Component mounter, service supplier, and service supplying method

• US 7,142,939 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2002
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Ken, Nakamura, Hitoshi, Nonaka, Satoshi, Yano, Toshio, Iizuka, Akira, Sarashina, Eigo, Isobata, Yoshinori, Okamura, Hiroshi, Masui, Masuo, Misawa, Yoshihiko, Hattori, Yoshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOSOWSKI, ALEXANDER J
• Application Number:
  US10/451,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20040153868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,783 Days
• Field of Search: 700/121, 700/65, 700/117, 438 25- 26, 438/15, 438/106, 298/40, 29739-740, 228/8
• US Class Current: 700/121
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41805 characterised by assembly
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31457 Factory remote control, monitoring through internet
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32226 Computer assisted repair, maintenance of system components
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45026 Circuit board, pcb
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/0465 by soldering H05K13/0469 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5137 including assembling or disassembling station
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53022 with means to test work or product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53161 including deforming means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53174 Means to fasten electrical component to wiring board, base, or substrate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53178 Chip component

Abstract

A service receiving device is provided for in a production facility such as a component mounting apparatus. A service providing device is provided for on a manufacturer'"'"'s side of the production facility. The service receiving device and service providing device are configured to communicate with each other through various communication systems including, for example, the Internet. The communication system can be operated by software to create and/or transmit service responses to problems or production matters, including productivity or quality of maintenance.

Claims

1. A service providing device for providing a service related to mount production, provided for a supplier or a service person side of a component mounting apparatus, the component mounting apparatus comprising a component supplier for supplying a component and a component holder for holding the component from the component supplier and mounting the component onto a circuit board, or a component mounting line in which connection is made so as to include the component mounting apparatus, the service providing device comprising:

a transmitter/receiver configured for performing transmission and reception of information via a communication system including the Internet to and from a service receiver provided on a user side for mount production using the component mounting apparatus or the component mounting line;

a controller configured for accessing of a service independently performed by the service receiver via the transmitter/receiver;

wherein disclosure of an accessible service varies depending on a contract level that a user has with a manufacturer, the contract level being determined based on a level of an operator of the component mounting apparatus, a difficulty level of a mounting technique used for production at a factory, or a request of a user at a delivery destination; and

wherein, when the contract level is low, latest instruction manual information and mending parts stock information are disclosed, and as the contract level increases, a range of disclosure is successively extended to cover virtual training for offering training via a network, mounted component information and mounting order optimization.

2. The service providing device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured for accessing a service for analyzing a problem including at least a production time loss or a quality defect that occurs in the component mounting apparatus by the service receiver via the transmitter/receiver or for accessing a service for monitoring a production status if the problem occurs in the component mounting apparatus by the service receiver via the transmitter/receiver.

3. The service providing device according to claim 1, further comprising a monitoring and analysis software database containing a monitoring and analysis software for monitoring a production status if a problem including at least a production time loss or a quality defect occurs in the component mounting apparatus and for analyzing the problem if the problem occurs,

wherein the controller is configured to instruct the reading out and executing of the monitoring and analysis software from the monitoring and analysis software database by the service receiver via the transmitter/receiver.

4. The service providing device according to claim 1, further comprising a display for displaying a graph showing a transition in shutdown time for each shutdown cause of the component mounting apparatus or in a component holding rate of the component holder of the component mounting apparatus in order to analyze a decrease in an operation rate of the component mounting apparatus.

5. The service providing device according to claim 1, wherein the controller collects inspection result information corresponding to a result of an inspection of a circuit board, on which a component is mounted by the component mounting apparatus, via the transmitter/receiver and is configured for accessing a service for transmitting a service for eliminating a cause of an increase of poor mounting based on a result of analysis of the collected inspection result information, to the service receiver via the transmitter/receiver.

6. The service providing device according to claim 1, comprising a contract database in which a contract level is stored, wherein the controller is used for storing the contract level in the contract database by the service receiver via the transmitter/receiver.

7. The service providing device according to claim 6, wherein presence/absence of automatic transmission of a service at a time of revising the contents of a service or in a periodic manner is stored in the contract database, and

when the presence of the automatic transmission is stored, the controller automatically transmits a service at the time of revising the contents of the service or in a periodic manner to the service receiver via the receiver/transmitter.

8. A service providing method for providing a service related to mount production, the service provided from a service provider provided at a supplier or a service person side of a component mounting apparatus to a service receiver, the component mounting apparatus including a component supplier that supplies a component and a component holder that holds and mounts the supplied component onto a circuit board, or a component mounting line in which connection is made so as to include the component mounting apparatus, the service receiver provided at a user side for mount production using the component mounting apparatus or the component mounting line via a communication system including the Internet, the service providing method comprising:

providing, to the service provider, a service information database in which service data for providing a service program executed for providing a service are stored, the service data including business information, instruction manual information, mending parts information, mounted component data, and maintenance information, and the service program including a virtual training software and an optimization software;

determining, by the service provider, a range of disclosure of a service which the service receiver accesses directly from the service information database depending on a contract level that a user has with the supplier or the service person; and

judging, by the service provider, whether it is necessary to improve a maintenance level of an operator of the component mounting apparatus, and, if it is determined that an improvement in the maintenance level is necessary, the service provider expanding the range of disclosure.

9. A service providing method that provides a service related to mount production, provided to a supplier or a service person side of a component mounting apparatus that includes a component supplier for supplying a component and a component holder for holding the component from the component supplier and for mounting the component onto a circuit board or a component mounting line in which connection is made so as to include the component mounting apparatus, the service providing method comprising:

transmitting and receiving information via a communication system including the Internet to and from a service receiver, provided at a user side for mount production using the component mounting apparatus or the component mounting line;

controlling access to a service independently performed by the service receiver based on the transmission and reception of information via the communication system;

wherein the controlling access comprises varying disclosure of an accessible service depending on a contract level that a user has with a manufacturer, the contract level being determined based on a level of an operator of the component mounting apparatus, a difficulty level of a mounting technique used for production, or a request of a user at a delivery destination; and

wherein, when the contract level is low, latest manual instruction information and mending part stock information are disclosed, and, as the contract level increases, a range of disclosure is successively extended to cover virtual training for offering training via a network, mounted component information and mounting order optimization.

10. The service providing method according to claim 9, further comprising storing, in a contract database, a contract level, wherein the controlling stores the contract level in the contract database by the service receiver via the transmission and reception of information.

11. The service providing method according to claim 10, further comprising storing, in the contract database, presence/absence of automatic transmission of a service at a timing of revising the contents of a service or in a periodic manner, and

when the presence of the automatic transmission is stored, the controlling automatically transmits a service at the timing of revising the contents of the service or in a periodic manner to the service receiver, via the transmission and reception of information.

12. A service providing method for providing a service related to mount production, the service provided from a service provider provided at a supplier or a service person side of a component mounting apparatus to a service receiver, the component mounting apparatus including a component supplier that supplies a component and a component holder that holds and mounts the supply component onto a circuit board, or a component mounting line in which connection is made so as to include the component mounting apparatus, the service receiver provided at a user side for mount production using the component mounting apparatus or the component mounting line via a communication system including the Internet, the service providing method comprising:

providing, to the service provider, a service information data base in which service data for providing a service to a user and a service program executed for providing a service are stored, the service data including business information, instruction manual information, mending parts information, mounting component data, and maintenance information, and the service program including a virtual training software and an optimization software;

determining, by the service provider, a range of disclosure of a service which the service receiver accesses directly from the service information data base depending on a contract level that the user has with the supplier or the service person; and

judging, by the service provider, whether it is necessary to provide a maintenance level of an operator of the component mounting apparatus, and if it is determined that an improvement in the maintenance level is necessary, the service provider expanding the range of disclosure.