Component storage system and component storage method

Abstract

A component housing system and a component housing method that are advantageous for housing a plurality of electronic components in a case with high accuracy. [Solution] A component storage system 10 includes a guide partition section 31 that partitions a guide path P connected to a case insertion opening 71 of a storage case 70 capable of storing an electronic component W, a guide unit 30 having a guide pillar 32 extending vertically in the guide path P, and a gas ejection section 21 that ejects gas toward an electronic component W positioned in a recovery area R3 so as to blow the electronic component W toward the guide path P. The guide path P includes an upstream guide path Pa and a downstream guide path Pb that is located closer to the case insertion opening 71 than the upstream guide path Pa, and the downstream guide path Pb gradually narrows toward the case insertion opening 71.

Description

[Technical field]

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

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

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

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-143407 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In order to transport a large number of electronic components using a case, it is conceivable that after the electronic components on the table are inspected or otherwise processed, the electronic components are blown off the table and then collected in a case. For example, by continuously blowing a number of electronic components on the table toward a guide path (guide partition), these electronic components proceed one after another through the guide path toward the case (particularly the input port), and are finally housed in the case through the input port.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique that is advantageous for precisely housing multiple electronic components in a case. [Means for solving the problem]

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

[0008] The guide strut may taper downwardly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0016] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the disclosed technology will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, unless otherwise specified, the terms "upstream" and "downstream" refer to the normal feeding direction of electronic components, and electronic components are fed from upstream to downstream.

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

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

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

[0020] The upper surface of the conveyor table 11 forms a flat surface extending horizontally, and electronic components supplied from the part feeders 12 in the supply area R1 are placed on the conveyor table 11.

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

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

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

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

[0025] The processing device 13 performs processing on the electronic components positioned in the processing area R2 by the conveying table 11. The processing device 13 in this example performs inspection processing on each electronic component, more specifically, takes an image of the electronic component positioned in the processing area R2 to obtain an electronic component image to be used for image processing for inspection. That is, the processing device 13 includes one or more imaging devices (not shown), and the one or more imaging devices take an image of the electronic component in accordance with the timing when the electronic component passes through the processing area R2 under the control of the control device (see FIG. 2). The specific content of such inspection (image processing) based on the captured image of the electronic component is not limited, but typically, an inspection (image processing) for determining the presence or absence of an appearance abnormality such as scratches or chips in the electronic component can be performed based on the captured image.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0043] The storage case 70 (e.g., the shutter mechanism 74) can be constructed using a known storage case (e.g., a bulk case (see JP 2022-143407 A)), so a detailed description of a specific example will be omitted.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0051] The guide pillar 32 is also arranged so that two side surfaces of the guide pillar 32 face the gas ejection unit 21 side (the right side in FIG. 3) and the other side surface faces the opposite side to the gas ejection unit 21 (the left side in FIG. 3). This makes it easier for the electronic component W that has passed through the guide path P (upstream guide path Pa) to collide with one of the two side surfaces on the gas ejection unit 21 side and to be bounced in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 3 (the far side or the near side of the paper surface). As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent the electronic component W from traveling backwards along the guide path P due to the bounce.

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0058] In this embodiment, a vibration section 50 is further provided to vibrate at least a part of the guide section 31. The vibration section 50 shown in FIG. 3 has a vibration piston 52 that reciprocates under the control of the control device 18 (particularly the vibration control section 18b), and a reciprocating body 51 attached to the tip of the vibration piston 52. The reciprocating body 51 is disposed at a spaced position away from the vibration receiving section 38 that is integrally provided with the downstream guide section 31b, and at a contact position where it comes into contact (collides) with the vibration receiving section 38, according to the reciprocating motion of the vibration piston 52. The vibration piston 52 is driven to repeatedly collide and separate the reciprocating body 51 from the vibration receiving section 38, thereby vibrating the vibration receiving section 38 and the downstream guide section 31b, and thus vibrating the upstream guide section 31a and the guide column 32.

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

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

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

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

[0063] Then, compressed air is sprayed from the gas spraying section 21 toward the electronic components W that are to be collected by the good product collection device 14 (i.e., electronic components W that have been determined to be good products based on the captured images) among the electronic components W positioned by the conveying table 11 in the good product collection area R3 downstream of the processing area R2, so as to selectively blow the electronic components W toward the guide path P of the good product collection device 14.

[0064] In this way, the electronic component W blown from the non-defective product recovery area R3 toward the guide path P is guided by the guide partition 31 and the guide pillar 32 so as to proceed along the guide path P toward the case insertion opening 71 of the storage case 70, and finally enters the storage space 72 through the case insertion opening 71 and is stored in the storage case 70.

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

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

[0067] In particular, in this embodiment, before such replacement of the storage case 70 (attachment of a new storage case 70) is encouraged or performed, the control device 18 (particularly, the vibration control unit 18b) controls the vibration unit 50 to vibrate the downstream guide partition 31b by the vibration unit 50. In this example, the vibration control unit 18b controls the vibration unit 50 so as to vibrate at least a part (all of the guide partition 31 in this example) and the guide pole 32 based on the number of electronic components W blown away from the non-defective product recovery area R3 toward the guide path P by the gas ejection unit 21 (for example, the number of compressed air ejections (air blow numbers) from the gas ejection unit 21). This encourages the electronic components W remaining on the guide path P (particularly the surfaces of the guide partition 31 and the guide pole 32) to fall, so that the electronic components W can be sent downstream, and a desired number of electronic components W can be stably accommodated in the storage case 70.

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

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

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

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

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

[0073] Also, at least some of the electronic components W flying backward from the guide path P can be collected by the collection unit 40, and unintended remaining of the electronic components W in irregular places can be reduced. In particular, when the storage case 70 is used, it is required to guide the electronic components W toward the narrow case insertion opening 71 of the storage case 70, so that the electronic components W are likely to collide with and bounce off the guide partitions 31 and the guide posts 32, and the electronic components W tend to remain in irregular places. Therefore, in the non-defective product collection device 14 for storing the electronic components W in the storage case 70 (particularly the case insertion opening 71), the collection unit 40 for collecting the electronic components W flying in an unintended direction can more effectively perform its function.

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

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

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

[0077] 10 part storage system, 11 conveying table, 12 parts feeder, 12a feeder supply section, 12b feeder discharge section, 13 processing device, 14 good product recovery device, 15 defective product recovery device, 18 control device, 18a gas ejection control section, 18b vibration control section, 19 conveying motor, 21 gas ejection section, 22 gas ejection section, 25 support frame, 26 cover, 30 guide unit, 31 guide partition section, 31a upstream guide partition section, 31b downstream guide partition section, 31b-1 first downstream guide partition section, 31b-2 second downstream guide partition section, 32 guide pillar, 38 vibration receiving section, 40 recovery section, 41 recovery guide space, 42 recovery storage space, 50 vibration section, 51 reciprocating movable body, 52 vibration piston, 70 storage case, 71 case input port, 72 storage space, 73 Case body, 74 shutter mechanism, P taxiway, Pa upstream taxiway, Pb downstream taxiway, R1 supply area, R2 processing area, R3 good product collection area, R4 defective product collection area, Rc case installation area, T movement path, W electronic parts

Claims

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

2. The guide partition portion has an upstream guide partition portion that partitions the upstream guide path and a downstream guide partition portion that partitions the downstream guide path, The guide post is attached to the downstream guide section so as to be removable from the downstream guide section. The component storage system according to claim 1 .

3. a conveying table on which electronic components are placed and which positions the electronic components in the collection area; a recovery unit located below the transport table in the recovery area and capable of receiving electronic components flying from the guideway; The component receiving system according to claim 1 .

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

5. The component storage system according to claim 4, further comprising a vibration control unit that controls the vibration unit so as to vibrate at least a portion of the guide partition unit based on the number of electronic components blown away from the collection area toward the guide path by the gas ejection unit.

6. A component storage method comprising: a component storage system comprising: a guide partition section which partitions a guide path connected to a case inlet of a storage case capable of storing electronic components; a guide unit having a guide pillar extending vertically in the guide path; and a gas ejection section which ejects gas toward an electronic component positioned in a recovery area so as to blow the electronic component toward the guide path, the guide path including an upstream guide path and a downstream guide path which is located closer to the case inlet than the upstream guide path, the downstream guide path being gradually narrowed toward the case inlet, the component storage method comprising: conveying the plurality of electronic components from an upstream side to a downstream side by a conveying table; a step of a processing device performing processing on the electronic components positioned in a processing area by the transport table; positioning the electronic components in the recovery area located downstream of the processing area by the transport table; and ejecting gas from the gas ejection unit toward the electronic components positioned in the collection area so as to blow the electronic components toward the guide path, The electronic components blown from the recovery area toward the guide path are guided by the guide partition and the guide pillar so as to proceed toward the case insertion port on the guide path. Parts accommodation method.

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