CN116917896A

CN116917896A - Tag reading system, mounting system, and tag configuration method

Info

Publication number: CN116917896A
Application number: CN202180094297.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 相田和俊; 熊川正启; 佐野达哉; 小林弘晃; 上岛博幸; 中川裕人
Original assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-02-26
Filing date: 2021-12-15
Publication date: 2023-10-20
Also published as: WO2022180996A1; DE112021007168T5; JPWO2022180996A1

Abstract

A tag reading system (300) is provided with: a 1 st production facility unit which is provided with a radio wave shielding part (230) having radio wave shielding property, a 1 st radio wave transmitting part (230 a) having radio wave permeability, and is internally provided with an RF tag (T3), and a 2 nd production facility unit which is provided with an RF tag (T2) is arranged outside the 1 st radio wave transmitting part (230 a); and an antenna (a 3) for detecting the RF tag (T3) and the RF tag (T2). The RF tag (T3) has a main surface on which an antenna pattern (m 1) is formed, one end of the main surface is arranged on the RF tag (T2) side, the other end of the main surface is arranged on the antenna (a 3) side from the one end, and the antenna (a 3) is configured to detect the RF tag (T2) through the inside of the 1 st production facility unit and the 1 st radio wave transmission unit (230 a).

Description

Tag reading system, mounting system, and tag configuration method

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a tag reading system, an installation system, and a tag configuration method.

Background

Patent document 1 discloses a system for confirming the type of electronic component chips stored in a bulk box (housing) by reading a barcode mounted on the bulk box in a mounting system for mounting the electronic component chips supplied from the bulk feeder mounted with the bulk box.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 10-335888

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, in the mounting system of patent document 1, since the barcode reader must be moved to a position where the barcode of the package can be read, the mounting system is troublesome and has a problem of lowering productivity. For this reason, for example, a reader/writer for an RF tag and an RF tag capable of short-range wireless communication are being mounted in a package box. However, in a tag reading system using an RF tag, reading of the RF tag is sometimes difficult.

Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a tag reading system, an installation system, and a tag arrangement method capable of more reliably performing reading of an RF tag.

Means for solving the problems

A tag reading system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a 1 st production facility unit having a radio wave shielding part having radio wave shielding property and a 1 st radio wave transmitting part having radio wave transmitting property, wherein a 1 st RF tag is mounted inside, and a 2 nd production facility unit having a 2 nd RF tag mounted inside is provided outside the 1 st radio wave transmitting part; and an antenna for detecting the 1 st RF tag and the 2 nd RF tag, wherein the 1 st RF tag has a 1 st main surface on which an antenna pattern is formed, one end of the 1 st main surface is disposed on one side of the 2 nd RF tag, the other end of the 1 st main surface is disposed on the side of the antenna than the one end, and the antenna is configured to detect the 2 nd RF tag via the inside of the 1 st production facility unit and the 1 st radio wave transmission section.

The mounting system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a holding unit for holding an object; the tag reading system described above; a determination unit configured to determine whether or not a component is correct based on the information of the 1 st RF tag and the 2 nd RF tag read by the tag reading system; and a mounting head for mounting the component held by the feeder on the object based on the determination result of the determination unit.

A tag arrangement method according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a tag arrangement method of the 1 st RF tag mounted on the 1 st production facility unit, wherein the 1 st RF tag is mounted in the 1 st production facility unit such that one end of the 1 st main surface of the 1 st RF tag is one side of the 2 nd RF tag and the other end of the 1 st main surface is one side of the antenna than the one end.

In addition, the integrity or the specific aspects of the present disclosure may also be realized by a recording medium such as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable CD-ROM. Further, the present invention can be realized by any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

Effects of the invention

According to the tag reading system and the like according to the aspects of the present disclosure, RF tag reading can be performed more reliably.

Drawings

Fig. 1A is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a mounting system according to an embodiment.

Fig. 1B is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a mounting system according to the embodiment.

Fig. 1C is a diagram showing a configuration of a transfer robot according to the embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a structure of a component mounting apparatus according to an embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a supply unit according to an embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a view showing a state in which the housing, the attachment, and the feeder body are detached, respectively, according to the embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view for explaining the arrangement of the antenna and the RF tag according to the comparative example.

Fig. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a supply unit according to the embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a structure of an antenna according to the embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a structure of an RF tag according to the embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a structure of a relay substrate according to the embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing example 1 of the structure of the supply unit according to the embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing example 2 of the structure of the supply unit according to the embodiment.

Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining a method of measuring the received signal strength at each position of the RF tag according to the embodiment.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing measurement results of received signal strength for each configuration of the RF tag according to the embodiment.

Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing example 1 of the arrangement of the RF tag according to the embodiment.

Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing example 2 of the arrangement of the RF tag according to the embodiment.

Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing example 3 of the arrangement of the RF tag according to the embodiment.

Fig. 17 is a flowchart showing a method of configuring an RF tag according to the embodiment.

Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing an operation of replacing a housing of the mounting system according to the embodiment.

Fig. 19 is a view showing a state of the attachment housing according to the embodiment.

Fig. 20 is a flowchart showing an operation of replacing a housing and a feeder of the mounting system according to the embodiment.

Detailed Description

(implementation of the present disclosure)

Before explaining the embodiments and the like of the present disclosure, the progress of realizing the present disclosure is explained.

Patent document 1 discloses a dispenser (bulk dispenser) in which a housing (bulk box) to which a bar code is attached is inserted. The case accommodates the electronic component chips (components) in a bulk state. The central control device reads the bar code of the shell inserted into the feeder through the bar code reader, and when the information of the electronic component chip indicated by the bar code is consistent with the information of the appointed electronic component chip, the electromagnetic valve of the shutter which locks the shutter into a closed state is switched on, so that the locking of the shutter opening and closing plate which opens and closes the shutter is released. Accordingly, the shutter opening/closing lever connected to the shutter opening/closing plate is pulled (driven) by the spring, and thus the shutter opening/closing plate slides, and the shutter is opened. Thereby, the electronic component chip in the case is supplied to the chip feeding section.

As described above, in patent document 1, since the barcode is read by the barcode reader, it takes time and effort, and productivity may be affected. For example, in the case where there are a plurality of cases, it is necessary to read bar codes at the cases individually. In other words, it is necessary to move the bar code reader to the respective positions of the housings. In this way, when the bar codes of a plurality of cases are read, there is a fear that productivity is lowered.

For this reason, for example, a reader/writer for an RF tag and an RF tag capable of short-range wireless communication are being mounted in a package box. In the case of the RF tag, the information of the RF tag can be read by short-range wireless communication, and therefore, the labor is saved and the reduction in productivity can be suppressed.

However, in the case where a radio wave shielding portion (for example, an object formed of metal or the like) shielding radio waves exists in the vicinity of the RF tag, or in the case where the width of the air layer is less than 1/2 of the wavelength of the radio wave when the radio wave propagates in the air layer, the reading of the RF tag may be difficult.

Accordingly, the present inventors have made intensive studies on a tag reading system capable of more reliably reading an RF tag, and have initiated a reading system described below.

Hereinafter, embodiments and the like will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below and the like each represent general or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement positions of components, connection methods, steps, order of steps, and the like shown in the following embodiments and the like are examples, and the gist thereof is not to limit the present disclosure. Among the constituent elements in the following embodiments and the like, constituent elements not described in the independent claims are described as arbitrary constituent elements.

The drawings are schematic and are not necessarily shown in strict detail. In the drawings, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping description may be omitted or simplified. In each of the drawings, even when the same object is illustrated, the scale may be changed for convenience.

In the present specification and the drawings, the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis represent three axes of a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system. In an embodiment, the Z-axis is an axis parallel to the direction in which the feeder and the housing overlap. The X-axis and the Y-axis are axes substantially orthogonal to each other with respect to the Z-axis. The feeder is long, and the X-axis is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the feeder. In the present specification, "planar view" refers to a case when viewed from the Z-axis direction.

In the present specification, terms indicating the relationship between elements such as coincidence, equality, and parallelism, terms indicating the shape of elements such as a plate shape and a rectangular shape, and numerical ranges are not only expressions indicating strict meanings, but expressions indicating substantially equal ranges, for example, differences of several% degrees.

(embodiment)

[1. Outline of installation System ]

The configuration of the mounting system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1A to 2. Fig. 1A is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a mounting system 1 according to the present embodiment. First, an outline of the mounting system 1 will be described with reference to fig. 1A.

As shown in fig. 1A, the mounting system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a comprehensive control device 50, a1 st control device 50a, a2 nd control device 50b, a transfer robot 60, a supply unit 80, a component storage W, and a mounting line 90 including a plurality of component mounting devices 100. The mounting system 1 includes 3 areas, that is, a storage area A1, a preparation area A2, and a mounting area A3. Although the details will be described later, the case 10 has a component housing portion for housing components in a bulk state, which is an example of the 1 st housing portion, and the additional equipment 30 has a function of carrying components supplied from the case 10, which is an example of the 2 nd housing portion. The component is, for example, an electronic component such as a resistor or a capacitor, but is not limited thereto, and may be mounted on a substrate.

The storage area A1 is an area in which the casing 10 and the additional equipment 30 are stored. The storage area A1 includes, for example, a component storage W. At least 1 of the housing 10 alone, the additional equipment 30 alone, and the additional equipment 30 to which the housing 10 is attached is stored in the component repository W. A reader-writer RW for reading tag information stored in an RF (Radio Frequency) tag attached to each of the case 10 and the attachment 30 and writing tag information to be written in the RF tag from the RF tag is attached to the component repository W. The reader/writer RW is fixed and can acquire tag information transmitted from a plurality of RF tags at the same time. Further, tag information to be written to the RF tag can be simultaneously transmitted to a plurality of RF tags.

In the case where the RF tag is attached to the case 10, the tag information contains information about the components accommodated in the case 10. For example, the tag information includes at least 1 of information (identification information) indicating the type of the component, information indicating the number (remaining number), information indicating the lifetime, or an identification code (for example, electronic Product Code: EPC, electronic product code) of the tag itself, or the like. In addition, the information indicating the number is the number of the current time point.

In addition, in the case where the RF tag is attached to the additional device 30, the tag information includes at least 1 of identification information, use history, and the like of the additional device 30.

The tag information read by the reader/writer RW is managed by the integrated control device 50.

In fig. 1A, an example in which the storage area A1 is separated from the mounting area A3 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the storage area A1 may be provided as a part of the mounting area A3. For example, the mounting area A3 may include a component storage W. Further, for example, a component repository W may be included in the mounting pipeline 90. When the component storage W is included in the mounting line 90, the housing 10 and the attachment 30 can be directly supplied from the component storage W to the apparatus in the mounting line 90. That is, the housing 10 and the attachment 30 can be supplied to the device in the mounting line 90 without going through the preparation area A2.

The preparation area A2 is an area for preparing articles used in the mounting line 90 of the mounting area A3 in advance. In the preparation area A2, for example, the supply unit 80 mounted on the mounting line 90 is prepared in advance. The supply unit 80 includes, for example, a carriage 70 having a holding portion 71, a feeder body portion 40 held by the holding portion 71, an attachment 30 attached to the feeder body portion 40, and a housing 10 attached to the attachment 30. In the present embodiment, the carriage 70 includes a plurality of holding portions 71. In fig. 1A, 1 holding portion 71 out of the plurality of holding portions 71 is shown. In this case, in the preparation area A2, for example, a carriage 70 to which the feeder body 40 and the attachment 30 are attached is disposed. The 2 nd control device 50b instructs the transfer robot 60 such that the housing 10 accommodating the components used for the next production is mounted to the attachment apparatus 30 mounted on the carriage 70 in the mounting line 90, thereby preparing the supply unit 80 for the next production in advance. Not limited to the carriage 70, a holding device that can be coupled to the carriage 70 may be provided in the preparation area A2 as long as the housing 10 and the like can be held.

The carriage 70 further includes a reading device 130. The reading device 130 is fixed to the holding portion 71 of the carriage 70, for example. In the preparation area A2, the supply unit 80 may be connected to an external power source. Or the supply unit 80 may be provided with a power supply unit inside (for example, inside the carriage 70). Thus, it is possible to confirm whether or not the housing 10, the attachment 30, and the feeder body 40 attached to the carriage 70 are properly combined using the reading device 130 provided to the carriage 70. In addition, in the case where a plurality of sets of the casing 10, the attachment device 30, and the feeder body 40 are arranged in the 1-stage carriage 70, it is possible to confirm whether or not the mounting positions thereof are correct using the reading device 130.

The housing 10 containing the components that may be replenished may be transported from the component storage W to the preparation area A2 and stored. In this way, when the housing 10 is replenished, the time can be shortened by transporting the housing 10 from the storage area A1.

The installation area A3 is an area where the installation pipeline 90 is configured. The mounting area A3 and the preparation area A2 may be disposed in the same space. The mounting line 90 produces a mounting substrate by mounting components accommodated in the housing 10 for a substrate carried in from the upstream side, and carries the produced mounting substrate out to the downstream side. The mounting line 90 is implemented by various devices that perform substrate supply, solder printing work, component mounting work, reflow work, and the like. The component mounting operation is performed by the component mounting apparatus 100.

The integrated control device 50 is connected to the 1 st control device 50a and the 2 nd control device 50b, and collects and manages information of each component of the mounting system 1. The 1 st control device 50a controls each constituent element of the installation line 90. The 1 st control device 50a controls the production of the installation line 90 based on, for example, a production plan. The respective components of the mounting line 90 may be controlled by the 1 st control device 50a and a control device (not shown) provided in the respective components (for example, the component mounting device 100) of the mounting line 90. If the remaining number of components in the housing 10 of the supply unit 80 mounted on the mounting line 90 is equal to or less than a predetermined number, the 1 st control device 50a sends a component replenishment request to the integrated control device 50. The 2 nd control device 50b receives the replenishment request from the component of the integrated control device 50, outputs a replenishment instruction to the transfer robot 60, and replenishes the component. Specifically, the 2 nd control device 50b instructs the transfer robot 60 about the position in the storage area A1 of the housing 10 to be replenished, the moving path of the transfer robot 60, and the position of the replenishment housing 10 (the position in the mounting line 90, the position in the component mounting device 100, the position in the supply unit 80, and the position in the preparation area A2). The transfer robot 60 transfers the housing 10 accommodating the component to be replenished from the storage area A1 to the mounting line 90 based on the instruction from the 2 nd control device 50b, and replaces the housing 10 of the supply unit 80 with a new housing 10. Specifically, the transfer robot 60 recovers the housing 10 of the supply unit 80, and installs a new housing 10.

When the housing 10 attached to the supply unit 80 is changed to the housing 10 filled with another type of component, the 2 nd control device 50b controls the transfer robot 60 to replace the housing 10 and the additional equipment 30 of the supply unit 80 attached to the mounting line 90.

The transfer robot 60 is a self-propelled robot that transfers the housing 10 and the additional equipment 30 under the control of the 2 nd control device 50 b. Here, the transfer robot 60 will be further described with reference to fig. 1C. Fig. 1C is a diagram showing a configuration of the transfer robot 60 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in fig. 1C, the transfer robot 60 includes, for example, a travel unit 62, a storage unit 63, and a robot arm 61. The traveling unit 62 includes wheels and a motor for driving the wheels. The housing 10 and the attached device 30 are stored in the storage unit 63. The storage portion 63 includes, for example, a holding portion 63a for holding each of the plurality of cases 10 and the attachment 30. The transfer robot 60 is capable of transferring the plurality of cases 10 and the additional equipment 30 1 time by moving the plurality of cases 10 and the additional equipment 30 in a state where they are stored in the storage section 63. Further, a robot arm 61 is provided at an upper portion of the storage portion 63. The front end of the robot arm 61 is configured to be able to grip the casing 10 and the attachment 30. The transfer robot 60 mounts the housing 10 stored in the storage 63 by the robot arm 61 and the attachment 30 on the component mounting device 100. Thereby, the transfer robot 60 assembles the housing 10 and the additional equipment 30 to the plurality of component mounting apparatuses 100 by 1 transfer. The shape and the conveying method of the conveying robot 60 are examples, and are not limited to the above. The object may be carried by being supported or held by the robot arm 61. The robot arm 61 may support or hold the carriage 70 or the supply unit 80 to transport the object, for example. For example, when the types of the components of the housing 10 of the supply unit 80 mounted on the mounting line 90 are changed together, the 2 nd control device 50b controls the transfer robot 60 to transfer the supply unit 80 prepared in advance, and to replace the supply unit 80 mounted on the mounting line 90.

As described above, the mounting system 1 is a system in which the integrated control device 50 manages the replenishment of components and the change of the types of components.

Here, a component mounting apparatus 100 to which the supply unit 80 is mounted will be described with reference to fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of the component mounting apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. Further, an example will be described in which the component mounting apparatus 100 mounts components on the substrate 103. The component mounting apparatus 100 has a function of taking out components from a feeder for supplying the components and transferring the components to and from the substrate 103. The substrate 103 is an example of an object to which the component is attached.

As shown in fig. 2, the component mounting apparatus 100 includes a supply unit 80, a base 101, a substrate conveyance mechanism 102, a component mounting mechanism 108 including a mounting head 107, a substrate recognition camera 109, a component recognition camera 110, and a power supply unit 111 (see fig. 1B).

The substrate conveying mechanism 102 is disposed near the center of the base 101 along the X axis (conveying direction of the substrate 10). The substrate carrying mechanism 102 carries the substrate 103 carried in from the upstream side in the direction along the X axis, and positions and holds the substrate on a mounting table set for performing component mounting work. The supply unit 80 is detachably mounted on a supply unit mounting portion (not shown) of the base 101, which is a main body portion of the component mounting apparatus 100. More specifically, the carriage 70 constituting the supply unit 80 is fitted at the supply unit fitting portion. In the present embodiment, the supply unit mounting portions are provided on both sides of the substrate conveying mechanism 102, and the supply units 80 are also arranged on both sides of the substrate conveying mechanism 102. In each of the supply units 80, a plurality of feeders 20 can be arranged in parallel along the Y-axis, and at least 1 feeder 20 (bulk feeder) is assembled in parallel. The dispenser 20 includes, for example, a dispenser body 40 and an attachment 30. The substrate transport mechanism 102 is an example of a substrate transport section. Further, by mounting the supply unit 80 on the base 101, the respective functional units (for example, the vibration generating unit 41, the driving unit 45, the reading device 130, and the like, which will be described later) of the supply unit 80 are electrically connected to the power supply unit 111, and electric power is supplied from the power supply unit 111 to the respective functional units of the supply unit 80.

The feeder 20 disposed in the supply unit 80 supplies the components to the removal position of the mounting head 107 of the component mounting mechanism 108. The mounting head 107 is an example of a component mounting portion.

An X-axis moving stage 105 having a linear drive mechanism is disposed on an upper surface of the base 101 in an X-axis direction at an end in a Y-axis negative direction, and a 2-stage Y-axis moving stage 106 also having a linear drive mechanism is coupled to the X-axis moving stage 105 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction. The 2Y-axis moving stages 106 are provided with mounting heads 107 so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction.

The mounting head 107 mounts (mounts) components held by the feeders 20 arranged in the supply unit 80 on the substrate 103. The mounting head 107 mounts the component on the board 103 based on, for example, a result of determining whether the component is correct or not based on the 2-tag information (for example, information acquired from RF tags T2 and T3 described later) in the integrated control device 50 or the 1 st control device 50 a. The determination result is a determination result regarding the remaining number of components, whether or not information (identification information) indicating the kind of components accommodated in the replaced housing 10 is appropriate, a determination result of whether or not the arrangement of the housing 10 in the supply unit 80 is correct, and the like, but is not limited thereto. The integrated control device 50 or the 1 st control device 50a is an example of the determination unit.

A component suction nozzle (not shown) that suctions and holds components and can be lifted and lowered individually is mounted on the mounting head 107. The mounting head 107 includes a Z-axis lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the component suction nozzle, and a θ -axis rotation mechanism for rotating the component suction nozzle about the nozzle axis.

By driving the X-axis moving stage 105 and the Y-axis moving stage 106, the mounting head 107 moves in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. Thereby, the 2 mounting heads 107 take out components from the take-out positions of the feeders 20 respectively arranged in the corresponding supply units 80 through the component suction nozzles. The substrate transport mechanism 102, the X-axis moving stage 105, the Y-axis moving stage 106, and the mounting head 107 constitute a component mounting mechanism 108.

A component recognition camera 110 is disposed between each of the upper and lower carriages 70 and the substrate conveying mechanism 102. When the mounting head 107 for taking out the component from the dispenser 20 arranged in the supply unit 80 moves above the component recognition camera 110, the component recognition camera 110 picks up an image of the component held by the mounting head 107. The image recognition by the processing unit (not shown) performs recognition processing on the imaging result, thereby performing component recognition and position detection.

A substrate recognition camera 109 that moves integrally with the mounting head 107 is mounted on the mounting head 107 on the lower surface side of the Y-axis moving stage 106. By the movement of the mounting head 107, the substrate recognition camera 109 moves upward of the substrate 103 positioned on the substrate transfer mechanism 102, and images the substrate 103. The position of the substrate 103 is detected by performing recognition processing on the imaging result by image recognition by the processing unit in the same manner.

The power supply unit 111 supplies electric power to each functional unit of the component mounting apparatus 100. The power supply unit 111 supplies power to, for example, the supply unit 80 disposed in the substrate conveying mechanism 102. Specifically, the power supply unit 111 supplies electric power to the vibration generating unit 41, the driving unit 45, the reading device 130, and the like of the supply unit 80. The power supply unit 111 may be connected to an external power supply. The power supply unit 111 may supply electric power to each functional unit by control of the 1 st control device 50a, but is not limited thereto.

[2 ] Structure of mounting System ]

The following describes in detail the configuration particularly important in the present disclosure among the components described in the outline of the mounting system 1. Fig. 1B is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the mounting system 1 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a supply unit 80 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a state after the housing 10, the attachment 30, and the feeder body 40 according to the present embodiment are detached, respectively. In fig. 3, the mounting head 107 is also illustrated, and when the supply unit 80 is mounted on the mounting line 90, the mounting head 107 holds the components conveyed by the vibration generated by the vibration generating unit 41 on the conveying unit 34 of the attachment 30 and takes out the components. The holding includes at least 1 of adsorption or holding. In fig. 3, the cover 11 of the housing 10 is shown in an open state.

As shown in fig. 1B, 2, and 3, the mounting system 1 includes, as functional configurations, a vibration generating unit 41, a driving unit 45, a comprehensive control device 50, a 1 st control device 50a, a 2 nd control device 50B, a transfer robot 60, a mounting head 107, a power supply unit 111, a reading device 130, a sensor 140, a component detecting unit 141, an RF tag T, and a reader/writer RW provided in a component storage W. As shown in fig. 3, the vibration generating unit 41 and the driving unit 45 are provided in the feeder body 40, the power source unit 111 is provided in the component mounting device 100, and the reading device 130 is provided in the carriage 70. The RF tag T includes an RF tag T2 provided in the housing 10, an RF tag T3 provided in the attachment 30, an RF tag T1 provided in the dispenser body 40, and an RF tag T4 provided in the roll housing 120.

[2-1. Shell ]

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the case 10 includes a cover 11, a case body 12, an engagement portion 13, a 1 st protruding portion 14, and an RF tag T2. Further, an opening 15 is formed in the case body 12.

The cover 11 covers the opening 15 to prevent other components from being mixed into the housing 10. The cover 11 is provided in an opening 15 for supplying components from a housing chamber (not shown) including a space for housing the components in the case main body 12 to the feeder 20. In a state where the housing 10 is not mounted to the attachment 30, the cover 11 covers the opening 15. Further, in a case where the casing 10 is mounted to the additional device 30 and a verification is performed as to whether or not the casing 10 is mounted to the additional device 30, and the verification is successful, the cover 11 is opened. By performing the verification, the mixing of the components in the dispenser 20 can be further suppressed.

When the housing 10 is detached from the attachment 30, the elastic body is released from the lock, and the cover 11 is biased to be in the closed state. The mechanism for setting the lid 11 to the closed state is not limited to this. A rod (not shown) may be provided to press one end of the cover 11 and the opposite end in the X-axis negative direction.

The case main body 12 is a container for containing components in a bulk state. The case body 12 is, for example, an elongated case. The case main body 12 has a housing chamber for housing components in a bulk state therein. The lid 11 can form a space between the housing chamber and the outer wall of the case main body 12. In the present embodiment, the RF tag T2 is disposed in the space. The RF tag T2 is disposed, for example, in the housing main body 12 and below the housing chamber (for example, on the Z-axis negative side of the housing main body 12). The RF tag T2 is elongated, and is disposed in the case body 12 so that the longitudinal direction coincides with the longitudinal direction of the case body 12. Thus, the long RF tag T2 is easily mounted without increasing the area of the mounting surface on which the RF tag T2 is mounted.

The engagement portion 13 is a recess formed in the lower surface (surface on the negative Z-axis side) of the case main body 12 in order to fix the case 10 to the attachment 30. The engagement portion 13 is provided at a position corresponding to the claw portion 37 of the mounted portion 32 of the attachment 30, and engages with the claw portion 37. That is, the engagement portion 13 engages with the claw portion 37 to fix the housing 10 to the attachment 30.

In addition, from the viewpoint of suppressing the mixing of other components into the housing 10 and the additional equipment 30, it is preferable that the housing 10 is not easily detached after the housing 10 is attached to the additional equipment 30. For example, after the housing 10 is attached to the attachment 30, the movement of the claw portion 37 (for example, movement in the Z-axis direction) may be regulated by the driving portion 45. This can prevent the worker from erroneously removing the housing 10 from the attachment 30 and mixing in the components. For example, it is possible to prevent the housing 10 accommodating components other than those corresponding to the attachment 30 from being attached to the attachment 30 after the worker removes the housing 10 from the attachment 30. In addition, the attachment 30 can be detached from the housing 10 by releasing the restriction of the driving portion 45.

The 1 st convex portion 14 is a portion gripped by the robot arm 61 when the transfer robot 60 mounts the housing 10 to the attachment 30 of the supply unit 80. The 1 st projection 14 is provided so as to protrude from the wall surface of the X-axis negative side of the housing main body 12 toward the X-axis negative side, for example. A positioning portion (not shown) that determines a gripping position when the robot arm 61 grips the 1 st convex portion 14 may be formed in the 1 st convex portion 14. The positioning portions are, for example, a pair of recesses formed in the upper and lower surfaces of the 1 st protruding portion 14.

Information about components contained in the housing 10 to which the RF tag T2 is mounted is stored in the RF tag T2. The RF tag T2 stores tag information such as information (identification information) indicating the type of component, information indicating the number (remaining number), and information indicating the lifetime. The RF tag T2 may also be attached to the housing 10 already at the time point when the housing 10 is delivered from the component manufacturer, for example. Accordingly, by storing the housing 10 to be delivered in the component storage W, the integrated control device 50 can acquire information about the components of the housing 10 via the reader/writer RW. Information such as the date of entry and the management number may be written to the RF tag T2 by the reader/writer RW of the component repository W. In addition, the housing 10 having no margin may be transported to the disposal area after processing is performed so that the information stored in the RF tag T2 cannot be read. This can prevent the components from being mixed in by recycling of the housing 10. The RF tag T2 is an example of the 2 nd RF tag.

[2-2. Additional devices ]

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the feeder 20 includes an attachment 30 for detachably (for example, detachably) assembling the housing 10 and carrying the components, and a feeder body 40 for detachably attaching the attachment 30. The feeder 20 may be said to include a feeder body 40 and an attachment 30 that is detachable from the feeder body 40 and has a portion 32 to which the housing 10 is detachably attached. Further, the feeder 20 can be said to be separated into the attachment device 30 and the feeder body 40. For example, when the conveying portion (corresponding to the conveying portion 34 according to the present embodiment) for conveying the component and the feeder body portion (corresponding to the feeder body portion 40 according to the present embodiment) are integrated, the conveying portion can be shared regardless of the type of the component. In this case, the components used in the previous production may remain in the conveying section, and the components newly mounted in the housing of the feeder (corresponding to the feeder 20 according to the present embodiment) and the components remaining in the conveying section may be mixed. Such mixing is particularly problematic when the components supplied from the feeder 20 are changed to different types of components and are produced. On the other hand, the feeder 20 according to the present embodiment can be separated into the additional equipment 30 having the carrying section 34 and the feeder body section 40, and thus, by providing the carrying section 34 (additional equipment 30) exclusively for the components, it is possible to suppress the mixing of the components when a plurality of different kinds of components are supplied from the feeder 20. The feeder 20 can suppress mixing even when the size of the components is small. The feeder 20 is long, and the longitudinal direction is the X-axis direction.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the attachment 30 includes an attached portion 32, a cover 32a, a carrying portion 34, a cover 35, a claw 37, a protruding portion 38, and an RF tag T3. In the present embodiment, the assembled portion 32 and the conveying portion 34 are integrally formed. In the attachment 30, an opening 32b is formed at a position corresponding to the opening 15 of the housing 10, and an opening 35a is formed at a position where the component is taken out by the mounting head 107. The fitting portion 32 is provided with a rod (not shown) for opening and closing the opening 15 by acting on the lid 11. The rod moves in the X-axis direction by a driving unit 45 provided in the feeder body 40, and acts on the cover 11 provided in the opening 15 of the housing 10.

The fitting portion 32 is a portion for attaching and detaching the housing 10, and fixes the housing 10 and opens and closes the cover 11 of the housing 10. The assembled part 32 is provided with a cover 32a, a rod body and a claw 37.

The cover 32a covers the opening 32b to prevent other components from being mixed into the additional device 30. The cover 32a is provided between the opening 15 and the carrying portion 34. The cover 32a covers the opening 32b in a state where the case 10 is not mounted to the additional device 30. Further, when a check is performed as to whether or not the housing 10 mounted on the additional device 30 is a housing mounted on the additional device 30 and the check is successful, the cover 32a is opened. The cover 32a may be opened and closed by the driving unit 45, for example. When the attachment 30 to which the housing 10 is attached is detached from the feeder body 40, the cover 32a may be closed. This can suppress the invasion of the components of the housing 10 into the carrying section 34.

As described above, the fitting portion 32 has the lid 32a provided at the opening 32b formed at the position corresponding to the opening 15 of the housing 10 in the state where the housing 10 is fitted to the fitting portion 32.

The rod is an example of an opening/closing mechanism for opening/closing the lid 11, and in this embodiment, the lid 11 is rotated about a rotation axis parallel to the Y axis by pressing the lid 11, so that the lid 11 is opened/closed. For example, the pressing cover 11 can supply the components of the housing 10 to the carrying section 34. The rod is disposed, for example, at a position where one end of the cover 11 can be pressed. The shape of the rod body is not particularly limited. Further, the rod body may be accommodated inside the fitted portion 32 without pressing one end portion of the cover body 11. This can prevent the rod from coming into contact with one end of the cover 11 when the case 10 is attached to the attachment 30 or the like.

As described above, the additional equipment 30 according to the present embodiment has an opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing the cover 11 of the casing 10.

The claw 37 is a protrusion provided on the fitting portion 32 at a position where the lower surface of the housing 10 contacts in order to fix the housing 10 to the attachment 30. The claw 37 is engaged with the engagement portion 13 of the housing 10 to fix the housing 10 to the attachment 30. Although details will be described later, the claw portion 37 is movable between a 1 st position accommodated in the fitted portion 32 and a 2 nd position protruding from the fitted portion 32. That is, the claw portion 37 is movable in the Z-axis direction. In fig. 4, an example of fixing the claw portion 37 at the 2 nd position is shown. The movement of the 1 st position and the 2 nd position of the claw 37 may be performed by the driving unit 45, or may be performed by an elastic body such as a spring, for example.

The shape of the claw portion 37 when viewed from the Y-axis direction is, for example, a triangle, and in fig. 4, a right triangle. The claw 37 may be formed so as to be inclined to be higher toward the opening 32b side when viewed from the Y-axis direction (in the example of fig. 4, the right side of the hypotenuse is higher).

The carrying section 34 carries the components supplied from the housing 10 to a position taken out by the mounting head 107. In the present embodiment, the conveying section 34 conveys the component by the vibration generated by the vibration generating section 41. The carrying section 34 is an example of a component carrying section.

The attachment 30 may further include a guide portion that fixedly mounts the housing 10 to the attachment 30 in a state in which the housing 10 is mounted to the attachment 30, and functions as a guide when the housing 10 is mounted to the attachment 30. For example, the guide portion is a groove that engages with a convex portion (2 nd convex portion) provided so as to protrude toward the lower surface of the housing 10, but is not limited thereto.

The cover 35 covers the opening 35a. The cover 35 is opened when the component is removed from the mounting head 107. The lid 35 is opened after the lids 11 and 32a are opened. The cover 35 may be opened and closed by the driving unit 45, for example.

The engagement portion 36 is a recess formed in the lower surface (surface on the negative Z-axis side) of the attachment 30 in order to fix the attachment 30 to the feeder body 40. The engaging portion 36 is provided at a position corresponding to the claw portion 43 provided in the dispenser body 40, and engages with the claw portion 43. That is, the engaging portion 36 and the claw portion 43 are engaged to fix the attachment 30 to the dispenser body 40.

The protruding portion 38 is a portion gripped by the robot arm 61 when the transfer robot 60 mounts the attachment 30 to the feeder body portion 40 of the supply unit 80. The convex portion 38 is provided, for example, to protrude from a wall surface of the X-axis negative side of the attachment 30 toward the X-axis negative side. The protruding portion 38 may have a positioning portion that determines a gripping position when the robot arm 61 grips the protruding portion 38. The positioning portions are, for example, a pair of recesses formed in the upper and lower surfaces of the protruding portion 38. For example, the protruding portion 38 may be formed with a recess such as the positioning portion of the 1 st protruding portion 14.

The RF tag T3 stores tag information such as identification information, use history, and components corresponding to the additional device 30 of the additional device 30. In the case where the casing 10 is attached to the attachment 30, information on the components of the casing 10 may be stored in the RF tag T3. That is, at least a part of the information stored in the RF tag T2 may also be stored in the RF tag T3. Information such as a date of entry and a management number may be written in the RF tag T3 via the reader RW of the component repository W. In the following, examples will be described in which the additional devices 30 are provided, for example, to be dedicated to each type of component, that is, to be in contact with the additional devices 30, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The types of the components include, for example, at least 1 of the types of the elements (resistors, capacitors, etc.) and the sizes of the components (0402, 0603, 1005, etc., not limited to the actual sizes including the sizes in the standard and data), the model numbers of the components, the sizes of the cases 10, the manufacturers of the components, and the like. The RF tag T3 is an example of the 1 st RF tag.

In the above description, the example in which the rod (the acting portion) is provided in the fitting portion 32 and the lid 11 of the housing 10 is opened and closed has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a rod may be provided in the case 10, and after the case 10 is attached to the assembled part 32, the rod may press the lid 32a of the assembled part 32 to open and close the lid 32a. That is, the cover 32a of the mounted portion 32 may be opened and closed by an action portion provided in the housing 10.

In the above, the case 10 is attached to the attachment 30 and after verification, the lid 11 is opened and closed by the stick, but the lid 11 of the case 10 may be opened and closed in conjunction with the attachment 30 being attached to the case 10. For example, it can be achieved by projecting the rod body from the fitted portion 32 in advance when the housing 10 is mounted to the attachment 30.

[2-3. Feeder body portion ]

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the feeder body 40 is a body to which the attachment 30 is detachably attached. In other words, the feeder body 40 is detachably attached to the mounted portion 32 and the conveying portion 34.

As shown in fig. 2 to 4, the dispenser body 40 includes a vibration generating portion 41, a claw portion 43, a convex portion 44, a driving portion 45, and an RF tag T1. The dispenser body 40 is a container for accommodating the vibration generating unit 41, the claw 43, the RF tag T1, and the like, and is, for example, box-shaped.

The vibration generating unit 41 conveys the component to the opening 35a by vibrating the attachment 30. The vibration generating unit 41 vibrates the attachment 30 in the X-axis direction, for example, but is not limited thereto, and any vibration condition may be used as long as the component can be conveyed to the opening 35a. Further, the vibration generating section 41 can control the supply amount of the components supplied from the housing 10 to the attachment 30 according to the vibration condition. The vibration condition may be determined according to the supply amount of the component. The vibration generating section 41 is realized by an actuator (vibrator), for example.

The claw 43 is a protrusion provided at a position where the lower surface of the attachment 30 contacts in order to fix the attachment 30 to the feeder body 40. The claw portion 43 is engaged with the engagement portion 36 of the attachment 30 to fix the attachment 30 to the feeder body 40. The claw 43 is movable between a 3 rd position accommodated in the dispenser body 40 and a 4 th position protruding from the dispenser body 40. That is, the claw portion 43 may be movable in the Z-axis direction. In fig. 4, the claw 37 is fixed at the 4 th position. The movement of the 3 rd and 4 th positions of the claw 43 may be performed by a driving unit (not shown) provided in the feeder body 40, for example.

The protruding portion 44 is a portion gripped by the robot arm 61 when the transfer robot 60 attaches the feeder body portion 40 to the carriage 70 of the supply unit 80. The convex portion 44 is provided to protrude from the wall surface of the feeder body portion 40 on the X-axis negative side toward the X-axis negative side, for example. The protruding portion 44 may have a positioning portion that determines a gripping position when the robot arm 61 grips the protruding portion 44. The positioning portions are, for example, a pair of recesses formed in the upper and lower surfaces of the protruding portion 44. For example, the convex portion 44 may be formed with a recess such as the positioning portion of the 1 st convex portion 14.

The driving unit 45 moves the bar body provided in the mounted part 32 of the housing 10 to which the attachment 30 is mounted, in the X-axis direction by the control of the 1 st control device 50 a. The driving portion 45 can be said to move the rod in and out with respect to the assembled portion 32. The driving unit 45 physically applies the rod to the lid 11 in a state where the housing 10 is mounted on the mounted portion 32, thereby setting the lid 11 from the closed state to the open state. The driving unit 45 stops the physical application of the rod to the cover 11 in a state where the housing 10 is mounted on the mounted portion 32, and for example, shifts the rod from a state where it is in contact with the cover 11 to a state where it is not in contact with the cover 11, thereby setting the cover 11 from the open state to the closed state. The driving section 45 is realized by an actuator, for example.

In this way, the rod physically acting on the cover 11 is driven by the driving unit 45 provided in the feeder body 40. In the mounting system 1, the operation for opening and closing the cover 11 from the outside of the feeder 20 may be disabled. This can prevent the cover 11 from being opened and closed by an operator or by an erroneous operation of the transfer robot 60. For example, in the mounting system 1 according to the present embodiment, if the case 10 and the additional equipment 30 are not mounted to the feeder main body 40, the cover 11 cannot be opened or closed, and the opening or closing of the cover 11 due to an erroneous operation of the operator or the transfer robot 60 can be suppressed.

The RF tag T1 stores information (tag information) such as identification information and use history of the dispenser body 40. Information such as a date of storage and a management number may be written in the RF tag T1 via the reader RW of the component storage W. The RF tag T1 may be incorporated in the dispenser body 40.

[2-4. Control device ]

As shown in fig. 1A and 1B, the integrated control device 50 transmits instructions to the 1 st control device 50a and the 2 nd control device 50B. The 1 st control device 50a controls each constituent element of the mounting system 1. The integrated control device 50 includes a control unit 51 and a storage unit 52.

The control unit 51 transmits instructions to the 1 st control device 50a and the 2 nd control device 50 b. The control unit 51 outputs an instruction concerning the production on the installation line 90 to the 1 st control device 50a, for example. The control unit 51 outputs an instruction (for example, a replenishment request) concerning replenishment of the component to the 2 nd control device 50b, for example. The control unit 51 performs verification of tag information acquired from the reader 130 and the reader-writer RW, various determination processes, and the like.

The 1 st control device 50a is communicably connected to the vibration generating unit 41, the driving unit 45, the mounting head 107, the power source unit 111, the reading device 130, and the component detecting unit 141, and controls the respective components based on instructions from the integrated control device 50. The 2 nd control device 50b is communicably connected to the transfer robot 60, and controls the transfer robot 60 based on instructions from the integrated control device 50. The 1 st control device 50a controls the driving unit 45 to move the rod in and out. The 1 st control device 50a presses the rod body to the X-axis negative side by controlling the driving unit 45, and sets the cover 11 attached to the housing 10 of the attachment 30 to an open state. The 1 st control device 50a controls the driving unit 45 to return the rod to the positive X-axis side, and sets the lid 11 attached to the housing 10 of the attachment 30 to a closed state.

When the component is carried to a position where the mounting head 107 can be removed, the 1 st control device 50a controls the vibration generating unit 41 to vibrate the attachment 30. The vibrations are also transmitted to the housing 10, for example. Thereby, the component is supplied from the housing 10 to the attachment 30, and the component is conveyed to the opening 35a by vibration. The 1 st control device 50a can be said to supply the components supplied from the opening 15 of the housing 10 to the attachment 30 by the vibration of the vibration generating unit 41, and convey the components to the opening 35a via the conveying unit 34 of the attachment 30. The 1 st control device 50a may control the power supply unit 111 to supply power to the vibration generating unit 41, the driving unit 45, and the like as needed.

The control unit 51 controls the reader 130 attached to the carriage 70 to acquire tag information stored in the RF tags T1 to T4 from the housing 10, the attachment device 30, and the dispenser body 40 attached to the carriage 70, respectively, and thereby confirms whether or not an error is present in the housing 10, the attachment device 30, and the dispenser body 40 attached to the carriage 70. The control unit 51 confirms the arrangement error or the like in advance by, for example, confirming the supply unit 80 prepared in the preparation area A2. The control unit 51 can also acquire tag information from the RF tag T4 stored in the roll housing 120 in the standby area a21 (free space) of the carriage 70. The present invention is not limited to the case where the roller housing 120 is a member stored in the empty space of the carriage 70.

The 1 st control device 50a controls the mounting head 107 to remove the member carried to the opening 35a and mount the member to the object. At this time, the 1 st control device 50a may count the number of components mounted on the object by the mounting head 107.

The RF tag T4 stores tag information including information on components stored in the roll housing 120 to which the RF tag T4 is attached. The roll body housing 120 accommodates, for example, a belt roll body formed by winding a Carrier Tape (Carrier Tape) into a roll shape.

Further, the integrated control device 50 may instruct the 2 nd control device 50b based on production data, for example, so that the supply unit 80 used in the next production is prepared in advance. The 2 nd control device 50b controls the transfer robot 60 to acquire information on components used in the next production based on the production data, for example, and transfers the housing 10 accommodating the acquired components and the additional equipment 30 corresponding to the housing 10 from the component storage W to the preparation area A2. In this case, when there are a plurality of cases 10 accommodating components used in the subsequent production, the 2 nd control device 50b may transport cases 10 having more components than the number of components used in the subsequent production in a warehouse by the transport robot 60, for example. The 2 nd control device 50b can determine the case 10 having more parts than the number of parts used in the subsequent production in the library by acquiring information about the parts from each of the plurality of cases 10 via the reader/writer RW.

The 2 nd control device 50b may be configured to attach a single body of the casing 10 accommodating components to be used in the subsequent production to the additional equipment 30 corresponding to the casing 10, and to cause the transfer robot 60 to transfer the additional equipment 30 to which the casing 10 is attached, or may be configured to cause the transfer robot 60 to transfer the additional equipment 30 when the additional equipment 30 to which the casing 10 has been attached is stored. The case where the additional equipment 30 to which the housing 10 has been attached is stored refers to a case where the number of components remaining in the housing 10 used in the past production is equal to or more than a predetermined number, and the additional equipment 30 to which the housing 10 has been attached is stored in the component storage W in this state from the attachment line 90.

The 2 nd control device 50b attaches the housing 10 and the additional equipment 30 transported by the transport robot 60 to the feeder body 40 arranged in advance in the carriage 70. Specifically, the additional equipment 30 is mounted to the feeder body 40.

The storage unit 52 stores various programs for the control unit 51 to perform the above-described control, production data for producing the mounting board, information indicating the acquired RF tag T, information on the correspondence relationship between the component and the attachment 30, and the like. The storage unit 52 is implemented by, for example, a semiconductor memory, but is not limited to this. The production data is, for example, a table in which the types and the number of the components to be used, the arrangement of the housing 10 in the carriage 70, and the like are associated.

[2-5. Trolley ]

The carriage 70 is configured to be detachable from the main body of the component mounting apparatus 100. The main body of the component mounting apparatus 100 is, for example, a portion other than the carriage 70 in the component mounting apparatus 100. The carriage 70 includes a holding portion 71 for holding the feeder 20, a carriage body portion for supporting the holding portion 71, and a reading device 130. The carriage 70 has, for example, a plurality of holding portions 71, and the plurality of holding portions 71 are arranged in the Y-axis direction on the carriage body portion. In this case, the plurality of holding portions 71 each hold the feeder 20. The reading device 130 is provided in each of the plurality of holding portions 71. The holding portion 71 is also called a feeder groove, for example. The carriage 70 is an example of a feeder arrangement unit.

The reader 130 reads the dispenser 20 held by the holding unit 71 of the reader 130 and tag information of the housing 10 fixed to the dispenser 20. Specifically, the reading device 130 reads tag information from the RF tag T2 attached to the housing 10, the RF tag T3 attached to the attachment 30, and the RF tag T1 attached to the dispenser body 40, respectively. Further, in the case where an object is present in the standby area a21 of the carriage 70, the reading device 130 may read tag information on the object from an RF tag attached to the object. In the example of fig. 3, a roll housing 120 is stored in a standby area a21, and an RF tag T4 is attached to the roll housing 120. The reading device 130 may also read tag information from the RF tag T4.

The object to be placed on standby in the standby area a21 is an object related to the production of the mounting system 1, and may be, for example, a dispenser, a housing, a tape dispenser, or the like. The tape feeder supplies the parts from a part tape in which the parts are accommodated. Further, the object may be a tray feeder, a rod feeder, a bulk feeder, or the like. The pallet feeder supplies the components from pallets in which the components are housed. The rod feeder supplies the parts from a rod housing that houses the parts.

The tag information read by the reading device 130 is output to the integrated control device 50 via the 1 st control device 50 a.

[2-6. Sensor and component detection portion ]

The sensor 140 contactlessly detects a component supplied from the housing 10 to the attachment 30. The sensor 140 may be any existing sensor as long as the component is detected contactlessly. The sensor 140 may be an optical sensor having a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion, for example. When the sensor 140 is an optical sensor, the component detection unit 141 outputs an output corresponding to the light receiving amount of the light receiving unit. The sensor 140 is not limited to being provided in the assembled portion 32 and in the vicinity of the opening 32b, and may be provided in the vicinity of the opening 15 of the housing 10.

The component detecting unit 141 receives the output of the sensor 140 to detect the presence or absence of a component. The component detecting unit 141 may be said to receive the output of the sensor 140 and detect whether or not a component is supplied from the housing 10 to the attachment 30. The component detecting unit 141 may detect the number of components supplied from the housing 10 to the attachment 30, or may detect whether or not components are being supplied from the housing 10 to the attachment 30. The component detection unit 141 is provided in the component mounting apparatus 100, for example.

[2-7. Supply Unit ]

The structure of the supply unit 80 will be described with reference to fig. 5 to 16. Specifically, an antenna for reading tag information from each RF tag by the reader 130 and an arrangement of the RF tag will be described. First, the configuration of the antenna and the RF tag according to the comparative example will be described with reference to fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view for explaining the arrangement of the antenna and the RF tag according to the comparative example.

As shown in fig. 5, the reading device 130 according to the comparative example includes a reading unit 131, a switching unit 132, and antennas a1 to a7.

The reader 131 reads tag information from each RF tag via the antennas a1 to a7. The reading unit 131 reads tag information from the RF tag corresponding to the antenna via the antenna selected by the switching unit 132. The reader 131 is realized by, for example, a reader/writer that reads tag information from each RF tag.

In order to switch the RF tag in which the reading unit 131 reads the tag information, the switching unit 132 selects the antennas a1 to a7 connected to the reading unit 131. In order to read tag information from the RF tag to be read, the switching unit 132 may select an antenna capable of reading tag information from the RF tag.

The antenna a1 is an antenna provided in the cart 70 and capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the RF tag T1. The antenna a1 is disposed in the vicinity of the RF tag T1 so as to face the RF tag T1. The antenna a1 and the switching unit 132 are connected by, for example, a cable C1.

The antenna a2 is an antenna provided in the cart 70 and capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the RF tag T2. The antenna a2 and the switching unit 132 are connected by, for example, a cable C2.

The antenna a3 is provided in the dispenser 20 and is disposed so as to face the RF tag T2. Specifically, the antenna a3 is disposed in the feeder body 40. More specifically, the antenna a3 is disposed on the surface of the feeder body 40 on the side of the attachment device 30. That is, the antenna a3 is disposed in the vicinity of the RF tag T2.

The antenna a3 may transmit a signal including tag information stored in the RF tag T2 to the RF tag T3. That is, the antenna a3 may be capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the RF tag T2 and the RF tag T3, respectively. For example, the antenna a3 may detect information of the RF tag T2 based on a Read instruction (Read instruction) from the reader 130, and transmit information of the RF tag T2 to the RF tag T3 based on a Write instruction (Write instruction) from the reader 130.

The antenna a4 is provided in the feeder 20 and is disposed so as to face the antenna a 2. Specifically, the antenna a4 is disposed in the feeder body 40. More specifically, the antenna a4 is disposed on the surface opposite to the attachment device 30 of the feeder body 40. The antenna a4 is disposed in the vicinity of the antenna a2 so as to face the antenna a 2. Further, the antenna a3 and the antenna a4 are connected by, for example, a cable C3. The cable C3 is accommodated in the feeder body 40.

The antenna a4 is disposed so as to face the antenna a2, thereby forming a coupling antenna. That is, the antenna a4 and the antenna a2 are configured as electric field coupling. No object such as metal that blocks propagation of electromagnetic waves is disposed between the antenna a4 and the antenna a 2. For example, there may or may not be a space between the antennas a4 and a 2.

Thus, the antenna a2 can transmit and receive signals to and from the RF tag T2 via the antenna a4, the cable C3, and the antenna a 3. The antenna a4, the cable C3, and the antenna a3 constitute a transmission unit for transmitting signals from the antenna a 2.

The antenna a5 is an antenna provided in the cart 70 and capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the RF tag T3. The antenna a5 and the switching unit 132 are connected by, for example, a cable C4.

The antenna a6 is provided in the dispenser 20 and is disposed so as to face the RF tag T3. Specifically, the antenna a6 is disposed in the feeder body 40. More specifically, the antenna a6 is disposed on the surface of the feeder body 40 on the side of the attachment device 30. That is, the antenna a6 is disposed in the vicinity of the RF tag T3. In the present comparative example, the antenna a6 and the antenna a3 are arranged at positions that do not overlap in a plan view, but the antenna a6 and the antenna a3 may be arranged so as to overlap at least partially in a plan view.

The antenna a7 is provided in the feeder 20 and is disposed so as to face the antenna a 5. Specifically, the antenna a7 is disposed in the feeder body 40. More specifically, the antenna a7 is disposed on the surface opposite to the attachment device 30 of the feeder body 40. The antenna a7 is disposed in the vicinity of the antenna a 5. The antenna a6 and the antenna a7 are connected by, for example, a cable C5. The cable C5 is accommodated in the feeder body 40.

The antenna a7 is disposed so as to face the antenna a5, thereby forming a coupling antenna. Thus, the antenna a5 can transmit and receive signals to and from the RF tag T3 via the antenna a7, the cable C5, and the antenna a 6. The antenna a7, the cable C5, and the antenna a6 constitute a transmission unit for transmitting signals from the antenna a 5.

At least 2 antennas a1, a2, and a5 may be realized by different substrates on which an antenna pattern (for example, an antenna pattern m1 shown in fig. 7 described later) is formed, or may be realized by 1 substrate on which an antenna pattern is formed. In the case where 2 antenna patterns are formed on 1 substrate, 2 antenna patterns may be formed on the same surface of the substrate, for example. The 2 antenna patterns may be formed so that polarized waves intersect each other in a plan view, for example, polarized waves may be formed so that the polarized waves are orthogonal to each other. The 2 antenna patterns may be arranged so that polarized waves are parallel in a plan view. When the antennas a1, a2, and a5 are realized by 1 substrate, an antenna pattern corresponding to the antenna a1, an antenna pattern corresponding to the antenna a2, and an antenna pattern corresponding to the antenna a5 are formed on the substrate.

As described above, the antenna disposed on the carriage 70 and the antenna disposed on the feeder body 40 constitute a coupling type antenna. The antenna in the feeder body 40 is connected using a cable. In addition, as long as 2 antennas in the feeder body 40 can be arranged so as to be electrically coupled, a cable may not be used for connection.

The cables C1 to C5 are, for example, coaxial cables, but are not limited thereto. The case 10 and the additional device 30 are, for example, a cable and an antenna.

The RF tag T2 disposed in the case 10 and the RF tag T3 disposed in the attachment 30 may be disposed so that at least a part thereof does not overlap in a plan view. The RF tag T2 and the RF tag T3 may be arranged so that they do not overlap at least partially in a plan view, for example, in a plan view of the dispenser 20 (for example, in a longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the dispenser 20). In the present comparative example, the RF tag T2 and the RF tag T3 are arranged at positions that do not overlap each other in a plan view.

This can suppress difficulty in reading tag information of the RF tag T2 due to overlapping of the RF tag T2 and the RF tag T3. In addition, even in the case where 2 RF tags are overlapped, in the case where at least 1 antenna is arranged between the 2 RF tags, the 2 RF tags may be overlapped. In the present comparative example, the RF tag T1 and the RF tag T2 overlap in a plan view, but there is no problem in reading because the antenna a3 is disposed between the RF tag T1 and the RF tag T2.

In addition, the reader 130 may have an antenna (not shown) capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the RF tag T4 attached to the object such as the roll housing 120 when the object is held in the standby area a 21. The antenna is provided on the cart 70, and is disposed in the vicinity of the RF tag T4 so as to face the antenna. This antenna is an example of the 6 th antenna.

As described above, in the supply unit according to the comparative example, the antennas are provided for the RF tags, respectively. The RF tag and the antenna are arranged, for example, one-to-one. In the mounting system, when the number of feeders provided in the mounting system is increased in each RF tag, there are problems such as an increase in the number of antennas, cables (for example, coaxial cables) connecting the antennas and the reader, and the number of ports (the number of switching units 132) of the reader.

Accordingly, the structure of the mounting system 1 in which an increase in at least 1 of the antenna, the cable, and the port number is suppressed will be described below with reference to fig. 6 to 16. For example, the mounting system 1 according to the present embodiment is configured to be able to detect a plurality of RF tags by 1 antenna.

The number of antennas can be suppressed from increasing, and costs associated with antennas (for example, costs of a substrate, a connector, high-frequency wiring, cutting processing, assembly, wiring routing, and the like) can be reduced. Further, an increase in the number of antennas can be suppressed, and costs associated with the reading device 130 (for example, costs of switching ports, expanding substrates, and the like) can be reduced. In addition, as the mounting system, the difficulty in control, the detection time, and the like can be reduced, and the real-time performance can be improved. In addition, by suppressing an increase in the number of ports, an effect of suppressing an increase in the switching time of ports is also obtained.

For example, from the viewpoint of reducing the number of antennas and the like, the arrangement of the antennas and the RF tag may be the arrangement described below. Fig. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a supply unit 80 according to the present embodiment. In fig. 6, an example in which 2 RF tags (RF tags T2 and T3) are detected by the antenna a3 provided in the dispenser body 40 will be described. Specifically, the configuration of the antenna a3 capable of detecting each of the RF tags T2 and T3 via the relay substrate 250 will be described.

Fig. 6 shows the housing 10, the attachment 30, and the feeder body 40 of the supply unit 80. Fig. 6 (a) is a side view of the supply unit 80 as seen from the Y-axis direction, and fig. 6 (b) is a cross-sectional view of the supply unit 80 cut by IXb-IXb shown in fig. 6 (a). Fig. 6 (a) and (b) show a configuration for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the RF tags T2 and T3 via the antenna a4, the cable C3, and the antenna a3 (an example of a transmission unit) by the antenna a 2.

As shown in fig. 6 (a) and (b), the supply unit 80 includes an antenna a2 provided outside the dispenser body 40, an antenna a3 provided inside the dispenser body 40, an antenna a4, and a cable C3, an RF tag T3 and a relay board 250 provided inside the attachment 30, and an RF tag T2 provided inside the case 10. The RF tag T2 may be provided outside the case 10, for example.

The antenna a2 is provided in the cart 70, for example, and can transmit and receive signals to and from the RF tags T2 and T3 via the antenna a4, the cable C3, and the antenna a 3. The antenna a2 is connected to the reader 130. The antenna a2 is provided with a connector n2, and the connector n2 is connected to a cable C2 (for example, a coaxial cable) for connection to the reading device 130.

The antenna a4 is disposed opposite to the antenna a2, and a connector n4 is provided, and the connector n4 is connected to a cable C3 (for example, a coaxial cable) for connection to the antenna a 3.

The antenna a3 is disposed to face the RF tag T2, and a connector n3 is provided, and the connector n3 is connected to a cable C3 for connection to the antenna a 4.

An opening 40a (radio wave transmitting portion) for transmitting radio waves from the antenna a3 to the additional equipment 30 is formed on the additional equipment 30 side of the feeder body 40. The opening 40a is formed between the antenna a3 and the relay substrate 250 or the RF tag T3. The size of the opening 40a may be determined based on the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted from the antenna a 4. In the case where the size of the opening 40a is 32.6cm (in vacuum) in the wavelength of the radio wave (corresponding to a wavelength of 920 MHz), for example, the length in the X-axis direction is about 50mm and the length in the Y-axis direction is about 10mm, but the present invention is not limited thereto. An opening is also formed between the antennas a2 and a4, but the illustration is omitted.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the structure of an antenna a3 according to the present embodiment. In fig. 7, the antenna a3 among the plurality of antennas is described, but other antennas may be configured as shown in fig. 7.

As shown in fig. 7, the antenna a3 has a substrate aa3, and the substrate aa3 has a connector n3 and an antenna pattern m1. The connector n3 is provided on a main surface (a surface on the negative Z-axis side) of the substrate aa3 on the antenna a4 side, for example, and the antenna pattern m1 is provided on a main surface (a surface on the positive Z-axis side) of the substrate aa3 on the RF tag T2 side, for example.

The connector n3 is provided in the center of the substrate aa3, for example. The antenna pattern m1 is a conductor pattern bent in a meandering shape, and is formed to be connected to the connector n3 with the connector n3 interposed therebetween. The antenna pattern m1 has a square wave shape, and extends along the X-axis direction with the same repetition period, with the Y-axis direction being the amplitude direction of the square wave and the X-axis direction being the period (pitch) of the square wave. By having the above-described shape of the antenna pattern m1, radio waves having high electric field intensity can be emitted in directions orthogonal to the substrate aa3 (for example, in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction in the antenna a3 alone). The polarized wave of the antenna a3 is in the same direction (X-axis direction) as the direction in which the antenna pattern m1 extends.

The length L1 of the antenna a3 in the Y-axis direction is determined based on the width of the gap inside the feeder body 40 or the attachment 30, for example. The length L3 of the antenna a3 in the X-axis direction is determined based on, for example, the length (length in the X-axis direction) of the opening 40a of the feeder body 40 or the opening (for example, the 2 nd radio wave transmitting portion 230 b) formed in the attachment 30. The antenna a3 is rectangular in plan view, but is not limited thereto.

Referring again to fig. 6, the rf tag T2 is disposed in the housing 10 so as to face the antenna a 3. The RF tag T2 transmits and receives signals to and from the antenna a3 via the relay board 250.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the structure of the RF tag T2 according to the present embodiment. In fig. 8, the RF tag T2 among the plurality of RF tags is described, but other RF tags may be configured as shown in fig. 8.

As shown in fig. 8, the RF tag T2 has a substrate TT2, and the substrate TT2 has an IC chip I and an antenna pattern m2. The IC chip I and the antenna pattern m2 are provided on, for example, a main surface of the substrate TT2 on the antenna a3 side (a main surface on the negative side of the Z axis, and an example of the 2 nd main surface).

The IC chip I is a component provided on the substrate TT2, and is an RFIC chip capable of wireless communication with the reader 130. The IC chip I is configured to communicate at a communication frequency (e.g., 920 MHz) of the UHF band. Further, information about the components housed in the case 10 is stored in the memory of the IC chip I.

The antenna pattern m2 is a conductor pattern bent in a meandering manner, and is formed so as to be connected to the IC chip I with the IC chip I interposed therebetween. The antenna pattern m2 has a square wave shape, and extends along the X-axis direction with the same repetition period, with the Y-axis direction being the amplitude direction of the square wave and the X-axis direction being the period (pitch) of the square wave. By having the above-described shape of the antenna pattern m2, radio waves having high electric field strength can be emitted in the Z-axis direction orthogonal to the substrate TT 2. The polarized wave of the RF tag T2 is in the same direction (X-axis direction) as the direction in which the antenna pattern m2 extends. The antenna pattern m2 is connected to the IC chip I. The antenna a3 and the RF tag T2 are arranged such that the polarized wave of the antenna a3 and the polarized wave of the RF tag T2 coincide in a plan view.

When a radio wave in the UHF band is emitted from the antenna a3, the RF tag T2 is driven with the radio wave as energy, and transmits a signal indicating information stored in the IC chip I to the antenna a 3. The signal received by the antenna a3 is transmitted to the reading device 130 via the cable C3, the antennas a3 and a2, and the like.

The IC chip I is not limited to the configuration to communicate at the communication frequency of the UHF band, and may be configured to communicate with microwaves, for example.

The length L1 of the RF tag T2 in the Y-axis direction is determined based on the width of the gap inside the dispenser body 40 or the attachment 30, for example. The length L1 of the RF tag T2 is, for example, the same as the length L1 of the antenna a3, but is not limited thereto. The length L3 of the RF tag T2 is determined based on, for example, the length (length in the X-axis direction) of the opening 40a of the dispenser body 40 or the opening (for example, the 1 st radio wave transmitting portion 230 a) formed in the attachment 30. The RF tag T2 is rectangular in plan view, but is not limited thereto. The length L3 of the RF tag T2 is, for example, the same as the length L3 of the antenna a 3. For example, the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3 may be the same size. The size of the RF tag T2 can be said to be a size corresponding to the size of the RF tag T3 provided inside the attachment 30.

The RF tag T3 may be disposed in the attachment device 30 such that, for example, a main surface of the RF tag T3 on which the antenna pattern is formed is orthogonal to a main surface of the RF tag T2 on which the antenna pattern m2 is formed. In this case, the polarization of the RF tags T2 and T3 in plan view is also uniform.

Referring again to fig. 6, the RF tag T3 is disposed inside the additional device 30 such that the main surface of the RF tag T3 on which the antenna pattern m2 is formed is opposed to the main surface of the relay substrate 250 on which the antenna pattern (the antenna pattern m3 shown in fig. 9) is formed.

The relay board 250 is disposed between the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3 in the attachment device 30, and transmits radio waves from the antenna a3 to the RF tags T2 and T3, respectively. The relay board 250 transmits the radio waves received from the RF tags T2 and T3 to the antenna a3.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a structure of a relay substrate 250 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in fig. 9, the relay substrate 250 has a substrate 250a on which an antenna pattern m3 is formed. The antenna pattern m3 is provided on a main surface (a surface on the negative side of the Y axis, an example of the 1 st main surface) of the substrate 250a on the RF tag T3 side, for example. The relay board 250 is, for example, a powerless element.

The antenna pattern m3 is a conductor pattern bent in a meandering manner. The antenna pattern m3 is a non-feeding element formed on the substrate 250a. The antenna pattern m3 has a square wave shape, and extends along the X-axis direction with the same repetition period, with the Y-axis direction being the amplitude direction of the square wave and the X-axis direction being the period (pitch) of the square wave. By having the above-described shape of the antenna pattern m3, radio waves having high electric field strength can be emitted in the Z-axis direction orthogonal to the substrate 250a. The polarized wave of the relay substrate 250 is in the same direction (X-axis direction) as the direction in which the antenna pattern m3 extends. In fig. 9, an example in which 4 antenna patterns m3 are formed in the substrate 250a is shown, but the number of antenna patterns m3 is not limited to this, and may be 1 or more.

The relay substrate 250 is disposed so that the main surface on which the antenna pattern m3 is formed faces the RF tag T3, for example. The relay board 250 is arranged such that one end (the end on the positive Z-axis side) of the main surface on which the antenna pattern m3 is formed is on the RF tag T2 side, and the other end (the end on the negative Z-axis side) of the main surface is on the side of the antenna a3 from the one end. Further, the polarized wave of the relay substrate 250 and the polarized wave of the RF tag T3 are arranged to coincide.

The length of the relay substrate 250 in the Z-axis direction is a length L2, and is determined based on the height (length in the Z-axis direction) of the additional device 30, for example. The length of the relay substrate 250 in the X-axis direction may be an integer multiple of the half wavelength (λ/2) of the radio wave, for example, the length L3. The length L3 of the relay substrate 250 in the X-axis direction may be equal to the length L3 of the antenna a3 and the RF tag T2 in the X-axis direction, for example.

The antennas a3, RF tags T2 and T3, and relay substrate 250 thus arranged are aligned with polarized waves (for example, X-axis direction) in a plan view, for example.

The electrical length of the antenna pattern m3 on the substrate may be an odd multiple of λ/2 with respect to the wavelength λ of the frequency of use taking into consideration the physical property value of the substrate.

Thereby, the antenna a3 can detect the RF tags T2 and T3 via the relay substrate 250. That is, the supply unit 80 may not include the antennas a5 and a6 and the cables C4 and C5. Further, the ports for the antenna a5 in the switching section 132 can be reduced. Thus, with respect to the RF tag T3, the supply unit 80 can suppress an increase in at least 1 of the antenna, the cable, and the port number, as compared with the case where the antenna is provided for each tag.

Here, an arrangement example of the RF tag T3 and the relay board 250 and a configuration that can more reliably read the RF tag will be described with reference to fig. 10 and 11. Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of example 1 showing the structure of a supply unit 80 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 10 and 11 illustrate only the case 10, the attachment 30, and the antenna a3 in the cross-sectional view shown in fig. 6 (b).

As shown in fig. 10, the attachment 30 includes a radio wave shielding portion 230 having radio wave shielding property and a 1 st radio wave transmitting portion 230a having radio wave transmitting property, and is an attachment 30 in which an RF tag T3 is mounted, and the case 10 to which the RF tag T2 is mounted includes the attachment 30 provided outside the 1 st radio wave transmitting portion 230 a. The attachment 30 has radio wave permeability and includes a 2 nd radio wave transmitting portion 230b provided so as to face the 1 st radio wave transmitting portion 230 a.

The antenna a3 is disposed outside (on the negative Z-axis side) the 2 nd radio wave transmitting portion 230b. In the case of the configuration shown in fig. 10, the feeder 20 provided with the additional equipment 30 is an example of the 1 st production equipment unit, and the case 10 is an example of the 2 nd production equipment unit provided outside the 1 st radio wave transmission portion 230 a.

The radio wave shielding portion 230 is a box-shaped housing constituting the outer contour of the attachment 30. The radio wave shielding portion 230 is made of metal from the viewpoint of durability and the like. That is, the radio wave shielding portion 230 has radio wave shielding properties. The radio wave shielding portion 230 is not limited to being made of metal.

The radio wave shielding portion 230 is formed with a 1 st radio wave transmitting portion 230a and a 2 nd radio wave transmitting portion 230b as portions that transmit radio waves in the attachment 30. In the present embodiment, the 1 st radio wave transmitting portion 230a and the 2 nd radio wave transmitting portion 230b are openings formed in the radio wave shielding portion 230. The 1 st radio wave transmitting portion 230a may be an opening having a length of 50mm in the X-axis direction and a length of 10mm in the Y-axis direction, for example. In addition, an opening may be formed at a position of the housing 10 facing the opening. The size of the opening formed in the case 10 in plan view may be the same as the size of the 1 st radio wave transmitting portion 230 a.

The 1 st radio wave transmitting unit 230a is an opening for transmitting (propagating) radio waves from one of the relay substrate 250 and the RF tag T2 to the other. The 2 nd radio wave transmitting unit 230b is an opening for transmitting (propagating) radio waves from one of the antenna a3 and the relay substrate 250 to the other. The 1 st radio wave transmitting portion 230a is provided between the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230. The 1 st radio wave transmitting portion 230 is provided at the end portion on the Z-axis positive side of the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230 so as to straddle between the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230.

The 1 st radio wave transmitting unit 230a and the 2 nd radio wave transmitting unit 230b are not limited to a space (air layer), and may be a radio wave transmitting member such as a resin. For example, the opening formed in the radio wave shielding portion 230 may be covered with a resin or the like.

In the cross section shown in fig. 10, the additional equipment 30 may be said to have a pair of radio wave shielding portions 230 arranged to face each other, and a 1 st radio wave transmitting portion 230a and a 2 nd radio wave transmitting portion 230b that are provided across between the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230.

As shown in fig. 10, the RF tag T3 is disposed to face the relay board 250. For example, one end (Z-axis positive end) of a main surface (for example, Y-axis positive main surface) of the RF tag T3 on which the antenna pattern m2 is formed becomes one side of the RF tag T2, and the other end (Z-axis negative end) of the main surface becomes one side of the antenna a3 than the one end. In the cross section shown in fig. 11, the RF tag T3 may be arranged to be orthogonal to the antenna a3 and the RF tag T2, respectively.

In the cross section shown in fig. 10, the RF tag T3 is disposed between the relay substrate 250 and one of the radio wave shielding portions 230. The RF tag T3 may be disposed at a position in the center between the relay substrate 250 and the one radio wave shielding part 230, at a position close to the relay substrate 250 among the relay substrate 250 and the one radio wave shielding part 230, or at a position close to the one radio wave shielding part 230 among the relay substrate 250 and the one radio wave shielding part 230, for example.

The RF tag T3 and the relay substrate 250 are not aligned in the direction (Z-axis direction) in which the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3 are aligned. In other words, the RF tag T3 and the relay board 250 are arranged at non-overlapping positions in a plan view. The RF tag T3 and the relay substrate 250 are arranged in a direction (Y-axis direction) in which the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230 are arranged.

The RF tags T2 and T3, the antenna a3, and the relay substrate 250 are arranged so that polarized waves coincide in a plan view. For example, the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3 may be disposed so as to face the main surface on which the antenna pattern is formed, and the RF tag T3 and the relay substrate 250 may be disposed so as to face the main surface on which the antenna pattern is formed. For example, the antenna a3 and the relay substrate 250 are configured to be able to be electric-field-coupled, and the relay substrate 250 and the RF tags T2 and T3 are configured to be able to be electric-field-coupled.

The relay board 250 is disposed between the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3 in the attachment device 30, and transmits radio waves from the antenna a3 to the RF tags T2 and T3, respectively. The relay board 250 transmits the radio waves received from the RF tags T2 and T3 to the antenna a3. When a radio wave in the UHF band is emitted from the antenna a3, the RF tag T2 is driven with the radio wave as energy, and transmits a signal indicating information stored in the IC chip I to the antenna a3. The signal received by the antenna a3 is transmitted to the reading device 130 via the cable C3, the antennas a3 and a2, and the like. The relay board 250 is an example of a transmission unit.

By providing the relay board 250, even when the 2 nd radio wave transmitting portion 230b (for example, an opening) is small and it is difficult for radio waves to enter the interior of the attachment 30, radio waves can be more reliably entered. That is, by providing the relay substrate 250, the reliability of reading the RF tag T2 can be increased. In addition, the relay substrate 250 is not a structure that intentionally impedes direct electric field coupling between the antenna a3 and the RF tag T3.

It is more preferable that the RF tag T3 does not contact the radio wave shielding portion 230.

In addition, the tag reading system 300 is constituted by the additional device 30 and the antenna a3. The tag reading system 300 is configured to detect the RF tag T2 using the relay board 250. The tag reading system 300 is configured such that, for example, the antenna a3 detects the RF tag T2 through the inside of the attachment device 30 provided with the relay board 250 and the 1 st radio wave transmitting unit 230 a. In the tag reading system 300, the additional apparatus 30 is an example of the 1 st production apparatus unit, and the housing 10 is an example of the 2 nd production apparatus unit. The tag reading system 300 may not include the 2 nd production facility unit.

In the mounting system 1 configured as described above, when radio waves are emitted from the antenna a3 to the relay substrate 250, the relay substrate 250 transmits radio waves from the antenna a3 to the RF tags T2 and T3. The relay board 250 receives signals corresponding to the radio waves from the RF tags T2 and T3, and propagates the signals to the antenna a3. Thus, the antenna a3 can receive signals indicating tag information stored in the IC chip I from each of the RF tags T2 and T3.

In the above description, the relay board 250 is provided inside the attachment 30 in the mounting system 1, and the RF tag T2 provided in the case 10 is detected via the relay board 250, but the configuration of the mounting system 1 (the configuration of the tag reading system 300) is not limited to this. In the mounting system 1, for example, the relay board 250 may be provided in the dispenser body 40, and the RF tag T3 provided in the attachment 30 may be detected via the relay board 250. In this case, the feeder body 40 is an example of the 1 st production facility unit, and the additional facility 30 is an example of the 2 nd production facility unit. The RF tag T1 is an example of the 1 st RF tag, and the RF tag T3 is an example of the 2 nd RF tag.

As described above, the mounting system 1 may further include the relay board 250 having the main surface on which the antenna pattern m3 is formed and provided inside the attachment 30. One end of the main surface of the relay substrate 250 may be disposed on the RF tag T2 side (Z-axis positive side), and the other end of the main surface may be disposed on the antenna a3 side (Z-axis negative side) from the one end. The RF tag T2 is detected by the antenna a3 via the relay board 250. For example, each of the RF tags T2 and T3 may be detected by the antenna a3 via the relay substrate 250.

The main surface on which the antenna pattern m3 is formed is an example of the 1 st main surface, the antenna a3 is an example of the 3 rd antenna, the RF tag T2 is an example of the 2 nd RF tag, and the RF tag T3 is an example of the 1 st RF tag.

In this way, in the mounting system 1, the RF tag T3 is not disposed between the relay substrate 250 and the antenna a3, and thus the distance between the relay substrate 250 and the antenna a3 can be made closer. That is, attenuation of radio waves between the relay substrate 250 and the antenna a3 can be suppressed, and the received signal strength of the RF tags T2 and T3 can be improved. Thus, even when the interior of the attachment 30 is narrow with respect to the radio wave, the mounting system 1 can further reliably transmit the radio wave to the RF tags T2 and T3.

Next, still another configuration of the supply unit will be described with reference to fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing example 2 of the structure of the supply unit 80 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in fig. 11, the mounting system 1 is not limited to the one provided with the relay board 250, and the rf tag T3 may have the function of the relay board 250. In this case, the period of the square wave of the antenna pattern m2 of the RF tag T3 may be shorter than the period of the square wave of the antenna pattern m2 of the RF tag T2, for example. In other words, the antenna performance of the RF tag T3 is high, for example, the antenna characteristic is higher than that of the RF tag T2. In addition, the RF tag T3 can also be said to have a function as a transmission unit.

The RF tag T3 is arranged such that one end (Z-axis positive end) of a main surface (for example, Y-axis positive main surface) on which the antenna pattern m2 is formed is on the RF tag T2 side, and the other end (Z-axis negative end) of the main surface is on the antenna a3 side from the one end. The RF tag T3 may be arranged to be orthogonal to each of the antenna a3 and the RF tag T2 in the cross section shown in fig. 12.

In the cross section shown in fig. 11, the RF tag T3 is disposed between the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3 and between the radio wave shielding portions 230. The RF tag T3 may be disposed at a central position between the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230, for example. For example, the distance between the RF tag T3 and the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230 shown in fig. 11 is equal to the length L4. The main surface of the RF tag T3 on which the antenna pattern m2 is formed may be disposed at a position in the center between the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230. The RF tag T3 may be disposed at a position close to one of the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230, the radio wave shielding portion 230. The RF tag T3 is disposed, for example, at a position intermediate between the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3 in the Z-axis direction.

The RF tags T2 and T3 and the antenna a3 are arranged so as to be polarized in a plan view. For example, the antenna a3 and the RF tag T2 are configured to be capable of electric field coupling, and the RF tag T3 and the RF tag T2 are configured to be capable of electric field coupling.

In the mounting system 1 configured as described above, when a radio wave is received from the antenna a3, the RF tag T3 radiates a signal corresponding to the radio wave to the antenna a3, and propagates the radio wave to the RF tag T2. When a signal corresponding to the radio wave is received from the RF tag T2, the RF tag T3 may transmit the signal to the antenna a3. Thus, the antenna a3 can receive signals indicating tag information stored in the IC chip I from each of the RF tags T2 and T3.

As described above, the RF tag T3 of the mounting system 1 may have a main surface on which the antenna pattern m2 is formed, one end of the main surface being disposed on the RF tag T2 side (Z-axis positive side), and the other end of the main surface being disposed on the antenna a3 side from the one end.

Thus, the antenna a3 can detect the RF tags T2 and T3 without the relay board 250. That is, a mounting system of a simpler structure can be realized. This contributes to cost reduction of the mounting system 1.

The position of the RF tag T3 in the supply unit shown in fig. 11 is not limited to the position at the center between the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230. The position of the RF tag T3 will be described with reference to fig. 12 and 13. Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining a method of measuring the received signal strength at each position of the RF tag T3 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in fig. 12, the received signal intensities of the RF tags T2 and T3 are measured when the position of the RF tag T3 is changed from the negative Y-axis radio wave shielding part 230 side to the positive Y-axis radio wave shielding part 230 side. The resin plate r is a member for fixing the position of the RF tag T3, and is a plate-like member made of resin, which does not affect the received signal strength. The resin plate r has 7 pieces, and the thicknesses (lengths in the Y axis direction) are equal to each other. Fig. 12 illustrates the position of the RF tag T3 in the case where 1 resin plate r is provided between the RF tag T3 and the radio wave shielding portion 230 on the negative side of the Y axis. The RF tags T2 and T3 face each other, and in the cross section shown in fig. 12, the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3 are orthogonal to the RF tag T3. The main surface of the RF tag T3 on which the antenna pattern m2 is formed is the Y-axis negative side surface.

The RF tag T2 and the antenna a3 are fixed. The intensity of the radio wave emitted from the antenna a3 is constant regardless of the position of the RF tag T3.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing measurement results of received signal strength for each position of the RF tag T3 according to the present embodiment. The "additional device" shown in fig. 13 represents the received signal strength (RSSI: received Signal Strength Indicator) of each position of the RF tag T3 provided in the additional device 30, and the "housing" represents the received signal strength of each position of the RF tag T3 provided in the RF tag T2 of the housing 10. When the number of blocks of the resin plate r is 0 and 7, the RF tag T3 does not contact the inner surface of the radio wave shielding portion 230, but has a predetermined interval (for example, about 1 mm).

As shown in fig. 13, it is known that the received signal strength of the RF tag T3 is high regardless of the position of the RF tag T3 in the Y-axis direction. On the other hand, the received signal strength of the RF tag T2 is affected by the position of the RF tag T3 in the Y-axis direction, and the signal strength tends to be low when the RF tag T3 is located at the center between the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230 (for example, at the position where the number of blocks of the resin plate r is 3 to 5).

Accordingly, from the viewpoint of improving the received signal strength of the RF tag T2, the RF tag T3 may be disposed between the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230 and on the radio wave shielding portion 230 side of one of the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230 in the cross section shown in fig. 11. As a result of the resin plate r being 0 to 2 pieces, the RF tag T3 may be closer to the radio wave shielding portion 230 than the distance of 2 pieces of the resin plate r. Further, according to the result that the resin plate r is 6 to 7 pieces, the RF tag T3 may be more preferably closer to the radio wave shielding portion 230 than the distance of 1 piece of the resin plate r. The RF tag T3 may be disposed, for example, at a position 1mm inward (center side) from the radio wave shielding portion 230.

In fig. 13, the number of resin plates r is 3 to 5, which cannot be detected, but can be detected by improving the antenna performance of the RF tag T3.

A further example of the arrangement of the RF tag T3 will be described below with reference to fig. 14 to 16. Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view of example 1 showing the arrangement of the RF tag T3 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in fig. 14, the RF tag T3 may be disposed obliquely at a predetermined angle with respect to the antenna a3 and the RF tag T2. The RF tag T3 may be disposed obliquely so that the polarized wave (for example, the X-axis direction) does not change (does not rotate) in a plan view, for example. The broken line extending from the RF tag T3 represents an imaginary extension line passing through one end and the other end of the RF tag T3. When the angle formed by the virtual extension line and the antenna a3 is θ, the angle θ may be, for example, 45 ° or more and 135 ° or less. For example, the angle θ may be 90 ° (right angle). The angle θ is not limited to this, and may be an angle at which the RF tag T3 is disposed so as not to contact each of the radio wave shield portion 230 and the relay board 250 when the supply unit 80 is configured as shown in fig. 10, and so as not to contact each of the radio wave shield portion 230 when the supply unit 80 is configured as shown in fig. 11. The angle θ may be an angle at which an imaginary extension line intersects an imaginary plane including the main surface of the antenna a3 on which the antenna pattern is formed.

In the case where the RF tag T3 is disposed obliquely, it may be disposed so as to cross the center between the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230 or not to cross the center between the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230.

Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view of example 2 showing the arrangement of the RF tag T3 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view of example 3 showing the arrangement of the RF tag T3 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 15 and 16 are cross-sectional views of the top-down mounting system 1 (tag reading system 300).

As shown in fig. 15 and 16, the radio wave shielding portion 230 is formed in a frame shape in a plan view, and is provided so as to surround the RF tag T3. The radio wave shielding portion 230 is, for example, rectangular frame-shaped, but is not limited thereto. As shown in fig. 15, the RF tag T3 may be disposed so as to face the inner surface of 1 wall of the radio wave shielding portion 230. For example, the RF tag T3 may be disposed so as to face the inner surface of the wall portion on the long side in plan view. Further, as shown in fig. 16, the RF tag T3 may also be disposed at a given angle to the inner surface. For example, the RF tag T3 may be disposed at a position crossing the center of the pair of wall portions in the longitudinal direction in a plan view.

[3 ] action of mounting System ]

Next, the operation of the mounting system 1 as described above will be described with reference to fig. 17 to 20. First, a method of disposing the RF tag T3 inside the attachment 30 will be described with reference to fig. 17. Fig. 17 is a flowchart showing a method of disposing the RF tag T3 according to the present embodiment. In addition, the RF tag T3 is not initially configured in the additional device 30. The process of preparing the additional device 30 on which the RF tag T3 is not disposed and the RF tag T3 corresponding to the additional device 30 is performed before step S10 described below, but the illustration is omitted.

As shown in fig. 17, the RF tag T3 is mounted inside the additional device 30 such that one end of the main surface on which the antenna pattern m1 is formed becomes the antenna a3 side and the other end of the main surface becomes the RF tag T2 side provided in the case 10 (S10). The information on the additional device 30 may be stored in advance in the RF tag T3, or may be written by a reader/writer after the installation.

For example, after step S10, the flow proceeds to step S201 shown in fig. 20, and in step S10, the attachment device 30 to which the RF tag T3 is attached to the cart 70. The steps after step S201 are illustrated in fig. 20. Step S10 can also be said to be a method for manufacturing the attachment 30. Step S10 is included in a method for manufacturing a member to be mounted on an object.

Next, an operation of replacing the housing 10 of the carriage 70 mounted on the component mounting apparatus 100 will be described with reference to fig. 18 and 19. Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing an operation of replacing the housing 10 of the mounting system 1 according to the present embodiment. In addition, the flowchart shown in fig. 18 is performed during production (during mounting of components on the substrate 103). That is, in the mounting process in which the components in the feeder 20 are held by the mounting head 107 and mounted on the substrate 103, the flowchart shown in fig. 18 is executed while the components are mounted on the substrate 103 continuously in time. That is, the following operations are performed in parallel with the mounting process.

As shown in fig. 18, the 1 st control device 50a causes the feeder 20 to supply the components in the housing 10 to (S101). Specifically, the 1 st control device 50a vibrates the vibration generating portion 41 to supply the feeder 20 (in the present embodiment, the additional equipment 30) with a component of a supply amount corresponding to the vibration.

Next, the 1 st control device 50a acquires the remaining number of components in the housing 10 (S102). The 1 st control device 50a calculates the remaining number of components in the casing 10 at the present point in time based on, for example, the number of components (initial number) in the casing 10 acquired from the RF tag T2 attached to the casing 10 when the casing 10 is mounted to the additional device 30, and the number of components supplied to the additional device 30 in the mounting process, thereby acquiring the remaining number. The number of components supplied to the additional device 30 can be obtained, for example, from the detection result of the sensor 140 provided near the opening 32b of the additional device 30. In this way, the 1 st control device 50a can also function as a confirmation unit for confirming the remaining number of components.

The method for acquiring the remaining number of components by the 1 st control device 50a is not limited to the above, and may be calculated based on the initial number of components and the number of (used) components mounted by the mounting head 107, for example. For example, the 1 st control device 50a may calculate the number of components supplied from the housing 10 to the attachment 30 based on the number of components mounted in the mounting process (for example, the number of times the mounting head 107 performs the mounting operation). Further, the method of acquiring the remaining number of components implemented by the 1 st control device 50a may also be calculated based on the initial number of components and the mounting time within the housing 10. In this case, the sensor 140 may not be provided. In addition, in the case where the sensor 140 detects whether or not a component is being supplied from the casing 10 to the attachment 30, the 1 st control device 50a may determine that the remaining number of the casings 10 is zero at the time point when the component is not being supplied. In this case, the 1 st control device 50a can acquire the remaining number of components in the housing 10 based on the detection result from the sensor 140. Specifically, the 1 st control device 50a can acquire, based on the detection result from the sensor 140, a case where the remaining number of components in the housing 10 becomes zero.

Next, the 1 st control device 50a determines whether or not there is a remaining number of components in the housing 10 based on the remaining number of components in the housing 10 acquired in step S102 (S103). In step S103, the 1 st control device 50a may determine whether or not the remaining number of components in the housing 10 has become zero, or may determine whether or not the remaining number of components in the housing 10 has become equal to or less than a predetermined number. The predetermined number is set in advance and stored in the storage unit 52, for example.

In the case where there is no remaining number of components in the housing 10 (no in S103), the 1 st control device 50a proceeds to step S104. That is, the 1 st control device 50a proceeds to step S104 in the case where the remaining number of components in the housing 10 becomes zero or in the case where the remaining number of components in the housing 10 becomes a given number or less. If there is a remaining number of components in the housing 10 (yes in S103), the 1 st control device 50a returns to step S101 and continues the supply of components. That is, the 1 st control device 50a maintains the open state of the cover 11 of the housing 10 and the cover 32a of the attachment 30 based on the remaining amount acquired in step S102. It can be said that the 1 st control device 50a maintains the state of opening the lid 11 when there are a remaining number of components in the case 10.

The 1 st control device 50a may perform the determination in step S103 based on, for example, the remaining number of components in the additional equipment 30 (for example, in the carrying section 34) or the detection result of the components remaining in the additional equipment 30. In this case, when information indicating that there are a predetermined number or more of components in the attached device 30 or that components remain in the attached device 30 is acquired, the 1 st control device 50a determines yes in step S103. This information may be, for example, the detection result of the sensor 140. The sensor 140 may be disposed, for example, in the middle of the conveyance path of the conveyance unit 34. For example, the sensor 140 may be provided in the conveying section 34 so as to be able to detect whether or not there is a supply of a component from the upstream side (the case 10 side) of the conveying section 34.

Steps S101 to S103 described above may be performed as part of the mounting process.

Next, the 1 st control device 50a sets the lid 11 of the casing 10 and the lid 32a of the attachment 30 from an open state to a closed state in order to replace the casing 10 (S104). That is, the 1 st control device 50a sets the lid 11 of the housing 10 and the lid 32a of the attachment 30 from the open state to the closed state based on the remaining amount acquired in step S102. In the case where there is no remaining number of components in the case 10, the 1 st control device 50a can be said to close the cover 11.

Further, at the time point of step S104, components remain in the carrying section 34 of the additional equipment 30. Therefore, the steps following step S104 can be performed in parallel with the mounting step. That is, the housing 10 can be replaced by being attached to the substrate 103 while holding the components in the carrying section 34.

In addition, no remaining number of cases 10 are transported to the disposal area by the transport robot 60. Therefore, in step S104, the lid 11 of the case 10 may not be closed. That is, in step S104, the cover 32a of the attachment 30 may be closed. In this case, the opening 32b of the fitting portion 32 in the state where the housing 10 is removed from the fitting portion 32 of the feeder 20 is closed by the cover 32 a.

The 2 nd control device 50b outputs a replenishment instruction to the transfer robot 60 to replace the casing 10 (S105). The transfer robot 60 transfers the housing 10 having no remaining number of storage components from the storage area A1 or the preparation area A2 to a position where the housing 10 has no remaining number of storage components, and exchanges the housing 10. The replenishment instruction may include information for specifying the case 10 transported from the storage area A1 or the preparation area A2 and information for specifying the position of the replacement case 10 (for example, the position of the dispenser 20).

Here, an operation of the transfer robot 60 to attach the housing 10 to the additional equipment 30 will be described with reference to fig. 19. Fig. 19 is a view showing a state in which the case 10 is attached to the attachment 30 according to the present embodiment. The movement of the housing 10 shown in fig. 19 is performed by the transfer robot 60, but the illustration of the transfer robot 60 is omitted. Fig. 19 shows, by broken lines, a case where only the engaging portion 13 and the claw portion 37 are hidden.

Fig. 19 (a) shows a state in which a part of the housing 10 is placed on the mounted portion 32 of the attachment 30. At this time, the claw portion 37 is at the 2 nd position protruding from the fitted portion 32.

Fig. 19 (b) shows a state in which the case 10 is moved to the position of the claw 37 by the transfer robot 60. At this time, the claw 37 is pressed against the housing 10, for example, and moves into the assembled portion 32. That is, the claw portion 37 moves to the 1 st position accommodated in the fitted portion 32. The movement of the claw portion 37 may be performed by the driving portion 45. In addition, the claw portion 37 may be at least partially accommodated in the assembled portion 32. The position of the claw 37 at least a part of which is accommodated in the fitted portion 32 is also included in the 1 st position.

Fig. 19 (c) shows a state in which the engagement portion 13 of the housing 10 is engaged with the claw portion 37 to fix the housing 10 to the attachment 30. At this time, the claw 37 is at the 2 nd position. In this state, since the verification of the tag information of the RF tag T2 of the housing 10 after replacement is not performed, the lid 11 of the housing 10 and the lid 32a of the mounted portion 32 are preferably closed, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The lid 32a of the mounted portion 32 may be opened as long as the housing 10 is fixed to the attachment 30.

In this way, the claw portion 37 can move between the 1 st position where at least a part is accommodated in the fitted portion 32 and the 2 nd position where it protrudes from the fitted portion 32. The claw 37 is engaged with the engagement portion 13 provided on the lower surface of the housing 10 at the 2 nd position, thereby fixing the housing 10 to the portion to be assembled 32. The 1 st position may be a position on the negative side of the Z axis than the 2 nd position.

Referring again to fig. 18, next, the 1 st control device 50a controls the reading device 130 to read tag information of the RF tag T2 of the replaced case 10 (S106). The 1 st control device 50a controls the switching unit 132 to turn on the reading unit 131 and the antenna a 2. The reading unit 131 reads tag information from the RF tag T2 via the antenna a2, and outputs the read tag information to the integrated control device 50 via the 1 st control device 50 a. Thereby, the integrated control device 50 can acquire tag information of the RF tag T2 of the housing 10 after replacement.

Next, the integrated control device 50 determines whether or not the replaced casing is appropriate (S107). For example, the integrated control device 50 may determine whether or not the tag information acquired in step S106 matches the production data. The integrated control device 50 may determine whether or not the type of the component included in the tag information and the type of the component corresponding to the dispenser 20 included in the production data match, for example. The integrated control device 50 may determine whether or not the number of components included in the tag information is equal to or greater than the number of components included in the production data and required for production. The term "coincidence" in this case includes that the number of parts satisfies the production data.

In step S107, the determination may be made without using the production data. For example, the integrated control device 50 may determine in step S107 based on whether or not the types of the components of the casing 10 are identical before and after replacement. In addition to the determination of the type of the component included in the production data, the determination in step S107 may be performed according to whether or not the component type matches the component type of the additional equipment 30.

When the replaced casing 10 is proper (yes in S107), the integrated control device 50 proceeds to step S108. If the replaced casing 10 is not appropriate (no in S107), the integrated control device 50 returns to step S105 to perform casing replacement again. In addition, the determination in step S107 is yes, which is an example of verification success, and the determination in step S107 is no, which is an example of verification failure.

Next, when the integrated control device 50 determines yes in step S107, the 1 st control device 50a sets the lid 11 of the case 10 and the lid 32a of the additional equipment 30 from the closed state to the open state (S108). That is, the 1 st control device 50a sets the lid 11 of the case 10 and the lid 32a of the attachment 30 from the closed state to the open state based on the determination result of step S107.

Fig. 19 (d) shows a state after the cover 11 of the housing 10 and the cover 32a of the attachment 30 are changed from the closed state to the open state. In this way, the 1 st control device 50a checks the label information and the production data of the replaced casing 10, and if the check is successful, for example, if the label information matches the production data, the covers 11 and 32a are turned on, and the supply of the components to the attachment 30 is started.

In this way, by replacing the housing 10, the housing 10 can be replaced while preventing the mixing of components without stopping the mounting process. The steps S104 to S108 are examples of the component replenishment process. The component replenishment step is performed in a state where components remain in the transport unit 34.

Next, an operation when the carriage 70 is replaced for each of the component mounting apparatuses 100 will be described with reference to fig. 20. Fig. 20 is a flowchart showing an operation of replacing the housing 10 and the feeder 20 of the mounting system 1 according to the present embodiment. Specifically, fig. 20 shows the operation of preparing the carriage 70 for replacement in the preparation area A2 in advance.

The RF tag according to the present embodiment is, for example, an RF tag for long distance capable of performing communication of the order of 1 to 2m, but may be an RF tag for short distance whose communication distance is shorter than that of the RF tag for long distance. The communication distance of the RF tag for short distance is, for example, about 10 cm.

As shown in fig. 20, the 2 nd control device 50b mounts the casing 10 and the additional equipment 30 on the carriage 70 disposed in the preparation area A2 (S201). The 2 nd control device 50b controls, for example, the transfer robot 60, and based on the production data, installs the housing 10 accommodating the components used in the subsequent production and the additional equipment 30 corresponding to the housing 10 to the feeder body 40 held by the carriage 70. The feeder body 40 is a feeder groove that is mounted in advance on the carriage 70.

In step S201, a plurality of feeder body parts 40 are attached to the carriage 70, and the housing 10 and the attachment 30 corresponding to the housing 10 are attached to each of the plurality of feeder body parts 40. The antennas are disposed in the feeder body sections 40, respectively.

Next, the 1 st control device 50a acquires tag information stored in each of the RF tags T2 and T3 from the plurality of RF tags T2 and T3 (S202). Since the RF tags T2 and T3 are RF tags for long distances, the 1 st control device 50a can simultaneously acquire signals from each of the plurality of RF tags T2 and T3. Therefore, the 1 st control device 50a cannot determine the RF tags T2 and T3 corresponding to the antenna a1 from the acquired tag information. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the 1 st control device 50a identifies the RF tags T2 and T3 corresponding to the antenna a1 based on at least one of the radio wave intensity of the signals and the number of times of detection of the signals received from the plurality of RF tags T2 and T3, respectively. In step S202, for example, tag information of at least one of the RF tags T2 and T3 may be acquired. The case where the 1 st control device 50a determines the RF tag T2 will be described below, but the case where the RF tag T3 is determined may be similarly performed. In step S202, the control unit 51 of the integrated control device 50 may acquire tag information stored in the RF tags T2 and T3 from the plurality of RF tags T2 and T3, respectively. That is, the 1 st control device 50a may acquire tag information, or the control unit 51 may acquire tag information.

The 1 st control device 50a may determine the RF tag T1 corresponding to the antenna a1 based on at least one of the radio wave intensity of the signal received from the plurality of RF tags T1 and the number of times of detection of the signal.

Referring again to fig. 20, next, the integrated control device 50 determines whether or not the casing 10 and the attachment 30 mounted on the dispenser body 40 are appropriate based on the tag information (S203). The integrated control device 50 may perform the determination in step S203 by checking the tag information and the production data, for example. For example, when the types of components included in the tag information of the case 10 and the additional equipment 30 attached to the feeder body 40 match the types of components attached to the feeder body 40 included in the production data, the integrated control device 50 determines that the case 10 and the additional equipment 30 are appropriate because the attachment positions of the case 10 and the additional equipment 30 are appropriate (the case 10 and the additional equipment 30 are attached to the appropriate feeder body 40) (yes in S203). For example, when the types of the components included in the tag information of the case 10 and the additional equipment 30 attached to the feeder body 40 and the types of the components attached to the feeder body 40 included in the production data are not identical, the integrated control device 50 determines that the attachment positions of the case 10 and the additional equipment 30 are not appropriate (no in S203). The integrated control device 50 makes a determination in step S203 in each feeder body 40. Further, the determination as to whether or not the attachment position is appropriate may be performed without using the production data. The integrated control device 50 may determine in step S203 based on whether or not the tag information of the additional equipment 30 and the component type of the tag information of the case 10 match, for example. In the case of determining whether or not the attachment position is appropriate, the production data may be used in the same manner.

Next, when the integrated control device 50 determines yes in step S203, the 1 st control device 50a sets the lid 32a of the attached equipment 30 of the carriage 70 mounted on the component mounting device 100 from an open state to a closed state (S204). At this time, the 1 st control device 50a may also set the lid 11 of the case 10 from the open state to the closed state.

Next, the 2 nd control device 50b removes the carriage 70 of the component mounting device 100, and mounts the carriage 70 (the appropriate carriage 70 of the casing 10 and the attachment 30) determined to be positive in step S203 to the component mounting device 100 in each feeder body 40 (S205). The 1 st control device 50a sets the lid 32a on the case side of the attached equipment 30 of the carriage 70 newly attached from the closed state to the open state (S206). At this time, the 1 st control device 50a may also set the lid 11 of the casing 10 from the closed state to the open state.

In this way, by replacing the carriage 70 to which the housing 10 and the feeder 20 are attached, the carriage 70 can be replaced quickly while preventing the mixing of components. The steps S201 to S206 are examples of the component replenishment process.

[4. Effect, etc. ]

As described above, the tag reading system 300 according to the present embodiment includes: the attachment 30 is the attachment 30 having the radio wave shielding part 230 having radio wave shielding property and the 1 st radio wave transmitting part 230a having radio wave permeability, and the RF tag T3 is mounted therein, and the case 10 having the RF tag T2 mounted therein is provided outside the 1 st radio wave transmitting part 230 a; and an antenna a3 for detecting the RF tags T2 and T3. The RF tag T3 has a main surface on which the antenna pattern m2 is formed, one end of the main surface is on the RF tag T2 side, and the other end of the main surface is disposed on the antenna a3 side from the one end. The antenna a3 is configured to detect the RF tag T2 through the inside of the additional device 30 and the 1 st radio wave transmitting unit 230 a.

The RF tag T2 is an example of the 2 nd RF tag, and the RF tag T3 is an example of the 1 st RF tag. Further, the additional equipment 30 is an example of the 1 st production equipment unit, the case 10 is an example of the 2 nd production equipment unit, and the main surface on which the antenna pattern m2 is formed is an example of the 1 st main surface.

Thus, the antenna a3 can detect the RF tag T2 through the inside of the additional device 30 and the 1 st radio wave transmitting unit 230a, and thus even if the additional device 30 has the radio wave shielding unit 230, the tag reading system 300 can more reliably acquire information of the RF tag T2 provided in the housing 10. The tag reading system 300 can also more reliably write information to the RF tag T2 by passing through the inside of the additional device 30 and the 1 st radio wave transmission unit 230 a.

The RF tag T3 may be arranged such that an imaginary extension line (a broken line shown in fig. 14) passing through one end and the other end of the main surface of the RF tag T3 on which the antenna pattern m2 is formed intersects with an imaginary plane including the main surface of the antenna a3 on which the antenna pattern m1 is formed.

In addition, the RF tag T3 in the tag reading system 300 is an example of the 1 st RF tag.

Thereby, the degree of freedom in arrangement of the RF tag T3 increases. For example, when there are a plurality of types of additional devices 30 having different lengths in the Z-axis direction, the type increase in the size of the RF tag T3 can be suppressed by preparing 1RF tag T3 and adjusting the angle θ to arrange the RF tag T3.

The RF tag T3 may be arranged such that the virtual extension line is orthogonal to the virtual plane.

Thereby, the degree of freedom in arrangement of the RF tag T3 increases.

The attachment device 30 of the tag reading system 300 further includes a pair of radio wave shielding portions 230 disposed so as to face each other in a cross section. The RF tag T3 may be disposed between the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230 and on the radio wave shielding portion 230 side of one of the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230.

Thereby, the reliability of the antenna a3 to detect the RF tag T2 increases.

The additional device 30 in the tag reading system 300 includes a pair of radio wave shielding portions 230 arranged to face each other, and a 1 st radio wave transmitting portion 230a provided between the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230. The main surface of the RF tag T3 on which the antenna pattern m2 is formed is disposed at the center between the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230. The pair of radio wave shielding portions 230 and the main surface of the RF tag T3 may be disposed to face each other, for example.

This makes it possible to propagate radio waves from the antenna a3 to the RF tag T2 by using the antenna pattern m2 formed on the RF tag T3. That is, without the relay board 250, the radio wave from the antenna a3 can be propagated to the RF tag T2. This can simplify the internal structure of the additional device 30 and reduce the cost as compared with the case of providing the relay board 250.

The additional device 30 of the tag reading system 300 further includes a relay board 250 therein, and the relay board 250 is disposed between the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3 and has a main surface on which the antenna pattern m3 is formed. One end of the main surface of the relay substrate 250 is disposed on the RF tag T2 side, and the other end of the main surface is disposed on the antenna a3 side from the one end. The RF tag T2 is detected by the antenna a3 via the relay board 250.

The main surface on which the antenna pattern m3 is formed is an example of the 3 rd main surface.

Accordingly, since the relay board 250 is disposed between the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3, the radio wave from the antenna a3 can be transmitted to the RF tag T2 more reliably than in the case where the relay board 250 is not disposed between the RF tag T2 and the antenna a 3. For example, if the internal part of the additional device 30 is narrower than the wavelength of the radio wave (for example, a radio wave of 920 MHz), it is difficult for the radio wave to propagate from the RF tag T3 to the RF tag T2, but by providing the relay substrate 250, it is possible to more reliably transmit the radio wave to the RF tag T2.

The attachment 30 further includes a 2 nd radio wave transmitting portion 230b having radio wave permeability and provided so as to face the 1 st radio wave transmitting portion 230 a. The antenna a3 is disposed outside the 2 nd radio wave transmitting unit 230b.

Thus, the antenna a3 can detect the RF tag T2 via the 2 nd radio wave transmitting unit 230b, the inside of the additional equipment 30, and the 1 st radio wave transmitting unit 230 a.

Further, the 1 st production facility unit may be a feeder 20 having an assembled portion (for example, an assembled portion 32 shown in fig. 3) to which the housing 10 is assembled, and the 2 nd production facility unit may be the housing 10 to which the component is accommodated.

This enables the RF tag T2 provided in the casing 10 to be read more reliably.

The tag reading system 300 may further include a 2 nd production facility unit. The 1 st production facility unit may be the feeder body 40 of the housing 10 to which the accommodating member is attached via the attachment 30, and the 2 nd production facility unit may be the attachment 30 having the attached portion 32 to which the housing 10 is attached.

Thereby, the RF tag T3 provided to the attachment 30 can be read more reliably.

As described above, the mounting system 1 according to the present embodiment may further include: a substrate carrying mechanism 102 for holding a substrate 103; the tag reading system 300 described above; the 1 st control device 50a or the integrated control device 50 determines whether the component is correct or not based on the 1 st tag information based on the RF tag T2 and the 2 nd tag information based on the RF tag T3 read by the tag reading system 300; the mounting head 107 is configured to mount the component held by the feeder 20 on the substrate 103 based on the determination result of the 1 st control device 50a or the integrated control device 50.

The substrate 103 is an example of an object, the substrate carrying mechanism 102 is an example of a holding portion, and the 1 st control device 50a or the integrated control device 50 is an example of a determination portion.

Thus, the mounting system 1 capable of more reliably reading information of the RF tag T2 provided in the housing 10 or the RF tag T3 provided in the attachment 30 can be realized. Further, it is possible to suppress occurrence of a reading error of information of the RF tag or the like, and thus it is advantageous to improve productivity of the mounting system 1.

As described above, the tag arrangement method according to the present embodiment is a method for arranging the RF tag T3 attached to the attachment 30 (an example of the 1 st production facility unit), and includes: the RF tag T3 is mounted inside the attachment 30 such that one end of the main surface of the RF tag T3 becomes the antenna a3 side and the other end of the main surface becomes the RF tag T2 side.

Thereby, the number of antennas, cables, and the like provided inside the additional device 30 can be reduced.

(other embodiments)

The embodiments have been described above, but the present disclosure is not limited to such embodiments.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the control device uses the transfer robot to perform replacement of the housing, and preparation and replacement of the supply unit in advance, but is not limited thereto. The control device may also prompt the operator via the prompting device: the replacement of the housing and the preparation and replacement of the supply unit are performed in advance. The presentation device may be a display device such as a liquid crystal display, or may be a sound emitting device.

The communication between the control device and the components to be controlled (for example, the driving unit, the vibration generating unit, the power supply unit, the transfer robot, etc.) in the above-described embodiment is not particularly limited, and may be performed by wired communication or wireless communication. The wireless communication may also be performed using Wi-Fi (registered trademark), bluetooth (registered trademark), zigBee (ZigBee), optical communication, or specific low power wireless.

In the above-described embodiment, the case and the additional equipment are fixed and the additional equipment and the feeder main body are fixed by the claw portion and the engaging portion, but the respective fixing methods are not limited to the above-described. Any known fixing method may also be used.

In the above embodiments and the like, an example of the feeder arrangement unit is described as an example of a carriage, but the invention is not limited thereto. The feeder arrangement portion may be a fixed holding table (for example, a holding table attached to an installation line) or the like. That is, the feeder arrangement portion is not limited to be movable.

In the above embodiments and the like, the example in which the conveying section conveys the component by the vibration of the vibration generating section has been described, but the method of conveying the component is not limited thereto. The carrying section may carry the component by, for example, gas supply, magnetic force, conveyor belt, or the like.

The reader device provided in the carriage according to the above embodiment and the like may be implemented by a reader/writer capable of simultaneously acquiring tag information transmitted from a plurality of RF tags and simultaneously transmitting information to be written in the RF tags to a plurality of RF tags.

In the above embodiment and the like, the case where the action portion acts on the lid provided in the opening of the case is exemplified as an example where the action portion presses the lid, but the action is not limited to the pressing. The action may be such that the action portion pulls the lid body in a state where the action portion and the lid body are engaged. In addition, the acting part acts on the cover body, and the acting part indirectly acts on the cover body.

In the above embodiment, the example in which 1 relay board is provided in the additional equipment has been described, but the number of relay boards is not limited to 1, but may be 2 or more. When there are 2 or more relay substrates, the 2 or more relay substrates may be arranged in the Y-axis direction or in the Z-axis direction.

The present disclosure may be implemented as a tag reading method for reading information of an RF tag of a case using an additional device provided with a relay substrate as shown in fig. 10 or an additional device provided with an RF tag as shown in fig. 11, 14 to 16. In this tag reading method, any one of the additional devices shown in fig. 10, 11, and 14 to 16 is prepared, and the RF tag inside the additional device and the RF tag of the case disposed outside the 1 st radio wave transmission unit are detected via the relay substrate by the antenna disposed outside the 2 nd radio wave transmission unit of the prepared additional device.

Furthermore, the integrity or specificity of the present disclosure may also be achieved by a system, apparatus, method, integrated circuit, computer program, or computer readable CD-ROM, or other recording medium. Further, the present invention can be realized by any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

The order of the processing described in the flowcharts of the above embodiment and the like is an example. The order of the plurality of processes may be changed, and the plurality of processes may be executed in parallel.

The division of the functional blocks in the block diagrams is an example, and a plurality of functional blocks may be realized as one functional block, one functional block may be divided into a plurality of functional blocks, and a part of the functions may be transferred to other functional blocks. Furthermore, the functions of a plurality of functional blocks having similar functions may also be processed in parallel or time-division by a single hardware or software.

In the above embodiment and the like, each component (for example, a processing unit such as a control unit) may be configured by dedicated hardware, and may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a processor, which reads and executes a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory. For example, each component may be a circuit (or an integrated circuit). These circuits may be 1 circuit as a whole or may be different circuits. These circuits may be general-purpose circuits or dedicated circuits, respectively.

In addition, the present disclosure also includes modes obtained by implementing various modifications, which are conceivable to those skilled in the art, on the above-described embodiments and the like, or modes realized by arbitrarily combining the constituent elements and functions in each embodiment within the scope not departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

Industrial applicability

The present disclosure can be utilized for a system or the like for producing a mounting substrate by assembling components to the substrate.

Symbol description

1. Mounting system

10. Shell body

11. 32a, 35 cover body

12. Housing body

13. 36 engagement portion

14. 1 st convex part

15. 32b, 35a, 40a openings

20. Feeder

30. Additional equipment

32. Assembled part

34. Conveying part

37. 43 claw portion

38. 44 convex portions

40. Feeder body

41. Vibration generating part

45. Drive unit

50. Integrated control device

50a 1 st control device

50b 2 nd control device

51. Control unit

52. Storage unit

60. Transfer robot

61. Robot arm

62. Travel unit

63. Storage unit

63a, 71 holding part

70. Trolley

80. Supply unit

90. Installation assembly line

100. Component mounting apparatus

101. Base station

102. Substrate conveying mechanism

103. 250a, aa3, TT2 substrate

105 X-axis mobile station

106 Y-axis mobile station

107. Mounting head

108. Component mounting mechanism

109. Substrate recognition camera

110. Component recognition camera

111. Power supply unit

120. Roller shell

130. Reading device

131. Reading part

132. Switching part

140. Sensor for detecting a position of a body

141. Component detecting unit

230. Radio wave shielding part

230a 1 st radio wave transmission unit

230b No. 2 radio wave transmission part

250. Relay substrate

300. Label reading system

A1 Storage area

A2 Preparation area

A21 Standby area

A3 Mounting area

a1, a2, a3, a4, a5, a6, a7 antenna

C1, C2, C3, C4, C5 cable

I IC chip

Length of L1, L2, L3, L4

m1, m2, m3 antenna patterns

n2, n3, n4 connector

r resin plate

RW reader-writer

T, T1, T2, T3, T4 RF tag

W component store.

Claims

1. A tag reading system is provided with:

a1 st production facility unit having a radio wave shielding part having radio wave shielding property and a1 st radio wave transmitting part having radio wave transmitting property, wherein a1 st RF tag is mounted inside, and a2 nd production facility unit having a2 nd RF tag mounted inside is provided outside the 1 st radio wave transmitting part; and

an antenna for detecting the 1 st RF tag and the 2 nd RF tag,

the 1 st RF tag has a1 st main surface formed with an antenna pattern, one end of the 1 st main surface is arranged on one side of the 2 nd RF tag, the other end of the 1 st main surface is arranged on the side of the antenna than the one end,

The antenna is configured to detect the 2 nd RF tag via the inside of the 1 st production facility unit and the 1 st radio wave transmitting portion.

2. The tag reading system of claim 1, wherein,

the 1 st RF tag is configured to: an imaginary extension line passing through the one end and the other end intersects an imaginary plane including a 2 nd main surface of the antenna on which the antenna pattern is formed.

3. The tag reading system of claim 2, wherein,

the 1 st RF tag is arranged such that the virtual extension line is orthogonal to the virtual plane.

4. A tag reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein,

the 1 st production facility unit has a pair of the electric wave shielding portions arranged to oppose each other in a cross section,

the 1 st RF tag is disposed between the pair of radio wave shielding portions and on the side of one of the pair of radio wave shielding portions.

5. A tag reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein,

the 1 st production facility unit has: a pair of the radio wave shielding parts arranged to face each other, and the 1 st radio wave transmitting part provided between the pair of the radio wave shielding parts,

The 1 st main surface of the 1 st RF tag is arranged at the center between the pair of radio wave shielding portions.

6. The tag reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein,

the 1 st production facility unit further includes: a relay substrate having a 3 rd main surface on which an antenna pattern is formed, the relay substrate being disposed between the 2 nd RF tag and the antenna,

one end of the 3 rd main surface of the relay substrate is disposed on one side of the 2 nd RF tag, the other end of the 3 rd main surface is disposed on the side of the antenna than the one end,

the 2 nd RF tag is detected by the antenna via the relay substrate.

7. The tag reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein,

the 1 st production facility unit includes: a 2 nd radio wave transmission part having radio wave permeability and arranged opposite to the 1 st radio wave transmission part,

the antenna is disposed outside the 2 nd radio wave transmitting portion.

8. The tag reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein,

the 1 st production facility unit is a feeder having an assembled part to which the 2 nd production facility unit is assembled,

The 2 nd production facility unit is a housing accommodating the components.

9. The tag reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein,

the tag reading system is further provided with the 2 nd production equipment unit,

the 1 st production facility unit is a feeder body portion of a housing that is fitted with a receiving member via an additional facility,

the 2 nd production facility unit is the additional facility having an assembled part to assemble the housing.

10. A mounting system is provided with:

a holding unit for holding an object;

the tag reading system of claim 8;

a determination unit configured to determine whether or not a component is correct based on the information of the 1 st RF tag and the 2 nd RF tag read by the tag reading system; and

and a mounting head for mounting the component held by the feeder to the object based on a determination result of the determination unit.

11. A method of configuring a label, the method comprising,

is a configuration method of the 1 st RF tag mounted to the 1 st production equipment unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8,

the 1 st RF tag is mounted in the interior of the 1 st production facility unit such that one end of the 1 st main surface of the 1 st RF tag becomes one side of the 2 nd RF tag, and the other end of the 1 st main surface becomes one side of the antenna than the one end.