Substrate accommodation device

Abstract

To provide a substrate accommodation device that detects correctly the accommodation of a desired substrate at a predetermined accommodation position in a rack.SOLUTION: A substrate accommodation device includes, at a substrate 30, a light penetration part (any of penetration holes 32a to e) that optically penetrates between both surfaces of the substrate in at least one place that is determined in accordance with the kind or operation of a circuit among predetermined places on one surface. The substrate accommodation device includes a plurality of light-emitting elements 21a to e that emit light and are disposed to face each other at predetermined places on one surface side of the substrate when the substrate is accommodated at a predetermined accommodation position, a plurality of light-receiving elements 22a to e that are disposed to face each other with predetermined places held between the light-emitting elements and the light-receiving elements on the other surface side of the substrate when the substrate is accommodated at the predetermined accommodation position and that receive light emitted from one opposing light-emitting element among the plurality of light-emitting elements through the light penetration part and generate light reception signals, and a determination unit that determines whether a reception code expressed by an output signal of the light-receiving elements coincides with a predetermined reference code.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2A

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a board storage device for detachably storing a board on which a circuit is formed. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional board storage device that has a board erroneous insertion prevention mechanism in which a through hole is drilled at a predetermined position on the board and a light emitting element and a light receiving element are installed at positions on both sides of the board storage rack that correspond to the position of the through hole. In this board erroneous insertion prevention mechanism, when the board is correctly stored in the desired position of the board storage rack, light from the light emitting element passes through the through hole and reaches the light receiving element, and a control device controls a power supply circuit in response to a light receiving detection signal by the light receiving element to supply power to the board. On the other hand, in the case of incorrect insertion where the board is not correctly stored in the desired position of the rack, light from the light emitting element does not pass through the through hole and a light receiving detection signal by the light receiving element is not obtained, so the control device stops supplying power to the board.

[0003] With this configuration, when a plurality of circuit boards of the same shape are stored in the rack, if the circuit boards are stored correctly, power can be supplied to each of the circuit boards. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 2-102788 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the board erroneous insertion prevention mechanism of Patent Document 1 has a problem in that when there are multiple circuit boards of the same shape, but the circuits formed on those multiple boards are not the same, and the storage positions in the rack for the boards are pre-assigned according to the type of circuit formed thereon, it is not possible to detect whether the desired board has been stored in the pre-assigned storage position.

[0006] Furthermore, even if the circuits formed on multiple boards are identical, they may perform different operations due to differences in operating parameters or software. In such cases, there is also the problem that it is not possible to detect whether the desired board has been stored in the pre-assigned storage position.

[0007] Therefore, in light of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate storage device that can accurately detect whether a desired substrate has been stored in a pre-specified storage position on a rack. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The substrate storage device of the present invention is a substrate storage device in which a substrate having a circuit formed thereon is removably stored in a predetermined storage position, the substrate having a light-through portion that optically penetrates between the two surfaces of the substrate at at least one of a plurality of predetermined locations on one of the two surfaces of the substrate, the light-through portion being determined according to the type of the circuit or the operation of the circuit, the substrate storage device comprising: a plurality of light-emitting elements that are arranged to face the predetermined locations on the one surface side of the substrate when the substrate is stored in the predetermined storage position, and each of the light-emitting elements emits light; a plurality of light-receiving elements that are arranged to face the plurality of light-emitting elements across the predetermined locations on the other surface side of the substrate when the substrate is stored in the predetermined storage position, and each of the light-receiving elements generates a light-receiving signal when it receives light emitted by one of the plurality of light-emitting elements that it faces through the light-through portion; and a discrimination unit that discriminates whether a receiving code indicated by an output signal of the plurality of light-receiving elements including the light-receiving signal matches a predetermined reference code. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the substrate storage device of the present invention, it is possible to accurately detect whether a desired substrate has been stored in a pre-specified storage position of a rack. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 4 is a side view showing a rack portion of a substrate storage device according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the section AA of FIG. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the cross section BB of FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a diagram showing a through hole formed in a substrate by removing the light receiving array in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical circuit portion of the substrate storage device according to the present invention. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart showing a substrate determination operation of the control circuit in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0012] Fig. 1 shows a substrate storage device 10 to which the present invention is applied. Fig. 2A shows a cross section taken along line AA in Fig. 1, and Fig. 2B shows a cross section taken along line BB in Fig. 1.

[0013] The substrate storage device 10 of the embodiment is adapted to detachably store two substrates 30 on which circuits (not shown) are formed, and has a first rack section 10a and a second rack section 10b. The substrate storage device 10 includes a backplane 11, a connector 12, shelf boards 13 and 14, substrate insertion guides 13a to 13d and 14a to 14d, a light emitting array 21, and a light receiving array 22.

[0014] Two sets of connector 12, board insertion guides 13a to 13d, 14a to 14d, light emitting array 21, and light receiving array 22 are provided corresponding to each of first rack portion 10a and second rack portion 10b.

[0015] The backplane 11 has a rectangular main surface and is made of, for example, a resin flat plate material. The shelves 13 and 14 form a pair and, like the backplane 11, are made of, for example, a resin flat plate material. The shelves 13 and 14 are parallel to each other and are fixed to the main surface of the backplane 11 so as to be perpendicular to the main surface of the backplane 11. A storage space for two boards 30 is formed in the area surrounded by the backplane 11 and the shelves 13 and 14. A first rack section 10a and a second rack section 10b are arranged in the storage space. The distance between the shelves 13 and 14 is slightly larger than the length of the short side of the rectangular board 30.

[0016] The two sets of connectors 12 are longitudinally shaped, and are fixed to the main surface of the backplane 11 with their longitudinal directions facing in the same direction on the main surface of the backplane 11 and spaced apart from each other. The connectors 12 are so-called female connectors for fixing the board 30 in the above-mentioned storage space, and can be mechanically and electrically coupled to connector 31, which is a so-called male connector of the board 30. The connector 31 of the board 30 is provided on one of the two short sides of the board 30.

[0017] In each of first rack portion 10a and second rack portion 10b, board insertion guides 13a-13d and 14a-14d are guides that facilitate the insertion of board 30 when it is stored in the storage position of each of first rack portion 10a and second rack portion 10b. Board insertion guides 13a-13d are provided on the inner surface of shelf board 13, and board insertion guides 14a-14d are provided on the inner surface of shelf board 14. The inner surfaces of shelf boards 13 and 14 are the surfaces facing the storage space.

[0018] As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, board insertion guides 13a and 13b are paired, and a groove 15 is formed between board insertion guides 13a and 13b. Similarly, board insertion guides 13c and 13d are paired, and a groove 16 is formed between board insertion guides 13c and 13d. Board insertion guide 13c and groove 16 are not shown. Board insertion guides 13a and 13b and board insertion guides 13c and 13d are arranged to be spaced apart by a groove width that is slightly larger than the thickness of board 30. Similarly, board insertion guides 14a and 14b and board insertion guides 14c and 14d are paired, and grooves 17 and 18 are formed between board insertion guides 14a and 14b and board insertion guides 14c and 14d, respectively, and are arranged to be spaced apart by a width that is slightly larger than the thickness of board 30.

[0019] When storing the board 30, one long side of the board 30 is inserted into groove 15 between board insertion guides 13a, 13b and groove 16 between board insertion guides 13c, 13d, and the other long side of the board 30 opposite to the one long side is inserted into groove 17 between board insertion guides 14a, 14b and groove 18 between board insertion guides 14c, 14d.

[0020] The light emitting array 21 and the light receiving array 22 constitute an optical sensor. The light emitting array 21 is attached to the inner surface of the shelf board 13 near the board insertion guides 13a and 13c. The light receiving array 22 is attached to the inner surface of the shelf board 13 near the board insertion guides 13b and 13d. The light emitting array 21 has five light emitting elements 21a to 21e arranged in one direction (direction perpendicular to the main surface of the backplane 11) at predetermined intervals. The light receiving array 22 has five light receiving elements 22a to 22e arranged in one direction at predetermined intervals that are the same as the attachment intervals of the light emitting elements 21a to 21e. The five light emitting elements 21a to 21e and the five light receiving elements 22a to 22e are each located at the same position in the direction perpendicular to the main surface of the backplane 11, and are positioned opposite each other.

[0021] Each of the light-emitting elements 21a-21e is connected to a power supply circuit 50, which will be described later, and each of the light-receiving elements 22a-22e is connected to a control circuit 51, which will be described later. The light-emitting elements 21a-21e emit light by the voltage supplied from the power supply circuit 50. The light-receiving elements 22a-22e receive light emitted by the light-emitting elements 21a-21e, which are positioned opposite each other, on their own light-receiving surfaces, and generate a light-receiving signal while receiving light. The light-receiving signal of each of the light-receiving elements 22a-22e is supplied to the control circuit 51.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, five through holes 32a to 32e are formed in the substrate 30 at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction. When the substrate 30 is stored and the connector 12 and the connector 31 are connected, the through hole 32a is located between the light emitting element 21a and the light receiving element 22a, and similarly, the through hole 32b is located between the light emitting element 21b and the light receiving element 22b, the through hole 32c is located between the light emitting element 21c and the light receiving element 22c, the through hole 32d is located between the light emitting element 21d and the light receiving element 22b, and the through hole 32e is located between the light emitting element 21e and the light receiving element 22e. A light shielding material 34 can be attached to the through holes 32a to 32e. The light shielding material 34 is, for example, a light shielding seal, a screw, a post, or a clip, and is attached by inserting it into the through holes 32a to 32e. Whether or not the light blocking material 34 is attached to each of the through holes 32a to 32e is determined by the function of the hardware (circuit) or software of the substrate 30.

[0023] 4, the substrate storage device 10 of the present invention includes, as electric circuits, a power supply circuit 50, a control circuit 51, and a memory 52. ​​The power supply circuit 50 is connected to the terminals of the connectors 12 of each of the first rack portion 10a and the second rack portion 10b, and supplies a power supply voltage to the circuit formed on the substrate 30 via the terminals of the connectors 12, 31. The power supply circuit 50 is also connected to the light-emitting elements 21a to 21e of each of the first rack portion 10a and the second rack portion 10b, and supplies a drive voltage that causes the light-emitting elements 21a to 21e to emit light. The control circuit 51 is connected to the power supply circuit 50, and is also connected to the light receiving elements 22a to 22e of the light receiving arrays 22 of each of the first rack portion 10a and the second rack portion 10b. The memory 52 is connected to the control circuit 51. Identification codes assigned to the substrates 30 to be stored in each of the first rack portion 10a and the second rack portion 10b are written in advance in the memory 52 as predetermined reference codes.

[0024] The control circuit 51 is a discrimination unit that discriminates whether or not a reception code consisting of a presence / absence pattern indicated by the output signal of the light receiving elements 22a-22e matches a predetermined reference code. The control circuit 51 is, for example, a microcomputer, and instructs the power supply circuit 50 to emit light from each of the light receiving elements 21a-21e of the first rack section 10a and the second rack section 10b in a board discrimination operation described later. The control circuit 51 also receives the light receiving signal from each of the light receiving elements 22a-22e of the first rack section 10a and the second rack section 10b, compares the light receiving code corresponding to the light receiving signal with the identification code written in the memory 52, and controls the power supply of the power supply circuit 50 to the board 30 according to the comparison result. The power supply control is performed by each of the first rack section 10a and the second rack section 10b.

[0025] Next, the operation when the substrate 30 is stored in the substrate storage device 10 having such a configuration will be described. For ease of explanation, the substrate 30 to be stored in the first rack section 10a will be referred to as 30a, and the substrate 30 to be stored in the second rack section 10b will be referred to as 30b. The substrates 30a and 30b have the same shape, but different circuits are formed on the substrates 30a and 30b. Note that the substrates 30a and 30b may have the same shape and the same circuits, but the operations of the circuits may differ from each other due to differences in operating parameters or software.

[0026] Here, as shown in FIG. 2A, in the substrate 30a, the light-shielding material 34 is attached to each of the through holes 32b-32e among the through holes 32a-32e, and the through hole 32a is left open and set as a light-through portion. In the substrate 30b, the light-shielding material 34 is attached to each of the through holes 32a, 32b, and 32e among the through holes 32a-32e, and the through holes 32c and 32d are left open and set as a light-through portion. An identification code (a predetermined reference code) of the memory 52 is determined in accordance with the light-through portion setting or the light-shielding setting of each of the through holes 32a-32e of the substrates 30a and 30b. If it is previously determined that the through setting corresponds to logic 1 and the light-shielding setting corresponds to logic 0, the identification code for the first rack section 10a in which the substrate 30a is stored is set to 10000, and the identification code for the second rack section 10b in which the substrate 30b is stored is set to 00110. In this manner, the identification code is written in the memory 52.

[0027] When storing the board 30a in the first rack section 10a, the user orients the board 30a toward the storage space in the shelves 13 and 14, starting from the short side where the connector 31 is provided. Then, both long sides of the board 30a are inserted into the groove 16 between the board insertion guides 13c and 13d of the first rack section 10a and the groove 18 between the board insertion guides 14c and 14d, and the board 30a is moved along the grooves 16 and 18 into the first rack section 10a, and is further inserted into the groove 15 between the board insertion guides 13a and 13b of the first rack section 10a and the groove 17 between the board insertion guides 14a and 14b, and is further moved along the grooves 15 to 18 into the inside. Finally, the connector 31 of the board 30a is mechanically coupled to the connector 12 of the first rack section 10a, and the board 30a is stored in the first rack section 10a.

[0028] Storing the board 30b in the second rack section 10b is similar to storing the board 30a in the first rack section 10a, and ultimately the connector 31 of the board 30b is mechanically coupled to the connector 12 of the second rack section 10b, thereby storing the board 30a in the first rack section 10a.

[0029] After the boards 30a, 30b have been stored in the first rack unit 10a and the second rack unit 10b, respectively, in this manner, when the user operates a power button (not shown) provided on the board storage device 10, the control circuit 51 performs a board determination operation. Since the board determination operation is the same for both the first rack unit 10a and the second rack unit 10b, the board determination operation for the first rack unit 10a will be described here.

[0030] In the board determination operation for the first rack section 10a, the control circuit 51 first causes the power supply circuit 10 to drive the light emitting elements 21a to 21e of the light emitting array 21 of the first rack section 10a to emit light (step S11), as shown in FIG. 5. A drive voltage is supplied to each of the light emitting elements 21a to 21e by step S11, and each of the light emitting elements 21a to 21e emits light. The light emitted by the light emitting elements 21a to 21e illuminates each of the through holes 32a to 32e of the opposing board 30a. Here, the light emitted by the light emitting element 21a passes through the through hole 32a of the board 30a and reaches the light receiving element 22a. In contrast, the light emitted by each of the light emitting elements 21b to 21e is blocked by the light blocking material 34 attached to each of the through holes 32b to 32e, and does not reach the light receiving elements 22b to 22e. The light receiving element 22a outputs a light receiving signal corresponding to a logic 1, but the light receiving elements 22b to 22e do not output a light receiving signal corresponding to a logic 1, and instead generate an output signal corresponding to a logic 0.

[0031] The control circuit 51 receives an output signal including a reception signal from the light receiving elements 22a-22e of the first rack portion 10a, and generates a reception code indicating a presence / absence pattern corresponding to the output signal (step S12). The control circuit 51 also reads out an identification code for the first rack portion 10a from the memory 52 (step S13), and compares the reception code with the identification code (step S14). Step S14 corresponds to a discrimination section.

[0032] If the received code and the identification code match, the control circuit 51 commands the power supply circuit 50 to supply power to the first rack unit 10a (step S15), and if the received code and the identification code do not match, the control circuit 51 commands the power supply circuit 50 to stop supplying power to the first rack unit 10a (step S16). When step S15 is executed, the power supply circuit 50 supplies a power supply voltage to the board 30a housed in the first rack unit 10a. The power supply voltage is applied to the circuit formed on the board 30a via the connectors 12 and 31 of the first rack unit 10a. On the other hand, when step S16 is executed, the power supply circuit 50 does not supply a power supply voltage to the board 30a housed in the first rack unit 10a.

[0033] Since the identification code for the first rack unit 10a is 10000 as described above, if the received code is 10000, the received code and the identification code match, and the control circuit 51 issues a power supply command to the power supply circuit 50. In response to the power supply command, the power supply circuit 50 supplies a power supply voltage to the board 30a. However, if the received code is, for example, 11000, the received code and the identification code do not match, and the control circuit 51 issues a power supply stop command to the power supply circuit 50. In response to the power supply stop command, the power supply circuit 50 does not supply a power supply voltage to the board 30a, and therefore the power supply voltage is not applied to the circuits formed on the board 30a.

[0034] In addition, the power supply circuit 50 will not supply power supply voltage to the first rack section 10a unless it receives a power supply command from the control circuit 51, so even if it receives a power supply stop command from the control circuit 51 when the supply of power supply voltage to the first rack section 10a is stopped, it will simply continue to stop the supply of power supply voltage to the first rack section 10a.

[0035] The substrate determination operation for the second rack section 10b is performed independently and in parallel with the substrate determination operation for the first rack section 10a described above, but since it is similar to the substrate determination operation for the first rack section 10a, an explanation of each step will be omitted.

[0036] Since the identification code for the second rack section 10b is 00110 as described above, if the received code is 00110, the received code and the identification code match, and the control circuit 51 issues a power supply command to the power supply circuit 50 to the second rack section 10b. In response to the power supply command, the power supply circuit 50 applies a power supply voltage to the circuit formed on the board 30b housed in the second rack section 10b. However, if the received code is, for example, 00111, the received code and the identification code do not match, and the control circuit 51 issues a power supply stop command to the power supply circuit 50 to stop the power supply to the second rack section 10b. In response to the power supply stop command, the power supply circuit 50 does not supply a power supply voltage to the second rack section 10b, and the power supply voltage is not applied to the circuit formed on the board 30b.

[0037] As described above, in the substrate storage device 10 of the embodiment, it is possible to identify that the desired substrate, substrate 30a, has been stored in the first rack section 10a, which is a storage position specified in advance. As a result, when the substrate 30a is identified, power is supplied to the substrate 30a, but when another substrate (e.g., substrate 30b) of the same shape but with a different circuit formed therein is stored in the first rack section 10a, the power supply to the other substrate is stopped, thereby making it possible to prevent malfunction of the substrate storage device 10 due to the storage of another substrate.

[0038] Similarly, it is possible to identify that the desired board, board 30b, has been stored in the second rack section 10b, which is a storage position specified in advance. As a result, when identified, power is supplied to board 30b, but when another board (e.g., board 30a) of the same shape but with a different circuit formed therein is stored in the second rack section 10b, the power supply to the other board is stopped, thereby making it possible to prevent malfunction of the board storage device 10 due to the storage of another board.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the through holes 32a-32e are formed in the substrate 30, and the light-shielding material 34 is attached to any of the through holes 32a-32e formed at a plurality of predetermined locations corresponding to the type of circuit or the operation of the circuit formed on the substrate 30, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the substrate 30 is a light-shielding material, it is sufficient that a through hole is formed at at least one of the plurality of predetermined locations corresponding to the type of circuit or the operation of the circuit formed on the substrate 30.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the light through-holes 32a to 32e are formed as the light through-holes in the plurality of predetermined locations on the substrate 30, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the light through-holes may be made of a resin that transmits light, and the substrate 30 may be formed so as not to block light within the range of each light through-hole.

[0041] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an indicator may be provided that indicates whether the board 30 has been stored in a predetermined storage position. For example, in step S15, when the received code and the identification code match, the control circuit 51 may instruct the power supply circuit 50 to supply power to the first rack unit 10a and cause the indicator to display blue to indicate that the board has been properly stored, and in step S16, the control circuit 51 may instruct the power supply circuit 50 to stop supplying power to the first rack unit 10a and cause the indicator to display red to indicate that the board has been erroneously stored. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 10 Substrate storage device 10a First rack section 10b Second rack section 11 Backplane 12, 31 Connector 13, 14 Shelf 13a~13d, 14a~14d Board insertion guide 15~18 grooves 21 Light emitting array 21a to 21e Light emitting element 22 Photoreceptor array 22a~22e Photodetector 30, 30a, 30b Substrate 32a~32e Through hole 34 Shade material 50 Power circuit 51 Control circuit 52 Memory

Claims

1. A substrate storage device in which a substrate having a circuit formed thereon is detachably stored in a predetermined storage position, the substrate has a light penetrating portion that optically penetrates between the two surfaces of the substrate at at least one location determined corresponding to the type of the circuit or the operation of the circuit among a plurality of predetermined locations on one of the two surfaces of the substrate; The substrate storage device includes: a plurality of light-emitting elements that are arranged to face the plurality of predetermined locations on the one surface side of the substrate when the substrate is stored in the predetermined storage position, and each emit light; a plurality of light receiving elements that are arranged on the other surface side of the substrate when the substrate is stored in the predetermined storage position so as to face the plurality of light emitting elements across the predetermined plurality of locations, and each of the light receiving elements generates a light receiving signal when it receives light emitted by one of the plurality of light emitting elements that faces the light receiving element through the light penetrating portion; a discrimination unit that discriminates whether a reception code indicated by output signals of the plurality of light receiving elements including the light receiving signal matches a predetermined reference code.

2. 2. The substrate storage device according to claim 1, wherein the light passing portion is a through hole.

3. 2. The substrate storage device according to claim 1, wherein a through hole is formed at each of the plurality of predetermined locations on the substrate, and a light-shielding material is attached to one of the through holes in accordance with the type of the circuit or the operation of the circuit.

4. 2. A substrate accommodation device according to claim 1, wherein the reception code indicates a pattern of the presence or absence of output signals from the plurality of light receiving elements.

5. The substrate storage device of claim 1, further comprising a power supply unit that supplies power to the substrate when the received code matches the specified reference code, and stops the power supply to the substrate when the received code does not match the specified reference code.

6. 6. A substrate receiving device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined reference code is determined in advance in accordance with the type of the circuit or the operation of the circuit.

Images