An apparatus for mounting an electronic part includes a reflector located in the rear of an electronic part held by a nozzle on a transferring head, and an image reading device for observing an electronic part held and moved by the transferring head. The image reading device picks up an image from the electronic part. The picked-up image is recognized so as to detect a position of the electronic part with which the motion of the transferring head is controlled. The image reading device includes a line sensor for observing from below the electronic part held by the nozzle of the transferring head, a transmissive illuminating unit for irradiating light onto the reflector so as to make the background of the electronic part bright; a direct illuminating unit for irradiating from below the lower surface of the electronic part passing above the line sensor. Light obtained by emitting a band-like beam from either the transmissive illuminating unit or the direct illuminating unit and then reflecting the same upon the reflector or upon the lower surface of the electronic part is introduced into the line sensor so as to pick up an image from the electronic part attracted by the nozzle.
A semiconductor device lead inspection apparatus and method are provided for capturing images of the semiconductor edges and leads along two optical axes which have different directions in a plane perpendicular to the semiconductor device edge. One image is a direct backlit image of the device. A second image taken along a direction corresponding to a second optical axis is reflected into a direction corresponding to the first optical axis. By forming two images it is possible to locate the leads of the semiconductor device in three dimensions.
An electronic component mounting apparatus, an electronic component recognition device and an electronic component recognition method are provided which enable accurate recognition for correcting deviations in alignment of an electronic component in relation to its mounting position. An electronic component being held by a mounting head is illuminated, and a camera visually recognizes the electronic component. A light reflector disposed on a bottom face of the mounting head has a reflector for totally reflecting light, an illuminating body disposed on the reflector which illuminates by absorbing light from a first light source, and a selectively transmitting body disposed on the illuminating body which transmits light from the first light source and absorbs light from a second light source. This configuration causes the light entering the camera from the light reflector to be even. Two lighting methods, i.e. transillumination and illumination provided by reflection, are selectively used by switching the first and second light sources to select the kind of light.
The invention relates to a method for the verification of the presence and proper orientation of a component on a printed circuit board. The board has a plurality of areas for receiving a component respectively. Each area is marked in the center thereof with a first marker. Adjacent each area, and indicative of the polarity of the component, a second marker is marked on the board. The presence or absence of a component can be evaluated by inspecting the board after it has been populated and determining whether any of the first markers appear, indicating that a component is missing. Verification of the polarity of a component is done by placing a marker on a portion of a component required to be installed in a predetermined position indicative of polarity. Inspection of the board once it has been populated will determine if the component is in the proper orientation by verifying if the second marker and the marker on the component are in alignment. Preferably, the first marker and the second marker are of different colours, and are preferably UV compatible layers. Additionally, the method of the invention, when applied between the leads of a multi-legged component or between discrete components, such as by the etching of additional portions of the solder mask or by adding an additional layer, will produce a shadow on the reflective surface, thereby identifying a short at that location.
The invention relates to a method for the verification of the presence and proper orientation of a component on a printed circuit board. The board has a plurality of areas for receiving a component respectively. Each area is marked in the center thereof with a first marker. Adjacent each area, and indicative of the polarity of the component, a second marker is marked on the board. The presence or absence of a component can be evaluated by inspecting the board after it has been populated and determining whether any of the first markers appear, indicating that a component is missing. Verification of the polarity of a component is done by placing a marker on a portion of a component required to be installed in a predetermined position indicative of polarity. Inspection of the board once it has been populated will determine if the component is in the proper orientation by verifying if the second marker and the marker on the component are in alignment. Preferably, the first marker and the second marker are of different colors, and are preferably UV reflecting coatings.
The system of the present invention reports a signal related to a physical condition of an object, such as an electronic component, with the most basic realization of the system including a vacuum quill for releasably holding the object and a motion control system for rotating the quill. The invention includes control electronics coupled to the detector for providing a trigger signal where the detector is oriented to view a stripe in a viewing plane perpendicular to the central axis of the quill, and to provide an image of the stripe. The control electronics sends a plurality of trigger signals to the detector while the motion control system rotates the quill, with each trigger signal triggering the acquisition of another image of a stripe. A processing circuit processes the plurality of images of the stripes to provide the signal related to the physical condition of the object, which can include the orientation or location of the component, the presence or absence of balls on a ball grid array, the height of a specific lead on a leaded component, the distance between the leads on a leaded component or the coplanarity of features on the component. A method for picking and placing components is also disclosed for use with the apparatus of the present invention.
