EP0152183A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Printed circuit board load-unload system and method
Assignee: Fujitsu Ltd
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Filing: 1985-01-16
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2005-01-16
Abstract
Abstract A printed circuit board ioad-unioad system for transferring printed circuit boards to and from a printed circuit board , processing portion (1) comprises a magazine stock portion (3) which conveys a plurality of magazines (M), each of which houses a plurality of printed circuit boards (P), along on a conveyor route; and a load-unload portion (4) where a printed circuit board is transferred between the magazine in the magazine stock portion (3) and the printed circuit board processing portion (1). The conveyor route of the stock portion includes a bypass route (8) which bypasses the load-unloed portion.
Inventors
- 👤 Hideo Sakamoto
- 👤 Yoshikuni Kawakami
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 16:52
CPC Classifications
H; H05; H05K; H05K13/00; H05K13/02; H05K13/0061
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
91 words
A printed circuit board load-unload system comprising a magazine stock portion (3) which conveys a plurality of magazines (M), each of which houses a plurality of printed circuit boards (P), in use along a conveyor route to a load/unload position; and a load-unload portion (4) for transferring printed circuit boards (P) between a magazine (M) in the stock portion (3) at the load-unload position and a 'printed circuit board receiving portion (1), wherein the conveyor route of the stock portion (3) includes a bypass route which bypasses the load-unload portion (4).
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
91 words
A printed circuit board load-unload system comprising a magazine stock portion (3) which conveys a plurality of magazines (M), each of which houses a plurality of printed circuit boards (P), in use along a conveyor route to a load/unload position; and a load-unload portion (4) for transferring printed circuit boards (P) between a magazine (M) in the stock portion (3) at the load-unload position and a 'printed circuit board receiving portion (1), wherein the conveyor route of the stock portion (3) includes a bypass route which bypasses the load-unload portion (4).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
91 words
A printed circuit board load-unload system according to claim 1, in which the conveyor route is defined by upper conveyor means (6B), lower conveyor means (6A) disposed below the upper conveyor means, and first and second elevator means (7,9) disposed at each end of the upper and lower conveyor means (6B.6A) and interconnecting the upper and lower conveyor means, and in which the bypass route is constituted by third elevator means (8) disposed adjacent to the one (7) of the first and second elevator means which faces the load-unload portion (4).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
76 words
A printed circuit board load-unload system according to claim 2, in which printed circuit boards (P) are horizontally housed in the magazines (M) one above the other at predetermined intervals and in which the one (7) of the first and second elevator means which is disposed adjacent to the load-unload portion (4) moves a magazine (M) intermittently step by step at a regular pitch corresponding to the intervals of the printed circuit boards in the magazine.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
100 words
A printed circuit board load-unload system according to claim 3, in which the elevator means (7) for intermittently elevating the magazine (M) comprises: an elevating platform (16) for mounting a magazine (M); a motor (18) for driving the platform (16); a serration-shaped positioning means (21) disposed along the elevation passage of the platform (16), the positioning means having teeth at regular intervals; detection means (22) for detecting the teeth of the positioning means (21); and a delay circuit (23) for stopping the motor (18) a predetermined time after the detection means (22) detects each tooth of the positioning means (21).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
64 words
A printed circuit board load-unload system according to any of claims 1 to 4, in which the load-unload portion (4) comprises at least one passage (41) for passing a printed circuit board and a hand (46) for holding the printed circuit board from the passage and for conveying it to a printed circuit board table (2) of a printed circuit board receiving portion (1).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
76 words
A printed circuit board load-unload system according to any of claims 1 to 4, in which printed circuit boards (P) are horizontally housed in use in the magazines (M) one above the other at predetermined intervals and in which the load-unload portion (4) comprises a change table (41) having two table surfaces (C 1 , C 2 ) in the same horizontal plane, the table surfaces being selectively disposable at a position facing a magazine (M).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
39 words
A printed circuit board load-unload system according to any of claims 1 to 4, in which the load-unload portion (4) comprises a robot (72) having a horizontally and vertically movable hand (74) for holding a printed circuit board (P).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
44 words
A printed circuit board load-unload system according to any of the preceding claims, in which pushing means (13) is provided at the load/unload position for pushing and transferring printed circuit boards one at a time from a magazine (M) to the load-unload portion (4).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
42 words
A printed circuit board load-unload system according to claim 8, in which detection means (14) is provided for detecting the presence of a printed circuit board ( P ) at the position corresponding to the pushing means (13) in the magazine (M).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
45 words
A printed circuit board load-unload system according to any of the preceding claims, in which magazine conveyor means (5) is provided adjacent the conveyor route of the stock portion (3), the magazine conveyor means including means for transferring magazines to or from the conveyor route.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
152 words
A method of operating a system according to any of the preceding claims when positioned adjacent a printed circuit board processing portion, the method comprising judging whether a magazine contains printed circuit boards to be processed by the printed circuit board processing portion, and a) if the magazine is one which containes such printed circuit boards, transferring the magazine (M) to the load/unload position and transferring printed circuit boards (P) one at a time to the printed circuit board processing portion and returning them to the magazine after processing, or b) if the magazine is one which does not contain such printed circuit boards, causing the magazine to bypass the printed circuit board load/unload position, during the time when the preceding magazine is dealt with by the printed circuit board load-unload portion, continuously so that printed circuit boards of the same kind are continuously supplied to the printed circuit board processing portion.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
83 words
A printed circuit board load-unload system comprising: a printed circuit board processing portion; a plurality of magazines, each of which houses a plurality of printed circuit boards; magazine stock means comprising a conveyor route on which magazines are arranged; and load-unload means comprising passage means for conveying a printed circuit board drawn out of said magazine and hand means for holding said printed circuit board disposed on said passage means and conveying it to a table of said printed circuit board processing portion.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
83 words
A printed circuit board load-unload system comprising: a printed circuit board processing portion; a plurality of magazines, each of which houses a plurality of printed circuit boards; magazine stock means comprising a conveyor route on which magazines are arranged; and load-unload means comprising passage means for conveying a printed circuit board drawn out of said magazine and hand means for holding said printed circuit board disposed on said passage means and conveying it to a table of said printed circuit board processing portion.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
109 words
A printed circuit board load-unload system comprising: a printed circuit board processing portion; a plurality of magazines, each of which houses a plurality of printed circuit boards; magazine stock means comprising a conveyor route on which magazines are arranged; and printed circuit board load-unload means comprising a passage for a printed circuit board drawn out of said magazine, a hand for holding said printed circuit board or said passage and conveying it to a table of said printed circuit board processing portion, and a change table having two table surfaces in the same horizontal plane, one of said table surfaces being selectively arranged at the position facing said magazine.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
109 words
A printed circuit board load-unload system comprising: a printed circuit board processing portion; a plurality of magazines, each of which houses a plurality of printed circuit boards; magazine stock means comprising a conveyor route on which magazines are arranged; and printed circuit board load-unload means comprising a passage for a printed circuit board drawn out of said magazine, a hand for holding said printed circuit board or said passage and conveying it to a table of said printed circuit board processing portion, and a change table having two table surfaces in the same horizontal plane, one of said table surfaces being selectively arranged at the position facing said magazine.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
EP0035844A2
Cited
EP0085837A1
Cited
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