Automatic part positioning system

An automatic part positioning system for precisely locating a printed circuit board and the like with respect to a component inserting tool, comprising:

• a frame movable in a predetermined plane and having two degrees of freedom, said frame including holding means for supporting a printed circuit board having at least one pair of component-accepting holes, said holes being spaced a predetermined distance apart;
• servo means operatively coupled to said frame for moving said frame in said plane;
• light generating means positioned adjacent one side of said frame and producing a pair of parallel light beams spaced apart by said predetermined distance;
• light detecting means disposed on the side of said frame opposite said light generating means and including two pairs of light sensitive detectors, each pair lying on different intersecting orthogonal lines;
• and
• beam splitting means disposed adjacent said light detecting means and and intercepting said beams, said beam splitting means including orthogonally oriented wedges, each splitting a different one of said beams to illuminate equally each of said pairs of said detectors when said holes are in a predetermined alignment relative to said light beams and producing an error signal coupled to said servo means when not in said predetermined alignment.

An automatic part positioning system for precisely locating a printed circuit board and the like, the system comprising;

• at least one hole through said circuit board;
• a frame including circuit board-supporting structure, said frame being movable in a predetermined plane having two degrees of freedom;
• servo means operatively coupled to said frame for moving said frame in said plane in response to error signals;
• light generating means positioned on one side of said frame for generating a beam of light toward said predetermined plane;
• light detecting means disposed on the side of said frame opposite said light generating means;
• and
• means coupling the output of said light detecting means to said servo means for producing said error signals whenever said hole in a said circuit board carried by said frame is not in alignment relative to said light generating means and said light detecting means.