Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-28
2004-02-03
Arbes, Carl J. (Department: 3729)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
C029S739000, C029S740000, C029S743000, C029S834000, C029S839000, C029S840000, C029S843000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06684494
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present invention claims priority to priority document No. P2000-302485 filed in Japan on Oct. 2, 2000, and incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a parts replacing method and a parts replacing apparatus for replacing electronic parts mounted on a substrate, and such parts are mainly electronic parts mounted on a printed circuit board to be installed in an electronic appliance.
2. Related Art
Generally, various kinds of electronic parts such as BGA (Ball Grid Array) elements are arranged on a mounting (circuit) board. In a manufacturing process for mounting various parts on the circuit board, sometimes, mounting defects are detected at some of mounted electronic parts through an inspection process usually done after mounting these electronic parts on the circuit board. In this case, it is necessary for such defectively mounted piece of electronic parts to be removed among plural electronic parts mounted on the circuit board, and to remount a new piece of electronic parts at the removed position of the circuit board.
FIG. 13
shows one example of a conventional electronic parts replacing method for replacing defectively mounted a piece of parts to new piece. Conventionally, in an electronic parts mounting apparatus (such as called a chip mounter), a circuit board
120
is placed on a table
103
and a defectively mounted piece of electronic parts (here-in after called as a piece of electronic parts to be replaced)
99
is removed from the circuit board
120
by a work head
101
, and after putting it away, a new piece of electronic parts (here-in after called as a piece of replacing electronic parts)
100
is picked up by the work head
101
and remounted on a position where the piece of electronic parts
99
to be replaced is mounted on the circuit board
120
.
When such new piece of replacing electronic parts
100
is mounted after the piece of electronic parts
99
to be replaced is removed from the circuit board
120
, it is necessary to mount the new piece
100
precisely on the right position where the piece of electronic parts
99
to be replaced is previously mounted. If the piece of replacing electronic parts
100
is mounted to a position where is slightly differed from the position of the removed piece of electronic parts
99
to be replaced, this causes again defective mount of the electronic parts.
In order to precisely position the piece of replacing electronic parts
100
to the position where the piece of electronic parts
99
to be replaced are mounted, three kinds of methods as shown in
FIG. 14
to
FIG. 16
have been practiced conventionally.
In any of these conventional methods, the positioning of the replacing electronic parts
100
is done with reference to the pattern P that is provided on a position where the piece of electronic parts
99
to be replaced is previously mounted.
In the conventional method as shown in
FIG. 14
, the piece of replacing electronic parts
100
held by a work head
101
is positioned almost above the pattern P on the circuit board
120
and between the piece of replacing electronic parts
100
and the circuit board
120
, an optical apparatus
104
is provided for superposing an image of the piece of replacing electronic parts
100
on an image of the pattern P, and the image obtained through the optical apparatus
104
is to be inspected using a CCD (Charge Coupling Device) camera
105
.
An operator moves the work head
101
or the table
103
for the fine adjustment as to perfectly superpose the image of the piece of replacing electronic parts
100
and the image of the pattern P, while watching the monitor
106
connected to the CCD camera
105
, and after that the operator moves the work head
101
downwardly for mounting the piece of replacing electronic parts
100
on the circuit board
120
.
Further in the conventional method shown in
FIG. 15
, the image of the replacing electronic parts
100
and the image of the pattern P are obtained through two CCD cameras
107
and
108
, these images are superposed by an image superposing apparatus
109
and then displayed on the monitor
110
. The operator, while watching the monitor
110
, moves the work head
101
(or table
103
) for carrying out the fine adjustment so as to superpose the image of the piece of replacing electronic parts
100
and the image of the pattern P, and after that the operator moves the work head
101
down to mount the piece of replacing electronic parts
100
on the circuit board
120
.
In addition in the conventional method shown in
FIG. 16
, a mask
111
having the same pattern as the pattern P on the circuit board
120
is provided above the table
103
where the circuit board
120
is placed. The operator, while watching the pattern P on the circuit board
120
and the mask
111
, moves the table
103
for fine adjustment as to position the work head
101
on a predetermined position on the mask
111
. After that, the mask
111
is removed between the piece of replacing electronic parts
100
and the circuit board
120
the work head
101
is moved downwardly, and the piece of replacing electronic parts
100
is mounted on the circuit board
120
.
In accordance with the above-mentioned conventional methods as shown in
FIG. 14
to
FIG. 16
, it is necessary to carry out the fine adjustment of the work head
101
, so that the operator is required enough experience and further it takes much time to replace the electronic parts. Further in the above mentioned conventional methods shown in FIG.
14
and
FIG. 15
, various equipments such as CCD cameras, optical devices, an image superposing apparatus or a monitor are necessary, so that there exists another problem such as increase of manufacturing costs. In addition, according to the conventional method shown in
FIG. 16
, fine adjustments of the positioning for the work head are done with human eyes, so that when the electronic parts are aligned in very fine pitches, such adjustment work takes long times, or sometimes it becomes difficult to perform by human eyes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A parts replacing method of the present invention preferably comprises the steps of: holding step for holding a piece of parts to be replaced mounted at a predetermined position of a substrate by a holding section of a parts holding means; removing step for removing the piece of parts to be replaced from the substrate by moving the parts holding means away from the substrate, while guiding the parts holding means by the guide means; replacing step for removing the piece of parts to be replaced from the holding section of the parts holding means and for attaching a piece of replacing parts to the holding section; and mounting step for mounting the piece of replacing parts held at the holding section by moving the parts holding means close to the substrate, while guiding the parts holding means by the guide means.
Further a parts replacing apparatus of the another aspect of the present invention comprises: a parts holding means having a holding section for holding a piece of parts to be replaced for removing the piece of parts to be replaced held at the holding section and for attaching to the holding section a new piece of replacing parts; and a guide means for guiding the parts holding means in the direction to move away from or close to a substrate.
According to the electronic parts replacing method or the electronic parts replacing apparatus, the piece of electronic parts to be replaced is removed from the substrate, while being guided by the guide means, after holding the piece of electronic parts to be replaced mounted on the substrate at the holding section. After that, the piece of electronic parts to be replaced is removed from the holding section of the electronic parts holding means, and then new piece of replacing electronic parts is attached to the holding section. Then the electronic parts holding means is moved toward the substrate, while being guided by the guide means, and after
Arbes Carl J.
Nguyen Tai
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP
Sony Corporation
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