Mounting device and board verification method

Abstract

Promptly confirm the presence of the circuit board. [Solution] A mounting apparatus for mounting components onto a substrate transported to a work position by a transport unit comprises an imaging unit that captures an image, and a processing unit that performs an image confirmation process which causes the imaging unit to capture an area where the edge portion of the substrate at the work position may exist, and confirms the presence of the substrate based on the detection of the edge portion from the captured image.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification discloses an implementation device and a substrate confirmation method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in an implementation device that mounts components on a substrate conveyed by a conveyance unit, when starting production or restarting interrupted production, a substrate confirmation process (detection process) has been proposed to be executed. For example, in Patent Document 1, control conditions such as conveyance speed and timeout time are set using information of the substrate conveyed by the conveyance unit, and based on the control conditions, the conveyance unit is made to perform a conveyance operation, and the presence or absence of the substrate is confirmed based on whether the detection sensor can detect the substrate.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above-described implementation device, a speed slower than the normal conveyance speed of the substrate is set as the conveyance speed. Therefore, it may take time for the substrate confirmation process.

[0005] The main object of the present disclosure is to quickly confirm the presence of a substrate.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present disclosure has taken the following means to achieve the above main object.

[0007] The implementation device of the present disclosure is an implementation device that mounts components on a substrate conveyed to a work position by a conveyance unit, an imaging unit that captures an image, A processing unit that performs an image verification process, which involves causing the imaging unit to capture an image of the region where the edge portion of the substrate may exist at the aforementioned work position, and confirming the presence of the substrate based on the detection of the edge portion from the captured image, The gist of it is that it is equipped with the following features.

[0008] The mounting device of this disclosure allows for the rapid confirmation of the presence of a substrate. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] An explanatory diagram showing an example of the implemented system 10. [Figure 2] A schematic diagram showing the general configuration of the mounting device 20. [Figure 3] A block diagram showing the electrical connection relationships of the mounting device 20. [Figure 4] A flowchart illustrating an example of the component mounting process. [Figure 5] An explanatory diagram showing an example of the working position on the circuit board S. [Figure 6] A flowchart showing an example of the circuit board verification process. [Figure 7] An explanatory diagram showing an example of transport speed in the transport confirmation process. [Figure 8] An explanatory diagram showing an example of the transport direction in the transport confirmation process. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the mounting system 10. Figure 2 is a configuration diagram showing a schematic of the configuration of the mounting device 20. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the electrical connection relationships of the mounting device 20. In this embodiment, the left-right direction (X-axis direction), front-back direction (Y-axis direction), and up-down direction (Z-axis direction) are as shown in Figure 1.

[0011] The mounting system 10 includes, for example, a mounting device 20 that picks up (adsorbs) components and places (mounts) them on a substrate S, and a management device 50 that manages the mounting system 10. The mounting system 10 includes multiple mounting devices 20, but only one mounting device 20 is shown in Figure 1.

[0012] As shown in Figures 1-3, the mounting apparatus 20 comprises a substrate transport unit 21, a component supply unit 25, a mounting head 30, a head movement unit 38, and a control unit 40. The mounting apparatus 20 also includes a parts camera 27, a nozzle stocker 28, and a mark camera 35.

[0013] The substrate transport unit 21 includes a transport conveyor 22 and detection sensors 23 and 24 for detecting substrates S. The transport conveyor 22 has a pair of conveyor belts that are spaced apart in the front-rear direction in Figure 1 and spanned in the left-right direction. The transport conveyor 22 transports the substrates S along the transport direction (left-right direction) by driving the conveyor belts and holds the transported substrates S at a predetermined working position. The path along which the transport conveyor 22 transports the substrates S is called the transport path R (see Figure 2). The transport path R has an inlet Ri at one end (left end) into which substrates S are brought in from an upstream mounting device 20, etc., and an outlet Ro at the other end (right end) into which substrates S are brought out to a downstream mounting device 20, etc.

[0014] The detection sensors 23 and 24 are configured as through-type sensors having, for example, a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit capable of receiving light emitted from the light-emitting unit. The light emitted from the light-emitting unit is blocked by the substrate S, making it impossible for the light-receiving unit to receive the light, and the output signal changes, thereby detecting the substrate S. Detection sensor 23 detects the substrate S at the loading entrance Ri. Detection sensor 24 detects the substrate S at the loading exit Ro. Note that detection sensors 23 and 24 are not limited to through-type sensors, but may also be reflective type sensors, and are not limited to non-contact type sensors, but may also be contact type sensors, etc., where the output signal changes when in contact with the substrate S.

[0015] The component supply unit 25 supplies components from the front side of the mounting device 20, and includes a plurality of tape feeders 26 arranged in a plurality of slots arranged in the left-right direction (X-axis direction) and capable of supplying components by means of a tape. The tape feeder 26 includes a reel around which a tape in which components are accommodated at predetermined intervals is wound, and supplies the components to the supply position by feeding out the tape in predetermined amounts.

[0016] The mounting head 30 has one or more suction nozzles 31 removably attached to its lower surface. The suction nozzle 31 is a picking member that picks up components using negative pressure. The mounting head 30 moves the suction nozzle 31 up and down along the Z-axis and rotates (spins) the suction nozzle 31 by driving a drive motor (not shown) to adjust the angle of the component adsorbed to the suction nozzle 31. Further, the mounting head 30 is configured as a rotary head, for example, with a plurality (e.g., 8 or 12) of suction nozzles 31 rotatably mounted in the circumferential direction. The mounting head 30 moves one suction nozzle 31 that has been moved to a predetermined position up and down to pick up the component supplied to the supply position by the component supply unit 25, or to place the picked-up component on the substrate S held at the working position (stop position) by the substrate transfer unit 21.

[0017] The head moving unit 38 includes a slider guided by a guide rail and moving in the XY direction, and a motor for driving the slider. The mounting head 30 is removably attached to the slider. Therefore, the mounting head 30 moves in the XY direction by the head moving unit 38.

[0018] The mark camera 35 is disposed on the lower surface of the mounting head 30 (or the slider). The mark camera 35 moves in the horizontal direction (XY direction) as the mounting head 30 moves. The mark camera 35 images a target such as a reference mark attached to the substrate S from above and outputs the image to the control unit 40. Further, the parts camera 27 is detachably provided between the substrate transfer unit 21 and the component supply unit 25. The parts camera 27 images the component adsorbed by the suction nozzle 31 from below and outputs the image to the control unit 40. Note that the mounting position of the parts camera 27 may be changeable in the left - right direction. Also, the nozzle stocker 28 is detachably provided between the substrate transfer unit 21 and the component supply unit 25. The nozzle stocker 28 stocks a plurality of types of suction nozzles 31 that can be attached to the mounting head 30.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 40 is configured as a microprocessor centered around the CPU 41. The control unit 40 includes a ROM 42 that stores a processing program, an HDD 43 that stores various data, a RAM 44 used as a work area, an input / output interface 45 for communicating signals with the outside, etc., and these are connected via a bus 46. The control unit 40 exchanges signals with the substrate transfer unit 21, the component supply unit 25, the mounting head 30, the head moving unit 38, the parts camera 27, the nozzle stocker 28, the mark camera 35, etc.

[0020] The management device 50 is a computer that manages information about each mounting device 20 of the mounting system 10. The management device 50 includes a control unit configured as a microprocessor centered on a CPU. The control unit includes a ROM for storing processing programs, an HDD for storing various data, RAM used as a work area, and an input / output interface for exchanging signals with the outside. The management device 50 also includes an input unit 52 such as a keyboard and mouse for the operator to input various commands, and a display unit 54 for displaying various information. The management device 50 is configured to communicate with the mounting devices 20 and sends jobs (mounting instructions) to the mounting devices 20 to instruct them to perform mounting processing. These jobs include information on what types of components to mount on the board S and in what order, information on how many boards S to manufacture, and information on the size of the board S.

[0021] Next, the operation of the mounting apparatus 20 configured in this way will be explained, including the component mounting process (production) for mounting components onto the substrate S, and the substrate confirmation process for confirming the presence of the substrate S. Figure 4 is a flowchart of an example of the component mounting process. In the component mounting process, the CPU 41 of the control unit 40 sets the working position (stopping position) of the substrate S to be produced (S100). Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the working position of the substrate S. Examples of working positions include the center position of the transport path R (upper part of Figure 5), a position closer to the entrance Ri than the center position (middle part of Figure 5, entrance side position), and a position closer to the exit Ro than the center position (lower part of Figure 5, exit side position). Here, depending on the placement of multiple tape feeders 26 and parts cameras 27 that supply the components to be mounted, shifting the working position of the substrate S to either the left or right side relative to the center position of the transport path R, i.e., towards the entrance Ri or exit Ro side, may shorten the travel distance of the mounting head 30 and allow for more efficient component mounting. Therefore, the CPU 41 sets the work position to improve mounting efficiency based on information such as the type and mounting location of the components to be mounted obtained from the job, and information on the placement location of the tape feeder 26 that supplies the components to be mounted. Alternatively, the management device 50 may determine the work position and transmit it to the mounting device 20. The CPU 41 may also set the work position transmitted from the management device 50.

[0022] In S100, the CPU 41 sets the working position of the substrate S and controls the substrate transport unit 21 (transport conveyor 22) to transport the substrate S from the loading entrance Ri at a predetermined speed and stop at the working position (S110). Next, the CPU 41 controls the mounting head 30 and head movement unit 38 to pick up the components supplied by the tape feeder 26 of the component supply unit 25 with the suction nozzle 31 (S120). Subsequently, the CPU 41 controls the mounting head 30 and head movement unit 38 to move onto the substrate S via the parts camera 27 and mount the components at the mounting position (S130). In S130, the CPU 41 processes the image captured by the parts camera 27 of the components picked up by the suction nozzle 31 to detect any misalignment of the components, corrects the mounting position of the components to eliminate the misalignment, and then mounts the components.

[0023] The CPU 41 then determines whether the mounting of all components is complete (S140). If it determines that it is not complete, it returns to S120 and repeats the process. On the other hand, if the CPU 41 determines in S140 that the mounting of all components is complete, it controls the board transport unit 21 (transport conveyor 22) to transport the board S out of the exit Ro at a predetermined speed (S150), and terminates this process.

[0024] Next, we will explain the substrate verification process. Here, there are cases where an error occurs during the production of substrate S, causing production to stop, and then production resumes after the worker removes substrate S or moves it from its work position. For this reason, the substrate verification process is performed to confirm whether substrate S is on the transport path R (work position) when production resumes. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the substrate verification process.

[0025] In the substrate verification process, the CPU 41 sets the presence area A of the substrate S's edge portion based on the working position and size (length in the transport direction) of the substrate S that was on the transport conveyor 22 before production was stopped (S200). As shown in Figure 5, the presence area A is the area where one of the two edge portions (for example, the left side) of the substrate S's transport direction (left-right direction) may exist, and its position will differ depending on the working position and size of the substrate S. Once the presence area A is set, the CPU 41 controls the head movement unit 38 so that the mark camera 35 moves above the presence area A, and then has the mark camera 35 capture an image and performs image processing (S210). Next, in the image processing, the CPU 41 determines whether or not it was able to detect the edge portion of the substrate S from the image (S220). In S220, the CPU 41 determines whether or not the edge portion was detected based on whether or not it can recognize a substantially linear boundary between pixels indicating the brightness of the surface of the substrate S and pixels indicating the brightness of the background other than the surface of the substrate S (inside the transport conveyor 22) from within the image.

[0026] When the CPU 41 determines in S220 that it has detected the edge of the substrate S, it confirms that the substrate S is on the transport path R, positions the substrate S (S290), and terminates the process. Thus, the processes in S200-S220 and S290 are image confirmation processes that confirm the presence of the substrate S based on the detection of the edge from the image captured by the mark camera 35. When the CPU 41 determines in S290 that the substrate S is in the correct working position based on the position of the edge detected in the image, it should hold the substrate S in that position. Alternatively, if the CPU 41 determines that the substrate S is misaligned from the working position based on the position of the edge detected in the image, it should drive the transport conveyor 22 to fine-tune the position of the substrate S to correct the misalignment.

[0027] On the other hand, if the CPU 41 determines in S220 that it could not detect the edge of the substrate S, that is, that it could not detect the edge during the image verification process, it will perform a transport verification process to confirm the presence of the substrate S, accompanied by the transport operation (driving) of the transport conveyor 22, as follows. First, the CPU 41 sets the transport speed for the transport operation of the transport conveyor 22 (S230) and sets the transport direction for the transport operation (S240).

[0028] Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the transport speed in the transport confirmation process. In S230, as shown in Figure 7, when the length of the substrate in the transport direction (the length of the substrate in the left-right direction) is greater than or equal to a predetermined length, the transport speed is set to high speed, and when the length of the substrate in the transport direction is less than the predetermined length, the transport speed is set to low speed. In this embodiment, the high speed set when the length is greater than or equal to the predetermined length is the predetermined speed (predetermined transport speed) when the substrate S is loaded and unloaded.

[0029] Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the transport direction in the transport confirmation process. In S240, the transport direction is set based on the working position of the substrate S in the component mounting process that was performed immediately before production stopped (S100). As shown in Figure 8, when the working position of the substrate S is in the center position (upper part of Figure 8) and when it is in the loading side position (middle part of Figure 8), the transport direction toward the loading entrance Ri is set. Also, when the working position of the substrate S is in the unloading side position (lower part of Figure 8), the transport direction toward the unloading exit Ro is set.

[0030] Next, the CPU 41 starts the transport operation based on the set transport speed and transport direction (S250), and determines whether the detection sensor has detected the substrate S (S260) and whether a predetermined time (timeout period) has elapsed (S270). If the transport direction toward the entrance Ri is set in S240, S260 is the process of determining whether the detection sensor 23 has detected the substrate S. Also, if the transport direction toward the exit Ro is set in S240, S260 is the process of determining whether the detection sensor 24 has detected the substrate S.

[0031] If the CPU 41 determines in S260 that the detection sensor (either detection sensor 23 or 24) has detected the substrate S before determining that a predetermined time has elapsed, it terminates the transport operation of the transport conveyor 22 (S280), confirms that the substrate S is on the transport path R, positions the substrate S (S290), and terminates this process. When the CPU 41 has detected the substrate S by the detection sensor, it is sufficient to transport and hold the substrate S to the work position using the transport operation of the transport conveyor 22.

[0032] On the other hand, if the CPU 41 determines in S270 that a predetermined time has elapsed before the detection sensor detects the substrate S, it terminates the transport operation of the transport conveyor 22 (S300), confirms that there is no substrate S on the transport path R, requests the upstream work equipment such as the upstream mounting equipment 20 to bring in the substrate S (S310), and terminates this process.

[0033] Here, the correspondence between the components of this embodiment and the components of the present disclosure will be clarified. In this embodiment, the mark camera 35 corresponds to the imaging unit, and the control unit 40 (CPU 41) that executes S200 to S220 and S290 of the substrate verification process corresponds to the processing unit (image verification process). Also, the head moving unit 38 corresponds to the moving unit, and the detection sensors 23 and 24 are detection sensors. Furthermore, the control unit 40 (CPU 41) that executes S230 to S310 of the substrate verification process corresponds to the processing unit (transport verification process). In this embodiment, an example of the substrate verification method of the present disclosure is also clarified by explaining the operation of the mounting apparatus 20.

[0034] The mounting apparatus 20 of the embodiment described above performs an image verification process that involves having the mark camera 35 capture an image of the area A where the edge portion of the substrate S is located at the work position, and confirming the presence of the substrate S based on the detection of the edge portion from the image. This allows for confirmation of the presence of the substrate S without transporting the substrate S, thus enabling rapid confirmation of the substrate S.

[0035] Furthermore, an area A is set based on the working position and the size of the substrate S, and the mark camera 35 is moved above this area A before the mark camera 35 captures an image. This allows the image verification process to be narrowed down to the necessary area, enabling efficient image verification.

[0036] Furthermore, since image verification processing is performed when production of substrate S is resumed after it has been stopped, the existence of substrate S can be quickly confirmed, and production can be resumed without delay.

[0037] Furthermore, if the edge portion cannot be detected during the image verification process, the substrate transport unit 21 (transport conveyor 22) is made to perform a transport operation, and a transport verification process is executed to confirm the presence of the substrate S based on the detection of the substrate S by the detection sensors 23 and 24. Therefore, even if the presence of the substrate S cannot be confirmed during the image verification process, its presence can be confirmed by the transport verification process. In addition, since the transport verification process is executed only when the presence of the substrate S cannot be confirmed during the image verification process, the frequency of execution of the transport verification process can be reduced, and the presence of the substrate S can be confirmed efficiently.

[0038] Furthermore, in the transport confirmation process, if the length of the substrate in the transport direction is greater than or equal to a predetermined length, the transport operation is performed at high speed, and if it is less than the predetermined length, the transport operation is performed at low speed. Therefore, when a substrate S less than the predetermined length is detected and the transport operation is stopped during the transport confirmation process, it is possible to prevent the substrate S from flying out beyond the entrance Ri or exit Ro. Also, for substrates S greater than the predetermined length, there is less risk of them flying out in this way, so the transport confirmation process can be performed efficiently by performing the transport operation at high speed. Thus, the transport confirmation process can be appropriately executed according to the length of the substrate S.

[0039] Furthermore, since the high speed in the transport operation of the transport confirmation process is a predetermined speed when the substrate S is loaded and unloaded, the transport confirmation process for substrate S of a predetermined length or longer can be performed more efficiently.

[0040] Furthermore, the substrate S has two working positions: one on the entrance side Ri of the transport path R, and another on the exit side Ro of the transport path R, relative to the center. In the transport confirmation process, if the substrate S at the working position on the entrance side Ri is the target of confirmation, the transport direction is set towards the entrance side Ri. If the substrate S at the working position on the exit side Ro is the target of confirmation, the transport direction is set towards the exit. This allows the transport distance of the substrate S to be transported as short as possible during the transport confirmation process. In other words, the time until the substrate S is detected by the detection sensors 23 and 24 can be minimized, allowing the transport confirmation process to be performed more efficiently.

[0041] It goes without saying that this disclosure is not limited in any way to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various forms as long as they fall within the technical scope of this disclosure.

[0042] In this embodiment, when the working position of the substrate S is at the center, the transport direction in the transport confirmation process is set to the direction toward the entrance Ri, but it is not limited to this, and may also be set to the direction toward the exit Ro. Also, in the transport confirmation process, the transport direction is set to differ depending on the working position, but it is not limited to this, and may always be set to the transport direction toward the entrance Ri, or always be set to the transport direction toward the exit Ro.

[0043] In this embodiment, the transport speed in the transport confirmation process is changed in two stages depending on the length of the substrate S, but it may be changed to three or more stages. Also, the transport speed for substrates S of a predetermined length or longer is set to a predetermined speed during loading and unloading, but it is not limited to this, and may be slower than the predetermined speed. Alternatively, the transport speed may not be changed according to the length of the substrate S, but may be kept constant regardless of the length of the substrate S.

[0044] In this embodiment, the timing of the image verification process is set to occur after the production of the substrate S has stopped, but it is not limited to this, and may be set to a timing different from when production resumes. Also, the transport verification process is performed when the presence of the substrate S cannot be confirmed by the image verification process of the presence area A, which is set based on the work position and the size of the substrate S, but it is not limited to this. For example, if the presence of the substrate S cannot be confirmed by the image verification process, a presence area wider than presence area A may be reset, and the image verification process of the reset presence area may be performed. Alternatively, an error may be notified to prompt the worker to confirm, etc.

[0045] In this embodiment, the area A, which is the target area for image verification processing, is set based on the work position and the size of the substrate S. However, it is not limited to this, and the target area may be any area where the edge portion of the substrate S may exist, regardless of the size of the substrate S or the work position. However, it is preferable to use the method described in this embodiment in order to narrow down the area for image verification processing.

[0046] In this embodiment, the presence area A is illustrated by the mark camera 35, but the invention is not limited to this, and imaging may be performed using any imaging unit that can capture the edge portion of the substrate S.

[0047] Here, the substrate verification method of this disclosure is: A method for verifying a circuit board in a mounting apparatus that mounts components onto a circuit board transported to a work position by a transport unit, The gist of the method is to perform an image verification process which includes having the imaging unit capture an image of the area where the edge portion of the substrate may exist at the aforementioned work position, and confirming the presence of the substrate based on the detection of the edge portion from the captured image.

[0048] The substrate verification method of this disclosure, like the mounting apparatus of this disclosure described above, can quickly confirm the presence of a substrate. Various embodiments of the mounting apparatus of this disclosure may be adopted in this substrate verification method, and configurations and steps that realize each function of the mounting apparatus may be added.

[0049] This specification also discloses technical concepts in which the mounting device described in Claim 1 of Claim 4 in the original application has been changed to the mounting device described in any one of Claims 1 to 3, and technical concepts in which the mounting device described in Claim 4 or 5 of Claim 7 in the original application has been changed to the mounting device described in any one of Claims 4 to 6. [Industrial applicability]

[0050] This disclosure is applicable to mounting equipment for mounting components onto a substrate. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0051] 10 Assembly system, 20 Assembly device, 21 Board transport unit, 22 Transport conveyor, 23 Detection sensor (first detection sensor, entrance detection sensor), 24 Detection sensor (second detection sensor, exit detection sensor), 25 Parts supply unit, 26 Tape feeder, 27 Parts camera, 28 Nozzle stocker, 30 Assembly head, 31 Suction nozzle, 35 Mark camera, 38 Head movement unit, 40 Control unit, 41 CPU, 42 ROM, 43 HDD, 44 RAM, 45 Input / Output interface, 46 Bus, 50 Management device, 52 Input unit, 54 Display unit, A Existence area, R Transport path, Ri Entrance, Ro Exit, S Board.

Claims

1. A mounting apparatus for mounting components onto a substrate that has been transported to a work position by a transport unit, An imaging unit that captures images, A processing unit that performs an image verification process, which involves causing the imaging unit to capture an image of the region where the edge portion of the substrate may exist at the aforementioned work position, and confirming the presence of the substrate based on the detection of the edge portion from the captured image, An implementation device equipped with the following features.

2. The system includes a moving unit for moving the imaging unit, In the image verification process, the processing unit sets the area based on the work position and the size of the substrate, moves the imaging unit above the set area using the moving unit, and then has the imaging unit capture an image. The mounting device according to claim 1.

3. The processing unit executes the image verification process when production resumes after production of mounting components onto the substrate has stopped. The mounting device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The system includes a detection sensor that detects the substrate at a position different from the aforementioned working position, If the processing unit fails to detect the edge portion in the image verification process, it will cause the transport unit to perform a transport operation and execute a transport verification process to confirm the presence of the substrate based on the detection of the substrate by the detection sensor. The mounting device according to claim 1.

5. The detection sensor is provided at at least one of the input and output ports in the transport path for the substrate. In the transport confirmation process, the processing unit performs the transport operation at a predetermined transport speed if the length of the substrate in the transport direction is greater than or equal to a predetermined length, and performs the transport operation at a speed lower than the predetermined transport speed if the length is less than the predetermined length. The mounting apparatus according to claim 4.

6. The predetermined transport speed is the transport speed at which the substrate is loaded into and unloaded from the mounting device. The mounting apparatus according to claim 5.

7. The detection sensors are provided at the entrance and exit of the transport path for the substrate. The aforementioned work positions include a work position closer to the entrance than the center of the transport path and a work position closer to the exit than the center. In the transport confirmation process, the processing unit sets the transport direction in the transport operation toward the entrance when the substrate to be confirmed is on the entrance side of the work position, and sets the transport direction toward the exit when the substrate to be confirmed is on the exit side of the work position. The mounting apparatus according to claim 4 or 5.

8. A method for verifying a circuit board in a mounting apparatus that mounts components onto a circuit board transported to a work position by a transport unit, The process includes the step of having the imaging unit capture an image of the area where the edge portion of the substrate may exist at the aforementioned working position, and confirming the presence of the substrate based on the detection of the edge portion from the captured image, and performing an image confirmation process. How to check the circuit board.

Images