JPH05223894A - Printed circuit board unit testing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make effective operation and provide a high rate of service time by furnishing a load absorbing buffer for temporarily accommodating a printed board units overflowed from the line, and treating the test load dispersedly with a plurality of testing machines. CONSTITUTION:A printed board unit 1 is carried onto a jig 2 by a transporting mechanism. At this time, bar-code to show the sort of item is read by a BCR 4, and if the type is such as to allow testing by this testing machine, a vacuum pump 5 is driven, and the unit 1 is attracted on and held by the jig 2. This generates contacting of a certain specific point on the unit 1 with a test probe, and it is possible to take out signal to the by 3 of testing machine. In this condition, the unit 1 is tested. When the test is completed, the pump 5 is stopped, and the unit 1 is released and carried out. If the test result at this time is 'fail', a control of exhausting the unit to a failed unit stocker 6 is executed, and if 'pass', the unit is exhausted from an exhaust lifter 11 via an acceptable unit path.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printed board unit test system for automatically testing a large number of printed board units that are continuously conveyed.

When it is possible to test various kinds of printed board units having different board sizes and component arrangements by a single testing machine, precise and movement for probing to an arbitrary signal point of the printed board unit on the jig. A flexible autohandler was needed. The present invention provides a printed circuit board unit testing system having an efficient and flexible auto-handler mechanism.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally considered as an automatic handler for a printed board unit is a combination of a loader and an unloader for feeding and discharging the printed board unit and an articulated robot for attaching and detaching to and from a connector. The system type is general. Many of the problems with these schemes are in the method for tracking line changes.

For example, a loader and an unloader require a magazine for accommodating a printed board unit.
Since this magazine depends on the size of the printed board unit, it is necessary to prepare the magazine for each size of the printed board unit. Further, it is necessary to change the shape of the jig required for connecting the printed board unit and the test circuit, and change the points of the auto handler when changing the set position of the printed board unit.

Furthermore, since the conventional auto-handler is usually of the three-dimensional operation type, there is a problem that it takes a heavy load and a long time to set the numerical data for controlling the operation.

Most of the testers for printed board units equipped with such an auto handler are operated in batch processing. In that case, the printed board unit is stored in a magazine and transported between the facilities of each process. There is also a method of connecting the equipments with a belt conveyor, but if it is possible to handle many kinds of printed board units, the positioning mechanism of the printed board units becomes complicated. In addition, complicated work is required to cope with the difference in capacity between facilities.

Further, if the process or equipment of the line is changed, it is necessary to modify the control software and the management software, but in the past, if the work was time-consuming, the operation rate of the entire line tended to be lowered.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is to realize a printed board unit test system capable of flexibly and easily adapting to various kinds of printed board units and enabling efficient operation and high operating rate. It is an object.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a printed board unit test system in which the autohandler of the tester has a simple structure for uniaxial operation, and therefore, instead of connection by a connector which requires complicated movement, The pins of the test probe are applied to the necessary points on the back surface of the printed board unit, and such a test machine is standardized so that one test line can be configured with an arbitrary number of units, and equipment for other processes is also installed. In order to absorb the difference in performance between the above and the above, a load absorbing buffer for temporarily storing the printed circuit board unit overflowing from the line is provided in combination.

FIG. 1 shows the basic configuration of the present invention. Figure 1
2A shows the basic configuration of the tester according to the present invention, and FIG. 1B shows the overall configuration of a printed board unit test system including a plurality of testers of FIG.

In the figure, 1 is a printed board unit to be tested. 2 is a jig having a test probe mechanism.

Reference numeral 3 is a tester body for testing the printed board unit 1. A bar code reader BCR 4 reads a bar code representing the type of the printed board unit 1.

Reference numeral 5 is a vacuum pump for sucking the printed board unit 1 into the jig 2 and holding it stably. Reference numeral 6 denotes a defective stocker that accommodates the printed board unit determined to be defective (NG) as a result of the test.

Reference numeral 7 is a probe pin for taking out a test signal from the printed board unit 1. Reference numeral 8 denotes a conveyer that conveys the printed board unit, which is connected to the equipment of the manufacturing process here.

Reference numerals 9-1, 9-2, and 9-3 are standardized testers having the configuration of FIG. Reference numeral 10 denotes a load absorption buffer, which branches the printed board unit overflowing from the line because the testers 9-1, 9-2, and 9-3 are all busy and temporarily holds the printed board unit.
When either of the test machines becomes acceptable, it is returned onto the conveyor 8. It has a mechanism to store multiple printed board units.

A discharge lifter 11 has a function of discharging a printed board unit that has been normally tested.

[0017]

Next, the operation of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 1A, the printed board unit 1 is carried onto the jig 2 from the right side of the drawing by a carrying mechanism (not shown). At this time, the BCR 4 reads the bar code indicating the product type, and if the product can be tested by this tester, the vacuum pump 5 is driven and the printed board unit 1 is suction-held on the jig 2. To be done. As a result, a predetermined point of the printed board unit 1 comes into contact with the test probe, and it becomes possible to take out a signal to the tester body 3. In this state, the printed board unit is tested.

When the test is completed, the driving of the vacuum pump 5 is stopped, the printed board unit 1 is released, and the printed board unit 1 is discharged to the left. At this time, if the test result is NG, control to discharge to the defective product stocker 6 is performed, while if the test result is OK, the product is discharged from the discharge lifter 11 of FIG.

In FIG. 1B, the testing machines 9-1, 9
-2 and 9-3 may have the function of testing printed circuit board units of the same type to distribute the load, and the printed circuit boards to be tested dynamically under the instruction of the host controller. The unit type may be changed.

Since the test machine has a standardized configuration, addition or removal to or from the line does not affect other test machines. However, when managed by a higher-level controller, the management information needs to be updated.

In FIG. 1B, as in the case where a certain tester fails and its operation is stopped, the overall test capability is temporarily reduced, or the printed board is temporarily excessive. Even if the unit is supplied, if the load absorption buffer 10 is within the absorption capacity, no problem occurs in the operational state of the line.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 shows a block configuration of a control system of the printed board unit test system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 12 is a floor controller, which has a database for managing all facilities on the manufacturing floor. Reference numeral 13 denotes a tester control unit, which exists for each of the testers 9-1 to 9-3 in FIG. The components are a personal computer PC that controls the tester unit, a bar code reader BCR, a sequencer that controls the auto handler and the transport mechanism, and the tester main body. A load absorption buffer control unit 14 controls the load absorption buffer of FIG. 1 and performs scheduling. Reference numeral 15 is an interface such as RS422 that couples each control unit with the floor controller 12.

Since the tester control unit 13 is standardized, it is easy to deal with the system when the tester is added or deleted. FIG. 3 shows the overall configuration of the auto handler mechanism of the tester according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 3, (A) is a top view and (B) is a front view. Reference numeral 16 denotes a pre-process buffer for temporarily holding the printed board unit with the previous process, from which control for moving the printed board unit 1 onto the jig 2 is performed. Reference numeral 17 denotes a next process buffer that temporarily holds a normal printed circuit board unit that has completed the test or a printed circuit board unit that has passed the test for passing to the next process.

4A and 4B show in more detail the essential parts of the autohandler mechanism of FIG. 3, where FIG. 4A is a top view and FIG.
FIG. 4A is a side view of (A) as viewed from the right side. In FIG.
The bar code of the printed board unit 1 carried into the pre-process buffer 16 is read by the bar code reader BCR4, and the type of the printed board unit is identified.
Using this information, the position is controlled by the air cylinder 18 in order to align the position in the vertical direction of the drawing with respect to the jig 2. After that, it is moved to the left in the drawing by the push-in cylinder 19 and is accurately positioned on the jig 2.

On the upper part of the jig 2, two rails 20 and 21 with variable intervals are fixed, and the rail 21 is fixed.
Are provided to be movable up and down (A) by motors 22 and 23. The distance between the rails 20 and 21, that is, the width is made equal to the width of the printed board unit. This width information is obtained by reading the barcode. The printed board unit 1 pushed to the left by the pushing cylinder 19 is held between the rails 20 and 21, and the cylinders 24 and 25 shown in FIG. Are lowered toward the jig 2 and then the rails 20 and 21 are respectively swung counterclockwise and clockwise to release the printed board unit 1 onto the jig 2. Thereafter, the vacuum pump 5 shown in FIG. 1A is driven, and the printed board unit 1 is firmly held on the jig 2 as described above. When carrying out the printed board unit 1, the above operation is reversed, the vacuum pump 5 is stopped, the printed board unit 1 is sandwiched by the rails 20 and 21, and the cylinders 24 and 2 are inserted.
It is lifted at 5 and moved to the next process buffer 17 (not shown).

FIG. 5 is a control flow of the auto handler according to the embodiment of the present invention. Starting from the flow on the left side of the figure, when recognizing that the printed board unit has been loaded, the bar code reader BCR reads the bar code of the printed board unit, searches for the corresponding test program based on the information, and loads it. At the same time, carry-in control is performed to set the printed board unit on the jig.
When these operations are completed, the test is started. When the test is completed, GO (OK) and NG are judged, discharge control according to each result is performed, information of the test result of the printed board unit is transmitted to the host controller, and the test is completed.
Return to the beginning of the flow to test the next printed circuit board unit.

FIG. 6 shows the mechanism of the load absorbing buffer according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 27 denotes a storage cell having 150 rows and 36 columns for storing the printed board unit overflowing from the line. Reference numeral 28 denotes a robot arm for accessing the storage cell 27, which has an access head that can be moved vertically and horizontally. The printed board unit stored in the load absorption buffer is the receiving conveyor 2
It is connected to the conveyor 8 of the transfer line of FIG. 1 (B) via 9 and the delivery conveyor 30.

7 and 8 show the configurations of the control software for the auto handler and the load absorbing buffer according to the embodiment of the present invention, respectively.

[0031]

According to the present invention, since the test system is composed of standardized test machines as a unit, it is easy to change the system scale by adding or deleting test machines, and at the time of change, early installation of new equipment is possible. It is possible to start up. In addition, since all the test processes can be done in-line, there is no need for manual transportation work between processes, and efficiency can be improved. Further, by providing the load absorption buffer, overflow from the printed board unit line due to the difference in performance can be automatically absorbed, and the operation management becomes simple.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a principle configuration diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an overall configuration diagram of an auto handler mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of an auto handler mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a control flow chart of the auto handler according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a load absorbing buffer mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of auto handler control software according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of load absorption buffer control software according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 printed board unit 2 jig 3 tester main body 4 bar code reader BCR 5 vacuum pump 6 defective stocker 7 probe pin 8 conveyor 9-1 to 9-3 tester 10 load absorption buffer 11 discharge lifter

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Office reference number FI technical display location H05K 13/08 D 8315-4E // B65G 47/49 8010-3F

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A printed board unit testing system for carrying out an automatic test continuously by carrying an arbitrary number of printed board units by a conveyor, and a plurality of testers having a standardized structure and a difference in the capacity of equipment between processes. A printed board unit test system comprising: a load absorption buffer that temporarily holds a printed board unit overflowing from a line until it can be tested, and a test load is distributed and processed by the plurality of testers. 2. The tester according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of testers holds a bar code reader for reading product type information from the printed board unit, holds the printed board unit in a test state, and outputs a test signal from the printed board unit. It is equipped with a jig that has a test probe function to take out, and an auto handler that has means for feeding the printed board unit onto the jig and means for lowering the printed board unit fed onto the jig to the jig surface. A printed circuit board unit test system characterized in that