Spring devices – Compound – Rubber
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-03
2002-06-25
Rodriguez, Pam (Department: 3613)
Spring devices
Compound
Rubber
C267S136000, C248S636000, C248S638000, C361S600000, C361S736000, C361S748000, C361S767000, C361S807000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06409159
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of supporting a printed circuit board, a method of mounting electric components, and others, and in particular to the art of supporting a printed circuit board on the side of one surface thereof.
2. Related Art Statement
A printed circuit board (“PCB”) is subjected to various operations, such as mounting thereon of electric components (“ECs”) to produce an electric circuit (e.g., an electronic circuit); screen-printing thereon of a creamed solder; and application thereto of an adhesive by a dispenser. During the operation or each of the operations, the PCB may be supported on the side of one surface thereof opposite to the other surface thereof on which the operation or each operation is carried out. For example, in the case where the PCB has a large size and/or a low rigidity, a central portion of the PCB may sag down so that one or more ECs may not be accurately mounted thereon or the creamed solder may not be uniformly printed thereon. To avoid this, the above-indicated one surface (hereinafter, referred to as the “operation” surface) of the PCB is supported so that the opposite surface (hereinafter, referred to as the “supported” surface) thereof may be kept flat.
To this end, it has conventionally been practiced that the entire supported surface of the PCB is supported on a PCB support table by being sucked thereagainst, or that the PCB is supported on a plurality of iron pins. However, the former manner cannot be employed, for example, in a particular case where ones or more ECs have already been mounted on the supported surface of the PCB. On the other hand, the latter manner can be employed in the particular case, because the iron pins can be positioned to support respective small portions of the supported surface of the PCB while avoiding the EC or ECs mounted thereon. However, neither of the two manners can prevent the PCB from being vibrated.
The PCB may be vibrated because of, e.g., an impact produced when an EC is contacted with, and mounted on, the PCB, or an impact produced when the movement of the PCB in a direction parallel to the plane thereof is started or stopped. There arises no problem if the vibration disappears before the EC is actually mounted on the PCB. If not, the EC may be mounted at an inaccurate position on the PCB. That is, the accuracy of mounting of ECs is lowered.
Meanwhile, there is known an EC mounting system including a plurality of EC mounting heads which hold respective ECs; a first moving device which sequentially moves the EC mounting heads to a predetermined EC-mount position; a movable table which supports a PCB; and a second moving device which moves the movable table so that a plurality of predetermined EC-mount places on the PCB are sequentially positioned at a position, corresponding to the EC-mount position, where the EC mounting heads mount the respective ECs on the PCB. In this system, the starting and stopping of movement of the EC mounting heads or the PCB are repeated at a short cycle time and, before the vibration of the PCB due to one starting or stopping disappears, the next starting or stopping occurs. Thus, the vibration of the PCB is amplified, and the degree of inaccuracy of EC mounting is increased. This sort of EC mounting system is required to shorten its cycle time for the purpose of improving its EC-mounting efficiency. If the acceleration or deceleration of movement of the EC mounting heads or the PCB is increased to achieve this purpose, the vibration of the PCB will be further amplified.
In the case where no ECs are mounted on the supported surface of the PCB, the vibration of the PCB can be prevented by supporting the entire supported surface of the PCB with a member (e.g., sponge rubber) having a vibration damping ability. However, in the case where one or more ECs are mounted on the supported surface of the PCB, it is impossible to support the entire supported surface of the PCB. Accordingly, it cannot help using a plurality of iron pins for supporting respective small portions of the supported surface of the PCB while avoiding the EC or ECs mounted thereon. In this case, however, the vibration of the PCB cannot be effectively prevented. Moreover, since the EC or ECs mounted on the PCB behave as some mass, the vibration of the PCB is amplified to some degree, which leads to complicating the problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of supporting a printed circuit board on the side of one surface thereof, with reduced vibration of the board.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for supporting a printed circuit board on the side of one surface thereof, with reduced vibration of the board.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of mounting electric components on a printed circuit board, with reduced vibration of the board.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a member for supporting a printed circuit board on the side of one surface thereof, with reduced vibration of the board.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a kit for providing a plurality of members each of which supports a printed circuit board on the side of one surface thereof, with reduced vibration of the board.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a material for providing a plurality of members each of which supports a printed circuit board on the side of one surface thereof, with reduced vibration of the board.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of producing a device for supporting a printed circuit board on the side of one surface thereof, with reduced vibration of the board.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a jig for producing a device for supporting a printed circuit board on the side of one surface thereof, with reduced vibration of the board.
The present invention provides a printed-circuit-board (“PCB”) supporting method, a PCB supporting device, an electric-component mounting method, a PCB supporting member, a PCB-supporting-member providing kit, a PCB-supporting-member providing material, a PCB-supporting-device producing method, and a PCB-supporting-device producing jig which have one or more of the technical features that are described below in respective paragraphs given parenthesized sequential numbers (1) to (30). Any technical feature which includes another technical feature shall do so by referring, at the beginning, to the parenthesized sequential number given that technical feature. Thus, two or more of the following features may be combined, if appropriate. Each feature may be accompanied by a supplemental explanation, as needed. However, the following features and the possible combinations thereof are just examples to which the present invention is by no means limited.
(1) According to a first feature of the present invention, there is provided a method of supporting a printed circuit board, comprising the step of causing a contact portion of at least one board supporting member including a vibration damping portion formed of a vibration damping rubber, to contact at least one portion of a lower surface of the printed circuit board and thereby support the printed circuit board on a side of the lower surface thereof. The printed circuit board (“PCB”) is supported by the board supporting member including the vibration damping. portion. Therefore, even if the PCB may be vibrated when an electric component (“EC”) is mounted on the PCB or when the movement of the PCB in a direction parallel to the plane of the PCB is started or stopped, the energy of the vibration is absorbed by the vibration damping portion or rubber and accordingly the vibration of the PCB is prevented. For example, even if a number of ECs are sequentially contacted with the PCB while the starting and stopping of movement of the PCB are repeated, the vibration of the PCB is effectively prevented and the ECs are accurately mounted on the P
Asai Koichi
Suhara Shinsuke
Fuji Machine Mfg. Co. Ltd.
Rodriguez Pam
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