US 6,587,743 B1Granted

Pick and place teaching method and apparatus for implementing the same

AssigneeB P Microsystems, Inc.

InventorsWilliam H. White, Samuel K. Ingram

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Abstract

Systems and methods for teaching a location in a device programming apparatus. The X, Y, Z and angle coordinates of a pick and place nozzle are initialized, and the nozzle is moved in the X and Y coordinates to a position above the device in the location to be taught. The new X and Y coordinates of the nozzle are stored to a memory along with the initial angle coordinate. The system automatically determines the Z location of the surface of the device. The nozzle then automatically picks up the device and performs vision centering to determine the X, Y and angle offsets with respect to the initialized coordinates. The X, Y and angle offsets are used to modify the stored X, Y and angle coordinates so as to precisely determine the X and Y location of the device center as well as the device angle with respect to the system's global reference frame.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A method of teaching a location in a device programming apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a device in the location to be taught;
providing a nozzle capable of picking up the device, wherein the nozzle has an initial set of horizontal coordinates and an initial vertical coordinate;
positioning the nozzle to a first set of horizontal coordinates different from the initial set of horizontal coordinates such that the nozzle is above the device;
automatically determining, with the nozzle, the vertical position of the device relative to the initial vertical coordinate;
storing the vertical position such that in the future, the nozzle is moved to the vertical position stored to pick or place the device;
automatically determining, for each of the horizontal coordinates, offset coordinates of the center of the device relative to the nozzle;
combining the horizontal offset coordinates with the first set of horizontal coordinates so as to determine the location of the device relative to the initial set of horizontal coordinates;
repeating the step of determining the horizontal offset coordinates two or more times;
and
determining an average offset coordinate for each of the horizontal coordinates, wherein in the step of combining, the average offset coordinates are combined with the first set of horizontal coordinates.

7 more elements

A method by a device programming apparatus for obtaining and storing location information for a device, the method comprising:

(a) providing a first device at a first target location;
(b) determining a first location information for the first target location, wherein the first location information comprises coordinates of the first target location relative to a nozzle location, the nozzle for picking up the first device;
(c) providing a first identifier for identifying the first device and the first location information;
(d) storing the first location information in a non-volatile memory;
(e) providing a second device at a second target location;
(f) determining whether location information for the second target location is stored by comparing a second identifier for identifying the second device with the first identifier;
(g) if so, retrieving the first location information for use by the nozzle;
and
(h) if the second identifier does not correspond to the first identifier, repeating acts (b)-(d) for the second device at the second target location.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/361,791Filed 27 Jul 1999 · us provisional application
Priority: 29 Jan 1999
Granted: 1 Jul 2003
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G05B 19/42
Electric: recording and playback systems, i.e. in which the program is recorded from a cycle of operations, e.g. the cycle of operations being…
G05B 19/401
Numerical control [NC], i.e. automatically operating machines, in particular machine tools, e.g. in a manufacturing environment, so as to…
G05B 2219/45063
Nc applications: pick and place manipulator
G05B 2219/50133
Machine tool, machine tool null till machine tool work handling: with optical beam, tool crosses beam