US20010004795A1 - Circuit board holding apparatus and circuit board hold releasing method - Google Patents
Circuit board holding apparatus and circuit board hold releasing method Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20010004795A1 US20010004795A1 US09/770,207 US77020701A US2001004795A1 US 20010004795 A1 US20010004795 A1 US 20010004795A1 US 77020701 A US77020701 A US 77020701A US 2001004795 A1 US2001004795 A1 US 2001004795A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- circuit board
- board
- printed board
- members
- holding apparatus
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- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H05K13/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing or adjusting assemblages of electric components
- H05K13/0061—Tools for holding the circuit boards during processing; handling transport of printed circuit boards
- H05K13/0069—Holders for printed circuit boards
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S269/00—Work holders
- Y10S269/903—Work holder for electrical circuit assemblages or wiring systems
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
- Y10T29/49998—Work holding
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a circuit board holding apparatus which is provided for a component mounting apparatus for mounting, for example, electronic components onto a circuit board such as a printed board and executes holding and releasing the hold of the circuit board and to a circuit board, hold releasing method executed by the circuit board holding apparatus.
- a portion which executes securing and holding of the printed board in the stage of mounting the electronic components is constructed as follows. That is, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a circuit board holding apparatus 1 for securing and holding a printed board 2 is provided on an X-Y table for moving the printed board 2 in X- and Y-directions. On the circuit board holding apparatus 1 is fixed a pair of stationary members 13 which extend parallel to the X-direction and have an approximately inverted L-like sectional shape.
- a pair of movable members 14 which extend in the X-direction along inner side surfaces 13 a of the stationary members 13 and oppose each other at both the stationary members 13 and slide in a Z-direction between a board gripping position 20 and a board releasing position 21 while being guided along the inner side surfaces 13 a.
- the printed board 2 is conveyed into a region between the stationary members 13 .
- the X-Y table on which the printed board 2 is secured in this manner is moved into a specified position in the X- and Y-directions, and mounting of electronic components onto the printed board 2 is executed by an electronic component mounting unit 3 .
- the drive units 15 are operated to move the movable members 14 downward to the board releasing position 21 as shown in FIG. 9, where the gripping of the printed board 2 is released and the printed board 2 is conveyed to the next process.
- the present invention has been developed to solve the above issue and provide a circuit board holding apparatus which prevents the occurrence of displacement of the mounted electronic components and the state in which the printed board cannot be conveyed to the next process after the electronic components have been mounted onto the circuit board, and a circuit board hold releasing method to be executed by the circuit board holding apparatus.
- a circuit board holding apparatus for holding a circuit board by gripping a pair of opposed edge portions of a circuit board, comprising:
- movable members which contact a rear surface of the circuit board and grip each of the edge portions of the circuit board between the movable member and the stationary member in a direction of thickness of the circuit board by moving into a board gripping position, the movable members moving in the direction of thickness of the circuit board between the board gripping position and a board releasing position;
- a separation mechanism for forcibly separating the circuit board from the stationary members when the movable members move from the board gripping position to the board releasing position for releasing the hold of the circuit board.
- a circuit board holding apparatus as defined in the first aspect, wherein the separation mechanism is a pressing member which is mounted to the stationary member and puts the circuit board into pressure contact with the movable member.
- a circuit board holding apparatus as defined in the second aspect, wherein, when the front and rear surfaces of the circuit board are located upward and downward and the movable member moves in a vertical direction, the pressing member is an elastic member having one end portion to be fixed to the stationary member and the other end portion which is to contact the front surface of the circuit board and presses the circuit board against the movable member.
- a circuit board holding apparatus as defined in the first aspect, wherein the separation mechanism is a suction unit having a suction section which is arranged on the rear surface side of the circuit board and attracts by suction the rear surface of the circuit board, and a drive unit which moves the suction section in a direction in which the movable member moves together with the moving of the movable member.
- the separation mechanism is a suction unit having a suction section which is arranged on the rear surface side of the circuit board and attracts by suction the rear surface of the circuit board, and a drive unit which moves the suction section in a direction in which the movable member moves together with the moving of the movable member.
- a circuit board holding apparatus as defined in the fourth aspect, further comprising a control unit which controls the start of the moving of the movable member from the board gripping position into the board releasing position, the start of the sucking of the circuit board by the suction unit, and the moving of the suction unit by means of the drive unit.
- a circuit board hold releasing method to be executed by a circuit board holding apparatus which grips a pair of opposed edge portions of a circuit board in a direction of thickness of the circuit board by means of a stationary member and a movable member moving between a board gripping position and a board releasing position, thereby holding the circuit board, comprising:
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall construction of a circuit board holding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which a pressing member shown in FIG. 1 is mounted to a stationary member;
- FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which movable members are arranged in a board gripping position in the circuit board holding apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
- FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the movable members are arranged in a board releasing position in the circuit board holding apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
- FIG. 5 is a side view showing a circuit board holding apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention in a state in which movable members are arranged in a board gripping position;
- FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state in which the movable members are arranged in a board releasing position in the circuit board holding apparatus shown in FIG. 5;
- FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the overall construction of a prior art circuit board holding apparatus
- FIG. 8 is a side view showing a state in which movable members are arranged in a board gripping position in the circuit board holding apparatus shown in FIG. 7;
- FIG. 9 is a side view showing a state in which movable members are arranged in a board releasing position in the circuit board holding apparatus shown in FIG. 7;
- FIG. 10 is a side view showing a state in which a printed board is stuck to the stationary member side in the circuit board holding apparatus shown in FIG. 7.
- circuit board holding apparatus and a circuit board hold releasing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It is to be noted that the circuit board hold releasing method is executed by the circuit board holding apparatus. Further, identical components are denoted by the same reference numerals in the figures.
- the pressing member 7 is an example of a separating mechanism in the present invention.
- the pressing member 7 is an elastic member formed by integrating a fixing section 71 with a contact section 72 which bends toward the printed board 2 side with respect to the fixing section 71 as shown in FIG. 2.
- the fixing section 71 has a length slightly greater than a width dimension W of the upper surface 13 c, and as described later, it extends in contact with the upper surface 13 c when the movable member 14 is in the board releasing position 21 .
- Such a fixing section 71 is mounted to the upper surface 13 c of the stationary member 13 by means of a screw 8 at one end portion 7 a of the pressing member 7 located on the side opposite the contact section 72 . Therefore, the pressing member 7 is fixed to the stationary member 13 .
- the contact section 72 extends downward by a dimension L beyond the board contact surface 13 b of the stationary member 13 . Therefore, as described later, when the movable member 14 is located near the board gripping position 20 , the other end portion 7 b of the pressing member 7 contacts the front surface 2 b of the printed board 2 arranged on the upper side.
- the movable members 14 are moved upward by the operation of drive units 15 , and the edge portions 2 a of the printed board 2 are gripped by the board contact surfaces 13 b of the stationary members 13 and the board contact surfaces 14 b of the movable members 14 as shown in FIG. 3.
- the pressing member 7 has its one end portion 7 a fixed to the stationary member 13 by means of the screw 8 and has the other end portion 7 b protruded by the dimension L below the board contact surface 13 b. Therefore, the front surface 2 b of the printed board 2 and the other end portion 7 b contact each other just before the edge portion 2 a of the printed board 2 is completely gripped.
- the fixing section 71 of the pressing member 7 warps upward with the point fixed by the screw 8 serving as a fulcrum. Therefore, in the state in which the printed board 2 is gripped by the stationary member 13 and the movable member 14 , the other end portion 7 b presses the front surface 2 b of the printed board 2 downward, i.e., toward the movable member side by the elastic force of the pressing member 7 .
- the printed board 2 moves downward together with the movable members 14 in a state in which it is forcibly made to contact the movable members 14 .
- the state in which the printed board 2 remains stuck to the board contact surfaces 13 b of the stationary members 13 in spite of the fact that the movable member 14 has moved down can be prevented from occurring. Therefore, the phenomenon that the positions of the mounted electronic components are displaced by the subsequent falling of the printed board 2 onto the movable members 14 and the phenomenon that trouble occurs in conveying the printed board 2 to the next process can be prevented from occurring.
- the aforementioned pressure force of the pressing member 7 can be varied according to the design conditions of the material, thickness, aforementioned dimension L and the like of the pressing member 7 , and it is proper to set the above design conditions to appropriate values according to the adhesion force exerted between the printed board 2 and the stationary member 13 .
- the pressing members 7 are arranged in the positions corresponding to the four corners of the printed board 2 in the present embodiment as shown in FIG. 1. However, being not limited to this, the pressing members 7 may be arranged continuously along the edge portion 2 a of the printed board 2 .
- the pressing member 7 has the L-like leaf spring configuration as illustrated in the present embodiment.
- the member 7 is not limited to this. That is, the member 7 is only required to be an elastic member having one end portion to be fixed to the stationary member 13 and the other end portion which is to contact the front surface 2 b of the printed board 2 and presses the printed board 2 toward the movable member 14 .
- the front surface 2 b of the printed board 2 is arranged on the upper side and the rear surface 2 c is arranged on the lower side in the present embodiment.
- a suction unit 12 for attracting by suction the rear surface 2 c of the printed board 2 is provided as another example of the separation mechanism in place of the aforementioned pressing members 7 .
- the suction unit 12 for attracting the printed board 2 by suction at a suction area which does not interfere with the mounting of electronic components onto the printed board 2 .
- a suction area for example, the four corners, a center portion or the like of the printed board 2 can be used. It is to be noted that the suction area is only one center portion of the printed board 2 in this embodiment.
- the suction unit 12 is provided with a suction pad 120 for attracting by suction the suction area of the printed board 2 , a drive unit 121 having, for example, an air cylinder for moving the suction pad 120 upward and downward, and a vacuum unit 123 which is connected to the suction pad 120 by means of a suction hose and which executes a suction operation. Further, in order to synchronize the operation of the drive units 15 for vertically moving the movable members 14 with the operation of the drive unit 121 for vertically moving the suction pad 120 and controlling the suction operation, a control unit 122 to be electrically connected to the drive units 15 , the drive unit 121 and the vacuum unit 123 is provided. It is to be noted that the control unit 122 is not shown in FIG. 6.
- the suction pad 120 moves upward until it will be made to contact the rear surface 2 c of the printed board 2 by the operation of the drive unit 121 before the movable members 14 will be moved downward by the operation of the drive units 15 . Then, before the movable members 14 are moved downward or simultaneously with the start of the downward movement, the suction of the printed board 2 is started by the vacuum unit 123 . Thus, by starting the suction of the printed board 2 , the printed board 2 is forcibly made to contact the movable members 14 . It is to be noted that the operations of the drive units 15 for the movable members 14 , the drive unit 121 for the suction pad 120 , and the vacuum unit 123 are controlled by the control unit 122 .
- the movable members 14 are driven by the respective drive units 15 . However, being not limited to this, both the movable members 14 may be driven by one drive unit.
- the separation mechanism it is acceptable to adopt a mechanism in which, for example, a pawl member to be engaged with the printed board 2 is provided and the printed board 2 is forcibly made to contact the movable members 14 by engaging the pawl member with the printed board 2 when releasing the hold of the printed board 2 , i.e., a mechanism in which the printed board 2 is forcibly separated from the stationary members 13 .
- the separation mechanism for forcibly separating the circuit board from the stationary member when the movable member moves from the board gripping position to the board releasing position during releasing of the hold of the circuit board achieved by the stationary member and the movable member.
- the stationary member does not fall onto the movable member after the movable member has moved downward to the board releasing position, so that displacement of the positions of the electronic components mounted on the circuit board or a state in which the circuit board cannot be conveyed to the next process can be prevented from occurring.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
- Supply And Installment Of Electrical Components (AREA)
Abstract
When a movable member (14) is moved from a gripping position in which a circuit board (2) was gripped by the movable member (14) and a stationary member (13), a separation mechanism (7, 12) forcibly separates the circuit board from the stationary member (13), to thereby prevent the occurrence of a state in which the circuit board (2) is stuck to the stationary member.
Description
- This application is a divisional application of application Ser. No. 09/202,420, filed Dec. 14, 1998.
- The present invention relates to a circuit board holding apparatus which is provided for a component mounting apparatus for mounting, for example, electronic components onto a circuit board such as a printed board and executes holding and releasing the hold of the circuit board and to a circuit board, hold releasing method executed by the circuit board holding apparatus.
- In a component mounting apparatus for mounting electronic components onto a printed board, a portion which executes securing and holding of the printed board in the stage of mounting the electronic components is constructed as follows. That is, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a circuit board holding apparatus1 for securing and holding a printed
board 2 is provided on an X-Y table for moving the printedboard 2 in X- and Y-directions. On the circuit board holding apparatus 1 is fixed a pair ofstationary members 13 which extend parallel to the X-direction and have an approximately inverted L-like sectional shape. Also provided are a pair ofmovable members 14 which extend in the X-direction alonginner side surfaces 13 a of thestationary members 13 and oppose each other at both thestationary members 13 and slide in a Z-direction between aboard gripping position 20 and aboard releasing position 21 while being guided along theinner side surfaces 13 a. In such a circuit board holding apparatus 1, the printedboard 2 is conveyed into a region between thestationary members 13. Then, by moving upward both of themovable members 14 into theboard gripping position 20 by means ofdrive units 15 having, for example, an air cylinder, theedge portions 2 a of the printedboard 2 extending in the X-direction are gripped byboard contact surfaces 13 b of thestationary members 13 andboard contact surfaces 14 b of themovable members 14, so that the printedboard 2 is secured to the circuit board holding apparatus 1. - The X-Y table on which the printed
board 2 is secured in this manner is moved into a specified position in the X- and Y-directions, and mounting of electronic components onto the printedboard 2 is executed by an electroniccomponent mounting unit 3. After the operation of mounting specified electronic components onto the printedboard 2 is completed, thedrive units 15 are operated to move themovable members 14 downward to theboard releasing position 21 as shown in FIG. 9, where the gripping of the printedboard 2 is released and the printedboard 2 is conveyed to the next process. - However, in the aforementioned circuit board holding apparatus1, there may occur a phenomenon that the printed
board 2 sticks to thestationary members 13 as shown in FIG. 10 depending on the surface conditions of the printedboard 2 in spite of the fact that themovable members 14 have been moved down to theboard releasing position 21. That is, it is sometimes the case where a rubber material is attached or coated on theboard contact surface 13 b of thestationary member 13 and theboard contact surface 14 b of themovable member 14 for the purpose of increasing the frictional force between thestationary member 13 and themovable member 14 and the printedboard 2 so that the displacement of the printedboard 2 should not occur in the X-direction in the state in which the printedboard 2 is gripped. Therefore, in the case where a flux is coated on the front and rear surfaces of the printedboard 2 or in a similar case, the aforementioned rubber material and the front and rear surfaces of the printedboard 2 might stick to each other due to the aforementioned gripping operation. After such a stuck state has occurred, the printedboard 2 falls onto themovable members 14 side by its own gravity. However, this disadvantageously causes a state in which the positions of the electronic components mounted on the printedboard 2 are displaced by the falling of the printedboard 2, a state in which the printedboard 2 cannot be conveyed to the next process or a similar state. - The present invention has been developed to solve the above issue and provide a circuit board holding apparatus which prevents the occurrence of displacement of the mounted electronic components and the state in which the printed board cannot be conveyed to the next process after the electronic components have been mounted onto the circuit board, and a circuit board hold releasing method to be executed by the circuit board holding apparatus.
- In accomplishing these and other aspects, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a circuit board holding apparatus for holding a circuit board by gripping a pair of opposed edge portions of a circuit board, comprising:
- stationary members which are arranged opposite the edge portions and contact a front surface of the circuit board;
- movable members which contact a rear surface of the circuit board and grip each of the edge portions of the circuit board between the movable member and the stationary member in a direction of thickness of the circuit board by moving into a board gripping position, the movable members moving in the direction of thickness of the circuit board between the board gripping position and a board releasing position; and
- a separation mechanism for forcibly separating the circuit board from the stationary members when the movable members move from the board gripping position to the board releasing position for releasing the hold of the circuit board.
- According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a circuit board holding apparatus as defined in the first aspect, wherein the separation mechanism is a pressing member which is mounted to the stationary member and puts the circuit board into pressure contact with the movable member.
- According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a circuit board holding apparatus as defined in the second aspect, wherein, when the front and rear surfaces of the circuit board are located upward and downward and the movable member moves in a vertical direction, the pressing member is an elastic member having one end portion to be fixed to the stationary member and the other end portion which is to contact the front surface of the circuit board and presses the circuit board against the movable member.
- According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a circuit board holding apparatus as defined in the first aspect, wherein the separation mechanism is a suction unit having a suction section which is arranged on the rear surface side of the circuit board and attracts by suction the rear surface of the circuit board, and a drive unit which moves the suction section in a direction in which the movable member moves together with the moving of the movable member.
- According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a circuit board holding apparatus as defined in the fourth aspect, further comprising a control unit which controls the start of the moving of the movable member from the board gripping position into the board releasing position, the start of the sucking of the circuit board by the suction unit, and the moving of the suction unit by means of the drive unit.
- According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a circuit board hold releasing method to be executed by a circuit board holding apparatus which grips a pair of opposed edge portions of a circuit board in a direction of thickness of the circuit board by means of a stationary member and a movable member moving between a board gripping position and a board releasing position, thereby holding the circuit board, comprising:
- moving the movable member into the board releasing position in a process of releasing the gripping of the circuit board; and
- making the circuit board contact the movable member together with the moving of the movable member toward the board releasing position side.
- These and other aspects and features of the present invention will become clear from the following description taken in conjunction with the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall construction of a circuit board holding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
- FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which a pressing member shown in FIG. 1 is mounted to a stationary member;
- FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state in which movable members are arranged in a board gripping position in the circuit board holding apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
- FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the movable members are arranged in a board releasing position in the circuit board holding apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
- FIG. 5 is a side view showing a circuit board holding apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention in a state in which movable members are arranged in a board gripping position;
- FIG. 6 is a side view showing a state in which the movable members are arranged in a board releasing position in the circuit board holding apparatus shown in FIG. 5;
- FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the overall construction of a prior art circuit board holding apparatus;
- FIG. 8 is a side view showing a state in which movable members are arranged in a board gripping position in the circuit board holding apparatus shown in FIG. 7;
- FIG. 9 is a side view showing a state in which movable members are arranged in a board releasing position in the circuit board holding apparatus shown in FIG. 7; and
- FIG. 10 is a side view showing a state in which a printed board is stuck to the stationary member side in the circuit board holding apparatus shown in FIG. 7.
- Before the description of the present invention proceeds, it is to be noted that like parts are designated by like reference numerals throughout the accompanying drawings.
- A circuit board holding apparatus and a circuit board hold releasing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It is to be noted that the circuit board hold releasing method is executed by the circuit board holding apparatus. Further, identical components are denoted by the same reference numerals in the figures.
- As shown in FIG. 1, on
upper surfaces 13 c ofstationary members 13 of a circuitboard holding apparatus 100 of the present embodiment are mounted four L-shapedpressing members 7, two of which are arranged on theupper surface 13 c of one of thestationary members 13, and two of which are arranged on theupper surface 13 c of the other one of thestationary members 13, so that they are located at the four corners of a printedboard 2, which is an example of a circuit board in the present invention. It is to be noted that thepressing member 7 is an example of a separating mechanism in the present invention. The pressingmember 7 is an elastic member formed by integrating afixing section 71 with acontact section 72 which bends toward the printedboard 2 side with respect to thefixing section 71 as shown in FIG. 2. Thefixing section 71 has a length slightly greater than a width dimension W of theupper surface 13 c, and as described later, it extends in contact with theupper surface 13 c when themovable member 14 is in theboard releasing position 21. Such afixing section 71 is mounted to theupper surface 13 c of thestationary member 13 by means of ascrew 8 at oneend portion 7 a of thepressing member 7 located on the side opposite thecontact section 72. Therefore, thepressing member 7 is fixed to thestationary member 13. Thecontact section 72 extends downward by a dimension L beyond theboard contact surface 13 b of thestationary member 13. Therefore, as described later, when themovable member 14 is located near theboard gripping position 20, theother end portion 7 b of the pressingmember 7 contacts thefront surface 2 b of the printedboard 2 arranged on the upper side. - The operation of the pressing
members 7 constructed as above will be described below. - Similarly to the aforementioned prior art, after the printed
board 2 is conveyed into the region between thestationary members 13, themovable members 14 are moved upward by the operation ofdrive units 15, and theedge portions 2 a of the printedboard 2 are gripped by theboard contact surfaces 13 b of thestationary members 13 and theboard contact surfaces 14 b of themovable members 14 as shown in FIG. 3. Thepressing member 7 has its oneend portion 7 a fixed to thestationary member 13 by means of thescrew 8 and has theother end portion 7 b protruded by the dimension L below theboard contact surface 13 b. Therefore, thefront surface 2 b of the printedboard 2 and theother end portion 7 b contact each other just before theedge portion 2 a of the printedboard 2 is completely gripped. When the printedboard 2 is completely gripped by thestationary member 13 and themovable member 14, thefixing section 71 of the pressingmember 7 warps upward with the point fixed by thescrew 8 serving as a fulcrum. Therefore, in the state in which the printedboard 2 is gripped by thestationary member 13 and themovable member 14, theother end portion 7 b presses thefront surface 2 b of the printedboard 2 downward, i.e., toward the movable member side by the elastic force of thepressing member 7. - Similarly to the prior art, after the electronic components are mounted to the printed
board 2 as described above, themovable members 14 move downward with the left andright drive units 15 synchronized with each other in operation. In this stage, the twoedge portions 2 a of the printedboard 2 are forcibly pressed toward the movable member side by theother end portions 7 b of thepressing members 7. Therefore, even when thefront surface 2 b, of the printedboard 2 is in the state in which it is stuck to theboard contact surfaces 13 b of thestationary members 13, the stuck state is released by the pressure forces of thepressing members 7, so that thestationary members 13 and the printedboard 2 are separated from each other. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the printedboard 2 moves downward together with themovable members 14 in a state in which it is forcibly made to contact themovable members 14. By thus providing thepressing members 7, the state in which the printedboard 2 remains stuck to the board contact surfaces 13 b of thestationary members 13 in spite of the fact that themovable member 14 has moved down can be prevented from occurring. Therefore, the phenomenon that the positions of the mounted electronic components are displaced by the subsequent falling of the printedboard 2 onto themovable members 14 and the phenomenon that trouble occurs in conveying the printedboard 2 to the next process can be prevented from occurring. - The aforementioned pressure force of the
pressing member 7 can be varied according to the design conditions of the material, thickness, aforementioned dimension L and the like of thepressing member 7, and it is proper to set the above design conditions to appropriate values according to the adhesion force exerted between the printedboard 2 and thestationary member 13. - Furthermore, the
pressing members 7 are arranged in the positions corresponding to the four corners of the printedboard 2 in the present embodiment as shown in FIG. 1. However, being not limited to this, thepressing members 7 may be arranged continuously along theedge portion 2 a of the printedboard 2. - Furthermore, the pressing
member 7 has the L-like leaf spring configuration as illustrated in the present embodiment. However, themember 7 is not limited to this. That is, themember 7 is only required to be an elastic member having one end portion to be fixed to thestationary member 13 and the other end portion which is to contact thefront surface 2 b of the printedboard 2 and presses the printedboard 2 toward themovable member 14. There can be considered a structure provided by a coil spring for performing the aforementioned pressing operation by the elastic force of the spring, or a structure using an elastic material such as a rubber material and the like. - Furthermore, it is acceptable to adopt a mechanism in which the one end portion is mounted to a member other than the
stationary member 13 and the other end portion contacts the printedboard 2 and presses the printedboard 2 toward themovable member 14, i.e., a separation mechanism for separating the printedboard 2 from thestationary member 13. - Furthermore, the
front surface 2 b of the printedboard 2 is arranged on the upper side and therear surface 2 c is arranged on the lower side in the present embodiment. However, it is acceptable to arrange the front andrear surfaces board 2 parallel to the vertical direction and grip the printedboard 2 laterally with respect to the vertical direction by thestationary member 13 and themovable member 14. - Next, a circuit
board holding apparatus 101 according to a second embodiment will be described below. - In this embodiment, in order to forcibly make the printed
board 2 contact themovable member 14 when themovable member 14 is moved downward for releasing the hold of the printedboard 2, asuction unit 12 for attracting by suction therear surface 2 c of the printedboard 2 is provided as another example of the separation mechanism in place of the aforementioned pressingmembers 7. - A concrete description will be made. On the rear surface side of the printed
board 2 on the X-Y table is provided thesuction unit 12 for attracting the printedboard 2 by suction at a suction area which does not interfere with the mounting of electronic components onto the printedboard 2. As the above suction area, for example, the four corners, a center portion or the like of the printedboard 2 can be used. It is to be noted that the suction area is only one center portion of the printedboard 2 in this embodiment. Thesuction unit 12 is provided with asuction pad 120 for attracting by suction the suction area of the printedboard 2, adrive unit 121 having, for example, an air cylinder for moving thesuction pad 120 upward and downward, and avacuum unit 123 which is connected to thesuction pad 120 by means of a suction hose and which executes a suction operation. Further, in order to synchronize the operation of thedrive units 15 for vertically moving themovable members 14 with the operation of thedrive unit 121 for vertically moving thesuction pad 120 and controlling the suction operation, acontrol unit 122 to be electrically connected to thedrive units 15, thedrive unit 121 and thevacuum unit 123 is provided. It is to be noted that thecontrol unit 122 is not shown in FIG. 6. - The operation of the circuit
board holding apparatus 101 of the second embodiment having the above construction will be described below. - Similarly to the aforementioned case, after the printed
board 2 has been gripped by thestationary member 13 and themovable member 14 and had electronic components mounted thereon, thesuction pad 120 moves upward until it will be made to contact therear surface 2 c of the printedboard 2 by the operation of thedrive unit 121 before themovable members 14 will be moved downward by the operation of thedrive units 15. Then, before themovable members 14 are moved downward or simultaneously with the start of the downward movement, the suction of the printedboard 2 is started by thevacuum unit 123. Thus, by starting the suction of the printedboard 2, the printedboard 2 is forcibly made to contact themovable members 14. It is to be noted that the operations of thedrive units 15 for themovable members 14, thedrive unit 121 for thesuction pad 120, and thevacuum unit 123 are controlled by thecontrol unit 122. - Therefore, even when the
front surface 2 b of the printedboard 2 is in the state in which it is stuck to the board contact surfaces 13 b of thestationary members 13, the stuck state is released by the suction force of thevacuum unit 123. Consequently, as shown in FIG. 6, the printedboard 2 moves downward together with themovable members 14 in the state in which the printedboard 2 is forcibly made to contact themovable members 14. It is to be noted that the suction operation of the printedboard 2 is stopped under the control of thecontrol unit 122 at the point in time when themovable members 14 have moved downward by a specified distance from theboard gripping position 20 into theboard releasing position 21 or after they have completed the downward movement into theboard releasing position 21. By thus providing thesuction unit 12, the printedboard 2 can be prevented from falling onto themovable members 14, so that the displacement of the arrangement of the already mounted electronic components and the occurrence of trouble in conveying the printedboard 2 to the next process can be prevented. - It is also acceptable to arrange the front and
rear surfaces board 2 parallel to the vertical direction and grip the printedboard 2 laterally with respect to the vertical direction by thestationary member 13 and themovable member 14 in this second embodiment. - The
movable members 14 are driven by therespective drive units 15. However, being not limited to this, both themovable members 14 may be driven by one drive unit. - Furthermore, as another embodiment of the separation mechanism, it is acceptable to adopt a mechanism in which, for example, a pawl member to be engaged with the printed
board 2 is provided and the printedboard 2 is forcibly made to contact themovable members 14 by engaging the pawl member with the printedboard 2 when releasing the hold of the printedboard 2, i.e., a mechanism in which the printedboard 2 is forcibly separated from thestationary members 13. - As described in detail above, according to the circuit board holding apparatus of the present invention and the circuit board hold releasing method of the present invention, there is provided the separation mechanism for forcibly separating the circuit board from the stationary member when the movable member moves from the board gripping position to the board releasing position during releasing of the hold of the circuit board achieved by the stationary member and the movable member. With this arrangement, even when the circuit board is in the state in which it is stuck to the stationary member, the circuit board is forcibly released from the stuck state and moved downward together with the movable member. Therefore, the stationary member does not fall onto the movable member after the movable member has moved downward to the board releasing position, so that displacement of the positions of the electronic components mounted on the circuit board or a state in which the circuit board cannot be conveyed to the next process can be prevented from occurring.
- The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 8-161951 filed on Jun. 21, 1996, including specification, claims, drawings, and summary are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
- Although the present invention has been fully described in connection with the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications are apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims unless they depart therefrom.
Claims (1)
1. A circuit board holding and releasing method to be executed by a circuit holding apparatus, said method comprising: gripping a pair of opposed edge portions (2 a) of a circuit board (2) in a direction of thickness of the circuit board by means of stationary members (13) and movable members (14) moving between a board gripping position (20) and a board releasing position (21) and thereby holding the circuit board between said stationary members (13) and said movable members (14); and
releasing the circuit board (2) by moving said movable members (14) into the board releasing position (21) and thereby compulsorily separating the circuit board (2) from the stationary members (13) by means of a separation mechanism (7, 12) in a direction where the circuit board (2) is moved by moving the movable members (14) towards the board releasing direction when the movable members (14) move from the board gripping position (20) to the board releasing position (21).
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/770,207 US6427313B2 (en) | 1996-06-21 | 2001-01-29 | Circuit board holding apparatus and circuit board hold releasing method |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP16195196A JP3618020B2 (en) | 1996-06-21 | 1996-06-21 | Circuit board holding device and circuit board holding release method |
JP8-161951 | 1996-06-21 | ||
US09/202,420 US6206352B1 (en) | 1996-06-21 | 1997-06-19 | Circuit board holding apparatus |
US09/770,207 US6427313B2 (en) | 1996-06-21 | 2001-01-29 | Circuit board holding apparatus and circuit board hold releasing method |
Related Parent Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/JP1997/002103 Division WO1997049272A1 (en) | 1996-06-21 | 1997-06-19 | Circuit board holding apparatus and circuit board hold releasing method |
US09/202,420 Division US6206352B1 (en) | 1996-06-21 | 1997-06-19 | Circuit board holding apparatus |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20010004795A1 true US20010004795A1 (en) | 2001-06-28 |
US6427313B2 US6427313B2 (en) | 2002-08-06 |
Family
ID=15745161
Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/202,420 Expired - Lifetime US6206352B1 (en) | 1996-06-21 | 1997-06-19 | Circuit board holding apparatus |
US09/770,207 Expired - Fee Related US6427313B2 (en) | 1996-06-21 | 2001-01-29 | Circuit board holding apparatus and circuit board hold releasing method |
Family Applications Before (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/202,420 Expired - Lifetime US6206352B1 (en) | 1996-06-21 | 1997-06-19 | Circuit board holding apparatus |
Country Status (6)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (2) | US6206352B1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP0906719B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP3618020B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN1110234C (en) |
DE (1) | DE69703932T2 (en) |
WO (1) | WO1997049272A1 (en) |
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-
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- 1997-06-19 DE DE69703932T patent/DE69703932T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1997-06-19 EP EP97927390A patent/EP0906719B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1997-06-19 WO PCT/JP1997/002103 patent/WO1997049272A1/en active IP Right Grant
- 1997-06-19 US US09/202,420 patent/US6206352B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
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2001
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO1997049272A1 (en) | 1997-12-24 |
EP0906719A1 (en) | 1999-04-07 |
DE69703932T2 (en) | 2001-09-06 |
CN1222289A (en) | 1999-07-07 |
US6206352B1 (en) | 2001-03-27 |
JPH1013099A (en) | 1998-01-16 |
JP3618020B2 (en) | 2005-02-09 |
DE69703932D1 (en) | 2001-02-22 |
CN1110234C (en) | 2003-05-28 |
EP0906719B1 (en) | 2001-01-17 |
US6427313B2 (en) | 2002-08-06 |
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