Allocation of printed circuit boards on fitting lines

• US 10,061,306 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2013
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Craiovan, Daniel, Herold, Norbert, Kemper, Thorsten, Pfaffinger, Alexander, Royer, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Everett, Christopher E
• Application Number:
  US14/412,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20150160648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,952 Days
• Field of Search: 700 29, 700 97, 700 99, 700103, 700104, 700111, 700121, 700213, 700215, 700218, 700219, 700221
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/418 Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible manufacturing systems [FMS], integrated manufacturing systems [IMS] or computer integrated manufacturing [CIM]
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45031 Manufacturing semiconductor wafers
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/085 Production planning, e.g. of allocation of products to machines, of mounting sequences at machine or facility level

Abstract

A method for allocating printed circuit boards to the fitting lines of a fitting system configured for fitting printed circuit boards with electronic components includes: determining requirements for fitting each of a plurality of printed circuit boards with respective components; and allocating the printed circuit boards to fitting lines under predetermined conditions by integral linear programming. The allocation is carried out such that differences between the component variances of the fitting lines are minimized. The component variance of a fitting line represent the number of different components configured to be fitted to all printed circuit boards allocated to the fitting line.

Claims

1. A method for fitting printed circuit boards with components using fitting lines of a fitting system, the method comprising:

detecting a plurality of requirements, wherein each of the plurality of requirements defines a printed circuit board and respective components to be fitted thereon;

allocating the printed circuit board to fitting lines under predetermined specifications using integer linear programming; and

fitting the printed circuit board with components on respectively allocated fitting lines,

wherein differences in component variances of the fitting lines are minimized,

wherein a component variance of a fitting line represents a number of different components configured to be fitted on all printed circuit boards allocated to the fitting line,

wherein a maximum track consumption of all of the fitting lines is minimized, and

wherein track consumption of a fitting line represents the number of adjacent tracks of the fitting line used by a component while being conveyed on the fitting line to the allocated printed circuit board.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the component variance of each fitting line is below a predetermined threshold.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising minimizing a maximum component variance of all of the fitting lines.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising minimizing a sum of component variances of all of the fitting lines.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein a sum of track consumptions of all components of a fitting line is below a predetermined threshold.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein a sum of track consumptions of all components of a fitting line is above a predetermined threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the component variance of each fitting line is above a predetermined threshold.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising minimizing a maximum component variance of all of the fitting lines.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising minimizing a sum of component variances of all of the fitting lines.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein a sum of track consumptions of all components of a fitting line is below a predetermined threshold.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein a sum of track consumptions of all components of a fitting line is above a predetermined threshold.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising minimizing a maximum component variance of all of the fitting lines.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising minimizing a sum of component variances of all of the fitting lines.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising minimizing a sum of component variances of all of the fitting lines.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein a sum of track consumptions of all components of a fitting line is below a predetermined threshold.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein a sum of track consumptions of all components of a fitting line is above a predetermined threshold.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising minimizing a sum of track consumptions of all components of a fitting line.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising optimizing a criterion that comprises a plurality of weighted individual criteria.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stored therein data representing instructions executable by a programmed processor for fitting printed circuit boards with components using fitting lines of a fitting system, the storage medium comprising instructions for:

detecting a plurality of requirements, wherein each of the plurality of requirements defines a printed circuit board and respective components to be fitted thereon;

allocating the printed circuit board to fitting lines under predetermined specifications using integer linear programming; and

fitting the printed circuit board with components on respectively allocated fitting lines,

wherein differences in component variances of the fitting lines are minimized,

wherein a component variance of a fitting line represents a number of different components configured to be fitted on all printed circuit boards allocated to the fitting line,

wherein a maximum track consumption of all of the fitting lines is minimized, and

wherein track consumption of a fitting line represents the number of adjacent tracks of the fitting line used by a component while being conveyed on the fitting line to the allocated printed circuit board.

20. A control device configured for fitting printed circuit boards with components using fitting lines of a fitting system, the control device being configured:

to detect a plurality of requirements, wherein each of the plurality of requirements defines a printed circuit board and respective components to be fitted thereon;

to allocate the printed circuit board to fitting lines under predetermined specifications using integer linear programming, such that differences in component variances of the fitting lines are minimized, wherein a component variance of a fitting line represents a number of different components configured to be fitted on all printed circuit boards allocated to the fitting line, and such that a maximum track consumption of all of the fitting lines is minimized, wherein track consumption of a fitting line represents the number of adjacent tracks of the fitting line used by a component while being conveyed on the fitting line to the allocated printed circuit board; and

to control the fitting of the printed circuit boards with components on respectively allocated fitting lines.