Method for automatic conveyor width adjustment

• Main Authors: JONES; RICHARD W, SUPPELSA; ANTHONY J, SHAW; MICHAEL F
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 20.10.1998
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; COMBINATIONS OR ASSOCIATIONS OF METAL-WORKING MACHINES, NOTDIRECTED TO A PARTICULAR RESULT; COMBINED OPERATIONS; CONVEYING; DETAILS, COMPONENTS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR MACHINE TOOLS, e.g.ARRANGEMENTS FOR COPYING OR CONTROLLING; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; MACHINE TOOLS; MACHINE TOOLS IN GENERAL CHARACTERISED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OFPARTICULAR DETAILS OR COMPONENTS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; OTHER WORKING OF METAL; PACKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS; PRINTED CIRCUITS; SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS; STORING; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING ORTIPPING; TRANSPORTING; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS

A computer controlled assembly line (10) contains multiple work cells (40) for assembling a printed circuit board (PCB). Each work cell contains a conveyor (30) that can independently adjust its width, and the work cells are arranged to process the printed circuit board within the cell. The work cells are arranged so that they can pass the printed circuit board from the conveyor in one work cell to the conveyor in the next cell. The conveyors have two parallel rails (35, 36) situated so that the distance between the rails can be automatically adjusted to accommodate printed circuit boards of varying widths on the same assembly line at the same time. Each work cell independently adjusts the width of its conveyor (i.e. the distance between the rails) to accommodate the incoming printed circuit board. When the PCB is cleared out of the first cell, a second PCB waiting to enter the first cell is scanned (20), and the conveyor width of the first cell is re-adjusted to accommodate the different size of the first PCB. The entire assembly line is controlled by a central controller, such as a computer.