Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Patent
1995-04-03
1996-10-01
Arbes, Carl J.
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
29712, 29720, 29740, 29741, H05K 330
Patent
active
055601006
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The invention concerns two systems for the automatic disassembly of printed circuit boards with mounted electronic components and a method under use of such a system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Current methods of disposing of printed circuit board assemblies deriving from faulty or outdated devices consist of dumping at landfill sites and incineration. The high content of hazardous and valuable materials means that such boards are particularly interesting as concerns dismantling. It is therefore suitable to separate the components mounted on the printed circuit boards into reusable, recoverable components and those designated as special waste. Manual disassembly of the boards is not economical in view of the high labour costs, while a system that automatically disassembles the components is previously unknown.
For example in the journal "Surface Mount Technology", edition 8 (1992), page 63, in the centre and right-hand columns, it is stated that electronic scrap is not reusable but must be treated materially, i.e. thermally or chemically.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
DE 39 35 424 A1 discloses a line scanning device for recording articulated patterns. To this end, a laser beam is deflected via a plurality of mirrors and lens on to a plane, so that it impinges vertically upon this plane. The reflected laser beam is evaluated by a beam point position detector. This device can especially be used to check circuit boards whereby patterns recorded by the beam point position detector are compared with target values. Such a device cannot automatically execute a board disassembly, as its does not possess tools for disassembly. Furthermore, it does not have the capability to classify the components and therefore to differentiate between reusable, recoverable components and those designated as special waste. The additional disadvantage of this device is that it requires a costly mirror and lens arrangement.
On this basis the invention is based on the problem of disassembling printed circuit boards with mounted electronic components and salvaging the still usable components.
In the following two alternative possible solutions are proposed one of which functions with light and one with infrared radiation.
According to this invention, this object is solved through a lighting device for illuminating the printed circuit boards, an optical sensor, an image processing system and a device for removing the components, whereby the image processing system is designed in such a way that, from the output signal delivered by the optical sensor, it recognises the co-ordinates of the contours and preferably the types of components and controls the device for removing the components.
The central idea of the invention is the design of a system which in a first process step illuminates a printed circuit board with mounted electronic components and records it with an optical sensor. The illumination is advantageously rich in contrast to simplify image processing and to avoid errors. The output signal of the sensor is fed to an image processing system which recognises the co-ordinates of the contours and preferably also the types of components and controls the next process step, in which with the aid of a device the components are removed from the board.
The reusable components can be used again, while the components specified for special disposal can be incinerated separately or disposed of, whereby a large reduction of incurred special waste is achieved. The printed circuit boards are also reusable after the components have all been removed, a pre-condition for recycling, and they have been shredded.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
To improve error protection through a clear recognition of contours of the components even in the case of low brightness contrasts, it is especially proposed that the lighting device generates a punctual light beam that is approximately orthogonal to the plane of the printed circuit board, that a lens is disposed in such a w
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patent: 5384956 (1995-01-01), Sakurai et al.
patent: 5456003 (1995-10-01), Yamamoto et al.
Arbes Carl J.
Schindler Edwin D.
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