Electronic-component mounting system

Details Electronic-component mounting system Electronic-component mounting system

1997-07-25

2001-07-10

Young, Lee (Department: 3729)

Metal working

Means to assemble or disassemble

Means to assemble electrical device

C029S739000, C029S759000, C029S760000, C901S016000, C901S022000, C414S752100, C198S468010, C198S468900, C198S474100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06256869

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic-component (“EC”) mounting system which mounts an EC on a printed circuit board (“PCB”), a method of mounting an EC on a PCB, and a PCB supporting and positioning apparatus, and in particular to at least one of the art of simplifying the construction of the EC mounting system and the art of improving the efficiency of mounting of ECs.
2. Related Art Statement
Many EC mounting systems include an EC supplying apparatus, an EC mounting apparatus, and a PCB supporting apparatus. The EC mounting apparatus takes an EC from the EC supplying apparatus, conveys the EC to a position above an EC-fix place on a PCB, and mounts the EC at the EC-fix place on the PCB. For example, the EC mounting apparatus includes a movable member which is movable in two directions normal to each other in a horizontal plane (hereinafter, referred to as the “X” direction and the “Y” direction); and a component mounting head which is provided on the movable member such that the mounting head is movable in a vertical direction (hereinafter, referred to as the “Z” direction). The component mounting head which is movable in the X, Y, and Z directions takes an EC from a component-supply portion of the EC supplying apparatus and mounts the EC on the EC-fix place on the PCB supported by the PCB supporting apparatus.
Conventionally, the EC supplying apparatus, the EC mounting apparatus, and the EC supporting apparatus are provided on a common bed, such that those apparatuses are immovable relative to one another on the common bed. Only respective movable members of those apparatuses, such as the movable member and the component mounting head of the EC mounting apparatus, are moved to mount an EC on a PCB.
However, many problems arise from the above-identified facts that the EC supplying apparatus, the EC mounting apparatus, and the EC supporting apparatus are fixed on the common bed and are not movable relative to one another. For example, since the relative position between the EC supplying apparatus and the EC supporting apparatus cannot be changed, ECs cannot be mounted at different EC-fix places on different sorts of PCBs, respectively, by the component mounting head unless the mounting head can be moved in the X and Y directions to various positions corresponding to those different EC-fix places, respectively. To this end, a moving device which moves the component mounting head in one of the X and Y directions must be provided on the movable member which is movable in the other of the X and Y directions. This moving device suffers from complicated construction and increased weight and accordingly cannot be moved at high speed. This leads to lowering the efficiency of mounting of ECs. In addition, the distance between the component-supply portion of the EC supplying apparatus and each EC-fix place may increase, which needs a longer time to mount an EC at said each EC-fix place.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide an EC mounting system wherein an EC supplying device and an EC mounting device are mounted on a common movable table and are movable altogether relative to a PCB supporting device.
It is another object of the invention to provide an EC mounting system wherein an EC supplying device and an EC mounting device are movable relative to a PCB supporting device in two directions which are perpendicular to each other and parallel to a board-support plane on which a PCB is supported by the PCB supporting device.
It is another object of the invention to provide an EC mounting system wherein an EC supplying device and an EC mounting device are movable relative to a PCB supporting device so that respective positions of the EC supplying and mounting devices relative to the PCB supporting device can be adjusted before an EC mounting operation is started.
It is another object of the invention to provide an EC mounting system wherein an EC supplying device and an EC mounting device are movable relative to a PCB supporting device by manual operation of an operator.
It is another object of the invention to provide an EC mounting system wherein an EC mounting device includes a component mounting head which is linearly reciprocated between an EC supplying device and a PCB supporting device for mounting ECs on PCBs.
It is another object of the invention to provide an EC mounting system wherein a PCB supporting device includes a PCB conveying device which conveys a PCB, stops it at a predetermined stop position with accuracy, and positions it at the stop position.
It is another object of the invention to provide an EC mounting system which stops a PCB at each of a plurality of positions and positions the PCB at said each position.
It is another object of the invention to provide an EC mounting system which includes a device which stops a PCB at each of a plurality of positions and which is produced at low cost.
It is another object of the invention to provide an EC mounting method in which respective positions of an EC supplying device and an EC mounting device relative to a PCB supporting are adjusted relative to an EC-fix place on a PCB before an EC is mounted at the EC-fix place on the PCB, so that ECs are mounted on PCBs with high efficiency.
It is another object of the invention to provide a PCB supporting and positioning apparatus which supports a PCB and positions the PCB at each of a plurality of positions.
The present invention provides an EC mounting system, an EC mounting method, and a PCB supporting and positioning apparatus which have one or more of the technical features which are described below in respective paragraphs given parenthesized sequential numbers (1) to (33). 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 a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic-component mounting system, comprising a printed-circuit-board supporting device which positions and supports a printed circuit board; a movable table which is movable, relative to the printed-circuit-board supporting device, in at least one of an X direction and a Y direction which are perpendicular to each other and cooperate with each other to define an X-Y plane parallel to a board-support plane on which the printed circuit board is supported by the supporting device; an electronic-component supplying device which is mounted on the movable table and which includes a component-supply portion from which electronic components are supplied one by one; and an electronic-component mounting device which is mounted on the movable table together with the electronic-component supplying device and which receives the electronic components one by one from the component-supply portion of the supplying device and mounts at least one of the electronic components on the printed circuit board positioned and supported on the component-support plane by the printed-circuit-board supporting device. In the present electronic-component (“EC”) mounting system, the EC supplying device and the EC mounting device are provided with accuracy at respective places on the movable table. Therefore, respective positions of the EC supplying and mounting devices relative to the PCB supporting device can be changed altogether, without causing any change of the relative position between the EC supplying and mounting devices, by movement of the movable table. The movable table may be one which is movable in both the X and Y directions, or one which is movable in only one of the X and Y directions. In either case, the movable table may be one which is manually moved by an operator, or one which is mechanically moved by a drive source such as an electric motor. In the case where the movable table is

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