Componentfeeder apparatus and method for vision-controlled robotic placement

• Main Authors: WRIGHT, STEVEN FREDERICK, KLEMMER, ROBERT ANTHONY
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 30.08.1989
• Subjects: CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES; CONVEYING; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; HAND TOOLS; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS,CABLES; MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGINGARTICLES OR MATERIALS; MANIPULATORS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS; PACKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS; PORTABLE POWER-DRIVEN TOOLS; PRINTED CIRCUITS; SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS; STORING; TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING ORTIPPING; TRANSPORTING; UNPACKING

Electrical components (14) are fed to a vision controlled robotic placement apparatus (16). The components are carried in a reeled, pocketed carrier tape (42) indexed along a dereeling component feeder (36) to a pick up station (12). Forward advance of the carrier is stopped when an optical sensor (154) in the feeder senses that a depending pocket (44) in the carrier tape is generally positioned at the pick up station (12). The vision control system on the robot is relied upon to locate the pocket (44) at the pick up station (12) and to locate the individual components (14) presented in the pocket. The components (14) are robotically unloaded from the carrier (42) one at a time and placed on a printed circuit board assembly at a second station (22) with the guidance of the vision control system. As the last component (14) from each pocket is picked up for placement, the vision control system (16) signals the carrier tape drive moter (50) to index the next pocket (44) to the pick up station (12).