin material P is placed in the cavity 51A of the lower mold 51 of the molding mechanism 5. Note that from the time the resin material P is scattered onto the film 73 until it is photographed by the imaging unit 20 and set in the cavity 51A, the resin material P on the film 73 is handled in such a way that its position does not change significantly. In other words, the dispersion state of the resin material P scattered on the film 73 does not change much from the time it is scattered until it is set in the cavity 51A.

[2. Suppression of molding defects in resin molded products]
As described above, in the molding mechanism 5, the substrate W1 is resin-molded using the resin material P. As previously mentioned, the resin material P, which is scattered on the film 73 and contained in the lower mold 51, is melted by the heating device. While the mold is being clamped, the molten resin material covers the component mounting surface of the substrate W1 held in the upper mold 52. In this state, the temperature of the resin material P rises. As a result, the resin material P hardens, and a resin layer is formed that seals the component mounting surface of the substrate W1. As a result, a substrate W2 having a resin layer is manufactured. The film 73 is peeled off the substrate W2.

According to the molding process described above, the appearance of the substrate W2 after molding is influenced by how the resin material P is scattered on the film 73. In other words, depending on the scattering state of the resin material P on the film 73, molding defects may occur in the substrate W2. These molding defects include, for example, large variations in the thickness of the resin layer on a single substrate W2. Other molding defects that may occur depending on the scattering state of the resin material P include various defects such as chips flowing on the component mounting surface.

To suppress the molding defects described above, the resin molding apparatus 100 uses an imaging unit 20 to capture an image of the resin material P scattered on the film 73. The control unit 10 then determines, based on this image, whether the scattering of the resin material P on the film 73 is appropriate and, accordingly, determines whether or not to proceed with resin molding. In other words, if the scattering of the resin material P suggests that a molding defect is likely to occur, resin molding is withheld to appropriately prevent the occurrence of such defects. The specific process is described below.

[3. Operation of the resin molding machine]
Figure 4 is a flowchart showing some of the operating procedures in the resin molding apparatus 100. The processes shown in this flowchart are executed by the control unit 10.

First, in step S1, the control unit 10 controls the supply mechanism 8 to supply a target amount of resin material P into the storage unit 7. This control is performed when the storage unit 7 is positioned below the discharge port 85 of the supply mechanism 8. The control unit 10 moves the movable table 6 to position the storage unit 7 below the discharge port 85. In this state, the control unit 10 vibrates the vibration mechanism 82 to supply resin material P into the storage unit 7, while simultaneously measuring the amount of resin material P supplied by the metering mechanism 83. Vibration and metering continue until the amount of resin material P reaches the target amount, at which point vibration and metering are stopped. Furthermore, while vibrating the vibration mechanism 82, the control unit 10 moves the movable table 6 to ensure that the resin material P is evenly distributed within the storage unit 7.

In the following step S2, the control unit 10 moves the movable table 6 and positions the storage unit 7 containing the resin material P below the camera module 21. Then, in this state, the imaging unit 20 performs imaging. The imaging unit 20 photographs the resin material P supplied into the frame 72 from above. This generates an image (hereinafter referred to as the original image) showing the resin material P scattered on the film 73. The control unit 10 acquires the original image from the imaging unit 20.

In the subsequent step S3, the control unit 10 performs gradation processing and binarization on the original image. As an example, in this embodiment, we assume that the camera module 21 is a monochrome camera and the original image is a grayscale image. In this case, for example, in gradation processing, each pixel of the original image is classified into 256 levels [0 (dark) - 255 (bright)]. White pixels are assigned "255," and black pixels are assigned "0." In binarization, each pixel is classified as either "white (1)" or "black (0)." For example, pixels whose assigned value in gradation processing is greater than or equal to a threshold X1 (e.g., 200) are assigned "white," and pixels whose assigned value in gradation processing is less than a threshold X1 are assigned "black." As a result, each pixel value in the original image is converted to a binary image, and the original image is converted to a binarized image.

The threshold X1 used for binarization can be set by the user as appropriate. For example, the user determines an appropriate threshold X1 based on the color of the resin material P, the color of the film 73, the color of the moving table 6 below the film 73, the light intensity of the light source 22, etc., and inputs it by operating the UI device 14. The control unit 10 sets the threshold X1 based on the user's input. The threshold X1 is stored in the storage unit 12. The user's input may be the threshold X1 itself, or it may be information used to identify the threshold X1. Information used to identify the threshold X1 may, for example, specify a particular pixel in an image prepared for testing. If the user specifies a particular pixel, the pixel value of that pixel may be set as the threshold X1.

In the subsequent step S4, the control unit 10 sets up multiple blocks T1 to T18 within the original image's shooting range (entire field of view) A1. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the blocks T1 to T18 included in the original image. The rectangular region A2 included within the shooting range A1 corresponds to the space within the frame 72, that is, the space 71 in which the resin material P is housed within the housing section 7. Blocks T1 to T18 are regions defined in a grid pattern within region A2.

In this embodiment, the control unit 10 identifies the position of region A2 within the shooting range A1 and further sets blocks T1 to T18 by dividing region A2. The method for identifying the position of region A2 is not particularly limited, but for example, if the positional relationship between the camera module 21 and the frame 72 during shooting is constant, the position of region A2 can be set in advance. Alternatively, by applying image processing such as edge detection of the frame 72 to the original image, region A2 within the frame 72 where the resin material P is placed may be separated from the background and automatically detected. Note that the identification of the position of region A2 may be performed in step S3. In this case, the gradation processing and binarization in step S3 may be performed only on the image within region A2. The method for dividing region A2 is also not particularly limited. For example, the control unit 10 can divide region A2 evenly, as in the example in Figure 5, so that the number of blocks equals a predetermined number of divisions. The control unit 10 can set parameters such as the number of divisions for setting blocks T1 to T18 based on user input.

In the subsequent step S5, the control unit 10 calculates the occupancy ratio for each of the multiple blocks T1 to T18. In this embodiment, the occupancy ratio is the proportion of the area within each block contained in the original image or binarized image where the resin material P is present.

In step S3, binarization assigns different values ("white" and "black") to pixels within region A2 where the resin material P is present and pixels where the resin material P is absent. The region within region A2 where the resin material P is absent is the region in the original image where the film 73 (or the moving table 6 beneath it if the film 73 is transparent) is visible. Here, for example, consider the case where the resin material P is a dark color (or a dark or muted color), and the film 73 or moving table 6 is a lighter or brighter color. In this case, pixels in the region where the resin material P is present are assigned "black" through binarization, and pixels in the region where the resin material P is absent are assigned "white."

In step S5, the control unit 10 counts the number of pixels in each block that have been assigned "black" through binarization. It then calculates the occupancy ratio as the ratio of the number of pixels assigned "black" to the total number of pixels in that block. Note that if the resin material P is a lighter or brighter color than the film 73 or the moving table 6, the occupancy ratio in this embodiment can be obtained by dividing the number of pixels assigned "white" by the total number of pixels.

The above occupancy ratios are calculated for each of the multiple blocks T1 to T18. Therefore, in step S5, a set of multiple occupancy ratio values C1 to C18 is calculated. Occupancy ratios C1 to C18 correspond to each of the blocks T1 to T18.

In the subsequent step S6, the control unit 10 calculates the similarity between a set of values for multiple occupancy ratios C1 to C18 and a set of values for multiple reference ratios R1 to R18. The reference ratios R1 to R18 are pre-set for each of the blocks T1 to T18. While not limited to these, in this embodiment, the correlation coefficient is calculated as the similarity. The correlation coefficient is the value obtained by dividing the covariance between the occupancy ratios C1 to C18 and the reference ratios R1 to R18 by the product of the standard deviations of the occupancy ratios C1 to C18 and the standard deviations of the reference ratios R1 to R18.

Figure 6 compares the graphs of the occupancy ratios C1-C18 and the baseline ratios R1-R18. The similarity is the degree of similarity between the set of values for the occupancy ratios C1-C18 and the set of values for the baseline ratios R1-R18. In other words, it can be said to be the similarity between the graphs of the occupancy ratios C1-C18 and the graphs of the baseline ratios R1-R18, as shown in Figure 6.

The reference ratios R1 to R18 represent the proportion of the area where the resin material P is present within blocks T1 to T18 included in the reference image. These reference ratios R1 to R18 can be calculated by applying the same processing to the reference image as in steps S3 to S5 applied to the original image. The reference image is an image whose similarity to the original image should be compared. For example, the reference image is an image taken of the resin material P used to mold a well-manufactured substrate W2, when it was scattered on the film 73 before molding. A high degree of similarity between the reference ratios R1 to R18 calculated from such a reference image and the occupancy ratios C1 to C18 means that the scattering state of the resin material P on the film 73 is similar in the reference image and the original image. Therefore, a similarity value greater than a predetermined value calculated in step S6 means that when molding the substrate W2 using the scattered state of the resin material P shown in the original image, there is a high probability that molding defects will not occur and a good substrate W2 will be molded.

Therefore, in the following step S7, the control unit 10 determines whether or not molding using the resin material P by the molding mechanism 5 is possible, based on the similarity calculated in step S6. For example, it determines whether or not the similarity is greater than or equal to the threshold X2. If the similarity is greater than or equal to the threshold X2 (similar), it determines that molding by the molding mechanism 5 is possible, and proceeds to step S8. On the other hand, if the similarity is less than the threshold X2 (not similar), it determines that molding by the molding mechanism 5 is not possible, and proceeds to step S9.

The threshold X2 used in step S7 can be set by the user as appropriate. For example, the threshold X2 for the correlation coefficient is preferably set to a value of 60% or higher, but may also be set to a value of 70% or higher, or 80% or higher. The user can input this value by operating the UI device 14. In this case, the control unit 10 sets the threshold X2 based on the user's input. The threshold X2 is stored in the storage unit 12.

Furthermore, the set of reference ratios R1 to R18 used in step S6 can also be set by the user as appropriate. The user can set this by operating the UI device 14. In this case, the control unit 10 sets the set of reference ratios R1 to R18 based on the user's input to the UI device 14. The set set of reference ratios R1 to R18 is stored in the storage unit 12. The user may specify the values of the reference ratios R1 to R18 themselves, or they may specify a reference image. If the user specifies a reference image, the control unit 10 calculates the set of reference ratios R1 to R18 from the reference image and sets it. Alternatively, the control unit 10 may calculate one set of reference ratios R1 to R18 from multiple reference images specified by the user and set it. In this case, for example, one set of reference ratios R1 to R18 can be calculated by averaging or taking the median of the multiple sets of reference ratios R1 to R18 calculated from each of the multiple reference images, for each block.

Furthermore, multiple sets of reference ratios R1 to R18 may be set. For example, if there are multiple types of dispersion patterns of the resin material P on the film 73 that allow the substrate W2 to be molded well, multiple sets of reference ratios R1 to R18 corresponding to each type can be set. In this case, in step S7, if the similarity between any of the multiple similarities calculated between the occupancy ratios C1 to C18 and the multiple sets of reference ratios R1 to R18 is greater than or equal to the threshold X2, it can be determined that molding is possible. Conversely, if the similarity between all sets is less than the threshold X2, it can be determined that molding is not possible. In this case, the threshold X2 may be set for each set.

In step S8, if molding is deemed possible, the control unit 10 instructs the molding mechanism 5 to perform molding using the scattered resin material P visible in the original image. Specifically, the control unit 10 controls the transport mechanism 9 to transport the film 73 on which the resin material P is placed to the molding mechanism 5, where the molding mechanism 5 manufactures the substrate W2. Afterward, the control unit 10 controls the transport mechanism 4 to collect the substrate W2 into the storage unit 2.

On the other hand, in step S9, if molding is deemed impossible, the control unit 10 discards the scattered resin material P shown in the original image. For example, the control unit 10 controls the transport mechanism 9 to transport the film 73 on which the resin material P is placed to a waste box (not shown), and discards both the resin material P and the film 73.

When step S8 or S9 is completed, the process shown in Figure 4 ends. The process shown in Figure 4 is repeated, thereby continuously manufacturing substrates W2.

[4. Features]
In the above embodiment, before molding the substrate W2, the suitability of the dispersion state of the resin material P supplied onto the film 73 is appropriately determined based on the degree of similarity. If the determination result is unsatisfactory, molding using the resin material P in such a dispersion state is stopped. As a result, the occurrence of molding defects can be appropriately prevented.

Furthermore, even if the resin material P is supplied unevenly onto the film 73 and is not evenly distributed, a good substrate W2 may still be manufactured. In the above embodiment, it is possible to determine that molding is possible even in such cases, and excessive waste of resin material P can be prevented.

[5. Other Embodiments]
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the following modifications are possible. Furthermore, the gist of the following modifications can be combined as appropriate.

[5-1]
In the above embodiment, the correlation coefficient was calculated as the degree of similarity, but the example is not limited to this, and any index that can represent the similarity between the set of values for the occupancy ratios C1 to C18 and the set of values for the reference ratios R1 to R18 can be used. For example, the degree of similarity can be the coefficient of determination, which is the square of the correlation coefficient, or it may be calculated by AI (artificial intelligence). Furthermore, it is not always necessary to calculate a quantitative index such as the degree of similarity in order to determine whether or not molding is possible based on the degree of similarity. For example, the similarity between the graph of occupancy ratios C1 to C18 and the graph of the reference ratios R1 to R18 may be determined by AI (artificial intelligence), and the feasibility of molding may be determined according to the result of the similarity determination.

[5-2]
In the above embodiment, the frame 72, the space 71 within the housing 7, and the region A2 are rectangular in shape, but they can be any shape, such as circular. The shape of the block is also not limited to rectangular and can be any shape.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the blocks were defined by equally dividing region A2. However, the size and shape of the blocks may differ from one another. For example, the blocks may be larger closer to the center of region A2 and smaller further away from the center, or conversely, smaller closer to the center of region A2 and larger further away from the center. Also, the blocks do not need to be defined without gaps or overlaps within region A2; they may partially overlap. There may also be gaps within region A2 that are not included in the blocks.

[5-3]
In the above embodiment, the occupancy ratios C1 to C18 and the reference ratios R1 to R18 represent the proportion of the area within blocks T1 to T18 where the resin material P is present. However, the occupancy ratios C1 to C18 and the reference ratios R1 to R18 can also represent the proportion of the area within blocks T1 to T18 where the resin material P is not present.

[5-4]
In the above embodiment, the reference image was an image of a good example. However, the reference image may also be an image of a bad example. That is, the reference image may be an image taken of the resin material P scattered on the film 73 before molding the defective substrate W2. When a bad example is used as the reference image, in step S7, if the similarity is less than or equal to the threshold X2 (not similar), it can be determined that molding is possible, and if the similarity is greater than the threshold X2 (similar), it can be determined that molding is not possible. Furthermore, both an image of a good example and an image of a bad example may be prepared as reference images.

[5-5]
In the above embodiment, in step S1, the amount of resin material P supplied into the containment section 7 was controlled to be a target amount. In this case, the sum of the occupancy ratios C1 to C18 and the sum of the reference ratios R1 to R18 are expected to be approximately equal, and the integral values of both graphs shown in Figure 6 are also expected to be approximately equal. On the other hand, if an excessive or insufficient amount of resin material P is supplied into the containment section 7 in step S1, there is a risk of molding defects occurring. However, even if an excessive or insufficient supply of resin material P occurs, as shown in Figure 7, the shapes of the graphs of occupancy ratios C1 to C18 and the graphs of reference ratios R1 to R18 may be similar. Therefore, there may be cases where the occurrence of molding defects cannot be prevented by judgment based solely on the similarity in step S7.

To prepare for such cases, in addition to the similarity-based determination in step S7, the following determination may be made. That is, thresholds (upper and/or lower limits) can be set for each block's occupancy ratio C1 to C18. If the occupancy ratio corresponding to any block exceeds the upper limit or falls below the lower limit, it can be determined that molding is impossible; otherwise, it can be determined that molding is possible. Furthermore, alternatively or in addition to the above, thresholds (upper and/or lower limits) can be set for the sum of the occupancy ratios C1 to C18. If the sum exceeds the upper limit or falls below the lower limit, it can be determined that molding is impossible; otherwise, it can be determined that molding is possible.

[5-6]
In the above embodiment, the original image was a grayscale image, but by using a visible light camera module 21, a color image may be produced. Furthermore, if there is a temperature difference between the resin material P and the film 73 to which it is supplied, or the moving table 6 below it, the camera module 21 can be an infrared camera, and the original image can be an infrared image.

100 Resin molding apparatus 1 Supply mechanism 2 Storage section 3 Mounting section 4 Conveying mechanism 5 Molding apparatus 50 Molding mold 51 Lower mold 51A Cavity 52 Upper mold 53 Clamping mechanism 6 Moving table 7 Storage section 71 Space 72 Frame 73 Film (object)
8 Supply mechanism 80 Storage unit 81 Transport path 82 Vibration mechanism 83 Measuring mechanism 85 Discharge port 9 Transport mechanism 10 Control unit 12 Memory unit 14 User interface device 15 Program 16 Storage medium 20 Imaging unit 21 Camera module 22 Light source M1 Master module M2 Mold module M3 Resin module P Resin material A1 Imaging range A2 Area T1 to T18 Block C1 to C18 Occupancy ratio R1 to R18 Reference ratio W1 Substrate before molding W2 Substrate (resin molded product)
X1 threshold (first threshold)
X2 threshold (second threshold)

Claims (10)

A camera unit that captures an image of the resin material supplied onto the object,
A molding mechanism that performs molding of a resin molded product using the resin material supplied onto the object,
The system includes a control unit that acquires the aforementioned image and controls the operation of the molding mechanism,
The control unit,
In each of the multiple blocks included in the aforementioned image, calculate the occupancy ratio of the region where the resin material is present or absent.
Based on the degree of similarity between the multiple occupancy ratios calculated for each of the multiple blocks and the multiple reference ratios predetermined for each of the multiple blocks, the molding mechanism determines whether or not to perform the molding using the resin material.
Resin molding equipment. The control unit binarizes the image and calculates the proportion of pixels in each block to which the first value is assigned as a result of the binarization, as the occupancy ratio.
The resin molding apparatus according to claim 1. The control unit sets a first threshold used for binarization based on user input.
The resin molding apparatus according to claim 2. The control unit calculates the similarity and, if the similarity is equal to or greater than the second threshold, causes the molding mechanism to perform the molding.
The resin molding apparatus according to claim 1 . The control unit sets the second threshold based on user input.
The resin molding apparatus according to claim 4. The control unit sets the plurality of reference ratios based on user input.
The resin molding apparatus according to claim 1 . The aforementioned similarity is the correlation coefficient or the coefficient of determination.
The resin molding apparatus according to claim 1 . The imaging unit photographs the resin material supplied into a rectangular frame placed on the object,
The aforementioned plurality of blocks are regions defined in a grid pattern within the frame.
The resin molding apparatus according to claim 1 . A method for manufacturing a resin molded product using a resin molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The steps include placing the resin material inside the mold,
A method for manufacturing a resin molded product, comprising the step of clamping the mold in which the resin material is placed. A computer connected to a molding mechanism that performs molding of resin molded products,
A step of acquiring an image of the resin material supplied onto the object,
The steps include calculating the occupancy ratio of the region where the resin material is present or absent in each of the multiple blocks included in the aforementioned image,
A step of determining whether or not the molding using the resin material by the molding mechanism is possible, based on the similarity between a plurality of occupancy ratios calculated for each of the plurality of blocks and a plurality of reference ratios set in advance for each of the plurality of blocks,
A program that executes something.