Tray handling device and chip sorter

Abstract

The present invention provides a tray handling device and a chip sorter that can efficiently stack multiple trays and sheets. [Solution] The present invention comprises a tray placement section on which a tray To on which chips C are placed is placed; a tray stacking section on which trays To are stacked; a sheet placement section 100 on which a plurality of sheets 4 are placed in a stacked state; and a transport section 120 that holds the sheets 4 of the sheet placement section 100 and the tray To of the tray placement section, respectively, and simultaneously transports the sheets 4 to the tray stacking section 110 with the sheets 4 positioned above the tray To, and stacks the trays To on the tray stacking section 110 so that the sheets 4 are sandwiched between the trays To.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tray handling device and a chip sorter.

Background Art

[0002] Chips such as semiconductor elements are stored in a test tray, subjected to a predetermined test, and then classified into grades based on the test results and stored in the tray. The trays containing the chips are stacked in a tray loading section and then stored at a predetermined location or conveyed to the next process.

[0003] By the way, when storing or conveying multiple trays stacked, there may occur a phenomenon that the lower tray is lifted when the upper tray is lifted. To prevent this phenomenon, a sheet called an interleaving paper may be provided between the overlapping trays (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).

[0004] However, in order to provide a sheet between the stacked trays, after the tray containing the chips is conveyed to the tray loading section, it is necessary to convey the sheet onto the uppermost tray, and the tact time is likely to increase

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a tray handling device and a chip sorter capable of efficiently stacking a plurality of trays and sheets.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The present invention includes embodiments shown below.

[0008] [1] A tray handling device comprising: a tray placement section on which trays on which chips are placed; a tray stacking section on which the trays are stacked; a sheet placement section on which a plurality of sheets are placed in a stacked state; and a transport section that holds the sheets in the sheet placement section and the trays in the tray placement section, respectively, and simultaneously transports the sheets to the tray stacking section with the sheets positioned above the trays, and stacks the trays in the tray stacking section such that the sheets are sandwiched between the trays.

[0009] [2] The tray handling device according to [1] above, wherein the transport unit comprises a tray holding unit that supports the periphery of the tray from below and holds the tray, and a sheet suction unit that suctions the upper surface of the sheet above the tray holding unit.

[0010] [3] The tray handling device according to [1] or [2] above, wherein the tray loading section comprises a tray positioning section for positioning the trays and a sheet positioning section for positioning the sheets.

[0011] [4] The tray handling device according to [3], wherein the tray comprises a plate portion and a flange portion protruding outward from the lower side surface of the plate portion, the tray positioning portion presses the flange portion to position the tray, and the sheet positioning portion is provided above the tray positioning portion and positions the sheet with respect to the side surface of the plate portion.

[0012] [5] The tray handling device according to [4] above, wherein the side surface of the plate portion constitutes part of a frame that defines the space for housing the chips.

[0013] [6] The tray handling device according to any one of [1] to [5] above, wherein the tray stacking section is equipped with a tray lifting mechanism that moves the stacked trays up and down to position the uppermost tray at a predetermined vertical position.

[0014] [7] The tray loading section includes a tray positioning section for positioning the trays, The tray handling device according to [2] above, wherein the transport unit places the tray held by the tray holding unit on the uppermost tray and sheet among the trays stacked in the tray loading unit, and after the tray positioning unit positions the tray, the sheet suction unit releases the suction of the sheet and places the sheet on the tray.

[0015] [8] A chip sorter comprising: a sorter section for placing a plurality of chips on plate-shaped trays; a tray stacking section for stacking the trays on which the chips are placed by the sorter section; a sheet stacking section for placing a plurality of sheets in a stacked state; and a transport section for holding the sheets in the sheet stacking section and the trays on which the chips are placed by the sorter section, respectively, and transporting them simultaneously to the tray stacking section with the sheets positioned above the trays, and stacking the trays in the tray stacking section so that the sheets are sandwiched between the trays. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present invention, multiple trays can be efficiently stacked while providing a sheet between them. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] Plan view showing the schematic configuration of a chip sorter to which a tray handling device according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] Block diagram showing the control configuration of the chip sorter. [Figure 3] Perspective view of tray handling device [Figure 4] (a) is a perspective view of the shipping tray with the chips omitted, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the shipping tray. [Figure 5] Perspective view of the tray loading section [Figure 6]Perspective view of the tray conveying unit as seen from diagonally below [Figure 7] Plan view showing a schematic configuration of a tray stacking unit with a tray conveying unit arranged above [Figure 8] Cross-sectional view of a tray handling device schematically showing the state where a sheet is lifted [Figure 9] Cross-sectional view of a tray handling device schematically showing the state where an outgoing tray is held from the outgoing position [Figure 10] Cross-sectional view of a tray handling device schematically showing the state where a sheet and an outgoing tray are conveyed above the tray stacking unit [Figure 11] Cross-sectional view of a tray stacking unit and a tray conveying unit schematically showing the state where an outgoing tray is placed on the uppermost outgoing tray of the tray stacking unit [Figure 12] Cross-sectional view of a tray stacking unit and a tray conveying unit schematically showing the state where the tray table is moved downward [Figure 13] Cross-sectional view of a tray stacking unit and a tray conveying unit schematically showing the state where the tray positioning unit positions the outgoing tray placed immediately before [Figure 14] Cross-sectional view of a tray stacking unit and a tray conveying unit schematically showing the state where it is placed on the upper side of the outgoing tray placed immediately before [Figure 15] Cross-sectional view of a tray stacking unit and a tray conveying unit schematically showing the state where the sheet positioning unit positions the sheet placed on the upper side of the outgoing tray placed immediately before

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] The tray handling device 10 of this embodiment is applied to a chip sorter 1 that takes chips C that have undergone predetermined tests such as burn-in tests from an incoming tray Ti containing chips C, sorted by grade based on the test results, and transfers them to an outgoing tray To. In the chip sorter 1, multiple outgoing trays To are stacked in the tray stacking section 110 while a sheet 4 is placed between the outgoing trays To on which the chips C are placed.

[0020] In the following explanation, the vertical direction Z, which corresponds to the stacking direction of the shipping tray To, and the direction of the longer side of the shipping tray To perpendicular to the vertical direction Z, are referred to as the first direction D1, and the direction of the shorter side of the shipping tray To perpendicular to the Z direction and the first direction D1 are referred to as the second direction D2.

[0021] (1) Chip sorter 1 As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the chip sorter 1 comprises a receiving tray supply unit 5, a receiving conveying unit 6, an empty tray supply unit 7, an outbound conveying unit 8, a sorting unit 9, a tray handling device 10, and a control device 3.

[0022] The receiving tray supply unit 5 takes the top receiving tray Ti from the receiving tray placement unit 50 where the receiving trays Ti are stacked and places them, and transports them to the receiving transport unit 6.

[0023] The receiving and transporting unit 6 places the receiving tray Ti, which has been transported from the receiving tray supply unit 5, onto the receiving position 60. The receiving and transporting unit 6 then transports the receiving tray Ti placed on the receiving position 60 to the sorting and retrieval position 61.

[0024] The empty tray supply unit 7 takes the top empty tray Te from the empty tray loading unit 70, where empty trays Te without chips C on them are stacked, and transports it to the outbound transport unit 8.

[0025] The outbound transport unit 8 receives empty trays Te transported from the empty tray supply unit 7 and places them at the tray supply position 80. The outbound transport unit 8 then transports the empty trays Te placed at the tray supply position 80 to the sort receiving position 81. At the sort receiving position 81, the outbound transport unit 8 also places chips C on the empty trays Te to form an outbound tray To, and then transports the outbound tray To to the outbound position 82. The outbound position 82 is a tray placement area where the outbound tray To with the chips C placed on it is placed. The outbound tray To placed at the outbound position 82 is picked up by the tray handling device 10 and transported to the tray stacking unit 110.

[0026] The sorting unit 9 selects chips C from the incoming tray Ti at the sorting and retrieval position 61 according to grade, based on the test results of the chips C performed before they were placed in the incoming tray supply unit 5. The sorting unit 9 then places the chips C selected from the incoming tray Ti onto the empty tray Te at the sorting and receiving position 81 to form the outgoing tray To.

[0027] The tray handling device 10 picks up the shipping trays To that have been transported to the shipping position 82 of the shipping transport unit 8 and transports them to the tray stacking unit 110. The tray handling device 10 stacks multiple shipping trays To on top of each other in the tray stacking unit 110, while placing sheets 4 between the picked-up shipping trays To. Details of the tray handling device 10 will be described later.

[0028] The control device 3 has a processing unit such as a computer and a storage device such as memory, and is connected to the chip sorter 1, which consists of an incoming tray supply unit 5, an incoming tray transport unit 6, an empty tray supply unit 7, an outgoing tray transport unit 8, a sorting unit 9, and a tray handling device 10. The control device 3 controls each part of the chip sorter 1 by having the processing unit read and execute a program stored in the storage device.

[0029] (2) Delivery tray to Next, we will explain an example of the configuration of the shipping tray To.

[0030] As shown in Figures 4(a), 5, and 11, the shipping tray To comprises a plate portion 20 and a flange portion 21 that protrudes outward from the lower side of the plate portion 20, and has a substantially rectangular planar shape.

[0031] A frame portion 22 that protrudes upward is provided on the upper side of the plate portion 20. The frame portion 22 comprises an outer frame 22a that surrounds the periphery of the plate portion 20 and a partition frame 22b that divides the inside of the outer frame 22a in a grid pattern.

[0032] The outer frame 22a protrudes above the flange portion 21, and the outer circumferential surface of the outer frame 22a forms the side surface 20a of the plate portion 20, constituting the upper side surface of the shipping tray To. Inside the outer frame 22a, a plurality of upward-opening pockets 23 are formed, separated by partition frames 22b. The pockets 23 are storage spaces for accommodating chips C.

[0033] The flange portion 21 is provided on the periphery of the plate portion 20 so as to surround it. As shown in Figures 4(b) and 11, the flange portion 21 protrudes downward from the plate portion 20 on the lower side. As a result, an upwardly recessed lower surface recess 24 is formed on the lower side of the shipping tray To in the portion of the plate portion 20. Multiple upwardly recessed locking recesses 21a are provided on the lower surface of the flange portion 21. The locking recesses 21a open into the flange portion side surface 21b which constitutes the side surface of the flange portion 21. In this embodiment, two of these are provided on the flange portion 21 provided on the long side portion of the shipping tray To, spaced apart in the first direction D1.

[0034] As shown in Figures 5 and 11, when the shipping trays To are stacked vertically, the plate portion 20 of the lower shipping tray To fits into the recess 24 on the lower surface of the upper shipping tray To. Preferably, the plate portion 20 of the lower shipping tray To fits into the recess 24 on the lower surface of the upper shipping tray To so that the lower shipping tray To does not move relative to the upper shipping tray To, and the upper shipping tray To is held by the lower shipping tray To.

[0035] Furthermore, when the shipping trays To are stacked vertically, the vertical Z-direction spacing between the flange portions 21 of the upper and lower shipping trays To widens at the location of the locking recess 21a, allowing the lower holding portion 122a of the tray holding portion 122 (described later) to be inserted into the locking recess 21a from the side of the shipping tray To.

[0036] (3) Tray handling device 10 The tray handling device 10 includes a sheet placement section 100 on which multiple sheets 4 are placed in a stacked state, a tray stacking section 110 on which the outbound trays To are stacked, and a tray transport section 120 that holds the sheets 4 and the outbound trays To and transports them to the tray stacking section 110.

[0037] In this embodiment, the outbound position 82 of the outbound transport unit 8, the sheet placement unit 100, and the tray stacking unit 110 are arranged side by side with a gap between them in the second direction D2.

[0038] (4) Sheet mounting section 100 As shown in Figures 3, 8 to 10, the sheet placement section 100 includes a sheet placement table 101 on which multiple sheets 4 are placed in a stacked state, and a guide section 102 that protrudes upward from the periphery of the sheet placement table 101.

[0039] The sheet 4 placed on the sheet mounting base 101 is sandwiched between the shipping trays To stacked on the tray loading section 110. Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 and 11, the sheet 4 is a rectangular interlayer paper provided between the lower surface recess 24 of the upper shipping tray To and the plate portion 20 of the lower shipping tray To, with the longer side of the sheet 4 aligned with the first direction D1 and the shorter side of the sheet 4 aligned with the second direction D2.

[0040] As shown in Figures 8 to 10, the sheet mounting table 101 has a horizontally positioned top surface, on which multiple sheets 4 are placed. The sheet mounting table 101 is connected to a vertical movement device 103. The vertical movement device 103 moves the sheet mounting table 101 up and down to adjust its position in the Z-direction so that the uppermost layer of the sheets 4 placed on the sheet mounting table 101 is positioned at a predetermined location in the Z-direction.

[0041] The guide sections 102 are provided at both ends of the sheet mounting base 101 in the first direction D1 and both ends of the second direction D2, restricting the movement of the sheet 4 placed on the sheet mounting base 101 in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2, and positioning the sheet 4 so that it is located at a predetermined position on the sheet mounting base 101.

[0042] (5) Tray loading section 110 As shown in Figures 5, 7, and 11, the tray loading section 110 includes a tray base 111, a guide section 112, a tray lifting mechanism 113, a tray positioning section 114, and a sheet positioning section 115.

[0043] The tray base 111 has a horizontally positioned top surface, on which multiple shipping trays To are stacked. The tray base 111 is connected to the tray lifting mechanism 113. The vertical movement device 103 moves the tray base 111 up and down to adjust the position of the topmost of the multiple shipping trays To stacked on the tray base 111.

[0044] The guide sections 112 are provided at both ends of the tray base 111 in the first direction D1 and at both ends of the second direction D2, and restrict the movement of the shipping tray To placed on the tray base 111 in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2.

[0045] The tray positioning unit 114 holds and positions the topmost of the shipping trays To, which are stacked on the tray base 111, at predetermined positions in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2.

[0046] Specifically, the tray positioning unit 114 includes a front and rear tray positioning unit 114a that holds the uppermost outgoing tray To in the first direction D1, and a left and right tray positioning unit 114b that holds it in the second direction D2.

[0047] The front and rear tray positioning units 114a are located on both sides of the flange portion side surface 21b of the uppermost outgoing tray To in a first direction D1. At least one of the front and rear tray positioning units 114a located on both sides of the outgoing tray To in a first direction D1 is provided to be movable in the first direction D1 by a drive unit (not shown).

[0048] The front and rear tray positioning unit 114a moves in the first direction D1 so as to approach the flange side surface 21b, thereby clamping the flange side surface 21b of the uppermost outbound tray To in the first direction D1, and positioning and holding the uppermost outbound tray To in a predetermined position in the first direction D1. The front and rear tray positioning unit 114a also moves in the first direction D1 so as to move away from the flange side surface 21b, thereby releasing the uppermost outbound tray To from its position.

[0049] The left and right tray positioning sections 114b are positioned on both sides of the flange side surface 21b of the uppermost outbound tray To in the second direction D2, avoiding the locking recesses 21a provided on the flange side surface 21b. In this embodiment, the left and right tray positioning sections 114b are provided between two locking recesses 21a provided on the flange side surface 21b at intervals in the first direction D1. At least one of the left and right tray positioning sections 114b, which are positioned on both sides of the outbound tray To in the second direction D2, is provided to be movable in the second direction D2 by a drive unit (not shown).

[0050] The left and right tray positioning units 114b move in the second direction D2 so as to approach the flange side surface 21b, thereby clamping the flange side surface 21b of the uppermost outbound tray To in the second direction D2, and positioning and holding the uppermost outbound tray To in a predetermined position in the second direction D2. The left and right tray positioning units 114b also move in the second direction D2 so as to move away from the flange side surface 21b, thereby releasing the hold on the uppermost outbound tray To.

[0051] The sheet positioning unit 115 holds and positions the sheet 4, which is placed on the top plate portion 20 of the outbound tray To stacked on the tray base 111, in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2.

[0052] Specifically, as shown in Figures 5 and 7, the seat positioning unit 115 includes a front and rear seat positioning unit 115a that holds the seat 4 in a first direction D1, and a left and right seat positioning unit 115b that holds it in a second direction D2.

[0053] The front and rear seat positioning units 115a are positioned above the front and rear tray positioning units 114a and are located on both sides in the first direction D1 of the plate portion 20 of the uppermost outbound tray To and the sheet 4 placed on top of it. At least one of the front and rear seat positioning units 115a located on both sides in the first direction D1 of the plate portion 20 and the sheet 4 is provided to be movable in the first direction D1 by a drive unit (not shown).

[0054] The front and rear seat positioning unit 115a moves in the first direction D1 so as to approach the side surface 20a of the plate portion 20 and the sheet 4, thereby sandwiching the side surface 20a of the plate portion 20 and the sheet 4 of the uppermost delivery tray To in the first direction D1. As a result, the front and rear seat positioning unit 115a positions and holds the sheet 4 placed on the plate portion 20 of the delivery tray To at a predetermined position in the first direction D1, using the side surface 20a of the plate portion 20 of the plate portion 20 as a reference.

[0055] In other words, the front and rear seat positioning section 115a contacts the side surface 20a of the plate portion 20 of the delivery tray To to determine its position, and at that position, it clamps the sheet 4 placed on the plate portion 20 in the first direction D1, thereby positioning and holding the sheet 4 in a predetermined position.

[0056] Furthermore, the front and rear seat positioning section 115a moves in the first direction D1 so as to move away from the side surface 20a of the plate portion 20 of the delivery tray To and from the seat 4, thereby releasing the hold on the seat 4.

[0057] The left and right sheet positioning sections 115b are positioned above the left and right tray positioning sections 114b and are located on both sides in the second direction D2 of the plate portion 20 of the uppermost outbound tray To and the sheet 4 placed on top thereof. The left and right sheet positioning sections 115b are located, for example, at both ends in the first direction of the outbound tray To and are positioned to avoid the locking recess 21a provided on the flange portion side surface 21b and the left and right tray positioning sections 114b.

[0058] At least one of the left and right sheet positioning units 115b, which are located on both sides of the plate portion 20 and the sheet 4 in the second direction D2, is provided to be movable in the second direction D2 by a drive unit (not shown). The left and right sheet positioning units 115b move in the second direction D2 so as to approach the side surface 20a of the plate portion 20 and the sheet 4, thereby sandwiching the side surface 20a of the plate portion 20 and the sheet 4 of the uppermost delivery tray To in the second direction D2. As a result, the left and right sheet positioning units 115b determine their position when they come into contact with the side surface 20a of the plate portion 20 of the delivery tray To, and by sandwiching the sheet 4 placed on the plate portion 20 in the second direction D2 at that position, they position and hold the sheet 4 in a predetermined position in the second direction D2 with respect to the side surface 20a of the plate portion 20 of the delivery tray To.

[0059] Furthermore, the left and right seat positioning units 115b move in the second direction D2 so as to move away from the side surface 20a of the plate portion 20 of the delivery tray To and from the seat 4, thereby releasing the hold on the seat 4.

[0060] (6) Tray transport section 120 As shown in Figures 1, 6, and 7, the tray transport unit 120 includes a sheet holding unit 121 for holding the sheet 4, a tray holding unit 122 for holding the outbound tray To, and a moving mechanism 123. The sheet holding unit 121 and the tray holding unit 122 are connected to the same moving mechanism 123 and move synchronously in the vertical direction Z by the operation of the moving mechanism 123, or move synchronously in the second direction D2 between the outbound position 82 of the outbound transport unit 8 and the sheet placement unit 100, or between the sheet placement unit 100 and the tray loading unit 110.

[0061] The sheet holding section 121 includes a plurality of suction pads 121a connected to a depressurizing device (not shown) that adsorb the sheet 4 placed on the sheet mounting section 100, and a pad support section 121b connected to a moving mechanism 123.

[0062] On the lower surface of the pad support portion 121b, there are two rows of pads, each consisting of multiple suction pads 121a arranged at intervals in the first direction D1, and these rows are spaced apart in the second direction D2. When the pad support portion 121b is positioned above the sheet 4 placed on the sheet mounting portion 100, the multiple suction pads 121a face the upper surface of the sheet 4.

[0063] When the pad support section 121b moves downward due to the operation of the moving mechanism 123 from a state where multiple suction pads 121a are facing the upper surface of the sheet 4, the multiple suction pads 121a adsorb onto multiple points on the uppermost sheet 4 located on the sheet holding section 121, with both ends in the second direction D2 spaced apart in the first direction D1, thereby adsorbing and holding one sheet 4 on the uppermost layer.

[0064] The tray holding section 122 includes a pair of support sections 122c provided on both sides of the sheet holding section 121 in the second direction D2, a lower surface holding section 122a and a side surface holding section 122b attached to the support sections 122c, and a tray moving section 122d that moves the support sections 122c in the second direction D2.

[0065] As shown in Figure 7, one end of each support portion 122c is connected to the moving mechanism 123 via the tray moving portion 122d, and the support portions protrude in a first direction D1 away from the moving mechanism 123. The pair of support portions 122c move towards or away from the outbound tray To, independently of the sheet holding portion 121 connected to the moving mechanism 123, by the operation of the tray moving portion 122d.

[0066] The tip of the support portion 122c is provided with a lower surface holding portion 122a and a side surface holding portion 122b, which face the output tray To and the second direction D2.

[0067] In this tray holding section 122, when the tray moving section 122d moves the support section 122c closer to the outgoing tray To and reaches the holding position, the side holding section 122b comes into contact with the side surface 21b of the flange section of the outgoing tray To, and the bottom holding section 122a is inserted into the locking recess 21a of the flange section 21.

[0068] The side holding portion 122b contacts the side surface 21b of the flange portion of the delivery tray To, thereby clamping the delivery tray To in the second direction D2 and positioning and holding the delivery tray To at a predetermined position in the second direction D2. The bottom holding portion 122a is inserted into the locking recess 21a of the flange portion 21, thereby enabling support for the delivery tray To.

[0069] Furthermore, when the tray moving part 122d moves the support part 122c away from the output tray To and reaches the release position, the lower holding part 122a is removed from the locking recess 21a of the output tray To, releasing the hold on the output tray To, and the side holding part 122b moves away from the flange side 21b of the output tray To, releasing the hold on the side of the output tray To.

[0070] (7) Operation of Chip Sorter 1 Next, the operation of the chip sorter 1 will be explained, mainly with reference to Figure 1.

[0071] First, the receiving tray supply unit 5 takes the receiving tray Ti from the receiving tray placement unit 50 and transfers it to the receiving position 60 of the receiving transport unit 6.

[0072] The receiving tray Ti, which has been transferred to the receiving position 60, is transported to the sorting and retrieval position 61 by the receiving transport unit 6. The outbound transport unit 8 receives the empty tray Te transported from the empty tray supply unit 7 at the tray supply position 80 and transports it to the sorting and receiving position 81.

[0073] Then, based on the test results of the chips C, the sorting unit 9 takes the chips C from the receiving tray Ti at the sorting retrieval position 61 according to grade and places them on the empty tray Te at the sorting receiving position 81. After that, the outbound transport unit 8 transports the outbound tray To on which the chips C have been placed by the sorting unit 9 to the outbound position 82.

[0074] The tray handling device 10, through the operation of the tray loading unit 110 and the tray transport unit 120, transports the transport trays To that have been transported to the transport position 82 to the tray loading unit 110, and stacks the transport trays To on top of each other while placing the sheets 4 between the transport trays To.

[0075] (8) Operation of the tray loading section 110 and the tray transport section 120 Next, referring mainly to Figures 8 to 15, we will explain the operation in which the tray transport unit 120 picks up the outbound tray To at the outbound position 82 and stacks it on the tray stacking unit 110 with the sheet 4 in between.

[0076] First, the moving mechanism 123 moves the sheet holding section 121 and the tray holding section 122 to a position where the suction pad 121a of the sheet holding section 121 faces the sheet 4 on the sheet mounting section 100 vertically. Then, the sheet holding section 121 and the tray holding section 122 move up and down to use the suction pad 121a to hold the uppermost sheet 4 placed on the sheet mounting section 100 (see Figure 8).

[0077] While the suction pad 121a is moving the sheet holding section 121 and the tray holding section 122 up and down to suction the sheet 4, the tray holding section 122 is positioned in the release position.

[0078] Next, the moving mechanism 123 moves the sheet holding part 121 and the tray holding part 122 above the exit position 82 while the sheet holding part 121 is holding the sheet 4, and then lowers the sheet holding part 121 and the tray holding part 122 so that the lower holding part 122a and the side holding part 122b of the tray holding part 122 face the second direction D2.

[0079] Next, as shown in Figure 9, the tray moving part 122d moves the lower surface holding part 122a and the side surface holding part 122b provided on the support part 122c from the release position to the holding position, and the output tray To at the output position 82 is held by the lower surface holding part 122a and the side surface holding part 122b. When the tray holding part 122 holds the output tray To, the sheet holding part 121 holds the sheet 4 above the plate portion 20 of the output tray To with a gap in between.

[0080] Next, as shown in Figure 10, the moving mechanism 123 moves the sheet holding section 121 and the tray holding section 122, which hold the sheet 4 and the shipping tray To, above the tray loading section 110. In other words, the tray transport section 120 places the sheet 4 above the shipping tray To and transports the sheet 4 and the shipping tray To simultaneously to the tray loading section 110.

[0081] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 8 to 10, it is preferable that the tray positioning section 114 and sheet positioning section 115 of the tray stacking section 110 hold the uppermost outgoing

[0082] Next, after the tray loading unit 110 releases the sheet 4 from the sheet positioning unit 115, the tray transport unit 120 lowers the sheet holding unit 121 and the tray holding unit 122. As a result, as shown in Figure 11, the plate portion 20 of the uppermost outbound tray To on which the sheet 4 is provided fits into the lower surface recess 24 of the outbound tray To held by the tray holding unit 122, and the outbound tray To held by the tray holding unit 122 is placed on top of the uppermost outbound tray To via the sheet 4.

[0083] Furthermore, when the tray holding unit 122 places the outgoing tray To on top of the uppermost outgoing tray To, it is preferable that the tray positioning unit 114 holds the uppermost outgoing tray To to prevent the uppermost outgoing tray To from shifting position, however, the tray positioning unit 114 may release its grip on the uppermost outgoing tray To.

[0084] Next, the tray holding unit 122 moves the lower holding unit 122a and the side holding unit 122b from the holding position to the release position, and the tray loading unit 110 releases the holding of the outbound tray To by the tray positioning unit 114. After that, as shown in Figure 12, the tray loading unit 110 moves the tray base 111 downward so that the side 21b of the flange portion of the outbound tray To, which was placed directly in front of the tray holding unit 122, faces the tray positioning unit 114, and the plate portion 20 of the outbound tray To faces the sheet positioning unit 115.

[0085] Next, as shown in Figure 13, the tray loading section 110 positions and holds the previously placed shipping tray To using the tray positioning section 114.

[0086] Next, as shown in Figure 14, the tray transport unit 120 lowers the sheet holding unit 121 and places the sheet 4 held by the sheet holding unit 121 onto the upper surface of the plate portion 20 of the output tray To that was placed immediately before. Since the tray positioning unit 114 is in position and holding the output tray To immediately before placing the sheet 4 onto the upper surface of the plate portion 20 of the output tray To, the sheet 4 can be placed in a predetermined position on the output tray To.

[0087] Next, as shown in Figure 15, the tray loading unit 110 positions and holds the sheet 4 and the dispatch tray To that were placed immediately beforehand using the sheet positioning unit 115, and then the tray transport unit 120 releases the suction of the suction pad 121a and raises the sheet holding unit 121. As a result, the suction of the suction pad 121a is released while the dispatch tray To and the sheet 4 are held by the sheet positioning unit 115, so that the positions of the dispatch tray To and the sheet 4 do not shift when the sheet holding unit 121 is raised.

[0088] Then, after placing the shipping tray To and sheet 4, the following steps are repeatedly performed in sequence: the suction holding of the sheet 4 by the tray transport unit 120 shown in Figure 8, the holding of the shipping tray To by the tray transport unit 120 shown in Figure 9, the release of the sheet 4 by the sheet positioning unit 115 shown in Figure 10, the placement of a new shipping tray To as shown in Figure 11, the downward movement of the tray base 111 as shown in Figure 12, the positioning and holding of the shipping tray To that was placed immediately before as shown in Figure 13, the placement of the sheet 4 as shown in Figure 14, and the positioning and holding of the sheet 4 as shown in Figure 15. In this way, multiple shipping trays To can be stacked on top of each other on the tray stacking unit 110 while providing sheets 4 between the shipping trays To.

[0089] (9) Effects In this embodiment, the tray transport unit 120 places the sheet 4 above the dispatch tray To and simultaneously transports the dispatch tray To and the sheet 4 from the dispatch position 82 of the dispatch transport unit 8 to the tray stacking unit 110. Therefore, compared to transporting the dispatch tray To and the sheet 4 separately, the dispatch tray To and the sheet 4 can be stacked more efficiently.

[0090] In this embodiment, when the tray stacking section 110 includes a tray positioning section 114 and a sheet positioning section 115, multiple shipping trays To can be stacked without misalignment while a sheet 4 is placed between them. In particular, when the sheet positioning section 115 is provided above the tray positioning section 114 and the sheet 4 is positioned based on the side surface 20a of the plate section 20, the shipping trays To do not shift position when the sheet 4 is positioned. Therefore, multiple shipping trays To can be stacked without misalignment, with a sheet 4 placed between them, more reliably.

[0091] In this embodiment, when the shipping trays To, held by the tray holding unit 122, are placed on top of the shipping trays To stacked on the tray stacking unit 110 via the sheet 4, and after positioning the placed shipping trays To, the sheet holding unit 121 releases the suction of the sheet 4 and places the sheet 4 on top of the shipping trays To, the sheet 4 can be placed at a predetermined position on the shipping trays To. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 1... Chip sorter, 4... Interlayer paper, 8... Outbound transport section, 9... Sorting section, 10... Tray handling device, 20... Plate section, 20a... Side of plate section, 21... Flange section, 21a... Locking recess, 21b... Side of flange section, 22... Frame section, 24... Bottom recess, 82... Outbound position, 100... Sheet placement section, 101... Placement platform, 102... Guide section, 103... Up / down movement device, 110... Tray stacking section, 113... Tray lifting mechanism, 114... Tray positioning 114a...Front / rear tray positioning section, 114b...Left / right tray positioning section, 115...Sheet positioning section, 115a...Front / rear seat positioning section, 115b...Left / right seat positioning section, 120...Tray transport section, 121...Sheet holding section, 121a...Suction pad, 121b...Pad support section, 122...Tray holding section, 122a...Bottom holding section, 122b...Side holding section, 122c...Support section, 122d...Tray moving section, 123...Moving mechanism

Claims

1. A tray mounting section on which a tray with chips placed on it is placed, A tray stacking section on which the aforementioned trays are stacked, A sheet mounting section on which multiple sheets are placed in a stacked state, A tray handling device comprising: a conveying unit that holds the sheet in the sheet placement unit and the tray in the tray placement unit, respectively, and simultaneously transports the sheet above the tray to the tray stacking unit, and stacks the trays in the tray stacking unit such that the sheet is sandwiched between the trays.

2. The tray handling device according to claim 1, wherein the transport unit comprises a tray holding unit that supports the periphery of the tray from below and holds the tray, and a sheet suction unit that adheres to the upper surface of the sheet above the tray holding unit.

3. The tray handling device according to claim 1, wherein the tray loading section comprises a tray positioning section for positioning the trays and a sheet positioning section for positioning the sheets.

4. The tray comprises a plate portion and a flange portion that protrudes outward from the lower side of the plate portion. The tray positioning unit presses the flange portion to position the tray, The tray handling device according to claim 3, wherein the sheet positioning unit is provided above the tray positioning unit and positions the sheet with reference to the side surface of the plate portion.

5. The tray handling device according to claim 4, wherein the side surface of the plate portion constitutes part of a frame that defines the space for accommodating the chips.

6. The tray handling device according to claim 1, wherein the tray stacking section includes a tray lifting mechanism that moves the stacked trays up and down to position the uppermost tray at a predetermined vertical position.

7. The tray loading section includes a tray positioning section for positioning the trays, The tray handling device according to claim 2, wherein the transport unit places the tray held by the tray holding unit on the uppermost tray and sheet among the trays stacked in the tray loading unit, and after the tray positioning unit positions the tray, the sheet suction unit releases the suction of the sheet and places the sheet on the tray.

8. A sorter unit that places multiple chips on a plate-shaped tray, A tray stacking section on which the trays on which the chips are placed are stacked by the sorter section, A sheet mounting section on which multiple sheets are placed in a stacked state, A chip sorter comprising: a conveying unit that picks up the sheet in the sheet placement unit and the tray on which the chips are placed by the sorting unit, respectively, places the sheet on top of the tray and simultaneously conveys them to the tray stacking unit, and stacks the trays in the tray stacking unit such that the sheet is sandwiched between the trays.

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