JP2003051696A - Method for changing reel in tape feeder and the tape feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for changing a reel in a tape feeder, by which the reel can be changed without having to remove the tape feeder from a chip mounter. SOLUTION: While a plurality of tape feeders 11 are fitted adjacent to each other to a chip mounter, a reel 52 in which a carrier tape 53 comes to an end is held from its back side, a support piece 16 is pushed up against the pressing force of a twisted spring 17a, and then the reel 52 is removed from the tape feeder 11 along the feed direction of the carrier tape 53. The reel 52 is removed smoothly from the back side, by preventing the widthwise movement by means of a guide plate 20. Next, the end of a remaining carrier tape 53 of the removed reel 52 is connected with the end of a carrier tape 53 of a new reel 52, and the new reel 52 is fitted to the tape feeder 11 along the feed direction of the carrier tape 53 in the reverse order of removal.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a reel changing method and a tape feeder in a tape feeder.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A chip mounter is an apparatus for mounting electronic component chips (hereinafter simply referred to as chips) such as resistors and capacitors on an electronic circuit board. Chip mounter
The chip supplied from the tape feeder is selected, chucked by the mounting head, and mounted at a predetermined position on the electronic circuit board.

The tape feeder has, for example, FIG.
There is something like. A carrier tape 53 having chips is wound around a reel 52 rotatably supported by the tape feeder 51.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the carrier tape 53 is provided with a recess 55 for accommodating the chip 54 and a sprocket hole 56 so as to be aligned in the longitudinal direction. A top tape 57 is attached to the carrier tape 53, and the chip 54 is enclosed in the recess 55.

The carrier tape 53 supplied from the reel 52 extends along the longitudinal direction of the tape feeder 51,
A sprocket (not shown) attached to the tip of the tape feeder 51 is engaged through a sprocket hole 56. Since the sprocket is intermittently rotated by the link mechanism 60, the carrier tape 5
3 is intermittently sent out from the reel 52.

The top tape 57 is peeled from the carrier tape 53 by being folded back by a peeling mechanism provided on the tape feeder 51 at a position before the sprocket, and is rotatably supported on the upper portion of the tape feeder 51. It is wound around the take-up reel 62 via rolls 61a, 61b, 61c. The reel 52 and the take-up reel 62 are rotated clockwise in FIG. The carrier tape 53 is sent below the sprocket after the top tape 57 is peeled off and the chip 54 is chucked by the mounting head of a chip mounter (not shown).

The reel 52 is rotatably supported by the tape feeder 51 by attaching a rotary shaft pin 64 inserted into a through hole 63 provided in the center of the reel 52 to the tape feeder 51. The length of the rotary shaft pin 64 is equal to or larger than the width of the reel 52.

For this reason, when replacing the reel 52, which has used up the carrier tape 53, with a new reel 52, the reel 52 is moved in the width direction of the tape feeder 51 (the direction orthogonal to the feeding direction of the carrier tape 53). Similarly, a new reel 52 is attached to the tape feeder 51 from the width direction.

The above tape feeder 51 is attached to the chip mounter so as to be adjacent in the width direction.
Therefore, in the tape feeder 51 attached to the chip mounter, since there is no space in the width direction, the reel 52 cannot be removed from the tape feeder 51 or a new reel 52 cannot be attached to the tape feeder 51. Therefore, when replacing the reel 52 that has used up the carrier tape 53 with a new reel 52, the tape feeder 51 is pulled out from the chip mounter to secure a space in the width direction.

[0010]

However, if the tape feeder 51 is removed from the chip mounter and the reel 52 is replaced as described above, the number of steps is large and it takes time. Also, after the carrier tape 53 is used up,
The productivity is reduced because the chip mounter remains stopped until the reel 52 is replaced and the supply of the chips 54 is restarted.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a reel changing method and a tape feeder in a tape feeder capable of changing the reel without removing the tape feeder from the chip mounter. is there.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention as set forth in claim 1 is a reel exchange method in a tape feeder for feeding a carrier tape from a reel and supplying electronic component chips to a chip mounter. In the state where the tape feeders are placed adjacent to each other and attached to the chip mounter, the reel in which the remainder of the carrier tape becomes small is taken out from the tape feeder along the feeding direction of the carrier tape, and the reel The gist of the present invention is to connect the end of the remaining carrier tape removed from the end and the end of the carrier tape of a new reel, and attach the new reel to the tape feeder along the feeding direction of the carrier tape.

According to the present invention, the reel in which the carrier tape is slightly left is taken out from the tape feeder along the feeding direction of the carrier tape while the tape feeder is still attached to the chip mounter. . Next, the end of the remaining carrier tape removed from the reel and the end of the carrier tape of the new reel are connected. Next, a new reel is exchanged and a new carrier tape is replenished by attaching a new reel to the tape feeder along the carrier tape feeding direction.
Therefore, the reel can be replaced while continuously supplying the electronic component chips without stopping the supply of the tape feeder from the chip mounter.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a tape feeder that feeds a carrier tape from a reel and supplies electronic component chips to a chip mounter, the reel can be rotatably supported at a predetermined position, and the reel is The gist is that the tape can be detachably supported from the tape feeder along the feeding direction of the carrier tape.

By using the tape feeder of the present invention, the invention according to claim 1 can be implemented. Claim 3
In the invention according to claim 2, in the invention according to claim 2, the tape feeder has an abutment plate capable of abutting with a central portion of one surface of the reel, and the reel on the side opposite to the abutment plate. A guide plate that abuts on the reel and can sandwich the reel in cooperation with the abutment plate; and a plurality of support portions that can abut the peripheral surface of the reel so as to rotatably support the reel. One of the supporting portions can be moved or removed to a position that does not cause a hindrance when the reel is moved along the feeding direction of the carrier tape to be detached from the tape feeder. And

According to the present invention, the reel is sandwiched between the support plate and the guide plate, and the plurality of support portions are rotatably supported by contacting the peripheral surface. For this reason, the reel can be rotated without any trouble and the carrier tape can be delivered while being mounted on the tape feeder. Further, the reel is taken in and out of the tape feeder by moving or removing one of the supporting portions of the tape feeder to a position that does not hinder the movement of the reel. Therefore, the reel can be removed from the tape feeder by a relatively easy operation of moving or removing one support portion.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1A is a schematic front view of the reel supporting portion of the tape feeder.
1B shows a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line IB-IB in FIG.

The tape feeder 11 of this embodiment is different from the tape feeder 51 in the structure of the reel supporting portion 12 and has the same structure as the tape feeder 51 in the other portions.

As shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), the reel 52 can be supported by the reel supporting portion 12 provided at the base of the tape feeder 11. The reel 52 includes a first surface 52a and a second surface 52b, and a scale 52c indicating the winding amount of the carrier tape 53 is displayed around the opening provided on the second surface 52b.

A first surface 52a of the reel 52 is attached to the reel supporting portion 12 at the base of the tape feeder main body.
Is provided with a support plate 13 capable of covering most of the. The support plate 13 is provided on the rear side of the tape feeder 11 (see FIG.
The left side of (a) is slanted, and a part of the reel 52 protrudes from this slanted portion.

The lower portion of the support plate 13 has a polygonal shape, and in this embodiment, the ribs 14 formed on the three sides cover the lower peripheral surface of the reel 52. Rib 1
The width of 4 is larger than the width of the reel 52. The central rib 14 is a support portion that can abut the peripheral surface of the reel 52 below the reel 52.

Above the support plate 13, the tape feeder main body is provided with a projecting piece 15 extending upward, and the projecting piece 15 is provided with a supporting piece 16 as a supporting part capable of supporting the upper part of the reel 52. It is installed. Support piece 1
6 is rotatably attached to the projecting piece 15 by a pin 17 attached to the base. The support piece 16 is a pin 1
By the torsion spring 17a wound around the reel 7, the reel 52
1 in the direction in which it is held in a predetermined mounting position, that is, in FIG.
It is biased counterclockwise in (a).

Guide pieces 16b are formed on both sides of the tip 16a of the support piece 16. The guide pieces 16b are formed downward, and the spacing between the guide pieces 16b is slightly larger than the width of the reel 52. Tip 16
“A” can contact the peripheral surface of the reel 52 at the upper part of the reel 52, and the guide piece 16b can prevent the reel 52 from moving in the width direction.

The support plate 13 has a first surface 52 of the reel 52.
The contact plate 18 is attached to a position where it can be opposed to the central portion of a. The contact plate 18 has a disk shape, and the reel 52
The diameter is relatively smaller than the diameter of In this embodiment, the diameter of the contact plate 18 is approximately one fourth of the diameter of the reel 52.

A guide plate 20 is attached to the tape feeder 11 so as to come into contact with the second surface 52b of the reel 52. The guide plate 20 is provided with a stepped portion at the base (right side in FIG. 1A), and is fixed to the mounting portion of the tape feeder main body by two bolts at the stepped portion. The guide plate 20 extends in the longitudinal direction of the tape feeder main body (the left-right direction in FIG. 1A), which is the same direction as the feeding direction of the carrier tape 53, and covers the upper part of the lower half of the second surface 52b. In this embodiment, the guide plate 20 has a length longer than the diameter of the reel 52, and the width of the guide plate 20 is larger than that of the reel 52. It is about half the diameter (radius).

The lower portion of the tip of the guide plate 20 is slanted, and the supporting piece 20 is provided at a predetermined position on the slanted portion.
a is formed. The support piece 20a extends in the direction perpendicular to the guide plate 20 (the width direction of the reel 52), and in this embodiment, the support piece 20a is formed to have substantially the same length as the distance between the guide plate 20 and the support plate 13.

Positioning pins 21 are attached to the guide plate 20 at predetermined positions near the base. The positioning pin 21 has a cylindrical shape and is formed to have a length substantially equal to the distance between the guide plate 20 and the support plate 13, and the end portion is in contact with the guide plate 20 and the support plate 13. The positioning pin 21 has a female screw formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder. The positioning pin 21 is attached to the inside of the guide plate 20 by screwing a set screw 22 inserted from the outside into a hole formed in the guide plate 20 to a female screw. The positioning pin 21 is a support portion that can come into contact with the peripheral surface of the reel 52 so that the reel 52 can be positioned at a predetermined mounting position. In this embodiment, the set screw 22 is the reel 52 in the conventional tape feeder 51.
The set screw used for fixing the rotary shaft pin 64 engaged with the center of the is used as it is.

Next, the operation of the tape feeder configured as described above will be described. A large number of tape feeders 11 as described above are attached to the chip mounter (not shown) so as to be adjacent in the width direction. Tape feeder 11
In the reel 52 attached to, the central portion of the first surface 52a is brought into contact with the contact plate 18, and the upper part of the lower half of the second surface 52b contacts the guide plate 20 on the side opposite to the contact plate 18. It is sandwiched by being contacted. Further, the reel 52 has a peripheral surface with the central rib 14 and the tip portion 16 of the support piece 16.
The carrier tape 53 is rotatably supported at a predetermined position for feeding the carrier tape 53 by abutting at three positions of a and the positioning pin 21. And the tape feeder 11
The sprocket attached to the tip of the link mechanism 60
By being intermittently rotated by, the carrier tape 53 engaged with the sprocket is intermittently fed from the reel 52, and the reel 52 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 1A. When the carrier tape 53 is pulled out from the reel 52 by a predetermined amount and the remaining amount of the carrier tape 53 becomes small, the reel 52 needs to be replaced.

Next, a method of replacing the reels of the tape feeder will be described. In the following work, each tape feeder 11 is still attached to the chip mounter, and the process in which the carrier tape 53 is sequentially sent out by the intermittent operation and the chip 54 is chucked by the mounting head and mounted on the circuit board is stopped. Not done.

First, the reel 52 with the remaining carrier tape 53 remaining is gripped from the rear of the tape feeder 11, and as shown in FIG. 2, while pushing up the support piece 16 against the biasing force of the torsion spring 17a, The reel 52 is attached to the tape feeder 11 along the feeding direction of the carrier tape 53.
From the back. When pulling out the reel 52, the reel 52 is rotated from the tape feeder 11 while the carrier tape 53 is being sent out while the carrier tape 53 is being fed out while the position where it abuts on the support piece 20a is used as a guide to be lifted diagonally upward. Pull out. Reel 52
The guide plate 20 suppresses the movement in the width direction, so that the guide plate 20 is smoothly pulled out rearward.

From the reel 52 taken out from the tape feeder 11, the remaining carrier tape (old carrier tape)
The carrier tape 53 is completely removed and the end of the carrier tape 53 is separated from the reel 52. Further, a reel 52 to be newly attached to the tape feeder 11 is prepared, and the end of the carrier tape 53 is pulled out from this new reel 52. The top tape 57 is slightly peeled off from the ends of the old and new carrier tapes 53.

When connecting the old and new carrier tapes 53, the tape joint tool 31 shown in FIG. 3A is used. A sandwiching portion 32 is formed on the tape joint tool 31. As shown in FIG. 3B, the sandwiching portion 32 is formed with a pair of engaging claws 33. Engaging claw 33
Are arranged at intervals of the sprocket holes 56 of the carrier tape 53.

When the tape joint tool 31 is used, first, a stopper 34 having a U-shaped cross section is placed in the sandwiching portion 32. The stopper fitting 34 is formed with holes 34a at predetermined intervals to which the engaging claws 33 can be engaged, and the engaging claws 33 are engaged with the holes 34a. Next, the sprocket hole 56 at the end of the old and new carrier tapes 53 is engaged with the engaging claws 33, and the top tape 57 which has been slightly peeled off.
Is placed outside the sandwiching portion 32, and only the ends of both carrier tapes 53 are sandwiched by the stopper fittings 34 and arranged in the sandwiching portion 32.

Next, the tape joint tool 31 is operated to close the pinching portion 32, and the end portions of both carrier tapes 53 are pinched by crimping the metal fittings 34 to connect the end portions of the old and new carrier tapes 53. To do. After that, the carrier tape 53 connected from the tape joint tool 31 is removed, and an adhesive tape is attached to the old and new top tapes 57 that have been peeled off, so that both top tapes 57 are connected.

Next, the new reel 52 is attached to the tape feeder 11 from the rear side while winding the connected carrier tape 53 around the new reel 52 so as not to sag. When mounting the reel 52, the reel 52
Install it in the reverse order of when you took it out. Specifically, the support piece 16 is lifted upward against the urging force of the torsion spring 17a, the reel 52 is brought into contact with the support piece 20a, and the abutted portion is used as a guide while slanting downward. The reel 52 is attached to the tape feeder 11 so that it slides in. The movement of the reel 52 in the width direction is suppressed by the guide plate 20, so that the reel 52 is smoothly moved from the rear of the tape feeder 11 along the feeding direction of the carrier tape 53 and attached. The reel 52 attached to the tape feeder 11 is brought into contact with the positioning pin 21 on the front side to prevent the reel 52 from overshooting forward and to be positioned at a predetermined position of the tape feeder 11. Further, the reel 52 has a torsion spring 1 on the rear side of the upper portion.
The support piece 16 is brought into contact with the urging force of 7a to be held at the predetermined position.

The period during which the top tape 57 can be continuously wound without replacing one winding reel 62 is as follows:
This corresponds to several times the period in which the reel 52 needs to be replaced. Therefore, the take-up reel 62 only needs to be replaced at the time of predetermined regular maintenance, and there is no need to replace it while the chip mounter is operating unlike the reel 52.

According to this embodiment, the following effects are obtained. (1) The tape feeder 11 holds the reel 52 between the contact plate 18 and the guide plate 20, and
The rib 14, the support piece 16, and the positioning pin 21 are brought into contact with the peripheral surface of No. 2 at three points to rotatably support the reel 52 at a predetermined position. Further, by moving the support piece 16 upward, the reel 52 can be taken in and out from the rear of the tape feeder 11 along the feeding direction of the carrier tape 53. Therefore, the reel 52 can be replaced from the rear of the tape feeder 11 along the feeding direction of the carrier tape 53 without removing the tape feeder 11 from the chip mounter. Therefore, when the carrier tape 53 is replenished, the chips 54 can be continuously supplied without being stopped, so that the productivity of the electronic circuit board can be improved.

(2) The guide plate 20 extends longer than the diameter of the reel 52 in the longitudinal direction of the tape feeder main body, and covers the upper half of the lower half of the second surface 52b of the reel 52. Can be contacted with. Therefore,
The guide plate 20 suppresses the movement of the reel 52 in the width direction,
At the time of replacement, the reel 52 can be guided so as to easily move along the feeding direction of the carrier tape 53.

(3) The tape feeder 11 has a reel 5
A positioning pin 21 with which the peripheral surface of 2 can contact is attached at a predetermined position. Therefore, when the new reel 52 is attached to the tape feeder 11 in a state where it is difficult to confirm the position of the reel 52 while being attached to the chip mounter, the new reel 52 can be easily placed at a predetermined attachment position.

(4) As the set screw 22, the one used for fixing the conventional rotary shaft pin can be used. Further, since the newly formed parts are only the guide plate 20 and the positioning pins 21, and the other parts of the tape feeder 11 are the same as the conventional tape feeder, the reel 52 can be manufactured at low cost.
It is possible to form a replaceable structure along the feeding direction of the carrier tape 53.

(5) The support piece 16 holds the reel 52 at a predetermined mounting position by the urging force of the torsion spring 17a. Further, the support piece 16 is lifted up against the biasing force of the torsion spring 17a, so that the reel 52 at the time of replacement is replaced.
Will be moved to a position that does not interfere with the movement of. Therefore,
The support piece 16 can be easily moved to a position where it does not interfere with the movement of the reel 52, without removing the support piece 16 from the tape feeder 11 and still attached to the tape feeder 11.

(6) A pair of engaging claws 33 are provided in the sandwiching portion 32 of the tape joint tool 31 in the sprocket hole 56.
Are formed at predetermined intervals. Therefore, the old and new carrier tapes 53 can be easily connected so that the sprocket holes 56 at the ends have a predetermined distance.

The embodiment is not limited to the above embodiment, but may be modified as follows. The rotation shaft pin 41 having a length shorter than the width of the reel 52 may be attached to the through hole 63 of the reel 52, as shown in FIG. With respect to the length of the rotary shaft pin 41, with the tape feeder 11 still attached to the chip mounter, the guide plate is bent to slightly shift the reel 52 in the axial direction. Keep it short so that it disengages. In this case, floating of the reel 52 can be prevented more reliably, and the reel 52 can be rotated more easily.

The guide plate 20 can hold the reel 52 with the contact plate 18, and the reel 5 can be replaced when the reel 52 is replaced.
As long as the reel 52 can be guided in the feed direction of the carrier tape 53 while suppressing the movement in the width direction of 2, the tape is not limited to being attached to the tape feeder 11 so as to extend in the feed direction of the carrier tape 53. You may attach so that it may extend in an up-down direction.

The length of the guide plate may be shorter than that in the above case as long as it can guide and support the reel 52. The tape feeder 11 can rotatably support the reel 52 by the support piece 16 biased by the torsion spring 17a coming into contact with the peripheral surface of the reel 52, and the support piece 16 resists the biasing force of the torsion spring 17a. The reel 52 is not limited to being replaceable by being lifted. For example, the support plate 1 so that the upper portion of the reel 52 can be covered.
3 is widened, and a removable pin is attached to the support plate 13 at a position corresponding to the position where the support piece 16 was in contact with the peripheral surface of the reel 52.
May be attached to. Since this pin is located at the rear part of the tape feeder, the pin can be attached / detached with the tape feeder still attached to the chip mounter. By removing the pin, the pin is removed from the rear side of the tape feeder in the feeding direction of the carrier tape 53. Along with this, the reel 52 can be replaced.

The tape feeder is not limited to a so-called single type in which one reel and a take-up reel are provided, but is, for example, a so-called double type in which two sets of reels and take-up reels are provided and carrier tapes are fed in parallel, for example. May be.

The set screw 22 is not limited to being attached to the guide plate 20, but may be attached to the support plate 13. -The support piece 20a may not be formed.

The guide piece 16b may not be formed. The reel 52 is not limited to being attached to the tape feeder 11 so as to rotate clockwise in FIG. 1A, but may be attached so as to rotate counterclockwise. In this case, the carrier tape 53 needs to be wound around the reel 52 in advance so that the top tape 57 faces the inside of the reel 52 instead of the outside.

The contact plate 18 may be omitted if it does not hinder the rotation of the reel 52. When taking out the remaining carrier tape 53 from the reel 52 taken out from the tape feeder 11, it is not limited to take out all the remaining carrier tape 53, and for example, the carrier tape 53 may be cut in the middle.

The technical ideas that can be understood from the above-described embodiments will be added below. (1) In the invention according to claim 1, sprocket holes capable of engaging with sprockets attached to the tape feeder are formed at predetermined intervals in the carrier tape, and the remaining end portions of the carrier tape are ,
When connecting the ends of the carrier tapes of the new reel, the intervals between the sprocket holes at the extreme ends of the carrier tapes are set to the predetermined intervals.

(2) In the invention described in claim 2,
The tape feeder includes an abutment plate capable of abutting against the center of one surface of the reel, and an abutment plate opposite to the abutment plate to abut the reel so that the reel cooperates with the abutment plate. A guide plate that can be held and a rotary shaft pin that is attached to the contact plate and that can rotatably support the reel are provided. The length that allows the rotary shaft pin to be inserted into the reel is such that the tape feeders are adjacent to each other. While still attached to the chip mounter, by slightly bending the guide plate in a direction away from the rotary shaft pin and shifting the reel in a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction of the carrier tape,
The length is such that the reel can be detached from the rotary shaft pin.

[0052]

As described in detail above, according to the inventions of claims 1 to 3, the reels can be replaced without removing the tape feeder from the chip mounter.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A is a schematic front view of a reel supporting portion of a tape feeder, and FIG. 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line IB-IB of FIG.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing a state in which a reel is taken out from a reel support portion.

FIG. 3A is a schematic front view of a tape joint tool,
FIG. 6B is a schematic plan view showing a state in which the tape and the fastener are arranged in the tape joint tool.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a reel support portion to which a pin shorter than the reel width is attached.

FIG. 5A is a schematic front view of a conventional tape feeder,
(B) is a schematic perspective view of a carrier tape.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... tape feeder, 14 ... ribs as a supporting portion, 1
6 ... Supporting piece, 21 ... Positioning pin, 18 ...
Contact plate, 20 ... Guide plate.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A reel replacement method in a tape feeder for feeding a carrier tape from a reel to supply electronic component chips to a chip mounter, wherein the carrier is kept attached to the chip mounter adjacent to each other. The reel with the remaining tape left is taken out from the tape feeder along the feeding direction of the carrier tape, the end of the remaining carrier tape removed from the reel, and the end of the carrier tape of a new reel. To connect
A reel replacement method in a tape feeder, characterized in that the new reel is attached to the tape feeder along a feeding direction of the carrier tape. 2. A tape feeder for feeding a carrier tape from a reel and supplying electronic component chips to a chip mounter, wherein the reel can be rotatably supported at a predetermined position,
A tape feeder capable of detachably supporting the reel along the feeding direction of the carrier tape from the tape feeder. 3. The tape feeder includes an abutment plate capable of abutting against a central portion of one surface of the reel, and an abutting plate that abuts the reel on the side opposite to the abutting plate. A guide plate that can be sandwiched together with a plate and a plurality of support portions that can contact the peripheral surface of the reel so as to rotatably support the reel are provided, and one of the support portions is the tape. The tape feeder according to claim 2, wherein when the reel is moved along the feeding direction of the carrier tape to be detached from the feeder, it can be moved or removed to a position where it does not interfere. .