JP7486167B2 - Component mounting device and component mounting method - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a component mounting device and a component mounting method.

Patent Document 1 discloses a component supply device that stores an out-of-parts pallet as a skip pallet when an operation is performed to skip replacing an out-of-parts pallet that has been moved to a pallet placement section among pallets that hold trays containing parts. The component supply device takes pallets in and out of multiple pallet storage sections that store pallets, and moves the pallets to the pallet placement section and a component removal position from which components are removed by a component mounting device. The component supply device also displays on a display section information identifying the skip pallet that has become available to be moved to the pallet placement section from the out-of-parts pallet.

JP 2018-133401 A

However, when multiple different types of components need to be supplied by a tray feeder for mounting on a board, if one pallet only holds trays that store one type of component, as in Patent Document 1, the tray feeder must store a number of pallets corresponding to the number of types of components to be supplied and then move them between the pallet storage section and the component removal position. This requires a huge amount of time to move the pallets, reducing the productivity of mounted boards.

Recently, there has been a method of storing multiple different types of components on one tray, holding the tray on a pallet, and supplying components using a magazine that can hold multiple pallets. When using such a pallet, the component supply device moves the pallet between the pallet storage section and the component removal position to supply components until all of the multiple different types of components stored on the tray held on the pallet have been used up for mounting. This means that moving the pallet takes a huge amount of time, reducing the productivity of mounted boards.

The present disclosure has been devised in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and aims to provide a component mounting device and a component mounting method that reduce time loss caused by the movement of a pallet that holds a tray that stores multiple different types of components positioned at a component removal position, and improves the productivity of mounted boards.

The present disclosure provides a component mounting device comprising : a tray feeder capable of storing a plurality of pallets, each of which stores a number of components of a plurality of different types or more required for producing a predetermined number of mounted boards; a mounting unit that removes components from a first pallet located at a component removal position among the plurality of pallets stored in the tray feeder and mounts the components on a board; a board transport mechanism that transports the board to a predetermined component mounting position and removes the mounted board produced by mounting the components from the component mounting position; and a determination unit that determines whether the predetermined number of mounted boards have been produced , wherein when it is determined that the predetermined number of mounted boards have been produced , the tray feeder retracts the first pallet from the component removal position and moves a second pallet of the plurality of pallets, which is different from the first pallet, to the component removal position in parallel with a process in which the board transport mechanism removes the predetermined number of mounted boards from the component mounting position and carries a next board to the component mounting position.

The present disclosure also provides a component mounting method including a tray feeder capable of storing a plurality of pallets, each of which stores a number of components of a plurality of different types or more required for producing a predetermined number of mounted boards, removing components from a first pallet located at a component removal position among the plurality of pallets stored in the tray feeder and mounting the components on a board, carrying the board to a predetermined component mounting position, and removing the mounted boards produced by mounting the components from the component mounting position , and determining whether or not the predetermined number of mounted boards have been produced , and when it is determined that the predetermined number of mounted boards have been produced, the tray feeder retracts the first pallet from the component removal position and moves a second pallet of the plurality of pallets, which is different from the first pallet, to the component removal position in parallel with a process of removing the predetermined number of mounted boards from the component mounting position and carrying a next board to the component mounting position.

This disclosure reduces time lost due to the movement of pallets holding trays that store multiple different types of components located at the component removal position, improving the productivity of mounted boards.

FIG. 1 is a top view of a component mounting apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a component mounting device according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a tray feeder according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a pallet according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a pallet out of parts according to an embodiment; A block diagram illustrating a functional configuration related to control of a component mounting device and a tray feeder. 1 is a flowchart for explaining an example of an operation procedure in a component mounting device according to an embodiment.

Below, with reference to the drawings as appropriate, an embodiment that specifically discloses a component mounting device and a component mounting method according to the present disclosure will be described in detail. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters and duplicate explanations of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming unnecessarily redundant and to make it easier for those skilled in the art to understand. Note that the attached drawings and the following explanation are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

For example, the term "part" or "device" in the embodiments is not limited to a physical configuration that is mechanically realized by hardware, but also includes configurations whose functions are realized by software such as a program. Also, the functions of one configuration may be realized by two or more physical configurations, or the functions of two or more configurations may be realized by, for example, one physical configuration.

Figure 1 is a top view of a component mounting device 1 according to an embodiment. In addition, in Figure 1, the front side of the component mounting device 1 (the lower side on the paper surface of Figure 1) is also referred to as the front side, and the back side of the component mounting device 1 (the upper side on the paper surface of Figure 1) is also referred to as the rear side.

The component mounting device 1 is arranged in a component mounting line (not shown) that manufactures mounted boards, and is a device that mounts one or more components onto a board 3 that is brought in. The component mounting device 1 also includes a main body control unit 15 that is housed inside a base 1A (see below) and controls each part of the component mounting device 1.

A board transport mechanism 2 is disposed in the center of the base 1A of the mounting machine main body 11 along the X direction (the transport direction of the board 3) shown in FIG. 1. The board transport mechanism 2 has a pair of conveyors extending along the X direction, and transports the board 3 placed on the pair of conveyors, positions it at a predetermined component mounting position, and holds it.

The component mounting device 1 according to the present embodiment is shown as having a pair of component supply mechanisms 4A, 4B on both sides (Y direction, -Y direction) of a pair of board transport mechanisms 2 that transport the board 3, but may be configured to have them on only one side. Furthermore, the component mounting device 1 according to the present embodiment is shown as having a single lane configuration capable of transporting one board, but may also have a dual lane configuration capable of transporting two boards simultaneously.

Furthermore, the component mounting device 1 according to this embodiment shows an example in which a tray feeder 5 is detachably arranged in the component supply mechanism 4A and a plurality of tape feeders 6 are detachably arranged in the component supply mechanism 4B as a method of supplying the components D for board mounting to be mounted on the board 3. Note that the component mounting device 1 according to this embodiment only needs to have a tray feeder 5 arranged in either one of the component supply mechanisms 4A and 4B, and for example, both the component supply mechanisms 4A and 4B may be tray feeders 5.

The tray feeder 5 includes a plurality of pallets 24 (see FIG. 2) each holding one or more trays 7 on the upper surface of which a plurality of different types of components D are stored in a lattice arrangement. The tray feeder 5 moves one of the pallets 24 to a component removal position P (see FIG. 2) where the mounting head 10A of the component mounting mechanism 12 (an example of a mounting unit) removes the components D, and supplies the components D to the component mounting mechanism 12. The tray feeder 5 also includes a monitor T on the upper surface. The component mounting mechanism 12 is a mechanism for mounting components on the board 3, and includes a Y-axis beam 8, X-axis beams 9A and 9B, mounting heads 10A and 10B, and a suction nozzle 11A.

The monitor T, which is an example of a notification unit and an input unit, is configured, for example, using an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electroluminescence). The monitor T displays the operating status of the tray feeder 5, information on the pallets 24 stored in each pallet storage unit 23 (see FIG. 2), and the like. The monitor T also has a user interface function such as a touch panel, and upon receiving an input operation by the operator OP, converts the input content into an electrical signal and outputs it to the feeder control unit 30. For example, the monitor T receives an input operation regarding the removal or movement of a pallet 24 that is out of parts.

Each of the tape feeders 6 is equipped with a carrier tape that stores a plurality of different types of components D. Each of the tape feeders 6 feeds the carrier tape by a pitch to supply the components D to a component pick-up position (not shown) by the mounting head 10B of the component mounting mechanism 12.

A pair of component supply mechanisms 4A, 4B are disposed facing each other on both the front and rear sides of the board transport mechanism 2 (on both the top and bottom sides in the plane of FIG. 1). Each of the pair of component supply mechanisms 4A, 4B has a feeder base 16 in which a slot 17 is provided, and a plurality of tape feeders 6 storing components D are mounted in parallel in the slots 17 as part feeders.

The component mounting mechanism 12 is disposed above the base 1A and is configured to be movable between a component removal position P where the component supply mechanisms 4A and 4B are provided and a component mounting position to which the board 3 is transported. Specifically, the component mounting mechanism 12 is capable of linear movement along the X and Y directions by X-axis beams 9A and 9B and a Y-axis beam 8 that are arranged orthogonal to each other on a plane approximately parallel to the surface of the board 3.

A Y-axis beam 8 is disposed along the Y direction on the upper surface of the base 1A. In addition, a pair of front and rear X-axis beams 9A, 9B are disposed along the X direction and are attached to the Y-axis beam 8 so as to be slidable along the Y direction. The X-axis beams 9A, 9B and the Y-axis beam 8 are all configured with linear guide drive mechanisms.

Mounting heads 10A, 10B are attached to the tips of the pair of front and rear X-axis beams 9A, 9B so that they can slide along the X direction. That is, in the embodiment, mounting heads 10A, 10B are each mounted on component mounting mechanism 12, and mounting heads 10A, 10B are each provided so that they can move independently of each other by X-axis beams 9A, 9B and Y-axis beam 8. As a result, mounting heads 10A, 10B can be positioned arbitrarily on a plane that is approximately parallel to the surface of substrate 3, that is, on the horizontal plane (XY plane).

Board recognition cameras 13 are provided on the plate 9C to which the mounting heads 10A and 10B are attached, respectively, to capture images of the board 3 transported to the component mounting position. Each of the multiple board recognition cameras 13 captures an image of the board 3 after it has been transported to the component mounting position, and transmits the captured image to the main body control unit 15 (see FIG. 2). The main body control unit 15 measures the attitude, loading position, etc. of the board 3 based on the captured images captured by each of the multiple board recognition cameras 13.

A component recognition camera 14 is disposed between the pair of front and rear component supply mechanisms 4A, 4B and the board transport mechanism 2. The suction nozzles 11A (see below) attached to the mounting heads 10A, 10B each take out a component D from the component supply mechanisms 4A, 4B and hold it, and pass above the component recognition camera 14. At this time, the component recognition camera 14 captures an image of the component D that is suctioned and held by the suction nozzle 11A that passes by at a predetermined timing. Each of the multiple component recognition cameras 14 transmits the captured image to the main body control unit 15 (see FIG. 2). The main body control unit 15 measures the holding posture, position, etc. of the component D that is suctioned and held by the suction nozzle 11A of the component mounting mechanism 12 based on the captured images captured by each of the multiple component recognition cameras 14.

Figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a component mounting device 1 according to an embodiment. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a tray feeder 5 according to an embodiment. In addition, in Figures 2 and 3, the front side of the component mounting device 1 (the left side on the paper in Figures 2 and 3) is also referred to as the front side, and the back side of the component mounting device 1 (the upper side on the paper in Figures 2 and 3, and the right side on the paper in Figures 2 and 3) is also referred to as the rear side.

In the example shown in Figures 2 and 3, the pallet 24 holds one or more trays 7 each storing a plurality of different types of components D, and is positioned at a component removal position P on the tray feeder 5. The component mounting device 1 picks up the components D stored in each of the one or more trays 7 located at the component removal position P using a suction nozzle 11A attached to the mounting head 10A, moves them in the direction of arrow L, and mounts them at a predetermined component mounting position on the board 3.

The component mounting device 1 includes a main body control unit 15. When the tray feeder 5 is attached to the component mounting device 1, the main body control unit 15 is electrically connected to the feeder control unit 30 in the tray feeder 5 (see FIG. 6).

The tray feeder 5 can be moved freely on the work floor by each of the multiple wheels 21. The tray feeder 5 has a base portion 20 on the upper portion of each of the multiple wheels 21. On the upper surface of the base portion 20, a feeder main body portion 22 is disposed on the side of the worker OP (Y direction), and a lifting mechanism 26 is disposed on the side of the component mounting device 1 (-Y direction).

The feeder main body 22 has multiple pallet storage sections 23 arranged in multiple levels in the vertical direction (Z direction). Each of the multiple pallet storage sections 23, which are an example of a storage section, stores a pallet 24 that holds one or more trays 7 on its upper surface. In addition, a pallet placement section 27 is provided on the level above the topmost level of each of the multiple pallet storage sections 23.

The lifting mechanism 26 raises and lowers the pallet holding unit 25 in the direction of arrow K to move the pallet 24 based on a control command sent from the pallet moving unit 29 (see FIG. 6). The lifting mechanism 26 raises and lowers the pallet holding unit 25 to each of the pallet storage units 23A, 23B, 23C, ..., the pallet placement unit 27, and the part removal position P, thereby storing, removing, and moving the pallet 24.

Each of the multiple pallet storage units 23A, 23B, 23C, ... is assigned an address that indicates the height (position) of the pallet storage unit. The pallet movement unit 29 causes the pallet holding unit 25 to store and remove the pallet 24 by specifying the address of any one of the pallet storage units 23. The pallet movement unit 29 can also move the pallet holding unit 25 to the part removal position P or the pallet placement unit 27 by specifying the part removal position P or the pallet placement unit 27.

The lifting mechanism 26 includes a vertical frame 31 erected on the upper surface of the base unit 20. The vertical frame 31 includes a nut member 32 and a feed screw 33. The lifting mechanism 26 raises and lowers the pallet holding unit 25 connected to the nut member 32 by rotating and driving the feed screw 33 screwed into the nut member 32 using the lifting drive motor 34 based on a control command transmitted from the pallet moving unit 29.

The pallet holding unit 25 includes a horizontal pallet holding plate 35 for holding the pallet 24. When the pallet holding unit 25 is raised or lowered by the lifting mechanism 26 to the height (position) of either the pallet storage unit 23 or the pallet placement unit 27, the slide drive motor 36 disposed on the underside of the pallet holding plate 35 drives the pallet 24 to slide in the direction of arrow U along the upper surface of the pallet holding plate 35, and pulls out and holds the pallet 24 stored in either the pallet storage unit 23 or the pallet placement unit 27, or stores the held pallet 24. The pallet holding unit 25 also maintains the holding of the pallet 24 at the component removal position P, thereby enabling the mounting head 10A to supply components D to the board 3.

Pallet placement section 27 is used to place out-of-part pallets 24 on which parts are to be replenished by the worker OP. The top of pallet placement section 27 (Z direction) is covered by the ceiling of feeder main body 22. In addition, on the front side (worker OP side) of the ceiling of feeder main body 22, an opening/closing cover 28 for loading and unloading pallets 24 onto and from pallet placement section 27 is provided rotatably in the direction of arrow W around cover retaining hinge 28A.

When a pallet 24 that is out of parts is moved to the pallet placement section 27, the operator OP opens and closes the opening and closing cover 28 to replace the tray 7 held on the pallet 24 that is out of parts from the pallet placement section 27, or to replace the pallet 24 (i.e., replenish parts).

Here, the components stored in the trays 7 held on the pallet 24 according to the present embodiment will be described. The pallet 24 according to the present embodiment holds one or more trays 7 that store the types and numbers of components D required to produce a production number or more of mounted boards that are produced by mounting the same types and numbers of components D on the boards 3 by the component mounting device 1, which is set in advance by the operator OP. For example, if the boards 3 are mounted with three different types of components, each of which is mounted with two components, and the production number of these mounted boards is five, the pallet 24 holds one or more trays 7 that store ten or more components of each of the three different types. In addition, the pallet 24 according to the present embodiment preferably holds trays 7 that store a number of components (e.g., ten) greater than the number of components required for the set production number (e.g., five) of mounted boards, taking into consideration that the components stored in the trays 7 may be defective, but is not limited thereto.

Furthermore, the out-of-parts pallet 24 according to this embodiment will be described. The main body control unit 15 or the destination determination unit 51 determines whether the pallet 24 located at the part removal position P is out of parts. Specifically, the pallet 24 is determined to be out of parts when the main body control unit 15 determines that the production of the number of mounting boards set by the operator OP is incomplete, and the destination determination unit 51 determines that the parts required for mounting on the next board 3 carried in are not stored in the tray 7 held by the pallet 24 located at the part removal position P, or when the main body control unit 15 determines that the production of the number of mounting boards set by the operator OP is completed. In addition, the pallet 24 located at the part removal position P is determined to be out of parts by the destination determination unit 51 based on the control command transmitted from the main body control unit 15 at the timing when the production of the number of mounting boards set by the operator OP is completed. In other words, the out-of-parts pallet 24 according to this embodiment does not have to have 0 (zero) parts. Pallets 24 that are out of parts are given unusable information by the feeder control unit 30, and are moved from the part removal position P to the destination determined by the destination determination unit 51, either the pallet storage unit 23 or the pallet placement unit 27, and stored there.

The feeder control unit 30 may assign unusable information to a pallet 24 that is determined to be out of parts. Note that the information assigned is not limited to the unusable information described above, but may also be information on the remaining number of each of multiple different types of parts stored in the trays 7 held on the pallet 24.

Inside the pallet placement section 27, a pallet detection sensor S, such as a light-shielding sensor, is disposed to detect the presence or absence of a pallet 24 on the pallet placement section 27. On the side of the feeder main body section 22 operated by the operator OP, a scanner R is disposed to read a part identification mark (not shown), such as a QR code (registered trademark), bar code, or two-dimensional code, which contains information identifying the type of part D stored in the tray 7 and is attached to the packaging bag packaging the tray 7 storing the part D, or to the tray 7.

The monitor T, pallet detection sensor S, and scanner R are each connected to the feeder control unit 30 so as to be able to communicate data. The pallet detection sensor S outputs a detected detection signal to the feeder control unit 30. The scanner R also outputs the read result to the feeder control unit 30. If the monitor T has a function as a user interface, the monitor T converts input operations by the operator OP into electrical signals and outputs them to the feeder control unit 30.

The tray feeder 5 also includes a feeder control unit 30. When the tray feeder 5 is attached to the component mounting device 1, the feeder control unit 30 is electrically connected to the main body control unit 15 (see FIG. 6). The feeder control unit 30 controls the pallet movement unit 29 and the movement destination determination unit 51 in the tray feeder 5.

Next, the pallet 24A and the out-of-parts pallet 24A will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the pallet 24A according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the out-of-parts pallet 24A according to the embodiment. It goes without saying that the number of trays held by the pallet 24A shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the number of parts that the trays can store, and the number of types of parts are only examples and are not limited to these. FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show an example in which different types of parts are stored in each tray, but for example, the trays 7A and 7B may store the same type of parts, and the tray 7C may store one or more types of parts, or a part of the areas of the trays 7A and 7B may store one type of parts, and the remaining area of the tray 7B and the tray 7C may store another type of parts. Information on the areas (regions) stored by type is stored in the pallet data 50A.

In addition, Figures 4 and 5 show an example in which three components D1, one component D2, and five components D3 are mounted on a board 3 to produce one mounted board, and the number of boards to be produced set by the worker OP is six. In other words, the pallet 24 in the above example only needs to be able to store 15 or more components D1, six or more components D2, and 30 or more components D3 in order to produce six mounted boards.

Pallet 24A shown in FIG. 4 has had the trays replaced by worker OP (i.e., parts have been replenished in each tray), and holds three trays 7A, 7B, and 7C. Each of the trays 7A-7C stores a different type of part. Tray 7A stores 18 parts D1. Tray 7B stores 8 parts D2. Tray 7C stores 32 parts D3. Note that each of the parts D1-D3 is a different type of part.

Pallet 24A shown in FIG. 5 is a pallet at the time when five mounting boards have been produced. When five mounting boards have been produced, one component D1 is determined to be defective by the main body control unit 15 and discarded in the production of the five mounting boards, and tray 7A stores each of the remaining two components D1. Tray 7B stores each of the five components D2. Tray 7C stores each of the six components D3 in the production of the five mounting boards, and one component D3 is determined to be defective by the main body control unit 15 and discarded in the production of the five mounting boards. In such a case, the destination determination unit 51 determines that the number of components D1 among the components D1 to D3 stored in trays 7A to 7C held by pallet 24 is less than the number required for the production of the sixth mounting board, and determines pallet 24 shown in FIG. 5 to be a pallet out of components. The out-of-part pallet 24A is moved to the destination determined by the destination determination unit 51 (i.e., one of the multiple pallet storage units 23 or the pallet placement unit 27).

Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration for controlling the component mounting device 1 and the tray feeder 5.

The main body control unit 15 of the component mounting device 1, which is an example of a judgment unit, is configured using, for example, a CPU (Central Processing unit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and performs various processes and controls in cooperation with the storage unit 40. Specifically, the main body control unit 15 references the programs and data stored in the storage unit 40 and executes the programs to realize the functions of each unit.

When the board 3 is transported to a predetermined component mounting position by the board transport mechanism 2, the main body control unit 15 causes the board recognition camera 13 to capture an image of the board 3 after transport. Based on the image captured by the board recognition camera 13, the main body control unit 15 measures the attitude, transport position, etc. of the transported board 3.

The main body control unit 15 causes the component recognition camera 14 to capture an image of the component held by the component mounting mechanism 12 when the component passes above the component recognition camera 14, which is installed between the component removal position P and the board 3. The main body control unit 15 measures the size, shape, holding attitude, position, etc. of the component held by suction based on the captured image taken by the component recognition camera 14, and corrects the holding attitude and mounting height of the component. The main body control unit 15 also determines whether the component is defective based on the measurement results. If the main body control unit 15 determines that the component held by the component mounting mechanism 12 is defective, it causes the component mounting mechanism 12 to discard the component.

The main body control unit 15 also counts the number of mounted boards to be produced, which is set by the operator OP. When the pallet 24 is moved to the component removal position P, the main body control unit 15 resets the current number of mounted boards to be produced, which is stored in the memory unit 40, to 0 (zero), and increments the number of mounted boards to be produced, which is stored in the memory unit 40, when the board 3 is transported to the component mounting position by the board transport mechanism 2.

After the board 3 is removed from the component mounting position, the main body control unit 15 determines whether there is a board 3 for the next mounting board to be produced. If the main body control unit 15 determines that there is a board 3 for the next mounting board to be produced, it further determines whether the production number of mounting boards stored in the memory unit 40 is the production number of mounting boards set by the worker OP. If the main body control unit 15 determines that the production number of mounting boards stored in the memory unit 40 is the production number of mounting boards set by the worker OP, it generates a control command to add unusable information to the pallet 24 at the component removal position P and transmits it to the feeder control unit 30 in the tray feeder 5.

The storage unit 40 has, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) as a work memory used when executing each process of the main body control unit 15, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores programs and data that define the operation of the main body control unit 15. The RAM temporarily stores data or information generated or acquired by the main body control unit 15. The ROM stores programs that define the operation of the main body control unit 15. The storage unit 40 stores mounting data 40A and component data 40B. The storage unit 40 also stores the number of production sheets that have currently been completed.

The mounting data 40A is information about the board 3 and information about each of the multiple components mounted on the board 3, such as information about the height (thickness) of the board 3, information about the type and number of components mounted on the board 3, the number of mounted boards produced using components stored on the trays 7 held by one pallet 24, and information about the component mounting position for each component.

The part data 40B includes information on the parts held by each tape feeder 6, information on the type and number of parts stored in each tray 7, information on areas storing parts of the same type, information on the number of trays 7 held by each pallet 24, information on the type and number of parts stored in each tray 7, information on areas storing parts of the same type, etc.

The mechanism drive unit 41 drives each of the board transport mechanism 2 and the component mounting mechanism 12 based on the control command output from the main body control unit 15. The mechanism drive unit 41 drives the board transport mechanism 2 to transport the board 3 to the component mounting position. The mechanism drive unit 41 also drives the component mounting mechanism 12 to suck and hold and remove the component from the tray 7 held by the pallet 24 located at the component removal position P, and mounts the component at the component mounting position on the board 3.

The input unit 42 is a so-called user interface that accepts input operations by an operator OP related to the production of mounted boards executed by the component mounting device 1, converts the results of the input operations into electrical signals, and outputs the electrical signals to the main body control unit 15. The input unit 42 may be realized as a touch panel that is integrated with the display unit 43 described above.

The display unit 43 is configured using, for example, an LCD or an organic EL. The display unit 43 displays information related to the operating status of the component mounting device 1. When the display unit 43 is configured as a touch panel integrally configured with the input unit 42, it may display buttons and the like capable of receiving control of the component mounting device 1 and may be capable of receiving input operations from the operator OP.

The feeder control unit 30 of the tray feeder 5 is configured using, for example, a CPU or FPGA, and works in cooperation with the feeder memory unit 50 to perform various processes and controls. Specifically, the feeder control unit 30 references the programs and data stored in the feeder memory unit 50 and executes the programs to realize the functions of each unit.

The feeder control unit 30 transmits to the main body control unit 15 the state of the tray feeder 5, such as a state where a control command to move a pallet 24 that is not out of parts to the part removal position P can be received (instruction waiting state), a state where the reception of a control command is suspended (reception suspended state) during a tray replacement operation (a state where a pallet 24 that is out of parts has been moved to the pallet placement unit 27 and the operator OP is performing the work of replenishing parts), etc. After receiving a control command from the main body control unit 15, the feeder control unit 30 transmits a control command completion report to the main body control unit 15 when the pallet 24 holding the tray 7 that stores the instructed parts is positioned at the part removal position P and the part can be supplied.

The feeder memory unit 50 has, for example, a RAM as a work memory used when executing each process of the feeder control unit 30, and a ROM that stores the programs and data that define the operation of the feeder control unit 30. The RAM temporarily stores data or information generated or acquired by the feeder control unit 30. The ROM has programs written therein that define the operation of the feeder control unit 30. The feeder memory unit 50 stores pallet data 50A. The feeder memory unit 50 also stores the height (position) of each pallet storage unit 23, the height (position) of the part removal position P, and the height (position) of the pallet placement unit 27.

Pallet data 50A includes information on the number of trays 7 held by each pallet 24, information on the type and number of parts stored in each tray 7, information on areas storing parts of the same type, etc. Pallet data 50A also stores addresses individually assigned to pallet storage units 23 in association with information on pallets 24 stored in each pallet storage unit 23, and information on pallets 24 (unusable information, out-of-stock part type information, remaining number information for each part, etc.).

When the production of the number of mounting boards set by the worker OP is incomplete, the destination determination unit 51, which is an example of a part number determination unit, determines whether or not the parts required for mounting on the next board 3 are stored in the tray 7 held by the pallet 24 located at the part removal position P, based on a control command sent from the main body control unit 15. When the destination determination unit 51 determines that the parts required for mounting on the next board 3 are not stored in the tray 7 held by the pallet 24, it determines that this pallet is a pallet 24 that is out of parts. In addition, the destination determination unit 51 determines the destination of the pallet 24 located at the part removal position P based on a control command sent from the main body control unit 15 at the timing when the production of the number of mounting boards set by the worker OP is completed, and outputs a control command including information on the destination to the feeder control unit 30.

The destination determination unit 51 determines one of the multiple pallet storage units 23 or the pallet placement unit 27 as the destination for the out-of-parts pallet 24 held by the pallet holding unit 25, based on the control command sent from the main body control unit 15 to supply the next pallet 24 and the information on each of the pallets 24 currently stored in each of the pallet storage units 23 stored in the pallet data 50A. Note that if the address of the pallet storage unit 23 in which the pallet 24 determined to be out of parts was stored before being moved to the part removal position P is stored in the pallet data 50A, the destination determination unit 51 may move the pallet 24 to this pallet storage unit 23.

The destination determination unit 51 generates a control command including information on the determined destination (i.e., the address of the pallet storage unit 23 or the height (position) of the pallet placement unit 27) and the type of part determined to be out of parts, and outputs the control command to the feeder control unit 30 and the pallet movement unit 29. The control command may also include the type and number of parts remaining on the out-of-parts pallet 24.

Based on the control command output from the destination determination unit 51, the feeder control unit 30 assigns unusable information to the out-of-parts pallet 24 and stores in the pallet data 50A that the out-of-parts pallet 24 is stored at the address of the pallet storage unit 23 where it is stored. In other words, the feeder control unit 30 functions as a control unit that controls the pallet movement unit 29 to move the out-of-parts pallet 24 based on the destination of the out-of-parts pallet 24 determined by the destination determination unit 51. The feeder control unit 30 also generates notification information that notifies the user that the pallet 24 is out of parts, and outputs the information to the monitor T for display. The feeder control unit 30 may also transmit the generated notification information to the display unit 43 for display, in addition to the monitor T.

When the monitor T receives an input operation from the operator OP regarding the removal of one of the pallets 24 or the destination, the monitor T generates a control command (electrical signal) including information on the selected pallet 24 and information on the destination of the pallet 24, and outputs it to the feeder control unit 30. The feeder control unit 30 outputs the control command (electrical signal) output from the monitor T to the destination determination unit 51. The destination determination unit 51 acquires the height (position) of the pallet storage unit 23 in which the pallet 24 is stored and the height (position) of the destination, which are included in the control command (electrical signal) output from the feeder control unit 30, based on the feeder memory unit 50 and the pallet data 50A. The destination determination unit 51 generates a control command including the height (position) of the pallet storage unit 23 in which the pallet 24 is stored and information on the destination (i.e., the address of the pallet storage unit 23 or the height (position) of the pallet placement unit 27), and outputs it to the feeder control unit 30 and the pallet moving unit 29.

The pallet moving unit 29 outputs a control command to the lifting mechanism 26 to move the pallet 24 based on the control command output from the feeder control unit 30.

Next, referring to FIG. 7, the operation procedure of the component mounting device 1 according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation procedure of the component mounting device 1 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 7, for ease of explanation, the number of mounting boards counted by the main body control unit 15 is k (k is an integer), and the number of mounting boards set by the operator OP is n (n is an integer of 1 or more). In addition, in the example of the operation procedure of the component mounting device 1 according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, an example is shown in which the destination of the out-of-parts pallet 24 is the pallet placement unit 27, but it may be any one of the multiple pallet storage units 23.

Based on the control command to supply parts sent from the main body control unit 15, the destination determination unit 51 determines the destination of the pallets 24 stored in each of the multiple pallet storage units 23 that are not assigned with unusable information as the part removal position P. The destination determination unit 51 generates a control command including information on the destination of the pallets 24 and outputs it to the feeder control unit 30. Based on the control command, the feeder control unit 30 outputs a control command to the pallet moving unit 29 to move the pallet 24 to the part removal position P. Based on the control command output from the feeder control unit 30, the pallet moving unit 29 further outputs a control command to the lifting mechanism 26 to move the pallet 24 to the part removal position P. Based on the control command transmitted from the pallet moving unit 29, the lifting mechanism 26 lifts and lowers the pallet holding unit 25 by the lifting drive motor 34 to remove the pallet 24 stored in the pallet storage unit 23 and move it to the height of the part removal position P (St1).

The main body control unit 15 resets the production number k of mounting boards (i.e., the number of mounting boards currently produced) to 0 (zero) (St2), and transports the board 3 to the component mounting position (St3). The main body control unit 15 increments the production number k of mounting boards (St4).

The mechanism driving unit 41 determines the component to be mounted based on the mounting data 40A, generates a control command including the position where the component is stored and the component mounting position of the component, and outputs it to the component mounting mechanism 12. Based on the control command output from the mechanism driving unit 41, the component mounting mechanism 12 takes out one of the multiple different types of components stored in the tray 7 held by the pallet 24 and mounts it on the board 3 (St5). After mounting all the components to be mounted on the board 3, the mechanism driving unit 41 outputs a completion report indicating that component mounting is complete to the main body control unit 15.

The main body control unit 15 outputs a control command to the board transport mechanism 2 to transport the board 3 (i.e., the mounted board) to an adjacent device (e.g., another component mounting device, a device that inspects the components mounted on the board 3, a reflow device that uses heat to melt the solder applied to the board 3, etc.). The board transport mechanism 2 transports the board 3 (i.e., the mounted board) based on the control command output from the main body control unit 15 (St6).

The main body control unit 15 determines whether there is a board 3 for the next mounting board to be produced (St7).

When the main body control unit 15 determines in the processing of step St7 that there is a board 3 for the next mounting board to be produced (St7, YES), it further determines whether the production number k of mounting boards stored in the memory unit 40 is the production number n of mounting boards set by the worker OP (St8).

On the other hand, if the main body control unit 15 determines in the processing of step St7 that there is no board 3 for the next mounting board to be produced (St7, NO), it ends component mounting.

When the main body control unit 15 determines in the process of step St8 that the production number k of mounting boards stored in the memory unit 40 is the production number n of mounting boards set by the operator OP (St8, YES), it generates a control command to assign unusable information to the pallet 24 at the part removal position P and transmits it to the feeder control unit 30 in the tray feeder 5. The main body control unit 15 also generates a control command to move the pallet 24 currently located at the part removal position P to the pallet placement unit 27 as an out-of-parts pallet 24 and transmits it to the destination determination unit 51. The feeder control unit 30 assigns unusable information to the pallet 24 currently located at the part removal position P based on the control command transmitted from the main body control unit 15. The destination determination unit 51 also determines one of the multiple pallet storage units 23 as the destination (storage destination) of the out-of-parts pallet 24. The destination determination unit 51 generates a control command including information about the determined destination (height (position) of the pallet placement unit 27) and outputs the control command to the feeder control unit 30 and the pallet movement unit 29. Based on the control command output from the destination determination unit 51, the feeder control unit 30 assigns unusable information to the out-of-parts pallet 24, and causes the pallet movement unit 29 to move (store) the out-of-parts pallet 24 based on the destination of the out-of-parts pallet 24 determined by the destination determination unit 51 (St9).

On the other hand, when the main body control unit 15 determines in the process of step St8 that the production number k of the mounting boards stored in the storage unit 40 is not the production number n of the mounting boards set by the operator OP (St8, NO), it generates a control command to determine whether or not the parts necessary to produce one mounting board are present on the pallet 24, and transmits the control command to the destination determination unit 51 in the tray feeder 5. The destination determination unit 51 determines whether or not the parts necessary to be mounted on the next board 3 that is carried in are stored on the tray 7 held by the pallet 24 located at the part removal position P (St10). For example, when three parts D1, one part D2, and five parts D3 are to be mounted on the next board 3 that is carried in, the destination determination unit 51 determines whether or not the tray 7 of the pallet 24 located at the part removal position P stores three parts D1, one part D2, and five parts D3.

If the destination determination unit 51 determines in the process of step St10 that the components required for mounting on the next board 3 to be brought in are stored in the tray 7 held by the pallet 24 (St10, YES), it generates a control signal notifying the main body control unit 15 that the pallet 24 located at the component removal position P is not out of components. Based on the control signal sent from the destination determination unit 51, the main body control unit 15 proceeds to the process of step St3 and causes the board transport mechanism 2 to transport the next board 3 to the component mounting position.

On the other hand, when the destination determination unit 51 determines in the process of step St10 that the components required for mounting on the next board 3 are not stored in the tray 7 held by the pallet 24 (St10, NO), it generates a control signal notifying that the pallet 24 located at the component removal position P is out of components, and transmits it to the main body control unit 15. The destination determination unit 51 also determines the destination (storage destination) of this out-of-component pallet 24. The destination determination unit 51 generates a control command including information on the determined destination (height (position) of the pallet placement unit 27) and the type of component determined to be out of components, and outputs it to the feeder control unit 30 and the pallet movement unit 29. The feeder control unit 30 gives the out-of-component pallet 24 unusable information based on the control command output from the destination determination unit 51, and causes the pallet movement unit 29 to move (store) this out-of-component pallet 24 based on the destination of the out-of-component pallet 24 determined by the destination determination unit 51.

The feeder control unit 30 generates notification information to notify that the pallet 24 is out of parts, and outputs it to the monitor T for display (St11). The feeder control unit 30 may transmit the generated notification information not only to the monitor T but also to the display unit 43 for display. After the processing of step St6, the process proceeds to step St1, and the feeder control unit 30 causes the destination determination unit 51 to execute control to move the pallet 24 for which no unusable information has been assigned to the part removal position P.

As described above, the component mounting device 1 according to the embodiment can collectively produce the number of mounting boards (for example, 5 boards) set in advance by the operator OP using each of the multiple different types of components stored in the tray 7 held by one pallet 24, thereby improving the productivity of mounting boards. In addition, when the component mounting device 1 determines that there are no components to be mounted on the next board 3 (i.e., components necessary for the production of the next mounting board) among the multiple different types of components stored in the tray 7 held by the pallet 24 at the component removal position P, it assigns unusable information to this pallet 24 as the pallet 24 out of components, moves it from the component removal position P to the height (position) of one of the pallet storage sections 23 or the pallet placement section 27, and moves other pallets 24 that are not out of components (unusable state) to the component removal position P. As a result, the component mounting device 1 can manage not to move the pallet 24 out of components to the component removal position P even if components remain on the pallet 24 determined to be out of components by assigning the unusable information.

In addition, while the boards are being transported in and out, the component mounting device 1 evacuates a pallet 24 that is out of components, or a pallet 24 that is located at the component removal position P when production of a predetermined number of mounted boards has been completed, and moves a pallet 24 that does not have unusable information from the pallet storage section 23 to the component removal position P, thereby further reducing time loss due to the movement of the pallet 24. This allows the component mounting device 1 to improve the productivity of mounted boards. Furthermore, the worker OP can produce a predetermined number of mounted boards by replenishing components onto one pallet 24, so the work of replenishing components onto an out-of-component pallet 24 can be performed more efficiently.

As described above, the component mounting apparatus 1 according to the embodiment comprises a tray feeder 5 capable of storing a plurality of pallets 24 holding trays 7 on which are stored a plurality of different types of components (e.g., components D1 to D3 shown in Figures 4 and 5) used in the production of a predetermined number of mounted boards, a component mounting mechanism 12 that removes components from a pallet 24 (an example of a first pallet) located at a component removal position among the plurality of pallets stored in the tray feeder 5 and mounts the components on a board 3, a board transport mechanism 2 that transports the board 3 to a predetermined component mounting position and removes the mounted board produced by mounting the components from the component mounting position, and a main body control unit 15 that determines whether the number of mounted boards produced is a predetermined number. When it is determined that the number of mounted boards to be produced is a predetermined number, the tray feeder 5, in parallel with the process in which the board transport mechanism 2 transports the predetermined number of mounted boards from the component mounting position and transports the next board 3 to the component mounting position, moves the out-of-component pallet 24 (first pallet) from the component removal position P to one of the multiple pallet storage sections 23 or the pallet placement section 27, and moves a pallet 24 (second pallet) of the multiple pallets different from the pallet 24 located at the component removal position P to the component removal position P.

As a result, the component mounting device 1 according to the embodiment uses multiple pallets 24 that hold trays 7 storing multiple different types of components (for example, components D1 to D3 shown in Figures 4 and 5), and therefore does not need to move the pallets 24 between the pallet storage section 23 and the component removal position P in accordance with the number of types of components in the production of mounted boards that require multiple types of components to be supplied from the tray feeder 5. In other words, the component mounting device 1 can improve the productivity of mounted boards by reducing the number of times the pallet 24 is moved to the component removal position P and further reducing the time required to move the pallet 24. In addition, by adding unusable information, the component mounting device 1 can manage the pallet 24 that is determined to be out of components so that it is not moved to the component removal position P even if components remain on the pallet 24.

Furthermore, the component mounting device 1 can evacuate the out-of-component pallet 24 from the component removal position P in parallel with the process in which the board transport mechanism 2 transports the predetermined number of mounted boards from the component mounting position and transports the next board 3 to the component mounting position, and supply components while the board 3 is being transported in and out (i.e., move the out-of-component pallet 24 and move the other pallets 24 that are not out of components to the component removal position P), thereby further reducing time loss due to the movement of the pallets 24 and improving the productivity of mounted boards.

The component mounting device 1 according to the embodiment further includes a destination determination unit 51 that, when it is determined that the number of produced mounting boards is not the predetermined number, determines whether there are any parts that are less than the number of parts required to produce one mounting board among the multiple different types of parts remaining on the pallet 24 located at the component removal position P. When it is determined that there are any parts that are less than the number of parts required to produce one mounting board, the tray feeder 5 evacuates the pallet 24 that is out of parts (an example of a first pallet) from the component removal position P in parallel with the process in which the board transport mechanism 2 carries out the predetermined number of produced mounting boards from the component mounting position and carries the next board 3 to the component mounting position, and moves the pallet that is not out of parts (an example of a second pallet) among the multiple pallets 24 to the component removal position P. As a result, the component mounting device 1 according to the embodiment can determine that there are no parts and replace the pallet 24 with another pallet 24 if the number of parts is less than the number required to produce one mounting board, even if there is a defective part among the parts stored in the tray 7, and resume production of the remaining mounting boards, thereby suppressing a decrease in productivity of mounting boards.

The tray feeder 5 in the component mounting device 1 according to the embodiment further includes a monitor T capable of receiving input operations from the operator OP. When the tray feeder 5 receives input operations from the operator OP via the monitor T, it moves the out-of-parts pallet 24 (an example of a first pallet) to a pallet placement section 27 different from the component removal position P, making it possible to remove the out-of-parts pallet 24 located on the pallet placement section 27 to the outside of the tray feeder 5. In this way, the component mounting device 1 according to the embodiment can assist in the component resupply work by moving the out-of-parts pallet 24 to the pallet placement section 27 at the timing when the operator OP wants to replace the tray 7 (i.e., resupply of components).

The component mounting device 1 according to the embodiment also includes a monitor T that notifies the operator OP that a pallet 24 (an example of a first pallet) that is out of components has been moved to the pallet placement section 27. This allows the component mounting device 1 according to the embodiment to notify the operator OP that the tray 7 of the pallet 24 that is out of components can be replaced (components can be replenished), and assist the operator OP in replenishing components.

Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications, corrections, substitutions, additions, deletions, and equivalents within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the components in the various embodiments described above may be combined in any manner as long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the invention.

The present disclosure is useful as a component mounting device and a component mounting method that reduces time lost due to the movement of a pallet that stores multiple different types of components located at a component removal position and improves the productivity of mounted boards.

1 Component mounting device 2 Board transport mechanism 3 Board 4A, 4B Component supply mechanism 5 Tray feeder 7, 7A, 7B, 7C Tray 10A, 10B Mounting head 11A Suction nozzle 12 Component mounting mechanism 15 Main body control unit 23 Pallet storage unit 24, 24A Pallet 25 Pallet holding unit 26 Lifting mechanism 27 Pallet placement unit 29 Pallet movement unit 30 Feeder control unit 34 Lifting drive motor 35 Pallet holding plate 36 Slide drive motor 41 Mechanism drive unit 50 Feeder memory unit 50A Pallet data 51 Movement destination determination unit D, D1, D2, D3 Component T Monitor P Component removal position

Claims (5)

a tray feeder capable of storing a plurality of pallets, each pallet containing a number of components of a plurality of different types, the number of components being greater than or equal to the number required for producing a predetermined number of mounting boards ;
a mounting section that picks up components from a first pallet located at a component pick-up position among the plurality of pallets stored in the tray feeder and mounts the components on a board;
a substrate transport mechanism that transports the substrate to a predetermined component mounting position and transports the mounted substrate produced by mounting the components from the component mounting position ;
a determination unit that determines whether the predetermined number of mounting boards have been produced ,
when it is determined that the predetermined number of mounted boards have been produced , the tray feeder, in parallel with a process in which the board transport mechanism unloads the predetermined number of mounted boards from the component mounting position and loads a next board into the component mounting position, retracts the first pallet from the component removal position and moves a second pallet of the multiple pallets, which is different from the first pallet, to the component removal position;
Component mounting equipment. a component number determination unit that determines whether or not there is a number of components among the plurality of different types of components remaining on the first pallet that is less than the number of components necessary to produce one mounting board when it is determined that the predetermined number of mounting boards has not been produced,
when it is determined that there are fewer components than are necessary for producing one mounted board, the tray feeder, in parallel with a process in which the board transport mechanism unloads the produced mounted board from the component mounting position and loads a next board into the component mounting position, retracts the first pallet from the component removal position and moves a second pallet of the multiple pallets, which is different from the first pallet, to the component removal position;
The component mounting apparatus according to claim 1 . The tray feeder further includes an input unit capable of receiving an input operation by an operator,
when the tray feeder receives an input operation by the worker via the input unit, the tray feeder moves the first pallet to a pallet placement unit different from the part removal position, thereby making it possible to remove the pallet located on the pallet placement unit to the outside of the tray feeder.
The component mounting apparatus according to claim 1 . and a notification unit that notifies the user that the first pallet has been moved to the pallet placement unit.
The component mounting apparatus according to claim 3 . each of the plurality of pallets includes a tray feeder capable of storing a plurality of pallets each containing a number of components of a plurality of different types, the number of components being equal to or greater than that required for producing a predetermined number of mounting boards ;
removing components from a first pallet located at a component removal position among the plurality of pallets stored in the tray feeder and mounting the components on a board;
carrying the board to a predetermined component mounting position, and carrying the mounted board produced by mounting the components out of the component mounting position ;
determining whether the predetermined number of mounting boards have been produced ;
when it is determined that the predetermined number of mounted boards have been produced , the tray feeder, in parallel with a process of unloading the predetermined number of mounted boards from the component mounting position and loading a next board into the component mounting position, retracts the first pallet from the component removal position and moves a second pallet of the multiple pallets, which is different from the first pallet, to the component removal position;
Component mounting method.

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