Motorola Corporation

Richard W Jones

Anthony J Suppelsa

Michael F Shaw

A computer controlled assembly line (10) contains multiple work cells (40) for assembling a printed circuit board (PCB). Each work cell contains a conveyor (30) that can independently adjust its width, and the work cells are arranged to process the printed circuit board within the cell. The work cells are arranged so that they can pass the printed circuit board from the conveyor in one work cell to the conveyor in the next cell. The conveyors have two parallel rails (35, 36) situated so that the distance between the rails can be automatically adjusted to accommodate printed circuit boards of varying widths on the same assembly line at the same time. Each work cell independently adjusts the width of its conveyor (i.e. the distance between the rails) to accommodate the incoming printed circuit board. When the PCB is cleared out of the first cell, a second PCB waiting to enter the first cell is scanned (20), and the conveyor width of the first cell is re-adjusted to accommodate the different size of the first PCB. The entire assembly line is controlled by a central controller, such as a computer.

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Lauderhill, FL, United States of America

Richard W Jones