Foreign matter removal device, foreign matter removal method, and computer program product

Abstract

The invention provides a foreign matter removal device, a foreign matter removal method and a computer program product, which can simply remove foreign matters with a simple structure. A foreign matter removal device for removing foreign matters adhering to the surface of an object using a foreign matter removal material obtained by adding an adhesive material to at least one of the ends of a rod having a predetermined length, the foreign matter removal device comprising: a first conveying member for conveying a tray on which the foreign matter removal material is placed; a gripping member that grips the foreign matter removal material from the side surface, grips the foreign matter removal material, and takes out the foreign matter removal material from the tray; an angular position displacement member that displaces the angular position of the clamping member to a first angular position at which the foreign matter removal material in the tray is clamped from the side surface or a second angular position at which the adhesive material of the clamped foreign matter removal material faces the removal direction; and a second conveyance member that conveys the object to the removal direction side of the foreign matter removal material clamped by the clamping member located at the second angular position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a foreign matter removing device, a foreign matter removing method, and a computer program product, and more particularly to a foreign matter removing device, a foreign matter removing method, and a computer program product for removing foreign matter adhering to the surface of an object. Background Art

[0002] If foreign matter adheres to an image sensor used in a camera or the like, or an optical product such as a lens or a glass filter, it will cause product defects. Therefore, generally, the following method is performed: visually confirmed through a microscope, and in the case where foreign matter adheres, a rod with a bonding material having a semi-solid such as an elastomer (hereinafter referred to as a foreign matter removing rod) is used to transfer the foreign matter to the bonding material side, thereby removing the foreign matter.

[0003] In addition, sometimes an automatic machine is used to remove foreign matter with a foreign matter removing rod. There is a known device that uses an image inspection device using a high-resolution camera to detect foreign matter, and automatically presses the foreign matter removing rod against the part where the foreign matter exists, thereby removing the foreign matter.

[0004] However, in the case of the above-described method, since the lower surface side of the rod is used to adsorb foreign matter, the foreign matter removing effect will decrease after being used several times, and thus it is necessary to frequently replace the foreign matter removing rod. There is also a method of changing the angle of the foreign matter removing rod to perform the removal (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

[0005] However, the standby station for replacement rods or the mechanism for rod replacement is also complicated.

[0006] Furthermore, in the case of using a foreign matter removing rod, it is necessary to manually install a holder for gripping with a tool holder at the end of the rod part (hereinafter referred to as the rod) of the foreign matter removing rod one by one and insert it into the standby station for replacement rods.

[0007] [Prior Art Documents]

[0008] [Patent Documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 114000495 Specification Summary of the Invention

[0010] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0011] As described above, the standby station for replacement rods or the mechanism for rod replacement is also complicated, and in addition, there are troublesome operations such as installing a holder or inserting it into the standby station for replacement rods.

[0012] The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and can remove foreign matter more simply with a simpler structure.

[0013] [Technical means for solving the problem]

[0014] The foreign matter removing device according to one aspect of the present invention uses a foreign matter removing material obtained by attaching an adhesive material to at least one of the ends of a rod having a specified length to remove foreign matter adhering to the surface of an object. The foreign matter removing device includes: a first conveying member that conveys a tray on which the foreign matter removing material is placed; a clamping member that clamps the foreign matter removing material by clamping the side surface of the rod from the side and takes it out from the tray; an angular position displacement member that displaces the angular position of the clamping member to either a first angular position or a second angular position. The first angular position is a position where the foreign matter removing material in the tray is clamped from the side, and the second angular position is a position where the adhesive material of the clamped foreign matter removing material faces a specified removing direction; and a second conveying member that conveys the object to the removing direction side of the foreign matter removing material clamped by the clamping member located at the second angular position.

[0015] The first conveying member can convey the trays arranged at specified intervals in a direction intersecting the long side direction of the foreign matter removing material in a direction intersecting the long side direction of the foreign matter removing material.

[0016] The clamping member can clamp the foreign matter removing material by clamping the side surface of the rod with opposing members.

[0017] The clamping member can clamp the side surface of the rod with two pairs of opposing members.

[0018] It can be that the first conveying member conveys an open-top container to the lower side of the clamping member located at the first angular position, and the clamping member releases the clamped foreign matter removing material above the container at the first angular position.

[0019] The second conveying member can displace the object so that the object comes into contact with the adhesive material of the foreign matter removing material clamped by the clamping member located at the second angular position.

[0020] It can be further provided with: a first photographing member that photographs the adhesive material of the foreign matter removing material clamped by the clamping member located at the first angular position; a second photographing member that photographs the adhesive material of the foreign matter removing material clamped by the clamping member located at the second angular position; and a first recognition member that recognizes the position of the adhesive material of the foreign matter removing material based on the image photographed by the first photographing member and the image photographed by the second photographing member.

[0021] It can be further provided with: a third photographing member that photographs the object conveyed by the second conveying member; and a second recognition member that recognizes the position of the foreign matter adhering to the surface of the object based on the image photographed by the third photographing member.

[0022] A correction component may be further provided, and the correction component corrects the position of a foreign object adhering to the surface of an object identified by the second identification component by using the position of the adhesive material identified by the first identification component.

[0023] A detection component may be further provided, and the detection component detects the position of the upper surface of an object conveyed by the second conveyance component.

[0024] A foreign object removal method according to an aspect of the present invention removes a foreign object adhering to the surface of an object by using a foreign object removal device, wherein the foreign object removal device includes: a first conveyance component that conveys a tray on which a foreign object removal material is placed, the foreign object removal material being formed by attaching an adhesive material to one of the ends of a rod having a predetermined length; a clamping component that clamps the foreign object removal material by clamping the foreign object removal material from the side and removes the foreign object removal material from the tray; an angular position displacement component that displaces the angular position of the clamping component to either a first angular position or a second angular position, the first angular position being a position where the foreign object removal material in the tray is clamped from the side, and the second angular position being a position where the adhesive material of the clamped foreign object removal material faces a predetermined removal direction; and a second conveyance component that conveys the object to the removal direction side of the foreign object removal material clamped by the clamping component located at the second angular position. The foreign object removal method includes the following steps: clamping the foreign object removal material placed on the tray by clamping the rod of the foreign object removal material from the side by the clamping component located at the first angular position and removing the foreign object removal material from the tray; displacing the angular position of the clamping component to the second angular position by the angular position displacement component; conveying the object to the removal direction side of the foreign object removal material clamped by the clamping component located at the second angular position by the second conveyance component; and bringing the adhesive material of the foreign object removal material clamped by the clamping component located at the second angular position into contact with the object to remove the foreign object from the object.

[0025] A computer program product according to one aspect of the present invention causes a computer that controls a foreign matter removing device to perform the following processes. The foreign matter removing device includes: a first conveying member that conveys a tray on which a foreign matter removing material is placed, the foreign matter removing material being formed by attaching an adhesive material to one end of a rod having a predetermined length; a clamping member that clamps the foreign matter removing material from the side to hold the foreign matter removing material and takes it out of the tray; an angular position displacement member that displaces the angular position of the clamping member to either a first angular position or a second angular position, the first angular position being a position where the foreign matter removing material in the tray is clamped from the side, and the second angular position being a position where the adhesive material of the held foreign matter removing material faces a predetermined removal direction; and a second conveying member that conveys an object to the removal direction side of the foreign matter removing material held by the clamping member located at the second angular position. The processes include the following steps: clamping the foreign matter removing material placed on the tray by clamping the rod of the foreign matter removing material from the side by the clamping member located at the first angular position, and taking it out of the tray; displacing the angular position of the clamping member to the second angular position by the angular position displacement member; conveying the object to the removal direction side of the foreign matter removing material held by the clamping member located at the second angular position by the second conveying member; and bringing the adhesive material of the foreign matter removing material held by the clamping member located at the second angular position into contact with the object to remove foreign matter from the object.

[0026] [Advantages of the Invention]

[0027] As described above, according to the present invention, foreign matter can be removed more simply with a simpler structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 FIG. is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a foreign matter removing device 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 FIG. is a diagram showing in detail the structure of a foreign matter removing head 21.

[0030] Figure 3 FIG. is a diagram showing a state of the foreign matter removing head 21 in which the clamping portion 41 is displaced to an angular position where the foreign matter removing rod 101 is clamped from the side.

[0031] Figure 4 FIG. is a diagram showing a state of the foreign matter removing head 21 in which the clamping portion 41 is displaced to an angular position where the adhesive material 122 of the foreign matter removing rod 101 faces a predetermined removal direction.

[0032] Figure 5 FIG. is a diagram showing the foreign matter removing device 11 in which the adhesive material 122 of the foreign matter removing rod 101 is pressed against the surface of the image sensor 201.

[0033] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing the rod conveying unit 22.

[0034] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing the workpiece conveying unit 23.

[0035] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of the hardware structure of the control unit 300.

[0036] Figure 9 This is a block diagram showing an example of the functions implemented by the control unit 300 by executing a program.

[0037] Figure 10 This is a flowchart for explaining the replacement process of the foreign object removal rod 101.

[0038] Figure 11 This is a flowchart for explaining the foreign object removal process.

[0039] [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 11: Foreign object removal device

[0041] 21: Foreign object removal head

[0042] 22: Rod conveying unit

[0043] 23: Workpiece conveying unit

[0044] 24: Adhesive part front end position detection camera

[0045] 25: Adhesive part horizontal position detection camera

[0046] 26: Foreign object recognition camera

[0047] 27: Displacement sensor

[0048] 41: Clamping part

[0049] 42: Rotating part

[0050] 43, 82: Z-axis linear motion part

[0051] 44: Buffer part

[0052] 51, 83: Y-axis linear motion part

[0053] 52, 62, 84: X-axis linear motion part

[0054] 61, 81: Stage

[0055] 63: Waste box

[0056] 101: Foreign object removal rod

[0057] 121: Rod

[0058] 122: Adhesive material

[0059] 131: Tray

[0060] 201: Image sensor

[0061] 202: Carrier

[0062] 300: Control unit

[0063] 301: CPU

[0064] 302: ROM

[0065] 303: RAM

[0066] 304: Bus

[0067] 305: Input / output interface

[0068] 306: Input unit

[0069] 307: Output unit

[0070] 308: Storage unit

[0071] 309: Communication unit

[0072] 310: Driver

[0073] 311: Removable medium

[0074] 331: Head control unit

[0075] 332: Rod conveyance control unit

[0076] 333: Workpiece conveyance control unit

[0077] 334: Shooting control unit

[0078] 335: Displacement sensor measurement control unit

[0079] 336: Image processing unit

[0080] 337: Correction value calculation unit

[0081] 338: Foreign object position storage unit

[0082] 339: Foreign object position correction unit

[0083] 361: Clamping unit drive control unit

[0084] 362: Rotating unit drive control unit

[0085] 363, 366: Z-axis drive control unit

[0086] 364: Buffer pressure control unit

[0087] 365, 367: X-axis drive control unit

[0088] 368: Y-axis drive control unit

[0089] 371: Adhesive part front-end position detection camera shooting control unit

[0090] 372: Adhesive part horizontal position detection camera shooting control unit 373: Foreign object recognition camera shooting control unit

[0091] 381: Adhesive part front-end position recognition unit

[0092] 382: Adhesive part horizontal position recognition unit

[0093] 383: Foreign object recognition unit

[0094] S11, S12, S13, S14, S15, S16, S17, S18, S19, S20, S21, S22, S41, S42, S43, S44, S45, S46, S47: Steps

[0095] X, Y, Z: Axes Detailed implementation manners

[0096] The following describes the implementation manners of the present invention. However, if the correspondence between the constituent elements of the present invention and the implementation manners described in the detailed description of the invention is as follows. This description is used to confirm that the implementation manners supporting the present invention are described in the detailed description of the invention. Therefore, although it is described in the detailed description of the invention, even if there are implementation manners not described here as the implementation manners corresponding to the constituent elements of the present invention, it does not mean that the said implementation manners do not correspond to the said constituent elements. On the contrary, even if the implementation manners are described here as the content corresponding to the constituent elements, it does not mean that the said implementation manners do not correspond to the constituent elements other than the said constituent elements.

[0097] A foreign object removing device according to an aspect of the present invention uses a foreign object removing material obtained by attaching an adhesive material to at least one of the ends of a rod having a specified length to remove foreign objects attached to the surface of an object. The foreign object removing device (for example, Figure 1 the foreign object removing device 11) includes: a first conveying member (for example, Figure 1 the rod conveying unit 22), which conveys a tray on which the foreign object removing material is placed; a clamping member (for example, Figure 2 the clamping portion 41), which clamps the foreign object removing material from the side to hold the foreign object removing material and takes it out from the tray; an angular position displacement member (for example, Figure 2The rotating part 42) displaces the angular position of the clamping member to either the first angular position where the foreign matter removing material in the tray is clamped from the side or the second angular position where the adhesive material of the clamped foreign matter removing material faces the specified removing direction; and the second conveying member (for example, Figure 1 The workpiece conveying unit 23) conveys the object to the removing direction side of the foreign matter removing material clamped by the clamping member located at the second angular position.

[0098] Hereinafter, with reference to Figures 1 to 11 An apparatus for removing foreign matter according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0099] Figure 1 FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of an apparatus for removing foreign matter 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The foreign matter removing apparatus 11 removes foreign matter adhering to the surface of an object. For example, the object is a semiconductor element, a lens, or the like. The foreign matter removing apparatus 11 uses a foreign matter removing stick such as a gel stick to remove foreign matter adhering to the surface of the object. Hereinafter, the foreign matter removing apparatus 11 will be described by taking as an example the case of removing foreign matter adhering to the surface of an image sensor as an example of the object. In the above case, the surface of the image sensor means the surface on the side where light enters the image sensor when the image sensor is used.

[0100] The foreign matter removing apparatus 11 is configured to include a foreign matter removing head 21, a stick conveying unit 22, a workpiece conveying unit 23, a front end position detection camera 24 for the bonding part, a horizontal position detection camera 25 for the bonding part, a foreign matter recognition camera 26, and a displacement sensor 27. The foreign matter removing head 21 clamps a foreign matter removing stick. The foreign matter removing stick clamped by the foreign matter removing head 21 is pressed against and separated from the surface of the image sensor, thereby removing foreign matter adhering to the surface of the image sensor.

[0101] The stick conveying unit 22 is an example of a first conveying member and conveys the foreign matter removing stick. The workpiece conveying unit 23 is an example of a second conveying member and conveys the image sensor as a workpiece. The front end position detection camera 24 for the bonding part and the horizontal position detection camera 25 for the bonding part respectively photograph the foreign matter removing stick clamped by the foreign matter removing head 21. The foreign matter recognition camera 26 photographs the image sensor as a workpiece. The displacement sensor 27 detects the position of the upper surface of the image sensor as a workpiece.

[0102] In addition, hereinafter, in the foreign matter removing apparatus 11, the side for conveying the image sensor as a workpiece is set as the right side, the left - right direction is illustrated by the X - axis, the up - down direction is illustrated by the Z - axis, and the front - rear direction is illustrated by the Y - axis. Further, hereinafter, in the Y - axis direction, Figure 1 the lower right side in Figure 1The upper left side in [it] is simply referred to as the rear side. Furthermore, hereinafter, in the X-axis direction, Figure 1 the lower left side in [it] is simply referred to as the left side, and in the X-axis direction, Figure 1 the upper right side in [it] is simply referred to as the right side. Furthermore still, hereinafter, in the Z-axis direction, Figure 1 the upper side in [it] is simply referred to as the upper side, and in the Z-axis direction, Figure 1 the lower side in [it] is simply referred to as the lower side. In addition, the front side is the positive direction of the Y-axis, the right side is the positive direction of the X-axis, and the upper side is the positive direction of the Z-axis. Additionally, the Z-axis direction is also simply referred to as the up-down direction, the X-axis direction is also simply referred to as the left-right direction, and the Y-axis direction is also simply referred to as the front-back direction. Furthermore, the direction along the plane parallel to the X-axis and the Y-axis is also simply referred to as the horizontal direction. Furthermore still, the direction that makes a relatively small angle with the horizontal direction and the horizontal direction are also called the lateral direction, and the direction that makes a relatively small angle with the up-down direction and the up-down direction are also called the longitudinal direction. The same applies to the following figures.

[0103] Figure 2 FIG. [number] is a diagram showing the details of the structure of the foreign matter removal head 21. The foreign matter removal head 21 is configured to include a clamping portion 41, a rotating portion 42, a Z-axis linear motion portion 43, and a buffer portion 44. The clamping portion 41 is an example of a clamping member, and clamps the foreign matter removal rod 101 by clamping the side surface of the foreign matter removal rod 101. The foreign matter removal rod 101 is an example of a foreign matter removal material, and an adhesive material 122 is attached to at least one of the ends of a rod 121 of a specified length. The rod 121 includes a resin or the like. The adhesive material 122 is a semi-solid adhesive material such as an elastomer. For example, the adhesive material 122 is an adhesive gel-like elastomer.

[0104] For example, the clamping portion 41 clamps the foreign matter removal rod 101 by clamping the side surface of the rod 121 with opposing members. The opposing members provided in the clamping portion 41 can be opened and closed by air, electricity, or the like. For example, the opposing members provided in the clamping portion 41 can be opened and closed in such a manner that the distance between the opposing members varies in the X-axis direction. In this way, the clamping portion 41 can clamp the foreign matter removal rod 101 by clamping the rod 121 on the side surface of the foreign matter removal rod 101, or can release the foreign matter removal rod 101 by moving away from the side surface of the rod 121.

[0105] For example, the clamping portion 41 clamps the side surface of the rod 121 with two pairs of opposing members. Thereby, even if a force is applied to the foreign matter removal rod 101, it is difficult to deviate from the clamping portion 41 in the up-down direction or the rotational direction.

[0106] The rotating part 42 is an example of an angular position displacement component, which rotates the clamping part 41 within a specified angular range. For example, the rotating part 42 includes an electric motor, gears, and the like. Additionally, for example, the rotating part 42 can be configured as a rotary air actuator. The rotating part 42 positions the angular position of the clamping part 41. The rotating part 42 rotates the clamping part 41 within a specified angular range about a rotation axis parallel to the X-axis. The Z-axis linear movement part 43 displaces the clamping part 41 within a specified range in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction). For example, the Z-axis linear movement part 43 includes an electric motor, a rack and pinion mechanism, a linear guide, and the like. Additionally, the Z-axis linear movement part 43 positions the clamping part 41 in the Z-axis direction. The buffer part 44 applies a force to the clamping part 41 in the vertical direction through pneumatic buffering.

[0107] For example, the rotating part 42 rotates the clamping part 41 so that the opening and closing sides of the opposing members provided on the clamping part 41 face forward. Additionally, for example, the rotating part 42 rotates the clamping part 41 so that the opening and closing sides of the opposing members provided on the clamping part 41 face downward.

[0108] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the state of the foreign object removal head 21 in which the clamping part 41 is displaced by the rotating part 42 to an angular position where it clamps the foreign object removal rod 101 on the rod conveyance unit 22 from the side. Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the state of the foreign object removal head 21 in which the clamping part 41 is displaced by the rotating part 42 to an angular position where the adhesive material 122 of the clamped foreign object removal rod 101 faces a specified removal direction.

[0109] The rod conveyance unit 22 conveys the tray 131 on which the foreign object removal rod 101 is placed. The rod conveyance unit 22 conveys the tray 131 placed on the stage 61. The X-axis linear movement part 62 of the rod conveyance unit 22 displaces the stage 61 within a specified range in the X-axis direction (left and right direction). Additionally, the X-axis linear movement part 62 positions the stage 61 in the X-axis direction (left and right direction). For example, the X-axis linear movement part 62 includes an electric motor, a rack and pinion mechanism, a linear guide, and the like. Further, the rod conveyance unit 22 conveys the waste box 63, which is an open container on the upper side. The waste box 63 is assembled on the stage 61.

[0110] Here, the tray 131 can be configured as a tray for storing the foreign object removal rod 101 when purchasing the foreign object removal rod 101.

[0111] In other words, the rod conveying unit 22 conveys the foreign matter removing rod 101 placed on the stage 61. The rod conveying unit 22 conveys the foreign matter removing rod 101 in a direction intersecting with the long side direction of the foreign matter removing rod 101. That is, the long side direction in which the rod conveying unit 22 conveys the foreign matter removing rod 101 is the horizontal direction of the foreign matter removing rod 101. More specifically, the rod conveying unit 22 conveys a plurality of foreign matter removing rods 101 arranged at a prescribed interval in a direction intersecting with the long side direction of the foreign matter removing rod 101 in a direction intersecting with the long side direction of the foreign matter removing rod 101.

[0112] The bonding part front end position detection camera 24 is provided on the left side of the clamping part 41, and the clamping part 41 is displaced to an angular position where the foreign matter removing rod 101 on the rod conveying unit 22 is clamped from the side through the rotating part 42. The bonding part front end position detection camera 24 takes a picture of its own right side. That is, the optical axis of the bonding part front end position detection camera 24 is parallel to the X axis.

[0113] As Figure 3 shown, when the clamping part 41 is displaced to an angular position where the foreign matter removing rod 101 on the rod conveying unit 22 is clamped from the side through the rotating part 42, the opening and closing sides of the opposing members of the clamping part 41 face downward. When the clamping part 41 is displaced to an angular position where the foreign matter removing rod 101 on the rod conveying unit 22 is clamped from the side through the rotating part 42, the foreign matter removing rod 101 is clamped from the side to hold the foreign matter removing rod 101 and taken out from the tray 131.

[0114] When the clamping part 41 is displaced to an angular position where the foreign matter removing rod 101 on the rod conveying unit 22 is clamped from the side through the rotating part 42 to hold the foreign matter removing rod 101, the bonding part front end position detection camera 24 takes a picture of the foreign matter removing rod 101 held by the foreign matter removing head 21. More specifically, in this case, the bonding part front end position detection camera 24 takes a picture of the end portion on the rear side of the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removing rod 101 held by the foreign matter removing head 21. When the clamping part 41 is displaced to an angular position where the foreign matter removing rod 101 on the rod conveying unit 22 is clamped from the side, the position of the end portion on the rear side of the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removing rod 101 held by the clamping part 41 becomes the position of the end portion on the lower side of the foreign matter removing rod 101 when the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removing rod 101 held by the clamping part 41 faces the prescribed removing direction.

[0115] Here, the so-called removal direction refers to the direction of the adhesive material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101 in the foreign object removal rod 101 and is the direction in which foreign objects can be removed from the surface of the image sensor 201. For example, the removal direction is the direction in which the adhesive material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101 is directly below the foreign object removal rod 101. In addition, the removal direction is not limited to the adhesive material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101 being directly below the foreign object removal rod 101, as long as foreign objects can be removed from the surface of the image sensor 201, it can also be the direction in which the long side direction of the foreign object removal rod 101 intersects the Z-axis.

[0116] The workpiece transfer unit 23 transfers the image sensor 201 as a workpiece. In this case, the workpiece transfer unit 23 is configured such that the surface of the image sensor 201 is on the upper side and transfers the image sensor 201. The workpiece transfer unit 23 transfers the carrier 202 on which the image sensor 201 is placed. The workpiece transfer unit 23 transfers the carrier 202 placed on the stage 81. The Z-axis linear motion unit 82 of the workpiece transfer unit 23 displaces the stage 81 within a specified range in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction). The Z-axis linear motion unit 82 positions the stage 81 in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction). For detailed information, refer to Figure 7 As will be described later, a Y-axis linear motion unit 83 and an X-axis linear motion unit 84 are provided in the workpiece transfer unit 23. The Y-axis linear motion unit 83 of the workpiece transfer unit 23 displaces the stage 81 within a specified range in the Y-axis direction (front-rear direction). The Y-axis linear motion unit 83 positions the stage 81 in the Y-axis direction (front-rear direction). The X-axis linear motion unit 84 of the workpiece transfer unit 23 displaces the stage 81 within a specified range in the X-axis direction (left-right direction). The X-axis linear motion unit 84 positions the stage 81 in the X-axis direction (left-right direction). For example, the Z-axis linear motion unit 82, the Y-axis linear motion unit 83, and the X-axis linear motion unit 84 each include an electric motor, a rack and pinion mechanism, and a linear guide.

[0117] As Figure 4 shown, when the clamping part 41 is displaced by the rotating part 42 to an angular position where the adhesive material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101 being clamped faces the specified removal direction, the opening and closing sides of the opposing members of the clamping part 41 face forward. In this case, the adhesive material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101 is arranged below the clamping part 41.

[0118] Return to Figure 1 , the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25 is provided below the clamping part 41, and the clamping part 41 is displaced by the rotating part 42 to an angular position where the adhesive material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101 being clamped faces the specified removal direction. The bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25 takes a picture of its upper side. That is, the optical axis of the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25 is parallel to the Z-axis.

[0119] The Y-axis linear motion unit 51 and the X-axis linear motion unit 52 are provided in the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25. The Y-axis linear motion unit 51 of the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25 displaces the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25 (the optical axis thereof) within a specified range in the Y-axis direction (front-rear direction). The Y-axis linear motion unit 51 positions the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25 (the optical axis thereof) in the Y-axis direction (front-rear direction). The X-axis linear motion unit 52 of the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25 displaces the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25 (the optical axis thereof) within a specified range in the X-axis direction (left-right direction). The X-axis linear motion unit 52 positions the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25 (the optical axis thereof) in the X-axis direction (left-right direction). For example, the Y-axis linear motion unit 51 and the X-axis linear motion unit 52 each include an electric motor, a rack and pinion mechanism, a linear guide, and the like.

[0120] Return to Figure 4 , when the clamping part 41 is displaced by the rotating part 42 to an angular position where the bonding material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101 held is oriented in a specified removal direction and the foreign object removal rod 101 is clamped, the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25 photographs the foreign object removal rod 101 clamped by the foreign object removal head 21. More specifically, in the above case, the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25 is arranged below the bonding material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101 by the Y-axis linear motion unit 51 and the X-axis linear motion unit 52 so that the optical axis of the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25 passes through the bonding material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101. Then, the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25 photographs the bonding material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101 clamped by the foreign object removal head 21.

[0121] Based on the image photographed by the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25, even when the rod 121 of the foreign object removal rod 101 is bent, the positions in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction of the bonding material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101 can be recognized.

[0122] The workpiece transfer unit 23 transfers the image sensor 201 to the removal direction side of the foreign object removal rod 101 clamped by the clamping part 41, and the clamping part 41 is at an angular position where the bonding material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101 held is oriented in a specified removal direction. That is, for example, when the clamping part 41 is displaced by the rotating part 42 to an angular position where the opening and closing sides of the opposing members of the clamping part 41 face forward, the bonding material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101 is arranged below the clamping part 41, so the workpiece transfer unit 23 transfers the image sensor 201 to the removal direction side of the foreign object removal rod 101, that is, the lower side of the foreign object removal rod 101.

[0123] Figure 5 This is a diagram of a foreign object removal device 11 that presses an adhesive material 122 of a foreign object removal rod 101 onto the surface of an image sensor 201. When the clamping part 41 is displaced by the rotating part 42 to an angular position where the adhesive material 122 of the clamped foreign object removal rod 101 faces a specified removal direction, for example, the adhesive material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101 is arranged below the clamping part 41. The workpiece transfer unit 23 lifts the image sensor 201 that has been transferred to the removal direction side of the foreign object removal rod 101, bringing the image sensor 201 into contact with the adhesive material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101. In this way, foreign objects adhering to the surface of the image sensor 201 are adhered to the adhesive material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101. Then, when the workpiece transfer unit 23 lowers the image sensor 201, the image sensor 201 separates from the adhesive material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101, and the foreign objects adhering to the surface of the image sensor 201 are removed.

[0124] Figure 6 This is a diagram of a rod transfer unit 22. The rod transfer unit 22 transports a plurality of trays 131 placed on a stage 61 in the left - right direction through an X - axis linear motion part 62. The rod transfer unit 22 transports the trays 131 arranged at a specified interval in a direction intersecting the long - side direction of the foreign object removal rod 101 in a direction intersecting the long - side direction of the foreign object removal rod 101. For example, a waste box 63 is assembled at the left - hand end of the stage 61. The length of one side of the waste box 63 is longer than the length of the foreign object removal rod 101. For example, the length of the waste box 63 in the front - rear direction is longer than the length of the foreign object removal rod 101 in the long - side direction. The vertical position of the upper end of the waste box 63 is approximately the same as the vertical position of the upper surface of the stage 61.

[0125] Figure 7 This is a diagram of a workpiece transfer unit 23. The workpiece transfer unit 23 displaces a carrier 202 placed on a stage 81 in the horizontal direction through a Y - axis linear motion part 83 and an X - axis linear motion part 84. In addition, the workpiece transfer unit 23 positions the carrier 202 placed on the stage 81 at a specified position in the horizontal direction through the Y - axis linear motion part 83 and the X - axis linear motion part 84.

[0126] In addition, the workpiece transfer unit 23 displaces the carrier 202 placed on the stage 81 in the vertical direction through a Z - axis linear motion part 82. In addition, the workpiece transfer unit 23 positions the carrier 202 placed on the stage 81 at a specified position in the vertical direction through the Z - axis linear motion part 82.

[0127] An image sensor 201 is placed on the carrier 202.

[0128] The foreign matter recognition camera 26 photographs the image sensor 201 that is disposed on the optical axis of the foreign matter recognition camera 26 through the workpiece transfer unit 23 and is at the focus of the foreign matter recognition camera 26. Further, the displacement sensor 27 detects the position in the vertical direction of the upper surface of the image sensor 201 that is disposed below the displacement sensor 27 through the workpiece transfer unit 23. For example, the displacement sensor 27 is a confocal displacement sensor. For example, the displacement sensor 27 detects the position in the vertical direction on the surface side of the transparent body provided on the surface of the image sensor 201.

[0129] Further, in the foreign matter removal device 11, a control unit 300 is provided for controlling the foreign matter removal head 21, the rod transfer unit 22, the workpiece transfer unit 23, the adhesive portion front end position detection camera 24, the adhesive portion horizontal position detection camera 25, the foreign matter recognition camera 26 and the displacement sensor 27, and the Y-axis linear motion unit 51 and the X-axis linear motion unit 52. For example, the control unit 300 is a dedicated or general-purpose controller. For example, the control unit 300 can be configured as a sequence controller or an industrial computer.

[0130] Next, reference is made to Figure 8 and Figure 9 to describe the control unit 300. Figure 8 FIG. is a structural example diagram of the hardware of the control unit 300. In the control unit 300 that is a computer, a central processing unit (CPU) 301, a read only memory (ROM) 302, and a random access memory (RAM) 303 are interconnected through a bus 304.

[0131] At the bus 304, an input / output interface 305 is further connected. At the input / output interface 305, the following are connected: an input unit 306 that inputs specified data or signals from, for example, the bonding part front-end position detection camera 24, the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25, the foreign object recognition camera 26, or the displacement sensor 27; an output unit 307 that outputs signals such as specified commands or data such as coordinate values to, for example, the clamping part 41, the rotating part 42, the Z-axis linear movement part 43, the buffer part 44, the X-axis linear movement part 62, the Z-axis linear movement part 82, the Y-axis linear movement part 83, or the X-axis linear movement part 84; a storage unit 308 that includes a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk or a solid state drive (SSD); a communication unit 309 that includes a network interface; and a drive 310 that drives a removable medium 311 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, an optical magnetic disk, or a semiconductor memory. In addition, the output unit 307 instructs the bonding part front-end position detection camera 24, the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25, the foreign object recognition camera 26, or the displacement sensor 27 to take pictures or make measurements, and supplies a control signal.

[0132] In the control unit 300 configured as described above, the CPU 301, for example, loads a program stored in the storage unit 308 into the RAM 303 via the input / output interface 305 and the bus 304 and executes it, thereby performing a series of processes described later.

[0133] A program executed by a computer (CPU 301) is recorded, for example, in a packaged medium, i.e., a removable medium 311, that includes a magnetic disk (including a floppy disk), an optical disk (such as a compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disc (DVD), etc.), an optical magnetic disk, or a semiconductor memory, or is provided via a wired or wireless transmission medium such as a local area network, the Internet, or digital satellite communication.

[0134] Moreover, the program can be installed on the computer by being stored in the storage unit 308 via the input / output interface 305 by installing the removable medium 311 in the drive 310. Additionally, the program can be installed on the computer by being received via the communication unit 309 using a wired or wireless transmission medium and stored in the storage unit 308. In addition to this, the program can be pre-installed on the computer by being pre-stored in the ROM 302 or the storage unit 308.

[0135] Figure 9It is a block diagram showing a structural example of functions realized by the control unit 300 that executes a program. By the control unit 300 executing the program, the head control unit 331, the rod conveyance control unit 332, the workpiece conveyance control unit 333, the imaging control unit 334, the displacement sensor measurement control unit 335, the image processing unit 336, the correction value calculation unit 337, the foreign object position storage unit 338, and the foreign object position correction unit 339 are realized.

[0136] The head control unit 331 controls the operation of the foreign object removal head 21. The head control unit 331 includes a clamping unit drive control unit 361, a rotation unit drive control unit 362, a Z-axis drive control unit 363, and a buffer pressure control unit 364. The clamping unit drive control unit 361 controls the opening and closing of the opposing members provided in the clamping unit 41, and controls the clamping of the foreign object removal rod 101 that clamps the side surface of the rod 121. The rotation unit drive control unit 362 controls the rotation of the rotation unit 42 to displace the clamping unit 41 to a specified angular position. The Z-axis drive control unit 363 controls the Z-axis linear movement unit 43 to displace the clamping unit 41 to a specified position in the Z-axis direction. The buffer pressure control unit 364 controls the air pressure applied to the buffer unit 44, and controls the magnitude of the buffer force brought about by the buffer unit 44.

[0137] The rod conveyance control unit 332 controls the conveyance of the tray 131 on which the foreign object removal rod 101 is placed by the rod conveyance unit 22. The rod conveyance control unit 332 includes an X-axis drive control unit 365. The X-axis drive control unit 365 controls the X-axis linear movement unit 62 to displace the stage 61 to a specified position in the X-axis direction.

[0138] The workpiece conveyance control unit 333 controls the conveyance of the image sensor 201 by the workpiece conveyance unit 23. The workpiece conveyance control unit 333 includes a Z-axis drive control unit 366, an X-axis drive control unit 367, and a Y-axis drive control unit 368. The Z-axis drive control unit 366 controls the Z-axis linear movement unit 82 to displace the stage 81 to a specified position in the Z-axis direction. The X-axis drive control unit 367 controls the X-axis linear movement unit 84 to displace the stage 81 to a specified position in the X-axis direction. The Y-axis drive control unit 368 controls the Y-axis linear movement unit 83 to displace the stage 81 to a specified position in the Y-axis direction.

[0139] The shooting control unit 334 controls the shooting of the bonding part front-end position detection camera 24, the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25, and the foreign matter identification camera 26. The shooting control unit 334 includes a bonding part front-end position detection camera shooting control unit 371, a bonding part horizontal position detection camera shooting control unit 372, and a foreign matter identification camera shooting control unit 373. The bonding part front-end position detection camera shooting control unit 371 controls the shooting of the bonding part front-end position detection camera 24. The bonding part horizontal position detection camera shooting control unit 372 controls the shooting of the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25. In addition, the bonding part horizontal position detection camera shooting control unit 372 controls the Y-axis linear movement part 51 and the X-axis linear movement part 52 to arrange the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25 below the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101. The foreign matter identification camera shooting control unit 373 controls the foreign matter identification camera 26 to make the foreign matter identification camera 26 shoot the image sensor 201.

[0140] The displacement sensor measurement control unit 335 controls the displacement sensor 27 and detects the position of the upper surface of the image sensor 201 in the vertical direction.

[0141] The image processing unit 336 processes the images captured by the bonding part front-end position detection camera 24, the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25, or the foreign matter identification camera 26. The image processing unit 336 includes a bonding part front-end position identification unit 381, a bonding part horizontal position identification unit 382, and a foreign matter identification unit 383. The bonding part front-end position identification unit 381 identifies the position of the end portion on the rear side of the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 held by the foreign matter removal head 21 based on the image captured by the bonding part front-end position detection camera 24. In addition, by rotating the position of the end portion on the rear side of the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 held by the foreign matter removal head 21 in the image captured by the bonding part front-end position detection camera 24 by 90 degrees around the X-axis, for example, the position of the end portion on the lower side of the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 held by the clamping portion 41 that rotates the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 in a specified removal direction through the rotating portion 42 can be obtained.

[0142] The bonding part horizontal position identification unit 382 identifies the position in the left-right direction and the position in the front-rear direction of the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 held by the clamping portion 41 that rotates the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 in a specified removal direction through the rotating portion 42 based on the image captured by the bonding part horizontal position detection camera 25. The foreign matter identification unit 383 identifies the foreign matters attached to the surface of the image sensor 201 and the horizontal positions of the foreign matters based on the image captured by the foreign matter identification camera 26.

[0143] The correction value calculation unit 337 calculates a correction value for correcting the position of the adhesive material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 based on the stored reference position, the position of the lower end of the adhesive material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 identified and obtained by the adhesive part front end position identification unit 381, and the positions in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction of the adhesive material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 identified by the adhesive part horizontal position identification unit 382, and based on the difference between the reference position and the identified positions. In the said case, the reference position indicates: the positions in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction of the adhesive material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 when the foreign matter removal rod 101 with a standard amount of the adhesive material 122 added to the non-bent rod 121 is clamped by the clamping part 41 that rotates in a specified removal direction, and the position of the lower end of the adhesive material 122.

[0144] The foreign matter position storage unit 338 stores the positions in the horizontal direction of the foreign matters respectively attached to the surface of the image sensor 201 identified by the foreign matter identification unit 383.

[0145] The foreign matter position correction unit 339 corrects the positions in the horizontal direction of the foreign matters respectively attached to the surface of the image sensor 201 stored in the foreign matter position storage unit 338 by using the correction value calculated by the correction value calculation unit 337. Even if the rod 121 is bent, since the positions in the horizontal direction of the foreign matters respectively attached to the surface of the image sensor 201 are corrected by the foreign matter position correction unit 339, the adhesive material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 clamped by the clamping part 41 that rotates the adhesive material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 in a specified removal direction can be reliably arranged on the foreign matters attached to the surface of the image sensor 201. In addition, even if the adhesive material 122 attached to the rod 121 sags, the lower end of the adhesive material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 can be pressed against the surface of the image sensor 201 at a specified distance.

[0146] Next, the replacement operation of the foreign matter removal rod 101 using the foreign matter removal device 11 will be described. Figure 10 It is a flowchart for explaining the replacement process of the foreign matter removal rod 101. The replacement process of the foreign matter removal rod 101 starts from the state where the clamping part 41 clamps the foreign matter removal rod 101 for removing the foreign matters attached to the surface of the image sensor 201. In addition, the foreign matter removal rod 101 is replaced when it is used to remove foreign matters a specified number of times or when a specified number of foreign matters are removed.

[0147] In step S11, the Z-axis drive control unit 363 of the head control unit 331 causes the output unit 307 to output a signal instructing the drive, thereby causing the Z-axis linear movement unit 43 to move the foreign object removal head 21 to a position at a specified height (position in the vertical direction). In step S11, the position in the vertical direction to which the foreign object removal head 21 moves is a predetermined position that can avoid interference with the tray 131 on the stage 61 of the rod conveying unit 22 even when the foreign object removal head 21 operates in the subsequent step S12.

[0148] In step S12, the rotation unit drive control unit 362 of the head control unit 331 causes the output unit 307 to output a signal instructing the drive, thereby causing the rotation unit 42 to displace the angular position of the clamping unit 41 and set the long side direction of the foreign object removal rod 101 clamped by the clamping unit 41 to be horizontal. That is, the rotation unit 42 displaces the clamping unit 41 to an angular position where the foreign object removal rod 101 in the tray 131 is clamped from the side.

[0149] In step S13, the X-axis drive control unit 365 of the rod conveyance control unit 332 causes the output unit 307 to output a signal instructing the drive, thereby causing the X-axis linear movement unit 62 of the rod conveyance unit 22 to move the stage 61 so that the foreign object removal rod 101 clamped by the clamping unit 41 is located above the waste box 63, thereby moving the waste box 63.

[0150] In step S14, the clamping unit drive control unit 361 of the head control unit 331 causes the output unit 307 to output a signal instructing the drive, thereby opening the opposing members of the clamping unit 41 and releasing the foreign object removal rod 101 clamped by the clamping unit 41. Since the upper side of the waste box 63 is open, the used foreign object removal rod 101 falls into the waste box 63 and is stored in the waste box 63.

[0151] In step S15, the X-axis drive control unit 365 of the rod conveyance control unit 332 causes the output unit 307 to output a signal instructing the drive, thereby causing the X-axis linear movement unit 62 of the rod conveyance unit 22 to move the stage 61 so that the rod 121 of the new foreign object removal rod 101 (unused foreign object removal rod 101) placed on the tray 131 is located directly below the opposing members of the clamping unit 41, thereby moving the tray 131 on which the foreign object removal rod 101 is placed.

[0152] In step S16, the Z-axis drive control unit 363 of the head control unit 331 causes the output unit 307 to output a signal instructing the drive, thereby causing the Z-axis linear movement unit 43 to lower the foreign object removal head 21. Next, the clamping unit drive control unit 361 of the head control unit 331 causes the output unit 307 to output a signal instructing the drive, closes the opposing members of the clamping unit 41, and causes the clamping unit 41 to grip the new foreign object removal rod 101 placed on the tray 131.

[0153] In step S17, the Z-axis drive control unit 363 of the head control unit 331 causes the output unit 307 to output a signal instructing the drive, thereby causing the Z-axis linear movement unit 43 to raise the foreign object removal head 21 to a position at a specified height (position in the vertical direction). In step S17, the position in the vertical direction where the foreign object removal head 21 moves is a predetermined position at which the adhesive front position detection camera 24 can photograph the adhesive material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101 held by the clamping unit 41 in the next step S18.

[0154] In step S18, the adhesive front position detection camera photograph control unit 371 of the photograph control unit 334 causes the output unit 307 to output a signal instructing the drive, thereby causing the adhesive front position detection camera 24 to photograph the adhesive material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101 held by the clamping unit 41. The adhesive front position detection camera 24 is provided on the left side of the clamping unit 41, and the optical axis of the adhesive front position detection camera 24 is parallel to the X-axis. Therefore, the adhesive front position detection camera 24 photographs the adhesive material 122 from the left side of the adhesive material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101. The adhesive front position detection camera 24 supplies the image data obtained by photographing the adhesive material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101 to the control unit 300 via the input unit 306. Moreover, the adhesive front position recognition unit 381 of the image processing unit 336 identifies the position of the front end of the adhesive material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101, that is, the position in the Y-axis direction, based on the image photographed by the adhesive front position detection camera 24.

[0155] In step S19, the rotation unit drive control unit 362 of the head control unit 331 causes the output unit 307 to output a signal instructing the drive, thereby causing the rotation unit 42 to displace the angular position of the clamping unit 41, so that the adhesive material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101 held by the clamping unit 41 is on the lower side of the foreign object removal rod 101. For example, the rotation unit 42 displaces the angular position of the clamping unit 41 so that the long side direction of the foreign object removal rod 101 held by the clamping unit 41 is vertical. That is, the rotation unit 42 displaces the clamping unit 41 to an angular position where the adhesive material 122 of the foreign object removal rod 101 held is oriented in a specified removal direction.

[0156] In step S20, the bonding portion horizontal position detection camera shooting control unit 372 of the shooting control unit 334 causes the output unit 307 to output a signal for instructing driving, so that the Y-axis linear motion unit 51 and the X-axis linear motion unit 52 arrange the bonding portion horizontal position detection camera 25 below the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101.

[0157] In step S21, the bonding portion horizontal position detection camera shooting control unit 372 of the shooting control unit 334 causes the output unit 307 to output a signal for instructing driving, so that the bonding portion horizontal position detection camera 25 shoots the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 clamped by the clamped portion 41. The bonding portion horizontal position detection camera 25 is provided below the clamping portion 41, and the optical axis of the bonding portion horizontal position detection camera 25 faces upward and is parallel to the Z-axis. Therefore, the bonding portion horizontal position detection camera 25 shoots the bonding material 122 from below the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101. The bonding portion horizontal position detection camera 25 supplies the image data obtained by shooting the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 to the control unit 300 via the input unit 306. Moreover, the bonding portion horizontal position recognition unit 382 recognizes the position of the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101, that is, the position in the Y-axis direction and the position in the X-axis direction, based on the image captured by the bonding portion horizontal position detection camera 25.

[0158] In addition, in step S18, the position of the front end of the bonding material 122 of the recognized foreign matter removal rod 101, that is, the position in the Y-axis direction, is converted to the position of the lower end portion of the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101, that is, the position in the Z-axis direction, by rotating 90 degrees around the X-axis. Thus, as the position of the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101, the position in the Y-axis direction, the position in the X-axis direction, and the position of the lower end portion of the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101, that is, the position in the Z-axis direction, are obtained.

[0159] In addition, in step S21 or step S18, when the obtained position in the Y-axis direction, the position in the X-axis direction, or the position in the Z-axis direction exceeds a specified range, it is determined that the clamping of the foreign matter removal rod 101 by the clamping portion 41 has failed. In such a case, for example, starting from step S11, the replacement process of the foreign matter removal rod 101 is performed again.

[0160] In step S22, the correction value calculation unit 337 calculates a correction value for correcting the position of the adhesive material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 based on the stored reference position, the position in the Z-axis direction of the lower end of the adhesive material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 obtained, the position in the Y-axis direction of the adhesive material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101, and the position in the X-axis direction. The difference between the reference position and the obtained position, and the replacement process of the foreign matter removal rod 101 ends.

[0161] Next, the operation of removing foreign matter attached to the surface of the image sensor 201 by the foreign matter removal device 11 will be described. Figure 11 It is a flowchart for explaining the foreign matter removal process. Before the foreign matter removal process, under the control of the foreign matter recognition camera shooting control unit 373 of the shooting control unit 334, the foreign matter recognition camera 26 shoots the surface of the image sensor 201, and the foreign matter recognition unit 383 of the image processing unit 336 identifies the foreign matter attached to the surface of the image sensor 201 and the positions of the foreign matters in the Y-axis direction and the X-axis direction respectively. The foreign matter position storage unit 338 stores the positions of the foreign matters attached to the surface of the image sensor 201 identified by the foreign matter recognition unit 383 in the Y-axis direction and the X-axis direction respectively. In addition, referring to Figure 11 The foreign matter removal process described is a process for removing foreign matter attached to the surface of one image sensor 201. When there are multiple image sensors 201, the foreign matter removal process is performed for each image sensor 201.

[0162] In step S41, the foreign matter position correction unit 339 reads the data of the positions of the foreign matters attached to the image sensor 201 that is the object of the foreign matter removal process from the foreign matter position storage unit 338, and obtains a correction value from the correction value calculation unit 337. The correction value of the foreign matter removal rod 101 clamped by the clamping unit 41 of the foreign matter removal head 21 is used to correct the positions of the foreign matters attached to the image sensor 201 that is the object. The foreign matter position correction unit 339 supplies the corrected foreign matter position data to the workpiece transfer control unit 333.

[0163] In step S42, the displacement sensor measurement control unit 335 causes the output unit 307 to output a signal for instructing driving, so that the displacement sensor 27 detects the position in the Z-axis direction of the upper surface of the image sensor 201. The displacement sensor 27 supplies the data representing the position in the Z-axis direction of the upper surface of the image sensor 201 to the control unit 300 via the input unit 306. The workpiece transfer control unit 333 obtains the data representing the position in the Z-axis direction of the upper surface of the image sensor 201.

[0164] In step S43, the workpiece transfer control unit 333 acquires the position of the foreign matter to be removed next, i.e., the position corrected during step S41. In step S44, the Z-axis drive control unit 366, X-axis drive control unit 367, and Y-axis drive control unit 368 of the workpiece transfer control unit 333 cause the output unit 307 to output a signal instructing the drive, thereby causing the Z-axis linear motion unit 82, Y-axis linear motion unit 83, and X-axis linear motion unit 84 to displace and position the stage 81 of the workpiece transfer unit 23 so that the foreign matter to be removed is located below the adhesive material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 held by the holding unit 41 of the foreign matter removal head 21.

[0165] In step S45, the Z-axis drive control unit 366 of the workpiece transfer control unit 333 causes the output unit 307 to output a signal instructing the drive, thereby causing the Z-axis linear motion unit 82 to displace the stage 81 of the workpiece transfer unit 23 upward to press the foreign matter to be removed against the adhesive material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 held by the holding unit 41 of the foreign matter removal head 21.

[0166] Thus, it is difficult for the foreign matter to fall from the foreign matter removal head 21 onto the image sensor 201.

[0167] In step S46, the Z-axis drive control unit 366 of the workpiece transfer control unit 333 causes the output unit 307 to output a signal instructing the drive, thereby causing the Z-axis linear motion unit 82 to displace the stage 81 of the workpiece transfer unit 23 downward so that the adhesive material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 removes the foreign matter adhering to the image sensor 201. That is, the foreign matter adhering to the image sensor 201 is transferred to the adhesive material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101.

[0168] In step S47, the workpiece transfer control unit 333 determines whether there is a next foreign matter in the image sensor 201 as the object. If it is determined that there is foreign matter, the process returns to step S43 and the process is repeated. In step S47, if it is determined that there is no foreign matter, the foreign matter removal process ends.

[0169] In this way, the tray 131 stored when purchasing the foreign matter removal rod 101 can be directly placed on the rod transfer unit 22, so there is no need to install a retainer or perform troublesome operations such as inserting it into the replacement rod standby station.

[0170] There is no need to install a retainer or prepare a replacement rod standby station, and a simple structure can be achieved.

[0171] In addition, the used foreign matter removal rod 101 can be simply recycled.

[0172] In this way, foreign matter can be removed more simply using a simpler structure.

[0173] In addition, the case where the foreign matter removal device 11 removes foreign matter from a solid-state imaging element, namely an image sensor 201, which is an example of a semiconductor element is described, but the invention is not limited to this and foreign matter can be removed from various semiconductor elements such as digital or analog integrated circuits such as memories or signal processing, or power semiconductor elements.

[0174] In addition, the foreign matter removal device 11 can treat optical parts such as lenses, glass filters, mirrors, or items that are sensitive to minute foreign matter as targets and remove foreign matter from the targets.

[0175] In this way, the foreign matter removal device 11 uses the foreign matter removal stick 101 formed by adding the adhesive material 122 to at least one of the ends of the rod 121 of a predetermined length to remove foreign matter attached to the surface of the image sensor 201. The foreign matter removal device 11 includes: a stick conveying unit 22 for conveying the tray 131 on which the foreign matter removal stick 101 is placed; a clamping part 41 for clamping the foreign matter removal stick 101 from the side to clamp the foreign matter removal stick 101 and take it out of the tray 131; a rotating part 42 for displacing the angular position of the clamping part 41 to either a first angular position or a second angular position, wherein the first angular position is a position for clamping the foreign matter removal stick 101 in the tray 131 from the side, and the second angular position is a position for making the adhesive material 122 of the clamped foreign matter removal stick 101 face the predetermined removal direction; and a workpiece conveying unit 23 for conveying the image sensor 201 to the removal direction side of the foreign matter removal stick 101 clamped by the clamping part 41 at the second angular position.

[0176] The roller transport unit 22 can transport the trays 131 arranged at predetermined intervals in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the foreign matter removing roller 101 in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the foreign matter removing roller 101 .

[0177] The clamping portion 41 can clamp the foreign matter removing rod 101 by clamping the side surface of the rod 121 with the opposing members.

[0178] The clamping portion 41 can clamp the side surface of the rod 121 using two pairs of members facing each other.

[0179] The rod transport unit 22 may transport the container with the upper side opened to the lower side of the clamping part 41 located at the first angular position, and the clamping part 41 releases the foreign matter removal rod 101 clamped on the upper side of the container at the first angular position.

[0180] The workpiece transport unit 23 may displace the image sensor 201 so that the image sensor 201 comes into contact with the adhesive material 122 of the foreign material removing roller 101 clamped by the clamping portion 41 located at the second angular position.

[0181] It is further possible to provide: a front-end position detection camera 24 of the bonding part, which photographs the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 clamped by the clamping part 41 located at the first angular position; a horizontal position detection camera 25 of the bonding part, which photographs the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 clamped by the clamping part 41 located at the second angular position; and a front-end position recognition part 381 and a horizontal position recognition part 382 of the bonding part, which recognize the position of the bonding material 122 of the foreign matter removal rod 101 based on the image photographed by the front-end position detection camera 24 of the bonding part and the image photographed by the horizontal position detection camera 25 of the bonding part.

[0182] It is further possible to provide: a foreign matter recognition camera 26, which photographs the image sensor 201 conveyed by the workpiece conveying unit 23; and a foreign matter recognition part 383, which recognizes the position of the foreign matter adhering to the surface of the image sensor 201 based on the image photographed by the foreign matter recognition camera 26.

[0183] It is further possible to provide a foreign matter position correction part 339, which corrects the position of the foreign matter adhering to the surface of the image sensor 201 recognized by the foreign matter recognition part 383 by using the position of the bonding material 122 recognized by the front-end position recognition part 381 and the horizontal position recognition part 382 of the bonding part.

[0184] It is further possible to provide a displacement sensor 27, which detects the position of the upper surface of the image sensor 201 conveyed by the workpiece conveying unit 23.

[0185] In addition, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the described embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Claims

1. A foreign matter removal device for removing foreign matter attached to a surface of an object using a foreign matter removal material formed by adding an adhesive material to at least one end of a rod of a predetermined length, the foreign matter removal device comprising: a first conveying member for conveying a tray carrying the foreign matter removing material; a clamping member that clamps the foreign matter removal material from the side to hold the foreign matter removal material and take it out from the tray; an angular position displacement member for displacing the angular position of the clamping member to either a first angular position or a second angular position, wherein the first angular position is a position for clamping the foreign matter removal material in the tray from the side, and the second angular position is a position for directing the adhesive material of the clamped foreign matter removal material toward a predetermined removal direction; as well as The second conveying member conveys the object to the removal direction side of the foreign matter removing material clamped by the clamping member located at the second angular position.

2. The foreign matter removal device according to claim 1, wherein: The first conveying member conveys the trays arranged at predetermined intervals in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the foreign matter removing material in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the foreign matter removing material.

3. The foreign matter removal device according to claim 1, wherein: The clamping member clamps the foreign matter removing material by clamping the side surface of the rod with the opposing members.

4. The foreign matter removal device according to claim 3, wherein: The clamping component clamps the side surfaces of the rod using two pairs of members facing each other.

5. The foreign matter removal device according to claim 1, wherein: The first conveying member conveys the container with the upper side opened to the lower side of the clamping member located at the first angular position. The clamping member releases the clamped foreign matter removing material at the upper side of the container at the first angular position.

6. The foreign matter removal device according to claim 1, wherein: The second conveying member displaces the object so that the object comes into contact with the adhesive material of the foreign material removing material clamped by the clamping member located at the second angular position.

7. The foreign body removal device according to claim 1, further comprising: a first photographing component for photographing the adhesive material of the foreign matter removing material clamped by the clamping component located at the first angular position; a second photographing component for photographing the adhesive material of the foreign matter removing material clamped by the clamping component at the second angular position; as well as The first recognition unit recognizes a position of the adhesive material of the foreign matter removing material based on the image captured by the first imaging unit and the image captured by the second imaging unit.

8. The foreign body removal device according to claim 7, further comprising: a third photographing component for photographing the object transported by the second transporting component; as well as The second recognition unit recognizes the position of the foreign matter attached to the surface of the object based on the image captured by the third imaging unit.

9. The foreign matter removal device according to claim 8, The method further includes a correction unit for correcting the position of the foreign matter attached to the surface of the object recognized by the second recognition unit using the position of the adhesive material recognized by the first recognition unit.

10. The foreign matter removing device according to claim 7, The method further includes a detection unit configured to detect a position of an upper surface of the object conveyed by the second conveying unit.

11. A foreign matter removal method, using a foreign matter removal device to remove foreign matter attached to a surface of an object, wherein: The foreign matter removal device comprises: a first conveying member for conveying a tray on which a foreign matter removal material formed by adding an adhesive material to one of the ends of a rod of a specified length is placed; a clamping member for clamping the foreign matter removal material from the side to clamp the foreign matter removal material and take it out from the tray; an angular position displacement member for displacing the angular position of the clamping member to either a first angular position or a second angular position, the first angular position being a position for clamping the foreign matter removal material in the tray from the side, the second angular position being a position for making the adhesive material of the clamped foreign matter removal material face a specified removal direction; and a second conveying member for conveying the object to the removal direction side of the foreign matter removal material clamped by the clamping member at the second angular position, the foreign matter removal method comprising the following steps: The foreign matter removing material placed on the tray is clamped by the clamping member located at the first angular position, clamping the rod of the foreign matter removing material from the side, and taking the foreign matter removing material out of the tray; The angular position of the clamping member is displaced to the second angular position by the angular position displacement member; conveying the object to the removal direction side of the foreign matter removing material clamped by the clamping member located at the second angular position by the second conveying member; and The adhesive material of the foreign matter removing material clamped by the clamping member located at the second angular position is brought into contact with the object to remove the foreign matter from the object.

12. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that The computer controlling the foreign matter removal device is caused to execute the following processing, wherein the foreign matter removal device includes: a first conveying member that conveys a tray on which a foreign matter removal material formed by adding an adhesive material to one of the ends of a rod of a specified length is placed; a clamping member that clamps the foreign matter removal material from the side to clamp the foreign matter removal material and take it out from the tray; an angular position displacement member that displaces the angular position of the clamping member to either a first angular position or a second angular position, the first angular position being a position in which the foreign matter removal material in the tray is clamped from the side, and the second angular position being a position in which the adhesive material of the clamped foreign matter removal material is oriented toward a specified removal direction; and a second conveying member that conveys an object to the removal direction side of the foreign matter removal material clamped by the clamping member located at the second angular position, The process comprises the following steps: The foreign matter removing material placed on the tray is clamped by the clamping member located at the first angular position, clamping the rod of the foreign matter removing material from the side, and taking the foreign matter removing material out of the tray; The angular position of the clamping member is displaced to the second angular position by the angular position displacement member; conveying the object to the removal direction side of the foreign matter removing material clamped by the clamping member located at the second angular position by the second conveying member; and The adhesive material of the foreign matter removing material clamped by the clamping member located at the second angular position is brought into contact with the object to remove the foreign matter from the object.

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