Dynamic setup optimization for mounting machines with multiple supply paths

Abstract

To enhance the performance of a mounting machine in the production of mounted products.SOLUTION: There is provided a method for manufacturing products (BP A, BP B) using a mounting machine having multiple supply paths, in which one type of materials (BM 1 to BM 7) can be supplied for production through one supply path. The method comprises the steps of: (a) manufacturing a first product (BP A), in which a first positive selection of materials supplied through a first positive selection of supply paths is used, and a first negative selection of materials assigned to a first negative selection of supply paths is not used; (b) changing, for the first negative selection of materials, an assignment between materials and supply paths from a first assignment to a second assignment in which the changing is performed during the manufacturing of the first product (BP A); and (c) manufacturing a second product (BP B), in which a second positive selection of materials supplied through a second positive selection of supply paths is used, and a second negative selection of materials assigned to a second negative selection of supply paths is not used. Furthermore, the mounting machine and a computer program for executing the method are described.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to the technical field of mounting techniques. In particular, the present invention relates to the allocation of mounting materials to the supply paths of a mounter, which is optimized considering the length of the necessary movement path of the mounting head of the mounter. Specifically, the present invention relates to the following: (a) A method for manufacturing a mounted product by a mounter (b) A mounter for manufacturing a mounted product by automatically mounting (electronic) components on a component carrier (c) A computer program for manufacturing a mounted product by a mounter and relates to the subject matter of the patent rights thereof.

Background Art

[0002] The mounting of electronic components on a component carrier is typically performed by a mounter. The mounter has a mounting head, which grasps an electronic component at (i) a pick-up position of a component supply device, conveys it to (ii) a mounting area of the mounter where there is a component carrier to be mounted, and places the grasped component at (iii) a predetermined mounting position on the component carrier.

[0003] A mounter typically has a plurality of supply paths, and one component supply device may be installed adjacent to each supply path. Thereby, one type of component can be supplied to the mounting process through each supply path.

[0004] The components to be mounted are mostly taken into a so-called component belt, which is wound around a winding body. During the mounting operation, the components are successively conveyed to the pick-up position by each component supply device through the regular movement of the component belt.

[0005] In some (modern) component feeding devices, the hoisting body is integrated with the component belt within the internal space of the component feeding device. This allows for a simple method, for example, an automated method by a robot, to prepare new electronic components when they are used, or to replace a first type of component with a second type of component if necessary. In this specification, electronic components may also mean the entire component feeding device and the mounting materials.

[0006] In a typical mounting machine, the supply path is located on at least one side of the transport device that brings the component carriers to be mounted into the mounting area of ​​the mounting machine and removes the component carriers, which are at least partially mounted, from the mounting area of ​​the mounting machine. The supply path is spatially arranged sequentially along the transport direction of the component carrier transport device.

[0007] It is clear that allocating mounting materials to various supply paths affects the required travel path length of the mounting head. That is, for example, if all the electronic components required for a particular mounting product (a mounting carrier including components mounted on it) are supplied to the corresponding mounting process through adjacent supply paths, the travel path of the mounting head required to capture those components is minimized in at least one component supply area, i.e., a spatial area of ​​the corresponding component supply device. This is especially true for so-called multi-mounting heads that capture multiple different components in succession, where the captured components are then transported together to the mounting area and subsequently placed one after another at predetermined mounting positions. Allocating mounting materials to supply paths is generally also referred to as setting up the relevant mounting materials.

[0008] Setup also includes information on which mounting materials (components in the component supply device and components in the component belt on the hoisting body) are located in which supply path. In the pre-production stage of manufacturing mounted products, setup must be optimized so that the necessary mounting materials for each mounted product are in a position that allows for the fastest possible intake of the relevant components in the supply path, thereby ensuring a faster and more efficient overall mounting operation, taking into account efficient mounting operation with high mounting capacity.

[0009] A setup that relates to only one mounting product to be manufactured, and is preferably optimized for that mounting product, is called a single setup. A setup that relates to multiple different mounting products, is typically manufactured sequentially, and preferably has a certain similarity in terms of the mounting content, is called a family setup. In a family setup, an attempt is made to distribute mounting materials to various supply channels so that the entire family of mounting products can be mounted or manufactured as efficiently as possible.

[0010] In family setups, after the completion of manufacturing one assembly product, switching between various assembly products can be easily achieved by using components from a different supply path of the assembly machine for the next assembly (manufacturing of the next assembly product). This requires no changes to the assembly machine's hardware components or component supply equipment. In particular, there is no need to change the allocation of assembly materials to the supply path. Assembly materials not used for the next assembly product remain in the corresponding supply path. Therefore, within the scope of a family setup, switching from one assembly product to another can be done particularly quickly, without any intervention from the operator of the relevant assembly machine. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0011] However, a disadvantage of manufacturing assembled products using family setups is that the setup for each assembled product in the family may not be optimal due to the partial non-use of assembly material in each supply path. This means that at least one assembled product will be manufactured, at least partially, with assembly material that is not in the spatially optimal supply path or location considering the short travel path of the assembly head. As a result, the travel path of the assembly head is extended, and assembly capacity is reduced. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] This invention is based on the problem of improving the mounting capabilities of a mounting machine in the manufacturing of various mounted products through appropriate setup procedures.

[0013] This problem is addressed by the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the present invention are described in the dependent claims.

[0014] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a mounted product using a mounting machine having multiple supply lines is described, wherein one type of mounting material can be supplied through each supply line for the manufacture of the mounted product. The described method is: (A) Manufacturing of a first mounted product, wherein (i) the first positive option of mounting material supplied to the manufacturing (of the first mounted product) through the first positive option of the supply path is used, and (ii) the first negative option of mounting material allocated to the first negative option of the supply path is not used (for the manufacturing of the first mounted product), (B) A change in the allocation between the mounting material and the supply route, from a first allocation to a second allocation, for a first negative choice of mounting material, which is implemented during the manufacture of the first mounting product. (C) Manufacturing of a second mounted product, wherein (i) the second positive option of mounting material supplied to the manufacturing (of the second mounted product) through the second positive option of the supply path is used, and (ii) the second negative option of mounting material allocated to the second negative option of the supply path is not used (for the manufacturing of the second mounted product), The present invention provides that the second positive option of the supply path is different from the first positive option of the supply path, and the second assignment is different from the first assignment.

[0015] In this specification, "packaging product" is understood to refer to a specific type of packaging product, and in practice typically includes multiple packaging products of this type. The first packaging product described is a different type of packaging product from the second packaging product described. Typically, the two packaging products differ in their packaging content, i.e., in the number and / or types of (electronic) components mounted on the corresponding component carrier.

[0016] The described method for manufacturing the mounted product is based on the understanding that, during the manufacturing of the first mounted product, the allocation between (i) unused mounting material (i.e., the first negative option of mounting material) and (ii) a supply path not currently in use (i.e., the first negative option of supply path) can be pre-modified to shorten the travel path of the mounting machine's mounting head during the manufacturing of the second mounted product, particularly in the take-up of the mounting material to be used (i.e., the second positive option of mounting material). The degree of shortening naturally depends on the similarity of the types of mounted products, especially the types of components required for manufacturing. Shortening the travel path for manufacturing the second mounted product advantageously leads to an increase in the manufacturing speed (of the second mounted product), which in turn leads to an overall increase in the mounting capacity of the mounting machine. In this relationship, the concept of "mounting capacity" can be understood as the maximum number of components that can be mounted by the mounting machine within a given time interval.

[0017] More specifically, in the method described, during the assembly operation (of the first assembly product), a dynamic new allocation is made between (i) currently unused assembly material and (ii) currently unused supply lines. This new allocation is advantageously optimized to shorten the movement path of the assembly head in the subsequent manufacturing of the second assembly product. The new allocation described means, in particular, that currently unused assembly material is spatially moved or placed in a new location. This requires, at least temporarily, releasing or isolating a particular type of (currently unused) assembly material from a specific (currently unused) supply line, and then subsequently installing or allocating a second type of (currently unused) assembly material to this particular (currently unused) supply line.

[0018] As already explained in the introduction, a mounted product includes a component carrier and components mounted thereon. The concept of “component carrier” may be understood herein as any kind of mountable medium, in particular a substrate or printed circuit board. A mountable medium, in particular a printed circuit board, may be a rigid substrate or a flexible substrate. It may also have at least one first rigid region and at least one flexible region. The concept of “electronic component” or “component” may be understood herein as all mountable elements that can be mounted or assembled onto a mounting carrier. The concept of “component” may include cased components and, in particular, uncased components or chips. This includes SMT components with two or more poles, or other highly integrated planar, circular or other shaped components, such as ball grid arrays, bare dies, flip chips, or, for example, semiconductor chips of a semiconductor wafer that are further processed to complete the component, particularly after wafer construction and cutting. In this specification, the concept of “components” may also include elements that are not electrically active, such as, for example, mountable electrical plugs or connectors, cooling bodies, shielding elements, and casing portions.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the mounting material includes components and, in particular, electronic components.

[0020] Components may be included in the mounting material in various forms. Advantageously, the components may be in the take-in pockets of a component belt by known means, the belt being guided by a component feeder to a component take-up position, from which the components may be successively picked up by the mounting head of the mounting machine. However, alternatively, components may also be included in the mounting material as bulk. In this case, the components are supplied by a bulk conveyor, particularly through vibration, by similarly known methods.

[0021] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the mounting material further includes a component supply device.

[0022] In this embodiment, a component of one type of mounting material (that has not yet been mounted) is located in or adjacent to the component supply device. Advantageously, the component is in a component belt wound on a hoisting body by a known method. Even more advantageously, the hoisting body, together with the component belt wound over it, is located in a predetermined spatial area inside the component supply device (casing).

[0023] The change in the allocation between the mounting material and the supply path from the first allocation to the second allocation, as described, is achieved in the embodiments described herein by isolating the relevant component supply device from the supply path along with a specific type of component that is not yet used in the device, for at least one supply path, and by placing another or new component supply device in the supply path along with a different type of component that is associated with the device.

[0024] Advantageously, the corresponding component supply devices for the two supply paths and the replacement of the associated (not yet installed) components are performed only once. The change in the assignment between the mounting material and the supply path from the first assignment described to the second assignment may also include a plurality of such replacement steps for the two component supply devices and the components associated therewith, respectively. Thereby, any new assignment between a larger number of mounting materials and the corresponding larger number of supply paths can be "iteratively" achieved.

[0025] Using mounting materials that include not only the components to be mounted (possibly packed in a component belt), but also one component supply device each, has the advantage that the change in the assignment from the first assignment described to the second assignment can be carried out in a particularly simple and reliable manner. This may be especially because each mounting material can be handled particularly easily by an operator, for example, as a compact unit consisting of a component supply device and the associated (not yet installed) components.

[0026] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the change in the assignment between the mounting material and the supply path from the first assignment to the second assignment is carried out automatically, without the need for manual intervention by the operator.

[0027] The automatic change of the assignment described can be carried out, for example, by a suitably configured robot. In order to be able to deploy this robot to various locations, for example, various mounting machines on the mounting line, or various mounting lines each having at least one mounting machine, the robot may be moved across the floor of the hall in which the corresponding mounting machine is installed by an automated guided vehicle (FTF, Automated Guided Vehicle in English, AGV). By means of such an automated guided vehicle, the mounting material can also be picked up from a central warehouse or an intermediate warehouse for mounting materials and brought to the pre-set supply path of the selected mounting machine. Furthermore, the mounting material that has become unnecessary can be transported (returned) to such a warehouse by the automated guided vehicle.

[0028] The use of unmanned transport vehicles offers at least the advantage to any assembly product manufacturing system (assembly line, assembly machine, etc.) that already possesses or uses such unmanned transport vehicles, as it allows the technologies described in this specification to be implemented in conventional assembly product manufacturing systems through easily implementable software modifications. Hardware changes are not necessarily required in any case.

[0029] It is noted that for the automated reassignment of mounting materials and supply routes described, robots may be used, and preferably robots located on unmanned transport vehicles. Automated reassignment can be carried out by virtually any handling system, provided that the system is capable of separating mounting materials and, in particular, parts supply devices containing internal components, from one supply route and locating them to another. Examples of such handling systems include, but are not limited to, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), as well as handling devices installed on or movable along the mounting machine with so-called overhead transport systems (OTS) and / or so-called rail-guided vehicles (RGVs).

[0030] According to another embodiment of the present invention, at least a portion of the mounting material of the first negative option is at least a portion of the second positive option. This has the advantage that at least one mounting material or one type of mounting material is used for the manufacture of the second mounted product. The mounting material is already in the supply area of ​​the mounting machine within the time frame of the manufacture of the preceding first mounted product, and the supply area of ​​the mounting machine has the multiple supply channels already described. The product switch from the first mounted product to the second mounted product can be carried out very quickly and without interruption, unless it is necessary to introduce another mounting material from the outside into at least one supply channel.

[0031] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a first total consisting of (i) the number of supply paths for a first positive option and (ii) the number of supply paths for a first negative option is the same as the total number of supply paths. Alternatively or in combination, a second total consisting of (i) the number of supply paths for a second positive option and (ii) the number of supply paths for a second negative option is the same as the total number of supply paths. This has the advantage that in the implementation of the described method, all supply paths present in the mounting machine are involved, thereby maximizing flexibility, or the possibility of implementing the change in assignment from the described first assignment to the second assignment. Specifically, in this change, all supply paths not used during the manufacture of the first mounted product may be used. This makes it possible to achieve a spatially optimal arrangement of the corresponding mounting materials for the second mounted product by intentional rearrangement or reordering of the mounting materials, taking into account the shortening of the movement path of the mounting head in taking up the components required for the second mounted product.

[0032] According to another embodiment of the present invention, during the manufacture of the first mounted product, the assignment between the applicable positive and selected mounted material and the corresponding positive and selected supply path remains unchanged for the first positive option of mounted material. Alternatively, or in combination, during the manufacture of the second mounted product, the assignment between the applicable positive and selected mounted material and the corresponding positive and selected supply path remains unchanged for the second positive option of mounted material.

[0033] In this embodiment, "remaining unchanged" specifically means that, during the manufacturing of one mounting product (here, the first or second mounting product), the mounting material used for mounting that product is not rearranged or reconfigured with respect to the supply paths (spatially fixed) present in the mounting machine. The mounting operation of the product can be carried out with high efficiency and high mounting capacity without any interference. In any case, the high efficiency and high mounting capacity are not negatively affected by the spatial rearrangement or reconfiguration of currently unnecessary mounting materials, which may occur in some cases.

[0034] According to another embodiment of the present invention, during the manufacture of a first mounted product, the assignment between the applicable positive and selected mounted material and the corresponding positive and selected supply path is changed for a first positive option of mounted material. Alternatively or in combination, during the manufacture of a second mounted product, the assignment between the applicable positive and selected mounted material and the corresponding positive and selected supply path is changed for a second positive option of mounted material.

[0035] In this embodiment, "changed" specifically means that, during the manufacturing of one assembly product (here, the first or second assembly product), the location or supply path through which the assembly materials required for that assembly product are supplied to the assembly process is changed. In other words, the relevant (positive choice) assembly materials are rearranged, repositioned, and / or newly positioned. While the process of new positioning may temporarily reduce assembly capacity to some extent, after such new positioning is completed, more of the relevant type of assembly product can be manufactured, and this usually leads to an overall improvement in assembly capacity, insofar as the new positioning provides a time advantage for this manufacturing, particularly in the take-up of the relevant parts.

[0036] Advantageously, a specific time frame can be utilized for the new placement process, during which at least one specific (positively selected) placement material is not used for the current production of the assembled product. This could be, for example, when the placement head has just received parts from another component feeder for the next head cycle, or when a component carrier has just been fully placed and the placement head must wait for the next component carrier to enter the placement area of ​​the placement machine. As long as such a time frame is utilized for the new placement of the placement material itself required for the current assembled product, this new placement can also be carried out without affecting the resulting placement capacity.

[0037] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the change in the allocation between the mounting material and the supply path from a first allocation to a second allocation includes replacing the first mounting material of the first negative option with the second mounting material of the first negative option, where, after the replacement, (i) the first mounting material is allocated to the supply path that was previously allocated to the second mounting material, and (ii) the second mounting material is allocated to the supply path that was previously allocated to the first mounting material. The simple replacement of two currently unused mounting materials as described makes it possible to change the allocation between the mounting material and the supply path from a first allocation to a second allocation in a particularly simple manner.

[0038] It is also noted that the replacement of the mounting materials described herein is carried out multiple times in succession using any mounting material of the first negative option. In this way, iteratively, a spatial arrangement of the second positive option of mounting materials that is optimal for the manufacture of the second mounting product can be achieved for the first negative option, in time for the manufacture of the second mounting product.

[0039] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the change in the allocation between the mounting material and the supply path from a first allocation to a second allocation includes at least one additional mounting material which is taken out of a warehouse for mounting material and allocated to a predetermined supply path in the mounting machine.

[0040] The introduction of additional mounting materials from a warehouse, as described, can improve flexibility in preparing mounting materials for a second mounting product. This is particularly true for a number of different types of mounting materials or different types of (electronic) components that may be potentially available. These additional mounting materials may come from a central warehouse or an intermediate warehouse for mounting materials. Such a warehouse may be located, for example, within a manufacturing plant where multiple mounting machines and, advantageously, multiple production lines having at least one mounting machine and typically multiple sequentially connected mounting machines are installed. Transportation from such a warehouse may be carried out automatically, advantageously by robots on an automated transport vehicle (FTF).

[0041] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the change in the allocation between the mounting material and the supply path from a first allocation to a second allocation includes the removal of at least one mounting material of the first negative choice of mounting material.

[0042] The removal of at least one implementation material, as described, results in the freeing up at least one corresponding (previous) supply path. This makes the switching of the remaining first negative alternative implementation material easier from a handling technical standpoint. In other words, the operator or robot only needs to handle one of the remaining first negative alternative implementation materials at any given time for the assignment change from the described first assignment to the second assignment.

[0043] The described unloading may, advantageously, be carried out to the central or intermediate warehouse described above. This may also be carried out manually by an operator, or, advantageously, automatically by a robot on an automated transport vehicle (FTF).

[0044] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the method is: (A) A change in the allocation between the mounting material and the supply route, from a different first allocation to a different second allocation, for a second negative option of mounting material, which is carried out during the manufacture of the second mounting product. (B) Manufacturing of a third assembled product, further comprising: (i) using a third positive option of assembled material supplied to the manufacture (of the third assembled product) through a third positive option of supply channels; and (ii) not using a second negative option of assembled material allocated to a third negative option of supply channels, wherein the third positive option of supply channels is different from (and advantageously also different from) the second positive option of supply channels. Furthermore, another second allocation is different from another first allocation.

[0045] In the embodiments described herein, specifically, three mounted products are manufactured sequentially, rather than two. In the corresponding method, as in the method involving only two mounted products described above, the allocation between (i) unused mounted material (i.e., a second negative option for mounted material) and (ii) currently unused supply lines (i.e., a second negative option for supply lines) can be pre-modified during the manufacturing of the second mounted product, in order to shorten the travel path of the mounting head of the mounting machine when taking in components of the mounted material to be used in the manufacturing of the third mounted product (i.e., a third positive option for mounted material). Shortening the travel path for the manufacturing of the third mounted product also benefits from an increase in the manufacturing speed (of the third mounted product), which in turn leads to an overall increase in the mounting capacity of the mounting machine in question.

[0046] It should be noted that the method described here, involving three packaging products, can also be extended to manufacturing methods for four or more packaging products.

[0047] According to another aspect of the present invention, a mounting machine for manufacturing mounted products is described, which automatically mounts (electronic) components onto a component carrier. The mounting machine described is (A) Multiple supply lines capable of supplying, through one supply line, each containing one type of component, for the manufacture of a mounted product, (B) A mounting head configured for (i) grasping a supplied component, (ii) transporting the grasped component to the mounting area of ​​a mounting machine where a component carrier to be mounted is located, and (iii) placing the grasped component at a pre-set mounting position on the component carrier, (C) A data processing device configured to perform the types of methods described above, It holds.

[0048] The described data processing device may be part of the mounting machine or the (central) control unit of the mounting line above the mounting machine. The data processing device may be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0049] According to another aspect of the present invention, a computer program for manufacturing a mounted product by a mounting machine having multiple supply paths is described, wherein each supply path is capable of supplying one type of mounted material for the manufacture of the mounted product. The computer program is configured to carry out the method described above when the computer program is executed by a data processing device.

[0050] In the sense of this specification, the term "computer program" has the same meaning as the definition of a program element, a computer program product, and / or a computer-readable medium having instructions for controlling a computer system to appropriately coordinate the working method of an implementation machine in order to achieve the effects associated with the method according to the present invention.

[0051] Computer programs may be incorporated as computer-readable application code in any suitable programming language, such as Java®, C++, or C#. Computer programs may be stored on computer-readable storage media (such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, removable drives, volatile or non-volatile memory, or built-in memory / processors). The application code can be used to program data processing devices or other programmable devices to perform desired functions. Furthermore, computer programs may be made available on a network, such as the Internet, from which users can download them as needed.

[0052] The described method may be implemented by a computer program, i.e., software, or by one or more specialized electronic circuits, i.e., in hardware form or any hybrid form, i.e., software components and hardware components.

[0053] It should be noted that embodiments of the present invention have been described with respect to various objects of invention. In particular, some embodiments of the present invention have been described with method claims, and other embodiments of the present invention have been described with apparatus claims. However, those skilled in the art will immediately understand, when reading this specification, that, unless otherwise specified, in addition to combinations of features associated with a type of object of invention, any combination of features associated with various types of objects of invention is also possible.

[0054] In the following, for the sake of a better understanding of the present invention, specific implementations of the invention disclosed herein will be described. First, a standard approach (I) regarding implementations of the present invention will be described. Then, two advantageous extensions (II) and (III) of this standard approach will be described.

[0055] (I) Standard approach The standard approach described here requires that the product to be manufactured is part of a product family. In addition, a software planning tool calculates which products can be manufactured meaningfully using the family setup described above, based on the commonalities of the packaging materials required for various products.

[0056] In the standard approach, the packaging product family consists of at least two packaging products, packaging product BP A and packaging product BP B. These packaging products require two sets of packaging materials, packaging material set BM A and packaging material set BM B, for manufacturing. Furthermore, the standard approach described herein is conditional on the quantity of packaging material from packaging material set BM B, which determines the packaging capability, not being included in packaging material set BM A. First, packaging product BP A is manufactured.

[0057] The standard approach described here may favorably recommend the following steps:

[0058] 1. The software-supported manufacturing planning tool analyzes which assembly product to manufacture first. In this case, it is assembly product BP B. To do this, assembly material set BM B is required. 2. A software-supported optimization tool determines the ideal spatial location for assembly material set BM B, taking into account the shortest possible movement path of the assembly head during the take-up of the relevant component. This takes into account the current setup of assembly material set BM A within the family setup. The optimization tool then calculates the corresponding rearrangement plan. 3. Optional Step: The optimization tool calculates the order in which the mounting materials BM B should be rearranged or repositioned, based on the cycle time for manufacturing the mounting product BP A. The rearrangement or repositioning that has the greatest impact on the mounting capacity of the relevant mounting machine is given high priority. 4. The repositioning plan is sent to a control computer that controls robots for automated repositioning of handling and mounting materials. 5. The robot rearranges the applicable mounting materials based on the rearrangement plan. Ideally, this should be done without affecting other tasks the robot is instructed to perform in relation to the operation of the mounting machine or higher-level mounting line.

[0059] The rearrangement of mounting material set BM B must be carried out and completed before the start of manufacturing of mounted product BP B, that is, during the manufacturing time of mounted product BP A. Since mounting material set BM B has not yet been used, the rearrangement of mounting materials in mounting material set BM B will not affect the mounting capacity of the corresponding mounting machine.

[0060] (II) Extension 1 New placement of currently required implementation materials The steps described above can also be used within a family setup to rearrange or reposition the mounting materials currently used in the manufacture of the mounted product. In this case, the repositioning of the currently required mounting materials may affect the capacity of the mounting machine in question. However, such repositioning will only be meaningful if the new placement of the currently required mounting materials, or the new allocation between the currently required mounting materials and the supply lines of the mounting machine, is more advantageous in terms of the resulting mounting capacity than the loss of mounting capacity caused by the repositioning.

[0061] In order to accommodate the new arrangement of the mounting materials themselves required for the current product, as described here, a time frame in which at least one specific mounting material is not used may be utilized. This could be, for example, when the mounting head has just received parts from another component feeder for the next head cycle, or when a component carrier has just been fully mounted and the mounting head must wait for the next component carrier to enter the mounting area of ​​the mounting machine. As long as such a time frame is utilized for the new arrangement of the mounting materials themselves required for the current product, this new arrangement can be implemented without affecting the resulting mounting capability.

[0062] (III) Expansion 2 New arrangement of materials for implementation within the warehouse The steps described above may also be used to optimize family setups that are not currently used by the assembly machine, for example, those located in a warehouse. Such warehouses may be intermediate warehouses, particularly those located near the assembly machine or the assembly line in question.

[0063] In other words, for example, the assembly material set C1 of family setup C may be used for the manufacture of the current assembly product. Furthermore, there may be multiple assembly materials of family setup D in the warehouse (adjacent to each other). Based on the manufacturing plan, after assembly material set C1, assembly material set D1 needs to be used for the manufacture of the next assembly product. In this case, the method described above may be used to optimize material set D1.

[0064] After transitioning from family setup C to family setup D, the mounting machine equipped with mounting material set D1 can manufacture the next mounted product at maximum mounting capacity.

[0065] Further advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following exemplary description of currently advantageous embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0066] [Figure 1] This figure shows a mounting machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the manufacturing of two assembled products using a known, fixed family setup. [Figure 3] This figure shows the manufacturing of two mounted products using dynamic setup optimization according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0067] In the following detailed description, it will be noted that features or components of various embodiments that are the same as, or at least functionally the same as, corresponding features or components of other embodiments, have the same reference numerals, or have reference numerals whose last two characters are identical to those of corresponding features or components that are the same as, or at least functionally the same as, corresponding features or components. To avoid unnecessary repetition, features or components already mentioned in the embodiments described above will not be described in detail thereafter.

[0068] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a mounting machine 100 for mounting electronic components 192 onto a component carrier or printed circuit board 190. The mounting machine 100 has a frame structure or chassis 102. Two fixed carrier rails 132 and 133 are installed adjacent to the frame structure 102, and each of the carrier rails extends along the y-direction. Both carrier rails 132 and 133 are components of a positioning system 130 and are referred to herein as fixed component 132 or the other fixed component 133.

[0069] A movable carrier rail 140 is installed adjacent to both fixed components 132 and 133, extending along a major axis 140a, which runs parallel to the x-direction in the coordinate system used herein. In the context of the technology described herein, the movable carrier rail is referred to as the movable component 140. The movable component 140 is driven by a drive motor, configured as a linear motor (not shown), and is movable along the y-direction. The corresponding direction of movement is identified as a double arrow "Y".

[0070] A mounting component 134, which may be, for example, a carriage, is mounted in contact with the mobile component 140, and the mounting component is held in contact with a linear guide (not shown) and may be moved along the x-direction by another linear motor (not shown). The corresponding direction of movement is identified by a double arrow "X". A mounting head 125 is mounted in contact with the mounting component 134 in a known manner.

[0071] The two fixed components 132 and 133, the movable component 140, and the assembly component 134, together with a linear motor (not shown in Figure 1) and a linear guide (not shown), constitute a positioning system 130, which allows the mounting head 125 to be moved or positioned in the xy plane.

[0072] The component carrier 190 is mounted in the mounting area 110. Before mounting, the component carrier 190 to be mounted is transported into the mounting area 110 by a transport device 112, such as a conveyor belt. After at least partially mounted components 192, the component carrier 190 is unloaded by the transport device 112. The corresponding transport directions are identified by arrows T in Figure 1.

[0073] As already mentioned, the mounting head 125 is attached to the assembly component 134. With proper control of a linear motor (not shown), the mounting head 125 can move between the part take-up position 116 of the part supply system 114 and the mounting area 110. According to the embodiment shown herein, the part supply system 114 has a total of 10 part supply devices 115, each of which transports one type of part 192, packaged in a part belt, to each part take-up position 116 in succession.

[0074] According to the embodiment illustrated herein, each component supply device 115 has one internal space. In this internal space, the accompanying components 192 are packed in a component belt (not shown), which is wound onto a hoisting body (not shown in Figure 1). Each component supply device 115, together with the components 192 taken inside, constitutes a compact, handleable unit. As already stated above, in this specification, the component supply device and the components 192 taken inside are referred to as mounting material BM.

[0075] A data processing unit 118 that controls the mounting process is communicated with various linear motors and a mounting head 125 via data lines (not shown). During the mounting process, the mounting head 125 moves to a component take-up position 116, where a component 192 is picked up. Subsequently, the mounting head 125 moves into the mounting area 110 along with the picked-up component 192, where the component 192 is placed on a prepared component carrier 190. After that, the mounting head 125 returns to the component supply system 114 "empty," where a new component 192 is picked up.

[0076] As can be seen in Figure 1, the mounting machine 100 has two additional cameras. The first fixed camera 120 measures the component 192 captured by the mounting head 125. For this purpose, the mounting head 125 is positioned on the camera 120 so that the captured component 192 is within the camera's capture range. In this component measurement, for example, the precise angular position of the captured or held component 192 may be measured. In the placement of the component 192, deviations in angular position may be appropriately corrected by appropriate rotation of the component holder by known methods, thereby placing the component 192 on the component carrier 190 at the correct angular position.

[0077] The second camera 122 is responsible for accurately measuring the markings placed on the surface of the component carrier 190 to be mounted. This allows for the recognition of the precise spatial position of the component carrier 190 within the mounting area 110, and ensures that the mounting head 125 is positioned so that the component 192 is placed precisely on each of the designated target positions on the component carrier 190. According to the embodiment illustrated herein, the second camera 122 is positioned adjacent to the mounting head 125 and moves with the mounting head 125 to measure the markings on the component carrier 190.

[0078] The mounting material BM, configured as an easily handleable unit, namely the component supply device 115 and its associated components 192, is rearranged or repositioned by the robot 150 technology described herein during the manufacture of the current mounting product, namely the component carrier 190, which is at least partially mounted by components 192. This rearrangement or repositioning is carried out with consideration to the most efficient manufacture possible of the next mounting product to be manufactured after the current mounting product is completed. The term "mounting product" is understood here to refer to a specific type of mounting product, and in practice typically includes multiple mounting products of this type. According to the embodiment illustrated herein, in the rearrangement or repositioning described, only the mounting material BM not used in the manufacture of the current mounting product is rearranged or newly placed into the supply path of the mounting machine 100.

[0079] Figure 2 illustrates the manufacturing of two mounted products using a known fixed family setup. An exemplary mounted machine (not shown) with seven feed paths is depicted, each connected to a component feeder. Naturally, the techniques described herein can also be implemented with mounted machines having any other number of feed paths.

[0080] To reiterate, the component supply device is configured such that it occupies an internal space, and as described above, this internal space contains the components to be mounted. The corresponding mounting materials (component supply device + components) are indicated by the symbols BM 1, BM 2, BM 3, BM 4, BM 5, BM 6, and BM 7.

[0081] Figure 2 illustrates the manufacturing of the first mounted product BP A on the left. Here, the first component carrier or first printed circuit board 290a is mounted with components from mounting materials BM 1, BM 2, and BM 3. For clarity, mounting materials BM 1, BM 2, and BM 3 are shown in gray in Figure 2 and are referred to as "BMactive" in the description of Figure 2. Mounting materials BM 2, BM 4, BM 5, and BM 6, which are not used for the manufacturing of the first mounted product BP A, are shown in white in Figure 2 and are referred to as "BMpassive" in the description of Figure 2.

[0082] For mounting, the first component carrier 290a is brought into the elongated mounting area of ​​the mounting machine by the transport device TP. This elongated mounting area extends along the entire stretch of the seven mounting materials BM 1 to BM 7, along the transport direction of the transport device TP indicated by the arrow.

[0083] The mounting materials BM 1, BM 2, and BM 3 used or effective for mounting the first mounted product BP A are not arranged directly adjacent to each other, contrary to the manufacturing using a single setup described in the introduction of this specification, which is not shown. Therefore, the travel path of the mounting head of the mounting machine during the take-up of the relevant parts is somewhat longer than in a single setup. The travel path can be shortened somewhat only by the transport device TP moving the first part carrier 290a to be mounted within the elongated mounting area to a location where the overall travel path between (i) the three mounting materials BM 1, BM 2, and BM 3 on the one hand and (ii) the corresponding mounting position of the part on the first part carrier 290a on the other hand is as short as possible.

[0084] After the completion of manufacturing of the first mounting product BP A, or more specifically, after the completion of manufacturing a predetermined quantity of the first mounting product BP A, a manufacturing technology transition from the first mounting product BP A to the second mounting product BP B takes place. The manufacturing of the second mounting product BP B is illustrated on the right side of Figure 2. The transition from the first mounting product BP A to the second mounting product BP B is indicated by "Δ" in Figure 2. The setup of the component supply system 114 or the mounting machine, and the resulting allocation between each mounting material BM 1 to BM 7 and the supply path of the mounting machine, remain unchanged in accordance with the family setup approach.

[0085] According to the embodiment illustrated herein, mounting materials BM1, BM4, and BM6 are used for the manufacture of the second mounted product BP B. Mounting materials BM2, BM3, BM5, and BM7 are not used for the manufacture of the second mounted product BP B.

[0086] In order to keep the movement path of the mounting head for the manufacture of the second mounted product BP B as short as possible, the second component carrier 290b used for the second mounted product BP B moves closer to both mounting materials BM 4 and BM 6 for mounting within the mounting area.

[0087] Figure 3 illustrates the manufacturing of two mounted products using dynamic setup optimization according to an embodiment of the present invention. Manufacturing begins with the production of the first mounted product BP A, which mounts the first component carrier 290a. According to the embodiment illustrated here, three mounting materials BM1, BM3, and BM7 are used for this purpose. These are also shown in gray in Figure 3 and referred to as "BMactive" in the description. Mounting materials BM2, BM4, BM5, and BM6, which are not used in the manufacturing of the first mounted product BP A, are shown in white or shaded in Figure 3. Taking into account the short travel path of the mounting head, the first component carrier 290a is positioned as close as possible to the active mounting materials BM1, BM3, and BM7 by the transporter TP for mounting.

[0088] In the embodiment illustrated here, the two mounting materials BM2 and BM5, shown in white, are also not used for the manufacture of the subsequent second mounting product BP B. The mounting materials BM4 and BM6, shown in shaded form, are required for the manufacture of the subsequent second mounting product BP B. Therefore, they are referred to as "BMnext" in the description of Figure 3.

[0089] While the first assembled product BP A is still being manufactured, the assembled materials BM 2, BM 4, BM 5, and BM 6, which are not currently in use, are rearranged or repositioned in the component supply system 114 in advance, taking into consideration the upcoming manufacturing of assembled product BP B. This changes the allocation between the assembled materials BM 2, BM 4, BM 5, and BM 6 and the corresponding supply paths of the assembly machine. This repositioning of only the unused assembled materials BM 2, BM 4, BM 5, and BM 6 is indicated by "Δ1" in Figure 3.

[0090] After the completion of manufacturing of the first mounting product BP A, or more specifically, after the completion of manufacturing a predetermined quantity of the first mounting product BP A, a transition from the first mounting product BP A to the second mounting product BP B takes place. The manufacturing of the second mounting product BP B is illustrated on the right side of Figure 3. The manufacturing technology transition from the first mounting product BP A to the second mounting product BP B is indicated by "Δ2" in Figure 3. The setup of the component supply system 114 or the mounting machine, and the resulting allocation of each mounting material BM 1 to BM 7 (BM 1, BM 3, BM 7, BM 4, BM 6, BM 2, and BM 5 in order in Figure 3) remain unchanged during this transition "Δ2".

[0091] To minimize the movement path of the mounting head for the manufacturing of the second mounted product BP B, according to the embodiment illustrated herein, during the manufacturing of the second mounted product BP B, the available mounting materials BM 1, BM 4, and BM 6 in the component supply system 114 or in contact with the supply path of the mounting machine are rearranged or repositioned. Specifically, according to the embodiment illustrated herein, for example, the two mounting materials BM 1 and BM 7 are swapped with each other. This brings the available mounting material BM 1 closer to the other two available mounting materials BM 4 and BM 6. This rearrangement is indicated by "Δ3" in Figure 3.

[0092] According to the embodiment illustrated here, after this rearrangement "Δ3", the second component carrier 290b to be mounted is further positioned within the mounting area, along the transport direction of the transport device TP. This shortens the travel path of the mounting head between the component supply system 114 and the mounting position on the second component carrier 290b for the production of the second mounted product BP B.

[0093] Note that the concept of "having" does not exclude other elements, and "one" does not exclude multiple elements. Also, elements described in relation to various embodiments can be combined. Furthermore, note that the reference numerals in the claims should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of protection of the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0094] 100 mounting machines 102 Frame Structure / Chassis 110 Implementation Scope 112 Conveying device 114 Parts supply system 115 Parts supply device 116 Parts pick-up location 118 Data Processing Devices / Control Devices 120 Fixed Camera / Component Camera 122 Mobile Camera / Printed Circuit Board Camera 125 Mounting Head 130 Positioning System 132 Fixed Components / Fixed Carrier Rails 133 Another fixed component / Another fixed carrier rail 134 Assembly Components 140 Mobile Components / Mobile Carrier Arms 140a long axis 150 robots 190 Component Carrier / Printed Circuit Board 192 Electronic Components BM mounting materials T Conveying direction 290a First component carrier / First printed circuit board 290b Second component carrier / Second printed circuit board BM 1~BM 7 Mounting materials (component supply equipment + components) BMaktive: Packaging materials used in the manufacture of current packaging products BMpassive: Packaging materials not currently used in the manufacture of packaging products BMnext Packaging materials used in the manufacture of the following packaging products BP A First Implementation Product BP B Second Implementation Product TP transport device Δ Transition from the first mounting product to the second mounting product using a different mounting material (not a change in procedure) Δ1 Repositioning of invalid mounting materials during the manufacturing of the first mounting product. Δ2 Transition from the first mounting product to the second mounting product using a different mounting material (not a change in procedure). Δ3 Rearranging of effective mounting materials during the manufacturing of the second mounting product.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing mounted products using a mounting machine having multiple supply lines, wherein one type of mounting material can be supplied through each supply line for the manufacture of mounted products, and the method is as follows: Manufacturing of the first packaged product, (i) The first positive option of the mounting material supplied to the manufacturing through the first positive option of the supply route is used, (ii) The first negative option of the mounting material assigned to the first negative option of the supply route will not be used in manufacturing, A change in the allocation between the mounting material and the supply route, from a first allocation to a second allocation, for a first negative option of the mounting material, Changes and modifications made during the manufacturing of the first implementation product described above, Manufacturing of a second packaged product, (i) The second positive option of the mounting material supplied to manufacturing through the second positive option of the supply route is used, (ii) The second negative option of the mounting material allocated to the second negative option of the supply route is not used, and has manufacturing, The second positive option of the supply path differs from the first positive option of the supply path, The second assignment described above differs from the first assignment described above. A method comprising: during the manufacture of the first mounted product, changing the assignment between the applicable positive and selected mounted material and the corresponding positive and selected supply path for a first positive option of the mounted material; and / or during the manufacture of the second mounted product, changing the assignment between the applicable positive and selected mounted material and the corresponding positive and selected supply path for a second positive option of the mounted material.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mounting material includes components and, in particular, electronic components.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the mounting material further includes a component supply device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the change in the assignment between the mounting material and the supply path from the first assignment to the second assignment is performed automatically without requiring manual intervention by an operator.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the implementation material of the first negative option is at least a portion of the second positive option.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein a first sum consisting of (i) the number of supply paths for the first positive option and (ii) the number of supply paths for the first negative option is equal to the total number of supply paths, and / or a second sum consisting of (i) the number of supply paths for the second positive option and (ii) the number of supply paths for the second negative option is equal to the total number of supply paths.

7. The change in the allocation between the mounting material and the supply path from the first allocation to the second allocation includes replacing the first mounting material of the first negative option with the second mounting material of the first negative option, and after the replacement, (i) The first mounting material is assigned to the supply channel to which the second mounting material was previously assigned. (ii) The second mounting material is allocated to the supply channel to which the first mounting material was previously allocated. The method according to claim 1.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the change in the assignment between the mounting material and the supply path from the first assignment to the second assignment includes at least one additional mounting material which is taken out of a warehouse for mounting material and assigned to a predetermined supply path in the mounting machine.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the change in the allocation between the mounting material and the supply path from the first allocation to the second allocation includes the removal of at least one mounting material of the first negative choice of the mounting material.

10. A change in the allocation between the mounting material and the supply route, from another first allocation to another second allocation, for a second negative option of the mounting material, the change being implemented during the manufacture of the second mounting product, Manufacturing of a third-party product, (i) A third positive option of the mounting material supplied to manufacturing through a third positive option of the supply route is used. (ii) The third negative option of the mounting material allocated to the second negative option of the supply route is not used, and furthermore, The third positive option of the supply path differs from the second positive option of the supply path, The method according to claim 1, wherein the aforementioned second assignment is different from the aforementioned first assignment.

11. A mounting machine for manufacturing mounted products by automatically mounting components onto a component carrier, Multiple supply lines capable of supplying, through one supply line, each containing one type of component, each type of mounting material for the manufacture of the mounting product, (i) In order to grasp the supplied parts, (ii) To transport the grasped component to the mounting area of ​​the mounting machine where the component carrier to be mounted is located, and (iii) In order to place the grasped parts at the respective pre-set mounting positions on the parts carrier, The implementation head is configured as follows: A data processing device configured to perform the method described in claim 1, A mounting machine.

12. A computer program for manufacturing a mounted product using a mounting machine having multiple supply paths, wherein each of the supply paths is capable of supplying one type of mounting material for the manufacture of the mounted product, and the computer program is configured to carry out the method according to claim 1 when executed by a data processing device.

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