WO2019016604A1

WO2019016604A1 - Measuring of components before pickup by means of a placement head

Info

Publication number: WO2019016604A1
Application number: PCT/IB2018/000917
Authority: WO
Inventors: Karl-Heinz Besch
Original assignee: Asm Assembly Systems Gmbh & Co.Kg
Priority date: 2017-07-17
Filing date: 2018-07-16
Publication date: 2019-01-24
Also published as: CN110800391B; DE102017116042A1; CN110800391A; DE102017116042B4

Abstract

A method and a placement machine for equipping component carriers (190) with electronic components (195) are described. The method comprises (a) providing a component (195) at a pickup location (152) of a component feeding device (150); (b) capturing an image of the component (195) provided at the pickup location (152); (c) determining at least one piece of Information about the provided component (195) from the captured image; (d) picking up the component (195) by means of a placement head (107); (e) conveying the plcked-up component (195) Into an assembly area (108) of a placement machine (100); and (f) placing the component (195) onto a component carrier (190), which is located In the assembly area (106), taking Into account the at least one piece of Information determined. Further described is an assembly system comprising such a placement machine as well as a computer program for carrying out such a method.

Description

Measuring of components before pickup by means of a placement head

Technical Field

The present Invention generally relates to the technical field of manufacturing electronic modules by equipping component carriers with electronic components. The present invention particularly relates to a method and a placement machine for equipping component carriers with electronic components which are measured by means of a camera before being placed onto e component carrier. The present Invention further relates to an assembly system comprising such a placement machine as well as a computer program for carrying out such a method.

Bactoround of the Invention

When component carriers or drcuft boards are automatically equipped with (electronic) components, the components to be equipped are supplied in a placement process which Is carried out In a placement machine. The components are typically supplied In such a manner that they are presented at a pickup location to a placement head, which picks up a component presented at various pickup positions by means of at least one suction cup, conveys the component to an assembly area of the placement machine, and places the component In a predetermined spatial position and orientation onto the respective component carrier.

Components can be supplied In various ways. The most common supply method Is by means of so-called component belts in which the components are

packaged. These belts are then moved step by step to their respective pickup position by means of a so-called belt conveyor. But the use or component belts Is comparatively complicated end expensive, particularly due to the resulting waste (the emptied belts must be disposed of as packaging waste). A known way to avoid packaging and the waste problem mentioned Is the use of so-called vibratory conveyors, which handle the components to be processed as bulk material and present them Individually In a pickup area for pickup by a placement need. Such a vibratory conveyor I· known, for example, from DE 10 2013 219477 B4.

To compensate for tolerances of component supply and pickup when equipping a component carrier, It ts typically necessary to record the relative position and orientation of the components picked up by a suction cup relative to the respective suction cup by means of a camera. Since the spatial position of the suction cup In the coordinate system of the respective placement machine is exactly known In every relevant phase of the placement process, the component can be placed onto the component carrier In a precisely positioned manner and in the correct orientation through suitable compensatory control for a positioning of the placement head and rotating the respective suction cup about Its longitudinal axis.

The supplied components are detected, particularly when so-called raw, matrix, or turret-type placement heads ere used, by means of a component camera attached In a stationary manner to a chassis of the respective placement machine. In this connection. It Is necessary that the placement heed passes the detection range of the component camera on its path from the component pickup location to the assembly area and makes a more or less extended "Intermediate stop" there or goes through a phase of stowed motion, depending on the time required for optical detection. This means that not just the travel path but also the "travel time" required for positioning the placement head is extended. Both have a negative Impact on assembly capacity, i.e. the number of components which can be placed within a predetermined period of time. This reduces the efficiency of the placement process.

It Is the object of the present Invention to Improve the efficiency of placement processes. Summary of the !

This object b achieved by the subject matter of the independent dalms.

Advantageous embodiments of the present Invention are described In the dependent dalms. According to a first aspect of the Invention, a method for equipping component carriers with electronic components Is described. The method described comprises (a) providing a component at a pickup location of a component feeding device; (b) capturing an Image of the component provided at the pickup location; (c) determining at least one piece of Information about the provided component from the captured Image; (d) picking up the component by means of a placement head; (e) conveying the picked- up component Into an assembly area of a placement machine; and (f) pladng the component onto a component carrier, which Is located in the assembly area, taking Into account the at least one piece of information determined. The method described is based on the following realization: To obtain the

Information about a component required for correct placement from an image of the component, It Is not absolutely necessary that the component has already been picked up by a placement head (and Is held by means of a component holding device, particularly a suction cup). Instead, It Is in many cases suffldent to capture an image of the component at a point in time at which the component has hot been captured before but will not change Its position any more until It Is picked up by the placement head. Then all information about the component can be "carried along" when the component Is conveyed into the assembly area and can be taken Into account In a suitable manner when pladng the component This "carrying along of Information" particularly has the advantage that neither "time" nor "travel path* must be planned during equipment of the component carrier In order to make an "Intermediate stop" at a camera on the path between the pickup location and the placement position, for the purpose of capturing the component held by the placement head. This can In many cases reduce travel times and/or travel paths in a placement machine, which results in an Increase of the assembly capacity of a placement machine In a simple and effective manner. In this context, the term "assembly capacity" means the number of components which can be processed on one or more component carriers to be assembled, I.e. placed at their predetermined component Installation positions onto the component carriers, within a specific period of time. The term *at least one piece of Information about the provided component" can be understood as all information which has a direct influence on the correct equipping of the respective component carrier. Regarding the respective component/ this Information can be inherent information, such as the type of component, the shape of the component, the quality of the component, etc. The quality of a component can also characterize the condition of the component, for example, whether the component Is undamaged or possibly damaged and must therefore be removed from the placement process. Alternatively or in

combination, this Information can also be Information about the current state of the component with respect to Its environment This particularly Includes positional information such as (1) location Information, exactly where the component Is located, and/or 00 ortentatlonal Information, how the component is oriented wKh respect to a predetermined direction within the placement machine.

The Image can be captured In a known manner by a camera. The camera can also be part of a so-called vision system, which in addition to the camera comprises a suitable Illumination device, such that the camera can take high- quality images at a short exposure time. The at least one piece of Information about the provided component can be determined front an image captured by a camera. Known algorithms of digital image processing can be used In this process, image processing can be carried out by means of a data processing unit which b located downstream of the camera and can also be pert of the vision system. Alternatively or In combination, Image processing can also be carried out by a data processing unit of a placement machine, which also coordinates the process of automatic equipment of component carriers in a known manner and controls all elements of the placement machine Involved In placement, including tte component feeding device. Apart from Increasing the assembly efficiency by reducing travel paths end/or travel times of the placement head, the method described has the advantage that a placement machine carrying out the method does not need to be provided with a component camera. This particularly reduces the acquisition cost of a placement machine.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the pickup location Is located within a spatially extensive predetermined component presentation area of the component feeding device.

The components can be provided within a component presentation area, which Is not restricted spatialy to an at least approximately accurate pickup position, particularly In conjunction with a vibratory conveyor, which handles the components as separated bulk material items without exact spatial guidance, for example without mechanical barriers or guide channels. Since the exact position of the provided components Is not known for such a type of bulk material handling, optical detection of the components with respect to their exact position Is required anyway for a placement head to "know* at which position It must lower the respective component holding device to indeed "hit" the component during Its pickup. This means that the method described here of using the positional Information determined When picking up a component can also be carried out when placing the component onto the component carrier to be equipped in a conventional placement machine or assembly system (- placement machine plus component feeding device), without requiring hardware adjustment In the form of en additional component camera. Instead, the method described can be Implemented Just In the form of software, for example by means of a respective eoftware update.

It should be pointed out that the camera used in this embodiment should have a spatial detection range which Is at least as large as the component presentation area. Only then can It be ensured that all components provided In the

component presentation area can Indeed be detected. The component presentation area can have different sizes depending on the size, particularly depending on the so-called track width, of the feeding device. Typical widths of the component presentation area can be between 20 mm and 5 mm, particularly smaller than 15 mm, more particularly smaller than 10 mm or even smaller than 8 mm. Typical lengths of the component presentation area can be between 30 mm and 8 mm, particularly smaller than 20 mm, mors particularly smaller than 15 mm or even smeller than 10 mm.

In this context, the width can particularly be the extension of the presentation . area m a direction which Is parallel to a side of the placement machine to which the respective feeding device Is attached. This direction typically coincides with a conveying direction of a conveyor device by means of which component carriers to be equipped are ted into the assembly area and at least partially assembled components are discharged from assembly area. The length can particularly be the extension of the component presentation area along a direction which is oriented perpendicular to the aforementioned side of the placement machine or perpendicular to the aforementioned transport direction. According to another exemplary embodiment of the Invention, the pickup location (in a coordinate system of the component feeding device) Is a spatially at least approximately fixedly predetermined pickup position of the component feeding device. This means that the component Is conveyed by the component feeding device to an exactly defined location and picked up there by a placement head, in a vibratory conveyor for components in the form of bulk material, this can be achieved by suitable mechanical guide structures such as baffles, funnels, transport grooves, transport channels, etc., such that components are provided one by one and one after the other at the pickup position. Alternatively, known . belt conveyors can be used which convey components In a known manner in component belts, wherein a single component Is located In each pocket of the belt, which pocket is adapted as exactly as possible to the shape and size of the component.

A camera Integrated In the feeding device can also be used here as the camera for capturing the image of the component. Alternatively or in combination, a camera can be used which is attached to the placement head. Such a solution can particularly have the advantage that not every feeding device must have its own camtri If a plurality of component fading devices arranged side by aide is used.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the Invention, the at least one piece of Information comprises positional information of the component provided.

The term ""positional Information" as used herein can particularly be the coordinates of the pickup location In a coordinate system which Is stationery or spatfaly fixed with respect to the feeding device and/or the placement machine.

The positional Information determined can be passed on to a controller for suitable positioning of the placement head, so that the placement head can be positioned In such a manner that the respective component can be picked up accurately, preferably centered, particularly relative to Its center of gravity, by a component holding device or suction cup of the placement head. This has a positive Influence on the process reliability of the placement process. According to 'another exemplary embodiment of the Invention, the at least one piece of Information comprises orientations! Information of the component provided.

The term "orlentaUonal Information', as used herein, particularly means the orientation of the respective component relative to a predetermined direction within the coordinate system of the feeding device and/or the placement machine described above. Since the component to be picked up nests on a typically horizontal presentation surface with respect to gravity, It la In most cases sufficient to indicate tts orientation by a single orientation angle. If this orientation angle Is exactly known from a respective Image analysis before the component la picked up and does not change when ft Is picked up, the orlentational Information can be used to place the component at the correct angular position during placement of the component by a suitable and per se known rotation of the component holding device about its longitudinal axis. It should be noted at this point that, particularly when using a component feeding device which conveys components present as bulk material by means of vibration, It can happen that (a) the bodies of components stand edgewise on the presentation surface or (b) components, particularly resistors, while lying flat on the surface have the wrong orientation (so-called "upside-down orientation"). To prevent placement errors, such "pathological orientation cases" must be detected as part of the method described, end the respective components must not be placed or. may be placed only after respective^•reorientation".

Accordlng to another exemplary embodiment of the Invention, the at least one piece of Information comprises quality information about the component provided.

The quality information, which can also be determined using suitable Image analysis algorithms, can for example Indicate whether the component, from Its optical appearance, seems to be flawless or faulty. If a component Is damaged, It can be removed In a per se known manner from the placement process and can particularly be transferred Into a waste container.

Optical appearance can Indicate the geometry of the component This means that, for example, a component In which a portion of the body end/or terminal contacts of the component have broken off or are otherwise missing will be Identified as faulty. The term 'optical appearance" may also be understood, however, to include optical properties of the surface or parts of the surface of a component. It la for example conceivable that a component that appears duN In the Image may be characterized es faultless end a component that appears shiny may be characterized as faulty (or vice versa). If the captured Image is a color Image, color Information can also be used for characterizing the component.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises capturing of at least one additional image of the component provided et the pickup location. The additional captured Image Is taken Into account when determining the at least one piece of Information about the provided component. This can ensure high accuracy end/or reliability of the determined information. According to another exemplary embodiment of the Invention, the (first) Image Is taken at a first Illumination setting and the (second) additional Image Is taken at a second IHumtnation setting, wherein the second Illumination setting Is different from the first Illumination setting. The two Illumination settings can for example differ in terms of their light spectrum and/or their illumination angle relative to the pickup location or a presentation plane on which the respective component Is provided. Different Illumination settings In many cases allow different properties of the respective component to be captured particularly well. Image analysis can thus be further Improved by a combination of the

corresponding Information.

According to another aspect of the Invention, a placement machine for equipping component carriers with electronic components Is described- The placement machine described comprises (a) a chassis; (b) a gantry system having a stationary part, which Is attached to the chassis In a stationary manner, and a movable part, which can be positioned relative to the stationary part; (c) a placement heed, which Is attached to the movable part and configured to pick up components at a pickup location of a component feeding device and to place them, after suitable positioning of the movable part, at predetermined

placement positions on a component carrier; (d) a control unit for controlling the operation of the placement head; (e) a camera for capturing an image of a component provided at the pickup location; and (f) a data processing unit arranged downstream of the camera, for determining at least one piece of Information about the provided component from the captured Image and transferring the determined Information to the control unit. The control unit Is configured to control the placement head In such a manner that a pfcked-up component Is placed onto the component carrier, taking Into account the determined at least one piece of Information.

The placement machine described is based on the realization that Information about components to be placed, which Information Is obtained by means of taking an image before the component Is picked up at a pickup location, can be taken Into account when equipping the component carrier, particularly when placing the respective component in the predetermined placement position. In this way, any (further) measuring of components after they have been picked up by the placement head, can be eliminated. This results In a considerable increase In assembly efficiency, particularly as compered with known placement methods In which the picked- up components are captured by a stationary component camera, because travel paths and travel times of the placement head can be reduced.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the Invention, the placement machine further comprises a component feeding device, which is either directly or Indirectly attached to the chassis, for providing a component at the pickup location- Thus, Information obtained prior to or during pickup of a component by means of image analysis can also be used for reliable equipment of the component carrier, such that In many application cases It Is no longer necessary to perform another optical measurement of the component. It Is assumed in this context that the position of the placement head or its suction cup in a spatially fixed coordinate system of the assembly system is exactly known In each phese of assembly, end that particularly the pickup of the component by the placement head is carried out In such a controlled manner that unknown spatial leaps of the component do not occur.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the Invention, the camera Is associated with the component feeding device. Particularly, the camera b

Integrated Into the component feeding device. This hes the advantage that the camera can easily be positioned and/or oriented relative to the pickup location, which is at e fixed location within a coordinate system of the component feeding device, such that reliable measurement of components provided at the pickup location is always possible. Data can be transferred from the camera to the placement machine vie a suitable data Interface.

It Is particularly advantageous If the camera Is Integrated In the component feeding device. In that case, the camera can be arranged at a site which Is protected by a chassis of the component feeding device, and the component feeding device can be handled tn e known manner, particularly coupled to or decoupled from the placement machine, without having to pay particular attention to the camera. The component feeding device can further preferably be equipped with an Illumination device, which captures the captured components In a suitable Illuminating light with respect to light Intensity end/or light spectrum. This allows the capture of hlgh-qualtty Images and ensures particularly high reliability of placement

According to another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the camera is attached to the placement head. The optical detection range of the camera can then be oriented such that it always captures the site of the pickup location. This has the advantage that only one camera is needed, even If the components ana picked up by the placement head at different pickup locations relative to the chassis of the placement machine. In more descriptive terms, a camera will then always move together with the placement head to the exact spot where it Is needed.

According to another aspect of the Invention, a computer program for equipping component carriers with electronic components is described. The computer program. If executed by a processor, is adapted for carrying out the method described above.

For the purposes of this document, mentioning such a computer program Is equivalent In meaning to the concept of a program element, a computer program product, and/or a computer-readabla medium which contains

Instructions for controlling a computer system to coordinate the operation of a system or method, In a manner suitable to achieve the effects associated with the method according to the Invention.

The computer program can be Implemented as computer- readable Instruction code in any suitable programming language, for example JAVA, C++, etc The computer program can be stored on a computer-readable storage medium (CD ROM, DVD, Blue Ray disc, removable drive, volatile or non-volatile memory, Installed memory/processor, etc.). The Instruction code can program a computer or other programmable devices, such as the control unit of the placement machine mentioned above, In such a manner that the desired functions are executed. The computer program can further be provided in a network, such as the Internet, where it can be downloaded by a user, If required.

The invention can be executed both by means of a computer program, i.e.

software, and by means of one or several special electronic circuits, I.e. in hardware or In any hybrid form, i.e. by means of software and hardware elements.

It should be pointed out that embodiments of the Invention have teen described with respect to different subjects of the invention. Particularly, some

embedments of the invention are described by means of device claims, other embodiments of the Invention are described by means of process dalms. It will Immediately become clear to a person skNIed In the art reading this application that, In addition to a combination of features belonging to one type of subject matter of the Invention, any combination of features belonging to different types of subject matter is possible, unless explicitly stated otherwise. other advantages and features of the present Invention can be derived from the following exemplary description of currently preferred embodiments. The individual figures of the drawings of this document should be considered schematic and not true to scale.

Brief PMcrinHfln of the Prawtnns Figure i shows s perspective view of an assembly system for maniifacturlng an electronic module using the method for equipping component carriers with electronic components described In this document

Figures 2a, 2b, and 2c each show timing diagrams for equipping component carriers with electronic components, wherein the components are measured optically at different times.

Datalled Description Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an assembly system according to an exemplary embodiment of the Invention. The assembly system Is used to equip component carriers 190 with electronic components 195, for building electronic modules on the component carriers. The assembly system comprises a placement machine 100 and a schematically represented component feeding device 150, which Is attached laterally to the placement machine 100 end with which components 195 are supplied to the placement process.

Components 195 can be supplied m various ways and manners. For example, the component feeding device 150 can be a so-called vibratory conveyor, which supplies the components 195 as bulk materiel, wherein a suitable vfcratton of the vibration element Is used for conveying the components 195 from a bulk material reservoir to a pickup location 152 and/or for separating the components 195. Alternatively, the component feeding device 150 can be a so- called belt conveyor, by means of which components packaged fn a component belt In a known manner are sequentially conveyed to the pickup location 152.

The placement machine 100 comprises a frame structure or a chassis 102 to which two guides 103 aligned in parallel are attached. The two guides 103 carry a transverse support arm 104. A guide 105 on which a support element 106 Is movably mounted is formed on the transverse support arm 104. In a Cartesian coordinate system used In Figure l_f both guides 103 extend along a y direction, and the guide 105 extends along an x direction. An xy plane formed by the x . direction and the y direction Is a horizontal plane which Is oriented perpendicular to a vertical x direction.

On the support element 106, a placement head 107 is arranged, which comprises at least one component hokftng device 107a designed as a suction cup or suction pipette, which holding device can be moved along the z direction by means of a drive not shown. A rotary drive not shown here b further provided for correcting the angular position of picked up components 195 and thereby for placing components 195 onto the component carrier 190 at a correct angular position. The suction cup 107a can be rotated about Its longitudinal axis by means of the rotary drive. The placement machine 100 farther comprises a conveyor device 131 with which a component carrier 190 to be assembled can be fed into an assembly area 106 of the placement machine 100 and removed from the same after at least partially equipping It with components 195. In addition to the placement head 107, a so-called drcuit board camera 114 for capturing a marking 192 provided on the component carrier 190 is attached to the support element 106. In this manner, the exact position of the component carrier 190 fed Into the assembly area 108 can be determined by measuring the position of the marking 192. The suction cup 107a can be positioned in a known manner within the assembly area 108 by a respective x-y movement of the placement head 107.

The placement machine 100 further includes a (central) control unit 140. The control unit 140 Is used to execute e processing program for equipping the component carriers 190 with components 195 such that all parts of the placement machine 100 or the assembly system operate in a synchronized manner and thus contribute to an at least almost faultless and swift equipping of component carriers 190 with components 195.

A camera 160, which in this document is also called a component camera. Is provided for position measurement and control of components 195. Unlike prior ert assembly system*, in which such a camera detects a component when it is Just being picked up by the placement head or held by a luctton cup of the placement head, the component camera 160 Is arranged and/or oriented such that a component 195 provided at Its pickup location 152 Is optically measured before It Is picked up by the placement head 107. The Image of the component 195 taken by the camera 160 (at the pickup location 152) Is analyzed In a data processing unit 165. In this process, (I) the position and (II) the orientation of the component 195 as It was provided at the pickup location 152 are determined. Particularly the positional Information and the corresponding orlentatlonal Information Is then transferred to the control unit 140. The control unit 140 takes this Information into account when controlling the placement head 107 or suction cup 107a during pickup of the component 195 from the component feeding device 150, particularly when placing the component 195 onto the component carrier 190, such that each component 195 is placed exactly at Its predetermined placement position and in Its correct orientation. The correct placement position is achieved by suitable positioning of the placement head 107 within the xy plane. The correct orientation Is achieved In a known manner by rotating the respective suction cup about its longitudinal axis.

The Image of the component 195 taken by the camera 160 (at the pickup location 152) could optionally also be used for detecting the type of component 195. This could prevent placement of a wrong component_/ for example in the event of a "contamination* with the wrong components.

The principle described here of taking into account the optically captured position and/or orientation of the component (Immediately) before it is picked up by the placement head when ptadng the component onto the component carrier is based on the realization that (I) the position of the placement head or the respective suction cup In a spatially fixed coordinate system of the assembly system Is exactly known In each phase of assembly and that (II) particularly the pickup of the component by the placement head Is carried out In such a controlled manner that unknown spatial movements (displacements_! distortions, etc.) of the component do not occur.

The data processing unit 165 can also be Integrated In the central control unit 140. The data processing unit 165 can be implemented by means of its own hardware or by means of suitable software. It should be noted that the invention Is by no means limited to use in the placement machine 100 IMustratad herein. The invention can particularly be executed using a component camera which Is moved together with the placement heed and which Is provided to capture the components immediately before they are picked up by the placement head. The positional information and/or orlentBttonal Information which can be derived from the respective camera images can be used in the same way during the subsequent equipping of the component carrier.

Likewise, the Invention can be ueed In connection with a so-celled multi- placement head which comprises multiple component holding devices and thus can convey multiple components at the same time. In that case, the holding devices can be arranged in rows or In matrices, Likewise, the holding devices can be arranged in a star shape, radially projecting from an axis of rotation, such that multiple components can be picked up and set down again by a rotation of the holding devices. It is self-evident that the Invention can also be executed using any other types of single or multiple placement heads.

Various timing sequences for equipping component carriers, wherein the components are optically measured at different times, are described below with reference to Figures 2a, 2b, and 2c. Figure 2c Illustrates an optical component measurement according to an exemplary embodiment of the Invention. Figures 2a and 2b illustrate the timing sequences for optical component measurement as part of two prior art placement processes (for better understanding of the exemplary embodiments of the Invention).

Figure 2a shows a timing sequence in a prior art placement process based on the so-called "collect & place* principle, In which a multi-placement head Is used which comprises e star-shaped tool having a plurality of component holding devices which project radially outwards and being rotatable about an axis of rotation. In e step Al, the multi-placement head Is used for picking up multiple components from a component feeding device or sequentially from multiple component feeding devices. In a following step A2, the picked-up components are conveyed Into the assembly area of the placement machine by means of a so-called "gantry leap*. Upon arrival there, the components are each

sequentially placed onto a predetermined placement position In a step A3. Then the placement head, now emptied of components. Is conveyed back in a step A4 to the component feeding devlce(s) by means of another gantry leap, such that a new placement cycle can begin with another pickup of a plurality of

components. The components picked up by the multi-placement head are measured during pickup (step Al) and during placement (step A3) In that the star-shaped tool Is rotated In an indexing manner such that, for each indexing step, a pteked-up component Is located In the detection range of a component camera attached to the multi-placement head. Measurement to performed within two timing windows which are marked in Figure 2a with the reference symbol AV.

Figure 2b shows a timing sequence In a prior art placement process based on the so-called "pick & piece" principle wherein a single placement heed with a single component holding device or a multi-placement head is used, In which multiple component holding devices are arranged parallel to each other on the grid of a matrix.

In a step Bl, at least one component Is picked up by at least one component feeding device. Then In a step B2, the respective placement heed is conveyed by means of a gantry leap into the assembly area of the placement machine. Upon arrival there, the at least one component is placed onto the component carrier in a step B3. Then the placement head is conveyed back In a step B4 to the at least one component feeding device by means of another gantry leap, such that a new placement cyde can begin with another pickup of at least one component. The at least one component picked up by the placement heed is measured substantially at any time during the gantry leap of step B2. The timing window for such measurement Is marked by the reference symbol BV In Figure 2b.

Figure 2c shows the timing sequence for a method of equipping component carriers with electronic components according to an exemplary embodiment of the Invention. Unlike all prior art methods, the components are optically measured before being picked up by the placement head, when the components are located at their respective pickup location. The timing window for optical measurement Is marked by the reference symbol CV. in a step CI, the

respective component, optionally together with other already optically measured components, Is then picked up by means of a placement head from at least one pickup location by at least one component feeding device. In a step C2, the placement head is then conveyed by means of a gantry leap Into the assembly area of the placement machine. Upon arrival there, the at least one component Is placed onto the component carrier In a step C3. Then the placement heed Is conveyed back In a step C4 to the at least one component feeding device by means of another gentry leap, such that a new placement cyde can begin with another pickup of at least one component

The Invention or embodiments of the Invention described herein can be summarized In more descriptive terms as follows: This document proposes a modified work flow for equipping component carriers compared to prior art work flows. This work flow Is characterized In that the position of the component In the placement machine or In a component feeding device coupled thereto Is measured prior to pickup. This can particularly be done by picking up from a so- called 'bulk case feeder", which delivers bulk materiel components by means of vibration. Such a component feeding device Is for example disclosed In DE 10 2013 219477 B4. In the said document, the (positions of the) components are preferably measured by means of a suitable camera in the component feeding device to determine the exact component pickup position for the placement head. According to the Invention, the exact knowledge of these pickup positions Is also used for the later placement of the respective component Such optical position detection of the components in the component feeding device can be performed at any time within the cyde without delaying the placement work flow due to Image-taking using an additional camera. ft should be noted that the term "comprise* does not exclude other elements and that "a" or "one" does not exdude a plurality. Elements described In connection with different exemplary embodiments can also be combined. It should also be noted that reference symbols In the claims should not be

Interpreted as limiting the scope of protection of the dalms.

REFERENCE SYMBOLS

100 Placement machine

102 Chassis/ frame structure

103 Guides

104 Support arm

105 Guide

106 Movable support element

107 Placement head

107a Component holding device / suction cup

108 Assembly area

114 Circuit board camera

131 Conveyor device

140 Control unit

150 Component feeding device

152 Pickup location

160 Camera / component camera

165 Data processing unit

190 Component carrier 192 Marking

195 Component

Claims

1. A method for equipping component carriers (190) with electronic components (195), the method comprising

Providing a component (195) to a component feeding device (150) at a pickup location (152);

Capturing an Image of the component (195) provided at the pickup location (152);

Determining at least one piece of Information about the provided component (195) from the captured Image;

Picking up the component (195) by means of a placement heed (107);

Conveying the pkJced-up component (195) Into an assembly area (108) of a placement machine (100); and

Placing the component (105) onto a component carrier (190), which is located In the assembly area (108), taking Into account the at least one piece of Information determined.

2. The method according to daim 1, wherein

the pickup location (152) Is located within a spatially extended predetermined component presentation area of the component feeding device (150).

3. The method according to daim 1, wharcln

the pickup location (152) is a spatially at least approximately fixedly

predetermined pickup position of the component feeding device (150).

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein

the at least one piece of Information comprises positional Information of the provided component (195).

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein

the at least one piece of Information comprises orientatlonal Information of the provided component (195).

6. The method according to any one or the preceding claims, wherein the at least one piece of Information comprises quality information about the provided component (195).

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising

Capturing of at least one additional Image of the component (195) provided at the pickup location (152); wherein

the additional captured Image Is taken Into account when determining the at least one piece of Information about the provided component (195).

8. The method according to the preceding dalm, wherein

the Image Is taken at a first nomination setting and

the additional Image Is taken at a second Illumination setting,

wherein the second Illumination setting Is different from the first

Nomination setting.

9. A placement machine (100) for equipping component carriers (190) with electronic components (195), the placement machine (100) comprising

a chassis (102);

a gantry system having a stationary part (103), which is attached to the chassis (102) In a stationary manner, end a movable part (106), which can be positioned relative to the stationary part (103);

a placement head (107), which Is attached to the movable part (106) and configured to pick up components (195) at a pickup location (152) of a component feedng device (150) and to piece them, after suitable positioning of the movable part (106), at predetermined equipment positions on a component carrier (190);

a control unit (140) for controlling the operation of the placement head

(107);

a camera (160) for capturing an Image of a component provided at the pickup location; and

a data processing unit (165) arranged downstream of the camera (160) for determining at least one piece of Information about the provided component (105) from the captured Image and transferring the determined Information to the control unit (140);

wherein the control unit (140) is configured to control the placement head (107) in such a manner that a plcked-up component (195) Is placed onto the component carrier (190), taking Into account the at least one piece of information determined.

10. The placement machine, further comprising

a component feeding device (150) directly or Indirectly attached to the chassis (102) for providing a component (195) at the pickup location (152).

11. The placement machine according to the preceding daim 10, wherein the camera (160) is associated with the component feeding device (150), particularly Integrated therein.

12. The placement machine according to the preceding dalm 10, wherein the camera Is attached to the placement head.

13. A computer program for equipping component carriers (190) with electronic components (195), wherein the computer program, If executed by a processor, Is adapted for carrying out the method according to any one of dalms 1 to 8.