JP7493059B2 - Component placement machine - Google Patents

Description

This specification relates to a suction nozzle used to mount multiple columnar components on a substrate, and a component mounting machine configured to include this suction nozzle.

The column alignment device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes an alignment plate having long grooves engraved with the same number and width as the electrodes on a CGA substrate (ceramic grid array substrate), a cover member for removing columns (columnar components) that protrude from the long grooves, a linear feeder for advancing the columns by vibrating the alignment plate, and a column supply device for supplying columns onto the alignment plate. This is said to enable columns to be accurately aligned and sent to a suction jig, enabling soldering without falling off.

JP 2004-200280 A

However, the column alignment device and suction jig in Patent Document 1 are technologies that are compatible with CGA substrates in which multiple electrodes are arranged in a row, and cannot be used with substrates in which multiple electrodes are arranged two-dimensionally.

Therefore, the problem to be solved in this specification is to provide a suction nozzle that can efficiently pick up and mount multiple columnar components on a board without being restricted by the arrangement of multiple mounting positions set on the board, and a component mounting machine that includes this suction nozzle.

This specification discloses a suction nozzle having a nozzle tip with a plurality of suction holes arranged in correspondence with the arrangement of a plurality of mounting positions set on a substrate for mounting a plurality of columnar components, each capable of suctioning the columnar components, and an air passage communicating with each of the plurality of suction holes and capable of simultaneously supplying negative pressure air.

This specification also discloses a component mounting machine comprising a mounting head that holds the suction nozzle and a component transfer device having a head drive mechanism that moves the mounting head, a board transport device that transports the board, and a component supply device that supplies the columnar components.

In the suction nozzle and component mounting machine disclosed in this specification, the multiple suction holes at the nozzle tip can be provided in accordance with the two-dimensional arrangement of multiple mounting positions set on the board, and are not restricted by their arrangement. Furthermore, each of the multiple suction holes is simultaneously supplied with negative pressure air from the air passage, so that each can pick up a columnar component and then mount it on the board. Therefore, the suction nozzle can pick up the required number of columnar components and mount them on the board at once, allowing for efficient suction and mounting.

1 is a plan view showing an overall configuration of a component mounting machine according to an embodiment; 1 is a perspective view of a suction nozzle according to an embodiment, as viewed from the nozzle tip side. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the suction nozzle as viewed from the nozzle base side. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a portion A in FIG. 2, showing the arrangement of suction holes of a suction nozzle. FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of part B in FIG. 5, showing a state in which the columnar part is sucked into the suction hole; FIG. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a recovery nozzle. FIG. 2 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view showing the tip area of the recovery nozzle. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a tray. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of an adhesive recovery unit. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the component mounting machine. FIG. 4 is an operational flow diagram illustrating the operation of the component mounting machine.

1. Overall Configuration of the Component Mounting Machine 1 of the Embodiment First, the overall configuration of the component mounting machine 1 of the embodiment, which is configured to include the suction nozzle 5 of the embodiment, will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The component mounting machine 1 performs a mounting operation to mount columnar components P (see Figs. 5 and 6) and other components on a board K.

1, the direction from the left to the right of the page is the X-axis direction along which the board K is transported, and the direction from the top (rear) of the page to the bottom (front) of the page is the Y-axis direction. The component mounting machine 1 is configured by assembling a board transport device 2, a component supply device 3, a component transfer device 4, a component recognition camera 7, and a control device 8 on a base 10.

The board transport device 2 is arranged to extend in the X-axis direction on the base 10. The board transport device 2 is composed of a guide rail, a transport belt, a clamping mechanism, and the like (reference numbers are omitted). The transport belt rolls along the guide rail to transport the placed board K to the mounting position within the machine. The clamping mechanism positions the board K at the mounting position. After the component mounting operation by the component transfer device 4 is completed, the clamping mechanism releases the board K, and the transport belt transports the board K out of the machine.

The component supply device 3 is positioned on the left side of the front of the base 10. The component supply device 3 is composed of multiple tape feeders 31 arranged on the left side in the X-axis direction, and a tray device 33 arranged towards the center in the X-axis direction. Each tape feeder 31 feeds out a carrier tape on which a large number of components are stored in a row, towards a supply position 32 at the rear end. The carrier tape supplies the components at the supply position 32 so that they can be picked up. The tape feeder 31 can be applied in various known forms.

The tray device 33 is composed of a storage shelf 34 divided into multiple levels, multiple trays 35 stored in each level of the storage shelf 34, and a mechanism (not shown) that selects a tray 35 and pulls it out rearward from the storage shelf 34. The tray device 33 supplies multiple columnar parts P using the roughly rectangular trays 35 (described in detail below).

The component transfer device 4 is disposed above the board transport device 2 and the component supply device 3. The component transfer device 4 is composed of a Y-axis moving body 41, an X-axis moving body 42, a mounting head 43, three types of nozzles, a board recognition camera 45, and the like. The Y-axis moving body 41 is driven by a Y-axis linear motion mechanism to move in the Y-axis direction. The X-axis moving body 42 is mounted on the Y-axis moving body 41, and is driven by an X-axis linear motion mechanism to move in the X-axis direction. The mounting head 43 is attached to a clamp mechanism (not shown) provided in front of the X-axis moving body 42, and moves in two horizontal directions together with the X-axis moving body 42. The Y-axis moving body 41, the X-axis moving body 42, the Y-axis linear motion mechanism, and the X-axis linear motion mechanism constitute a head drive mechanism.

A nozzle holding seat 44 is provided below the mounting head 43 so that it can rise and fall and rotate (see FIG. 5). Three types of nozzles are held below the nozzle holding seat 44 so that they can be automatically replaced. In order to accommodate the three types of nozzles, a nozzle station 47 is disposed between the board transport device 2 and the component supply device 3 on the base 10. In FIG. 1, a suction nozzle 5 that picks up multiple columnar components P is held below the nozzle holding seat 44. A recovery nozzle 48 that picks up one columnar component P and a general-purpose nozzle 49 that picks up components other than the columnar component P are placed on the nozzle station 47.

The suction nozzle 5 and recovery nozzle 48 pick up columnar parts P from the tray 35 of the tray device 33. The general-purpose nozzle 49 picks up parts other than columnar parts P from the supply position 32 of the tape feeder 31. The general-purpose nozzle 49 can be applied in various known forms. Nozzles are automatically replaced by moving the mounting head 43 above the nozzle station 47.

The board recognition camera 45 is provided on the X-axis moving body 42 alongside the mounting head 43. The board recognition camera 45 is positioned with its optical axis pointing downward. The board recognition camera 45 captures an image of the position reference mark attached to the board K from above. The acquired image data is processed to accurately determine the mounting position of the board K. An example of the board recognition camera 45 is a digital imaging device having an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor).

The component recognition camera 7 is provided to the right of the nozzle station 47 on the base 10. The component recognition camera 7 is positioned with its optical axis facing upward. The component recognition camera 7 images the component picked up by the general nozzle 49 from below while the mounting head 43 moves from the component supply device 3 to the board K. The component recognition camera 7 also performs similar imaging of the suction nozzle 5 and the recovery nozzle 48. An example of the component recognition camera 7 is a digital imaging device having an imaging element such as a CCD or CMOS.

In addition, a waste box 37 and an adhesive recovery section 38 are arranged on the right side of the tray device 33. The waste box 37 and the adhesive recovery section 38 constitute a waste section 39 that discards unnecessary columnar parts P. The waste box 37 is formed in a box shape that opens upward, and stores unnecessary columnar parts P inside. The adhesive recovery section 38 recovers unnecessary columnar parts P by adhesive force (described in detail later).

The control device 8 is mounted on the base 10, and its location is not particularly limited. The control device 8 is configured as a computer device having a CPU and operating on software. The control device 8 may be configured with multiple CPUs distributed within the machine and connected for communication. The control device 8 controls the board transport device 2, component supply device 3, component transfer device 4, and component recognition camera 7 based on job data for each type of board K, and proceeds with the component mounting work. The job data is data that describes the detailed procedures and implementation methods of the mounting work.

2. Configuration of the suction nozzle 5 of the embodiment Next, the configuration of the suction nozzle 5 of the embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 6. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the suction nozzle 5 has a nozzle base 51 and a nozzle tip 55 as its main components, and has an air passage 6 formed therein. The nozzle base 51 is formed by connecting, in order from the top, a flange portion 52, a shaft portion 53, and an attachment portion 54.

The flange portion 52 is formed in a disk shape that extends horizontally. The flange portion 52 has a notch portion 521 formed at one location on the periphery (see Figure 3). This allows the suction nozzle 5 to easily visually check its circumferential rotation state when held by the nozzle holding seat 44 and when it is a single unit. As shown in Figure 5, when the flange portion 52 is held by the nozzle holding seat 44 of the mounting head 43, the entire suction nozzle 5 is held.

In more detail, the nozzle holding seat 44 has a cylindrical lower portion. The nozzle holding seat 44 has a central air passage 441 on the central axis and peripheral air passages 442 at multiple locations off the central axis. The central air passage 441 and peripheral air passages 442 open downward, and the air flows are controlled separately. The nozzle holding seat 44 reaches above the flange portion 52 by the movement of the mounting head 43, and descends to contact the upper surface 522 of the flange portion 52. When negative air pressure is supplied to the peripheral air passage 442, the nozzle holding seat 44 suctions and holds the flange portion 52. Not limited to this, the nozzle holding seat 44 may have a chuck mechanism that clamps the suction nozzle 5.

The shaft portion 53 is located at the center of the lower side of the flange portion 52. The shaft portion 53 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a smaller diameter than the flange portion 52. The mounting portion 54 is located below the shaft portion 53. The planar shape of the upper portion 541 of the mounting portion 54 is a square with the four corners removed. Mounting holes 542 are formed by penetrating vertically at four locations near the outer periphery of the upper portion 541. The mounting holes 542 are formed with a small diameter on the upper side and a large diameter on the lower side. The planar shape of the lower portion 543 of the mounting portion 54 is one size smaller than the upper portion 541. A seal groove 544 is engraved and formed so as to go around the outer periphery of the lower portion 543. An O-ring 545 is fitted into the seal groove 544 to ensure airtightness.

The nozzle tip 55 is formed by connecting the upper fixed part 56 and the lower suction structure part 59. The fixed part 56 is formed in a frame shape surrounding the outer periphery of the lower part 543 of the mounting part 54. An O-ring 545 is pressed against the inner surface of the fixed part 56. The fastened member 561 is fixed upright at four points on the upper surface of the fixed part 56 that face the mounting hole 542. The fastened member 561 has a female thread formed therein and is engaged with the large diameter part on the lower side of the mounting hole 542. Therefore, the fastening screw 58 can be screwed into the female thread of the fastened member 561 by inserting the fastening screw 58 from above into the mounting hole 542 and rotating it. As a result, the nozzle base 51 holds the nozzle tip 55 in a detachable manner.

The suction structure 59 is formed in a plate shape that extends horizontally. The suction structure 59 is positioned slightly away from the underside of the lower part 543 of the mounting part 54. This defines a planar air passage 65 that extends horizontally in two directions at a height distance D between the suction structure 59 and the lower part 543 of the mounting part 54 (see Figure 6). The planar air passage 65 is kept airtight by an O-ring 545. The underside of the suction structure 59 is divided into an suction region 5A and a non-suction region 5C.

The suction area 5A is formed with a plurality of suction holes 5B that open downward. The suction holes 5B are the portions that suction the columnar components P. The arrangement of the plurality of suction holes 5B corresponds to the arrangement of the plurality of mounting positions set on the substrate K for mounting the plurality of columnar components P. The shape and size of the suction area 5A that includes all of the suction holes 5B can be appropriately set according to the arrangement situation of the plurality of mounting positions on the substrate K side, regardless of how they are arranged two-dimensionally. The suction areas 5A may also be distributed in two or more locations. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the suction area 5A is set to a square frame shape. The number of suction holes 5B in the suction area 5A is 304, but is not limited to this.

The suction hole 5B is a vertical hole whose axial direction extends vertically, and is formed as a round hole to match the cylindrical shape of the columnar part P to be sucked. The inner diameter of the suction hole 5B is set to be slightly larger than the maximum diameter based on the dimensional tolerance of the diameter of the columnar part P. The depth of the suction hole 5B is set to be slightly shorter than the length of the columnar part P. These settings stabilize the vertical posture of the columnar part P sucked into the suction hole 5B. Note that, when the columnar part P has a rectangular column shape, it is preferable to make the suction hole 5B a hole of the same rectangular column shape. As shown in FIG. 6, the deepest part (highest position) of the suction hole 5B communicates with the planar air passage 65.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the non-suction area 5C is the area inside the suction area 5A and the area outside the suction area 5A. The bottom surface of the suction area 5A protrudes downward from the bottom surface of the non-suction area 5C. Here, if the length of the columnar component P is greater than the height of the other components, the other components are mounted on the board K first, and the columnar component P is mounted later. When the suction nozzle 5 descends to mount the columnar component P on the board K, the non-suction area 5C is recessed above the suction area 5A, so it does not interfere with the already mounted component. If the columnar component P is mounted first, the already mounted columnar component P is likely to interfere with the general nozzle 49 when the other components are mounted later.

A nozzle position mark 5D is provided near the outer edge of the non-suction area 5C. The nozzle position mark 5D indicates the reference position of the suction nozzle 5. The nozzle position mark 5D can be imaged by the component recognition camera 7. In other words, the component recognition camera 7 functions as a nozzle imaging camera that images the nozzle position mark 5D and acquires image data. By providing multiple nozzle position marks 5D (four in the example of Figure 2), the detection accuracy of the position of the suction nozzle 5 is improved. In addition, it becomes possible to detect the circumferential rotation state of the suction nozzle 5.

Next, the air passage 6 capable of simultaneously supplying negative pressure air to multiple suction holes 5B will be described. The air passage 6 is composed of a central air passage 61, a branch air passage 62, a descending air passage 64, and the planar air passage 65 described above. The central air passage 61 is formed by vertically penetrating the center of the nozzle base 51. When the suction nozzle 5 is held by the nozzle holding seat 44, the central air passage 61 communicates with the central air passage 441 of the nozzle holding seat 44, and negative and positive pressure air is selectively supplied from the mounting head 43. The lower end of the central air passage 61 communicates with the central position of the planar air passage 65.

Four branch air passages 62 are formed at a 90° pitch in plan view. Each branch air passage 62 branches off from the central air passage 61 at a midpoint height and extends horizontally radially outward. When forming the two branch air passages 62, a side hole is drilled in the mounting portion 54 of the nozzle base 51. The opening of this side hole is sealed by a stopper 63. The descending air passage 64 extends downward from a position radially outward of the branch air passage 62. The lower end of the descending air passage 64 communicates with a position outside the suction area 5A of the planar air passage 65.

With this configuration of the air passage 6, when negative pressure air is supplied to the upper end of the central air passage 61, the air passage 6 communicates with each of the multiple suction holes 5B, allowing the negative pressure air to be supplied all at once. In addition, the planar air passage 65 communicates with the deepest part of the suction hole 5B from all circumferential directions perpendicular to the axial direction of the suction hole 5B. Therefore, the upper end of the columnar part P sucked into the suction hole 5B is not sucked in a specific direction, and the vertical position is maintained.

If we were to assume a configuration in which the branch air passage 62 and the descending air passage 64 are not provided, the upper end of the columnar part P would be sucked toward the center. This would make the columnar part P more likely to be sucked in an inclined position by the dimensional tolerance of its diameter. As a result, the vertical accuracy of the columnar part P when it is mounted on the board K would decrease.

In the suction nozzle 5 of the embodiment, the multiple suction holes 5B in the nozzle tip 55 can be provided in accordance with the two-dimensional arrangement of multiple mounting positions set on the board K, and are not restricted by their arrangement. Furthermore, negative pressure air is simultaneously supplied to each of the multiple suction holes 5B from the air passage 6, so that each can pick up a columnar component P, which can then be mounted on the board K. Therefore, the suction nozzle 5 can pick up the required number of columnar components P and mount them on the board K at once, and can perform suction and mounting efficiently.

Furthermore, the nozzle tip 55 is held removably on the nozzle base 51. Therefore, for different types of boards K in which the mounting positions of the multiple columnar parts P are different, a different nozzle tip 55 with a different arrangement of the suction holes 5B can be manufactured and attached to the nozzle base 51 to accommodate different types of boards K. In other words, it is easy to accommodate different types of boards K, and the cost of doing so is low. In addition, because the nozzle tip 55 can be removed, maintenance, including cleaning of the suction holes 5B and air passages 6, is easy.

3. Recovery nozzle 48
Next, the recovery nozzle 48 will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. When there is a shortage of columnar components P mounted on the board K, the recovery nozzle 48 is responsible for the recovery operation of mounting the missing columnar components P. The recovery nozzle 48 is configured with a flange portion 481 and a shaft portion 482 connected together, and an air passage 484 is formed inside. The flange portion 481 is formed to have the same diameter as the flange portion 52 of the suction nozzle 5. As with the suction nozzle 5, when the flange portion 481 is sucked and held by the nozzle holding seat 44, the entire recovery nozzle 48 is held.

The shaft portion 482 is located at the center of the lower side of the flange portion 481 and extends downward. The shaft portion 482 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, and the lower portion is narrowed to form a suction hole 483. The inner diameter and depth of the suction hole 483 are set to be approximately the same as the suction hole 5B of the suction nozzle 5. The outer diameter of the shaft portion 482 around the suction hole 483 is set to be thin so as not to interfere with other columnar parts P that have already been installed.

The air passage 484 is formed by vertically penetrating the flange portion 481 and the shaft portion 482. When the recovery nozzle 48 is held by the nozzle holding seat 44, the air passage 484 communicates with the central air passage 441 of the nozzle holding seat 44, and negative and positive pressure air is selectively supplied from the mounting head 43. The lower end of the air passage 484 communicates with the suction hole 483. Therefore, when negative pressure air is supplied to the air passage 484, the columnar part P is sucked into the suction hole 483.

4. Supply of columnar parts P by tray 35 Next, the supply of multiple columnar parts P using tray 35 will be described with reference to FIG. 9. Tray 35 holds three component groups, each consisting of 304 columnar parts P, which are picked up in one suction operation of suction nozzle 5. Three group holding sections 351 for holding the component groups are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of rectangular tray 35. Each of group holding sections 351 is formed in the shape of a square frame having the same shape as suction area 5A of suction nozzle 5. The four sides of group holding section 351 are parallel to the four sides of tray 35.

Each of the group holding parts 351 has 304 holding holes arranged in the same manner as the suction holes 5B of the suction nozzle 5. However, the holding holes of the group holding part 351 are formed shallower than the suction holes 5B of the suction nozzle 5, making it easier to remove the columnar parts P. The tray 35 may hold one or two groups of parts, or may hold a large number of groups of parts exceeding three groups.

Group position marks 352 are provided near two corners on the diagonal of the square frame-shaped group holding section 351. The group position marks 352 are paired with each group holding section 351. The group position marks 352 are used as a reference for the position of the component group held by the group holding section 351. The group position marks 352 can be imaged by the board recognition camera 45. In other words, the board recognition camera 45 functions as a tray imaging camera that images the group position marks 352 and acquires image data. Note that, if there is a restriction on the imaging field of view, the board recognition camera 45 may image a pair of group position marks 352 separately in two separate times. By forming the group position marks 352 into a pair, the detection accuracy of the position of the component group is improved. In addition, it is possible to detect the error in the rotation angle of the component group in the horizontal plane.

Furthermore, the tray 35 has a single-item holding section 353 that can supply columnar parts P one by one. The single-item holding section 353 is arranged in a position near one of the long sides of the tray 35 and parallel to the long side. The single-item holding section 353 holds columnar parts P in a number of holding holes that are spaced apart and aligned in a row. This is convenient because a group of columnar parts P and individual parts are supplied from one tray 35. Single-item position marks 354 are provided near both ends of the single-item holding section 353. The pair of single-item position marks 354 serve as a reference for the position of the columnar parts P held by the single-item holding section 353. The single-item position marks 354 are imaged by the board recognition camera 45, similar to the group position marks 352.

5. Adhesive recovery unit 38
Next, the configuration of the adhesive recovery unit 38 will be described with reference to Fig. 10. As shown in the figure, the adhesive recovery unit 38 is configured using a conveyor device. That is, the adhesive recovery unit 38 is configured by attaching double-sided adhesive tape 382 to a belt conveyor 381 of the conveyor device. Unnecessary columnar parts P are transferred and pressed against the double-sided adhesive tape 382. Therefore, the double-sided adhesive tape 382 can hold and recover the columnar parts P by its adhesive force.

As shown in FIG. 1, the front part of the adhesive recovery unit 38 is pulled out to the outside of the front side of the component mounting machine 1. Therefore, when the belt conveyor 381 rotates, the double-sided adhesive tape 382 is transported to the outside of the machine. Therefore, the double-sided adhesive tape 382 can be peeled off outside the machine without stopping the component mounting machine 1 and discarded together with the unnecessary columnar parts P. This disposal operation is performed after a number of columnar parts P corresponding to the area of the double-sided adhesive tape 382 have been collected. Thereafter, a new double-sided adhesive tape 382 is affixed to the belt conveyor 381, and the belt conveyor 381 rotates again. This returns the adhesive recovery unit 38 to a state in which it can collect columnar parts P.

The adhesive recovery unit 38 may be simply configured to apply double-sided adhesive tape 382 onto the base 10. However, in this configuration, when applying or removing the double-sided adhesive tape 382, it is necessary to stop the component mounting machine 1 and open a safety cover (not shown). Similarly, when disposing of the columnar components P stored in the disposal box 37, it is also necessary to stop the component mounting machine 1 and open the safety cover.

6. Control Configuration of Component Mounting Machine 1 Next, the control configuration of the component mounting machine 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 11. As described above, the control device 8 controls the board transport device 2, the component supply device 3, the component transfer device 4, and the component recognition camera 7 to proceed with the component mounting work. The control device 8 also has a calibration unit 81, a component detection unit 82, a disposal control unit 83, a position detection unit 84, and a cleaning control unit 85 as control function units that perform control related to the suction nozzle 5.

The calibration unit 81 functions when the suction nozzle 5 is held in the nozzle holding seat 44. Here, the suction nozzle 5 is repeatedly attached to and detached from the nozzle holding seat 44, and each time it is held, the relative position of the suction nozzle 5 with respect to the mounting head 43 may change. The calibration unit 81 calibrates this change in relative position.

The calibration unit 81 first moves the suction nozzle 5 held by the nozzle holding seat 44 above the component recognition camera 7. The calibration unit 81 then causes the component recognition camera 7 (nozzle image capturing camera) to capture images of the multiple nozzle position marks 5D and acquire image data. If there are restrictions on the imaging field of view, the component recognition camera 7 may capture images of the multiple nozzle position marks 5D in multiple batches. Thirdly, the calibration unit 81 receives the image data, processes the image, and calibrates the relative position of the suction nozzle 5 with respect to the mounting head 43. In addition, the calibration unit 81 calibrates the circumferential rotation angle of the suction nozzle 5.

To elaborate, image processing is used to determine the position error of the actual mounting position of the suction nozzle 5 relative to the reference mounting position set on the mounting head 43. Subsequent position control of the mounting head 43 is performed taking this position error into account. Alternatively, the reference mounting position is corrected based on the position error. Furthermore, image processing is used to determine the angle error of the actual mounting angle of the suction nozzle 5 relative to the reference mounting angle set on the nozzle holding seat 44. Subsequent rotation control of the nozzle holding seat 44 is performed taking this angle error into account. Alternatively, the reference mounting angle is corrected based on the angle error. Calibration is performed to accurately control the position and rotation of the suction nozzle 5.

The part detection unit 82 detects whether or not a columnar part P is present in each of the multiple suction holes 5B of the suction nozzle 5. First, the part detection unit 82 moves the suction nozzle 5 above the part recognition camera 7. The part detection unit 82 then causes the part recognition camera 7 (nozzle image capture camera) to capture an image of the suction hole 5B and acquire image data. The image data at this time may be shared with the image data acquired by the calibration unit 81. In addition, if there is a restriction on the imaging field of view, the part recognition camera 7 may capture the images of the multiple suction holes 5B in multiple separate sessions. Third, the part detection unit 82 receives the image data, processes the image, and detects whether or not a columnar part P is present in the suction hole 5B. The presence or absence of a columnar part P is detected, for example, by a difference in brightness in the image data.

The part detection unit 82 functions before and after the suction operation in which the suction nozzle 5 suctions a columnar part P into the suction hole 5B. The part detection unit 82 can detect a first abnormality in which a columnar part P is already present in at least one suction hole 5B before the suction operation. In addition, the part detection unit 82 can detect a second abnormality in which a columnar part P is not present in at least one suction hole 5B after the suction operation.

Furthermore, the component detection unit 82 functions after the mounting operation in which the suction nozzle 5 mounts the columnar component P on the board K. The component detection unit 82 can detect a third abnormality in which a columnar component P remains in at least one suction hole 5B after the mounting operation. The third abnormality means that there are not enough columnar components P mounted on the board K. The first to third abnormalities are caused, for example, by minute dust particles entering and clogging the suction hole 5B.

The disposal control unit 83 is part of the disposal unit 39. The disposal control unit 83 functions when the part detection unit 82 detects an unnecessary columnar part P, in other words when it detects a first abnormality or a third abnormality. The disposal control unit 83 moves the suction nozzle 5 above the disposal box 37 and supplies positive pressure air from the air passage 6 to the suction hole 5B to blow off the columnar part P, causing it to drop into the disposal box 37 and be discarded. The pressure of the positive pressure air during disposal is set higher than the pressure of the positive pressure air during part installation. The disposal control unit 83 determines whether or not the part has actually been discarded by again capturing an image using the part recognition camera 7 and processing the image.

If disposal is not possible, the disposal control unit 83 lowers the suction nozzle 5 from above the double-sided adhesive tape 382 of the adhesive recovery unit 38 and presses the columnar part P against the double-sided adhesive tape 382. As a result, the columnar part P is recovered by the adhesive force of the double-sided adhesive tape 382 and discarded. The disposal control unit 83 determines whether disposal was actually possible by capturing an image by the part recognition camera 7 for the third time and processing the image.

The position detection unit 84 functions before the suction nozzle 5 picks up the columnar part P from the tray 35. The position detection unit 84 first moves the board recognition camera 45 above the tray 35. The position detection unit 84 then causes the board recognition camera 45 (tray imaging camera) to capture an image of the group position mark 352 and obtain image data. Thirdly, the position detection unit 84 receives the image data and processes the image to detect the position of the part group held by the group holding unit 351. The position detection unit 84 can also detect the position of the columnar part P held by the individual part holding unit 353 by similar imaging and image processing.

The cleaning control unit 85 cleans the suction nozzle 5. Specifically, the cleaning control unit 85 supplies positive air pressure from the air passage 6 to the suction hole 5B to blow air into the suction hole 5B. The pressure of the positive air pressure during cleaning is set higher than the pressure of the positive air pressure during component mounting. The time when the cleaning control unit 85 functions is set before the mounting head 43 removes the suction nozzle 5 and places it on the nozzle station 47. The cleaning control unit 85 may also clean the suction nozzle 5 by using time between operations. In this way, the suction nozzle 5 is maintained in a good condition by blowing out dust from the suction hole 5B. Furthermore, the cleaning control unit 85 can clean the recovery nozzle 48 in the same manner as cleaning the suction nozzle 5 every time the recovery nozzle 48 is used.

7. Operation of component mounting machine 1 Next, the operation of component mounting machine 1 will be described with reference to the operation flow of Fig. 12. In the mounting operation of component mounting machine 1, first, board transport device 2 operates to transport board K to the mounting position and position it. Next, mounting head 43 holds general-purpose nozzle 49 and mounts a component on board K that does not interfere with the mounting operation of suction nozzle 5. The operation flow thereafter is shown in Fig. 12.

In step S1 of Figure 12, the control device 8 moves the mounting head 43 to the nozzle station 47, removes the general-purpose nozzle 49 from the mounting head 43, and replaces it with the suction nozzle 5. Next, the calibration unit 81 functions to calibrate the relative position and attachment angle of the suction nozzle 5 with respect to the mounting head 43. In the next step S2, the part detection unit 82 detects whether or not there is a columnar part P in the suction hole 5B. If there is one or more unnecessary columnar parts P (first abnormality), the operation flow branches to step S11.

In step S11, the disposal control unit 83 discards the columnar part P in the disposal box 37. In the next step S12, the disposal control unit 83 determines whether or not disposal was successful through image processing. If disposal was successful, the state of the suction hole 5B has returned to normal, and the operation flow is returned to step S2. If disposal was unsuccessful, in step S13, the disposal control unit 83 discards the columnar part P in the adhesive recovery unit 38. In the next step S14, the disposal control unit 83 determines whether or not disposal was successful through image processing. If disposal was successful, the operation flow is returned to step S2. If disposal was unsuccessful, the columnar part P cannot be removed from the suction hole 5B, and the component mounting machine 1 stops due to an error. The control device 8 reports that the error has stopped.

In step S2, if there is no columnar part P in the suction hole 5B (normal state), the operation flow proceeds to step S3. In step S3, the position detection unit 84 detects the position of the part group held by the group holding unit 351 of the tray 35 by image processing. Next, the control device 8 controls the operation of the suction nozzle 5 to pick up the columnar part P of the part group.

In the next step S4, the part detection unit 82 uses image processing to determine whether or not there is a columnar part P in all of the suction holes 5B. If even one columnar part P is missing (second abnormality), the operation flow branches to step S5. In step S5, the control device 8 stores the position of the columnar part P that the suction nozzle 5 was unable to pick up. The stored position corresponds to a missing position where no columnar part P is attached on the board K.

If in step S4 there are columnar parts P in all suction holes 5B (normal state), and after step S5 has been executed, the operation flow merges with step S6. In step S6, the control device 8 controls the mounting operation of the columnar parts P onto the board K. In the next step S7, the part detection unit 82 determines whether or not there are columnar parts P in the suction holes 5B. If even one columnar part P remains (third abnormality), the operation flow branches to step S8.

In step S8, the control device 8 stores the positions (missing positions) of the missing columnar parts P that were not attached to the board K because they remained in the suction holes 5B. After execution of step S8, the operation flow proceeds to step S11. The operation flow thereafter is the same as described above, but if the columnar parts P are successfully discarded in step S12 or step S14, the operation flow proceeds to step S9 (see dashed arrow).

If not a single columnar component P remains in the suction hole 5B in step S7 (normal state), the operation flow merges with step S9. In step S9, the control device 8 determines whether or not all columnar components P have been mounted on the board K. If neither step S5 nor step S8 have been passed, the control device 8 determines that all columnar components P have been sucked up and mounted without any omissions. In this case, the operation flow ends. In all other cases, the operation flow proceeds to step S10.

In step S10, the control device 8 controls the recovery operation of the recovery nozzle 48. At this time, the control device 8 performs control based on the shortage position stored in at least one of steps S5 and S8. The control method for the recovery nozzle 48 is the same as the control method for the suction nozzle 5, except that only one columnar part P is picked up and attached. In other words, the control device 8 controls the recovery nozzle 48 to pick up the columnar part P from the single-item holding portion 353 of the tray 35 and attach it to the shortage position on the board K. At this time, as with the suction nozzle 5, the position of the columnar part P is detected by image processing, and the presence or absence of the columnar part P is determined. The operation flow ends with the execution of step S10.

Note that the execution of step S10 means that at least one of the second and third abnormalities has occurred, which is undesirable. Therefore, the control device 8 may control the component mounting machine 1 to stop due to an error when the number of times or frequency of execution of step S10 exceeds a specified value. In this way, the control device 8 can monitor the operating state of the suction nozzle 5 and detect performance degradation, including clogging of the suction hole 5B.

After the mounting operation, the board K is transported outside the machine by the board transport device 2. Meanwhile, the cleaning control unit 85 cleans the suction nozzle 5 and recovery nozzle 48. The mounting head 43 then places the suction nozzle 5 and recovery nozzle 48 on the nozzle station 47, and holds the general-purpose nozzle 49 again. In addition, the tray 35 in which all three component groups have been consumed is returned to the storage shelf 34, and a new tray 35 is pulled out. This completes the preparation for the mounting operation on the next board K.

According to the component mounting machine 1 of the embodiment, similar to the effect described above with respect to the suction nozzle 5, it is possible to pick up and mount all the required number of columnar components P on the board K at once, and pickup and mounting can be performed efficiently. Furthermore, once the suction nozzle 5 is manufactured, the other components of the component mounting machine 1 can use existing products, so the introduction cost is low.

8. Applications and Modifications of the Embodiment The suction nozzle 5 may be fixedly provided on the mounting head 43 to form a component mounting machine 1 dedicated to mounting only columnar components P. In this case, it is preferable for the cleaning control unit 85 to perform cleaning after each predetermined number of operations of the suction nozzle 5 or when an abnormality occurs. Furthermore, one of the waste box 37 and the adhesive recovery unit 38 constituting the waste unit 39 may be omitted. Various other applications and modifications of the present embodiment are possible.

1: Component mounting machine 2: Board transport device 3: Component supply device 33: Tray device 34: Storage shelf 35: Tray 351: Group holding section 352: Group position mark 353: Individual part holding section 354: Individual part position mark 37: Disposal box 38: Adhesive recovery section 39: Disposal section 4: Component transfer device 43: Mounting head 44: Nozzle holding seat 45: Board recognition camera 47: Nozzle station 48: Recovery nozzle 483: Suction hole 484: Air passage 49: General-purpose nozzle 5: Suction nozzle 51: Nozzle base 55: Nozzle tip 59: Suction structure section 5A: Suction area 5B: Suction hole 5C: Non-suction area 5D: Nozzle position mark 6: Air passage 61: Central air passage 62: Branch air passage 64: Descending air passage 65: Planar air passage 8: Control device 81: Calibration section 82: Part detection unit 83: Disposal control unit 84: Position detection unit 85: Cleaning control unit K: Board P: Pillar-shaped part

Claims (13)

a suction nozzle including: a nozzle tip having a plurality of suction holes arranged in correspondence with the arrangement of a plurality of mounting positions set on a board for mounting a plurality of columnar components, the plurality of suction holes being capable of suctioning each of the columnar components; an air passage communicating with each of the plurality of suction holes and capable of simultaneously supplying negative pressure air; and a nozzle position mark indicating a positional reference ;
a component transfer device having a mounting head that detachably holds the suction nozzle and a head drive mechanism that moves the mounting head;
a substrate transport device for transporting the substrate;
a component supplying device for supplying the columnar components;
a nozzle imaging camera that captures an image of the nozzle position mark to obtain image data;
a calibration unit that performs image processing on the image data to calibrate a relative position of the suction nozzle with respect to the mounting head;
A component mounting machine comprising: 2. The component mounting machine according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle tip has a suction area in which the suction holes that open downward are arranged, and a non-suction area in which the suction holes are not arranged, and the suction area protrudes downward further than the non-suction area. 3. The component mounting machine according to claim 1, wherein the air passages communicate with the suction holes from a plurality of directions intersecting an axial direction along which the suction holes extend. 4. The component mounting machine according to claim 3, wherein said air passages communicate with the deepest portions of said suction holes from all circumferential directions perpendicular to said axial direction. 5. The component mounting machine according to claim 1 , wherein the suction nozzle comprises a nozzle base that detachably holds the nozzle tip. a nozzle imaging camera that images the suction hole of the suction nozzle and acquires image data;
a component detection unit that performs image processing on the image data to detect whether or not the columnar component is present in the suction hole;
The component mounting machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , further comprising: 7. The component mounting machine according to claim 6, wherein the nozzle imaging camera images the suction hole at one or more of the following times: before and after a suction operation in which the suction nozzle sucks the columnar component into the suction hole, and before and after a mounting operation in which the suction nozzle mounts the columnar component on the board. 8. The component mounting machine according to claim 6 , further comprising a disposal unit that, when the component detection unit detects an unnecessary columnar component, supplies positive pressure air from the air passage to the suction hole to discard the unnecessary columnar component. 9. The component mounting machine according to claim 8 , wherein the disposal unit has at least one of a disposal box for accommodating unnecessary columnar components and an adhesive recovery unit for recovering unnecessary columnar components by their adhesive force. 10. The component mounting machine according to claim 6, further comprising a recovery nozzle that is detachably held by the mounting head and that performs an operation of sucking up the missing columnar components and mounting them on the board when the component detection unit detects a shortage of the columnar components mounted on the board. 11. The component mounting machine according to claim 10 , wherein the recovery nozzle includes a suction hole capable of suctioning the columnar component, and an air passage communicating with the suction hole and capable of supplying negative pressure air. 12. The component mounting machine according to claim 1 , wherein the component supply device has a tray that holds one or more component groups each made up of a plurality of the columnar components that are picked up in one suction operation. the tray has a group position mark serving as a reference for the position of the component group,
The component mounting machine includes:
a tray imaging camera that captures an image of the group position mark to obtain image data;
a position detection unit that performs image processing on the image data to detect positions of the group of components.
13. The component mounting machine according to claim 12 .

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