Work-piece carrier device and processing device

Abstract

To reduce the number of times of imaging for conveying a plate-like work and reading an ID.SOLUTION: In a work-piece carrier device, center coordinates (second center coordinates Z2) of a work-piece 100 is acquired when a holding pad 156 is inverted based on the center coordinates (first center coordinates) of the workpiece obtained from an image captured by a camera, and control means positions an ID of the work-piece 100 held by the holding pad 156 in a reading area of an ID reader based on the second center coordinates Z2. Therefore, a position control of the work-piece 100 for reading the ID can also be performed based on the captured image captured to appropriately carry the work-piece 100. Therefore, since it is not necessary to perform another imaging for reading the ID, it is possible to reduce the number of times of appropriate carrying of the work-piece 100 and imaging for reading the ID.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a workpiece transfer device and a processing device.

Background Art

[0002] In a grinding device that grinds a plate-shaped workpiece held by a chuck table with a grinding wheel, a robot hand takes out the plate-shaped workpiece from a cassette and temporarily places it on a temporary placement table, and detects the center position of the plate-shaped workpiece on the temporary placement table. After that, a transfer pad transports the plate-shaped workpiece to the chuck table and places the plate-shaped workpiece on the chuck table so that the center of the plate-shaped workpiece coincides with the center of the chuck table (Patent Document 1).

[0003] However, in such a method for detecting the center position using a temporary placement table, since the plate-shaped workpiece is transferred by the temporary placement table, time for the transfer is generated. Further, since the plate-shaped workpiece comes into contact with the temporary placement table in order to transfer the plate-shaped workpiece, dust may adhere to the plate-shaped workpiece or the plate-shaped workpiece may be damaged.

[0004] Therefore, a processing device has been proposed in which a plate-shaped workpiece held by a robot hand is imaged from one side with a camera, and the center position of the plate-shaped workpiece is detected from the captured image (Patent Document 2). Thereby, when transporting the plate-shaped workpiece, for example, when the plate-shaped workpiece is rectangular, alignment including angle correction can be performed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] By the way, some plate-shaped workpieces have an ID, which is an individual identification number, printed on the front or back surface. By reading this ID with an ID reading camera on the processing device, the processing history is recorded and linked to arbitrary processing conditions.

[0007] Here, when reading the ID of a plate-shaped workpiece held by a robot hand using the processing device disclosed in Patent Document 2, while the surface on which the plate-shaped workpiece is held by the robot hand is determined, whether the ID printing surface is the front surface or the back surface of the plate-shaped workpiece varies depending on the plate-shaped workpiece. For this reason, the robot hand needs to be inverted as necessary so that the ID printing surface faces the ID reading camera side.

[0008] At this time, since the center position and angle of the plate-shaped workpiece change before and after the inversion of the robot hand, in order to accurately position the ID printed on the plate-shaped workpiece in the imaging area of the ID reading camera, it is necessary to perform imaging again after the inversion of the robot hand to detect the center position of the plate-shaped workpiece. For this reason, since imaging is performed before and after the inversion of the robot hand respectively, the efficiency decreases.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce the number of times of imaging for the conveyance of the plate-shaped workpiece and the reading of the ID.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] The work transport device of the present invention (the present work transport device) is a work transport device for transporting plate-shaped workpieces, and is characterized by comprising: a robot hand having a holding pad for holding the plate-shaped workpiece and capable of flipping the upper and lower surfaces of the holding pad; an ID reading means for reading the ID of the plate-shaped workpiece held on the holding pad; an imaging means for imaging the plate-shaped workpiece held on the holding pad to obtain an image; a first coordinate information acquisition means for acquiring first coordinate information of the plate-shaped workpiece held on the holding pad based on the image; a second coordinate information acquisition means for acquiring second coordinate information of the plate-shaped workpiece when the holding pad holding the plate-shaped workpiece is flipped based on the first coordinate information; and a control means for controlling the robot hand based on the first coordinate information or the second coordinate information to position the ID of the plate-shaped workpiece held on the holding pad in the reading area of the ID reading means.

[0011] In this work transport device, if the angle of the plate-shaped work held on the holding pad is outside a predetermined reference range based on the captured image, the control means may correct the angle of the plate-shaped work held on the holding pad so that it is within the reference range, and then position the ID of the plate-shaped work held on the holding pad in the imaging area of the ID reading means based on the second coordinate information.

[0012] The processing apparatus of the present invention comprises the workpiece transport device, a chuck table that holds the plate-shaped workpiece so that the surface to be processed of the plate-shaped workpiece is exposed, and processing means that processes the surface to be processed of the plate-shaped workpiece held on the chuck table. Effect of the Invention

[0013] In this work transport device, the second coordinate information acquisition means acquires second coordinate information of the plate-shaped work when the holding pad is inverted based on the first coordinate information of the plate-shaped work obtained from the image captured by the imaging means, and the control means positions the ID of the plate-shaped work held on the holding pad in the reading area of the ID reading means based on the first coordinate information or the second coordinate information.

[0014] Therefore, based on the captured image (the captured image for obtaining the first coordinate information) captured to appropriately convey the plate-shaped workpiece, it is also possible to perform position control of the plate-shaped workpiece for reading the ID of the plate-shaped workpiece (alignment for ID reading). For this reason, since it is not necessary to perform another imaging for ID reading, it becomes possible to reduce the number of imaging times for appropriately conveying the plate-shaped workpiece and reading the ID.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the grinding device 1 according to the present embodiment is an example of a processing device, and is a device for grinding a rectangular (for example, square) workpiece 100 as a workpiece. The workpiece 100 shown in FIG. 1 is an example of a plate-shaped workpiece, and has a front surface 101 and a back surface 102. The ID of the workpiece 100 is printed on the front surface 101, which is one surface of the workpiece 100, and a BG tape (not shown) can be attached during processing. The back surface 102 of the workpiece 100 becomes the surface to be processed (ground surface) on which the grinding process is performed.

[0017] The grinding device 1 includes a substantially rectangular first device base 11, a second device base 12 connected to the rear (+Y direction side) of the first device base 11, and a column 13 extending upward.

[0018] A cassette stage 151 is provided on the front side (-Y direction side) of the first device base 10. A cassette 153 is placed on the cassette stage 151.

[0019] FIG. 2 shows the cassette 153 as viewed from the +Y direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the cassette 153 has an opening 511 facing the +Y direction. Further, the cassette 153 includes a plurality of shelves 513 arranged at a predetermined interval in the Z-axis direction, which is the vertical direction, inside thereof. The shelves 513 are formed on the inner surface of the side wall 512 of the cassette 153. Each shelf 513 is composed of a flat plate having a central region cut out in a circular or rectangular shape. Therefore, each shelf 513 accommodates one workpiece 100 while supporting its outer peripheral region.

[0020] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the workpiece 100 is accommodated in the cassette 153 such that its front surface 101 faces downward. Also, each workpiece 100 is stored in the cassette 153 in an aligned orientation, for example, such that the ID formation site is on the back side (-Y direction side) of the cassette 153.

[0021] Note that another cassette stage on which another cassette is placed may be provided adjacent to the cassette stage 151. That is, the grinding device 1 may include two or more sets of cassette stages and cassettes.

[0022] Also, as shown in FIG. 1, a robot hand 155 is disposed on the +Y direction side of the cassette 153.

[0023] The robot hand 155 is equipped with a holding pad 156 that holds the workpiece 100 stored in the cassette 153. The robot hand 155 transports the workpiece 100 held by the holding pad 156. The holding pad 156 has a U-shaped plate form and is provided with a suction surface for sucking and holding the workpiece 100 on one surface.

[0024] Also, the robot hand 155 has a drive unit 157 that drives the holding pad 156. The drive unit 157 controls (adjusts) the position of the holding pad 156. Specifically, the drive unit 157 includes a vertical movement mechanism 158, a horizontal movement mechanism 159, and a reversal mechanism 160. The vertical movement mechanism 158 moves the holding pad 156 in the vertical direction along the Z-axis direction. The horizontal movement mechanism 159 moves the holding pad 156 in the horizontal direction. The reversal mechanism 160 reverses the upper surface and the lower surface of the holding pad 156, that is, by reversing the holding pad 156, its suction surface is made upward or downward. In this way, the robot hand 155 has a holding pad 156 that holds the workpiece 100, and the upper surface and the lower surface of the holding pad 156 are configured to be reversible.

[0025] The robot hand 155 carries the processed workpiece 100 held by the holding pad 156 into the cassette 153. Also, the robot hand 155 holds and takes out the workpiece 100 before processing accommodated in the cassette 153 by the holding pad 156 so as to suck the back surface 102. Further, the robot hand 155 delivers the workpiece 100 to a loading mechanism 60 disposed on the +Y side of the robot hand 155.

[0026] The loading mechanism 60 receives the workpiece 100 held by the holding pad 156 and loads it onto the holding surface 32 of the chuck table 30. The loading mechanism 60 has a transfer pad 61 and a moving mechanism 62 for moving the transfer pad 61 in the horizontal and vertical directions. The loading mechanism 60 sucks and holds the workpiece 100 held by the robot hand 155 with the transfer pad 61, transports it to the chuck table 30, and places it on the holding surface 32 with the back surface 102 facing up.

[0027] An opening 14 is provided on the upper surface side of the second device base 12. And a chuck table 30 is disposed within the opening 14. The chuck table 30 holds the workpiece 100 such that the back surface 102, which is the surface to be machined of the workpiece 100, is exposed by the holding surface 32. The holding surface 32 is communicated with a suction source (not shown) and sucks and holds the surface 101 side of the workpiece 100. The chuck table 30 is rotatable about a central axis extending in the Z-axis direction passing through the center of the holding surface 32 by a motor (not shown) while holding the workpiece 100 by the holding surface 32.

[0028] The periphery of the chuck table 30 is surrounded by a cover 39. A bellows cover 40 that expands and contracts in the Y-axis direction is connected to this cover 39. And a Y-axis direction moving mechanism (not shown) is disposed below the cover 39 and the bellows cover 40. The chuck table 30 can reciprocate in the Y-axis direction by this Y-axis direction moving mechanism.

[0029] In the present embodiment, the chuck table 30 moves between a workpiece placement region on the -Y direction side for placing the workpiece 100 on the holding surface 32 and a grinding region on the +Y direction side where the workpiece 100 is ground.

[0030] On the rear side (+Y direction side) of the second device base 12, a column 13 is erected. On the front surface of the column 13, a grinding mechanism 5 for grinding the workpiece 100 and a grinding feed mechanism 2 for moving the grinding mechanism 5 in the Z-axis direction, which is the grinding feed direction, are provided.

[0031] The grinding feed mechanism 2 includes a pair of Z-axis guide rails 21 parallel to the Z-axis direction, a Z-axis moving table 23 that slides on the Z-axis guide rails 21, a Z-axis ball screw 20 parallel to the Z-axis guide rails 21, a Z-axis motor 22, and a holder 24 attached to the Z-axis moving table 23. The holder 24 holds the grinding mechanism 5.

[0032] The Z-axis moving table 23 is slidably installed on the Z-axis guide rails 21. A nut portion (not shown) is fixed to the Z-axis moving table 23. The Z-axis ball screw 20 is screwed into this nut portion. The Z-axis motor 22 is connected to one end of the Z-axis ball screw 20.

[0033] In the grinding feed mechanism 2, when the Z-axis motor 22 rotates the Z-axis ball screw 20, the Z-axis moving table 23 moves in the Z-axis direction along the Z-axis guide rails 21. As a result, the holder 24 attached to the Z-axis moving table 23 and the grinding mechanism 5 held by the holder 24 move in the Z-axis direction together with the Z-axis moving table 23.

[0034] The grinding mechanism 5 is an example of a processing means, and processes (grinds) the back surface 102, which is the surface to be processed of the workpiece 100 held by the chuck table 30. The grinding mechanism 5 includes a spindle housing 51 fixed to the holder 24, a spindle 50 rotatably held by the spindle housing 51, a motor 52 that rotationally drives the spindle 50, a wheel mount 53 attached to the lower end of the spindle 50, and a grinding wheel 54 supported by the wheel mount 53.

[0035] The spindle housing 51 is held by the holder 24 so as to extend in the Z-axis direction. The spindle 50 extends in the Z-axis direction so as to be orthogonal to the holding surface 32 of the chuck table 30, and is rotatably supported by the spindle housing 51.

[0036] The motor 52 is connected to the upper end side of the spindle 50. By this motor 52, the spindle 50 rotates about a rotation axis extending in the Z-axis direction.

[0037] The wheel mount 53 is formed in a disc shape and is fixed to the lower end (tip) of the spindle 50. The wheel mount 53 supports the grinding wheel 54.

[0038] The grinding wheel 54 is formed to have substantially the same diameter as the wheel mount 53. The grinding wheel 54 includes an annular wheel base 540. A plurality of grinding wheels 541 arranged in an annular shape are fixed to the lower surface of the wheel base 540 over the entire circumference. The grinding wheel 541 grinds the back surface 102 of the workpiece 100 held by the chuck table 30.

[0039] A thickness measuring device 38 is disposed at a position adjacent to the chuck table 30. The thickness measuring device 38 can measure the thickness of the workpiece 100, for example, in a contact manner during grinding.

[0040] The ground workpiece 100 is carried out from the holding surface 32 of the chuck table 30 by the carry-out mechanism 65. The carry-out mechanism 65 has a transfer pad 66 and a moving mechanism 67 that moves the transfer pad 66 in the horizontal and vertical directions. The carry-out mechanism 65 sucks and holds the ground workpiece 100 placed on the holding surface 32 by the transfer pad 66, carries it out from the chuck table 30, and places it on the spinner table 27 of the single-wafer spinner cleaning unit 26.

[0041] The spinner cleaning unit 26 includes a spinner table 27 that holds the workpiece 100 and a nozzle 25 that sprays cleaning water toward the spinner table 27.

[0042] In the spinner cleaning unit 26, a spinner table 27 is rotated at high speed by a rotation mechanism (not shown). At the same time, cleaning water is sprayed toward the back surface 102 of the workpiece 100 held on the spinner table 27, thereby spinner-cleaning the back surface 102 of the workpiece 100. Dry air is then blown onto the workpiece 100 to dry it.

[0043] After the workpiece 100 is cleaned by the spinner cleaning unit 26, a robot hand 155 sucks and holds the workpiece 100 held on the spinner table 27 by a holding pad 156, carries it out of the spinner cleaning unit 26, and carries it into a cassette 153.

[0044] In addition, a camera 41 is installed below the robot hand 155. This camera 41 is an example of an imaging means, and captures an image of the workpiece 100 held by the holding pad 156 of the robot hand 155 to obtain a captured image.

[0045] Furthermore, an ID reader 42 is installed above the robot hand 155. This ID reader 42 is an example of an ID reading means, and is used to read the ID printed on the surface 101, which is one side of the workpiece 100 held by the holding pad 156 of the robot hand 155.

[0046] The grinding apparatus 1 also includes a control means 70 that controls each component of the grinding apparatus 1. The control means 70 controls each component of the grinding apparatus 1 described above to perform grinding processing on the workpiece 100 as desired by the operator. The control means 70 also includes a first coordinate information acquisition means 71 and a second coordinate information acquisition means 72.

[0047] The operation of the grinding device 1 controlled by the control means 70 will be described below together with the functions of the first coordinate information acquisition means 71 and the second coordinate information acquisition means 72. The robot hand 155, the camera 41, the ID reader 42, the control means 70, the first coordinate information acquisition means 71, and the second coordinate information acquisition means 72 constitute a work transfer device for transferring the work 100 in the grinding device 1.

[0048] As described above, the work 100 is stored in the cassette 153 with the surface 101 facing downward (see Fig. 2). At the start of the grinding operation, the control means 70 controls the robot hand 155 to hold the unprocessed work 100 stored in the shelf 513 of the cassette 153 by the holding pad 156 so as to adsorb the surface 101 and take it out of the cassette 153. Thereafter, the control means 70 images the work 100 held by the holding pad 156 by the camera 41 as shown in Fig. 3.

[0049] As shown in Fig. 3, the straight line 302 passing through the center 202 of the holding pad 156 and parallel to the Z axis and the straight line 301 passing through the center 201 of the work 100 held by the holding pad 156 and parallel to the Z axis may be offset.

[0050] After the control means 70 holds the work 100 by the holding pad 156 of the robot hand 155, the holding pad 156 is moved by the horizontal movement mechanism 159 so that the camera 41 is arranged on the straight line 302 passing through the center 202 of the holding pad 156. In this state, the camera 41 images the work 100 held by the holding pad 156. As a result, an imaging picture corresponding to the imaging area 131 as shown in Fig. 4 is obtained.

[0051] Then, the first coordinate information acquisition means 71 of the control means 70 acquires the first central coordinate Z1, which is the coordinate of the center 201 of the workpiece 100 in a state where the surface 101 held by the holding pad 156 faces downward, based on the captured image obtained by imaging with the camera 41. The first central coordinate Z1 of this workpiece 100 is an example of the first coordinate information of the workpiece 100.

[0052] For example, the first coordinate information acquisition means 71 acquires the coordinates of three points on the outer periphery of the workpiece 100 from the captured image, and based on the coordinates of these three points, acquires the first central coordinate Z1, which is the coordinate of the center 201 of the workpiece 100 in a state where the surface 101 faces downward. This first central coordinate Z1 is the coordinate of the center 201 of the workpiece 100 when viewed from below the position of the camera 41 as shown in FIG. 4.

[0053] Here, the control means 70 has previously recognized the coordinate Z0 of the center 202 of the holding pad 156 at the time of imaging. Then, the control means 70 calculates the first positional relationship, which is the positional relationship (the amount and direction of deviation) between the center 201 of the workpiece 100 and the center 202 of the holding pad 156 in a state where the surface 101 faces downward, based on the first central coordinate Z1 of the workpiece 100 acquired by the first coordinate information acquisition means 71.

[0054] Next, the second coordinate information acquisition means 72 of the control means 70 acquires the second central coordinate, which is the coordinate of the center 201 of the workpiece 100 in a state where the surface 101 faces upward, that is, the coordinate of the center of the workpiece 100 when the holding pad 156 of the robot hand 155 holding the workpiece 100 is inverted based on the first central coordinate. The second central coordinate of this workpiece 100 is an example of the second coordinate information of the workpiece 100.

[0055] That is, the second coordinate information acquisition means 72 calculates a coordinate that is symmetrical to the first center coordinate Z1 with respect to the inversion axis 310 of the holding pad 156, and acquires this as the second center coordinate Z2. This second center coordinate Z2 is the coordinate of the center 201 of the workpiece 100 when the inverted workpiece 100 is viewed from below where the camera 41 is located, as shown in FIG.

[0056] Then, based on the second center coordinate Z2 of the workpiece 100 acquired by the second coordinate information acquisition means 72, the control means 70 calculates a second positional relationship, which is the positional relationship (amount and direction of deviation) between the center 201 of the workpiece 100 when the surface 101 is facing upward and the center 202 of the holding pad 156.

[0057] 6, the control means 70 controls the reversing mechanism 160 of the robot hand 155 to reversing the robot hand 155 so that the surface 101 on which the ID of the workpiece 100 is printed faces upward. Then, based on the second center coordinate Z2, for example, the control means 70 uses the second positional relationship obtained from the second center coordinate Z2 to control the drive unit 157 of the robot hand 155 to position the ID of the workpiece 100 held by the holding pad 156 in the reading area of the ID reader 42, and the ID of the workpiece 100 is read by the ID reader 42.

[0058] Next, the control means 70 controls the reversing mechanism 160 of the robot hand 155 to reverse the robot hand 155 so that the front surface 101 of the workpiece 100 faces downward and the back surface 102, which is the surface to be ground, faces upward.

[0059] Thereafter, the control means 70 causes the robot hand 155 and the loading mechanism 60 to hold the workpiece 100 on the holding surface 32 (see FIG. 1) of the chuck table 30 so that the center of the holding surface 32 coincides with the center 201 of the workpiece 100.

[0060] That is, first, as shown in FIG. 7, the control means 70 controls the moving mechanism 62 of the loading mechanism 60 to place the transfer pad 61 on the holding pad 156 of the robot hand 155. The transfer pad 61 is arranged on the robot hand 155 such that a straight line 302 passing through the center 202 of the holding pad 156 coincides with a straight line 304 passing through the center 204 of the transfer pad 61 of the loading mechanism 60.

[0061] After the transfer pad 61 is arranged in this way, the control means 70 controls the horizontal movement mechanism 159 of the robot hand 155 based on the first positional relationship, which is the positional relationship between the center 202 of the holding pad 156 and the center 201 of the workpiece 100 calculated as described above, so that, as shown in FIG. 8, a straight line 301 passing through the center 201 of the workpiece 100 coincides with a straight line 304 passing through the center 204 of the transfer pad 61, and slightly adjusts the position of the holding pad 156 in the horizontal direction. In the example shown in this figure, the control means 70 slightly shifts the holding pad 156 in the direction of arrow 141.

[0062] Thereafter, the control means 70 controls, for example, the moving mechanism 62 of the loading mechanism 60 to lower the transfer pad 61, and transfers and holds the workpiece 100 on the holding pad 156 to the transfer pad 61 of the loading mechanism 60. As a result, the workpiece 100 can be held by the transfer pad 61 with the center 201 of the workpiece 100 and the center 204 of the transfer pad 61 being coincident.

[0063] Thereafter, the control means 70 controls the moving mechanism 62 of the loading mechanism 60 to move the transfer pad 61 holding the workpiece 100 and place it on the holding surface 32 of the chuck table 30 shown in FIG. 1. At this time, the center 204 of the transfer pad 61 and the center of the holding surface 32 of the chuck table 30 are arranged on the same straight line extending in the Z-axis direction.

[0064] Then, in this state, the control means 70 controls the moving mechanism 62 of the loading mechanism 60 to lower the transfer pad 61 and transfer and hold the workpiece 100 on the holding surface 32, so that the center 201 of the workpiece 100 coincides with the center of the holding surface 32 of the chuck table 30, and the workpiece 100 can be held by the holding surface 32.

[0065] As described above, in this embodiment, the second coordinate information acquisition means 72 acquires the center coordinate (second center coordinate Z2) of the workpiece 100 when the holding pad 156 is inverted based on the center coordinate (first center coordinate Z1) of the workpiece obtained from the captured image of the camera 41, and the control means 70 positions the ID of the workpiece 100 held by the holding pad 156 in the reading area of the ID reader 42 based on this second center coordinate Z2, and the ID reader 42 reads the ID.

[0066] Therefore, in this embodiment, based on the captured image (captured image for obtaining the first center coordinate) captured for appropriately transferring the workpiece 100 to the loading mechanism 60, it is also possible to perform position control of the workpiece 100 for reading the ID of the workpiece 100 (alignment for reading the ID). For this reason, since it is not necessary to perform another imaging for reading the ID, it is possible to reduce the number of times of imaging for appropriately transporting the workpiece 100 and reading the ID.

[0067] In addition, in the present embodiment, an ID is printed on the surface 101 which is the surface imaged by the camera 41 in the workpiece 100 (the surface opposite to the surface to be ground). In this regard, the ID may be printed on the back surface 102 which is the surface to be ground of the workpiece 100. In this case, when the ID reader 42 reads the ID, the control means 70 uses, for example, the first positional relationship obtained from the first central coordinate Z1 to control the drive unit 157 of the robot hand 155 based on the first central coordinate Z1 without inverting the robot hand 155, while keeping the back surface 102 of the workpiece 100 facing upward, so as to position the ID of the workpiece 100 held by the holding pad 156 in the reading area of the ID reader 42, and the ID reader 42 reads the ID of the workpiece 100.

[0068] As described above, the control means 70 is configured to control the robot hand 155 based on the first central coordinate Z1 or the second central coordinate Z2 so as to position the ID of the workpiece 100 held by the holding pad 156 in the reading area of the ID reader 42.

[0069] Also, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a rectangular plate-shaped workpiece 100 is used as the plate-shaped workpiece processed by the grinding device 1. In this regard, as shown in FIG. 9, the workpiece 100 may be processed in a state of being laminated on the support plate 105. In this case, the workpiece 100 is handled as a workpiece set 107 including the workpiece 100 and the support plate 105. The workpiece set 107 is stored in the cassette 153 with the workpiece 100 facing upward.

[0070] In this case, the support plate 105 has a rectangular shape (e.g., a square) larger than the workpiece 100. The workpiece 100 is stacked on the support plate 105 such that the back surface 102, which is the surface to be ground, faces upward, and the center coordinates of the workpiece 100 and the support plate 105 coincide with each other, and each side of the workpiece 100 and the support plate 105 is parallel to each other. Then, the second surface 105b of the support plate 105, which is opposite to the first surface 105a on which the workpiece 100 is stacked, becomes the surface held by the holding pad 156 of the robot hand 155, and for example, a BG tape (not shown) is adhered to this surface. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 9, the ID of the workpiece 100 is printed on the first surface 105a of the support plate 105.

[0071] When using the workpiece set 107 shown in this figure, the control means 70 acquires the above-described first center coordinate Z1 and second center coordinate Z2, which are the center coordinates of the workpiece 100 and the support plate 105, by imaging the workpiece set 107 from the first surface 105a side or the second surface 105b side with the camera 41. Then, when reading the ID by the ID reader 42, with the back surface 102 of the workpiece 100 facing upward, based on the first center coordinate Z1 or the second center coordinate Z2, the control means 70 controls the drive unit 157 of the robot hand 155 to position the ID of the workpiece 100 printed on the support plate 105 in the reading area of the ID reader 42 and reads it with the ID reader 42.

[0072] Further, as shown in Fig. 10(a), the plate-shaped workpiece processed by the grinding device 1 may be a circular workpiece 110. In the example shown in this figure, the back surface 112 facing the lower side of the circular workpiece 110 becomes the surface to be ground. Further, on the surface 111 of the circular workpiece 110, the ID of the circular workpiece 110 is printed, and a lattice-shaped planned division line 113 is formed. Various devices 114 are formed in each region partitioned by the planned division line 113. Further, a notch 115 indicating the crystal orientation of the circular workpiece 110 is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the circular workpiece 110. The circular workpiece 110 is stored in the cassette 153 in an aligned orientation, for example, in the same manner as the workpiece 100 shown in Fig. 1, with the surface 111 facing downward and the ID forming portion on the back side (-Y direction side) of the cassette 153.

[0073] When using such a circular workpiece 110, the control means 70 acquires the above-described first center coordinate Z1 and second center coordinate Z2, which are the center coordinates of the circular workpiece 110, by imaging the circular workpiece 110 from the back surface 112 side with the camera 41. Then, when reading the ID by the ID reader 42, the control means 70 reverses the robot hand 155 in the same manner as in the case of the workpiece 100, and based on the second center coordinate Z2, controls the drive unit 157 of the robot hand 155 to position the ID of the circular workpiece 110 printed on the surface 111 in the reading area of the ID reader 42 and reads it with the ID reader 42.

[0074] Note that such a circular workpiece 110 may be processed in the state of a workpiece set 119 as shown in Fig. 10(b). In this case, a dicing tape 117 is attached to the surface 111 of the circular workpiece 110, and a ring frame 118 is attached to the outer periphery of the dicing tape 117. That is, the circular workpiece 110 is processed in the state of a workpiece set 119 supported by the ring frame 118 via the dicing tape 117. The cassette 153 stores the workpiece set 119 with the circular workpiece 110 facing upward.

[0075] In the workpiece set 119, the circular workpiece 110 is laminated on the dicing tape 117 such that the back surface 102, which is the surface to be ground, faces upward. And the second surface 119b on the side opposite to the first surface 119a where the circular workpiece 110 in the workpiece set 119 is disposed becomes the surface held by the holding pad 156 of the robot hand 155. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 10(b), the ID of the circular workpiece 110 is printed on the first surface 119a side of the ring frame 118.

[0076] When using the workpiece set 119 shown in FIG. 10(b), the control means 70 acquires the above-mentioned first center coordinate Z1 and second center coordinate Z2, which are the center coordinates of the circular workpiece 110, by imaging the workpiece set 119 from the first surface 119a side or the second surface 119b side with the camera 41. Then, when reading the ID by the ID reader 42, with the back surface 112 of the circular workpiece 110 facing upward, based on the first center coordinate Z1 or the second center coordinate Z2, the drive unit 157 of the robot hand 155 is controlled to position the ID of the workpiece 100 printed on the support plate 105 in the reading area of the ID reader 42 and read it by the ID reader 42.

[0077] Also, in the present embodiment, the second coordinate information acquisition means 72 acquires the second center coordinate of the workpiece 100 when the holding pad 156 is inverted based on the first center coordinate of the workpiece obtained from the captured image of the camera 41, and the control means 70 positions the ID of the workpiece 100 held by the holding pad 156 in the reading area of the ID reader 42 based on this second center coordinate.

[0078] Regarding this, when the angle of the workpiece 100 held by the holding pad 156 deviates from a preset reference range based on the captured image of the camera 41, the control means 70 corrects the angle of the workpiece 100 held by the holding pad 156 so as to be within the reference range, and then positions the ID of the workpiece 100 held by the holding pad 156 in the imaging area of the ID reader 42 based on the second center coordinate.

[0079] In this case, for example, the control means 70 obtains the angle formed between the inversion axis 310 of the holding pad 156 shown in Fig. 4 and the side 100a extending in the Y-axis direction of the workpiece 100 based on the image captured by the camera 41. Then, if this angle is within a predetermined reference range, the control means 70 positions the ID of the workpiece 100 held on the holding pad 156 in the imaging area of the ID reader 42 based on the second center coordinates, as described above.

[0080] On the other hand, if the angle formed between the inversion axis 310 of the holding pad 156 and the side 100a of the workpiece 100 is outside a predetermined reference range, the control means 70 controls the horizontal movement mechanism 159 of the robot hand 155 to adjust the horizontal orientation of the workpiece 100, thereby correcting the angle so that it is within the reference range. Thereafter, the control means 70 positions the ID of the workpiece 100 held on the holding pad 156 in the imaging area of the ID reader 42 based on the second center coordinates.

[0081] In this configuration, even if the orientation of the workpiece 100 held by the holding pad 156 is significantly misaligned with respect to the holding pad 156, it is easy to position the ID of the workpiece 100 in the imaging area of the ID reader 42.

[0082] In addition, when the plate-shaped workpiece is a circular workpiece 110, if the angle between the inversion axis 310 of the holding pad 156 and the extension direction of the notch 115 of the circular workpiece 110 falls outside the standard range, the control means 70 may correct this angle to fall within the standard range, and then position the ID of the workpiece 100 held on the holding pad 156 in the imaging area of the ID reader 42 based on the second center coordinates.

[0083] Furthermore, the grinding apparatus 1 does not necessarily have to include the carry-in mechanism 60 and the carry-out mechanism 65. In this case, the robot hand 155 transports the workpiece 100 to the chuck table 30 and places the workpiece 100 on the holding surface 32 of the chuck table 30 with the back surface 102 facing upward.

[0084] In this configuration, the workpiece 100 is accommodated in the cassette 153 such that, for example, its back surface 102 faces downward. The control means 70 holds and takes out the workpiece 100 in the cassette 153 by the holding pad 156 of the robot hand 155 so as to adsorb the back surface 102.

[0085] Then, after the control means 70 acquires the first center coordinate Z1 and the second center coordinate Z2 and reads the ID of the workpiece 100 by the ID reader 42, as shown in FIG. 11, the orientation of the holding pad 156 is adjusted as necessary so that the workpiece 100 is disposed on the lower side (the back surface 102 of the workpiece 100 faces downward).

[0086] Furthermore, based on the first center coordinate Z1 of the workpiece 100 recognized by the first coordinate information acquisition means 71, the control means 70 controls the robot hand 155 so that the center 201 of the workpiece 100 held by the holding pad 156 (the straight line 301 passing through the center 201) coincides with the center 203 of the holding surface 32 of the chuck table 30 (the straight line 303 passing through the center 203), and holds the workpiece 100 on the holding surface 32 in a state where the horizontal position of the workpiece 100 is adjusted.

[0087] Also, in this configuration, the ground workpiece 100 is carried out by the robot hand 155. That is, the robot hand 155 holds the ground workpiece 100 placed on the chuck table 30 by the holding pad 156, carries it out from the chuck table 30, and conveys it to the spinner table 27 of the single-sheet spinner cleaning unit 26.

Explanation of Signs

[0088] 1: Grinding device, 2: Grinding feed mechanism, 5: Grinding mechanism, 10: First device base, 11: First device base, 12: Second device base, 13: Column, 14: Opening, 20: Z-axis ball screw, 21: Z-axis guide rail, 22: Z-axis motor, 23: Z-axis moving table, 24: Holder, 25: Nozzle, 26: Spinner cleaning unit, 27: Spinner table, 30: Chuck table, 32: Holding surface, 38: Thickness measuring instrument, 39: Cover, 40: Bellows cover, 41: Camera, 42: ID reader, 50: Spindle, 51: Spindle housing, 52: Motor, 53: Wheel mount, 54: Grinding wheel, 60: Loading mechanism, 61: Transfer pad, 62: Moving mechanism, 65: Unloading mechanism, 66: Transfer pad, 67: Moving mechanism, 70: Control means, 71: First coordinate information acquisition means, 72: Second coordinate information acquisition means, 100: Workpiece, 100a: Side, 101: Surface, 102: Back surface, 105: Support plate, 105a: First surface, 105b: Second surface, 107: Workset, 110: Circular workpiece, 111: Surface, 112: Back surface, 113: Scheduled division line, 114: Device, 115: Notch, 117: Dicing tape, 118: Ring frame, 119: Workset, 119a: First surface, 119b: Second surface, 131: Imaging area, 141: Arrow, 151: Cassette stage, 153: Cassette, 155: Robot hand, 156: Holding pad, 157: Driving part, 158: Vertical moving mechanism, 159: Horizontal moving mechanism, 160: Inverting mechanism, 310: Inversion axis, 511: Opening, 512: Side wall, 513: Shelf, 540: Wheel base, 541: Grinding wheel, Z1: First center coordinate, Z2: Second center coordinate

Claims

1. A work transfer device for transferring a plate-shaped work, comprising: a robot hand having a holding pad for holding the plate-shaped work, the upper and lower surfaces of the holding pad being reversible; ID reading means for reading the ID of the plate-shaped work held by the holding pad; imaging means for imaging the plate-shaped work held by the holding pad to obtain an imaging picture; first coordinate information acquisition means for acquiring first coordinate information of the plate-shaped work held by the holding pad based on the imaging picture; second coordinate information acquisition means for acquiring second coordinate information of the plate-shaped work when the holding pad holding the plate-shaped work is reversed based on the first coordinate information; control means for controlling the robot hand based on the first coordinate information or the second coordinate information to position the ID of the plate-shaped work held by the holding pad in the reading area of the ID reading means; A work transfer device characterized by comprising the above.

2. When the angle of the plate-shaped work held by the holding pad deviates from a preset reference range based on the imaging picture, the control means corrects the angle of the plate-shaped work held by the holding pad so as to be within the reference range, and then positions the ID of the plate-shaped work held by the holding pad in the imaging area of the ID reading means based on the second coordinate information. The work transfer device according to Claim 1.

3. The work transfer device according to Claim 1 or 2, a chuck table for holding the plate-shaped work so as to expose the work surface to be processed of the plate-shaped work; processing means for processing the work surface to be processed of the plate-shaped work held by the chuck table; A processing device comprising the above.

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