Inspection device equipped with an electronic component position detection structure

Abstract

Accurately detects location information during inspection of electronic components. [Solution] The invention includes a supply unit that supplies electronic components provided from a feeder in the inspection direction using a glass disc rotated by a motor, an alignment unit that aligns the electronic components in the inspection direction, a position detection unit that sequentially detects the position of the electronic components, an inspection unit that photographs and inspects the surface image of the electronic components, and a control unit that controls the operation of the supply unit and the alignment unit, and controls the operation of the inspection unit and the discharge unit according to the detection information of the position detection unit, wherein the position detection unit includes a camera unit that takes an image of the alignment section of the electronic components in real time using a lens, and a control unit that identifies the electronic components in the alignment section through the image, and if an electronic component is identified, stores the encoder value of the motor for the position of the electronic component at the moment it contacts the position detection line formed on the lens when the electronic component passes through the camera unit, and transfers it to the control unit.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus provided with a position detection structure for electronic components, and more particularly, to an inspection apparatus provided with a position detection structure for electronic components that can accurately detect position information during inspection of electronic components and prevent malfunction of the apparatus due to recognition errors in the inspection process. [Background Art]

[0002] Generally, before electronic components are mounted on semiconductor devices or electronic equipment, quality inspections such as inspection of size, cracks, plating amount and plating area are indispensably required.

[0003] A conventional general inspection method for electronic components is that several workers inspect electronic components using instruments such as microscopes. However, this method requires a lot of time to inspect a large number of electronic components, and has a limit in accuracy, so that there is a problem that the efficiency of performing inspection is low.

[0004] In recent years, in order to improve this, an electronic component inspection apparatus has been disclosed, which aligns a plurality of electronic components, captures images, determines the quality of the electronic components from the captured images, and then automatically sorts the electronic components by jetting compressed air according to the determination result.

[0005] Figure 1 is a diagram schematically showing an electronic component inspection apparatus according to the prior art.

[0006] Referring to Figure 1, a conventional electronic component inspection device includes a hopper 10 that holds a large quantity of completed electronic components 1 for inspection, a feeder means 20 that moves the electronic components 1 supplied through the hopper 10 by vibration, a linear feeder means 30 having a predetermined length for sequentially supplying the electronic components supplied through the feeder means 20, a rotating means 40 made of a glass plate to facilitate inspection of the electronic components supplied by the linear feeder means 30, an alignment means 50 for arranging the electronic components in a line to perform accurate inspection of the electronic components rotated by the rotating means 40, and each surface of the electronic components aligned through the alignment means 50. The system comprises a camera 60 for capturing images of the shape of the electronic components, an encoder 70 for determining the position of the electronic components captured by the camera 60, a counter sensor 71 for sensing the image signal captured by the camera 60 and the number of electronic components 1, a microcontroller 80 for inputting signals from the encoder 70 and other devices for processing and control, a control means 90 consisting of a touch panel at a predetermined position that outputs a control signal based on the signal from the microcontroller 80 and allows for confirmation of the number of good and defective electronic components, and two nozzles 91 and 92 that inject air pressure to separate and discharge good and defective electronic components based on the signal from the control means 90.

[0007] However, conventional electronic component inspection devices have a structural problem in that, if the flatness of the glass plate constituting the rotating mechanism is not constant, it is difficult to detect the position of the electronic component using an encoder, resulting in a decrease in the accuracy of position detection for the electronic component.

[0008] Furthermore, conventional electronic component inspection devices have a problem in that they sometimes mistakenly recognize foreign objects such as dust accumulated on a glass plate as electronic components when detecting the position of electronic components using an encoder, which can lead to malfunctions of the device. This problem can become even more pronounced when electronic components are manufactured in ultra-small sizes of 500 μm or less. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Republic of Korea Published Patent No. 2010-100533 (Publication Date: September 15, 2010) [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0010] The technical problem of the present invention is to provide an inspection device equipped with an electronic component position detection structure that can accurately recognize electronic components and detect their position information without being affected by the flatness of the glass disk or foreign matter such as dust during inspection of electronic components.

[0011] The technical problems that this invention aims to solve are not limited to those mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those with ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The aforementioned technical problem is solved by a supply unit that supplies electronic components provided from a feeder in the inspection direction using a glass disc rotated by a motor; an alignment unit that aligns the electronic components on the glass disc in the inspection direction; a position detection unit that sequentially detects the positions of the electronic components aligned on the glass disc; an inspection unit that photographs and inspects the surface images of the electronic components that have passed through the position detection unit; an discharge unit that classifies and discharges the electronic components according to the quality determination of the electronic components by the inspection unit; and a control unit that controls the operation of the supply unit and the alignment unit, and controls the operation of the inspection unit and the discharge unit according to the detection information of the position detection unit. The position detection unit is characterized by including a camera unit that takes images in real time with a lens of the alignment section of the electronic components aligned by the alignment unit and supplied in the inspection direction by the glass disc; and a control unit that identifies electronic components in the alignment section through the images acquired from the camera unit, and, if an electronic component is identified, stores the encoder value of the motor for the position of the electronic component at the moment it contacts the position detection line formed on the lens when the electronic component passes through the camera unit, and transfers it to the control unit.

[0013] The position detection line is characterized by being formed in the central region of the lens so as to intersect with the supply direction of the electronic component.

[0014] The position detection unit is further characterized by including an illumination unit that can irradiate a constant light source in the direction of the electronic components when the camera unit captures an image of the alignment section.

[0015] The lighting unit is characterized in that at least one is installed in the position detection unit.

[0016] The aforementioned lighting unit is characterized by being made of LEDs. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, unlike the prior art in which a trigger sensor detects the position of an electronic component, a structure capable of detecting the position of an electronic component by utilizing a camera can improve the identifiability of the electronic component while accurately detecting position information, which is effective in that it can contribute to energy saving and service life extension through preventing malfunction caused by recognition errors of electronic components. [Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] It is a diagram schematically showing an electronic component inspection apparatus according to the prior art. [Figure 2] It is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of an inspection apparatus provided with a position detection structure for electronic components according to the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing the configuration of a position detection unit applied to an inspection apparatus provided with a position detection structure for electronic components according to the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing the camera unit of the position detection unit shown in Fig. 3. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing the lens of the camera unit shown in Fig. 3. [Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0019] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, in the description of the present invention, descriptions of already known functions or configurations are omitted to clarify the gist of the present invention.

[0020] Fig. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of an inspection apparatus provided with a position detection structure for electronic components according to the present invention.

[0021] Referring to Fig. 2, the inspection apparatus provided with a position detection structure for electronic components according to the present invention includes a supply section 1, an alignment section 2, a position detection section 3, an inspection section 4, a discharge section 5, and a control section 6.

[0022] The supply unit 1 is provided to supply multiple electronic components P to be inspected in the inspection direction. For this purpose, the supply unit 1 includes a feeder 11 and a glass disc 12 rotated by a motor 13. That is, the supply unit 1 supplies multiple electronic components P loaded in a hopper to the glass disc 12 via the feeder 11, and the glass disc 12 is rotated by the motor 13 to supply the electronic components P in the inspection direction. Such a supply unit 1 is operated under the control of the control unit 6.

[0023] Here, the feeder 11 can be configured to include a bowl feeder and a linear feeder that vibrate due to the attractive and repulsive forces of a magnet, and other feeding means can be used to sequentially supply multiple electronic components.

[0024] The alignment unit 2 is provided to align electronic components P on the glass disc 12 in the inspection direction. For this purpose, the alignment unit 2 may consist of an alignment guide 21 that can sequentially align multiple electronic components P in a single or double-row structure. That is, the alignment unit 2 can align and arrange multiple electronic components P supplied from the feeder 11 on the glass disc 12 using the alignment guide 21 so that they are supplied sequentially in the inspection direction. Such an alignment unit 2 operates under the control of the control unit 6.

[0025] The position detection unit 3 is provided to sequentially detect the positions of the electronic components P aligned on the glass disc 12. Specifically, the position detection unit 3 identifies the multiple electronic components P that are aligned on the glass disc 12 by the alignment unit 2 and supplied in the inspection direction, detects their current positions, and transmits the information to the control unit 6.

[0026] The inspection unit 4 is provided to capture and inspect the surface image of the electronic component P after it has passed through the position detection unit 3. Similar to the conventional technology, this inspection unit 4 captures images of the four sides of the electronic component P (top, bottom, left, and right) and performs inspection of the size, cracks, plating amount, plating area, etc. of the electronic component P. In other words, the inspection unit 4 is equipped with corresponding cameras so that it can capture images of the four sides of the electronic component P (top, bottom, left, and right). Each camera captures images of the four sides of the electronic component P (top, bottom, left, and right) and transmits them to the control unit 6, which then determines whether the electronic component P is a good or defective product based on pre-stored information such as its shape and appearance.

[0027] The discharge unit 5 is designed to classify and discharge electronic components P according to the quality determination of the electronic components P by the inspection unit 4. For this purpose, the discharge unit 5 is equipped with solenoid valves in each discharge area that can classify and discharge good and defective electronic components P. In other words, the discharge unit 5 uses compressed air from solenoid valves, which are operated under the control of the control unit 6, to classify and discharge good and defective electronic components P into the corresponding discharge areas.

[0028] The control unit 6 is configured to control the operation of the supply unit 1 and the alignment unit 2, and to control the operation of the inspection unit 4 and the discharge unit 5 according to the detection information of the electronic component P provided by the position detection unit 3. In other words, the control unit 6 controls the operation of the supply unit 1 and the alignment unit 2 so that the supply and alignment processes of the electronic component are performed in the inspection direction, the inspection unit 4 inspects the electronic component P at the corresponding position according to the detection information of the electronic component P provided by the position detection unit 3, and the discharge unit 5 sorts and discharges the electronic component P at the corresponding position, while simultaneously controlling the operation of the inspection unit 4 and the discharge unit 5.

[0029] Figure 3 shows the configuration of a position detection unit applied to an inspection device equipped with an electronic component position detection structure according to the present invention, Figure 4 shows the camera unit of the position detection unit shown in Figure 3, and Figure 5 shows the lens of the camera unit shown in Figure 3.

[0030] Referring to Figures 3 to 5, the position detection unit 3 includes a camera unit 31, a control unit 34, and a lighting unit 35 to detect the position of electronic components P that are sequentially aligned on the glass disk 12 by the alignment unit 2.

[0031] The camera unit 31 is configured to capture images in real time using a lens 32 of the aligned section of electronic components P, which are aligned by the alignment unit 2 and supplied in the inspection direction by the glass disc 12. Such a camera unit 31 is installed adjacent to the alignment unit 2 and captures an overall image of the aligned section of electronic components P from above the alignment unit 2 and transmits it to the control unit 34.

[0032] The lens 32 has a position detection line 33 formed in its central region that intersects with the supply direction of the electronic component P. The position detection line 33 provides a reference line for detecting the current position of the electronic component P on the glass disk 12.

[0033] The control unit 34 identifies electronic components P in the alignment section through the image acquired from the camera unit 31. If an electronic component P is identified, the control unit 34 stores the current position of the electronic component P using the position detection line 33 formed on the lens 32 as the electronic component P passes the camera unit 31.

[0034] In other words, the control unit 34 identifies the electronic component P using the image from the camera unit 31, and stores the encoder value of the motor 13 corresponding to the position of the electronic component P at the moment it makes contact with the position detection line 33 of the lens 32 as the electronic component P passes through the camera unit 31, and transfers this value to the control unit 6.

[0035] Here, an encoder is installed on the motor 13, and the encoder outputs an encoder value for the current position of the electronic component P when the glass disc 12 rotates and provides it to the control unit 34. Therefore, the control unit 6 accurately controls the operation of the inspection unit 4 and the discharge unit 5 according to the position information of the electronic component P provided by the control unit 34, so that the inspection unit 4 and the discharge unit 5 can inspect and discharge the electronic component P at that position without malfunction.

[0036] The position detection unit 3, configured in this way, analyzes the image acquired by the camera unit 31 with the control unit 34 to accurately identify the electronic component P, and outputs the encoder value of the motor 13 corresponding to the position of the electronic component P through the position detection line 33 of the lens 32, providing it to the control unit 6.

[0037] In other words, conventional electronic component inspection devices have a structure in which the position of electronic components is detected by a trigger sensor 410. However, if the flatness of the glass disc 300 is not constant or if foreign matter such as dust is piled on the glass disc 12, the device may malfunction due to difficulty in detecting the position due to misrecognition of the electronic component. In contrast, the present invention allows the camera unit 31 of the position detection unit 3 to capture an image, and the control unit 34 to analyze the image from the camera unit 31 to detect position information. This makes it possible to accurately detect the position information through the identification of electronic components P even if the flatness of the glass disc 12 is not constant or if foreign matter such as dust is piled on the glass disc 12.

[0038] Therefore, the position detection unit 3 has a structure that allows it to accurately detect the position information of the electronic component P without being affected by the flatness of the glass disc 12 or foreign matter, thereby preventing errors in the recognition of the electronic component P and preventing malfunctions of the inspection unit 4 and the discharge unit 5 based on the position information.

[0039] The position detection unit 3 further includes an illumination unit 35 that can illuminate a constant light source in the direction of the electronic component P when the camera unit 31 captures an image of the alignment section. Such an illumination unit 35 is made of LEDs and at least one is installed in the position detection unit 3. That is, the illumination unit 35 can be installed in the camera unit 31.

[0040] Therefore, when the position detection unit 3 captures an image with the camera unit 31, the illumination unit 35 provides a constant light source in the shooting direction of the camera unit 31, creating a brighter environment for the shooting area of ​​the electronic component P than the surrounding area. This eliminates poor identification of the electronic component P due to shadows and enables the acquisition of high-quality images. The identifiability of the electronic component P can be significantly improved.

[0041] As described above, unlike conventional technology that detects the position of electronic components using a trigger sensor 410, the inspection device equipped with the electronic component position detection structure according to the present invention has a structure that can detect the position of electronic components P using a camera 31, thereby improving the identifiability of electronic components P and enabling accurate detection of position information. This contributes to energy saving and life extension by preventing malfunctions due to misrecognition of electronic components P.

[0042] As described above, specific embodiments of the present invention have been explained and illustrated, but it will be obvious to those ordinary skill in the art that the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments and can be modified and transformed in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, such modifications or variations should not be understood separately from the technical idea or viewpoint of the present invention, and the modified embodiments should fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1: Supply section 11: Feeder 12: Glass Disc 13: Motor 2: Alignment section 21: Queueing Guide 3: Position detection unit 31: Camera Unit 32: Lens 33: Position detection line 34: Control Unit 35: Lighting Unit 4: Inspection Department 5: Discharge section 6: Control Unit P: Electronic components.

Claims

1. A supply unit that supplies electronic components provided from a feeder in the inspection direction via a glass disc rotated by a motor, The glass disk is provided with an alignment section for aligning electronic components in the inspection direction, A position detection unit that sequentially detects the positions of electronic components aligned on the glass disk, An inspection unit that takes a surface image of the electronic component that has passed through the position detection unit and inspects it, A discharge unit that sorts and discharges electronic components according to the quality determination of the electronic components by the inspection unit, The control unit controls the operation of the supply unit and the alignment unit, and controls the operation of the inspection unit and the discharge unit according to the detection information of the position detection unit, The position detection unit is, A camera unit that captures images in real time using a lens of the alignment section of electronic components that are aligned by the aforementioned alignment unit and supplied in the inspection direction by a glass disc, An inspection apparatus comprising an electronic component position detection structure, characterized by including a control unit that identifies an electronic component in an alignment section through an image acquired from the camera unit, and, when an electronic component is identified, stores the encoder value of a motor for the position of the electronic component at the moment it comes into contact with a position detection line formed on the lens as the electronic component passes through the camera unit, and transfers this value to a control unit.

2. An inspection apparatus comprising the electronic component position detection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the position detection line is formed in the central region of the lens so as to intersect with the supply direction of the electronic component.

3. The position detection unit is, An inspection apparatus comprising an electronic component position detection structure according to claim 1, further comprising a lighting unit capable of irradiating a constant light source in the direction of the electronic component when the camera unit captures an image of the alignment section.

4. The aforementioned lighting unit is An inspection device comprising the position detection structure for an electronic component according to claim 3, characterized in that at least one such structure is installed in the position detection unit.

5. The inspection apparatus comprising the position detection structure for electronic components according to claim 3, characterized in that the lighting unit is made of LEDs.

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