CN114641854A

CN114641854A - Loading and unloading device for substrate magazine and substrate magazine system

Info

Publication number: CN114641854A
Application number: CN202080076808.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 托尔斯滕·维格拉恩; 于尔根·莱纳
Original assignee: Asys Automatisierungssysteme GmbH
Current assignee: Asys Automatisierungssysteme GmbH
Priority date: 2019-11-05
Filing date: 2020-11-05
Publication date: 2022-06-17
Also published as: EP4055626A1; DE102019217033A1; KR20220098173A; WO2021089735A1; DE102019217033B4

Abstract

The invention relates to a handling device (7) for a substrate magazine (2), the substrate magazine (2) having a plurality of compartments (3) into which a plurality of substrates (4) can be inserted for storage or temporary storage, comprising: at least one controllable conveyor belt (8) on which the substrate (4) can be placed; and at least one controllable gripper arm (11) configured to push the substrate (4) from the conveyor belt (8) into a compartment of a substrate magazine or to push the substrate from the compartment (3) onto the conveyor belt (8), the conveyor belt (8) and the gripper arm (11) being arranged on a common carrier (17) which is movably arranged. The gripper arm (11) is arranged at least substantially below the conveyor belt (8) for gripping the substrate (4) from below, and above the conveyor belt (8) a movable vacuum gripper (18) is arranged, which is configured to grip and move the substrate (4) in the substrate magazine (2) or on the conveyor belt (8) from above.

Description

Loading and unloading device for substrate magazine and substrate magazine system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a handling device for a substrate cassette, wherein the substrate cassette has a plurality of compartments into which a plurality of substrates can be inserted for storage or temporary storage, the handling device comprising: at least one controllable conveyor on which the substrate can be placed; and at least one controllable gripper arm configured to push the substrate from the conveyor belt into the compartment or out of the compartment onto the conveyor belt, wherein the conveyor belt and the gripper arm are arranged on a common movably arranged carrier.

The invention also relates to a substrate magazine system comprising: at least one substrate cassette having a plurality of compartments into which a plurality of substrates can be inserted for storage or temporary storage; and a handling device as described above.

Background

Handling devices for substrate cassettes have been disclosed in the prior art. In the production of planar substrates or electrical/electronic modules based on planar substrates, it is known to store the substrates in a substrate magazine and to automatically feed them to an assembly line by means of an unloading device. It is also known to store or temporarily store assembled or prepared substrates from an assembly line into a substrate magazine during component production to make them ready for subsequent work steps. Accordingly, a known loading device may load a substrate cassette having substrates, for example, from an assembly line. Furthermore, known modular handling devices are capable of unloading and loading substrate cassettes simultaneously, and accordingly may provide individual substrates to an assembly line or remove individual substrates from an assembly line and temporarily store them in substrate cassettes.

The known handling device comprises at least one controllable conveyor belt on which the substrate can be placed. The substrates may be transferred on a conveyor belt, for example, from a substrate cassette to an assembly line. In addition, it is also known to provide a controllable gripper arm configured to push a substrate from a conveyor belt into a compartment of a substrate magazine or out onto a conveyor belt. If the substrate magazine is provided with a large number of compartments, the distance in height between adjacent compartments is often chosen as minimal as possible for reasons of construction space to achieve a large number of compartments. In this case, it is difficult or even impossible to introduce the conveyor belt under the substrate of the substrate cassette itself. For further cost-effectiveness, the conveyor belt is not displaceably arranged in such a way that it can be moved completely into the substrate magazine. In order to pull the substrate out of one of the compartments, for example, a gripper arm is also introduced between the two compartments, which can be made much narrower than the conveyor belt. The advantage of the interaction of the gripper arms with the conveyor belt is that loading and unloading can be performed at low cost, in particular also in substrate cassettes which provide only little free space.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the invention is to propose an improved handling device which in particular also enables substrates to be separated from a stack of substrates which can be stored in a substrate magazine.

In order to achieve the object defined above, the invention provides a handling device having the features of claim 1. This has the advantage that the handling device can handle both single substrates and stacks of substrates. This increases the possible uses of the handling device and overcomes the need for additional handling devices for substrate stacking, thereby enabling an assembly line to be implemented in an overall cost-effective and space-saving manner.

To this end, it is proposed according to the invention that the gripper arm is arranged at least substantially below the conveyor belt for gripping the substrate from below, and that a movable vacuum gripper is arranged above the conveyor belt for gripping and moving the substrate in or on the substrate magazine from above. By means of the gripper arm, the separated substrate and the substrate stack can be gripped from below, wherein the lowermost substrate is gripped and pushed in the direction of the conveyor belt. The configuration of the handling device is initially unchanged except for the higher forces. Individual substrates can be removed from the substrate stack from above or placed on the substrate stack from above by means of additional vacuum grippers. This makes it possible to remove the substrate stack and the individual substrates from the substrate stack and into the substrate magazine and vice versa by means of the handling device.

According to a preferred development of the invention, the vacuum gripper is configured to separate the substrate from the substrate stack. For this purpose, the vacuum gripper has, for example, a movable pipetting head with one or more suction points, which can be placed onto the surface of the substrate, in particular the surface of the uppermost substrate of the substrate stack, in order to suck the substrate and remove it from the substrate stack or to transport it. Optionally, the vacuum gripper has a restraining mechanism associated or associable to the rear side of the substrate to be gripped ensuring that the substrate lying therebelow does not get stuck on the substrate being gripped. The constraining mechanism may, for example, be a compressed air device that generates an air flow in the gap between the substrate to be clamped and the underlying substrate in order to reliably separate the two substrates from each other. Alternatively, the restraining mechanism preferably takes a mechanical configuration that restrains the underlying substrate as it is lifted by the vacuum belt.

The vacuum gripper is particularly preferably configured to be moved into the substrate magazine. This may separate the substrate from the substrate stack within the substrate magazine and lay the separated substrate on to a conveyor belt for further use. Of course, this may also be the reverse process, where the vacuum gripper picks up the separated substrate and moves it into the substrate magazine to build up or continue to form the substrate stack. Instead, the vacuum gripper is preferably configured to perform substrate stack separation only on the conveyor belt.

Particularly preferably, the vacuum gripper is mounted height-adjustably on the carrier. In this way, the vacuum gripper can be optimally adapted to the substrate stack independently of the transport height of the conveyor belt.

More preferably, the gripper arm has at least one gripper hook which can be displaced from a gripping position for pushing the substrate to a release position for retracting the gripper arm independently of the substrate. Clamping the substrate to move the substrate into or out of the substrate magazine is accomplished by displacing the clamping hooks. In the release position, the advantage is provided that the clamping arm is of a very low height, so that it can also be inserted, for example, between two substrates above and below in a substrate magazine. This avoids, inter alia, having to adjust the overall height of the clamping arm for clamping the substrate or for releasing the substrate. Particularly preferably, the clamping hook is pivotably arranged on the clamping arm.

According to a preferred development of the invention, the gripper arm has a plurality of such gripper hooks which are arranged at a distance from one another in the sliding direction on the gripper arm. The clamping hook in particular takes the configuration described above and is arranged on the clamping arm. This provides the advantage that a plurality of substrates can be clamped and pushed simultaneously by the clamping hooks without causing the substrates to collide with each other. In particular, the gripper arms are preferably arranged such that at least one gripper hook can be inserted between adjacent substrates in a compartment by its displacement, so that all substrates can be pulled out simultaneously onto the conveyor belt by pushing in or pulling out the gripper arms. This ensures that a plurality of substrates are reliably processed simultaneously, thereby avoiding damage to the substrates due to collision or pushing against each other during conveyance.

Particularly preferably, a clamping hook is arranged longitudinally displaceably on the clamping arm. This enables the distance between adjacent gripper hooks to be adapted such that the gripper arms can, for example, adapt to different substrates stored in the substrate magazine compartment, which substrates have different lengths as seen in the sliding direction. Of course, the same applies to pushing a plurality of different substrates into the substrate magazine.

According to an advantageous development of the invention, the gripper arm has at least one sensor for detecting the substrate. The sensor is associated with the clamp arm so that the sensor moves with the clamp arm. In particular, the sensor is arranged on the upper side of the gripper arm, i.e. in connection with the substrate to be gripped. If the gripper arm is moved past the substrate at this time, the start and end points of the substrate are detected during the movement by means of sensors, in particular, whereby the substrate profile and the position of the substrate in the substrate magazine and/or the position of the substrate on the conveyor belt are determined, for example, by means of a control unit. This ensures easy and reliable transfer of the substrate. In particular, it is determined by means of data from the sensor to which position of the clamping position the clamping hook is to be displaced or displaceable without hitting the substrate from below. For this purpose, for example, when the gripper arm is pushed into the substrate magazine, the start of the substrate is detected and the end of the substrate is also detected by means of a sensor or calculated from data of the substrate to be gripped known to the control unit, so that the gripper hook is only displaced to the gripping position when it has passed completely over the substrate. In particular, the conveyor belt is configured with two conveyor belt runs which are arranged parallel to one another at a distance such that the gripper arm is arranged between the two conveyor belt runs such that the respective substrate rests with its side edges in the substrate magazine and on the conveyor belt. The distance between the conveyor runs does not necessarily have to correspond to the distance between the sliding guides respectively forming compartments in the substrate magazine. Conversely, the distance between the substrate transport belt runs can also be selected to be smaller.

According to a preferred development of the invention, at least one travel sensor is associated with the gripper arm. The path of movement of the gripper arm can be determined by means of a travel sensor, and the positioning of the gripper hook relative to the substrate to be gripped can thus be determined and adjusted optimally, in particular also on the basis of data from the sensor.

It is also preferred that at least one actuator, in particular an electric actuator, is associated with the gripper arm for moving the gripper arm and/or displacing the at least one gripper hook. This ensures the positioning of the gripper arm, in particular of the gripper hooks on the gripper arm, or possibly of a plurality of gripper hooks, in particular taking into account data from the course sensor and the sensor. Optionally, the gripper arms have at least one further electrically operable actuator for displacing the respective gripper hook. If the gripper arm has a plurality of gripper hooks, each gripper hook has associated with it its own actuator, or the gripper hooks are mechanically connected to one another by a common actuator, so that the gripper hooks are moved, in particular pivoted, simultaneously by the actuators.

Furthermore, the handling device preferably has a control unit which is connected at least to the actuator, the sensor and the travel sensor on the basis of signal technology and is configured to control the at least one actuator as a function of the data detected by the sensor in order to push out substrates from a specific compartment of the substrate magazine individually or jointly onto the conveyor belt or from the conveyor belt into the compartment. If the positioning of the substrate in the substrate magazine or on the conveyor belt is known, the control unit controls the handling device to push the substrate from the compartment onto the conveyor belt or vice versa, either individually or simultaneously as described above. When moving the individual substrates, the conveyor belts are controlled, in particular by a control unit, and after each substrate has been picked up, the respective substrate is taken out by means of the conveyor belt for further use, or the individual substrates are first collected on the conveyor belt before they are fed to further use.

The control unit is especially configured to push or take individual substrates from the conveyor belt to or from predetermined positions in the compartment. For this purpose, the control unit uses data from the travel sensors, for example data of the substrate to be pushed detected by the sensors, in order to optimally position the substrate in the compartment or on the conveyor belt.

Drawings

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the figure:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an advantageous substrate magazine system;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a boost unit of the substrate magazine system;

FIG. 3A shows a simplified diagram of a substrate cassette system processing a single substrate;

fig. 3B shows a simplified diagram of the substrate cassette system when processing a substrate stack.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a simplified perspective view of a substrate magazine system 1 for an electrical/electronic assembly line. The substrate cassette system 1 comprises a substrate cassette 2, the substrate cassette 2 having a plurality of compartments 3 for receiving a plurality of substrates 4, respectively. For this purpose, the substrate magazine 2 has two mutually opposite and vertically parallel side walls 5, which on mutually opposite sides each have a plurality of guide rails 6, the two mutually opposite guide rails 6 each forming a compartment 3, in which compartment 3 the respective substrate 4 rests with its side edges. Optionally, a substrate stack, i.e. a large number of individual substrates stacked one on top of the other, forming a package or stack, may also be arranged in the substrate magazine 2.

The

substrate magazine

1, 2 also has a handling device 7 for displacing the substrate 4 into the substrate magazine 2 or for removing the substrate 4 from the substrate magazine 2 and for example feeding the substrate 4 to an assembly device of an assembly line. For this purpose, the handling device 7 has a conveyor belt 8, the two conveyor run 9 of which conveyor belt 8 are arranged parallel to one another and at a distance from one another. The conveyor run 9 can be controlled as an endless transmission so that the conveyor is set in a revolving motion, whereby objects placed on the conveyor 8 can be conveyed with the conveyor 8. The belt runs 9 are arranged close to each other so that substrates from the substrate magazine 2 rest on their side edges on the two belt runs 9 to be conveyable by the belts 8.

Between the conveyor runs 9 there is arranged a pushing unit 10. The pushing unit 10 has a gripper arm 11, in particular in the form of a telescopic arm. The gripper arm 11 is located below and parallel to the support surface 12 of the conveyor belt 8. The gripper arm 11 has a displaceable gripper hook 13 at its free end. In particular, by pivoting the gripper arm 11 about the longitudinal axis of the gripper arm 11, the gripper hook 13 may be pivoted, as indicated by the double arrow 14 in fig. 1. The gripping hook 13 is thus pivotable from the release position shown in fig. 1 to the raised gripping position shown in broken lines in fig. 1. An electric actuator 15 is also associated with the gripping arm 11, which actuator 15 enables the gripping hook 13 to pivot according to the arrow 14, as indicated by the double arrow 16. The gripper arm 11 and the gripper hook 13 can be displaced by the actuator 15 in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the conveyor belt 8. The pushing unit 10 and the conveyor belt 8 are arranged on the same carrier 17 of the handling device 7.

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the pushing unit 10 disengaged from the rest of the handling device 7. The clamp arm 11 has a first arm portion 20 and a second arm portion 21. The arms 20 are seated in a longitudinally displaceable manner according to the double arrow 16 on a support carrier 22 fastened to the carrier 17. In this case, according to the present embodiment, the above-described displacement of the gripping arm portion 21 by the belt transmission mechanism 23 electrically drivable by the actuator 24 is pivotably disposed about its longitudinal center axis at the gripping arm portion 20 and fixedly connected to the gripping hook 13 to be pivoted from the release position to the gripping position and vice versa by urging the gripping hook 13 to perform a rotational movement by the actuator 15. In particular, the gripper arm 21 is pivotably or rotatably mounted on the gripper arm 20 by means of a plurality of radial bearings 25.

As shown in fig. 1, the handling device 7 has a vacuum gripper 18. The vacuum gripper 18 has a movable pipetting head 19, which pipetting head 19 is arranged above the gripper arm 11 and is arranged so as to be displaceable at least parallel to the longitudinal direction of the gripper arm 11 according to the double arrow 16. The pipetting head 19 is arranged above the support surface 12 of the conveyor belt 8 and is optionally arranged height-adjustably on the carrier 17, so that the distance 8 between the pipetting head 19 or the vacuum device 18 and the conveyor belt can be varied. The substrate 4 can be sucked and transferred from above by the vacuum device 18. By means of the gripper arm 11 and the gripper hook 13, the substrate can be moved in a form-fitting manner, as described above, the gripper hook 13 being pivoted from bottom to top into the gripping position, so that a shearing force can be applied to the substrate 4. For this purpose, at least one control unit 34 controls the actuators of the handling device 7. For this purpose, the control unit 34 is connected to all actuators and sensors on the basis of signal technology, as described in more detail below, in order to specifically control the actuators, in particular also on the basis of information from the sensors, in order to carry out loading and/or unloading processes on the substrate cassettes 2 by means of the handling device 7. For this purpose, the control unit 34 comprises, for example, a computing unit (in particular a microcontroller) and a data memory, wherein the computing unit can operate the handling device 7 described below using a computer program, in particular stored in the data memory.

An advantageous mode of operation of the substrate magazine system 1 will be described below with reference to fig. 3A and 3B.

Fig. 3A shows an application example of the substrate cassette system 1 for processing a single substrate. In the present embodiment, separate substrates 4 are arranged in the compartment 3 of the substrate magazine 2. The present figure shows a simplified diagram of a substrate magazine system. In some compartments there are a plurality of substrates 4 spaced adjacent to each other, while in other compartments 3 there may be only one substrate 4 arranged. To remove the substrate for further use, for example in an assembly line, the gripper arm 11 is from there pushed into the substrate magazine 2 by means of the actuator 24. The gripper arm 11 has at least one sensor 26 on its upper side, which is configured, for example, as an optical sensor or as a distance sensor. In particular, the sensor 26 is arranged close to the gripper hook 13 at the gripper arm 11, in particular at the second gripper arm portion 21. When the gripper arm 11 is pushed into the substrate magazine 2, the sensor 26 is also pushed over the substrate 4 located therein, which substrate 4 is located above the gripper arm 11 in the compartment 3. A stroke device 27 is also associated with the gripper arm 11, which monitors the path of movement of the gripper arm 11. From this point on, the starting and ending points of the substrate 4 above the gripper arm 11 can be detected by means of the sensor 26, and the position of the gripper arm 11 can be determined by means of the stroke device 27. Specifically, after the end point of the substrate 4 to be held is detected by the sensor 26, the movement of the holding arm 11 is stopped and the holding hook 13 is pivoted to the holding position as shown in fig. 3, so that the holding hook 13 grips the substrate 4 to be held upside down. If the gripper arm 11 is now moved out of the substrate magazine 2, the gripper hooks 13 push the substrate 4 onto the conveyor belt 8 or onto the support surface 12 of the conveyor belt 8. The substrate 4 can be further conveyed by the conveyor belt 8. This allows a plurality of substrates 4 to be moved from compartment 3 onto conveyor 8 one after the other. Advantageously, the height of the carrier 17 is adjustable, as indicated by the double arrow 28 in fig. 3, so that by adjusting the height of the carrier 17 by means of the clamping arm 11 all compartments 3 of the substrate magazine 2 can be reached.

For the loading process of the substrate magazine 2, the movement of the gripper arm is reversed, the substrate is first placed on the conveyor belt 8 and subsequently pushed into one of the compartments 3 in the direction of the substrate magazine 2 by means of the gripper hooks 13.

Fig. 3B shows the same substrate magazine system 1 in operation for separating substrates 4 from a substrate stack 29 or a substrate stack 29 built from individual substrates 4.

According to the present embodiment, the substrate stack 29 is stored in the substrate magazine 2. For this purpose, for example, the adapter plate 30 is pushed into the compartment 3, the substrate stack 29 being located on the adapter plate 30.

Instead of the gripper arm 11, the vacuum device 18 is now used to grip the uppermost substrate 4 of the substrate stack 29. For this purpose, the pipetting head 19 is moved into the substrate magazine 2 so that it is positioned above the substrate stack 29. Preferably, the pipetting head 19 has associated with it a further sensor 33, which sensor 33 is directed downwards, for example to detect the start and optionally also the end of the substrate stack. The pipette head 19 can thus be optimally positioned above the substrate 4 to be clamped with a simple mechanism. In particular, the pipetting head 19 is also associated with a stroke device 27 which detects the path of the pipetting head 19 and determines the center point of the substrate stack 29, for example from the start and end of the substrate stack 29, centering the pipetting head 19 for removing the substrate 4 above the substrate stack 29. Subsequently, the suction head 19 is guided downward to the uppermost substrate 4, and the substrate 4 on the top layer is sucked onto the suction head 19 by the vacuum device 18. Preferably, the pipetting head 19 is then raised slightly to detach the substrate 4 from the substrate 4 below it. Subsequently, the pipetting head 19 is removed from the substrate magazine 2, as indicated by arrow 32, in order to separate the substrate 4 from the substrate stack 29, in particular to place the substrate 4 on the conveyor belt 8 by means of the pipetting head 19.

It is particularly preferred that the removal of a single base from the substrate magazine 2 starts from below, i.e. from the base 4 in the lowermost compartment 3 of the substrate magazine 2, so that the gripper arm 11 has the highest possible degree of freedom when introducing the substrate magazine 2. In addition, it is ensured that there is no substrate underneath the gripper arm, which might otherwise damage the substrate above it when gripping. This also prevents dirt particles and the like from falling onto the substrate 4 therebelow when the substrate 4 is displaced in the substrate magazine. This provides advantages in terms of the cleanliness of the substrate 4 and the freedom of movement of the chucking arm 11.

By means of the advantageous substrate magazine system 1, different loading and unloading processes can be realized. In conventional substrate magazine systems, the substrate can only be moved by the gripper arms to a single end position that can be introduced or until it is stopped, but the design of the substrate magazine system 1 of the present invention allows a targeted pushing of the substrate to a predetermined position inside the compartment. The push-in position can be freely programmable or can be set, for example, by the control unit 34 depending on the size of the respective substrate. Depending on the available seats in the compartments 3, the plurality of end positions of the gripping arms 11 can be programmed and set according to the desired number of substrates 4. The position of the holding hook 13 and thus the position of the substrate being moved is monitored by means of the stroke device 27 so that the substrate 4 remains in the desired position. In particular, this enables the individual substrates to be placed in the compartments 3 at freely selectable mutual distances. This avoids the substrates 4 sliding over each other or over each other.

Optionally, a plurality of gripping hooks 13 are pivotably disposed on the gripping arms. The clamping hooks 13 are arranged at a fixed distance from each other, which corresponds to the desired distance between adjacent substrates 4 in the substrate magazine 2. If the gripper arm 11 is moved completely into the substrate magazine 2, all substrates 4 in the relevant compartment 3 can be simultaneously pulled out of the compartment onto the conveyor belt 8 or onto the support surface 12 of the conveyor belt 8 by means of the gripper hook 13. For the reverse procedure, the substrates 4 are first positioned on the conveyor belt 8 according to the distance of the gripper hooks or push-in fingers, and then all the substrates 4 are pushed simultaneously into the desired cassette slot or the desired compartment 3 by means of the gripper arm 11.

Optionally, the gripper arm 11 is also associated with a load cell which monitors the movement force of the gripper arm 11 in order to interrupt the process if the movement force exceeds a desired value, for example if the substrate is stuck in the respective compartment 3, in order to avoid damaging the substrate 4. The

sensors

26, 33 are in particular designed as optical sensors or distance sensors.

When unloading substrates 4 from compartment 3 of substrate magazine 2, the following possibilities also arise: on the one hand, each individual substrate 4 pushed onto the conveyor belt 8 can immediately continue to move with the conveyor belt 8 for further use.

It is also possible to first position all substrates 4 from the compartments 3 one after the other on the conveyor belt 8 by means of a gripper arm. In particular, after each positioning of a substrate, the conveyor belt 8 runs so that the gripper arm always places a substrate removed from the substrate magazine 2 in the same location, from which the respective substrate is then further transported by the conveyor belt 8 until all substrates 4 are placed on the conveyor belt 8 from the compartment 3. Only thereafter the substrates are fed together by the conveyor belt for further use, either individually or jointly. As already mentioned above, the advantageous substrate magazine system 1 also allows a plurality of substrates 4 to be simultaneously pulled out of the compartment 3 by means of a plurality of gripper hooks 13 and placed adjacent to one another on the conveyor belt 8.

If a substrate stack 29 is present in the substrate magazine 2, the substrate stack 29 is separated according to the process of the embodiment in fig. 3B. The dimensions of the substrates 4 located in the substrate magazine 2 as a substrate stack 29 are generally known. These values are used to determine the position of the gripper arm and the pipette head 19. Although the length of the substrate 4 in the sliding direction is generally known, the location of the substrate stack 29 in the substrate magazine 2 is not necessarily known. The substrate stack 29 is typically inserted into the magazine by hand, so it can be assumed that the substrate stack 29 is located in the substrate magazine 2 in a position-uncontrolled manner. In order to surely remove the substrate 4 or separate the substrate 4, the position of the substrate stack 29 should be determined first.

In order to determine the exact position, the pipetting head 19 has associated with it a sensor 33, which sensor 33 observes the substrate to be pipetted from the top down, in particular configured as sensor 26. If the pipette head 19 is traveling over the substrate stack 29, the sensor 33 detects the leading edge of the substrate stack 29. The control unit 34 automatically increases the known substrate length by one-half of the control unit 34 so as to centrally position the pipetting head 19 above the uppermost substrate 4 of the substrate stack 29. The substrate 4 is then gripped and removed from the substrate magazine 2 as described above. The substrate magazine 2 may also be loaded by means of the vacuum device 18, in which case the position of the substrate on the conveyor belt 8 is detected, for example by means of the sensor 33, optionally controlling the vacuum head 19 to grip the substrate 4.

The substrate magazine system 1 preferably has a plurality of substrate magazines 2, wherein at least two substrate magazines 2 preferably take different configurations. For example, one substrate magazine is configured to receive each substrate, and another substrate magazine is configured to receive a stack of substrates. Preferably, the substrate magazines 2 each have at least one readable identifier, for example a printed one-dimensional code or two-dimensional code (in particular a QR code) or a readable chip (in particular an RFID chip). The handling device 7 then preferably has reading means for detecting the respective code or chip and determines, from the detected code, the operation of the substrate magazine 2 being detected, in particular its type, optionally its substrate occupation. This means that the handling device 7 can automate the handling of any type of substrate cassette and at any time be fully utilized.

Claims

1. Handling device (7) for a substrate magazine (2), wherein the substrate magazine (2) has a plurality of compartments (3), wherein a plurality of substrates (4) can be inserted into the compartments (3) for storage or temporary storage, the handling device (7) comprising: at least one controllable conveyor belt (8), on which conveyor belt (8) a substrate (4) can be placed; and at least one controllable gripper arm (11), the gripper arm (11) being configured to push a substrate (4) from the conveyor belt (8) into a compartment (3) of the substrate magazine or to push a substrate (4) from the compartment (3) onto the conveyor belt (8), wherein the conveyor belt (8) and the gripper arm (11) are arranged on a common movably arranged carrier (17),

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the gripper arm (11) is arranged at least substantially below the conveyor belt (8) to grip the substrate (4) from below; and a movable vacuum gripper (18) is arranged above the conveyor belt (8), the vacuum gripper (18) being configured to grip and move a substrate (4) in the substrate magazine (2) and/or on the conveyor belt (8) from above.

2. Handling device (7) according to claim 1, wherein said vacuum grippers (18) are configured to separate a substrate (4) from a stack of substrates (29).

3. Handling device (7) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said vacuum gripper (18) is configured to move into said substrate magazine (2).

4. Handling device (7) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that said vacuum gripper (18) is height-adjustably mounted on said carrier (17).

5. Handling device (7) according to any of the preceding claims, where said gripping arm (11) has at least one gripping hook (13), said gripping hook (13) being displaceable from a gripping position for pushing the substrate (4) to a release position below the substrate (4) for pushing said gripping arm (11) independently of the substrate (4).

6. Handling device (7) according to any of the preceding claims, where said gripping arm (11) has a number of gripping hooks (13), said gripping hooks (13) being arranged at intervals in the gripping arm (11) in the sliding direction.

7. Handling device (7) according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that at least one of said gripping hooks (13) is longitudinally displaceably arranged at said gripping arm (11).

8. Handling device (7) according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that said gripping arm (11) has at least one sensor (26) for detecting the substrate (4).

9. Handling device (7) according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that at least one travel sensor (27) is associated with said gripping arm (11).

10. Handling device (7) according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that at least one actuator (15, 24), in particular an electric actuator, is associated with said gripping arm (11) for moving said gripping arm (11) and/or displacing said at least one gripping hook (13).

11. Handling device (7) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by a control unit (34) connected to said actuator (15), said sensors (26, 33) and said travel sensor (27) at least on the basis of signal technology and configured to control said actuator (15) to push out substrates (4) individually or collectively from a compartment (3) of said substrate magazine (2) onto said conveyor belt (8) or from said conveyor belt (8) into said compartment (3) depending on data detected by said sensors (26, 33).

12. Handling device (7) according to any of the preceding claims, where said control unit (34) is configured to push a single substrate (4) from said conveyor belt (8) to a predetermined position in said compartment (3) or to remove it from a predetermined position in said compartment (3).

13. Handling device (7) according to any of the previous claims, wherein said control unit (34) is configured to arrange a plurality of substrates (4) in a compartment (3) of said substrate magazine (2) at a distance from each other.

14. Handling device (7) according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that said control unit (34) is configured to control said actuator (15) and said conveyor belt (8) so that substrates (4) are positioned on said conveyor belt (8) at a distance from each other.

15. Substrate magazine system (1) for an assembly line of planar substrates (4), such as printed circuit boards, solar cells or wafers, comprising at least one substrate magazine (2), the substrate magazine (2) having a plurality of compartments (3), a plurality of substrates (4) and/or at least one substrate stack (29) each being arrangeable in a compartment (3) for storage or temporary storage, characterized by a handling device (7) according to any one of claims 1 to 14.