Support device and foreign matter removal method

Abstract

The support device (EA) includes: a first support unit (10) that supports a first support object (WK) using a first support surface (12A); a second support unit (20) that supports a second support object (RF) using a second support surface (22A) provided at a position separated from the first support surface (12A) by a gap (CL); and a foreign matter removal unit (30) that removes foreign matter from the first support surface (12A) and the second support surface (22A) by suction across the first support surface (12A) and the second support surface (22A), the foreign matter removal unit (30) including a blocking unit (33) that blocks the gap (CL).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a support device and a foreign matter removal method. BACKGROUND

[0002] A support device is known that supports a first support object with a first support surface and supports a second support object with a second support surface (for example, refer to Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-87959).

[0003] In the sheet adhesion device EA (support device) described in Document 1, when suction is performed across the first and second support surfaces in order to remove foreign matter from the support surface 42A (first support surface) and the support surface 12A (second support surface), the amount of inflow of air from the gap CL between the first support surface and the second support surface increases, the suction force with which the first and second support surfaces are suctioned cannot be sufficiently ensured, and an adverse situation in which foreign matter cannot be reliably removed occurs (refer to FIG. ID ). SUMMARY

[0004] An object of the present application is to provide a support device and a foreign matter removal method that can reliably remove foreign matter from first and second support surfaces.

[0005] The present application employs the configuration described in the claims.

[0006] According to the present application, since the gap is blocked, the suction force with which the first and second support surfaces are suctioned can be sufficiently ensured, and foreign matter can be reliably removed from the first and second support surfaces.

[0007] In addition, if suction is performed based on the sensing result of the foreign matter sensing unit, in the case where no foreign matter is sensed on the first and second support surfaces, suction can not be performed, and thus unnecessary energy consumption can be suppressed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0008] FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram of a support device of an embodiment of the present application.

[0009] FIG. IB is an explanatory diagram of a support device of an embodiment of the present application.

[0010] FIG. 1C is an explanatory diagram of a support device of an embodiment of the present application.

[0011] FIG. ID is an explanatory diagram of a problem to be solved by the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present application will be described based on the drawings.

[0013] In addition, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in the present embodiment are in a relationship of orthogonality, the X-axis and Y-axis are axes in a prescribed plane, and the Z-axis is an axis orthogonal to the prescribed plane. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the "up" is the arrow direction of the Z-axis, the "down" is the opposite direction thereof, the "left" is the arrow direction of the X-axis, the "right" is the opposite direction thereof, the "front" is the arrow direction of the Y-axis, and the "rear" is the opposite direction thereof, in the case of observing from the direction of the front of the Y-axis. FIG. 1A

[0014] The support device EA of the present application includes a first support unit 10 that supports an adherend WK as a first support object with a first support surface 12A, a second support unit 20 that has a second support surface 22A provided at a position separated from the first support surface 12A by a gap CL, supports a second support object with the second support surface 22A, and is a ring-shaped frame RF as a frame member, a foreign matter removal unit 30 that performs suction across the first support surface 12A and the second support surface 22A to remove foreign matter from the first support surface 12A and the second support surface 22A, and a foreign matter sensing unit 40 that senses foreign matter on the first support surface 12A and the second support surface 22A, and the support device EA and an adhering unit 50 that adheres an adhesive sheet AS to the adherend WK and the ring-shaped frame RF constitute a sheet adhering device EA1.

[0015] The first support unit 10 includes a linear motor 11 as a driving device, and an inner stage 12 that supports an output shaft 11A of the linear motor 11 and has a first support surface 12A that can be adsorptively held by a not-shown decompression unit (holding unit) such as a decompression pump or a vacuum ejector.

[0016] The second support unit 20 includes a linear motor 21 as a driving device, and an outer stage 22 that supports a slider 21A of the linear motor 21 and has a second support surface 22A that can be adsorptively held by a not-shown decompression unit (holding unit) such as a decompression pump or a vacuum ejector.

[0017] The outer stage 22 is formed with a recess 22C that supports the linear motor 11 with a bottom surface and a stepped portion 22B formed on the upper side.

[0018] The foreign matter removal unit 30 includes a decompression unit 31 such as a decompression pump or a vacuum ejector, a suction nozzle 32 connected to the decompression unit 31 via a pipe 31A and formed with a suction port 32A that spans the length of the first and second support surfaces 12A and 22A, and a blocking unit 33 that blocks the gap CL, and is configured to perform suction based on the sensing result of the foreign matter sensing unit 40.

[0019] ​The blocking unit 33 includes a linear motion motor 33A as a driving device, an adsorption pad 33D supported to an output shaft 33B of the linear motion motor 33A via a pad frame 33C, capable of being adsorbed and held by a not-illustrated decompression unit (holding unit) such as a decompression pump or a vacuum ejector, and a blocking member 33E placed on a stepped portion 22B of the outer stage 22, capable of being inserted and withdrawn with respect to the gap CL.

[0020] The foreign matter sensing unit 40 includes a sensing device 41 composed of a camera, a projector, various sensors such as an optical sensor or an ultrasonic sensor, and the like.

[0021] The adhering unit 50 includes a support roller 51 supporting a raw material roll RS having a temporary adhesive sheet AS adhered to one face of a release sheet RL, a guide roller 52 guiding the raw material roll RS, a release plate 53 as a peeling unit, peeling the adhesive sheet AS from the release sheet RL at a peeling edge 53A, a press roller 54 as a pressing unit, pressing the adhesive sheet AS to a adherend WK and adhering, a drive roller 55 supported to a not-illustrated output shaft of a rotation motor 55A as a driving device, sandwiching the release sheet RL with a pinch roller 55B, and a recovery roller 56 as a recovery unit, supported to a not-illustrated output shaft of a driving device, always applying a prescribed tension to the release sheet RL present between the pinch roller 55B during automatic operation of the sheet adhering apparatus EAl, and recovering the release sheet RL.

[0022] The operation of the above-described sheet adhering apparatus EAl will be described.

[0023] First, the sheet adhering apparatus EAl in which each unit is arranged at an initial position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1A After the user (hereinafter, simply referred to as "user") of the sheet adhering apparatus EAl sets the raw material roll RS as in the figure, a signal for starting automatic operation is input via a not-illustrated operation panel, a personal computer, or the like. Then, the adhering unit 50 drives the rotation motor 55A, feeds out the raw material roll RS, and when the front end of the fed-out direction of the front adhesive sheet AS is peeled at the peeling edge 53A of the release plate 53 by a prescribed length, the driving of the rotation motor 55A is stopped.

[0024] Next, the second support unit 20 and the foreign matter removing unit 30 drive the linear motor 21 and the decompression unit 31, move the outer stage 22 to the left while performing suction by the suction nozzle 32, and when the release sheet RL is positioned at the peeling edge 53A of the release plate 53, the driving of the linear motor 21 is stopped. FIG. 1AAs shown by the double-dotted line, if the outer platform 22 reaches the insertion / removal position TP where the sealing component 33E is directly below the adsorption pad 33D, the driving of the linear motor 21 and the pressure reducing unit 31 stops. Therefore, even if there are foreign objects on the first and second support surfaces 12A and 22A, these foreign objects will be removed as they pass below the suction nozzle 32. At this time, since the sealing component 33E is inserted into the gap CL, the inflow of air from the gap CL will not increase, thus sufficiently ensuring the suction force on the first and second support surfaces 12A and 22A (see reference). FIG. IB Afterwards, the foreign matter removal unit 30 drives the linear motion motor 33A and the pressure reduction unit (not shown) to lower the adsorption pad 33D, thereby adsorbing and holding the sealing component 33E. Then, the adsorption pad 33D returns to its initial position. FIG. 1A As shown by the double-dotted line, the sealing component 33E inserted into the gap CL is pulled out (this action will be referred to as the "pull-out action"). Next, the second support unit 20 drives the linear motor 21 to move the outer platform 22 to the right, as shown. FIG. 1A As shown by the double-dotted line, if the outer platform 22 reaches the placement position PP located to the lower right of the first and second support surfaces 12A and 22A of the adhesion unit 50, the driving of the linear motor 21 will stop.

[0025] Then, the user or a conveying unit (not shown), such as a multi-jointed robot or a belt conveyor, etc. FIG. 1A As shown by the double-dotted line, the adherend WK and the annular frame RF are placed on the first and second support surfaces 12A and 22A, respectively. The first and second support units 10 and 20 then drive their respective pressure-reducing units (not shown) to begin adsorption and retention of the adherend WK and the annular frame RF on the first and second support surfaces 12A and 22A. Next, the first support unit 10 drives the linear motor 11 to raise and lower the inner platform 12 so that the upper surface of the adherend WK and the upper surface of the annular frame RF are on the same plane. Then, the second support unit 20 drives the linear motor 21 to move the outer platform 22 to the left. When the outer platform 22 reaches a predetermined position, the adhesion unit 50 drives the rotary motor 55A to feed out the material roll RS at a speed matching the movement speed of the outer platform 22. Thus, the adhesive sheet AS is peeled off from the release sheet RL, and the adhesive sheet AS peeled off from the release sheet RL is as follows... FIG. 1A As shown by the double-dotted line, the adhesive sheet AS is pressed and adhered to the annular frame RF and the substrate WK by the pressing roller 54. Next, the leading adhesive sheet AS is completely adhered to the annular frame RF and the substrate WK to form a single piece UP. Then, if the leading end of the next adhesive sheet AS in the feeding direction is peeled off a predetermined length at the peeling edge 53A of the peeling plate 53, the adhesive unit 50 stops driving the rotating motor 55A.

[0026] Then, if the outer stage 22 reaches the initial position of the outer stage 22, that is, the sensing position SP of the foreign matter sensing unit 40, the second support unit 20 stops the drive of the linear motor 21, and thereafter, the first and second support units 10 and 20 stop the drive of respective unillustrated decompression units, and the adsorptive holding of the adhering body WK and the annular frame RF on the first and second support surfaces 12A and 22A is released. Next, if the user or an unillustrated conveyance unit conveys the integrated product UP to the next process, the foreign matter sensing unit 40 drives the sensing device 41, and starts the sensing of the foreign matter on the first and second support surfaces 12A and 22A. As a result of the sensing of the sensing device 41, if the foreign matter sensing unit 40 recognizes that there is no foreign matter on the first and second support surfaces 12A and 22A, the second support unit 20 drives the linear motor 21, and moves the outer stage 22 to the placement position PP, and thereafter, the same operation as described above is repeated.

[0027] On the other hand, as a result of the sensing of the sensing device 41, if the foreign matter sensing unit 40 recognizes that there is foreign matter on the first and second support surfaces 12A and 22A, the first support unit 10 and the second support unit 20 drive the linear motor 11 and the linear motor 21, and move the inner stage 12 to the initial position, and move the outer stage 22 to the insertion and extraction position TP, and stop the drive of the linear motor 21. Thereafter, the foreign matter removing unit 30 drives the linear motor 33A, and lowers the adsorptive pad 33D, and at the time when the blocking member 33E is inserted into the gap CL, stops the drive of the unillustrated decompression unit, and releases the adsorptive holding of the blocking member 33E of the adsorptive pad 33D, and thereafter, drives the linear motor 33A, and moves the adsorptive pad 33D to the initial position. Next, the second support unit 20 and the foreign matter removing unit 30 drive the linear motor 21 and the decompression unit 31, and move the outer stage 22 to the sensing position SP while performing the suction of the suction nozzle 32, and thereafter, return the outer stage 22 to the insertion and extraction position TP, and stop the drive of the linear motor 21 and the decompression unit 31. Thus, the foreign matter that once existed on the first and second support surfaces 12A and 22A is removed in the process in which the first and second support surfaces 12A and 22A pass below the suction nozzle 32. At this time, since the blocking member 33E is inserted into the gap CL, the suction force for suctioning the first and second support surfaces 12A and 22A can be sufficiently ensured. Then, after the extraction operation of the foreign matter removing unit 30 is performed, the second support unit 20 drives the linear motor 21, and moves the outer stage 22 to the placement position PP, and thereafter, the same operation as described above is repeated.

[0028] According to the above-described embodiment, since the gap CL is blocked, the suction force for suctioning the first and second support surfaces 12A and 22A can be sufficiently ensured, and the foreign matter can be reliably removed from the first and second support surfaces 12A and 22A.

[0029] As above, the most preferred constitution, method, etc. for carrying out the present application are disclosed in the above description, but the present application is not limited thereto. That is, the present application, although mainly particularly illustrated and described with respect to a specific embodiment, the person skilled in the art can add various modifications to the above-described embodiment in shape, material, number, other detailed constitution, without departing from the technical idea and the purpose range of the present application. In addition, the above-described description which limits the shape, material, etc. is a description exemplified for the sake of easy understanding of the present application, and does not limit the present application, and thus the description of the name of the part of which the shape, material, etc. are removed, part or all of the limitation is included in the present application.

[0030] For example, the first supporting unit 10 can also be constituted so that a step portion in a ring shape along the outer edge thereof is provided at the first supporting surface 12A, and the sealing member 33E is supported by the step portion, and the inner stage 12 can not be raised so that the upper surface of the adherend WK and the upper surface of the ring-shaped frame RF are located in the same plane, and the inner stage 12 can be supported to the bottom surface of the recessed portion 22C without the linear motion motor 11, and the inner stage 12 can be formed integrally with the outer stage 22, and a gap CL is formed between the first supporting surface 12A and the second supporting surface 22A, and the sealing member 33E can not be adsorptively held by the first supporting surface 12A.

[0031] The second supporting unit 20 can also support the sealing member 33E by the bottom surface of the recessed portion 22C without forming the step portion 22B, and the recessed portion 22C can be through the outer stage 22, and the sealing member 33E can not be adsorptively held by the second supporting surface 22A.

[0032] The foreign matter removing unit 30 is as follows FIG. 1CAs shown, the gap CL can be entirely blocked, can be partially blocked, can attract dust, moisture, or fragments of the adherend WK as foreign matter, can be attracted on the first and second support surfaces 12A, 22A without moving the outer stage 22 or while moving the outer stage 22, can be attracted on the first and second support surfaces 12A, 22A without moving both the outer stage 22 and the attraction nozzle 32, can be attracted on the first and second support surfaces 12A, 22A without being based on the sensing result of the foreign matter sensing unit 40, can be attracted on the first and second support surfaces 12A, 22A after every time the unit article UP is transported to the next process, can be attracted on the first and second support surfaces 12A, 22A after every time a predetermined number of unit articles UP, such as five, ten, or the like, are transported to the next process, can be attracted on the first and second support surfaces 12A, 22A at a predetermined time, such as five minutes, 30 minutes, or the like, has elapsed, or can be configured with a blocking member fixing unit that fixes the blocking member 33E to the inner stage 12 and the outer stage 22.

[0033] The material, type, shape, or the like of the blocking member 33E is not particularly limited, and can be any material, such as metal, resin, plastic, glass, or the like, can be a sheet member, such as cloth, film, or the like, or can be a polygonal shape, such as a circle, an ellipse, a triangle, a quadrilateral, or the like, or another shape.

[0034] The foreign matter sensing unit 40 can move the inner stage 12 and the outer stage 22, or can move or not move the sensing device 41 while moving the inner stage 12 and the outer stage 22, and further sense the foreign matter on the first and second support surfaces 12A, 22A, can sense only the foreign matter on the first support surface 12A, can sense only the foreign matter on the second support surface 22A, or can be provided in or not provided in the support device EA, the sheet adhering device EA1 of the present application.

[0035] The adhering unit 50 can also form a closed loop shape or a short-size entire width direction cutout in the adhesive sheet substrate of the tape-shaped adhesive sheet temporarily adhered to the release sheet RL, send out a prescribed region divided by the cutout as the raw material roll of the adhesive sheet AS, or can adopt a raw material roll of the tape-shaped adhesive sheet substrate temporarily adhered to the release sheet RL, form a closed loop shape or a short-size entire width direction cutout in the adhesive sheet substrate using a cutting unit such as a cutting knife, and use the prescribed region divided by the cutout as the adhesive sheet AS. Instead of each roller such as the support roller 51 and the guide roller 52, a plate-shaped member, a shaft member, or the like can be used to support and guide the raw material roll RS and the release sheet RL. Instead of winding the raw material roll, a fanfold can be used to support the raw material roll. Instead of winding the release sheet RL, a fanfold can be used to support the release sheet RL, or the release sheet RL can be shredded using a shredder or the like, or simply stacked. A recycling unit that recycles the release sheet RL can be used, or can not be used. The recycling unit can be provided in the support device EA and the sheet adhering device EA1 of the present application, or can not be provided in either.

[0036] The frame member can not be ring-shaped (the outer periphery is not connected), or can not be circular, elliptical, polygonal, or another shape, in addition to the ring-shaped frame RF.

[0037] The adhesive sheet AS, the first support object, and the second support object are not particularly limited in terms of material, type, shape, or the like. For example, the adhesive sheet AS and the first and second support objects can be circular, elliptical, triangular, quadrangular, or another polygonal shape, or another shape. The adhesive sheet AS can be pressure-sensitive, heat-sensitive, or another type of adhesive. In the case of heat-sensitive adhesion, the adhesive sheet AS can be adhered by a suitable method using a heating unit such as a coil heater or a heat pipe. The adhesive sheet AS can be a single layer with only an adhesive layer, three or more layers with an intermediate layer between the substrate and the adhesive layer, an upper surface of the substrate having a cover layer, or a so-called double-sided adhesive sheet in which the substrate can be peeled from the adhesive layer. The double-sided adhesive sheet can be a single layer or a plurality of layers with or without an intermediate layer. The first and second support objects can be a single object such as a food, a resin container, a silicon semiconductor wafer, a compound semiconductor wafer, a circuit substrate, an information recording substrate such as an optical disc, a glass plate, a steel plate, a ceramic, a wood plate, or a resin. The first and second support objects can be a composite formed from two or more of these objects, or another object. The adhesive sheet AS can be a label for information recording, a decorative label, a protective sheet, a cutting tape, a chip mounting film, a chip bonding tape, a recording layer forming resin sheet, or another sheet, film, tape, or the like.

[0038] The units and processes in the present application are not limited as long as they can achieve the actions, functions, or processes described for the units and processes, and are not limited to only the configuration of one embodiment shown in the described embodiments. For example, the first support unit can be any support unit as long as it can support the first support object with the first support surface, and is not limited as long as it is within the technical scope of the technical knowledge at the time of filing (the same applies to other units and processes).

[0039] The driving device in the described embodiments can employ a rotary motor, a linear motor, a linear motor, a single-axis robot, a multi-joint robot having 2 or more axes or joints, an electric device such as an actuator such as a cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a rodless cylinder, and a rotary cylinder, and can be directly or indirectly combined.

[0040] In the described embodiments, in the case where a rotary member such as a roller is employed, a driving device that rotates and drives the rotary member can be provided, the surface of the rotary member and the rotary member itself can be formed of a member that can deform such as rubber or resin, the surface of the rotary member and the rotary member itself can be formed of a member that does not deform, other members such as a shaft or a squeegee can be employed instead of a roller, in the case where a pressing unit such as a pressing roller or a pressing head, or a pressing member that presses an object to be pressed is employed, the above-described examples can be replaced or employed together with them, an object such as a roller, a round bar, a squeegee material, a brush-like member, or an object that blows a gas such as air or natural gas can be employed, the object that is pressed can be formed of a member that can deform such as rubber, resin, or sponge, or can be formed of a member that does not deform such as metal or resin, in the case where a peeling unit such as a peeling plate or a peeling roller, or a peeling member that peels an object to be peeled is employed, the above-described examples can be replaced or employed together with them, a member such as a plate-like member, a round bar, or a roller can be employed, the object that is peeled can be formed of a member that can deform such as rubber or resin, or can be formed of a member that does not deform, in the case where a support (holding) unit, a support (holding) member, or the like that supports (holds) a supported member (a held member) is employed, the supported member that is supported (held) by a chucking unit such as a mechanical chuck or a clamping cylinder, a Coulomb force, an adhesive (an adhesive sheet or an adhesive tape), an adhesive (an adhesive sheet or an adhesive tape), a magnetic force, a Bernoulli suction, a suction suction, a driving device, or the like can be employed, in the case where a cutting unit, a cutting member, or the like that cuts a cut member or forms a cut, a cutting line in a cut member is employed, the above-described examples can be replaced or employed together with them, an object that is cut by a cutting knife, a cutter, an ion beam, a fire, heat, water pressure, an electric heating wire, blowing by a gas or a liquid, or the like, or a combination of appropriate driving devices that move and cut to cut can be employed.

Claims

1. A support device, characterized in that, have: The first support unit supports the first supported object using the first support surface; The second support unit has a second support surface located at a position separated from the first support surface by a gap, and supports the second support object by the second support surface; as well as The foreign object removal unit performs suction across the first support surface (which does not support the first supported object) and the second support surface (which does not support the second supported object), removing foreign objects from the first and second support surfaces. The foreign object removal unit includes a sealing unit for sealing the gap. The sealing unit has a sealing component mounted on the second support unit, which can be inserted and removed relative to the gap. The first support surface supports the adhered body. The second support surface supports the frame component, and the adhered body and the frame component are formed as a single unit via an adhesive sheet.

2. The support device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support device includes a foreign object sensing unit that senses foreign objects on at least one of the first support surface and the second support surface. The foreign object removal unit performs the attraction based on the sensing results of the foreign object sensing unit.

3. A method for removing foreign objects, used to remove foreign objects from a first support surface of a first support unit supporting a first supported object and from a second support surface of a second support unit supporting a second supported object located at a position separated from the first support surface by a gap, characterized in that, The foreign object removal method is implemented as follows: In the sealing process, the gap is sealed using a sealing component mounted on the second support unit that can be inserted and removed relative to the gap; as well as The foreign object removal process involves suction across the first support surface (which does not support the first supported object) and the second support surface (which does not support the second supported object) to remove foreign objects from these surfaces. The first support surface supports the adhered body. The second support surface supports the frame component, and the adhered body and the frame component are formed as a single unit via an adhesive sheet.

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