Material Transfer Equipment and Its Applications

Abstract

The present invention provides a material transfer device and its application. The material transfer device includes a transfer unit and a position acquisition unit. With reference to the position information of a desired placement position acquired by the position acquisition unit, the position of a tray relative to a module fixture is adjusted, and then the transfer unit transfers the camera module between the tray and the module fixture.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of material transmission, and in particular to material transmission equipment for camera modules and applications thereof. Background Art

[0002] The camera module is one of the important components of a mobile terminal device. Before the camera module is installed, it needs to be tested for performance to ensure that the mobile terminal device obtained in the subsequent assembly steps has the expected camera function.

[0003] During the test process, the camera module needs to be connected to the external test equipment through the module connector to complete multiple test items. At present, manual single detection is mostly used to detect camera modules. Obviously, the work efficiency is low. On the one hand, the current consumer electronics terminal market, such as the mobile phone market, has a fast product iteration speed and high production efficiency requirements. Sometimes the output of camera modules reaches tens of millions or more. A large number of camera modules may need to be produced and inspected in a very short time to meet the production needs of hot-selling mobile phones. Therefore, too low production efficiency is very unfavorable for mass production of products.

[0004] On the other hand, since the module connector of the camera module is very small and its interface has dense pins, it is difficult to manually plug the module connector into the test equipment. As a result, the dense pins are difficult to connect, which may cause varying degrees of damage to the module connector due to inaccurate alignment or uneven force control.

[0005] Furthermore, the camera module in the front-end process is placed on a plastic tray or other carrier plate with multiple camera module accommodating cavities. There is a quantitative difference between the number of camera modules that can be accommodated by the front-end process circulation tray and the number of camera modules that can be accommodated by the test equipment in the test section. As a result, during the circulation of the camera modules in the front-end process and the test section, it is necessary to transfer the tray of the camera module for testing the front-end process to the tray of the test section, which is more unfavorable for improving the test efficiency and increases the risk of the camera module being affected by human factors and contamination. Summary of the invention

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a material conveying device and application thereof, wherein the material conveying device is capable of automatically conveying a camera module.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide a material conveying device and its application, wherein the material conveying device is capable of quickly conveying a camera module.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a material conveying device and its application, wherein the material conveying device is capable of loading the camera module in the front-end process of the test to the test section.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a material transfer device and its application, wherein the material transfer device can automatically unload the camera module that has completed the test in the test section.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a material transfer device and its application, wherein the material transfer device can load and unload the camera module respectively.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a material transfer device and its application, wherein the material transfer device can realize the rapid loading and unloading of the camera module in the test section.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a material transfer device and its application, wherein the material transfer device can connect the inequality between the previous process before the test and the camera module in the test section.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide a material transfer device and its application, wherein the material transfer device can directly use the tray in the previous process before the test for loading.

[0014] Another object of the present invention is to provide a material transfer device and its application, wherein the material transfer device can reduce the mutual waiting time between each component to improve work efficiency.

[0015] Another object of the present invention is to provide a material transfer device and its application, wherein the material transfer device can transfer multiple camera modules at a time to improve work efficiency.

[0016] According to one aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a material transfer device for transferring at least one camera module, wherein the material transfer device includes:

[0017] A transfer unit;

[0018] A position acquisition unit;

[0019] A tray transfer track; and

[0020] A transfer transport track, wherein the transfer transport track is drivable to move along the direction of the tray transport track and is held above the tray transport track in a manner of intersecting the tray transport track in a different plane. The tray transport track is used to transport at least one tray. The transfer unit is drivably arranged on the transfer transport track to move along the transfer transport track. When the position acquisition unit acquires the position information of a module fixture as a reference, the tray is driven to move to align the to-be-transferred camera module with the desired placement position. The transfer unit is driven to move between the module fixture and the tray to transfer the to-be-transferred camera module to the desired placement position. The to-be-transferred camera module is located on the tray, and the desired placement position is located on the module fixture; or, the to-be-transferred camera module is located on the module fixture, and the desired placement position is located on the tray.

[0021] According to some embodiments of the present invention, after the position acquisition unit acquires the position information of the module fixture as a reference, the tray is driven to move along the tray transport track to a position where the direction of the to-be-transferred camera module and the desired placement position of the to-be-transferred camera module is the same as the direction of the transfer transport track.

[0022] According to some embodiments of the present invention, after the position acquisition unit acquires the position information of the module fixture as a reference, the tray is driven to move along the tray transport track to a position where the row where the to-be-transferred camera module is located and the row where the desired placement position of the to-be-transferred camera module is located are on the same straight line.

[0023] According to some embodiments of the present invention, when the to-be-transferred camera module is located on the tray and the desired placement position is located on the module fixture, the transfer centers of at least two of the to-be-transferred camera modules on the tray are located on a second straight line, and the placement centers of at least two of the desired placement positions on the module fixture are located on a third straight line, where the second straight line is parallel to the third straight line.

[0024] According to some embodiments of the present invention, while the tray is driven to move along the tray transport track to align with the module fixture, the transfer unit is driven to move above the to-be-transferred camera module on the tray so that the to-be-transferred camera module can be transferred by the transfer unit.

[0025] According to some embodiments of the present invention, when the to-be-transferred camera module is located on the module fixture and the desired placement position is located on the tray, the placement centers of at least two of the desired placement positions on the tray are located on a second straight line, and the transfer centers of at least two of the to-be-transferred camera modules on the module fixture are located on a third straight line, where the second straight line is parallel to the third straight line.

[0026] According to some embodiments of the present invention, while the tray is driven to move along the tray transfer track to be aligned with the module fixture, the transfer unit is driven to move above the camera module to be transferred of the module fixture, so that the camera module to be transferred is transferred through the transfer unit.

[0027] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the position acquisition unit includes a first shooting module, the first shooting module and the transfer unit are arranged adjacent to each other, and the first shooting module and the transfer unit are arranged on the transfer transfer track and can move synchronously along the transfer transfer track.

[0028] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the transfer centers of the first shooting module and the transfer unit are located on a first straight line, wherein the first straight line is parallel to the transfer transfer track.

[0029] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the transfer unit has at least two transfer centers, and each of the transfer centers is located on a first straight line, wherein the first straight line is parallel to the transfer transfer track.

[0030] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the first straight line is parallel to the second straight line and the third straight line respectively.

[0031] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the transfer unit includes at least two transfer members, wherein the transfer centers of the transfer members are located on a first straight line and each transfer member has a downward transfer port.

[0032] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the second straight line and the third straight line are parallel to the transfer transfer track respectively.

[0033] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the tray transfer track and the transfer transfer track are skew and perpendicular to each other.

[0034] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the number of the transfer transfer tracks is two, the numbers of the transfer unit and the position acquisition unit are two respectively, the two transfer transfer tracks are respectively located above the tray transfer track, each transfer transfer track is provided with one transfer unit, one transfer unit is used for unloading from the module fixture to the tray, and the other transfer unit is used for loading from the tray to the module fixture.

[0035] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the material transfer device further includes a second imaging module, wherein the second imaging module is held between the tray and the module fixture, and when the transfer unit passes by the second imaging module during the process of moving back and forth between the tray and the module fixture, the second imaging module is arranged upward to obtain the contour information of the imaging module located on the transfer unit.

[0036] According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a detection system, which includes:

[0037] A material transfer device according to the above;

[0038] A module fixture; and

[0039] A plurality of detection modules, wherein the material transfer device transfers the imaging module of the previous process to the module fixture, and the imaging module located on the module fixture is sequentially detected by the detection modules.

[0040] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the detection system further includes a magazine for storing the tray from the previous process, and the imaging module is accommodated in the tray.

[0041] According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a material transfer method, which includes the following steps:

[0042] Obtain the position information of a module fixture as a reference;

[0043] Move a tray relative to the module fixture until the imaging module to be transferred is aligned with the desired placement position, wherein the imaging module to be transferred is located on the module fixture and the desired placement position is located on the tray, or the imaging module to be transferred is located on the tray and the desired placement position is located on the module fixture; and

[0044] Transfer the imaging module between the module fixture and the tray through a transfer unit.

[0045] According to some embodiments of the present invention, in the above method, while the tray is driven to move along a tray transfer track to be aligned with the module fixture, the transfer unit is driven to move above the imaging module to be transferred on the module fixture so that the imaging module to be transferred is transferred through the transfer unit.

[0046] According to some embodiments of the present invention, in the above method, while the tray is driven to move along a tray transfer track to align with the module fixture, the transfer unit is driven to move above the camera module to be transferred of the module fixture, so that the camera module to be transferred is transferred through the transfer unit.

[0047] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the material transfer method further comprises the following steps:

[0048] Transfer the camera module to be transferred to the desired placement position;

[0049] Move the transfer unit above the next camera module to be transferred on the tray;

[0050] If the next camera module to be transferred on the tray is not aligned with the next desired placement position of the module fixture, move the tray relative to the module fixture until the camera module to be transferred is aligned with the desired placement position; and

[0051] Repeat the above steps until the transfer is completed.

[0052] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the material transfer method further comprises the following steps:

[0053] Transfer the camera module to be transferred to the desired placement;

[0054] Move the transfer unit above the next camera module to be transferred of the module fixture;

[0055] If the next desired placement position on the tray is not aligned with the next camera module to be transferred of the module fixture, move the tray relative to the module fixture until the desired placement position is aligned with the camera module; and

[0056] Repeat the above steps until the transfer is completed.

[0057] According to some embodiments of the present invention, in the above method, the tray is moved relative to the module fixture in the same direction as the direction where the camera module to be transferred and the desired placement position of the camera module to be transferred are located and the direction where the transfer track is located.

[0058] According to some embodiments of the present invention, in the above method, the tray is moved relative to the module fixture such that the row where the camera module to be transferred is located and the row where the desired placement position of the camera module to be transferred are located are on the same straight line.

[0059] According to some embodiments of the present invention, at least two of the to-be-transferred camera modules on the tray are located on a second straight line, and at least two of the desired placement positions on the module jig are located on a third straight line, and the second straight line and the third straight line are parallel to each other; alternatively, at least two of the desired placement positions on the tray are located on a second straight line, and at least two of the to-be-transferred camera modules on the module jig are located on a third straight line, and the second straight line and the third straight line are parallel.

[0060] According to some embodiments of the present invention, in the above method, the tray moves along a tray transfer track, wherein the second straight line and the third straight line are respectively parallel to the tray transfer track.

[0061] According to some embodiments of the present invention, in the above method, image information of the to-be-transferred camera module is obtained by means of a first shooting module, and the transfer center of the transfer unit and the shooting center of the first shooting module are located on a first straight line, wherein the first straight line is respectively parallel to the second straight line and the third straight line.

[0062] According to some embodiments of the present invention, in the above method, the transfer unit transfers at least two of the to-be-transferred camera modules at a single time.

[0063] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the tray comes from the previous process. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0064] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a material transfer device and a detection system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0065] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram of a material transfer method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0066] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of a material transfer method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0067] Figure 2C is a schematic diagram of a material transfer method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0068] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a transfer unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0069] Figure 4 is a schematic flow diagram of a material transfer method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0070] Figure 5 is a schematic flow diagram of a material transfer method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0071] Figure 6 It is a schematic flowchart of a material transfer method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0072] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of a material transfer device and a detection system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0073] Figure 8 It is a schematic flowchart of a material transfer method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0074] Figure 9 It is a schematic flowchart of a material transfer method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0075] The following description is used to disclose the present invention so that those skilled in the art can implement the present invention. The preferred embodiments in the following description are only examples, and those skilled in the art can think of other obvious variations. The basic principles defined in the following description of the present invention can be applied to other implementation schemes, variant schemes, improvement schemes, equivalent schemes, and other technical schemes without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0076] Those skilled in the art should understand that in the disclosure of the present invention, the orientation or positional relationship indicated by terms such as "longitudinal", "transverse", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the above terms should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0077] It can be understood that the term "a" should be understood as "at least one" or "one or more". That is, in one embodiment, the number of an element can be one, while in other embodiments, the number of the element can be multiple. The term "a" should not be construed as limiting the quantity.

[0078] Refer to Att Figure 1 to Att Figure 3 As shown, a preferred embodiment of a material transfer device 1 according to the present invention is illustrated.

[0079] The material transfer device 1 can be used to transfer materials. In particular, in this embodiment, a camera module is taken as an example for illustration.

[0080] After the camera module is assembled, it needs to be detected by a detection system 1000 to detect, calibrate, etc. the imaging ability and imaging quality of the camera module.

[0081] Through the material transfer device 1, the manufactured camera module can efficiently enter the corresponding position of the camera module detection system 1000 for detection.

[0082] Specifically, the camera module detection system 1000 includes a material transfer device 1, a module fixture 200, a plurality of detection modules 2, and a bin 3. The bin 3 is used to store the camera modules from the previous process, and the bin 3 is used to receive a tray 100, and the camera modules are placed on the tray 100.

[0083] The material transfer device 1 is used to transfer the camera modules in the tray 100 to the module fixture 200. The module fixture 200 is transported to the detection position, and the corresponding detection module 2 detects the camera modules in the module fixture 200 to detect the imaging performance of the camera modules.

[0084] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the material transfer device 1 can directly transfer the camera modules from the previous process. That is to say, the camera modules from the previous process do not need to be transferred to a new tray 100, and subsequent operations can be directly performed on the basis of the original tray 100, thereby simplifying the process flow and saving time.

[0085] More specifically, the material transfer device 1 can directly load the camera modules from the previous process, so as to load the camera modules in the tray 100 located in the bin 3 into the module fixture 200.

[0086] The material transfer device 1 includes a position acquisition unit 10, a transfer unit 20, a tray transfer track 30, and a transfer and transport track 40. The position acquisition unit 10 is used to acquire the position information of the camera module to be transferred in the tray 100 and / or the position information of the desired placement position, and the transfer unit 20 is used to transfer the camera module to be transferred in the tray 100 to the desired placement position of the module fixture 200.

[0087] The tray 100 can move along the tray transfer track 30, and the transfer unit 20 can move along the transfer and transport track 40.

[0088] Furthermore, the working method of the material transfer device 1 includes the following steps:

[0089] The position acquisition unit 10 acquires the position information of the desired placement position in the module fixture 200;

[0090] Based on the position information of the desired placement position in the module fixture 200, move the tray 100 so that the camera module to be transferred in the tray 100 and the desired placement position in the module fixture 200 are in the same direction; and

[0091] Transfer the camera module to be transferred in the tray 100 to the desired placement position in the module fixture 200 through the transfer unit 20.

[0092] More specifically, the tray transfer track 30 and the transfer transfer track 40 are located in different directions respectively. The tray transfer track 30 is located in the first direction, the transfer transfer track 40 is located in the second direction, and the first direction and the second direction intersect but are not in the same plane.

[0093] The tray 100 from the previous process can move along the tray transfer track 30, and the transfer unit 20 can move along the transfer transfer track 40. When the desired placement position of the module fixture 200 is determined, the position acquisition unit 10 acquires the position information of the desired placement position of the module fixture 200, and based on the position information of the desired placement position, the transfer unit 20 and the tray 100 respectively adjust their positions so that the camera module can be moved to the desired placement position.

[0094] In the traditional transfer process, the camera module to be transferred and the module fixture 200 are respectively located at fixed positions, and then the position acquisition unit 10 respectively acquires the position information of the camera module to be transferred and the position information of the desired placement position of the module fixture 200 so that in the subsequent steps, the transfer unit 20 can move back and forth to transfer the camera module to be transferred.

[0095] In the material transfer device 1 of the present embodiment provided by the present invention, the module fixture 200 is held at a fixed position, and the camera module to be transferred can move relative to the module fixture 200, thereby reducing the entire logistics transfer time and simplifying the process.

[0096] Specifically, the tray 100 is located on the tray transfer track 30. After the position acquisition unit 10 acquires the position information of the desired placement position of the module fixture 200, the tray 100 can move along the tray transfer track 30 so that the camera module to be transferred in the tray 100 is close to the module fixture 200.

[0097] Then the transfer unit 20 moves towards the camera module to be transferred to transfer at least one of the camera modules of the tray 100.

[0098] In this way, without performing complex calculations, the movement distance of the transfer unit 20 can be shortened.

[0099] Furthermore, while the tray 100 loaded with the camera module to be transferred is moving, the transfer unit 20 can also move. Finally, the tray 100 loaded with the camera module to be transferred and the transfer unit 20 move until the transfer unit 20 is aligned with the camera module to be transferred on the tray 100, so that the camera module to be transferred in the tray 100 can be acquired by the transfer unit 20. Then the transfer unit 20 moves to the module fixture 200, and the camera module to be transferred moves with the transfer unit 20. When the transfer unit 20 is aligned with the desired placement position on the module fixture 200, the camera module to be transferred is moved from the transfer unit 20 to the desired placement position on the module fixture 200, so that the required detection can be completed on the module fixture 200.

[0100] In this way, the time of the entire logistics transmission process is further shortened. While the camera module to be transferred on the tray 100 moves along the tray transmission track 30, the transfer unit 20 also moves, and the camera module to be transferred and the transfer unit 20 move towards each other. For the transfer unit 20, the movement distance of the transfer unit 20 is shortened.

[0101] More specifically, in this embodiment, the tray transmission track 30 is in the first direction, the transfer transmission track 40 is in the second direction, and the first direction and the second direction intersect. Further, the transfer unit 20 can be driven to move along the transfer transmission track 40, and the transfer transmission track 40 can move along the tray transmission track 30, so that the transfer unit 20 can also move along the tray transmission track 30 via the transfer transmission track 40.

[0102] Taking the tray transmission track 30 as the Y-axis and the transfer transmission track 40 as the X-axis, of course, the Y-axis and the X-axis here are not necessarily perpendicular to each other. The transfer unit 20 can move along the X-axis and the Y-axis respectively, and the transfer unit 20 can also move along the X-axis and the Y-axis simultaneously.

[0103] Preferably, the tray transmission track 30 and the transfer transmission track 40 are perpendicular to each other.

[0104] When based on the position information of the desired placement position of the module fixture 200 obtained by the position acquisition unit 10, the desired placement position is at the position (A1, B1).

[0105] At this time, the camera module to be transferred on the tray 100 may be located at the position (a1, b1), and the tray 100 moves along the tray transfer track 30 so that the camera module to be transferred is located at the position (a1, B1).

[0106] If b1 = B1, that is, if the coordinates of the camera module to be transferred and the desired placement position of the module jig 200 are the same on the Y-axis, the camera module to be transferred on the tray 100 can remain stationary temporarily. If b1 ≠ B1, the tray 100 needs to be moved until the camera module to be transferred and the desired placement position of the module jig 200 are on the same straight line. It can be understood that here the tray transfer track 30 is taken as the Y-axis, so the tray 100 needs to be moved until the Y-axis coordinate of the camera module to be transferred is the same as the coordinate of the desired placement position. When the tray transfer track 30 is taken as the X-axis, the tray 100 needs to be moved until the X-axis coordinate of the camera module to be transferred is the same as the coordinate of the desired placement position.

[0107] Furthermore, here a two-dimensional coordinate is used as an example. When in a three-dimensional coordinate system, for example, another z-axis is established, and the z-axis is perpendicular to the plane where the X-axis and the Y-axis are located. The Z-axis coordinate of the tray 100 and the Z-axis coordinate of the module jig 200 may not be the same, that is, the tray 100 and the module jig 200 are not at the same height. The heights of the tray 100 and the module jig 200 may also be the same.

[0108] At this time, the transfer unit 20 may be located at the position (a2, b2), and the transfer unit 20 needs to move to the position (a1, B1) where the camera module to be transferred is located to align with the camera module to be transferred on the tray 100, so as to transfer the camera module to be transferred from the position (a1, B1) to the position (A1, B1).

[0109] When a2 = a1 and b2 ≠ B1, the transfer transfer track 40 needs to move along the tray transfer track 30 so that the Y-axis coordinate of the transfer unit 20 changes.

[0110] When a2 ≠ a1 and b2 = B1, the transfer unit 20 moves along the transfer transfer track 40 so that the X-axis coordinate of the transfer unit 20 changes.

[0111] When a2 ≠ a1 and b2 ≠ B1, the transfer unit 20 can first move along the transfer track 40 to the position (A1, b2), and then move along the tray transfer track 30 to (a1, B1) through the movement of the tray transfer track 30 relative to the transfer track 40. The transfer unit 20 can also first move from (a2, b2) to (a2, B1) through the movement of the tray transfer track 30 relative to the transfer track 40, and then move along the transfer track 40 from (a2, B1) to (a1, B1).

[0112] Alternatively, while the transfer unit 20 is moving along the transfer track 40, the transfer track 40 moves relative to the transfer track 40, and the transfer unit 20 directly moves from the position (a2, b2) to the position (a1, B1).

[0113] Further, in this example, the transfer unit 20 moves from the position (a2, b2) to (A1, B1), and then starts from (A1, B1) and moves along the transfer track 40 to (a1, B1) so that the transfer unit 20 is aligned with the camera module to be transferred located on the tray 100.

[0114] After the transfer unit 20 transfers the camera module to be transferred in the tray 100 to the transfer unit 20, the transfer unit 20 returns to (A1, B1) along the original path. That is, the transfer unit 20 is aligned with the desired placement position of the module fixture 200. Then the camera module to be transferred is transferred to the desired placement position.

[0115] In this way, in most cases, the transfer unit 20 only needs to move along the transfer track, and the tray 100 only needs to move along the tray transfer track 30, thus greatly simplifying the process flow.

[0116] Furthermore, the position acquisition unit 10 may include at least one camera and a light source, where the camera is used to acquire the position information of the desired placement position of the module fixture 200, or the contour information of the camera module to be transferred on the tray 100. The light source is used to provide illumination to assist the camera in taking pictures.

[0117] At least part of the position acquisition unit 10 and the transfer unit 20 can move synchronously. For example, one of the cameras and one of the light sources can move synchronously with the transfer unit 20. It can be that at least part of the position acquisition unit 10 is disposed on the transfer unit 20, or it can be that at least part of the position acquisition unit 10 and the transfer unit 20 are respectively mounted on a bracket and then can move along the transfer track 40.

[0118] Further, when it is necessary to obtain the position information of the desired placement position of the module jig 200, at least part of the transfer unit 20 and the position acquisition unit 10 move to the vicinity of the desired placement position of the module jig 200 to obtain the position information of the desired placement position. Then, based on the position information of the desired placement position of the position acquisition unit 10, the tray 100 moves to be in the same straight line as the desired placement position, and at the same time, the transfer unit 20 originally located around the desired placement position moves to the vicinity of the tray 100 and aligns with the camera module to be transferred on the tray 100.

[0119] Through at least part of the position acquisition unit 10 that moves synchronously with the transfer unit 20, the camera module to be transferred on the tray 100 can be positioned, so that the transfer unit 20 can accurately transfer the camera module to be transferred on the tray 100 based on the position information of the camera module to be transferred on the tray 100 obtained by the position acquisition unit 10.

[0120] The position acquisition unit 10 may include a first shooting module 11 and a second shooting module 12. The first shooting module 11 and the second shooting module 12 are respectively used to obtain the image information of the camera module. In particular, the first shooting module 11 is used to obtain the image information of the camera module from above the camera module, such as position information and contour information. The first shooting module 11 is arranged to be able to move synchronously with the transfer unit 20 along the transfer track 40. The second shooting module 12 is used to shoot the camera module transferred to the transfer unit 20 to obtain the contour information of the camera module, so that the camera module can be accurately placed at the desired placement position of the module jig 200 during subsequent placement. The first shooting module 11 may include at least one camera and one light source, and the second shooting module 12 may include at least one camera and one light source.

[0121] Preferably, the first photographing module 11 and the transfer unit 20 are adjacently arranged on the transfer and transmission track 40. That is to say, the first photographing module 11 and the transfer unit 20 are kept within a short distance. When the transfer unit 20 moves above the imaging module to be transferred, the first photographing module 11, which is also above the imaging module to be transferred, is used to acquire the image information of the imaging module to be transferred. The first photographing module 11 and the transfer unit 20 are adjacently arranged, so that when the transfer unit 20 acquires the imaging module to be transferred, the first photographing module 11 on the adjacent side can directly acquire the image information of the imaging module to be transferred located below the transfer unit 20.

[0122] The second photographing module 12 can be located below the transfer unit 20, and when the transfer unit 20 returns to the module jig 200 after acquiring the imaging module to be transferred from the material tray 100, the transfer unit 20 passes by the second photographing module 12, so that the second photographing module 12 can acquire the lower contour of the imaging module to be placed.

[0123] Further, in this example, the transfer unit 20 transfers the imaging module by suction. When the transfer unit 20 is located above the imaging module, it can suck the imaging module upward by suction, so that the imaging module is transferred from the material tray 100 to the transfer unit 20. When the transfer unit 20 is located above the module jig 200, the suction of the transfer unit 20 can be weakened, so that the imaging module in the transfer unit 20 can automatically fall into the desired placement position of the module jig 200.

[0124] The transfer unit 20 can transfer the imaging module by other means such as clamping and picking, for example, transferring the imaging module by a robotic arm.

[0125] Further, in this example, the transfer unit 20 can transfer multiple imaging modules at a time, for example, two imaging modules, to improve the transfer efficiency of the material transfer device 1.

[0126] With particular reference to the attached Figure 3As shown, the transfer unit 20 includes a power source 21, a crank rocker 22, and at least two transfer members 23. Each of the transfer members 23 is respectively connected to the crank rocker 22. The transfer member 23 has a transfer port 230 which faces downward and can be aligned with the camera module. At least a part of the camera module can enter the transfer member 23 through the transfer port 230 and then be carried by the transfer member 23 to move. For example, at least a part of the camera module is clamped by the transfer member 23 through the transfer port 230.

[0127] A preset distance is provided between adjacent transfer members 23 to adapt to the distance between adjacent camera modules on the tray 100 or the distance between adjacent desired placement positions on the module jig 200.

[0128] The crank rocker 22 is drivably connected to the power source 21. Driven by the power source 21, the crank rocker 22 can drive the transfer member 23 to move up and down in the Z-axis direction to pick up or place the camera module.

[0129] It should be noted that multiple transfer members 23 can simultaneously pick up multiple camera modules to be transferred on the tray 100, or can pick up multiple camera modules to be transferred on the tray 100 sequentially. For example, driven by the power source 21, the crank rocker 22 drives one transfer member 23 to move downward close to the camera module to be transferred, then picks up the camera module to be transferred. The crank rocker 22 drives the transferred transfer member 23 to move upward, and at the same time another transfer member 23 moves downward to pick up another corresponding camera module to be transferred.

[0130] The distance between adjacent transfer members 23 is not necessarily equal to the distance between adjacent camera modules to be transferred on the tray 100. The position of the transfer unit 20 can be adjusted so that the transfer members 23 of the transfer unit 20 are aligned with the corresponding camera modules when picking up the camera modules.

[0131] Similarly, multiple transfer members 23 can place the camera module at multiple desired placement positions of the module fixture 200 simultaneously, or can place the camera module at multiple desired placement positions of the module fixture 200 sequentially. For example, when the distance between adjacent desired placement positions of the module fixture 200 is equal to the distance between adjacent transfer members 23 of the transfer unit 20, each transfer member 23 can be directly aligned with each desired placement position of the module fixture 200, and then the placement can be performed uniformly. For example, when the distance between adjacent desired placement positions of the module fixture 200 is not equal to the distance between adjacent transfer members 23 of the transfer unit 20, driven by the power source 21, the crank rocker 22 drives one transfer member 23 to move downward close to one desired placement position of the module fixture 200, and then places the camera module at the corresponding desired placement position.

[0132] After the placement is completed, the crank rocker 22 drives the transfer member 23 that has completed the placement to move upward, and another transfer member 23 moves downward to place another camera module. At the same time, the transfer unit 20 can move along the transfer transmission track 40 or the transfer transmission track 40 relative to the tray transmission track 30 so that this transfer member 23 is aligned with the corresponding desired placement position of the module fixture 200.

[0133] Reference is made to Figure 4 As shown, a loading process of the material transfer device 1 according to the present invention is illustrated.

[0134] The specification of the tray 100 is n*m, where n represents the number of rows and m represents the number of columns, indicating that the tray 100 has n rows and m columns, and each row has m accommodation positions for placing the camera module, and each column has n accommodation positions for placing the camera module. The specification of the module fixture 200 is N*M, where N represents the number of rows and M represents the number of columns, indicating that the module fixture 200 has N rows and M columns, and each row has M accommodation positions for placing the camera module, and each column has N accommodation positions for placing the camera module.

[0135] In this embodiment, the specification of the module fixture 200 is 2*4, with two unit desired placement positions in the X-axis direction and four unit desired placement positions in the Y-axis direction. A single module fixture 200 can place 8 camera modules. Of course, those skilled in the art can understand that this is only an example and does not limit the number of camera modules that the module fixture 200 can accommodate. The module fixture 200 can accommodate 10, 12, 16 or even more camera modules.

[0136] The specification of the tray 100 for carrying the camera modules is 4*4, with 4 unit desired placement positions in the X-axis direction and four unit desired placement positions in the Y-axis direction. A single tray 100 can place 16 camera modules. Of course, those skilled in the art can understand that this is only an example and does not limit the specification of the tray 100. The tray 100 can accommodate more or even more camera modules at a time.

[0137] Taking the example of loading the camera modules in a full tray 100 of camera modules into an empty module fixture 200 for illustration.

[0138] The transfer unit 20 includes two transfer members 23 and can transfer two camera modules at a time, and at least one of the first shooting modules 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 and the transfer unit 20 can move synchronously along the transfer track 40. The transfer centers of the two transfer members 23 of the transfer unit 20 are located on a first straight line, and preferably, the first straight line is parallel to the X-axis. Further, the shooting center of the first shooting module 11 is located on the first straight line. Of course, those skilled in the art can understand that the first shooting module 11 may not be located on the first straight line. The first shooting module 11 is located around the transfer unit 20 to obtain the image information of the camera module to be transferred before the transfer unit 20 transfers the camera module so that the transfer unit 20 can align with the camera module, and thus the camera module can be acquired by the transfer unit 20 for transfer.

[0139] It can be understood that in some other embodiments of the present invention, the straight line where the shooting center of the first shooting module 11 is located and the straight line where the transfer center of the transfer member 23 is located can be respectively parallel to the Y-axis. Correspondingly, the camera modules can be transferred column by column in sequence, that is, the camera modules in the same column along the Y-axis are transferred. In this embodiment, preferably, the camera modules are transferred row by row, that is, the camera modules in the same row along the X-axis are transferred first, and then the camera modules in the next row are transferred.

[0140] The desired placement positions of the module fixture 200 arranged in parallel are located on the same straight line, the second straight line, and the second straight line is parallel to the X-axis.

[0141] The camera modules to be transferred arranged in parallel on the tray 100 are located on the same straight line, the third straight line, and the third straight line is parallel to the X-axis. It can be understood that the camera modules to be transferred arranged in parallel on the tray 100 may also have a slight deviation. After being transferred by the transfer unit 20, the orientation of the transfer unit 20 can be adjusted to change the orientation of the camera module to be transferred. For example, the orientations of one camera module to be transferred on the tray 100 and another camera module in the same row on the tray 100 are not the same. The transfer unit 20 adjusts the orientation of the camera module during the transfer process or when placing the camera module on the module fixture 200.

[0142] First, drive the transfer unit 20 and the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 to move so that the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 moves above the module fixture 200, thereby obtaining the position information of the desired placement position of the module fixture 200. Optionally, the transfer unit 20 and the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 are driven to move to a plane formed by the first straight line and the second straight line located in the Z-axis plane.

[0143] The first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 acquires the position information of the desired placement position A and the desired placement position B of the module fixture 200.

[0144] Then drive the transfer unit 20 and the position acquisition unit 10 to move towards the tray 100 to acquire the camera module to be transferred. At the same time, the tray 100 also moves along the tray transmission track 30 to approach the module fixture 200.

[0145] Specifically, when it is necessary to transfer the camera module between the tray 100 and the module fixture 200, based on the position information acquired by the position acquisition unit 10, if the camera module to be transferred on the tray 100 is not aligned with the desired placement position of the module fixture 200, drive the tray 100 to move to align with the desired placement position of the module fixture 200. Simultaneously or separately, the transfer unit 200 moves above the tray 100 to acquire the camera module to be transferred.

[0146] Further, the alignment of the tray 100 with the module fixture 200 means that the row where the camera module to be transferred on the tray 100 is relatively aligned with the row where the desired placement position on the module fixture 200 is located.

[0147] For example, if a camera module to be transferred is located in the first row of the tray 100 and a corresponding desired placement position is located in the second row of the module fixture 200, then the tray 100 is moved along the tray transfer track 30 until the first row of the tray 100 is aligned with the second row of the module fixture 200. It can be that the tray 100 is moved until the first row of the tray 100 and the second row of the module fixture 200 are on the same straight line. It can also be that the tray 100 is moved until the first row of the tray 100 and the second row of the module fixture 200 appear to be on the same straight line when viewed from above. That is to say, when the tray 100 is aligned with the module fixture 200, the tray 100 and the module fixture 200 can be in different planes and there is a certain height difference between them.

[0148] The height difference between the tray 100 and the module fixture 200 will not interfere with the transfer of the transfer unit 20 because the position acquisition unit 10 can acquire depth information, and the transfer unit 20 moves a certain distance in the height direction based on the depth information to complete the transfer between the camera module and the tray 100 and the transfer between the camera module and the module fixture 200 respectively.

[0149] From the perspective of the transfer unit 20, moving the tray 100 to be aligned with the module fixture 200 aims to enable the transfer unit 20 to transfer the camera module on the tray 100 to the module fixture 200 by moving unidirectionally along the transfer transfer track 40.

[0150] Specifically, when the tray 100 is aligned with the module fixture 200, the transfer unit 20 moved above the tray 100 is aligned with the tray 100. That is to say, the transfer unit 20 located above the tray 100 is also aligned with the module fixture 200. During the process of the transfer unit 20 carrying the camera module back to the module fixture 200, due to the mutual alignment between the transfer unit 20 and the module fixture 200, there is no need to perform complex position adjustments on the transfer unit 20 to enable the transfer unit 20 to return above the module fixture 200 and be aligned with the desired placement position on the module fixture 200.

[0151] That is to say, the alignment between the tray 100 and the module fixture 200 may refer to the alignment between the imaging module and the direction of the desired placement position and the movement trajectory of the transfer unit 20. Preferably, the direction of the imaging module of the tray 100 and the direction of the desired placement position of the module fixture 200 are the same as the direction of the transfer transmission track 40, so that the transfer unit 20 can directly move above the module fixture 200 along the direction of the transfer transmission track 40 when returning from above the tray 100.

[0152] Preferably, the straight line where the imaging module of the tray 100 and the desired placement position of the module fixture 200 are located is parallel to the straight line where the transfer transmission track 40 is located.

[0153] More specifically, in this embodiment, the transfer unit 20 and the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 move along the transfer transmission track 40, and the coordinate of the corresponding X-axis changes. However, the Z-axis plane where the first straight line corresponding to the transfer unit 20 and the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 is located and the second straight line of the desired placement position of the module fixture 200 does not change.

[0154] During the process of the tray 100 moving along the tray transmission track 30, the coordinate of the imaging module to be transferred corresponding to the X-axis does not change, but the coordinate of the imaging module to be transferred corresponding to the Y-axis changes. The third straight line of the row where the tray 100 moves to the imaging module to be transferred and the second straight line of the row where the desired placement position of the module fixture 200 are located are aligned. Preferably, the imaging module to be transferred of the tray 100 and the desired placement position of the module fixture 200 are located on the same straight line.

[0155] That is to say, when the tray 100 moves to the Y-axis coordinate corresponding to the imaging module to be transferred of the tray 100, it is the same as the Y-axis coordinate of the desired placement position of the module fixture 200.

[0156] Finally, the transfer unit 20 and the position acquisition unit 10 move above the to-be-transferred camera module on the tray 100. Preferably, the transfer unit 20 moves to a plane where the first straight line and the third straight line are perpendicular to the plane where the X-axis and the Y-axis are located, and then the transfer unit 20 transfers the to-be-transferred camera module. In other words, the transfer unit 20 moves above the to-be-transferred camera module on the tray 100 to acquire the to-be-transferred camera module from top to bottom. Those skilled in the art should understand that the transfer unit 20 does not necessarily need to move directly above the to-be-transferred camera module, and the transfer unit 20 can transfer the to-be-transferred camera module as long as it is within its acquisition range.

[0157] The first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 acquires the position information of the to-be-transferred camera module on the tray 100, and then the transfer unit 20 is aligned with the to-be-transferred camera module A and the to-be-transferred camera module B located in the first row and the first column and the first row and the second column. The to-be-transferred camera module A and the to-be-transferred camera module B are respectively transferred to different transfer members 23 of the transfer unit 20.

[0158] Then, the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 and the transfer unit 20 move along the transfer transmission track 40 towards the module fixture 200 to above the desired placement position of the module fixture 200. For example, the position acquisition unit 10, the first shooting module 11, and the transfer unit 20 move to a plane where the first straight line where they are located and the second straight line where the module fixture 200 is located are perpendicular to the plane where the X-axis and the Y-axis are located.

[0159] The orientation of the transfer port of the transfer member 23 of the transfer unit 20 can be finely adjusted so that the transfer port is aligned with the desired placement position of the module fixture 200, and then the to-be-transferred camera module in the transfer member 23 is transferred to the corresponding desired placement position of the module fixture 200. For example, the to-be-transferred camera module A is transferred to the desired placement position A of the module fixture 200, and the to-be-transferred camera module B is transferred to the desired placement position B of the module fixture 200. The two transfer members 23 can be respectively aligned with the desired placement position A and the desired placement position B of the module fixture 200, and then the to-be-transferred camera module A and the to-be-transferred camera module B are simultaneously transferred to the desired placement position A and the desired placement position B of the module fixture 200 respectively. It can also be that the to-be-transferred camera module A is first transferred to the desired placement position A of the module fixture 200, and then the to-be-transferred camera module B is transferred to the desired placement position B of the module fixture 200.

[0160] It should be noted that in order to place the camera module to be transferred more accurately at the desired placement position of the module jig 200, during the process of the transfer unit 20 carrying the camera module to be transferred and moving from above the tray 100 towards above the module jig 200, the second shooting module 12 of the position acquisition unit 10 can acquire the contour information of the camera module to be transferred located on the transfer unit 20. For example, the second shooting module 12 of the position acquisition unit 10 can be placed at a lower position. When the transfer unit 20 carries the camera module to be transferred back above the module jig 200, the camera module to be transferred passes above the second shooting module 12, so that the second shooting module 12 can acquire the contour information of the camera module to be transferred from below upwards.

[0161] Based on the contour information of the desired placement position of the module jig 200 acquired by the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 and the contour information of the camera module to be transferred acquired by the second shooting module 12, the orientation of the transfer unit 20 can be adjusted so that the camera module to be transferred located on the transfer unit 20 can be aligned with the desired placement position of the module jig 200, thereby enabling the camera module to be transferred to be accurately placed at the desired placement position of the module jig 200.

[0162] In this embodiment, the transfer unit 20 can transfer two camera modules to be transferred at a time.

[0163] When the first row of the module jig 200 is filled, the transfer unit 20 and the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 move above the second row of the module jig 200 to acquire the position information of the desired placement position of the second row of the module jig 200. Of course, it can be understood that when the transfer unit 20 and the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 are located above the first row of the module jig 200, the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 can also acquire the corresponding position information of the desired placement position of the second row of the module jig 200 from above. Preferably, the transfer unit 20 and the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 move above the desired placement positions C and D of the second row of the module jig 200 to acquire the corresponding position information when the transfer transport track 40 moves along the tray transport track 30.

[0164] It can be understood that based on the information of each of the expected placement positions of the first row of the module fixture 200 obtained by the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10, the position information of the expected placement positions of each row and each column of the module fixture 200 can be determined. Since the specifications and shape of the module fixture 200 are fixed, after determining the position information of the expected placement positions of the first row of the module fixture 200, the position information of the expected placement positions of the second row of the module fixture 200 can be determined. Thus, after the transfer unit 20 transfers the camera module A and the camera module B, it can move along the directions of the transfer transmission track 40 and the tray transmission track 30 to directly move above the second row of the tray 100.

[0165] That is to say, the transfer unit 20 first moves along the direction of the tray transmission track 30, and then moves along the direction of the transfer transmission track 40. It can also be that the transfer unit 20 first moves along the transfer transmission track 40, and then moves along the direction of the tray transmission track 30. It can also be that the driven transfer unit 20 moves along the directions of the tray transmission track 30 and the transfer transmission track 40 simultaneously. Finally, it moves above the first row of the tray 100 to above the camera modules C and D to be transferred located at the expected placement positions of the first row of the module fixture 200.

[0166] Based on the position information of the expected placement positions of the second row of the module fixture 200 obtained by the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10, the transfer unit 20 and the tray 100 move respectively with this as a reference.

[0167] Specifically, the tray 100 moves along the tray transmission track 30 to the third straight line where the expected placement positions C and D of the third and fourth columns of the first row of the tray 100 are located, and the second straight line where the camera module C to be transferred and the camera module D to be transferred of the module fixture 200 are located are on the same axis or the third straight line, the second straight line, and the first straight line are in the same plane.

[0168] The transfer unit 20 and the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 move along the transfer transmission track 40 to above the camera modules C and D to be transferred of the tray 100.

[0169] Preferably, the tray 100, the transfer unit 20, and the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 move simultaneously, thereby saving the transmission time.

[0170] When the transfer unit 20 is located above the to-be-transferred camera modules C and D on the tray 100, the first imaging module 11 can image the to-be-transferred camera modules C and D on the tray 100 to obtain the position information or contour information of the to-be-transferred camera modules C and D, so that in subsequent steps, the transfer unit 20 can align with the to-be-transferred camera modules C and D to accurately transfer the to-be-transferred camera modules C and D.

[0171] After transferring the to-be-transferred camera modules C and D from the tray 100 to the transfer unit 20, the transfer unit 20 can return along the original path above the desired placement positions C and D of the module fixture 200. Then, the to-be-transferred camera modules C and D are respectively placed at the corresponding desired placement positions C and D.

[0172] By repeating the above steps, each desired placement position of the module fixture 200 can be filled. The camera modules from the previous process can be conveniently and directly transferred to the module fixture 200. There is no need to replace the tray 100 again, and the tray 100 can cooperate with the transfer unit 20 to move, so as to simplify the transfer process of the camera modules and improve the efficiency.

[0173] It is worth mentioning that after the camera module is transferred to the module fixture 200, during the subsequent detection process provided by the detection module 2, the camera module does not need to be frequently plugged and unplugged. The camera module is electrically connected to the module fixture 200, and the lighting of the camera module can be achieved through the plugging between the module fixture 200 and each detection module 2. In this way, the pins of the camera module can be effectively protected.

[0174] Furthermore, the material transfer device 1 can not only be used for loading, but also for unloading, unloading the detected camera modules on the module fixture 200 to the tray 100.

[0175] It should be noted that the specification of the module fixture 200 here is 2*4, and the specification of the tray 100 is 4*4. Therefore, a single transfer can fill a single row of the module fixture 200.

[0176] Refer to the appendix Figure 5 , when the specification of the module fixture 200 is 3*4 and the specification of the tray 100 is 4*4, 3 camera modules are required to fill the first row of the module fixture 200.

[0177] It can be that the transfer unit 20 is changed to a specification that can transfer at least 3 of the camera modules at a time. It can also be that the original transfer unit 20 with a specification that can transfer 2 of the camera modules at a time is still used. Then, for the first row of the module fixture 200, the transfer unit 20 can first transfer 2 of the camera modules A and B, and then transfer 1 of the camera module C to fill the first row of the module fixture 200. It can also be that the transfer unit 20 can first transfer 1 of the camera module A, and then transfer 2 of the camera modules B and C to fill the first row of the module fixture 200.

[0178] It can also be that the transfer unit 20 can first transfer 2 of the camera modules A and B, and then fill the two desired placement positions A and B in the first row of the module fixture 200. Then, the transfer unit 20 transfers 2 of the camera modules C and D. Then, one of the camera modules C can fill the remaining one desired placement position C in the first row of the module fixture 200, and the other camera module D can be used to fill one position in the second row of the module fixture 200. Then, the transfer unit 20 transfers 2 of the camera modules to the remaining two positions in the second row of the module fixture 200. In this process, when the transfer unit 20 moves away from the module fixture 200 for the first time towards the tray 100, the tray 100 also moves simultaneously so that the straight line where the camera module to be transferred is located is aligned with the straight line where the multiple desired placement positions in the first row of the module fixture 200 are located. When the transfer unit 20 moves away from the module fixture 200 for the second time towards the tray 100, the tray 100 also moves simultaneously so that the straight line where the camera module to be transferred is located is aligned with the straight line where the multiple desired placement positions in the second row of the module fixture 200 are located.

[0179] In this embodiment, the transfer unit 20 first transfers the camera modules A and B to the desired placement positions A and B, then transfers the camera module C to the same row as the camera modules A and B, and then transfers the camera module D to the second row.

[0180] According to some embodiments of the present invention, referring to the attached Figure 6 , when the specification of the module fixture 200 is 4*4 and the specification of the tray 100 is 2*4, 4 camera modules are required to fill the first row of the module fixture 200. The transfer unit 20 can transfer 2 camera modules at a time or more camera modules. For example, the transfer unit 20 can transfer 4 camera modules at a time.

[0181] After the transfer unit 20 is aligned with the first row of the tray 100, two of the camera modules A and B in the first row of the tray 100 can be transferred to the transfer unit 20. Then, the tray 100 moves along the tray transfer track 30 so that two of the camera modules A and B in the second row of the tray 100 are aligned with the transfer unit 20. The transfer unit 20 transfers two of the camera modules C and D in the second row of the tray 100 again, and then the transfer unit 20 transports the camera modules C and D to the corresponding positions of the module fixture 200.

[0182] More specifically, the transfer unit 20 includes four transfer members, and the transfer centers of the four transfer members are located on the same straight line. For example, they are the first transfer member, the second transfer member, the third transfer member, and the fourth transfer member in sequence.

[0183] When the transfer unit 20 moves above the tray 100, the first transfer member and the second transfer member are aligned with two of the camera modules A and B in the first row of the tray 100, and transfer two of the camera modules A and B to the first transfer member and the second transfer member. Then, the tray 100 continues to move along the tray transfer track 30 to a position where the third straight line, the first straight line, and the second straight line where each of the camera modules C and D in the second row of the tray 100 is located are in the same plane. That is, each of the camera modules C and D in the second row of the tray 100 is aligned with the transfer unit 20. At the same time, the transfer unit 20 moves along the transfer track 40 so that the third transfer member and the fourth transfer member are respectively aligned with two of the camera modules C and D in the second row of the tray 100.

[0184] In this way, the transfer unit 20 moves unidirectionally along the transfer track 40, and the tray 100 moves unidirectionally along the tray transfer track 30, so as to accurately transfer the camera modules of the tray 100, thereby simplifying the operation, reducing the computational complexity of the movement of the transfer unit 20, and improving the transfer efficiency.

[0185] Refer to the attached Figure 7 and 8 , the discharging process of the material transfer device 1 according to the present invention is illustrated.

[0186] In this embodiment, the specification of the module fixture 200 is 2*4, with two unit desired placement positions in the X-axis direction and four unit desired placement positions in the Y-axis direction. A single module fixture 200 can place 8 camera modules. Of course, those skilled in the art can understand that this is only an example here and does not limit the number of camera modules that the module fixture 200 can accommodate. The module fixture 200 can accommodate 10, 12, 16 or even more camera modules.

[0187] The specification of the tray 100 for carrying the camera module is 4*4, with 4 unit desired placement positions in the X-axis direction and four unit desired placement positions in the Y-axis direction. A single tray 100 can place 16 camera modules. Of course, those skilled in the art can understand that this is only an example here and does not limit the specification of the tray 100. The tray 100 can accommodate more or even more camera modules at a time.

[0188] Through the material transfer device 1, the camera modules that have been detected and are located in the module fixture 200 need to be transferred to the tray 100. The tray 100 is used to load the unloaded camera modules.

[0189] It can be understood that the tray 100 can be divided into a defective product tray 100 and a non-defective product tray 100. The defective product tray 100 is used to place the camera modules that have defects during the detection process, and the non-defective product tray 100 is used to place the camera modules that pass the detection. The corresponding camera modules can be directly placed into the corresponding trays 100 during the unloading process. For example, the non-defective camera modules are placed in the non-defective product tray 100, and the defective camera modules are placed in the defective product tray 100. It can also be that the non-defective and defective camera modules are all placed in the tray 100, and then the non-defective and defective camera modules are separated in subsequent steps.

[0190] It can be understood that since the detected camera modules are placed in the tray 100 in an orderly manner and the information of the camera modules has been recorded, it is also relatively easy to screen the non-defective and defective camera modules in subsequent steps.

[0191] In this embodiment, first, an example is given where the non-defective and defective camera modules are placed in the same tray 100.

[0192] Specifically, the first photographing module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 and the transfer unit 20 move above the first row of the tray 100 to acquire the position information and contour information of the desired placement position of the tray 100. The transfer center of the transfer unit 20 and the photographing center of the first photographing module 11 are located on the same straight line, the first straight line. Each of the desired placement positions in the first row of the tray 100 is located on the same straight line, the second straight line. The first straight line and the second straight line are respectively parallel to the X-axis. Preferably, the plane where the first straight line and the second straight line are located is perpendicular to the plane where the X-axis and the Y-axis are located.

[0193] Based on the position of the module to be transferred of the module jig 200, the tray 100 moves along the tray transfer track 30. Optionally, the transfer unit 20 and the first photographing module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 move along the transfer transfer track 40. Each of the modules to be transferred in the first row of the module jig 200 is located on the same straight line, the third straight line, and the third straight line is parallel to the X-axis.

[0194] The tray 100 moves to a position where the second straight line, the first straight line, and the third straight line are in the same plane, and the transfer unit 20 moves above the modules to be transferred, module A and module B, of the module jig 200. The orientation of the transfer port of the transfer unit 20 can be adjusted so that the transfer unit 20 is aligned with the modules to be transferred, module A and module B. The first photographing module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 can acquire the position information of the modules to be transferred, module A and module B, so that the transfer unit 20 can accurately transfer the modules to be transferred from the module jig 200 to the transfer unit 20.

[0195] In this embodiment, the transfer unit 20 can transfer the modules to be transferred, module A and module B, in the first row of the module jig 200 in one go. Then the transfer unit 20 returns above the tray 100 along the original path and transfers the modules to be transferred to the positions of the first column in the first row and the second column in the first row of the tray 100.

[0196] The transfer unit 20 and the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 can move a certain distance along the transfer transmission track 40 so that the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 acquires the position information of the third column and the fourth column in the first row of the tray 100. Of course, the transfer unit 20 and the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 can also be maintained at their original positions. That is to say, the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 can acquire the position information of the first column, the second column, the third column, and the fourth column in the first row of the tray 100 at the same position.

[0197] After transferring the camera modules A and B to the first column and the second column in the first row of the tray 100, the tray 100 moves along the tray transmission track 30 so that the straight line where the first row of the tray 100 is located is aligned with the straight line where the second row of the module fixture 200 is located.

[0198] Meanwhile, the transfer unit 20 and the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 are transferred above the to-be-transferred camera modules C and D in the second row of the module fixture 200.

[0199] Specifically, the transfer unit 20 and the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 can move a certain distance along the direction of the tray transmission track 30 by means of the movement of the transfer transmission track 40 relative to the tray transmission track 30, so that the first straight line is aligned with the second straight line where each of the to-be-transferred camera modules C and D in the second row of the module fixture 200 is located. Then, the transfer unit 20 and the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 can move along the transfer transmission track 40 to above the to-be-transferred camera modules C and D in the second row of the module fixture 200. It can also be that the transfer unit 20 and the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 can move along the transfer transmission track 40 to above the first row of the module fixture 200, and then move along the direction of the tray transmission track 30 to above the to-be-transferred camera modules C and D in the second row of the module fixture 200 by means of the movement of the transfer transmission track 40 relative to the tray transmission track 30. It can also be that the driven transfer unit 20 moves simultaneously along the direction where the transfer transmission track 40 is located and the direction of the tray transmission track 30, and moves from above the position of the first row of the tray 100 to above the second row of the module fixture 200.

[0200] The transfer unit 20 above the second row of the module jig 200 transfers the inspected camera modules in the second row of the module jig 200, and then the transfer unit 20 moves along the transfer track 40 to above the first row position of the tray 100, and places the camera modules C and D in the third and fourth columns of the first row of the tray 100.

[0201] Then the tray 100 moves along the tray track 30 to align the straight line where each of the desired placement positions in the second row of the tray 100 is located with the straight line where each of the to-be-transferred camera modules in the third row of the module jig 200 is located. At the same time, the transfer unit 20 and the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 move above each of the to-be-transferred camera modules in the third row of the module jig 200.

[0202] When the transfer unit 20 aligns with two of the to-be-transferred camera modules in the third row of the module jig 200, the transfer unit 20 acquires the corresponding to-be-transferred camera modules. Then the transfer unit 20 returns along the transfer track 40 to above the second row of the tray 100, and places the to-be-transferred camera modules in the positions of the first column of the second row and the second column of the second row of the tray 100 respectively.

[0203] Then the tray 100 moves along the tray track 30 to align the straight line where the desired placement positions of the third column and the fourth column in the second row of the tray 100 are located with the straight line where each of the to-be-transferred camera modules in the fourth row of the module jig 200 is located. At the same time, the transfer unit 20 and the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 move from above the tray 100 to above each of the to-be-transferred camera modules in the fourth row of the module jig 200.

[0204] It should be noted that when the transfer unit 20 carries the camera module back above the tray 100, the transfer unit 20 passes above the second shooting module 12 of the position acquisition unit 10, and the second shooting module 12 can acquire the lower contour information of the to-be-transferred camera module located in the transfer unit 20, which is beneficial to the alignment between the camera module and the desired placement position of the tray 100 during the process of placing the camera module on the tray 100.

[0205] In the above manner, the inspected camera modules in the module jig 200 can be transferred to the tray 100 batch by batch.

[0206] According to another embodiment of the present invention, referring to the attached Figure 9As shown, the camera module of the good product is transferred to the corresponding tray 100 for good products, and the camera module of the defective product is transferred to the corresponding tray 100 for defective products.

[0207] Taking one tray 100 corresponding to good products and one tray 100 corresponding to defective products as an example for illustration. Of course, it can be understood that there can be multiple trays 100 corresponding to defective products. For example, different trays 100 can be set corresponding to different defective reasons.

[0208] The two trays 100 are arranged in alignment. For example, the straight lines where the respective desired placement positions in the first row of one tray 100 are located and the straight lines where the respective desired placement positions in the first row of the other tray 100 are located are on the same straight line.

[0209] The transfer unit 20 and the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 can move back and forth along the directions where the transfer transmission track 40 and the tray transmission track 30 are located respectively. The first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 acquires the position information of the camera modules to be transferred in the first row of the module jig 200. Then, based on this, the two trays 100 move along the tray transmission track 30 respectively so that the straight lines where the respective desired placement positions in the first row of the tray 100 are located are respectively aligned with the straight lines where the respective camera modules to be transferred in the first row of the module jig 200 are located.

[0210] It can be at the same time. After the transfer unit 20 acquires a camera module A and a camera module B from the first column and the second column of the first row of the module jig 200 respectively, where the camera module A is a good product and the camera module B is a defective product, the transfer unit 20 also moves towards the tray 100 during the movement of the tray 100, until it is above the desired placement position in the first row of one tray 100.

[0211] For example, above the first row of the corresponding tray 100 for good products. After the transfer unit 20 is aligned with the desired placement position in the first column of the first row of the tray 100 for placing good products, the camera module A is transferred to the tray 100. Then the transfer unit 20 continues to move along the transfer transmission track 40 until the transfer unit 20 is aligned with the desired placement position in the first column of the first row of the tray 100 for placing defective products, and then the camera module B is transferred to the tray 100.

[0212] After the transfer of the camera module is completed, the transfer unit 20 and the first shooting module 11 of the position acquisition unit 10 return above the camera module to be transferred in the second row of the module fixture 200, and at the same time, the two trays 100 move along the tray transfer track 30 so that the straight line where the first row of the tray 100 is located is aligned with the straight line where the second row of the module fixture 200 is located.

[0213] The transfer unit 20 transfers the camera module from the second row position of the module fixture 200, and then along the transfer unit 20, carries the camera module C and the camera module D back above the first row of the tray 100. If the camera module C is a good product and the camera module D is a defective product, then place the camera module C in the second column of the first row of the tray 100 corresponding to the good product, and place the camera module D in the second column of the first row of the tray 100 corresponding to the defective product.

[0214] The whole blanking process is simplified by the way that the tray 100 moves relative to the module fixture 200 and the transfer unit 20 moves relative to the module fixture 200.

[0215] In this embodiment, move the tray 100 so that the next desired placement position of the tray 100 is aligned with the next camera module to be transferred of the module fixture 200. Thus, after the transfer unit 20 obtains the camera module to be transferred in the module fixture 200, it only needs to move along the transfer track 40 to come above the desired placement position of the tray 100, and then accurately place the camera module.

[0216] Further, the material transfer device 1 can be used for loading and unloading separately. For example, one material transfer device 1 is used for loading, and another material transfer device is used for unloading.

[0217] Or, as shown in the attached Figure 1 The material transfer device 1 includes a loading mechanism 1A and an unloading mechanism 1B. The loading mechanism 1A includes a transfer track 40, at least one tray transfer track 30, a transfer unit 20, and a position acquisition unit 10. The unloading mechanism 1B includes a transfer track 40, at least one tray transfer track 30, a transfer unit 20, and a position acquisition unit 10. The transfer track 40 of the loading mechanism 1A is parallel to the transfer track 40 of the unloading mechanism 1B. The tray transfer track 30 of the loading mechanism 1A is parallel to the tray transfer track 30 of the unloading mechanism 1B.

[0218] That is to say, one side of the material transfer device 1 can be used for loading, and the other side can be used for unloading.

[0219] It should be noted that the material transfer device 1 can perform loading and unloading alternately. For example, first, load the camera module onto the module fixture 200 through the loading mechanism 1A, and then unload the detected camera module onto the corresponding tray 100.

[0220] According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a material transfer method, which includes the following steps:

[0221] Obtain the position information of the module fixture 200 as a reference;

[0222] Move the tray 100 relative to the module fixture 200 so that the camera module to be transferred is aligned with the desired placement position, where the camera module to be transferred is located on the module fixture 200, and the desired placement position is located on the tray 100, or the camera module to be transferred is located on the tray 100, and the desired placement position is located on the module fixture 200; and

[0223] Transfer the camera module between the module fixture 200 and the tray 100 through the transfer unit 20.

[0224] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the material transfer method further includes the following steps:

[0225] Transfer the camera module to be transferred to the desired placement position;

[0226] Move the transfer unit 20 above the next camera module to be transferred on the tray 100;

[0227] If the next camera module to be transferred on the tray 100 is not aligned with the next desired placement position on the module fixture 200, move the tray 100 relative to the module fixture 200 so that the camera module to be transferred is aligned with the desired placement position; and

[0228] Repeat the above steps until the transfer is completed.

[0229] According to other embodiments of the present invention, the material transfer method further includes the following steps:

[0230] Transfer the camera module to be transferred to the desired placement;

[0231] Move the transfer unit 20 above the next camera module to be transferred on the module fixture 200;

[0232] If the next desired placement position of the tray 100 is not aligned with the next camera module to be transferred of the module jig 200, move the tray 100 relative to the module jig 200 until the desired placement position is aligned with the camera module; and

[0233] Repeat the above steps until the transfer is complete.

[0234] Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present invention described above and shown in the drawings are only examples and do not limit the present invention. The object of the present invention has been fully and effectively achieved. The functions and structural principles of the present invention have been shown and described in the embodiments, and without departing from the principles, the embodiments of the present invention can be deformed or modified in any way.

Claims

1. A detection system, characterized in that, Including: A module jig, the module jig including a plurality of accommodation positions arranged in the X-axis direction and a plurality of accommodation positions arranged in the Y-axis direction; A material transfer device for transferring at least one camera module, including: a transfer unit; a position acquisition unit; a tray transfer track; and a transfer transfer track, wherein the transfer transfer track is drivable to move along the direction where the tray transfer track is located and is held above the tray transfer track in a manner of intersecting the tray transfer track in a different plane, wherein the tray transfer track is used for transporting at least one tray, the position acquisition unit includes a first shooting module, the first shooting module and the transfer unit are arranged adjacent to each other, and the two can move synchronously along the transfer transfer track and are arranged on the transfer transfer track. The material transfer device further includes a second shooting module, which is held between the tray and the module jig, and when the transfer unit passes the second shooting module during the process of moving back and forth between the tray and the module jig, the second shooting module is arranged upward to obtain the contour information of the camera module located on the transfer unit. When the position acquisition unit acquires the position information of a module jig as a reference, the tray is driven to move so that the camera module to be transferred is aligned with the desired placement position. Wherein the transfer unit is driven to move between the module jig and the tray to transfer the camera module to be transferred to the desired placement position, wherein the camera module to be transferred is located on the tray and the desired placement position is located on the module jig; or, the camera module to be transferred is located on the module jig and the desired placement position is located on the tray; and A plurality of detection modules, wherein the material transfer device transfers the camera module of the previous process to the module jig, and the camera module located on the module jig is sequentially detected by the detection modules.

2. The detection system according to claim 1, wherein when the position acquisition unit acquires the position information of the module jig as a reference, the tray is driven to move along the tray transfer track so that the direction of the line connecting the camera module to be transferred and the desired placement position of the camera module to be transferred is the same as the direction where the transfer transfer track is located.

3. The detection system according to claim 1, wherein when the position acquisition unit acquires the position information of the module jig as a reference, the tray is driven to move along the tray transfer track to a position where the row where the camera module to be transferred is located and the row where the desired placement position of the camera module to be transferred is located are on the same straight line.

4. The detection system according to claim 2, wherein when the camera module to be transferred is located on the tray and the desired placement position is located on the module jig, the transfer centers of at least two of the camera modules to be transferred on the tray are located on a second straight line, and the placement centers of at least two of the desired placement positions on the module jig are located on a third straight line, wherein the second straight line is parallel to the third straight line.

5. The detection system according to claim 4, wherein while the tray is driven to move along the tray transfer track to be aligned with the module fixture, the transfer unit is driven to move above the camera module to be transferred on the tray, so that the camera module to be transferred is transferred through the transfer unit.

6. The detection system according to claim 2, wherein when the camera module to be transferred is located in the module fixture and the desired placement position is located on the tray, the placement centers of at least two of the desired placement positions on the tray are located on a second straight line, and the transfer centers of at least two of the camera modules to be transferred on the module fixture are located on a third straight line, wherein the second straight line is parallel to the third straight line.

7. The detection system according to claim 6, wherein while the tray is driven to move along the tray transfer track to be aligned with the module fixture, the transfer unit is driven to move above the camera module to be transferred on the module fixture, so that the camera module to be transferred is transferred through the transfer unit.

8. The detection system according to any one of claims 4-7, wherein the transfer center of the first shooting module and the transfer unit is located on a first straight line, and the first straight line is parallel to the transfer track.

9. The detection system according to any one of claims 4-7, wherein the transfer unit has at least two transfer centers, and each of the transfer centers is located on a first straight line, and the first straight line is parallel to the transfer track.

10. The detection system according to claim 8, wherein the first straight line is parallel to the second straight line and the third straight line respectively.

11. The detection system according to claim 8, wherein the transfer unit includes at least two transfer members, the transfer centers of the transfer members are located on a first straight line, and each transfer member has a downward transfer port.

12. The detection system according to claim 10, wherein the second straight line and the third straight line are parallel to the transfer track respectively.

13. The detection system according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the tray transfer track and the transfer track are skew and perpendicular to each other.

14. The detection system according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the number of the transfer tracks is two, the numbers of the transfer unit and the position acquisition unit are two respectively, the two transfer tracks are respectively located above the tray transfer track, each transfer track is provided with a transfer unit, one transfer unit is used for unloading from the module fixture to the tray, and the other transfer unit is used for loading from the tray to the module fixture.

15. The detection system according to claim 1, wherein the detection system further includes a magazine for storing the trays from the previous process, and the camera modules are accommodated in the trays.

16. The material transfer method of the detection system according to any one of claims 1-15, characterized in that, Including the following steps: Obtaining the position information of a module fixture as a reference; Move a tray relative to the module fixture to align a to-be-transferred camera module with a desired placement position, where the to-be-transferred camera module is located on the module fixture and the desired placement position is located on the tray, or alternatively, the to-be-transferred camera module is located on the tray and the desired placement position is located on the module fixture; and Transfer the camera module between the module fixture and the tray through a transfer unit.

17. The material transfer method according to claim 16, wherein the material transfer method further comprises the following steps: Transfer the to-be-transferred camera module to the desired placement position; Move the transfer unit above the next to-be-transferred camera module on the tray; If the next to-be-transferred camera module on the tray is not aligned with the next desired placement position on the module fixture, move the tray relative to the module fixture to align the to-be-transferred camera module with the desired placement position; And Repeat the above steps until the transfer is completed.

18. The material transfer method according to claim 16, wherein the material transfer method further comprises the following steps: Transfer the to-be-transferred camera module to the desired placement; Move the transfer unit above the next to-be-transferred camera module on the module fixture; If the next desired placement position on the tray is not aligned with the next to-be-transferred camera module on the module fixture, move the tray relative to the module fixture to align the desired placement position with the camera module; And Repeat the above steps until the transfer is completed.

19. The material transfer method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein in the above method, move the tray relative to the module fixture such that the direction of the line connecting the to-be-transferred camera module and the desired placement position of the to-be-transferred camera module is the same as the direction of the transfer track.

20. The material transfer method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein in the above method, move the tray relative to the module fixture to make the row where the to-be-transferred camera module is located and the row where the desired placement position of the to-be-transferred camera module is located be on the same straight line.

21. The material transfer method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein at least two of the to-be-transferred camera modules on the tray are located on a second straight line, and at least two of the desired placement positions on the module fixture are located on a third straight line, and the second straight line and the third straight line are parallel to each other; or at least two of the desired placement positions on the tray are located on a second straight line, and at least two of the to-be-transferred camera modules on the module fixture are located on a third straight line, and the second straight line and the third straight line are parallel.

22. The material transfer method according to claim 21, wherein in the above method, the tray moves along a tray transfer track, and the second straight line and the third straight line are respectively parallel to the tray transfer track.

23. The material transfer method according to claim 21, wherein in the above method, image information of the camera module to be transferred is obtained by means of a first shooting module, and the transfer center of the transfer unit and the shooting center of the first shooting module are located on a first straight line, and the first straight line is respectively parallel to the second straight line and the third straight line.

24. The material transfer method according to claim 21, wherein in the above method, the transfer unit transfers at least two of the camera modules to be transferred at a single time.

25. The material transfer method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the tray comes from the previous process.

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