Abstract:
Disclosed are a method for transferring software to programmable components and a placement system for placing components on substrates. The components are placed on substrates via a placement system with a plurality of processing units, which are connected with each other via an interface. The processing units can be controlled in order to place the components. Software that is to be transferred to the components may be transferred to the components via the interface and contact devices that are provided on the processing units.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention generally relates to a method for transferring software to programmable components and a placement system for placing components on substrates with a multitude of processing units, in particular, placement devices and feed modules for feeding components.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Components, as they are used today in a multitude of electric devices, are programmable to an ever increasing extent in order to provide the user of the components with the largest possible design freedom with regard to the desired functional scope of the components. During production of the devices that are supposed to be installed in the components for example placement devices are used, which contain among other things processing units such as transport segments, placement devices and feed modules. The components in this example are placed onto substrates with the placement devices. The printed substrates are transported to other processing units, such as a soldering furnace or testing equipment, via conveying segments.  
           [0003]    If programmable components are to be incorporated on a substrate, it is desirable that these programmable components can already be programmed during processing in the placement device. This offers the benefit that the finished printed substrates can be directly processed further without having to place the software, which is provided for the programmable components, in a separate step onto the programmable components. Conventionally the software for the programmable components is made available for example on the feed modules, which feed the components to the placement devices.  
           [0004]    In this case for example memory cards are used, which are inserted in the feed modules. The memory cards store the software that has been specified for the programmable components. The feed modules can read the software from the memory cards and transfer it to the components.  
           [0005]    This however has the disadvantage that it cannot be ensured whether the correct software is on the memory card and the memory card with the correct software was inserted into the correct feed module. Additionally, making the software available through memory cards makes interventions by the operator of the placement device necessary, which causes personnel needs to be very high.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    It is an object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a method for transferring software to programmable components as well as a placement device for placing components on substrates where operating safety and reliability are improved and processing speed is increased.  
           [0007]    The object is achieved in accordance with a method and the features pursuant to claim 1 as well as a placement system with the features pursuant to claim 9. Additional preferred embodiments of the invention are claimed in the dependent claims.  
           [0008]    According to an embodiment of the present invention a method for transferring software to programmable components is created. Components are placed onto substrates with a placement system, which contains a plurality of processing units. The processing units of the placement system are connected with each other via an interface. It is via this interface that the processing units of the placement system for placing the components can be controlled.  
           [0009]    Pursuant to an embodiment of the present invention, software is transferred to the programmable components via the interface, which connects the processing units with each other, as well as via contact devices, which are provided on the processing units. This offers the benefit that an intervention of the operator for allocation of the software to the programmable components is not required. The software can be transferred to the processing units, of which the components are programmable, directly via the interface, which connects the processing units with each other. This way additional data transmission, such as that via a memory card on which the software has been stored, can be eliminated. The programmable components are preferably also programmed in a contact-free manner by the contact devices.  
           [0010]    The software can be transferred to the components both before placement as well as during or after placement. It is therefore possible to provide the contact device on the feed modules of a placement system, on the placement devices or as a separate unit. In case the contact devices are provided on the feed modules, the software is transferred to the components before placement. If the contact devices are provided on the placement devices, the software can be transferred to the components before placement, during placement or after placement.  
           [0011]    The software can be issued by a control device to the interface. In this case, for example, the control device, which also controls the processing units via the interface, can serve as the control device. It is not required to provide additional control devices.  
           [0012]    It is furthermore possible after placement to perform a test of the printed substrates and/or the components that have been equipped with the software, wherein said test is controlled via the interface. For this, depending on suitability, the contact device that is provided on the processing units can be used. However it is also possible to provide an additional second contact device, which can contact the printed substrates for performing the tests and can be connected with the interface. The second contact device as well can be suited for contact-free contacting of the programmable components and/or of the substrates. The test can be performed for example with the control device.  
           [0013]    Pursuant to an embodiment of the present invention also a placement system for placing components on substrates with a plurality of processing units, which are connected via an interface, is created. The processing units of the placement system are in particular placement devices for placing the components as well as feed modules for feeding the components to the placement devices. On the feed modules and/or on the placement devices, contact devices are provided for contacting the components. The interface and the contact devices are designed for transmitting the software to the components.  
           [0014]    An embodiment of the present invention thus makes it possible to transfer software to programmable components via said interface, which connects the processing units of a placement system with each other. This way, an external method for making the software, which is to be transferred to the programmable components, available—for example through memory cards or an external computer system, which can be connected with feed modules of the placement system—can thus be avoided.  
           [0015]    The software that is to be transferred can be transferred to the programmable components for example via a control device that is coupled with the interface, wherein said control device also controls the processing devices. This way the software that is to be transmitted can be used and administered like an element of a control program from the placement system.  
           [0016]    The finished printed substrates and/or the programmable components can be tested through the interface. Such tests can be performed for example by the control device. During the tests, the substrates can be coupled with the interface via the contact devices or via additional second contact devices. This case ensures that the substrates can be contacted without great effort, as a function of the type of test that is to be performed.  
           [0017]    The interface can be for example a serial interface, a parallel interface or a computer network such as a telecommunications network, e.g. internet-based networks, or a local network, such as Ethernet.  
           [0018]    This way a simple connection of the programmable components to the network that is already in existence in the placement system is ensured.  
           [0019]    Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]    The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 1 as a diagrammatic view of a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]    [0022]FIG. 1 shows a control device  100 , which is connected with a plurality of placement lines  400 ,  400 - 1  via an interface  200 . The control device  100  processes among other things a placement program, which contains control instructions for the placement lines  400 ,  400 - 1 . Each placement line can include one or more placement systems  300 - 1 ,  300 - 2 ,  300 - 3 . The control instructions are suitable for controlling the placement systems  300 - 1 ,  300 - 2  and  300 - 3 .  
         [0023]    The placement systems  300 - 1 ,  300 - 2  and  300 - 3  are likewise connected with the interface  200 . The interface  200  serves the purpose of data exchange with the control device  100 . An Ethernet computer network for example can be used as interface.  
         [0024]    Each placement device  300 - 1 ,  300 - 2  and  300 - 3  contains for example a transport device  310 - 1 ,  310 - 2  or  310 - 3 . The transport device can be used to feed substrates (not shown) that are to be printed to the placement devices  320 - 1 ,  320 - 2  or  320 - 3  of the respective placement system  300 - 1 ,  300 - 2  or  300 - 3 . Each placement system  300 - 1 ,  300 - 2  and  300 - 3  contains one or more feed modules  330 - 1 ,  330 - 2 ,  332 - 2 ,  333 - 3 .  
         [0025]    The transport devices  310 - 1 ,  310 - 2 ,  310 - 3 , the placement devices  320 - 1 ,  320 - 2 ,  320 - 3  and the feed modules  330 - 1 ,  330 - 2 ,  330 - 3  are also connected with the interface  200 . The placement program, which is processed by the control device  100 , issues e.g. control instructions for the placement devices  320 - 1 ,  320 - 2  and  320 - 3  of the placement systems  300 - 1 ,  300 - 2  or  300 - 3 .  
         [0026]    If programmable components (not shown) are supposed to be printed, then those software elements, which are to be transferred to the programmable components, can be integrated into that placement program, which is performed by the control device  100 .  
         [0027]    For this, the software elements are issued from the control device  100  to the interface  200 . Via the interface  200  the software elements are transferred to the feed modules  330 - 1 ,  330 - 2 ,  330 - 3  of the placement robots  300 - 1 ,  330 - 2  or  300 - 3 . In doing so, the software elements can be transferred selectively to the individual feed modules  330 - 1 ,  330 - 2 ,  330 - 3  in dependency of the type of the programmable component and the function of the programmable component, which it is supposed to fulfill on the printed substrate.  
         [0028]    Initially it is being determined which component is fed by the respective feed module  330 - 1 ,  330 - 2  or  330 - 3  or is available there. Subsequently the control device  100  determines from the placement program which software element is provided for the determined programmable component that is fed by the respective feed module  330 - 1 ,  330 - 2  or  330 - 3 . The appropriate software element can be transferred via the interface  200  to that feed module  330 - 1 ,  330 - 2  or  330 - 3 , on which the programmable component that is available there is supposed to be equipped with said software element.  
         [0029]    In order to be able to transfer the software element to the programmable component, the feed modules  330 - 1 ,  330 - 2  and  330 - 3  can be equipped with contact devices (not shown), from which those contact surface or contact areas of the programmable components can be contacted, which are required for programming the respective components. It is also possible to use contact devices that operate contact-free. With these, programming can be performed e.g. via infrared radiation or radio-frequency radiation.  
         [0030]    It is also possible to perform a test of the finished printed substrates and/or the programmable components via the contact devices that are provided on the feed modules or via additional second contact devices. Therefore, the test can be controlled via the interface  200  by the control device  100 . It is possible e.g. to check whether the software elements that were transferred to the programmable components were transferred correctly, whether the components were placed correctly on the substrate, and/or whether the printed substrate exhibits the desired functions. Also the second contact devices can be designed as contact devices that operate contact-free, similar to the above-described contact devices.  
         [0031]    Pursuant to an embodiment of the present invention, a transfer of the software, the test of the substrates and/or the functional test of the programmable components that have been equipped with the software can be performed contact-free. This is suited for example for contact-free programmable components and/or contact-free operating interfaces on the substrates. The contact devices required for this operate also contact-free, e.g. through radio-frequency or infrared or by employing transponder technology.  
         [0032]    The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.