Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-08
2004-05-18
Arbes, Carl J. (Department: 3729)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
C029S834000, C029S836000, C029S743000, C029S740000, C029S721000, C029S703000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06735856
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for placing electronic components onto circuit boards, and a component placement method executed by the apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
The variety of kinds of electronic components to be placed on circuit boards has increased recently. Accordingly, an apparatus that can handle various electronic components from micro-chip components to long connectors, etc. is strongly demanded. An example of a conventional apparatus of the above type will be described below with reference to FIG.
10
.
FIG. 10
shows a total view of a conventional component placement apparatus
20
. In
FIG. 10
, reference numeral
1
indicates a transfer device for carrying in and out an electronic circuit board
2
with respect to the component placement apparatus
20
and positioning the circuit board
2
when electronic components are placed on the circuit board
2
. Reference numeral
3
indicates a reel-type component feed device including reels
4
to which a tape temporarily securely holding the electronic components is wound. The feed device sends the tape from the reel
4
thereby feeding the electronic components one by one. A tray-type component feed device
5
is also set in the apparatus
20
to feed electronic components, and the electronic components are aligned in a grid pattern on a tray
6
. Reference number
7
indicates a placement head having a component hold part
8
for holding a hold member
13
which sucks so as to hold the electronic components supplied from the reel-type component feed device
3
and the tray-type component feed device
5
. According to the component placement apparatus
20
, the hold member
13
is a nozzle that can suck the electronic component. Reference numeral
9
indicates an XY-robot for moving the placement head
7
in X, Y-directions orthogonal to each other with a plant to an optional position and positioning the placement head
7
. Reference numeral
10
indicates a component recognition camera for measuring a suction attitude of the electronic component held by the hold member
13
. Reference numeral
11
indicates a tool change part equipped with one or a plurality of hold members
13
replaced with the hold member
13
set at the component hold part
8
. Reference numeral
12
indicates a control device connected to the above transfer device
1
, reel-type component feed device
3
, tray-type component feed device
5
, placement head
7
, XY-robot
9
, component recognition camera
10
, and tool change part
11
for controlling operations of these devices and the entire component placement apparatus
20
.
In the above component placement apparatus
20
, the hold member
13
sucks so as to hold the electronic components. However, the apparatus may be adapted to hold the electronic components, for instance, mechanically by a chuck mechanism. Although only one component hold part
8
is shown at the placement head
7
in
FIG. 10
, actually, a plurality of component hold parts
8
are arranged which are omitted in the illustration. Needless to say, the placement head
7
may be designed to keep only one component hold part
8
.
The conventional component placement apparatus
20
of the above constitution operates in a manner as will be described below.
The hold members
13
of the placement head
7
are set as the component feed device
3
or component feed device
5
by the XY-robot
9
. Each of the hold members
13
is lowered by the component hold part
8
in a Z direction orthogonal to the X, Y-directions to suck an electronic component to be placed on the circuit board
2
. After the sucking, each hold member
13
is moved up by the component hold part
8
. A plurality of electronic components held by the hold members
13
are sequentially moved by the XY-robot
9
over the component recognition camera
10
. The component recognition camera
10
picks up the suction attitude of each electronic component at the hold member
13
. Information on the recognized images is sent to the control device
12
. The control device
12
, after taking the information on the recognized images, calculates an amount of correction for each electronic component on the basis of an amount of displacement of the suction attitude from a placement attitude on the circuit board
2
, and rotates the hold member
13
based on the correction amount about an axis in the Z direction. The control device
12
moves the XY-robot
9
to position the placement head
7
over the circuit board
2
and moves each component hold part
8
so that the electronic components are correctly placed sequentially at predetermined positions on the circuit board
2
.
In the case where the hold member
13
not corresponding to the electronic component to be placed on the circuit board
2
is accidentally set at the component hold part
8
, the XY-robot
9
is moved to move the placement head
7
over the tool change part
11
and this hold member
13
not corresponding to the electronic component to be placed is detached and retained at a vacant tool hold portion at the tool change part
11
. The component hold part
8
is then moved to a tool hold portion, where the other hold member
13
corresponding to the electronic component to be placed is caught. The hold member
13
corresponding to the electronic component to be placed is thus set to the component hold part
8
.
The component hold part
8
with the correct hold member
13
is moved to a feed position for the electronic component to be placed next and the above-described sequence of operations from suction to placement is repeated.
Electronic components of various kinds are sequentially placed in this manner on the circuit board
2
.
The tool change part
11
will be depicted with reference to
FIGS. 11 and 12
. The tool change part
11
includes a holding mechanism (not shown) capable of holding the hold members
13
. Each hold member
13
is inserted at a predetermined tool hold portion
14
corresponding to each hold member
13
. Sensors
15
are installed at the tool hold portions
14
to detect the presence/absence of the hold member
13
. Each sensor
15
is connected electrically to the control device
12
. Thus the control device
12
can recognize whether or not the predetermined hold members
13
are set at the tool hold portions corresponding to the predetermined hold members
13
. The sensor
15
is, specifically, a proximity sensor, a limit switch or the like known sensor.
The conventional tool change part
11
constituted as above has drawbacks. According to the related art, before starting the component placement apparatus
20
, necessary hold members
13
are on standby at the predetermined tool hold portions
14
at the tool change part
11
, and information on the presence/absence of the hold members
13
from the sensors
15
is recognized by the control device
12
. That is, the sensor
15
is installed for each of the tool hold portions
14
, thereby raising costs and making the wiring complicated. In order to distinguish the types of hold members
13
kept at the component hold parts
8
, an increasing number of sensors
15
or a plurality of expensive sensors are necessitated at the tool change part.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is devised to solve the above problems and has for its object to provide a component placement apparatus that can obtain information on the presence/absence of hold members inexpensively and easily, and a component placement method carried out by the component placement apparatus.
In order to achieve the aforementioned objective, a component placement apparatus is provided according to a first mode of the present invention. The apparatus includes a placement head having a hold member that is detachable and replaceable corresponding to a component to be held for placing the component held by the hold member at an object to be placed. A hold member change part has a replacement hold member that can be fitted to the placement head where the hold member and the repla
Kabeshita Akira
Kitamura Naoyuki
Okuda Osamu
Yoshida Noriaki
Arbes Carl J.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Nguyen Tai
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
LandOfFree
Apparatus for component placement does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Apparatus for component placement, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Apparatus for component placement will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3186659