JP7692191B2 - 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 2019-21555 A

However, many steps in the assembly of electronic devices are still performed manually, and there is a need to increase the efficiency of assembly work by automating these processes.

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 make the assembly work of electronic devices more efficient.

To achieve the above object, the electronic device assembly device of the present invention includes 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 is 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 attach the cable held by the cable holding tool to the connector, and a suction device that sucks and cleans the connector and the cable, and the control unit controls the suction device to suck and clean the connector and the suction device to suck and clean the cable.

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 is attached and holding the cable with the cable holding tool, a first suction step of controlling a suction device to suck and clean the connector, a second suction step of controlling the suction device to suck and clean the cable, and an insertion step of moving the base part and inserting the cable held by the cable holding tool into the connector.

The present invention makes the assembly process of electronic devices more efficient.

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 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; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cable according to an embodiment; FIG. 13 is an enlarged perspective view showing the operation of the chuck mechanism of the cable holding tool according to the embodiment; FIG. 13 is an enlarged perspective view showing the operation of the chuck mechanism of the cable holding tool according to the embodiment; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic layout of an electronic device assembly apparatus according to an embodiment; FIG. 11 is a schematic side view showing a state in which a terminal portion of a cable is suction-cleaned by a second suction nozzle 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. 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. 10B is a schematic plan view for explaining the assembly method of the electronic device according to the flowchart of FIG. 10A. FIG. 10B is a schematic plan view for explaining the assembly method of the electronic device according to the flowchart of FIG. 10A. FIG. 10B is a schematic plan view for explaining the assembly method of the electronic device according to the flowchart of FIG. 10A. FIG. 10B is a schematic plan view for explaining the assembly method of the electronic device according to the flowchart of FIG. 10A. FIG. 10B is a schematic plan view for explaining the assembly method of the electronic device according to the flowchart of FIG. 10A. FIG. 10B is a schematic plan view for explaining the assembly method of the electronic device according to the flowchart of FIG. 10A. FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for assembling an electronic device according to the flowchart of FIG. 10A; FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for assembling an electronic device according to the flowchart of FIG. 10A; FIG. 10B is a schematic plan view for explaining the assembly method of the electronic device according to the flowchart of FIG. 10A. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an image captured in step S8. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an image captured in step S9. FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for assembling an electronic device according to the flowchart of FIG. 10A; FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for assembling an electronic device according to the flowchart of FIG. 10A;

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device assembly device comprising: 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 is 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 attach the cable held by the cable holding tool to the connector; and a suction device that sucks and cleans the connector and the cable, wherein the control unit controls the suction device to suck and clean the connector and the suction device to suck and clean the cable.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device assembly apparatus according to the first aspect, in which the suction device includes a first suction device and a second suction device different from the first suction device, and the control unit uses the first suction device to perform suction cleaning of the connector and the second suction device to perform suction cleaning of the cable.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the electronic device assembly device according to the second aspect is provided, in which the first suction device is attached to the base portion, the second suction device is provided at a location different from the base portion, and the control unit moves the base portion to bring the first suction device closer to the connector, performs suction cleaning of the connector, and moves the base portion to bring the cable held by the cable holding tool closer to the second suction device, and performs suction cleaning of the cable.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device assembly apparatus according to the second or third aspect, in which the first suction device has a first suction nozzle attached to the base portion, and the first suction nozzle opens toward the direction in which the cable is attached to the connector by the cable holding tool when viewed from a plan view of the base portion.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device assembly device according to the fourth aspect, in which the first suction nozzle is attached forward of the cable holding tool in the mounting direction when viewed from a direction in which the base portion is viewed in plan.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device assembly device according to the fourth or fifth aspect, in which the first suction device further includes an angle adjustment mechanism that changes the angle of the first suction nozzle.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device assembly device according to any one of the second to sixth aspects, in which the second suction device has a second suction nozzle that is fixed in position within the electronic device assembly device, and the second suction nozzle opens upward.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device assembly device as described in the seventh aspect, in which the end forming the opening of the second suction nozzle is inclined obliquely according to the angle of the cable held by the cable holding tool.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device assembly device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, in which the robot unit moves the base unit by a plurality of link members, thereby moving the cable holding tool relative to the electronic device.

According to a tenth 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 is attached and holding the cable with the cable holding tool, a first suction step of controlling a suction device to suck and clean the connector, a second suction step of controlling the suction device to suck and clean the cable, and an insertion step of moving the base part and inserting the cable held by the cable holding tool into the connector.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the suction device includes a first suction device and a second suction device different from the first suction device, and in the first suction step, the first suction device is used to perform suction cleaning of the connector, and in the second suction step, the second suction device is used to perform suction cleaning of the cable. The electronic device assembly method described in the tenth aspect is provided.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the electronic device assembly method according to the eleventh aspect is provided, in which the first suction device is attached to the base part, and the second suction device is provided at a location different from the base part, and in the first suction step, the base part is moved to bring the first suction device closer to the connector and perform suction cleaning of the connector, and in the second suction step, the base part is moved to bring the cable held by the cable holding tool closer to the second suction device and perform suction cleaning of the cable.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the electronic device assembly method according to the eleventh or twelfth aspect, in which the first suction device has a first suction nozzle attached to the base portion, and the first suction nozzle opens toward the direction in which the cable is attached to the connector by the cable holding tool when viewed from a plan view of the base portion.

According to a 14th aspect of the present invention, there is provided the electronic device assembly method according to the 13th aspect, in which the first suction nozzle is attached forward of the cable holding tool in the mounting direction when viewed from a direction in which the base portion is viewed in plan.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the electronic device assembly method according to the thirteenth or fourteenth aspect, in which the first suction device further includes an angle adjustment mechanism that changes the angle of the first suction nozzle.

According to a 16th aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device assembly method according to any one of the 11th to 15th aspects, in which the second suction device has a second suction nozzle that is fixed in position within the electronic device assembly device, and the second suction nozzle opens upward.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the electronic device assembly method described in the sixteenth aspect, in which the end forming the opening of the second suction nozzle is inclined obliquely according to the angle of the cable held by the cable holding tool.

According to an 18th aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device assembly method according to any one of the 10th to 17th aspects, in which the holding step involves moving the base part using a plurality of link members and holding the cable using the cable holding tool.

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 portion 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 the terminal portion 13b.

The connector 13 is equipped with a locking mechanism (not shown) to prevent the attached cable 17 from falling off. The locking mechanism in 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.

In FIG. 3, the electronic device 4 to be worked on is positioned on the work stage 3 with the back surface 4b 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, while the depth direction M of the connector 13 is inclined by a work angle θ with respect to a horizontal plane including the XY directions. The cable 17 is attached obliquely to the connector 13 thus disposed at an angle along the attachment direction (insertion direction) Q. The attachment 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 for 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. In the coordinate system of the electronic device assembly device 1, the left-right direction when viewed from the front of the electronic device assembly device 1 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 constitutes a six-degree-of-freedom type parallel link robot 10 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 attaching 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. With this configuration, a parallel link robot 10 is formed that uses the robot unit 5 to cause the base unit 8 to perform six-degree-of-freedom movement operations.

In Figures 2A and 2B, a cable holding tool 20, a floodlight 40 (Figure 2B), an imaging unit 50, an illumination member 56 (Figure 2A), and a first suction device 62 are attached to the base unit 8 of the parallel link robot 10. The cable holding tool 20 has the function of holding a cable 17 (not shown) to be attached to the connector 13.

The first suction device 62 shown in FIG. 2A is a device for sucking and cleaning the connector 13. In this embodiment, a second suction device 64 (FIG. 7) for sucking and cleaning the cable 17 is provided at a location different from the base portion 8 as a suction device different from the first suction device 62. The suction devices 62 and 64 will be described later.

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 60 operates the robot unit 5, the cable holding tool 20, 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 toward the electronic device 4 having the connector 13.

The control unit 60 is a member that controls each component of the electronic device assembly device 1. The control unit 60 is configured, for example, by a microcomputer that includes a processor and a memory that stores a computer program executed by the processor.

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 60 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. 11H). In this state, the imaging unit 50 can be made to capture an image of the cable 17 and connector 13 held by the cable holding tool 20. The image captured by the imaging unit 50 is transmitted to the control unit 60.

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. An illumination holding plate 55 corresponding to the external shape of the electronic device 4 is held at the lower end of the support member 54. An illumination member 56 comprising an illuminant such as an LED is attached to the underside of the illumination holding plate 55. When imaging by the imaging unit 50, the illumination member 56 is turned on to illuminate the cable 17 and connector 13 to be imaged. When imaging is performed with slit light 58 irradiated from the projector 40 described below, the illumination member 56 is controlled not to be turned on so that the slit light 58 can be easily identified.

A cable holding tool 20 is attached to the underside of the base portion 8 near the side end portion to the right of the opening 8a shown in FIG. 2A.

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 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.

When the cable 17 is inserted into the connector 13, or when the tip of the blade 28, which will be described later, comes into contact with the electronic device 4, the cylinder 22 receives a reaction force B in the opposite direction to the biasing direction F. While receiving the biasing force F from the cylinder 22, the movable part of the cylinder 22 moves in a direction away from a predetermined reference position (arrow b1). In this way, the biasing force F creates a cushioning effect.

A fixed block 23 is attached to the underside of the cylinder 22. The fixed block 23 is a member that fixes the chuck base 24 to the cylinder 22. The fixed block 23 and the components of the cable holding tool 20 attached below it, together with the movable part of the cylinder 22, constitute a "movable part 20B" that moves relative to the base part 8.

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 is connected to the end face of the sliding portion 26 on the advancing side. When the actuator 25 is operated to advance the chuck block 27 diagonally downward, the chuck surface 27a (see Figures 6A and 6B) of the chuck block 27 abuts against the blade 28.

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 cable main body 15 and a reinforcing plate 16. The cable main body 15 is a strip-shaped member having an attached portion 15b attached to the connector 13 at one end 15a. The reinforcing plate 16 is a member joined to the one end 15a side of one side 15c of the cable main body 15 via a joint 17a. The opposite side (lower surface) of the one side 15c to which the reinforcing plate 16 is joined in the cable main body 15 is a terminal portion 15d (Figure 5A) on which a wiring pattern is formed. When attaching the cable 17 to the connector 13, the terminal portion 15d of the attached portion 15b is pressed against and contacted with the terminal portion 13b formed on the attachment portion 13a of the connector 13. This electrically connects 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).

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.

Returning to FIG. 2B, a light projector 40 is attached to the base unit 8 of the parallel link robot 10. The light projector 40 irradiates a slit light 58 toward the imaging area 57 of the imaging unit 50 to obtain height information. The slit light 58 is irradiated to both the cable 17 and the connector 13 held by the cable holding tool 20 in the imaging area 57 of the imaging unit 50. In this way, height information of the cable 17 and the connector 13 is obtained.

The projector 40 irradiates the slit light 58 in the light projection direction DR. In this embodiment, the light projection direction DR is a direction directed diagonally downward toward the connector 13 and the cable 17. The light projection direction DR is inclined by θ2 with respect to the XZ plane (vertical plane) and includes a component directed toward the +Y direction. Since the light projection direction DR includes a component in the +Y direction, the slit light 58 is irradiated from a direction including a component directed 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 58 to both the cable 17 and the connector 13 even when the connector 13 is placed inside the opening 4c (Figure 3) of the electronic device 4.

Next, the layout of the electronic device assembly device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a plan view that shows a schematic layout of the electronic device assembly device 1 of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, the electronic device assembly device 1 of this embodiment includes a feeder 66, a tray 68, and a cable transport unit 70 as components for supplying the cable 17 to the cable holding tool 20.

The feeder 66 is a member for supplying the cables 17 to the electronic device assembly device 1. The feeder 66 has a plurality of slots 76 in which the cables 17 can be stacked vertically. In FIG. 7, a state in which the cable 17 is placed in one slot 76 is shown by a solid line, and a state in which the cable 17 is not placed in the other slots 76 is shown by a dotted line.

The tray 68 is a member for positioning and holding the cable 17 supplied from the feeder 66. The tray 68 is provided at a distance from the feeder 66 in the X direction. A plurality of positioning spaces 78 are provided on the upper surface of the tray 68, and one cable 17 can be positioned in each positioning space 78. The cable 17 positioned on the tray 68 is picked up by the cable holding tool 20. The mechanism for positioning the cable 17 is not shown in the figure.

The cable transport unit 70 is a unit for transporting the cable 17 from the feeder 66 to the tray 68. The cable transport unit 70 includes a cable holding portion 80, a slide portion 82, and a rail 84.

The cable holding section 80 is a member that has the function of holding the cable 17, and for example, adsorbs and holds the cable 17 mounted in the slot section 76 of the feeder 66 from above. The cable holding section 80 is attached to the slide section 82 in a state in which it can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction (Z direction). The slide section 82 is a member that can slide along a rail 84 that extends in the X direction, and slides the cable holding section 80 in the X direction (see arrow X1). With this configuration of the cable transport unit 70, the cable 17 of the feeder 66 is adsorbed and held by the cable holding section 80, and then the slide section 82 is slid upwards in the tray 68 to release the adsorption and holding of the cable 17 by the cable holding section 80, whereby the cable 17 can be positioned in the positioning space 78.

The electronic device assembly device 1 further includes a second suction device 64, a first flow sensor 72, and a second flow sensor 74 in addition to the first suction device 62 attached to the base portion 8.

The first suction device 62 is a device for suction cleaning the connector 13 of the electronic device 4. The first suction device 62 has a first suction nozzle 86 that protrudes from the base portion 8. A suction opening 86A is formed at the tip of the first suction nozzle 86.

Returning to FIG. 2A, the first suction device 62 includes, in addition to the first suction nozzle 86, an attachment portion 88 and an angle adjustment mechanism 90.

The mounting portion 88 is a member that attaches the first suction nozzle 86 to the base portion 8. The angle adjustment mechanism 90 is a mechanism for adjusting the vertical angle of the first suction nozzle 86 (see arrow S). The angle adjustment mechanism 90 allows the vertical angle of the first suction nozzle 86 to be adjusted according to the orientation and position of the connector 13 that is the object to be suctioned.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the base portion 8 is viewed from a plan view, the first suction device 62 is provided on the front side (left side of the drawing) of the cable holding tool 20 in the mounting direction Q. This prevents the cable holding tool 20 from interfering with the electronic device 4 when the opening 86A of the first suction nozzle 86 is brought close to the connector 13 for suction cleaning.

In addition, the opening 86A of the first suction nozzle 86 opens toward the mounting direction Q. This allows the connector 13 to be easily suctioned and cleaned by bringing the opening 86A of the first suction nozzle 86 close to the connector 13.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, the electronic device 4 has a plurality of connectors 13 and a plurality of openings 4c, and is arranged in a plurality of rows in the X direction and a plurality of stages in the Y direction (two rows x two stages, for a total of four).

The second suction device 64 is a device that sucks and cleans the cable 17. In this embodiment, the second suction device 64 is fixed in position inside the electronic device assembly device 1 and does not have a movement function. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the second suction device 64 is disposed between the feeder 66 and the rail 84, and is provided at a height position that does not interfere with the movement of the slide portion 82.

The second suction device 64 has a second suction nozzle 92. The second suction nozzle 92 opens upward and faces the terminal portion 15d of the cable 17 held by the cable holding tool 20. An external view of the second suction nozzle 92 is shown in FIG. 8.

Figure 8 is a schematic side view showing the state in which the terminal portion 15d of the cable 17 is being suction-cleaned by the second suction nozzle 92. As shown in Figure 8, the cable 17 held by the cable holding tool 20 is inclined at an angle (dotted line G1). The end of the second suction nozzle 92 that forms the opening 92A is also formed to be inclined at an angle according to the angle at which the cable 17 is inclined (dotted line G2). With this configuration, the terminal portion 15d of the cable 17 can be easily suction-cleaned by simply placing the terminal portion 15d above the opening 92A of the second suction nozzle 92.

Returning to FIG. 7, the flow rate sensors 72, 74 are sensors for measuring the flow rate of air flowing inside the suction nozzles 86, 92, respectively. The first flow rate sensor 72 measures the flow rate of the first suction nozzle 86, and the second sensor 74 measures the flow rate of the second suction nozzle 92. The measured values of the flow rate sensors 72, 74 are transmitted to the control unit 60. Based on the measured values of the flow rate sensors 72, 74, the control unit 60 detects blockages inside the suction nozzles 86, 92, i.e., an abnormality in which sucked-in foreign matter clogs a filter (not shown) inside the nozzle.

Next, the configuration of the control system of the electronic device assembly device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 9. The control unit 60 of 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 projector 40, the actuator 25, the suction devices 62 and 64, the flow rate sensors 72 and 74, and the operation panel 9.

In FIG. 9, the control unit 60 includes a position detection unit 94 and a flow rate monitoring unit 96 as internal control processing functions.

The position detection unit 94 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 the cable 17 to the connector 13, the control unit 60 controls the movement of the cable holding tool 20 by the robot unit 5 based on the relative position detection result between one end 15a of the cable 17 and the connector 13.

The flow rate monitoring unit 96 executes a process of monitoring the flow rates of the suction devices 62, 64 and detecting abnormalities based on the measured values of the flow rate sensors 72, 74. The flow rate monitoring unit 96 detects an abnormality in the flow rate of the first suction device 62 when the measured value of the first flow rate sensor 72 falls below a predetermined threshold, and detects an abnormality in the flow rate of the second suction device 64 when the measured value of the second flow rate sensor 74 falls below a predetermined threshold.

The control unit 60 further includes a memory unit 98 as a storage device. The memory unit 98 stores information necessary for the cable installation work, such as the position, size, and shape of the connector 13 in the electronic device 4 to be worked on.

Next, following the flow in Figures 10A and 10B and referring to the explanatory diagrams in Figures 11A to 11M, an electronic device assembly method including a cable attachment operation in which an electronic device assembly device 1 attaches a cable 17 to a connector 13 of an electronic device 4 will be described. Each step of the flow shown in Figures 10A and 10B is executed by, for example, the control unit 60.

In FIG. 10A, the left side of the page shows the operations performed by the cable transport unit 70, and the right side of the page shows the operations performed by the parallel link robot 10.

In FIG. 10A, first, the electronic device 4 is set (S00) and at the same time the cable 17 is moved to the tray 68 (S0: cable transport process). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11A, the electronic device 4 is set at a predetermined working position, and the cable holding section 80 of the cable transport unit 70 is positioned above the feeder 66 (see arrow X2) to suction-hold the cable 17 placed in the slot section 76. With the cable 17 held by suction, as shown in FIG. 11B, the slide section 82 is slid toward the tray 68 (see arrow X3) to release the suction-holding of the cable 17 by the cable holding section 80. This places the cable 17 in the positioning space 78 of the tray 68.

As shown in Figures 11A and 11B, the parallel link robot 10 is moved in advance to a position where it does not interfere with the sliding portion 82 (e.g., a position close to the electronic device 4).

Then, the cable transport unit 70 is retracted (S1: retraction step). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11C, the slide portion 82 is slid in the X direction toward the feeder 66 (see arrow X4) and retracted from the tray 68. The position to which the slide portion 82 is retracted is set to a position that does not interfere with the subsequent operation of the parallel link robot 10.

Next, the control unit 60 causes the cable holding tool 20 of the parallel link robot 10 to hold the cable 17 (S2: cable holding process). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11D, the base unit 8 of the parallel link robot 10 is moved toward the tray 68 (see arrow XY1), causing the cable holding tool 20 to hold the cable 17. The method by which the cable holding tool 20 holds the cable 17 is as shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, and a description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the cable 17 is suction-cleaned (S3: cable suction step). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11E, the base portion 8 is moved toward the second suction device 64 (see arrows XY2), and the cable 17 held by the cable holding tool 20 is positioned above the second suction nozzle 92. The method by which the second suction nozzle 92 suction-cleans the cable 17 is as shown in FIG. 8, and a description thereof will be omitted. In this embodiment, suction cleaning is further performed while the base portion 8 is moved back and forth along the X direction that is approximately parallel to the width direction W of the cable 17 (see arrow X5). This allows the entire terminal portion 15d of the cable 17 to be cleaned with greater precision.

Next, it is determined whether the connector 13 has been sucked (S4). Specifically, it is determined whether the connector 13 has been sucked based on whether step S5, which is a suction process for the connector 13 described below, has already been performed. Since step S5 has not been performed the first time step S4 is performed after starting the flow of FIG. 10A, it is determined that the connector 13 has not been sucked (NO in S4), and the process proceeds to step S5.

Next, the connector 13 is suction-cleaned (S5: connector suction step). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11F, the base unit 8 is moved toward the electronic device 4 (see arrows XY3), and the opening 86A of the first suction nozzle 86 is positioned near the opening 4c that corresponds to one of the multiple connectors 13. The connector 13 to be suction-cleaned first and the order of suction-cleaning the multiple connectors 13 are determined in advance. That is, the target coordinate position to which the base unit 8 is moved is stored in the memory unit 98 for each connector 13 to be suctioned.

Figure 11G shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the first suction nozzle 86 sucking the connector 13. As shown in Figure 11G, with the opening 86A of the first suction nozzle 86 positioned at the opening 4c of the electronic device 4, the atmosphere around the connector 13 is sucked in. This causes foreign matter adhering to the terminal portion 13b (Figure 3) of the connector 13 to be sucked and removed. As with the suction cleaning of the cable 17, suction cleaning is performed while the base portion 8 is moved back and forth in the X direction approximately parallel to the width direction K of the connector 13, so that the entire terminal portion 13b can be suction cleaned with greater precision.

In step S5, each of the multiple connectors 13 is sucked and cleaned in turn. The base unit 8 is moved to the target coordinate position set for each connector 13, and each connector 13 is sucked and cleaned in turn by the first suction nozzle 86. When suction cleaning of all connectors 13 (for example, a total of four connectors) is completed, step S5 ends.

Once step S5 has been performed, when step S4 is performed for the second or subsequent times, it is determined that the connectors 13 have already been sucked ( YES in S4). In this case, step S5 for suction cleaning of the connectors 13 is skipped, and the process proceeds to step S6. In this embodiment, suction cleaning of each connector 13 is performed only once.

Next, the cable 17 is brought close to the connector 13 (S6: connector approach step). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11H, the base portion 8 is moved to bring one end 15a of the cable 17 held by the cable holding tool 20 close to the connector 13. The base portion 8 is moved to a position where the cable 17 does not interfere with the electronic device 4 and the connector 13 is included in the imaging area 57 of the imaging unit 50.

Next, it is determined whether there is a next connector to be attached (S7). Specifically, it is determined whether there is a next connector 13 to be attached based on whether there is a connector 13 remaining to which the cable 17 should be attached other than the connector 13 to which the cable 17 is being brought close.

If there are other connectors 13 to which the cable 17 should be attached, it is determined that there is another connector 13 to be attached (YES in S7), and the control unit 60 executes steps S8 to S12 in the parallel link robot 10, and executes steps S13 and S14 in the cable transport unit 70. Steps S8 to S12 and steps S13 and S14 are executed in parallel.

On the other hand, if there are no other connectors 13 to which cables 17 are to be attached (i.e., the other connectors 13 have already been attached with cables), it is determined that there is no next connector 13 to be attached (NO in S7), and the process proceeds to the flow shown in FIG. 10B. The flow in FIG. 10B will be described later.

When steps S8 and S13 are performed, as shown in FIG. 11I, the cable 17 is close to the connector 13, and the parallel link robot 10 is in a position that does not interfere with the slide portion 82 of the cable transport unit 70. Therefore, while steps S8 to S12 are being performed by the parallel link robot 10, steps S13 and S14 (the operation of sliding the slide portion 82) can be performed in parallel by the cable transport unit 70.

In the state shown in FIG. 11I, the control unit 60 drives the sliding portion 82 of the cable carrying unit 70 to slide (arrow X7) to move the next cable 17 to the tray 68 (S13: cable carrying process), and then retracts the cable carrying unit 70 (S14: cable carrying unit retraction process). The operations of steps S13 and S14 are the same as the operations of steps S0 and S1 described above. FIG. 11I illustrates the state in which the sliding portion 82 is in the middle of moving (arrow X7).

In parallel with steps S13 and S14, the control unit 60 causes the imaging unit 50 to capture an image in the parallel link robot 10 (S8: slit light imaging process). Specifically, in a state in which the cable 17 is brought close to the connector 13 as shown in FIG. 11H, the imaging unit 50 captures an image including both the cable 17 held by the cable holding tool 20 and the connector 13 while irradiating the slit light 58 from the projector 40 shown in FIG. 2B. The imaging unit 50 captures an image along the imaging optical axis 53a from a direction oblique to the mounting direction Q of the cable 17 at an acute angle φ (an angle obtained by subtracting the work angle θ from 90 degrees). The acute angle φ may be set to a value of, for example, 35 degrees or more and 75 degrees or less. In step S8, the illumination member 56 is not operated and is controlled not to emit illumination light.

An example of the captured image captured in step S8 is shown in FIG. 11J. The captured image 100 shown in FIG. 11J includes the front end 58A, which is the portion of the slit light 58 irradiated onto the connector 13 and the cable 17 that strikes the connector 13 and the cable 17. The position detection unit 94 identifies, from the front end 58A, a recognition point R5 corresponding to the connector 13 and a recognition point R6 corresponding to the cable 17. Height information of the cable 17 and height information of the connector 13 are obtained based on the xy coordinates of the recognition points R5 and R6.

Next, imaging is performed by the imaging unit 50 while illuminated by the illumination member 56 (S9: illumination imaging step). Specifically, without moving the base unit 8, the imaging unit 50 is caused to capture an image including both the cable 17 and the connector 13 held by the cable holding tool 20 while illuminated by the illumination member 56 shown in FIG. 2A at the same position as in step S8. In step S9, the projector 40 is not operated and is controlled not to irradiate the slit light 58.

An example of the captured image captured in step S9 is shown in FIG. 11K. The captured image 102 shown in FIG. 11K includes the surface portions of the connector 13 and the cable 17 illuminated by the illumination member 56. The position detection unit 94 identifies the x and y coordinates of the recognition points R7 and R8 for detecting the position of the connector 13, and the recognition points R9 and R10 for detecting the position of the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17. The recognition points R7, R8, R9, and R10 are identified as feature points in the captured image 102.

Next, the control unit 60 performs position detection (S10: position detection process). Specifically, the position detection unit 94 detects the relative positional relationship between the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 and the connector 13 by performing three-dimensional position calculation based on the captured image 100 captured in step S8 and the captured image 102 captured in step S9. More specifically, the position detection unit 94 identifies the xyz coordinates of the representative point PM1, which is the midpoint of the recognition points R7 and R8, based on the xy coordinates of the recognition point R5 acquired from the captured image 100 captured in step S8 and the xy coordinates of the recognition points R7 and R8 acquired from the captured image 102 captured in step S9. Similarly, the position detection unit 94 identifies the xyz coordinates of the representative point PM2, which is the midpoint of the recognition points R9 and R10, based on the xy coordinates of the recognition point R6 acquired from the captured image 100 captured in step S8 and the xy coordinates of the recognition points R9 and R10 acquired from the captured image 102 captured in step S9. The identified 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.

Then, the control unit 60 inserts and attaches the cable 17 into the connector 13 (S11: cable attachment process). Specifically, based on the relative positional relationship between the representative points PM1 and PM2 detected in step S10, 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. 11L, the robot unit 5 is driven to move the cable holding tool 20 in the attachment direction Q, thereby inserting the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 obliquely into the attachment portion 13a (FIG. 3) of the connector 13 of the electronic device 4.

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

The insertion amount of the cable 17 in step S11 is determined so that one end 15a of the cable 17 reaches the back of the connector 13 sufficiently, 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, as shown by the arrow b3 in Figure 11L.

Next, the control unit 60 releases the cable 17 from the cable holding tool 20 (S12: cable release process). Specifically, the chuck block 27 shown in FIG. 2A etc. is retracted to release the grip on the cable 17.

After steps S8 to S12 and steps S13 and S14 have been executed, the process returns to step S2, as shown in FIG. 10A. That is, the next cable 17 is held by the cable holding tool 20 (S2), the held cable 17 is sucked and cleaned by the second suction device 64 (S3), and it is determined whether the connector 13 has been cleaned (S4). As described above, when step S4 is executed for the second or subsequent times, it is determined that the connector 13 has been cleaned by executing step S5 (YES in S4), and the connector suction process of step S5 is skipped. The control unit 60 executes the connector approach process of step S6 to bring the next cable 17 close to the next connector 13.

Then, it is determined (S7) whether or not there is a next connector 13. If it is determined that there is a next connector 13 (YES in S7), the parallel link robot 10 is caused to execute the operations of steps S8 to S12, and the cable transport unit 70 is caused to execute the operations of steps S13 and S14. As a result, the next cable 17 is attached to the next connector 13 (S11), and the next cable 17 is set in the tray 68 (S13). By repeating the above operations, the operation of attaching the cables 17 to each of the multiple connectors 13 in order and the operation of setting the next cable 17 in the tray 68 can be executed in parallel.

In addition, when there are multiple connectors 13 to which cables 17 should be attached, the connectors 13 are suction cleaned all at once (S5), while the cables 17 are suction cleaned each time they are held by the cable holding tool 20 (S3), so that the cleaned cables 17 can be sequentially attached to the cleaned connectors 13 (S11).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S7 that there is no next connector 13 (NO in S7), the control unit 60 executes steps S8-1 to S12-1 and steps S20 and S21, as shown in FIG. 10B.

Steps S8-1 to S12-1 shown in Fig. 10B execute the same operations as steps S8 to S12 in Fig. 10A. Specifically, the imaging unit 50 captures an image while irradiating the slit light 58 from the projector 40 (S8-1), the imaging unit 50 captures an image while illuminating the illumination member 56 (S9-1), the position detection unit 94 performs three-dimensional position calculations based on the captured images 100 and 102 to detect the relative positional relationship between the reinforcing plate 16 of the cable 17 and the connector 13 (S10-1), the cable 17 is attached to the connector 13 based on the detected relative positional relationship (S11-1), and the cable 17 is released from the cable holding unit 20 (S12-1).

Next, the control unit 60 returns the cable holding tool 20 from the electronic device 4 (S20). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11M, the cable holding tool 20 with the cable 17 released and the base unit 8 are moved in a direction away from the electronic device 4 (see arrow S).

Next, the control unit 60 retrieves the electronic device 4 (S21). Specifically, the control unit 60 retrieves the electronic device 4 for which the cable attachment work has been completed from the work stage 3. This completes the assembly of one electronic device 4 in which the cables 17 are attached to each of the multiple connectors 13.

Steps S8-1 to S12-1, S20, and S21 shown in FIG. 10B are all operations executed by the parallel link robot 10. Because it has been determined in step S7 that there is no next connector 13, there is no need to operate the cable carrying unit 70 to set the next cable 17, and the flow in FIG. 10B ends without operating the cable carrying unit 70.

According to the above method, the suction cleaning of the connector 13 and the suction cleaning of the cable 17 can be automated using the parallel link robot 10. This makes it possible to make the assembly work of the electronic device 4 more efficient than if a worker performed the suction cleaning manually.

In addition, a cable suction process (S3: first suction process) for suctioning and cleaning the cable 17 and a connector suction process (S5: second suction process) for suctioning and cleaning the connector 13 are performed. This makes it possible to perform suction cleaning in a manner suitable for each of the cable 17 and the connector 13.

In addition, a first suction device 62 that sucks and cleans the connector 13 and a second suction device 64 that sucks and cleans the cable 17 are provided separately. This allows the specifications of the suction devices 62 and 64 to be adjusted according to the orientation and position of the connector 13 and the cable 17, respectively.

In addition, a first suction device 62 that sucks and cleans the connector 13 is attached to the base part 8. When sucking and cleaning the connector 13, the connector 13 can be easily sucked and cleaned by moving the base part 8 and bringing the first suction device 62 closer to the connector 13 of the electronic device 4. In particular, since the connector 13 and the opening 4c are arranged at an angle, the connector 13 can be easily sucked and cleaned by simply bringing the first suction device 62 attached to the underside of the base part 8 closer to the connector 13. Furthermore, the angle of the first suction nozzle 86 can be adjusted by the angle adjustment mechanism 90, and the connector 13 can be easily sucked and cleaned by pointing the first suction nozzle 86 diagonally downward as shown in FIG. 2A.

On the other hand, the second suction device 64 for suctioning and cleaning the cable 17 is provided at a location different from the parallel link robot 10 including the base part 8 (fixed between the feeder 66 and the rail 84 in this embodiment). In the parallel link robot 10 of this embodiment, the angle at which the base part 8 can rotate in a horizontal plane is limited (for example, within ±30 degrees), and since the first suction device 62 and the cable holding tool 20 are attached to the base part 8, the space for installing other members is limited. Thus, by providing the second suction device 64 at a location different from the parallel link robot 10 including the base part 8, it is possible to suction and clean the cable 17 while avoiding the limitations on the operation and configuration of the parallel link robot 10. Also, by providing the second suction device 64 at a location different from the parallel link robot 10, it is possible to suction and clean the cable 17 held by the cable holding tool 20 of the parallel link robot 10 with the second suction device 64. This makes it easier to intensively suction and clean the terminal part 15d of the cable 17.

The second suction device 64 of this embodiment is fixed in position inside the electronic device assembly device 1 and has the second suction nozzle 92 open upward. This allows the cable 17 to be easily suctioned and cleaned simply by moving the base portion 8 and positioning the cable 17 held by the cable holding tool 20 above the second suction nozzle 92. As shown in FIG. 8, the end portion that forms the opening 92A of the first suction nozzle 92 is also inclined obliquely according to the angle of the cable 17 held by the cable holding tool 20, so that the entire terminal portion 15d of the cable 17 can be suctioned and cleaned with high precision.

If the openings 86A, 92A of the suction nozzles 86, 92 accidentally come into contact with and stick to the object during suction cleaning of the cable 17 or connector 13, the measured values of the flow sensors 72, 74 will suddenly decrease. When the measured values of the flow sensors 72, 74 fall below a predetermined threshold, the flow monitoring unit 96 will detect an abnormality in the flow rate of the suction nozzles 86, 92. This makes it possible to detect that the openings 86A, 92A of the suction nozzles 86, 92 have accidentally stuck to the cable 17 or connector 13. If an abnormality in the flow rate of the suction nozzles 86, 92 is detected, the control unit 60 may issue an error notification using the operation panel 9 or the like, and stop the electronic device assembly device 1.

As described above, the electronic device assembly device 1 of this embodiment includes a cable holding tool 20 that holds a cable 17 to be attached to a connector 13 of an electronic device 4, a base unit 8 on which the cable holding tool 20 is attached, a robot unit 5 that moves the base unit 8 to move the cable holding tool 20 relative to the electronic device 4, a control unit 60 that drives the robot unit 5 to attach the cable 17 held by the cable holding tool 20 to the connector 13, and suction devices 62, 64 that call the connector 13 and suck and clean the cable 17. The control unit 60 controls the first suction device 62 to suck and clean the connector 13, and controls the second suction device 64 to suck and clean the cable 17.

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 a cable holding step (S2) for moving the base unit 8 to which the cable holding tool 20 is attached and holding the cable 17 with the cable holding tool 20, a connector suction step (S5: first suction step) for controlling the first suction device 62 to suck and clean the connector 13, a cable suction step (S3: second suction step) for controlling the second suction device 64 to suck and clean the cable 17, and an attachment step (S11) for moving the base unit 8 and attaching the cable 17 held by the cable holding tool 20 to the connector 13.

According to this electronic device assembly device 1/electronic device assembly method, the connector 13 and the cable 17 are sucked and cleaned using the suction devices 62 and 64, respectively, thereby making it possible to make the assembly work of the electronic device 4 more efficient.

The electronic device assembly device 1/electronic device assembly method of this embodiment also includes a first suction device 62 and a second suction device 64 that is different from the first suction device 62, and the control unit 60 uses the first suction device 62 to perform suction cleaning of the connector 13 and the second suction device 64 to perform suction cleaning of the cable 17.

With this configuration/method, the connector 13 and the cable 17 are sucked and cleaned using separate suction devices 62, 64, respectively, and the specifications of the suction devices 62, 64 can be adjusted according to the position and orientation of the connector 13 and the cable 17. This makes it possible to make the assembly work of the electronic device 4 more efficient.

In addition, in the electronic device assembly device 1/electronic device assembly method of this embodiment, the first suction device 62 is attached to the base portion 8, and the second suction device 64 is provided at a location different from the base portion 8. The control portion 60 moves the base portion 8 to bring the first suction device 62 closer to the connector 13, and performs suction cleaning of the connector 13, and moves the base portion 8 to bring the cable 17 held by the cable holding tool 20 closer to the second suction device 64, and performs suction cleaning of the cable 17.

With this configuration/method, by moving the base portion 8, it is possible to alternate between suction cleaning of the connector 13 and suction cleaning of the cable 17. In addition, by suction cleaning the cable 17 while it is held by the cable holding tool 20, it becomes easy to concentrate on suction cleaning the terminal portion 15d of the cable 17.

In addition, in the electronic device assembly device 1/electronic device assembly method of this embodiment, the first suction device 62 has a first suction nozzle 86 attached to the base portion 8, and the first suction nozzle 86 opens toward the attachment direction Q of the cable 17 to the connector 13 by the cable holding tool 20 when viewed from a direction in which the base portion 8 is viewed in plan.

With this configuration/method, suction cleaning of the connector 13 can be easily performed simply by bringing the opening 86A of the first suction nozzle 86 close to the connector 13.

In addition, in the electronic device assembly device 1/electronic device assembly method of this embodiment, the first suction nozzle 86 is attached forward of the cable holding tool 20 in the installation direction Q when viewed from a direction in which the base portion 8 is viewed in plan.

This configuration/method makes it less likely that the cable holding tool 20 will interfere with the electronic device 4 when the first suction nozzle 86 is used to suction and clean the connector 13.

In addition, in the electronic device assembly device 1/electronic device assembly method of this embodiment, the first suction device 62 further includes an angle adjustment mechanism 90 that changes the angle of the first suction nozzle 86.

With this configuration/method, the angle of the first suction nozzle 86 can be adjusted according to the specifications of the connector 13 to be suctioned.

In addition, in the electronic device assembly device 1/electronic device assembly method of this embodiment, the second suction device 64 has a second suction nozzle 92 that is fixed in position within the electronic device assembly device 1, and the second suction nozzle 92 opens upward.

With this configuration/method, the terminal portion 15d on the underside of the cable 17 can be easily sucked and cleaned by simply placing the terminal portion 15d above the second suction nozzle 92.

In addition, in the electronic device assembly device 1/electronic device assembly method of this embodiment, the end forming the opening 92A of the second suction nozzle 92 is inclined at an angle according to the angle of the cable 17 held by the cable holding tool 20.

This configuration/method allows the terminal portion 15d of the cable 17 to be easily suction cleaned.

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, a case has been described in which a first suction device 62 for suction cleaning the connector 13 and a second suction device 64 for suction cleaning the cable 17 are separately provided, but the present invention is not limited to such a case. For example, both the connector 13 and the cable 17 may be suction cleaned using a single suction device attached to the base portion 8. In other words, the first suction step for suction cleaning the connector 13 and the second suction step for suction cleaning the cable 17 may be performed using the same suction device.

In the embodiment, the electronic device 4 has four connectors 13, but this is not limited to the case, and the number of connectors 13 may be any number.

In the embodiment, the case where step S5 of suction cleaning multiple connectors 13 is executed only once has been described, but this is not limited to the case. Multiple connectors 13 may be suction cleaned by repeatedly executing the connector suction process of suction cleaning one connector 13 in the same cycle as the cable suction process (S3) of suction cleaning one cable 17 is repeatedly executed.

In the embodiment, the second suction device 64 for suctioning the cable is provided between the feeder 66 and the rail 84, but this is not the only possible case. The suction device for suctioning the cable may be provided at any position as long as it does not interfere with the operation of the parallel link robot 10 or the operation of other members.

In the embodiment, the case where the cable 17 is inserted obliquely into the connector 13 arranged obliquely has been described, but this is not limited to the case. Depending on the specifications of the connector 13 and the cable 17, the working angle θ of the connector 13 and the mounting direction Q of the cable 17 may be any angle or direction, such as placing the connector 13 at a working angle θ = 0 degrees and inserting the cable 17 horizontally.

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 case has been described in which a reinforcing plate 16 harder than the cable main body 15 is used as the mounting portion for mounting the cable 17 to the connector 13, but this is not limited to the case. The cable main body 15 of the cable 17 may be directly mounted to the connector 13 without providing a reinforcing plate 16.

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.

LIST OF SYMBOLS 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 10 Parallel link robot 13 Connector 15 Cable main body section 16 Reinforcement plate 17 Cable 20 Cable holding tool 20B Movable section 21 Mounting section 22 Cylinder 23 Fixed block 24 Chuck base 25 Actuator 26 Slide section 27 Chuck block 28 Blade 50 Imaging section 51 Bracket 52 Optical lens section 53 Camera 54 Support member 55 Illumination holding plate 56 Illumination member 58 Slit light 58A Front end section 60 Control section 62 First suction device 64 Second suction device 66 Feeder 68 Tray 70 Cable transport unit 72 First flow rate sensor 74 Second flow rate sensor 76 Slot portion 78 Positioning space 80 Cable holding portion 82 Slide portion 84 Rail 86 First suction nozzle 86A Opening 88 Mounting portion 90 Angle adjustment mechanism 92 Second suction nozzle 92A Opening 94 Position detection portion 96 Flow rate monitoring portion 98 Storage portion 100 Captured image 102 Captured image B Reaction force F Pressing force K Width direction M Depth direction Q Mounting direction S Retraction direction

Claims (14)

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 is 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 attach the cable held by the cable holding tool to the connector;
a suction device that sucks and cleans the connector and the cable,
The suction device includes a first suction device and a second suction device different from the first suction device,
The control unit controls the first suction device to suck and clean the connector, and controls the second suction device to suck and clean the cable ,
the first suction device is attached to the base portion, and the second suction device is provided at a location different from the base portion,
The control unit moves the base unit to bring the first suction device closer to the connector and performs suction cleaning of the connector, and moves the base unit to bring the cable held by the cable holding tool closer to the second suction device and performs suction cleaning of the cable . 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 is 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 attach the cable held by the cable holding tool to the connector;
a suction device that sucks and cleans the connector and the cable,
The suction device includes a first suction device and a second suction device different from the first suction device,
The control unit controls the first suction device to suck and clean the connector, and controls the second suction device to suck and clean the cable,
the first suction device has a first suction nozzle attached to the base portion;
The electronic device assembly apparatus, wherein the first suction nozzle opens toward a direction in which the cable holding tool attaches the cable to the connector when viewed from a direction in which the base portion is viewed in a plan view. 3 . The electronic device assembly apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the first suction nozzle is attached forward of the cable holding tool in the mounting direction when viewed from a direction in which the base portion is viewed from above. 4. The electronic device assembly apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising an angle adjustment mechanism for adjusting an angle of the first suction nozzle. 5. The electronic device assembly apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second suction device has a second suction nozzle whose position is fixed within the electronic device assembly apparatus, and the second suction nozzle opens upward. The electronic device assembly apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein an end portion forming an opening of the second suction nozzle is inclined obliquely according to an angle of the cable held by the cable holding tool. 7. The electronic device assembly apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the robot section moves the base section by a plurality of link members, thereby moving the cable holding tool relatively to the electronic device. 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 to which a cable holding tool is attached and holding the cable with the cable holding tool;
a first suction step of controlling a first suction device to suck and clean the connector;
a second suction step of controlling a second suction device different from the first suction device to suck and clean the cable;
and a mounting step of moving the base portion to mount the cable held by the cable holding tool to the connector ,
the first suction device is attached to the base portion, and the second suction device is provided at a location different from the base portion,
an electronic device assembly method in which, in the first suction process, the base portion is moved to bring the first suction device closer to the connector and perform suction cleaning of the connector, and, in the second suction process, the base portion is moved to bring the cable held by the cable holding tool closer to the second suction device and perform suction cleaning of the cable . 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 to which a cable holding tool is attached and holding the cable with the cable holding tool;
a first suction step of controlling a first suction device to suck and clean the connector;
a second suction step of controlling a second suction device different from the first suction device to suck and clean the cable;
and a mounting step of moving the base portion to mount the cable held by the cable holding tool to the connector,
the first suction device has a first suction nozzle attached to the base portion;
The method for assembling an electronic device, wherein the first suction nozzle opens toward a direction in which the cable is attached to the connector by the cable holding tool when viewed from a direction in which the base portion is viewed in a plan view. The electronic device assembling method according to claim 9 , wherein the first suction nozzle is attached forward of the cable holding tool in the mounting direction when viewed from a direction in which the base portion is viewed in a plan view. 11. The electronic device assembly method according to claim 9 , wherein the first suction device further comprises an angle adjustment mechanism that changes an angle of the first suction nozzle. 12. The electronic device assembly method according to claim 8 , wherein the second suction device has a second suction nozzle whose position is fixed within the electronic device assembly device, and the second suction nozzle opens upward. The electronic device assembly method according to claim 12 , wherein an end portion forming an opening of the second suction nozzle is inclined obliquely according to an angle of the cable held by the cable holding tool. 14. The electronic device assembly method according to claim 8 , wherein the holding step comprises moving the base portion by a plurality of link members and holding the cable by the cable holding tool.

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