JPH11195897A - Bulk feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bulk feeder, which can securely confirm whether a chip supplied into a case is smoothly moved in tunnels or not simply. SOLUTION: A chip 3 supplied into a case 20 is moved toward a pick-up position of a mounting head 46 in tunnels 31 and 13. When the chip 3 moving in the tunnel 13 is detected with a chip detecting element 48, a light emitting element 61 provided at the back part of a bulk feeder 10 is lit. When the chips 3 are supplied, the chips 3 moving as the queue are sequentially detected by the chip detecting element 48. Therefore, the light emitting element 61 is intermittently turned on and off. Therefore, the operator can confirm whether the chips 3 are smoothly moved in the tunnels 31 and 13 or not by visually recognizing whether the light emitting elements 61 is turned on and off or not from the back side of the bulk feeder 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a bulk feeder for supplying chips to an electronic component mounting apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electronic component mounting apparatus for mounting electronic components (hereinafter, referred to as "chips") on a substrate is provided with a parts feeder for supplying chips. As a parts feeder, a tape feeder, a tube feeder, a tray feeder, a bulk feeder, or the like is used. Of these, the bulk feeder has been increasingly used in recent years because it is advantageous for supplying a large amount of small chips.

[0003] In a bulk feeder, small chips are randomly stored in a case. Then, the chips are discharged one by one from the case into the tunnel, and are transported to a chip pickup position by the transfer head of the electronic component mounting apparatus. The bulk feeder is disclosed in, for example,
As described in US Pat.
A plurality of units are arranged on the moving table. Then, it moves at a high speed on the moving table, stops at the pickup position by the transfer head, and supplies chips to the transfer head. Then, at the start of operation or when chips in the case are out of stock, the operator manually supplies chips to the case.

[0004]

As described above, a plurality of bulk feeders are arranged side by side on the moving table. In this state, the operator cannot directly visually recognize the state of the chips in the bulk feeder. Extremely difficult. In other words, when replenishing chips in the case, it is necessary to check whether the replenished chips are moving smoothly forward in the tunnel without clogging in the tunnel, but this is difficult with conventional bulk feeders. As a result, the chip may be used in a state where the chip is clogged in the tunnel, and when such a situation occurs, the chip cannot advance in the tunnel to the pickup position, so the transfer head is Cannot be picked up, and a defective board on which a chip is not mounted occurs.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a bulk feeder which can easily and surely confirm whether or not chips replenished in a case are moving smoothly in a tunnel.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A bulk feeder according to the present invention comprises a case for storing chips, and a chip connected to a lower portion of the case and ejected one by one from the case by a transfer head. A tunnel for guiding the chip to a position, a transport unit for transporting the chip in the tunnel, a chip detecting element for detecting the chip transported in the tunnel, and a light emitting element mounted at a position visible from behind. The light emitting element is intermittently lit by the chip detecting element intermittently detecting chips moving in a matrix in the tunnel one after another.

In this configuration, when chips are replenished in the case, the chips move in a line in the tunnel toward the pickup position by the transfer head. The chip detector intermittently detects this moving chip, so the light emitting element lights up intermittently, so the operator can see the blinking of the light emitting element, and the replenished chip moves smoothly in the tunnel. You can easily check whether you are.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of a bulk feeder according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system of the bulk feeder.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 11 denotes a bulk feeder 10.
The first tunnel portion 12 is mounted on the upper surface of a long plate-shaped base. First tunnel part 1
2, a horizontal tunnel 13 is formed. 1
4 is a cover plate that covers the tunnel 13. Base 11
A mounting body 15 is mounted on the lower surface of the. This attachment 1
5 is detachably mounted on a table 71 placed on a moving table 70. When the moving table 70 is driven,
The table 71 on which the bulk feeder 10 is mounted moves at a high speed in the longitudinal direction of the moving table 70 (the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1). A block 16 and a frame 17 are provided above the base 11, and a case 20 is mounted above the frame 17.

Next, the structure of the case 20 will be described. The case 20 is in the shape of a thin box having a small width, and has a storage room 2 therein.
1 is formed. The case 20 is formed of an elastic synthetic resin. There is a step on the ceiling surface of the storage room 21, and the rear ceiling surface 22 a is the front ceiling surface 22 b
Much higher than that. The ceiling surface 22a and the ceiling surface 22b are connected by an inclined portion 23. Ceiling surface 22a
Is provided with an opening / closing lid 24, which is opened and closed by sliding the chip 3 in and out of the storage chamber 21. A take-out opening 25 for the chip 3 is formed in a slash shape near the lower front of the storage chamber 21. The outlet 25 is located immediately below the low ceiling surface 22b.

Below the outlet 25, a second tunnel 30 is provided. The second tunnel unit 30
It comprises a vertical tunnel 31 communicating with the tunnel 13, and a pipe-shaped outer cylinder 32 which is vertically and rotatably inserted into the tunnel 31. The tunnel 31 is formed of an elongated pipe and is fixed so as not to move up and down.
A flange 33 is formed in a lower part of the outer cylinder 32 in two upper and lower stages. Reference numeral 34 denotes a motor as a driving unit. Motor 34
The eccentric pin 35 that is driven by the motor 34 and rotates is fitted between the flanges 33. 36 is an O-ring for preventing the eccentric pin 35 mounted on the lower surface of the upper flange 33 from slipping, and 37 is a holding frame for the motor 34.

When the motor 34 is driven to rotate the eccentric pin 35, the outer cylinder 32 moves up and down and rotates around its axis. The upper end of the outer cylinder 32 projects intermittently into the outlet 25 while performing the vertical movement and the rotational movement in this manner. Then, the chips 3 existing in the take-out port 25 are crushed by the upper end, and the chips 3 are dropped one by one from the take-out port 25 into the tunnel 31. Then, the chips 3 dropped into the tunnel 31 move into the horizontal tunnel 13. These tunnels 13 and 31 are
Is transported to the pickup position by the transfer head 46.

In FIG. 1, a pneumatic unit 40 is provided above a rear portion of the base 11. The tip of the tunnel 13 and the pneumatic unit 40 are connected by a tube 41. The chip 3 is transported forward in the tunnel 13 by driving the pneumatic unit 40 to vacuum-evacuate the inside of the tunnel 13. That is, the pneumatic unit 40 is a means for transporting the chips 3. As the conveying means, a means for sending a positive pressure into the tunnel from behind the tunnel may be used.

A shutter 4 is provided on the upper surface of the tip of the tunnel portion 12.
2 is installed. Reference numeral 43 denotes a shutter opening / closing lever. When the roller 44 at the upper end of the lever 43 is pressed from above by the presser 45 on the electronic component mounting apparatus side, the shutter 4
2 is opened, and the chip 3 sent to the pickup position at the tip of the tunnel 13 is exposed. Then, the nozzle 47 of the transfer head 46 of the electronic component mounting apparatus picks up the chip 3 by vacuum suction and mounts the chip 3 on the substrate.

In FIG. 1, at the rear of the tunnel 13,
Chip detecting element 4 so as to sandwich tunnel 13 from above and below
8 are provided. A bar-shaped holder 60 is provided on the rear surface of the rear frame 47 of the bulk feeder.
A light emitting element 61 is mounted at a position where the holder 60 can be easily viewed from behind. The holder 60 is mounted so as to be rotatable vertically by a receiving portion 62. Holder 60
A protrusion 63 protrudes from the rear frame 47 into the rear frame 47.
Is provided. When the holder 60 is in the upward position, the protrusion 63 presses the lever 65 of the switch section 64, and the switch section 64 is closed. When the holder 60 is turned downward as shown by a chain line, the projection 63 is separated from the lever 65, and the switch portion 64 is opened.

In FIG. 2, the motor 34, the chip detecting element 48, and the light emitting element 61 are connected to a control section 66.
The control section 66 is connected to a power supply section 67 via a switch section 64. In FIG. 1, when the holder 64 is turned upward, the switch section 64 is closed.

The chips 3 move forward in a line in the tunnel 13. Therefore, the chip detecting element 48 intermittently detects the chips 3 moving in the tunnel 13 one after another, and every time the chip 3 is detected, the light emitting element 61 is turned on instantaneously. Therefore, the operator can visually confirm that the chip 3 is moving smoothly inside the tunnel 13 by visually checking the blinking of the light emitting element 61 from behind the bulk feeder 10 (left side in FIG. 1). As described above, the holder 60
Also serves as an operator of the switch section 64 for turning on the power, and holds the bulk feeder 10 with the holder 60 facing upward.
The power is turned on when the light emitting element 61 is placed in an inclined position in which the light emitting element 61 is easily visible from behind. Therefore, if the bulk feeder 10 is set on the table 71 while holding the holding portion (described later) 58 and the holder 60 is turned upward with the fingertip of the hand holding the holding portion 58, the device can be used immediately and is extremely easy to handle. .

A toggle portion 50 is provided behind the base 11. A key-shaped hook 51 extends downward from the toggle portion 50. An operation lever 52 extends upward from the toggle portion 50. When the operation lever 52 is swung in the direction of arrow A, the hook 51 is swung, and the hook 51 is disengaged from the engaging opening 72 of the table 71 on the moving table 70.
The hook 51 is a means for detachably fixing the parts feeder 10 to the table 71.

The rear surface of the rear frame 47 has an inclined surface 53 having a downward slope toward the front, and a holder 55 is mounted on the inclined surface 53 via a frame 54. A chip storage case 56 is detachably mounted on the holder 55. When the remaining amount of the chips 3 in the storage chamber 21 is reduced or the chips 3 are out of stock, the operator opens the opening / closing lid 24 and throws the chips 3 in the chip storage case 56 into the storage chamber 21 to supply them. Then, the empty chip storage case 56 is mounted on the holder 55. Therefore, by visually recognizing the label 57 and the like of the chip storage case 56, the operator can know the type of the chip 3 currently stored in the storage room 21. Rear frame 4
An arm-shaped holding portion 58 is provided at an upper portion of the projection 7 so as to project rearward. An operator handles the bulk feeder 10 while holding the holding unit 58 in his hand.

The bulk feeder 10 is constructed as described above, and the operation will be described next. The chips 3 in the storage room 21 fall into the vertical tunnel 31 and the horizontal tunnel 1
Move to 3. When the air pressure unit 40 is driven to vacuum-evacuate the inside of the tunnel 13, the chips 3 are conveyed forward in a line in the tunnel 13. Then presser 4
By driving the shutter 5 and opening and closing the shutter 42, the leading chip 3 in the tunnel 13 is exposed, picked up by the transfer head 46, and mounted on the substrate. The bulk feeder 10 stops at a predetermined position by moving on the moving table 70 at a high speed, where the presser 45 is driven to supply the chips 3 to the transfer head 46 as described above.

When the operation is started or when the chips 3 in the case 20 are out of stock, the chips 3 are supplied into the case 20. When the lid 3 is opened and the chip 3 of the chip storage case 56 is inserted into the storage chamber 21, the chip 3
Falls into the tunnel 31 and moves into the horizontal tunnel 13. At this time, the tip of the tunnel 13 is vacuum-sucked through the tube 41, and the chip 3 moves toward the tip of the tunnel 13 by the vacuum suction force.

The chips 3 moving in the tunnel 13 are intermittently detected by the chip detecting element 48 one after another, and each time the chip 3 is detected, the light emitting element 61 is turned on instantaneously. When the chips 3 are supplied, the chips 3 form a matrix in the tunnel 13 and flow forward one after another, so that the light emitting elements 61 intermittently blink. Tip 3 is tunnel 3
When the light does not flow smoothly forward due to the blockage in the light emitting elements 1 and 13, the light emitting element 61 remains off or remains on. Then, the operator visually recognizes the light emitting element 61 from behind the bulk feeder 10. If the light emitting element 61 is blinking, it is determined that the chip 3 is flowing smoothly in the tunnel 13. In this case, the clogging of the chip 3 is eliminated by removing the bulk feeder 10 from the table 71 or the like.

When the chips 3 are normally supplied, the use of the bulk feeder 10 is started. Then, during operation, every time the transfer head 46 picks up the chips 3, the chips 3 in the tunnels 31, 13 advance one by one, and at that time, the light emitting element 61 blinks instantaneously.
When the chip 3 is out of stock, the light emitting element 61 is turned off, so that the operator can easily know that the chip is out of stock.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention, the chips replenished in the case form a matrix in the tunnel by visually checking from the rear of the bulk feeder whether the light emitting element is lit intermittently. You can easily and surely check if it is moving smoothly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a bulk feeder according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system of the bulk feeder according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 chip 10 bulk feeder 13, 31 tunnel 20 case 40 pneumatic unit 41 tube 48 chip detection element 61 light emitting element

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification symbol FI // B65G 47/14 B65G 47/14 E

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A case for accommodating chips, a tunnel connected to a lower portion of the case and guiding chips discharged one by one from the case to a pickup position of chips by a transfer head, and a tunnel inside the tunnel. A transport unit that transports the chip, a chip detecting element that detects the chip transported in the tunnel, and a light emitting element that is mounted at a position visible from behind, wherein the chip detecting elements form a matrix in the tunnel. A light emitting device is intermittently turned on by intermittently detecting chips moving in the above manner.