Method for determining the status of pockets in a component mounting machine and component supply tape.

Abstract

After a tape feeder 5 performs pitch feeding, a supply and attachment operation, in which a mounting head 31 attempts component attachment for attaching a component E from a supply position Ls, is performed (step S101). If the mounting head 31 fails in component attachment in the supply and attachment operation in which the number of times of triggering continuously performed is twice or more ("YES" in step S108), a substrate recognition camera 8 (camera) captures an image of the supply position Ls so that a supply position image Is (first image) is acquired (step S109), and the state of a pocket 61 at the supply position Ls (that is, the presence or absence of the component E in the pocket 61) is determined on the basis of the supply position image Is (step S110).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a technique for supplying components accommodated in pockets to a supply position by sending a component supply tape having a plurality of pockets arranged in a row at a predetermined array pitch using a tape feeder, and particularly relates to a technique for determining the state of the pockets at the supply position.

Background Art

[0002] In a component mounting machine for mounting components on a substrate, a tape feeder is used to supply the components stored in the pockets of a component supply tape to a supply position by sending the component supply tape by the tape feeder. That is, the components supplied to the supply position are transferred from the supply position to the substrate by a mounting head. Also, when a component is taken out from the supply position, the tape feeder sends the component supply tape to supply a component to the supply position. By repeating such operations, the mounting of components on the substrate can be continued. Further, as described in Patent Document 1, when the remaining number of components in the next component supply tape used by the tape feeder for component supply decreases, a splicing operation for connecting the leading end of the next component supply tape to the trailing end of the previous component supply tape is executed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Incidentally, in order to confirm the switch from the previous component supply tape to the next component supply tape, control is performed as needed to detect when the splice of these component supply tapes reaches the supply position. Specifically, in the splicing process, two or more predetermined numbers of empty pockets (pockets that do not contain components) are provided adjacent to the splice. Then, if the mounting head fails to pick up components from the supply location a number of times corresponding to the number of empty pockets, it is determined that the splice has reached the supply position. However, component pick-up failures can occur not only when there are no components in the pockets at the supply position, but also when the mounting head is unable to pick up a component stored in the pocket at the supply position. Therefore, in order to reliably detect the splice, a technology was needed that could confirm the cause of component pick-up failures.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a technology that makes it possible to identify the cause when a mounting head repeatedly fails to pick up components. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The component mounting machine according to the present invention includes a tape feeder that supplies components to be contained in pockets to a supply position by performing a pitch feed that sends a component supply tape having a plurality of pockets arranged in a row at a predetermined arrangement pitch in the feed direction; a mounting head that performs component picking up components from the supply position; a control unit that causes the tape feeder and the mounting head to perform a supply picking operation, which involves causing the tape feeder to perform a pitch feed and then causing the mounting head to attempt to pick up components; and a camera that images the supply position. If the mounting head fails to pick up components in a supply picking operation that has been triggered two or more times in succession, the control unit causes the camera to image the supply position and acquires a first image, and determines the state of the pockets at the supply position based on the first image.

[0007] The method for determining the state of pockets in a component supply tape according to the present invention comprises the steps of: causing a tape feeder to perform pitch feeding to supply components to be contained in the pockets to a supply position by performing pitch feeding to feed a component supply tape having a plurality of pockets arranged in a row at a predetermined arrangement pitch in the feed direction; causing the tape feeder and the mounting head to perform a supply suction operation in which the mounting head attempts to pick up components from the supply position; if the mounting head fails to pick up components in two or more consecutively performed supply suction operations, causing a camera to image the supply position and acquiring a first image; and determining the state of the pockets at the supply position based on the first image.

[0008] In the present invention (a component mounting machine and a method for determining the state of the pockets on a component supply tape) configured as described above, the tape feeder performs pitch feeding, and then the mounting head attempts to pick up a component from the supply position in a component suction operation. If the mounting head fails to pick up a component in two or more consecutively executed component suction operations, the camera captures an image of the supply position and a first image is acquired. Based on this first image, the state of the pocket at the supply position is determined. Therefore, it is possible to identify the cause when the mounting head repeatedly fails to pick up a component.

[0009] Furthermore, the control unit may be configured to determine, based on the first image, whether a pocket located at the supply position captured by the camera is a pocket provided at the joint of two interconnected component supply tapes. In such a configuration, the joint of the two component supply tapes can be accurately detected based on the state of the pocket when the mounting head repeatedly fails to pick up components.

[0010] Furthermore, the component mounting machine may be configured to include a memory unit that stores the number of pockets N (where N is an integer of 3 or more) to be provided at the joint, and the number of triggers is 2 or more and (N-1) or less. In such a configuration, when component pick-up fails, the number of times the mounting head attempts to pick up a component in conjunction with the supply pick-up operation can be reduced, and the joint between the two component supply tapes can be detected quickly.

[0011] Alternatively, the component mounting machine may be configured such that, when the control unit determines, based on the first image, that there are no components in the pocket at the supply position, it causes the tape feeder to perform pitch feeding, then has the camera capture an image of the supply position to acquire a second image, and then determines the presence or absence of components in the pocket at the supply position based on the second image, repeating this feeding determination process until it is determined that there are components in the pocket at the supply position. In such a configuration, the feeding determination process makes it possible to quickly determine the presence or absence of components in the pocket at the supply position based on the second image captured by the camera, without having the mounting head attempt to pick up components.

[0012] Furthermore, the component mounting machine may be configured such that, based on the first and second images, the control unit determines that if there are no components in N or more consecutive pockets, then determines that those N or more consecutive pockets are pockets provided at a joint. In such a configuration, the joint can be accurately detected based on the fact that a pocket with components is identified following N or more consecutive pockets without components.

[0013] Furthermore, the component mounting machine may be configured such that, based on the first and second images, the control unit determines that if the number of consecutive pockets without components is less than N, it determines that the pocket shown in the first image is not a pocket provided at a joint. In such a configuration, false detection of joints can be accurately suppressed.

[0014] Furthermore, the control unit may be configured to determine the number of components stored in the first component supply tape based on the number of pitch feeds repeatedly performed on the first component supply tape, which is downstream in the feed direction, and the number of pockets determined to be provided at the joint. The control unit then manages the remaining number of components to be stored in the next component supply tape, which is upstream in the feed direction from the first component supply tape, based on the number of components picked up from the next component supply tape and the number of components stored. In such a configuration, even if the number of components stored in the component supply tape differs from a specified number, the remaining number of components in the component supply tape can be accurately managed based on the actual number of components stored.

[0015] Furthermore, the component mounting machine may be configured to include a work status acquisition unit that receives a work completion input indicating the completion of a splicing operation to connect two component supply tapes to each other, and the control unit acquires a first image when the number of supply pick-up operations in which the mounting head has failed to pick up a component reaches a trigger count, while the work status acquisition unit has received a work completion input. In such a configuration, in situations where there is a high probability that the splice of the two component supply tapes is approaching the supply position during the splicing operation, the first image can be acquired and the state of the pocket at the supply position can be determined based on the first image. Therefore, it becomes possible to perform splice detection at a reasonable timing.

[0016] Furthermore, the component mounting machine may be configured such that, when the number of supply pick-up operations in which the mounting head fails to pick up a component reaches the trigger count, the work status acquisition unit does not acquire the first image if it has not received a work completion input. In such a configuration, the unnecessary acquisition of the first image for the purpose of detecting a splice is suppressed in situations where there is no possibility that the splice of the two component supply tapes is approaching the supply position.

[0017] Furthermore, the component mounter may be configured to further include a notification unit that notifies an operator of an error, and the control unit causes the notification unit to notify an error when the number of supply adsorption operations in which the mounting head fails to adsorb a component reaches an error notification number that is greater than the trigger number. In such a configuration, when a malfunction occurs in the mounting head or the like and the failure of the mounting head to adsorb components frequently occurs, the operator can be notified of the error to prompt maintenance. Also, the error notification number is greater than the trigger number. Therefore, when the failure of the mounting head to adsorb components continues in response to the joint reaching the supply position, it is possible to suppress the operator from being notified of an error by erroneously determining that the cause is a malfunction in the mounting head or the like.

Advantages of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, it becomes possible to confirm the cause when the mounting head continuously fails to adsorb components.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] [Figure 1] Partial plan view schematically showing a component mounter according to the present invention. [Figure 2] Block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the component mounter shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] Side view schematically showing the configuration of a tape feeder. [Figure 4] Plan view schematically showing the configuration of a component supply tape. [Figure 5] Flowchart showing an example of component supply control executed by a component mounter. [Figure 6] Plan view schematically showing an example of an operation executed according to the component supply control shown in FIG. 5.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] FIG. 1 is a partial plan view schematically showing a component mounting machine according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the component mounting machine shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1 and the following figures, the X direction which is the horizontal direction, the Y direction which is the horizontal direction orthogonal to the X direction, and the Z direction which is the vertical direction are appropriately shown.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the component mounting machine 1 includes a main control unit 100 that comprehensively controls the entire apparatus. The main control unit 100 has an arithmetic processing unit 110, a drive control unit 120, a storage unit 130, an imaging control unit 140, and a feeder communication unit 150. The arithmetic processing unit 110 is a processor composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and controls the drive control unit 120, the imaging control unit 140, and the feeder communication unit 150 based on programs and data stored in the storage unit 130, thereby controlling each operation described later. The storage unit 130 is a storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores the number Q of component storage and the number N of joints, etc., described later. Further, the component mounting machine 1 is provided with a user interface 160 composed of, for example, a touch panel display. The arithmetic processing unit 110 executes control according to the input of the user interface 160, or displays information on the display of the user interface 160.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the component mounting machine 1 includes a pair of conveyors 12, 12 provided on a base 11. Each conveyor 12 is composed of a belt conveyor arranged parallel to the X direction. Then, the component mounting machine 1 transports the substrate B by controlling the conveyor 12 by the drive control unit 120. That is, the component mounting machine 1 mounts the component E (FIG. 4) on the substrate B carried into the working position (the position of the substrate B in FIG. 1) from the upstream side in the X direction (substrate transport direction) by the conveyor 12, and discharges the substrate B on which the component mounting is completed from the working position to the downstream side in the X direction by the conveyor 12.

[0023] On each of the two conveyors 12, 12 in the Y direction, two component supply units 25 are arranged in the X direction, and in each component supply unit 25, multiple tape feeders 5 are arranged in the X direction. A component supply reel is provided for each tape feeder 5, around which a component supply tape 6 (Figure 4) containing small pieces of components E such as integrated circuits, transistors, and capacitors at a predetermined pitch is wound. Each tape feeder 5 supplies components E to the supply position Ls at its leading edge by intermittently feeding out the component supply tape 6 pulled from the component supply reel. The arithmetic processing unit 110 controls the operation of the tape feeder 5 by issuing commands to the feeder control unit 50 of the tape feeder 5 via the feeder communication unit 150.

[0024] Between two component supply units 25 aligned in the X direction, a component recognition camera 7 is mounted on a base 11, facing upwards. This component recognition camera 7 acquires a component recognition image Ir by imaging the component E from below before it is mounted on the circuit board B, and transmits the image recognition control unit 140. Based on the component recognition image Ir received from the component recognition camera 7, the image recognition control unit 140 recognizes the position of the component E.

[0025] Furthermore, the component mounting machine 1 is provided with a pair of Y-axis rails 21, 21 extending in the Y direction, a Y-axis ball screw 22 extending in the Y direction, and a Y-axis motor My that rotates the Y-axis ball screw 22. The X-axis rail 23 is fixed to the nut of the Y-axis ball screw 22 while being supported by the pair of Y-axis rails 21, 21 so as to be movable in the Y direction. The X-axis rail 23 is fitted with an X-axis ball screw 24 extending in the X direction and an X-axis motor Mx that rotates the X-axis ball screw 24. The head unit 3 is fixed to the nut of the X-axis ball screw 24 while being supported by the X-axis rail 23 so as to be movable in the X direction. Therefore, the drive control unit 120 can move the head unit 3 in the Y direction by rotating the Y-axis ball screw 22 with the Y-axis motor My, or move the head unit 3 in the X direction by rotating the X-axis ball screw 24 with the X-axis motor Mx.

[0026] The head unit 3 has multiple (6) mounting heads 31 arranged in the X direction. Furthermore, the head unit 3 has a Z-axis motor Mz for each mounting head 31 to raise and lower it. Each mounting head 31 has an elongated shape extending in the Z direction (vertical direction) and has a nozzle for picking up components E that can be attached to its lower end. Component mounting is then performed by the mounting heads 31 as follows.

[0027] In other words, the drive control unit 120 uses the X-axis motor Mx and the Y-axis motor My to position the nozzle of the mounting head 31 facing the supply position Ls from above. Next, the drive control unit 120 lowers the mounting head 31 using the Z-axis motor Mz, bringing the nozzle into contact with the component E supplied to the supply position Ls by the tape feeder 5. When the negative pressure supplied by the mounting head 31 to the nozzle attracts the component E to the nozzle, the drive control unit 120 raises the mounting head 31 (component attraction). Once the mounting head 31 has performed component attraction and completed picking up the component E from the supply position Ls, the drive control unit 120 uses the X-axis motor Mx and the Y-axis motor My to position the mounting head 31 facing the component recognition camera 7. The imaging control unit 140 then has the component recognition camera 7 capture an image of the component E attracted to the mounting head 31 to obtain a component recognition image Ir, and recognizes the position of the component E based on the component recognition image Ir. Next, the drive control unit 120 moves the mounting head 31 above the substrate B using the X-axis motor Mx and the Y-axis motor My. Then, the drive control unit 120 lowers the mounting head 31 using the Z-axis motor Mz to bring the component E, which is attracted to the nozzle of the mounting head 31, into contact with the upper surface of the substrate B. At this time, the drive control unit 120 controls the position of the component E in the X and Y directions relative to the substrate B based on the position of the component E recognized by the component recognition image Ir. Then, the attraction of the component E is released, and the component E is mounted on the substrate B.

[0028] Furthermore, a substrate recognition camera 8 is mounted on the head unit 3 facing downwards, and the substrate recognition camera 8 moves in the X and Y directions along with the head unit 3. This substrate recognition camera 8 is used to image the fiducial marks attached to the substrate B, and the imaging control unit 140 recognizes the position of the substrate B based on the image of the fiducial marks captured by the substrate recognition camera 8. Then, the drive control unit 120 controls the position of the mounting head 31 based on the position of the substrate B, so that components E can be accurately mounted on the substrate B. Also, as will be described later, the substrate recognition camera 8 is also used to capture the supply position Ls of the component supply tape 6 mounted on the tape feeder 5 and obtain a supply position image Is.

[0029] Figure 3 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of the tape feeder. In this figure, the feed direction Df (parallel to the Y direction) in which the tape feeder 5 sends out the component supply tape 6 is shown, and the side of the arrow in the feed direction Df is treated as the "front" of the feed direction Df, and the side opposite the arrow in the feed direction Df is treated as the "back" of the feed direction Df.

[0030] The tape feeder 5 comprises a mechanical feeder body 51, feeder motors Mf and Mb for driving the component supply tape 6, and a feeder control unit 50 that controls the feeder motors Mf and Mb in accordance with commands received from the feeder communication unit 150. The feeder body 51 has a flattened case 52 that is thin in the X direction and long in the feed direction Df. The case 52 houses the feeder control unit 50 described above. At the rear end of the case 52 in the feed direction Df, a tape insertion opening 53a extends in the Z direction, and a supply position Ls is provided on the upper surface of the front end portion of the case 52 in the feed direction Df. Inside the feeder body 51, a tape transport path 53b is provided from the tape insertion opening 53a to the supply position Ls. The feeder body 51 supplies components to the supply position Ls by using the driving force of the feeder motors Mf and Mb to send the component supply tape 6, which has been inserted into the tape transport path 53b from the tape insertion opening 53a, in the feed direction Df.

[0031] The feeder body 51 has a sprocket 54 positioned below the tape transport path 53b and adjacent to the tape insertion opening 53a, and a gear 55 that transmits the driving force of the feeder motor Mb to the sprocket 54, all housed in a case 52. The sprocket 54 rotates due to the driving force generated by the feeder motor Mb. Therefore, by rotating in the forward direction (forward rotation), the feeder motor Mb can transport the parts supply tape 6 that engages with the sprocket 54 in the feed direction Df.

[0032] Furthermore, the feeder body 51 has two sprockets 57d and 57u positioned at its front end and adjacent to the tape transport path 53b from below, and two gears 58d and 58u within the case 52 that transmit the driving force of the feeder motor Mf to the sprockets 57d and 57u, respectively. The sprockets 57d and 57u rotate due to the driving force generated by the feeder motor Mf. Therefore, by rotating in the forward direction (forward rotation), the feeder motor Mf can transport the component supply tape 6 that engages with the sprockets 57d and 57u in the feed direction Df.

[0033] In this configuration, the component supply tape 6 inserted from the tape insertion opening 53a into the tape transport path 53b engages with the sprockets 54, 57u, and 57d, thereby mounting the component supply tape 6 to the tape feeder 5. The feeder control unit 50 then controls the rotation of the sprockets 54, 57u, and 57d by the feeder motors Mf and Mb, thereby intermittently transporting the component supply tape 6 in the feed direction Df. This allows multiple components E stored in the component supply tape 6 to be supplied sequentially to the supply position Ls.

[0034] Furthermore, the tape feeder 5 has a cutter 59 that opens the component supply tape 6 at an open position Le near the upstream side of the feed direction Df at the supply position Ls. This cutter 59 contacts the component supply tape 6 at the open position Le and cuts and opens the component supply tape 6 as it passes through the open position Le in the feed direction Df, thereby exposing the component E at the supply position Ls. Note that the method of exposing the component E is not limited to this example, and may also be done by peeling off the cover tape of the component supply tape 6.

[0035] Figure 4 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the parts supply tape. In addition, the sprocket 54 of the tape feeder 5 is also shown in Figure 4. The parts supply tape 6 has a plurality of pockets 61 arranged in the feed direction Df at a predetermined arrangement pitch Pp, and parts E are stored in these pockets 61. The parts supply tape 6 also has a plurality of engagement holes 62 arranged in the feed direction Df, and the sprockets 54, 57d, and 57u of the tape feeder 5 rotate while engaging with these engagement holes 62, thereby transporting the parts supply tape 6 in the feed direction Df.

[0036] Furthermore, Figure 4 shows two component supply tapes 6 connected in series in the feed direction Df. That is, of the two component supply tapes 6, in the feed direction Df, the upstream end (i.e., rear end) of the downstream component supply tape 6A and the downstream end (i.e., front end) of the next component supply tape 6B upstream of the said component supply tape 6A are connected at a joint J. The splicing operation to connect these component supply tapes 6A and 6B is performed by an operator. When the operator completes the splicing operation, they input an input to the user interface 160 indicating the completion of the splicing operation, and the arithmetic processing unit 110 receives the input to the user interface 160 and confirms the completion of the splicing operation.

[0037] In the feed direction Df, a splice detection area Rj is provided at the downstream end (i.e., the front end) of the component supply tape 6B. This splice detection area Rj has N pockets 61 that do not contain components E (i.e., empty pockets 61) arranged continuously in the feed direction Df. In other words, the N empty pockets 61 provided continuously in the splice detection area Rj are arranged adjacent to the splice J. Here, N is the number of empty pockets 61 that should be provided in the splice detection area Rj (number of splices N), and is an integer of 2 or more. In this example, the number of splices N is 4. As described above, the number of splices N is stored in the storage unit 130. The storage unit 130 also stores the number of components Q, which is the number of components E stored in one component supply tape 6.

[0038] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of component supply control performed in a component mounting machine, and Figure 6 is a schematic plan view showing an example of an operation performed according to the component supply control in Figure 5. The component supply control in Figure 5 is performed by the main control unit 100. This component supply control is performed individually for each of the multiple tape feeders 5. However, since the content of the component supply control for each tape feeder 5 is the same, the component supply control performed for one tape feeder 5 will be described here.

[0039] In step S101, the drive control unit 120 causes the tape feeder 5 to perform a pitch feed, which moves the component supply tape 6A in the feed direction Df by a distance corresponding to the array pitch Pp. This supplies the component E to the supply position Ls. Furthermore, in step S101, the drive control unit 120 causes the mounting head 31 to perform a component pick-up, which picks up the component E from the supply position Ls. Thus, a supply pick-up operation is performed, which supplies the component E to the supply position Ls and picks up the component E from the supply position Ls.

[0040] In step S102, the arithmetic processing unit 110 determines whether the mounting head 31 has failed to pick up the component. The success or failure of component pick-up can be determined, for example, by the pressure generated on the mounting head 31 and by the component recognition image Ir. In the former method, the arithmetic processing unit 110 determines that the mounting head 31 has succeeded in picking up the component if the pressure (negative pressure) generated on the mounting head 31 is below a predetermined threshold pressure, while determining that the mounting head 31 has failed to pick up the component if the pressure generated on the mounting head 31 is greater than a predetermined threshold pressure. In the latter method, the arithmetic processing unit 110 determines that the mounting head 31 has succeeded in picking up the component if the component recognition image Ir indicates a component E that is picked up by the mounting head 31, while determining that the mounting head 31 has failed to pick up the component if the component recognition image Ir does not indicate a component E that is picked up by the mounting head 31.

[0041] If the arithmetic processing unit 110 determines that the mounting head 31 has successfully picked up the component, that is, that no pick-up error occurred (NO in step S102), it initializes the consecutive error count, that is, resets it to zero (step S103), and returns to step S101. Here, the consecutive error count is the number of times in step S102 that a pick-up error was determined to have occurred consecutively, and is counted by the arithmetic processing unit 110.

[0042] If the arithmetic processing unit 110 determines that the mounting head 31 has failed to pick up a component, i.e., that a pick-up error has occurred ("YES" in step S102), it increments the number of consecutive errors by 1 (step S104) and proceeds to step S105. In step S105, it determines whether the number of consecutive errors has exceeded the number of retries. Here, the number of retries is the number of times that triggers the user interface 160 to execute an error notification indicating frequent pick-up errors, for example, "5". If the arithmetic processing unit 110 determines that the number of consecutive errors has exceeded the number of retries ("YES" in step S105), it causes the user interface 160 to execute an error notification (step S106). Subsequently, the arithmetic processing unit 110 resets the number of consecutive errors to zero (step S103) and returns to step S101.

[0043] If the arithmetic processing unit 110 determines that the number of consecutive errors is less than or equal to the number of retries (NO in step S105), it proceeds to step S107. In step S107, the arithmetic processing unit 110 determines whether or not it has confirmed the completion of the splicing operation to connect component supply tape 6B to component supply tape 6A. If the completion of the splicing operation has not been confirmed (NO in step S107), the arithmetic processing unit 110 returns to step S101. On the other hand, if the completion of the splicing operation has been confirmed (YES in step S107), the arithmetic processing unit 110 proceeds to step S108.

[0044] In step S108, the arithmetic processing unit 110 determines whether the number of consecutive errors is greater than or equal to the number of triggers. Here, the number of triggers is an integer of 2 or more that is less than the number of retries. In this example, the number of triggers is set to the value obtained by subtracting 1 from the number of joints N (=4), i.e., 3.

[0045] Using the example in Figure 6, the above flow can be explained in detail. In the "Operation M1" column of Figure 6, the upstream (rear end) component E in the feed direction Df of the component E stored in the component supply tape 6A is shown to have been supplied to the supply position Ls by the pitch feed in step S101. In the "Operation M2" column of Figure 6, the component E supplied to the supply position Ls by the pitch feed is shown to have been picked up by the mounting head 31 by the component pick-up in step S101. This component pick-up is successful, and component E is removed from the pocket 61 at the supply position Ls.

[0046] In step S102, following operations M1 and M2, it is determined that no suction error occurred (determined as "NO"), and in step S103 the consecutive error count is reset to "0", returning to step S101. In step S101, as shown in the "Operation M3" column of Figure 6, pitch feeding is performed. This moves the splice J downstream of the supply position Ls in the feed direction Df, and an empty pocket 61a of the component supply tape 6B is sent to the supply position Ls. Furthermore, in step S101, the mounting head 31 attempts to pick up a component from the pocket 61a at the supply position Ls. Since this component pick-up fails, it is determined in step S102 that a suction error occurred (determined as "YES"), and the consecutive error count is incremented from "0" to "1" (step S104).

[0047] Then, after going through steps S105 and S107, the process proceeds to step S108. Since the number of consecutive errors (=1) is less than the number of triggers (=3), step S108 is determined to be "NO", and the process returns to step S101. In step S101, as shown in the "Operation M4" column of Figure 6, pitch feeding is performed, and an empty pocket 61b adjacent to the empty pocket 61a is sent to the supply position Ls, after which the mounting head 31 attempts to pick up a component from the pocket 61b at the supply position Ls. This component pick-up fails, so in step S102 it is determined that a pick-up error has occurred (determined as "YES"), and the number of consecutive errors is incremented from "1" to "2" (step S104).

[0048] Then, after going through steps S105 and S107, the process proceeds to step S108. Since the number of consecutive errors (=2) is less than the number of triggers (=3), step S108 is determined to be "NO", and the process returns to step S101. In step S101, as shown in the "Operation M5" column of Figure 6, pitch feeding is performed, and an empty pocket 61c adjacent to the empty pocket 61b is sent to the supply position Ls, after which the mounting head 31 attempts to pick up a component from the pocket 61c at the supply position Ls. This component pick-up fails, so it is determined in step S102 that a pick-up error has occurred (determined as "YES"), and the number of consecutive errors is incremented from "2" to "3" (step S104).

[0049] Then, after going through steps S105 and S107, the process proceeds to step S108. Here, since the number of consecutive errors (=3) is greater than or equal to the number of triggers (=3), step S108 is determined to be "YES", and the process proceeds to step S109.

[0050] In step S109, the drive control unit 120 positions the substrate recognition camera 8 facing the supply position Ls from above, and the imaging control unit 140 causes the substrate recognition camera 8 to image the supply position Ls, thereby acquiring a supply position image Is (first image). In step S110, the arithmetic processing unit 110 determines whether or not there is a component E at the supply position Ls based on the supply position image Is acquired in step S109. If it is determined that there is a component E at the supply position Ls (YES in step S110), the arithmetic processing unit 110 resets the number of consecutive errors to 0 (step S111) and returns to step S101.

[0051] On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no component E at the supply position Ls ("NO" in step S110), the arithmetic processing unit 110 proceeds to step S112. In the example in Figure 6, there is no component E at the supply position Ls when operation M5 is executed, so "NO" is determined in step S110.

[0052] In step S112, the drive control unit 120 performs pitch feeding, and then the imaging control unit 140 causes the substrate recognition camera 8 to image the pocket 61 that has been sent to the supply position Ls by the pitch feeding, and acquires a supply position image Is. In step S113, the arithmetic processing unit 110 determines whether or not there is a component E at the supply position Ls based on the supply position image Is acquired in step S112. If it is determined that there is a component E at the supply position Ls (YES in step S113), the arithmetic processing unit 110 resets the number of consecutive errors to 0 (step S111) and returns to step S101.

[0053] On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no component E at the supply position Ls (determined as "NO" in step S113), the arithmetic processing unit 110 proceeds to step S114. According to the example shown in the "Operation M6" column of Figure 6, in step S112, the empty pocket 61d adjacent to the empty pocket 61c is sent to the supply position Ls by the execution of pitch feeding, and a supply position image Is of the empty pocket 61d is acquired. Therefore, in step S113, the arithmetic processing unit 110 determines that there is no component E at the supply position Ls (determined as "NO" in step S113), and proceeds to step S114.

[0054] In step S114, the drive control unit 120 performs pitch feeding, and then the imaging control unit 140 causes the substrate recognition camera 8 to image the pocket 61 that has been sent to the supply position Ls by the pitch feeding, and acquires a supply position image Is (second image). In step S115, the arithmetic processing unit 110 determines whether or not there is a component E at the supply position Ls based on the supply position image Is acquired in step S114. If it is determined that there is no component E at the supply position Ls ("NO" in step S115), the arithmetic processing unit 110 re-executes step S114.

[0055] In other words, at the time of execution of step S115, more than N pitch feeds, specifically (N+1) pitch feeds, have been performed since the first suction error in a series of triggered suction errors. As mentioned above, N is the number of empty pockets 61 that should be provided in the joint detection area Rj (number of joints N). Therefore, if the number of empty pockets 61 provided for the joint J during the splicing operation is correctly N, the presence of part E should be confirmed in the first step S115. However, if the operator mistakenly provides more than N empty pockets 61 during the splicing operation, the presence of part E will not be confirmed in the first step S115. Therefore, steps S114 and S115 are repeated until the presence of part E is confirmed.

[0056] On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a component E at the supply position Ls (YES in step S115), the arithmetic processing unit 110 proceeds to step S116. In the example shown in the "Operation M7" column of Figure 6, in step S114, the execution of pitch feeding sends a pocket 61 adjacent to the empty pocket 61d to the supply position Ls, and this pocket 61 contains a component E. Therefore, in step S115, the arithmetic processing unit 110 determines that there is a component E at the supply position Ls (NO in step S115) and proceeds to step S116.

[0057] In step S116, the arithmetic processing unit 110 performs tape switching processing associated with switching from component supply tape 6A to component supply tape 6B. Specifically, the arithmetic processing unit 110 initializes the remaining number of components managed by the arithmetic processing unit 110. That is, while the arithmetic processing unit 110 manages the remaining number of components E as the value obtained by subtracting the number of pitch feeds from the component storage number Q, in step S116, the remaining number of components E is reset to the component storage number Q, and the remaining number of components on component supply tape 6B is managed as the component storage number Q.

[0058] In the embodiment described above, after the tape feeder 5 performs pitch feeding, a component pick-up operation is performed in which the mounting head 31 attempts to pick up component E from the supply position Ls (step S101). If the mounting head 31 fails to pick up component in two or more consecutively executed supply pick-up operations ("YES" in step S108), the substrate recognition camera 8 (camera) is made to capture an image of the supply position Ls and a supply position image Is (first image) is acquired (step S109). Based on the supply position image Is, the state of the pocket 61 at the supply position Ls (i.e., whether or not component E is present in the pocket 61) is determined (step S110). Therefore, it is possible to check the cause when the mounting head 31 repeatedly fails to pick up component E.

[0059] Furthermore, the main control unit 100 (control unit) determines, based on the supply position image Is (first image), whether the pocket 61 located at the supply position Ls captured by the substrate recognition camera 8 is a pocket 61 provided at the joint J of two component supply tapes 6A and 6B that are connected to each other (steps S110, S112~S116). In this configuration, the joint J of the two component supply tapes 6A and 6B can be accurately detected based on the state of the pocket 61 when the mounting head 31 repeatedly fails to pick up the component E.

[0060] Furthermore, a storage unit 130 is provided to store the number N (where N is an integer of 3 or more) of pockets 61 to be provided at the joint J. In contrast, the number of triggers is set to 2 or more and (N-1) or less. With this configuration, when component pick-up fails, the number of times the mounting head 31 attempts to pick up a component in conjunction with the supply pick-up operation (step S101) can be reduced, and the joint J of the two component supply tapes 6A and 6B can be detected quickly.

[0061] Furthermore, if the main control unit 100 determines that there is no component E in the pocket 61 at supply position Ls based on the supply position image Is (first image) acquired in step S109 (NO in step S110), it causes the tape feeder 5 to perform pitch feeding and then has the substrate recognition camera 8 capture an image of the supply position Ls to acquire a supply position image Is (second image) (step S114). Then, the main control unit 100 determines the presence or absence of component E in the pocket 61 at supply position Ls based on the supply position image Is acquired in step S114 (step S115). In particular, the processing in steps S114 and S115 (feed determination processing) is repeated until it is determined that there is a component E in the pocket 61 at supply position Ls. In this configuration, the feed determination process in steps S114 and S115 makes it possible to quickly determine the presence or absence of component E in the pocket 61 at the supply position Ls, based on the supply position image Is (second image) captured by the substrate recognition camera 8 in step S114, without having the mounting head 31 attempt to pick up the component.

[0062] Furthermore, based on the supply position image Is (first image) acquired in step S109 and the supply position image Is (second image) acquired in step S114, the main control unit 100 determines that if there are no components E in N or more consecutive pockets 61, then those N or more consecutive pockets 61 are pockets 61 provided at the joint J (step S116). In this configuration, the joint J can be accurately detected based on the confirmation of a pocket 61 containing components E following N or more consecutive pockets 61 without components E (YES in step S115).

[0063] Specifically, if a series of suction errors are detected for the number of triggers, and the number of consecutive errors reaches the number of triggers (YES in step S108), then (N - number of triggers) or more consecutive pockets 61 are imaged sequentially at the supply position Ls, and the supply position image Is is acquired by the substrate recognition camera 8 (steps S109, S112, S114). If the main control unit 100 determines that component E is not present in each of the (N - number of triggers) or more supply position images Is thus acquired (NO in steps S110, S113, S115), it determines that there are N or more consecutive pockets 61 without component E, and determines that these N or more pockets 61 are pockets 61 provided at the joint J. Based on this, the joint J can be accurately detected, as it was confirmed that there were N or more consecutive pockets 61 without component E followed by a pocket 61 with component E (YES in step S115).

[0064] Furthermore, based on the supply position image Is (first image) acquired in step S109 and the supply position image Is (second image) acquired in step S114, the main control unit 100 determines that the number of consecutive pockets 61 without component E is less than N (YES in steps S110 and S113), and determines that the pocket 61 indicated by the supply position image Is (first image) acquired in step S109 is not a pocket 61 provided for the joint J (step S111). With this configuration, false detection of the joint J can be accurately suppressed.

[0065] Furthermore, the system is equipped with a user interface 160 (work status acquisition unit) that accepts a work completion input indicating the completion of the splicing operation to connect the two component supply tapes 6A and 6B to each other. When the user interface 160 has accepted the work completion input, and the number of consecutive supply pick-up operations (step S101) in which the mounting head 31 has failed to pick up components reaches the trigger count ("YES" in step S108), the main control unit 100 acquires a supply position image Is (first image) (step S109). In this configuration, in situations where there is a high probability that the joint J of the two component supply tapes 6A and 6B is approaching the supply position Ls due to the splicing operation, the supply position image Is can be acquired and the state of the pocket 61 at the supply position Ls can be determined based on the supply position image Is (steps S109, S110). Therefore, it is possible to detect the joint J at a reasonable timing.

[0066] Furthermore, if the number of supply suction operations (step S101) in which the mounting head 31 fails to pick up a component reaches the trigger count, and the user interface 160 has not accepted a work completion input (if "NO" is selected in step S107), the supply position image Is is not acquired. In this configuration, the unnecessary acquisition of the supply position image Is for detecting the splice J of the two component supply tapes 6A and 6B in situations where there is no possibility that the splice J is approaching the supply position Ls is suppressed.

[0067] Furthermore, a user interface 160 (notification unit) is provided to notify the operator of errors. The main control unit 100 notifies the user interface 160 of an error (step S106) when the number of retry counts (error notification counts) of the mounting head 31 failing to pick up a component reaches a number of retry counts that is greater than the trigger count (if "YES" is selected in step S105). In this configuration, if a malfunction occurs in the mounting head 31 or the like, causing frequent failures of the mounting head 31 to pick up components, the operator can be notified of the error and prompted to perform maintenance. Also, the number of retries is greater than the number of trigger counts. Therefore, if the mounting head 31 repeatedly fails to pick up components in response to the joint J reaching the supply position Ls, the cause can be mistakenly determined to be a malfunction in the mounting head 31 or the like, and errors can be prevented from being notified to the operator.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the component mounting machine 1 corresponds to an example of the "component mounting machine" of the present invention, the main control unit 100 corresponds to an example of the "control unit" of the present invention, the user interface 160 corresponds to an example of the "work status acquisition unit" and "notification unit" of the present invention, the mounting head 31 corresponds to an example of the "mounting head" of the present invention, the tape feeder 5 corresponds to an example of the "tape feeder" of the present invention, the component supply tape 6 corresponds to an example of the "component supply tape" of the present invention, the pocket 61 corresponds to an example of the "pocket" of the present invention, and the substrate recognition Camera 8 corresponds to an example of the "camera" of the present invention, feed direction Df corresponds to an example of the "feed direction" of the present invention, part E corresponds to an example of the "part" of the present invention, supply position image Is acquired in step S109 corresponds to an example of the "first image" of the present invention, supply position image Is acquired in step S114 corresponds to an example of the "second image" of the present invention, joint J corresponds to an example of the "joint" of the present invention, supply position Ls corresponds to an example of the "supply position" of the present invention, and array pitch Pp corresponds to an example of the "array pitch" of the present invention.

[0069] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made to those described above without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the remaining number of components E in the component supply tape 6 can be managed as follows. That is, as described above, the arithmetic processing unit 110 manages the remaining number of components E as the value obtained by subtracting the number of pitch feeds from the number of components stored Q. In this case, the number of components E that were actually stored in the component supply tape 6 may be determined based on the joint J, and this may be used as the number of components stored Q.

[0070] In this example of remaining quantity management, the arithmetic processing unit 110 determines the number of components E stored in the component supply tape 6A, Q, based on the number of pitch feeds repeatedly performed on the component supply tape 6A before determining the pocket 61 provided corresponding to the joint J. Then, the arithmetic processing unit 110 manages the remaining number of components E to be stored in the next component supply tape 6B based on the number of components E picked up from the component supply tape 6B and the number of components stored Q. With this configuration, even if the number of components stored Q to be stored in the component supply tape 6 differs from the specified number, the remaining number of components E in the component supply tape 6 can be accurately managed based on the actual number of components stored Q.

[0071] Furthermore, the location where the joint detection area Rj is provided is not limited to the above example. Therefore, the joint detection area Rj may be provided at the upstream end (i.e., the trailing end) of the feed direction Df of the preceding component supply tape 6A, rather than at the next component supply tape 6B.

[0072] Furthermore, the entity that performs the splicing work is not limited to human workers; for example, a robot could also be used.

[0073] Furthermore, the number of triggers can be changed as appropriate. Therefore, the number of triggers may be the number of connections N. In this case, steps S112 and S113 may be omitted. Alternatively, the number of triggers can be set to (NM) times as appropriate (M is an integer of 1 or more). In this case, steps S112 and S113 may be executed M times. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1... Component mounting machine 100... Main control unit 160...User interface (work status acquisition unit, notification unit) 31…Implementation Head 5... Tape feeder 6…Parts supply tape 61... Pocket 8… Circuit board recognition camera (camera) Df...Feed direction E...parts Is... Supply location images (Image 1, Image 2) J... Joint Ls…supply position Pp...array pitch

Claims

1. A tape feeder that supplies components to be contained in the pockets to the supply position by performing a pitch feed that moves a component supply tape having a plurality of pockets arranged in a row at a predetermined arrangement pitch in the feed direction, A mounting head that performs component picking up and picking up components from the aforementioned supply position, A control unit that causes the tape feeder and the mounting head to perform a supply and suction operation, which involves causing the tape feeder to perform the pitch feeding and then causing the mounting head to attempt to pick up the component, A camera that images the supply position and Equipped with, The control unit, when the mounting head fails to pick up the component during the supply and suction operation performed two or more times in succession, causes the camera to capture an image of the supply position to acquire a first image, and determines the state of the pocket at the supply position based on the first image.

2. The component mounting machine according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines, based on the first image, whether the pocket located at the supply position captured by the camera is a pocket provided at the joint of two component supply tapes connected to each other.

3. The system further includes a storage unit that stores the number of pockets N (where N is an integer of 3 or more) to be provided for the aforementioned joint, The component mounting machine according to claim 2, wherein the trigger count is 2 or more and (N-1) or less.

4. The component mounting machine according to claim 3, wherein the control unit determines, based on the first image, that there are no components in the pocket at the supply position, causes the tape feeder to perform the pitch feed, then causes the camera to capture an image of the supply position to obtain a second image, and repeats the feed determination process, which determines the presence or absence of components in the pocket at the supply position based on the second image, until it is determined that there are components in the pocket at the supply position.

5. The component mounting machine according to claim 4, wherein the control unit determines, based on the first image and the second image, that there are no components in N or more consecutive pockets, and determines that the N or more consecutive pockets are pockets provided for the joint.

6. The component mounting machine according to claim 4, wherein the control unit determines, based on the first image and the second image, that the number of consecutive pockets without components is less than N, and then determines that the pocket shown in the first image is not a pocket provided for the joint.

7. The component mounting machine according to claim 4, wherein the control unit determines the number of components stored in the preceding component supply tape, which is the number of components stored in the preceding component supply tape, based on the number of times the pitch feed has been repeatedly performed on the preceding component supply tape, which is the downstream component supply tape of the two component supply tapes, and the number of components remaining to be stored in the next component supply tape, which is upstream of the preceding component supply tape in the feed direction, based on the number of components picked up from the next component supply tape and the number of components stored.

8. The system further includes a work status acquisition unit that receives a work completion input indicating the completion of a splicing operation to connect the two component supply tapes to each other. The component mounting machine according to claim 2, wherein the control unit acquires the first image when the number of supply suction operations in which the mounting head failed to pick up the component reaches the trigger count, while the work status acquisition unit has received the work completion input.

9. The component mounting machine according to claim 8, wherein if the number of supply suction operations in which the mounting head has failed to pick up the component reaches the trigger count, and the work status acquisition unit has not received the work completion input, the first image is not acquired.

10. It is further equipped with a notification unit to alert the worker to errors, The component mounting machine according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the control unit causes the notification unit to notify an error when the number of supply suction operations in which the mounting head fails to pick up the component reaches an error notification count that is greater than the number of triggers.

11. A tape feeder that supplies components to be contained in the pockets to the supply position by performing pitch feeding, which feeds a component supply tape having a plurality of pockets arranged in a row at a predetermined arrangement pitch in the feed direction, and then causes the mounting head to perform a supply and suction operation, which causes the mounting head to attempt to pick up components from the supply position, If the mounting head fails to pick up the component during the supply and suction operation, which is performed two or more times in succession, the process involves having the camera capture the supply position and acquiring a first image, A step of determining the state of the pocket at the supply position based on the first image, A method for determining the state of the pockets of a parts supply tape equipped with [a specific feature / function].

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