Component storage vault and component storage management method

Abstract

A component tower (3) stores a reel (26) containing components (E) to be mounted on a substrate, wherein the reel (26) is stored in a plurality of storage locations (38); a storage and unloading location (39) for placing the reel (26) to be unloaded; a moving unit (34) (a moving head (34A) and a head moving unit (34B)) for moving the reel (26) within the component tower (3); an operating unit (41) for receiving an instruction to unload the reel (26); and a control unit (40) for controlling the storage and unloading locations (39) among the plurality of storage locations (38). 9) is set as a waiting place for outbound transportation (50), and the control unit (40) performs the following processing: a first moving processing, before instructing the outbound transportation of the reel (26), the reel (26) with a relatively early outbound order among the plurality of reels (26) stored is moved to the waiting place for outbound transportation (50) by the moving unit (34); and a second moving processing, when the outbound transportation of the reel (26) is instructed, the reel (26) stored in the waiting place for outbound transportation (50) is moved to the in-and-out storage place (39) by the moving unit (34).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a component storage vault and a component storage management method. Background Art

[0002] In the past, there are known surface mount machines for mounting components on substrates (for example, see Patent Document 1). Specifically, the component mounting device (surface mount machine) described in Patent Document 1 includes: a mounting portion for mounting components on a substrate; and a component supply device for supplying components to the mounting portion. The mounting portion includes: a head unit having a plurality of mounting heads for adsorbing and releasing electronic components; and a head drive mechanism for moving the head unit in a direction parallel to the surface of the substrate. The component supply device supplies components housed in a tape (component tape) and places a plurality of reels wound with tape. The component supply device supplies the components housed in the tape to the mounting portion one by one by feeding out the tape.

[0003] Furthermore, a component container storage warehouse is conventionally known for storing component containers (e.g., a reel with a component tape wound around it, a component tray with multiple components placed on it) containing components to be mounted on a substrate (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Specifically, the component container storage warehouse described in Patent Document 2 includes: an entrance and exit for taking component containers in and out of the warehouse; a transfer unit for transferring the stored component containers to the entrance and exit; and a control unit for controlling the transfer unit to move the component containers to the entrance and exit upon receiving a preparation instruction from a management computer (component container management device).

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 6603616

[0007] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-164018 Summary of the Invention

[0008] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0009] However, the component container storage warehouse described in Patent Document 1 has room for improvement in terms of shortening the time required for unloading component containers.

[0010] This specification discloses a technique for shortening the time required for unloading component containers.

[0011] Technical solutions to problems

[0012] (1) According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component container storage warehouse for storing component containers containing components to be mounted on a substrate, wherein the component container storage warehouse comprises: a plurality of storage places for storing the component containers; a delivery place for placing the component containers to be delivered; a moving unit for moving the component containers within the component container storage warehouse; an instruction receiving unit for receiving instructions for delivery of the component containers; and a control unit, wherein the storage places around the delivery places among the plurality of storage places are set as delivery waiting places, and the control unit performs the following processing: a first moving processing, before instructing the delivery of the component containers, the component containers with a relatively early delivery order among the plurality of stored component containers are moved to the delivery waiting place by the moving unit; and a second moving processing, when the delivery of the component containers is instructed, the component containers stored in the delivery waiting place are moved to the delivery place by the moving unit.

[0013] When the component container storage warehouse described in Patent Document 1 removes component containers stored in storage racks far from the entrance, it takes time from the receipt of a preparation instruction until the component containers are transferred to the entrance because of the long distance from the storage racks to the entrance.

[0014] In contrast, the component container storage warehouse according to the present invention designates storage areas surrounding the dispatch location as dispatch waiting areas. Before the dispatch instruction is issued for a component container, component containers with a relatively early dispatch order are moved to the dispatch waiting areas. Therefore, even for component containers stored in storage areas far from the dispatch location, the time from dispatch instruction to the movement of the component container to the dispatch location can be shortened. Consequently, the component container storage warehouse according to the present invention can shorten the time required for dispatching component containers compared to the component container storage warehouse described in Patent Document 1.

[0015] (2) According to one aspect of the present invention, the control unit may perform the following third movement processing: after the component container is moved to the outbound location through the second movement processing, the movement unit is controlled to move the component container stored in the outbound waiting location to the outbound waiting location closer to the outbound location.

[0016] According to the component container storage warehouse, the time required for unloading the component containers can be further shortened.

[0017] (3) According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component container storage warehouse for storing component containers containing components to be mounted on a substrate, wherein the warehouse comprises: a plurality of storage places for storing the component containers; a delivery place for placing the component containers to be delivered; a moving unit for moving the component containers within the component container storage warehouse; an instruction receiving unit for receiving instructions for delivery of the component containers; and a control unit, wherein the storage places around the delivery places among the plurality of storage places are set as delivery waiting places, and the control unit performs the following processing: a fourth movement processing, before instructing the delivery of the component containers, the component containers with a relatively early delivery order among the plurality of stored component containers are moved to the delivery place by the moving unit; and a fifth movement processing, before instructing the delivery of the component containers, the component containers with a relatively early delivery order among the component containers other than the component containers moved to the delivery place by the fourth movement processing are moved to the delivery waiting place by the moving unit.

[0018] According to the component container storage warehouse described above, since component containers that are relatively early in the order of release are moved to the release location, the component containers have already been moved to the release location when the release instruction is given. Therefore, compared with the component container storage warehouse described in Patent Document 1, the time required for component container release can be shortened.

[0019] Moreover, according to the above-mentioned component container storage warehouse, since the component containers with a relatively earlier order of release among the component containers other than the component containers moved to the release location are moved to the release waiting location, even if the release of the next component container is instructed immediately after the component container moved to the release location is released, the time from the instruction of release to the movement of the component container to the release location can be shortened.

[0020] (4) According to one aspect of the present invention, the control unit may perform the following sixth movement processing: after the component container moved to the outbound location is outbound, the moving unit is controlled to move the component container stored in the outbound waiting place to the outbound location, and then the component container stored in the outbound waiting place is moved to the outbound waiting place closer to the outbound location.

[0021] According to the component container storage warehouse, the time required for unloading the component containers can be further shortened.

[0022] (5) According to one aspect of the present invention, the control unit may move the component storage body to only a portion of the plurality of delivery locations in the fourth movement process.

[0023] If the component containers are moved to all of the plurality of delivery locations, component containers that need to be urgently delivered cannot be delivered.

[0024] According to the component container storage warehouse, since the component containers are moved to only some of the multiple delivery locations, the other delivery locations can be used as emergency delivery locations. Therefore, when the delivery of component containers is urgently needed, the component containers that need to be delivered can be delivered.

[0025] (6) According to one aspect of the present invention, a management method is provided, which is a management method for component containers in a component container storage warehouse for storing component containers containing components to be mounted on a substrate, wherein the component container storage warehouse comprises: a plurality of storage places for storing the component containers; a delivery place for loading the component containers to be delivered; a moving unit for moving the component containers within the component container storage warehouse; and an instruction receiving unit for receiving instructions for delivery of the component containers, wherein the storage places around the delivery places among the plurality of storage places are set as delivery waiting places, and the management method includes the following steps: a first moving step, before instructing the delivery of the component containers, the component containers with a relatively early delivery order among the plurality of stored component containers are moved to the delivery waiting place by the moving unit; and a second moving step, when the delivery of the component containers is instructed, the component containers stored in the delivery waiting place are moved to the delivery place by the moving unit.

[0026] According to the above-mentioned management method, the time required for unloading the component container can be shortened.

[0027] (7) According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a management method for component containers in a component container storage warehouse for storing component containers containing components to be mounted on a substrate, wherein the component container storage warehouse comprises: a plurality of storage locations for storing the component containers; a delivery location for placing the component containers to be delivered; a moving unit for moving the component containers within the component container storage warehouse; and an instruction receiving unit for receiving instructions for delivery of the component containers, wherein the storage locations around the delivery locations among the plurality of storage locations are provided. The place is set as a waiting place for outbound delivery, and the management method includes the following steps: a fourth moving step, before instructing the outbound delivery of the component container, the component container with a relatively earlier outbound delivery order among the multiple component containers in storage is moved to the outbound delivery place by the moving unit; and a fifth moving step, before instructing the outbound delivery of the component container, the component container with a relatively earlier outbound delivery order among the component containers other than the component container moved to the outbound delivery place by the fourth moving step is moved to the outbound delivery place by the moving unit.

[0028] According to the above-mentioned management method, the time required for unloading the component container can be shortened.

[0029] Furthermore, according to the management method, even if the delivery of the next component container is instructed immediately after the component container moved to the delivery location is delivered, the time from the delivery instruction to the movement of the component container to the delivery location can be shortened.

[0030] The invention disclosed in this specification can be implemented in various forms such as a device, a method, a computer program for realizing the functions of these devices or methods, and a recording medium storing the computer program. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of substrate production equipment involved in embodiment 1.

[0032] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional diagram of the component tape.

[0033] Figure 3 This is a front view of the reel and component tape.

[0034] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional diagram of the component tower.

[0035] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional view of the interior of the component tower.

[0036] Figure 6 This is a perspective view of the interior of the component tower (the storage rack on the front is omitted).

[0037] Figure 7 This is a block diagram showing the electrical structure of the element tower.

[0038] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram showing the entry and exit locations and the waiting area for outbound shipments.

[0039] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram showing the shipping location and shipping waiting area involved in the third embodiment.

[0040] Figure 10 It is a schematic diagram showing a loading and unloading location and an unloading waiting location involved in other embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] <Implementation Method 1>

[0042] based on Figures 1 to 8 In the following description, the up-down direction, the front-back direction and the left-right direction are Figure 4 In the following description, reference numerals of the drawings may be omitted for the same components except for a part thereof.

[0043] (1) Substrate production equipment

[0044] Reference Figure 1 The following describes a substrate production facility 1 for mounting components on a substrate. The substrate production facility 1 includes a production line 2 for mounting components on a substrate and a component tower 3 (an example of a component storage warehouse), which are connected to each other via a communication network 4 such as a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0045] Production line 2 includes a loader 10 , a screen printer 11 , a printing inspection machine 12 , a dispenser 13 , a plurality of surface mount machines 14 , a post-mounting appearance inspection machine 15 , a reflow soldering device 16 , a post-curing appearance inspection device 17 and an unloader 18 , which are connected in series via a plurality of conveyors 19 .

[0046] The surface mounter 14 includes a mounting portion for mounting components on a substrate and a component supply device for supplying components to the mounting portion. A plurality of component tapes 25 wound around the component supply device are placed on the component supply device (see FIG. Figure 2 ) of scroll 26 (refer to Figure 3 The reel 26 is an example of a component storage body. The component supply device includes a plurality of electric feeders for feeding out the component tape 25. The components are supplied to the mounting portion by feeding out the component tape 25 using the feeder.

[0047] When the remaining components in the component tape 25 become low, the operator of the substrate production equipment removes the reel 26 on which the component tape 25 is currently being used, replaces a new reel 26, and connects the front end of the new component tape 25 to the rear end of the component tape 25 currently being used using tape or the like. The process of connecting the front end of the new component tape 25 to the rear end of the component tape 25 currently being used is generally referred to as splicing. Depending on the delivery device, there are also devices with an automatic loading function that can hold two component tapes 25 and automatically delivers the other component tape 25 when one component tape 25 runs out of components.

[0048] (2) Component tape and reel

[0049] like Figure 2 As shown, component tape 25 is a tape that holds multiple components E. It comprises a carrier tape 25B having multiple receiving recesses 25A spaced evenly along its length; components E are received in each receiving recess 25A; and a top tape 25C affixed to carrier tape 25B to close each receiving recess 25A. Feed holes 25D are spaced evenly along one side of the width of component tape 25. These holes are inserted into the teeth of a sprocket on a delivery device provided in a component supply device. There are multiple types of components E, and components E of the same type are received in a single component tape 25.

[0050] like Figure 3 As shown, the component tape 25 is wound on a reel 26. The reel 26 is marked with an identifier for uniquely identifying the reel 26 and various information related to the component tape 25 wound on the reel 26 (such as the type and number of components E contained therein) in the form of a two-dimensional code 27. Alternatively, the reel 26 may be marked with a barcode for uniquely identifying the reel 26 instead of the two-dimensional code 27.

[0051] In the following description, the components E housed in the component tape 25 wound around the reel 26 will be simply referred to as “components E housed in the reel 26 ”.

[0052] (3) Component Tower

[0053] Reference Figure 4 The appearance of the component tower 3 is described below. The component tower 3 is a storage room that stores the reel 26 on which the component tape 25 is wound. The component tower 3 has a roughly box-shaped storage body 30 with a width (W) of 2600 cm, a depth (L) of 1350 cm, and a height (H) of about 2500 cm. On the front surface of the storage body 30, there is a storage rack 33 (see Figure 5 ) is formed with a rectangular opening not shown in the figure at the front side of the library body 30. An opening and closing door 31 for opening and closing the opening is connected to the library body 30 in a rotatable manner. An operating unit 41 is provided on the front surface of the library body 30 on the right side of the opening and closing door 31.

[0054] Reference Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the interior of the element tower 3 will be described. The element tower 3 comprises: a storage rack 32 (32A and 32B) for storing the reels 26; a loading and unloading rack 33 for loading and unloading the reels 26; and a moving part 34 (see Figure 6 ) to move the reel 26 stored in the storage rack 32 and the reel 26 placed on the loading and unloading rack 33.

[0055] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the storage rack 32 consists of a front storage rack 32A and a rear storage rack 32B. The rear storage rack 32B has 34 vertical layers and 7 horizontal rows, with each layer storing a single reel 26. In the following description, the area where a single reel 26 is stored is referred to as a storage area 38. The overall structure of the front storage rack 32A is the same as that of the rear storage rack 32B, but a loading and unloading rack 33 is located in the center. The loading and unloading rack 33 has 14 vertical layers and two horizontal rows, with each layer storing a single reel 26. In the following description, the area where a single reel 26 is stored is referred to as a loading and unloading area 39. The loading and unloading area 39 is an example of a loading and unloading area.

[0056] Reference Figure 6 The moving unit 34 will now be described. The moving unit 34 is a mechanism that moves the reel 26 between the loading and unloading location 39 and the storage location 38. Although details will be described later, the moving unit 34 also moves the reel 26 between the storage locations 38. The moving unit 34 includes a moving head 34A that grips the reel 26 and a head moving unit 34B that moves the moving head 34A in two dimensions, vertically and horizontally.

[0057] The moving head 34A clamps the reel 26 from above and below and comprises a head main body 35, a clamping portion 36 for clamping the reel 26, a front-back moving mechanism (not shown) and a lifting mechanism (not shown). The clamping portion 36 is supported on the head main body 35 so as to be movable in the front-back direction. The clamping portion 36 comprises: two upper extension portions 37 extending forward from the upper side of the reel 26; and a lower extension portion. Figure 6 It is not visible in the drawing, but extends forward from the lower side of the reel 26. The forward and backward moving mechanism is provided on the head body 35 to move the clamping portion 36 forward and backward. The lifting mechanism is provided on the clamping portion 36 to lift the upper extension portion 37.

[0058] The head moving unit 34B includes a moving mechanism that moves the moving head 34A up and down and left and right, and a rotating mechanism that rotates the moving head 34A 180 degrees around a vertical line.

[0059] When the component tower 3 uses the moving head 34A to remove the reel 26 stored in the storage location 38, the head moving unit 34B moves the moving head 34A to the target storage location 38. Then, with the upper extension 37 raised, the component tower 3 uses the forward and backward movement mechanism to move the clamping unit 36 ​​forward. When the clamping unit 36 ​​is moved forward, the upper extension 37 is positioned above the reel 26, and the lower support unit is positioned below the reel 26.

[0060] In this state, the component tower 3 lowers the upper extension 37 using the lifting mechanism. As the upper extension 37 descends, the reel 26 is clamped between the upper extension 37 and the lower support. In this state, the component tower 3 moves the clamping portion 36 rearward using the forward and backward movement mechanism. This allows the reel 26 to be removed. The reverse operation occurs when the reel 26 is stored in a storage area 38.

[0061] When taking out the reel 26 stored in the rear storage rack 32, the component tower 3 rotates the moving head 34A 180 degrees around the vertical line using the rotation mechanism. The operation after rotating the moving head 34A 180 degrees is the same, so the description is omitted.

[0062] (4) Electrical structure of component tower

[0063] Reference Figure 7 Next, the electrical structure of the component tower 3 will be described. The component tower 3 includes a control unit 40 , a moving head 34A, a head moving unit 34B, an operation unit 41 (an example of an instruction receiving unit), and a handheld scanner 42 .

[0064] The control unit 40 includes a microcomputer 40A comprising a CPU and RAM integrated into a single chip, a storage unit 40B, and a communication unit 40C. The storage unit 40B stores various control programs and a management table for managing the reels 26 stored in each storage location 38. The microcomputer 40A controls various components of the component tower 3 by executing the control programs stored in the storage unit 40B. The communication unit 40C is a communication circuit that allows the microcomputer 40A to communicate with other devices via the communication network 4.

[0065] The control unit 40 may include an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) instead of the microcomputer 40A.

[0066] The operation unit 41 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display and an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel. The operator can operate the operation panel to instruct the storage and removal of the reel 26.

[0067] The handheld scanner 42 is used to scan the QR code 27 marked on the reel 26. When the reel 26 is stored in the component tower 3, the operator uses the handheld scanner 42 to read the QR code 27. The control unit 40 obtains the reel 26 identifier and various information related to the component tape 25 from the QR code 27 read by the handheld scanner 42. After moving the reel 26 placed in the loading and unloading area 39 to the storage area 38, the control unit 40 registers the reel 26 identifier, various information related to the component tape 25, and the storage area 38 of the reel 26 in the management table in a corresponding manner. This allows the reel 26 stored in the component tower 3 to be managed.

[0068] (5) Waiting place for shipment

[0069] Reference Figure 8 The storage places 38 around the loading and unloading racks 33 among the plurality of storage places 38 are set as the storage waiting places 50. When the unloading of the reel 26 is instructed, the reel 26 can be moved to the loading and unloading place 39 in a short time. Figure 8 In the example shown, the storage areas 38 surrounding the loading and unloading areas 39 are designated as the first unloading waiting area 50A, the storage areas 38 on the two upper floors of the first unloading waiting area 50A and the two lower floors of the first unloading waiting area 50A are designated as the second unloading waiting area 50B, and the storage areas 38 on the two upper floors of the second unloading waiting area 50B and the lower floors of the second unloading waiting area 50B are designated as the third unloading waiting area 50C. However, if the number of reels 26 to be stored is large, the unloading waiting area 50 may also be used as a normal storage area 38 (not as the storage area 38 of the unloading waiting area 50).

[0070] (6) Movement of the scroll

[0071] Because the unloading standby location 50 is closer to the loading / unloading location 39 than to the other storage locations 38, the reels 26 can be moved to the loading / unloading location 39 in a shorter time than to the other storage locations 38. Therefore, the control unit 40 determines the order in which the reels 26 stored in the component tower 3 should be unloaded based on, for example, substrate production plan information (described later) and component remaining information on each reel 26 placed in the component supply device. The control unit 40 then causes the reels 26 whose unloading order is relatively early among the stored reels 26 to be moved to the unloading standby location 50 before being instructed to be unloaded.

[0072] Specifically, the control unit 40 receives production plan information and component remaining quantity information, which will be described later, from the surface mount machine 14 via the communication network 4. This information may also be received from sources other than the surface mount machine 14. For example, if a management computer that manages the production line 2 is connected to the communication network 4 and this information is managed by the management computer, the information may also be received from the management computer.

[0073] The production plan information includes the types of substrates to be produced, the order in which each type of substrate is produced, the number of sheets of each type of substrate to be produced, the types of components E to be mounted on each type of substrate, and the quantity of each type. The component remaining quantity information for each reel 26 placed on the component supply device includes the component remaining quantity of each reel 26.

[0074] For example, at the start of substrate production, the control unit 40 determines how many components E on each reel 26 (each reel 26 placed on the component supply device) are used per substrate production based on the number of each type of components E to be mounted on a single substrate. The control unit 40 then calculates the remaining number of substrates that can be produced for each reel 26 placed on the component supply device by dividing the remaining component quantity on each reel 26 by the number of components E to be mounted on a single substrate on that reel 26.

[0075] Since reels 26 with fewer remaining producible substrates need to be replaced earlier, reels 26 containing the same type of components E as those contained on reels 26 with fewer remaining producible substrates need to be removed from storage earlier. Therefore, the control unit 40 determines the order of the remaining number of producible substrates for each reel 26 placed on the component supply device, from smallest to largest, and determines the order in which to remove each type of component E based on the type of component E on each reel 26. The control unit 40 then determines the order in which to remove the reels 26 based on the order in which each type of component E was removed from storage.

[0076] For example, assume that among the reels 26 placed in the component supply device, the reel 26 with the fewest remaining substrates capable of being produced contains type A components E, the reel 26 with the second fewest contains type B components E, and the reel 26 with the third fewest contains type C components E. In this case, the control unit 40 determines to remove components E in the order of reel 26 containing component A, reel 26 containing component B, and reel 26 containing component C. In the following description, the reel 26 whose removal order is relatively early is referred to as a reel 26 with a high priority.

[0077] When the control unit 40 determines the order in which the reels 26 are to be unloaded (in other words, the priority of the reels 26 ), it moves the reels 26 with the highest priority from the storage location 38 where they are stored to the unloading waiting area 50 (an example of the first moving process or the first moving step). This process will be described in detail below. For ease of understanding, the following description assumes that the unloading waiting area 50 is initially completely empty.

[0078] The control unit 40 controls the moving head 34A and the head moving unit 34B to move the reels 26 stored in the storage area 38 to the first unloading waiting area 50A in descending order of priority. For example, if a single reel 26 containing component A E is to be moved to the first unloading waiting area 50A, if there are multiple reels 26 containing component A E, any reel 26 containing component A E may be moved to the first unloading waiting area 50A. Alternatively, if there are multiple reels 26 containing component A E, and a predefined order for unloading these reels 26 is set, the reel 26 with the earliest unloading order may be moved to the first unloading waiting area 50A. For example, if reels 26 containing components E produced earlier are to be unloaded first, the reel 26 containing component A E produced the earliest may be moved to the first unloading waiting area 50A.

[0079] When the first shipping standby location 50A is full, the control unit 40 moves the remaining reels 26 stored in the storage location 38 to the second shipping standby location 50B in descending order of priority. When the second shipping standby location 50B is full, the control unit 40 moves the remaining reels 26 stored in the storage location 38 to the third shipping standby location 50C in descending order of priority. When the third shipping standby location 50C is full, the control unit 40 temporarily stops the movement of the reels 26.

[0080] When the remaining component quantity on any reel 26 falls below a specified value, the surface mounter 14 notifies the operator to place a new reel 26. At this point, the surface mounter 14 notifies the control unit 40 of the component tower 3 of the type of component E contained in the reel 26 whose remaining component quantity falls below the specified value. Upon receiving the notification of the reel 26 replacement, the operator moves to the component tower 3 and operates the operation unit 41 to instruct the removal of the reel. Upon receiving the instruction to remove the reel, the control unit 40 moves the reel 26 containing the type of component E notified by the surface mounter 14 from the removal waiting area 50 to the loading and unloading rack 33 (an example of the second movement process, or second movement step).

[0081] After moving the reels 26 stored in the outbound waiting area 50 to the loading / unloading rack 33, the control unit 40 moves each reel 26 within the outbound waiting area 50 to a position closer to the loading / unloading rack 33. Specifically, when the first outbound waiting area 50A becomes vacant due to the outbound movement of the reels 26 stored in the first outbound waiting area 50A, the control unit 40 moves the reels 26 stored in the second outbound waiting area 50B, starting with the reels 26 with the highest priority, to the first outbound waiting area 50A. Similarly, when the second outbound waiting area 50B becomes vacant, the control unit 40 moves the reels 26 stored in the third outbound waiting area 50C to the second outbound waiting area 50B in descending order of priority.

[0082] When the third shipping standby location 50C becomes vacant, the control unit 40 causes the reels 26 stored in other storage locations 38 (storage locations 38 other than the shipping standby location 50) to be moved to the third shipping standby location 50C in descending order of priority (an example of a third movement process). The control unit 40 temporarily stops the movement of the reels 26 when the third shipping standby location 50C becomes full.

[0083] (5) Effects of Implementation

[0084] The component tower 3 according to the first embodiment moves the component tapes 25 whose order of discharge is relatively early to the discharge waiting location 50 before the discharge of the instructed component tape 25. Therefore, even for component tapes 25 stored in a storage location 38 far from the access rack 33, the time from when the discharge is instructed to the time the component tape 25 is moved to the access rack 33 can be shortened. Therefore, the component tape 25 storage warehouse according to the present invention can shorten the time required to discharge the component tapes 25.

[0085] According to the component tower 3, the following third movement processing is performed: after the component belt 25 is moved to the loading and unloading rack 33 through the second movement processing, the moving unit 34 is controlled to move the component belt 25 stored in the unloading waiting place 50 to the unloading waiting place 50 closer to the loading and unloading rack 33, thereby further shortening the time required for the component belt 25 to be unloaded.

[0086] <Implementation Method 2>

[0087] according to Figure 8 Embodiment 2 will be described. In the above-described embodiment 1, the reels 26 with a high priority are moved to the delivery standby location 50 . In contrast, the control unit 40 according to the second embodiment moves the reels 26 with a high priority to the loading / unloading rack 33 and the delivery standby location 50 .

[0088] Specifically, the control unit 40 controls the moving head 34A and the head moving unit 34B to move the reels 26 stored in the storage area 38 to the loading and unloading rack 33 in descending order of priority (an example of the fourth movement process, a fourth movement step). When the loading and unloading rack 33 becomes full, the control unit 40 moves the remaining reels 26 stored in the storage area 38 to the first unloading waiting area 50A in descending order of priority. When the first unloading waiting area 50A becomes full, the control unit 40 moves the remaining reels 26 stored in the storage area 38 to the second unloading waiting area 50B in descending order of priority. When the second unloading waiting area 50B becomes full, the control unit 40 moves the remaining reels 26 stored in the storage area 38 to the third unloading waiting area 50C in descending order of priority (an example of the fifth movement process, a fifth movement step). When the third delivery standby location 50C is full, the control unit 40 temporarily stops the movement of the reel 26 .

[0089] When a reel 26 moved to the loading / unloading rack 33 is unloaded, the control unit 40 causes the reels 26 stored in the first unloading standby location 50A to be moved to the loading / unloading rack 33 in descending order of priority. When the loading / unloading rack 33 becomes full, the control unit 40 causes each reel 26 to be moved within the unloading standby location 50 to a position closer to the loading / unloading rack 33.

[0090] Specifically, when a spool 26 stored in the first outbound waiting place 50A becomes available due to the reel 26 being moved to the loading and unloading rack 33, the reels 26 stored in the second outbound waiting place 50B are moved sequentially to the first outbound waiting place 50A, starting with the reels 26 with the highest priority. Similarly, when a spool 26 stored in the third outbound waiting place 50C becomes available, the control unit 40 moves the reels 26 to the second outbound waiting place 50B in descending order of priority. When the third outbound waiting place 50C becomes available, the control unit 40 moves the reels 26 stored in other storage locations 38 (storage locations 38 other than the outbound waiting place 50) to the third outbound waiting place 50C in descending order of priority (an example of the sixth movement process). The control unit 40 temporarily stops the movement of reels 26 when the third outbound waiting place 50C becomes full.

[0091] According to the component tower 3 involved in the second embodiment, since the reel 26 with a relatively early order of being discharged is moved to the access rack 33, the reel 26 has already been moved to the access rack 33 at the time when discharge is instructed. Therefore, the time required for the discharge of the reel 26 can be shortened. Moreover, according to the component tower 3, since the reel 26 with a relatively early order of being discharged among the reels 26 other than the reel 26 moved to the access rack 33 is moved to the discharge waiting place 50, even if the discharge of the next reel 26 is instructed immediately after the reel 26 moved to the access rack 33 is discharged, the time from the discharge instruction to the movement of the reel 26 to the access rack 33 can be shortened.

[0092] According to the component tower 3, after the reel 26 moved to the loading and unloading rack 33 is unloaded, the moving part 34 is controlled to move the reel 26 stored in the unloading waiting place 50 to the loading and unloading rack 33, and then the reel 26 stored in the unloading waiting place 50 is moved to the unloading waiting place 50 closer to the loading and unloading rack 33, thereby further shortening the time required for unloading the reel 26.

[0093] <Implementation Method 3>

[0094] according to Figure 9 The third embodiment is described. The third embodiment is a modified example of the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the reels 26 with high priority are moved to the access rack 33 until the access rack 33 is full. In contrast, Figure 9 As shown, in the component tower 3 according to the third embodiment, a part of the loading and unloading locations 39B among the plurality of loading and unloading locations 39 of the loading and unloading racks 33 is secured as an emergency loading and unloading location 39 .

[0095] When moving the high-priority reel 26 to the loading / unloading rack 33 , the control unit 40 moves the reel 26 to the loading / unloading location 39A other than the emergency loading / unloading location 39B, and does not move the reel 26 to the loading / unloading location 39B.

[0096] According to the component tower 3 of the third embodiment, in the fourth movement process for moving the reel 26 that has been released relatively early to the loading / unloading rack 33, the reel 26 is moved to only a portion of the loading / unloading locations 39 (loading / unloading locations 39A) among the plurality of loading / unloading locations 39. Therefore, the remaining loading / unloading locations 39 (loading / unloading locations 39B) can be used as emergency loading / unloading locations 39. Therefore, when the reel 26 needs to be released urgently, the reel 26 that needs to be released urgently can be released.

[0097] <Other Implementation Methods>

[0098] The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the embodiments described in the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the technology disclosed in this specification.

[0099] (1) In the above embodiment, the case where the delivery standby place 50 includes the first delivery standby place 50A, the second delivery standby place 50B, and the third delivery standby place 50C is described as an example. However, the delivery standby place 50 may include only the first delivery standby place 50A.

[0100] (2) In the above embodiment, the case where the order in which the reel 26 is to be discharged from the warehouse is determined at the start of substrate production and the reel 26 is moved is described as an example. However, the timing for moving the reel 26 is not limited to this. For example, the reel 26 may be moved before the start of substrate production. In addition, since the component remainder changes when a new component tape 25 is connected to the rear end of the currently used component tape 25 by splicing, the reel 26 may be moved by determining the order in which the reel 26 is to be discharged from the warehouse each time a new component tape 25 is connected by splicing.

[0101] (3) In the above embodiment, the control unit 40 of the component tower 3 determines the order in which the reels 26 are to be discharged based on production plan information, component remaining quantity information, etc. Alternatively, the surface mounter 14 or an external management computer may determine the order in which the reels 26 are to be discharged and notify the control unit 40.

[0102] (4) In the above embodiment, the case where the unloading waiting place 50 is provided only in the front storage rack 32A of the front storage rack 32A and the rear storage rack 32B is described as an example. However, the unloading waiting place 50 may also be provided in the rear storage rack 32B. For example, the storage location 38 in the rear storage rack 32B that overlaps with the loading and unloading rack 33 when viewed from the front may be provided as the unloading waiting place 50. Alternatively, the unloading waiting place 50 may be provided only in the rear storage rack 32B, rather than in the front storage rack 32A.

[0103] (5) In the above embodiment, the first outbound waiting place 50A is set to surround the inbound and outbound rack 33, while the second outbound waiting place 50B and the third outbound waiting place 50C are set only above and below the inbound and outbound rack 33. Figure 10 As shown, the second delivery standby place 50B may be set to surround the loading and unloading rack 33. Alternatively, in addition to the second delivery standby place 50B, a third delivery standby place 50C may be set to surround the loading and unloading rack 33.

[0104] (6) In the above embodiment, the reel 26 is used as an example of a component container. However, the component container may be a component tray on which components are placed.

[0105] Description of labels

[0106] 3…Component tower (an example of a component storage warehouse)

[0107] 26…Reel (an example of a component container)

[0108] 38…Storage location

[0109] 39…Inbound and outbound locations (an example of an outbound location)

[0110] 40…Control Department

[0111] 41…Operation unit (an example of an instruction receiving unit)

[0112] E…Component

Claims

1. A component container storage warehouse for storing component containers containing components to be mounted on a substrate, wherein: The component storage warehouse has: a plurality of storage places for storing the component containers; a shipping location for placing the component container to be shipped; a moving unit for moving the component container within the component container storage; and an instruction receiving unit for receiving an instruction for removing the component container; and Control Department, The storage locations around the shipping location among the plurality of storage locations are set as shipping waiting locations, and the plurality of shipping waiting locations surround the shipping location. The control unit performs the following processing: A first moving process is to move, by the moving unit, the component container that has been relatively early in the order of being released from the plurality of stored component containers to the release waiting location before instructing the release of the component container; a second moving process, in which, when the removal of the component container is instructed, the component container stored in the removal waiting place is moved to the removal location by the moving unit; and A third movement process is to control the moving unit to move the component container stored in the shipment waiting place to the shipment waiting place closer to the shipment place after the component container is moved to the shipment place by the second movement process.

2. A component container storage warehouse for storing component containers containing components to be mounted on a substrate, wherein: The component storage warehouse has: a plurality of storage places for storing the component containers; a shipping location for placing the component container to be shipped; a moving unit for moving the component container within the component container storage; and an instruction receiving unit for receiving an instruction for removing the component container; and Control Department, The storage locations around the shipping location among the plurality of storage locations are set as shipping waiting locations, and the plurality of shipping waiting locations surround the shipping location. The control unit performs the following processing: a fourth moving process of moving, by the moving unit, the component container that has been relatively early in the order of being released from the plurality of stored component containers to the release location before instructing the release of the component container; a fifth moving process of moving, before instructing the component container to be released, by the moving unit, the component container that has been released earlier than the component container moved to the release location by the fourth moving process, to the release waiting location; and The sixth movement processing controls the moving unit to move the component container stored in the outbound waiting place to the outbound place after the component container moved to the outbound place is outbound, and then moves the component container stored in the outbound waiting place to the outbound waiting place closer to the outbound place.

3. The component storage vault according to claim 2, wherein: The control unit moves the component storage body to only a portion of the plurality of delivery locations in the fourth movement process.

4. A method for managing component containers in a component container storage warehouse for storing component containers containing components to be mounted on a substrate, wherein: The component storage warehouse includes: a plurality of storage places for storing the component containers; a shipping location for placing the component container to be shipped; a moving unit for moving the component container within the component container storage; and An instruction receiving unit receives an instruction to remove the component container from storage, The storage locations around the shipping location among the plurality of storage locations are set as shipping waiting locations, and the plurality of shipping waiting locations surround the shipping location. The management method includes the following steps: A first moving step, before instructing the component container to be released, moving the component container whose release order is relatively early among the plurality of stored component containers to the release waiting location by the moving unit; and a second moving step of moving the component container stored in the outgoing waiting location to the outgoing location by the moving unit when an instruction is given to outgoing the component container; and In a third moving step, after the component container is moved to the shipping location by the second moving step, the moving unit is controlled to move the component container stored in the shipping waiting location to the shipping waiting location closer to the shipping location.

5. A method for managing component containers in a component container storage warehouse for storing component containers containing components to be mounted on a substrate, wherein: The component storage warehouse includes: a plurality of storage places for storing the component containers; a shipping location for placing the component container to be shipped; a moving unit for moving the component container within the component container storage; and An instruction receiving unit receives an instruction to remove the component container from storage, The storage locations around the shipping location among the plurality of storage locations are set as shipping waiting locations, and the plurality of shipping waiting locations surround the shipping location. The management method includes the following steps: a fourth moving step of moving, before instructing the component container to be released, the component container whose release order is relatively early among the plurality of stored component containers to the release location by the moving unit; and a fifth moving step of moving, before instructing the component container to be released, by the moving unit, the component container that has been released earlier than the component container moved to the release location by the fourth moving step, to the release waiting location; and The sixth moving process controls the moving unit to move the component container stored in the outbound waiting place to the outbound place after the component container moved to the outbound place is outbound, and then moves the component container stored in the outbound waiting place to the outbound waiting place closer to the outbound place.

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