Automatic assembly apparatus and automatic assembly method

• US 6,205,636 B1
• Filed: 09/01/1999
• Issued: 03/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Abe, Toshiki, Ariyoshi, Hiroshi, Eguchi, Norifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hughes, S. Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): COMPTON, ERIC B
• Application Number:
  US09/387,552
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 294/070.1, 294/070.4, 294/070.9, 294/071, 297/14, 297/20, 297/59, 298/33, 298/34, 297/01, 700/257, 700/259, 700/59, 700/194, 348/87, 382/151
• US Class Current: 29/407.1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/401 characterised by control arrangements for measuring, e.g. calibration and initialisation, measuring workpiece for machining purposes G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33259 Conversion of measuring robot coordinates to workpiece coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37555 Camera detects orientation, position workpiece, points of workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49133 with component orienting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4978 Assisting assembly or disassembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53004 with means to regulate operation by use of templet, tape, card or other replaceable information supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53087 with signal, scale, illuminator, or optical viewer

Abstract

A die bonder equipped with an image recognition unit having a zoom optical system for placing a chip to a correct location in accordance with recognition results delivered from the image recognition unit. Data related with the recognition offset data that specify a relationship in the relative location between optical coordinates system and mechanical coordinates system, and the pixel rate, etc. are stored in advance in a correction magnification index memory section, maintaining linkage to respective zoom magnification indices. Results of recognition are converted from a location information in terms of an optical coordinates system into a location information in actual dimensions in terms of a mechanical coordinates system of the die bonder, using a datum selected among the data in accordance with a magnification index at which the chip was pictured by a camera of an image recognition section. The data setting operations, which were required to be done at each time when the zoom magnification rate is changed, are made automatically to an increased operational advantage.

Claims

1. An automatic assembly apparatus having a mechanical coordinate system, for use with an object of recognition, said apparatus comprising:

an image recognition unit operable to produce recognition results, said image recognition unit including an optical coordinate system, and a zoom optical system operable to carry out a location alignment based on the recognition results, said zoom optical system having a variable zoom magnification index;

a memory section operable to store zoom magnification indices of said zoom optical system and a plurality of recognition offset data, which specify a relationship in the relative location between the optical coordinate system of said image recognition unit and the mechanical coordinate system, corresponding to each of the zoom magnification indices, respectively;

a selection section operable to select one recognition offset datum, among the plurality of recognition offset data stored in said memory section, in accordance with the zoom magnification index of said zoom optical system;

a camera operable to obtain an image of the object of recognition;

a recognition process section operable to recognize the image of the object of recognition obtained by said camera and to output, as a result of recognition, location information of the object of recognition in terms of the optical coordinate system;

a coordinate conversion section operable to convert the location information outputted by said recognition process section into mechanical coordinate location information, in terms of the mechanical coordinate system, based on the recognition offset datum selected by said selection section; and

a control section operable to control said automatic assembly apparatus in accordance with the mechanical coordinate location information.

2. The automatic assembly apparatus of claim 1, wherein said selection section is operable to determine the zoom magnification index of said zoom optical system and to select a recognition offset datum corresponding to the zoom magnification index.

3. The automatic assembly apparatus of claim 2, wherein said selection section is operable to determine the zoom magnification index of said zoom optical system based on dimensions of the object of recognition.

4. An automatic assembly apparatus having a mechanical coordinate system, for use with an object of recognition, said apparatus comprising:

an image recognition unit operable to produce recognition results, said image recognition unit including an optical coordinate system, and a zoom optical system operable to carry out a location alignment based on the recognition results, said zoom optical system having a variable zoom magnification index;

a memory section operable to store zoom magnification indices of said zoom optical system, a plurality of recognition offset data, which specify a relationship in the relative location between the optical coordinate system of said image recognition unit and the mechanical coordinate system, corresponding to each of the zoom magnification indices, respectively, and a plurality of pixel rates, which are dimension conversion coefficients between the optical coordinate system and the mechanical coordinate system, corresponding to each of the zoom magnification indices, respectively;

a selection section operable to select one recognition offset datum, among the plurality of recognition offset data stored in said memory section, and one pixel rate, among the plurality of pixel rates stored in said memory section, in accordance with the zoom magnification index of said zoom optical system;

a camera operable to obtain an image of the object of recognition;

a recognition process section operable to recognize the image of the object of recognition obtained by said camera and to output, as a result of recognition, at least location information of the object of recognition in terms of the optical coordinate system;

a coordinate conversion section operable to convert the location information outputted by said recognition process section into mechanical coordinate location information, in terms of the mechanical coordinate system, based on the recognition offset datum and pixel rate selected by said selection section; and

a control section operable to control said automatic assembly apparatus in accordance with the mechanical coordinate location information.

5. The automatic assembly apparatus of claim 4, wherein said selection section is operable to determine the zoom magnification index of said zoom optical system and to select a recognition offset datum corresponding to the zoom magnification index.

6. The automatic assembly apparatus of claim 5, wherein said selection section is operable to determine the zoom magnification index of said zoom optical system based on dimensions of the object of recognition.

7. A method of automatic assembly using a mechanical coordinate system, for use with an object of recognition and an image recognition unit including an optical coordinate system and a zoom optical system, having a variable zoom magnification index, operable to carry out a location alignment based on recognition results produced by the image recognition unit, said method comprising:

storing, in a memory section, zoom magnification indices of the zoom optical system and a plurality of recognition offset data, which specify a relationship in the relative location between the optical coordinate system of the image recognition unit and the mechanical coordinate system, corresponding to each of the zoom magnification indices, respectively;

selecting, in a selection section, one recognition offset datum, among the plurality of recognition offset data stored in the memory section, in accordance with the zoom magnification index of the zoom optical system;

recognizing, in a recognition process section, an image of the object of recognition obtained by a camera and outputting, as a result of recognition, location information of the object of recognition in terms of the optical coordinate system;

converting, in a coordinate conversion section, the outputted location information into mechanical coordinate location information, in terms of the mechanical coordinate system, based on the selected recognition offset datum; and

controlling, in a control section, the automatic assembly in accordance with the mechanical coordinate location information.

8. The method of automatic assembly of claim 7, further comprising:

determining, in the selection section, the zoom magnification index of the zoom optical system; and

selecting, in the selection section, a recognition offset datum corresponding to the zoom magnification index.

9. The method of automatic assembly of claim 8, further comprising:

determining, in the selection section, the zoom magnification index of the zoom optical system based on dimensions of the object of recognition.

10. A method of automatic assembly using a mechanical coordinate system, for use with an object of recognition and an image recognition unit including an optical coordinate system and a zoom optical system, having a variable zoom magnification index, operable to carry out a location alignment based on recognition results produced by the image recognition unit, said method comprising:

storing, in a memory section, zoom magnification indices of the zoom optical system, a plurality of recognition offset data, which specify a relationship in the relative location between the optical coordinate system of the image recognition unit and the mechanical coordinate system, corresponding to each of the zoom magnification indices, respectively, and a plurality of pixel rates, which are dimension conversion coefficients between the optical coordinate system and the mechanical coordinate system, corresponding to each of the zoom magnification indices, respectively;

selecting, in a selection section, one recognition offset datum, among the plurality of recognition offset data stored in the memory section, and one pixel rate, among the plurality of pixel rates stored in the memory section, in accordance with the zoom magnification index of the zoom optical system;

recognizing, in a recognition process section, the image of the object of recognition obtained by a camera and outputting, as a result of recognition, at least location information of the object of recognition in terms of the optical coordinate system;

converting, in a coordinate conversion section, the outputted location information into mechanical coordinate location information, in terms of the mechanical coordinate system, based on the selected recognition offset datum and pixel rate; and

controlling, in a control section, the automatic assembly in accordance with the mechanical coordinate location information.

11. The method of automatic assembly of claim 10, further comprising:

determining, in the selection section, the zoom magnification index of the zoom optical system; and

selecting, in the selection section, a recognition offset datum corresponding to the zoom magnification index.

12. The method of automatic assembly of claim 11, further comprising:

determining, in the selection section, the zoom magnification index of the zoom optical system based on dimensions of the object of recognition.