Bending unit and work head

Abstract

A pair of leads, supported by a pair of support members, are appropriately bent by a pair of bending members. [Solution] A bending unit comprising: a pair of support members that support a pair of leads of an axial lead component; a pair of bending members that contact the pair of leads supported by the pair of support members and bend the pair of leads; a moving device that moves the pair of support members and the pair of bending members relative to each other; and a stopper that restricts the approach of the pair of support members, wherein the moving device moves the pair of support members and the pair of bending members relative to each other, thereby bending the pair of leads supported by the pair of support members, whose approach is restricted by the stopper, with the pair of bending members.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a bending unit that bends a pair of leads supported by a pair of support members by a pair of bending members, and a work head including the bending unit.

Background Art

[0002] The following patent document describes a bending unit that bends a pair of leads supported by a pair of support members by a pair of bending members.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In this specification, an object is to appropriately bend a pair of leads supported by a pair of support members by a pair of bending members.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, this specification includes a pair of support members that support a pair of leads of an axial lead component, a pair of bending members that contact a pair of leads supported by the pair of support members and bend the pair of leads, a moving device that relatively moves the pair of support members and the pair of bending members, and a stopper that restricts the approach of the pair of support members. By relatively moving the pair of support members and the pair of bending members by the moving device, a bending unit is disclosed that bends a pair of leads supported by the pair of support members in a state where the approach is restricted by the stopper by the pair of bending members.

[0006] To solve the above problems, this specification discloses a work head that includes the bending unit described above and inserts an axial lead component having the pair of leads bent by the bending unit into a substrate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] In this disclosure, a pair of leads supported by a pair of support members, whose access is restricted by a stopper, are bent by a pair of bending members. This allows a pair of leads supported by a pair of support members to be appropriately bent by a pair of bending members. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a component insertion device. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of a tape feeder. [Figure 3] This is a plan view of the tape-type component. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view of the work head. [Figure 5] This is a magnified perspective view of the work head. [Figure 6] This is a magnified perspective view of the work head. [Figure 7] This is a magnified perspective view of the work head. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram of a ball screw mechanism. [Figure 9] This is an enlarged perspective view of the cut and form unit. [Figure 10] This is a magnified cross-sectional view of the cut and form unit. [Figure 11] This is a block diagram of the control device. [Figure 12] This is an enlarged perspective view of the cut and form unit. [Figure 13] This is a magnified cross-sectional view of the cut and form unit. [Figure 14] This is a magnified cross-sectional view of the cut and form unit. [Figure 15]This is a schematic diagram of a conventional cut-and-form unit. [Figure 16] This is a schematic diagram of the cut-and-form unit in this embodiment. [Figure 17] This is an enlarged perspective view of the cut and form unit. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the figures, as embodiments for carrying out the present invention.

[0010] Figure 1 shows a component mounting device 10. The component mounting device 10 is a device for performing the operation of mounting components onto a circuit board 12. The component mounting device 10 comprises a device body 20, a substrate holding device 22, a component supply device 24, an imaging device 25, a work head 26, and a control device (see Figure 11) 28. The circuit board 12 can be a printed wiring board, a printed circuit board, or the like.

[0011] The apparatus main body 20 is composed of a frame 30 and a beam 32 mounted on the frame 30. The base material holding device 22 is disposed on the upper surface of the frame 30 and has a conveying device 50, a clamping device 52, and a moving device 54. The conveying device 50 is a device for conveying the circuit base material 12, and the clamping device 52 is a device for holding the circuit base material 12. Thus, the base material holding device 22 conveys the circuit base material 12 by the conveying device 50 and fixedly holds the circuit base material 12 conveyed to a predetermined position by the clamping device 52. The conveying direction of the circuit base material 12 is referred to as the X direction, the horizontal direction perpendicular to that direction is referred to as the Y direction, and the vertical direction is referred to as the Z direction. The moving device 54 has an X-direction moving device (see FIG. 11) 56 and a Y-direction moving device (see FIG. 11) 58. The X-direction moving device 56 is a device for moving the circuit base material 12 held by the clamping device 52 in the X direction, and the Y-direction moving device 58 is a device for moving the circuit base material 12 held by the clamping device 52 in the Y direction. Thus, by the X-direction moving device 56 and the Y-direction moving device 58, the circuit base material 12 held by the clamping device 52 moves to an arbitrary position on the frame and is positioned and stopped.

[0012] The component supply device 24 has a slide device 60 and a tape feeder (see FIG. 2) 62. The slide device 60 includes a holding wall 66, a slide rail 68, and a feeder holding table 70. The holding wall 66 is erected along the edge in the Y direction on the upper surface of the frame 30 so as to extend in the X direction. The slide rail 68 is fixed to the holding wall 66 so as to extend in the X direction, and the feeder holding table 70 is held slidably by the slide rail 68. The feeder holding table 70 slides to an arbitrary position by the operation of an electromagnetic motor (see FIG. 11). Thus, the feeder holding table 70 slides to an arbitrary position in the X direction along the holding wall 66 and is positioned and stopped. The side where the holding wall 66 of the component mounting device 10 is disposed is described as the front side, and the opposite side is described as the rear side. That is, the Y direction is the front-rear direction in the component mounting device 10, and the X direction is the left-right direction in the component mounting device 10.

[0013] Further, a plurality of slots 76 are formed side by side in the X direction on the feeder holding base 70, and the tape feeder 62 is detachably positioned and attached to each of the plurality of slots 76 by an operator with one touch. The tape feeder 62 is a device for feeding out the taped components (see FIG. 3) 78. As shown in FIG. 3, the taped components 78 are composed of a plurality of axial lead components 80 and two carrier tapes 82. The axial lead component 80 generally includes a cylindrical component body 86 and a pair of leads 88. The pair of leads 88 are generally linear and are fixed coaxially with the axis of the component body 86 on opposite end faces of the component body 86. And the axial lead component 80 is taped to the two carrier tapes 82 at the tips of the pair of leads 88, that is, at the end opposite to the component body 86 while being sandwiched between the two carrier tapes 82. Note that the plurality of axial lead components 80 are taped to the two carrier tapes 82 at equal pitches.

[0014] Also, as shown in FIG. 1, a storage 91 is provided below the feeder holding base 70 to which the tape feeder 62 is attached, and the taped components 78 are stored in the storage 91 in a folded state. Then, one end of the taped components 78 is pulled out from the storage 91 and inserted into the inside of the tape feeder 62. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the tape feeder 62 has a feeder body 90 in the shape of a sliding table, and the upper surface of the feeder body 90 has a flat portion 92 and an inclined portion 93. The inclined portion 93 is continuous from the end of the flat portion 92 and is inclined obliquely downward from the end of the flat portion 92. The width dimension of the flat portion 92 is the same as the width dimension of the inclined portion 93, and the width dimensions of the flat portion 92 and the inclined portion 93 are slightly larger than the width dimension of the taped components 78. And by pulling out one end of the taped components 78 from the storage 91 and inserting it from the end (hereinafter referred to as the "rear end") opposite to the end continuous with the inclined portion 93 of the flat portion 92, the taped components 78 extend on the flat portion 92 and the inclined portion 93.

[0015] Furthermore, a sprocket 95 is provided at the end of the inclined section 93 opposite to the end continuous with the flat section 92 (hereinafter referred to as the "tip"), and engages with a pair of leads 88 of the axial lead component 80 of the tape component 78 extended to the inclined section 93. As a result, when the sprocket 95 rotates, the tape component 78 extended to the flat section 92 and the inclined section 93 is fed from the flat section 92 toward the inclined section 93. In this way, the tape feeder 62 supplies the axial lead component 80 taped to two carrier tapes 82 at the tip of the inclined section 93.

[0016] Furthermore, the imaging device 25 is positioned above the circuit board 12 clamped by the clamping device 52 of the substrate holding device 22, facing downwards on the beam 32 of the device body 20, as shown in Figure 1. This allows the imaging device 25 to image the circuit board 12 clamped by the clamping device 52.

[0017] The work head 26 is a device for cutting and forming axial lead components 80 supplied by the tape feeder 62 and inserting them into the circuit board 12, and is mounted on the beam 32 as shown in Figure 1. The work head 26 comprises a head body 100, a swing mechanism 102, and a cut-and-form unit 104, as shown in Figure 4. The head body 100 is the main body of the work head 26 and is fixedly mounted on the beam 32. The swing mechanism 102 comprises a bracket 106 and an electromagnetic motor (see Figure 11) 108. The bracket 106 is generally U-shaped and is fixed to the lower end surface of the head body 100 with a pair of side walls 110, 112 facing downwards. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the bracket 106 swingably holds the unit body 114 of the cut-and-form unit 104 by a holding shaft 113 that passes horizontally through the pair of side walls 110, 112. The unit body 114 of the cut-and-forming unit 104, held by the bracket 106, swings controllably by the operation of the electromagnetic motor 108. An arc-shaped groove 116 is formed in one of the pair of side walls 110, 112, specifically in the side wall 112. A cam follower 118 is fitted into this groove 116, and the cam follower 118 is fixed to the side of the unit body 114 of the cut-and-forming unit 104 that faces the side wall 112. As a result, when the unit body 114 of the cut-and-forming unit 104 swings, the cam follower 118 moves along the groove 116, changing the posture of the cut-and-forming unit 104 between a first posture and a second posture. The first posture is the posture of the cut-and-forming unit 104 shown in Figures 5 and 6, in which the lower end of the cut-and-forming unit 104 is pointed diagonally downward. The second posture is the posture of the cut-and-forming unit 104 shown in Figure 7, in which the cut-and-forming unit 104 is generally positioned to extend in the vertical direction.

[0018] The cut-and-form unit 104 also includes a pair of slide bodies 120. The pair of slide bodies 120 are slidably held by a plurality of slide shafts 122 parallel to the holding shaft 113, and each of the plurality of slide shafts 122 is fixed to the unit body 114 at both ends. Furthermore, the distance between the pair of slide bodies 120 can be changed to any desired distance by a ball screw mechanism (see Figure 8) 130.

[0019] As shown in Figure 8, the ball screw mechanism 130 is composed of a screw rod 132 and two nuts 134. On the outer surface of the screw rod 132, a screw groove 136a is formed from the center to one end in a predetermined direction, for example, clockwise, and a screw groove 136b is formed from the center to the other end in a predetermined direction, for example, counterclockwise. Furthermore, a nut 134a is screwed into the screw groove 136a via bearing balls (not shown), and a nut 134b is screwed into the screw groove 136b via bearing balls (not shown). A slide body 120a is fixed to the nut 134a, and a slide body 120b is fixed to the nut 134b. With this structure, when the screw rod 132 rotates, the two nuts 134 move closer together and further apart, changing the distance between the pair of slide bodies 120.

[0020] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 5 and 7, the screw rod 132 of the screw mechanism 130 is held by the unit body 114 so as to be able to rotate around its axis. A gear 138 is fixed to one end of the screw rod 132 coaxially with the axis of the screw rod 132. Meanwhile, a rotating device (see Figure 11) 140 is provided on the beam 32 of the component mounting device 10 to mesh with the gear 138 and rotate the gear 138. The rotating device 140 has a gear (not shown) that meshes with the gear 138 and an electromagnetic motor (see Figure 11) 142 that rotates the gear. As a result, when the electromagnetic motor 142 rotates the gear of the rotating device 140, the gear 138 of the work head 26 rotates, and the screw rod 132 rotates around its axis. This causes the two nuts 134 that are screwed onto the screw rod 132 to move in a controllable manner toward and toward each other, and the distance between the pair of slide bodies 120 can be changed to any desired distance.

[0021] Furthermore, each of the pair of slide bodies 120 has a support arm 150, a bending rod 152, a fixed cutting tool 154, a movable cutting rod 156, and a pusher 157, as shown in Figures 9 and 10. In the following description, the direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the slide body 120 on the upward-facing surface (hereinafter referred to as the "upper surface") 158 of the slide body 120 when the cut and forming unit 104 is in the first position (the position of the cut and forming unit 104 shown in Figure 9) will be referred to as the sliding perpendicular direction. In addition, the side of the slide body 120 supported by the slide axis 122 in the sliding perpendicular direction will be referred to as the base end side, and the side opposite to the base end side in the sliding perpendicular direction will be referred to as the tip end side. Furthermore, the side of one of the pair of slide bodies 120a that is closer to the other slide body 120b in the sliding direction is described as the inside, and the side of one slide body 120a that is further away from the other slide body 120b in the sliding direction is described as the outside.

[0022] The support arm 150 of the slide body 120a is positioned on the inner side surface of the slide body 120a, extending perpendicular to the sliding direction. A projection 160 is formed on the tip end of the support arm 150, and the support arm 150 is supported by the slide body 120a at its base end so as to be able to swing around an axis extending in the sliding direction. The support arm 150 swings between a third position and a fourth position by the operation of an air cylinder (see Figure 11) 162. The third position is the position of the support arm 150 shown in Figure 9, in which the projection 160 protrudes from the upper surface of the slide body 120a. The fourth position is in which the tip of the projection 160 is inserted downward from the upper surface of the slide body 120a without the projection 160 protruding from the upper surface of the slide body 120a.

[0023] Furthermore, the bending rod 152 of the slide body 120a is positioned on the upper surface 158 of the slide body 120a so as to extend outward from the support arm 150 in a direction perpendicular to the slide. The bending rod 152 is supported by the slide body 120a so as to be slidable along the upper surface 158 of the slide body 120a in a direction perpendicular to the slide. When the bending rod 152 slides toward the tip of the slide body 120a, the tip of the bending rod 152 comes into sliding contact with the projection 160 of the support arm 150. A V-groove 164 is formed on the surface of the bending rod 152 that comes into sliding contact with the projection 160, extending in a direction perpendicular to the slide. The inner dimensions of the V-groove 164 correspond to the wire diameter of the lead 88 of the axial lead component 80.

[0024] Furthermore, the fixed cutting tool 154 of the slide body 120a is positioned on the upper surface 158 of the slide body 120a, outside of the support arm 150 and the bending rod 152. A fixed blade 166 is formed at the base end of the fixed cutting tool 154. The fixed cutting tool 154 is positioned on the upper surface 158 of the slide body 120a such that the cutting edge of the fixed blade 166 and the base end of the projection 160 of the support arm 150 are in the same position in the sliding direction.

[0025] Furthermore, the movable cutting rod 156 of the slide body 120a is positioned on the upper surface 158 of the slide body 120a so as to extend perpendicular to the sliding direction, outside the bending rod 152 and inside the fixed cutting tool 154. The movable cutting rod 156 is supported by the slide body 120a so as to be slidable along the upper surface 158 of the slide body 120a in the direction perpendicular to the sliding direction. A movable blade 168 is formed at the tip end of the movable cutting rod 156. When the movable cutting rod 156 slides toward the tip end of the slide body 120a, the movable blade 168 of the movable cutting rod comes into sliding contact with the fixed blade 166 of the fixed cutting tool 154.

[0026] Furthermore, in the slide body 120a, the bending rod 152 and the movable cutting rod 156 are connected via a ball 170, as shown in Figure 10, and the bending rod 152 and the movable cutting rod 156 slide integrally. More specifically, the bending rod 152 and the movable cutting rod 156 are arranged to slide against each other at their base ends. A hemispherical recess 172 is formed on the sliding contact surface of the bending rod 152 with the movable cutting rod 156. The depth of the hemispherical recess 172 is approximately the radius of the ball 170, and the opening of the recess 172 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the ball 170. In addition, a through hole 176 is formed in the movable cutting rod 156 that penetrates in the sliding direction, and the inner diameter of the through hole 176 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the ball 170. The bending rod 152 and the movable cutting rod 156 are arranged so that the recess 172 and the through hole 176 are in communication, and a ball 170 is placed inside the recess 172 and the through hole 176. This connects the bending rod 152 and the movable cutting rod 156 via the ball 170. An air cylinder (see Figure 11) 180 is also connected to the bending rod 152. As a result, the bending rod 152 and the movable cutting rod 156 slide together as a single unit when the air cylinder 180 is operated.

[0027] However, the operation of the air cylinder 180 causes the bending rod 152 and the movable cutting rod 156 to slide toward the tip, thereby releasing the connection between the bending rod 152 and the movable cutting rod 156 via the ball 170. Specifically, the surface of the movable cutting rod 156 opposite to the surface that slides against the bending rod 152 slides against the outer wall surface 182 of the sliding body 120a. A hemispherical recess 186 is formed in the outer wall surface 182. The depth of the hemispherical recess 186 is approximately the radius of the ball 170, and the opening of the recess 186 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the ball 170. Furthermore, the recess 186 of the outer wall surface 182 is located toward the tip in the sliding direction compared to the recess 172 of the bending rod 152. Therefore, when the bending rod 152 and the movable cutting rod 156 slide integrally toward the tip due to the operation of the air cylinder 180, when the through hole 176 of the movable cutting rod 156 slides to a position facing the recess 186 of the outer wall surface 182, the connection between the bending rod 152 and the movable cutting rod 156 via the ball 170 is released. In other words, when the through hole 176 slides to a position facing the recess 186 of the outer wall surface 182, half of the ball 170 that was inserted into the recess 172 of the bending rod 152 comes out of the recess 172, and as shown in Figure 13, the other half of the ball 170 enters the recess 186 of the outer wall surface 182. As a result, the connection between the bending rod 152 and the movable cutting rod 156 via the ball 170 is released. On the other hand, the movable cutting rod 156 and the outer wall surface 182 of the sliding body 120a are connected via the ball 170. Therefore, after the connection between the bending rod 152 and the movable cutting rod 156 via the ball 170 is released, the bending rod 152 slides toward the tip due to the operation of the air cylinder 180, but the sliding of the movable cutting rod 156 stops.

[0028] When the bending rod 152 and the movable cutting rod 156 are connected via the ball 170, as shown in Figure 10, the cutting edge of the movable blade 168 of the movable cutting rod 156 is located closer to the tip than the tip end of the bending rod 152. On the other hand, when the movable cutting rod 156 is connected to the outer wall surface 182 of the sliding body 120a via the ball 170, as shown in Figure 13, the cutting edge of the movable blade 168 of the movable cutting rod 156 slides further towards the tip than the fixed blade 166 of the fixed cutting tool 154.

[0029] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, the pusher 157 of the slide body 120a is positioned on the upper surface 158 of the slide body 120a, extending in a direction perpendicular to the slide, inside the bending rod 152. The pusher 157 is supported by the slide body 120a so as to be slidable along the upper surface 158 of the slide body 120a in a direction perpendicular to the slide. The pusher 157 then slides in a direction perpendicular to the slide by the operation of the electromagnetic motor (see Figure 11) 188.

[0030] Furthermore, in the slide body 120b, similar to the slide body 120a, a support arm 150, a bending rod 152, a fixed cutting tool 154, a movable cutting rod 156, and a pusher 157 are also provided. However, the support arm 150, bending rod 152, fixed cutting tool 154, movable cutting rod 156, and pusher 157 of the slide body 120b are arranged in a symmetrical configuration with respect to the support arm 150, bending rod 152, fixed cutting tool 154, movable cutting rod 156, and pusher 157 of the slide body 120a. This symmetrical configuration is the plane perpendicular to the sliding direction of the slide body 120 and passes through the center of the slide body 120a and slide body 120b in the sliding direction. Therefore, the pair of slide bodies 120 are arranged with the support arm 150 of slide body 120a and the support arm 150 of slide body 120b facing each other in the sliding direction.

[0031] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, a stopper 189 is provided between the support arm 150 of slide body 120a and the support arm 150 of slide body 120b, which are arranged facing each other. The stopper 189 has a short cylindrical shape, and one end face is fixed to the surface of the support arm 150 of slide body 120b that faces the support arm 150 of slide body 120a. The distance between the one end face and the other end face of the short cylindrical shape of the stopper 189 is L1 (see Figure 16), and as described above, the distance between the pair of slide bodies 120 can be changed to any distance by the ball screw mechanism 130. Therefore, when the distance between the pair of slide bodies 120 is changed to L1 by the ball screw mechanism 130, the other end face of the stopper 189, which has one end face fixed to the support arm 150 of slide body 120b, comes into contact with the support arm 150 of slide body 120a. Therefore, when the distance between the pair of sliding bodies 120 is L1, the stopper 189 restricts the approach of the pair of support arms 150.

[0032] Furthermore, the support arm 150 of slide body 120a and the support arm 150 of slide body 120b swing together in conjunction with the operation of the air cylinder 162. In this case, when the support arm 150 of slide body 120a swings to the third position, the support arm 150 of slide body 120b also swings to the third position, and when the support arm 150 of slide body 120a swings to the fourth position, the support arm 150 of slide body 120b also swings to the fourth position. In addition, the bending rod 152 of slide body 120a and the bending rod 152 of slide body 120b slide together in conjunction with the operation of the air cylinder 180. In this case, the bending rod 152 of slide body 120a and the bending rod 152 of slide body 120b slide so that their tip ends are in the same position in the sliding direction. Furthermore, the pusher 157 of slide body 120a and the pusher 157 of slide body 120b slide together as a single unit in conjunction with the operation of the electromagnetic motor 188. At this time, the pusher 157 of slide body 120a and the pusher 157 of slide body 120b slide so that their leading edge ends are in the same position in the sliding direction.

[0033] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 11, the control device 36 includes a controller 190, a plurality of drive circuits 192, and an image processing device 196. The plurality of drive circuits 192 are connected to the transport device 50, clamp device 52, X-direction moving device 56, Y-direction moving device 58, air cylinders 162, 180, and electromagnetic motors 72, 108, 142, 188. The controller 190 is a computer-based system equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and is connected to the plurality of drive circuits 192. As a result, the operation of the substrate holding device 22, the work head 26, etc., is controlled by the controller 190. The controller 190 is also connected to the image processing device 196. The image processing device 196 processes image data obtained by the imaging device 25, and the controller 190 acquires various information from the image data.

[0034] In the component mounting apparatus 10, component insertion is performed on the circuit board 12 held by the substrate holding device 22 using the configuration described above. Specifically, at the command of the controller 190, the transport device 50 transports the circuit board 12 to the work position, where the clamp device 52 holds the circuit board 12 in place. Next, the imaging device 25 images the circuit board 12 at the command of the controller 190. This provides information on the position of a pair of through holes (see Figure 13) 200 formed in the circuit board 12. In addition, the tape feeder 62 supplies axial lead components 80 at the tip of the inclined portion 93 of the feeder body 90. As described above, the tape feeder 62 feeds the tape components 78 toward the tip of the inclined portion 93, and at the tip of the inclined portion 93, it supplies the axial lead components 80 taped to two carrier tapes 82. Then, the work head 26 receives the axial lead components 80, which are taped to two carrier tapes 82, via a pair of support arms 150 of the cut-and-form unit 104.

[0035] More specifically, before the tape feeder 62 supplies the axial lead component 80 at the tip of the inclined section 93, the slide device 60 of the component supply device 24 slides the feeder holder 70 so that the tip of the inclined section 93 of the tape feeder 62 and the cut-and-forming unit 104 of the work head 26 face each other. Also, before the work head 26 receives the axial lead component 80 from the tape feeder 62, the cut-and-forming unit 104 is set to the first position as shown in Figure 5 by the operation of the electromagnetic motor 108. That is, the cut-and-forming unit 104 is set to a position with its lower end pointing diagonally downward. Also, before the work head 26 receives the axial lead component 80 from the tape feeder 62, the distance between the pair of support arms 150 on the work head 26 is changed to L1 by the operation of the ball screw mechanism 130. Furthermore, before the work head 26 receives the axial lead component 80 from the tape feeder 62, the support arm 150 in the work head 26 is positioned in a third position by the operation of the air cylinder 162. In other words, the support arm 150 is positioned so that the projection 160 protrudes from the upper surface of the slide body 120a.

[0036] Then, the tape feeder 62 supplies the tape components 78 at the tip of the inclined section 93 with the axial lead components 80 taped to the two carrier tapes 82, so that, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, the component body 86 of the axial lead component 80 is placed between the projections 160 of the pair of support arms 150. Since the length dimension of the component body 86 of the axial lead component 80 is slightly smaller than L1, when the component body 86 of the axial lead component 80 is placed between the pair of projections 160, the pair of projections 160 support the pair of leads 88 at a point close to the component body 86. Furthermore, as described above, since the base end of the projection 160 is in the same position in the sliding direction as the cutting edge of the fixed blade 166 of the fixed cutting tool 154, the pair of leads 88 of the axial lead component 80, which are supported by the pair of projections 160, are also supported by the fixed blades 166 of the pair of fixed cutting tools 154. Although the carrier tape 82 is not shown in Figures 9 and 10, in reality, two carrier tapes 82 are taped to the tips of the pair of leads 88 of the axial lead component 80.

[0037] Thus, when the work head 26 receives the axial lead component 80, which is taped to two carrier tapes 82, by the pair of support arms 150 of the cut-and-forming unit 104 in the first position, the pair of bending rods 152 slide toward the tip end by the operation of the air cylinder 180 while the first position is maintained. At this time, since the bending rods 152 are connected to the movable cutting rods 156 via the ball 170, the pair of bending rods 152 and the pair of movable cutting rods 156 slide toward the tip end as a single unit. As mentioned above, when the bending rods 152 and the movable cutting rods 156 are connected via the ball 170, the cutting edge of the movable blade 168 of the movable cutting rod 156 is located toward the tip end than the tip end of the bending rod 152. Therefore, when the pair of bending rods 152 and the pair of movable cutting rods 156 slide together toward the tip, the cutting edges of the movable blades 168 of the pair of movable cutting rods 156 come into contact with the pair of leads 88 before the pair of bending rods 152 come into contact with the pair of leads 88. Then, as the pair of bending rods 152 and the pair of movable cutting rods 156 slide further toward the tip, the movable blades 168 of the pair of movable cutting rods 156 and the fixed blades 166 of the pair of fixed cutting tools 154 cut the pair of leads 88. As a result, the axial lead component 80 is separated from the two carrier tapes 82.

[0038] When a pair of leads 88 are cut by the movable blades 168 of the pair of movable cutting rods 156 and the fixed blades 166 of the pair of fixed cutting tools 154, the cutting edge of the movable blade 168 of the movable cutting rod 156 slides toward the tip side of the fixed blade 166 of the fixed cutting tool 154. At this time, as described above, the movable cutting rod 156 and the outer wall surface 182 of the sliding body 120a are connected via the ball 170. In other words, when a pair of leads 88 are cut by the movable blades 168 of the pair of movable cutting rods 156 and the fixed blades 166 of the pair of fixed cutting tools 154, the connection between the bending rod 152 and the movable cutting rod 156 via the ball 170 is released. For this reason, after the pair of leads 88 are cut, when the pair of bending rods 152 slide further toward the tip side due to the operation of the air cylinder 180, the pair of movable cutting rods 156 stop without sliding.

[0039] Thus, after the pair of leads 88 are cut, the pair of bending rods 152 slide further toward the tip due to the operation of the air cylinder 180, causing the tip ends of the pair of bending rods 152 to contact the pair of leads 88 supported by the pair of projections 160 and bend toward the tip. At this time, the pair of leads 88 bent by the pair of bending rods 152 enter the V-grooves 164 of the pair of bending rods 152, and the pair of bending rods 152 slide in contact with the pair of projections 160. Then, as shown in Figure 12, the pair of bending rods 152 slide due to the operation of the air cylinder 180 until the tip ends of the pair of bending rods 152 are located toward the tip of the pair of leads 88. As a result, the pair of leads 88, which are supported by the pair of projections 160, are bent by the pair of bending rods 152 to approximately 90 degrees.

[0040] Furthermore, when a pair of leads 88, supported by the projections 160 of a pair of support arms 150, are bent by a pair of bending rods 152, the force exerted by the bending rods 152 to bend the leads 88 is directed in a direction that brings the tips of the leads 88 closer together. As a result, the force exerted by the bending rods 152 to bend the leads 88 generates a force on the pair of support arms 150 that support the leads 88, which moves them closer together. However, a stopper 189 is provided between the pair of support arms 150, and the stopper 189 restricts the approach of the pair of support arms 150, allowing the bending rods 152 to bend the leads 88 appropriately.

[0041] When the pair of leads 88 are bent while supported by the pair of support arms 150 in this manner, the pair of support arms 150 are moved to a fourth position by the operation of the air cylinder 162. In other words, the support arms 150 are moved to a position where the tips of the projections 160 are inserted below the upper surface of the slide body 120a without the projections 160 protruding from the upper surface of the slide body 120a. As a result, the pair of projections 160 that were supporting the pair of leads 88 from below are released from below the pair of leads 88, and the support of the pair of leads 88 by the pair of support arms 150 is released. At this time, the bent pair of leads 88 are held in place by the V-grooves 164 of the pair of bending rods 152, and the axial lead component 80 is held by the pair of bending rods 152.

[0042] Next, the cut-and-forming unit 104 is moved to a second position, as shown in Figure 7, by the operation of the electromagnetic motor 108. That is, the cut-and-forming unit 104 is generally positioned so that it extends vertically. As a result, the pair of bending rods 152 that grip the pair of leads 88 of the axial lead component 80 are positioned so that they extend vertically. Then, the circuit board 12 is moved by the operation of the moving device 54 so that the pair of through holes 200 formed in the circuit board 12 are positioned below the bent pair of leads 88. The pair of through holes 200 are formed in the circuit board 12 such that the distance between them is the same as the distance between the tips of the bent pair of leads 88 of the axial lead component 80. Therefore, as shown in Figure 13, the circuit board 12 is moved by the operation of the moving device 54 so that the V-grooves 164 of the pair of bending rods 152 that grip the pair of bent leads 88 and the pair of through holes 200 coincide in the XY coordinates.

[0043] As the circuit board 12 moves in this manner, a pair of pushers 157 in the cut-and-forming unit 104 slide toward the tip end due to the operation of the electromagnetic motor 188. Since the pair of pushers 157 are positioned between a pair of bending rods 152, the sliding of the pair of pushers 157 causes the tip ends of the pair of pushers 157 to contact the component body 86 of the axial lead component 80, pushing the axial lead component 80 toward the tip end. At this time, as the axial lead component 80 is pushed toward the tip end, the tips of the pair of leads 88 extend from the tip ends of the pair of bending rods 152 and are inserted into the pair of through holes 200. Then, as the pair of pushers 157 slide further toward the tip end, as shown in Figure 14, the pair of leads 88 are inserted all the way into the pair of through holes 200, and the component body 86 contacts the circuit board 12. This inserts the axial lead component 80 into the circuit board 12. In this way, the work head 26 cuts and bends a pair of leads 88 of the axial lead component 80, thereby inserting the axial lead component 80 into the circuit board 12.

[0044] Furthermore, in the cut-and-form unit 104 of the work head 26, a stopper 189 is positioned between a pair of support arms 150. When a pair of leads 88 supported by the pair of support arms 150 are bent, the stopper 189 restricts the approach of the pair of support arms 150, thereby preventing damage to the axial lead components 80. Moreover, it becomes possible to shorten the distance between the tips of the bent pair of leads 88, allowing multiple electronic components to be inserted into the circuit board 12 in a densely packed state.

[0045] More specifically, as shown in Figure 15, in the conventional cut-and-forming unit 210, similar to the cut-and-forming unit 104, a pair of leads 88 of the axial lead component 80 are supported by a pair of support arms 212 and bent by a pair of bending rods 214. Therefore, when the pair of leads 88, which are supported by the pair of support arms 212, are bent by the pair of bending rods 214, a force is generated that brings the pair of support arms 212 supporting the pair of leads 88 closer together. However, in the conventional cut-and-forming unit 210, since there is no stopper between the pair of support arms 212, when the pair of leads 88 are bent by the pair of bending rods 214, the pair of support arms 212 supporting the pair of leads 88 flex in a way that brings them closer together.

[0046] Furthermore, if it is necessary to reduce the area occupied by the axial lead component 80 on the circuit board 12, the pair of support arms 212 support the pair of leads 88 at a point close to the component body 86 in order to reduce the distance between the tips of the bent pair of leads 88 (hereinafter referred to as the "inter-lead distance"). In this case, if the pair of support arms 212 bends to move closer together, the support arms 212 may come into contact with the component body 86, potentially damaging the component body 86. This is especially likely if the axial lead component 80 is a glass tube diode or the like. Also, if the thickness of the support arms 212 is increased to suppress bending of the support arms 212, the inter-lead distance will increase to L2 due to the increased thickness of the support arms 212.

[0047] On the other hand, in the cut-and-form unit 104 of the work head 26, as shown in Figure 16, a stopper 189 is provided between a pair of support arms 150, and when a pair of leads 88 supported by the pair of support arms 150 are bent, the stopper 189 restricts the approach of the pair of support arms 150. This prevents the support arms 150 from contacting the part body 86 when the pair of leads 88 are bent, thereby preventing damage to the axial lead part 80. Furthermore, since the approach of the pair of support arms 150 is restricted by the stopper 189, there is no need to increase the thickness of the support arms 150. In other words, in the cut-and-form unit 104, the thickness of the support arms 150 can be made thinner than the thickness of the support arms 212 of the conventional cut-and-form unit 210. In this way, by making the thickness dimension of the support arm 150 thinner than the thickness dimension of the support arm 212 of the conventional cut and forming unit 210, the distance between the leads of the pair of leads 88 bent by the cut and forming unit 104 becomes L3, which is shorter than the distance L2 between the leads of the pair of leads bent by the conventional cut and forming unit 210. This makes it possible to reduce the area occupied by the axial lead component 80 on the circuit board 12, and allows multiple electronic components to be inserted into the circuit board 12 in a densely packed state.

[0048] As mentioned above, in the cut-and-form unit 104, the distance between a pair of slide bodies 120 can be changed by operating the ball screw mechanism 130. The length of the stopper 189 disposed between a pair of support arms 150 is L1. Therefore, when the distance between a pair of slide bodies 120 is L1, the stopper 189 contacts the pair of support arms 150, thereby restricting the approach of the pair of support arms 150. On the other hand, for example, as shown in Figure 17, when the distance between a pair of slide bodies 120 is L4 (>L1), the stopper 189 fixed to the support arm 150 of slide body 120b does not contact the support arm 150 of slide body 120a, and therefore cannot restrict the approach of the pair of support arms 212.

[0049] Therefore, in the cut-and-form unit 104, when the distance between the pair of slide bodies 120 is L1, the pair of leads 88 are bent by the pair of bending rods 152 while the approach of the pair of support arms 150 is restricted by the stopper 189. On the other hand, when the distance between the pair of slide bodies 120 is a distance other than L1 (for example, L4), the pair of leads 88 are bent by the pair of bending rods 152 while the approach of the pair of support arms 150 is not restricted by the stopper 189. Note that when the distance between the pair of slide bodies 120 is a distance other than L1 (for example, L4), as shown in Figure 17, the pair of support arms 150 support the pair of leads 88 at a position away from the part body 86. Therefore, even when the pair of support arms 150 are not restricted from approaching each other by the stopper 189, and the pair of leads 88 are bent by the pair of bending rods 152, causing the pair of support arms 150 to bend closer together, the support arms 150 will not come into contact with the main body of the component 86. This prevents damage to the axial lead component 80 even when the pair of support arms 150 are not restricted from approaching each other by the stopper 189.

[0050] Note that the work head 26 is an example of a work head. The axial lead component 80 is an example of an axial lead component. The lead 88 is an example of a lead. The rocking mechanism 102 is an example of a posture changing mechanism. The cut and forming unit 104 is an example of a bending unit. The ball screw mechanism 130 is an example of a distance changing mechanism. The support arm 150 is an example of a support member. The bending rod 152 is an example of a bending member. The air cylinder 180 is an example of a moving device. The stopper 189 is an example of a stopper.

[0051] In the embodiments described above, the following effects are achieved.

[0052] The cut-and-form unit 104 comprises a pair of support arms 150, a pair of bending rods 152, an air cylinder 180, and a stopper 189. The pair of support arms 150 support a pair of leads 88 of an axial lead component 80. The pair of bending rods 152 contact the pair of leads 88 supported by the pair of support arms 150 and bend the pair of leads 88. The air cylinder 180 moves the pair of bending rods 152 in a direction perpendicular to the slide. The stopper 189 restricts the approach of the pair of support arms 150. The cut-and-form unit 104 then uses the air cylinder 180 to move the pair of bending rods 152, thereby bending the pair of leads 88 supported by the pair of support arms 150, whose approach is restricted by the stopper 189. This allows a pair of leads 88 supported by a pair of support arms 150 to be appropriately bent by a pair of bending rods 152.

[0053] Furthermore, the cut-and-form unit 104 includes a ball screw mechanism 130 that changes the distance between a pair of support arms 150 to any desired distance. This allows for the cutting and bending of a pair of leads of axial lead components of various sizes.

[0054] Furthermore, when the distance between a pair of support arms 150 is changed to a predetermined distance L1 by the ball screw mechanism 130, the cut-and-forming unit 104 bends a pair of leads 88 supported by a pair of support arms 150 whose approach is restricted by the stopper 189 using a pair of bending rods 152. On the other hand, when the distance between a pair of support arms 150 is changed to a distance other than the predetermined distance L1 by the ball screw mechanism 130, the cut-and-forming unit 104 bends a pair of leads 88 supported by a pair of support arms 150 whose approach is not restricted by the stopper 189 using a pair of bending rods 152. This allows the approach of a pair of support arms 150 to be restricted only when there is a possibility that the support arms 150 may come into contact with the main body 86 of the axial lead component 80.

[0055] Furthermore, the work head 26 is equipped with a cut-and-forming unit 104, and the axial lead component 80 having a pair of bent leads 88 is inserted into the circuit board 12 by the cut-and-forming unit 104. This makes it possible to realize a highly functional work head 26.

[0056] Furthermore, the work head 26 is equipped with a rocking mechanism 102 that changes the orientation of the cut and forming unit 104 between a first orientation and a second orientation. When the orientation of the cut and forming unit 104 is changed to the first orientation, the work head 26 supports a pair of unbent leads 88 with a pair of support arms 150, and when the orientation of the cut and forming unit 104 is changed to the second orientation, it inserts an axial lead component 80 having a pair of bent leads 88 into the circuit board 12. This allows the cut and forming unit 104 to support a pair of unbent leads 88 with a pair of support arms 150 in an appropriate orientation, and enables the work head 26 to insert the axial lead component 80 into the circuit board 12 in an appropriate orientation.

[0057] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. For example, in the above embodiments, the cut and forming unit 104 is disposed on the work head 26, but it may be disposed on the tape feeder 62. That is, the cut and forming unit 104 may be disposed at the supply position of the tape feeder 62, and cut and bend a pair of leads of the tape-formed component 78 that has been fed to the supply position. The tape feeder 62 may then supply the axial lead component with a pair of leads bent.

[0058] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a cut-and-forming unit 104 that cuts and bends a pair of leads, but the present invention may also be applied to a forming unit that bends a pair of leads that have been cut in advance.

[0059] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the pair of leads 88 are bent by the sliding of a pair of bending rods 152, but the pair of leads 88 may also be bent by the sliding of a pair of support arms 150. Alternatively, the pair of leads 88 may be bent by the sliding of a pair of support arms 150 and a pair of bending rods 152. In other words, the pair of leads 88 may be bent by the relative movement of a pair of support arms 150 and a pair of bending rods 152.

[0060] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a pair of leads are bent by a pair of bending rods 152, but the invention is not limited to bending rods 152, and a pair of leads may be bent by various shapes and forms of structures such as rollers and blocks.

[0061] 26: Working head 80: Axial lead parts 88: Lead 102: Oscillating mechanism (posture change mechanism) 104: Cut and forming unit (bending unit) 130: Ball screw mechanism (distance change mechanism) 150: Support arm (support member) 152: Bending rod (bending member) 180: Air cylinder (moving device) 189: Stopper

Claims

1. A pair of support members that support a pair of leads of an axial lead component, A pair of bending members that contact a pair of leads supported by the aforementioned pair of support members and bend the pair of leads, A moving device for moving the pair of support members and the pair of bending members relative to each other, A stopper that restricts the approach of a pair of support members, Equipped with, A bending unit that moves the pair of support members and the pair of bending members relative to each other using the moving device, thereby bending a pair of leads supported by the pair of support members, whose approach is restricted by the stopper, using the pair of bending members.

2. The bending unit according to claim 1, further comprising a distance changing mechanism for changing the distance between the pair of support members to an arbitrary distance.

3. When the distance between the pair of support members is changed to a predetermined distance by the distance changing mechanism, the pair of leads supported by the pair of support members, whose approach is restricted by the stopper, are bent by the pair of bending members. The bending unit according to claim 2, wherein when the distance between the pair of support members is changed to a distance other than the predetermined distance by the distance changing mechanism, the pair of leads supported by the pair of support members, which are not restricted from approaching by the stopper, are bent by the pair of bending members.

4. A bending unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A work head for inserting the axial lead component having the pair of leads bent by the bending unit into a circuit board.

5. The bending unit is equipped with a posture changing mechanism that changes the posture between a first posture and a second posture. The work head according to claim 4, wherein the pair of leads that are not bent are supported by the pair of support members when the posture of the bending unit is changed to the first posture by the posture changing mechanism, and an axial lead component having the pair of leads that are bent is inserted into a substrate when the posture of the bending unit is changed to the second posture by the posture changing mechanism.

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