Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-16
2001-04-17
Arbes, Carl J. (Department: 3729)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
C029S825000, C029S830000, C029S832000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216341
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a surface mounting method for mounting electronic components onto a printed circuit board(hereinafter called board).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
During surface mounting of electronic components onto a board, in order to secure accuracy of mounting position, position correction is carried out by a method of image recognition. With the aforesaid method, the accuracy of mounting is improved by correcting an amount of travel of a mounting head carrying an electronic component based upon results of a recognition of the accurate position of the board by sensing a recognition mark set at a recognition point of the board. And it is also improved by recognition of an incorrect positioning of the electronic component which is carried on the mounting head, by picking up the image of a status (e.g. orientation) of the electronic component. Generally, in order to simplify the driving system, a method of moving a board recognition camera together with a mounting head is used in the aforesaid method.
As to the board for surface mounting of the electronic components, there are several kind of boards, such as a board on which plural board patterns are printed so that it can be divided into plural board blocks of the same kind, plural boards of the same kind, and an individual board, and these boards are placed on a board carrier of a surface mounting device. Each board block or board has individual recognition points.
With the conventional method of surface mounting of electronic components, after performing the position recognition of the board by detecting the image of the recognition mark of each board using a camera, the surface mounting operation is carried out to mount electronic components onto each board. With the conventional method, however, since the board position recognition camera and the mounting head move together along plural board blocks or a board only for the purpose of detecting images, the original function of the mounting head (i.e. picking up electronic components from a feeder and transferring these electronic components to the boards) is suspended during the image detection action.
And then, surface mounting action is carried out in which the mounting head repeats the going and returning travel along the board blocks or the board, to pick up and mount electronic components and, during this surface mounting action, the camera does not detect any images at all.
Namely, when observing a specific portion of a board, the mounting head passes that portion plurality times, including during the board recognition (image detection) and then during electronic component mounting.
As a result, the travelling path of the mounting head is extremely complicated and the total travelling distance is long. Therefore, it has been a problem that a tact time (a time period from processing of one board to processing of the next board) is prolonged due to the length of the travelling perod.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide an efficient surface mounting method of electronic components with a short tact time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The surface mounting method, of electronic components of the present invention comprises:
providing a board recognition camera and a mounting head which move together unitarily;
recognizing a board recognition point set on a board by using the board recognition camera moving unitarily together with the mounting head;
having the mounting head undergo travel to pick up and transfer electronic components from an electronic component feeder to the board, and then mount the electronic components onto the board;
during the travel of the mounting head together with the board recognition camera, judging whether a position recognition point exists along a travelling path of the mounting head; and
when it is judged during the travel that the position recognition point exists along the travelling path, recognizing the position recognition point by moving the recognition camera to the position recognition point. According to the surface mounting method of the present invention, the recognizing of the board recognition point occurs prior to surface mounting of electronic components onto the board.
According to the present invention, a controller judges whether or not a recognition point exists along the travelling path (i.e. on or nearby the travelling path so as to be viewable by the camera) of the mounting head during the travelling period for the next action. The cameras can be chosen so as to have certain specifications, including field of view, suitable to the particular application. Thus, a useless travelling period of the mounting head is eliminated by moving the board recognition camera to the recognition point and having it recognize the position.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4979290 (1990-12-01), Chiba
patent: 4980971 (1991-01-01), Bartscht et al.
patent: 5084959 (1992-02-01), Ando et al.
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patent: 5379514 (1995-01-01), Okuda et al.
patent: 5911456 (1999-06-01), Tsubouchi et al.
patent: 5992013 (1999-11-01), Morita
patent: 6016599 (2000-01-01), Morita et al.
Arbes Carl J.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Wenderoth Lind & Ponack, LLP.
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