Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.

Mitsutaka Abe

Youji Urano

Mitsuru Iida

Takuya Nakatani

Shigeru Dono

Hidetaka Mori

In a connector with a component built-in, a base member is formed of three-dimensional formation circuit substrate, and has a fitting portion that is to be fitted to a connector of counterpart. Terminals electrically connected to a wiring pattern on a mother board, contacts electrically connected to contacts of the connector of counterpart, and a conductive pattern electrically connected to the electronic component are formed on a surface of the base member. Thus, the conductive pattern can easily be modified depending on application, and it is possible to provide complicated wirings. Furthermore, since the electronic component is mounted on the base member, it is possible to make the connector embed a lot of electronic components, and degrees of freedom of design are increased. Still furthermore, the electronic component can be connected by reflow soldering, so that mounting workability of the electronic component is increased.

Connector having a built-in electronic part

An automated part assembly machine has a work table supported to a base and movable relative thereto and at least two separate robots each having an end effector movable around within an individual work region. The two robots are positioned in such a relation as to give a common work region in which the individual work regions of the two robots overlap. A parts supply is arranged to the work table for storing parts to be picked-up by the robots. A plurality of operator hands are selectively and removably attached to the end effector of the robot for handling the parts by the robot. Disposed within the common region is a jig which positions the parts for assembly by the robot. The robots and the work table are controlled to operate in cooperation for assembly of the parts. The machine is characterized in that the robots are mounted on the movable work table together with the operator hands and the jig with the robots spaced in the moving direction of the work table, and that the parts supply extends in the moving direction of the work table. Thus, the robots are enabled to move together with the jig and the operator hands relative to the parts supply so that the robots can reach over a wide range of the parts supply beyond the individual work regions to thereby successfully pick-up suitable parts and transfer them to the jig for immediate assembly of the parts. Further, since the operator hands are on the movable work table, the robot can change the operator hands while moving relative to the parts supply for effecting the part assembly substantially without interruption, in addition to the advantage of enabling one robot to change the operator hand while the other robot is handling the parts.

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Nishinomiya, Japan

Mitsutaka Abe