Chip detection and sorting apparatus and method

Abstract

The application discloses a chip detection and sorting device and method, wherein the chip detection and sorting device comprises a tray, a plurality of chip placing grooves for placing chips are arranged on the tray; a conveying device is used for conveying the tray, and the conveying device comprises parallelly arranged upper feeding conveying line groups and lower feeding conveying line groups; a detection device comprises first visual detection mechanisms and second visual detection mechanisms which are arranged on the upper feeding conveying line groups and the lower feeding conveying line groups respectively; a turning device comprises a turning assembly which can reciprocate between the upper feeding conveying line groups and the lower feeding conveying line groups, and the turning assembly can turn the chips which have been detected by the first visual detection mechanisms; and a sorting device is arranged on the lower feeding conveying line groups and is used for sorting the chips which have been detected by the second visual detection mechanisms. The application can realize multi-surface detection of the chips and effectively improve the detection efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of chip testing technology, and in particular to a chip testing and sorting device and method. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of the semiconductor industry, semiconductor chip production is gradually moving towards automation and standardization. Visual inspection is a crucial step in chip manufacturing, primarily used to detect surface defects and provide a reference for subsequent production. During inspection, a tray containing multiple chips is fed into the inspection equipment, which simultaneously inspects all chips on the tray and then removes any defective ones. However, because the chips are mounted on the tray, the side of the chip facing the tray is obstructed, making direct visual inspection difficult. Furthermore, the coordination between different mechanisms in existing inspection equipment is poor, resulting in low overall inspection efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings, the present invention aims to provide a chip detection and sorting device and method that can effectively improve detection efficiency while realizing multi-faceted detection of chips.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, one of the technical solutions adopted by the present invention is: a chip detection and sorting device, comprising;

[0005] The tray has several chip placement slots for placing chips.

[0006] A conveying device for conveying trays includes a loading conveyor line group and a unloading conveyor line group arranged in parallel; wherein, the loading conveyor line group includes a first conveyor line and a second conveyor line arranged in parallel, the first conveyor line is used to convey trays without chips, and the second conveyor line is used to convey trays with chips.

[0007] The inspection device includes a first vision inspection mechanism and a second vision inspection mechanism respectively installed on the feeding conveyor line and the unloading conveyor line.

[0008] The flipping device includes a flipping component that can reciprocate between the feeding conveyor line and the unloading conveyor line. The flipping component can flip the chip after it has been inspected by the first vision inspection mechanism.

[0009] The sorting device is installed on the unloading conveyor line and is used to sort the chips after they have been inspected by the second vision inspection mechanism.

[0010] The advantages of the chip detection and sorting equipment of the present invention are as follows:

[0011] 1. In the conveying device, the loading and unloading of the material tray is achieved through the cooperation of the loading and unloading conveying lines. In the inspection device, the first vision inspection mechanism can photograph and inspect the unobstructed front side of the chip in the material tray. Then, the flipping component flips the chip so that the obstructed back side of the chip can be exposed. The second vision inspection mechanism then photographs and inspects the exposed back side of the chip, thus achieving multi-face inspection of the chip without manual intervention. Finally, the sorting device removes defective or scrap products. This invention meets the need for multi-face inspection of chips by coordinating the conveying device, inspection device, flipping device, and sorting device, effectively improving inspection efficiency.

[0012] 2. In the feeding conveyor line group, the first and second conveyor lines are set up to coordinate with the flipping operation of the flipping component: When the trays containing chips and the trays without chips are conveyed to the working range of the flipping component, the flipping component first flips the trays without chips so that the chip placement slots are facing down; then it places the trays without chips onto the trays containing chips, so that the chip placement slots of the two trays are connected one-to-one; then, by flipping the two trays again, the chips are transferred to the trays that were previously without chips, and at this time the chip flipping action is completed. Through the cooperation of the two trays, the closed space formed by the stacking of the two trays can be used to limit the chips and prevent them from slipping during the subsequent flipping process; at the same time, the flipped chips can be directly transferred to the other tray, realizing the synchronous loading of the flipped chips from the empty tray (the tray without chips), which is conducive to the subsequent appearance inspection of the flipped chips.

[0013] Furthermore, both the first and second conveyor lines include a conveyor frame for receiving material trays. One end of the conveyor frame is equipped with a folding mechanism, and the other end is equipped with a material-retrieving station for the flipping device to retrieve material. The material-retrieving station is equipped with a material tray lifting part and a material-retrieving limiting part. The material tray lifting part is used to lift the material tray away from the conveyor frame; the material-retrieving limiting part is used to limit the position of the material tray at the material-retrieving station.

[0014] In the chip manufacturing process, to improve efficiency, the chip trays are usually stacked for circulation. Therefore, in actual applications, multiple stacked trays are placed on the first and second conveyor lines. Based on this, a destacking mechanism is installed on the conveyor frame to destacking the stacked trays, so that the inspection device can perform visual inspection on each tray. A tray lifting part is set at the picking station to allow the tray to be removed from the conveyor frame, and the picking limit part is set to limit the picking position of the tray.

[0015] Furthermore, the flipping assembly includes a lifting drive unit, a flipping drive unit, and a tray clamping unit. The tray clamping unit is used to clamp one or two trays, and the tray clamping unit can drive the clamped trays to flip under the action of the flipping drive unit. The flipping drive unit is mounted on the lifting drive unit and can drive the tray clamping unit to vibrate up and down under the action of the lifting drive unit.

[0016] The tray clamping part clamps one or two trays to facilitate stacking and clamping (clamping two trays simultaneously) or unstacking and clamping (clamping only one tray). When the tray clamping part clamps two trays at the same time, the flipping drive part can flip the two trays synchronously, so that the chip in the upper tray can enter the lower tray under its own weight. In conjunction with the lifting drive part, the tray clamping part and the two trays shake up and down synchronously, so that the chip can smoothly enter the lower tray under the shaking action, thus achieving the purpose of chip flipping.

[0017] Furthermore, the tray clamping part includes a clamping frame that matches the shape of the tray, and multiple clamping elements are evenly distributed on the clamping frame for clamping one or two trays; the clamping elements include a clamping drive and a clamping block, and the clamping block includes a clamping block body, an upper stop plate, and a lower stop plate. The upper stop plate and the lower stop plate are located on the upper and lower end faces of the clamping block body, respectively, to limit the position of the upper and lower end faces of the tray; the height of the clamping block body matches the stacked height of the two trays, and the clamping block body can simultaneously abut against two adjacent sides of the tray.

[0018] By matching the height of the clamping block body to the stacking height of the two trays, and through the cooperation of the upper and lower stop plates, when the clamping block body holds the two trays, the upper and lower stop plates can respectively abut against the upper and lower end faces of the two stacked trays, thereby limiting the stacking height of the two trays and preventing the trays from slipping on the clamping block body during subsequent flipping, ensuring the reliability of chip flipping. For cases where only a single tray (without a chip on it) is clamped, the upper and lower stop plates limit the sliding range of the single tray on the clamping block body, preventing the single tray from slipping off the clamping block body.

[0019] Furthermore, the stacking mechanism includes a stacking lifting assembly, a tray splitting assembly, and a striking assembly. The stacking lifting assembly is used to drive the stacked trays to rise or fall. The tray splitting assembly includes a splitting plate that can be inserted into the tray. The striking assembly includes striking parts that are arranged opposite each other on both sides of the tray. The striking parts are used to strike the tray with the splitting plate inserted, so as to make the tray vibrate.

[0020] The stacking and lifting assembly moves the trays up and down, allowing any tray to be moved into the working area of ​​the tray splitting assembly, thus enabling the stacking and splitting of trays of different heights. Then, the splitting plate of the tray splitting assembly is inserted into the tray to limit its movement, thereby separating the tray (the upper tray) from the tray below it (the lower tray). Finally, the tapping assembly taps the upper tray, causing the chips attached to it to fall back into the lower tray under the force of vibration, thus avoiding chip damage and chip position displacement during splitting and ensuring smooth stacking and splitting operations.

[0021] Furthermore, the conveyor frame is equipped with two sets of conveying components, each set featuring a pushing component that can reciprocate between the destacking mechanism and the picking station. The two pushing components are staggered along the conveying direction of the trays, each pushing a different tray. This staggered arrangement allows one pushing component to move a tray towards the picking station while the other rotates back to the destacking mechanism to await the next tray to be destacking, thus improving the overall conveying efficiency of the trays.

[0022] Furthermore, the feeding assembly includes a feeding base plate. On the side of the feeding base plate away from the material handling station, there is a vertically movable push rod. On the side facing the processing station, there is a stop plate that abuts against the material tray under the action of a stop drive. When the push rod is at its highest point, it abuts against the material tray; when it is at its lowest point, it is below the material tray. The stop plate, in conjunction with the push rod, limits the movement of both sides of the material tray, thereby ensuring the stability of the material tray during transport.

[0023] Furthermore, the sorting device includes a fixed base, a sorting lifting plate, an adjusting mechanism, and a suction mechanism. The sorting lifting plate is slidably disposed on one side of the fixed base and can move up and down under the action of the first driving member. The adjusting assembly includes an adjusting base plate slidably disposed on the sorting lifting plate in the vertical direction. The adjusting base plate has multiple adjusting carrier plates evenly distributed in the horizontal direction. The multiple adjusting carrier plates can move towards each other or away from each other under the action of the second driving member. The suction assembly includes suction parts that correspond one-to-one with the adjusting carrier plates. Each suction part includes a suction rod that can move up and down independently.

[0024] By mounting the spacing adjustment assembly and the suction assembly on the sorting lifting plate, the lifting and lowering movement of the sorting lifting plate can drive the overall lifting and lowering movement of the spacing adjustment assembly and the suction assembly. In the spacing adjustment assembly, the spacing between two adjacent spacing adjustment substrates is changed by moving the spacing adjustment carrier plate closer to or further away from each other, thereby changing the spacing between the suction units. This allows the spacing between the suction units to be adjusted according to the spacing of the placement slots on the tray, so that the suction units can be aligned with the chips in the placement slots. Furthermore, by setting up independently lifting and lowering suction rods in the suction units, the appropriate suction unit can be selected according to the condition of the chips in the placement slots (qualified or unqualified) to achieve the chip sorting action (i.e., unqualified products are picked up, while qualified products remain in the placement slots), resulting in higher sorting flexibility.

[0025] Furthermore, the pitch adjustment substrate is provided with pitch adjustment slots that correspond one-to-one with the pitch adjustment carrier plate. The horizontal spacing between any two adjacent pitch adjustment slots gradually increases from top to bottom. At the same height, the horizontal spacing between any two adjacent pitch adjustment slots is the same. The pitch adjustment carrier plate includes a carrier plate body. The upper end of the carrier plate body is provided with a movable member that can move along the corresponding pitch adjustment slot. The movable member is located in the corresponding pitch adjustment slot, and its two ends abut against the inner sidewall of the corresponding pitch adjustment slot.

[0026] By defining the adjustable spacing slots, multiple adjustable spacing slots are arranged symmetrically around a central axis, with the inclination of the slots gradually increasing from near the central axis to away from it. This ensures that the spacing between adjacent adjustable spacing carriers remains constant as they move along the slots, accommodating the evenly distributed chip placement slots on the tray. Furthermore, the movement of a moving component within the adjustable spacing slots causes changes in the spacing between the carrier bodies.

[0027] It should be noted that if an adjustment slot is also provided at the central axis, the adjustment slot should be arranged vertically so that the adjustment plate moving along the adjustment slot always moves vertically.

[0028] The second technical solution adopted in this invention is: a chip detection and sorting method, comprising the following steps:

[0029] Place the trays containing chips and the trays without chips into the designated positions on the feeding conveyor line.

[0030] The trays containing chips and trays without chips are conveyed toward the flipping device. During the conveying process, the first vision inspection mechanism takes pictures of the trays containing chips for inspection.

[0031] The flipping assembly flips the trays without chips over the trays with chips, and then transfers the flipped chips into the trays without chips.

[0032] The flipping assembly transports the tray containing the flipped chips to the unloading conveyor group, and the second vision inspection mechanism takes pictures of the tray containing the flipped chips for inspection.

[0033] The sorting device sorts the chips based on the detection results of the first vision inspection mechanism and the second vision inspection mechanism.

[0034] The beneficial effects of the chip detection and sorting method of the present invention are as follows:

[0035] The chip flipping action is achieved by the cooperation of two trays and flipping components. Then, the first vision inspection mechanism and the second vision inspection mechanism perform visual inspection on the chip before and after flipping, respectively, to achieve multi-face inspection of the chip. Finally, the chip is sorted by a sorting device to separate the qualified and unqualified chips. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the chip detection and sorting equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the machine in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the material tray structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the material end of the second conveyor line according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A magnified view of part A in the middle;

[0041] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second conveyor line according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the material pushing component according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the flipping device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the material handling station in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the flipping component of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 11 for Figure 10 A magnified view of part B in the middle;

[0047] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the clamping component of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the detection device of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the sorting device of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the adjustable spacing carrier plate of the present invention.

[0051] In the picture:

[0052] 1-Material tray; 11-Chip placement slot; 12-Handheld lifting edge; 13-Limiting slot;

[0053] 2-Conveying device; 21-First conveyor line; 211-Conveyor frame; 212-Angle steel; 22-Second conveyor line; 23-Qualified product conveyor line; 24-Scrap product conveyor line; 25-Destacking mechanism; 251-Destacking lifting assembly; 252-Splitting plate; 253-Striking cylinder; 26-Transfer assembly; 27-Pushing assembly; 271-Pushing base plate; 272-Push rod; 273-Stop drive component; 274-Stop plate; 28-Plate lifting part; 29-Limiting clamp;

[0054] 3-Detection device; 31-First vision inspection mechanism; 32-Second vision inspection mechanism; 33-3D inspection mechanism;

[0055] 4-Flipping device; 41-Lifting drive unit; 411-Lifting base plate; 412-First linear module; 413-Second linear module; 414-Shaking base; 42-Flipping drive unit; 421-Flipping frame; 422-Detection sensor; 423-Detection plate; 43-Plate clamping unit; 431-Clamping frame; 432-Clamping drive component; 433-Clamping block; 4331-Clamping block body; 4332-Upper stop plate; 4333-Lower stop plate; Horizontal drive unit-44;

[0056] 5-Sorting device; 51-Fixed base; 52-Sorting lifting plate; 53-First driving component; 54-Adjustable spacing base plate; 541-Adjustable spacing slot; 55-Adjustable spacing carrier plate; 56-Second driving component; 57-Suction rod;

[0057] 6-Machine platform; 61-Protective cover. Detailed Implementation

[0058] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that the advantages and features of the present invention can be more easily understood by those skilled in the art, thereby providing a clearer and more explicit definition of the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0059] Example

[0060] See appendix Figure 1-2 As shown, a chip inspection and sorting device of the present invention includes a material tray 1, a conveying device 2, an inspection device 3, a flipping device 4, and a sorting device 5. The conveying device 2 is used to convey the material tray 1 and includes a parallel feeding conveyor line group and a discharging conveyor line group. The inspection device 3 includes a first vision inspection mechanism 31 and a second vision inspection mechanism 32 respectively arranged on the feeding conveyor line group and the discharging conveyor line group. The flipping device 4 includes a flipping component that can reciprocate between the feeding conveyor line group and the discharging conveyor line group, and the flipping component can flip the chips after being inspected by the first vision inspection mechanism 31. The sorting device 5 is arranged on the discharging conveyor line group and is used to sort the chips after being inspected by the second vision inspection mechanism 32.

[0061] Furthermore, see Appendix Figure 1 As shown, the chip detection and sorting equipment includes a machine base 6, a conveying device 2, a detection device 3, a flipping device 4, and a sorting device 5, all of which are mounted on the machine base 6. The machine base 6 is also equipped with a protective cover 61 that can be placed over the conveying device 2. The protective cover 61 has an inlet and outlet port on one side of the conveying device 2 that communicates with the conveying device 2.

[0062] See Appendix Figure 2 As shown, the loading conveyor line group includes a first conveyor line 21 and a second conveyor line 22 arranged in parallel. The first conveyor line 21 is used to transport trays 1 without chips, and the second conveyor line 22 is used to transport trays 1 with chips. The unloading conveyor line group includes a qualified product conveyor line 23 and at least one waste product conveyor line 24. Exemplarily, two waste product conveyor lines 24 are provided to facilitate the sorting operation of the sorting device.

[0063] In practical applications, to improve efficiency, material trays 1 are often used for loading in a stacked manner. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the tray 1 is flat and has several chip placement slots 11 arranged in a rectangular array. The depth of each chip placement slot 11 is adapted to the thickness of the chip. The tray 1 has handle lifting edges 12 on both sides along its length and limiting slots 13 on both sides along its width. When multiple trays 1 are stacked, the lower end face of the upper tray 1 can abut against the upper end face of the lower tray 1, so that the chip placement slots 11 on the lower tray 1 are closed, thus preventing the chips from slipping out of the chip placement slots 11 during the handling and stacking of the trays 1.

[0064] This ensures that the chips on each tray 1 can undergo visual inspection. In some embodiments, the loading ends of the first conveyor line 21 and the second conveyor line 22 are equipped with a disassembly mechanism for separating the trays. See the attached diagram for details. Figure 4-5As shown, both the first conveyor line 21 and the second conveyor line 22 include a conveyor frame 211 for receiving the material tray 1. One end of the conveyor frame 211 is provided with a folding mechanism 25, and the other end is provided with a material picking station for the flipping device 4 to pick up the material.

[0065] For details, please see the appendix. Figure 5 As shown, the stacking mechanism 25 includes a stacking lifting assembly 251, a tray splitting assembly, and a striking assembly. The stacking lifting assembly 251 is used to drive the stacked trays 1 to rise or fall. The tray splitting assembly includes a splitting plate 252 that can be inserted into the tray limiting slot 13 under the action of a splitting drive (such as a cylinder). The striking assembly includes striking parts that are arranged opposite to each other on both sides of the tray 1. The striking parts are used to strike the tray 1 with the splitting plate 252 inserted, so that the tray 1 vibrates.

[0066] When the stacked tray 1 is placed on the loading end of the conveyor frame 211, the stacking lifting assembly 251 is activated to move the stacked tray 1 up away from the conveyor frame 211. When the second layer tray from bottom to top (hereinafter referred to as the "upper tray") is located in the working area of ​​the splitting assembly, the splitting plate 252 is inserted into the limiting slot 13 of the upper tray to support and limit the upper tray. The striking assembly is activated so that the striking part can strike both sides of the upper tray 1. At this time, the chip connected to the lower end of the upper tray can fall back into the chip placement slot of the bottom tray (hereinafter referred to as the "lower tray") under the action of vibration. The stacking lifting assembly 251 is activated to move the lower tray down onto the conveyor frame 211. At this time, due to the support of the splitting plate 252 on the upper tray, the upper tray and the other trays above it can remain stationary, and the lower tray is then split apart.

[0067] In other words, it can be understood that the stacking mechanism 21 in this embodiment adopts a bottom-up stacking method. The setting of the tapping component can avoid the problem of the chip being skewed and hooked onto the upper material tray during the transportation of the stacked material tray, thereby avoiding chip damage during the stacking process.

[0068] In some embodiments, the striking part includes a striking cylinder 253 mounted on the conveyor frame 211. The piston rod of the striking cylinder 253 faces the material tray 1, and the piston rod is provided with a striking surface that can abut against the side of the material tray 1. Furthermore, the conveyor frame 211 is also provided with angle steels 212 corresponding one-to-one with the number of corners of the material tray 1 to limit and guide the lifting and lowering movement of the material tray 1.

[0069] In some embodiments, the folding and lifting assembly includes a splitting and lifting cylinder mounted on the conveyor frame 211. The splitting and lifting cylinder is provided with a lifting top plate for receiving the tray 1. The size of the lifting top plate is smaller than the size of the tray 1, so that when the tray 1 is located on the lifting top plate, the four corners of the tray 1 can be exposed on the lifting top plate.

[0070] In some embodiments, see Appendix Figure 6 As shown, the conveyor frame 211 is provided with two sets of conveying components 26 along the direction perpendicular to the material tray conveying direction. Each set of conveying components 26 is provided with a pushing component 27 that can reciprocate between the stacking mechanism 25 and the material picking station. The two pushing components 27 are staggered along the material tray 1 conveying direction so as to push different material trays 1 respectively.

[0071] For details, please see the appendix. Figure 7 As shown, the feeding assembly 27 includes a feeding base plate 271. A push rod 272 that can be raised and lowered is provided on the side of the feeding base plate 271 away from the feeding station. When the push rod 272 is at its highest point, it can abut against the material tray 1 to push the material tray 1 to move. When the push rod 272 is at its lowest point, it is located below the material tray 1 to avoid the push rod 272 touching the moving material tray 1 during the process of rotating to the feeding end.

[0072] Since the two sets of pushing components 27 are located on opposite sides of the conveyor frame 211, to avoid interference between them, the contact point between the push rod 272 and the tray 1 must be biased towards the side of the tray 1. Pushing the tray 1 from the side may cause it to deflect due to uneven force. Therefore, a stop plate 274 is provided on the side of the pushing base plate 271 facing the picking station, which can abut against the tray 1 under the action of the stop drive 273. Specifically, a hinge seat is installed on the pushing base plate 271, and the stop plate 274 is hinged to the hinge seat by a pin. The stop drive 273 includes a stop cylinder arranged along the conveying direction of the tray 1. The stop cylinder is installed on the pushing base plate 271, and the piston rod of the stop cylinder faces the stop plate 274. A torsion spring is fitted on the pin, one end of which is connected to the stop plate 274, and the other end is connected to the hinge seat. By pushing the stop plate 274 with the stop cylinder, the stop plate 274 can be driven to rotate along the hinge seat, so that the stop plate 274 can abut against the material tray 1 in a flipped state.

[0073] It should be noted that the transmission component 26 can adopt the synchronous belt drive in the prior art, which will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0074] In some embodiments, see Appendix Figure 8-9As shown, the material handling station is equipped with a material tray lifting part 28 and a material handling limiting part. The material tray lifting part 28 is used to lift the material tray 1 away from the conveyor frame 211, and its structure can be referred to as the stacking and lifting assembly 251. The material handling limiting part is used to limit the position of the material tray 1 at the material handling station. It includes at least one set of limiting members that can move towards or away from each other. Each set of limiting members includes two limiting clamps 29 arranged opposite each other. Each limiting clamp 29 can move towards or away from the material tray 1 under the action of a limiting drive (such as a linear cylinder). The height of the limiting clamp 29 is adapted to the stacking height of the two material trays 1, so that the limiting clamp 29 can limit both a single material tray 1 and the two stacked material trays 1 synchronously.

[0075] The first conveyor line 21 and the second conveyor line 22 are set in the feeding conveyor line group to cooperate with the flipping operation of the flipping component. Specifically, in some embodiments, see the appendix. Figure 8 As shown, the flipping assembly includes a lifting drive unit 41, a flipping drive unit 42, and a tray clamping unit 43. The tray clamping unit 43 is used to clamp one or two trays 1, and the tray clamping unit 43 can drive the clamped trays 1 to flip under the action of the flipping drive unit 42. The flipping drive unit 42 is mounted on the lifting drive unit 43 and can drive the tray clamping unit 43 to vibrate up and down under the action of the lifting drive unit 43.

[0076] For ease of description, the tray 1 without chips conveyed by the first conveyor line 21 is designated as the first tray, and the tray 1 with chips conveyed by the second conveyor line 22 is designated as the second tray. During operation, the first tray is first held by the tray clamping part 43, and then the first tray is flipped so that the chip placement slot 11 faces downward by the flipping drive part 42. The lifting drive part 41 moves the first tray down and stacks it on the second tray. Then, the tray clamping part 43 simultaneously clamps the first tray and the second tray, and flips the first tray and the second tray synchronously by the flipping drive part 42 so that the second tray is flipped above the first tray. At this time, the chip on the second tray completes the flipping action and enters the chip placement slot 11 of the first tray under the action of gravity. Then, the lifting drive part 41 drives the first tray and the second tray to shake up and down synchronously so that the chip stuck on the second tray can smoothly enter the chip placement slot 11 of the first tray under the action of shaking. At this time, the chip in the first tray is the flipped chip. Then, the second tray can be removed by the tray clamping part 43. At this time, the second tray taken away by the tray clamping part 43 does not contain any chips, and the chip placement slot 11 is facing downwards. Therefore, the second tray taken away by the tray clamping part 43 can be used as the first tray mentioned above in the next flipping operation.

[0077] Since the first and second material trays have the same structure, and the depth of the chip placement slots 11 inside them is adapted to the thickness of the chip, when the two material trays 1 are stacked, the distance between the connected chip placement slots 11 on the first and second material trays (the minimum distance between the connected chip placement slots 11 is twice the depth of a single chip placement slot) should be less than the width and length of the chip, so as to suppress the chip from rotating between the two chip placement slots 11, so that the flipping action of the chip can only be achieved by flipping the material tray 1.

[0078] In some embodiments, see Appendix Figure 10-11 As shown, the tray clamping part 43 includes a clamping frame 431 that matches the shape of the tray 1. Multiple clamping members for clamping one or two trays are evenly distributed on the clamping frame 431. Furthermore, the clamping members are located at the corners of the clamping frame 431 and include clamping blocks 433 that reciprocate along the diagonal direction of the clamping frame 431 under the action of a clamping drive member 432 (such as a linear cylinder). The clamping blocks 433 can simultaneously abut against two adjacent sides of the tray 1.

[0079] Since the clamping block 433 clamps the material tray 1 from the side, when the clamping block 433 clamps two stacked material trays 1, since one material tray 1 contains a chip, if the two material trays 1 slip on the clamping block 433 after stacking, a gap may easily appear between the two material trays 1, and the chip may fall out. Therefore, in some embodiments, the structure of the clamping block 433 has been improved. For details, please refer to the appendix. Figure 12 As shown, the clamping block 433 includes a clamping block body 4331, an upper stop plate 4332, and a lower stop plate 4333. The upper stop plate 4332 and the lower stop plate 4333 are located on the upper and lower end faces of the clamping block body 4331, respectively, to limit the position of the upper and lower end faces of the material tray 1. The height of the clamping block body 4331 matches the stacking height of the first material tray and the second material tray, and the clamping block body 4331 is provided with a first abutting surface and a second abutting surface that can respectively abut against two adjacent sides of the material tray 1.

[0080] The height of the clamping block body 4331 is adapted to the stacking height of the two trays 1. With the cooperation of the upper stop plate 4332 and the lower stop plate 4333, when the clamping block body 4331 clamps the two trays 1, the upper stop plate 4332 and the lower stop plate 4333 can respectively abut against the upper and lower end faces of the two stacked trays 1, thereby limiting the stacking height of the two trays 1. This prevents the trays 1 from slipping on the clamping block body 4331 during subsequent flipping, ensuring the reliability of chip flipping. For cases where only a single tray is clamped (without a chip), the upper stop plate 4332 and the lower stop plate 4333 can limit the sliding range of the single tray on the clamping block body 4331, preventing the single tray from slipping off the clamping block body 4331.

[0081] In some embodiments, the flipping drive unit 42 includes a flipping frame 421 and a flipping drive component (not shown). The flipping frame 421 is fixedly connected to the lifting drive unit 41 and has an accommodating space for accommodating the tray clamping part 43. The tray clamping part 43 is located within the accommodating space, and both ends of the clamping frame 431 are rotatably connected to the flipping frame 41. The flipping drive component (such as a flipping cylinder) is mounted on the flipping frame 41 to drive the tray clamping part 43 to flip.

[0082] Furthermore, since the flipping of the material tray 1 is to achieve the flipping action of the chip, that is, the chip needs to be flipped 180°, in order to detect the flipping angle of the material tray 1, a detection sensor 422 can be set on the flipping frame 421 and a detection plate 423 can be set on the clamping frame 431. When the clamping frame 431 flips, the detection plate 423 flips immediately and enters or leaves the detection range of the detection sensor 422, thereby enabling the detection of the flipping angle.

[0083] In some embodiments, see Appendix Figure 10 As shown, the lifting drive unit 41 includes a lifting base plate 411 that can move horizontally under the action of the horizontal drive unit 44. The lifting base plate 411 is provided with a lifting plate that can move up and down under the action of the first linear module 412. The lifting plate is provided with a shaking base 414 that can move up and down under the action of the second linear module 413. The shaking base 414 is fixedly connected to the flipping frame 421. The linear motion stroke of the second linear module 413 is less than that of the first linear module 412. Through the cooperation of the second linear module 413 and the shaking base 414, the up and down shaking of the flipping frame 421 can be quickly realized with a smaller linear motion stroke. The lifting drive of the lifting plate by the first linear module 412 is to realize the clamping or releasing of the material tray 1 on the conveying device 2. For example, the first linear module 412 and the second linear module 413 can be linear screw modules in the prior art. It should be noted that, under the action of the horizontal drive unit 44, the flipping assembly can move onto the first conveyor line 21, the second conveyor line 22, the qualified product conveyor line 23, or the waste product conveyor line 24.

[0084] The flipping method of the chip flipping assembly is as follows: Flip the first tray without chips so that the chip placement slots face down; stack the first tray on top of the second tray with chips, aligning and limiting the first and second trays so that the chip placement slots on the first tray align with the chip placement slots on the second tray; simultaneously pick up the stacked first and second trays and flip them so that the second tray is above the first tray; drive the flipped first and second trays to shake up and down synchronously; after the first and second trays have shaken up and down, place them in the designated position and remove the second tray on top. At this point, the chip on the first tray is the flipped chip.

[0085] To facilitate the separation of the first and second material trays after flipping, a splitting plate 252 that can be inserted into material tray 1 is also provided at the material handling station. The working principle of the splitting plate 252 can be referred to the disassembly and folding mechanism. The working process of the chip flipping assembly is described in detail below:

[0086] When the first tray (without chips) and the second tray (with chips) move to the pick-up stations of the first conveyor line 21 and the second conveyor line 22, respectively, the tray lifting part 28 on the first conveyor line 21 lifts the first tray to the designated loading position, and the corresponding pick-up limiting part moves towards the first tray to limit its position; then the pick-up limiting part returns to its original position. Simultaneously, the tray lifting part 28 on the second conveyor line 22 lifts the second tray to the designated loading position, and the corresponding pick-up limiting part moves towards the second tray to limit its position; then the pick-up limiting part returns to its original position.

[0087] The horizontal drive unit 44 drives the flipping assembly to move above the material picking station of the first conveyor line 21. The first linear module 412 drives the lifting plate to move down and moves the clamping frame 431 to be fitted onto the first material tray. The clamping member then clamps the first material tray. The first linear module 412 drives the lifting plate to move up so that the material tray clamping part 43 drives the first material tray to move up and away from the first conveyor line 21. The flipping drive unit is activated, and the material tray clamping part 43 drives the first material tray to flip until the chip placement slot 11 of the first material tray faces downward.

[0088] The horizontal drive unit 44 moves the flipping assembly above the material picking station of the second conveyor line 22. The first linear module 412 drives the lifting plate to move down, and the tray clamping unit 43 moves the first tray above the second tray. The clamping member then releases the first tray, and the first tray falls onto the second tray. The limiting member of the picking limit unit then limits the first tray and the second tray to align the first tray with the second tray. Then the picking limit unit returns to its original position. The flipping assembly continues to descend until the clamping frame 431 is fitted onto the first tray. On the second tray; the clamping member then simultaneously clamps the first tray and the second tray; the first linear module 412 drives the lifting plate to move upward, so that the tray clamping part 43 drives the first tray and the second tray to move upward and leave the first conveyor line 21; the flipping drive is activated, and the tray clamping part 43 then drives the first tray and the second tray to flip synchronously until the chip placement slot 11 of the second tray faces downward. At this time, the chip placement slot 11 of the first tray faces upward, and the chip located in the second tray can move downward into the chip placement slot of the first tray under its own weight;

[0089] The second linear module 413 drives the vibrating base 414 to vibrate up and down, and the flipping frame 421 then drives the material tray clamping part 43 to vibrate up and down, so that the chip tilted and stuck in the chip placement slot 11 of the first material tray or the second material tray can smoothly enter the designated position of the chip placement slot 11 of the first material tray.

[0090] The horizontal drive unit 44 drives the flipping assembly to the unloading conveyor group. The first linear module 412 drives the lifting plate to move down, and the tray clamping unit 43 then drives the first tray and the second tray to enter the tray lifting unit 28. The clamping member releases the first tray and the second tray, and the splitting plate 252 is then inserted into the second tray. The tray lifting unit 28 then drives the first tray to move down, so that the second tray is separated from the first tray. Then the second linear module drives the tray clamping unit 43 to move up a small distance (the height of one tray), and then the clamping member clamps the second tray located above. The first linear module 412 drives the tray clamping unit 43 to move up. At this time, the chip loaded on the first tray is the flipped chip.

[0091] To ensure the stability of the flipping process, the flipping component's flipping motion is relatively gentle, making it difficult to match the conveying speed of the conveyor device on the material tray. Therefore, in practical applications, two sets of independently operating flipping components can be arranged on the horizontal drive unit 44 to improve the flipping efficiency.

[0092] It should be noted that, in order to ensure that both sides of the chip can be inspected, please refer to the appendix. Figure 13As shown, the first visual inspection mechanism 31 should be installed on the second conveyor line 22 to perform visual inspection on the chips that have not yet been flipped; the second visual inspection mechanism 32 is installed on the unloading conveyor group to perform visual inspection on the flipped chips. For the unloading position of the flipped tray, any conveyor line in the unloading conveyor group (hereinafter referred to as the "unloading conveyor line") can be selected, and the second visual inspection mechanism 32 is installed on the unloading conveyor line to inspect the flipped chips.

[0093] Furthermore, in practical applications, for some complex chips, such as chips with pins, the pins may develop crooked teeth during the production process. Since visual inspection can only perform planar inspection, in some embodiments, the inspection device also includes a 3D inspection mechanism 33 installed on the second conveyor line 22 to perform 3D inspection on the chip.

[0094] After the testing device completes the testing of the chips, the control center can determine which chips on the tray are qualified and which are defective based on the test results. Then, the sorting results are sent to the sorting device 5, which then sorts the chips on the tray.

[0095] For details, please see the appendix. Figure 14-15 As shown, the sorting device 5 includes a fixed base 51, a sorting lifting plate 52, an adjusting mechanism, and a suction mechanism. The fixed base 51 can reciprocate between the qualified product conveyor line 23 and the waste product conveyor line 24. The sorting lifting plate 52 is slidably disposed on one side of the fixed base 51 and can move up and down under the action of the first driving member 53. The adjusting mechanism includes an adjusting base plate 54 slidably disposed on the sorting lifting plate 52 in the vertical direction. The adjusting base plate 54 has multiple adjusting carrier plates 55 evenly distributed in the horizontal direction. The multiple adjusting carrier plates 55 can move towards or away from each other under the action of the second driving member 56. The suction mechanism includes suction parts that are arranged one-to-one with the adjusting carrier plates 55. Each suction part includes a suction rod 57 that can move up and down independently.

[0096] Due to differences in chip specifications, the size of the chip placement slots 11 on the tray 1 and the spacing between adjacent chip placement slots 11 will also vary. Therefore, by setting an adjustable spacing mechanism, the spacing between the suction units can be varied, thereby adapting to the sorting of chips of different specifications. In use, firstly, the fixed base 51 is moved to the unloading conveyor line, and the tray 1 is moved along the unloading conveyor line into the operating range of the sorting device 5; the second drive unit 56 drives multiple adjustable spacing carriers 55 to move closer or further apart from each other, so that the spacing between two adjacent adjustable spacing carriers 55 matches the spacing of the chip placement slots 11 on the tray 1, thereby enabling the suction units located on the adjustable spacing carriers 55 to align with the chips in the corresponding chip placement slots 11; then the first drive unit 53 drives the sorting lifting plate 52 to move to a set height, thereby moving the suction units into the suction range of the tray 1; then the suction rod 57 is driven to move down to pick up the chips on the tray 1. Since the suction rod 57 can be raised and lowered independently, the appropriate suction section can be selected according to the chip situation in the chip placement slot 11 to pick out the unqualified chips.

[0097] For example, when the unloading conveyor line group includes one qualified product conveyor line 23 and two scrap conveyor lines 24, one of the scrap conveyor lines 24 can be used as the unloading conveyor line for the trays (i.e., the flipping assembly places the flipped tray 1 onto this conveyor line), and empty trays are placed on the other scrap conveyor line 24 and the qualified product conveyor line 23. Then, the chip sorting in the trays on the unloading conveyor line is performed by the suction unit, transferring qualified chips to the empty trays on the qualified product conveyor line 23, and unqualified chips to the empty trays on the other scrap conveyor line 24. Alternatively, the qualified product conveyor line 23 can be used directly as the unloading conveyor line for the trays, and the suction unit only removes unqualified chips, while qualified chips remain in the tray 1 of the unloading conveyor line. In this case, the two scrap conveyor lines 24 can be used to remove chips with different quality problems (e.g., one scrap conveyor line 24 is used to remove chips with defects detected by 3D inspection, and the other scrap conveyor line 24 is used to remove chips with defects detected by visual inspection). In practical applications, the chip sorting can be adjusted according to actual needs and is not limited to this embodiment.

[0098] In some embodiments, see Appendix Figure 15As shown, a pair of vertical rails are symmetrically arranged on the side of the sorting lifting plate 52 facing the adjusting mechanism, and a horizontal rail is arranged between the pair of vertical rails. The adjusting base plate 54 is slidably mounted on the pair of vertical rails, and the adjusting carrier plate 55 is slidably mounted on the horizontal rail. Adjusting slots 541 are arranged on the adjusting base plate 54, corresponding one-to-one with the adjusting carrier plate 55, allowing the adjusting carrier plate 55 to move along the corresponding adjusting slots 541. The horizontal distance between any two adjacent adjusting slots 541 gradually increases from top to bottom. Furthermore, at the same height, the horizontal distance between any two adjacent adjusting slots 541 is the same.

[0099] Since the chip placement slots 11 on the tray 1 are evenly distributed, it is necessary to ensure that the spacing between the two adjustment carriers 55 remains the same when adjusting the spacing between them. Therefore, in this embodiment, the multiple adjustment slots 541 are arranged symmetrically around the central axis, and the tilt of the multiple adjustment slots 541 gradually increases from the direction close to the central axis to the direction away from the central axis, so that the spacing change between two adjacent adjustment carriers 55 can always remain the same as the adjustment carriers 55 move along the adjustment slots 541.

[0100] It should be noted that if an adjustment slot 541 is also provided at the central axis, the adjustment slot 541 should be arranged vertically so that the adjustment carrier plate 55 moving along the adjustment slot 541 always moves vertically. For example, seven adjustment slots 541 are provided, with the middle adjustment slot 541 arranged vertically, and the other adjustment slots 541 symmetrically arranged in pairs on both sides of the middle adjustment slot 541.

[0101] In some embodiments, the adjustable spacing carrier plate 55 includes a carrier plate body, and the upper end of the carrier plate body is provided with a column rod that can move along the corresponding adjustable spacing slot 541. The column rod is located in the corresponding adjustable spacing slot 541, and its two ends respectively abut against the inner sidewall of the corresponding adjustable spacing slot 541.

[0102] In some embodiments, a position detection mechanism is provided on one side of the sorting lifting plate 52, and a detection plate that can enter the detection range of the position detection mechanism is provided on the adjustable base plate 54.

[0103] The working process of the chip detection and sorting equipment of the present invention is as follows:

[0104] Manually place stacked trays without chips and stacked trays with chips onto the loading ends of the first conveyor line 21 and the second conveyor line 22, respectively. The destacking mechanisms 25 on the first conveyor line 21 and the second conveyor line 22 destacking the stacked trays so that the individual first trays and second trays can move to the corresponding picking stations with the cooperation of the conveying component 26 and the pusher component 27, respectively. During the movement of the second tray along the second conveyor line 22, the first vision inspection mechanism 31 and the 3D inspection mechanism 33 perform appearance inspection on the chips on the second tray.

[0105] The flipping assembly inverts and stacks the first material tray on the second material tray and flips the first material tray and the second material tray so that the chip on the second material tray can be transferred to the first material tray. At this time, the chip on the first material tray is the flipped chip.

[0106] The flipping assembly transports the first tray to the unloading conveyor line, and the second vision inspection mechanism 32 performs appearance inspection on the chips in the first tray; then the first tray moves to the operating range of the sorting device 5;

[0107] The sorting device 5 sorts the chips according to the appearance inspection results, so that qualified chips enter the qualified product conveyor line 23 and unqualified chips enter the waste product conveyor line 24.

[0108] It should be noted that in practical applications, in order to ensure that the chip retains its original placement orientation (i.e., the placement orientation of the chip on the second tray) after the second vision inspection mechanism 32 performs the appearance inspection on the chip, the chip can be flipped by the flipping component, and then sorted by the sorting device 5.

[0109] The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of the present invention. Their purpose is to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of the present invention and implement it. They should not be used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. All equivalent changes or modifications made in accordance with the spirit and essence of the present invention should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A chip detection and sorting device, characterized in that: include A tray with several chip placement slots for placing chips; A conveying device for conveying the trays includes a parallel feeding conveyor line group and a discharging conveyor line group; wherein the feeding conveyor line group includes a first conveyor line and a second conveyor line arranged in parallel, the first conveyor line being used to convey trays without chips, and the second conveyor line being used to convey trays with chips. The detection device includes a first vision detection mechanism and a second vision detection mechanism respectively installed on the feeding conveyor line group and the unloading conveyor line group. The flipping device includes a flipping component that can reciprocate between the feeding conveyor group and the unloading conveyor group, and the flipping component can flip the chip after it has been inspected by the first vision inspection mechanism. The sorting device is installed on the feeding conveyor line group to sort the chips after they have been inspected by the second vision inspection mechanism; The flipping assembly includes a lifting drive unit, a flipping drive unit, and a material tray clamping unit. The tray clamping part includes a clamping frame that matches the shape of the tray. Multiple clamping members are evenly distributed on the clamping frame for clamping one or two trays. Each clamping member includes a clamping drive and a clamping block. The clamping block includes a clamping block body, an upper stop plate, and a lower stop plate. The upper and lower stop plates are located on the upper and lower end faces of the clamping block body, respectively, to limit the position of the upper and lower end faces of the tray. The height of the clamping block body matches the stacked height of the two trays, and the clamping block body can simultaneously abut against two adjacent sides of the tray. Two sets of conveying components are arranged on the conveyor frame. Each set of conveying components is equipped with a pushing component that can reciprocate between the stacking mechanism and the material picking station. The two pushing components are staggered along the material tray conveying direction so as to push different material trays respectively. The feeding assembly includes a feeding base plate. The feeding base plate has a push rod that can be raised and lowered on the side away from the feeding station, and a stop plate that can abut against the material tray under the action of the stop drive on the side facing the processing station. When the push rod is at its highest point, the push rod can abut against the material tray. When the push rod is at its lowest point, the push rod is located below the material tray. A stop plate is provided on the side of the pusher plate facing the material picking station, which can abut against the material tray under the action of the stop drive. Specifically, a hinge seat is installed on the pusher plate, and the stop plate is hinged to the hinge seat by a pin. The stop drive includes a stop cylinder arranged along the material tray conveying direction. The stop cylinder is installed on the pusher plate, and the piston rod of the stop cylinder faces the stop plate. A torsion spring is fitted on the pin. One end of the torsion spring is connected to the stop plate, and the other end is connected to the hinge seat. By pushing the stop plate with the stop cylinder, the stop plate can be driven to rotate along the hinge seat, so that the stop plate can abut against the material tray in a flipped state.

2. The chip detection and sorting equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both the first conveyor line and the second conveyor line include a conveyor frame for receiving material trays. One end of the conveyor frame is provided with a folding mechanism, and the other end is provided with a material picking station for the flipping device to pick up the material. The material picking station is provided with a material tray lifting part and a material picking limiting part. The material tray lifting part is used to lift the material tray away from the conveyor frame. The material picking limiting part is used to limit the position of the material tray at the material picking station.

3. The chip sorting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tray clamping part is used to clamp one or two trays, and the tray clamping part can drive the clamped tray to flip under the action of the flipping drive part; the flipping drive part is mounted on the lifting drive part, and can drive the tray clamping part to shake up and down under the action of the lifting drive part.

4. The chip detection and sorting equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The stacking mechanism includes a stacking lifting assembly, a tray splitting assembly, and a striking assembly. The stacking lifting assembly is used to drive the stacked trays to rise or fall. The tray splitting assembly includes a splitting plate that can be inserted into the tray. The striking assembly includes striking parts that are disposed opposite to each other on both sides of the tray. The striking parts are used to strike the tray with the splitting plate inserted, so as to make the tray vibrate.

5. The chip detection and sorting equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The conveyor frame is equipped with two sets of conveying components. Each set of conveying components is equipped with a pushing component that can reciprocate between the stacking mechanism and the material picking station. The two pushing components are staggered along the material tray conveying direction so as to push different material trays respectively.

6. The chip detection and sorting equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The feeding assembly includes a feeding base plate. The feeding base plate has a push rod that can be raised and lowered on the side away from the feeding station, and a stop plate that can abut against the material tray under the action of the stop drive on the side facing the processing station. When the push rod is at its highest point, the push rod can abut against the material tray. When the push rod is at its lowest point, the push rod is located below the material tray.

7. The chip detection and sorting equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sorting device includes a fixed base, a sorting lifting plate, an adjusting mechanism, and a suction mechanism. The sorting lifting plate is slidably disposed on one side of the fixed base and can move up and down under the action of a first driving member. The adjusting mechanism includes an adjusting base plate slidably disposed on the sorting lifting plate in a vertical direction. The adjusting base plate has multiple adjusting carrier plates evenly distributed in a horizontal direction. The multiple adjusting carrier plates can move towards or away from each other under the action of a second driving member. The suction mechanism includes suction parts that correspond one-to-one with the adjusting carrier plates. Each suction part includes a suction rod that can move up and down independently.

8. The chip detection and sorting equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that: The adjustable base plate is provided with adjustable slots that correspond one-to-one with the adjustable carrier plate. The horizontal distance between any two adjacent adjustable slots gradually increases from top to bottom. At the same height, the horizontal distance between any two adjacent adjustable slots is the same. The adjustable carrier plate includes a carrier plate body. The upper end of the carrier plate body is provided with a movable member that can move along the corresponding adjustable slot. The movable member is located in the corresponding adjustable slot, and its two ends abut against the inner sidewall of the corresponding adjustable slot.

9. A chip detection and sorting method, wherein the chip detection and sorting method is applied to the chip detection and sorting equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: Place the trays containing chips and the trays without chips into the designated positions on the feeding conveyor line. The trays containing chips and trays without chips are conveyed toward the flipping device. During the conveying process, the first vision inspection mechanism takes pictures of the trays containing chips for inspection. The flipping assembly flips the trays without chips over the trays with chips, and then transfers the flipped chips into the trays without chips. The flipping assembly transports the tray containing the flipped chips to the unloading conveyor group, and the second vision inspection mechanism takes pictures of the tray containing the flipped chips for inspection. The sorting device sorts the chips based on the detection results of the first vision inspection mechanism and the second vision inspection mechanism.

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