Chip Processing Equipment

Abstract

A chip processing device is provided that can reduce downtime caused by chip replacement processing when a storage-side sheet or a supply-side sheet is replaced. [Solution] A chip processing device 10 having a transport unit 11 that moves chips W obtained from a supply side sheet S1 to which multiple chips W are attached and attaches them to a storage side sheet T1 arranged at an attachment position P, and is equipped with a storage side rotating body 14 to which multiple storage side sheets T1 to T5 are fixed and that arranges 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 arranged at the attachment position P to another position and arrange 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 for performing predetermined processing on chips. [Background technology]

[0002] As described in Patent Document 1, a die sorter attaches chips attached to one sheet (hereinafter referred to as the "supply sheet") to another sheet (hereinafter referred to as the "storage sheet"). When all chips have been removed from the supply sheet by the die sorter, it is replaced with another supply sheet with chips attached, and when attachment of chips to the areas where chips can be attached has been completed, the storage sheet is replaced with a storage sheet with no chips attached.

[0003] Furthermore, when the die sorter attaches chips attached to a supply sheet to storage sheets corresponding to each rank based on the results of chip ranking inspection performed in the previous process, the storage sheet is replaced with another storage sheet before the attachment of chips to the attachable areas is completed. Specifically, if chips of ranks A and B are attached to a supply sheet, when all of the rank A chips on the supply sheet have been attached to the storage sheet for rank A, the storage sheet is replaced with a storage sheet for rank B. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-45511 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Here, the die sorter has had to stop the chip reattachment process while the supply side sheet or the storage side sheet is being replaced. The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a chip processing device that can reduce the downtime caused by the chip replacement process that occurs when replacing the storage side sheet or the supply side sheet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The chip processing device of the first invention that meets the above-mentioned objective is a chip processing device having a transport unit that moves chips obtained from a supply side sheet to which multiple chips are attached and attaches the chips to a storage side sheet arranged at an attachment position, and is equipped with a storage side rotating body to which multiple storage side sheets are fixed and that arranges one of the multiple 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 arranged at the attachment position to another position and arrange the other storage side sheet at the attachment position.

[0007] A chip processing device according to a second invention that meets the above-mentioned objective is a chip processing device having a transport unit that moves chips acquired from a supply side sheet that is placed at an acquisition position with multiple chips attached and attaches the chips to a storage side sheet, and is equipped with a supply side rotating body to which multiple supply side sheets are fixed and that places one of the multiple 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 placed at the acquisition position to another position and place the other supply side sheet at the acquisition position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The chip processing device of the first invention comprises a storage side rotating body to which multiple storage side sheets are fixed and which places one of the multiple storage side sheets at a bonding position, and a storage side driving means which rotates the storage side rotating body to move the storage side sheet that was placed at the bonding position to another position and place the other storage side sheet at the bonding position, thereby making it possible to reduce the downtime caused by the chip replacement process when replacing the storage side sheet.

[0009] The chip processing device of the second invention comprises a supply side rotating body to which a plurality of the supply side sheets are fixed and which places one of the plurality of supply side sheets at an acquisition position, and a supply side driving means which rotates the supply side rotating body to move the supply side sheet that was placed at the acquisition position to another position and place the other supply side sheet at the acquisition position, thereby making it possible to reduce the downtime of the chip replacement process that occurs when replacing the supply side sheet. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a chip processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the connections of the central control means. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a chip replacement process. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a chip processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a plan view, with partial omission, of a chip processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a side view of the chip processing apparatus with a portion thereof omitted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings to facilitate understanding of the present invention. 1 and 2, a chip processing device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is a device equipped with a transport unit 11 that moves chips W obtained from supply sheets S1 and S2 to which multiple chips W are attached, and attaches them to storage sheets T1 to T5 arranged at attachment position 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 in a stretched state to ring-shaped members J1 and J2, respectively, and the storage side sheets T1 to T5 are attached in a stretched state to ring-shaped members K1 to K5, respectively. The chip W is, for example, a diode, a transistor, a capacitor, an inductor, an IC (Integrated Circuit), a resistor, a filter, a bare die, a memory, an LED, or various sensors, but is not limited to these.

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

[0014] In this embodiment, the supply-side rotator 12 and the storage-side rotator 14 are arranged at an interval, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the transport unit 11 is disposed between the supply-side rotator 12 and the storage-side rotator 14. Therefore, the supply-side rotator 12, the transport unit 11, and the storage-side rotator 14 are arranged along the flow of the chips W transported. The supply-side rotator 12 and the storage-side rotator 14 are each substantially circular in plan view. The supply-side rotator 12 is rotatable about a vertical rotation axis 16 provided at the center of the supply-side rotator 12, and the storage-side rotator 14 is rotatable about a vertical rotation axis 17 provided at the center of the storage-side rotator 14.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 3, the chip processing device 10 includes a supply-side driving means 18 that applies a rotational force to the supply-side rotor 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 rotor 14 via a rotation shaft 17, and a storage-side control means 21 that controls the storage-side driving means 20. In this 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] 1 and 2, two supply-side sheets S1 and S2 can be fixed to the supply-side rotor 12 at an interval (180 degrees in the circumferential direction in this embodiment) of the supply-side rotor 12. In this embodiment, as the supply-side fixing means 13 for fixing the supply-side sheets S1 and S2 to the supply-side rotor 12, a mechanism attached to the supply-side rotor 12 and having a mechanism for gripping the ring-shaped members J1 and J2 is used (however, this 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 rotor 12, and grips the ring-shaped member J2 to fix the supply-side sheet S2 to the supply-side rotor 12. The supply-side fixing means 13 can be configured with a clamping mechanism that grips the ring-shaped members J1 and J2 and a control unit that controls the operation of the clamping mechanism.

[0018] The supply-side rotor 12 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise by 180 degrees (i.e., the angular difference in the circumferential direction of the supply-side rotor 12 between the two supply-side sheets S1 and S2 fixed to the supply-side rotor 12) and stops when the supply-side drive means 18 is actuated. With the supply-side rotor 12 stopped, one of the two supply-side sheets S1 and S2 fixed to the supply-side rotor 12 is placed at an acquisition position Q near the transport unit 11, and the other is placed at a supply-side exchange position L that is some distance away from the acquisition position Q.

[0019] Therefore, the supply-side rotator 12 places one of the multiple supply-side sheets S1, S2 at the acquisition position Q. In addition, the supply-side drive means 18 rotates the supply-side rotator 12 to move the supply-side sheets S1, S2 that were placed at the acquisition position Q to the supply-side exchange position L (i.e., a position different from the acquisition position Q), and places the supply-side sheets S1, S2 that were placed at the supply-side exchange position L (the other supply-side sheets S1, S2 when viewed from the supply-side sheets S1, S2 that were placed at the acquisition position Q) at the acquisition position Q.

[0020] Here, the acquisition position Q means a position where the supply side sheets S1 and S2 arranged at the acquisition position Q acquire chips W by the transport unit 11. The supply side replacement position L means a position where the supply side sheets S1 and S2 arranged at the supply side replacement position L are replaced with another supply side sheet (to which multiple chips W are attached).

[0021] In this embodiment, the supply side fixing means 13 continues to fix the two supply side sheets S1 and S2 to the supply side rotor 12 until the supply side sheets S1 and S2, which were positioned at the acquisition position Q, move to the supply side replacement position L due to the rotation of the supply side rotor 12, and then releases the fixation of the supply side sheets S1 and S2 when they are positioned at the supply side replacement position L (after that).

[0022] Furthermore, five storage side sheets T1 to T5 can be fixed to the storage side rotor 14 at intervals (equally spaced in the present embodiment, but not necessarily equally spaced) around the circumference of the storage side rotor 14. In the present embodiment, storage side fixing means 15 is used that fixes the storage side sheets T1 to T5 to the storage side rotor 14 by negative pressure and releases the fixation of the storage side sheets T1 to T5 to the storage side rotor 14 by opening to the atmosphere or by positive pressure (however, the storage side fixing means 15 is not limited to this type).

[0023] The storage-side fixing means 15 can be configured with a vacuum pump, multiple solenoid valves, and a control unit made up of electronic circuits for controlling the vacuum pump and multiple solenoid valves. The storage-side fixing means 15 can individually switch between fixing and releasing the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 to and from the storage-side rotating body 14.

[0024] The storage side rotor 14 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise by an angle of 72 degrees (i.e., the angular difference in the circumferential direction of the storage side rotor 14 between the five storage side sheets T1 to T5 fixed to the storage side rotor 14) or a multiple of that angle (for example, twice) and then stops due to operation of the storage side drive means 20. When the storage side rotor 14 is stopped, one of the five storage side sheets T1 to T5 fixed to the storage side rotor 14 is placed at a joining position P near the transport unit 11, and the remaining one is placed at a storage side exchange position M that is some distance from the joining position P.

[0025] Therefore, the storage-side rotating body 14 places one of the multiple storage-side sheets T1 to T5 at the joining position P. Furthermore, 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 joining position P to a position other than the joining position P (storage-side exchange position M or another position), and places one of the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 that were placed at a position other than the joining position P (the other storage-side sheets T1 to T5 as viewed from the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 to be moved to a position other than the joining position P) at the joining position P.

[0026] The attachment position P refers to a position where the storage side sheets T1 to T5 arranged at the attachment position P can have tips W attached thereto by the transport unit 11. The storage side replacement position M refers to a position where the storage side sheets T1 to T5 arranged at the storage side replacement position M are replaced with storage side sheets other than the storage side sheets T1 to T5 (to which tips W are not attached). In Fig. 1, the area surrounded by imaginary lines by the supply side sheets S1, S2 and the storage side sheets T1 to T5 indicates the area where tips W can be attached.

[0027] Here, when the storage side sheets T1 to T5 arranged at the attachment position P are moved 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 arranged at the attachment position P move from the attachment position P to the storage side replacement position M due to the rotation of the storage side rotating body 14, and then releases the fixation of the storage side sheets T1 to T5 when (or after) they are arranged at the storage side replacement position M.

[0028] The storage side sheets T1 to T5 are moved from the attachment position P to the storage side replacement position M, for example, when chips W have been attached to all of the areas where chips W are to be attached on the storage side sheets T1 to T5 placed at the attachment position P, and the storage side sheets T1 to T5 moved to the storage side replacement position M are replaced with other storage side sheets. 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 a supply-side control means 19 and a storage-side control means 21. The central control means 22 can be configured by a CPU, a memory, a communication device, etc.

[0029] Connected to the central control means 22 are a supply-side exchange mechanism 23 that exchanges the supply-side sheets S1 and S2, which have been released from their fixation to the supply-side rotor 12 at the supply-side exchange position L, with other supply-side sheets, and a storage-side exchange mechanism 24 that exchanges the storage-side sheets T1 to T5, which have been released from their fixation to the storage-side rotor 14 at the storage-side exchange position M, with other storage-side sheets. 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 being hand-type robots).

[0030] In this embodiment, each chip W attached to the supply-side sheet S1 (the same applies to the supply-side sheet S2 and the supply-side sheet placed on the supply-side rotator 12 by the supply-side exchange mechanism 23) is inspected in advance (in a pre-process) to determine its quality. Here, each chip W is ranked into five (n pieces) ranks: A, B, C, D, and E, and five (n pieces) storage-side sheets T1 to T5 are used as the attachment targets for rank A, rank B, rank C, rank D, and rank E, respectively. Note that n is an integer of 2 or greater.

[0031] A storage means 25 is connected to the central control means 22, which stores rank information for each chip W affixed to the supply-side sheets S1, S2 and to the supply-side sheets (hereinafter, when referring to the supply-side sheets S1, S2, etc.) placed on the supply-side rotor 12 by the supply-side exchange mechanism 23, the storage means 25 may be configured with a storage medium such as a memory, and also stores information on the position of each chip W on the supply-side sheets S1, S2, etc.

[0032] 1, 2, and 3, the transport unit 11 has a tip acquiring means 27 that acquires the tip W attached to the supply side sheets S1 and S2 arranged at an acquiring position Q, a tip moving means 28 that acquires the tip W from the tip acquiring means 27 and moves it, and a tip attaching means 29 that acquires the tip W from the tip moving means 28 and attaches it to the storage side sheets T1 to T5 arranged at an attaching position P. Note that the tip acquiring means 27 and the tip attaching means 29 are omitted from FIG. 1.

[0033] 2 and 3, in this embodiment, a push-up means 30 connected to the central control means 22 is provided below the supply-side sheets S1 and S2 arranged at the acquisition position Q. In response to a command signal sent from the central control means 22, the push-up means 30 pushes up predetermined locations of the supply-side sheets S1 and S2 arranged at the acquisition position Q together with the chips W attached to those locations, and brings the chips W closer to the chip acquisition means 27. The relative position of the member of the push-up means 30 that pushes up the chips W with respect to the supply-side rotor 12 is changeable.

[0034] The chip obtaining means 27 picks up the chips W pushed up by the push-up means 30, removes them from the supply sheets S1, S2, and provides the chips W to the chip moving means 28. The chip moving means 28 has a rotating body 31 equipped with a suction portion that picks up each of the multiple chips W. Each chip W picked up by the rotating body 31 is moved toward the chip attaching means 29 by the intermittent rotation of the rotating body 31. A mechanism for performing predetermined processing (visual inspection, laser marking, etc.) on the chips W picked up by the chip moving means 28 can be provided near the chip moving means 28.

[0035] The chip attaching means 29 receives the chip W attached by the chip moving means 28 by suction, and attaches the chip W to the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 arranged at the attachment position P. In this embodiment, the chip obtaining means 27 and the chip attaching means 29 each have a plurality of suction parts for adsorbing the chip, but each may have only one suction part. Also, the chip obtaining means 27, the chip moving means 28, and the chip attaching means 29 may support the chip W by a method other than suction (for example, gripping).

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the relative position adjustment of the suction part of the chip acquiring means 27 that acquires the chips W with respect to the chips W on the supply sheets S1, S2 is performed by moving the suction part of the chip acquiring means 27, but the supply sheets S1, S2 may be made movable relative to the supply rotor 12 and the position adjustment may be performed by moving the supply sheets S1, S2. The same applies to the relative position adjustment of the suction part of the chip attaching means 29 that attaches the chips W to the storage sheets T1-T5 with respect to the storage sheets T1-T5; the position adjustment may be performed by moving the suction part of the chip attaching means 29 as in this embodiment, or the storage sheets T1-T5 may be made movable relative to the storage rotor 14 and the position adjustment may be performed by moving the storage sheets T1-T5.

[0037] In this embodiment, there are also provided a supply-side imaging means 32 that images the chips W adsorbed to the chip acquiring means 27 on the supply-side sheets S1 and S2 arranged at the acquiring position Q, and a storage-side imaging means 33 that images the locations where the chips W are to be attached on the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 arranged at the joining position P. 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 the image captured, the chip acquisition means 27 detects in advance the position of the chip W to be acquired next from the supply-side sheets S1, S2 arranged at the acquisition position Q. The chip acquisition means 27 acquires the corresponding chip W based on the position information of the chip W to be acquired next detected by the central control means 22.

[0039] The supply-side imaging means 32 may have an imaging range capable of imaging the entire area where chips W on the supply-side sheets S1 and S2 arranged at the acquisition position Q can be attached, or may be designed so that the imaging range can be moved, so that it can image both chips W on the supply-side sheets S1 and S2 arranged at the acquisition position Q. This is to accommodate the fact that the chip W last acquired by the chip acquiring means 27 and the chip W to be acquired next are often not adjacent to each other, and to detect the position of the chip W to be acquired next when either the supply-side sheets S1 and S2 arranged at the 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 the captured image, detects in advance the position of 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 position information of the location where the next chip W will be attached detected by the central control means 22.

[0041] The storage-side imaging means 33 may have an imaging range that can image the entire area where chips W can be attached on the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 arranged at the attachment position P, or may be designed so that the imaging range can be moved, so that it can image any location in the area where chips W can be attached on the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 arranged at the attachment position P. In this way, accurately positioning the chips W on the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 is advantageous from the viewpoint of preventing adjacent chips W from touching each other or being spaced apart by more than the allowable distance.

[0042] In addition to the rank information and position information of each chip W attached to the supply side sheets S1, S2, etc. stored in the memory means 25, the central control means 22 detects the current position of the supply side sheets S1, S2 fixed to the supply side rotor 12, the order of the chips W obtained by the conveying unit 11 from the supply side sheets S1, S2, the progress of attaching the chips W to each of the storage side sheets T1 to T5 (up to which position the chips W have been attached for each of the storage side sheets T1 to T5), and the current position of the storage side sheets T1 to T5 fixed to the storage side rotor 14, etc.

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

[0044] <Step 01> 4, the supply-side sheets S1 and S2 having chips W attached thereto are placed on the supply-side rotator 12 by the supply-side exchange mechanism 23 (at this time, the supply-side rotator 12 rotates as appropriate), and are fixed to the supply-side rotator 12 by the supply-side fixing means 13. At the same time, the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 having no chips W attached thereto are placed on the storage-side rotator 14 by the storage-side exchange mechanism 24 (at this time, the storage-side rotator 14 rotates as appropriate), and are fixed to the storage-side rotator 14 by the storage-side fixing means 15.

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

[0046] <Step 03> The transport unit 11 acquires the chips W of rank A attached to the supply-side sheet S1 arranged at the acquisition position Q.

[0047] <Step 04> After one rank A chip W is obtained from the supply-side sheet S1, it is determined whether or not any rank A chips W remain on the supply-side 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-side sheet S1.

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

[0049] Then, after the transport unit 11 has finished attaching the rank A chip W, which it 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 rotator 14, move the storage side sheet T1 from the attachment position P to another position, and place the storage side sheet T2 (i.e., a storage side sheet other than the storage side sheet T1) at the attachment position P. Then, the rank B chip W is attached to the storage side sheet T2. <Step 06> If it is determined in step 04 that rank A chips W remain on the supply-side sheet S1, it is determined whether or not there is enough free space left on the storage-side sheet T1 to attach all of the rank A chips W that are being adsorbed by the transport unit 11. 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 free space left on the storage-side sheet T1. If it is determined that there is still free space in 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 corresponding free space remaining in the storage side sheet T1, the transport unit 11 acquires chips W of rank E (a rank different from rank A) from the supply side sheet S1.

[0051] Then, after all of the rank A chips W adsorbed by the transport unit 11 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 rotator 14, move the storage side sheet T1 from the attachment position P to the storage side exchange position M, and place the storage side sheet T5 at the attachment position P. Thereafter, the storage side exchange mechanism 24 obtains the storage side sheet T1 that has been placed at the storage side exchange position M and released from its fixation, and places another storage side sheet to which no chips W have been attached at the storage side exchange position M (a predetermined part of the storage side rotator 14).

[0052] When the storage sheet T1 is being replaced with another storage sheet, the chips W of rank E that were attached to the supply sheet S1 are attached to the storage sheet T5, which is placed at the attachment position P. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to attach the chips W to another storage sheet during the storage sheet replacement process.

[0053] Using the same procedure, chips W of ranks A, B, C, D, and E are removed in order from supply side sheet S1 and attached to storage side sheets T1 to T5, respectively, until all chips W of ranks A to E are removed from supply side sheet S1. After all the chips W of ranks A to E have been removed from the supply-side sheet S1, the supply-side rotor 12 rotates to place the supply-side sheet S2 at the acquisition position Q, and the supply-side sheet S1 at the supply-side replacement position L, and replacement of the chips W on the supply-side sheet S2 with the storage-side sheets T1 to T5 begins. Meanwhile, the supply-side sheet S1 placed at the supply-side replacement position L is replaced by the supply-side replacement mechanism 23 with another supply-side 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 chip W obtained from the supply side sheets S1 and S2, and places one of the multiple storage side sheets T1 to T5 (the most suitable one) fixed to the storage side rotating body 14 at the attachment position P. Here, the process of placing the supply side sheet S2 at the acquisition position Q where the supply side sheet S1 was placed can be performed only by rotating the supply side rotating body 12, and the process of placing the storage side sheets T2 to T5 at the attachment position P where the storage side sheet T1 was placed can be performed only by rotating the storage side rotating body 14, so the time required for these processes can be reduced.

[0055] In the chip processing device 10 described so far, the supply side sheets S1 and S2 are each fixed to the supply side rotor 12 in a horizontal position, i.e., perpendicular to the rotation axis 16 of the supply side rotor 12, and the storage side sheets T1 to T5 are each fixed to the storage side rotor 14 in a horizontal position, i.e., perpendicular to the rotation axis 17 of the storage side rotor 14, but this is not limited to this.

[0056] For example, as in a chip processing device 50 according to a second embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 5, the supply-side sheets S11 and S12 may be attached to ring-shaped members J11 and J12, respectively, and fixed to the supply-side rotor 51 in a state in which they are arranged parallel to the rotation axis of the supply-side rotor 51. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 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 rotor 52 in a state in which they are arranged parallel to the rotation axis of the storage-side rotor 52.

[0057] The transport unit 53 of the chip processing device 50 includes a rotor 55 that rotates about a rotation axis 54 that is parallel to the rotation axes of the supply-side rotor 51 and the storage-side rotor 52, and a plurality of suction sections (an example of a chip support section) 56 that are each capable of suctioning (supporting) chips W. The plurality of suction sections 56 are arranged around the periphery of the rotor 55 so as to surround the rotor 55, and move in accordance with the intermittent rotation of the rotor 55. Each suction section 56 is provided so as to be able to move forward and backward relative to the rotor 55 in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis 54.

[0058] Of the multiple suction units 56, one suction unit 56 is arranged opposite the supply sheet S11 arranged at the acquisition position Q1, and advances in a direction perpendicular to the supply sheet S11 to directly acquire the chips W from the supply sheet S11. Another suction unit 56 is arranged opposite the storage sheet T11 arranged at the attachment position P1, and advances in a direction perpendicular to the storage sheet T11 together with the adsorbed chips W to directly attach the chips W to the storage sheet T11.

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

[0060] It goes without saying that three or more supply-side sheets may be fixed to the supply-side rotator 51, and three or more storage-side sheets may be fixed to the storage-side rotator 52. Also, there may be two or more supply-side rotators and two or more storage-side rotators provided around the transport unit 53 (this also applies to the chip processing device 10).

[0061] Furthermore, in the chip processing device 10 (and also in the chip processing device 50), the rotation shaft 16 of the supply-side rotor 12 and the rotation shaft 17 of the storage-side rotor 14 are both vertical, but this is not limiting. For example, as in the chip processing device 60 according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 6 and 7, the rotation shaft 62 of the supply side rotor 61 and the rotation shaft 64 of the storage side rotor 63 may both be arranged horizontally.

[0062] 6 and 7, the transport unit 65 of the chip processing device 60 has a plurality of suction portions 67 attached at intervals to the outer periphery of a disk-shaped rotor 66 that rotates around a vertically disposed rotation axis, and the suction portions 67 are movable forward and backward. A plurality of supply-side sheets S21, S22 are fixed to the supply-side rotor 61 by being attached to ring-shaped members J21, J22, respectively (three or more supply-side sheets may be fixed). A plurality of storage-side sheets T21, T22 are fixed to the storage-side rotor 63 by being attached to ring-shaped members K21, K22, respectively (three or more 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 the chips W from the supply side sheets S21 and S22 is located above the supply side replacement position L2, and the attachment position P2 where the transport unit 65 attaches the chips W to the storage side sheets T21 and T22 is located above the storage side replacement position M2.

[0064] The supply-side sheet S21 that was arranged at the acquisition position Q2 and the supply-side sheet S22 that was arranged at the supply-side replacement position L2 are respectively arranged at the supply-side replacement position L2 and the acquisition position Q2 by the rotor of the supply-side rotor 61. The storage-side sheet T21 that was arranged at the attachment position P2 and the storage-side sheet T22 that was arranged at the storage-side replacement position M2 are respectively arranged at the storage-side replacement position M2 and the attachment position P2 by the rotor of the storage-side rotor 63.

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

[0066] Chips of different ranks may be attached to one storage sheet. Furthermore, the number of push-up means is not limited to one. For example, when a plurality of supply-side sheets are fixed to the supply-side rotor, the same number of push-up means as the number of supply-side sheets fixed to the supply-side rotor may be provided, and a different push-up means may be provided for each supply-side sheet. In addition, either one or both of the supply-side replacement mechanism and the storage-side replacement mechanism may not be provided. If the relevant mechanism is not provided, for example, the supply-side sheet and the storage-side sheet are replaced manually. A plurality of supply-side replacement positions may be provided, and a plurality of storage-side replacement positions may be provided.

[0067] The fixation of the storage-side sheet by the storage-side fixing means may be designed so that the storage-side sheet, which has been placed at the joining position, is temporarily released before it moves to the storage-side replacement position due to the rotation of the storage-side rotator (for example, a design can be adopted in which the storage-side rotator is temporarily stopped midway and the fixation of the storage-side sheet is released during that temporary stop). The same applies to the fixation of the supply-side sheet by the supply-side fixing means.

[0068] The number, arrangement, shape, etc. of each component of the chip processing device do not have to be the same as those of the above embodiment. For example, the supply-side rotor and the storage-side rotor do not have to be substantially circular. Furthermore, the rotation axes of the supply-side rotator and the storage-side rotator do not need to be actual components, but may be conceptual rotation axes. The rotation axes of the rotators of the transport unit do not need to be arranged vertically, but may be arranged horizontally, for example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 10: chip processing device, 11: transport unit, 12: supply side rotor, 13: supply side fixing means, 14: storage side rotor, 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: storage means, 27: chip acquisition means, 28: chip moving means, 29: chip attaching means, 30: push-up means, 31: rotor, 32: supply side imaging means, 33: storage side imaging means, 50: chip processing device, 51: supply side rotor, 52: storage side rotor, 53: transport unit, 54: Rotating shaft, 55: Rotating body, 56: Suction unit, 60: Chip processing device, 61: Supply side rotating body, 62: Rotating shaft, 63: Storage side rotating body, 64: Rotating shaft, 65: Transport unit, 66: Rotating body, 67: Suction unit, J1, J2, J11, J12, J21, J22: Ring-shaped members, K1 to K5, K11, K12, K21, K22: Ring-shaped members, L, L1, L2: Supply side replacement positions, M, M1, M2: Storage side replacement positions, P, P1, P2: Adhesion positions, Q, Q1, Q2: Acquisition positions, S1, S2, S11, S12, S21, S22: Supply side sheets, T1 to T5, T11, T12, T21, T22: Storage side sheets, W: Chip

Claims

1. A chip processing apparatus having a transport unit that moves chips acquired from a supply sheet having a plurality of chips attached thereto and attaches the chips to a storage sheet arranged at an attachment position, a storage-side rotating body to which a plurality of the storage-side sheets are fixed and which disposes one of the plurality of storage-side sheets at the attachment position; a storage-side driving means for rotating the storage-side rotating body to move the storage-side sheet disposed at the joining position to another position and to place another storage-side sheet at the joining position, A chip processing device characterized in that the transport unit attaches the chip to the storage side sheet placed at the attachment position even while the storage side sheet fixed to the storage side rotating body at a storage side replacement position that is a distance from the attachment position is being replaced with another storage side sheet.

2. Further, a storage-side fixing means is provided for fixing the plurality of storage-side sheets to the storage-side rotating body, The chip processing device described in claim 1, characterized in that the storage side fixing means continues to fix the multiple storage side sheets to the storage side rotating body until the storage side sheets, which were positioned at the attachment position, move to a storage side replacement position that is a distance from the attachment position due to the rotation of the storage side rotating body, and releases the storage side sheets when they are positioned at the storage side replacement position.

3. 2. The chip processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a storage side replacement mechanism that replaces the storage side sheet, which has been released from the storage side rotating body at the storage side replacement position, with another storage side sheet.

4. a storage means for storing rank information of each of the chips attached to the supply-side sheet; A chip processing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a storage side control means that controls the storage side drive means based on the rank information of the chip obtained by the transport unit from the supply side sheet, and places one of the multiple storage side sheets fixed to the storage side rotating body at the attachment position.

5. A chip processing apparatus having a transport unit that acquires chips from a supply-side sheet arranged at an acquisition position with a plurality of chips attached thereto, moves the chips, and attaches the chips to a storage-side sheet, a supply-side rotator to which a plurality of the supply-side sheets are fixed and which positions one of the plurality of supply-side sheets at the acquisition position; a supply-side driving means for rotating the supply-side rotating body to move the supply-side sheet disposed at the acquisition position to another position and to dispose another supply-side sheet at the acquisition position, A chip processing device characterized in that the transport unit acquires the chips from the supply side sheet placed at the acquisition position even while the supply side sheet fixed to the supply side rotating body at a supply side replacement position that is a distance from the acquisition position is being replaced with another supply side sheet.

6. a supply-side fixing means for fixing the plurality of supply-side sheets to the supply-side rotating body, The chip processing device described in claim 5, characterized in that the supply side fixing means continues to fix the multiple supply side sheets to the supply side rotating body until the supply side sheets, which were positioned at the acquisition position, move to a supply side replacement position at a distance from the acquisition position due to rotation of the supply side rotating body, and releases the fixation of the supply side sheets when they are positioned at the supply side replacement position.

7. 6. The chip processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a supply-side replacement mechanism that replaces the supply-side sheet, which has been released from the supply-side rotator at the supply-side replacement position, with another supply-side sheet.

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