Inspecting apparatus of mounting state of component or printing state of cream solder in mounting line of electronic component

• US 6,167,149 A
• Filed: 06/08/1999
• Issued: 12/26/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsujikawa, Toshihiko, Mizuoka, Seiji, Nagamoto, Masao
• Primary Examiner(s): MEHTA, BHAVESH M
• Application Number:
  US09/327,555
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: 382/141, 382/145-147, 382/150, 348/86, 348/87, 348/90, 348/94, 348/95, 348/125, 348/126
• US Class Current: 382/147
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30141 Printed circuit board [PCB]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30152 Solder
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0006 using a design-rule based approach
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0269 for visual or optical inspection
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/163 Monitoring a manufacturing process
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/167 Using mechanical means for positioning, alignment or registration, e.g. using rod-in-hole alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/1233 Methods or means for supplying the conductive material and for forcing it through the screen or stencil

Abstract

An inspecting apparatus is arranged on an electronic component mounting line for inspecting whether a mounting state of the component mounted on a printed circuit board by a mounting apparatus in a precedent process or a printing state of a cream solder by a cream solder printing apparatus in a precedent process is non-defective or defective. The inspecting apparatus includes an input device for taking data of the mounting state of the component to be inspected or the printing state of the cream solder to be inspected, a comparing device for comparing the data of the mounting state or the printing state input through the input device with an absolute decision criterion having a predetermined allowable range to decide whether the mounting state or the printing state is non-defective or defective and an operating state criterion which is within and narrower than the allowable range of the absolute decision criterion, and a deciding device for deciding an operating state of the mounting apparatus or the cream solder printing apparatus in the precedent process based data within the absolute decision criterion and outside the operating state criterion. An automatic position setting device is operable for setting a relative position of a metal mask and the printed circuit board. Further, a method for inspecting printing states of cream solders includes setting a window in a picked up image, performing color extraction of an element within the window and detecting predetermined patterns, calculating positions and/or areas of the elements, and deciding a defective or nondefective state by comparing the calculated position and/or area with respective reference data.

Claims

1. An inspecting apparatus for use in correcting a relative position of a printed circuit board workpiece and a metal mask of a cream solder printing apparatus, said inspecting apparatus comprising:

an image pick-up device operable to obtain an image of cream solders on the printed circuit board;

a printing position detector operable to detect, from the image, printing positions of the cream solders printed at least at three points on the printed circuit board, to obtain a print shift amount for correcting a relative position of the metal mask and the printed circuit board;

an output device operable to output the print shift amount; and

an automatic position setter operable to set the relative position of the metal mask and the printed circuit board based on the print shift amount.

2. An inspecting method for use in correcting a relative position of a printed circuit board workpiece and a metal mask of a cream solder printing apparatus, said method comprising:

viewing cream solders or the printed circuit board with an image pick-up device to obtain an image of the cream solders;

detecting, from the image, printing positions of the cream solders printed at least at three points on the printed circuit board, to obtain a print shift amount for correcting a relative position of the metal mask and the printed circuit board; and

setting the relative position of the metal mask and the printed circuit board based on the print shift amount.