TWI827487B - Automatic pick-and-place system - Google Patents

Abstract

An automatic pick-and-place system is provided, including feeder, a pattern formed on a fixed part of the feeder, a robot, and a processing unit. An electronic element can be held between the fixed part and a movable part of the feeder. A vision module on the robot captures an image of the pattern, and the processing unit calculates a coordinate value of the electronic element. Thus, the robot can move to a target position and pick the electronic element according to the coordinate value.

Description

Automated pick and place system

The invention relates to an automated pick-and-place system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pick and place system with automatic correction function.

Generally, after the automatic plug-in equipment is installed, it is usually necessary to teach the robot arm to move to the correct picking position through manual teaching and learning.

However, the traditional manual teaching point program is often affected by factors such as the operator's experience and technical competence, resulting in unstable correction results. In addition, manual teaching points are also characterized by poor accuracy and time consuming. shortcoming.

In view of this, how to overcome the aforementioned problems of manual teaching has become an important challenge for researchers in this technical field.

In view of the aforementioned conventional problems, one embodiment of the present invention provides an automated pick-and-place system, which includes a feeding device, a visual totem, a robotic arm, and a processing unit. The feeding device is used to move a braid and at least one electronic component provided on the braid. The feeding device has a base, a fixing part and a clamping part. The fixing part is fixed on the base. , the clamping part is movably connected to the base, wherein when the braid and the electronic component move to a predetermined position, the clamping part slides relative to the base, and clamps the electronic component to the fixed part And between the aforementioned clamping parts.

The visual totem is formed on the fixed part, and the robotic arm has a visual module and a tool module. The aforementioned processing unit is electrically connected to the aforementioned visual module, wherein the aforementioned visual module photographs the aforementioned visual totem on the aforementioned fixed part and transmits an image data to the aforementioned processing unit, and the aforementioned processing unit calculates one of the aforementioned electronic components based on the aforementioned image data. coordinate value, and then the aforementioned robot arm moves to a target position according to the aforementioned coordinate value, and grabs the aforementioned electronic component through the aforementioned tool module.

The aforementioned visual totem has a first reference pattern, a second reference pattern and a third reference pattern, a first reference line passes through the aforementioned first reference pattern and the aforementioned second reference pattern along a first direction, and a second reference line Pass through the aforementioned first reference pattern and the aforementioned third reference pattern along a second direction, and the aforementioned first reference line and the aforementioned second reference line are not parallel to each other.

In one embodiment, when the electronic component is clamped between the fixing part and the clamping part, the electronic component contacts an edge of the fixing part, and the first reference line is parallel to the edge.

In one embodiment, the second reference line is perpendicular to the edge.

In one embodiment, the first reference line is separated from the edge by a first distance, the edge is separated from a center point of the electronic component by a second distance, and the processing unit is based on the image data, the first distance and the The second distance calculates the coordinate value of the electronic component.

In one embodiment, the first reference line and the second reference line are perpendicular to each other.

In one embodiment, the second reference line passes through a center point of the electronic component.

In one embodiment, the first reference pattern, the second reference pattern and the third reference pattern are blind holes formed on the top side of the fixing part.

In one embodiment, the first reference pattern, the second reference pattern and the third reference pattern have a circular structure.

In one embodiment, the first reference pattern, the second reference pattern and the third reference pattern have a triangular or polygonal structure.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned feeding device is a vertical tape feeder.

The following describes the automated pick-and-place system according to the embodiment of the present invention. However, it can be readily appreciated that the present embodiments provide many suitable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments disclosed are merely illustrative of specific ways to use the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It is understood that these terms, such as terms defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the relevant technology and the background or context of the present disclosure, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal manner. Interpretation, unless specifically defined herein.

The aforementioned and other technical contents, features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings. The direction terms mentioned in the following embodiments, such as up, down, left, right, front or back, etc., are only for reference to the directions in the attached drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used in the embodiments are used to illustrate but not to limit the present invention.

First, please refer to Figure 1 , which shows a perspective view of an automated pick and place system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Figure 1, an automatic pick-and-place system 100 (automatic pick-and-place system) according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied to an automatic plug-in equipment, which includes at least one feeding device 10, a base 20, and a The robotic arm 30 and the processing unit 40 are electrically connected to the feeding device 10 and the robotic arm 30. The feeding device 10 and the robotic arm 30 are both arranged on the base 20, and the processing unit 40 is arranged in the base 20. The electronic components on a tape can be moved to a predetermined position through the feeding device 10, and then the robotic arm 30 is used to grab the electronic components and insert them into a circuit substrate P located on the base 20. , to complete the entire automatic insertion program.

For example, the aforementioned feeding device 10 may be a vertical tape feeder. As can be seen from Figure 1, the robotic arm 30 itself defines a first coordinate CS1, and a second coordinate CS2 is defined on a clamping unit of the feeding device 10, where the first coordinate CS1 and the second coordinate CS2 are defined. The coordinates CS2 are located at different positions in three-dimensional space.

Next, please refer to Figures 2, 3, and 4 together. Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the feeding device 10 in Figure 1. Figure 3 shows another perspective view of the feeding device 10 in Figure 1. Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram showing that the driving mechanism 14 of the feeding device 10 drives the braid to advance along the track R when it rotates.

As shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4, the feeding device 10 of this embodiment mainly includes a base 11, a feeding shaft 12, a clamping unit 13, a driving mechanism 14 and a top shell 110. The aforementioned The feed shaft 12 , the clamping unit 13 and the driving mechanism 14 are all arranged on the base 11 . The top shell 110 covers the top side of the base 11 to protect the components inside the base 11 .

When using the aforementioned automatic pick-and-place system 100, a part of the braid (not shown) wound on the feeding shaft 12 can be installed in a U-shaped track R on the top side of the feeding device 10, and the drive can be The gears of the mechanism 14 pass through the holes in the braid.

It can be seen from the direction of the arrow in Figure 4 that when the driving mechanism 14 rotates, the braid can be advanced along the U-shaped track R. At this time, the electronic components E (such as passive components) protruding above the braid will move along - The X-axis direction is sequentially transported to a predetermined position inside the clamping unit 13; among them, the clamping unit 13 can sequentially fix the electronic components E, and use a cutter to cut off the electronic components E from the tape, and then the robot arm 30, the aforementioned electronic component E can be grabbed and inserted into the circuit substrate P located on the base 20 (Fig. 1).

Please refer to Figure 5, which shows a schematic diagram of the electronic component E on the tape T being transported to a predetermined position inside the clamping unit 13 along the -X-axis direction.

As shown in Figure 5, a plurality of electronic components E are disposed above the braid T in this embodiment, and each electronic component E is connected to the braid T through two pins F. As mentioned above, the gear of the drive mechanism 14 can pass through the hole T1 on the braid T, and when the drive mechanism 14 rotates, it can drive the braid T and the electronic components E above it through the track R and enter the clamping unit 13 In the groove U (predetermined position), the aforementioned groove U is connected with the track R.

In this embodiment, the clamping unit 13 mainly includes a body 130, a fixing part 131 and a clamping part 132. The body 130 is fixed on the base 11, and the fixing part 131 is fixed on the body 130. The aforementioned clamping portion 132 is movably provided on the body 130 and can move along the Y-axis direction (horizontal direction) relative to the body 130 .

Specifically, when the braid T and one of the electronic components E above it move to a predetermined position in the clamping unit 13, the clamping part 132 will move toward the fixing part 131. At this time, the electronic component E and its pin F will be clamped between the fixing part 131 and the clamping part 132; then, the cutter (not shown) located under the clamping part 132 can cut the pin F of the electronic component E from the braid T, and then Then, the electronic component E is grabbed by the robot arm 30 and inserted into the circuit substrate P located on the base 20 (Fig. 1), thereby completing the entire plug-in process.

Please refer to Figures 6 and 7 together. Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of a visual totem M (pattern) formed on the fixed part 131 of the clamping unit 13. Figure 7 shows a first reference line A1 along the first The direction (X-axis direction) passes through the first reference pattern M1 and the second reference pattern M2, and a second reference line A2 passes through the first reference pattern M1 and the third reference pattern M3 along the second direction (Y-axis direction).

As shown in Figures 6 and 7, an easily discernible visual pattern M (visual pattern) is formed on the fixed portion 131 of the clamping unit 13 of this embodiment, wherein the visual pattern M includes a first reference pattern. M1, a second reference pattern M2 and a third reference pattern M3.

Specifically, the centers of the first reference pattern M1 and the second reference pattern M2 may define a first reference line A1, and the centers of the aforementioned second reference pattern M2 and third reference pattern M3 may define a second reference line A2. ; That is to say, the first reference line A1 passes through the centers of the first reference pattern M1 and the second reference pattern M2 along the first direction (X-axis direction), and the second reference line A2 passes along the second direction (Y-axis direction) Pass through the centers of the second reference pattern M2 and the third reference pattern M3.

It should be understood that the first reference line A1 and the second reference line A2 in this embodiment are perpendicular to each other, and an orthogonal coordinate system (orthogonal coordinate system) can be defined on the clamping unit 13, that is, as shown in the first The second coordinate CS2 shown in the figure. However, an inclination angle may also be formed between the first reference line A1 and the second reference line A2, which means that the two are neither perpendicular nor parallel to each other, and are not limited to those disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention.

In addition, it can be seen from Figure 7 that when the clamping part 132 moves toward the fixing part 131 and fixes the electronic component E at the aforementioned predetermined position, the electronic component E will contact the edge S of the fixing part 131, and the second reference The line A2 passes through the second reference pattern M2, the third reference pattern M3, and the center point E1 of the electronic component E.

It should be understood that the first reference line A1 and the edge S of the fixed portion 131 are separated by a known first distance D, and the edge S of the fixed portion 131 and the center point E1 of the electronic component E are separated by a known first distance D. The second distance d, wherein the first reference line A1 is parallel to the edge S of the fixing part 131, and the second reference line A2 is perpendicular to the edge S of the fixing part 131.

In other words, the electronic component E fixed by the clamping part 132 will be in a predetermined position relative to the aforementioned visual totem M without changing; in this way, if it can be known that the aforementioned visual totem M (second coordinate CS2) is relatively Based on the positional relationship of the first coordinate CS1 and the aforementioned first and second distances D and d, the exact position of the electronic component E on the first coordinate CS1 can be calculated to help the robot arm 30 accurately grasp the electronic component. E, thereby improving process efficiency and product yield.

In this embodiment, the first reference pattern M1, the second reference pattern M2, and the third reference pattern M3 may be blind holes formed on the top side of the fixing part 131, and their shapes are circular. However, the shapes of the first reference pattern M1, the second reference pattern M2 and the third reference pattern M3 can also be triangles, polygons or other easily identifiable geometric shapes, which are not disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention. is limited.

Please refer to Figure 8 again, which shows a schematic diagram of using the vision module 31 on the robot arm 30 to capture the image of the visual totem M on the fixed part 131.

As shown in Figure 8, during the calibration process when the automated pick-and-place system 100 is installed, the robot arm 30 can first be moved above the fixed part 131 of the clamping unit 13, and then the robot arm 30 can be first moved through the The vision module 31 (such as a camera lens) captures the image of the visual totem M on the fixed part 131 .

Then, the vision module 31 can transmit the captured image data to the processing unit 40 (Fig. 1) that is electrically connected to it, and calculate the positional relationship of the visual totem M relative to the first coordinate CS1 through the processing unit 40. Then, the exact coordinate value of the electronic component E on the first coordinate CS1 is calculated based on the aforementioned information such as the first distance D and the second distance d, thereby completing the calibration process of the entire automated pick and place system 100 .

After completing the aforementioned calibration process, the robot arm 30 can move to a target position according to the coordinate value, and accurately grasp the electronic component E through the tool module 32 (such as the gripper shown in Figure 8), and then It is inserted into the circuit board P located on the base 20 .

To sum up, the present invention provides an automated pick-and-place system 100 in which a visual totem M is formed on the surface of the fixed part 131 of the clamping unit 13. In addition, a visual module 31 is provided on the robot arm 30 for picking up. The aforementioned image data of the visual totem M can not only avoid human intervention in the calibration process of the automated pick-and-place system 100 to improve the problem of unstable manual teaching points, but also save calibration time and perform image recognition through the visual module 31 Improve calibration accuracy, thereby significantly increasing process efficiency and product yield.

Although the embodiments and their advantages of the present invention have been disclosed above, it should be understood that any modification, substitution and modification can be made by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In addition, the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the processes, machines, manufacturing, material compositions, devices, methods and steps in the specific embodiments described in the specification. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field can learn from the disclosure of the present invention. It is understood that processes, machines, manufacturing, material compositions, devices, methods and steps currently or developed in the future can be used according to the present invention as long as they can perform substantially the same functions or obtain substantially the same results in the embodiments described herein. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention includes the above-mentioned processes, machines, manufacturing, material compositions, devices, methods and steps. In addition, each patent application scope constitutes an individual embodiment, and the protection scope of the present invention also includes the combination of each patent application scope and embodiments.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above in terms of preferred embodiments, they are not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone familiar with this art can make some modifications and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, The protection scope of the present invention shall be determined by the appended patent application scope.

100:Automated pick and place system

10: Feeding device

11: base

110:Top shell

12:Feeding shaft

13: Clamping unit

130:Ontology

131: Fixed part

132: Clamping part

14:Driving mechanism

20: base body

30:Robotic arm

31:Visual module

32:Tool module

40: Processing unit

A1: First baseline

A2: Second baseline

CS1: first coordinate

CS2: Second coordinate

D: first distance

d: second distance

E: Electronic components

E1: center point

F:pin

M: visual totem

M1: first reference pattern

M2: Second reference pattern

M3: Third reference pattern

P: circuit board

R: orbit

S: edge

T: Tape

T1: Hole

U: groove

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an automated pick and place system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the feeding device 10 in Figure 1 . Figure 3 shows another perspective view of the feeding device 10 in Figure 1 . Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the driving mechanism 14 of the feeding device 10 driving the braid to advance along the track R when rotating. Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the electronic component E on the tape T being transported along the -X-axis direction to a predetermined position inside the clamping unit 13. FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram showing a visual pattern M (pattern) formed on the fixing part 131 of the clamping unit 13 . Figure 7 shows a first reference line A1 passing through the first reference pattern M1 and the second reference pattern M2 along the first direction (X-axis direction), and a second reference line A2 passing through the second reference pattern M2 along the second direction (Y-axis direction). A schematic diagram of a reference pattern M1 and a third reference pattern M3. Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of using the vision module 31 on the robot arm 30 to capture the image of the visual totem M on the fixed part 131.

131: Fixed part

132: Clamping part

A1: First baseline

A2: Second baseline

D: first distance

d: second distance

E: Electronic components

E1: Center point

M: visual totem

M1: first reference pattern

M2: Second reference pattern

M3: Third reference pattern

S: edge

Claims (9)

An automated pick and place system including: A feeding device used to move a braid and a plurality of electronic components provided on the braid. The feeding device has a base, a fixing part and a clamping part. The fixing part is fixed to the base. on the base, the clamping part is movably connected to the base, wherein when the braid and the electronic components move to a predetermined position respectively, the clamping part slides relative to the base and moves the electronic components in sequence Clamped between the fixed part and the clamping part; A visual totem is provided on the fixed part; a robotic arm having a vision module and a tool module; and A processing unit, electrically connected to the vision module, wherein the vision module photographs the visual totem on the fixed part and sends an image data to the processing unit, and the processing unit calculates one of the electronic components based on the image data coordinate value, and then the robot arm moves to a target position according to the coordinate value, and picks and places the electronic component through the tool module; Wherein, the visual totem has a first reference graphic, a second reference graphic and a third reference graphic, a first reference line passes through the first reference graphic and the second reference graphic along a first direction, and a second The reference line passes through the first reference pattern and the third reference pattern along a second direction, and the first reference line and the second reference line are not parallel to each other. The automated pick-and-place system of claim 1, wherein when the electronic component is clamped between the fixing part and the clamping part, the electronic component contacts an edge of the fixing part, and the first reference line is parallel to The edge. The automated pick-and-place system of claim 2, wherein the second reference line is perpendicular to the edge. The automated pick-and-place system of claim 3, wherein the first reference line is separated from the edge by a first distance, the edge is separated from a center point of the electronic component by a second distance, and the processing unit is based on the image data, the The first distance and the second distance calculate the coordinate value of the electronic component. The automated pick-and-place system of claim 1, wherein the first reference line and the second reference line are perpendicular to each other. The automated pick-and-place system of claim 1, wherein the second reference line passes through a center point of the electronic component. The automated pick-and-place system of claim 1, wherein the first reference pattern, the second reference pattern and the third reference pattern are blind holes formed on the top side of the fixing part. The automated pick-and-place system of claim 1, wherein the first reference pattern, the second reference pattern and the third reference pattern have a circular, triangular or polygonal structure. For example, the automatic pick-and-place system of claim 1, wherein the feeding device is a vertical tape feeder.

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