Transport member, inspection device, and transport method

Abstract

To provide a transport member, an inspection device, and a transport method capable of stable contact with a measurement electrode.SOLUTION: A transport member includes a base body having a plurality of accommodation holes for a chip component around a rotation axis. The accommodation hole has a short width which is larger than a thickness dimension or a width dimension of the chip component and smaller than a length dimension, and a long width which is larger than the length dimension and smaller than twice or smaller than three times the thickness dimension and the width dimension which are sufficiently separated from an integral multiple. The base body includes, as a suction groove connected to an inner edge on a back surface side of the accommodation hole, a first suction groove connected to an inner edge on an opposite side in a traveling direction of the accommodation hole and a second suction groove connected to an inner edge on a rotation axis side of the base body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a conveying member and a conveying method. [Background technology]

[0002] Current inspection and sorting devices for chip electronic components, such as multilayer ceramic capacitors, suck and feed chip electronic components into storage holes (pockets) arranged in multiple rows around the circumference of a disc-shaped conveying member (rotor). Because the electrical characteristics of the chip electronic components are inspected by contacting measurement terminals while they are sucked in, their electrodes must be exposed on either the front or back side of the conveying member when they are fed into the storage holes. For example, two-terminal chip components, such as two-terminal capacitors with electrodes on both end surfaces, are transported and measured by sucking them into the storage holes of the conveying member from the end surface. On the other hand, chip electronic components, such as VLCs and some three-terminal capacitors, have measurable electrodes on their flat or side surfaces. Therefore, the method of sucking them from the end surface and feeding them into the storage holes does not allow measurement terminals to contact the electrodes of the chip electronic components. Patent Document 1, for example, discloses a technique for measuring such chip electronic components. After sucking the chip electronic component from its end surface, it then rotates it 90 degrees to hold and transport the chip electronic component with its flat surface exposed on either the front or back side of the conveying member. This enables measurement of the planar electrodes. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-173257 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, some chip electronic components, such as three-terminal capacitors with side electrodes, have small electrodes in the center of the flat surface, making it difficult to achieve stable contact with the electrodes using the transfer technique of Patent Document 1.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a transport member, an inspection device, and a transport method that are capable of making stable contact with a measurement electrode. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The conveying member according to the present disclosure is a conveying member for chip components, and comprises a base having a plurality of storage holes for the chip components around a rotation axis, the storage holes having a short width greater than the thickness or width dimension of the chip component and smaller than the length dimension, and a long width greater than the length dimension and smaller than two or three times the thickness and width dimensions, sufficiently away from integer multiples of the thickness and width dimensions, and the base includes suction grooves connected to the inner edge of the back side of the storage holes, including a first suction groove connected to the inner edge of the storage holes on the opposite side of the direction of travel, and a second suction groove connected to the inner edge of the base on the rotation axis side.

[0007] The inspection device according to the present disclosure comprises a base portion having a base-side suction groove, a conveying member rotatably supported on the base portion, a supply portion that supplies chip components to the conveying member, an inspection portion that inspects the electrical characteristics of the chip components conveyed by the conveying member, and a discharge portion that sorts and discharges the chip components according to the inspection results by the inspection portion, wherein the conveying member comprises a base body having a plurality of storage holes for the chip components around a rotation axis, the storage holes having a short width that is greater than the thickness or width dimension of the chip component and smaller than the length dimension, and a long width that is greater than the length dimension and smaller than two or three times the thickness and width dimensions and is sufficiently far from integer multiples of the thickness and width dimensions, and the base body includes suction grooves connected to the inner edge of the back side of the storage holes, including a first suction groove connected to the inner edge of the storage hole on the opposite side of the direction of travel, and a second suction groove connected to the inner edge of the base on the rotation axis side.

[0008] The inspection method disclosed herein is a method for transporting chip components, in which the chip components are stored in storage holes formed in multiple locations around the rotation axis of a transport member, the storage holes having a short width greater than the thickness or width dimension of the chip components and smaller than the length dimension, and a long width greater than the length dimension and smaller than two or three times the thickness and width dimensions, and sufficiently away from integer multiples of the thickness and width dimensions, by suction provided as suction grooves connected to the inner edge of the back side of the storage hole, a first suction groove connected to the inner edge of the storage hole on the opposite side to the direction of travel, and a second suction groove connected to the inner edge of the rotation axis side of the transport member, and the chip components are transported by rotating the transport member while stored in the storage hole. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a transport member, an inspection device, and a transport method that are capable of making stable contact with a measurement electrode. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of an inspection device. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a front view of each functional unit of the inspection device. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a VV cross-sectional view of the supply section of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bucket as seen from the device main body side. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the brush unit as seen from above. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the supply failure detection unit as seen from the device main body side. [Figure 9] 9 is a cross-sectional view of the supply section of FIG. 4 taken along line IX-IX. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a base portion and a conveying member. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a side view of the measuring station as seen from the front side in the conveying direction. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the area around the bridge body of the measuring station. [Figure 17] 16 is an enlarged view of part D in FIG. 15 showing the operation of the measuring station. [Figure 18] FIG. [Figure 19] 18. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the discharge portion taken along line XVIII-XVIII of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] 1. Overview An inspection device 1 of this embodiment will be described. The inspection device 1 (inspection and sorting device) shown in FIG. 1 is a characteristic sorter that inspects the electrical characteristics of chip electronic components (hereinafter referred to as chip components) that have electrodes on at least part of their side surfaces or flat surfaces, and sorts them based on the inspection results. As shown in FIG. 2, the chip component C of this embodiment is a so-called low-profile multilayer ceramic capacitor having a rectangular parallelepiped shape in which the length dimension L>width dimension W>th dimension T. The chip component C of this embodiment is also a so-called three-terminal capacitor having an end surface electrode T1 provided on an end surface of the element body and a side surface electrode T2 provided on a side surface.

[0012] Two end surface electrodes T1 formed on both end surfaces of chip component C have the same potential. Furthermore, side surface electrodes T2 formed on opposing side surfaces of chip component C have the same potential. Chip component C is formed with end surface electrodes T1 and side surface electrodes T2 as positive or negative electrodes. Each end surface electrode T1 is formed as an electrode on a part of the side surface and flat surface adjacent to the end surface of the element body. Furthermore, each side surface electrode T2 is formed as an electrode on a part of the flat surface adjacent to the side surface of the element body. Note that chip component C may be an array type having multiple terminals with three or more terminals on the side surface or flat surface of the element body.

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an inspection device 1. The inspection device 1 includes a supply unit 2 that supplies chip components C to a transport member 7 (see FIG. 4) rotatably supported by a base unit 6 (see FIG. 4) provided on an apparatus main body 10, a transport unit 3 that transports the chip components C supplied by the supply unit 2, an inspection unit 4 that inspects the electrical characteristics of the chip components C transported by the transport member 7, and a discharge unit 5 that sorts and discharges the chip components C according to the inspection results by the inspection unit 4. FIG. 3 is a front view of the inspection device 1 showing the positional relationship between the supply unit 2, the transport unit 3, the inspection unit 4, and the discharge unit 5. The supply unit 2 is provided below the inspection device 1 at an angle of approximately 180 to 270 degrees. The inspection unit 4 is provided above the inspection device 1 at an angle of approximately 20 to 180 degrees. The discharge unit 5 is provided below the inspection device 1 at an angle of approximately 270 to 0 degrees.

[0014] The inspection device 1 includes a control device 12 (shown in FIG. 1) that controls the operation of each functional unit (supply unit 2, conveyance unit 3, inspection unit 4, discharge unit 5, etc.) and determines the detection values ​​detected by the various sensors. This control device 12 is, for example, a control unit of a personal computer or the like, and is provided within the inspection device 1.

[0015] 2 Supply section 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the vicinity of the supply unit 2 of the inspection device 1. The supply unit 2 includes a hopper unit 21, a parts feeder 22, a loading unit 23, a bucket 24, a brush unit 25, and a supply defect detection unit 26. The supply unit 2 supplies chip components C before inspection to the transport unit 3.

[0016] The hopper section 21 stores pre-inspection chip components C and transports them to the parts feeder 22. The hopper section 21 is a semi-conical cylindrical silo whose inner diameter narrows from top to bottom. The hopper section 21 supplies the chip components C to the parts feeder 22 according to the operating status of the inspection device 1. When the chip components C on the parts feeder 22 move to the loading section 23 side, which is the subsequent process, the hopper section 21 sequentially supplies the chip components C near the lower discharge section to the parts feeder 22.

[0017] The part feeder 22 supplies the chip components C supplied from the hopper section 21 to the loading section 23 (see FIG. 5), which is the subsequent process. The part feeder 22 in this embodiment is a linear feeder arranged in multiple rows. The part feeder 22 has multiple conveying lines 22a to 22f corresponding to the multiple conveying rows of the conveying member 7, which will be described later. The conveying lines 22a to 22f are configured to be able to operate independently. The conveying lines 22a to 22f supply chip components C to rows in the loading section 23 that are short of chip components C due to vibration of the conveying surface (specifically, supply lines 232a to 232f that are short of chip components C).

[0018] The storage holes 73 of the transport member 7 in this embodiment are arranged in multiple rows (six rows in this embodiment) corresponding to the supply lines 232a to 232f around the rotation axis P2 of the transport member 7. Since the parts feeders 22 supply chip components C for each of the transport lines 22a to 22f, the inspection device 1 can prevent an oversupply or undersupply of chip components C to the subsequent process. Therefore, the inspection device 1 can stabilize the supply rate of chip components C to the storage holes 73 at a high level and operate efficiently.

[0019] As shown in the enlarged view of part A in FIG. 4 and in FIG. 5, the loading section 23 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The loading section 23 has an inlet 231 at the top, through which chip components C are inserted. As shown in FIG. 5, the loading section 23 has a plurality of supply lines 232a to 232f inside, which correspond to the conveyance rows of the conveying members 7. The supply lines 232a to 232f are formed in straight lines and arranged in parallel. Furthermore, each of the supply lines 232a to 232f is arranged at an angle.

[0020] The chip components C conveyed by each of the conveying lines 22a to 22f of the parts feeder 22 are fed from the discharge end 221 of each of the conveying lines 22a to 22f to the corresponding supply lines 232a to 232f through the input port 231 of the loading section 23. The chip components C are supplied to the bucket 24 by passing over the inclined surfaces of each of the supply lines 232a to 232f.

[0021] The bucket 24 has the function of retaining the chip components C supplied from the loading unit 23 and transferring them to the conveying member 7. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the bucket 24 and the brush unit 25 as viewed from the device body 10 side of the inspection device 1. The bucket 24 has a plurality of supply paths 243a-243f for the chip components C. As shown in FIG. 5, the discharge ports 233 of the supply lines 232a-232f of the loading unit 23 are continuously connected to the supply paths 243a-243f, respectively, via the input ports 241. The supply paths 243a-243f are formed in an arc shape that follows the circumferential arrangement of the storage holes 73 so that the lower ends of the storage holes 73 of the conveying member 7, described later, as viewed from the front, are approximately flush with the bottom surfaces of the supply paths 243a-243f.

[0022] The bucket 24 has exhaust ports 244 and 245 on the inlet 241 side and outlet 242 side, respectively, for discharging agitating air. The air discharged from the exhaust ports 244 and 245 is discharged, for example, toward the inside of the bucket 24. This agitates the chip components C supplied into the bucket 24, preventing the chip components C from being unevenly accumulated inside the supply paths 243a to 243f and preventing a decrease in the supply rate of the chip components C. Furthermore, the air discharged from the exhaust port 245 blows chip components C that have adhered to the surface 71a of the conveying member 7 or that have been sucked into the storage holes 73 in an unintended orientation back toward the inlet 241 side of the bucket 24, preventing supply failures.

[0023] Chip components C supplied from the loading unit 23 enter the inside of the bucket 24 through the inlet 241, and while being agitated by air from the exhaust outlets 244 and 245, are successively sucked into the storage holes 73 of the conveying member 7. The sucked chip components C move together with the rotational drive of the conveying member 7, and proceed to the inspection process in the inspection unit 4 and the classification and discharge process in the discharge unit 5.

[0024] The bucket 24 also has an in-bucket sensor 246 located approximately midway within the supply paths 243a-243f that detects the presence or absence of chip components C or the amount of chip components C being supplied (see enlarged view of part C). The in-bucket sensor 246 is a light-emitting / receiving sensor that emits light from the ceiling side of the supply paths 243a-243f that faces the conveying member 7 toward the conveying member 7 and detects the received intensity of the reflected light to determine whether the amount of chip components C remaining is excessive or insufficient. The control device 12 of the inspection device 1 determines the amount of chip components C using a predetermined threshold value and controls the amount of chip components C supplied from the parts feeder 22 so as to increase the efficiency of the introduction of chip components C by the inspection device 1 (for example, the supply rate of chip components C to storage holes 73).

[0025] For example, when there are many chip components C in the bucket 24, the intensity of light received by the in-bucket sensor 246 increases. Conversely, when there are few chip components C in the bucket 24, the intensity of light received by the in-bucket sensor 246 decreases. When there is a shortage of chip components C in the bucket 24, the control device 12 of the inspection device 1 controls the hopper unit 21 and the parts feeder 22 to increase the amount of chip components C supplied.

[0026] 6 and 7 has the function of brushing off chip components C that have stuck to the surface of the transport member 7 due to static electricity or the like, or chip components C that have been stored in an unintended orientation in the storage holes 73. The brush unit 25 of this embodiment includes a rotating brush 251 that rotates in contact with the surface of the transport member 7 or in a non-contact state close to the surface (for example, close enough to leave a gap smaller than the dimensions of the chip components C).

[0027] The rotating brush 251 has a rotation axis parallel to a direction substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying member 7 (in other words, a radial direction relative to the rotation axis of the conveying member 7). The rotating brush 251 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and has a plurality of flat brush pieces 252 around its outer periphery. The rotating brush 251 rotates on the surface side of the conveying member 7 so that the brush pieces 252 move from above to below.

[0028] For example, chip components C stuck to the surface of the transport member 7 or chip components C stored in the storage holes 73 in an unintended orientation come into contact with the brush pieces 252 of the rotating brush 251 and are brushed off into the supply paths 243a to 243f below. This prevents chip components C from scattering around, improper transport that could result in poor inspection in the inspection unit 4, and incorrect discharge to the discharge unit 5.

[0029] Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the supply failure detection unit 26 as seen from the device main body 10 side of the inspection device 1. Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the supply unit 2 taken along line IX-IX in Fig. 4. The supply failure detection unit 26 prevents abnormally transported chip components C that could not be removed even by the brush unit 25 (chip components C stuck to the surface 71a of the transport member 7, or chip components C stored in the storage holes 73 in an unintended orientation, etc.) from moving to the next process.

[0030] The supply failure detection unit 26 includes an optical sensor 261 that optically detects abnormally transported chip components C, a supply-side discharge unit 264 that discharges chip components C detected by the optical sensor 261, and a contact sensor 265 that physically detects chip components C. A plurality of optical sensors 261 (261a to 261f) are provided corresponding to each row of the storage holes 73 of the transport member 7. The optical sensors 261a to 261f are transmission-type sensors that include a light-emitting unit 262 that emits light and a light-receiving unit 263 that receives the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 262. The light emitted from a light source (not shown) is guided to the light-emitting unit 262 via an optical fiber or the like. The light-receiving unit 263 guides the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 262 and received by it to a detection circuit (not shown) via an optical fiber or the like.

[0031] 9, the supply-side discharge section 264 has an exhaust flow path 266 that supplies exhaust air for the chip components C, and an exhaust tube 267 that is arranged opposite the exhaust flow path 266. The exhaust flow path 266 has a solenoid valve that controls the on / off of positive pressure, and outputs exhaust air in pulses when the chip component C to be discharged is located at the supply-side discharge section 264. The exhaust tube 267 uses the exhaust air from the exhaust flow path 266 to collect the chip components C discharged from the storage holes 73 into a sorting box connected to the exhaust tube 267.

[0032] The contact sensor 265 is a flat-plate-like member (flap-like member) arranged across each row of the storage holes 73 of the transport member 7. The gap between the tip 265a of the contact sensor 265 and the transport member 7 is set, for example, to be equal to or less than the shortest dimension of the chip components C (in this embodiment, the thickness dimension). The contact sensor 265 detects, by contact, abnormally transported chip components C that could not be detected by the optical sensor 261 or that could not be discharged from the supply-side discharge section 264. If the contact sensor 265 detects an abnormally transported chip component C, the inspection device 1 stops the rotation of the transport member 7 and the driving of the inspection section 4, such as inspection, and brings the entire device to an error stop. This prevents abnormally transported chip components C from moving toward the inspection section 4 through multiple detection.

[0033] 3. Conveyor Next, the configuration of the transport unit 3 will be described. The transport unit 3 includes a base unit 6 and a transport member 7 on the device body 10 side of the inspection device 1. FIG. 10 is a front view of the base unit 6. The base unit 6 is provided substantially perpendicular to the front side of the device body 10 of the inspection device 1. The base unit 6 is a plate-like member formed in a substantially annular shape. The base unit 6 has an annular transport surface 61 (61a to 61f) that supports one side of the chip component C from when the chip component C is supplied to the transport member 7 until it is discharged by the discharge unit 5.

[0034] The conveying surface 61 is formed as a flat surface. The number of conveying surfaces 61 is equal to the number of rows of storage holes 73 in the conveying member 7. In this embodiment, six rows of conveying surfaces 61 are provided with different diameters around the rotation axis P1. The rotation drive unit 11 of the inspection device 1 is disposed on the center side of the base part 6. The rotation drive unit 11 is provided with a plurality of positioning protrusions 112 that position the conveying member 7 around the rotation axis, and a fastening part 111 that fixes the conveying member 7 to the rotation drive unit 11.

[0035] The conveying surface 61 has an exhaust port 611 to which the exhaust flow path 266 described above is connected, terminal holes 612 to 614 for inserting the measurement terminals 44 of the inspection unit 4, and a plurality of exhaust ports 615 according to the classification items of the discharge unit 5. The conveying surface 61 in the inspection unit 4 is formed of an insulating material such as ceramic or resin. The conveying surfaces 61 in the supply unit 2 and the discharge unit 5 are formed of a high-strength material such as metal, ceramic or resin. The base unit 6 of this embodiment is composed of a plurality of members in the circumferential direction.

[0036] The base portion 6 has base-side suction grooves 62 (62a to 62f). The base-side suction grooves 62 are provided in the same number as the number of rows of the storage holes 73 of the conveying member 7, and in this embodiment, six rows are provided with different diameters around the rotation axis P1. Therefore, each base-side suction groove 62 (62a to 62f) is provided in pairs with a conveying surface 61 (61a to 61f). The base-side suction groove 62 is formed in a concave groove shape. Furthermore, a plurality of suction ports 621 are formed in the bottom of the base-side suction groove 62.

[0037] 11 is a front view of the transport member 7. The transport member 7 has a function of transporting chip components C to an inspection position. The transport member 7 has a circular opening 72 in the center and is formed in the shape of a flat ring. The transport member 7 is made of an insulating material such as glass epoxy resin, for example.

[0038] The conveying member 7 includes a base 71 having a plurality of storage holes 73 for chip components C around a rotation axis P2. The base 71 is provided with a plurality of positioning holes 712 and fastening openings 711 on the rotation axis P2 side of the storage holes 73. As shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 14 , the conveying member 7 is fixed to the base 6 by inserting the positioning protrusions 112 on the base 6 into the positioning holes 712 and using the openings 711 and fastening portions 111. The conveying member 7 is also fixed to the base 6 so that the rotation axis P2 and the rotation axis P1 coincide with each other. As a result, when the rotation drive unit 11 rotates, the storage holes 73 of the conveying member 7 can rotate clockwise around the rotation axes P1 and P2, with the direction of travel D1 being the direction of travel.

[0039] FIG. 12 is a front perspective view (71-1) and a rear perspective view (71-2) of the storage hole 73. FIG. 13 is a plan view of the storage hole 73. The storage hole 73 is a substantially rectangular through-hole (see also the enlarged view of the storage hole 73 in FIG. 11). The storage hole 73 has a long side 73h that is longer in the direction of travel D1 (circumferential direction of the conveying member 7) and a short side 73g that is shorter in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel (radial direction of the conveying member 7). In this embodiment, the short side 73g of the storage hole 73 is larger than the thickness dimension T of the chip component C and smaller than the width dimension W. In this embodiment, the long side 73h of the chip component C is larger than the length dimension L and smaller than twice the width dimension W, which is sufficiently far from an integral multiple of the width dimension W.

[0040] The length of the long side 73h of the chip component C may be greater than the length dimension L and smaller than twice the width dimension W, which is sufficiently far from being an integral multiple of the width dimension W.

[0041] The dimensions of chip component C are not uniform or identical due to manufacturing variations in the dimensions of the element body (the portion excluding the external electrodes, which in the case of a multilayer ceramic capacitor corresponds to the ceramic portion) or manufacturing variations in the thickness of the element body electrodes. Therefore, it is preferable that the long side 73h of chip component C has a margin large enough to absorb these variations, and by setting the dimension to be sufficiently far from an integer multiple of the width dimension W, it is possible to prevent problems from occurring when inserting chip component C.

[0042] For example, by setting the length of the storage hole 73 to a dimension that is sufficiently far from an integer multiple of the width dimension W, such as 1.5 to 1.8 times the width dimension W of the chip component C, or 2.2 to 2.5 times the width dimension W of the chip component C, it is possible to prevent the storage and ejection operations into the storage hole 73 from being hindered even if the dimensions of the chip component C are somewhat large due to manufacturing variations.

[0043] Furthermore, when the length of the storage hole 73 is set to 1.4 to 1.8 times the width dimension W of the chip component C, which is less than twice the width dimension W, it is possible to easily store one chip component C while preventing two or more chip components C from being mistakenly sucked into the storage hole 73. When the length of the storage hole 73 is set to 2.2 to 2.5 times the width dimension W of the chip component C, which is more than twice but less than three times the width dimension W, it is possible to easily store and discharge the chip component C to be transported that was first sucked into the storage hole 73. Furthermore, even if two chip components C are mistakenly sucked in, the chip components C can be easily removed from the storage hole 73 by the brush unit 25 or the supply defect detection unit 26.

[0044] The length of the long side 73h of the storage hole 73 is set to be larger than the planar diagonal dimension LW of the chip component C. This allows the chip component C to be inserted into the storage hole 73 from the end face side and easily stored by tipping over from the side.

[0045] The storage hole 73 of this embodiment is formed by cutting by inserting a cutting tool such as an end mill in the plate thickness direction of the conveying member 7. The storage hole 73 has a processed end groove 732 that is concavely curved (or concavely arc-shaped) in plan view and formed by relief machining at a corner 731 where an inner edge 73a1 on the opposite side of the moving direction of the storage hole 73 and an inner edge 73b1 on the rotation axis P2 side of the base 71 are connected.

[0046] The machined end groove 732 protrudes from the position of the corner 731 substantially in the direction of the rotation axis P2 beyond the inner edge 73b1. As will be described later, the chip component C is attracted by negative pressure toward the inner edge 73a1 and the inner edge 73b1 adjacent to the corner 731. Therefore, by forming the corner 731 into a pseudo-pin-angle shape, the chip component C is stably supported in the storage hole 73 with two surfaces of the chip component C substantially in surface contact with the inner edge 73a1 and the inner edge 73b1 (see FIG. 13).

[0047] The storage hole 73 has an inclined portion 733 on an inner edge 73a2 on the side of the storage hole 73 in the direction of travel D1 (clockwise direction of the conveying member 7). The inclined portion 733 has approximately the same width as the short side 73g, and the inner edge 73a2 is formed in a C-chamfered shape from the front surface 71a toward the back surface 71b of the conveying member 7. The inclined depth of the inclined portion 733 is at least half the depth of the storage hole 73 (the thickness of the conveying member 7).

[0048] The inclined portion 733 is provided on the side of the storage hole 73 in the direction of travel D1, which is opposite to the main support portion of the chip components C, and therefore does not impair the stability of the chip components C supported within the storage hole 73. Therefore, the inclined portion 733 can be formed relatively deep, which improves the rate at which the chip components C are supplied to the storage hole 73.

[0049] The base 71 has a suction groove 734 connected to the inner edge of the storage hole 73 on the back surface 71b side (see also FIG. 11). The suction groove 734 includes, on the back surface 71b side, a first suction groove 734a connected to an inner edge 73a1 of the storage hole 73 on the opposite side of the moving direction D1, and a second suction groove 734b connected to an inner edge 73b1 of the base 71 on the rotation axis P2 side. The first suction groove 734a extends from the storage hole 73 in the longitudinal direction opposite the moving direction of the storage hole 73 and is formed in an L-shape bent at a substantially right angle toward the rotation axis P2 side. The first suction groove 734a is connected to the storage hole 73 so that an inner edge 734a3 on the side of a corner 731 around the connection with the storage hole 73 and an inner edge 73b1 adjacent to the corner 731 are substantially flat. The second suction groove 734b extends linearly toward the rotation axis P2 side.

[0050] The suction groove 734 includes a third suction groove 734c having a substantially rectangular or rectangular ring shape formed around the entire periphery of the inner edges 73a and 73b of the storage hole 73. The third suction groove 734c is formed to have a larger diameter than the storage hole 73 in rear view. The third suction groove 734c is also formed to be shallower than the first suction groove 734a and the second suction groove 734b.

[0051] When the conveying member 7 is attached to the base portion 6, the openings of the storage holes 73 (73a to 73f) of each conveying row on the back surface 71b side and the spaces of the third suction grooves 734c are blocked by the corresponding conveying surfaces 61 (61a to 61f) on the back surface 71b side. Furthermore, the base portions 734a1 and 734b1 of the first suction grooves 734a and the second suction grooves 734b on the storage holes 73 (73a to 73f) side are blocked by the respective conveying surfaces 61 (61a to 61f) on the back surface 71b side. Meanwhile, the ends 734a2 and 734b2 of the first suction grooves 734a and the second suction grooves 734b are connected to the base-side suction grooves 62 corresponding to the storage holes 73 (73a to 73f) of each conveying row.

[0052] The inspection apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes, as a method for transporting chip components C, a step of storing chip components C and a step of transporting chip components C. In the step of storing chip components C, as described above, in the bucket 24 of the supply unit 2, the chip components C are sucked into the storage holes 73 by the suction grooves 734 connected to the inner edges of the back surfaces 71b of the storage holes 73. In the step of transporting chip components C, the control device of the inspection apparatus 1 rotates the transport member 7 with the chip components C stored in the storage holes 73, thereby transporting the chip components C. During transport, the chip components C can move in the traveling direction D1 while being constantly sucked by the flow path formed by the first suction grooves 734a and the second suction grooves 734b.

[0053] 4 Measuring part As shown in FIG. 3, the inspection unit 4 has a plurality of measuring stations 41 (41A to 41K). In this embodiment, the measuring stations 41 are provided at 11 locations in the conveying direction of the chip components C. At the measuring stations 41, tests such as withstand voltage tests, insulation resistance tests, and capacitance tests are performed according to the inspection items set for each chip component C product to be inspected. The inspection device 1 stores chip components C in the storage holes 73 of a rotary conveying member 7, while the conveying member 7 repeats a stepwise movement of rotation and stopping. The inspection unit 4 contacts measuring terminals 44 at the plurality of measuring stations 41 along the conveying path while the chip components C are stopped, measures various electrical characteristics, and determines the inspection results.

[0054] FIG. 15 is a side view of the measuring station 41 (41A). FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of the area around the piece main body 45 of the measuring station 41. The measuring station 41 includes a holding unit 42 cantilevered via a base 101 to the device main body 10 to which the base 6 of the inspection device 1 is fixed, a measurement drive unit 43 supported by the holding unit 42, and a measurement terminal 44 for testing the electrical characteristics of the chip components C. The holding unit 42 includes an air cylinder. The holding unit 42 drives and controls the measurement drive unit 43 up and down (toward and away from the conveying member 7) to bring the measurement terminal 44 into contact with the chip components C conveyed by the conveying member 7, thereby performing measurement.

[0055] The measurement terminal 44 (also referred to as a probe or contact probe) of this embodiment includes a main body 441 and a plunger 442 that can expand and contract relative to the main body 441. The main body 441 and plunger 442 are electrically connected. The plunger 442 can expand and contract against the elastic force of an elastic member housed in the main body 441. The plunger 442 expands and contracts due to the elastic member in the main body 441. Therefore, the measurement terminal 44 is formed so as to be elastically deformable relative to the chip component C when the measurement drive unit 43 descends relative to the transport member 7.

[0056] Measurement wiring of a measuring instrument is connected to the end of the measuring terminal 44 on the main body 441 side. Examples of the measuring instrument include an LC meter, an LCR meter, an IR meter, and a voltage source. Furthermore, the main body 441 may be connected to a passive circuit such as a discharge circuit depending on the function of the measuring station 41.

[0057] The measurement drive unit 43 has a terminal holder 431 that supports a main body 441 of the measurement terminal 44, a guide portion 432 that guides a plunger 442, a bridge mounting portion 433, and an intermediate guide portion 434. As shown in Fig. 15, the inspection unit 4 of this embodiment has, as the measurement terminals 44, a first measurement terminal 44A (44) provided on the upper side (the side of the front surface 71a of the conveying member 7) and a second measurement terminal 44B (44) provided on the lower side (the side of the back surface 71b of the conveying member). The terminal holder 431 has a circular through-hole 431a through which the main body 441 is inserted and supported (see Fig. 16).

[0058] The measurement driving unit 43 supports the measurement terminal 44 while being disposed opposite the conveying member 7. The measurement driving unit 43 is driven by the holding unit 42 to move the measurement terminal 44 toward or away from the chip component C at the inspection position.

[0059] In addition, the measurement station 41A (41) also has a guide section 46 fixed to the device main body 10 on the back surface 71b side of the conveying member 7, and a measurement drive section 47 that can be controlled to drive in a direction away from the conveying member 7 while supporting the second measurement terminal 44B.

[0060] 16, the measurement drive unit 43 includes a piece main body 45 attached to the piece attachment part 433, and a stop piece 451 protruding from the piece main body 45 toward the conveying member 7. The piece attachment part 433 and the piece main body 45 are positioned by inserting a positioning protrusion 433a formed on the piece attachment part 433 into a positioning hole 45a formed in the piece main body 45. The piece attachment part 433 and the piece main body 45 are fixed by screwing together a screw member 433b.

[0061] The piece mounting portion 433 is provided in the measurement drive unit 43 so as to protrude in a direction D2 approximately perpendicular to the direction D1 of travel of the storage hole 73 (the direction in which the chip components C are conveyed). In this embodiment, the abutment pieces 451 are arranged on both sides of the chip components C arranged in multiple rows in the radial direction of the conveying member 7, opposite the conveying direction (on both sides in the inner and outer radial directions around the rotation axis P2 of the conveying member 7).

[0062] 17 is an enlarged view of portion D in FIG. 15, showing the operation of the measuring station. The piece main body 45 is disposed farther away from the conveying member 7 than the end face 432a of the guide portion 432. The abutting piece 451 is a protruding portion that protrudes in an oval (or elliptical) shape having a major axis that is approximately parallel to the moving direction D1 of the conveying member 7. The flat end face 451a of the abutting piece 451 is disposed approximately parallel to the surface 71a of the conveying member 7.

[0063] The distance L1 between the contact point (tip end 442a) of the measuring terminal 44 and the chip component C is set to be equal to or less than the distance L2 between the abutment piece 451 and the conveying member 7.

[0064] The guide portion 432 has a through-hole 432b formed so that the plunger 442 of the measurement terminal 44 can be inserted and removed with a loose fit. The guide portion 432 is disposed between the tip end 442a and base end of the plunger 442, and suppresses swinging of the plunger 442 and stabilizes the position of the contact point of the measurement terminal 44. Therefore, the influence on the measurement in the inspection unit 4 (for example, the influence on the measurement accuracy) can be reduced.

[0065] The intermediate guide portion 434 has a through hole 434b formed so that the plunger 442 of the measurement terminal 44 can be inserted and removed with a loose fit. The intermediate guide portion 434 supports the plunger 442 on the main body portion 441 side of the position of the through hole 432b of the guide portion 432. The plunger 442 of the measurement terminal 44 is supported by the intermediate guide portion 434 and the guide portion 432, thereby further improving the linearity of the movement of the tip portion 442a.

[0066] Next, the inspection method in the inspection unit 4 of the inspection device 1 will be described. The control device 12 of the inspection device 1 moves the chip component C to the inspection position using the transport member 7. As shown in FIG. 17, the control device 12 moves the measurement driver 43 relatively close to the transport member 7 until the abutting piece 451 abuts against the transport member 7 (D-1). At this time, the distance L1 between the contact point (tip 442a) of the measurement terminal 44 and the chip component C is set to be equal to or less than the distance L2 between the abutting piece 451 and the transport member 7. Therefore, after the measurement terminal 44 abuts against the chip component C (D-2), the abutting piece 451 abuts against the transport member 7 (D-3). As a result, the cantilevered measurement driver 43 and the measurement terminal 44 supported by the measurement driver 43 can be stably maintained in position relative to the storage hole 73 of the transport member 7. Therefore, the contact position of the measurement terminal 44 with each electrode T1, T2 of the chip component C can be stably maintained.

[0067] Furthermore, the distance L1 between the contact point (tip 442a) of the measuring terminal 44 and the chip component C is set to be equal to or less than the distance L2 between the abutment piece 451 and the conveying member 7, so the tip 442a of the measuring terminal 44 comes into contact with the electrode of the chip component C (the side portion of the end-face electrode T1 or the side portion of the side electrode T2) with a contact pressure set in advance in accordance with the amount of pressing against the elastic force. In this way, the inspection unit 4 inspects the electrical characteristics by abutting the measuring terminal 44 against the electrode of the chip component C while abutting the abutment piece 451 against the conveying member 7, thereby improving the accuracy of the measurement and enabling accurate determination of pass / fail based on the measured values.

[0068] If the contact pressure of the measurement terminal 44 on the chip component C is too weak, chattering or increased contact resistance can occur, making the measured values ​​unstable and making it difficult to obtain accurate measurements. On the other hand, if the contact pressure of the measurement terminal 44 on the chip component C is too strong, it may cause contact damage to the chip component C (for example, contact marks on the electrodes). Therefore, in the past, when the dimensions of the chip component C or electrodes to be tested changed, it was necessary to finely adjust the height of the measurement terminal 44 in order to perform stable measurements and to prevent excessive contact damage to the chip component C.

[0069] However, by adopting a configuration in which the abutment piece 451 is pressed as in this embodiment, even if there is a change in the thickness of the conveying member 7 (i.e., even if there is a change in the dimensions of the chip component C), as long as the relationship between the distances L1 and L2 is not changed, the measuring terminal 44 will follow the change in the thickness of the conveying member 7, and the pressing amount (i.e., contact pressure) of the measuring terminal 44 can be set to the same. This allows the inspection device 1 to inspect the chip component C with a preset appropriate contact pressure without having to make fine height adjustments to the measuring terminal 44.

[0070] The chip component C transported by the transport member 7 is moved to a preset inspection position and brought into contact with the first measuring terminal 44A and the second measuring terminal 44B so as to be sandwiched from above and below. The chip component C is subjected to an electrical characteristic inspection by contacting the measuring terminals 44A and 44B.

[0071] The electrodes T1 and T2 of the chip component C that the measuring terminals 44 (44A and 44B) contact for the electrical characteristic test are selected depending on the test content. To stabilize the contact, two (or more than two) measuring terminals 44 may be brought into contact with the electrodes T1 and T2 of the chip component C.

[0072] 5 Discharge section Fig. 18 is a perspective view of the discharge unit 5. Fig. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XIX-XIX of the discharge unit 5 of Fig. 18. The discharge unit 5 has the function of sorting and storing the chip components C transported by the transport member 7 into designated sorting boxes 51 based on the judgment results of the inspection unit 4 (for example, whether the components passed the inspection or failed the inspection, or the failure judgment items for the components that failed the inspection, etc.).

[0073] The base section 6 has a plurality of exhaust ports 615 in the area of ​​the discharge section 5 in the traveling direction D1 of the chip components C. The exhaust port 615a on the front side in the traveling direction D1 mainly exhausts exhaust air used to sort products that have failed inspection into each failure judgment item. The exhaust port 615b on the back side in the traveling direction D1 exhausts exhaust air used to sort products that have passed inspection.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 19 , an opening 521 of the discharge tube 52 is disposed at a position opposite the exhaust port 615. The discharge tube 52 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The opening 521 is provided at one end of the discharge tube 52, and the other end is connected to the sorting box 51. When the chip components C move to a predetermined position, the discharge unit 5 blows out exhaust air from the exhaust port 615 provided in the base unit 6, thereby discharging the chip components C from the storage hole 73 of the conveying member 7 into the discharge tube 52. The discharged chip components C pass through the discharge tube 52 and are stored in the sorting box 51.

[0075] The configuration of the inspection device 1 has been described above in this embodiment. The transport member 7 includes a base 71 having a plurality of storage holes 73 for chip components C arranged around a rotation axis. The storage holes 73 have a short width that is larger than the thickness dimension T or width dimension W of the chip components C and smaller than the length dimension L, and a long width that is larger than the length dimension L and smaller than the thickness dimension T and width dimension W. The base 71 includes suction grooves 734 connected to the inner edge of the back side of the storage holes 73, including a first suction groove 734a connected to the inner edge of the storage holes 73 on the opposite side of the direction of travel of the base 71, and a second suction groove 734b connected to the inner edge of the base 71 on the rotation axis side. Therefore, it is possible to configure the transport member 7, inspection device 1, and transport method that enable stable contact with the measurement electrodes (T1, T2).

[0076] The present disclosure can provide an inspection device 1 that can inspect and sort chip components C with side electrodes, such as a chip-type three-terminal capacitor, at high speed. Furthermore, the present disclosure can configure an inspection device 1 that can automatically inspect and sort chip components C with electrodes on their side surfaces stably and quickly while sharing some of the configuration of conventional inspection devices, by making improvements to the shape and arrangement of storage holes (pockets) for chip components C that are provided in a transport member used in an inspection device for two-terminal chip capacitors, and by making improvements to the method of holding chip components C in the storage holes.

[0077] Furthermore, in an inspection device that uses a horizontally conveying disk-shaped conveying member to measure chip components C using side electrodes, storage grooves (pockets) for storing chip components C are configured in a single row around the periphery, which makes it difficult to convey multiple rows like the vertically conveying disk-shaped conveying member 7 of this embodiment, and makes it difficult to achieve high-speed processing. The present disclosure makes it possible to use a vertically conveying multiple row conveying method even when the measuring terminals 44 are brought into contact with the side of the chip components C, thereby achieving a significant improvement in the processing capacity of the inspection device 1.

[0078] In addition, the long side dimension of the storage hole 73 in this embodiment is long enough to smoothly suck in the chip components C, but short enough to prevent abnormal suction or to facilitate the ejection of abnormally sucked chip components C. Specifically, the long side 73h of the storage hole 73 is approximately the same as or slightly larger than the planar diagonal dimension of the chip components C to be transported. This allows the storage hole 73 to easily return to a normal side-on state after abnormally sucking a chip component C sucked from its end face. Furthermore, by making the long side 73h no larger than twice the width W of the chip component C, it is possible to prevent two chip components C from being sucked in at once. Alternatively, by making the long side 73h sufficiently longer than twice the width W, it is possible to facilitate the ejection of two chip components C even when they are sucked in.

[0079] Furthermore, first suction groove 734a and second suction groove 734b, which are connected in two directions, are provided within storage hole 73 of conveying member 7, and the chip components C in storage hole 73 are pulled in a predetermined direction by suction, thereby stably holding them. On the other hand, even if the chip components C are sucked into storage hole 73, if the state is abnormal, such as when they are only sucked into suction groove 734 in one direction, the holding force of the chip components C will decrease, and the chip components C can be easily removed from storage hole 73 by agitating air from exhaust ports 244, 245 or brush piece 252.

[0080] The above has described an inspection device 1 that includes a transport member 7 that transports chip components C to an inspection position, measurement terminals 44 that inspect the electrical characteristics of chip components C, and a measurement drive unit 43 that has a stop piece 451, supports the measurement terminal 44 while positioned opposite the transport member 7, and can move the measurement terminal 44 toward or away from the chip component C at the inspection position. In this inspection device 1, the distance L1 between the contact point of the measurement terminal and the chip component C is set to be equal to or less than the distance L2 between the stop piece and the transport member.

[0081] Furthermore, when measuring chip components C, the measuring station 41 is pressed against the transport member 7, thereby suppressing vibrations during inspection and measurement and vibrations at the time of electrode contact, enabling stable measurements during high-speed processing. By attaching the intermediate guide portion 434 to the measurement drive unit 43, vibrations of the measuring terminal 44 can be suppressed, making stable measurements during high-speed processing even more possible.

[0082] The inspection device 1 and inspection method of the present disclosure can suppress vibrations during driving of the measurement drive unit 43 or vibrations of the measurement terminals 44, even during high-speed processing. Therefore, the inspection device 1 can suppress variations in measurement values ​​and improve judgment accuracy and processing capacity.

[0083] Furthermore, the inspection device 1 of the present disclosure can perform stable measurements even when the measuring station 41 has a cantilever structure.

[0084] This concludes the description of the embodiment of the present disclosure. The present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, although the storage hole 73 of this embodiment has been described as having the inclined portion 733, it may have a configuration without the inclined portion 733. In this case, it is possible to reduce one or both of the processing time and processing cost of the storage hole 73.

[0085] The abutment piece 451 may be configured to be elastically deformable relative to the measurement drive unit 43 by an elastic member such as a coil spring.

[0086] Also, a low-hardness material may be attached to the tip of the abutment piece 451. For example, the abutment piece 451 may be provided with a cushioning material such as rubber to absorb impacts. This can suppress wear on the conveying member 7, extend the service life of the conveying member 7, and reduce operating costs.

[0087] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the inspection device 1 transports and inspects a three-terminal capacitor as the multi-terminal chip component C, but an array component having two or more sets of electrodes on its side surface may also be used as the multi-terminal chip component C. The two-terminal chip component C is not limited to a configuration having end surface electrodes in the length direction (longitudinal direction), but may also be a configuration having side electrodes (or flat electrodes) in the height direction or width direction (short direction).

[0088] Furthermore, the configuration in which the measurement terminal 44 is formed to be elastically deformable relative to the chip component C is not limited to a configuration in which the main body 441 and plunger 442 of the measurement terminal 44 expand and contract, but may also be a configuration in which a part of the measurement drive unit 43 supporting the measurement terminal 44 elastically deforms and expands and contracts.

[0089] Furthermore, the chip component C is not limited to a low-profile rectangular parallelepiped chip component with a relationship of length L > width W > thickness T, but may also have width W = thickness T. The shape of the storage hole 73 with a short width can be set according to width W = thickness T of the chip component C. The chip component C with width W = thickness T may be a two-terminal component having end face electrodes on both end faces, or may be a multi-terminal component having electrodes on the side or flat surface.

[0090] An example of the configuration of the present disclosure is as follows. [1] A chip component transport member, a base body having a plurality of storage holes for the chip components around a rotation axis; the accommodation hole has a short width that is larger than the thickness dimension or width dimension of the chip component and smaller than the length dimension, and a long width that is larger than the length dimension and smaller than two or three times the thickness dimension and width dimension, and is sufficiently separated from an integer multiple of the thickness dimension and width dimension; The base body includes, as suction grooves connected to an inner edge of the back surface side of the storage hole, a first suction groove connected to an inner edge on the opposite side of the storage hole in the traveling direction, and a second suction groove connected to an inner edge on the rotation shaft side of the base body. Conveying member. [2] the chip component has a rectangular parallelepiped shape in which the length dimension is greater than the width dimension and the thickness dimension is greater than the width dimension, The short width of the storage hole is greater than the thickness dimension and smaller than the width dimension. [1] The conveying member according to the present invention. [3] The conveying member according to [1], wherein the storage hole has the long width in the direction of travel. [4] The conveying member according to [1], wherein the long width is formed to be larger than a planar diagonal dimension of the chip component. [5] The conveying member according to [1], wherein the suction groove includes a third suction groove formed around the entire inner edge of the storage hole. [6] The conveying member according to [1], wherein the storage hole has a processed end groove at the corner where the inner edge of the storage hole on the opposite side of the traveling direction and the inner edge on the rotation shaft side of the base are connected. [7] The storage hole has the long width in the traveling direction, The long width is formed to be larger than a planar diagonal dimension of the chip component, the suction groove includes a third suction groove formed around the entire inner edge of the receiving hole, The storage hole has a processed end groove at a corner where an inner edge of the storage hole on the opposite side of the traveling direction and an inner edge of the base body on the rotation shaft side are connected. The conveying member according to [2]. [8] a base portion having a base-side suction groove; a conveying member rotatably supported relative to the base portion; a supply unit that supplies chip components to the transport member; an inspection unit that inspects electrical characteristics of the chip components transported by the transport member; a discharge unit that classifies and discharges items according to the inspection results of the inspection unit; Equipped with The conveying member is a base body having a plurality of storage holes for the chip components around a rotation axis; the accommodation hole has a short width that is larger than the thickness dimension or width dimension of the chip component and smaller than the length dimension, and a long width that is larger than the length dimension and smaller than two or three times the thickness dimension and width dimension, and is sufficiently separated from an integer multiple of the thickness dimension and width dimension; The base body includes, as suction grooves connected to an inner edge of the back surface side of the storage hole, a first suction groove connected to an inner edge on the opposite side of the storage hole in the traveling direction, and a second suction groove connected to an inner edge on the rotation shaft side of the base body. Inspection equipment. [9] A method for transporting chip components, comprising: a plurality of storage holes are formed around the rotation axis of the conveying member, each having a short width greater than the thickness or width of the chip component and smaller than the length, and a long width greater than the length and smaller than two or three times the thickness or width, and sufficiently away from an integral multiple of the thickness or width; the chip components are stored in the storage holes by suction provided by a first suction groove connected to the inner edge of the back surface of the storage hole and located on the opposite side of the direction of travel of the storage hole, and a second suction groove connected to the inner edge of the rotation axis of the conveying member; The chip components are transported by rotating the transport member while they are housed in the housing holes. Transportation method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 1. Inspection equipment 2 Supply section 3. Conveyor 4. Inspection Department 5 Discharge section 6 Base 7. Conveying member 10. Device body 11 Rotation drive unit 12 Control device 21 Hopper section 22 Parts feeder 22a~22f Conveyor line 23 Loading section 24 buckets 25 Brush section 26 Supply failure detection unit 41(41A~41K) Measuring Station 42 Holding part 43 Measurement drive unit 44 Measurement terminal 44A First measurement terminal 44B Second measurement terminal 45 Piece body 45a Positioning hole 46 Guide part 47 Measurement drive unit 51 Classification box 52 Discharge tube 61 Conveying surface 62 Base side suction groove 71 Base 71a surface 71b back side 72 Opening 73 Storage hole 73a, 73b, 73a1, 73a2, 73b1 Inner border 73g short side 73h long side 101 Base 111 Fastening part 112 Positioning protrusion 221 Discharge end 231 Inlet 232a~232f Supply lines 233 Outlet 241 Inlet 242 Outlet 243a~243f Supply route 244,245 Exhaust port 246 In-bucket sensor 251 Rotating Brush 252 Brush Piece 261(261a~261f) Optical sensor 262 Light projector 263 Light receiving part 264 Supply side discharge section 265 Contact Sensor 265a Tip 266 Exhaust flow path 267 Discharge Tube 431 Terminal holder 431a Through hole 432 Guide part 432a End face 432b Through hole 433 Bridge mounting part 433a Positioning protrusion 433b Screw parts 434 Intermediate guide part 434b Through hole 441 Main body 442 Plunger 442a Tip 451 Stopper 451a End face 521 Opening 611 Exhaust port 612~614 Terminal hole 615(615a,615b) Exhaust port 621 Suction port 711 Opening 712 Positioning hole 731 Corner 732 Machining end groove 733 Slope 734 Suction groove 734a First suction groove 734a1 base 734a2 end 734a3 Common law 734b Second suction groove 734b1 base 734b2 End 734c Third suction groove C Chip parts D1 Direction of travel D2 Orthogonal direction L length dimension L1,L2 distance LW Plane diagonal dimension P1, P2 rotation axis T thickness dimension T1 end electrode T2 side electrode W width dimension

Claims

1. A chip component transport member, a base body having a plurality of storage holes for the chip components around a rotation axis; the receiving hole has a short width that is larger than the thickness dimension or width dimension of the chip component and smaller than the length dimension, and a long width that is larger than the length dimension and smaller than two or three times the thickness dimension and width dimension, and is sufficiently separated from an integer multiple of the thickness dimension and width dimension; The base body includes, as suction grooves connected to an inner edge of the back surface side of the storage hole, a first suction groove connected to an inner edge on the opposite side of the storage hole in the traveling direction, and a second suction groove connected to an inner edge on the rotation shaft side of the base body. Conveying member.

2. the chip component has a rectangular parallelepiped shape in which the length dimension is greater than the width dimension and the thickness dimension is greater than the width dimension, The short width of the storage hole is greater than the thickness dimension and smaller than the width dimension. The conveying member of claim 1 .

3. The conveying member according to claim 1 , wherein the storage hole has the long width in the direction of movement.

4. 2. The conveying member according to claim 1, wherein the major dimension is greater than a diagonal dimension of the chip component.

5. The conveying member according to claim 1 , wherein the suction grooves include a third suction groove formed around the entire inner edge of the receiving hole.

6. 2. The conveying member according to claim 1, wherein the storage hole has a processed end groove at a corner where an inner edge of the storage hole on the opposite side to the direction of travel and an inner edge of the base body on the rotation shaft side are connected.

7. The storage hole has the long width in the traveling direction, The long width is formed to be larger than a planar diagonal dimension of the chip component, the suction groove includes a third suction groove formed around the entire inner edge of the receiving hole, The storage hole has a processed end groove at a corner where an inner edge of the storage hole on the opposite side of the traveling direction and an inner edge of the base body on the rotation shaft side are connected. The conveying member of claim 2 .

8. a base portion having a base-side suction groove; a conveying member rotatably supported relative to the base portion; a supply unit that supplies chip components to the transport member; an inspection unit that inspects electrical characteristics of the chip components transported by the transport member; a discharge unit that classifies and discharges items according to the inspection results of the inspection unit; Equipped with The conveying member is a base body having a plurality of storage holes for the chip components around a rotation axis; the receiving hole has a short width that is larger than the thickness dimension or width dimension of the chip component and smaller than the length dimension, and a long width that is larger than the length dimension and smaller than two or three times the thickness dimension and width dimension, and is sufficiently separated from an integer multiple of the thickness dimension and width dimension; The base body includes, as suction grooves connected to an inner edge of the back surface side of the storage hole, a first suction groove connected to an inner edge on the opposite side of the storage hole in the traveling direction, and a second suction groove connected to an inner edge on the rotation shaft side of the base body. Inspection equipment.

9. A method for transporting chip components, comprising: a plurality of storage holes formed around the rotation axis of the conveying member, each having a short width greater than the thickness or width of the chip component and smaller than the length, and a long width greater than the length and smaller than two or three times the thickness and width, and sufficiently separated from an integral multiple of the thickness and width; a first suction groove connected to the inner edge of the back surface of the storage hole and located on the opposite side of the direction of travel of the storage hole; and a second suction groove connected to the inner edge of the rotation axis of the conveying member, the first suction groove connected to the inner edge of the storage hole and located on the side of the rotation axis of the conveying member, the second suction groove connected to the inner edge of the storage hole and located on the side of the rotation axis of the conveying member, the chip component being stored by suction; The chip components are transported by rotating the transport member while they are housed in the housing holes. Transportation method.

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