Inspection device

Abstract

Provided is an inspection device capable of shortening the time (man-hour per unit) required for inspection by managing the handling of loading and imaging of an object to be inspected and the handling of inspection and statistics using different transport units. An inspection device (10) is provided with an imaging unit (20), a conveyance unit (40), and a control unit (30), the conveyance unit (40) having a first conveyance unit (41) and a second conveyance unit (42), the operations of the conveyance units being individually controllable by the control unit (30), the first conveyance unit (41) being disposed in an imaging area, and the second conveyance unit (42) being disposed in an inspection statistical area (standby area). Furthermore, when the object to be inspected (12) that has been moved to the imaging area by the first conveyance unit (41) is being imaged, the control unit (30) conveys the other object to be inspected out of the inspection statistical area by means of the second conveyance unit (42).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection device for inspecting the appearance of an object to be inspected. Background Art

[0002] An inspection device that inspects the appearance of a substrate (object to be inspected) on which electronic components and the like are mounted is configured to use a single transport unit to carry out imaging, inspection, statistics, and unloading of the substrate from the time the substrate is carried into the inspection device (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-010082 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] However, in such an inspection device, since the substrate cannot be unloaded before the inspection and statistical processing are completed, the next substrate cannot be inspected, and the next substrate has to wait for a period of time, resulting in a problem of reduced productivity of the inspection device.

[0008] The present invention has been completed in view of such problems, and its object is to provide an inspection device that can shorten the time required for inspection (tact time) in the following manner: a conveying section that transports the inspected object within the inspection device is composed of a plurality of conveying units arranged in series, and different conveying units are used to manage the loading and photographing of substrates (inspected objects) as well as the inspection and statistical processing.

[0009] Solutions for solving problems

[0010] In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a first mode of the inspection device involved in the present invention comprises: an imaging unit, which acquires image data of an inspection object; a conveying unit, which is used to move the inspection object; and a control unit, which controls the operation of the imaging unit and the conveying unit, wherein the conveying unit has at least two conveying units connected in series in the direction of moving the inspection object, and the operation of each of the conveying units can be individually controlled by the control unit, at least one of the conveying units is a first conveying unit arranged in an imaging area where image data can be acquired by the imaging unit, and at least one of the remaining conveying units is a second conveying unit arranged in a waiting area, which is an area in front of or behind the imaging area in the direction of movement, and when the control unit individually controls the conveying units, while the imaging unit is photographing the inspection object that has been moved to the imaging area by the first conveying unit, the control unit moves other inspection objects into the waiting area or moves other inspection objects out of the waiting area by the second conveying unit.

[0011] In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a second mode of the inspection device involved in the present invention comprises: a camera unit, which acquires image data of the inspected object; a conveying unit, which is used to move the inspected object; and a control unit, which controls the operation of the camera unit and the conveying unit, wherein the conveying unit has at least two conveying units connected in series in the direction of moving the inspected object, and the operation of each of the conveying units can be individually controlled by the control unit, and at least two of the conveying units are a first conveying unit and a second conveying unit arranged in a camera area in which image data can be acquired by the camera unit. When the control unit individually controls the conveying units, when the camera unit is photographing the inspected object located in one of the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit, the other inspected object is moved by the other of the first conveying unit and the second conveying unit.

[0012] Effects of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an inspection apparatus capable of shortening the time (unit time) required for inspection by managing the loading and imaging of substrates (inspection targets) and the inspection and statistical processing using different transport units. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 This is an explanatory diagram for explaining the structure of the inspection device.

[0015] Figure 2 It is an explanatory diagram for explaining the structure of the conveying unit according to the first embodiment of the above-mentioned inspection device.

[0016] Figure 3 It is an explanatory diagram for explaining the flow of inspection using the conveying unit according to the first embodiment.

[0017] Figure 4 It is an explanatory diagram for explaining the structure of the conveying unit according to the second embodiment of the inspection device.

[0018] Figure 5 The diagrams are used to illustrate the control method of the transport unit according to the second embodiment, wherein (a) shows the standard mode, (b) shows the case where shooting is performed in the first transport unit in the double buffer mode, and (c) shows the case where shooting is performed in the second transport unit in the double buffer mode.

[0019] Figure 6 It is an explanatory diagram for explaining the structure of the conveying unit according to the third embodiment of the inspection device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 The structure of the inspection device 10 involved in the present embodiment is explained. The inspection device 10 is a device that inspects the inspection object 12 using the inspection object image obtained by photographing the inspection object 12. The inspection object 12 is, for example, an electronic circuit substrate on which many electronic components are installed. The inspection device 10 determines whether the installation state of the electronic components is good or not based on the inspection object image. Usually, this inspection is performed on each component with respect to multiple inspection items. The inspection item is the item that needs to be judged as good or not. The inspection items include, for example, inspection items about the configuration of the component, such as missing parts, positional offset, polarity inversion of the component itself, and inspection items about the connection between the component and the substrate, such as welding status and floating of the pin of the component.

[0021] The inspection device 10 is configured to include: an inspection platform 14 for holding an inspection object 12; an imaging unit 20 for illuminating and photographing the inspection object 12; an XY table 16 for moving the imaging unit 20 relative to the inspection platform 14; and a control unit 30 for controlling the imaging unit 20 and the XY table 16 to perform inspection of the inspection object 12. In addition, for the convenience of explanation, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, the inspection object configuration surface of the inspection platform 14 is set as the XY plane, and the direction perpendicular to the configuration surface (i.e., the imaging direction of the first imaging unit 21 constituting the imaging unit 20 (the optical axis direction of the optical system of the first imaging unit 21)) is set as the Z direction.

[0022] The camera unit 20 is mounted on a movable platform (not shown) of the XY table 16, and can be moved in the X direction and the Y direction by the XY table 16. The XY table 16 is, for example, a so-called H-type XY table. Therefore, the XY table 16 includes: a Y drive unit that moves the movable platform in the Y direction along a Y-direction guide that extends in the Y direction; and two X-direction guides and an X-drive unit that are configured to support the Y-direction guide at both ends and can move the movable platform and the Y-direction guide in the X direction. In addition, the XY table 16 may also include a Z moving mechanism that moves the camera unit 20 in the Z direction, and may also include a rotating mechanism that rotates the camera unit 20. The inspection device 10 may also include an XY table that can move the inspection platform 14, in which case the XY table 16 that moves the camera unit 20 may also be omitted. In addition, a linear motor or a ball screw can be used in the X drive unit and the Y drive unit. Alternatively, the XY table 16 may be configured to have one axis in the X direction and one axis in the Y direction.

[0023] The camera unit 20 is configured to include: a first camera unit 21, which is a main camera that photographs the inspection surface (substrate surface) of the inspected object 12 from a vertical direction (Z-axis direction); a lighting unit 22; and a second camera unit 23, which is a sub-camera that photographs the inspection surface (substrate surface) of the inspected object 12 from an oblique direction (at an angle different from the Z-axis). This is to improve the inspection accuracy by photographing and inspecting the inspected object 12 from two directions. In the inspection device 10 involved in this embodiment, the first camera unit 21, the lighting unit 22, and the second camera unit 23 can also be configured as an integrated camera unit 20. In the integrated camera unit 20, the relative positions of the first camera unit 21, the lighting unit 22, and the second camera unit 23 can be fixed, or each unit can be configured to be relatively movable. In addition, the first camera unit 21, the lighting unit 22, and the second camera unit 23 can also be configured separately and can be moved separately. In addition, a projection unit for projecting a pattern onto the inspection surface of the inspection object 12 may be provided in the imaging unit 20. For example, when a stripe pattern whose brightness changes according to a sinusoidal curve is projected from the projection unit onto the inspection object 12, the control unit 30 can create a height map of the inspection object 12 by a PMP (Phase Measurement Profilometry) method based on the image of the inspection object 12 onto which the stripe pattern is projected.

[0024] The first camera unit 21 includes an image pickup element that generates two-dimensional image data of an object and an optical system (e.g., a lens) for imaging the image on the image pickup element. The first camera unit 21 is, for example, a CMOS camera. The maximum field of view of the first camera unit 21 may also be smaller than the inspection object mounting area of ​​the inspection platform 14. In this case, the first camera unit 21 captures the entirety of the inspection object 12 in a manner divided into a plurality of partial images. The control unit 30 controls the XY worktable 16 so that each time the first camera unit 21 captures a partial image, the first camera unit 21 moves to the next imaging position. The control unit 30 synthesizes the partial image data output from the first camera unit 21 to generate an overall image of the inspection object 12 (substrate entire surface image data).

[0025] In addition, the first imaging unit 21 may include an imaging element such as a line sensor that generates one-dimensional image data instead of a two-dimensional imaging element. In this case, the first imaging unit 21 can scan the subject 12 to acquire the entire image data of the subject 12 .

[0026] The lighting unit 22 is configured to project illumination light for the first imaging unit 21 and the second imaging unit 23 onto the surface of the object to be inspected 12. The lighting unit 22 includes one or more light sources that emit light of a wavelength or a wavelength range selected from a wavelength range that can be detected by the imaging elements of the first imaging unit 21 and the second imaging unit 23. The illumination light is not limited to visible light, and ultraviolet light, X-rays, etc. may also be used. When a plurality of light sources are provided, each light source is configured to project light of different wavelengths (for example, red, blue, and green) onto the surface of the object to be inspected 12 at different projection angles.

[0027] In the inspection device 10 involved in the present embodiment, the lighting unit 22 includes a side lighting source that projects lighting light from an oblique direction to the inspection surface of the inspection object 12, and in the present embodiment, includes an upper light source 22a, a middle light source 22b, and a lower light source 22c. In addition, in the inspection device 10 involved in the present embodiment, the side lighting sources 22a, 22b, and 22c are respectively annular lighting sources, which are configured to surround the optical axis of the first camera unit 21 to project lighting light obliquely to the inspection surface of the inspection object 12. Each of these side lighting sources 22a, 22b, and 22c can also be configured to arrange multiple light sources in a circular ring shape. In addition, the upper light source 22a, the middle light source 22b, and the lower light source 22c as the side lighting sources are respectively configured to project lighting light at different angles to the inspection surface.

[0028] The second imaging unit 23 is configured to capture an oblique image of the inspection surface (substrate surface) of the inspection object 12. Like the first imaging unit 21, the second imaging unit 23 is also a CMOS camera, for example.

[0029] Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the second camera unit 23 is provided between the upper light source 22a and the middle light source 22b, but the configuration of the second camera unit 23 is not limited thereto. For example, the second camera unit 23 may be provided outside the lower light source 22c.

[0030] In addition, a conveying unit 40 is provided on the inspection platform 14. The conveying unit 40 carries the inspected object 12 delivered from the upstream process in the inspection device 10 into the area where the camera unit 20 performs photography (hereinafter referred to as the "camera area"), and after the photography, moves the inspected object 12 to the area where the inspection and statistics are performed (hereinafter referred to as the "inspection and statistics area"), and then carries out the inspected object 12 after the statistics are completed and delivers it to the next process. In addition, the inspected object 12 that has been moved to the inspection and statistics area is in a state of waiting for the inspection and statistics to be completed, so the inspection and statistics area can also be called a standby area. The conveying unit 40 is also provided with a clamping mechanism for fixing the inspected object 12 when the camera unit 20 performs photography in the camera area. The operation of the conveying unit 40 is controlled by the control unit 30. The detailed description of the conveying unit 40 is described later.

[0031] Figure 1 The control unit 30 shown here uniformly controls the entire device, and is implemented as hardware by a coprocessor such as a CPU, GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), FPU (Floating-point Processing Unit / Floating-Point Unit), memory, and other LSI of any computer, and as software, by a program loaded into the memory, etc., and functional blocks implemented by their cooperation are drawn here. Therefore, these functional blocks can be implemented in various forms only by hardware, only by software, or by a combination of them.

[0032] exist Figure 1 , an example of the structure of the control unit 30 is shown in FIG. The control unit 30 is configured to include an inspection control unit 31 and a memory 35 as a storage unit. The inspection control unit 31 is configured to include a height measuring unit 32, an inspection data processing unit 33, and an inspection unit 34. In addition, the inspection device 10 includes an input unit 36 ​​for accepting input from a user or other devices, and an output unit 37 for outputting information related to the inspection, and the input unit 36 ​​and the output unit 37 are respectively connected to the control unit 30. The input unit 36 ​​includes, for example, an input component such as a mouse and a keyboard for accepting input from a user, and a communication component for communicating with other devices. The output unit 37 includes a well-known output component such as a display and a printer.

[0033] The inspection control unit 31 is configured to perform various control processes for inspection based on the input from the input unit 36 ​​and the inspection-related information stored in the memory 35. The inspection-related information includes the two-dimensional image data of the inspection object 12, the height map of the inspection object 12, and the substrate inspection data. Before the inspection, the inspection data processing unit 33 uses the two-dimensional image data and the height map of the inspection object 12 that ensure all inspection items are qualified to create the substrate inspection data. The inspection unit 34 performs the inspection based on the created substrate inspection data, the two-dimensional image data and the height map of the inspection object 12 to be inspected.

[0034] Substrate inspection data is inspection data produced for each type of substrate. Substrate inspection data can be said to be a collection of inspection data for each component mounted on the substrate. The inspection data of each component includes the necessary inspection items for the component, the inspection area on the image related to each inspection item, i.e., the inspection window, and the inspection information associated with the inspection window and the inspection benchmark as a benchmark for judging whether each inspection item is good or not. One or more inspection windows are set for each inspection item. For example, in the inspection item for judging whether the welding of a component is good or not, generally speaking, the same number of inspection windows as the number of welding areas of the component are set in a configuration corresponding to the configuration of the welding areas. In addition, for the inspection items using the image data obtained by performing a prescribed image processing on the image data of the inspected object (local image data or whole-surface image data of the substrate), the content of the image processing is also included in the inspection data.

[0035] As the substrate inspection data production process, the inspection data processing unit 33 sets each item of the inspection data to match the substrate. For example, the inspection data processing unit 33 automatically sets the position and size of each inspection window for each inspection item to be suitable for the component layout of the substrate. The inspection data processing unit 33 may also accept user input for a part of the items in the inspection data. For example, the inspection data processing unit 33 may also accept adjustment of the inspection benchmark by the user. The inspection benchmark may also be set using height information.

[0036] The inspection control unit 31 performs video processing on the object to be inspected 12 as a preprocessing for the production of substrate inspection data. For the object to be inspected 12, an object to be inspected that passes all inspection items is used. As described above, while the object to be inspected 12 is illuminated by the lighting unit 22, the relative movement of the video unit 20 and the inspection platform 14 is controlled, and the first video unit 21 and the second video unit 22 sequentially capture partial images of the object to be inspected 12 and output partial image data, thereby performing video processing. A plurality of partial images are captured in a manner covering the entirety of the object to be inspected 12. The inspection control unit 31 synthesizes these multiple partial image data to generate an image of the entire inspection surface of the object to be inspected 12, namely, substrate full-surface image data. The inspection control unit 31 stores the partial image data and the substrate full-surface image data in the memory 35.

[0037] Next, the conveying unit 40 provided in the inspection apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0038] (First Embodiment)

[0039] First, use Figure 2 and Figure 3 A first embodiment of the conveying unit 40 will be described. Figure 2 As shown, the conveying unit 40 is composed of a first conveying unit 41 and a second conveying unit 42 arranged in series from the carrying inlet to the carrying out outlet of the inspection device 10. Here, the first conveying unit 41 and the second conveying unit 42 can adopt a method of combining a pulley and a belt (conveyor belt method) or a method of being composed of pulleys. For example, in the case where the first conveying unit 41 and the second conveying unit 42 are conveyor belt method conveying devices, the first conveying unit 41 is composed of a first conveyor belt 41a and a first driving unit 41b, the first conveyor belt 41a supports both ends of the inspection object 12 in the Y direction from below, so that the inspection object 12 placed on the upper surface of the belt moves from the carrying inlet to the imaging area, and the first driving unit 41b drives the first conveyor belt 41a. In addition, the second conveying unit 42 is composed of a second conveyor belt 42a and a second drive unit 42b. The second conveyor belt 42a supports both ends of the inspection object 12 delivered from the first conveying unit 41 in the Y direction from below, so that the inspection object 12 placed on the upper surface of the belt moves to the inspection statistics area and then moves to the outside from the delivery port. The second drive unit 42b drives the second conveyor belt 42a. The first drive unit 41b and the second drive unit 42b are configured to operate independently according to the command signal from the control unit 30.

[0040] In addition, the conveying unit 40 is provided with a clamping mechanism composed of a fixed portion 44 and a movable portion 45 in the imaging area. Figure 2In the structure shown, the fixed part 44 holds at least two locations of both ends of the object to be inspected 12 in the Y direction located in the imaging area, and the movable part 45 lifts the object to be inspected 12 from below to clamp the object to be inspected 12 together with the fixed part 44, thereby fixing the object to be inspected 12. In addition, the clamping mechanism shown here is an example, and it is also possible to configure that the first conveying unit 41 is moved upward instead of the movable part 45 to clamp the object to be inspected 12 with the fixed part 44, thereby fixing the object to be inspected 12. Alternatively, it is also possible to configure that the fixed part is provided below the object to be inspected 12, and the movable part arranged above the object to be inspected 12 is moved downward to clamp the object to be inspected 12 together with the fixed part, thereby fixing the object to be inspected 12. Alternatively, it is also possible to configure that the object to be inspected 12 is fixed by adsorbing it instead of clamping the object to be inspected 12 by the fixed part 44 and the movable part 45.

[0041] Next, use Figure 3 A description will be given of a process of inspecting the object 12 by the inspection apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment.

[0042] - When there is only one transport unit -

[0043] First, use Figure 3 (a) describes the case where the conveying unit 40 is composed of one conveying unit. As described above, in the inspection device 10 involved in this embodiment, the conveying unit 40 is composed of two conveying units (a first conveying unit 41 and a second conveying unit 42), but since its operation is performed according to the command signal of the control unit 30, the two conveying units 41 and 42 are operated as an integrated unit, so that the whole can be regarded as one conveying unit.

[0044] When the object to be inspected 12 is delivered to the inspection device 10 from the carrying port, the control unit 30 operates the first conveying unit 41 and the second conveying unit 42 to carry the object to be inspected 12 into the imaging area in the inspection device 10, and fixes the object to be inspected 12 by the fixing unit 44 and the movable unit 45 (step S101). Here, the imaging area is a range in which at least a part of the object to be inspected 12 can be photographed by moving the imaging unit 20 by the XY stage 16. In the case where the field of view (FOV) of the first imaging unit 21 and the second imaging unit 23 of the imaging unit 20 is smaller than the object to be inspected 12, by synthesizing the partial image data obtained by photographing a plurality of partial images of the object to be inspected 12 while moving the imaging unit 20 by the XY stage 16 within the imaging area, it is possible to obtain a whole image of the object to be inspected 12 (whole substrate image data).

[0045] When the object to be inspected 12 is fixed in the imaging area by the fixed part 44 and the movable part 45, the control unit 30 moves the imaging unit 20 through the XY table 16 to obtain local image data of the object to be inspected 12, and stores the local image data in the memory 35 (step S102). The control unit 30 moves the imaging unit 20 to repeat the imaging process until the local image data covering the entire object to be inspected 12 is obtained. In the case where the image data of the entire object to be inspected 12 (the entire surface image data of the substrate) is obtained as a plurality of local image data in this way, the obtained local image data can be used to perform inspections in sequence. Therefore, the control unit 30 reads the obtained local image data from the memory 35, and performs the inspection process using the read local image data in parallel with the above-mentioned imaging process (step S103).

[0046] When the control unit 30 determines that all the local image data of the inspected object 12 have been acquired, the fixation of the inspected object 12 by the fixed unit 44 and the movable unit 45 is released, and the first conveying unit 41 and the second conveying unit 42 are driven to move the inspected object 12 to the inspection and statistical area (step S104). On the other hand, when the inspection result is that a defect is found, a visual inspection is sometimes performed. When the visual inspection is performed, the inspected object 12 after the imaging process is completed will not be immediately moved out to the next process, but needs to be temporarily put on standby. Therefore, the inspected object 12 after the imaging process is completed is put on standby in the inspection and statistical area (step S105). In addition, if the visual inspection is not performed and the preparation for the next post-processing is completed, it is not put on standby and is moved out. In addition, when the inspection process is completed, the control unit 30 performs statistical processing for outputting its results (step S106). The statistical results are output to the output unit 37, the memory 35 or an external storage device (not shown). In addition, as described above, the whole-surface image data of the substrate is generated using the partial image data stored in the memory 35, and the whole-surface image data of the substrate is output to the output unit 37, the memory 35, or an external storage device. When the statistical processing is completed and it is determined that the inspection result is normal, the control unit 30 causes the first conveying unit 41 and the second conveying unit 42 to operate to carry the inspected object 12 out to the next process (step S107). In addition, sometimes the inspection result and the whole-surface image data of the substrate of the inspected object 12 are output in the statistical processing. Therefore, in order to perform the imaging processing and the inspection processing in parallel, the memory 35 needs to have at least the full capacity to store the whole partial image data of the inspected object 12.

[0047] In addition, when the inspected object 12 that has been inspected is carried out to the next process, the control unit 30 carries the next inspected object 12 into the imaging area (step S111) through the first conveying unit 41 and the second conveying unit 42, performs imaging processing (step S112), and executes inspection processing (step S113). When the imaging processing is completed, the inspected object 12 is moved to the inspection statistics area (step S114) by the first conveying unit 41 and the second conveying unit 42, and the inspected object 12 is put on standby (step S115). In addition, when the inspection processing is completed, statistical processing is executed (step S116). When it is determined that there is no abnormality in the post-inspection processing such as visual judgment, the inspected object 12 is carried out to the next process (step S117) by the first conveying unit 41 and the second conveying unit 42. The control unit 30 repeats the same processing for the subsequent inspected objects 12.

[0048] As described above, when the conveying unit 40 has only one conveying unit (in the present embodiment, two conveying units are operated in an integrated manner), the next inspected object 12 cannot be carried in unless the inspected object 12 currently being inspected has been carried out to the next process. Figure 3 As shown in (a), the time (unit time) required for inspecting one object to be inspected 12 is T1 from the start of carrying in to the end of carrying out.

[0049] - When there are two transport units -

[0050] Next, use Figure 3 (b) will be used to describe a case where the conveying unit 40 is composed of two conveying units 41 and 42 that are arranged in series and operate independently. The inspection process is the same as that in the case where there is only one conveying unit.

[0051] When the object to be inspected 12 is delivered to the inspection device 10 from the carrying port, the control unit 30 operates the first transport unit 41 to carry the object to be inspected 12 into the imaging area in the inspection device 10, and fixes the object to be inspected 12 by the fixing unit 44 and the movable unit 45 (step S201). When the object to be inspected 12 is fixed in the imaging area, the control unit 30 moves the imaging unit 20 through the XY table 16 to obtain partial image data of the object to be inspected 12, and stores the partial image data in the memory 35 (step S202). The control unit 30 repeats the imaging process until the partial image data of the entire object to be inspected 12 is obtained. In addition, the control unit 30 reads the acquired partial image data from the memory 35, and performs the inspection process using the read partial image data in parallel with the above-mentioned imaging process (step S203). Furthermore, when the control unit 30 determines that all the local image data of the inspected object 12 have been acquired, the fixation of the inspected object 12 by the fixed unit 44 and the movable unit 45 is released, and the first conveying unit 41 and the second conveying unit 42 are operated to move the inspected object 12 to the inspection statistics area (step S204), and the inspected object 12 is placed in a standby state (step S205). In addition, when the inspection process is completed, the control unit 30 performs statistical processing for outputting the results (step S206). The statistical results are output to the output unit 37, the memory 35 or an external storage device. Then, when the result of the statistical processing is that the inspected object 12 is judged to be normal, the control unit 30 operates the second conveying unit 42 to move the inspected object 12 to the next process (step S207).

[0052] On the other hand, at the time point when the imaging process of the currently inspected object 12 is completed, the inspected object 12 is moved to the inspection and statistical area and is in standby. At this time, when the inspected object 12 is in standby in the inspection and statistical area, the first transport unit 41 is not used. Therefore, before the inspection process of the currently inspected object 12 is completed, the control unit 30 operates the first transport unit 41 to move the next inspected object 12 into the imaging area (step S211), and when the inspection process of the currently inspected object 12 is completed, the imaging process for the next inspected object 12 is performed (step S212), and the inspection process is performed in parallel with the imaging process (step S213). In addition, if the inspected object 12 is moved to the inspection and statistical area immediately after the imaging, the shooting of the next inspected object 12 can be started without waiting for the completion of the inspection process of the previous inspected object 12. In addition, when the imaging process of the next object to be inspected 12 is completed, the control unit 30 operates the first transport unit 41 and the second transport unit 42 on the condition that the previous object to be inspected 12 is carried out, so as to move the next object to be inspected 12 to the inspection statistics area (step S214), and put the object to be inspected 12 into a standby state (step S215). In addition, the control unit 30 performs statistical processing at the end of the inspection process (step S216), and when the result of the statistical processing is that the object to be inspected 12 is judged to have no abnormality, the control unit 30 operates the second transport unit 42 to carry the object to be inspected 12 out to the next process (step S217).

[0053] In this way, when the transport unit 40 has two transport units, the inspection process can be started when the imaging process of the previous object to be inspected 12 is completed, and the previous object to be inspected 12 can be moved from the imaging area to the inspection statistics area in parallel with the inspection process. In addition, the next object to be inspected 12 can be moved in while the inspection process of the previous object to be inspected 12 is being executed, and the previous object to be inspected 12 can be moved out while the imaging process of the next object to be inspected 12 is being executed. Figure 3 As shown in (b), the time required from the start of loading the previous object to be inspected 12 to the start of loading the next object to be inspected 12 is T2. This time T2 can be shorter than the time (single-piece work time) T1 required for inspecting one object to be inspected 12 when there is only one transport unit. Figure 3As is apparent from (b), the statistical processing of the previous object to be inspected 12 and the video processing of the next object to be inspected 12 can be performed in parallel, so the time required for inspecting the two objects to be inspected 12, that is, twice the time T2, is shorter than the time required for inspecting the two objects to be inspected 12 when there is only one transport unit, that is, twice the time T1, thereby shortening the overall unit time. In addition, in such a structure, when the inspection processing of the next object to be inspected 12 and the statistical processing of the previous object to be inspected 12 are performed simultaneously, it is desirable that the memory 35 has a capacity capable of storing partial image data covering the entirety of the two objects to be inspected 12.

[0054] - When inspecting objects 12 of different lengths -

[0055] When inspecting the inspected objects 12 of different lengths in the X direction, the control unit 30 can be configured to: for the inspected objects 12 that are stored in the inspection and statistical area (when the length of the inspected object 12 in the X direction (the length of the inspected object 12 in the direction in which it is transported) La is shorter than the length L2 of the inspection and statistical area), the conveying unit 40 operates as two conveying units (hereinafter referred to as "double buffer mode"), and for the inspected objects 12 that cannot be stored in the inspection and statistical area (when the length La of the inspected object 12 in the X direction is longer than the length L2 of the inspection and statistical area), the conveying unit 40 operates as one conveying unit (hereinafter referred to as "standard mode"). In addition, the length L1 of the imaging area in the X direction needs to be greater than the length of the largest inspected object 12 among the inspected objects 12 to be inspected. The above-mentioned substrate inspection data also includes the length of the inspected object 12 (the length La in the X direction), so the control unit 30 can determine the length of the inspected object 12 according to the substrate inspection data of the inspected object 12 to be inspected next, and decide whether to operate the conveying unit 40 in the standard mode or in the double buffer mode. Therefore, even if there are inspected objects 12 of different lengths mixed, since the control unit 30 can determine the operation mode of the conveying unit 40, the time (unit time) spent on the inspection of each inspected object 12 can be optimized, and as a result, the productivity of the inspection device 10 can be improved.

[0056] - Modification of the first embodiment -

[0057] As described above, when the inspection and statistics result shows that a defect is found in the inspected object 12, a visual inspection may be performed. After the imaging process is completed, the inspected object 12 is moved to the inspection and statistics area by the conveying unit 44. Therefore, it is also possible to configure that an imaging unit different from the imaging unit 20 described above is provided in the inspection and statistics area of ​​the inspection device 10, and the control unit 30 uses the imaging unit to perform a visual inspection.

[0058] In the above example, the case where the imaging unit 20 is arranged on the inlet side as an imaging area and the outlet side as an inspection and counting area where the inspected object 12 waits is described, but the inlet side (first transport unit 41 side) may be arranged as a waiting area where the inspected object 12 waits, and the imaging unit 20 may be arranged on the outlet side (second transport unit 42 side) as an imaging area for imaging, inspection, and counting. In this case, a third transport unit (not shown) may be arranged on the outlet side of the second transport unit 42, and the second transport unit 42 side may be arranged as an imaging area and the third transport unit side may be arranged as an inspection and counting area. In a case where the time taken for the inspection of the inspection device 10 is longer than the time taken for the process on the upstream side of the inspection device 10, the single-piece working time can be shortened by providing a waiting area on the upstream side (inlet side) of the imaging area.

[0059] Alternatively, a third transport unit (not shown) may be arranged on the entrance side of the first transport unit 41, and the first transport unit 41 side may be used as an imaging area, the second transport unit side may be used as an inspection and statistics area, and the third transport unit side may be used as a flipper for flipping the inspected object 12.

[0060] (Second Embodiment)

[0061] use Figure 4 A second embodiment of the conveying unit 40 is described. As in the first embodiment, the conveying unit 40 according to the second embodiment is configured to include two conveying units (a first conveying unit 41 and a second conveying unit 42) arranged in series from the carrying inlet side toward the carrying out outlet side. In addition, a clamping mechanism composed of a fixed portion 44a and a movable portion 45b is provided for the first conveying unit 41, and a clamping mechanism composed of a fixed portion 44b and a movable portion 45b is provided for the second conveying unit 42.

[0062] In the second embodiment, the imaging area is set to span the first transport unit 41 and the second transport unit 42. In addition, the imaging unit 20 is configured to be movable from above the first transport unit 41 to above the second transport unit 42 via the XY table 16. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the control unit 30 can switch and control the movement of the first transport unit 41 and the second transport unit 42 and the fixation of the inspection object 12 by the fixing unit 44 and the movable unit 45 according to the length of the inspection object 12, the time required for imaging processing, inspection processing or statistical processing, or the conditions of the previous and subsequent processes of the inspection device 10. Next, using Figure 5The control of the conveying unit 40 by the control unit 30 is described below. In the following description, the lengths of the first conveying unit 41 and the second conveying unit 42 in the X direction are set to be the same, but they do not need to be the same lengths as described in the first embodiment. In addition, the processing performed on one inspection object 12 is the same as described in the first embodiment. In addition, Figure 5 In FIG. 1 , the first transport unit 41 and the second transport unit 42 are simply expressed.

[0063] First, when the length of the inspection object 12 in the X direction is longer than the length of the effective area of ​​the first conveying unit 41 or the second conveying unit 42 in the X direction, the control unit 30 operates the first conveying unit 41 and the second conveying unit 42 in the standard mode. Figure 5 As shown in (a) of FIG. 1 , the inspection object 12 is carried into the center of the imaging region and fixed by the fixing parts 44a and 44b and the movable parts 45a and 45b.

[0064] On the other hand, when the length of the inspection object 12 in the X direction is less than the length of the first conveying unit 41 and the second conveying unit 42 in the X direction, the control unit 30 causes the first conveying unit 41 and the second conveying unit 42 to operate in the double buffer mode. Figure 5 As shown in (b) of FIG. 1 , the first transport unit 41 side is set as the imaging area and the second transport unit 42 side is set as the standby area (inspection and statistics area). Figure 5 As shown in (c) of FIG. 1 , the first transport unit 41 side is set as a standby area, and the second transport unit 42 side is set as an imaging area (inspection statistics are also performed in this area). When the first transport unit 41 side is set as the imaging area, the inspection object 12 is fixed by the fixed portion 44a and the movable portion 45a arranged on the first transport unit 41 side. In addition, when the second transport unit 42 side is set as the imaging area, the inspection object 12 is fixed by the fixed portion 44b and the movable portion 45b arranged on the second transport unit 42 side.

[0065] As described in the first embodiment, when the inspection statistics processing takes more time than the imaging processing of the inspection object 12, the unit time required for inspecting the inspection object 12 can be shortened by setting the first conveying unit 41 side as the imaging area. On the other hand, when it is desired to improve the productivity of the process on the upstream side of the inspection device 10, the unit time can be shortened by setting the first conveying unit 41 side as the standby area and the second conveying unit 42 side as the imaging area. The control unit 30 can switch between the standard mode and the double buffer mode according to the length of the inspection object 12 obtained from the substrate inspection data and the time required for each process. In addition, in the case of the double buffer mode, it is possible to select whether to set the imaging area to the first conveying unit 41 side or the second conveying unit 42 side, thereby optimizing the unit time required for inspecting each inspection object 12, and as a result, it is possible to improve the productivity of the inspection device 10.

[0066] (Third Embodiment)

[0067] The conveying unit 40 according to the first and second embodiments described above is suitable for Figure 6 A so-called dual-channel inspection device 10 in which two conveying sections 40a and 40b are arranged side by side as shown in FIG. 1 is also effective. That is, each of the two conveying sections 40a and 40b has a structure with two channels consisting of first conveying units 41a and 41b and second conveying units 42a and 42b. In this third embodiment, one imaging unit 20 may be provided in common for the two channels, but by Figure 6 As shown in the figure, by providing the camera unit 20 in each channel, a better effect can be obtained when the conveying unit 40 is operated in the double buffer mode. Specifically, by providing the camera unit 20 in each channel, it is possible to perform the loading and imaging processing, inspection, statistics and unloading processing in each channel without generating the waiting time for the camera unit 20 to take pictures, thereby optimizing the single-piece working time required for the inspection of each object to be inspected 12, and further, improving the overall productivity of the inspection device 10.

[0068] Description of Reference Numerals

[0069] 10: Inspection device; 20: Imaging unit (imaging section); 30: Control unit (control section); 35: Memory; 40: Transport section; 41: First transport unit; 42: Second transport unit.

Claims

1. An inspection device comprising: An imaging unit that acquires image data of a subject; a conveying unit for moving the object to be inspected; and a control unit that controls the operations of the imaging unit and the conveying unit, in, The transport section includes at least two transport units connected in series in a direction in which the inspection object is moved. The movement of each of the transport units can be controlled individually by the control unit. At least one of the transport units is a first transport unit disposed in an imaging area where image data can be acquired by the imaging unit. At least one of the remaining transport units is a second transport unit disposed in a standby area, the standby area being an area in front of or behind the imaging area in the direction of movement, When the control unit independently controls the transport unit, while the camera unit is photographing the object to be inspected that has been moved to the imaging area by the first transport unit, other objects to be inspected are transported into the waiting area or taken out of the waiting area by the second transport unit.

2. The inspection device according to claim 1, wherein: The control unit compares the length of the inspection object in the moving direction with the length of the transport unit in the moving direction. When the length of the object to be inspected is longer than the length of any one of the transport units, the control unit controls all of the transport units so that all of the transport units operate as one transport unit. When the length of the inspection object with respect to any of the transport units is less than or equal to the length of the transport unit, the control unit controls the operation of the transport unit alone.

3. The inspection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: When the standby area is located behind the imaging area, an imaging unit for visual inspection is provided in the standby area. When the control unit moves the inspection object to the waiting area, the control unit acquires image data of the inspection object through the imaging unit for visual inspection.

4. The inspection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: When the standby area is located in front of the imaging area, a flipper is provided in the standby area.

5. The inspection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The control unit includes a memory having a capacity capable of storing at least one image of the entire subject.

6. An inspection device comprising: An imaging unit that acquires image data of a subject; a conveying unit for moving the object to be inspected; and a control unit that controls the operations of the imaging unit and the conveying unit, in, The transport section includes at least two transport units connected in series in a direction in which the inspection object is moved. The movement of each of the transport units can be controlled individually by the control unit. At least two of the transport units are a first transport unit and a second transport unit disposed in an imaging area where image data can be acquired by the imaging unit. When the control unit independently controls the transport unit, while the image capturing unit is capturing the image of the inspection object located in one of the first transport unit and the second transport unit, the control unit moves another inspection object by the other of the first transport unit and the second transport unit.

7. The inspection device according to claim 6, wherein: When the inspection object is carried in, the control unit selects a transport unit for imaging the inspection object from among the first transport unit and the second transport unit.

8. The inspection device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: the control unit compares the length of the inspection object in the moving direction with the lengths of the first transport unit and the second transport unit in the moving direction, When the length of the object to be inspected is longer than the length of one of the first transport unit and the second transport unit, the control unit controls the first transport unit and the second transport unit so that the first transport unit and the second transport unit operate as one transport unit. When the length of the inspection object is less than or equal to the length of any one of the first transport unit and the second transport unit, the control unit independently controls the operation of the first transport unit and the second transport unit.

9. The inspection device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: The control unit includes a memory having a capacity capable of storing at least one image of the entire subject.

Images