ELECTRONIC COMPONENT MOUNTER AND MOUNTING METHOD

• US 20090300908A1
• Filed: 07/31/2006
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogata, Hiroshi, Okuda, Osamu, Kawase, Takeyuki, Noudo, Akira, Endo, Tadashi
• Granted Patent: US 8,136,219 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/739
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/04 Mounting of components , e.g. of leadless components
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49004 including measuring or testing of device or component part
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49131 by utilizing optical sighting device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53174 Means to fasten electrical component to wiring board, base, or substrate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53191 Means to apply vacuum directly to position or hold work part

Abstract

It is an object to provide a method by which the height of an electronic component sucked and held by a nozzle can be detected with high accuracy and high efficiency.

This method is a component height measurement method applied to a mounter (100) equipped with a transfer head (8) having a component-sucking-and-holding nozzle (21), for transferring a component P and mounting the component P onto a board (3), and includes: lowering the component P to within the high-accuracy range of a first line sensor (13) for measuring the height of the component P; and measuring the height of the component P using the first line sensor (13).

Claims

1. A component height measurement method applied to a mounter equipped with a transfer head having a component-sucking-and-holding nozzle, for transferring a component and mounting the component onto a board, said method comprising:

lowering the component to within a high-accuracy range of a sensor for measuring a height of the component; and

measuring the height of the component using the sensor.

2. The component height measurement method according to claim 1,

wherein the transfer head has a plurality of nozzles, each of which repeatedly sucks and holds a component for every mounting,

said lowering includes adjusting a level of each nozzle so as to keep the level constant for every mounting, and

said measuring includes detecting the component sucked and held by the level-adjusted nozzle, from the side and undersurface of the component.

3. The component height measurement method according to claim 2,

wherein said lowering includes adjusting the levels of the nozzles so that the undersurfaces of the components sucked and held by the nozzles are aligned on a horizontal plane.

4. The component height measurement method according to claim 1, further comprising

tentatively lowering the component sucked and held by the nozzle, and tentatively measuring the height of the component using an amount of lowering of the nozzle and a signal outputted from the sensor,

wherein said lowering includes lowering the component to within the high-accuracy range of the sensor, based on the height of the component measured in said tentative measuring.

5. The component height measurement method according to claim 4, further comprising

lowering the nozzle which does not hold a component, and obtaining information regarding a vertical position of a lower end of the nozzle.

6. The component height measurement method according to claim 4,

wherein said measuring includes, in the case where the height measured in said tentative measuring is less than a predetermined value, measuring the height of the component definitively while keeping the vertical position of the lower end of the nozzle at a predetermined position.

7. The component height measurement method according to claim 4,

wherein said measuring includes, in the case where the height measured in said tentative measuring is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, measuring the height of the component definitively while keeping the vertical position of the lower end of the nozzle at a predetermined position.

8. The component height measurement method according to claim 4,

wherein one of said tentative measuring and said definitive measuring is carried out while moving the sensor and the component relative to each other on a horizontal plane, after the nozzle is maintained in a stationary state.

9. The component height measurement method according to claim 1,

wherein the transfer head has a plurality of nozzles and the sensor, and

said measuring includes measuring the height of each of the components sucked and held by the nozzles, by causing the sensor to scan the components.

10. A component mounting method applied to a mounter equipped with a transfer head having a component-sucking-and-holding nozzle, for transferring a component and mounting the component onto a board, said method comprising:

lowering the component to within a high-accuracy range of a sensor for measuring a height of the component;

measuring the height of the component; and

mounting the component onto the board based on the measured height of the component.

11. A component height measurement program applied to a mounter equipped with a transfer head having a component-sucking-and-holding nozzle, for transferring a component and mounting the component onto a board, said program causing a computer to execute:

lowering the component to within a high-accuracy range of a sensor for measuring a height of the component; and

measuring the height of the component using the sensor.

12. A component height measurement apparatus which measures a height of a component by being applied to a mounter equipped with a transfer head having a component-sucking-and-holding nozzle, for transferring the component and mounting the component onto a board, said apparatus comprising:

a lowering unit operable to lower the component to within a high-accuracy range of a sensor for measuring a height of the component; and

a measurement unit operable to measure the height of the component using the sensor.

13. The component height measurement apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

a lowering amount detection unit operable to detect an amount of lowering of the nozzle;

a head control unit operable to control vertical movement of the nozzle;

a height calculation unit operable to calculate the height of the component sucked and held by the nozzle, based on a signal outputted from the sensor and a signal outputted from said lowering amount detection unit; and

an overall control unit operable to control the transfer head so as to tentatively calculate the height of the component, and then to control the transfer head again based on the tentatively calculated height, so as to lower the component to within the high-accuracy range of the sensor for measuring the height of the component and to definitively calculate the height of the component.

14. A mounter equipped with a transfer head having a component-sucking-and-holding nozzle, for transferring a component and mounting the component onto a board, said mounter comprising:

a lowering unit operable to lower the component to within a high-accuracy range of a sensor for measuring a height of the component; and

a measurement unit operable to measure the height of the component using the sensor.

15. The mounter according to claim 14, further comprising

a plurality of nozzles, each of which repeatedly sucks and holds a component for every mounting,

wherein the sensor detects the component sucked and held by each nozzle, from the side of the component, and

said lowering unit is operable to adjust a level of each nozzle independently of other nozzles so as to keep the level constant for every mounting.

16. The mounter according to claim 15,

wherein said lowering unit is operable to selectively perform:

a control to adjust the level of each nozzle constant for every mounting, the nozzle repeatedly sucking and holding a component for every mounting; and

a control to align undersurfaces of the components sucked and held by the nozzles on a horizontal plane.

17. The mounter according to claim 14, further comprising:

a lowering amount detection unit operable to detect an amount of lowering of the nozzle;

a head control unit operable to control vertical movement of the nozzle;

a height calculation unit operable to calculate the height of the component sucked and held by the nozzle, based on a signal outputted from the sensor and a signal outputted from said lowering amount detection unit; and

an overall control unit operable to control the transfer head so as to tentatively calculate the height of the component, and then to control the transfer head again based on the tentatively calculated height, so as to lower the component to within the high-accuracy range of the sensor for measuring the height of the component and to definitively calculate the height of the component.