Sorting Machine for Testing Electronic Components and Its Pressurizing Device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sorting machine for testing electronic components and a pressing device thereof. The pressing device of the sorting machine for testing electronic components includes: a pressing plate configured to be movable up and down; a pusher disposed on the lower surface of the pressing plate, and when the pressing plate moves downward, a pressing portion protruding downward presses the electronic component downward while contacting the electronic component to electrically connect the electronic component to a test slot, and when the pressing plate moves upward, the pressing on the electronic component is released; and a pressing drive source that presses the electronic component downward or releases the pressing on the electronic component through the pusher by lifting and lowering the pressing plate. Among them, a first through hole through which light from a lighting device can pass is formed in the pressing plate, and a second through hole through which the light passing through the first through hole can pass and irradiate the electronic component is formed in the pusher.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application "Sorting Machine for Testing Electronic Components" with an application date of November 21, 2019 and an application number of 201911146750.9. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a sorting machine for testing electronic components. Background Art

[0003] The produced electronic components will be classified into good products and defective products after being tested by a tester, and only good products can be shipped out.

[0004] An electrical connection between the tester and the electronic components is achieved through an automated device called a sorting machine for testing electronic components (hereinafter referred to as "sorting machine").

[0005] Since the sorting machine needs to be able to accurately connect the electronic components and the tester, it can be manufactured in various forms according to the types of electronic components.

[0006] Of course, the important technology that the sorting machine basically requires is the technology of electrically connecting the electronic components and the tester. However, in addition, there are also technologies that are selectively required according to the test conditions and the types of electronic components to be tested.

[0007] Generally, the connection between the electronic components and the tester is achieved by pressing the electronic components toward the tester side. At this time, in order to accurately press the electronic components, it is necessary to make an accurate position setting between the pressing member (pusher) and the electronic components or between the electronic components and the test socket of the tester. Especially for electronic components such as semiconductor elements, due to the increasing integration rate, the size of the terminals and the spacing between the terminals tend to become finer and finer. Therefore, the accurate electrical connection between the electronic components and the tester becomes more important. For this reason, various variables such as the structural deviation of the relevant components, operation errors, or vibrations caused by the operation of the equipment need to be considered.

[0008] In addition, one of the various selectively required technologies can be the technology of setting harsh temperature conditions. Since electronic components may be used in various temperature environments, it is necessary to test the electronic components in an intentionally created harsh temperature environment. Therefore, in a sorting machine where it is necessary to create a harsh temperature environment, there is a test chamber that can be made as airtight as possible in the test state, and it is configured to test the electronic components in the test chamber where a harsh temperature environment is created.

[0009] Also, another one of the various techniques that may be selectively required may be necessary for optical electronic components used in digital cameras and the like. Since it is necessary to test optical electronic components in a state where light from a photographed object can be sensed through a lens, illumination that irradiates light to the photographed object should be used when testing optical electronic components. Also, in order to obtain satisfactory test results, it is necessary to use the illumination in a state where stray light that may cause interference is blocked. Therefore, the test of optical electronic components needs to be performed in a state where the incidence of stray light onto the lens is suppressed to the maximum extent.

[0010] The present invention particularly relates to a technique of a sorter that can be appropriately applied to the test of optical electronic components, and thus has deeply studied the techniques related to the test of optical electronic components.

[0011] Currently, it is difficult to automate the electrical connection between an optical electronic component integrating a photosensitive lens and a tester. This is because in order to block the incidence of stray light through the lens, the test of the optical electronic component needs to be performed in a dead bug state (a state where the terminals of the electronic component are flipped upward like an insect turning over and dying).

[0012] Figure 1 Conceptually shows the conceptual structure of the test in the dead bug state.

[0013] Refer to Figure 1 , it can be seen that the optical electronic component D is in contact with the lower tester TESTER in the dead bug state. And since an illumination hole LH is formed in the tester TESTER to irradiate light to the photosensitive lens SL by the lower illumination element LE, it is configured such that the illumination element LE can irradiate light to the photosensitive lens SL through the illumination hole LH. At this time, the electrical connection between the tester TESTER and the optical electronic component D is achieved by the contact of the terminal T1 of the test slot TS of the interface board SB (which can also be called a socket board) of the tester located above the optical electronic component D with the terminal T2 of the optical electronic component D.

[0014] In this way, since the optical electronic component D is placed on the tester in the dead bug state, it is substantially difficult for an automated robot to pick up the electronic component by vacuum adsorption and place it in position due to the terminal T2 of the optical electronic component D. Therefore, the optical electronic component D is placed in position by manual operation, but this method of placing the optical electronic component D in position by the manual operation of the staff is definitely not satisfactory in terms of processing time and cost, and leaves traces caused by manual operation on the surface of the electronic component D. Therefore, it is necessary to propose a technique for automatically supplying the optical electronic component D by a sorter.

[0015] As mentioned above, the sorter can be manufactured in various forms according to the electronic components to be tested, but mainly can be divided into a sorter for mass production of a small number of varieties such as memory semiconductor elements and a sorter for small batch production of a large number of varieties such as sensors.

[0016] Since the optoelectronic device is an image sensing semiconductor element, a sorter in the form used in the latter's small batch production of a large number of varieties can be considered as a sorter for automated processing of optoelectronic devices.

[0017] The sorter manufactured in a form suitable for small batch production of a large number of varieties can refer to Korean Patent Publication Nos. 10-2015-0104904, 10-2017-0068174, and 10-2017-0111497 (hereinafter referred to as "the prior art").

[0018] Referring to the prior art, in order to bring the electronic components into or out of the test chamber, a shuttle table that can move between the inside and outside of the test chamber is provided. Therefore, transfer holes for arranging various mechanical components for passing or moving the shuttle table need to be formed on the wall surfaces on both the left and right sides of the test chamber.

[0019] However, since the inside of the test chamber of the sorter according to the prior art communicates with the outside through the transfer holes, the accuracy of temperature control decreases accordingly.

[0020] Moreover, external light may affect the inside of the test chamber through the transfer holes. Of course, even if a door opening and closing structure can be applied to block to some extent the area where the shuttle table passes in the area occupied by the transfer holes, it is actually impossible to open and close the area through which the guide rail for guiding the movement of the shuttle table or the transfer shaft for transferring the shuttle table, etc. pass. Therefore, if the sorter according to the prior art is applied for testing optoelectronic components, it is obvious that there is a probability of test errors caused by the incidence of interfering light. Therefore, it is difficult to directly use the sorter according to the prior art for testing optoelectronic components.

[0021] In addition, in order to block stray light, a structure in which the optoelectronic component and the tester are electrically connected in the dead bug state (the photosensitive lens is located below and the terminals are located above) is adopted. Since the prior art adopts a structure in which the electronic component is electrically connected to the tester in the live bug state (the terminals of the electronic component are in the lower state) considering the pickability of automated electronic components, it is even more difficult to directly use the sorter according to the prior art for testing optoelectronic components.

[0022] Moreover, if an optical electronic component is picked up in a live insect state as in the prior art, pick-up marks may be generated on the surface of the photosensitive lens due to the contact between the pad of the pick-up member (the element that can pick up the electronic component) and the surface of the photosensitive lens. Such pick-up marks will ultimately reduce the recognition rate of the photosensitive lens, which may lead to a decrease in the reliability of the test results and product damage.

[0023] In addition, there may also be an instantaneous impact caused by the pressing impact of the pusher due to the pressing operation or the operation of other components during the test process, which has the risk of breaking the glass material of the surface vulnerable to impact. Furthermore, there is also a possibility that the electrical connection between the electronic component and the test slot will be poor due to the vibration generated by the operation of other components. In particular, since the optical electronic component shows differences in the recognition rate of light even according to slight vibrations, it may be difficult to ensure the reliability of the test results if the test is performed under vibration conditions.

[0024] For the above-mentioned various reasons, it is impossible to directly and simply apply the sorter according to the prior art to the test of optical electronic components. Summary of the Invention

[0025] The present invention has the following objectives.

[0026] First, to provide a technology that can isolate the inside of the test chamber from the external temperature environment. In particular, for optical electronic components, to provide a technology that can isolate the inside of the test chamber from external light and at the same time achieve automated processing.

[0027] Second, to provide a technology that can maximally suppress the transmission of vibrations caused by the operation of the equipment to the electronic components being tested.

[0028] Third, to provide a technology that can make the relative position between the pusher that presses the electronic component and the electronic component precise.

[0029] Fourth, to provide a technology that can minimize the pressing impact on the electronic component, especially in the test of optical electronic components.

[0030] Fifth, to provide a technology that, although the optical component is picked up, no marks caused by the operation of the pick-up member will be generated in the area of the photosensitive lens.

[0031] The pressing device of the sorting machine for testing electronic components according to the present invention includes: a pressing plate configured to be movable up and down; a pusher disposed on the lower surface of the pressing plate, and when the pressing plate moves downward, the pressing portion protruding downward presses the electronic component downward while contacting the electronic component to electrically connect the electronic component to the test slot, and when the pressing plate moves upward, the pressing on the electronic component is released; and a pressing drive source that presses the electronic component downward or releases the pressing on the electronic component through the pusher by lifting the pressing plate. Wherein, a first through hole through which light from the lighting device can pass is formed in the pressing plate, and a second through hole through which the light passing through the first through hole can pass and irradiate the electronic component is formed in the pusher.

[0032] The sorting machine for testing electronic components according to the present invention includes: a supply stacker configured to carry a tray containing electronic components to be tested; a test chamber configured to enclose the interior so that the electronic components moved from the supply stacker can be tested in a required environment during testing; a pressing device that presses downward the electronic components to be tested at the test position in the test chamber to electrically connect the electronic components to the test slot located below; a lighting device configured to irradiate light onto the upper surface of the electronic components in the test chamber; a recovery stacker configured to carry a tray filled with the electronic components that have completed testing from the test chamber; and a plurality of moving devices that move the electronic components during the movement of the electronic components to the supply stacker, the test chamber, and the recovery stacker. Wherein, a lighting window for irradiating light onto the electronic components is formed on the upper side wall of the test chamber, and the lighting device is combined and disposed in the test chamber in a form in which the lens barrel of the lighting device passes through the lighting window, and the light irradiated from the lighting device irradiates the electronic components through the pressing device.

[0033] The sorting machine for testing electronic components according to the present invention includes: a test chamber having an access hole opening to one side; an opening and closing device that opens the access hole when the electronic components are brought into or taken out of the test chamber through the access hole, and closes the access hole during the testing of the electronic components; an access device that picks up the electronic components to be tested and brings them into the test chamber through the access hole or picks up the electronic components that have completed testing and takes them out of the test chamber through the access hole; and a pressing device that presses the electronic components to be tested at the test position and electrically connects them to the tester.

[0034] The above sorting machine further includes: a carrier table having a carrier groove capable of carrying electronic components; a supply stacker configured to carry a tray containing electronic components to be tested that will be moved to the carrier table; a recovery stacker configured to carry a tray containing electronic components that have completed testing and will be recovered from the carrier table; a loading device that moves the electronic components to be tested from the supply stacker to the carrier table; and an unloading device that moves the electronic components that have completed testing from the carrier table to the recovery stacker. The access device brings the electronic components to be tested on the carrier table into the test chamber, and takes out the electronic components that have completed testing from the test chamber and moves them to the carrier table.

[0035] The carrier table is divided into a loading table for carrying electronic components to be tested and an unloading table for carrying electronic components that have completed testing, and is respectively equipped. Among them, it further includes: a mover that selectively positions the loading table at a loading position for carrying electronic components and an access position for bringing electronic components into or out of the test chamber by moving the loading table and the unloading table, and selectively positions the unloading table at the access position and an unloading position for unloading the electronic components. The loading device loads the electronic components to be tested onto the loading table located at the loading position, the unloading device unloads the electronic components that have completed testing from the unloading table located at the unloading position, and the access device brings the electronic components on the loading table located at the access position into the test chamber, and takes out the electronic components that have completed testing from the test chamber and moves them to the unloading table located at the access position.

[0036] The access hole is formed to open forward of the test chamber. The access position is located in front of the test chamber to correspond to the access hole. The loading position and the unloading position are separated by the access position and are divided on both sides.

[0037] At least one of the pickers configured to adsorb and pick up electronic components in the loading device, the unloading device, or the access device has a quadrilateral adsorption pad that can contact the electronic components between the outermost contour of the electronic components and the contour of the photosensitive area in the electronic components.

[0038] The test chamber has a lighting window for integrally arranging a lighting device that irradiates light on the opposite sides of the electronic component with a pressing device interposed therebetween. The light of the lighting device can be irradiated onto the electronic component electrically connected to the test socket through the pressing device.

[0039] The lighting device is integrally arranged in the test chamber in a layout form that allows the lens barrel of the lighting device to pass through the lighting window. The test chamber is equipped with a square opening and closing member for opening and closing the portion where the lens barrel is inserted into the lighting window.

[0040] The pressurizing device includes: a pressure plate configured to be movable; and a pusher disposed on the side of the pressure plate to pressurize or release the pressure on the electronic component according to the movement of the pressure plate. A first through-hole through which the light of the lighting device can pass is formed in the pressure plate, and a second through-hole through which the light passing through the first through-hole can pass and irradiate the electronic component is formed in the pusher at a position corresponding to the first through-hole.

[0041] By configuring the inner wall surface of the test chamber or the components arranged inside it to be made of a black material or coating the surface black, the darkening of the interior of the test chamber is enhanced.

[0042] The present invention has the following effects.

[0043] First, by isolating the interior of the test chamber from the external temperature environment or light to maximize darkening, the electronic component can be tested in an optimal test environment, thereby improving the reliability of the test.

[0044] Second, by minimizing the vibration transmitted to the electronic component under test due to the operation of the equipment, the electrical connection and optical recognition between the electronic component under test and the tester are stably maintained.

[0045] Third, since the movement of the pusher can be corrected, the relative position between the pusher and the electronic component becomes precise, ensuring the accuracy of the electrical connection between the electronic component and the tester.

[0046] Fourth, with the action of the damping component, the pressurizing impact applied to the electronic component by the pusher or the vibration or instantaneous impact during the operation of the equipment is minimized, thereby preventing the electronic component from being damaged due to impact and vibration.

[0047] Fifth, although the optical electronic component is picked up, no traces caused by the operation of the picking part are generated in the area of the photosensitive lens, thereby preventing product breakage or improving the reliability of the test. Sixth, the optical electronic component can also be optically tested in a live bug state, so automated processing of the optical electronic component can be performed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] Figure 1 is a reference diagram for explaining the test structure of the conventional optical electronic component.

[0049] Figure 2 is a conceptual plan view for explaining the movement of the electronic component in the sorter according to the present invention.

[0050] Figure 3It is a reference diagram for explaining the electrical connection structure of the electronic component and the tester according to the present invention.

[0051] Figure 4 It is a conceptual plan view for explaining the configuration of the sorter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] Figure 5 It is for the application to Figure 4 The intercepted view of the shuttle device.

[0053] Figure 6 It is a conceptual intercepted view of the loading pick-up robot applied to Figure 4 The sorter.

[0054] Figure 7 It is a reference diagram for explaining the adsorption pad applied to the loading pick-up robot.

[0055] Figure 8 It schematically shows the reference diagram of the test chamber applied to Figure 4 The sorter.

[0056] Figure 9 And Figure 10 It is for explaining Figure 8 The conceptual reference diagram of the configuration of the test chamber.

[0057] Figure 11 It is a reference diagram for explaining the anti-vibration component applied to Figure 4 The sorter.

[0058] Figure 12 It is a schematic intercepted view of the access device applied to Figure 4 The sorter.

[0059] Figure 13 It is a reference diagram for explaining the layout structure of the pressurizing device applied to Figure 4 The sorter.

[0060] Figure 14 And Figure 15 It is a schematic diagram of the pressurizing device applied to Figure 4 The sorter.

[0061] Figure 16 It is a reference diagram for explaining the structure of setting the pressure plate and the pusher in the Figure 14 Pressurizing device.

[0062] Figure 17 And Figure 18 It is a reference diagram for explaining the setting structure of the pusher of the pressurizing device applied to Figure 14 The sorter.

[0063] Figure 19And Figure 20 is a reference diagram for explaining the pressurization operation of the pusher of the pressurizing device by means of Figure 14 .

[0064] Figure 21 is a schematic cutaway perspective view of the lighting device of the sorter applied to Figure 4 .

[0065] Figure 22 And Figure 23 is a reference diagram for explaining the installation structure of the lighting device of Figure 21 .

[0066] Figure 24 is a schematic diagram for explaining the structure of the pressurizing device according to another example of the present invention.

[0067] Figure 25 is a reference diagram for explaining the technology for inspecting the loading state of electronic components on the loading table and unloading table of the sorter applied to Figure 4 .

[0068] Symbol Explanation

[0069] HR: Sorter for electronic component testing 100: Shuttle device

[0070] 110: Loading table 120: Unloading table

[0071] 130: Mover 210: Loading device

[0072] 211a: Pickup GP: Adsorption pad

[0073] 220: Unloading device 300: Test chamber

[0074] 10: Access hole 400: Opening / closing device

[0075] 500: Access device 600: Pressurizing device

[0076] 610: Pressurizing plate TH1: First through hole

[0077] 620: Pusher TH2: Second through hole

[0078] 660: Pressurizing drive source 700: Lighting device

[0079] SS: Supply stacker RS: Recycling stacker Detailed Description of the Invention

[0080] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the sake of simplicity of description, the description of substantially identical components will be omitted as much as possible.

[0081] <Description of the movement of electronic components>

[0082] Figure 2 It is a conceptual plan view for explaining the movement of electronic components in the sorting machine HR according to the present invention.

[0083] The electronic components are moved from the supply stacker SS to the supply position SP in the state of being loaded on the tray T, and then unloaded from the tray T in groups of four and moved from the supply position SP to the carry-in position IP. And, if the electronic components are moved from the carry-in position IP to the test position TP in the test chamber 300, the pressurizing device 600 operates to electrically connect the electronic components to the tester, and then the electronic components are tested. Here, a test socket for electrically connecting the electronic components and the tester is provided at the test position TP.

[0084] The electronic components that have completed the test are moved from the test position TP to the carry-out position OP, and then moved from the carry-out position OP to the recovery position RP and loaded on the tray T at the recovery position RP. And, during the process of loading the electronic components on the tray T at the recovery position RP, the electronic components are classified according to the test results. After that, if the tray T at the recovery position RP is filled with the electronic components that have completed the test, the electronic components are moved to the recovery stacker RS in the state of being loaded on the tray T. Of course, the carry-in position IP and the carry-out position OP can be bound as the access position, and further, according to the embodiment, the carry-in position IP and the carry-out position OP can be the same position.

[0085] Here, both the carry-in position IP and the carry-out position OP that constitute the access position are in front of the test chamber 300.

[0086] During the movement as described above, the electronic components maintain the live bug state, and the test is also realized in the live bug state.

[0087] <Description of the conceptual structure of the electrical connection between the electronic component and the tester>

[0088] According to the present invention, the electrical connection structure between the electronic components and the tester is as Figure 3 referenced in the conceptual structure diagram.

[0089] The socket board SB of the tester is maintained in the live bug state in such a way that it is arranged below the electronic component D at the test position TP, the terminal T1 of the test socket TS on the socket board SB faces upward, and the terminal T2 of the electronic component D faces downward. And, the pressurizing device 600 pressurizes the electronic component D downward, and at this time, the lighting element LE is arranged to irradiate light downward from above the electronic component D onto the upper surface of the electronic component D. Of course, the light irradiated by means of the lighting element LE is incident on the electronic component D through the condenser lens 650 that condenses it to the side of the electronic component D and then through the pressurizing device 600.

[0090] Furthermore, in the present invention, a test chamber 300 for blocking external interfering light is configured in consideration of the test of the electronic component D used for optical purposes, so that only the light irradiated by the lighting element LE is incident on the electronic component D, and the inside of the test chamber 300 is maintained in a dark room state to the maximum extent.

[0091] Next, the main configuration of the sorter HR according to the present invention will be described. The following is the order of description of the configuration: First, the main configuration of the sorter HR will be generally described mainly in terms of function, and then the main configuration will be selected and described in more detail.

[0092] <Description of the schematic composition of the sorter>

[0093] Figure 4 It is a conceptual plan view for explaining the configuration of the sorter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0094] The sorter HR according to the present embodiment includes a shuttle device 100, a supply stacker SS, a loading device 210, an unloading device 220, three recycling stackers RS, a test chamber 300, an opening / closing device 400, an access device 500, a pressurizing device 600, a lighting device 700, a conveyor 800, a vibration-proof member 900, and a control device CA.

[0095] The shuttle device 100 moves the electronic component D to be tested received from the loading device 210 from the loading position LP to the bringing-in position IP or moves the electronic component that has completed the test from the bringing-out position OP to the unloading position UP. For this purpose, the shuttle device 100 is provided in front of the test chamber 300 and includes, as Figure 5 shown, a loading table 110, an unloading table 120, and a mover 130.

[0096] The loading table 110 has four carrying slots G1 to carry four electronic components D at a time.

[0097] The unloading table 120 is provided to be spaced apart from the loading table 110 in the right direction of the loading table 110. Similarly, it has four carrying slots G2 to carry four electronic components D.

[0098] The above-mentioned loading table 110 and unloading table 120 are arranged to be combined together on a moving member ME and move together in the left-right direction, and both can be located in front of the test chamber 300.

[0099] The mover 130 moves the moving member ME in the left-right direction, and finally moves the loading table 110 and the unloading table 120 in the left-right direction. Therefore, the loading table 110 can be selectively located at the loading position LP or the bringing-in position IP by the operation of the mover 130, and the unloading table 120 can be selectively located at the bringing-out position OP or the unloading position UP.

[0100] For reference, in this embodiment, "loading" means that the electronic component D is carried onto the loading table 110, and "unloading" means that the electronic component is unloaded from the unloading table 120.

[0101] Moreover, the loading position LP is the position where the electronic component is carried onto the loading table 110, and the unloading position UP is the position where the electronic component is unloaded from the unloading table 120.

[0102] Furthermore, the bringing-in position IP is the position where the electronic component is brought into the test chamber 300, and the bringing-out position OP is the position where the electronic component is brought out from the test chamber 300. Here, as mentioned above, the bringing-in position IP and the bringing-out position OP can be generalized as the access position, the access position is in front of the test chamber 300, and the loading position LP and the unloading position UP are separated by the access position and are on both sides.

[0103] In this embodiment, it is intended to achieve smooth movement of the electronic component D by means of the shuttle device 100 equipped with the loading table 110 and the unloading table 120 that can move in the left-right direction. However, according to the actual implementation situation, it is also possible to achieve the movement of the electronic component D by equipping a fixed loading table and unloading table and expanding the operation ranges of the subsequent loading device 210, unloading device 220, and access device 500.

[0104] Moreover, in the present invention, in order to handle quickly, the respective independent loading table 110 and unloading table 120 are equipped. However, as mentioned above, in the case where the bringing-in position and the bringing-out position follow the same modification example, it is possible to preferably consider the case of only equipping one loading table that can be compatible with the loading table and the unloading table. Similarly, although one loading table can be configured to be movable, it is also entirely possible to consider the case of being fixedly equipped. In this case, the process of separately passing through the loading position and the unloading position can be omitted.

[0105] That is, although Figure 5 the shuttle device 100 applied in this embodiment realizes smooth movement of the electronic component D by means of the movable tables 110, 120, the present invention does not exclude any movement methods for bringing the electronic component D into or out of the test chamber 300 that are deformed from or different from the above examples.

[0106] The supply application stacker SS is equipped to carry the tray T loaded with the electronic component D to be tested. Here, according to the actual implementation method, the operation of carrying the tray T by the supply application stacker SS can be realized manually by an operator or automatically by an automated server.

[0107] The loading device 210 loads the electronic component D to be tested onto the loading table 110 at the loading position LP. For this purpose, the loading device 210 includes a loading pick-up robot 211 and a supply transferrer 212.

[0108] The loading pick-up robot 211 unloads the electronic components D from the trays T located at the supply position SP in groups of four and loads them onto the loading table 110 at the loading position LP.

[0109] The supply transferrer 212 takes out the trays T located in the supply stacker SS one by one and moves them to the supply position SP.

[0110] The unloading device 220 unloads the electronic components D that have completed the test from the unloading table 120 and loads them onto the trays T located at the recovery position RP, and moves the trays T located at the recovery position RP to the recovery stacker RS. For this purpose, the unloading device 220 includes an unloading pick-up robot 221 and a recovery transferrer 222.

[0111] The unloading pick-up robot 221 may have the same configuration as the loading pick-up robot 211, and may unload the electronic components D that have completed the test and have been moved from the bringing-out position OP to the unloading position UP from the unloading table 120 and load them onto the trays T located at the recovery position RP. During this process, the electronic components D are classified according to their test results and move to the trays T located at their respective recovery positions RP.

[0112] The recovery transferrer 222 moves the trays T filled with the electronic components D that have completed the test from the recovery position RP to the recovery stacker RS.

[0113] The recovery stacker RS is configured to carry the trays T from the respective corresponding recovery positions RP.

[0114] The test chamber 300 encloses its interior so that the electronic components D received at the test position TP can be tested in the required environment during the test. Such a test chamber 300 includes an access hole 10 that opens forward. Here, the access hole 10 serves as a passage for moving the electronic components D at the bringing-in position IP to the test position TP or moving the electronic components D at the test position TP to the bringing-out position OP. Therefore, the bringing-in position IP and the bringing-out position OP are located in front of the access hole 10 to correspond to the access hole 10.

[0115] The opening and closing device 400 opens and closes the access hole 10 located in the test chamber 300. Accordingly, if the access hole 10 is opened, the electronic component D can be brought into the interior of the test chamber 300 or taken out of the test chamber 300. If the access hole 10 is closed, the interior of the test chamber 300 is sealed. Since the interior of the test chamber 300 is enclosed, a suitable test environment can be maintained inside the test chamber 300. In particular, a dark room can be formed that can appropriately implement the test of the electronic component D produced for optical use. Of course, even if the electronic component D to be tested is not for optical use, in the case where a specific temperature environment is required for testing, due to the closure of the access hole 10, the interior of the test chamber 300 can be isolated from the external temperature environment, and it becomes easy to manage the interior of the test chamber 300 as a specific temperature environment.

[0116] The access device 500 moves the electronic component D carried on the loading table 110 located at the loading position IP to the test position TP inside the test chamber 300, or moves the electronic component D located at the test position TP to the unloading table 120 located at the unloading position OP. That is, in the past, electronic components were brought into or taken out of the test chamber by a shuttle table, but in the present invention, it is realized that the electronic component D is brought into the test chamber 300 or taken out of the test chamber 300 through the access hole 10 that opens forward by the access device 500 that can pick up or release the pick-up of the electronic component D.

[0117] The pressing device 600 presses the electronic component D to be tested located at the test position TP downward, so that the electronic component D is electrically connected to the test slot TS of the slot board SB located below.

[0118] The lighting device 700 is provided to irradiate light on the upper surface of the electronic component D located at the test position TP.

[0119] The conveyor 800 can transfer the tray T on which all the electronic components D are unloaded at the supply position SP to the recycling position RP and so on. For reference, if a storage stacker capable of storing empty trays is provided between the supply stacker SS and the recycling stacker RS, the conveyor 800 will also play the role of transferring the empty tray transferred from the storage stacker to the rear to the recycling position RP or moving the tray emptied at the supply position SP to the rear of the stacker.

[0120] The four vibration damping components 900 support the test chamber 300 and suppress the vibration transmitted to the test chamber 300 due to the operation of the sorter HR.

[0121] The control device CA controls the above components.

[0122] Next, the pick-up robot 211 for loading, the test chamber 300, the access device 500, the pressurizing device 600, and the lighting device 700, which have the main features of the present invention in the above configuration, will be described in more detail.

[0123] <Description of the loading pick-up robot>

[0124] The pick-up robot 211 for loading picks up the electronic components D in groups of four from the tray T located at the supply position SP and then moves and carries them to the loading table 110. For this purpose, as schematically shown Figure 6 in the sectional view, the pick-up robot 211 for loading includes four pickers 211a, a lifter 211b, an X-axis mover 211c, and a Y-axis mover 211d.

[0125] The four pickers 211a are arranged in a 2×2 array form and can pick up or release the pick-up of the electronic components D by vacuum pressure adsorption. Different from the circular adsorption pads equipped as adsorption pick-up components in the conventional sorter, the picker 211a of the present invention has a quadrilateral adsorption pad GP. Here, the reason will be described in more detail.

[0126] It is obvious that pick-up failure will occur as long as a part of the adsorption pad GP in contact with the electronic component D is located in the area where it is separated from the surface of the electronic component D. Therefore, the position where the adsorption pad GP contacts the electronic component D needs to consider various structural tolerances or operation errors. And in the case of the electronic component D produced for optical use, the adsorption pad GP in contact with the electronic component D should be separated from the photosensitive area. Therefore, the adsorption pad GP should contact the electronic component D between the outer edge of the electronic component D and the photosensitive area, and not only should it not exceed the edge of the electronic component D under various tolerances and operation errors within the allowable range, but it is also necessary to keep the maximum distance from the photosensitive area.

[0127] Figure 7 (a) of Figure 7 (b) of shows the current quadrilateral adsorption pad GP1 and the existing circular adsorption pad GP2 in contact with the electronic component D.

[0128] Unlike the quadrilateral suction pad GP1, there is a narrow gap between a partial area of the circular suction pad GP2 and the photosensitive area SA. Therefore, there is a risk that the suction pad GP2 may contact the photosensitive area SA due to various structural tolerances and operating errors, and thus pickup traces may remain on the photosensitive area SA. If pickup traces remain on the photosensitive area SA, it may not only lead to a decline in the commercial quality of the product or require a dedicated washing process, but also cause test errors due to the pickup traces. However, if the radius of the circular suction pad GP2 is increased for this reason, there is a risk that a partial area of the suction pad GP2 may deviate from the edge of the electronic component D due to various structural tolerances or operating errors.

[0129] Therefore, as Figure 7 (a) of, the pickup 211a of the sorter HR according to the present invention is designed to have a quadrilateral shape as the pickup part that contacts the surface of the electronic component D. In this way, by making the suction pad GP1 have a quadrilateral shape, the suction pad GP1 can contact the electronic component D between the outermost contour of the electronic component D and the outer contour of the photosensitive area SA under various structural tolerances or operating errors.

[0130] The lifter 211b lowers or raises the four pickups 221a to a position where the pickup 211a can pick up or release the electronic component D, or to a position where the electronic component D can be moved.

[0131] The X-axis mover 211c finally moves the pickup 211a to a position in the X-axis direction (left and right direction) where the pickup 211a can pick up or release the electronic component by moving the pickup 211a in the X-axis direction.

[0132] The Y-axis mover 211d moves the pickup 211a to a position in the Y-axis direction (front and back direction) where the pickup 211a can pick up or release the electronic component by moving the pickup 211a in the Y-axis direction.

[0133] In addition, the unloading pickup robot 221 is substantially the same as the loading pickup robot 211 except for moving the electronic component D from the unloading table 120 to the tray T, so its description is omitted.

[0134] <Description of the test chamber and the vibration isolation components>

[0135] As Figure 8 In the schematic sectional view of, the test chamber 300 has an access hole 10 that opens forward. The access hole 10 serves as a passage for bringing the electronic component into the interior of the test chamber 300 or taking the electronic component D out of the interior of the test chamber 300.

[0136] In the prior art, an inlet hole for bringing in electronic components is provided on the left side wall of the test chamber, and an outlet hole for taking out electronic components is provided on the right side wall of the test chamber. However, in the present invention, only one access hole 10 for bringing in and taking out the electronic component D is formed in the front side wall of the test chamber 300, and the access hole 10 is also configured to be completely closed by an opening / closing device 400. Here, the access hole 10 has a left-right width corresponding to both the inlet position IP and the outlet position OP and is compatible with them.

[0137] Thus, according to the present invention, even if only the access hole 10 is formed in the front side wall of the test chamber 300, by arranging the loading table 110 and the unloading table 120 at the inlet position IP and the outlet position OP in front of the access hole 10 respectively, an appropriate logistics of the electronic component D can be achieved.

[0138] That is, in the case of the sorter HR according to the present embodiment, like most existing sorters, a loading structure is arranged in the left region and an unloading structure is arranged in the right region. Therefore, the electronic component D has a process of moving from the left region of the sorter HR to the right region after passing through the test position TP. Therefore, by forming the access hole 10 in the front side wall of the test chamber 300 and arranging a shuttle device 100 in front of the test chamber 300, the loading table 110 and the unloading table 120 can be located in front of the access hole 10, thereby achieving an efficient movement of the electronic component. Of course, the present invention is mainly characterized in that the electronic component D is brought into the interior of the test chamber 300 or taken out of the test chamber 300 through one access hole 10. Therefore, the present invention does not exclude the case where the access hole is formed in one of the left and right side walls of the test chamber by changing the movement process of the electronic component D.

[0139] A pressing device 600 for pressing the electronic component D downward is arranged inside the test chamber 300 as described above, and a slot board SB of a test slot TS equipped with a tester TESTER is coupled to the lower side thereof.

[0140] Moreover, an illumination window SW required for irradiating light to the electronic component D is formed in the upper side wall of the test chamber 300. In the illumination window SW, an illumination device 700 is coupled and arranged in the test chamber 300 in a form in which its lens barrel passes through. As Figure 9Referring to the plan view, a quadrilateral closed portion 721 is provided in the lens barrel 720, and the illumination device 700 is combined with the test chamber 300 in a state where the closed portion 721 is inserted into the illumination window SW. However, even if there is a quadrilateral closed portion 721 in the lens barrel, in order to easily set the illumination device 700 or easily perform maintenance as described later by rotating and lifting the lens barrel 720, the planar area of the closed portion 721 needs to be smaller than the planar area of the illumination window SW. Therefore, even when the closed portion 721 is inserted into the illumination window SW, the entire illumination window SW cannot be closed. For this reason, the test chamber 300 is provided with four opening and closing members 311 to 314 for closing the front, rear, left, and right sides of the quadrilateral closed portion 721, which is the portion inserted into the illumination window SW. And as Figure 10 shown, the opening and closing members 311 to 314 close the area where the closed portion 721 is opened in the front, rear, left, and right directions by folding and rotating. Of course, although the case where the opening and closing members 311 to 314 are folded and rotated is shown in this embodiment, according to the actual implementation, it is also entirely possible to make the opening and closing members close the area opened in the front, rear, left, and right directions by means of a sliding method or a disassembly and assembly combination, etc. The opening and closing operations of the opening and closing members 311 to 314 can be selectively implemented to be automatically completed or manually completed by using an electric driving force.

[0141] In addition, the bottom plate DP of the test chamber 300 can be provided with a vibration-proof member 900 and combined with the substrate BP of the sorter HR. The provision of the vibration-proof member 900 is for suppressing the vibration transmitted to the test chamber 300 along with the operation of the sorter HR. Such a vibration-proof member 900 can be provided to be capable of contracting and expanding. Therefore, when the vibration-proof member 900 contracts as shown in (a) of Figure 11 , the test chamber 300 is in a state of being integrally fixed to the substrate BP, and when the vibration-proof member expands as shown in (b) of Figure 11 , the test chamber 300 can be slightly lifted and moved relative to the substrate BP. For this purpose, the vibration-proof member 900 can be prepared as a mechanism capable of contracting and expanding (for example, a spring or other elastic members such as rubber), but considering the design interference with other component parts, etc., it is preferably considered to be equipped with a hydraulic cylinder that can elastically contract and expand by the self-driving force of the pressure of a fluid such as air or liquid (water or oil, etc.).

[0142] Next, the contraction and expansion of the vibration-proof member 900 will be further described.

[0143] When the electronic component D is brought into or taken out of the interior of the test chamber 300, since the relative position change between the loading and unloading device 500 and the test chamber 300 can be suppressed, it is necessary to maintain as shown in Figure 11The vibration-proof member 900 in (a) contracts, and while the test chamber 300 descends, the substrate BP and the test chamber 300 are fixed to each other as a single body. Since the access device 500 is directly or indirectly fixedly provided on the substrate BP side, only when the substrate BP and the test chamber 300 are fixed as a single body can the relative positional change between the access device 500 and the test chamber 300 be prohibited, thereby accurately achieving the picking up and releasing of the electronic component D performed in the test chamber 300 by the access device 500.

[0144] However, when testing the electronic component D, it is necessary to prevent poor electrical connection between the electronic component D and the test slot TS caused by vibrations that may be transmitted from the substrate BP to the test chamber 300 during the operation of the sorter HR during the test. Therefore, since it is necessary to minimize the transfer of the operating shock of other components to the test chamber 300, the vibration-proof member 900 expands as in Figure 11 (b) so that the test chamber 300 rises, whereby the test chamber 300 is made into a state where it can move slightly relative to the substrate BP. That is, by expanding the vibration-proof member 900, the vibration-proof member 900 is made into a state where it elastically supports the test chamber 300 relative to the substrate BP.

[0145] Of course, since the pressurizing device 600, the lighting device 700, and the slot board SB coupled to the test chamber 300 move together with the test chamber 300, even if the test chamber 300 moves relative to the substrate BP, the relative positions among the test chamber 300, the pressurizing device 600, the lighting device 700, and the slot board SB are always fixed. With this coupling structure, even if vibrations occur due to the operation of other components, since the vast majority of the vibrations are absorbed by the vibration-proof member 900 when transmitted to the test chamber 300 side, the electrical connection between the electronic component D and the test slot TS can be stably maintained. In addition to this function, the vibration-proof member 900 also has the function of preventing in advance the situation where the reliability of the test results is lost due to optical distortion caused by vibrations.

[0146] In this way, according to the sorter HR of the present invention, when an operation of bringing in or taking out the electronic component D is required, the test chamber 300 can be integrally fixed to the substrate BP, and when testing the electronic component D, the stability of the operation and the test can be achieved by providing the vibration-proof member 900 that can move the test chamber 300 relative to the substrate BP.

[0147] Moreover, in order to accurately pick up or release the electronic component D by the access device 500 inside the test chamber 300, it is necessary to achieve the integral combination of the test chamber 300 and the substrate BP at the accurate position when the vibration-proof member 900 contracts, and also to prevent the relative horizontal vibration of the test chamber 300 with respect to the substrate BP, etc. For this purpose, as in Figure 11As shown in reference, in this embodiment, an insertion hole H is formed in the bottom plate DP of the test chamber 300, and a calibration projection CP is provided on the substrate BP. Accordingly, when the vibration isolation member 900 contracts, the calibration projection CP is inserted into the insertion hole H to achieve accurate positioning of the test chamber 300. Of course, according to actual implementation, a calibration projection may also be provided in the test chamber and an insertion hole may be formed in the substrate. Even if it is not the structure of the calibration projection and the insertion hole, other different calibration means capable of correcting the position of the test chamber when it moves downward can be fully considered.

[0148] In the present embodiment as described above, when the hydraulic cylinder is used as the vibration isolation member 900 and the vibration isolation member 900 expands, the accurate rising height of the test chamber 300 becomes unclear. Therefore, as Figure 11 shown in reference, by forming a separate stopper S on the substrate BP to limit the rising height of the test chamber 300, the test chamber 300 rises only by a predetermined height.

[0149] <Description of the access device>

[0150] The access device 500 brings the electronic component D into the interior of the test chamber 300 or takes it out from the interior of the test chamber 300. For this purpose, as Figure 12 shown, the access device 500 includes a loading pick-up rod 510 for bringing in, a pick-up rod 520 for taking out, a first elevator 530, a second elevator 540, an X-axis mover 550, a Z-axis mover 560, and a Y-axis mover 570.

[0151] The loading pick-up rod 510 has four pick-up heads 511 for picking up four electronic components D located on the loading table 110 at the loading position IP and moving them to the test slot TS.

[0152] The pick-up rod 520 for taking out has four pick-up heads 521 for picking up four electronic components D located in the test slot TS and moving them to the loading table 120 at the take-out position OP.

[0153] Similarly, the pick-up heads 511 and 521 respectively provided on the loading pick-up rod 510 and the pick-up rod 520 for taking out should preferably be provided with quadrilateral adsorption pads for preventing contact with the photosensitive area of the electronic component D.

[0154] Moreover, by configuring the loading pick-up rod 510 and the pick-up rod 520 for taking out to have a shape elongated backward and a very narrow vertical width, they can appropriately access between the pressurizing device 600 and the slot board SB located inside the test chamber 300.

[0155] The first lifter 530 and the second lifter 540 are provided to enable the two pick-up bars 510 and 520 to pick up or unpick up the electronic components D at a suitable height. The first lifter 530 lifts the pick-in pick-up bar 510, and the second lifter 540 lifts the pick-out pick-up bar 520. Such first lifter 530 and second lifter 540 are preferably implemented so that the two pick-up bars 510 and 520 can pick up or unpick up the electronic components D independently of each other by operating independently of each other.

[0156] The X-axis mover 550 moves the two pick-up bars 510 and 520 in the left-right direction, which is the X-axis direction.

[0157] The Z-axis mover 560 simultaneously moves the two pick-up bars 510 and 520 in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the reason why the Z-axis mover 570 is independently configured from the first lifter 530 and the second lifter 540 is to minimize the height of the portion passing through the access hole 10, thereby preventing interference with other components. Therefore, in the absence of such a possibility, the lifting distance of the two pick-up bars 510 and 520 can be adjusted by using the first lifter 530 and the second lifter 540, and the Z-axis mover 570 can be omitted.

[0158] The Y-axis mover 570 moves the two pick-up bars 510 and 520 in the front-rear direction as the Y-axis direction. According to the operation of the Y-axis mover 570, the pick-ups 511 and 522 of the two pick-up bars 510 and 520 can move backward through the access hole 10 to enter the interior of the test chamber 300 or move forward to leave the test chamber 300.

[0159] <Description of the pressurizing device>

[0160] The pressurizing device 600 presses the electronic component D placed in the test slot TS downward to electrically connect the electronic component D to the tester. Figure 13 Referring to the schematic diagram of , the pressurizing device 600 is configured to be arranged inside the test chamber 300, an illuminating device 700 is arranged on the upper side of the pressurizing device 600, and a slot board SB is arranged on the lower side of the pressurizing device 600.

[0161] like Figure 14 The bottom stereogram and Figure 15 As shown in the planar stereoscopic view of , the pressurizing device 600 includes a pressurizing plate 610 , four pushers 620 , a setting rod 630 , a damping component 640 , a collecting lens 650 , and a pressurizing driving source 660 .

[0162] The pressure plate 610 is configured to be movable up and down. A pusher 620 and a damping member 640 are provided below the pressure plate 610, such that the pusher 620 and the damping member 640 move up and down together with the lifting of the pressure plate 610. Moreover, a first through hole TH1 through which light from the lighting device 700 can pass is formed in the pressure plate 610.

[0163] When the pressure plate 610 moves downward, the pressing portion P protruding downward from the lower surface of the pusher 620 contacts the electronic component D and presses the electronic component D downward, thereby electrically connecting the electronic component D to the test socket TS. When the pressure plate 610 moves upward, the pressing force on the electronic component D is released. Such a pusher 620 has a second through hole TH2 for allowing the light passing through the first through hole TH1 to pass through the pusher 620 and irradiate the electronic component D. Moreover, a pair of calibration holes CH for calibrating the position of the pusher 620 are formed outside the second through hole TH2 and open toward the electronic component D side. Through such a second through hole TH2 and the aforementioned first through hole TH1, the light of the lighting device 700 can pass through the pressing device 600 and irradiate the electronic component D electrically connected to the test socket TS.

[0164] The setting rod 630 is configured as a setting member for movably coupling the pusher 620 to the pressure plate 610.

[0165] Different from the existing sorter, an important feature of the sorter HR according to the present invention is that the pusher 620 is movably disposed on the pressure plate 610. In this regard, reference is made to Figure 16 a schematic conceptual diagram to illustrate the structure in which the pusher 620 is disposed on the pressure plate 610.

[0166] Referring to the Figure 16 schematic diagram shown in exaggerated form, a setting hole IH is provided in the pressure plate 610, and the setting hole IH has a shape in which the width gradually narrows downward in the direction where the electronic component D is located.

[0167] Moreover, in the setting rod 630, the head at one upper side thereof has a shape corresponding to the shape of the setting hole IH and is inserted into the setting hole IH, and the main body portion at the other lower side thereof passes through the setting hole IH, so that the lower end is fixedly coupled to the pusher 620. That is, in order to preferably apply the present invention, different from the main body portion of the setting rod 630, the outer diameter of the head of the setting rod 630 gradually increases upward, and the inclination angle of such a head shape should be at least partially consistent with the inclination angle of the setting hole IH. Moreover, more preferably, the length of the inclined surface of the head of the setting rod 630 can be made longer than the length formed by the inclined surface of the setting hole IH.

[0168] Therefore, as Figure 17, it is set such that if an external force F is applied upward to the pusher 620, the pusher 620 and the setting rod 630 can move slightly upward in the opposite direction to the direction where the electronic component D is located relative to the pressure plate 610. Of course, if the external force F applied upward is removed, the pusher 620 will drop due to its own gravity. In this way, the pusher 620 is coupled via the setting rod 630 so as to be able to move up and down relative to the pressure plate 610. That is, it can be seen that this feature can be particularly effectively applied to a vertical sorting machine in which the pressing force applied to the electronic component acts in the vertical direction.

[0169] And, as Figure 17 shown, when the pusher 620 is lifted, a gap is generated between the inner surface of the setting hole IH and the upper part of the setting rod 630, so that the pusher 620 can move slightly in the horizontal direction. Of course, in order for the pusher 620 to move in the horizontal direction, the minimum inner diameter of the setting hole IH should be larger than the outer diameter of the part of the setting rod 630 passing through the setting hole IH. That is, in the main body part of the setting rod 630, the outer diameter of the area inserted into the setting hole IH should be smaller than the minimum inner diameter of the setting hole IH. In this way, the setting rod 630 is a setting component for setting the pusher 620 to the pressure plate 610. Accordingly, when an external force F acts on the pusher 620, the pusher 620 moves upward in the opposite direction (the first direction) to the direction where the electronic component D is located relative to the pressure plate 610, and after the upward movement, it becomes a state where it can move in the second direction (the horizontal direction) perpendicular to the first direction.

[0170] As described above, according to the present invention, there is a structure in which the pusher 620 moves up and down relative to the pressure plate 610 and can be set on the pressure plate 610 so as to be able to move slightly horizontally in the lifted state. And this structure enables the following two appropriate operations. One is that it is possible to protect the electronic component D (especially the glass - made component part in the electronic component D) from excessive pressing force of the pusher 60, and the other is that by pressing the electronic component D at an accurate position by the pusher 620, the electrical connection between the electronic component D and the test socket TS can be accurately achieved.

[0171] The damping member 640 is configured to act organically with the lift - able structure of the aforementioned pusher 620 to protect the electronic component D from various impacts or vibrations. That is, the damping member 640 functions to absorb the impacts and vibrations that may be transmitted to the electronic component D.

[0172] The damping member 640 elastically supports the pusher 620 relative to the pressure plate in a suitable manner so that the pusher 620 does not press the electronic component D with excessive pressing force. For this purpose, the damping member 640 can be equipped with a hydraulic cylinder that can instantaneously elastically compress and expand. Such a damping member 640 slightly elastically supports the pusher 620 relative to the pressure plate 610 by means of fluid pressure. Therefore, in the case where the electronic component D would be subjected to excessive pressing force due to the lowering of the pressure plate 610, part of the impact force and pressing force applied to the electronic component D can also be eliminated by the compression of the damping member 640 causing the pusher 620 to rise (actually remain stationary) relative to the pressure plate 610 accordingly. Therefore, as long as this function can be achieved, although the damping member 640 can be equipped with an elastic member such as a spring that can be elastically compressed or restored, since excessive compression will reduce the pressing force, more preferably, a mechanism with a small compression ratio such as a hydraulic cylinder (a cylinder that can operate with fluids such as air and liquid) is adopted. Of course, in order to prevent the first through hole TH1 and the second through hole TH2 located at corresponding positions from blocking each other, the damping member 640 is provided at a position offset from the first through hole TH1 and the second through hole TH2. For this purpose, in the present embodiment, as shown in the schematic diagram of Figure 18 , there is a structure in which a pair of damping members 640 support one pusher 620 on both sides of the second through hole TH2. And in the present embodiment, it is implemented such that one side (upper side) of the damping member 640 is joined to the lower surface of the pressure plate 610, and the other side (lower side) contacts or does not contact the upper surface of the pusher 620 at corresponding positions according to different situations. Therefore, in the case where the pusher 620 rises, the damping member 640 and the pusher 620 will contact, and in the case where the pusher 620 descends, the damping member 640 and the pusher 620 will be separated.

[0173] If, as shown in the conceptual diagram (a) of Figure 19 which is exaggeratedly shown, in the state where the pusher 620 fully presses the electronic component D and the pressure plate 610 still needs to descend, the pusher 620 is lifted relative to the pressure plate 610 to a corresponding extent as shown in Figure 19 (b) by the compression of the damping member 640. That is, when the protruding pressing portion P of the pusher 620 contacts the electronic component D during the descent of the pressure plate 610, the pusher 620 receives an upward acting force, whereby the damping member 640 is compressed and the pusher 620 rises relative to the pressure plate 610. Therefore, the excessive pressing force applied when the pusher 620 contacts the electronic component D is absorbed by the damping member 640 to protect the electronic component D.

[0174] Furthermore, impacts that may be instantaneously generated due to vibrations during the test are also absorbed by the damping member 640, thereby safely protecting the electronic component D. Here, the damping member 640 absorbs the remaining vibrations or impacts that most of the vibration-proof member 900 cannot absorb, thereby achieving a stable electrical connection between the electronic component D and the test socket TS. Thus, from the perspective of absorbing vibrations or impacts that can be transmitted to the electronic component D, the aforementioned vibration-proof member 900 functions as a first vibration transmission prevention member, and the damping member 640 functions as a second vibration transmission prevention member.

[0175] Viewing the damping member 640 in another direction, the damping member 640 also has the function of a limiting member that limits the movement distance of the pusher 620 when the pusher 610 moves upward relative to the pressing plate 610 due to an external force F. Therefore, the pusher 620 can press the electronic component D with an appropriate pressing force.

[0176] In addition, further referring to Figure 19 , for the correction hole CH formed in the upper pusher 620, a correction pin PP is provided at a position of the test socket TS of the socket board SB corresponding to the correction hole CH of the pusher 620. And the correction hole CH and the correction pin PP act together organically with the liftable structure of the pusher 620 to accurately set the position between the pusher 620 and the test socket TS.

[0177] To achieve accurate positioning of the pusher 620, the upper part of the correction pin PP has a generally pointed shape with a width gradually narrowing upward. If the pressing plate 610 descends in a state where the positions between the pusher 620 and the test socket TS are not accurately aligned, as shown in (a) of Figure 20 , when the pusher 620 descends and is inserted into the correction hole CH starting from the upper end of the correction pin PP, the upper end of the correction pin PP is slightly inserted into the correction hole CH in a state where it does not exactly match the correction hole CH. At this time, the pusher 620 is slightly lifted due to the resistance of the correction pin PP, thereby enabling the horizontal movement of the pusher 620. That is, if the upper end of the correction pin PP is inserted into the correction hole CH in a state where the positions between the pusher 620 and the test socket TS (or between the pusher and the electronic component) are inaccurate, the pusher 620 will rise relative to the pressing plate 610 due to the resistance of the correction pin PP, and then the pusher 620 will move horizontally due to the horizontal movement force from the inclined surface of the pointed shape at the upper end of the correction pin PP. Therefore, as shown in (b) of Figure 20 , the position between the pusher 620 and the test socket TS is accurately set, and in this state, the pusher 620 further descends to press the electronic component D.

[0178] As described above, the present invention is proposed in consideration of the optical electronic component D having a fragile glass material on its surface. Through the accurate positioning between the pusher 620 and the electronic component D, accurate electrical connection is achieved by accurate pressing while avoiding the generation of pressing marks. Further, the contact shock or vibration shock applied through the pusher 620 is maximally suppressed from being applied to the electronic component D. Of course, even so, there is no reason for the structure of the present invention to be only applied to the sorting machine HR for testing the optical electronic component D, and the required components can also be selectively applied to all other sorting machines as needed.

[0179] In addition, the condenser lens 650 condenses the light from the lighting device 700 and irradiates it onto the electronic component D, and is provided on the upper side of the pressing plate 610.

[0180] The pressing drive source 660 raises and lowers the pressing plate 610, so that the electronic component D is pressed or depressurized through the pusher 620.

[0181] <Description of the lighting device>

[0182] The lighting device 700 is combined with the test chamber 300 in a structure in which the lens barrel 720 is inserted into the lighting window SW on the upper side of the test chamber 300 in order to irradiate light onto the upper surface of the electronic component D.

[0183] As Figure 21 In the intercepted view of, the lighting device 700 is configured such that the lighting unit 710 and the lens barrel 720 are integrated.

[0184] The lighting part 710 is the part equipped with the lighting element as the light source for irradiating light.

[0185] The lens barrel 720 induces the light irradiated through the lighting element to be concentrated and irradiated in the side direction of the electronic component D. For this purpose, the lower part of the lens barrel 720 is located inside the test chamber 300 and above the pressing plate 610. And, as mentioned before, the lens barrel 720 has the closed part 721 inserted into the lighting window SW.

[0186] Such a lighting device 700 should be set to be movable up and down and rotatable. This is because it is necessary to easily combine the lighting device 700 with the test chamber 300 or to lift the lower part of the lens barrel 720 for the maintenance of the lighting element or the lens barrel 720. For this purpose, the lighting device 700 is combined with the test chamber 300 by providing the support frame SF, and the support frame SF is composed of a fixed part fP and a rotating part rP.

[0187] The fixed part fP is fixed to the bottom plate DP of the test chamber 300, and the rotating part fP is configured to rotate about the left - right horizontal axis so that the lower side can be lifted.

[0188] Obviously, the lighting device 700 is configured to be coupled to the rotating part rP, and if the rotating part rP rotates, the lighting device 700 rotates together, whereby the lower part of the lighting device 700 is lifted. Also, the lighting device 700 is coupled to the rotating part rP in a vertically movable manner.

[0189] Therefore, in the case of detaching the lighting device 700 from the test chamber 300, first, the opening / closing members 311 to 314 are operated to fully open the lighting window SW to the maximum extent. And by raising the lighting device 700 as shown, interference between the lighting device 700 and the upper side part of the test chamber 300 during rotation is avoided. Then, the lighting device 700 is rotated as shown, and the lower part of the lens barrel 720 is completely lifted. Similarly, when the lighting device 700 is coupled and installed in the test chamber 300, the operation is performed in the reverse process described above. Figure 22 shown to raise the lighting device 700 to avoid interference between the lighting device 700 and the upper side part of the test chamber 300 during rotation, and then, as Figure 23 shown, the lighting device 700 is rotated to completely lift the lower part of the lens barrel 720. Similarly, when the lighting device 700 is coupled and installed in the test chamber 300, the operation is performed in the reverse process described above.

[0190] As described above, the lighting device 700 according to the present invention has a structure that irradiates light toward the electronic component D above the opposite side of the electronic component D located below, with the pressurizing device 600 interposed therebetween.

[0191] As a reference, although the rotation and vertical movement of the lighting device 700 are preferably realized to be automatically achievable, it is also entirely possible to consider manual operation by an operator.

[0192] <Operation instructions>

[0193] The mover 212 is used to take out the tray T from the stacker SS and transfer it to the supply position SP. Thus, the loading pick-up robot 211 picks up four electronic components D from the tray T located at the supply position SP and loads them onto the loading table 110 located at the loading position LP. Then, the shuttle device 100 is operated to move the loading table 110 to the carry-in position IP and the unloading table 120 to the carry-out position OP. At the same time, the carry-out pick-up rod 520 of the access device 500 stands by in a state of taking out the tested electronic component D from the test slot TS, and then, when the unloading table 120 reaches the carry-out position OP, loads the picked-up electronic component D onto the unloading table 120. Also, the access device 500 picks up the electronic component D to be tested on the loading table 110 using the carry-in pick-up rod 520 and supplies the picked-up electronic component to the test slot.

[0194] In addition, if the electronic component D to be tested is emptied from the loading stage 110 and the unloading stage 120 is filled with the electronic components D that have completed the test, the shuttle component 100 operates to move the unloading stage 120 to the unloading position UP. Accordingly, the unloading pick-up robot 221 works to move the electronic components from the unloading stage 120 to the empty tray T located at the recycling position RP. At this time, the electronic components D are classified according to the test results. Finally, if the tray T located at the recycling position is filled with the electronic components D that have completed the test, the recycling conveyor 222 operates to move the tray T filled with the electronic components D that have completed the test from the recycling position RP to the recycling stacker RS.

[0195] In the above process, when the electronic component D is brought into or taken out of the test chamber 300, the anti-vibration component 900 contracts to maintain the state where the test chamber 300 is integrally fixed to the substrate BP, and when the electronic component D is being tested, the anti-vibration component 900 expands to become a state where the test chamber 300 is movably coupled to the substrate BP.

[0196] Also, during the process of pressing the electronic component D, the lifting structure of the pusher 620, the damping component 640, etc. also work to achieve accurate and stable pressing of the electronic component D.

[0197] <Description of other supplementary compositions>

[0198] 1. Additional description of the pusher

[0199] It is also preferably considered to further protect the electronic component D from contact shock or vibration shock by providing an adsorption pad for connection under the pressing portion P of the pusher 620 or by coating or bonding a resin material softer than the metal such as a film.

[0200] 2. Additional description of the pressing device

[0201] Although the pusher 620 is implemented to be able to lift and move horizontally in the above embodiment, as long as the position of the pusher 620 is accurately set all the time, only the lifting movement of the pusher 620 can be considered.

[0202] Figure 24 A structure is shown in which a damping component 640 is provided between the pressing plate 610 and the pusher 620 to elastically support the pusher 620 with respect to the pressing plate 610. In this way, if the pusher 620 is provided on the side of the pressing plate 610 with the damping component 640 in between, although there is no horizontal movement of the pusher 620, elastic lifting movement of the pusher 620 can be performed, so that the electronic component D can be protected from the pressing force or shock applied to the electronic component D due to the pusher 620 or through the pusher 620.

[0203] 3. Camera for testing slot inspection

[0204] According to the actual implementation, a camera for inspecting whether an electronic component is accurately installed in the test slot TS or whether there is a defect in the test slot TS can also be additionally configured.

[0205] 4. Slot cleaner

[0206] The sorter HR according to the present invention can be equipped with a slot cleaner in the shape of an electronic component D. In the case where a slot cleaner is equipped, if the test for the electronic component D is completed a predetermined number of times, the sorter HR supplies the slot cleaner to the test slot TS and operates the pressurizing device 600. Accordingly, foreign matter in the test slot TS adheres to the adhesive surface of the slot cleaner and falls off, thereby cleaning the test slot TS.

[0207] 5. Loading table and unloading table inspection device

[0208] As Figure 25 shown, the sorter HR according to the present invention can be equipped with an inspection device for inspecting whether the loading table 110 or the unloading table 120 carrying grooves G1 / G2 carry the electronic component D. Here, the inspection device can be configured as a light-emitting sensor LS that irradiates light and a light-receiving sensor RS that senses light.

[0209] 6. Darkening of the test chamber

[0210] The present invention particularly relates to a technology that can be suitably applied to the test of optical electronic components D. Therefore, it should be maximally prevented that the tested optical electronic component D is exposed to interfering light other than the light of the lighting device 700.

[0211] Therefore, in the sorter HR according to the present invention, when testing the electronic component D, the inside of the test chamber 300 should be maintained in a darkroom state to the maximum extent. For this purpose, in order to isolate the inside of the test chamber 300 from external light, the access hole 10 can be closed by means of the opening / closing device 400, and the lighting window SW can also be completely closed by means of the opening / closing members 311 to 314.

[0212] Furthermore, in order to ensure the darkening of the test chamber 300, it can be preferably considered to equip the inner wall surface of the test chamber 300 or the components arranged inside the test chamber 300 with a black material that can maximally absorb light, or at least coat its surface black. Accordingly, it is designed to maximally absorb light through black, thereby preventing scattering or transmission caused by a small amount of interfering light.

[0213] As described above, the specific description of the present invention is carried out by referring to the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the above embodiments are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, it should not be understood that the present invention is limited to the above embodiments, and the scope of the rights of the present invention should be understood as the claims and their equivalent scope.

Claims

1. A pressurizing device for a sorting machine for testing electronic components, comprising: A pressure plate, configured to be movable up and down; A pusher, disposed on the lower surface of the pressure plate, and when the pressure plate moves downward, a pressure portion protruding downward thereof presses the electronic component downward while contacting the electronic component in a live insect state, so that the electronic component is electrically connected to the test slot, and when the pressure plate moves upward, the pressure on the electronic component is released; A setting rod, configured to movably couple the pusher to a setting member of the pressure plate; A pressure driving source, which presses the electronic component downward or releases the pressure on the electronic component through the pusher by lifting and lowering the pressure plate; and A damping member, provided between the pressure plate and the pusher by a hydraulic cylinder capable of instantaneously elastically compressing and expanding, and elastically supporting the pusher relative to the pressure plate by means of fluid pressure, Wherein, a first through hole through which light from the lighting device can pass is formed in the pressure plate, and a second through hole through which the light passing through the first through hole can pass and irradiate the electronic component is formed in the pusher, and the second through hole is located at a position corresponding to the first through hole, In order to prevent the first through hole and the second through hole from blocking each other, the damping member is disposed at a position offset from the first through hole and the second through hole, and is configured to have a structure in which a pair of the damping members support one pusher on both sides of the second through hole, and is arranged to be able to contact the pusher when the pusher rises, and to be spaced apart from the pusher when the pusher descends, A photosensitive area is arranged on the upper surface of the electronic component, and the light passing through the first through hole and the second through hole can irradiate the photosensitive area of the electronic component, A pair of calibration holes for calibrating the position of the pusher are formed on the outer side of the second through hole and open toward the electronic component side, A setting hole having a shape in which the width gradually narrows downward in the direction of the electronic component is formed in the pressure plate, In the setting rod, the head at the upper part of one side thereof has a shape in which the outer diameter gradually expands upward corresponding to the setting hole and is inserted into the setting hole, and the main body part at the lower part of the other side thereof passes through the setting hole, so that the lower end is fixedly coupled to the pusher, The minimum inner diameter of the setting hole is larger than the outer diameter of the part of the setting rod passing through the setting hole. When the pusher is subjected to an external force and moves upward in a first direction opposite to the direction of the electronic component relative to the pressure plate, it becomes a state capable of moving in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and if the external force is removed, the pusher will descend due to its own gravity.

2. The pressurizing device for a sorting machine for testing electronic components according to claim 1, wherein, Further comprising: A condenser lens, disposed above the pressure plate, which condenses the light from the lighting device and irradiates it toward the electronic component side.

3. A sorting machine for testing electronic components, comprising: A supply stacker, configured to carry a tray containing the electronic components to be tested; A test chamber, configured to enclose the interior so that the electronic components moved from the supply stacker can be tested in a required environment during the test; The pressurizing device according to any one of claims 1 to 2; A lighting device configured to irradiate light onto the upper surface of an electronic component located in the test chamber; A stacking device for recovery, configured to carry a tray filled with electronic components that have completed testing from the test chamber; And A plurality of moving devices that move the electronic components during the movement of the electronic components to the supply stacking device, the test chamber, and the recovery stacking device, A lighting window for irradiating light onto the electronic component is formed on the upper side wall of the test chamber, and the lighting device is integrally provided in the test chamber in such a manner that the lens barrel of the lighting device passes through the lighting window. The light irradiated from the lighting device passes through the pressurizing device through a first through hole and a second through hole located at corresponding positions in the pressurizing device, and irradiates the electronic component.

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