JPS637698A - Method and apparatus for assembling electronic circuit - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of assembling an electronic circuit by mounting electronic components on a printed circuit board, etc., and a device suitable for carrying out the method, and particularly relates to an electronic circuit to be assembled. This relates to facilitation of setup changes when changes occur.

2. Description of the Related Art As automatic assembly devices for electronic circuits, devices equipped with a mounting device and a moving table are widely used. The mounting device is a device that mounts electronic component lead wires onto electronic circuit substrates such as printed circuit boards by inserting them into lead wire insertion holes or temporarily fixing them with adhesive, etc., and the movable table has one type of each. A plurality of component supply units each holding a large number of electronic components are arranged and supported in a replaceable manner, and by moving along the arrangement direction, a predetermined component supply unit is positioned at a component supply position to a mounting device. .

There are two types of moving tables: one in which component supply units 7) are arranged along a straight line and the component supply units are positioned by linear motion, and the other in which the component supply units are arranged on one circumference and positioning is performed by rotational motion. In either case, a considerable number of component supply units are arranged, and the unit is often large and heavy. Therefore, it is desirable to arrange component supply units on this moving table according to the order in which electronic components are mounted on the electronic circuit substrate. In this way, there is no need to move a large and heavy moving table during the assembly of a single electronic circuit, reducing the mounting cycle time and improving work efficiency. .

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, when assembling a plurality of types of electronic circuits using this type of electronic circuit assembly apparatus, there is a problem in that setup changes require a long time. Every time the electronic circuits to be assembled change, it is necessary to rearrange the component supply units on the moving table according to the mounting order of the electronic components in each electronic circuit, and it takes a long time to attach and detach a large number of component supply units. In short, there was a problem in that this reduced work efficiency.

In order to solve this problem, the present invention supplies electronic components from the movable table in the order in which the component supply units are arranged, thereby minimizing the amount of movement of the movable table.
The object of the present invention is to provide a method for assembling an electronic circuit that can facilitate setup changes when the electronic circuit to be assembled changes, and an apparatus suitable for carrying out the method.

Means for Solving the Problems To this end, the electronic component assembly method according to the present invention uses an electronic circuit assembly apparatus equipped with a mounting device and a moving table to assemble a plurality of component supply units as described above. In the method for assembling an electronic circuit while supplying electronic components to a mounting device in the order of their arrangement, when assembling a second electronic circuit according to a second program after completing assembly of the first electronic circuit according to the first program, the moving table Changing the mounting sequence of the second program to an order that requires the least number of attachments and detachments for setup change of the above component supply units, and arranging the component supply units in an order corresponding to the changed second program. After that, the second electronic circuit is assembled.

The mounting sequence of the second program can be changed by, for example, (a) a first parts array consisting of electronic components assembled according to the first program arranged in mounting order, and a first parts array consisting of electronic components mounted according to the second program arranged in mounting order; Compare the arranged parts with the second part row, set a common flag for parts common to both rows, and delete electronic parts that do not have the common flag set among the electronic parts belonging to the first parts row to create a free space. space, (c1 among the electronic components belonging to the second parts row, those whose common flag is not set are sequentially inserted into the empty spaces of the first parts row, and fdl there are no empty spaces in the first parts row even after the insertion). If spaces remain, this can be done by sequentially inserting electronic components into each empty space starting from the last electronic component in the first component row, and (e) using the obtained first component row as the changed second component row. can.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the electronic circuit assembly apparatus according to the present invention includes, in addition to the mounting device and the moving table, (1) a program memory that stores a plurality of programs for assembling a plurality of types of electronic circuits; and (2) for changing the setup of component supply units currently arranged on the movable table when it becomes necessary to execute any program among multiple programs for assembling multiple types of electronic circuits. and (3) an arrangement of component supply units necessary for assembling an electronic circuit according to the changed program. (4) control means for controlling the mounting device and the moving table in accordance with the program changed by the program change means;

Effects and Effects The electronic circuit assembly method of the present invention is characterized in that when the electronic circuit to be assembled changes from a first electronic circuit to a second electronic circuit, there is a common electronic component among the electronic components necessary for assembling both types of circuits. In this case, parts supply units that hold common electronic components should be left as they are as much as possible, and parts supply units that supply non-common electronic components can be replaced with each other. This minimizes the amount of work required to attach and detach. Therefore, the time required for setup change work can be shortened.

Moreover, since the mounting sequence of the second program for assembling the second electronic circuit is changed in accordance with the arrangement order of the component supply units on the movable table determined as described above, the mounting sequence of the second program for assembling the second electronic circuit is changed. It is the same as before that the electronic component supply unit on the moving table only needs to supply the electronic components to the mounting device in the order in which they are assembled. It is possible to avoid an increase in the time required for assembly.

In this way, it is possible to shorten the time required for changeover work while avoiding an extension of the time required to assemble one electronic circuit, and as a result, the efficiency of electronic circuit assembly work can be improved. Become.

Furthermore, in the electronic circuit assembly apparatus according to the present invention, the above second program is automatically changed by the program changing means, and the arrangement of the component supply units is changed to an order suitable for the changed second program. Since the necessary rearrangement is instructed by the instruction means, the operator or the automatic rearrangement device can easily carry out the setup change work by attaching and detaching a relatively small number of component supply units according to the instructions. . Although it is possible to change the program manually, it takes a long time when there are a large number of electronic components to be mounted, so it is particularly effective to automate this process.

Example Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

The assembly apparatus of this embodiment has an assembly apparatus main body 1 shown in FIG.
0 and a computer 12 shown in FIG.
Electronic components are mounted on a printed circuit board as an electronic circuit base material by temporarily fixing them with an adhesive.

The assembly device main body 10 has a main frame 20 and a board loading device 2.
2. Board unloading device 24. Substrate positioning device 26. A mounting rod 28 and a moving table 30 are assembled. The board carrying device 22 is a conveyor that is equipped with two endlessly wrapped strings made of soft resin, and supports and transports both ends of the printed circuit board by these strings, and the board positioning device 26 is equipped with an XY child table, The printed circuit board received from the board loading device 22 is positioned at an arbitrary position within the XY plane. Further, the mount head 28 has a plurality of vacuum suction heads 32 attached to the outer circumference of a rotor that rotates intermittently at a constant angle so as to be movable up and down, and the electronic components are held by the vacuum suction heads 32. It is mounted on a printed circuit board on the board positioning device 26. The printed circuit board on which a predetermined number of electronic components are mounted is carried out by a board carrying-out device 24 having a structure similar to that of the board carrying-in device 22 . The substrate positioning device 26 and the mounting head 28 constitute a mounting surface.

- On the other hand, the movable table 30 includes a linear guide 40 fixed to the main body frame 2°, a slide 42 slidably placed thereon, and a drive that drives the slide 42 using a servo motor as a drive source. A device 44 is provided. On the slide 42, a large number of positioning pins 46, 48 are arranged in one row at equal pitches, and each pair of positioning pins 46, 48 allows positioning of each component supply unit. ing. These large number of component supply units are operated by linear movement of the slide 42.
It is alternatively positioned at component supply position 1 to the mount head 28. Each component supply unit accommodates a carrier tape holding a large number of electronic components of one type, and feeds the carrier tape one pinch at a time as necessary.
Individual electronic components are supplied to the rad 32 for vacuum suction.

The assembly device main body 10 is also provided with a control computer 58 (see FIG. 3), and a separate computer 12 is connected to this control computer via a communication cable 60. The computer 12 has a CPU board 62. It is equipped with a memory board 64, a communication board 66, a disk control board 68, and a common path line 70 that connects them, and a terminal 72 equipped with a keyboard and a cathode ray tube type display is connected to the CPU board 62. , the disk control board 68 has a floppy disk 74 . A disk device for storing data, such as a hard disk 76, is connected.

The control computer 58 of the main body of the assembly apparatus stores the program shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4, and the hard disk 76 of the computer 12 stores the program shown in the flowchart of FIGS. 5 to 7. The floppy disk 74 stores programs including mounting sequences for assembling various electronic circuits.

Hereinafter, the assembly work of an electronic circuit using this apparatus will be explained based on the above-mentioned flowcharts.

As is clear from FIG. 4, in the assembly apparatus main body 10, initial setting in step Sl (hereinafter simply referred to as 81; the same applies to other steps) is performed at the same time as the power is turned on. Next, in S2, a program corresponding to the electronic circuit to be assembled is read, and then in S3, it is determined whether the setup change work has been completed. When the setup change work is completed and the work start button is operated, the result of this determination becomes YES, and the mount subroutine of S4 is executed. The program read in S2 is repeatedly executed to assemble a predetermined number of electronic circuits, but since this assembly itself is well known, a detailed explanation will be omitted.

Once the scheduled amount of electronic circuits has been assembled, S5
In step S2, it is determined whether the assembly work has been completed, that is, whether there is an electronic circuit to be assembled next. If there is an electronic circuit to be assembled, the result of the determination is NO, and the program execution returns to S2, and then A program corresponding to the electronic circuit to be assembled is read from the computer 12. - On the other hand, if the determination result of S5 is YES, S
6 is performed, and the assembly device main body 10 stops operating.

While the electronic circuit is being assembled as described above, the program is automatically changed in the computer 12 based on the flowchart shown in FIG. S1) and S12 are executed according to the operator's operation of the terminal 72,
The A file is opened and the contents of the A file are loaded into the memory of the memory board 64. put it here,
It is assumed that the A file stores an A program (first program) corresponding to the electronic circuit currently being assembled or the electronic circuit assembled at the end of the previous assembly operation. Subsequently, S13 and S14 are executed, the B file is opened and its contents are loaded into the memory 2. It is assumed that the B file stores a B program (second program) corresponding to the electronic circuit to be assembled next.

The A program and the B program are generally quite long, and other types of electronic components are usually mounted, but here, for ease of understanding, the electronic components mounted according to the A program are shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3. , two, ho,
There are 6 types of electronic components to be mounted according to the B program: A and C.

It is assumed that there are five types: E, E, and G, and the original B program is as shown in Table 1.

Table 1 N2 Di <A> “E2”N3
DI <I> “E3”N4
D2 <C> 1 bar l″N5
D2 <C>"Bar2" N6
D2 <C>"Bar3'N 20
D 2 <C>"Bar17" N2)
D3 <Ho> “Ho 1” N22
D3 <Ho> “Ho 2′N23
D4 <to>``to-1''N2 4
D5 <g>
” To 1 N2 5 D5
<To> ” To 2 'N3
0 D5 <G> In Table 1 of "To 7", the component position numbers are numbers assigned in order from the position of the end of a series of component supply units arranged on the moving table 30, and the component comments are numbers assigned to the mounts. The sequence comment represents the mounting order of multiple electronic components of the same type. That is, in this example, three electronic components A are first attached to the electronic circuit to be assembled next, and then 17 electronic components C are attached.

After the A program and the B program are loaded into memories 1 and 2, respectively, as described above, the 5150 part sequence change number routine is executed.

Among the electronic component supply units arranged on the moving table 30 for the execution of the A program, the component supply units that are also used for the execution of the B program are left in the same position as much as possible to minimize the supply of components. The component sequence of the B program, that is, the mounting order of electronic components is changed so that only the unit needs to be attached and detached. A specific method for making this change will be detailed later.

Subsequently, in S16, the program in the memory 2, that is, the B program after the change, is optimized based on the changed part sequence. In other words, when multiple electronic components of one type are mounted on one printed circuit board, the mounting sequence for the multiple components is changed so that the distance traveled by the printed circuit board is minimized. This sequence optimization subroutine will also be described in detail later.

After the above part sequence change and sequence optimization are performed, the A file is closed in S17, and 318
The B file is deleted in 319, the B" file is created and opened in S20, and the B' file is deleted in S20.
The contents of the memory 2, that is, the modified B program, are saved in a file, and the B' file is closed in S2), thereby completing a series of program modification processes.

The change in the parts sequence in S15 is performed according to the program shown in the flowchart of FIG. First, 5
31, the electronic parts used in the execution of the A program are arranged in the order of use in the order of use, i.
A and G are compared, and a common flag "1" is set for parts that are common to both part sequences. Then, in S32, the parts slot and part 2 for which the common flag is not set out of the used part string of the A program are deleted and are made into empty spaces.

Next, in S33, among the parts belonging to the used part sequence of the B program, those for which the common flag is not set are sequentially
Inserted into free space in the program. In this example, the parts are inserted into the empty space after the parts opening. Of course, if the number of empty spaces in the used parts sequence of program A is smaller than the number of parts for which the common flag is not set in the used parts sequence of program B, some parts will not fit in the empty space. The part is arranged at the end of the used parts row of the A program.

On the other hand, if there is still an empty space in the used part sequence of the A program, the last parts of the part sequence of the A program are sequentially moved one by one to fill the empty space. In this example, it will be inserted into the last component or into the empty space after component 2.

The sequence of parts used in program A rearranged in this manner is the sequence of parts used in program B rearranged using the sequence of parts used in program A as a factor. That is, B
Among the parts used in the program, parts A and C are common to the parts used in program A.

E is arranged at the same position as in the used parts row of A program, and as a result, parts that are not common are inserted into empty spaces, and if there is further empty space, A
The parts are fitted in order from the last part of the program, and in this example, the parts supply unit holding the parts slots 2 and 2 on the moving table 30 is removed, and the parts 1 and 2 are held. All you need to do is install a parts supply unit that has a built-in component supply unit.

On the other hand, if the sequence of parts used in the B program is not rearranged as in the past, the only parts supply unit that does not need to be attached or detached is the one that holds part A, and the parts , 2, E, and G must be removed and the parts supply unit that holds parts C, E, H, and G must be installed, and according to the present invention, the setup change is possible. It can be seen that the work is greatly simplified.

Finally, the column of parts used in the changed program A, that is, the column of parts used in the rearranged program B is copied to the memory 2 and displayed on the cathode ray tube display of the terminal 72 at the same time. This display of the parts sequence includes instructions for the setup change work to the operator. In other words, electronic components do not need to be moved on the table 30.

``Maintenance'' is displayed for parts ``C'' and ``E'', and ``installation'' is displayed for parts ``G'' that require a new parts supply unit to be installed, and parts that are currently in use but need to be relocated. ``Movement'' is displayed for . The operator only has to perform setup change work on this display.

Note that if the display is a color cathode ray tube, instructions can be given by color-coding, or instructions can be given by printing out on a printer.

Next, the sequence optimization subroutine shown in FIG. 7 will be explained.

First, in S41, it is determined whether the original B program before rearrangement has already been optimized. If the original B program has already been used at least once, the optimization should have been completed, so the determination result is YES and S42 is executed. The mounting sequence on the memory 2 is collectively transferred for each type of electronic component in the order of component arrangement. For example, in Table 2, the mounting sequence of seven parts is transferred all at once to N4 to NIO.

Table 2 NI Di <A> “E1”N2
Di ``E2''N
3 Di <I> “E3”N4
D2 <G> “To 1” Nl
OD2 <)> “To 7”Nil
D3 <C>"Bar1'N27
D3 <C>"Bar17" N28
D4 <to>``to-1''N29
D5 <Ho> “Ho 1” N30
D6 <E> “Ho 2′-way, S
If the determination result in step 41 is No, that is, this is the first time that the B program has never been used, then S43 to S
At 47, optimization of the mounting sequence is performed.

First, in S43, the lowest part position number is selected,
At 344, all steps for the electronic component with that part location number are collected. Then, in S45, the mounting sequence for that one type of electronic component is optimized. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, all the steps of the electronic component are rearranged so that the next step is mounting from one mounting position to the position where the amount of movement of the XY child table is the minimum. When the optimization of the mounting sequence for one type of component is thus completed, the next higher component position number is selected in S46. Next, S4
In step 7, it is determined whether an electronic component is assigned to the selected component position number, and the result of the determination is YES.
If so, S44 to S46 are executed again to optimize the mounting sequence for another type of electronic component, but if the result of the determination is NO, the execution of this subroutine ends.

As is clear from the above description, in this embodiment, the floppy disk 74 constitutes a program storage means for storing a plurality of programs for assembling a plurality of types of electronic circuits, and the programs Sll to S2) on the hard disk 76 are executed. A program changing means is constituted by an area storing a program for executing the program, a CPU board 62 for executing the program, and a memory board 64 for assisting the program. Further, the cathode ray tube of the terminal 72 constitutes an instruction means for instructing rearrangement of the component supply units, and the control computer 58 of the main body of the assembly apparatus
A control means is configured to control the mounting device and the moving table according to the program changed by the program change means.

In the above embodiment, if the B program is executed after the A program and then the A program is executed again, the parts sequence will be changed as shown in Table 3.

Table 3 rAJ DI D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 I
Ro ha ni ho to↓ ↓
↓ “B 1” I to ha he
Ho↓ ↓ ↓ “A ′” I Ro Ha He
As is clear from Table 3, when the A program is executed again after the B' program, which is the modified B program, is executed, the parts sequence is the same as the original A.
Rather than being returned to the program's part sequence, it is changed to another part sequence, and the A program becomes A.

It is changed by the program. In order to return the parts row of the B' program to the parts row of the A program, it is necessary to remove the parts supply unit holding the parts ``T'' and ``E'' and install the parts supply unit holding the parts ``T'' and ``E''. However, if you change the B'' program parts string to the A'' program parts string, you can remove the parts supply unit holding part 1 and remove the parts supply unit holding part 2. The number of parts supply units to be removed is 1 fli.
1, and the number of installations is also reduced by 1, which makes the setup change work easier.

If the parts sequence is changed repeatedly in this way, the original program will no longer maintain its original form, but since the arrangement of the parts supply unit and the mounting sequence are simply replaced, the original program A and the once changed program A '' allows the exact same electronic circuit to be assembled.Moreover, when multiple electronic components of the same type are mounted, the mounting sequence is optimized so that the amount of movement of the printed circuit board is minimized; The optimized mount sequences can be moved in batches according to the arrangement order of the component supply units, so optimization of the mount sequence can be done once per program.
This can reduce the time required to change the mounting sequence.

Furthermore, since the electronic components of one type are mounted in the order that minimizes the moving distance of the printed circuit board, the time required to assemble one electronic circuit can be reduced.

Regardless of the type, if the mounting sequence is determined to minimize the amount of relative movement between the printed circuit board and the mounting head for all electronic components, the time required for the mounting itself can be shortened. In some cases, it is necessary to move a large and heavy moving table over a long distance, which ultimately increases the cycle time for mounting one electronic component. In this way, the distance traveled by the moving table can be kept to a minimum, while the relative travel distance between the printed circuit board and the mounting head can be made as small as possible, which ultimately shortens the overall time required. .

In addition, the number of component supply units that need to be removed and attached during setup changeover work is significantly reduced, reducing the time required for setup changeover work, and reducing the possibility of misplaced parts supply units. It also has the effect of improving sex.

Note that in the above explanation, the number of types of parts used has been reduced to make it easier to understand, but in reality there are usually many more, and changes to lengthy mounting sequences can be automated by a computer. It is extremely effective to do so.

In the embodiment described in detail above, since the mounting sequence is changed by the computer 12 provided separately from the control program 58 of the assembly apparatus main body 10, the previous electronic circuit assembly is not yet completed. This makes it possible to change the mounting sequence for the next electronic circuit while the assembly is in progress, and to use one computer 12 in common for multiple assembly device main units 10. However, after completing the assembly of the previous electronic circuit,
It is also possible to have the control computer 58 of the assembly apparatus main body 10 change the mounting sequence.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the changed parts row and setup change instructions are displayed on the cathode ray tube of the terminal 72, but after the optimization of the mount sequence is completed, the mount sequence itself is displayed. It is also possible to display instructions for the setup change work along with this.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the setup change, that is, the rearrangement of the parts supply units, is performed manually by the operator, but an automatic rearrangement device is provided to automatically rearrange the parts supply units. It is also possible to have it performed. In this case, the setup change instruction is given by transmitting a signal to the automatic setup change device.

In addition, it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, although not illustrated individually.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram conceptually showing the configuration of the device invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing the assembly main body of an electronic circuit assembly apparatus which is an embodiment of the apparatus invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a computer forming a part of the electronic circuit assembly apparatus. 4 to 7 are flowcharts showing only the portions closely related to the present invention out of the control program for the assembly apparatus. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing optimization of the mounting sequence performed according to the flowchart of FIG. 7. 10: Assembly device main unit 12: Computer 22: Substrate loading device 26: Substrate positioning device 28: Mount head 30: Moving table 32: Vacuum suction head 58
:Control computer 72:Terminal 74:Frombide disk 6:Hard disk

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A mounting device that sequentially mounts electronic components one by one onto an electronic circuit substrate such as a printed circuit board, and a plurality of component supply units each holding a large number of one type of electronic components are arranged side by side and supported in a replaceable manner. An electronic circuit assembly device is used that includes a moving table that positions a predetermined component supply unit at a component supply position to the mounting device by moving along the arrangement direction, and the electronic circuit assembly device In the method for assembling electronic circuits while supplying electronic components to the mounting device in the order of arrangement, when assembling the second electronic circuit according to the second program after completing the assembly of the first electronic circuit according to the first program, when assembling the second electronic circuit according to the second program, After changing the mounting sequence of the second program to an order that requires the least amount of attachment and detachment for setup change of the component supply units, and arranging the component supply units in an order corresponding to the changed second program. , a method for assembling an electronic circuit, comprising assembling the second electronic circuit. (2) The change in the mounting sequence of the second program includes: (a) a first component array in which electronic components to be assembled according to the first program are arranged in mounting order; and electronic components to be mounted according to the second program; Compare the second component row arranged in mounting order, set a common flag for parts common to both rows, and (b) delete electronic components that do not have a common flag set among the electronic components that belong to the first component row. (c) among the electronic components belonging to the second component row, those whose common flag is not set are sequentially inserted into the empty space of the first component row; (d) even after the insertion, If empty spaces remain in the first parts row, insert electronic components into each empty space sequentially starting from the last part of the first parts row, and (e) use the obtained first parts row as the changed second parts row. An electronic circuit assembly method according to claim 1, which is carried out by: (3) A mounting device that sequentially mounts electronic components one by one onto an electronic circuit substrate such as a printed circuit board, and a plurality of component supply units each holding a large number of one type of electronic components are arranged side by side and supported in a replaceable manner. An electronic circuit assembly apparatus including a moving table that positions a predetermined component supply unit at a component supply position to the mounting device by moving along an arrangement direction, the electronic circuit assembly apparatus including a plurality of programs for assembling a plurality of types of electronic circuits. When it becomes necessary to execute any program among the program storage means and the plurality of programs to be stored, the parts supply unit currently arranged on the movable table has the least amount of attachment and detachment for setup change. program changing means for automatically changing the mounting sequence of the arbitrary program to the order in which the electronic circuit is assembled; An electronic circuit assembly apparatus comprising: control means for controlling the mounting device and the moving table according to a program changed by a program change means.