Component mounting device and component mounting method

Abstract

To provide a component mounting system capable of suppressing the reduction of production efficiency by continuing the automatic operation of the mounting process of the component without stopping the operation even when an attachment error is generated during the attachment process of the component.SOLUTION: The component mounting system is a component mounting system having a mounting head that sucks and mounts a component to a mounting position of the board. The system includes: mounting error detection means for detecting the presence / absence of component mounting error by the mounting head; imaging means that picks up an image of a mounting position when a component mounting error is detected by the mounting error detection means; and component presence / absence determination means that determines whether or not the component exists at the mounting position based on the image picked up by the imaging means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a component mounting apparatus and a component mounting method. [Background technology]

[0002] Component mounting devices are known that mount chip-type electronic components (hereinafter abbreviated as "components") such as ICs (Integrated Circuits), resistors, and capacitors onto a board using a mounting head. Such component mounting devices use a suction nozzle (component holding nozzle) provided on the mounting head to pick up components from a component supply device (component supply mechanism) such as a tape feeder or tray feeder. This type of component mounting device then recognizes the component's suction state using a component recognition camera, and based on this recognition result, corrects any difference between the component's suction posture and the posture in which it should be mounted, and mounts the component in the specified position.

[0003] For example, if a malfunction occurs in the suction nozzle or vacuum device of the mounting head due to changes over time, or if the component supplied from the component supply device is itself defective, a drop error may occur in which the component picked up by the suction nozzle falls off during the process of picking up the component, image recognition, and mounting it on the board, or a take-home error may occur in which the component that should have been mounted on the board is taken home without being mounted.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a component mounting device that, when a drop error occurs, displays an error screen and asks the operator to choose between recovery or checking the mounting position. If the operator chooses to check the mounting position, it uses a teaching screen to display an image of the area around the mounting position, encouraging the operator to visually check the situation. After checking the situation, the component mounting device displays a confirmation input screen and asks the operator to choose between remounting or skipping the component and starting mounting of the next component. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-64366 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the configuration of Patent Document 1, when a drop error or a take-home error (i.e., a component placement error) occurs, the component placement device displays a teaching screen containing an image of the area around the placement position for the operator to check the situation and waits for the operator to input the results of their visual check of the situation. This causes the component placement device to stop placing components, resulting in a decrease in production efficiency. Furthermore, if the operator is required to visually check the situation, the check results will vary depending on the operator's experience and skill, making it difficult to properly respond to a placement error. It can be said that the configuration of Patent Document 1 has room for improvement.

[0007] The present disclosure has been devised in consideration of the above-described conventional circumstances, and provides a component mounting device and a component mounting method that can continuously suppress a decrease in production operating efficiency without stopping the automatic operation of the component mounting process even if a mounting error occurs during the component mounting process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present disclosure provides: With part holding nozzle In a component mounting device having a mounting head that picks up components and mounts them at mounting positions on a board, The air flow rate in the air flow path of the component holding nozzle is detected by a flow rate sensor attached to the air flow path. The system includes a mounting error detection means for detecting whether or not there is a mounting error of the component by the mounting head, an imaging means for imaging the mounting position when the mounting error detection means detects a mounting error of the component, and a component presence / absence determination means for determining whether or not the component is present at the mounting position based on the image captured by the imaging means, and when it is determined by the component presence / absence determination means that the component is not present at the mounting position, the mounting error detection means The flow rate of air in the air flow path of the component holding nozzle is detected by the flow rate sensor.The component mounting device determines whether the mounting head is holding the component, and if it is determined that the mounting head is not holding the component, detects a drop error indicating that the mounting head has dropped the component as the mounting error, and if it is determined that the mounting head is holding the component, detects a take-home error indicating that the mounting head has brought the component back from the mounting position as the mounting error, and if the take-home error is detected by the mounting error detection means, the mounting head re-mounts the component at the mounting position.

[0009] The present disclosure also provides: With part holding nozzle A component mounting method performed by a component mounting device having a mounting head that picks up a component and mounts it at a mounting position on a board, comprising: The air flow rate in the air flow path of the component holding nozzle is detected by a flow rate sensor attached to the air flow path. a step of detecting whether or not there is a component placement error by the placement head; a step of capturing an image of the placement position when a component placement error is detected; a step of determining whether or not the component is present at the placement position based on the captured image; and a step of determining whether or not the component is present at the placement position when it is determined that the component is not present at the placement position. The flow rate of air in the air flow path of the component holding nozzle is detected by the flow rate sensor. A component mounting method is provided, comprising the steps of: determining whether the mounting head is holding the component; detecting a drop error indicating that the mounting head has dropped the component as the mounting error if it is determined that the mounting head is not holding the component; and detecting a take-home error indicating that the mounting head has brought the component back from the mounting position as the mounting error if it is determined that the mounting head is holding the component; and re-mounting the component to the mounting position by the mounting head if the take-home error is detected. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present disclosure, even if a mounting error occurs during component mounting processing, the automatic operation of the component mounting processing can be continued without stopping, thereby suppressing a decrease in production operating efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a top view illustrating a mechanical configuration of a component mounting apparatus according to a first embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a mechanical configuration of the component mounting apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 3] A schematic diagram illustrating the basic operation and functions of the placement head shown in Figure 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a main body control unit of a component mounting apparatus according to a first embodiment; [Figure 5] 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation flow executed by the main body control unit shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation flow executed by a main body control unit of a component mounting apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] A schematic diagram illustrating a situation in which a placement error (drop error) occurs in the placement head. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings as appropriate, multiple embodiments that specifically disclose a component mounting apparatus and a component mounting method according to the present disclosure will be described in detail. However, more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of already well-known matters or redundant descriptions of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. Furthermore, each of the accompanying drawings will be referenced according to the orientation of the reference numerals. Note that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the subject matter recited in the claims.

[0013] For example, the term "unit" or "device" in the embodiments is not limited to a physical configuration mechanically realized by hardware, but also includes a configuration whose functions are realized by software such as a program. Furthermore, the functions of one configuration may be realized by two or more physical configurations, or the functions of two or more configurations may be realized by, for example, one physical configuration.

[0014] (Embodiment 1) A first embodiment according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0015] <Mechanical configuration of component mounting equipment> The mechanical configuration of the component mounting apparatus 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a top view illustrating the mechanical configuration of the component mounting apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 is a side view illustrating the mechanical configuration of the component mounting apparatus 1 shown in Figure 1. In Figures 1 and 2, the front side of the component mounting apparatus 1 (the lower side in the plane of Figure 1, the left side in Figure 2) is also referred to as the front side, and the back side of the component mounting apparatus 1 (the upper side in the plane of Figure 1, the right side in Figure 2) is also referred to as the rear side.

[0016] One or more component mounting devices 1 are arranged in a mounting board manufacturing line for attaching various components S (e.g., semiconductors) to a board W to manufacture the board, and mount the components S in a predetermined position and posture on the board W transported from upstream of the mounting board manufacturing line.

[0017] 1 and 2, the component mounting apparatus 1 is mainly composed of a main body mechanism unit 10 that mounts components S (e.g., electronic components such as ICs, transistors, and capacitors, or BGA (Ball Grid Array) components) on a substrate W by the operation of each mechanism, and a main body control unit 40 (see FIG. 4) that controls the operation of the main body mechanism unit 10. The main body mechanism unit 10 has a mounting machine main body 11 that is composed of a base 12 and the like, and a head unit 23 that is configured to be movable relative to the mounting machine main body 11. The main body control unit 40 is housed inside the base 12 of the component mounting apparatus 1, and controls various mechanisms such as the mounting machine main body 11 and the head unit 23 (see below).

[0018] A board transport mechanism 13 is disposed along the X direction (the transport direction of the board W) in the center of a base 12 of the mounting machine main body 11. The board transport mechanism 13 has a pair of conveyor units 14 extending along the X direction, and transports the board W placed on the pair of conveyor units 14, and positions and holds the board W at a predetermined mounting position.

[0019] A pair of component supply mechanisms 15 are disposed facing each other on both the front and rear sides of the board transport mechanism 13 (on the top and bottom sides in the plane of FIG. 1, and on the left and right sides in the plane of FIG. 2). The pair of component supply mechanisms 15 are disposed facing each other with the board transport mechanism 13 in between. Each of the pair of component supply mechanisms 15 has a feeder base 16 in which a slot 17 is provided. A plurality of tape feeders 18 are mounted in parallel in the slots 17 as part feeders. The tape feeders 18 hold carrier tapes 22 (an example of a component holder).

[0020] Although the component mounting apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment shows an example in which a pair of component supply mechanisms 15 are arranged on both the front and rear sides of a pair of substrate transport mechanisms 13 that transport the substrates W, they may be arranged on only one side. Furthermore, the component mounting apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment shows an example in which it has a single lane configuration capable of transporting one substrate W, but it may also have a dual lane configuration in which two substrates W can be transported simultaneously.

[0021] The component mounting apparatus 1 further includes a feeder cart 19. The feeder cart 19 includes a carriage unit 20 having a plurality of wheels 20A disposed on its underside, and a plurality of reel stock units (not shown) disposed above the carriage unit 20. A reel 21 is stored in each of the plurality of reel stock units. A carrier tape 22 containing components S is pulled out from each of the reels 21, and the components S are supplied from the tape feeder 18 of the component supply mechanism 15 to the component mounting apparatus 1. As a result, the tape feeder 18 of the component supply mechanism 15 transports (pitches feeds) the carrier tape 22 in the tape feed direction at a predetermined pitch, thereby supplying the carrier tape 22 to a component removal position (see below) for the component mounting apparatus 1.

[0022] The component removal position is the location where component S is removed (in other words, picked up) by the mounting head 26 of the head unit 23, which will be described later. As will be described later, the mounting head 26 vacuum-sucks the component S and mounts it at the mounting position and in the mounting posture on the substrate W where the component S should be mounted (hereinafter, the mounting position and mounting posture will be collectively referred to as the "mounting position").

[0023] The head unit 23 is disposed above the base 12 and is configured to be movable between the component supply mechanism 15 and the mounting position and removal position (see above) where the board W is disposed. Specifically, the head unit 23 is provided to be movable along the X and Y directions by an X-axis table mechanism 25 and a Y-axis table mechanism 24 that are disposed orthogonal to each other on a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the board W.

[0024] A Y-axis table mechanism 24 is disposed along the Y direction on the upper surface of the base 12. A pair of front and rear X-axis table mechanisms 25 are also disposed along the X direction and are attached to the Y-axis table mechanism 24 so as to be slidable along the Y direction. A head unit 23 (more specifically, a mounting head 26) is attached to each of the pair of front and rear X-axis table mechanisms 25 so as to be slidable along the X direction.

[0025] Furthermore, a mounting head 26 is mounted on the head unit 23, and the mounting head 26 is configured to be movable independently in the X and Y directions by an X-axis table mechanism 25 and a Y-axis table mechanism 24. This allows the mounting head 26 to be positioned arbitrarily on a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate W, i.e., on a horizontal plane (XY plane). In this embodiment, both the X-axis table mechanism 25 and the Y-axis table mechanism 24 are configured using linear guide drive mechanisms.

[0026] A component recognition camera 29 is disposed between the pair of front and rear component supply mechanisms 15 and the board transport mechanism 13. A component holding nozzle 27 (described later) attached to the mounting head 26 is controlled by the main body control unit 40 to take out a component S from the component supply mechanism 15 and hold it by suction while passing above the component recognition camera 29. At this time, the component recognition camera 29 captures an image of the component S passing by while being held by the component holding nozzle 27. Based on this image, the image processing unit 46 of the main body control unit 40 recognizes the type of component S.

[0027] Furthermore, a nozzle holder 32 and a disposal box 31 are disposed between the pair of front and rear component supply mechanisms 15 and the board transport mechanism 13. The nozzle holder 32 stores multiple types of component holding nozzles 27 of the mounting head 26 corresponding to the components S to be held. By having the mounting head 26 access the nozzle holder 32 and performing a predetermined nozzle replacement operation, the component holding nozzle 27 appropriate for the object to be held (i.e., the type of component S) is attached to the mounting head 26. The disposal box 31 is formed in a box shape and has an internal space, into which components S and the like are discarded based on the determination of the main body control unit 40.

[0028] <Basic operation and functions of the placement head> The basic operation and function of the mounting head 26 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the basic operation and function of the mounting head 26 shown in Fig. 2.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 3, the mounting head 26 is a multiple-head (not shown) having a plurality of mounting heads 26, and a plurality of component holding nozzles 27 are arranged side by side at the bottom end of each mounting head 26.

[0030] Each of the component holding nozzles 27 has an internal air passage (not shown) extending toward its tip, and an air pressure pump, for example, is connected to the base end of this air passage. This allows each of the component holding nozzles 27 to vacuum-suck and hold a component S from the tape feeder 18 of the component supply mechanism 15 at its tip using air pressure.

[0031] The placement head 26 also includes a Z-axis lifting mechanism (not shown) that individually lifts and lowers each of the component holding nozzles 27, and a θ-axis rotation mechanism (not shown) that individually rotates each of the component holding nozzles 27 about the nozzle axis. This allows the component holding nozzles 27 to individually manipulate (specifically, lift and lower) the components S. Furthermore, the placement head 26 can be positioned arbitrarily in a horizontal plane (XY plane) by driving the Y-axis table mechanism 24 and the X-axis table mechanism 25. This three-dimensional movement allows the placement head 26 to vacuum-suck a component S with the component holding nozzles 27 from the pick-up position of the tape feeder 18 of the component supply mechanism 15, pick it up, and place it at an arbitrary placement position P on the board W.

[0032] In addition, in this embodiment, a flow rate sensor 28 (an example of a mounting error detection means) is attached to the air flow path of component holding nozzle 27, and flow rate sensor 28 can detect whether air is flowing through the air flow path and also the flow rate.

[0033] In other words, when the component holding nozzles 27 are holding the component S by vacuum suction at their tips, no air flows. On the other hand, when the component holding nozzles 27 are not holding the component S, for example, by dropping the component S, air flows. For this reason, the flow rate sensor 28 can detect whether there is a placement error of the component S by the placement head 26 by detecting the presence or absence of a flow rate. Based on the detection results of the flow rate sensor 28, the placement error determination unit 45 (an example of a placement error detection means, described below) of the main body control unit 40 can conclusively determine whether there is a placement error, such as whether each component holding nozzle 27 is operating normally by vacuum suctioning and holding the component S, or whether it is operating abnormally, such as dropping, when it picks up the component S and places it at the placement position P on the board W.

[0034] The concept of placement errors mentioned above also includes drop errors (hereinafter simply referred to as "drop errors"), which indicate that the placement head 26 drops a component S at or around the placement position P before each of the component holding nozzles 27 performs a placement operation on the board W. Furthermore, the concept of placement errors also includes take-home errors (hereinafter simply referred to as "take-home errors"), which indicate that the placement head 26 returns the component S from the placement position P even though it has performed a placement operation on the board W. In other words, the concept of placement errors in this embodiment includes at least two errors (mistakes): drop errors and take-home errors.

[0035] A board recognition camera 30 (an example of an imaging means) is fixed to the mounting head 26 and is disposed on the underside of the X-axis table mechanism 25, moving integrally with the mounting head 26. That is, the board recognition camera 30 is fixed integrally with the mounting head 26, and as the mounting head 26 moves, the board recognition camera 30 passes above the board W positioned by the board transport mechanism 13 and is able to image the board W. The image capture results are recognized and processed by the main body control unit 40, and the position and orientation of the board W are detected.

[0036] As a result of detecting the position of the board W, the mounting head 26 places (in other words, attaches) a component S at each of its mounting positions P using each of its component holding nozzles 27 in accordance with instructions from the main body control unit 40. This mounting of a component S at a time is continued until all of the components S picked up and held by each of the component holding nozzles 27 of the mounting head 26 are placed on the board W. In this way, the component S is moved while being picked up and held by the component holding nozzles 27 of the mounting head 26 between the removal position and the mounting operation position, and is finally attached onto the board W.

[0037] The component mounting apparatus 1 repeatedly performs a series of operations, including the removal of multiple components S by the component holding nozzle 27 of the mounting head 26, mounting the components, and returning the components to the removal position, until all mounting is completed at each mounting position P on the board W. By repeating this operation, a large number of components S are sequentially mounted on each of the sequentially transported boards W, and after mounting, the boards W on which all of the components S have been mounted are transported to a downstream process. In this way, the mounting machine main body 11 and the head unit 23 operate in coordination, and this coordinated operation is executed in accordance with instructions from the main body control unit 40.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the board recognition camera 30 of the mounting head 26 is provided so as to be able to capture an image of the intended mounting position P when, for example, a mounting error of a component S is detected by the flow rate sensor 28 of the mounting head 26 and the mounting error determination unit 45 of the main body control unit 40. Based on the image captured by this board recognition camera 30, the component presence / absence determination unit 47 of the main body control unit 40 (an example of a component presence / absence determination means, described below) determines whether or not a component S is present at the mounting position P.

[0039] <Software configuration of the main body control unit of the component mounting device> The operation of the software configuration (functional configuration) of the main body control unit 40 of the component mounting apparatus 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the main body control unit 40 of the component mounting apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0040] The main body control unit 40 of the component mounting apparatus 1 is configured, for example, by a general-purpose computer, and a program as software stored in a storage device such as the computer's ROM (Read Only Memory) or RAM (Random Access Memory) is executed by an arithmetic device such as its CPU (Central Processing Unit) or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0041] 4 represents a function realized by software such as a program stored in storage unit 41. In other words, main body control unit 40 realizes the function of each unit by referencing the program and data (information) stored in storage unit 41 and executing the program. However, the function expressed by each block is not limited to software, and each may be configured by hardware as a physical configuration of a "device."

[0042] As shown in FIG. 4, the main body control unit 40 includes a storage unit 41, a mechanism driving unit 44, and an imaging processing unit 46.

[0043] The storage unit 41 includes, for example, a RAM as a work memory used when executing each process of the main body control unit 40, and a ROM for storing programs and data that define the operation of the main body control unit 40. The RAM temporarily stores data or information generated or acquired by the main body control unit 40. The ROM is written with programs that define the operation of the main body control unit 40.

[0044] The storage unit 41 also stores, for example, in a ROM, at least mounting information 42 and component information 43. The mounting information 42 stores information such as the type of component S to be mounted on each board W, as well as the mounting position P and mounting posture of the component S on the board W. The component information 43 stores information such as the external shape of each type of component S, and the presence or absence of electrodes and the number of electrodes.

[0045] The mechanism drive unit 44 controls the main body mechanism unit 10, and for example controls the driving of the board transport mechanism 13, the head unit 23, and the component supply mechanism 15 so that they operate in coordination with one another. The mechanism drive unit 44 also includes a placement error determination unit 45. The placement error determination unit 45 detects whether or not a placement error has occurred in the placement head 26 of the components S based on the detection result of the flow rate sensor 28 provided inside the placement head 26.

[0046] The image capturing processing unit 46 controls the board recognition camera 30 and the component recognition camera 29, and performs image processing and recognition processing on the images captured by the board recognition camera 30 and the component recognition camera 29. For example, with regard to the board recognition camera 30, when the mounting head 26 passes above the board W positioned by the board transport mechanism 13, the image capturing processing unit 46 causes the board recognition camera 30 to capture an image of the board W, thereby recognizing the position and posture of the board W. With regard to the component recognition camera 29, when a component S sucked and held by the component holding nozzle 27 passes above the component recognition camera 29, the image capturing processing unit 46 causes the component recognition camera 29 to capture an image of the component S, thereby recognizing the type of the component S.

[0047] In this embodiment, the image capturing processing unit 46 is configured to include a component presence / absence determining unit 47. When a mounting error is detected, the image capturing processing unit 46 causes the board recognition camera 30 to capture an image of the board W. Then, based on the image captured by the board recognition camera 30, the component presence / absence determining unit 47 of the image capturing processing unit 46 determines whether or not a component S is present at the mounting position P.

[0048] <Operation flow of the main unit control unit> The operation flow of the main body control unit 40 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation flow executed by the main body control unit 40 shown in Fig. 4.

[0049] 5, the mechanism driving unit 44 instructs the head unit 23 of the main body mechanism unit 10 to vacuum-suck and remove the component S from the removal position using the mounting head 26. The component holding nozzle 27 of the mounting head 26 vacuum-sucks and removes the component S from the removal position. Then, with the component S being held by the component holding nozzle 27 of the mounting head 26, the mechanism driving unit 44 moves the component S above the component recognition camera 29 (S101).

[0050] The image capturing processor 46 causes the component recognition camera 29 to capture an image of the component S held by the component holding nozzle 27 as it passes above the component recognition camera 29, thereby recognizing the type of component S (S102). The mechanism driver 44 then causes the placement head 26 (head unit 23) to place the component S using each of the component holding nozzles 27 at the placement position P corresponding to the component S (S103). At this time, the flow sensor 28 attached to the component holding nozzle 27 detects the air flow rate in the air flow path (S104). Based on the result of this flow rate detection, the placement error determiner 45 determines whether or not there is a placement error (a take-home error in this embodiment) for the component S (S105).

[0051] Here, for example, when flow rate sensor 28 indicates that the flow rate in the air flow path of component holding nozzle 27 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, it can be determined that component S has not been vacuum-sucked to the tip of component holding nozzle 27 and has been properly placed (attached) on board W. Therefore, as a result of determining whether a placement error has occurred, if flow rate sensor 28 indicates that the flow rate is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, placement error determination unit 45 determines that no placement error has occurred (NO in S105). Then, main body control unit 40 sets (records) the placement position P in memory unit 41, for example, as having been placed (S106).

[0052] Then, the main body control unit 40 determines whether there are any components S that have not yet been placed, by referring to the recorded information on whether the components S have been placed or not at each of the placement positions P, which is recorded in the memory unit 41, for example. If it is determined that there are any components S that have not yet been placed (YES in S107), the operation flow returns to step S101. If it is determined that all components S have been placed (S107), the operation flow ends (END). In other words, the component mounting apparatus 1 repeatedly performs a series of operations, such as using the component holding nozzle 27 of the placement head 26 to pick up multiple components S, place them, and then move them back to the pick-up position, until all placement at each of the placement positions P on the board W is completed.

[0053] On the other hand, for example, when the flow rate of the component holding nozzle 27 is less than a predetermined threshold, it can be determined that the component S remains vacuum-sucked to the component holding nozzle 27, and the placement error determination unit 45 identifies a take-home error as a placement error for the component S. In this case (YES in S105), it is determined that there has been a placement error for the component S by the placement head 26, and the image capture processing unit 46 causes the board recognition camera 30 to capture an image of the placement position P on the board W (S108).

[0054] At this time, since the board recognition camera 30 is fixed integrally with the mounting head 26, the mechanism drive unit 44 controls and drives the mounting head 26 (head unit 23) to move it, and positions the board recognition camera 30 at a position where it can capture an image of the mounting position P on the board W. Once positioned, the image capture processing unit 46 instructs the board recognition camera 30 to capture an image of the mounting position P.

[0055] The image capturing processor 46 performs image analysis on the image captured by the board recognition camera 30 (S109). Based on the results of the image analysis, the component presence / absence determiner 47 determines whether or not a component S is present at the relevant mounting position P, in other words, whether or not mounting at the relevant mounting position P has been completed (S110). If the result of this determination is that a component S is present at the relevant mounting position P (YES in S110), the operation flow proceeds to step S106, and the main body controller 40 sets the relevant mounting position P as having been mounted.

[0056] If it is determined that there is no component S at the mounting position P (NO in S110), the mechanism drive unit 44 controls the drive of the mounting head 26 to discard the component S vacuum-sucked to the tip of the component holding nozzle 27 into the discard box 31 (S111). After the discard process for this component S is executed, the main body control unit 40 sets the mounting position P as one in which mounting has not been performed (S112). Then, the operation flow proceeds to step S107.

[0057] <Advantages of the component mounting device according to the first embodiment> As described above, according to the component mounting device 1 of this embodiment, the component mounting device 1 has a mounting head 26 that sucks up a component S and mounts it at a mounting position P on a board W, and is equipped with a flow sensor 28 and a mounting error determination unit 45 (an example of a mounting error detection means) that detect whether or not there is a mounting error of the component S by the mounting head 26, a board recognition camera 30 (an example of an imaging means) that captures an image of the mounting position P when a mounting error of the component S is detected by the flow sensor 28 and the mounting error determination unit 45, and a component presence / absence determination unit 47 (an example of a component presence / absence determination means) that determines whether or not a component S is present at the mounting position P based on the image captured by the board recognition camera 30.

[0058] Furthermore, according to the component mounting method of this embodiment, the component mounting method is executed by a component mounting device 1 having a mounting head 26 that picks up a component S and mounts it at a mounting position P on a board W, and includes the steps of: detecting whether or not there is a mounting error of the component S by the mounting head 26; capturing an image of the mounting position P when a mounting error of the component S is detected; and determining whether or not the component S is present at the mounting position P based on the captured image.

[0059] For this reason, the presence or absence of a placement error of components S by the placement head 26 is detected, and based on the detection results, an image of the placement position P on the board W is taken. Based on the captured image, it is determined whether or not components S have actually been placed on the board W at the placement position P. This determination makes it possible to automate the response that was previously performed by an operator when a placement error occurs, and while the operator had to stop the automatic operation of the placement process to take the response, it is now possible to continue mounting components S without stopping the automatic operation. In other words, even if a placement error occurs during the placement process of components S, the automatic operation of the placement process of components S can continue without stopping, thereby suppressing a decrease in production operating efficiency.

[0060] Furthermore, according to the component mounting apparatus 1 of this embodiment, when the component presence determining unit 47 (an example of a component presence determining means) determines that no component S is present at the mounting position P, the mounting head 26 performs a process of discarding the component S. Therefore, since it is determined that no component S is mounted at the mounting position P, by performing a process of discarding the component S, it becomes possible to quickly pick up and mount the next component S, and the process of mounting the component S on the board W can be continued quickly. As a result, a decrease in the production operating rate can be more reliably suppressed.

[0061] Furthermore, according to the component mounting apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the board recognition camera 30 (an example of an imaging means) is fixed integrally with the mounting head 26. That is, it is assumed that the mounting head 26 is often located on or near the board W when a mounting error is detected. Therefore, by providing the board recognition camera 30 integrally with the mounting head 26, the board recognition camera 30 can capture an image of the mounting position P by moving as short a distance as possible. As a result, it is possible to improve the time efficiency of determining a mounting error.

[0062] Furthermore, according to the component mounting apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the placement error determination unit 45 (an example of a placement error detection means) detects, as a placement error, a take-home error indicating that the placement head 26 has brought back the component S from the placement position P. That is, by determining whether or not there is a placement error after the placement head 26 has sucked and held the component S and performed a placement operation at the placement position P on the board W, it is possible to identify that the specific content of the placement error is a take-home error and take appropriate action.

[0063] (Embodiment 2) A second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. Note that, since the description of the same or equivalent parts as those in the first embodiment described above will be repeated, the same reference numerals will be used in the drawings and the description thereof may be omitted or simplified.

[0064] <Operation flow of the main unit control unit> The operation flow of the main body control unit 40 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation flow executed by the main body control unit 40 of the component mounting apparatus 1 according to embodiment 2. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which a mounting error (drop error) has occurred in the mounting head 26.

[0065] 6, the operation flow executes steps S201 to S204 (corresponding to steps S101 to S104 shown in FIG. 5), and then the placement error determination unit 45 determines whether or not there is a placement error for the component S based on the detection result of the flow rate sensor 28 of the component holding nozzle 27. If the result of this determination is that there is no placement error (NO in S205), the main body control unit 40 sets the placement position P in question as having been placed (S206).

[0066] The main body control unit 40 determines whether or not there are any components S that have not been placed by referring to the information on whether the components S have been placed or not at each of the placement positions P (S207). If it is determined that there are any components S that have not been placed (YES in S207), the operation flow returns to step S201. If it is determined that all the components S have been placed (S107), the operation flow ends (END).

[0067] On the other hand, if it is determined that a component S has been mounted in error (YES in S205), the image capturing processor 46 causes the board recognition camera 30 to capture an image of the mounting position P on the board W (S208) and performs image analysis of the captured image (S209). Based on the image analysis results, the component presence / absence determiner 47 determines whether or not a component S is present at the mounting position P (S210). If it is determined that a component S is present at the mounting position P (YES in S210), the operation flow proceeds to step S206, and the main body controller 40 sets the mounting position P as having been mounted (S206).

[0068] If it is determined that a component S is not present at the placement position P (NO in S210), the flow sensor 28 of the component holding nozzle 27 again detects the air flow rate in the air flow path (S211). Based on the result of this flow rate detection, the placement error determination unit 45 determines whether the component S is being sucked and held at the tip of the component holding nozzle 27 (S212). If the result of this sucking and holding determination determines that the component S is being sucked and held at the tip of the component holding nozzle 27 (YES in S212), the operation flow returns to step S202, and the steps from step S202 onwards are executed again. In other words, if it is determined that a component S is not present at the placement position P and that the component S is being sucked and held at the tip of the component holding nozzle 27, the placement head 26 re-places the component S at the placement position P.

[0069] As mentioned above, placement errors include not only take-home errors but also drop errors. As shown in Figure 7, when placement head 26 attempts to place component S at placement position P, it is possible that the vacuum suction of component S is insufficient due to, for example, an incorrect timing of driving the air pressure pump, causing component S to fall from component holding nozzle 27 of placement head 26 onto board W.

[0070] 6, when it is determined that the component S is not being sucked and held at the tip of the component holding nozzle 27 (NO in S212), the placement error determination unit 45 detects a drop error as a placement error. That is, by performing this series of determinations, the placement error determination unit 45 can identify the placement error as a drop error. Based on this identification, the main body control unit 40 sets (records) the placement position P as not having been placed (S213). The operation flow then proceeds to step S207.

[0071] <Advantages of the component mounting device according to this embodiment> As described above, according to the component mounting apparatus 1 of this embodiment, when the component presence determination unit 47 (an example of a component presence determination means) determines that the component S is not present at the mounting position P, the mounting head 26 re-mounts the component S at the mounting position P. Therefore, even if a mounting error is detected during the mounting process of the component S, the component S is not wasted and can be reused to mount the component S on the board W, thereby suppressing an increase in production costs.

[0072] Furthermore, according to the component mounting apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the flow rate sensor 28 and the placement error determination unit 45 (an example of a placement error detection means) detect a drop error, which indicates that the placement head 26 has dropped the component S at the placement position P or its surroundings, as a placement error. That is, if it is determined that the component S is not present at the placement position P and that the component S is not being sucked and held at the tip of the component holding nozzle 27, the placement error determination unit 45 detects a drop error, which indicates that the placement head 26 has dropped the component S at the placement position P or its surroundings, as a placement error. This allows the main body control unit 40 to identify the specific content of the placement error as a drop error and take appropriate action.

[0073] The other configurations and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0074] Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications, alterations, substitutions, additions, deletions, and equivalents within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the components of the above-described embodiments may be combined in any manner as long as they do not deviate from the spirit of the invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0075] The component mounting device is useful as it can continue automatic operation of the component mounting process without stopping it, even if a mounting error occurs during the component mounting process, thereby suppressing a decrease in production operating efficiency. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 1: Component mounting equipment 10: Main body mechanism section 11: Mounting machine body 12: Foundation 13: Substrate transport mechanism 14: Conveyor section 15: Parts supply mechanism 16: Feeder base 17: Slot 18: Tape feeder 19: Feeder cart 20: Cart section 20A: Wheel 21: Reel 22: Carrier tape 23: Head unit 24: Y-axis table mechanism 25: X-axis table mechanism 26: Mounting head 27: Part holding nozzle 28: Flow sensor 29: Parts recognition camera 30: Circuit board recognition camera 31: Disposal box 32: Nozzle holder 40: Main unit control section 41: Storage section 42: Implementation information 43: Parts information 44: Mechanism drive unit 45: Mounting error detection unit 46: Image processing unit 47: Part presence / absence determination section P: Attachment position S: Parts W: Substrate

Claims

1. A component mounting device having a mounting head that picks up components with a component holding nozzle and mounts them at a mounting position on a board, a placement error detection means for detecting whether or not there is a placement error of a component by the placement head by detecting an air flow rate in the air flow path of the component holding nozzle using a flow rate sensor attached to the air flow path; an imaging means for imaging the mounting position when the mounting error detection means detects a mounting error of the component; a component presence / absence determination means for determining whether the component is present at the mounting position based on the image captured by the imaging means, When the component presence determining means determines that the component is not present at the mounting position, the mounting error detecting means determines whether the mounting head is holding the component by detecting the air flow rate in the air flow path of the component holding nozzle with the flow sensor, and when it is determined that the mounting head is not holding the component, detects a drop error indicating that the mounting head has dropped the component as the mounting error, and when it is determined that the mounting head is holding the component, detects a take-home error indicating that the mounting head has taken the component back from the mounting position as the mounting error. When the placement error detection means detects the take-home error, the placement head re-places the component at the placement position. Component mounting equipment.

2. the imaging means is fixed integrally with the mounting head; The component mounting device according to claim 1 .

3. A component mounting method performed by a component mounting device having a mounting head that picks up a component with a component holding nozzle and mounts it at a mounting position on a board, comprising: detecting an air flow rate in an air flow path of the component holding nozzle using a flow rate sensor attached to the air flow path, thereby detecting whether or not there is a component placement error by the placement head; taking an image of the mounting position when a mounting error of the component is detected; determining whether the component is present at the mounting position based on the captured image; when it is determined that the component is not present at the mounting position, detecting the air flow rate in the air flow path of the component holding nozzle with the flow sensor to determine whether the mounting head is holding the component, and when it is determined that the mounting head is not holding the component, detecting a drop error indicating that the mounting head has dropped the component as the mounting error, and when it is determined that the mounting head is holding the component, detecting a take-home error indicating that the mounting head has taken the component back from the mounting position as the mounting error; and if the take-home error is detected, re-mounting the component at the mounting position by the mounting head. Component mounting method.

Images