JPS60248522A - Automatic part feeding and discharging system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the rate of operation of a feeding and discharging device, such as handling robot, by a method wherein, during a time in which a preceding printed plate is tested, a succeeding printed plate is fed in and discharged from a magazine. CONSTITUTION:A preceding printed plate 6 is set to a testing jig 9 of a tester 1 through the working of a handling robot 5, and through control of a test control part, a given test is effected on the printed plate 6. During the test, a succeeding printed plate 6' is protruded from the magazine 2 to a positioning table 4. When it is conveyed in a position through operation of the handling robot 5, the robot 5 grasps the printed plate 6' to convey it to a waiting table 14 located adjacent to the positioning table 4, and the plate is waited for a next test. When all tests of the preceding printed plate 6 are completed, the robot 5 returns the printed plate 6 on the jig 9 to a given position on the positioning table 4, and immediately grasps the printed plate 6' on the waiting table 14 to set it to the testing jig 9.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic supply/discharge system for parts in a storage section for storing parts of a printing machine or the like.

Recent factory automation (FA: Factory Automation)
With the promotion of automation, various automation systems have been introduced for manufacturing and testing, and various automatic machines applied to these systems have been put into practical use. For example, automatic machines have been introduced for manufacturing and testing printed boards, and it is necessary to supply and store printed boards to these machines quickly and reliably.

An example of an automatic feeding/discharging device for printed boards will be explained below.

Generally, in an automated system, printed board processing machines and testing machines are supplied with and stored in storage casing units called magazines that house a plurality of printing machines. Feeding printed boards from a magazine to an automatic machine, or storing them from an automatic machine into a magazine, is generally carried out via a transport path and a robot, but if this feeding and discharging operation does not work quickly and reliably, the operating rate of the test system will be reduced. Therefore, it has been desired to realize a system with a high operating efficiency of the above-mentioned supply/discharge device.

fbl Taking a conventional printed board testing system as an example, first, a storage section (magazine) is provided in which printed boards to be tested are piled up. A mechanism for feeding out printed boards from this magazine is required. Furthermore, means are provided for conveying the unwound printed board to the testing machine.

A mechanism is also provided for storing printed boards that have been tested into the original magazine or a separately provided magazine.

Conventionally, each of these mechanisms, the feeding mechanism, the testing mechanism, and the storing mechanism, are operated by completely independent drive mechanisms. Therefore, there is a loss of time in the transfer operation of printed boards in each mechanism.

tC) Problems to be solved by the invention: When the test of one printed board is completed using the testing machine, or when the printed board is stored in the storage mechanism, the next printed board cannot be tested. This is what triggers the feeding.

For this reason, from the perspective of the testing machine, there is a waiting time for unwinding and conveying the printed board between the end of the test on one printed board and the start of the test on the next printed board.

Means for Solving the Cd1 Problem The present invention has been made to solve the above problem, and is a method for performing predetermined operations (tests, etc.) on parts (printed boards) that have been transported to a predetermined position. While the work is being done, the next part is ejected from the parts storage section (magazine) and placed on a waiting stand in preparation for the next work.

te1 Effect: By the above means, the operating rate of the robot and the positioning table transfer device is improved, and it becomes possible to improve the operating rate of the entire automatic test system.

(flEmbodiment) An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an automatic printed board testing system to which the automatic parts supply/discharge method of the present invention is applied, and Fig. 2 (a
l, tb+ are diagrams showing the printed board ejection mechanism in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a control block diagram of Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a diagram showing the ejection mechanism of the printed board in Figure 1.
It is a figure which shows the storage mechanism of the defective printed board in a figure.

In the figure, 1 is the testing machine, 2.2' is the magazine, 3.3' is the beam lid,
4 is a positioning table, 5 is a hunting robot, 6.6'
is a printed board, 7 is a magazine supply device, 8 is a conveyance table, 9
10 is a test jig, 10 is a main control section, 11 is an automatic supply/discharge control section, 12 is a robot control section, 13 is a test control section, 14 is a standby stand, 20 is a button, and 28 is a storage mechanism. Items with the same reference numerals throughout the figures are the same.

As shown in FIG. 1, the printed board automatic testing system of this embodiment includes a testing machine 1, a magazine feeding device 7, and a lifter 3.3.
', a positioning table 4, a hunting robot 5, etc. are the main components.

The printed board 6 to be tested with this testing machine 1 is the magazine 2
Multiple pieces are stored inside.

After the test, the printed board is returned to the original magazine 2 or the defective magazine 2' depending on the test result.
will be stored in.

Figure 2 shows magazine 2 and 1 printed board from magazine 2.
The configuration of the ejection mechanism (butsusha) that ejects sheets one by one is shown. As shown in the same figure (al), the magazine 2 is provided with a guide mechanism that holds a plurality of print groups in the form of a shelf. Ru.

In the figure, a case is shown in which the printed boards are sequentially pushed out by the pusher 20 starting from the lowest printed board. Therefore, the magazine 2 will be sequentially lowered in the direction of arrow C.

The busher 20 includes a cylinder 23, a piston 24, and a piston rod 25, and has a protruding rod 26 at the tip of the piston rod 25 for pushing out a printed board. The bushing 20 is housed within the conveyor table 8.

However, the printed board extruded by the pusher 20 is
It will be discharged onto the positioning table 4 (Fig. 1). still,
As a result of the test, a normal printed board is stored in the same shelf of the original magazine 2 via the positioning table 4. This storage is the second
This is done by the pusher mechanism shown in Figure fbl. That is, a button 20 is also provided in the positioning table 4, facing the button 20 in the transport table 8 via the magazine 2.

Furthermore, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 2(b), the bushing 20 has
It is mounted on a carrier 17, and the carrier 17 is slidably engaged with a guide rail 18.

The guide rail 18 is fixed to a base 19, and a side plate 19' of the base 19 rotatably supports a feed screw 40 provided parallel to the guide rail 18.

The carrier 17 is screwed onto the feed screw 40, and the side plate 19
The morph 21 is moved in the direction of the arrow D-E by a feed dog 40 which is provided at the morph 21 and rotates together with the morph 21 via the heald 22 as the morph 21 rotates. That is, the bushing 20 is movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the printed board is pushed out.

In this way, the pusher 20 can select and press the optimum position of the printed board 1 housed in the magazine 2 or facing the magazine 2 on the positioning table 4.

As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 3, the system of this embodiment is as follows:
It is composed of an automatic supply/discharge control section 11, a robot control section 12, a test control section 13, etc., which are controlled by a main control section 10 using a personal computer or the like.
1 is connected to a girder lid 3, a magazine supply device 7, a transport platform 8, and a pusher 20, a handling robot 5 is connected to the robot control section 12, and a testing machine 1 is connected to the test control section 13. It is designed to operate according to control signals from each control section.

The outline of the printed board automatic testing system of the present invention will be explained below.

The printed circuit boards 6 are supplied to and discharged from the test system in units of magazines 2. First, in response to a delivery request from the system operator, the magazine 2 containing printed boards 6 is sent to the magazine supply device 7 by a self-propelled vehicle (not shown) from an automatic warehouse (not shown).

The magazine supply device 7 has a function of taking in the magazine 2 from the self-propelled vehicle and discharging the magazine 2 to the self-propelled vehicle, and is equipped with a sensor that determines whether the magazine 2 has arrived. .

When the sensor of the magazine supply device 7 detects the arrival of the magazine 2, it transmits a detection signal to the automatic supply/discharge control section 11, and at the same time, the magazine supply device 7 takes in the magazine 2 according to a command from the automatic supply/discharge control section 11.

The taken-in magazine 2 is raised by a cover (not shown) in the magazine supply device 7 under the control of the automatic supply/discharge control unit 11, and is further transported on the conveyance table 8 to the front of the positioning table 4. It will be done.

The magazine 2 that has been sent to the front of the positioning table 4 is transferred to the conveyor table 8.
It is determined whether or not the home position has been reached by a position confirmation sensor provided at the position. If it is OK, a control signal is issued from the automatic supply/discharge control unit 11, the magazine 2 is lowered by the lifter 3 by the amount of the storage pinch of the printed board 6, and a sensor other than the above provided on the conveyor table 8 is activated. It is detected whether or not the printed board 6 is stored in the magazine 2. When it is detected that the printed board 6 is stored, a button (not shown) built in the conveyance table 8 is activated in response to a control signal from the automatic supply/discharge i+ control unit 11, and the printed board 6 is placed on the positioning table 4. stand out.

Immediately after the printed board 6 is projected onto the positioning table 4,
The lifter 3 is driven by a control signal from the automatic supply/discharge control section 11, and the magazine 2 is lowered by the amount of the printed board 6 stored therein. Then, it is confirmed by the sensor provided on the conveyance table 8 whether or not the next printed board 6' is stored in the magazine 2, in preparation for the protrusion of the printed board 6' from the next positioning table 4.

Next, the printed board 6 that has been projected onto the positioning table 4 is
In response to a control signal from the automatic supply/discharge control section 11, the hand link robot 5 is moved to a predetermined operation position by a transfer device (not shown) provided on the positioning table 4.

When the sensor provided on the positioning table 4 detects that the printed board 6 has arrived at a predetermined position, a detection signal is transmitted to the main control unit IO via the automatic supply/discharge control unit 11. Then, the main control unit IO issues a command to the robot control unit 12 to drive the hand link robot 5, move it to a predetermined position on the positioning table 4, and grip the waiting printed board 6. Carry it to 9 and cent.

When the sensor of the testing machine 1 detects that the printed board 6 is placed on the jig 9, various required tests are performed on the printed board 6 under the control of the test control section 13. .

At this point, the next printed board 6' is ejected from the magazine 2 to the positioning table 4, and when the handling robot 5 moves the printed board 6 to a predetermined position and carries it in the same way, the handling robot/nod 5 picks up the printed board 6'. It is gripped and transported to the standby stand 14 adjacent to the positioning stand 4, and is kept on standby for the next test.

When all the tests on the printed board 6 are completed, the handling robot 5 grips the printed board 6 set in the test jig 9 and moves it to the positioning table 4 under the control of the lohosoto control unit 12. Return to position.

When the previous printed board 6 is returned to the predetermined position on the positioning table 4 by the handling robot 5, the handling robot 5 immediately returns the printed board 6 that was waiting on the standby table 14.
' and insert it into the test jig 9.

If the test result is good, the printed board 6 returned to the predetermined position on the positioning table 4 is transferred to the conveying device of the positioning table 4 while the next printed board 6' is being tested on the testing machine 1. Therefore, it is driven into the front of the magazine 2, pressed by the pusher in the conveying device, and stored in the magazine 2. Then, the next printed board is ejected from the magazine 2 and transported to the standby stand 14, where it is placed on standby for the next test. Needless to say, the storage position of the printed board 6 at this time is determined by the vertical movement of the magazine 2 by the lifter 3 under the control of the automatic supply/discharge control section 11.

If the printed board 6 is found to be defective as a result of the test, the printed board 6 is transported to the standby stand 14 by the transport device of the positioning stand 4, and is removed by the storage mechanism 2B shown in FIG. Stored in good magazine 2. The defective product magazine 2' is equipped with a plurality of storage shelves 30 having the maximum width of the printed circuit boards tested by this automatic testing system so that printed boards of various width dimensions can be stored. A defective printed board is stored in the storage shelf 30 each time the shelf pitch in the C direction is lowered. Once this storage is complete,
The next printed board is ejected from the magazine 20, and the standby table 1
4 will be transported.

As described above, the printed boards in each column stored in the magazine 2 are sequentially inspected and tested.

The printed board with good test results is magazine 2.
The printed boards that are found to be defective after the test are stored in the magazine 2' one after another.

Therefore, only printed boards that have passed the test are stored in the magazine 2, and the shelves where defective printed boards were stored remain empty. This makes it easy to determine which printed board is defective.

In this way, by utilizing the time during the testing of the previous printed board to feed and eject the next printed board to the magazine, the operating rate of the feeding and discharging equipment such as the handling robot 5 is improved, and automatic testing is possible. We were able to improve the operating rate of the system itself.

Although this explanation has been made by exemplifying an automatic testing system for printed circuit boards, it goes without saying that the present invention can be similarly applied to an automatic testing system for parts.

(As explained in detail about the g1 invention, by improving the operating efficiency of the handling robot or other supply/discharge device of the present invention, it was possible to improve the operating efficiency of the automatic test component supply/discharge system itself.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an automatic printed board testing system to which the automatic parts supply/discharge method of the present invention is applied, and FIGS. 2(a) and (b) are diagrams of the printed board in FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a storage mechanism for defective printed boards in FIG. 1. In the figure, 1 is a testing machine, 2.2' is a macazine, 3.3' is a beam lid, 4 is a positioning table, 5 is a handling robot, 6.6' is a printed board, 7 is a magazine feeding device, and 8 is a Transport table; 9 is a test jig; 10 is a main control unit; 11 is an automatic supply/discharge control unit; 12 is a robot control unit; 13 is a test control unit; 14 is a standby stand; 20
28 is a storage mechanism. A 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 9'

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an automatic parts supply/discharge device that automatically transports parts between a parts storage section and a predetermined position where a predetermined work is performed on the parts, a predetermined work is performed on the parts carried to the predetermined position. The automatic parts supply/discharge system is characterized in that the next part is discharged from the parts storage section and placed on standby while the parts are being loaded.