JP2898409B2 - Printed wiring board unit manufacturing system and manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention generally relates to a system and method for manufacturing a printed wiring board unit, and more particularly to a printed wiring board unit suitable for efficiently manufacturing a large variety of small-quantity printed wiring board units. A manufacturing system and a manufacturing method.

BACKGROUND ART Electronic devices such as communication devices are generally configured by mounting a printed wiring board unit (electronic circuit package) in which electronic circuit components are mounted on a printed wiring board on a shelf. In particular, in the field of industrial products such as communication equipment, the diversification of customer needs has spurred the reduction of the number of types of printed wiring board units and the number of types of printed wiring board units has increased, There is a demand for the establishment of an efficient production method for articles.

In general, a production control system combines a plurality of processing cells (processing equipment) and a warehouse by a transfer means such as an unmanned automatic transfer vehicle, and controls a processing cell, a process control apparatus that controls a transfer means, and a transfer control apparatus that controls the transfer means. A host computer exchanges information with the control devices and issues instructions to these control devices based on work plans and process procedures. A production control system called FMS (Flexible Manufacturing System) realizes a production system that supports high-mix low-volume production, in which various products perform desired operations while flowing between processing cells according to a specified procedure. .

Conventional printed wiring board unit manufacturing methods include an in-line method in which processing equipment is connected in series by a conveyor and a parallel line method in which processing equipment is arranged in parallel and a printed wiring board is supplied and discharged by an automatic carrier to each processing equipment. There is.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a conventional in-line method,
The plurality of processing cells 1a and 1b are connected in series by a conveyor 2, respectively. The rack 3 containing a plurality of printed wiring boards on which electronic circuit components are to be mounted is supplied to the conveyor 2 by the loader 4 and is conveyed by the conveyor 2 in the direction of arrow A. In each of the processing cells 1a and 1b, after the printed wiring board is taken out of the rack 3 and subjected to a predetermined operation, the printed wiring board is transported to the downstream processing equipment by the conveyor 2. The printed wiring board unit that has been subjected to various processes in this manner is discharged by the unloader 5.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a conventional parallel line system,
A plurality of processing cells 6a, 6b,..., 6n are arranged in parallel, and a transport path 7 is provided along these processing cells. An automatic transport vehicle 8 runs on the transport path 7. Each processing cell 6a, 6b,
…, 6n is a rack 3 containing multiple printed wiring boards
A supply / discharge device 9 for supplying / discharging is provided.

The rack 3 accommodating a plurality of printed wiring boards is loaded on an automatic transport vehicle 8 by the loader 4, and is supplied to one of the processing cells 6 a, 6 b,. Is supplied via In the processing cells 6a, 6b,..., 6n, the printed wiring board is taken out from the rack 3, and after performing a predetermined operation, the printed wiring board is again stored in the rack 3 and is sent to the automatic transport vehicle 8 via the supply / discharge device 9. It is transported to the next processing cell 6a, 6b, ..., 6n based on the work plan. The printed wiring board unit completed after all the processing operations are completed is discharged by the unloader 5.

FIG. 3 shows another conventional example of the parallel line system. A plurality of processing cells 12a to 12e arranged in parallel
The transport path 14 is arranged so as to cross the
Workpieces such as printed wiring boards are processed on each of the processing cells 12a to 12e.
The automatic guided vehicle 15 to be transported to the vehicle travels. Each processing cell 12
Each of a to 12e is provided with a supply / discharge device 13 for supplying / discharging a work. A second transport path 16 is provided orthogonal to the transport path 14, and a stacker crane 17 having an automatic supply / discharge function runs on the second transport path 16. Warehouses 18 are arranged on both sides of the second transport path 16.

In the conventional parallel line system shown in FIG. 3, a work such as a printed wiring board housed in a warehouse 18 is taken out by a stacker crane 17, and the work is mounted on an unmanned automatic transfer vehicle 15 traveling on a transfer path 14. To the desired processing cells 12a to 12e.

However, both the in-line system shown in FIG. 1 and the parallel line system shown in FIG. 2 are production lines using only processing cells, and have the following problems.

(1) In the case of multi-kind manufacturing, in any manufacturing method, it is necessary to set up the processing cell at the time of changing the manufacturing type and to replace and replenish electronic circuit components to be mounted. At the time of such a change of the production type, there is a problem that the processing cell stops and the operation time of the processing cell decreases. For example, in the case of a chip component mounting machine, the actual operation time of the chip component mounting machine is about 50 to 60% of the total manufacturing time, and the remaining time is spent for component setup.

(2) The printed wiring board unit is manufactured using the processing cells according to the manufacturing process. However, since the processing time of the processing cells in each processing step is not uniform because the work content is different, the processing time of the processing step with a light load is reduced. The cell becomes inoperable and the processing waiting time increases. As a result, there is a problem that the productivity of the production line is reduced.

Further, in the conventional production line shown in FIG. 3, since it is necessary to control the warehouse and the automatic transport vehicle separately and in order, there is a problem that the control becomes complicated and as a result, the system becomes expensive. Further, when it is not possible to transport the work between the processing cells, and the work is to be temporarily evacuated to the warehouse, there is a problem that the transfer distance of the work becomes long and the productivity is deteriorated. In addition, when the work is to be taken out of the warehouse, the stacker crane is moved and then transferred by the automatic transfer vehicle, so that there is a problem that the transfer of the work takes time.

Further, the conventional automatic guided vehicle has a problem that the traveling speed is as slow as about 30 m / min because the automatic guided vehicle travels on the floor of a factory, resulting in insufficient transport capacity.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a device capable of automatically performing a component replacement operation and a component replenishment operation that occur at the time of product switching, and to efficiently manufacture a large variety of small printed wiring board units. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printed wiring board unit manufacturing system and a manufacturing method which can be performed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a printed wiring board that can temporarily store a work such as a printed wiring board in a warehouse with a short transfer distance and can quickly transfer the work to a processing cell as needed. It is to provide a unit manufacturing system.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a plurality of processing equipment for performing various types of processing on a printed wiring board, a parts warehouse for storing electronic circuit parts, and an automatic knitting robot, and a predetermined electronic circuit part is provided on a pallet. Pallet automatic knitting device to be mounted in the order of, a plurality of processing equipment and a transport path provided along the pallet automatic knitting device, and a plurality of processing equipment and the pallet automatic knitting device along the transport path. A warehouse means provided on the opposite side, and a rack which travels on the transport path and accommodates a plurality of pallets and / or printed wiring boards between the plurality of processing equipment, the pallet automatic knitting apparatus and the warehouse means. Transport means for transporting, and control means for controlling the plurality of processing equipment, pallet automatic knitting apparatus, warehouse means and transport means in accordance with a work plan. Printed circuit board unit manufacturing system is provided.

Preferably, the control means is a first-layer host computer that manages the entire system while monitoring the operation status of the entire system, and is linked to the host computer by a data bus, and the plurality of processing facilities and the automatic pallet knitting apparatus. A plurality of processing facilities, a pallet automatic knitting apparatus, a plurality of second layers provided for each of the warehouse means and the transport means for transmitting commands from the host computer to the warehouse means and the transport means while monitoring the operation status of the warehouse means and the transport means. And a computer.

Preferably, the transport paths are arranged in two stages, and the warehouse means is arranged in two levels corresponding to the two-stage transport paths, so that the transport means travels on each transport path.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a printed wiring board unit for automatically mounting a desired electronic circuit component on a printed wiring board, wherein the electronic circuit component having the identifier is also provided with the identifier. The cartridge is set in advance, the identifiers of the electronic circuit components and the cartridge are read, the set information is registered in the automatic knitting management computer, and the cartridge in which the set information is registered is stored at an arbitrary address in the parts warehouse of the automatic pallet knitting apparatus. The pallet with the identifier is stored in the automatic knitting management computer, the pallet with the identifier is positioned at a predetermined position of the pallet automatic knitting apparatus, and the identifier of the pallet is registered in the automatic knitting management computer. And the pallet positioned according to the stock information in the parts warehouse. Let the automatic knitting management computer create the set position and set part information on the pallet, and based on the set position and set part information, the automatic knitting robot sets the corresponding cartridge on the pallet and automatically knits the pallet, A printed wiring board unit characterized in that the knitting completed pallet is transported to an automatic component mounting machine, and the automatic component mounting machine takes out the component from the knitting pallet and automatically mounts the component at a predetermined position on the printed wiring board. A manufacturing method is provided.

One feature of the present invention is that predetermined electronic circuit components are previously mounted in a predetermined order on a pallet by an automatic pallet knitting apparatus provided separately from each processing facility. That is, the setup of electronic circuit components to be mounted on a printed wiring board is automatically performed in advance by an automatic pallet knitting apparatus.

In this way, the parts are set up in advance by the automatic pallet knitting device, so that the operation of the processing equipment does not stop even when the product type is changed, and the production of new products is carried out by the transfer means under the control of the control means. The required electronic circuit components can be promptly supplied to predetermined processing equipment, and the production efficiency of a wide variety of small-quantity products can be improved.

In addition, since the warehouse means is provided along the transport path, semi-finished products manufactured by light-weight processing equipment can be temporarily stored in the warehouse means, reducing the work waiting time of light-weight processing equipment. The productivity of the entire production line can be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional inline system; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional parallel line system; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing another conventional parallel line system; FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the manufacturing line; FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an automatic pallet knitting apparatus; FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a cartridge loading / unloading robot; FIG. 8 is a cartridge loading / unloading robot. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a state in which a cartridge is mounted on a pallet; FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 4; FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view of the manufacturing system components shown in FIG. Fig. 13 is a front view of the warehouse shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 14 is a control system diagram of a production line; Fig. 15 is a diagram showing a hierarchical configuration of a control system; It is a control block diagram of a knitting apparatus.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Referring first to FIG. 4, there is shown an overall layout of a production line according to an embodiment of the present invention. 20a and 20b are two-stage warehouses for storing racks and pallets.
A rack transfer section 22 is provided between 20a and 20b. The warehouses 20a and 20b are configured in a two-stage manner, as apparent from FIG.

Upper transport path 24a and lower transport path 2 along warehouses 20a and 20b
A two-stage transport path 4b is provided, and the automatic transport vehicle 26 travels on these upper and lower transport paths 24a and 24b. Two automatic transport vehicles 26 are provided on the upper transport path 24a and two automatic transport vehicles 26 are provided on the lower transport path 24b, and each of the automatic transport vehicles 26 is drive-controlled so as to be folded at the center of the transport path.

As schematically shown in FIG. 5, an automatic pallet knitting apparatus 28 and various processing equipment (processing cells) 30a, 30b, 30c are arranged in parallel on the opposite side of the warehouses 20a, 20b along the transport path. ing. Each processing cell 30a, 30b, 30c is provided with a supply / discharge device (loader / unloader) 31 for introducing a rack and / or pallet into the processing cell.

Referring to FIG. 4 again, an outline of each processing cell forming the manufacturing line will be described. The pallet conveyor 32 is a conveyor that supplies pallets to a production line. Pallet automatic knitting devices 28a and 28b are devices for knitting and mounting cartridges having predetermined electronic circuit components mounted on a pallet in a predetermined order according to a work plan, and form an essential part of the production line of the present invention. . In addition to the automatic pallet knitting devices 28a and 28b, a pallet knitting section 29 for knitting pallets manually is provided.

The barcode labeling machine 34 is a device for applying a barcode to a printed wiring board and storing a predetermined number of the printed wiring boards in a rack to which a barcode has been pasted. The printed wiring boards are stored in the rack and supplied to a production line. Is done. At the stage of housing the printed wiring board in the rack, both barcodes are read by a barcode reader, and the combination information is input to the computer. Small SMD equipped machines 36a and 36b are SO
Small SMD for P (Small Outline Package), chip parts, etc.
(Surface Mounting Device) is a machine that automatically mounts on a printed wiring board, and small SMDs are supplied on pallets pre-knitted by pallet automatic knitting devices 28a and 28b.

The printing machines 38a and 38b are machines for screen-printing a solder paste on a printed wiring board. A metal mask used in the printing machine is cleaned by a printing mask cleaning device 40. The adhesive dispenser 42 is a device for applying an adhesive for temporary fixing after reversing the printed wiring board when mounting components on the back surface of the printed wiring board, and when mounting components only on one side. Is not used.

The large SMD mounting machine 44 is a machine for automatically mounting a large SMD, and has a storage space for storing a large component to be mounted. The large SMD is stored in the parts supply shelf 46,
When the components housed in the large SMD mounting machine are exhausted, the large SMD is taken out from the component supply shelf 46 and supplied. Variants 4
8a and 48b are machines that automatically mount odd-shaped components such as QFP (Quad Flat Package) and capacitors, and have a space for accommodating components to be mounted inside like large SMD mounting machines. Irregular parts are also stored in the component supply shelf 46, and when there are no more components to be mounted on the irregular mounting machines 48a and 48b, new irregular parts are supplied from the component supply shelf 46. When the mounting of the components on the printed wiring board is completed, the mounting inspection machine 50 optically inspects whether each component is mounted at a correct position.

Reference numeral 52 denotes a nitrogen gas reflow furnace for performing reflow soldering in a nitrogen gas atmosphere.
Connected to 54. The organic solvent used in the entire surface washer 54 is cooled by the cooling device 58 and regenerated. Numeral 60 denotes a furnace for curing the adhesive applied by the adhesive applying machine 42. The adhesive is cured and then immersed in a separately provided solder bath to perform flow soldering.

The mounted state of the printed wiring board unit on which the mounting of the predetermined component is completed is inspected by the X-ray appearance inspection device 62a and the optical appearance inspection device 62b. The printed wiring board unit having undergone the inspection is discharged through the discharge station 64. The manual correction line 66 is a visual inspection device 62a,
This is a line for correcting a part which has failed in 62b. A defective part is automatically designated by an optical indicator linked to a computer, and an operator manually corrects the defective part.

Next, an automatic pallet knitting apparatus constituting a main part of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This automatic pallet knitting machine automatically knits surface mount chip components on a pallet in the order in which they are mounted, and mounts small SMD mounting machines 36a, 3
6b. Generally, chip components
The components are supplied in the form of a reel (a product in which components are fixed and wound on a tape at regular intervals), and the components in the reel are the same components.

The printed wiring board unit is composed of several tens of types of chip components. In order for an automatic mounting machine to automatically mount chip components on a printed wiring board, it is necessary to set these dozens of chip components to the component pick-up position in accordance with the mounting program. It is. The present invention is characterized in that this knitting operation is automatically prepared in advance at a place distant from the component take-out position of the automatic mounting machine, and this knitting operation is achieved by an automatic pallet knitting apparatus described below. Is done.

Referring to FIG. 6, there are provided two parts warehouses 68a and 68b for storing reel-shaped chip components mounted on a cartridge, and a cartridge loading / unloading robot which will be described later in detail between the two parts warehouses 68a and 68b. 70 is provided movably. Numeral 72 denotes a supply / discharge device (loader / unloader), and an upper conveyor 7 is provided between a pair of pallet lifters 76a and 76b.
4a and a lower conveyor 74b are provided.

Reference numeral 78 denotes a multi-joint cartridge knitting robot that automatically mounts a cartridge on a pallet according to a knitting program or removes a cartridge from a returned pallet, and a hand 80 that grips the cartridge is provided at the tip thereof. . On the side of the parts warehouse 68b, a cartridge loading / unloading robot 70 and a cartridge knitting robot
When a cartridge is transferred between the cartridges 78, two cartridge transfer units 82 for temporarily mounting the cartridge are provided. Further, an opening (storage entrance) 69 is formed in the parts warehouse 68a, and new cartridges mounted on the loading cart 84 through this opening 69 are used for the parts warehouses 68a and 68b.
It is thrown into.

Reference numeral 86 denotes an empty cartridge removal cart, and a pallet 90
The empty cartridge 92 mounted and returned is taken out of the pallet 90 by the cartridge knitting robot 78 and placed on the empty cartridge take-out cart 86. The supply / discharge device 72 and the cartridge knitting robot 78 are surrounded by a safety frame 88 to prevent danger to the operator.

Next, a configuration of the cartridge loading / unloading robot 70 will be described with reference to FIGS. The parts warehouse 68b has a plurality of shelves 94, and an address is assigned to each cartridge storage block of each shelf 94.

A pair of rails 96 are laid along the parts warehouse 68b, and a slide member 98 of the cartridge loading / unloading robot 70 is provided on the rails 96 so as to be slidable in the arrow direction in the figure. A column 100 that extends in the vertical direction is fixed to the slide member 98, and a moving member 102 that moves in the vertical direction is attached to the column 100. A rotating disk 104 is rotatably mounted on the moving member 102. A robot hand 106 is provided on the rotating disk 104 for gripping the cartridge when the cartridge enters and leaves the parts warehouse 68b.

The robot hand 106 is configured by attaching a parallel opening / closing air chuck 112 to a piston rod 110 of an air cylinder 108. As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 8, the parallel opening / closing air chuck 112 has a pair of fingers 114a and 114b attached to a body 113 so as to be openable and closable with each other.
A pin 116 that engages with the hole 93 of the cartridge 92 is provided at the tip of 4a.

The parallel opening / closing air chuck 112 is extended by extending the piston rod 110 of the air cylinder 108, and the parts warehouse 6 is opened.
The cartridge 92 stored in 8b can be removed by engaging with the pin 116. Robot hand 106 is rotating disk 1
Since it is provided on the cartridge 04, the cartridge can be put in and taken out of both parts warehouses 68a and 68b.

As shown in FIG. 9, the cartridge 92 on which the reel-shaped chip parts 95 wound in a reel shape are mounted is automatically knitted by the pallet automatic knitting apparatus 28 according to the knitting program, and a plurality of (for example, 30) ) Will be mounted. In the production line of the present embodiment, the reel-shaped chip component 95
Are all mounted on the cartridge 92.
Is transported while mounted on the pallet 90.

Hereinafter, the process of storing reel-shaped chip components in the component warehouses 68a and 68b of the automatic palletizing apparatus will be described.

First, a reel-shaped chip component 95 with a barcode label is inserted into a cartridge with a barcode label.
Set to 92 in advance. At this time, the reel-shaped chip component 95
Then, the barcode of the cartridge 92 is read by a barcode reader, and the set information is registered in the automatic composition management computer. The cartridge 92 on which the reel-shaped chip components are set as described above is placed on the cartridge loading cart 84 and set in the entrance (opening) 69 of the component warehouse 68a.

When the cartridge 92 is set in the entrance 69, the automatic composition management computer issues a storage instruction to the control unit of the cartridge entrance / exit robot 70. In response to this control command, the cartridge loading / unloading robot 70 performs the loading operation of the cartridge, and the cartridge 92 is stored in a vacant address of the parts warehouse 68a, 68b, and the address is registered in the automatic composition management computer.

Next, the knitting robot takes out the cartridges from the hundreds or more kinds of cartridges stored in the parts warehouses 68a and 68b according to the instruction of the automatic knitting management computer, and pallets.
The procedure of automatic knitting to set at the specified position on 90 will be described.

A pallet 90 loaded with used cartridges or partially used cartridges transported by the automatic transport vehicle 26 is moved to the upper conveyor 74 via the pallet lifter 76a, the lower conveyor 74b, and the pallet lifter 76b of the supply / discharge device 72.
It is positioned at the return cartridge take-out part A (see FIG. 6). Then, the cartridge knitting robot 78 removes the empty cartridge from the pallet 90 to the empty cartridge removal carriage 86, and places the partially used cartridge on the cartridge delivery unit 82.

The cartridge loading / unloading robot 70 re-accommodates the cartridges on the cartridge transfer unit 82 in the parts warehouses 68a and 68b, and registers the accommodating destination address in the automatic composition management computer. The pallet 90 from which the return cartridge has been taken out is conveyed by the upper conveyor 74a and positioned in the pallet knitting section B. Then, the pallet positioning completion information and the pallet ID are input to the automatic composition management computer.

The automatic knitting management computer sends the set position on the pallet 90 and the set part information to the positioning completed pallet 90 based on the drawing program by figure number and the stock (cartridges with reel-shaped chip parts stored in the parts warehouse). create. Next, the automatic knitting management computer searches for the storage address of the knitting target part, and instructs the cartridge loading / unloading robot 70 and the cartridge knitting robot 78 to transport the cartridge 92 from the storage address in the parts warehouse to the set position on the pallet. I do.

Based on this instruction, the cartridge loading / unloading robot 70
Stores the cartridges with the parts to be knitted in the parts warehouse
Removed from 68a, 68a, cartridge transfer unit 8
2 Place on top. Then, the cartridge formation robot 78
Grips the cartridge placed on the cartridge delivery unit 82 and sets it at a predetermined mounting position on the pallet 90. The cartridge loading / unloading robot 70 and the cartridge knitting robot 78 repeat the pallet knitting operation until the instructed operation is completed.

The pallet 90 where the knitting work is completed is placed in the pallet knitting section B.
After releasing the positioning lock at the upper conveyor 74a,
Mounted on the automatic carrier 26 via the pallet lifter 76a,
It is transported to a predetermined position by an automatic transport vehicle and stored in the warehouses 20a and 20b.

Referring to FIG. 10, there is shown a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. As is clear from this figure, the warehouses 20a and 20b, the transport path 24, and the supply / discharge device 31 are all configured in two upper and lower stages.
That is, the warehouse 20a is configured in two stages of an upper warehouse 120a and a lower warehouse 120b, and a conveyor 121 for taking the rack 122 in and out of the warehouse is provided on the bottom surface of each of the warehouses 120a and 120b.

The transport path 24 is composed of two stages, a lower transport path 24b with a track similarly to the upper transport path 24a with a track.
The automatic guided vehicles 26a and 26b run on 4a and 24b, respectively. Since the automatic guided vehicles 26a and 26b travel on the track, the speed of the guided vehicle can be increased to about 60 m / min. Although not particularly shown, the automatic transport vehicles 26a and 26b are also provided with a work transfer means such as a conveyor for transferring works such as the rack 122 into and out of the warehouses 120a and 120b. Instead of providing the work transfer conveyors in the warehouses 120a, 120b and the automatic transport vehicles 20a, 26b, the automatic transport vehicles 26a, 26b may be provided with arms for grasping and transferring the workpieces.

The supply / discharge device 31 is provided between the pair of lifters 124 and 126,
28a and the lower conveying path 128b are arranged. Lifter conveyors 130 and 132 which are moved in the up and down direction are provided in the lifters 124 and 126, respectively. The rack 122 in the lifter 126 is introduced into the processing cell 36b by the conveyor 134.

Referring to FIG. 11, a schematic perspective view of FIG. 10 is shown. As is apparent from this figure, the transfer of the rack 122 from the processing cell 38b to another processing cell 36b is performed by the upper transfer vehicle 26a.
And a route B using the lower transport vehicle 26b. Which transport vehicle should be used is controlled by a transport vehicle control system that selects an optimal transport route. The loading and unloading of two automatic guided vehicles in the same processing cell should be prohibited. In this case, the lifter 124 of the supply / discharge device 31 of each processing cell adjacent to the transport path 24
Because only one is provided, it can be unloaded only in either the upper stage or the lower stage, and one of the automatic transport vehicles waits.

As shown in FIG. 12, the way of storing the work in the warehouse 20a depends on the address 136 between the starting cell 30a and the destination cell 30c.
If the work is stored in the storage area, the transport loss is reduced. Further, considering the next processing in the destination cell 30c, it is desirable that the storage address 136 is as close as possible to the destination cell 30c.

With reference to the following FIG. 13, a method of storing works in the warehouses 20a and 20b will be described. A rack transfer section 22 having a lifter 138 is provided between the warehouses 20a and 20b.
In the A zone where the warehouse 20b is provided, the racks 122 containing the printed wiring boards are stored in both the upper and lower tiers of the warehouse 20b, and both the automatic transport vehicles 26 provided in the upper and lower tiers transport the racks 122. .

In zone B, a rack 122 is stored in the upper part of the warehouse 20a,
A pallet 90 equipped with a cartridge is stored in the lower stage. The automatic transport vehicle responds to this,
26a transports the rack, and the lower automated transport vehicle 26b is a pallet
Convey 90. By providing the rack transfer section 22 between the warehouses 20a and 20b in this way, by controlling the automatic transport vehicles 26 so that the automatic transport vehicles 26 are respectively moved up and down by two in total, and turned back in the middle of the transport path 24, Since the traveling distance of the automatic guided vehicle 26 can be shortened, the transfer efficiency can be improved.

Next, a control system of the production line will be described with reference to FIG. The line management system 142 is a basic system that manages the entire production line, including order management, CMA
It has individual management functions such as data management and member management, and basic management functions such as pallet knitting and loading control.

A storage management system 148, a cell management system 150, and a transport management system 152 are connected to the line management system 142 via a data bus 155. The storage management system 148 has a rack storage management function and a pallet storage management function, and the cell management system 150 manages data of each processing cell and monitors the operation status. Further, the transport management system 152 executes the transport control of the rack and the transport control of the pallet.

The control system of the production line of this embodiment has a hierarchical structure as shown in FIG. The first level host computer 154 controls and manages the entire production line. That is,
The host computer 154 has the line management system function 142 of FIG. The first layer computer 154 has a plurality of second layer computers for managing the operation status of each processing cell 30a, 30b, 30c via the data bus 155 and transmitting the command of the first layer host computer 154 to each processing cell. 156 are connected. Each second hierarchy computer 156 has a third hierarchy control device 158 for controlling the operation of each processing cell.
Is connected. The control device 158 of the third hierarchy is composed of a sequencer or a personal computer.

Thus, in the present embodiment, the first hierarchical computer 154
This realizes a centralized management of the manufacturing line, and realizes a distributed control process in which the control and management of each processing cell are performed in a distributed manner by the second hierarchical computer 156.

The first hierarchical computer 154 stores information necessary for controlling each processing cell in a database 157 in advance. Since each of the second-layer computers 156 and the first-layer computer 154 are linked by a data bus, each of the second-layer computers 156 has the attribute (drawing number, NC data name, order) of the rack carried to each processing cell. Is determined by referring to the database 157 via the data bus 155,
Each machining cell is controlled independently without a command from the first layer computer 154.

Since the distributed processing of control by such a hierarchical configuration is employed, real-time communication is not required between the first hierarchical computer 154 and the second hierarchical computer 156, and even if a new processing cell is newly added, the line management system 14 is not required.
There is no need to change the second program. Further, the load on the first tier computer 154 can be reduced due to the distributed processing.

Next, control of the automatic pallet knitting apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. A computer 156a for controlling and managing the pallet automatic knitting apparatus is connected to a first layer computer 154 for controlling and managing the entire system by a data bus.

When the reel-shaped chip component 95 is set in the cartridge 92, each bar code is read by the bar code reader 162, and the cartridge ID / component combination table 166 is stored in the file 164 of the computer 156a.

The knitting device control unit 158a includes the knitting robots 70 and 78 and the supply / discharge unit 7
2 and corresponds to a third-level control device. When the cartridge loading / unloading robot 70 stores a predetermined cartridge at a predetermined address of the parts warehouse 68a, 68b,
The shelf / cartridge management table 168 is registered in the file 164. By referring to the two tables 166 and 168, it is possible to recognize what parts are stored at predetermined addresses in the parts warehouses 68a and 68b.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above in detail, the present invention automatically knits parts to be mounted on a pallet in advance by a pallet automatic knitting device in accordance with a surveying order, and supplies the knitted pallet to a processing cell. As a result, efficient, high-mix low-volume production of printed wiring board units can be realized.

In addition, since the warehouse is provided along the transport path provided across each processing cell, processed products can be stored in the optimum location of the warehouse and quickly supplied to the processing cells, so the printed wiring board unit Productivity can be improved.

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Satomi Furukawa 1015 Uedanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Within Fujitsu Limited (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H05K 13/04 H05K 13/02

Claims (10)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plurality of processing equipment (30a, 30b, 30c) for performing various types of processing on a printed wiring board, a parts warehouse (68a, 68b) for storing electronic circuit parts, and an automatic knitting robot (70, 78). A pallet automatic knitting apparatus (28) for mounting predetermined electronic circuit components on a pallet (90) in a predetermined order; and the plurality of processing facilities (30a, 30b, 30c) and the pallet automatic knitting apparatus (28). ) Along the transport path (24a, 24
b) and the plurality of processing equipment (30) along the transport path (24a, 24b).
a, 30b, 30c) and warehouse means (20a, 20b) provided on the opposite side of the pallet automatic knitting apparatus (28), and travels on the transport path (24a, 24b), and 30a, 30b, 30c), the pallet automatic knitting device (28)
And a pallet (90) with the warehouse means (20a, 20b)
And / or a conveying means (26) for conveying a rack (3) accommodating a plurality of printed wiring boards, and a plurality of the processing equipment (30a, 30b, 30) according to a work plan.
c), Pallet automatic knitting device (28), warehouse means (20a, 20
b) and control means for controlling the transport means (26). 2. The host computer according to claim 1, further comprising: a first level host computer for managing the entire system while monitoring the operation status of the entire system;
54) and a data bus (155), and the plurality of processing equipment (30a, 30b, 30c), pallet automatic knitting device (2
8), the plurality of processing equipment (30a, 30b, 30) transmitting commands of the host computer (154) to these while monitoring the operation status of the warehouse means (20a, 20b) and the transport means (26).
c), Pallet automatic knitting device (28), warehouse means (20a, 20
2. The printed wiring board unit manufacturing system according to claim 1, comprising: b) and a plurality of second-level computers (156) provided for each transport means (26). 3. The storage means (20a, 20b) is arranged in two stages corresponding to the two-stage conveyance paths (24a, 24b), and the conveyance paths (24a, 24b) are arranged in two steps. Each of the transport paths (2
The printed wiring board unit manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein the transporting means (26a, 26b) travels on each of the printed wiring board units (4a, 24b). 4. The printed wiring board unit manufacturing system according to claim 3, wherein at least one transfer unit with lifter (22) is provided between said warehouse means (20a, 20b). 5. The electronic circuit component (95) includes a cartridge (92).
The printed wiring board unit manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein the printed wiring board unit is set on the pallet (90) while being stored in the parts warehouse (68a, 68b). 6. The automatic knitting apparatus (28) further includes a pallet supply / discharge means (72) for supplying and discharging pallets, and the automatic knitting robot stores the cartridge (92) in the parts warehouse (68a, 68b). The cartridge (92) is mounted on the pallet (90) supplied to a predetermined position by the pallet supply / discharge means (72), and the empty cartridge and halfway used. 6. The printed wiring board unit manufacturing system according to claim 5, further comprising a cartridge knitting robot (78) for taking out the cartridge from the pallet when the cartridge is mounted on the pallet (90). 7. A pallet automatic knitting device (28) for temporarily mounting a cartridge (92) for transferring a cartridge (92) between the cartridge loading / unloading robot (70) and the cartridge knitting robot (78). The printed wiring board unit manufacturing system according to claim 6, further comprising a delivery means (82). 8. A pallet and / or rack is supplied between the plurality of processing equipment (30a, 30b, 30c) and the transfer path (24a, 24b) to the processing equipment or discharged from the processing equipment. The printed wiring board unit manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein each of the discharging means is provided. 9. A method of manufacturing a printed wiring board unit for automatically mounting a desired electronic circuit component on a printed wiring board, wherein the electronic circuit component (95) provided with an identifier is similarly provided with the identifier. The cartridge (92) is set in advance, the identifiers of the electronic circuit components and the cartridge are read, and the set information is registered in the automatic knitting management computer (156a). ) Is stored in an arbitrary address of the parts warehouse (68a, 68b) and the address is registered in the automatic knitting management computer (156a), and the pallet (90) with the identifier is placed at a predetermined position of the automatic pallet knitting device (28). And the pallet identifier is registered in the automatic composition management computer (156a). The automatic knitting management computer (156a) creates a set position on the pallet and set part information for the positioned pallet (90) according to the stock information in the pallet, and based on the set position and the set part information. Automatic knitting robot (70,78) sets the corresponding cartridge (92) on the pallet (90) and knits the pallet automatically. The knitting completed pallet (90) is an automatic parts mounting machine (36a, 36b)
And the automatic parts mounting machine (36a, 36b) takes out the parts from the knitting pallet (90) and automatically mounts the parts at predetermined positions on the printed wiring board. Production method. 10. A rack (3) accommodating a knitting pallet (90) and a printed wiring board is stored in a warehouse (20a, 20a) as necessary.
10. The method for manufacturing a printed wiring board unit according to claim 9, wherein the data is temporarily stored at an arbitrary address in b).