Feeder for electronic chip components

• US 6,286,711 B1
• Filed: 01/27/1999
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: Fukuda, Kenichi, Nakada, Kouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Christopher P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Crawford, Gene O.
• Application Number:
  US09/237,680
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 221/13, 221/15, 221/18, 221/186, 221/211, 221/113, 221/119, 221/121, 221/122
• US Class Current: 221/13
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/028 Simultaneously loading a plurality of loose objects, e.g. by means of vibrations, pressure differences, magnetic fields

Abstract

An electronic chip component feeder is provided to prevent continued supply of electronic chip components for mounting which have surface discolorization, deteriorated electrode solderability, or cracks or chips produced by chip collisions. The electronic chip component feeder includes plural feeding units arranged in an array. Each feeding unit has a hopper for holding a plurality of components of a particular kind, and a guide path by which components are transferred from the hopper to a dispensing location. At the dispensing location, the components are picked up by a sucking chuck and then transferred to a substrate for mounting thereon. The plurality of feeding units are capable of being reciprocated in unison so that the dispensing location for the feeding units are successively moved to a fixed position. The electronic chip component feeder further includes a counting unit for counting the number of movements of the each feeding unit. This provides a measure of the degree of potential degradation of the electronic chip components in the hoppers caused by movement of their respective feeding unit. An alarm can be generated when the counted number reaches a predefined number, set individually for each feeding unit.

Claims

1. An electronic chip component feeder for feeding a plurality of kinds of electronic chip components, said electronic chip component feeder comprising:

a plurality of feeding units, each said feeding unit including a hopper for accommodating and discharging a plurality of electronic chip components, and a guide path for aligning and leading the electronic chip components discharged from said hopper to a predetermined dispensing location;

a mechanism for moving said feeding units in unison so that their respective dispensing locations are successively transferred to a fixed position;

a picking-up mechanism for picking-up electronic chip components placed at said fixed position;

a counting unit for generating a measure representative of the amount of potential degradation suffered by said electronic components while in the hoppers of their respective feeding units.

2. The electronic chip component feeder according to claim 1, wherein said counting unit includes, for each of said feeding units, a display which indicates a measured count number.

3. The electronic chip component feeder according to claim 1, wherein said counting unit includes a centrally disposed control panel which indicates the count status of each of said feeding units.

4. The electronic chip component feeder according to claim 1, wherein the amount of potential degradation is due to movement of the feeding units.

5. The electronic chip component feeder according to claim 1, wherein said counting unit comprises a plurality of counting mechanisms which are positioned on respective feeding units.

6. The electronic chip component feeder according to claim 5, wherein said counting mechanisms are individually powered by respective battery supplies.

7. The electronic chip component feeder according to claim 1, wherein said counting unit includes a sensor which detects movement of said feeding units.

8. The electronic chip component feeder according to claim 7, wherein said sensor detects movement by sensing changes in inertia.

9. The electronic chip component feeder according to claim 7, wherein said sensor detects movement by sensing contact between a switch and a stationary contact piece.

10. The electronic chip component feeder according to claim 7, wherein said sensor detects movement by sensing optical reflectance or translucence.

11. The electronic chip component feeder according to claim 1, wherein said counting unit includes, for each of said feeding units, an alarm which indicates when a measured count number exceeds a predetermined count number.

12. The electronic chip component feeder according to claim 11, wherein said predetermined count number for each feeding unit can be individually set.

13. An electronic chip component feeder according to claim 11, further comprising a stopping mechanism for stopping the movement of a feeding unit when the counted number associated with the feeding unit reaches the predetermined number.

14. The electronic chip component feeder according to claim 11, wherein said alarm includes at least one of:

an alarm which generates a visual indication and an alarm which generates an audible indication.

15. A method for feeding electronic components using an electronic chip component feeder having a plurality of feeding units, each feeding unit having a hopper and a dispensing location, comprising the steps of:

repeatedly moving each feeding unit such that its dispensing location is made coincident with a fixed position;

repeatedly transferring electronic components from the dispensing locations of respective feeding units to a mounting surface when said dispensing locations are made coincident with said fixed position;

generating a count, for each feeding unit, which reflects the potential degradation of electronic units accommodated within the hoppers of each respective feeding unit; and

stopping the transfer of electronic components to said mounting surface from any feeding unit in which a count exceeds a predetermined number.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a different predetermined number is set for each respective feeding unit.

17. The method of claim 15, further including the step of generating an alarm when, for any feeding unit, its count exceeds said predetermined number.

18. The method of claim 15, further including the step of displaying the count of each said feeding unit.

19. A feeding unit for use in an electronic chip component feeder for feeding electronic chip components, said feeding unit comprising:

a hopper for accommodating and discharging a plurality of electronic chip components;

a guide path for aligning and leading the electronic chip components discharged from said hopper to a predetermined dispensing location;

a count mechanism for generating a count representative of the amount of potential degradation suffered by said electronic components while in the hopper; and

an indication mechanism for indicating when said count exceeds a predetermined value, indicating that said electronic components in said hopper need to be replaced.

20. The feeding unit according to claim 19, wherein said counting mechanism includes a sensor which detects movement of said feeding unit.

21. The feeding unit according to claim 19, wherein said indication mechanism includes at least one of:

an alarm which generates a visual indication and an alarm which generates an audible indication.

22. The feeding unit according to claim 19, wherein the amount of potential degradation is due to movement of the hopper.

23. An electronic chip component feeder for feeding a plurality of kinds of electronic chip components, said electronic chip component feeder comprising:

a plurality of feeding units, each said feeding unit including a hopper for accommodating and discharging a plurality of electronic chip components which are randomly arranged m the hopper, and a guide path for aligning and leading the electronic chip components discharged from said hopper to a predetermined dispensing location;

a mechanism for reciprocating said feeding units in unison so that their respective dispensing locations are successively transferred to a fixed position;

a picking-up mechanism for picking-up electronic chip components placed at said fixed position; and

a counting unit for generating a measure representative of the amount of potential degradation suffered by said electronic components while in the hoppers of their respective feeding units.

24. The electronic chip component feeder according to claim 23, wherein said counting unit counts the reciprocal movement of said respective feeding units.