Apparatus and method for coordinating the movements of stages in a multi-stage multi-rate positioner system

A tool positioning system that is implemented as part of a workpiece processing system in which the workpiece is an electronic device or an electronic device package, the tool positioning system positioning a tool along a first axis relative to a set of target locations and describing a tool path on a workpiece, comprising:

• a database storage system providing from a database positioning commands that include the set of target locations to which a tool is to be directed;
• a signal processor deriving from the positioning commands a movement-controlling signal;
• a filter receiving the movement-controlling signal and separating it to provide a slow first axial direction positioning signal that includes a filter feedthrough signal portion, the signal processor subtracting the slow first axial direction positioning signal that includes the filter feedthrough signal portion from the movement-controlling signal to generate a fast first axial direction positioning signal;
• and
• slow and fast positioner drivers receiving the slow and fast first axial direction positioning signals and driving the respective slow and fast positioners, the slow and fast positioners responding to the respective slow and fast first axial direction positioning signals by at least partly uninterrupted concurrent movement in a coordinated fashion to produce accurate tool positioning along the tool path.

Apparatus for positioning a tool in substantially orthogonal X-axis and Y-axis directions relative to multiple target locations in succession on a workpiece in response to a set of positioning commands, comprising:

• a first positioner stage effecting at a first positioning acceleration a controlled first range of X-axis and Y-axis relative movement between the tool and the workpiece;
• a second positioner stage effecting at a second positioning acceleration a controlled second range of X-axis and Y-axis relative movement between the tool and the workpiece;
• and
• a signal processor operatively associated with the first and second positioner stages and deriving from positioning commands in the set a positioner stage movement control signal including multiple signal frequency components, the signal processor performing a filtering function to produce from the signal frequency components of the movement control signal first and second drive signals having respective different first and second frequency ranges, the first frequency range having a cutoff frequency and a bandwidth to which the first positioner stage responds to operate at the first positioning acceleration and the second frequency range having a cutoff frequency and a bandwidth to which the second positioner stage responds at the second positioning acceleration, the first and second drive signals causing at least partly uninterrupted concurrent X-axis and Y-axis movement of the first and second positioner stages such that the first positioning acceleration is greater than the second positioning acceleration and the first controlled range of relative movement is less than the second controlled range of relative movement, thereby reducing inertia-caused tool positioning speed reduction resulting from interrupted positioner stage movement during positioning of the tool relative to successive target locations.

An apparatus for positioning along an axis a tool relative to a set of target locations on a workpiece in response to a set of positioning commands, comprising:

• a first positioner stage effecting at a first positioning acceleration a controlled first range of relative movement between the tool and the workpiece along the axis;
• a second positioner stage effecting at a second positioning acceleration a controlled second range of relative movement between the tool and the workpiece along the axis, the second range of relative movement being greater than the first range of relative movement, and the second positioning acceleration being less than the first positioning acceleration;
• a signal processor including a position profiler to generate from the set of positioning commands an axial direction movement-controlling signal including a series of substantially wide-frequency bandwidth half-sine positioning segments;
• a low-pass filter splitting the series of half-sine positioning segments into a first frequency portion and a second frequency portion that includes a feedthrough signal portion, the low-pass filter passing the second frequency portion and the feedthrough signal portion to form a lower-frequency axial direction positioning signal portion;
• the signal processor subtracting the lower-frequency axial direction positioning signal portion from the series of half-sine positioning segments to generate a higher-frequency axial direction positioning signal portion that has restored thereto the feedthrough signal portion;
• a first positioner driver controlling the first range of relative movement of the first positioner stage along the axis in response to the higher frequency axial direction positioning signal portion;
• and
• a second positioner driver controlling the second range of relative movement of the second positioner stage along the axis in response to the lower frequency axial direction positioning signal portion.

An apparatus for positioning a tool along an axis relative to a set of target locations on a workpiece, comprising:

• a database storage system providing from a database positioning commands that include the set of target locations to which a tool is to be directed;
• a signal processor including a position profiler that derives from the positioning commands a substantially wide-frequency bandwidth series of half-sine positioning segments;
• an imperfect filter separating the series of half-sine positioning segments into a lower frequency portion, a higher frequency portion, and a feedthrough signal portion, an axial direction slow positioning signal being derived from the lower frequency portion and the feedthrough signal portion;
• the signal processor deriving an axial direction fast positioning signal by subtracting the lower frequency portion and the feedthrough signal portion from the series of half-sine positioning segments;
• and
• slow and fast positioner drivers applying the slow and fast axial direction positioning signals to respective slow and fast positioners, the slow and fast positioners responding to the respective slow and fast axial direction positioning signals by at least partly uninterrupted concurrent movement in a coordinated fashion to produce temporarily stationary tool positions over the target locations.

In a tool positioning system that is implemented as part of a workpiece processing system in which the workpiece is an electronic device or an electronic device package, the tool positioning system including a first positioner that effects at a first positioning acceleration a controlled first range of relative movement between a tool and the workpiece and a second positioner that effects at a second positioning acceleration a controlled second range of relative movement between the tool and the workpiece, the second controlled range of relative movement being greater than the first controlled range of relative movement and the second positioning acceleration being less than the first positioning acceleration, a method of coordinating the operation of the first and second positioners to move and selectively position the tool relative to a set of target locations and describe a tool path on the workpiece, comprising:

• providing positioning commands that define a tool path along which a tool is to be directed at controlled accelerations;
• generating from the positioning commands higher bandwidth and lower bandwidth positioning signals;
• deriving from the higher bandwidth and lower bandwidth positioning signals respective first and second positioning signals in which the first positioning signal corresponds to a subtraction of the lower bandwidth positioning signal from the higher bandwidth positioning signal;
• and
• deriving from the first and second positioning signals first and second drive signals and applying the first and second drive signals to the respective first and second positioners so that they respond by operating within their controlled ranges of relative movement with at least partly uninterrupted concurrent motion in a coordinated fashion to produce accurate tool positioning along the tool path at the controlled accelerations.