JP7664773B2 - Component insertion method and component insertion system - Google Patents

Description

This application relates to a component insertion method and a component insertion system.

In the prior art, there is a device that uses a projection unit to visually indicate to a worker the required positions of components to be assembled on a printed circuit board when the worker is inserting the components into the printed circuit board (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 57-154890

However, because the technology in Patent Document 1 is specialized for visualizing images on a printed circuit board using a projector, with the recent trend toward higher density printed circuit boards and finer components, the projection onto the surface of the printed circuit board can shift, resulting in the projection pointing to a different component than the one actually to be inserted, which can lead to incorrect insertion.

This application was made to solve the problems mentioned above, and in addition to providing a system that uses a projection unit to visually indicate the component insertion position on the surface of the printed circuit board when inserting a component into the printed circuit board, it also aligns the printed circuit board with the projected image. This aims to prevent erroneous insertion and improve work efficiency.

The component insertion method disclosed in the present application includes:
The method is characterized in that drawing information of the printed circuit board is input into an arithmetic and control device, component layout information showing the layout of components on the printed circuit board is extracted from a storage device, the component layout information is projected as an image onto the printed circuit board, position correction is performed by rotating and translating the projected image to match the center of the projected image with the center of the printed circuit board, the image of the component to be inserted input into the arithmetic and control device is projected while being superimposed on the image of the component layout information, and the component is inserted at the projected position.

The component insertion method disclosed in this application allows the projected image of component placement information to be accurately aligned on the printed circuit board, and the outline of the component to be inserted is projected onto the image of the component placement information, preventing erroneous component insertion and improving work efficiency.

1 is a conceptual diagram of a configuration of a component insertion system according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of an arithmetic and control device according to the first embodiment. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the workbench control device according to the first embodiment has fixed a printed circuit board; FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a component insertion method.

Below, preferred embodiments of the component insertion system and the component insertion method according to the present application will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals are used to designate the same contents and corresponding parts, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

Embodiment 1.
1 is a conceptual diagram of the configuration of a component insertion system. The component insertion system is composed of a component insertion support device 1 and a workbench control mechanism 2. Each of these will be explained below.
The component insertion support device 1 is composed of an arithmetic and control device 40, input devices 10 and 11, output devices 20 and 21, and a storage device 30. The arithmetic and control device 40 and the storage device 30 are connected by a network cable, and the input devices 10 and 11 are connected to the arithmetic and control device 40 by wired or wireless connection. Furthermore, the arithmetic and control device 40 is connected to the output devices 20 and 21 by wired or wireless connection.

The input device 10 inputs information on the drawing number or part type name of the printed circuit board 50 to be attached to the workbench control mechanism 2. Specific examples include a keyboard, a microphone that enables the drawing number and part type name to be recognized by voice recognition, and a barcode reader. In this embodiment, the drawing number or part type name is used as an example, but is not limited to the drawing number or part type name as long as the information can identify the drawing or part.

The input device 11 is used to rotate the image projected onto the printed circuit board 50 by the output device 20, or to translate it up, down, left, and right. Examples include a cross key and a mouse.

Output device 20 is a liquid crystal display device such as a monitor, and output device 21 is a projection display device such as a projector.

The storage device 30 stores CAD (Computer Aided Design) data for the printed circuit board 50, and examples of such data include a fixed magnetic disk or an optical disk.

The arithmetic and control device 40 is, for example, a microcomputer, and is configured with hardware as shown in FIG. 2. It is configured with a processor 100 and a storage device 200. Although not shown, the storage device 200 includes a volatile storage device such as a random access memory and a non-volatile auxiliary storage device such as a flash memory. Also, instead of the flash memory, a hard disk auxiliary storage device may be included. For example, the processor 100 executes a program input from the storage device 200 to read CAD data from the storage device 30, and outputs data to the output device 20 or the output device 21 based on the read data. Furthermore, as described later, the processor 100 receives a drive completion signal from the drive control unit 3 of the workbench control mechanism 2, and performs processing such as projecting a component layout diagram on a board from the output device 21. In this case, a program is input from the auxiliary storage device to the processor 100 via the volatile storage device. Also, the processor 100 may output data such as the calculation result to the volatile storage device of the storage device 200, or may store the data in the auxiliary storage device via the volatile storage device. The drive control unit 3 may also be configured with the processor 100 and the storage device 200 as described above.

The workbench control mechanism 2 is placed on the workbench 5, and as shown by the double-headed arrows in FIG. 1, the board fixing jigs 4a and 4b move up, down, left and right to clamp the printed circuit board 50 as shown in FIG. 3. The board fixing jigs 4a and 4b are driven and controlled by the drive control unit 3. The up and down movement of the board fixing jig 4a and the left and right movement of the board fixing jig 4b are linked, so it is possible to align the center of the board with point P, which is the board fixing jig origin, regardless of the board size.

After the printed circuit board 50 is fixed by the board fixing jigs 4a and 4b, the drive control unit 3 outputs a fixing completion signal to the calculation device 40. This signal output may be displayed on a liquid crystal display device by the output device 20 to notify the operator. Also, the component insertion support device 1 may be made operable in response to the signal output. Figure 4 is a flowchart explaining the component insertion method using the component insertion support device 1. The process will be explained step by step below.

First, the menu screen of the component insertion support device 1 is displayed on the liquid crystal display device of the output device 20 (step S1).

From this menu screen, the drawing number of the printed circuit board on which the components are to be mounted is input using the keyboard, which is the input device 10 (step S2). Using that drawing number as a key, the CAD data stored in the storage device 30 is searched, and the arithmetic and control device 40 obtains the component layout diagram, which is the component layout information in the CAD data (step S3).

The arithmetic and control device 40 displays the component layout diagram on the liquid crystal display device of the output device 20 so that the operator can view it, and also projects the component layout diagram onto the printed circuit board 50 using the projection display device of the output device 21 (step S4).

If there is a misalignment between the projected component layout diagram and the printed circuit board 50, the center of the printed circuit board is aligned with the center of the projected image. As a method of this alignment, a cross is printed on the center of the printed circuit board as a marker (when the printed circuit board is placed on the board fixing jig, the position of the cross is the same as point P, the origin of the board fixing jig, so hereafter, the cross will be referred to as P) and it is detected whether the center of the projected image is misaligned with the cross P. If the misalignment is greater than the error, it is determined that position correction is necessary (step S5).

The positional deviation can be determined by visually checking the relationship between the printed cross P and the center of the projected image, but the image of the printed circuit board 50 can also be monitored on the liquid crystal display of the output device 20, and the component layout diagram projected onto the printed circuit board 50 can also be displayed on the liquid crystal display. The deviation in the position of each of the displayed centers can be calculated by the arithmetic and control device 40, and the need for position correction can be determined.

When it is determined that the deviation is equal to or larger than the error, position correction is performed (step S6). The position correction by the input device 11 is performed in the following procedure.
(1) For example, by operating the mouse, the center of the projected image of the component layout diagram is rotated in units of 1 degree to roughly align it with the cross P (coarse adjustment). The center of rotation is set to the origin of the board fixing jig.
(2) After the rough adjustment is completed, the center of the projected image is translated in 0.1 mm increments up, down, left and right directions using, for example, the cross key until it coincides with the cross P (fine adjustment).
In this embodiment, the unit distance of movement for correction is 1 degree and 0.1 mm, but may be changed depending on the size of the projected image, the size of the component, the complexity of the component arrangement, and the like.

Furthermore, the completion of position correction may be indicated on the liquid crystal display of the output device 20 using characters or colors, or may be indicated on the image projected by the output device 21 .
In the above description, the operator performs positioning using the mouse and cross keys, but the component layout drawing may be automatically moved by the arithmetic and control device 40 in accordance with the above-mentioned adjustment procedure.
In the above explanation, the deviation between the center of the printed circuit board and the center of the projected image is detected and the position is corrected, but the deviation can also be detected by a method of comparing a mark on the projected image with a mark that is printed or mechanically formed on the printed circuit board in advance. However, detecting the center makes it easier to recognize visually, and also simplifies the settings when making the calculation control device 40 perform calculations.

After the position correction is completed, the part type name is input by the input device 10 (step S7), and the arithmetic and control device 40 determines whether the part type name exists in the CAD data in the storage device 30. If a part with the same type name exists (step S8), the display of the target part with the part outline of the target part highlighted is projected and superimposed on the part layout drawing (step S9). The operator can insert the part with the position of the target part visualized by the part outline projected and superimposed on the projected part layout drawing (step S10). This operation is repeated until all parts are inserted (step S11). By showing only the part outline with a line, it is possible to easily recognize the shape of the part. Note that the display of the part outline is not limited to one part, and when a circuit is composed of multiple parts, the outline of one circuit and the outlines of the multiple parts that compose it may be displayed highlighted.

By using this method, the center of the board fixing jig, the center of the board, and the center of the projected image can be aligned, allowing the component layout diagram to be accurately positioned on the printed board before the components are inserted, and factors that could cause incorrect insertion can be reliably eliminated before insertion begins.
Furthermore, by displaying the component outlines of the components to be inserted one by one on the printed circuit board, superimposed on the component layout diagram, and guiding the operator in inserting the components, the work procedure for the operator in inserting the components can be simplified, and by concentrating on the single component to be inserted, erroneous insertion can be prevented.

Although exemplary embodiments are described herein, the various features, aspects, and functions described in the embodiments are not limited to application to a particular embodiment, but may be applied to the embodiments alone or in various combinations.
Therefore, countless modifications not illustrated are expected within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present specification, including, for example, modifying, adding, or omitting at least one component.

1: component insertion support device, 2: workbench control mechanism, 3: drive control unit, 4a, 4b: board fixing jig, 5: workbench, 10, 11: input device, 20, 21: output device, 30: storage device, 40: arithmetic and control device, 50: printed circuit board, 100: processor, 200: storage device.

Claims (9)

A component insertion method comprising: inputting drawing information of a printed circuit board into an arithmetic and control device; extracting component placement information showing the placement of components on the printed circuit board from a storage device; projecting the component placement information as an image onto the printed circuit board; performing position correction to match the center of the projected image with the center of the printed circuit board by rotating and translating the projected image; projecting an image of the component to be inserted input into the arithmetic and control device so as to be superimposed on the image of the component placement information; and inserting the component at the projected position. 2. The component insertion method according to claim 1, wherein the drawing information is a drawing number, and the component placement information is a component placement diagram . The component insertion method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the position correction is performed by aligning a mark in the projected image of the component placement information with a mark on the printed circuit board. The component insertion method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the completion of position correction is displayed on the projected image. The part insertion method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the image of the part to be inserted is the outline of the part. The component insertion method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the position correction is performed by performing coarse adjustment by rotating the projected image, and then performing fine adjustment by translating the projected image. A component insertion system comprising: a workbench control mechanism that fixes a printed circuit board on the workbench by aligning the center of a board fixing jig arranged on the workbench with the center of the printed circuit board; and a component insertion support device that projects an image of component placement information showing the placement of components to be inserted onto the printed circuit board fixed by the workbench control mechanism, and aligns the center of the fixed printed circuit board with the center of the projected component placement information by rotating and translating the projected image. The component insertion system according to claim 7, characterized in that the board fixing jig is a first jig that moves up and down on the work table and a second jig that moves left and right, which are linked together. The component insertion system according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the component insertion support device projects an external image of the component to be inserted in a superimposed manner on the image of the component placement information projected onto the printed circuit board.

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