Part-supplying tray feeder and method of picking-up parts in the tray

• US 6,616,401 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2001
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2000
• 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: Tamura, Takashi, Nakamura, Yuji, Mori, Taisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Keenan, James W.
• Application Number:
  US09/832,835
• Publication Number:
  US 20020003995A1
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 414/222.01, 414/268, 414/270, 414/273, 414/280, 414/286, 414/331.06, 414/331.1, 414/331.11, 414/416.07, 414/416.08, 414/609, 414/806, 414/807, 414/811, 414/222.02, 414/610, 414/796.7, 700/214, 700/229, 700/250, 901/6, 198/502.2, 198/341.02, 198/341.05
• US Class Current: 414/811
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/901 provided with drive systems with rectilinear movements only
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/905 Control arrangements

Abstract

In a tray feeder, in which a drawing section draws a palette from a container and supplies the palette to a pick-up point where a pick-up head of a parts-mounting-apparatus picks up parts, the head starts lowering and halts at a stand-by position before the palette held by the drawing section arrives at the pick-up point. When the drawing section arrives at the pick-up point, the head lowers again from the stand-by position. This mechanism reduces a time necessary for picking up a part.

Claims

1. A tray feeder for supplying parts to a pick-up point where a pick-up head of a parts-mounting apparatus picks up the parts, said tray feeder comprising:

a drawing section for drawing a palette from a container and holding the palette, the palette holding a tray which contains the parts;

a lift for elevating and lowering said drawing section; and

a controller for controlling the pick-up head, said controller starting to vertically move said pick-up head upon said drawing section reaching a predetermined position within a vertical range of motion of said drawing section, said predetermined position being reached before said drawing section reaches said pick-up point, said predetermined position being selected based on a time required to start lowering the pick-up head.

2. The tray feeder as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a detector for detecting a height position of said drawing section.

3. The tray feeder as defined in claim 2, wherein said controller controls the head to start rising or lowering and stop rising or lowering based on a detection result of the height position of said drawing section by said detector.

4. A tray feeder for supplying parts to a pick-up point where a pick-up head of a parts-mounting apparatus picks up the parts, said tray feeder comprising:

a drawing section for drawing a palette from a container and holding the palette, the palette holding a tray which contains the parts;

a lift for elevating and lowering said drawing section;

a timing setter for setting a timing for the head to start lowering from a stand-by position responsive to types of the parts contained in the palette and in relation to a height position of said drawing section; and

a controller for controlling the pick-up head, said controller starting to vertically move said pick-up head upon said drawing section reaching a predetermined position within a vertical range of motion of said drawing section, said predetermined position being reached before said drawing section reaches said pick-up point, said predetermined position being selected based on a time required to start lowering the pick-up head, the controller determining that said drawing section has reached the predetermined position based on the timing.

5. A method of picking up parts from a parts-supplying tray, said method comprising the steps of:

drawing a palette from a container and holding the palette by a drawing section allowed to rise and fall, the palette holding a tray containing the parts;

controlling a pick-up head of a parts-mounting-apparatus to start moving vertically upon the drawing section reaching a predetermined position within a vertical range of motion of the drawing section, the predetermined position being reached before the drawing section reaches a pick-up point, said predetermined position being selected based on a time required to start lowering the pick-up head; and

picking up the parts by the head from the pick-up point after the palette arrives at the pick-up point.

6. The method of picking up parts as defined in claim 5, wherein when the drawing section arrives at a predetermined height, the head starts lowering and halts at a stand-by position set above the pick-up point.

7. The method of picking up parts as defined in claim 6, wherein the drawing section continues rising and arrives at the pick-up point while the head halts at the stand-by position, then the head starts lowering again from the stand-by position.

8. A method of picking up parts from a parts-supplying tray, said method comprising the steps of:

drawing a palette from a container and holding the palette by a drawing section allowed to rise and fall within a vertical range of motion of the drawing section, the palette holding a tray containing the parts;

starting to lower a pick-up head of a parts-mounting-apparatus, when the drawing section-in the course of rising toward the pick-up point-which has drawn and held the palette, arrives at a predetermined position within the vertical range of motion, the predetermined position being reached before the drawing section reaches the pick-up point and the predetermined position being selected based on a time required to start lowering the pick-up head and on the types of the parts contained in the palette; and

picking up the parts by the head from the pick-up point after the palette arrives at the pick-up point.

9. The method of picking up parts as defined in claim 8, wherein the step of starting to lower the head is set so that a time, necessary for the drawing section to travel from the predetermined position to the pick-up point, becomes almost equal to a time, necessary for the head to lower down to the pick-up point from starting to lower.