Cutting device

Abstract

The present application provides a cutting device with a new sensor unit capable of determining the position of a tank. The cutting device has: a housing unit having a rotating table and a plurality of containers arranged along the circumference of the rotating table; a rotating drive unit connected to the lower part of the rotating table and capable of rotating the rotating table around a specified rotation axis by a specified angle each time; a plate member connected around the rotation axis below the rotating table, the plate member being provided with an optical feature for determining the container located above each region corresponding to each of the plurality of containers; a light sensor unit arranged on a part of the outer peripheral portion of the plate member, having one or more light sensors, and capable of detecting the optical feature corresponding to one container each time the plate member rotates by a specified angle; and a position determination unit determining the position of at least one container corresponding to the optical feature according to the signal from the light sensor unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cutting apparatus having multiple containers for storing one or more chips manufactured by dividing a workpiece. Background Technology

[0002] After multiple semiconductor device chips are disposed on a substrate formed of metal, resin, etc., the substrate and semiconductor device chips are sealed with resin to form a package substrate (workpiece). When the package substrate is divided into multiple chips, a cutting device is used (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0003] The cutting device includes a holding stage for attracting and holding the packaged substrate. A cutting unit with cutting tools is arranged above the holding stage. When slicing the packaged substrate, the packaged substrate is first held by directly attracting it using the holding stage while aligning multiple predetermined slicing lines set on the front side of the packaged substrate with multiple retraction grooves formed on the holding stage.

[0004] Next, the packaging substrate is cut along the predetermined dividing line using a cutting tool to divide it into multiple chips. After being cleaned by a cleaning unit and further dried by a drying unit, the multiple chips are transported through a through opening formed near the drying unit to a storage unit disposed below the through opening.

[0005] Conventional storage units consist of a movable platform and two cans (containers) positioned on the platform. Each can is cylindrical, with an opening at the top corresponding to the size of the through opening. A cylinder is connected to the movable platform, which moves the platform along a predetermined straight line, thereby positioning only one can directly below the through opening.

[0006] A cylinder sensor is installed on the cylinder. For example, when the first can is directly below the through opening, the cylinder sensor is in state 1 (e.g., closed state), and when the second can is directly below the through opening, the cylinder sensor is in state 2 (e.g., open state). Therefore, the cylinder sensor is used to determine which can is directly below the through opening.

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-49193

[0008] When there are two cans, the position of the can can be determined using the two states of the cylinder sensor. However, when there are three or more cans, the position of the can cannot be determined using the two states of the cylinder sensor. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The present invention was made in view of this problem and its object is to provide a cutting device that replaces the cylinder sensor and has a new sensor unit capable of determining the position of the can.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, a cutting apparatus is provided, comprising: a holding table for holding a workpiece; a cutting unit having a spindle for mounting cutting tools, the cutting unit dividing the workpiece held by the holding table into a plurality of chips; a receiving unit having a rotary table and a plurality of containers, the rotary table being disposed below the holding table, the plurality of containers being arranged circumferentially along the rotary table and each holding at least one chip; a rotation drive unit connected to the lower part of the rotary table, capable of rotating the rotary table about a predetermined rotation axis by a predetermined angle each time; and a plate portion. The plate component is connected below the rotating stage about the rotation axis. The plate component has optical features in areas corresponding to each of the plurality of containers for determining the container located above each area; a light sensor unit is disposed on a portion of the outer periphery of the plate component and has one or more light sensors. Whenever the plate component rotates by the predetermined angle, the light sensor unit can detect the optical feature corresponding to a container; and a position determination unit has a processor that determines at least the position of the container corresponding to the optical feature based on the signal from the light sensor unit.

[0011] Preferably, the optical feature has at least one or more through regions and non-through regions that are discretely disposed along the circumference of the plate component and penetrate the plate component in the thickness direction. The arrangement of at least one or more of the through regions and non-through regions in the circumferential direction is different according to each region corresponding to each container in the plurality of containers. Each of the plurality of photosensors generates a first signal corresponding to the through region and a second signal corresponding to the non-through region. The position determination unit determines the position of the container corresponding to the optical feature based on at least one of the first signal and the second signal.

[0012] In addition, the storage unit preferably has N containers, and the optical feature is formed in each of the multiple regions obtained by dividing the plate component into N equal parts in the circumferential direction, where N is a natural number of 3 or more.

[0013] In addition, it is preferable that the position determination unit pre-stores the positional relationship of the optical features corresponding to each of the plurality of containers, and the position determination unit determines the position of all containers based on the signal from the optical sensor unit that determines the position of one container and the positional relationship.

[0014] One aspect of the cutting apparatus of the present invention includes a receiving unit. The receiving unit has a rotary table, on which a plurality of containers, each for receiving at least one chip, are arranged along the circumference of the rotary table. A rotation drive unit is connected to the lower part of the rotary table, which is capable of rotating the rotary table about a predetermined rotation axis by a predetermined angle each time.

[0015] Below the rotating stage, a plate component is connected around the rotation axis. On the plate component, optical features are provided in areas corresponding to each of the multiple containers to determine the container located above each area.

[0016] The cutting device also includes a light sensor unit disposed on a portion of the outer periphery of the plate member. The light sensor unit has one or more light sensors, and is capable of detecting an optical feature corresponding to a container whenever the plate member rotates at a predetermined angle. The cutting device also includes a position determination unit that determines the position of at least one container corresponding to the optical feature based on signals from the light sensor unit.

[0017] For example, if three containers are arranged circumferentially along a rotating platform and the platform rotates 120° each time, the plate component also rotates 120° each time. Each time the plate component rotates, an optical feature is detected using a light sensor unit, thereby enabling the detection that the container corresponding to that optical feature is located above it. Therefore, even when the storage unit has more than three containers, the position of each container can be determined based on its respective optical feature. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the cutting device.

[0019] Figure 2 It is a 3D diagram of storage units, etc.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a top view of the rotary drive unit.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a top view of the plate component.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a top view of the board components and the light sensor unit.

[0023] Figure 6 (A) is a diagram showing the laser beam passing through the penetrated area. Figure 6 (B) is a diagram showing the case where the laser beam is blocked by a non-penetrating region.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a top view of the plate component according to the second embodiment.

[0025] Figure 8(A) is a diagram showing the reflection of light with an intensity above a specified value from a highly reflective region. Figure 8 (B) is a diagram showing the case where light of insufficient intensity is reflected from a low-reflection area.

[0026] Label Explanation

[0027] 2: Cutting device; 4: Base; 4a: Box mounting area; 4b: Alignment area; 4c: Cutting area; 4d: Cleaning area; 4e: Drying area; 6: Box; 8: Box lift; 10: Guide rail; 11: Workpiece; 11a: Front side; 12: First holding stage; 13: Chip; 14: Microscope camera unit; 16: Second holding stage; 18: Cutting unit; 20: Spindle housing; 22: Spindle; 24: Cutting tool; 26: Third holding stage 28: Workbench; 30: Cleaning unit; 32: Through opening; 34: Scraper; 40: Storage unit; 42: Rotary table; 42a: Circumferential; 44: Can; 44-1: First can; 44-2: Second can; 44-3: Third can; 44-4: Fourth can; 44-5: Fifth can; 44-6: Sixth can; 44a: Opening; 46: Rotating shaft; 48: Rotary drive unit; 50: Cylinder; 50a: Cylinder barrel; 50b: Piston rod; 52: Base platform; 54: Arrow; 56: Holding block; 58: Rotating shaft; 60: Plate; 62: Arm; 64: Claw; 66: Gear; 66a: Tooth; 70: Plate component; 70a: Region 1; 70b: Region 2; 70c: Region 3; 70d: Region 4; 70e: Region 5; 70f: Region 6; 72: Circumferential; 74: Optical feature; 74a: Through area; 74b: Non-through area; 80: Light sensor unit; 82: Base section; 84a: First upper arm section; 84b: Second upper arm section; 84c: Third upper arm section; 86a: First lower arm section; 88a: First optical sensor; 88b: Second optical sensor; 88c: Third optical sensor; 90a: Light-emitting diode; 91: First signal; 92: Second signal; 94: Control unit; 94a: Position determination unit; 96: Plate component; 98a: High reflection area; 98b: Low reflection area; L: Laser beam. Detailed Implementation

[0028] An embodiment of one aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the cutting device 2 according to the first embodiment. Figure 1 In the diagram, a portion of the components of the cutting device 2 are shown in block diagram.

[0029] Furthermore, the X-axis (machining feed direction), Y-axis (indexing feed direction), and Z-axis (height direction, infeed feed direction) used in the following description are perpendicular to each other. The cutting device 2 has a base 4 that supports each component.

[0030] A box-holding area 4a is provided on one side (-Y side) of the base 4 along the Y-axis. Multiple cuboid boxes 6 are arranged in the box-holding area 4a. Multiple shelves (not shown) are provided in each box 6 along its height.

[0031] A workpiece 11 is disposed on a shelf section. In this embodiment, the workpiece 11 is a rectangular plate-shaped resin encapsulation substrate. For example, a resin encapsulation substrate is manufactured by mounting multiple semiconductor device chips (not shown) on a substrate (not shown) formed of metal, resin, etc., and sealing the substrate and semiconductor device chips with resin.

[0032] Multiple pre-defined dividing lines (not shown) are arranged in a grid pattern on the front side 11a of the workpiece 11. A semiconductor device chip is disposed in each area divided by the multiple pre-defined dividing lines.

[0033] A box lift 8 is provided on one side (+X side) of the box placement area 4a in the X-axis direction. The box lift 8 has a lifting mechanism (not shown) that can move along the Z-axis direction and a lifting platform (not shown) provided on the upper part of the lifting mechanism.

[0034] A pair of guide rails 10 are arranged along the Y-axis direction on the other side (+Y side) of the box lift 8. After the height of the box 6 arranged on the lifting platform is adjusted by the lifting mechanism, a workpiece 11 is transported from the box 6 to the pair of guide rails 10 by the first conveying mechanism (not shown).

[0035] A pair of guide rails 10 move in a manner that brings them closer together in the X-axis direction, thereby adjusting the position of the workpiece 11 in the X-axis direction. An alignment region 4b is provided on the +Y side of the pair of guide rails 10.

[0036] The workpiece 11 is transported from a pair of guide rails 10 to a first holding table 12 located in the alignment area 4b via a first conveying mechanism. The first holding table 12 is a rectangular plate-shaped chuck table corresponding to the shape of the workpiece 11.

[0037] The lower part of the first holding table 12 is connected to the output shaft of a first rotary drive source (not shown), such as an electric motor, and the first holding table 12 is capable of rotating about a rotation axis that is approximately parallel to the Z-axis direction.

[0038] Multiple suction ports (not shown) are formed on the upper surface of the first holding stage 12. Each suction port is connected to the other end of a flow path (not shown) that is connected at one end to a suction source (not shown) such as an injector.

[0039] When the negative pressure generated by the suction source is transmitted to each suction port, a negative pressure is generated on the upper surface (holding surface) of the first holding stage 12. A microscope camera unit 14 for position adjustment is provided above the first holding stage 12.

[0040] While the workpiece 11 is held in a state of suction and holding using the holding surface of the first holding stage 12 against the back side, the front side 11a of the workpiece 11 is photographed by the microscope camera unit 14. Furthermore, predetermined dividing lines are determined based on the acquired image.

[0041] Then, the first holding stage 12 is rotated so that the predetermined dividing line is approximately parallel to the X-axis direction. A cutting area 4c is provided on the +Y side of the alignment area 4b. A second holding stage 16 is arranged in the cutting area 4c.

[0042] The workpiece 11, whose orientation has been adjusted using the first holding table 12, is transported to the second holding table 16 via the first conveying mechanism. The second holding table 16 is a rectangular plate-shaped chuck table that corresponds to the shape of the workpiece 11.

[0043] The second holding table 16 has a fixing fixture and a fixture base for attracting and holding the fixing fixture. On the fixing fixture, there are relief grooves (not shown) formed at positions corresponding to each predetermined dividing line. That is, multiple relief grooves are formed in a grid pattern on the fixing fixture.

[0044] In each region divided by multiple relief grooves, there are suction ports (not shown) for attracting the individual chips 13 after they have been divided. Each suction port is connected to the other end of a flow path (not shown) that is connected to the suction source (not shown). When the negative pressure generated by the suction source is transmitted to each suction port, a negative pressure is generated on the upper surface (holding surface) of the second holding stage 16.

[0045] The lower part of the second holding table 16 is connected to the output shaft of a second rotary drive source (not shown), such as an electric motor, and the second holding table 16 can rotate about a rotation axis that is approximately parallel to the Z-axis direction.

[0046] A ball screw-type X-axis moving mechanism (not shown) is arranged below the second rotary drive source. If the X-axis moving mechanism is moved, the second holding table 16 moves together with the second rotary drive source along the X-axis direction.

[0047] A microscope camera unit 14 is also provided above the second holding stage 16. When the workpiece 11 is held by suction using the holding surface of the second holding stage 16, the predetermined dividing line is determined based on the image obtained by the microscope camera unit 14 from the front side 11a.

[0048] A pair of cutting units 18 are arranged on the opposite side (-X side) of the microscope camera unit 14 along the X-axis. Each cutting unit 18 has a cylindrical spindle housing 20 with its long side arranged approximately parallel to the Y-axis direction.

[0049] A Y-axis moving mechanism and a Z-axis moving mechanism (neither shown) are connected to the spindle housing 20. The spindle housing 20 adjusts the position of the indexing feed direction through the Y-axis moving mechanism and adjusts the position of the cutting feed direction through the Z-axis moving mechanism.

[0050] A portion of a cylindrical spindle 22 is rotatably housed within the spindle housing 20. An output shaft of a third rotary drive source, such as an electric motor, is connected to one end of the spindle 22.

[0051] A cutting tool 24 with a circular cutting edge is mounted at the other end of the spindle 22. When cutting the workpiece 11, the workpiece 11 is first held by suction using the holding face of the second holding table 16. Furthermore, the microscope camera unit 14, the second rotary drive source, etc., are used to make the predetermined dividing line approximately parallel to the X-axis direction.

[0052] Next, the cutting tool 24 of a cutting unit 18 is rotated at high speed, and the cutting tool 24 is positioned on the extension line of a predetermined dividing line. The lower end of the cutting tool 24 is positioned between the bottom of the relief groove of the fixed fixture and the holding surface of the second holding table 16.

[0053] When the second holding table 16 is moved along the X-axis in this state, the workpiece 11 is cut along a predetermined dividing line. After the workpiece 11 has been cut along all the predetermined dividing lines in one direction, the second holding table 16 is rotated 90° so that the predetermined dividing line in another direction, which is perpendicular to one direction, is approximately parallel to the X-axis.

[0054] Then, the workpiece 11 is cut along all the predetermined dividing lines in the other direction. Thus, the workpiece 11 is divided into multiple chips 13. A cleaning region 4d is provided on the +Y side of the cutting region 4c.

[0055] Multiple chips 13 are conveyed to the cleaning area 4d while their front sides are held in place by a second conveying mechanism (not shown). A third holding stage 26 is provided in the cleaning area 4d to hold the back sides of the multiple chips 13.

[0056] A ball screw-type Y-axis moving mechanism (not shown) is connected below the third holding table 26. When the Y-axis moving mechanism is activated, the third holding table 26 moves along the Y-axis.

[0057] In the cleaning area 4d, a cleaning unit 28 is provided above the third holding table 26. The cleaning unit 28 has nozzles that spray cleaning water, such as pure water, downwards. The cleaning water is used to clean the front side of a plurality of chips 13 whose back side is attracted and held by the third holding table 26.

[0058] A drying zone 4e is provided on the +Y side of the cleaning zone 4d. In the drying zone 4e, a drying unit 30 is positioned at approximately the same height as the cleaning unit 28. The drying unit 30 has nozzles for spraying dry air downwards.

[0059] After cleaning, the third holding stage 26 is moved to the drying area 4e, where dry air is used to dry the front sides of the multiple chips 13. Additionally, although in Figure 1 Although not shown in the figure, a cleaning unit for cleaning the back side of each chip 13 and a drying unit for drying the back side of each chip 13 may be provided.

[0060] A rectangular through-hole 32 with a long side in the X-axis direction is formed on the +Y side of the drying region 4e. The dried chips 13 are swept out through the through-hole 32 by a scraper 34 disposed above the third holding stage 26.

[0061] A predetermined slope (not shown) is provided at the lower part of the through opening 32, and a storage unit 40 is arranged below the slope. That is, the storage unit 40 is arranged at a position lower than the second holding worktable 16 and the third holding worktable 26.

[0062] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the storage unit 40, etc. The storage unit 40 has a disc-shaped rotating platform 42. The upper surface of the rotating platform 42 is configured to be approximately parallel to the XY plane. A plurality of cans (containers) 44 are arranged on the upper surface of the rotating platform 42 along the circumference 42a of the rotating platform 42.

[0063] Each can 44 is a bottomed cylindrical shape with an opening 44a at the top. At least one chip 13 swept out through the through opening 32 is received in a can 44 located directly below the inclined surface by passing through an inclined surface.

[0064] The upper end of a cylindrical rotating shaft 46, which is arranged approximately parallel to the Z-axis, is connected to the lower part of the rotary table 42. A rotary drive unit 48 (see reference 48) is connected to the lower end of the rotating shaft 46, capable of rotating the rotating shaft 46 by a predetermined angle each time. Figure 3 ).

[0065] Figure 3 This is a top view of the rotary drive unit 48. The rotary drive unit 48 has a cylinder 50 arranged substantially parallel to the XY plane. The cylinder barrel 50a of the cylinder 50 is fixed relative to the base platform 52 located below the rotary table 42.

[0066] The cylinder 50a is arranged in a direction inclined relative to the X and Y axes. A portion of the piston rod 50b is housed in the cylinder 50a in a manner that allows it to move forward and backward in the direction of arrow 54.

[0067] One end of a retaining block 56 is fixed to the front end of the piston rod 50b. A rotating shaft 58, approximately parallel to the Z-axis direction, is fixed to the other end of the retaining block 56. A plate 60 is rotatably connected to the rotating shaft 58.

[0068] Plate 60 has an arm 62 of a specified length, the front end of which is rotatably connected to a rotating shaft 46. When piston rod 50b protrudes in the direction of arrow 54, plate 60 rotates about the arm 62 as a radius.

[0069] A plate-shaped claw 64 is fixed to the base end of the arm 62 located on the opposite side of the rotation shaft 46 and on the lower surface of the plate 60. The claw 64 is configured to mesh with the teeth 66a of the plate-shaped gear 66 fixed to the rotation shaft 46.

[0070] Six teeth 66a are formed at approximately equal intervals along the circumference of gear 66. For example... Figure 3 As shown by the double-dotted line, when the protrusion of the piston rod 50b is at its minimum, the claw 64 engages with a tooth 66a.

[0071] In contrast, such as Figure 3 As shown by the solid line, when the protrusion of the piston rod 50b becomes maximum, the gear 66 is rotated 60° clockwise by the pawl 64. Afterwards, when the protrusion of the piston rod 50b becomes minimum again, the pawl 64 does not rotate the gear 66 and returns to its original position.

[0072] Furthermore, when the pawl 64 returns to its original position, it engages with other teeth 66a adjacent to it in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the gear 66. In this way, the rotary drive unit 48 functions as a ratchet mechanism that rotates the rotary shaft 46 by 60° in one stroke of the piston rod 50b.

[0073] Through n strokes of the piston rod 52b, the rotating shaft 46 rotates (60° × n) (where n is a natural number). Therefore, the rotating platform 42 rotates 60° around the rotating shaft 46 each time, together with the rotation of the rotating shaft 46.

[0074] Next, refer to Figure 2 , Figure 4 The plate component 70, etc., located below the rotary table 42, will be described. Figure 2 As shown, the plate component 70 has an annular shape, and the inner circumference of the annular component is fixed to the outer circumference of the rotating shaft 46.

[0075] The plate component 70 is connected around the rotation axis 46. Therefore, if the rotation axis 46 is rotated by a predetermined angle using the rotation drive unit 48, the rotary table 42 and the plate component 70 will also rotate by a predetermined angle together with the rotation axis 46.

[0076] The plate component 70 is divided into multiple regions along the circumference 72 of the plate component 70 according to the number of tanks 44. Figure 4 This is a top view of plate component 70. Additionally, in Figure 4 In the example shown, the clockwise direction of the top-view panel component 70 is taken as the circumferential direction 72.

[0077] The plate component 70 is divided into six equal regions, from region 1 70a to region 6 70f, along the circumferential direction 72. For ease of explanation, in Figure 4 In the diagram, dashed lines mark the boundaries of each area, and tank 44 is also indicated by dashed lines. Alternatively, in plate component 70, the boundary lines for each area may be omitted (see [reference]). Figure 2 ).

[0078] Regions 1 through 6 correspond to the position of a can 44. That is, a can 44 is positioned above an arc-shaped region in the plate component 70.

[0079] exist Figure 4 In this context, the tank 44 located in the first region 70a is designated as the first tank 44-1, and the tank 44 located in the second region 70b is designated as the second tank 44-2.

[0080] In addition, the can 44 located in the third region 70c is designated as the third can 44-3, and the can 44 located in the fourth region 70d is designated as the fourth can 44-4.

[0081] Similarly, the can 44 located in region 5 70e is designated as can 5 44-5, and the can 44 located in region 6 70f is designated as can 6 44-6.

[0082] Optical features 74 for defining the differences between each region are formed in regions 1 to 6. In the first embodiment, each optical feature 74 is formed by at least one of a through region 74a through which a laser beam passes and a non-through region 74b through which a laser beam does not pass.

[0083] The through region 74a extends through the plate member 70 in the thickness direction. In contrast, the non-through region 74b does not extend through the plate member 70. Furthermore, the non-through region 74b may be part of a flat plate member 70, or it may be a recess or convex portion that is not through.

[0084] The through region 74a and the non-through region 74b are discretely arranged along the circumferential direction 72. For ease of explanation, in Figure 4 In the diagram, the through area 74a is represented by a black circle, and the non-through area 74b is represented by a dashed circle.

[0085] The optical feature 74 of region 70a has three through regions 74a formed along the circumferential direction 72. The optical feature 74 of region 70b has one through region 74a and two non-through regions 74b formed sequentially along the circumferential direction 72.

[0086] The optical feature 74 of region 70c has a non-penetrating region 74b, a penetrating region 74a, and a non-penetrating region 74b formed sequentially along the circumferential direction 72. The optical feature 74 of region 70d has two non-penetrating regions 74b and a penetrating region 74a formed sequentially along the circumferential direction 72.

[0087] The optical feature 74 of region 5 70e has two through regions 74a and one non-through region 74b formed sequentially along the circumferential direction 72. The optical feature 74 of region 6 70f has three non-through regions 74b formed sequentially along the circumferential direction 72.

[0088] Thus, the optical feature 74 is composed of the arrangement of through regions 74a and non-through regions 74b in the circumferential direction 72, which is different for each region from the first region 70a to the sixth region 70f.

[0089] A light sensor unit 80 is disposed on a portion of the outer periphery of the plate component 70 (see reference). Figure 5 ). Figure 5 This is a top view of the plate component 70 and the light sensor unit 80. The light sensor unit 80 has a block-shaped base portion 82.

[0090] The base ends of the first upper arm 84a, the second upper arm 84b, and the third upper arm 84c are fixed to the upper surface of the base portion 82. The first lower arm 86a (see reference) is fixed to the lower surface of the base portion 82. Figure 6The base ends of (A), the second lower arm and the third lower arm (not shown).

[0091] The first upper arm portion 84a and the first lower arm portion 86a are arranged to overlap in the Z-axis direction. Similarly, the second upper arm portion 84b and the second lower arm portion are arranged to overlap in the Z-axis direction, and the third upper arm portion 84c and the third lower arm portion are arranged to overlap in the Z-axis direction.

[0092] A first light sensor 88a is provided on the lower surface of the front end of the first upper arm 84a. Similarly, a second light sensor 88b is provided on the lower surface of the front end of the second upper arm 84b, and a third light sensor 88c is provided on the lower surface of the front end of the third upper arm 84c.

[0093] Additionally, a light-emitting diode 90a is provided on the upper surface side of the front end of the first lower arm portion 86a (see reference). Figure 6 Similarly, a light-emitting diode (not shown) is provided on the upper surface of the front end of the second lower arm, and a light-emitting diode (not shown) is provided on the upper surface of the front end of the third lower arm. Each light-emitting diode irradiates a laser beam L upwards (see reference). Figure 6 (A, etc.).

[0094] When region 70a is at the position of optical sensor unit 80 (refer to) Figure 5 The laser beams L emitted from the three light-emitting diodes 90a, etc., pass through different through-regions 74a and are received by the first optical sensor 88a, the second optical sensor 88b and the third optical sensor 88c.

[0095] Figure 6 (A) is a cross-sectional view of the optical sensor unit 80, etc., showing the laser beam L passing through the through region 74a. In contrast, Figure 6 (B) is a cross-sectional view of a light sensor unit 80, etc., showing the situation where the laser beam L is blocked by the non-penetrating region 74b.

[0096] For example, when region 6 70f is located at the position of optical sensor unit 80 (refer to...) Figure 6 (B) The laser beams L emitted from each light-emitting diode are all blocked by the non-penetrating area 74b and are not received by the first optical sensor 88a, the second optical sensor 88b and the third optical sensor 88c.

[0097] When the first optical sensor 88a, the second optical sensor 88b, and the third optical sensor 88c respectively receive the laser beam L that has passed through the through region 74a, they generate a first signal 91 (e.g., a high-level voltage signal) and send the first signal 91 to the control unit 94.

[0098] In contrast, when the laser beam L is blocked by the non-penetrating region 74b, the first optical sensor 88a, the second optical sensor 88b, and the third optical sensor 88c generate a second signal 92 (e.g., a low-level voltage signal) and send the second signal 92 to the control unit 94.

[0099] When the first signal 91 is represented by "1" and the second signal 92 by "0" for ease of explanation, the optical features 74 in each region from the first region 70a to the sixth region 70f are replaced with an arrangement of 1 and 0 as shown in Table 1 below.

[0100] Table 1

[0101]

[0102] Thus, an optical feature 74 corresponds to a can 44. Therefore, if the optical feature 74 is detected by the optical sensor unit 80, it is possible to determine which can among the first can 44-1 to the sixth can 44-6 is located at the position of the optical sensor unit 80.

[0103] Here, return Figure 1 Other components of the cutting device 2 will be described. The operation of the box lift 8, a pair of guide rails 10, the first holding table 12, the microscope camera unit 14, the second holding table 16, the cutting unit 18, the third holding table 26, the cleaning unit 28, the drying unit 30, etc., is controlled by the control unit 94.

[0104] The control unit 94 may be composed of, for example, a computer, which includes: a processor (processing device) represented by a CPU (Central Processing Unit); main storage devices such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), and ROM (Read Only Memory); and auxiliary storage devices such as flash memory, hard disk drives, and solid-state drives.

[0105] The auxiliary storage device stores software containing a prescribed program. This software causes the processing device and other components to operate, thereby realizing the function of the control unit 94. A portion of the software functions as a position determination unit 94a, which determines the position of at least one tank 44.

[0106] The position determination unit 94a determines the position of a specific tank 44 in the optical sensor unit 80 based on the first signal 91 and the second signal 92 received from the optical sensor unit 80.

[0107] For example, whenever the rotary table 42 and the plate component 70 rotate 60°, the light sensor unit 80 detects the optical feature 74, and the position determination unit 94a determines the position of the tank 44 corresponding to each detected optical feature 74.

[0108] Alternatively, the position determination unit 94a can determine the position of two or more cans 44 by detecting an optical feature 74 used to determine the position of one container, or it can determine the position of all cans 44.

[0109] For example, after determining the position of one can 44 in the optical sensor unit 80, the position determination unit 94a reads the positional relationship of the optical features 74 corresponding to each of the multiple cans 44 from the auxiliary storage device, thereby determining the position of all the remaining cans 44.

[0110] Specifically, if information such as the one-to-one association between optical features 74 and cans 44 and the order of multiple cans 44 are pre-stored as shown in Table 1, if the position of the first can 44-1 in the optical sensor unit 80 can be determined, then the position of the second can 44-2 in the circumferential direction 72 can be determined to be 60° forward from the first can 44-1.

[0111] Similarly, it can be determined that the third can 44-3 is located 120° forward along the circumference 72 from the first can 44-1, and the fourth can 44-4 is located 180° forward along the circumference 72 from the first can 44-1.

[0112] In addition, it can be determined that the 5th can 44-5 is located 240° forward along the circumference 72 from the 1st can 44-1, and the 6th can 44-6 is located 300° forward along the circumference 72 from the 1st can 44-1.

[0113] In the first embodiment, whenever the plate member 70 rotates 60°, the light sensor unit 80 detects an optical feature 74, thereby detecting that the can 44 corresponding to the optical feature 74 is located above the optical feature 74. Therefore, even when the storage unit 40 has more than three cans 44, the position of the can 44 can be determined based on each optical feature 74.

[0114] Next, the second embodiment will be described. Figure 7 This is a top view of the plate member 96 according to the second embodiment. In the plate member 96, a flat, mirror-shaped, highly reflective region 98a that easily reflects the laser beam L is provided instead of the through region 74a. In addition, a low-reflective region 98b that is difficult to reflect the laser beam L is provided instead of the non-through region 74b.

[0115] In addition, in the second embodiment, a first light sensor 88a and a light-emitting diode 90a are provided on the lower surface side of the front end of the first upper arm 84a, and a second light sensor 88b and a light-emitting diode (not shown) are provided on the lower surface side of the front end of the second upper arm 84b.

[0116] Similarly, a third light sensor 88c and a light-emitting diode (not shown) are provided on the lower surface side of the front end of the third upper arm 84c. Figure 8 (A) is a diagram showing the reflection of light with an intensity of more than a specified value from the high-reflectivity region 98a.

[0117] like Figure 8 As shown in (A), a laser beam L incident from a light-emitting diode 90a onto a high-reflection region 98a is reflected (normal reflection or diffuse reflection) in the high-reflection region 98a, and light with an intensity above a specified value is incident onto a first photosensitive sensor 88a. As a result, the first photosensitive sensor 88a generates a first signal 91 (e.g., a high-level voltage signal).

[0118] In contrast, Figure 8 (B) is a diagram showing the case where light with an intensity less than the specified value is reflected from the low-reflection region 98b. For example, a laser beam L incident from the light-emitting diode 90a onto the low-reflection region 98b is scattered, absorbed, etc. in the low-reflection region 98b.

[0119] In this case, the reflected light is not incident at all or is incident very little on the first light sensor 88a, so the first light sensor 88a generates the second signal 92 (e.g., a low-level voltage signal). Thus, in the second embodiment, the optical feature 74 is composed of an arrangement of high-reflection region 98a and low-reflection region 98b, which is different from the first embodiment.

[0120] Next, several modified examples of the plate member 70 being divided into N equal parts in the circumferential direction 72 will be described (N is a natural number of 2 or more). In addition, in the modified examples, the through region 74a and the non-through region 74b and the light sensor unit 80 are used in the same way as in the first embodiment, but they can also be arranged as in the second embodiment.

[0121] Optical features 74 are formed in N equally divided regions. N cans 44 are arranged on the rotating stage 42 in a one-to-one correspondence between the optical features 74 and the cans 44.

[0122] (Case where N=2) First, the case where the plate component 70 is bisected in the circumferential direction 72 will be explained. In this case, the plate component 70 has a first region 70a and a second region 70b obtained by bisecting in the circumferential direction 72. For example, the first region 70a has a through region 74a, and the second region 70b has a non-through region 74b.

[0123] When N=2, the light sensor unit 80 has a first light sensor 88a and a light-emitting diode 90a. When the first signal 91 is represented by "1" and the second signal 92 is represented by "0" for ease of explanation, the optical features 74 in each region of the first region 70a and the second region 70b are replaced with 1 or 0, for example, as shown in Table 2 below.

[0124] Table 2

[0125]

[0126] The position determination unit 94a can determine the position of either or both of the first tank 44-1 and the second tank 44-2 based on the first signal 91 or the second signal 92.

[0127] (In the case of N=3) Of course, N can be a natural number greater than 3. In the case of N=3, the plate component 70 has a first region 70a, a second region 70b and a third region 70c that are divided into three equal parts in the circumferential direction 72.

[0128] For example, region 70a has two through regions 74a formed sequentially along the circumferential direction 72. In contrast, region 70b has one through region 74a and one non-through region 74b formed sequentially along the circumferential direction 72. Additionally, region 70c has two non-through regions 74b formed sequentially along the circumferential direction 72.

[0129] When N=3, the light sensor unit 80 has a first light sensor 88a and a light-emitting diode 90a, as well as a second light sensor 88b and a light-emitting diode configured corresponding to the second light sensor 88b.

[0130] When the first signal 91 is represented by "1" and the second signal 92 by "0" for ease of explanation, the optical features 74 in each region of the first region 70a, the second region 70b and the third region 70c are replaced with an arrangement of 1 and 0 as shown in Table 3 below.

[0131] Table 3

[0132]

[0133] The position determination unit 94a can determine the position of one or more of the first tank 44-1, the second tank 44-2, and the third tank 44-3 based on the arrangement of the first signal 91 and the second signal 92.

[0134] (Case of N=4) Next, the case of N=4 will be explained. In the case of N=4, the plate component 70 has a first region 70a, a second region 70b, a third region 70c and a fourth region 70d that are divided into four equal parts in the circumferential direction 72.

[0135] For example, region 1 70a has two through regions 74a formed sequentially along the circumferential direction 72, and region 2 70b has one through region 74a and one non-through region 74b formed sequentially along the circumferential direction 72.

[0136] In addition, the third region 70c has a non-penetrating region 74b and a penetrating region 74a formed sequentially along the circumferential direction 72, and the fourth region 70d has two non-penetrating regions 74b formed sequentially along the circumferential direction 72.

[0137] When N=4, the light sensor unit 80 may have a first light sensor 88a and a light-emitting diode 90a, as well as a second light sensor 88b and a light-emitting diode configured corresponding to the second light sensor 88b.

[0138] When the first signal 91 is represented by "1" and the second signal 92 by "0" for ease of explanation, the optical features 74 in each region of the first region 70a, the second region 70b, the third region 70c and the fourth region 70d are replaced with an arrangement of 1 and 0 as shown in Table 4 below.

[0139] Table 4

[0140]

[0141] The position determination unit 94a can determine the position of one or more of the first tank 44-1, the second tank 44-2, the third tank 44-3, and the fourth tank 44-4 based on the arrangement of the first signal 91 and the second signal 92.

[0142] (Case of N=5) Next, the case of N=5 will be explained. In the case of N=5, the plate component 70 has a first region 70a, a second region 70b, a third region 70c, a fourth region 70d, and a fifth region 70e, which are divided into five equal parts in the circumferential direction 72.

[0143] For example, region 1 70a has three through regions 74a formed sequentially along the circumferential direction 72, region 2 70b has one through region 74a and two non-through regions 74b formed sequentially along the circumferential direction 72, and region 3 70c has one non-through region 74b, one through region 74a and one non-through region 74b formed sequentially along the circumferential direction 72.

[0144] Additionally, region 4 70d has two non-penetrating regions 74b and one penetrating region 74a formed sequentially along the circumferential direction 72. Region 5 70e has two penetrating regions 74a and one non-penetrating region 74b formed sequentially along the circumferential direction 72.

[0145] When N=5, the light sensor unit 80 may have a first light sensor 88a and a light-emitting diode 90a, a second light sensor 88b and a light-emitting diode configured corresponding to the second light sensor 88b, and a third light sensor 88c and a light-emitting diode configured corresponding to the third light sensor 88c.

[0146] When the first signal 91 is represented by "1" and the second signal 92 by "0" for ease of explanation, the optical features 74 in each of the regions 70a, 70b, 70c, 70d, and 70e are replaced with an arrangement of 1 and 0 as shown in Table 5 below.

[0147] Table 5

[0148]

[0149] The position determination unit 94a can determine the position of one or more of the first tank 44-1, the second tank 44-2, the third tank 44-3, the fourth tank 44-4, and the fifth tank 44-5 based on the arrangement of the first signal 91 and the second signal 92.

[0150] The above explains the cases from N=2 to N=6, and N can also be set to 7 or more. Furthermore, based on the number of divisions of the plate component 70 in the circumferential direction 72, the amount of movement of the piston rod 50b in one stroke, the rotation angle of the gear 66 corresponding to that movement, and the number of teeth 66a, etc., are appropriately adjusted.

[0151] For example, when N=2, the rotation axis 46 rotates 180° each time; when N=3, the rotation axis 46 rotates 120° each time. Furthermore, when N=4, the rotation axis 46 rotates 90° each time; and when N=5, the rotation axis 46 rotates 72° each time.

[0152] Furthermore, the arrangement of the through region 74a and the non-through region 74b, as well as the arrangement of the high-reflection region 98a and the low-reflection region 98b, is an example and can be appropriately modified. Alternatively, a light-transmitting region, such as one equipped with a filter, can be used instead of the through region 74a. Apart from this, the structure and method of the above embodiments can be appropriately modified and implemented as long as they do not depart from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cutting device, characterized in that, The cutting device has the following features: The worktable is used to hold the workpiece in place. A cutting unit having a spindle on which a cutting tool is mounted, the cutting unit divides the workpiece held by the holding table into multiple chips; The storage unit has a rotating platform and multiple containers. The rotating platform is positioned below the holding worktable, and the multiple containers are arranged along the circumference of the rotating platform and each holds at least one chip. A rotary drive unit, which is connected to the lower part of the rotary table, enables the rotary table to rotate a predetermined angle around a predetermined rotation axis each time; A plate component, which is connected below the rotating stage about the rotation axis, has optical features in the area corresponding to each of the plurality of containers for determining the container located above each area; A light sensor unit is disposed on a portion of the outer periphery of the plate component and has one or more light sensors. Whenever the plate component rotates together with the rotary table at the predetermined angle, a region of the plate component corresponding to each container changes the position of the light sensor unit. The light sensor unit can detect the optical feature corresponding to a container set in a region of the position of the light sensor unit. as well as A position determination unit having a processor determines at least the position of the container corresponding to the optical feature based on a signal from the optical sensor unit.

2. The cutting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The optical feature has at least one or more of the through regions and non-through regions that are discretely disposed along the circumference of the plate component and penetrate the plate component in the thickness direction. The arrangement of at least one of the through-area and the non-through-area in the circumferential direction differs according to each area corresponding to each of the plurality of containers. Each of the one or more optical sensors generates a first signal corresponding to the penetrated area and a second signal corresponding to the non-penetrated area. The position determination unit determines the position of the container corresponding to the optical feature based on at least one of the first signal and the second signal.

3. The cutting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, This storage unit has N containers. The optical feature is formed in each of the multiple regions obtained by dividing the plate component into N equal parts in the circumferential direction, where N is a natural number greater than 3.

4. The cutting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The position determination unit pre-stores the positional relationships of the optical features corresponding to each of the multiple containers. The position determination unit determines the position of all containers based on the signal from the optical sensor unit that determines the position of one container and the positional relationship.

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