Sensor Device

Abstract

To provide a sensor device that can more accurately detect a joint part of an object to be conveyed.SOLUTION: A color sensor (1) comprises: a light projection unit (2); a light receiving unit (3); an RGB value acquisition unit (22) that acquires color information on an object present in an irradiation area of the light projection unit (2) from the amount of received light; and a joint part detection unit (24) that compares the acquired color information with a pre-acquired reference value of a carrier tape being an object to be conveyed to be conveyed in the irradiation area to detect a joint part of the carrier tape.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sensor device including a light projecting section and a light receiving section. [Background technology]

[0002] A component mounting device that mounts electronic components on a substrate such as a printed wiring board to produce an electronic circuit board is equipped with a tape feeder. The tape feeder supplies the electronic components by intermittently feeding out a carrier tape containing electronic components from a reel on which the carrier tape is wound. The carrier tape is transported on a tape path made of aluminum or the like that is provided in the tape feeder.

[0003] A reel is wound with multiple carrier tapes connected in the longitudinal direction using a splicing tape, so there are seams in the carrier tapes being transported, and the seams are detected in order to manage the lot of the carrier tapes.

[0004] One method for detecting seams is to detect the presence or absence of a feed hole on the side of the carrier tape. Since the splicing tape covers the feed hole at the seam of the carrier tape, a sensor detects the absence of the hole and determines that there is a seam.

[0005] Further, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a detection sensor is conventionally known that detects a surrounding physical quantity as a received signal, discriminates the received signal using a threshold value, and identifies whether the sensor is on or off depending on the physical quantity. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-221623 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, in the method of detecting whether or not there is a fitting hole at the seam of a carrier tape by detecting the absence of a fitting hole, there is a problem in that if the carrier tape meanders, the sensor cannot detect the fitting hole and therefore the seam cannot be detected.

[0008] An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a sensor device capable of detecting a seam portion of a transported object with higher accuracy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, a sensor device according to one aspect of the present invention employs the following configuration.

[0010] That is, a sensor device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a light-projecting unit that projects light, a light-receiving unit that detects the amount of reflected light received from an irradiation area of ​​the light projected from the light-projecting unit, an acquisition unit that acquires color information of an object present in the irradiation area from the amount of received light, and a seam detection unit that detects seams of the transported object by comparing the acquired color information with a reference value for the transported object being transported through the irradiation area.

[0011] According to the above-mentioned configuration, a seam of an object is detected based on the difference between color information of the object and color information of the seam, thereby making it possible to detect the seam more accurately than with conventional methods.

[0012] In the sensor device relating to the above-mentioned aspect, the sensor device may be configured to include a leading edge detection unit that detects that the leading edge of the transported object has reached the illumination area by comparing the detected amount of received light with a passage detection threshold that is set based on the amount of received light detected when the passage transporting the transported object is present throughout the entire illumination area, and a setting unit that, when a waiting time has elapsed since the arrival of the leading edge is detected, sets the color information obtained at that time as the reference value.

[0013] According to the above configuration, when it is detected that the leading edge of the transported object has arrived, the setting unit automatically obtains the reference value used for detecting the seam portion. This eliminates the need to visually set the reference value, improving the convenience of the sensor device.

[0014] In the sensor device relating to the above-mentioned aspect, the passage detection threshold may be configured to be a first threshold higher than the amount of received light and a second threshold lower than the amount of received light, based on the amount of received light detected when the passage is present throughout the entire illumination area.

[0015] According to the above configuration, the arrival of the leading end of the transported object can be detected even if the color of the transported object is a color that reflects more light than the passageway, or a color that reflects less light than the passageway.

[0016] In the sensor device according to the aforementioned aspect, the standby time may be arbitrarily changeable.

[0017] The waiting time is a factor that determines the timing for acquiring and setting the reference value from the point when the leading edge of the transported object is detected by the leading edge detector. If the waiting time is short, the reference value may be set based on the amount of light received when the transported object does not enter the entire irradiation area. By making the waiting time variable as in the above configuration, it can be changed according to the transport speed of the transported object.

[0018] In the sensor device relating to the above aspect, the transported object may be a carrier tape on which a plurality of components are mounted in a row along the longitudinal direction, and may have a seam portion connected in the longitudinal direction by a connecting tape. Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a sensor device capable of detecting a seam portion of a transported object with higher accuracy. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a tape feeder on which a color sensor according to the embodiment is mounted. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a carrier tape applied to the tape feeder. [Diagram 3] 4 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between a tape path in the tape feeder, a color sensor, and a carrier tape transported along the tape path. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a color sensor according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a color sensor according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram showing the change in the amount of received light from a state in which no carrier tape is present in the irradiation area of ​​the light projector to a state in which the carrier tape is present in the entire irradiation area. [Figure 7] This figure shows the change in the degree of mismatch from a state in which no splicing tape is present in the illumination area of ​​the light projector to a state in which the splicing tape is present in the entire illumination area. [Figure 8] 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the color sensor according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] 9 is a flowchart continuing from FIG. 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Hereinafter, an embodiment according to one aspect of the present disclosure (hereinafter also referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a color sensor 1 mounted on a tape feeder that feeds out a carrier tape will be illustrated as one aspect of a sensor device according to the present disclosure.

[0022] §1 Examples of application First, an example of a situation in which the color sensor 1, which is a sensor device, is applied will be described with reference to Figs. 1, 3, and 5 to 7. As shown in Fig. 1, the color sensor 1 is mounted on, for example, a tape feeder 100, and detects a joint portion in the carrier tape 10 conveyed through a tape passage 104. As shown in Fig. 3, the carrier tape 10 is joined by a splicing tape 15. The joint detection unit (see Fig. 5) compares the previously acquired reference value of the RDB value of the carrier tape 10 with the acquired RGB value, and obtains the degree of mismatch, which is the difference in color, as shown in Fig. 7. Then, the splicing tape 15 is detected based on the degree of mismatch to detect the joint portion. As a result, compared to a method of detecting a state in which the fitting hole 12 is blocked, the joint portion can be detected without any problem even if the carrier tape 10 meanders.

[0023] The leading edge detection unit 25 (see FIG. 5) detects the leading edge of the carrier tape by comparing the amount of received light with the passage detection threshold value, as shown in FIG. 6. When the leading edge is detected, the reference value setting unit 26 (see FIG. 5) sets the RGB value after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed since the leading edge was detected as the reference value used for detecting the splicing tape 15. This makes it possible to automatically set the reference value, improving the convenience of the color sensor 1.

[0024] §2 Configuration Example (1. Tape Feeder 100) Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a tape feeder 100 on which a color sensor 1 according to this embodiment is mounted. As shown in Fig. 1, the tape feeder 100 is an auto-loading tape feeder that supplies components such as electronic components using a carrier tape 10. The tape feeder 100 includes a main body section 101 that is elongated in the front-rear direction. The tape feeder 100 further includes a first feed section 102, a second feed section 103, a tape passage 104, the color sensor 1 according to this embodiment, and a control section (not shown).

[0025] The first feed section 102 is provided at the front end portion of the main body 101, and the second feed section 103 is provided at the rear end portion of the main body 101. The first feed section 102 and the second feed section 103 feed the carrier tape 10 in a direction from the rear end portion of the main body 101 to the front end portion. The tape passage 104 is a passage for guiding the carrier tape 10 provided in the main body 101, and is made of, for example, aluminum. The carrier tape 10 is transported along the tape passage 104 by the first feed section 102 and the second feed section 103. In the configuration of FIG. 1, the carrier tape 10 is introduced into the main body 101 from the rear end portion of the main body 101, and is guided to the front portion of the upper surface of the main body 101 through the tape passage 104.

[0026] The color sensor 1 is disposed facing the tape path 104 so that light from a light projecting unit 2, which will be described later, is projected onto the tape path 104. The color sensor 1 detects a seam portion of the carrier tape 10 transported along the tape path 104. In this embodiment, the color sensor 1 automatically obtains a reference value used for detecting the seam portion when it detects that the leading end of the carrier tape 10 has reached the irradiation area (detection area) of the light projecting unit 2. The color sensor 1 will be described in detail later.

[0027] The control unit controls each part of the tape feeder 100. Various information and signals are exchanged between the control unit of the tape feeder 100 and a determination unit 4 (described later) provided in the color sensor 1. The tape feeder 100 and the color sensor 1 are in a master-slave relationship.

[0028] (2. Carrier Tape 10) The carrier tape 10 applied to the tape feeder 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the carrier tape 10 applied to the tape feeder 100. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the tape path 104 in the tape feeder 100, the color sensor 1, and the carrier tape 10 transported through the tape path 104.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2, the carrier tape 10 is a strip-shaped tape, and a plurality of recessed component storage sections 11 for storing components 13 are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction on one surface 10A in the thickness direction. A plurality of fitting holes 12 are arranged at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction on one side in the width direction of the component storage sections 11. The fitting holes 12 are provided penetrating the carrier tape 10 in the thickness direction. The carrier tape 10 is loaded into the tape feeder 100 with the back surface opposite to the front surface 10A facing the tape passage 104. Such carrier tapes 10 are available in different colors such as white, black, gray, and transparent.

[0030] 3, the longitudinal ends of the carrier tape 10 are connected to each other by a splicing tape 15, which is a connecting tape. The splicing tape 15 also comes in different colors, such as blue, light blue, yellow, and black.

[0031] (3. Color Sensor 1) 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the color sensor 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the color sensor 1 includes a light projecting unit 2, a light receiving unit 3, a determination unit 4, a substrate 5, a case 6, a lens unit 7, and a cover 8.

[0032] The light-projecting unit 2 projects light, and the light-receiving unit 3 detects the amount of light received that is reflected from an irradiation area of ​​the light projected from the light-projecting unit 2. The light-projecting unit 2 includes a light-projecting element such as a white LED (light-emitting diode), and a light-projecting circuit. The light-receiving unit 3 includes light-receiving elements for each of the RGB wavelength regions, such as a PTR (phototransistor) and a PD (photodiode), and a light-receiving circuit. The light-receiving circuit includes an amplifier circuit that amplifies an electrical signal according to the amount of light received by the light-receiving element, an A / D converter, and the like.

[0033] In the light receiving section 3, a single light receiving element may be used to detect achromatic colors and chromatic colors, or two light receiving elements may be provided to separately detect achromatic colors and chromatic colors.

[0034] The determination unit 4 detects the splicing tape 15 based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 3, thereby detecting the joint portion of the carrier tape 10. The determination unit 4 also detects the presence or absence of the carrier tape 10 on the tape passage 104, and automatically obtains a reference value used for detecting the splicing tape 15 when it detects that the tip of the carrier tape 10 has reached the irradiation area. The details of the determination unit 4 will be described later.

[0035] The light-projecting unit 2, the light-receiving unit 3, and the determination unit 4 are mounted on the board 5. The case 6 is a support member that supports the board 5 and the lens unit 7. The lens unit 7 is attached to the bottom surface of the case 6, and the board 5 is installed inside the case 6 so that the surface on which the light-projecting unit 2 and the light-receiving unit 3 are mounted faces downward. The lens unit 7 is a light-projecting / receiving lens, and has a lens that controls the beam of light projected from the light-projecting element, and a lens that collects the light reflected from the irradiation area onto the light-receiving element. The cover 8 is a light-blocking member that blocks the opening at the top of the case 6 to prevent the intrusion of external light and dust.

[0036] (4. Judgment part 4) Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the color sensor 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 5, the determination unit 4 includes a light projection control unit 21, an RGB value acquisition unit 22, a storage unit 23, a seam detection unit 24, a tip detection unit 25, and a reference value setting unit 26. The determination unit 4 is formed of a computer device including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a dedicated processor.

[0037] The light-projection control unit 21 controls the driving of the light-projection unit 2. Under the control of the light-projection control unit 21, the light-projection circuit drives the light-emitting element based on a predetermined pulse signal and irradiates light toward the tape path 104. The reflected light from an object present in the irradiation area is received by the light-receiving element of the light-receiving unit 3 and input to the RGB value acquisition unit 22 and the tip detection unit 25 via the light-receiving circuit.

[0038] The RGB value acquisition unit (acquisition unit) 22 acquires RGB values, which are color information of an object present in the irradiation area, based on the amount of received light input via the light receiving circuit. The RGB value acquisition unit 22 sends the acquired RGB values ​​to the seam detection unit 24.

[0039] The seam detection unit 24 compares the RGB values ​​input from the RGB value acquisition unit 22 with reference values ​​(reference RGB values) of the carrier tape 10 acquired in advance, and detects the seam portion of the carrier tape 10. That is, the seam detection unit 24 detects the splicing tape 15. When the seam detection unit 24 detects the splicing tape 15, it notifies the output unit 27 of the detection, and in response, the output unit 27 notifies the outside of the detection of the seam portion.

[0040] In this embodiment, as described later, a joint detection threshold is set for detecting the splicing tape 15. The joint detection unit 24 detects the splicing tape 15 by comparing the degree of mismatch between the input RGB value and the reference value with the joint detection threshold. The reference value of the carrier tape 10 and the joint detection threshold are stored in the storage unit 23.

[0041] The leading edge detection unit 25 compares the amount of received light input via the light receiving circuit with the path detection threshold to detect that the leading edge of the carrier tape 10 has reached the illuminated area. The path detection threshold is set based on the amount of received light detected when the tape path is present in the entire illuminated area, and is stored in the memory unit 23.

[0042] The reference value setting unit (setting unit) 26 sets a reference value of the carrier tape 10 used by the seam detection unit 24. When a waiting time has elapsed since the end detection unit 25 detected the arrival of the end of the carrier tape 10, the reference value setting unit 26 sets the color information acquired by the RGB value acquisition unit 22 at that time as a reference value. The waiting time is the waiting time from the detection of the arrival of the end of the carrier tape 10 until the acquisition of the reference value. The set reference value is stored in the memory unit 23. The waiting time used by the reference value setting unit 26 is also stored in the memory unit 23.

[0043] The memory unit 23 includes a joint detection threshold table, an aisle detection threshold table, a waiting time table, and a reference value storage unit. Values ​​can also be input to the memory unit 23 from the outside via the input / output unit 28.

[0044] The seam detection threshold table stores seam detection thresholds used by the seam detection unit 24. In this embodiment, two seam detection thresholds are set as the seam detection thresholds, a chromatic color threshold and an achromatic color threshold, which will be described later, so as to be able to handle splicing tapes 15 of different colors (see FIG. 7).

[0045] The path detection threshold table stores the path detection threshold used by the leading end detection unit 25. As described above, the path detection threshold is set based on the amount of received light detected when the tape path 104 is present in the entire irradiation area. The path detection threshold is a value that can determine that the tape path 104 is not present in the entire irradiation area, that is, that the carrier tape 10 is included in a part of the irradiation area. In this embodiment, based on the amount of received light detected when the tape path 104 is present in the entire irradiation area, a first threshold higher than the amount of received light and a second threshold lower than the amount of received light are set.

[0046] The standby time table stores standby times used by the reference value setting unit 26. When the tape feeder 100 has a plurality of transport speeds for the carrier tape 10, the standby time table stores standby times according to the transport speeds, and the user selects an appropriate standby time.

[0047] The reference value storage section stores a reference value set by the reference value setting section 26. The reference value is set every time the leading edge detection section 25 detects the arrival of the leading edge of the carrier tape 10, and is automatically rewritten.

[0048] (5. Setting the Reference Value) The setting of the reference value will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the change in the amount of received light from a state in which the carrier tape 10 is not in the irradiation area of ​​the light projector 2 until the carrier tape 10 fills the entire irradiation area. As shown in Fig. 6, in section A where the tip of the carrier tape 10 has not yet reached the irradiation area, the light receiver 3 detects the amount of received light L of reflected light from the tape path 104.

[0049] When the leading edge of the carrier tape 10 reaches the illuminated area, the amount of received light starts to increase from that point on. Section B where the amount of received light increases is the section where the leading edge of the carrier tape 10 advances through the illuminated area. When the carrier tape 10 enters the entire illuminated area, the increase stops and the amount of received light levels off at H. Section C where the amount of received light levels off at H is the section where the reflected light from the carrier tape 10 is stably detected.

[0050] The passage detection threshold is set to a value between the amount of received light L and the amount of received light H. In the example of FIG. 6, it is set to a value slightly higher than the median value of section B. FIG. 6 shows an example in which the carrier tape 10 is white, etc., and the amount of reflected light is greater than that of the tape passage 104. Although not shown, the carrier tape 10 may be black or gray, etc., and the amount of reflected light may be less than that of the tape passage 104. In that case, the detected amount of received light begins to decrease from the point when the tip of the carrier tape 10 enters the irradiation area, and becomes lower than the amount of received light L. Therefore, as described above, the passage detection threshold is set to a first threshold higher than the amount of received light L detected in section A, and a second threshold lower than the amount of received light L. The passage detection value shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to the first threshold.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 6, when the leading edge detection unit 25 detects the arrival of the leading edge of the carrier tape 10, the irradiation area still includes the tape passage 104. Therefore, in order to obtain the reference value, it is necessary to wait from the time when the arrival of the leading edge is detected until the carrier tape 10 enters the entire irradiation area. This waiting time is the waiting time. This makes it possible to set the reference value based on the amount of received light detected when the carrier tape 10 has entered the entire irradiation area. In this embodiment, multiple types of waiting times are set according to the transport speed of the carrier tape 10, and the user is configured to set them appropriately.

[0052] (6. Detection of splicing tape 15) The detection of the splicing tape 15 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the change in the degree of mismatch from a state in which the splicing tape 15 is not in the irradiation area of ​​the light projector 2 until the splicing tape 15 is in the entire irradiation area. As shown in Fig. 7, in a section D in which the tip of the splicing tape 15 has not yet reached the irradiation area, the light receiver 3 detects the amount of reflected light received from the carrier tape 10, so that the degree of mismatch D0 between the acquired RGB value and the reference value is small.

[0053] When the tip of the splicing tape 15 reaches the illuminated area, the degree of mismatch starts to increase from that point on. Section D where the amount of received light increases is the section where the tip of the splicing tape 15 advances through the illuminated area. When the splicing tape 15 enters the entire illuminated area, the increase stops, and in the example of Figure 7, the degree of mismatch levels off at D1 and D2.

[0054] The degree of mismatch D1 is the degree of mismatch between the reference value and the RGB value based on the amount of light received by the achromatic splicing tape 15. The degree of mismatch D2 is the degree of mismatch between the reference value and the RGB value based on the amount of light received by the chromatic splicing tape 15. When the splicing tape 15 is chromatic, the degree of mismatch is higher than when the splicing tape 15 is achromatic.

[0055] Two types of seam detection thresholds, a chromatic threshold and an achromatic threshold, are set to correspond to the color variations of the chromatic and achromatic splicing tape 15. By setting two types of seam detection thresholds, it is possible not only to detect the splicing tape 15 but also to detect whether the splicing tape 15 is achromatic or chromatic.

[0056] When the splicing tape 15 is determined to have either a chromatic color threshold or an achromatic color threshold, the corresponding threshold is set as the joint detection threshold. By setting the achromatic color threshold, it is possible to handle both achromatic and chromatic splicing tapes 15.

[0057] (7. Operation of Color Sensor 1) The operation of the color sensor 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 8 and Fig. 9. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the color sensor 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a continuation of Fig. 8. The color sensor 1 starts operation at the timing when the tape feeder 100 starts transporting the carrier tape 10, for example.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 8, at the start of operation, the judgment unit 4 reads values ​​from the memory unit 23, and sets the aisle detection threshold in the leading edge detection unit 25, the waiting time in the reference value setting unit 26, and the seam threshold in the seam detection unit 24 (S1).

[0059] Next, the determination unit 4 starts detecting the amount of light projected by the light projector 2 and the amount of light received by the light receiver 3 (S2). When the amount of received light is input, the leading edge detection unit 25 determines whether the amount of received light exceeds the passage detection threshold (S3). If the light receiver 3 has multiple light receiving elements, it determines whether the sum of the amounts of received light exceeds the passage detection threshold. The leading edge detection unit 25 repeats S3 until it determines that the amount of received light has exceeded the passage detection threshold.

[0060] If it is determined in S3 that the amount of received light has exceeded the passage detection threshold, the leading edge detection unit 25 notifies the reference value setting unit 26 that the leading edge of the carrier tape 10 has been detected (S4). Upon receiving the notification, the reference value setting unit 26 starts counting from that point (S5). Once counting has started, the reference value setting unit 26 determines whether the count value has reached the standby time (S6). If it determines that it has not, the reference value setting unit 26 increments the count value by 1 (S7) and then returns to S6. The reference value setting unit 26 repeats S6 and S7 until it determines in S6 that the count value has reached the standby time.

[0061] When it is determined in S6 that the count value has reached the standby time, the reference value setting unit 26 instructs the RGB value acquisition unit 22 to acquire a reference value (S8). Upon receiving the instruction, the RGB value acquisition unit 22 sends the RGB value acquired at that time to the storage unit 23 (S9). The storage unit 23 stores the input RGB value as a reference value (S10). Through the processes of S1 to S10 up to this point, the reference value of the carrier tape 10 is automatically acquired and stored in the storage unit 23.

[0062] 9, when the reference value is stored, the determination unit 4 reads the reference value from the storage unit 23 and sets it in the seam detection unit 24 (S11). The seam detection unit 24 compares the RGB values ​​input from the RGB value acquisition unit 22 with the reference value to calculate the degree of mismatch therebetween (S12), and determines whether the degree of mismatch exceeds the seam detection threshold (S13). If the seam detection unit 24 determines in S13 that the degree of mismatch has not been exceeded, it proceeds to S15 to determine whether an operation end signal has been received from the outside, and if it determines that the signal has not been received, it returns to S12.

[0063] On the other hand, if the splice detection unit 24 determines in S13 that the splicing tape 15 has been exceeded, it notifies the output unit 27 that the splicing tape 15 has been detected (S14), and in response the output unit 27 notifies the outside. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S15 to determine whether an operation end signal has been received from the outside, and if it determines that it has not been received, the process returns to S12. If the determination unit 4 determines in S15 that an operation end signal has been received, it ends the light projection by the light projection unit 2 and the detection of the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 3 (S16), and ends the operation.

[0064] (8. Main Effects) According to the above configuration, the seam portion of the carrier tape 10 is detected by detecting the difference (color difference) in color information between the carrier tape 10 and the splicing tape 15. Even if the carrier tape 10 meanders, the carrier tape 10 does not deviate from the irradiation area. This makes it possible to detect the seam portion without any problem even if the carrier tape 10 meanders.

[0065] When detecting the splicing tape 15 based on the difference in color information in this way, it is preferable to use a splicing tape 15 with a color different from that of the carrier tape 10. In other words, it is suitable to use blue, light blue, yellow, and black splicing tapes 15 for a white carrier tape 10. It is suitable to use blue, light blue, and yellow splicing tapes 15 for a black, transparent, and gray carrier tape 10.

[0066] However, when using the detection sensor technology of Patent Document 1, the user needs to visually confirm that the carrier tape 10 is present in the irradiation area and operate a teaching switch to store the reference value of the carrier tape 10. In addition, it is also necessary to operate a mode change switch to switch between a teaching mode for storing the reference value and an operation mode.

[0067] In contrast, according to the above configuration, the leading edge detection unit 25 detects that the leading edge of the carrier tape 10 has reached the irradiation area, and the reference value setting unit 26 sets the RGB value after the standby time has elapsed since the leading edge was detected as the reference value. This makes it possible to set the reference value automatically without visual inspection. Therefore, it becomes unnecessary to operate the mode change switch and the teaching switch, which must be visually inspected, and it becomes possible to set the reference value automatically, improving the convenience of the color sensor 1.

[0068] According to the above configuration, a first threshold value higher than the amount of received light and a second threshold value lower than the amount of received light are set as the path detection threshold value based on the amount of received light detected when the tape path 104 is present in the entire irradiation area. Therefore, even if the color of the carrier tape 10 is a color that reflects more light than the tape path 104, or a color that reflects less light, the arrival of the tip of the carrier tape 10 can be detected.

[0069] §3 Variations Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the above description is merely an example of the present invention in every respect. It goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the following modifications are possible. In the following, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as in the above embodiment, and the description of the same points as in the above embodiment is omitted as appropriate. The following modifications can be combined as appropriate.

[0070] (1) In the embodiment described above, memory unit 23 includes a seam detection threshold table, an aisle detection threshold table, a wait time table, and a reference value storage unit. Then, at the start of operation, values ​​are read from memory unit 23, and the aisle detection threshold is set in leading edge detection unit 25, the wait time in reference value setting unit 26, and the seam threshold in seam detection unit 24. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and may be configured such that at the start of operation, the seam detection threshold, aisle detection threshold, and wait time are input from the control unit of tape feeder 100, which is the master.

[0071] (2) In the above-described embodiment, multiple types of waiting times are set according to the transport speed of the carrier tape 10, and the user is configured to set the waiting time as appropriate. However, the waiting time may be set by the user as desired.

[0072] [Software implementation example] Each block of the determination unit 4 may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software. In the latter case, the determination unit 4 includes a computer that executes instructions of a program, which is software that realizes each function. This computer includes, for example, one or more processors, and a computer-readable recording medium storing the program. In the computer, the processor reads the program from the recording medium and executes it, thereby achieving the object of the present invention. The processor may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The recording medium may be a "non-transient tangible medium," such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), as well as a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like. The computer may further include a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the program. The program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (such as a communication network or a broadcast wave) capable of transmitting the program. Note that one aspect of the present invention may also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[0073] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1 Color sensor 2 Light projector 3 Light receiving section 4 Judgment section 10 Carrier tape (carried goods) 15 Splicing tape 21 Light projection control section 22 RGB value acquisition section (acquisition section) 23 Memory section 24 Seam detection section 25 Tip detection section 26 Reference value setting unit (setting unit) 100 Tape Feeder 104 Tape Passage (Passage)

Claims

1. a light-projecting unit that projects light; a light receiving unit that detects an amount of reflected light from an irradiation area of ​​the light projected from the light projecting unit; an acquisition unit that acquires color information of an object present in the illumination area based on the amount of received light; a seam detection unit that detects a seam of the transported object by comparing the acquired color information with a reference value of the transported object transported through the irradiation area; a leading edge detection unit that detects that a leading edge of the transported object has reached the illumination area by comparing a detected amount of received light with a passage detection threshold value that is set based on an amount of received light detected when a passage for transporting the transported object is present in the entire illumination area; a setting unit that, when a standby time has elapsed since the arrival of the tip is detected, sets the color information acquired at that time as the reference value.

2. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the passage detection threshold is set based on the amount of received light detected when the passage is present throughout the entire illumination area, and a first threshold value higher than the amount of received light and a second threshold value lower than the amount of received light are set.

3. The sensor device according to claim 1 , wherein the standby time is variable.

4. The sensor device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the transported object is a carrier tape on which a plurality of components are mounted in a row along the longitudinal direction, and has a seam portion connected in the longitudinal direction by a connecting tape.

Images