WO2024095431A1

WO2024095431A1 - Gripping target object transfer apparatus and cleaning apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2024095431A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/041097
Authority: WO
Inventors: 芽未伊藤; 嘉人伊藤
Original assignee: 株式会社Fuji
Priority date: 2022-11-03
Filing date: 2022-11-03
Publication date: 2024-05-10

Abstract

This gripping target object transfer apparatus comprises: a gripping device for gripping a gripping target object; a placement tray on which the gripping target object can be placed; and a determination unit that determines whether the placement state of the gripping target object placed on the placement tray by the gripping device is normal.

Description

Grasping object transfer device and cleaning device

This specification relates to a device for transferring objects to be grasped and a cleaning device.

As one type of gripping object transfer device, Patent Document 1 discloses a nozzle management device equipped with a nozzle transfer device that transfers the suction nozzle from the nozzle tray to the nozzle pallet (or from the nozzle pallet to the nozzle tray) using a holding chuck. At this time, the suction nozzle is accommodated in the mounting holes of the nozzle tray and the nozzle pallet.

International Publication No. 2016/016929

In the nozzle management device described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above, although it is possible to accommodate the suction nozzle (object to be grasped) in the mounting hole, there is a demand for reliable determination as to whether the suction nozzle is normally accommodated (mounted) in the mounting hole.

In light of these circumstances, this specification discloses a device for transferring objects to be grasped and a cleaning device that can reliably determine whether the placement state of an object to be grasped is normal or not.

This specification discloses a device for transferring objects to be grasped, the device comprising a gripping device for gripping an object to be grasped, a placement tray on which the object to be grasped can be placed, and a determination unit that determines whether the placement state of the object to be grasped placed on the placement tray by the gripping device is normal or not.

According to the present disclosure, the determination unit is able to determine whether the placement state of the object to be grasped placed on the placement tray by the gripping device is normal or not. Therefore, it is possible to reliably determine whether the placement state of the object to be grasped is normal or not.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a component mounter 10 according to the present disclosure. 2 is a schematic diagram of a mounting head 26. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a suction nozzle 60. 13 is a plan view showing the nozzle tray 76 with the mounting holes in a closed state. FIG. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the nozzle tray 76 with the mounting holes open. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the nozzle tray 76 with the mounting holes closed. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a nozzle tray 76 with mounting holes including suction nozzles 60 in a closed state. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a nozzle management device 80. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a gripping chuck 128. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the nozzle pallet 110 with the mounting holes in a closed state. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the nozzle pallet 110 with the mounting holes open. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the nozzle pallet 110 showing a state in which a large-sized suction nozzle 60c is placed in a placement hole 110c2. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the nozzle pallet 110 showing a state in which a medium-sized suction nozzle 60b is placed in a placement hole 110c2. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the nozzle pallet 110 showing a state in which a medium-sized suction nozzle 60b is placed in a placement hole 110c3. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a nozzle management device 80. 10 is a flowchart showing a program executed by a control device 80a shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a case where the suction nozzle 60 is normally placed. 13 is a plan view showing a case where the suction nozzle 60 is placed in an abnormal rotation state. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a case where the suction nozzle 60 is abnormally tilted when placed. FIG.

Below, an example of a nozzle management device 80 that manages a suction nozzle (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a nozzle) 60 to which the grasped object transfer device and cleaning device according to the present disclosure are applied will be described with reference to the drawings. First, a component mounter 10 having a suction nozzle 60 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the component mounter 10 includes a mounter main body 20, a board transport device (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a transport device) 22, a mounting head moving device (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a moving device) 24, a mounting head 26, a component supply device (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a supply device) 28, and a nozzle station 30. The mounter main body 20 includes a frame section and a beam section.

The transport device 22 includes two

conveyor devices

40, 42 arranged side by side, each of which transports the substrate S along a transport direction (left-right direction). The width of the

conveyor devices

40, 42 along the substrate width direction (front-rear direction) is variable. The substrate S is held at a predetermined position by a substrate holding device (not shown).

The moving device 24 is a device that moves the mounting head 26. As shown in FIG. 1, the moving device 24 includes a pair of left and right Y-axis guide rails 20c that are provided on the upper stage of the mounting machine main body 20 so as to extend along the board width direction, a Y-axis slider 20d that is spanned between the pair of Y-axis guide rails 20c, an X-axis guide rail 20a that is provided on the Y-axis slider 20d so as to extend along the transport direction, and an X-axis slider 20b that is attached to the X-axis guide rail 20a. The X-axis slider 20b is driven by an X-axis actuator (not shown), and the Y-axis slider 20d is driven by a Y-axis actuator (not shown). The mounting head 26 is attached to the X-axis slider 20b, and moves in the horizontal direction by being driven by the X-axis actuator and the Y-axis actuator.

The mounting head 26 is fitted with multiple suction nozzles 60 for mounting components (electronic components) P to a board S. As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting head 26 is, for example, a rotary head, and includes a head body 26a with multiple holders 26b arranged in the circumferential direction, an R-axis actuator 26c for rotating the head body 26a (revolving the holders 26b), a θ-axis actuator 26d for rotating (spinning) the holders 26b, and a Z-axis actuator 26e for raising and lowering the holders 26b. A replaceable suction nozzle 60 is fitted to the tip of the holder 26b.

(Suction nozzle)
The suction nozzle 60 is connected to a positive and negative pressure supply device (not shown) through negative pressure air and positive pressure air passages. The suction nozzle 60 sucks and holds the part P by negative pressure, and releases the held part P by positive pressure. That is, the suction nozzle 60 sucks and holds the part P in a releasable manner. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the suction nozzle 60 includes a body tube 64, a flange portion 66, a suction tube 68, and a locking pin 70. The body tube 64 is cylindrical, and the flange portion 66 is fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the body tube 64 so as to protrude from it. The suction tube 68 is shaped like a thin pipe, and is held by the body tube 64 so as to be movable along the axial direction while extending downward from the lower end of the body tube 64.

The latch pin 70 is provided at the upper end of the body tube 64 so as to extend in the radial direction of the body tube 64. The suction nozzle 60 is attached to the mounting head 26 in a one-touch, detachable manner using the latch pin 70. The mounting head 26 also has a built-in spring (not shown), which applies an elastic force to the suction tube 68 of the suction nozzle 60 attached to the mounting head 26. As a result, the suction tube 68 is biased in a direction extending downward from the lower end of the body tube 64 by the elastic force of the spring built into the mounting head 26.

A 2D code 74 is also attached to the top surface of the flange portion 66. The 2D code 74 indicates, as individual information, the ID (identification) of the suction nozzle 60, the manner of air blowing (for example, the air blowing direction, the air blowing time, and the number of times air blowing is repeated), and the like. Note that instead of the 2D code 74, a barcode or an RF tag may be attached to the top surface of the flange portion 66. However, if an RF tag is attached to the top surface of the flange portion 66, a reader for acquiring individual information from the RF tag is attached to the transfer head 120 (see FIG. 5) of the nozzle management device 80 described below.

Furthermore, a notch (cutout) 75 is provided on the outer periphery of the flange portion 66, and this notch 75 engages with a short pin 76e erected on the stepped surface 76d of the nozzle tray 76 (or a short pin 110e erected on the stepped surface 110d of the nozzle pallet 110), which will be described later. These notches 75 and pins 76e (pins 110e) ensure that the suction nozzle 60 can only be placed in a specific orientation, and also prevent the suction nozzle 60 from rotating when placed on the nozzle tray 76 (or nozzle pallet 110).

Although only one type is shown in the figure, there are several types of suction nozzles 60 that differ from each other in size and shape, and this component mounter 10 can also attach several types of suction nozzles 60 of different sizes to the holder 26b, and this component mounter 10 can automatically replace these several types of nozzles depending on the component P to be sucked and held. Incidentally, the suction nozzle 60 used varies depending on the electric circuit (substrate S with components P mounted) to be manufactured. Also, the multiple suction nozzles 60 used in the component mounter 10 are placed on a nozzle tray 76 in a nozzle station 30 provided in the component mounter 10 next to the component supply device 16.

As shown in FIG. 1, the supply device 28 is removably mounted on a feeder table (not shown) installed at the front of the component mounter 10. The supply device 28 is a feeder-type supply device and has multiple tape feeders 72. The tape feeder 72 is equipped with a carrier tape in which components are housed in multiple cavities formed at predetermined intervals, a reel around which the carrier tape is wound, and a tape feeding device that unwinds and feeds out the carrier tape from the reel.

(Nozzle tray)
1, the nozzle station 30 has a nozzle tray 76 (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as a "tray"). The nozzle tray 76 accommodates a plurality of suction nozzles 60. In the nozzle station 30, the suction nozzles 60 attached to the mounting head 26 are replaced with the suction nozzles 60 accommodated in the nozzle tray 76 as necessary. The nozzle tray 76 is detachable from the nozzle station 30, and the suction nozzles 60 accommodated in the nozzle tray 76 can be collected and the nozzle tray 76 can be replenished with suction nozzles 60 outside the component mounter 10 (for example, by a nozzle management device 80).

The tray 76 functions as a nozzle mount for placing the suction nozzle 60 (it may also be called a mount tray on which the suction nozzle 60 can be placed), and is generally plate-shaped as shown in FIG. 4. More specifically, the tray 76 includes a base plate 76a and a cover plate 76b that covers the upper surface of the base plate 76a, and the cover plate 76b is able to slide to a certain extent relative to the base plate 76a. FIG. 4A shows a state in which the cover plate 76b is misaligned with respect to the base plate 76a, and FIG. 4B shows a state in which the cover plate 76b is exactly overlapping the base plate 76a. The cover plate 76b is able to slide between the positions in each of these two states.

Referring also to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4C and the partial cross-sectional view of FIG. 4D showing the state in which the suction nozzle 60 is placed, the base plate 76a is provided with 12 mounting holes 76c, each of which constitutes a mounting portion. More specifically, the tray 76 is capable of mounting two types of suction nozzles 60 of different sizes, and is provided with four mounting holes 76c for mounting the larger suction nozzle 60 and eight mounting holes 76c for mounting the smaller suction nozzle 60. The mounting holes 76c are stepped holes whose inner walls have different depths, and the stepped surface 76d is the surface on which the flange portion 66 of the suction nozzle 60 is placed.

The inner diameter of the mounting hole 76c in the upper surface of the base plate 76a, i.e., the maximum inner diameter, is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the flange portion 66, and the mounting hole 76c is configured to restrict radial displacement (misalignment) of the suction nozzle 60 at the outer periphery of the flange portion 66. The depth to the step surface 76d is set so that the flange portion 66 of the suction nozzle 60 placed in the mounting hole 76c does not interfere with the cover plate 76b. Incidentally, the suction nozzle 60 shown in the figure has a flange portion 66 that is thinner than the depth to the step surface 76d, and when the suction nozzle 60 is placed in the mounting hole 76c, the upper surface of the flange portion 66 does not protrude from the upper surface of the base plate 76a of the tray 76.

On the other hand, the cover plate 76b is provided with a cutout hole 76f corresponding to the mounting hole 76c of the base plate 76a. This cutout hole 76f is composed of a circular hole portion 76f1 and a slot portion 76f2 extending from one side of the circular hole portion 76f1. The inner diameter of each circular hole portion 76f1 is approximately equal to the maximum inner diameter of the corresponding mounting hole 76c. The width of the slot portion 76f2 is somewhat larger than the outer diameter of the body tube 64 of the suction nozzle 60 placed in the corresponding mounting hole 76c. In the state shown in Figure 4B, the center of each mounting hole 76c and the center of the circular hole portion 76f1 of the corresponding cutout hole 76f coincide with each other, and the entire mounting hole 76c can be seen from above. On the other hand, in the state shown in Figure 4A, the center of each mounting hole 76c and the center of the arc at the tip of the slot portion 76f2 of the corresponding hole 76f are approximately aligned, and only a portion of the mounting hole 76c can be seen from above. Because the two states are as described above, for the sake of convenience, the state in Figure 4B will be referred to as the "mounting hole open state" and the state in Figure 4A as the "mounting hole closed state."

When the mounting hole is open, the suction nozzle 60 can be placed in and removed from the mounting hole 76c. On the other hand, when the suction nozzle 60 is placed in the mounting hole 76c, closing the mounting hole causes the body tube 64 of the suction nozzle 60 to pass through the slot portion 76f2 of the extraction hole 76f, while most of the upper surface of the flange portion 66 is covered by the cover plate 76b. In this state, the suction nozzle 60 is prevented from coming off the mounting hole 76c. To prevent the suction nozzle 60 from coming off, the tray 76 is provided with a mechanism that includes the cover plate 76b, that is, a nozzle removal prevention mechanism known as a shutter mechanism 170.

The cover plate 76b is biased by a spring (not shown) so that the mounting hole is closed, and the mounting hole is opened by sliding the cover plate 76b with a force exceeding the biasing force of the spring. This sliding is performed by a cover sliding mechanism (not shown) arranged in the nozzle station 30. The mounting hole open state is achieved by controlling the cover sliding mechanism by the control device of the component mounter 10, and the attachment of the suction nozzle 60 to the holder 26b of the mounting head 26, the removal of the suction nozzle 60 from the holder 26b, and the replacement of the attached suction nozzle 60 with another suction nozzle 60 are all performed.

The tray 76 is detachable from the nozzle station 30. For example, when starting the manufacture of an electric circuit, the tray 76 with the suction nozzle 60 placed on it can be set in the nozzle station 30. Also, when finishing the manufacture of an electric circuit, the suction nozzle 60 that was used can be removed from the nozzle station 30 along with the tray 76. Therefore, the tray 76 contributes greatly to speeding up the changeover of the component mounter 10. In addition, in this tray 76, a 2D code (not shown) is attached to one corner of the base plate 76a as an identifier for recognizing the unique information of the tray 76. This 2D code indicates the ID of the tray 76 as a type of unique information, and the ID is used to manage the tray 76 individually.

The suction nozzle 60 and tray 76 described above are used in the component mounter 10. The management machine in the embodiment shown below is intended not only for the suction nozzle 60 used in the component mounter 10, but also for the suction nozzle 60 used in other mounting machines. The tray 76 is an example of a tray 76 used in the component mounter 10, and the component mounter 10 can also use other trays 76 of different types. Furthermore, the tray 76 used varies depending on the mounting machine. As will be explained later, the management machine in the embodiment also manages suction nozzles 60 that are placed or will be placed on other trays 76.

(Nozzle management device)
Next, a description will be given of the nozzle management device 80. The nozzle management device 80 is a device for managing the suction nozzles 60, and as shown in Fig. 5, has a management device main body 90, a pallet storage device 92, a nozzle transfer device 94, a nozzle inspection device 96, a nozzle cleaning device 98, and a nozzle drying device 100.

The management device main body 90 comprises a frame section 102 and a beam section 104 suspended from the frame section 102. The frame section 102 has a hollow structure, and the pallet storage device 92 is disposed within the frame section 102, with the upper end of the pallet storage device 92 exposed on the upper surface of the frame section 102.

The pallet storage device 92 includes a plurality of pallet placement shelves 106 and a support arm 108. The pallet placement shelves 106 are shelves for placing nozzle pallets (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as "pallets") 110, and the plurality of pallet placement shelves 106 are arranged vertically inside the frame section 102. The pallets 110 store a plurality of suction nozzles 60. The support arm 108 moves vertically in front of the plurality of pallet placement shelves 106 and approaches and moves away from the pallet placement shelves 106 by the operation of an arm movement device (not shown). As a result, the pallets 110 are stored in the pallet placement shelves 106 and removed from the pallet placement shelves 106 by the support arm 108. The pallets 110 removed from the pallet placement shelves 106 are moved to the upper surface side of the frame section 102 by the upward movement of the support arm 108.

The nozzle transfer device 94 is a device for transferring the suction nozzle 60 between the tray 76 and the pallet 110, and is disposed in the beam section 104. The nozzle transfer device 94 has a transfer head 120 and a head moving device 122. A camera 126 facing downward, a gripping chuck 128 for gripping the suction nozzle 60, and an air supply device 130 are attached to the lower end surface of the transfer head 120.

The camera 126 is a first imaging device that captures images of the suction nozzles 60 placed on the pallet 110 or the tray 76 (loading tray).

(Nozzle Palette)
The pallet 110 functions as a nozzle mount for mounting the suction nozzle 60 (or may be called a mount tray on which the suction nozzle 60 can be mounted), and as shown in Fig. 7, like the tray 76 described above, is configured to include a base plate 110a and a cover plate 110b that covers the upper surface of the base plate 110a. Fig. 7A shows a state in which the cover plate 110b is misaligned with respect to the base plate 110a, and Fig. 7B shows a state in which the cover plate 110b is exactly overlapped with the base plate 110a. The cover plate 110b is slidable between the positions in these two states.

For the sake of convenience, the management device 80 treats the three sizes of suction nozzles 60 as objects to be managed, and all three types of suction nozzles 60 can be placed on the pallet 110. The three types of suction nozzles 60 differ from one another in shape and can be classified into three types based on the outer diameter of the flange portion 66. Specifically, they can be classified into a small size suction nozzle 60a (not shown), a medium size suction nozzle 60b shown in FIG. 8B, and a large size suction nozzle 60c shown in FIG. 8A.

The base plate 110a is provided with mounting holes 110c, each of which constitutes a mounting portion, in the same manner as the tray 76. Specifically, 40 mounting holes 110c1 in which small-sized suction nozzles 60a are mounted, and 28 mounting holes 110c2 in which large-sized suction nozzles 60 are mounted are provided, with the suction nozzles 60a being mounted in the mounting holes 110c1, and the

suction nozzles

60b, 60c being mounted in the mounting holes 110c2.

The mounting hole 110c1 is similar to the mounting hole 76c of the tray 76 described above, and has one step surface 110d and pin 110e, so a description thereof will be omitted here. Referring to FIG. 8 showing the state in which the suction nozzle 60 is placed, the mounting hole 110c2 is a stepped hole whose inner wall has different depth dimensions, and more specifically, is a stepped hole having two step surfaces 110d1 and 110d2. As shown in FIG. 8A, the large-sized suction nozzle 60c is placed on the step surface 110d1 located at the top, while as shown in FIG. 8B, the medium-sized suction nozzle 60b is placed on the step surface 110d2 located at the bottom. That is, both of the stepped surfaces 110d1 and 110d2 are surfaces on which the suction nozzle 60 is placed, and the mounting hole 110c2 is configured so that the inner wall has different internal dimensions in the depth direction, and the flange portions 66 of multiple types of suction nozzles 60, each of which has a different outer diameter of the flange portion 66, can be fitted at positions of different depths. Also, the mounting hole 110c2 is configured to regulate the radial displacement (displacement) of each of the suction nozzles 60 at the outer periphery of the flange portion 66, and both of the stepped surfaces 110d1 and 110d2 have pins 110e that engage with the notches 75 of the flange portion 66 to prevent the suction nozzle 60 from rotating.

Instead of the mounting hole 110c2 having the above-mentioned multiple stepped surfaces 110d, it is also possible to adopt a mounting hole 110c3 that is a tapered hole in which the inner dimension of the inner wall gradually decreases in the axial direction, i.e., in the depth direction, as shown in FIG. 8C. Even with such a mounting hole 110c3, the flange portions 66 of multiple types of suction nozzles 60, each of which differs in the outer diameter of the flange portion 66, are configured to fit at different depths. Incidentally, the figure shows a state in which a medium-sized suction nozzle 60b is placed, and when a large-sized suction nozzle 60c is placed, it will be placed in a position above the suction nozzle 60b.

On the other hand, the cover plate 110b is provided with holes 110f1 and 110f2, each having a circular hole portion 110g and a slot portion 110h, corresponding to the mounting holes 110c1 and 110c2 of the base plate 110a, similar to the tray 76. In the state shown in FIG. 7B, the center of each mounting hole 110c coincides with the center of the circular hole portion 110g of the corresponding hole 110f, realizing the mounting hole open state described above, and in the state shown in FIG. 7A, the center of each mounting hole 110c coincides with the center of the arc at the tip of the slot portion 110h of the corresponding hole 110f, realizing the mounting hole closed state. Due to such a structure, the pallet 110 is also provided with a mechanism including the cover plate 110b for preventing the suction nozzle 60 from coming off, that is, a nozzle coming off prevention mechanism called a shutter mechanism 170 (see FIG. 9). Incidentally, like the tray 76, the cover plate 110b is biased by a spring (not shown) so that the mounting hole is closed, and the mounting hole is opened by sliding the cover plate 110b with a force exceeding the biasing force of the spring using a cylinder (not shown).

Similar to the tray 76, the pallet 110 has a 2D code (not shown) attached to one corner of the base plate 110a as an identifier for recognizing the unique information of the pallet 110. This 2D code indicates the ID of the pallet 110 as a type of unique information, and the ID is used to manage the pallet 110 individually.

The gripping chuck 128 is a chuck device (i.e., a gripping device) for releasably gripping an object to be gripped. As shown in FIG. 6, the gripping chuck 128 has a plurality of gripping jaws 132 (three in this embodiment) and a gripping chuck main body 134. The gripping chuck 128 grips the suction nozzle 60, which is the object to be gripped, at the body tube 64 by bringing the gripping jaws 132 close to each other, and releases the gripped suction nozzle 60 by moving the gripping jaws 132 apart. The gripping jaws 132 are arranged at a predetermined angle (120 degrees in this embodiment). The number of gripping jaws 132 is not limited to three, and may be two or four as long as there are multiple jaws. In this case, it is preferable that the gripping jaws 132 are arranged at a predetermined angle according to the number of jaws (90 degrees in the case of four jaws).

Although a suction nozzle 60 is used as the object to be grasped by the gripping device, it is not limited to a suction nozzle 60, and any member that has a cylindrical or other tubular part and can be grasped by a chuck device can be used.

As shown in FIG. 5, the head moving device 122 is an XYZ type moving device that moves the transfer head 120 in the front-back, left-right, and up-down directions on the frame section 102. A fixed stage 131 for setting the nozzle tray 76 is provided on the upper surface of the front side of the frame section 102, and the suction nozzle 60 is transferred between the nozzle tray 76 set on the fixed stage 131 and the nozzle pallet 110 supported by the support arm 108 of the pallet storage device 92.

The nozzle inspection device 96 has a camera 140, a load cell 142, and a joint 146. The camera 140 is disposed on the upper surface of the frame portion 102 facing upward, and the tip of the suction nozzle 60 is inspected using the camera 140. In detail, the suction nozzle 60 to be inspected is held by the gripping chuck 128, and the suction nozzle 60 held by the gripping chuck 128 is imaged from below by the camera 140. In this way, image data of the tip of the suction nozzle 60 is obtained, and the condition of the tip of the suction nozzle 60 is inspected based on the image data.

Furthermore, the load cell 142 is disposed next to the camera 140, and is used to inspect the expansion and contraction state of the tip of the suction nozzle 60 (in other words, the sliding property of the suction tube 68). In more detail, the suction nozzle 60 to be inspected is held by the gripping chuck 128, and the tip of the suction nozzle 60 held by the gripping chuck 128 is abutted against the load cell 142. The tip of the suction nozzle 60 is capable of expanding and contracting, and the expansion and contraction state of the tip of the suction nozzle 60 is inspected based on the load measured by the load cell 142.

The joint 146 is also disposed on the underside of the air supply device 130, and air is supplied from the air supply device 130. An air flow inspection of the suction nozzle 60 is then performed using air supplied from the air supply device 130 to the joint 146. In more detail, the joint 146 is moved above the suction nozzle 60 placed on the cleaning pallet 158, which will be described later, by the operation of the head moving device 122. The joint 146 is then connected to the suction nozzle 60 to be inspected, and air is supplied from the air supply device 130. At this time, the air pressure is measured, and an air flow inspection of the suction nozzle 60 is performed based on the air pressure.

In addition, a number of disposal boxes 148 are provided on the upper surface of the frame portion 102, and suction nozzles 60 determined to be defective by the above inspection are disposed of in the disposal boxes 148. In addition, suction nozzles 60 determined to be normal by the above inspection are returned to the nozzle tray 76 set on the fixed stage 131 or the nozzle pallet 110.

The nozzle cleaning device 98 is a device that cleans and dries the suction nozzles 60, and is disposed next to the pallet storage device 92. The nozzle cleaning device 98 is equipped with a cleaning and drying mechanism 150 and a cleaning pallet moving mechanism 152. The cleaning and drying mechanism 150 is a mechanism that cleans and dries the suction nozzles 60 inside. The cleaning pallet moving mechanism 152 is a mechanism that moves the cleaning pallet 158 between an exposed position where the cleaning pallet 158 is exposed (the position where the cleaning pallet 158 is illustrated in Figure 5) and the interior of the cleaning and drying mechanism 150.

The nozzle drying device 100 is a device that dries the suction nozzle 60 and is disposed next to the cleaning pallet 158 that is positioned in the exposed position.

(Control device)
The nozzle management device 80 includes a control device 80a. The control device 80a is a control device that drives and controls the pallet storage device 92, the nozzle transfer device 94, the nozzle inspection device 96, the nozzle cleaning device 98, and the nozzle drying device 100. In particular, the control device 80a drives the nozzle transfer device 94 (the gripping chuck 128) to transfer the suction nozzle 60, determines whether the placement state of the suction nozzle 60 placed on the placement tray by the gripping chuck 128 is normal (determination unit), and when it is determined that the placement state is not normal, restores the placement state of the suction nozzle 60 to the normal state (recovery unit).

As shown in FIG. 9, the control device 80a is connected to an input device 80b, a display device 80c, a storage device 80d, a camera (imaging device) 126, a nozzle transfer device 94 (head moving device 122, gripping chuck 128), and a shutter mechanism 170.

The input device 80b is provided on the front of the nozzle management device 80 and allows the operator (user) to input various settings and instructions to the control device 80a. The display device 80c is provided on the front of the nozzle management device 80 and displays information such as the operating status and maintenance status to the operator. The storage device 80d stores data related to the control of the nozzle management device 80, such as the control program (machining program), parameters used in the control program, data related to various settings and instructions, imaging data, etc. (storage unit).

The control device 80a has a microcomputer (not shown), which is equipped with an input/output interface, a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM (all not shown), each of which are connected via a bus. The CPU executes various programs to obtain data, detection signals, control information, etc. from the input device 80b, the storage device 80d, the camera 126, and the shutter mechanism 170, and controls the display device 80c, the nozzle transfer device 94, and the shutter mechanism 170. The RAM temporarily stores variables necessary for executing the programs, and the ROM stores the programs.

As shown in FIG. 9, the control device 80a includes a judgment unit 80a1 and a recovery unit 80a2. The judgment unit 80a1 judges whether the placement state of the suction nozzle 60 placed on the placement tray by the gripping chuck 128 is normal or not. The recovery unit 80a2 recovers the placement state of the suction nozzle 60 to the normal state when the judgment unit 80a1 judges that the placement state is not normal.

(Determining and restoring the loading state)
Furthermore, the operation (determination and recovery of the placement state) of the nozzle management device 80 (or the component mounter 10) described above will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 10. When an instruction to start a nozzle inspection operation is received, the control device 80a starts automatic operation of the nozzle inspection.

In step S102, the control device 80a transfers the suction nozzle 60 of the tray 76 to the pallet 110. Specifically, the control device 80a drives the head moving device 122 to move the gripping chuck 128 directly above the suction nozzle 60 to be transferred. Next, the control device 80a lowers the gripping chuck 128 to grip the suction nozzle 60, and then raises it to the raised position while still gripping it.

Then, the control device 80a drives the shutter mechanism 170 to open the cover plate 110b to the mounting hole open state, thereby opening the shutter. Next, the control device 80a drives the head moving device 122 to move the gripping chuck 128 gripping the suction nozzle 60 directly above the mounting hole 110c of the transfer destination of the pallet 110. Furthermore, the gripping chuck 128 is lowered to the lowered position (released position) to release (insert) the suction nozzle 60 into the transfer destination mounting hole 110c, and then the gripping chuck 128 that is not gripping the suction nozzle 60 is raised to the raised position.

In step S104, the control device 80a uses the camera 126 to capture an image of the placement state of the suction nozzle 60 in the placement hole 110c. The control device 80a can store the captured image data in the storage device 80d. Furthermore, in step S106, the control device 80a performs a determination as to whether the placement state of the suction nozzle 60 placed in the placement hole 110c of the pallet 110 (placement tray) by the gripping chuck 128 is normal or not (determination unit).

In step S106, the control device 80a makes the above-mentioned judgment based on the imaging results (imaging data) captured by the camera 126 (first imaging device). The control device 80a makes the above-mentioned judgment based on imaging data relating to a predetermined location (part) of the pallet 110 or a predetermined location (part) of the suction nozzle 60. For example, the pin 110e is preferable as the predetermined location of the pallet 110, and the upper end of the body tube 64 is preferable as the predetermined location of the suction nozzle 60, and in particular the inner tube 64a of the body tube 64 is even more preferable.

In step S106, the control device 80a determines whether the placement of the nozzle 60 is normal or abnormal. The control device 80a identifies (recognizes) the pin 110e from the imaging data (image data), and also identifies the upper end and notch 75 of the body tube 64 (or inner tube 64a). Based on the presence or absence of the identified pin 110e, the control device 80a then determines whether the nozzle 60 is not in a normal rotation position but is in an abnormal rotation position deviated from the normal rotation position, that is, whether there is a rotation abnormality, calculates the center coordinate P1 of the identified body tube 64, and determines whether the nozzle 60, i.e., the body tube 64, is tilted abnormally, based on the calculated coordinates.

As shown in FIG. 11A, when the nozzle 60 is placed correctly, the nozzle 60 is in the normal rotation position and the pin 110e is fitted in the notch 75 of the nozzle 60, so that the pin 110e can be imaged as a whole, and further, the upper end of the body tube 64 can be imaged. In other words, the control device 80a can identify the pin 110e from the image data as shown in FIG. 11A, and can calculate the center coordinates of the body tube 64. Note that the latch pin 70 and 2D code 74 are omitted in FIG. 11.

If the controller 80a detects the presence of the recognized pin 110e, it can determine that the pin 110e is contained within the notch 75 of the nozzle 60, and determines that the nozzle 60 is in a normal rotation position. Furthermore, if the calculated central coordinates of the body tube 64 match the pre-stored design values, the controller 80a determines that the nozzle 60, i.e., the body tube 64, is not tilted and is normal (normal tilt state). In this way, if the controller 80a detects the presence of the recognized pin 110e and the central coordinates of the body tube 64 match the design values, the controller 80a determines that the placement of the nozzle 60 is normal.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 11B, when the nozzle 60 is placed with a deviation of θ degrees from the normal rotation position (abnormal rotation), the flange portion 66 of the nozzle 60 covers the pin 110e, so the pin 110e cannot be imaged at all, but the upper end of the body tube 64 can be imaged. In other words, the control device 80a cannot identify the pin 110e from the image data shown in Figure 11B, but can calculate the center coordinates of the body tube 64.

Note that at this time, since the control device 80a can identify the notch 75, it can calculate the center coordinate of the notch 75 and calculate the rotational deviation angle θ from the calculated center coordinate of the notch 75, the center coordinate of the body tube 64, and the design value of the pin 110e (a value stored in advance). The control device 80a also verifies that the calculated center coordinate of the body tube 64 is within an allowable range for the design value. If it is not within the allowable range, it can be determined that the nozzle 60 has an abnormal tilt, as described below.

If the calculated center coordinates of the body tube 64 match the pre-stored design values, the control device 80a determines that the nozzle 60, i.e., the body tube 64, is not tilted and is normal. On the other hand, if the recognized pin 110e is not present, it can be determined that the pin 110e is not contained within the notch 75 of the nozzle 60, and the nozzle 60 is determined to be in an abnormal rotation position. In this way, even if the center coordinates of the body tube 64 match the design values, if the recognized pin 110e is not present, the control device 80a determines that the nozzle 60 is placed in an abnormal rotation position.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11C, when the nozzle 60 is placed tilted relative to the axial direction (abnormal tilt), the upper end of the body tube 64 can be imaged, but because the nozzle 60 is tilted, the center coordinate P1 of the body tube 64 is imaged with the coordinate shifted in the tilted direction. In other words, the control device 80a can calculate the center coordinate P1 of the body tube 64 (a value shifted from the design value P1ref) from the image data shown in FIG. 11C. Note that if the pin 110e is housed within the notch 75, the pin 110e is also imaged, but if the flange portion 66 of the nozzle 60 covers the pin 110e, the pin 110e cannot be imaged at all.

If the calculated center coordinate P1 of the body tube 64 is within the tolerance range of the pre-stored design value P1ref (if there is no central axis misalignment), the control device 80a determines that the nozzle 60, i.e., the body tube 64, is not tilted and is normal. On the other hand, if the calculated center coordinate P1 of the body tube 64 is not within the tolerance range of the pre-stored design value P1ref (if there is a central axis misalignment), the control device 80a determines that the nozzle 60, i.e., the body tube 64, is tilted and has an abnormal tilt.

In addition, if there is a rotation abnormality, the nozzle 60 will tilt because the flange portion 66 comes into contact with the upper end of the pin 110e, so it is estimated that the probability of determining that there is an abnormal tilt is relatively high. Therefore, it is also possible to check only for the central axis deviation of the nozzle 60 without checking for the presence or absence of the pin 110e.

(Normal state)
When the control device 80a judges that the nozzle 60 to be judged is in a normal state, the control device 80a advances the program to step S108, and closes the shutter by driving the shutter mechanism 170 to close the cover plate 110b in the mounting hole. At this time, since the nozzle 60 is normally placed in the mounting hole 110c of the pallet 110, even if the shutter is closed, the cover plate 110b does not close. In addition, since the shutter is closed every time the nozzle 60 is placed, the placed nozzle 60 is covered by the cover plate 110b, and it is possible to reliably prevent the nozzle 60 in a normal state from becoming abnormal or jumping out.

The open/closed state of the shutter can be detected by an open sensor provided at the open end of the cover plate 110b to detect the open state, and a close sensor provided at the closed end of the cover plate 110b to detect the closed state. If the close sensor does not detect the closed state when a close command to close the shutter is executed, it is possible to determine whether the shutter is closed. If the open sensor does not detect the open state when an open command to open the shutter is executed, it is possible to determine whether the shutter is open.

Then, the control device 80a returns the program to step S102 and performs a judgment on the next nozzle 60 to be judged. In this way, the control device 80a performs the above judgment every time a nozzle 60 is placed on the pallet 110 (loading tray). The control device 80a also repeats the processing of steps S102 to S108 until it has finished judging all of the nozzles 60.

(Abnormal state determination and recovery processing)
When the determination in step S106 (determination unit 80a1) is that the nozzle 60 is not normal, the control device 80a restores the placement state of the nozzle 60 to the normal state (recovery unit). At this time, the control device 80a uses the gripping chuck 128 to restore the placement state of the nozzle 60.

(Abnormal rotation state)
Specifically, when the control device 80a determines that the nozzle 60 to be determined is in an abnormal rotation state, the control device 80a advances the program to step S110 and thereafter to perform a recovery process (rotation correction) for recovering the abnormal rotation state to a normal state. In step S110, the control device 80a determines whether the number of abnormality determinations has reached a predetermined number (for example, Na times), and if the number of abnormality determinations is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, the control device 80a determines "YES" in step S110 and advances the program to step S114 to perform an error stop process. The error stop process is a process for transmitting an error and stopping the transfer of the nozzle 60. When the abnormality determination is repeated Na times in succession, it is determined that an error requiring maintenance has occurred, and it becomes possible to reliably stop the nozzle management device 80.

On the other hand, if the number of abnormality determinations is less than the predetermined number Na, the control device 80a determines "NO" in step S110 and advances the program to step S112 to perform rotation correction processing. In step S112, the control device 80a drives the head moving device 122 to move the gripping chuck 128 directly above the suction nozzle 60 that requires rotation correction processing (that has been determined to have a rotation abnormality). Next, the control device 80a lowers the gripping chuck 128 to grip the suction nozzle 60, and raises it to the raised position while still gripping it.

Furthermore, the control device 80a drives the head moving device 122 to rotate the nozzle 60, which is in the abnormal rotation position, by the rotation deviation angle θ calculated as described above to the normal rotation position, thereby correcting the rotation position of the nozzle 60. After that, the gripping chuck 128 is lowered to the lowered position (released position) to release (insert) the suction nozzle 60 into the destination mounting hole 110c, and then the gripping chuck 128 that is not gripping the suction nozzle 60 is raised to the raised position.

Then, the control device 80a returns the program to step S104 and after, captures an image of the placement state of the nozzle 60 that has been restored (step S104), and determines the placement state based on the captured image data (step S106).

(Abnormal tilt state)
Furthermore, when the control device 80a determines that the nozzle 60 being judged is in an abnormal tilt state, the control device 80a advances the program to step S116 and onward to carry out recovery processing (tilt correction) for restoring the abnormal tilt state to a normal state. In step S116, similar to step S110 described above, the control device 80a determines whether the number of abnormality judgments has reached a predetermined number (e.g., Na times), and if the number of abnormality judgments is equal to or greater than the predetermined number Na, the control device 80a determines "YES" in step S116, advances the program to step S114, and carries out error stop processing.

On the other hand, if the number of abnormality determinations is less than the predetermined number Na, the control device 80a determines "NO" in step S116, advances the program to step S118 and onward, and performs tilt correction (re-gripping) processing. In step S118, the control device 80a drives the head moving device 122 to move the gripping chuck 128 directly above the suction nozzle 60 that requires tilt correction processing (determined to have an abnormal tilt). Next, the control device 80a lowers the gripping chuck 128 to grip the suction nozzle 60, and then releases it to re-grrip the suction nozzle 60. Note that after re-gripping, the control device 80a may image the placement state of the suction nozzle 60 using an imaging device and perform the above-mentioned determination based on the imaging result.

Furthermore, the control device 80a repeats the re-gripping a predetermined number of times (for example, Nb times). If the number of re-gripping times is less than the predetermined number Nb, the control device 80a judges "NO" in step S120, returns the program to step S118, and re-gripping the suction nozzle 60. On the other hand, if the number of re-gripping times is equal to or greater than the predetermined number Nb, the control device 80a judges "YES" in step S120, returns the program to step S104 and subsequent steps, images the placement state of the recovered nozzle 60 (step S104), and determines the placement state based on the image data (step S106). After performing re-gripping Nb times, the control device 80a raises the gripping chuck 128 that is not gripping the suction nozzle 60 to the raised position.

The device that includes the above-mentioned gripping chuck 128 (gripping device), pallet 110 (loading tray), and judgment unit 80a1 and that transfers the suction nozzle 60 (grasped object) is the gripping object transfer device, and in this embodiment, this corresponds to the nozzle management device 80 that includes the gripping object transfer device. In addition, since the nozzle management device 80 includes the above-mentioned gripping object transfer device and the nozzle cleaning device 98 that cleans the suction nozzle 60 (grasped object), it can be said to be the cleaning device disclosed in this specification.

(Modification)
In the above embodiment, the nozzle management device 80 judges the placement state of the suction nozzle 60, but the component mounter 10 may also perform this judgment. In this case, the component mounter 10 is capable of gripping the suction nozzle 60 at the tip of the holder 26b, an imaging device 25 (first imaging device) that images the suction nozzle 60 placed on the nozzle tray 76 is provided at the lower end of the mounting head 26, and a control device (not shown) that judges the placement state of the suction nozzle 60 based on the image data is provided. The control device judges the placement state of the suction nozzle 60 placed on the nozzle tray 76 by the holder 26b, similarly to the control device 80a. The imaging device 25 is for imaging the mark attached to the board S.

In the above-described embodiment, an imaging device is used to image the placement state of the suction nozzle 60 placed on the placement tray, and the above judgment is made based on the imaging results (image data). However, instead of an imaging device, a three-dimensional measuring device may be used to measure the placement state of the suction nozzle 60 placed on the placement tray, and the above judgment may be made based on the measurement results (measurement data). Three-dimensional measuring devices include contact type (touch probe) and non-contact type (scanning laser probe type or optical type).

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, a first imaging device (e.g., a CCD camera) capable of capturing an image of a standard imaging range is used as the imaging device, but a second imaging device 126a (see FIG. 9) capable of capturing an image of a wider imaging range than the standard imaging range may also be used. An example of the second imaging device is a CCD camera with a wide-angle lens. The second imaging device 126a is capable of capturing an image of multiple suction nozzles 60 placed on the loading tray at once.

In this case, the control device 80a performs the above judgment based on the image captured by the second image capture device 126a. The control device 80a does not perform the above judgment of the placement state every time the suction nozzle 60 is released (inserted into the placement hole 110c), but can perform the above judgment after transferring (inserting) all (or a part of multiple) of the suction nozzles 60 to be placed (transferred) into the placement hole 110c. Specifically, in the above step S102, the control device 80a transfers all of the suction nozzles 60 to be placed (transferred). In the above step S104, the control device 80a captures images of the multiple suction nozzles 60 placed on the pallet 110 at once. In the above step S106, the control device 80a performs the above judgment for each suction nozzle 60. Furthermore, the control device 80a performs recovery processing for the suction nozzles 60 determined to be in an abnormal state, grouping them by abnormality type. Thereafter, the shutter closing processing is performed in the same manner as in the above step S108.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the placement state is determined each time the suction nozzle 60 is released (inserted into the placement hole 110c), but after multiple suction nozzles 60 are transferred, the first imaging device may be used to image the suction nozzles 60 all at once, and the above-described determination may be made based on the imaging results.

It goes without saying that this disclosure is in no way limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms as long as they fall within the technical scope of this disclosure.

(Effects of the embodiment)
The gripping object transfer device (nozzle management device 80) according to the embodiment described above comprises a gripping device (gripping chuck 128) for gripping the gripping object (suction nozzle 60), a loading tray (tray 76 or pallet 110) on which the suction nozzle 60 can be placed, and a judgment unit 80a1 (control device 80a: step S106) that judges whether the loading condition of the suction nozzle 60 placed on the pallet 110 (or tray 76) by the gripping chuck 128 is normal or not.

According to this embodiment, the judgment unit 80a1 (control device 80a: step S106) can judge whether the placement state of the suction nozzle 60 placed on the pallet 110 (or tray 76) by the gripping chuck 128 is normal or not. Therefore, it can be reliably judged whether the placement state of the suction nozzle 60 is normal or not.

In addition, this embodiment further includes a first imaging device (camera 126) that images the suction nozzle 60 placed on the pallet 110 (or tray 76), and the determination unit 80a1 (controller 80a: step S106) performs the above determination based on the image captured by the camera 126. By selecting the relatively low-cost camera 126 as the first imaging device, the above determination can be performed reliably and at low cost.

In addition, in this embodiment, the judgment unit 80a1 (controller 80a: step S106) makes the above judgment based on the image capturing results of a predetermined location on the pallet 110 (or tray 76) or a predetermined location on the suction nozzle 60. This makes it possible to obtain the image capturing results simply and stably, and therefore makes it possible to reliably make the above judgment.

In addition, in this embodiment, the judgment unit 80a1 (controller 80a: step S106) performs the above judgment each time the suction nozzle 60 is placed on the pallet 110 (or tray 76). This makes it possible to reliably perform the steps from transferring the suction nozzle 60 to the above judgment one by one.

In addition, this embodiment further includes a recovery unit 80a2 (controller 80a: steps S112 and S118) that restores the placement state of the suction nozzle 60 to a normal state when the determination unit 80a1 (controller 80a: step S106) determines that the suction nozzle 60 is not normal. This makes it possible to reliably restore the suction nozzle 60 that is placed in an abnormal state to a normal state.

In addition, in this embodiment, the recovery unit 80a2 (control device 80a: steps S112 and S118) uses the gripping chuck 128 to restore the placement state of the suction nozzle 60. This makes it possible to restore the suction nozzle 60 to a normal state without increasing costs by using existing equipment.

In addition, this embodiment further includes a second imaging device 126a capable of simultaneously capturing an image of multiple suction nozzles 60 placed on the pallet 110 (or tray 76), and the determination unit 80a1 performs the above-mentioned determination based on the image captured by the second imaging device 126a. This simplifies the imaging process, making it possible to perform the above-mentioned determination while reducing the overall man-hours.

In addition, in this embodiment, the object to be grasped is a suction nozzle 60 that releasably suctions an electronic component. This makes it possible to reliably determine whether the placement state of the suction nozzle 60 is normal in a device in which the suction nozzle 60 is replaceable.

In addition, in this embodiment, the cleaning device (nozzle management device 80) is equipped with the above-mentioned gripping object transfer device, and cleans the suction nozzle 60. This allows the nozzle management device 80, which cleans the suction nozzle 60, to reliably determine whether the placement state of the suction nozzle 60 is normal or not.

The technical concept of this specification can be applied not only to suction nozzle 60, but also to any cylindrical or columnar object, such as tubes, piping, and workpieces of machine tools and articulated robots.

In addition, this specification also discloses the technical idea of changing "the grasped object transfer device described in claim 1" to "the grasped object transfer device described in any one of claims 1 to 3" in claim 4, the technical idea of changing "the grasped object transfer device described in claim 1" to "the grasped object transfer device described in any one of claims 1 to 4" in claim 5, and the technical idea of changing "the grasped object transfer device described in claim 1" to "the grasped object transfer device described in any one of claims 1 to 7" in claim 8.

25...imaging device (first imaging device), 60...suction nozzle (object to be grasped), 76...nozzle tray (mounting tray), 80...nozzle management device (object to be grasped transfer device, cleaning device), 80a...control device (step S106...determination unit, step S112, step S118...recovery unit), 80a1...determination unit, 80a2...recovery unit, 110...nozzle pallet (mounting tray), 126...camera (first imaging device), 126a...second imaging device, 128...gripping chuck (gripping device), P...electronic component.

Claims

A gripping device for gripping an object to be gripped;
A placement tray on which the object to be grasped can be placed;
and a determination unit that determines whether the object to be grasped placed on the placement tray by the gripping device is in a normal state or not.
The apparatus further includes a first imaging device that images the object to be grasped placed on the placement tray,
The apparatus for transferring an object to be grasped according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit performs the determination based on an image pickup result captured by the first imaging device.
The device for transferring an object to be grasped according to claim 2, wherein the determination unit performs the determination based on the imaging results relating to a predetermined location on the placement tray or a predetermined location on the object to be grasped.
The object transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit performs the determination each time the object is placed on the placement tray.
The transfer device for a grasped object according to claim 1, further comprising a recovery unit that restores the placement state of the grasped object to a normal state when the determination unit determines that the grasped object is not normal.
The device for transferring an object to be grasped according to claim 5, wherein the recovery unit uses the gripping device to recover the placement state of the object to be grasped.
The apparatus further includes a second imaging device capable of simultaneously imaging the plurality of objects to be grasped placed on the placement tray,
The apparatus for transferring an object to be grasped according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit performs the determination based on an image pickup result captured by the second imaging device.
The gripping object transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the gripping object is a suction nozzle that releasably picks up an electronic component.
A cleaning device that includes the gripping object transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 and cleans the gripping object.