Tape feeder

Abstract

The present invention provides a tape feeder that can reliably prevent the exposure of the two adhesive strips located at both ends of the cover tape after it has been peeled off the base tape. [Solution] A tape feeder that supplies components using a carrier tape comprising a base tape having multiple cavities and a cover tape having two adhesive sections at both ends of its back surface, comprising: a central curved guide that curves the cover tape peeled from the base tape in the center between the two adhesive sections in the tape width direction so that both ends face each other with their back surfaces facing inward; a folded and bonded section that folds both ends of the cover tape in the folded and bonded section so that both ends face each other with their back surfaces facing inward, and further bonds the two adhesive sections to the center of the back surface; and a tape feeding mechanism that feeds the cover tape from the central curved guide to the folded and bonded section.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification relates to a tape feeder that supplies components using a carrier tape.

Background Art

[0002] Techniques for mass-producing substrate products by performing substrate work on substrates with circuit patterns formed thereon have become widespread. Furthermore, it has become common to arrange multiple types of substrate work machines side by side to form a production line for substrate products. As a representative example of a substrate work machine, there is a component mounter that performs component mounting work and includes a tape feeder that supplies components using a carrier tape. The carrier tape is composed of a base tape that houses components in a plurality of cavities, and a cover tape that is attached to the base tape by two adhesive portions. The tape feeder can peel the cover tape from the base tape to remove the components. The peeled cover tape is discharged outside the feeder or recovered inside the feeder. One technical example of this type of tape feeder is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a component supply device including a top tape conveyance unit that peels and conveys a top tape (cover tape) from a carrier tape (base tape). The top tape conveyance unit includes a tape upright portion that raises both ends of the top tape so that the adhesive surface faces inward, a tape folding portion that folds the raised portion of the top tape down onto the non-raised portion, and a tape discharge portion that feeds the folded top tape in fixed amounts. According to this, it is said that the adhesive surface of the top tape can be reliably closed, the adhesive component does not adhere to the contact portion of the discharge path of the top tape, and regular cleaning work can be eliminated or reduced.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

[0005] Incidentally, the technical example in Patent Document 1 is preferable in that the adhesive surface is not exposed by folding both ends of the cover tape. However, there is a risk that the folded portion will return to its original shape and the adhesive surface will be exposed again, and also a risk that a portion of the adhesive surface will remain exposed at one end due to the asymmetrical folding of both ends. If the adhesive surface is exposed, in addition to the disadvantage of adhesive components adhering to the discharge path, there is a risk that the cover tape will stick to the discharge path and cause discharge problems.

[0006] Therefore, the problem to be solved in this specification is to provide a tape feeder that can reliably prevent the exposure of the two adhesive strips provided at both ends of the cover tape after it has been peeled off from the base tape. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] This specification discloses a tape feeder that supplies components using a carrier tape comprising: a base tape having a plurality of cavities for accommodating components; and a cover tape having two adhesive strips extending in the length direction of the tape at both ends in the width direction of the back surface, which are attached to the base tape by the adhesive strips to cover the plurality of cavities, the tape feeder comprising: a central curved guide that curves the cover tape peeled from the base tape at the center between the two adhesive strips in the width direction of the tape so that both ends face each other with the back surface facing inward; a bent and bonded section that bends both ends of the cover tape in the bent and bonded section so that both ends face each other with the back surface facing inward, and further bonds the two adhesive strips to the central part of the back surface; and a tape feeding mechanism that feeds the cover tape from the central curved guide to the bent and bonded section.

[0008] Furthermore, this specification discloses a tape feeder that supplies components using a carrier tape comprising a base tape having a plurality of cavities for accommodating components, and a cover tape having two adhesive strips extending in the length direction of the tape at both ends in the width direction of the tape on the back surface, and being attached to the base tape by the adhesive strips to cover the plurality of cavities, wherein the cover tape peeled off from the base tape is folded at two different locations in the center between the two adhesive strips in the width direction of the tape, so that the two adhesive strips are attached to the center on the back surface.

[0009] Furthermore, this specification discloses the technical idea of ​​changing "the tape feeder described in claim 2 or 4" to "the tape feeder described in any one of claims 2, 4, or 5" in claim 6 of the original application; the technical idea of ​​changing "the tape feeder described in claim 2 or 4" to "the tape feeder described in any one of claims 2, 4-10" in claim 11 of the original application; the technical idea of ​​changing "the tape feeder described in claim 2 or 4" to "the tape feeder described in any one of claims 2, 4-11" in claim 12 of the original application; and the technical idea of ​​changing "the tape feeder described in any one of claims 1, 2, or 4" to "the tape feeder described in any one of claims 1, 2, or 4-14" in claim 15 of the original application. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the disclosed tape feeder, the ends of the peeled cover tape, which have two adhesive strips, are bent, and the two adhesive strips are then attached to the center of the back surface. This prevents the bent fold from returning to its original shape due to the adhesive force of the adhesive strips, thereby reliably preventing the exposure of the two adhesive strips attached to the center. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a cross-sectional view of the carrier tape used by the tape feeder of the embodiment, in the tape width direction. [Figure 2]This is an overall perspective view of the tape feeder of the embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of a tape guide unit having a central curved guide and bend guides at both ends. [Figure 4] This is a side cross-sectional view showing the tape guide unit, the bonding section, and the cover tape that is deformed. [Figure 5] Figure 4 is a view from the VV plane, and is a front view showing the situation in which the central curvature guide curves the cover tape. [Figure 6] This is a front cross-sectional view taken along the VI-VI line in Figure 4, showing the situation where the end-end bending guides begin bending both ends of the cover tape at a position downstream of Figure 5. [Figure 7] This is a front cross-sectional view taken along the VII-VII line in Figure 4, showing the situation where the end-end bending guides are advancing the bending of both ends of the cover tape at a position downstream from that shown in Figure 6. [Figure 8] This is a front cross-sectional view taken along the VIII-VIII line in Figure 4, showing the situation where the end-end bending guides further bend the ends of the cover tape at a position downstream from Figure 7. [Figure 9] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IX-IX, showing a front cross-section where the end-end folding guides have finished folding both ends of the cover tape at a position downstream from Figure 8. [Figure 10] This is a front cross-sectional view taken along the XX cross-section arrow in Figure 4, showing the situation where the bonded portion has two adhesive sections bonded together at a position downstream from Figure 9. [Figure 11] This is a front cross-sectional view showing a situation where the folding positions of both ends of the cover tape are asymmetrical, resulting in an asymmetrical bonding position of the two adhesive strips. [Figure 12] This is a plan view showing the state after the operator has deformed the tip of the cover tape when the carrier tape is first put into use. [Figure 13] This is a side cross-sectional view showing the bonded portion of the deformed form. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] 1. Configuration of Carrier Tape 9 The tape feeder 1 of the embodiment is equipped in a component mounting machine and supplies components using a carrier tape. There are multiple types of carrier tapes with different materials and forms. First, a configuration example of a paper-made carrier tape 9 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The carrier tape 9 is composed of a base tape 91 and a cover tape 96.

[0013] The base tape 91 is processed from a paper tape with a generally constant thickness, and a thin film bottom tape 92 is attached to the bottom surface to form it. A plurality of cavities 93 are provided at equal pitches in the tape length direction at a position from the center in the tape width direction of the base tape 91 toward one side edge. Each of the plurality of cavities 93 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped space shape and accommodates a component 94. A plurality of feed holes 95 are provided at equal pitches in the tape length direction at a position closer to the other side edge of the base tape 91. The feed holes 95 are engaged with the teeth of a sprocket provided for feeding the carrier tape 9.

[0014] The cover tape 96 is formed of a thin film tape and may be made of the same material as the bottom tape 92. The cover tape 96 has two adhesive portions 97 extending in the tape length direction near the side edges in the tape width direction on the back surface. The two adhesive portions 97 are attached to both sides sandwiching the cavity 93 of the base tape 91. Thereby, the cover tape 96 covers the plurality of cavities 93 and prevents the scattering of the components 94. The width dimension of the cover tape 96 is smaller than the width dimension of the base tape 91, covers the cavity 93 but does not cover the feed hole 95.

[0015] The resin carrier tape is often called an embossed tape. The embossed tape is composed of a resin base tape and a cover tape 96. The resin base tape is subjected to inflation processing (embossing) at equal pitches in the tape length direction of the resin tape to form cavities. In the resin embossed tape, the feed holes 95, the cover tape 96, and the two adhesive portions 97 are in the same form as the paper carrier tape 9. The resin embossed tape has compatibility in use with the paper carrier tape 9.

[0016] In this specification, in the tape width direction of the cover tape 96, the range from the adhesive portion 97 to the side edge (including the adhesive portion 97) is referred to as an end portion, and the two end portions together are referred to as both end portions 9E. The adhesive portion 97 may be separated from the side edge or may reach the side edge as shown in FIG. 1. In many cases, the two end portions are symmetric in the tape width direction, but the symmetric shape is not an essential requirement. Also, in the tape width direction, the range between the two adhesive portions 97 (excluding the adhesive portion 97) is referred to as the central portion 9C. It is an essential requirement that the sum of the width dimensions of the two end portions is smaller than the width dimension of the central portion 9C. Note that the adhesive portion 97 may be in a form that is not continuous in the tape length direction, for example, in a dashed line form.

[0017] 2. Overall Structure of Tape Feeder 1 Next, the overall structure of the tape feeder 1 of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The front, rear, left, and right of the tape feeder 1 are defined as shown by the upper right arrow in FIG. 2. The tape feeder 1 feeds the carrier tape 9 (or the resin embossed tape) supplied from the rear in a predetermined feeding direction and supplies the component 94 at the supply position 22 in the front upper part. Therefore, the direction from the rear side to the front side of the tape feeder 1 is the feeding direction of the carrier tape 9. The reel (not shown) around which the carrier tape 9 is wound is held by the tape feeder 1 or placed separately behind the tape feeder 1. The tape feeder 1 is composed of a feeder body 2, a carrier tape feeding mechanism 3, a cover tape feeding mechanism 4, a tape guide unit 5, and the like.

[0018] The feeder body 2 is long in the front-to-back direction and thin in the left-to-right direction, forming the external shape of the tape feeder 1. A detachable rail (not shown) protruding downwards is provided on the lower surface of the feeder body 2. The detachable rail is used for mounting to a component mounting machine. An insertion opening 21 for the carrier tape 9 is provided on the rear surface of the feeder body 2. A supply position 22 for supplying components 94 is set on the upper front part of the feeder body 2. A folded-back section 23 is provided behind the supply position 22 of the feeder body 2.

[0019] An upper positioning pin 24, a connector 25, and a lower positioning pin 26 are provided in order from the top to the bottom of the front of the feeder body 2. The upper positioning pin 24 and the lower positioning pin 26 position the tape feeder 1, which is equipped on the component mounting machine. When the tape feeder 1 is positioned, the connector 25 is automatically connected to the main body of the component mounting machine. As a result, the tape feeder 1 is supplied with power and communicates with the control device of the component mounting machine. A carrying handle 27 is provided on the upper rear of the feeder body 2. An input display unit 28 is provided behind the handle 27. The input display unit 28 accepts input operations from the operator and displays the operating status of the tape feeder 1, etc.

[0020] The carrier tape feeding mechanism 3 is located inside the feeder body 2, below the supply position 22 and the folding section 23. The carrier tape feeding mechanism 3 feeds the carrier tape 9 inserted into the insertion opening 21 along the tape transport path (not shown) in the feeding direction. The carrier tape 9 moves forward below the folding section 23. Just before reaching the supply position 22, the cover tape 96 is peeled off from the base tape 91. The carrier tape feeding mechanism 3 feeds the carrier tape 9 in increments equal to the pitch dimension of the cavity 93, thereby feeding the base tape 91 to the supply position 22 and enabling the sequential removal of multiple components.

[0021] Meanwhile, the peeled cover tape 96 has its feeding direction reversed in front of the folded portion 23 and is fed in a sideways U-shape when viewed from the side. In other words, the peeled cover tape 96 is fed backward over the folded portion 23 with the back side, which has the adhesive portion 97, facing upward. The carrier tape feeding mechanism 3 consists of, for example, a sprocket with teeth that fit into the feed holes 95 of the base tape 91, and a motor that rotates the sprocket via a gear mechanism.

[0022] The cover tape feeding mechanism 4 is located in the lower part of the feeder body 2, approximately midway in the front-to-back direction. The cover tape feeding mechanism 4 includes a guide roller 41 and a direction-changing roller 42 located in the upper part of the feeder body 2, approximately midway (see Figure 3). The guide roller 41 is located behind the folding section 23. The guide roller 41 is supported by the feeder body 2 so as to be able to rotate freely around a rotation axis that extends in the left-to-right direction. The guide roller 41 rotates while in contact with the surface of the underside of the cover tape 96 being fed from the folding section 23, guiding the cover tape 96 to the direction-changing roller 42.

[0023] The direction-changing roller 42 is positioned close to the rear of the guide roller 41. The direction-changing roller 42 is supported by the feeder body 2 so as to be able to rotate freely around an axis of rotation that is inclined at 45° in the horizontal plane with respect to the axis of rotation of the guide roller 41. The direction-changing roller 42 rotates while in contact with the surface of the cover tape 96 which is fed from the guide roller 41 in a generally horizontal direction to the rear. As a result, the direction-changing roller 42 twists the width direction of the cover tape 96 by 45° and changes the feeding direction downward.

[0024] Furthermore, the third roller (not shown in the figure) further twists the cover tape 96 so that its width aligns with the front-to-back direction of the tape feeder 1, and guides it to the cover tape feeding mechanism 4. The twisting of the cover tape 96 prevents it from interfering with the carrier tape 9 being fed along the tape transport path. As a result, the cover tape 96 reaches the cover tape feeding mechanism 4 smoothly.

[0025] The cover tape feeding mechanism 4 pulls the cover tape 96 and separates it from the base tape 91. The cover tape feeding mechanism 4 further feeds the separated cover tape 96 by pulling it from the folded portion 23 through the guide roller 41, the direction changing roller 42, and the third roller. Finally, the cover tape feeding mechanism 4 discharges the cover tape 96 downwards. The cover tape feeding mechanism 4 operates in synchronization with the carrier tape feeding mechanism 3 and feeds the cover tape 96 by the same pitch dimension.

[0026] The cover tape feeding mechanism 4 may have a tension adjustment mechanism to adjust the tension of the cover tape 96 to suppress slack and stretching. The cover tape feeding mechanism 4 may also wind the cover tape 96 onto a take-up reel provided in the feeder body 2 without discharging it, or it may collect it in a collection container provided in the feeder body 2. The matters described so far are no different from the configuration of existing tape feeders.

[0027] The tape guide unit 5 is installed between the folded portion 23 and the guide roller 41. Therefore, from the perspective of the tape guide unit 5, the folded portion 23 is on the upstream side in the feeding direction of the cover tape 96, and the guide roller 41 is on the downstream side. The tape guide unit 5 is detachable from the feeder body 2. For this reason, the tape feeder 1 of the embodiment can be configured by retrofitting the tape guide unit 5 to an existing tape feeder. The tape guide unit 5 deforms the cover tape 96. As will be described later, the width dimension of the cover tape 96 in the tape width direction is deformed by half, but even so, no modification or redesign of the existing cover tape feeding mechanism 4 (including the guide roller 41, the direction changing roller 42, and the third roller) is required.

[0028] 3. Detailed configuration and functions of tape guide unit 5 Next, the detailed configuration and function of the tape guide unit 5 will be explained with reference to Figures 3-9. In Figure 4, the cover tape 96 is shown with hatching for convenience (the same applies to Figure 13). Also, as indicated by the arrow in the upper right of Figure 4, the left side of the paper is the upstream side in the feeding direction of the cover tape 96, and the right side of the paper is the downstream side. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the tape guide unit 5 consists of a base plate 51 and a guide body 55, etc. The guide body 55 is fixed to the upper side of the base plate 51 using two screws 59. The upstream end of the guide body 55 is positioned upstream of the upstream end of the base plate 51. The downstream end of the guide body 55 is positioned upstream of the downstream end of the base plate 51.

[0029] The guide body 55 has a central curved guide 6, bent guides 7 at both ends, and an opening 56. A portion of the upstream side of the guide body 55 corresponds to the central curved guide 6. Slightly more than half of the downstream side of the guide body 55 corresponds to the bent guides 7 at both ends. According to this positional relationship, the cover tape feeding mechanism 4 feeds the cover tape 96 from the central curved guide 6 to the bent guides 7 at both ends. The opening 56 is provided between the central curved guide 6 and the bent guides 7 at both ends and is formed in a rectangular shape that opens upward. The opening 56 is the area where the operator loads the cover tape 96 (details will be described later).

[0030] The central curved guide 6 curves the cover tape 96 at its central portion 9C, so that both ends 9E face each other with their back surfaces facing inward. More specifically, as shown in Figure 5, the central curved guide 6 has a pair of left and right inclined guide surfaces 61. The front ends of the guide surfaces 61 are chamfered to form a chamfered portion 62, which facilitates the entry of the cover tape 96. The upper sides of the pair of left and right guide surfaces 61 are separated by a distance D1 between them, and this gap is connected to the aforementioned opening 56.

[0031] The left and right pair of guide surfaces 61 have a smaller upper separation distance D1 compared to the lower separation distance D2. Therefore, the cover tape 96 is deformed into a U-shape, with the upper part being narrower than the lower part when viewed from the front. In other words, the cover tape 96 is deformed so that its upright, opposing ends 9E incline inward and move closer to each other. This facilitates the entry of the cover tape 96 into the downstream end bending guides 7. The inclination angle and separation distances (D1, D2) of the left and right pair of guide surfaces 61 can be appropriately designed based on the width, thickness, and material of the cover tape 96.

[0032] The end-folding guide 7 folds both ends 9E of the cover tape 96, which is fed from the central curving guide 6 in an opposing state. More specifically, the end-folding guide 7 folds both ends 9E of the cover tape 96 so that both ends 9E are folded with the back side facing inward (see Figure 9). Alternatively, the end-folding guide 7 folds the cover tape 96 at two different points in the central part 9C. In other words, the end-folding guide 7 does not fold the end ends 9E in the middle in the width direction, but rather folds the entire end ends 9E so that a crease is formed in the central part 9C. This allows the end-folding guide 7 to cover and conceal the two adhesive parts 97, preventing them from being exposed.

[0033] To elaborate on the end-end bending guides 7, a concave guide surface 71 is provided on its lower surface. The guide surface 71 is flat and high in the central part in the width direction, and gradually becomes lower as it approaches both ends. The distance between the ends of the guide surface 71 is about half the width dimension of the cover tape 96 before it is curved by the central curvature guide 6. The guide surface 71 is formed so that as it moves downstream, the distance between the ends is maintained while the central part gradually becomes lower.

[0034] The upper surface 52 of the base plate 51 functions as part of the guide surface 71. A portion of the upper surface 52 of the base plate 51 near the upstream side is a sloping surface 53 that is lower on the upstream side. Between the guide surface 71 of the end-end bending guides 7 and the upper surface 52 of the base plate 51, a passage hole 54 is formed through which the cover tape 96 passes backward. The feedable cover tape 96 is deformed as it moves through the passage hole 54.

[0035] The guide surface 71 gradually deforms the feedable cover tape 96 (the cover tape 96 advancing through the passage hole 54) from a state where both ends are facing each other to a state where both ends are bent. As shown in Figures 6-9, the height dimension of the passage hole 54 gradually decreases as it moves downstream. Therefore, both ends 9E of the cover tape 96 are guided by contact with the guide surface 71, and gradually tilt inward from a state where they are facing each other, approaching the central part 9C. On the other hand, the curved portion of the central part 9C of the cover tape 96 first comes into contact with the inclined surface 53 of the bottom plate 51, and then comes into contact with the flat top surface 52, gradually becoming flattened and deforming so that it divides into two bent portions on the left and right. Furthermore, as the cover tape 96 advances through the passage hole 54, the radius of curvature of the bent portion gradually decreases.

[0036] Due to the function of the guide surface 71 described above, the cover tape 96 is deformed as shown in Figure 9, with the two side edges of both ends 9E facing each other and approaching above the central part 9C, and the two bends on the left and right of the central part 9C becoming creases, causing both ends to be folded. Therefore, the width dimension of the cover tape 96 in the folded-end state is approximately half the width dimension of the cover tape 96 before deformation. The shape of the guide surface 71 can be appropriately determined so that this function is achieved.

[0037] Furthermore, it is permissible for gaps to occur between the two side edges of the folded ends 9E due to processing errors in the deformation process or dimensional tolerances of the cover tape 96, or for the areas near the two side edges to overlap vertically. In this embodiment, efficient deformation processing is achieved by the combination of the central curvature guide 6 and the end-end bending guides 7. In contrast, it is possible to deform the cover tape 96 from a flat state to a folded state at both ends using a single guide surface of a single guide, but the guide becomes longer compared to the embodiment.

[0038] 4. Bonding section 8 When the cover tape 96 is folded at both ends, there is a risk that the folds will return to their original shape due to the elasticity of the film material, exposing the adhesive portion 97. To address this, in this embodiment, a bonding portion 8 is provided. The bonding portion 8 bonds the two adhesive portions 97 of the cover tape 96 to the central portion 9C on the back side, maintaining the folds.

[0039] The bonding section 8 has a ceiling plate 81 to which the cover tape 96, which is folded at both ends, can make contact, and a pressure contact section that presses the cover tape 96, which is folded at both ends, against the ceiling plate 81 to flatten it. The ceiling plate 81 is made up of a part of the tape guide unit 5. In detail, as shown in Figure 4, the ceiling plate 81 is made up of the lower surface downstream of the guide surface 71 of the folded-end guide 7.

[0040] On the other hand, a guide roller 41 is used in the pressure-welding section. More specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the guide roller 41 is positioned downstream of the ceiling plate 81 in the direction of feeding the cover tape 96. With this positional relationship, the cover tape feeding mechanism 4 feeds the cover tape 96 from the central curved guide 6, through the bent guides 7 at both ends, to the bonding section 8.

[0041] Furthermore, the guide roller 41 is positioned such that the uppermost part of the roller that contacts the surface of the cover tape 96 is higher than the ceiling plate 81 and the through hole 54. Therefore, the guide roller 41 deflects the feeding direction of the cover tape 96 from horizontal to upward, and can press the folded cover tape 96 against the ceiling plate 81 and work it. As a result, as shown in Figure 10, the cover tape 96 is flattened, so the adhesive part 97 is pressed against the center part 9C on the back and adheres securely. In addition, the creases of the cover tape 96 are firmly retained.

[0042] The adhesive force of the adhesive portion 97 and the effect of the fold prevent the crease from returning to its original shape. Therefore, the bonding portion 8 covers and conceals the adhesive portion 97, ensuring that it is not exposed. The folding guides 7 at both ends and the bonding portion 8 together can be referred to as the folding and bonding portion. If the bonding portion 8 is not provided, even if both ends 9E are folded using the folding guides 7 at both ends, the two adhesive portions 97 may not be pressed against the center portion 9C on the back side (see Figure 9), and reliable bonding will not be achieved.

[0043] The tape guide unit 5 and the bonding section 8 are configured to be generally symmetrical. Nevertheless, in at least a portion of the tape length, the deformation of the cover tape 96 may be asymmetrical in the width direction. In this case, as shown in Figure 11, the folding positions of both ends 9E become asymmetrical, and the bonding positions of the two adhesive sections 97 become asymmetrical. However, since both ends 9E are folded so that the width dimension of the cover tape 96 is half of the original, even if the bonding position is misaligned, the adhesive section 97 can be reliably bonded to the central section 9C without any problems.

[0044] 5. Loading the cover tape 96 The explanation so far mainly assumes the operation of tape feeder 1. When starting to use a new carrier tape 9 with tape feeder 1, a loading operation is required. Accordingly, a loading operation is required to load the leading end 9F of the cover tape 96 in the tape length direction up to the cover tape feeding mechanism 4. The loading operation of the cover tape 96 will be explained with reference to Figure 12. In Figure 12, the adhesive portion 97 of the cover tape 96 is shown with hatching for convenience. Note that the loading operation of the base tape 91 is the same as the conventional operation of existing tape feeders, so the explanation will be omitted.

[0045] In the loading operation of the cover tape 96, the operator first peels the cover tape 96 from the base tape 91. The length to be peeled must be longer than the distance from the folded portion 23 to the cover tape feeding mechanism 4. Next, the operator deforms the leading edge 9F of the cover tape 96 in advance as shown in Figure 12. That is, the operator folds both ends of the leading edge 9F and adheres the two adhesive portions 97 to the center portion 9C on the back side. The length of the leading edge 9F to be deformed must be longer than the passage hole 54 of the tape guide unit 5. Here, as mentioned above, it is not a problem if the adhesion position of the two adhesive portions 97 is asymmetrical, so the deformation process is easy and does not require advanced skills.

[0046] The trailing portion 9R of the cover tape 96, which is connected to the leading portion 9F, is not deformed and is not folded at both ends. To elaborate, the portion of the trailing portion 9R closest to the leading portion 9F is affected by the deformation of the leading portion 9F, resulting in a curved central portion 9C. Furthermore, the trailing portion 9R approaches a flat state as it moves away from the leading portion 9F.

[0047] Next, the worker inserts the leading end 9F and trailing end 9R of the cover tape 96 into the opening 56 all at once. That is, the worker inserts the leading end 9F directly into the through-hole 54 of the end-folding guide 7 from the opening 56, while simultaneously inserting the curved trailing end 9R into the central curved guide 6. Next, the worker pulls the leading end 9F, which has passed through the through-hole 54, downstream and places it over the guide roller 41, the direction-changing roller 42, and the third roller in that order.

[0048] At this point, the leading end 9F, which has already been deformed and bonded, is simply fed in the feeding direction. Meanwhile, the trailing end 9R is deformed by the bending guides 7 at both ends as it passes through the through hole 54, and bonded by the bonding section 8 as it passes through the ceiling plate 81. Finally, the operator sets the leading end 9F into the cover tape feeding mechanism 4. This completes the loading of the cover tape 96.

[0049] In the tape feeder 1 of this embodiment, the central curved guide 6 facilitates the entry of the peeled cover tape 96 into the end-folding guides 7 by positioning the ends facing each other. The end-folding guides 7 fold the end portions 9E of the cover tape 96, which have two adhesive portions 97, and the bonding portion 8 bonds the two adhesive portions 97 to the central portion 9C on the back side. This prevents the folded crease from returning to its original shape due to the adhesive force of the adhesive portions 97, and reliably prevents the exposure of the two adhesive portions 97 bonded to the central portion 9C. Furthermore, since the cover tape 96 does not stick to the discharge path, discharge problems are suppressed.

[0050] 6. Bonding portion 8A of the deformed form Next, the modified form of the bonded section 8A will be described with reference to Figure 13. The modified form of the bonded section 8A has a ceiling plate 83, a pressure contact plate 84, and a biasing member 85. The ceiling plate 83 is composed of a horizontal lower surface downstream of the guide surface 71 of the bent-end guides 7. The pressure contact plate 84 is formed by bending the upstream end of a horizontally arranged rectangular plate material downward. The pressure contact plate 84 is positioned below the cover tape 96, which is bent at both ends, so as to be able to move up and down. The biasing member 85 is positioned between the pressure contact plate 84 and the bottom plate 51. The biasing member 85 is, for example, a coil spring in a compressed state, which biases the pressure contact plate 84 upward. Therefore, the pressure contact plate 84 can press the cover tape 96, which is bent at both ends, against the ceiling plate 83 and create a pressure contact. According to this, the cover tape 96 is flattened, so the adhesive part 97 is pressed firmly against the central part 9C on the back and securely adhered, thus preventing exposure.

[0051] 7. Applications and Variations of Embodiments The central curvature guide 6, the end-end folding guides 7, and the bonding section 8 may be constructed as separate parts. Furthermore, it is not mandatory to fold both ends 9E so that the width dimension of the cover tape 96 is half of the original width; it may be folded so that the width dimension is greater than half of the original width. In an alternative configuration in which both ends 9E are folded so that the width dimension of the cover tape 96 is one-third of the original width, one end of the cover tape 96 is folded first, and one adhesive section 97 is bonded to the central section 9C on the back. Next, the other end is folded, and the other adhesive section 97 is bonded to the surface of the folded section.

[0052] Furthermore, the bonded portion 8A of the deformed form can be deformed upside down. That is, the pressure plate 84 can be biased downward by the biasing member 85, and the cover tape 96, which is folded at both ends, can be pressed against the bottom plate 51 to create a pressure bond. In addition, the embodiment and deformed form can be applied and modified in various ways. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0053] 1: Tape feeder 2: Feeder body 22: Supply position 23: Folding section 3: Carrier tape feeding mechanism 4: Cover tape feeding mechanism 41: Guide roller 42: Direction change roller 5: Tape guide unit 51: Bottom plate 54: Through hole 55: Guide body 56: Opening 6: Central curved guide 61: Guide surface 7: Both end folding guides 71: Guide surface 8, 8A: Bonding section 81: Top plate 83: Top plate 84: Pressure plate 85: Biasing member 9: Carrier tape 91: Base tape 93: Cavity 94: Part 96: Cover tape 97: Adhesive section 9C: Center section 9E: Both ends 9F: Front end 9R: Following section D1, D2: Distance between each other

Claims

1. A tape feeder that supplies components using a carrier tape comprising: a base tape having a plurality of cavities for housing components; and a cover tape having two adhesive strips extending in the length direction of the tape at both ends in the width direction of the tape on the back surface, which are attached to the base tape by the adhesive strips and cover the plurality of cavities, wherein A central curved guide is provided to curve the cover tape, which has been peeled off from the base tape, at the center between the two adhesive portions in the tape width direction, so that both ends face each other with their back surfaces facing inward, and The ends of the cover tape, which are in an opposing state, are bent so that the ends are bent with the back surface facing inward, and the two adhesive strips are then attached to the center of the back surface to form a bent and attached section. A tape feeding mechanism that feeds the cover tape from the central curved guide to the folded and bonded portion, A tape feeder equipped with a tape feeder.

2. The tape feeder according to claim 1, wherein the folding and bonding portion comprises a double-ended folding guide that folds both ends of the cover tape, and a bonding portion that bonds the two adhesive portions to the central part of the back surface.

3. A tape feeder that supplies components using a carrier tape comprising: a base tape having a plurality of cavities for housing components; and a cover tape having two adhesive strips extending in the length direction of the tape at both ends in the width direction of the tape on the back surface, which are attached to the base tape by the adhesive strips and cover the plurality of cavities, wherein A tape feeder that peels the cover tape from the base tape and folds it at two different locations in the center between the two adhesive portions in the tape width direction, thereby adhering the two adhesive portions to the center of the back surface.

4. The central curved guide is formed by curving the cover tape in the central part so that both ends face each other with their back surfaces facing inward, A double-ended folding guide that folds both ends of the cover tape, which is in an opposing state at both ends, so that both ends are folded with the back surface facing inward, A bonding portion for bonding the two adhesive portions to the central part of the back surface, A tape feeding mechanism that feeds the cover tape from the central curved guide through the end-edge bending guides to the bonding section, The tape feeder according to claim 3, comprising:

5. The tape feeder according to claim 2 or 4, wherein the end-end bending guide has a guide surface that gradually deforms the feedable cover tape from an end-end facing state to an end-end folded state.

6. The tape feeder according to claim 2 or 4, wherein the bonding portion comprises a ceiling plate or bottom plate to which the cover tape, which is folded at both ends, can make contact, and a pressure contact portion that presses the cover tape, which is folded at both ends, against the ceiling plate or bottom plate to flatten it.

7. The tape feeder according to claim 6, wherein the pressure contact portion is positioned downstream of the ceiling plate in the feeding direction of the cover tape, and is a guide roller that deflects the feeding direction of the cover tape from the horizontal to the upward direction, thereby pressing the cover tape, which is folded at both ends, against the ceiling plate.

8. The tape feeder according to claim 7, wherein the ceiling plate is composed of part of a tape guide unit provided on the feeder body, having the central curved guide and the bent guides at both ends.

9. The tape feeder according to claim 8, wherein the tape guide unit is detachably provided with respect to the feeder body.

10. The tape feeder according to claim 6, wherein the pressure contact portion is a pressure contact plate that presses the cover tape, which is folded at both ends, against the ceiling plate or the bottom plate by being biased by a biasing member.

11. The tape feeder according to claim 2 or 4, wherein the end-end bending guides halve the width dimension of the cover tape in the end-end bending state compared to the width dimension of the cover tape before it is bent by the central bending guide.

12. The aforementioned end-folding guides are located at the leading edge of the cover tape in the tape length direction, and allow direct insertion of the leading edge, which has been pre-folded at both ends so that the two adhesive strips are attached to the central part of the back surface. The central curved guide is connected to the leading edge of the cover tape and allows for the insertion of a subsequent portion that is not bent at both ends. The tape feeder according to claim 2 or 4.

13. The tape guide unit provided on the feeder body, having the central curved guide and the bent guides at both ends, has an opening that allows simultaneous insertion of the leading and trailing portions of the cover tape, as described in claim 12.

14. The tape feeder according to claim 13, wherein the tape guide unit is detachably provided with respect to the feeder body.

15. The tape feeder according to any one of claims 1, 2, or 4, wherein the central curved guide has a pair of inclined guide surfaces in which the distance between the upper surfaces is smaller than the distance between the lower surfaces.

Images