CN116508407A - Belt feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

A tape feeder includes a tape conveying path extending from an insertion position at which a carrier tape is inserted to a feeding position at which a front side of a component is fed, and a tape conveying mechanism for conveying the carrier tape inserted from the insertion position to the feeding position, the carrier tape including an embossed carrier tape having a base tape and a cover tape, the base tape having a cavity portion opened upward to house the component and two side edge portions extending outward in a tape width direction from a portion higher than a lower surface of the cavity portion, the cover tape covering the cavity portion, the tape conveying path including a supply side conveying path having two conveying guides contacting lower surfaces of the two side edge portions and a guide groove formed between the two conveying guides and into which the cavity portion enters, and an insertion side conveying path disposed at a rear side of the supply side conveying path and having a bottom portion contacting the lower surface of the cavity portion and an inclined guide contacting the lower surface of the side edge portion while gradually separating upward from the bottom portion as advancing from the insertion position.

Description

Belt feeder

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a tape feeder for feeding components by conveying a carrier tape.

Background

A technique for mass-producing a substrate product by performing a substrate-to-substrate operation on a substrate to which a printed wiring is applied is in widespread use. As a typical example of a substrate working machine that performs a substrate working, there is a component mounting machine that performs a component mounting operation. Most component mounting machines are equipped with tape feeders that feed components by conveying carrier tapes. The tape feeder can generally use a plurality of carrier tapes having different shapes and materials. Patent document 1 discloses an example of such a tape feeder.

The tape feeder of patent document 1 includes a pair of tape supporting portions that support both ends (both side edge portions) of the carrier tape in the width direction, a concave groove provided between the tape supporting portions, and a supporting surface provided at the tape insertion side end portion of the concave groove and located at a height equal to or higher than the tape supporting portions. Accordingly, the carrier tape can be stably inserted without a state in which one of the both end portions of the carrier tape falls down to one side of the concave groove.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: international publication No. 2016/142989.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, in the tape feeder of patent document 1, the carrier tape is bent at a portion inserted from the support surface provided at a high position to the tape support portion. Therefore, it is not preferable to generate a resistance feeling when the operator inserts the carrier tape. In addition, the tape feeder needs to be excellent in convenience of use regardless of the kind of carrier tape.

Accordingly, the problem to be solved in the present specification is to provide a tape feeder capable of smooth insertion regardless of the type of carrier tape.

Means for solving the problems

The present specification discloses a tape feeder including a tape transport path extending from an insertion position at a rear side of a carrier tape in which a plurality of components are inserted and held to a supply position at a front side of the components, and a tape transport mechanism for transporting the carrier tape inserted from the insertion position to the supply position, the carrier tape including an embossed carrier tape having a base tape and a cover tape, the base tape having a cavity portion opened upward to house the components and two side edge portions extending outward in a tape width direction from a portion higher than a lower surface of the cavity portion, the cover tape covering the cavity portion, the tape transport path including a supply side transport path including two transport guides in contact with lower surfaces of the two side edge portions and a guide groove formed between the two transport guides and into which the cavity portion is inserted, and the insertion side transport path being disposed at a rear side of the supply side transport path, the tape feeder including: a bottom portion in contact with the lower surface of the cavity portion; and an inclined guide that comes into contact with the lower surface of the side edge portion while gradually separating upward from the bottom portion as it advances forward from the insertion position.

Effects of the invention

In the tape feeder disclosed in the present specification, the tape conveying path includes a supply side conveying path having two conveying guides and a guide groove, and an insertion side conveying path having a bottom and an inclined guide. Therefore, when the embossed carrier tape is inserted into the insertion-side conveying path, the side edge portion rises along the inclined guide, and when the carrier tape advances to the supply-side conveying path, the side edge portion smoothly transits from the inclined guide to the conveying guide, and the cavity portion smoothly enters the guide groove. In addition, other kinds of carrier tapes than the embossed carrier tape are smoothly transferred from the inclined guide to the conveying guide. Therefore, the operator can insert smoothly regardless of the type of carrier tape.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view in the width direction showing the structure of an embossed carrier tape.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view in the width direction showing the structure of a constant thickness carrier tape.

Fig. 3 is a side view showing the overall structure of the tape feeder of the embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a detailed structure of the tape conveying path of the tape feeder.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the action in the case of inserting an embossed carrier tape into a tape feeder.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the operation in the case of inserting a constant-thickness carrier tape into a tape feeder.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the structure of the belt conveying path of the first comparative example.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the structure of the belt conveying path of the second comparative example.

Detailed Description

1. Structure of carrier tape (91, 95)

First, the structure of carrier tapes (91, 95) used in the tape feeder 1 of the embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 2. The carrier tapes (91, 95) respectively house the components P in the plurality of cavity parts (921, 961) and can sequentially supply the components P. The carrier tapes (91, 95) are provided in a form of being wound around a reel, and are drawn out from the reel for use. The carrier tapes (91, 95) are roughly divided into an embossed carrier tape 91 and a constant thickness carrier tape 95.

As shown in fig. 1, the embossed carrier tape 91 is composed of a base tape 92 and a cover tape 93. The base tape 92 has a plurality of cavity sections 921. The cavity 921 is provided at a constant pitch in the belt length direction, and opens upward to receive the element P. The base tape 92 further includes a side edge 922 and a side edge 923 extending outward in the tape width direction from a portion higher than the lower surface of the cavity 921, specifically, from the upper edge of the cavity 921. The thickness T of the cavity 921 is appropriately changed in accordance with the height of the accommodated element P.

One side edge 922 is formed wider than the other side edge 923 in the width direction, and a transfer hole 924 is perforated. The transfer holes 924 are arranged at constant intervals in the belt length direction. The pitch of the transfer holes 924 and the pitch of the chamber 921 are preferably, but not limited to, integer multiples of one another. The base tape 92 is formed by embossing a soft tape-shaped material such as resin.

The cover tape 93 has a smaller width dimension in the tape width direction than the base tape 92. The side edges of the cover tape 93 on both sides in the width direction are adhered to the base tape 92 to cover the cavity 921, thereby preventing the element P from scattering. The cover tape 93 is disposed so as to avoid the transfer hole 924. The cover tape 93 is formed using, for example, a thin and transparent polymer film.

As shown in fig. 2, the fixed thickness carrier tape 95 is constituted by a base tape 96, a base tape 97, and a cover tape 98. The base tape 96 is formed of a soft material such as a paper material or a resin, and has a constant thickness. The base band 96 has a plurality of cavity portions 961. The cavity portion 961 is perforated at a constant pitch in the belt length direction, and accommodates the components P. The position of the cavity 961 in the width direction is deviated from the center. A base tape 97 is bonded to the lower side of the base tape 96. The width dimension of the base tape 97 in the tape width direction is substantially identical to the width dimension of the base tape 96 in the tape width direction. The bottom tape 97 covers the lower side of the cavity portion 961, preventing the element P from falling off. The base tape 97 is formed using a thin paper material, a polymer film, or the like, and is transparent or translucent.

The base tape 96 and the base tape 97 have side edge portions 962 and 963 on both sides offset from the cavity portion 961. One side edge portion 962 is formed wider than the other side edge portion 963 in the width direction, and a conveyance hole 964 is perforated. The conveyance holes 964 are provided at a constant pitch in the belt length direction. As a general term for the base band 96 and the base band 97, a base band may be used. The cover tape 98 is formed in the same shape as the cover tape 93 of the embossed carrier tape 91, and is adhered to the base tape 96 to prevent scattering of the components P.

2. Integral structure of a tape feeder 1 of an embodiment

Next, the overall structure of the tape feeder 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 3. The right side of fig. 3 corresponds to the front side of the tape feeder 1, and the left side of fig. 3 corresponds to the rear side of the tape feeder 1. The tape feeder 1 is formed in a flat shape having a small thickness in the width direction (the front-back direction of the paper surface in fig. 3). The tape feeder 1 is a feeder of a type called an automatic loading feeder. The tape feeder 1 is used in a plurality of parts arrayed in a part mounter. The tape feeder 1 includes a feeder main body 2, an insertion guide member 3, a tape transport path 4, a tape transport mechanism 7, a control unit 8, and the like.

The feeder main body 2 is formed in a substantially box shape having a flat shape with a long length in the front-rear direction, a short length in the up-down direction, and a small thickness in the width direction. The insertion guide member 3 is formed of a different member from the feeder main body 2. The insertion guide member 3 is coupled to the vicinity of the middle height of the rear side of the feeder main body 2 using a mounting plate 31, a mounting screw member 32, and the like. By adopting a structure in which the insertion guide member 3 is attached as a separate body without being integrated with the feeder main body 2, workability of machining and assembling of the members is improved, and manufacturing cost is reduced.

The tape conveying path 4 is provided from the insertion guide member 3 to the front upper portion of the feeder main body 2. The belt conveying path 4 guides the embossed carrier belt 91 and the constant thickness carrier belt 95. The tape conveying path 4 includes a supply-side conveying path 5 on the feeder main body 2 side and an insertion-side conveying path 6 on the insertion guide member 3 side. Near the front end of the supply-side conveying path 5, a supply position 51 for the supply element P is provided. Near the rear end of the insertion-side conveyance path 6, insertion positions 61 for inserting the carrier tapes (91, 95) are provided.

The supply-side conveying path 5 extends obliquely from approximately the middle height of the rear part of the feeder main body 2 to the vicinity of the upper surface of the front part of the feeder main body 2. The supply-side conveying path 5 may extend horizontally. The supply position 51 is located on the upper side near the front end of the supply-side conveying path 5. A tape peeling mechanism 52 is provided on the rear side of the supply-side conveyance path 5 from the supply position 51. An anti-floating member 53 is provided on the rear side of the tape peeling mechanism 52 in the supply-side conveyance path 5. The detailed structure of the belt conveying path 4 will be described later.

The carrier tapes (91, 95) are transported by the tape transport mechanism 7 and travel from the rear side of the supply-side transport path 5 to the supply position 51 on the front side. At this time, the carrier tapes (91, 95) are prevented from floating up from the supply-side conveying path 5 by the floating preventing member 53. The carrier tapes (91, 95) are peeled off one side edge of the cover tapes (93, 98) by the tape peeling mechanism 52. Then, the cover tapes (93, 98) are folded back over the other side edge, and the components P can be supplied at the supply position 51.

The tape transport mechanism 7 transports the carrier tapes (91, 95) inserted into the insertion position 61 to the supply position 51. The tape transport mechanism 7 has a first sprocket 71, a second sprocket 72, and a front servo motor 75 below the front supply-side transport path 5 of the feeder main body 2. First sprocket 71 is rotatably supported at approximately the underside of supply position 51. Second sprocket 72 is rotatably supported on the underside of tape stripping mechanism 52. The diameters of the first sprocket 71 and the second sprocket 72 are equal, and an engaging protrusion is provided on the entire periphery of the outer periphery. The engaging projections of the first sprocket 71 and the second sprocket 72 are inserted into engaging grooves formed in the supply-side conveying path 5, and engaged with conveying holes (924, 964) of the carrier tapes (91, 95).

Front servo motor 75 rotationally drives first sprocket 71 and second sprocket 72 at equal angular speeds via a gear mechanism omitted from the reference numerals. Thereby, the carrier tape (91, 95) can be conveyed to the supply position 51 by the tape conveying mechanism 7. The carrier tapes (91, 95) from which the components P are taken out at the supply position 51 are discharged to the front.

The tape transport mechanism 7 further includes a third sprocket 73, a fourth sprocket 74, and a rear servo motor 76 below the rear supply-side transport path 5 of the feeder main body 2. Third sprocket 73 and fourth sprocket 74 are rotatably supported on the underside of supply side conveying path 5. Fourth sprocket 74 is located at the rear side of third sprocket 73. Third sprocket 73 and fourth sprocket 74 have equal diameters. An engaging projection is provided on the entire outer periphery of third sprocket 73. Engaging projections are provided discretely on the outer periphery of fourth sprocket 74. For example, the engaging projections of fourth sprocket 74 are formed in 2 pieces spaced 180 ° apart. Therefore, the number of engaging projections of fourth sprocket 74 is smaller than the number of engaging projections of third sprocket 73. The engaging projections of the third sprocket 73 and the fourth sprocket 74 are inserted into engaging grooves formed in the supply-side conveying path 5, and engaged with the conveying holes (924, 964) of the carrier tapes (91, 95).

The rear servo motor 76 rotationally drives the third sprocket 73 and the fourth sprocket 74 via a gear mechanism omitted from the reference numerals. Thereby, the carrier tapes (91, 95) can be conveyed forward along the supply-side conveying path 5 by the tape conveying mechanism 7. The fourth sprocket 74 and the rear servo motor 76 correspond to a conveying mechanism that is provided near the rear end of the supply-side conveying path 5 and conveys the carrier tapes (91, 95).

Further, a sub-belt holding portion 77 is provided above the supply-side conveying path 5 located at the rear of the feeder main body 2. The sub-tape holding portion 77 allows insertion of the second carrier tape (91, 95) during use of the first carrier tape (91, 95) conveyed to the supply position 51. The sub-tape holding portion 77 holds the distal ends of the second carrier tapes (91, 95) at a standby position 7B (described later). The sub-belt holding portion 77 is constituted by a belt pressing member 78, an operation lever 79, a blocking member 7A, and the like.

The tape pressing member 78 is disposed on the upper side of the supply-side conveying path 5 on the rear side of the fourth sprocket 74. The tape pressing member 78 is a member long in the front-rear direction, and the rear lower portion is cut into a tapered shape, so that insertion of the carrier tapes (91, 95) is facilitated (see fig. 4). The belt pressing member 78 can contact and separate from the supply-side conveying path 5, and is pressed downward by a spring omitted from the reference numeral at normal times. The tape pressing member 78 sandwiches and holds the inserted first carrier tape (91, 95) between it and the supply-side conveyance path 5, and restricts insertion of the second carrier tape (91, 95).

The front end of the operation lever 79 is swingably supported on the feeder main body 2. The rear end of the operation lever 79 protrudes rearward of the feeder main body 2, and can be lifted by an operator. When the rear end of the operation lever 79 is raised, the belt pressing member 78 is raised against the spring. By this raising operation, the operator can insert the distal ends of the second carrier tapes (91, 95) to the lower side of the tape pressing member 78 and superimpose them on the upper side of the first carrier tapes (91, 95) in use.

The blocking member 7A is provided on the front side of the tape pressing member 78 and the fourth sprocket 74. The stopper member 7A restricts the distal ends of the inserted second carrier tapes (91, 95) to stand by at the standby position 7B in the supply-side conveyance path 5. The standby position 7B is set to a position on the front side of the position where the engaging protrusion of the fourth sprocket 74 penetrates the supply side conveying path 5. After the rear ends of the first carrier tapes (91, 95) pass through the fourth sprocket 74, the stopper member 7A releases the restriction of the front ends of the second carrier tapes (91, 95).

Thus, the conveyance holes (924, 964) near the front ends of the second carrier tapes (91, 95) are engaged with the small number of engagement projections of the fourth sprocket 74, and are conveyed forward at a low speed. The second carrier tape (91, 95) is transported forward at a high speed by the third sprocket 73 if its leading end reaches the third sprocket 73. Finally, the second carrier tape (91, 95) is automatically loaded to the supply position 51 by cooperation of the third sprocket 73, the second sprocket 72 and the first sprocket 71. Further, the applicant discloses a detailed configuration example of the tape conveying mechanism 7 in international publication No. 2016/098235.

The control unit 8 is provided at the rear side of the front servo motor 75 of the feeder main body 2, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be provided at other positions of the feeder main body 2. The control unit 8 is connected to the upper control unit of the component mounter in communication. The control section 8 controls the tape conveying mechanism 7 in accordance with an instruction from the upper control section, thereby controlling the supply of the components P at the supply position 51.

The control unit 8 obtains detection signals from sensors (not shown) for detecting the end of use of the first carrier tapes (91, 95). Based on the detection signal, the control unit 8 controls the tape conveying mechanism 7 to automatically convey the leading ends of the second carrier tapes (91, 95) from the standby position 7B to the supply position 51 after the trailing ends of the first carrier tapes (91, 95) pass through the fourth sprocket 74. That is, the control unit 8 also serves as an automatic loading control unit.

3. Detailed structure of belt conveying path 4

Next, the detailed structure of the belt conveyor 4 will be described with reference to fig. 4. As described above, the tape conveying path 4 includes the supply-side conveying path 5 and the insertion-side conveying path 6. In fig. 4, a part of the side wall member forming the supply-side conveying path 5 and the insertion-side conveying path 6 on the front side is omitted.

The supply-side conveyance path 5 has two conveyance guides (55, 56) and a guide groove 58. The two conveying guides (55, 56) are formed by separate portions extending in the front-rear direction in parallel, the upper surfaces of the portions functioning as guides. A tapered chamfer 57 is provided at the rear ends of the two conveyance guides (55, 56) to facilitate transfer of the carrier tapes (91, 95). The space between the two conveying guides (55, 56) becomes a guide groove 58. The groove width dimension of the guide groove 58 is set slightly larger than the outer shape of the cavity 921 of the embossed carrier tape 91.

One of the conveying guides 55 contacts and supports the lower surface of the wide side edge 922 of the inserted embossed carrier tape 91 having the conveying holes 924. The other conveying guide 56 contacts and supports the lower surface of the side edge portion 923 on the narrow side of the embossed carrier tape 91. When the side edge 922 and the side edge 923 are supported, the cavity 921 automatically enters the guide groove 58. On the other hand, the fixed-thickness carrier tape 95 is supported by being bridged between the two conveying guides (55, 56), and does not enter the guide groove 58.

The insertion-side conveying path 6 is disposed at the rear side of the supply-side conveying path 5. If the insertion-side conveyance path 6 is omitted, the carrier tapes (91, 95) may be inserted into the guide grooves 58 while standing in the width direction, which is not preferable. The insertion-side conveying path 6 has a bottom 62 and an inclined guide 63. The bottom 62 is formed by inserting a large part of the upper surface of the guide member 3.

The inclined guide 63 is formed on an upper side of one of two side edges (a rear side edge in fig. 4) in the width direction of the bottom 62, and extends in the front-rear direction. The upper surface of the inclined guide 63 functions as a guide. The inclined guide 63 is inclined with respect to the bottom 62 so as to gradually separate upward from the bottom 62 as it advances from the insertion position 61. The height H from the bottom 62 at the front end of the inclined guide 63 is set to be larger than the thickness T of the largest cavity 921 of the embossed carrier tape 91.

The insertion-side conveying path 6 also has two side wall members 64 and a floating inhibitor 66. The two side wall members 64 are provided to stand from both side edges in the width direction of the bottom 62. On the opposite inner sides of the rear ends of the two side wall members 64, tapered chamfer portions 65 are provided to facilitate insertion of the carrier tapes (91, 95). In fig. 4, the front side wall member is not shown, and the rear side wall member 64 is in contact with the outer side of the inclined guide 63. The float-suppressing member 66 is mounted on the upper edges of the two side wall members 64. A tapered chamfer 67 is provided on the lower surface of the rear end of the float-up damper 66 to facilitate insertion of the carrier tapes (91, 95). An insertion opening is formed in front of the insertion position 61 by the bottom 62, the two side wall members 64 and the floating stopper 66.

The carrier tapes (91, 95) are inserted forward from the insertion position 61 through the insertion port. At this time, the two side wall members 64 suppress the wobbling of the carrier tapes (91, 95) in the tape width direction. In addition, the floating suppression member 66 suppresses the carrier tapes (91, 95) from floating from the bottom 62 and the inclined guide 63. The inclined guide 63 is brought into contact with the lower surface of the wide side edge 922 of the embossed carrier tape 91 and the lower surface of the wide side edge 962 of the constant thickness carrier tape 95, and guides them obliquely upward.

Therefore, when the embossed carrier tape 91 is inserted, the bottom portion 62 contacts and supports the lower surface of the cavity 921 up to a certain position on the way of the insertion-side conveying path 6, and the inclined guide 63 is separated from the lower surface of the side edge 922. In addition, in front of a certain position where the insertion-side conveying path 6 passes, the bottom 62 is separated from the lower surface of the cavity 921, and the inclined guide 63 contacts the lower surface of the side edge 922 to support the entire embossed carrier tape 91.

In addition, when the fixed thickness carrier tape 95 is inserted, the bottom 62 contacts and supports the lower surface of the fixed thickness carrier tape 95 within a limited range of the front side of the insertion position 61. The inclined guide 63 contacts the lower surface of the side edge 962 in a range where the inclined guide 63 exists, and supports the entire thickness-fixed carrier tape 95.

Here, the inclined guide 63 of the insertion-side conveying path 6 and the two conveying guides (55, 56) of the supply-side conveying path 5 are arranged on one plane. That is, the inclined guide 63 and the conveyance guides (55, 56) have the same inclination angle. On the other hand, the inclination angle of the bottom 62 is smaller than the inclination angle of the inclination guide 63.

4. Function of the tape feeder 1 of the embodiment

Next, the operation of the operator when inserting the carrier tapes (91, 95) into the tape feeder 1 will be described with reference to fig. 5 and 6. Further, the structure of the comparative example of fig. 7 and 8 is explained in comparison.

In fig. 5, the embossed carrier tape 91 is inserted forward from the insertion position 61. The side edge 922 on the wide side of the embossed carrier tape 91 is supported in contact with the inclined guide 63 and moves forward. At this time, since the wide side edge portion 922 is supported, the embossed carrier tape 91 can advance almost without being inclined in the tape width direction. In contrast, the structure in which the inclined guide 63 contacts the lower surface of the side edge portion 923 on the narrow side cannot be adopted because the embossed carrier tape 91 is easily inclined in the tape width direction.

The embossed carrier tape 91 reaches the boundary position between the insertion-side conveyance path 6 and the supply-side conveyance path 5 in a state where the cavity 921 floats up from the bottom 62. Here, since the inclined guide 63 and the conveyance guides (55, 56) are disposed on one plane, the side edge 922 can smoothly transfer from the inclined guide 63 to the conveyance guide 55 without changing the traveling direction. The cavity 921 can smoothly enter the guide groove 58 located on the front surface without changing the traveling direction. Therefore, the operator can smoothly insert the embossed carrier tape 91.

In fig. 6, a constant-thickness carrier tape 95 is inserted forward from the insertion position 61. The fixed-thickness carrier tape 95 reaches the boundary position between the insertion-side conveying path 6 and the supply-side conveying path 5 in a state where the wide side edge portion 962 is supported in contact with the inclined guide 63. Here, since the inclined guide 63 and the conveyance guides (55, 56) are disposed on one plane, the constant thickness carrier tape 95 can smoothly transfer from the inclined guide 63 to the conveyance guides (55, 56) without changing the traveling direction. Therefore, the operator can smoothly insert the constant-thickness carrier tape 95.

On the other hand, in the first comparative example shown in fig. 7, the insertion-side conveying path 6X is not provided with the inclined guide 63. The configuration of the supply-side conveyance path 5 is the same as that of the embodiment. The bottom 62X of the insertion-side conveyance path 6X is disposed on the same plane as the conveyance guides (55, 56). Therefore, the constant-thickness carrier tape 95 can smoothly transfer from the bottom 62X to the conveying guides (55, 56).

However, when the embossed carrier tape 91 is transferred from the bottom 62X to the conveyance guides (55, 56), the side edge portion 922 contacts the conveyance guide 55, the side edge portion 923 contacts the conveyance guide 56, and the cavity 921 enters the guide groove 58 by an amount corresponding to the thickness T of the cavity 921. In this way, the traveling direction of the embossed carrier tape 91 changes downward. The downward change in the traveling direction of the embossed carrier tape 91 is forcibly caused by the collision with the tape pressing member 78. Therefore, when the operator inserts the embossed carrier tape 91, a resistance feeling is generated, which is not preferable.

In the second comparative example shown in fig. 8, the insertion-side conveyance path 6Y does not include the inclined guide 63. The configuration of the supply-side conveyance path 5 is the same as that of the embodiment. The tip of the bottom 62Y of the insertion-side conveyance path 6Y is disposed lower than the conveyance guides (55, 56) by an amount corresponding to the thickness T of the cavity 921. Therefore, the embossed carrier tape 91 smoothly transfers the side edge portion 922 and the side edge portion 923 advancing at a position higher than the bottom portion 62Y to the conveying guides (55, 56), and the cavity 921 smoothly enters the guide groove 58.

However, since the fixed thickness carrier tape 95 advances along the bottom 62Y arranged low, it is necessary to drive on the conveying guides (55, 56) while colliding, and the traveling direction changes upward. The upward traveling direction of the fixed-thickness carrier tape 95 is forcibly changed to the forward direction by the tape pressing member 78. Therefore, when the operator inserts the constant-thickness carrier tape 95, a resistance feeling is generated, which is not preferable. In addition, even the embossed carrier tape 91 having the small thickness T of the cavity 921 gives a sense of resistance to the same.

Unlike the first comparative example and the second comparative example, in the tape feeder 1 of the embodiment, the tape conveying path 4 includes the insertion-side conveying path 6 having the bottom 62 and the inclined guide 63. Therefore, when the embossed carrier tape 91 is inserted into the insertion-side conveying path 6, the side edge portion 922 rises along the inclined guide 63, and when the carrier tape advances to the supply-side conveying path 5, the side edge portion 922 smoothly transits from the inclined guide 63 to the conveying guide 55, and the cavity 921 smoothly enters the guide groove 58. The fixed-thickness carrier tape 95 smoothly transfers from the inclined guide 63 to the conveyance guides (55, 56). Therefore, the operator can insert smoothly regardless of the type of carrier tape.

5. Application and modification of the embodiments

The inclined guides 63 are one in the embodiment, but may be provided at both side edges in the width direction of the bottom 62. The tape feeder 1 of the embodiment is an automatic loading feeder, but may be a general tape feeder that performs a bonding operation. However, in the tape feeder 1 of the embodiment, the distance between the insertion position 61 and the fourth sprocket 74 is greater than that of a general tape feeder due to the restriction in terms of the structure including the sub-tape holding portion 77. Therefore, in the tape feeder 1 of the embodiment, the insertion length of the insertion carrier tape (91, 95) is increased, and the effect of smoothly performing the insertion is remarkable. In addition to the present embodiment, various applications and modifications can be made.

Description of the reference numerals

1: belt feeder

2: feeder main body

3: insertion guide member

4: belt conveying path

5: supply side conveying path

51: supply position

55: conveying guide

56: conveying guide

58: guide groove

6. 6X, 6Y: insertion-side conveying path

61: insertion position

62. 62X, 62Y: bottom part

63: tilting guide

64: sidewall member

66: floating inhibitor

7: belt conveying mechanism

71 to 74: first to fourth sprocket wheels

75: front servo motor

76: rear servo motor

77: secondary belt holding part

78: with pressing members

7A: barrier member

7B: standby position

8: control unit

91: embossing carrier tape

92: baseband band

921: cavity part

922: side edge part

923: side edge part

924: delivery hole

93: cover tape

95: fixed-thickness carrier tape

96: baseband band

961: cavity part

962: side edge part

963: side edge part

964: delivery hole

97: bottom belt

98: and (5) a cover tape.

Claims (8)

1. A tape feeder is provided with:

a tape transport path extending from an insertion position at a rear side of a carrier tape in which a plurality of components are inserted and held to a supply position at a front side at which the components are supplied; and

a tape conveying mechanism for conveying the carrier tape inserted from the insertion position to the supply position,

the carrier tape includes an embossed carrier tape having a base tape and a cover tape, the base tape having a cavity portion opened upward to house the element and two side edge portions extending outward in a tape width direction from a portion higher than a lower surface of the cavity portion, the cover tape covering the cavity portion,

the belt conveying path includes:

a supply-side conveying path having two conveying guides that contact lower surfaces of the two side edge portions and a guide groove that is formed between the two conveying guides and into which the cavity portion enters; and

an insertion-side conveyance path disposed on a rear side of the supply-side conveyance path, the insertion-side conveyance path including: a bottom portion in contact with the lower surface of the cavity portion; and an inclined guide that comes into contact with the lower surface of the side edge portion while gradually separating upward from the bottom portion as it advances forward from the insertion position.

2. The tape feeder of claim 1, wherein,

a height from the bottom portion at a front end of the inclined guide is set to be larger than a thickness of the cavity portion of the embossed carrier tape.

3. The tape feeder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the inclined guide is in contact with the lower surface of the side edge portion having one of the transfer holes for engaging with the sprocket assembly constituting the tape transfer mechanism.

4. The tape feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein,

the inclined guide and the conveying guide are disposed on one plane.

5. The tape feeder of any of claims 1-4, wherein,

the insertion-side conveyance path includes:

two side wall members disposed so as to sandwich the bottom portion and the inclined guide member, and configured to suppress a swing of the carrier tape in a tape width direction; and

and a floating suppressing member disposed above the bottom portion and the inclined guide member, for suppressing the carrier tape from floating from the bottom portion and the inclined guide member.

6. The tape feeder of any of claims 1-5, wherein,

the supply-side conveying path and the insertion-side conveying path are formed by different members and are combined.

7. The tape feeder of any of claims 1-6, wherein,

the carrier tape includes a constant thickness carrier tape including a base tape having the cavity portion and having a constant thickness, and the cover tape covering the cavity portion.

8. The tape feeder of any of claims 1-7, wherein,

the tape conveying mechanism is provided with a conveying mechanism for conveying the carrier tape near the rear end of the supply side conveying path,

the tape feeder further comprises:

a sub-tape holding unit that holds a leading end of a second carrier tape at a standby position in the supply-side conveyance path when the first carrier tape is conveyed to the supply position; and

and an automatic loading control unit that controls the conveying mechanism and the sub-tape holding unit to automatically convey the leading end of the second carrier tape from the standby position to the supply position after the trailing end of the first carrier tape passes through the conveying mechanism.