Intelligent pattern recognition systems for wire bonding and other electronic component packaging equipment, and related methods

A pattern recognition system of a wire bonding machine, the pattern recognition system comprising:

• an imaging system for imaging a portion of a workpiece on the wire bonding machine using an image acquisition recipe, the portion of the workpiece including a fiducial marking of the workpiece, the image acquisition recipe including a plurality of parameters related to the imaging system of the pattern recognition system, the plurality of parameters including at least one of (i) one or more lighting parameters of the imaging system, (ii) one or more optical parameters of the imaging system, (iii) one or more position parameters of the imaging system, and (iv) one or more component parameters related to the imaging system;
• a control system for controlling the imaging system;
• and
• a computer configured to utilize a pattern recognition recipe in connection with an image from the imaging system to determine if an acceptable level of matching occurs in connection with the fiducial marking of the workpiece to determine if a wire bonding operation may proceed, wherein the acceptable level of matching is determined by comparing a pattern from an acquired image taken by the imaging system with a reference pattern, the computer varying at least one parameter of the image acquisition recipe if the acceptable level of matching does not occur, the varying of the at least one parameter by the computer resulting in a new image acquisition recipe, the computer further configured to repeat imaging of the portion of the workpiece using the new image acquisition recipes until an acceptable level of matching occurs, the computer further configured to save the new image acquisition recipe that results in the acceptable level of matching into memory.

A wire bonding system comprising:

• a support structure for supporting a workpiece during a wire bonding operation;
• a bond head assembly carrying a wire bonding tool;
• and
• a pattern recognition system including
• (i) an imaging system for imaging a portion of the workpiece using an image acquisition recipe, the portion of the workpiece including a fiducial marking of the workpiece, the image acquisition recipe including a plurality of parameters related to the imaging system of the pattern recognition system, the plurality of parameters including at least one of (a) one or more lighting parameters of the imaging system, (b) one or more optical parameters of the imaging system, (c) one or more position parameters of the imagining system, and (d) one or more component parameters related to the imaging system,
• (ii) a control system for controlling the imaging system, and
• (iii) a computer configured to utilize a pattern recognition recipe in connection with an image from the imaging system to determine if an acceptable level of matching occurs in connection with the fiducial marking on the workpiece to determine if the wire bonding operation may proceed, wherein the acceptable level of matching is determined by comparing a pattern from an acquired image taken by the imaging system with a reference pattern, the computer varying at least one parameter of the image acquisition recipe if the acceptable level of matching does not occur, the varying of the at least one parameter by the computer resulting in a new image acquisition recipe, the computer further configured to repeat imaging of the portion of the workpiece using the new image acquisition recipes until an acceptable level of matching occurs, the computer further configured to save the new image acquisition recipe that results in the acceptable level of matching into memory.

A method of operating a pattern recognition system of a wire bonding machine, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) imaging a portion of a workpiece on the wire bonding machine using an image acquisition recipe, the portion of the workpiece including a fiducial marking of the workpiece, the image acquisition recipe including a plurality of parameters related to an imaging system of the pattern recognition system, the plurality of parameters including at least one of (i) one or more lighting parameters of the imaging system, (ii) one or more optical parameters of the imaging system, (iii) one or more position parameters of the imaging system, and (iv) one or more component parameters related to the imaging system;
• and
• (b) utilizing a pattern recognition recipe in connection with an image from step (a) to determine if an acceptable level of matching occurs in connection with the fiducial marking on the workpiece to determine if a wire bonding operation may proceed, wherein the acceptable level of matching is determined by comparing a pattern from an acquired image taken by the imaging system with a reference pattern,
• wherein each of the image acquisition recipe and the pattern recognition recipe is one of a plurality of recipes stored in memory in connection with the wire bonding machine, and the image acquisition recipe is automatically selected to be used in step (a) in an order based on prioritization criteria.