Work apparatus

Abstract

To provide a work apparatus capable of performing multiple tasks simultaneously and in parallel by moving a plurality of work heads along an endless base section.SOLUTION: A work apparatus 1 comprises: an endless base section 10; a linear drive unit disposed along the base section 10; a guide unit disposed along the base section 10; a plurality of work heads 20A to 20F, each independently movable along the guide unit and stoppable at arbitrary positions; a plurality of work positions S where the plurality of work heads 20A to 20F stop and perform multiple tasks in parallel; a contactless power supply unit 15 that supplies power to the work heads 20A to 20F at arbitrary positions of the work heads 20A to 20F; a contactless communication unit 16 that communicates signals with the work heads 20A to 20F; and a contactless air supply unit 100 that supplies air to the work heads 20A to 20F.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a work device in which multiple work heads perform multiple tasks. [Background technology]

[0002] A known working device is a component transfer device that uses a nozzle provided on a working head to suck and pick up electronic components placed on a tray or the like, and transfers them to a component storage unit such as a carrier tape. The working head is supplied with air from an air source and power from a power source. Patent Document 1 discloses a working device that supplies air and power by connecting an air pipe that sends air from the air source and a power cable that transmits electricity from the power source to the working head.

[0003] Patent document 2 also discloses a component mounting device that has multiple head units (working heads) that move along a closed loop trajectory, and each head unit moves in turn to pick up components from a component supply cassette by suction with a nozzle provided on the head unit, and transfers them to a board, thereby improving component mounting efficiency. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-181998 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-274597 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, Patent Document 2 does not disclose any means for supplying air and power to the head unit that orbits in a closed loop, and when Patent Document 2 is combined with the means for supplying air and power to the work head of Patent Document 1, the air piping and power cable connected to each of the multiple work heads must be rotated in accordance with the orbital movement of the work head, which requires space for routing the air piping and power cable, preventing the device from being made more compact and also preventing the work head from moving at higher speed and with higher precision.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a work device that can perform multiple tasks simultaneously in parallel by moving multiple work heads along an endless base portion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The working device disclosed herein is a working device comprising an endless base portion, a linear drive portion arranged along the base portion, a guide portion arranged along the base portion, a plurality of working heads that can move independently along the guide portion and can stop at any position, and a plurality of working positions at which the plurality of working heads can stop and perform a plurality of tasks in parallel, and is equipped with a non-contact power supply portion that supplies power to the working heads and a non-contact communication portion that communicates signals between the working heads and the non-contact air supply portion that supplies air to the working heads at any position of the working heads. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, a plurality of work heads can be moved along an endless base portion to perform a plurality of tasks simultaneously in parallel. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of a main part of a working device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a base portion and a plurality of work heads of the work device. [Figure 3]2 is a cross-sectional view of the working device taken along line V1-V1 in FIG. 1; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the main parts of the non-contact air supply unit and the non-contact air receiving unit of the working device. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a non-contact air supply unit and a non-contact air receiving unit of the working device. [Figure 6] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the working device taken along line V2-V2 in FIG. 3. [Figure 7] 6 is a front view of the working device taken along the arrow V3 in FIG. 5. [Figure 8] FIG. 10A is an explanatory diagram of the operation of a valve unit provided in the working device; FIG. 10B is a diagram showing the positional relationship between an air outlet and an air receiving port. [Figure 9] FIG. 10A is an explanatory diagram of the operation of a valve unit provided in the working device; FIG. 10B is a diagram showing the positional relationship between an air outlet and an air receiving port. [Figure 10] FIG. 10A is an explanatory diagram of the operation of a valve unit provided in the working device; FIG. 10B is a diagram showing the positional relationship between an air outlet and an air receiving port. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system for the working device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The configurations, shapes, etc. described below are examples for the purpose of explanation and can be modified as appropriate depending on the specifications of the working device, working head, working position, and working unit. Corresponding elements in all drawings will be designated by the same reference numerals below, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0011] First, the configuration of the main parts of the working device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. Here, the working device 1 will be described as an example of a component transfer device that picks up electronic components supplied by a component supply unit and transfers them to a component placement unit. The working device 1 includes an annular base unit 10 that circulates endlessly, and multiple (six in this example) working heads 20A-20F that can move independently along the base unit 10 and can stop at any position. The working heads 20A-20F have the same configuration, and when there is no need to distinguish between them, the working heads 20A-20F will be simply referred to as "working head 20." The working head 20 includes a nozzle 21 that picks up an electronic component D. The working head 20 raises and lowers the nozzle 21 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) (arrow d in FIG. 3) and rotates the nozzle 21 θ around a rotation axis in the Z-axis direction.

[0012] 3 shows an example of a work head 20 equipped with a rotary head unit 22 having a plurality of nozzles 21 arranged on the circumference. Note that the work head 20 is not limited to a configuration having a rotary head unit 22, and may be configured to have a head unit in which a plurality of nozzles 21 are arranged in a straight line. The work head 20 may also be configured to have a single nozzle 21.

[0013] In FIG. 1, the working apparatus 1 has multiple (six, in this example) work positions S set along the base unit 10. At the multiple work positions S, multiple work heads 20 stop and perform work in parallel. In the example of FIG. 1, a component supply position S1 is set at the 0° counterclockwise position on the base unit 10, a component recognition position S2 is set at the 45° position, a first inspection position S3 is set at the 90° position, a second inspection position S4 is set at the 135° position, a component placement position S5 is set at the 180° position, and a component disposal position S6 is set at the 270° position. Hereinafter, the direction passing through 90° and 270° on the base unit 10 is referred to as the "X-axis direction," and the direction passing through 0° and 180° is referred to as the "Y-axis direction." In this example, the multiple work positions S are set below the multiple stopped work heads 20.

[0014] 1, a working unit that performs work on the work head 20 is disposed at each work position S. A component supply unit 40 that supplies electronic components D to the work head 20 is disposed at the component supply position S1. A backside imaging unit 50 that images the electronic components D held by the nozzles 21 of the work head 20 from below is disposed at the component recognition position S2. A first inspection unit 60 that inspects the electrical characteristics, appearance, and dimensions of the electronic components D held by the nozzles 21 is disposed at the first inspection position S3. A second inspection unit 70 that inspects the electrical characteristics, appearance, and dimensions of the electronic components D held by the nozzles 21 is disposed at the second inspection position S4.

[0015] At the component placement position S5, there is disposed a component placement unit 80 that moves in the Y-axis direction a placement target on which an electronic component D to be sucked by the nozzle 21 of the working head 20 is placed (stored). At the component disposal position S6, there is disposed a component disposal unit 90 that discards an electronic component D held by the nozzle 21 of the working head 20 that was determined to be defective in an inspection or the like and was not placed on the placement target. The component supply unit 40, the back surface imaging unit 50, the first inspection unit 60, the second inspection unit 70, the component placement unit 80, and the component disposal unit 90 are controlled by a control device 110 (FIG. 11) provided in the working apparatus 1.

[0016] In Figure 3, a linear drive unit 11, which is a stator of a linear motor, is arranged on an endless base unit 10 so as to circle the base unit 10 along the outer peripheral surface 10f of the base unit 10. A mover 23 of the linear motor, such as a permanent magnet, is arranged in a position facing the linear drive unit 11 on a work head 20 attached to the base unit 10. The linear drive unit 11 is controlled by a control device 110. By controlling the linear drive unit 11 by the control device 110, the multiple work heads 20A-20F attached to the base unit 10 move independently along the base unit 10 (arrows a1-a6 in Figure 1) and stop at any position.

[0017] In FIG. 1, the component supply unit 40 includes a tray moving means 42 that holds a tray 41 containing electronic components D at its upper portion and moves the held tray 41 in the Y-axis direction (arrow b). The control device 110 controls the linear drive unit 11, the work head 20A at the component supply position S1, and the component supply unit 40 to move the work head 20A along the base unit 10, move the tray 41 in the Y-axis direction, and raise and lower the nozzle 21, thereby performing a component pickup operation in which the electronic components D contained in the tray 41 are picked up by the nozzle 21 by suction. The component supply unit 40 may also include a ring moving means that moves in the Y-axis direction a ring that holds a sheet on which chips obtained by cutting a wafer are attached. In this way, the component supply position S1 is the work position S where the work head 20 picks up the electronic components D.

[0018] The back surface imaging unit 50 is equipped with a back surface recognition camera that captures an image of the electronic component D held by the nozzle 21 from below. The control device 110 controls the linear drive unit 11, the work head 20B at the component recognition position S2, and the back surface imaging unit 50 to move the multiple nozzles 21 provided on the work head 20B above the back surface recognition camera and perform a back surface imaging operation in which the back surface recognition camera captures an image of the electronic component D held by the nozzle 21. The control device 110 recognizes the image of the image and recognizes the position of the electronic component D picked up by the nozzle 21. In this way, the component recognition position S2 is the work position S where the position of the picked-up electronic component D is recognized.

[0019] 1, the first inspection unit 60 includes an electrical characteristic measurement unit that measures the electrical characteristics of the electronic component D held by the nozzle 21, and a side recognition camera that captures an image of the electronic component D held by the nozzle 21 from the side. The control device 110 controls the linear drive unit 11, the work head 20C at the first inspection position S3, and the first inspection unit 60 to perform a first inspection operation that inspects the electrical characteristics and appearance of the electronic component D held by the nozzle 21 of the work head 20C.

[0020] The second inspection unit 70 includes an electrical characteristic measurement unit that measures the electrical characteristics of the electronic component D held by the nozzle 21, and a side recognition camera that captures an image of the electronic component D held by the nozzle 21 from the side. The control device 110 controls the linear drive unit 11, the work head 20D at the second inspection position S4, and the second inspection unit 70 to perform a second inspection operation that inspects the electrical characteristics and appearance of the electronic component D held by the nozzle 21 of the work head 20D.

[0021] 1, the component placement unit 80 includes a component tape moving means 82 that moves a component tape 81 (a placement target) in the Y-axis direction (arrow c) and that has formed thereon pockets 81a (FIG. 3) in which electronic components D are stored, and a cover tape application unit (not shown) that applies cover tape to the upper surface of the component tape 81 on which electronic components D are stored in the pockets 81a. The control device 110 controls the linear drive unit 11, the work head 20E at the component placement position S5, and the component placement unit 80 to raise and lower the nozzle 21 of the work head 20E that holds the electronic components D (arrow d in FIG. 3), place the electronic components D held by the nozzle 21 in the pockets 81a of the component tape 81, and perform the component placement operation of applying cover tape to the component tape 81 on which the electronic components D have been placed. The component placing section 80 may be configured to include a placing plate moving means for moving, in the Y-axis direction, a placing plate (placement target) on which chips or electronic components D are arranged and placed, or a printed circuit board moving means for moving, in the Y-axis direction, a printed circuit board (placement target) on which electronic components D are mounted. In this way, the component placing position S5 is a working position S where the picked-up electronic components D are placed on the placement target.

[0022] The component disposal unit 90 is equipped with a disposal box in which the unnecessary electronic component D held by the nozzle 21 is disposed of. The control device 110 controls the linear drive unit 11, the work head 20F at the component disposal position S6, and the component placement unit 80 to cause the component disposal unit 90 to perform a component disposal operation in which the unnecessary electronic component D held by the nozzle 21 of the work head 20F is disposed of.

[0023] 1, the control device 110 controls the linear drive unit 11 to move the work heads 20A-20F that have completed work at each work position S counterclockwise along the base unit 10 (arrows a1-a6) to the next work position S. At each work position S, the work heads 20A-20F that have moved perform work.

[0024] The work positions S of the working device 1 are not limited to the six positions shown in Fig. 1. For example, the working device 1 may not have the second inspection position S4 (second inspection unit 70), and may have a plurality of component placement positions S5 (component placement units 80). In this way, the linear drive unit 11 moves the plurality of working heads 20 to the plurality of work positions S set along the base unit 10, including at least the component supply position S1 and the component placement position S5.

[0025] Next, the detailed configurations of the base unit 10 and the work head 20 will be described with reference to Figure 3. The base unit 10 is fixed in position relative to the floor F on which the work apparatus 1 is placed. A front lower guide 12 is arranged below the linear drive unit 11 arranged on the outer peripheral surface 10f of the base unit 10 so as to circle the base unit 10 along the outer peripheral surface 10f. A front upper guide 13 is arranged above the linear drive unit 11 arranged on the outer peripheral surface 10f of the base unit 10 so as to circle the base unit 10 along the outer peripheral surface 10f. A rear guide 14 is arranged above the inner peripheral surface 10b of the base unit 10 so as to circle the base unit 10 along the inner peripheral surface 10b.

[0026] 1 and 3, a non-contact power supply unit 15 is arranged on the outer periphery of the upper part of the base unit 10, running around the base unit 10 along the upper surface 10t of the base unit 10. The non-contact power supply unit 15 is controlled by a control device 110, and as will be described later, supplies power to each of the work heads 20A to 20F. A non-contact communication unit 16 is arranged on the inner periphery of the upper part of the base unit 10, running around the base unit 10 along the upper surface 10t of the base unit 10. The non-contact communication unit 16 is controlled by the control device 110, and as will be described later, communicates with each of the work heads 20A to 20F.

[0027] 3, the work head 20 is configured to include a moving plate 24, a head upper portion 25, a head middle portion 26, and a rotary head portion 22. The moving plate 24 is configured to include an outer plate 24f facing the outer peripheral surface 10f of the base portion 10, an upper plate 24t facing the top surface 10t of the base portion 10, and an inner plate 24b facing the inner peripheral surface 10b of the base portion 10.

[0028] A front lower slider 27 that engages with the front lower guide 12 that is arranged on the outer peripheral surface 10f of the base part 10 is arranged on the outer plate 24f of the moving plate 24. In addition, a front upper slider 28 that engages with the front upper guide 13 that is arranged on the outer peripheral surface 10f of the base part 10 is arranged on the outer plate 24f. In addition, a rear slider 29 that engages with the rear guide 14 that is arranged on the inner peripheral surface 10b of the base part 10 is arranged on the inner plate 24b of the moving plate 24.

[0029] In Figure 3, between the front lower slider 27 and the front upper slider 28 on the outer plate 24f, the mover 23 of the linear motor is arranged facing the linear drive unit 11 (the stator of the linear motor) of the base unit 10. The linear drive unit 11 is controlled by the control device 110, so that the moving plate 24 of the working head 20 moves along the base unit 10. In this way, the front lower guide 12, the front upper guide 13, and the rear guide 14 form a guide unit R arranged along the base unit 10. The multiple working heads 20A to 20F move independently along the guide unit R.

[0030] The head upper portion 25 is disposed on the upper plate 24t of the moving plate 24. The head intermediate portion 26 is disposed outside the outer plate 24f of the moving plate 24. The rotary head portion 22 is disposed outside the head intermediate portion 26.

[0031] In FIG. 3 , a non-contact power receiving unit 30 is disposed on the head upper portion 25 at a position facing the non-contact power feeding unit 15 disposed on the base portion 10. The non-contact power receiving unit 30 receives power supplied contactlessly from the non-contact power feeding unit 15. The non-contact power receiving unit 30 receives power from the non-contact power feeding unit 15 at any position while the working head 20 is moving or stopped. The power received by the non-contact power receiving unit 30 is supplied to the rotary head portion 22 via the head intermediate portion 26. In this way, the working device 1 includes the non-contact power feeding unit 15 disposed along the direction of movement of the working head 20, and the non-contact power receiving unit 30 disposed on the working head 20. The non-contact power feeding unit 15 supplies power to the working head 20 at any position on the working head 20.

[0032] A movable-side non-contact communication unit 31 is disposed on the head upper portion 25 at a position facing the non-contact communication unit 16 disposed on the base portion 10. The movable-side non-contact communication unit 31 communicates with the non-contact communication unit 16 in a non-contact manner. The movable-side non-contact communication unit 31 exchanges various commands and data with the non-contact communication unit 16 at any position while the working head 20 is moving or stopped. The commands and data received by the movable-side non-contact communication unit 31 are transmitted to a head control unit 32 that controls the rotary head unit 22 disposed on the working head 20. The head control unit 32 communicates with the control device 110 via the non-contact communication unit 16 and the movable-side non-contact communication unit 31, and controls the rotary head unit 22 according to commands from the control device 110. In this way, the working apparatus 1 includes the non-contact communication unit 16 disposed along the direction of movement of the working head 20 and the movable-side non-contact communication unit 31 disposed on the working head 20. The non-contact communication unit 16 communicates signals with the work head 20 at any position on the work head 20 .

[0033] The working apparatus 1 may be configured such that the working head 20 is equipped with a wireless communication module, a wireless communication device such as a wireless LAN device connected to the control device 110 is placed in a room where the working apparatus 1 is installed, and the working head 20 communicates commands and data between the wireless communication module and the wireless communication device. The working apparatus 1 may also be configured to include a fixed-side communication unit that superimposes communication data on the power supplied by the contactless power supply unit 15 and receives the communication data superimposed on the power supplied by the contactless power supply unit 15, and a mobile-side communication unit that is provided in the working head 20 and superimposes communication data on the power received by the contactless power receiving unit 30 and receives the communication data superimposed on the power received by the contactless power receiving unit 30.

[0034] 3, the rotary head unit 22 includes a rotor 22a on which a plurality of nozzles 21 are arranged on the circumference, a rotary drive unit that rotates the rotor 22a by θ about a rotation axis in the Z-axis direction, a nozzle lifting unit that raises and lowers the nozzles 21, a nozzle rotation unit that rotates the nozzles 21 by θ, and an air switching unit that switches between supplying negative pressure air and positive pressure air to the rotary head unit 22, which will be described later. The motors and electromagnetic valves of the rotary drive unit, nozzle lifting unit, nozzle rotation unit, air switching unit, etc. are supplied with power received by a non-contact power receiving unit 30 and are controlled by a head control unit 32.

[0035] 3 to 5, a non-contact air supply unit 100 that supplies air (negative pressure air and positive pressure air) to the work head 20 in a non-contact manner is arranged around the base unit 10 below the non-contact power supply unit 15 and non-contact communication unit 16 of the base unit 10. The non-contact air supply unit 100 includes a plurality of air outlets 17 (see also FIGS. 2 and 7) provided on the outer peripheral surface 10f of the base unit 10 aligned in the direction of movement of the work head 20, and a valve mechanism 101 that selectively delivers air supplied from the air source P through the air outlets 17. A non-contact air receiver 34 is arranged on the outer plate 24f of the work head 20, facing the air outlets 17, and has an air receiving port 33 that receives air delivered from the air outlet 17. In this way, the work head 20 is provided with the air receiving port 33. The outer peripheral surface 10f of the base portion 10, on which the air outlet 17 is formed, and the surface of the non-contact air receiving portion 34, on which the air receiving port 33 is formed, that faces the outer peripheral surface 10f of the base portion 10, face each other with a small gap (for example, 0.005 to 0.01 mm).

[0036] The air outlet 17 is made up of a negative pressure air outlet 17A and a positive pressure air outlet 17B. The air receiving port 33 is made up of a negative pressure air outlet 33A and a positive pressure air outlet 33B. In this embodiment, the outer peripheral surface 10f of the base unit 10 is provided with a plurality of negative pressure air outlets 17A on the lower side for delivering negative pressure air supplied from the negative pressure air source P1, and a plurality of positive pressure air outlets 17B on the upper side for delivering positive pressure air supplied from the positive pressure air source P2. The surface of the non-contact air receiving unit 34 facing the outer peripheral surface 10f of the base unit 10 is provided with a negative pressure air outlet 33A on the lower side for receiving negative pressure air delivered from the negative pressure air outlet 17A, and a positive pressure air outlet 33B on the upper side for receiving positive pressure air delivered from the positive pressure air outlet 17B.

[0037] 4 and 5, a valve body 102 of a valve mechanism 101 has a plurality of spool holes 103 arranged side by side in the direction of movement of the working head 20. A spool 104 is housed in each of the spool holes 103. Each of the spool holes 103 extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the working head 20 in a horizontal plane (hereinafter referred to as the "normal direction"). Each of the spools 104 has a substantially L-shaped front end 104T that protrudes outward, and is movable within the spool hole 103 in the normal direction.

[0038] A cam follower 105 is provided on the upper portion of the L-shaped front end portion 104T of each spool 104. As shown in FIG. 1, the multiple cam followers 105 are positioned in a row along the outer circumferential surface 10f of the base portion 10 in a plan view.

[0039] 5 and 6, each spool 104 has, from the front end 104T side, a first land L1, a first shaft portion J1, a second land L2, a second shaft portion J2, and a third land L3. When the cam follower 105 is operated back and forth in the normal direction, each spool 104 moves back and forth within the spool hole 103, and its position is switched between a first position Q1 closer to the front and a second position Q2 closer to the rear.

[0040] A biasing spring 106, such as a pressure spring, that biases the rear end of the spool 104 forward, and a stopper (not shown) that stops the spool 104 at the first position Q1 are provided inside each spool hole 103. As a result, the spool 104 is located at the first position Q1 when no external force is acting on the cam follower 105 (the first and fourth spools 104 from the top in FIG. 6), and is located at the second position Q2 when the cam follower 105 is pressed rearward (the second and third spools 104 from the top in FIG. 6).

[0041] 4 and 5, an air introduction passage 107 is provided within the valve body 102. The air introduction passage 107 is made up of a negative pressure air introduction passage 107A and a positive pressure air introduction passage 107B, each of which is provided along the direction of movement of the working head 20. In this embodiment, the negative pressure air introduction passage 107A is located behind the positive pressure air introduction passage 107B (on the inner periphery of the base portion 10). Negative pressure air supplied from a negative pressure air source P1 is introduced into the negative pressure air introduction passage 107A. Positive pressure air supplied from a positive pressure air source P2 is supplied to the positive pressure air introduction passage 107B.

[0042] 6, the air introduction passage 107 extends in series through the multiple spool holes 103. More specifically, the negative pressure air introduction passage 107A and the positive pressure air introduction passage 107B each extend in series through the multiple spool holes 103 that are aligned in the direction of movement of the working head 20 within the valve body 102. As a result, the negative pressure air introduced through the negative pressure air introduction passage 107A and the positive pressure air introduced through the positive pressure air introduction passage 107B are each supplied to the respective spool holes 103.

[0043] 5, a plurality of air delivery paths 108 are provided within the base portion 10, each opening into an air outlet 17 provided on the outer peripheral surface 10f of the base portion 10. Each air delivery path 108 extends from a corresponding spool hole 103 and opens into the corresponding air outlet 17. The air delivery paths 108 extending from each spool hole 103 are made up of a negative pressure air delivery path 108A and a positive pressure air delivery path 108B. The negative pressure air delivery path 108A opens into the negative pressure air outlet 17A. The positive pressure air delivery path 108B opens into the positive pressure air outlet 17B.

[0044] The negative pressure air outlets 17A and positive pressure air outlets 17B are paired and connected to the same spool hole 103, and are positioned vertically side by side in front of the spool hole 103. In this embodiment, the negative pressure air outlet 17A is positioned below the positive pressure air outlet 17B. The pairs of negative pressure air outlet 17A and positive pressure air outlet 17B are also aligned along the direction of movement of the working head 20 (FIG. 7). In this way, on the outer peripheral surface 10f of the base portion 10, a row of air outlets 17 consisting of multiple negative pressure air outlets 17A and a row of air outlets 17 consisting of multiple positive pressure air outlets 17B are positioned side by side in the direction of movement of the working head 20.

[0045] 5 and 7, the negative pressure air intake 33A and the positive pressure air intake 33B formed in the non-contact air receiving portion 34 have the shape of elongated holes extending in the movement direction of the work head 20. The dimension of these elongated holes in the movement direction of the work head 20 is set to a length sufficient to accommodate at least two air outlets 17 aligned in the movement direction of the work head 20. The non-contact air receiving portion 34 is provided with a negative pressure air connection path 35A that communicates with the negative pressure air intake 33A and introduces negative pressure air to the work head 20. The non-contact air receiving portion 34 is also provided with a positive pressure air connection path 35B that communicates with the positive pressure air intake 33B and introduces positive pressure air to the work head 20. Negative pressure air delivered from the negative pressure air outlet 17A and received through the negative pressure air intake 33A is supplied to the rotary head portion 22 via the negative pressure air connection path 35A. Similarly, the positive pressure air that is sent out from the positive pressure air outlet 17B and received through the positive pressure air receiving port 33B is supplied to the rotary head portion 22 via the positive pressure air connecting path 35B.

[0046] 3, 5 and 6, a block-shaped cam 36 is provided on the outer plate 24f of the working head 20. The cam 36 has a cam groove 37 that opens downward.

[0047] 6, the cam groove 37 has entrances 37K for the cam followers 105 at both ends in the movement direction of the work head 20. The cam groove 37 has ramps 38 that extend obliquely rearward from each of the two entrances 37K, and a straight path 39 that extends in the movement direction of the work head 20 between the ends of the two ramps 38.

[0048] As the working head 20 moves along the base portion 10, the cam 36 also moves integrally with the working head 20 in the direction of movement of the working head 20. The cam 36, which moves in the direction of movement of the working head 20, pulls the cam follower 105, which is located ahead of it in the direction of travel, from the entrance / exit 37K into the ramp 38 and guides it to the straight path 39. After that, the cam follower 105 travels along the straight path 39, and then is guided from the other ramp 38 to the other entrance / exit 37K and discharged from the cam groove 37, a series of operations being performed one after another (FIG. 8(a) → FIG. 9(a) → FIG. 10(a)). As a result, the spool 104 moves from the first position Q1 to the second position Q2, remains at the second position Q2, and then operates to return to the first position Q1.

[0049] This movement of the spool 104 will be described, focusing on the third spool 104 from the left in FIGS. 8(a) to 10(a). First, the spool 104 does not initially face the working head 20, so its cam follower 105 is outside the cam groove 37 and is located at the first position Q1 (FIG. 8(a)). Then, when the working head 20 moves to the right in the figure and the cam follower 105 is pulled into the cam groove 37 through the entrance / exit 37K (FIG. 9(a)), it passes through the ramp 38 and reaches the straight path 39 (FIG. 10(a)). This causes the spool 104 to move from the first position Q1 to the second position (FIG. 8(a) → FIG. 9(a) → FIG. 10(a)). Since the cam follower 105 is located within the straight path 39 while the working head 20 faces the spool 104, the spool 104 maintains its position at the second position Q2.

[0050] The subsequent movement of the spool 104 will be described, focusing on the first spool 104 from the left in Figures 8(a) to 10(a). When the working head 20 moves further and is positioned so that it is not facing the spool 104, the cam follower 105 passes from the straight path 39 through the inclined path 38 and exits the cam groove 37 through the entrance / exit 37K, so that the spool 104 returns from the second position Q2 to the first position Q1 (Figure 8(a) → Figure 9(a) → Figure 10(a)).

[0051] 6 and 8(a) to 10(a), the negative pressure air introduction passage 107A passing through each spool hole 103 is ensured to communicate downstream via the second shaft portion J2 of the spool 104, regardless of whether the spool 104 in that spool hole 103 is located at the first position Q1 or the second position Q2. Similarly, the positive pressure air introduction passage 107B passing through each spool hole 103 is ensured to communicate downstream via the first shaft portion J1 of the spool 104, regardless of whether the spool 104 in that spool hole 103 is located at the first position Q1 or the second position Q2. In each spool hole 103, the negative pressure air flow passage and the positive pressure air flow passage are separated by the second land L2 of the spool 104, so that the negative pressure air and the positive pressure air do not mix within the spool hole 103.

[0052] As described above, positive pressure air and negative pressure air are constantly supplied to each spool hole 103, but when the spool 104 in each spool hole 103 is located at the first position Q1, the negative pressure air delivery path 108A is closed by the third land L3 and the positive pressure air delivery path 108B is closed by the second land L2 (see the first and fourth spools 104 from the top in Figure 6). Therefore, when the spool 104 is located at the first position Q1, the negative pressure air introduced into the spool hole 103 only flows out to the downstream spool hole 103 and does not flow into the negative pressure air delivery path 108A, and the positive pressure air introduced into the spool hole 103 only flows out to the downstream spool hole 103 and does not flow into the positive pressure air delivery path 108B.

[0053] In contrast, when the spool 104 in each spool hole 103 is located at the second position Q2, the negative pressure air delivery passage 108A is connected to the negative pressure air introduction passage 107A at the second shaft portion J2, and the positive pressure air delivery passage 108B is connected to the positive pressure air introduction passage 107B at the first shaft portion J1 (see the second and third spools 104 from the top in FIG. 6). Therefore, when the spool 104 is located at the second position Q2, the negative pressure air introduced into the spool hole 103 flows out to the downstream spool hole 103 and into the negative pressure air delivery passage 108A, and the positive pressure air introduced into the spool hole 103 flows out to the downstream spool hole 103 and into the positive pressure air delivery passage 108B. The negative pressure air that flows into the negative pressure air delivery path 108A flows out from the negative pressure air outlet 17A to the working head 20 side, and the positive pressure air that flows into the positive pressure air delivery path 108B flows out from the positive pressure air outlet 17B to the working head 20.

[0054] In this embodiment, the valve mechanism 101 individually connects each of the multiple air delivery paths 108 to the air introduction path 107, thereby causing the air introduced by the air introduction path 107 to be delivered from the air outlet 17.

[0055] In this embodiment, the distance between adjacent spool holes 103 (and therefore between adjacent cam followers 105) is set to a value smaller than the length of the linear path 39 of the cam groove 37. Therefore, regardless of the position of the working head 20 on the base portion 10, at least one of the multiple cam followers 105 aligned in the movement direction of the working head 20 is positioned within the linear path 39 of the cam groove 37. As a result, in this embodiment, no matter where the working head 20 is located on the base portion 10, at least one of the multiple spools 104 is always positioned at the second position Q2, and negative pressure air and positive pressure air are always sent out toward the working head 20 from one of the multiple air outlets 17 (negative pressure air outlet 17A and positive pressure air outlet 17B).

[0056] Thus, in this embodiment, the multiple spool holes 103 are arranged so that at least one spool 104 is positioned at the second position Q2 by the cam 36, regardless of the position of the working head 20 relative to the base portion 10.

[0057] 8 → 9 → 10 as described above, the air intake ports 33 (negative pressure air intake port 33A and positive pressure air intake port 33B) provided in the non-contact air intake portion 34 change their relative positions to the air outlets 17 (negative pressure air outlet 17A and positive pressure air outlet 17B) as shown in Figure 8(b) → Figure 9(b) → Figure 10(b). Here, in Figures 8(b), 9(b), and 10(b), the air outlets 17 indicated by a black circle "●" represent air outlets 17 that are blowing out air, and the air outlets 17 indicated by a white circle "◯" represent air outlets 17 that are not blowing out air.

[0058] As can be seen from these figures, when the working head 20 moves and the spool 104, which is positioned opposite the working head 20, is switched from the first position Q1 to the second position Q2 by the cam 36, air (negative pressure air and positive pressure air) is discharged from the air outlets 17 (negative pressure air outlet 17A and positive pressure air outlet 17B) located below the spool 104, and the discharged air is received by the air receiving port 33 (negative pressure air receiving port 33A and positive pressure air receiving port 33B). Therefore, regardless of the position of the working head 20 relative to the base part 10, air can be supplied through the air introduction path (negative pressure air introduction path 107A and positive pressure air introduction path 107B) inside the base part 10.

[0059] In this way, the non-contact air supply unit 100 supplies air to the work head 20 at any position on the work head 20. The air supplied to the work head 20 is positive pressure air and negative pressure air used by the work head 20 to perform operations necessary for the work, including picking up and placing electronic components D. The cam 36 having the cam groove 37, the cam follower 105, and the front end 104T constitute a valve operating unit C that operates a valve mechanism 101 so that air (negative pressure air and positive pressure air) is sent from one of the multiple air outlets 17 (negative pressure air outlet 17A and positive pressure air outlet 17B) that is located opposite the work head 20. That is, the valve mechanism 101 is operated by multiple cam followers 105 provided corresponding to each of the multiple air outlets 17, and the valve operating unit C is composed of a cam 36 provided on the work head 20 that operates the cam follower 105 as the work head 20 moves along the base unit 10.

[0060] The valve operating unit C may be configured to include an electromagnetic valve that operates the valve mechanism 101 based on the position of each of the multiple work heads 20 that are moved by the control device 110.

[0061] Next, the configuration of the control system of the working apparatus 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 11. The control device 110 includes a work control unit 111 and a memory unit 112. The work control unit 111 controls the multiple work heads 20A-20F, linear drive unit 11, non-contact power supply unit 15, non-contact communication unit 16, and multiple working units (component supply unit 40, back surface imaging unit 50, first inspection unit 60, second inspection unit 70, component placement unit 80, component disposal unit 90) included in the working apparatus 1, to perform a component transfer operation in which electronic components D supplied by the component supply unit 40 are transferred to placement targets (component tape 81) on the component placement unit 80.

[0062] The operation control unit 111 includes a head movement control unit 111a, a power control unit 111b, a communication control unit 111c, a pickup control unit 111d, a position recognition control unit 111e, a first inspection control unit 111f, a second inspection control unit 111g, a placement control unit 111h, and a disposal control unit 111i. The memory unit 112 is a storage device that stores operation data 112a, position recognition results 112b, first inspection results 112c, second inspection results 112d, and the like. The operation data 112a stores various information necessary for operations such as component transfer, such as the dimensions (length, width, thickness) of the electronic components D, the allowable ranges for the dimensions of the electronic components D, the allowable ranges for the electrical characteristics of the electronic components D, information about the arrangement of the electronic components D accommodated in the tray 41, and information about the placement target (position information about pockets 81a formed in the component tape 81).

[0063] 11, the head movement control unit 111a controls the linear drive unit 11 based on the work data 112a to move the work heads 20A-20F that have completed work at their respective work positions S to the next work position S (arrows a1-a6 in FIG. 1). The power control unit 111b controls the non-contact power supply unit 15 to supply power to the non-contact power receiving unit 30 of each of the multiple work heads 20A-20F. The communication control unit 111c controls the non-contact communication unit 16 to communicate commands and data with the moving-side non-contact communication unit 31 of each of the multiple work heads 20A-20F.

[0064] Based on the work data 112a, the pickup control unit 111d controls the work head 20A at the component supply position S1 and the component supply unit 40 to have each of the multiple nozzles 21 of the work head 20A pick up multiple electronic components D stored in the tray 41. Based on the work data 112a, the position recognition control unit 111e controls the work head 20B at the component recognition position S2 and the back surface imaging unit 50 to have each of the multiple nozzles 21 of the work head 20B capture images of the back surface of the electronic components D held by them, and recognizes the suction positions of the electronic components D held by the nozzles 21 from the image results. Next, the pickup control unit 111d associates the recognized positions of the electronic components D with information identifying the electronic components D (such as the ID of the work head 20, the ID of the nozzles 21, and the positions where the electronic components D were stored in the tray 41), and stores the result as position recognition result 112b in the memory unit 112.

[0065] 11, the first inspection control unit 111f controls the work head 20C at the first inspection position S3 and the first inspection unit 60 based on the work data 112a to inspect the electrical characteristics, appearance, and dimensions of the electronic component D held by each of the multiple nozzles 21 of the work head 20C. The first inspection control unit 111f then determines whether the electronic component D is pass or fail based on the inspection results of the electronic component D and the allowable ranges for the dimensions and electrical characteristics of the electronic component D included in the work data 112a. The first inspection control unit 111f then associates the inspection results of the electronic component D and the pass / fail determination result for the electronic component D with information that identifies the electronic component D, and stores them in the memory unit 112 as first inspection results 112c.

[0066] Based on the work data 112a, the second inspection control unit 111g controls the work head 20D at the second inspection position S4 and the second inspection unit 70 to inspect the electrical characteristics, appearance, and dimensions of the electronic component D held by each of the multiple nozzles 21 of the work head 20D. Next, the second inspection control unit 111g determines whether the electronic component D is pass or fail based on the inspection results of the electronic component D and the allowable ranges for the dimensions and electrical characteristics of the electronic component D included in the work data 112a. Next, the second inspection control unit 111g associates the inspection results of the electronic component D and the pass / fail determination result of the electronic component D with information that identifies the electronic component D, and stores them in the memory unit 112 as second inspection results 112d.

[0067] 11, the placement control unit 111h controls the work head 20E at the component placement position S5 and the component placement unit 80 based on the work data 112a, the position recognition result 112b, the first inspection result 112c, and the second inspection result 112d to place the electronic components D held by each of the multiple nozzles 21 of the work head 20E on the placement target (pocket 81a of the component tape 81). Based on the first inspection result 112c and the second inspection result 112d, the placement control unit 111h transfers onto the component tape 81 only those electronic components D that are non-defective in both the first inspection result 112c and the second inspection result 112d. Based on the position recognition result 112b, the placement control unit 111h also corrects the positions of the electronic components D held by the nozzles 21, and places the electronic components D on the placement target.

[0068] The disposal control unit 111i controls the work head 20F at the component disposal position S6 and the component disposal unit 90 based on the work data 112a, the first inspection result 112c, and the second inspection result 112d, and causes the defective electronic component D held by the nozzle 21 of the work head 20F, i.e., the electronic component D for which either the first inspection result 112c or the second inspection result 112d is defective, to be disposed of in a disposal box.

[0069] In this way, the work apparatus 1 has a work control unit 111 of the control device 110 controlling each part of the work apparatus 1, so that multiple work heads 20A to 20F stop at multiple work positions S and perform multiple tasks simultaneously and in parallel at the multiple work positions S.

[0070] As described above, the working device 1 of the present disclosure is a working device 1 comprising an endless base portion 10, a linear drive portion 11 arranged along the base portion 10, a guide portion R arranged along the base portion 10, a plurality of working heads 20A-20F that are independently movable along the guide portion R and can be stopped at any position, and a plurality of working positions S where the plurality of working heads 20A-20F can stop and perform a plurality of tasks in parallel. The working device 1 is equipped with a non-contact power supply portion 15 that supplies power to the working heads 20A-20F at any position of the working heads 20A-20F, a non-contact communication portion 16 that communicates signals between the working heads 20A-20F, and a non-contact air supply portion 100 that supplies air to the working heads 20A-20F.

[0071] This allows multiple work heads 20A-20F to move along the endless base unit 10, allowing multiple tasks to be performed simultaneously in parallel. Furthermore, power and air can be supplied from the base unit 10 to the work heads 20A-20F without contact, allowing for contactless communication between the base unit 10 and the work heads 20A-20F. This configuration eliminates the need for power cables, communication cables, air piping such as tubes connecting the base unit 10 and the work heads 20A-20F, and also eliminates the need for cable carriers to guide them. This means that the movement of the work heads 20A-20F is not restricted, and no debris is generated from the various cables, piping, or cable carriers when the work heads 20A-20F move.

[0072] Although the endless base portion 10 has been described above as being an annular base portion 10, the endless base portion 10 is not limited to this. For example, the endless base portion 10 may have a shape in which semicircles are connected by straight lines. [Industrial Applicability]

[0073] The working device of the present disclosure can perform multiple tasks simultaneously in parallel by moving multiple working heads along an endless base portion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1 Work equipment 10 Base 11 Linear drive unit 15. Non-contact power supply unit 16 Non-contact communication unit 20, 20A~20F Work head 100 Non-contact air supply unit 101 Valve mechanism D Electronic parts R guide part S1 Parts supply position S2 Component recognition position S5 Component placement position

Claims

1. an endless base portion; a linear drive unit disposed along the base unit; a guide portion disposed along the base portion; a plurality of work heads that are independently movable along the guide portion and can be stopped at any position; A work device having a plurality of work positions where the plurality of work heads stop and perform a plurality of works in parallel, A working device characterized by comprising, at any position on the working head, a non-contact power supply unit that supplies power to the working head, a non-contact communication unit that communicates signals between the working head and the non-contact air supply unit that supplies air to the working head.

2. 2. The working device according to claim 1, wherein the work positions include a component supply position where the work head picks up an electronic component, a component recognition position where the work head recognizes the position of the picked-up electronic component, and a component placement position where the picked-up electronic component is placed on a placement target.

3. 3. The working device according to claim 2, wherein the air is positive pressure air and negative pressure air for the working head to perform operations required for the work including picking up and placing the electronic component.

Images