Assembling apparatus using back up pins for supporting printed circuit board

• US 5,218,753 A
• Filed: 07/29/1992
• Issued: 06/15/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Instruments Co., Ltd. (Hitachi High- Tech Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Akio, Komori, Ken-ichi, Hagihara, Atsushi, Nakano, Hironobu, Iino, Akihisa, Kawashima, Syozo
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenbaum, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, PETER DUNG BA
• Application Number:
  US07/919,394
• Time in Patent Office: 321 Days
• Field of Search: 29/407, 29/739, 29/740, 29/741, 29/744, 29/759, 29/760, 29/837, 29/842, 29/845, 29/846, 227/3, 227/104, 227/135
• US Class Current: 29/740
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/0069 Holders for printed circuit boards
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53178 Chip component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53261 Means to align and advance work part
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53265 with work-holder for assembly

Abstract

An assembling apparatus includes a mounting table on which a printed circuit board is supported by back-up pins held on a base plate. The mounting table is movable in an X direction and a mounting head for mounting electronic parts on the printed circuit board is movable in a Y direction. A back-up pin stocker is provided in the vicinity of the base plate, which stores spare back-up pins being not used. A replacing unit is provided attached to the mounting head to be movable between the base plate and the back-up pin stocker together with the mounting head so that the back-up pins held on the base plate can be replaced with the back-up pins stored in the back-up pin stocker on the basis of data representative of the type of a printed circuit board, etc. by the replacing unit when the printed circuit board to be assembled is changed.

Claims

1. A circuit board assembling apparatus, comprising:

a supporting table on which back-up pins for supporting a printed circuit board are disposed;

a stocker for vertically storing spare back-up pins being not used;

a replacing unit movable between said supporting table and said stocker for changing the arrangement of the back-up pins disposed in a first pattern on said supporting table to a second pattern by changing locations of back-up pins disposed in said first pattern on said supporting table or stored by said stocker in accordance with the type of a printed circuit board to be supported, and

parts mounting means associated with said replacing unit, for mounting electronic parts onto said printed circuit board supported by said back-up pins.

2. An assembling apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further comprising parts mounting means for mounting electronic parts onto said printed circuit board supported by said back-up pins, wherein said replacing unit is attached to said parts mounting means.

3. An assembling apparatus in accordance with claim 2, further comprising a first moving means for moving said replacing unit together with said parts mounting means.

4. An assembling apparatus in accordance with claim 3, wherein said first moving means moves said replacing unit and said parts mounting means in one direction of X and Y directions, further comprising second moving means for moving said supporting table in the other direction of said X and Y directions.

5. An assembling apparatus in accordance with claim 3, further comprising a movable chute movable in accordance with a width of a printed circuit board to be processed, and a photosensor provided on said movable chute for sensing obstacles.

6. An assembling apparatus in accordance with claim 3, further comprising changing means for changing said replacing means.

7. A circuit board assembling apparatus in accordance with claim 3, further comprising:

a pair of chutes for guiding a printed circuit board, said pair of chutes including at least one movable chute so that an interval between said pair of chutes can be changed in accordance with a width of the printed circuit board;

detecting means provided on said at least one movable chute for detecting obstacles on said supporting table; and

controlling means responsive to detection of the obstacles by said detecting means for controlling a driving source for moving said at least one movable chute to stop movement of said at least one movable chute.

8. A circuit board assembling apparatus, comprising:

a supporting table on which back-up pins for supporting a printed circuit board are disposed;

a stocker for vertically storing spare back-up pins being not used;

a replacing unit movable between said supporting table and said stocker for changing the arrangement of the back-up pins disposed in a first pattern on said supporting table to a second pattern by changing locations of back-up pins disposed in said first pattern on said supporting table or stored by said stocker in accordance with the type of a printed circuit board to be supported; and

adhesive dispensing means associated with said replacing unit for dispensing adhesive onto said printed circuit board supported by said back-up pins.

9. A circuit board assembling apparatus, comprising:

a supporting table on which back-up pins for supporting a printed circuit board are disposed;

a stocker for vertically storing spare back-up pins being not used, said stocker being provided at a location which is separate from said supporting table;

a replacing unit movable between said supporting table and said stocker for changing the arrangement of the back-up pins disposed in a first pattern on said supporting table to a second pattern by changing locations of back-up pins disposed in said first pattern on said supporting table or stored by said stocker in accordance with the type of a printed circuit board to be supported, said replacing unit being movable on a horizontal plane with respect to said table and said stocker, and,

parts mounting means associated with said replacing unit, for mounting electronic parts onto said printed circuit board supported by said back-up pins.