Sorting machine

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of semiconductor testing, in particular to a sorting machine. The sorting machine comprises at least one stock bin, at least one driving mechanism and a control circuit, each stock bin comprises a bin body and a bin door, and the bin bodies are used for storing trays; each driving mechanism corresponds to one stock bin, each driving mechanism is arranged on a bin body of the corresponding stock bin and connected with a bin door of the corresponding stock bin, and each driving mechanism is used for driving the corresponding bin door to act so that the bin door can be opened or closed; the control circuit is in electric signal connection with the driving mechanisms, and the control circuit is arranged to control the driving mechanisms to drive the corresponding bin doors to be opened synchronously when receiving the first control signal and to control the driving mechanisms to drive the corresponding bin doors to be closed synchronously when receiving the second control signal. According to the sorting machine, the bin door of the bin can be automatically opened and closed, and compared with a manual opening and closing mode, the machine halt time caused by manual operation can be remarkably shortened, and the overall working efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor testing technology, and more specifically, to a sorting machine. Background Technology

[0002] In semiconductor testing, automated sorting machines (handlers) typically handle large numbers of chips and are often equipped with multiple loading bins to improve efficiency and continuous operation. This design allows for the continuous processing of different batches or types of wafers or packaged chips, reducing downtime and increasing the overall throughput of the production line.

[0003] However, the doors of the feeding hoppers of existing automatic sorting machines need to be opened and closed manually one by one. During the time that these operations are performed manually, the machine will be in standby mode, which not only wastes valuable production time, but may also lead to a decrease in overall production capacity. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides at least one sorting machine that can automatically open and close the bin door. Compared with manual opening and closing, this can significantly reduce downtime caused by manual operation and improve overall work efficiency.

[0005] This application provides a sorting machine, including at least one hopper, at least one drive mechanism, and a control circuit;

[0006] Each of the hoppers includes a hopper body and a hopper door, the hopper body being used to store material trays;

[0007] Each drive mechanism corresponds to one hopper, each drive mechanism is disposed in the hopper body of the corresponding hopper and connected to its hopper door, and each drive mechanism is used to drive the corresponding hopper door to open or close the hopper door;

[0008] The control circuit is electrically connected to each of the drive mechanisms respectively. The control circuit is configured to: control each of the drive mechanisms to drive the corresponding compartment door to open synchronously when a first control signal is received, and control each of the drive mechanisms to drive the corresponding compartment door to close synchronously when a second control signal is received.

[0009] In one optional embodiment, the drive mechanism includes a drive cylinder and an air supply circuit;

[0010] The cylinder body of the drive cylinder is fixed to the corresponding compartment body, and the piston rod of the drive cylinder is connected to the corresponding compartment door in a transmission manner.

[0011] The air supply passage is connected to the cylinder body of the drive cylinder;

[0012] The control circuit is configured to cause the drive cylinder to drive the compartment door by controlling the on / off state of the air supply path.

[0013] In one optional embodiment, the control circuit includes at least one solenoid valve, each of which is connected in series in the corresponding gas supply line.

[0014] The solenoid valve is used to control the air supply circuit to supply air to the drive cylinder when receiving the first control signal, and to control the air supply circuit to stop supplying air to the drive cylinder when receiving the second control signal.

[0015] In one optional embodiment, the control circuit further includes a control terminal, which is electrically connected to each of the solenoid valves.

[0016] The control terminal is used to issue the first control signal when the operator performs the operation for the first time, and to issue the second control signal when the operator performs the operation for the second time.

[0017] In one optional implementation, the control terminal is a control button.

[0018] In one alternative implementation, the control circuit further includes a detection component for detecting the open / closed state of each of the compartment doors.

[0019] In one optional implementation, the detection component includes at least one cylinder signal detection sensor, at least one tray foolproof detection sensor, and a processing module.

[0020] Each of the cylinder signal detection sensors is disposed in each of the driving cylinders, and each of the cylinder signal detection sensors is used to detect the cylinder signal corresponding to the driving cylinder;

[0021] Each of the aforementioned trays is equipped with a foolproof detection sensor in each of the aforementioned bins, and each tray is used to detect the foolproof signal corresponding to the aforementioned bin.

[0022] The receiving end of the processing module is electrically connected to the output ends of each cylinder signal detection sensor and each tray error-proof detection sensor. The processing module is used to receive each cylinder signal and each error-proof signal, and determine the opening and closing status of each corresponding compartment door according to each cylinder signal and each error-proof signal.

[0023] In one alternative implementation, the processing module includes a display unit for displaying the open / closed status of each of the compartment doors.

[0024] In one alternative implementation, the processing module includes an alarm unit for issuing an alarm when the compartment door is not properly closed.

[0025] In one alternative implementation, the processing module employs a relay.

[0026] The above-mentioned technical solution of this application has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0027] The sorting machine of this application embodiment includes at least one hopper, at least one drive mechanism, and a control circuit. Each hopper includes a hopper body and a hopper door. Each drive mechanism corresponds to one hopper. Each drive mechanism is disposed in the hopper body of the corresponding hopper and connected to its hopper door. The control circuit can control each drive mechanism according to the control signal so that each drive mechanism drives the corresponding hopper door to open or close. This enables the automatic opening and closing of the hopper door, which can significantly reduce downtime caused by manual operation and improve overall work efficiency.

[0028] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, preferred embodiments are described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0029] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly described below. These drawings are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. They illustrate embodiments conforming to this application and, together with the specification, serve to explain the technical solutions of this application. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be considered as limiting the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0030] Figure 1 This paper shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a sorting machine provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 2 It shows Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the intermediate silo;

[0032] Figure 3 A circuit diagram of the processing module provided in an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0033] Figure label:

[0034] 10. Machine body; 20. Hopper; 21. Hopper body; 22. Hopper door; 30. Drive mechanism; 31. Drive cylinder; 32. Air supply line; 40. Solenoid valve; 50. Control terminal; 60. Processing module; 70. Cylinder signal detection sensor; 80. Material tray foolproof detection sensor. Detailed Implementation

[0035] In semiconductor testing, automated sorting machines (handlers) typically handle large numbers of chips and are often equipped with multiple loading bins to improve efficiency and continuous operation. This design allows for the continuous processing of different batches or types of wafers or packaged chips, reducing downtime and increasing the overall throughput of the production line.

[0036] However, the doors of the feeding hoppers of existing automatic sorting machines need to be opened and closed manually one by one. During the time that these operations are performed manually, the machine will be in standby mode, which not only wastes valuable production time, but may also lead to a decrease in overall production capacity.

[0037] Therefore, this application provides a sorting machine that can automatically open and close the bin door. Compared with manual opening and closing, this can significantly reduce downtime caused by manual operation and improve overall work efficiency.

[0038] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments, the sorting machine includes a machine body 10 and four hoppers 20 for feeding material disposed within the machine body 10. Each hopper 20 includes a hopper body 21 and a hopper door 22, which can be opened or closed. When a material tray needs to be placed into the hopper body 21, the hopper door 22 is opened; when feeding material is required, the hopper door 22 is closed. Of course, the embodiments of this application do not limit the number of hoppers 20.

[0039] refer to Figure 2 In some embodiments, the sorting machine further includes four drive mechanisms 30 and a control circuit. Each drive mechanism 30 corresponds to a hopper 20, and each drive mechanism 30 is disposed on the hopper body 21 of the corresponding hopper 20 and connected to its hopper door 22. Each drive mechanism 30 is used to drive the corresponding hopper door 22 to open or close. The control circuit is electrically connected to each drive mechanism 30 respectively. The control circuit is configured to control each drive mechanism 30 to drive the corresponding hopper door 22 to open synchronously when receiving a first control signal, and to control each drive mechanism 30 to drive the corresponding hopper door 22 to close synchronously when receiving a second control signal. That is, during use, the control circuit can control each drive mechanism 30 according to the control signal so that each drive mechanism 30 drives the corresponding hopper door 22 to open or close, thereby realizing the automatic opening and closing of the hopper door 22, which can significantly reduce downtime caused by manual operation and improve overall work efficiency.

[0040] refer to Figure 2In some embodiments, the drive mechanism 30 may employ a pneumatic drive device. Specifically, the drive mechanism 30 includes a drive cylinder 31 and an air supply passage 32. The cylinder body of the drive cylinder 31 is fixed to the corresponding compartment 21, and the piston rod of the drive cylinder 31 is drively connected to the corresponding compartment door 22. The air supply passage 32 is connected to the cylinder body of the drive cylinder 31. In a specific configuration, the control circuit is electrically connected to the air supply passage 32 of the drive mechanism 30, and the control circuit is configured to control the on / off state of the air supply passage 32 to cause the drive cylinder 31 to drive the compartment door 22. Specifically, when the control circuit receives a first control signal, it controls the air supply passage 32 to supply air to the drive cylinder 31, so that the piston rod of the drive cylinder 31 pushes the compartment door 22 to open it; when the control circuit receives a second control signal, it controls the air supply passage 32 to stop supplying air to the drive cylinder 31, so that the piston rod of the drive cylinder 31 pulls the compartment door 22 to close it. However, the embodiments of this application do not impose any limitations on this. In other embodiments, the drive mechanism 30 may also employ a hydraulic drive or an electric drive, etc.

[0041] In some embodiments, the piston rod of the drive cylinder 31 and the door 22 can be connected by a linkage mechanism. For example, the linkage mechanism can be a linkage mechanism, a crank-slider mechanism, or a hinge mechanism.

[0042] refer to Figure 2 In some embodiments, the control circuit includes four solenoid valves 40, each connected in series with a corresponding air supply path 32. In practical use, the solenoid valves 40 control the corresponding air supply path 32 to supply air to the drive cylinder 31 upon receiving a first control signal, causing the piston rod of the drive cylinder 31 to push the chamber door 22 open. The solenoid valves 40 also control the air supply path 32 to stop supplying air to the drive cylinder 31 upon receiving a second control signal, causing the piston rod of the drive cylinder 31 to pull the chamber door 22 closed. Specifically, the control circuit can control the on / off state of the air supply path 32 via the solenoid valves 40, allowing the air supply path 32 to supply air to or stop supplying air to the drive cylinder 31.

[0043] refer to Figure 1In some embodiments, the control circuit further includes a control terminal 50, which is mounted on the machine body 10 and electrically connected to each solenoid valve 40. In practical use, the control terminal 50 sends a first control signal to each relay upon the first operation by the operator, and a second control signal upon the second operation by the operator. This configuration allows the operator to control the synchronous opening or closing of the doors 22 of each hopper 20 by simply operating the control terminal 50, improving operational convenience. In this embodiment, the control terminal 50 can be a control button. That is, the operator can perform the first and second operations by pressing the control button. In other embodiments, the control circuit can also employ other operating structures, such as control gate valves or control knobs.

[0044] To control the solenoid valves 40 via the control terminal 50, the control terminal 50 can be connected to each solenoid valve 40 via a relay. For example, when the control terminal 50 is not pressed, no current flows through the relay coil, the relay contacts are open, the solenoid valve 40 is not energized, and the drive cylinder 31 is in its initial position. Upon the first operation of the control terminal 50, it closes, current flows to the relay coil, causing the relay contacts to close. Because the relay contacts are closed, the solenoid valve 40 receives power, the valve inside the solenoid valve 40 switches positions, allowing compressed air to enter the drive cylinder 31, pushing the piston rod to move and opening the chamber door 22. Upon the second operation of the control terminal 50, it disconnects, the relay coil loses current, the relay contacts open, the solenoid valve 40 is de-energized, the valve returns to its original position, cutting off the air supply, and the drive cylinder 31 resets according to design requirements to close the chamber door 22.

[0045] In some embodiments, the control circuit further includes a detection component for detecting the open / closed state of each compartment door. This configuration enables feedback to the automated control, ensuring the stability, accuracy, and reliability of the system.

[0046] refer to Figure 3In some embodiments, the detection assembly includes four cylinder signal detection sensors 70, four tray error-proof detection sensors 80, and a processing module 60. Each cylinder signal detection sensor 70 is disposed on each drive cylinder 31, and the output terminal of each cylinder signal detection sensor 70 is electrically connected to the receiving terminal of the signal acquisition module. Each cylinder signal detection sensor 70 is used to detect the cylinder signal of each drive cylinder 31 and feed it back to the processing module 60. Each tray error-proof detection sensor 80 is disposed on each bin 21, and the output terminal of each tray error-proof detection sensor 80 is electrically connected to the receiving terminal of the signal acquisition module. Each tray error-proof detection sensor 80 is used to detect the error-proof signal of the tray in each bin 21 and feed it back to the processing module 60. The processing module 60 is used to receive the cylinder signals of each drive cylinder 31 and the error-proof signals of the trays in each bin 21, and determine the opening and closing state of each corresponding bin door 22 based on the cylinder signals and the error-proof signals.

[0047] To realize the receiving and processing functions of the processing module 60, the processing module 60 can use an 8-bit relay. For example, the 8-bit relay has eight receiving terminals, four of which are electrically connected to the output terminals of each cylinder signal detection sensor 70, and the other four are electrically connected to the output terminals of each material tray foolproof detection sensor 80. During use, the 8-bit relay receives the cylinder signals from each drive cylinder 31 and the foolproof signals from each material tray in each compartment 21, and performs logical operations on each cylinder signal and each foolproof signal to determine the opening and closing state of each corresponding compartment door 22.

[0048] Furthermore, the processing module 60 can be used to determine whether each compartment door 22 is in a normally closed state or an improperly closed state after the control compartment door 22 is closed. For example, if both the cylinder signal and the foolproof signal are high-level signals, the processing module 60 determines that the corresponding compartment door 22 is in a normally closed state. If either the cylinder signal or the foolproof signal is a low-level signal, the processing module 60 determines that the corresponding compartment door 22 is in an improperly closed state. It should be understood that in specific implementations, the cylinder signal detection sensor 70 can output a high-level cylinder signal when the piston rod of the driving cylinder 31 retracts to a set length, and otherwise output a low-level cylinder signal; the tray foolproof detection sensor 80 can output a high-level foolproof signal when the tray is placed into the compartment 21, and otherwise output a low-level foolproof signal. However, the embodiments of this application do not limit this in any way.

[0049] In some embodiments, the processing module 60 includes a display unit for displaying the open / closed status of each compartment door. For example, the display unit may be an indicator light; when the compartment door is properly closed, the indicator light is green, and when the compartment door is not properly closed, the indicator light is red.

[0050] In some embodiments, the processing module 60 includes an alarm unit for sounding an alarm when the compartment door 22 is not properly closed. For example, the alarm unit may be a buzzer that sounds when the compartment door is not properly closed.

[0051] The terms "first" and "second" in the specification and claims of this application may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. Furthermore, "and / or" in the specification and claims indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0052] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this application 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 this application.

[0053] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly 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 between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0054] One or more embodiments in this specification are intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications, and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of one or more embodiments in this specification should be included within the protection scope of this application.

[0055] The above are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A sorting machine, characterized in that, It includes at least one hopper, at least one drive mechanism and control circuit; Each of the hoppers includes a hopper body and a hopper door, the hopper body being used to store material trays; Each drive mechanism corresponds to one hopper, each drive mechanism is disposed in the hopper body of the corresponding hopper and connected to its hopper door, and each drive mechanism is used to drive the corresponding hopper door to open or close the hopper door; The control circuit is electrically connected to each of the drive mechanisms respectively. The control circuit is configured to: control each of the drive mechanisms to drive the corresponding compartment door to open synchronously when a first control signal is received, and control each of the drive mechanisms to drive the corresponding compartment door to close synchronously when a second control signal is received.

2. The sorting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive mechanism includes a drive cylinder and an air supply circuit; The cylinder body of the drive cylinder is fixed to the corresponding compartment body, and the piston rod of the drive cylinder is connected to the corresponding compartment door in a transmission manner. The air supply passage is connected to the cylinder body of the drive cylinder; The control circuit is configured to cause the drive cylinder to drive the compartment door by controlling the on / off state of the air supply path.

3. The sorting machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, The control circuit includes at least one solenoid valve, and each solenoid valve is connected in series in the corresponding gas supply line. The solenoid valve is used to control the air supply circuit to supply air to the drive cylinder when receiving the first control signal, and to control the air supply circuit to stop supplying air to the drive cylinder when receiving the second control signal.

4. The sorting machine according to claim 3, characterized in that, The control circuit also includes a control terminal, which is electrically connected to each of the solenoid valves. The control terminal is used to issue the first control signal when the operator performs the operation for the first time, and to issue the second control signal when the operator performs the operation for the second time.

5. The sorting machine according to claim 4, characterized in that, The control terminal is a control button.

6. The sorting machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, The control circuit also includes a detection component for detecting the open / closed state of each of the compartment doors.

7. The sorting machine according to claim 6, characterized in that, The detection component includes at least one cylinder signal detection sensor, at least one tray error-proof detection sensor, and a processing module. Each of the cylinder signal detection sensors is disposed in each of the driving cylinders, and each of the cylinder signal detection sensors is used to detect the cylinder signal corresponding to the driving cylinder; Each of the aforementioned trays is equipped with a foolproof detection sensor in each of the aforementioned bins, and each tray is used to detect the foolproof signal corresponding to the aforementioned bin. The receiving end of the processing module is electrically connected to the output ends of each cylinder signal detection sensor and each tray error-proof detection sensor. The processing module is used to receive each cylinder signal and each error-proof signal, and determine the opening and closing status of each corresponding compartment door according to each cylinder signal and each error-proof signal.

8. The sorting machine according to claim 7, characterized in that, The processing module includes a display unit, which is used to display the open / closed status of each of the compartment doors.

9. The sorting machine according to claim 7, characterized in that, The processing module includes an alarm unit, which is used to sound an alarm when the warehouse door is not properly closed.

10. The sorting machine according to claim 7, characterized in that, The processing module uses relays.

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