JPH0426713B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is directed to a chip-shaped electronic component, etc., whose leads are sandwiched between upper and lower contacts, and which are rotated and transported during the transport operation. The present invention relates to a transport measuring device for electronic components that performs various electrical measurements necessary for this purpose.

Although the present invention is not particularly limited, for example, a variable capacitance diode (hereinafter referred to as a "varicap")
This device is suitable for measuring the electrical characteristics of chip components one by one at high speed and transporting them to the next stage, such as a sorting and distributing device.

[Prior Art] A varicap is used as a tuning element in an electronic tuner, and the tuning frequency is changed by applying a DC reverse bias voltage to the varicap to change its capacitance. A plurality of variable caps (for example, four) built into one electronic tuner have a change characteristic (C) of reverse bias voltage and capacitance.
- V characteristics) must be aligned to achieve proper tuning. Therefore, a process is required in which a large number of varicaps are measured one by one and classified into varicaps with uniform CV characteristic curves.

The measurement system requires a complex measurement sequence, so a computer-controlled measurement device is used. In the prior art, the varicaps to be measured are transported to the measuring section by a parts feeder or the like, and fed one by one into the measuring head by a parts handling mechanism such as a vacuum suction head. A pair of contacts are disposed on the measuring head at positions corresponding to the leads of the varicap, and an electrical connection is made by pressing the varicap from one side. After performing a predetermined measurement in this state, the measured varicap is again discharged and transported by the parts handling mechanism. A configuration is known in which the information is then sent to the next classification and distribution mechanism.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As described above, in the conventional device, the measurement section is always placed at a fixed position, and the variable cap to be measured is transferred to the measurement section by the parts handling mechanism, set in the measurement head, and then measured. After finishing the process, the process of transporting the product to the discharge position and sending it to the next process was repeated.

Therefore, the total time required to measure one varicap is the time required to transport it to the measuring section, the time required for measurement, the time required to discharge and transport it from the measuring section, and the time required to return to the initial state. There was a problem that there was a lot of wasted time other than the measurement execution time, and the processing speed was slow.

In addition, with the structure of the conventional technology, in which the varicap body is pressed against the fixed contact of the measuring section and the leads are pressed into contact, a considerable pressing force is required when attempting to establish a sufficiently reliable connection (i.e., with sufficiently low contact resistance). Joining the lead is inevitable. For this reason, especially in smaller chip parts called "submini type", the leads become even thinner, and such a large pressing force adds stress to the leads, which can even lead to bending, which can cause problems in subsequent processes. There also arises the problem that loading onto an automatic component mounting device or the like becomes impossible.

The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art as described above, to make it possible to perform various electrical measurements necessary when transporting electronic components, and to significantly improve processing speed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a conveying and measuring device for electronic components, which is capable of carrying out measurements, and which eliminates the risk of deformation of the electronic components during measurement even when the electronic components become smaller and the leads become thinner.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention, which can achieve the above objects, includes a rotary conveyance unit in which an upper rotating body and a lower rotating body are combined so as to be able to move toward and away from each other; The measuring section is equipped with a plurality of built-in driving sections that rotate intermittently and a rotary connector that transmits signals between the contacts of the measuring section and an external device, and the measuring section is equipped with a rotary connector that transmits signals between the contacts of the measuring section and an external device. This is a transport measuring device for electronic components, which has a structure in which the electronic parts are sandwiched between the upper and lower contacts when the two rotating bodies approach each other, and can perform measurements during rotational transport.

A preferred embodiment has a structure in which the measuring section is provided at a position exactly 180 degrees symmetrical to the rotary conveyance section, and the rotary conveyance section is driven intermittently by 180 degrees.

[Operation] The electronic component to be measured is inserted into the measuring section by a component handling mechanism or the like, and when the upper and lower rotating bodies come close to each other, the leads are held between the contacts, and the electronic component is rotated and transported. Then, necessary electrical measurements are performed during transportation. Signals for this purpose are supplied from the external device through the rotary connector, and the obtained signals are also sent to the external device through the rotary connector. The measurement is completed before the rotary measurement unit reaches the ejection position, and at the ejection position, the upper and lower rotating bodies are relatively separated, the upper and lower contacts open, and a separate parts handling mechanism is activated. The measured electronic components are then discharged. In synchronization with this ejecting operation, the next electronic component is installed in another measuring section.

Therefore, if the rotary transport unit is rotated intermittently while taking the time required for measurement into consideration, the time required for measurement, the time required to set the electronic component in the measurement unit, and the time required to set the electronic component in the measurement unit can be reduced. One measurement can be completed in the total time including the time required to set up the electronic component (or the time required to eject the electronic component from the measuring section), making it possible to transport and measure electronic components extremely smoothly and efficiently. can.

Also, during transportation and measurement, the leads of electronic components are sandwiched between the upper and lower contacts, so unlike conventional technology where a strong pressing force is applied from only one side, an equal force is applied from both the top and bottom, and therefore is applied to the leads. Even if the force is small, the contact is sufficiently reliable, there is no risk of deformation even if the lead becomes thin, and there is no risk of any trouble occurring even when loading it into an automatic component mounting device or the like.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a transport measuring device for electronic components (here, a variable cap) according to the present invention. This conveyance measurement device 10 includes a rotary conveyance section 14 in which an upper rotary body 11 and a lower rotary body 12 are combined so as to be able to move toward and away from each other, two measuring sections 16 incorporated therein, and the rotary conveyor It is provided with a drive section 18 that rotates the section 14 intermittently at a constant angle (180 degrees in this case), and a rotary connector 20 that transmits a signal between the contact of the measurement section 16 and an external device. Each of these parts is attached to a support member 22 to form a unit.

The drive section 18 is composed of a rotation transmission mechanism including a motor 24, a rotary encoder 26 connected to its rotation shaft, and a drive belt 28 that transmits the rotation of the motor 24 to the rotary conveyance section 14.
U-shaped support body 3 attached to the support member 22
It is positioned and supported by 0, support pieces 32, 33, etc.

The rotary conveyance section 14 is rotatably held by a U-shaped support 36, and is supported by the motor 2.
It rotates with the driving force of 4. This rotary conveyance section 14
As shown in more detail in FIG. 2, it includes an upper rotating body 11 and a lower rotating body 12.
Two pillars 38 are symmetrically installed on the lower rotating body 12, and upper and lower contacts 40, 41 for holding each lead of the variable cap are positioned 90 degrees apart from the pillars 38. is provided. The upper rotating body 11 is provided with a through hole 42 into which the support column 38 is slidably inserted, and a 90
A cutout portion 44 is formed at a shifted position. Notch portion 44 provided in the upper rotating body 11 and the lower rotating body 1
The contacts 40, 41, etc. provided at 2 constitute the measuring section 16.

A soft magnetic rod 46 is provided protruding from the center of the upper surface of the upper rotating body 11 . The upper rotating body 11 is assembled so that the support column 38 of the lower rotating body 12 is fitted into the through hole 42 thereof, and is fixed with a nut 50 so as to be resiliently downwardly repelled by the spring 48. Although not shown in FIG. 1, an electromagnetic solenoid 52 is fixed slightly above the upper rotating body 11 by a support member or the like so that the soft magnetic rod 46 fits therein. Therefore, when the electromagnetic solenoid 52 is energized, the soft magnetic bar 46 is attracted and the rotating body 11 is lifted up, and when the current is cut off, the upper rotating body 11 is pushed toward the lower rotating body 12 by the force of the spring 48. It has a structure that allows

Details of the contacts 40, 41 in the measuring section 16 are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The two contacts 40 and 41 on the upper side and the lower side each have an insulating plate 56 sandwiched between them at their bases, and a shield plate 58 between them.
is inserted and secured with a screw 62 by a holding piece 60. The lower contact 41 has a shape in which the front half is slightly lifted upward and the tip is bent upward, whereas the upper contact 40 is
It has a shape that is bent upward at the front middle part and then bent diagonally downward. All of these are molded from highly elastic and conductive materials such as phosphor bronze or beryllium copper. Then, the top of the upper contactor 40 comes into contact with the lower surface of the upper rotating body 11,
It has a structure in which the tip portion moves up and down as it rises or falls (that is, moving away from or approaching the lower rotating body 12). The distance between the contacts 40 on both sides is exactly the same as the tip-shaped varicap 6 to be measured.
The tips of the contacts 40 and 41 are designed so that they come into contact with the leads 66 of No. 4.

In practice, it is preferable to form in advance shallow grooves, stepped portions, etc. in the portions of the upper surface of the lower rotating body 12 to which the contacts 41 and the presser pieces 60 are attached. This makes it possible to position and fix each member extremely easily.

Each of the contacts 40 and 41 is connected to the rotary connector 20 through a central through hole 68 of the lower rotating body 12 by a lead wire. The rotary connector 20 is
For example, partition walls are provided concentrically within a container, and a conductive liquid such as mercury is filled between them, and a pin connected to a lead wire is immersed in the partition, and an external terminal is connected to the conductive liquid. It has a structure in which a rotating pin is attached to a stationary external terminal, and allows electrical signals to be transmitted via a conductive liquid.

The operation of the device configured as described above is as follows. In FIG. 1, the variable caps placed in the vibrating parts feeder 70 are fed out one by one and supplied to the conveyance measuring device 10 through the linear feeder 72. Although not shown, the varicap sent from the linear feeder 72 is transferred to one measuring section 1 of the rotary conveying section 14 by a component handling mechanism such as electromagnetic tweezers.
sent to 6. At that time, the electromagnetic solenoid 52
By energizing, the upper rotating body 11 is lifted against the elastic force of the spring 48, the space between the upper contact 40 and the lower contact 41 is opened, and the varicap 64 is set ( (See Figure 4A).

Next, when the electromagnetic solenoid 52 is de-energized, the upper rotating body 11 is lowered by the elastic force of the spring 48 and approaches the lower rotating body 12 by the spring force. This allows the upper contact 40
descends, and as shown in Figure 4B, the variable cap 6
Connect the leads 66 of No. 4 to the contacts 40 and 41 from both upper and lower sides.
It can be inserted with.

In fact, the upper and lower rotating bodies 11 and 12
Is it shaped to perform a stopper function?
Alternatively, a member is present to define the closest distance, and consideration is given to preventing excessive force from being applied to the contacts 40, 41.

In this way, both leads 6 of the varicap 64 are
6 is held, and measurement is started at the same time as transportation.
The drive belt 28 rotates due to the operation of the motor 24, and the rotary conveyance section 14 rotates by half a rotation. During this time, the voltage necessary for measurement is applied from the rotary connector 20 to the lead 66 of the varicap 64 via the contacts 40, 41, and the measurement signal at that time is also taken out from the rotary connector 20 and measured.

In this way, the necessary electrical measurements are performed while the rotary conveyor 14 makes a half rotation. The rotary encoder 26 detects that the rotation has been made half a rotation. The operation of the motor 24 is stopped, and the rotation of the rotary conveyance section 14 is also stopped. At that time, the electromagnetic solenoid 52
The upper rotating body 11 is lifted up, the space between the upper contact 40 and the lower contact 41 is opened, and the measured varicap is taken out again using a parts handling mechanism such as electromagnetic tweezers, and discharged as shown by the imaginary line. Send it into the pipe 74 etc. and one measuring section 1
While the measured varicap is being ejected from the measuring section 6, the next varicap is inserted into the other measuring section 16 in preparation for conveyance and measurement.

Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to only such a configuration. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, only one transport measuring device is provided, but if multiple such units are installed in parallel and various measurements are performed while electronic components are delivered one after another, complicated It can also adequately handle measurement sequences. Also regarding one rotary conveyance unit
Although the measuring portions are formed at 180 degree symmetrical positions, four measurement portions may be provided at 90 degree symmetrical positions. In this embodiment, the upper and lower rotating bodies are disk-shaped, but they are not limited to such a shape, and may have any shape, such as a cross shape, for example. Furthermore, the configuration for driving the upper and lower rotating bodies toward and away from each other is not limited to a combination of a spring and an electromagnetic solenoid. The electronic components to be measured are not limited to variable caps, but can also be applied to the measurement and selection of various semiconductor devices.

Further, as the mechanism for feeding the electronic component into the measuring section of the rotary transport section and the mechanism for taking it out therefrom, in addition to a structure such as electromagnetic tweezers, a vacuum suction head or the like can be used.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the present invention has a configuration in which the measuring section is built into the rotary conveyance section and has a rotary connector that transmits signals between the contacts of the measuring section and an external device, so that it is possible to use electronic components. This has the excellent effect of making it possible to perform necessary measurements by effectively utilizing the so-called wasted period during transport, and improving the processing speed of transport measurements.

In addition, in the present invention, since the measurement part is configured so that the lead of the component is sandwiched between the upper and lower contacts, the contact resistance can be sufficiently reduced without applying a large force, and the contact state is stabilized, allowing measurement. Reliability is improved, and there is no risk of deformation such as bending even if the lead becomes thinner, and there is no problem in loading it into an automatic component mounting device or the like thereafter.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of the electronic component transport and measurement device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of its rotary transport section, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the measurement section.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams showing the clamping operation. 10... Conveyance measuring device, 11... Upper rotating body, 12
...Lower rotating body, 14...Rotary transport section, 16...Measuring section, 18...Drive section, 20...Rotary connector,
40, 41... Contact.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rotary conveyance unit in which an upper rotary body and a lower rotary body are assembled so as to be able to move toward and away from each other, a plurality of measurement units built into the rotary conveyance unit, and a drive unit that intermittently drives the rotary conveyance unit to rotate. , a rotary connector that transmits signals between the contacts of the measuring section and an external device, and the measuring section has a lead of an electronic component inserted therein between the upper and lower contacts when the two rotating bodies approach each other. A conveying and measuring device for electronic components, which has a structure that allows measurement to be carried out during rotational conveyance.