Methods of positioning a component in a desired position on a board, pick and place machines, and sensors for such pick and place machines

A method of positioning a component in a desired orientation and position on a board, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) picking up the component with a nozzle of a movable placement unit of a pick and place machine, the moveable placement unit including (i) a sensor for use in providinf a correction instruction for alignment of the component with respect to the board, (ii) an actuator for rotating the nozzle and the component attached thereto, the actuator including a rotational encoder;
• (b) transporting the component towards the board as a function of the desired position;
• (c) obtaining image sensor data about an orientation of the component with respect to the nozzle with an imaging device of the sensor;
• (d) obtaining rotational encoder data about the orientation of the nozzle with respect to the placement unit from the encoder;
• (e) combining in the sensor (i) the image sensor data from the imaging device, and (ii) the rotational encoder data from the encoder, into a data set;
• (f) sending the data set from the sensor to a stationary computer and computing the correction instruction in the stationary computer;
• and
• (g) placing the component on the board as a function of the correction instruction from the stationary computer.