Substrate work device, substrate support unit, and substrate support method

Abstract

This substrate work device comprises a substrate work unit, a substrate support unit, a pin lowering device and a control device. The substrate support unit has a plurality of pins, a unit body, a first fixing mechanism and a second fixing mechanism. The unit body holds, and is capable of raising, a plurality of pins supporting the substrate and collectively lifts said pins. The first fixing mechanism fixes the pins in the lifted position. The second fixing mechanism is provided separately from the first fixing mechanism and fixes the pins in the lifted position with a fixing force smaller than that of the first fixing mechanism. The pin lowering device individually lowers the pins by causing a force larger than the fixing force of the second fixing mechanism to act on the pins that are in the lifted position due to the second fixing mechanism.

Description

Substrate-related processing device, substrate support unit, and substrate support method

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a substrate-related operating apparatus, a substrate supporting unit, and a substrate supporting method.

[0002] Conventionally, substrate-related processing devices such as screen printing machines are well known. In this type of device, a substrate is transported to a substrate processing position, and a substrate processing section performs a predetermined operation on the substrate. A substrate support unit is disposed below the substrate processing section, and supports the substrate from below with a plurality of pins during processing. A known example of this type of technology is disclosed in Patent Document 1 (JP 2010-143085 A).

[0003] However, the above-described conventional technology still has room for improvement as follows. For example, in a conventional board support unit, if a pre-attached component is on the supported surface side of the board, the pins may come into contact with the pre-attached component when supporting the board. In this case, load is applied to the pre-attached component during printing or board clamping, which may cause damage to the component.

[0004] Therefore, the present specification provides an improved technique for a substrate support unit for supporting a substrate having a pre-attached component.

[0005] This specification discloses a substrate-related operating apparatus. The substrate-related operating apparatus includes a substrate-related operating section, a substrate support unit, a pin lowering device, and a control device. The substrate-related operating section performs a predetermined operation on a substrate transported to a substrate operating position. The substrate support unit is disposed below the substrate-related operating section and supports the substrate from below while the substrate-related operating section performs the operation. The substrate support unit includes a plurality of pins that support the substrate, a unit body that holds the plurality of pins in a vertically movable manner and raises the plurality of pins collectively, a first fixing mechanism that fixes the pins in a raised position, and a second fixing mechanism that is provided separately from the first fixing mechanism and fixes the pins in the raised position with a fixing force smaller than that of the first fixing mechanism. The pin lowering device applies a force greater than the fixing force of the second fixing mechanism to pins that are in a raised position due to the second fixing mechanism, thereby lowering the pins individually. The control device controls the operation of the substrate support unit and the pin lowering device. According to the above-described configuration, the pin lowering device lowers a specific pin located at a position corresponding to the previously attached component, thereby preventing the pin from coming into contact with the previously attached component.

[0006] This specification also discloses a substrate support unit that supports a substrate from below. The substrate support unit includes a plurality of pins, a unit body, a first fixing mechanism, and a second fixing mechanism. The plurality of pins support the substrate. The unit body holds the plurality of pins so that they can be raised and lowered, and raises the plurality of pins collectively. The first fixing mechanism fixes the pins in a raised position. The second fixing mechanism is provided separately from the first fixing mechanism and fixes the pins in the raised position with a fixing force smaller than that of the first fixing mechanism.

[0007] This specification also discloses another substrate support unit that supports a substrate from below. The substrate support unit includes a plurality of pins, a unit body, and a substrate suction mechanism. The pins have substrate suction channels inside, one end of which opens at a suction port on the top end surface of the pin, and support the substrate. The unit body holds the pins so that they can be raised and lowered, and raises the pins collectively. The substrate suction mechanism is configured so that when the pins are in a raised position, the other end of the substrate suction channel communicates with a vacuum passage in the unit body, and when the pins are not in the raised position, the other end of the substrate suction channel does not communicate with the vacuum passage.

[0008] This specification also discloses a substrate support method using a substrate support unit. The substrate support unit includes a plurality of pins for supporting a substrate, a unit body that holds the plurality of pins in a vertically movable manner and raises the plurality of pins collectively, a first fixing mechanism that fixes the pins in a raised position, and a second fixing mechanism that is provided separately from the first fixing mechanism and fixes the pins in the raised position with a fixing force smaller than that of the first fixing mechanism. The substrate support method includes a first step of raising the plurality of pins collectively and fixing the plurality of pins in the raised position with the second fixing mechanism, a second step of lowering specific pins that are located at positions on the substrate corresponding to pre-attached components by individually lowering the pins by applying a force greater than the fixing force of the second fixing mechanism to the pins in the raised position with the second fixing mechanism, a third step of fixing the remaining pins that have not been lowered in the raised position with the first fixing mechanism, and a substrate loading step of loading the substrate into a substrate working position after the third step.

[0009] This specification also discloses another substrate support method using a substrate support unit. The substrate support unit includes a plurality of pins each having a substrate suction channel therein, one end of which opens at a suction port on the top end of the pin, a unit body that holds the plurality of pins in a vertically movable manner and raises the plurality of pins collectively, and a substrate suction mechanism that is configured so that when the pins are in the raised position, the other end of the substrate suction channel is connected to a vacuum channel in the unit body, and when the pins are not in the raised position, the other end of the substrate suction channel is not connected to the vacuum channel. This substrate support method includes a first step of raising the plurality of pins collectively and fixing them in the raised position, a second step of lowering a specific pin from the raised position that is located in a position corresponding to a pre-attached component on the substrate, a third step of loading the substrate into a substrate work position after the second step, and a third step of suctioning and supporting the substrate with the plurality of pins in the raised position by vacuuming through the substrate suction channel and the vacuum channel after the third step.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a side view showing a screen printing machine of an embodiment; FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view showing a substrate supporting unit; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part showing a substrate supporting unit; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a substrate supporting unit and a substrate; FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the screen printing machine; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a first step; FIG. 7 is an explanatory view for explaining a second step; FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the second step; FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view for explaining steps from a third step onwards; and FIG. 10 is an explanatory view for explaining a substrate loading step.

[0011] (Mode 1) In the substrate-related operating apparatus disclosed herein, the pin lowering device may be an existing operating unit of the substrate-related operating section. This configuration eliminates the need for a dedicated pin lowering device. (Mode 2) In the substrate-related operating apparatus disclosed herein, the pin lowering device may be a substrate stopper unit including a stopper member and an elevating mechanism for raising and lowering the stopper member. The substrate stopper unit may stop the substrate at the substrate operating position by abutting the stopper member against the transported substrate. The stopper member may be lowered by the elevating mechanism to lower the pins by abutting against the upper ends of the pins. This configuration allows the substrate stopper unit to also function as the pin lowering device. (Mode 3) In the substrate-related operating apparatus disclosed herein, the first fixing mechanism may include a pin fixing piston that operates under the action of fluid pressure in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the pin and fits into a recess provided on the circumferential surface of the pin to fix the pin in the elevated position. According to this configuration, the pin fixing piston can fix the pin in the raised position with a greater force than the second fixing mechanism. (Mode 4) In the substrate-related processing apparatus disclosed herein, the second fixing mechanism may be a pin-holding magnet that fixes the pin in the raised position by magnetically attracting it. According to this configuration, the second fixing mechanism can be simplified by using magnetic force. (Mode 5) In the substrate-related processing apparatus disclosed herein, each of the multiple pins may have a substrate suction channel therein. One end of the substrate suction channel may open to a suction port on the upper end surface of the pin. The substrate support unit may further include a substrate suction mechanism configured such that when the pin is in the raised position, the other end of the substrate suction channel communicates with a vacuum suction channel of the unit main body, and when the pin is not in the raised position, the other end of the substrate suction channel does not communicate with the vacuum suction channel. According to this configuration, when the pin is in the raised position, a suction force for suctioning the substrate can be generated at the suction port of the pin. (Mode 6) The substrate-related operation apparatus disclosed in this specification may be a screen printing machine having a substrate-related operation section that performs an operation of printing solder on a substrate.(Form 7) In the substrate-related work device disclosed in this specification, the control device may hold mounting position data for pre-attached components on the supported surface of the substrate, raise multiple pins collectively and fix the multiple pins with a second fixing mechanism, then drive the pin lowering device based on the mounting position data to lower specific pins located at positions corresponding to the pre-attached components, and then drive the first fixing mechanism to fix the remaining pins that have not been lowered to their raised positions, and then control the substrate to be taken into the substrate work position.

[0012] (Example) A screen printing machine 10 of this example will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1 , the screen printing machine 10 has a squeegee unit 20 (substrate working section) that prints solder on a substrate 1, and is a substrate working device that transports the substrate 1 after solder printing to a component mounter (not shown). The screen printing machine 10 includes a substrate transport device 12, a squeegee drive device 30, a solder supply device 40, and the like, housed within a box-shaped case 11. The screen printing machine 10 also has a monitor 14 and a control device 50 outside the case 11. The monitor 14 displays the setting status and working status of the screen printing machine 10 and receives various inputs via operation of switches (not shown) and the like.

[0013] The board transport device 12 is a device that performs the operations of transporting the board 1 to a board work position within the screen printing machine 10, positioning the board 1 at the board work position before solder printing, and transporting the board 1 from the board work position after solder printing. The board transport device 12 is composed of a pair of belt conveyors 13, a support device (not shown) that is attached to the belt conveyors 13 and supports the board 1 from below, and a drive device (not shown) that drives the belt conveyors 13.

[0014] Furthermore, a pair of support stands 15 are provided within the case 11. A mask 60 is arranged so as to span the two support stands 15. The mask 60 has a plurality of pattern holes (not shown) corresponding to the printing pattern (not shown) of the substrate 1. The substrate 1 supported by the support device of the substrate transport device 12 abuts against the lower surface of the mask 60.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1 , the squeegee unit 20 applies and spreads solder onto the mask 60, thereby transferring the solder to portions of the substrate 1 that correspond to pattern holes (not shown). The squeegee unit 20 includes a unit main body 21, a first squeegee 22 provided on the front side (left side in FIG. 1 ) of the unit main body 21, and a second squeegee 23 provided on the rear side (right side in FIG. 1 ) of the unit main body 21. The squeegee unit 20 also includes a first lifting device 25 and a second lifting device 27. The first lifting device 25 raises and lowers the first squeegee 22 and adjusts the pressure with which the first squeegee 22 is pressed against the mask 60. The second lifting device 27 raises and lowers the second squeegee 23 and adjusts the pressure with which the second squeegee 23 is pressed against the mask 60.

[0016] The squeegee drive device 30 is a device that moves the squeegee unit 20 in the front-to-rear direction of the screen printing machine 10 (the left-to-right direction in FIG. 1 ). The squeegee drive device 30 includes a guide rail 31, a feed screw 32, and a servo motor 33. The guide rail 31 extends in the front-to-rear direction of the screen printing machine 10 and slidably supports the squeegee unit 20. The feed screw 32 extends in the front-to-rear direction of the screen printing machine 10 and is disposed parallel to the guide rail 31. The servo motor 33 is connected to the squeegee unit 20 via the feed screw 32. The servo motor 33 rotates the feed screw 32, causing the squeegee unit 20 to move along the guide rail 31.

[0017] The solder supply device 40 is attached to the unit body 21 of the squeegee unit 20. The solder supply device 40 includes a solder storage container 41 and a nozzle 42. The solder supply device 40 supplies solder from the solder storage container 41 onto the surface of the mask 60 from the nozzle 42.

[0018] 1 to 4, the screen printing machine 10 includes a plurality of (four in this embodiment) substrate support units 71. The plurality of substrate support units 71 are arranged in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate 1. Each substrate support unit 71 is arranged below the squeegee unit 20 and is a device that supports the substrate 1 from below when the squeegee unit 20 performs its work. Each substrate support unit 71 includes a plurality of pins 73, a plurality of (three in this embodiment) unit bodies 72, a base 77, a pin fixing piston 74 (first fixing mechanism), and a pin holding magnet 75 (second fixing mechanism).

[0019] Each pin 73 is used to support the substrate 1. Each unit body 72 holds multiple pins 73 so that they can be raised and lowered, and has the function of raising the multiple pins 73 collectively. Specifically, the unit body 72 has multiple (37 in this embodiment) pin holding holes 72a arranged at equal intervals. By arranging multiple (three in this embodiment) unit bodies 72 in parallel, the substrate support unit 71 has multiple rows (37 rows in this embodiment) and multiple columns (three columns in this embodiment) of pin holding holes 72a. Each pin holding hole 72a extends vertically and holds a pin 73. The lower end of each pin holding hole 72a is closed by a base 77. The base 77 also has a pin-lifting air supply channel 78b that communicates with the pin holding hole 72a. The air inlet of the pin-lifting air supply channel 78b is connected to a port P1 attached to the side of the unit body 72. The base 77 of each substrate support unit 71 is supported by a unit fixing plate 62. Each substrate support unit 71 and the unit fixing plate 62 are supported by a support unit lifting device 61 so that they can be raised and lowered.

[0020] The outer diameter of the lower end of the pin 73 is approximately equal to the inner diameter of the pin holding hole 72a, allowing the pin 73 to move up and down within the pin holding hole 72a. A recess 73b is provided on the peripheral surface of the lower end of the pin 73. The recess 73b penetrates the pin 73 so as to open at the outer peripheral surface and the lower end surface of the pin 73. One side surface (the right side surface in FIG. 4 ) in the middle portion of the pin 73 is provided with an obliquely upward slope 73c. ​​This causes the middle portion of the pin 73 to gradually become thicker toward the lower end.

[0021] Each pin 73 has a substrate suction flow path 81 therein. A ring-shaped tip member 76 is attached to the upper end of each pin 73, and one end (upper end) of the substrate suction flow path 81 opens at a suction port 82 on the upper end surface 73a of the pin 73 (the upper end surface of the tip member 76). The substrate support unit 71 also includes a substrate suction mechanism 84. The substrate suction mechanism 84 is configured so that the other end (lower end) of the substrate suction flow path 81 communicates with a vacuum flow path 83 of the unit main body 72 when the pin 73 is in the raised position (see FIG. 4). The substrate suction mechanism 84 is configured so that the other end of the substrate suction flow path 81 does not communicate with the vacuum flow path 83 when the pin 73 is not in the raised position. The vacuum flow path 83 is the substrate suction air flow path 78c through which substrate suction air A3 (see FIG. 9) flows. The air outlet of the substrate suction air flow path 78 c is connected to a port P 3 attached to the side surface of the unit main body 72 .

[0022] As shown in FIG. 4 , the pin fixing piston 74 is used to fix the pin 73 in the raised position. The pin fixing piston 74 operates in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the pin 73 under the action of fluid pressure and fits into a recess 73b in the pin 73, fixing the pin 73 in the raised position. The unit body 72 also has a pin fixing flow passage 72b adjacent to the pin holding hole 72a. The upper end of the pin fixing flow passage 72b is connected to a piston accommodating hole 74a that accommodates the pin fixing piston 74, and the lower end of the pin fixing flow passage 72b is closed by a base 77. The base 77 also has a pin fixing air supply flow passage 78a that is connected to the pin fixing flow passage 72b. The air inlet of the pin fixing air supply flow passage 78a is connected to a port P2 attached to the side surface of the unit body 72. The opening of the piston accommodating hole 74a, which opens on the side surface of the unit body 72, is closed by a closing plate 80a. The closing plate 80a, which is disposed on the opposite side to the opening of the piston accommodating hole 74a, is covered by a closing plate 80b having a larger area than the closing plate 80a.

[0023] The pin holding magnet 75 is held at a position separate from the pin fixing piston 74, specifically, in a recess on the underside of a mounting plate 79 provided on the upper surface of the unit body 72. Meanwhile, the pin 73 in this embodiment is formed using a magnetic material such as iron. Therefore, when the pin 73 is in the raised position, a step at the connection between the middle and lower ends of the pin 73 abuts against and is magnetically attracted to the pin holding magnet 75. The pin holding magnet 75 magnetically attracts the pin 73 with a smaller force than the pin fixing piston 74, thereby fixing the pin 73 in the raised position. Furthermore, the pin holding magnet 75 prevents the pin 73 from falling even when there is no pressure (positive pressure) from the pin lifting air A1 (see FIG. 6 ) or the pin fixing air A2 (see FIG. 9 ).

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7 , the screen printing machine 10 includes a substrate stopper unit 91 (pin lowering device). The substrate stopper unit 91 applies a force greater than the fixing force of the pin holding magnets 75 to the pins 73, which are in a raised position due to the pin holding magnets 75, thereby individually lowering the pins 73. The substrate stopper unit 91 includes a stopper member 92, a lifting mechanism 93, a support plate 94, and a feed screw 95. The stopper member 92 is lowered by the lifting mechanism 93 to abut against the upper ends of the pins 73, thereby lowering the pins 73. The lifting mechanism 93 functions to raise and lower the stopper member 92, and the support plate 94 functions to support the lifting mechanism 93. The feed screw 95 extends in the transport direction of the substrate 1 (a direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1 ). The feed screw 95 is rotated by a servo motor (not shown), thereby moving the stopper member 92, the lifting mechanism 93, and the support plate 94 along the feed screw 95. The substrate stopper unit 91 is also movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the feed screw 95 extends. The substrate stopper unit 91 in this embodiment is an existing working unit that the squeegee unit 20 has. The substrate stopper unit 91 originally has the function of abutting the stopper member 92 against the transported substrate 1 to stop the substrate 1 at the substrate working position.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 5 , the control device 50 controls the operation of the board support unit 71 and the board stopper unit 91. The control device 50 is a computer including a CPU 51, a ROM 52, a RAM 53, a HDD 54, an input / output interface 55, etc. The control device 50 is also connected to the board transport device 12, the monitor 14, the first lifting device 25, the second lifting device 27, the squeegee driving device 30, the solder supply device 40, the support unit lifting device 61, the board support unit 71, and the board stopper unit 91. The ROM 52 stores a basic program for supplying solder to the board 1. The RAM 53 stores (holds) mounting position data for the pre-attached component 2 (see FIG. 10 ) on the supported surface 1 a (see FIG. 10 ) of the board 1.

[0026] Next, a substrate support method using the substrate support unit 71 of the screen printing machine 10 will be described. First, when starting solder printing on a substrate 1 having pre-attached components 2 mounted on its supported surface 1a, the mask 60 placed on the pair of support tables 15 (i.e., the mask 60 used to perform the printing process on the previous substrate 1) is removed, so that the mask 60 is not placed on the pair of support tables 15 in the screen printing machine 10. The CPU 51 of the control device 50 also acquires mounting position data for the pre-attached components 2 on the mask 60 from which printing is to be newly started and stores the data in the RAM 53. At this point, it is assumed that all pins 73 of the substrate support unit 71 are in their lowered positions (see the left diagram in FIG. 6 ). It is also assumed that the pin fixing pistons 74 are engaged with the recesses 73b of the pins 73. Next, the CPU 51 of the control device 50 performs a first step, raising all pins 73 together and fixing them in their raised positions with the pin holding magnets 75. Specifically, the CPU 51 supplies pin-lifting air A1 from an air supply source (not shown) into the pin holding hole 72a via the pin-lifting air supply passage 78b. This applies pressure from the pin-lifting air A1 to each pin 73 from below, causing each pin 73 to rise simultaneously. As a result, the stepped portion of each pin 73 abuts against the pin holding magnet 75, and the magnetic force of the pin holding magnet 75 fixes each pin 73 in the raised position (see the right diagram in FIG. 6 ). In addition, in the first step of this embodiment, the supply of pin fixing air A2 (see FIG. 9 ) is stopped. Therefore, as the pin 73 rises, the pin fixing piston 74 is pressed against the inclined surface 73c and retracts in a direction (to the right in FIG. 6 ) that releases it from engagement with the recess 73b. Note that, in the first step, the substrate suction air A3 (see FIG. 9 ) is not suctioned.

[0027] In the subsequent second step, the CPU 51 applies a force greater than the fixing force of the pin holding magnet 75 to the pins 73 in the raised position using the pin holding magnet 75, thereby individually lowering the pins 73. Specifically, the CPU 51 reads the mounting position data stored in the RAM 53 and lowers the stopper member 92 of the board stopper unit 91 based on the read mounting position data (see FIGS. 7 and 8). As a result, of the multiple pins 73 in the raised position, a specific pin 73 located in a position corresponding to a pre-attached component 2 on the board 1 (see FIG. 10) is lowered. Note that the specific pin 73 is a pin 73 that is not used to support the board 1 and corresponds to a position where a pre-attached component 2 is located.

[0028] Specifically, the CPU 51 stops the supply of pin lifting air A1 to the pin holding hole 72a containing the specific pin 73 and moves the substrate stopper unit 91 above the specific pin 73. At this time, the pin lifting air supply passage 78b communicating with the pin holding hole 72a is opened to the atmosphere. In the second step of this embodiment, the supply of not only the pin lifting air A1 but also the pin fixing air A2 is stopped. The CPU 51 then drives the lifting mechanism 93 of the substrate stopper unit 91 to lower the stopper member 92. As the stopper member 92 lowers, its lower end abuts against the upper end of the specific pin 73, causing the specific pin 73 to lower and be pushed into the unit body 72 (see FIG. 8 ). This lowers the specific pin 73 before the substrate 1 is introduced into the substrate work position. The substrate stopper unit 91 then moves above another specific pin 73 and pushes the other specific pin 73 into the unit body 72.

[0029] When the pushing operation for all the specific pins 73 has been completed, the CPU 51 drives the lifting mechanism 93 of the substrate stopper unit 91 to raise the stopper member 92. Then, in a third step, the CPU 51 supplies pin fixing air A2 to the pin fixing flow path 72b to move (drive) the pin fixing piston 74 in the direction to clamp the pins 73 (leftward in FIG. 9 ). As a result, the pin fixing piston 74 fixes the remaining pins 73 that have not been lowered, i.e., the pins 73 used to support the substrate 1, in the raised position.

[0030] In the substrate loading step after the third step, the CPU 51 controls the substrate transport device 12 to load the substrate 1 held by the substrate transport device 12 into the substrate work position. Prior to loading the substrate 1 into the substrate work position, the mask 60 is placed on the pair of support tables 15, and the substrate stopper unit 91 is driven to position the stopper member 92 at a preset position. That is, the position and height of the stopper member 92 are determined so that the transported substrate 1 abuts against the stopper member 92 and stops at the substrate work position. Next, the CPU 51 drives the substrate transport device 12 to transport the substrate 1 to the substrate work position. As a result, the substrate 1 is transported below the mask 60. Next, the CPU 51 controls the support unit lifting device 61 to lift each substrate support unit 71. As a result, the upper end surfaces 73 a of the multiple pins 73 of each substrate support unit 71 come into contact with the substrate 1, pushing up the substrate 1, and the upper surface of the substrate 1 abuts against the lower surface of the mask 60. After the substrate taking-in step, the CPU 51 then performs a step of sucking and supporting the substrate 1 with each pin 73 in the raised position by vacuuming through the substrate suction flow path 81 and the vacuum suction flow path 83 (substrate suction air flow path 78c). Specifically, in the raised position, the substrate suction flow path 81 and the vacuum suction flow path 83 are connected. Therefore, the CPU 51 sucks and supports the substrate 1 with each pin 73 by discharging the substrate suction air A3 (see FIG. 9 ) flowing through the substrate suction flow path 81 and the vacuum suction flow path 83 from port P3 to the outside of the substrate support unit 71.

[0031] Next, the CPU 51 drives the servo motor 33 of the squeegee driving device 30 to move the squeegee unit 20 above the mask 60. Furthermore, the CPU 51 drives the solder supply device 40 to eject solder from the nozzle 42 of the solder storage container 41 onto the mask 60. The CPU 51 also drives the lifting device (e.g., the first lifting device 25) of the squeegee unit 20 to lower the squeegee (e.g., the first squeegee 22) and bring the squeegee into contact with the upper surface of the mask 60. Furthermore, the CPU 51 drives the servo motor 33 to move the squeegee in the front-to-back direction (the left-to-right direction in FIG. 1 ), thereby spreading the solder over the mask 60 and forcing the solder into the pattern holes (not shown) of the mask 60. As a result, the solder is transferred onto lands (not shown) formed in portions of the substrate 1 corresponding to the pattern holes. After the solder printing is completed, the CPU 51 drives the substrate transport device 12 to transport the substrate 1 out of the screen printing machine 10.

[0032] As described above, in the screen printing machine 10 of this embodiment, the board support unit 71 raises the multiple pins 73 supporting the board 1 all at once, and fixes the pins 73 in the raised position with the pin holding magnets 75. The board stopper unit 91 then lowers the pins 73 individually. Therefore, specific pins 73 located in positions corresponding to pre-attached components 2 can be lowered individually, and the pins 73 can be prevented from contacting the pre-attached components 2.

[0033] Here, in order to lower the pins 73 at the locations where the pre-attached components 2 are located before the board 1 is loaded, it is possible to configure the pins 73 so that they can move up and down individually. However, the board support unit 71 generally has a large number of pins. Therefore, adding an electrical component (such as a solenoid valve) to control the up and down movement of each pin 73 is extremely cumbersome, inevitably resulting in increased complexity and cost of the device. In contrast, this embodiment basically requires only a collective supply of air to each pin 73, eliminating the need for multiple solenoid valves, thereby offering the advantage of avoiding increased complexity and cost of the device. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when lowering the pins 73 individually, the pin lowering operation is performed by utilizing the existing board stopper unit 91. This also avoids increased complexity and cost of the device.

[0034] In the screen printing machine 10 of this embodiment, when the multiple pins 73 are in the raised position, the substrate 1 is sucked and supported by each pin 73 by vacuuming through the substrate suction flow path 81 and the vacuum suction flow path 83. Therefore, even if the substrate 1 is warped, for example, the substrate 1 can be reliably supported.

[0035] In the screen printing machine 10 of this embodiment, a substrate suction flow path 81 is provided inside the pin 73 of the substrate support unit 71, and only when the pin 73 is in the raised position does the other end of the substrate suction flow path 81 communicate with the vacuum flow path 83 of the unit main body 72 to suction the substrate 1. Therefore, when the substrate 1 is being suctioned, leakage of substrate suction air A3 from the pin 73 in the lowered position can be prevented.

[0036] In the screen printing machine 10 of this embodiment, when the pins 73 are lowered, the supply of pin lifting air A1 to the pin holding holes 72a is stopped and the pin lifting air supply passage 78b communicating with the pin holding holes 72a is opened to the atmosphere. As a result, as the pins 73 are lowered, the air inside the pin holding holes 72a is pushed out via the pin lifting air supply passage 78b and port P1, allowing the pins 73 to be lowered smoothly.

[0037] Although the above describes the embodiments, the specific aspects are not limited to the above embodiments. In the above embodiments, the pin lowering device is a board stopper unit 91 including a stopper member 92 and an elevating mechanism 93 that elevates the stopper member 92. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, in other embodiments, the pins 73 may be lowered using an existing working unit other than the board stopper unit 91 in the screen printing machine 10. Alternatively, a dedicated unit for pin lowering may be newly added to the screen printing machine 10 to lower the pins 73. Note that the method for lowering the pins 73 is not limited to striking the upper ends of the pins 73. For example, methods such as mechanically pressing the upper ends of the pins 73, pressing the upper ends of the pins 73 with air pressure, or gripping the circumferential surface of the pins 73 to lower them may also be used.

[0038] In the above embodiment, the first fixing mechanism is configured to include the pin fixing piston 74, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, in other embodiments, the first fixing mechanism may be configured using means other than the pin fixing piston 74.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the second fixing mechanism is the pin holding magnet 75 that fixes the pin 73 in the raised position by magnetically attracting it, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, in other embodiments, the second fixing mechanism may be one that is fixed by an engaging / disengaging relationship between an engaging portion and an engaged portion, or one that is fixed by the adhesive force of an adhesive substance, etc.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the screen printing machine 10 includes four substrate support units 71, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, in other embodiments, the screen printing machine 10 may include fewer than four substrate support units 71, or may include more than four substrate support units 71.

[0041] In the above embodiment, the substrate-related operation device is the screen printing machine 10 having a substrate-related operation section (squeegee unit 20) that performs the operation of printing solder on the substrate 1, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, in other embodiments, the substrate-related operation device may be a device other than the screen printing machine 10 (such as a component mounter having a substrate-related operation section that performs the operation of mounting components on the substrate 1).

[0042] Although specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The claimed technology includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples exemplified above. The technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Furthermore, the technology exemplified in this specification or drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of these objectives alone is technically useful.

[0043] 1: Substrate 1a: Supported surface 2: Pre-attached part 10: Screen printing machine as substrate working device 20: Squeegee unit as substrate working section 50: Control device 71: Substrate support unit 72: Unit body 73: Pin 73a: Upper end surface (pin upper end surface) 73b: Recess 74: Pin fixing piston as first fixing mechanism 75: Pin holding magnet as second fixing mechanism 81: Substrate suction flow path 82: Suction port 83: Vacuum drawing flow path 84: Substrate suction mechanism 91: Substrate stopper unit as pin lowering device 92: Stopper member 93: Elevation mechanism

Claims

1. A substrate-related working device comprising: a substrate-related working section which performs a specified operation on a substrate transported to a substrate working position; a substrate support unit which is disposed below the substrate-related working section and which supports the substrate from below while the substrate-related working section performs the operation, the substrate support unit having a plurality of pins which support the substrate, a unit body which holds the plurality of pins so that they can be raised and lowered and which raises the plurality of pins collectively, a first fixing mechanism which fixes the pins in the raised position, and a second fixing mechanism which is provided separately from the first fixing mechanism and fixes the pins in the raised position with a fixing force smaller than that of the first fixing mechanism; a pin lowering device which uses the second fixing mechanism to apply a force greater than the fixing force of the second fixing mechanism to the pins in the raised position, thereby lowering the pins individually; and a control device which controls the operation of the substrate support unit and the pin lowering device.

2. The substrate-related operating device according to claim 1, wherein the pin lowering device is an existing operating unit included in the substrate-related operating section.

3. The substrate-related work device of claim 2, wherein the pin lowering device is a substrate stopper unit having a stopper member and a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the stopper member, the substrate stopper unit abuts the stopper member against the transported substrate to stop the substrate at the substrate work position, and the stopper member is lowered by the lifting mechanism to abut against upper ends of the pins, thereby lowering the pins.

4. The substrate-related processing device of claim 1, wherein the first fixing mechanism includes a pin fixing piston that operates in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the pin due to the action of fluid pressure and fits into a recess provided on the peripheral surface of the pin to fix the pin in the raised position.

5. The substrate-related operating device according to claim 1, wherein the second fixing mechanism is a pin holding magnet that magnetically attracts the pin to fix it in the raised position.

6. A substrate-related work device as described in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pins has a substrate suction flow passage therein, one end of the substrate suction flow passage opens to a suction port on an upper end surface of the pin, and the substrate support unit further comprises a substrate suction mechanism configured such that when the pin is in the raised position, the other end of the substrate suction flow passage communicates with a vacuum suction flow passage of the unit body, and when the pin is not in the raised position, the other end of the substrate suction flow passage does not communicate with the vacuum suction flow passage.

7. The substrate-related operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate-related operation apparatus is a screen printer having the substrate-related operation section for printing solder on the substrate.

8. A substrate-related work device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control device holds mounting position data of pre-attached components on the supported surface of the substrate, raises a plurality of pins collectively and fixes the plurality of pins with the second fixing mechanism, then drives the pin lowering device based on the mounting position data to lower a specific pin located at a position corresponding to the pre-attached component, then drives the first fixing mechanism to fix the remaining pins that have not been lowered to the raised position, and then controls the substrate to be taken into the substrate work position.

9. A substrate supporting unit that supports a substrate from below, comprising: a plurality of pins that support the substrate; a unit body that holds the plurality of pins so that they can be raised and lowered and raises the plurality of pins collectively; a first fixing mechanism that fixes the pins in an elevated position; and a second fixing mechanism that is provided separately from the first fixing mechanism and fixes the pins in the elevated position with a fixing force smaller than that of the first fixing mechanism.

10. A substrate supporting unit for supporting a substrate from below, comprising: a plurality of pins supporting the substrate, each pin having a substrate suction flow passage therein, one end of which opens at a suction port on the upper end surface of the pin; a unit body for holding the pins so that they can be raised and lowered and for raising the pins collectively; and a substrate suction mechanism configured so that when the pins are in a raised position, the other end of the substrate suction flow passage is connected to a vacuum suction flow passage of the unit body, and when the pins are not in the raised position, the other end of the substrate suction flow passage is not connected to the vacuum suction flow passage.

11. A substrate supporting method using a substrate supporting unit having: a plurality of pins for supporting a substrate; a unit body which holds the plurality of pins so that they can be raised and lowered and which raises the plurality of pins collectively; a first fixing mechanism which fixes the pins to an elevated position; and a second fixing mechanism which is provided separately from the first fixing mechanism and fixes the pins to the elevated position with a fixing force smaller than that of the first fixing mechanism, the substrate supporting method comprising: a first step of raising the plurality of pins collectively and fixing the plurality of pins to the elevated position with the second fixing mechanism; a second step of lowering a specific pin which is located at a position on the substrate corresponding to a pre-attached component by applying a force greater than the fixing force of the second fixing mechanism to the pins in the elevated position with the second fixing mechanism, thereby lowering the pins individually; a third step of fixing the remaining pins which have not been lowered to the elevated position with the first fixing mechanism; and a substrate loading step of loading the substrate to a substrate working position after the third step.

12. A substrate supporting method using a substrate supporting unit having: a plurality of pins each having a substrate suction flow passage therein, one end of which opens at a suction port on the upper end surface of the pin; a unit body which holds the plurality of pins so that they can be raised and lowered and which raises the plurality of pins collectively; and a substrate suction mechanism configured so that when the pins are in the raised position, the other end of the substrate suction flow passage is connected to a vacuum suction flow passage of the unit body, and when the pins are not in the raised position, the other end of the substrate suction flow passage is not connected to the vacuum suction flow passage, the substrate supporting method comprising: a first step of raising the plurality of pins collectively to fix the plurality of pins in the raised position; a second step of lowering a specific pin among the plurality of pins in the raised position which is located at a position corresponding to a previously attached component on the substrate; a third step of taking the substrate into a substrate working position after the second step; and a step of suctioning and supporting the substrate by the plurality of pins in the raised position by vacuum suction via the substrate suction flow passage and the vacuum suction flow passage after the third step.

Images