Sorting machine for electronic component testing

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sorting machine for testing electronic components, comprising: a test chamber having an access hole opening forward; an opening and closing device, which opens the access hole when the electronic components are brought into or out of the test chamber through the access hole, and closes the access hole when the electronic components are tested; an access device, which brings the picked-up electronic components into the test chamber through the access hole after picking up the electronic components to be tested, and brings the picked-up electronic components out of the test chamber through the access hole after picking up the electronic components that have completed the test; a pressurizing device, which pressurizes the electronic components to be tested at the test position to electrically connect the electronic components to the tester, and the electronic components are brought out of the test chamber after being brought into the test chamber by the access device, and pass through the access hole when being brought in and out, the access device is fixed to the outside of the test chamber, and comprises a picking rod equipped with a picker capable of picking up or releasing the pick-up, and the picker is configured to be able to enter the interior of the test chamber or leave the test chamber through the access hole.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application "Sorting machine for electronic component testing" with application date of November 21, 2019 and application number 201911146750.9. Technical Field

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

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

[0004] The electrical connection between the tester and the electronic components is performed by an automated device called a handler for electronic component testing (hereinafter referred to as a "handler").

[0005] Since the sorting machine needs to be able to accurately connect electronic components and testers, it can be manufactured in various forms depending on the type of electronic components.

[0006] Of course, an important technology basically required for a sorting machine is a technology for electrically connecting electronic components and a tester, but in addition thereto there are other technologies that are selectively required depending on the test conditions and the type of electronic components to be tested.

[0007] Usually, the connection between the electronic component and the tester is achieved by pressurizing the electronic component to the tester side. At this time, in order to accurately pressurize the electronic component, it is necessary to form a precise position setting between the pressurizing component (pusher) and the electronic component or the electronic component and the test slot of the tester. In particular, electronic components such as semiconductor elements have a tendency to become increasingly fine in the size of the terminals and the spacing between the terminals due to their increasing integration rate, so the precise electrical connection between the electronic component and the tester becomes more important. For this reason, it is necessary to consider a variety of variables such as structural deviations of related components, operating errors, or vibrations caused by the operation of the equipment.

[0008] In addition, one of the multiple technologies that are selectively required may be a technology for setting a harsh temperature condition. Since electronic components may be used in a variety of temperature environments, it is necessary to test the electronic components in a deliberately created harsh temperature environment. Therefore, a test chamber that can be as closed as possible under the test state is provided in the sorting machine that needs to create a harsh temperature environment, so that the electronic components are tested in the test chamber that creates a harsh temperature environment.

[0009] Furthermore, another one of the multiple technologies that are selectively required may be required for optical electronic components that can be used in digital cameras and the like. Since optical electronic components need to be tested in a state where light from a photographing target object can be sensed through a lens, lighting that irradiates light to the photographing target object should be used when testing optical electronic components. Furthermore, in order to obtain satisfactory test results, it is necessary to use lighting in a state where stray light that may cause interference is blocked, so the test of optical electronic components needs to be performed in a state where stray light incident on the lens is suppressed to the maximum extent.

[0010] The present invention particularly relates to a technique of a sorter that can be suitably applied to testing of optical electronic components, and therefore the present invention has intensively studied techniques related to testing of optical electronic components.

[0011] Currently, it is difficult to automate the electrical connection between optical electronic components that integrate photosensitive lenses and testers. This is because optical electronic components must be tested in a dead bug state (a state in which the terminals of the electronic components are turned upside down like a dead insect) in order to block stray light from entering through the lens.

[0012] Figure 1 The conceptual structure of the test in the dead bug state is schematically shown.

[0013] Reference Figure 1 , it can be seen that the optical electronic component D is in contact with the tester TESTER below in a dead insect state. In addition, since the tester TESTER is provided with an illumination hole LH for irradiating light to the photosensitive lens SL with the aid of the illumination element LE located below, the illumination element LE is configured to 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 contacting the terminal T1 of the test slot TS of the interface board SB (also called the socket board) of the tester located above the optical electronic component D with the terminal T2 of the optical electronic component D.

[0014] As described above, since the optical electronic component D is placed in the tester in a dead state, it is substantially difficult to pick up the electronic component by vacuum suction and place it in place using an automated robot due to the terminal T2 of the optical electronic component D. Therefore, the optical electronic component D is placed in place manually, but this method of placing the optical electronic component D in place by manual work by a worker is absolutely unsatisfactory in terms of processing time and cost, and leaves traces of manual work on the surface of the electronic component D, so it is necessary to propose a technology for automatically supplying the optical electronic component D by a sorting machine.

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

[0016] Since the optical electronic device is an image sensing semiconductor element, a sorting machine of a type used in the latter high-mix low-volume production can be considered as a sorting machine for automated processing of the optical electronic device.

[0017] The sorting machine manufactured in a form suitable for high-mix and low-volume production 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] According to the prior art, in order to bring 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 are formed on the walls on the left and right sides of the test chamber.

[0019] However, since the interior of the test chamber of the sorting machine according to the related art is communicated with the outside through the transfer hole, the accuracy of temperature control is correspondingly reduced.

[0020] Furthermore, external light may affect the interior of the test cavity through the transfer hole. Of course, even if the door opening and closing structure can be used to block the area occupied by the transfer hole and the area where the shuttle passes to some extent, it is actually impossible to open and close the guide rails that guide the movement of the shuttle or the area where the transfer shaft for transferring the shuttle passes. Therefore, if a sorting machine according to the prior art is used to test optical electronic components, it is obvious that there is a possibility that test errors will occur due to the incidence of interfering light. Therefore, it is difficult to directly use a sorting machine according to the prior art for testing optical electronic components.

[0021] Furthermore, in order to block stray light, a structure is adopted in which the optical electronic components and the tester are electrically connected in a dead bug state (the photosensitive lens is located at the bottom and the terminals are located at the top). Since the prior art has adopted a structure in which the electronic components are electrically connected to the tester in a live bug state (a state in which the terminals of the electronic components are located at the bottom) in consideration of the automated picking performance of the electronic components, it is more difficult to directly use the sorting machine based on the prior art to test the optical electronic components.

[0022] Furthermore, if optical electronic components are picked up in a live state as in the prior art, a pick-up mark may be produced on the surface of the photosensitive lens due to the contact between the pad of the pick-up member (component that can pick up the electronic components) and the surface of the photosensitive lens. Such a pick-up mark will eventually reduce the recognition rate of the photosensitive lens and may cause a decrease in the reliability of the test results and damage to the product.

[0023] In addition, there is a risk that the glass material on the surface that is fragile to impact may be broken due to the pressure impact of the pusher caused by the pressurization action or the instantaneous impact caused by the operation of other components during the test. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the electrical connection between the electronic component and the test socket will be defective due to the vibration caused by the operation of other components. In particular, since optical electronic components can show differences in the recognition rate of light due to only slight vibrations, it may be difficult to guarantee the reliability of the test results if the test is performed under vibration.

[0024] Due to the various reasons described above, it is impossible to simply apply the sorting machine according to the prior art to the testing of optical electronic components. Summary of the invention

[0025] The present invention has the following objects.

[0026] First, a technology is provided that can isolate the interior of a test chamber from an external temperature environment, and in particular, for optical electronic components, a technology is provided that can isolate the interior of a test chamber from external light and can realize automated processing.

[0027] Second, to provide a technology that can minimize the transmission of vibrations caused by the operation of the device to the electronic components under test.

[0028] Third, a technique is provided that can accurately position the electronic component in relation to the pusher that presses the electronic component.

[0029] Fourth, a technology is provided that can minimize the pressure shock to electronic components, especially in the test of optical electronic components.

[0030] Fifth, a technology is provided in which, even though optical components are picked up, no traces due to the operation of the picking piece are generated in the area of ​​the photosensitive lens.

[0031] The electronic component test sorting machine according to the present invention comprises: a test chamber having an access hole opening forward; an opening and closing device, which opens the access hole when the electronic component is brought into or out of the test chamber through the access hole, and closes the access hole when the electronic component is tested; an access device, which brings the picked-up electronic component into the test chamber through the access hole after picking up the electronic component to be tested, and brings the picked-up electronic component out of the test chamber through the access hole after picking up the electronic component that has been tested. The test chamber comprises a chamber; and a pressurizing device, which pressurizes the electronic component to be tested at the test position to electrically connect the electronic component to the tester, the electronic component is brought out of the test chamber after being brought into the test chamber by the access device, and passes through the access hole when being brought in and out, the access device is fixed to the outside of the test chamber, and includes a picking rod equipped with a picker capable of picking up the electronic component or releasing the picking of the electronic component, and the picker is configured to be able to enter the interior of the test chamber or leave the test chamber through the access hole.

[0032] According to the present invention, the sorting machine for testing electronic components includes: a test chamber having an access hole opening to one side; an opening and closing device, which opens the access hole when the electronic component is brought into or out of the test chamber through the access hole, and closes the access hole when the electronic component is tested; an access device, which picks up the electronic component to be tested and brings it into the test chamber through the access hole, or picks up the electronic component that has completed the test and brings it out of the test chamber through the access hole; and a pressurizing device, which pressurizes the electronic component to be tested at the test position and electrically connects it to the tester.

[0033] The above-mentioned sorting machine also includes: a carrier table, which has a carrying slot capable of carrying electronic components; a supply stacker, which is equipped to carry a tray containing electronic components to be tested and will be moved to the carrier table; a recovery stacker, which is equipped to carry a tray containing electronic components that have completed testing and will be recovered from the carrier table; a loading device, which moves the electronic components to be tested from the supply stacker to the carrier table; and an unloading device, which moves the electronic components that have completed testing from the carrier table to the recovery stacker, and the entry and exit device brings the electronic components to be tested on the carrier table into the test cavity, and brings the electronic components that have completed testing out of the test cavity and moves them to the carrier table.

[0034] The carrier is divided into a loading platform for carrying electronic components to be tested and an unloading platform for carrying electronic components that have been tested, and is respectively equipped, wherein it also includes: a mover, which moves the loading platform and the unloading platform so that the loading platform is selectively located at a loading position for carrying electronic components and an entry and exit position for bringing electronic components into or out of the test cavity, and selectively locates the unloading platform at the entry and exit position and an unloading position for unloading the electronic components, the loading device carries the electronic components to be tested to the loading platform located at the loading position, the unloading device unloads the electronic components that have been tested from the unloading platform located at the unloading position, the entry and exit device brings the electronic components on the loading platform located at the entry and exit position into the test cavity, and brings the electronic components that have been tested out of the test cavity and moves to the unloading platform located at the entry and exit position.

[0035] The access hole is formed to open to the front of the test cavity, the access position is located in front of the test cavity to correspond to the access hole, and the loading position and the unloading position are separated by the access position and are divided into two sides.

[0036] At least one of the pickers provided in the loading device, unloading device or access device for suction picking up the electronic component has a quadrilateral suction pad capable of contacting the electronic component between the outermost contour of the electronic component and the contour of the photosensitive region in the electronic component.

[0037] The test chamber has an illumination window for combining with an illumination device which is arranged at a side opposite to the electronic component and irradiates light to the electronic component, and the light of the illumination device can irradiate the electronic component electrically connected to the test socket through the pressurizing device.

[0038] The lighting device is provided in the test chamber in combination with the lighting window in a layout form such that the lens barrel of the lighting device passes therethrough, and the test chamber is provided with opening and closing components on four sides for opening and closing the portion where the lens barrel is inserted into the lighting window.

[0039] The pressurizing device includes: a pressurizing plate configured to be movable; and a pusher, which is arranged on the side of the pressurizing plate and pressurizes or releases the electronic component according to the movement of the pressurizing plate, and a first through hole is formed on the pressurizing plate to allow the light of the lighting device to pass through, and the pusher has a second through hole formed at a position corresponding to the first through hole to allow the light passing through the first through hole to pass through and illuminate the electronic component.

[0040] The inner wall surface of the test cavity or the components arranged inside the test cavity are provided with a black material or the surface is coated black, so that the darkroom inside the test cavity is enhanced.

[0041] The present invention has the following effects.

[0042] First, by isolating the interior of the test chamber from the external temperature environment or light to maximize the darkroom, the electronic components can be tested under the optimal test environment, thereby improving the reliability of the test.

[0043] Second, by minimizing the transmission of vibrations caused by the operation of the device to the electronic component under test, the electrical connection and optical recognition between the electronic component under test and the tester are stably maintained.

[0044] Third, since the movement of the pusher can be performed through calibration, the relative position between the pusher and the electronic component becomes accurate, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the electrical connection between the electronic component and the tester.

[0045] Fourth, by virtue of the effect of the damping member, a pressurizing shock applied to the electronic component through the pusher or a vibration or a transient shock accompanying the operation of the device is minimized, thereby preventing the electronic component from being damaged due to the shock and vibration.

[0046] Fifth, although the optical electronic components are picked up, no traces of the picking operation are generated in the photosensitive lens area, thereby preventing product damage or improving the reliability of the test. Sixth, optical testing can also be performed on optical electronic components in a live insect state, so that automated processing of optical electronic components can be performed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] Figure 1 It is a reference diagram for explaining a test structure of a conventional optical electronic component.

[0048] Figure 2 It is a conceptual plan view for explaining the movement of electronic components in the sorting machine according to the present invention.

[0049] Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a reference diagram for explaining an electrical connection structure between an electronic component and a tester according to the present invention.

[0050] Figure 4 This is a conceptual plan view for explaining the structure of a sorting machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Figure 5 It is for application Figure 4 A screenshot of the shuttle device.

[0052] Figure 6 is a conceptual intercept applied to Figure 4 Refer to the figure of the picking robot for loading the sorting machine.

[0053] Figure 7It is a reference diagram for explaining a suction pad applied to a loading pickup robot.

[0054] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the application Figure 4 Refer to the figure of the test chamber of the sorting machine.

[0055] Fig. 9 and Fig.10 It is used to illustrate Figure 8 Refer to the conceptual diagram of the composition of the test chamber.

[0056] Fig.11 It is used to describe the application Figure 4 Refer to the diagram of the vibration-proof components of the sorting machine.

[0057] Fig.12 It is for application Figure 4 A schematic screenshot of the input and output device of the sorting machine.

[0058] Fig.13 It is used to describe the application Figure 4 Refer to the drawing of the layout structure of the pressurizing device of the sorting machine.

[0059] Fig.14 and Fig.15 It is for application Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a pressurizing device of a sorting machine.

[0060] Fig.16 It is used to illustrate Fig.14 Refer to the figure of the structure of the pressure plate and the pusher set in the pressure device.

[0061] Fig.17 and Fig.18 It is used to describe the application Fig.14 Reference is made to the drawing of the setting structure of the pusher of the pressurizing device.

[0062] Fig.19 and Fig. 20 It is used to illustrate the Fig.14 Refer to the drawing for the pressurizing work of the pusher of the pressurizing device.

[0063] Fig.21 It is for application Figure 4 A schematic cut-away stereogram of the lighting device of a sorting machine.

[0064] Fig. 22 and Fig.23 It is used to illustrate Fig.21 Reference is made to a diagram of the setting structure of the lighting device.

[0065] Fig.24 This is a schematic diagram for explaining the structure of a pressurizing device according to another example of the present invention.

[0066] Fig.25 It is used to indicate that the inspection is applied to Figure 4 A technical reference diagram of the loading state of electronic components on the loading station and unloading station of the sorting machine.

[0067] Explanation of symbols

[0068] HR: Sorting machine for electronic component testing 100: Shuttle device

[0069] 110: Loading station 120: Unloading station

[0070] 130: Mover 210: Loading device

[0071] 211a: Pickup GP: Suction pad

[0072] 220: Unloading device 300: Test chamber

[0073] 10: Access hole 400: Opening and closing device

[0074] 500: Access device 600: Pressurizing device

[0075] 610: Pressure plate TH1: First through hole

[0076] 620: Pusher TH2: Second through hole

[0077] 660: Pressurization drive source 700: Lighting device

[0078] SS: Supply Stacker RS: Recycling Stacker DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0079] Preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein descriptions of substantially the same components will be omitted as much as possible for the sake of brevity.

[0080] <Notes on the movement of electronic components>

[0081] 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.

[0082] After the electronic components are moved from the supply stacker SS to the supply position SP while being loaded on the tray T, they are 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 is operated 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 to the tester is provided at the test position TP.

[0083] After the electronic components that have completed the test are moved from the test position TP to the take-out position OP, they are moved from the take-out position OP to the recovery position RP and loaded onto the tray T at the recovery position RP. Furthermore, in the process of the electronic components being loaded onto the tray T at the recovery position RP, the electronic components are classified according to the test results. Thereafter, 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 toward the recovery stacker RS ​​in a state of being loaded onto the tray T. Of course, the bring-in position IP and the take-out position OP may be bound as an entry and exit position, and further, according to an embodiment, the bring-in position IP and the take-out position OP may be the same position as each other.

[0084] Here, the bring-in position IP and the bring-out position OP constituting the entry and exit positions are both in front of the test chamber 300 .

[0085] During the movement as described above, the electronic components remain in a live state and the test is also carried out in the live state.

[0086] <Description of Conceptual Structure of Electrical Connection Between Electronic Components and Tester>

[0087] According to the present invention, the electrical connection structure between the electronic component and the tester is as follows Figure 3 Refer to the conceptual structure diagram of .

[0088] The slot board SB of the tester is arranged below the electronic component D located at the test position TP, with the terminal T1 of the test slot TS located in the slot board SB facing upward and the terminal T2 of the electronic component D facing downward, and is maintained in an active state. Furthermore, the pressurizing device 600 presses the electronic component D downward, and at this time, the lighting element LE is arranged above the electronic component D facing downward, and irradiates light onto the upper surface of the electronic component D. Of course, the light irradiated by the lighting element LE passes through the light collecting lens 650 that collects the light to the electronic component D side and then passes through the pressurizing device 600 to enter the electronic component D.

[0089] Furthermore, the present invention considers testing of the electronic component D used for optics and configures the test chamber 300 for blocking external interference light so that only the light irradiated by the lighting element LE is incident on the electronic component D and the interior of the test chamber 300 is kept in a darkroom state to the maximum extent.

[0090] Next, the main components of the sorting machine HR according to the present invention will be described. The order of the description of the components is as follows: first, the main components of the sorting machine HR are briefly described mainly based on their functions, and then the main components are selected and described in more detail.

[0091] <General description of the structure of the sorting machine>

[0092] Figure 4This is a conceptual plan view for explaining the structure of a sorting machine according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0093] The sorting machine HR according to the present embodiment includes a shuttle device 100, a supply stacker SS, a loading device 210, an unloading device 220, three recovery stackers RS, a test chamber 300, an opening and closing device 400, an entry and exit device 500, a pressurizing device 600, a lighting device 700, a conveyor 800, an anti-vibration component 900 and a control device CA.

[0094] The shuttle device 100 moves the electronic components 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 components that have completed the test from the bringing-out position OP to the unloading position UP. To this end, the shuttle device 100 is equipped in front of the test chamber 300, and Figure 5 The illustrated structure includes a loading station 110 , an unloading station 120 , and a mover 130 .

[0095] The loading stage 110 has four loading slots G1 to load four electronic components D at a time.

[0096] The unloading stage 120 is disposed to be spaced apart from the carrying stage 110 along the right side direction of the loading stage 110 , and similarly has four carrying slots G2 to carry four electronic components D.

[0097] The loading station 110 and the unloading station 120 are arranged to be combined together in a moving part ME to move together in the left and right directions, and both can be located in front of the test chamber 300 .

[0098] The mover 130 moves the moving part ME in the left and right directions, thereby finally moving the loading platform 110 and the unloading platform 120 in the left and right directions. Therefore, the loading platform 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 platform 120 can be selectively located at the bringing-out position OP or the unloading position UP.

[0099] For reference, “loading” in the present embodiment means that the electronic components D are carried on the loading stage 110 , and “unloading” means that the electronic components are unloaded from the unloading stage 120 .

[0100] The loading position LP is a position where the electronic components are placed on the loading stage 110 , and the unloading position UP is a position where the electronic components are unloaded from the unloading stage 120 .

[0101] Furthermore, the bringing-in position IP is the position where the electronic component is brought into the test chamber 300, and the taking-out position OP is the position where the electronic component is taken out of the test chamber 300. Here, as mentioned above, the bringing-in position IP and the taking-out position OP may be referred to as the entry and exit position, the entry and exit position is in front of the test chamber 300, and the loading position LP and the unloading position UP are separated from the entry and exit position and are divided on both sides.

[0102] In this embodiment, the shuttle device 100 equipped with a loading platform 110 and an unloading platform 120 that can move in the left and right directions is intended to realize smooth movement of the electronic components D. However, according to the actual implementation, the movement of the electronic components D can also be realized by equipping a fixed loading platform and an unloading platform and expanding the operating range of the loading device 210, the unloading device 220 and the access device 500 described later.

[0103] Furthermore, in the present invention, independent loading platforms 110 and unloading platforms 120 are provided for rapid processing, but as mentioned above, in the case where the carrying-in position and the carrying-out position are in accordance with the same modified example, it is preferable to consider only one carrying platform that can be compatible with the carrying platform and the unloading platform. Similarly, although one carrying platform can be configured to be movable, it is also possible to consider a fixed configuration, in which case the process of passing through the loading position and the unloading position separately can be omitted.

[0104] That is, although the application has Figure 5 The shuttle device 100 of this embodiment realizes the smooth movement of the electronic component D by means of the movable tables 110 and 120, but the present invention does not exclude any movement method for bringing the electronic component D out of or into the test chamber 300 that is modified from or different from the above example.

[0105] The supply stacker SS is equipped to carry a tray T containing electronic components D to be tested. Here, according to actual implementation, the operation of carrying the tray T by the supply stacker SS can be realized manually by an operator or automatically by an automated server.

[0106] The loading device 210 loads the electronic components D to be tested onto the loading stage 110 at the loading position LP. To this end, the loading device 210 includes a loading pickup robot 211 and a supply conveyor 212.

[0107] The loading picking robots 211 work in groups of four and unload the electronic components D from the tray T located at the supply position SP and load the electronic components D onto the loading table 110 located at the loading position LP.

[0108] The supply conveyor 212 takes out the trays T located on the supply stacker SS one by one and moves the trays T to the supply position SP.

[0109] The unloading device 220 unloads the tested electronic components D from the unloading station 120 and loads them to the tray T at the recovery position RP, and moves the tray T at the recovery position RP to the recovery stacker RS. To this end, the unloading device 220 includes an unloading picking robot 221 and a recovery conveyor 222.

[0110] The unloading picking robot 221 may have the same configuration as the loading picking robot 211, and may unload the electronic components D that have been tested and moved from the take-out position OP to the unloading position UP from the unloading station 120 and load them onto the trays T located at the recovery position RP. In this process, the electronic components D are sorted according to their test results and moved to the trays T located at the respective recovery positions RP.

[0111] The collection conveyor 222 moves the tray T filled with the tested electronic components D from the collection position RP to the collection stacker RS.

[0112] The recovery stacker RS ​​is provided to carry the trays T from the corresponding recovery positions RP.

[0113] The test chamber 300 is sealed inside so that the electronic component D stored and located at the test position TP can be tested under a desired environment during the test. Such a test chamber 300 includes an access hole 10 opened forward. Here, the access hole 10 serves as a passage for moving the electronic component D brought into the position IP to the test position TP or for moving the electronic component D at the test position TP to the take-out position OP. Therefore, the bring-in position IP and the take-out position OP are located in front of the access hole 10 to correspond to the access hole 10.

[0114] 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 or out of the test chamber 300, and if the access hole 10 is closed, the inside of the test chamber 300 is sealed, and since the inside of the test chamber 300 is sealed, the inside of the test chamber 300 can be maintained in a suitable test environment. In particular, a darkroom is 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 temperature environment within a specific range is required for testing, the inside of the test chamber 300 can be isolated from the external temperature environment due to the closure of the access hole 10, and it becomes easy to manage the inside of the test chamber 300 as a specific temperature environment.

[0115] The access device 500 moves the electronic component D carried on the loading platform 110 at the bringing-in position IP to the testing position TP in the testing chamber 300, or moves the electronic component D at the testing position TP to the unloading platform 120 at the taking-out position OP. That is, in the past, the electronic component was brought into or taken out of the testing chamber through the shuttle, but in the present invention, the electronic component D is brought into or taken out of the testing chamber 300 through the access hole 10 opened forward by the access device 500 that can pick up or release the electronic component D.

[0116] The pressurizing 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 socket TS of the socket board SB located below.

[0117] The lighting device 700 is provided to irradiate light onto the upper surface of the electronic component D located at the test position TP.

[0118] The conveyor 800 can move the tray T from which all the electronic components D have been unloaded at the supply position SP to the collection position RP, etc. For reference, if a storage stacker capable of storing empty trays is provided between the supply stacker SS and the collection stacker RS, the conveyor 800 will also play the role of moving the empty trays moved to the rear from the storage stacker to the collection position RP or moving the trays unloaded at the supply position SP to the rear of the stacker.

[0119] The four vibration-proof members 900 support the test chamber 300 , and suppress the vibration accompanying the operation of the sorter HR from being transmitted to the test chamber 300 .

[0120] The control device CA controls the above-mentioned components.

[0121] Next, the loading and picking robot 211, the test chamber 300, the access device 500, the pressurizing device 600, and the lighting device 700, which are the main features of the present invention, will be described in more detail.

[0122] <Explanation for Pickup Robot for Loading>

[0123] The loading picking robot 211 picks up electronic components D in groups of four from the tray T located at the supply position SP and moves and carries them to the loading station 110. To this end, as schematically shown Figure 6 As shown in the screenshot, the loading picking robot 211 includes four pickers 211a, a lifter 211b, an X-axis mover 211c, and a Y-axis mover 211d.

[0124] The four pickers 211a are arranged in a 2×2 array, and can pick up or release the electronic component D by vacuum pressure adsorption. Unlike the circular adsorption pads provided as adsorption pickup components in the conventional sorting machine, the pickers 211a of the present invention have quadrilateral adsorption pads GP. Here, the reason for this is described in more detail.

[0125] It is obvious that poor pickup will occur as long as a part of the adsorption pad GP in contact with the electronic component D is located in an area separated from the surface of the electronic component D. Therefore, the position where the adsorption pad GP contacts the electronic component D needs to take into account various structural tolerances or operational errors. And, in the case of an 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 is in contact with the electronic component D between the outer edge of the electronic component D and the photosensitive area, and it is necessary not only not to exceed the edge of the electronic component D within the allowable range of various tolerances and operational errors, but also to maintain a maximum distance from the photosensitive area.

[0126] Figure 7 (a) and Figure 7 (b) shows the quadrilateral adsorption pad GP1 currently in contact with the electronic component D and the existing circular adsorption pad GP2.

[0127] Unlike the quadrilateral adsorption pad GP1, a portion of the circular adsorption pad GP2 has a narrow spacing with the photosensitive area SA. Therefore, there is a risk that the adsorption pad GP2 may contact the photosensitive area SA due to various structural tolerances and operational errors, and thus a pick-up mark may remain in the photosensitive area SA. If a pick-up mark remains in the photosensitive area SA, not only may the commercial quality of the product be reduced or a special washing process be required, but the pick-up mark may also cause a test error. However, if the radius of the circular adsorption pad GP2 is increased for this reason, there is a risk that a portion of the adsorption pad GP2 may be separated from the edge of the electronic component D due to various structural tolerances or operational errors.

[0128] Therefore, if Figure 7 (a), the picker 211a of the sorting machine HR according to the present invention is designed to have a quadrilateral shape as the suction pad GP1, which is a pickup portion 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 even under various structural tolerances or operational errors.

[0129] The lifter 211 b lifts the four pickers 221 a so that the pickers 211 a are lowered to a position where they can pick up or release the electronic components D, or are raised to a position where they can move the electronic components D.

[0130] The X-axis mover 211c moves the picker 211a in the X-axis direction (left-right direction) to finally move the picker 211a to a position in the X-axis direction where the picker 211a can pick up or release the electronic component.

[0131] The Y-axis mover 211d moves the picker 211a in the Y-axis direction (front-rear direction) to move the picker 211a to a position in the Y-axis direction where the picker 211a can pick up or release the electronic component.

[0132] The unloading picking robot 221 differs only in that it moves the electronic components D from the unloading stage 120 to the tray T, and has substantially the same configuration as the loading picking robot 211 , so the description thereof will be omitted.

[0133] <Explanation on the test chamber and vibration-proof components>

[0134] like Figure 8 As shown in the schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 , the test chamber 300 has an access hole 10 opened forward. The access hole 10 serves as a passage for bringing the electronic component into the test chamber 300 or taking the electronic component D out of the test chamber 300.

[0135] In the prior art, the left side wall of the test cavity is provided with an entry hole for bringing in electronic components, and the right side wall of the test cavity is provided with an exit hole for bringing out electronic components. However, the present invention only forms one entry and exit hole 10 for bringing in and out electronic components D on the front side wall of the test cavity 300, and the entry and exit hole 10 is also equipped to be completely closed by an opening and closing device 400. Here, the entry and exit hole 10 has a left and right width that can accommodate both the entry position IP and the exit position OP.

[0136] Thus, according to the present invention, even if the access hole 10 is formed only on the front side wall of the test chamber 300, by locating the loading station 110 and the unloading station 120 at the carrying-in position IP and the carrying-out position OP in front of the access hole 10, proper logistics of the electronic components D can be achieved.

[0137] That is, in the case of the sorting machine HR according to the present embodiment, a loading structure is arranged in the left area, and an unloading structure is arranged in the right area, just like most existing sorting machines. Therefore, the electronic component D has a process of moving from the left area of ​​the sorting machine HR to the right area of ​​the sorting machine HR after passing through the test position TP. Therefore, by forming the access hole 10 on the front side wall of the test cavity 300 and arranging the shuttle device 100 in front of the test cavity 300, the loading platform 110 and the unloading platform 120 can be located in front of the access hole 10, thereby realizing the efficient movement of the electronic components. Of course, the main feature of the present invention is to bring the electronic component D into the interior of the test cavity 300 or take it out of the test cavity 300 through an access hole 10, so the present invention does not exclude the situation of changing the movement process of the electronic component D and forming the access hole on one of the left and right sides of the test cavity.

[0138] A pressurizing device 600 for pressurizing the electronic component D downward is arranged inside the test chamber 300 as described above, and a socket board SB equipped with a test socket TS of the tester TESTER is coupled to the lower side thereof.

[0139] Furthermore, an illumination window SW required for irradiating light to the electronic component D is formed on the upper side wall of the test chamber 300. In the illumination window SW, the illumination device 700 is arranged in the test chamber 300 in a manner such that its lens barrel passes through. Fig. 9 As referred to in the plan view, the lens barrel 720 is provided with a quadrilateral closing portion 721, and the lighting device 700 is combined with the test cavity 300 in a state where the closing portion 721 is inserted into the lighting window SW. However, even if there is a quadrilateral closing portion 721 in the lens barrel, in order to easily set up the lighting device 700 or to easily rotate and lift the lens barrel 720 for maintenance as described later, the plane area of ​​the closing portion 721 needs to be smaller than the plane area of ​​the lighting window SW. Therefore, it is impossible to close the entire lighting window SW in a state where the closing portion 721 is inserted into the lighting window SW. For this reason, the test cavity 300 is provided with four opening and closing components 311 to 314 for closing the front, back, left, and right sides of the quadrilateral closing portion 721 as the portion to be inserted into the lighting window SW. And as Fig.10 As shown, the opening and closing components 311 to 314 close the area opened in the front, rear, left and right directions of the closing portion 721 by folding and rotating. Of course, although the present embodiment shows the situation where the opening and closing components 311 to 314 are folded and rotated, according to actual implementation, the opening and closing components can also close the area opened in the front, rear, left and right directions by sliding or disassembling and combining, and the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing components 311 to 314 can be selectively realized by using electric driving force to be automatically completed or manually completed.

[0140] In addition, the bottom plate DP of the test chamber 300 may be provided with a vibration-proof member 900 and combined with the base plate BP of the sorting machine HR. The vibration-proof member 900 is provided to suppress the vibration caused by the operation of the sorting machine HR from being transmitted to the test chamber 300. Such a vibration-proof member 900 may be provided to be able to shrink and expand. Fig.11 When the test chamber 300 is contracted as shown in (a), the test chamber 300 is fixed integrally to the substrate BP. Fig.11 When the test chamber 300 expands as shown in (b), the test chamber 300 becomes slightly movable relative to the substrate BP. To this end, the vibration-proof component 900 can be prepared as a mechanism that can shrink and expand (for example, a spring or other elastic component such as rubber), but considering the design interference with other components, it can be preferably considered to be equipped with a hydraulic cylinder that can be elastically shrunk and expanded by self-driving of the pressure of a fluid such as air or liquid (water or oil, etc.).

[0141] Next, the contraction and expansion of the vibration-proof member 900 will be further described.

[0142] When the electronic component D is brought into or out of the test chamber 300, the relative position change between the access device 500 and the test chamber 300 can be suppressed, so the electronic component D should be maintained as follows: Fig.11 (a) The vibration-proof member 900 is retracted, and the test cavity 300 is lowered while the substrate BP and the test cavity 300 are fixed to each other as a whole. This is because the access device 500 is directly or indirectly fixedly arranged on the substrate BP side, so only when the substrate BP and the test cavity 300 are fixed as a whole can the relative position change between the access device 500 and the test cavity 300 be prohibited, thereby accurately realizing the picking up and unpicking of the electronic component D in the test cavity 300 by the access device 500.

[0143] However, when testing the electronic component D, it is necessary to prevent the vibration that may be transmitted to the test cavity 300 through the substrate BP during the test from causing a defect in the electrical connection between the electronic component D and the test slot TS. Therefore, since it is necessary to minimize the transmission of the operating impact of other components to the test cavity 300, the vibration-proof component 900 is made as shown in FIG. Fig.11 The test chamber 300 is lifted by expanding the vibration-proof member 900 as in (b), thereby making the test chamber 300 slightly movable relative to the substrate BP. That is, the vibration-proof member 900 is expanded to elastically support the test chamber 300 relative to the substrate BP.

[0144] Of course, since the pressurizing device 600, the lighting device 700 and the slot board SB combined with the test cavity 300 move together with the test cavity 300, even if the test cavity 300 moves relative to the base plate BP, the relative positions of the test cavity 300, the pressurizing device 600, the lighting device 700 and the slot board SB are always fixed. By having such a combined structure, even if vibration is generated with the operation of other components, since most of the vibration is absorbed by the anti-vibration component 900 when it is transmitted to the test cavity 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 anti-vibration component 900 also has the function of preventing in advance the situation where the test result loses reliability due to optical distortion caused by vibration.

[0145] As such, when the sorting machine HR according to the present invention needs to carry out an operation of bringing in or taking out an electronic component D, the test cavity 300 can be fixed integrally on the substrate BP. When testing the electronic component D, the stability of operation and testing can be achieved by equipping the test cavity 300 with an anti-vibration component 900 that enables the test cavity 300 to move relative to the substrate BP.

[0146] Furthermore, in order to accurately pick up or release the electronic component D by the access device 500 inside the test cavity 300, it is necessary to realize the integration of the test cavity 300 and the substrate BP at an accurate position when the vibration-proof member 900 is contracted, and to prevent the relative horizontal vibration of the test cavity 300 with respect to the substrate BP. Fig.11 As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, an insertion hole H is formed on the bottom plate DP of the test cavity 300, and a correction protrusion CP is provided on the base plate BP. Accordingly, when the anti-vibration component 900 shrinks, the correction protrusion CP is inserted into the insertion hole H to achieve accurate positioning of the test cavity 300. Of course, according to actual implementation, the test cavity may also be provided with a correction protrusion and an insertion hole may be formed on the base plate. Even if the correction protrusion and the insertion hole are not structures, other different correction means that can correct the position of the test cavity when the test cavity moves downward may be fully considered.

[0147] In the present embodiment described above, the hydraulic cylinder is used as the vibration-proof component 900, and when the vibration-proof component 900 expands, the exact rising height of the test cavity 300 becomes unclear. Fig.11 As mentioned above, the test chamber 300 is limited in its ascending height by forming a separate stopper S on the base plate BP, so that the test chamber 300 is ascended only to a predetermined height.

[0148] <Explanation of access device>

[0149] The access device 500 brings the electronic component D into the test chamber 300 or takes it out from the test chamber 300. Fig.12The entry and exit device 500 includes a pick-up rod 510 for bringing in, a pick-up rod 520 for bringing out, a first lifter 530, a second lifter 540, an X-axis mover 550, a Z-axis mover 560 and a Y-axis mover 570.

[0150] The carry-in picker bar 510 has four pickers 511 for picking up four electronic components D on the loading table 110 located at the carry-in position IP and moving them to the test slot TS.

[0151] The picker bar 520 for carrying out has four pickers 521 for picking up four electronic components D located in the test slot TS and then moving to the loading stage 120 to the carrying out position OP.

[0152] Likewise, the pickers 511 , 521 provided at the picker bar 510 for bringing in and the picker 520 for bringing out, respectively, should preferably be provided with quadrilateral adsorption pads for preventing contact with the photosensitive area of ​​the electronic component D.

[0153] Furthermore, the pick-in rod 510 and the pick-out rod 520 are configured to be elongated rearward and extremely narrow in vertical width, so that they can be properly inserted and removed between the pressurizing device 600 and the slot board SB in the test chamber 300 .

[0154] 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.

[0155] 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.

[0156] 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.

[0157] 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.

[0158] <Explanation on Pressurization Device>

[0159] 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. Fig.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.

[0160] like Fig.14 The bottom stereogram and Fig.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 .

[0161] The pressure plate 610 is provided to be movable up and down. A pusher 620 and a damping member 640 are provided below the pressure plate 610 so that the pusher 620 and the damping member 640 are moved up and down together with the pressure plate 610. In addition, the pressure plate 610 is provided with a first through hole TH1 through which light from the lighting device 700 can pass.

[0162] When the pressurizing plate 610 moves downward, the pressurizing portion P protruding downward on the bottom of the pusher 620 contacts the electronic component D and pressurizes the electronic component D downward to electrically connect the electronic component D to the test slot TS, and when the pressurizing plate 610 moves upward, the pressurization of the electronic component D is released. This pusher 620 has a second through hole TH2 so that the light passing through the first through hole TH1 can pass through the pusher 620 to irradiate the electronic component D. In addition, a pair of correction holes CH for correcting the position of the pusher 620 are formed on the outside of the second through hole TH2 in a manner open to the electronic component D side. Through this second through hole TH2 and the first through hole TH1 mentioned above, the light of the lighting device 700 can pass through the pressurizing device 600 to irradiate the electronic component D electrically connected to the test slot TS.

[0163] The setting rod 630 is provided as a setting member for movably coupling the pusher 620 to the pressure plate 610 .

[0164] Unlike the existing sorting machines, the sorting machine HR according to the present invention has the pusher 620 movably arranged on the pressure plate 610 as an important feature. Fig.16 The structure in which the pusher 620 is arranged on the pressure plate 610 is described with reference to a schematic conceptual diagram of the present invention.

[0165] Reference to exaggeration Fig.16 As can be seen from the schematic diagram, the pressure plate 610 is provided with a setting hole IH, 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.

[0166] Furthermore, in the setting rod 630, the head portion as the upper portion on one side thereof has a shape corresponding to the shape of the setting hole 1H and is inserted into the setting hole 1H, and the main body portion as the lower portion on the other side thereof passes through the setting hole 1H, so that the lower end is fixedly coupled to the pusher 620. That is, in order to make the present invention preferably applied, unlike the main body portion of the setting rod 630, the outer diameter of the head portion of the setting rod 630 is gradually increased along the upper side, and the inclination angle according to such a head shape is at least partially consistent with the inclination angle of the setting hole 1H. Furthermore, more preferably, the length of the inclined surface of the head portion of the setting rod 630 can be realized to be longer than the length formed by the inclined surface of the setting hole 1H.

[0167] Therefore, if Fig.17 , it is configured so that if the pusher 620 is subjected to an external force F upward, the pusher 620 and the setting rod 630 can move slightly upward relative to the pressure plate 610 in the opposite direction to the direction in which the electronic component D is located. Of course, if the external force F applied upward is removed, the pusher 620 will fall due to its own gravity. In this way, the pusher 620 is combined in a manner that can be raised and lowered relative to the pressure plate 610 by means of the setting rod 630. That is, it can be seen that this feature can be effectively applied to a vertical sorting machine in which the pressure applied to the electronic components acts in the up and down directions.

[0168] And, if Fig.17As 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 to move the pusher 620 in the horizontal direction, the minimum inner diameter of the setting hole IH is larger than the outer diameter of the part of the setting rod 630 that passes through the setting hole IH. That is, the outer diameter of the area of ​​the main body of the setting rod 630 that is inserted into the setting hole IH is smaller than the minimum inner diameter of the setting hole IH. In this way, the setting rod 630 is used to set the pusher 620 to the setting part of the pressure plate 610, and accordingly, when the pusher 620 is acted upon by an external force F, the pusher 620 is moved upward relative to the pressure plate 610 in the opposite direction (first direction) to the direction where the electronic component D is located, and after the upward movement, it becomes a state in which it can move in the second direction (horizontal direction) perpendicular to the first direction.

[0169] As described above, according to the present invention, the pusher 620 is provided on the pressurizing plate 610 so as to be able to move slightly horizontally when the pusher 620 is lifted relative to the pressurizing plate 610. Moreover, this structure enables two appropriate operations described later. One is to protect the electronic component D (especially the glass component of the electronic component D) from excessive pressure from the pusher 60, and the other is to accurately realize the electrical connection between the electronic component D and the test slot TS by making the pusher 620 pressurize the electronic component D at an accurate position.

[0170] The damping member 640 is configured to organically interact with the aforementioned liftable structure of the pusher 620 to protect the electronic component D from various shocks or vibrations. That is, the damping member 640 has the function of absorbing shocks and vibrations that may be transmitted to the electronic component D.

[0171] The damping member 640 supports the pusher 620 with appropriate elasticity relative to the pressure plate so that the pusher 620 does not pressurize the electronic component D with excessive pressure. To this end, the damping member 640 can be equipped with a hydraulic cylinder that can be elastically compressed and expanded instantly. This 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 is subjected to excessive pressure due to the descent of the pressure plate 610, the pusher 620 can be compressed by the damping member 640 to correspondingly rise (actually stationary) relative to the pressure plate 610 to eliminate a part of the impact force and pressure applied to the electronic component D. 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 pressure, it is more preferred to use a mechanism with a small compression rate such as a hydraulic cylinder (a cylinder that can work with fluids such as air and liquid). 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 disposed at a position staggered from the first through hole TH1 and the second through hole TH2. Fig.18 As shown in the schematic diagram, there is a structure in which a pair of damping components 640 support a pusher 620 on both sides of the second through hole TH2. In addition, in this embodiment, one side (upper side) of the damping component 640 is combined with the lower side of the pressure plate 610, and the other side (lower side) is in contact with or not in contact with the upper side of the pusher 620 at a position corresponding to the upper side according to different situations. Therefore, when the pusher 620 rises, the damping component 640 and the pusher 620 will be in contact, and when the pusher 620 falls, the damping component 640 and the pusher 620 will be separated.

[0172] If, as exaggerated Fig.19 As shown in the conceptual diagram (a), when the pusher 620 fully pressurizes the electronic component D, the pressure plate 610 needs to be lowered, and the damping member 640 is compressed. Fig.19 As shown in (b), the pusher 620 is lifted to a corresponding degree relative to the pressure plate 610. That is, when the protruding pressure portion P of the pusher 620 contacts the electronic component D during the descent of the pressure plate 610, the pusher 620 is subjected to an upward force, whereby the damping member 640 is compressed and the pusher 620 is lifted relative to the pressure plate 610. Therefore, the excessive pressure applied when the pusher 620 contacts the electronic component D is absorbed by the damping member 640, thereby protecting the electronic component D.

[0173] Furthermore, the shock that may be generated instantaneously due to vibration during the test is also absorbed by the damping member 640, thereby safely protecting the electronic component D. Here, the damping member 640 absorbs most of the remaining vibration or shock that cannot be absorbed by the vibration-proof member 900, thereby achieving a stable electrical connection between the electronic component D and the test slot TS. In this way, from the perspective of absorbing the vibration or shock that can be transmitted to the electronic component D, the aforementioned vibration-proof member 900 acts as a first vibration transmission prevention member, and the damping member 640 acts as a second vibration transmission prevention member.

[0174] Observing the damping component 640 from another direction, the damping component 640 also has the function of limiting the movement distance of the pusher 620 when the pusher 610 moves upward relative to the pressure plate 610 due to the external force F, thereby enabling the pusher 620 to pressurize the electronic component D with an appropriate pressure.

[0175] In addition, further reference Fig.19 For the correction hole CH of the pusher 620 formed thereon, a correction pin PP is provided at a position of the test slot TS of the slot board SB corresponding to the correction hole CH of the pusher 620. Furthermore, the correction hole CH and the correction pin PP work together with the liftable structure of the pusher 620 to accurately set the position between the pusher 620 and the test slot TS.

[0176] In order to achieve accurate positioning of the pusher 620, the upper portion of the correction pin PP has a generally pointed shape with a width gradually narrowing along the upper side. If the pressure plate 610 is lowered in a state where the positions of the pusher 620 and the test slot TS are not accurately aligned, as exaggeratedly shown Fig. 20 As shown in (a), when the pusher 620 is lowered and inserted into the correction hole CH from the upper end of the correction pin PP, only the upper end of the correction pin PP is slightly inserted into the correction hole CH without accurately matching the correction hole CH. At this time, the pusher 620 is slightly lifted due to the resistance of the correction pin PP, so that the horizontal movement of the pusher 620 can be achieved. That is, if the upper end of the correction pin PP is inserted into the correction hole CH in a state where the position between the pusher 620 and the test slot TS (or between the pusher and the electronic component) is inaccurate, the pusher 620 will rise relative to the pressure plate 610 due to the resistance of the correction pin PP, and then the pusher 620 will move in the horizontal direction due to the horizontal movement force from the inclined surface of the pointed shape of the upper end of the correction pin PP. Therefore, as Fig. 20 As shown in (b), the position between the pusher 620 and the test socket TS is accurately set. In this state, the pusher 620 is further lowered to pressurize the electronic component D.

[0177] As described above, the present invention is proposed considering the optical electronic component D with fragile glass material on the surface, and through the accurate positioning between the pusher 620 and the electronic component D, accurate electrical connection is achieved by accurate pressure while avoiding the generation of pressure marks, and further, the contact impact or vibration impact applied by the pusher 620 to the electronic component D is suppressed to the maximum extent. Of course, even so, there is no reason to apply the structure according to the present invention only to the sorting machine HR for testing optical electronic components D, and the required structure can be selectively applied to all other sorting machines as needed.

[0178] Furthermore, the collecting lens 650 collects the light from the lighting device 700 and irradiates the electronic component D, and is provided on the upper side of the pressure plate 610 .

[0179] The pressurizing driving source 660 raises and lowers the pressurizing plate 610 , thereby pressurizing or releasing the electronic component D through the pusher 620 .

[0180] <Explanation on lighting devices>

[0181] The illumination device 700 is coupled to the test chamber 300 in a structure in which a lens barrel 720 is inserted into an illumination 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.

[0182] like Fig.21 , the lighting device 700 is configured in a form in which a lighting unit 710 and a lens barrel 720 are integrated into one body.

[0183] The lighting section 710 is a section equipped with a lighting element as a light source for irradiating light.

[0184] The lens barrel 720 induces the light irradiated by the lighting element to be concentrated and irradiated toward the electronic component D. To this end, the lower portion of the lens barrel 720 is located inside the test chamber 300 and above the pressurizing plate 610. Also, as mentioned above, the lens barrel 720 has a closed portion 721 inserted into the lighting window SW.

[0185] Such an illumination device 700 should be arranged to be movable up and down and rotatable. This is because it is necessary to easily couple the illumination device 700 to the test chamber 300 or to lift the lower part of the lens barrel 720 for maintenance of the illumination element or the lens barrel 720. To this end, the illumination device 700 is provided with a support frame SF and coupled to the test chamber 300, and the support frame SF is composed of a fixed part fP and a rotating part rP.

[0186] 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 around the left and right horizontal axes as the rotating axes, so that the lower side can be lifted.

[0187] 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, thereby lifting the lower part of the lighting device 700. In addition, the lighting device 700 is coupled to the rotating part rP so as to be liftable.

[0188] Therefore, when the lighting device 700 is separated from the test chamber 300, the opening and closing members 311 to 314 are first operated to open the lighting window SW to the maximum extent. Fig. 22 As shown in FIG. 1 , the lighting device 700 is raised to avoid interference between the lighting device 700 and the upper part of the test cavity 300 during rotation, and then Fig.23 The lighting device 700 is rotated as shown so that the lower part of the lens barrel 720 is completely lifted. Similarly, when the lighting device 700 is combined and installed in the test chamber 300, the above-mentioned reverse process is performed.

[0189] As described above, the lighting device 700 according to the present invention has a structure in which light is irradiated toward the electronic component D from above the opposite side of the electronic component D located below with the pressurizing device 600 interposed therebetween.

[0190] For reference, although the rotation and lifting of the lighting device 700 are preferably implemented to be automatically completed, it is also conceivable that they can be completed manually by an operator.

[0191] <Operation Instructions>

[0192] The supply mover 212 takes out the tray T from the stacker SS and moves it to the supply position SP. As a result, the loading picking robot 211 picks up four electronic components D from the tray T located at the supply position SP and loads them onto the loading station 110 located at the loading position LP. Then, the shuttle device 100 is operated to move the loading station 110 to the bring-in position IP, and the unloading station 120 is moved to the take-out position OP. At the same time, the take-out pick-up rod 520 of the entry and exit 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 station 120 reaches the take-out position OP, the picked-up electronic component D is loaded onto the unloading station 120. In addition, the entry and exit device 500 uses the bring-in pick-up rod 520 to pick up the electronic component D to be tested on the loading station 110, and supplies the picked-up electronic component to the test slot.

[0193] Furthermore, if the electronic components D to be tested are unloaded from the loading station 110 and the unloading station 120 is filled with the electronic components D that have been tested, the shuttle unit 100 operates to move the unloading station 120 to the unloading position UP. Accordingly, the unloading picking robot 221 operates to move the electronic components from the unloading station 120 to the empty tray T located at the recovery position RP. At this time, the electronic components D are classified according to the test results. Finally, if the tray T located at the recovery position is filled with the electronic components D that have been tested, the recovery conveyor 222 operates to move the tray T filled with the electronic components D that have been tested from the recovery position RP to the recovery stacker RS.

[0194] In the above process, when the electronic component D is brought into the test chamber 300 or taken out of the test chamber 300, the anti-vibration component 900 contracts to maintain the state in which the test chamber 300 is fixed integrally to the substrate BP, and when the electronic component D is tested, the anti-vibration component 900 expands to change the state in which the test chamber 300 is movably combined with the substrate BP.

[0195] Furthermore, during the process of pressurizing the electronic component D, the lifting structure of the pusher 620 and the damping member 640 are also operated, so that accurate and stable pressurization of the electronic component D is achieved.

[0196] <Other supplementary components>

[0197] 1. Additional instructions for the pusher

[0198] It may also be preferable to consider further protecting the electronic component D from contact shock or vibration shock by providing an adsorption pad for connection under the pressurizing portion P of the pusher 620 or coating or bonding a resin material such as a film that is softer than metal.

[0199] 2. Additional instructions for pressurizing devices

[0200] Although the pusher 620 can be lifted and lowered and moved horizontally in the above embodiment, as long as the position of the pusher 620 is always accurately set, only the lifting and lowering movement of the pusher 620 may be considered.

[0201] Fig.24 The structure in which a damping member 640 is provided between the pressurizing plate 610 and the pusher 620 so that the damping member 640 elastically supports the pusher 620 relative to the pressurizing plate 610 is shown. In this way, if the pusher 620 is provided on the pressurizing plate 610 side with the damping member 640 spaced apart, the pusher 620 can be elastically lifted and lowered, although the horizontal movement of the pusher 620 does not occur, so that the electronic component D can be protected from the pressurizing force or impact applied to the electronic component D by the pusher 620 or through the pusher 620.

[0202] 3. Test slot inspection camera

[0203] According to actual implementation, a camera for checking whether the electronic component is accurately mounted in the test slot TS or whether a defect occurs in the test slot TS may be additionally configured.

[0204] 4. Slot Cleaner

[0205] The handler HR according to the present invention may be equipped with a slot cleaner in the shape of an electronic component D. When equipped with the slot cleaner, if a predetermined number of tests on the electronic component D are completed, the handler HR supplies the slot cleaner to the test slot TS and operates the pressurizing device 600. Accordingly, foreign matter of the test slot TS adheres to the adhesive surface of the slot cleaner and falls off, so that the test slot TS is cleaned.

[0206] 5. Loading and unloading platform inspection device

[0207] like Fig.25 As shown, the sorting machine HR according to the present invention may be equipped with an inspection device for inspecting whether the loading station 110 or the unloading station 120 carrying slots G1 / G2 carries electronic components D. Here, the inspection device may be configured as a light emitting sensor LS for irradiating light and a light receiving sensor RS for sensing light.

[0208] 6. Darkroom test chamber

[0209] In particular, the present invention relates to a technique that can be suitably applied to testing of optical electronic components D. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the optical electronic components D to be tested from being exposed to disturbance light other than the light of the lighting device 700 to the greatest extent possible.

[0210] Therefore, in the sorting machine HR according to the present invention, when testing the electronic components D, the interior of the test chamber 300 should be kept in a darkroom state to the greatest extent possible. To this end, in order to isolate the interior of the test chamber 300 from the external light, the present invention enables the access hole 10 to be closed by means of the opening and closing device 400, and the lighting window SW can also be completely closed by means of the opening and closing components 311 to 314.

[0211] Furthermore, in order to ensure the darkroom of the test chamber 300, it is preferable to consider that the inner wall surface of the test chamber 300 or the components arranged inside the test chamber 300 are equipped with a black material that can absorb light to the maximum extent, or at least the surface thereof is coated black. Accordingly, the design is to absorb light to the maximum extent through black, thereby preventing scattering or transmission caused by a small amount of interfering light.

[0212] As described above, the specific description of the present invention is carried out by referring to the embodiments of the accompanying drawings, but the above embodiments are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and therefore it should not be understood that the present invention is limited to the above embodiments, and the scope of rights of the present invention should be understood as the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A sorting machine for testing electronic components, comprising: A test cavity having an access hole opening forward; an opening and closing device, which opens the access hole when the electronic component is brought into or out of the test cavity through the access hole, and closes the access hole when the electronic component is tested; an access device for bringing the picked-up electronic component into the test cavity through the access hole after picking up the electronic component to be tested, and bringing the picked-up electronic component out of the test cavity through the access hole after picking up the electronic component that has completed the test; and a pressurizing device for pressurizing the electronic component to be tested at the test position to electrically connect the electronic component to the tester, The electronic component is brought into the test cavity by the access device and then brought out of the test cavity, and passes through the access hole when brought in and out. The access device is fixed to the outside of the test cavity and includes a pick-up rod equipped with a picker capable of picking up or releasing the electronic component, the picker being configured to be able to enter the interior of the test cavity or leave the test cavity through the access hole, The test cavity has a lighting window for combining and setting a lighting device, and the lighting device is combined and set in the test cavity in an arrangement form in the lighting window so that the lens barrel of the lighting device passes through. The lighting window can be completely closed by an opening and closing component. The electronic component testing sorting machine also includes: a supporting frame, supporting the lighting device, The support frame comprises: a fixed part, fixed to the test cavity; and The rotating part rotates with the horizontal axis as the rotating axis, and the lighting device is combined with the rotating part in a manner that it can be raised and lowered. The inner wall surface of the test cavity or the components arranged inside the test cavity are provided with a black material or the surface is coated black, so that the darkroom inside the test cavity is enhanced.

2. The electronic component testing sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein: Light from an illumination device that irradiates light toward the electronic component on the opposite side of the electronic component with the pressurizing device interposed therebetween can be irradiated to the electronic component electrically connected to the test socket through the pressurizing device.

3. The electronic component testing sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein: Also includes: A carrying platform having a carrying slot capable of carrying electronic components; a supply stacker configured to carry a tray containing electronic components to be tested to be moved to the carrying station; a recovery stacker configured to carry a tray containing the electronic components that have completed testing and are to be recovered from the carrier; a loading device for moving the electronic components to be tested from the supply stacker to the carrier; as well as The unloading device moves the electronic components that have completed the test from the carrier to the recycling stacker, The entry and exit device brings the electronic components to be tested on the carrying platform into the test cavity, and takes out the electronic components that have completed the test from the test cavity and moves them to the carrying platform.

4. The electronic component testing sorting machine according to claim 3, wherein: The carrier is divided into a loading station for carrying electronic components to be tested and an unloading station for carrying electronic components that have completed the test. The device further includes: a mover, which moves the loading platform and the unloading platform so that the loading platform is selectively located at a loading position for carrying electronic components and an entry / exit position for bringing electronic components into or out of the test cavity, and selectively locates the unloading platform at the entry / exit position and an unloading position for unloading the electronic components. The loading device carries the electronic components to be tested to the loading platform located at the loading position, and the unloading device unloads the electronic components that have completed the test from the unloading platform located at the unloading position. The access device brings the electronic components on the loading station located at the access position into the test chamber, and takes out the electronic components that have been tested from the test chamber and moves them to the unloading station located at the access position.

5. The electronic component testing sorting machine according to claim 4, wherein: The access hole is formed to open toward the front of the test cavity, The access position is located in front of the test cavity to correspond to the access hole, The loading position and the unloading position are separated from the entry and exit position and are divided into two sides.

6. The electronic component testing sorting machine according to claim 3, wherein: At least one of the pickers provided in the loading device, unloading device or access device for suction picking up the electronic component has a quadrilateral suction pad capable of contacting the electronic component between the outermost contour of the electronic component and the contour of the photosensitive region in the electronic component.

7. The electronic component testing sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein: The lighting window of the test chamber is used in combination with a lighting device that is arranged to illuminate the electronic component on the opposite side of the electronic component and is separated from the pressurizing device. The light of the illumination device can be irradiated to the electronic component electrically connected to the test socket through the pressurizing device.

8. The electronic component testing sorting machine according to claim 1 or 7, wherein: The pressurizing device comprises: A pressure plate, configured to be movable; a pusher disposed on the side of the pressure plate and pressurizing or releasing the electronic component according to the movement of the pressure plate; and A pressurizing driving source moves the pressurizing plate, The pressure plate is formed with a first through hole through which the light of the lighting device can pass. The pusher has a second through hole formed at a position corresponding to the first through hole, through which the light that has passed through the first through hole can pass and irradiate the electronic component.

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