Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-05
2003-11-11
Arbes, Carl J. (Department: 3729)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
C029S832000, C029S740000, C029S759000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06643921
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for mounting a plurality of circuit components on a circuit substrate and thereby producing an electric circuit.
2. Related Art Statement
It is practiced to test, when an electric circuit (“EC”) is produced by mounting a plurality of circuit components (“CCs”) on a circuit substrate (“CS”), a state in which the CCs are mounted on the CS. For example, it is judged whether one or more CCs have not been mounted on a CS, and/or whether a position where a CC is mounted on a CS, or an attitude taken by a CC mounted on a CS is not appropriate. This test may be performed after CCs are temporarily fixed to a CS with an adhesive, a solder paste, or the like, or after the CCs are finally fixed to the CS by hardening the adhesive, soldering the solder paste, or the like. In the former case, even if the test shows that one or more CCs have not been mounted, or have not been appropriately mounted, on a CS, the CCs can be finally fixed to the CS after an operator removes those problems. Thus, the yield of good electric circuits is improved. Alternatively, the operator can discard one or more CSs for which some problem relating to the mounting of one or more CCs thereon has been found. Thus, no useless, finally fixing operation is performed. In addition, it is possible to identify a position error of a CC which is produced in a temporarily fixing operation, from that produced in a finally fixing operation. In the last case, the operator can take appropriate measures against each of those problems.
However, in the conventional manner, a test after a temporarily fixing operation is performed after all CCs are mounted on a CS. Hence, it is required to dispose a testing device between a CC mounting device which temporarily fixes the CCs to the CS, and a finally fixing device such as a hardening furnace which finally fixes the CCs to the CS. This leads to increasing the overall length of an EC assembly line and the cost of the same.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a circuit-component mounting method and a circuit-component mounting system each of which is free from the above-identified disadvantage.
The present invention provides a circuit-component mounting method and a circuit-component mounting system which have one or more of the technical features which are described below in respective paragraphs given parenthesized sequential numbers (1) to (16). Any technical feature which includes another technical feature shall do so by referring, at the beginning, to the parenthesized sequential number given to that technical feature. Thus, two or more of the following technical features may be combined, if appropriate. Each technical feature may be accompanied by a supplemental explanation, as needed.
(1) According to a first feature of the present invention, there is provided a method of mounting a plurality of circuit components on a circuit substrate for producing an electric circuit, comprising the step of testing, each time one of the circuit components is mounted on the circuit substrate, a state in which said one circuit component is mounted on the circuit substrate. The test result may show that one circuit component (“CC”) has not been mounted, or has not been appropriately mounted, on the circuit substrate (“CS”). In the present CC mounting method, each time one of the CCs is mounted on the CS, a state in which said one CC is mounted on the CS is tested. This test step may be carried out each time one CC is temporarily fixed to the CS. Since the present method does not require that a testing device be provided between a CC mounting device and a finally fixing device, neither the overall length of an electric-circuit (“EC”) assembly line nor the cost of the same is increased.
(2) According to a second feature of the present invention, there is provided a system for mounting a plurality of circuit components on a circuit substrate, comprising, a substrate supporting device which supports the circuit substrate; a component mounting device which mounts each of the circuit components on the circuit substrate supported by the substrate supporting device; a testing device which tests an actual state in which the each circuit component is mounted on the circuit substrate by the component mounting device; and a control device which controls the component mounting device to mount the each of the circuit components on the circuit substrate and controls the testing device to test, each time one of the circuit components is mounted on the circuit substrate by the component mounting device, an actual state in which the one circuit component is mounted on the circuit substrate. In the present CC mounting system, the control device controls the mounting device to mount each of the CCs on the CS, and controls the testing device to test, each time one of the CCs is mounted on the CS by the mounting device, an actual state in which said one CC is mounted on the CS. Accordingly, the present CC mounting system may be employed for carrying out the CC mounting method according to the first feature (1). It is preferred that the testing device be one which can identify whether a position where each CC is mounted on the CS and an attitude taken by each CC mounted on the CS are appropriate. However, the testing device may be one which can identify only whether a position where each CC is mounted on the CS is appropriate, or one which can identify only whether each CC has not been mounted on the CS. Regarding the CC-position test, in particular, it is preferred to test not only (a) a position or positions of a reference point (e.g., center point) of each CC in one or two directions parallel to a surface of the CS but also (b) a position of the same in a direction perpendicular to the CS surface. However, it is possible to test only either one of the above two sorts of positions (a), (b). In the case of the position or positions (a), it is preferred to test two positions of the reference point of each CC in two directions which perpendicularly intersect each other in a plane parallel to the CS surface. Regarding the CC-attitude test, it is preferred to test not only (c) an angle of inclination of a reference line (e.g., center axis line) of each CC with respect to a direction parallel to the CS surface but also (d) an angle of inclination of the reference line with respect to a direction perpendicular to the CS surface. However, it is possible to test only either one of the above two sorts of positions (c), (d). The position error (b) and attitude (angle) error (d) of each CC with respect to the direction perpendicular to the CS surface result from the “unfixed” state of said each CC on the CS surface. A CC may erroneously take an upright attitude, i.e., lie on its one side. This can be said as a 90-degree inclination of the CC with respect to the direction perpendicular to the CS surface.
(3) According to a third feature of the present invention which includes the second feature (2), the testing device comprises an image taking device which takes an image of at least a portion of the each circuit component mounted on the circuit substrate; and judging means for judging whether the actual state of the each circuit component is appropriate, by comparing, with a reference state of the each circuit component, the actual state thereof determined based on the image taken by the image taking device. Testing the state in which each CC is mounted on the CS involves detecting said each CC. The detection of each CC may be carried out by a contact-type detector, but a non-contact-type detector is preferable to the contact-type detector. Of various sorts of non-contact-type detectors, an optical detector that can detect an object at a high speed is preferable, and an image taking device is particularly preferable since it can easily obtain various sorts of information. The image taking device is advantageously provided by a surface-image taking device such as a CCD (
Asai Koichi
Kodama Seigo
Suhara Shinsuke
Arbes Carl J.
Fuji Machine Mfg. Co. Ltd.
Nguyen Tai V.
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