Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Reexamination Certificate
1997-05-29
2001-09-25
Young, Lee (Department: 3729)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
C029S564100, C029S712000, C029S742000, C029S759000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06293007
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mounting system for mounting electronic assemblies on a printed circuit board, and particularly to a mounting system for successively mounting electronic assemblies on different printed circuit boards by one mounting line.
In a mounting system for mounting electronic assemblies on a printed circuit board, printed circuit boards are supplied one by one from a stocker with a number of printed circuit boards stored therein, and transported to a loader or a loading station. Then, a printed circuit board is transported to a mounting machine, and thereby electronic assemblies are attached onto the printed circuit board. The printed circuit board with the electronic assemblies mounted thereon is supplied to an unloader or an unloading station, and stored in a product stocker.
A typically mounting machine comprises an X-Y table for holding and moving a printed circuit board in the XY directions, an electronic assembly automatic attaching device for automatically attaching electronic assemblies on the printed circuit board supported by the X-Y table, and an inspection device for inspecting whether or not the electronic assembly is mounted on the predetermined position of the printed circuit board. The electronic assemblies mounted on the printed circuit board are soldered, and circuit devices are fabricated.
According to the conventional mounting system, one mounting line can handle one printed circuit board of one kind, and can fabricate circuit devices of one kind. When different circuit devices are fabricated on one mounting line, the mounting system is stopped temporarily in operation, and the process of the mounting line has to be modified, which is not economical from a time standpoint.
The stocker with the printed circuit boards stored therein can store printed circuit boards of one kind, and when different circuit devices are fabricated, the above stocker has to be exchanged to a stocker with different printed circuit boards stored therein.
Further, the conventional mounting system unavoidably produces half-finished products to cause an economical loss, which is not efficient. This defect with which the conventional mounting system encountered will be described below in detail. Let it now be assumed that four different printed circuit boards A, B, C, and D are each used to fabricate one electric product.
When N electric products are fabricated, N four kinds of the printed circuit boards A, B, C, D have to be fabricated. However, fabricated printed circuit boards contain defects, and hence the printed circuit boards A, B, C, D fabricated as finished-products in actual practice are N
A
, N
B
, N
C and N
D
printed circuit boards A, B, C, D. The number of electric products that can be fabricated becomes equal to the minimum value of N
A
, N
B
, N
C
, N
D
printed circuit boards A, B, C, D.
Also, let it be assumed that the minimum value of N
A
, N
B
, N
C
, N
D
of the printed circuit boards A, B, C, D is N
D
. Then, the number of electric products that can be fabricated is N
D
. There are produced N
A
−N
D
half-finished products for the printed circuit board A, N
B
−N
D
half-finished products for the printed circuit board, and N
C
−N
D
half-finished products for the printed circuit boards C. Finally, there are produced, in total, N
A
−N
D
+N
B
−N
D
+N
C
−N
D
unfinished products.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the aforesaid aspect, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mounting system in which circuit devices of many kinds can be mounted on printed circuit boards of many kinds efficiently from a time standpoint.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a mounting system in which, even when circuit devices of many kinds are mounted on printed circuit boards of many kinds, a loss of manufacturing cost caused by half-finished products can be minimized.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a mounting system in which, even when circuit devices of many kinds are mounted on printed circuit boards of many kinds, mounting processes can be successively executed by one mounting line.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mounting system including a loading station having a transport conveyor for conveying printed circuit boards, a mounting machine for mounting electronic assemblies on the printed circuit boards supplied thereto from the loading station, and an unloading station having a transport conveyor for unloading the printed circuit boards supplied thereto from the mounting machine. This mounting system comprises a discriminating device provided on the loading station for discriminating kinds or types of the printed circuit boards, wherein mounting processes in the mounting machine are selectively set in accordance with a discrimination signal from the discriminating device.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mounting method including steps of supplying a printed circuit board from a loading station to a mounting machine, attaching electronic assemblies on a printed circuit board by the mounting machine, and unloading the printed circuit board supplied from the mounting machine to an unloading station. This mounting method comprises the steps of generating a discrimination signal by discriminating kind or type of a printed circuit board in the loading station, and selectively setting a mounting process in the mounting machine in response to the discrimination signal.
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Kuriyama Tokio
Tomioka Masao
Frommer William S.
Frommer Lawrence & Haug LLP.
Ryan Matthew K.
Sony Video (M) SDN. BHD.
Trinh Minh
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