Circuit location sensor for component placement apparatus

Patent 4876656 Issued on October 24, 1989. Estimated Expiration Date:

August 28, 2007. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

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Inventors

Application

No. 090997 filed on 08/28/1987

US Classes:

716/8Floorplanning

Examiners

Primary: Arnold, Bruce Y.
Assistant: Callaghan, Terry S.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Hackbart; Rolland R.

International Class

G01B 011/03

Abstract

Unique circuit location sensing apparatus for component placement robots (100) utilizes a high-resolution optical reflective sensor (110) for detecting the location of selected circuit runners (300, 301) on a printed circuit board (350). The sensor (110) is mounted to the robot arm (106) and coupled by A/D converting circuitry (104) to the robot computer (102). The robot computer (102) positions sensor (110) over a selected runner (300, 301) and steps sensor (110) across the selected runner (300, 301), storing the digitized sensor output for each step. The robot computer (102) processes the digitized sensor outputs to determine the actual location of the selected runner (300, 301) and then calculates location offsets for the component placement program to be subsequently run on the robot computer (102). As a result, variations in actual location of circuitry on different printed circuit boards (350) are automatically compensated for and components are more accurately placed thereon. The unique circuit location sensing apparatus of the present invention may be advantageously utilized in any component placement robot for accurately detecting the location of circuitry prior to placement of components on the printed circuit board.