JP6865346B2 - Electronic equipment assembly equipment and electronic equipment assembly method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic device assembling device and an electronic device assembling method for performing an assembling operation of mounting a mounted portion of a cable on a connector.

In electronic devices such as mobile terminals, flexible cables such as FPCs (hereinafter, simply abbreviated as "cables") for interconnecting functional modules such as display devices and circuit boards constituting the devices are often used. Then, in the assembly process of assembling these electronic devices, a connection operation is performed in which the attached portion of the cable is attached to the connector to be connected. This connection work has been done manually from before, but it is difficult to improve work efficiency because such connection work for cables is a complicated work that involves fine alignment, and this type of work Automation has been proposed (eg, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

In the prior art shown in Patent Document 1, the work of connecting the connector 3 provided on the cable 1 with a connector to the mating connector 6 provided on the member 5 such as a substrate is performed by two robots 10, the first robot 10 and the second robot 20. I try to do it by a robot. That is, with the cable 1 with a connector sandwiched and fixed by the first robot 10, the connector 3 is imaged by the first camera 31 provided by the second robot 20 to obtain the position and posture. Next, based on the obtained position detection result, the connector 3 is gripped by the second robot 20, and then the connector 3 and the mating connector 6 are imaged by the second camera 32 provided by the first robot 10, and these positions are determined. The connector 3 is connected to the mating connector 6 while acquiring the posture data and performing position correction based on these data.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-11580

By the way, when the electronic device to be connected is a type of electronic device used in an environment accompanied by shock or vibration such as a mobile terminal, prevent the connection part from loosening or disconnecting due to the shock or vibration. A connector with a locking mechanism is often used to ensure the reliability of the connection part. In the connection work, the connector is first attached with the lock mechanism released, and then the lock mechanism is enabled to prevent the cable from coming off the connector. In order to automate the assembly work of the electronic device having the connector provided with such a lock mechanism, it is necessary to automate the operation of the lock mechanism of the connector in addition to the cable attachment work. However, in the prior art including the prior art shown in the above-mentioned example of the patent document, it has been difficult to improve the work efficiency by automation for such a connector with a lock.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device assembling device and an electronic device assembling method capable of automating the assembling of an electronic device having a connector with a lock mechanism and improving work efficiency.

Electronic device assembly apparatus of the present invention, a cable holding tool for holding a cable, a connector locking tools used in order to release or enable the locking of the electronic device connector, said cable relative to the front Symbol electronic equipment A robot unit that relatively moves the holding tool and the connector lock tool, an operation of unlocking or enabling the connector by the connector lock tool by operating the robot unit, and holding by the cable holding tool. It was equipped with a control unit that executes the work of attaching the cable to the unlocked connector.

The electronic device assembly method of the present invention includes a cable holding tool for holding a cable, a connector lock tool used for unlocking or enabling a connector of the electronic device, and the cable holding tool for the electronic device. the electronic device assembly apparatus having a robot unit for relatively moving the connector locking tool, an electronic apparatus assembly method for attaching the mating attachment section of the cable to the connector of the electronic device, using said connector locking tool to unlock the connector, to hold the cable in the cable holding tool, wherein by moving the cable holding tool fitted with the mating attachment section of the cable to the connector of the electronic device, said connector locking The tool enables locking of the connector.

According to the present invention, it is possible to automate the assembly of an electronic device having a connector with a lock mechanism and improve work efficiency.

Perspective view of the electronic device assembly apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. A configuration explanatory view of a head portion incorporated in a robot portion of the electronic device assembly apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. Perspective view of an electronic device (before attaching a cable) to be worked on by the electronic device assembly device according to the embodiment of the present invention. Perspective view of the electronic device (after the cable is attached) to be worked on by the electronic device assembly device according to the embodiment of the present invention. Configuration explanatory view of the cable holding tool of the electronic device assembly apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention Functional explanatory view of the cable holding tool of the electronic device assembly apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. Schematic diagram of the shape of the chuck and the contact portion constituting the cable holding tool of the electronic device assembly device according to the embodiment of the present invention. Schematic diagram of the shape of the chuck and the contact portion constituting the cable holding tool of the electronic device assembly device according to the embodiment of the present invention. A block diagram showing a configuration of a control system of an electronic device assembly device according to an embodiment of the present invention. An operation explanatory view showing an electronic device assembly method according to an embodiment of the present invention. An operation explanatory view showing an electronic device assembly method according to an embodiment of the present invention. An operation explanatory view showing an electronic device assembly method according to an embodiment of the present invention. An operation explanatory view showing an electronic device assembly method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Explanatory drawing of image for position recognition of connector and cable in the electronic device assembly method of one Embodiment of this invention Configuration explanatory view of a modification of the cable holding tool of the electronic device assembly apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. Configuration explanatory view of a modification of the cable holding tool of the electronic device assembly apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the overall configuration of the electronic device assembly device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The electronic device assembly device 1 targets electronic devices 4 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) such as mobile terminals, and connects functional modules to each other by a strip-shaped cable such as a flexible printed circuit board. That is, the electronic device assembly device 1 has a function of automatically mounting a mounted portion formed at the other end of a band-shaped cable whose one end is previously connected to an electronic circuit to a connector of a circuit board.

In FIG. 1, a work stage 3 is provided on the upper surface 2a of the base 2, and the work stage 3 positions and holds the electronic device 4 to be worked. Here, the electronic device 4 to be worked on will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. Note that FIG. 3 shows a state before the cable is attached to the connector, and FIG. 4 shows a state in which the cable is attached to the connector.

In FIG. 3, the electronic device 4 is an in-vehicle electronic device provided with a display device, and the circuit board 12 which is the main body of the electronic device 4 is carried into the work stage 3 while being held by the handling board carrier 11. To. The circuit board 12 has a rectangular shape, and a plurality of electronic components 12a are mounted on the upper surface of the circuit board 12. On one side of the circuit board 12, a strip-shaped cable 15 having one end 15a connected to an electronic circuit (not shown) provided on the circuit board 12 is arranged with the other end 15b facing upward. It is installed.

A connector 13 is provided at a position facing the side to which the cable 15 is connected on the mounting surface of the circuit board 12. A mounted portion 15c (see FIG. 12) formed on the other end 15b on the opposite side of one end 15a of the cable 15 is mounted on the connector 13. In the connector 13, a terminal row for connection is formed on the terminal surface 13b (see FIG. 11) on the bottom surface of the mounting portion 13a on which the mounted portion 15c is mounted, and the mounted portion 15c is inserted into the connector 13. In the mounted state, the wiring pattern 15d (see FIG. 12) formed on the mounted portion 15c comes into contact with these terminal rows.

The connector 13 includes a swing portion 14 (see also FIG. 11) that constitutes a lock mechanism in order to prevent the mounted portion 15c from falling off. The swing portion 14 is provided so as to swing with respect to the connector 13 so as to be openable and closable. In a state where the electronic device 4 is carried into the work stage 3 before the mounted portion 15c is mounted on the connector 13, FIG. As shown, the swing portion 14 is pushed down and the lock is in an effective state.

When the mounted portion 15c is mounted on the connector 13, the connector mounting work is performed with the swing portion 14 standing upright and unlocked. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, after the mounted portion 15c is mounted on the connector 13, the lock is enabled again. That is, the swing portion 14 is pushed down to close the state, and the mounted portion 15c is pressed by the swing portion 14 to prevent it from falling off.

In FIG. 1, the work stage 3 can be raised and lowered and rotated in a horizontal plane. In the work of attaching the cable 15 for which the electronic device 4 is to be worked, the work stage 3 is raised and lowered to raise and lower the electronic device. 4 is positioned at a predetermined working height. Further, by rotating the work stage 3, the side of the electronic device 4 provided with the cable 15 to be worked is aligned with a predetermined work position by the robot unit 5 described below.

A corner post 2b is erected at the corner portion of the upper surface 2a of the base 2, and a horizontal pedestal 2c is erected at the upper end portion of the corner post 2b. An operation panel 10 provided with a touch panel is arranged on the side surface of the gantry 2c. The instruction input for the operation and the operation instruction for the robot unit 5 is executed by the touch operation input via the operation panel 10. The operation panel 10 has a display function, and a notification when an abnormality or a malfunction occurs in the cable mounting operation by the electronic device assembly device 1 is displayed on the operation panel 10. Regarding the coordinate system of the electronic device assembly device 1, the horizontal direction to the left and right when viewed from the front of the electronic device assembly device is the X axis, and the axes orthogonal to the X axis in the front-rear direction are the Y axis, the X axis, and the Y axis up and down. The axis orthogonal to the direction is defined as the Z axis.

On the lower surface of the gantry 2c, a fixed base portion 6 incorporating a drive mechanism for the robot portion 5 described below is arranged. The fixed base portion 6 contains six servo drive mechanisms that operate individually, and each servo drive mechanism individually drives six link members 7 extending downward from the fixed base portion 6. The lower end of the link member 7 is connected to the base portion 8. In the above configuration, the fixed base portion 6, the link member 7, and the base portion 8 constitute the robot portion 5.

Here, the robot unit 5 is a 6-DOF parallel link robot having 6 link members 7 that operate individually, and the lower end portions of the 6 link members 7 extending downward from the fixed base unit 6 are The cable 15 is coupled to the base portion 8 of the head portion 9 which is a work unit for executing the attachment work of attaching the cable 15 to the connector 13. As shown in FIG. 2, the link member 7 is connected to the base portion 8 via the universal joint 7a, and with this configuration, the robot portion 5 can cause the base portion 8 to perform a movement operation with 6 degrees of freedom. It has become.

A cable holding tool 20 and a connector lock tool 30 are attached to the base portion 8 moved by the robot portion 5, and further, an imaging unit 40 and an illumination 46 are provided. The cable holding tool 20 has a function of holding the cable 15 to be attached to the connector 13, and the connector lock tool 30 is used to release or enable the locking mechanism provided by the connector 13. ..

By moving the base portion 8 by the robot portion 5, the cable holding tool 20 and the connector lock tool 30 can be relatively moved with respect to the electronic device 4 held on the work stage 3. In the mounting work of mounting the mounted portion 15c of the cable 15 to the connector 13, the robot unit 5, the cable holding tool 20, and the connector lock tool 30 are operated by the control unit 51 (see FIG. 9).

That is, the control unit 51 executes the work of mounting the mounted portion 15c of the cable 15 on the connector 13 by operating the robot unit 5. In this connector mounting work, the control unit 51 operates the robot unit 5 to unlock or enable the connector 13 with the connector lock tool 30, and the cable 15 held by the cable holding tool 20 is locked. The work of attaching to the connector 13 which has been released is executed.

The robot unit 5 and the cable holding tool 20 form a cable mounting mechanism that holds the cable 15 and mounts it on the connector 13. Further, the robot unit 5 and the connector lock tool 30 form a lock operation mechanism for unlocking or enabling the lock of the connector 13. In the present embodiment, the cable holding tool 20 and the connector lock tool 30 are moved by the common robot unit 5, but the cable holding tool 20 and the connector lock tool 30 are moved by individual drive mechanisms. It may be.

The detailed configuration of the cable holding tool 20 will be described. In the base portion 8 shown in FIG. 2, an opening 8a is provided at the drive center indicating the center position of the plurality of universal joints 7a. An L-shaped bracket 25 is connected to the lower surface in the vicinity of the side end portion separated to the right from the opening 8a by a bent-shaped stopper 26. The cable holding tool 20 is held on the lower surface of the fixing member 25a extending in the horizontal direction in the bracket 25. The cable holding tool 20 includes a pair of chucks 23 that are opened and closed by the actuator 24 and a cable suction portion 21 that is coupled to the lower surface of the actuator 24.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the actuator 24 is coupled to the lower surface of the fixing member 25a, whereby the cable holding tool 20 is fixedly held on the lower surface side of the base portion 8. A chuck 23 is attached to each of the pair of moving arms 24a extending laterally from the actuator 24. By driving the actuator 24, the moving arm 24a moves together with the chuck 23 in the opening / closing direction (arrow a direction).

A contact portion 22 provided at the tip of the connecting portion 21a extending from the cable suction portion 21 is located between the pair of chucks 23. When the contact portion 22 contacts one side (upper surface) of the cable 15 (see FIG. 12), the cable 15 can be held by the cable holding tool 20. Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, by driving the actuator 24, the chuck 23 moves in a direction away from the contact portion 22 (arrow b).

The detailed shapes of the contact portion 22 and the chuck 23 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 7A, the lower surface of the contact portion 22 is a contact surface 22a that contacts one side of the cable 15, and the contact surface 22a is a suction surface that communicates with the vacuum suction hole 22c. The opening 22b is open. The vacuum suction hole 22c is connected to a vacuum suction source (not shown) via a suction path provided inside the cable suction portion 21, and the vacuum suction hole 22c is formed in a state where the cable 15 is in contact with the contact surface 22a. By vacuum suctioning the inside of the suction opening 22b via the contact portion 22, the contact portion 22 holds the cable 15 by vacuum suction.

Therefore, the suction opening 22b communicating with the vacuum suction hole 22c is a suction portion that holds one side of the cable 15 in contact with the contact portion 22 by vacuum suction. The suction portion is formed on the contact surface 22a of the contact portion 22, and the pair of chucks 23 are arranged at positions sandwiching the contact portion 22. By arranging the contact surface 22a between the chucks 23 that sandwich the cable 15 from the width direction in this way, the cable 15 can be stably held.

Both side surfaces 22d of the contact portion 22 and the inner side surface 23c of the chuck 23 can be brought into contact with each other, and a protruding portion 23b having a triangular cross section protruding inward is provided at the lower end portion of the inner side surface 23c. By driving the actuator 24 to operate the pair of chucks 23 in the closing direction as shown in FIG. 6B, the contact portion with the inner surface 23c of the chuck 23 as shown in FIG. 7A. The side surfaces 22d of 22 are in a state of approaching or directly contacting each other with a predetermined fine gap.

In this state, the inner side surfaces 23c of the pair of chucks 23 come into contact with the contact surfaces 22a and abut on both end faces of the cable 15 which is attracted and held, and sandwiches the cable 15 in the width direction. As a result, the position of the cable 15 in the width direction with respect to the suction opening 22b is restricted. That is, the pair of chucks 23 that sandwich the cable 15 in the width direction are the width direction regulating portion that regulates the position in the width direction with respect to the suction opening 22b (suction portion) of the cable 15 that contacts the contact surface 22a of the contact portion 22. It has become. In this configuration, the pair of chucks 23 can be opened and closed by the actuator 24, and as shown in FIGS. 6 (b) and 7 (a), the pair of chucks 23 operate in the closing direction to each other. The position of the cable 15 in the width direction is regulated when the distance is short.

In this state, as shown in FIG. 7B, the lower surface 23a of the chuck 23 projects downward from the contact surface 22a of the contact portion 22 by a predetermined protruding dimension d, and the protruding portion causes the cable. The both side ends of 15 are sandwiched. Here, the protruding dimension d of the pair of chucks 23 from the contact portion 22 is appropriately set in the range of 1 to 3 times the thickness t of the cable 15. In the configuration in which the cable 15 is sandwiched by the protruding portions of the chuck 23 in this way, since the protruding portion 23b protruding from the inner side surface 23c to the contact portion 22 side is formed on the lower surface 23a, the cable 15 is sandwiched by the pair of chucks 23. It is possible to prevent the cable 15 in the loose state from falling off downward.

In the chuck 23 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, an example is shown in which a protrusion 23b having a lower surface 23a protruding toward the contact portion 22 is formed at the lower end of the inner side surface 23c, but such a protrusion 23b is not always present. Not required. That is, as in the chuck 23A shown in FIG. 8, the lower end portion of the inner side surface 23c may have a smooth shape. Also in this example, the lower surface 23a of the chuck 23A projects downward from the contact surface 22a of the contact portion 22 by a predetermined protruding dimension d, and both side ends of the cable 15 are sandwiched by the protruding portions. Here, the protruding dimension d of the pair of chucks 23 from the contact portion 22 is appropriately set in the range of 1 to 3 times the thickness t of the cable 15 as in the examples shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. ..

Next, the configuration of the connector lock tool 30 will be described. In FIG. 2, a shaft portion 33 extending diagonally downward in the outward direction is fixed to the lower surface of the base portion 8 on the left end side via a stopper 34. A rectangular block-shaped tip portion 31 is attached to the tip of the shaft portion 33, and claws 32 are projected from both side ends of the tip portion 31. The shaft portion 33, the tip portion 31, and the claw 32 constitute a connector lock tool 30 used to unlock or enable the lock of the connector 13.

As described above, the lock mechanism provided by the connector 13 fixes the mounted portion 15c to the connector 13 by opening and closing the swing portion 14 provided on the connector 13 so as to be retractable by using the connector lock tool 30. It is designed to be unlocked. In order to unlock the connector 13 in which the swing portion 14 is pushed down in the connector 13 and the lock is enabled, the robot portion 5 is operated, and the lower surface of the swing portion 14 in the closed state when the swing portion 14 is pushed down and the connector 13 are operated. A claw 32 is inserted into the gap between the two, and the shaft portion 33 is moved in this state to erect the swing portion 14 by the claw 32 (see FIG. 10B).

To re-enable the lock after releasing the lock, the tip portion 31 is brought into contact with the upright swing portion 14 from the upper surface side, and the swing portion 14 is pushed down by the tip portion 31 (FIG. 13 (d)). )reference). That is, the connector lock tool 30 has a tip portion 31 that pushes down the swing portion 14, and a claw 32 that is used to raise the swing portion 14. In the present embodiment, a plurality of claws 32 are provided on the tip portion 31. It is composed.

In the bracket 41 erected near the opening 8a on the upper surface of the base portion 8, the imaging unit 40 including the optical lens unit 42 and the camera 43 is arranged in a downward posture with the imaging optical axis 43a aligned with the drive center. Has been done. The cable 15 held by the cable holding tool 20 is captured by the imaging unit 40 in a state where the robot unit 5 is operated and the head unit 9 is positioned above the electronic device 4 held by the work stage 3. The image of the mounted portion 15c and the image of the connector 13 mounted on the circuit board 12 can be acquired.

On the lower surface side of the base portion 8, a support member 44 is erected below in an arrangement surrounding the opening 8a. A lighting holding plate 45 corresponding to the outer shape of the electronic device 4 is held at the lower end of the support member 44, and a lighting 46 made of a light emitting body such as an LED is mounted on the lower surface of the lighting holding plate 45. .. When the image pickup unit 40 takes an image, the illumination 46 is turned on to illuminate the cable 15 and the connector 13 to be imaged. That is, the electronic device assembly device 1 has a configuration in which the base portion 8 of the head portion 9 is provided with an image pickup unit 40 for detecting the mounted portion 15c of the cable 15 and an illumination 46.

The cable holding tool 20 and the connector lock tool 30 are arranged so as to face each other with the imaging optical axis 43a of the camera 43 of the imaging unit 40 interposed therebetween. With such an arrangement, it is possible to image both the cable 15 held by the cable holding tool 20 by the common imaging unit 40 and the connector 13 to be locked by the connector lock tool 30.

Next, the configuration of the control system of the electronic device assembly device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 9, the control unit 51 is connected to the robot unit 5, the work stage 3, the imaging unit 40 (camera), the lighting 46, the actuator 24 (cable holding tool 20), the operation panel 10, and the notification unit 55.

When the control unit 51 controls the robot unit 5, the work stage 3, and the actuator 24 of the cable holding tool 20, the cable mounting operation shown in FIGS. 10 to 14 is executed. That is, in the above-mentioned control process, the control unit 51 activates the robot unit 5 to unlock or enable the connector 13 by the connector lock tool 30, and locks the cable 15 held by the cable holding tool 20. The work of attaching to the connector 13 which has been released is executed.

In the execution process of this work, the control unit 51 controls the image pickup unit 40 and the illumination 46 to execute the image pickup process for detecting the positions of the mounted portion 15c of the cable 15 and the connector 13. Operation commands for executing these processes are input via the operation panel 10, whereby the control unit 51 executes a predetermined control process. The notification unit 55 performs a process of displaying a notification when an abnormality or a defect occurs in the execution process of the cable mounting operation by the electronic device assembly device 1 on the operation panel 10.

Further, the control unit 51 includes a cable position detection unit 52, a connector position detection unit 53, and a connector status confirmation unit 54 as internal control processing functions. The image pickup unit 40, the cable position detection unit 52, the connector position detection unit 53, and the connector state confirmation unit 54 constitute an image recognition system included in the electronic device assembly device 1, and have the functions described below.

The cable position detection unit 52 detects the position of the mounted portion 15c based on the recognition screen in which the mounted portion 15c of the cable 15 held by the cable holding tool 20 is imaged by the imaging unit 40. Similarly, the connector position detection unit 53 detects the position of the connector 13 based on the recognition screen in which the connector 13 to be mounted is imaged by the image pickup unit 40. In the cable mounting operation for mounting the mounted portion 15c to the connector 13, the control unit 51 controls the movement of the cable holding tool 20 by the robot unit 5 based on the position detection results of the mounted portion 15c and the connector 13. The connector state confirmation unit 54 performs a process of confirming the state of the lock mechanism provided in the connector 13 based on the image obtained by the image pickup unit 40 of the connector 13.

Then, the connector state confirmation unit 54 confirms the locked state of the connector 13 before the attached portion 15c of the cable 15 is attached, and as a result of the confirmation, the lock is effective or the work of attaching the attached portion 15c is hindered. When it is determined that the state is in the state, the control unit 51 stops the work of attaching the attached portion 15c of the cable 15 to the connector 13, and the notification unit 55 notifies the operator to that effect. Further, the connector state confirmation unit 54 confirms the locked state of the connector 13 to which the attached portion 15c of the cable 15 is attached, and as a result of the confirmation, when it is determined that the lock is not in an effective state. , The control unit 51 notifies the operator to that effect by the notification unit 55.

As described above, the electronic device assembly device 1 shown in the present embodiment has a function of mounting the mounted portion 15c of the strip-shaped cable 15 on the connector 13 of the electronic device 4 held on the work stage 3. There is a cable holding tool 20 that holds the cable 15, a robot unit 5 that moves the cable holding tool 20 relative to the electronic device 4 held on the work stage 3, and a cable by operating the robot unit 5. It is configured to include a control unit 51 that mounts the mounted portion 15c of 15 to the connector 13.

In the above configuration, the cable holding tool 20 includes a contact portion 22 that contacts one side of the cable 15 and a suction opening 22b as a suction portion that vacuum sucks and holds one side of the cable 15 that contacts the contact portion 22. It is configured to have a pair of chucks 23 as width direction regulating parts that regulate the position of the cable 15 in contact with the contact part 22 with respect to the suction part. With such a configuration, the cable 15 having low rigidity and easily bending can be stably held with high position accuracy. Therefore, even when the cable 15 having such characteristics is targeted, the connection work to the connector 13 can be automated by the equipment having a simple configuration, and the work efficiency can be improved.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 10 to 14, the cable mounting operation by the electronic device assembly device 1 having the above configuration will be described. In this cable mounting work, the mounted portion 15c provided on the other end 15b of the strip-shaped cable 15 in which one end 15a is connected to the electronic circuit and the root portion close to the one end 15a stands upward is used as an electronic device. This corresponds to an electronic device assembly method that is automatically attached to the connector 13 of 4.

FIG. 10A shows the state of the electronic device 4 before executing the cable mounting operation. That is, the cable 15 to be the target of the cable mounting work is in a state in which one end 15a is connected to an electronic circuit (not shown) formed on the circuit board 12 in the electronic device 4, and the root portion close to the one end 15a. 15 * stands above the edge of the circuit board 12 and faces the other end 15b upward. At this time, the posture of the cable 15 in a state of standing up from the circuit board 12 is not constant according to the degree of deformation of the cable 15, and as shown in FIG. 10A, the posture and position of the cable 15 in the air There are variations.

FIG. 10B shows the unlocking of the connector 13 executed at the start of the cable mounting operation. That is, in the electronic device 4 in the state of being carried onto the work stage 3 in the electronic device assembly device 1, the connector 13 is in a state in which the swing portion 14 is tilted and the lock is enabled. Therefore, at the start of the cable mounting work, the connector lock tool 30 is used to raise the swing portion 14 in the collapsed state of the connector 13 to release the lock.

To release this lock, first, the robot unit 5 is operated to move the connector lock tool 30 fixed to the base unit 8 (arrow d), and the tip portion 31 is lateral to the connector 13 to be unlocked. To be located in. At this time, as shown in FIG. 10B, first, the tip portion 31 is positioned at the end portion on the open side when the swing portion 14 swings in the connector 13 (see the tip portion 31 shown by the broken line). Next, the shaft portion 33 is moved diagonally upward with the claw 32 inserted into the gap between the lower surface of the swing portion 14 and the connector 13 (arrow e). As a result, the swing portion 14 is swung so that the end portion on the open side stands up by the claw 32 that moves together with the shaft portion 33, and the lock of the connector 13 is released.

Next, the cable mounting operation of mounting the mounted portion 15c of the cable 15 on the connector 13 in the unlocked state is executed. Here, first, the robot unit 5 is operated to move the cable holding tool 20 as shown in FIG. 11A (arrow f), and the cable holding tool 20 is moved with respect to the root portion 15 * of the cable 15 in the standing posture. The contact portion 22 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) and the chuck 23 are brought close to each other. At this time, the pair of chucks 23 provided by the cable holding tool 20 are in an open state, and the root portion 15 * can be guided between the pair of chucks 23.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11B, the contact portion 22 of the cable holding tool 20 is brought into contact with the root portion 15 * of the cable 15 to hold the intermediate portion of the cable 15. Then, the cable holding tool 20 is further brought closer to the connector 13, and the cable 15 is pushed down toward the connector 13 (arrow g). In this process, the cable 15 is attracted between the pair of chucks 23 and follows the contact surface 22a of the contact portion 22. That is, as shown in FIG. 12A, the cable 15 is guided between the pair of chucks 23 in the open state, and the upper surface of the cable 15 is brought into contact with the contact surface 22a (see FIG. 6) of the contact portion 22 to imitate. Let me know.

Next, the actuator 24 is driven to move the pair of chucks 23 in the closing direction (arrow i) as shown in FIG. 12 (b), and both end portions of the cable 15 are sandwiched by the chucks 23 and positioned in the width direction. To regulate. At the same time, the cable 15 is vacuum-sucked and held by the suction opening 22b formed on the lower surface 23a of the contact portion 22. At this time, the other end 15b of the cable 15 is in a state of protruding from the chuck 23 by the first protruding length L1. The first protrusion length L1 individually varies depending on the degree of deformation of the cable 15 in the state shown in FIG.

Then, the cable 15 pushed down in FIG. 11B is sucked and held by the suction opening 22b of the contact surface 22a provided by the cable holding tool 20, and as shown in FIG. 11C, the cable holding tool 20 is in this state. Is moved relative to the connector 13 (arrow h). At this time, the other end 15b of the cable 15 is in a state of protruding from the chuck 23 by the above-mentioned first protrusion length L1.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13A, the cable holding tool 20 is moved with respect to the connector 13 (arrow k), and the other end portion 15b of the cable 15 is temporarily positioned with respect to the connector 13. This temporary positioning is performed while adjusting the position of the cable holding tool 20 so that the other end 15b of the cable 15 is located at the same time as the connector 13 in the imaging range where the camera 43 can take an image.

Here, the protrusion length L2 and the stop position of the cable holding tool 20 are set in advance so that the other end portion 15b is located in the above-mentioned imaging range. In this temporary positioning, as shown in FIG. 12 (c), the cable holding tool 20 is moved while sliding the suction holding surface of the cable 15 by the contact surface 22a so that such a protruding length L2 is realized. Let (arrow j). That is, while holding the cable 15 with the cable holding tool 20, the cable holding tool 20 is slid relative to the cable 15 to bring the cable holding tool 20 closer to the other end 15b of the cable 15.

Next, in this state, a recognition process for aligning the connector 13 and the other end 15b is performed. That is, the other end 15b of the cable 15 temporarily positioned with the connector 13 is imaged by the camera 43 of the image recognition system included in the electronic device assembly device 1. As a result, the recognition image 40a shown in FIG. 14 is acquired. In the recognition image 40a, the chuck 23 of the cable holding tool 20 holding the cable 15 mounted on the connector 13 together with the image of the connector 13 before the cable mounting in which the swing portion 14 constituting the lock mechanism is opened. An image of the tip of the cable in a plan view appears. In the recognition image 40a, since the positional relationship between the image pickup unit 40 and the cable holding tool 20 is fixed, the chuck 23 always appears at a fixed position that coincides with the image frame direction.

On the other hand, the mounted portion 15c of the cable 15 held by the chuck 23 shows some misalignment due to a position error in the holding operation or the like. Further, the connector 13 is also in a misaligned state due to a position holding error of the electronic device 4 in the work stage 3, a position error of the connector 13 in the electronic device 4, and the like. That is, the relative positional relationship between the connector 13 and the mounted portion 15c mounted on the connector 13 varies depending on the connector 13 to be mounted.

Therefore, when the mounted portion 15c is inserted into the mounting portion 13a of the connector 13 and mounted, the recognition image 40a shown in FIG. 14 is recognized by the cable position detection unit 52 and the connector position detection unit 53 constituting the image recognition system. By processing, the position correction data for correcting such a variation of the relative positional relationship is acquired.

That is, the relative positional relationship between the connector 13 and the cable 15 captured by the above-mentioned image recognition system is obtained. Specifically, the positions of the recognition points R1 and R2 for detecting the position of the mounted portion 15c are obtained, and the midpoint of the recognition points R1 and R2 is set as the representative point PM1 indicating the position of the mounted portion 15c. Further, the positions of the recognition points R3, R4, and R5 for detecting the position of the connector 13 are obtained, and the midpoint of the recognition points R4 and R5 is set as the representative point PM2 indicating the position of the connector 13.

After that, the cable 15 is attached to the connector 13. That is, based on the positional relationship obtained by the above recognition process, the cable holding tool 20 is moved relative to the connector 13, and the mounted portion 15c of the other end 15b is mounted on the connector 13. In this mounting operation, the cable holding tool 20 holding the cable 15 is aligned so that the respective representative points PM1 and PM2 have an appropriate positional relationship. That is, as shown in FIG. 13B, the cable holding tool 20 is moved (arrow m), and the mounted portion 15c of the cable 15 is inserted into the mounting portion 13a of the connector 13 of the electronic device 4 from a slightly oblique direction. .. At this time, the swing portion 14 is in an upright open state and does not interfere with the insertion of the mounted portion 15c.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13 (c), the posture of the cable holding tool 20 is adjusted (arrow n) so that the mounted portion 15c is in the horizontal posture on the terminal surface 13b of the connector 13 (see FIG. 11 (a)). , The wiring pattern 15d (see FIG. 12A) formed on the mounted portion 15c is brought into contact with the mounting portion 15c. After the cable 15 is attached to the connector 13 in this way, an operation for enabling the lock of the cable 15 in the connector 13 is performed.

That is, as shown in FIG. 13D, the connector lock tool 30 is brought close to the connector 13 to be locked (arrow o). Then, the tip portion 31 of the connector lock tool 30 is brought into contact with the swing portion 14 in the upright state from above, and the swing portion 14 is pushed down. As a result, the mounted portion 15c mounted on the mounting portion 13a is pressed by the swing portion 14 to prevent the cable 15 from falling off from the connector 13.

In the above-mentioned electronic device assembly method, when the cable 15 held by the cable holding tool 20 is attached to the connector 13, the cable holding tool 20 is moved relative to the connector 13 to move the other end of the cable 15. The 15b is temporarily positioned with respect to the connector 13, and the relative positional relationship between the connector 13 and the other end 15b of the cable 15 temporarily positioned is obtained based on the image captured by the image recognition system. Although the cable holding tool 20 is moved with respect to the connector 13 based on the above, these work operations are not always indispensable, and the position accuracy of the cable 15 and the connector 13 to be worked and the degree of allowable position error are required. It is also possible to omit these depending on the working conditions such as.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the cable 15 to be worked on is a band-shaped cable 15 in which the root portion 15 * near one end portion 15a stands above, but this condition is not always essential. , The intermediate portion of the cable 15 may be held by the cable holding tool 20.

As described above, the electronic device assembling method described above is used in the electronic device assembling device 1 in which the mounted portion 15c of the cable 15 is attached to the connector 13 of the electronic device 4 by the electronic device assembling device 1 having the above configuration. For the electronic device 4 carried in, first unlock the connector 13 using the connector lock tool 30, then hold the cable 15 with the cable holding tool 20, and move the cable holding tool 20 to move the cable 15. The mounted portion 15c is mounted on the connector 13 of the electronic device 4, and the connector lock tool 30 is used to enable the lock of the connector 13.

In the electronic device assembly device 1 having the above configuration, the cable holding tool 20 and the connector lock tool 30 are attached to the base portion 8 moved by the robot unit 5. In the electronic device assembly method described above, the connector 13 is locked. The operation from the release to the activation is executed by the robot unit 5. With such a configuration, it is possible to automate the assembly of the electronic device 4 having the connector 13 with the lock mechanism and improve the work efficiency.

Further, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, a pair of chucks 23 arranged so as to sandwich the contact portion 22 as a configuration of the width direction restricting portion that regulates the position of the cable 15 in contact with the contact portion 22 in the width direction. Although the configuration example in which the cable is opened and closed by the actuator 24 is shown, the width direction regulating portion may be configured without using the chuck 23 that performs the opening / closing operation as in the modified example shown in FIGS. 15 and 16.

The contact portion 27 shown in FIG. 15 (a) has the same function as the contact portion 22 in FIG. That is, the lower surface of the contact portion 27 is provided with a contact surface 27a that contacts and holds one side of the cable 15 in the cable mounting operation by the cable holding tool 20, and the contact surface 27a is attracted in communication with the vacuum suction hole 27c. The opening 27b is open. The contact portion 27 holds the cable 15 by vacuum suction by vacuum suctioning the inside of the suction opening 27b through the vacuum suction hole 27c with the cable 15 in contact with the contact surface 27a. Therefore, the suction opening 27b communicating with the vacuum suction hole 27c is a suction portion that holds one side of the cable 15 in contact with the contact portion 27 by vacuum suction. The suction portion is formed on the contact surface 27a of the contact portion 27.

As shown in FIG. 15A, a pair of projecting portions 27d projecting downward from the contact surface 27a is provided at the side end portion of the contact surface 27a. The inner side surfaces 27e of the protrusions 27d are provided in parallel, and the distance b1 between the side surfaces 27e shown in FIG. 16A is determined based on the widthwise dimension of the cable 15 to be held. As a result, as shown in FIG. 15B, the positions of the end faces on both sides of the cable 15 to be held can be regulated by the side surface 27e.

That is, in the embodiment shown here, the pair of projecting portions 27d projecting from the contact surface 27a is a width direction regulating portion that regulates the position in the width direction of the cable 15 in contact with the contact portion 22. It is sufficient that at least a part of each side surface 27e of the pair of projecting portions 27d is parallel in one direction (longitudinal direction of the cable 15), and the side surfaces 27e are not necessarily provided in parallel over the entire range of the contact surface 27a. No need.

At the one end of the vacuum suction hole 27c in the contact portion 27, a tapered surface 27f having an opening dimension b2 having a dimension between the side surfaces 27e on the end surface larger than the distance b1 is formed. The tapered surface 27f has a function as an introduction portion that guides the cable 15 to the holding position when the cable 15 is held by the contact portion 27.

That is, when holding the cable 15 by the contact portion 27, first, the introduction portion on which the tapered surface 27f is formed on the contact surface 27a is brought close to one side (suction holding surface) of the cable 15, and the side of the cable 15 is held by the tapered surface 27f. The cable 15 is brought into contact with the entire range of the contact surface 27a while guiding the end surface. Also in this case, as shown in FIG. 16B, the protruding dimension d of the contact portion 27 of the pair of protruding portions 27d from the contact surface 27a is in the range of 1 to 3 times the thickness t of the cable 15. Select from and set. Even when the contact portion 27 having such a configuration is used, the thin and easily flexible cable 15 can be stably held with high position accuracy, and the same effect as that of the examples shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 can be obtained. ..

The electronic device assembling device and the electronic device assembling method of the present invention have an effect that the assembly of an electronic device having a connector with a lock mechanism can be automated to improve work efficiency, and an assembly in which a cable is attached to the connector. It is useful in the field of assembling electronic devices for work.

1 Electronic equipment assembly device 3 Work stage 4 Electronic equipment 5 Robot part 8 Base part 13 Connector 14 Swing part 15 Cable 15a One end part 15b Other end part 15c Mounted part 20 Cable holding tool 21 Cable suction part 22 Contact part 22a Contact surface 22b Suction opening 23 Chuck 27 Contact part 27a Contact surface 27d Protruding part 30 Connector lock tool 31 Tip part 32 Claw

Claims (8)

And the cable holding tool that holds the cable,
A connector lock tool used to unlock or enable connectors on electronic devices,
A robot unit for relatively moving the connector locking tool and the cable holding tool to the front Symbol electronic devices,
A control unit that executes the work of unlocking or enabling the connector by the connector lock tool by operating the robot unit and the work of attaching the cable held by the cable holding tool to the unlocked connector. And, equipped with electronic equipment assembly equipment. The electronic device assembling device according to claim 1, wherein the cable holding tool and the connector lock tool are attached to a base portion moved by the robot portion. The electronic device assembling device according to claim 2, wherein the base portion includes an imaging unit for detecting a cable-attached portion and illumination. The connector has a swing portion that constitutes a locking mechanism for the locking.
The connector lock tool has a tip portion for pushing down the swing portion and a claw used for raising the swing portion.
The electronic device assembling device according to claim 1, wherein the claw is formed at the tip end portion. The electronic device assembly device according to claim 1, wherein the robot unit is a parallel link robot. The electronic device assembly device according to claim 5, wherein the parallel link robot is a 6-DOF type. Cable holding tool to hold the cable and
A connector lock tool used to unlock or enable connectors on electronic devices,
The electronic device assembly apparatus having a robot unit for relatively moving the connector locking tool and the cable holding tool against the electronic device, the electronic device assembly for mounting the mating attachment section of the cable to the connector of the electronic device It ’s a method,
Unlock of the connector using the connector lock tool,
To hold the cable in the cable holding tool,
It said cable holding tool is moved by mounting the mating attachment section of the cable to the connector of the electronic device,
An electronic device assembly method that enables locking of the connector with the connector lock tool. The cable holding tool and the connector lock tool are attached to a base portion moved by the robot portion.
The electronic device assembly method according to claim 7, wherein the operation from unlocking the connector to enabling the connector is executed by the robot unit.

Images