KR102325457B1 - Position adaptive provision of components at a pickup position of a component supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a component feeding device (100, 500, 600, 605) for providing components to a pick-up location. The component supply device (100, 500, 600, 605) includes (a) a chassis (110); (b) a mechanism for conveying parts to a provisioning structure (186), wherein the pick-up location is placed in or on the provisioning structure; (c) a drive device (115, 520, 542, 544) having a stationary component coupled with the chassis (110) and a movable component (540, 552) coupled with the providing structure (180, 186); and (d) a control device for controlling the driving device (115, 520, 542, 544) such that the providing structure (180, 186) is movable along at least the Z direction with respect to the chassis (110). The invention also relates to an assembly system 630 with such a component feeding device 100 , 500 , 600 , 605 and a method for supplying parts using such a component feeding device 100 , 500 , 600 , 605 . will be.

Description

POSITION ADAPTIVE PROVISION OF COMPONENTS AT A PICKUP POSITION OF A COMPONENT SUPPLY DEVICE

The present invention relates generally to the technical field of assembly of (electronic) components and component carriers and more particularly to the supply of components to an assembly process carried out by an assembly machine. In particular, the present invention relates to a component feeding device for providing components to a pick-up position, in which the components can be picked up by an assembly head and then placed on a component carrier. The invention also relates to an assembly machine and an assembly system comprising at least one said component feeding device, and to a method for supplying parts using said component feeding device.

When assembling the (electronic) parts with the part carriers, the parts to be treated are fed to an assembly process usually carried out in an assembly machine. The supply of parts is generally such that the parts are provided at a designated part pick-up location, from which they can be quickly and reliably picked up by the assembly head of the assembly machine and seated in a predetermined spatial position and orientation on the part carrier in question.

In order to ensure a reliable supply or delivery of the parts, the parts are usually packaged in so-called parts belts. The belts are approached to the assembly machine step by step by means of a special belt parts feeder, so that the parts placed in the part belt are transported sequentially and at a designated spatial location into the part pickup location. However, packaging the parts with such a part belt is complicated. In addition, the belt material must be disposed of as waste after separation of the parts.

In order to avoid complex packaging and the aforementioned waste problems, it is known to use so-called vibratory conveyors, which can transport the parts to be treated in the form of bulk material. However, significant, particularly mechanical costs are required to sequentially bring the parts to a specific part pick-up location. To achieve this, vibrating conveyors are designed to provide the parts sequentially and in a suitable orientation by mechanical guiding units, often referred to as “baffles”.

In order to ensure reliable pickup of the parts and thus a high process reliability, it is important to know exactly the pickup position in relation to the coordinate system of the assembly machine in question, so that the assembly head can "approach" the supplied parts precisely. Providing the parts in undesirable positions relative to the assembly head does not ensure access to each part and/or the assembly head must go an unnecessary travel distance to grab each part.

It is an object of the invention to improve the provision of parts for the assembly process so that the parts can be picked up reliably and efficiently by the assembly head of the assembly machine.

Said object is solved by the subjects of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a parts supply device for providing parts to a pick-up location is described. The described component feeder comprises (a) a chassis; (b) a mechanism for conveying parts to a feed structure, wherein a pickup location is placed in or on the feed structure; (c) a drive device having a stationary component (rigidly) coupled to the chassis and a movable component (rigidly) coupled to the providing structure; and (d) a control device for controlling the driving apparatus such that the providing structure is movable relative to the chassis along at least the Z direction.

The described component feeding device is characterized in that the component pickup position is spatially varied, such that the component feeding device accesses the provided parts by means of a suitable interface (removably) the assembly head of the mounted assembly machine to the assembly machine and/or said assembly machine. It is based on the recognition that it can be optimized in terms of the shortest possible travel path of the assembly head, even during the operation of the component feeder mounted on the machine. Changes along the Z direction, which are generally perpendicular (parallel to gravity), during operation of the component feeder means that the movement path along the vertical Z direction of the component holding device displaceably mounted on the assembly head, in particular the suction gripper, is It can be shortened, so it can be implemented so that the assembly process can be accelerated. The assembly performance is thereby improved, and the expression "assembly performance" here means the number of parts that can be seated on the part carrier to be assembled by the assembly machines within a predetermined period of time.

The expression "chassis" in this specification may mean a frame structure or a support structure that supports individual components of the component supply apparatus. In particular, a suitable interface is mounted or formed on the chassis to which the component feeder can be mounted (removably) on the assembly machine. These interfaces not only comprise purely mechanical interfaces, but also provide the parts feeder with an electrical interface, for example for energy supply from the assembly machine to the part feeder and/or a data interface for communication between the assembly machine and the part feeder. can be

As used herein, the expression “mechanism for transporting parts” may mean each functional unit capable of transporting parts from storage to a pickup location. Depending on the type of the component feeding device, the functional unit can be formed completely differently.

In the case of a so-called belt conveyor, the mechanism comprises in particular a rotary drive device and a pin wheel connected thereto, the pin wheel engaging in an opening of the corresponding component belt and moving the component belt to the component pickup position upon activation of the rotary drive device . In the case of a belt conveyor, a skein or bobbin in which the parts belt is wound with parts each stored in so-called belt pockets can be considered as parts storage.

In the case of a vibrating conveyor, a vibrating conveyor structure having a conveying path or conveying area formed on the upper surface of the conveyor structure with suitable vibration actuators as the case may be regarded as a "mechanism for conveying parts". The reservoir is in this case a container into which the parts are placed in the form of bulk material. The provision structure may be a simple (flat) plate in which the parts are presented to an assembly head for pickup.

In the case of a vibrating conveyor, the pick-up location at which the part in question is transported by vibration is not known or determined in advance. Therefore, prior to pickup, a measurement is still required for each individual part, for example optical detection by means of a camera where the pickup position for each part is located exactly. These pickup locations are only known in advance to lie within a specific spatially extended presentation area within or on the presentation structure. With this background in mind, the expression “providing parts at a pickup location” in the context of this specification means that the part is transported “somewhere” into the presentation area. The (arbitrary) position for each individual part from which the process of vibration transport (for the part) ends and from which the part is picked up is the pickup position.

In this specification, the expression "providing structure" may mean each structure in which parts can be presented to the assembly head for pickup. In the case of a belt conveyor, the provision structure comprises at least suitable guides and/or support surfaces which allow the section of the part belt from which the actual part is to be removed to be placed in the specified spatial position as precisely as possible. In the case of a vibrating conveyor, a provision structure can be implemented with a simple flat face (in some cases with a border to prevent undesirable fall of the parts) from which one or more parts are presented to the assembly head for pickup.

In this specification, the expression “driving device” may mean any type of operating unit configured to move the providing structure with respect to the chassis. The drive device may be (a) a mechanical drive device, for example a spindle or eccentric, (b) an electric drive device, for example a linear motor and/or (c) a pneumatic or hydraulic drive device, for example a lifting cylinder .

The expression “control unit” may mean a drive circuit for a data processing unit and/or a drive device that ensures that the providing structure is preferably moved. Software that calculates the optimal Z position for the serving structure may be applied to the data processing unit. This means that the interference contour and the area around the pick-up location are measured (eg by means of a camera) so that an optimal distance to the assembly head can be established at which the vertical travel distance of the part holding device of the assembly head is minimized. ) procedure.

For example, a change in the Z position of the supply structure can be (dynamically) effected when a replacement of the type of part provided by the described part supply device is carried out. In particular, the providing structure can be moved downwards if parts are provided having a greater height compared to previously processed parts. Correspondingly, only a minimum distance along the Z direction at the time of pickup of the part need be covered by the part holding device and/or the assembly head, since the donor structure is moved upwards when changing from a high part to a low part. In all cases, a contribution to the high assembly performance can be made by the adjustability along the Z direction.

A change in the Z position of the providing structure may be made, for example, to compensate for individual tolerances for the component feeding device and/or for individual mechanical mounting of the component feeding device on an assembly machine. Accordingly, the accuracy of the part supply for each individual part supply device can be individually increased and a "part supply device individual contribution" to the high assembly performance can be made.

Specifically, the described component feeding device has a function of (dynamically) changing the pickup position along the (vertical) Z direction. The Z position of the pickup position can be set by the control device so that the pickup position lies as close as possible to the assembly head. Accordingly, the vertical movement path of the assembly head and/or the corresponding part holding device can be minimized, so that a contribution to a high assembly performance can be made. In addition, tolerances can be compensated for, so that the different component feeders behave at least about the same with respect to the distance between the assembly head and the pickup position.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the component feeding apparatus further comprises at least one other driving device, the providing structure can be variably controlled (by the control device) with respect to the chassis at least along the X direction and/or the Y direction. , where the X and Y directions are perpendicular to the Z direction.

In this embodiment, the pickup position can be varied along at least different spatial directions, whereby the pickup accuracy and/or pickup efficiency can be further improved. The above-mentioned tolerance compensation can also advantageously be implemented for at least one other direction.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the component feeding device further comprises an interface structure which can be mounted or formed on the movable component (directly or indirectly) and/or on the providing structure (directly or indirectly), The structure is configured such that the providing structure can be removably mounted (directly or indirectly) on the movable component. Hereby, it is advantageous that one of the various provision structures, optionally used for transporting different (types) parts, can respectively be removably or reversibly mounted on the movable component. For example, in the case of replacement of parts, in particular in the scope of so-called retrofitting of assembly machines, the donor structure can be replaced with a different (different dimension) donor structure.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the component feeding device further comprises an optical system for detecting the type, number and/or position of at least one component provided in or on the providing structure.

The (accurate) optical detection of one provided part or a plurality of provided parts has the advantage that the provisioning process can be monitored so that a high process reliability can be achieved. By detecting the type of at least one provided part, it can be prevented, for example, that the wrong part is picked up by the corresponding assembly head and used for assembly. Parts recognized as faulty or damaged may be disposed of in such a way that they are fed to a waste repository. By detecting the exact position of the at least one part, the pickup process can be improved so that the assembly head that picks up the part is properly positioned upon displacement of the part, so that position tolerances can be compensated for in the provision of the at least one part.

In the vibrating conveyor, the conveying behavior of the vibrating system of the component feeding device can be monitored and, if necessary, adjusted by optical detection of the components which are conveyed by vibration to the providing structure on the conveying path. In particular, this adjustment is to always provide a suitable number of parts for reliable pickup by the assembly head in the area of the delivery structure. In some cases, the parts may be reversed or vibrated. This "back-transfer" is desirable, for example, when there are too many parts in the presentation area and the spacing between the various parts is too small to ensure reliable pickup of parts.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the control device and the drive arrangement are configured such that the providing structure can be moved into a focal plane of the optical system. This has the advantage that reliable optical detection of at least one component is always possible even in various spatial configurations.

Reliable optical detection, especially when different types of components with different heights are fed by the described component feeding device, since the providing structure is movable into the focal plane or, depending on the size of the component in question, into an area around the focal plane This can be guaranteed.

Furthermore, the described movability of the providing structure with respect to the focal plane is advantageously applicable even in the case where providing structures of spatially different dimensions are used in the described component feeding device. This applies to a vibrating conveyor in which parts are transported in replaceable cartridges, which cartridge also comprises, in addition to the providing structure, a transport area with a conveying path, for accommodating a plurality of individualized parts and for placing the individualized parts onto the conveying area ( metering) including storage for discharge. The reservoir, transport area, and delivery structure may be formed (in one piece) as an elongated “cartridge”. Cartridges of different dimensions, which can be coupled directly or indirectly on the movable component of the drive device by means of a suitable (mechanical) interface, can advantageously be used, for example, with different (sized) parts. This increases the flexibility of the described component feeding device while maintaining high process reliability with respect to handling of different components.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the presentation structure comprises an optically transparent presentation plate having an upper surface on which components are provided. The optical system also includes a camera and optics configured such that components placed in the pickup position can be detected from below through the optically transparent presentation plate. This embodiment has the advantage that the optical system can be integrated into the component feeding device in a space-saving manner. Thus, the component feeding device can be embodied as a compact module that can be mounted on an assembly machine instead of or in addition to other component feeding systems carrying the parts packaged on the belt.

Optical devices may include lenses and/or mirrors. The mirror may comprise a (curved) imaging mirror or a simple (planar) reflector or deflecting mirror.

For as reliable optical detection of components as possible, the providing structure has to be moved to a position which faces the optical system and thus the side of each component detected by the camera lies within the focal plane as precisely as possible.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the component feeding device is formed as a vibrating conveyor with an actuator system for vibrating the donor structure, and the drive device is at least one actuator of the actuator system for moving the donor structure along the Z direction. is implemented by

Specifically, the actuator of the actuator system that provides vibration to the donor structure during operation of the component supply device also performs a function of displacing the donor structure along the Z direction instead of its own separate actuator. In this way, a separate actuator for displacement of the providing structure, preferably along the Z direction, can be omitted. This has a favorable effect on the space design as well as the manufacturing cost of the component feeding device, which can be implemented in a particularly compact installation space by “multiple use” of at least one actuator.

The actuator system may be actuated by its own control unit. Preferably, however, a control device providing a displacement of the providing structure along the Z direction is used for controlling the actuators of the actuator system.

This is in practice relatively infrequent, since the displacement of the donor structure is specifically a spatial reconstruction of the component feeding device. The reason for the displacement of the provision structure may in particular be a replacement of the type of parts to be supplied and/or a (new) calibration of the part supply device. Thus, the “frequency” of the displacement along the Z direction compared to the oscillation frequency is significantly lower. Depending on the type of vibration actuator that is also used for displacement, the setting of the Z position can be considered a position offset. In the case of actuators based on electricity and in particular the piezoelectric effect, this position offset can be generated by a direct voltage, while the vibrations of the providing structure can be generated by a suitable alternating voltage.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an actuator system for vibrating the donor structure comprises at least two Z actuators, the actuators being assigned to a drive device for moving the donor structure along the Z direction. This means that the drive device for moving the donor structure along the Z direction includes at least two Z actuators that are also provided for vibration of the donor structure.

Given a suitable spatial spacing of the two Z actuators, a stable translational motion along the Z direction can be effected without tilting the donor structure to an undesirably greater extent. It also contributes to improved process reliability when picking up parts.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the two Z actuators may be controlled in-phase or out-of-phase.

In this regard, in-phase control means that the two Z actuators are moved equally. When the first actuator among the two Z actuators for moving the donor structure along the positive Z direction is controlled, the donor structure moves along the positive Z direction when the other actuators among the two Z actuators are controlled in phase. Correspondingly, anti-phase control means that if the other of the two actuators is moved along the negative Z direction, then the one actuator is moved along the positive Z direction.

By the antiphase movement of the two Z actuators, the rotational freedom of the donor structure can be excited by vibration for the transport of parts. The axis of rotation for this rotational vibration is an axis oriented perpendicular to the Z direction. In-phase movement of the two Z actuators translates the donor structure along the Z-direction or oscillates the donor structure along the Z-direction to adjust the elevation of the pickup location depending on the "frequency" of the excitation.

As mentioned above, the control of the actuators of the actuator system can be effected by means of a control device and/or a special control unit provided for vibration of the providing structure.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the component feeding device further comprises at least one motion sensor mounted on or mechanically rigidly coupled to the feeding structure.

With the motion sensor, the actual movement behavior of the donor structure can preferably be detected and thus the movement of the donor structure can be controlled and adjusted. This applies to the movement or positioning according to the invention of the provision structure for adjustment of the (vertical) position of the pickup position, and also to the actual vibrational behavior, alternatively or in combination. Monitoring of the actual vibration behavior is particularly advantageous in embodiments given an optical system (described above) for detecting the position of the individual parts, whereby the transport behavior can be controlled and adjusted.

The at least one motion sensor described may be a position sensor, a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, or any combination of these types of sensors.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an assembly system for automatically assembling parts with part carriers is described. The described assembly system comprises (a) a component feeding device of the type described above for providing components to a pickup location; and (b) an assembly machine having an assembly head, said assembly head (i) for receiving the provided parts, (ii) for transporting the received parts onto the part carrier to be assembled, and (iii) for transporting the transported parts. It is provided for seating parts onto a part carrier.

The described assembly system comprises a part holding device displaceably mounted on an assembly head, movement of the suction gripper, by means of the part providing device described herein with the possibility of adaptive adjustment of the pickup position along at least the (vertical) Z direction. It is based on the recognition that the path can be shortened along the (vertical) Z direction, thereby accelerating the assembly process and thus the assembly performance can be improved.

According to another aspect of the invention, a method is described for providing parts, in particular individualized electronic parts, for automatic assembly of part carriers in an assembly machine. In the method according to the invention, the component feeding device described above is used. The described method comprises adjusting the spatial position of the pickup position along the Z direction relative to the chassis by control of the drive device.

The described method is based on the recognition that parts can be provided at a pick-up position that is variable, at least with respect to the Z-direction, by means of the part feeding device described above. Accordingly, preferably, one pick-up position can be set each for different parts and/or different providing structures, wherein the pick-up position holds parts along the Z direction when picking up parts by the part holding device of the assembly head. Provides a short travel path for the device or assembly head.

Embodiments of the present invention have been described with respect to different subject matter. In particular, some embodiments of the invention are described in apparatus claims and other embodiments of the invention are described in method claims. However, unless otherwise specified, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading this specification that, in addition to combinations of features included in one type of subject matter, any combination of features contained in different types of subject matter is possible. will be.

Other advantages and features of the present invention are set forth in the detailed description below of preferred embodiments. The individual drawings herein are schematic only and are not to scale.

1 is a principle diagram of a lifting of a providing structure formed as a plate of a component feeding device formed as a vibrating conveyor;
2 shows various elevations for parts of two different sizes;
3 shows the elevation setting of the pickup position for two different sized parts cartridges;
4 shows different elevations of a provision structure formed as a plate for two different part cartridges with the same height;
5 shows a schematic structure of a vibrating conveyor comprising two bearing units connected to each other by an intermediate body and allowing the operation of the providing structure, respectively, with different degrees of freedom;
6 is a schematic diagram of an assembly system comprising a plurality of component feeders and an assembly machine with two assembly heads mounted on either side of the assembly machine;

In the detailed description below, features or components of various embodiments that are identical or at least functionally identical to corresponding features or components of other embodiments are given the same reference numerals, or corresponding identical or at least functionally identical Reference numbers for identical features or components are given the same reference number as the last two digits. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, features or components already described based on the above-described embodiment will not be described in detail later.

Further, the embodiments described below only present a limited selection of possible embodiment variations of the present invention. In particular, since the features of the individual embodiments can be suitably combined with each other, numerous various embodiments are considered to be clearly disclosed to those skilled in the art with the embodiment variations explicitly shown herein.

1 shows a schematic diagram of a component feeding device 100 configured as a vibrating conveyor. The component feeding device 100 includes a chassis 110 that is used as a base body or frame structure for other components (not shown) of the component feeding device 100 . Vibratory conveying of the component feeding device 100 is first in which parts given as bulk material contained in a reservoir 182 are conveyed to the dispensing structure 186 via a conveying area or conveying path 184 . The actuator system used to generate the vibration is not shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 1 .

According to the embodiment shown herein, the reservoir 182 , the transport area 184 and the provision structure 186 are components of the (integral) cartridge 180 . The providing structure 186 is a simple plate on which parts (not shown) are transported by vibration. According to the embodiment shown here, the plate 186 is formed as a clear glass plate allowing detection of parts by an optical system (also not shown) from below, ie through the clear glass plate 186 . do. By suitable optical detection and subsequent image evaluation, the exact position of each of the individual parts placed on the glass plate 186 can be determined. Based on the precise information on the position of the part to be picked up, the assembly head, not shown, can be positioned so that the part holding device of the assembly head can pick up the part. The pickup movement of the part is schematically shown in FIG. 1 by arrow 186a.

The component feeding device 100 further includes a drive device 115 capable of moving the cartridge 180 relative to the chassis 110 along the (vertical) Z direction. As the elevation of the cartridge 180 increases, the (vertical) travel distance of the part holding device along the Z direction required to pick up the part becomes shorter. The short travel distance of the part holding device shortens the time for the assembly process of each individual part. Thus, the high possible elevation of the cartridge 180 contributes significantly to the high assembly performance of the assembly machine.

The upper limit on the elevation of the cartridge 180 is given by the horizontal line shown in FIG. 1 as a dashed line. This line represents the lower limit 190a of the impact area required by the building head for movement of the building head in a plane perpendicular to the Z direction. If the cartridge 180 rises higher above the dashed line, the assembly head may collide with the cartridge 180 .

2 different elevations are shown for two different sized parts 296 - 1 and 296 - 2 . In the illustration of FIG. 2 , first parts 296 - 1 are placed in a first cartridge 280-1 and second parts 296 - 2 are placed in a second cartridge 280 - 2 . According to the embodiment shown here, the two cartridges 280-1 and 280-2 are the same size. However, in order to take into account the different sizes of the parts 296-1 and 296-2, the providing structure 186 formed as a transparent glass plate in the first cartridge 280-1 is (first cartridge 280-1) at a relatively low elevation). Correspondingly, the providing structure 186 in the second cartridge 280-2 lies at a relatively high elevation (relative to the bottom surface of the second cartridge 280-2).

The two cartridges 280-1 and 280-2 are each movable along the Z direction by a driving device, not shown. The focal plane 270a of the camera, not shown, is shown in FIG. 2 as a reference for the movement along the Z direction. The thickness of the line representing focal plane 270a in FIG. 2 is a measure of the area of focus or depth of focus area in which an object must lie in order to produce a sharp image in the image plane of a camera, not shown. A possible tolerance for the elevation of the glass plate 186 along the Z direction is shown for the first cartridge 280-1 in FIG. 2A and indicated by the double arrow 286a.

In the left part of figure 2, referred to below as figure 2a, the drive device is in a neutral position. This means that no (electrical) signal or a signal of zero strength is applied to the driving device. A non-zero signal will bias the movable component of the drive device relative to the stationary component of the drive device. In this state, a free space 280a to the lower limit 190a of the impact area of the assembly head (not shown), shown as the upper dashed line for the two cartridges 280-1 and 280-1, is obtained. . (Overall) The lower dashed line in FIG. 2 indicates the upper limit 290b of the impact area for the drive device.

In the middle part of Fig. 2, referred to herein as Fig. 2b, the two cartridges 280-1, 280-2 are pulled down by the drive device, so that the lower surface of the part 296-1 or 296-2 Each of these lies in the focal plane 270a. The corresponding force required for this is indicated by the arrow Fact.

In the right-hand portion of Fig. 2, referred to herein as Fig. 2c, two cartridges 280-1 and 280-2 are respectively pushed up by a drive mechanism to the maximum, thereby picking up the parts 296-1 and 296-2. The movement path of the component holding device 294 necessary for this is minimized. The minimized travel path along the Z direction is shown by the arrow indicated by reference numeral 294a. The force required to "push up" of both cartridges 280-1 and 280-2 is shown by arrow Fact, respectively, in Fig. 2c.

Specifically, during the assembly process, several positions of the pickup height shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C are given.

- Figure 2a shows the neutral Z position set in the de-energized state of the drive device.

- Figure 2b shows a position that can be specifically referred to as "camera Z position". In this position, an image of each part 296-1 or 296-2 is taken. Depending on the (vertical) extent of the focus area 270a, the neutral position may coincide with the “camera Z position”. Otherwise, the cartridge (280-1 or 280-2) must be moved down to the "camera Z position" for sharp images.

- Figure 2c shows where the parts are picked up. This position may be specifically referred to as a “pickup Z position”. To pick up the parts by the assembly head, the cartridge 280-1 or 280-2 in question is moved upward by a distance that can be obtained from the calibration procedure in which the lower limit of the impact area 190a is determined.

The Z stroke required for picking up the parts by the assembly head can be minimized by placing the glass plate as high as possible within the available installation space in the cartridge, irrespective of the active elevation of the cartridge already. The lower interfering contour area of the moving assembly head means an installation space limitation to prevent mechanical collisions.

Since there are basically two ways to optimize the height position of the cartridge by the adaptively or actively settable Z position of the cartridge, the same high assembly performance can be achieved regardless of the size of the parts. In addition, the spectrum of parts of different sizes that can be processed by the component feeding device can be broadened without sacrificing a decrease in assembly performance due to the settable Z position compared to known component feeding devices. These two possibilities are described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 . In the variant shown in Fig. 3, the height of the cartridge is adjusted according to the size of the parts. The distance between (a) the providing structure or the transparent glass plate and (b) the interface between the component feeding device and the assembly machine is constant. In the variant shown in Figure 4, the height of the cartridge (for parts of different sizes) is constant, but the distance between (a) the providing structure or clear glass plate and (b) the interface between the part feeding device and the assembly machine is the part when the part is large. smaller than this small case.

Figure 3 shows the elevational setting of the pickup position for two different sized parts cartridges. The relatively large or tall first cartridge is provided with reference numeral 380-1. A relatively small or flat second cartridge is provided with reference numeral 380-2. The first cartridge 380-1 includes relatively large first parts 296-1. The second cartridge 380 - 2 includes relatively small second parts 296 - 2 .

Each part feeder comprises an interface that allows the part feeder to be connected to the frame structure of the assembly machine. This interface is shown schematically in FIG. 3 by reference numeral 388 .

For the first parts 296 - 1 placed in the first cartridge 38 - 1 , the minimum distance between the upper surface of the glass plate 186 and the upper surface of the cartridge 38 - 1 is indicated by the double arrow hc1 . . For the second parts 296 - 2 placed in the second cartridge 380 - 2 , the minimum distance between the upper surface of the glass plate 186 and the upper surface of the cartridge 380 - 2 is indicated by the double arrow hc2 . The vertical distance between the glass plate 186 to the assembly machine and the interface 388 of the part feeder is the same for the two cartridges 380-1 and 380-2. In other words, lower cartridges with smaller parts must be raised to a higher "Z pickup height" than higher cartridges with larger parts.

The different lengths of the two double arrows hc1 and hc2 are accounted for by the fact that the parts, regardless of their size, have sufficient "vertical free space" within their respective cartridges. This ensures a high "process reliability" of the part transfer by means of the intended vibration.

4 shows different elevations of each providing structure 186 formed here as a transparent glass plate, for two different component cartridges 480-1 and 480-2 of the same height. The glass plate 186 in the first cartridge 480-1, which includes the first relatively large parts 296-1, is the second cartridge 480-2, which includes the second relatively small parts 296-2. It rests at a lower height or at a smaller vertical distance hgl with respect to the interface 388 (between the component feeder and the assembly machine) than the glass plate 186 in the For the second cartridge 480 - 2 , the (greater) distance between the interface 388 and the glass plate 186 is indicated by the double arrow hg2 .

Specifically, for small parts the glass plate in the corresponding cartridge is displaced upward. The cartridge with the glass plate placed high must be pulled down or pushed into the "camera Z position".

Since pulling or pushing a cartridge out of position is usually associated with a specific energy consumption, the energy consumption for the operation of the component feeder depends on the application, for example the selection of a bearing system for the cartridge allowing vibrational transport. To minimize, it must be determined individually whether it is more desirable to place the neutral Z position of the glass plate closer to the pickup height or closer to the "camera Z position".

5 shows a schematic structure of a component feeding device 500 formed as a vibrating conveyor. The vibrating conveyor 500 is schematically shown in a side view in the YZ plane. The X direction is perpendicular to both the marked Z direction and the marked Y direction.

The vibration conveyor 500 includes two bearing units that allow vibration of the cartridge 180 with different degrees of freedom of movement. Bearing units are also referred to herein as bearing levels. Each bearing unit or bearing level is assigned with actuators capable of precisely actuating the corresponding degree of freedom. Specifically, for each degree of freedom, exactly one actuator is provided, so the number of actuators equals the number of degrees of freedom. This means that the entire vibration system of the component feeding device 500 is not “under-actuated” or “over-actuated”. Thus, "proper operation" is given for both bearing units independently of each other. That is, neither underactivation nor overactivation is given. This advantageously provides good vibration decoupling between the various degrees of freedom. Thus, the possibility of individual control of a number of degrees of freedom decoupled from each other is given. This characteristic applies individually for the two bearing units and the corresponding actuator system.

In particular, the component feeding device 500 comprises a first bearing unit 520 , shown below, with a stationary component (not shown) and a movable component 528 . The fixed component is (rigidly) connected to the chassis 110 . The movable component 528 is (rigidly) connected with the intermediate body 540 . Accordingly, the intermediate body 540 may vibrate according to the degree of freedom allowed by the first bearing unit 520 .

According to the embodiment shown here, the first bearing unit 520 comprises an assembly of two solid body joints 522 and 524 . The solid body joint 522 consists of a simple horizontally oriented leaf spring that connects the chassis 110 with the intermediate body 540 (elastically). Solid body joint 524 consists of two L-bent or bent double leaf springs, often referred to as “folded leaf springs”. The solid body joint 524 also (elastically) connects the chassis 110 with the intermediate body 540 .

In this regard, a single "folded leaf spring" has five degrees of freedom and blocks translation in the vertical direction (parallel to the longitudinal direction of the bending edge). Thus, the illustrated combination of a total of four “folded leaf springs” is a bearing assembly for supporting the body in two degrees of freedom (Tz, Rα) in one plane (here the YZ plane). where Tz is the translation along the Z direction and Ra is the rotation about the X axis parallel to the X direction.

The first bearing unit 520 is assigned with two actuators 542 and 544 , respectively schematically shown by “force arrows” and acting on the protrusion of the movable component 528 , respectively. Two actuators 542 and 544 respectively actuate a translational motion Tz along the Z axis. As mentioned above, in-phase operation (with equal amplitude) results in a translational motion (Tz) along the Z axis. Antiphase operation results in a rotational motion (Rα) (about the X axis perpendicular to the drawing plane).

The second bearing unit 550 of the component feeding device 500 comprises an intermediate body 540 as a stationary component, a movable component 552 and two planar air bearings 556 and 558 , which air bearings are intermediate Allows movement of cartridge 180 in three degrees of freedom in the XY plane relative to body 540 , Tx (translation along the X axis), Ty (translation along the Y axis), and Rγ (rotation around the Z axis). To this end, the second bearing unit 550 is assigned with three actuators, a first X actuator 562, a second X actuator 563 and a Y actuator 564, which actuators are arranged to move the X axis under suitable control. It is possible to actuate a translation along the Z axis (Rγ) and/or a translation along the Y axis (Ty).

Specifically, in the component feeding device 500 , the first bearing level 520 is assigned with degrees of freedom Tz and Rα and is operated by two linear drive devices 542 and 544 acting in the Z direction. do. That is, a pure translational motion along the Z axis (Tz), a pure rotational motion about the X axis (Rα) and the two motions (Tz and Rα) by suitable control of the two linear drives 542 and 544 are Any combination may be achieved. The parallel kinematics used allows the two linear drives 542 and 544 to be designed with particularly small dimensions since they always implement a certain motion together.

The degree of freedom for the cartridge 180 is the "sum" of the degree of freedom of the first bearing unit 520 and the degree of freedom of the second bearing unit 550 . According to the embodiment shown herein, cartridge 180 is operable with five degrees of freedom of motion (Tx, Ty, Tz, Ra and Rγ). To adjust the elevation of the glass plate 186, two Z actuators 542 and 544 are used that are also “authorized” for the vibrational degrees of freedom (Tz and Rα) according to the embodiment shown here.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the component feeding device 500 further includes an optical system 570 having a camera 572 and a deflecting mirror 574 . A camera 572 detects parts (not shown) disposed below the cartridge 180 and placed on the glass plate 186 from below (by the beam path through the deflection mirror 574 ). As described above, by detecting the exact position of the part to be picked up by the part holding device of the assembling head, the assembling head can be properly positioned (in the XY plane), so that immediately before picking up the part, the part holding device is placed over the part. correctly placed. Accordingly, high process stability can be achieved at the time of picking up the part.

6 shows schematically an assembly machine 632 with two assembly heads 634 movable independently of one another and an assembly system 630 comprising a plurality of component feeders 600 , 605 formed as a module. do. The component feeding devices are formed either (a) as a component feeding device 600 for feeding parts from bulk material or (b) as a component feeding device 605 for feeding parts placed in a component belt in a known manner. According to the embodiment shown here, four component feeding devices 605 and one component feeding device 600 are mounted on the left side of the assembly machine 632 . Two component feeding devices 600 and two component feeding devices 605 are mounted on the right side of the assembly machine 632 .

The different widths of the component feeding devices 600 , 605 in the illustration of FIG. 6 are arbitrarily chosen and are mainly for distinguishing different types of component feeding devices. The two component feeding devices actually preferably have the same width.

The expression "comprising" does not exclude other elements and the indefinite article "a(an)" does not exclude a plurality. Also, elements described in connection with different embodiments may be combined. Also, the reference numbers in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

100 parts feeder
110 Chassis / Base Body
115 drive unit
180 Cartridge / Conveyor Structure
182 Repository
184 Conveying Area / Conveying Route
186 Offer Structure / Clear Glass Plate
186a Pickup Go
Impact area of 190a assembly head
270a Focal Plane/Focal Area
280-1 cartridge 1
280-2 Cartridge 2
280a free space
286a Offer Structure / Tolerance of Clear Glass Plate
Impact area of 290b actuators
294 Component Holding Device / Suction Gripper
294a Movement of the part holding device
296-1 Part 1
296-2 Part 2
Actuator force to deflect cartridge out of position
380-1 cartridge 1
380-2 cartridge 2
388 Parts Feeder - Interface of Assembly Machines
hc1/hc2 serving structure - distance from the top of the cartridge
480-1 cartridge 1
480-2 Cartridge 2
hg1/hg2 serving structure - distance of interface 388
500 parts feeder/vibration conveyor
520 1st bearing unit / 1st bearing level
522 solid body joint (leaf spring)
524 solid body joint (two parallel aligned leaf springs)
528 Movable Components
540 medium body
542 Z Actuator
544 Z Actuator
550 2nd bearing unit / 2nd bearing level
552 Movable Components
556 Air Bearing (Flat)
558 Air Bearing (Flat)
562 X Actuator
563 X Actuator
564 Y Actuator
570 optical system
572 camera
574 deflection mirror
Component feeder for individualized electronic components from 600 bulk materials
605 Component feeder for electronic components placed in a belt
630 assembly system
632 assembly machine
634 assembly head

Claims (12)

A parts supply device (100, 500, 600, 605) for providing parts to a pickup location, comprising:
The component supply device (100, 500, 600, 605) is
chassis 110;
a mechanism for conveying the parts to a feed structure (186), wherein the pickup location is located in or on the feed structure;
a drive device (115, 520, 542, 544) having a stationary component coupled with the chassis (110) and a movable component (540, 552) coupled with the providing structure (180, 186); and
a control device for controlling the drive device (115, 520, 542, 544) such that the providing structure (180, 186) is movable along at least a Z direction with respect to the chassis (110);
The component feeding device is formed as a vibrating conveyor having an actuator system (542, 544, 562, 563, 564) for vibrating the feeding structure (180, 186), the drive device being the feeding structure (180, 186) along the Z direction a component feeding device ( 100 , 500 , 600 , 605 ), implemented by at least one actuator ( 542 , 544 ) of the actuator system ( 542 , 544 , 562 , 563 , 564 ) to move ( 180 , 186 ) . The method of claim 1,
At least one other driving device 562 , 563 , 564 in which the providing structure 180 , 186 can be variably controlled along at least one of an X direction and a Y direction perpendicular to the Z direction with respect to the chassis 110 . ), further comprising a component supply device (100, 500, 600, 605). The method of claim 1,
Mounted or formed on at least one of the movable component 552 and the providing structure 180 , 186 and configured such that the providing structure 180 , 186 can be removably mounted on the movable component 552 . A component feeding device (100, 500, 600, 605), further comprising an interface structure. The method of claim 1,
The component feeding device (100, 500, 600, 605) further comprising an optical system (570) for detecting at least one of the type, number and location of at least one component provided in or on the providing structure (186). . 5. The method of claim 4,
and the control device and the drive device are configured such that the providing structure is movable into a focal plane (270a) of the optical system (570). 5. The method of claim 4,
The presentation structure comprises an optically transparent presentation plate 186 having a top surface on which components are provided;
The optical system (570) comprises a camera (572) and an optics (574) configured such that parts placed on the pickup location can be detected from below through the optically transparent presentation plate (186). (100, 500, 600, 605). delete The method of claim 1,
The actuator system 542 , 544 , 562 , 563 , 564 includes at least two Z actuators 542 , 544 for vibrating the donor structure, the actuators Z actuators for the donor structure 180 , 186 . A component feeding device (100, 500, 600), which is assigned to said drive device for movement along a direction. 9. The method of claim 8,
The two Z actuators (542, 544) can be controlled in-phase or out-of-phase. The method of claim 1,
and at least one motion sensor mounted on or rigidly coupled mechanically with the donor structure (180, 186). An assembly system (630) for automatically assembling parts with part carriers, comprising:
The assembly system 630 is
11. A component feeding device (600, 605) according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and 8 to 10, which provides the components to the pick-up location; and
(a) for receiving said parts provided;
(b) for transporting the received parts onto a part carrier to be assembled; and
(c) for seating the transferred parts on the part carrier.
an assembly system (630) comprising an assembly machine (632) having an assembly head (634). Individualized electronic components for automatic assembly of component carriers in an assembly machine ( 632 ) using a component feeding device ( 600 , 605 ) according to any of claims 1 to 6 and 8 to 10 . A method of providing
the method
adjusting the spatial position of the pickup position along the Z direction relative to the chassis (110) by control of the drive device (115, 520, 542, 544).

Images