JPH0117280B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention is used in a device (hereinafter referred to as a handler) for measuring and sorting workpieces such as semiconductor integrated circuits to supply the workpieces to a measuring section or to store the measured workpieces. The present invention relates to an improvement of a magazine feeding device that feeds magazines to predetermined positions.

Conventional magazine feeding devices sequentially take out and use the lowest magazine among multiple magazines stored in a stacked structure above, and the lowest magazine is placed directly on the transport rail. Therefore, it was possible to provide only one magazine stock section that was stacked one above the other.

On the other hand, the amount of magazines stored in the magazine stock section of the handler increases due to labor saving and speeding up of measurement, and the magazine stock section, which only has one unit, is insufficient to supply magazines. This has resulted in problems with the smooth operation of the handler. For this reason, there was a demand for an increase in the stock amount of the magazine, but in order to increase the stock amount with only one magazine stock section, the magazine stock section had to be extended upward. The structure has the drawback that operations such as magazine replenishment are difficult to perform, so in practice it has been almost impossible to increase the stock amount.

The present invention has been made to eliminate these drawbacks, and by arranging a plurality of magazine stock sections of conventional height in parallel, the total stock amount is increased to several times that of the conventional one, and the magazine The objective is to provide a multi-type magazine feeding device that requires the same amount of effort as conventional magazines.

Next, the present invention will be explained in detail according to examples and with reference to figures. FIG. 1 is an external view of a handler incorporating the magazine feeding device of the present invention, in which A is a work supply section, B is a measurement section, and C is a work storage section. The magazine supply device of the present invention is mainly incorporated into a work storage section (unloader). Figures 2 to 5
The figure shows the magazine supply device of the present invention used as an unloader, and a detailed explanation will be given based on this embodiment.

The area surrounded by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 relates to the present invention, and the magazine filled with the measured workpieces is pushed by the empty magazine and falls into the storage box. A pair of poles 11 are erected on the base 4 to face each other across the length of the magazine 1, forming one magazine stock section 2. In this embodiment, this magazine stock section is 2
The base has been installed. The mutually opposing inner surfaces of the poles 11 are recessed to vertically penetrate the magazine storage grooves 12, and the outer surfaces thereof are each provided with approximately L-shaped swinging claws 7 pivoted with the upper end as a fulcrum. be.
The claw portion 14 at the lower end of this swinging claw passes through the elongated hole 13 of the pole 11 and protrudes from the inner surface of the pole.
As a result, magazine 1 in magazine stock section 2
is locked. A swing lever 15 is fixed to a pivot shaft fixed to the swing claw 7, and a claw swing cylinder 16 whose one end is pivoted to a pole is connected to the tip of this lever. The position of the swing claw is such that the first magazine is placed on the slide rail 17 laid on the base 4, as shown in FIG.
When the second magazine is locked by the swing claw 7, 1
The main magazine and the second magazine are installed above with at least a gap between them so that they do not come into contact with each other. Slide rail 1
7 is laid on the base 4 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the line connecting the mutually opposing poles (the center line of the magazine stock part), and one at a time between these poles at a position close to each pole. It is something that exists. At the intersection of this slide rail and the center line of the magazine stock section, there is a slide rail 17 and a base 4.
A hole 18 is drilled through the slide rail, and a magazine holder 19 at the tip of the rod of the cylinder of the lifting device 8 protrudes from the upper surface of the slide rail and is recessed through this hole. The height of this protrusion is up to a position below the magazine 1 which is locked by the claw portion 14 of the swinging claw 7 and a distance of one magazine away.

Next, the magazine transfer device 9 will be explained. A pair of movement grooves 20 for a pair of magazine transfer members 21 are bored inside the slide rail 17 of the base 4, and the magazine transfer members 21 are slidably disposed through these grooves. Magazine transfer member 21
A slide bearing 22 is fitted in the lower part of the groove 20, and a slide shaft 23 disposed in parallel below the groove 20 is inserted through the slide bearing. 2 provided along both of these grooves 20
The magazine transfer members 21 are connected by a connecting rod 24 at a slide bearing portion at the lower end thereof. A driving pin 27 protrudes from the connecting rod approximately at its center. On the other hand, on the lower surface of the base 4, a substantially L-shaped swinging arm 25 is rotatably supported by the base at its bent portion, and one end is provided with a U-shaped notch 26 to connect the connecting rod. A drive pin 27 is inserted therein, and a rod of a magazine transfer member drive cylinder 28 whose one end is pivoted to the base 4 is pivoted at the other end. These parts constitute the magazine transfer device 9.

Next, the magazine fixing section 3 will be explained. 29
is a positioning arm for accurately fixing the position of the entrance portion of the magazine 1, and has a magazine fixing groove 30 recessed in the lower surface of one end formed in an L shape, and the other end is pivoted on a base. The one end is movable in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 4, this positioning arm has a lifting cylinder 3 whose one end is pivoted to a pole 11 adjacent to the positioning arm.
1 rod is pivoted. A workpiece rail 32 and a workpiece number detector 33 are provided at the entrance of the positioned magazine. These parts constitute the magazine fixing part 3.

The magazine is extruded or bent from sheet metal and has a cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. . When such a magazine 1 is fitted into the magazine storage groove 12 of the pole 11 with its both ends facing each other, the magazine inserted first has its lower opening groove 34 aligned with the claw of the swinging claw 7 attached to the pole 11. It is locked by the portion 14.
Magazines inserted after that are stored in a stack on top of the magazine. In this state, as described above, the first magazine is placed on the slide rail 17 between the lower side of the magazine locked by the claw part 14 and the slide rail 17, and the second magazine is placed on the slide rail 17 by the swinging claw 7. When the two magazines are locked, a space larger than the size in which the first and second magazines do not come into contact will be created.

When the handler is started in this state, the magazine holder 19 of the lifting device 8 rises and stops at a distance of one magazine from the bottom of the lowest magazine. Next, the pawl swing cylinder 16 is operated to move the swing pawl in a direction in which the pawl portion 14 is removed from the elongated hole 13 of the pole. When the claw portion 14 is removed from the magazine, the entire magazine falls by one magazine length to the elevated magazine holder 19 and is received there. Thereafter, the claw swing cylinder is operated in the opposite direction to the above, and the claw portion 14 is inserted into the lower opening groove 34 of the second magazine from the bottom, thereby preventing the magazines above the second one from falling. Then, the magazine holder 19 is lowered by the lifting device 8, and the magazine is placed on the slide rail 17. The height range where the magazine is placed on this slide rail is the magazine transfer space 10.

When the magazine is lowered into the magazine transfer space in this way, the magazine transfer member drive cylinder 28
operates to rotate the swinging arm 25 by a certain angle,
The magazine transfer member 21, which is normally stopped at the farthest position from the magazine fixing part 3, is moved to transfer the magazine in the magazine transfer space to the magazine fixing part, and the magazine transfer member 21 returns to the original stop position again. .

On the other hand, when the magazine is transferred to the magazine fixing section, the elevating cylinder 31 operates, the positioning arm 29 rotates in the descending direction, and the leading end of the magazine is inserted into the magazine fixing groove 30.

In this state, the workpiece measured by the measuring section B slides down on the chute 36, passes through the workpiece rail 32, and slides into the magazine fixed to the magazine fixing section. At this time, the number of works detector counts the number of passed works, and when a certain number is reached, the above-mentioned series of magazine transfer operations are repeated until the next work is fed, and the magazine filled with works is empty. It is pushed out by the magazine and falls into the storage box, replacing it with an empty magazine. At this time, the count number of the workpiece number detector returns to zero.

In this way, empty magazines are consumed one after another, and when one magazine stock section 2 becomes empty, it is switched to the other magazine stock section 2, and the same operation is repeated. This means that there is a magazine transfer space 10 at the bottom end of each magazine stock.
Therefore, magazines unloaded from any magazine stock section can be supplied to the magazine fixing section 3 without any problem. Further, in this embodiment, there are two magazine stock units, but it is also possible to have three or more magazine stock units.

The above explanation is based on the case where this device is used as an unloader, but when used as a loader, the only operation is to replenish a filled magazine to the magazine stock section and eject an empty magazine, but the other operations are the same. It is.

The parts other than the part of the present invention divided by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 2 will be briefly described for comparison.This part is a second part that stores workpieces with different performance, and is a magazine stock part as described above. The lowermost magazine 1 stored in the magazine 2 is lifted up by the magazine holder 19, and a U with a magazine insertion groove 37 recessed in the upper surface is formed.
After fitting into the letter-shaped transfer claw 38, the magazine is transferred to the magazine fixing portion 39. Next, the elevating device 8 is operated to remove the magazine 1 from the magazine insertion groove 37, and the magazine 1 is clamped by the positioning arm 29 as it is. When filling of the workpieces is completed, the above-described operation is repeated, and the filled magazine is pushed by the left end of the U-shaped transfer claw 38 and comes directly below the filled magazine storage section 40. At this time, another empty magazine is being fed to the magazine fixing part by the U-shaped transfer pawl. On the other hand, the filling magazine is pushed up by the lifting device 8 and then locked by the swing claw 7. By repeating this operation, the filled magazines are stacked from bottom to top. Note that this filling magazine storage section 40 may be arranged along the magazine fixing section within the two-dot chain line.

All of the series of operations described above are performed sequentially by a program provided in a control section (not shown) in the handler in accordance with instructions from the processor.

Since the present invention has the above-described configuration, a space for magazine transfer is formed between the lowest magazine and the base in each magazine stock section.
Even if each magazine stock section is filled with magazines, the magazines unloaded into the magazine transfer space will be supplied to the magazine fixing section without any hindrance, allowing multiple magazine stock sections to be installed in parallel. As a result, the magazine stock amount and magazine supply amount are dramatically increased compared to the conventional method, and there is an advantage that magazine replenishment becomes extremely easy.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a handler using the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway front view, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the front half, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the magazine transfer device, and FIG. 6 FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a loaded state of a magazine. 1...Magazine, 2...Magazine stock section,
3... Magazine fixing part, 4... Base, 7... Rocking claw, 8... Lifting device, 9... Magazine transfer device,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Magazine transfer space, 12... Magazine storage groove, 17... Slide rail, 19... Magazine holder, 20... Groove, 21... Magazine transfer member, 23... Slide shaft.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. The workpieces are sequentially supplied from a magazine filled with workpieces made of semiconductor integrated circuit elements, etc., the workpieces are measured and sorted, and the measured and sorted workpieces are stored in an empty magazine. This is a magazine feeding device for a device configured to A plurality of magazine stock sections arranged in parallel, and the lowest magazine among the many magazines stacked and stored in these magazine stock sections, are placed between the lowest magazine and the base. A swinging pawl that releasably locks the magazine, and a swinging pawl that is releasably engaged and laid on the base in a manner substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the magazine stored in the magazine stock section, in such a manner that a magazine transfer space that allows the magazine transfer is formed. A slide rail is provided on the base so as to be movable up and down, and after receiving the lowest magazine in the raised position that is released from the swinging claw and falling, the magazine is lowered and placed on the slide rail. a magazine holder that can be raised and lowered; a groove cut into the base parallel to the slide rail; and a magazine holder provided on the base so as to be movable along the groove; a magazine transfer member that engages with a mounted magazine and transfers the magazine on the slide rail through the magazine transfer space; and a magazine transfer member provided on the lower surface of the base and connected to the magazine transfer member through the groove. and a cylinder for moving the magazine transfer member along the groove to transfer the magazine from the position of the magazine stock portion to a predetermined position.