KR101737336B1 - Device for transporting components and components-supply device for providing components in a providing area - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an apparatus 150 for transferring the elements 495 from a magazine 190 that includes elements 495 in the form of a bulk product using vibration to a delivery region 162. The device 150 includes a receiving device 152 for the magazine, a channel device 154 extending between the receiving device 152 and the providing area 162 and mechanically coupled to the vibrating means 112, And a closing member 256 which is disposed in the channel device 154 and movable between an open position and a closed position wherein the channel device 154 is closed in the closed position of the closing member 256, It can be prevented that the devices 495 are transferred from the receiving device 152 to the providing region 162 and the channel device 154 is opened in the open position of the closing member 162 so that the other devices 495 May be allowed to be transferred from the receiving device 152 to the providing area 162. [ The present invention also provides for the provision of the individualized elements 495, in particular for the individual mounting of electronic elements 495, for automatic mounting on the element carrier in an automatic mounting device comprising the transfer device 150 of the above- To a device supply device (100).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a device for transferring devices,

The present invention relates to the transfer of electronic components using vibration. The present invention is particularly directed to an apparatus for transferring elements into a delivery region from a magazine containing elements in the form of a bulk product using vibration. The present invention also relates to an element feeder for providing individualized elements for automatic mounting in an element carrier in an automatic loading device and in particular for providing individualized electronic elements.

When the (electronic) elements are mechanically mounted on the element carrier, the elements to be processed are supplied to a mounting process which is generally carried out in an automatic mounting apparatus. Since the supply of the elements is usually made so that the elements have a precisely defined spatial direction, they can be quickly and reliably picked up by the mounting head of the automatic mounting apparatus from the prescribed supply or pickup position, And can be arranged in a predetermined spatial position and direction.

In order to ensure reliable supply or provision of the elements, the elements are generally packaged with a so-called elementary belt. Since the belt is stepwise transferred to the automatic loading device by special device feeding means, the elements in the device belt are transferred sequentially and at a prescribed spatial position to the feed or pickup position. However, packaging of the devices into such device belts is complicated and costly. The belt material must also be treated with waste after removing the devices.

It is known to use a so-called vibratory conveyor which can be customized and transported in the form of bulk products to be treated, in order to avoid complicated packaging and the aforementioned waste problems. However, considerable mechanical complexity is required, especially in order to move the device in a predetermined spatial position and direction as well as to personalize the device. To accomplish this, the vibratory conveyor is generally designed to be oriented by mechanical guidance means, often referred to as mechanical "chicanes" and, in part, by simple sensors such as, for example, Quot; possible elements "are guided to the feed or pick-up position, particularly via the rail or channel. Due to the tolerances of the devices given by the manufacturing process, the continuous supply is not indeed continuously ensured, and in the case of a high-speed automatic loading device and in the case of a longer supply path, the devices generally continue as quickly as necessary for successive mounting operations Can not be delivered.

Publication WO 2010/089290 A1 discloses a vibratory conveyor in which the elements can be moved intentionally by superposition of vibrations in three different spatial directions (without mechanical seal) And is delivered into a specified pickup area on a predetermined delivery surface on which pick-up by the loading head of the automatic loading device can be made simple. In this disclosed oscillating conveyor, however, the feed or pickup position is not precisely defined for each element. Therefore, the elements provided on the predetermined surface in the pickup area are optically detected by the special camera before being picked up by the mounting head of the automatic mounting device, and the accurate spatial position of the components must be evaluated by the data processing unit disposed behind the camera do. This can be done by directing or being deflected by a mirror so that a camera from the top towards the pickup area is positioned relative to the pickup area. The position of the elements detected by the camera by the known position of the camera can be determined.

Known vibratory conveyors for electronic components supplied from bulk products have the disadvantage that components which are taken out of the bulk product magazine and which have to be conveyed in the conveyor section by vibration or conveyed into the pickup area must be discarded on dismount. This interruption may be required, for example, when replacement of the device carrier to be mounted or the electronic device product to be produced is carried out and a device of the corresponding kind (at least most) is no longer used. To prevent such disposal of elements, it may be considered to fundamentally redetect elements in the conveyor section into the bulk product magazine. However, such re-screening is generally undesirable and therefore not practically implemented due to the very small size of the device and, in particular, the risk of unwanted mixing of various types of devices.

The object of the present invention is to reduce the number of elements that must be discarded when replacing elements compared to known vibratory conveyors and to enable reliable provision of individualized elements from bulk products.

This problem is solved by the object of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments of the invention are set forth in the dependent claims.

An apparatus for transferring elements into a delivery region from a magazine containing elements in the form of a bulk product using vibration in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention is described. (A) a receiving device for the magazine, (b) a channel device extending between the receiving device and the providing area and capable of being mechanically coupled to the vibrating means, and (c) And the channel device is closed at the closed position of the closing member 256 so that the other devices 495 are transferred from the receiving device 152 to the providing region 162 And the channel device 154 is opened at the open position of the closure member 256 so that the other elements 495 are allowed to be transported from the receiving device 152 to the providing region 162. [

The device is based on the fact that the elements can be transported past a relatively long path by a vibratable channel device so that a predetermined gap between the magazine and the providing area can be filled. Since the channel device according to the length of the channel device forms a container for the devices in addition to the magazine, a closing member capable of closing the channel device according to the present invention is provided. It also includes vibrating means with a magazine, which is preferably at least partially emptied of the entire device, when a device of a particular kind that can be transported by the device to the delivery region is no longer used for mounting in the device carrier The device is removed from the device supply and the possibility of interim storage in the storage, for example at a later point in time, until the device of this kind is used again.

According to the invention by means of said closure member, elements can not escape from the channel device or can not penetrate other elements or contaminant particles into the channel device when the closure member is in the closed or closed position. Thereby, there is no possibility that the device can be stored for a long period of time in the storage, and the reservoir made up of the channel device and, if necessary, the magazine, is filled with other kinds of elements and / or contaminants.

The length of the channel device can be selected such that (a) a predetermined spatial distance between the receiving device or magazine and (b) providing area can be filled. Whereby the device can be used in the device feeder and the devices are supplied to the area provided by the oscillation so that they can be used there for automatic mounting on the device carrier by the mounting head. Wherein the element feeder has the same or at least a similar spatial dimension as a known element feeder feeding elements packed with belts to a pick up position and wherein the elements from the pick up position are picked up by a pick- .

The relatively long oscillating channel device also has the advantage that the elements can be well spatially distributed by the oscillating process taking place along the longer oscillating section. The channel device may have a length of, for example, 20 cm to 60 cm, and especially 40 cm to 50 cm. This also allows the members to be replenished without opening the machine cover during operation and can be transported into the pickup area.

The entire device can be formed as a detachable unit, which can be stored in a storage for later re-use in a fully charged, partially emptied or completely emptied state.

"Device" may be any device that can be placed on the device carrier in this specification. The devices may in particular be bipolar or multipolar SMT-devices or other highly integrated flat devices such as ball grid arrays, bare dies and flip chips. The "element" may also include, for example, a connecting pin, a connector, a socket or the like, or may include a photoelectric element such as a light emitting diode or a photodiode. The "device" may also include so-called RFID-chips which are used for so-called transponders.

"Device carrier" may be any type of mountable substrate, in particular a printed circuit board, as used herein. The element carrier may be rigid or flexible. The element carrier may include a rigid and flexible region.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the closure member is disposed along the channel device. The closure member may be disposed within the channel device. The closure member may be closed, in whole or in part, by a combination of rotation, sliding or the two movements. By the simple rotation of the closure member upon rotatable storage, the closure member can be moved from the open or open position to the closed or closed position and back to any intermediate position and back. The intermediate position may preferably be used for feeding the member.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the channel device has a first opening at a first end towards the receiving device and a second opening at a second end towards the providing area. The channel device may only be opened at the first end and the second end. That is, the channel device may include a closed channel for the bottom, top and two sides. The channel device may thus be referred to as a tunnel.

The formation of channel devices as tunnels offers the advantage that the devices are protected from external influences, especially pollution, along their transport or vibration sections. Also, it is impossible for the elements to protrude undesirably, for example, due to mechanical vibrations.

The channel device may be made of any material and the material must be mechanically rigid such that the vibration or wobbling motion generated by the vibrating means is transmitted to the base surface of the channel device where the electronic devices are located.

The material from which the channel device is made may be, for example, aluminum. Aluminum has the following particularly desirable properties: (A) the required stiffness as above. (B) It is relatively light despite the rigidity. (C) Processing is relatively simple. (D) Non-magnetic, so that erroneously magnetized elements can not be magnetically attached to the inner wall of the channel device and in particular to the base wall. (E) Aluminum is relatively inexpensive.

The channel device may, of course, be made of any other suitable material, and in particular the material must have properties such that the devices transported by vibration do not adhere to the material.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the receiving device comprises a charging device, in which the elements are transferred from the magazine into the channel device. In this case, the transport of the elements can be made especially by simply dropping the elements into the channel device.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the device also comprises an identification member, which identifies the device clearly by comparing it with another device of the same kind. For example, the identification member, which can be mounted on the channel device, can be formed as a bar code, a 2D code or an RFID chip.

The identification member may be associated with a particular type of element in a database or a specific charge of a particular type of element. This makes it possible to always determine the current charge of the device using the database. In addition, the current state of charge of the device can be related to the identification member. In this case, it should be noted that the operator must be replaced with a new magazine with elements in time, i.e., before the elements are completely exhausted, the magazine in the receiving device. It may also be determined whether reuse of the device is desirable or reuse of the device at any position of the automatic loading device or the loading line, with reference to the charging state at the time of the basic reuse of the device.

The use of a database is not necessarily required when using an RFID chip. Data relating to the device and / or the state of charge can rather be stored directly in the memory of the RFID chip.

Clearly, this utilization of the identification member enables a simple identification of the elements in the apparatus. Thereby, a plurality of devices described herein can be used for a plurality of device supply devices assigned to a mounting line including an on-board device or a plurality of automatic on-board devices, and in a known manner, for example, The erroneous exchange of two or more devices with each other is simply prevented in the case where various identification members are detected and correspondingly considered when the automatic to-be-loaded apparatus is mounted.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises a movable cover member, which is disposed above the providing region and is movable between an open position (open position) and a closed position (closed position) . In the open position, the elements transferred into the providing area are accessible from above. In the closed position this approach is prevented by the cover member.

With the movable cover member, which may be referred to as a shutter, it can be simply and efficiently prevented that the elements or contaminant particles fall or penetrate onto or within the providing region. Also, the devices can be prevented from protruding out of the providing area due to, for example, vibration of the channel device.

The movement of the movable cover member can preferably be synchronized with the operation of the mounting head such that the movable cover member is in the open position for a short time only when one or more elements from the providing area are to be picked up by the mounting head.

Preferably, the movable cover member performs only a mechanically simple shift movement from the closed position to the open position or vice versa from the open position to the closed position. The shift movement is preferably made along the longitudinal direction of the device or the channel device. Whereby the device and the element feeding device to which it is connected require only a small space in terms of its width. Such element feeding devices can preferably be connected to known automatic loading devices instead of one or two conventional device belt feeding modules as the case may be.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises a mechanical coupling means, wherein the movement of the closing member and the movement of the cover member are mechanically coupled to each other by the coupling means.

The mechanical coupling means may be a simple mechanism including, for example, one or more gear wheels, a drive belt, an actuating rod and / or any other mechanical engagement member.

The mechanical coupling between the closing member and the movement of the cover member provides the advantage that the two members can be operated by a common drive, for example by a regulating member. Such a drive device may in particular be assigned to an element supply device, and in operation the device is connected to the element supply device.

The device for transferring the elements from the magazine into the providing area using vibration can be an electrical and mechanical passive device. (C) a camera for optical detection of elements such that the elements can be reliably picked up by the mounting head, and / or (d) a camera Such as illumination means for illumination of the elements to be detected by the illumination system. In the event that such active components are necessary for the frictionless supply of the individualized components during the mounting process (vibration actuators are necessary in all cases), the active components can be assigned to the component supply devices, The device is connected.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the movable cover member is completely or partly light transmissive so that the illumination light can pass through the movable cover member and, at least when the movable cover member is in the closed or closed position, The providing area can be illuminated from above by illumination light.

The elements transmitted by the vibration into the providing area by the light-transmitting cover member can be illuminated from above by the illumination light. Thus, when the elements transferred into the providing region are detected by a camera disposed under the providing region, the illuminating light forms backlighting, backlighting or transmitted light illumination (so-called backlight). In order that the corresponding elements can be detected from the bottom by the camera, the elements in the providing area are disposed on the light transmitting providing member. Preferably, such a providing member can be vibrated by one or more vibrating actuators, so that the elements can be spatially distributed in the providing region as appropriate by vibration.

The providing member is part of the device, or alternatively is part of the device feeding device to which the device is connected in operation.

In particular, it is possible to reliably detect whether elements in the providing area are arranged in the longitudinal direction, for example, with suitable backlighting, and a narrow surface, not the main surface of the element in this direction, lies on the upper surface of the providing member . In addition, the backside illumination can contribute to a particularly accurate determination of the spatial location and / or geometric dimensions of the elements transferred into the providing region.

Another advantage of suitable backlighting is that element detection is particularly stable for (a) contaminants present depending on the case of the movable cover member and / or providing member and / or (b) undesirable changes in the backlight 0.0 > and / or < / RTI > strength)

The illumination light or backlight may be, for example, light emitted by external illumination means in connection with the device for transport.

By "light transmissive" in this specification is meant that at least in the providing region the providing member is (especially) transmissive to electromagnetic radiation that can be detected by a camera. Therefore, the light transmittance means that the providing member is transparent in the spectral range sensed by the camera. Thus, light transmission means in particular that the providing member is at least partially transmissive to electromagnetic radiation in the visible, infrared and / or ultraviolet spectral range. Such enumeration is omitted, and the expression "light transmissive" is used herein for electromagnetic radiation in a range other than the above spectral range.

Specifically, the illumination light provides backlighting in which the elements can be measured in relation to their position and, in some cases, other geometrical measurements (e.g. lateral tilting, clusters, spacing with adjacent elements, etc.). Unlike front or incident light illumination, the advantage of this backlight is the clear image processing of the edges of the elements and the precise measurement of the relative position of the elements. In addition, the backlight enables a relatively more stable evaluation in the case of contamination of the providing member or, for example, in luminance variations with time and space due to the aging of the light source of the lighting means.

Contaminant particles and mechanical abrasive particles upon appropriate backlighting can be particularly well detected by optical measurements. Therefore, such particles can be prevented from being picked up incorrectly by the grip tool (for example, suction pipette) of the mounting head.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the movable cover member includes integrated illumination means so that the provided region can be illuminated from above by at least illumination light of the integrated illumination means when the movable cover member is in the closed position .

An illumination device incorporated in the movable cover member may comprise, for example, one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs). The integrated illumination means may be a planar light source, which may be embodied by, for example, an organic light emitting diode (OLED).

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the movable cover member comprises a light diffusing material. In other words, the illuminating light for the camera, which is incident on the top surface of the elements in the providing area through the movable cover member, is diffuse backlit light, which is particularly uniform with respect to its intensity. Therefore, the device detection by the camera under the providing member is particularly stable.

The downward scattering effect can be improved by providing a light reflective layer on or behind the movable cover member forming a volume scatterer.

Alternatively, a refractive structure may be provided on the cover member movable as an alternative or in combination with the light reflection layer, which deflects the incoupled light preferably downward, and in a uniform manner as possible, As shown in FIG.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an element supply apparatus for providing individualized elements is described. The device feeding device is particularly suitable for providing individualized electronic devices for automatic mounting in a device carrier in an automatic mounting device. The device feeder is a device of the above-described type for transporting elements into a delivery region from a magazine containing (a) a chassis, (b) vibrating means installed in the chassis, and (c) In which case the channel device of the device is mechanically coupled to the oscillating means so that in operation of the oscillating means the elements can be transported towards the providing region along the longitudinal axis by oscillation.

The element supply apparatus may be configured such that the element supply apparatus of the individual elements can be formed by simply mechanically installing the apparatus for transferring the elements to the chassis of the element supply apparatus, And the container can also be closed to the closed position by movement of the closure member. This allows the entire device to be detached from the chassis as a closed unit, for example, in the event that the elements in the device are no longer used for subsequent mounting operations, And stored intermediately until such a device of the type is used again for operation.

The vibrating means may comprise one or more actuators, and the actuators are mechanically coupled to the channel device, so that the channel device can be vibrated in the proper control of the associated actuator. The vibrating means can comprise three or more actuators, each of which can be assigned to one oscillation axis, and preferably controlled independently of one another, so that the channel device can be oscillated along three different oscillating directions. This enables the intentional oscillation of the elements into the providing area. In some cases, the actuators may be controlled such that the elements can be transported back toward the magazine in a direction opposite to the actual transport direction. This is because, for example, too many elements have been mistakenly transferred by vibration, and thus too many elements are provided into the providing area, so that the average spacing between the elements ensures that the elements are reliably picked up by the mounting head of the automatic mounting device It may be preferable in the case where there is a risk of being small enough to be impossible.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the element supplying apparatus further comprises: (a) a providing member having a top surface on which a providing area is located; and (b) a camera disposed under the providing member, Since the light is transmissive in the range of the region, the elements transferred into the providing region can be optically detected by passing through the providing member from below by the camera. The providing member may be assigned to a device for transporting the devices or to the remainder of the device feeding device according to a specific embodiment.

Obviously, the element supplying apparatus includes an integrated camera, and the elements provided by the camera can be detected from the bottom through the light transmitting providing member. The element feeder may also include a processor disposed behind the camera, so that the element feeder is provided with a complete vision system, which can independently perform image evaluation of the elements detected by the camera. Since the position and / or the orientation of the elements provided in the provision area can be determined at the time of image evaluation, the elements are picked up by each one pick-up tool (for example, a suction pipette) of the placement head by appropriately controlling the movement of the placement head Can be.

The providing member may be mechanically coupled to at least one vibrating actuator of the vibrating means. The proper spatial distribution of the elements in the providing region can be realized by proper oscillation of the providing member, so that the process safety in picking up the elements by the loading head is correspondingly large.

The providing member can be, for example, a plate having a flat top surface, and the elements on the top surface can be moved by proper oscillation of the plate. The providing area may be a part of the upper surface of the providing member, and the elements transferred and provided from the upper surface may be picked up, in particular, by the mounting head of the automatic loading device.

The camera is disposed under the providing member in the embodiment described herein. More precisely, the camera is disposed below the lower surface of the providing member, in which case the lower surface of the providing member is opposed to the upper surface of the providing member, and when the elements are located in the providing area, .

The integration of the camera in the element feeder according to the invention provides the advantage that an external camera is not used for the detection of the elements transferred into the providing region. It is not necessary to use a camera which performs measurement of the position of the element carrier to be mounted in a known manner in an automatic mounting apparatus in particular. The use of a camera provided in an automatic loading device has the disadvantage that the camera must be moved past the provided area, for example by a portal, for detection of the device. Since undesirable auxiliary process times may increase during the mounting process, mounting multiple devices in the device carrier may be slower and thus less efficient.

The "light transmittance" for the providing area is the same as described for the light transmittance of the previously movable cover member.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the element supplying apparatus also includes lighting means, and the lighting means is arranged such that the elements in the providing region can be illuminated.

The illumination means may comprise a light source of one ashing, in particular a light emitting diode. The light source (s) can illuminate the elements from one direction with one illumination light.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the elements in the coverage area may be illuminated from below. This can be realized, for example, by at least one light source being disposed under the providing member, whereby the elements transferred into the providing region are illuminated through the transmissive providing member from below. Thus, the elements can be illuminated by so-called incident light illumination or frontlight illumination (when considering the camera placed below the providing member). With this illumination, the camera can detect the elements particularly reliably and optically.

This frontal light illumination can be reliably detected, in particular on the basis of the luminous intensity value, whether or not the elements are in the correct direction in the providing member. The element orientation may be important, for example, in the case of elements comprising a connection contact on only one of the two main surfaces. The "main surface" is the two sides of the device with the largest area. It can be appreciated, for example, that when the mounting contacts of the elements are placed on the element carrier facing downwards, the elements must be picked up by the support device of the mounting head in the correct direction when the elements are picked up by the mounting head.

In addition, the position of the elements transferred by vibration into the providing area can be accurately determined by appropriate frontal light illumination. The same applies to the angular position of the element transferred into the providing area. In this connection, it can be easily seen that knowing precisely the position of the element to be picked up by the placement head is important for the reliable pick-up process. This is particularly based on the fact that as electronic components are becoming smaller and smaller, the size of the device and the size of the appropriate pick-up tool (e.g., suction pipette) of the mounting head is also getting smaller.

Detecting the position of adjacent elements can also be important for a reliable pick-up procedure, and thus ensuring that exactly one element is always picked up by the pick-up tool. If it is found that the elements to be picked up are arranged too close together in a closely spaced manner, a new oscillation process may be started in some cases, so that the elements are redistributed in the provided area. As described above, in this new oscillation process, the elements can be transported out of the providing region again in some cases, as opposed to the original transport direction.

The elements may be illuminated at a constant angle or at various angles through the support member from below. Also, at least one light source may emit in one spectral range or in a different spectral range or color. It is preferable that the illumination light of the front light illumination be incident on the individual element transferred vertically from the bottom into the providing area. Alternatively or in combination, the illumination light of the front light illumination may be incident at a slight tilt angle relative to the top surface of the providing member. This inclination angle can for example reach 30 [deg.], Preferably 20 [deg.], And more preferably 10 [deg.].

Illumination light of front light illumination may also be incident directly or indirectly, for example through a reflective optical element and / or an optical waveguide, to a light transmissive providing element.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the elements in the providing region may be illuminated from above.

The illumination from above can be done in particular using the movable cover member described above. The illumination light emitted from the at least one light source is preferably inductively coupled into the light-transmissive cover member from below. This optical coupling is possible at least when the movable cover member is in the closed position.

By means of the light-transmissive cover member, elements transferred into the providing region of the providing member by using vibration can be illuminated from above by another illuminating light. In the case of a camera disposed under the providing member, the other illumination light forms backlight, backlight or transmitted light illumination (so-called backlight) as described above.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described with respect to various objects of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that any combination of features belonging to different types of objects of the present invention, in addition to combinations of features belonging to one type of subject of the present invention, I will grasp.

Other advantages and features of the present invention are set forth in the following description of the preferred embodiments. The individual figures in this specification are to be understood as being schematic and not to scale.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an element supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which an apparatus for transferring elements using vibration is separated from a chassis of an element supply apparatus; Fig.
Fig. 2 is a partial view of the assembled element feeder of Fig. 1, showing a closure member disposed within the channel arrangement of an apparatus for transporting elements using vibration. Fig.
Fig. 3 is a view showing the element supply apparatus of Fig. 1 in an assembled state; Fig.
Figure 4 illustrates optical detection of elements on a support member during front illumination and back illumination.

The features or components of different embodiments that have the same or at least the same function as the corresponding features or elements of the embodiments have the same reference numerals or have the same or different features (functionally) Only the first numeral and the reference numerals have different reference numerals. To avoid unnecessary repetition, the features or components already described by the embodiments already described are not described in further detail in the following.

Furthermore, the embodiments described below are only limited in possible variations of the present invention. In particular, the features of the individual embodiments may be suitably combined with one another, so that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various embodiments in accordance with the various embodiments explicitly set forth herein.

1 is a perspective view of an element supply apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the element feeder 100 is shown in a partially disassembled state, in which case the device 150 for conveying elements using vibration, also referred to simply as conveyor 150, Is separated from the chassis 110 of the element supply apparatus 100. [

The element feeder 100 includes a vibrating plate 114, which can be vibrated by the vibrating actuator 112. The transfer device 150 can slide over the vibration plate 114, so that the transfer device 150 is also vibrated when the vibration plate 114 vibrates.

The transfer device 150 includes a long channel device 154. 1, a receiving device 152 for a device magazine 190 is disposed at the left end of the channel device 154, and electronic devices not shown as bulk products are included in the device magazine. The receiving device 152 acts as a porting and the porting device causes a certain amount of electronic components contained in the element magazine 190 to be transferred to the channel device 154 . The transfer of elements from the element magazine 190 to the channel device 154 is accomplished by simply dropping the elements over the base plate of the channel device 154 according to the embodiment shown here.

1, a provision member 164 formed as a light-transmissive diaphragm is disposed at the right end of the channel device 154, as described in detail below. As the vibrating plate 114 vibrates, the elements provided from the element magazine 190 are transported to the providing member 164 along the longitudinal direction of the channel device 154 (from left to top right in FIG. 1). The elements are moved from the providing region 162 to the mounting region 162 in the providing region 162 on the upper surface of the at least one portion of the providing member 164, Can be picked up by a mounting head (not shown) of the apparatus, and can be placed at an appropriate position on an unshown element carrier.

It is necessary to know the exact position of the element to be picked up and the exact direction, if any, so that the elements in the providing area 162 can be picked up properly by the grip tool (e.g., suction pipette) of the mounting head . In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention illustrated herein, the determination of the position and / or orientation of the elements in the providing region 162 may be performed from the bottom of the providing member 164, By using the optical measurement by the camera 130 to be detected. 1, the beam path of the measuring light detected by the camera 130 is projected from the bottom by the deflection mirror 132 to the providing member 164. An unshown evaluation unit disposed behind the camera 130 detects the position and / or direction of elements in the providing area 162 by image processing and transmits the corresponding information to the control unit of the mounting head . The optical measurement of the elements is described in more detail below with reference to FIG.

The conveying device 150 includes a movable cover member 160, which is disposed on the upper surface of the providing member 164. The movable cover member 160 is movable between an open position (open position) and a closed position (closed position). (a) in the open position it is possible to access the elements transferred into the providing area 162 from above, and (b) in the closed position this approach is prevented by the cover member 160. [ The switching between the open position and the closed position according to the embodiment shown here is achieved by a simple sliding movement. In the closed position, it is possible for the devices to inadvertently protrude from the providing region and to prevent unwanted penetration of the contaminated particles into the providing region.

Movement of the movable cover member 160 can be synchronized with the operation of the placement head so that the placement head allows one or more elements to be picked up from the presentation area by the placement head, The movable cover member 160 is in the open position for a short period of time.

The transfer device 150 also includes an identification member 158, which is disposed on the side wall of the channel device 154 according to the embodiment shown herein. This identification member 158 can distinguish between a transfer device 150 in which certain types of elements are located and other transfer devices including other types of devices. Thus, for example, if the manufacture of a particular electronic device product is terminated and a particular type of device is not required for a subsequent mounting operation, the transfer device 150, which is still partially filled with elements, may be separated from the chassis 110 and stored intermediate . If the elements contained in the transfer device 150 are later required again for mounting in the element carrier, the transfer device 150 can be picked up again from the reservoir and mechanically coupled to the vibration plate 114. [ By this simple change of the transfer device 150, the device supply device 100 can be used for various kinds of devices. Elements already in magazine 190 and in channel device 154 may not be discarded after replacement of the supplied elements.

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged partial view of the assembled element feeder 100 of Fig. For clarity, (a) the channel device 154 with the top cover removed and (b) the movable cover member 160 in the open position are shown. That is, the providing area having no reference numeral can freely approach from above, so that the mounting head can pick up elements (not shown) in the providing area.

Also shown in FIG. 2, the channel device 154 includes a closure member 256, which can also be moved between an open position and a closed position. According to the embodiment shown here, the closure member 256 can be adjusted by a simple rotational motion between the pick-up position and the closed position. In the closed position, the outlet of the channel device 154 is closed towards the providing area at the top of the providing member 164. Whereby the elements can not escape the opening of the channel device 154 on the right in Figures 1 and 2. In addition, contaminants or other elements can not penetrate into the channel device 154 through the opening. This allows the transfer device 150 to be detached from the vibrating plate 114 or chassis after interception of the closure member 256 and may be interim stored in, for example, a reservoir, in which case the channel device 154 may be contaminated particles or other There is no fear of being filled with a kind of device.

Fig. 3 shows the element supply apparatus 100 of Fig. 1 in an assembled state. The transfer device 150 is disposed on a vibration plate 114 driven by a vibration actuator 112 installed in the chassis 110. Electronic devices (not shown) that are ejected from the element magazine 190 are transferred into the channel device 154. The channel device 154 is closed by the cover from above, so that contaminating particles or other elements can not penetrate into the channel device 154. Therefore, the channel device 154 may be referred to as a tunnel.

The channel device 154 is vibrated by the vibrating actuator 112 so that the elements are transported to the right in FIG. The elements from the channel device 154 are transferred onto the providing member 164 and the providing member is formed as a transmissive vibrating plate comprising a providing region for the elements as described above. The elements can be picked up from the providing area by a mounting head not shown for automatic mounting on the element carrier.

The providing member or permeable vibration plate 164 is mechanically coupled to the three vibrating actuators according to the embodiment shown here and only two vibrating actuators 322a and 322b are shown in Fig. By means of the three vibrating actuators, the transmissive vibrating plate 164 can be oscillated along three different spatial directions, so that the elements can be suitably spatially distributed in the providing region.

The exact position and / or orientation of the provided elements should be known such that the elements provided in the providing area can be reliably picked up by the mounting head. The position and / or orientation of the provided elements is detected by the vision system as will be described in more detail below with reference to Fig. The vision system includes a camera 130 disposed below the providing member 164 and the camera detects the provided components through the transmissive providing member 164 from below by the mirror 132. [ The illumination means 334 provides frontal light illumination of the elements provided from below. Backlight can be formed by a movable cover member 160 made of a light-transmissive and / or light-diffusing material, in which case the movable transmissive cover member 160 is used as a planar light source. To this end, the light of the illumination means not shown in FIG. 3 is inductively coupled into the movable cover member 160 from below.

The light is reflected in the transmissive and / or diffusing material of the movable cover member 160 and scattered at the optical scattering position, so that a relatively uniform illumination of the elements provided in the providing region from above is achieved.

The device feeder 100 also includes an electronic device module 340 in accordance with the embodiment shown herein. The electronic device module 340 includes control circuitry and electrical drive circuitry and thus can be moved between the open position and the closed position shown in Figure 3, for example by actuators 112, 322a and 322b, An unshown adjustable drive for the < / RTI > The electronic device module 340 also includes a processor 345, which is disposed behind the camera 130 and performs image evaluation necessary for determining the position and / or orientation of the components.

The processor 345 may be located external to the device feeder 100 and in this case the image data detected by the camera 130 must be delivered to the external processor via an appropriate interface. Such an external processor may be implemented by, for example, a mechanical control unit or may be implemented in a mechanical control unit of an automatic loading apparatus to which the element supply apparatus 100 is connected.

4 shows the optical characteristics upon optical detection of the elements 495 disposed on the oscillatable providing member having the reference numeral 464. Fig. Since the movable cover member with reference numeral 460 is in the closed position, the cover member 460 is located at the top of the providing region defined by the spatial arrangement of the elements 495. For clarity, the vibration actuator that vibrates the providing member 464 is not shown in Fig.

As described above, the providing member 464 is made of a light transmitting material. This enables optical detection of the spatial state or position and / or direction of the elements 495 located on the providing member 464. [ As shown in FIG. 4, the camera 430 is disposed below the providing member 464. The beam path of the light detected by the camera 430 is similarly deflected by the mirror 432 disposed below the providing member 464. Since the providing member 464 is made of a light-transmitting material, the elements 495 are detected by the camera 430 through the providing member 464 from below.

Since the mirror 432 is a light semi-transmissive mirror, the illumination light 434a emitted from the illumination means 434 can pass through the semi-transmissive mirror 432 and can enter the providing member 464 from below. Since the providing member 464 is made of a light-transmitting material, the elements 495 can be illuminated by illumination light 434a from below. The elements are illuminated from the same direction as that detected by the camera 430 by the illumination means 434. [ Thus, the illumination light 434a forms a so-called front illumination light.

In order to implement so-called backlighting for the elements 495 detected from below by the camera 430, an illumination means 435 is also provided, which emits backlighting light 436a. The back illuminated light 436a is inductively coupled into the movable cover member 460 from below in accordance with the illustrated embodiment. Coupled back illuminated light 436a is distributed within the cover member 460 that is moveable by reflection at the inner wall of the cover member 460 and by scattering at the optical scattering center within the cover member 460, ) Are illuminated by a substantially uniform backlight from above. In order to improve the uniformity of the backlight, the cover member 460 according to the embodiment shown here includes optically diverse regions, i.e., a light transmission region 460a and a light diffusion region 460b. Back illumination light 436a emitted from the illumination means 436 into the light transmission region 460a is in-coupled. Since the light incident from the light transmission region 460a into the light diffusion region 460b is scattered in the light diffusion region 460b, the backlight light emitted from the lower surface of the light diffusion region 460b has a particularly high uniformity , And uniformly illuminates elements 495 from above as described above.

In order to improve the efficiency of the backlight, a reflective layer (not shown) may be formed on the upper surface of the movable cover member 460, so that a part of the illumination light 436a is emitted from the upper surface of the cover member 460, It is prevented from contributing to the illumination of the light sources 495.

The backlight 436a can be emitted from the top to the elements 495 only if the movable cover member 460 is in the closed position. The optical detection of the elements 495 using the camera 430 should thus be terminated before the movable cover member 460 is moved to the open position in the event of the presence of the back illuminated light 436a in optical detection. Only in such a case, the providing region can be freely accessed from above, so that a mounting head, not shown, can take out the previously measured elements 495 for mounting in an unillustrated element carrier.

In addition, the lighting means 434 and / or 436 are preferably implemented by one light emitting diode or a plurality of light emitting diodes. In this case, the light emitting diodes may emit the same or different spectral ranges of light.

It can be detected by front light illumination very reliably whether or not the elements 495 are on the providing member in the correct direction, in particular based on the luminous intensity value. The element orientation may be important in the case of an element including, for example, a contact contact on only one of the two main faces. The "main surface" may be the two sides of the device with the largest area. For example, when the devices 495 are picked up by the mounting head during the mounting process in which the connection contacts of the elements 495 are placed on the element carrier downwards, they must be picked up by the supporting device of the mounting head in the correct direction .

In addition, by suitable backlighting, the position of the element 495 transported by vibration into the providing area can be accurately determined. The same applies to the angular position of the element 495 transferred into the providing area. In this regard, it can be seen that knowing precisely the position of the element 495 to be picked up by the mounting head is important for the reliable pick-up process. This is based in particular on the fact that as electronic components become smaller and smaller, the size of the device and the size of a suitable pick-up tool (e.g. a suction pipette) of the mounting head is getting smaller.

Clearly, the front illumination light 434a and the back illumination area 436a provide various illumination conditions by which the camera 430 can detect different aspects or characteristics of the detected elements 495. [ The two images detected or photographed under various lighting conditions by the evaluation unit arranged behind the camera are preferably evaluated together. In this case, of course, the two lighting means 434 and 436 must be controllable separately from each other.

100 device supply device
110 chassis
112 Vibration Actuator
114 Vibration plate
130 Camera
132 Mirror
150 Feeding device
152 Receiving device / charging device
154 channel device
158 identification member
160 Cover member / shutter
162 Serving area
164 providing member / permeable vibration plate
190 element magazine
256 closing member
322a vibration actuator
322b vibration actuator
334 Lighting means for frontal light
340 electronic device module
345 processor
430 Camera
432 Mirror
434 Lighting means
434a Front Lighting Light
436 Lighting means
436a back lighting light
460 Cover member
460a light transmitting region
460b light diffusion area
464 Providing member
495 elements

Claims (15)

Claim 1 has been abandoned due to the setting registration fee. An apparatus (150) for transferring individualized elements (495) using vibration from a magazine (190) containing individualized elements (495) as bulk products to a delivery region (162) The
A receiving device 152 for the magazine 190;
A channel device 154 extending along the longitudinal axis between the receiving device 152 and the providing region 162 and mechanically coupled to the vibrating means 112;
A closure member (256) disposed within the channel device (154) and movable between an open position and a closed position, wherein in the closed position the channel device (154) is closed along the longitudinal axis and in the open position, (154) is open along the longitudinal axis, the closure member (256); And
A camera (130) for detecting an image of an element (495), the image being processed to determine the direction of the element in the providing region (162), the element (495) (130) configured to be picked up by a mounting head at a camera (162). Claim 2 has been abandoned due to the setting registration fee. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the closure member (256) is disposed along the channel device (154). Claim 3 has been abandoned due to the setting registration fee. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the channel device (154) has a first opening at a first end towards the receiving device (152) and a second opening at a second end towards the providing region Lt; / RTI > Claim 4 has been abandoned due to the setting registration fee. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the receiving device comprises a charging device (152) for transferring the devices (495) from the magazine (190) into the channel device (154). Claim 5 has been abandoned due to the setting registration fee. 3. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device (150) comprises an identification member (158), which identifies clearly the device (150) compared to other devices of the same kind . Claim 6 has been abandoned due to the setting registration fee. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the apparatus (150) includes a movable cover member (160, 460), the cover member is disposed on the providing region (162) In which the elements 495 transferred into the providing region 162 are accessible from above and in the closed position this approach is prevented by the cover members 160 and 460 . ≪ / RTI > An apparatus (150) for transferring individualized elements (495) using vibration from a magazine (190) containing individualized elements (495) as bulk products to a delivery region (162) The
A receiving device 152 for the magazine 190;
A channel device 154 extending along the longitudinal axis between the receiving device 152 and the providing region 162 and mechanically coupled to the vibrating means 112;
A closure member (256) disposed within the channel device (154) and movable between an open position and a closed position, wherein in the closed position the channel device (154) is closed along the longitudinal axis and in the open position, (154) is open along the longitudinal axis, the closure member (256);
A movable cover member (160, 460) disposed on the providing region (162) and movable between an open position and a closed position, the device comprising a plurality of elements (495) Wherein the movable cover member (160, 460) is accessible from above and in the closed position such approach is prevented by the cover member (160, 460); And
Mechanical coupling means mechanically coupling the movement of the closing member (256) and the movement of the cover member (160, 460) to each other. Claim 8 has been abandoned due to the setting registration fee. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the movable cover member (160, 460) is wholly or partially transmissive so that illumination light (436a) can pass through the movable cover member (160, 460) Wherein the providing region (162) can be illuminated by the illumination light (436a) from the top when the possible cover members (160, 460) are in the closed position. Claim 9 has been abandoned due to the setting registration fee. The method of claim 6, wherein the movable cover member (160, 460) includes integrated illumination means such that when at least the removable cover member (160, 460) is in the closed position, Wherein the providing region (162) can be illuminated from above by light. Claim 10 has been abandoned due to the setting registration fee. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the movable cover member (460) comprises a light diffusing material (460b). An element feeder (100) for providing individualized elements (495) for automatic assembly of element carriers in a carrier, the element feeder (100) comprising:
A chassis 110;
Vibration means (112) attached to the chassis (110);
Device 150 according to claims 1 or 2 for transporting individualized elements 495 using vibration from a magazine 190 containing individualized elements 495 as a bulk product to a providing region 162 The channel device 154 of the device 150 is mechanically coupled to the vibrating means 112 such that the devices 495 in operation of the vibrating means 112 are oscillated by the oscillation means 112 along the longitudinal axis The device (150) being capable of being transported toward the region (162). 12. The method of claim 11,
Further comprising a providing member (164) having a top surface, the providing region (162) being located on the top surface,
The camera 130 is disposed below the providing member 164,
Since the providing member 164 is light transmissive at least in the region of the providing region 162, the elements 495 transferred into the providing region 162 are optically captured through the providing member 164 from below Device feeder. 13. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that it comprises lighting means (434, 436) arranged so that the elements (495) in the providing region (162) can be illuminated. 14. Device according to claim 13, characterized in that said elements (495) in said providing region (162) can be illuminated from below. 14. Device according to claim 13, characterized in that said elements (495) in said providing region (162) can be illuminated from above.

Images