Pick and place machine with improved setup and operation procedure
First Claim
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.
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Accused Products
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.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A pick and place machine for placing a component upon a workpiece, the machine comprising:
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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.
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2. A pick and place machine fault diagnosis system, the system comprising:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4)
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5. An machine fault diagnosis system for use in a pick and place machine, the device comprising:
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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.
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6. A method of initial pick and place machine setup the method comprising of:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. A method of diagnosing a fault in pick and place operation, the method comprising:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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Specification