Visual inspection system and its guide mechanism

Abstract

A visual inspection system for electronic components and a guide mechanism for guiding the electronic components to move in a feed direction are provided. [Solution] The visual inspection system 100 performs visual inspection on electronic components E, such as hexagonal resistors and capacitors, and includes a vibrating disk 10, a transport device 20, a circular carrier 30, a guide component 40, and an inspection device 50 (e.g., a CCD). A guide mechanism V on the transport device 20 has a first groove V1 and a second groove V2 adjacent to each other. The bottom side of the first groove V1 forms a slope that gradually becomes shallower along the feed direction A2. When the electronic component E moves along the slope of the first groove V1, the slope pushes the electronic component E out of the first groove V1 and drops it into the second groove V2.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an appearance inspection system, and more particularly to an appearance inspection system for electronic components and a guide mechanism thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] Hexagonal electronic components (such as resistors and capacitors) typically have similar widths and lengths, making it difficult to identify the direction of laminated layers through visual inspection.

[0003] Furthermore, when inspecting the appearance of electronic components, unevenness on the surface can easily cause tilting angles, which often results in inaccurate inspection results and makes the inspection more difficult.

[0004] Therefore, how to design an appearance inspection system that improves the accuracy of appearance inspection of electronic components has become one of the major challenges for researchers in this technical field. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention aims to provide a visual inspection system and a guide mechanism thereof. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned problems, one embodiment of the present invention provides a guide mechanism mounted on a base for guiding an electronic component in a feed direction, the guide mechanism having a first groove and a second groove. The first groove is mounted on the base and extends in the feed direction. The first groove has interconnected front and rear sections, a first central axis of the first groove passing through the front and rear sections, and a bottom side of the rear section forms a gradually shallower slope along the feed direction. The second groove is mounted on the base and adjacent to the first groove. The first central axis and the second central axis of the second groove are parallel to each other and spaced a certain distance apart, and when observed in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the feed direction, the relative positions of the slope and the second groove at least partially overlap.

[0007] When the electronic component moves from the front portion to the rear portion of the first groove, the inclination pushes the electronic component out of the rear portion and causes the electronic component to fall into the second groove.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, the bottom side of the first groove forms an arc surface, the second groove has a V-shaped cross section, and the second groove is lower than the first groove.

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention further provides an appearance inspection system including a guide mechanism, a transport device, a vibrating disk, a magnetic component, a carrier, and an inspection device. The guide mechanism is mounted on the transport device, and the electronic component slides from the vibrating disk into a first groove of the guide mechanism. The magnetic component is mounted on one side of the transport device and exerts a magnetic force on the electronic component. The electronic component slides from the second groove of the guide mechanism into the carrier, and the inspection device is adjacent to the carrier to capture an image of the electronic component on the carrier.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, the magnetic component and the rear portion at least partially overlap when viewed in a lateral direction.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the magnetic component, the rear portion, and the second groove at least partially overlap when viewed in a lateral direction.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, when viewed in a lateral direction, the magnetic component and the front and rear sections of the first groove at least partially overlap each other.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the visual inspection system further includes a recycling area, a first camera adjacent to the transport device, and a first spray unit, and the guide mechanism further includes a third groove installed on the base. The first camera captures images of the electronic components located in the second groove, and the first spray unit blows the electronic components from the second groove into the third groove. The electronic components continue to move along the third groove and flow back into the second groove.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the visual inspection system further includes a second camera and a second spray unit adjacent to the collection area and the transport device, the second camera taking images of the electronic components located in the second groove, and the second spray unit blowing the electronic components out of the second groove into the recycling area.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the bottom side of the first groove forms an arc surface, and the second groove and the third groove each have a V-shaped cross section.

[0016] One embodiment of the present invention further provides an appearance inspection system including a guide mechanism, a vibrating disk, a transport device, a magnetic component, a carrier, and an inspection device. The guide mechanism is mounted on the vibrating disk, and the first central axis of the first groove and the second central axis of the second groove are both arc-shaped. The magnetic component is mounted on one side of the vibrating disk and exerts a magnetic force on the electronic component. The electronic component slides into the transport device through the second groove of the guide mechanism, and the electronic component slides from the transport device to the carrier. The inspection device is adjacent to the carrier and captures an image of the electronic component on the carrier.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the transport device has a fourth groove and a fifth groove arranged in parallel, and both the fourth groove and the fifth groove have a V-shaped cross section.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, a camera and a spray unit are provided on one side of the fourth groove. The camera captures images of the electronic components located in the fourth groove, and the spray unit blows the electronic components from the fourth groove down into the fifth groove, so that the electronic components continue to move along the fifth groove and flow back into the fourth groove. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] This invention improves the accuracy of visual inspection of electronic components. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an appearance inspection system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a partially enlarged view of the transport device 20 and the magnetic part M in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 10 is a diagram showing how the electronic component E falls from the rear portion V12 of the first groove V1 into the front portion V21 of the second groove V2. [Figure 4] 10 is a diagram showing how the electronic component E slides into the rear portion V22 of the second groove V2. FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the electronic component E has slid onto the carrier 30. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 shows a visual inspection system 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an appearance inspection system 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Mode for implementing the invention

[0021] The following describes an appearance inspection system and its guide mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. However, it will be readily understood that the embodiments of the present invention provide many suitable inventive concepts and can be implemented in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments disclosed are intended only to illustrate the use of the present invention in a particular manner and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0022] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It is understood that these terms, as defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be read to have a meaning consistent with the relevant art and the context or background of the present invention, and should not be read in an idealized or overly formal manner unless specifically defined herein.

[0023] The present invention and other technical contents, features, and advantages will be clearly presented in the following detailed description with reference to preferred embodiments in the drawings. Directional terms, such as up and down, left and right, front and back, etc., used in the following embodiments merely refer to the directions in the additional drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used in the embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the present invention.

[0024] First, please refer to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a visual inspection system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, an appearance inspection system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention performs appearance inspection on electronic components E, such as hexagonal resistors and capacitors, and includes a vibration disk 10, a transport device 20, a circular carrier 30, a guide part 40, and an inspection device 50 (e.g., a CCD).

[0026] Specifically, the input end and output end of the transport device 20 are connected to the vibrating disk 10 and the carrier 30, respectively, and the guide part 40 and the inspection device 50 are installed on one side of the carrier 30 and adjacent to the carrier 30. The vibrating disk 10 is rotatable and vibrates to sequentially feed the electronic components E installed thereon into the first grooves V1 located on the base 21 of the transport device 20 along the feed direction A1 (FIG. 1). Subsequently, the electronic components E are subjected to the vibration of the transport device 20 and move along the first grooves V1 of the transport device 20 (shown as the feed direction A2 in FIG. 1).

[0027] It should be noted that in this embodiment, a magnetic part M (e.g., a magnet) is installed on one side of the transport device 20. The magnetic part M exerts a magnetic force on the electronic components E, and can adjust the laminated layer directions of each electronic component E to match, thereby enabling the inspection device 50 to smoothly perform visual inspection of the carrier 30.

[0028] Next, referring to Figures 2 and 3 together, Figure 2 is a local enlarged view of the transport device 20 and magnetic part M in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a diagram showing that the electronic part E falls from the rear part V12 of the first groove V1 into the front part V21 of the second groove V2.

[0029] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, when the electronic components E move to the end of the first groove V1 of the transport device 20, the electronic components E are affected by the inclined structure of the bottom side of the first groove V1, which gradually decreases in depth in the feed direction A2, so that the electronic components E fall one by one into the second groove V2 located on the base 21 of the transport device 20.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2, the first groove V1 and the second groove V2 constitute a guide mechanism V on the transport device 20, the first groove V1 has a first central axis X1, the second groove V2 has a second central axis X2, the first groove V1 and the second groove V2 are adjacent to each other, the first central axis X1 and the second central axis X2 are parallel to each other and are spaced a certain distance apart.

[0031] In this embodiment, the bottom of the first groove V1 forms an arc, the second groove V2 has a V-shaped cross section, and as can be seen in Figure 3, the position of the second groove V2 is slightly lower than that of the first groove V1. As a result, when the electronic components E move to the end of the first groove V1 of the transport device 20, they are affected by the inclined structure of the end of the first groove V1 and fall into the second groove V2 one by one.

[0032] Next, the electronic components E slide from the transport device 20 onto the carrier 30 and are guided to a predetermined position by the guide parts 40, after which the electronic components E rotate along with the carrier 30 (indicated by the direction of arrow A3 in FIG. 1) and pass through the inspection device 50 one by one, which can be used to capture an image of the electronic components E and perform a complete appearance inspection.

[0033] 2, the first groove V1 according to this embodiment has a front section V11 and a rear section V12 that are connected to each other. The first center axis X1 of the first groove V1 passes through the front section V11 and the rear section V12, and forms an arcuate surface on the bottom side of each of the front section V11 and the rear section V12 of the first groove V1.

[0034] In addition, the second groove V2 according to this embodiment has a front section V21 and a rear section V22 that are interconnected. A second central axis X2 of the second groove V2 passes through the front section V21 and the rear section V22, and both the front section V21 and the rear section V22 of the second groove V2 have a V-shaped cross section.

[0035] It should be noted that a gradually shallower slope VS (FIG. 2) is formed along the feed direction A2 at the bottom of the rear section V12 of the first groove V1, and when observed in the lateral direction D perpendicular to the feed direction A2, the rear section V12 (slope VS) of the first groove V1 and the front section V21 of the second groove V2 at least partially overlap.

[0036] As described above, when the electronic component E slides from the front section V11 of the first groove V1 of the transport device 20 to the rear section V12 along the feed direction A2, the electronic component E falls into the second groove V2 on the transport device 20 (indicated by the arrow D1 in Figure 3) due to the influence of the slope VS which gradually becomes shallower along the feed direction A2 on the bottom side of the rear section V12.

[0037] 2, the magnetic part M is placed at the joint between the front step V11 and the rear step V12 of the first groove V1. That is, when observed along the lateral direction D, the relative positions of the magnetic part M, the front step V11 and the rear step V12 (slope VS) of the first groove V1, and the front step V21 of the second groove V2 at least partially overlap.

[0038] In one embodiment of the present invention, when observed along the horizontal direction D, the magnetic part M may only overlap with the relative position (slope VS) of the rear part V12 of the first groove V1, but may not overlap with the relative position of the front part V11 of the first groove V1, and therefore is not limited to the disclosure of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Please also refer to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a diagram showing how the electronic component E slides into the rear portion V22 of the second groove V2, and Figure 5 is a diagram showing how the electronic component E slides on the carrier 30.

[0040] As shown in Figure 4, when the electronic component E slides from the front section V21 to the rear section V22 of the second groove V2, the electronic component E gradually rotates in the direction of arrow D2 as the groove shape at the bottom side of the rear section V22 changes, and the stacking structure of the electronic component E gradually changes to become parallel to the vertical direction.

[0041] Next, the electronic components E slide one by one from the rear portion V22 of the second groove V2 onto the carrier surface 31 of the carrier 30 (shown in Figure 5), and the stacked structures EL inside all of the electronic components E are perpendicular to the carrier surface 31, facilitating accurate visual inspection of the electronic components E on the carrier surface 31 by the subsequent inspection device 50.

[0042] Next, please refer to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an appearance inspection system 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] 6, the difference between the appearance inspection system 200 of this embodiment and the appearance inspection system 100 of FIG. 1 is that the transport device 20 in the appearance inspection system 200 of this embodiment further includes a third groove V3, a first camera C1, and a first spray unit B1 on one side of the second groove V2, and a second camera C2 and a second spray unit B2 on one side of the second groove V2.

[0044] Specifically, after the electronic components E move along the first groove V1 and fall into the second groove V2 due to the magnetic components M, they are first photographed by the first camera C1 and checked to see if the stacking direction of the electronic components E in the second groove V2 is correct. If the stacking direction of the electronic components E is incorrect, the first spray unit B1 can be used to spray the electronic components E into another third groove V3 having a V-shaped cross section (reversal process). The electronic components E move along the third groove V3 and flow back into the second groove V2. The second camera C2 then photographs the electronic components E again and checks whether the stacking direction of the electronic components E returned to the second groove V2 is correct. If the stacking direction of the electronic components E is correct, the electronic components E continue to move along the second groove V2 and smoothly slide down onto the carrier surface 31 of the carrier 30.

[0045] On the other hand, if the second camera C2 detects that the stacking direction of the electronic component E is still incorrect, the second spraying unit B2 is used to spray the electronic component E into the recycling area 60 (discharge process), and then the transport mechanism of the recycling area 60 is used to send it back onto the vibrating disk 10 (indicated by the direction of arrow A4 in Figure 6), or the electronic component E is sent again to the transport device 20, and the supply process is repeated.

[0046] In this embodiment, the first groove V1, the second groove V2, and the third groove V3 constitute a guide mechanism V on the transport device 20. By installing the first and second cameras C1 and C2 and the first and second spray units B1 and B2, it is possible to detect and confirm whether the stacking direction of the electronic components E is correct before they are transferred to the carrier 30, and electronic components E that do not pass inspection are directly removed from the guide mechanism V. This ensures that the stacking directions of the electronic components E transferred to the carrier 30 are all correct, thereby improving the accuracy of the appearance inspection and the product yield.

[0047] Referring again to FIG. 7, FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a visual inspection system 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] As shown in Figure 7, the difference between the visual inspection system 300 of this embodiment and the visual inspection system 100 in Figure 1 is that the guide mechanism V (first groove V1 and second groove V2) of the visual inspection system 300 is installed on the base 11 of the vibrating disk 10, and the first central axis X1 of the first groove V1 and the second central axis X2 of the second groove V2 are both arc-shaped and extend along the feed direction A1; in addition, a magnetic part M is installed on one side of the vibrating disk 10.

[0049] In addition, a fourth groove V4 and a fifth groove V5 are installed in parallel on the base 21 of the transport device 20, and both the fourth groove V4 and the fifth groove V5 have a V-shaped cross section. In addition, one side of the fourth groove V4 further has a camera C and a spray unit B.

[0050] Specifically, the electronic component E moves along the feed direction A1 in the first groove V1 on the transport device 20, and the magnetic component M adjusts the stacking direction of the electronic component E to be consistent.The electronic component E then falls into the second groove V2 due to the influence of the gradually shallower inclined structure along the feed direction A1 on the bottom side of the first groove V1, and then the electronic component E enters the fourth groove V4 on the transport device 20.

[0051] After the electronic component E enters the fourth groove V4, it is first photographed by the camera C to check whether the stacking direction of the electronic component E is correct. If the stacking direction of the electronic component E is incorrect, the spray unit B can be used to spray the electronic component E into the fifth groove V5 (reversal process), turning the electronic component E to the correct stacking direction. Then, the electronic component E continues to move along the fifth groove V5 and flows back into the fourth groove V4, and smoothly slides down onto the carrier surface 31 of the carrier 30.

[0052] In this embodiment, by installing the arc-shaped guide mechanism V (first groove V1 and second groove V2) on the base 11 of the vibrating disk 10, the stacking directions of most of the electronic components E are adjusted in advance to be consistent, and then inspected using the camera C and the spraying unit B to confirm whether the stacking directions are correct, thereby ensuring that the stacking directions of all the electronic components E moving onto the carrier 30 are accurate, thereby improving the accuracy of the visual inspection and the product yield.

[0053] Although the above embodiments and their advantages have been disclosed, it should be understood that those skilled in the art may make modifications, substitutions, and alterations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the scope of protection of this utility model is not limited to the processes, machines, manufactures, compositions of matter, devices, methods, and procedures in the specific embodiments described herein. Anyone skilled in the art can understand from the disclosure of this utility model that current or future processes, machines, manufactures, compositions of matter, devices, methods, and procedures can be used in accordance with this utility model, as long as they can perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same results as the embodiments described herein. Therefore, the scope of protection of the utility model includes the processes, machines, manufactures, compositions of matter, devices, methods, and procedures described above. Furthermore, the scope of each utility model application constitutes an individual embodiment, and the scope of protection of the utility model includes the scope of each utility model application and combinations of embodiments.

[0054] Although the present invention has been disclosed as a preferred embodiment, it is by no means intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and anyone familiar with the art can make various modifications within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 100...Visual inspection system 200...Visual inspection system 300...Visual inspection system 10...Vibration disc 11...Bass 20...Transportation device 21...Bass 30...Career 31...Career 40...Guide parts 50...Inspection equipment 60...Recycling area A1...Feed direction A2...Feed direction A3…Arrow A4…Arrow B: Spray unit B1: First spray unit B2: Second spray unit C...Camera C1...first camera C2: Second camera D...Horizontal D1...arrow D2...arrow E...Electronic parts EL…Laminated structure M...Magnetic parts V...Guide mechanism V1…first groove V11…front section V12…Rear section V2…Second groove V21...front section V22…Rear section V3…Third groove V4…Fourth groove V5…Fifth groove VS…Slope X1…First center axis X2…Second center axis

Claims

1. a guide mechanism that is installed on the base and guides the electronic component to move in the feed direction, the guide mechanism having a first groove and a second groove; The first groove is disposed on the base and extends in the feed direction, the first groove has a front portion and a rear portion that are interconnected, a first central axis of the first groove passes through the front portion and the rear portion, and a bottom side of the rear portion forms a slope that gradually becomes shallower along the feed direction; and the second groove is disposed on the base and adjacent to the first groove, the first central axis and the second central axis of the second groove are parallel to each other and spaced apart by a certain distance, and when observed in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the feeding direction, the relative positions of the inclination and the second groove at least partially overlap; A guide mechanism characterized in that, when the electronic component moves from the front portion to the rear portion of the first groove, the inclination pushes the electronic component out of the rear portion and drops the electronic component into the second groove.

2. 2. The guide mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the bottom side of the first groove forms an arc surface, the second groove has a V-shaped cross section, and the second groove is lower than the first groove.

3. A visual inspection system, comprising: The guide mechanism according to claim 1; a transport device on which the guide mechanism is mounted; a vibration disk in which the electronic component slides into the first groove of the guide mechanism; a magnetic component disposed on one side of the transport device and exerting a magnetic force on the electronic component; a carrier in which the electronic component slides from the second groove of the guide mechanism; and an inspection device adjacent to the carrier for capturing images of the electronic components on the carrier; A visual inspection system having:

4. 4. The visual inspection system according to claim 3, wherein the magnetic component and the rear portion at least partially overlap when observed in the lateral direction.

5. 4. The visual inspection system according to claim 3, wherein the magnetic component, the rear portion, and the second groove at least partially overlap with each other when observed along the lateral direction.

6. 4. The visual inspection system according to claim 3, wherein when observed along the lateral direction, the magnetic component and the front and rear portions of the first groove at least partially overlap each other.

7. The visual inspection system of claim 3, further comprising a first camera and a first spray unit adjacent to the transport device, and the guide mechanism further comprising a third groove installed on the base, the first camera taking an image of the electronic component located in the second groove, and the first spray unit spraying the electronic component from the second groove to the third groove, the electronic component continuing to move along the third groove and flowing back into the second groove.

8. The visual inspection system of claim 7, further comprising a second camera and a second spray unit adjacent to the recycling area and the transport device, wherein the second camera captures images of the electronic components located in the second groove, and the second spray unit sprays the electronic components from the second groove into the recycling area.

9. 8. The visual inspection system according to claim 7, wherein the bottom side of the first groove forms an arcuate surface, and the second groove and the third groove each have a V-shaped cross section.

10. A visual inspection system, comprising: The guide mechanism according to claim 1; a vibration disk on which the guide mechanism is installed, and the first central axis of the first groove and the second central axis of the second groove each form an arc; a magnetic component disposed on one side of the vibration disk and exerting a magnetic force on the electronic component; a transport device into which the electronic component slides through the second groove of the guide mechanism; a carrier in which the electronic component slides from the transport device to the carrier; and an inspection device adjacent to the carrier for capturing images of the electronic components on the carrier; An appearance inspection system comprising:

11. 11. The visual inspection system of claim 10, further comprising a fourth groove and a fifth groove arranged in parallel on the transport device, each of the fourth groove and the fifth groove having a V-shaped cross section.

12. 12. The visual inspection system of claim 11, further comprising a camera and a spray unit on one side of the fourth groove, wherein the camera captures an image of the electronic component located in the fourth groove, and the spray unit sprays the electronic component from the fourth groove to the fifth groove, so that the electronic component continues to move along the fifth groove and flows back into the fourth groove.

Images