Tape feeder

Abstract

To appropriately supply radial lead components.SOLUTION: A tape feeder that transports a tape component consisting of a plurality of radial lead components and a carrier tape on which the leads of the plurality of radial lead components are taped toward a supply position and supplies the radial lead components at the supply position, the tape feeder including a pair of guide rails that are disposed along the transport direction of the tape component so as to sandwich the radial lead components taped to the carrier tape, and that prevent the radial lead components taped to the carrier tape from tilting in a direction intersecting with the transport direction of the tape component.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tape feeder for supplying radial lead components. [Background technology]

[0002] The following patent document describes a feeder for supplying screws. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2013-199343 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present invention addresses the problem of providing a tape feeder that can appropriately supply radial lead components. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, this specification discloses a tape feeder that transports a tape component composed of a plurality of radial lead components and a carrier tape on which the leads of the plurality of radial lead components are taped toward a supply position and supplies the radial lead components at the supply position, the tape feeder having a pair of guide rails that are arranged along the transport direction of the tape component so as to sandwich the radial lead components taped to the carrier tape, and that prevent the radial lead components taped to the carrier tape from tilting in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the tape component. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent radial lead components taped to a carrier tape from tilting in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the taped components, thereby enabling the radial lead components to be supplied appropriately. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an electronic component mounting device. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tape feeder. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the inside of the tape feeder. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the tape feeder as viewed from above. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional prevention member. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional prevention member. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the prevention unit from above. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the prevention unit from above. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings as modes for carrying out the present invention.

[0009] 1 shows an electronic component mounting apparatus 10. The electronic component mounting apparatus 10 is made up of two electronic component mounting machines (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "mounting machines") 14. Each mounting machine 14 mainly includes a mounting machine main body 20, a conveying device 22, a moving device 24, a mounting head 26, and a supplying device 28.

[0010] The placement machine main body 20 is composed of a frame 32 and a beam 34 suspended from the frame 32. The transfer device 22 is equipped with two conveyor devices 40, 42. Each of the two conveyor devices 40, 42 transfers the circuit boards it supports. Each conveyor device 40, 42 also clamps the transferred circuit boards at a predetermined work position. In the following description, the transfer direction of the circuit boards is referred to as the X direction, the horizontal direction perpendicular to that direction is referred to as the Y direction, and the vertical direction is referred to as the Z direction.

[0011] The moving device 24 is an XY robot type moving device that moves the slider 50 to any position. The mounting head 26 is attached to the slider 50, and the mounting head 26 moves to any position on the frame 32.

[0012] A component holder 60 is attached to the lower end surface of the mounting head 26. The component holder 60 is a so-called chuck, and as shown in FIG. 2, includes a holder body 62 and a pair of jaws 66. The pair of jaws 66 are arranged to extend downward from the underside of the holder body 62 and slide toward and away from each other. As a result, the component holder 60 holds a component by bringing the pair of jaws 66 toward each other, and releases the component from between the pair of jaws 66 by moving the pair of jaws 66 away from each other. The mounting head 26 also includes an elevator (not shown) that raises and lowers the component holder 60. As a result, the component held by the component holder 60 is raised and lowered by the operation of the elevator device.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1, supply device 28 is composed of a plurality of tape feeders 68. As shown in Fig. 3, each of these plurality of tape feeders 68 has a feeder body 70, which is positioned and disposed on a mounting table (see Fig. 1) 80 provided at the end of frame 32 of placement machine 14 so that feeder body 70 can be attached and detached with a single touch by an operator without using tools. Tape feeder 68 is a device that removes radial lead components 82 from tape-formed components 72 and supplies the removed radial lead components 82.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 4, the taped component 72 is composed of a plurality of radial lead components 82 and a carrier tape 84. The radial lead component 82 includes a generally cylindrical component body 86 and two leads 88 extending in the same direction from the bottom surface of the component body 86. The two leads 88 of the radial lead component 82 are taped at their lower ends to a carrier tape 84. The carrier tape 84 also has a plurality of sprocket holes 90 formed at equal intervals. The radial lead components 82 are taped to the carrier tape 84 at the same pitch as the sprocket holes 90.

[0015] Furthermore, tape feeder 68 has a transport path 100, a feed device 102, and a lead cutting device 104, which are arranged inside feeder body 70. In the following description, the side on which lead cutting device 104 is arranged may be referred to as the front side, and the side opposite to the front side may be referred to as the rear side.

[0016] The transport path 100 is defined by a pair of guide rails 110. The pair of guide rails 110 are disposed on the upper end surface of the feeder body 70 so as to extend in the front-rear direction while facing each other, and the space between the opposing side surfaces of the pair of guide rails 110 is the transport path 100. The carrier tape 84 of the taped component 72 is inserted between the opposing side surfaces of the pair of guide rails 110, i.e., into the transport path 100, with the width direction of the carrier tape 84 extending vertically, i.e., in an upright position. The upright position of the carrier tape 84 means that the carrier tape 84 and the upper surface of the feeder body 70 intersect at a substantially right angle, and the leads 88 taped to the carrier tape 84 extend vertically. The radial lead components 82 held by the carrier tape 84 extend upward from between the pair of guide rails 110.

[0017] 5, the delivery device 102 includes a slider 112, a first delivery claw member 114, a second delivery claw member 116, a first return prevention claw member 118, and a second return prevention claw member 120. Note that FIG. 5 is a view showing the feeder body 70 from above with the guide rail 110 removed.

[0018] The slider 112 is disposed at the upper end of the feeder body 70 so as to extend in the front-rear direction, and is held by the feeder body 70 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. The slider 112 slides in a manner that can be controlled by driving an air cylinder 113. The first feeding claw member 114 and the second feeding claw member 116 have the same shape, that is, a generally L-shape. Each of the first feeding claw member 114 and the second feeding claw member 116 is composed of a main body 122 and a bent portion 124 bent at approximately 90 degrees relative to the main body 122. The first feeding claw member 114 and the second feeding claw member 116 are disposed on the slider 112 with the main body 122 extending in the front-rear direction and the bent portion 124 facing forward. The first and second feeding claw members 114, 116 are arranged side by side in the front-to-rear direction on the slider 112, and the tips of the bent portions 124 of the first and second feeding claw members 114, 116 face the same direction and enter the inside of the conveying path 100. The second feeding claw member 116 is arranged on the front side of the first feeding claw member 114. In other words, the second feeding claw member 116 is arranged on the front side, and the first feeding claw member 114 is arranged on the rear side. The arrangement pitch of the first feeding claw members 114 and the second feeding claw members 116 is an integer multiple of the pitch at which the feed holes 90 of the taped component 72 are formed.

[0019] Furthermore, the first feeding claw member 114 and the second feeding claw member 116 are held by the slider 112 at the rear end of the main body 122 so as to be swingable in the left-right direction (the direction in which the bent portion 124 moves in and out of the conveying path 100). The first feeding claw member 114 and the second feeding claw member 116 are biased by a compression coil spring (not shown) in a direction in which the bent portion 124 moves inward toward the conveying path 100. The front surface of the bent portion 124 is perpendicular to the main body 122, but the rear surface of the bent portion 124 is tapered toward the rear as it approaches the main body 122. For this reason, the front surface of the bent portion 124 will be referred to as a perpendicular surface 130, and the rear surface of the bent portion 124 will be referred to as a tapered surface 132. In the following description, the first feeding claw member 114 and the second feeding claw member 116 may be collectively referred to as feeding claw members 114, 116.

[0020] The first and second anti-return claw members 118 and 120 have substantially the same shape as the feeding claw members 114 and 116, and, like the feeding claw members 114 and 116, are composed of a main body 136 and a bent portion 138. The first and second anti-return claw members 118 and 120 are disposed on the upper surface of the main body case 78 with the main body 136 extending in the front-rear direction and the bent portion 138 facing forward. The first and second anti-return claw members 118 and 120 are disposed side by side in the front-rear direction on the opposite side of the feeding claw members 114 and 116 across the conveying path 100. The tips of the bent portions 138 of the first and second anti-return claw members 118 and 120 face the same direction and extend into the conveying path 100.

[0021] The second anti-return claw member 120 is disposed at a fixed position forward of the first anti-return claw member 118, and is disposed further forward than the second feeding claw member 116. In other words, the second anti-return claw member 120 is disposed forward of the second feeding claw member 116, on the opposite side of the second feeding claw member 116 across the conveying path 100. The first anti-return claw member 118 is disposed at a fixed position slightly rearward of the first feeding claw member 114, facing the first feeding claw member 114 across the conveying path 100. The arrangement pitch of the first feeding claw member 114 and the first anti-return claw member 118 is an integer multiple of the formation pitch of the feed holes 90 in the tape component 72, and the arrangement pitch of the second feeding claw member 116 and the second anti-return claw member 120 is also an integer multiple of the formation pitch of the feed holes 90 in the tape component 72.

[0022] The first and second back-return prevention claw members 118 and 120 are held at the rear end of the main body 136 so as to be swingable in the left-right direction (the direction in which the bent portion 138 moves in and out of the conveying path 100) when viewed from the top of the feeder main body 70. The first and second back-return prevention claw members 118 and 120 are biased by a compression coil spring (not shown) in the direction in which the bent portion moves in toward the conveying path 100. As with the first and second feeding claw members 114 and 116, the front surface of the bent portion 138 of the first and second back-return prevention claw members 118 and 120 will be referred to as a perpendicular surface 140 and a tapered surface 142, respectively. In the following description, the first detent pawl member 118 and the second detent pawl member 120 may be collectively referred to as detent pawl members 118, 120.

[0023] With this structure, in the feed device 102, the slider 112 slides back and forth, thereby feeding the tape component 72 forward. Specifically, the bent portions 124 of the feed claws 114, 116 attached to the slider 112, which are inserted into the transport path, engage with the feed holes 90 of the tape component 72 inserted into the transport path. The slider 112 then slides linearly forward due to the air cylinder 113, causing the feed claws 114, 116 attached to the slider 112 to slide forward together with the slider 112. The slider 112 slides an amount equivalent to an integer multiple of the pitch of the feed holes 90 formed in the tape component 72. At this time, the feed holes of the tape component 72 are pushed forward by the perpendicular surfaces 130 of the bent portions 124, which are engaged with the feed holes 90, so that the tape component 72 is fed by the amount of the feed hole pitch. Since the perpendicular surface 130 is perpendicular to the taped component 72, the force pushing forward by the perpendicular surface 130 is transmitted to the taped component 72, causing the taped component 72 to be fed forward.

[0024] The bent portions 138 of the return-preventing claw members 118, 120 are also engaged with the sprocket holes 90 of the tape-forming component 72 inserted in the transport path 100, but the engagement of the return-preventing claw members 118, 120 is released when the tape-forming component 72 is fed out. In other words, when the tape-forming component 72 is fed forward, the bent portions 138 of the return-preventing claw members 118, 120 engaged with the sprocket holes 90 are pushed forward by the edges that define the sprocket holes 90 on the tapered surfaces 142. The tapered surfaces 142 are not perpendicular to the tape-forming component 72, but are inclined rearward as they approach the base end of the bent portions 138, i.e., the main body 136. As a result, the force pushing the tapered surface 142 forward is converted into a force in a direction that moves the bent portion 138 away from the tape component 72, and the return-preventing claw members 118, 120 swing in a direction away from the tape component 72. As a result, when the tape component 72 is fed forward the amount that the slide slides forward, the return-preventing claw members 118, 120 disengage from the feed holes of the tape component 72, and the tape component is fed in this disengaged state. Then, when the tape component has been fed forward the amount that it has slid forward, each return-preventing claw member re-engages with the feed holes of the tape component.

[0025] After the forward feeding of the tape component 72 is completed, the air cylinder 113 drives the slider 112 to slide linearly backward a distance equal to the distance by which the tape component was fed forward, and the feeding claw members 114, 116 attached to the slider 112 also slide backward. At this time, the return prevention claw members 118, 120 prevent the tape component 72 from returning in the direction opposite to the feeding direction, and the feeding claw members 114, 116 are released from engagement with the feed holes 90.

[0026] In other words, when the delivery claw members 114, 116 slide rearward, the bent portions 124 of the delivery claw members 114, 116 that engage with the sprocket holes 90 of the tape-forming component push the edge that defines the sprocket holes 90 rearward at their tapered surfaces 132. This transmits a force to the tape-forming component 72 that tries to return it in the direction opposite to the delivery direction. However, when each delivery claw member slides rearward, the bent portions 138 of the return-prevention claw members 118, 120 engage with the sprocket holes 90 of the tape-forming component 72, and the perpendicular surfaces 140 of the bent portions 138 are pushed rearward by the edge that defines the sprocket holes 90. Because the perpendicular surface 140 of the return-preventing claw member that engages with the feed hole of the tape-forming component 72 is at an angle perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tape-forming component 72 inserted in the transport path, the force pressing on the perpendicular surface 140 is not dispersed in the left-right direction, and the return-preventing claw members 118, 120 do not swing. Therefore, the engagement of the return-preventing claw members 118, 120 with the feed hole 90 is maintained, and movement in the direction opposite the feeding direction of the tape-forming component 72 when each feeding claw member slides rearward is prevented.

[0027] Furthermore, the tapered surfaces 132 of the bent portions 124 of the feeding claw members 114, 116 are inclined rearward as they approach the main body 122. Therefore, when the feeding claw members 114, 116, which are engaged with the tape feed holes of the tape forming component inserted in the transport path, slide rearward, the tapered surfaces 132 press against the edges defining the feed holes 90. The reaction force of this force is also converted into a direction that moves the bent portions 124 away from the tape forming component 72. This force causes the feeding claw members 114, 116 to swing in a direction away from the tape forming component 72, thereby releasing the engagement of the feeding claw members 114, 116 with the tape forming component 72. The feeding claw members 114, 116 then slide rearward, returning to the position they were in before feeding the tape forming component 72, and re-engaging with the feed holes 90 of the tape forming component 72 after it was fed forward.

[0028] These configurations prevent tape component 72 from moving back in the direction opposite to the feeding direction, and feed claw members 114, 116 return to the positions they were in before feeding tape component 72. Then, air cylinder 113 is activated again to slide slider 112 and the feed claw members engaged with the feed holes in the tape component forward, thereby feeding tape component 72 forward. In this way, each time air cylinder 113 is activated to slide slider 112 back and forth, tape component 72 is fed out by an amount corresponding to the formation pitch of feed holes 90, i.e., the arrangement pitch of radial lead components 82.

[0029] Furthermore, a lead cutting device 104 is disposed in front of the feed device 102, in the direction in which the tape component 72 is fed out by the feed device 102. The lead cutting device 104 includes a fixed member 150 and a swinging member 152. The fixed member 150 and the swinging member 152 are disposed in front of the feed device 102, at a position where they sandwich the carrier tape 84 of the tape component 72 fed out by the feed device 102. The fixed member 150 is fixedly disposed in an attitude extending in the vertical direction, and a fixed-side cutter 154 is disposed on the upper surface of the fixed member. Furthermore, the swinging member 152 is disposed in an attitude extending in the vertical direction, at a position opposite the fixed member 150, sandwiching the carrier tape 84 therebetween, and a swinging-side cutter 155 is disposed on the upper surface of the swinging member 152.

[0030] Furthermore, oscillating member 152 can swing so that its upper end approaches or moves away from fixed member 150. When oscillating member 152 swings so that its upper end approaches fixed member 150, leads 88 located between oscillating member 152 and fixed member 150 are cut by oscillating-side cutter 155 and fixed-side cutter 154. At this time, radial lead components 82 are separated from carrier tape 84, and leads 88 of the separated radial lead components 82 are sandwiched between oscillating member 152 and fixed member 150. As a result, radial lead components 82 are supplied to feeder body 70 with leads 88 sandwiched between oscillating member 152 and fixed member 150. In other words, the position where leads 88 of radial lead components 82 are sandwiched between oscillating member 152 and fixed member 150 is the supply position, and tape feeder 68 supplies radial lead components 82 at that supply position.

[0031] In the placement machine 14, the placement operation of radial lead components 82 is performed on a circuit board clamped at the work position using the configuration described above. Specifically, the conveyor devices 40 and 42 transport the circuit board to the work position and clamp the circuit board at the work position. The circuit board has multiple through holes (not shown) formed therein for inserting the leads 88 of the radial lead components 82. In the supply device 28, the tape feeder 68 supplies the radial lead component 82 to the supply position while clamping the leads 88 of the radial lead component 82 between the swing member 152 and the fixed member 150. The placement head 26 then moves above the supply position of the tape feeder 68 and grips the component body 86 of the radial lead component 82 with the pair of claws 66 of the component holder 60. Next, the placement head 26, holding the radial lead component 82, moves above the intended placement position of the radial lead component 82 on the circuit board. At this time, mounting head 26 moves so that the tip positions of a pair of leads 88 of radial lead component 82 and the pair of through-holes in the circuit board are aligned in the vertical direction. Then, the lifting device of mounting head 26 is activated to lower component holder 60 holding radial lead component 82. As a result, leads 88 of radial lead component 82 are inserted into the through-holes in the circuit board, and radial lead component 82 is mounted on the circuit board.

[0032] In this manner, in the placement machine 14, the tape feeder 68 supplies the radial lead components 82 at the supply position, and the component holder 60 holds the radial lead components 82 from the supply position of the tape feeder 68, thereby mounting the radial lead components 82 held by the component holder 60 onto the circuit board. However, the tape feeder 68 cuts the leads 88 taped to the carrier tape 84 at the supply position, and supplies the radial lead components 82 with the leads 88 of the radial lead components 82 cut from the carrier tape 84 sandwiched between the swing member 152 and the fixing member 150. For this reason, if the component body 86 of the radial lead component 82 is large, the leads may be deformed due to the packaging style of the taped component 72, or the leads 88 may bend due to the weight of the component body 86, which could ultimately cause the radial lead component 82 to tilt at the supply position. If the radial lead component 82 tilts in this manner at the supply position, the component holder 60 may not be able to properly hold the radial lead component 82 .

[0033] In view of this, it is conceivable to provide a preventive member to prevent tilting of radial lead components 82 at the supply position. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6 , tape-formed component 72 is transported along transport path 100 defined by a pair of guide rails 110. In tape-formed component 72, radial lead components 82 are taped to carrier tape 84. When radial lead components 82a taped to the carrier tape are transported to the supply position, leads 88 of radial lead components 82a are cut while being sandwiched between swing member 152 and fixed member 150, and radial lead components 82a cut from the carrier tape are supplied to the supply position. Therefore, a preventive member 160 is provided to surround radial lead components 82a transported to the supply position. The preventive member 160 is a generally U-shaped member and is fixed to the upper surface of the pair of guide rails 110. The generally U-shaped preventing member 160 is disposed with an opening 162 facing backward, and the radial lead component 82a is conveyed to the supply position through this opening 162. The inner dimensions of the preventing member 160 are slightly larger than the outer dimensions of the component body 86 of the radial lead component 82, so that the component body 86a of the radial lead component 82a conveyed to the supply position fits within the preventing member 160 with a slight clearance. Therefore, even if the radial lead component 82a conveyed to the supply position is separated from the carrier tape 84, the component body 86a of the radial lead component 82a, which is generally cylindrical, comes into contact with the inner wall of the preventing member 160, thereby preventing the radial lead component 82a from tilting.

[0034] However, since preventing member 160 is designed to accommodate radial lead component 82 and cannot accommodate radial lead component 170 (see FIG. 7 ) that is a different size from radial lead component 82, a preventing member that is compatible with radial lead component 170 must be prepared. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7 , radial lead component 170 is taped to carrier tape 172, and taped component 176 composed of radial lead component 170 and carrier tape 172 is also transported along transport path 100 defined by a pair of guide rails 110, similar to taped component 72. Then, when radial lead component 170a taped to carrier tape 172 is transported to the supply position, radial lead component 170a is cut off from carrier tape 172 and supplied to the supply position. Therefore, another preventing member 180 is disposed to surround radial lead component 170a that has been transported to the supply position. Like preventing member 160, preventing member 180 is also a generally U-shaped member and is disposed on the upper surface of a pair of guide rails 110 with opening 181 facing backward. The inner dimensions of preventing member 180 are slightly larger than the outer dimensions of component body 182 of radial lead component 170, so that component body 182a of radial lead component 170a transported to the supply position fits inside preventing member 180 with a slight clearance. Therefore, even if radial lead component 170a transported to the supply position is separated from carrier tape 172, component body 182a of radial lead component 170a, which is generally cylindrical, comes into contact with the inner wall of preventing member 180, preventing tilting of radial lead component 170a.

[0035] In other words, by preparing multiple prevention members 160, 180 shaped according to the outer dimensions of the component bodies 86, 182 of the radial lead components 82, 170 and fixing the prevention members 160, 180 corresponding to the radial lead components to be supplied to the upper surfaces of the pair of guide rails 110, tilting of the radial lead components at the supply position can be prevented. However, preparing multiple prevention members 160, 180 shaped according to the outer dimensions of the component bodies 86, 182 of the radial lead components 82, 170 is undesirable from a cost perspective. Furthermore, the prevention members 160, 180 must be replaced depending on the radial lead components to be supplied, which places a heavy burden on the operator. In consideration of this, a prevention unit 200 is provided to prevent tilting of the radial lead components 82a at the supply position, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 11. Note that FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the tape feeder 68 from above, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 8. 10 is a perspective view showing the tape feeder 68 as seen from diagonally above, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view of FIG. 10 with the tape forming component 72 removed.

[0036] The prevention unit 200 has a pair of L-shaped rails 202 and a prevention member 204. Each of the pair of L-shaped rails 202 is composed of a slide plate 210 and a guide wall 212. The slide plate 210 has a generally rectangular plate shape, and the guide wall 212 is fixed to the slide plate 210 so as to extend upward from the edge of the slide plate 210 extending in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the cross section of the L-shaped rail 202 is generally L-shaped. The guide wall 212 also has a generally rectangular plate shape, and the length dimension of the guide wall 212 in the longitudinal direction is approximately twice the length dimension of the slide plate 210 in the longitudinal direction. The guide wall 212 is fixed to the slide plate 210 near the center of the guide wall 212 in the longitudinal direction.

[0037] Two elongated holes 216 extending perpendicular to the longitudinal direction are formed at both longitudinal ends of the slide plate 210. The pair of L-shaped rails 202 are arranged along the transport path 100 so as to sandwich the transport path 100. That is, the pair of L-shaped rails 202 are arranged along the transport direction of the taped components 72 so as to sandwich the radial lead components 82 taped to the carrier tape 84. Each of the pair of L-shaped rails is fixed to the upper surfaces of the pair of guide rails 110 by two screws 218 in the two elongated holes 216 of the slide plate 210. Therefore, by loosening the screws 218, the slide plate 210 slides along the elongated holes 216. This allows the distance between the pair of L-shaped rails 202, and therefore the distance between the pair of guide walls 212, to be arbitrarily changed, and the changed position can be fixed by tightening the loosened screws 238.

[0038] The pair of L-shaped rails 202 are fixed to the upper surfaces of the pair of guide rails 110 so that the distance between the guide walls 212 of the pair of L-shaped rails 202 is slightly longer than the outer dimensions of the component bodies 86 of the radial lead components 82. This allows the component bodies 86 of the radial lead components 82 taped to the carrier tape 84 to fit between the guide walls 212 of the pair of L-shaped rails 202 with a slight clearance. The longitudinal length of each of the guide walls 212 of the pair of L-shaped rails 202 is approximately three times the arrangement pitch of the radial lead components 82 on the taped component 72. This allows the component bodies 86 of the four radial lead components 82 taped to the carrier tape 84 to fit between the guide walls 212 of the pair of L-shaped rails 202 with a slight clearance. The upper ends of the pair of guide walls 212 are located approximately 1 / 4 of the way from the lower end of the component body 86 that is inserted inside the pair of guide walls 212, and approximately 3 / 4 of the way from the upper end of the component body 86 that is inserted inside the pair of guide walls 212 is exposed from the upper ends of the pair of guide walls 212.

[0039] The pair of L-shaped rails 202 are fixed to the upper surfaces of the pair of guide rails 110 so that the component body 86a of the radial lead component 82a in the supply position fits between the front ends of the guide walls 212 of the pair of L-shaped rails 202. Therefore, the component body 86a of the radial lead component 82a in the supply position and the component bodies 86 of the three radial lead components 82 positioned consecutively upstream of the radial lead component 82a in the supply position fit between the guide walls 212 of the pair of L-shaped rails 202 with a slight clearance. The rear ends of the pair of guide walls 212 have tapered surfaces 220 that are slightly bent away from each other, and the space between the tapered surfaces 220 of the pair of guide walls 212 becomes wider toward the rear ends.

[0040] The prevention member 204 is composed of a sliding plate 230 and a prevention wall 232. The sliding plate 230 has a generally rectangular plate shape, and the prevention wall 232 is fixed to the sliding plate 230 so as to extend upward from the edge of the sliding plate 230 extending in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the cross section of the prevention member 204 is generally L-shaped. The prevention wall 232 has a plate shape, and the width dimension of the prevention wall 232 is approximately half the length dimension of the sliding plate 230 in the longitudinal direction. The prevention wall 232 is fixed near the center of the sliding plate 230 in the longitudinal direction.

[0041] Two elongated holes 236 extending perpendicular to the longitudinal direction are formed at both longitudinal ends of the slide plate 230. The prevention member 204 is disposed downstream of the radial lead component 82a in the supply position, with the prevention wall 232 facing the component body 86a of the radial lead component 82a in the supply position with a small clearance. The upper end of the prevention wall 232 is located approximately one-quarter of the way from the bottom end of the component body 86a of the radial lead component 82a in the supply position, and approximately three-quarters of the upper end of the component body 86a facing the prevention wall 232 is exposed from the upper end of the prevention wall 232. The prevention member 204 is fixed to the upper surfaces of the pair of guide rails 110 with two screws 238 inserted through the two elongated holes 236 in the slide plate 230. Therefore, when an operator loosens the screws 238, the slide plate 230 slides along the elongated holes 236. This allows the position of the prevention member 204 to be changed to any position in the transport direction of the tape component 72, and the prevention member 204 can be fixed to the changed position by tightening the loosened screw 238.

[0042] In this way, with the pair of L-shaped rails 202 and the prevention member 204 fixed to the upper surfaces of the pair of guide rails 110, the component body 86a of the radial lead component 82a at the supply position and the component bodies 86 of the three radial lead components 82 positioned consecutively upstream of the radial lead component 82a at the supply position fit between the pair of guide walls 212 with a small clearance, and the prevention wall 232 faces the component body 86a of the radial lead component 82a at the supply position with a small clearance. This prevents the pair of guide walls 212 from tilting the component body 86a of the radial lead component 82a at the supply position and the component bodies 86 of the three radial lead components 82 positioned consecutively upstream of the radial lead component 82a at the supply position in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the tape-formed component 72. The prevention wall 232 also prevents the component body 86a of the radial lead component 82a at the supply position from tilting in the direction in which the tape component 72 is conveyed.

[0043] Furthermore, the rear ends of the pair of guide walls 212 are tapered surfaces 220, and the distance between the tapered surfaces 220 of the pair of guide walls 212 becomes wider toward the rear ends. This makes it easier for the component body 86 of the radial lead component 82 to enter between the pair of guide walls 212 when the taped component 72 is transported toward the supply position.

[0044] Furthermore, about three-quarters of the upper end of the component body 86 that has entered the pair of guide walls 212 is exposed at the upper end of the pair of guide walls 212, and about three-quarters of the upper end of the component body 86a of the radial lead component 82a that faces the prevention wall 232 is exposed at the upper end of the prevention wall 232. Therefore, when the component holder 60 grips the component body 86a of the radial lead component 82a in the supply position, it can properly grip the component body 86a of the radial lead component 82a in the supply position without interfering with the pair of guide walls 212 and the prevention wall 232.

[0045] Furthermore, in prevention unit 200, simply by sliding slide plate 210 of L-shaped rail 202 and slide plate 230 of prevention member 204, tilting of component body 182 of radial lead component 170, which is different in size from radial lead component 82, can be prevented. More specifically, when tape feeder 68 supplies radial lead component 170 from taped component 176, an operator loosens four screws 218 and slides slide plate 210 along elongated hole 216, thereby making the distance between guide walls 212 of a pair of L-shaped rails 202 slightly larger than the outer dimensions of component body 182 of radial lead component 170, as shown in FIG. 12 . Furthermore, an operator loosens two screws 238 and slides slide plate 230 along elongated hole 236, thereby aligning prevention wall 232 of prevention member 204 with component body 182a of radial lead component 170a in the supply position, with a slight clearance therebetween. Then, after sliding the slide plates 210, 230, the operator tightens the four screws 218 and the two screws 238. By sliding the slide plates 210, 230 and then fixing them in position in this manner, the pair of guide walls 212 prevent the component body 182a of the radial lead component 170a at the supply position and the component bodies 182 of the two radial lead components 170 positioned consecutively upstream of the radial lead component 170a at the supply position from tilting in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the tape-formed component 176. In addition, the prevention wall 232 prevents the component body 182a of the radial lead component 170a at the supply position from tilting in the transport direction of the tape-formed component 176.

[0046] In this way, by using prevention unit 200, there is no need to prepare multiple prevention members 160, 180 for radial lead components 82, 170 of different sizes. Furthermore, by using prevention unit 200, there is no need to replace prevention members 160, 180 depending on the radial lead component to be supplied. This makes it possible to suppress increases in costs and reduce the burden on workers.

[0047] Tape feeder 68 is an example of a tape feeder. Tape component 72 is an example of a tape component. Radial lead component 82 is an example of a radial lead component. Carrier tape 84 is an example of a carrier tape. Lead 88 is an example of a lead. Radial lead component 170 is an example of a radial lead component. Carrier tape 172 is an example of a carrier tape. Tape component 176 is an example of a tape component. A pair of L-shaped rails 202 is an example of a pair of guide rails. Prevention member 204 is an example of a prevention member.

[0048] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be embodied in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Specifically, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the prevention unit 200 is composed of a pair of L-shaped rails 202 and a prevention member 204, but it may be composed of only one of the pair of L-shaped rails 202 and the prevention member 204.

[0049] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the distance between the pair of L-shaped rails 202 and the position of the prevention member 204 are changed by sliding the slide plates 210, 230 along the elongated holes 216, 236, but the distance between the pair of L-shaped rails 202 and the position of the prevention member 204 may be changed by various methods. For example, the slide plate 210 may be formed with a plurality of round holes for fastening the screws 218 lined up in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the slide plate 210, and the distance between the pair of L-shaped rails 202 may be changed by changing the positions of the round holes for fastening the screws 218. Furthermore, the slide plate 230 may be formed with a plurality of round holes for fastening the screws 238 lined up in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the slide plate 230, and the position of the prevention member 203 may be changed by changing the positions of the round holes for fastening the screws 238.

[0050] In addition, in the above embodiment, it is possible to change the distance between the pair of L-shaped rails 202 and the installation position of the prevention member 204, but it is not necessary that the distance between the pair of L-shaped rails 202 and the installation position of the prevention member 204 cannot be changed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 68: Tape feeder 72: Tape component 82: Radial lead component 84: Carrier tape 88: Lead 170: Radial lead component 172: Carrier tape 176: Tape component 202: L-shaped rail (guide rail) 204: Prevention member

Claims

1. A tape feeder that transports tape-formed components, each of which is composed of a plurality of radial lead components and a carrier tape on which the leads of the plurality of radial lead components are taped, toward a supply position and supplies the radial lead components at the supply position, A tape feeder including a pair of guide rails arranged along the transport direction of the tape components so as to sandwich the radial lead components taped to the carrier tape, and which prevents the radial lead components taped to the carrier tape from tilting in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the tape components.

2. 2. The tape feeder according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the pair of guide rails is changeable.

3. 3. The tape feeder according to claim 1, further comprising a preventive member for preventing the radial lead components taped on the carrier tape from tilting in the feeding direction of the tape-shaped components.

4. 4. The tape feeder according to claim 3, wherein the position of the prevention member in the feeding direction of the tape component can be changed.

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