Work equipment system

Abstract

This work machine system comprises a first work machine, a second work machine disposed alongside the first work machine, and a conveying device capable of conveying a substrate in the second work machine. The first work machine can operate in a first mode and a second mode that is different from the first mode, and if operating in the second mode, sends mode information indicating the same to the second work machine. If the second work machine acquires the mode information indicating that the first work machine is operating in the second mode, the conveying device conveys the substrate using a specific conveying mode that is different from a conveying mode used when the first work machine is operating in the first mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification relates to a work machine system.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an inspection substrate setting step of monitoring the dropping of an electronic component in a component mounting process and setting a substrate as a foreign matter inspection target substrate when the dropping is detected, and an inspection execution step of inspecting the presence or absence of foreign matter on the foreign matter inspection target substrate by a substrate inspection device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technology of Patent Document 1, a component mounting operation is executed on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the substrate, and a substrate inspection operation is executed on the downstream side in the conveyance direction. In this type of technology, depending on the operation content on the upstream side, it may be inconvenient to simply convey the substrate to the downstream side. Therefore, this specification provides a technology capable of changing the conveyance mode of the substrate in the second work machine according to the operation mode of the first work machine.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The work machine system disclosed herein comprises a first work machine, a second work machine arranged alongside the first work machine, and a transport device capable of transporting substrates in the second work machine. The first work machine is capable of operating in a first mode and a second mode different from the first mode, and when operating in the second mode, it notifies the second work machine of mode information indicating this. When the second work machine obtains the mode information indicating that the first work machine is operating in the second mode, the transport device transports the substrate in a specific transport mode different from the transport mode used when the first work machine is operating in the first mode.

[0006] In a system equipped with a first and second processing machine, for example, if the upstream first processing machine operates in a mode for testing substrate transport, and the downstream second processing machine does not change its substrate transport mode, problems may arise such as the second processing machine mounting components on substrates that should not have components mounted. However, with the above configuration, the substrate transport mode in the second processing machine can be changed according to the operating mode of the first processing machine. This makes it possible to avoid problems. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] A schematic diagram showing the work machine system of the embodiment. [Figure 2] Cross-sectional view of line II-II in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Flowchart of the first work machine side processing in the embodiment. [Figure 4] Flowchart of the processing on the second work machine side in the embodiment. [Figure 5] A diagram illustrating the transport of the substrate in the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The main features of the embodiments described below are listed below. Note that the technical elements described below are independent technical elements that exhibit technical usefulness individually or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing.

[0009] In one embodiment of this technology, when transporting a substrate in the specific transport mode, the transport device may transport the substrate downstream of the second work machine without stopping the substrate at the second work machine.

[0010] In one embodiment of this technology, the first work machine may perform an operation to mount components onto a substrate in the first mode, and an operation to test the transport of the substrate in the second mode.

[0011] In one embodiment of this technology, the second work machine may perform the operation of mounting components onto a substrate being transported from the first work machine to the second work machine when the first work machine is operating in the first mode.

[0012] In one embodiment of this technology, the second work machine may prohibit the operation of mounting components onto the substrate when the transport device transports the substrate in the specific transport mode.

[0013] (Examples) The assembly machine system 2 of the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figure 1, the assembly machine system 2 comprises a first assembly machine 10 and a second assembly machine 20. Both the first assembly machine 10 and the second assembly machine 20 are machines that mount electronic components 4 such as IC chips onto circuit boards 8 such as printed circuit boards. The first assembly machine 10 and the second assembly machine 20 are arranged side by side along the transport path of the circuit board 8 and are adjacent to each other. The first assembly machine 10 is located upstream in the transport direction of the circuit board 8, and the second assembly machine 20 is located downstream in the transport direction. There may be another assembly machine (not shown) located upstream of the first assembly machine 10, and there may also be another assembly machine (not shown) located downstream of the second assembly machine 20.

[0014] The first work machine 10 will now be described. The first work machine 10 comprises a first board conveyor 30 for transporting the circuit board 8 and a first control unit 50. The first board conveyor 30 is responsible for loading, positioning, and unloading the circuit board 8. As an example, the first board conveyor 30 has a pair of belt conveyors and a support device (not shown) that supports the circuit board 8 from below.

[0015] The first control unit 50 includes a CPU (not shown) and a storage unit 52 (for example, ROM or RAM). The first control unit 50 performs various controls and processes related to the first work machine 10 according to a predetermined program stored in the storage unit 52. For example, the first control unit 50 controls the operation of the first substrate conveyor 30.

[0016] The first work machine 10 comprises a right-side work machine 10a positioned on the right side in the direction of transport of the circuit board 8, and a left-side work machine 10b positioned on the left side in the direction of transport of the circuit board 8. The right-side work machine 10a and the left-side work machine 10b are arranged side by side in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the circuit board 8, and face each other with the first board conveyor 30 in between. The right-side work machine 10a and the left-side work machine 10b can cooperate to mount multiple electronic components 4 onto a single circuit board 8. The first work machine 10 is a so-called opposing robot type work machine.

[0017] In the following, the right-side workpiece 10a will be described as a representative example of the left-side workpiece 10b. The left-side workpiece 10b has the same configuration as the right-side workpiece 10a, except that it is a mirror image of the right-side workpiece 10a. Therefore, the left-side workpiece 10b will be given the same reference numerals as the right-side workpiece 10a and its description will be omitted.

[0018] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the right-side work machine 10a includes a plurality of parts feeders 32, a feeder holding unit 34, a mounting head 36, a head moving device 38, and an operation panel 40.

[0019] Each component feeder 32 houses a plurality of electronic components 4 for mounting. Each component feeder 32 is detachably attached to the feeder holding portion 34 and supplies the electronic components 4 to the mounting head 36. The specific configuration of the component feeder 32 is not particularly limited. The component feeder 32 may be, for example, a tape feeder that supplies a plurality of electronic components 4 accommodated on a tape, a tray feeder that supplies a plurality of electronic components 4 accommodated on a tray, or a bulk feeder that supplies a plurality of electronic components 4 randomly accommodated in a container.

[0020] The feeder holding portion 34 includes a plurality of slots, and each of the plurality of slots can detachably mount the component feeder 32. By inserting the component feeder 32 into the slot, the component feeder 32 is set on the first working machine 10. Note that the feeder holding portion 34 may be fixed to the first working machine 10 or may be detachable from the first working machine 10.

[0021] The mounting head 36 has a nozzle 37 for adsorbing the electronic component 4. The nozzle 37 is detachably attached to the mounting head 36. The mounting head 36 can move the nozzle 37 in the Z direction (here, the vertical direction), and approach and separate the nozzle 37 from the component feeder 32 and the circuit board 8. The mounting head 36 can adsorb the electronic component 4 from the component feeder 32 by the nozzle 37 and mount the electronic component 4 adsorbed by the nozzle 37 on the circuit board 8. Note that the mounting head 36 is not limited to having a single nozzle 37 and may have a plurality of nozzles 37.

[0022] The head moving device 38 moves the mounting head 36 between the component feeder 32 and the circuit board 8. As an example, the head moving device 38 is an XY robot that moves the moving base 39 in the X direction and the Y direction, and the mounting head 36 is fixed to the moving base 39. Note that the mounting head 36 is not limited to being fixed to the moving base 39 and may be detachably attached to the moving base 39.

[0023] The control panel 40 is composed of, for example, a touch panel. The control panel 40 displays various information regarding the right-side workpiece 10a. The control panel 40 also accepts various operations related to the right-side workpiece 10a.

[0024] The first work machine 10 described above can operate in normal mode (an example of the first mode) and test mode (an example of the second mode). The operating mode of the first work machine 10 is specified, for example, by the user operating the control panel 40. If the user specifies normal mode, the first work machine 10 operates in normal mode. If the user specifies test mode, the first work machine 10 operates in test mode. In normal mode, the first work machine 10 performs the operation of mounting electronic components 4 onto the circuit board 8. When the first work machine 10 operates in normal mode, the first board conveyor 30 of the first work machine 10 stops the circuit board 8 within the first work machine 10. The first work machine 10 mounts the electronic components 4 onto the stopped circuit board 8. After that, the first board conveyor 30 of the first work machine 10 transports the circuit board 8 with the electronic components 4 mounted to the downstream side of the first work machine 10.

[0025] In test mode, the first work machine 10 prohibits the operation of mounting electronic components 4 onto the circuit board 8 and performs an operation to test the transport of the circuit board 8. When the first work machine 10 is operating in test mode, the first board conveyor 30 of the first work machine 10 transports the circuit board 8 downstream of the first work machine 10 without stopping it within the first work machine 10.

[0026] Next, the second work machine 20 will be described. The second work machine 20 includes a second board conveyor 130 (an example of a conveying device) for transporting the circuit board 8 and a second control unit 150. The second board conveyor 130 is responsible for loading, positioning, and unloading the circuit board 8. As an example, the second board conveyor 130 has a pair of belt conveyors and a support device (not shown) that supports the circuit board 8 from below. The second board conveyor 130 of the second work machine 20 transports the circuit board 8 in cooperation with the first board conveyor 30 of the first work machine 10.

[0027] The second control unit 150 includes a CPU (not shown) and a memory unit 152 (for example, ROM or RAM). The second control unit 150 performs various controls and processes related to the second work machine 20 according to a predetermined program stored in the memory unit 152. For example, the second control unit 150 controls the operation of the second substrate conveyor 130.

[0028] The second workpiece 20, like the first workpiece 10 described above, is equipped with a right-side workpiece 20a and a left-side workpiece 20b. The right-side workpiece 20a of the second workpiece 20 has the same configuration as the right-side workpiece 10a of the first workpiece 10, and the left-side workpiece 20b of the second workpiece 20 has the same configuration as the left-side workpiece 10b of the first workpiece 10. Therefore, a detailed explanation of the right-side workpiece 20a and the left-side workpiece 20b of the second workpiece 20 is omitted.

[0029] The second assembly machine 20 can operate in normal mode and specific mode. In normal mode, the second assembly machine 20 performs the operation of mounting electronic components 4 onto the circuit board 8. The second assembly machine 20 mounts electronic components 4 onto the circuit board 8 after the first assembly machine 10 has mounted the electronic components 4 onto the circuit board 8. When the second assembly machine 20 is operating in normal mode, the second board conveyor 130 of the second assembly machine 20 stops the circuit board 8 being transported from the first assembly machine 10 within the second assembly machine 20. The second assembly machine 20 mounts electronic components 4 onto the stopped circuit board 8. After that, the second board conveyor 130 of the second assembly machine 20 transports the circuit board 8 with the electronic components 4 mounted to the downstream side of the second assembly machine 20.

[0030] In a specific mode, the second work machine 20 prohibits the operation of mounting electronic components 4 onto the circuit board 8. When the second work machine 20 is operating in a specific mode, the second board conveyor 130 of the second work machine 20 transports the circuit board 8 downstream of the second work machine 20 without stopping it within the second work machine 20.

[0031] (Processing on the first work machine side; Figure 3) Next, the processing on the first work machine side of the embodiment will be described. The processing on the first work machine side starts, for example, when the power to the first work machine 10 is turned on. As shown in Figure 3, in S10 of the processing on the first work machine side, the first control unit 50 of the first work machine 10 monitors whether the normal mode is specified as the operating mode of the first work machine 10. If the normal mode is specified (YES), the process proceeds to S12. If the normal mode is not specified (NO), the process proceeds to S14. In S14, after NO in S12, the first control unit 50 monitors whether the test mode is specified as the operating mode of the first work machine 10. If the test mode is specified (YES), the process proceeds to S16. If the test mode is not specified (NO), the process returns to S10. The first control unit 50 continues monitoring until either the normal mode or the test mode is specified as the operating mode of the first work machine 10. In this embodiment, the first work machine 10 operates in either the normal mode or the test mode.

[0032] If normal mode is specified as the operating mode (YES in S10), the first work implement 10 operates in normal mode. In this case, the first control unit 50 notifies the second work implement 20 of first mode information indicating that the first work implement 10 is operating in normal mode (S12). The first control unit 50 transmits the first mode information to the second work implement 20 via wired communication and / or wireless communication.

[0033] When the first work machine 10 is operating in normal mode, the first board conveyor 30 of the first work machine 10 transports the circuit board 8 in normal transport mode. Specifically, the first board conveyor 30 stops the circuit board 8 within the first work machine 10. The first work machine 10 mounts the electronic components 4 onto the circuit board 8 that has stopped within the first work machine 10. After the mounting of the electronic components 4 is completed, the first board conveyor 30 transports the circuit board 8 with the electronic components 4 mounted to the downstream side of the first work machine 10.

[0034] On the other hand, if test mode is specified as the operating mode (YES in S14), the first work implement 10 operates in test mode. In this case, the first control unit 50 notifies the second work implement 20 of second mode information indicating that the first work implement 10 is operating in test mode (S16). The first control unit 50 transmits the second mode information to the second work implement 20 via wired communication and / or wireless communication.

[0035] When the first work machine 10 is operating in test mode, the first board conveyor 30 of the first work machine 10 transports the circuit board 8 in a specific transport mode. Specifically, the first board conveyor 30 transports the circuit board 8 downstream of the first work machine 10 without stopping the circuit board 8 within the first work machine 10. In test mode, mounting electronic components 4 onto the circuit board 8 is prohibited. When the first work machine 10 is operating in test mode, the first work machine 10 evaluates the condition of the transported circuit board 8 by test. The evaluation method is not particularly limited.

[0036] (Processing on the second work machine side; Figure 4) Next, the processing on the second work machine side of the embodiment will be described. The processing on the second work machine side starts, for example, when the power of the second work machine 20 is turned on. As shown in Figure 4, in S20 of the processing on the second work machine side, the second control unit 150 of the second work machine 20 monitors whether or not to acquire first mode information from the first work machine 10. The first mode information is information indicating that the first work machine 10 is operating in normal mode. If the first mode information is acquired (YES), the process proceeds to S22. If the first mode information is not acquired (NO), the process proceeds to S24. In S24, after NO in S20, the second control unit 150 monitors whether or not to acquire second mode information from the first work machine 10. The second mode information is information indicating that the first work machine 10 is operating in test mode. If the second mode information is acquired (YES), the process proceeds to S26. If the second mode information is not acquired (NO), the process returns to S20. The second control unit 150 continues monitoring until it acquires either the first mode information or the second mode information from the first work machine 10.

[0037] If the second work machine 20 acquires the first mode information (YES in S20), then in the following S22, the second control unit 150 operates the second work machine 20 in normal mode. When the second work machine 20 operates in normal mode, the second substrate conveyor 130 of the second work machine 20 transports the circuit board 8 in normal transport mode. Specifically, the second substrate conveyor 130 stops the circuit board 8 that has been transported from the first work machine 10 inside the second work machine 20. The second work machine 20 mounts the electronic components 4 onto the circuit board 8 that has been stopped inside the second work machine 20. The second work machine 20 mounts the electronic components 4 onto the circuit board 8 after the first work machine 10 has mounted the electronic components 4 onto the circuit board 8. After the mounting of the electronic components 4 is completed, the second substrate conveyor 130 transports the circuit board 8 with the electronic components 4 mounted to the downstream side of the second work machine 20 (see Figure 5).

[0038] On the other hand, if the second work machine 20 acquires second mode information (YES in S24), then in the following S26, the second control unit 150 operates the second work machine 20 in a specific mode. In this specific mode, mounting electronic components 4 onto the circuit board 8 is prohibited. When the second work machine 20 operates in this specific mode, the second board conveyor 130 of the second work machine 20 transports the circuit board 8 in a specific transport mode. Specifically, the second board conveyor 130 transports the circuit board 8 downstream of the second work machine 20 without stopping it within the second work machine 20.

[0039] (effect) The work machine system 2 of the embodiment has been described above. As described above, the work machine system 2 comprises a first work machine 10, a second work machine 20 arranged alongside the first work machine 10, and a second board conveyor 130 capable of transporting circuit boards 8 in the second work machine 20. The first work machine 10 can operate in a normal mode and a test mode different from the normal mode. When the first work machine 10 is operating in test mode, it notifies the second work machine 20 of a second mode information indicating this. When the second work machine 20 receives the second mode information indicating that the first work machine 10 is operating in test mode, the second board conveyor 130 transports the circuit boards 8 in a specific transport mode different from the normal transport mode when the first work machine 10 is operating in normal mode (see Figures 3 and 4). With this configuration, the transport mode of the circuit boards 8 in the second work machine 20 in the subsequent process can be appropriately changed according to the operating mode of the first work machine 10 in the preceding process.

[0040] When the second substrate conveyor 130 transports the circuit board 8 in a specific transport mode, it transports the board downstream of the second work machine 20 without stopping the circuit board 8 at the second work machine 20. This configuration makes it possible to avoid problems such as the second work machine 20 mounting electronic components 4 on circuit boards 8 that should not have electronic components 4 mounted on them. This reduces unnecessary work. It also reduces the wasteful consumption of circuit boards 8 and electronic components 4.

[0041] In the work machine system 2, the first work machine 10 performs the operation of mounting electronic components 4 onto the circuit board 8 in normal mode, and the operation of testing the transport of the circuit board 8 in test mode. With this configuration, it is possible to switch between the operation of mounting electronic components 4 onto the circuit board 8 and the operation of testing the transport of the circuit board 8.

[0042] When the first work machine 10 is operating in normal mode, the second work machine 20 performs the operation of mounting electronic components 4 onto the circuit board 8 that is transported from the first work machine 10 to the second work machine 20. With this configuration, the second work machine 20 can mount electronic components 4 onto the circuit board 8 that may have electronic components 4 mounted on it.

[0043] Furthermore, the second work machine 20 prohibits the operation of mounting electronic components 4 onto the circuit board 8 when the second board conveyor 130 is transporting the circuit board 8 in a specific transport mode. This configuration makes it possible to prevent the second work machine 20 from mounting electronic components 4 onto circuit boards 8 that should not have electronic components 4 mounted on them.

[0044] (modified version) In the above embodiment, the test mode was described as an example of the second mode, but the second mode may be an operating mode other than the test mode.

[0045] In the above embodiment, the normal mode operation was the operation of mounting electronic components 4 onto the circuit board 8, but other operations may also be performed.

[0046] In a modified example, the second circuit board conveyor 130 of the second work machine 20 may temporarily stop the circuit board 8 within the second work machine 20 in a specific transport mode. Alternatively, the user may be able to set whether or not to temporarily stop the circuit board 8 within the second work machine 20 in a specific transport mode.

[0047] The specific examples of the technologies disclosed herein have been described in detail above, but these are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technologies described in the claims include various modifications and changes to the specific examples described above. Furthermore, the technical elements described herein or in the drawings exhibit technical usefulness individually or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technologies illustrated herein or in the drawings achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving even one of these objectives constitutes technical usefulness in itself.

Claims

1. First work machine and A second work machine is positioned alongside the first work machine, The second work machine is equipped with a transport device for the second work machine that is capable of transporting substrates, The first work machine is capable of operating in a first mode and a second mode different from the first mode, and when operating in the second mode, it notifies the second work machine of mode information indicating this, A work machine system wherein the transport device of the second work machine transports the substrate in the normal transport mode when the first work machine is operating in the first mode if the second work machine does not acquire the mode information indicating that the first work machine is operating in the second mode, and transports the substrate in a specific transport mode different from the normal transport mode if the second work machine acquires the mode information indicating that the first work machine is operating in the second mode.

2. The work machine system according to claim 1, wherein the conveying device of the second work machine conveys the substrate downstream of the second work machine without stopping the substrate in the second work machine when conveying the substrate in the specific conveying mode.

3. The work machine system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first work machine performs an operation to mount components onto a substrate in the first mode and an operation to test the transport of the substrate in the second mode.

4. The work machine system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second work machine performs the operation of mounting components on a substrate transported from the first work machine to the second work machine when the first work machine is operating in the first mode.

5. The work machine system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second work machine prohibits the operation of mounting components on the substrate when the transport device transports the substrate in the specific transport mode.

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