Surface Mounting Machine

Abstract

To accurately recognize the horizontal position of the lower end surface of each pin when a component having pins different in vertical position on the lower end surface is imaged from below by a component imaging camera and the horizontal position of the lower end surface of each pin is recognized.SOLUTION: A board connector 49 includes a plurality of pins 51 that are inserted into pin insertion holes formed in a board, and whose lower end faces are different in position in the vertical direction. A control unit images a board connector for each group of pins whose lower end surfaces are simultaneously within the depth of field of a component imaging camera 16, raises and lowers a mounting head 20 on the basis of the vertical position of the lower end surface of the pin indicated by component shape data, takes images while the lower end surfaces of the pins belonging to the group to be imaged are simultaneously within the depth of field of the component imaging camera, and executes first recognition processing to recognize the horizontal positions of the lower end surfaces of the pins on the basis of the plurality of images captured in the image capture processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a surface mounter that mounts a component on a substrate, the component having multiple pins that are inserted into pin insertion holes formed in the substrate and whose lower end surfaces are positioned differently in the up-down direction. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, surface mounters that mount components on a board are equipped with a component imaging camera that captures images of the components to be mounted on the board from below, and the component shapes and other features are recognized from the images captured by the component imaging camera (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Specifically, in the electronic component mounting method described in Patent Document 1, sequence data is generated from the values ​​of grouping setting data for sequentially picking up multiple electronic components using multiple suction nozzles of the mounting head in one round trip of the beam, and component library data for the electronic components to be sequentially picked up is referenced to determine whether the electronic components to be sequentially picked up are within the allowable focus depth range of the component recognition camera (equivalent to the component image capture camera) to determine whether all of the electronic components to be sequentially picked up can be recognized collectively while the mounting head is moving, and if it is determined that they cannot be recognized collectively, the mounting head is temporarily stopped above the component recognition camera and is raised and lowered by component thickness step group to perform image capture by the component recognition camera and recognition processing by the recognition processing device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-311468 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the past, sufficient consideration had not been given to the issues that arise when a component having multiple pins that are inserted into pin insertion holes formed in a substrate and whose lower end faces have different vertical positions from one another is imaged from below with a component imaging camera to recognize the horizontal position of the lower end face of each pin.

[0005] This specification discloses a technology that can accurately recognize the horizontal position of the lower end face of each pin when a component having multiple pins that are inserted into pin insertion holes formed in a substrate and whose lower end faces have different vertical positions is imaged from below with a component imaging camera to recognize the horizontal position of each pin's lower end face. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A surface mounter for mounting components on a board, the components having a plurality of pins that are inserted into pin insertion holes formed in the board and whose bottom surfaces have different positions in the up-down direction, the surface mounter comprising a mounting head for holding and releasing the components, a head unit having a head lift unit for lifting and lowering the mounting head, a head moving unit for moving the head unit in a horizontal direction, a component imaging camera for imaging the components held by the mounting head from below, and a storage device storing component data indicating the position of the bottom surface of each of the pins in the up-down direction relative to a predetermined position on the component. the control unit executes an imaging process of imaging the components for each group of pins whose bottom surfaces simultaneously fall within the depth of field of the component imaging camera, by raising and lowering the mounting head based on the vertical positions of the bottom surfaces of the pins indicated by the component data, thereby imaging the bottom surfaces of the pins belonging to the group to be imaged while simultaneously falling within the depth of field of the component imaging camera; and a first recognition process of recognizing the horizontal position of the bottom surface of each pin based on multiple images captured in the imaging process. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the above configuration, when a component having multiple pins that are inserted into pin insertion holes formed in a substrate and whose lower end surfaces have different vertical positions is imaged from below with a component imaging camera to recognize the horizontal position of the lower end surface of each pin, the horizontal position of the lower end surface of each pin can be recognized with high accuracy. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a top view schematically illustrating a configuration of a surface mounter according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] Head unit side view [Figure 3] Block diagram of the component imaging camera [Figure 4] Block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the surface mounter [Figure 5] Perspective view of the board connector [Figure 6] Rear side view of the board connector [Figure 7] Right side view of the board connector [Figure 8] Bottom view of the board connector [Figure 9] Schematic diagram for explaining imaging of a board connector [Figure 10] Flowchart of component recognition and mounting process [Figure 11] Block diagram of a component imaging camera according to a second embodiment [Figure 12] Block diagram of a component imaging camera according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] (Outline of this embodiment) (1) A surface mounter according to an embodiment is a surface mounter for mounting components on a board, the components having pins to be inserted into pin insertion holes formed in the board, the pins having bottom surfaces at different positions in the up-down direction, the surface mounter including a mounting head for holding and releasing the components, a head unit having a head lift unit for raising and lowering the mounting head, a head moving unit for moving the head unit in the horizontal direction, a component imaging camera for capturing an image of the component held by the mounting head from below, and component data indicating the top-down position of the bottom surface of each of the pins relative to a predetermined position on the component. the control unit executes an imaging process of imaging the components for each group of pins whose bottom end faces simultaneously fall within the depth of field of the component imaging camera, by raising and lowering the mounting head based on the vertical positions of the bottom end faces of the pins indicated by the component data, so that the bottom end faces of the pins belonging to the group to be imaged are simultaneously within the depth of field of the component imaging camera; and a first recognition process of recognizing the horizontal position of the bottom end face of each pin based on multiple images captured in the imaging process.

[0010] The electronic component mounting method described in the aforementioned Patent Document 1, when imaging multiple electronic components, groups the electronic components into groups each falling within the allowable focus depth range of the component recognition camera, and images are taken for each group. In this electronic component mounting method, multiple images are taken for each group of multiple electronic components, but each electronic component is only imaged once.

[0011] 5 and 6, some components have multiple pins 51 that are inserted into pin insertion holes formed in a board. In such components, the pins 51 may be bent for some reason. If the pins 51 are bent, when the component is mounted on the board, the pins 51 may not fit into the pin insertion holes formed in the board, resulting in a mounting failure. For this reason, when mounting such components on a board, the component held by the mounting head is imaged from below by a component imaging camera, and the horizontal position of the bottom end face of each pin 51 is recognized in the image. Then, for each pin 51, it is determined whether the horizontal position of that pin 51 matches the horizontal position indicated by the component data, and if the position of at least one pin 51 does not match, the component is determined to be defective (i.e., the pin is bent) and discarded.

[0012] Conventionally, when a component has multiple pins, the vertical positions of the bottom ends of the multiple pins are the same. This is because if the vertical positions of the bottom ends of the multiple pins are different from one another, the bottom ends of the multiple pins do not simultaneously fall within the depth of field of the component imaging camera (the range in which the pins appear to be in focus in the optical axis direction of the component imaging camera), and the horizontal positions of the pin bottom ends cannot be accurately recognized. However, ensuring that the vertical positions of the bottom ends of multiple pins are the same has been a design constraint for component manufacturers and surface mount machine users (customers of surface mount machine manufacturers).

[0013] Alternatively, in the past, components with multiple pins whose bottom surfaces were at different vertical positions were mounted on a circuit board, but because it was not possible to accurately recognize the horizontal positions of all of the pins' bottom surfaces even when the component was imaged from below, such components were not mounted using a surface mounter, but instead were manually placed on the circuit board by a worker, resulting in poor work efficiency.

[0014] According to the surface mounter of (1) above, when the control unit images components from below for each group using the component imaging camera, it raises and lowers the mounting head based on the up-and-down position of the bottom end face of the pin indicated by the component data, thereby capturing images while the bottom end face of each pin belonging to the group being imaged is simultaneously within the depth of field of the component imaging camera. In this way, the bottom end face of each pin appears to be in focus in one of the multiple images captured for each group, and therefore by recognizing the horizontal position of the bottom end face of the pin based on these multiple images, it is possible to accurately recognize the horizontal position of the bottom end face of each pin.

[0015] Therefore, with the surface mounter of (1) above, when a component having multiple pins that are inserted into pin insertion holes formed in a substrate and whose bottom surfaces have different vertical positions is imaged from below with a component imaging camera to recognize the horizontal position of the bottom surface of each pin, the horizontal position of the bottom surface of each pin can be recognized with high accuracy. This eliminates the constraint that component manufacturers and surface mount machine users must ensure that the bottom ends of multiple pins are positioned in the same vertical direction, allowing for greater design freedom. It also improves work efficiency, as workers no longer need to manually mount components.

[0016] (2) A surface mounter according to an embodiment is a surface mounter for mounting components on a board, the components having pins to be inserted into pin insertion holes formed in the board, the pins having bottom surfaces at different positions in the up-down direction, the surface mounter including a mounting head for holding and releasing the components, a head unit having a head lift unit for raising and lowering the mounting head, a head moving unit for moving the head unit in the horizontal direction, a component imaging camera for imaging the components held by the mounting head from below, the component imaging camera having an adjustable focus position, and a component imaging camera for measuring the top-bottom position of the bottom surface of each of the pins relative to a predetermined position on the component. the control unit executes an imaging process of imaging the parts for each group of pins whose bottom end faces simultaneously fall within the depth of field of the part imaging camera by adjusting the focal position of the part imaging camera based on the vertical positions of the bottom end faces of the pins indicated by the part data, thereby imaging the parts so that the bottom end faces of the pins belonging to the group to be imaged simultaneously fall within the depth of field of the part imaging camera; and a first recognition process of recognizing the horizontal position of the bottom end face of each pin based on multiple images captured in the imaging process.

[0017] According to the surface mounter of (2) above, when the control unit images components from below for each group using the component imaging camera, it adjusts the focal position of the component imaging camera based on the vertical position of the bottom end face of the pin indicated by the component data, thereby capturing images of the bottom end face of each pin belonging to the group being imaged simultaneously within the depth of field of the component imaging camera. In this way, the bottom end face of each pin appears to be in focus in one of the multiple images captured for each group, and by recognizing the horizontal position of the bottom end face of the pin based on these multiple images, it is possible to accurately recognize the horizontal position of the bottom end face of each pin. Therefore, with the surface mounter of (2) above, when a component having multiple pins that are inserted into pin insertion holes formed in a substrate and whose bottom surfaces have different vertical positions is imaged from below with a component imaging camera to recognize the horizontal position of the bottom surface of each pin, the horizontal position of the bottom surface of each pin can be recognized with high accuracy.

[0018] (3) The component imaging camera may have a lens and a lens moving unit that moves the lens in the direction of the optical axis, and the control unit may adjust the focal position of the component imaging camera by moving the lens based on the component data so that the lower end surfaces of the pins belonging to the group to be imaged are simultaneously within the depth of field of the component imaging camera.

[0019] According to the surface mounter of (3) above, by moving the lens and adjusting the focal position of the component imaging camera, it is possible to capture images of the bottom end faces of the pins belonging to the group to be imaged simultaneously within the depth of field of the component imaging camera.

[0020] (4) The component imaging camera may have an elevation unit that raises and lowers the component imaging camera, and the control unit may adjust the focal position of the component imaging camera by raising and lowering the component imaging camera based on the component data so that the lower end surfaces of the pins belonging to the group to be imaged are simultaneously within the depth of field of the component imaging camera.

[0021] According to the surface mounter of (4) above, by adjusting the focal position of the component imaging camera by raising and lowering the component imaging camera, it is possible to capture images of the bottom end faces of the pins belonging to the group to be imaged simultaneously within the depth of field of the component imaging camera.

[0022] (5) In the first recognition process, the control unit may generate a binary image by binarizing the image captured in the imaging process, and recognize the horizontal position of the lower end surface of each of the pins based on the generated binary image.

[0023] For pins whose bottom surfaces are in focus, the pixel representing the bottom surface of that pin in the multi-value image will have a higher density. For example, if pixel density is expressed in 256 levels from 0 (black) to 255 (white), the density of the pixel representing the bottom surface will be a value close to 255. On the other hand, for pins whose bottom surfaces are not in focus, the pixel representing the bottom surface of that pin in the multi-value image will have a lower density. For example, when binarizing to 0 (black) and 1 (white), if the binarization threshold is set appropriately, pins whose bottom surfaces are not in focus will not remain in the binary image (in other words, their density will be 0). Therefore, only pins whose bottom surfaces are in focus will remain in each binary image. Since each pin's bottom surface is in focus in one of the multi-value images, it will remain in one of the binary images. The surface mounter described in (5) above recognizes the horizontal position of the bottom surface of each pin based on the binary image. Since only pins whose bottom surfaces are in focus remain in the binary image, the horizontal position of the bottom surface of each pin can be recognized with high accuracy.

[0024] (6) In the first recognition process, the control unit may recognize the horizontal position of the lower end surface of the pin for each of the images captured in the imaging process, and may recognize the horizontal position of the lower end surface of each of the pins by averaging the horizontal positions of the lower end surfaces of each of the pins recognized for each of the images.

[0025] According to the surface mounter of (6) above, the horizontal position of the lower end face of each pin can be recognized with high accuracy by averaging the positions of each pin recognized for each image.

[0026] (7) In the first recognition process, the control unit may recognize the horizontal position of the lower end surface of each of the pins on a composite image obtained by combining the multiple images captured in the imaging process.

[0027] According to the surface mounter of (7) above, the horizontal position of the bottom end surface of each pin can be recognized with high accuracy by recognizing the horizontal position of the bottom end surface of each pin on a composite image obtained by combining multiple images.

[0028] (8) The control unit may execute a determination process for determining whether the pins are good or bad based on the horizontal position of the lower end surface of each of the pins recognized in the first recognition process.

[0029] According to the surface mounter of (8) above, it is possible to judge whether the pin is good or bad (in other words, whether the pin is bent or not) from the horizontal position of the recognized lower end face of each pin.

[0030] (9) The control unit may execute a second recognition process to recognize a horizontal reference position on the component based on the horizontal position of the lower end surface of each of the pins recognized in the first recognition process.

[0031] According to the surface mounter of (9) above, the horizontal reference position on the component can be detected based on the recognized horizontal position of each pin.

[0032] [Details of the embodiments of the present disclosure] The present disclosure will be described below with reference to exemplary embodiments. The present disclosure is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be realized in various forms, such as an apparatus, a method, a computer program for realizing the functions of these apparatuses or methods, and a recording medium on which the computer program is recorded.

[0033] <Embodiment 1> The first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 10. In the following description, the left-right direction shown in Figure 1 will be referred to as the X-axis direction, the front-rear direction will be referred to as the Y-axis direction, and the up-down direction shown in Figure 2 will be referred to as the Z-axis direction. In the following description, the right side shown in Figure 1 will be referred to as the upstream side, and the left side will be referred to as the downstream side. In the following description, the reference numerals of the drawings may be omitted for the same components, with some exceptions.

[0034] (1) Configuration of surface mounter A surface mounter 1 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The surface mounter 1 is a device that mounts components E on a substrate P on which a circuit pattern is printed. The substrate P shown in Fig. 1 has a plurality of pin insertion holes 80 formed therein that penetrate the substrate P in the thickness direction. The pin insertion holes 80 are holes into which pins 51 of a substrate connector 49 (an example of a component) described later are inserted.

[0035] The surface mounter 1 includes a stand 10, a transport conveyor 11, two tape component supply devices 12, two tray component supply devices 13, a head unit 14 (an example of a head section), a head moving section 15, two component imaging cameras 16, a board imaging camera 17, a control section 30 (see Figure 4), and an operation section 31 (see Figure 4).

[0036] The stand 10 has a rectangular shape in a plan view and a flat top surface. An area A indicated by a two-dot dashed line in Fig. 1 is a work position (hereinafter referred to as work position A) where the board P is fixed when mounting components E on the board P. The transport conveyor 11 is a device that transports the board P. The transport conveyor 11 is equipped with a pair of transport belts 18 (front transport belt 18A and rear transport belt 18B) that move in a circular motion in the X-axis direction, a plurality of rollers (not shown) around which the transport belts 18 are wound, and a conveyor drive motor 44 (see FIG. 4) that drives the transport belts. The transport conveyor 11 transports the board P that has been carried in from the upstream side to work position A, and then carries the board P on which components E have been mounted at work position A out to the downstream side. The transport conveyor 11 can also transport the board P to the upstream side.

[0037] The two tape component supply devices 12 are arranged side by side in the X-axis direction in front of the transport conveyor 11. Multiple tape feeders 19 are attached to the tape component supply device 12 and aligned side by side in the X-axis direction. Each tape feeder 19 is equipped with a reel (not shown) around which a component tape (not shown) containing multiple components E is wound, and an electric feeding device (not shown) that unwinds the component tape from the reel, and supplies components E one by one from a component supply position on the transport conveyor 11 side.

[0038] The two tray component supply devices 13 are arranged side by side in the X-axis direction behind the transport conveyor 11. The tray component supply device 13 is a device that supplies large components E (for example, a board connector 49 described later) that cannot be supplied by the tape component supply device 12. The tray component supply device 13 includes a tray 13A on which a plurality of components E are placed in a matrix, a magazine 13C having multiple stages of pallets 13B on which the trays 13A are set, an elevator unit (not shown) that raises and lowers the magazine 13C, and a pallet moving mechanism (not shown) that takes the pallets 13B in and out of the magazine 13C.

[0039] The head unit 14 is equipped with a plurality of mounting heads 20 that pick up (an example of holding) and release components E. The head unit 14 will be described later. Head moving section 15 is a mechanism that moves head unit 14 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction within a predetermined movable range. Head moving section 15 includes a beam 21 that supports head unit 14 so that it can move back and forth in the X-axis direction, a pair of Y-axis guide rails 22 that support beam 21 so that it can move back and forth in the Y-axis direction, an X-axis servo motor 40 that moves head unit 14 back and forth in the X-axis direction, and a Y-axis servo motor 41 that moves beam 21 back and forth in the Y-axis direction.

[0040] The two component imaging cameras 16 are each provided between two component supply devices aligned in the X-axis direction. The component imaging cameras 16 are provided on the top surface of the stand 10, and capture images of the components E picked up by the mounting head 20 from below. The images captured by the component imaging cameras 16 are multi-value images expressed in 256 gradations, with pixel density ranging from 0 (black) to 255 (white). The configuration of the component imaging cameras 16 will be described later. The board imaging camera 17 is provided in the head unit 14. The board imaging camera 17 captures an image of a fiducial mark (not shown) attached to the board P from above.

[0041] The head unit 14 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The head unit 14 is a so-called in-line type, with multiple mounting heads 20 arranged side by side in the X-axis direction. The head unit 14 is provided with a Z-axis servo motor 42 (see Fig. 4, an example of a head lifting unit) that individually lifts and lowers these mounting heads 20, and an R-axis servo motor 43 (see Fig. 4) that simultaneously rotates these mounting heads 20 around their axes.

[0042] Each mounting head 20 is used to pick up and release components E, and has a nozzle shaft 20A and a suction nozzle 20B that is detachably attached to the lower end of the nozzle shaft 20A. Negative and positive pressures are supplied to the suction nozzle 20B from an air supply device (not shown) via the nozzle shaft 20A. The suction nozzle 20B picks up components E when negative pressure is supplied, and releases the components E when positive pressure is supplied. Although an inline type head unit 14 has been described as an example here, the head unit 14 may also be a so-called rotary head in which a plurality of mounting heads 20 are arranged on the circumference.

[0043] The component imaging camera 16 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The component imaging camera 16 has a light source 16A that illuminates the component E from below, an area sensor 16C in which a plurality of light receiving elements are two-dimensionally arranged, and an optical system (lens 16B, mirror, etc.) that forms an image of the light emitted from the light source 16A and reflected by the lower surface of the component E onto the area sensor 16C. The light source 16A may be a laser light source that emits laser light, an LED light source, or another light source.

[0044] (2) Electrical configuration of the surface mounter The electrical configuration of the surface mounter 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The surface mounter 1 includes a control unit 30 and an operation unit 31. The control unit 30 includes an arithmetic processing unit 32, a motor control unit 33, a storage unit 34, an image processing unit 35, an external input / output unit 36, a feeder communication unit 37, and the like.

[0045] The arithmetic processing unit 32 includes a CPU, a RAM, etc., and controls each unit of the surface mounter 1 by executing a control program stored in the storage unit 34. The motor control unit 33 controls the rotation of each motor such as the X-axis servo motor 40 and the Y-axis servo motor 41 under the control of the calculation processing unit 32 . The storage unit 34 stores various programs and data executed by the arithmetic processing unit 32. The data stored in the storage unit 34 includes data indicating the mounting coordinates (XY coordinates) on the substrate P when each component E is mounted on the substrate P, as well as component data, which will be described later.

[0046] The image processing unit 35 is configured to take in image signals output from the component imaging camera 16 and the board imaging camera 17 . The external input / output unit 36 ​​is a so-called interface, and is configured to receive detection signals output from various sensors 38 provided in the main body of the surface mounter 1. The external input / output unit 36 ​​is also configured to control the operation of various actuators 39 (such as an air supply device) based on control signals output from the arithmetic processing unit 32.

[0047] The feeder communication unit 37 is connected to the tape feeder 19 and controls the tape feeder 19 in an integrated manner. The operation unit 31 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and input devices such as a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, etc. An operator can operate the operation unit 31 to make various settings.

[0048] (3) An example of a component having multiple pins that are inserted into pin insertion holes formed in a substrate 5 to 7, an example of the component E will be described. Here, a board connector 49 (a so-called receptacle) will be described as an example of the component E. The board connector 49 is a connector that is mounted on the board P, and when mounted on the board P, a mating connector (not shown) is mated with it. The board connector 49 has a hood portion 50 into which a mating connector is inserted and fitted. As shown in Fig. 5, the hood portion 50 is formed in a box shape that opens to the front side (front side in the fitting direction) in Fig. 5.

[0049] 5 to 7, a plurality of pins 51 are provided on the wall on the rear side (rear side in the fitting direction) of the hood portion 50. These pins 51 extend from the wall on the rear side of the hood portion 50 toward the rear side in the fitting direction, and then are bent downward by approximately 90 degrees. These pins 51 are inserted into pin insertion holes 80 formed in the substrate P.

[0050] As shown in Fig. 6, the vertical position of the lower end faces 82 (see Fig. 7) of the pins 51 varies depending on the pin 51. Specifically, the vertical position of the lower end faces 82 of pins 51A and 51B is the highest, and the vertical position of the lower end faces 82 of pins 51E and 51F is the lowest. The vertical position of the lower end faces 82 of pins 51C and 51D is between the lower end faces 82 of pins 51A and 51B and the lower end faces 82 of pins 51E and 51F.

[0051] (4) Parts data The component data includes component shape data representing the shape of the component E, and imaging condition data representing the imaging conditions (such as the brightness and exposure time of the light source 16A) when the component E is imaged by the component imaging camera 16. A vertical reference position (an example of a predetermined position on a component) is set on component E. In the case of board connector 49, the vertical reference position is the top surface 50G of board connector 49 (in other words, the surface of component E that is picked up by mounting head 20). The vertical reference position is not limited to top surface 50G and can be determined as appropriate.

[0052] The data items of the part shape data differ depending on the type of part E. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, in the case of board connector 49, the part shape data includes data indicating width W, height H, depth D of hood portion 50, left-right position J of each pin 51 relative to the left end (or right end) of hood portion 50, and up-down position K (K1, K2, K3) of bottom end surface 82 of each pin 51 relative to a reference position in the up-down direction on board connector 49 (i.e., top surface 50G of hood portion 50). The vertical position K of the lower end surface 82 of each pin 51 can also be expressed as the vertical distance from the upper surface 50G of the hood portion 50 to the lower end surface 82 of the pin 51.

[0053] As shown in Fig. 8, the component shape data also includes data indicating the horizontal position of the bottom end surface 82 of each pin 51. The horizontal direction refers to the direction parallel to the plane defined by the front-rear and left-right directions shown in Fig. 1 (in other words, the direction perpendicular to the up-down direction shown in Fig. 2). The data indicating the horizontal position of the bottom end surface 82 is expressed, for example, by coordinates in an XY coordinate system with the horizontal reference position 52 on the board connector 49 as the origin (XY coordinates of the center point of the bottom end surface 82). The reference position 52 is, for example, the horizontal center point of the hood portion 50.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 6 described above, the positions K of the bottom end faces 82 of the multiple pins 51 in the up-down direction are not the same. Therefore, when the component imaging camera 16 images the board connector 49 from below, the bottom end faces 82 of all the pins 51 may not be within the depth of field of the component imaging camera 16 at the same time. 6, when the bottom end faces 82 of the pins 51A and 51B are within the depth of field of the component imaging camera 16, the bottom end faces 82 of the pins 51C to 51F are not within the depth of field. Similarly, when the bottom end faces 82 of the pins 51C and 51D are within the depth of field of the component imaging camera 16, the bottom end faces 82 of the pins 51A, 51B, 51E, and 51F are not within the depth of field, and when the bottom end faces 82 of the pins 51E and 51F are within the depth of field, the bottom end faces 82 of the pins 51A to 51D are not within the depth of field.

[0055] For this reason, the control unit 30 captures an image of the board connector 49 for each group of pins 51 whose bottom end faces 82 simultaneously fall within the depth of field of the component imaging camera 16. For this reason, the component shape data also includes information for grouping the pins 51 for each group whose bottom end faces 82 simultaneously fall within the depth of field of the component imaging camera 16. In the case of the board connector 49 shown in Fig. 6, the pins are divided into a group of pins 51A and 51B, a group of pins 51C and 51D, and a group of pins 51E and 51F.

[0056] (5) Imaging of board connectors using a component imaging camera The dashed-dotted line 60 in Fig. 9 indicates the focal position of the component imaging camera 16, and the range indicated by two dashed-dotted lines 61 is the depth of field of the component imaging camera 16. As shown in Fig. 9, when imaging the board connectors 49 for each group, the control unit 30 first images the group having the lowest vertical position K of the bottom end surfaces 82 of the pins 51. When the control unit 30 has finished imaging one group, it lowers the mounting head 20 so that the bottom end surfaces 82 of the pins 51 belonging to the next group simultaneously come within the depth of field of the component imaging camera 16.

[0057] When the number of pins 51 belonging to one group is one, or when the vertical positions K of the lower end faces 82 of multiple pins 51 belonging to one group are all the same, as in the case of board connector 49, it is preferable to lower mounting head 20 so that the lower end face 82 of pin 51 coincides with the focal position of component imaging camera 16.

[0058] (6) Component recognition and mounting process Here, the description will be given taking the board connector 49 as an example of component E. As described above, when mounting the board connector 49, the control unit 30 uses the component imaging camera 16 to image the board connector 49, which is sucked onto the mounting head 20, from below for each group of pins 51. The control unit 30 recognizes the horizontal position of the bottom end surface 82 of each pin 51 from the images captured for each group, and determines whether or not each pin 51 is bent from the recognized horizontal position of the bottom end surface 82 of each pin 51. If at least one pin 51 is bent, the control unit 30 discards that board connector 49. If none of the pins 51 are bent, the control unit 30 mounts the board connector 49 on the board P.

[0059] The flow of component recognition and mounting processing will be described with reference to FIG. In S101, the control unit 30 causes the component imaging camera 16 to image the board connector 49 held by suction on the mounting head 20 for each group of pins 51 (an example of imaging processing).

[0060] In S102, the control unit 30 binarizes the images (multi-valued images) captured for each group using a predetermined threshold value to generate binary images. For example, when binarizing to 0 (black) and 1 (white), if the above-mentioned predetermined threshold is set appropriately, pins 51 that are not in focus on their bottom end faces 82 will not remain in the binary image (in other words, their density will be 0). Therefore, only pins 51 that are in focus on their bottom end faces 82 will remain in each binary image. Since each pin 51 is in focus on its bottom end face 82 in one of the multi-valued images, it will remain in one of the binary images.

[0061] In S103, the control unit 30 recognizes the horizontal position of the bottom end surface 82 of the pin 51 on each binary image (more specifically, the XY coordinates of the center point of the bottom end surface 82 of the pin 51) (an example of a first recognition process). In S104, the control unit 30 determines whether the pins 51 are good or bad based on the recognized horizontal position of the lower end surface 82 of each pin 51 (an example of a determination process). Specifically, for example, the control unit 30 determines whether the relative positional relationships of all the recognized pins 51 match the relative positional relationships indicated by the component shape data. If the relative positional relationships of all the pins 51 match, the control unit 30 determines that the pins 51 are good (i.e., the pins 51 are not bent) and proceeds to S105, and if they do not match, the control unit 30 determines that one of the pins 51 is defective (i.e., the pins 51 are bent) and proceeds to S106.

[0062] The method for determining the quality of pins 51 is not limited to this. For example, a horizontal reference position 52 (for example, the horizontal center point of hood portion 50) on board connector 49 may be first recognized, and the quality of pins 51 may be determined from the horizontal relative position of bottom end surface 82 of each pin 51 with respect to recognized reference position 52.

[0063] In S105, the control unit 30 recognizes the horizontal reference position 52 on the board connector 49 based on the recognized horizontal position of the bottom end surface 82 of each pin 51 (an example of a second recognition process). Then, the control unit 30 detects the horizontal deviation of the board connector 49 relative to the mounting head 20 from the horizontal difference between the horizontal reference position 52 on the board connector 49 and the central axis of the mounting head 20, and corrects the mounting coordinates of the board connector 49 in accordance with the detected deviation before mounting it on the board P. As a result, each pin 51 is inserted into the pin insertion hole 80 of the board P. In S106, the control unit 30 discards the board connector 49 that is sucked onto the mounting head 20 into a discard box.

[0064] (7) Effects of the embodiment According to the surface mounter 1 of the first embodiment, when the control unit 30 images the board connectors 49 from below for each group using the component imaging camera 16, the control unit 30 raises and lowers the mounting head 20 based on the vertical position K of the bottom end surface 82 of the pins 51 indicated by the component shape data, thereby capturing images of the bottom end surface 82 of each pin 51 belonging to the group to be imaged while the bottom end surface 82 is simultaneously within the depth of field (the range in which the image appears to be in focus in the optical axis direction of the component imaging camera 16) of the component imaging camera 16. In this way, the bottom end surface 82 of each pin 51 appears to be in focus in one of the multiple images captured for each group, and therefore the horizontal position of the bottom end surface 82 of each pin 51 can be recognized with high accuracy by recognizing the horizontal position of the bottom end surface 82 of each pin 51 based on these multiple images.

[0065] Therefore, with the surface mounter 1, when a board connector 49 having multiple pins 51 inserted into pin insertion holes 80 formed in the board P and having different vertical positions K of the bottom end faces 82 is imaged from below with the component imaging camera 16 to recognize the horizontal position of the bottom end face 82 of each pin 51, the horizontal position of the bottom end face 82 of each pin 51 can be recognized with high accuracy. This eliminates the constraint that the vertical positions K of the lower end faces 82 of multiple pins 51 must be the same for manufacturers of board connectors 49 and users of surface mounters 1, improving design freedom. Also, since workers no longer need to manually mount board connectors 49, work efficiency is improved.

[0066] The surface mounter 1 recognizes the horizontal position of the bottom end surface 82 of each pin 51 based on the binary image. Since only pins 51 whose bottom end surfaces 82 are in focus remain in the binary image, the horizontal position of the bottom end surface 82 of each pin 51 can be recognized with high accuracy.

[0067] The surface mounter 1 can determine whether the pins 51 are good or bad (in other words, whether the pins 51 are bent or not) from the recognized horizontal position of the lower end surface 82 of each pin 51.

[0068] The surface mounter 1 can detect the horizontal reference position 52 on the board connector 49 based on the recognized horizontal position of each pin 51.

[0069] <Embodiment 2> The second embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. The component imaging camera 16 according to the first embodiment described above has a fixed focal position, and the control unit 30 raises and lowers the mounting head 20 to capture images of the board connector 49 multiple times. In contrast, as shown in Fig. 11, the component imaging camera 16 according to the second embodiment has a variable focal position. Specifically, for example, the component imaging camera 16 according to the second embodiment has a lens moving unit 70 that moves the lens 16B in the optical axis direction. The lens moving unit 70 includes a support member 70A that supports the outer periphery of the lens 16B, a cylindrical member 70B in which the support member 70A is housed, and a motor (not shown) that moves the support member 70A up and down.

[0070] The control unit 30 according to the second embodiment moves the lens 16B in the vertical direction based on the component shape data, thereby adjusting the focal position of the component imaging camera 16 so that the lower end surfaces 82 of the pins 51 belonging to the group to be imaged are simultaneously within the depth of field of the component imaging camera 16. In other respects, the second embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment.

[0071] In the surface mounter 1 according to the second embodiment, when the control unit 30 images the board connectors 49 from below for each group using the component imaging camera 16, the control unit 30 adjusts the focal position of the component imaging camera 16 based on the vertical position K of the bottom end surface 82 of the pin 51 indicated by the component shape data, thereby capturing images such that the bottom end surface 82 of each pin 51 belonging to the group being imaged is simultaneously within the depth of field of the component imaging camera 16. In this way, the bottom end surface 82 of each pin 51 appears to be in focus in one of the multiple images captured for each group, and therefore the horizontal position of the bottom end surface 82 of each pin 51 can be recognized with high accuracy by recognizing the horizontal position of the bottom end surface 82 of each pin 51 based on these multiple images. Therefore, according to the surface mounter 1 of embodiment 2, when a board connector 49 having a plurality of pins 51 inserted into pin insertion holes 80 formed in a board P and having different vertical positions K of the bottom end faces 82 is imaged from below by the component imaging camera 16 to recognize the horizontal position of the bottom end face 82 of each pin 51, the horizontal position of the bottom end face 82 of each pin 51 can be recognized with high accuracy.

[0072] According to the surface mounter 1 of the second embodiment, by adjusting the focal position of the component imaging camera 16 by moving the lens 16B, it is possible to capture images of the bottom end surfaces 82 of the pins 51 belonging to the group to be imaged while keeping them within the depth of field of the component imaging camera 16 at the same time.

[0073] <Embodiment 3> The third embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. The component imaging camera 16 according to the first embodiment described above has a fixed focal position, and the control unit 30 raises and lowers the mounting head 20 to capture images of the board connector 49 multiple times, thereby capturing images of the board connector 49 for each group of pins 51. In contrast, as shown in Fig. 12, the component imaging camera 16 according to the third embodiment has a variable focal position. Specifically, for example, the component imaging camera 16 according to the third embodiment has an elevation unit 71 that raises and lowers the component imaging camera 16. The elevation unit 71 has a ball screw 71A that extends in the vertical direction, a ball nut 71B that screws into the ball screw 71A, and a motor (not shown) that rotates the ball nut 71B.

[0074] The control unit 30 according to the third embodiment raises and lowers the component imaging camera 16 based on the component shape data, thereby adjusting the focal position of the component imaging camera 16 so that the bottom end surfaces 82 of the pins 51 belonging to the group to be imaged are simultaneously within the depth of field of the component imaging camera 16. In other respects, the third embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment.

[0075] According to the surface mounter 1 of the third embodiment, by adjusting the focal position of the component imaging camera 16 by raising and lowering the component imaging camera 16, it is possible to capture images of the bottom end surfaces 82 of the pins 51 belonging to the group to be imaged simultaneously within the depth of field of the component imaging camera 16.

[0076] <Other embodiments> The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the embodiments described above and in the drawings, and for example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope disclosed in this specification.

[0077] (1) In the above embodiment, an example was given in which the component shape data previously included information for grouping the pins 51 whose bottom end surfaces 82 simultaneously fall within the depth of field of the component imaging camera 16. However, the component shape data does not necessarily need to include information for grouping multiple pins 51. In that case, before the control unit 30 executes the processing of S101 described above, the control unit 30 may group the pins 51 whose bottom end surfaces 82 simultaneously fall within the depth of field of the component imaging camera 16 based on the vertical position K of the bottom end surface 82 of each pin 51 and the depth of field of the component imaging camera 16.

[0078] (2) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the image captured by the component imaging camera 16 was binarized, but the image does not necessarily have to be binarized. For example, the horizontal position of the lower end surface 82 of each pin 51 may be recognized for each captured image, and the horizontal positions of the lower end surface 82 of each pin 51 recognized for each image may be averaged to recognize the horizontal position of the lower end surface 82 of each pin 51. This allows the horizontal position of the lower end surface 82 of each pin 51 to be recognized with high accuracy.

[0079] Alternatively, a plurality of captured images may be combined to generate a composite image, and the horizontal position of the lower end surface 82 of each pin 51 may be recognized on the generated composite image. This allows the horizontal position of the lower end surface 82 of each pin 51 to be recognized with high accuracy.

[0080] (3) In the above embodiment, when imaging the board connectors 49 for each group, the group with the lowest vertical position K of the bottom end surface 82 of the pins 51 is imaged first, but the imaging order is not limited to this. For example, the group with the highest vertical position K of the bottom end surface 82 of the pins 51 may be imaged first.

[0081] (4) In the above embodiment, the component imaging camera 16 is equipped with the area sensor 16C, but the component imaging camera 16 may be equipped with a linear sensor in which a plurality of light receiving elements are arranged in a row, instead of the area sensor 16C. When the linear sensor is equipped, the control unit 30 captures an image of the entire component E by using the linear sensor to capture images of the component E in time series while the mounting head 20 is holding the component E by suction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1: Surface mount machine 14: Head unit (example of head part) 15: Head moving part 16: Parts imaging camera 16B: Lens 20: Mounting head 30: Control unit 34: Storage part 42: Z-axis servo motor (an example of a head lifting unit) 49: PCB connector (example of part) 51: Pin 52: Reference position (an example of the horizontal reference position on the part) 70: Lens moving part 71: Lifting section 80: Pin insertion hole E: Parts P: Substrate

Claims

1. A surface mounter that mounts components on a substrate, the component has a plurality of pins to be inserted into pin insertion holes formed in the board, the plurality of pins having bottom end surfaces at different positions in the up-down direction; The surface mounter is a head unit having a mounting head that holds and releases the component and a head lifting unit that lifts and lowers the mounting head; a head moving unit that moves the head unit in a horizontal direction; a component imaging camera that images the component held by the mounting head from below; a storage unit that stores component data indicating the vertical position of the lower end surface of each of the pins relative to a predetermined position on the component; A control unit; Equipped with The control unit an imaging process for imaging the components for each group of pins whose bottom end surfaces simultaneously fall within the depth of field of the component imaging camera, wherein the mounting head is raised and lowered based on the vertical positions of the bottom end surfaces of the pins indicated by the component data, thereby imaging the bottom end surfaces of the pins belonging to the group to be imaged while simultaneously falling within the depth of field of the component imaging camera; a first recognition process for recognizing a horizontal position of a lower end surface of each of the pins based on a plurality of images captured in the imaging process; To run the surface mount machine.

2. A surface mounter that mounts components on a substrate, the component has a plurality of pins to be inserted into pin insertion holes formed in the board, the plurality of pins having bottom end surfaces at different positions in the up-down direction; The surface mounter is a head unit having a mounting head that holds and releases the component and a head lifting unit that lifts and lowers the mounting head; a head moving unit that moves the head unit in a horizontal direction; a component imaging camera that images the component held by the mounting head from below, the component imaging camera having an adjustable focal position; a storage unit that stores component data indicating the vertical position of the lower end surface of each of the pins relative to a predetermined position on the component; A control unit; Equipped with The control unit an imaging process for imaging the components for each group of pins whose bottom end faces simultaneously fall within the depth of field of the component imaging camera, wherein the imaging process adjusts the focal position of the component imaging camera based on the vertical positions of the bottom end faces of the pins indicated by the component data, thereby imaging the bottom end faces of the pins belonging to the group to be imaged while simultaneously falling within the depth of field of the component imaging camera; a first recognition process for recognizing a horizontal position of a lower end surface of each of the pins based on a plurality of images captured in the imaging process; To run the surface mount machine.

3. 3. The surface mounter according to claim 2, the component imaging camera has a lens and a lens moving unit that moves the lens in an optical axis direction, the control unit adjusts the focal position of the component imaging camera by moving the lens based on the component data so that the bottom end surfaces of the pins belonging to the group to be imaged are simultaneously within the depth of field of the component imaging camera.

4. 3. The surface mounter according to claim 2, the component imaging camera has an elevator unit that raises and lowers the component imaging camera, the control unit adjusts the focal position of the component imaging camera by raising and lowering the component imaging camera based on the component data so that the bottom end surfaces of the pins belonging to the group to be imaged are simultaneously within the depth of field of the component imaging camera.

5. 5. The surface mounter according to claim 1, In the first recognition process, the control unit generates a binary image by binarizing the image captured in the imaging process, and recognizes the horizontal position of the lower end surface of each of the pins based on the generated binary image.

6. 5. The surface mounter according to claim 1, In the first recognition process, the control unit recognizes the horizontal position of the lower end surface of the pin for each of the images captured in the imaging process, and recognizes the horizontal position of the lower end surface of each of the pins by averaging the horizontal positions of the lower end surfaces of each of the pins recognized for each of the images.

7. 5. The surface mounter according to claim 1, In the first recognition process, the control unit recognizes the horizontal position of the lower end surface of each of the pins on a composite image obtained by combining the multiple images captured in the imaging process.

8. 5. The surface mounter according to claim 1, The control unit executes a determination process to determine whether the pins are good or bad based on the horizontal position of the lower end surface of each of the pins recognized in the first recognition process.

9. 5. The surface mounter according to claim 1, The control unit executes a second recognition process to recognize a horizontal reference position on the component based on the horizontal position of the lower end surface of each of the pins recognized in the first recognition process.

Images