Substrate work system and maintenance support method for substrate work device

Abstract

This substrate work system is provided with a substrate work device that performs predetermined work on a substrate using a replaceable work unit. The substrate work system includes a determination unit and a notification unit. The determination unit determines whether or not maintenance of a target work unit is required. The notification unit issues notification prompting maintenance for a work unit that the determination unit has determined to require maintenance. The notification unit also issues, regarding the work unit subject to notification, notification about at least one of: a history of measures taken in the past; a maintenance history; and the operating status since the previous maintenance.

Description

BOARD WORK SYSTEM AND BOARD WORK DEVICE MAINTENANCE SUPPORT METHOD

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a board working system including a board working device that performs work on a board, and more particularly to a method for supporting maintenance of the board working device.

[0002] Conventionally, board work systems equipped with board work devices, such as component mounters, that perform work on boards are well known. For example, component mounters perform mounting work on boards using replaceable work units, such as feeders, nozzles, and mounting heads. In this type of board work system, maintenance work must be performed on each work unit at an appropriate time to maintain good equipment condition and board production efficiency. Therefore, conventional board work systems determine whether maintenance is required for each work unit based on error occurrence status, etc., and notify operators to perform maintenance on work units determined to require maintenance. Related techniques include, for example, a maintenance support method disclosed in Patent Document 1 (International Publication No. 2023-079902). This conventional technology extracts maintenance targets and creates a maintenance plan based on maintenance target information, which records maintenance history and cumulative operation information, and maintenance work information, which stores work content, work time, impact, and limited service life.

[0003] In conventional board work systems, if a specific operation unit frequently experiences a specific error during board production, a notification is sent to prompt the operator to perform maintenance (check the actual condition) on that operation unit. However, conventional board work systems do not particularly consider when and what kind of maintenance was performed on the operation unit for which the system is prompting the operator to check the status. Therefore, a notification prompting the operator to perform maintenance (check the actual condition) may be sent even for an operation unit that has recently undergone maintenance. In such cases, however, it is considered unlikely that the operation unit in question is the cause of the error. Therefore, in such cases, it is difficult for the operator to accurately identify the cause of the error and determine how to deal with it.

[0004] Therefore, this specification provides a technique for accurately identifying the cause of an error in board production and determining how to deal with it.

[0005] This specification discloses a board work system equipped with a board work device that performs predetermined work on boards using replaceable work units. The board work system includes a determination unit and a notification unit. The determination unit determines whether maintenance is required for a target work unit. The notification unit issues a notification urging maintenance for a work unit that the determination unit determines requires maintenance. The notification unit also notifies the user of at least one of the history of past actions taken for the work unit that is the target of the notification, the maintenance history, and the operating status since the previous maintenance. Therefore, with the above-described configuration, it is possible to accurately identify the cause of errors in board production and determine how to deal with them.

[0006] This specification also discloses a method for supporting maintenance of a board working device that performs predetermined work on a board using a replaceable working unit. The maintenance support method for a board working device includes a determination step and a notification step. In the determination step, it is determined whether maintenance is required for the target working unit. In the notification step, a notification is issued urging maintenance for the working unit determined to require maintenance in the determination step. In the notification step, at least one of a history of past actions taken for the working unit that is the target of the notification, a maintenance history, and an operating status since the previous maintenance is also notified.

[0007] It is a schematic diagram showing a board work system of an embodiment. It is a schematic side view showing a component mounter constituting the board work system of the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram showing a display screen of a display device. It is a schematic diagram showing a display screen of a display device.

[0008] (Mode 1) In the board work system disclosed herein, the determination unit may determine whether maintenance is necessary based on the number or rate of occurrence of a specific error in the target working unit. This configuration allows a notification urging maintenance for a working unit that is highly likely to require maintenance. (Mode 2) In the board work system disclosed herein, the determination unit may determine whether maintenance is necessary based on the usage time or number of uses of the target working unit. This configuration also allows a notification urging maintenance for a working unit that is highly likely to require maintenance. (Mode 3) The board work system disclosed herein may further include a maintenance device that performs maintenance on the working unit. This configuration allows maintenance to be performed by the maintenance device on a working unit determined to require maintenance. (Mode 4) In the board work system disclosed herein, the replaceable working unit may be a feeder that supplies components to be mounted on a board. In this case, the board work device may be a component mounter that picks up components supplied from the feeder and mounts them on a board. (Mode 5) In the board work system disclosed in this specification, the notification unit may be a display device that displays a notification urging maintenance for a work unit that the determination unit has determined to require maintenance, and a history of past measures taken for the work unit that is the subject of the notification. With this configuration, it is possible to accurately determine how to deal with the work unit based on the content displayed on the display device.

[0009] (Example 1) The following describes a board work system 11 according to Example 1. As shown in Fig. 1 , the board work system 11 includes a plurality of board work devices 10 installed on a component mounting line 4, and a production management computer 6 that manages the plurality of board work devices 10.

[0010] A plurality of board work devices 10 constitute a component mounting line 4 that mounts components 2 on boards 1. The component mounting line 4 mounts components 2 on input boards 1, thereby manufacturing boards 1 on which components 2 are mounted. Hereinafter, a board after components have been mounted will be referred to as a circuit board, and a board before or during component mounting will sometimes be simply referred to as a board.

[0011] The component mounting line 4 is equipped with a board loader (not shown), a solder printer 12, a print inspection machine (SPI) 13, a plurality of component mounters 21, a board visual inspection machine (AOI) 14, a reflow furnace 15, and a board unloader (not shown) as board working devices 10. These board working devices 10 can use known machines used in known component mounting lines 4, and will be briefly described below.

[0012] The board loader loads the boards 1 into the component mounting line 4. The board loader accommodates multiple boards 1 and transports the accommodated boards one by one to the solder printer 12. The solder printer 12 prints a solder pattern on the boards 1 transported from the board loader. The boards 1 with the solder pattern printed on them are transported from the solder printer 12 to the print inspection machine 13. The print inspection machine 13 inspects whether the solder pattern printed on the board 1 is normal. If there is an abnormality in the printed solder pattern (for example, if there is a printing defect due to clogging of the mask), the board 1 is discarded. On the other hand, if the printed solder pattern is normal, the board is transported from the print inspection machine 13 to the component mounter 21. The component mounter 21 mounts components 2 supplied from multiple detachably attached feeders 22 onto the board 1. The board 1 on which the components 2 have been mounted by the component mounter 21 is transported to the appearance inspection machine 14. The visual inspection machine 14 inspects whether the components 2 are properly mounted on the board 1. If the components 2 are not properly mounted on the board 1 (for example, if the components 2 are mounted in the wrong location), the board 1 is discarded. On the other hand, if the components 2 are properly mounted on the board 1, the board 1 is transported from the visual inspection machine 14 to a reflow furnace 15. The reflow furnace 15 heats the board 1 that is transported therein to melt the solder and solder the components 2 to the board 1. The board 1 that is transported out of the reflow furnace 15 is transported to a board unloader. The board unloader transports the circuit board on which the components 2 are mounted out of the component mounting line 4.

[0013] 2 is a schematic side view showing a component mounter 21 that constitutes the board work system 11. The component mounter 21 includes a plurality of feeders 22, a head unit 23, a moving device 24 that moves the head unit 23, a board transport lane 25, an operation panel 26, a control device 31, etc.

[0014] Each feeder 22 stores a plurality of components 2 used for mounting on the board 1. The feeders 22 are detachably attached to the feeder holding unit 30 and supply the components 2 to the head unit 23. The specific configuration of the feeders 22 is not limited. For example, the feeders 22 may be a tape-type feeder that stores a plurality of components 2 on a tape, a tray-type feeder that stores a plurality of components 2 on a tray, or a bulk-type feeder that stores a plurality of components 2 randomly in a container. The feeders 22 are automatically replaced by an automatic feeder replacement device (not shown). In other words, the feeders 22 are a type of replaceable work unit 20 provided in the component mounter 21.

[0015] The moving device 24 moves the head unit 23 between above the feeder 22 and above the substrate 1, and between above a nozzle exchange device (not shown) and above the substrate 1. The moving device 24 is an XY robot that moves a moving base 24a in the X and Y directions. The moving device 24 is composed of guide rails that guide the moving base 24a, a moving mechanism that moves the moving base 24a along the guide rails, a motor that drives the moving mechanism, and the like. The moving device 24 is disposed above the substrate 1. The head unit 23 is attached to the moving base 24a. The head unit 23 is moved by the moving device 24 between above the feeder 22 and above the substrate 1, and between above the nozzle exchange device and above the substrate 1.

[0016] The head unit 23 is a movable unit that mounts components 2 on the board 1. The head unit 23 includes a holder 23a and a head 23b. The holder 23a is attached to a movable base 24a. The head 23b is detachably supported by the holder 23a. The head 23b includes a plurality of suction nozzles 29. The plurality of suction nozzles 29 are detachably supported by the head 23b. The plurality of suction nozzles 29 are configured to be raised and lowered in the vertical direction (Z direction in the drawing) by an actuator (not shown) housed in the head 23b and to be able to pick up components 2.

[0017] To mount the component 2 on the board 1 using the head 23b, first, the suction nozzle 29 is moved downward until the suction surface of the suction nozzle 29 abuts against the component 2 accommodated in the feeder 22. Next, the suction nozzle 29 picks up the component 2, and then the suction nozzle 29 is moved upward. Once the process of picking up the component 2 onto the suction nozzle 29 is complete, the moving device 24 is driven to position the head 23b with respect to the board 1. Next, the suction nozzle 29 is lowered toward the board 1, thereby mounting the component 2 on the board 1. The head 23b and the suction nozzle 29 are automatically replaced by a robot (not shown). In other words, the head 23b and the suction nozzle 29 are also a type of replaceable working unit 20 provided in the component mounter 21.

[0018] The board transport lane 25 is a device that transports the board 1 into the component mounter 21, positions the board 1 relative to the component mounter 21, and transports the board 1 from the component mounter 21. The board transport lane 25 in this embodiment can be configured, for example, by a pair of belt conveyors, a support device (not shown) that is attached to the belt conveyors and supports the board 1 from below, and a drive device that drives the belt conveyors. The board 1 is transported from upstream (the left side of FIG. 1) to downstream (the right side of FIG. 1).

[0019] The control device 31 is configured using a computer including a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The control device 31 is communicatively connected to the feeder 22, head 23b, moving device 24, board transport lane 25, operation panel 26, and a robot for replacing the head 23b and suction nozzle 29. A production management computer 6 is communicatively connected to the control device 31. The production management computer 6 is configured with a CPU (determination unit) 7, a display device (notification unit) 8, memory 9, etc., and a production program is stored in the memory 9. Each of the control devices 31 of the multiple component mounters 21 controls each unit (feeder 22, head 23b, moving device 24, board transport lane 25, operation panel 26, and robot) based on the production program. Through this control, each control device 31 performs a mounting process for mounting multiple components 2 on the board 1 and a replacement process for replacing the multiple suction nozzles 29 supported by each of the multiple heads 23b used in the mounting process.

[0020] Each board work apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 is equipped with a communication circuit. The communication circuits are communicatively connected to the production management computer 6. Each communication circuit outputs status information indicating the status of the board work apparatus 10 equipped with that communication circuit to the production management computer 6. For example, a board loader outputs the number of boards 1 it accommodates to the production management computer 6. This allows the production management computer 6 to determine whether boards 1 need to be replenished in the board loader. For example, a component mounter 21 outputs the number of components 2 used for each type of component 2 to the production management computer 6. Based on this, the production management computer 6 can determine whether components 2 need to be replenished in the component mounter 21. In addition, the component mounter 21 outputs various status information regarding the work units 20, such as the feeders 22, to the production management computer 6. Based on this, the production management computer 6 can determine, for example, the operating status of each feeder 22 and the occurrence of errors in each feeder 22.

[0021] The production management computer 6 stores a control program for each board work device 10 in memory 9, and transmits these control programs to each board work device 10 to control each board work device 10 to perform a predetermined operation. For example, the production management computer 6 transmits a mounting program (mounting job) that specifies the type, mounting order, and mounting position of components 2 to be mounted to the component mounter 21. The component mounter 21 performs the operation of mounting components 2 on the board 1 based on the received mounting program.

[0022] The production management computer 6 also stores various status information related to the operational units 20, such as the feeders 22, in the memory 9. For example, the memory 9 stores the operating status of each feeder 22 (such as the duration of use and the number of uses) and the error occurrence rate of each feeder 22 (such as the number of occurrences and the rate of occurrence). The production management computer 6 also stores in the memory 9 information such as the history of past countermeasures taken for the feeders 22, past maintenance history, and the operating status since the last maintenance. Here, the "history of past countermeasures taken" refers to the history of countermeasures taken when an error occurs in the feeder 22. Examples of countermeasures include kitting the feeder 22, inserting and removing the feeder 22 into the slot, and upgrading the feeder 22. The "maintenance history" refers to information such as when the last maintenance was performed and the maintenance numerical value at the time of the last maintenance. The maintenance numerical value refers to a numerical value indicating the quality of operation of the feeder 22 when it is actually operated after maintenance work is completed. "Operation status since last maintenance" refers to how long feeder feeding has been performed since the last maintenance was performed.

[0023] The production management computer 6 stores a maintenance support program in the memory 9, and the CPU 7 executes this maintenance support program to support the maintenance of the mounter 21. The CPU 7, which serves as a determination unit, determines whether maintenance is necessary based on the number or rate of occurrence of a specific error in the target feeder 22. Specifically, the CPU 7 compares the number or rate of occurrence stored for each error type with a threshold value preset for each error type. If the number or rate of occurrence of a specific error in the target feeder 22 does not exceed the threshold value, the CPU 7 determines that maintenance is not yet necessary for the feeder 22. On the other hand, if the number or rate of occurrence of a specific error in the target feeder 22 exceeds the threshold value, the CPU 7 determines that maintenance is necessary for the feeder 22. The CPU 7 then transmits information indicating that maintenance is due for the specific feeder 22 in the specific mounter 21 to the display device 8, and the display device 8 displays the information in a predetermined format on the display screen 40. Typically, an operator can perform the required maintenance work in a timely manner by viewing this display indicating the maintenance timing. This work prevents malfunctions in the feeder 22 and maintains the equipment in good condition, thereby maintaining the efficiency of board production. Note that the CPU 7 may determine whether maintenance is necessary based on the usage time or number of times of use of the target feeder 22, using the same procedure as described above.

[0024] Furthermore, if the production management computer 6 detects an error in a specific feeder 22 during board production, it transmits information indicating the occurrence of the error to the display device 8, which serves as a notification unit, and the display device 8 displays the information in a predetermined format on the display screen 40. FIGS. 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams showing the display screen 40 of the display device 8 when an error is being displayed. At this time, the display screen 40 of the display device 8 displays relatively large text information 41, indicating the occurrence of an error, such as "WARNING!" In addition, the display screen 40 displays detailed text information about the feeder 22 in which the error is currently detected. Specifically, a table 42 is displayed listing, for example, the time of the error, the line name to which the mounter 21 belongs, the model name of the mounter 21, the module number of the mounter 21, and the feeder identification number (see FIG. 3). The display screen 40 also displays, in text, the details of the maintenance (checking the actual condition) to be performed on the feeder 22 in which the error is currently detected. That is, the display device 8, which is the notification unit, issues a notification (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as a "maintenance request notification") urging maintenance for the feeder 22 that the determination unit has determined to require maintenance. Examples of maintenance that should be performed on the feeder 22 include repair, adjustment, cleaning, and greasing. Note that the table 42 on the display screen 40 shown in FIG. 3 displays not only detailed information about an error currently occurring in a specific feeder 22, but also detailed information about errors that have occurred in other feeders 22 in the past.

[0025] Furthermore, a button icon 43, which serves as an operation unit, is displayed below the right side of the table 42 on the display screen 40 of the display device 8. The button icon 43 is used to prompt the operator as to whether more detailed past information about the feeder 22 in which an error is currently detected (i.e., the feeder 22 that is the subject of the notification) is required. When the operator presses the button icon 43, a pop-up image 44 is displayed on the display screen 40, in which detailed past information about the feeder 22 in which an error is currently detected is written in text (see FIG. 4 ). In this embodiment, specifically, the pop-up image 44 displays the history of past actions taken for the feeder 22 in which an error is currently detected, the maintenance history, and the operating status since the last maintenance. In other words, the display device 8, which serves as a notification unit, notifies the operator of detailed past information about the feeder 22 in which an error is currently detected, along with a maintenance request notification for the feeder 22 in which an error is currently detected.

[0026] As described above, in the board work system 11 of this embodiment, when it is determined that a target feeder 22 requires maintenance, a notification is issued urging maintenance of the feeder 22. At this time, information (detailed past information) such as the history of past actions taken on the feeder 22, the maintenance history, and the operating status since the last maintenance are also notified. Therefore, by referring to the notified detailed past information, the operator can accurately identify the cause of an error in board production and determine how to deal with it. For example, if an appropriate error response or maintenance work has not been performed for a long time on a feeder 22 in which an error is currently being detected, it can be inferred that "the feeder 22 is likely to be the cause of the error." In this case, the operator can simply perform the maintenance (check the actual condition) that should be performed on the feeder 22 according to the display on the display screen 40. Furthermore, if an appropriate error response or maintenance work has been performed very recently on a feeder 22 in which an error is currently being detected, it can be inferred that "the feeder 22 is unlikely to be the cause of the error." In this case, it is assumed that the cause of the error lies in another task unit 20, so it is possible to narrow down the other task units 20 to a few, identify the cause of the error for each of them, and decide on an appropriate countermeasure.

[0027] Furthermore, in the board work system 11 of this embodiment, the history of past actions taken for the feeder 22 that is the subject of the notification, the maintenance history, and the operating status since the previous maintenance are all notified along with the maintenance request notification. Therefore, the operator can comprehensively determine the cause of the error and the corrective action based on a large amount of detailed past information. This allows for more accurate judgment.

[0028] Although the above describes an embodiment, the specific configuration is not limited to the above embodiment. In the above embodiment, the display device 8, which is the notification unit, notifies the user of a: a history of past actions taken for the task unit that is the target of the notification, b: maintenance history, and c: the operating status since the last maintenance, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, in another embodiment, the display device 8, which is the notification unit, may notify the user of one or two items selected from a, b, and c above.

[0029] In the above embodiment, the necessity of maintenance is determined for the feeder 22, which is one type of operation unit 20 in the mounter 21, and a maintenance request notification and other notifications (notification of detailed past information) are issued based on the determination results, but this configuration is not limited to this. For example, in other embodiments, the necessity of maintenance may be determined for an operation unit 20 other than the feeder 22 in the mounter 21 (for example, the suction nozzle 29 or the head 23b), and a maintenance request notification and notification of detailed past information may be issued based on the determination results.

[0030] In the above embodiment, the board work apparatus 10 having the replaceable work unit 20 was the component mounter 21, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, in another embodiment, the board work apparatus 10 having the replaceable work unit 20 may be a solder printer 12 that prints solder paste or the like on the board 1. In this case, it may be configured to determine whether maintenance is required for the squeegee, which is the work unit 20 in the solder printer 12, and to issue a maintenance request notification or detailed past information notification based on the determination result.

[0031] In the above embodiment, the notification unit was the display device 8 of the production management computer 6, but this configuration is not limited to this. For example, in other embodiments, the notification unit may be the operation panel 26 of the component mounter 21, or a display device of an information terminal such as a smartphone carried by the operator. In this case, the notification format may be changed depending on the size of the display screen of the display device. For example, if the display screen is relatively large, the maintenance request notification and the detailed past information notification may be displayed simultaneously on one screen. Furthermore, if the display screen is relatively small, the maintenance request notification may be displayed first, and then the detailed past information notification may be displayed as needed.

[0032] In the above embodiment, the notification unit is the display device 8, and the maintenance request notification and detailed past information notification are given visually by displaying characters and images on the display screen 40, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, in other embodiments, the maintenance request notification and detailed past information notification may be given by voice so that the operator can understand the notification audibly.

[0033] In the above embodiment, various status information relating to the feeder 22 is stored in the memory 9 in the production management computer 6, but this configuration is not limited to this. For example, in other embodiments, this type of information may be stored in the memory of each feeder 22.

[0034] In the above embodiment, the notification unit 8 has the operator refer to detailed past information about the feeder 22 that is the target of the notification, and based on that, the operator himself identifies the cause of the error and determines how to deal with it, but this configuration is not limited to this. For example, in another embodiment, the production management computer 6 may be configured to infer to some extent the cause of the error based on detailed past information about the feeder 22 that is the target of the notification, and notify the operator of the inference result, thereby supporting the operator in identifying the cause of the error.

[0035] In the above embodiment, an operator performs maintenance work on a feeder 22 that requires maintenance, but this configuration is not limited to this. For example, in another embodiment, the board work system 11 may further include a maintenance device that performs maintenance work, and this maintenance device may perform the maintenance work. For example, the component mounter may be provided with a device that air-cleans the suction nozzle 29, so that the suction nozzle 29 is air-cleaned when a suction error occurs in the suction nozzle 29. Other possible maintenance devices include a device that cleans the suction nozzle 29 by scrubbing it with a brush, a device that hits the suction nozzle 29 with a block to eliminate movement (eliminate nozzle sticking), a device that turns on an ionizer to make it less likely to generate static electricity, etc.

[0036] Although specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The claimed technology includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples exemplified above. The technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Furthermore, the technology exemplified in this specification or drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving one of these objectives alone is technically useful.

[0037] 1: Board 7: CPU as a determination unit 8: Display device as a notification unit 11: Board work system 10: Board work device 20: Work unit 21: Component mounter 22: Feeder

Claims

1. A board work system equipped with a board work device that performs specified work on a board using replaceable work units, comprising: a determination unit that determines whether maintenance is required for the target work unit; and a notification unit that issues a notification urging maintenance for the work unit that the determination unit determines requires maintenance, wherein the notification unit also notifies at least one of the history of past actions taken for the work unit that is the subject of the notification, the maintenance history, and the operating status since the previous maintenance.

2. The board work system according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether maintenance is required based on the number or rate of occurrence of a specific error in the target work unit.

3. The board work system according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines whether maintenance is required based on the length of time or number of times the target work unit has been used.

4. The board working system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a maintenance device for performing maintenance on the working unit.

5. A board work system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the replaceable work unit is a feeder that supplies components to be mounted on the board, and the board work device is a component mounter that picks up the components supplied from the feeder and mounts them on the board.

6. A board work system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the notification unit is a display device that displays a notification urging maintenance for the work unit that the judgment unit has determined to require maintenance, and a history of past actions taken for the work unit that is the subject of the notification.

7. A method for supporting the maintenance of a substrate working device that performs specified work on a substrate using replaceable working units, comprising: a determination step of determining whether or not maintenance is required for the target working unit; and a notification step of issuing a notification urging maintenance for the working unit that is determined to require maintenance in the determination step, wherein the notification step also notifies the user of at least one of the history of past actions taken for the working unit that is the subject of the notification, the maintenance history, and the operating status since the previous maintenance.

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