Pick and place machine with improved setup and operation procedure

• US 20050125993A1
• Filed: 11/02/2004
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: CyberOptics Corporation (Nordson Corporation)
• Original Assignee: CyberOptics Corporation (Nordson Corporation)
• Inventors: Haugen, Paul R., Badar, Timothy G., Madsen, David D.
• Application Number:
  US10/979,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20050125993A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/739
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/0815 Controlling of component placement on the substrate during or after manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/0857 Product-specific machine setup; Changeover of machines or assembly lines to new product type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49133 with component orienting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53174 Means to fasten electrical component to wiring board, base, or substrate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53196 Means to apply magnetic force directly to position or hold work part

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention improve upon component level inspection performed by pick and place machines. Such improvements include providing first article inspection in pick and place machines by collecting images of the placement event inside the machine and identifying errors as they happen. By displaying this information as it is generated on the machine, the operator can take prompt and effective corrective actions. In one embodiment, images are taken of the placement location before and after placement of the component. These images are then processed and displayed to the operator shortly after the placement has completed. In addition to the images, key measurements are displayed to the operator to assist in the diagnosis of problems as they occur. Key features that are presented to the operator include absence/presence detection, vibration detection and manual visual inspection.

Claims

1. A pick and place machine for placing a component upon a workpiece, the machine comprising:

a placement head having at least one nozzle for releasably holding the component;

a robotic system for generating relative movement between the placement head and the workpiece;

an image acquisition device disposed to obtain at least one image of a placement location of a component;

an output display disposed near the pick and place machine;

wherein the at least one image of the placement operation is viewable to the machine operator using the output display.

2. A pick and place machine fault diagnosis system, the system comprising:

an imaging device for acquiring an image of the workpiece at an intended placement location;

an image processing system to process the image of the placement location;

an image display proximate to the pick and place machine; and

wherein the output of the image processing system is displayed on the image display shortly after the placement event before the assembly of the workpiece is complete.

3. The display system of claim 2 and further comprising:

a graphical display of workpiece vibration

4. The display system of claim 2 and further comprising:

a graphical display of an absence or presence of the placed component.

5. An machine fault diagnosis system for use in a pick and place machine, the device comprising:

an imaging device for acquiring an image of the workpiece at the intended placement location;

an imaging processing device to process the image of the placement location;

a database to store the image processing results of at least one characteristic of the placement operation; and

wherein fault diagnosis is based on results stored in the database.

6. A method of initial pick and place machine setup the method comprising of:

generating a placement event during which at least one component is placed onto a workpiece;

acquiring an image of the placement event;

displaying the image externally to a machine operator; and

adjusting at least one setup parameter of the pick and place machine based on the image.

7. The method of claim 6 and further comprising:

detecting absence of a component during the placement event; and

displaying an absence indication to the machine operator.

8. The method of claim 6 and further comprising:

detecting vibration of the workpiece during the placement event; and

displaying a vibration indication to the machine operator.

9. A method of diagnosing a fault in pick and place operation, the method comprising:

generating a placement event during which at least one component is placed onto a workpiece;

acquiring an image of the placement event;

storing the image of the placement event in a database; and

adjusting at least one parameter of the pick and place machine based on the stored image.

10. The method of claim 9 and further comprising:

extracting a placement parameter from the acquired image; and

storing the placement parameter in a database; and

adjusting at least one parameter of the pick and place machine based on the stored placement parameter.