System and method for electronic component supply and electronic component mounting

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a system and method for electronic component feeding and electronic component mounting. The electronic component feeding method includes picking up a plurality of electronic components spaced at a first pitch on a replenishment tray by a feeding gripper; enlarging the plurality of electronic components picked up by the feeding gripper from the first pitch to a second pitch; scanning barcodes on the plurality of electronic components spaced at the second pitch by a barcode scanner to obtain a plurality of barcode information; reducing the plurality of electronic components picked up by the feeding gripper from the second pitch to a third pitch; and placing the plurality of electronic components on a feeding area. The scanning efficiency and the scanning accuracy of the electronic components can be balanced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a feeding method, feeding system, installation method and installation system, and in particular to an electronic component feeding method, electronic component feeding system, electronic component installation method and electronic component installation system. Background Technology

[0002] To improve the production efficiency of electronic devices such as servers, most electronic devices are now assembled using automated processes. Before electronic components such as memory and expansion cards are assembled into the electronic device, they must first pass through the scanning range of a scanner to scan the barcode of the electronic components so that the system can determine whether the installed electronic components are correct.

[0003] To ensure accurate scanning of these electronic components, the current practice is to pick up only one component at a time and scan the barcode of each picked-up component in batches. However, since only one electronic component can be picked up at a time when scanning barcodes, it is difficult to improve the efficiency of the scanner. Therefore, finding a balance between scanning efficiency and scanning accuracy is a problem that electronic device manufacturers are currently working to solve. Summary of the Invention

[0004] An embodiment of the present invention discloses an electronic component feeding method, comprising: picking up a plurality of electronic components spaced apart by a first spacing from a feeding chuck on a feeding tray; increasing the spacing between the electronic components picked up by the feeding chuck from the first spacing to a second spacing; scanning the barcodes on the electronic components spaced apart by the second spacing with a barcode scanner to obtain a plurality of barcode information; reducing the spacing between the electronic components picked up by the feeding chuck from the second spacing to a third spacing; and placing the electronic components in a feeding area.

[0005] Another embodiment of the present invention discloses an electronic component feeding system, comprising a feeding gripper, a barcode scanner, and a controller. The feeding gripper is used to pick up a plurality of electronic components from a replenishment tray. The barcode scanner is used to scan the barcodes on these electronic components. The controller is communicatively connected to the feeding gripper and the barcode scanner. The controller is used to instruct the feeding gripper to pick up the electronic components from the replenishment tray, and to increase the spacing of the electronic components picked up by the feeding gripper from a first spacing to a second spacing so that the barcode scanner can scan the barcodes on these electronic components to obtain multiple barcode information. The controller is also used to instruct the feeding gripper to reduce the spacing of the picked-up electronic components from the second spacing to a third spacing and place the electronic components in a feeding area.

[0006] Another embodiment of the present invention discloses an electronic component mounting method, comprising: performing at least one left installation procedure, wherein the left installation procedure is to mount a plurality of left electronic components in a left feed area onto a motherboard using a mounting gripper; when at least one left installation procedure is performed and there are insufficient electronic components in a right feed area, performing a right feeding procedure, wherein the right feeding procedure is to supply a plurality of right electronic components in a right replenishment tray to the right feed area using a right feeding gripper; performing at least one right installation procedure, wherein the right installation procedure is to mount these right electronic components in the right feed area onto the motherboard using a mounting gripper; and when at least one right installation procedure is performed and there are insufficient electronic components in the left feed area, performing a left feeding procedure, wherein the left feeding procedure is to supply a plurality of left electronic components in a left replenishment tray to the left feed area using a left feeding gripper.

[0007] Another embodiment of the present invention discloses an electronic component mounting system, comprising a left feeding jaw, a right feeding jaw, a mounting jaw, and a controller. The controller is communicatively connected to the left feeding jaw, the right feeding jaw, and the mounting jaw. The controller is used to execute at least one left-feeding procedure, mounting a plurality of left electronic components from a left feeding area onto a motherboard via the mounting jaw, and to perform a right feeding procedure, supplying a plurality of right electronic components from a right feed tray to a right feeding area via the right feeding jaw. The controller is also used to execute at least one right-feeding procedure, mounting these right electronic components from the right feeding area onto the motherboard via the mounting jaw, and to perform a left feeding procedure, supplying a plurality of left electronic components from a left feed tray to a left feeding area via the left feeding jaw.

[0008] The above description of the content of this invention and the following description of the embodiments are used to demonstrate and explain the principles of this invention, and to provide a further explanation of the scope of the patent application of this invention. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of an electronic component mounting system disclosed in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Partial 3D schematic diagram.

[0011] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A block diagram of an electronic component mounting system.

[0012] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A partial three-dimensional schematic diagram of the left tray conveyor.

[0013] Figure 5 for Figure 1 A partial three-dimensional schematic diagram of the right tray conveyor.

[0014] Figure 6 This is a 3D diagram of the left-side installation program.

[0015] Figure 7 This is a 3D diagram of the right-hand installation program.

[0016] Figures 8 to 11 This is a detailed schematic diagram of the operation of the left feeding gripper in the left feeding process.

[0017] Figure 12 for Figure 3 A plan view of the left pallet conveyor recovering the empty left replenishment pallet.

[0018] Figure 13 for Figure 3 The left pallet conveyor places the fully loaded left storage pallet into the left replenishment area. (See attached diagram for symbol explanation.)

[0019] 1: Server;

[0020] 2: Motherboard;

[0021] 10: Electronic component mounting system;

[0022] 100: Workbench;

[0023] 110: Left feeding area;

[0024] 120: Left replenishment area;

[0025] 130: Left waste disposal area;

[0026] 140: Right feeding area;

[0027] 150: Right feeding area;

[0028] 160: Right waste disposal area;

[0029] 200: Left feed gripper;

[0030] 210: Gripper part;

[0031] 300: Right feed gripper;

[0032] 400: Install grippers;

[0033] 500: Controller;

[0034] 600: Left barcode scanner;

[0035] 700: Right barcode scanner;

[0036] 800: Conveyor unit;

[0037] 900: Left tray conveyor;

[0038] 910: Conveying device;

[0039] 920: First lifting device;

[0040] 921: First lifting platform;

[0041] 930: Second lifting device;

[0042] 931: Second lifting platform;

[0043] 940: Feeding gripper;

[0044] 1000: Right tray conveyor;

[0045] 1010: Conveying device;

[0046] 1020: First lifting device;

[0047] 1021: First lifting platform;

[0048] 1030: Second lifting device;

[0049] 1031: Second lifting platform;

[0050] 1040: Feeding gripper;

[0051] LT1: Left feed tray;

[0052] LT2: Left feed tray;

[0053] LT3: Left waste tray;

[0054] LT4: Left storage tray;

[0055] RT1: Right feed tray;

[0056] RT2: Right feed tray;

[0057] RT3: Right discard tray;

[0058] RT4: Right storage tray;

[0059] RE: Right electronic component;

[0060] LE: Left electronic component;

[0061] D1, D21, D22, D41, D42, D5: Direction;

[0062] G1, G2, G3: Spacing;

[0063] BC: Barcode;

[0064] S: Surface;

[0065] N: Normal. Detailed Implementation

[0066] Please see Figures 1 to 3 . Figure 1 This is a perspective view of an electronic component mounting system disclosed in the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 for Figure 1 Partial 3D schematic diagram. Figure 3 for Figure 1 A block diagram of an electronic component mounting system.

[0067] In this embodiment, the electronic component mounting system 10 is used to mount electronic components on a motherboard 2 of a server 1, wherein the electronic components are, for example, but not limited to, memory.

[0068] The electronic component mounting system 10 includes a left feeding gripper 200, a right feeding gripper 300, a mounting gripper 400, and a controller 500. In addition, the electronic component mounting system 10 may also include a worktable 100.

[0069] The workbench 100 has a left feeding area 110, a left replenishing area 120, a left waste area 130, a right feeding area 140, a right replenishing area 150, and a right waste area 160. The left feeding area 110, left replenishing area 120, and left waste area 130 are located on opposite sides of the workbench 100, as are the right feeding area 140, right replenishing area 150, and right waste area 160. That is, the left feeding area 110, left replenishing area 120, and left waste area 130 are located on one side of the workbench 100, while the right feeding area 140, right replenishing area 150, and right waste area 160 are located on the other side of the workbench 100. Left feed area 110 accommodates a left feed tray LT1, left replenishment area 120 accommodates a left replenishment tray LT2, and left waste area 130 accommodates a left waste tray LT3. Left feed trays LT1, LT2, and LT3 house left electronic components LE. Right feed area 140 accommodates a right feed tray RT1, right replenishment area 150 accommodates a right replenishment tray RT2, and right waste area 160 accommodates a right waste tray RT3. Right feed trays RT1, RT2, and RT3 house right electronic components RE, wherein the right electronic component RE and the left electronic component LE can, for example, be memory of different or the same capacity. For example, the left electronic component LE can be a 16GB memory, while the right electronic component RE can be a 32GB memory. Alternatively, the left electronic component LE and the right electronic component RE can both be 16G or 32G of memory.

[0070] The left feed gripper 200 and the right feed gripper 300 are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the worktable 100. The left feed gripper 200 is used to pick up the left electronic component LE from the left replenishment tray LT2 and place the left electronic component LE on the left feed tray LT1 or the left waste tray LT3. The right feed gripper 300 is used to pick up the right electronic component RE from the right replenishment tray RT2 and place the right electronic component RE on the right feed tray RT1 or the right waste tray RT3.

[0071] Mounting gripper 400 is disposed on worktable 100 and located between left feeding gripper 200 and right feeding gripper 300. More specifically, mounting gripper 400 is located between left feeding area 110 and right feeding area 140. Mounting gripper 400 is used to mount the left electronic component LE from left feeding tray LT1 and the right electronic component RE from right feeding tray RT1 onto the main board 2.

[0072] The controller 500 is communicatively connected to the left feeding gripper 200, the right feeding gripper 300, and the mounting gripper 400. This communicative connection refers to the ability to transmit signals via wired or wireless means.

[0073] In this embodiment, the electronic component mounting system 10 may further include a left barcode scanner 600, a right barcode scanner 700, and a conveyor table 800.

[0074] The left barcode scanner 600 is mounted on the workbench 100, for example, located between the left replenishment area 120 and the left feeding area 110, and is electrically connected to the controller 500. The left barcode scanner 600 is used to scan the barcode BC of the left electronic component LE picked up by the left feeding gripper 200 (please refer to [previous document]). Figure 8 The left barcode scanner 600 scans at a scanning angle of 45 degrees relative to the plane of the worktable 100, for example, but not limited to. The right barcode scanner 700 is disposed on the worktable 100 and located, for example, between the right replenishment area 150 and the right feed area 140, and is electrically connected to the controller 500. The right barcode scanner 700 is used to scan the barcode (not shown) of the right electronic component RE picked up by the right feed gripper 300, and the right barcode scanner 700 scans at a scanning angle of 45 degrees relative to the plane of the worktable 100, for example, but not limited to. The aforementioned barcode BC records, for example, the part number and serial number of the electronic component. It should be noted that the positions of the left barcode scanner 600 and the right barcode scanner 700 are not intended to limit the invention, and the positions of the left and right barcode scanners can be adjusted as needed. For example, the left barcode scanner can be located anywhere on the path of the left feed gripper moving from the left replenishment area to the left feed area, while the right barcode scanner can be located anywhere on the path of the right feed gripper moving from the right replenishment area to the right feed area.

[0075] The conveyor platform 800 is located on one side of the workbench 100 and is communicatively connected to the controller 500. The conveyor platform 800 is used to transport the server 1, which includes the motherboard 2, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the conveyor platform may transport the motherboard alone.

[0076] In this embodiment, the left feeding area 110, the left replenishing area 120, the left discarding area 130, the right feeding area 140, the right replenishing area 150, the right discarding area 160, the left feeding gripper 200, the right feeding gripper 300, the mounting gripper 400, the left barcode scanner 600, and the right barcode scanner 700 are all located on the same workbench 100 and on the same side of the conveyor table 800, but this is not a limitation. In other embodiments, if the number of workbenches is changed to two, located on opposite sides of the conveyor platform, the left feeding area, left replenishment area, left waste disposal area, left feeding gripper, and left barcode scanner can be located on one of the workbenches, while the right feeding area, right replenishment area, right waste disposal area, right feeding gripper, and right barcode scanner can be located on the other workbench, so that the left feeding area, left replenishment area, left waste disposal area, left feeding gripper, and left barcode scanner are located on opposite sides of the conveyor platform, respectively, as are the right feeding area, right replenishment area, right waste disposal area, right feeding gripper, and right barcode scanner. Correspondingly, the mounting gripper can be suspended directly above the conveyor platform and still located between the left and right feeding grippers.

[0077] Next, please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 5 . Figure 4 for Figure 1 A partial three-dimensional schematic diagram of the left tray conveyor. Figure 5 for Figure 1 A partial three-dimensional schematic diagram of the right tray conveyor.

[0078] In this embodiment, the electronic component mounting system 10 may further include a left tray conveyor 900 and a right tray conveyor 1000. The left tray conveyor 900 and the right tray conveyor 1000 are located on the side of the worktable 100 away from the conveyor platform 800.

[0079] The left pallet conveyor 900 includes a conveying device 910, a first lifting device 920, a second lifting device 930, and a feeding gripper 940. The conveying device 910, the first lifting device 920, and the second lifting device 930 are arranged sequentially, for example, and are communicatively connected to a controller 500. The first lifting device 920 has a first lifting platform 921, and the second lifting device 930 has a second lifting platform 931. The conveying device 910 conveys a stacked and fully loaded plurality of left storage pallets LT4 along a first direction D1 to the first lifting platform 921 of the first lifting device 920, wherein a fully loaded plurality of left storage pallets LT4 means that each left storage pallet LT4 is, for example, factory-configured to be filled with a plurality of left electronic components LE, the number of which is, for example, 50. The first lifting platform 921 of the first lifting device 920 can move along a second direction D21 or D22 perpendicular to the first direction D1. The second lifting platform 931 of the second lifting device 930 can also move along a second direction D21 or D22 perpendicular to the first direction D1. The feeding gripper 940 is movably located above the first lifting platform 921 of the first lifting device 920 or above the second lifting platform 931 of the second lifting device 930. The feeding gripper 940 is used to retrieve the left feeding tray LT2 empty above the left feeding area 120 of the worktable 100 onto the second lifting platform 931 of the second lifting device 930, and to place one of the left storage trays LT4 fully loaded on the first lifting platform 921 of the first lifting device 920 into the left feeding area 120 of the worktable 100. In this embodiment, the lifting range of the first lifting platform 921 and the second lifting platform 931 can be adjusted according to the number of trays they carry.

[0080] The right pallet conveyor 1000 has the same structure as the left pallet conveyor 900, also including a conveying device 1010, a first lifting device 1020, a second lifting device 1030, and a feeding gripper 1040. The conveying device 1010, the first lifting device 1020, and the second lifting device 1030 are arranged side by side in sequence, and are communicatively connected to the controller 500. The first lifting device 1020 has a first lifting platform 1021, and the second lifting device 1030 has a second lifting platform 1031. The conveying device 1010 is used to convey multiple stacked and fully loaded right storage pallets RT4 along the first direction D1 to the first lifting platform 1021 of the first lifting device 1020, wherein the multiple fully loaded right storage pallets RT4 refer to each right storage pallet RT4 being filled with multiple right electronic components RE as configured at the factory, for example, 50. The first lifting platform 1021 of the first lifting device 1020 can move along a second direction D21 or D22 perpendicular to the first direction D1. The second lifting platform 1031 of the second lifting device 1030 can also move along a second direction D21 or D22 perpendicular to the first direction D1. The feeding gripper 1040 is movably located above the first lifting platform 1021 of the first lifting device 1020 or above the second lifting platform 1031 of the second lifting device 1030. The feeding gripper 1040 is used to retrieve the right feeding tray RT2 above the right feeding area 150 of the worktable 100 onto the second lifting platform 1031 of the second lifting device 1030, and to place one of the right storage trays RT4 fully loaded on the first lifting platform 1021 of the first lifting device 1020 into the right feeding area 150 of the worktable 100. In this embodiment, the lifting range of the first lifting platform 1021 and the second lifting platform 1031 can be adjusted according to the number of trays they carry.

[0081] Next, the method for mounting electronic components will be described below. It is assumed that the electronic component mounting system 10 starts operating with the left feed tray LT1 filled with the left electronic component LE and the right feed tray RT1 filled with the right electronic component RE.

[0082] First, controller 500 will instruct conveyor 800 to transport server 1 to the designated location. Next, please refer to... Figure 6 , Figure 6This is a perspective view of the left-side installation process. The controller 500 executes at least one left-side installation process, where the installation gripper 400 mounts multiple left electronic components (LEs) from the left feed tray LT1 on the left feed area 110 onto the motherboard 2 of the server 1. For example, when the left feed tray LT1 is fully loaded, it holds, for instance, 16 left electronic components (LEs). In one left-side installation process, the installation gripper 400 mounts four of these left electronic components (LEs) onto the motherboard 2 of the server 1. Therefore, the controller 500 executes the left-side installation process a total of four times, but this is not a limit. The number of left-side installation processes executed will vary depending on the number of electronic components that the installation gripper 400 can hold at one time and the number of electronic components required to be mounted on the motherboard 2.

[0083] Next, please refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is a perspective view of the right-side installation process. The controller 500 executes at least one right-side installation process, whereby the installation gripper 400 installs multiple right electronic components (REs) from the right feed tray RT1 on the right feed area 140 onto the motherboard 2 of the server 1. For example, when the right feed tray RT1 is fully loaded, it holds, for instance, 16 right electronic components (REs). In one right-side installation process, the installation gripper 400 installs four of these right electronic components (REs) onto the motherboard 2 of the server 1. Therefore, the controller 500 executes the right-side installation process a total of four times, but this is not a limit. The number of right-side installation processes executed will vary depending on the number of electronic components that the installation gripper 400 can grasp at one time and the number of electronic components required to be installed on the motherboard 2.

[0084] When the aforementioned right-side installation process is being performed and the left feed tray LT1 of the left feed area 110 is short of electronic components, the controller 500 will perform a left-feeding procedure. This left-feeding procedure involves supplying multiple left electronic components LE from the left replenishment tray LT2 to the left feed tray LT1 on the left feed area 110 via the left feed gripper 200. For example, during the aforementioned right-side installation process, the controller 500 will determine whether the left electronic components LE in the left feed tray LT1 of the left feed area 110 are sufficient. Since all the left electronic components LE in the left feed tray LT1 of the left feed area 110 are currently installed on the motherboard 2 of the server 1, the controller 500 will determine that the left electronic components LE in the left feed tray LT1 of the left feed area 110 are insufficient and will then perform the left-feeding procedure.

[0085] Next, the left feeding procedure will be explained in detail below. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 2 and Figures 8 to 11 , Figures 8 to 11 This is a schematic diagram of the operation of the left feeding gripper in the left feeding process.

[0086] In the left feeding procedure, the controller 500 instructs the left feeding gripper 200 to pick up multiple left electronic components LE spaced at a first gap G1 from the left feed tray LT2. For example, the controller 500 instructs the left feeding gripper 200 to pick up four left electronic components LE spaced at a first gap G1 from the left feed tray LT2.

[0087] Next, the controller 500 instructs the left feed gripper 200 to increase the distance between the left electronic components LE picked up from a first pitch G1 to a second pitch G2. For example, the gripper portions 210 of the left feed gripper 200 that hold the left electronic components LE increase the distance between the left electronic components LE from the first pitch G1 to the second pitch G2 along pitch-changing directions D41 and D42, wherein the pitch-changing distances of these gripper portions 210 are not equal. Specifically, the pitch-changing distance of the two outermost gripper portions 210 is greater than that of the inner gripper portions 210. In some embodiments, the pitch-changing directions D41 and D42 are parallel to the normal N of the surface S on which the barcode BC of the left electronic component LE picked up by the left feed gripper 200 is located; that is, the pitch-changing directions D41 and D42 are perpendicular to the surface S on which the barcode BC of the left electronic component LE picked up by the left feed gripper 200 is located.

[0088] Next, the controller 500 instructs the left barcode scanner 600 to scan the barcodes BC on the left electronic components LE spaced at the second pitch G2 to obtain multiple barcode information. For example, the controller 500 may move the left feed gripper 200 along a direction D5 parallel to the pitch directions D41 and D42, so that the left barcode scanner 600 can scan the barcodes BC on the left electronic components LE picked up by the left feed gripper 200. In another embodiment, the controller may keep the left feed gripper stationary and instead move the left barcode scanner along a direction perpendicular to the gripping direction, so that the left barcode scanner can scan the barcodes on the left electronic components picked up by the left feed gripper.

[0089] Next, the controller 500 instructs the left feed gripper 200 to reduce the size of the picked-up left electronic components LE from the second pitch G2 to a third pitch G3. Then, the controller 500 determines whether the barcode information obtained by the left barcode scanner 600 scanning the barcodes BC on the left electronic components LE conforms to preset information. When all barcode information conforms to the preset information, the controller 500 instructs the left feed gripper 200 to place the picked-up left electronic components LE on the left feed tray LT1 in the left feed area 110. Conversely, when at least one of the barcode information does not conform to the preset information, the controller 500 instructs the left feed gripper 200 to place the picked-up left electronic components LE on the left discard tray LT3 in the left discard area 130. Then, the controller 500 instructs the left feed gripper 200 to repeat the above steps of replenishing left electronic components LE from the left replenishment tray LT2 to the left feed tray LT1 until the left feed tray LT1 is full.

[0090] In this embodiment, when the left feed gripper 200 picks up multiple left electronic components LE at once, the spacing between the multiple left electronic components LE picked up by the left feed gripper 200 can be increased. This allows the left barcode scanner 600 to scan the barcode BC of these left electronic components LE accurately without being obstructed by adjacent left electronic components LE. In other words, the left feed gripper 200 can both improve scanning efficiency by scanning multiple left electronic components LE at once and increase the spacing between these left electronic components LE to ensure accurate scanning of the barcode BC of the left electronic components LE. In this way, a balance can be achieved between scanning efficiency and scanning accuracy of electronic components.

[0091] It should be noted that the step of determining whether the barcode information obtained by the left barcode scanner 600 scanning the barcodes on these left electronic components LEs conforms to the preset data is selected. In other embodiments, after the controller 500 instructs the left feed gripper 200 to reduce the picked-up left electronic components LEs from the second pitch G2 to the third pitch G3, the left feed gripper 200 can be directly instructed to place the picked-up left electronic components LEs onto the left feed tray LT1 of the left feed area 110.

[0092] After the left and right installation procedures are completed, the left electronic component LE and the right electronic component RE are installed on the motherboard 2 of server 1. Next, the installation gripper 400 presses down on these left electronic components LE and right electronic components RE to determine if they are properly installed. For example, the installation gripper 400 may have a cylinder or similar structure. In some embodiments, during the pressing process of the installation gripper 400 on the left electronic component LE or right electronic component RE, if the controller 500 determines that the air pressure in the cylinder has changed, it indicates that the pressed left electronic component LE or right electronic component RE is not properly installed. In this case, the controller 500 will instruct the installation gripper 400 to place the improperly installed left electronic component LE or right electronic component RE onto the left waste tray LT3 or the right waste tray RT3. It should be noted that instructing the installation gripper 400 to press down on these left electronic components LE and right electronic components RE to determine if they are properly installed is an optional step and can be omitted.

[0093] Next, in some embodiments, the controller 500 instructs the conveyor 800 to return the server 1 with the left electronic component LE and the right electronic component RE installed on the motherboard 2 for subsequent assembly processes. Then, the controller 500 instructs the conveyor 800 to transport another server 1 with no electronic components installed on the motherboard 2. Since the left feeding process is also performed simultaneously during the right installation process of the previous server 1, the left feeding tray LT1 on the left feeding area 110 is fully loaded before the left installation process of the next server 1 begins. In this way, the left installation process of the next server 1 can be performed directly without waiting for the left electronic component LE in the left feeding tray LT1 to be replenished. Since the right feed tray RT1 on the right feed area 140 is empty after the right installation procedure of the previous server 1 is completed, when the controller 500 performs the left installation procedure of the next server 1 and determines that the right electronic components RE in the right feed tray RT1 on the right feed area 140 are insufficient, it initiates a right feeding procedure. This right feeding procedure involves supplying multiple right electronic components RE from the right replenishment tray RT2 to the right feed area 140 via the right feeding gripper 300. The right feeding procedure is similar to the left feeding procedure and will not be described in detail further.

[0094] In this embodiment, the design of simultaneously performing the right feeding procedure during the left installation procedure or simultaneously performing the left feeding procedure during the right installation procedure can avoid delays in the installation procedure due to the feeding procedure. In other words, since the left and right installation procedures are not interrupted by the feeding procedure, the left and right installation procedures can be more coherent and compact, thus improving the installation efficiency of electronic components.

[0095] Furthermore, in these left-side installation processes, the mounting gripper 400 picks up the left electronic component LE from the left feed tray LT1 on the left feed area 110 and installs it onto the motherboard 2, instead of directly picking up the left electronic component LE from the left replenishment tray LT2 on the left replenishment area 120. This ensures that even if the number of left electronic components LE remaining on the left replenishment tray LT2 is insufficient for the next requirement of the left feed tray LT1, the left-side installation process can be prevented from being interrupted due to the additional feed buffer provided by the left feed tray LT1. Similarly, the setting of the right feed area 140 has the same effect, thereby improving installation efficiency.

[0096] Furthermore, if the number of left electronic components LE remaining on the left replenishment tray LT2 is sufficient for the next requirement of the left feed tray LT1, the above process is maintained, and the left feeding procedure is completed during the subsequent right installation procedure. Conversely, if the number of left electronic components LE remaining on the left replenishment tray LT2 is insufficient for the next requirement of the left feed tray LT1, since the time spent on the right installation procedure is sufficient for both the left feeding and replenishment procedures, the left feeding and replenishment procedures can also be completed simultaneously during the subsequent right installation procedure, thereby improving installation efficiency.

[0097] The following is a detailed description of the left replenishment procedure. During the left replenishment procedure, when all left electronic components LE on the left replenishment tray LT2 in the left replenishment area 120 have been picked up, the controller 500 instructs the left tray conveyor 900 to retrieve the empty left replenishment tray LT2 and place a fully loaded left storage tray LT4 in the left replenishment area 120 as another left replenishment tray LT2. This will be described in detail below.

[0098] Please see Figure 12 and 13 , Figure 12 for Figure 3 A plan view of the left pallet conveyor recovering the empty left replenishment pallet. Figure 13 for Figure 3 The left pallet conveyor places the fully loaded left storage pallet into the left replenishment area.

[0099] The controller 500 instructs the feeding gripper 940 of the left pallet conveyor 900 to retrieve the empty left feeding pallet LT2 in the left feeding area 120 onto the second lifting platform 931 of the second lifting device 930. Then, the lifting range of the second lifting platform 931 is adjusted according to the number of left feeding pallets LT2 on the second lifting platform 931. For example, when the number of left feeding pallets LT2 on the second lifting platform 931 increases to one, the controller 500 instructs the second lifting platform 931 of the second lifting device 930 to descend from its initial position by the height of one left feeding pallet LT2 to make room for the next empty left feeding pallet LT2 to be stacked.

[0100] Next, the controller 500 instructs the replenishing gripper 940 to place one of the left storage trays LT4 on the first lifting platform 921 of the first lifting device 920 into the left replenishing area 120. Then, the controller adjusts the lifting range of the first lifting platform 921 according to the remaining number of left storage trays LT4 on the first lifting platform 921. For example, the controller 500 instructs the replenishing gripper 940 to grasp the uppermost left storage tray LT4 on the first lifting platform 921 and moves it to place this left storage tray LT4 into the left replenishing area 120. At this time, since the number of left storage trays LT4 on the first lifting platform 921 has decreased by one, the controller 500 instructs the first lifting platform 921 to rise from its initial position by the height of one left storage tray LT4, so that the replenishing gripper 940 can grasp the next left storage tray LT4 at the same height as the previous one.

[0101] In this embodiment, by adjusting the lifting amplitude of the first lifting platform 921 according to the remaining number of left storage trays LT4 on the first lifting platform 921, and adjusting the lifting amplitude of the second lifting platform 931 according to the number of left replenishment trays LT2 on the second lifting platform 931, the replenishment gripper 940 can be lowered to pick up the left storage trays LT4 on the first lifting platform 921 and place the empty left replenishment trays LT2 on the second lifting platform 931 without descending too much, thus simplifying the structure of the replenishment gripper 940.

[0102] Next, when there are no remaining left storage trays LT4 on the first lifting platform 921, the controller 500 causes the first lifting platform 921 to descend to the initial position, and the conveying device 910 conveys the other stacked and fully loaded left storage trays LT4 to the first lifting platform 921 along the first direction D1.

[0103] In this embodiment, by means of the configuration of the conveying device 910, personnel can pre-place multiple stacked and fully loaded left storage trays LT4 on the conveying device 910, and replenish them in time when there are no left storage trays LT4 remaining on the first lifting platform 921, thus improving the overall work efficiency.

[0104] In this embodiment, the process of recycling and replenishing the right feeding tray RT2 of the right feeding area 150 (right feeding procedure) is similar to the process of recycling and replenishing the left feeding tray LT2 of the left feeding area 120 (left feeding procedure) described above, so it will not be described in detail again.

[0105] In this embodiment, the retrieval and replenishment of the right feeding tray RT2 in the right feeding zone 150 are completed by a right tray conveyor, while the retrieval and replenishment of the left feeding tray LT2 in the left feeding zone 120 are completed by a left tray conveyor, but this is not a limitation. In other embodiments, the retrieval and replenishment of the right feeding tray in the right feeding zone can be completed manually, and the retrieval and replenishment of the left feeding tray in the left feeding zone can be completed manually. That is, the right tray conveyor, the left tray conveyor, and the corresponding steps can be omitted.

[0106] In this embodiment, the left feeding program, left replenishment program, right feeding program, and right replenishment program can be considered as an electronic component feeding method, while the left feeding gripper, right feeding gripper, left barcode scanner, right barcode scanner, left tray conveyor, right tray conveyor, and controller can be considered as an electronic component feeding system, but are not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the electronic component feeding method may only include the left feeding program and left replenishment program, or only include the right feeding program and right replenishment program, and the electronic component feeding system may only include the left feeding gripper, left barcode scanner, left tray conveyor, and controller, or only include the right feeding gripper, right barcode scanner, right tray conveyor, and controller.

[0107] According to the electronic component feeding method, electronic component feeding system, electronic component mounting method, and electronic component mounting system disclosed in the above embodiments, when the feeding gripper picks up multiple electronic components at once, the spacing between the multiple electronic components picked up by the feeding gripper can be increased. This allows the barcode scanner to accurately scan the barcodes of these electronic components without obstruction by adjacent electronic components. In other words, the feeding gripper can both improve scanning efficiency by scanning multiple electronic components at once and increase the spacing between these electronic components to ensure accurate scanning of the barcodes. In this way, a balance can be achieved between scanning efficiency and scanning accuracy.

[0108] Furthermore, designs that simultaneously perform the right feeding process during the left installation process or the left feeding process during the right installation process can avoid delays in the installation process due to the feeding process. In other words, because the left and right installation processes are not interrupted by the feeding process, the left and right installation processes can be more coherent and compact, thus improving the installation efficiency of electronic components.

Claims

1. A method for feeding electronic components, characterized in that, Include: A feeding gripper picks up multiple electronic components spaced a first interval from a feeding tray. The plurality of electronic components picked up by the feeding gripper are increased from the first spacing to a second spacing; Multiple barcode information is obtained by scanning the barcodes on the plurality of electronic components spaced apart by a barcode scanner; The plurality of electronic components picked up by the feeding gripper are reduced from the second spacing to a third spacing; as well as The plurality of electronic components are placed in a feeding area.

2. The electronic component feeding method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The step of placing the plurality of electronic components in the feeding area is performed when all the barcode information matches the preset information, and the electronic component feeding method further includes: When at least one of the multiple barcode information does not conform to the preset information, the multiple electronic components picked up by the feeding gripper are placed in a waste area.

3. The electronic component feeding method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes: When all the electronic components to be supplied on the replenishment tray have been picked up, the empty replenishment tray is retrieved by a tray transport machine, and a full storage tray is placed in a replenishment area to serve as another replenishment tray.

4. An electronic component feeding system, characterized in that, Include: A feeding gripper is used to pick up multiple electronic components from a feeding tray; A barcode scanner is used to scan barcodes on the plurality of electronic components; and A controller is communicatively connected to the feeding gripper and the barcode scanner. The controller is configured to instruct the feeding gripper to pick up the plurality of electronic components on the replenishment tray, and to increase the distance between the plurality of electronic components picked up by the feeding gripper from a first spacing to a second spacing so that the barcode scanner can scan the barcodes on the plurality of electronic components to obtain multiple barcode information. The controller is also configured to instruct the feeding gripper to reduce the distance between the second spacing to a third spacing and to place the plurality of electronic components in a feeding area.

5. The electronic component feeding system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The controller is used to place the plurality of electronic components in the feeding area when all of the plurality of barcode information conforms to preset information, and the controller is used to cause the feeding gripper to place the picked-up plurality of electronic components in a waste area when at least one of the plurality of barcode information does not conform to preset information.

6. The electronic component feeding system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, It further includes a tray conveyor, which is communicatively connected to the controller. The controller is used to instruct the tray conveyor to retrieve the empty tray when all the electronic components to be supplied in the replenishment tray have been picked up, and to place one of the multiple full-load storage trays in a replenishment area to serve as another replenishment tray.

7. The electronic component feeding system as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The barcode scanner is located between the replenishment area and the supply area.

8. The electronic component feeding system as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The pallet conveyor includes a conveying device, a first lifting device, and a replenishing gripper. The conveying device, the first lifting device, and the replenishing gripper are communicatively connected to the controller. The controller is used to instruct the conveying device to convey the stacked and fully loaded multiple storage pallets along a first direction to a first lifting platform of the first lifting device. The controller is used to instruct the replenishing gripper to place one of the multiple storage pallets in the replenishing area. Then, the controller adjusts the lifting range of the first lifting platform according to the remaining number of storage pallets on the first lifting platform. When there are no remaining storage pallets on the first lifting platform, the conveying device is then instructed to convey the other stacked and fully loaded storage pallets along the first direction to the first lifting platform.

9. The electronic component feeding system as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The pallet conveyor further includes a second lifting device, which is communicatively connected to the controller. The controller is used to instruct the feeding gripper to retract the empty feeding pallet from the feeding area to a second lifting platform of the second lifting device, and then adjust the lifting range of the second lifting platform according to the number of feeding pallets on the second lifting platform.

10. A method for mounting electronic components, characterized in that, Include: Perform at least one left installation procedure, wherein the left installation procedure is to mount a plurality of left electronic components in a left feed area onto a motherboard by means of an installation gripper; When the at least one left installation procedure is performed and there are insufficient electronic components in a right feeding area, a right feeding procedure is performed, wherein a right feeding procedure is performed by supplying a plurality of right electronic components in a right replenishment tray to the right feeding area through a right feeding gripper. Perform at least one right installation procedure, wherein the right installation procedure is to install the plurality of right electronic components in the right feeding area onto the main board using the mounting grippers; as well as When the at least one right installation procedure is performed and there are insufficient electronic components in the left feeding area, a left feeding procedure is performed, wherein a left feeding procedure is performed to supply a plurality of left electronic components from a left replenishment tray to the left feeding area via a left feeding gripper.

11. The electronic component mounting method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The step of supplying the plurality of left electronic components from the left feed tray to the left feed area via the left feed gripper includes: The left feeding gripper picks up the plurality of left electronic components spaced at a first interval from the left feeding tray; The plurality of left electronic components picked up by the left feeding gripper are increased from the first spacing to a second spacing; Multiple barcode information is obtained by scanning the barcodes on the plurality of left electronic components spaced apart by a left barcode scanner; The plurality of left electronic components picked up by the left feeding gripper are reduced from the second spacing to a third spacing; as well as The plurality of left electronic components are placed in the left feeding area.

12. The electronic component mounting method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The step of placing the plurality of left electronic components in the left feeding area is performed when all the barcode information conforms to preset information, and the step of supplying the plurality of left electronic components in the left replenishment tray to the left feeding area through the left feeding gripper further includes: When at least one of the multiple barcode information does not conform to the preset information, the multiple left electronic components picked up by the left feeding gripper are placed in a left waste area.

13. The electronic component mounting method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The step of supplying the plurality of left electronic components in the left feed tray to the left feed area via the left feed gripper further includes: When all the left electronic components to be supplied in the left replenishment tray have been picked up, the empty left replenishment tray is retrieved by a left tray conveyor and a full left storage tray is placed in a left replenishment area to serve as another left replenishment tray.

14. An electronic component mounting system, characterized in that, Include: One left feeding gripper; One right feeding gripper; Install the gripper; and A controller is communicatively connected to the left feeding gripper, the right feeding gripper, and the mounting gripper; The controller is used to execute at least one left installation procedure, in which multiple left electronic components in a left feeding area are installed onto the motherboard via the mounting gripper, and a right feeding procedure is performed, in which multiple right electronic components in a right feeding tray are supplied to a right feeding area via the right feeding gripper. The controller is used to execute at least one right installation procedure, in which the plurality of right electronic components in the right feeding area are installed onto the motherboard via the installation gripper, and a left feeding procedure is performed, in which the plurality of left electronic components in a left feeding tray are supplied to the left feeding area via the left feeding gripper.

15. The electronic component mounting system as described in claim 14, characterized in that, The controller is configured to perform the right feeding procedure when the at least one left installation procedure is performed and the electronic components in the right feeding area are insufficient, and the controller is configured to perform the left feeding procedure when the at least one right installation procedure is performed and the electronic components in the left feeding area are insufficient.

16. The electronic component mounting system as described in claim 14, characterized in that, It further includes a left barcode scanner, and the controller is communicatively connected to the left barcode scanner. The controller is used to cause the left feeding gripper to pick up the plurality of left electronic components spaced at a first spacing from the left replenishment tray during the left feeding process, and to increase the plurality of left electronic components picked up by the left feeding gripper from the first spacing to a second spacing. The controller is used to cause the left barcode scanner to scan the barcodes on the plurality of left electronic components spaced at the second spacing to obtain multiple barcode information, and the controller is used to cause the left feeding gripper to reduce the plurality of left electronic components picked up from the second spacing to a third spacing, and to place the plurality of left electronic components in the left feeding area.

17. The electronic component mounting system as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that, The controller is used to place the plurality of left electronic components in the left feeding area when the plurality of barcode information conforms to preset information, and the controller is used to cause the left feeding gripper to place the picked-up plurality of left electronic components in a left discard area when at least one of the plurality of barcode information does not conform to preset information.

18. The electronic component mounting system as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that, It further includes a left pallet conveyor, which is communicatively connected to the controller. The controller is used to instruct the left pallet conveyor to retrieve the empty left pallet when all the left electronic components to be supplied in the left replenishment pallet have been picked up, and to place one of the multiple full left storage pallets in a left replenishment area to serve as another left replenishment pallet.

19. The electronic component mounting system as described in claim 18, characterized in that, The left barcode scanner is located between the left replenishment area and the left feeding area.

20. The electronic component mounting system as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that, The left pallet conveyor includes a conveying device, a first lifting device, and a replenishing gripper. The conveying device, the first lifting device, and the replenishing gripper are communicatively connected to the controller. The conveying device is used to convey the stacked and fully loaded multiple left storage pallets along a first direction to a first lifting platform of the first lifting device. The controller is used to instruct the replenishing gripper to place one of the multiple left storage pallets in the left replenishing area. Then, the controller adjusts the lifting range of the first lifting platform according to the remaining number of the multiple left storage pallets on the first lifting platform. When there are no left storage pallets remaining on the first lifting platform, the controller instructs the conveying device to convey the other stacked and fully loaded multiple left storage pallets along the first direction to the first lifting platform.

21. The electronic component mounting system as claimed in claim 20, characterized in that, The left pallet conveyor further includes a second lifting device, which is communicatively connected to the controller. The controller is used to instruct the feeding gripper to retract the empty left feeding pallet from the left feeding area to a second lifting platform of the second lifting device, and then adjust the lifting range of the second lifting platform according to the number of left feeding pallets on the second lifting platform.

22. The electronic component mounting system as described in claim 14, characterized in that, The left feeding area and the right feeding area are located on opposite sides of the mounting jaws.

23. The electronic component mounting system as described in claim 14, characterized in that, It further includes a conveyor platform for conveying the main board, wherein the mounting gripper, the left feeding area and the right feeding area are located on the same side of the conveyor platform.

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