JPH11150396A - Nozzle replacing method of multiple transfer head of electronic part mounting equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of replacing the nozzle of a multiple transfer head provided in an electronic part mounting equipment, wherein the nozzle can be replaced with another in a shorter time to enhance the electronic part mounting device in mounting efficiency. SOLUTION: A head 20 is provided with transfer heads 21 linked together side by side. Holes 31 where nozzles 23 are mounted are bored in a matrix in a nozzle stocker 30. The arrangement pitch P1 of the transfer heads 21 is set twice as large as the pitch P2 of the holes 31 of the nozzle stocker 30. The nozzles 23 are mounted on the nozzle stocker 30 at the pitch equal to the arrangement pitch P1 of the transfer heads 21. Therefore, the transfer heads 21 are each capable of replacing a nozzle with another at a high speed traveling a short distance.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of exchanging nozzles of a multiple transfer head in an electronic component mounting apparatus for transferring and mounting electronic components of a parts feeder on a substrate while horizontally moving a transfer head by a moving table. Things.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an electronic component mounting apparatus, an electronic component provided in a parts feeder is vacuum-adsorbed to a nozzle of the transfer head and picked up while horizontally moving a transfer head in an X direction or a Y direction by a moving table. A device mounted on a substrate positioned at a positioning portion is widely practiced.

[0003] The size and shape of electronic components vary, and therefore, the nozzles of the transfer head are exchanged according to the type of electronic component. For this reason, this type of electronic component mounting apparatus is provided with a nozzle stocker, and according to the type of electronic component,
The transfer head is appropriately moved above the nozzle stocker, and the nozzle shaft is moved up and down, whereby the nozzle is attached to and detached from the nozzle holder at the lower end portion of the nozzle shaft to perform nozzle replacement (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-
216596).

[0004] A large number of nozzle mounting portions are formed in the nozzle stocker. The nozzle mounting portion is generally a hole, and a replacement nozzle is inserted into each hole and stocked. When replacing the nozzle, move the transfer head over the empty hole, move the nozzle shaft up and down, and insert the nozzle attached to the nozzle holder at the lower end of the nozzle shaft into the hole to collect it. I do.

Next, the transfer head is moved above the hole in which the desired nozzle is mounted, and the nozzle shaft is moved up and down there to mount a new nozzle on the nozzle holder.

Recently, as an electronic component mounting apparatus,
A device equipped with a multiple transfer head has been proposed and implemented (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-186492). The multiple transfer head is a head unit with a plurality of transfer heads arranged side by side and side by side, and these transfer heads pick up the electronic components of the parts feeder one after another and transfer them to the substrate. The mounting has an advantage that the mounting efficiency is improved as compared with the conventional single transfer head type.

[0007]

In the case of a multiple transfer head, the nozzle must be replaced according to the type of electronic component. However, since the multiple transfer head has a large number of nozzles to be replaced, it takes a considerable amount of time to replace the nozzles, and the mounting efficiency is not improved accordingly.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of exchanging nozzles of a multiple transfer head in an electronic component mounting apparatus capable of exchanging nozzles in a shorter time and thereby increasing the mounting efficiency of electronic components. And

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION For this purpose, the present invention relates to a method for transferring electronic components provided in a parts feeder while horizontally moving a plurality of transfer heads side by side using a moving table. A nozzle replacement method for a multiple transfer head in an electronic component mounting apparatus in which the lower end of a nozzle is vacuum-sucked and picked up and transferred to and mounted on a substrate positioned at a positioning unit, comprising: The nozzles are mounted in the nozzle mounting section formed at a pitch on the nozzle stocker provided in the moving path at the same pitch or an approximate pitch as the parallel pitch of the transfer heads according to the order of use, and the transfer head is mounted. The nozzle is exchanged while moving above the nozzle stocker.

According to the above arrangement, the nozzles of a plurality of transfer heads can be exchanged quickly by moving the head portion a small distance above the nozzle stocker.

[0011]

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic component mounting apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the electronic component mounting apparatus, and FIG. FIG. 3B is a plan view of a nozzle stocker of the electronic component mounting apparatus, and FIG. 3C is a plan view of a head part for nozzle replacement of the electronic component mounting apparatus. FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C are explanatory diagrams of a nozzle replacement method of the electronic component mounting apparatus.

First, the overall structure of the electronic component mounting apparatus will be described. In FIGS. 1 and 2, a guide rail 2 is provided at the center of a base 1, and a substrate 3 is positioned on the guide rail 2. A large number of parts feeders 4 are arranged on both sides of the guide rail 2. The parts feeder 4 includes electronic components mounted on the substrate 3. Also, between the guide rail 2 and the parts feeder 4,
A recognition device 13 and a nozzle stocker 30 are provided.

A Y table 5 is erected on the base 1, and an X table 6 is erected on the Y table 5. As shown in FIG.
And a Y-axis motor 8 for rotating the feed screw 7. The X table 6 also has a built-in feed screw 9 and an X-axis motor 10 for rotating the feed screw 9. In FIG. 1, a head unit 20 is mounted on the lower surface of the X table 6, and when the motors 8 and 10 are driven, the head unit 20
Horizontal movement in the direction and Y direction.

A camera 40 for recognizing the substrate 3 and the nozzle stocker 30 is mounted on the head unit 20. The camera 40 is a recognition device for performing position recognition of the substrate 3 and the nozzle stocker. 12 is a guide rail in the Y direction. The X table 6 and the Y table 5 are moving tables for moving the head unit 20 in the horizontal direction.

In FIG. 3A, the head section 20 is configured as a multiple transfer head in which a plurality (three in this example) of transfer heads 21 are arranged side by side and integrally. At the lower end of a vertical nozzle shaft 22 of the transfer head 21, a nozzle 23 is detachably mounted. P1 is a pitch at which the transfer heads 21 or the nozzles 23 are juxtaposed. In FIG. 3B, a large number of holes 31 as nozzle mounting portions are formed in the nozzle stocker 30 in a matrix at an equal pitch. The parallel pitch P1 of the transfer heads 21 is twice as large as the pitch P2 of the holes 31 in the horizontal direction (X direction) (P1 =
2P2). P3 is a pitch of the hole 31 in the vertical direction (Y direction). No. described in each hole 31 of FIG. 1 to No. Reference numeral 18 indicates the order in which the nozzles 23 mounted on the nozzles are used.

This electronic component mounting apparatus is configured as described above. Next, a method of mounting an electronic component will be described. FIG.
, The X-table 6 and the Y-table 5 are driven to move the head unit 20 in the X-direction and the Y-direction, and to transfer the electronic components of the parts feeder 4 to the nozzles 2 of each transfer head 21.
3 and is picked up by vacuum suction. The head unit 20 that has picked up the electronic component moves above the recognition device 13 to recognize the position of the electronic component vacuum-adsorbed to the lower end of the nozzle 23 of the transfer head 21. Next, head part 2
0 moves above the substrate 3 and mounts electronic components on the substrate 3.

When the electronic component mounting apparatus starts operation, it is necessary to mount a nozzle 23 on each transfer head 21. When the type of electronic component picked up by the transfer head 21 changes, the nozzle replacement is performed. I do. Next, a nozzle replacement method will be described with reference to FIG.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C show the operation order. FIG. 4A shows a state when the operation of the electronic component mounting apparatus is started. At this time, three transfer heads 2
No. 1 has no nozzle 23 yet mounted. Therefore, the No. used first. 1 to No. The three nozzles 23 are mounted on the three transfer heads 21. A is the head 2 at this time
The position of 0 is shown. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the parallel pitch P1 of the transfer heads 21 is equal to twice the horizontal pitch P2 of the holes 31. Therefore, the three nozzles 23 used first are No. 1, No. 2, No.
It is stored in every other hole 31 to which 3 is attached. As a result, the nozzle shafts 22 of the three transfer heads 21 are N
O. 1, NO. 2, NO. 3 is located directly above the nozzle 23 mounted in the hole 31. Therefore, if the nozzle shaft 22 is moved up and down, three nozzles 23 can be mounted on the three transfer heads 21 at the same time.

When the nozzles 23 are mounted on the transfer head 21 as described above, the electronic components of the parts feeder 4 are transferred and mounted on the substrate 3 using these nozzles 23. When nozzle replacement is performed by changing the type of electronic component, the head unit 20 is moved to the position A in FIG. 4A again. Then, the nozzles 23 of the three transfer heads 21 are No. 1, N
o. 2, No. 3, the nozzle shaft 22 is moved up and down.
The three nozzles 23 are simultaneously inserted into the holes 31 and collected.

The three nozzles 23 used next are shown in FIG.
In FIG. 4-No. 6 is accommodated in the hole 31. No. 4-No. The hole 31 of No. 6
1 to No. 3 is adjacent to the hole 31 in the X direction. Accordingly, the head portion 20 is moved from the position A where the collection of the nozzles 23 is completed to the position B, the pitch P2 of the hole portion 31.
Only in the X direction, the three transfer heads 21
o. 4-No. 6 can be located directly above the hole 31. Therefore, the nozzle shaft 22 is moved up and down, and the nozzles 23 are mounted on the three transfer heads 21 at the same time.

Next, when performing nozzle replacement again, the head unit 20 is moved to the position B in FIG. 4C (the same position as the position B in FIG. 4B). Then, the three transfer heads 21 are N
o. 4-No. 6 is located immediately above the hole 31.
Then, the nozzle shaft 22 is moved up and down, and the three nozzles 23 are no. 4-No. 6 are simultaneously collected in the hole 31. No. 4-No. Nozzle 23 used after 6
Is No. in the Y direction. 4-No. No. 6 next to No. 6
7-No. 9 are accommodated in the holes 31. Therefore, the head unit 20 is moved from the position B to the position C by the pitch P3 in the Y direction. Then, the three transfer heads 21 are No. 7 ~
No. It is located directly above the 9 hole 31. Then, the nozzle shaft 22 is moved up and down, and the three transfer heads 21 are moved.
At the same time, the nozzle 23 is mounted.

In FIG. 10-No.
The hole 31 of No. 12 is No. 7-No. No. 9 in the X direction. 13-No. The hole 31 of No. 15 is No. 10-No. No. 12 is adjacent to the hole 31 in the Y direction. 16-No. The hole 31 of No. 18 is No.
13-No. It is adjacent to the 15 holes 31 in the X direction. Therefore, No. 10-No. Regarding the hole 31 of the 18, similarly to the above case, the head 20 is moved in the X direction and the Y direction.
The nozzle replacement is performed while moving in the direction by the pitch P2 or the pitch P3 of the hole 31.

FIG. 3 (c) shows No. 1
-No. The movement locus of the head unit 20 when the nozzles 23 of the 18 holes 31 are used in order is shown. As is clear from this movement trajectory, the nozzle can be replaced with a short movement distance.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 5A is a front view of a head portion of an electronic component mounting apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and FIG. 5B is a plan view of a nozzle stocker of the electronic component mounting apparatus. FIGS. 6A and 6B are explanatory views of a nozzle replacement method of the electronic component mounting apparatus.

In FIG. 5, the pitch P1 'of the transfer heads 21 of the head unit 20 and the pitch P2 of the hole 31 are:
P1 ′ = 2P2−ΔP, that is, P1 ′ ≠ 2P2, and the pitch P1 ′ is less than twice the pitch P2 of the holes 31.

Next, a nozzle replacement method will be described with reference to FIG. At the start of the operation of the electronic component mounting apparatus, the nozzles 23 have not been mounted on the three transfer heads 21 yet. Therefore, the No. used first. 1 to No. The three nozzles 23 are mounted on the three transfer heads 21 as follows. 6A, the nozzle shaft 22 of the transfer head 21 on the left side of the head unit 20 is no. 1
Located just above the hole 31 in which the nozzle 23 is mounted,
Therefore, the nozzle 23 is mounted on the transfer head 21 by causing the nozzle shaft 22 to perform an up-down operation.

Next, the head unit 20 is moved by the distance ΔP in the X direction and stopped at the position B. As a result, the nozzle shaft 22 of the central transfer head 21 is no. Nozzle 2
3 will be located directly above the hole 31 in which it is mounted.
Then, the nozzle shaft 22 of the transfer head 21 is moved up and down to mount the nozzle 23.

Next, the head section 20 is further moved in the X direction by a distance ΔP.
And stop at the C position. As a result, the nozzle shaft 22 of the transfer head 21 on the right side is no. The third nozzle 23 is located directly above the hole 31 where the nozzle 23 is mounted. Then, the nozzle shaft 22 of the transfer head 21 is moved up and down to mount the nozzle 23.

After the nozzles 23 are mounted on the transfer head 21 as described above, the electronic components of the parts feeder 4 are transferred and mounted on the substrate 3 using these nozzles 23. When nozzle replacement is performed by changing the type of electronic component, the head unit 20 is moved to the position A in FIG. 6A again. Then, the transfer head 21 on the left side is No. Since the nozzle 23 is located right above the first hole 31, the nozzle shaft 22 is moved up and down there to collect the nozzle 23 into the hole 31. Hereinafter, similarly to the case of the nozzle mounting described above, the head unit 20
Are sequentially moved by the distance ΔP in the X direction, so that the center transfer head 21 and the right transfer head 21 2
No. 31, No. The nozzle 23 is moved to the upper side of the hole 31 of the third order, and the nozzle 23 is collected in the hole 31 by performing the up-down operation in the same manner.

The three nozzles 23 to be used next are shown in FIG.
In FIG. 4-No. 6 is accommodated in the hole 31. No. 4-No. The hole 31 of No. 6
1 to No. 3 is adjacent to the hole 31 in the X direction. Accordingly, the head unit 20 is moved in the X direction by ΔP from the position C (the same position as the position C in FIG. 6A), which is the position where the above-described collection of the nozzles 23 has been completed, to the position D, and the transfer head 21 on the left side Nozzle shaft 22 is No. 4 is located directly above the hole 31. The following operations are the same as those in the case of FIG. 6A. By causing each of the transfer heads 21 to move in the X direction by the distance ΔP and moving up and down, each transfer head 21 is assigned the No. 4-No. No. 6 nozzles 23 are sequentially mounted. In FIG. 6B, the center position of the transfer head 21 is NO. 5 is a position just above the hole 31 of FIG. 6 is a position where it has just moved to the hole 31. No. Replacement of the nozzles 23 of 7 or less is performed by the same operation.

In the first embodiment, the parallel pitch P1 of the transfer heads 21 is equal to twice the pitch P2 of the holes 31 (P
Since 1 = 2P2), the moving operation of the distance ΔP is not necessary.

However, it is difficult to design and assemble strictly the relationship of P1 = 2P2. Therefore, Embodiment 2
Here, the case of P1 ≠ 2P2 has been described. That is, in the second embodiment, P1 ′ is slightly shorter than 2P2 (P1 ′ = 2P2-ΔP).
In this case, a moving operation of the distance ΔP is required. In any case, the transfer head 2 is inserted into the hole 31 of the nozzle stocker 30.
1, by mounting the nozzles 23 in the same pitch or an approximate pitch as the parallel pitches P1 and P1 ', preferably the closest pitch, in the order of use, thereby shortening the moving distance of the head unit 20 at the time of nozzle replacement, The nozzle is replaced at a high speed.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, the nozzle of the multiple transfer head can be exchanged at a high speed by moving the head portion a small distance above the nozzle stocker.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic component mounting apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the electronic component mounting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a front view of a head of the electronic component mounting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3B is a plan view of a nozzle stocker of the electronic component mounting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Movement locus diagram of the head part for nozzle replacement of the electronic component mounting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the invention

4A is a diagram illustrating a nozzle replacement method of the electronic component mounting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a nozzle replacement method of the electronic component mounting device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a nozzle replacement method of the electronic component mounting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

5A is a front view of a head of an electronic component mounting apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5B is a plan view of a nozzle stocker of the electronic component mounting apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a nozzle replacement method of the electronic component mounting apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a nozzle replacement method of the electronic component mounting device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Guide rail 3 Substrate 5 Y table 6 X table 21 Transfer head 22 Nozzle shaft 23 Nozzle P1, P1 'Pitch of transfer heads arranged side by side P2 Pitch of hole (nozzle mounting part)

Claims (1)

[Claims] An electronic component provided in a parts feeder is vacuum-adsorbed to a lower end portion of a nozzle of a transfer head while horizontally moving a head portion in which a plurality of transfer heads are arranged side by side by a moving table. A method for exchanging nozzles of a multiple transfer head in an electronic component mounting apparatus which picks up and transfers to a substrate positioned at a positioning portion, wherein a pitch is provided to a nozzle stocker provided in a movement path of the transfer head. The nozzles are mounted in the nozzle mounting portion formed at the same pitch or an approximate pitch as the parallel pitch of the transfer heads in the order of use, and the nozzles are moved while moving the transfer head above the nozzle stocker. A method of exchanging nozzles of a multiple transfer head in an electronic component mounting apparatus, characterized in that: