JP7591735B2 - Electronic device assembly device and electronic device assembly method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic device assembly device and an electronic device assembly method.

Conventionally, electronic device assembly devices and methods are known that assemble electronic devices by attaching cables to the connectors of the electronic devices.

JP 2018-69415 A

The electronic device assembly device in Patent Document 1 detects the relative positional relationship between the connector and the cable based on an image captured when the connector and the cable are close to each other, and moves the cable based on the detected relative positional relationship to attach the cable to the connector.

The relative positional relationship between the connector and the cable detected from the image can be subject to errors due to a variety of factors. Depending on the degree of error, the cable may not be properly attached to the connector, resulting in "misinsertion," and it is therefore necessary to be able to attach the cable to the connector with greater precision.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide an electronic device assembly device and an electronic device assembly method that can solve the above problems and attach cables to connectors with high precision.

In order to achieve the above object, the electronic device assembly device of the present invention comprises a cable holding tool that holds a cable to be attached to a connector of an electronic device, a base unit to which the cable holding tool, an imaging unit, and a projector that irradiates slit light are attached, a robot unit that moves the cable holding tool relative to the electronic device by moving the base unit, and a control unit that drives the robot unit to attach the attachment portion of the cable held by the cable holding tool to the connector, and the projector emits the slit light for obtaining height information. The cable holding tool is irradiated from an oblique direction to include a component toward the cable attachment direction, the imaging unit captures an image including the cable attachment portion and the connector from an oblique direction to the attachment direction, the control unit detects the relative positional relationship between the cable attachment portion and the connector based on height information obtained from the slit light and planar position information obtained from the image captured by the imaging unit, and moves the cable holding tool based on the detected relative positional relationship to attach the cable attachment portion to the connector.

The electronic device assembly method of the present invention is an electronic device assembly method for assembling an electronic device by attaching a cable to a connector of the electronic device, and includes a holding step of moving a base part to which a cable holding tool, an imaging unit, and a projector for emitting slit light are attached, and holding the cable with the cable holding tool; an approaching step of bringing the attachment part of the cable held by the cable holding tool closer to the connector; a slit light irradiation step of irradiating the slit light for obtaining height information from the projector to the attachment part of the cable and the connector from an oblique direction so as to include a component toward the attachment direction of the cable; an imaging step of capturing an image including the attachment part of the cable and the connector from an oblique direction to the attachment direction by the imaging unit; a position detection step of detecting the relative positional relationship between the attachment part of the cable and the connector based on the height information obtained from the slit light and the planar position information obtained from the image captured in the imaging step; and an attachment step of moving the cable holding tool to attach the attachment part of the cable to the connector based on the relative positional relationship.

The present invention allows the cable to be attached to the connector with high precision.

1 is a schematic perspective view of an electronic device assembly apparatus according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a peripheral configuration of a base portion according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a peripheral configuration of a base portion according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is an enlarged view showing a peripheral configuration of a cylinder of a cable holding tool according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is an enlarged view showing a state in which a cylinder according to an embodiment is in operation; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic device before a cable according to an embodiment is attached to a connector; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electronic device after the cable of the embodiment is attached to the connector; FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cable according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cable according to an embodiment; FIG. 13 is an enlarged perspective view showing a cable holding operation by the cable holding tool of the embodiment; FIG. 13 is an enlarged perspective view showing a cable holding operation by the cable holding tool of the embodiment; FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view for explaining an irradiation state of a slit light by a projector according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an inclination angle of a floodlight according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an inclination angle of a connector and a cable according to an embodiment; 1 is a block diagram of a control system of an electronic device assembly apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a flowchart showing a method for assembling an electronic device using an electronic device assembly apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an image captured by an image capturing unit according to an embodiment; FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining the assembly method of the electronic device according to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an image (first image) captured by an imaging unit of an embodiment; FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an image (second image) captured by the imaging unit of the embodiment; FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining the assembly method of the electronic device according to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view for explaining the assembly method of the electronic device according to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an image captured by an image capturing unit according to an embodiment;

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a cable holding tool that holds a cable to be attached to a connector of an electronic device is provided; a base unit to which the cable holding tool, an imaging unit, and a projector that irradiates slit light are attached; a robot unit that moves the cable holding tool relative to the electronic device by moving the base unit; and a control unit that drives the robot unit to attach the attachment portion of the cable held by the cable holding tool to the connector, and the projector projects the slit light for obtaining height information onto the attachment portion of the cable held by the cable holding tool. The device provides an electronic device assembly device that irradiates the mounting portion of the cable and the connector from an oblique direction that includes a component toward the mounting direction of the cable, the imaging unit captures an image including the mounting portion of the cable and the connector from an oblique direction relative to the mounting direction, the control unit detects the relative positional relationship between the mounting portion of the cable and the connector based on height information obtained from the slit light and planar position information obtained from the image captured by the imaging unit, and moves the cable holding tool based on the detected relative positional relationship to mount the mounting portion of the cable to the connector.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the imaging unit captures, as the image, a first image including the attachment portion of the cable and the connector irradiated with the slit light, and a second image including the attachment portion of the cable and the connector irradiated with illumination light different from the slit light, and the control unit detects the relative positional relationship based on the height information obtained from the first image and the planar position information obtained from the second image, providing the electronic device assembly device described in the first aspect.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device assembly device according to the second aspect, in which the imaging field of view of the first image and the second image is common.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device assembly device according to the second or third aspect, in which the imaging unit captures the second image after capturing the first image.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device assembly device according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, in which the control unit detects the relative positional relationship based on height information of the cable and the connector obtained from the first image, information on the inclination angle of the cable and the connector, and the planar position information of the cable and the connector obtained from the second image.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device assembly device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, in which the connector is disposed at an angle and the mounting direction is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device assembly device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, in which the connector is disposed inside an opening of the electronic device, and the slit light is irradiated in a direction that includes a component toward the depth direction of the connector.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device assembly device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, in which the projector irradiates the slit light from an optical axis direction that is oblique so as to include a horizontal component toward the installation direction of the cable.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device assembly method for assembling an electronic device by attaching a cable to a connector of the electronic device, the electronic device assembly method including: a holding step of moving a base part to which a cable holding tool, an imaging unit, and a projector for emitting slit light are attached, and holding the cable with the cable holding tool; an approaching step of bringing the attachment part of the cable held by the cable holding tool closer to the connector; a slit light irradiation step of irradiating the slit light for obtaining height information from the projector to the attachment part of the cable and the connector from an oblique direction so as to include a component toward the attachment direction of the cable; an imaging step of capturing an image including the attachment part of the cable and the connector from an oblique direction to the attachment direction by the imaging unit; a position detection step of detecting a relative positional relationship between the attachment part of the cable and the connector based on height information obtained from the slit light and planar position information obtained from the image captured in the imaging step; and an attachment step of moving the cable holding tool based on the relative positional relationship and attaching the attachment part of the cable to the connector.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the imaging step includes a first imaging step of imaging a first image including the attachment portion of the cable and the connector irradiated with the slit light, and a second imaging step of imaging a second image including the attachment portion of the cable and the connector irradiated with illumination light different from the slit light, and the position detection step detects the relative positional relationship based on the height information obtained from the first image and the planar position information obtained from the second image. The electronic device assembly method according to the ninth aspect is provided.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the electronic device assembly method according to the tenth aspect, in which the first image and the second image have a common imaging field of view.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the electronic device assembly method according to the tenth or eleventh aspect, in which the second imaging step is performed after the first imaging step.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device assembly method according to any one of the tenth to twelfth aspects, in which, in the position detection step, the relative positional relationship is detected based on height information of the cable and the connector obtained from the first image, information on the inclination angle of the cable and the connector, and the planar position information of the cable and the connector obtained from the second image.

According to a 14th aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for assembling an electronic device according to any one of the 9th to 13th aspects, in which the connector is disposed at an angle and the mounting direction is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for assembling an electronic device according to any one of the ninth to fourteenth aspects, in which the slit light is irradiated in a direction that includes a component toward the depth direction of the connector.

According to a 16th aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for assembling an electronic device according to any one of the 9th to 15th aspects, in which the slit light is irradiated from an optical axis direction that is oblique so as to include a horizontal component toward the installation direction of the cable.

Below, exemplary embodiments of the electronic device assembly device and electronic device assembly method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the specific configurations of the following embodiments, and configurations based on similar technical ideas are included in the present invention.

(Embodiment)
First, an electronic device assembly apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The electronic device assembly apparatus 1 shown in Fig. 1 has a function of attaching a cable 17 to a connector 13 (see Figs. 3 and 4) mounted on a functional module such as a circuit board mounted inside the housing of an electronic device 4, such as an in-vehicle electronic device, as a work object.

A work stage 3 is provided on the upper surface 2a of the base 2. The work stage 3 positions and holds the electronic device 4 to be worked on in a predetermined orientation.

Now, with reference to Figures 3 and 4, the electronic device 4 to be worked on will be described. Figure 3 shows the state before the cable 17 (Figure 4) is attached to the connector 13, and Figure 4 shows the state after the cable 17 is attached to the connector 13. In Figure 3, the electronic device 4 has a circuit board 11 with electronic components 11a mounted inside a box-shaped housing 4a. A connector 13 is mounted on the edge of the circuit board 11 installed inside the housing 4a. As shown in Figure 4, a hard reinforcing plate 16 is attached to the end of a flexible cable 17 on the connector 13. An opening 4c is formed on the back surface 4b of the housing 4a for connecting the cable 17 from outside to the connector 13 inside the housing 4a.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the connector 13, a row of connection terminals is formed on the terminal surface 13b on the bottom surface of the mounting portion 13a to which the cable 17 is attached. When the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 is inserted into the connector 13 and attached, the wiring pattern formed on the cable 17 comes into contact with these terminal rows.

The connector 13 is provided with a locking mechanism (not shown) for preventing the attached cable 17 from falling off. The locking mechanism of the first embodiment is a so-called auto-lock type locking mechanism, which automatically locks the cable 17 inserted into the attachment portion 13a in response to insertion. The auto-lock type locking mechanism, for example, has a spring (not shown) that contacts and biases each of the terminals formed on the terminal surface 13b. When the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 is inserted between the spring and the terminal with an insertion force that exceeds the biasing force of the spring, the cable 17 is locked with the wiring pattern of the cable 17 in contact with the terminal surface 13b, and the cable 17 is attached to the connector 13. The auto-lock type locking mechanism further has a release member (not shown) for selectively releasing the lock on the cable 17.

In FIG. 3, the electronic device 4 to be worked on is positioned and held on the work stage 3 in a position where the back surface 4b side is raised by a work angle θ relative to the work stage 3 so that the back surface 4b faces diagonally upward. When the electronic device 4 is held horizontally on the work stage 3 (work angle θ is zero), the connector 13 inside the housing 4a cannot be seen from above. On the other hand, by tilting it by the work angle θ, at least a part of the connector 13 can be seen from above through the opening 4c. The electronic device 4 may be held on a holding stand (not shown) with a slope of the work angle θ installed on the work stage 3, or may be transported to the work stage 3 while held on the holding stand. Alternatively, the electronic device 4 may be transported to the work stage 3 in a horizontal position and then tilted by the work angle θ.

The connector 13 provided inside the electronic device 4 is also disposed at an angle. The width direction K of the connector 13 is roughly parallel to the X direction (horizontal plane), while the depth direction M of the connector 13 is inclined at a working angle θ with respect to the Y direction (horizontal plane). The cable 17 is inserted obliquely along the mounting direction (insertion direction) Q into the connector 13 thus disposed at an angle. The mounting direction Q is roughly parallel to the depth direction M of the connector 13.

In FIG. 1, the work stage 3 can be raised and lowered. In the operation of attaching a cable 17 to an electronic device 4, the work stage 3 is raised and lowered to position the electronic device 4 at a predetermined working height. A corner post 2b is erected at the corner of the top surface 2a of the base 2, and a horizontal stand 2c is erected at the upper end of the corner post 2b. An operation panel 9 equipped with a touch panel is disposed on the side of the stand 2c.

Instructions for operation and operational instructions targeted at the robot unit 5 are input by touch operation input via the operation panel 9. The operation panel 9 has a display function, and if an abnormality or malfunction occurs during the cable attachment operation by the electronic device assembly device 1, a notification is displayed on the operation panel 9. The operation panel 9 functions as a notification unit. With regard to the coordinate system of the electronic device assembly device 1, when viewed from the front of the electronic device assembly device 1, the left-right direction is the X-axis, the front-back direction is the Y-axis, and the vertical direction is the Z-axis.

In FIG. 1, a fixed base unit 6 incorporating a drive mechanism for the robot unit 5, which will be described below, is disposed on the underside of the stand 2c. Six servo drive mechanisms that operate independently are incorporated in the fixed base unit 6, and each servo drive mechanism individually drives six link members 7 extending downward from the fixed base unit 6. The lower ends of the link members 7 are connected to the base unit 8. In the above configuration, the fixed base unit 6 and the link members 7 constitute the robot unit 5. The robot unit 5 moves the base unit 8, changing the position of the base unit 8.

The robot unit 5 is a six-degree-of-freedom type parallel link robot having six link members 7 that operate independently. The lower ends of the six link members 7 extending downward from the fixed base unit 6 are connected to the base unit 8, which is a working unit that performs the installation work of installing the cable 17 to the connector 13. As shown in FIG. 2A, the link members 7 are connected to the base unit 8 via universal joints 7a. This configuration makes it possible for the robot unit 5 to cause the base unit 8 to move with six degrees of freedom.

In Figures 2A and 2B, the cable holding tool 20, the floodlight 40 (Figure 2B), the imaging unit 50, and the illumination member 56 (Figure 2A) are attached to the base unit 8. The cable holding tool 20 has the function of holding the cable 17 (not shown) to be attached to the connector 13.

By the robot unit 5 moving the base unit 8, the cable holding tool 20 can be moved relative to the electronic device 4 held on the work stage 3. In the installation work of attaching the cable 17 to the connector 13, the control unit 61 operates the robot unit 5, the cable holding tool 20, the floodlight 40, the imaging unit 50, and the lighting member 56.

In this way, the robot unit 5 moves the base unit 8, thereby moving the cable holding tool 20 relative to the electronic device 4 equipped with the connector 13. In this embodiment, the base unit 8 is moved by the robot unit 5, which is a parallel link robot, but the electronic device assembly device 1 may also be configured to move the base unit 8 by a multi-joint robot having multiple rotation axes midway along the arm.

Next, the detailed configuration of the base unit 8 will be described with reference to FIG. 2A. An opening 8a is provided at the drive center of the base unit 8, which indicates the central position of the multiple universal joints 7a. An imaging unit 50 is disposed on a bracket 51 erected near the opening 8a on the upper surface of the base unit 8.

The imaging unit 50 includes an optical lens unit 52 and a camera 53, and is arranged in a downward orientation with the imaging optical axis 53a aligned with the drive center. The control unit 61 operates the robot unit 5 to position the imaging unit 50 arranged on the base unit 8 above the electronic device 4 held on the work stage 3 (see FIG. 11). In this state, the imaging unit 50 can be made to capture an image of the reinforcing plate 16 and connector 13 of the cable 17 held by the cable holding tool 20. The image captured by the imaging unit 50 is transmitted to the control unit 61.

Returning to FIG. 2A, a support member 54 is erected downward on the underside of the base portion 8 in an arrangement surrounding the opening 8a. A lighting holding plate 55 corresponding to the outer shape of the electronic device 4 is held at the lower end of the support member 54. A lighting member 56 including an illuminant such as an LED is attached to the underside of the lighting holding plate 55. The lighting member 56 is controlled by the control unit 61. When imaging by the imaging unit 50, the lighting member 56 is turned on to illuminate the cable 17, connector 13, etc., of the imaging target. When imaging is performed with slit light irradiated from the projector 40 described later, it is preferable to control the lighting member 56 so that it is not turned on, so that the slit light can be easily identified. Note that, if the slit light can be identified by image processing from an image with the lighting member 56 turned on, the slit light may be irradiated while the illumination is turned on, and the imaging process may be completed in one go.

A cable holding tool 20 is attached to the underside of the base portion 8 near the side end portion separated to the right from the opening 8a shown in FIG. 2A. The detailed configuration of the cable holding tool 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 2A, FIG. 2C, and FIG. 2D. FIG. 2C is an enlarged view showing the peripheral configuration of the cylinder 22 of the cable holding tool 20, and FIG. 2D is an enlarged view showing the cylinder 22 in operation.

The cable holding tool 20 shown in FIG. 2A includes a mounting portion 21, a cylinder 22, a fixed block 23, a chuck base 24, an actuator 25, a slide portion 26, a chuck block 27, and a blade 28.

The mounting part 21 is a member that fixes and mounts the cable holding tool 20 to the base part 8. The mounting part 21 fixes the cylinder 22 to the underside of the base part 8, thereby mounting the cable holding tool 20 to the base part 8.

The cylinder 22 is a member that generates a biasing force F on the cable holding tool 20. The biasing force F acts in the mounting direction Q in which the cable holding tool 20 inserts the cable 17 into the connector 13. The biasing force F is generated, for example, by the force of an air spring inside the cylinder 22. The biasing force F creates a cushioning effect when the cable is inserted or when the tip of the blade 28, which will be described later, abuts against the electronic device 4, etc.

As shown in Figures 2C and 2D, the cylinder 22 has a cylinder fixed part 70 and a cylinder movable part 72.

The cylinder fixing part 70 is a part that is fixed to the mounting part 21. The cylinder fixing part 70, together with the mounting part 21, constitutes the "fixing part 20A" that fixes the cable holding tool 20 to the base part 8. The cylinder movable part 72 is a part that is attached in a state in which it can move relatively to the cylinder fixing part 70 (arrow b). The cylinder movable part 72 receives a biasing force F so that its relative position to the cylinder fixing part 70 moves toward a predetermined position P0.

When the cable is inserted or when the tip of the blade 28 (described later) comes into contact with the electronic device 4, the cylinder movable part 72 receives a reaction force B in the opposite direction to the biasing direction F (FIG. 2D). While receiving the biasing force F from the cylinder 22, the cylinder movable part 72 moves in a direction away from the predetermined position P0 (arrow b1).

A fixed block 23 is attached to the underside of the cylinder movable part 72. The fixed block 23 is a member that fixes the chuck base 24 to the cylinder movable part 72. The fixed block 23 and the components of the cable holding tool 20 attached below it, together with the cylinder movable part 72, constitute a "movable part 20B" that moves relative to the base part 8.

Returning to FIG. 2A, a chuck base 24 is attached to the fixed block 23, extending obliquely downward toward the drive center of the base portion 8. An actuator 25 is provided on the upper surface of the chuck base 24, and is equipped with a slide portion 26 that moves forward and backward (arrow c) toward the drive center. Furthermore, a blade 28, which is a thin plate member with a tapered tip, is attached at an angle to the lower end of the chuck base 24. The blade 28 is positioned so that its tip is located below the opening 8a, and is included in the angle of view of the imaging unit 50.

A chuck block 27 having a trapezoidal cross section is connected to the end face on the advancing side of the slide portion 26. When the actuator 25 is operated to advance the chuck block 27 diagonally downward, the chuck surface 27a (see Figures 7A and 7B) of the chuck block 27 abuts against the blade 28. In this embodiment, when the cable holding tool 20 holds the cable 17, the reinforcing plate 16 is sandwiched between the blade 28 and the chuck surface 27a of the chuck block 27 from above and below to hold the cable 17.

Next, the details of the configuration of the cable 17 will be described with reference to Figures 5A and 5B. As shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the cable 17 has a band-shaped cable main body 15 having an attachment portion 15b formed at one end 15a to be attached to the connector 13, and a reinforcing plate 16 joined to the one end 15a side of one side 15c of the cable main body 15 via a joint portion 17a. The opposite side of the one side 15c to which the reinforcing plate 16 is joined in the cable main body 15 is a pattern forming surface on which a wiring pattern 15d is formed, and in the operation of attaching the cable 17 to the connector 13, the wiring pattern 15d of the attachment portion 15b is pressed against and brought into contact with the terminal surface 13b formed on the attachment portion 13a of the connector 13. This electrically connects the cable main body 15 of the cable 17 to the connector 13.

The cable main body 15 may be, for example, a flexible printed circuit (FPC) or a flexible flat cable (FFC). The reinforcing plate 16 is made of a harder material than the cable main body 15, and is suitable for holding by the cable holding tool 20 and for insertion into the connector 13. The reinforcing plate 16 and the mounting portion 15b are the "mounting portion" that is inserted into and mounted on the connector 13.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the reinforcing plate 16 has an opening 17b separated from the one side 15c of the cable body 15 at a portion (free end 16a) located on the opposite side of the one end 15a of the reinforcing plate 16 relative to the joint 17a joined to the one side 15c of the cable body 15. In this embodiment, when the cable 17 is held by the cable holding tool 20 shown in FIG. 2A, a blade 28 is inserted into the opening 17b to sandwich and hold the reinforcing plate 16 between the chuck block 27 (see FIGS. 6A and 6B).

When the cable 17 having the above-described configuration is used, the cable holding tool 20 holds the cable 17 by clamping and holding the reinforcing plate 16. In other words, the cable holding tool 20 of this embodiment is a chuck mechanism that clamps the reinforcing plate 16 in the thickness direction.

Figures 6A and 6B show the case where the cable 17 shown in Figures 5A and 5B is to be held. As shown in Figure 6A, in a cable 17 configured such that the reinforcing plate 16 is joined to the cable main body 15 with the mounting portion 15b protruding from one end 15a of the cable main body 15, a blade 28 is inserted into the opening 17b between the cable main body 15 and the reinforcing plate 16.

Even in such a case, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the chuck block 27 is brought close to the blade 28 (arrow e) and the reinforcing plate 16 is sandwiched between the chuck surface 27a and the blade 28, the chuck surface 27a of the chuck block 27 overhangs at least the upper surface of the joint 17a that joins the cable main body 15 and the reinforcing plate 16 when the reinforcing plate 16 is sandwiched. This causes the deformation of the portion near one end 15a of the cable main body 15 to be corrected by following the planar shape of the chuck surface 27a.

Returning to FIG. 2B, a projector 40 is attached to the base unit 8. The projector 40 is fixed in a position where it irradiates slit light 90 for obtaining height information toward the imaging area 57 of the imaging unit 50. The projector 40 may irradiate slit light 90 of any line width, and may be, for example, a laser projector or an LED projector.

The configuration of the projector 40 will be described with reference to Figures 7A to 7C. Figure 7A is a schematic plan view including the projector 40 and the cable holding tool 20, and Figures 7B and 7C are schematic views showing the inclination angles of the projector 40, the connector 13, etc.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the projector 40 irradiates slit light 90 in the optical axis direction (light projection direction) DR. The slit light 90 is irradiated with a horizontal spread centered on the optical axis direction DR. The slit light 90 is irradiated to both the cable 17 and the connector 13 held by the cable holding tool 20 in the imaging area 57 captured by the imaging unit 50. This allows height information of the cable 17 and the connector 13 to be acquired.

The optical axis direction DR includes a first tilt component DR1 and a second tilt component DR2. The first tilt component DR1 is a horizontal component in the -y direction, and the second tilt component DR2 is a horizontal component in the -x direction. The optical axis direction DR is tilted by a tilt angle θ1 with respect to the y direction, and is tilted by a tilt angle θ2 with respect to the x direction. In particular, by including the first tilt component DR1, the slit light 90 is irradiated from the optical axis direction DR including a horizontal component (first tilt component DR1) toward the mounting direction Q of the cable 17 and the depth direction M of the connector 13. This makes it easier to irradiate the slit light 90 to both the cable 17 and the connector 13, even if the connector 13 is placed inside the opening 4c (FIG. 3) of the electronic device 4. This makes it possible to accurately obtain height information of the cable 17 and the connector 13, and to accurately mount the cable 17 to the connector 13. In FIG. 7A, the components of the electronic device 4, including the opening 4c, are not shown.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the optical axis direction DR of the slit light 90 is also tilted downward by an inclination angle θ3 with respect to the horizontal plane 58.

The projector 40 and the image capture unit 50 are both fixed to the base unit 8 and have a constant relative positional relationship, and the inclination angles θ1, θ2, and θ3 of the slit light 90 with respect to the optical axis direction DR are also each a predetermined fixed value. As a result, the plane 90B including the slit light 90 can be uniquely identified in the XYZ coordinate system of the electronic device 1.

On the other hand, when the connector 13 and the cable 17 are imaged by the imaging unit 50 with the slit light 90 irradiated thereon as shown in FIG. 7A, the front end 90A of the slit light 90 that strikes the top surface 13A of the connector 13 and the top surface 17A of the cable 17 can be identified. Since the three-dimensional position of the plane 90B on which the slit light 90 exists is identified, the z coordinate (height information) of a specific position of the front end 90A (for example, the two points indicated by "+" in FIG. 7A) can be obtained from the image to calculate the z coordinate of the same position. The height coordinate of the front end 90A is used as the height information of the connector 13 and the cable 17, respectively.

In this embodiment, the top surface 13A of the connector 13 and the top surface 17A of the cable 17 are each set as a reference surface, and as shown in FIG. 7C, the plane 13B including the top surface 13A and the plane 17B including the top surface 17A are controlled to be inclined at an inclination angle θ4 with respect to the horizontal plane 58. As described in FIG. 7A, by calculating the xyz coordinates of a specific position on the top surface 13A and the xyz coordinates of a specific position on the top surface 17A, each of the planes 13B and 17B, for which the inclination angle θ4 is specified, can be uniquely specified in the XYZ coordinate system of the electronic device 1.

After that, when the connector 13 and the cable 17 are imaged by the imaging unit 50 in a state where they are illuminated by the illumination member 56 without irradiating the slit light 90, characteristic points such as corners on the top surface 13A of the connector 13 and the top surface 17A of the cable 17 can be identified. As described above, the three-dimensional coordinates of the plane 13B including the top surface 13A and the plane 17B including the top surface 17A can be specified, so that the z coordinate (height information) of a specific position on the top surfaces 13A and 17A can be calculated by acquiring the xy coordinates (planar position information) of the same position from the image. The position where the z coordinate is acquired is used as a reference position for detecting the relative positional relationship between the connector 13 and the cable 17. The relative positional relationship between the connector 13 and the cable 17 is detected according to the XYZ coordinates of the reference position, and a corrective insertion operation is performed based on the detected relative positional relationship.

Next, the configuration of the control system of the electronic device assembly device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. The control unit 61 provided in the electronic device assembly device 1 is connected to the robot unit 5, the work stage 3, the imaging unit 50, the illumination member 56, the floodlight 40, the actuator 25, the detection means 74A, 74B, and the operation panel 9. The control unit 61 controls and operates the robot unit 5 and the actuator 25 of the cable holding tool 20, thereby performing a cable attachment operation in which the cable 17 described below is moved and attached to the connector 13.

In FIG. 8, the control unit 61 has a position detection unit 62 and an insertion error determination unit 64 as internal control processing functions.

The position detection unit 62 executes a position detection process to detect the positions of the cable 17 and the connector 13, or the relative positional relationship between the cable 17 and the connector 13, based on the image captured by the imaging unit 50. In the cable attachment operation to attach one end 15a of the cable 17 to the connector 13, the control unit 61 controls the movement of the cable holding tool 20 by the robot unit 5 based on the relative position detection result of the one end 15a and the connector 13.

The control unit 61 includes a memory unit 65, which is a storage device. The memory unit 65 stores information necessary for the cable installation work, such as the position, size, and shape of the connector 13 in the electronic device 4 that is the target of the work.

The insertion error determination unit 64 performs an insertion error determination as to whether the cable 17 has been properly inserted into the connector 13, based on the image captured by the imaging unit 50, etc. In this embodiment, the insertion error determination unit 64 has a movement amount determination unit 64A and an insertion amount determination unit 64B.

The movement amount determination unit 64A determines whether the amount of relative movement of the movable part 20B of the cable holding tool 20 when inserting the connector is within an appropriate range based on the detection result by the detection means of the cylinder 22 (not shown). If the movement amount determination unit 64A determines that the amount of movement is outside the appropriate range, the insertion error determination unit 64 determines that an "insertion error" has occurred, meaning that the cable 17 has not been properly inserted into the connector 13.

The insertion amount determination unit 64B determines whether the insertion amount of the cable 17 is within an appropriate range, based on an image including the reinforcing plate 16 before insertion into the connector 13 and an image including the reinforcing plate 16 after insertion, with respect to the length of the reinforcing plate 16, which is the attachment portion of the cable 17. If the insertion amount determination unit 64B determines that the insertion amount is outside the appropriate range, the insertion error determination unit 64 determines that an insertion error has occurred.

If the movement amount determination unit 64A determines that the movement amount is within an appropriate range, and the insertion amount determination unit 64B determines that the insertion amount is within an appropriate range, the insertion error determination unit 64 determines that the cable 17 is properly inserted into the connector 13.

Next, following the flow in Figure 9 and with reference to each drawing, we will explain the electronic device assembly method, which includes the cable attachment operation in which the electronic device assembly device 1 attaches the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 to the connector 13 provided inside the electronic device 4.

In FIG. 9, first, the electronic device 4 to be worked on is held on the work stage 3 with the opening 4c side raised by the work angle θ (S0: electronic device holding process) (see FIG. 3).

Next, imaging is performed by the imaging unit 50 (S1: imaging process). Specifically, an image including the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 before it is held by the cable holding tool 20 is captured by the imaging unit 50. The cables 17 are, for example, aligned and arranged on a tray (not shown) in a location separate from the work stage 3 shown in FIG. 1. The control unit 61 drives the robot unit 5 to position the imaging unit 50 above the tray, and then causes the imaging unit 50 to capture an image of the cables 17 on the tray. An example of an image captured by the imaging process S1 is shown in FIG. 10.

The captured image 80 shown in FIG. 10 includes the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 before it is held by the cable holding tool 20. By including the entire reinforcing plate 16, the total length of the reinforcing plate 16 can be calculated. The total length of the reinforcing plate 16 is the length of the reinforcing plate 16 along the length direction L of the cable 17, and is the length in the direction perpendicular to the width direction W of the cable 17.

Based on the captured image 80 shown in FIG. 10, the position detection unit 62 determines the positions of recognition points R1, R2, R3, and R4. The distance between recognition points R1 and R2 is calculated as the length LB1 of the first side of the reinforcing plate 16, and the distance between recognition points R3 and R4 is calculated as the length LB2 of the second side of the reinforcing plate 16. The length LB1 is also referred to as the "first pre-insertion length LB1," and the length LB2 is also referred to as the "second pre-insertion length LB2." The first pre-insertion length LB1 and the second pre-insertion length LB2 are used to determine the insertion amount in the insertion amount determination step S12 (FIG. 9) described later.

Next, the control unit 61 causes the cable holding tool 20 to hold the cable 17 (S2: cable holding step). Specifically, the robot unit 5 is driven to position the cable holding tool 20 near the cable 17 on the tray, and as shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the blade 28 is inserted into the opening 17b of the cable 17, and the chuck block 27 is slid toward the reinforcing plate 16 (arrow e) to sandwich the reinforcing plate 16 between the chuck block 27 and the blade 28, thereby holding the cable 17.

Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 61 moves the cable holding tool 20 relative to the electronic device 4 (arrow f) to bring one end 15a of the cable 17 held by the cable holding tool 20 closer to the connector 13 (S3: cable approaching step). The cable holding tool 20 is moved to a position where the cable 17 does not interfere with the electronic device 4 and the connector 13 fits within the imaging area 57 of the imaging unit 50.

Next, the control unit 61 causes the imaging unit 50 to capture an image (S4: imaging step). Specifically, the control unit 61 causes the imaging unit 50 to capture an image while irradiating the slit light 90 from the projector 40 shown in FIG. 7A etc. The imaging step S4 may be referred to as the "slit light irradiation step." In the imaging step S4, the illumination member 56 is controlled not to operate and not to irradiate illumination light. An example of an image captured by the imaging step S4 is shown in FIG. 12.

In the captured image 82 shown in FIG. 12, the front end 90A of the slit light 90 emitted from the projector 40, which is the portion where the connector 13 and the cable 17 hit, can be identified. Because no illumination light is emitted, the components other than the slit light 90, such as the connector 13, the cable 17, and the cable holding tool 20, are difficult to identify in the captured image 82 (shown by dotted lines).

The position detection unit 62 identifies, from within the front end 90A, a recognition point R5 corresponding to the connector 13 and a recognition point R6 corresponding to the cable 17. The recognition points R5 and R6 may be identified in any manner, such as by a point corresponding to the end where the front end 90A is discontinued, a point a specified distance away from that point, or a point on the front end 90A corresponding to a predetermined x-coordinate or y-coordinate.

The position detection unit 62 calculates the x and y coordinates of each of the identified recognition points R5 and R6, and stores them in the memory unit 65. The control unit 61 can later read out the x and y coordinates of each of the recognition points R5 and R6.

As explained using Figures 7A and 7B, the three-dimensional position of the plane 90B of the slit light 90 is uniquely identified, so the z coordinate, i.e., height information, can be obtained from the x and y coordinates of the recognition points R5 and R6 (in the position detection step S6 described below).

Next, the control unit 61 captures an image using the imaging unit 50 (S5: imaging step). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, an image including one end 15a of the cable 17, the reinforcing plate 16, and the connector 13 is captured from a direction (imaging optical axis 53a) that is inclined at an acute angle φ (90 degrees minus the work angle θ) with respect to the mounting direction Q in which the cable 17 is inserted into the connector 13. The acute angle φ may be set to a value between 35 degrees and 75 degrees, for example.

In the imaging process S5, imaging is performed without irradiating the slit light 90 from the projector 40, but with illuminating light from the illumination member 56. An example of an image captured by the imaging process S5 is shown in FIG. 13.

The captured image 84 shown in FIG. 13 includes the connector 13 installed inside the electronic device 4, the chuck block 27 of the cable holding tool 20, and the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 held by the cable holding tool 20. In this way, by capturing an image from a direction oblique to the acute angle φ, the connector 13 installed inside the electronic device 4 and the reinforcing plate 16 to which the cable 17 is attached can be captured through the opening 4c.

Between imaging step S4 and imaging step S5, the base portion 8 is not moved, and imaging is performed by the imaging portion 50 with the positions of the imaging portion 50 and the cable holding tool 20 fixed. Therefore, the captured image 82 shown in FIG. 12 and the captured image 84 shown in FIG. 13 have a common imaging field of view. Since the reference point of the coordinates of the captured image 82 and the reference point of the coordinates of the captured image 84 are the same, correction is not required to align the xy coordinates calculated from the captured images 82 and 84, and processing speed is improved.

Since the positional relationship between the imaging unit 50 and the cable holding tool 20 is fixed, in the captured image 84 the chuck block 27 always appears in a fixed position that coincides with the image frame direction. In contrast, the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 that is sandwiched and held between the chuck block 27 and the blade 28 shows some positional deviation due to positional errors in the cable holding process S2. Also, the connector 13 is in a positional deviation due to positional holding errors of the electronic device 4 in the electronic device holding process S0 and mounting position errors of the connector 13 on the electronic device 4. In other words, the relative positional relationship between the connector 13 and the reinforcing plate 16 attached to the connector 13 varies for each connector 13 that is the subject of the mounting work.

The position detection unit 62 identifies recognition points R7 and R8 for detecting the position of the connector 13 based on the captured image 84. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the recognition points R7 and R8 are two corners on the front side of the top surface 13A of the connector 13, and can be identified as feature points in the captured image 84. Similarly, the position detection unit 62 identifies recognition points R9 and R10 for detecting the position of the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the recognition points R9 and R10 are two corners on the front side of the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17, and can be identified as feature points in the captured image 84.

Next, the control unit 61 performs position detection (S6: position detection step). Specifically, the position detection unit 62 performs three-dimensional position calculations based on the captured image 82 captured in the imaging step S4 and the captured image 84 captured in the imaging step S5, thereby detecting the relative positional relationship between the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 and the connector 13.

Specifically, the position detection unit 62 reads out the x and y coordinates of each of the recognition points R5 and R6 calculated in the imaging process S4 from the storage unit 65 and calculates the z coordinate. As described with reference to Figures 7A and 7B, the three-dimensional position of the plane 90B of the slit light 90 is uniquely identified, so the z coordinate can be obtained from the x and y coordinates of the recognition points R5 and R6.

By determining the xyz coordinates of a specific position (recognition point R5) on the top surface 13A of the connector 13, the three-dimensional position of the plane 13B including the top surface 13A can be uniquely identified, as described with reference to FIG. 7C. The position detection unit 62 calculates the z coordinate from the xy coordinates of the recognition points R7 and R8 calculated in the imaging process S5, based on the three-dimensional position of the plane 13B.

Similarly, by determining the xyz coordinates of a specific position (recognition point R6) on the top surface 17A of the cable 17, the three-dimensional position of the plane 17B including the top surface 17A can be uniquely identified as described with reference to FIG. 7C. The position detection unit 62 calculates the z coordinate from the xy coordinates of the recognition points R9 and R10 calculated in the imaging process S5, based on the three-dimensional position of the plane 17B.

The parameters acquired in the imaging process S4 are parameters related to the front end 90A of the slit light 90, and therefore the number of parameters acquired in the imaging process S5 is smaller. When the imaging process S4 is performed first and parameters are acquired from the captured image 84 in the imaging process S5 to subsequently detect the relative positional relationship, the amount of information acquired from the captured image 82 and read from the memory unit 65 is reduced, and the processing time can be shortened.

Then, the position detection unit 62 sets the midpoint of the recognition points R7 and R8 as the representative point PM1 indicating the position of the connector 13, and sets the midpoint of the recognition points R9 and R10 as the representative point PM2 indicating the position of the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17. The detected representative points PM1 and PM2 are information indicating the relative positional relationship between the connector 13 and the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17.

In the position detection process S6 described above, coordinate conversion is performed to convert the xyz coordinates based on the imaging unit 50 into xyz coordinates based on the cable holding tool 20 and the connector 13. A detailed explanation is omitted.

Then, the control unit 61 inserts and attaches the cable 17 into the connector 13 (S7: cable attachment process). Specifically, based on the relative positional relationship between the representative points PM1 and PM2 detected in the position detection process S6, the robot unit 5 is driven to align the cable holding tool 20 holding the cable 17 so that the representative points PM1 and PM2 are in the appropriate positional relationship. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 14, the robot unit 5 is driven to move the cable holding tool 20 in the attachment direction Q, thereby inserting one end 15a of the cable 17 and the reinforcing plate 16 into the attachment portion 13a (FIG. 3) of the connector 13 of the electronic device 4 from an oblique direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 is inserted into the connector 13, and the cable 17 is attached to the connector 13. When the auto-lock type locking mechanism built into the connector 13 operates normally, the cable 17 is automatically locked, preventing the cable 17 from falling off the connector 13.

The insertion amount of the cable 17 in the cable attachment process S7 is determined so that one end 15a of the cable 17 reaches sufficiently deep into the connector 13, but is within a range that does not result in excessive pushing. When the cable 17 is properly inserted and attached to the connector 13, the movable part 20B of the cable holding tool 20 moves an appropriate amount in the direction opposite to the attachment direction Q (arrow b3 in Figure 14).

Next, the control unit 61 determines whether the amount of movement is within a normal range (S8: movement amount determination step). Specifically, the movement amount determination unit 64A determines whether the amount of movement of the movable part 20B accompanying the insertion of the cable 17 is within a normal range based on the detection result of the detection means (not shown) of the cylinder 22.

The detection means of the cylinder 22 (e.g., multiple limit switches) detects the relative movement amount of the movable part 20B with respect to the fixed part 20A of the cable holding tool 20. If the relative movement amount of the movable part 20B detected by the detection means is not within the normal range, the movement amount determination unit 64A determines that an insertion error has occurred (NO in S8) and proceeds to the notification process S9.

The control unit 61 displays a message indicating that an insertion error has occurred on the operation panel 9, which functions as a notification unit, and issues an audio notification using a buzzer or the like (S9). This allows the operator to be notified that an insertion error has occurred. In response to the notification from the operation panel 9, the control unit 61 may execute any control associated with the insertion error, such as stopping the equipment, ejecting the erroneous item, or retrying.

If the movement amount is determined to be within the normal range in the movement amount determination step S8, the control unit 61 drives the actuator 25 to raise the chuck block 27 and release the cable 17 from the cable holding tool 20 (S10: cable release step).

Next, the control unit 61 retracts the cable holding tool 20, and then captures an image using the imaging unit 50 (S11: imaging process). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, the cable holding tool 20 is moved in a retraction direction S, which is the opposite direction to the mounting direction Q, and then an image including the connector 13 and the reinforcing plate 16 attached to the connector 13 is captured by the imaging unit 50. An example of an image captured by the imaging process S11 is shown in FIG. 16.

The captured image 86 shown in FIG. 16 includes the connector 13 and the reinforcing plate 16 inserted into the connector 13. The portion of the reinforcing plate 16 protruding from the connector 13 is visible. Based on the captured image 86, the length of the reinforcing plate 16 after insertion into the connector 13 can be calculated.

First, the position detection unit 62 determines the positions of recognition points R11, R12, R13, and R14 for detecting the post-insertion length of the reinforcing plate 16. The distance between recognition points R11 and R12 is calculated as the length LA1 of the first side of the reinforcing plate 16, and the distance between recognition points R13 and R14 is calculated as the length LA2 of the second side of the reinforcing plate 16. The length LA1 is also referred to as the "first post-insertion length LA1," and the length LA2 is also referred to as the "second post-insertion length LA2." The first post-insertion length LA1 and the second post-insertion length LA2 are used to determine the insertion amount in the subsequent insertion amount determination process S12.

Next, the control unit 61 determines whether the insertion amount is within a normal range (S12: insertion amount determination step). Specifically, the insertion amount determination unit 64B determines the insertion amount based on the difference between the first pre-insertion length LB1 and the second pre-insertion length LB2 of the reinforcing plate 16 calculated based on the captured image 80 in the imaging step S1, and the first post-insertion length LA1 and the second post-insertion length LA2 of the reinforcing plate 16 calculated based on the captured image 86 in the imaging step S11.

As shown in FIG. 16, the insertion amount determination unit 64B calculates a first difference ΔL1 as the difference between the first pre-insertion length LB1 and the first post-insertion length LA1, and calculates a second difference ΔL2 as the difference between the second pre-insertion length LB2 and the second post-insertion length LA2.

The insertion amount determination unit 64B determines whether the insertion amount is within a normal range based on whether the first difference ΔL1 and the second difference ΔL2 are within a predetermined range.

If the first difference ΔL1 and the second difference ΔL2 are each within a predetermined range, the insertion amount determination unit 64B determines that the insertion amount is within the normal range. In this case, the process proceeds to the subsequent tool return process S14. On the other hand, if either the first difference ΔL1 or the second difference ΔL2 is outside the predetermined range, the insertion amount determination unit 64B determines that the insertion amount is not within the normal range, i.e., an insertion error has occurred, and the process proceeds to the notification process S13.

According to the above method, by performing image analysis on the captured image 80 acquired in the imaging process S1 and the captured image 86 acquired in the imaging process S11, an insertion error judgment can be made based on the insertion amount of the reinforcing plate 16 inserted into the connector 13. In particular, by making the judgment based on the differences ΔL1 and ΔL2 between the pre-insertion lengths LB1 and LB2 corresponding to the overall length of the reinforcing plate 16 and the post-insertion lengths LA1 and LA2 by which the reinforcing plate 16 appears to protrude after being inserted into the connector 13, it is possible to make an insertion error judgment while accurately grasping the actual insertion amount.

If an insertion error is determined in the insertion amount determination step S12, the control unit 61 issues a notification (S13: notification step). Specifically, the process is roughly the same as the notification step S9 described above, so a detailed explanation is omitted. However, when a retry is executed as a control associated with an insertion error, the control may return to an intermediate step, such as the imaging step S11. This can improve the efficiency of the insertion error recovery work.

If it is determined in the insertion amount determination process S12 that the insertion amount is within the normal range, the control unit 61 returns the cable holding tool 20 to its original position (S14: tool return process) and retrieves the electronic device 4 for which the cable attachment work has been completed from the work stage 3 (S15: electronic device retrieval process). This completes the electronic device assembly for one electronic device 4.

As described above, the electronic device assembly device 1 of this embodiment includes a cable holding tool 20 that holds the cable 17 to be attached to the connector 13 of the electronic device 4, a base unit 8 to which the cable holding tool 20, the imaging unit 50, and the projector 40 that irradiates the slit light 90 are attached, a robot unit 5 that moves the cable holding tool 20 relative to the electronic device 4 by moving the base unit 8, and a control unit 61 that drives the robot unit 5 to attach the reinforcing plate 16 (attachment portion) of the cable 17 held by the cable holding tool 20 to the connector 13. The projector 40 irradiates the slit light 90 for obtaining height information from an oblique direction (optical axis direction DR) to include a component (first inclination component DR1) toward the mounting direction Q of the cable 17 toward the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 held by the cable holding tool 20 and the connector 13. The imaging unit 50 captures images 82, 84 including the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 and the connector 13 from a direction (imaging optical axis 53a) oblique to the mounting direction Q. The control unit 61 detects the relative positional relationship between the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 and the connector 13 based on height information obtained from the slit light 90 and planar position information obtained from the image 84 captured by the imaging unit 50, and moves the cable holding tool 20 based on the detected relative positional relationship to mount the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 to the connector 13.

The electronic device assembly method of this embodiment is an electronic device assembly method for assembling an electronic device 4 by attaching a cable 17 to a connector 13 of the electronic device 4, and includes an electronic device holding step S0 in which a base part 8 equipped with a cable holding tool 20, an imaging part 50, and a projector 40 for irradiating slit light 90 is moved to hold the cable 17 with the cable holding tool 20, a cable approach step S3 in which the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 held by the cable holding tool 20 is brought close to the connector 13, and a component step S4 in which the projector 40 projects slit light 90 for obtaining height information toward the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 and the connector 13 in the attachment direction Q of the cable 17. The method includes an imaging step S4 (slit light irradiation step) in which the light is irradiated from an oblique direction so as to include the cable 17, an imaging step S5 in which the imaging unit 50 captures an image 84 including the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 and the connector 13 from an oblique direction relative to the mounting direction Q, a position detection step S6 in which the relative positional relationship between the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 and the connector 13 is detected based on height information obtained from the slit light 90 and planar position information obtained from the image 84 captured in the imaging step S5, and a cable mounting step S7 in which the cable holding tool 20 is moved based on the detected relative positional relationship to mount the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 to the connector 13.

With this electronic device assembly device 1/electronic device assembly method, even if the connector 13 is placed at an angle inside the opening 4c of the electronic device 4, the slit light 90 can be irradiated onto both the cable 17 and the connector 13 to obtain height information. This makes it possible to more accurately identify the positions of the cable 17 and the connector 13, and to more accurately attach the cable 17 to the connector 13.

The electronic device assembly device 1/electronic device assembly method of this embodiment also includes an imaging step S4 (first imaging step) of capturing an image 82 (first image) including the reinforcing plate 16 and connector 13 of the cable 17 irradiated with slit light 90, and an imaging step S5 (second imaging step) of capturing an image 84 (second image) including the reinforcing plate 16 and connector 13 of the cable 17 irradiated with illumination light different from the slit light 90. In a position detection step S6, the relative positional relationship is detected based on height information obtained from the captured image 82 and planar position information obtained from the captured image 84.

With this configuration/method, by acquiring height information and planar position information from each of captured images 82 and 84, the relative positional relationship can be detected by performing calculation processing on the images.

In addition, in the electronic device assembly device 1/electronic device assembly method of this embodiment, the imaging field of view of the captured image 82 (first image) and the captured image 84 (second image) are common.

With this configuration/method, the coordinate positions of captured image 82 and captured image 84 can be aligned, making it easy to perform image calculation processing.

In addition, in the electronic device assembly device 1/electronic device assembly method of this embodiment, imaging process S5 is performed after imaging process S4.

According to this configuration/method, by first capturing the captured image 82, which has a smaller number of parameters to be acquired, when the parameters are subsequently obtained from the captured image 84 and the relative positional relationship is subsequently detected, the time required to read the parameters obtained from the captured image 82 from the storage unit 65 is shortened. This improves the processing speed.

In addition, in the electronic device assembly device 1/electronic device assembly method of this embodiment, in the position detection step S6, the relative positional relationship is detected based on the z coordinate (height information) of the cable 17 and connector 13 obtained from the captured image 82, information on the inclination angle θ4 of the cable 17 and connector 13, and the xy coordinate (planar position information) of the cable 17 and connector 13 obtained from the captured image 84.

With this configuration/method, the positions of the cable 17 and the connector 13 can be calculated three-dimensionally from the captured images 82 and 84.

Furthermore, in the electronic device assembly device 1/electronic device assembly method of this embodiment, the connector 13 is disposed at an angle, and the mounting direction Q of the cable 17 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane 58.

With this configuration/method, even if the connector 13 is placed at an angle, the slit light 90 can be irradiated onto the connector 13 to obtain height information.

In addition, in the electronic device assembly device 1/electronic device assembly method of this embodiment, the slit light 90 is irradiated in an optical axis direction DR that includes a component (first inclination component DR1) toward the depth direction M of the connector 13.

With this configuration/method, the slit light 90 can also be irradiated onto the connector 13 placed inside the opening 4c of the electronic device 4 to obtain height information for the connector 13.

In addition, in the electronic device assembly device 1/electronic device assembly method of this embodiment, the slit light 90 is irradiated from an optical axis direction DR that is inclined so as to include a horizontal component (first inclination component DR1) toward the installation direction Q of the cable 17.

This configuration/method makes it easier to irradiate the slit light 90 onto the connector 13 that is placed inside the opening 4c of the electronic device 4.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. For example, in the embodiment, the imaging process S4 in which imaging is performed with the slit light 90 irradiated and the imaging process S5 in which imaging is performed with illumination by the illumination member 56 without irradiating the slit light 90 are performed separately, but the present invention is not limited to such a case. If the slit light 90 can be identified by image processing from the captured image 84 in the state illuminated by the illumination member 56, the imaging process S4 and the imaging process S5 may be integrated into a single imaging process.

In the embodiment, the imaging process S5 is performed after the imaging process S4, but this is not the only case and the order may be changed.

In the embodiment, the cable holding tool 20 that holds the cable 17 is described as one that holds the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 by clamping it from above and below, but this is not the only possible case. For example, any cable holding tool that can hold the cable 17, such as one that holds the upper surface of the reinforcing plate 16 by suction, may be used.

In the embodiment, a reinforcing plate 16 harder than the cable main body 15 is used as the attachment portion for attaching the cable 17 to the connector 13, but this is not limited to the above case. Even if a marker is provided at a predetermined position away from one end 15a of the cable main body 15 without providing a reinforcing plate 16, the portion from the one end 15a to the predetermined position can be distinguished as the attachment portion. For example, printed matter may be present on the main surface of the cable main body 15, or the cable main body 15 may be provided with a shape such as a through hole or a notch.

Although the present disclosure has been fully described in connection with the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, various modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and variations are to be understood as being included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims, unless they deviate therefrom. In addition, changes in the combination and order of elements in each embodiment may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

In addition, by appropriately combining any of the various modifications of the above embodiment, it is possible to achieve the effects of each of them.

The present invention can be applied to any electronic device assembly device and electronic device assembly method that assembles an electronic device by attaching a cable to a connector of the electronic device.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Electronic device assembly device 2 Base 3 Work stage 4 Electronic device 5 Robot section 6 Fixed base section 7 Link member 8 Base section 9 Operation panel 13 Connector 13A Top surface 13B Plane surface 15 Cable main body section 16 Reinforcing plate 17 Cable 17A Top surface 17B Plane surface 18 Target 20 Cable holding tool 20A Fixed section 20B Movable section 21 Mounting section 22 Cylinder (biasing member)
23 Fixed block 24 Chuck base 25 Actuator 26 Slide portion 27 Chuck block 28 Blade 40 Projector 50 Imaging portion 51 Bracket 52 Optical lens portion 53 Camera 54 Support member 55 Illumination holding plate 56 Illumination member 57 Imaging area 61 Control portion 62 Position detection portion 64 Insertion error determination portion 64A Movement amount determination portion 64B Insertion amount determination portion 65 Memory portion 70 Fixed portion 72 Movable portion 80 Captured image 82 Captured image (first image)
84 Captured image (second image)
86: Captured image 90: Slit light 90A: Front end 90B: Plane B: Reaction force DR: Optical axis direction (light projection direction)
F: Pressing force K: Width direction M: Depth direction LB1, LB2: Length before insertion LA1, LA2: Length after insertion ΔL1, ΔL2: Difference Q: Mounting direction S: Retraction direction θ1, θ2, θ3, θ4: Tilt angle

Claims (10)

a cable holding tool for holding a cable for attachment to a connector of an electronic device;
a base portion to which the cable holding tool, an imaging portion, and a projector for irradiating slit light are attached;
a robot unit that moves the base unit to move the cable holding tool relative to the electronic device;
a control unit that drives the robot unit to mount the mounting portion of the cable held by the cable holding tool to the connector that is disposed obliquely inside an opening of the electronic device ,
the light projector irradiates the slit light for obtaining height information to the attachment portion of the cable held by the cable holding tool and the connector from a direction oblique to the attachment direction of the cable such that an optical axis direction of the slit light includes a component toward the attachment direction of the cable when viewed from an imaging direction by the imaging unit,
the imaging unit captures an image including the attached portion of the cable and the connector from a direction oblique to the attachment direction,
The control unit is
a relative positional relationship between the mounting portion of the cable and the connector is detected based on height information obtained from the slit light and planar position information obtained from the image captured by the imaging unit, and the cable holding tool is moved based on the detected relative positional relationship to mount the mounting portion of the cable to the connector.
Electronic equipment assembly equipment. The imaging unit includes:
As the image, a first image including the attachment portion of the cable and the connector irradiated with the slit light is captured, and a second image including the attachment portion of the cable and the connector irradiated with illumination light different from the slit light is captured;
The electronic device assembly apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit detects the relative positional relationship based on the height information obtained from the first image and the planar position information obtained from the second image. The electronic device assembly device according to claim 2, wherein the first image and the second image have a common imaging field of view. The electronic device assembly device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the imaging unit captures the second image after capturing the first image. The control unit is
5. The electronic device assembly device according to claim 2, wherein the relative positional relationship is detected based on height information of the cable and the connector obtained from the first image, information on an inclination angle of the cable and the connector, and the planar position information of the cable and the connector obtained from the second image. An electronic device assembling method for assembling an electronic device by attaching a cable to a connector of the electronic device, comprising the steps of:
a holding step of moving a base portion on which a cable holding tool, an imaging portion, and a projector that irradiates slit light are mounted, and holding the cable with the cable holding tool;
an approaching step of bringing the attachment portion of the cable held by the cable holding tool closer to the connector that is disposed obliquely inside an opening of the electronic device ;
a slit light irradiation step of irradiating the attachment portion of the cable and the connector with the slit light for obtaining height information from the light projector in a direction oblique to the attachment direction of the cable so that the optical axis direction of the slit light includes a component toward the attachment direction of the cable when viewed from an image capturing direction of the imaging unit ;
an imaging step of capturing an image including the attached portion of the cable and the connector from a direction oblique to the attachment direction by the imaging unit;
a position detection step of detecting a relative positional relationship between the attachment portion of the cable and the connector based on height information obtained from the slit light and planar position information obtained from the image captured in the imaging step;
and a mounting step of mounting the mounting portion of the cable to the connector by moving the cable holding tool based on the relative positional relationship.
Electronic device assembly method. The imaging step includes:
a first imaging step of capturing a first image including the attachment portion of the cable and the connector irradiated with the slit light;
a second imaging step of capturing a second image including the attachment portion of the cable and the connector, the second image being illuminated with illumination light different from the slit light,
7. The electronic device assembly method according to claim 6 , wherein in the position detection step, the relative positional relationship is detected based on the height information obtained from the first image and the planar position information obtained from the second image. The method of assembling an electronic device according to claim 7 , wherein the first image and the second image have a common imaging field of view. The electronic device assembly method according to claim 7 or 8 , wherein the second imaging step is performed after the first imaging step. 10. The electronic device assembly method according to claim 7, wherein in the position detection step, the relative positional relationship is detected based on height information of the cable and the connector obtained from the first image, information on an inclination angle of the cable and the connector, and the planar position information of the cable and the connector obtained from the second image.

Images