Computer device for production equipment

Details Computer device for production equipment Computer device for production equipment

2000-01-10

2003-06-10

Von Buhr, Maria N. (Department: 2125)

Data processing: generic control systems or specific application

Specific application, apparatus or process

Product assembly or manufacturing

C700S082000, C711S162000, C714S006130

Reexamination Certificate

active

06577912

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer device installed in production equipment such as a component mounting apparatus, component transfer apparatus, and reflow apparatus, and more particularly to a computer device which is capable of being restored in a short period of time even when a hard disk drive device crash or other failure occurs.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional computer device for production equipment that is installed in a component mounting apparatus, by way of example, will be described with reference to FIG.
7
through FIG.
10
.
The component mounting apparatus
100
shown in
FIG. 10
comprises a component mounting section
101
, a component feeding section
102
, a substrate loading section
103
, an input device
11
, a display device
12
, and a computer device (shown by dotted lines) that is installed inside of the main unit of the component mounting apparatus
100
. A multiplicity of parts cassettes are accommodated in the component mounting section
102
, and the parts cassette containing a desired type of electronic components is transferred to a predetermined component removal location. The substrate loading section
103
is constituted such that a printed circuit board is loaded onto an X-Y table located at a component mounting position and the printed circuit board on which electronic components have been mounted is carried out of the X-Y table. The component mounting section
101
includes a mounting head for removing electronic components from the parts cassette at the component removal location and for mounting the electronic components at a mounting position on the printed circuit board positioned at a predetermined location by the X-Y table, and a camera for image recognition of components.
The computer device performs the functions of coordinating the mounting operation and of processing data such as inputting, outputting, and editing of the component mounting data. A hard disk drive (HDD) device of the computer device stores the component mounting data such as data on the shapes of components, mounting positions, image recognition of components, and parts cassettes. Also, data required for production control for monitoring the operating conditions of the apparatus, production results, and various features such as the rate of successful pick-up of components by suction are stored in the HDD device. The computer device also has a graphic user interface function that contributes to the user-friendly operability of the component mounting apparatus together with the input device
11
and display device
12
. Also stored in the HDD device of the computer device is error logging data in which details of any abnormality and the conditions of the apparatus at the time the apparatus has stopped operating are recorded for the purpose of reducing the time for restoration whenever a trouble occurs.
The computer device thus enables: reduction of time for switching the type of product from one to another; minimization of a down time of the apparatus when an abnormality occurs; manufacture of products of highly controlled quality; and maximization of productivity per unit hour.
FIG. 7
shows a conventional computer device
20
used in component mounting apparatuses such as the one shown in FIG.
10
. The computer device
20
comprises an arithmetic unit
10
, an input device
11
for inputting operation data, a display device
12
for displaying operation data, and a hard disk drive device (hereinafter referred to simply as HDD device)
23
for storing a processing program, and operation data. A signal transmitting line
15
between the arithmetic unit
10
and the HDD device
23
is composed of a data bus for transmitting and receiving data, an address bus for specifying a data read/write address, and a master drive unit/slave drive unit selecting signal.
In
FIG. 8
, which shows a circuit diagram of the signal transmission of the computer device
20
, normally at least two hard disk drives of a master drive unit
24
and a slave drive unit
25
are provided in the HDD device
23
. A hard disk controller
3
of the inside of the arithmetic unit
10
is connected via a signal transmitting line
15
to a controller
24
a
inside the master drive unit
24
, and a controller
25
a
inside the slave drive unit
25
on the inside of the HDD device
23
, and performs the reading and writing of data to the drive units
24
,
25
.
The selection of the master/slave drive unit inside the HDD device
23
from the arithmetic unit
10
is performed by setting master/slave selecting circuits
24
b
,
25
b
inside the master drive unit
24
and slave drive unit
25
. More specifically, selection is performed by setting selecting switches inside the master/slave selecting circuits to either short-circuited or open.
FIG. 9
shows the programs stored inside the master drive unit
24
and the slave drive unit
25
on the inside the HDD device
23
. In the master drive unit
24
, there is stored an operating system program including a device driver program (hereinafter referred to simply as OS program) required to start up the computer system, an application program (hereinafter referred to simply as APL program) for describing computer processing contents, and APL program processing data such as component mounting data, information for production control, and error logging data. Further, in the slave drive unit
25
, there is stored an APL program and APL program processing data that cannot be stored in the master drive unit
24
.
In fact, if storage space for all APL programs and APL program processing data can be secured in the master drive unit
24
, the slave drive unit
25
is not necessary, and the HDD device
23
can be constituted solely by a master drive unit
24
.
When a computer device of a constitution such as that described above is used as either part of, or as an entire controller for production equipment such as a component mounting apparatus, which mounts an electronic component at a predetermined location on a printed circuit board, since the production equipment must be made smaller, the installation site of the computer device is generally a location inside the apparatus main unit. Further, because the mounting speed of the component mounting apparatus is becoming increasingly faster, a motor that drives an X-Y table generally operates by abruptly increasing and decreasing speed, and motor capacity is generally large. Moreover, the component mounting apparatus is quite often kept in operation for 24 hours a day in succession, during which reading and writing of data are continuously performed in the computer device.
If the computer device is installed inside of a main unit of production equipment, the HDD device, which stores the OS program required for computer system startup, an APL program for describing the contents of computer processing, and APL program processing data, is affected by vibration from the equipment, a lightning-induced power outage, and noise from the motor and surrounding equipment, and there is a possibility that the HDD device itself will succumb to mechanical failure, or that the data inside the HDD device will be destroyed. As a result thereof, there is the danger that the computer device will lose it's ability to start up normally.
In this case, the problem is that, as repair work, because it is necessary to prepare a normal master drive unit, in which an OS program, APL program, and APL program processing data have been stored beforehand, and to replace the malfunctioning master drive unit with the normal master drive unit, a lot of time is required. Specifically, if the HDD device breaks down, the computer device will have to be first removed from the apparatus main unit of production equipment, after which the HDD device must be taken out of the computer device and be replaced with a new HDD device. Then the OS program, APL program, and APL program processing data must be installed in the new HDD device. It will take some 12 hours for all the

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