Support device and support method

Abstract

To provide a support device and a support method capable of reading barcode symbols without rotating support means.SOLUTION: A support device EA includes support means 10 for supporting a support object WK, and rotation means 20 for rotating the support means 10 with a predetermined position of the support means 10 as a rotation center CP, and the support means 10 includes a barcode symbol 13 composed of a plurality of circles centered on the rotation center CP.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a support device and a support method.

Background Art

[0002] A support device for supporting an object to be supported is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the processing device 1 (support device) described in Patent Document 1, since the two-dimensional barcode 201 (barcode symbol) is provided in a partial region of the outer edge portion of the chuck table 14 (support means), there is a disadvantage that the barcode symbol cannot be read unless the support means is rotated and the barcode symbol is arranged at the reading position by the imaging unit 44-2 (reading means).

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a support device and a support method capable of reading a barcode symbol without rotating the support means. [[ID=四十]]

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention employs the configuration described in the claims.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, since the support means includes a barcode symbol composed of a plurality of circles centered on the rotation center, the barcode symbol can be read without rotating the support means.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008] [Figure 1] An explanatory diagram of a support device relating to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] An explanatory diagram of a support device according to a modified example of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1(A) and 1(B). In this embodiment, the X, Y, and Z axes are orthogonal to each other. The X and Y axes are axes within a predetermined plane, and the Z axis is an axis perpendicular to the predetermined plane. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when directions are indicated based on a view from the front direction in Figure 1(A) parallel to the Y axis, "up" is the direction of the Z-axis arrow and "down" is the opposite direction, "left" is the direction of the X-axis arrow and "right" is the opposite direction, "front" is the front direction in Figure 1(A) parallel to the Y axis and "back" is the opposite direction.

[0010] The support device EA includes a support means 10 that performs a support process to support the object to be supported WK, a rotation means 20 that performs a rotation process to rotate the support means 10 with a predetermined position of the support means 10 as the rotation center CP, and a reading means 30 that performs a reading process to read the barcode symbol 13.

[0011] The support means 10 comprises a table 11, a pressure reducing means (holding means) 12 (not shown), such as a pressure reducing pump or vacuum ejector, connected to the table 11 via piping 12A, and a barcode symbol 13 composed of multiple circles centered on a rotation center CP. Table 11 is capable of being held by suction by a depressurization means 12 and comprises a support surface 11A for supporting the object to be supported WK, a recess 11B provided on the support surface 11A and communicating with the depressurization means 12 via a pipe 12A, and a porous member 11C placed in the recess 11B with its upper surface being the support surface 11A, and is replaceable according to the type, size, shape, etc. of the object to be supported WK. In this embodiment, a barcode symbol 13 is provided on the support surface 11A of Table 11, and it is cylindrical with a rotation center CP as the center and has a side surface 11D.

[0012] The rotating means 20 includes a rotary motor 21 as a drive device that supports the table 11 on its output shaft 21A.

[0013] The reading means 30 includes a barcode reader 31 as an information reading means for reading the barcode symbol 13 at a predetermined reading position, and a control means 32 such as a personal computer or a programmable logic controller electrically connected to the barcode reader 31.

[0014] The operation of the support device EA described above will now be explained. First, the user of the support device EA (hereinafter simply referred to as "user") inputs information from the table 11 to the support device EA via an operating means such as an operation panel (not shown) or a personal computer, and also inputs a signal to start automatic operation. Next, the reading means 30 drives the barcode reader 31 to read and decode the barcode symbol 13. Here, since the barcode symbol 13 is composed of multiple circles centered on the rotation center CP of the table 11, each bar of the barcode symbol 13 is positioned at a predetermined reading position regardless of the rotation position of the table 11, and the reading means 30 can read the barcode symbol 13 without rotating the table 11. After that, the reading means 30, controlled by the control means 32, verifies the correspondence between the information decoded from the barcode symbol 13 and the information input via the operating means, and determines whether the table 11 is valid or invalid. As a result, if table 11 is determined to be unsuitable, the reading means 30 outputs a predetermined signal from the control means 32 to a warning means (not shown) such as a speaker or display, and the user is notified that table 11 needs to be replaced by emitting a warning signal such as sound or light through the warning means.

[0015] On the other hand, if the table 11 is deemed suitable, the user or a transport means (not shown) such as an articulated robot or a belt conveyor places the object to be supported WK at a predetermined position on the support surface 11A, as shown in Figures 1(A) and (B). The support means 10 then drives the pressure reducing means 12 and begins to hold the object to be supported WK by suction on the support surface 11A. Next, the rotating means 20 drives the rotary motor 21 to rotate the table 11. Then, when a processing means (not shown), such as a positioning means for positioning the object to be supported WK or an inspection means for inspecting the object to be supported WK, performs a predetermined process such as positioning or inspection on the object to be supported WK, the rotating means 20 stops driving the rotary motor 21. Subsequently, the support means 10 stops driving the pressure reducing means 12 and releases the suction support of the object to be supported WK on the support surface 11A. After that, the user or a transport means (not shown) transports the object to be supported WK to the next process, and the same operation as described above is repeated thereafter.

[0016] According to the embodiment described above, since the table 11 is equipped with a barcode symbol 13 composed of multiple circles centered on the rotation center CP, the barcode symbol 13 can be read without rotating the table 11.

[0017] As described above, the best configurations, methods, etc., for carrying out the present invention are disclosed in the above description, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, although the present invention is mainly illustrated and described in relation to specific embodiments, those skilled in the art can make various modifications to the embodiments described above in terms of shape, material, quantity, and other detailed configurations without departing from the scope of the technical idea and objectives of the present invention. Furthermore, the descriptions of shapes, materials, etc. disclosed above are illustrative to facilitate understanding of the present invention and do not limit the present invention, so descriptions of components with some or all of those limitations removed are included in the present invention.

[0018] For example, the support means 10 may, in place of or in combination with the porous member 11C, adsorb and hold the object to be supported WK by suction holes formed in the support surface 11A, or part or all of the barcode symbol 13 may be provided within the adsorption and holding area of ​​the object to be supported WK on the support surface 11A, or the barcode symbol 13 may be provided only on the support surface 11A, or as shown in Figure 2, the barcode symbol 13 may be provided only on the side surface 11D, or the barcode symbol may be provided only on the opposite surface 11E located on the opposite side of the support surface 11A 13 may be provided, or barcode symbols 13 may be provided only on both the support surface 11A and the side surface 11D, or barcode symbols 13 may be provided only on both the support surface 11A and the opposite surface 11E, or barcode symbols 13 may be provided only on both the side surface 11D and the opposite surface 11E, or barcode symbols 13 may be provided on the support surface 11A, the side surface 11D and the opposite surface 11E, or multiple barcode symbols 13 may be provided on at least one of the support surface 11A, the side surface 11D and the opposite surface 11E. The support means 10 includes a base supported by the output shaft 21A of the rotation motor 21, a table 11 supported by the base, and a pressing member (for example, the ring-shaped member 40 described in JP-A-2006-339344) that presses the table 11 against the base, and a barcode symbol 13 may be provided on the pressing member. The table 11 has a prismatic, cylindrical, frustum-of-a-pyramid-shaped or frustum-of-a-cone-shaped form centered on the rotation center CP and has a side surface, and a barcode symbol 13 may be provided on the side surface. When the table 11 is prismatic or frustum-of-a-pyramid-shaped, it may be triangular or prismatic or frustum-of-a-pyramid-shaped with five or more corners. The barcode symbol 13 is printed on a sheet member such as an adhesive sheet, paper, cloth, metal plate, resin plate, etc., and the sheet member may be attached to the table 11, or may be directly printed, described, or engraved on the table 11, and the display method is not limited in any way.

[0019] The rotation means 20 may rotate the table 11, for example, via a gear or a belt from the output shaft 21A of the rotation motor 21, or a drive roller supported by the output shaft of the rotation motor as a driving device may be brought into contact with the support surface 11A, side surface 11D or opposite surface 11E of the table 11, and the table 11 may be rotated by the drive roller.

[0020] The reading means 30 may include an information reading means composed of an imaging means such as a camera or a projector, or various sensors such as an image sensor or a photoelectric sensor, instead of or in combination with the barcode reader 31, and may read the barcode symbol 13 provided on the side surface of the table 11 having a prismatic, cylindrical, frustum-of-a-pyramid-shaped or frustum-of-a-cone-shaped form, and may be provided in the support device EA of the present invention or may not be provided.

[0021] The processing means may be any means that performs a predetermined process on the object to be supported WK, such as polishing means for polishing the object to be supported WK, grinding means for grinding the object to be supported WK, cutting means such as a cutting blade for cutting the object to be supported WK, sheet attaching means for attaching an adhesive sheet to the object to be supported WK using pressing means such as a pressing roller or a pressing head, sheet peeling means such as a peeling plate or a peeling roller for peeling the adhesive sheet attached to the object to be supported WK from the object to be supported WK, irradiation means for irradiating the object to be supported WK with electromagnetic waves such as ultraviolet rays or infrared rays, cleaning means for cleaning the object to be supported WK, and the like.

[0022] The object to be supported WK may be integrated with a ring frame as a frame member via an adhesive sheet. In addition to the ring frame, the frame member may have a non-annular shape (the outer periphery is not connected), or may have a circular, elliptical, polygonal, or other shape.

[0023] The material, type, shape, etc., of the sheet member, adhesive sheet, and support object WK are not particularly limited. For example, the sheet member, adhesive sheet, and support object WK may be circular, elliptical, polygonal (triangle, square, etc.), or have other shapes. The sheet member and adhesive sheet may also have pressure-sensitive or heat-sensitive adhesive properties. If a heat-sensitive adhesive property is used, the sheet member and adhesive sheet may be bonded using an appropriate method, such as providing a suitable heating means, such as a suitable coil heater or the heating side of a heat pipe. Furthermore, such sheet members and adhesive sheets may be of any type, such as a single layer consisting only of an adhesive layer, a two-layer structure with a base material and an adhesive layer laminated together, a three-layer or three-or-more-layer structure with one or more intermediate layers laminated between the base material and the adhesive layer, a three-layer or three-or-more-layer structure with one or more cover layers laminated on the upper surface of the base material, a structure in which the base material, intermediate layer, or cover layer is peelably provided, a single-layer double-sided adhesive sheet consisting only of an adhesive layer, or a double-sided adhesive sheet with adhesive layers laminated on both outermost surfaces of one or more intermediate layers. Furthermore, the object to be supported WK may be a single object such as food, a plastic container, a semiconductor wafer such as a silicon semiconductor wafer or a compound semiconductor wafer, a circuit board, an information recording substrate such as an optical disc, a glass plate, a steel plate, a ceramic, a wooden board, or a resin, or it may be a composite object formed from two or more of these, and any form of component or article can also be included. Note that the adhesive sheet may be replaced with any sheet, film, tape, etc., such as an information label, decorative label, protective sheet, dicing tape, die attach film, die bonding tape, or recording layer forming resin sheet, based on its functional and practical meaning.

[0024] The means and processes in this invention are not limited in any way as long as they can perform the operations, functions, or processes described for those means and processes, and are certainly not limited in any way to the components or processes of a single embodiment shown in the above-mentioned embodiments. For example, the rotating means can be any means that rotates the support means with a predetermined position of the support means as the center of rotation, and is not limited in any way as long as it is within the scope of the art in light of the common general knowledge at the time of filing (the same applies to other means and processes). The drive equipment in the above embodiment can be electric equipment such as rotary motors, linear motors, single-axis robots, articulated robots with two or more axes, actuators such as air cylinders, hydraulic cylinders, rodless cylinders, and rotary cylinders, or a combination of these directly or indirectly. In the above embodiment, if a rotating member such as a roller is used, a drive device for rotating the rotating member may be provided, the surface of the rotating member or the rotating member itself may be made of a deformable material such as rubber or resin, the surface of the rotating member or the rotating member itself may be made of a non-deformable material, other members such as rotating or non-rotating shafts or blades may be used instead of rollers, and if a means or member for pressing the object to be pressed, such as a pressing roller or pressing head, is used, in addition to the examples given above, a means of blowing gas such as air or gas may be used, in addition to rollers, round bars, blade materials, brush-like members, or a means of blowing gas may be used, and the pressing material may be made of a deformable material such as rubber, resin, or sponge, or it may be made of a non-deformable material such as metal or resin, and if a means or member for peeling the object to be peeled, such as a peeling plate or peeling roller, is used, in addition to the examples given above, In combination, plate-shaped members, round bars, rollers, and other members may be used, the material to be peeled off may be made of a deformable material such as rubber or resin, or a non-deformable material, and if a support (holding) means or support (holding) member or other means for supporting (holding) the supported member (held member) is used, a configuration in which the supported member is supported (held) by gripping means such as mechanical chucks or chuck cylinders, Coulomb force, adhesive (adhesive sheets, adhesive tapes), adhesive agents (adhesive sheets, adhesive tapes), magnetic force, Bernoulli adsorption, suction adsorption, drive equipment, etc. may be used, and if a cutting means or cutting member or other means for cutting the member to be cut or forming cuts or cutting lines in the member to be cut is used, instead of or in combination with the examples above, a cutter blade, laser cutter, ion beam, thermal power, heat, water pressure, electric heating wire, spraying of gas or liquid, etc. may be used, or the material to be cut may be moved by combining appropriate drive equipment to perform the cutting. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0025] EA…Support device 10...Support means 11A…Support surface 11D...Side 13…Barcode symbol 20... Rotating means 30... Reading method CP... Center of rotation WK...Supporting object

Claims

1. A support means for supporting an object to be supported on a support surface, The system includes a rotating means for rotating the support means with a predetermined position of the support means as the center of rotation, The support device is characterized in that the support means is provided on the support surface with a barcode symbol for determining the suitability of the support means, which is composed of a plurality of circles centered on the rotation center.

2. The support device according to claim 1, characterized in that, of the multiple circles of the barcode symbol, the innermost circle is located outside the outer circumference of the object to be supported which is supported by the support surface.

3. A support step in which the object to be supported is supported by the support surface of the support means, A rotation step is performed in which the support means is rotated with a predetermined position of the support means as the center of rotation. The support method is characterized in that, in the support step, a barcode symbol for determining the suitability of the support means, which is composed of a plurality of circles centered on the rotation center, is provided on the support surface, and the object to be supported is supported on the support surface.

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