Collaborative Robot PCB Assembly With 3D Socket Pin Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Human handling in server board manufacturing and testing often results in component damage and test failures due to the difficulty in identifying sunken or damaged pins, leading to inefficiencies and reduced throughput.
Innovation Solution
A collaborative robot system equipped with a high-resolution camera and processing circuitry is used to inspect and assemble server boards, determining the coordinate location of components and securing them to the board, while also identifying pin defects through three-dimensional imaging, thereby preventing damaged components from being used.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If human handling is used to inspect and assemble server board components, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but component damage and test failures increase due to difficulty in identifying sunken or damaged pins
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces human manual inspection and handling with an automated robotic system equipped with high-resolution imaging capabilities. The robotic system uses cameras and image processing algorithms to detect sunken pins and component defects, eliminating the limitations of human visual inspection while maintaining operational flexibility through programmable control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates detailed visual copies (images) of the server board components using high-resolution cameras. These digital copies are then analyzed through image processing to identify defects such as sunken pins. This copying approach allows for repeated, consistent inspection without physical contact that could cause damage.
2Manufacturing precision
If manual inspection methods are used, then equipment complexity is minimized, but manufacturing precision and defect detection capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system performs multiple functions: it inspects for defects, identifies component locations, guides assembly operations, and verifies proper placement. This multi-functional approach achieves high manufacturing precision while consolidating what would otherwise require multiple separate systems into a single integrated platform.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces image processing algorithms and coordinate mapping systems as intermediaries between the physical components and the robotic manipulation system. These intermediaries translate visual information into precise positional data, enabling accurate defect detection and component placement without requiring direct complex mechanical measurement systems.
3Productivity
If human handling is used for assembly, then adaptability to mixed vendor components is maintained, but productivity and throughput time decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system employs dynamic image processing and real-time coordinate determination to adapt to different component types and positions. The system can adjust its inspection and assembly parameters based on the specific components being handled, maintaining versatility while operating at automated speeds that greatly exceed manual throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes variable imaging parameters and coordinate transformation algorithms to accommodate different component vendors and types. By changing imaging settings, resolution levels, and coordinate mapping parameters, the system maintains adaptability across diverse components while operating at high automated speeds.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure is directed to apparatus and methods for manufacturing including a collaborative robot, a camera operatively coupled to the collaborative robot, a memory coupled to the collaborative robot, and processing circuitry coupled to the memory, the processing circuitry configured to receive image data of at least one component intended for a printed circuit board (PCB), the image data collected by the camera operatively coupled to the collaborative robot, determine, based on the image data, a coordinate location for the component, and secure the component to the PCB using an end effector of the collaborative robot based on the received image data. In one embodiment, the collaborative robot is configured to operate alongside a human, the collaborative robot in combination with the camera configured to manufacture a computer system with the PCB.