Chip processing unit

Abstract

The present invention provides a chip processing device that can suppress the downtime during the chip replacement process that occurs when replacing the storage-side sheet or the supply-side sheet. [Solution] A chip processing device 10 has a transport unit 11 that moves chips W obtained from a supply-side sheet S1 on which multiple chips W are attached and attaches them to a storage-side sheet T1 located at an attachment position P. The device comprises a storage-side rotating body 14 on which multiple storage-side sheets T1 to T5 are fixed and which places one of the multiple storage-side sheets T1 to T5 at the attachment position P, and a storage-side driving means that rotates the storage-side rotating body 14 to move the storage-side sheet T1 that was located at the attachment position P to another position and place the other storage-side sheets T2 to T5 at the attachment position P.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a chip processing apparatus that performs predetermined processing on a chip.

Background Art

[0002] As described in Patent Document 1, a dicing machine attaches a chip attached to one sheet (hereinafter referred to as the "supply-side sheet") to another sheet (hereinafter referred to as the "storage-side sheet"). When all the chips on the supply-side sheet are removed by the dicing machine, the supply-side sheet is replaced with another supply-side sheet to which chips are attached, and when the attachment of chips to the attachable area of the storage-side sheet is completed, the storage-side sheet is replaced with a storage-side sheet to which no chips are attached.

[0003] Further, when the dicing machine attaches a chip attached to the supply-side sheet to the storage-side sheet corresponding to each rank based on the inspection result of the ranking of the chips performed in the previous process, the storage-side sheet is replaced with another storage-side sheet before the attachment of the chip to the attachable area of the chip is completed. Specifically, assuming that chips of ranks A and B are attached to the supply-side sheet, when all the chips of rank A on the supply-side sheet are attached to the storage-side sheet for rank A, the storage-side sheet is replaced with the storage-side sheet for rank B.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Here, while the dicing machine is replacing the supply-side sheet or the storage-side sheet, it was necessary to stop the chip replacement process. The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and aims to provide a chip processing device that can suppress the downtime of the chip replacement process that occurs when replacing the storage-side sheet or the supply-side sheet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A chip processing apparatus according to the first invention in line with the above objective is a chip processing apparatus having a transport unit that moves chips obtained from a supply-side sheet on which a plurality of chips are attached and attaches them to a storage-side sheet arranged at an attachment position, comprising: a storage-side rotating body on which a plurality of storage-side sheets are fixed and which positions one of the plurality of storage-side sheets at the attachment position; and a storage-side driving means that rotates the storage-side rotating body to move the storage-side sheet that was positioned at the attachment position to another position and position the other storage-side sheet at the attachment position.

[0007] A chip processing apparatus according to a second invention in line with the above objective is a chip processing apparatus having a transport unit that moves chips acquired from a supply-side sheet, which is arranged at an acquisition position with a plurality of chips attached to it, and attaches them to a storage-side sheet, comprising: a supply-side rotating body on which a plurality of the supply-side sheets are fixed and which arranges one of the plurality of supply-side sheets at the acquisition position; and a supply-side driving means that rotates the supply-side rotating body to move the supply-side sheet that was arranged at the acquisition position to another position and arrange the other supply-side sheet at the acquisition position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The chip processing apparatus according to the first invention includes a storage-side rotating body on which a plurality of storage-side sheets are fixed and which positions one of the plurality of storage-side sheets at the attachment position, and a storage-side driving means that rotates the storage-side rotating body to move the storage-side sheet that was positioned at the attachment position to another position and position the other storage-side sheet at the attachment position. As such, it is possible to suppress the downtime of the chip replacement process that occurs when replacing a storage-side sheet.

[0009] The chip processing apparatus according to the second invention includes a supply-side rotating body on which a plurality of supply-side sheets are fixed and which positions one of the plurality of supply-side sheets at the acquisition position, and a supply-side driving means that rotates the supply-side rotating body to move the supply-side sheet that was positioned at the acquisition position to another position and position another supply-side sheet at the acquisition position. As such, it is possible to suppress the downtime of the chip replacement process that occurs when replacing a supply-side sheet. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is an explanatory diagram of a chip processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an explanatory diagram of the chip processing device. [Figure 3] Block for connecting the central control system. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart illustrating the chip replacement process. [Figure 5] This is an explanatory diagram of a chip processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is a partially omitted plan view of a chip processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] A partially abbreviated side view of the chip processing unit. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Next, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described to facilitate understanding of the present invention. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the chip processing apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is a device equipped with a transport unit 11 that moves chips W obtained from supply-side sheets S1 and S2 to which a plurality of chips W are attached, and attaches them to storage-side sheets T1 to T5 arranged at attachment positions P. These will be described in detail below.

[0012] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the supply-side sheets S1 and S2 are attached to the ring-shaped members J1 and J2 respectively, while the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 are attached to the ring-shaped members K1 to K5 respectively, while stretched taut. Chip W can be, for example, a diode, transistor, capacitor, inductor, IC (Integrated Circuit), resistor, filter, bare die, memory, LED, or various sensors, but is not limited to these.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the chip processing apparatus 10 includes a supply-side rotating body 12 to which multiple (up to two in this embodiment) supply-side sheets S1 and S2 can be fixed, a supply-side fixing means 13 for fixing ring-shaped members J1 and J2 to fix the supply-side sheets S1 and S2 to the supply-side rotating body 12, a storage-side rotating body 14 to which multiple (up to five in this embodiment) storage-side sheets T1 to T5 can be fixed, and a storage-side fixing means 15 for fixing the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 to the storage-side rotating body 14. Note that the maximum number of supply-side sheets that can be fixed to the supply-side rotating body is not limited to two, and the maximum number of storage-side sheets that can be fixed to the storage-side rotating body is not limited to five.

[0014] In this embodiment, the supply-side rotating body 12 and the storage-side rotating body 14 are arranged with a gap between them, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and the transport unit 11 is positioned between the supply-side rotating body 12 and the storage-side rotating body 14. Therefore, the supply-side rotating body 12, the transport unit 11, and the storage-side rotating body 14 are arranged in line with the flow of the chips W being transported. In plan view, the supply-side rotating body 12 and the storage-side rotating body 14 are each approximately circular. The supply-side rotating body 12 is rotatable with respect to a vertical axis of rotation 16 provided at the center of the supply-side rotating body 12, and the storage-side rotating body 14 is rotatable with respect to a vertical axis of rotation 17 provided at the center of the storage-side rotating body 14.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 3, the chip processing apparatus 10 includes a supply side driving means 18 that applies a rotational force to the supply side rotating body 12 via a rotation shaft 16, a supply side control means 19 that controls the supply side driving means 18, a storage side driving means 20 that applies a rotational force to the storage side rotating body 14 via a rotation shaft 17, and a storage side control means 21 that controls the storage side driving means 20. In the present embodiment, the supply side driving means 18 and the storage side driving means 20 are each constituted by a motor, and the supply side control means 19 and the storage side control means 21 are each constituted by an electronic circuit or the like.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, two supply side sheets S1 and S2 can be fixed to the supply side rotating body 12 at intervals in the circumferential direction of the supply side rotating body 12 (in the present embodiment, at intervals of 180 degrees in the circumferential direction). In the present embodiment, as the supply side fixing means 13 for fixing the supply side sheets S1 and S2 to the supply side rotating body 12, a mechanism that is attached to the supply side rotating body 12 and grips the ring-shaped members J1 and J2 respectively is adopted (however, it is not limited to this type).

[0017] The supply side fixing means 13 grips the ring-shaped member J1 to fix the supply side sheet S1 to the supply side rotating body 12, and grips the ring-shaped member J2 to fix the supply side sheet S2 to the supply side rotating body 12. The supply side fixing means 13 can be constituted by a clamp mechanism that grips the ring-shaped members J1 and J2 and a control unit that controls the operation of the clamp mechanism.

[0018] The supply side rotating body 12 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise by 180 degrees (that is, the angular difference in the circumferential direction of the supply side rotating body 12 between the two supply side sheets S1 and S2 fixed to the supply side rotating body 12) and stops by the operation of the supply side driving means 18. When the supply side rotating body 12 is in a stopped state, one of the two supply side sheets S1 and S2 fixed to the supply side rotating body 12 is arranged at an acquisition position Q near the transport unit 11, and the other is arranged at a supply side exchange position L having a distance from the acquisition position Q.

[0019] Therefore, the supply-side rotator 12 will place one of the plurality of supply-side sheets S1, S2 at the acquisition position Q. Further, the supply-side driving means 18 rotates the supply-side rotator 12 to move the supply-side sheets S1, S2 arranged at the acquisition position Q to the supply-side exchange position L (that is, a position different from the acquisition position Q), and places the supply-side sheets S1, S2 arranged at the supply-side exchange position L (the other supply-side sheets S1, S2 as viewed from the supply-side sheets S1, S2 arranged at the acquisition position Q) at the acquisition position Q.

[0020] Here, the acquisition position Q means the position where the supply-side sheets S1, S2 arranged at the acquisition position Q are acquired by the chip W by the conveyance unit 11. The supply-side exchange position L means the position where the supply-side sheets S1, S2 arranged at the supply-side exchange position L are exchanged with another supply-side sheet (a plurality of chips W are attached to this supply-side sheet).

[0021] In the present embodiment, the supply-side fixing means 13 continues to fix the two supply-side sheets S1, S2 to the supply-side rotator 12 until the supply-side sheets S1, S2 arranged at the acquisition position Q are moved to the supply-side exchange position L by the rotation of the supply-side rotator 12, and (later) releases the fixing of the supply-side sheets S1, S2 in a state where the supply-side sheets S1, S2 are arranged at the supply-side exchange position L.

[0022] Further, on the storage-side rotator 14, five storage-side sheets T1 to T5 can be fixed at intervals in the circumferential direction of the storage-side rotator 14 (in the present embodiment, at equal intervals, but they do not have to be at equal intervals). In the present embodiment, a storage-side fixing means 15 that fixes the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 to the storage-side rotator 14 by negative pressure and releases the fixing of the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 to the storage-side rotator 14 by atmospheric release or positive pressure is used (however, the storage-side fixing means 15 is not limited to this type).

[0023] The storage-side fixing means 15 can be composed of a vacuum pump, a plurality of solenoid valves, and a control unit consisting of an electronic circuit that controls the vacuum pump and the plurality of solenoid valves. The storage-side fixing means 15 can individually switch between fixing and releasing each of the storage-side seats T1 to T5 to the storage-side rotating body 14.

[0024] The storage-side rotating body 14 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise by an angle of 72 degrees (i.e., the circumferential angle difference of the storage-side rotating body 14 between the five storage-side sheets T1 to T5 fixed to the storage-side rotating body 14) or multiples of that angle (for example, twice) by the operation of the storage-side driving means 20, and then stops. With the storage-side rotating body 14 stopped, one of the five storage-side sheets T1 to T5 fixed to the storage-side rotating body 14 is placed at an attachment position P near the transport unit 11, and the other one is placed at a storage-side exchange position M which is at a distance from the attachment position P.

[0025] Therefore, the storage-side rotating body 14 places one of the multiple storage-side sheets T1 to T5 at the attachment position P. The storage-side driving means 20 rotates the storage-side rotating body 14 to move the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 that were placed at the attachment position P to a different position (storage-side exchange position M or another position), and places one of the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 that were placed at a different position from the attachment position P (other storage-side sheets T1 to T5 from the perspective of the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 that are moved to a different position from the attachment position P) at the attachment position P.

[0026] The attachment position P refers to the position where the storage-side sheets T1 to T5, located at attachment position P, are attached to the chip W by the transport unit 11. The storage-side replacement position M refers to the position where the storage-side sheets T1 to T5, located at storage-side replacement position M, are replaced with a different storage-side sheet (this storage-side sheet does not have the chip W attached to it). In Figure 1, the area enclosed by the dashed lines of the supply-side sheets S1 and S2 and the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 indicates the area where the chip W can be attached.

[0027] Here, when moving the storage-side sheets T1 to T5, which were positioned at the attachment position P, to the storage-side replacement position M, the storage-side fixing means 15 continues to fix the five storage-side sheets T1 to T5 to the storage-side rotating body 14 until the storage-side sheets T1 to T5, which were positioned at the attachment position P, move from the attachment position P to the storage-side replacement position M by the rotation of the storage-side rotating body 14. After the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 are positioned at the storage-side replacement position M, the fixing of the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 is released.

[0028] The movement of storage sheets T1 to T5 from the attachment position P to the storage replacement position M is performed, for example, when chips W have been attached to all of the areas where chips W are to be attached on storage sheets T1 to T5 that are placed at attachment position P. The storage sheets T1 to T5 that have moved to the storage replacement position M are then replaced with other storage sheets. As shown in Figure 3, the supply-side fixing means 13 and the storage-side fixing means 15 are connected to a central control means 22 which is connected to the supply-side control means 19 and the storage-side control means 21. The central control means 22 can be configured with a CPU, memory, and communication devices, etc.

[0029] The central control means 22 is connected to a supply-side exchange mechanism 23 that replaces supply-side sheets S1 and S2, which have been released from their fixation to the supply-side rotating body 12 at the supply-side exchange position L, with another supply-side sheet, and a storage-side exchange mechanism 24 that replaces storage-side sheets T1 to T5, which have been released from their fixation to the storage-side rotating body 14 at the storage-side exchange position M, with another storage-side sheet. The supply-side exchange mechanism 23 and the storage-side exchange mechanism 24 can each be configured by a hand-type robot (however, they are not limited to hand-type robots).

[0030] In this embodiment, each chip W attached to the supply sheet S1 (and similarly to the supply sheet S2 and the supply sheet placed on the supply rotating body 12 by the supply exchange mechanism 23) undergoes a quality ranking inspection in advance (in a previous process). Here, each chip W is ranked into five (n) ranks: A, B, C, D, and E, and five (n) storage sheets T1 to T5 are used as targets for attaching rank A, rank B, rank C, rank D, and rank E chips, respectively. Note that n is an integer of 2 or more.

[0031] The central control means 22 is connected to a storage means 25 that stores rank information for each chip W attached to the supply sheets S1, S2 and the supply sheet rotating body 12, which are arranged on the supply sheet rotating body 12 by the supply sheet replacement mechanism 23 (hereinafter, when referring to the supply sheet and the supply sheet S1, S2, it will be written as "supply sheet S1, S2, etc."). The storage means 25 can be made of a storage medium such as memory and also stores information on the position of each chip W on the supply sheet S1, S2, etc.

[0032] As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the transport unit 11 includes a chip acquisition means 27 for acquiring chips W attached to supply-side sheets S1 and S2 located at acquisition position Q, a chip moving means 28 for acquiring and moving chips W from the chip acquisition means 27, and a chip attachment means 29 for acquiring chips W from the chip moving means 28 and attaching them to storage-side sheets T1 to T5 located at attachment position P. Note that in Figure 1, the chip acquisition means 27 and chip attachment means 29 are not shown.

[0033] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, a push-up mechanism 30 connected to a central control means 22 is provided below the supply-side sheets S1 and S2 located at the acquisition position Q. The push-up mechanism 30 receives a command signal from the central control means 22 and pushes up predetermined locations on the supply-side sheets S1 and S2 located at the acquisition position Q, along with the chip W attached to those locations, bringing the chip W closer to the chip acquisition means 27. The relative position of the member of the push-up mechanism 30 that pushes up the chip W with respect to the supply-side rotating body 12 can be changed.

[0034] The chip acquisition means 27 adsorbs the chip W that has been pushed up by the push-up means 30, removes it from the supply-side sheets S1 and S2, and provides the chip W to the chip moving means 28. The chip moving means 28 has a rotating body 31 equipped with adsorption parts that each adsorb a plurality of chips W. Due to the intermittent rotation of the rotating body 31, each chip W adsorbed by the rotating body 31 moves toward the chip attachment means 29. Near the chip moving means 28, a mechanism can be provided to perform a predetermined process (such as visual inspection or laser marking) on ​​the chip W adsorbed by the chip moving means 28.

[0035] The chip attachment means 29 picks up the chip W that the chip moving means 28 is adsorbing and attaches the chip W to the storage side sheets T1 to T5 located at the attachment position P. In this embodiment, the chip acquisition means 27 and the chip attachment means 29 each have multiple suction parts for adsorbing chips, but they may each have only one suction part. Also, the chip acquisition means 27, the chip moving means 28, and the chip attachment means 29 may support the chip W by a method other than adsorption (for example, gripping).

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the relative position adjustment of the suction portion of the chip acquisition means 27, which acquires the chips W on the supply-side sheets S1 and S2, is performed by moving the suction portion of the chip acquisition means 27. However, the supply-side sheets S1 and S2 may be made movable relative to the supply-side rotating body 12, and the same position adjustment may be performed by moving the supply-side sheets S1 and S2. The same applies to the relative position adjustment of the suction portion of the chip attachment means 29, which attaches the chips W to the storage-side sheets T1 to T5. As in this embodiment, the same position adjustment may be performed by moving the suction portion of the chip attachment means 29, or the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 may be made movable relative to the storage-side rotating body 14, and the same position adjustment may be performed by moving the storage-side sheets T1 to T5.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a supply-side imaging means 32 is provided to image the chip W that is attracted to the chip acquisition means 27 on the supply-side sheets S1 and S2 located at the acquisition position Q, and a storage-side imaging means 33 is provided to image the location on the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 located at the attachment position P where the chip W is attached. The supply-side imaging means 32 and the storage-side imaging means 33 are connected to the central control means 22.

[0038] The central control means 22 acquires the image captured by the supply-side imaging means 32, and based on that image, the chip acquisition means 27 pre-detects the position of the next chip W to be acquired from the supply-side sheets S1 and S2 located at the acquisition position Q. The chip acquisition means 27 acquires the corresponding chip W based on the position information of the next chip W to be acquired detected by the central control means 22.

[0039] The supply-side imaging means 32 may have an imaging range that can image the entire area where chips W can be attached to supply-side sheets S1 and S2 located at acquisition position Q, so as to enable imaging of any chip W on supply-side sheets S1 and S2 located at acquisition position Q, or it may be designed so that the imaging range can be moved. This is to accommodate the fact that the last chip W acquired by the chip acquisition means 27 and the next chip W to be acquired are often not adjacent, and to detect the position of the next chip W to be acquired when one of the supply-side sheets S1 and S2 located at acquisition position Q is replaced with the other.

[0040] The central control means 22 acquires an image captured by the storage-side imaging means 33 and, based on that image, detects in advance the location where the next chip W will be attached on the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 arranged at the attachment position P. The chip attachment means 29 attaches the chip W to the corresponding location based on the location information of the next chip W to be attached detected by the central control means 22.

[0041] The storage-side imaging means 33 may have an imaging range that can image any location within the attachable area of ​​the chip W on the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 arranged at the attachment position P, for example, by imaging the entire attachable area of ​​the chip W on the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 arranged at the attachment position P, or it may be designed so that the imaging range can be moved. Precisely positioning the chip W on the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 in this way is preferable from the viewpoint of preventing adjacent chips W from touching or being separated by more than an acceptable distance.

[0042] The central control means 22 detects, in addition to the rank information and position information of each chip W attached to the supply sheets S1, S2, etc., stored in the storage means 25, the current position of the supply sheets S1, S2 fixed to the supply rotating body 12, the order of the chips W acquired by the transport unit 11 from the supply sheets S1, S2, the progress of attaching the chips W to each of the storage sheets T1 to T5 (to what extent the chips W have been attached to each of the storage sheets T1 to T5), and the current position of the storage sheets T1 to T5 fixed to the storage rotating body 14.

[0043] Based on this information, the central control means 22 transmits command signals to the supply-side fixing means 13, storage-side fixing means 15, supply-side control means 19, storage-side control means 21, supply-side replacement mechanism 23, storage-side replacement mechanism 24, chip acquisition means 27, chip moving means 28, chip attachment means 29, and push-up means 30, and performs the chip W replacement process according to the following steps.

[0044] <Step 01> As shown in Figure 4, the supply-side sheets S1 and S2, to which the chips W are attached, are placed on the supply-side rotating body 12 by the supply-side exchange mechanism 23 (at which time the supply-side rotating body 12 rotates as appropriate), and are fixed to the supply-side rotating body 12 by the supply-side fixing means 13. At the same time, the storage-side sheets T1 to T5, to which the chips W are not attached, are placed on the storage-side rotating body 14 by the storage-side exchange mechanism 24 (at which time the storage-side rotating body 14 rotates as appropriate), and are fixed to the storage-side rotating body 14 by the storage-side fixing means 15.

[0045] <Step 02> The rotation of the supply-side rotating body 12 positions the supply-side sheet S1 (which may also be the supply-side sheet S2) at the acquisition position Q, and the rotation of the storage-side rotating body 14 positions the storage-side sheet T1 (which may also be the storage-side sheet T2) at the attachment position P.

[0046] <Step 03> The transport unit 11 acquires a rank A chip W that is attached to the supply-side sheet S1 located at acquisition position Q.

[0047] <Step 04> After one rank A chip W is obtained from the supply sheet S1, it is determined whether or not there are any rank A chips W remaining on the supply sheet S1. In this embodiment, the central control means 22 and the supply side control means 19 detect in advance the timing when all rank A chips W will be removed from the supply sheet S1.

[0048] <Step 05> If, in step 04, it is determined that there are no rank A chips W remaining on the supply sheet S1 (when all rank A chips W that were attached to the supply sheet S1 have been removed), the transport unit 11 retrieves rank B chips W from the supply sheet S1 located at the acquisition position Q.

[0049] Then, after the transport unit 11 has finished attaching the rank A chip W, which was acquired immediately before the rank B chip W, to the storage side sheet T1, the storage side control means 21 controls the storage side drive means 20 to rotate the storage side rotating body 14, moving the storage side sheet T1 from the attachment position P to a different position, and placing the storage side sheet T2 (i.e., a storage side sheet different from storage side sheet T1) at the attachment position P. After that, the rank B chip W is attached to the storage side sheet T2. <Step 06> In step 04, if it is determined that rank A chips W remain on the supply-side sheet S1, it is determined whether there is any remaining empty space on the storage-side sheet T1 for the transport unit 11 to attach all of the rank A chips W that it has picked up. In this embodiment, the central control means 22, the supply-side control means 19, and the storage-side control means 21 detect in advance the timing when there will be no more empty space on the storage-side sheet T1. Then, if it is determined that there is still empty space on the storage sheet T1, the process returns to step 03, and the transport unit 11 newly acquires a rank A chip W from the supply sheet S1.

[0050] <Step 07> On the other hand, if it is determined in step 06 that there is no available space on the storage sheet T1, the transport unit 11 obtains a chip W of rank E (a different rank from rank A) from the supply sheet S1.

[0051] Then, after all of the rank A chips W that the transport unit 11 has picked up have been attached to the storage-side sheet T1, the storage-side control means 21 controls the storage-side drive means 20 to rotate the storage-side rotating body 14, moving the storage-side sheet T1 from the attachment position P to the storage-side replacement position M, and placing the storage-side sheet T5 at the attachment position P. After that, the storage-side replacement mechanism 24 retrieves the storage-side sheet T1 that has been placed at the storage-side replacement position M and released from its fixed position, and places another storage-side sheet that does not have chips W attached to it at the storage-side replacement position M (a predetermined part of the storage-side rotating body 14).

[0052] When replacing this storage sheet T1 with another storage sheet, the rank E chip W that was attached to the supply sheet S1 is attached to the storage sheet T5 located at the attachment position P. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to attach chip W to another storage sheet while the storage sheet replacement process is underway.

[0053] The same procedure is followed until all chips W of ranks A through E are removed from the supply sheet S1. Then, chips W of ranks A, B, C, D, and E are removed from the supply sheet S1 in order and attached to the storage sheets T1 through T5, respectively. After all chips W of ranks A to E are removed from the supply sheet S1, the supply rotating body 12 rotates to position the supply sheet S2 at the acquisition position Q and the supply sheet S1 at the supply replacement position L, and the transfer of chips W from the supply sheet S2 to the storage sheets T1 to T5 begins. Meanwhile, the supply sheet S1 positioned at the supply replacement position L is replaced by the supply replacement mechanism 23 with another supply sheet to which chips W have been attached.

[0054] Therefore, in this embodiment, the storage-side control means 21 controls the storage-side drive means 20 based on the rank information of the chips W obtained from the supply-side sheets S1 and S2, and places one of the multiple storage-side sheets T1 to T5 fixed to the storage-side rotating body 14 (the optimal one) at the attachment position P. Here, the process of placing the supply sheet S2 at the acquisition position Q where the supply sheet S1 was placed can be performed solely by the rotation of the supply rotating body 12, and the process of placing the storage sheets T2 to T5 at the attachment position P where the storage sheet T1 was placed can be performed solely by the rotation of the storage rotating body 14, thus reducing the time required for these processes.

[0055] In the chip processing apparatus 10 described so far, the supply-side sheets S1 and S2 are fixed to the supply-side rotating body 12 in a horizontal position, that is, perpendicular to the rotation axis 16 of the supply-side rotating body 12, and the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 are fixed to the storage-side rotating body 14 in a horizontal position, that is, perpendicular to the rotation axis 17 of the storage-side rotating body 14, but the apparatus is not limited to this configuration.

[0056] For example, as shown in Figure 5, the chip processing apparatus 50 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the supply-side sheets S11 and S12 may be attached to ring-shaped members J11 and J12 respectively and fixed to the supply-side rotating body 51 in a state parallel to the rotation axis of the supply-side rotating body 51. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the storage-side sheets T11 and T12 are also attached to ring-shaped members K11 and K12 respectively and fixed to the storage-side rotating body 52 in a state parallel to the rotation axis of the storage-side rotating body 52.

[0057] The transport unit 53 of the chip processing device 50 comprises a rotating body 55 that rotates around a rotation axis 54 parallel to the rotation axes of the supply-side rotating body 51 and the storage-side rotating body 52, and a plurality of suction parts (an example of a chip support part) 56 each capable of adsorbing (supporting) chips W. The plurality of suction parts 56 are arranged around the rotating body 55 so as to surround it, and move in accordance with the intermittent rotation of the rotating body 55. Each suction part 56 is provided so as to be able to move back and forth in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis 54 relative to the rotating body 55.

[0058] Multiple suction units 56 are positioned such that one suction unit 56 is positioned opposite the supply-side sheet S11 located at the acquisition position Q1, and moves forward in a direction perpendicular to the supply-side sheet S11 to directly acquire the chip W from the supply-side sheet S11. Another suction unit 56 is positioned opposite the storage-side sheet T11 located at the attachment position P1, and moves forward together with the attached chip W in a direction perpendicular to the storage-side sheet T11 to directly attach the chip W to the storage-side sheet T11.

[0059] The supply-side sheets S11 and S12, while attached to the ring-shaped members J11 and J12 respectively, are removed from the supply-side rotating body 51 by the supply-side replacement mechanism at the supply-side replacement position L1 and replaced with new supply-side sheets attached to the ring-shaped members. The storage-side sheets T11 and T12, while attached to the ring-shaped members K11 and K12 respectively, are removed from the storage-side rotating body 52 by the storage-side replacement mechanism at the storage-side replacement position M1 and replaced with new storage-side sheets attached to the ring-shaped members.

[0060] It goes without saying that three or more supply-side sheets may be fixed to the supply-side rotating body 51, and three or more storage-side sheets may be fixed to the storage-side rotating body 52. ​​Furthermore, there may be two or more supply-side rotating bodies and storage-side rotating bodies each provided around the transport unit 53 (the same applies to the chip processing device 10).

[0061] Furthermore, in the chip processing device 10 (and similarly in the chip processing device 50), the rotation axis 16 of the supply-side rotating body 12 and the rotation axis 17 of the storage-side rotating body 14 are both aligned vertically, but this is not limited to this configuration. For example, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the chip processing apparatus 60 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the rotation axis 62 of the supply-side rotating body 61 and the rotation axis 64 of the storage-side rotating body 63 may both be arranged horizontally.

[0062] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the transport unit 65 of the chip processing device 60 has multiple suction parts 67 attached at intervals to the outer circumference of a disc-shaped rotating body 66 that rotates around a vertically positioned rotation axis, allowing it to move back and forth. Multiple supply-side sheets S21 and S22 are fixed to the supply-side rotating body 61, attached to ring-shaped members J21 and J22 respectively (more than three supply-side sheets may be fixed). Multiple storage-side sheets T21 and T22 are fixed to the storage-side rotating body 63, attached to ring-shaped members K21 and K22 respectively (more than three storage-side sheets may be fixed).

[0063] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 7, the acquisition position Q2 where the transport unit 65 acquires chips W from the supply-side sheets S21 and S22 is located above the supply-side exchange position L2, and the attachment position P2 where the transport unit 65 attaches chips W to the storage-side sheets T21 and T22 is located above the storage-side exchange position M2.

[0064] The supply-side sheet S21, which was located at the acquisition position Q2, and the supply-side sheet S22, which was located at the supply-side replacement position L2, are positioned at the supply-side replacement position L2 and acquisition position Q2, respectively, by the rotating body of the supply-side rotating body 61. The storage-side sheet T21, which was located at the attachment position P2, and the storage-side sheet T22, which was located at the storage-side replacement position M2, are positioned at the storage-side replacement position M2 and attachment position P2, respectively, by the rotating body of the storage-side rotating body 63.

[0065] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described forms, and any changes to the conditions, etc., that do not depart from the gist of the invention are all within the scope of application of the present invention. For example, the system may include a supply-side rotating body to which only one supply-side sheet is fixed, and a storage-side rotating body to which multiple storage-side sheets are fixed, or it may include a supply-side rotating body to which multiple supply-side sheets are fixed, and a storage-side rotating body to which only one storage-side sheet is fixed.

[0066] You may also attach chips of different ranks to a single storage sheet. Furthermore, the number of thrusting means is not limited to one. For example, if multiple supply seats are fixed to the supply rotating body, the same number of thrusting means as the number of supply seats fixed to the supply rotating body may be provided, and a different thrusting means may be assigned to each supply seat. Furthermore, it is not necessary to provide either the supply-side replacement mechanism or the storage-side replacement mechanism, or both. If such mechanisms are not provided, for example, a person may replace the supply-side sheet or the storage-side sheet. Multiple replacement locations can be provided on the supply side, and multiple replacement locations can be provided on the storage side.

[0067] The fixing of the storage-side sheet by the storage-side fixing means may be designed to be temporarily released from the storage-side sheet, which was positioned at the attachment point, until it moves to the storage-side replacement point due to the rotation of the storage-side rotating body (for example, a design can be adopted in which the storage-side rotating body is temporarily stopped midway, and the fixing of the storage-side sheet is released during that temporary stop). The same applies to the fixing of the supply-side sheet by the supply-side fixing means.

[0068] The number, arrangement, and shape of each component of the chip processing apparatus do not need to be the same as in the above embodiment. For example, the supply-side rotating body and the storage-side rotating body do not need to be substantially circular. Furthermore, the rotation axes of the supply-side and storage-side rotating bodies do not need to be physical components; they may be conceptual rotation axes. The rotation axes of the conveying unit's rotating bodies do not need to be vertically positioned; for example, they may be horizontally positioned. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 10: Chip processing device, 11: Transport unit, 12: Supply side rotating body, 13: Supply side fixing means, 14: Storage side rotating body, 15: Storage side fixing means, 16, 17: Rotating shaft, 18: Supply side driving means, 19: Supply side control means, 20: Storage side driving means, 21: Storage side control means, 22: Central control means, 23: Supply side exchange mechanism, 24: Storage side exchange mechanism, 25: Memory means, 27: Chip acquisition means, 28: Chip moving means, 29: Chip attachment means, 30: Push-up means, 31: Rotating body, 32: Supply side imaging means, 33: Storage side imaging means, 50: Chip processing device, 51: Supply side rotating body, 52: Storage side rotating body, 53: Transport unit, 54: Rotating shaft, 55: Rotating body, 56: Suction part, 60: Chip processing device, 61: Supply side rotating body, 62: Rotating shaft, 63: Storage side rotating body, 64: Rotating shaft, 65: Conveying unit, 66: Rotating body, 67: Suction part, J1, J2, J11, J12, J21, J22: Ring-shaped member, K1~K5, K11, K12, K21, K22: Ring-shaped member, L, L1, L2: Supply side replacement position, M, M1, M2: Storage side replacement position, P, P1, P2: Attachment position, Q, Q1, Q2: Acquisition position, S1, S2, S11, S12, S21, S22: Supply side sheet, T1~T5, T11, T12, T21, T22: Storage side sheet, W: Chip

Claims

1. A chip processing apparatus having a transport unit that moves chips acquired from a supply-side sheet on which multiple chips are attached and attaches them to a storage-side sheet placed at an attachment position, A storage-side rotating body to which multiple storage-side sheets are fixed and to which one of the multiple storage-side sheets is placed at the attachment position, A chip processing apparatus comprising a storage-side driving means for rotating the storage-side rotating body to move the storage-side sheet that was positioned at the attachment position to another position, and positioning another storage-side sheet at the attachment position.

2. The system further includes a storage-side fixing means for fixing the plurality of storage-side sheets to the storage-side rotating body, The chip processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the storage-side fixing means continues to fix the plurality of storage-side sheets to the storage-side rotating body until the storage-side sheet, which was positioned at the attachment position, moves to a storage-side replacement position at a distance from the attachment position by the rotation of the storage-side rotating body, and releases the storage-side sheet when it is positioned at the storage-side replacement position.

3. The chip processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage side replacement mechanism for replacing the storage side sheet, which has been released from its fixation to the storage side rotating body at a storage side replacement position having distance from the aforementioned attachment position, with another storage side sheet.

4. A storage means for storing rank information of each chip attached to the supply side sheet, The chip processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a storage-side control means that controls the storage-side driving means based on the rank information of the chip obtained by the transport unit from the supply-side sheet, to position one of the plurality of storage-side sheets fixed to the storage-side rotating body at the attachment position.

5. A chip processing device having a transport unit that moves chips acquired from a supply-side sheet, which is placed at an acquisition position with multiple chips attached to it, and attaches them to a storage-side sheet, A supply-side rotating body is provided, on which multiple supply-side sheets are fixed and one of the multiple supply-side sheets is positioned at the acquisition position. A chip processing apparatus comprising a supply-side driving means for rotating the supply-side rotating body to move the supply-side sheet, which was positioned at the acquisition position, to another position, and for positioning another supply-side sheet at the acquisition position.

6. The system further comprises supply-side fixing means for fixing the plurality of supply-side sheets to the supply-side rotating body, The chip processing apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the supply-side fixing means continues to fix the plurality of supply-side sheets to the supply-side rotating body until the supply-side sheet, which was positioned at the acquisition position, moves to a supply-side replacement position at a distance from the acquisition position by the rotation of the supply-side rotating body, and releases the supply-side sheet when it is positioned at the supply-side replacement position.

7. The chip processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a supply-side replacement mechanism for replacing the storage-side sheet, which has been released from its fixation to the supply-side rotating body at a supply-side replacement position having distance from the acquisition position, with another supply-side sheet.

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