CN109287111B

CN109287111B - Reinforcing plate attaching device

Info

Publication number: CN109287111B
Application number: CN201810745672.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 屋宜健勇; 河东和彦
Original assignee: Beac Co Ltd
Current assignee: Beac Co Ltd
Priority date: 2017-07-20
Filing date: 2018-07-09
Publication date: 2020-07-17
Anticipated expiration: 2038-07-09
Also published as: JP6235751B1; CN109287111A; KR102060249B1; TWI680703B; JP2019021849A; KR20190010449A; TW201909727A

Abstract

To provide a reinforcing plate attaching device with high production efficiency. [ MEANS FOR solving PROBLEMS ] A reinforcing plate attaching device comprises: an attaching head 20 provided with a reinforcing plate catching means 22 for picking up and pressing the reinforcing plate by moving up and down and changing the posture of the reinforcing plate by rotating in the θ direction; a rotating body 30 which is provided with a plurality of attachment heads divided into three equal parts in one circle and arranged at equal angular intervals and intermittently rotates; a reinforcing plate supply device 40 disposed at the first indexing position; a reinforcing plate image processing device 50 for acquiring an image of the second index position and performing image processing to calculate information on the position and orientation of the reinforcing plate; and an attached member holding device 60 having a first xy table 62 disposed at a third indexing position. Wherein, further include: a second xy stage 64 having a similar configuration to the first xy stage 62; and an xy-table arrangement switching unit 66 that switches the arrangement of the first xy-table 62 and the second xy-table 64 between the third index position and the attached member replacement position.

Description

Reinforcing plate attaching device

Technical Field

The invention relates to a reinforcing plate attaching device.

Background

Conventionally, a component mounting apparatus has been widely known, which sequentially picks up electronic components and mounts the electronic components on a mounting object (electronic circuit board) by a plurality of robot arms each having a suction nozzle (suction nozzle) at a tip thereof while intermittently rotating (for example, see patent document 1).

Fig. 20 is a structural diagram of the component mounting apparatus described in patent document 1.

The component mounting apparatus 900 described in patent document 1 includes: a Head (Head)920 configured with a suction nozzle 922 for sucking the electronic component WE, and capable of extracting and mounting the electronic component WE by moving up and down along a z-axis parallel to the first axis AX1 by the suction nozzle 922; and an intermittent rotary support 930 in which a plurality of head portions 920 are arranged at equal angular intervals when dividing a circle into six equal parts on a virtual circumference centering on a first axis AX1, and the head portions 920 are intermittently rotated centering on the first axis AX1, thereby temporarily stopping the head portions 920 sequentially at respective Index positions S1 to S6 divided into six equal parts on a base (not shown) (see fig. 20).

Further, the component mounting apparatus 900 described in patent document 1 includes: the electronic component supply device is disposed at a position corresponding to the first index position S1, has an x-direction moving stage (Table)945 on which component supply cassettes (cases) 943 are disposed side by side, and supplies an electronic component WE to be extracted by the head 920 to the head 920. Further, the component mounting apparatus 900 described in patent document 1 includes: position/posture detecting means (not shown) for detecting the position or posture of the electronic component WE or positioning means (not shown) for positioning the electronic component WE with respect to the suction nozzle are disposed at positions corresponding to the second index position S2, the fifth index position S5, or the sixth index position S6. Further, the component mounting apparatus 900 described in patent document 1 further includes: the electronic circuit board holder 960 has an xy stage 962 which is disposed at a position corresponding to the fourth index position S4, holds the electronic circuit board BD on the upper end surface, and is capable of moving the held electronic circuit board BD along the xy plane, and receives the electronic component WE mounted by the head 920 at a predetermined position on the electronic circuit board BD (see fig. 20 and the lower left column to the upper right column of the second page to the third page in patent document 1).

According to the component mounting apparatus 900 described in patent document 1, when the head 920 and the robot arm 934 on which the suction nozzle 922 is arranged intermittently rotate and the suction nozzle 922 stops at the first index position S1, the suction nozzle 922 picks up the electronic component WE from the electronic component supply apparatus 940. When the suction nozzle 922 intermittently rotates and then stops at the second index position S2, the fifth index position S5, or the sixth index position S6, the position or posture of the electronic component WE is detected or the electronic component WE is positioned with respect to the suction nozzle 922. When the suction nozzle 922 intermittently rotates and stops at the fourth index position S4, the head 920 descends along the z-axis to mount the electronic component WE on the predetermined mounting position of the electronic circuit board BD.

[ Prior Art document ]

[ patent document 1 ] Japanese patent application laid-open No. Sho 62-85491

However, in the component mounting apparatus 900 described in patent document 1, when the electronic circuit board BD on which the electronic component WE is mounted is unloaded, the intermittent rotation support 930, the robot arm 934, the head 920, and the like (hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as "intermittent rotation section") need to be stopped from rotating in order to ensure the safety of the work. When the electronic circuit board BD on which the electronic component WE is not mounted is fed with polarity, the intermittent rotation portion similarly needs to be stopped. As described above, while the intermittent rotation portion is stopped for replacing the electronic circuit board BD, the main processes such as the extraction of the electronic component WE and the mounting of the electronic component WE cannot be continuously performed. Thus, there are: the production efficiency of the whole component mounting device is low.

In recent years, as an electronic circuit substrate, a flexible substrate (FPC substrate) has been widely used in view of flexibility of a substrate shape and thinning of the substrate. However, it is necessary to reinforce a part of the FPC substrate due to its flexibility and thinness. Generally, a reinforcing plate made of a metal material is attached to a substrate to reinforce the substrate.

When the work of attaching the reinforcing plate to the member to be attached (for example, FPC board) is applied to the component mounting apparatus 900, the problem of the reduction in production efficiency also occurs.

In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus that can be produced efficiently.

Disclosure of Invention

【1】 The reinforcing plate attaching device of the present invention attaches a reinforcing plate to an attached member, and is characterized in that: when a plane parallel to an upper end surface of a base is defined as an xy plane including an x axis and a y axis perpendicular to each other, a predetermined axis perpendicular to the xy plane is defined as a first axis, and divided positions divided in three equal parts of a circle on an imaginary circumference on the xy plane centered on the first axis are sequentially defined as a first index position, a second index position, and a third index position along the circumference, the method includes: the base station; an attaching head provided with a reinforcing plate capturing means for capturing the reinforcing plate, the reinforcing plate being capable of being extracted and pressure-bonded by moving up and down along a z-axis parallel to the first axis by the reinforcing plate capturing means, and capable of being rotated in a θ direction around the z-axis by the reinforcing plate capturing means to change a posture of the reinforcing plate; a rotating body which is provided with a plurality of the sticking heads which are equally spaced at equal angular intervals and are divided into three equal parts in a circle on the virtual circumference with the first axis as the center, and which intermittently rotates with the first axis as the center, thereby temporarily stopping the sticking heads at a first index position, a second index position and a third index position on the base in this order; a reinforcing-plate supplying device which is disposed at a position corresponding to the first index position and supplies the reinforcing plate to be extracted by the sticking head from a reinforcing-plate Stocker (Stocker) in which the reinforcing plate is stored; a reinforcing plate image processing device having a first camera for acquiring an image including the reinforcing plate at a position corresponding to the second index position, the first camera acquiring the image of the reinforcing plate and performing image processing to calculate information on the position and posture of the attachment head with respect to the reinforcing plate; and an attached member holding device which has a first xy stage arranged at a position corresponding to the third index position, which holds the attached member on an upper end surface, and which is capable of moving the held attached member along the xy plane, and which receives pressure-bonding of the reinforcing-plate from the attaching head at a predetermined position of the held attached member, wherein when the attaching head which has captured the reinforcing-plate stops at the third index position, the first xy stage is moved so as to correct the position of the reinforcing-plate on the xy plane based on information of the predetermined position on the attached member to which the reinforcing-plate is to be attached and information on the position of the reinforcing-plate calculated by the reinforcing-plate image processing device, and based on information on the posture of the reinforcing-plate calculated by the reinforcing-plate image processing device, the affixed member holding device further includes a mechanism that corrects the posture of the reinforcing-plate by rotating the affixing head in the θ direction, and then presses the reinforcing-plate against the predetermined position of the affixed member by lowering the affixing head along the z axis, and the mechanism further includes: a second xy stage having a configuration equivalent to that of the first xy stage; and an xy-stage arrangement switching unit on which the first xy stage and the second xy stage are mounted, and which switches the arrangement of the first xy stage and the second xy stage so that the first xy stage and the second xy stage are alternately arranged between the third index position and the attached member replacement position.

In the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus of the present invention, the attached-member holding means further includes: a second xy stage having a configuration equivalent to that of the first xy stage; and an xy table arrangement switching unit on which the first xy table and the second xy table are mounted, and which switches the arrangement of the first xy table and the second xy table so that the first xy table and the second xy table are alternately arranged between the third index position and the attached member replacement position. Therefore, the attached member can be replaced at the attached member replacement position in parallel with the main process in a state independent of the main process of attaching the reinforcing-plate (extraction of the reinforcing-plate, position/posture detection of the reinforcing-plate, and pressure bonding).

That is, the main process does not need to be suspended and held on standby for replacing the member to be bonded, and the standby time (time loss) of the main process until the replacement of the member to be bonded is completed can be reduced. In other words, the attached member can be replaced without affecting the cycle time of the main process. Therefore, the reinforcing plate attaching device is high in production efficiency.

The "member to be attached" described herein refers to a member to which the reinforcing plate is attached, and examples thereof include an FPC board. The "replacement of the member to be bonded" refers to one or both of an operation (removal) of removing the member to be bonded to which the reinforcing-plate has been bonded from the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus and an operation (supply) of putting the member to be bonded to which the reinforcing-plate has not been bonded onto the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus.

【2】 In the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus of the present invention, it is desirable that: the xy stage configuration switching unit is a Turntable (Turntable) rotatable about a predetermined second axis perpendicular to an upper end surface of the base, and the first xy stage and the second xy stage are respectively placed on rotationally symmetrical positions on the upper end surface of the Turntable about the second axis.

With the above configuration, when the turntable is rotated, for example, the first xy table is moved to the third index position in association with the rotation of the turntable, and the second xy table is also moved to the attached member replacement position in association with the rotation of the turntable. Therefore, the attached member can be replaced at the same position (attached member replacement position) by simply rotating the turntable by 180 °. Therefore, the reinforcing plate attaching device of the present invention is a reinforcing plate attaching device with high operation efficiency, and further, is a reinforcing plate attaching device with high production efficiency.

【3】 In the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus of the present invention, it is desirable that: a Heater (Heater) for heating the captured reinforcing plate is disposed on the bonding head.

In the case of reinforcing-plate attachment, a thermosetting adhesive is sometimes used. In this case, for example, an adhesive is applied to a predetermined position of the member to be stuck (a position for sticking the reinforcing-plate, hereinafter simply referred to as "sticking position") in advance, the reinforcing-plate is placed so as to cover the adhesive, and the reinforcing-plate is pressed against the member to be stuck by heating and then softening or melting the adhesive.

According to the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus described in the above [ 3 ], the heat from the heater disposed in the bonding head can be conducted to the reinforcing-plate capturing means, and the reinforcing-plate capturing means can be heated. Therefore, the reinforcing-plate can be heated from the stage of extracting the reinforcing-plate by the sticking head (specifically, the reinforcing-plate catching means), and the reinforcing-plate can be raised to a sufficient temperature in advance before the pressure bonding step. In addition, in the stage of the pressure bonding step, the thermosetting adhesive applied in advance to the predetermined position of the member to be stuck can be softened or melted by the sufficient heat accumulated in the reinforcing plate. In this way, since the reinforcing plate can be raised to a sufficient temperature in advance, the pressure bonding can be reliably performed, and the unit yield can be improved. Therefore, the reinforcing plate attaching device is high in production efficiency.

Further, according to the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus described in the above [ 3 ], since the reinforcing plate can be heated in parallel with the main processes (the extraction of the reinforcing plate, the position/posture detection of the reinforcing plate, and the pressure bonding), it is not necessary to suspend the main processes for heating and wait, and therefore the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus of the present invention is a reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus with high productivity.

【4】 In the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus of the present invention, it is desirable that the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus further comprises: an attached member image processing device includes a second camera for acquiring an image of the attached member held by the first xy table or the second xy table within a movable range of the first xy table or the second xy table when the reinforcing-plate attaching device is viewed from a plane along the first axis, acquires an image of the attached member held by the first xy table or the second xy table by the second camera, and calculates information on a position and an orientation of the attached member with respect to the first xy table or the second xy table.

With this configuration, even if the position and posture of the first xy table or the second xy table with respect to the member to be stuck deviate from the predetermined position and posture, the correction can be performed by appropriately moving the first xy table or the second xy table in the xy direction and appropriately moving the sticking head in the θ direction based on the information on the position and posture of the member to be stuck calculated by the member to be stuck image processing device. In this way, the reinforcing plate can be attached to the member to be stuck in the correct position and posture.

Therefore, according to the reinforcing plate attaching apparatus described in [ 4 ], the success rate of attaching can be improved. Thereby improving the unit yield and being a reinforcing plate attaching device with high production efficiency.

Even when the entire member to be bonded is held at a predetermined position and posture by the first xy table or the second xy table, there is a deviation between the position where the individual reinforcing plates are bonded and the predetermined position due to a manufacturing error. In this case, the above operation makes it possible to perform correction for each attachment, and the reinforcing plate can be attached to the member to be attached at the correct position and posture.

【5】 In the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus of the present invention, it is desirable that: the attached member image processing apparatus includes: and an illumination device including a light-emitting element capable of emitting a plurality of types of light having different peak wavelengths from each other, the illumination device being capable of emitting at least one type of light from the plurality of types of light to illuminate the member to be attached held by the first xy stage or the second xy stage.

With this configuration, even if the member to be attached itself or the environmental condition in which the member to be attached is placed changes, the light-emitting element can be selected to emit the most appropriate type of light according to the actual condition, and the member to be attached can be illuminated.

Thus, it is possible to suppress variation in the form of image pickup of the image of the member to be stuck and improve the image processing accuracy of the member to be stuck. Therefore, the attaching success rate can be improved, the unit yield is further improved, and the reinforcing plate attaching device is high in production efficiency.

【6】 In the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus of the present invention, it is desirable that the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus further comprises: and a reinforcing plate thickness measuring means for measuring the thickness of the object captured by the reinforcing plate capturing means of the bonding head, wherein the reinforcing plate bonding device detects an abnormality in the number of reinforcing plates captured by the reinforcing plate capturing means of the bonding head based on the information output by the reinforcing plate thickness measuring means.

By the reinforcing-plate thickness measuring means, it is possible to detect an abnormality in the number of reinforcing plates (for example, when two reinforcing plates are captured) captured by the reinforcing-plate capturing means of the bonding head. Thus, the steps such as pressure bonding and the like described later can be controlled based on the detection result, and defective products can be prevented from being produced in advance.

Therefore, the attaching success rate can be improved, the unit yield is further improved, and the reinforcing plate attaching device is high in production efficiency.

【7】 In the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus of the present invention, it is desirable that: when the sticking head stops at the first index position, the reinforcing-plate capturing means of the sticking head captures the reinforcing plate stored in the reinforcing-plate storage, and then the reinforcing-plate capturing means is rotated in the θ direction around the z axis, whereby the reinforcing plate is displaced in the θ direction with respect to the next reinforcing plate to be extracted next.

After the reinforcing plates are captured, the reinforcing plates can be reliably separated one by one and then extracted even if two reinforcing plates are stuck to each other by rotating the reinforcing plate capturing means in the θ direction around the z axis (i.e., performing the leveling operation).

Because can extract again after separating reinforcing plate one by one, consequently just can improve attached success rate, and then promote the unit output, be the attached device of reinforcing plate that production efficiency is high.

【8】 In the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus of the present invention, it is desirable that the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus further comprises: and a defective product discharge unit that, when it is determined that the reinforcing-plate capturing means has not captured the reinforcing plate normally or that the object extracted by the reinforcing-plate capturing means is not a regular reinforcing plate, temporarily stops the bonding head to which the reinforcing-plate capturing means belongs at the defective product discharge unit, and transfers the object captured by the reinforcing-plate capturing means to the defective product discharge unit.

When it is determined that the reinforcing-plate capturing means has not captured the reinforcing plate normally or that the object extracted by the reinforcing-plate capturing means is not a proper reinforcing plate, the object captured by the reinforcing-plate capturing means is transferred to the defective product discharge unit, whereby the transfer of the object to the pressure bonding step can be avoided, and thus, the production of defective products can be prevented in the future.

【9】 In the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus of the present invention, it is desirable that: the plurality of sticking heads arranged on the imaginary circumference centering on the first axis have different kinds of reinforcing-plate catching means capable of catching different kinds of reinforcing plates, respectively, the reinforcing-plate stocker is a Magazine (Magazine) capable of stacking and storing a plurality of reinforcing plates, and the reinforcing-plate supplying apparatus has: a plurality of said storage boxes; and a storage box switching means capable of placing a plurality of the storage boxes, wherein one of the plurality of storage boxes is moved to the first index position and the other storage box is moved away from the first index position according to the type of the reinforcing-plate catching means attached to the sticking head temporarily stopped at the first index position.

As described in [ 9 ], since the reinforcing plate attaching apparatus has a plurality of storage boxes, it is possible to store different types of reinforcing plates (reinforcing plates having different shapes, thicknesses, and operation types) in advance. Further, since the storage box switching means is provided, depending on the type of the reinforcing-plate catching means attached to the sticking head temporarily stopped at the first indexing position, one of the plurality of storage boxes can be moved into the first indexing position while the other storage boxes can be moved out of the first indexing position. Thus, the storage box switching means can be operated according to the type of the reinforcing plate to be captured by the reinforcing plate capturing means, and an appropriate type of reinforcing plate can be provided.

That is, according to the gusset sticking apparatus described in the above [ 9 ], by preparing the gusset catching means 22 and the storage box 43 in advance for coping with different kinds of previously planned gussets, it is possible to stick different kinds of gussets Wa, Wb, Wc in parallel without additionally replacing the tool and replacing the sticking head. Therefore, the operation rate of the whole device can be improved, and the reinforcing plate attaching device is high in production efficiency.

【10】 In the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus of the present invention, it is desirable that: the rotating body is rotated in the reverse direction at an angle interval of 240 degrees after being rotated in the forward direction twice at an angle interval of 120 degrees.

In the reinforcing-plate sticking apparatus as described in the above [ 10 ], the rotating body is rotated in the forward direction twice at angular intervals of 120 °, and then rotated in the reverse direction at angular intervals of 240 °. Due to this way of functioning, the problems of wiring and winding of the gauntlet on the first shaft can be eliminated. Thus, the wiring and the pipe breakage can be prevented.

【11】 In the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus of the present invention, it is desirable that: when the reinforcing-plate attaching device is viewed from above along the first axis, an imaginary straight line connecting the first axis and the third index position is parallel to a side of the front face of the reinforcing-plate attaching device.

In this way, the reinforcing-plate supply device disposed at the first indexing position and the reinforcing-plate image processing device disposed at the second indexing position can be disposed compactly with respect to the width direction of the device (the left-right direction when viewed from the front). Therefore, the reinforcing plate attaching device is high in space utilization efficiency as a whole.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view for explaining an example of the member RM to be attached and the reinforcing plate W.

Fig. 2 is an oblique view of the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment when viewed from the oblique rear right side.

Fig. 3 is a plan view for explaining the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a side view of a main part of the sticking head 20 for explaining the first embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a side view of a main part for explaining a reinforcing-plate supplying apparatus 40 according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the reinforcing-plate stocker 42 and the reinforcing-plate extracting step.

Fig. 7 is a side view of a main part for explaining a reinforcing-plate image processing apparatus 50 according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a side view of the attached member holding device 60 and main parts for explaining the position and posture correction in the first embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining the reinforcing-plate crimping step.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment and the steps related to the reinforcing-plate bonding.

Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment and the steps related to the reinforcing-plate bonding.

Fig. 13 is a block diagram for explaining a lighting device 75 according to a third embodiment.

Fig. 14 is a side view of a main part for explaining the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 4 according to the fourth embodiment.

Fig. 15 is a side view of a main part for explaining a flattening operation of the reinforcing-plate attaching device 5 according to the fifth embodiment.

Fig. 16 is a plan view for explaining a defective product discharge unit 83 of the reinforcing-plate attaching device 6 according to the sixth embodiment.

Fig. 17 is a plan view for explaining the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 7 according to the first modification.

Fig. 18 is a schematic diagram for explaining the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 8 according to the second modification.

Fig. 19 is a schematic diagram for explaining the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 9 according to the third modification.

Fig. 20 is a diagram of the component mounting apparatus 900 described in patent document 1.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, the reinforcing plate attaching apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. The figures in the following drawings are diagrammatic and do not necessarily reflect exact dimensions.

[ first embodiment ] to provide a toner

1. Attached member and reinforcing plate

First, the member to be stuck and the reinforcing plate to be extracted by the reinforcing plate sticking apparatus 1 will be described. Fig. 1 is a plan view for explaining an example of the member RM to be attached and the reinforcing plate W.

The attached member RM may be made of any material as long as it needs to be reinforced. The member RM to be attached is typically flat and can be placed on an upper end surface of the first xy table 62 (described later) or the second xy table 64 (described later).

As a specific example of the attached member RM, a single FPC substrate may be cited.

In this case, a flat-plate-shaped FPC holder (not shown) provided with a plurality of concave portions for dropping each FPC board may be prepared in advance. In preparation for this, an FPC board (not shown) is previously dropped into these recesses. By placing the relevant Tray (Tray) on the upper end face of the first xy table 62 or the second xy table 64 for each Tray, a plurality of FPC substrates can be simultaneously arranged on the first xy table 62 or the second xy table 64.

As shown in fig. 1, the attached member RM may be a "composite of a plurality of FPC boards" in which a plurality of FPC boards (such as FPC1, FPC2, FPC3, and FPC 4) are integrally formed by connecting a plurality of FPC boards with each other by a material such as Polyimide (Polyimide), for example.

The member RM to be stuck is provided with a plurality of predetermined positions (sticking positions) for sticking the reinforcing plate W (see the symbols Pa, Pb, and Pc indicated by the broken lines in fig. 1).

On the other hand, the reinforcing plate W is a member for reinforcing the attached member RM. The purpose of attaching the reinforcing plate W may be to mechanically reinforce the attached member RM, for heat dissipation, for electronic shielding, and the like. The reinforcing plate W is not limited to these, and any member may be used as long as it is suitable for the above purpose, and for example, a flat plate made of metal (stainless steel, aluminum, or the like) may be used.

The shape and thickness of the reinforcing plate W may be appropriately changed according to the shape of a portion to be reinforced, in addition to the above-described object. A plurality of types of reinforcing plates W (see reference numerals Wa, Wb, and Wc in fig. 1) having different shapes and thicknesses may be attached to the single FPC board.

2. Structure of reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment

(1) Basic procedure of reinforcing plate attaching apparatus 1

Fig. 2 is an oblique view of the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment when viewed from the oblique rear right side. Fig. 3 is a plan view for explaining the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 3(a) is a plan view of the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 1 as viewed from above, and fig. 3(b) is a front view of the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 1 as viewed from the front.

The reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 1 is an apparatus for attaching the reinforcing plate W to the member RM to be attached.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 1 according to the embodiment includes: a base 10; an attaching head 20 having a reinforcing-plate catching means 22; a rotating body 30; a reinforcing-plate supplying device 40; a reinforcing plate image processing device 50; and an attached member holding device 60.

The base 10 is a table based on a first index position IX1, a second index position IX2, a third index position IX3, an xy plane, a first axis AX1, a second axis AX2, and a z axis (all will be described later).

The base 10 may be a metal base or a base using natural materials such as marble. The base 10 may be a floor surface itself (that is, the rotor 30, the reinforcing-plate supply device 40, and the like may be directly installed on a floor surface of a factory as described later).

Here, a plane parallel to the upper end surface 10a of the base 10 is defined as an xy plane including an x axis and a y axis perpendicular to each other, a predetermined axis perpendicular to the xy plane is defined as a first axis AX1, and divided positions divided by three equal divisions around a circumference of an imaginary circle C1 on the xy plane centered on the first axis AX1 are defined as a first index position IX1, a second index position IX2, and a third index position IX3 in this order along the circumference (see fig. 2 and 3).

The direction when the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 1 is viewed from the front is defined as the + x direction, the vertical direction is defined as the + z direction, the direction perpendicular to the + x direction and the + z direction is defined as the + y direction, the direction moving to the right when the apparatus is viewed from the front is defined as the + z direction, and the clockwise direction when viewed from the + z direction is defined as the + θ direction. The opposite of each direction is referred to by replacing the sign + with the sign-respectively (e.g., -x direction).

(2) Attachment head 20

The sticking head 20 has a reinforcing-plate catching means 22 for catching the reinforcing-plate W, and can pick up and press-bond the reinforcing-plate W by moving up and down along a z-axis parallel to a first axis AX1 (described later) by the reinforcing-plate catching means 22. In addition, the attachment head 20 can also be rotated in the θ direction (+ θ direction or — θ direction) around the z axis by the stiffener capture means 22 to change the posture of the stiffener W.

Next, the specific configuration of the reinforcing-plate catching means 22 and the sticking head 20 will be described using fig. 4.

The reinforcing-plate catching means 22 is suitable for catching the reinforcing plate W. The reinforcing-plate catching means 22 may have any configuration as long as it can appropriately extract the reinforcing plate W, hold the reinforcing plate W, and release the reinforcing plate W. Here, a Vacuum chuck (Vacuum chuck)23 is used. A suction port 23a is provided at the front end (lower end surface in fig. 4) of the vacuum suction head 23. When air is sucked from the suction port 23a through the gas flow path 23b from the main body side of the sticking head 20, the reinforcing plate W is sucked (caught) at the suction port 23 a. Further, the reinforcing plate W is released (released) by releasing the suction of air (or pressing out air).

The reinforcing plate catching means 22 in the first embodiment is not limited to the suction port 23 a. For example. For example, a mechanical gripper head that mechanically grips the reinforcing plate W may be used.

The sticking head 20 is arranged at a predetermined position of the rotor 30 (on the circumference of a virtual circle C1 centered on the first axis AX1, the detailed configuration of which will be described later).

First, the sticking head base 20a, which is the base of the sticking head 20, is arranged so as to be continuous with the tip portion (the arm tip portion 35) of the rotating body 30. A servo motor M1 is disposed above the head base 20 a. A Ball screw (Ball screw) BS is connected to a shaft SH1 as an output shaft of the servomotor M1. The rotation axis of the ball screw BS is parallel to a first axis AX1 (described later).

The ball screw BS is connected to the attachment head body 20b, and the ball screw BS is driven to rotate by a servomotor M1, so that the attachment head body 20b moves up and down along a z-axis parallel to a first axis AX1 (described later).

The servo motor M2 is disposed on the upper portion of the sticking head main body 20b, and the reinforcing plate catching means 22 (vacuum nozzle 23) is disposed on the lower portion. The rotational axis of the shaft SH2 as the output shaft of the servomotor M2 constitutes the z-axis parallel to the first axis AX 1. The reinforcing plate catching means 22 (vacuum nozzle 23) is connected to the tip of the shaft SH2, and the shaft SH2 is driven by the servo motor M2 to rotate, so that the reinforcing plate catching means 22 (vacuum nozzle 23) rotates in the θ direction around the z axis.

Further, speed reducers may be disposed between the servo motors M1, M2 and the shafts SH1, SH 2.

In this manner, the picking up and the pressure bonding of the reinforcing-plate W can be performed by moving the sticking head main body 20b of the sticking head 20 up and down along the z-axis. The posture of the reinforcing-plate W captured by the reinforcing-plate capturing means 22 can be changed by rotating the reinforcing-plate capturing means 22 (vacuum nozzle 23) in the theta direction around the z axis.

As a specific means for moving the sticking head main body 20b up and down along the z-axis, the servo motor M1 is preferably used. The servo motor M1 can appropriately adjust the lowering speed of the sticking head 20 by, for example, lowering the lowering speed of the sticking head 20 after the reinforcing-plate W and the member RM to be stuck are brought into contact with each other, and can appropriately adjust the pressing width at the time of pressure bonding (the width of further pressing after the reinforcing-plate W and the member RM to be stuck are brought into contact with each other).

Further, it is preferable that the theta-direction rotation of the strong plate catching means 22 (vacuum chuck 23) is capable of rotating at least 180 degrees in each of the positive direction (+ theta direction) and the negative direction (-theta direction). As long as the FPC board (the to-be-attached member RM) can take any posture at any angle (360 °), for example, even in the case of an FPC board (the to-be-attached member RM) having a different arrangement, the FPC board and the reinforcing-plate W can be corrected by the θ correction.

The term "FPC boards having different arrangement modes" as used herein means: the FPC board is identical in shape to the standard FPC board, but is rotationally symmetrical with respect to the standard FPC board about a predetermined axis in the arrangement posture. For example, in fig. 1, the FPC2 is an FPC substrate arranged in a different manner from the FPC 1.

(3) Rotating body 30

The rotor 30 is provided with a plurality of application heads 20 at equal angular intervals, which are divided into three equal parts in one circle, on the circumference of a virtual circle C1 centered on the first axis AX 1. When the rotating body 30 intermittently rotates about the first axis AX1, the sticking head 20 is temporarily stopped at the first index position IX1, the second index position IX2, and the third index position IX3 on the base 10 in this order (see fig. 3(a), etc.).

Next, a specific structure of an example of the rotating body 30 will be described with reference to fig. 2 and 3.

The base 10 is provided with a rotor base 32. An intermittent drive motor (not shown) is attached to the rotor base 32. A shaft (not shown) that rotates in conjunction with the output shaft of the intermittent drive motor is opened above the rolling element base 32 and is connected to the rolling element 30. Further, a speed reducer may be interposed between the motor for intermittent driving and the shaft.

The rotor 30 is configured such that three robot arms 34 are spaced apart from each other by 120 ° and extend radially about a first axis AX1, and are connected to each other in the vicinity of the first axis AX 1. Three of the above-described sticking heads 20 are arranged at the tip end portion of each robot arm 34 (the arm tip end portion 35) at equal angular intervals (120 ° intervals) divided into three equal parts in one circle.

When the intermittent drive motor is driven, the robot arm 34 and the application head 20 can be rotated in the circumferential direction of the circle C1. By intermittently driving and appropriately controlling the motor for intermittent driving, the application head 20 can be intermittently rotated to be temporarily stopped at the first index position IX1, the second index position IX2, and the third index position IX3 on the base 10 in this order.

The term "rotation" as used herein means rotation in either of the forward and reverse directions.

In addition, the three attaching heads 20 are arranged such that the distances between the attaching heads 20 (especially, the stiffener catching means 22) and the first axis AX1 are equal. In other words, the three robot arms 34 of the bonding head 20 provided with the stiffener catching means 22 have the same arm length.

In this way, when the sticking head 20 is temporarily stopped at the first index position IX1, the second index position IX2, and the third index position IX3, the reinforcing-plate catching means 22 belonging to any one of the three robot arms 34 can be stopped at the same position. Therefore, the bonding head 20 does not need to be operated in the xy direction any more, and the reinforcing-plate extracting step and the pressure bonding step (described later) can be performed only by the rotation in the θ direction and the vertical movement along the z axis. This simplifies the process, and therefore shortens the cycle time, and the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus is easy to maintain the accuracy. In addition, since the attaching head 20 has a simple configuration, it is also a reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus that saves space and cost.

Although the above description of the robot arm 34 has been given, the specific structure of the rotor 30 is not limited thereto. For example, the attachment head may be arranged on a disk-shaped stage.

(4) Reinforcing plate supply device 40

Fig. 5 is a side view of a main part for explaining the reinforcing-plate supplying apparatus 40 according to the first embodiment, and the reinforcing-plate lifting means 45 is simply indicated by an arrow in the figure. Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the reinforcing-plate stocker 42 and the reinforcing-plate extracting step.

The reinforcing-plate supplying device 40 is disposed at a position corresponding to the first index position IX1, and supplies the reinforcing plate W to be extracted by the application head 20 from the reinforcing-plate stocker 42 storing the reinforcing plates W to the application head 20 (see fig. 5).

The reinforcing-plate supplying device 40 includes: a stiffener depository 42; and a supply means (symbols are omitted) for supplying the reinforcing plate W as an extraction target of the sticking head 20 from the reinforcing plate storage 42 to the sticking head 20.

The reinforcing sheet stocker 42 may be of any structure as long as it can store a plurality of reinforcing sheets W.

The reinforcing-plate stocker 42 is desirably configured as a box-type stocker (i.e., a storage box) capable of stacking and storing a plurality of reinforcing plates W. This is because the storage box is suitable for operations such as storage, transportation, and taking out of the reinforcing plate W. For example, the storage case 43 may be in the form shown in fig. 6 (a). The storage box 43 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and stores a plurality of reinforcing plates W in a stacked manner along the inner wall of the cylinder. In addition, the storage box 43 is preferably dividable into a storage box frame 43a and a storage box frame 43b in the stacking direction. This is to allow the reinforcing plate W to be easily inserted.

Basically, a plurality of reinforcing plates (reinforcing plates of the same type) having the same shape and thickness are stored in one storage box 43.

As "a supply means (symbol omitted) for supplying the reinforcing-plate W as the extraction target of the sticking head 20 from the reinforcing-plate stocker 42 to the sticking head 20", for example, the reinforcing-plate elevating unit 45 may be adopted.

The reinforcing plate elevating unit 45 may have a structure of: the reinforcing plate W is pushed upward, and the group of reinforcing plates stacked in the storage box 43 is pushed upward from below by an upward projecting rod (Stick)46, for example. When the upward projecting rod 46 pushes up the reinforcing plate group, the uppermost reinforcing plate W is exposed to the upper end surface of the storage box 43 (see fig. 5 and 6 (a)). The sticking head 20 (specifically, the reinforcing-plate catching means 22) can sequentially pick up one exposed reinforcing plate W at the uppermost layer (see fig. 6 c and 6 d). In this way, the reinforcing-plate supplying device 40 can supply the reinforcing plate W to be extracted by the sticking head 20 to the sticking head 20.

The reinforcing plate elevating unit 45 may elevate and lower the upward protruding rod 46 by a structure (not shown) of a servo motor and a ball screw. By using the servo motor, the pushing amount can be flexibly changed under the condition that the thicknesses of the reinforcing plates are different.

The reinforcing-plate supplying means 40 preferably has: a plurality of storage boxes 43; and a storage box switching means 44 on which a plurality of storage boxes 43 are placed.

The plurality of storage boxes 43 are used to store different types of reinforcing plates W, respectively.

The storage box switching means 44 is provided with a plurality of storage boxes 43, and depending on the type of the gusset catching means 22 attached to the sticking head 20 temporarily stopped at the first index position IX1, one of the plurality of storage boxes 43 is moved into the first index position IX1 while the other storage box is moved out of the first index position IX 1.

The storage box switching means 44 may have a structure as shown in fig. 3(a) and 5, for example. That is, the upper end face of the storage case is provided with the storage case installation part 44a on which the three storage cases 43 can be placed and the three storage cases can be placed₁、43₂、43₃And can be stored along the three storage boxes 43₁、43₂、43₃The direction of alignment (the direction parallel to the x-axis) moves. Further, for example, assume that the storage box 43 has been taken out and stored this time₁The reinforcing plate W in (1), and the next time the plate W should be taken out and stored in the storage box 43₃When the reinforcing plate W is in the middle, the storage box 43 to which the reinforcing plate is provided at this time is controlled₁Move in the + x direction so as to leave the first index position IX1, while controlling the storage box 43 to which the reinforcing plate is to be supplied next time₃Moved to the right so that it enters the first indexing position IX 1.

In the above description, the storage box 43 is used as the reinforcing-plate storage 42, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a feeder (Parts feeder) may be used.

(5) Reinforcing plate image processing apparatus 50

The reinforcing-plate-image processing device 50 includes a first camera 52 for acquiring an image including the reinforcing plate W at a position corresponding to the second index position IX2, and calculates information on the position and posture of the attachment head 20 with respect to the reinforcing plate W by acquiring the image of the reinforcing plate W by the first camera 52 and performing image processing (see fig. 7).

Next, a specific configuration example of the reinforcing-plate image processing apparatus 50 will be described using fig. 2, 3(a), and 7.

The main components of the reinforcing plate image processing apparatus 50 are arranged at a position corresponding to the second index position IX2, the first camera 52 is arranged below the second index position IX2, the first camera 52 acquires an image including the reinforcing plate W captured by the reinforcing plate capturing means 22 from below, the optical axis of the first camera 52 and the axis (z axis) of the vertical movement of the attachment 20 temporarily stopped at the second index position IX2 are preferably the same axis, the first lens (L ens)56 is arranged between the first camera 52 and the reinforcing plate capturing means 22, the first illumination 55 is arranged between the first camera 52 and the first lens 56, the first illumination 55 illuminates the object captured by the reinforcing plate capturing means 22 temporarily stopped at the second index position IX2, and the first illumination 55 is preferably annular illumination.

The reinforcing plate image processing apparatus 50 performs image processing (corresponding to the image of the reinforcing plate W) on the image of the object captured by the reinforcing plate capturing means 22 by the first camera 52. Specifically, the contour of the object is extracted by processing such as binarization. The reinforcing-plate image processing device 50 calculates information on the position and posture of the object (the reinforcing plate W) with respect to the sticking head 20 based on the image processing. Specifically, for example, the amount of positional deviation or positional deviation of the object (the reinforcing plate W) with respect to the sticking head 20 for capturing the object (the reinforcing plate W) is calculated. Once the deviation amount is calculated, the value of the deviation amount can be immediately reflected as a correction amount for position correction and posture correction (both described later).

The information calculated by the reinforcing plate image processing apparatus 50 is not limited to the amount of deviation (relative amount). For example, the absolute position (x-axis and y-axis coordinates) and the posture (θ -axis coordinates) of the object (the reinforcing plate W) may be calculated.

(6) Attached member holding device 60

Fig. 8 is a side view of the attached member holding device 60 and main parts for explaining the position and posture correction in the first embodiment. Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining the reinforcing-plate crimping step. Shown in fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the dashed area a-a in fig. 1. Fig. 9(a) shows the case before the reinforcing plate is crimped, fig. 9(b) shows the case when the reinforcing plate is crimped, and fig. 9(c) shows the case after the reinforcing plate is crimped. In fig. 9(b), the sticking head 20 (including the reinforcing-plate catching means 22) is not shown.

As shown in fig. 8 and 3, the attached member holding apparatus 60 includes a first xy table 62 which is disposed at a position corresponding to the third index position IX3, holds the attached member RM on the upper end surface, and is capable of moving the held attached member RM along the xy plane, and receives the reinforcing-plate W from the attaching head 20 at a predetermined position of the held attached member RM to be pressed against the reinforcing-plate W.

The first xy table 62 can hold the attached member RM on its upper end face. Once the attached member RM is held by the first xy table 62, the positional and posture relationship with the first xy table 62 is fixed (no deviation occurs).

The first xy table 62 is movable along the xy plane.

Specifically, for example, the configuration is: a y-Rail (Rail) slidable along the y-axis is prepared, and a driving force is applied to the first xy-table 62 by a y-servo motor (not shown) along the y-axis. An x-rail is prepared to be slidable along the x-axis, and the first xy table 62 is mounted on the x-rail with a driving force applied to the x-axis by an x-servomotor (not shown). The first xy table 62 can be arbitrarily moved along the xy plane by rotating the x servo motor and the y servo motor in the forward and reverse directions as appropriate (see fig. 3).

When the first xy table 62 moves along the xy plane, the attached member RM held by the first xy table 62 also moves along the xy plane, and the position and posture of the attached member RM can be changed.

The attached member holding device 60 can hold the attached member RM and receive pressure contact of a reinforcing plate W (described later) at predetermined positions Pa, Pb, and Pc (see fig. 1) of the attached member RM.

(7) Correction and attachment functions of the reinforcing-plate attaching device 1

When the bonding head 20 that has captured the reinforcing-plate W stops at the third index position IX3, the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1 moves the first xy stage 62 based on the information of the predetermined position (bonding position) on the member RM to be bonded to which the reinforcing-plate W should be bonded and the information on the position of the reinforcing-plate W calculated by the reinforcing-plate image processing apparatus 50, and corrects the position of the reinforcing-plate W on the xy plane (see fig. 8).

The "position correction" referred to herein means: the position of the reinforcing-plate W captured by the bonding head 20 is matched with a predetermined position (bonding position) on the member RM to be bonded to which the reinforcing-plate W is to be bonded.

When the application head 20 that has captured the reinforcing-plate W stops at the third index position IX3, the reinforcing-plate application apparatus 1 rotates the application head 20 in the θ direction (+ θ direction or — θ direction) based on the information on the posture of the reinforcing-plate W calculated by the reinforcing-plate image processing apparatus 50 to correct the posture of the reinforcing-plate W.

The "posture correction" referred to herein means: the posture (i.e., inclination) of the reinforcing-plate W captured by the bonding head 20 is made to coincide with the inclination in the θ direction of a predetermined position (bonding position) on the member RM to be bonded to which the reinforcing-plate W is to be bonded.

The reinforcing-plate sticking apparatus 1 lowers the sticking head 20 along the z-axis (see fig. 9 a), places the reinforcing plate W so as to cover predetermined positions (sticking positions) Pa, Pb, and Pc of the member RM to be stuck on which the adhesive Rs is applied in advance from above (see fig. 9 b), and further lowers the sticking head 20 to press the reinforcing plate W against the member RM to be stuck.

In the reinforcing-plate sticking apparatus 1, when the reinforcing-plate W is heated by the heater 81 described later by the reinforcing-plate catching means 22, the adhesive Rs is softened or melted by the heat of the reinforcing plate W at this stage, and the adhesive Rs is cured while conforming to the shape of the reinforcing plate W.

Thus, the reinforcing plate W is pressed against a predetermined position (sticking position) of the member RM to be stuck (see fig. 9 c).

The mutual communication of signals relating to the operational coordination and information relating to the correction between the reinforcing-plate supplying device 40, the reinforcing-plate image processing device 50, the attached member holding device 60, the rotating body 30, and the attaching head 20 is performed by an overall control unit (not shown), which can be realized by a programmable logic controller (plc) mounted in the upper part P L C, for example.

In the first embodiment, the communication is not limited to the communication by the overall control unit, and the communication may be directly performed between two devices requiring communication, such as the reinforcing-plate supplying device 40, the reinforcing-plate image processing device 50, the attached member holding device 60, the rotating body 30, and the attaching head 20, with respect to the signal related to the operation and the information related to the correction.

(8) xy stage configuration switching unit 66

Next, the xy stage configuration switching unit 66 will be described using fig. 2 and 3.

The attached member holding device 60 further includes: a second xy stage 64 having a configuration equivalent to that of the first xy stage 62; and an xy stage configuration switching unit 66.

The first xy table 62 and the second xy table 64 are mounted on the xy table arrangement switching unit 66, and the arrangement of the first xy table 62 and the second xy table 64 is switched, so that the first xy table 62 and the second xy table 64 are alternately arranged between the third index position IX3 and the applied member replacement position SRP.

The attached member holding device 60 and the xy stage configuration switching unit 66 included therein may be realized by any structure as long as the above-described functions are satisfied.

For example, the ideal case is: the xy-stage arrangement switching unit 66 is a turntable 66a that is rotatable about a predetermined second axis AX2 perpendicular to the upper end surface 10a of the base 10, and the first xy-stage 62 and the second xy-stage 64 are respectively placed on the upper end surface of the turntable 66a at positions that are rotationally symmetrical about the second axis AX2 (see fig. 3).

When the first xy table 62 is disposed at the third index position IX3, the second xy table 64 is disposed at the attached member replacement position SRP on the opposite side to the side sandwiched by the second axis AX 2. When the turntable 66a is rotated by 180 ° in this state, the first xy table 62 moves out of the third index position IX3 and enters the attached member replacement position SRP. In conjunction therewith, the second xy table 64 moves away from the attached member replacement position SRP and into the third index position IX 3.

When one of the first xy table 62 and the second xy table 64 is disposed at the third index position IX3, the movable range of the xy table is as indicated by R1 in fig. 3 (a). The movable range R1 of the xy table is designed not to interfere with the other xy table disposed at the applied member replacement position SRP.

(9) Heater 81

The bonding head 20 is preferably provided with a heater 81 (see fig. 4 and 9 c) for heating the captured reinforcing plate W.

The path between the heater 81 and the portion of the reinforcing-plate catching means 22 in contact with the reinforcing plate W is made of, for example, a metal material, and can conduct heat. In this way, the heat of the heater 81 disposed on the sticking head 20 is conducted to the reinforcing-plate catching means 22, and the reinforcing-plate catching means 22 can be heated.

The heater 81 is normally on.

In fig. 4 and 9(c), the heater 81 is disposed inside the sticking head main body 20b, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the vacuum cleaner may be disposed inside or around the reinforcing plate catching means 22 (vacuum nozzle 23).

(10) Layout of a device

As shown in fig. 3(a), when the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1 is viewed from above along the first axis AX1, an imaginary straight line connecting the first axis AX1 and the third index position IX3 is parallel (including substantially parallel) to the side of the front surface of the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1.

In other words, when the rotor 30 is temporarily stopped, one of the three robot arms 34 passes through the first axis AX1 and is parallel to the side of the front face of the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 1. The strip arm 34, the third index position IX3, the second axis AX2, and the attached member replacement position SRP are arranged substantially on the same straight line. The remaining two robot arms 34 are respectively spaced at an angle of 60 ° with respect to the edge of the front face of the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 1.

3. Operation of the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment and processes related to the reinforcing-plate bonding

Fig. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment and the steps related to the reinforcing-plate bonding. Next, the operation of the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment and the reinforcing-plate attaching-related process will be described with reference to fig. 10. The following description is made on the condition that the arm type rotating body 30 is used.

(1) Single index rotation of the rotor 30

When the rotating body 30 is rotated by a single index amount (120 °) (S500), the application heads 20 disposed at the arm tip portions 35 of the three robot arms are temporarily stopped at the first index position IX1, the second index position IX2, and the third index position IX3, respectively (see fig. 3a as well).

(2) Reinforcing plate extraction process

The reinforcing-plate supplying device 40 performs preparation for supplying the reinforcing plates in advance so that the uppermost reinforcing plate W can be exposed and supplied (S120). For example, depending on the type of the gusset catching means 22 attached to the application head 20 temporarily stopped at the first index position IX1, one of the plurality of storage boxes 43 is moved into the first index position IX1 while the other storage box is moved out of the first index position IX 1. Then, the reinforcing-plate group stacked in the storage box 43 is pushed up from below to expose the uppermost reinforcing plate W1 (see fig. 5 as well).

After the preparation S120 for supplying the reinforcing-plate is completed, the application head 20 stopped at the first index position IX1 is lowered along the z-axis (S130).

The bonding head 20 is lowered to move to a position where the reinforcing-plate capturing means 22 can capture the uppermost reinforcing plate W1, and then the reinforcing plate W is captured (S140). For example, when the reinforcing-plate catching means 22 is a vacuum suction head 23, the vacuum suction head 23 sucks the uppermost reinforcing plate W1 to the suction port 23a by vacuum suction from the sticking head main body 20b side (see fig. 6 as well).

Next, the bonding head 20 is raised along the z-axis (S150).

(3) Heating process of reinforcing plate

After the bonding head 20 (specifically, the reinforcing-plate catching means 22) extracts the reinforcing plate W, the heating of the reinforcing plate W is started. The reinforcing plate W is continuously heated before the subsequent reinforcing plate press-bonding process is started.

(4) Reinforcement plate position/orientation detection step (reinforcement plate image processing)

The application head 20 stopped at the second index position IX2 determines whether or not the object (not limited to the reinforcing plate W) is captured (S210). For example, the determination is made by a vacuum sensor of the vacuum chuck 23.

Next, when the reinforcing sheet W is captured by the attachment head 20, an image including the reinforcing sheet W at a position corresponding to the second indexing position IX2 is acquired by the first camera 52 (S220).

Then, the reinforcing-plate image processing apparatus 50 performs image processing on the reinforcing plate W captured by the reinforcing-plate capturing means 22 (S230).

Then, the reinforcing-plate image processing apparatus 50 calculates information on the position and posture of the reinforcing plate W with respect to the sticking head 20 based on the image processing (S240). The information on the position and posture of the reinforcing plate W is stored in the first memory MEM1 in some form, and is subjected to the subsequent reinforcing plate press-bonding step.

(5) Pressing step of reinforcing plate

The application head 20 stopped at the third index position IX3 determines whether the reinforcing sheet W has been captured (S310).

a) Correction of posture and position

Next, when the bonding head 20 captures the reinforcing-plate W, the orientation of the reinforcing-plate W is corrected (S320). Specifically, first, information on the posture of the reinforcing plate W is read from the first memory MEM 1. Then, based on the read information on the posture of the reinforcing-plate W, the servo motor M2 is rotated by a necessary amount, and the reinforcing-plate catching means 22 is rotated by a necessary correction amount in the θ direction (+ θ direction or — θ direction), thereby correcting the posture between the reinforcing-plate W and the sticking position of the stuck member RM.

Then, the position of the reinforcing plate W is corrected (S330). Specifically, information on the position of the reinforcing sheet W is first read from the first memory MEM 1. Next, based on the read information on the position of the reinforcing-plate W, the xy table disposed at the third index position IX3 out of the first xy table 62 and the second xy table 64 is moved by a necessary correction amount along the xy plane, thereby performing position correction between the reinforcing-plate W and the attachment position of the attached member RM.

The reinforcing plate posture correction S320 and the reinforcing plate position correction S330 may be performed in reverse order. The same applies to the range in which the position correction is performed even if the correction amount of the position is 0 as a result of calculation by the reinforcing plate image processing device 50. Similarly, the correction amount of the posture calculated by the reinforcing plate image processing device 50 is 0, and the correction amount is included in the range of the posture correction.

b) Actual pressurization

Next, the attachment head 20 is lowered along the z-axis. When the reinforcing-plate W captured by the lowering of the bonding head 20 reaches a predetermined position (bonding position) of the member RM to be bonded, a suitable pressure in the + z direction is applied to press the reinforcing-plate W against the member RM to be bonded (S340). In this case, when the adhesive Rs is a thermosetting adhesive, heat is transferred from the reinforcing plate W heated in advance to the adhesive Rs, and after the adhesive Rs is softened or melted, the adhesive Rs is hardened while conforming to the shape of the reinforcing plate W. Thus, the reinforcing plate W and the member RM to be attached are tightly pressed together (see fig. 9 c).

As described above, the reinforcing plate W is pressed against the attachment member RM.

(6) Single index rotation of the rotor 30

After the reinforcing-plate extracting step at the first index position IX1, the reinforcing-plate position/posture detecting step at the second index position IX2, and the reinforcing-plate pressure-bonding step at the third index position IX3 are completed, the rotating body 30 is rotated again to the next position by a single index amount (120 °) (S500).

The above-described (1) to (6) are repeatedly performed on the attached member RM disposed at the third indexing position IX3 until all the reinforcing plates are attached. Information of a prescribed position (attachment position) at which the reinforcing plate W should be attached is stored in the second memory MEM2 in some form.

(7) Configuration switching of xy stage

When it is determined that all the reinforcing plates W have been attached to the attached member RM disposed at the third index position IX3, the arrangement of the first xy table 62 and the second xy table 64 is switched (S600). Specifically, one of the first xy table 62 and the second xy table 64 is moved from the third index position IX3 to the applied member replacement position SRP, and the other is moved from the applied member replacement position SRP to the third index position IX 3.

Since the attached member RM 'to which the reinforcing-plate attachment has been completed is held on the xy table moved to the attached member replacement position SRP, the attached member RM' to which the reinforcing-plate attachment has been completed can be removed from the xy table, and then the attached member RM ″ to which the reinforcing-plate has not been attached can be fed onto the xy table. In this way, the attached member can be replaced at the attached member replacement position SRP (S700). The member to be stuck may be replaced by a human (operator) or a machine such as a robot.

The steps (main step of reinforcing-plate bonding) in the above-described (2) to (5) are simultaneously performed in parallel on the bonding heads 20 arranged on the three robot arms 34. By the single indexing rotation (1) and (6) of the rotating body 30, the reinforcing plate W is carried to the next indexing position, and the processes are performed at the new indexing position. By repeating this operation, a plurality of reinforcing plates are attached to the attached member.

In the meantime, the attached member can be removed/fed at the attaching member replacing position SRP independently of the main step of attaching the reinforcing-plate.

(8) Control of the rotating body 30

The rotor 30 is rotated in the forward direction twice at an angular interval of 120 ° and then rotated in the reverse direction at an angular interval of 240 °.

This will be described in detail with reference to fig. 3 (a). For example, when focusing on one of the three robot arms 34 (strictly speaking, the application head 20 disposed at the robot arm tip portion 35), the rotor 30 is rotated 120 ° counterclockwise when the application head 20 is moved from the first index position IX1 to the second index position IX 2. Subsequently, when the rotor 30 is moved from the second index position IX2 to the third index position IX3, it is also rotated 120 ° counterclockwise. Then, when moving from the third index position IX3 to the first index position IX1, the rotating body 30 is rotated clockwise by 240 °.

(9) Others

It is preferable that the heating of the reinforcing-plate W, the image acquisition of the member to be stuck, the position and posture detection of the member to be stuck, the θ correction (rotation in the θ direction) of the reinforcing-plate W, the xy correction (movement in the xy direction) of the member to be stuck RM, the discharge of defective products (described later), and the inspection of the member to be stuck (actually, the inspection of whether or not the reinforcing-plate W is stuck) be performed when the rolling body 30 is rotated by a single index amount. This is because if these steps are performed while the rotating body 30 is rotating by a single index amount, the waiting time of the main step can be reduced or completely eliminated.

4. Embodiment one relates toThe reinforcing plate attaching apparatus 1 of

(1) The reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment further includes: a first xy stage 62; a second xy stage 64 having a similar configuration to the first xy stage 62; and an xy-table arrangement switching unit 66 on which the first xy-table 62 and the second xy-table 64 are mounted, and which switches the arrangement of the first xy-table 62 and the second xy-table 64 so that the first xy-table 62 and the second xy-table 64 are alternately arranged between the third index position IX3 and the applied member replacement position SRP.

Therefore, the attached members RM', RM ″ can be replaced in the attached member replacement position SRP in parallel with the main processes (extraction of the reinforcing-plate, position/posture detection of the reinforcing-plate, and pressure bonding) of the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 1 independently of the main processes.

That is, the main process does not need to be suspended and held on standby for replacing the member to be bonded, and the standby time (time loss) of the main process until the replacement of the member to be bonded is completed can be reduced. In other words, the attached member can be replaced (the attached member can be prepared) without affecting the cycle time of the main process. Therefore, the reinforcing plate attaching device is high in production efficiency.

(2) In the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the xy-stage arrangement switching unit 66 is a turntable 66a, and the first xy stage 62 and the second xy stage 64 are respectively placed on the upper end surface of the turntable 66a at positions that are rotationally symmetrical about the second axis AX 2.

Therefore, for example, when the dial 66a is rotated, the first xy table 62 is moved to the third index position AX3, and the second xy table 64 is also moved to the attached member replacement position SRP in conjunction therewith. Therefore, the attached member can be replaced at the same position (attached member replacement position SRP) by simply rotating the dial 66a by 180 °. Therefore, the reinforcing plate attaching device of the present invention is a reinforcing plate attaching device with high operation efficiency, and further, is a reinforcing plate attaching device with high production efficiency.

The stuck member replacement position SRP is located on the opposite side of the second axis AX2 with respect to the third index position IX3 where the sticking head 20 moves up and down and the rotor movable range R1 where the rotor 30 rotates. Therefore, the attached member can be completely replaced at a position sufficiently distant from the portion having mechanical movement.

(3) In the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, a heater 81 for heating the captured reinforcing plate W is disposed on the bonding head 20.

Therefore, the heat from the heater 81 disposed on the bonding head 20 can be conducted to the reinforcing-plate capturing means 22, and the reinforcing-plate capturing means 22 can be heated. In this way, the reinforcing-plate W can be heated from the stage of extracting the reinforcing-plate W by the bonding head 20 (specifically, the reinforcing-plate catching means 22), and the reinforcing-plate W can be raised to a sufficient temperature in advance until the pressure bonding step. In addition, in the stage of the pressure bonding step, the thermosetting adhesive applied in advance to the predetermined position of the member to be stuck can be softened or melted by the sufficient heat accumulated in the reinforcing plate W. In this way, since the reinforcing plate W can be raised to a sufficient temperature in advance, the pressure bonding can be reliably performed, and the unit yield can be improved. Therefore, the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 1 is a reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus with high production efficiency.

Further, according to the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1 of the first embodiment, since the reinforcing plate W can be heated in parallel with the main processes (extraction of the reinforcing plate, position/posture detection of the reinforcing plate, and pressure bonding), the main process does not have to be suspended for heating and is in standby, and therefore the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1 is a reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus with high productivity.

In addition, the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is configured to heat the reinforcing plate W side, not the member RM to be bonded. That is, it is not necessary to heat the attached member RM and make its temperature high. Therefore, when the attached member RM 'is removed, the temperature of the attached member RM' is not high, and therefore the operator can completely perform the removal operation.

If a structure is employed in which one side of the member RM to be bonded is heated, it is conceivable to wait for the temperature of the member RM' to be bonded to decrease and then remove the material, but this requires a waiting time for waiting for the temperature to decrease. In contrast, the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is configured to heat one side of the reinforcing plate W, and therefore, the standby time required for the standby temperature reduction does not occur, and therefore, the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus is high in production efficiency.

(4) In the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the plurality of bonding heads 20 arranged on the circumference of the virtual circle C1 centered on the first axis AX1 have different types of reinforcing-plate catching means 22 capable of catching different types of reinforcing plates Wa, Wb, Wc, respectively. In addition, the reinforcing plate stocker 42 is a storage box 43 capable of stacking and storing a plurality of reinforcing plates. The reinforcing-plate supply device 40 includes: a plurality of storage boxes 43; and a storage box switching means 44 capable of placing a plurality of storage boxes 43 thereon, wherein one of the plurality of storage boxes 43 is moved into the first index position IX1 and the other storage box is moved out of the first index position IX1 according to the type of the gusset catching means 22 attached to the sticking head 20 temporarily stopped at the first index position IX 1.

Since the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment includes the plurality of storage boxes 43, different types of reinforcing plates (reinforcing plates having different shapes, thicknesses, and operation types) Wa, Wb, and Wc can be stored in advance. Further, since the storage box switching means 44 is provided, one storage box 43 of the plurality of storage boxes 43 can be brought into the first index position IX1 depending on the type of the gusset catching means 22. Thus, the storage box switching means 44 can be operated according to the type of the reinforcing plate to be captured by the reinforcing plate capturing means 22, and an appropriate type of reinforcing plate can be provided.

That is, the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment can bond the different types of reinforcing plates Wa, Wb, Wc in parallel without replacing the tool and the bonding head additionally, by preparing the reinforcing-plate catching means 22 and the storage box 43 for corresponding to the different types of reinforcing plates planned in advance. Therefore, the operation rate of the whole device can be improved, and the reinforcing plate attaching device is high in production efficiency.

(5) The wire and the pipe are usually connected to the sticking head 20 on which the rotor 30 is disposed, such as a motor, a heater, and a sensor.

In the reinforcing-plate sticking apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the rotating body is rotated in the forward direction twice at the angle intervals of 120 ° and then rotated in the reverse direction at the angle intervals of 240 °. That is, an operation of unwinding the wound electric wire is performed. Therefore, the problem of the wiring and the winding of the gauntlet around the first axis AX1 can be eliminated. Thereby preventing disconnection of the electric wire or the like.

On the contrary, since the rotor 30 is the reinforcing-plate sticking apparatus 1 which performs the above-described operation, it is possible to perform the z-axis movement and the θ -axis rotation by using the servo motor without worrying about the occurrence of the disconnection of the electric wire or the like, and to realize the sticking (pressure bonding) with high accuracy by the servo motor. Thus, the success rate of attachment can be improved, and the reinforcing plate attaching device is high in production efficiency

(6) When the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is viewed from above along the first axis AX1, an imaginary straight line connecting the first axis AX1 and the third index position IX3 is parallel to the front side of the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1.

In other words, one of the three robot arms 34 is parallel to the side of the front surface of the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 1. The remaining two robot arms 34 are respectively spaced at an angle of 60 ° with respect to the edge of the front face of the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 1. In this manner, since the two remaining robot arms 34 are not parallel to the front side of the reinforcing-plate sticking apparatus 1, the reinforcing-plate supplying apparatus 40 disposed at the first index position IX1 and the reinforcing-plate image processing apparatus 50 disposed at the second index position IX2 can be disposed compactly with respect to the width direction of the apparatus (the left-right direction when viewed from the front) in consideration of the exclusive locations for disposing the reinforcing-plate supplying apparatus 40 and the reinforcing-plate image processing apparatus 50.

The reinforcing-plate supply device 40 disposed at the first index position IX1 and the reinforcing-plate image processing device 50 disposed at the second index position IX2 can be disposed compactly with respect to the width direction of the device (the left-right direction when viewed from the front), and therefore, the entire reinforcing-plate sticking device is a space-efficient reinforcing-plate sticking device.

[ second embodiment ] to provide a medicine for treating diabetes

Next, a reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 2 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 11 and 12.

Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment and the steps related to the reinforcing-plate bonding.

The reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment basically has the same configuration as the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, but is different from the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment in that it further includes an attached member image processing apparatus 70.

Specifically, the attached member image processing device 70 has a second camera 72 for acquiring an image of the attached member held by the first xy table 62 or the second xy table 64 within the movable range of the first xy table 62 or the second xy table 64 when the reinforcing-plate attaching device 2 is viewed from the plane along the first axis AX 1. The attached member image processing device 70 also acquires an image of the attached member RM held by the first xy table 62 or the second xy table 64 by the second camera 72, and calculates information on the position and posture of the attached member RM with respect to the first xy table 62 or the second xy table 64.

The second camera 72 is generally arranged at a position corresponding to the third index position IX 3. Specifically, the second camera 72 is disposed above (when viewed from the plane) the inner side of the movable range of the first xy table 62 or the second xy table 64 so as to be able to acquire an image of the attached member RM held by the first xy table 62 or the second xy table 64 (see fig. 11). A second lens 76 housed in the lens barrel 77 is disposed between the second camera 72 and the attached member RM. Above the attached member RM as an image acquisition target, an illumination device 75 is disposed for illuminating the attached member RM. The illumination device 75 is preferably a ring-shaped illumination device (see fig. 11 (b)).

The attached member image processing apparatus 70 operates as follows.

An image obtained by imaging the member RM to be attached is mainly acquired centering on a correction mark (not shown) disposed on the member RM to be attached (S810).

Next, the attached member image processing apparatus 70 performs image processing on the attached member RM (S810). Specifically, the contour (correction mark or the like) of a region that needs attention is extracted by processing such as binarization. The region to be focused on is not limited to the correction mark, and for example, the shape of a predetermined position (bonding position) to be bonded next may be focused on.

Next, the attached member image processing device 70 calculates information on the position and posture of the attached member RM with respect to the first xy table 62 or the second xy table 64 based on the image processing. In other words, the information on the position and posture of the affixed member RM that is actually held is calculated (S820). For example, it is calculated how much the current position and posture of the attached member RM is deviated from the position and posture that should be originally held by the first xy table 62 or the second xy table 64 (positional deviation and posture deviation). Once the deviation amount is calculated, the value of the deviation amount can be immediately reflected as the correction amount for the position correction and the posture correction. The information calculated by the attached member image processing device 70 is not limited to the amount of deviation (relative amount). For example, the absolute position (x-axis and y-axis coordinates) and the posture (θ -axis coordinates) of the first xy table 62 or the second xy table 64 may be calculated.

Next, in the reinforcing-plate position correction S330, the first xy stage 62 or the second xy stage 64 is moved based on information of a predetermined position (sticking position) on the member RM to be stuck to which the reinforcing plate W should be stuck, information on the position of the reinforcing plate W, and information on the position of the member to be stuck actually held calculated by the member-to-be-stuck image processing device 70, so as to correct the positions of the member RM to be stuck and the reinforcing plate W.

Similarly, in the reinforcing-plate posture correction S320, the sticking head 20 is rotated in the θ direction (+ θ direction or — θ direction) based on the information on the posture of the reinforcing plate W and the information on the posture of the stuck member actually held calculated by the stuck member image processing device 70, thereby correcting the postures of the stuck member RM and the reinforcing plate W.

Further, each time a new reinforcing sheet W is attached, it is preferable that the attached member image processing device 70 perform image acquisition, image processing, information calculation regarding the image processing and the position and orientation of the attached member, and position and orientation correction based on the information. This is because the reinforcing-plate attachment can be achieved with higher accuracy.

Since the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment has the above-described configuration, even if there is a deviation between the position and posture of the first xy table 62 or the second xy table 64 with respect to the member RM to be bonded and the predetermined position and posture, the correction can be performed by appropriately moving the first xy table 62 or the second xy table 64 in the xy direction and appropriately moving the bonding head 20 in the θ direction based on the information on the position and posture of the member RM to be bonded. In this way, the reinforcing plate can be attached to the member to be stuck in the correct position and posture.

Therefore, the reinforcing-plate attaching device 2 can improve the success rate of attachment. Thereby improving the unit yield and being a reinforcing plate attaching device with high production efficiency.

Even when the entire member RM to be bonded is held at a predetermined position and posture by the first xy table 62 or the second xy table 64, there is a deviation between the position where the individual reinforcing plates are bonded and the predetermined position due to a manufacturing error. In this case, the above operation makes it possible to perform correction for each attachment, and the reinforcing plate can be attached to the member to be attached at the correct position and posture.

Since the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment except that the apparatus further includes the member-to-be-bonded image processing apparatus 70, the same effects as those of the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment are also obtained.

[ third embodiment ]

Fig. 13 is a block diagram for explaining a lighting device 75 according to a third embodiment. In the figure, the portions other than the illumination device 75 in the reinforcing-plate attaching device 3 are not illustrated.

The reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 3 according to the third embodiment has basically the same configuration as the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment, but is different from the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment in the internal configuration of the member-to-be-bonded image processing apparatus 70, that is, as shown in fig. 13, the member-to-be-bonded image processing apparatus 3 according to the third embodiment includes an illumination device 75 including a light emitting element 74 capable of emitting a plurality of types of light having different peak wavelengths from each other, and capable of emitting at least one type of light from the plurality of types of light to illuminate the member-to-be-bonded RM held by the first xy stage 62 or the second xy stage 64, and as shown in fig. 13, for example, the illumination device 75 includes three types of light emitting elements 74 capable of emitting peak wavelengths from each other, and emits at least one type of light from the three types of light by a light emitting element control section 78 connected to each of the three types of light emitting elements 74 (L ED1, L ED2, L ED 3).

In the attached member image processing apparatus 70, the image of the attached member RM acquired by the second camera 72 may change depending on the attached member RM itself or the surrounding environment. Specifically, the following factors are: the image capturing modes differ from each other due to differences in the material of the members to be attached, differences in the types of objects to be subjected to image processing (such as correction marks, predetermined positions (attachment positions) to which the reinforcing plate should be attached), differences in the positions where the objects to be subjected to image processing are located (such as the positions of the members to be attached on the center, near the sides, near the corners, and the like), and differences in the states around the objects to be subjected to image processing (such as the positions where there are many or few metal patterns such as the surrounding copper foil).

According to the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 3 of the third embodiment, the illumination device 75 includes the light-emitting device 74 capable of emitting a plurality of kinds of light having different peak wavelengths from each other, and is capable of emitting at least one kind of light from the plurality of kinds of light to illuminate the attached member RM held by the first xy stage 62 or the second xy stage 64, so that even if the attached member RM itself or the environmental condition in which the attached member RM is located changes, the attached member RM can be illuminated by selecting the light-emitting device 74 to emit the most appropriate kind of light in accordance with the actual condition.

In this way, it is possible to suppress variation in the imaging mode of the image of the member RM to be attached, and to improve the image processing accuracy of the member RM to be attached. Therefore, the attaching success rate can be improved, the unit yield is further improved, and the reinforcing plate attaching device is high in production efficiency.

Since the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 3 according to the third embodiment has the same configuration as the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment except for the difference in the internal configuration of the member-to-be-bonded image processing apparatus 70, the same effects as those of the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment are also obtained.

[ fourth embodiment ] A

Fig. 14 is a side view of a main part for explaining the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 4 according to the fourth embodiment. In the figure, the dotted line entering and exiting the reinforcing-plate thickness measuring means 82 represents reciprocal irradiation of the laser beam. In the reinforcing-plate sticking apparatus 4, the reinforcing-plate image processing apparatus 50', the sticking head 20, the rotor 30, and other parts are not shown.

The reinforcing-plate attaching device 4 according to the fourth embodiment basically has the same configuration as the reinforcing-

plate attaching devices

1, 2, and 3 according to the first to third embodiments, but is different from the reinforcing-

plate attaching devices

1, 2, and 3 according to the first to third embodiments in the internal structure of the reinforcing-plate image processing device 50'. That is, as shown in fig. 14, the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 4 according to the fourth embodiment further includes: and a reinforcing plate thickness measuring means 82 for measuring the thickness of the object captured by the reinforcing plate capturing means 22 of the bonding head 20. The reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 4 detects an abnormality in the number of reinforcing plates W captured by the reinforcing-plate capturing means 22 of the bonding head 20 from the information output by the reinforcing-plate thickness measuring means 82.

The reinforcing-plate thickness measuring means 82 is preferably disposed on the reinforcing-plate image processing apparatus 50'.

The reinforcing plate thickness measuring means 82 may be, for example, a laser sensor 82a or a distance sensor. The laser sensor 82a is disposed below the bonding head 20, and detects the thickness of the reinforcing plate by emitting laser light from below and capturing reflected light. Specifically, the threshold of the laser sensor 82a is set to be in the vicinity of the middle between the distance when one reinforcing plate W is captured by the reinforcing plate capturing means 22 and the distance when two reinforcing plates W are captured. Thus, if the reinforcing-plate capturing means 22 extracts two reinforcing plates, the laser sensor 82a detects a thickness exceeding the threshold value and outputs a signal having a logic opposite to that of the signal output when one reinforcing plate is extracted. In this way, it is possible to measure an abnormality in the number of reinforcing plates W captured by the reinforcing plate capturing means 22.

For reference, in general, when a reinforcing plate is attached to an attached member RM (FPC board), there is a problem that the reinforcing plates are not easily separated when the reinforcing plates are extracted one by one from a group of reinforcing plates in which a plurality of reinforcing plates are stacked. This is because, when the uppermost reinforcing sheet W1 is extracted, for example, burrs (burrs generated when a reinforcing sheet is produced by molding a sheet material such as metal) remaining on the edges of the reinforcing sheet or an adhesive material adhering to the reinforcing sheet are caught between two reinforcing sheets stacked together, and separation between the reinforcing sheets is inhibited. In this case, the plurality of reinforcing plates are extracted in a state of being overlapped with each other.

On the other hand, when the electronic component described in patent document 1 (which has been completely separated by resin molding) is extracted, such a problem does not arise.

According to the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 4 of the fourth embodiment, since it is possible to detect an abnormality in the number of reinforcing plates W captured by the reinforcing-plate capturing means 22 (for example, when two reinforcing plates are captured), it is possible to control the steps described later based on the detection result so as not to perform the steps such as pressure bonding, thereby preventing a defective product from being produced in the future.

Since the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 4 according to the fourth embodiment has the same configuration as the reinforcing-

plate bonding apparatuses

1, 2, and 3 according to the first to third embodiments except for the difference in the internal configuration of the reinforcing-plate image processing apparatus 50', the same effects as those of the reinforcing-

plate bonding apparatuses

1, 2, and 3 according to the first to third embodiments are also obtained.

[ fifth embodiment ] A

Fig. 15 is a side view of a main part for explaining a flattening operation of the reinforcing-plate attaching device 5 according to the fifth embodiment. In the reinforcing-plate sticking apparatus 5, the reinforcing-plate supplying apparatus 40 and the sticking head 20 are not shown.

The reinforcing-plate attaching device 5 according to the fifth embodiment basically has the same configuration as the reinforcing-

plate attaching devices

1, 2, 3, and 4 according to the first to fourth embodiments, but is different from the reinforcing-

plate attaching devices

1, 2, 3, and 4 according to the first to fourth embodiments in the structure of the attaching head 20'. That is, as shown in fig. 15, in the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 5 according to the fifth embodiment, when the bonding head is stopped at the first index position IX1, the reinforcing-plate W1 stored in the reinforcing-plate storage 42 is captured by the reinforcing-plate capturing means 22 of the bonding head 20, and then the reinforcing-plate W1 is displaced in the θ direction with respect to the next reinforcing plate W2 to be extracted next time by rotating the reinforcing-plate capturing means 22 in the θ direction around the z axis.

As described above, after the reinforcing plates W1 are captured (for example, vacuum-sucked), the reinforcing plates can be surely separated one by one and then extracted even if the two reinforcing plates (W1 and W2) are stuck to each other by rotating the reinforcing plate capturing means 22 in the θ direction around the z axis (that is, performing the leveling operation).

Since the reinforcing-plate attaching device 5 according to the fifth embodiment has the same configuration as the reinforcing-

plate attaching devices

1, 2, 3, and 4 according to the first to fourth embodiments except for the structure of the reinforcing-plate supplying device 40, the same effects as those of the reinforcing-

plate attaching devices

1, 2, 3, and 4 according to the first to fourth embodiments are obtained.

[ sixth embodiment ] A

The reinforcing-plate attaching device 6 according to the sixth embodiment has basically the same configuration as the reinforcing-

plate attaching devices

1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 according to the first to fifth embodiments, but further includes a defective product discharge unit 83, and the reinforcing-

plate attaching devices

1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 according to the first to fifth embodiments. That is, the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 6 according to the sixth embodiment further includes, as shown in fig. 16, a defective product discharge portion 83 located between the first index position IX1 and the second index position IX2 on the circumference of the circle C1 centered on the first axis AX 1.

When it is determined that the reinforcing-plate capturing means 22 does not capture the reinforcing plate W normally or that the object extracted by the reinforcing-plate capturing means 22 is not a proper reinforcing plate, the sticking head 20 to which the reinforcing-plate capturing means 22 belongs is temporarily stopped at the defective product discharge portion, and the object captured by the reinforcing-plate capturing means 22 is transferred to the defective product discharge portion 83.

The defective product discharge unit 83 may be, for example, a cleaning tank 83a having a box shape and an upper opening. The sticking head 20 described above with respect to the rotating body 30 and the reinforcing-plate catching means 22 is temporarily stopped at the position of the cleaning tank 83a, and the object caught by the reinforcing-plate catching means 22 is released, whereby the object can be transferred to the cleaning tank 83 a.

Since the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 6 according to the sixth embodiment has the above-described configuration, it is possible to prevent the reinforcing plate that is not normally captured or is not normal from being transferred to the pressure-bonding step in advance, and thus it is possible to prevent defective products from being produced in advance. Therefore, the attaching success rate can be improved, the unit yield is further improved, and the reinforcing plate attaching device is high in production efficiency.

The position of disposing the defective product discharge unit 83 is not limited to the position between the first index position IX1 and the second index position IX 2. For example, the second indexing position IX2 and the third indexing position IX3 may be arranged therebetween. Preferably, the first camera 52 and the stiffener thickness measuring means 82.

Since the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 6 according to the sixth embodiment has the same configuration as the reinforcing-

plate bonding apparatuses

1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 according to the first to fifth embodiments except that the defective product discharge unit 83 is further included, the same effects as those of the reinforcing-

plate bonding apparatuses

1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 according to the first to fifth embodiments are also obtained.

The present invention has been described above based on the above embodiments, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and for example, the following modifications are possible.

(1) In the above embodiments, the xy stage arrangement switching means 66 is the dial 66a, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a Slide table (Slide table) may be used (modification one).

Fig. 17 is a plan view for explaining the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 7 according to the first modification. Fig. 17(a) shows a case where the first xy table 62 is disposed at the third index position IX3, and fig. 17(b) shows a case where the second xy table 64 is disposed at the third index position IX 3. In fig. 17(b), the parts other than the xy stage arrangement switching unit 66 are not shown.

As shown in fig. 17, the xy-stage arrangement switching unit 66 in the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 7 according to the first modification is configured as a slide stage 66 b. The slide table 66b can slide the first xy table 62 and the second xy table 64 placed thereon along the x axis, for example.

In the state shown in fig. 17(a), the member RM to be bonded placed on the first xy table 62 is arranged at the third indexing position IX3, and the reinforcing-plate W is pressure-bonded to the member RM to be bonded. On the other hand, the second xy table 64 is disposed at the attached member replacement position SRP, and can remove/supply the attached members RM', RM ″.

When the entire first xy table 62 and the second xy table 64 placed thereon slide in the-x direction, the second xy table 64 is disposed at the third index position IX3, and the first xy table 62 is disposed at the applied member replacement position SRP, as in the state shown in fig. 17 (b). Thereafter, by performing the same sliding, the pressure bonding of the reinforcing plate and the replacement of the attached member can be alternately performed.

(2) In each of the above embodiments, the attached member holding apparatus 60 has two sets of xy tables (the first xy table 62 and the second xy table 64), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, three or more sets of xy stages may be provided. In this case, three or more sets of xy stages can be appropriately arranged on the xy stage arrangement switching means 66.

(3) In the above embodiments, the servo motor M1 is used as a specific means for moving the sticking head main body 20b up and down along the z-axis, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the sticking head main body 20b may be moved up and down by using an air cylinder, a Cam (Cam), or the like.

(4) In the above embodiments, the heater 81 is set to be normally on, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the output of the heater 81, the heat capacity of the reinforcing plate catching means 22, the set temperature, and the like may be appropriately adjusted to perform on/off control for each main process. Thus, the power consumed by the reinforcing plate attaching device can be saved.

(5) In the above embodiments, the three indexing positions are provided in total and the three application heads 20 are arranged on the rotating body 30, but the present invention is not limited to this.

That is, when a plane parallel to the upper end surface of the base is defined as an xy plane including an x axis and a y axis perpendicular to each other, a predetermined axis perpendicular to the xy plane is defined as a first axis, and a division position at n points divided by n equal times by one circle on an imaginary circumference on the xy plane centered on the first axis is defined as a index position (n is a whole of 3 or more), the rolling element has a structure in which: a plurality of sticking heads are arranged on an imaginary circle with a first axis as the center, and the sticking heads are intermittently rotated with the first axis as the center, so that one sticking head which needs to be focused is temporarily stopped at a first index position, a second index position and a third index position on a base in sequence.

By setting n in the above configuration to 4 or more as a whole, the reinforcing-plate bonding operation can be performed in a state where four or more index positions or four or more bonding heads are arranged.

This configuration is also equivalent to the reinforcing-plate attaching device of the present invention.

For example, a configuration may be adopted in which four indexing positions are provided and two application heads 20 are arranged on the rotating body 30 (modification two).

Fig. 18 is a schematic diagram for explaining the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 8 according to the second modification. Fig. 18(a) shows the definition of the indexing position and the arrangement of various devices, and fig. 18(b) is a schematic view showing the rotation control of the reinforcing-plate attaching device 8. In the drawings, the symbols W1 and W2 represent reinforcing plates, respectively.

As shown in fig. 18(a), four divided positions obtained by dividing a circumference of an imaginary circle C1 on an xy plane centered on a first axis AX1 by quarters of a circle are defined as index positions.

The reinforcing-plate supplying apparatus 40, the reinforcing-plate image processing apparatus 50, and the attached member holding apparatus 60 are arranged at the first indexing position IX1, the second indexing position IX2, and the third indexing position IX3, respectively, which are different from the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 1 and the like described in the first embodiment and the like.

As shown in fig. 18(b), two sticking heads Ha, Hb are arranged on the rotor 30 on the circumference of a virtual circle C1 centered on the first axis AX 1. When the rotating body 30 is intermittently rotated about the first axis AX1, one application head (for example, the application head Ha) to be paid attention to is temporarily stopped at a first index position IX1, a second index position IX2, and a third index position IX3 on the base in this order.

With this configuration, the sticking heads Ha and Hb can be sequentially brought close to the reinforcing-plate feeding device 40, the reinforcing-plate image processing device 50, and the stuck member holding device 60, respectively, and thus the extraction of the reinforcing plate, the detection of the position and orientation of the reinforcing plate, and the pressure bonding of the reinforcing plate can be sequentially performed.

Further, a configuration may be adopted in which four indexing positions are provided and four application heads 20 are arranged on the rotating body 30 (modification three).

Fig. 19 is a schematic diagram for explaining the reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus 9 according to the third modification. The figure shows the rotation control of the reinforcing plate attaching means 9. Symbols W1, W2, W3, W4, W5, and W6 represent the respective reinforcing plates.

The reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 9 according to the third modification basically has the same configuration as the reinforcing-plate bonding apparatus 8 according to the second modification in, for example, definition of a cable position and arrangement of various apparatuses (refer to fig. 18 (a)). However, the number of the application heads 20 is different from that of the reinforcing-plate application device 8 according to the second modification.

That is, as shown in fig. 19, four sticking heads Ha, Hb, Hc, and Hd are arranged on the rotor 30 on the circumference of a virtual circle C1 centered on the first axis AX 1. When the rotating body 30 is intermittently rotated about the first axis AX1, one application head (for example, the application head Ha) to be paid attention to is temporarily stopped at a first index position IX1, a second index position IX2, and a third index position IX3 on the base in this order.

With this configuration, the sticking heads Ha, Hb, Hc, and Hd can be brought close to the reinforcing-plate supply device 40, the reinforcing-plate image processing device 50, and the stuck member holding device 60 in this order, and the extraction of the reinforcing plate, the detection of the position and orientation of the reinforcing plate, and the pressure bonding of the reinforcing plate can be performed in this order.

Description of the symbols

1. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 … stiffener attaching device; 10 … base station; 10a … upper end surface of the base; 20. 20' … attachment head; 20a … attaching the head base; 20b … attached to the head body; 22 … reinforcing panel catching means; 23 … vacuum suction head; 23a … (of the vacuum cleaner head); 23b … (of vacuum cleaner head); 30 … rotor; 32 … rotating the body base; 34 … mechanical arm; 35 … arm front end; 40 … reinforcing panel providing means; 42 … reinforce the board store; 43. 43A method for producing a composite material₁、43₂、43₃… storage case; 43a, 43b … storage case frame; 44 … storage box switching means; 44a … storage case setting part; 45 … reinforcing panel lifting unit; 46 … upper protruding rod; 50. 50' … reinforce the board image processing device 50; 52 … first camera; 55 … first illumination; 56 … a first lens; 60 … affixed member retention means; 62 … first xy stage; 64 … second xy stage; 66 … xy stage configuration switching unit; 66a … carousel; 66b … slide table; 70 … attached member image processing means; 72 … second camera; 74 … light emitting components; 75 … lighting device; 76 … second lens; 77 … lens barrel; 78 … light-emitting component control part; an 81 … heater; 82 … reinforcing plate thickness measuring means; 82a … laser sensor; 83 … defective product discharge part; 83a … cleaning the tank; 900 … parts mounting means; 920 … a header; 922 … suction nozzle; 930 … intermittently rotating the support; 934 … mechanical arm; 940 … an electronic component supply device; 943 … component provides a cartridge; 945 … x direction mobile station; 960 … electronic circuit substrate holder; 962 … xy stage.

Claims

1. The utility model provides an attached device of reinforcing plate, is attached the reinforcing plate on attached component, its characterized in that:

when a plane parallel to an upper end surface of a base is defined as an xy plane including an x axis and a y axis perpendicular to each other, a predetermined axis perpendicular to the xy plane is defined as a first axis, and divided positions divided in three equal parts of a circle on an imaginary circumference on the xy plane centered on the first axis are sequentially defined as a first index position, a second index position, and a third index position along the circumference, the method includes:

the base station;

an attaching head provided with a reinforcing plate capturing means for capturing the reinforcing plate, the reinforcing plate being capable of being extracted and pressure-bonded by moving up and down along a z-axis parallel to the first axis by the reinforcing plate capturing means, and capable of being rotated in a θ direction around the z-axis by the reinforcing plate capturing means to change a posture of the reinforcing plate;

a rotating body which is provided with a plurality of the sticking heads which are equally spaced at equal angular intervals and are divided into three equal parts in a circle on the virtual circumference with the first axis as the center, and which intermittently rotates with the first axis as the center, thereby temporarily stopping the sticking heads at a first index position, a second index position and a third index position on the base in this order;

a reinforcing-plate supplying device which is disposed at a position corresponding to the first index position and supplies the reinforcing plate to the bonding head from a reinforcing-plate storage device in which the reinforcing plate is stored, the reinforcing plate being an extraction target of the bonding head;

a reinforcing plate image processing device having a first camera for acquiring an image including the reinforcing plate at a position corresponding to the second index position, the first camera acquiring the image of the reinforcing plate and performing image processing to calculate information on the position and posture of the attachment head with respect to the reinforcing plate; and

an attached member holding device which has a first xy stage arranged at a position corresponding to the third index position, holds the attached member on an upper end surface, and is capable of moving the held attached member along the xy plane, and receives the reinforcing-plate pressure-contact from the attaching head at a predetermined position of the held attached member,

wherein, when the attaching head that has captured the reinforcing-plate stops at the third index position, the first xy stage is moved to correct the position of the reinforcing-plate on the xy plane based on the information on the predetermined position on the member to be attached to which the reinforcing-plate should be attached and the information on the position of the reinforcing-plate calculated by the reinforcing-plate image processing means, and the attaching head is rotated in the θ direction to correct the posture of the reinforcing-plate based on the information on the posture of the reinforcing-plate calculated by the reinforcing-plate image processing means, and then the reinforcing-plate is pressed against the predetermined position of the member to be attached by lowering the attaching head along the z axis,

the attached member holding device further includes: a second xy stage having a configuration equivalent to that of the first xy stage; and an xy-stage arrangement switching unit on which the first xy stage and the second xy stage are mounted, and which switches the arrangement of the first xy stage and the second xy stage so that the first xy stage and the second xy stage are alternately arranged between the third index position and the attached member replacement position.

2. The reinforcing plate attaching apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

wherein the xy stage arrangement switching means is a turntable rotatable about a predetermined second axis perpendicular to an upper end surface of the base,

the first xy stage and the second xy stage are respectively placed on rotationally symmetrical positions on the upper end face of the turntable, and the second axis is used as the center.

3. The reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus as set forth in claim 1 or 2, wherein:

wherein a heater for heating the captured reinforcing plate is disposed on the attachment head.

4. The reinforcing plate attaching apparatus as set forth in any one of claims 1 or 2, further comprising:

an attached member image processing device having a second camera for acquiring an image of the attached member held by the first xy table or the second xy table within a movable range of the first xy table or the second xy table when the reinforcing-plate attaching device is viewed from a plane along the first axis,

acquiring an image of the attached member held by the first xy table or the second xy table by the second camera, and calculating information on a position and an orientation of the attached member with respect to the first xy table or the second xy table.

5. The reinforcing plate attaching apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein:

wherein the attached member image processing apparatus has: and an illumination device including a light-emitting element capable of emitting a plurality of types of light having different peak wavelengths from each other, the illumination device being capable of emitting at least one type of light from the plurality of types of light to illuminate the member to be attached held by the first xy stage or the second xy stage.

6. The reinforcing plate attaching apparatus as set forth in any one of claims 1 or 2, further comprising:

a reinforcing plate thickness measuring means for measuring the thickness of the object captured by the reinforcing plate capturing means of the bonding head,

the reinforcing-plate attaching device detects abnormality in the number of pieces of the reinforcing plates captured by the reinforcing-plate capturing means of the attaching head, based on information output by the reinforcing-plate thickness measuring means.

7. A reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus as set forth in any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein:

wherein, when the application head stops at the first indexing position,

after the reinforcing-plate capturing means of the sticking head captures the reinforcing plate stored in the reinforcing-plate storage, the reinforcing-plate capturing means is rotated in the θ direction around the z axis, thereby displacing the reinforcing plate in the θ direction with respect to the next reinforcing plate to be extracted next.

8. The reinforcing plate attaching apparatus as set forth in any one of claims 1 or 2, further comprising:

a defective product discharge unit for discharging a defective product,

when it is determined that the reinforcing-plate capturing means does not capture the reinforcing plate normally or that the object extracted by the reinforcing-plate capturing means is not a proper reinforcing plate, the bonding head to which the reinforcing-plate capturing means belongs is temporarily stopped at the defective product discharge unit, and the object captured by the reinforcing-plate capturing means is transferred to the defective product discharge unit.

9. A reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus as set forth in any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein:

wherein the plurality of sticking heads arranged on the virtual circumference with the first axis as the center have different types of reinforcing plate catching means capable of catching different types of reinforcing plates,

the reinforcing plate stocker is a storage box capable of stacking a plurality of reinforcing plates,

the reinforcing plate supply device has:

a plurality of said storage boxes; and

and a storage box switching means for placing a plurality of the storage boxes, wherein one of the plurality of storage boxes is moved to the first index position and the other storage box is moved away from the first index position according to the type of the reinforcing-plate catching means attached to the sticking head temporarily stopped at the first index position.

10. A reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus as set forth in any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein:

wherein the rotating body is rotated in a reverse direction at an angle interval of 240 ° after being rotated in a forward direction twice at an angle interval of 120 °.

11. A reinforcing-plate attaching apparatus as set forth in any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein:

wherein, when the reinforcing-plate attaching device is viewed from above from a plane along the first axis, an imaginary straight line connecting the first axis and the third index position is parallel to a side of a front face of the reinforcing-plate attaching device.