JP6254004B2 - Feeder position determination device and electronic component mounting device having the same - Google Patents

Description

  The technology disclosed herein relates to an electronic component mounting apparatus that mounts electronic components on a circuit board, and more particularly to an electronic component mounting apparatus that picks up electronic components simultaneously from two or more component feeders.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic component mounting apparatus. This electronic component mounting apparatus (hereinafter referred to as mounting apparatus) includes a feeder holding unit to which a plurality of component feeders are mounted, and a mounting head that mounts electronic components supplied by the component feeder onto a circuit board. The mounting head can hold a plurality of electronic components and can simultaneously pick up electronic components from two or more component feeders. According to such a configuration, the mounting head can pick up a plurality of electronic components to be mounted on the circuit board from the component feeder in a short time.

  Patent Document 1 further describes a technique related to the arrangement of component feeders in the feeder holding unit. In this technique, for example, the first and second component feeders are arranged in the feeder holding portion in a positional relationship that allows simultaneous mounting by the mounting head, and the same electronic components as the first and second component feeders are accommodated, respectively. The third and fourth component feeders are arranged at other positions of the feeder holding portion in a positional relationship that can be picked up simultaneously by the mounting head. According to such an arrangement, the mounting head can pick up electronic components from the first and second component feeders at the same time, and one of the first and second component feeders is out of components (that is, electronic components to be accommodated). In this case, the same kind of electronic components can be picked up simultaneously from the third and fourth component feeders instead of the first and second component feeders. Thereby, the mounting head can continue to pick up the electronic components simultaneously before and after the component feeder runs out of components.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-15998

  As described above, in the mounting apparatus that picks up electronic components at the same time, the productivity of the mounting apparatus can be improved by arranging the component feeder in the feeder holding portion. Therefore, the present specification provides a novel technique that can optimize the arrangement of the component feeders in the feeder holding unit.

  In the technology disclosed in this specification, the first and second component feeders are arranged in the feeder holding portion in a positional relationship that allows simultaneous loading by the mounting head. Then, the same type of electronic component as the first component feeder is accommodated, and the third component feeder that is used after the first component feeder has run out is either (1) the second component feeder or (2) the second The fourth component feeder that accommodates the same type of electronic component as the component feeder is disposed in the feeder holding portion in a positional relationship that allows simultaneous mounting by the mounting head. According to such an arrangement, the mounting head uses the second component feeder and the third component feeder or uses the third component feeder and the fourth component feeder even after the first component feeder runs out of components. Thus, it is possible to continue picking up electronic components simultaneously.

  According to one aspect of the technology described above, this specification includes a feeder holding unit to which a plurality of component feeders are attached, and a mounting head capable of simultaneously picking up electronic components from two or more component feeders attached to the feeder holding unit. A determination device for determining an attachment position of a component feeder in a feeder holding part in an electronic component mounting apparatus that mounts and mounts an electronic component on a circuit board is disclosed. The determination device includes a first determination unit that determines an attachment position between the first component feeder and the second component feeder to a position where the mounting head can simultaneously pick up between the first component feeder and the second component feeder, and the same type as the first component feeder. And a second determining means for determining an attachment position of a third component feeder used after the first component feeder has run out.

  As a first embodiment of the present technology, the second determination unit described above determines the mounting position of the third component feeder to a position where the mounting head can simultaneously pick up the mounting position of the second component feeder. It is preferable. Thereby, even after the first component feeder has run out of components, the mounting head can continue to simultaneously suck electronic components of the same type from the second and third component feeders. Here, the determination of the attachment position of the third component feeder may be performed before the start of the production operation by the electronic component mounting apparatus, or may be performed after the start of the production operation by the electronic component mounting apparatus.

  As a second embodiment of the present technology, the second determination unit described above is configured such that when the fourth component feeder that houses the same type of electronic component as the second component feeder is attached to the feeder holding unit, the third component feeder. It is preferable that the mounting position is determined to be a position at which the mounting head can simultaneously pick up the mounting position of the fourth component feeder. Thereby, even after the first or second component feeder has run out of parts, the mounting head can continue to simultaneously attract the same kind of electronic components from the third and fourth component feeders. According to this configuration, after the start of the production operation by the electronic component mounting apparatus, the attachment position of the third component feeder can be appropriately determined with respect to the attachment position of the fourth component feeder arbitrarily attached by the operator.

The side view which shows typically the structure of the electronic component mounting apparatus of an Example. Sectional drawing in the II-II line of FIG. The flowchart which shows the process which a control apparatus (decision apparatus) performs before production operation. An example of the attachment position of the original feeder determined by the process of FIG. 3 is shown. An example of the attachment position of the next feeder determined by the said process is shown. The flowchart which shows the process which a control apparatus (decision apparatus) performs during production operation. An example of the attachment position of the original feeder determined by the process of FIG. 6 is shown. An example of the attachment position of the next feeder determined by the process of FIG. 6 is shown.

  In the technique described in Patent Document 1 described above, for example, when the first component feeder runs out of parts, even if many electronic components remain in the second component feeder, the third and fourth component feeders Use will start. In this case, there is a problem that the second component feeder is in a state of being attached to the mounting device for a long time, and the electronic components remaining in the second component feeder deteriorate due to moisture absorption, for example. For such a problem, in the first embodiment described above, the second determining means can simultaneously pick up the mounting position of the third component feeder with respect to the mounting position of the second component feeder by the mounting head. Determine the correct position. According to such a configuration, since the use of the second component feeder is continued even after the first component feeder has run out of parts, for example, the above-described problems can be solved or reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the same type of electronic component as that of the second component feeder is accommodated, and the mounting position of the fourth component feeder used after the second component feeder has run out is set to the mounting position of the first component feeder. It is preferable that the apparatus further comprises third determining means for determining a position where simultaneous pick-up by the mounting head is possible. According to such a configuration, the mounting device can continue to pick up the electronic components at the same time, regardless of which of the first and second component feeders first runs out of components.

  Alternatively, the technique described in Patent Document 1 described above is based on the premise that the attachment positions of a group of component feeders to be picked up simultaneously, for example, the attachment positions of the third and fourth component feeders are determined simultaneously. . Therefore, for example, when the fourth component feeder is first attached to the feeder holding portion, it is assumed that only the attachment position of the third component feeder is additionally determined based on the attachment position of the fourth component feeder. Not. Regarding such a problem, in the above-described second embodiment, when the fourth component feeder is attached to the feeder holding portion, the second determining means determines the attachment position of the third component feeder. The mounting position is determined to be a position where simultaneous mounting by the mounting head is possible. According to such a configuration, when the fourth component feeder is first attached to the feeder holding portion, the attachment position of the third component feeder is additionally determined based on the attachment position of the fourth component feeder. Can do.

  In the above-described embodiment, for example, another component feeder may already be attached in the vicinity of the previously installed fourth component feeder. In this case, even if the second determining means determines the mounting position of the third component feeder, the third component feeder cannot be mounted at the mounting position because, for example, another component feeder already exists or because of the structure. Sometimes. Assuming such a situation, the second determining means determines that the determined mounting position of the third component feeder is a position where the third component feeder cannot be mounted because, for example, another component feeder already exists. If it is, it is preferable to have means for instructing the operator to change the mounting position of the fourth component feeder. In this case, the instruction is not particularly limited, but may be a visual instruction using a liquid crystal panel, an LED, or the like, or an audible instruction using a voice or the like.

  In one embodiment of the present technology, it is preferable that the second determination unit includes a unit that instructs the operator on the determined mounting position of the third component feeder. According to such a configuration, when the worker attaches the fourth component feeder to the feeder attachment portion, the operator can be instructed to the position where the third component feeder should be attached.

  An electronic component mounting apparatus 10 (hereinafter referred to as a mounting apparatus) according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The mounting device 10 is a device for mounting the electronic component 4 on the circuit board 2. The mounting device 10 is also referred to as a surface mounter or a chip mounter. Usually, the mounting apparatus 10 is provided together with other board working machines such as a solder printer, other mounting apparatuses, and a board inspection machine, and constitutes a series of mounting lines.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the mounting device 10 typically includes a plurality of component feeders 12, a feeder holding unit 14, a mounting head 16, a head moving device 18, a substrate conveyor 20, and a control. A device 22 and a touch panel 24 are provided. Each component feeder 12 accommodates a plurality of electronic components 4. The component feeder 12 is detachably attached to the feeder holding unit 14 and supplies the electronic component 4 to the mounting head 16. Usually, each component feeder 12 is loaded with a single type of electronic component 4. However, some or all of the component feeders 12 may accommodate two or more types of electronic components 4. The specific configuration of the component feeder 12 is not particularly limited. For example, the component feeder 12 may be a tape feeder that accommodates a plurality of electronic components 4 on a wound tape, or may be a bulk feeder that randomly accommodates a plurality of electronic components 4 in a container. .

  A plurality of component feeders 12 are detachably attached to the feeder holding unit 14. The feeder holding unit 14 may be fixed in the mounting device 10 or may be detachable from the mounting device 10. The mounting head 16 picks up the electronic component 4 supplied by the component feeder 12 and mounts the electronic component 4 on the circuit board 2. At this time, the head moving device 18 moves the mounting head 16 with respect to the component feeder 12 and the circuit board 2. The board conveyor 20 carries in, supports, and carries out the circuit board 2. The touch panel 24 is a display device that provides various types of information to the worker, and a user interface that receives instructions and information from the worker. Here, the mounting head 16 in this embodiment has a plurality of component holding portions 6 and can hold a plurality of electronic components 4. The mounting head 16 can simultaneously pick up the electronic component 4 from at least two component feeders 12 (see, for example, FIG. 5). In the present embodiment, each component holding unit 6 is a nozzle that sucks the electronic component 4.

  The control device 22 is configured using a computer including a CPU and a storage device. The control device 22 controls the operation of each part of the mounting device 10 based on, for example, a production program. The control device 22 is also a determination device that determines the attachment position of the component feeder 12 in the feeder holding unit 14. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8, processing executed by the control device 22 to determine the attachment position of the component feeder 12 will be described. In the present embodiment, the control device 22 has a function of a determination device that determines the attachment position of the component feeder 12, but the determination device may be a separate device from the control device 22. It may be arranged at a position away from the mounting device 10.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 22 attaches the plurality of component feeders 12 in the feeder holding unit 14 prior to the production operation of the mounting device 10 (operation of mounting the electronic component 4 on the circuit board 2). Respectively. First, the control device 22 acquires component feeder information (S12). Here, the component feeder information describes at least a plurality of component feeders 12 to be attached to the mounting apparatus 10 and the electronic components 4 accommodated in each of the component feeders 12. The plurality of component feeders 12 described in the component feeder information includes a plurality of original feeders and at least one next feeder. The original feeder is a component feeder 12 that supplies the electronic component 4 to the mounting head 16 prior to the next feeder. On the other hand, the next feeder is a component feeder 12 that supplies the electronic component 4 to the mounting head 16 in place of the original feeder when the original feeder runs out of components. Typically, the number of electronic components 4 to be mounted on one circuit board 2 is insufficient for the original feeder alone, so that a next feeder is prepared in advance.

  Next, the control apparatus 22 determines those attachment positions about the some component feeder 12 which is an original feeder (S14). At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the attachment positions of at least two component feeders 12 a and 12 b are determined to be positions where they can be picked up simultaneously by the mounting head 16. For convenience of explanation, one original feeder 12a shown in FIG. 4 is referred to as a first component feeder 12a, and the other original feeder 12b is referred to as a second component feeder 12b. Here, it is assumed that the types of the electronic components 4 accommodated in the first and second component feeders 12a and 12b are “component X” and “component Y”, respectively.

  Next or in parallel with the above, the control device 22 determines the mounting position of at least one component feeder 12 that is the next feeder (S16). At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the third component feeder 12c that accommodates the same type of electronic component 4 (component X) as the first component feeder 12a and is used after the first component feeder 12a has run out is the first component feeder 12a. The mounting position of the two-component feeder 12b is determined at a position where the mounting head 16 can simultaneously pick up. According to such an arrangement, even after the first component feeder 12a has run out of parts, the mounting head 16 can replace the first and second component feeders 12a and 12b with the second and third component feeders 12b and 12c. Therefore, the same kind of electronic parts 4 (that is, parts X and Y) can be picked up simultaneously. Since the simultaneous pick-up by the mounting head 16 is continued, the production speed by the mounting device 10 is substantially maintained.

  Similarly, the fourth component feeder 12d that accommodates the same type of electronic component 4 (component Y) as the second component feeder 12b and is used after the second component feeder 12b runs out is attached to the fourth component feeder 12d. On the other hand, the position is determined so that the mounting head 16 can simultaneously pick up. In the present embodiment, as a result, the first and second component feeders 12a and 12b are arranged adjacent to each other, the second and third component feeders 12b and 12d are arranged adjacent to each other, and the fourth and first components are arranged. The feeders 12 d and 12 a are arranged adjacent to each other, but their positional relationship changes according to the arrangement (that is, the interval) of the component holding unit 6 in the mounting head 16.

  Next, when the mounting positions of all the component feeders 12 can be determined (YES in S18), the control device 22 displays the determined mounting positions on, for example, the touch panel 24 and teaches the operator. In addition, when the attachment of the parts feeder 12 is not performed by an operator but is automated by the feeder attachment device, the control device 22 may teach the determined attachment position to the feeder attachment device. On the other hand, when the mounting positions of all the component feeders 12 cannot be determined because the mounting positions of two or more component feeders 12 overlap (NO in S18), the process returns to the above-described process, and some or all of the conditions are satisfied. After the change, processing (S14, S16) for determining the attachment positions of the original feeder and the next feeder is executed again.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the control device 22 can determine the mounting position of the next feeder after the production operation of the mounting device 10 is started. Therefore, in the process before the production operation shown in FIG. 3 described above, it is not always necessary to determine the attachment position of the next feeder. The control device 22 grasps the remaining number of electronic components 4 accommodated in the original feeder during the production operation. For example, when the remaining number of one of the first and second component feeders 12a and 12b falls below a predetermined value, the control device 22 needs the third and fourth feeders 12c and 12d as the next feeders. Is determined (YES in S32). In this case, the control device 22 first instructs the worker (or the feeder attachment device) to attach one next feeder, for example, using the touch panel 24 (S34). For convenience of explanation, it is assumed here that the fourth component feeder 12d is attached as shown in FIG. When the fourth component feeder 12d (or the third component feeder 12c) is attached in advance to the feeder holding unit 14, the control device 22 can skip the attachment instruction (S34).

  When one next feeder is attached to the feeder holding unit 14 (YES in S36), the control device 22 determines the attachment position of the other next feeder based on the attachment position of the one next feeder (S38). At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the control device 22 attaches the mounting position of the other next feeder (here, the third component feeder 12c) to one next feeder (here, the fourth component feeder 12d). The position is determined so that simultaneous pick-up by the head 16 is possible. In the present embodiment, although it is an example, the mounting position of the other next feeder is determined so as to be adjacent to the next feeder. According to such an arrangement, even after the first component feeder 12a has run out of parts, the mounting head 16 replaces the first and second component feeders 12a and 12b with the third and fourth component feeders 12c and 12d. Therefore, the same kind of electronic parts 4 (that is, parts X and Y) can be picked up simultaneously. Since the simultaneous pick-up by the mounting head 16 is continued, the production speed by the mounting device 10 is substantially maintained.

  However, depending on the mounting position of the fourth component feeder 12d previously mounted, another component feeder 12 may already exist at the determined mounting position of the third component feeder 12c. As described above, when the third component feeder 12c is not attached at the attachment position determined at the present time (YES in S40), the control device 22 uses the touch panel 24, for example, to the operator (or to the feeder attachment device). An instruction to change the mounting position of the fourth component feeder 12d is given (S42). Then, the control device 22 returns to the previous process, and when the attachment position of the fourth component feeder 12d is changed (YES in S36), the attachment position of the third component feeder 12c is determined again (S38). When the control device 22 repeats the above processing as necessary and finally determines the attachment position of the third component feeder 12c (NO in S40), the determined attachment position is displayed on the touch panel 24, for example (S44). Alternatively, the control device 22 can teach the feeder mounting device.

  As described above, according to the mounting device 10 of the present embodiment, even after one of the two or more original feeders has run out of parts, the mounting head 16 is a combination of the original feeder and the next feeder, or two or more The same kind of electronic component 4 can be picked up simultaneously from the next feeder. Since the simultaneous picking up by the mounting head 16 is continued before and after the component feeder 12 runs out of parts, the mounting apparatus 10 can substantially maintain its production speed. In addition, the next feeder can be attached in advance prior to the production operation by the mounting apparatus 10 and can be performed in a timely manner after the production operation is started.

  Specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, but these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and changes of the specific examples illustrated above.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where one next feeder is prepared for one original feeder has been described, but even when a plurality of next feeders are prepared for one original feeder, The technique of the present embodiment can be effectively employed. In this case, it is preferable to rank the next feeders according to the order in which they are used, treat the next feeder as the original feeder, and execute the processing described in the embodiment for each next feeder.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where two electronic components 4 are picked up at the same time has been described. However, even when three or more electronic components 4 are picked up simultaneously, the technique of this embodiment can be effectively employed. .

  The technical elements described in this specification or the drawings exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technology illustrated in the present specification or the drawings achieves a plurality of objects at the same time, and has technical utility by achieving one of the objects.

2: Circuit board 4: Electronic component 6: Component holding unit 10: Mounting device 12: Component feeder 12a: First component feeder 12b: Second component feeder 12c: Third component feeder 12d: Fourth component feeder 14: Feeder holding unit 16: Mounting head 18: Head moving device 20: Substrate conveyor 22: Control device 24: Touch panel

Claims (6)

An electronic component for mounting an electronic component on a circuit board, comprising: a feeder holding portion to which a plurality of component feeders are attached; and a mounting head capable of simultaneously picking up electronic components from two or more component feeders attached to the feeder holding portion. In the mounting device, a determination device for determining a mounting position of the component feeder in the feeder holding portion,
A first determining means for determining a mounting position between the first component feeder and the second component feeder to a position where the mounting head can simultaneously pick up between the first component feeder and the second component feeder;
A second determining means for accommodating an electronic component of the same type as the first component feeder and determining a mounting position of a third component feeder to be used after the first component feeder has run out of parts;
With
The second determining means determines the mounting position of the third component feeder to a position where the mounting head can simultaneously pick up the mounting position of the second component feeder. The electronic device of the same type as the second component feeder is accommodated, and further includes third determining means for determining the mounting position of the fourth component feeder used after the second component feeder is out of parts,
2. The determination according to claim 1, wherein the third determining unit determines an attachment position of the fourth component feeder to a position where the mounting head can simultaneously pick up the attachment position of the first component feeder. apparatus. An electronic component for mounting an electronic component on a circuit board, comprising: a feeder holding portion to which a plurality of component feeders are attached; and a mounting head capable of simultaneously picking up electronic components from two or more component feeders attached to the feeder holding portion. In the mounting device, a determination device for determining a mounting position of the component feeder in the feeder holding portion,
A first determining means for determining a mounting position between the first component feeder and the second component feeder to a position where the mounting head can simultaneously pick up between the first component feeder and the second component feeder;
A second determining means for accommodating an electronic component of the same type as the first component feeder and determining a mounting position of a third component feeder to be used after the first component feeder has run out of parts;
With
When the fourth component feeder that accommodates the same type of electronic component as the second component feeder is mounted on the feeder holding portion, the second determining means determines the mounting position of the third component feeder in the fourth position. A determination device that determines a position at which simultaneous mounting by the mounting head is possible with respect to a mounting position of the component feeder.   The second determining means allows the operator to change the mounting position of the fourth component feeder when the determined mounting position of the third component feeder is a position where the third component feeder cannot be mounted. 4. The determination device according to claim 3, further comprising means for indicating.   5. The determination device according to claim 3, wherein the second determination unit includes a unit that instructs an operator on the determined mounting position of the third component feeder. An electronic component mounting apparatus for mounting electronic components on a circuit board,
A feeder holding unit to which a plurality of component feeders are attached;
A mounting head capable of simultaneously picking up electronic components from two or more component feeders attached to the feeder holder;
A determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, for determining a mounting position of a component feeder in the feeder holding portion,
An electronic component mounting apparatus comprising:

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