A method for automatically generating steel mesh opening files

Abstract

A method for automatically generating steel mesh opening files, comprising the following steps: S1, parsing a pad file to obtain the geometric elements of the pad; S2, grouping the pads according to the geometric elements of the pads obtained by the analysis; S3, according to the source information of the pad file, searching for pad group data in a database that is consistent with the source information as comparison data, and comparing the pad group obtained by the grouping in step S2 with the comparison data for geometric elements, and judging that the comparison is successful when the difference is less than a threshold; S4, according to the pad opening conversion relationship recorded in the database, converting the pad data of the successfully compared pad group into opening data. The present invention not only reduces manual workload and improves production efficiency, but also ensures the consistency of design ideas and design standards, and helps to ensure stable quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to SMT printing technology, and in particular to a method for automatically generating a steel mesh opening file. Background Art

[0002] SMT is the abbreviation of surface mount technology, which is the most popular technology and process in the electronic assembly industry. It is called surface mount or surface mounting technology. It is a circuit assembly technology that mounts pinless or short-lead surface mount components (abbreviated as SMC / SMD, called chip components in Chinese) on the surface of printed circuit boards (PCB) or other substrates, and assembles them by soldering through reflow soldering or dip soldering.

[0003] Steel mesh, also known as template, is a flat mold used to print solder paste or patch glue in the SMT printing process. The file that controls the production of steel mesh is the Gerber file, which is usually made according to the pad file provided by the customer. In theory, the opening size and shape of the SMT component stencil are consistent with the pad, and are opened in a 1:1 manner. In the actual production process, in order to prevent quality problems such as solder balls, bridging, and displacement caused by tension, the size and shape of the stencil opening are usually modified in a targeted manner. There are some recommended reference solutions for the opening design of common components in the industry. However, not every opening solution is suitable for every customer or every different PCB design. The quality of the stencil design greatly affects the level of SMT welding defects.

[0004] Normally, steel mesh manufacturers will have data processing engineers design opening files based on the pad design files (usually Gerber files) provided by customers. The design standards may come from customer specifications, company practice accumulation, or engineer personal experience. This will lead to the following problems: 1. On a steel mesh, hundreds or thousands of pads are manually processed one by one, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and is a "bottleneck" in the steel mesh production process. 2. Different orders from the same customer are handled by different engineers, which may lead to the application of different design standards, inconsistent design ideas before and after, and inconsistent final printing quality. 3. The personal experience of some engineers cannot be summarized, and personnel turnover has a greater impact on the company's business.

[0005] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the above background technology section is only used for understanding the background of the present application, and therefore may include information that does not constitute prior art known to ordinary technicians in the field. Summary of the invention

[0006] The main purpose of the present invention is to overcome the defects of the above-mentioned background technology and provide a method for automatically generating steel mesh opening files.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] A method for automatically generating a steel mesh opening file comprises the following steps:

[0009] S1, parse the pad file to obtain the geometric elements of the pad;

[0010] S2, grouping the pads according to the geometric elements of the pads obtained by analysis;

[0011] S3, according to the source information of the pad file, searching the database for pad group data that is consistent with the source information as comparison data, and comparing the pad group obtained by grouping in step S2 with the comparison data by geometric elements, and judging that the comparison is successful when the difference is less than a threshold;

[0012] S4. According to the pad opening conversion relationship recorded in the database, convert the pad data of the successfully matched pad group into opening data.

[0013] Further:

[0014] The geometric elements include the shape, size, center position and mutual distance of the pads.

[0015] The pad file includes a coordinate file. In step S1, the coordinate file in the pad file is parsed to extract component information therefrom. In step S2, pads are classified according to the component information.

[0016] The coordinate file includes component name, component type, center point coordinates and rotation angle.

[0017] In step S2, grouping the pads according to the geometric elements of the pads obtained by analysis includes: calculating the similarity between the pads according to the geometric elements, and grouping them using a clustering algorithm, recording the grouping results that are less than an error threshold, and recalculating the grouping results that are greater than the error threshold, and looping until all pads are grouped or the calculation is repeated more than a predefined number of times.

[0018] The pad opening conversion relationship recorded in the database includes original pad data, opening data, and a replacement method for replacing the original pad data with the opening data.

[0019] The original pad data includes standard pad data and custom pad data represented by a coordinate matrix, each row of the coordinate matrix is ​​the position coordinates of two adjacent contour points on the pad and data indicating that the distance between the two adjacent contour points is a straight line or an arc.

[0020] The replacement method is a direct replacement method, in which, according to a preset corresponding relationship, the original pad data is directly replaced with the opening data, and the opening shape is directly replaced to the corresponding position of the original pad data.

[0021] The replacement method is a formula calculation replacement method, in which the corresponding opening shape is calculated based on the original pad data.

[0022] In step S3, a center point coordinate matrix is ​​generated based on the center point coordinates of each pad in the pad group recorded in the database, and a center point coordinate matrix is ​​generated based on the center point coordinates of each group of pads grouped in step S2, i.e., each pad of the same component, and compared with the center point coordinate matrix in the database. The similarity is calculated based on the comparison, and the comparison is judged to be successful when the similarity threshold is exceeded.

[0023] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0024] The present invention provides a method for automatically generating a steel mesh opening file, wherein a pad file is parsed to obtain the geometric elements of the pad, and the pads are grouped according to the geometric elements of the pad obtained by the analysis; according to the source information (such as customer information) of the pad file, pad group data consistent with the source information (such as customer information) in the database is searched as comparison data, and the grouped pad group is compared with the comparison data in terms of geometric elements, and the comparison is judged to be successful when the difference is less than a threshold; however, according to the pad opening conversion relationship recorded in the database (which is also consistent with the source information of the pad file, such as customer information), the pad data of the successfully compared pad group is converted into opening data. Thus, batch automatic replacement is performed according to the source information of the pad file, and the present invention not only reduces manual workload and improves production efficiency, but also ensures the consistency of design ideas and design standards (often the design ideas and design standards from the same customer source need to be consistent), which helps to ensure stable quality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 The present invention is a flowchart of the method for automatically generating steel mesh opening files.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a flow chart of a method for automatically generating steel mesh opening files according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 3 There are several commonly used opening methods for rectangular pads.

[0028] Figure 4 This is a diagram of the shape of a custom pad.

[0029] Figure 5 This is an example diagram of directly replacing pad data with opening data.

[0030] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the inscribed 1 / 3 of the rectangular pad.

[0031] Fig. 7A A pad file diagram containing pads corresponding to multiple electronic components.

[0032] Figure 7B for Fig. 7A One of the four square pads shown in the box corresponds to an electronic component. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The following is a detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention. It should be emphasized that the following description is only exemplary and is not intended to limit the scope and application of the present invention.

[0034] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or indirectly connected to the other element. In addition, connection can be used for fixing as well as for coupling or communication.

[0035] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0036] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for automatically generating a steel mesh opening file, comprising the following steps:

[0038] S1, parse the pad file to obtain the geometric elements of the pad;

[0039] S2, grouping the pads according to the geometric elements of the pads obtained by analysis;

[0040] S3, according to the source information of the pad file, searching the database for pad group data that is consistent with the source information as comparison data, and comparing the pad group obtained by grouping in step S2 with the comparison data by geometric elements, and judging that the comparison is successful when the difference is less than a threshold;

[0041] S4. According to the pad opening conversion relationship recorded in the database, convert the pad data of the successfully matched pad group into opening data.

[0042] The source information of the pad file may be the customer's information. A pad opening corresponding database is established for different customers, and the corresponding relationship is saved in a specified format. Different components are identified according to the pads, and the database is read to automatically generate corresponding openings.

[0043] The method for automatically generating steel mesh opening files provided by the embodiment of the present invention parses the pad file to obtain the geometric elements of the pad, and groups the pads according to the geometric elements of the pad obtained by the analysis; according to the source information of the pad file (such as customer information), the pad group data consistent with the source information is searched in the database as comparison data, and the grouped pad group is compared with the comparison data in terms of geometric elements, and the comparison is judged to be successful when the difference is less than a threshold; however, according to the pad opening conversion relationship recorded in the database (which is also consistent with the source information of the pad file, such as customer information), the pad data of the successfully compared pad group is converted into opening data. Thus, batch automatic replacement is performed according to the source information of the pad file. The embodiment of the present invention not only reduces manual workload and improves production efficiency, but also ensures the consistency of design ideas and design standards (usually the design ideas and design standards from the same customer source need to be consistent), which helps to ensure stable quality.

[0044] The specific embodiments of the present invention are further described below.

[0045] The detailed process of the automatic generation method of steel mesh opening files is as follows Figure 2 As shown, the following steps may be specifically included:

[0046] Step 1. Get the relevant pad files before automated processing. These pad files may come from different customers.

[0047] Step 2. Parse the pad file and organize the predetermined data structure: The pad file provides the Gerber file to the customer. The Gerber format is the standard format for image conversion in the circuit board industry. It is used to describe the circuit board (circuit layer, solder mask layer, character layer, etc.) image and drilling and milling data. According to the Gerber syntax rules, the pad shape and size, center position, start and end points and other geometric elements can be parsed (the geometric elements are different depending on the shape). Several common opening methods for rectangular pads are as follows: Figure 3 shown.

[0048] Preferably, it is determined whether there is a coordinate file of the component. If there is a coordinate file, proceed to step 3; otherwise, proceed to step 5.

[0049] Step 3. Parse the coordinate file: The coordinate file is one of the production files provided to customers, which contains information such as component name, component type, center point coordinates, rotation angle, etc. Parsing the coordinate file can provide further auxiliary information for pad classification and improve accuracy.

[0050] Step 4. According to the coordinate file, the algorithm is used to extract the capacitors and resistors of different packages in the pads and label the corresponding components. The pads of the capacitors and resistors are two square pads symmetrical about the center point, so the corresponding pad positions can be calculated based on the center point coordinates and their packages. Therefore, according to the calculation results and tolerance range, the corresponding pads can be directly identified from the pad list and marked accordingly.

[0051] Step 5. Use machine learning algorithms to group the remaining pads according to their shapes, sizes, and distances, and label them. Calculate the similarity between the pads based on their center positions, sizes, and shapes, and use clustering algorithms or other machine learning algorithms to group them. Adjust weights and error calculation methods based on modeling data. Record grouping results that are less than the error threshold. Recalculate grouping results that are greater than the error threshold. Repeat until all pads are grouped or the number of repetitions is greater than the predefined number.

[0052] Step 6. Read the corresponding conversion relation database according to the customer name. The database stores original pad data, corresponding opening data, and a replacement method for replacing the original pad data with the opening data according to the customer.

[0053] The original pad data in the database includes standard pads and custom pads. Standard pad data is recorded as shape, coordinates, and key geometric parameters (such as radius for a circle, major and minor axes for an ellipse, and starting point coordinates for a straight line). Custom pads can be recorded as a coordinate matrix.

[0054] There are four predefined standard pad shapes (circle (ring), square, ellipse, polygon) in the recording rules of the original pad data (i.e., GERBER file), and the instructions are shape commands followed by parameters. The specific shape can be directly parsed through the program. For example, there is a circle with a radius of 0.5 at (2,3). The remaining special shapes correspond to custom pads, which are recorded as a set of straight lines or arcs in the GERBER file and can be parsed as a set of coordinate matrices. The following is an example:

[0055] Figure 4The shape and position of the pad shown can be parsed into the following coordinate matrix, where each line is (x1, y1, x2, y2, shape code), where D is a straight line and G is an arc:

[0056] [0,3,4,3,D

[0057] 4,3,4,2.5,D

[0058] 4,2.5,2.5,1.5,D

[0059] 2.5,1.5,4,0.5,D

[0060] 4,0.5,4,0,D

[0061] 4,0,0,0,D

[0062] 0,0,0,3,D]

[0063] There are two replacement methods, one is direct replacement and the other is calculation based on the formula.

[0064] Direct replacement is to directly replace the opening data to the corresponding position.

[0065] The opening data is a set of opening shapes, such as Figure 5 As shown in the figure, according to the pre-recorded shape correspondence, Figure 5 The left set of pads in the figure is replaced by Figure 5 The set of openings on the middle right.

[0066] The formula calculation is to calculate the corresponding opening shape according to the pad shape. The opening shape recorded in the database is a set of formulas. Figure 6 It shows that the rectangular pad is inscribed 1 / 3. Its coordinate position can be calculated by the original rectangular pad data.

[0067] The inscribed 1 / 3 of the rectangular pad can be described as a polygon consisting of the following set of coordinates.

[0068] (0.5w,0.5h),(0.5w,-0,5h),(-0.5w,-0.5h),(-0.5w+w*1 / 3,0),(-0.5w,0.5h).

[0069] w,h are the width and length of the original pad (rectangular pad). That is, the corresponding opening shape is calculated based on the width and length of the original pad. During the calculation process, the size of the original pad is an important basis for comparison.

[0070] Preferably, whether it is direct replacement or formula replacement, the opening data records a group of graphics with the upper left corner as the origin. After obtaining the opening shape, the center of the group of pads (i.e., the component center) is calculated. When the opening data is translated, the relative position of each opening in a group of openings remains unchanged.

[0071] Step 7. Treat the pads grouped in step 5 as the same component. Compare each group with the pad group recorded in the database in step 6. Compare the grouped pads with the pad group recorded in the database to compare the shape, size, and distance between pads. When the difference is less than the threshold, the comparison is considered successful.

[0072] A group of pads contains multiple graphics, each of which has a center. In step 6, a corresponding coordinate matrix is ​​generated according to the center point coordinates of each pad in the pad group recorded in the database, and all center point coordinates of each group of pads grouped in step 5, i.e., a group of pads of the same component, are sorted into a matrix and compared with the center point coordinate matrix in the database. The similarity is calculated based on the comparison of the center point coordinate matrix, and the comparison is considered successful if it exceeds the similarity threshold.

[0073] If the customer data does not exist in the database, it is compared with the general rules.

[0074] Step 8. When the matching is successful, the original pad is replaced with the opening data. The remaining pads that have not been matched successfully are output as they are.

[0075] Example

[0076] like Fig. 7A The figure shows a complete customer file, which contains the pads corresponding to multiple electronic components. The four squares shown in the box are Figure 7B The electronic components shown, Figure 7B The four pins of the electronic component are marked with a square box, and each pin corresponds to a pad. A group of pads refers to all the pads corresponding to the component. The center of a group of pads is actually the center position of the component. The center of a pad refers to the center of a pin.

[0077] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present invention may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present invention may take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product implemented in one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0078] The present invention is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that each process and / or block in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of processes and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowchart and / or block diagram. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0079] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A function specified in one or more boxes.

[0080] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for implementing the process. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A step that specifies a function in one or more boxes.

[0081] The background section of the present invention may contain background information about the problem or environment of the present invention, but does not necessarily describe the prior art. Therefore, the content included in the background section is not an admission by the applicant that the prior art is available.

[0082] The above content is a further detailed description of the present invention in combination with specific / preferred embodiments, and it cannot be determined that the specific implementation of the present invention is limited to these descriptions. For ordinary technicians in the technical field to which the present invention belongs, without departing from the concept of the present invention, it can also make several substitutions or modifications to these described embodiments, and these substitutions or modifications should be regarded as belonging to the protection scope of the present invention. In the description of this specification, the description of the reference terms "an embodiment", "some embodiments", "preferred embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in combination with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily target the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In the absence of mutual contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of different embodiments or examples. Although the embodiments of the present invention and their advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of protection of the patent application.

Claims

1. A method for automatically generating steel mesh opening files, characterized in that: The steps include: S1. Parse a pad file to obtain geometric elements of the pad, wherein the geometric elements include the shape, size, center position and mutual distance of the pad, and the pad file includes a coordinate file. Parse the coordinate file in the pad file to extract component information; S2, grouping the pads according to the geometric elements of the pads obtained by analysis, and classifying the pads according to the component information; S3, according to the source information of the pad file, searching the database for pad group data that is consistent with the source information as comparison data, and comparing the pad group obtained by grouping in step S2 with the comparison data by geometric elements, and judging that the comparison is successful when the difference is less than a threshold; S4. According to the pad opening conversion relationship recorded in the database, convert the pad data of the successfully matched pad group into opening data.

2. The method for automatically generating steel mesh opening files according to claim 1, characterized in that: The coordinate file includes component name, component type, center point coordinates and rotation angle.

3. The method for automatically generating steel mesh opening files according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that: In step S2, grouping the pads according to the geometric elements of the pads obtained by analysis includes: calculating the similarity between the pads according to the geometric elements, and grouping them using a clustering algorithm, recording the grouping results that are less than an error threshold, and recalculating the grouping results that are greater than the error threshold, and looping until all pads are grouped or the calculation is repeated more than a predefined number of times.

4. The method for automatically generating steel mesh opening files according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that: The pad opening conversion relationship recorded in the database includes original pad data, opening data, and a replacement method for replacing the original pad data with the opening data.

5. The method for automatically generating steel mesh opening files according to claim 4, characterized in that: The original pad data includes standard pad data and custom pad data represented by a coordinate matrix, each row of the coordinate matrix is ​​the position coordinates of two adjacent contour points on the pad and data indicating that the distance between the two adjacent contour points is a straight line or an arc.

6. The method for automatically generating steel mesh opening files according to claim 4, characterized in that: The replacement method is a direct replacement method, in which, according to a preset corresponding relationship, the original pad data is directly replaced with the opening data, and the opening shape is directly replaced to the corresponding position of the original pad data.

7. The method for automatically generating steel mesh opening files according to claim 4, characterized in that: The replacement method is a formula calculation replacement method, in which the corresponding opening shape is calculated based on the original pad data.

8. The method for automatically generating steel mesh opening files according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that: In step S3, a center point coordinate matrix is ​​generated based on the center point coordinates of each pad in the pad group recorded in the database, and a center point coordinate matrix is ​​generated based on the center point coordinates of each group of pads grouped in step S2, i.e., each pad of the same component, and compared with the center point coordinate matrix in the database. The similarity is calculated based on the comparison, and the comparison is judged to be successful when the similarity threshold is exceeded.

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