Gantry apparatus and component mounting system

Abstract

To ensure positional precision while achieving space saving and a low cost.SOLUTION: A component mounting system 1 includes a beam 14, a pair of rails 13 that support the beam 14 so that the beam can freely move in a Y direction, a head unit 6 mounted on the beam 14, a Y-axis linear motor 15, a first Y-axis encoder 16 that acquires position information on a first end 14a of the bean 14, a second Y-axis encoder 17 that acquires position information on a second end 14b, and a Y-axis control unit 30 that controls the Y-axis linear motor 15. The Y-axis linear motor 15 gives a drive force to the first end 14a of the beam 14. The Y-axis control unit 30 estimates a Y-direction current position of the head unit 6 or a control object, which is a loaded object of the head unit, on the basis of the pieces of position information received from the Y-axis encoders 16 and 17 respectively, and controls the Y-axis linear motor 15 on the basis of the estimated position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gantry apparatus and a component mounting apparatus having the gantry apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Component mounting devices are well known that use a component mounting head to pick up components from a component supply area and mount (mount) the components on a substrate such as a printed wiring board located at a work position. Many component mounting devices are equipped with a gantry device as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, and employ a configuration in which the gantry device moves the head (work unit) in horizontal directions (X and Y directions).

[0003] The gantry device is a so-called gate-shaped movement mechanism that includes a pair of rails extending parallel to each other in the Y direction, a beam extending in the X direction and movably supported on the pair of rails, and a motor that moves the beam along the pair of rails, with the head attached to the beam. The head is provided movably in the X direction along the beam.

[0004] The component mounting device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a pair of linear motors at both ends of the beam as the motors, each of which applies a driving force in the Y direction to the beam. In other words, a double drive system is used as the beam driving system. The double drive system, which applies driving force to both ends of the beam, reduces movement error at both ends and increases the positional accuracy of the head in the Y direction compared to a single drive system, which applies driving force to only one end of the beam. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-140749 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The conventional component mounting device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the advantage of high positional accuracy of the head in the Y direction because it is equipped with a double-drive gantry device. However, since it is necessary to arrange a linear motor along each of the pair of rails, not only does it require more space than a single-drive system, but it also increases costs.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a gantry device that can ensure good positional accuracy of controlled parts such as work units while saving space and reducing costs, and a component mounting device equipped with such a gantry device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention provides a gantry apparatus comprising: a beam having a first end and a second end and extending in a first direction; a pair of guide members extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and movably supporting the beam at the first end and the second end; a working unit mounted on the beam; a motor that generates a driving force to move the beam in the second direction; and a control unit that controls the motor, wherein the gantry apparatus comprises a first information acquisition unit that acquires first position information, which is position information of the first end in the second direction, and a second information acquisition unit that acquires second position information, which is position information of the second end in the second direction, and is configured so that the driving force of the motor is input only to the first end of the beam, and the control unit estimates the current position of the working unit or an object mounted on the working unit as a controlled object in the second direction based on the first position information acquired by the first information acquisition unit and the second position information acquired by the second information acquisition unit, and controls the motor based on this estimated position.

[0009] The above terms "first end" and "second end" each mean to include the end of the beam as well as a portion within a predetermined range including the end of the beam.

[0010] In this gantry apparatus, a driving force is input only to one end (first end) of the beam in the longitudinal direction (first direction), and the beam and the working unit move in the second direction due to this driving force. In other words, the driving method is a single driving method that drives only one end of the beam. However, in this gantry apparatus, the control unit estimates the position of the controlled object in the second direction based on the position information acquired by the first and second information acquisition units, i.e., the position information in the second direction of both ends of the beam (first position information, second position information), and controls the motor based on this estimated position. Therefore, compared to controlling the motor based on the position information of only one end of the beam, even with the same single driving method, the position of the controlled object in the second direction can be controlled with higher accuracy. Therefore, the above-mentioned gantry apparatus makes it possible to ensure good positional accuracy in the second direction of the controlled object, such as the working unit, while achieving space savings and cost reductions.

[0011] In this case, the control unit is configured to determine a deviation between the estimated position and a target position of the control target part in the second direction, and to control the motor based on the deviation.

[0012] With this configuration, the control unit can move the controlled object with high precision relative to the target position by controlling the motor, for example, based on the deviation between the estimated position and the target position, so as to reduce the deviation.

[0013] If the working unit moves in the first direction along the beam, the following configuration is preferable: When the target position is defined as a second target position, the control unit estimates the current position based on the first position information, the second position information, and the first target position, which is the target position of the controlled unit in the first direction.

[0014] This configuration makes it possible to more accurately control the position of the controlled part in the second direction. That is, if there is a misalignment between the positions of both ends of the beam in the second direction, in other words, if the beam is tilted, the position of the controlled part in the second direction will differ depending on the position of the work unit in the first direction. Therefore, as described above, if the control unit estimates the position of the controlled part in the second direction based on the target position (first target position) of the controlled part in the first direction, the positional accuracy of the controlled part in the second direction is improved.

[0015] Furthermore, if the working unit moves in the first direction along the beam, the following configuration can also be adopted: the working unit may further include a third information acquisition unit that acquires third position information, which is position information of the working unit in the first direction, and the control unit estimates the current position based on the third position information acquired by the third information acquisition unit in addition to the first position information and the second position information.

[0016] According to this configuration, the position of the controlled object in the second direction is estimated by taking into account the third position information in addition to the first position information and the second position information, and therefore, as described above, the position accuracy of the controlled object in the second direction is improved.

[0017] In the above-described gantry device, when the estimated position is defined as a first estimated position and control of the motor based on the first estimated position is defined as a first mode, the control unit may be further configured to be capable of executing a second mode in which the control unit estimates a second estimated position, which is the current position of the control target part in the second direction, based only on first position information acquired by the first information acquisition unit of the first information acquisition unit and the second information acquisition unit, and controls the motor based on the second estimated position, and may be configured to control the motor in a mode, out of the first mode and the second mode, that is preset for each operation.

[0018] In the above configuration, "based only on the first position information" means that, as the position information of the beam end, only the first position information is used out of the first position information and the second position information, and does not mean that the second estimated position is estimated based solely on the first position information.

[0019] With this configuration, a preset mode is selectively executed for each operation from the first mode and the second mode. In the first mode, the current position of the controlled object is estimated based on the first position information and the second position information, and therefore the estimated position is more accurate than in the second mode, in which the current position of the controlled object is estimated based only on the first position information. In other words, with this configuration, the first motor control is executed for operations requiring high positioning accuracy, and the second mode is executed for operations requiring lower positioning accuracy. This reduces the control burden caused by uniformly controlling the motor in the first mode, and ensures sharp motor control.

[0020] The gantry apparatus may be configured such that the control unit feedback-controls the motor based on the position information acquired by each position information acquisition unit so that the estimated position coincides with the target position, but may also be configured as follows: That is, after the movement of the beam in the second direction is completed, if the deviation is not within an allowable range, the control unit executes a correction process to move the beam so that the deviation falls within the allowable range.

[0021] According to this configuration, the positional accuracy of the controlled object in the second direction can be more easily ensured by sequence control or the like.

[0022] On the other hand, a component mounting device according to one aspect of the present invention includes the above-mentioned gantry device (a gantry device having a third information acquisition unit that acquires third position information) and a component supply area arranged within the movable area of the working unit of the gantry device, and is equipped with a second motor that moves the working unit in the first direction when the motor of the gantry device is defined as a first motor, and the working unit is configured to be able to hold a component supplied in the component supply area, and the control unit controls the first motor and the second motor to move the working unit between the component supply area and a board placed at a predetermined work position, thereby performing a component mounting process in which the component is transported from the component supply area to the board and mounted on the board.

[0023] This component mounting device is equipped with the gantry device. As described above, the gantry device is capable of precisely controlling the position of the controlled object in the second direction, even though it is a so-called single drive. Therefore, this component mounting device makes it possible to ensure good positional accuracy in the second direction of the controlled object, such as an operation unit, while saving space and reducing costs. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a gantry device that can ensure good positional accuracy of controlled parts such as operational units while saving space and reducing costs, and a component mounting device equipped with the gantry device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a component mounting device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the component mounting apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram mainly showing the configuration of a Y-axis control unit. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram of a main part of a component mounting device for explaining a method of estimating the current position of a control target; [Figure 5]10 is a flowchart showing mode switching control by a Y-axis control unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram mainly showing the configuration of a Y-axis control unit according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart in the case of sequence control. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0027] [Overall configuration of component mounting equipment] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a component mounting apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention (a component mounting apparatus including a gantry apparatus according to the present invention), and FIG.

[0028] The component mounting apparatus 1 is equipment for producing component-mounted boards in which electronic components and the like are mounted on a substrate P such as a printed wiring board. To clarify the directional relationships, XY rectangular coordinate axes are shown in the figure. The X (X-axis) direction is parallel to the horizontal plane, and the Y (Y-axis) direction is perpendicular to the X direction on the horizontal plane. The directions perpendicular to the X and Y directions are the up-down directions. The X direction corresponds to the "first direction" in this invention, and the Y direction corresponds to the "second direction" in this invention.

[0029] The component mounting device 1 comprises a base 2 which is the device frame, a board transport unit 3 which transports a board P on the base 2, a component supply unit 5 (component supply area), a head unit 6 which moves in the space above the base 2, a component recognition camera 8, and a component recovery unit 9.

[0030] The board transport unit 3 is equipped with a pair of conveyors 4 that transport the board P in the X direction. The conveyors 4 are belt conveyors. The board transport unit 3 receives the board P from the X1 side in FIG. 1, transports it to a work position (the position of the board P shown in the same figure), and after the mounting work is completed, transports the board P from the work position to the X2 side. Although not shown in the figure, the work position is equipped with a board holding mechanism that holds the board P in a positioned state.

[0031] The component supply units 5 are provided on both sides of the board transport unit 3 in the Y direction. The component supply units 5 are provided with feeders for supplying components. In this example, multiple tape feeders 5F are arranged in parallel along the conveyor 4. The tape feeders 5F use ribbon-shaped tape as a carrier to supply small pieces of components (electronic components). The component supply units 5 may also be provided with feeders other than the tape feeders 5F, such as stick feeders that supply components through the inside of a cylindrical stick or tray feeders that supply components placed on a tray.

[0032] The head unit 6 is a working unit that takes out components from the component supply unit 5, transports them to the substrate P, and mounts (mounts) the components at predetermined positions on the substrate P. The head unit 6 moves horizontally in the X and Y directions by operation of the head unit drive mechanism 10.

[0033] The head unit drive mechanism 10 includes a Y-axis drive mechanism 10Y that moves the head unit 6 in the Y direction, and an X-axis drive mechanism 10X that moves it in the X direction. Both mechanisms 10X and 10Y are configured by so-called linear drive devices.

[0034] Specifically, a pair of elevated frames 12 extending in the Y direction and spaced apart from each other in the X direction are provided on the base 2. The Y-axis drive mechanism 10Y includes rails 13 (guide members) respectively installed on the elevated frames 12, a beam 14 movably supported by the pair of rails 13 and extending in the X direction, and a Y-axis linear motor 15 (corresponding to the "first motor" of the present invention) that generates a drive force for moving the beam 14 in the Y direction.

[0035] The beam 14 is arranged across both frames 13, with the X1 side end (first end 14a) of the beam 14 supported by the X1 side rail 13 and the X2 side end (second end 14b) supported by the X2 side rail 13.

[0036] Y-axis linear motor 15 is disposed on the elevated frame 12 on the X1 side of the pair of elevated frames 12. Y-axis linear motor 15 includes a stator 15a having a field magnet in which multiple permanent magnets are aligned in the Y direction, and a mover 15b having an armature with multiple electromagnetic coils wound around a core. Stator 15a is disposed adjacent to and along rail 13 on elevated frame 12, and mover 15b is disposed on the underside of first end 14a of beam 14 facing stator 15a. With this configuration, when a predetermined drive current is applied to mover 15b, a magnetic field is generated in each coil, generating a driving force (driving force) that moves mover 15b in the Y direction. This driving force is input to first end 14a of beam 14, causing beam 14 to move in the Y direction along the pair of rails 13.

[0037] The X-axis drive mechanism 10X includes a rail 18 that is installed on the beam 14 and extends in the X direction, and that supports the head unit 6 so that it can move freely, and an X-axis linear motor 19 (corresponding to the "second motor" of the present invention) that generates a driving force for moving the head unit 6 in the X direction.

[0038] X-axis linear motor 19 includes stator 19a, which is a field magnet in which multiple permanent magnets are aligned in the X direction, and mover 19b, which is an armature with multiple electromagnetic coils wound around cores. Stator 19a is disposed adjacent to rail 18 and along rail 18, and mover 19b is disposed in head unit 6 at a position facing stator 19a. With this configuration, when a predetermined drive current is applied to mover 19b, a magnetic field is generated in each coil, generating a driving force (driving force) that moves mover 19b in the X direction. This driving force is input to head unit 6, causing head unit 6 to move in the X direction along rail 18.

[0039] As described above, head unit drive mechanism 10 moves beam 14 in the Y direction using Y-axis drive mechanism 10Y, and moves head unit 6 in the X direction relative to beam 14 using X-axis drive mechanism 10X. As a result, head unit 6 is configured to move horizontally in the X and Y directions.

[0040] The Y-axis drive mechanism 10Y incorporates a pair of Y-axis linear encoders 16, 17 (sometimes referred to as a first Y-axis encoder 16 and a second Y-axis encoder 17 / Y-axis encoders 16, 17), and the X-axis drive mechanism 10X incorporates an X-axis linear encoder 20 (sometimes referred to as an X-axis encoder 20). The Y-axis encoders 16, 17 are devices for acquiring position information of the beam 14 in the Y direction, and the X-axis encoder 20 is a device for acquiring position information of the head unit 6 in the X direction.

[0041] The first Y-axis encoder 16 (corresponding to the "first information acquisition unit" of the present invention) is arranged on the elevated frame 12 on the X1 side at a position adjacent to the X2 side of the rail 13, and the second Y-axis encoder 17 (corresponding to the "second information acquisition unit" of the present invention) is arranged on the elevated frame 12 on the X2 side at a position adjacent to the X-axis 1 side of the rail 13.

[0042] First Y-axis encoder 16 includes a linear scale 16a arranged along rail 13 and a detector 16b that detects position information of linear scale 16a, with detector 16b located at a position on first end 14a of beam 14 where it can detect position information of linear scale 16a. Second Y-axis encoder 17 similarly includes a linear scale 17a and a detector 17b. Detector 17b is located at a position on second end 14b of beam 14 where it can detect position information of linear scale 17a. Each detector 16b, 17b outputs a signal corresponding to the detected position information (corresponding to "first position information" and "second position information" of the present invention) to Y-axis control unit 30, which will be described later.

[0043] X-axis encoder 20 is disposed adjacent to rail 18 of beam 14. Similar to Y-axis encoders 16 and 17, X-axis encoder 20 also includes a linear scale 20a disposed along rail 18 and a detector 20b that detects position information of linear scale 20a. Detector 20b is disposed in a position in head unit 6 where it can detect position information of linear scale 20a, and outputs a signal corresponding to the detected position information (corresponding to "third position information" of the present invention) to Y-axis control unit 30.

[0044] For example, if rail 13 is configured using a so-called linear guide (registered trademark) consisting of a rail and a slider that moves along the rail, and the slider is fixed to beam 14, the slider may be regarded as part of beam 14, and detectors 16b and 17b may be provided on the slider. This also applies to X-axis encoder 20.

[0045] The head unit 6 is provided with a plurality of shaft-shaped heads 7 (an example of mounted objects of the present invention) each extending in the Z direction, and a head drive mechanism (not shown) for driving these heads 7.

[0046] The head drive mechanism raises and lowers each head 7 individually and rotates each head 7 around its central axis. A nozzle 7a for suctioning components is provided at the tip of each head 7. Each nozzle 7a is connected to an air circuit not shown. By switching the valve, either negative pressure or positive pressure is selectively supplied to the nozzle 7a, allowing the head 7 to suction and hold the component and release (mount) the component onto the board P.

[0047] The component recognition camera 8 is a camera with integrated lighting that captures, from below, the components taken out of the component supply unit 5 by the head unit 6, i.e., the components sucked and held by the head 7. The component recognition camera 8 is disposed between the board transport unit 3 and each component supply unit 5. After a component is taken out of the component supply unit 5, the component recognition camera 8 captures an image of the component as the head unit 6 passes through the space above the component recognition camera 8. The component image captured in this manner is used for component recognition processing.

[0048] The component recovery units 9 are areas where the components sucked and held by the heads 7 are discarded, and are respectively arranged at positions adjacent to the component recognition cameras 8 on the base 2. For example, the component recovery units 9 have receiving ports that open upward, and when the component is determined to be a defective component by the component recognition process or when the holding posture is determined to be outside the allowable range, the head unit 6 is positioned above the component recovery unit 9, and the component is discarded or recovered in the component recovery unit 9.

[0049] In the component mounting apparatus 1 described above, when a board P is carried into the work position along the conveyor 4, the head unit 6 moves back and forth between the component supply unit 5 and the board P arranged at the work position, picking up components from the tape feeder 5F and mounting (placing) them at predetermined positions on the board P. During this reciprocating movement, the components picked up by each head 7 are imaged by the component recognition camera 8, and the position of the head unit 6 is corrected based on the recognition results. When mounting of all components on the board P is completed, the board P is carried out from the work position, and the next board P is carried into the work position. Component-mounted boards are produced by repeating these operations of each unit (i.e., the component mounting process).

[0050] In this component mounting apparatus 1, the Y-axis control unit 30 described later corresponds to the "control unit" of the present invention, and the Y-axis control unit 30, the beam 14, the head unit 6, and the head unit drive mechanism 10 constitute the "gantry device" of the present invention.

[0051] The component mounting apparatus 1 is equipped with a control device (not shown) that controls a series of operations for the component mounting process as described above. Fig. 3 shows the configuration of a Y-axis control unit 30 of the control device that mainly controls the movement of the beam 14 in the Y direction.

[0052] The Y-axis control unit 30 includes a main control unit 31, a control calculation unit 32, a motor driver 33, a position estimation unit 34, and the like.

[0053] The main control unit 31 is configured to include one or more ICs having a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. as a processor, and other memories. In the main control unit 31, the CPU executes programs stored in the ROM or other memories, thereby controlling the operation of each component of the component mounting apparatus 1 and executing various arithmetic processing associated with the operation. Note that the processor may be configured to perform processing using a single CPU, multiple CPUs, or a hardware circuit such as an ASIC, or may be configured to perform processing in cooperation with a CPU and a hardware circuit.

[0054] The main control unit 31 generates and outputs commands, control information, etc. for controlling the operation of each component of the component mounting apparatus 1 in accordance with a program. These commands, etc. include a position command for the Y-axis linear motor 15, i.e., a command indicating a target position in the Y direction (Y-axis target position). This Y-axis position command is generated according to the control target (referred to as the control target unit) for each operation executed in the component mounting apparatus 1 that involves movement of the beam 14, and is output to the control calculation unit 32. These operations include the operation of picking up components from the component supply unit 5 by the head 7, the operation of mounting components on the board P by the head 7, and the operation of disposing of components in the component recovery unit 9.

[0055] For example, when the head 7 takes out a component from the component supply unit 5, the main control unit 31 outputs a position command that sets the center of the head 7 as the control object and sets the Y coordinate of the component takeout (supply) position of the tape feeder 5F, to which the center will move, as the target position. Also, when mounting a component on the board P, the main control unit 31 sets the center of the component sucked and held by the head 7 as the control object and outputs a position command that sets the Y coordinate of the component mounting point, to which the center will move, as the target position. Furthermore, when disposing of a component to the component recovery unit 9, the main control unit 31 sets the center of the head 7 as the control object and outputs a position command that sets the Y coordinate of the center of the receiving opening of the component recovery unit 9, to which the center will move, as the target position.

[0056] The main control unit 31 further outputs the target position in the X direction (X-axis target position) of the controlled unit as the control information to the position estimation unit 34 for each operation. That is, during the component removal operation, the main control unit 31 outputs information indicating the X-coordinate of the component removal position of the tape feeder 5F, and during the component mounting operation, the main control unit 31 outputs information indicating the X-coordinate of the component mounting point. Furthermore, during the component disposal operation, the main control unit 31 outputs information indicating the X-coordinate of the center of the receiving opening of the component recovery unit 9.

[0057] The position estimation unit 34 estimates the current position in the Y direction (Y coordinate) of the controlled object. Specifically, the position estimation unit 34 receives detection information from the first Y-axis encoder 16 (detector 16b) and the second Y-axis encoder 17 (detector 17b), i.e., the Y-direction position information of the first end 14a and the second end 14b, in real time. The position estimation unit 34 estimates the current Y-direction position (Y coordinate) of the controlled object based on the position information of the first end 14a and the second end 14b and the X-axis target position of the controlled object.

[0058] 4 is a schematic diagram of the main parts of a component mounting device for explaining a method for estimating the current position of a controlled part. In the following explanation of the Y-axis control unit 30, positions such as "current position," "estimated position," "detected position," and "position information" refer to positions in the Y direction (Y coordinate) unless otherwise specified.

[0059] As shown in the figure, if the distance between linear scales 16a and 17a is "Xst," the position of beam 14 at the X-axis target position of the controlled part (sometimes referred to as target position X) is "Yx," the X-direction distances between linear scales 17a and 17b and target position X are "Xr" and "Xl," the detected position of first Y-axis encoder 16 (position of first end 14a) is "Ym," and the detected position of second Y-axis encoder 17 (position of second end 14b) is "Ys," then, using the linear interpolation formula, the position Yx of beam 14 at target position X is given by the following formula (1).

[0060] Yx=(Ys·Xr+Ym·Xl) / Xst ···(1) Therefore, if the distance in the Y direction between the beam 14 and the controlled object is "Yy", the current position Y of the controlled object is given by the following equation (2).

[0061] Y=Yx+Yy=[(Ys·Xr+Ym·Xl) / Xst]+Yy ···(2) The distance Yy can be determined based on the detection positions Ys and Ym of the Y-axis encoders 16 and 17 and known design information (design values) of the head unit drive mechanism 10.

[0062] The position estimation unit 34 estimates the current position of the control target unit based on the above equation (2). That is, it calculates the current position Y and outputs the result (information indicating the estimated position) to the control calculation unit 32.

[0063] Control calculation unit 32 calculates a control amount for Y-axis linear motor 15 based on the position command (Y-axis target position) input from main control unit 31 and information indicating the estimated position input from position estimation unit 34. More specifically, based on the deviation between the Y-axis target position related to the position command and the estimated position, control calculation unit 32 calculates a control amount that makes the deviation zero, and outputs a command indicating the control amount to motor driver 33. Motor driver 33 outputs a drive signal corresponding to the control amount to Y-axis linear motor 15.

[0064] It should be noted that a control mode is set in advance for each of the above-described operations executed in the component mounting apparatus 1, and the main control unit 31 controls the beam 14 in the control mode set for each operation. This point will be described below.

[0065] 5 is a flowchart showing the control mode switching control by the main control unit 31. When a certain operation is to be performed in the component mounting apparatus 1, the main control unit 31 first determines whether the operation involves movement of the beam 14 in the Y direction (step S1). If the determination here is Yes, the main control unit 31 determines whether the set mode for the operation is the first mode or the second mode (step S3).

[0066] Here, the first mode is a mode in which the positioning accuracy of the controlled parts is higher than that of the second mode. For example, the control mode for the component pick-up operation by head 7 from component supply unit 5 and the component mounting operation on board P is set to the first mode, and the control mode for the component disposal operation to component recovery unit 9 is set to the second mode. This is because the component pick-up operation and component mounting operation directly affect the quality of the produced board, i.e., the mounting quality, and therefore require accurate positioning of head 7, whereas the component disposal operation only requires that the components be disposed of in the receiving opening of component recovery unit 9, and does not necessarily require highly accurate positioning of head 7.

[0067] If the main control unit 31 determines in the processing of step S3 that the control mode is the first mode, it outputs a control command for the first mode to the position estimation unit 34 (step S5). In this case, the position estimation unit 34 estimates the current position of the controlled object, as described above, based on the detection information input from both the first Y-axis encoder 16 and the second Y-axis encoder 17. That is, the current position of the controlled object is calculated based on the above equation (2).

[0068] On the other hand, if the control mode is determined to be the second mode in the processing of step S3, the main control unit 31 outputs a control command for the second mode to the position estimator 34 (step S7). In this case, the position estimator 34 estimates the current position (Y coordinate) of the controlled object based only on the detection information input from one of the first Y-axis encoder 16 and the second Y-axis encoder 17, specifically, the detection information input from the first Y-axis encoder 16 on the side closer to the Y-axis linear motor 15 (the side to which the driving force is input). In this case, the position estimator 34 can calculate the current position of the controlled object by setting Ys = Ym in the above equation (2).

[0069] That is, when the control mode is the first mode, the Y-axis control unit 30 estimates the current position of the controlled object based on the position information of the beam 14 output from both the first Y-axis encoder 16 and the second Y-axis encoder 17 (corresponding to the "first estimated position" of the present invention), and feedback-controls the drive of the Y-axis linear motor 15 so that the estimated position of the controlled object coincides with the Y-axis target position related to the position command. On the other hand, when the control mode is the second mode, the Y-axis control unit 30 estimates the current position of the controlled object based only on the position information of the beam 14 output from the first Y-axis encoder 16 (corresponding to the "second estimated position" of the present invention), and feedback-controls the drive of the Y-axis linear motor 15 so that the estimated position of the controlled object coincides with the Y-axis target position related to the position command.

[0070] [Action and effect] In the component mounting device 1 described above, the drive method for the beam 14 is a single drive method in which the drive force of the Y-axis linear motor 15 is input only to the first end 14a of the beam 14. However, in this component mounting device 1, in addition to the first Y-axis encoder 16 that detects the position of the first end 14a of the beam 14, a second Y-axis encoder 17 that detects the position of the second end 14b is provided, and the Y-axis control unit 30 controls the Y-axis linear motor 15 based on the detection information from these Y-axis encoders 16 and 17.

[0071] Therefore, although it is a single drive system in which driving force is input only to one end (first end 14a) of beam 14, compared to a typical single drive system configuration, i.e., a device in which only position information of one end of the beam is obtained by an encoder and the movement of the beam (driving of the motor) is controlled based on that position information, the same single drive system can move beam 14 in the Y direction with high precision.

[0072] In particular, in the component mounting device 1, the Y-axis control unit 30 estimates the current position (Y coordinate) of the controlled part based on the detection information of each Y-axis encoder 16, 17 and the target position in the X direction (X-axis target position) of the controlled part, and feedback controls the Y-axis linear motor 15 based on the estimated position and the target position (Y-axis target position) of the controlled part, so that the controlled part such as the head 7 can be positioned with higher accuracy in operations involving movement of the beam 14.

[0073] Therefore, according to the component mounting device 1, the beam 14 is driven in a single drive system, thereby reducing the space and cost of the device configuration, while also enabling the movement of the controlled object, which involves movement of the beam 14, to be performed with high precision.

[0074] Furthermore, in the component mounting apparatus 1 of the first embodiment, either the first mode or the second mode is preset as the control mode of the Y-axis linear motor 15 for each operation involving movement of the beam 14, and the Y-axis linear motor 15 is controlled according to this control mode. As described above, the first mode control is executed for operations requiring positioning precision, such as component removal operations and component mounting operations using the head 7, and the second mode control is executed for operations not requiring as much positioning precision, such as component disposal operations. This configuration has the advantage of reducing the control burden on the position estimator 34 and the like compared to when the first motor control is executed uniformly for all operations, thereby establishing sharp motor control.

[0075] [Second embodiment] 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of mainly the Y-axis control unit 30 of the component mounting apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment. The component mounting apparatus 1 of the second embodiment differs in configuration from the first embodiment in the following points, but other configurations are basically the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0076] In the first embodiment, the target position in the X direction of the control target part (X-axis target position) is output as control information from the main control part 31 to the position estimation part 34, and the position estimation part 34 estimates the current position (Y coordinate) of the control target part based on the X-axis target position and each piece of position information input from each of the Y-axis encoders 16, 17. In contrast, in the second embodiment, the main control part 31 does not output control information (X-axis target position) to the position estimation part 34, and instead, detection information by the X-axis encoder 20 (detector 20b), i.e., position information in the X direction (X coordinate) of the head unit 6, is input to the position estimation part 34 in real time.

[0077] That is, based on the position information (X coordinate) of the head unit 6 input from the X-axis encoder 20, the position estimation unit 34 calculates the current position (Y coordinate) of the controlled object based on the above formula (2), with the Y coordinate of the beam 14 at the current position of the head unit 6 being "Yx" and the distances in the X direction between each of the linear scales 17a and 17b and the current position of the head unit 6 being "Xr" and "Xl."Then, the position estimation unit 34 is configured to output the result to the control calculation unit 32.

[0078] In the component mounting device 1 of the second embodiment described above, the Y-axis control unit 30 estimates the current position (Y coordinate) of the part to be controlled based on the detection information of each encoder 16, 17, and feedback controls the Y-axis linear motor 15 based on the estimated position and the target position in the Y direction of the part to be controlled (Y-axis target position), so that, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to perform the movement operation of the part to be controlled, which involves movement of the beam 14, with high accuracy.

[0079] In particular, in the second embodiment, the current position of the control target part is estimated taking into account the current position of the head unit 6 in the X direction, so that the current position of the control target part can be estimated with higher accuracy than in the first embodiment.

[0080] [Modifications, etc.] The component mounting apparatus 1 described above is an example of a preferred embodiment of the component mounting apparatus according to the present invention (a component mounting apparatus equipped with the gantry apparatus according to the present invention), and the specific configurations of the gantry apparatus and the component mounting apparatus can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the following configurations and configurations that combine these configurations as appropriate can also be applied.

[0081] (1) In the component mounting device 1 of the above embodiment, the Y-axis control unit 30 estimates the current position (Y coordinate) of the controlled object based on the detection information of each of the encoders 16 and 17, and performs feedback control of the Y-axis linear motor 15 based on the estimated position and the target position in the Y direction (Y-axis target position) of the controlled object. However, the Y-axis control unit 30 may be configured to perform the following sequence control.

[0082] 7 is a flowchart showing an example of sequence control. When a certain operation is performed in the component mounting apparatus 1, the Y-axis control unit 30 first determines whether the operation involves movement of the beam 14 in the Y direction (step S11). If the determination is Yes, the Y-axis control unit 30 controls the Y-axis linear motor 15 to perform Y-axis movement (step S13). That is, the beam 14 is moved to its target position (target position in the Y direction). This target position is the target position of the beam 14 determined from the target position of the controlled part. In this case, the Y-axis control unit 30 controls the Y-axis linear motor 15 based only on the position information input from the first Y-axis encoder 16. When the movement of the beam 14 is completed (Yes in step S15), the Y-axis control unit 30 estimates the Y-direction position of the controlled object based on the target position in the X direction (X-axis target position) of the controlled object or the position information input from the X-axis encoder 20 and the position information input from each of the Y-axis encoders 16 and 17 (step S17), and calculates the deviation between the estimated position and the target position in the Y direction (Y-axis target position) of the controlled object (step S19). In this case, the position of the controlled object can be estimated based on the above formula (2). Then, it is determined whether the deviation is within an allowable range (step S21). If the determination is No, the Y-axis control unit 30 executes a Y-axis correction process (step S23). That is, the Y-axis control unit 30 calculates a control value that can eliminate the deviation calculated in step S21 or a control amount that can bring the deviation within an allowable range, and corrects the position of the controlled object by controlling the Y-axis linear motor 15 based on the control amount.

[0083] This configuration can also achieve the same effects as the above embodiment. That is, the beam 14 is driven in a single drive system, which saves space and reduces costs, while enabling accurate movement of the controlled object, including in the Y direction.

[0084] (2) In the above embodiment, the component removal operation, component mounting operation, and component disposal operation have been mainly described as examples of operations executed by component mounting apparatus 1. However, the above-described Y-axis control by Y-axis control unit 30 (control of Y-axis linear motor 15) is also effective for other operations. For example, during component imaging operation using component recognition camera 8, the above-described Y-axis control can be performed with the center of head 7 as the control target. Furthermore, although not specifically mentioned in the above embodiment, in cases where a board recognition camera is mounted on head unit 6 and an image of a mark on board P is captured by the board recognition camera, the above-described Y-axis control can be performed with the center of the field of view of the board recognition camera as the control target during mark imaging operation using the board recognition camera.

[0085] (3) In the above embodiment, the control modes for the operations performed by the component mounting apparatus 1 are set to the first mode for the component removal operation and the component mounting operation, and the second mode for the component disposal operation. However, the relationship between each operation of the component mounting apparatus 1 and the control mode is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, if the receiving opening of the component recovery unit 9 is relatively small, the first mode may also be set for the component disposal operation. Note that the first mode is preferably set as the control mode for the component imaging operation by the component recognition camera 8 and the mark imaging operation by the board recognition camera described in (2) above.

[0086] (4) In the above embodiment, the beam 14 is driven by the Y-axis linear motor 15, and the head unit 6 is driven by the X-axis linear motor 19. However, the motor that drives the beam 14 and / or the head unit 6 is not limited to a linear motor (a direct-acting motor). It may also be a rotary motor (a rotating electric machine). In this case, a rotary encoder can be used as a means for detecting position information. Including the above embodiment, the detection method of the encoder may be either optical or magnetic, and the output method may be either incremental or absolute.

[0087] (5) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the gantry device according to the present invention is applied to the component mounting apparatus 1. However, the gantry device according to the present invention can be applied to various industrial devices other than the component mounting apparatus 1. For example, the gantry device according to the present invention can be applied to an inspection device that has a working unit equipped with a camera and inspects a substrate P by capturing and recognizing mounted components with the camera while moving the working unit in the X and Y directions, or to a coating device that has a working unit equipped with a supply head that supplies a coating material such as an adhesive onto the substrate P and coats the coating material onto the substrate P while moving the working unit in the X and Y directions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 1. Component mounting equipment 5 Parts supply section (parts supply area) 6 Head unit (working unit) 7 Head (mounted) 10 Head unit drive mechanism 10Y Y-axis drive mechanism 10X X-axis drive mechanism 13 Rail (guide member) 14 Beam 14a First end 14b Second end 15 Y-axis linear motor (motor / first motor) 16 Y-axis linear encoder (first information acquisition unit) 17 Y-axis linear encoder (second information acquisition unit) 19 X-axis linear motor (second motor) 20 X-axis linear encoder (third information acquisition unit) 30 Y-axis control unit (control unit) 31 Main control unit 32 Control and calculation section 33 Motor Driver 34 Position estimation part

Claims

1. a beam having a first end and a second end and extending in a first direction; a pair of guide members extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and movably supporting the beam at the first end and the second end; an operational unit mounted on the beam; a motor that generates a driving force to move the beam in the second direction; a control unit that controls the motor, a first information acquisition unit that acquires first position information that is position information of the first end portion in the second direction; a second information acquisition unit that acquires second position information that is position information of the second end portion in the second direction, The driving force of the motor is configured to be input only to the first end of the beam, The control unit estimates the current position of the control target in the second direction, with the work unit or an object mounted on the work unit as the control target, based on the first position information acquired by the first information acquisition unit and the second position information acquired by the second information acquisition unit, and controls the motor based on this estimated position.

2. 2. The gantry apparatus according to claim 1, The control unit calculates a deviation between the estimated position and a target position in the second direction of the control target part, and controls the motor based on the deviation.

3. 3. The gantry apparatus according to claim 2, The operational unit moves along the beam in the first direction, When the target position is defined as a second target position, the control unit estimates the current position based on the first position information, the second position information, and a first target position that is a target position of the control target part in the first direction.

4. 3. The gantry apparatus according to claim 2, The operational unit moves along the beam in the first direction, a third information acquisition unit that acquires third position information, which is position information of the working unit in the first direction; the control unit estimates the current position based on the third position information acquired by the third information acquisition unit in addition to the first position information and the second position information.

5. 3. The gantry apparatus according to claim 1, When the estimated position is defined as a first estimated position and control of the motor based on the first estimated position is defined as a first mode, the control unit is further configured to be able to execute a second mode in which the control unit estimates a second estimated position, which is the current position of the control target part in the second direction, based only on first position information acquired by the first information acquisition unit or the second information acquisition unit, and controls the motor based on the second estimated position, and controls the motor in one of the first mode and the second mode, which is a mode that is preset for each operation.

6. 3. The gantry apparatus according to claim 2, The gantry apparatus is characterized in that, after the movement of the beam in the second direction is completed, if the deviation is not within the allowable range, the control unit executes a correction process to move the beam so that the deviation is within the allowable range.

7. a gantry apparatus according to claim 3 or 4; a component supply area disposed within a movable area of the working unit of the gantry apparatus; When the motor of the gantry device is defined as a first motor, a second motor is provided to move the working unit in the first direction, the working unit is configured to be able to hold a component to be supplied in the component supply area, the control unit controls the first motor and the second motor to move the working unit between the component supply area and a board placed at a predetermined working position, thereby performing a component mounting process of transporting the component from the component supply area onto the board and mounting it on the board.

Images