Automatic Feeder Exchange Device for SMT Line Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
In component mounting lines, empty spaces in feeder setting sections can create safety hazards as operators may accidentally insert their hands into these gaps, leading to potential contact with moving mounting heads, and existing safety measures like light curtains can hinder production when the automatic exchanging device operates.
Innovation Solution
An automatic exchanging device that monitors feeder arrangement status and controls the operation to fill empty spaces with an automatically exchangeable unit, such as a dummy feeder or suction nozzles, preventing operator intrusion and enhancing safety without halting production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the number of feeders in the feeder setting section is reduced to match small production requirements, then production efficiency is improved, but safety deteriorates due to large empty spaces creating hand intrusion hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an automatic exchanging device as an intermediary mechanism between the operator and the feeder setting section. This device automatically fills empty slots with dummy feeders or maintains appropriate feeder arrangements, eliminating the need for operators to manually intervene in the hazardous empty space area while preserving production efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service safety by equipping the automatic exchanging device with sensors and control systems that automatically detect empty spaces and replenish them with dummy feeders or appropriate components without operator intervention, thereby eliminating hand intrusion hazards while maintaining optimized feeder arrangements for production efficiency.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a light curtain is installed to detect operator intrusion, then safety is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to production halts during automatic feeder exchange operations
Solution Approach 1:
The automatic exchanging device serves as an intermediary that performs feeder exchange operations in a controlled manner, using sensors to detect operator presence and pause only when necessary, rather than continuously halting production. This maintains safety while minimizing disruption to production continuity.
Solution Approach 2:
The light curtain system is made dynamic by linking it to the automatic exchanging device's operational state. The system automatically adjusts its sensitivity and activation based on whether the exchanging device is currently operating, allowing production to continue during automated exchanges while still providing protection when operators are present.
3Productivity
If the XY-robot operates at high speed in the feeder setting section, then mounting efficiency is improved, but safety worsens due to increased risk of contact with intruding hands
Solution Approach 1:
The automatic exchanging device acts as an intermediary barrier between operators and the high-speed XY-robot. By automatically managing feeder arrangements and using sensors to detect operator presence, it creates a protective buffer zone that allows the XY-robot to maintain high mounting efficiency while preventing direct contact with intruding hands.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations in the feeder setting section with an automated exchanging device equipped with sensors and control systems. This substitution eliminates the need for operators to physically interact with the high-speed XY-robot area, maintaining mounting efficiency while removing the contact risk associated with manual operations.
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic exchanging device moves along a front face of component mounting line in an arrangement direction of multiple component mounters to automatically exchange a feeder with respect to feeder setting section of each component mounter. A production management computer of the component mounting line or control device of each component mounter monitors an arrangement status of the feeder set in the feeder setting section of each component mounter, and when it is determined that an empty space of the feeder setting section of any one of the component mounters is equal to or larger than a predetermined value based on a monitoring result, controls an operation of the automatic exchanging device, such that an automatically exchangeable unit is set in the empty space of the feeder setting section of the component mounter.