Method and program for obtaining positioning errors of printed-wiring board, and electronic-circuit-component mounting system

• US 20030209679A1
• Filed: 04/24/2003
• Published: 11/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Fuji Machine Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Kodama, Seigo
• Granted Patent: US 7,036,215 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/559.29
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/0069 Holders for printed circuit boards
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0008 for aligning or positioning of tools relative to the circuit board H05K3/4638, H05K3/4679 take precedence; for manufacturing assemblages of components H05K13/0015
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49131 by utilizing optical sighting device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53178 Chip component

Abstract

An electronic-circuit-component mounting system including at least two component mounting units concurrently operated to mount electronic circuit components on a printed-wiring board, wherein a relative position of the two units is obtained from positions of a common calibration mark fixed provided on machine base commonly for the two units, which positions are detected by fiducial-mark cameras of the two units, or obtained from positions of fiducial marks provided on a fiducial board, which positions are detected by the cameras while the fiducial board is located in alignment with component mounting areas of the two units, and wherein positioning errors of the printed-wiring board relative to the two units are calculated on the basis of the obtained relative position of the two units, and positions of at least two fiducial marks provided on the printed-wiring board, which positions are detected by the cameras of the two units.

Claims

1. A method of obtaining positioning errors of a printed-wiring board on which components are to be mounted by a plurality of component mounting units each of which includes a mounting head, a head drive device operable to move the mounting head, and a recognition device, said method comprising:

a board-positioning step of positioning said printed-wiring board relative to said plurality of component mounting units such that areas of movements of the mounting heads of said plurality of component mounting units cover respective parts of said printed-wiring board, in a direction of arrangement of said component mounting units;

a board-fiducial-portion recognizing step of operating said recognition device of each of at least two of said plurality of component mounting units to recognize at least one of a plurality of fiducial portions of said printed-wiring board, which is recognizable by said recognition device;

a specific-position obtaining step of obtaining specific positions of each of said at least one of said plurality of fiducial portions, in respective specific coordinate systems respectively specific to said at least two component mounting units, on the basis of results of recognition of said each of said at least one of said plurality of fiducial portions by said recognition devices of said at least two component mounting units in said board-fiducial-portion recognizing step; and

a positioning-error obtaining step of obtaining positioning errors of said printed-wiring board relative to said specific coordinate systems of said plurality of component mounting units, on the basis of said specific positions of said each of said at least one of said plurality of fiducial portions, which specific positions have been obtained in said specific-position obtaining step.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said specific-position obtaining step is implemented by a control device of each of said at least two component mounting units, and said positioning-error obtaining step comprises (a) controlling said control device of each of said at least two component mounting units so as to receive the specific position of each of said at least one of said plurality of fiducial portions which has been obtained by a control device of each of the other of said at least two component mounting units, and (b) obtaining said positioning errors of said printed-wiring board on the basis of the specific position received from the control device of said each of said other of said at least two component mounting units, and the specific position of each of said at least one of said plurality of fiducial portions which has been obtained by the control device of said each component mounting unit.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the results of recognition of said each of said at least one of said plurality of fiducial portions by said recognition devices of said at least two component mounting units are supplied to a common computer provided commonly for all of said plurality of component mounting units, and said specific-position obtaining step and said positioning-error obtaining step are implemented by said common computer.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a relative-position obtaining step implemented before said positioning-error obtaining step, to obtain a relative position of said plurality of component mounting units, and said positioning-error obtaining step comprises obtaining said positioning errors of said printed-wiring board on the basis of not only said specific positions obtained in said specific-position obtaining step, but also said relative position obtained in said relative-position obtaining step.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said relative-position obtaining step comprises:

a machine-fiducial-portion recognizing step of operating said recognition devices provided on the mounting heads of said plurality of component mounting units, to recognize a plurality of machine fiducial portions fixed in position relative to said mounting heads, said plurality of machine fiducial portions including a plurality of specific fiducial portions provided exclusively for said plurality of component mounting units, and at least one common fiducial portion provided commonly for adjacent ones of said plurality of component mounting units; and

a step of obtaining the relative position between said adjacent ones of said plurality of component mounting units, on the basis of results of recognition of said recognition devices of said machine fiducial portions in said machine-fiducial-portion recognizing step.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein said relative-position obtaining step comprises:

a step of preparing a fiducial board having a length in the direction of arrangement of said plurality of component mounting units, which length is large enough to extend through at least a part of said area of movement of said mounting head of each of said plurality of component mounting units, said fiducial board having at least one board fiducial portion corresponding to said area of movement of the mounting head of said each component mounting unit;

a board-fiducial-portion recognizing step of positioning said fiducial board such that the areas of movement of the mounting heads of the plurality of component mounting units cover respective parts of said fiducial board each of which has said at least one fiducial portion, and operating said recognition device provided on said mounting head of said each component mounting unit, to recognize at least one of said at least one board fiducial portion; and

a step of obtaining the relative position of said plurality of component mounting units on the basis of a result of recognition of said board fiducial portions by said recognition devices in said board-fiducial-portion recognizing step.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said recognition device is provided on said mounting head of each of said plurality of component mounting units.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said positioning-error obtaining step comprises a step of obtaining an imaginary coordinate system for said printed-wiring board, relative to said specific coordinate systems specific to said plurality of component mounting units, on the basis of said specific positions of said each of said at least one of said plurality of fiducial portions which have been obtained in said specific-position obtaining step.

9. A method of mounting electronic circuit components on a printed-wiring board, comprising:

a board-fiducial-portion recognizing step, a specific-position obtaining step and a positioning-error obtaining step of a method of obtaining positioning errors of the printed-wiring board, as defined in claim 1;

and

a mounting step of mounting the electronic circuit components on said printed-wiring board by said plurality of component mounting units, such that component mounting positions at which the printed-wiring board and the mounting heads of said plurality of component mounting units are positioned relative to each other to mount said electronic circuit components on the printed-wiring board are compensated for at least said positioning errors of the printed-wiring board obtained in said positioning-error obtaining step.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said positioning-error obtaining step comprises a step of obtaining an imaginary coordinate system for said printed-wiring board, relative to said specific coordinate systems specific to said plurality of component mounting units, on the basis of said specific positions of said each of said at least one of said plurality of fiducial portions which have been obtained in said specific-position obtaining step, said method of mounting electronic circuit components further comprising a converting step of converting coordinate values of a plurality of mounting points of the electronic circuit components predetermined in a nominal coordinate system set for a nominal printed-wiring board, into values relating to said mounting points in said specific coordinate systems, on the basis of positional relationships among said nominal coordinate system for the printed-wiring board, said imaginary coordinate system obtained for said printed-wiring board, and said specific coordinate systems of said component mounting units.

11. A program for obtaining positioning errors of a printed-wiring board on which components are to be mounted by a plurality of component mounting units each of which includes a mounting head, a head drive device operable to move the mounting head, and a recognition device, comprising:

a board-positioning step of positioning said printed-wiring board relative to said plurality of component mounting units such that areas of movements of the mounting heads of said plurality of component mounting units cover respective parts of said printed-wiring board, in a direction of arrangements of said component mounting units;

a recognition-result obtaining step of operating said recognition device of each of at least two of said plurality of component mounting units to recognize at least one of a plurality of fiducial portions of said printed-wiring board, which is recognizable by said recognition device, and obtaining information indicative of results of recognition of each of said at least one of said plurality of fiducial portions by said recognition devices of said at least two component mounting units;

a specific-position obtaining step of obtaining specific positions of said each of said at least one of said plurality of fiducial portions, in respective coordinate systems respectively specific to said at least two component mounting units, on the basis of said results of recognition obtained in said recognition-result obtaining step; and

a positioning-error obtaining step of obtaining positioning errors of said printed-wiring board relative to said specific coordinate systems of said plurality of component mounting units, on the basis of said specific positions of said each of said at least one of said plurality of fiducial portions, which specific positions have been obtained in said specific-position obtaining step.

12. A program for obtaining positioning errors of a printed-wiring board on which electronic circuit components are to be mounted by an electronic-circuit-component mounting system comprising (a) a plurality of component mounting units arranged along a straight line and including respective mounting heads and head drive devices operable to move the respective mounting heads, (b) a conveying device operable to transfer said printed-wiring board along said straight line and stop said printed-wiring board at a predetermined position relative to at least two units of said plurality of component mounting units such that areas of movement of the mounting heads of said at least two units cover respective parts of the printed-wiring board, (c) a plurality of individual control devices including respective computers and operable to control said plurality of component mounting units, respectively, and (d) a plurality of recognition devices respectively provided for said plurality of component mounting units and operable to recognize fiducial portions of said printed-wiring board stopped at said predetermined position, said program being executed by each of said computers and comprising:

a positioning-error obtaining step of obtaining positioning errors of said printed-wiring board stopped at said predetermined position, with respect to a specific coordinate system specific to one of said at least two units, on the basis of a position of at least one of said fiducial portions of the printed-wiring board in said specific coordinate system for said one of said at least two units, and a position of at least one other of said fiducial portions in a specific coordinate system specific for another of said at least two units, said positions of said at least one and at least one other of said fiducial portions being obtained on the basis of results of recognition of said at least one and at least one other of said fiducial portions by the recognition devices corresponding to said one and another of said at least two units.

13. A program for mounting electronic circuit components on a printed-wiring board by an electronic-circuit-component mounting system comprising (a) a plurality of component mounting units arranged along a straight line and including respective mounting heads and head drive devices operable to move the respective mounting heads, (b) a conveying device operable to transfer said printed-wiring board along said straight line and stop said printed-wiring board at a predetermined position relative to at least two units of said plurality of component mounting units such that areas of movement of the mounting heads of said at least two units cover respective parts of the printed-wiring board, (c) a plurality of individual control devices including respective computers and operable to control said plurality of component mounting units, respectively, and (d) a plurality of recognition devices respectively provided for said plurality of component mounting units and operable to recognize fiducial portions of said printed-wiring board stopped at said predetermined position, said program being executed by each of said computers and comprising:

a positioning-error obtaining step of obtaining positioning errors of said printed-wiring board stopped at said predetermined position, with respect to a specific coordinate system specific to one of said at least two units, on the basis of a position of at least one of said fiducial portions of the printed-wiring board in said specific coordinate system for said one of said at least two units, and a position of at least one other of said fiducial portions in a specific coordinate system specific for another of said at least two units, said positions of said at least one and at least one other of said fiducial portions being obtained on the basis of results of recognition of said at least one and at least one other of said fiducial portions by the recognition devices corresponding to said one and another of said at least two units; and

a mounting controlling step of compensating a plurality of nominal mounting points of said electronic circuit components predetermined for a nominal printed-wiring board, for at least the positioning errors of said printed-wiring board obtained in said positioning-error obtaining step, and controlling said at least two units of said plurality of component mounting units to mount the electronic circuit components at the compensated nominal mounting points.

14. An electronic-circuit-component mounting system arranged to mount electronic circuit components on a printed-wiring board, comprising:

a plurality of component mounting units arranged along a straight line and including respective mounting heads and head drive devices operable to move the respective mounting heads;

a conveying device operable to transfer said printed-wiring board along said straight line and stop said printed-wiring board at a predetermined position relative to at least two units of said plurality of component mounting units such that areas of movement of the mounting heads of said at least two units cover respective parts of the printed-wiring board;

a plurality of individual control devices including respective computers and operable to control said plurality of component mounting units, respectively;

a plurality of recognition devices respectively provided for said plurality of component mounting units and operable to recognize fiducial portions of said printed-wiring board stopped at said predetermined position;

a positioning-error obtaining device connected to said plurality of recognition devices, to obtain positioning errors of said printed-wiring board stopped at said predetermined position, with respect to a specific coordinate system specific to one of said at least two units, on the basis of a position of at least one of said fiducial portions of the printed-wiring board in said specific coordinate system for said one of said at least two units, and a position of at least one other of said fiducial portions in a specific coordinate system specific for another of said at least two units, said positions of said at least one and at least one other of said fiducial portions being obtained on the basis of results of recognition of said at least one and at least one other of said fiducial portions by the recognition devices corresponding to said one and another of said at least two units; and

a compensating device operable to compensate a plurality of nominal mounting points of said electronic circuit components predetermined for a nominal printed-wiring board, for at least the positioning errors of said printed-wiring board obtained by said positioning-error obtaining device,

and wherein at least two control devices of said at least two units of said plurality of component mounting units are operable to control said at least two units to mount the electronic circuit components at the nominal mounting points as compensated by said compensating device.

15. The electronic-circuit-component mounting system according to claim 14, further comprising a relative-position obtaining device operable to obtain a relative position of said at least two units of said plurality of component mounting units, and said positioning-error obtaining device is operable to obtain the positioning errors of the printed-wiring board with respect to said one of said at least two units, on the basis of not only the positions of said at least one and at least one other of said fiducial portions, but also said relative position of said at least two units obtained by said relative-position obtaining device.