IGBT test string

Abstract

This invention provides an IGBT testing line, comprising a testing machine and a first side thereof, sequentially arranged from one end to the other, a loading and unloading mechanism, a front multi-functional testing area, a preheating plate, and a front testing module. The first side of the testing machine also sequentially arranges a rear testing module, a rear multi-functional testing area, and a multi-layer material distribution mechanism, with the rear testing module symmetrically arranged to the front, rear, and front multi-functional testing areas. A fast passage is provided between the front and rear multi-functional testing areas. The second side of the testing machine sequentially arranges a cooling plate and an arch testing module. Material transport or skip-station testing on the entire line is completed by a handling arm. The IGBT testing line of this invention requires only software operation and can quickly achieve skip-station testing without requiring personnel to modify the equipment, and does not affect production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of power semiconductor technology, and in particular relates to an IGBT test line. Background Technology

[0002] IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) testing typically involves multiple steps, and the testing procedures vary depending on the type of IGBT. Currently, testing equipment on the market often consists of multiple modules. Existing methods involve evolving modular equipment from traditional fixed-process equipment, allowing for changes in the testing procedure by replacing modules. However, changing modules is time-consuming, requires recalibration, and necessitates repetitive operations each time the procedure is changed, making the process complex. Some products, already deemed defective in the earlier stages of the process, need to be transferred to the final material sorting area in subsequent testing steps, just like good products. With the rapid development of new energy vehicles, photovoltaics, and energy storage, the IGBT industry is experiencing huge market demand. To meet this demand, more efficient testing equipment has become crucial. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention aims to propose an IGBT testing line to solve the problems of needing to move related equipment, readjust accuracy, and retest defective products when modules are modified on the production line.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the present invention is implemented as follows:

[0005] An IGBT testing line includes a testing machine and a first side thereof, arranged sequentially from one end to the other, comprising a loading / unloading mechanism, a front multi-functional testing area, a preheating tray, and a front testing module. The first side of the testing machine also includes a rear testing module, a rear multi-functional testing area, and a multi-layer material distribution mechanism, arranged symmetrically with the front testing module, the rear multi-functional testing area, and the front multi-functional testing area. A fast passage is provided between the front and rear multi-functional testing areas. The second side of the testing machine includes a cooling tray and an camber testing module. Material transport and skip-station testing on the entire line are completed via a handling arm.

[0006] When a defective product is detected in the multi-functional testing area, it will be directly transferred to the fast track for rejection.

[0007] When a defective product is detected in the area of ​​the front testing module, it will be directly transferred to the fast track for rejection or cooled in the cooling plate before being rejected through the fast track.

[0008] When a defective product is detected in the post-testing area, it will be directly transferred to the fast track for rejection.

[0009] Furthermore, the loading and unloading mechanism includes one or more loading units for loading materials, one or more empty tray loading and unloading units responsible for empty tray loading and unloading, and one or more unloading units for unloading materials.

[0010] Furthermore, the front multi-functional test area includes four stations: an independently set laser marking station, a visual inspection station, a withstand voltage insulation test station, and a flip structure. The first three stations can be changed in order or one of them can be left vacant, while the position of the flip structure is fixed.

[0011] Furthermore, the preheating plate includes a heating plate, with an opening and closing door on the top of the heating plate and a liftable cooling plate installed below it. The cooling plate is used to quickly cool down the heating plate.

[0012] Furthermore, the front testing module is equipped with a loading and unloading flipping structure, a three-section shuttle structure, a first testing arm, and a second testing arm. Between the loading and unloading flipping structures is a reciprocating three-section shuttle structure, which includes three independently configured slots: slot one, slot two, and slot three. The loading and unloading flipping structure receives the IGBTs from the preheating tray, flips them, and places them into slot one. The unloading and unloading flipping structure removes the IGBTs from slot three and retrieves them via a transport arm. The first and second testing arms are used to press the IGBTs into the testing machine for testing.

[0013] Furthermore, the camber testing module includes a slide table. A laser scanner is installed on one side of the slide table and is driven by an external drive to move the laser scanner laterally and form a scanning range. The scanning range is distributed in a rectangular plane and can fully cover the IGBT placed on the platform.

[0014] Furthermore, the fast lane includes a first fast lane and a second fast lane arranged in parallel.

[0015] Furthermore, the loading and unloading mechanism is equipped with a loading and unloading transport arm on one side, a front multi-functional test area transport arm above the front multi-functional test area, a preheating plate area transport arm above the preheating plate, and a cooling plate area transport arm above the cooling plate; a rear multi-functional test area transport arm is installed on one side of the rear multi-functional test area. The loading and unloading transport arm has two sets of arms, one set for loading and one set for unloading; the loading and unloading transport arm, the preheating plate area transport arm, and the cooling plate area transport arm are identical.

[0016] Furthermore, the controllers, cylinders, and motors of all equipment in the test line are connected to the control center for participation in the automatic control of the entire line.

[0017] Compared with existing technologies, the IGBT testing line described in this invention has the following advantages:

[0018] (1) The IGBT test line described in this invention can quickly achieve station skipping test by simply operating the software, without requiring personnel to modify the equipment and without affecting production efficiency.

[0019] (2) The IGBT testing line described in this invention can eliminate defective products in time at the detection station when they are found in any stage, without having to proceed to subsequent testing, which greatly saves testing resources. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this invention, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an undue limitation of the invention. In the drawings:

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the IGBT test line described in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an IGBT according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the loading and unloading handling arm according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the front multi-functional test area and its handling arm as described in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the opening and closing door according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the rapid cooling of the preheating plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the pre-test module as described in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the camber testing module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the fast lane as described in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the rapid rejection of defective products according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the skipping of the ambient temperature station according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the high-temperature station skipping method described in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0034] 1- Loading and unloading mechanism; 2- Loading and unloading handling arm; 3- Front multi-functional testing area; 31- Laser marking station; 32- Vision inspection station; 33- Withstand voltage insulation testing station; 34- Tilting structure; 4- Front multi-functional testing area handling arm; 41- Linear motor; 42- First mover; 43- Second mover; 44- Third mover; 5- Preheating plate; 51- Opening and closing door; 52- Heating plate; 53- Cold plate; 54- Cylinder; 6- Preheating plate area handling arm; 7- Front testing module; 71- Loading tilting structure; 72- Unloading tilting structure; 73- Third... Connecting shuttle structure; 74-Test arm 1; 75-Test arm 2; 8-Cooling plate area handling arm; 9-Cooling plate; 10-Arch test module; 101-Slide table; 102-Laser scanner; 103-Scanning range; 104-Platform; 11-Rear test module; 12-Multi-functional test area handling arm; 13-Rear multi-functional test area; 14-Fast lane; 141-Fast lane 1; 142-Fast lane 2; 143-Platform 1; 144-Platform 2; 15-Multi-layer material distribution mechanism; 16-Testing machine; 17-IGBT; 171-PIN pin; 172-Heat dissipation backplate. Detailed Implementation

[0035] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the present invention can be combined with each other.

[0036] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined with "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0037] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0038] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0039] An IGBT test line, such as Figures 1 to 12 As shown, the testing machine includes a testing machine 16 and a loading / unloading mechanism 1, a front multi-functional testing area 3, a preheating plate 5, and a front testing module 7 arranged sequentially from one end to the other on its first side. The first side of the testing machine 16 also sequentially arranges a rear testing module 11, a rear multi-functional testing area 13, and a multi-layer material distribution mechanism 15, with the rear testing module 11 symmetrically arranged with the front testing module 7, the rear multi-functional testing area 13, and the front multi-functional testing area 3. The second side of the testing machine 16 sequentially arranges a cooling plate 9 and an arch testing module 10. A loading / unloading conveying arm 2 is provided on one side of the loading / unloading mechanism 1. A front multi-functional testing area conveying arm 4 is provided above the front multi-functional testing area 3. A preheating plate area conveying arm 6 is provided above the preheating plate 5. A cooling plate area conveying arm 8 is installed above the cooling plate 9. A rear multi-functional testing area conveying arm 12 is installed on one side of the rear multi-functional testing area 13. A fast passage 14 is also provided between the front multi-functional testing area 3 and the rear multi-functional testing area 13. The loading / unloading conveying arm 2 has two sets of arms, one for loading and one for unloading.

[0040] The control center is connected to the loading / unloading mechanism 1, loading / unloading transport arm 2, front multi-functional test area 3, front multi-functional test area transport arm 4, preheating tray 5, preheating tray area transport arm 6, front test module 7, cooling tray area transport arm 8, cooling tray 9, camber test module 10, rear test module 11, rear multi-functional test area transport arm 12, rear multi-functional test area 13, and multi-layer material distribution mechanism 15. The control center is the main controller, used to control the various modules of the entire testing line to cooperate with each other to complete automatic testing.

[0041] Preferably, to save space, the IGBT testing line is arranged in a U-shape.

[0042] like Figure 2 As shown, this is a common type of IGBT17, which includes a pin 171 and a heatsink backplate 172.

[0043] The loading / unloading mechanism 1 integrates diverse components to adapt to different production line needs. It includes one or more loading units, one or more empty tray loading / unloading units, and one or more unloading units. Based on diverse customer loading / unloading requirements, our equipment can be flexibly configured with various mechanism designs, such as blister trays, customized metal trays, spring-loaded hoppers, or even manual loading. This flexibility ensures efficient operation in various production environments. The controllers, cylinders, motors, etc., in the loading / unloading mechanism 1 are all connected to the control center for automatic control of the overall production line.

[0044] The loading / unloading handling arm system 2 consists of two sets of XY mobile arms, each equipped with a rotatable gripper for grasping IGBTs and adjusting their orientation. One loading arm is primarily responsible for transporting items from the loading area to the first station of the front multi-functional testing area 3; the other unloading arm is mainly responsible for transporting items from the fast aisle 14 and the fourth station of the rear multi-functional testing area 13 to the unloading mechanism or the multi-layer sorting mechanism 15. The loading / unloading handling arm 2 can be any robotic arm capable of performing this function.

[0045] The front multi-functional testing area 3 includes four stations: an independently set laser marking station 31, a vision inspection station 32, a withstand voltage insulation testing station 33, and a flip structure 34. The first three stations can be flexibly rearranged according to customer needs, or one station can be left idle. These stations all adopt a modular design to meet different production requirements. The flip structure 34 has a fixed position and its main function is to flip the IGBT so that the heat sink backplate 172 faces downwards, allowing the preheating plate to preheat the heat sink backplate.

[0046] A front multi-functional test area transport arm 4 is installed above the front multi-functional test area 3. The front multi-functional test area transport arm 4 includes a linear motor 41 and its respective driven first mover 42, second mover 43 and third mover 44, which are used to realize the progressive transport of IGBTs. The front multi-functional test area transport arm 4 is used to perform orderly and efficient transport operations on IGBTs.

[0047] In IGBT applications, it takes 10 minutes for an IGBT to preheat from room temperature to 175°C. With the increasing pace of equipment operation, the efficiency of the preheating function has become a key factor limiting the overall performance of the equipment. This invention, through in-depth analysis and precise calculation of the preheating process, ensures that the capacity of the preheating plate 5 is matched to the high-speed operation of the equipment, thereby effectively improving the overall working efficiency of the equipment. The preheating plate 5 includes an opening / closing door 51, a heating plate 52, a cooling plate 53, and a cylinder 54. The heating plate 52 is used to place and preheat the IGBT. The opening / closing door 51 is located on the top of the heating plate 52 and is connected to a motor, which controls the opening and closing of the door 51. A liftable cooling plate 53 is installed below the heating plate 52 to quickly cool the heating plate 52.

[0048] In one or more embodiments, the opening and closing door 51 is an accordion-style opening and closing door. When it is necessary to remove a row of IGBTs, the control center controls the motor to drive the opening and closing door 51 to open to the set position, thereby allowing only the necessary temperature loss and maintaining the temperature stability inside the heating plate 52 to the greatest extent, while also avoiding excessive heat loss that could lead to an excessively high internal temperature of the equipment.

[0049] In one or more embodiments, a cylinder 54 is installed below the cold plate 53. The cylinder 54 drives the cold plate 53 to move up and down. During preheating, the cold plate 53 is in a lower position. When the equipment needs rapid cooling, the cylinder 54 raises the cold plate 53 to contact the heating plate 52, thereby achieving efficient cooling. Once the required temperature is reached, the cold plate 53 returns to its lower position. This design effectively solves the problem of excessively long natural cooling time required by traditional equipment when changing test temperatures or performing maintenance shutdowns.

[0050] The preheating tray transport arm 6 consists of an XY moving arm equipped with rotatable grippers for grasping IGBTs and adjusting their orientation. Its main function is to transport materials from station 34 of the No. 4 flip structure in the front multi-functional test area 3 to the preheating tray 5, and from the preheating tray 5 to station 71 of the test flip structure.

[0051] The front test module 7 is equipped with a loading and unloading flipping structure 71, an unloading flipping structure 72, a triple shuttle structure 73, a first test arm 74, and a second test arm 75. The triple shuttle structure 73 includes three independently set slots, which reciprocate between the loading and unloading flipping structures 71 and 72. The three slots are designated as slot 1, slot 2, and slot 3. The loading and unloading flipping structure 71 receives the IGBTs from the preheating tray area transport arm 6, flips them, and places them into slot 1 of the triple shuttle structure 73. The unloading flipping structure 72 is used to remove the IGBTs from slot 3 of the triple shuttle structure 73 and flip them for the cooling tray transport arm 8 to take away. The first test arm 74 and the second test arm 75 are located at A1 / A2 and B1 / B2, respectively. Each set of test arms can rotate relative to each other. When rotated to the vertical direction, the IGBTs are picked up and placed. When rotated to the horizontal direction, the IGBTs can be pressed into the test machine 16 for testing. The flipping structure (feeding flipping structure 71, unloading flipping structure 72), the test arm structure (test arm 1 74 and test arm 2 75), and the triple shuttle structure of the front test module 7 work together to achieve progressive testing of IGBTs.

[0052] The cooling tray area transport arm 8 consists of two sets of XY moving arms, each equipped with a rotatable gripper for grasping IGBTs and adjusting their orientation. One set of transport arms is mainly responsible for transporting items from the flip structure of the front test module 7 to the cooling tray 9, or from the flip structure of the front test module 7 or the cooling tray 9 to the fast channel 141; the other set is mainly responsible for transporting items from the camber test module 10 to the flip structure of the rear test module 11, or from the fast channel 142 to the flip structure of the rear test module 11.

[0053] The cooling plate 9 works similarly to the preheating plate 5. The cooling plate 9 is used to cool down the IGBT and is arranged to match the operating speed of the equipment.

[0054] The camber testing module 10 includes a slide 101, a laser scanner 102, a scanning range 103, and a stage 104. The slide 101 is driven by a cylinder. The laser scanner 102 is fixedly mounted on one side of the slide 101 to drive the laser scanner 102 to move laterally. The scanning range 103 is distributed in a rectangular plane and can fully cover the test area. The stage 104 is located within the scanning range 103 and is used to place the IGBT to ensure that the laser line scanner 102 can directly align with and scan the product surface. When the laser line scanner 1002 passes the IGBT 17, it will capture the details of the product surface and evaluate whether its dimensions meet the standards.

[0055] The rear test module 11 is the same as the front test module 7 and is arranged in a mirror image. The rear multi-functional test area handling arm 12 is arranged in a mirror image as the front multi-functional test area handling arm 4. The rear multi-functional test area 13 is the same as the front multi-functional test area 3 and is arranged in a mirror image. The loading and unloading handling arm 2, the preheating plate area handling arm 6, and the cooling plate area handling arm 8 are the same. This greatly reduces the cost of the entire IGBT test line in terms of procurement, installation, commissioning, and control, while improving equipment compatibility and testing efficiency.

[0056] The fast lane 14 uses two sets of parallel track systems, namely fast lane 141 and fast lane 142. Platform 143 and platform 144 are installed above the two fast lanes respectively. These platforms are arranged at different heights. This design is to effectively prevent interference between the tracks when the platforms move back and forth at the same time, ensuring smooth and safe operation.

[0057] All the controllers, cylinders, motors, etc., in the aforementioned equipment are connected to the control center for automatic control of the entire production line. This solution aims to achieve rapid identification and rejection of defective products, thereby improving overall production efficiency.

[0058] The working principle of an IGBT testing line is as follows:

[0059] like Figures 10 to 12 As shown, the system is divided into three main test areas.

[0060] The loading and unloading conveying arm 2 transports the material from the loading unit of the loading and unloading mechanism 1 to the front multi-functional testing area 3 (area A in the figure). When a defective product is detected in the front multi-functional testing area 3, the control center controls the heating plate area conveying arm 6 to work and transfer the defective product to the No. 1 fast channel 141 for rejection.

[0061] When a defective product is detected in the pre-testing area (area B in the diagram), the control center will handle it according to customer requirements. The defective product can be directly sent to the No. 1 fast passage 141 for rejection via the transfer arm 8 in the cooling tray area, or it can be appropriately cooled in the cooling tray 9 before being rejected via the fast passage 141.

[0062] When a defective product is detected in the post-testing area (area C in the diagram), the control center controls the multi-functional test area transport arm 12 to transfer the product to the first fast lane 141 for rejection. This invention not only optimizes the production process but also significantly improves the efficiency of defective product handling.

[0063] Furthermore, the core idea of ​​this solution is high efficiency, which is reflected in skip-station testing. Conventional equipment, when requiring testing only at room temperature or only at high temperature, typically needs to remove the high-temperature or room-temperature module, or simply run the equipment without testing at the high-temperature or room-temperature test station. This invention allows for skip-station testing without modifying the equipment or running the equipment without testing at the desired station. The specific operation is as follows:

[0064] When only high temperature testing is required, the test will continue until the cooling plate 9 finishes cooling. You can then choose whether to perform an arch test 10. After that, the IGBT will be moved by the transport arm 8 in the cooling plate area to the second fast channel 142 and then moved to the rear multi-functional test area 13, or directly discharged.

[0065] When only room temperature testing is required, after the product has finished testing in the front multi-functional test area 3, the IGBT can be directly moved to the second fast channel 142 by the heating plate area transport arm 6, and then moved to the cooling plate area transport arm 8 area, where it will be moved to the rear test module 11 for room temperature testing.

[0066] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An IGBT testing line, characterized in that: The system includes a testing machine and, on its first side, a loading / unloading mechanism, a front multi-functional testing area, a preheating plate, and a front testing module, arranged sequentially from one end to the other. The first side of the testing machine also sequentially houses a rear testing module, a rear multi-functional testing area, and a multi-layer material distribution mechanism. The rear testing module is symmetrically arranged with the front testing module, the rear multi-functional testing area, and the front multi-functional testing area. A fast passage is provided between the front and rear multi-functional testing areas. On the second side of the testing machine, a cooling plate and an camber testing module are arranged sequentially. Material transport or skip-station testing on the entire line is completed via a handling arm. When a defective product is detected in the multi-functional testing area, it will be directly transferred to the fast track for rejection. When a defective product is detected in the area of ​​the front testing module, it will be directly transferred to the fast track for rejection or cooled in the cooling plate before being rejected through the fast track. When a defective product is detected in the post-testing area, it will be directly transferred to the fast track for rejection. The preheating plate includes a heating plate, with an opening and closing door on the top of the heating plate and a liftable cold plate installed below it. The cold plate is used to quickly cool down the heating plate. The express lanes include two parallel express lanes: Express Lane 1 and Express Lane 2. The loading and unloading mechanism is equipped with a loading and unloading conveying arm on one side, a front multi-functional test area conveying arm above the front multi-functional test area, a preheating plate area conveying arm above the preheating plate, and a cooling plate area conveying arm above the cooling plate; a rear multi-functional test area conveying arm is installed on one side of the rear multi-functional test area. The loading and unloading conveying arms have two sets of arms, one set for loading and one set for unloading; the loading and unloading conveying arms, the preheating plate area conveying arms, and the cooling plate area conveying arms are the same. All controllers, cylinders, and motors of the equipment in the test line are connected to the control center for automatic control of the entire line.

2. The IGBT test line according to claim 1, characterized in that: The loading and unloading mechanism includes one or more loading units for loading materials, one or more empty tray loading and unloading units for empty trays, and one or more unloading units for unloading materials.

3. The IGBT test line according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front multi-functional testing area includes four stations: an independently set laser marking station, a visual inspection station, a withstand voltage insulation testing station, and a flip structure. The first three stations can be rearranged or one of them can be left vacant, while the position of the flip structure is fixed.

4. The IGBT test line according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front testing module is equipped with a loading and unloading flipping structure, a triple shuttle structure, a first testing arm, and a second testing arm. Between the loading and unloading flipping structures is a reciprocating triple shuttle structure, which includes three independently set slots: slot 1, slot 2, and slot 3. The loading and unloading flipping structure receives the IGBTs from the preheating tray, flips them, and places them into slot 1. The unloading and unloading flipping structure is used to remove the IGBTs from slot 3 and carry them away via the transport arm. The first and second testing arms are used to press the IGBTs into the testing machine for testing.

5. The IGBT test line according to claim 1, characterized in that: The camber testing module includes a slide table. A laser scanner is installed on one side of the slide table and is driven by an external drive to move the laser scanner laterally and form a scanning range. The scanning range is distributed in a rectangular plane and can fully cover the IGBT placed on the platform.

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