Electronic-parts mounting apparatus

• US 6,000,123 A
• Filed: 10/31/1997
• Issued: 12/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Iizuka, Kimio, Soga, Tomitatsu, Mitsushima, Takatoshi, Tanaka, Kunio, Furuta, Noboru, Munezane, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Young, Lee
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Rick Kiltae
• Application Number:
  US08/961,921
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 29/739, 29/740, 29/721, 29/840, 198/341
• US Class Current: 29/740
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/0061 Tools for holding the circuit boards during processing; handling transport of printed circuit boards
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/041 having multiple pick-up tools
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/0411 having multiple mounting heads
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53091 for work-holder for assembly or disassembly
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53174 Means to fasten electrical component to wiring board, base, or substrate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53178 Chip component

Abstract

Cassettes contain electronic parts. First and second feeders are operative for feeding the electronic parts from the cassettes. A first mounting head has sucking nozzles for picking up the electronic parts fed by the first feeder. A second mounting head has sucking nozzles for picking up the electronic parts fed by the second feeder. A table arrangement is operative for holding a printed circuit board. The first and second mounting heads are alternately moved along a first direction to a region above the printed circuit board on the table arrangement. The table arrangement includes a mechanism for moving the printed circuit board on the table arrangement in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Also, the table arrangement includes a mechanisms for rotating the printed circuit board on the table arrangement about an axis perpendicular to both the first and second directions. The sucking nozzles of the first mounting head place the electronic parts on the printed circuit board on the table arrangement when the first mounting head is in the region above the printed circuit board. The sucking nozzles of the second mounting head place the electronic parts on the printed circuit board on the table arrangement when the second mounting head is in the region above the printed circuit board.

Claims

1. An electronic-parts mounting apparatus comprising:

cassettes containing electronic parts;

first and second feeders for feeding the electronic parts from the cassettes;

a first mounting head having sucking nozzles for picking up the electronic parts fed by the first feeder;

a second mounting head having sucking nozzles for picking up the electronic parts fed by the second feeder;

a table arrangement for holding a printed circuit board;

first means for alternately moving the first and second mounting heads along a first direction to a position adjacent to the printed circuit board on the table arrangement;

second means contained in the table arrangement for moving the printed circuit board on the table arrangement in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;

third means contained in the table arrangement for rotating the printed circuit board on the table arrangement about an axis perpendicular to both the first and second directions;

fourth means for allowing the sucking nozzles of the first mounting head to place the electronic parts on the printed circuit board on the table arrangement when the first mounting head is in the region;

fifth means for allowing the sucking nozzles of the second mounting head to place the electronic parts on the printed circuit board on the table arrangement when the second mounting head is in the region;

sixth means for detecting whether or not each of the electronic parts is normally held by the related sucking nozzle of the first mounting head;

seventh means for removing the electronic parts from the related sucking nozzles which are detected by the sixth means to be not normally held by the related sucking nozzles;

eighth means for detecting whether or not each of the electronic parts is normally held by the related sucking nozzle of the second mounting head; and

ninth means for removing the electronic parts from the related sucking nozzles which are detected by the eighth means to be not normally held by the related sucking nozzles.

2. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

tenth means for detecting whether or not the sucking nozzles of the first mounting head fail to pick up the electronic parts, for detecting postures of the electronic parts held by the sucking nozzles of the first mounting head, and for detecting heights of the electronic parts held by the sucking nozzles of the first mounting head; and

eleventh means for detecting whether or not the sucking nozzles of the second mounting head fail to pick up the electronic parts, for detecting postures of the electronic parts held by the sucking nozzles of the second mounting head, and for detecting heights of the electronic parts held by the sucking nozzles of the second mounting head.

3. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the table arrangement comprises a motor, a speed-reduction device connected to an output shaft of the motor, a table connected to the speed-reduction device and rotating as the output shaft of the motor rotates, and a holding member connected to the table for holding the printed circuit board.

4. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein the table arrangement further comprises means for carrying the printed circuit board to and from the holding member, and means for locating the printed circuit board on the holding member.

5. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 4, further comprising a motor, and a power transmission mechanism connected between the motor and the locating means in the table arrangement.

6. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a printed-circuit-board feeder for feeding the printed circuit board to the table arrangement, and a printed-circuit-board carrier for carrying the printed circuit from the table arrangement.

7. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the printed-circuit-board feeder comprises guide members for guiding opposite sides of the printed circuit board, respectively.

8. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 6, further comprising a stopper for stopping the printed circuit board at a predetermined position above the table arrangement which is fed by the printed-circuit-board feeder.

9. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 6, further comprising a motor, and a power transmission mechanism connected between the motor and the printed-circuit-board feeder.

10. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the cassettes comprise a bulk-type cassette containing electronic parts in bulk, and a taping-type cassette containing chip-type electronic parts attached to a tape at given intervals.

11. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the sucking nozzles of the second mounting head places the electronic parts on the printed circuit board on the table arrangement while the sucking nozzles of the first mounting head pick up the electronic parts fed by the first feeder, and wherein the sucking nozzles of the first mounting head places the electronic parts on the printed circuit board on the table arrangement while the sucking nozzles of the second mounting head pick up the electronic parts fed by the second feeder.

12. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the sucking nozzles of the first and second mounting heads are arranged at a pitch corresponding to a pitch between paths of feed of electronic parts from the cassettes.

13. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the first and second mounting heads comprises a motor, a cam member connected to an output shaft of the motor, a cam follower engaging the cam member, a plate connected to the cam follower and holding the sucking nozzles, the sucking nozzles being elevated and lowered as the output shaft of the motor rotates.

14. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 13, further comprising means for varying lower limit positions of the sucking nozzles by controlling a range of rotation of the output shaft of the motor with respect to the cam member.

15. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein a speed of movement of the sucking nozzles is low when the sucking nozzles are positionally close to their upper limit positions and their lower limit positions.

16. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 13, further comprising means for controlling a speed of rotation of the output shaft of the motor.

17. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 13, further comprising springs connected to the sucking nozzles of the first and second mounting heads for urging the sucking nozzles downward.

18. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for simultaneously elevating and lowering the sucking nozzles of the first mounting head, and means for simultaneously elevating and lowering the sucking nozzles of the second mounting heads.

19. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising means for sequentially elevating and lowering the sucking nozzles of the first mounting head at different timings, and means for sequentially elevating and lowering the sucking nozzles of the second mounting heads at different timings.

20. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

tenth means for selecting at least one sucking nozzle from among the sucking nozzles of the first mounting head;

eleventh means for elevating and lowering the selected sucking nozzle of the first mounting head;

twelfth means for selecting at least one sucking nozzle from among the sucking nozzles of the second mounting head; and

thirteenth means for elevating and lowering the selected sucking nozzle of the second mounting head.

21. The electronic-parts mounting apparatus as recited in claim 20, further comprising:

fourteenth means for inhibiting sucking nozzles of the first mounting head which are not selected by the tenth means from being elevated and lowered by the eleventh means; and

fifteenth means for inhibiting sucking nozzles of the second mounting head which are not selected by the twelfth means from being elevated and lowered by the thirteenth means.