WO2024132471A1

WO2024132471A1 - System and method for providing a painting program for coating circuit boards

Info

Publication number: WO2024132471A1
Application number: PCT/EP2023/084098
Authority: WO
Inventors: Moritz Fischle; Oliver Lohse; Julien Raphael Mrowka; Sven Pihale
Original assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
Priority date: 2022-12-19
Filing date: 2023-12-04
Publication date: 2024-06-27
Also published as: DE102022213893A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for providing a painting program for coating a circuit board, populated with electronic components, conductor tracks and electronic contact faces of an assembly, with a protective paint by a coating machine, comprising: an input unit which is configured to read in data from a stored 3D model of the assembly; a painting region identification unit which is configured to automatically identify painting regions of the respective electronic components and/or of the conductor tracks and/or electronic contact faces of the assembly based on the read-in data of the assembly; a painting path determination unit which is configured to automatically determine at least one painting path for coating at least the electronic component of the assembly based on the identified painting regions; a computing unit which is configured to create the painting program based on the identified painting regions and the determined painting path; and an output unit which is configured to output the painting program created by the computing unit to the coating machine.

Description

System and method for providing a coating program for the coating of printed circuit boards

The present invention relates to a system for providing a coating program for coating circuit boards, which are equipped with electronic components of an assembly, with a protective coating by means of a coating machine. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a computer-implemented method for providing the coating program.

When manufacturing printed circuit boards, a protective coating is applied which provides a coating for the various electronic components of an assembly that is installed on the printed circuit board. This coating serves to provide better protection for the printed circuit boards against corrosion, dirt, pollutants and other environmental influences. For example, the protective coating can have a flame-retardant effect to enable the use of electronic devices that include the printed circuit boards in explosion-proof areas such as refineries.

The coating is carried out using a coating machine which applies the protective coating selectively using a movable nozzle. According to conventional painting processes, this is currently done manually, i.e. the individual positions of the painting areas on a populated circuit board must be approached using the nozzle under the supervision of an operator. The positions approached are then saved in a painting program which outputs the information about the various painting areas and the painting paths that should be followed when coating the circuit board to the coating machine. The painting areas vary from circuit board to circuit board, which is why a specific painting program must be created for each individual circuit board.

This traditional procedure is, because it is carried out manually, in many cases inaccurate and error-prone. Furthermore, this traditional manual procedure is time-consuming. Since some coating machines have to be stopped during the painting program creation, the downtime or idle time of these coating machines increases with each new painting program that has to be created.

As the variety of printed circuit boards and the assemblies on them, as well as their possible applications, increases over time, an automated, improved approach that reduces the idle time or downtime of the coating machines is required.

Regardless of the grammatical gender of a particular term, persons with male, female or other gender identity are included.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system and a method for providing a coating program for the coating of a printed circuit board which is equipped with electronic components of an assembly in order to enable improved, precise and efficient coating, which in particular reduces the downtime of a coating machine.

The object of the present invention is achieved by a system having the features of claim 1 and a computer-implemented method having the features of claim 12. Preferred embodiments of the invention with advantageous features are specified in the dependent claims.

The system according to the invention serves to provide a painting program for the coating of an electronically see components, conductor tracks and electronic contact surfaces of an assembly populated circuit board with a protective varnish by a coating machine and comprises an input unit which is set up to read in data from a stored 3D model of the assembly; a painting area identification unit which is set up to automatically identify painting areas of the respective electronic components and/or the conductor tracks and/or the electronic contact surfaces of the assembly based on the read-in data of the assembly; a painting path determination unit which is set up to automatically determine at least one painting path for coating at least the electronic component of the assembly based on the identified painting areas; a computing unit which is set up to create the painting program based on the identified painting areas and the determined painting path; and an output unit which is arranged to output the painting program created by the computing unit to the coating machine .

The electronic components of an assembly can include resistors, transistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes, integrated circuits or chips, and any electronic component that can be installed on a circuit board.

The conductor tracks describe electrically conductive connections between the electronic components. The conductor tracks could, for example, be made of copper.

The electronic contact surfaces are areas on the circuit board to which the electronic components are soldered or glued. The electronic contact surfaces can, for example, consist of a nickel layer that is chemically gold-plated. The data from a 3D model includes at least the positions of the electronic components installed on the circuit board. The 3D model can be generated using a conventional computer-aided design (CAD) program and/or a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) program.

The coating areas describe the areas of the circuit board assembly that need to be coated with a protective coating. The coating paths describe the coating sequence that the nozzles of the coating machine will follow to paint or coat the coating areas with a protective coating.

The painting program is a software that contains information about the painting areas and the painting paths, which can be processed and executed by a data processing unit of the coating machine.

A coating machine is a machine that can perform the coating of electronic components on a circuit board. The coating machine can be equipped to perform various types of coating, including conformal coating, potting, dispensing, jetting, film coating and/or spraying. Materials such as silicone, acrylic, urethane and epoxy can be used with conformal coating.

The various units generally comprise devices and computer programs that can receive, process and evaluate data. The units are connected to each other by cable and/or wirelessly in order to be able to exchange signals. Therefore, the units comprise at least one central processing unit (CPU) and/or at least one graphics processing unit (GPU) and/or at least one field programmable gate array (FPGA) and/or at least one application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and/or any combination of the aforementioned elements. Each element can further comprise a working memory that can operate operatively connected to the at least one CPU, and/or a non-volatile memory operatively connected to the at least one CPU and/or the memory. Each element may be partially and/or fully implemented in a local device and/or partially and/or fully implemented in a remote system, such as a cloud computing platform.

The various units may be implemented in hardware and/or software, wired and/or wireless, and any combination thereof. They may further comprise an interface to an intranet or the Internet, to a cloud computing service, to a remote server, and/or the like.

The painting area identification unit, the painting path determination unit and the computing unit can execute software, an app or an algorithm with different data processing capabilities.

The input unit and the output unit can in particular comprise an interface, for example an Application Programming Interface (API), so that they can in particular read in the 3D models of the assembly and output the painting program.

In systems based on cloud computing technology, a large number of devices are connected to a cloud computing system via the Internet. The devices may be located in a remote facility that is connected to the cloud computing system. The devices may, for example, include or consist of devices, sensors, actuators, robots and/or machines in one or more industrial facilities. The devices may be household appliances or office equipment in a residential/commercial facility.

The cloud computing system can enable remote configuration, monitoring, control and maintenance of the connected en devices (also commonly referred to as "assets"). In addition, the cloud computing system can facilitate the storage of large amounts of data regularly collected from the devices, analysis of the large amounts of data, and provision of insights (e.g., performance indicators, outliers) and alerts to operators, field engineers, or owners of the devices through a graphical user interface (e.g., web applications). The insights and alerts can enable control and maintenance of the devices, resulting in efficient and fail-safe operation of the devices. The cloud computing system can also enable modification of parameters associated with the devices and issue control commands, based on the insights and alerts, through the graphical user interface.

The cloud computing system may comprise a plurality of servers or processors (also referred to as "cloud infrastructure") that are geographically distributed and interconnected via a network. A special platform (hereinafter referred to as "cloud computing platform") is installed on the servers/processors, which provides the above-mentioned functions as a service (hereinafter referred to as "cloud service"). The cloud computing platform may comprise a plurality of software programs that run on one or more servers or processors of the cloud computing system to enable the provision of the requested service to the devices and their users.

One or more APIs are used in the cloud computing system to offer various cloud services to users.

The invention further provides a computer-implemented method for providing a coating program for coating a component equipped with electronic components, conductor tracks and electronic contact surfaces of an assembly. Printed circuit board with a protective varnish by a coating machine with the steps: (a) reading in data from a stored 3D model of the assembly; (b) automatically identifying, based on the read-in data of the assembly, painting areas of the respective electronic components and/or the conductor tracks and/or the electronic contact surfaces of the assembly; (c) automatically determining, based on the identified painting areas, at least one painting path for coating at least the electronic components of the assembly; (d) creating, based on the identified painting areas and the determined painting path, the painting program; and (e) outputting the created painting program to the coating machine.

The computer-implemented method according to the second aspect of the invention can be carried out with the system according to the first aspect of the invention. The features and advantages described herein in connection with the system are therefore also applicable to the method and vice versa.

According to a third aspect, the invention further provides a computer program product comprising an executable program code which, when executed, is adapted to carry out the method according to the second aspect of the present invention.

According to a fourth aspect, the invention provides a non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium comprising an executable program code which, when executed, is adapted to carry out the method according to the second aspect of the present invention.

The non-volatile, computer-readable data storage medium can comprise or consist of any type of computer memory, in particular a semiconductor memory, such as a solid-state memory. The data storage medium can also comprise or consist of a CD, a DVD, a Blu-ray disc, a USB memory stick or the like. According to a fifth aspect, the invention provides a data stream which comprises an executable program code or is adapted to generate such a code and which is adapted to carry out the method according to the second aspect of the present invention when executed.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, it comprises a CAD/CAM system with a data processing unit for carrying out the computer-implemented method according to the second aspect of the invention, wherein the CAD/CAM system is designed to generate a 3D model of a circuit board populated with electronic components of an assembly.

One idea underlying the invention is to introduce a system for providing a painting program for coating the electronic components, the conductor tracks and the electronic contact surfaces of a circuit board, whereby the painting program is provided automatically. The system is set up to use or evaluate three-dimensional data of the assembly in order to identify the various painting areas and to determine an optimal painting path. A computing unit is designed to process this information as a software program that is used by the coating machine to carry out the painting of the circuit board.

The system described above advantageously enables implementation of a computer-implemented method for providing a coating program for coating the electronic components, the conductor tracks and the electronic contact surfaces of a printed circuit board assembly. First, three-dimensional data from the various electronic components of a printed circuit board assembly are read in. The data are then processed to determine the coating areas of the respective electronic components, the conductor tracks and the electronic to automatically identify (or determine) the contact areas of the assembly. Based on this, an optimal painting path is determined to implement or execute the painting. Finally, the information about the painting areas and the painting path is created as a painting software program. The program is output to the coating machine to execute the painting of the circuit board.

An advantage of the present invention is that the preparation of the painting program is completely automatic. The data from the 3D model is processed in particular for the identification of the painting areas and for the determination of the painting path. Manual identification of the painting areas and manual painting path definition is no longer necessary. Narrow areas of the assembly that are difficult to reach with a nozzle can be precisely identified with the present invention. This enables quick and precise preparation of the coating of a circuit board.

A further advantage of the invention is that the painting program is output to the coating machine. This means that the coating machine does not have to be stopped, since programming is no longer done manually at a user interface on the coating machine. The downtime of the coating machine is therefore significantly reduced.

Advantageous embodiments and further developments emerge from the dependent claims and from the description of the various preferred embodiments which are shown in the accompanying figures.

According to some embodiments of the invention, it is provided that the read-in data include at least the geometric dimensions of the electronic components of the assembly. The geometry of the various electronic components can be obtained from a CAD and/or CAM software program. Manual area identification is therefore not necessary. necessary. The 3D model of the assembly and the components it contains can advantageously be supplied by the manufacturer of the circuit board.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the input unit is further configured to read information stored on the electronic components themselves. This information includes the electronic properties of the electronic components (e.g. resistance values for resistors, capacitance values for capacitors or inductance values for inductors) as well as information about the painting requirements of the respective electronic components, e.g. which parts of the components should be painted and how much protective paint should be applied there. Furthermore, temperature limit values of a component or existing corrosion protection of a component can also be used as information in order to determine the amount of protective paint required per area of each painting area.

According to some embodiments of the invention, it is provided that the painting path determination unit comprises an operation unit which is designed to provide predefined operation types for determining the painting path. These predefined operation types can comprise provisions which are known from experience. For example, according to one operation type, the various painting areas could be painted in a predefined order.

According to some embodiments of the invention, it is provided that the system further comprises a validation unit which is configured to validate the identified painting areas and/or the determined painting path based on a simulation of a layer thickness and/or a layer distribution of the protective paint specified by the created painting program. The validation of the painting areas and the painting path is a measure to test the determined painting program before it is output to the coating machine. Errors or inaccuracies can be corrected and eliminated.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the painting path determination unit implements an algorithm that is set up to calculate the painting path, at least with regard to a travel path and/or with regard to a sequence, taking into account defined detours and/or safety distances. The algorithm can be used in the form of a plug-in. The various process parameters comprise or define a possible target function, e.g. the painting path length of the painting path, which is to be minimized. Boundary conditions such as the potential detours of components and/or safety distances to components can be recorded by the input unit. The algorithm links the various painting path parts or painting path sections with one another in order to provide an optimal overall painting path.

According to some embodiments of the invention, it is provided that the painting path determination unit comprises an optimization unit which is configured to implement an artificial intelligence module, wherein the artificial intelligence module optimizes the algorithm.

Artificial intelligence refers to a computer-based entity capable of implementing various data analysis methods, commonly referred to as artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning or computational learning.

The artificial intelligence module implements at least one artificial intelligence model, which is a multilayer perceptron network (MLP), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a LSTM network (Long Short Memory), a convolutional neural network (CNN) or another neural network.

The artificial intelligence module can use the layer thicknesses and layer distributions of the coating of the respective electronic components as input to continuously optimize the algorithm and the necessary parameters through the artificial intelligence model.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the system further comprises a translation unit which is designed to translate the created painting program into a readable data format for the coating machine.

The creation of the painting path must be implemented in a format that the painting software of the coating machine can process. For this purpose, one or more postprocessors can be selected to carry out this transformation. By developing several postprocessors, painting software independence can be achieved, so that the system of the invention can be made available for any coating machine or painting software manufacturer.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the system further comprises a painting program storage unit which is designed to store the created painting program. With the increasing number of different circuit boards to be painted, it is advantageous to store the various painting programs in a program library and to keep them there. From there, they can be retrieved and used again.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the system further comprises a database unit which is designed to store the read-in data of the assembly and to keep it available for reading from there. The database unit can, for example, be a centralized product data It can be a product management (PDM) system such as Teamcenter in which the component data is maintained. A main goal of the PDM system is to provide traceability of information about the various electronic components of the assemblies of a printed circuit board. This stored information includes, for example, component information and component dimensions with respect to the components of the assembly. This makes it possible to store computer-aided design (CAD) data of the components together with metadata of the components (e.g. documentation or instructions from the manufacturer). All of the information is available for reuse and can be changed and retrieved under version control.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the system further comprises a simulation unit which is designed to create a simulation of the coating of the assembly by the coating machine based on the created painting program. The painting sequence can thus be simulated in advance in a CAD/CAM software environment in which the coating machine is integrated.

Although some functions are described here and below as being performed by units, this does not necessarily mean that these units are provided as separate units from each other. In cases where one or more units or even a part thereof are provided as software, the units may be implemented by program code sections or program code segments that may be separate from each other, but may also be interwoven or integrated with each other.

Similarly, in cases where one or more units are provided as hardware, the functions of one or more units may be provided by one and the same hardware component, or the functions of several units may be distributed across several hardware components that do not necessarily have to correspond to the units. It is therefore to be assumed that any application, system, procedure, etc. that has all the features and functions attributed to a particular unit comprises or implements that unit. In particular, it is possible that all units are implemented by program code executed by, for example, a server or a cloud computing platform.

All mentioned embodiments and implementations can be combined with each other as desired, as long as this makes sense.

Further scope of applicability of the present method and apparatus will become apparent from the following figures, detailed description, and claims. It is to be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended primarily for purposes of illustration, and various changes and modifications within the basic spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

The invention will now be described with reference to its advantageous embodiments with reference to the following drawings. They serve to further illustrate embodiments of concepts incorporating the claimed invention and to explain various principles and advantages of these embodiments.

Show it :

Fig. 1 shows a system for providing a coating program for coating a circuit board equipped with electronic components of an assembly according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the sequence of a computer-implemented method for providing a coating program for coating a circuit board populated with electronic components of an assembly according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a schematic flow diagram illustrating the sequence of a computer-implemented method for providing a coating program for coating a circuit board populated with electronic components of an assembly according to a further embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a graphical representation of the 3D model of a circuit board populated with electronic components of an assembly, generated by a CAD/CAM software;

Fig. 5 is a representation of the identified coating areas of a circuit board populated with electronic components of an assembly according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a representation of a circuit board equipped with electronic components of an assembly according to an embodiment of the invention, in which safety distances that must be taken into account for the painting path calculation are marked.

Fig. 7 shows a CAD/CAM system comprising a data processing unit for carrying out the computer-implemented method according to the second aspect of the invention, wherein the CAD/CAM system is designed to generate a 3D model of a circuit board populated with electronic components of an assembly;

Fig. 8 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a computer program product according to an embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention; and Fig. 9 is a schematic block diagram showing a non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium according to an embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention.

Parts of the several drawings which show identical or functionally similar elements in the several views are designated by the same reference characters.

Elements shown in the drawings are not necessarily shown to scale. This is to clearly disclose the principles and principles of the invention. Similarly, in some cases, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to illustrate possible concepts of the present invention.

The numbering of the steps in the procedures is intended to facilitate their description. It does not necessarily imply a particular order of the steps. In particular, several steps can be carried out simultaneously.

The detailed description of the accompanying drawings contains specific details in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention can be practiced without these specific details.

Fig. 1 shows a system 100 for providing a coating program for coating a printed circuit board LP equipped with electronic components of an assembly according to an embodiment of the invention.

The system 100 comprises an input unit 10, a painting area identification unit 20, a painting path determination unit 30, a computing unit 40, a validation unit 42, a translation unit 44, a painting program storage unit 46, an output unit 50, a database unit 60 and a simulation unit 70.

The input unit 10 is designed to read data DO from a stored 3D model of the electronic components of an assembly that are installed on a printed circuit board LP. The input unit 10 can comprise at least a CPU, a data memory and an interface, for example an Application Programming Interface (API). The data DO can be generated, for example, by a CAD/CAM program and stored in a data storage medium (not shown in Fig. 1). The API can be connected to the data storage medium wirelessly and/or with a cable.

The painting area identification unit 20 is set up to automatically identify the painting areas of the respective electronic components, the conductor tracks and the electronic contact surfaces of the assembly using the read-in data D0 of the assembly. The basis for identifying the painting areas is the information stored for the corresponding electronic components installed on the circuit board, as well as their dimensions. Since all the required information is known, the painting areas are identified automatically. The painting area identification unit 20 comprises at least one CPU and a data memory, which can execute executable programs, in particular an algorithm. The algorithm can process the information in order to identify the painting areas automatically, i.e. without manual operation.

Some components of the assembly can store data that can be read out to identify them and/or to identify the painting areas of the components. Other components have markings or prints that allow the components and/or the painting areas to be identified, for example by means of a sensor. Another group of possible components of the assembly has a typical housing shape that allows identification of the components and/or the painting areas of the components with the help of an optical sensor.

The coating areas include surfaces of the components of the assembly, which are to be coated with a preferably electrically insulating protective coating, as well as surfaces of the circuit board populated with components that are to be coated. The protective coating used to coat the coating areas is preferably transparent.

Different protective coatings can be used for different painting areas. However, the same protective coating is usually used for painting the entire assembly.

In addition to electronic components, an assembly can also include electromechanical components or mechanical components, for example holding elements for electronic components. The protective coating applied serves to protect the components from mechanical influences or from the effects of radiation. The protective coating applied can also serve to electrically insulate the components.

The painting path determination unit 30 is set up to determine a painting path based on the identified painting areas. The painting path determination unit 30 comprises at least one CPU, a data memory and a data processing processor, which can execute executable programs, in particular an algorithm (painting path algorithm). The information about the painting areas and defined geometric boundary conditions, e.g. information about necessary detours or safety distances to the various electronic components, can be used as input by the painting path algorithm.

In some embodiments, as shown in Fig. 1, the painting path determination unit 30 comprises an operation unit 310 which is set up to provide predefined operation types for determining the painting path. For example, such an operation type can specify that when painting the components of the assembly, all electrical resistors should first be painted as components of the assembly. Such operation types can be used by the algorithm as input and represent boundary conditions in the automatic calculation of the painting path.

Fig. 1 shows an optimization unit 320, which is included in the painting path determination unit 30. The optimization unit 320 is designed to implement an artificial intelligence module. The artificial intelligence module can use the layer thicknesses and the layer distributions of the paint of the respective electronic components as input in order to continuously optimize the painting path algorithm and the necessary parameters by the artificial intelligence module.

The artificial intelligence module implements an artificial intelligence model, such as a multilayer perceptron network (MLP), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a long short memory (LSTM) network, a convolutional neural network (CNN), or another neural network.

The computing unit 40 is set up to automatically create a painting program based on the identified painting areas and the determined painting path. The computing unit 40 comprises at least one CPU and a data memory. The painting program encodes the information about the painting areas, the linking of painting paths or partial painting paths and the layer thickness and layer distribution of the applied protective paint for the respective electronic components of the assembly. Fig. 1 also shows a validation unit 42, a translation unit 44 and a painting program storage unit 46.

The validation unit 42 is set up to validate the identified painting areas and/or the determined painting path. Errors or inaccuracies can be detected and eliminated for this purpose. The validation is carried out by simulating a layer thickness specified by the created painting program and the layer distribution of the protective paint. The validation unit 42 comprises at least one CPU and an interface with a display, through which the simulation can be visualized for an operator.

The translation unit 44 is used to translate the created painting program into a readable data format for the coating machine BM. The created painting path must be converted into a format that the painting software of the coating machine BM can process. The translation unit 44 can include several postprocessors in order to convert the painting program into different data formats. By providing several postprocessors, painting software independence can be achieved, so that the system of the invention can be provided for any coating machine BM or painting software manufacturer.

The painting program storage unit 46 is configured to store the created painting program for each circuit board to be coated. The painting program storage unit 46 serves as a program library in which the various painting programs are stored. From there, the various painting programs can be retrieved and used as needed. The painting program storage unit 46 may be a data storage medium, such as a DVD. Alternatively, it may be located in a computer, a server, or a cloud platform. Fig. 1 also shows an output unit 50 which is set up to output the created painting program to the coating machine BM. The painting program which the output unit 50 transmits can come directly from the computing unit 40. Alternatively, the painting program can be transmitted to the coating machine BM after validation and/or translation.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 1 comprises a database unit 60 which serves to store the data DO of the electronic components of the assembly of the printed circuit board LP in order to provide traceability of the information about the electronic components of the assemblies of a printed circuit board LP. The stored data DO comprise at least component information (documentation and/or instructions from the manufacturer) and the component dimensions derived from the 3D model. This also makes it possible to store computer-aided design (CAD) data. All of the information is available for reuse and can be changed under version control. The database unit 60 can be a conventional data storage medium or can be implemented in a server and/or cloud platform. Furthermore, the database unit 60 can be a centralized product data management (PDM) system (e.g. Teamcenter) in which the data of the components is maintained.

The simulation unit 70 is set up to generate a simulation, based on the created painting program, for the coating of the assembly by the coating machine BM. The painting sequence of the coating can thus be simulated in advance in a CAD/CAM software environment in which the coating machine BM is included. The simulation unit 70 comprises at least one CPU and an interface with a display, through which the simulation can be visualized for an operator or user. The output unit 50 can comprise at least one CPU, a data memory and an interface, for example an Application Programming Interface (API). The API can be connected to a computing unit of the coating machine BM wirelessly and/or with a cable.

The coating program can be executed by the computer unit of the coating machine BM. This allows the coating of the printed circuit board LP equipped with electronic components of an assembly to be carried out.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic flow diagram of the sequence of a computer-implemented method for providing a coating program for coating a printed circuit board LP equipped with electronic components of an assembly according to an embodiment of the invention. The method can advantageously be carried out with the system 100 of Fig. 1.

In a step S 1 , data is read from a stored 3D model of the electronic components of an assembly that are installed on a printed circuit board (LP). The 3D model can be created by CAD/CAM software.

In a step S2, the coating areas of the respective electronic components of the circuit board LP are automatically identified. For this purpose, the data from the 3D model and technical data of the respective electronic components, as well as conductor tracks and electronic contact surfaces, are used as a basis for the identification.

In a further step S3, a painting path for coating the electronic components of the assembly is determined. In some embodiments of the invention, an algorithm (painting path algorithm) is used for this purpose. In a step S4, a painting program is automatically created based on the identified painting areas and the determined painting path.

In a step S5, the created painting program is output to a coating machine BM, which coats the printed circuit board LP with paint, in particular with protective paint.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic block diagram of the sequence of a computer-implemented method for providing a coating program for coating a printed circuit board LP equipped with electronic components of an assembly according to a further embodiment of the invention. The method can advantageously be carried out with the system 100 of Fig. 1.

In a step S 1 , data is read from a stored 3D model of the electronic components of an assembly that are installed on a printed circuit board LP.

In a step S2, the coating areas of the respective electronic components of the printed circuit board LP are automatically identified.

In a step S20, the read data of the assembly is saved and made available for reading. The saving can be carried out, for example, by a centralized product data management (PDM) system such as Teamcenter.

In a further step S3, a painting path for coating the electronic components of the assembly is determined or calculated. In Fig. 3, step S3 includes steps S30, S31 and S32.

In a step S30, predefined operation types are used to determine the painting path. Operation types are usually written based on experience and may contain instructions . Accordingly, according to an operation type, the different painting areas could, for example, be painted in a predefined order .

In a step S31 it is determined whether a painting path can be defined using the operation types. If a suitable painting path is found or determined (marked with a + in Fig. 3), the painting program is automatically created in a step S4. If, on the other hand, no painting path is found (marked with a - in Fig. 3), then in a step S32 a painting path algorithm is used to find a painting path. In a step S4 this painting program can be created automatically.

In a step S41, the identified painting areas and/or the determined painting path are validated based on a simulation of a layer thickness and/or a layer distribution of the protective paint specified by the created painting program. The validation can be carried out by an operator or user or can take place automatically.

In a step S42, the created painting program is translated into a readable data format for the coating machine BM, for example by using one or more postprocessors.

In a step S43, based on the created painting program, a simulation of the coating of the assembly by the coating machine BM is created.

In a step S5, the created painting program is output via an interface to a coating machine BM, which carries out the coating of the circuit board LP. In a step S50, the created painting program is saved, for example in a data storage medium. From there, the various programs can be called up and used again.

Fig. 4 shows, for example, a graphical representation of the 3D model of a printed circuit board LP equipped with electronic components of an assembly, which is generated by CAD/CAM software. The printed circuit board LP can comprise diodes, transistors, resistors, induction coils, ICs or chips or capacitors 101. Particularly striking in the example shown are the capacitors 101 with which the printed circuit board LP is equipped. Fig. 4 can, for example, be the result of a design that is displayed by a GPU. The 3D model contains the three-dimensional coordinates (height, width and length) of all electronic components of the assembly. This data of the 3D model is read in by the input unit 10 of the system 100 according to the invention.

Fig. 5 shows, for example, a representation of the identified painting areas LB of a circuit board LP equipped with electronic components of an assembly according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 5 shows a cross-section of the circuit board LP of Fig. 4. The painting areas LB are derived automatically, i.e. without manual operation or activation by an operator, from the read-in data of the 3D model and based on information stored in the various electronic components. Fig. 5 therefore concerns a graphic representation of the identification of the painting areas LB, which is carried out by the painting area identification unit 20. For each identified painting area LB there is corresponding information about the layer thickness required in each case and the layer distribution of the protective varnish. Certain painting areas LB of the assembly BG can also be coated with several superimposed layers of protective paint, each with a corresponding layer thickness. preferably wait until the underlying layer has dried. The nozzle of the BM coating machine can therefore move to certain spots or painting areas of the assembly several times according to the calculated painting path in order to apply more than one layer of paint there.

Fig. 6 shows a graphical representation of the circuit board LP from Fig. 5, in which safety distances SU are marked with dashed lines. In some embodiments of the invention, the painting path determination unit 30 implements a painting path algorithm which uses the information of the identified painting areas LB, together with the respective required layer thicknesses and layer distributions, as input. In some embodiments, there are operation types or criteria that are taken into account by the painting path algorithm. For example, an operation type can indicate or state that the capacitors should be coated first of all. The capacitors form a component type of components within the assembly. Accordingly, the coating or painting of certain component types can be prioritized. The determined painting path should meet the various criteria. The thickness of the protective lacquer layer of each electronic component is another important criterion. In this case, the determined painting path can take into account that, for example, those components of the assembly that require a larger amount of lacquer per area for painting are coated first. Finding or calculating an optimal painting path is particularly challenging when there are several boundary conditions or criteria that must be taken into account at the same time. Fig. 6 shows, for example, some safety distances SU that define areas that should not be coated with protective lacquer. Some of these areas enclose electronic components that are not to be coated. In the case of a complex printed circuit board LP that is equipped with many, sometimes different, components and for which many boundary conditions must be met, the automated determination of the Painting path has a clear advantage over manual painting path definition.

Fig. 7 shows a CAD/CAM system 500 comprising a data processing unit 600 for carrying out the computer-implemented method according to the second aspect of the invention, wherein the CAD/CAM system 500 is designed to generate a 3D model of a printed circuit board LP equipped with electronic components of an assembly.

The data processing unit 600 can be viewed as an add-on of the CAD/CAM system 500. A CAD/CAM computing unit 520 is designed to generate a 3D model for the design of a printed circuit board LP. The data of the 3D model are stored in a CAD/CAM data storage medium 520. The printed circuit board LP can then be manufactured using the design. The data processing unit 600 is designed to retrieve the data of the 3D model and to process it according to the method shown in Fig. 2 and/or in Fig. 3. The data processing unit 600 is designed to provide a painting program and output it to a coating machine BM. The coating machine BM can use the painting program to paint the electronic components of the assembled printed circuit board LP.

Fig. 8 shows a schematic block diagram illustrating a computer program product 300 according to an embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention. The computer program product 300 comprises an executable program code 350 which, when executed, is configured to carry out the method according to any embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, in particular as described in the previous figures.

Fig. 9 shows a schematic block diagram illustrating a non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium 400 according to an embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention. invention. The data storage medium 400 comprises an executable program code 450 which, when executed, is configured to carry out the method according to any embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, in particular as described in the previous figures.

The non-volatile, computer-readable data storage medium can comprise or consist of any type of computer memory, in particular a semiconductor memory such as a solid-state memory. The data storage medium can also comprise or consist of a CD, a DVD, a Blu-ray disc, a USB memory stick or the like.

The system according to the invention is characterized, among other things, by the following features:

Discrete 3D data from scanned deposition/removal profiles (reference profiles) can be used directly without the need for analytical approximation.

The component surface is meshed with sufficient density to generate support points for the calculation of the painting path.

The discretization of the tool paths of a tool of the BM coating machine is preferably carried out automatically according to specified values for the time and spatial resolution.

The simulation preferably uses an optically based ray tracing approach to project the discrete deposition/removal profile onto the support points of the component surface.

The effect of the moving tool or tools of the BM coating machine can be recorded by summing small time steps. The calculation of the painting path is preferably carried out in parallel in several threads.

The effect of process-specific effects (e.g. reflection or scattering of impacting particles) can be taken into account using experimentally determined effective parameters and empirical models.

For each point of the painting path, the simulation can take into account additional process-dependent parameters (e.g. angle of impact, primary and secondary effects, number of passes, removal/application rate, average distance to the tool, etc.), which can be important for the final layer morphology or surface stress. In addition, thermal stress can also be recorded using suitable model assumptions. This data is available for setting up digital twins.

The method according to the invention can be used for various thermal spraying processes (APS, VPS, HVOF, Flash) on complex assemblies to optimize tool paths of a tool. The deviations between the calculated and actual applied layer thickness of the protective coating are less than 10%, preferably less than 1%.

The foregoing description of the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of possible embodiments intended to enable one skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various variations and modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without affecting the spirit or scope of the present document. Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is intended to be given the widest possible scope of application. that is consistent with the principles and new features disclosed herein.

Reference symbol list

10 Input unit

20 Painting areas identification unit

30 Painting path determination unit

40 computing unit

42 Validation Unit

44 Translation unit

46 Paint program storage unit

50 Output unit

60 database unit

70 S simulation unit

100 Systems

101 Capacitor

300 Computer program product

310 Operating Unit

320 Optimization unit

350 Program code

400 Non-volatile computer-readable data storage medium

450 Program code

500 CAD/CAM systems

520 CAD/CAM computing unit

530 CAD/CAM data storage medium

600 Data processing unit

BM coating machine

D0 Data

LB painting areas

LP circuit board

S1-S50 Steps of the procedure

Claims

Patent claims

1. System (100) for providing a painting program for coating a circuit board (LP) equipped with electronic components, conductor tracks and electronic contact surfaces of an assembly with a protective paint by a coating machine (BM), comprising: an input unit (10) which is set up to read in data (DO) from a stored 3D model of the assembly; a painting area identification unit (20) which is set up to automatically identify painting areas (LB) of the respective electronic components and/or the conductor tracks and/or the electronic contact surfaces of the assembly based on the read-in data (DO) of the assembly; a painting path determination unit (30) which is set up to automatically determine at least one painting path for coating at least the electronic component of the assembly based on the identified painting areas (LB); a computing unit (40) which is configured to create the painting program based on the identified painting areas (LB) and the determined painting path; and an output unit (50) which is configured to output the painting program created by the computing unit (40) to the coating machine (BM).

2. System (100) according to claim 1, wherein the read data (D0) comprise at least the geometric dimensions of the electronic components of the assembly.

3. System (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the input unit (10) is further configured to read information stored on the electronic components.

4. System (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the painting path determination unit (30) comprises an operation unit (310) which is configured to provide predefined operation types for determining the painting path.

5. System (100) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a validation unit (42) which is configured to validate the identified painting areas (LB) and/or the determined painting path based on a simulation of a layer thickness and/or a layer distribution of the protective paint specified by the created painting program.

6. System (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the painting path determination unit (30) implements an algorithm which is configured to calculate the painting path, at least with regard to a travel path and/or with regard to a sequence, taking into account defined detours and/or safety distances.

7. The system (100) of claim 6, wherein the painting path determination unit (30) comprises an optimization unit (320) configured to implement an artificial intelligence module, the artificial intelligence module optimizing the algorithm.

8. System (100) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a translation unit (44) which is configured to translate the created painting program into a readable data format for the coating machine (BM).

9. System (100) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a painting program storage unit (46) which is configured to store the created painting program.

10. System (100) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a database unit (60) which is configured to store the read-in data (DO) of the module and to make it readable from there.

11. System (100) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a simulation unit (70) which is configured to create a simulation of the coating of the assembly by the coating machine (BM) based on the created painting program.

12. Computer-implemented method for providing a coating program for coating a printed circuit board (LP) equipped with electronic components, conductor tracks and electronic contact surfaces of an assembly with a protective coating by a coating machine BM, comprising the steps:

Reading (Sl) data (D0) of a stored 3D model of the assembly; automatically identifying (S2), based on the read data (D0) of the assembly, painting areas (LB) of the respective electronic components and/or the conductor tracks and/or the electronic contact surfaces of the assembly; automatically determining (S3), based on the identified painting areas (LB), at least one painting path for coating at least the electronic components of the assembly;

Creating (S4) the painting program based on the identified painting areas (LB) and the determined painting path; and

Output (S5) of the created painting program to the coating machine (BM).

13. A computer program product (300) comprising an executable program code (350) which, when executed, is designed to carry out the computer-implemented method according to claim 12.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium (400) comprising an executable program code (450) which, when executed, is designed to carry out the computer-implemented method according to claim 12.

15. CAD/CAM system (500) with a data processing unit (600) for carrying out the computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the CAD/CAM system (500) is designed to generate a 3D model of a circuit board populated with electronic components of an assembly.