Component storage system and component storage method

Abstract

To provide a component storage system and a component storage method advantageous for accurately storing a plurality of electronic components in a case.SOLUTION: A component storage system 10 comprises: a guide partition part 31 that partitions a guide path P connected to a case inlet 71 of a storage case 70 capable of storing an electronic component W; a guide unit 30 that has a guiding support pilar 32 extending in a vertical direction in the guide path P; and a gas ejection part 21 that ejects gas toward the electronic component W so as to spray the electronic component W positioned in a recovery area R3 toward the guide path P. The guide path P includes an upstream guide path Pa, and a downstream guide path Pb positioned closer to the case inlet 71 side than the upstream guide path Pa. The downstream guide path Pb is gradually narrower toward the case inlet 71.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a component housing system and a component housing method. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to transport a large number of small electronic components, in addition to the use of tapes (so-called carrier tapes and top tapes) that individually seal and house multiple electronic components, the use of box-shaped cases that house multiple electronic components in a common housing space has been proposed. Such box-shaped cases, sometimes called bulk cases, are capable of housing many electronic components in a compact configuration and are also reusable.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a component housing device that enables a large number of components to be automatically housed in a case. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-143407 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In order to transport a large number of electronic components using a case, it is conceivable to blow the electronic components off the table and collect them in the case after inspecting the electronic components on the table. For example, by continuously blowing multiple electronic components on the table toward a guide path (guide partition), these electronic components will travel one after another through the guide path toward the case (particularly the input port) and will finally be housed in the case through the input port.

[0006] The present disclosure aims to provide a technique that is advantageous for accurately housing multiple electronic components in a case. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a component storage system comprising: a guide partition section that partitions a guide path connected to a case inlet of a storage case capable of storing electronic components; a guide unit having guide pillars extending vertically in the guide path; and a gas ejection section that ejects gas toward electronic components positioned in a collection area so as to blow the electronic components toward the guide path, wherein the guide path includes an upstream guide path and a downstream guide path that is located closer to the case inlet than the upstream guide path, and the downstream guide path gradually narrows toward the case inlet.

[0008] The guide strut may taper downward.

[0009] The guide section may have an upstream guide section that defines the upstream guide path and a downstream guide section that defines the downstream guide path, and the guide support may be attached to the guide section so as to be removable from the downstream guide section.

[0010] The component storage system may include a conveying table on which electronic components are placed and which positions the electronic components in a collection area, and a collection section which is located below the conveying table in the collection area and is capable of receiving electronic components flying in from the guideway.

[0011] The component storage system may include a vibration unit that vibrates at least a portion of the guide compartment.

[0012] The component storage system may also include a vibration control unit that controls the vibration unit to vibrate at least a portion of the guide partition unit based on the number of electronic components blown from the collection area toward the guide path by the gas ejection unit.

[0013] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a component storage method for storing a plurality of electronic components in a storage case using the component storage system described above, the component storage method including the steps of: transporting the plurality of electronic components from upstream to downstream using a transport table; processing the electronic components positioned in a processing area by the transport table using a processing device; positioning the electronic components in a collection area located downstream of the processing area using the transport table; and spraying gas from a gas spraying unit toward the electronic components positioned in the collection area so as to blow the electronic components toward a guide path; the electronic components blown from the collection area toward the guide path are guided by a guide partition and a guide support so as to proceed along the guide path toward a case insertion port. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The present disclosure is advantageous in that multiple electronic components can be housed in a case with high precision. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an example of a component housing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a control configuration of the component housing system shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a non-defective product recovery device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the non-defective product collecting device as seen from below, showing a state in which the second downstream guide partition has been removed. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a plan view of the non-defective product collecting device as seen from above, showing the state in which the upstream guide partition and the guide pillars have been removed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The terms "upstream" and "downstream" refer to the normal feeding direction of electronic components, and electronic components are fed from upstream to downstream, unless otherwise specified.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an example of a component housing system 10. As shown in FIG.

[0018] The part storage system 10 shown in Figure 1 includes a rotatable conveying table (conveying device) 11, a part feeder 12 installed along the outer periphery of the conveying table 11, a processing device 13, a good product collection device 14, and a defective product collection device 15.

[0019] The conveying table 11 is a disk-shaped member rotated by a conveying motor (see FIG. 2) driven under the control of a control device, and can be configured, for example, as a transparent glass table, but can have any other configuration. In this example, the conveying table 11 is rotated continuously without intermittent stops, but it may also be rotated intermittently.

[0020] The upper surface of the conveying table 11 forms a flat surface extending in the horizontal direction, and electronic components supplied from the parts feeders 12 in the supply area R1 are placed on it.

[0021] The electronic components on the conveying table 11 are conveyed along an arc-shaped movement path T in accordance with the rotation of the conveying table 11 (clockwise rotation in the example shown in FIG. 1), and are sequentially positioned by the conveying table 11 in the processing area R2 and the non-defective product collection area R3, and may also be positioned in the defective product collection area R4 in some cases. The supply area R1, processing area R2, non-defective product collection area R3, and defective product collection area R4 are provided in this order from upstream to downstream along the movement path T.

[0022] As described above, the transport table 11 in this example is rotated non-intermittently (i.e., continuously), so the electronic components on the transport table 11 do not stop intermittently in each of the supply area R1, processing area R2, non-defective product collection area R3, and defective product collection area R4. Note that when the transport table 11 is rotated intermittently, the electronic components on the transport table 11 may be stopped intermittently together with the transport table 11 in each of the supply area R1, processing area R2, non-defective product collection area R3, and defective product collection area R4.

[0023] Part feeder 12 supplies a plurality of electronic components to the upper surface of conveyor table 11 in supply area R1. Part feeder 12 shown in Fig. 1 has feeder supply section 12a that receives a large number of supplied electronic components, and feeder output section 12b that aligns the plurality of electronic components from feeder supply section 12a in a line and outputs them downstream (i.e., supply area R1).

[0024] Because the feeder supply unit 12a and the feeder output unit 12b can be realized by any known configuration, detailed description of a specific example of the parts feeder 12 will be omitted, but the parts feeder 12 (particularly the feeder output unit 12b) of this example successively places a plurality of electronic components one by one onto the rotating conveyor table 11. Therefore, on the upper surface of the conveyor table 11, a plurality of electronic components are lined up in an arc shape along the circumferential direction of the conveyor table 11 (more specifically, along the movement path T), and two or more electronic components on the conveyor table 11 are arranged so that they do not basically overlap in the radial direction of the conveyor table 11.

[0025] The processing device 13 processes electronic components positioned in the processing area R2 by the conveying table 11. The processing device 13 in this example inspects individual electronic components, and more specifically, captures images of the electronic components positioned in the processing area R2 to obtain electronic component images to be used in image processing for inspection. That is, the processing device 13 is equipped with one or more imaging devices (not shown), and the one or more imaging devices, under the control of a control device (see FIG. 2), capture images of the electronic components in synchronization with the timing at which the electronic components pass through the processing area R2. The specific content of such inspection (image processing) based on the captured images of the electronic components is not limited, but typically, inspection (image processing) to determine whether or not the electronic components have any appearance abnormalities, such as scratches or chips, can be performed based on the captured images.

[0026] The processing device 13 may perform any process other than inspection (imaging in this example) on electronic components positioned in the processing area R2 by the transport table 11. Although one processing device 13 is shown in Fig. 1, the number of processing devices 13 and the content of the process performed by the processing device 13 are not limited. For example, multiple processing areas R2 may be provided on the movement path T between the supply area R1 and the non-defective product recovery area R3, and any process may be performed by multiple processing devices 13 on electronic components positioned in each of these processing areas R2.

[0027] The non-defective product collecting device 14 and the defective product collecting device 15 are collecting devices that collect electronic components positioned in the non-defective product collecting area R3 and the defective product collecting area R4, which are located downstream of the processing area R2, by the conveying table 11. The non-defective product collecting device 14 is a device for collecting electronic components that have been determined to be non-defective as a result of inspection by the processing device 13. The defective product collecting device 15 is a device for collecting electronic components that have not been determined to be non-defective as a result of inspection by the processing device 13 (i.e., electronic components that have been classified as defective).

[0028] Under the control of the control device (see FIG. 2), when an electronic component determined to be a non-defective by the processing device 13 reaches the non-defective component recovery area R3, the electronic component is recovered by the non-defective component recovery device 14. On the other hand, under the control of the control device, an electronic component not determined to be a non-defective by the processing device 13 passes through the non-defective component recovery area R3 together with the conveying table 11 without being recovered by the non-defective component recovery device 14, and is recovered by the defective component recovery device 15 when it reaches the defective component recovery area R4.

[0029] The non-defective product collection device 14 and the defective product collection device 15 in this example are equipped with gas ejection units (see FIG. 2) that eject compressed air (gas) toward electronic components on the transport table 11 positioned in the non-defective product collection area R3 and the defective product collection area R4 so as to blow the electronic components away. Note that the non-defective product collection device 14 and the defective product collection device 15 may use any means other than gas to move individual electronic components from the transport table 11 for collection.

[0030] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a control configuration of the component housing system 10 shown in FIG.

[0031] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the conveying motor 19, the parts feeder 12, the processing device 13, the non-defective product collecting device 14, and the defective product collecting device 15 are connected to the control device 18 and driven under the control of the control device 18.

[0032] For example, the conveying motor 19 is rotated at a desired rotation speed under the control of the control device 18, causing the conveying table 11 to rotate at a desired rotation speed, and thus causing the electronic components on the conveying table 11 to move along the movement path T at a desired speed.

[0033] Furthermore, the processing device 13 in this example, which functions as an imaging device, captures images under the control of the control device 18 based on, for example, the transport speed of the electronic components on the transport table 11 (and thus the rotation speed of the transport motor 19), thereby appropriately acquiring captured images of individual electronic components, and performs image analysis of the captured images and transmits the analysis results to the control device 18. Note that the image analysis of the captured images may be performed by the control device 18, in which case the captured images are sent from the processing device 13 to the control device 18, and the processing device 13 and the control device 18 work together to function as an inspection device.

[0034] The control device 18 of this example also includes a gas ejection control unit 18a and a vibration control unit 18b.

[0035] The gas ejection control unit 18a controls the gas ejection unit 21 of the non-defective product collecting device 14 so as to selectively blow off only desired electronic components (electronic components determined to be non-defective) from the conveyor table 11 (particularly from the non-defective product collecting area R3) and collect them by the non-defective product collecting device 14. The gas ejection control unit 18a also controls the gas ejection unit 22 of the defective product collecting device 15 so as to blow off electronic components that have passed through the non-defective product collecting area R3 and reached the defective product collecting area R4 (electronic components not determined to be non-defective) from the conveyor table 11 and collect them by the defective product collecting device 15.

[0036] The vibration control section 18b controls the vibration section 50 of the non-defective product collecting device 14, and causes the vibration section 50 to vibrate the non-defective product collecting device 14 (particularly at least a part of the guide partition section) as described below.

[0037] [Recovery Device] Next, a specific example of the non-defective product collection device 14 will be described.

[0038] The defective product collection device 15 of this embodiment has a different configuration from the non-defective product collection device 14 described below, but may have the same configuration as the non-defective product collection device 14 described below in part or in whole. The defective product collection device 15 can be configured by any known device, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0039] Fig. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the non-defective product collecting device 14. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the non-defective product collecting device 14 seen from below, showing a state in which the second downstream guide section 31b-2 has been removed. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the non-defective product collecting device 14 seen from above, showing a state in which the upstream guide section 31a and the guide support 32 have been removed.

[0040] The non-defective product recovery device 14 shown in Figures 3 to 5 is equipped with a guide unit 30 and a gas ejection section 21, and blows away electronic components W on a conveying table 11 positioned in the non-defective product recovery area R3 as necessary, and stores the electronic components W in a storage case 70 located in the case installation area Rc.

[0041] The gas ejection unit 21 is supported by a support (not shown). This support may be provided fixedly or movably, and when the support is provided movably, the gas ejection unit 21 may be provided movably integrally with the support.

[0042] The storage case 70 capable of storing electronic components W includes a case body 73, a storage space 72 which is the internal space of the case body 73, a case insertion opening 71 which penetrates the case body 73 and communicates between the outside and the inside (storage space 72) of the case body 73, and a shutter mechanism 74 which opens and closes the case insertion opening 71. The storage case 70 is replaceably disposed in a case installation area Rc which is at least partially surrounded by a cover 26. The case insertion opening 71 of the storage case 70 located in the case installation area Rc is kept open by the shutter mechanism 74 at least while the electronic components W are being collected, as described below. The shutter mechanism 74 may be operated manually or by a machine (for example, a machine controlled by the control device 18).

[0043] The storage case 70 (for example, the shutter mechanism 74) can be configured using a known storage case (for example, a bulk case (see JP 2022-143407 A)), and therefore a detailed description of a specific example thereof will be omitted.

[0044] The guide unit 30 has a guide partition section 31 that partitions the guide path P, and a guide pillar 32 that extends vertically in the guide path P (in this example, the downstream guide path Pb). The guide path P is connected to the case insertion port 71 of the storage case 70, and is a passage that guides electronic components W that have been blown off the conveyor table 11 in the non-defective product recovery area R3 to the case insertion port 71 (and thus to the storage space 72 inside the storage case 70).

[0045] The guide partitions 31 and the guide posts 32 can be made of any material. For example, by making the guide partitions 31 and the guide posts 32 out of a conductive material (for example, a metal such as conductive resin or aluminum that has been treated to be conductive by nickel plating), it is possible to effectively prevent the electronic components W from unintentionally sticking to the guide partitions 31 and the guide posts 32 due to static electricity. Furthermore, from the perspective of preventing damage to the electronic components W due to a collision, it is preferable that the guide partitions 31 and the guide posts 32 be made of a material that has excellent properties (particularly surface properties) for shock absorption (cushioning).

[0046] In this example, the guide partition 31 has an upstream guide partition 31a that partitions the upstream guide path Pa, and a downstream guide partition 31b that partitions the downstream guide path Pb that is located downstream of the upstream guide path Pa (i.e., located on the case insertion port 71 side), and the guide path P includes the upstream guide path Pa and the downstream guide path Pb.

[0047] The upstream guide path Pa opens toward the transport table 11 (particularly the non-defective product collection area R3) to receive the electronic components W flying from the transport table 11. The flying direction of the electronic components W from the transport table 11 (non-defective product collection area R3) is not necessarily constant and may vary. Therefore, from the perspective of more reliably receiving the electronic components W from the transport table 11 into the guide path P, it is preferable that the opening area of ​​the upstream guide path Pa is large.

[0048] On the other hand, the downstream guide path Pb functions to guide the electronic components W sent from the upstream guide path Pa to the storage case 70 (particularly the case insertion port 71). Therefore, the downstream guide path Pb in this example has a shape that tapers downstream (a so-called funnel shape), gradually narrowing toward the case insertion port 71, and precisely guides the electronic components W to the case insertion port 71 of a limited size. The position, shape, and size of the outlet of the downstream guide path Pb (i.e., the opening communicating with the case insertion port 71) are not limited, but from the viewpoint of precisely guiding the electronic components W to the case insertion port 71, it is preferable that the opening area of ​​the outlet of the downstream guide path Pb be equal to or smaller than the opening area of ​​the case insertion port 71, and that the outlet of the downstream guide path Pb be vertically opposed to the case insertion port 71 so that the entire outlet is covered by the case insertion port 71 from below.

[0049] The guide pillars 32 function to assist in guiding the electronic components W passing through the guide path P to the storage cases 70 (particularly the case insertion openings 71), and can, for example, prevent the electronic components W from moving backwards on the guide path P. The guide pillars 32 in this example have a shape that gradually becomes thinner toward the bottom, and can act on the electronic components W so that the flight direction of the electronic components W that collide with the guide pillars 32 is directed further downward. Furthermore, by providing the guide pillars 32 on the guide path P, the bouncing of the electronic components W (for example, the number of bouncings) can be reduced.

[0050] The cross-sectional shape of the guide column 32 is not limited, and the guide column 32 can have a cross section of, for example, a polygon, a circle, an ellipse, an oval, or any other shape. The guide column 32 in this example has a triangular cross section (horizontal cross section) and an overall triangular pyramid shape, and the apex of the triangular cross section of the guide column 32 (the side edge of the triangular pyramid) is rounded. This structure of the guide column 32 is advantageous for mitigating the impact force acting on the electronic component W when the electronic component W collides with the side edge (cross-sectional apex) of the guide column 32.

[0051] Furthermore, the guide pillar 32 is arranged so that two side surfaces of the guide pillar 32 face the gas ejection unit 21 side (the right side in FIG. 3) and the other side surface faces the opposite side from the gas ejection unit 21 (the left side in FIG. 3). This makes it easier for an electronic component W passing through the guide path P (upstream guide path Pa) to collide with one of the two side surfaces on the gas ejection unit 21 side and bounce off in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 3 (toward the back or front of the paper). As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the electronic component W from traveling backward along the guide path P due to the bounce.

[0052] The guide pole 32 is attached to the guide section 31 so as to be removable from the downstream guide section 31b. In this example, the guide pole 32 is attached to the upstream guide section 31a, and when the upstream guide section 31a is removed from the downstream guide section 31b, the guide pole 32 is also removed from the downstream guide section 31b. The guide pole 32 may be attached to the upstream guide section 31a via a mounting fixture, or may be provided integrally with the upstream guide section 31a using the same member without a mounting fixture.

[0053] The downstream guide section 31b is fixedly supported via the support frame 25. The upstream guide section 31a is fixedly attached to the downstream guide section 31b, and is thereby fixedly supported by the downstream guide section 31b (and therefore by the support frame 25). The guide pillar 32 is attached to the upstream guide section 31a, and is thereby fixedly supported by the upstream guide section 31a (and therefore by the downstream guide section 31b and the support frame 25).

[0054] In this embodiment, a recovery section 40 capable of receiving electronic components W flying backward from the guide path P (particularly the upstream guide path Pa) is provided below the transport table 11 in the non-defective product recovery area R3.

[0055] The recovery section 40 of this example is provided so as to have a hole shape on the upper surface of the downstream guide partition section 31b, and has a recovery guide space 41 that at least partially faces the back surface of the conveying table 11 and communicates with the upstream guide path Pa, and a recovery storage space 42 located below the recovery guide space 41. As shown in Figure 5, the opening of the recovery section 40 of this example (particularly the recovery guide space 41) has a rectangular planar shape, the recovery guide space 41 has a square mortar shape, and the recovery storage space 42 has a cylindrical shape.

[0056] The collection and guidance space 41 has a role of receiving electronic components W flying in the opposite direction from the taxiway P (particularly the upstream taxiway Pa) and guiding the electronic components W to the collection and storage space 42. Therefore, the collection and guidance space 41 has an opening with a relatively large opening area, and at least a part of it has a tapered shape in which the cross-sectional area gradually decreases downward.

[0057] The collection storage space 42 is connected to the collection guide space 41 via a communication path through which the electronic components W can pass, and stores the electronic components W sent from the collection guide space 41 via the communication path. The collection storage space 42 in this example extends horizontally so as to penetrate the downstream guide compartment 31b (i.e., the first downstream guide compartment 31b-1 and / or the second downstream guide compartment 31b-2) at least on one end side, and opens to the outside of the downstream guide compartment 31b. The electronic components W can be removed from the collection storage space 42 through the opening of the collection storage space 42.

[0058] In this embodiment, a vibrating unit 50 is further provided to vibrate at least a portion of the guide section 31. The vibrating unit 50 shown in FIG. 3 includes a vibrating piston 52 that reciprocates under the control of the control device 18 (particularly the vibration control unit 18b), and a reciprocating body 51 attached to the tip of the vibrating piston 52. The reciprocating body 51 is positioned at a distance from the vibration receiving section 38 that is integral with the downstream guide section 31b, and at a contact position where it contacts (collides with) the vibration receiving section 38, in accordance with the reciprocating motion of the vibrating piston 52. When the vibrating piston 52 is driven, the reciprocating body 51 repeatedly collides with and separates from the vibration receiving section 38, vibrating the vibration receiving section 38 and the downstream guide section 31b, which in turn vibrates the upstream guide section 31a and the guide column 32.

[0059] In this example, the downstream guide section 31b has a divided structure and includes a first downstream guide section 31b-1 and a second downstream guide section 31b-2 supported by a support frame 25. The portion of the downstream guide path Pb and the collection section 40 formed in the first downstream guide section 31b-1 and the portion of the downstream guide path Pb and the collection section 40 formed in the second downstream guide section 31b-2 have mirror-symmetrical shapes with respect to each other. The vibration receiving section 38 is provided in both or only one of the first downstream guide section 31b-1 and the second downstream guide section 31b-2 (in this example, so as to span both the first downstream guide section 31b-1 and the second downstream guide section 31b-2).

[0060] [Parts collection method (parts storage method)] Next, an example of a component recovery method (component storage method) using the non-defective component recovery device 14 (component storage system 10) having the above-described configuration will be described. The component recovery method described below is carried out by the control device 18 appropriately controlling each section.

[0061] The electronic components W stored in the parts feeder 12 are placed one by one from the parts feeder 12 onto a rotating conveyor table 11 (particularly, the supply area R1). The electronic components W arranged in a line in an arc on the conveyor table 11 are conveyed from upstream to downstream by the rotation of the conveyor table 11, and are sequentially positioned in the processing area R2 and the non-defective product recovery area R3.

[0062] Each electronic component W on the transport table 11 is subjected to processing (image capture processing in this example) by the processing device 13 at the timing when the electronic component W is positioned in the processing area R2 by the transport table 11.

[0063] Compressed air is then ejected from the gas ejection section 21 toward the electronic components W that are to be recovered by the non-defective product recovery device 14 (i.e., electronic components W that have been determined to be non-defective based on the captured image) among the electronic components W positioned by the conveying table 11 in the non-defective product recovery area R3 downstream of the processing area R2, so as to selectively blow the electronic components W toward the guide path P of the non-defective product recovery device 14.

[0064] In this way, the electronic components W blown from the good product recovery area R3 toward the guide path P are guided by the guide partition section 31 and the guide support 32 so as to proceed along the guide path P toward the case insertion port 71 of the storage case 70, and eventually enter the storage space 72 through the case insertion port 71 and are stored in the storage case 70.

[0065] The electronic components W blown off the conveying table 11 fly forcefully and at high speed along the guide path P, and may repeatedly collide with and bounce off the guide partitions 31 and the guide posts 32. As a result, the electronic components W may be bounced off the guide path P by the guide partitions 31 and / or the guide posts 32 toward an opening of the guide path P (particularly the upstream guide path Pa) and fly out of the guide path P through the opening. According to the non-defective product recovery device 14 of this embodiment, at least some of such electronic components W can be recovered by the recovery unit 40.

[0066] In this way, the electronic components W blown off the conveying table 11 in the non-defective product recovery area R3 are successively stored in the storage cases 70. The control device 18 counts the number of electronic components W blown off from the non-defective product recovery area R3 by the gas ejection unit 21 (for example, the number of times compressed air is ejected from the gas ejection unit 21 (the number of air blows)). When the count reaches the upper limit of the number of electronic components W that can be stored in one storage case 70, the control device 18 temporarily stops the conveying table 11, the parts feeder 12, the processing device 13, and the defective product recovery device 15. The control device 18 then issues a warning to the operator to manually replace the storage case 70, or controls an exchange device (not shown) so that the exchange device replaces the storage case 70. Such a replacement device removes an existing storage case 70 (a storage case 70 that stores multiple electronic components W that have been determined to be good) from the case installation area Rc of the good product recovery device 14 and installs a new storage case 70 (usually an empty storage case 70) in the case installation area Rc.

[0067] In particular, in this embodiment, before such replacement of the storage case 70 (attachment of a new storage case 70) is encouraged or performed, the control device 18 (particularly, the vibration control unit 18b) controls the vibration unit 50 to vibrate the downstream guide compartment 31b. In this example, the vibration control unit 18b controls the vibration unit 50 to vibrate at least a part (in this example, the entirety) of the guide compartment 31 and the guide columns 32 based on the number of electronic components W blown from the non-defective product recovery area R3 toward the guide path P by the gas ejection unit 21 (for example, the number of compressed air ejections (air blows) from the gas ejection unit 21). This encourages the electronic components W remaining on the guide path P (particularly, on the surfaces of the guide compartment 31 and the guide columns 32) to fall, allowing the electronic components W to be sent downstream, and making it possible to stably accommodate a desired number of electronic components W in the storage cases 70.

[0068] As described above, the electronic components W not collected by the non-defective product collecting device 14 are electronic components W that were not determined to be non-defective based on the captured images, and are collected by the defective product collecting device 15 in the defective product collecting area R4. However, the results of inspection by image analysis of the captured images are not always correct, and an electronic component W that is actually non-defective may be determined to be non-defective as a result of the image analysis. In order to prevent such electronic components W that should be classified as non-defective from being treated as defective, the electronic components W collected by the defective product collecting device 15 may be subjected to imaging processing (inspection processing) again by the processing device 13.

[0069] That is, the electronic components W collected by the defective product collecting device 15 may be fed again into the parts feeder 12. In this case, the electronic components W collected by the defective product collecting device 15 may be fed again into the parts feeder 12. That is, the electronic components W collected by the defective product collecting device 15 may be placed again on the conveying table 11 (supply area R1), subjected to an image capture process by the processing device 13 (processing area R2), subjected to a quality determination process based on the analysis results of the captured image, and collected by the good product collecting device 14 or the defective product collecting device 15 based on the quality determination result (good product collecting area R3 and defective product collecting area R4).

[0070] As described above, according to this embodiment, the guide path P (particularly the downstream guide path Pb) gradually narrows toward the case insertion opening 71 of the storage case 70, and the guide pillars 32 encourage the electronic components W to be guided to the case insertion opening 71. Therefore, a plurality of electronic components W can be accurately accommodated in the storage case 70.

[0071] In particular, by widening the opening of the guideway P (upstream guideway Pa), electronic components W with variations in flight direction can be more reliably received by the guideway P. On the other hand, by making the downstream guideway Pb tapered toward the case insertion opening 71, electronic components W in the guideway P can be more reliably and accurately guided to the case insertion opening 71, which has a smaller opening area than the opening of the guideway P.

[0072] Furthermore, since the guide pillars 32 can be removed from the downstream guide partition 31b together with the upstream guide partition 31a, the visibility of the downstream guide partition 31b (particularly the partition surface) can be improved. For example, it is possible to visually and / or mechanically check whether or not any electronic components W are unintentionally remaining on the downstream guide path Pb (i.e., on the downstream guide partition 31b).

[0073] Furthermore, the recovery unit 40 can recover at least some of the electronic components W that fly backward and out of the guide path P, thereby reducing the number of electronic components W that end up unintentionally remaining in irregular locations. In particular, when using a storage case 70, it is necessary to guide the electronic components W toward the narrow case insertion opening 71 of the storage case 70, which makes it easy for the electronic components W to collide with and bounce off the guide partitions 31 and the guide columns 32, and the electronic components W tend to end up remaining in irregular locations. Therefore, in the non-defective product recovery device 14 that stores electronic components W in the storage case 70 (particularly the case insertion opening 71), the recovery unit 40 that recovers electronic components W that fly in unintended directions can more effectively perform its function.

[0074] Furthermore, by vibrating the downstream guide partition 31b in accordance with the number of electronic components W blown by the gas ejection unit 21 from the non-defective product collection area R3 toward the guide path P, it is possible to eliminate unintended residue of electronic components W in the guide partition 31 (particularly the partition surface). If one or more electronic components W are stuck to the guide partition 31, the number of electronic components W blown from the non-defective product collection area R3 will not match the number of electronic components W contained in the storage case 70, and the storage case 70 may contain fewer electronic components W than the original number (desired number). Therefore, by using the vibration unit 50 to eliminate residue of electronic components W in the guide partition 31, it is possible to accurately contain the desired number of electronic components W in the storage case 70.

[0075] It should be noted that the embodiments and modifications disclosed in this specification are merely illustrative in all respects and should not be construed as limiting. The above-described embodiments and modifications may be omitted, substituted, and modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. For example, the above-described embodiments and modifications may be combined in whole or in part, and embodiments other than those described above may be combined with the above-described embodiments or modifications. Furthermore, the effects of the present disclosure described in this specification are merely illustrative, and other effects may be obtained.

[0076] The technical category that embodies the above technical idea is not limited. For example, the above technical idea may be embodied by a computer program that causes a computer to execute one or more procedures (steps) included in a method of manufacturing or using the above device. The above technical idea may also be embodied by a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a computer program is recorded. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 10 Part storage system, 11 Conveying table, 12 Parts feeder, 12a Feeder supply section, 12b Feeder discharge section, 13 Processing device, 14 Good product recovery device, 15 Defective product recovery device, 18 Control device, 18a Gas ejection control section, 18b Vibration control section, 19 Conveying motor, 21 Gas ejection section, 22 Gas ejection section, 25 Support frame, 26 Cover, 30 Guide unit, 31 Guide partition section, 31a Upstream guide partition section, 31b Downstream guide partition section, 31b-1 First downstream guide partition section, 31b-2 Second downstream guide partition section, 32 Guide support, 38 Vibration receiving section, 40 Recovery section, 41 Recovery guide space, 42 Recovery storage space, 50 Vibration section, 51 Reciprocating movable body, 52 Vibration piston, 70 Storage case, 71 Case inlet, 72 Storage space, 73 Case body, 74 shutter mechanism, P taxiway, Pa upstream taxiway, Pb downstream taxiway, R1 supply area, R2 processing area, R3 good product collection area, R4 defective product collection area, Rc case installation area, T movement path, W electronic parts

Claims

1. a guide unit including a guide partition portion that partitions a guide path connected to a case insertion port of a storage case capable of accommodating electronic components, and a guide support that extends vertically in the guide path; a gas ejection unit that ejects gas toward the electronic components positioned in the collection area so as to blow the electronic components toward the guide path, The guideway includes an upstream guideway and a downstream guideway located closer to the case insertion port than the upstream guideway, A component storage system in which the downstream guideway gradually narrows toward the case insertion opening.

2. The component storage system according to claim 1 , wherein the guide support column tapers downward.

3. The guide partition section has an upstream guide partition section that partitions the upstream guide path and a downstream guide partition section that partitions the downstream guide path, the guide strut is attached to the downstream guide section so as to be removably attached to the guide section; The component storage system according to claim 1 .

4. a conveyance table on which electronic components are placed and which positions the electronic components in the collection area; a collection unit located below the transport table in the collection area and configured to be able to receive electronic components flying from the guideway; The component storage system according to claim 1 , comprising:

5. The component storage system according to claim 1 , further comprising a vibration unit that vibrates at least a portion of the guide partition.

6. 6. The component storage system according to claim 5, further comprising a vibration control unit that controls the vibration unit so as to vibrate at least a portion of the guide partition unit based on the number of electronic components blown from the collection area toward the guide path by the gas ejection unit.

7. A component housing method for housing a plurality of electronic components in the housing case by using the component housing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising: conveying the plurality of electronic components from upstream to downstream by a conveying table; a step in which a processing device processes the electronic components positioned in a processing area by the conveying table; positioning the electronic components in the collection area located downstream of the processing area by the transport table; ejecting gas from the gas ejection unit toward the electronic components positioned in the collection area so as to blow the electronic components toward the guide path; The electronic components blown from the collection area toward the guide path are guided by the guide partition and the guide support pillars so as to proceed toward the case insertion port on the guide path. Parts accommodation method.

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