Optics: measuring and testing – Position or displacement – Position transverse to viewing axis
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-17
2004-08-31
Font, Frank G. (Department: 2877)
Optics: measuring and testing
Position or displacement
Position transverse to viewing axis
C324S1540PB, C324S758010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06785008
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a component-mounting-apparatus offset measuring board, as well as a component-mounting-apparatus offset measuring method, for measuring an offset of a component mounting apparatus that serves to mount components onto a board.
Conventionally, a positioning device
55
for positioning to a component mounting position a component mounting board
51
onto which a component is to be mounted has a pair of support rails
54
. The device positions and holds the board
51
at the component mounting position through the steps of conveying the board
51
up to a specified component mounting position by the drive of belt conveyors on the individual support rails
54
. The board
51
is stopped by its front face making contact with a board stopper
53
, and then reference pins
52
are inserted into reference-pin insertion through holes
51
a
formed near four corner portions of the board, respectively. After that, end edge portions of the board
51
are pinched and held from above and below by the pair of support rails
54
by which the board
51
is positioned and held at the component mounting position.
The mounting program for mounting components onto the board
51
that has been positioned and held at the component mounting position by the positioning device
55
as described above is normally so designed that positional coordinates to which individual components are to be mounted are specified from a program reference position. Therefore, it is of importance to correctly set the program reference position.
Conventionally, a reference pin
52
inserted into one reference-pin insertion through hole
51
a
of the board
51
positioned and held to the component mounting position is recognized by a board recognition camera, then one corner portion of the board
54
is determined based on positional information as to the recognized reference pin
52
and previously stored coordinate information as to a range from the reference-pin insertion through hole
51
a
to one corner portion of the board
54
, and this corner portion is used as the program reference position
56
.
With the above structure, since the reference pin
52
is mechanically incorporated in the positioning device
55
, the position of the reference pin
52
inevitably involves errors due to mounting errors or the like. However, for the implementation of high-density component mounting at high precision, even such positional errors of the reference pin
52
as described above become impermissible. Thus, there has been a desire for a method of obtaining the program reference position with a higher degree of precision.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described issues and to provide a component-mounting-apparatus offset measuring board, as well as a component-mounting -apparatus offset measuring method, which allows the program reference position to be obtained with higher precision.
In accomplishing these and other aspects, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component-mounting-apparatus offset measuring board for use in measuring an offset of a component mounting apparatus which mounts a component onto a board positioned at a component mounting position by a positioning device.
The component-mounting-apparatus offset measuring board is formed of a rectangular or square metal plate which can be positioned at the component mounting position by the positioning device and which has a recognition mark at least in proximity to one corner portion thereof.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component-mounting-apparatus offset measuring board according to the first aspect, wherein when the board is stopped at the component mounting position by contact with a board stopper of the positioning device, the recognition mark is positioned in proximity to a corner portion closest to the board stopper in the component mounting position. A face of the board with which the board stopper makes contact to stop the board is formed by processing.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component-mounting-apparatus offset measuring board according to the first or second aspect, wherein the rectangular or square metal plate has a recessed portion formed at least in proximity to one corner portion thereof. Also, a recognition through hole is positioned within the recessed portion and is smaller in inner diameter than the recessed portion. The recognition hole has a black bottom face to serve as a recognition mark.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component-mounting-apparatus offset measuring board according to the third aspect, wherein the depth of the recessed portion is greater than the depth of the recognition through hole.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component-mounting-apparatus offset measuring board according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein a front face, a rear face and both side faces of the rectangular or square metal plate are formed by processing.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for measuring an offset of a component mounting apparatus in a component mounting apparatus which mounts a component onto a board positioned to a component mounting position by a positioning device. The method comprises:
positioning to the component mounting position by the positioning device an offset measuring board formed of a rectangular or square metal plate having a recognition mark at least in proximity to one corner portion thereof;
recognizing the recognition mark to obtain coordinate information as to the recognition mark;
based on the obtained coordinate information as to the recognition mark and coordinate information as to a range from the recognition mark to one corner portion of the offset measuring board closest to the recognition mark, obtaining position coordinate information as to the one corner portion of the offset measuring board; and
comparing the obtained position coordinate information as to the one corner portion of the offset measuring board with coordinate information as to an original position of the one corner portion of the offset measuring board preliminarily set as the positioning device to thereby determine offset information therebetween.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for measuring an offset of a component mounting apparatus according to the sixth aspect, wherein:
in positioning the offset measuring board to the component mounting position by the positioning device, the offset measuring board is hit against a board stopper to stop the offset measuring board at the component mounting position; and
in recognizing the recognition mark to obtain the coordinate information as to the recognition mark, the recognition mark in proximity to a corner portion closest to the board stopper in the component mounting position is recognized.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for measuring an offset of a component mounting apparatus according to the sixth or seventh aspect, wherein:
in recognizing the recognition mark to obtain the coordinate information as to the recognition mark, a recognition through hole which is positioned within a recessed portion formed at least in proximity to one corner portion of the offset measuring board and which is smaller in inner diameter than the recessed portion and has a black bottom face is recognized as the recognition mark.
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patent: 5581353 (1996-12-01), Taylor
patent: 5648729 (1997-07-01), Yamauchi et al.
patent: 5717575 (1998-02-01), Copelane et al.
patent: 5748827 (1998-05-01), Holl et al.
patent: 5955876 (1999-09-01), Yamauchi
patent: 5992013 (1999-11-01), Morita
patent: 6308428 (2001-10-01), Creighton, III
patent: 6447240 (2002-09-01), Cain
patent: 42 27 667 (1994-02-01), None
patent: 0 473 363 (1992-03-01),
Hachimura Tetsutarou
Okuda Osamu
Uchiyama Hiroshi
Yoshida Noriaki
Davis Willie
Font Frank G.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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