PCB Inspection Equipment

Abstract

This substrate inspection device comprises: a rotary table having a mounting surface; a rotary table support unit; an attraction mechanism including a suction device and a suction path having one end connected to the suction device and another end positioned on the mounting surface, the attraction mechanism attracting a circuit substrate onto the mounting surface by suctioning gas inside the suction path by the suction device; a flow volume detection unit for detecting the flow volume of gas that flows in a portion of the suction path located inside the rotary table support unit; a flow volume determination unit for determining whether the flow volume of the gas detected by the flow volume detection unit is greater than or equal to a predetermined value; a contactless detection unit for contactlessly detecting the state of arrangement of the circuit substrate on the mounting surface; and an inspection unit for inspecting the circuit substrate in accordance with the results of detection by the flow volume determination unit and the contactless detection unit.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a substrate inspection device. [Background technology]

[0002] A substrate inspection device for inspecting a substrate is known. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-101226 discloses an example of such a substrate inspection device, which inspects a substrate while the substrate is held on a mounting surface of a substrate holding device.

[0003] In the substrate holding device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-101226, a stage mounting surface is provided with a plurality of suction holes for suctioning the underside of the substrate, and the substrate holding device can easily hold the substrate on the mounting surface by vacuum-sucking the substrate through the suction holes.

[0004] The substrate holding device has a discharge hole in the mounting surface of the stage for discharging gas to be sprayed onto the underside of the substrate. The substrate holding device also has a pressure gauge embedded in the stage near the discharge hole. The substrate holding device adjusts the flow rate of the gas discharged from the discharge hole in accordance with the measurement result of the pressure gauge. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-101226 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Incidentally, a pressure gauge embedded in a stage may be used to detect whether a substrate is adsorbed onto the mounting surface of the stage. That is, by using the pressure gauge to measure the pressure between the mounting surface and the substrate, it is possible to detect whether the substrate is adsorbed onto the mounting surface. Moreover, if the pressure gauge is located close to the mounting surface, the adsorption state of the substrate relative to the mounting surface can be detected with greater accuracy.

[0007] However, when the stage is a rotary table that rotates around a rotation axis, embedding a pressure gauge inside the rotary table as described above means that the pressure gauge wiring passes through the rotating part of the rotary table. As a result, the pressure gauge wiring may become twisted due to the rotation of the rotary table. To prevent such twisting of the wiring, it is necessary to use a rotary joint to position the pressure gauge wiring inside the rotary table.

[0008] In recent years, as circuit boards have become finer, there has been a demand for improved rotation accuracy of the turntables used in circuit board inspection devices. However, when a rotary joint is used on a turntable as described above, problems arise, such as a decrease in the rotation accuracy of the turntable due to friction and resistance generated by the rotary joint.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a circuit board inspection device that can improve the rotation accuracy of a rotary table while detecting the state of suction of a circuit board to the mounting surface of the rotary table. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A circuit board inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a circuit board inspection device for inspecting circuit boards, the circuit board inspection device comprising: a mounting surface on which the circuit board can be placed by suction, a turntable rotatable about a rotation axis when the mounting surface is viewed in plan, a turntable support unit rotatably supporting the turntable, a suction device, a suction path having one end connected to the suction device and the other end located on the mounting surface, a suction mechanism for suctioning the circuit board placed on the mounting surface by suctioning gas in the suction path using the suction device, a flow rate detection unit detecting a flow rate of gas flowing through a portion of the suction path located within the turntable support unit, a flow rate determination unit determining whether the flow rate of gas detected by the flow rate detection unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, a non-contact detection unit detecting a position of the circuit board on the mounting surface in a non-contact manner, and an inspection unit performing inspection of the circuit board in accordance with detection results by the flow rate determination unit and the non-contact detection unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the circuit board inspection device of one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to improve the rotation accuracy of the turntable while detecting the state of attraction of the circuit board to the mounting surface of the turntable. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a substrate inspection device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the control unit. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a detection flow of a circuit board that is carried out before the circuit board is inspected. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic view of how the lifting of the circuit board is detected by the laser light sensor. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a circuit board having a plurality of board pieces. [Figure 6]FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a substrate inspection device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing how a circuit board is placed on the placement surface of a rotary table using a transfer device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The same or corresponding parts in the drawings are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will not be repeated. Furthermore, the dimensions of the components in each drawing do not faithfully represent the actual dimensions of the components, the dimensional ratios of the components, etc.

[0014] In the following description, the vertical direction in the state where the board inspection device 1 is installed will be referred to as the "up-down direction."

[0015] First Embodiment (Board inspection equipment) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a circuit board inspection device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The circuit board inspection device 1 is a device for inspecting a circuit board M placed on a mounting surface 2a of a rotary table 2. The circuit board inspection device 1, for example, checks the continuity of an electric circuit in the circuit board M. In this embodiment, the circuit board M is a circuit board made of resin.

[0016] The substrate inspection device 1 includes a rotary table 2, a rotary table support unit 3, a drive unit 4, and a suction device. The device includes a mechanism 5, an inspection unit 6, a non-contact detection unit 7, and a control unit 8.

[0017] The turntable 2 is supported by the turntable support part 3 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis P. The turntable 2 of this embodiment is also movable in three orthogonal directions. The turntable 2 is flat. The upper surface of the turntable 2 is a mounting surface 2a on which a circuit board M is placed. The circuit board M is fixed to the turntable 2 at a predetermined position on the mounting surface 2a. The predetermined position is a position on the mounting surface 2a where the inspection part 6, which will be described later, can inspect the circuit board M while holding the circuit board M.

[0018] Although not particularly shown, the rotary table 2 may have claws or the like for fixing the circuit board M.

[0019] The turntable 2 has a plurality of suction holes 2b at positions on the mounting surface 2a where the circuit board M is held. The turntable 2 also has gas passages 2c inside it that are connected to the plurality of suction holes 2b. That is, the plurality of suction holes 2b are located on one end side of the gas passages 2c. The other end side of the gas passages 2c is connected to a suction device 51 via a gas pipe 53 of a suction mechanism 5, which will be described later.

[0020] As will be described in detail later, the suction device 51 sucks the gas in the gas passage 2c to generate a negative pressure in the gas passage 2c, thereby allowing the circuit board M to be sucked near the plurality of suction holes 2b on the mounting surface 2a. The plurality of suction holes 2b and the gas passage 2c constitute a part of the suction mechanism 5, which will be described later.

[0021] The turntable support part 3 is located below the turntable 2 and rotatably supports the turntable 2. The turntable support part 3 has a drive part 4, a suction device 51 of the suction mechanism 5, and a flow rate detection part 52 inside.

[0022] The drive unit 4 applies a driving force to the turntable 2 to rotate the turntable 2 about the rotation axis P. The drive unit 4 is, for example, a motor. The drive unit 4 is housed inside the turntable support unit 3. However, the drive unit 4 may be located outside the turntable support unit 3.

[0023] The suction mechanism 5 is a mechanism that generates negative pressure near the plurality of suction holes 2b on the mounting surface 2a in order to suction the circuit board M onto the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2. The suction mechanism 5 has a suction device 51, a flow rate detection unit 52, a gas pipe 53, a gas passage 2c, and the plurality of suction holes 2b.

[0024] The suction device 51 is a device capable of sucking gas, such as a vacuum pump device. The suction device 51 is housed inside the turntable support part 3. The other end of the gas passage 2c is connected to the suction device 51 via a gas pipe 53 so that gas can flow in and out. Note that the suction device 51 may be located outside the turntable support part 3.

[0025] The gas pipe 53 connects the suction device 51 with the gas passage 2c in the turntable 2. That is, the gas pipe 53 constitutes a part of the suction path 54 that connects the suction device 51 with the gas passage 2c in the turntable 2. The suction path 54 of the present invention is constituted by the interior of the gas pipe 53 and the gas passage 2c in the turntable 2.

[0026] The gas pipe 53 passes through a connection portion where the turntable support portion 3 and the turntable 2 are rotatably connected.

[0027] The flow rate detection unit 52 detects the flow rate of the gas flowing through the portion of the gas piping 53 that is located inside the rotary table support unit 3. The detection result of the flow rate detection unit 52 is input to the control unit 8 of the substrate inspection device 1 as a flow rate detection signal.

[0028] The non-contact detection unit 7 includes a non-contact detection sensor. This non-contact detection sensor detects the presence or absence of a detection target and the vertical position of the detection target without coming into contact with the detection target, for example, by using light, laser light, sound, or the like.

[0029] In this embodiment, the non-contact detection unit 7 includes two types of non-contact detection sensors. Specifically, the non-contact detection unit 7 includes an optical sensor 71 and a laser light sensor 72.

[0030] When light emitted from a light source (not shown) is reflected by the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2 or the surface of the circuit board M, the optical sensor 71 detects the reflected light. Therefore, the optical sensor 71 can detect whether the circuit board M is present on the mounting surface 2a by irradiating light onto the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2 and detecting the reflected light. The result of detection by the optical sensor 71 is input to the control unit 8 as a detection signal. The optical sensor 71 corresponds to the circuit board non-contact detection unit of the present invention.

[0031] The laser light sensor 72 is a laser displacement meter that uses laser light. In this embodiment, the light source of the laser light sensor 72 is a light source that emits a line laser light. The laser light sensor 72 detects the height position of the circuit board M above the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2 by detecting the reflected light of the laser light that is irradiated onto the circuit board M on the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2. In the following description, the height position of the circuit board M above the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2 is also referred to as the floating amount of the circuit board M.

[0032] The laser light sensor 72 detects the amount of lift in the vicinity of the inspection position T of the circuit board M and outputs it as the position detection signal to the control unit 8. The laser light sensor 72 corresponds to the height position non-contact detection unit of the present invention.

[0033] The inspection position T is a position where a probe unit 61 of the inspection unit 6, which will be described later, contacts the circuit board M to inspect the circuit board M. The vicinity of the inspection position T includes not only the inspection position T but also the range where the lifting of the circuit board M affects the inspection by the inspection unit 6 at the inspection position T. For example, the vicinity of the inspection position T refers to a portion closer to the contact position where the probe unit 61 of the inspection unit 6, which will be described later, contacts the circuit board M than the outer edge of the circuit board M.

[0034] The inspection section 6 inspects the electrical continuity of the electric circuit of the circuit board M. The inspection section 6 has a probe unit 61 and an inspection main body section 62.

[0035] The probe unit 61 has probes that come into contact with the electrical wiring that constitutes the electrical circuit of the circuit board M. The probe unit 61 passes a current through the electrical circuit of the circuit board M via the probes and detects the current flowing at a predetermined location. The detected current is input as a current detection signal to the control unit 8 via the inspection main body 62. The probe unit 61 is supported by the inspection main body 62.

[0036] As described above, the probe unit 61 performs an inspection by contacting the circuit board M. Therefore, the inspection position T of the circuit board M is the same as the contact position of the probe unit 61. The probe unit 61 corresponds to the contact inspection section of the present invention.

[0037] The control unit 8 determines whether the electrical circuit of the circuit board M is normal or abnormal based on the input current detection signal. The control unit 8 also performs detection by the inspection unit 6 in accordance with the flow rate detection signal output from the flow rate detection unit 52 of the suction mechanism 5, the detection signal output from the optical sensor 71, and the position detection signal output from the laser light sensor 72. That is, the control unit 8 determines, based on the flow rate detection signal and the detection signal, that the circuit board M is being sucked at a predetermined position on the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2, and, based on the position detection signal, determines that the amount of lift of the circuit board M is less than a specified value, and then performs inspection of the circuit board M by the inspection unit 6. In this way, the control unit 8 controls the inspection of the board inspection device 1.

[0038] 2 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the control unit 8. The control unit 8 has a flow rate determination unit 81, a circuit board position determination unit 82, a circuit board height determination unit 83, an inspection control unit 84, and an alert output unit 85.

[0039] The flow rate determination unit 81 determines whether the flow rate of the gas in the gas passage 2c is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, using the flow rate detection signal input from the flow rate detection unit 52. When the flow rate of the gas in the gas passage 2c is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the flow rate determination unit 81 generates and outputs an alert control signal to the inspection control unit 84. When the flow rate of the gas in the gas passage 2c is smaller than the predetermined value, the flow rate determination unit 81 generates and outputs an inspection control signal to the inspection control unit 84.

[0040] The predetermined value is the flow rate that flows through the gas passage 2c when the circuit board M is not adsorbed to the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2. The state in which the circuit board M is adsorbed to the mounting surface 2a means the state in which the circuit board M is fixed to the mounting surface 2a by the adsorption mechanism 5 to such an extent that the circuit board M can be inspected by the inspection unit 6.

[0041] The circuit board position determination unit 82 determines whether the circuit board M is located at a predetermined position on the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2, using the detection signal input from the optical sensor 71 of the non-contact detection unit 7. When the circuit board M is located at a predetermined position on the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2, the circuit board position determination unit 82 outputs an inspection control signal to the inspection control unit 84. When the circuit board M is not located at the predetermined position on the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2, the circuit board position determination unit 82 outputs an alert control signal to the inspection control unit 84.

[0042] The circuit board height determination unit 83 determines the amount of lift near the inspection position T of the circuit board M inspected by the inspection unit 6, using the position detection signal input from the laser light sensor 72 of the non-contact detection unit 7. When the amount of lift near the inspection position T of the circuit board M is equal to or less than a specified value, the circuit board height determination unit 83 outputs an inspection control signal to the inspection control unit 84. When the amount of lift near the inspection position T of the circuit board M is greater than the specified value, the circuit board height determination unit 83 outputs an alert control signal to the inspection control unit 84.

[0043] The specified value is set to a value that affects the amount of lift of the circuit board M and the test results of the probe unit 61. For example, the specified value is set to a lift amount that changes the test results of the circuit board M when the probe unit 61 is brought into contact with the circuit board M.

[0044] When it is possible to inspect the circuit board M, that is, when inspection control signals are input from all of the flow rate determination unit 81, the circuit board position determination unit 82, and the circuit board height determination unit 83, the inspection control unit 84 drives an inspection drive unit (not shown) of the board inspection device 1 to inspect the circuit board M. The inspection drive unit includes, for example, a drive unit that moves the turntable 2 up and down and horizontally, a drive unit for the inspection unit 6, and the like.

[0045] The inspection control unit 84 outputs an alert signal to the alert output unit 85 when it is not possible to inspect the circuit board M, that is, when an alert control signal is input from at least one of the flow rate determination unit 81, the circuit board position determination unit 82, and the circuit board height determination unit 83.

[0046] Specifically, the inspection control unit 84 outputs the alert signal when the flow rate determination unit 81 determines that the gas flow rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, when the circuit board position determination unit 82 determines that the circuit board M is not positioned at a predetermined position on the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2, or when the circuit board height determination unit 83 determines that the amount of lift of the circuit board M is greater than a specified value.

[0047] The alert output unit 85 displays an alert on a display device (not shown) or the like in response to an alert signal input from the test control unit 84.

[0048] (Circuit board detection) Next, the detection of the circuit board M that is performed before the inspection of the circuit board M placed on the placement surface 2a of the turntable 2 in the board inspection apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0049] 3 starts, first, the flow rate detection unit 52 detects the flow rate of the gas flowing in the gas passage 2c. The flow rate detected by the flow rate detection unit 52 is input as a flow rate detection signal to the control unit 8. The flow rate determination unit 81 of the control unit 8 uses the input flow rate detection signal to determine whether the flow rate of the gas flowing in the gas passage 2c is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0050] If the flow rate determination unit 81 of the control unit 8 determines that the flow rate of the gas flowing through the gas passage 2c is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, i.e., if the answer is YES in step S1 of Fig. 3, the process proceeds to step S5, where the alert output unit 85 outputs an alert to a display screen (not shown) or the like. This is because if the flow rate of the gas flowing through the gas passage 2c is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, it is considered that a gap exists between the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2 and the circuit board M, and that gas is flowing through that gap. Then, this flow ends.

[0051] On the other hand, if the flow rate determination unit 81 of the control unit 8 determines that the flow rate of the gas flowing through the gas passage 2c is not greater than a predetermined value, i.e., if the answer is NO in step S1 of Figure 3, the process proceeds to step S2, where the circuit board position determination unit 82 of the control unit 8 determines whether the circuit board M is located at a predetermined position on the turntable 2.

[0052] That is, in step S2, the optical sensor 71 detects the circuit board M on the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2. Specifically, the optical sensor 71 detects the height of the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2 in a non-contact manner using light, and outputs the detection result as a detection signal. The detection signal output from the optical sensor 71 is input to the control unit 8. The circuit board position determination unit 82 of the control unit 8 uses the detection signal to determine whether the circuit board M is located at a predetermined position on the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2.

[0053] If the circuit board position determination unit 82 of the control unit 8 determines that the circuit board M is located at a predetermined position on the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2, that is, if the answer is YES in step S2 of Fig. 3, the process proceeds to step S3, where the height of the circuit board M in the vicinity of the inspection position T is determined. On the other hand, if the circuit board position determination unit 82 of the control unit 8 determines that the circuit board M is not located at a predetermined position on the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2, that is, if the answer is NO in step S2 of Fig. 3, the process proceeds to step S5, where the alert output unit 85 of the control unit 8 outputs an alert to a display screen or the like (not shown).

[0054] In step S3, the laser light sensor 72 detects the height of the circuit board M in the vicinity of the inspection position T. The laser light sensor 72 detects the height of the circuit board M in the vicinity of the inspection position T in a non-contact manner using laser light, and outputs the detection result as a position detection signal. The position detection signal output from the laser light sensor 72 is input to the control unit 8. The circuit board height determination unit 83 of the control unit 8 uses the position detection signal to determine whether the height of the circuit board M in the vicinity of the inspection position T is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

[0055] If the circuit board height determination unit 83 of the control unit 8 determines that the height of the circuit board M near the inspection position T is equal to or less than a predetermined value, that is, if the answer is YES in step S3 of FIG. 3, the process proceeds to step S4, where the inspection control unit 84 of the control unit 8 inspects the circuit board M. Specifically, the inspection control unit 84 outputs a drive signal to an inspection drive unit (not shown) of the board inspection apparatus 1. Thereafter, this flow ends.

[0056] 4, the laser light sensor 72 detects the height of the circuit board M near the inspection position T at a position lower than the position where the probe unit 61 of the inspection section 6 contacts the circuit board M. Therefore, if the answer to step S3 is YES as described above, the inspection driving section moves the turntable 2 upward as shown by the outline arrow in FIG. 4, so that the circuit board M contacts the probe unit 61. In the board inspection apparatus 1, the turntable 2 may be fixed and the probe unit 61 may be movable in the vertical direction.

[0057] On the other hand, if the circuit board height determination unit 83 of the control unit 8 determines that the height of the circuit board M near the inspection position T is not equal to or less than the predetermined value, that is, if the answer is NO in step S3 of Figure 3, the process proceeds to step S5, and the alert output unit 85 of the control unit 8 outputs an alert to a display screen or the like (not shown).

[0058] The above-described flow is executed before inspection is performed at the inspection position T for each of the multiple electrical circuits of the circuit board M. That is, as shown in Fig. 5, when the circuit board M has multiple board pieces M1 to M16 each having an electrical circuit, the board inspection device 1 detects the circuit board M using the above-described flow before inspecting each of the multiple board pieces M1 to M16. This allows the probe unit 61 of the inspection section 6 to more reliably make electrical contact with the electrical circuits of the multiple board pieces M1 to M16 when inspecting the multiple board pieces M1 to M16 of the circuit board M.

[0059] The circuit board M does not have to have a plurality of individual board pieces. That is, the circuit board M may be a board that is not divided into pieces in the finished product state.

[0060] By performing the above flow, it is possible to detect the adsorption state of the circuit board M relative to the support surface 2a of the turntable 2, to detect whether the circuit board M is positioned at a predetermined position on the support surface 2a of the turntable 2, and to detect the amount of lift of the circuit board M relative to the support surface 2a near the inspection position T of the circuit board M, and to output an alert or inspect the circuit board M depending on the detection results.

[0061] In detail, the board inspection device 1 inspects the circuit board M when the circuit board M is adsorbed to the mounting surface 2a at a predetermined position on the rotating table 2 and the amount of lift of the circuit board M relative to the mounting surface 2a is small near the inspection position T of the circuit board M.

[0062] On the other hand, if the circuit board M is not adsorbed to the support surface 2a of the turntable 2, if the circuit board M is not positioned at the specified position on the support surface 2a of the turntable 2, or if the circuit board M is significantly lifted from the support surface 2a near the inspection position T of the circuit board M, the board inspection device 1 outputs an alert to notify the operator of the board inspection device 1.

[0063] As described above, the board inspection device 1 of this embodiment is a board inspection device for inspecting the circuit board M. The circuit board inspection device 1 has a mounting surface 2a on which a circuit board M can be placed in an adsorbed state, and is configured to: a turntable 2 that can rotate about a rotation axis P when the mounting surface 2a is viewed in plan; a turntable support section 3 that rotatably supports the turntable 2; a suction device 51; a suction path 54 that has one end connected to the suction device 51 and the other end located on the mounting surface 2a, and which adsorbs the circuit board M placed on the mounting surface 2a to the mounting surface 2a by using the suction device 51 to suck out gas in the suction path 54; a flow rate detection section 52 that detects the flow rate of gas flowing in the part of the suction path 54 that is located within the turntable support section 3; a flow rate determination section 81 that determines whether the flow rate of gas detected by the flow rate detection section 52 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; a non-contact detection section 7 that non-contactly detects the placement state of the circuit board M on the mounting surface 2a; and an inspection section 6 that inspects the circuit board M based on the detection results by the flow rate determination section 81 and the non-contact detection section 7.

[0064] In order to detect the state of adhesion of the circuit board M to the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2, it is conceivable to embed a pressure sensor inside the turntable 2 that detects the pressure between the mounting surface 2a and the circuit board M. However, in this case, the wiring of the pressure sensor passes through the rotating part of the turntable 2, so it is necessary to use a rotary joint in the rotating part. In this case, problems arise such as a decrease in the rotation accuracy of the turntable due to friction and resistance generated by the rotary joint.

[0065] In contrast to this, by applying the configuration of this embodiment to the board inspection device, it is possible to accurately detect the suction state and arrangement state of the circuit board M on the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2 without providing a pressure sensor inside the turntable 2. Moreover, in the above-mentioned configuration, the flow rate detection unit 52 and the non-contact detection unit 7 are located outside the turntable 2.

[0066] Therefore, since the wiring of the flow rate detection unit 52 and the non-contact detection unit 7 is located outside the turntable 2, there is no need to use a rotary joint for passing the wiring of the sensors located inside the turntable 2 at the connection between the turntable 2 and the turntable support unit 3. This makes it possible to reduce the sliding resistance of the turntable 2 against the turntable support unit 3, thereby improving the rotation accuracy of the turntable 2.

[0067] The adsorbed state means a state in which the circuit board M is adsorbed to the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2 to an extent that the circuit board M can be inspected by the inspection unit 6. When the circuit board M is adsorbed to the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2, the gas flow rate detected by the flow rate detection unit 52 is less than a predetermined value.

[0068] The arrangement state refers to the position of the circuit board M on the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2, whether the circuit board M is floating above the mounting surface 2a, etc. When the circuit board M is located at a predetermined position on the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2, the non-contact detection unit 7 can detect the presence of the circuit board M. In addition, the non-contact detection unit 7 can also detect whether the circuit board M is floating above the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2.

[0069] The inspection unit 6 inspects the circuit board M when the flow rate determination unit 81 determines that the gas flow rate detected by the flow rate detection unit 52 is smaller than a predetermined value, and when the non-contact detection unit 7 detects that the circuit board M is placed in a predetermined state on the mounting surface 2a.

[0070] When the flow rate determination unit 81 determines that the flow rate of the gas detected by the flow rate detection unit 52 is smaller than a predetermined value, the circuit board M is in a state of being adsorbed to the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2. When the circuit board M is in this state of being adsorbed to the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2 and is arranged in a predetermined state on the mounting surface 2a, the inspection unit 6 can inspect the circuit board M with high accuracy. Therefore, in the above-mentioned case, by inspecting the circuit board M with the inspection unit 6, it is possible to suppress variation in the inspection results of the circuit board M.

[0071] The predetermined state means a state in which the circuit board M is positioned at a predetermined position on the support surface 2a of the turntable 2, or a state in which the amount of lift of the circuit board M relative to the support surface 2a of the turntable 2 is less than a specified value.

[0072] The inspection section 6 has a probe unit 61 that contacts the circuit board M to perform the inspection. The non-contact detection section 7 has an optical sensor 71 that non-contactly detects the presence or absence of the circuit board M on the mounting surface 2a, and a laser light sensor 72 that non-contactly detects the height of the circuit board M relative to the mounting surface 2a in a portion that is closer to the contact position where the probe unit 61 contacts the circuit board M than the outer edge of the circuit board M. The predetermined state detected by the non-contact detection section 7 is when the optical sensor 71 detects that the circuit board M is located at a predetermined position on the mounting surface 2a, and when the laser light sensor 72 detects that the height position of the circuit board M relative to the mounting surface 2a is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

[0073] As a result, by using an optical sensor 71 and a laser optical sensor 72 as the non-contact detection unit 7 and using them appropriately when detecting the placement state of the circuit board M, the placement state of the circuit board M relative to the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2 can be detected more accurately.

[0074] That is, the optical sensor 71, which generally does not have very high detection accuracy, is used to detect that the circuit board M is positioned at a predetermined position on the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2, while the laser optical sensor 72, which has relatively high accuracy, is used to detect the amount of lift of the circuit board M from the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2. This makes it possible to accurately detect the placement state of the circuit board M according to the sensitivity range of the non-contact sensor.

[0075] The laser light sensor 72 detects the height of the contact position where the probe unit 61 contacts the circuit board M relative to the mounting surface 2a in a non-contact manner. This makes it possible to accurately detect the amount of lift near the inspection position of the circuit board M. Therefore, by inspecting the circuit board M based on the detection results obtained using the laser light sensor 72, it is possible to inspect the circuit board M with the probe unit 61 more reliably in contact with the circuit board M. This improves the inspection accuracy of the circuit board M.

[0076] The circuit board M has a plurality of board pieces M1 to M16 each having an electric circuit. Before inspecting the electric circuit of each board piece, the inspection unit 6 inspects each electric circuit after the flow rate determination unit 81 determines that the gas flow rate detected by the flow rate detection unit 52 is smaller than a predetermined value and the non-contact detection unit 7 detects the arrangement state of the circuit board M on the mounting surface 2a.

[0077] As a result, even when the circuit board M has a plurality of board pieces M1 to M16, before inspecting the electrical circuits of each board piece, it is possible to easily detect the state of suction and arrangement of the circuit board M on the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2. Note that although the example of board pieces M1 to M16 has been described, the number of boards can be any number.

[0078] <Second embodiment> 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a substrate inspection apparatus 1 according to a second embodiment. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the suction path of the first embodiment is divided into a central gas passage 2ca and a central gas pipe 53a located at the center of the mounting surface, and an outer peripheral gas passage 2cb and an outer peripheral gas pipe 53b located radially outward from the central gas passage 2ca, and the flow rate detection unit 52 detects the flow rate of gas flowing through the portion of the central gas pipe 53a located within the turntable support unit 3 of the central gas passage 2ca. A description of other similar configurations will be omitted.

[0079] One end of the central gas passage 2ca is connected to the suction device 51, and the other end is located near the center of the mounting surface 2a. One end of the outer peripheral gas passage 2cb is connected to the suction device 51, and the other end is located radially outward from the central gas passage 2ca. Here, the center of the mounting surface refers to a portion of the mounting surface 2a that is close to the rotation axis P of the turntable 2, including a point through which the rotation axis P passes. In other words, it refers to a portion that is covered by the circuit board M when the circuit board M is placed on the mounting surface 2a. The outer peripheral gas passage 2cb is located radially outward from the central gas passage 2ca.

[0080] The central gas pipe 53a connects the suction device 51 to the central gas passage 2ca in the turntable 2. The peripheral gas pipe 53b connects the suction device 51 to the peripheral gas passage 2cb in the turntable 2. The central gas pipe 53a constitutes a part of the central suction path that connects the suction device 51 to the central gas passage 2ca in the turntable 2. The peripheral gas pipe 53b constitutes a part of the peripheral suction path that connects the suction device 51 to the peripheral gas passage 2cb in the turntable 2.

[0081] For example, if a substrate has a large warp, a gap is likely to form between the outer periphery of the substrate and the mounting surface when the substrate is placed on the mounting surface. Therefore, it is considered that the suction path at the outer periphery of the substrate cannot sufficiently suck the substrate. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the flow rate of gas flowing through the portion of the central suction path located within the turntable support portion 3 is detected. The gap between the central portion of the substrate and the mounting surface when the substrate is placed on the mounting surface is smaller than that at the outer periphery of the substrate. This makes it difficult for the flow rate of gas flowing through the central gas passage 2ca to exceed a predetermined value. Therefore, by detecting the flow rate of gas flowing through the portion of the central suction path located within the turntable support portion 3, the detection accuracy of the substrate can be improved.

[0082] The suction device 51 may be provided for each of the central gas pipe 53a and the peripheral gas pipe 53b. However, connecting the suction device 51 to both the central gas pipe 53a and the peripheral gas pipe 53b makes it possible to save space.

[0083] (Other embodiments) Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-described embodiments are merely examples for carrying out the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it is possible to appropriately modify the above-described embodiments within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

[0084] In the above embodiment, the non-contact detection unit 7 includes two types of sensors: an optical sensor 71 and a laser light sensor 72. However, the non-contact detection unit may include only one of an optical sensor or a laser light sensor. In this case, it is sufficient to use one of the sensors to confirm the presence or absence of a circuit board on the mounting surface of the rotary table and detect the amount of lift of the circuit board near the inspection position. Furthermore, the non-contact detection unit may include a type of sensor other than an optical sensor or a laser light sensor. The non-contact detection unit may include three or more non-contact sensors.

[0085] As in the second embodiment, if the placement state of the substrate can be detected with high accuracy by the flow rate detection unit, detection by the non-contact detection unit may be omitted.

[0086] In the above embodiment, an example has been described regarding detection of the circuit board M on the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2. When the circuit board M is placed on the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2, a transfer device may be used to move the circuit board M while controlling its attitude. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing how the circuit board M is placed on the mounting surface 2a of the turntable 2 using a transfer device 102.

[0087] 7, the substrate inspection unit 101 includes a transfer device 102, a substrate inspection device 1, an attitude correction control unit 103, and an attitude detection unit 104. The substrate inspection device 1 has the same configuration as the substrate inspection device 1 of the above embodiment. Therefore, a description of the substrate inspection device 1 will be omitted.

[0088] The transfer device 102 removes a circuit board M from a board accommodation section C that accommodates multiple circuit boards M, and transfers it to the board inspection device 1. The transfer device 102 is, for example, an articulated robot arm device. That is, the transfer device 102 has, at its tip, a holding section 102a that holds the circuit board M. The holding section 102a holds the circuit board M from below.

[0089] The attitude detection unit 104 is located at the tip of the transfer device 102. The attitude detection unit 104 detects the attitude of the circuit board M held by the holder 102a of the transfer device 102. The attitude detection unit 104 is, for example, a camera.

[0090] The attitude correction control unit 103 controls the attitude of the transfer device 102 in accordance with the attitude of the circuit board M detected by the attitude detection unit 104. Specifically, the attitude correction control unit 103 controls the attitude of the transfer device 102 to correct the circuit board M to an attitude that allows it to be placed at a predetermined position on the mounting surface 2 a of the turntable 2 of the board inspection device 1.

[0091] With the above configuration, when the circuit board M is transferred by the transfer device 102, the posture of the circuit board M can be corrected to a posture that makes it easy to place it in a predetermined position on the placement surface 2a of the turntable 2. Therefore, it is no longer necessary to significantly correct the posture of the circuit board M after the circuit board M has been placed on the placement surface 2a of the turntable 2. This allows the inspection time for the circuit board M to be shortened.

[0092] The board inspection unit 101 is capable of transferring the circuit board M to the turntable 2 and is equipped with a transfer device 102 that can change the attitude of the circuit board M when transferring the circuit board M to the turntable 2, and an attitude correction control unit 103 that controls the drive of the transfer device 102 to correct the attitude of the circuit board M to an attitude that allows it to be placed in a predetermined position on the turntable 2.

[0093] With this configuration, the posture of the circuit board M is corrected before the circuit board M is placed on the turntable 2, eliminating the need for space required in the past for changing the posture of the circuit board M. Also, the tact time for inspecting the circuit board M can be shortened.

[0094] The substrate inspection unit 101 further includes an attitude detection unit 104 that detects the attitude of the circuit substrate M transferred by the transfer device 102. The attitude correction control unit 103 corrects the attitude of the circuit substrate M based on the attitude detection result of the circuit substrate M by the attitude detection unit 104.

[0095] This configuration makes it possible to more accurately detect the posture of the circuit board M transferred by the transfer device 102. This allows the circuit board M to be placed at a predetermined position on the turntable 2 with greater accuracy.

[0096] The attitude detection unit 104 may detect the attitude of the circuit board M by detecting a detection target portion of the circuit board M transferred by the transfer device 102. The attitude correction control unit 103 may correct the attitude of the circuit board M based on the attitude detection result of the circuit board M by the attitude detection unit 104, thereby positioning the detection target portion detected by the attitude detection unit 104 at a reference position on the turntable 2. This allows the circuit board M to be positioned at a predetermined position on the turntable 2 with high accuracy.

[0097] The transfer device 102 is a multi-joint robot arm device having multiple joints. The multi-joint robot arm device transfers the circuit board M to the turntable 2 while supporting it from below. By using the multi-joint robot arm device to transfer the circuit board M while scooping it up from below, it is possible to prevent dust from adhering to the circuit board M.

[0098] The present invention can be used in an inspection device for inspecting, for example, a circuit board. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 1. Circuit board inspection equipment 2 Rotating Tables 2a Placement surface 2b Adsorption hole 2c Gas passage 3 Rotary table support 4 Drive unit 5 Adsorption mechanism 6. Inspection Department 7 Non-contact detection unit 8 Control Unit 51 Suction device 52 Flow rate detection unit 53 Gas piping 54 Suction path 61 Probe unit (contact inspection unit) 62 Inspection main body 71 Optical sensor (non-contact detection part of circuit board) 72 Laser light sensor (non-contact height position detection unit) 81 Flow rate determination section 82 Circuit board position determination section 83 Circuit board height determination unit 84 Inspection control section 85 Alert output section 101 PCB Inspection Unit 102 Transfer device 103 Attitude correction control unit 104 Attitude detection unit M Circuit Board P rotation axis

Claims

1. A board inspection device for inspecting a circuit board, a rotary table having a mounting surface on which the circuit board can be mounted while being attracted to the mounting surface, the rotary table being rotatable about a rotation axis when the mounting surface is viewed in plan; a rotary table support portion that rotatably supports the rotary table; a suction device; and a suction path having one end connected to the suction device and the other end located on the placement surface; a suction mechanism that sucks the gas in the suction path by the suction device to suction the circuit board placed on the placement surface to the placement surface; a flow rate detector for detecting a flow rate of the gas flowing through a portion of the suction path located inside the rotary table support portion; a flow rate determination unit that determines whether the flow rate of the gas detected by the flow rate detection unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; a non-contact detection unit that detects the arrangement state of the circuit board on the placement surface in a non-contact manner; an inspection unit that inspects the circuit board in accordance with the detection results by the flow rate determination unit and the non-contact detection unit, the suction path has a central suction path, the other end of which is located at the center of the placement surface, and an outer circumferential suction path, the other end of which is located radially outward from the central suction path, the other end of the outer circumferential suction path is located inside the outer periphery of the circuit board when the circuit board is being sucked, The flow rate detection unit detects the flow rate of the gas flowing in the portion of the central suction path located inside the rotary table support unit.

2. 2. The substrate inspection device according to claim 1, The inspection unit inspects the circuit board when the flow rate determination unit determines that the flow rate of the gas detected by the flow rate detection unit is smaller than a predetermined value and when the non-contact detection unit detects that the circuit board is placed in a predetermined state on the placement surface.

3. 3. The substrate inspection device according to claim 2, the inspection unit has a contact inspection unit that makes contact with the circuit board to perform an inspection, The non-contact detection unit a circuit board non-contact detection unit that detects the presence or absence of the circuit board on the placement surface in a non-contact manner; a height position non-contact detection unit that detects the height of the circuit board relative to the placement surface in a non-contact manner at a portion closer to a contact position where the contact inspection unit contacts the circuit board than an outer edge of the circuit board; and The predetermined state detected by the non-contact detection unit is when the circuit board non-contact detection unit detects that the circuit board is positioned at a predetermined position on the placement surface, and when the height position non-contact detection unit detects that the height of the circuit board relative to the placement surface is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

4. 4. The substrate inspection device according to claim 3, The height position non-contact detection unit detects the height of the contact position on the circuit board where the contact inspection unit makes contact with the placement surface in a non-contact manner.

5. In the substrate inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the circuit board has a plurality of board pieces each having an electrical circuit; A circuit board inspection device in which the inspection unit inspects each electrical circuit after the flow rate determination unit determines that the gas flow rate detected by the flow rate detection unit is smaller than a predetermined value before inspecting the electrical circuit of each individual circuit board piece, and after the non-contact detection unit detects the placement state of the circuit board on the placement surface.

6. 2. The substrate inspection device according to claim 1, The suction device connected to the central suction path is the same as the suction device connected to the outer circumferential suction path.

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