Part mounting apparatus and part supply apparatus

• US 6,594,887 B1
• Filed: 05/10/2000
• Issued: 07/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1997
• 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: Kabeshita, Akira, Yoshida, Yoshihiro, Okuda, Osamu, Mori, Kazuo, Kitamura, Naoyuki, Inoue, Mamoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Eley, Timothy V.
• Application Number:
  US09/554,187
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 298/32, 298/33, 298/34, 298/36, 297/29, 297/39, 297/41, 297/43, 297/44, 297/59, 297/60
• US Class Current: 29/739
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/021 Loading or unloading of containers H05K13/028 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/0417 Feeding with belts or tapes
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 13/0434 with containers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49131 by utilizing optical sighting device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49137 Different components
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53174 Means to fasten electrical component to wiring board, base, or substrate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53261 Means to align and advance work part

Abstract

A component installing device comprises: a tray component supply section (8) having a plurality of conjointly provided tray component supply mechanisms (7) for moving selected trays (4) from a storage position (5) to a component supply position (6), according to need, thereby providing the components (2) accommodated therein for use; and a cassette component supply section (13) having a plurality of mutually aligned component supply cassettes (12) for carrying components in a tape cassette or a bulk cassette, and transporting said components to a component supply position (11), one at a time, thereby providing said components for use. Components (2) accommodated in the respective trays (4) located at the component supply positions (6) of the respective tray component supply mechanisms (7) in the tray component supply section (8), and components (2) transported to the component supply positions (11) of the respective component supply cassettes (12) in the cassette component supply section (13), are variously handled and installed at prescribed positions on a circuit board (1) by means of an installing head (21).

Claims

1. A component installing device comprising:

a tray component supply section (8) having a plurality of conjointly provided tray component supply mechanisms (7) for selecting trays (4) accommodating prescribed components (2), and moving said trays (4) from a storage position (5) to a component supply position (6), according to need, thereby providing the components (2) for use;

a cassette component supply section (13) having a plurality of mutually aligned component supply cassettes (12) for carrying components in a tape cassette or a bulk cassette, and transporting said components to a component supply position (11), one at a time, thereby providing said components for use; and

an installing head (21) for picking up components (2) accommodated in the respective trays (4) located at the component supply position (6) of the respective tray component supply mechanisms (7) in the tray component supply section (8), and installing the components (2) at prescribed positions on an installation object (1).

2. The component installing device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of component installing tools (51-54) on said installing head (21) for installing components (2) aligned in a prescribed direction;

a plurality of shuttles (26), which perform reciprocal movement in such a manner that one of the plurality of shuttles move a selected tray (4) from the storage position (5) to the component supply position (6) and then return the same to said storage position (5);

component holding sections (61-64) for holding components (2), provided on at least one of said shuttles (26) and aligned along a direction of movement and at a pitch corresponding to the alignment direction and alignment pitch of said component installing tools (51-54); and

a component transfer head (65) for picking up components (2) accommodated in a tray (4) that has been moved to a component supply position (6) of a tray component supply mechanism (7) and for loading these components (2) onto said component holding sections (61-64);

wherein said installing head (21) is able to pick up the components (2) held on said component holding sections (61-64) and install same at prescribed positions of the installation object (1).

3. The component installing device according to claim 2, wherein said component holding sections (61-64) are provided in equal number to the component installing tools (51-54) of the installing head (21).

4. The component installing device according to claim 2, wherein said component transfer head (65) is devised in such a manner that components (2) picked up from a tray (4) are rotated preliminarily in a direction corresponding to their orientation for installation on the installation object (1) by the installing head (21), before being held by the component holding sections (61-64).

5. The component installing device according to claim 2, wherein, in cases where a component (2) is a problem component which could cause an installation problem, the installing head (21) discharges said component onto a problem component processing conveyor (91) located at a prescribed position, said problem component processing conveyor (91) being driven intermittently by a prescribed amount, each time it receives a discharged problem component, thereby conveying received problem components in a uniform direction at a uniform pitch (P), in such a manner that they can be supplied for subsequent processing.

6. The component installing device according to claim 5, wherein, when a problem component received from the installing head (21) is larger than a reference component, when conveying the problem component, the problem component processing conveyor (91) increases the amount of conveyance by a factor corresponding to a size ratio of the reference component to the problem component.

7. A component supply device, comprising:

a plurality of adjacently provided tray component supply mechanisms (7) for selecting trays (4) accommodating prescribed components (2) and moving said trays (4) from a storage position (5) to a component supply position (6), according to need, thereby providing the components (2) accommodated therein for use;

a plurality of shuttles (26), which perform reciprocal movement in such a manner that they move a selected tray (4) of one of the respective tray component supply mechanisms (7) from the storage position (5) to the component supply position (6) thereof and then return same to said storage position (5);

component holding sections (61-64), provided on at least one of said shuttles (26), for holding components (2) in a prescribed alignment direction and at a prescribed alignment pitch and for providing same for use; and

a component transfer head (65) for picking up components (2) accommodated in a tray (4) that has been moved to a component supply position (6) of a tray component supply mechanism (7) and for loading these components (2) onto said component holding sections (61-64);

wherein said tray component supply mechanisms (7) have a first component supply mode, whereby respective selected trays (4) are moved simultaneously to component supply positions (6), thereby providing the components (2) accommodated in the respective trays (4) for use, and a second component supply mode, whereby components (2) accommodated in a tray (4) located at a component supply position (6) of a tray component supply mechanism (7) are loaded onto the component holding sections (61-64) of the same shuttle (26) by means of the component transfer head (65), thereby providing said components for use.

8. The component supply device according to claim 7, wherein said component transfer head (65) comprises a component transfer tool (67) for picking up components (2) accommodated in a tray (4) located at a component supply position (6) and loading same onto the component holding sections (61-64) of a shuttle (26), and an area sensor (87) for detecting at which component supply position (6) of the respective tray component supply mechanisms (7) the component transfer head (65) is located, movement of the tray (4) being prohibited at the component supply position (6) where the area sensor (87) detects the component transfer head (65) to be located.

9. The component supply device according to claim 8, wherein said component transfer head (65) is prohibited from moving to another component supply position (6), when the component transfer tool (67) of the component transfer head (65) is lowered at the component supply position (6) where the area sensor (87) detects the component transfer head (65) to be located.

10. The component supply device according to claim 8, wherein the area sensor (87) is provided on a fixed section and detects a member connected to the component transfer head (65) and moving in conjunction with the component transfer head (65).

11. An electronic component installing device for automatically installing components onto a substrate, comprising:

a plurality of trays, each tray storing a plurality of components;

a tray supply section for storing the plurality of trays in a vertical array;

a movable shuttle member for selectively removing a tray from the tray supply section to a load position and replacing the tray in the tray supply section, the shuttle member having a plurality of component holding sections;

a component transfer head for removing a component from a tray at the load position and aligning the component on one of the plurality of component holding sections, prior to the mounting of the component on the substrate; and

an installation head that can pick up the component on the component holding section and mount the component on the substrate.

12. The electronic component installing device of claim 11 further including a conveyance path unit for moving the substrate along a conveyance path relative to the load position of the tray to a component installation position operatively available to the installation head and a position registering support unit for moving the substrate off of the conveyance path in a direction of movement of the installation head to enable a pickup of a component and to decrease the movement distance of the installation head for subsequently loading a component on the substrate.

13. The electronic component installing device of claim 12 further including a first recognition camera on a first side of the conveyance path and a second recognition camera on a second side of the conveyance path, the first and second recognition cameras can image a picked up component.

14. The electronic component installing device of claim 13 further including a third recognition camera on the installation head to image a position of the substrate to enable alignment with the installation head.