FPC assembly detection method, apparatus and system

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of FPC assembly detection method and corresponding equipment and system.The detection method is used to detect whether FPC connector in the FPC joint in vehicle-mounted electronic equipment is assembled qualified, FPC connector includes the base installed on PCB and the buckle that can be pivoted between closed position and non-closed position;When looking along the front view angle, the buckle in closed position will shield the first mark set on the base or PCB, and the buckle in non-closed position will at least partially expose first mark.The detection method includes: using image acquisition device to obtain the first front image of the FPC connector and its periphery, containing the region of first mark;And analysis and identification first front image, wherein, in the case that first mark is at least partially identified from first front image, it is determined that the buckle is in non-closed position and FPC assembly is unqualified.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an FPC assembly inspection method for detecting whether a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) is assembled correctly, as well as corresponding FPC assembly inspection equipment and system. Background Technology

[0002] FPC, also known as flexible printed circuit board, is a type of printed circuit board made with polyimide or polyester film as the substrate. It has high reliability and excellent flexibility. It is favored for its excellent characteristics such as small size, light weight, thinness, free bending and folding, and easy installation. It is widely used in the electronics field, especially in electronic products such as mobile phones, laptops, computer peripherals, PDAs, and digital cameras.

[0003] Electronic components in electronic products can be interconnected via FPCs to transmit signals and / or power. For example, in automotive electronic devices such as in-vehicle displays (e.g., central control screens, instrument panels), the liquid crystal display panel can be connected to a driving circuit formed on a PCB board via an FPC, so that the display of the liquid crystal display panel can be controlled by the driving circuit.

[0004] Therefore, the FPC needs to be connected to the PCB board, which is achieved by fitting an FPC connector at one end of the FPC to an FPC connector mounted on the PCB board. This FPC connector typically includes a base mounted on the PCB board and a latch pivotally connected to the base, which can pivot between an open and closed position. In the open position, the latch flips up from the base to allow the FPC connector to be placed on the base. The latch can then pivot towards the base until it is parallel to the base, reaching the closed position to clamp the FPC connector into a recess defined between the latch and the base.

[0005] To ensure that the FPC connector is properly positioned in the FPC connector to provide a reliable mechanical and electrical connection, one known practice is to print an marking (which may be called an "FPC mark," for example, a thick white line extending along the width of the FPC) on the FPC near its connector. After the FPC connector is assembled into the FPC connector, it is checked whether the mark is at least partially exposed from the snap-fit ​​of the FPC connector. If the mark is not visible at all, the FPC connector is considered to be properly assembled in the FPC connector.

[0006] However, in the actual production and application of automotive electronic devices, it has been found that even after the above assembly and inspection processes, products that are deemed to have qualified FPC assembly still occasionally experience problems such as the FPC connector becoming loose or shifting within the FPC connector, or even coming out of the FPC connector. This leads to product malfunctions (such as display interruption or abnormal display of the automotive display device) and triggers customer complaints. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and / or other defects in FPC assembly inspection, that is, to more accurately and reliably detect whether the FPC connector is properly assembled in the corresponding FPC connector.

[0008] Through careful research, the inventors discovered that the secure assembly of the FPC connector in the aforementioned FPC connector depends on more than one factor. In the known detection techniques described above, checking whether the white line marking on the FPC assembled into the FPC connector protrudes from the connector clip only determines whether the FPC connector itself is properly positioned in the groove between the FPC connector's base and the clip (i.e., whether the FPC connector is inserted to a sufficient depth in the groove or whether the FPC connector is misaligned in the groove) or whether the FPC connector's clip is largely engaged (i.e., the clip appears to be in the closed position). However, even if the FPC connector is properly positioned in the slot and the clips are mostly engaged, the clips may not be fully engaged (i.e., they are just short of fully pivoting to their closed position parallel to the base, which can be called the "limit assembly state"). In this case, the FPC connector is not securely clamped in the slot. Once subjected to external force (such as vibration of automotive electronic equipment during vehicle operation), it is easy for it to loosen and shift within the FPC connector, or even detach from it, leading to FPC connection failure. Furthermore, in this limit assembly state where the FPC connector clips are not fully engaged, the white markings on the FPC may still be completely obscured by the clips (because the clips are mostly engaged). In this case, the known FPC assembly inspection methods described above will incorrectly determine that the FPC assembly is "qualified." Subsequent processes will not be able to detect this defect of the connector clips not being fully engaged, which is why products deemed qualified after the aforementioned assembly inspection may still fail.

[0009] In view of this, the present invention proposes to also detect the extreme assembly state of the FPC connector clips when judging whether the FPC assembly is qualified. If such extreme assembly state is detected, the FPC assembly is judged to be unqualified, so as to avoid misjudgment of FPC assembly and product failure due to the omission of such defects. Accordingly, the present invention also designs a specific FPC assembly detection scheme.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, an FPC assembly inspection method is provided for detecting whether an FPC connector in an automotive electronic device is properly assembled in a corresponding FPC connector. The FPC connector includes a base mounted on a PCB board and a latch pivotable between a closed position and an open position. In the closed position, the latch is parallel to the base to define a receiving groove for receiving the FPC connector; in the open position, the latch is not parallel to the base. When viewed from a frontal perspective, the latch in the closed position will obscure a first mark disposed on the base or PCB board, while the latch in the open position will at least partially expose the first mark. The inspection method includes the following steps: acquiring a first frontal view image of the FPC connector with the FPC connector assembled thereon and its surrounding area, including the area containing the first mark, using an image acquisition device; and analyzing and identifying the first frontal view image, wherein if the first mark is not identified from the first frontal view image, it is determined that the latch is in the closed position; and if the first mark is at least partially identified from the first frontal view image, it is determined that the latch is in the open position and the FPC assembly is unqualified.

[0011] According to an exemplary configuration, when viewed from the frontal viewpoint, a latch in the closed position with the FPC connector in place in the groove will obscure a second identifier on the FPC. The detection method further includes the following steps: acquiring a second frontal view image of the FPC connector equipped with the FPC connector and its surrounding area, including the area where the second identifier is located, using an image acquisition device; and analyzing and identifying the second frontal view image, wherein if the second identifier is not identified from the second frontal view image, it is determined that the FPC connector is in place in the groove; and if the second identifier is at least partially identified from the second frontal view image, it is determined that the FPC assembly is defective.

[0012] According to one exemplary configuration, the FPC assembly is deemed successful when the buckle is in the closed position and the FPC connector is properly positioned in the groove.

[0013] According to an exemplary configuration, acquiring the first front view image and the second front view image using an image acquisition device includes: acquiring an overall front view image of an FPC connector equipped with an FPC connector and a predetermined area around it using an image acquisition device, and selecting a portion containing the area where the first identifier is located and a portion containing the area where the second identifier is located from the overall front view image as the first front view image and the second front view image, respectively.

[0014] According to one exemplary configuration, the portion of the base itself located on both sides of the FPC in the width direction and whose color is different from that of the buckle is used as the first identifier.

[0015] According to an exemplary configuration, an image enhancement algorithm is used to analyze and identify the first or second front view image.

[0016] According to an exemplary configuration, analyzing and identifying the first or second front view image using an image enhancement algorithm includes: performing binarization processing on the first or second front view image as the target image; performing a closing-opening operation on the binarized target image to remove image interference; and counting the number of image grayscale pixels corresponding to the first or second identifier in the target image after the closing-opening operation, and determining that the buckle is in a non-closed position or the FPC connector is not properly placed in the slot and the FPC assembly is unqualified when the counted number is greater than the corresponding threshold.

[0017] Another aspect of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program including executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement a method according to any of the configurations described above.

[0018] Another aspect of the present invention provides an FPC assembly inspection apparatus, comprising: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute the executable instructions to implement an FPC assembly inspection method according to any of the above-described configurations.

[0019] Another aspect of the present invention provides an FPC assembly inspection system, comprising: an image acquisition device; and the FPC assembly inspection equipment as described above.

[0020] According to the FPC assembly inspection method, equipment, and system of the present invention, after the FPC assembly is completed, the system checks whether the snap-fit ​​of the FPC connector is fully engaged. If a snap-fit ​​is not fully engaged, the FPC assembly is deemed unqualified. This improves the accuracy and reliability of assembly result judgment compared to known FPC assembly inspection methods. Combining this inspection method with assembly inspection using FPC markings on the FPC yields more accurate and reliable results, ensuring the robustness of the FPC assembly and significantly reducing the incidence of product failures due to unqualified FPC assembly. The FPC assembly inspection method of the present invention is simple, easy to implement, has a short inspection time, high efficiency, and does not incur additional costs. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The features and advantages of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are non-limiting embodiments. The drawings are merely illustrative and not necessarily drawn to scale. Furthermore, they show only those parts necessary to illustrate the invention, while other parts may be omitted or simply mentioned. That is, the invention may include other parts or elements besides those shown in the drawings.

[0022] In the attached diagram:

[0023] Figure 1 This is an assembly diagram of an FPC and an FPC connector on a PCB board according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figures 2 to 4 These are schematic diagrams illustrating three different test results of an FPC assembly inspection method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of an FPC assembly inspection method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic structural diagram of an FPC assembly and inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0027] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that implementations of the invention may not include some of these specific details. Furthermore, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described. Rather, the invention can be conceived to be practiced with any combination of the features and elements described herein, regardless of whether they relate to different embodiments. Therefore, the following aspects, features, embodiments, and advantages are illustrative only and should not be construed as elements or limitations of the claims unless expressly set forth in the claims.

[0028] Now refer to Figure 1 This illustration shows an exemplary configuration of an FPC and its connector to which the FPC assembly inspection method according to the present invention is applicable. FPC 1 includes a flat, ribbon-like FPC body 11 and an FPC connector mounted at the end of the FPC body 11. FPC connector 2 includes a base 21 mounted on a PCB board 50 and a latch 22 pivotally connected to the base 21. The latch 22 is, for example, plate-shaped as illustrated, and pivotable between an open and closed position. Figure 1 In the open position shown, the latch 22 flips up from the base 21 to allow the FPC connector to be placed on the base. Figure 1In the view, the FPC connector is obscured by the clip 22 and is not visible. After the FPC connector is placed on the base 21, the clip 22 can be pivoted toward the base 21 until it is parallel to the base (more specifically, parallel to the surface of the base 21 that holds the FPC connector). Figure 2 Alternatively, the FPC connector can be positioned as shown in Figure 4, clamping it into the recess defined between the latch 22 and the base 21. In this state, conductive components (such as gold fingers) on the FPC connector will be connected to terminals 23 of the FPC connector 2, allowing the FPC 1 to be electrically connected to the circuitry on the PCB board 50 via terminals 23.

[0029] To ensure a secure connection between FPC 1 and FPC connector 2, the FPC connector should be properly positioned within the groove between the clip 22 and the base 21. For example, the FPC connector should be positioned precisely within this groove and inserted to a sufficient depth to ensure adequate conductive area. Therefore, after the FPC connector is assembled into FPC connector 2, the assembly result can be checked to determine if the FPC connector is properly positioned within the groove.

[0030] One detection method involves pre-setting an identifier 12 (“FPC identifier”) on the FPC body 11 near the FPC connector. This identifier could be, for example, a line of a certain thickness extending along the width of the FPC. The color of this line can be easily distinguished from the color of the latch 22; for example, the line is white while the latch is black (in the figure, the latch 22 is not colored, so a shaded line represents the white identifier 12 for differentiation). The position and size of the FPC identifier 12 on the FPC body 11 are set such that when the FPC connector is in place in the recess, if the latch 22 is pivoted to the closed position, the FPC identifier 12 will be completely obscured by the latch 22 when viewed from a frontal view perpendicular to the FPC connector mounting surface or the PCB board 50, or perpendicular to the latch 22 or the base 21. However, if the FPC connector is not properly positioned in the recess (e.g., insufficient insertion depth or misalignment), the FPC identifier 12 will be at least partially exposed from the latch 22 in the closed position when viewed from a frontal view. Figure 2This illustrates a situation where the FPC connector's insertion depth in the receiving groove is insufficient when the latch 22 is in the closed position, at which point the FPC identifier 12 is partially exposed from the latch 22. During FPC assembly inspection, an image acquisition device, such as a camera, is used to acquire a frontal view image of the FPC connector 2 with the FPC connector assembled and its surroundings. This frontal view image must include the area where the FPC identifier 12 is located. In this invention, as described above, "frontal view" refers to the viewing angle perpendicular to the direction perpendicular to the FPC connector bearing surface of the latch 22 or base 21 in the closed position, or the PCB board 50 (these three are parallel to each other). Therefore, the image acquisition device can be positioned above the PCB board 50, directly facing the location of the FPC connector, which is the simplest setup and shooting method (theoretically, it can also be shot at an angle, but the latch 22 needs to be positioned to obstruct the FPC identifier 12 accordingly). After acquiring the aforementioned frontal view image, various computer image recognition algorithms (such as image enhancement algorithms) can be used to analyze and identify the content captured in the image. If the FPC identifier 12 is not identified from the front view image, it can be determined that the FPC identifier 12 is completely obscured by the clip 22, and the FPC connector is properly placed in the groove. However, if the FPC identifier 12 is at least partially identified from the front view image, it can be determined that the FPC connector is not properly placed in the groove or that the clip 22 is still in the open position due to being forgotten to be fastened, and the FPC assembly is therefore unqualified.

[0031] However, as mentioned above, the inventors found after research that the above assembly detection method still has shortcomings, namely, it cannot detect the extreme assembly state of the buckle 22 that may lead to FPC connection failure. Figure 3 This extreme assembly state is illustrated, where the FPC connector is positioned in the groove, and while the clip 22 is mostly engaged, it is not fully engaged (i.e., it has not yet reached the closed position parallel to the base, but is in a slightly raised position that is barely visible to the naked eye). At this time, when viewed from the front, the FPC marking 12 on the FPC body 11 is still completely obscured by the clip 22. Therefore, the assembly inspection method described above will incorrectly conclude that the FPC assembly is qualified. In reality, because the clip 22 is not fully engaged, the FPC connector may still detach from the FPC connector when subjected to external force (such as in a vehicle vibration environment), leading to FPC connection failure.

[0032] Therefore, the starting point of this invention is to detect the extreme assembly state of the latch 22 as well, so as to improve the accuracy and reliability of the assembly result judgment. In a specific solution, this invention envisions setting another mark (hereinafter referred to as "latch mark") on the base 21 or PCB board 50 of the FPC connector 2. The position and size of the latch mark are set such that, when viewed from the front, the latch 22 in the closed position will completely cover the latch mark, while the latch 22 in the open position (raised high from the base) or the extreme assembly position (slightly raised from the base) will at least partially expose the latch mark. In this way, after the FPC is assembled, if the latch mark is found to be completely covered by the latch 22, it indicates that the latch 22 is fully engaged; conversely, if the latch mark is still at least partially exposed from the latch 22, it indicates that the latch 22 is not fully engaged or is not engaged at all.

[0033] To detect extreme assembly conditions, an image acquisition device such as a camera can be used to acquire a front view image of the FPC connector with the FPC joint and its surroundings. This front view image must include the area where the aforementioned snap-fit ​​markings are located. Then, a computer image recognition algorithm is used to analyze and identify whether the snap-fit ​​markings appear in the front view image. Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, portions 211 of the base 21 itself located on both sides of the FPC in the width direction and differing in color from the snap fasteners 22 are used as snap fastener identifiers (e.g., the base 21 and its portions 211 are set to white to distinguish them from the black snap fasteners 22). In this case, the aforementioned front view image may include two sub-images respectively covering these two portions 211 and their surroundings. Those skilled in the art will understand that specialized markings provided on the base 21 or the PCB board 50, which are easily distinguishable from snap fasteners 22 in image recognition, can also be used as snap fastener identifiers.

[0034] As an example of a computer image recognition algorithm for analyzing and identifying buckle markings from the aforementioned front view image, an image enhancement algorithm can also be used. More specifically, the image enhancement algorithm may include the following steps: (1) First, binarize the front view image, which is the target image; for this purpose, a binarization threshold can be set, and the image grayscale values ​​greater than and less than the binarization threshold can be set to 255 (corresponding to white) and 0 (corresponding to black), which is equivalent to converting the target image into a black and white image. (2) Perform a closing-opening operation on the binarized target image to remove image interference. (3) Count the number of image grayscale pixels (i.e., white pixels with an image grayscale value of 255) corresponding to the buckle markings in the target image after the closing-opening operation, and compare the counted number with a pre-set number threshold; when the counted number is greater than the number threshold, it indicates that the buckle markings are not completely obscured by the buckle 22, and it can be determined that the buckle 22 is in a non-closed position and the FPC assembly is unqualified. Here, when the two portions 211 of the base 21 located on both sides of the FPC's width direction are designated as snap-fit ​​identifiers, the two sub-images containing the two portions 211 can be analyzed and identified separately. If the number of pixels with a grayscale value of 255 in either sub-image is greater than the corresponding threshold, it can be determined that the snap-fit ​​22 is in a non-closed position and the FPC assembly is unqualified. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that the image enhancement algorithm used in the detection and identification of FPC identifiers described above can similarly include the above steps.

[0035] By utilizing the detection method described above according to the present invention, the above-mentioned extreme assembly states in FPC assembly were detected, thereby improving the accuracy and reliability of assembly result judgment.

[0036] The detection and identification of the FPC's extreme assembly state according to the present invention (i.e., detection and identification of snap-fit ​​markings) can be combined with the aforementioned detection and identification of FPC markings (mainly to determine whether the FPC connector is properly positioned in the groove), thereby forming a more comprehensive FPC assembly inspection procedure to obtain more accurate and reliable inspection and judgment results. This ensures the reliability of FPC assembly and greatly reduces the incidence of product failures caused by unqualified FPC assembly. See below for reference. Figure 5 The flowchart shown describes the steps of the FPC assembly inspection procedure.

[0037] In step F1, the image acquisition device acquires a front view image (referred to as the "first front view image") of the FPC connector equipped with the FPC connector and the surrounding area containing the snap-fit ​​mark (referred to as the "first mark").

[0038] In step F2, the acquired first front view image is analyzed and identified. If the first mark is identified at least partially from the first front view image (i.e., the judgment result of step F2 is "yes"), it indicates that the buckle is in a non-closed position, and the FPC assembly can be directly determined to be unqualified. If the first mark is not identified from the first front view image (i.e., the judgment result of step F2 is "no"), it indicates that the buckle is in a closed position, and the program proceeds to step S2 below.

[0039] In step S1, an image acquisition device is used to acquire a frontal view image (referred to as the "second frontal view image") of the FPC connector equipped with the FPC connector and the surrounding area containing the FPC mark (referred to as the "second mark").

[0040] In step S2, the acquired second front view image is analyzed and identified. If the second mark is identified at least partially from the second front view image (i.e., the judgment result of step S2 is "yes"), it indicates that the FPC connector is not properly placed in the groove or the buckle is not fastened at all, and the FPC assembly can be directly determined to be unqualified. If the second mark is not identified from the second front view image (i.e., the judgment result of step S2 is "no"), it indicates that the FPC connector is properly placed in the groove. In this case, combined with the "buckle is in the closed position" judgment in step F2, the FPC assembly can be determined to be qualified. Figure 4 This shows a schematic diagram of a properly assembled FPC and its connector, in which the first and second markings are completely obscured by the snap-fit ​​22 and are therefore invisible and unidentifiable.

[0041] It should be noted that step F1 can be performed before, after, or simultaneously with step S1. Correspondingly, step F2 can also be performed before, after, or simultaneously with step S2. However, the FPC assembly is deemed qualified only if the judgment results of both steps F2 and S2 are "no".

[0042] While steps F1 and S1 are performed simultaneously, an image acquisition device can acquire an overall front view image of the FPC connector equipped with the FPC connector and its surrounding predetermined range. Within this overall front view image, the portion containing the area of ​​the first identifier and the portion containing the area of ​​the second identifier are selected as the first and second front view images, respectively. In this way, the image acquisition device only needs to capture a large-area image once, and then a more precise small area can be selected from that image as the desired first and second front view images. This improves the speed and accuracy of image acquisition and image recognition.

[0043] In summary, the FPC assembly inspection method described above according to the present invention has high accuracy and reliability, is simple and easy to implement, has a short inspection time and high efficiency, and does not incur additional costs.

[0044] Corresponding to the above-described FPC assembly inspection method, the present invention also provides an FPC assembly inspection system. Figure 6 A structural diagram of an exemplary configuration of such an FPC assembly inspection system is shown. The FPC assembly inspection system 500 may include an image acquisition device 300 and an FPC assembly inspection apparatus 400. The FPC assembly inspection apparatus 400 may include a processor 410 and a memory 420 for storing executable instructions of the processor. The processor 410 is configured to perform various steps of the FPC assembly inspection method according to any of the above embodiments by executing the executable instructions. The image acquisition device 300 may interact with the FPC assembly inspection apparatus 400, which may control the former to acquire the first front view image and / or the second front view image as described above.

[0045] The present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the program including executable instructions that, when executed by, for example, a processor, can implement the steps of the FPC assembly inspection method according to any of the above embodiments. In some possible embodiments, aspects of the present invention can also be implemented as a program product including program code that, when run on a terminal device, causes the terminal device to perform the steps of various exemplary embodiments of the FPC assembly inspection method according to the present invention.

[0046] The program product for implementing the above-described FPC assembly inspection method according to embodiments of the present invention can employ a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) and include program code, and can run on a terminal device such as a computer. However, the program product of the present invention is not limited thereto. In this document, a readable storage medium can be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that can be used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0047] The program product may employ any combination of one or more readable media. A readable medium may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. A readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof. More specific examples of readable storage media (a non-exhaustive list) include: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable disk, a hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0048] The computer-readable storage medium may include data signals propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, carrying readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. The readable storage medium may also be any readable medium other than a readable storage medium, capable of transmitting, propagating, or transmitting programs for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The program code contained on the readable storage medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, optical fiber, RF, etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0049] Program code for performing the operations of this application can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java and C++, and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as C or similar languages. The program code can execute entirely on the user's computing device, partially on the user's device, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In cases involving remote computing devices, the remote computing device can be connected to the user's computing device via any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or it can be connected to an external computing device (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0050] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the exemplary embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (such as a CD-ROM, USB flash drive, external hard drive, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to cause a computing device (such as a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the FPC assembly and testing method according to the embodiments of the present invention.

[0051] The FPC assembly inspection method and corresponding equipment and system according to the present invention are applicable to various occasions where FPC assembly is required, and are particularly applicable to situations where failure to detect the extreme assembly state of FPC may easily lead to FPC connection failure. For example, it is particularly advantageous for FPC assembly inspection in vehicle electronic equipment that may operate in a vibration environment.

[0052] Other embodiments of the invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure herein. This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention that follow the general principles of the invention and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the invention are indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An FPC assembly inspection method for detecting whether an FPC connector in an automotive electronic device is properly assembled in a corresponding FPC connector, wherein the FPC connector includes a base mounted on a PCB board and a latch pivotable between a closed position and an open position; in the closed position, the latch is parallel to the base to define a receiving groove for receiving the FPC connector, and in the open position, the latch is not parallel to the base. When viewed from a frontal perspective, the latch in the closed position will obscure the first mark on the base or PCB board, while the latch in the open position will at least partially expose the first mark. The detection method includes the following steps: A first frontal view image of an FPC connector equipped with an FPC connector and its surrounding area, including the area where the first mark is located, is acquired using an image acquisition device; and The first front view image is analyzed and identified. If the first mark is not identified from the first front view image, it is determined that the buckle is in a closed position. If the first mark is identified at least partially from the first front view image, it is determined that the buckle is in a non-closed position and the FPC assembly is defective.

2. The FPC assembly inspection method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When viewed from a frontal perspective, the latch in the closed position, with the FPC connector properly positioned in the groove, will obscure the second marking on the FPC. The detection method further includes the following steps: A second front view image of an FPC connector equipped with an FPC connector and its surrounding area, including the area where the second mark is located, is acquired using an image acquisition device; and The second front view image is analyzed and identified. If the second mark is not identified from the second front view image, it is determined that the FPC connector is properly positioned in the groove. If the second mark is identified at least partially from the second front view image, it is determined that the FPC assembly is defective.

3. The FPC assembly inspection method according to claim 2, characterized in that, If the buckle is determined to be in the closed position and the FPC connector is properly positioned in the groove, the FPC assembly is deemed to be qualified.

4. The FPC assembly inspection method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Acquiring the first front view image and the second front view image using an image acquisition device includes: acquiring an overall front view image of an FPC connector equipped with an FPC connector and a predetermined area around it using an image acquisition device, and selecting a portion containing the area where the first identifier is located and a portion containing the area where the second identifier is located from the overall front view image as the first front view image and the second front view image, respectively.

5. The FPC assembly inspection method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The portion of the base itself located on both sides of the FPC in the width direction and whose color differs from that of the buckle is used as the first identifier.

6. The FPC assembly inspection method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The first or second orthographic image is analyzed and identified using an image enhancement algorithm.

7. The FPC assembly inspection method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Analyzing and identifying the first or second orthographic image using image enhancement algorithms includes: The first or second front view image, which serves as the target image, is binarized. Perform closing-opening operations on the binarized target image to remove image interference; and The number of grayscale pixels in the target image corresponding to the first identifier or the second identifier after the closing-opening operation is counted, and if the counted number is greater than the corresponding threshold, it is determined that the buckle is in a non-closed position or the FPC connector is not properly placed in the groove and the FPC assembly is unqualified.

8. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program including executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the FPC assembly inspection method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. An FPC assembly and testing device, comprising: Processor (410); as well as Memory (420) for storing executable instructions of the processor; The processor is configured to execute the executable instructions to implement the FPC assembly inspection method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. An FPC assembly inspection system, comprising: Image acquisition device; as well as The FPC assembly and testing equipment according to claim 9.

Images