Automation equipment for processing hard and brittle materials

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automated device for processing hard and brittle materials, including a storage area, a processing area, and a positioning area that allow communication and isolation; the storage area is provided with a magazine for vertically placing workpieces and a first transfer table, as well as a first manipulator for picking up vertically placed workpieces, a second manipulator for flipping workpieces, and a second transfer table for horizontally placing workpieces; the processing area is used for processing workpieces and allows the second manipulator to enter and exit; the positioning area is provided with a positioning device and a third manipulator for switching the position of the workpiece between the second transfer table and the positioning device; wherein, the second manipulator is used for switching the position of the workpiece between the first transfer table, the second transfer table, and the processing area. The present invention can improve the protection level, reduce the floor area of the device, and lower the price of the device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an automated device for processing hard and brittle materials and belongs to the field of mechanical equipment. Background Art

[0002] Hard and brittle materials have characteristics such as high strength, high hardness, high brittleness, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance, which are incomparable to general metal materials. Among them, hard and brittle materials represented by ceramics, cemented carbides, glass ceramics, rubies, sapphires, and artificial stones are diverse and widely used in fields such as electronic products, automobiles, aerospace, and military. For example, a wafer as a hard and brittle material is a basic raw material for manufacturing semiconductor devices. During its manufacturing process, numerical control machining such as grinding and chamfering of the outer shape of the wafer substrate is required. Specifically, a silicon ingot formed by crystal pulling is processed through processes such as grinding, polishing, and slicing to form a silicon wafer, that is, a wafer. Then, a circuit structure is formed on the wafer through a series of processes and finally packaged into a chip, etc., which is applied to various electronic devices. However, the manufacturing technology barrier of wafers and other hard and brittle materials is very high. Especially during their loading and unloading process, defects are easily introduced due to contact with contaminants such as particles and dust, affecting the processing quality of subsequent processes. Currently, there is no dedicated automatic loading and unloading device for wafer substrates, etc. Their numerical control machining mainly relies on manual loading and unloading. Manual loading and unloading not only have large deviations but also low efficiency, unable to meet customer requirements. Some manipulators applied to hard and brittle materials not only have a low protection level, but also have a short arm span and high limitations, and cannot meet the requirements of numerical control machining for automatic loading and unloading. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention provides an automated device for processing hard and brittle materials, aiming to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. For this reason, the present invention proposes an automated device for processing hard and brittle materials, which can improve the protection level, reduce the floor area of the device, and lower the price of the device.

[0004] One aspect of the technical solution of the present invention relates to an automated device for processing hard and brittle materials, including:

[0005] A storage area, a processing area, and a positioning area that allow communication and isolation;

[0006] The storage area is provided with a magazine for vertically placing workpieces, a first transfer table, a first manipulator for picking up vertically placed workpieces, a second manipulator for flipping workpieces, and a second transfer table for horizontally placing workpieces;

[0007] The processing area is used for processing workpieces and allowing the second manipulator to enter and exit;

[0008] The positioning area is provided with a positioning device and a third manipulator for switching the position of the workpiece between the second transfer table and the positioning device;

[0009] Among them, the second manipulator is used to switch the position of the workpiece among the first transfer table, the second transfer table, and the processing area.

[0010] Furthermore, the storage area and the positioning area are arranged on one side of the processing area, and the magazine is arranged on one side of the storage area away from the processing area and away from the positioning area.

[0011] Furthermore, the magazine and the first transfer table are respectively arranged on the right and left sides of the second transfer table. The first manipulator and the second manipulator are both arranged above the second transfer table. The third manipulator is arranged behind the second transfer table, and the processing area is arranged on the left side of the first transfer table.

[0012] Furthermore, the magazine includes a plurality of material storage slots for vertically placing workpieces.

[0013] Furthermore, the first slot section, the second slot section and the third slot section that allows contact with the workpiece are arranged from top to bottom in the material storage slot. The first slot section and the third slot section are arranged vertically, and the second slot section inclines inwards from top to bottom.

[0014] Furthermore, it further includes a moving device. The moving device includes a moving block and a moving guide rail. The magazine is arranged on the moving block, and the moving block is arranged on the moving guide rail.

[0015] Furthermore, a first automatic door is arranged between the storage area and the positioning area, and a second automatic door is arranged between the storage area and the positioning area.

[0016] Furthermore, the third manipulator includes a rotating table, a telescopic guide rail and a robotic arm for picking up workpieces; the robotic arm is arranged on the telescopic guide rail, and the telescopic guide rail is arranged on the rotating table.

[0017] Furthermore, a cleaning device for cleaning the workpiece on the second workbench is arranged in front of the second transfer table.

[0018] On the other hand, the technical solution of the present invention relates to a control method for an automated device for processing hard and brittle materials, which is applied to the automated device for processing hard and brittle materials in the above embodiment; the method includes the following steps:

[0019] S100. The second manipulator places the blank workpiece on the first transfer table on the second transfer table for cleaning;

[0020] S200. The first manipulator places the finished workpieces on the first turntable into one of the material boxes and takes out the blank workpieces from the other material box and places them on the first turntable. At the same time, the third manipulator places the cleaned blank workpieces on the second turntable on the positioning device and returns the positioned blank workpieces to the second turntable;

[0021] S300. After receiving the completion instruction from the numerical control machine tool, the second manipulator transfers the positioned blank workpieces on the second turntable into the numerical control machine tool. First, it picks up the finished workpieces on the numerical control machine tool, and then places the blank workpieces on the numerical control machine tool;

[0022] S400. The second manipulator removes the finished workpieces from the numerical control machine tool, picks up the blank workpieces at the first turntable first, and then places the finished workpieces taken out from the numerical control machine tool on the first turntable;

[0023] S500. Repeat the above steps S100 to S400 until the completion instruction is received.

[0024] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows.

[0025] The automated equipment for processing hard and brittle materials according to the embodiment of the present invention can improve the protection level, reduce the floor area of the equipment, and reduce the equipment price.

[0026] Through the functional area division and the use of the transfer cleaning method, the influence of cutting fluid and grinding powder, etc. on the recognition accuracy of the positioning device can be reduced. By setting the first automatic door and the second automatic door, and cooperating with the transfer of the manipulator assembly, the cutting fluid and grinding powder, etc. in the processing area can be effectively prevented from falling onto the positioning device, which is beneficial to improving the positioning accuracy of automatic loading and unloading.

[0027] By using the first manipulator to take out the workpieces from the material box and cooperating with the second manipulator to flip and switch the workpiece pose, through the cooperation of two manipulators with simple structures, replacing the traditional multi-degree-of-freedom manipulators that are expensive and require a large floor area, the automatic loading and unloading of the workpieces vertically placed side by side in the material box can be realized, which can effectively reduce the floor area of the equipment, effectively reduce the equipment price, and thus reduce the production cost.

[0028] The present invention realizes the automatic loading and unloading of vertically placed workpieces by setting the first manipulator that can rotate along the Z axis and cooperating with two positioning recognitions, which can effectively prevent the workpieces from being broken during the placement process, effectively reduce the floor area, and enable the material box to be set at a corner of the equipment, facilitating the expansion of the production line. By cooperating with the second manipulator that can switch the workpiece pose between horizontal placement and vertical placement, replacing the traditional multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm loading and unloading method, it can effectively reduce the floor area of the equipment and reduce the equipment cost. Description of the Drawings

[0029] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and be readily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0030] Figure 1 is a top view of the structure of an automated device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 2 is a front view of the structure of an automated device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 3 is a side view of the structure of an automated device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 4 is a rear view of the structure of a storage area according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a storage area according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the movement direction of the structure of an automated device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 8 is a flowchart of the loading and unloading process of the manipulator of an automated device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 9 is a flowchart of the workpiece processing of an automated device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Description of reference numerals:

[0040] 100, cartridge; 110, storage slot; 111, first slot section; 112, second slot section; 113, third slot section; 120, moving device; 121, moving block; 122, moving guide rail; 123, moving motor; 130, side plate; 140, spacer plate;

[0041] 200, first manipulator; 210, first moving plate; 220, first guide rail; 230, first suction cup assembly; 231, first suction cup; 232, first connecting block; 233, rotating plate; 234, first mounting plate;

[0042] 300, second manipulator; 310, second moving plate; 320, second guide rail; 330, second suction cup assembly; 331, second suction cup; 332, second connecting block; 333, connecting bracket; 334, rotating shaft; 335, second mounting plate;

[0043] 400, Third manipulator; 410, Rotating table; 420, Telescopic guide rail; 430, Manipulator arm; 440, Positioning device;

[0044] 500, Transfer track;

[0045] 600, First transfer table; 610, Placement board; 620, Transfer chute; 621, Fourth chute section; 622, Fifth chute section; 623, Sixth chute section;

[0046] 700, Second transfer table; 710, Cleaning device; 720, Placement table;

[0047] 810, Storage area; 820, Processing area; 830, Positioning area; 840, First automatic door; 850, Second automatic door; 860, CNC machine tool; 870, Wafer. Detailed implementation manners

[0048] The following will clearly and completely describe the concept, specific structure and technical effects of the present invention in combination with embodiments and drawings to fully understand the purpose, solution and effects of the present invention. It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0049] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, when a certain feature is referred to as "fixed" or "connected" to another feature, it can be directly fixed or connected to the other feature, or indirectly fixed or connected to the other feature. In addition, the up, down, left, right, top, bottom, etc. used in the present invention are only relative to the mutual positional relationship of the components of the present invention in the drawings.

[0050] In addition, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the technical field of the present invention. The terms used in the description of the present specification are only for describing specific embodiments, rather than for limiting the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any combination of one or more related listed items.

[0051] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used in the present disclosure to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish elements of the same type from each other. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the first element may also be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element may also be referred to as the first element.

[0052] See Figures 1 to 9, the automated equipment for processing hard and brittle materials according to the technical solution of the present invention includes a material box 100, a first transfer table 600 for vertically storing a plurality of workpieces and vertically placing workpieces, a first manipulator 200, and a second manipulator 300. The first manipulator 200 is used to pick up the vertically placed workpieces and switch the placement positions between the material box 100 of the loading and unloading mechanism for processing hard and brittle materials and the first transfer table 600 of the loading and unloading mechanism for processing hard and brittle materials. The second transfer table 700 is used to horizontally place workpieces, and the second manipulator 300 is used to flip the workpieces so that the workpieces of the loading and unloading mechanism for processing hard and brittle materials can be switched between the first transfer table 600 of the loading and unloading mechanism for processing hard and brittle materials and the second transfer table 700 of the loading and unloading mechanism for processing hard and brittle materials.

[0053] See Figure 1 , the automated equipment of the embodiment of the present invention is provided with a processing area 820, a storage area 810, and a positioning area 830. The two areas are separated by an automatic door. By opening the automatic door, the workpieces can shuttle between different areas. And when numerically controlling the processing of workpieces, the automatic door can be closed to reduce the pollution of the positioning device 440 caused by processing dust particles, etc., realizing automatic loading and unloading and being beneficial to ensuring the recognition effect of the positioning device 440. Specifically, the storage area 810 and the positioning area 830 are arranged at the front end and the rear end on the same side of the processing area 820. The storage area 810 is provided with a material box 100 for storing workpieces, a cleaning device 710 for cleaning workpieces, a first transfer table 600 and a second transfer table 700 for placing workpieces and switching the postures of workpieces. The processing area 820 is a numerically controlled machine tool 860 for processing brittle materials. A positioning device 440 is arranged in the positioning area 830. A first automatic door 840 is arranged between the storage area 810 and the processing area 820, and a second automatic door 850 is arranged between the storage area 810 and the positioning area 830. The transfer of workpieces between different areas is realized through the manipulator assembly.

[0054] See Figure 1 and Figure 2, the blank workpiece is vertically placed in the storage area 810. After the manipulator assembly takes out the blank workpiece from the cartridge 100, it switches the posture through the first transfer table 600 and the second transfer table 700. After cleaning is completed on the second transfer table 700, the second automatic door 850 opens. The manipulator assembly transfers the horizontally placed blank workpiece to the positioning area 830, and the second automatic door 850 closes. After the blank workpiece is positioned by the positioning device 440, the second automatic door 850 is opened, and it is transferred back to the second transfer table 700 and then the second automatic door 850 is closed. After the numerical control machine tool 860 finishes machining the current workpiece, the first automatic door 840 opens. The manipulator assembly sends the blank workpiece on the second transfer table 700 into the numerical control machine tool 860 and closes the first automatic door 840. After the numerical control machining of the workpiece is completed, the first automatic door 840 is opened again, and the finished workpiece is transferred to the first transfer table 600 and then the first automatic door 840 is closed. Finally, the workpiece is put back into the cartridge 100 by the manipulator assembly, thus completing the automatic loading and unloading of one workpiece. By setting the first automatic door 840 and the second automatic door 850, and cooperating with the transfer of the manipulator assembly, the cutting fluid, grinding powder, etc. in the machining area 820 can be effectively prevented from falling onto the positioning device 440, which is beneficial to improving the positioning accuracy of automatic loading and unloading. And through the functional area division and the use of the transfer and cleaning method, the influence of cutting fluid, grinding powder, etc. on the recognition accuracy of the positioning device 440 can be reduced.

[0055] In some embodiments, a cartridge 100, a cleaning device 710, a first transfer table 600, and a second transfer table 700 are arranged in the storage area 810. Refer to Figure 2 and Figure 4 , the first transfer table 600 and the cartridge 100 are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the second transfer table 700, the cleaning device 710 is arranged on the front side of the second transfer table 700, the positioning area 830 is arranged on the rear side of the second transfer table 700, and the machining area 820 is arranged on the left side of the first transfer table 600. The cartridge 100 for storing blank workpieces and finished workpieces is arranged at a corner of the equipment. For example, the cartridge 100 is arranged at the upper left corner of the equipment, which can facilitate manual loading and unloading and facilitate the connection of equipment for other processes, realizing the expansion of the production line.

[0056] Specifically, the operator first places a plurality of workpieces in the cartridge 100, and then places the cartridge 100 in the storage area 810. The plurality of workpieces are vertically placed in the cartridge 100. The manipulator assembly takes out one workpiece from the cartridge 100 and, through the first transfer table 600 and the second transfer table 700, switches the workpiece from a vertical placement to a horizontal placement. At the same time, on the second transfer table 700, after the horizontally placed workpiece is cleaned by the cleaning device 710, it is transferred to the positioning device 440 for positioning and then put back on the second transfer table 700, waiting for the numerical control machine tool 860 to pick up and machine.

[0057] In some specific embodiments, a material storage trough 110 is provided in the material box 100. The workpiece can be vertically inserted into the material storage trough 110 from above the material box 100, so that the workpiece can be vertically placed in the material box 100, effectively saving the occupied space of the material storage area in the equipment and reducing the floor area of the equipment. For example, if the brittle and hard material to be processed is a thin and brittle wafer 870, refer to Figure 3 、 Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the material box 100 is a hollow structure and is in the shape of a box-like direction. The material box 100 includes two side plates 130 and two partition plates. One side of each of the two sides of one side plate 130 is connected to one side of the two spacer plates 140, and the other side of each of the two sides of the other side plate 130 is connected to the other side of the two spacer plates 140. The material storage trough 110 is provided inside the spacer plate 140. The material storage troughs 110 on both sides are symmetrically arranged. The upper end opening of the material storage trough 110 is provided on the upper surface of the spacer plate 140. The groove width of the material storage trough 110 is slightly larger than the thickness of the workpiece, and the depth of the material storage trough 110 is slightly smaller than its width. When the manipulator assembly vertically inserts the workpiece into the material storage trough 110, it is not easy for the workpiece to be broken due to contact with the material box 100. At the same time, the workpiece can maintain a vertical state at the set position of the material box 100, facilitating the manipulator assembly to perform automatic loading and unloading.

[0058] Furthermore, refer to Figure 6, the stock storage tank 110 includes a first tank section 111, a second tank section 112, and a third tank section 113 arranged from top to bottom. The first tank section 111 and the third tank section 113 are vertically arranged, and the third tank section 113 is arranged inside the first tank section 111. The second tank section 112 is inclined downward from outside to inside. It can be understood that the second tank section 112 can be parallel to a certain tangent of the wafer 870. Specifically, the distance between the bottom walls of the two first tank sections 111 symmetrically arranged on both sides is slightly greater than the diameter of the wafer 870. When the manipulator assembly moves above the cassette 100 and determines the position of the storage tank for the workpiece placed in the tray through the first identification and positioning, and drives the workpiece to move down to place the workpiece into the cassette 100, the lower side of the wafer 870 enters the cassette 100. At this time, the wafer 870 does not contact the tank wall of the stock storage tank 110. At this time, a vision positioning system can be set above the cassette 100 to take pictures above the wafer 870 and the cassette 100 in the vertical direction for the second identification and positioning, to identify in real time whether both sides of the wafer 870 are inside the two stock storage tanks 110 symmetrically arranged, and to identify in real time whether the two planes of the wafer 870 are between the two side walls of the stock storage tank 110. If not, the attitude of the wafer 870 can be adjusted in time. Thus, by performing one more positioning before the wafer 870 enters the cassette 100 but does not contact the cassette 100, the probability of the wafer 870 being broken due to low positioning accuracy can be effectively reduced, thereby realizing the automatic loading and unloading of the manipulator for the vertical placement of the wafer 870. When the manipulator assembly drives the wafer 870 to continue to move down, both sides of the wafer 870 can contact the tank wall of the first tank section 111, and the lower side of the wafer 870 can contact the tank wall of the second tank section 112, while the lowest side of the wafer 870 is suspended, that is, the third tank section 113 does not contact the wafer 870. By setting the first tank section 111, the second tank section 112, and the third tank section 113, the wafer 870 can be stored in the cassette 100 at a preset position, and the probability of the wafer 870 being broken can be reduced.

[0059] In some specific embodiments, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 5, there are multiple cassettes 100 arranged in the storage area 810, and the cassettes 100 are placed on the moving device 120. For example, there are two cassettes 100 in the storage area 810, so that multiple cassettes 100 can be alternated, ensuring that when the operator loads and unloads the cassettes 100, it will not affect the loading and unloading of the manipulator assembly. Specifically, the moving device 120 includes a moving block 121, a moving guide rail 122, and a moving motor 123. The cassette 100 is arranged on the moving block 121, and the moving block 121 is arranged on the moving guide rail 122. Through the moving motor 123, the moving block 121 drives the cassette 100 to move along the moving guide rail 122. Further, an artificial loading and unloading door is provided on the outer protection of the equipment. The moving device 120 drives the cassette 100 to move away from or close to the artificial loading and unloading door. When the cassette 100 on one of the moving devices 120 contains finished workpieces, the moving device 120 moves the cassette 100 to the artificial loading and unloading door. The operator opens the door, takes out the cassette 100 containing the finished workpieces, and places a cassette 100 containing blank workpieces, then closes the door. The moving device 120 moves the just-loaded cassette 100 away from the artificial loading and unloading automatic door, waiting for the manipulator assembly to pick up the parts. Further, the moving block 121 may be provided with a positioning portion, and the cassette 100 is assisted to be placed at the set position of the moving block 121 through the positioning portion to achieve the positioning of the cassette 100 on the moving block 121. Further, the moving block 121 may be provided with a locking portion. After the cassette 100 is positioned, it is fixed to the moving block 121 through the locking portion.

[0060] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 4 and Figure 5 , a transfer chute 620 is provided on the upper side of the first transfer table 600. The first manipulator 200 adjusts the workpiece pose, and the workpiece can be inserted into the transfer chute 620 from above, so that the workpiece is vertically placed on the first transfer table 600, that is, the workpiece in the transfer chute 620 can be vertically placed. Specifically, the first transfer table 600 includes a placement plate 610, the placement plate 610 is vertically arranged, and the transfer chute 620 is provided on the upper side of the placement plate 610. The transfer chute 620 includes a fourth chute section 621, two fifth chute sections 622, and two sixth chute sections 623. The fourth chute section 621 can be horizontally arranged, and both ends of the fourth chute section 621 are respectively connected to the lower ends of the two fifth chute sections 622. The upper ends of the two fifth chute sections 622 are respectively connected to the lower ends of the two sixth chute sections 623. The upper ends of the sixth chute sections 623 are open on the upper side of the placement plate 610, the sixth chute sections 623 can be vertically arranged, and the fifth chute sections 622 are inclined inward from top to bottom. It should be noted that the first transfer table 600 has a positioning function. After the workpiece is processed, the first manipulator 200 first places the workpiece on the first transfer table 600 for positioning, and then transfers the workpiece from the first transfer table 600 to the cassette 100 (refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9 ).

[0061] In some specific embodiments, for example, if the brittle and hard material to be processed is a wafer 870, the distance between the bottom walls of the two fifth groove segments 622 may be slightly greater than that between the wafers 870. When the wafer 870 is placed on the first transfer table 600, the center line of the wafer 870 is parallel to the transfer track 500. The two sides of the wafer 870 are respectively inserted into the two sixth groove segments 623. The lower side of the wafer 870 contacts the fifth groove segment 622, and the lowest side of the wafer 870 is suspended.

[0062] Specifically, when the first manipulator 200 moves above the first transfer table 600 and determines the position of the transfer chute 620 for placing the workpiece in the first transfer table 600 through the first identification and positioning, and then drives the workpiece to move downwards so that the workpiece is placed in the placement plate 610, the lower side of the wafer 870 enters the placement plate 610 without contacting the chute wall of the transfer chute 620. At this time, a vision positioning system can be set above the first transfer table 600 to take pictures above the wafer 870 and the first transfer table 600 in the vertical direction for the second identification and positioning, to identify in real time whether the two sides of the wafer 870 are already inside the two transfer chutes 620, and to identify in real time whether the two planes of the wafer 870 are between the two side walls of the transfer chute 620. If not, the attitude of the wafer 870 can be adjusted in time. Thus, by performing the second positioning before the wafer 870 enters the first transfer table 600 but does not contact the placement plate 610, the probability of the wafer 870 being broken due to low positioning accuracy can be effectively reduced, thereby realizing the automatic loading and unloading of the wafer 870 in a vertical placement by the manipulator. When the manipulator assembly drives the wafer 870 to continue to move downwards, the two sides of the wafer 870 can contact the chute wall of the sixth groove segment 623, the lower side of the wafer 870 can contact the chute wall of the fifth groove segment 622, and the lowest side of the wafer 870 is suspended, that is, the fourth groove segment 621 does not contact the wafer 870. By providing the fourth groove segment 621, the fifth groove segment 622 and the sixth groove segment 623, the wafer 870 can be stored in the first transfer table 600 at a preset position, and the probability of the wafer 870 being broken is reduced.

[0063] Further, referring to Figure 4 and Figure 5, the first transfer table 600 may be provided with a plurality of transfer bins 620 having different widths, different depths, and different bottom heights. Specifically, the first transfer table 600 includes a plurality of placing plates 610 having transfer bins 620 of different specifications. The plurality of placing plates 610 are vertically arranged and placed side by side along the direction of the transfer track 500. The transfer bin 620 is arranged on the upper side of the placing plate 610, so as to adapt to the placement requirements of workpieces of different specifications and avoid frequent replacement of the first transfer table 600. For example, a plurality of placing plates 610 are arranged on the first transfer table 600, and the opening widths of the plurality of transfer bins 620 (i.e., the distance between two sixth slot sections 623) gradually increase from left to right, so as to place workpieces with gradually increasing diameters from left to right.

[0064] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the second transfer table 700 is provided with a placing table 720, and the workpiece can be horizontally placed on the placing table 720. It should be noted that the workpiece can be fixed on the second transfer table 700 by means of vacuum adsorption, electrostatic adsorption, etc. The cleaning device 710 is arranged on the side of the second transfer table 700 and can clean the workpiece on the second transfer table 700. For example, the cleaning device 710 may include an air knife, and the workpiece is blown and cleaned by the air knife.

[0065] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the manipulator assembly includes a first manipulator 200, a second manipulator 300, and a third manipulator 400. The first manipulator 200 is used to take out a workpiece from the cartridge 100 and place it on the first transfer table 600. The second manipulator 300 is used to pick up the workpiece on the first transfer table 600, convert it from a vertical setting to a horizontal setting, and then horizontally place the workpiece on the second transfer table 700. Then, the second automatic door 850 is opened, and the third manipulator 400 transfers the workpiece on the second transfer table 700 to the positioning device 440. After being positioned by the positioning device 440, the third manipulator 400 places the workpiece back on the second transfer table 700. After the CNC machine tool 860 finishes processing the current workpiece, the first automatic door 840 is opened, and the second manipulator 300 transfers the workpiece in the processing area 820 to the first transfer table 600, and transports the workpiece on the second transfer table 700 to the CNC machine tool 860 for processing.

[0066] In some specific embodiments, the first manipulator 200 and the second manipulator 300 are both movably arranged on the transfer track 500. The two sides of the transfer track 500 are respectively arranged in the storage area 810 and the processing area 820, and the second manipulator 300 is arranged on the side of the first manipulator 200 close to the processing area 820. The first transfer table 600, the second transfer table 700, the cassette 100 and the workbench of the numerical control machine tool 860 can all be arranged below the transfer track 500, so that the first manipulator 200 and the second manipulator 300 can realize the switching of the workpiece placement positions. Specifically, when the second manipulator 300 is loading and unloading the numerical control machine tool 860, the first manipulator 200 can synchronously load the first transfer table 600, the third manipulator 400 can synchronously transfer the workpiece on the second transfer table 700 for workpiece positioning, and the operator can synchronously load and unload one of the cassettes 100, so as to realize the synchronous progress of multiple processes and reduce the pause waiting time.

[0067] See Figure 4 、 Figure 5 and Figure 7 , the first manipulator 200 is provided with a first moving plate 210, a first guide rail 220 and a first suction cup assembly 230. The first moving plate 210 is movably arranged on the transfer track 500 horizontally, the first guide rail 220 is movably arranged on the first moving plate 210 vertically, and the first suction cup assembly 230 can move up and down along with the first guide rail 220. The first suction cup assembly 230 is provided with a plurality of first suction cups 231, and the plurality of first suction cups 231 are arranged on the same plane, so that the first manipulator 200 can pick up the vertically placed workpiece. For example, a plurality of wafers 870 are arranged side by side along the transfer track 500, the center line of the wafer 870 is parallel to the transfer track 500, and the first manipulator 200 moves to the right side of the cassette 100 and picks up the wafer 870 at the rightmost side of the cassette 100.

[0068] Furthermore, the first suction cup assembly 230 further includes a first connecting block 232, a rotating plate 233 and a first mounting plate 234. The first connecting block 232 is fixed to the lower side of the first guide rail 220, the rotating plate 233 is rotatably arranged at the lower end of the first connecting block 232, and the upper end and the lower end of the first mounting plate 234 are respectively connected with the rotating plate 233 and the first suction cup 231. The rotating plate 233 can drive the workpiece to rotate around the Z axis, and the first connecting block 232 can drive the workpiece to move up and down, so that the pose of the workpiece can be changed by the first manipulator 200 during the process of transferring the workpiece from the cassette 100 to the first transfer table 600. It can be understood that four first suction cups 231 can be arranged on the first mounting plate 234.

[0069] See Figure 1, there are multiple material storage bins 100 in the material box 100. Among them, blank workpieces are placed in multiple material storage bins 110 on one side, and multiple material storage bins 110 on the other side are empty. For example, multiple material storage bins 110 on the right side of the material box 100 are used to place blank workpieces, and the material storage bins 110 on the left side of the material box 100 are empty. Moreover, the first transfer table 600 is used to place multiple workpieces, and the diameters of the multiple workpieces decrease from right to left. When the first manipulator 200 places a workpiece into the transfer chute 620, the workpiece is on the right side of the first suction cup 231.

[0070] Specifically, refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9 , when the operator fixes the material box 100 with blank workpieces in the above-mentioned half of the material storage bins 110 on the mobile device 120, the mobile device 120 drives the material box 100 to move inward of the device, so that the material box 100 reaches below the transfer track 500. During the process of the first manipulator 200 loading the blank workpieces in the material box 100 onto the first transfer table 600, first, the rotating block rotates, so that the suction end of the first suction cup 231 faces away from the processing area 820. The first suction cup 231 contacts the right side surface of the blank workpiece at the rightmost position, and thus sucks up the vertically placed blank workpiece. Then, the workpiece is moved along the transfer track 500 to above the first transfer table 600. The rotating block drives the vertically arranged workpiece to rotate around the Z axis, so that the blank workpiece is on the right side of the first suction cup 231. After the first identification and positioning and the second identification and positioning, the workpiece is driven to move downward, so that the workpiece can be inserted into the first transfer table 600. During the process of the first manipulator 200 transferring the finished workpieces on the first transfer table 600 to the material box 100, first, the rotating block makes the suction end of the first suction cup 231 face away from the processing area 820. After the first suction cup 231 reaches the left side of the finished workpiece, the first suction cup 231 contacts the left side surface of the finished workpiece, sucks up the vertically placed finished workpiece and raises it. The first manipulator 200 moves along the transfer track 500 to above the left side of the material box 100. Through the first identification and positioning and the second identification and positioning, the finished workpiece is placed into the empty material storage bin 110 at the rightmost position in the material box 100.

[0071] Refer to Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 7, the second manipulator 300 is provided with a second moving plate 310, a second guide rail 320 and a second suction cup assembly 330. The second moving plate 310 is horizontally movably arranged on the transfer track 500. The second guide rail 320 is vertically movably arranged on the second moving plate 310. The second suction cup assembly 330 can move up and down along with the second guide rail 320. Further, the second suction cup assembly 330 includes a second connecting block 332, a connecting bracket 333, a rotating shaft 334 and a second mounting plate 335. The second connecting block 332 is fixed to the lower end of the second guide rail 320. The connecting bracket 333 is in a shape similar to an inverted U. The upper side of the connecting bracket 333 is connected to the second connecting block 332. The two lower ends of the connecting bracket 333 are rotatably connected to the two ends of the rotating shaft 334. The second mounting plate 335 is fixed to the middle of the rotating shaft 334 and can rotate along with the rotating shaft 334. A plurality of second suction cups 331 are arranged on the second mounting plate 335. The plurality of second suction cups 331 on the same side are on the same plane. After the second manipulator 300 picks up the workpiece, it drives the second suction cups 331 and the second mounting plate 335 to rotate around the Y-axis through the rotating shaft 334, so that the workpiece can be placed horizontally or vertically.

[0072] Further, referring to Figure 3 and Figure 5 , there are two second mounting plates 335. The two second mounting plates 335 are symmetrically arranged on the rotating shaft 334. Each second mounting plate 335 is provided with a plurality of second suction cups 331. Specifically, after the second suction cups 331 on the lower side pick up the blank workpieces horizontally arranged on the second transfer table 700, the workpiece is flipped around the Y-axis through the rotating shaft 334 so that the workpiece is on the upper side of another group of second suction cups 331, that is, the second suction cups 331 originally on the lower side and adsorbing the blank workpieces are rotated to the upper side, and then moved along the transfer track 500 above the workbench of the numerical control machine tool 860. The second suction cups 331 on the lower side that do not adsorb the blank workpieces pick up the finished workpieces on the workbench. Then, the two groups of second suction cups 331 are flipped through the rotating shaft 334, and in cooperation with the up and down movement of the second manipulator 300, the blank workpieces are on the lower side. After the blank workpieces are placed on the workbench, the second manipulator 300 transports the finished workpieces out of the numerical control machine tool 860 along the transfer track 500. And after the workpiece is rotated by the rotating shaft 334 so that the finished workpiece is switched from horizontal placement to vertical placement, the finished workpiece is placed on the first transfer table 600, waiting for the first manipulator 200 to pick up the finished workpiece on the first transfer table 600 and transfer it to the material box 100.

[0073] The manipulator assembly of the present invention is provided with a first manipulator 200 and a second manipulator 300, which can realize the automatic transfer of workpieces between the magazine 100 and the numerical control machine tool 860, and enable the manual loading and unloading of the magazine 100 and the loading and unloading of workpieces by the numerical control equipment to be carried out step by step simultaneously, reducing the downtime waiting time, and enabling the operator to load and unload multiple workpieces at one time. The workpiece in the magazine 100 is taken out by the first manipulator 200, and the second manipulator 300 is used to flip and switch the workpiece posture. Through the cooperation of two manipulators with simple structures, the traditional multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator with high price and high floor area requirements is replaced, and the automatic loading and unloading of the workpieces vertically and placed side by side in the magazine 100 is realized, which can effectively reduce the floor area of the equipment, effectively reduce the equipment price and thus reduce the production cost.

[0074] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 1 and Figure 3 , the third manipulator 400 includes a rotating table 410, a telescopic guide rail 420 and a robotic arm 430. The telescopic guide rail 420 is arranged on the upper side of the rotating table 410, and the robotic arm 430 is movably arranged on the telescopic guide rail 420, so that the robotic arm 430 can extend to the outside of the telescopic guide rail 420 or retract above the telescopic guide rail 420. Specifically, referring to Figure 8 and Figure 9 , the rotating table 410 is arranged on the left side of the positioning device 440, and the rotating table 410 is arranged behind the second turntable 700. The rotation of the rotating table 410 enables the picking end of the robotic arm 430 to face the positioning device 440 or the second turntable 700. When the second automatic door 850 is opened, the rotating table 410 drives the telescopic guide rail 420 and the robotic arm 430 to rotate, so that the robotic arm 430 can enter the storage area. The robotic arm 430 moves and extends along the telescopic guide rail 420. After the robotic arm 430 picks up the workpiece on the second turntable 700, the robotic arm 430 retracts along the telescopic guide rail 420, and then the rotating table 410 rotates to make the workpiece enter the positioning area 830. When the rotating table 410 rotates to the set position, the robotic arm 430 extends outwards, places the workpiece on the positioning device 440, and then the robotic arm 430 retracts. After the positioning of the workpiece is completed, the robotic arm 430 extends out to pick up the positioned workpiece on the positioning device 440 and then the robotic arm 430 retracts. The second automatic door 850 is opened and the robotic arm 430 is rotated by the rotating table 410, and the robotic arm 430 extends out to place the workpiece on the second turntable 700, thus completing the positioning of the workpiece. It can be understood that the third manipulator 400 can be a Bernoulli manipulator, which uses the Bernoulli principle to realize the adsorption of workpieces such as wafers 870.

[0075] Through functional partitioning, the present invention is provided with a storage area 810, a processing area 820, and a positioning area 830, and is provided with transfer cleaning, which can reduce the influence of particles, cutting fluid, grinding powder, etc. during processing on the recognition accuracy of the positioning device 440. The manipulator assembly is provided with a first manipulator 200 for loading and unloading the cartridge 100, a second manipulator 300 for loading and unloading the numerical control machine tool 860, and a third manipulator 400 for loading and unloading the positioning device 440, which can improve the protection level of the manipulator, solve the problem of high limitations with short reach of the existing robotic arm, and realize automatic loading and unloading of brittle and hard materials. Through the rotation of the first manipulator 200 and the flipping of the second manipulator 300 in cooperation, the workpiece can be vertically placed in the cartridge 100 and the first transfer table 600, thereby replacing the multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm 430 with a manipulator with a simple structure, effectively reducing the equipment area and equipment price.

[0076] See Figures 1 to 9 , the control method of the automatic equipment for processing brittle and hard materials according to the technical solution of the present invention is applied to the automatic equipment for processing brittle and hard materials in the embodiments of the present invention, and the method at least includes the following steps:

[0077] S100. The second manipulator 300 places the blank workpiece on the first transfer table 600 onto the second transfer table 700 for cleaning;

[0078] S200. The first manipulator 200 places the finished workpiece on the first transfer table 600 into one of the cartridges 100 and takes out the blank workpiece from another cartridge 100 and places it on the first transfer table 600. At the same time, the third manipulator 400 places the cleaned blank workpiece on the second transfer table 700 onto the positioning device 440 and returns the positioned blank workpiece to the second transfer table 700;

[0079] S300. After receiving the completion instruction of the numerical control machine tool 860, the second manipulator 300 transfers the positioned blank workpiece on the second transfer table 700 into the numerical control machine tool 860. First, pick up the finished workpiece on the numerical control machine tool 860, and then place the blank workpiece on the numerical control machine tool 860;

[0080] S400. The second manipulator 300 removes the finished workpiece from the numerical control machine tool 860, picks up the blank workpiece at the first transfer table 600 first, and then places the finished workpiece taken out from the numerical control machine tool 860 on the first transfer table 600;

[0081] S500. Repeat the above steps S100 to S400 until a completion instruction is received.

[0082] See Figures 1 to 9, the loading and unloading method of the loading and unloading mechanism for processing hard and brittle materials in the technical solution of the present invention is applied to the automated equipment for processing hard and brittle materials and its loading and unloading mechanism in the embodiments of the present invention. The method at least includes the following steps:

[0083] A110. When receiving the blank workpiece loading instruction, the first manipulator 200 rotates so that the first suction cup 231 faces the first direction, and the first manipulator 200 moves downward to pick up the blank workpiece on the first side of the material box 100; the first manipulator 200 drives the blank workpiece to move above the first transfer table 600 and makes the first suction cup 231 face the second direction; according to the first positioning and recognition result, the first manipulator 200 moves downward so that the blank workpiece enters the transfer material slot 620, and then according to the second positioning and recognition result, the relative position between the blank workpiece and the transfer material slot 620 is obtained. After adjusting the position and posture of the blank workpiece, the blank workpiece is placed on the first transfer table 600;

[0084] A200. When receiving the finished workpiece unloading instruction, the first manipulator 200 rotates so that the first suction cup 231 faces the second direction, and the first manipulator 200 moves downward to pick up the finished workpiece on the first transfer table 600; the first manipulator 200 drives the finished workpiece to move above the material box 100; according to the third positioning and recognition result, the first manipulator 200 moves downward so that the finished workpiece enters the storage material slot 110, and then according to the fourth positioning and recognition result, the relative position between the finished workpiece and the storage material slot 110 is obtained. After adjusting the position and posture of the finished workpiece, the finished workpiece is placed in the storage material slot 110 on the second side in the material box 100.

[0085] By setting the first manipulator 200 that can rotate along the Z axis and cooperating with two positioning and recognitions, the manipulator can vertically place the workpiece in the transfer material slot 620 and multiple storage material slots 110. On the basis of effectively preventing the workpiece from being broken during the placement process, the automated loading and unloading of the vertically placed workpiece is realized, the floor area is effectively reduced, and the material box 100 can be set at a corner of the equipment, which is convenient for realizing the expansion of the production line. And it cooperates with the second manipulator 300 that can switch the position and posture of the workpiece between horizontal placement and vertical placement, replacing the traditional loading and unloading method of the multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arm 430, effectively reducing the floor area of the equipment and reducing the equipment cost.

[0086] The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned implementation manners. As long as it achieves the technical effects of the present invention by the same means, any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure shall be included within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. It should all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Within the protection scope of the present invention, its technical solutions and / or implementation manners can have various different modifications and changes.

Claims

1. An automated device for processing hard and brittle materials, characterized in that, Including: A storage area (810), a processing area (820), and a positioning area (830) that allow connection and isolation; The storage area (810) is provided with a magazine (100) for vertically placing workpieces, a first transfer table (600), a first manipulator (200) for picking up vertically placed workpieces, a second manipulator (300) for flipping workpieces, and a second transfer table (700) for horizontally placing workpieces; the magazine (100) is arranged to the right of the second transfer table (700); the first transfer table (600) is arranged to the left of the second transfer table (700); The processing area (820) is used for workpiece processing and allows the second manipulator (300) to enter and exit; The positioning area (830) is provided with a positioning device (440) and a third manipulator (400) for switching the position of the workpiece between the second transfer table (700) and the positioning device (440); the first manipulator (200) and the second manipulator (300) are both arranged above the second transfer table (700), the third manipulator (400) is arranged behind the second transfer table (700), and the processing area (820) is arranged to the left of the first transfer table (600); Wherein, the second manipulator (300) is used for switching the position of the workpiece between the first transfer table (600), the second transfer table (700), and the processing area (820); The storage area (810) and the positioning area (830) are arranged on one side of the processing area (820), and the magazine (100) is arranged on the side of the storage area (810) far from the processing area (820) and far from the positioning area (830); A first automatic door (840) is arranged between the storage area (810) and the processing area (820), and a second automatic door (850) is arranged between the storage area (810) and the positioning area (830); A cleaning device (710) for cleaning the workpiece on the second transfer table (700) is arranged in front of the second transfer table (700); Among them, when processing brittle and hard materials, the workpiece is vertically placed in the storage area (810). The first manipulator (200) takes out a workpiece from the magazine (100) and places it on the first transfer table (600) for positioning. The second manipulator (300) picks up the workpiece on the first transfer table (600) and converts its vertical setting to a horizontal setting. Then, after horizontally placing the workpiece on the second transfer table (700) and completing cleaning, the second automatic door (850) opens. The third manipulator (400) transfers the workpiece on the second transfer table (700) to the positioning device (440). The second automatic door (850) closes. After the workpiece is positioned by the positioning device (440), the second automatic door (850) opens. The third manipulator (400) places the workpiece back on the second transfer table (700) and then closes the second automatic door (850). After the numerical control machine tool (860) finishes processing the current workpiece, the first automatic door (840) opens. The second manipulator (300) sends the workpiece on the second transfer table (700) into the numerical control machine tool (860) and closes the first automatic door (840). After the numerical control processing of the workpiece is completed, the first automatic door (840) is opened again. The finished workpiece is transferred to the first transfer table (600) and then the first automatic door (840) is closed. Finally, the first manipulator (200) places the workpiece back into the magazine (100), thus completing the automatic loading and unloading of one workpiece.

2. The automated equipment for processing hard and brittle materials according to claim 1, wherein, The processing area (820) is a numerical control machine tool (860) for processing brittle and hard materials.

3. The automated equipment for processing hard and brittle materials according to claim 1, wherein The magazine (100) includes a plurality of material storage slots (110) for vertically placing workpieces.

4. The automated equipment for processing hard and brittle materials according to claim 3, characterized in that, The material storage slot (110) is provided with a first slot section (111), a second slot section (112) and a third slot section (113) that allow contact with the workpiece from top to bottom. The first slot section (111) and the third slot section (113) are vertically arranged, and the second slot section (112) inclines inward from top to bottom.

5. The automated equipment for processing hard and brittle materials according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automated equipment further includes a moving device (120). The moving device (120) includes a moving block (121) and a moving guide rail (122). The magazine (100) is arranged on the moving block (121), and the moving block (121) is arranged on the moving guide rail (122).

6. The automated equipment for processing hard and brittle materials according to claim 5, wherein, The moving device (120) further includes a moving motor (123) for driving the moving block (121) to drive the magazine (100) to move along the moving guide rail (122).

7. The automated equipment for processing hard and brittle materials according to claim 1, wherein The third manipulator (400) includes a rotating table (410), a telescopic guide rail (420) and a robotic arm (430) for picking up workpieces. The robotic arm (430) is arranged on the telescopic guide rail (420), and the telescopic guide rail (420) is arranged on the rotating table (410).

8. The automated equipment for processing hard and brittle materials according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cleaning device (710) is an air knife.

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