Method and device for conveying components from planar material box to assembly process by means of vertical precise positioning of planar material box

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for feeding components located in a planar material box to an assembly process, which is carried out by means of an automatic assembly machine. The method comprises the following steps: (a1) horizontally conveying the planar material box from a storage position of a material box storage mechanism, and (a2) enabling a taking-out position to move along a horizontal x direction by means of a movable grabbing mechanism; (b) vertically transferring the extracted planar material box from the extraction position into the inspection position along the z-direction; (c) optically inspecting at least one element located in the planar material box; and (d) feeding the at least one inspected component to an assembly process, the at least one component being picked up by an assembly head of the automatic assembly machine. According to the invention, the inspection position is determined by the control mechanism on the basis of (i) the height of the base structure of the removed planar material box and (ii) the height of the at least one inspected element. The invention further relates to an assembly system having such a device and an automatic assembly machine.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates generally to the technical field of assembly technology, and in particular to a method and a device for conveying components from a flat magazine to an assembly process, the assembly process being carried out by means of an automatic assembly machine. In addition, the invention also relates to an assembly system having an automatic assembly machine with an assembly head and such a device for conveying components. Background Art

[0002] The production of electronic assemblies, which are contained in almost every electronic device, comprises, in particular, populating component carriers, such as printed circuit boards, with components, in particular electronic components.

[0003] The assembly of component carriers is usually carried out in an automatic assembly machine, which has at least one component conveying device, an assembly head and a transport system for the component carrier. During the assembly operation, the assembly head picks up the component provided by the component conveying device at the pick-up position and places the component at a predetermined position on the component carrier. The component carrier is introduced into the assembly area of ​​the automatic assembly machine by means of the transport system before its assembly and is removed from the assembly area after at least partial assembly.

[0004] Up to now, components have usually been transported to the pick-up position by means of a component tape. In such a tape, a plurality of components are stored in respective recesses, which are also referred to as tape pockets. The component tape is conveyed step by step in the direction of the pick-up position by means of a rotatable pin wheel, which engages in the lateral perforations of the tape. There, the relevant components are taken out of the tape pocket by the assembly head. The section of the component tape which has been emptied of components in this way is separated from the remaining component tape by means of a cutting mechanism and conveyed to a waste disposal device. Packaging components in a component tape is relatively complex. In addition, compared to the size of the components accommodated in the component tape, the component tape occupies a relatively large space, and the waste disposal device is not only bulky and therefore expensive, but also burdens the environment.

[0005] In order to avoid the above-mentioned disadvantages, the components can also be transported by means of flat containers. In a filled flat container, a plurality of components are placed side by side on a flat support structure. Flat containers are often also referred to as "trays" in English by professionals. The support structure is usually called a "tray carrier". The support structure has a plurality of mutually separated pick-up areas on its upper side, into which a component can be placed respectively. The pick-up areas of a flat container are also called pockets in English.

[0006] The planar container conveying element comprises removing the relevant planar container from a vertical stack of a plurality of planar containers and lifting the removed planar container to a height position at which the components can be gripped by the assembly head of the responsible automatic assembly machine. In known systems, this height position is limited by an end stop of the lifting mechanism.

[0007] Planar boxes are usually used for large components. This includes integrated circuits that are encapsulated in larger housings, which can not only be long and wide, but can also have a relatively large thickness or height of, for example, 40 mm. For integrated circuits, a variety of housing packages ("packages" in English) are known.

[0008] In order to ensure the traceability of the assembled components, which is desirable for safety reasons in the automotive sector, for example, a barcode or QR code is usually printed on the upper side of the components. Such a code can not only indicate the production batch of the component, but it can also identify the component individually. Traceability then requires that the relevant code is preferably detected optically shortly before being gripped by the assembly head and the component-specific data encoded in the code is stored in a database.

[0009] For correct code recognition, precise optical detection with the aid of a camera is required. Since the depth of field of conventional cameras used for this purpose is relatively small, blurred images often occur in practice, which makes traceability problematic. This applies in particular to particularly tall or thick components, whereby the imprinted code can lie on the edge or even outside the corresponding depth of field compared to a code on a flatter component. This can affect the optical detection of the code and make the traceability of the assembled component unreliable. Summary of the invention

[0010] The object of the present invention is to improve the reliability of the traceability of assembled components which have been supplied to the assembly process via flat magazines.

[0011] This object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

[0012] According to a first aspect of the invention, a method for conveying components located in a planar magazine to an assembly process is described, the assembly process being performed by means of an automatic assembly machine. The method comprises: (a) conveying the planar magazine horizontally from (i) a storage position of a magazine storage mechanism, in which the planar magazine and at least one other planar magazine are arranged in a stack of planar magazines in a vertical z-direction, and in (ii) a removal position, moving in a horizontal x-direction by means of a movable gripping mechanism; (b) conveying the removed planar magazine vertically along the z-direction from the removal position to an inspection position; (c) optically inspecting at least one component located in the planar magazine; and (d) conveying at least one inspected component to an assembly process, wherein at least one component is picked up by an assembly head of an automatic assembly machine. According to the invention, the inspection position is determined by a control mechanism based on (i) the height of the base structure of the removed planar magazine and (ii) the height of at least one inspected component.

[0013] The method described is based on the recognition that for reliable inspection by means of a camera, the inspection position should be selected such that the top side of the relevant component is coded or the coding can be located on said top side as accurately as possible in the focus area of ​​the camera. This makes it possible to largely exclude errors in the detection and subsequent image processing of the component top side and to increase the process reliability of the assembly of the component carrier, in particular with regard to the required traceability.

[0014] The flat magazine can be any suitable spatially solid structure in or on which the components to be assembled can preferably be placed in individually separated pick-up areas or pockets. For this purpose, the flat magazine has at least one base structure, which can be a simple base plate, on which the components rest directly. On the surface of the base plate, the pick-up areas can be formed by tabs or other suitable separating structures. In this case, in addition to the height of the relevant components, the height or thickness of the base structure is decisive for the final height position of the upper side of the component to be checked.

[0015] In this document, the term "component" is understood to mean all components that can be assembled, which can be attached or mounted on a component carrier. The term "component" can include both electronic components encapsulated in a housing and mechanical devices, such as electrical connection contacts. Electronic components include, in particular, multi-pole SMT components or other highly integrated planar, round or other shaped components, such as ball grid arrays. Mechanical components include, for example, plugs or plug connectors, cooling bodies, shielding elements, housing parts, etc.

[0016] In this document, the term "component carrier" is understood to mean any type of mountable medium, in particular a substrate or a printed circuit board. The mountable medium, in particular a printed circuit board, can be rigid or also flexible. It can also have at least one first rigid region and at least one flexible region.

[0017] The control mechanism according to the claim can be any arbitrary data processing mechanism, which is assigned to the following component conveying device for flat material boxes, in which or with which the described method is carried out. Alternatively or in combination, the control mechanism can also be at least a part of a data processing mechanism, which controls the entire assembly operation of the automatic assembly machine. In the case of an assembly line with multiple automatic assembly machines, the control mechanism can also be a (superior) main computer, which controls or coordinates the assembly operation of the entire assembly line.

[0018] The height of the infrastructure can be stored in a memory that is communicatively coupled to the control mechanism or that is optionally a hardware-structured module of the control mechanism. The height of at least one checked element can be obtained from the model information of the manufacturer of the relevant element and also stored in the memory.

[0019] According to another embodiment of the invention, the optical inspection includes the simultaneous inspection of a plurality of components. Furthermore, the delivery to the assembly process includes sequentially picking up a plurality of components by the assembly head. This has the advantage, in particular when the number of components is large, that the inspection process can be performed and completed very quickly.

[0020] The described sequential picking up of a plurality of components can be carried out according to the "pick and place" principle. Here, an assembly head picks up a component precisely and then positions it in a known manner on the component carrier to be assembled. This "pick and place" process is carried out successively for each of the plurality of components. Alternatively, a plurality of components can first be picked up one after the other according to the "collect and place" principle by an assembly head having a plurality of component holders, i.e. a maximum of one component is picked up with each component holder. All picked up components are then transported together to the assembly area in the associated automatic assembly machine, where they are then positioned one component after another on the component carrier to be assembled.

[0021] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the optical inspection comprises a detection mark which is formed on the surface of at least one inspected component.

[0022] As mentioned above, with the aid of the marking, it is possible to determine which component is actually picked up or has been picked up by the assembly head, provided that the marking indicates the corresponding component. Thus, when using suitable markings, the entire process of conveying and assembling the components can be tracked particularly reliably. This is because it is not only detected into which bag the corresponding component is "loaded" when loading the flat magazine. Rather, it is also determined by the detection of the markings which component is actually located in the relevant bag and has been picked up by the assembly head.

[0023] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the marking has a three-dimensional structural feature (on the surface) of at least one inspected element.

[0024] The three-dimensional structural features on the component surface are used in a manner known per se for so-called "pin 1 identification", which is necessary when assembling the component carrier in order to ensure that the relevant component is placed on the component carrier in the correct orientation. The selected "pin 1" serves here as a reference point or datum point for the correct orientation and contact of the component. It should be pointed out here that the assembly head for the "pick and place" assembly process or the "collect and place" assembly process is usually able to change the orientation of the picked component in a suitable manner during the transport of the component from the flat magazine to the component carrier to be assembled by rotating the relevant component holding device, typically such as a suction cup, so that the relevant component is positioned in the correct angular position on the component carrier.

[0025] Three-dimensional structural features can be any contours on the surface of the element, with the help of which the orientation or alignment of the relevant element can be determined. For example, only chamfers or depressions on the edges or corners of the element, such as (circular) holes in the surface of the relevant element are mentioned here.

[0026] With regard to three-dimensional structural features having such depressions, it should be mentioned here that such depressions are often difficult to inspect visually. This is because, in particular, the visual appearance of the color of the depression and the color of the surrounding surface is often identical. It is in these cases that a particularly precise (vertical) positioning of the relevant element in the focal plane of the camera is necessary for the described optical inspection.

[0027] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the marking has a coding of at least one checked component (on the surface). The coding can in particular be a component-specific coding.

[0028] The described code can be, for example, a barcode (Bar code) or a matrix code (QR code). The code can be applied to the surface of the component by means of a special printing method, for example by means of screen printing or laser engraving, depending on the requirements of the manufacturer of the component and the material of the packaging of the component. It is also possible to apply the code to the component after production, for example by labeling or gluing. This usually occurs when the relevant component has already been produced and the code for identification must only be provided later.

[0029] As described above, in particular the reliable identification of component-specific codes can ensure a high degree of reliability in the tracking of components throughout the production of electronic components.

[0030] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the vertical transfer includes: (a) a first vertical transfer (during a first vertical positioning process), and thereafter (b) a second vertical transfer (during a second vertical positioning process). Here, the first (average and / or maximum) speed of the first vertical transfer is greater than the second (average and / or maximum) speed of the second vertical transfer.

[0031] By means of the described two-stage vertical transport with different average and / or maximum speeds, firstly rapid coarse vertical positioning and then slow fine vertical positioning can be achieved in an advantageous manner. Thus, on the one hand, high-precision positioning along the z-axis and thus reliable inspection with a simple camera can be achieved, and on the other hand, rapid inspection and transport of the components can be achieved. Thus, despite the reliable optical inspection, undesirable interruptions in the quasi-continuous transport of the inspected components can be avoided or at least shortened.

[0032] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the method also includes transmitting the inspection data to the automatic assembly machine. Thus, the automatic assembly machine can be provided with information in advance, which is necessary or at least advantageous for a reliable and accurate assembly process. Such information does not need to be detected (again) by a suitable sensor system of the automatic assembly machine. Thus, the time advantage of assembly can be obtained and the assembly efficiency of the automatic assembly machine can be improved in practice.

[0033] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the inspection data includes at least one of the following information:

[0034] (a) the height of at least one component being inspected,

[0035] (b) the length and / or width of at least one inspected element,

[0036] (c) the type of at least one component being inspected,

[0037] (d) the number of components contained in the planar bin,

[0038] (e) Information on whether the pick-up area of ​​the flat bin is occupied by components.

[0039] The spatial dimensions of the component can be used, for example, to select a suitable trajectory for the movement of the assembly head towards the assembly area of ​​the automatic assembly machine after the component is picked up. Possible collisions with other objects, for example with already equipped (high) components, can thus be reliably prevented.

[0040] The information about the type of the respective component can be used for the above-mentioned traceability. In the case of component-specific detection of the marking, the respective component-specific information can also be transmitted.

[0041] The information about the number of components (still) contained in the flat magazine and / or about the occupancy of the pick-up area can be used by the automatic assembly machine to make a request for the provision of a new (full) flat magazine. This ensures assembly that is as uninterrupted as possible.

[0042] According to another aspect of the invention, a device for conveying components in a planar container to an assembly process is described, the assembly process being performed by means of an automatic assembly machine. The component conveying device described has (a) a container storage mechanism for storing a planar container and at least one further planar container in a stack of planar containers, wherein the stored planar containers are arranged in a vertical z-direction; (b) a gripping mechanism movable in a horizontal x-direction for conveying the planar container horizontally from (i) a storage position inside the container storage mechanism to (ii) a retrieval position outside the container storage mechanism; (c) a lifting mechanism for conveying the retrieved planar container vertically from the retrieval position to an inspection position along the z-direction; (d) a camera for optically inspecting at least one component in the planar container (at least when the planar container is in the inspection position); and (e) a control mechanism, which is configured to determine the inspection position based on (i) the height of the base structure of the retrieved planar container and (ii) the height of at least one inspected component. The testing position has a height position relative to the magazine storage device at which at least one tested component can be delivered to the assembly process by being picked up by an assembly head of the automatic assembly machine.

[0043] The component conveying device described is also based on the knowledge that by taking into account the height of the basic structure of the flat magazine and the height of the components, the inspection position can be selected precisely in such a way when the flat magazine is transported vertically that the surface of the component can be introduced precisely into the focal plane of the camera independently of the height of the component. As a result, a clear image of the component surface can always be captured regardless of the height of the component. This makes it possible to avoid errors during the detection and subsequent image processing of the upper side of the component in an advantageous manner. In addition, the reliability of the component carrier assembly process can be increased, especially with regard to the required traceability.

[0044] The gripping mechanism described can be any mechanism that can manipulate the flat magazine (and of course also other flat magazines and typically also other flat magazines that are present) in such a way that it can be pulled out of the stack in the horizontal direction and placed at least in the removal position. The gripping mechanism can be, for example, part of a robot arm or on such a component. Thus, known robotics technology can be used to realize the gripping mechanism.

[0045] It should be noted that the described vertical transport can also be carried out with the aid of a robot if necessary, wherein the gripping mechanism preferably also continues to hold the relevant flat container during the vertical transport. This means that the described lifting mechanism can also be implemented with the aid of such a robot. However, the lifting mechanism can also be a simple vertically movable table on which the relevant flat container rests. Suitable linear motors can be used, for example with the aid of a spindle drive, in order to achieve the described movement for the vertical transport.

[0046] The described camera can be any optical sensor, which is suitable for optically detecting the surface of the element and generating a (digital) image therefrom, which is analyzed in a known manner by an image processing unit connected downstream, so that structures and / or markings on the surface of the element can be recognized and analyzed. The camera can also include an optical system, which ensures that a clear image can be taken in the focal plane of the camera. The optical system can especially have one or more (refractive) lenses. Preferably, the focal plane is a plane fixed in space relative to the camera, so that the camera can be realized in a simple manner, inexpensively and in an especially compact structural manner. By taking into account the height of the individual elements as described above, it can be ensured that when the surface of the element is optically inspected, the surface of the element is always precisely located in the focal plane. Then in an advantageous manner, there is no need to match the height position of the camera. Therefore, the camera can (further) be moved by a common surface positioning system, which does not provide a degree of freedom of movement along the vertical z direction.

[0047] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the camera has a field of view which allows the detection of only a single component located in the flat magazine.

[0048] The use of a camera with a relatively small field of view has the advantage that a high optical image quality can also be achieved with a simple and therefore cost-effective camera optical system. In other words, given a certain optical quality of the camera optical system, the image quality becomes better as the camera field of view becomes smaller. This can advantageously increase the robustness of the device described herein and the method described herein.

[0049] In some embodiments, the field of view of the camera is square. Typical dimensions are less than 10 mm×10 mm, and preferably less than 7 mm×7 mm. In the prototype of the present invention, a camera with a field of view of 5.2 mm×5.2 mm has proven to be effective. In this context, it should be pointed out that even with such a small field of view, significantly larger components can be optically inspected. In other words, larger components can be detected using multiple partial images, which are combined into a complete or at least approximately complete overall image of the relevant component with the help of image processing. In order to detect different parts of the component, the camera and / or the relevant flat material box can be moved in a suitable manner perpendicular to the optical axis of the camera. As described below, the movement of the camera can be achieved, for example, with the help of a gantry system of an automatic assembly machine.

[0050] According to another embodiment of the invention, the camera has a field of view that enables the detection of multiple components located in a planar bin. In the case where a square field of view is preferably used to detect multiple components simultaneously, the field of view can have a size of, for example, at least 10 mm x 10 mm, preferably at least 15 mm x 15 mm, and further preferably at least 20 mm x 20 mm.

[0051] With such a "multi-camera", the optical inspection of components can be performed particularly quickly, since only a single camera image has to be recorded for the inspection of a plurality of components. Another advantage of a camera with a large field of view is that the position of the camera on the frame of the component conveyor does not need to be changed in order to inspect different components. The camera can therefore be a camera that is fixedly mounted on the frame.

[0052] However, in a preferred embodiment, the camera is assigned to an automatic assembly machine to which the components are fed. For this purpose, the camera can be placed on a gantry system of the automatic assembly machine in a manner known per se and moved or positioned by the gantry system. Preferably, the camera can be placed on a gantry system for an assembly head. Further preferably, the camera can be placed directly or indirectly on the assembly head in a spatially fixed manner, so that when the assembly head is positioned, the camera automatically moves with the assembly head. Thus, in an advantageous manner, it is not necessary to use a dedicated gantry system for the camera. In addition, image detection can also be performed precisely at the position at which the component is picked up by the assembly head after optical inspection.

[0053] According to another aspect of the present invention, a mounting system for mounting components on a component carrier is described. The mounting system has (a) an automatic mounting machine with an mounting head and (b) an apparatus as described above for conveying components in a flat magazine.

[0054] The described assembly system is based on the recognition that, using the above-described component conveying device, components can be optically detected with high precision and reliability before they are transferred to the assembly head, regardless of their height. This makes it possible to increase process reliability when manufacturing electronic components using automatic assembly machines, since, for example, incorrect components and / or (mechanically) damaged components can be avoided. In addition, reliable component-specific traceability can be achieved when manufacturing electronic components by optically detecting markings, such as barcodes or QR codes, in an error-robust manner.

[0055] According to another embodiment of the invention, an interface is configured between the device for conveying components in a flat magazine and the automatic assembly machine, which ensures cooperation between the device and the automatic assembly machine during assembly operation. The described interface can be a mechanical, electrical and / or communication interface.

[0056] As a mechanical interface, the interface can be responsible in particular for spatially accurately positioning the component conveying device in a position or orientation on the frame of the automatic assembly machine during normal operation of the assembly system, so that the assembly head can also reliably pick up the relevant components. For this purpose, the mechanical interface can have suitable snap-in elements and / or locating pins on one part of (i) the device and (ii) the automatic assembly machine, which mechanically interact with complementary elements on another part of (i) the device and (ii) the automatic assembly machine, thereby ensuring a spatially accurate and fixed positioning between the device and the automatic assembly machine during the assembly operation.

[0057] The electrical interface described can be used in particular to supply electrical energy to the component conveying device from the automatic assembly machine. This advantageously reduces the electrical wiring of the components of the assembly system.

[0058] The communication interface can be used in particular for transmitting component data and / or optical inspection results of components between the component conveying device and the automatic assembly machine. The communication interface can be a conventional interface for transmitting data wirelessly and / or by wire in a manner known per se.

[0059] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the assembly head is a multiple assembly head having multiple component holding devices so that multiple components can be held simultaneously and can be transferred together from the device or more precisely from a flat material box located in the inspection position to the assembly area of ​​the automatic assembly machine.

[0060] The picking up of the components is typically carried out sequentially one by one (after checking) until all relevant components have been picked up. After the components have been transported together into the assembly area, they are then also typically placed sequentially on the relevant component placement positions on the component carrier to be assembled. The multiple assembly head, which can have, for example, two, four, eight or even more component holding devices, can advantageously achieve a high assembly efficiency of the assembly system.

[0061] According to another embodiment of the invention, the assembly head is a single assembly head having exactly one component holding device for picking up exactly one component. Such a single assembly head is particularly advantageous when particularly large components must be reliably handled, which cannot or can only be held unreliably by the conventional component holding device designed as a suction cup. The component holding device for the single assembly head can be, for example, a mechanical gripper with two clamping arms. With such a clamping component holding device, not only larger electronic components can be clamped, but also mechanical devices such as plugs or plug connectors, cooling bodies, shielding elements, housing parts can be held and transferred from a flat magazine to the component carrier to be assembled.

[0062] It is noted that embodiments of the invention are described with reference to different inventive subject matters. In particular, some embodiments of the invention with device claims and other embodiments of the invention with method claims are described. However, a person skilled in the art will immediately understand when reading this document that, in addition to the combination of features belonging to one type of inventive subject matter, any combination of features belonging to different types of inventive subject matter is also possible, unless otherwise explicitly stated.

[0063] Further advantages and features of the invention emerge from the following exemplary description of currently preferred embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0064] Figure 1 A mounting system according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0065] Figure 2 A conveying device for components located in a flat magazine is shown.

[0066] Description of reference numerals:

[0067] 1Assembly system

[0068] 100 automatic assembly machines

[0069] 102 (Automatic assembly machine) rack

[0070] 104Fixed load rail

[0071] 106 Movable carrying arm

[0072] 108 Removable mounting elements

[0073] 110 Assembly area

[0074] 112 transport device

[0075] 118 Data processing and control device

[0076] 118a data line

[0077] 120 Fixed Camera / Component Camera

[0078] 122 Movable Camera / Circuit Board Camera

[0079] 130 Assembly head

[0080] 140 interfaces

[0081] 150 component conveyor

[0082] 160 material box storage mechanism

[0083] 170 lifting mechanism

[0084] 188 Control Agency

[0085] 190 Component carrier / circuit board

[0086] 192 elements

[0087] 194 component picking positions

[0088] 252 Transport Vehicle / AGV

[0089] 253 wheels

[0090] 261 Upper storage area of ​​the material box storage mechanism 160

[0091] 262 The lower storage area of ​​the material box storage mechanism 160

[0092] 272 Load-bearing element of lifting mechanism 170

[0093] 273 roller

[0094] 275 Grabber

[0095] 277 Movable support table

[0096] 296 plane material box

[0097] H1, H2 horizontal transmission path

[0098] V1 and V2 are vertical transmission paths. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0099] In the following detailed description, it should be noted that the features or components of different embodiments where the corresponding features or elements according to another embodiment are identical or at least functionally identical will be given the same reference numeral or three-digit number, which in the latter two digits is identical to the reference numeral of the corresponding identical or at least functionally identical feature or component. In order to avoid unnecessary repetitions, features or components that have already been explained with the aid of the previously described embodiments will not be elaborated in detail later.

[0100] It should also be noted that the embodiments described below are only a limited selection of possible implementation variants of the invention. In particular, it is possible to combine the features of the individual embodiments with one another in a suitable manner, so that a plurality of different embodiments can be considered as clearly disclosed for a person skilled in the art using the implementation variants explicitly shown here.

[0101] Figure 1 The schematic diagram shows a mounting system 1 for mounting component carriers or printed circuit boards with electrical components 192. The mounting system 1 has an automatic mounting machine 100 and a component conveying device 150, by means of which components 192, for example electronic components accommodated in flat magazines, can be conveyed to the automatic mounting machine 100.

[0102] The automatic assembly machine 100 has a frame 102 as a fixed support structure. A fixed support rail 104 is arranged or constructed on the frame 102, and the support rail extends along the y direction. A support arm 106 is arranged on the fixed support rail 104, and the support arm extends along the x direction and can be moved along the y direction by means of a drive motor not shown. The corresponding moving direction is indicated by a double arrow "Y". A mounting element 108 is arranged on the support arm 106, and the mounting element 108 can be moved along the x direction by means of another drive motor not shown. The corresponding moving direction is indicated by a double arrow "X". The component support rail 104, the support arm 106 and the mounting element 108 together with two drive motors not shown are a so-called surface positioning system, which can be used to position the assembly head 130 in the xy plane.

[0103] The component carrier 190 is assembled in the assembly area 110. Before assembly, the component carrier 190 to be assembled is transported into the assembly area 110 by means of a transport device 112, such as a conveyor belt. After the component 192 is at least partially assembled, the component carrier 190 is transported away by means of the transport device 112. The corresponding transport direction is Figure 1 In the figure, they are represented by arrows T respectively.

[0104] As from Figure 1As can be seen in FIG, the assembly head 130 is fixed to the mounting element 108. By appropriately controlling a drive motor (not shown), the assembly head 130 can be moved between the component pick-up position 194 and the assembly area 110. Figure 1 In the flat magazines not shown in detail, the component pick-up positions correspond to the pick-up areas or pockets of the relevant flat magazines. The data processing and control device 118 ensures the unimpeded process of assembly in a known manner, which data processing and control device is also communicatively coupled to the assembly head 130 via a data line 118a shown in dashed lines and a drive motor not shown. At this time, the assembly head 130 moves to the component pick-up position 194 for picking up the component 192. The assembly head 130 then moves with the picked-up component 192 into the assembly area 110, where the component 192 is placed on the provided component carrier 190. The assembly head 130 then moves "empty" back to the component conveying device 150, where it picks up the component 192 again from one flat magazine or another flat magazine.

[0105] If Figure 1 It can be seen that the automatic assembly machine 100 also has two cameras. The first fixed camera 120 is used to measure the component 192 picked up by the assembly head. To this end, the assembly head 130 is positioned above the camera 120 so that the picked up component 192 is located in the detection area of ​​the camera 120. In this component measurement, for example, the exact angular position of the picked up component 192 can be measured. When placing the relevant component 192, the deviation of the angular position can be compensated in a suitable manner by appropriately rotating the corresponding component holding device, so that the relevant component 192 is placed on the component carrier 190 at the correct angular position.

[0106] In addition, the second camera 122 is used to precisely measure the markings placed on the upper side of the component carrier 190 to be assembled. As a result, the exact spatial position of the component carrier 190 within the assembly area 110 can be identified and taken into account when positioning the assembly head 130, that is, the component 192 is actually also placed on the component carrier 190 precisely at a specific target position. According to the exemplary embodiment shown here, the second camera 122 is arranged on the assembly head 130 and moves together with the assembly head 130 in order to measure the markings on the component carrier 190.

[0107] According to the embodiment shown here, the second camera 122 is also used to optically check the components 192 by means of image recording, which components were recently picked up by the assembly head 130. In this case, the optical inspection can also include image analysis or image processing by means of an image processing device connected downstream of the second camera 122 and not shown. In this case, in particular, component-specific markings on the surface of the relevant component 192 can be detected and recognized. These markings can be used, for example, for the traceability of the assembly process performed by the automatic assembly machine 100.

[0108] The component conveyor 150 has a magazine storage device 160, in which a plurality of flat magazines are arranged in the form of a stack of flat magazines in the vertical z direction. In addition, the component conveyor 150 has a (robotic) gripping mechanism (not shown). In the specified operation of the component conveyor 150, the flat magazines are removed from the stack of flat magazines by means of the gripping mechanism and transferred to a lifting table of the lifting mechanism 170 (also not shown in detail). The lifting mechanism 170 is then used to move the relevant removed flat magazine vertically upwards into an inspection position (perpendicular to the Figure 1 ). The inspection position is then reached and the optical inspection of at least some of the components 192 contained in the planar magazine is performed as described above. Furthermore, in the exemplary embodiment described here, the inspection position is selected so that the components 192 can be removed from the planar magazine by the assembly head 130 without further movement of the planar magazine.

[0109] The control mechanism 188 of the component conveyor 150 controls the operation of the component conveyor 150. In addition to the operation of the (robotic) gripping mechanism, this also includes, in particular, the control of the components in the Figure 1 Control of a motor, not shown, for vertically moving the lifting table of the lifting mechanism 170.

[0110] According to the embodiment shown here, the component conveying device 150 is movable and can be docked on different automatic assembly machines 100 in principle. In order to ensure the unimpeded interaction between the component conveying device 150 and the automatic assembly machine 100 in the assembly operation, an interface 140 is constructed between the component conveying device 150 and the automatic assembly machine 100. According to the embodiment shown here, the interface 140 is a "multi-purpose interface", which can realize the mechanical, electrical and communication coupling between the component conveying device 150 and the automatic assembly machine 100. Here, the mechanical coupling is responsible for the spatially accurate and stable relative positioning of the two components "component conveying device 150" and "automatic assembly machine 100". The electrical coupling allows the supply of electrical energy to the component conveying device 150. The communication coupling can realize real-time data exchange, thereby the operation of the component conveying device 150 can be synchronized with the operation of the automatic assembly machine 100.

[0111] Figure 2 An embodiment of a component transport device 150 is shown. The component transport device 150 includes a movable platform 252. According to the embodiment shown here, the movable platform 252 is an automated guided vehicle (AGV). Wheels 253 enable low-friction mobility of the AGV on a factory floor where an assembly line is constructed, which has at least one such as Figure 1 The assembly system 1 shown. The movable platform 252 is used to move the component conveying device 150 between (i) a central material storage device not shown and (ii) an automatic assembly machine of the assembly line, in which a plurality of flat material boxes 296 are pre-stored. Thus, a "new" flat material box 296 filled with components can be transported to the assembly line in an automated manner and a flat material box 296 at least partially emptied of components can be transported back to the material storage device.

[0112] The magazine storage device 160 of the component conveying device 150 has two storage areas, in which stacks of flat magazines 296 can be stored. Figure 2 In the diagram, the first upper storage area is denoted by reference numeral 261 and the second lower storage area is denoted by reference numeral 262. Each of the two storage areas 261, 262 has a plurality of storage compartments (not shown in detail) arranged one above the other and having suitable pick-up structures, wherein exactly one flat material box 296 can be accommodated in each storage compartment. The flat material boxes 296 are stored and removed by horizontally moving or conveying them out of or into the material box storage device 160. The corresponding horizontal conveying path during removal is Figure 2 The corresponding horizontal conveying path when stored in the magazine storage mechanism 160 is illustrated by the dashed arrow H1 in FIG. Figure 2 This is illustrated by the dotted arrow H2.

[0113] The horizontal movement of each flat material box 296 is achieved by a horizontally movable gripping mechanism, which has a movable support table 277 and at least one gripper arranged or constructed at the front end of the support table 277, which can be actuated and can establish a mechanical coupling with the relevant flat material box 296. The movable support table 277 is horizontally movable against two supporting elements 272, wherein at Figure 2 Only one of the two support elements 272 can be seen in the view of FIG. The horizontal mobility of the support platform 277 is Figure 2 In the diagram, it is shown by (only one) roller 273. Figure 2 Not shown here is a suitable drive for horizontally positioning a gripping mechanism having a support table 277 and at least one gripper 275 .

[0114] The components "carrying element 272", "resting table 277", "gripper 275" and "roller 273" described here are as a whole Figure 1 The important or first important component of the lifting mechanism 170 has been mentioned above in the description of FIG. The second equally important component of the lifting mechanism 170 is shown in FIG. Figure 2 The vertical drive device not shown in the figure together with the vertical bearing belonging to it. By this vertical drive, the first component, namely the whole body consisting of the support element 272, the support platform 277, the gripper 275 and the roller 273 can move upward or downward in the vertical direction.

[0115] exist Figure 2 , the first component is shown twice, wherein each of the two representations corresponds to a height position of the first component. In the lower height position, a specific planar bin can be removed from or stored in the bin storage mechanism 160. In the upper height position, the components picked up in the planar bin 296 can be removed from or stored in the bin storage mechanism 160. Figure 2 According to the embodiment shown here, the camera is directly or indirectly arranged on the mounting head, which is also not shown, such as in Figure 1 (see assembly head 130 and movable camera 122).

[0116] According to the invention, the upper height position is selected so accurately that the upper side of at least one element to be optically inspected is located exactly in the focal plane of the camera. This ensures that the camera detects the surface of the relevant element with a clear image, which can be reliably processed and analyzed by an image analysis unit connected behind the camera. For this purpose, it is necessary to select the first components (support element 272, support table 277, gripper 275 and roller 273) in particular according to the height of the relevant at least one element to be inspected. In other words, the vertical drive must be controlled only by Figure 1 The control mechanism 188 shown in FIG. 1 is controlled in such a way that the movement is stopped precisely when the surface of at least one relevant element is located exactly in the focal plane of the camera during the upward movement of the first part. Figure 2 , the corresponding travel movements in the vertical direction are respectively indicated by dotted arrows V1 and V2.

[0117] Therefore, the method described herein for conveying components from a flat material box to an assembly process begins with the removal of a predetermined flat material box 296 from the lower storage area 262 or from the upper storage area 261 along the horizontal conveying path H1 from the material box storage mechanism by means of a gripping mechanism (= movable support table 277 and gripper 275). The removed flat material box 296 is then conveyed upwards to the above-mentioned upper height position by a lifting mechanism. This is carried out along the vertical conveying path V1.

[0118] Then, at least one element also contained in the planar bin 296 is Figure 2 296 is optically inspected by a camera not shown in the figure. In this optical inspection, only one component can be detected. However, preferably, multiple components are optically inspected by means of a single camera. After a single optical inspection of a component or a common optical inspection of multiple components, this component or these components are grasped by the assembly head and further processed by the automatic assembly machine in a known manner. When the relevant planar material box 296 has been emptied or when the components contained in the planar material box 296 are no longer needed for further assembly, the planar material box 296 moves downward along the vertical conveying path V2 and is stored in the material box storage mechanism along the horizontal conveying path H2 when reaching the corresponding lower height position. Subsequently, the first component can be moved to a new height position so that the same process can be performed with another flat magazine, which process includes (i) horizontally moving the flat magazine out to a removal position, (ii) vertically conveying the flat magazine upward to an inspection position, (iii) optically inspecting at least one component, (iv) picking up the component by an assembly head, (v) vertically conveying the flat magazine downward, and (vi) storing the flat magazine in an empty storage compartment of a magazine storage mechanism.

[0119] It should be noted that the term "having" does not exclude other elements, and the numeral "a" does not exclude a plurality. Furthermore, elements described in connection with different embodiments may be combined. It should also be noted that the reference signs in the claims should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for feeding components (192) in a flat magazine (296) to an assembly process, the assembly process being performed by means of an automatic assembly machine (100), the method comprising: horizontally conveying (H1) the flat container (296) from a storage position of a container storage device (160), in which the flat container (296) and at least one further flat container (296) are arranged in a stack of flat containers (296) in a vertical z-direction, and (ii) moving in a removal position in a horizontal x-direction by means of a movable gripping device (275, 277); The removed flat material box (296) is vertically transferred from the removal position to the inspection position (V1) along the z direction; optically inspecting at least one component (192) located in the planar bin (296); as well as At least one inspected component (192) is fed to an assembly process in which the at least one component (192) is picked up by an assembly head (130) of an automatic assembly machine (100); wherein the inspection position is determined by a control mechanism (188) based on (i) the height of the base structure of the removed flat material box (296) and (ii) the height of the at least one inspected component (192).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The optical inspection includes: inspecting multiple components (192) simultaneously, and It is fed into the assembly process, A plurality of components (192) are sequentially picked up by the assembly head (130).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The optical inspection includes: A marking is detected, which is formed on the surface of the at least one inspected element (192).

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The marking has a three-dimensional structural characteristic of the at least one inspected element (192).

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein The marking has a code of at least one inspected element (192), wherein: The coding is in particular a component-specific coding.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vertical transfer (V1) comprises: First vertical transfer, and then The second vertical transfer, where A first (average and / or maximum) speed of the first vertical transport is greater than a second speed of the second vertical transport.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The inspection data is transmitted to the automatic assembly machine (100).

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The inspection data includes at least one of the following information: (a) the height of the at least one inspected element (192), (b) the length and / or width of the at least one inspected element (192), (c) the type of the at least one inspected element (192), (d) the number of components (192) (still) contained in the planar bin, (e) Information on whether the pick-up area of ​​the planar bin (296) is occupied by a component (192).

9. A device for feeding components (192) in a flat magazine (296) to an assembly process, the assembly process being carried out by means of an automatic assembly machine (100), the device comprising: A container storage mechanism (160) is used to store a planar container (296) and at least one other planar container (296) in a stacked manner, wherein: The stored planar bins (296) are arranged in a vertical z-direction; A gripping mechanism (277, 275) movable in a horizontal x-direction for horizontally transferring a planar material box (296) from (i) a storage position inside the material box storage mechanism (160) to (ii) a retrieval position outside the material box storage mechanism (160); A lifting mechanism (170) for vertically transferring the removed planar material box (296) from a removal position to an inspection position along the z direction; a camera (122) for optically inspecting at least one component (192) located in a planar bin (296); and A control mechanism (188) configured to determine an inspection position based on (i) a height of a base structure of a removed planar bin (296) and (ii) a height of at least one inspected component (192); The inspection position has a height position relative to the magazine storage device (160), in which the at least one inspected component (192) can be delivered to the assembly process by picking it up by the assembly head (130) of the automatic assembly machine (100).

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein The camera has a field of view which allows only a single component located in the flat magazine to be detected.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein The camera has a field of view which enables the detection of a plurality of components located in the flat magazine.

12. An assembly system (1) for assembling a component carrier (190) with a component (192), the assembly system (1) comprising: An automatic assembly machine (100) having an assembly head (130), and The device (150) according to claim 9.

13. The assembly system (1) according to claim 12, wherein An interface (140) is provided between a device (150) for conveying components (192) in a flat magazine (296) and an automatic assembly machine (100), which ensures cooperation between the device (150) and the automatic assembly machine (100) during assembly operation.

14. The assembly system (1) according to claim 12, wherein The assembly head (130) is a multiple assembly head having multiple component holding devices, so that multiple components (192) can be held simultaneously and can be collectively transferred from the device (150) to the assembly area (110) of the automatic assembly machine (100).

15. The assembly system (1) according to claim 12, wherein The assembly head (130) is a single assembly head having exactly one component holding device for picking up exactly one component (192).

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