Electronic component arraying method and system

Abstract

An electronic component arraying method comprises the steps that at least one vibration feeding device is driven to send out at least one electronic component to at least one containing hole of a rotating disc, and the electronic component is provided with a first end and a second end which can be distinguished; according to a sensing image provided by an image sensing device, judging whether a target electronic element in the at least one electronic element is in a positive vertical state with the first end being above or in a negative vertical state with the second end being above in a corresponding material accommodating hole; when the target electronic component is in the forward vertical state, a first conveying channel is configured between the lower part of the rotating disc and an accommodating plate so as to execute a first pneumatic transfer operation; and when the target electronic component is in the negative vertical state, a second conveying channel is configured between the upper part of the rotating disc and the accommodating plate to execute a second pneumatic transfer operation, so that the target electronic component is guided into an accommodating hole of the accommodating plate in a manner that the second end is in front.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a method for arranging electronic components, and more specifically to a method for arranging electronic components based on a sensed image to determine the pneumatic transfer path. Background Technology

[0002] As the functionality of electronic products continues to improve, the component mounting process on many circuit boards involves transferring a large number of electronic components onto the circuit board. In addition, if the head and tail of the electronic component are asymmetrical, the component mounting process must also ensure that the electronic component is transferred to the circuit board in the correct upright position, for example, with the head up and tail down.

[0003] However, traditional electronic component transfer typically uses a pick-and-place method, which results in poor transfer efficiency and is gradually unable to meet the large-scale electronic component transfer requirements involved in today's advanced semiconductor packaging processes.

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, a novel method for arranging electronic components is urgently needed in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main objective of this invention is to provide a method for arranging electronic components, which can perform an adaptive pneumatic transfer operation on multiple electronic components with inconsistent head and tail arrangements housed in a rotating disk, so that these electronic components are arranged in a housing plate with consistent head and tail.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic component arranging method, which can determine whether the electronic component is in a positive upright state with its head down and tail up or a negative upright state with its head down and tail up in the rotating disk by an image sensing device, so as to perform the adaptive pneumatic transfer operation and thus provide a highly efficient batch electronic component arranging operation.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, a method for arranging electronic components is proposed, which is implemented by a control circuit executing a program and includes the following steps:

[0008] Performing a material preparation operation includes driving at least one vibrating feeding device to deliver at least one electronic component into at least one of a plurality of material receiving holes of a rotating disk, each of the material receiving holes having a valve at its bottom to prevent the electronic component from falling downwards, the electronic component having a distinguishable first end and a second end; and

[0009] Performing a series of operations to introduce at least one electronic component into at least one receiving hole of a receiving plate includes: determining, based on a sensing image provided by an image sensing device, whether a target electronic component among the at least one electronic component is in a positive upright state with its first end facing up or in a negative upright state with its second end facing up in a corresponding receiving hole; and when the target electronic component is in the positive upright state, configuring a first transport channel between the rotating disk and the receiving plate to perform a first pneumatic transfer operation to introduce the target electronic component into one receiving hole of the receiving plate with its second end facing forward; and when the target electronic component is in the negative upright state, configuring a second transport channel between the rotating disk and the receiving plate to perform a second pneumatic transfer operation to introduce the target electronic component into one receiving hole of the receiving plate with its second end facing forward.

[0010] In one embodiment, the first pneumatic transfer operation includes: driving the rotary disk to open the corresponding valve; and driving a first pneumatic pressure application device to apply a first negative pressure operation to the second end of the target electronic component.

[0011] In one embodiment, the first pneumatic transfer operation includes: driving the rotary disk to open the corresponding valve; and driving a first pneumatic pressure application device to apply a first positive pressure operation to the first end of the target electronic component.

[0012] In one embodiment, the second pneumatic transfer operation includes: driving a second pneumatic pressure application device to apply a second negative pressure operation to the second end of the target electronic component.

[0013] In one embodiment, the second pneumatic transfer operation includes: driving a second pneumatic pressure application device to apply a second positive pressure operation to the first end of the target electronic component.

[0014] In one embodiment, each of the vibratory feeding devices has a circular vibrating container and a flat vibrating channel communicating with the circular vibrating container.

[0015] In one embodiment, two of the at least one vibratory feeding device have flat vibratory channels of different sizes to convey the electronic components of different sizes.

[0016] In possible embodiments, the electronic component may be a spring pin, an active component, a passive component, or a metal post.

[0017] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention further proposes an electronic component aligning system, comprising a control circuit, at least one vibratory feeding device, a rotary disk, an image sensing device, a first conveying channel, a first air pressure application device, a second conveying channel, a second air pressure application device, and a receiving plate. The control circuit is used to perform an electronic component aligning operation, and the electronic component aligning operation includes the following steps:

[0018] Performing a material preparation operation includes driving the at least one vibrating feeding device to deliver at least one electronic component into at least one of a plurality of material receiving holes of the rotating disk, each of the material receiving holes having a valve at its bottom to prevent the electronic component from falling downwards, the electronic component having a distinguishable first end and a second end; and

[0019] Performing a series of operations to introduce at least one electronic component into at least one receiving hole of the receiving plate includes: determining, based on a sensing image provided by the image sensing device, whether a target electronic component among the at least one electronic component is in a positive upright state with the first end facing up or in a negative upright state with the second end facing up in a corresponding receiving hole; and when the target electronic component is in the positive upright state, configuring the first transport channel between the rotating disk and the receiving plate to perform a first pneumatic transfer operation to introduce the target electronic component into one receiving hole of the receiving plate with the second end facing forward; and when the target electronic component is in the negative upright state, configuring the second transport channel between the rotating disk and the receiving plate to perform a second pneumatic transfer operation to introduce the target electronic component into one receiving hole of the receiving plate with the second end facing forward.

[0020] In one embodiment, the first pneumatic transfer operation includes: driving the rotary disk to open the corresponding valve; and driving the first pneumatic pressure application device to apply a first negative pressure operation to the second end of the target electronic component.

[0021] In one embodiment, the first pneumatic transfer operation includes: driving the rotary disk to open the corresponding valve; and driving the first pneumatic pressure application device to apply a first positive pressure operation to the first end of the target electronic component.

[0022] In one embodiment, the second pneumatic transfer operation includes: driving the second pneumatic pressure application device to apply a second negative pressure operation to the second end of the target electronic component.

[0023] In one embodiment, the second pneumatic transfer operation includes: driving the second pneumatic pressure application device to apply a second positive pressure operation to the first end of the target electronic component.

[0024] In one embodiment, each of the vibratory feeding devices has a circular vibrating container and a flat vibrating channel communicating with the circular vibrating container.

[0025] In one embodiment, two of the at least one vibratory feeding device have flat vibratory channels of different sizes to convey the electronic components of different sizes.

[0026] In possible embodiments, the electronic component may be a spring pin, an active component, a passive component, or a metal post.

[0027] To further understand the structure, features, purpose, and advantages of the present invention, detailed descriptions of preferred embodiments are provided below, accompanied by accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of an embodiment of the electronic component arrangement system of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2a and 2b For the reason Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing an electronic component being fed by a vibratory feeding device of an electronic component aligning system, exhibiting different vertical positions in a material receiving hole of a rotating disk.

[0030] Figure 3a for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the configuration of the first conveying channel of the electronic component assemblies system;

[0031] Figure 3b To Figure 3a A schematic diagram of the first conveying channel undergoing a first positive pressure operation;

[0032] Figure 3c To Figure 3a A schematic diagram of the first conveying channel undergoing a first negative pressure operation;

[0033] Figure 4a for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the configuration of the second conveyor channel of the electronic component aligning system;

[0034] Figure 4b To Figure 4a A schematic diagram of the second conveying channel undergoing a second positive pressure operation;

[0035] Figure 4c To Figure 4a A schematic diagram of the second conveying channel undergoing a second negative pressure operation; and

[0036] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the electronic component arrangement method of the present invention is shown.

[0037] The meanings of the reference numerals in the above figures are as follows:

[0038] 10: Electronic components

[0039] 11: First end

[0040] 12: Second end

[0041] 110: Control Circuit

[0042] 120: Vibrating feeding device

[0043] 130: Rotating disc

[0044] 131: Material receiving hole

[0045] 140: Image sensing device

[0046] 151: First pneumatic transfer device

[0047] 151a: First conveyor channel

[0048] 151b: First air pressure application device

[0049] 152: Second pneumatic transfer device

[0050] 152a: Second conveyor channel

[0051] 152b: Second air pressure application device

[0052] 160: Container plate

[0053] 161: Receiving hole

[0054] 170: Work Platform Detailed Implementation

[0055] The main principle of this invention is as follows:

[0056] 1. A vibratory feeding device is used to convey multiple electronic components into multiple receiving holes of a rotating disk using a combination of circular and linear vibration; and

[0057] Second, since the upright position of these electronic components in these material holes may randomly present as a positive upright position with the head down and the tail up or a negative upright position with the head down and the tail up, the present invention uses an image sensing device to determine whether the electronic components are in the positive or negative upright position in the rotating disk, and performs an adaptive pneumatic transfer operation based on the sensing result to arrange the electronic components in a receiving plate in a consistent upright position, thereby providing a highly efficient batch electronic component arranging operation.

[0058] Please refer to Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the electronic component arrangement system of the present invention. Figure 1As shown, the electronic component aligning system includes a control circuit 110, at least one vibratory feeder 120, a rotary disk 130, an image sensing device 140, a first pneumatic transfer device 151, a second pneumatic transfer device 152, and a receiving plate 160. The control circuit 110 is coupled to the vibratory feeder 120, the rotary disk 130, the image sensing device 140, the first pneumatic transfer device 151, and the second pneumatic transfer device 152 to perform an electronic component aligning operation.

[0059] The vibratory feeding device 120 may have a circular vibrating container and a horizontal vibrating channel communicating with the outer periphery of the circular vibrating container. Since both the circular vibrating container and the horizontal vibrating channel are existing technologies, their partial structures will not be described in detail here. During operation, the circular vibrating container, through its circular vibration, transports each electronic component housed within it to the horizontal vibrating channel one by one. Each electronic component is then transported through the horizontal vibrating channel to a receiving hole in the rotating disk 130, randomly assuming either a positive or negative upright position. Please refer to... Figure 2a and 2b This is a schematic diagram showing an electronic component fed by a vibrating feeder 120 in different vertical positions within a material receiving hole of a rotating disk 130. Figure 2a In the rotating disk 130, an electronic component 10 is positioned vertically with its first end 11 facing upwards in a receiving hole 131. Figure 2b In the rotating disk 130, an electronic component 10 is in a negative vertical position with its second end 12 facing upward in a material receiving hole 131. The electronic component 10 can be a spring needle, an active component, a passive component, or a metal pillar.

[0060] The rotary disk 130 is a rotatable receiving disk used to rotate the empty receiving hole 131 to below the outlet of the vibrating feeder 120 under the control of the control circuit 110 to receive the electronic component 10.

[0061] The image sensing device 140 is used to extract the sensing image of the electronic component 10 in the material hole 131, so that the control circuit 110 can determine whether the electronic component 10 is in a positive upright state with the first end 11 on top or a negative upright state with the second end 12 on top in the material hole 131.

[0062] The first pneumatic transfer device 151 has a first conveying channel 151a and a first air pressure application device 151b; the second pneumatic transfer device 152 has a second conveying channel 152a and a second air pressure application device 152b.

[0063] The receiving plate 160 can be placed on a work platform 170 and has a plurality of receiving holes for receiving electronic components 10 transferred from the rotating disk 130.

[0064] In detail, the electronic component alignment operation includes the following steps:

[0065] (a) The control circuit 110 performs a material preparation operation, which includes driving the at least one vibrating feeding device 120 to deliver at least one electronic component 10 into at least one of a plurality of material receiving holes 131 of the rotating disk 130. Each of the material receiving holes 131 is provided with a valve (not shown) at the bottom to prevent the electronic component 10 from falling downward. The valve is opened or closed under the control of an electrical signal.

[0066] (ii) The control circuit 110 performs an array operation to insert the at least one electronic component 10 into at least one receiving hole of the receiving plate 160, comprising:

[0067] (1) Based on a sensing image provided by the image sensing device 140, determine whether a target electronic component among the at least one electronic component 10 is in a positive upright state with its first end 11 facing upwards or in a negative upright state with its second end 12 facing upwards in a corresponding material cavity 131; and

[0068] (2) When the target electronic component is in the positive upright position, a first transport channel 151a is arranged between the bottom of the rotary disk 130 and the receiving plate 160 to perform a first pneumatic transfer operation to introduce the target electronic component into a receiving hole of the receiving plate 160 with the second end 12 facing forward. When the target electronic component is in the negative upright position, a second transport channel 152a is arranged between the top of the rotary disk 130 and the receiving plate 160 to perform a second pneumatic transfer operation to introduce the target electronic component into a receiving hole of the receiving plate 160 with the second end 12 facing forward.

[0069] Please refer to the above as well. Figures 3a to 3c ,in, Figure 3a This is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the first conveying channel 151a; Figure 3b To Figure 3a A schematic diagram of the first conveying channel 151a undergoing a first positive pressure operation; and Figure 3c To Figure 3a A schematic diagram of the first conveying channel 151a performing a first negative pressure operation. As shown in 3a, the first conveying channel 151a is connected between the bottom of the rotating disk 130 and the receiving plate 160; as shown in 3b, the first air pressure applying device 151b outputs positive air pressure F. 正压 A first positive pressure operation is applied to the first end 11 of the electronic component 10 to push the electronic component 10 into a receiving hole 161 of the receiving plate 160, so that it is in a positive upright state in the receiving hole 161; as shown in 3c, the first air pressure application device 151b generates a negative air pressure F on one side opening of the first delivery channel 151a. 负压A first negative pressure operation is applied to the second end 12 of the electronic component 10 to move the electronic component 10 downward into a receiving hole 161 of the receiving plate 160, thereby making it upright in the receiving hole 161.

[0070] Please refer to the above as well. Figures 4a to 4c ,in, Figure 4a This is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the second conveying channel 152a; Figure 4b To Figure 4a A schematic diagram of the second conveying channel 152a performing a second positive pressure operation; and Figure 4c To Figure 4a A schematic diagram of the second conveying channel 152a performing a second negative pressure operation. As shown in 4a, the second conveying channel 152a is connected between the upper part of the rotating disk 130 and the receiving plate 160; as shown in 4b, the second air pressure applying device 152b outputs positive air pressure F below the rotating disk 130. 正压 A second positive pressure operation is applied to the first end 11 of the electronic component 10 to push the electronic component 10 into a receiving hole 161 of the receiving plate 160, so that it is in a positive upright state in the receiving hole 161; as shown in 4c, the second air pressure application device 152b generates a negative air pressure F on one side opening of the second delivery channel 152a. 负压 A second negative pressure operation is applied to the second end 12 of the electronic component 10 to move the electronic component 10 downward into a receiving hole 161 of the receiving plate 160, thereby making it upright in the receiving hole 161.

[0071] In addition, one of the at least one vibrating feeding devices 120 may have a flat vibrating channel of different sizes to convey electronic components 10 of different sizes.

[0072] As can be seen from the above description, this invention discloses a method for arranging electronic components. Please refer to... Figure 5The diagram illustrates a flowchart of an embodiment of the electronic component arranging method of the present invention, which is implemented by a control circuit executing a program and includes the following steps: performing a material preparation operation, which includes driving at least one vibrating feeding device to deliver at least one electronic component into at least one of a plurality of material receiving holes of a rotating disk, each of the material receiving holes having a valve at its bottom to prevent the electronic component from falling downwards, the electronic component having a distinguishable first end and a second end (step a); and performing an arranging operation to guide the at least one electronic component into at least one receiving hole of a receiving plate, which includes: determining a target electronic component among the at least one electronic component based on a sensing image provided by an image sensing device. In a corresponding receiving hole, the electronic component is either in a positive upright position with the first end facing up or in a negative upright position with the second end facing up; and when the target electronic component is in the positive upright position, a first conveying channel is arranged between the rotating disk and the receiving plate to perform a first pneumatic transfer operation to introduce the target electronic component into a receiving hole of the receiving plate with the second end facing forward; and when the target electronic component is in the negative upright position, a second conveying channel is arranged between the rotating disk and the receiving plate to perform a second pneumatic transfer operation to introduce the target electronic component into a receiving hole of the receiving plate with the second end facing forward (step b).

[0073] In step a, the vibratory feeding device may have a circular vibrating container and a flat vibrating channel communicating with the circular vibrating container; the electronic component may be a spring pin, an active component, a passive component, or a metal column. Additionally, another of the at least one vibratory feeding device may have flat vibrating channels of different sizes to convey electronic components of different sizes.

[0074] In step b, the first pneumatic transfer operation may include: driving the rotary disk to open the corresponding valve; and driving a first pneumatic pressure application device to apply a first negative pressure operation to the second end of the target electronic component.

[0075] In step b, the first pneumatic transfer operation may include: driving the rotary disk to open the corresponding valve; and driving a first pneumatic pressure application device to apply a first positive pressure operation to the first end of the target electronic component.

[0076] In step b, the second pneumatic transfer operation may include: driving a second pneumatic pressure application device to apply a second negative pressure operation to the second end of the target electronic component.

[0077] In step b, the second pneumatic transfer operation may include: driving a second pneumatic pressure application device to apply a second positive pressure operation to the first end of the target electronic component.

[0078] Based on the above design, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0079] The electronic component arrangement method of the present invention can perform an adaptive pneumatic transfer operation on multiple electronic components with inconsistent head and tail arrangements housed in a rotating disk, so that these electronic components are arranged in a receiving plate with consistent head and tail; and

[0080] The electronic component aligning method of the present invention can determine whether the electronic component is in a positive upright state with its head down and tail up or a negative upright state with its head down and tail up in the rotating disk by an image sensing device, so as to perform the adaptive pneumatic transfer operation and thus provide a highly efficient batch electronic component aligning operation.

[0081] The embodiments disclosed in this case are preferred embodiments. Any partial changes or modifications that originate from the technical concept of this case and are easily deduced by those skilled in the art fall within the protection scope of this case.

[0082] In conclusion, this case demonstrates that its purpose, means, and effects are different from existing technologies and are practical.

Claims

1. A method for arranging electronic components, implemented by a control circuit executing a program, comprising the following steps: Performing a material preparation operation includes driving at least one vibrating feeding device to deliver at least one electronic component into at least one of a plurality of material receiving holes of a rotating disk, each of the material receiving holes having a valve at its bottom to prevent the electronic component from falling downwards, the electronic component having a distinguishable first end and a second end; and Performing a series of operations to introduce at least one electronic component into at least one receiving hole of a receiving plate includes: determining, based on a sensing image provided by an image sensing device, whether a target electronic component among the at least one electronic component is in a positive upright state with its first end facing up or in a negative upright state with its second end facing up in a corresponding receiving hole; and when the target electronic component is in the positive upright state, configuring a first transport channel between the rotating disk and the receiving plate to perform a first pneumatic transfer operation to introduce the target electronic component into one receiving hole of the receiving plate with its second end facing forward; and when the target electronic component is in the negative upright state, configuring a second transport channel between the rotating disk and the receiving plate to perform a second pneumatic transfer operation to introduce the target electronic component into one receiving hole of the receiving plate with its second end facing forward.

2. The electronic component arrangement method according to claim 1, wherein, The first pneumatic transfer operation includes: driving the rotary disk to open the corresponding valve; and driving a first pneumatic pressure application device to apply a first negative pressure operation to the second end of the target electronic component.

3. The electronic component arrangement method according to claim 1, wherein, The first pneumatic transfer operation includes: driving the rotary disk to open the corresponding valve; and driving a first pneumatic pressure application device to apply a first positive pressure operation to the first end of the target electronic component.

4. The electronic component arrangement method according to claim 1, wherein, The second pneumatic transfer operation includes: driving a second pneumatic pressure application device to apply a second negative pressure operation to the second end of the target electronic component.

5. The electronic component arrangement method according to claim 1, wherein, The second pneumatic transfer operation includes: driving a second pneumatic pressure application device to apply a second positive pressure operation to the first end of the target electronic component.

6. The electronic component arrangement method according to claim 1, wherein, Each of these vibratory feeding devices has a circular vibrating container and a flat vibrating channel connected to the circular vibrating container.

7. The electronic component arrangement method according to claim 6, wherein, The at least one vibratory feeding device has two of the flat vibratory channels of different sizes for conveying the electronic components of different sizes.

8. The electronic component arrangement method according to claim 1, wherein, The electronic component is a selected element from a group consisting of spring pins, active components, passive components, and metal pillars.

9. An electronic component aligning system, comprising a control circuit, at least one vibratory feeding device, a rotary disk, an image sensing device, a first conveying channel, a first air pressure application device, a second conveying channel, a second air pressure application device, and a receiving plate, wherein the control circuit is used to perform an electronic component aligning operation, and the electronic component aligning operation includes the following steps: Performing a material preparation operation includes driving the at least one vibrating feeding device to deliver at least one electronic component into at least one of a plurality of material receiving holes of the rotating disk, each of the material receiving holes having a valve at its bottom to prevent the electronic component from falling downwards, the electronic component having a distinguishable first end and a second end; and Performing a series of operations to introduce at least one electronic component into at least one receiving hole of the receiving plate includes: determining, based on a sensing image provided by the image sensing device, whether a target electronic component among the at least one electronic component is in a positive upright state with its first end facing up or in a negative upright state with its second end facing up in a corresponding receiving hole; and when the target electronic component is in the positive upright state, configuring the first transport channel between the rotating disk and the receiving plate to perform a first pneumatic transfer operation to introduce the target electronic component into one receiving hole of the receiving plate with its second end facing forward; and when the target electronic component is in the negative upright state, configuring the second transport channel between the rotating disk and the receiving plate to perform a second pneumatic transfer operation to introduce the target electronic component into one receiving hole of the receiving plate with its second end facing forward.

10. The electronic component arranging system according to claim 9, wherein, The first pneumatic transfer operation includes: driving the rotary disk to open the corresponding valve; and driving the first pneumatic pressure application device to apply a first negative pressure operation to the second end of the target electronic component.

11. The electronic component arranging system according to claim 9, wherein, The first pneumatic transfer operation includes: driving the rotary disk to open the corresponding valve; and driving the first pneumatic pressure application device to apply a first positive pressure operation to the first end of the target electronic component.

12. The electronic component arranging system according to claim 9, wherein, The second pneumatic transfer operation includes: driving the second pneumatic pressure application device to apply a second negative pressure operation to the second end of the target electronic component.

13. The electronic component arranging system according to claim 9, wherein, The second pneumatic transfer operation includes: driving the second pneumatic pressure application device to apply a second positive pressure operation to the first end of the target electronic component.

14. The electronic component arranging system according to claim 9, wherein, Each of these vibratory feeding devices has a circular vibrating container and a flat vibrating channel connected to the circular vibrating container.

15. The electronic component arranging system according to claim 14, wherein, The at least one vibratory feeding device has two of the flat vibratory channels of different sizes for conveying the electronic components of different sizes.

16. The electronic component arranging system according to claim 9, wherein, The electronic component is a selected element from a group consisting of spring pins, active components, passive components, and metal pillars.

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