Electric-circuit fabricating system and method, and electric-circuit fabricating program

• US 6,885,905 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2002
• Issued: 04/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Fuji Machine Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Kodama, Seigo, Kawai, Takayoshi, Mitsui, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Gandhi, Jayprakash N.
• Application Number:
  US10/245,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20030059961A1
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• Field of Search: 700/90, 700/95, 700/115, 700/116, 700/117, 700/121, 438/5
• US Class Current: 700/116
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67276 Production flow monitoring, e.g. for increasing throughput program-control systems per se G05B19/00, e.g. total factory control G05B19/418
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67294 using identification means, e.g. labels on substrates or labels on containers
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0266 Marks, test patterns or identification means
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0269 for visual or optical inspection
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09918 Optically detected marks used for aligning tool relative to the PCB, e.g. for mounting of components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09927 Machine readable code, e.g. bar code
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0008 for aligning or positioning of tools relative to the circuit board H05K3/4638, H05K3/4679 take precedence; for manufacturing assemblages of components H05K13/0015

Abstract

An electric-circuit fabricating system for fabricating an electric circuit, by performing a working operation on a circuit substrate, including a substrate holding device to hold the substrate, an imaging device to image a surface of the substrate on which the working operation is to be performed, an imaging control device to control the imaging device to take an image of a substrate-position fiducial mark provided on the substrate, and obtaining substrate-position information on the basis of the image, and a working device to perform the working operation on the substrate, on the basis of the substrate-position information, and wherein the imaging control device is operable to control the imaging device to take an image of a substrate ID mark provided on the substrate as held by the substrate holding device, for obtaining substrate identifying information identifying the substrate, on the basis of the image of the substrate ID mark. Also disclosed are a method and a control program for fabricating an electric circuit by performing the working operation on the substrate.

Claims

1. An electric-circuit fabricating system for fabricating an electric circuit by performing a predetermined working operation on a circuit substrate, comprising:

a substrate holding device operable to hold said circuit substrate at a position substantially aligned with a predetermined working position thereof;

an imaging device operable to image a surface of the circuit substrate on which the predetermined working operation is to be performed;

an imaging control device operable to control said imaging device to take an image of at least one substrate-position fiducial mark provided on said surface of said circuit substrate, and obtain substrate-position information on the basis of said image, said substrate-position information indicating the position at which said circuit substrate is held by said substrate holding device; and

a working device operable to perform the predetermined working operation on said circuit substrate, on the basis of said substrate-position information,

and wherein said imaging control device includes a substrate-identification control portion operable to control said imaging device to take an image of a substrate ID mark provided on said surface of the circuit substrate as held by said substrate holding device, said substrate-identification control portion obtaining substrate identifying information identifying said circuit substrate, on the basis of said image of said substrate ID mark.

2. An electric-circuit fabricating system according to claim 1, wherein said working device is operable to perform said predetermined working operation on said circuit substrate, on the basis of specific information in relation to said substrate identifying information, said specific information indicating at least one specific characteristic of said circuit substrate.

3. An electric-circuit fabricating system according to claim 1, wherein said substrate ID mark is located adjacent one of said at least one substrate-position fiducial mark provided on said surface of said circuit substrate.

4. An electric-circuit fabricating system according to claim 3, wherein said imaging device is capable of taking simultaneously said image of said substrate ID mark and an image of said one of said at least one substrate-position fiducial mark, within an imaging area of said imaging device, and said imaging control device includes a simultaneous-imaging control portion operable to control said imaging device to take simultaneously said images of said one of said at least one substrate-position fiducial mark and said substrate ID mark.

5. An electric-circuit fabricating system according to claim 1, wherein said substrate ID mark consists of a two-dimensional code.

6. An electric-circuit fabricating system according to claim 1, wherein said working device operable to perform said predetermined working operation on said circuit substrate is selected from a group consisting of:

a solder-paste applying device operable to apply to said surface of the circuit substrate a solder paste for fixing electric components on said surface;

an adhesive applying device operable to apply to said surface of the circuit substrate an adhesive for fixing electric components on said surface;

an electric-component mounting device operable to mount electric components on said surface of the circuit substrate;

an inspecting device operable to inspect said predetermined working operation performed on said surface of the circuit substrate.

7. A method of fabricating an electric circuit by performing a predetermined working operation on a circuit substrate, said method comprising:

a substrate-holding step of holding said circuit substrate at a position substantially aligned with a predetermined working position thereof;

a substrate-position-information obtaining step of operating an imaging device to take an image of at least one substrate-position fiducial mark provided on a surface of said circuit substrate, and obtaining substrate-position information on the basis of said image, said substrate-position information indicating the position at which said circuit substrate is held;

substrate-identifying step of operating said imaging device to take an image of a substrate ID mark provided on said surface of the circuit substrate, and obtaining substrate identifying information identifying said circuit substrate, on the basis of said image of said substrate ID mark; and

a working step of performing said predetermined working operation on the basis of said substrate-position information.

8. A control program executed by a computer to perform a predetermined working operation on a circuit substrate, for fabricating an electric circuit, said control program comprising:

a substrate-holding step of holding said circuit substrate at a position substantially aligned with a predetermined working position thereof;

a substrate-position-information obtaining step of operating an imaging device to take an image of at least one substrate-position fiducial mark provided on a surface of said circuit substrate, and obtaining substrate-position information on the basis of said image, said substrate-position information indicating the position at which said circuit substrate is held;

substrate-identifying step of operating said imaging device to take an image of a substrate ID mark provided on said surface of the circuit substrate, and obtaining substrate identifying information identifying said circuit substrate, on the basis of said image of said substrate ID mark; and

a working step of performing said predetermined working operation on the basis of said substrate-position information.

9. A recording medium which is accessible by a computer and which stores a control program which is executed by the computer to perform a predetermined working operation on a circuit substrate, for fabricating an electric circuit, said control program comprising:

a substrate-holding step of holding said circuit substrate at a position substantially aligned with a predetermined working position thereof;

a substrate-position-information obtaining step of operating an imaging device to take an image of at least one substrate-position fiducial mark provided on a surface of said circuit substrate, and obtaining substrate-position information on the basis of said image, said substrate-position information indicating the position at which said circuit substrate is held;

substrate-identifying step of operating said imaging device to take an image of a substrate ID mark provided on said surface of the circuit substrate, and obtaining substrate identifying information identifying said circuit substrate, on the basis of said image of said substrate ID mark; and

a working step of performing said predetermined working operation on the basis of said substrate-position information.