METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR POPULATING PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR CARRYING OUT THE METHOD

• US 20180324991A1
• Filed: 11/12/2015
• Published: 11/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Pfaffinger, Alexander, Royer, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 10,743,449 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41805 characterised by assembly
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45026 Circuit board, pcb
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/0452 Mounting machines or lines comprising a plurality of tools for guiding different components to the same mounting place H05K13/0406, H05K13/041 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/085 Production planning, e.g. of allocation of products to machines, of mounting sequences at machine or facility level
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/087 Equipment tracking or labelling, e.g. tracking of nozzles, feeders or mounting heads
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/0882 Control systems for mounting machines or assembly lines, e.g. centralized control, remote links, programming of apparatus and processes as such H05K13/083 takes precedence

Abstract

Set-up families with associated set-ups are provided for populating printed circuit boards by means of a pick-and-place line. Printed circuit board types are associated with each set-up family and component types are associated with each set-up, such that a printed circuit board of a printed circuit board type in a set-up family is populated on the pick-and-place line by means of components of the component types associated with the set-up. Stocks of components of the component types of a set-up are provided by means of set-up tables on the pick-and-place line. A method for populating the printed circuit boards includes the steps of detecting printed circuit board types of which printed circuit boards are intended to be populated with components of associated component types, of associating detected printed circuit board types with a predetermined number of set-up families, and of optimizing the association operation with respect to a predetermined criterion.

Claims

1-12. -12. (canceled)

13. A method for populating printed circuit boards by means of a pick-and-place line, a plurality of set-up families with associated set-ups , a plurality of printed circuit board types being assigned to each set-up family and a plurality of component types being assigned to each associated set-up, wherein a printed circuit board of a printed circuit board type in a set-up family is populated by means of components of the component types in the set-up on the pick-and-place line, and stocks of components of the component types in a set-up being able to be provided by means of set-up tables on the pick-and-place line, the method comprising:

detecting the plurality of printed circuit board types, the plurality of printed circuit boards of which are intended to be populated with components of associated component types;

assigning the detected printed circuit board types to a predetermined number of set-up families; and

optimizing the assignment with respect to a predetermined criterion;

wherein;

each printed circuit board type is assigned an order number which indicates how many population orders are present for the printed circuit board type for populating on the pick-and-place line in a predetermined planning horizon, and the criterion comprising maximizing a sum of the order numbers as far as possible;

or a quantity of the plurality of printed circuit boards to be populated being assigned to each printed circuit board type, and the criterion comprising maximizing a sum of the quantities, which are populated by means of all set-ups on the pick-and-place line, as far as possible,

or a quantity of the plurality of printed circuit boards to be populated and a population time which is needed to populate a printed circuit board of the printed circuit board type on the pick-and-place line being assigned to each printed circuit board type, and the criterion comprising maximizing the population time, which is needed to populate all printed circuit boards of all printed circuit board types, as far as possible;

wherein the optimization is carried out in such a manner that the component types in the set-ups of all set-up families are divided among set-up tables such that at least one constant set-up table can remain on the pick-and-place line over all set-ups, one of the set-ups is provided on the pick-and-place line, and the plurality of printed circuit boards of a printed circuit board type assigned to the set-up family of the set-up are populated on the pick-and-place line.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein exactly two set-ups are provided, with the result that a set-up is bijectively assigned to each set-up family.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the optimization is carried out by means of mixed integer programming.

16. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the determined set-up families are each assigned a fixed set-up which remains unchanged within a predetermined planning horizon.

18. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the assignment is carried out in such a manner that a space used by the plurality of component types, which are assigned to a pick-and-place line) within the scope of the particular set-up, complies with a predetermined portion of an available space.

19. A system for populating printed circuit boards, comprising

a pick-and-place line;

and

a processing device respectively assigning printed circuit board types, the associated printed circuit boards of which are intended to be populated on the pick-and-place line, to a set-up family according to the method as claimed in claim 13.

17. The method as claimed in claiml6, further comprising dividing the plurality of component types in the set-ups among the set-up tables and the at least one constant set-up table in such a manner that the at least one constant set-up table can remain on the pick-and-place line over all fixed set-ups.