Taping installation

Abstract

To provide a taping installation for an electronic component allowed to shorten cycle time furthermore.SOLUTION: A taping installation comprises: a first unit 100 that has an insertion member 101 for inserting an electronic component 400 into a pocket of a carrier tape 401, a first transport mechanism 102 for feeding a plurality of pockets in order to an insertion position P1 to insert the electronic component 400 from the insertion member 101 into the pocket and an alignment mechanism 103 for displacing the first transport mechanism 102 relatively to the electronic component 400 held on the insertion member 101 in order to correct the insertion position P1; and a second unit 200 that has a second transport mechanism 202 arranged closer to downstream of the first transport mechanism 102 and for carrying the carrier tape 401. Owing to a separation between the first unit 100 and the second unit 200, the first transport mechanism 102 is allowed to displace independently of the second transport mechanism 202.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a taping device for housing electronic components such as semiconductor elements in a tape. [Background technology]

[0002] A taping device for storing electronic components such as semiconductor elements on tape inserts the electronic components into pockets (recesses) intermittently formed in a long, narrow carrier tape, and then closes the electronic components inserted in the pockets by attaching a film-like cover tape to the carrier tape.

[0003] In a conventional taping device, a configuration is known for avoiding troubles such as contact between the edge or wall of a pocket and an electronic component when inserting the electronic component into the pocket of a carrier tape (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-154889 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] For example, a camera captures an image of the pocket position to obtain a correction value so that the center position of the electronic component coincides with the center position of the pocket. Then, the entire taping unit with the carrier tape set thereon is moved based on the correction value. This corrects the position of the pocket relative to the electronic component. However, because the taping unit is quite large, there is a limit to the speed at which the taping unit can be moved to correct the pocket position. In other words, there is a limit to how quickly the pocket position can be corrected, which limits the taping speed of electronic components to shorten the device cycle time (the time required to insert electronic components into pockets).

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned problems, one object of the present invention is to provide a taping apparatus for electronic components that can shorten the apparatus cycle time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to the following taping device.

[0008] (1) A taping device for inserting electronic components into each pocket of a carrier tape having a plurality of pockets formed at intervals therebetween, and for taping the electronic components, The first unit and a second unit; The first unit is an insertion member for inserting the electronic component into the pocket; a first transport mechanism that transports the carrier tape to sequentially feed the pockets from the insertion member to positions where the electronic components are inserted into the pockets; an alignment mechanism that displaces the first transport mechanism with respect to the electronic component held by the insertion member in order to correct the position at which the electronic component is inserted from the insertion member into the pocket; the second unit includes a second transport mechanism that is disposed downstream of the first transport mechanism in a transport direction in which the carrier tape is transported and transports the carrier tape; The taping device, wherein the first unit and the second unit are separated, so that the first transport mechanism is displaced independently of the second transport mechanism.

[0009] (2) further comprising a buffer mechanism installed between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; The taping device described in (1) is configured so that the buffer mechanism can change the path length of the carrier tape so that when either the first conveying mechanism or the second conveying mechanism stops conveying the carrier tape or changes its conveying speed, the other mechanism can convey the carrier tape.

[0010] (3) A taping device as described in (1) or (2), wherein each of the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism is provided with a drive source for transporting the carrier tape so that the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism can be driven independently.

[0011] (4) A taping device described in any one of (1) to (3), wherein the alignment mechanism displaces the first conveying mechanism in at least one of the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction, which are both horizontal and perpendicular to each other, and the θ-axis direction, which is a direction around a vertical axis.

[0012] (5) The second unit includes a crimping completion mechanism that completes crimping of the carrier tape to the seal tape that covers the pocket into which the electronic component is inserted, The taping device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the second transport mechanism transports the carrier tape and the seal tape passing through the pressure-bonding completion mechanism.

[0013] (6) A taping device described in any one of (1) to (5), wherein the first unit is provided with a pre-pressing mechanism that pre-presses the sealing tape covering the pocket into which the electronic component is inserted and the carrier tape. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, the cycle time of an electronic component taping apparatus can be further shortened. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of a taping device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an electronic component, a carrier tape, and a sealing tape. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic side view showing the configuration of a taping device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an electronic component 400, a carrier tape 401, and a sealing tape 402.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the taping apparatus 1 is configured to insert electronic components 400 one by one into pockets 403 of a carrier tape 401, and to adhere a sealing tape 402 to the carrier tape 401 with the electronic components 400 inserted, thereby maintaining the electronic components 400 inserted in the carrier tape 401. The electronic components 400 are components used in electrical products. For example, the electronic components 400 are semiconductor elements, resistors, capacitors, etc. The semiconductor elements may be integrated circuits such as ICs (Integrated Circuits) and LSIs (Large Scale Integration), or may be discrete semiconductors such as transistors, diodes, LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), capacitors, and thyristors.

[0018] [Outline of taping device] The taping apparatus 1 inserts and tapes electronic components 400 into each pocket 403 of a carrier tape 401 having a plurality of pockets 403 formed at intervals. The taping apparatus 1 includes a first unit 100 and a second unit 200.

[0019] The first unit 100 includes an insertion member 101 that inserts electronic components 400 into pockets 403 of a carrier tape 401, a first conveying mechanism 102 that transports the carrier tape 401 to sequentially send multiple pockets 403 to an insertion position P1 where the electronic components 400 are inserted from the insertion member 101 into the pockets 403, and an alignment mechanism 103 that displaces the first conveying mechanism 102 relative to the electronic components 400 held by the insertion member 101 in order to correct the insertion position P1 where the electronic components 400 are inserted from the insertion member 101 into the pockets 403.

[0020] The second unit 200 includes a second conveyance mechanism 202 that is disposed downstream of the first conveyance mechanism 102 in a predetermined conveyance direction D in which the carrier tape 401 is conveyed and that conveys the carrier tape 401.

[0021] In the above configuration, the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 are separated, so that the first transport mechanism 102 is displaced independently of the second transport mechanism 202.

[0022] For example, in the conventional taping device, the transport mechanism corresponding to the integrated configuration of the first transport mechanism 102 and the second transport mechanism 202 of the taping device 1 was displaced by a mechanism corresponding to the alignment mechanism 103. For this reason, in the conventional taping device, when correcting the insertion position, it was necessary to move the entire transport mechanism corresponding to the integrated configuration of the first transport mechanism 102 and the second transport mechanism 202. For this reason, the above conventional transport mechanism had a large weight (inertia), and it was difficult to displace it at high speed to correct the insertion position.

[0023] On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the first transport mechanism 102 for transporting the carrier tape 401 can be displaced independently of the second transport mechanism 202. Therefore, when correcting the insertion position P1, the alignment mechanism 103 needs to displace the first transport mechanism 102, but does not need to displace the second transport mechanism 202. This reduces the weight (inertia) of the first transport mechanism 102, which is the object to be displaced by the alignment mechanism 103. This allows the alignment mechanism 103 to perform the operation for correcting the insertion position P1 at high speed. In other words, the operation of inserting one electronic component 400 into the pocket 403 can be performed at high speed, thereby shortening the device cycle time.

[0024] [Example of carrier tape and sealing tape configuration] Next, an example of the carrier tape 401 and the seal tape 402 used in the taping device 1 will be described in more detail.

[0025] The carrier tape 401 is a long, thin resin tape, and has a plurality of pockets 403 and through holes 404 formed at regular intervals in the extending direction of the carrier tape 401 (transport direction D).

[0026] The through holes 404 are formed at a pitch corresponding to the arrangement of the pockets 403. While Fig. 2 illustrates a case where the through holes 404 are formed in a row along one side edge of the carrier tape 401, a total of two rows of through holes may be formed along each of the side edges of the carrier tape 401. For example, sprocket pulleys 102a, 102b, 202a, and 202b (described later) of the first conveying mechanism 102 and the second conveying mechanism 202 mesh with the through holes 404 to convey the carrier tape 401.

[0027] The pockets 403 are formed, for example, by embossing, and have a configuration in which one main surface (the bottom surface in FIG. 2) of the carrier tape 401 bulges and an opening is formed on the other main surface (the top surface in FIG. 2) of the carrier tape 401. A crosspiece 405 is formed between adjacent pockets 403 in the conveying direction D. The carrier tape 401 is shown flat in FIG. 1 for simplification, but in reality, as shown in FIG. 2, it has an uneven shape with the pockets 403 formed therein.

[0028] The sealing tape 402 is a strip-shaped tape having an adhesive layer (not shown) formed on the surface facing the carrier tape 401, which melts when heated. The width of the sealing tape 402 is greater than the width of the pocket 403 and the crosspiece 405, and is configured to cover the pocket 403 and the crosspiece 405. That is, the center portion of the sealing tape 402 in the width direction overlaps the pocket 403 and the crosspiece 405 of the carrier tape 401, and the side portions of the sealing tape 402 overlap both sides of the pocket 403 and the crosspiece 405 of the carrier tape 401. Both side portions 406, 407 of the pocket 403 and the crosspiece 405 in the width direction of the tapes 401, 402 are pressure-bonded by the taping device 1.

[0029] [Specific configuration of an example of a taping device] Next, an example of the taping device 1 will be described more specifically.

[0030] In addition to the first unit 100 and the second unit 200, the taping apparatus 1 may also include a buffer mechanism 300 installed between the first transport mechanism 102 and the second transport mechanism 202. The following describes a more specific configuration of the first unit 100, a more specific configuration of the second unit 200, and a more specific configuration of the buffer mechanism 300.

[0031] [Example of Unit 1] The first unit 100 inserts the electronic component 400 into the pocket 403 of the carrier tape 401, inspects whether the electronic component 400 has been properly inserted into the pocket 403, and temporarily presses the sealing tape 402 onto the carrier tape 401.

[0032] In addition to the insertion member 101, the first conveying mechanism 102, and the alignment mechanism 103, the first unit 100 may also include a carrier tape feeding mechanism 104, a sealing tape feeding mechanism 105, a pre-pressing mechanism 106, a pocket alignment appearance inspection camera 107, an in-pocket appearance inspection camera 108, and a defective product replacement mechanism 109.

[0033] The carrier tape unwinding mechanism 104 unwinds the carrier tape 401 and feeds it toward the first transport mechanism 102. The carrier tape unwinding mechanism 104 is equipped with a guide roller 104a. The guide roller 104a has a configuration including either a roller or a sprocket, or both. The guide roller 104a rotates as the carrier tape 401 unwound from a reel (not shown) around which the carrier tape 401 is wound moves in the transport direction D, thereby guiding the unwinding of the carrier tape 401 from the reel. In this embodiment, after passing through the guide roller 104a, the carrier tape 401 changes direction from horizontal to upward and heads toward the first transport mechanism 102.

[0034] The first conveying mechanism 102 applies a driving force to the carrier tape 401 passing through the first unit 100, thereby conveying the carrier tape 401 in a conveying direction D. In this embodiment, the conveying direction D is the rightward direction in FIG. 1 between the first conveying mechanism 102 and the second conveying mechanism 202.

[0035] The first transport mechanism 102 is preferably lightweight so as to reduce inertia when displaced by the alignment mechanism 103. In addition, although the present embodiment will be described taking as an example a configuration in which the first transport mechanism 102 transports the carrier tape 401 in the horizontal direction, this is not the only option, and for example, the first transport mechanism 102 may transport the carrier tape 401 in a direction inclined relative to the horizontal direction.

[0036] The first conveying mechanism 102 includes a first sprocket pulley 102a, a first sprocket pulley 102b arranged downstream of the first sprocket pulley 102a in the conveying direction D, and a first frame 102c supporting these first sprocket pulleys 102a and 102b.

[0037] Each of the first sprocket pulleys 102a, 102b is a pulley equipped with a sprocket, and the sprocket portion meshes with the edge of the through hole 404 of the carrier tape 401. At least one of the first sprocket pulleys 102a, 102b is a drive pulley that applies a conveying force to the carrier tape 401. In this case, the drive pulley is equipped with a rotational drive source such as an electric motor, or is applied with rotational force from the rotational drive source, thereby applying a conveying force to the carrier tape 401. The first sprocket pulley 102a is a pulley at the upstream end of the first conveyance mechanism 102 in the conveyance direction D, and the first sprocket pulley 102b is a pulley at the downstream end of the first conveyance mechanism 102 in the conveyance direction D. Note that sprocket pulleys other than the first sprocket pulleys 102a, 102b may be provided in the first conveyance mechanism 102.

[0038] The first frame 102c is a member that rotatably supports the first sprocket pulleys 102a and 102b. In this embodiment, the first transport mechanism 102 including the first frame 102c is displaced relative to the insertion member 101 by the alignment mechanism 103, thereby displacing the insertion position P1.

[0039] The alignment mechanism 103 displaces the first conveyance mechanism 102 in at least one of the x-axis and y-axis directions, which are horizontal and perpendicular to each other, and the θ-axis direction, which is a direction about a vertical axis. This configuration eliminates the need for the insertion member 101 to displace the electronic component 400 in a direction that corrects the insertion position P1 using the alignment mechanism 103. Therefore, for example, a correction unit for adjusting the position or orientation of the electronic component 400 during conveyance by the insertion member 101 is not required, or the configuration of the correction unit can be simplified. As a result, the presence of this correction unit can prevent the electronic component 400 from being pinched when inserted into the pocket 403. Furthermore, the operation of the correction unit can prevent the electronic component 400 from unintentionally falling out of the insertion member 101 while the insertion member 101 is conveying the electronic component 400.

[0040] The x-axis direction is the left-right direction on the plane of Fig. 1, and is along the transport direction D of the carrier tape 401 in the first transport mechanism 102 and the second transport mechanism 202. The y-axis direction is a direction perpendicular to the plane of Fig. 1. In this embodiment, the alignment mechanism 103 is configured to displace the first transport mechanism 102 in a total of three directions: the x-axis direction, the y-axis direction, and the direction around the θ axis.

[0041] The alignment mechanism 103 may displace the first transport mechanism 102 in only one or two of the x-axis direction, the y-axis direction, and the direction around the θ-axis. In this case, for example, a mechanism may be provided separately that displaces the electronic component 400 held by the insertion member 101 in the direction that is not displaced by the alignment mechanism 103, among the x-axis direction, the y-axis direction, and the direction around the θ-axis. With this configuration, the electronic component 400 can be displaced relative to the first transport mechanism 102 (carrier tape 401) even in the direction that is not displaced by the alignment mechanism 103.

[0042] In this embodiment, the alignment mechanism 103 is described as a combination of a linear guide mechanism and a rotation mechanism, but this is not the only option, and the specific configuration of the alignment mechanism 103 is not limited.

[0043] The alignment mechanism 103 includes an x-axis direction displacement mechanism 111, a y-axis direction displacement mechanism 112, and a θ-axis rotation displacement mechanism 113.

[0044] The x-axis displacement mechanism 111 is provided to displace the first transport mechanism 102 in the x-axis direction relative to the insertion member 101. The x-axis displacement mechanism 111 includes, for example, a base 111a, a slider 111b supported by this base 111a so as to be movable in the x-axis direction, and a drive source (not shown) for displacing the slider 111b in the x-axis direction. The specific configuration of the drive source is not limited, and examples of the drive source include an electric motor such as a servo motor and a fluid pressure cylinder such as a pneumatic cylinder.

[0045] The y-axis direction displacement mechanism 112 is provided to displace the first transport mechanism 102 in the y-axis direction relative to the insertion member 101. The y-axis direction displacement mechanism 112 includes, for example, a base 112a, a slider 112b supported by this base 112a so as to be movable in the y-axis direction, and a drive source (not shown) for displacing the slider 112b in the y-axis direction. An example of the drive source is a drive source similar to the drive source of the x-axis direction displacement mechanism 111.

[0046] The θ-axis displacement mechanism 113 is provided to displace the first transport mechanism 102 relative to the insertion member 101 in a direction about the θ-axis. The θ-axis displacement mechanism 113 includes, for example, a base 113a, a slider 113b supported by the base 113a so as to be rotatable about the θ-axis, and a drive source (not shown) for displacing the slider 113b in the direction about the θ-axis. An example of the drive source is a drive source similar to the drive source of the x-axis displacement mechanism 111. The center of rotation of the slider 113b of the θ-axis displacement mechanism 113 is arranged to be aligned vertically with the center of the electronic component 400 when the insertion member 101 inserts the electronic component 400 into the pocket 403. In other words, the center of rotation of the slider 113b is arranged at the insertion position P1.

[0047] In this embodiment, the x-axis displacement mechanism 111, the y-axis displacement mechanism 112, and the θ-axis rotation displacement mechanism 113 are arranged in this order from bottom to top, the base 112a of the y-axis displacement mechanism 112 is arranged on the slider 111b of the x-axis displacement mechanism 111, the base 113a of the θ-axis rotation displacement mechanism 113 is arranged on the slider 112b of the y-axis displacement mechanism 112, and the slider 113b is connected to the first frame 102c of the first transport mechanism 102. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the order in which these displacement mechanisms 111, 112, and 113 are arranged vertically is not particularly limited.

[0048] The slider 113b of the θ-axis displacement mechanism 113 is preferably disposed directly below or near the center of gravity of the first transport mechanism 102. With this configuration, the alignment mechanism 103 can displace the first transport mechanism 102 in the direction around the θ-axis directly below the center of gravity of the first transport mechanism 102. Therefore, the inertia acting on the alignment mechanism 103 when displacing the first transport mechanism 102 can be smaller, and the first transport mechanism 102 can be displaced at higher speed.

[0049] The insertion member 101 receives electronic components 400 from a feeder (not shown) and inserts the received electronic components 400 into pockets 403 of the carrier tape 401. The specific configuration of the insertion member 101 is not limited as long as it can insert the electronic components 400 into pockets 403 at locations on the carrier tape 401 that are being transported, for example, between sprocket pulleys 102a and 102b of the first transport mechanism 102. The insertion member 101 inserts the electronic components 400 into the pockets 403 by lowering or dropping the electronic components 400 toward the pockets 403. The position of the pockets 403 when the electronic components 400 are inserted into the pockets 403 is an insertion position P1.

[0050] The insertion member 101 is configured to hold the electronic component 400 and thereby be movable integrally with the electronic component 400. Examples of the insertion member 101 include a suction nozzle that holds the electronic component 400 by sucking it, and a robot hand that holds the electronic component 400 by grasping it, but the configuration of the insertion member 101 is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration.

[0051] The insertion member 101 is preferably disposed, for example, between the sprocket pulleys 102a and 102b of the first conveying mechanism 102, closer to the sprocket pulley 102a. By disposing it in this manner, various components such as the temporary pressure-bonding mechanism 106 can be disposed downstream in the conveying direction D, making the first conveying mechanism 102 more compact in the conveying direction D and enabling the alignment mechanism 103 to perform a faster displacement operation of the first conveying mechanism 102.

[0052] The insertion member 101 repeatedly receives and inserts electronic components 400 into the pockets 403 by reciprocating between the feeder and a position directly above the pockets 403 of the carrier tape 401. The configuration for the insertion member 101 to perform the reciprocating motion is not limited, and examples include a configuration in which the insertion member 101 is attached to the outer periphery of a rotating member that rotates about an axis along the x-axis direction or a rotating member that rotates about an axis along the z-axis direction, and the insertion member 101 rotates about this axis. In this case, the insertion member 101 repeatedly travels from the feeder to a position directly above the pockets 403 and then returns to the feeder as the rotating member rotates. Another example of a configuration for performing the reciprocating motion described above is a configuration in which the insertion member 101 moves up and down.

[0053] From the time the insertion member 101 receives the electronic component 400 from the feeder until the insertion member 101 completes inserting the electronic component 400 into the pocket 403, it is preferable that other members or mechanisms do not come into contact with the electronic component 400 held by the insertion member 101. This configuration prevents the relative position between the insertion member 101 and the electronic component 400 from changing. As a result, a correction unit or a θ-rotation correction mechanism for adjusting the position or orientation of the electronic component 400 during transport by the insertion member 101 is not required, and pinching of the electronic component 400 during insertion into the pocket 403, which would be caused by the presence of the correction unit or the θ-rotation correction mechanism, can be prevented. Furthermore, unintentional dropping of the electronic component 400 from the insertion member 101 due to the operation of the correction unit or the θ-rotation correction mechanism while the insertion member 101 is transporting the electronic component 400, can be prevented.

[0054] For example, when the insertion member 101 rotates around the z-axis by a rotating member (not shown), the correction unit is installed between the feeder and the insertion position P1 in the rotation direction of the insertion member 101. The correction unit grasps the relative position between the insertion member 101 and the electronic component 400, for example, based on the image capture results of a position and orientation confirmation camera that captures an image of the electronic component 400 supported by the insertion member 101. The correction unit then corrects the position and orientation of the electronic component 400 as necessary. The correction unit first receives the electronic component 400 from the insertion member 101. The correction unit then changes the relative position and orientation of the insertion member 101 and the electronic component 400 by changing the relative position with respect to the insertion member 101 or by changing the orientation of the electronic component 400.

[0055] If a correction unit or a θ rotation correction mechanism were used, the insertion member 101 would need to adjust the position and orientation of the electronic component 400 while transporting the electronic component 400. This would increase the time required for the insertion member 101 to complete insertion of the electronic component 400 into the pocket 403 after receiving the electronic component 400, thereby lengthening the cycle time of the device. In contrast, in this embodiment, such adjustment is performed on the first transport mechanism 102 side, not on the insertion member 101 side, thereby shortening the cycle time of the device. That is, in this embodiment, while the insertion member 101 is transporting the electronic component 400 toward the carrier tape 401, the alignment mechanism 103 performs a correction operation for the position and orientation of the carrier tape 401 independently of the operation of the insertion member 101. This allows the insertion member 101 to be transported toward the carrier tape 401 at a higher speed, thereby shortening the cycle time of the device. Furthermore, a dedicated correction unit or θ rotation correction mechanism for changing the position or orientation of the electronic component 400 while it is being transported by the insertion member 101 is not required, and the configuration of the taping device 1 can be further simplified.

[0056] In this embodiment, a correction unit (not shown) or a θ-rotation correction mechanism may be provided to correct (change) the position or orientation of the electronic component 400 while it is being transported by the insert member 101. In this case, the correction unit or the θ-rotation correction mechanism may change the position in the x-axis direction or the y-axis direction and the orientation (angle around the θ-axis) of the electronic component 400 relative to the insert member 101 while the insert member 101 is still holding the electronic component 400, or, as described above, may receive the electronic component 400 from the insert member 101, correct the position or orientation of the electronic component 400, and then return the electronic component 400 to the insert member 101.

[0057] When the correction unit corrects the relative position between electronic component 400 and insert member 101 in the x-axis direction, x-axis displacement mechanism 111 is omitted. When the correction unit corrects the relative position between electronic component 400 and insert member 101 in the y-axis direction, y-axis displacement mechanism 112 is omitted. When the θ-rotation correction mechanism corrects the relative position between electronic component 400 and insert member 101 in the direction around the θ-axis, θ-axis rotation displacement mechanism 113 is omitted.

[0058] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, even when the first conveyance mechanism 102 is displaced around the θ axis by the θ-axis displacement mechanism 113, the second conveyance mechanism 202 is not displaced around the θ axis. Therefore, the second conveyance mechanism 202, which is far from the first conveyance mechanism 102, and the carrier tape 401 passing through the second conveyance mechanism 202 do not significantly swing around the θ axis (the swing angle does not become large), and this ensures stable conveyance of the carrier tape 401 and stable sealing operation when the carrier tape 401 is finally bonded to the seal tape 402 (the tapes 401, 402 do not swing during the final bonding).

[0059] As described above, this embodiment employs an alignment mechanism 103 that (i) is capable of high-speed position correction and (ii) is capable of rotational displacement around the θ axis in addition to the x-axis and y-axis directions. This shortens the device cycle time and stabilizes the main pressure-bonding operation between the tapes 401 and 402, thereby enabling the tapes 401 and 402 to be pressure-bonded with higher relative positional accuracy.

[0060] The pocket alignment visual inspection camera 107 is a camera such as a CCD or CMOS camera, and is located above the first conveyance mechanism 102 and captures images of the electronic component 400 held by the insertion member 101 and the pocket 403 near the insertion position P1 and being conveyed toward the insertion position P1. The image capture results of the pocket alignment visual inspection camera 107 are provided to a control unit (not shown). The control unit includes a calculation device such as a CPU, a read-only memory (ROM), and a random access memory (RAM). The control unit drives the alignment mechanism 103 so that the center position of the pocket 403 at the insertion position P1 coincides with the center position of the electronic component 400 when inserted into the pocket 403 by the insertion member 101 in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction, and so that the orientations of the pocket 403 and the electronic component 400 around the θ-axis coincide. As a result, the electronic component 400 is inserted into the pocket 403 while maintaining a horizontal orientation without coming into contact with the opening edge of the pocket 403.

[0061] The in-pocket visual inspection camera 108 is provided to inspect whether the electronic component 400 inserted into the pocket 403 is accommodated in the pocket 403 in the desired state. The in-pocket visual inspection camera 108 is a camera such as a CCD or CMOS camera, and is located above the first conveying mechanism 102, and photographs the electronic component 400 inserted into the pocket 403 and the pocket 403 in which the electronic component 400 is accommodated but which is not covered with the sealing tape 402. The photographed result of the in-pocket visual inspection camera 108 is provided to a control unit (not shown). When the control unit determines that the entire electronic component 400 is accommodated in the pocket 403 and that there is no problem in overlapping the sealing tape 402 on the carrier tape 401, it makes a pass / fail judgment. On the other hand, if the control unit determines that it is not appropriate to overlay the sealing tape 402 on the carrier tape 401 because the electronic component 400 is not completely contained in the pocket 403 and at least a portion of the electronic component 400 protrudes from the pocket 403, for example, the control unit outputs a command to the defective product replacement mechanism 109 to operate the defective product replacement mechanism 109.

[0062] The defective product replacement mechanism 109 is provided to replace the electronic component 400 determined to be defective from the pocket 403. The specific configuration of the defective product replacement mechanism 109 is not limited as long as it is capable of replacing the electronic component 400 determined to be defective from the pocket 403. The defective product replacement mechanism 109 is disposed downstream of the insertion position P1 in the conveyance direction D. The defective product replacement mechanism 109 has a configuration for removing the electronic component 400 determined to be defective from the pocket 403, such as a suction nozzle or a robot hand. After removing the electronic component 400 determined to be defective from the pocket 403, the defective product replacement mechanism 109 may insert a new electronic component 400 prepared in advance into the pocket 403 in place of the electronic component 400 determined to be defective, or may temporarily hold the electronic component 400 determined to be defective and adjust its orientation or posture relative to the pocket 403 before reinserting the new electronic component 400 into the pocket 403 from which it was originally inserted.

[0063] After the inspection using the in-pocket visual inspection camera 108 , the electronic component 400 and the carrier tape 401 are sent to the sealing tape feeding mechanism 105 .

[0064] The sealing tape feeding mechanism 105 is provided to feed the sealing tape 402 wound around the reel 110 toward the carrier tape 401. The sealing tape feeding mechanism 105 includes one or more pulleys 105a. The pulleys 105a apply tension to the sealing tape 402 fed from the reel 110 and press the sealing tape 402 against the carrier tape 401. These tapes 401, 402 are transported to the pre-press bonding mechanism 106 in a state where they are overlapped with each other.

[0065] The pre-bonding mechanism 106 is a pre-bonding mechanism that pre-bonds (preliminary bonds) the seal tape 402 that covers the pocket 403 into which the electronic component 400 is inserted, to the carrier tape 401. Pre-bonding (preliminary bonds) refers to bonding in which the tapes 401 and 402 are bonded to each other to a degree that prevents misalignment of the relative positions of the tapes 401 and 402, while leaving room for stronger bonding between the tapes 401 and 402. The pre-bonding mechanism 106 may sandwich the tapes 401 and 402 to pre-bond the tapes 401 and 402 together, or may press the tapes 401 and 402 against the first frame 102c to pre-bond the tapes 401 and 402 together. The temporary pressure-bonding mechanism 106 may perform thermocompression bonding by applying heat to the tapes 401, 402 to pressurize the tapes 401, 402, or may perform pressure-compression bonding by applying pressure between the tapes 401, 402 to pressurize the tapes 401, 402, or may perform both thermocompression bonding and pressure-compression bonding.

[0066] In this embodiment, before the completion of the bonding of the tapes 401, 402 by the bonding completion mechanism 203, the temporary bonding mechanism 106 temporarily bonds the tapes 401, 402. With this configuration, the bonding completion mechanism 203 can perform the bonding completion operation (full bonding operation) of the tapes 401, 402 in a state in which the tapes 401, 402 are temporarily fastened to each other in advance so that no misalignment occurs between the tapes 401, 402. This makes it possible to suppress defects such as misalignment of the tapes 401, 402 in the bonding completion mechanism 203, and to suppress variations in the bonding operation of the tapes 401, 402 in the bonding completion mechanism 203. As a result, the tapes 401, 402 can be bonded to each other more accurately in the taping device 1.

[0067] In this embodiment, the temporary pressure-bonding mechanism 106 includes a pressure applying portion 106a and a receiving portion 106b.

[0068] The pressure applying unit 106a is disposed above the sealing tape 402 and is configured to be movable up and down relative to the sealing tape 402. When performing thermocompression bonding, the pressure applying unit 106a applies pressure to the tapes 401 and 402 while heating the tapes 401 and 402. When performing thermocompression bonding, the pressure applying unit 106a applies pressure to the tapes 401 and 402 but does not heat them.

[0069] As described above, it is preferable that the first transport mechanism 102 of the first unit 100 be displaceable in at least one of the x-axis direction, the y-axis direction, and the direction around the θ-axis. On the other hand, in the first unit 100, mechanisms other than the first transport mechanism 102 do not have to displace integrally with the first transport mechanism 102. Specifically, the insertion member 101 is configured to displace relative to the first transport mechanism 102 in the directions of the x and y-axis directions and the direction around the θ-axis in which the alignment mechanism 103 displaces the first transport mechanism 102. On the other hand, the insertion member 101 may displace integrally with the first transport mechanism 102 in the directions of the x and y-axis directions and the direction around the θ-axis in which the alignment mechanism 103 does not displace the first transport mechanism 102. For example, in the case where a θ rotation correction mechanism is provided that corrects the position of the electronic component 400 held in the insertion member 101 by displacing it around the θ axis, when the first conveying mechanism 102 is displaced in the x-axis or y-axis direction, the insertion member 101 and the first conveying mechanism 102 may be able to rotate integrally around the θ axis.

[0070] In the first conveyance mechanism 102, the carrier tape feeding mechanism 104, the pocket alignment appearance inspection camera 107, the in-pocket appearance inspection camera 108, the defective product replacement mechanism 109, and the sealing tape feeding mechanism 105 may be displaceable independently in the x-axis, y-axis, and directions about the θ-axis relative to the first conveyance mechanism 102, or may be displaceable integrally with the first conveyance mechanism 102. Note that it is preferable that the pre-pressing mechanism 106 be displaceable integrally with the first conveyance mechanism 102 in the x-axis, y-axis, and directions about the θ-axis, since this allows the relative position of the tapes 401, 402 to be constant during the pressing operation.

[0071] [Example of the second unit] The second unit 200 performs the operation of completing the crimping (main crimping) of the carrier tape 401 to the seal tape 402, and inspects the sealing state after the crimping is completed. As described above, the second unit 200 is installed independently of the first unit 100, and is therefore not directly subjected to the load from the moving parts of the first unit 100.

[0072] In addition to the second conveying mechanism 202, the second unit 200 may include a crimping completion mechanism 203 and a post-sealing appearance inspection camera 204.

[0073] The second conveying mechanism 202 applies a driving force to the tapes 401, 402 passing through the second unit 200, thereby conveying the tapes 401, 402 in a conveying direction D. In this embodiment, the conveying direction D is a horizontal direction along the X-axis direction in the second conveying mechanism 202, and is a rightward direction in FIG.

[0074] In this embodiment, the second conveying mechanism 202 conveys the tapes 401, 402 in the horizontal direction, but this is not necessarily the case. For example, the second conveying mechanism 202 may convey the tapes 401, 402 in a direction inclined relative to the horizontal direction. The second conveying mechanism 202 is not displaced by the alignment mechanism 103.

[0075] The second conveying mechanism 202 includes a second sprocket pulley 202a, a second sprocket pulley 202b arranged downstream of the second sprocket pulley 202a in the conveying direction D, and a second frame 202c supporting these second sprocket pulleys 202a and 202b.

[0076] Like the first sprocket pulleys 102a and 102b, each of the second sprocket pulleys 202a and 202b is a pulley equipped with a sprocket, and the sprocket portion meshes with the edge of the through hole 404 of the tapes 401 and 402. At least one of the second sprocket pulleys 202a and 202b is a drive pulley that applies a conveying force to the tapes 401 and 402. Like the drive pulley in the first conveying mechanism 102, the drive pulley in this case is equipped with a rotational drive source such as an electric motor, or is applied with rotational force from the rotational drive source to apply the conveying force to the tapes 401 and 402. The second sprocket pulley 202a is a pulley at the upstream end of the second conveying mechanism 202 in the conveying direction D, and the second sprocket pulley 202b is a pulley at the downstream end of the second conveying mechanism 202 in the conveying direction D. It should be noted that the second conveying mechanism 202 may be provided with sprocket pulleys other than the second sprocket pulleys 202a and 202b.

[0077] In this way, the first conveying mechanism 102 and the second conveying mechanism 202 are each provided with a drive source for conveying the carrier tape 401 so that the first conveying mechanism 102 and the second conveying mechanism 202 can be driven independently. The control unit controls the first conveying mechanism 102 and the second conveying mechanism 202 so that they can operate independently of each other. With this configuration, the feed speed of the tapes 401 and 402 and the timing at which the tapes 401 and 402 are pressed together in the units 100 and 200 can be changed independently of each other in the first unit 100 and the second unit 200. In other words, the feed speed and stop timing of the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 can be controlled independently of each other. For example, there may be a case where the electronic component 400 is not properly inserted into the pocket 403 in the first unit 100, and the feeding of the carrier tape 401 is stopped to reinsert the electronic component 400 into the pocket 403. Alternatively, there may be a case where a defect is found during a visual inspection in the second unit 200, and the feeding of the tapes 401 and 402 in the second unit 200 is stopped. In these cases, the timing of the tape feeding in the first unit 100 and the tape feeding in the second unit 200 may differ. Even when such a situation occurs, the tape feeding speeds can be made different between the first unit 100 and the second unit 200, preventing a chain reaction of defects between the units 100 and 200. Furthermore, there is a greater degree of freedom in setting the timing for replacing the electronic component 400 and temporarily bonding the tapes 401 and 402 in the first unit 100, and for fully bonding the tapes 401 and 402 in the second unit 200 and stopping the feeding when a defective seal is found.

[0078] The second conveying mechanism 202 having the above configuration conveys the carrier tape 401 and the seal tape 402 passing through the pressure-bonding completion mechanism 203. With this configuration, the tapes 401 and 402 passing through the pressure-bonding completion mechanism 203 can be maintained in a stable posture, ensuring more stable pressure-bonding quality.

[0079] The crimping completion mechanism 203 completes the crimping of the carrier tape 401 to the seal tape 402 covering the pocket 403 into which the electronic component 400 has been inserted. The crimping completion mechanism 203 is a final crimping mechanism that completes the crimping of the tapes 401, 402 together. Final crimping refers to crimping the tapes 401, 402 containing the electronic component 400 together until they are ready to be shipped from the taping device 1. The peel strength between the tapes 401, 402 after final crimping is greater than the peel strength between the tapes 401, 402 after temporary crimping. The peel strength can be expressed as the average load per unit length required to peel the seal tape 402 from the carrier tape 401.

[0080] The pressure-bonding completion mechanism 203 may sandwich the tapes 401, 402 to finally pressure-bond the tapes 401, 402 together, or may press the tapes 401, 402 against the second frame 202c to finally pressure-bond the tapes 401, 402. The pressure-bonding completion mechanism 203 may perform thermocompression bonding by applying heat to the tapes 401, 402 to pressure-bond the tapes 401, 402, may perform pressure-compression bonding by applying pressure between the tapes 401, 402 to pressure-bond the tapes 401, 402, or may perform both thermocompression bonding and pressure-compression bonding.

[0081] In this embodiment, the pressure-bonding completion mechanism 203 includes a pressure applying portion 203a and a receiving portion 203b.

[0082] The pressure applying unit 203a is disposed above the tapes 401 and 402 and is configured to be movable up and down relative to the sealing tape 402. When performing thermocompression bonding, the pressure applying unit 203a applies pressure to the tapes 401 and 402 while heating the tapes 401 and 402. When performing thermocompression bonding, the pressure applying unit 203a applies pressure to the tapes 401 and 402 but does not heat them.

[0083] In this embodiment, the pre-bonding mechanism 106 and the compression-bonding completion mechanism 203 operate independently of each other. More specifically, the pressure applying unit 106a of the pre-bonding mechanism 106 and the pressure applying unit 203a of the compression-bonding completion mechanism 203 operate independently of each other. With this configuration, the pre-bonding operation and the final compression-bonding operation can be performed separately. In particular, in the case of thermocompression bonding, if the pre-bonding mechanism 106 waits while the pre-bonding operation by the pre-bonding mechanism 106 of the first unit 100 continues when the conveyance of the carrier tape 401 is stopped in the second unit 200, heat from the pressure applying unit 106a of the pre-bonding mechanism 106 is transferred to the tapes 401 and 402 more than necessary, resulting in a compression state similar to the final compression state achieved by the compression-bonding completion mechanism 203. In such a case, the final bonding operation of the tapes 401, 402 may be performed unintentionally, which may cause discoloration of the tapes 401, 402 or may prevent the desired bonded state between the tapes 401, 402. Such problems can be avoided by allowing the pressure unit 106a of the pre-bonding mechanism 106 and the pressure unit 203a of the bonding completion mechanism 203 to operate independently. Furthermore, in the case of thermocompression bonding, the tapes 401, 402 can be heated during final bonding after the heat applied to the tapes 401, 402 during pre-bonding has cooled. This prevents the heat from pre-bonding from acting during final bonding, thereby preventing problems such as discoloration of the adhesive layer between the tapes 401, 402 due to excess heat.

[0084] The post-sealing appearance inspection camera 204 is provided to inspect the appearance of the fully pressure-bonded tapes 401, 402. The post-sealing appearance inspection camera 204 is a camera such as a CCD or CMOS camera, and is located above the second conveyance mechanism 202, and photographs the fully pressure-bonded tapes 401, 402. The photographed image by the post-sealing appearance inspection camera 204 is provided to a control unit (not shown). The control unit makes a pass / fail judgment based on the image photographed by the post-sealing appearance inspection camera 204, for example, if it determines that there is no discoloration of the tapes 401, 402 and that there is no lifting of the sealing tape 402. On the other hand, if the control unit determines that there is a defect, such as discoloration of the tapes 401, 402 due to heat or that the sealing tape 402 is lifting off the carrier tape 401, it makes a fail judgment and temporarily stops the second conveyance mechanism 202.

[0085] A guide pulley 205 and a tape take-up reel 206 are provided downstream of the second transport mechanism 202 in the transport direction D. The tapes 401, 402 fed from the second transport mechanism 202 are tensioned by the guide pulley 205 and wound around the tape take-up reel 206, and are then removed from the taping device 1.

[0086] [An example of a buffer mechanism] The buffer mechanism 300 is configured to be able to change the path length of the tapes 401, 402 so that when either the first conveying mechanism 102 or the second conveying mechanism 202 stops conveying the carrier tape 401 or changes its conveying speed, the other mechanism can convey the carrier tape 401.

[0087] In this way, by providing the buffer mechanism 300, when it is necessary to stop the conveyance of the tapes 401, 402 in only one of the first unit 100 and the second unit 200, the conveyance of the other unit does not have to be stopped for a certain period of time. As a result, for example, when the defective product replacement mechanism 109 in the first unit 100 reinserts the electronic component 400 into the pocket 403, the main pressure-bonding operation in the second unit 200 does not have to be stopped. Also, when the second unit 200 determines that the tapes 401, 402 are defective and the second conveyance mechanism 202 is temporarily stopped, the first conveyance mechanism 102 does not have to be stopped. Therefore, the period during which the entire taping operation of the electronic component 400 by the taping apparatus 1 is stopped can be shortened, and the productivity of the taping operation of the electronic component 400 by the taping apparatus 1 can be improved. Furthermore, when the operating speed of the first transport mechanism 102 and the operating speed of the second transport mechanism 202 are not synchronized due to aging or the like of the taping device 1, the difference between the transport speed of the tapes 401, 402 in the first transport mechanism 102 and the transport speed of the tapes 401, 402 in the second transport mechanism 202 can be absorbed to some extent by the operation of the buffer mechanism 300. This makes it possible to prevent one of the taping operations in the first unit 100 and the second unit from being affected by the other, allowing more accurate taping operations to be continued for a longer period of time.

[0088] In particular, in this embodiment, a drive source is provided in each of the transport mechanisms 102, 202 of the first unit 100 and the second unit 200, which are two separate units, so that these drive sources can be controlled independently. Furthermore, a buffer mechanism 300 is provided. This configuration allows flexibility in the operation of the first unit 100 and the operation of the second unit 200. Therefore, the frequency with which the entire taping device 1 is stopped can be reduced, and the productivity of the taping operation of the taping device 1 can be increased.

[0089] The buffer mechanism 300 is disposed between the first unit 100 and the second unit 200. The buffer mechanism 300 is only required to change the path length of the tapes 401, 402 passing between the first conveying mechanism 102 and the second conveying mechanism 202, and the specific configuration of the buffer mechanism 300 is not limited.

[0090] The buffer mechanism 300 may include a movable pulley 301. The movable pulley 301 comes into contact with one of the tapes 401, 402 (in this embodiment, the carrier tape 401) being fed in the feed direction D and rotates as the tapes 401, 402 are fed. The movable pulley 301 is configured to be movable up and down, and is pressed toward the tapes 401, 402 by a spring (not shown), such as a coil spring, to apply tension to the tapes 401, 402. The buffer mechanism 300 may include guide pulleys 302, 303 in addition to the movable pulley 301. The guide pulley 302 is disposed adjacent to the movable pulley 301 and applies tension to the tapes 401, 402. In this embodiment, the guide pulley 302, the movable pulley 301, and the guide pulley 303 are disposed in this order along the feed direction D. The guide pulleys 302 and 303 may be configured to be movable up and down integrally with the movable pulley 301 or in conjunction with the movable pulley 301.

[0091] The above is the general configuration of the taping apparatus 1. Next, an example of the taping operation of the taping apparatus 1 on the electronic component 400 will be described.

[0092] [An example of taping operation] In the taping operation, the first transport mechanism 102 and the second transport mechanism 202 intermittently move the tapes 401 and 402. The tapes 401 and 402 are transported in the transport direction D by repeatedly starting and stopping.

[0093] The carrier tape 401 is transported by the first transport mechanism 102 to a position below the inserter 101. At this time, the pocket 403 near the insertion position P1 is photographed by the pocket alignment visual inspection camera 107. Furthermore, the relative position of the electronic component 400 held by the inserter 101 is photographed at a predetermined point while the electronic component 400 is moving from the feeder toward the insertion position P1, for example, by a camera (not shown) installed below the inserter 101. The alignment mechanism 103 then operates under the control of the control unit based on the photographing results of the pocket alignment visual inspection camera 107 and the above-mentioned camera (not shown). As a result, at the insertion position P1, the pocket 403 and the electronic component 400 are aligned in the x-axis and y-axis directions and are also aligned in angle around the θ-axis. In this state, the electronic component 400 is inserted from the inserter 101 into the pocket 403. Next, the pocket 403 is covered with the sealing tape 402 fed out from the sealing tape feeding mechanism 105. Thereafter, temporary bonding is performed in the temporary bonding mechanism 106. The temporarily bonded tapes 401, 402 are sent to the second conveying mechanism 202 through the buffer mechanism 300 by the operation of the first conveying mechanism 102 and the second conveying mechanism 202. The tapes 401, 402 conveyed by the second conveying mechanism 202 are subjected to final bonding by the bonding completion mechanism 203. The final bonded tapes 401, 402 are taken up by the tape take-up reel 206.

[0094] When the electronic component 400 is inserted from the insertion member 101 into the pocket 403, the first transport mechanism 102 and the second transport mechanism 202 are temporarily stopped, and the carrier tape 401 is stopped. When the carrier tape 401 is stopped, pre-pressure bonding is performed by the pre-pressure bonding mechanism 106, and final pressure bonding is performed by the pressure bonding completion mechanism 203. After the electronic component 400 is inserted into the pocket 403 in each part of the taping device 1, the pre-pressure bonding operation is completed, and final pressure bonding is completed, the first transport mechanism 102 and the second transport mechanism 202 are driven again to transport the tapes 401 and 402.

[0095] On the other hand, if an insertion defect of the electronic component 400 into the pocket 403 is found by inspection using the in-pocket visual inspection camera 108, the first conveyance mechanism 102 is stopped, and the defective product replacement mechanism 109 replaces the electronic component 400 in the target pocket 403. In this case, the operation of the second conveyance mechanism 202 may continue, and the main pressure-bonding operation in the second unit 200 may be continued. Furthermore, if a sealing defect is found by inspection using the visual inspection camera 204 after the sealing is completed, the second conveyance mechanism 202 is stopped, and an operator or the like checks the state. In this case, the operation of the first conveyance mechanism 102 may continue, and the insertion operation and the pre-pressure-bonding operation of the electronic component 400 in the first unit 100 may be continued.

[0096] [Variations] The above describes an embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Various modifications of the present invention are possible within the scope of the claims. Note that the following mainly describes configurations that differ from the above embodiment and modified examples, and similar configurations are designated by similar reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0097] (1) In the above embodiment, the first unit 100 is provided with the pre-pressure bonding mechanism 106 to press the tapes 401, 402, but this does not have to be the case. For example, the first unit 100 may not be provided with a pressing mechanism, and the pre-pressure bonding mechanism 106 may be provided in the second unit 200, so that the tapes 401, 402 may be pre-pressure bonded and fully pressed in the second unit 200.

[0098] (2) In the above embodiment, two crimping mechanisms, the pre-bonding mechanism 106 and the crimping completion mechanism 203, are provided to bond the tapes 401 and 402 together. However, this is not necessarily the case. For example, the first unit 100 may not be provided with a crimping mechanism, and the second unit 200 may be provided with a single crimping mechanism, which may perform the crimping of the tapes 401 and 402 from start to finish. In this case, after the sealing tape 402 is superimposed on the carrier tape 401, the tapes 401 and 402 may be conveyed while being sandwiched between multiple pairs of pulleys or by a tunnel-shaped cover that allows the tapes 401 and 402 to pass through until they reach the crimping mechanism. This type of conveyance can prevent misalignment between the tapes 401 and 402 before they are bonded.

[0099] (3) In the above-described embodiment, the tapes 401, 402 may be temporarily transportable (reverse-travelable) in the direction opposite to the transport direction D by the drive source of the transport mechanism 102, 202. This configuration allows the position of the pockets 403 of the carrier tape 401 to be more optimized, for example, in the replacement operation of the electronic components 400 in the defective product replacement mechanism 109.

[0100] (4) In the above-described embodiment, the position correction in the x-axis direction along the conveying direction D is performed by the alignment mechanism 103 or the correction unit. However, this is not necessarily the case. For example, the insertion position P1 in the x-axis direction may be corrected by controlling the operation of the drive source in the first conveying mechanism 102 and changing the amount of conveyance of the carrier tape 401 in the x-axis direction in the first conveying mechanism 102. In this case, even if a difference occurs between the amount of conveyance of the carrier tape 401 in the first unit 100 and the amount of conveyance of the tapes 401, 402 in the second unit 200, the difference in the amount of conveyance can be absorbed by the buffer mechanism 300. With this configuration, the alignment mechanism 103 and the correction unit do not need a position correction mechanism in the x-axis direction, and the taping device 1 can be further simplified.

[0101] (5) In the above-described embodiment, the alignment mechanism 103 is configured to displace the first transport mechanism 102 in at least one of the x-axis direction, the y-axis direction, and the direction around the θ-axis. In this embodiment, the alignment mechanism 103 may further displace the first transport mechanism 102 in the z-axis direction (θ-axis direction), which is perpendicular to both the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction. In this case, the alignment mechanism 103 includes a z-axis displacement mechanism. The z-axis displacement mechanism includes, for example, a base, a slider supported by the base so as to be movable in the z-axis direction, and a drive source for displacing the slider in the z-axis direction. The specific configuration of the drive source is not limited, and examples of the drive source include an electric motor such as a servo motor and a fluid pressure cylinder such as a pneumatic cylinder. The slider is configured to move integrally with the frame 102c of the first transport mechanism 102 in the z-axis direction.

[0102] (6) In the above-described embodiment, a predetermined modification may be made to the relationship between the transport speed of the tapes 401, 402 in the first transport mechanism 102 and the transport speed of the tapes 401, 402 in the second transport mechanism 202. For example, the stop time of the tapes 401, 402 during the main compression bonding operation in the compression bonding completion mechanism 203 of the second unit 200 may be extended. Specifically, in the second transport mechanism 202, the transport amount of the tapes 401, 402 per transfer is increased to the amount corresponding to a plurality of pockets 403 (for example, four pockets) along the transport direction D, and instead, the stop time of the tapes 401, 402 in the second transport mechanism 202 is extended. On the other hand, in the first unit 100, the stop time of the tapes 401, 402 only needs to be executed while the electronic components 400 are being inserted from the insertion member 101 into the pockets 403, and therefore the stop time of the tapes 401, 402 by the first transport mechanism 102 is shortened. As an example, the amount of tape 401, 402 fed per cycle by the first conveyance mechanism 102 is set to the amount of one pocket 403 in the conveyance direction D, and the time the first conveyance mechanism 102 stops the tapes 401, 402 is short. In this way, the first conveyance mechanism 102 may be configured to feed the tapes 401, 402 a small amount per cycle and have a short interval between feed stops, while the second conveyance mechanism 202 may be configured to feed the tapes 401, 402 a large amount per cycle and have a long interval between feed stops. As a result of this configuration, although the stop timings of the first conveyance mechanism 102 and the second conveyance mechanism 202 are different, when viewed in terms of the feed / stop operation of the second conveyance mechanism 202 for multiple pockets, the common multiples of the times required for the operation of the first conveyance mechanism 102 and the operation of the second conveyance mechanism 202 are the same. Therefore, the presence of a buffer mechanism such as the buffer mechanism 300 can absorb the difference in the stop timing between the first conveyance mechanism 102 and the second conveyance mechanism 202, and can lengthen the time for main bonding in the bonding completion mechanism 203 of the second unit 200. As a result, the bonding strength between the tapes 401 and 402 can be increased.

[0103] (7) In the above-described embodiment, the buffer mechanism 300 is provided to change the path length of the tapes 401 and 402 so that when the conveyance of the carrier tape 401 by either the first conveyance mechanism 102 or the second conveyance mechanism 202 stops or changes in conveyance speed, the other mechanism can convey the carrier tape 401. However, this is not necessarily the case. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 for explaining a modified example, the buffer mechanism 300 may be omitted. In this case, for example, it is possible to change the conveyance speed of the carrier tape 401 and the seal tape 402 in the conveyance direction D between the first conveyance mechanism 102 and the second conveyance mechanism 202 by controlling the operation of the drive sources of the first conveyance mechanism 102 and the second conveyance mechanism 202. This allows slack to be generated in the tapes 401 and 402 between the first unit 100 and the second unit 200. In this way, when the transport of the carrier tape 401 by either the first transport mechanism 102 or the second transport mechanism 202 stops or the transport speed changes, the path length of the tapes 401, 402 can be changed so that the other mechanism can transport the carrier tape 401. In this case, the first transport mechanism 102 and the second transport mechanism 202 function as a buffer mechanism.

[0104] (8) In the above-described embodiment, the first unit 100 and the second unit 200 are provided as the multiple units. However, this is not necessarily the case. For example, three or more units may be provided as the multiple units. In this case, for example, the first unit may insert the electronic component 400 into the pocket 403 using the insertion member 101, the second unit may pre-press the tapes 401 and 402 using the pre-pressing mechanism 106, and the third unit may perform final press-bonding of the tapes 401 and 402 using the press-bonding completion mechanism 203. [Industrial Applicability]

[0105] The present invention can be applied to a taping device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 1 Taping device 100 Unit 1 101 Insertion member 102 First conveying mechanism 103 Alignment mechanism 106 Pre-pressing mechanism 200 Unit 2 202 Second transport mechanism 203 Crimping completion mechanism 300 Buffer mechanism 400 Electronic Components 401 Carrier Tape 402 Sealing tape 403 Pocket D Conveying direction

Claims

1. A taping device for inserting electronic components into each pocket of a carrier tape having a plurality of pockets formed at intervals therebetween and taping the electronic components, A first unit; a second unit, The first unit is an insertion member for inserting the electronic component into the pocket; a first transport mechanism that transports the carrier tape to sequentially feed the pockets from the insertion member to positions where the electronic components are inserted into the pockets; an alignment mechanism that displaces the first transport mechanism with respect to the electronic component held by the insertion member in order to correct the position at which the electronic component is inserted from the insertion member into the pocket, the second unit includes a second transport mechanism that is disposed downstream of the first transport mechanism in a transport direction in which the carrier tape is transported and transports the carrier tape; The taping device, wherein the first unit and the second unit are separated, so that the first transport mechanism is displaced independently of the second transport mechanism.

2. a buffer mechanism disposed between the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism; 2. The taping device according to claim 1, wherein the buffer mechanism is configured to be able to change the path length of the carrier tape so that when either the first transport mechanism or the second transport mechanism stops transporting the carrier tape or changes its transport speed, the other mechanism can transport the carrier tape.

3. 2. The taping device according to claim 1, wherein each of the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism is provided with a drive source for transporting the carrier tape so that the first transport mechanism and the second transport mechanism can be driven independently.

4. 2. The taping device according to claim 1, wherein the alignment mechanism displaces the first transport mechanism in at least one of an x-axis direction and a y-axis direction, which are both horizontal and perpendicular to each other, and a θ-axis direction, which is a direction around a vertical axis.

5. the second unit includes a crimping completion mechanism that completes crimping of the carrier tape to the seal tape that covers the pocket into which the electronic component is inserted, The taping device according to claim 1 , wherein the second transport mechanism transports the carrier tape and the seal tape passing through the pressure-bonding completion mechanism.

6. 2. The taping device according to claim 1, wherein the first unit includes a pre-pressing mechanism for pre-pressing the seal tape covering the pocket into which the electronic component is inserted and the carrier tape together.

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