Component feeding device, component feeding method and surface mounting machine

Abstract

Component feeding device for feeding components by sending a component feeding belt (60, 60A, 60B) which holds the components in a longitudinal direction (X) of the component feeding belt (60, 60A, 60B), the device comprising: a main body (51) comprising a belt section (56) configured to guide the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) which is sent in the longitudinal direction (X) to a component feed position (S1), and an insertion region (53) which is provided to communicate with the belt section (56) on a opposite side of the component feed position (S1) in the longitudinal direction (X), and is configured to insert the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) into the belt section (56); and a belt position switching mechanism designed to switch the position of the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) in a vertical direction (Z) with respect to the belt length (56) on the opposite side of the component feed position (S1); where: the belt position switching mechanism comprises a belt support that is movable between a support position for supporting the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) from below and a non-support position that is separated from the support position in a width direction (Y) of the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B); and The belt support releases the support of the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) in order to move the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) downwards by moving from the support position to the non-support position.

Description

[TECHNICAL FIELD]

[0001] The invention relates to a component feeding device and a component feeding method for feeding components by sending a component feeding belt that holds the components in a longitudinal direction of the component feeding belt, and a surface assembly machine equipped with the aforementioned component feeding device, and in particular a technique for switching the position of the component feeding belt.

[0002] Reference is made in this document in its entirety to the disclosure of Japanese patent application No. 2016-90288, filed on April 28, 2016, comprising a description, drawings and claims. [GENERAL STATE OF THE ART]

[0003] Numerous surface mount machines for mounting components, such as integrated circuits (ICs) and capacitors, onto a board are conventionally provided. In a surface mount machine, a component feeder is used to feed the components. For example, a component feeder described in JP 2015-115412 A is provided with a tape inlet (corresponding to an "insertion region" of the invention) through which a carrier tape (corresponding to a "component feeder tape" of the invention), which accommodates components, is inserted into a main body. There are essentially two tape sections in this tape inlet. When the carrier tape is inserted into the tape inlet, the carrier tape is inserted into the main body along an upper of the two tape sections. When another carrier tape (i.e.,When a subsequent carrier belt is inserted into the belt inlet, following the previous carrier belt, a movable bracket of a belt holding unit is rotated to move the previous carrier belt from the upper belt section to the lower belt section. The subsequent carrier belt is then placed in the upper belt section, which is thus emptied.

[0004] Document US 2010 / 0180435A1 describes an electronic component feeder and a chip holder with the electronic component feeder. The electronic component feeder includes a body with a pick-up position where electronic components are picked up, and a plurality of component feed paths that carry respective component feed belts that hold the electronic components in the pick-up position. The feeder switches the component feed paths to select a component feed path that leads a component feed belt to the pick-up position, so that the electronic components held in the component feed belt are picked up at the pick-up position based on a component holding state. [BRIEF OVERVIEW][TECHNICAL TASK]

[0005] As previously described, in the conventional device, the guide of the carrier belt is released from a guide block by rotating the movable bracket, and the carrier belt moves from the upper belt section to the lower belt section while being partially twisted. This places an excessive load on the carrier belt, and in some cases, it has been difficult to feed the components stably using this carrier belt.

[0006] This invention was made with regard to the aforementioned problem and aims to provide a technique that is capable of moving a component feed belt without imposing an excessive load on the component feed belt and of feeding components stably using the moving component feed belt. [SOLUTION TO THE TASK]

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention is a component feeding device for feeding components by sending a component feeding belt that holds the components in a longitudinal direction along the component feeding belt. The device comprises: a main body comprising a belt section configured to guide the component feeding belt, which is sent longitudinally to a component feeding position, and an insertion region configured to communicate with the belt section on a longitudinal side opposite the component feeding position and configured to insert the component feeding belt into the belt section;and a belt position switching mechanism configured to switch the position of the component feed belt in a vertical direction with respect to the belt length on the opposite side of the component feed position, wherein: the belt position switching mechanism comprises a belt support movable between a support position for supporting the component feed belt from below and a non-support position separated from the support position in a width direction of the component feed belt; and the belt support releases the support of the component feed belt to move the component feed belt downwards by moving from the support position to the non-support position.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention is a component feeding method for feeding components to a component feeding position by sending a component feeding belt, which holds the components in a longitudinal direction of the component feeding belt, through a belt section provided in a main body of a component feeding device. The method comprises: a first sending step of sending the component feeding belt to the belt section via an upper space of an insertion region provided in the main body to communicate with the belt section on a opposite side of the component feeding position in the longitudinal direction; a second sending step of sending the component feeding belt to the belt section via a lower space located below the upper space in the insertion region;and a belt position switching step of switching a transmission path for the component feed belt in the insertion region from the upper space to the lower space, wherein: the first transmission step comprises a step of forming the transmission path in the upper space by supporting the component feed belt from below by means of a belt support positioned at a support position; and the belt position switching step comprises a step of releasing the support of the component feed belt and moving the component feed belt into the lower space by moving the belt support to a non-support position that is separated from the support position in a width direction of the component feed belt.

[0009] A third aspect of the present invention is a surface mounting machine. The machine comprises: the component feeding device described above and a head unit configured to mount the components onto a plate fed by the component feeding device.

[0010] In this embodiment of the invention, the support of the component feed belt is achieved by moving the belt support located at the support position and by supporting the component feed belt from below to the unsupported position, which is separated from the support position in the width direction of the component feed belt. In this way, the component feed belt moves downwards under its own weight without exerting any load on it. The position of the component feed belt is switched by this movement. The components are fed stably using the component feed belt, which is moved in this manner. [BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION]

[0011] In the invention, which is designed as described above, the support of the component feed belt from below is released by moving the belt support from the support position to the unsupported position, and the component feed belt is moved downwards by its own weight. Thus, the position of the component feed belt can be switched without applying any load to the component feed belt.

[0012] All of the numerous elements of each previously described aspect of the invention are not essential, and some of the numerous elements may be expediently modified, deleted, replaced by other new elements, or have limited content that has been partially deleted in order to solve some or all of the aforementioned problems or to achieve some or all of the effects described in this description. Furthermore, some or all of the technical features included in one previously described aspect of the invention may be combined with some or all of the technical features included in another previously described aspect of the invention to obtain an independent embodiment of the invention in order to solve some or all of the aforementioned problems or to achieve some or all of the effects described in this description. [BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS] Fig. Figure 1 is a graphic showing a surface mounting machine equipped with component feeding devices according to a first embodiment of the invention. Fig. Figure 2 is a partial front view of the surface mounting machine, which is located in Fig. 1 is shown. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the surface mounting machine, which is in Fig. 1 is shown. Fig. Figure 4 is a graphic showing the design of the feed device as an example of the first embodiment of the invention. Fig. Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the design of a component feed belt used to feed the components. Fig. 6A and Fig. Figure 6B shows perspective views of the overall design of the tape adjustment unit and the adjustment movement mechanism. Fig. Figure 7A is a side view of the band adjustment unit and the adjustment movement mechanism. Fig. 7B is a cross-sectional view along BB of Fig. 7A. Fig. 7C is a cross-sectional view along CC of Fig. 7A. Fig. 7D is a view of the band adjustment unit and adjustment movement mechanism, viewed from behind in the X-axis direction. Fig. Figure 8A is a view showing the band support element when a clamping of the band is released by the lever element. Fig. Figure 8B is a view showing the band support element when the band is clamped by the lever element. Fig. Figures 9A to 9F are diagrams that schematically show the procedure for mounting the component feed belt into the feed device. Fig. Figure 10 is a side view showing a component feeding device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. Figure 11 is a perspective partial view of the component feeding device, which is located in Fig. 10 is shown. Fig. 12 is a view of the component feeding device, which is in Fig. Figure 10 shows the view from the opposite side of the component feed position. [DESCRIPTION OF THE EXECUTION FORM]

[0013] Fig. Figure 1 is a graphic showing a surface mounting machine equipped with component feeding devices according to a first embodiment of the invention. Furthermore, Fig. 2 A partial front view of the surface mounting machine, which is located in Fig. 1 is shown. In addition, Fig. 3 a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the surface mounting machine, which is in Fig. Figure 1 shows. This surface mounting machine 1 is a device for mounting components that are fed by feed devices 50 (corresponding to an example of a "component feeding device" of the invention) which are mounted in feed device-like feeding mechanisms 40 on a printed circuit board P1 (corresponding to an example of a "board" of the invention), and comprises, in addition to the feed device-like feeding mechanisms 40, a base 10, a transport conveyor 20 for conveying the printed circuit board P1 and a component mounting device 30 for mounting electronic components E1 on the printed circuit board P1.

[0014] The base 10 has a rectangular shape in a top view. The transport conveyor 20 is positioned on this base 10 parallel to a longitudinal direction of the base 10. Furthermore, a locking plate (not shown) is provided below the transport conveyor 20 to secure the circuit board P1 during the mounting of the electronic components E1 onto the circuit board P1. In the following description, a long lateral direction (lateral direction of Fig. 1) the base 10 and a conveying direction of the circuit board P1 from the transport conveyor 20 designated as an X-axis direction, a short lateral direction (vertical direction of Fig. 1) the base 10 is designated as a Y-axis direction and a vertical direction (vertical direction of Fig. 2) is referred to as a Z-axis direction.

[0015] The conveyor 20 is essentially mounted at a central position of the base 10 in the Y-axis direction and conveys the printed circuit board P1 in the conveying direction (X-axis direction). The conveyor 20 comprises a pair of conveyor belts 22 which are driven to rotate in the conveying direction X. The printed circuit board P1 is placed between the two conveyor belts 22 and is conveyed in this state in the X-axis direction. In this embodiment, the printed circuit board P1 is moved into a working position (a position defined by a dashed-dotted line of Fig. 1 enclosed) on base 10 along the conveyor belts 22 from one side (the right side, which is in Fig. (as shown in 1) is transported in the conveying direction X and to the other side (the left side, which is in Fig. (as shown in 1) is transported out along the conveyor belts 22 after the circuit board P1 is stopped at the working position and the electronic components E1 are mounted.

[0016] The component assembly device 30 comprises a pair of support frames 31, a head unit 32, and a head unit drive mechanism for driving the head unit 32. The respective support frames 31 are located on both sides of the base 10 in the X-axis direction and extend in the Y-axis direction. The support frame 31 is equipped with an X-axis servomechanism and a Y-axis servomechanism, which form the head unit drive mechanism. The X-axis and Y-axis servomechanisms are operated in response to an operating command from a control unit 80 to control the entire device, thereby moving the head unit 32 within a defined range of motion in the X-axis and Y-axis directions.

[0017] The Y-axis servomechanism comprises a Y-axis guide rail 33Y, a Y-axis ball screw 34Y, and a Y-axis servo motor 35Y. In this Y-axis servomechanism, the Y-axis guide rail 33Y extends along each support frame 31. Furthermore, the Y-axis ball screw 34Y extends parallel to each Y-axis guide rail 33Y. The Y-axis servo motor 35Y is mounted at one end of this Y-axis ball screw 34Y and operates in response to a drive command from the control unit 80, causing a ball nut (not shown), which engages threaded with the Y-axis ball screw 34Y, to move in the Y-axis direction. A head support body 36 is fixed to these ball nuts. The headrest body 36 extends in the X-axis direction. The headrest body 36 is attached to the ball nuts to bridge two Y-axis guide rails 33Y and is movable along the Y-axis guide rails 33Y.Thus, when the excitation of the Y-axis servomotor 35Y is controlled or regulated by the control unit 80, the headrest body 36, which is fixed to the ball nuts, and the head unit 32, which will be described later, move in the Y-axis direction along the Y-axis guide rails 33Y by forward and backward movements of the ball nuts, which have been described previously.

[0018] The X-axis servo mechanism includes an X-axis guide rail 33X (see Fig. 2) an X-axis ball screw 34X and an X-axis servo motor 35X. In this X-axis servo mechanism, the X-axis guide rail 33X extends in the X-axis direction with respect to the head support body 36. Furthermore, the X-axis ball screw 34X extends parallel to the X-axis guide rail 33X. The X-axis servo motor 35X is mounted at one end of this X-axis ball screw 34X and is operated in response to a drive command from the control unit 80, thereby moving a ball nut (not shown) that is threaded into the X-axis ball screw 34X in the X-axis direction. The head unit 32 is fixed to the ball nuts and moves in the X-axis direction along the X-axis guide rails 33X when the above ball nuts move.

[0019] The head unit 32 removes the electronic components E1, which are fed by the feed-device-like feeding mechanisms 40, which will be described later, and mounts the removed electronic components E1 onto the circuit board P1. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 2, a plurality of assembly heads 37 for performing an assembly operation of the electronic components E1 are transported in a row on the head unit 32. Each assembly head 37 springs downwards from the lower surface of the head unit 32, and a suction nozzle 38 for drawing in the electronic component E1 by means of a vacuum is provided at the tip of each assembly head 37.

[0020] Each mounting head 37 can be rotated by an R-axis servomotor 35R about an axis extending in the vertical direction Z ( Fig. 3) Furthermore, each mounting head 37 can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction Z with respect to a frame 32A of the head unit 32 by means of the drive of a Z-axis servomotor 35Z ( Fig. 3).

[0021] The head unit 32 is equipped with a plate recognition camera C1 ( Fig. 2) The plate recognition camera C1 is fixed to the frame 32A of the head unit 32, with one imaging surface facing downwards, and moves integrally with the head unit 32. The plate recognition camera C1 projects an image at any position on the printed circuit board P1, which has been stopped at the working position, by moving it in the X-axis and Y-axis directions.

[0022] Furthermore, component recognition cameras C2 ( Fig. 1) fixed by the head unit 32 above the base 10 near a mounting position. The component recognition cameras C2 detect intake positions and similar features of the respective electronic components E1 from the intake nozzles 38 by imaging images of the electronic components E1 located at component feed positions S1 (see Fig. 4, are described later) are removed from the mounting heads 37.

[0023] To control and regulate each part of the surface mounting machine 1, which is configured as described above, the control unit 80 is provided. The control unit 80 comprises an arithmetic processing unit 81, which is configured as a central processing unit (CPU). Each of the following components—a motor control unit 82, a storage unit 83, an image processing unit 84, an external input / output unit 85, a feed communication unit 86, a display unit 88, and an input unit 89—is connected to the arithmetic processing unit 81.

[0024] The motor control unit 82 drives the X-axis servomotor 35X and the Y-axis servomotor 35Y for the head unit 32 and drives the Z-axis servomotor 35Z and the R-axis servomotor 35R for each assembly head 37 according to an assembly program 83A, which is described later. Furthermore, the motor control unit 82 drives the transport conveyor 20 according to the assembly program 83A.

[0025] The memory unit 83 is configured with a read-only memory (ROM), a read / write memory (RAM), and similar components, and the assembly program 84A and various data 83B are stored therein. The assembly program 83A, stored in the memory unit 83, includes information on the production volume of printed circuit boards P1 as assembly targets, component information, including the quantities, types, and similar details of the electronic components E1 to be mounted on the printed circuit boards P1, and similar details. The various data 83B, stored in the memory unit 83, includes data on the quantities and types of electronic components E1 held in the respective feed devices 50, which are mounted in the feed device-like feeding mechanisms 40, and similar components.

[0026] Each of the imaging signals output by the plate detection camera C1 and the component detection cameras C2 is received by the imaging processing unit 84. In the imaging processing unit 84, component image analysis, plate image analysis, and similar operations are performed based on the image signals received from the respective cameras C1 and C2.

[0027] The external input / output unit 85 is a so-called interface and is designed to receive detection signals output by various sensors 85A located in the main body of the surface mounting machine 1. Furthermore, the external input / output unit 85 is designed to control the operation of various actuators 85B located in the main body of the surface mounting machine 1, based on a control signal output by the arithmetic processing unit 81.

[0028] The feed communication unit 86 is connected to a feed device control unit 59 of each feed device 50, which is mounted in the feed device-like feeding mechanism 40, and controls each feed device 50 from all sides. The feed device control unit 59 controls the drive of a front motor 52A and a rear motor 54A in the feed device 50 by means of a control according to the assembly program 83A. In addition, the feed device control unit 59 is connected to a belt sensor (not shown) in the feed device 50 and receives a detection signal that is output by this belt sensor. The design and operation of the feed device 50 will be described in detail later.

[0029] The display unit 88 is designed by a liquid crystal display device or similar, which has a display screen and shows the status of the surface mounting machine 1 and similar information on the display screen. The input unit 89 is designed by a keyboard or similar and receives input from an external source via manual operation.

[0030] Fig. Figure 4 is a graphic showing the design of the feed device as an example of the first embodiment of the invention. Furthermore, Fig. Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the design of a component feed belt used to feed the components. In this embodiment, two feed-device-like feeding mechanisms 40 are arranged side by side in the X-axis direction on each of the two sides (the upper and the lower side of the Fig. 1) of the transport conveyor 20, i.e., the feed-device-like feeding mechanisms 40 are arranged at a total of four positions. Each feed-device-like feeding mechanism 40 is designed by a common exchange slide which has a plurality of feed devices 50 that are detachably mounted in a row. Each feed-device-like feeding mechanism 40 is provided with a plurality of drum support sections (not shown), and component feed belts 60, which are wound in a drum of the drum support sections, can be sent to the feed devices 50.

[0031] The component feed belt 60 is composed of a foil-shaped carrier belt 62, long in one direction, and an upper belt 64, which adheres, for example, to the carrier belt 62, as shown in Fig. Figure 5 shows hollow component housing sections 62A, which are open at the top, are provided at fixed intervals along the longitudinal direction of the carrier strip 62. The electronic components E1 are housed and held in the respective component housing sections 62A in a state that is closed by the upper strip 64. In addition, vertically penetrating access holes 62B are provided at fixed intervals along an edge portion on one side of the carrier strip 62.

[0032] The component feed belt 60, thus configured, is conveyed to a component feed position S1 by the operation of the feed device 50 in response to an operating command from the control unit 80, after it has been sent from the drum support section and positioned in the feed device 50. In this way, the electronic component E1, which is housed in the component storage section 62A, can be fed. When describing the configuration of the feed device 50, one side, to which the electronic component E1 is fed (the side facing the transport conveyor 20, the right side of Fig. 4), for descriptive purposes referred to as a front side, and an opposite side is referred to as a back side. Furthermore, a direction of the feed device 50 that is perpendicular to both a front-back direction (Y-axis direction) and the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) is referred to as a width direction (X-axis direction) of the feed device 50.

[0033] The feed-device-type feeding mechanism 40 is provided with a feed-device mounting unit 42, and a plurality of feed-devices 50 can be mounted in the feed-device mounting unit 42 while aligned in a row in the X-axis direction. Each feed-device 50 is provided with two transmitting units 52, 54 with respect to a main body 51, which are shaped to be long in the front-to-back direction (Y-axis direction), as shown in Fig. Figure 4 shows how to send the component feeder belt 60, which holds the electronic components E1, to the component feeder position S1. Although a cover element 511 is mounted on the main body 51, the cover element 511 is cut off to allow the configurations of both transmitting units 52, 54 to be visible. Fig. 4 to show.

[0034] Of these, the transmitting unit 52 is a front transmitting unit provided on a front part of the main body 51 and comprises a front motor 52A, a front gear assembly 52B consisting of a plurality of gears, a front ring gear 52C arranged in an upper part of a front end of the main body 51, and an intermediate ring gear 52D. As shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 3, the front motor 52A is electrically connected to the feed device control unit 59, and the feed device control unit 59 controls the drive of the front motor 52A in response to an operating command from the control unit 80. This causes the front motor 52A to operate according to the aforementioned assembly program 83A. The energy from the front motor 52A is then transmitted via the front gear assembly 52B to the front gear ring 52C and the intermediate gear ring 52D to rotate the front gear ring 52C and the intermediate gear ring 52D. The teeth 52E, which are to engage with the engagement holes 62B of the component feed belt 60, are formed at equal intervals on the outer periphery of this front gear ring 52C.Furthermore, the teeth 52F, which are to engage with the engagement holes 62B of the component feed belt 60, are formed at the same interval on the outer periphery of this intermediate gear ring 52D, similar to the front gear ring 52C. The front transmitting unit 52 sends the component feed belt 60, which was sent by the rear transmitting unit 54, to the component feed position S1 in a part of the front end of the feed device 50 by rotating the front gear ring 52C and the intermediate gear ring 52D with the teeth 52E of the front gear ring 52C, which engage with the engagement holes 62B of the component feed belt 60. Furthermore, an exposure mechanism (not shown) is provided between the intermediate gear 52D and the front gear 52C for exposing the electronic component E1 by cutting or peeling off the upper band 64 of the component feed band 60.

[0035] The rear transmitter unit 54 comprises a rear motor 54A, a rear gear assembly 54B consisting of a plurality of gears, and a rear ring gear 54C, which is arranged in an upper part of a rear end of the main body 51. The rear transmitter unit 54 is essentially designed similarly to the front transmitter unit 52. In particular, the rear motor 54A is electrically connected to the feed device control unit 59, as shown in Fig. Figure 3 shows that the feed device control unit 59 controls the drive of the rear motor 54A in response to an operating command from the control unit 80. This causes the rear motor 54A to operate according to the aforementioned assembly program 83A. The energy from the rear motor 54A is then transferred via the rear gear assembly 54B to the rear gear ring 54C to rotate the rear gear ring 54C with teeth 54D of the rear gear ring 54C that engage with the engagement holes 62B of the component feed belt 60. In this way, the component feed belt 60 is sent via a belt section 56 to the front transmitting unit 52.

[0036] As just described, in this embodiment the component feeder 60 is positioned in the rear transmitting unit 54, transmitted from the rear transmitting unit 54 to the front transmitting unit 52, and further transmitted by the front transmitting unit 52, thereby conveying the electronic components E1, which are housed in the component feeder 60, to the component feed position S1. Moreover, as previously described, when the teeth 52E of the front toothed ring 52C are engaged with the engagement holes 62B of the component feeder 60, the electronic components E1 can only be conveyed from the front transmitting unit 52 to the component feed position S1 without the teeth 54D of the rear toothed ring 54C being engaged with the engagement holes 62B of the component feeder 60, i.e., in a free state.Furthermore, the component feed belt 60, which was previously set in the feed unit 50 (hereinafter referred to as "preceding belt 60A"), can only be sent by means of the front transmitting unit 52, and a component feed belt 60 (hereinafter referred to as "following belt 60B"), which was set in the feed unit 50, can be sent from the rear transmitting unit 54 to the front transmitting unit 52 when a trailing end section of the preceding belt 60A approaches the feed unit 50, as will be described later. In this embodiment in particular, the front and rear transmitting units 52 and 54 are provided to enable the conveying of the component feed belts 60 in the following three modes.

[0037] First tape transmission mode: A component feed tape 60 is sent from the rear transmission unit 54 to the front transmission unit 52, and this component feed tape 60 is sent from the front transmission unit 52 to the component feed position S1.

[0038] Second tape transmission mode: A component feed tape 60 is only sent from the front transmission unit 52 to the component feed position S1.

[0039] Third tape transmission mode: The subsequent tape 60B is sent from the rear transmission unit 54 to the front transmission unit 52, independently of the transmission of the preceding tape 60A to the component feed position S1 only by means of the front transmission unit 52.

[0040] Furthermore, the main body 51 is provided with the tape section 56 from the rear transmitting unit 54 to the front transmitting unit 52, as shown in Fig. Figure 4 shows the embodiment in order to enable the execution of the three transmission modes described above, and is provided with an insertion region 53 for inserting the component feed belt 60 into the belt section 56. In particular, in this embodiment, the insertion region 53 is distributed conically in the vertical direction Z from a position that is connected to the belt section 56 with a rear end part of the main body 51.

[0041] In this embodiment, a tip of a belt adjustment unit 55, comprising a pair of belt support elements 551, 552, is provided to be inserted into and detached from the insertion region 53. By inserting the belt adjustment unit 55 into the insertion region 53, the component feed belt 60 can be sent by means of the rear sending unit 54 while being supported from below by the belt support elements 551, 552. Furthermore, the component feed belt 60 is moved to one side below the insertion region 53 and adjusted in a free position relative to the rear sending unit 54 by retracting (detaching) the belt adjustment unit 55 from the insertion region 53 and releasing the support provided by the belt support elements 551, 552. The design and operation of the band adjustment unit 55 and an adjustment movement mechanism 70 for moving the band adjustment unit 55 are described below with reference to the drawings.

[0042] Fig. 6A and Fig. Figure 6B shows perspective views of the overall design of the tape adjustment unit and the adjustment movement mechanism, where Fig. 6A shows a support release state in which the support of the band is released, and Fig. 6B shows a supported state in which supporting the ligament is possible. Moreover, Fig. 7A a side view of the tape adjustment unit and the adjustment movement mechanism, Fig. 7B is a cross-sectional view along BB of Fig. 7A, Fig. 7C is a cross-sectional view along CC of Fig. 7A, and Fig. 7D is a view of the band adjustment unit and the adjustment movement mechanism, viewed from the rear in the X-axis direction (left side of Fig. 7A). The belt adjustment unit 55 consists of the pair of belt support elements 551, 552, which are mounted in a width direction (Y-axis direction) of the component feed belt 60, as previously described. The adjustment movement mechanism 70 is designed to move the belt support elements 551, 552 simultaneously in a longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the belt adjustment unit 55 and to move the belt support elements 551, 552 towards and away from each other.

[0043] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the adjusting movement mechanism 70 comprises a fixing section 71, which is fixed to the main body 51, shaft elements 72, 73, which are movable forwards and backwards along the X-axis direction on a side opposite the component feed position (left side of Fig. 4) are provided with respect to the fixing section 71, and plate elements 74, 75, which rise upwards from tip parts (end parts on the opposite side of the component feed position) of the shaft elements 72, 73. A movement space 711, in which end parts of the shaft elements 72, 73 move horizontally on the side of the component feed position, extends in the X-axis direction in the fixing section 71. Moreover, as in Fig. 7A and Fig. Figure 7B shows a slot 712 in the X-axis direction, facing the above movement space 711 in the fixing section 71, and a projection 721, which extends upwards from the end part of the shaft element 72 at the component feed position. Moreover, this slot 712 is essentially L-shaped, as shown in Fig. 7B shown, and at a right angle in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the component feed belt 60 on the opposite side of the component feed position (left side of Fig. 7B) of the slot 712 is bent. Here, the slot 712 is completed, having a groove width slightly larger than the outer diameter of the projection 721, and the shaft element 72 is displaceable in the X-axis direction while exhibiting rotational movement that is limited except at a bend. Moreover, when the projection 721 reaches a bend, any displacement movement of the shaft element 72 toward the opposite side of the component feed position is stopped there, whereas the shaft element 72 is rotatable about an axis of rotation parallel to the longitudinal direction within an angular range equivalent to an increase in the groove width at the bend.

[0044] The other shaft element 73 is rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation that extends vertically in the longitudinal direction below the shaft element 72, and one end part of it is located on the opposite side of the component feed position (left side of Fig. 7B) is coupled via a coupler 78 to the end part of the shaft element 72 on the opposite side of the component feed position. This coupler 78 comprises a locking element 781, which is fixed to the shaft element 73, and a projection element 782, which projects from the shaft element 72 towards the locking element 781, as shown in Fig. Figure 7C shows that a lower end portion of the projection element 782 is finished into a substantially hemispherical surface. Furthermore, a recess 783 is formed in an upper surface of the blocking element 781 to correspond to the lower end portion of the projection element 782. By fitting the lower end portion of the projection element 782 into the recess 783 of the blocking element 781, the shaft elements 72 and 73 are coupled to one another.

[0045] Furthermore, the shaft elements 72, 73 can be rotated in opposite directions by configuring the coupler 78 as described above. If the shaft element 72 rotates clockwise in the plane of Fig. When 7C is rotated by an operator, as described later, the projection element 782 is displaced into the recess 783 of the locking element 781, and the shaft element 73 rotates counterclockwise about the axis of rotation, which rotates in the longitudinal direction X along with the locking element 781. When a rotational force is applied to one shaft element 72 by an external force in this way, the other shaft element 73 rotates in a correspondingly opposite direction. The plate elements 74, 75, which are parallel to each other, are articulated with the coupler 78 as a center point, and the belt support elements 551, 552, each secured to the upper end portions of the plate elements 74, 75, move apart in the lateral direction Y of the component feed belt 60 to release the belt support, as shown in Fig. 6A is shown. Conversely, if an external force is applied to the shaft element 72 in the opposite direction, the plate elements 74, 75, which are opened in a hinged manner by the rotational force opposite to the force mentioned above, return to parallel positions, and the belt support elements 551, 552 are integrated to return to a state in which the belt can be supported. The external force mentioned above refers to a force applied by the operator to the belt support elements 551, 552 and the lever element 553, which is coupled to the belt support element 551. Moreover, when the plate elements 74, 75 are closed to be parallel to each other, an interval between the plate elements 74, 75 is wider than the width of the component feed belt 60, so that the plate elements 74, 75 can move smoothly when the component feed belt 60 is located below the belt support elements 551, 552.

[0046] As just described, the band support elements 551, 552 can be switched between a support state ( Fig. 6B), in which the belt support elements 551, 552 are integrated to support the component feed belt 60 from below, and a non-support state ( Fig. 6A), in which the belt support elements 551, 552 are separated to release the support of the component feed belt 60 when the belt support elements 551, 552 are separated from the insertion region 53 while guided by the adjusting movement mechanism 70. The belt support elements 551, 552 have a substantially symmetrical structure, except for the presence or absence of the lever element 553. Thus, the belt support element 551, which has the lever element 553 coupled to it, is described below, with the same structural components being designated by the same reference numerals, and is not described for the belt support element 552.

[0047] Fig. 8A is a view showing the band support element when a band clamp is released from the lever element, and Fig. Figure 8B is a view showing the belt support element when a belt clamp is performed by the lever element. In each figure, a view viewed from one side in the Y-axis direction and a view viewed from the other side are drawn parallel to each other. The belt support element 551 comprises a base element 554, which is fixed to an upper end portion of the plate element 76, a movable element 555, which is movably mounted above the base element 554 in the vertical direction Z, and a spring element 556, which is positioned and configured between the upper surface of the base element 554 and the lower surface of the movable element 555 to pre-tension the movable element 555 upwards with respect to the base element 554. Of these, the upper surface of the movable element 555 serves as a belt support surface for supporting an end portion of the component feed belt 60 in the width direction Y from below.In particular, a contact wall, which rises slightly upwards, is formed on the upper surface of the movable element 555 to restrict the component feed belt 60 in the width direction. A contact wall is also formed on a movable element 555 of the belt support element 552, and when the pair of belt support elements 551, 552 is in the supported state as described later, end portions of the lower surface of the component feed belt 60 in the width direction Y are supported from below in the upper surface regions of the respective belt support elements 551, 552, which are layered between the two contact walls. An interval between the two contact walls is larger than one dimension of the component feed belt 60 in the width direction and can effectively prevent the component feed belt 60 from being displaced in the width direction and from being detached from the belt setting unit 55.Moreover, in a state where the belt support elements 551, 552 are closed and held in contact to support the component feed belt 60, the surfaces for supporting the component feed belt 60 are adjusted to form essentially no gap between the two belt support elements 551, 552. Even in a state where the belt adjustment unit 55 is set in the main body 51, as in . Fig. As shown in Figure 9F, the lever element 553 can be pushed downwards to insert and fit the component feed belt 60 into the toothed ring 54C. At this time, since there is no gap between the surfaces of the belt support elements 551, 552 that support the component feed belt 60, the component feed belt can simply be inserted along these surfaces.

[0048] Furthermore, a shaft support part 557 projects from a central section of the upper surface of the base element 554 and pivotably supports an end part of the lever element 553. On this end part of the lever element 553, a pin projects in the Y-axis direction to a position slightly offset from one shaft support position towards the other end part and locks into a part of the movable element 555. Additionally, a clamping plate 558 projects in the Y-axis direction towards the upper surface (band support surface) of the movable element 555 in a central section of the lever element 553. Thus, when no external force acts on the lever element 553, the movable element 555 is pushed upwards by a preload force of the spring element 556 to move into a position that is in Fig. Figure 8A shows that the lever element 553 rotates according to this movement, and the other end part of the lever element 553 is in a position where it points obliquely upwards. Furthermore, the clamping plate 558 is in a so-called non-clamping state, in order to be separated from the belt support surface of the movable element 555 and not to clamp the component feed belt 60.

[0049] On the other hand, when the operator pushes the other end part of the lever element 553 downwards against the preload force of the spring element 556, as indicated by a white arrow in Fig. As shown in Figure 8B, the lever element 553 is rotated around the shaft support part to push the movable element 555 downwards. Furthermore, the clamping plate 558 reaches a so-called clamping state to interact with the movable element 555 to clamp the component feed belt 60. When the operator releases the lever element 553 in this state, the lever element 553 is held in place by the preload force of the spring element 556 ( Fig. 8A) returned to the non-jamming state.

[0050] Furthermore, in addition to a clamping switching function for switching between the clamping state and the unclamping state, the lever element 553 has a support switching function for switching the band setting unit 55 between a band support state and a support release state, in which the band support state is released by receiving an external force in the Y-axis direction. That is, if the operator applies a force in one direction to move the lever element 553 towards the band support element 552 (direction towards a lower right side in Fig. 6A) to move out of the Y-axis directions, with the entire band adjustment unit 55 pulled out of the main body 51, as shown in Fig. 6A and Fig. As shown in Figure 6B, the belt support element 551 is located at a position below one end part of the component feed belt 60 in the width direction Y (corresponding to a “first support position” of the invention), as shown in Fig. Figure 6B shows the belt support element 552 to support one end part of the component feed belt 60 from below. Furthermore, the belt support element 552 is positioned below the other end part of the component feed belt 60 (corresponding to a "second support position" of the invention), as shown in Figure 6B. Fig. Figure 6B shows how to support the other end part of the component feed belt 60 from below. Since the pair of belt support elements 551, 552 are close to each other and thus support the component feed belt 60, i.e., are in the belt support state, the component feed belt 60 can be stably supported.

[0051] Furthermore, in this embodiment a coupler 57 is provided to stabilize the tape support state. This coupler 57 consists of a magnet 571, which is secured to the base element 554 of the tape support element 551, and a magnet 572, which is secured to the base element 554 of the tape support element 552, as shown in Fig. Figure 7D shows the mechanism coupling the tape support elements 551 and 552 to each other by a magnetic attraction force generated between the two magnets 571 and 572, which are facing each other proximally in the tape support state. A magnetic attraction force can be generated if one of the two magnets is replaced by a magnetic body.

[0052] If the operator applies a force greater than the aforementioned magnetic attraction force in a direction to separate the lever element 553 from the belt support element 552 (in a direction towards a lower left side of Fig. 6B) To separate the belt support element 551 from the Y-axis directions, the belt support element 551 moves to a first unsupported position, which is separated from the first support position in one direction towards the opposite side of the belt support element 552 in the Y-axis directions. Furthermore, in coordination with the aforementioned movement, the belt support element 552 is moved by the adjusting movement mechanism 70 to a second unsupported position, which is separated from the second support position in one direction towards the opposite side of the belt support element 551 in the Y-axis directions. In this way, the pair of belt support elements 551, 552 is retracted from the positions below the component feed belt 60, thereby releasing the support of the component feed belt 60.

[0053] As just described, according to this embodiment, three operations are possible, i.e. a switching operation for setting and releasing the tape support state; an operation of inserting / removing the belt setting unit 55 into and from the insertion region 53; a switching operation for switching between the clamping state and the non-clamping state; The operation can be performed simultaneously in parallel by the operator using a push-button operation of the lever element 553, thereby achieving excellent operational capability.

[0054] Next, the operation of mounting a new component feed belt 60 into the feed device 50, which does not yet have a component feed belt 60 mounted in it and feeds components, and the operation of setting a subsequent belt 60 while feeding the components by means of a preceding belt 60A and preparing for the next belt change in the surface mounting machine 1, which is designed as described, are described with reference to Fig. 9A to 9F described.

[0055] Fig. Figures 9A to 9F are diagrams that schematically illustrate the procedure for mounting the component feed belt into the feed device. The dashed line TP0 in these figures indicates a transmission path along which the component feed belt 60 is sent to the component feed position S1 along the belt section 56. Furthermore, the dashed line TP1 indicates a transmission path formed in an upper compartment of the insertion region 53 by inserting the belt adjustment unit 55 into the insertion region 53, in which the component feed belt 60 is sent to the belt section 56, and, in this embodiment, this transmission path is beveled downwards towards the belt section 56. Additionally, the dashed line TP2 indicates a transmission path formed in a lower compartment of the insertion region 53, in which the component feed belt 60 is sent to the belt section 56 only by means of the front transmission unit 52.

[0056] In the case of inserting a component feed belt 60 into an empty feed unit 50 from the plurality of feed units 50 mounted in the feed unit assembly unit 42, the following manual operation is performed by the operator. First, as indicated by a white arrow from Fig. As shown in Figure 9A, the belt adjusting unit 55 of this feed device 50 is pulled out of the insertion region 53 and detached from the main body 51, with the feed device 50 being mounted in the feed device assembly unit 42. In this detached state, the component feed belt 60 is sent from the drum support section (not shown), and the tip of the component feed belt 60 is aligned with a marking MK provided on a tip portion of the belt adjusting unit 55 and placed on the upper surfaces of the pair of belt support elements 551, 552, which are coupled to each other by the coupler 57. In this embodiment, stepped portions provided on the upper surfaces of the respective movable elements 555, more precisely end surface positions of the contact walls on the side of the component feed position S1, are set as the marking MK.When the belt adjusting unit 55 is inserted into the insertion region 53, the MK marking can reach a position slightly beyond the rear toothed ring 54C, and the leading end of the component feed belt 60 can be located directly below the rear toothed ring 54C. This allows the teeth 54D of the rear toothed ring 54C to engage stably with the engagement holes 62B of the component feed belt 60. A different structure than the stepped parts can be used for the MK marking. Furthermore, the MK marking can be added to the belt adjusting unit 55.

[0057] When the component feed belt 60 is positioned in this way, the two end parts of the component feed belt 60 are supported in the width direction Y from below by the belt support elements 551, 552. As indicated by an arrow F from Fig. As shown in Figure 9B, the component feed belt 60 is clamped by the clamping plate 558 and the movable element 555 by pressing down the lever element 553, and the belt adjusting unit 55 is moved towards the insertion region 53, maintaining the clamping state. As just described, in this embodiment a so-called presetting process of the component feed belt 60 is carried out to position and clamp the component feed belt 60 at a predetermined position by means of the belt adjusting unit 55 before the component feed belt 60 is inserted into the main body 51 of the feed device 50.

[0058] When the belt setting unit 55, in which the component feed belt 60 is preset, is inserted into the insertion region 53, the leading end part of the component feed belt 60 is positioned directly below the rear toothed ring 54C, as shown in Fig. Figure 9C shows that when the downward pressure of the lever element 553 is released, the movable elements 555 are moved upward by the preloading forces of the spring elements 556 to press the leading end part of the component feed belt 60 against the rear toothed ring 54C. In this way, the teeth 54D of the rear toothed ring 54C engage with the engagement holes 62B of the component feed belt 60, and the lower surface of the component feed belt 60 is elastically supported by the movable elements 555. Thus, the component feed belt 60 can be stably sent from the rear sending unit 54, while preventing the application of pressure exceeding the preload forces of the spring elements 556 acting on the component feed belt 60.

[0059] When the preparation to send the component feeder 60 via the rear transmitting unit 54 is completed in this way, and the operator issues a setting command to the control unit 80 via the input unit 89, the control unit 80, in response to this command, drives the rear motor 54A to rotate the rear gear ring 54C, sends the leading end part of the component feeder 60 to the front of the feed device 50, and engages the tip part with the teeth 52E of the front gear ring 52 (first transmit step), as shown in Fig. 9D shown.

[0060] Once the preparation for feeding the components is complete, the control unit 80 controls each part of the surface mounting machine 1 according to the aforementioned assembly program 83A to feed the electronic components E1 from the feed devices 50 and to mount the electronic components E1 onto the surface of the printed circuit board P1 using the head unit 32. Although the first transmission step and the mounting of components based on assembly program 83A are executed differently, it is self-evident that the first transmission step can be integrated into assembly program 83A.

[0061] As just described, since in this embodiment the component feed belt 60 is adjusted in the main body 51 of the feed device 50 using the belt adjustment unit 55, the component feed belt 60 can be easily inserted into the main body 51 without deformation. Furthermore, since the presetting process is carried out using the MK marking provided on the belt adjustment unit 55, the component feed belt 60 can be inserted stably.

[0062] While the electronic components E1 are being fed, the feeder 50 continues to send the component feeder 60 to the component feeder position S1, and the remaining portion of the component feeder 60 decreases in the meantime. Accordingly, while the component feeder 60 continues to be sent to the component feeder position S1 at intervals, the operator sets the next component feeder 60, i.e., the subsequent belt 60B, by means of the following manual operation until the components are fed by the preceding belt 60A, which means that the above component feeder 60 has finished.

[0063] In a state where the preceding belt 60A continues to be sent to the component feed position S1, the belt setting unit 55 is pulled out of the insertion region 53, as indicated by a white arrow in Fig. 9E, and detached from the main body 51. Subsequently, a force is applied in one direction to separate the lever element 553 from the band support element 552 away from the Y-axis directions, thereby moving the band support elements 551, 552 to the "first non-support position" and the "second non-support position" respectively, as indicated by an arrow AR in Fig. 9E is specified. This means that the pair of belt support elements 551, 552 are simultaneously retracted from their positions below the component feed belt 60 to release the support of the component feed belt 60. In this way, the preceding belt 60A moves vertically downwards in the insertion region 53 under its own weight and is separated from the rear toothed ring 54C, and the transmission path for the preceding belt 60A is switched from transmission path TP1 to transmission path TP2 in the insertion region 53 (belt position switching step). At this time, the preceding component feed belt 60A is already engaged with the front toothed ring 52C, which is why the preceding belt 60A can still be sent to the component feed position S1 by rotating the front toothed ring 52C, even if it is separated from the rear toothed ring 54C (second transmission step).

[0064] When a downward movement of the preceding belt 60A in the insertion region 53 is completed, the lever element 553 is returned to an initial position, the pair of belt support elements 551, 552 are coupled and integrated, and the subsequent belt 60B is inserted as in the setting operation of the preceding belt 60A (a series of operations that are in Fig. (9A to 9C are shown) are inserted into the insertion region 53, the teeth 54D of the rear gear ring 54C are engaged with the engagement holes 62B of the component feed belt 60, and the lower surface of the component feed belt 60 is elastically supported by the movable elements 555, thereby completing the adjustment of the subsequent belt 60B.

[0065] Subsequently, when a belt sensor (not shown) detects the passage of a trailing end section of the preceding belt 60A through the belt path 56, the feed device control unit 59, which has received the detection signal, drives the rear motor 54A to rotate the rear gear 54C. In this way, a leading end section of the following belt 60B is sent to the front of the feed device 50 and engaged with the front gear 52C.

[0066] In this embodiment, when the absence of the preceding belt 60A in the belt path 56 is detected by a belt sensor, the feed device control unit 59 drives the rear motor 54A to rotate at a faster speed than the front motor 52A for a predetermined time. In this way, the following belt 60B is sent faster than the preceding belt 60A for the predetermined time, causing the leading end of the following belt 60B to approach the trailing end of the preceding belt 60A.

[0067] The aforementioned predetermined time is calculated and preset as explained below. In particular, in this embodiment, the front motor 52A is rotated at a constant speed, and the control unit 80 can calculate, from a transmission speed of the component feed belt 60 from the front motor 52A and a distance between the belt sensor and the rear toothed ring 54C, a time until the leading end of the following belt 60B reaches the trailing end of the preceding belt 60A, and set the calculated time as the predetermined time mentioned above.

[0068] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the pair of belt support elements 551, 552 are positioned at the first support position and the second support position, respectively, to support the component feed belt 60 from below. Then, by moving the belt support elements 551, 552 to the first unsupported position and the second unsupported position, the support of the component feed belt 60 is released, and the component feed belt 60 is moved vertically downwards by its own weight, thereby switching the transmission path from transmission path TP1 (upper space of the insertion region 53) to transmission path TP2 (lower space of the insertion region 53). This effectively prevents excessive load from being applied to the component feed belt 60 during the aforementioned movement, and the components can be fed stably.Consequently, the frequency of errors during component feeding can be reduced and the operating speed of the surface assembly machine 1 can be improved.

[0069] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the direction of movement of the band support element 551 from the first support position to the first non-support position and the direction of movement of the band support element 552 from the second support position to the second non-support position along the width direction Y are opposite to each other, as shown in Fig. 6A, Fig. 6B and Fig. Figure 7D shows that both belt support elements 551, 552 move to be open at the center of the component feed belt 60, thus releasing the belt support. This effectively prevents the belt support elements 551, 552 from interfering with the component placement sections 62A, which are provided in a central part of the component feed belt 60 in the width direction Y, and allows the component feed belt 60 to move stably downwards.

[0070] By adopting such a double opening structure, the amount of movement of each belt support element 551, 552 in the width direction Y to release the support of the component feed belt 60 can be reduced, and interference with adjacent feed device(s) 50 can be suppressed.

[0071] Furthermore, since the structure for inserting and detaching the belt adjusting unit 55 into and from the main body 51 of the feed device 50 is assumed to be as described above, the belt adjusting unit 55 could be lost when it is detached from the main body 51 if the belt adjusting unit 55 were independent of the main body 51. However, since the belt support elements 551, 552 are coupled to the main body 51 by means of the adjusting movement mechanism 70 in this embodiment, the aforementioned loss can be reliably prevented.

[0072] Although, moreover, the structure for inserting and detaching the band adjusting unit 55 into and from the main body 51 by means of the adjusting movement mechanism 70 is assumed, movement of the shaft element 72 in a rotational direction is limited by the projecting part 721, which is guided by the groove width of the slot 712, while the band support elements 551, 552 are inserted at least partially into the insertion region 53, i.e., as indicated by the dashed line in Fig. 7B shown. By means of this movement restriction it is possible to reliably prevent problems such as damage to the component feed belt 60 and failure of the feed device 50 due to the drop of the component feed belt 60 caused by the faulty opening of the belt support elements 551, 552 while the belt setting unit 55 is being pulled out of the insertion region 53.

[0073] Moreover, as in Fig. 9A and Fig. Figure 9E shows that the manual operations, such as the operation of supporting the component feed belt 60 on the belt support elements 551, 552, wherein the entire belt adjusting unit 55 is detached from the main body 51 of the feed device 50, and the operation of releasing the support of the component feed belt 60, are simply implemented and are highly operational. In particular, the aforementioned functions and effects are noteworthy in the surface assembly machine 1, in which a plurality of feed devices 50 are mounted adjacent to each other in the feed device assembly units 42.

[0074] Although the transmission path TP1 for sending the tape setting unit 55, which is inserted into the insertion region 53, to the tape section 56, whereby the component feed tape 60 is clamped and supported, as in Fig. As shown in the first embodiment in Figure 9B, this transmission path TP1 is beveled downwards towards the tape section 56, as shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 9C is shown. Thus, the following functions and effects are obtained. A component feed belt is normally wound in a drum and in many cases provided with a so-called special winding. By setting a tilt direction of the transmission path TP1 opposite to a direction of a special winding as described above, the special winding functions can be used to support a downward movement when the component feed belt 60 is moved downwards by its own weight, for example as in Fig. 9E is shown, and the transmission path can be switched more reliably from transmission path TP1 to transmission path TP2.

[0075] Furthermore, when the pair of belt support elements 551, 552 are located at the first and second support positions, respectively, i.e., when the component feed belt 60 is supported from below, both belt support elements 551, 552 are coupled to each other by means of the coupler 57. Thus, the component feed belt 60 can be stably supported from below by the belt support elements 551, 552.

[0076] Fig. Figure 10 is a side view showing a component feeding device according to a second embodiment of the invention. Furthermore, Fig. Figure 11 is a perspective partial view of the component feeding device, which is located in Fig. 10 is shown. In addition, Fig. 12 a view of the component feeding device, which is in Fig. Figure 10 shows a view from the opposite side of the component feed position. This second embodiment differs significantly from the first embodiment in that band support elements 551, 552 are integrated into a band adjusting unit 55, and that a support element integrating the band support elements 551, 552 is coupled to a shaft element 72 by means of a plate element 74 and is rotated between a support position and a non-support position. The other configuration and operation are fundamentally similar to those of the first embodiment. Thus, the following description focuses on differences, and the same components and operations are designated by the same or corresponding reference numerals and not described in detail.

[0077] In this second embodiment, a movable element 555 is movably mounted in a vertical direction Z above a base element 554, and a spring element 556 is mounted between the upper surface of the base element 554 and the lower surface of the movable element 555 to bias the movable element 555 upwards relative to the base element 554. Furthermore, the base element 554 is fixed to an upper end portion of the plate element 74. Additionally, a lower end portion of the plate element 74 is fixed to the shaft element 72. Thus, similar to the first band support element 551 in the first embodiment, the band adjusting unit 55 can be inserted into and removed from a main body 51 by means of an adjusting movement mechanism 70. Furthermore, when the band adjusting unit 55 is completely withdrawn from an insertion region 53 (see Fig. 10 and Fig. 11), the shaft element 72 rotatable about a fixed angle α about an axis of rotation which extends parallel to an X-axis direction.

[0078] In this second embodiment, a component feed belt 60 is set in an empty feed device 50 by means of a manual operation similar to that of the first embodiment, wherein a subsequent belt 60 is set in the feed device 50 as follows. In particular, the belt setting unit 55 is pulled out from the insertion region 53 in a state as indicated by a white arrow. Fig. 10 and Fig. Figure 11 shows that the component feed belt 60 is sent to a component feed position S1 and separated from the main body 51. A lever element 553 is then attached as shown in Figure 11. Fig. 12 operated to rotate the band adjusting unit 55 by the angle α about the axis of rotation. In this way, the band support elements (corresponding to the band support elements 551, 552 of the first embodiment), which are provided in the band adjusting unit 55 and support a preceding band (not shown) from below, move in one direction of rotation (counterclockwise direction in the plane of Fig. 12) from positions below the component feeder belt (not shown) to release the support of the component feeder belt 60. In this way, the preceding belt in the insertion region 53 moves vertically downwards by its own weight, and a transmit path for the preceding belt in the insertion region 53 is switched from a transmit path TP1 to a transmit path TP2. When a downward movement of the preceding belt in the insertion region 53 is thus completed, the subsequent belt (not shown) is inserted into the insertion region 53 to initiate the setting of the subsequent belt similar to the setting operation of the preceding belt 60A (a series of operations that are described in Fig. (as shown in Figures 9A to 9C) in the first embodiment to end after the lever element 553 has returned to an initial position and the band adjustment unit 55 is facing the insertion region 53.

[0079] As previously described, in the second embodiment the band support elements (not shown) of the band adjustment unit 55 are located at the support positions ( Fig. 10) positioned to support the component feed belt from below, while the belt support elements are simultaneously moved in one piece to the non-support positions ( Fig. 12) to release the support of the component feeder belt, and the component feeder belt is moved vertically downwards by its own weight to switch the transmission path from transmission path TP1 (upper space of the insertion region 53) to transmission path TP2 (lower space of the insertion region 53). Thus, as in the first embodiment, it is effectively prevented that an excessive load is applied to the component feeder belt during the aforementioned movement, and the components can be fed stably. Consequently, the error rate during component feeding can be reduced, and the operating speed of a surface mounting machine 1 can be improved.

[0080] As previously described, in the embodiments above, the electronic component E1 corresponds to an example of a "component" of the invention, and the feed device 50 corresponds to an example of a "component feeding device" of the invention. Furthermore, the belt adjustment unit 55 and the adjustment movement mechanism 70 each correspond to examples of a "belt support" and a "movement device" of the invention, and these function as a "belt position switching mechanism" of the invention. Moreover, the belt support elements 551 and 552 each correspond to examples of a "first belt support element" and a "second belt support element" of the invention.

[0081] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications to these embodiments can be made without departing from the main point of the invention. For example, although the pair of band support elements 551, 552 are both opened by the two shaft elements 72, 73 and the coupler 78, as shown in Fig. 7C in the first embodiment shown above, the double opening structure is not limited to this, and a conventionally known double opening structure can be used. The shaft elements 72, 73 can, for example, be double tubes that are fitted inside one another.

[0082] Moreover, in the above embodiments, when the manual operation of the lever element 553 is stopped, for example by the operator releasing the lever element 553, the lever element 553 is returned to its initial position, and the return is made from the clamping state ( Fig. 8B) to the non-clamping state ( Fig. 8A) by means of the preload forces of the spring elements 556. Here, a detent mechanism can be integrated into a rotary mechanism for the lever element 553, and the return can be determined by the clamping state ( Fig. 8B) to the non-clamping state ( Fig. 8A) via the locking mechanism.

[0083] Although the coupler 78 is also provided with a convex-concave structure, as shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 7C, to move the band support elements 551, 552 simultaneously in the first embodiment, the band support elements 551, 552 can be moved simultaneously by another structure. Furthermore, both band support elements 551, 552 can be opened by moving band support element 552 at a slightly delayed time compared to a movement of band support element 551.

[0084] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the invention is applied to a so-called self-loading feed device for suppressing interruptions in the component feeding process by automatically sending the subsequent belt 60B to bring the leading end of the subsequent belt 60B towards the trailing end of the preceding belt 60A during the component feeding process by means of the preceding belt 60B. However, the invention is not limited to this application and can be applied to component feeding techniques in general to send the component feeding belt 60 in the longitudinal direction for feeding electronic components E1.

[0085] Since the specific embodiments have been shown and described above, the invention can be designed such that the belt position switching mechanism includes the motion device which is designed to insert and detach the belt support from the insertion region while the belt support and the main body are coupled, thereby preventing the loss of the belt support when the belt support is detached from the main body.

[0086] Furthermore, the movement of the belt support in a lateral direction can be restricted while the belt support is at least partially inserted into the insertion region. This restriction can be lifted once the belt support is completely detached from the insertion region. This is necessary because, if the belt support moves laterally while at least partially inserted into the insertion region, the component feed belt will fall off the support due to the movement of entering between the belt support and the main body. This damages the component feed belt and causes the device to fail. Therefore, it is desirable to lift the restriction of the movement once the belt support is completely detached from the insertion region, allowing the position of the component feed belt to be changed without causing the aforementioned problems.

[0087] Moreover, separating the entire belt support from the main body in this way is also advantageous with regard to improving operational efficiency. In particular, separating it from the main body ensures a relatively wide working area, and the component feed belt can be supported by the belt support and moved downwards within this working area, thus maintaining excellent operational efficiency.

[0088] Furthermore, the transmission path for sending the component feeder belt, supported by the belt prop, to the belt section in the insertion region can be formed by inserting the belt prop, positioned at the prop position, into the insertion region, and the transmission path can be inclined downwards towards the belt section. A component feeder belt is usually wound onto a drum and in many cases features a special winding. When the component feeder belt is moved downwards from the transmission path, which is configured as described above, one inclination direction of the transmission path is opposite to one direction of the special winding, and the component feeder belt is moved downwards easily using the special winding.

[0089] Furthermore, the design of the belt support is arbitrary. However, the belt support can, for example, consist of a first support element designed to support one end of the component feed belt from below at the first support position in the width direction of the component feed belt, and a second support element designed to support the other end of the component feed belt in the width direction at the second support position. The component feed belt can be stably supported by supporting both end parts of the component feed belt in the width direction in this way.

[0090] In the case of supporting the component feed belt by means of the two support elements as described above, the first support element can also be movable between a first non-support position, which is separated from the first support position in one direction towards an opposite side of the second support element along the width direction, and the first support position, and the second support element can be movable between a second non-support position, which is separated from the second support position in one direction towards an opposite side of the first support element along the width direction, and the second support position, and the support of the component feed belt can be released by moving the first support element from the first support position to the first non-support position, and the second support element from the second support position to the second non-support position.In this case, the support of the component feed belt by means of the belt support can be reliably solved by moving both of the two support elements to the non-support positions, and the position of the component feed belt can be switched stably.

[0091] Furthermore, by moving the first support element from the first support position to the first non-support position and the second support element from the second support position to the second non-support position, interference with the component feed belt can be reliably prevented, and the position of the component feed belt can be switched more stably.

[0092] Furthermore, the belt position switching mechanism can include a coupler designed to couple the first support element at the first support position and the second support element at the second support position to each other by means of a magnetic attraction force, thereby enabling the component feed belt to be stably supported from below by means of the two support elements.

[0093] Furthermore, the support of the component feeder belt can be released by moving the first and second support elements simultaneously from their support positions to their unsupported positions. The support of the component feeder belt by means of the belt support can be reliably released, and the position of the component feeder belt can be stably switched, by moving both of the two support elements to their unsupported positions.

[0094] Although the invention has been described above using the specific embodiments, this description should not be interpreted as limiting. With reference to the description of the invention, various modifications of the disclosed embodiments will be apparent to a person skilled in the art, which are similar to other embodiments of the invention. The pending claims are therefore intended to encompass these modifications and embodiments without deviating from the true scope of protection of the invention. [INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY]

[0095] This invention can be applied to component feeding techniques in general for feeding components by sending a component feeding belt in a longitudinal direction of the component feeding belt, and to a surface mounting machine for mounting the components which are fed onto a plate by means of the above techniques. [REFERENCE MARK LIST] 1 Surface Mounting Machine 30 Component assembly equipment 32 head unit 50 Feed device 51 Main body 53 Introduction region 55 Band adjustment unit 56 conveyor belt 57 couplers 60, 60A, 60B Component feed belt 70 Adjustment movement mechanism 551 (first) band support element 552 (second) band support element 553 Lever element E1 electronic component P1 circuit board S1 Component feed position TP1, TP2 transmission path X Longitudinal direction Y Latitude direction Z vertical direction

Claims

[1] Component feeding device for feeding components by sending a component feeding belt (60, 60A, 60B) which holds the components in a longitudinal direction (X) of the component feeding belt (60, 60A, 60B), the device comprising: a main body (51) comprising a belt section (56) configured to guide the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) which is sent in the longitudinal direction (X) to a component feed position (S1), and an insertion region (53) which is provided to communicate with the belt section (56) on a opposite side of the component feed position (S1) in the longitudinal direction (X), and is configured to insert the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) into the belt section (56); and a belt position switching mechanism designed to switch the position of the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) in a vertical direction (Z) with respect to the belt length (56) on the opposite side of the component feed position (S1); where: the belt position switching mechanism comprises a belt support that is movable between a support position for supporting the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) from below and a non-support position that is separated from the support position in a width direction (Y) of the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B); and The belt support releases the support of the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) in order to move the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) downwards by moving from the support position to the non-support position. [2] Component feeding device according to claim 1, wherein: The band position switching mechanism comprises a motion device designed to insert and detach the band support from the insertion region (53) while the band support and the main body (51) are coupled. [3] Component feeding device according to claim 2, wherein: The motion device restricts movement of the belt support in the lateral direction (Y) while the belt support is at least partially inserted into the insertion region (53), while the motion device releases the restriction of movement, whereby the entire belt support is detached from the insertion region (53). [4] Component feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: a transmission path (TP1, TP2) configured to send the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B), which is supported by the belt support, to the belt section (56) formed in the insertion region (53) by inserting the belt support, which is positioned at the support position, into the insertion region (53); and the transmission path (TP1, TP2) is sloped downwards towards the tape section (56). [5] Component feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: the belt support comprises a first support element configured to support an end part of the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) in the width direction (Y) of the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) at a first support position, and a second support element configured to support the other end part of the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) in the width direction (Y) of the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) at a second support position. [6] Component feeding device according to claim 5, wherein: the first support element is movable between a first non-support position, which is separated from the first support position in a direction towards an opposite side of the second support element in the width direction (Y), and the first support position; the second support element is located between a second non-support position, which is separated from the second support position in a direction towards an opposite side of the first support element in the width direction (Y), and the second support position; is movable; and The support of the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) is solved by moving the first support element from the first support position to the first non-support position, and the second support element from the second support position to the second non-support position. [7] Component feeding device according to claim 6, wherein: A movement of the first support element from the first support position to the first non-support position and a movement of the second support element from the second support position to the second non-support position are performed simultaneously. [8] Component feeding device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: the band position switching mechanism comprises a coupler (57) configured to couple the first support element at the first support position and the second support element at the second support position by means of a magnetic attraction force. [9] Component feeding device according to claim 5, wherein: The first support element and the second support element relieve the support of the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) by moving in one piece from the support positions to the non-support positions. [10] Component feeding method for feeding components to a component feeding position (S1) by sending a component feeding belt (60, 60A, 60B) which holds the components in a longitudinal direction (X) of the component feeding belt (60, 60A, 60B) through a belt section (56) which is provided in a main body (51) of a component feeding device, wherein the method comprises: a first transmission step of sending the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) to the belt section (56) via an upper space of an insertion region (53) provided in the main body (51) to communicate with the belt section (56) on an opposite side of the component feed position (S1) in the longitudinal direction (X); a second transmission step of sending the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) to the belt section (56) via a lower space located below the upper space in the insertion region (53); and a belt position switching step of switching a transmission path (TP1, TP2) for the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) in the insertion region (53) from the upper space to the lower space; where: the first transmission step comprises a step of forming the transmission path (TP1, TP2) in the upper space by supporting the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) from below by means of a belt support positioned at a support position; and The belt position switching step includes a step of releasing the support of the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) and moving the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B) into the lower space by moving the belt support to a non-support position that is separated from the support position in a width direction (Y) of the component feed belt (60, 60A, 60B). [11] Surface mounting machine (1), comprising: the component feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 9; and a head unit (32) configured to mount the components on a plate supplied by the component feeder.

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