Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-22
2001-01-30
Arbes, Carl J. (Department: 3729)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
C382S172000, C382S172000, C382S172000, C029S717000, C029S740000, C029S832000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06178626
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic component installation device and method for manufacturing an electronic circuit substrate by installing a large number of parts such as electronic components on a circuit substrate.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 13
shows one example of an electronic component installation device. A mounting head
1
mounted on an XY robot
7
is constructed such that it is capable of picking up an electronic component
10
supplied from a parts tray
8
or parts cassette
6
with a suction nozzle
9
and placing it on a circuit substrate
15
. Such electronic component installing actions are controlled by a controller
13
according to a prescribed installation program.
In
FIG. 13
, when the circuit substrate
15
is carried in and positioned at a prescribed location, the mounting head
1
, which is capable of freely moving in X- and Y-directions by the function of the XY robot
7
, picks up the electronic component
10
from the parts cassette
6
or parts tray
8
and moves to a point above a recognition camera
11
where the attitude of the electronic component
10
is recognized. Based on the recognition results, the attitude of the electronic component is corrected, after which it is installed on the circuit substrate
15
at a predetermined location. These actions are repeated until all of the electronic components needed for one circuit substrate are installed, and the circuit substrate which has been installed with all necessary parts is taken out, while a new circuit substrate is carried in for another cycle of installing operation repeating the above actions.
There are various kinds of electronic components
10
to be installed with the mounting head, and accordingly the thickness or height of the electronic components in a installing direction is diversified. Thus, when placing electronic components on the circuit substrate
15
with the mounting head
1
, the distance the suction nozzle
9
descends towards the circuit substrate
15
needs to be varied in accordance with the height of the electronic component in the installing direction. This amount of downward movement of the suction nozzle
9
is normally determined as described below. The thickness of each of the electronic components is preliminarily measured using a slide caliper or the like, and component data is prepared based on this measurement in which thickness is determined with respect to each type of electronic components. This component data is used in an installation program for controlling actions of the mounting head
1
. The mounting head
1
is controlled such as to lower the suction nozzle
9
a distance corresponding to the thickness of each of the electronic components stored in the component data when placing it on the circuit substrate
15
.
However, with increasing employment of a large-scale integrated circuit or an odd-shape outer package in response to demands for more complex electronic circuits and for higher mounting density, electronic components of recent years, especially those which include very narrowly pitched leads or fragile packages, require more delicate handling. It is thus essential to avoid exerting a load on electronic components greater than necessary when placing them on the circuit substrate. In other words, the amount of descending movement of the suction nozzle effected by the mounting head must be precisely controlled.
However, in the information regarding dimensions of electronic components particularly in the thickness direction in the above mentioned component data based on which the descending amount of the suction nozzle is controlled, measurement errors or errors in dimensions of the electronic components are inevitably included. Especially when installing electronic components with minute leads or any other type of fragile components, such errors may well lead to mounting failures or cause damages to these electronic components.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above problems in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic component installation device which is capable of installing electronic components without damaging them.
To achieve the above object, the method of installing an electronic component on a circuit substrate according to the present invention comprises the steps of: moving on a horizontal plane a mounting head equipped with a parts holding means with which the electronic component is held; picking up a prescribed electronic component with the parts holding means from a parts supply section; moving the mounting head which has picked up the electronic component from the parts supply section to a point above a three-dimensional imaging device; detecting a height of an installing surface of the electronic component from a reference surface; determining an amount of lowering the parts holding means based on a detected result; and lowering for the parts holding means, which has been brought to a point above an installing location on the circuit substrate that is located at a prescribed position, with the determined descending amount, so as to install the electronic component on the circuit substrate.
According to the above installation method, the height of the installing surface in the installing direction of each discrete electronic component held by the parts holding means is detected with the three-dimensional imaging device, and the parts holding means is descended by the mounting head based on this detected height information. Thus, an excessive load will not be exerted on the electronic component that may be caused by errors in dimensions of the electronic component, and even precise or fragile components can be mounted without being damaged.
Further, the method of installing an electronic component on a circuit substrate according to the present invention comprises the steps of: preparing component data by measuring dimensions of electronic components and preliminarily storing the component data with respect to every type of electronic components to be installed; moving on a horizontal plane a mounting head equipped with a parts holding means with which the electronic component is held; picking up a prescribed electronic component with the parts holding means from a parts supply section; moving the mounting head which has picked up the electronic component from the parts supply section to a point above a three-dimensional imaging device; detecting a height of a installing surface of the electronic component from a reference surface; correcting the component data of the electronic component based on a detected result; determining a lowering amount of the parts holding means in accordance with the corrected information; and lowering the parts holding means, which has been brought to a point above an installing location on the circuit substrate that is located at a prescribed position, with the determined descending amount, so as to install the electronic component on the circuit substrate.
According to the above installation method, the height of the installing surface in the installing direction of each discrete electronic component held by the parts holding means is detected with the three-dimensional imaging device, the data on the thickness of the electronic component in the installing direction which has been preliminarily measured and stored is corrected based on this detected height information, and the parts holding means is descended by the mounting head based on this corrected height information. Thus, an excessive load will not be exerted on the electronic component that may be caused by measuring errors or errors in dimensions of the electronic component, and even precise or fragile components can be mounted without being damaged.
In the above installation method, the height of the installing surface of the electronic component with the three-dimensional imaging device is detected such that a portion within an electronic component existing area in a three-dimensional image of the electronic
Hada Junichi
Sano Kimiaki
Tanabe Atsushi
Arbes Carl J.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Price and Gess
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