Tag reading system and mounting system

Abstract

A tag reading system (300) comprises: a first production equipment unit which has a radio wave blocking part (230) that has radio wave blocking properties and a first radio wave transparent part (230a) that has radio wave transparency, inside which an RF tag (T3) is attached, and in which a second production equipment unit that has an RF tag (T2) attached thereto is provided to the exterior of the first radio wave transparent part (230a); and an antenna (a3) which detects the RF tag (T3) and the RF tag (T2). The RF tag (T3) has a main surface on which an antenna pattern (m1) is formed. One end of the main surface is disposed on the RF tag (T2) side, and the other end of the main surface is disposed more toward the antenna (a3) side than is the one end. The antenna (a3) detects the RF tag (T2) through the inside of the first production equipment unit and through the first radio wave transparent part (230a).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a tag reading system, a mounting system, and a tag placement method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a mounting system that mounts electronic component chips supplied from a bulk feeder equipped with a bulk cassette (case) that stores electronic component chips, and that identifies the type of electronic component chip stored in the bulk cassette by reading a barcode attached to the bulk cassette. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-335888 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the mounting system of Patent Document 1, the barcode reader must be moved to a position where it can read the barcode on the bulk cassette, which is time-consuming and may reduce productivity. For this reason, for example, it has been considered to attach an RF tag capable of short-range wireless communication with an RF tag reader / writer to the bulk cassette. However, tag reading systems using RF tags can have difficulty reading the RF tags.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a tag reading system, a mounting system, and a tag placement method that can read RF tags more reliably. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A tag reading system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a first production equipment unit having a radio wave shielding portion with radio wave shielding properties and a first radio wave transparent portion with radio wave transparent properties, and having a first RF tag attached thereto; a second production equipment unit having a second RF tag attached thereto and arranged outside the first radio wave transparent portion; and an antenna for detecting the first RF tag and the second RF tag, wherein the first RF tag has a first main surface on which an antenna pattern is formed, one end of the first main surface being positioned on the second RF tag side and the other end of the first main surface being positioned on the antenna side relative to the one end, and the antenna is configured to detect the second RF tag through the interior of the first production equipment unit and the first radio wave transparent portion.

[0007] A mounting system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a holding unit that holds an object, the above-described tag reading system, a determination unit that determines whether a component is genuine or not based on information from the first RF tag and the second RF tag read by the tag reading system, and a mounting head that mounts the component held by the feeder onto the object based on the determination result of the determination unit.

[0008] A tag placement method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a method for placing the first RF tag attached to the first production equipment unit described above, in which the first RF tag is attached inside the first production equipment unit so that one end of the first main surface of the first RF tag is on the second RF tag side and the other end of the first main surface is on the antenna side of the one end.

[0009] Note that the general or specific aspects of the present disclosure may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the tag reading system and the like according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to read RF tags more reliably. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a mounting system according to an embodiment. [Figure 1B] FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a mounting system according to an embodiment. [Figure 1C] FIG. 1C is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a transfer robot according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the component mounting apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating a supply unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the case, the attachment, and the feeder main body according to the embodiment are removed. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view for explaining the arrangement of an antenna and an RF tag according to a comparative example. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a supply unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an antenna according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of an RF tag according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a relay substrate according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a first example of the configuration of the supply unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a second example of the configuration of the supply unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a method for measuring the received signal strength for each position of an RF tag according to the embodiment. [Figure 13]FIG. 13 is a diagram showing measurement results of received signal strength for each arrangement of RF tags according to the embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a first example of the arrangement of RF tags according to the embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a second example of the arrangement of RF tags according to the embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a third example of the arrangement of RF tags according to the embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a method for arranging RF tags according to an embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the operation of replacing the case of the mounting system according to the embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing how a case is attached to an attachment according to an embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the operation of replacing the case and the feeder of the mounting system according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] (Background to this disclosure) Before describing the embodiments of the present disclosure, the background to the present disclosure will be described.

[0013] Patent Document 1 discloses a feeder (bulk feeder) into which a case (bulk cassette) with a barcode attached is inserted. The case contains bulk electronic component chips (components). A central control device reads the barcode on the case inserted into the feeder with a barcode reader, and if the information on the electronic component chip indicated by the barcode matches the information on the specified electronic component chip, it turns on a shutter solenoid that locks the shutter in a closed state, thereby unlocking the shutter opening / closing plate that opens and closes the shutter. As a result, a shutter opening / closing lever connected to the shutter opening / closing plate is pulled (driven) by a spring, causing the shutter opening / closing plate to slide and open the shutter. As a result, the electronic component chips in the case are supplied to the chip feeding unit.

[0014] As described above, in Patent Document 1, reading barcodes with a barcode reader is time-consuming and may affect productivity. For example, if there are many cases, it is necessary to read the barcode on each case. In other words, it is necessary to move the barcode reader to the position of each case. When reading barcodes on many cases in this way, it is particularly time-consuming and there is a concern that productivity may decrease.

[0015] For this reason, for example, consideration is being given to attaching RF tags that can communicate with RF tag reader / writers over short distances to bulk cassettes. With RF tags, the information on the RF tags can be read via short distance wireless communication, which saves time and effort and prevents a decline in productivity.

[0016] However, it may be difficult to read an RF tag if there is a radio wave shielding part (for example, an object made of metal) near the RF tag that blocks radio waves, or if the width of the air layer through which the radio waves propagate is smaller than half the wavelength of the radio waves.

[0017] Therefore, the inventors of the present application have conducted extensive research into tag reading systems and the like that can read RF tags more reliably, and have devised the reading system and the like that will be described below.

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection configurations, steps, and step order shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components not described in independent claims will be described as optional components.

[0019] Furthermore, each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily an exact illustration. Furthermore, in each figure, substantially the same configuration is given the same reference numeral, and duplicate explanations may be omitted or simplified. Furthermore, even when the same object is shown in each figure, the scale may be changed for convenience.

[0020] In this specification and the drawings, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis represent the three axes of a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system. In the embodiment, the Z-axis is an axis parallel to the direction in which the feeder and the case are stacked. The X-axis and Y-axis are axes that are mutually approximately perpendicular to the Z-axis. The feeder is elongated, and the X-axis is an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the feeder. In this specification, "plan view" means a view from the Z-axis direction.

[0021] Furthermore, in this specification, terms indicating the relationship between elements, such as coincidence, equality, and parallelism, terms indicating the shape of elements, such as plate-like and rectangular, as well as numerical values ​​and numerical ranges, are not expressions that only express the strict meaning, but are expressions that also include a substantially equivalent range, for example, a difference of about a few percent.

[0022] (Embodiment) [1. Overview of the implemented system] The configuration of a mounting system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1A to Fig. 2. Fig. 1A is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the mounting system 1 according to this embodiment. First, an overview of the mounting system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1A.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1A, the mounting system 1 according to this embodiment includes an integrated control device 50, a first control device 50a, a second control device 50b, a transport robot 60, a supply unit 80, a component storage W, and a mounting line 90 consisting of a plurality of component mounting devices 100. The mounting system 1 also includes three areas: a storage area A1, a preparation area A2, and a mounting area A3. As will be described in detail later, the case 10 has a component storage section for storing bulk components and is an example of a first storage section, and the attachment 30 has a function of transporting components supplied from the case 10 and is an example of a second storage section. The components are, for example, electronic components such as resistors and capacitors, but are not limited thereto and may be any components that can be mounted on a board.

[0024] The storage area A1 is an area for storing the cases 10 and the attachments 30. The storage area A1 includes, for example, a parts storage warehouse W. The parts storage warehouse W stores at least one of the cases 10 alone, the attachments 30 alone, and the attachments 30 with the cases 10 attached thereto. The parts storage warehouse W is also equipped with a reader / writer RW that reads tag information stored in the RF (Radio Frequency) tags attached to the cases 10 and the attachments 30, and writes tag information to be written to the RF tags. The reader / writer RW is fixed and can simultaneously acquire tag information transmitted from multiple RF tags. The reader / writer RW can also simultaneously transmit tag information to be written to the RF tags to multiple RF tags.

[0025] When an RF tag is attached to the case 10, the tag information includes information about the parts housed in the case 10. For example, the tag information includes at least one of information indicating the type of part (identification information), information indicating the quantity (remaining number), information indicating the expiration date, or an identification code of the tag itself (for example, Electronic Product Code: EPC). Note that the information indicating the quantity is the current quantity.

[0026] Furthermore, when an RF tag is attached to the attachment 30, the tag information includes at least one of identification information of the attachment 30, usage history, and the like.

[0027] The tag information read by the reader / writer RW is managed by the integrated control device 50.

[0028] 1A illustrates an example in which the storage area A1 is separated from the mounting area A3, but this is not limiting. For example, the storage area A1 may be provided as part of the mounting area A3. For example, a component storage warehouse W may be included within the mounting area A3. Furthermore, for example, the component storage warehouse W may be included within the mounting line 90. When the component storage warehouse W is included within the mounting line 90, the cases 10 and attachments 30 can be supplied directly from the component storage warehouse W to the devices within the mounting line 90. In other words, the cases 10 and attachments 30 can be supplied to the devices within the mounting line 90 without going through the preparation area A2.

[0029] The preparation area A2 is an area for preparing in advance items to be used on the mounting line 90 in the mounting area A3. In the preparation area A2, for example, a supply unit 80 to be attached to the mounting line 90 is prepared in advance. The supply unit 80 includes, for example, a carriage 70 having a holding portion 71, a feeder main body 40 held by the holding portion 71, an attachment 30 attached to the feeder main body 40, and a case 10 attached to the attachment 30. In this embodiment, the carriage 70 includes multiple holding portions 71. Note that FIG. 1A shows one of the multiple holding portions 71. In this case, for example, the carriage 70 to which the feeder main body 40 and the attachment 30 are attached is placed in the preparation area A2. The second control device 50b prepares the supply unit 80 to be used in the next production run in advance by instructing the transfer robot 60 to attach the case 10 containing the components to be used in the next production run on the mounting line 90 to the attachment 30 attached to the carriage 70. In the preparation area A2, not only the dolly 70 but also a holding device connectable to the dolly 70 may be prepared as long as it can hold the case 10 or the like.

[0030] The dolly 70 also includes a reading device 130. The reading device 130 is fixed to, for example, the holder 71 of the dolly 70. In addition, in the preparation area A2, the supply unit 80 may be connected to an external power source. Alternatively, the supply unit 80 may include a power source internally (for example, within the dolly 70). This makes it possible to use the reading device 130 provided on the dolly 70 to check whether the case 10, attachment 30, and feeder main body 40 attached to the dolly 70 are the correct combination. Furthermore, when multiple sets of case 10, attachment 30, and feeder main body 40 are arranged on one dolly 70, the reading device 130 can be used to check whether their attachment positions are correct.

[0031] In addition, cases 10 containing parts that may be replenished may be transported from the parts storage warehouse W and stored in the preparation area A2. This allows the time required to replenish the cases 10 to be reduced compared to transporting the cases 10 from the storage area A1.

[0032] The mounting area A3 is an area where a mounting line 90 is arranged. The mounting area A3 and the preparation area A2 may be arranged in the same space. The mounting line 90 produces mounted boards by mounting components housed in the case 10 onto boards carried in from the upstream side, and carries the produced mounted boards out downstream. The mounting line 90 is realized by various devices that perform board supply, solder printing, component mounting, and reflow operations. The component mounting operation is performed by a component mounting device 100.

[0033] The integrated control device 50 is connected to the first control device 50a and the second control device 50b, and aggregates and manages information on each component of the mounting system 1. The first control device 50a controls each component of the mounting line 90. The first control device 50a controls production on the mounting line 90, for example, based on a production plan. Note that each component of the mounting line 90 may be controlled by the first control device 50a and a control device (not shown) provided in each component of the mounting line 90 (e.g., component mounting device 100). When the number of remaining components in the case 10 of the supply unit 80 attached to the mounting line 90 falls below a predetermined number, the first control device 50a transmits a component replenishment request to the integrated control device 50. The second control device 50b receives the component replenishment request from the integrated control device 50 and outputs a replenishment instruction to the transfer robot 60 to replenish the components. Specifically, the second control device 50b instructs the transfer robot 60 as to the position in the storage area A1 of the case 10 to be replenished, the movement path of the transfer robot 60, and the position to replenish the case 10 (position in the mounting line 90, position in the component mounting device 100, position in the supply unit 80, position in the preparation area A2). Based on the instruction from the second control device 50b, the transfer robot 60 transports the case 10 containing the component to be replenished from the storage area A1 to the mounting line 90, and replaces the case 10 of the supply unit 80 with a new case 10. Specifically, the transfer robot 60 retrieves the case 10 of the supply unit 80 and attaches the new case 10.

[0034] In addition, when the case 10 attached to the supply unit 80 is changed to a case 10 filled with a different type of component, the second control device 50b controls the transport robot 60 to replace the case 10 and attachment 30 of the supply unit 80 attached to the mounting line 90.

[0035] The transfer robot 60 is a self-propelled robot that transfers the case 10 and the attachment 30 under the control of the second control device 50b. Here, the transfer robot 60 will be described with further reference to Fig. 1C. Fig. 1C is a diagram showing the configuration of the transfer robot 60 according to this embodiment.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 1C , the transport robot 60 is composed of, for example, a traveling unit 62, a storage unit 63, and a robot arm 61. The traveling unit 62 is equipped with wheels and a motor for driving the wheels. The storage unit 63 stores the cases 10 and attachments 30. The storage unit 63 is formed with, for example, holding units 63a for holding multiple cases 10 and attachments 30, respectively. The transport robot 60 can transport multiple cases 10 and attachments 30 at a time by moving with the multiple cases 10 and attachments 30 stored in the storage unit 63. In addition, a robot arm 61 is provided above the storage unit 63. The tip of the robot arm 61 is formed so as to be able to grasp the cases 10 and attachments 30. The transport robot 60 uses the robot arm 61 to mount the cases 10 and attachments 30 stored in the storage unit 63 onto the component mounting device 100. This allows the transfer robot 60 to attach cases 10 and attachments 30 to multiple component mounting apparatuses 100 in a single transfer. Note that the shape and transfer method of the transfer robot 60 are merely examples and are not limited to those described above. An object may be transferred by supporting or gripping the object with the robot arm 61. The robot arm 61 may transfer the object by supporting or gripping, for example, a cart 70 or a supply unit 80. For example, when the types of components in the cases 10 of the supply units 80 attached to the mounting line 90 are to be changed all at once, the second control device 50b controls the transfer robot 60 to transfer a supply unit 80 prepared in advance and replace it with the supply unit 80 attached to the mounting line 90.

[0037] In this way, the mounting system 1 is a system in which the integrated control device 50 manages the supply of parts and changes in the type of parts.

[0038] Here, the component mounting apparatus 100 to which the supply unit 80 is attached will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the component mounting apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. Note that an example of the component mounting apparatus 100 will be described as an apparatus that mounts components on a substrate 103. The component mounting apparatus 100 has a function of picking up components from a feeder that supplies components, and transferring and mounting the components on the substrate 103. Note that the substrate 103 is an example of an object on which components are to be mounted.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 2, the component mounting apparatus 100 includes a supply unit 80, a base 101, a substrate conveying mechanism 102, a component mounting mechanism 108 including a mounting head 107, a substrate recognition camera 109, a component recognition camera 110, and a power supply unit 111 (see FIG. 1B).

[0040] The substrate transport mechanism 102 is disposed near the center of the base 101 along the X-axis (the transport direction of the substrate 103). The substrate transport mechanism 102 transports the substrate 103 carried in from the upstream side in the direction along the X-axis, and positions and holds the substrate 103 on a mounting stage set for component mounting. The supply unit 80 is detachably mounted to a supply unit mounting section (not shown) of the base 101, which is the main body of the component mounting apparatus 100. More specifically, the carriage 70 constituting the supply unit 80 is mounted to the supply unit mounting section. In this embodiment, the supply unit mounting sections are provided on both sides of the substrate transport mechanism 102, and the supply units 80 are also disposed on both sides of the substrate transport mechanism 102. Each supply unit 80 can have multiple feeders 20 arranged in parallel along the Y-axis, and at least one feeder 20 (bulk feeder) is mounted in parallel. The feeder 20 includes, for example, a feeder main body 40 and an attachment 30. The substrate transport mechanism 102 is an example of a substrate transport section. When the supply unit 80 is mounted on the base 101, each functional section of the supply unit 80 (for example, a vibration generating section 41, a driving section 45, and a reading device 130, which will be described later) is electrically connected to the power supply section 111, and power is supplied from the power supply section 111 to each functional section of the supply unit 80.

[0041] The feeder 20 disposed in the supply unit 80 supplies components to a pick-up position by a mounting head 107 of a component mounting mechanism 108. The mounting head 107 is an example of a component mounting section.

[0042] An X-axis moving table 105 equipped with a linear drive mechanism is disposed in the X-axis direction at the end in the Y-axis minus direction on the upper surface of base 101, and two Y-axis moving tables 106 similarly equipped with linear drive mechanisms are coupled to X-axis moving table 105 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction. A mounting head 107 is attached to each of the two Y-axis moving tables 106 so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction.

[0043] The mounting head 107 places (mounts) components held by the feeders 20 arranged in the supply unit 80 onto the board 103. The mounting head 107 mounts the components on the board 103 based on, for example, a determination result of whether the components are correct or not based on two pieces of tag information (for example, information acquired from RF tags T2 and T3 described below) in the integrated control device 50 or the first control device 50a. The determination result may be, but is not limited to, a determination result regarding the remaining number of components, whether information (identification information) indicating the type of component housed in the replaced case 10 is correct or not, a determination result regarding whether the arrangement of the case 10 in the supply unit 80 is correct or not, etc. The integrated control device 50 or the first control device 50a is an example of a determination unit.

[0044] Mounting head 107 is equipped with component suction nozzles (not shown) that can pick up and hold components and move up and down individually. Mounting head 107 is equipped with a Z-axis lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the component suction nozzles and a θ-axis rotation mechanism that rotates the component suction nozzles around the nozzle axis.

[0045] By driving the X-axis moving table 105 and the Y-axis moving table 106, the mounting head 107 moves in the X-axis and Y-axis directions. As a result, the two mounting heads 107 use their component suction nozzles to pick up components from pick-up positions on the feeders 20 arranged in the corresponding supply units 80. The board transport mechanism 102, the X-axis moving table 105, the Y-axis moving table 106, and the mounting heads 107 form a component mounting mechanism 108.

[0046] A component recognition camera 110 is disposed between each of the upper and lower carriages 70 and the board transport mechanism 102. When the mounting head 107, which has picked up a component from the feeder 20 arranged in the supply unit 80, moves above the component recognition camera 110, the component recognition camera 110 captures an image of the component held by the mounting head 107. The captured image is processed by image recognition in a processing unit (not shown), thereby identifying the component and detecting its position.

[0047] Mounting head 107 is equipped with board recognition camera 109, which is positioned below Y-axis moving table 106 and moves integrally with mounting head 107. As mounting head 107 moves, board recognition camera 109 moves above board 103 positioned by board transport mechanism 102 and captures an image of board 103. The image capture result is similarly recognized and processed by image recognition in a processing unit, and the position of board 103 is detected.

[0048] The power supply unit 111 supplies power to each functional unit of the component mounting apparatus 100. The power supply unit 111 supplies power to, for example, the supply unit 80 arranged in the substrate transport mechanism 102. Specifically, the power supply unit 111 supplies power to the vibration generating unit 41, the drive unit 45, the reading device 130, and the like of the supply unit 80. The power supply unit 111 may also be connected to an external power source. Note that the power supply unit 111 may supply power to each functional unit under the control of the first control device 50a, but is not limited to this.

[0049] [2. Implementation system configuration] Among the components described in the overview of the mounting system 1 above, the following describes in detail those that are particularly important in this disclosure. FIG. 1B is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the mounting system 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a supply unit 80 according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the state in which the case 10, attachment 30, and feeder main body 40 according to this embodiment have been removed. Note that FIG. 3 also shows a mounting head 107 that, when the supply unit 80 is attached to the mounting line 90, holds and removes components transported on the transport section 34 of the attachment 30 by vibrations generated by the vibration generating section 41. Holding includes at least one of suction and gripping. Also, FIG. 3 shows the cover 11 of the case 10 in an open state.

[0050] 1B, 2, and 3, the mounting system 1 includes, as functional components, a vibration generating unit 41, a driving unit 45, an integrated control device 50, a first control device 50a, a second control device 50b, a transport robot 60, a mounting head 107, a power supply unit 111, a reading device 130, a sensor 140, a component detection unit 141, an RF tag T, and a reader / writer RW provided in a component storage warehouse W. As shown in FIG. 3, the vibration generating unit 41 and the driving unit 45 are provided in the feeder main body 40, the power supply unit 111 is provided in the component mounting apparatus 100, and the reading device 130 is provided in the cart 70. The RF tag T includes an RF tag T2 provided in the case 10, an RF tag T3 provided in the attachment 30, an RF tag T1 provided in the feeder main body 40, and an RF tag T4 provided in the roll body case 120.

[0051] [2-1. Case] 3 and 4, the case 10 includes a cover 11, a case body 12, an engaging portion 13, a first protrusion 14, and an RF tag T2. An opening 15 is formed in the case body 12.

[0052] Cover 11 covers opening 15 to prevent other components from getting mixed in with case 10. Cover 11 is provided at opening 15 for supplying components to feeder 20 from a storage chamber (not shown) in case main body 12 that includes a space for storing components. Cover 11 covers opening 15 when case 10 is not attached to attachment 30. Cover 11 also covers opening 15 when case 10 is attached to attachment 30, and a check is performed to determine whether case 10 is a case that can be attached to attachment 30, and cover 11 is opened if the check is successful. This check further prevents components from getting mixed in with feeder 20.

[0053] When the case 10 is detached from the attachment 30, the elastic body is unlocked and the cover 11 is biased to the closed state. The mechanism for closing the cover 11 is not limited to this. A rod (not shown) may be provided to push the end of the cover 11 opposite to one end in the negative direction of the X axis.

[0054] The case body 12 is a container that stores bulk components. The case body 12 is, for example, a long box. The case body 12 has an internal storage chamber that stores bulk components. The cover 11 can form a space between the storage chamber and the outer wall of the case body 12. In this embodiment, the RF tag T2 is disposed in the space. The RF tag T2 is disposed, for example, inside the case body 12, below the storage chamber (for example, on the negative Z-axis side of the case body 12). The RF tag T2 is also long and disposed in the case body 12 so that its longitudinal direction coincides with the longitudinal direction of the case body 12. This makes it easier to attach the long RF tag T2 without increasing the area of ​​the attachment surface to which the RF tag T2 is attached.

[0055] The engagement portion 13 is a recess formed on the lower surface (the surface on the negative Z-axis side) of the case main body 12 in order to fix the case 10 to the attachment 30. The engagement portion 13 is provided at a position corresponding to the claw portion 37 of the attachment receiving portion 32 of the attachment 30, and engages with the claw portion 37. In other words, the engagement portion 13 and the claw portion 37 engage with each other, thereby fixing the case 10 to the attachment 30.

[0056] In order to prevent other parts from getting mixed in with the case 10 and the attachment 30, it is preferable that the case 10 cannot be easily removed after it is attached to the attachment 30. For example, after the case 10 is attached to the attachment 30, movement of the claws 37 (e.g., movement in the Z-axis direction) may be restricted by the drive unit 45. This prevents a worker from accidentally removing the case 10 from the attachment 30, which could result in parts getting mixed in. For example, after a worker removes the case 10 from the attachment 30, it prevents a case 10 containing parts other than those corresponding to the attachment 30 from being attached to the attachment 30. The attachment 30 can be removed from the case 10 by releasing the restriction of the drive unit 45.

[0057] The first protrusion 14 is a portion that is grasped by the robot arm 61 when the transport robot 60 attaches the case 10 to the attachment 30 of the supply unit 80. The first protrusion 14 is provided, for example, so as to protrude from the wall surface on the negative X-axis side of the case main body 12 toward the negative X-axis side. The first protrusion 14 may be formed with a positioning portion (not shown) that determines the gripping position when the robot arm 61 grips the first protrusion 14. The positioning portion is, for example, a pair of recesses formed on the top and bottom surfaces of the first protrusion 14.

[0058] The RF tag T2 stores information about the parts housed in the case 10 to which the RF tag T2 is attached. The RF tag T2 stores tag information such as information indicating the type of part (identification information), information indicating the quantity (remaining number), and information indicating the expiration date. The RF tag T2 may be attached to the case 10 when it is delivered from the parts manufacturer. By storing the delivered case 10 in the parts storage warehouse W, the integrated control device 50 can obtain information about the parts in the case 10 via the reader / writer RW. Information such as the date of receipt and the control number may be written to the RF tag T2 by the reader / writer RW of the parts storage warehouse W. Furthermore, cases 10 with no remaining parts may be processed so that the information stored in the RF tag T2 cannot be read and then transported to a disposal area. This prevents parts from being mixed in when the cases 10 are reused. The RF tag T2 is an example of a second RF tag.

[0059] [2-2. Attachment] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , feeder 20 includes attachment 30 for transporting components, and feeder main body 40 to which attachment 30 is detachably attached. Feeder 20 can also be described as including feeder main body 40 and attachment 30 detachably attached to feeder main body 40, with attachment 30 having attachment receiving portion 32 to which case 10 is detachably attached. Feeder 20 can also be described as being separable into attachment 30 and feeder main body 40. For example, if a transport unit (equivalent to transport unit 34 in this embodiment) for transporting components and a feeder main body (equivalent to feeder main body 40 in this embodiment) are integrated, the transport unit can be shared regardless of the type of component. In this case, components used in a previous production run may remain in the transport unit, and components in a case newly attached to a feeder (equivalent to feeder 20 in this embodiment) may be mixed with the components remaining in the transport unit. Such mixing is likely to be a problem particularly when the parts supplied by feeder 20 are changed to different types of parts for production. On the other hand, feeder 20 according to this embodiment has attachment 30 with conveying section 34 that can be separated from feeder main body 40. Therefore, by providing conveying section 34 (attachment 30) exclusively for parts, mixing of parts can be prevented when feeder 20 supplies multiple different types of parts. Feeder 20 can prevent mixing of parts even when the parts are small in size. Feeder 20 is elongated, and the longitudinal direction is the X-axis direction.

[0060] 3 and 4, the attachment 30 has a mounting portion 32, a cover 32a, a conveying portion 34, a cover 35, a claw portion 37, a protrusion 38, and an RF tag T3. In this embodiment, the mounting portion 32 and the conveying portion 34 are integrally formed. The attachment 30 also has an opening 32b formed at a position corresponding to the opening 15 of the case 10, and an opening 35a formed at a position from which the mounting head 107 picks up the component. The mounting portion 32 is also provided with a rod (not shown) that acts on the cover 11 to open and close the opening 15. The rod is moved along the X-axis direction by a drive unit 45 provided in the feeder main body 40, and acts on the cover 11 provided at the opening 15 of the case 10.

[0061] The mounting portion 32 is a portion to which the case 10 is attached and detached, and serves to fix the case 10 and open and close the cover 11 of the case 10. The mounting portion 32 is provided with a cover 32a, a rod body, and a claw portion 37.

[0062] Cover 32a covers opening 32b to prevent other parts from getting mixed in with attachment 30. Cover 32a is provided between opening 15 and conveying section 34. Cover 32a covers opening 32b when case 10 is not attached to attachment 30. Cover 32a also checks whether the case 10 attached to attachment 30 is the case that should be attached to that attachment 30, and opens if the check is successful. Cover 32a may be opened and closed by, for example, drive section 45. Cover 32a may be closed when attachment 30 to which case 10 is attached is removed from feeder main body 40. This prevents parts from entering case 10 into conveying section 34.

[0063] In this way, the mount portion 32 has a cover 32a provided in an opening 32b formed at a position corresponding to the opening 15 of the case 10 when the case 10 is mounted on the mount portion 32.

[0064] The rod is an example of an opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the cover 11. In this embodiment, pressing the cover 11 rotates the cover 11 around a rotation axis parallel to the Y axis, thereby opening and closing the cover 11. For example, pressing the cover 11 makes it possible for the components of the case 10 to be supplied to the conveying unit 34. The rod is disposed, for example, in a position where it can press one end of the cover 11. Note that the shape of the rod is not particularly limited. Furthermore, it is preferable that the rod is housed inside the attachment portion 32 when not pressing the one end of the cover 11. This makes it possible to prevent the rod from coming into contact with the one end of the cover 11, for example, when attaching the case 10 to the attachment 30.

[0065] As described above, the attachment 30 according to this embodiment has an opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing the cover 11 of the case 10.

[0066] The claw portion 37 is a protrusion provided on the mount portion 32 at a position where the underside of the case 10 comes into contact in order to secure the case 10 to the attachment 30. The claw portion 37 engages with the engaging portion 13 of the case 10, thereby securing the case 10 to the attachment 30. As will be described in detail below, the claw portion 37 is movable between a first position where it is housed in the mount portion 32 and a second position where it protrudes from the mount portion 32. In other words, the claw portion 37 is movable in the Z-axis direction. FIG. 4 shows an example in which the claw portion 37 is fixed at the second position. The movement of the claw portion 37 between the first position and the second position may be performed by, for example, a drive unit 45 or an elastic body such as a spring.

[0067] The shape of the claw portion 37 when viewed from the Y-axis direction is, for example, a triangle, and in Fig. 4, a right-angled triangle. The claw portion 37 may be formed so that, when viewed from the Y-axis direction, the inclination becomes steeper toward the opening 32b (in the example of Fig. 4, the hypotenuse of the right-angled triangle slopes upward to the right).

[0068] Conveying unit 34 conveys components supplied from case 10 to a position where they are picked up by mounting head 107. In this embodiment, conveying unit 34 conveys the components by vibrations generated by vibration generating unit 41. Conveying unit 34 is an example of a component conveying unit.

[0069] The attachment 30 may further have a guide portion that, when the case 10 is attached to the attachment 30, fixes and attaches the case 10 to the attachment 30 and also functions as a guide when attaching the case 10 to the attachment 30. For example, the guide portion is a groove that engages with a protrusion (second protrusion) that is provided on the bottom surface of the case 10, but is not limited to this.

[0070] The cover 35 covers the opening 35a. The cover 35 is opened when the mounting head 107 removes a component. The cover 35 is opened after the covers 11 and 32a are opened. The cover 35 may be opened and closed by, for example, a drive unit 45.

[0071] Engagement portion 36 is a recess formed on the underside (the surface on the negative Z-axis side) of attachment 30 in order to fix attachment 30 to feeder main body 40. Engagement portion 36 is provided at a position corresponding to claw portion 43 provided on feeder main body 40, and engages with said claw portion 43. In other words, engagement portion 36 and claw portion 43 engage with each other, thereby fixing attachment 30 to feeder main body 40.

[0072] The protrusion 38 is a portion that is grasped by the robot arm 61 when the transport robot 60 attaches the attachment 30 to the feeder main body 40 of the supply unit 80. The protrusion 38 is provided, for example, so as to protrude from the wall surface on the negative X-axis side of the attachment 30 toward the negative X-axis side. The protrusion 38 may have a positioning portion that determines the gripping position when the robot arm 61 grips the protrusion 38. The positioning portions are, for example, a pair of recesses formed on the top and bottom surfaces of the protrusion 38. For example, the protrusion 38 may have a recess similar to the positioning portion of the first protrusion 14.

[0073] The RF tag T3 stores tag information such as the identification information of the attachment 30, its usage history, and the parts corresponding to the attachment 30. Furthermore, when a case 10 is attached to the attachment 30, the RF tag T3 may store information about the parts of the case 10. That is, at least a portion of the information stored in the RF tag T2 may be stored in the RF tag T3. Information such as the date of entry and the control number may be written to the RF tag T3 via the reader / writer RW of the parts storage warehouse W. Note that, for example, in the following description, an example will be described in which the attachment 30 is dedicated to each type of part, i.e., the part and the attachment 30 are linked, but this is not limiting. The type of part includes, for example, at least one of the following: the type of element (resistor, capacitor, etc.), the part size (0402, 0603, 1005, etc., including not only actual dimensions but also standard and data dimensions), the part model number, the size of the case 10, and the part manufacturer. The RF tag T3 is an example of a first RF tag.

[0074] In the above, an example has been described in which a rod (acting portion) is provided on the mounted portion 32 to open and close the cover 11 of the case 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a rod may be provided on the case 10, and after the case 10 is attached to the mounted portion 32, the rod may press the cover 32a of the mounted portion 32 to open and close the cover 32a. In other words, an acting portion provided on the case 10 may open and close the cover 32a of the mounted portion 32.

[0075] In the above description, the cover 11 is opened and closed by the rod after the case 10 is attached to the attachment 30 and verified, but the cover 11 of the case 10 may be opened and closed in conjunction with the attachment of the case 10 to the attachment 30. For example, this can be achieved by having the rod protrude from the attachment portion 32 in advance when the case 10 is attached to the attachment 30.

[0076] [2-3. Feeder body] 3 and 4, feeder main body 40 is an object to which attachment 30 is detachably attached. In other words, feeder main body 40 has attachment portion 32 and conveying portion 34 detachably attached thereto.

[0077] 2 to 4, the feeder main body 40 has a vibration generating unit 41, claws 43, protrusions 44, a drive unit 45, and an RF tag T1. The feeder main body 40 is a container that houses the vibration generating unit 41, claws 43, and RF tag T1, and is, for example, box-shaped.

[0078] The vibration generating unit 41 vibrates the attachment 30 to transport the components to the opening 35a. The vibration generating unit 41 vibrates the attachment 30, for example, along the X-axis direction, but is not limited to this and any vibration conditions may be used as long as the components can be transported to the opening 35a. The vibration generating unit 41 can also control the amount of components supplied from the case 10 to the attachment 30 based on the vibration conditions. The vibration conditions may be determined depending on the amount of components being supplied. The vibration generating unit 41 is realized, for example, by an actuator (vibrator).

[0079] The claw portion 43 is a protrusion provided at a position where the underside of the attachment 30 comes into contact in order to secure the attachment 30 to the feeder main body 40. The claw portion 43 secures the attachment 30 to the feeder main body 40 by engaging with the engaging portion 36 of the attachment 30. The claw portion 43 is movable between a third position where it is housed in the feeder main body 40 and a fourth position where it protrudes from the feeder main body 40. In other words, the claw portion 43 may be movable in the Z-axis direction. In FIG. 4, the claw portion 37 is fixed at the fourth position. The movement of the claw portion 43 between the third position and the fourth position may be performed, for example, by a drive unit (not shown) provided in the feeder main body 40.

[0080] The protrusion 44 is a portion that is grasped by the robot arm 61 when the transport robot 60 attaches the feeder main body 40 to the carriage 70 of the supply unit 80. The protrusion 44 is provided, for example, so as to protrude from the wall surface on the negative X-axis side of the feeder main body 40 toward the negative X-axis side. The protrusion 44 may have a positioning portion that determines the gripping position when the robot arm 61 grips the protrusion 44. The positioning portions are, for example, a pair of recesses formed on the top and bottom surfaces of the protrusion 44. For example, the protrusion 44 may have a recess similar to the positioning portion of the first protrusion 14.

[0081] The drive unit 45, under the control of the first control device 50a, moves a rod provided on the mounting portion 32 to which the case 10 of the attachment 30 is attached, along the X-axis direction. It can also be said that the drive unit 45 moves the rod in and out of the mounting portion 32. With the case 10 mounted on the mounting portion 32, the drive unit 45 physically acts on the rod to move the cover 11, thereby changing the cover 11 from a closed state to an open state. Furthermore, with the case 10 mounted on the mounting portion 32, the drive unit 45 stops physically acting on the rod to move the cover 11, for example, by transitioning the rod from a state in contact with the cover 11 to a state in which it is not in contact, thereby changing the cover 11 from an open state to a closed state. The drive unit 45 is realized, for example, by an actuator.

[0082] In this way, the rod that physically acts on the cover 11 is driven by the drive unit 45 provided in the feeder main body 40. Furthermore, in the mounting system 1, it may be possible to prevent the cover 11 from being opened or closed from outside the feeder 20. This makes it possible to prevent the cover 11 from being opened or closed due to an erroneous operation by an operator or the transport robot 60. For example, the mounting system 1 according to this embodiment has a configuration in which the cover 11 cannot be opened or closed unless the case 10 and the attachment 30 are attached to the feeder main body 40, making it possible to prevent the cover 11 from being opened or closed due to an erroneous operation by an operator or the transport robot 60.

[0083] The RF tag T1 stores information (tag information) such as identification information and usage history of the feeder main body 40. Information such as the date of entry and control number may be written to the RF tag T1 via a reader / writer RW in the parts storage warehouse W. The RF tag T1 may be built into the feeder main body 40.

[0084] [2-4. Control Device] 1A and 1B, the integrated control device 50 sends instructions to a first control device 50a and a second control device 50b. The first control device 50a controls each component of the mounting system 1. The integrated control device 50 has a control unit 51 and a storage unit 52.

[0085] The control unit 51 sends instructions to the first control device 50a and the second control device 50b. The control unit 51 outputs, for example, instructions to the first control device 50a regarding production on the mounting line 90. The control unit 51 also outputs, for example, instructions to the second control device 50b regarding the supply of parts (for example, a supply request). The control unit 51 also performs collating tag information acquired from the reading device 130 and the reader / writer RW, various determination processes, etc.

[0086] The first control device 50a is communicatively connected to the vibration generating unit 41, the driving unit 45, the mounting head 107, the power supply unit 111, the reading device 130, and the component detection unit 141, and controls each of these components based on instructions from the integrated control device 50. The second control device 50b is communicatively connected to the transfer robot 60, and controls the transfer robot 60 based on instructions from the integrated control device 50. The first control device 50a controls the driving unit 45 to move the rod in and out. The first control device 50a controls the driving unit 45 to push the rod toward the negative side of the X-axis, thereby opening the cover 11 of the case 10 attached to the attachment 30. The first control device 50a also controls the driving unit 45 to return the rod to the positive side of the X-axis, thereby closing the cover 11 of the case 10 attached to the attachment 30.

[0087] Furthermore, the first control device 50a controls the vibration generating unit 41 to vibrate the attachment 30 when the component is transported to a position where the mounting head 107 can pick it up. This vibration is also transmitted to, for example, the case 10. As a result, the component is supplied from the case 10 to the attachment 30, and the vibration transports the component to the opening 35a. It can also be said that the first control device 50a transports the component supplied to the attachment 30 from the opening 15 of the case 10 to the opening 35a via the transport unit 34 of the attachment 30 by the vibration of the vibration generating unit 41. The first control device 50a may also control the power supply unit 111 to supply power to the vibration generating unit 41, the drive unit 45, and the like as needed.

[0088] The control unit 51 also controls the reading device 130 attached to the dolly 70 to acquire tag information stored in the RF tags T1 to T4 from each of the cases 10, attachments 30, and feeder main bodies 40 attached to the dolly 70, thereby checking whether there are any errors in the cases 10, attachments 30, and feeder main bodies 40 attached to the dolly 70. The control unit 51 can also perform the above-mentioned check on the supply units 80 prepared in the preparation area A2, for example, to check for placement errors in advance. The control unit 51 can also acquire tag information from the RF tag T4 of the roll body case 120 stored in the waiting area A21 (empty space) of the dolly 70. Note that the parts stored in the empty space of the dolly 70 are not limited to the roll body cases 120.

[0089] Furthermore, the first control device 50a controls the mounting head 107 to pick up the components transported to the opening 35a and mount them on the target object. At this time, the first control device 50a may count the number of components mounted on the target object by the mounting head 107.

[0090] The RF tag T4 stores tag information including information about the component stored in the roll body case 120 to which the RF tag T4 is attached. The roll body case 120 stores, for example, a tape roll formed by winding a carrier tape into a roll.

[0091] Furthermore, the integrated control device 50 may instruct the second control device 50b to prepare in advance the supply units 80 to be used in the next production run, for example, based on production data. The second control device 50b acquires information about parts to be used in the next production run, for example, based on the production data, and controls the transport robot 60 to transport cases 10 containing the acquired parts and attachments 30 corresponding to the cases 10 from the parts storage warehouse W to the preparation area A2. At this time, if there are multiple cases 10 containing parts to be used in the next production run, the second control device 50b may, for example, cause the transport robot 60 to transport a case 10 whose inventory exceeds the number of parts to be used in the next production run. The second control device 50b can identify a case 10 whose inventory exceeds the number of parts to be used in the next production run by acquiring information about parts from each of the multiple cases 10 via the reader / writer RW.

[0092] The second control device 50b may attach a single case 10 that contains parts to be used in the next production run to the attachment 30 that corresponds to that case 10, and have the transfer robot 60 transfer the attachment 30 with the attached case 10, or, if an attachment 30 with a case 10 already attached is stored, may have the transfer robot 60 transfer that attachment 30. The case in which an attachment 30 with a case 10 already attached is stored includes, for example, when there are a predetermined number or more parts remaining in a case 10 used in a previous production run, and the attachment 30 with the case 10 attached from the mounting line 90 is stored in the parts storage warehouse W in that state.

[0093] Then, the second control device 50b attaches the case 10 and the attachment 30 transported by the transport robot 60 to the feeder main body 40 that has been placed in advance on the cart 70. Specifically, the attachment 30 is attached to the feeder main body 40.

[0094] The storage unit 52 stores various programs for the control unit 51 to perform the above-mentioned control, production data for producing mounting boards, information on the acquired RF tags T, information indicating the correspondence between components and attachments 30, etc. The storage unit 52 is realized, for example, by a semiconductor memory, but is not limited to this. The production data is, for example, a table in which the type and number of components used, the arrangement of the cases 10 on the cart 70, etc. are associated with each other.

[0095] [2-5. Cart] The carriage 70 is configured to be detachable from the main body of the component mounting apparatus 100. The main body of the component mounting apparatus 100 is, for example, the portion of the component mounting apparatus 100 excluding the carriage 70. The carriage 70 has a holding unit 71 that holds the feeder 20, a carriage main body that supports the holding unit 71, and a reading device 130. The carriage 70 has, for example, multiple holding units 71, which are arranged on the carriage main body along the Y-axis direction. In this case, each of the multiple holding units 71 holds a feeder 20. A reading device 130 is provided for each of the multiple holding units 71. The holding unit 71 is also called, for example, a feeder slot. The carriage 70 is also an example of a feeder arrangement unit.

[0096] The reader 130 reads tag information from the feeder 20 held in the holder 71 where the reader 130 is disposed and the case 10 fixed to the feeder 20. Specifically, the reader 130 reads tag information from the RF tag T2 attached to the case 10, the RF tag T3 attached to the attachment 30, and the RF tag T1 attached to the feeder main body 40. Furthermore, if an object is present in the waiting area A21 of the dolly 70, the reader 130 may also read tag information related to the object from the RF tag attached to the object. In the example of FIG. 3, a roll body case 120 is stored in the waiting area A21, and an RF tag T4 is attached to the roll body case 120. The reader 130 may also read tag information from the RF tag T4.

[0097] The objects waiting in waiting area A21 are objects related to production by mounting system 1, and may be, for example, feeders, cases, or tape feeders. A tape feeder supplies components from a component tape that stores the components. The objects may also be tray feeders, stick feeders, bulk feeders, etc. A tray feeder supplies components from a tray that stores the components. A stick feeder supplies components from a stick case that stores the components.

[0098] The tag information read by the reader 130 is output to the integrated control device 50 via the first control device 50a.

[0099] [2-6. Sensors and part detection units] The sensor 140 detects components supplied from the case 10 to the attachment 30 in a non-contact manner. The sensor 140 may be any existing sensor that can detect components in a non-contact manner. The sensor 140 may be, for example, an optical sensor having a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element. If the sensor 140 is an optical sensor, it outputs to the component detection unit 141 according to the amount of light received by the light-receiving element. The sensor 140 is provided, for example, inside the attachment portion 32 near the opening 32b, but is not limited to this, and may also be provided near the opening 15 of the case 10.

[0100] Component detection unit 141 receives the output of sensor 140 and detects the presence or absence of components. It can also be said that component detection unit 141 receives the output of sensor 140 and detects whether or not components have been supplied from case 10 to attachment 30. Furthermore, component detection unit 141 may detect the number of components supplied from case 10 to attachment 30, or may detect whether or not components have been supplied from case 10 to attachment 30. Component detection unit 141 is provided in component mounting apparatus 100, for example.

[0101] [2-7. Supply unit] The configuration of the supply unit 80 will be described with reference to Figs. 5 to 16. Specifically, the arrangement of the antenna and RF tags used by the reader 130 to read tag information from each RF tag will be described. First, the arrangement of the antenna and RF tags according to a comparative example will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view for explaining the arrangement of the antenna and RF tags according to the comparative example.

[0102] As shown in FIG. 5, a reading device 130 according to the comparative example includes a reading unit 131, a switching unit 132, and antennas a1 to a7.

[0103] The reading unit 131 reads tag information from each RF tag via antennas a1 to a7. The reading unit 131 reads tag information from the RF tag corresponding to the antenna via the antenna selected by the switching unit 132. The reading unit 131 is realized by, for example, a reader / writer that reads tag information from each RF tag.

[0104] The switching unit 132 selects one of the antennas a1 to a7 connected to the reading unit 131 in order to switch the RF tag from which the reading unit 131 reads tag information. It can also be said that the switching unit 132 selects an antenna capable of reading tag information from the RF tag to be read in order to read tag information from the RF tag.

[0105] The antenna a1 is provided on the dolly 70 and is capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the RF tag T1. The antenna a1 is disposed in the vicinity of the RF tag T1 so as to face the RF tag T1. The antenna a1 and the switching unit 132 are connected by, for example, a cable C1.

[0106] The antenna a2 is provided on the dolly 70 and is capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the RF tag T2. The antenna a2 and the switching unit 132 are connected by, for example, a cable C2.

[0107] The antenna a3 is provided on the feeder 20 and is arranged to face the RF tag T2. Specifically, the antenna a3 is arranged on the feeder main body 40. More specifically, the antenna a3 is arranged on the surface of the feeder main body 40 facing the attachment 30. In other words, the antenna a3 is arranged in the vicinity of the RF tag T2.

[0108] The antenna a3 may transmit a signal including tag information stored in the RF tag T2 to the RF tag T3. That is, the antenna a3 may be capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from each of the RF tags T2 and T3. For example, the antenna a3 may detect information from the RF tag T2 based on a read command from the reader 130, and transmit the information from the RF tag T2 to the RF tag T3 based on a write command from the reader 130.

[0109] Antenna a4 is provided on feeder 20 and is arranged to face antenna a2. Specifically, antenna a4 is arranged on feeder main body 40. More specifically, antenna a4 is arranged on the surface of feeder main body 40 opposite attachment 30. Antenna a4 is arranged near antenna a2 and faces antenna a2. Furthermore, antennas a3 and a4 are connected by, for example, cable C3. Cable C3 is housed in feeder main body 40.

[0110] Antenna a4 is arranged opposite antenna a2 to form a coupled antenna. That is, antenna a4 and antenna a2 are arranged so as to be electric field coupled. No object that blocks the propagation of electromagnetic waves, such as metal, is arranged between antenna a4 and antenna a2. For example, there may or may not be a space between antenna a4 and antenna a2.

[0111] This allows the antenna a2 to transmit and receive signals to and from the RF tag T2 via the antenna a4, the cable C3, and the antenna a3. The antenna a4, the cable C3, and the antenna a3 constitute a transmission unit that transmits signals from the antenna a2.

[0112] The antenna a5 is provided on the dolly 70 and is an antenna capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the RF tag T3. The antenna a5 and the switching unit 132 are connected by, for example, a cable C4.

[0113] Antenna a6 is provided on feeder 20 and is positioned to face RF tag T3. Specifically, antenna a6 is positioned on feeder main body 40. More specifically, antenna a6 is positioned on the surface of feeder main body 40 facing attachment 30. In other words, antenna a6 is positioned near RF tag T3. In this comparative example, antenna a6 and antenna a3 are positioned so as not to overlap in a planar view, but antenna a6 and antenna a3 may be positioned so as to overlap at least partially in a planar view.

[0114] Antenna a7 is provided on feeder 20 and is positioned opposite antenna a5. Specifically, antenna a7 is positioned on feeder main body 40. More specifically, antenna a7 is positioned on the surface of feeder main body 40 opposite attachment 30. Antenna a7 is positioned near antenna a5. Antennas a6 and a7 are connected by, for example, cable C5. Cable C5 is housed in feeder main body 40.

[0115] The antenna a7 is arranged opposite the antenna a5 to form a coupled antenna. This allows the antenna a5 to transmit and receive signals to the RF tag T3 via the antenna a7, cable C5, and antenna a6. The antenna a7, cable C5, and antenna a6 form a transmission unit that transmits the signal from the antenna a5.

[0116] At least two of the antennas a1, a2, and a5 may be realized by different substrates on which antenna patterns (see, for example, antenna pattern m1 shown in FIG. 7, which will be described later) are formed, or may be realized by a single substrate on which antenna patterns are formed. When the two antenna patterns are formed on a single substrate, the two antenna patterns may be formed, for example, on the same surface of the substrate. Furthermore, the two antenna patterns may be formed so that their polarized waves intersect in a planar view, for example, so that their polarized waves are orthogonal. Furthermore, the two antenna patterns may be provided so that their polarized waves are parallel in a planar view. Furthermore, when the antennas a1, a2, and a5 are realized by a single substrate, an antenna pattern corresponding to antenna a1, an antenna pattern corresponding to antenna a2, and an antenna pattern corresponding to antenna a5 are formed on the substrate.

[0117] As described above, the antenna disposed on the carriage 70 and the antenna disposed on the feeder main body 40 constitute a coupled antenna. The antennas inside the feeder main body 40 are connected using a cable. Note that if the two antennas inside the feeder main body 40 can be arranged so as to be capable of electric field coupling, it is not necessary to use a cable for connection.

[0118] The cables C1 to C5 are, for example, coaxial cables, but are not limited to this. Furthermore, the case 10 and the attachment 30 do not have, for example, any cables or antennas arranged thereon.

[0119] It is preferable that the RF tag T2 placed in the case 10 and the RF tag T3 placed in the attachment 30 are placed so as not to overlap at least partially in a plan view. The RF tag T2 and the RF tag T3 are placed so as not to overlap at least partially in a plan view of the feeder 20 (for example, in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the feeder 20). In this comparative example, the RF tag T2 and the RF tag T3 are placed at positions so as not to overlap each other in a plan view.

[0120] This prevents the RF tag T2 and RF tag T3 from overlapping, making it difficult to read the tag information of the RF tag T2. Even when two RF tags overlap, the two RF tags may overlap as long as at least one antenna is placed between the two RF tags. In this comparative example, the RF tag T1 and RF tag T2 overlap in a plan view, but since the antenna a3 is placed between the RF tag T1 and RF tag T2, there is no problem with reading.

[0121] When an object such as a roll case 120 is stored in the waiting area A21, the reader 130 may have an antenna (not shown) capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the RF tag T4 attached to the object. The antenna is provided on the dolly 70 and positioned near the RF tag T4 so as to face the antenna. The antenna is an example of a sixth antenna.

[0122] As described above, in the supply unit according to the comparative example, an antenna is provided for each RF tag. For example, RF tags and antennas are provided in a one-to-one correspondence. In a mounting system, when an antenna is provided for each RF tag, as the number of feeders included in the mounting system increases, there are problems such as an increase in the number of antennas, cables (e.g., coaxial cables) connecting the antennas to the reading device, and ports of the reading device (the number of switches of the switching unit 132).

[0123] Therefore, the configuration of the mounting system 1 in which an increase in at least one of the number of antennas, cables, and ports is suppressed will be described below with reference to Figures 6 to 16. For example, the mounting system 1 according to this embodiment is configured so that a plurality of RF tags can be detected by one antenna.

[0124] By suppressing an increase in the number of antennas, it is possible to reduce costs associated with the antennas (e.g., costs for substrates, connectors, high-frequency wiring, dicing, integration, wiring routing, etc.). Also, by suppressing an increase in the number of antennas, it is possible to reduce costs associated with the reading device 130 (e.g., costs for switching ports, expansion boards, etc.). Furthermore, as an implementation system, it is possible to reduce the difficulty of control, detection time, etc., thereby improving real-time performance. Incidentally, suppressing an increase in the number of ports also has the effect of suppressing an increase in port switching time.

[0125] For example, the arrangement of the antennas and RF tags may be as described below from the viewpoint of reducing the number of antennas, etc. Fig. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a supply unit 80 according to this embodiment. Fig. 6 illustrates an example in which two RF tags (RF tags T2 and T3) are detected by an antenna a3 provided in the feeder main body 40. Specifically, a configuration in which the antenna a3 can detect each of the RF tags T2 and T3 via a relay board 250 will be described.

[0126] 6 shows the case 10, the attachment 30, and the feeder main body 40 of the supply unit 80. Also, (a) of Fig. 6 is a side view of the supply unit 80 as seen from the Y-axis direction, and (b) of Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the supply unit 80 taken along line IXb-IXb shown in (a) of Fig. 6. (a) and (b) of Fig. 6 show a configuration in which antenna a2 transmits and receives signals to RF tags T2 and T3 via antenna a4, cable C3, and antenna a3 (an example of a transmission unit).

[0127] 6(a) and 6(b), the supply unit 80 has an antenna a2 provided outside the feeder main body 40, an antenna a3, an antenna a4, and a cable C3 provided inside the feeder main body 40, an RF tag T3 and a relay board 250 provided inside the attachment 30, and an RF tag T2 provided inside the case 10. Note that the RF tag T2 may be provided outside the case 10, for example.

[0128] The antenna a2 is provided, for example, on the dolly 70, and is capable of transmitting and receiving signals to and from the RF tags T2 and T3 via the antenna a4, the cable C3, and the antenna a3. The antenna a2 is connected to the reader 130. The antenna a2 is provided with a connector n2 to which a cable C2 (for example, a coaxial cable) for connecting to the reader 130 is connected.

[0129] The antenna a4 is disposed opposite the antenna a2, and is provided with a connector n4 to which a cable C3 (for example, a coaxial cable) for connecting to the antenna a3 is connected.

[0130] The antenna a3 is disposed opposite the RF tag T2, and is provided with a connector n3 to which a cable C3 for connecting to the antenna a4 is connected.

[0131] An opening 40a (radio wave transmitting portion) for transmitting radio waves from the antenna a3 to the attachment 30 is formed on the attachment 30 side of the feeder main body 40. The opening 40a is formed between the antenna a3 and the relay board 250 or the RF tag T3. The size of the opening 40a is preferably determined based on the wavelength of the radio waves transmitted from the antenna a4. When the wavelength of the radio waves is 32.6 cm (in a vacuum) (corresponding to a wavelength of a frequency of 920 MHz), the size of the opening 40a is, for example, approximately 50 mm in the X-axis direction and approximately 10 mm in the Y-axis direction, but is not limited to these. Note that an opening is also formed between the antennas a2 and a4, but is not shown in the figure.

[0132] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of antenna a3 according to this embodiment. Although Fig. 7 describes antenna a3 among multiple antennas, other antennas may also have the configuration shown in Fig. 7.

[0133] 7, the antenna a3 has a board aa3 having a connector n3 and an antenna pattern m1. The connector n3 is provided, for example, on the main surface of the board aa3 on the antenna a4 side (the surface on the negative side of the Z axis), and the antenna pattern m1 is provided, for example, on the main surface of the board aa3 on the RF tag T2 side (the surface on the positive side of the Z axis).

[0134] Connector n3 is provided, for example, at the center of substrate aa3. Antenna pattern m1 is a meandering conductor pattern formed to sandwich connector n3 and connected to connector n3. Antenna pattern m1 has a square wave shape, with the Y-axis direction being the amplitude direction of the square wave and the X-axis direction being the period (pitch) of the square wave, and extends along the X-axis with the same repeating period. Because antenna pattern m1 has the above shape, it can emit radio waves with high electric field strength in directions perpendicular to substrate aa3 (for example, in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions for antenna a3 alone). The polarization of antenna a3 is in the same direction (X-axis direction) as the extension direction of antenna pattern m1.

[0135] The length L1 of the antenna a3 in the Y-axis direction is determined, for example, based on the width of the gap inside the feeder main body 40 or the attachment 30. The length L3 of the antenna a3 in the X-axis direction is determined, for example, based on the length (length in the X-axis direction) of the opening 40a of the feeder main body 40 or the opening (for example, the second radio wave transmitting portion 230b) formed in the attachment 30. The shape of the antenna a3 in a plan view is rectangular, but is not limited to this.

[0136] 6, the RF tag T2 is disposed opposite the antenna a3 inside the case 10. The RF tag T2 transmits and receives signals to and from the antenna a3 via the relay board 250.

[0137] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of an RF tag T2 according to this embodiment. Although Fig. 8 describes the RF tag T2 among multiple RF tags, other RF tags may also have the configuration shown in Fig. 8.

[0138] 8, the RF tag T2 has a substrate TT2 having an IC chip I and an antenna pattern m2. The IC chip I and the antenna pattern m2 are provided, for example, on the main surface of the substrate TT2 on the antenna a3 side (the main surface on the negative side of the Z axis, an example of the second main surface).

[0139] The IC chip I is a component provided on the substrate TT2, and is an RFIC chip capable of wireless communication with the reader 130. The IC chip I is configured to communicate at a communication frequency in the UHF band (e.g., 920 MHz). Information about the components housed in the case 10 is stored in the memory of the IC chip I.

[0140] The antenna pattern m2 is a meandering conductor pattern formed to sandwich the IC chip I and connected to the IC chip I. The antenna pattern m2 has a square wave shape, with the Y-axis direction being the amplitude direction of the square wave and the X-axis direction being the period (pitch) of the square wave, and extends along the X-axis with the same repeating period. Because the antenna pattern m2 has the above shape, radio waves with high electric field strength are emitted in the Z-axis direction perpendicular to the substrate TT2. The polarization of the RF tag T2 is in the same direction (X-axis direction) as the extension direction of the antenna pattern m2. The antenna pattern m2 is connected to the IC chip I. The antenna a3 and the RF tag T2 are arranged so that the polarization of the antenna a3 and the polarization of the RF tag T2 coincide in a planar view.

[0141] When UHF radio waves are emitted from antenna a3, RF tag T2 is driven by the radio waves and transmits a signal indicating the information stored in IC chip I to antenna a3. The signal received by antenna a3 is transmitted to reader 130 via cable C3, antennas a3 and a2, etc.

[0142] The IC chip I is not limited to being configured to communicate at a communication frequency in the UHF band, but may be configured to communicate using microwaves, for example.

[0143] The length L1 of the RF tag T2 in the Y-axis direction is determined based on, for example, the width of the gap inside the feeder main body 40 or the attachment 30. The length L1 of the RF tag T2 is, for example, the same as the length L1 of the antenna a3, but is not limited to this. The length L3 of the RF tag T2 is determined based on, for example, the length (length in the X-axis direction) of the opening 40a of the feeder main body 40 or the opening (for example, the first radio wave transmitting portion 230a) formed in the attachment 30. The shape of the RF tag T2 in a plan view is, for example, rectangular, but is not limited to this. The length L3 of the RF tag T2 is, for example, the same as the length L3 of the antenna a3. For example, the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3 may be the same size. It can also be said that the size of the RF tag T2 corresponds to the size of the RF tag T3 provided inside the attachment 30.

[0144] The RF tag T3 may be disposed inside the attachment 30 so that the main surface on which the antenna pattern of the RF tag T3 is formed is perpendicular to the main surface on which the antenna pattern m2 of the RF tag T2 is formed. Even in this case, the polarizations of the RF tags T2 and T3 match in a plan view.

[0145] Referring again to Figure 6, the RF tag T3 is placed inside the attachment 30 so that the main surface on which the antenna pattern m2 of the RF tag T3 is formed faces the main surface on which the antenna pattern of the relay substrate 250 (antenna pattern m3 shown in Figure 9) is formed.

[0146] The relay board 250 is disposed between the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3 inside the attachment 30, and transmits radio waves from the antenna a3 to each of the RF tags T2 and T3. The relay board 250 also transmits radio waves received from the RF tags T2 and T3 to the antenna a3.

[0147] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of a relay substrate 250 according to this embodiment.

[0148] 9, the relay substrate 250 has a substrate 250a on which an antenna pattern m3 is formed. The antenna pattern m3 is provided, for example, on the main surface of the substrate 250a on the RF tag T3 side (the surface on the negative Y-axis side, an example of the first main surface). The relay substrate 250 is, for example, a parasitic element.

[0149] The antenna pattern m3 is a conductor pattern that meanders in a meandering pattern. The antenna pattern m3 is a parasitic element formed on the substrate 250a. The antenna pattern m3 has a square wave shape, with the Y-axis direction being the amplitude direction of the square wave and the X-axis direction being the period (pitch) of the square wave, and extends along the X-axis direction with the same repeating period. Because the antenna pattern m3 has the above shape, radio waves with high electric field strength are emitted in the Z-axis direction perpendicular to the substrate 250a. The polarization of the relay substrate 250 is in the same direction (X-axis direction) as the extension direction of the antenna pattern m3. While FIG. 9 shows an example in which four antenna patterns m3 are formed within the substrate 250a, the number of antenna patterns m3 is not limited to this and may be one or more.

[0150] The relay substrate 250 is disposed, for example, such that the main surface on which the antenna pattern m3 is formed faces the RF tag T3. The relay substrate 250 is disposed such that one end (the end on the positive side of the Z axis) of the main surface on which the antenna pattern m3 is formed faces the RF tag T2, and the other end (the end on the negative side of the Z axis) of the main surface faces the antenna a3 side relative to the one end. The relay substrate 250 is also disposed such that the polarization of the relay substrate 250 and the polarization of the RF tag T3 coincide with each other.

[0151] The length of the relay substrate 250 in the Z-axis direction is length L2, which is determined, for example, based on the height (length in the Z-axis direction) of the attachment 30. The length of the relay substrate 250 in the X-axis direction is length L3, which may be, for example, an integer multiple of half the wavelength (λ / 2) of the radio wave. The length L3 of the relay substrate 250 in the X-axis direction may be, for example, equal to the length L3 of the antenna a3 and the RF tag T2 in the X-axis direction.

[0152] The antenna a3, the RF tags T2 and T3, and the relay substrate 250 arranged in this manner have the same polarization (for example, X-axis direction) in plan view, for example.

[0153] The electrical length of the antenna pattern m3 on the substrate may be an odd multiple of λ / 2 where λ is the wavelength of the frequency used, taking into consideration the physical properties of the substrate.

[0154] This allows the antenna a3 to detect the RF tags T2 and T3 via the relay board 250. That is, the supplying unit 80 does not need to include the antennas a5 and a6 and the cables C4 and C5. Furthermore, the number of ports for the antenna a5 in the switching unit 132 can be reduced. Therefore, the supplying unit 80 can suppress an increase in at least one of the number of antennas, cables, and ports for the RF tag T3 compared to when an antenna is provided for each tag.

[0155] Here, an example of the arrangement of the RF tag T3 and the relay board 250, and a configuration that allows RF tags to be read more reliably will be described with reference to Figs. 10 and 11. Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a first example of the configuration of the supply unit 80 according to this embodiment. Note that Figs. 10 and 11 only show the case 10, the attachment 30, and the antenna a3 in the cross-sectional view shown in Fig. 6(b).

[0156] 10, the attachment 30 has a radio wave shielding portion 230 having radio wave shielding properties and a first radio wave transparent portion 230a having radio wave transparent properties, and has an RF tag T3 attached thereto, and the case 10 to which the RF tag T2 is attached is provided outside the first radio wave transparent portion 230a. The attachment 30 also has a second radio wave transparent portion 230b having radio wave transparent properties and provided so as to face the first radio wave transparent portion 230a.

[0157] Antenna a3 is disposed outside (on the negative Z-axis side of) second radio wave transmitting section 230b. In the configuration shown in Fig. 10, feeder 20 equipped with attachment 30 is an example of a first production equipment unit, and case 10 is an example of a second production equipment unit provided outside first radio wave transmitting section 230a.

[0158] The radio wave shielding section 230 is a box-shaped container that forms the outer shell of the attachment 30. The radio wave shielding section 230 is made of metal from the viewpoint of durability, etc. In other words, the radio wave shielding section 230 has radio wave shielding properties. Note that the radio wave shielding section 230 is not limited to being made of metal.

[0159] The radio wave shielding portion 230 is formed with a first radio wave transmitting portion 230a and a second radio wave transmitting portion 230b, which are portions of the attachment 30 that transmit radio waves. In this embodiment, the first radio wave transmitting portion 230a and the second radio wave transmitting portion 230b are openings formed in the radio wave shielding portion 230. The first radio wave transmitting portion 230a may be an opening that is, for example, 50 mm long in the X-axis direction and 10 mm long in the Y-axis direction. An opening may also be formed in the case 10 at a position opposite the opening. The size of the opening formed in the case 10 in a plan view may be the same as the size of the first radio wave transmitting portion 230a.

[0160] The first radio wave transmitting portion 230a is an opening for transmitting (propagating) radio waves from one of the relay substrate 250 and the RF tag T2 to the other. The second radio wave transmitting portion 230b is an opening for transmitting (propagating) radio waves from one of the antenna a3 and the relay substrate 250 to the other. The first radio wave transmitting portion 230a is provided between the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230. The first radio wave transmitting portion 230a is provided at the end of the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230 on the positive side of the Z axis so as to span between the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230.

[0161] The first radio wave transmitting portion 230a and the second radio wave transmitting portion 230b are not limited to being spaces (air layers) and may be radio wave transmitting materials such as resin etc. For example, the opening formed in the radio wave shielding portion 230 may be covered with resin etc.

[0162] In the cross-sectional view shown in Figure 10, the attachment 30 can also be said to have a pair of radio wave shielding sections 230 arranged facing each other, and a first radio wave transmitting section 230a and a second radio wave transmitting section 230b spanning between the pair of radio wave shielding sections 230.

[0163] 10, the RF tag T3 is disposed opposite the relay board 250. For example, the RF tag T3 is disposed so that one end (the end on the positive Z-axis side) of the main surface (for example, the main surface on the positive Y-axis side) on which the antenna pattern m2 is formed faces the RF tag T2, and the other end (the end on the negative Z-axis side) of the main surface faces the antenna a3 side relative to the one end. The RF tag T3 may be disposed so as to be orthogonal to the antenna a3 and the RF tag T2 in the cross-sectional view shown in FIG.

[0164] 10, the RF tag T3 is disposed between the relay substrate 250 and one of the radio wave shielding sections 230. For example, the RF tag T3 may be disposed in a central position between the relay substrate 250 and one of the radio wave shielding sections 230, or may be disposed in a position between the relay substrate 250 and one of the radio wave shielding sections 230 that is closer to the relay substrate 250, or may be disposed in a position between the relay substrate 250 and one of the radio wave shielding sections 230 that is closer to one of the radio wave shielding sections 230.

[0165] The RF tag T3 and the relay board 250 are not aligned in the direction (Z-axis direction) in which the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3 are aligned. In other words, the RF tag T3 and the relay board 250 are arranged in positions where they do not overlap in a plan view. The RF tag T3 and the relay board 250 are aligned in the direction (Y-axis direction) in which the pair of radio wave shielding sections 230 are aligned.

[0166] The RF tags T2 and T3, the antenna a3, and the relay substrate 250 are arranged so that their polarizations are the same in a plan view. Alternatively, the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3 may be arranged so that their main surfaces on which the antenna patterns are formed face each other, and the RF tag T3 and the relay substrate 250 may be arranged so that their main surfaces on which the antenna patterns are formed face each other. For example, the antenna a3 and the relay substrate 250 are arranged so that they can be electrically coupled, and the relay substrate 250 and the RF tags T2 and T3 are arranged so that they can be electrically coupled.

[0167] The relay board 250 is disposed inside the attachment 30 between the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3, and transmits radio waves from the antenna a3 to each of the RF tags T2 and T3. The relay board 250 also transmits radio waves received from the RF tags T2 and T3 to the antenna a3. When UHF band radio waves are emitted from the antenna a3, the RF tag T2 is driven by the radio waves as energy and transmits a signal indicating information stored in the IC chip I to the antenna a3. The signal received by the antenna a3 is transmitted to the reader 130 via the cable C3, the antennas a3 and a2, etc. The relay board 250 is an example of a transmission unit.

[0168] By providing the relay substrate 250, radio waves can be more reliably transmitted even when the second radio wave transmitting portion 230b (for example, an opening) is small and it is difficult for radio waves to penetrate the inside of the attachment 30. In other words, by providing the relay substrate 250, the reliability of reading the RF tag T2 increases. Note that the relay substrate 250 does not intentionally prevent direct electric field coupling between the antenna a3 and the RF tag T3.

[0169] It is preferable that the RF tag T3 does not come into contact with the radio wave shielding portion 230.

[0170] The attachment 30 and the antenna a3 constitute a tag reading system 300. The tag reading system 300 is a system configured to detect an RF tag T2 using a relay board 250. The tag reading system 300 is configured, for example, so that the antenna a3 detects the RF tag T2 through the inside of the attachment 30 on which the relay board 250 is provided and the first radio wave transmitting section 230a. In the tag reading system 300, the attachment 30 is an example of a first production equipment unit, and the case 10 is an example of a second production equipment unit. The tag reading system 300 does not necessarily have to include a second production equipment unit.

[0171] In the mounting system 1 configured as described above, when radio waves are emitted from the antenna a3 to the relay board 250, the relay board 250 propagates the radio waves from the antenna a3 to the RF tags T2 and T3. The relay board 250 then receives signals corresponding to the radio waves from each of the RF tags T2 and T3 and propagates the signals to the antenna a3. This allows the antenna a3 to receive signals indicating the tag information stored in the IC chip I from each of the RF tags T2 and T3.

[0172] In the above description, the mounting system 1 detects the RF tag T2 attached to the case 10 via the relay board 250 provided inside the attachment 30, but the configuration of the mounting system 1 (the configuration of the tag reading system 300) is not limited to this. For example, the mounting system 1 may be configured such that the relay board 250 is provided in the feeder main body 40 and the RF tag T3 attached to the attachment 30 is detected via the relay board 250. In this case, the feeder main body 40 is an example of a first production equipment unit, and the attachment 30 is an example of a second production equipment unit. Furthermore, the RF tag T1 is an example of a first RF tag, and the RF tag T3 is an example of a second RF tag.

[0173] As described above, the mounting system 1 may further include a relay board 250 having a main surface on which the antenna pattern m3 is formed and provided inside the attachment 30. The relay board 250 may have one end of the main surface arranged on the RF tag T2 side (positive side of the Z axis) and the other end of the main surface arranged on the antenna a3 side (negative side of the Z axis) from the one end. The RF tag T2 is then detected by the antenna a3 via the relay board 250. For example, each of the RF tags T2 and T3 may be detected by the antenna a3 via the relay board 250.

[0174] The main surface on which the antenna pattern m3 is formed is an example of a first main surface, the antenna a3 is an example of a third antenna, the RF tag T2 is an example of a second RF tag, and the RF tag T3 is an example of a first RF tag.

[0175] As a result, in the mounting system 1, the RF tag T3 is not placed between the relay board 250 and the antenna a3, so the distance between the relay board 250 and the antenna a3 can be shortened. In other words, it is possible to suppress attenuation of radio waves between the relay board 250 and the antenna a3, and it is possible to improve the received signal strength of the RF tags T2 and T3. Therefore, the mounting system 1 can more reliably transmit radio waves to the RF tags T2 and T3 even if the interior of the attachment 30 is too narrow for radio waves.

[0176] Next, still another configuration of the supply unit will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a second example of the configuration of the supply unit 80 according to the present embodiment.

[0177] 11, the mounting system 1 is not limited to having the relay board 250, and the RF tag T3 may have the function of the relay board 250. In this case, the period of the square wave of the antenna pattern m2 of the RF tag T3 may be shorter than the period of the square wave of the antenna pattern m2 of the RF tag T2, for example. In other words, the RF tag T3 has high antenna performance, and for example, better antenna characteristics than the RF tag T2. It can also be said that the RF tag T3 has the function of a transmission unit.

[0178] The RF tag T3 is arranged so that one end (the end on the positive side of the Z axis) of the main surface (for example, the main surface on the positive side of the Y axis) on which the antenna pattern m2 is formed is on the RF tag T2 side, and the other end (the end on the negative side of the Z axis) of the main surface is on the antenna a3 side of the one end. The RF tag T3 may be arranged so as to be orthogonal to both the antenna a3 and the RF tag T2 in the cross-sectional view shown in FIG.

[0179] In the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 11 , the RF tag T3 is disposed between the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3 and between one of the radio wave shielding sections 230. The RF tag T3 may be disposed, for example, at a central position between the pair of radio wave shielding sections 230. For example, the distances between the RF tag T3 and each of the pair of radio wave shielding sections 230 shown in FIG. 11 are equal to each other at a length L4. The RF tag T3 may be disposed such that the main surface on which the antenna pattern m2 of the RF tag T3 is formed is located at a central position between the pair of radio wave shielding sections 230. The RF tag T3 may be disposed at a position close to one of the pair of radio wave shielding sections 230. The RF tag T3 may be disposed, for example, at a midpoint in the Z-axis direction between the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3.

[0180] The RF tags T2 and T3 and the antenna a3 are arranged so that their polarizations match in a plan view. For example, the antenna a3 and the RF tag T2 are arranged so that they can be electrically coupled, and the RF tags T3 and T2 are arranged so that they can be electrically coupled.

[0181] In the mounting system 1 configured as described above, when the RF tag T3 receives radio waves from the antenna a3, it radiates a signal corresponding to the radio waves to the antenna a3 and propagates the radio waves to the RF tag T2. Furthermore, when the RF tag T3 receives a signal corresponding to the radio waves from the RF tag T2, it may propagate the signal to the antenna a3. This allows the antenna a3 to receive signals indicating the tag information stored in the IC chip I from each of the RF tags T2 and T3.

[0182] As described above, the RF tag T3 of the mounting system 1 has a main surface on which the antenna pattern m2 is formed, and one end of the main surface may be arranged on the RF tag T2 side (positive side of the Z axis), and the other end of the main surface may be arranged on the antenna a3 side of the one end.

[0183] This allows the antenna a3 to detect the RF tags T2 and T3 without the relay board 250. That is, it is possible to realize a mounting system with a simpler configuration, which contributes to reducing the cost of the mounting system 1.

[0184] The position of the RF tag T3 in the supply unit shown in Fig. 11 is not limited to the central position between the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230. The position of the RF tag T3 will be described with reference to Fig. 12 and Fig. 13. Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining a method for measuring the received signal strength for each position of the RF tag T3 according to this embodiment.

[0185] As shown in FIG. 12, the received signal strength of each of the RF tags T2 and T3 is measured when the position of the RF tag T3 is changed from the radio wave shielding part 230 side on the negative side of the Y axis to the radio wave shielding part 230 side on the positive side of the Y axis. The resin plate r is a member for fixing the position of the RF tag T3 and is a plate-shaped member made of resin that does not affect the received signal strength. There are seven resin plates r, each with the same thickness (length in the Y axis direction). The example of FIG. 12 shows the position of the RF tag T3 when one resin plate r is located between the RF tag T3 and the radio wave shielding part 230 on the negative side of the Y axis. Note that the RF tags T2 and T3 face each other, and in the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 12, the RF tag T2 and antenna a3 are orthogonal to the RF tag T3. The main surface on which the antenna pattern m2 of the RF tag T3 is formed is the surface on the negative side of the Y axis.

[0186] The RF tag T2 and the antenna a3 are fixed, and the strength of the radio waves emitted from the antenna a3 is constant regardless of the position of the RF tag T3.

[0187] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing measurement results of received signal strength for each position of the RF tag T3 according to this embodiment. "Attachment" shown in Fig. 13 indicates the received signal strength (RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indicator) for each position of the RF tag T3 provided in the attachment 30, and "Case" indicates the received signal strength for each position of the RF tag T3 in the RF tag T2 provided in the case 10. Note that when the number of resin plates r is 0 and 7, the RF tag T3 is not in contact with the inner surface of the radio wave shielding portion 230, but is arranged with a predetermined interval (for example, about 1 mm) between them.

[0188] 13, it can be seen that the received signal strength at the RF tag T3 is high regardless of the position of the RF tag T3 in the Y-axis direction. On the other hand, the received signal strength at the RF tag T2 is affected by the position of the RF tag T3 in the Y-axis direction, and the signal strength tends to be low when the RF tag T3 is in the center position between a pair of radio wave shielding parts 230 (for example, a position where the number of resin plates r is 3 to 5).

[0189] For this reason, from the viewpoint of increasing the strength of the signal received by the RF tag T2, it is preferable that the RF tag T3 be disposed between the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230 and on the side of one of the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230 in the cross-sectional view shown in Fig. 11. Based on the results of 0 to 2 resin plates r, it is preferable that the RF tag T3 be closer to the radio wave shielding portion 230 than the distance equivalent to two resin plates r. Furthermore, based on the results of 6 to 7 resin plates r, it is more preferable that the RF tag T3 be closer to the radio wave shielding portion 230 than the distance equivalent to one resin plate r. It is preferable that the RF tag T3 be disposed, for example, approximately 1 mm inward (toward the center) from the radio wave shielding portion 230.

[0190] In FIG. 13, when the number of resin plates r is 3 to 5, detection is not possible, but this may be possible by improving the antenna performance of the RF tag T3.

[0191] Further examples of the arrangement of the RF tag T3 will be described below with reference to Fig. 14 to Fig. 16. Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a first example of the arrangement of the RF tag T3 according to this embodiment.

[0192] As shown in FIG. 14, the RF tag T3 may be disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to the antenna a3 and the RF tag T2. For example, the RF tag T3 may be disposed at an angle so that the polarization (e.g., the X-axis direction) does not change (does not rotate) when viewed from above. The dashed line extending from the RF tag T3 indicates an imaginary extension line passing through one end and the other end of the RF tag T3. If the angle between the imaginary extension line and the antenna a3 is θ, the angle θ may be, for example, 45° to 135°. For example, the angle θ may be 90° (a right angle). Note that the angle θ is not limited to this. It is sufficient that the RF tag T3 is disposed so as not to contact the radio wave shielding portion 230 and the relay board 250 when the supply unit 80 has the configuration shown in FIG. 10, and so as not to contact the radio wave shielding portion 230 when the supply unit 80 has the configuration shown in FIG. 11. The angle θ may be the angle at which the imaginary extension line intersects with an imaginary plane including the main surface on which the antenna pattern of the antenna a3 is formed.

[0193] Furthermore, when the RF tag T3 is placed at an angle, it may be placed so as to straddle the center position between the pair of radio wave shielding portions 230, or may be placed so as not to straddle the center position.

[0194] Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a second example of the arrangement of the RF tag T3 according to this embodiment. Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a third example of the arrangement of the RF tag T3 according to this embodiment. Figs. 15 and 16 are cross-sectional views of the mounting system 1 (tag reading system 300) when viewed from above.

[0195] As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 , the radio wave shielding unit 230 has a frame shape in a plan view and is provided to surround the RF tag T3. The radio wave shielding unit 230 has, for example, a rectangular frame shape, but is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 15 , the RF tag T3 may be arranged to face the inner surface of one wall of the radio wave shielding unit 230. For example, the RF tag T3 may be arranged to face the inner surface of a wall on a longer side in a plan view. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 16 , the RF tag T3 may be arranged to form a predetermined angle with the inner surface. For example, the RF tag T3 may be arranged to straddle the center of a pair of wall portions in the longitudinal direction in a plan view.

[0196] [3. Operation of the implemented system] Next, the operation of the mounting system 1 as described above will be described with reference to Figs. 17 to 20. First, an arrangement method for arranging an RF tag T3 inside an attachment 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 17. Fig. 17 is a flowchart showing an arrangement method for an RF tag T3 according to this embodiment. Note that an RF tag T3 is not initially arranged on the attachment 30. Furthermore, a process for preparing an attachment 30 on which an RF tag T3 is not arranged and an RF tag T3 corresponding to the attachment 30 is performed before the following step S10, but is not shown in the drawing.

[0197] 17, the RF tag T3 is attached inside the attachment 30 so that one end of the main surface on which the antenna pattern m1 is formed faces the antenna a3 and the other end of the main surface faces the RF tag T2 provided in the case 10 (S10). Information about the attachment 30 may be stored in the RF tag T3 in advance, or the information may be written by a reader / writer after the RF tag T3 is attached.

[0198] For example, after step S10, the process proceeds to step S201 shown in Fig. 20, where the attachment 30 to which the RF tag T3 has been attached in step S10 is attached to the cart 70. The processes from step S201 onwards will be described with reference to Fig. 20. Note that step S10 can also be said to be a manufacturing method for the attachment 30. Step S10 is also included in a manufacturing method for mounting a component on an object.

[0199] Next, the operation of replacing the case 10 of the carriage 70 attached to the component mounting apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the operation of replacing the case 10 of the mounting system 1 according to this embodiment. The flowchart shown in FIG. 18 is performed during production (while components are being mounted on the board 103). In other words, the flowchart shown in FIG. 18 is performed while components are being continuously mounted on the board 103 in the mounting process in which the mounting head 107 holds components in the feeder 20 and mounts them on the board 103. In other words, the operation shown below is performed in parallel with the mounting process.

[0200] 18, the first control device 50a causes the feeder 20 to supply the components in the case 10 (S101). Specifically, the first control device 50a vibrates the vibration generating unit 41, thereby causing the feeder 20 (the attachment 30 in this embodiment) to supply the amount of components corresponding to the vibration.

[0201] Next, the first control device 50a acquires the remaining number of components in the case 10 (S102). The first control device 50a acquires the remaining number by calculating the current remaining number of components in the case 10 based on, for example, the number of components in the case 10 (initial number) acquired from the RF tag T2 affixed to the case 10 when the case 10 was attached to the attachment 30 and the number of components supplied to the attachment 30 in the mounting process. The number of components supplied to the attachment 30 can be acquired, for example, from the detection result of a sensor 140 installed near the opening 32b of the attachment 30. In this way, the first control device 50a also functions as a confirmation unit that confirms the remaining number of components.

[0202] The method by which the first control device 50a obtains the remaining number of components is not limited to the above. For example, the first control device 50a may calculate the number of components based on the initial number of components and the number of components mounted (used) by the mounting head 107. For example, the first control device 50a may calculate the number of components supplied from the case 10 to the attachment 30 based on the number of components mounted in the mounting process (e.g., the number of times the mounting head 107 performed the mounting operation). The first control device 50a may also obtain the remaining number of components based on the initial number of components in the case 10 and the mounting time. In this case, the sensor 140 may not be provided. Furthermore, when the sensor 140 detects whether components are being supplied from the case 10 to the attachment 30, the first control device 50a may determine that the remaining number of components in the case 10 is zero when no components are being supplied. In this case, the first control device 50a can obtain the remaining number of components in the case 10 based on the detection result from the sensor 140. Specifically, the first control device 50a can obtain, based on the detection result from the sensor 140, that the number of parts remaining in the case 10 has become zero.

[0203] Next, the first control device 50a determines whether or not there are any remaining parts in the case 10 based on the remaining number of parts in the case 10 acquired in step S102 (S103). In step S103, the first control device 50a may determine whether or not the remaining number of parts in the case 10 has become zero, or may determine whether or not the remaining number of parts in the case 10 has become equal to or less than a predetermined number. The predetermined number is, for example, set in advance and stored in the storage unit 52.

[0204] If there are no parts remaining in the case 10 (No in S103), the first control device 50a proceeds to step S104. That is, if the number of parts remaining in the case 10 becomes zero or if the number of parts remaining in the case 10 becomes a predetermined number or less, the first control device 50a proceeds to step S104. Also, if there are parts remaining in the case 10 (Yes in S103), the first control device 50a returns to step S101 and continues supplying parts. That is, the first control device 50a keeps the cover 11 of the case 10 and the cover 32a of the attachment 30 open based on the remaining number acquired in step S102. It can also be said that the first control device 50a keeps the cover 11 open when there are parts remaining in the case 10.

[0205] The first control device 50a may make the determination in step S103 based on, for example, the number of parts remaining in the attachment 30 (for example, in the conveying unit 34) or a detection result indicating that parts remain in the attachment 30. In this case, when the first control device 50a acquires information indicating that a predetermined number or more of parts are present in the attachment 30 or that parts remain in the attachment 30, the first control device 50a determines "Yes" in step S103. The information may be, for example, a detection result from the sensor 140. The sensor 140 may be disposed, for example, midway along the conveying path of the conveying unit 34. For example, the sensor 140 may be provided in the conveying unit 34 so as to be able to detect whether parts are being supplied from the upstream side (case 10 side) of the conveying unit 34.

[0206] The above steps S101 to S103 may be performed as part of the mounting process.

[0207] Next, the first control device 50a changes the cover 11 of the case 10 and the cover 32a of the attachment 30 from the open state to the closed state in order to replace the case 10 (S104). That is, the first control device 50a changes the cover 11 of the case 10 and the cover 32a of the attachment 30 from the open state to the closed state based on the remaining number acquired in step S102. It can also be said that the first control device 50a closes the cover 11 when there are no remaining parts in the case 10.

[0208] At the time of step S104, there are still components remaining in the transport section 34 of the attachment 30. Therefore, the steps from step S104 onwards can be performed in parallel with the mounting process. In other words, the case 10 can be replaced while the components in the transport section 34 are being held and mounted on the board 103.

[0209] Note that cases 10 with no remaining quantity are transported to a disposal area by transport robot 60. Therefore, in step S104, cover 11 of case 10 does not need to be closed. That is, in step S104, cover 32a of attachment 30 only needs to be closed. In this case, when case 10 is removed from attachment portion 32 of feeder 20, opening 32b of attachment portion 32 is closed by cover 32a.

[0210] The second control device 50b also outputs a replenishment instruction to the transport robot 60, causing it to replace the case 10 (S105). The transport robot 60 transports the case 10 containing the exhausted parts from the storage area A1 or the preparation area A2 to the position of the exhausted case 10, and replaces the case 10. The replenishment instruction may include information identifying the case 10 to be transported from the storage area A1 or the preparation area A2, and information identifying the position where the case 10 is to be replaced (for example, the position of the feeder 20).

[0211] Here, the operation of the transport robot 60 to attach the case 10 to the attachment 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 19. Fig. 19 is a diagram showing the manner in which the case 10 is attached to the attachment 30 according to this embodiment. Although the movement of the case 10 shown in Fig. 19 is performed by the transport robot 60, the transport robot 60 is not shown. In Fig. 19, the case in which only the engagement portion 13 and the claw portion 37 are hidden is shown by dashed lines.

[0212] 19(a) shows a state in which a part of the case 10 is placed on the attached portion 32 of the attachment 30. At this time, the claw portions 37 are in a second position where they protrude from the attached portion 32.

[0213] 19(b) shows a state in which the transport robot 60 has moved the case 10 to the position of the claw 37. At this time, the claw 37 is, for example, pushed by the case 10 and moves into the mounted portion 32. That is, the claw 37 moves to a first position where it is housed in the mounted portion 32. This movement of the claw 37 may be performed by the drive unit 45. Furthermore, at least a portion of the claw 37 may be housed in the mounted portion 32. The position of the claw 37 where at least a portion is housed in the mounted portion 32 is also included in the first position.

[0214] 19(c) shows a state in which the engaging portion 13 of the case 10 engages with the claw portion 37, and the case 10 is fixed to the attachment 30. At this time, the claw portion 37 is in the second position. In this state, the tag information of the RF tag T2 of the replaced case 10 has not been verified, so it is preferable, but not limited to, that the cover 11 of the case 10 and the cover 32a of the attached portion 32 remain closed. As long as the case 10 is fixed to the attachment 30, the cover 32a of the attached portion 32 may be open.

[0215] In this way, the claw portion 37 is movable between a first position where at least a portion of the claw portion 37 is housed in the mounted portion 32, and a second position where the claw portion 37 protrudes from the mounted portion 32. In the second position, the claw portion 37 engages with an engaging portion 13 provided on the underside of the case 10, thereby fixing the case 10 to the mounted portion 32. The first position may be any position on the negative Z-axis side of the second position.

[0216] 18 again, next, the first control device 50a controls the reading device 130 to read the tag information of the RF tag T2 of the replaced case 10 (S106). The first control device 50a controls the switching unit 132 to establish electrical continuity between the reading unit 131 and the antenna a2. The reading unit 131 reads the tag information from the RF tag T2 via the antenna a2 and outputs the read tag information to the integrated control device 50 via the first control device 50a. This allows the integrated control device 50 to obtain the tag information of the RF tag T2 of the replaced case 10.

[0217] Next, the integrated control device 50 determines whether the replaced case is appropriate (S107). The integrated control device 50 may, for example, determine whether the tag information acquired in step S106 matches the production data. The integrated control device 50 may, for example, determine whether the type of parts included in the tag information matches the type of parts corresponding to the feeder 20 included in the production data. The integrated control device 50 may also determine whether the quantity of parts included in the tag information is equal to or greater than the number of parts required for production included in the production data. In this case, "matching" includes whether the quantity of parts satisfies the production data.

[0218] Note that the determination in step S107 may be made without using the production data. For example, the integrated control device 50 may make the determination in step S107 based on whether the types of parts in the case 10 before and after replacement match. Furthermore, in addition to the determination based on the types of parts included in the production data, the determination in step S107 may also be made based on whether the types of parts in the attachment 30 match.

[0219] If the replaced case 10 is appropriate (Yes in S107), the integrated control device 50 proceeds to step S108. If the replaced case 10 is not appropriate (No in S107), the integrated control device 50 returns to step S105 and causes the case to be replaced again. Note that a Yes determination in step S107 is an example of successful matching, and a No determination in step S107 is an example of unsuccessful matching.

[0220] Next, when the integrated control device 50 determines Yes in step S107, the first control device 50a changes the cover 11 of the case 10 and the cover 32a of the attachment 30 from the closed state to the open state (S108). That is, based on the determination result of step S107, the first control device 50a changes the cover 11 of the case 10 and the cover 32a of the attachment 30 from the closed state to the open state.

[0221] 19(d) shows a state in which the cover 11 of the case 10 and the cover 32a of the attachment 30 have changed from a closed state to an open state. In this way, the first control device 50a compares the tag information of the replaced case 10 with the production data, and if the comparison is successful, for example, if the tag information matches the production data, the first control device 50a opens the covers 11 and 32a and starts supplying parts to the attachment 30.

[0222] By replacing the case 10 in this manner, it is possible to replace the case 10 without stopping the mounting process and while preventing components from being mixed in. Note that the above steps S104 to S108 are an example of a component supply process. The component supply process is performed while components remain in the transport section 34.

[0223] Next, the operation when replacing the entire carriage 70 attached to the component mounting apparatus 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 20. Fig. 20 is a flowchart showing the operation of replacing the case 10 and the feeder 20 of the mounting system 1 according to this embodiment. Specifically, Fig. 20 shows the operation of preparing the carriage 70 for replacement in the preparation area A2 in advance.

[0224] The RF tag according to this embodiment is a long-distance RF tag capable of communication over a distance of, for example, 1 to 2 meters, but may also be a short-distance RF tag having a shorter communication distance than a long-distance RF tag. The communication distance of a short-distance RF tag is, for example, several tens of centimeters.

[0225] 20, the second control device 50b attaches the case 10 and the attachment 30 to the cart 70 arranged in the preparation area A2 (S201). Based on production data, for example, the second control device 50b controls the transfer robot 60 to attach the case 10 containing the parts to be used in the next production run and the attachment 30 corresponding to the case 10 to the feeder main body 40 held by the cart 70. It is assumed that the feeder main body 40 has been attached to the feeder slot of the cart 70 in advance.

[0226] A plurality of feeder main bodies 40 are attached to the cart 70, and in step S201, a case 10 and an attachment 30 corresponding to the case 10 are attached to each of the plurality of feeder main bodies 40. An antenna is disposed on each of the plurality of feeder main bodies 40.

[0227] Next, the first control device 50a acquires tag information stored in each of the multiple RF tags T2 and T3 (S202). Because the RF tags T2 and T3 are long-distance RF tags, the first control device 50a simultaneously acquires signals from each of the multiple RF tags T2 and T3. Therefore, the first control device 50a cannot identify the RF tags T2 and T3 corresponding to the antenna a1 from the acquired tag information. Therefore, in this embodiment, the first control device 50a identifies the RF tags T2 and T3 corresponding to the antenna a1 based on at least one of the radio wave intensity of the signals received from the multiple RF tags T2 and T3 and the number of times the signals are detected. Note that, in step S202, it is sufficient to acquire tag information for at least one of the RF tags T2 and T3. The following describes the case where the first control device 50a identifies the RF tag T2, but the same process may be performed to identify the RF tag T3. In step S202, the control unit 51 of the integrated control device 50 may acquire the tag information stored in the RF tags T2 and T3 from each of the RF tags T2 and T3. That is, the tag information may be acquired by the first control device 50a or the control unit 51.

[0228] The first control device 50a may also identify the RF tag T1 corresponding to the antenna a1 based on at least one of the radio wave intensity of the signals received from the multiple RF tags T1 and the number of times the signals are detected.

[0229] 20 again, next, the integrated control device 50 determines whether the case 10 and the attachment 30 attached to the feeder main body 40 are appropriate based on the tag information (S203). The integrated control device 50 may make the determination in step S203, for example, by comparing the tag information with production data. For example, if the type of component included in the tag information of the case 10 and the attachment 30 attached to the feeder main body 40 matches the type of component attached to the feeder main body 40 included in the production data, the integrated control device 50 determines that the attachment positions of the case 10 and the attachment 30 are appropriate (the case 10 and the attachment 30 are attached to the appropriate feeder main body 40), and therefore determines that the case 10 and the attachment 30 are appropriate (Yes in S203). Furthermore, for example, if the types of components included in the tag information of the case 10 and the attachment 30 attached to the feeder main body 40 do not match the types of components attached to the feeder main body 40 included in the production data, the integrated control device 50 determines that the attachment positions of the case 10 and the attachment 30 are inappropriate (No in S203). The integrated control device 50 performs the determination in step S203 for each feeder main body 40. Note that the determination of whether the attachment attachment positions are appropriate may be performed without using the production data. For example, the integrated control device 50 may perform the determination in step S203 based on whether the component types in the tag information of the attachment 30 and the tag information of the case 10 match. Note that the determination of whether the attachment attachment positions are appropriate may also be performed using the production data.

[0230] Next, when the integrated control device 50 determines Yes in step S203, the first control device 50a changes the cover 32a on the case 10 side of the attachment 30 attached to the carriage 70 of the component mounting device 100 from the open state to the closed state (S204). At this time, the first control device 50a may also change the cover 11 of the case 10 from the open state to the closed state.

[0231] Next, the second control device 50b removes the carriage 70 from the component mounting device 100, and attaches the carriage 70 for which the answer to step S203 in each feeder main body 40 is Yes (the carriage 70 for which the case 10 and attachment 30 are appropriate) to the component mounting device 100 (S205). The first control device 50a changes the cover 32a on the case side of the attachment 30 of the newly attached carriage 70 from the closed state to the open state (S206). At this time, the first control device 50a may also change the cover 11 of the case 10 from the closed state to the open state.

[0232] By exchanging the carriage 70 to which the case 10 and the feeder 20 are attached in this manner, it is possible to quickly exchange the carriage 70 while suppressing the mixing of parts. Note that the above steps S201 to S206 are an example of a parts supplying process.

[0233] [4. Effects, etc.] As described above, the tag reading system 300 according to this embodiment includes an attachment 30 having a radio wave shielding portion 230 with radio wave shielding properties and a first radio wave transparent portion 230a with radio wave transparency, and an RF tag T3 attached thereto, with the case 10 to which the RF tag T2 is attached being provided outside the first radio wave transparent portion 230a, and an antenna a3 for detecting the RF tags T2 and T3. The RF tag T3 has a main surface on which an antenna pattern m2 is formed, with one end of the main surface facing the RF tag T2 and the other end of the main surface being positioned closer to the antenna a3 than the one end. The antenna a3 is configured to detect the RF tag T2 through the interior of the attachment 30 and the first radio wave transparent portion 230a.

[0234] Here, the RF tag T2 is an example of a second RF tag, and the RF tag T3 is an example of a first RF tag. The attachment 30 is an example of a first production equipment unit, the case 10 is an example of a second production equipment unit, and the main surface on which the antenna pattern m2 is formed is an example of a first main surface.

[0235] As a result, the tag reading system 300 can detect the RF tag T2 using the antenna a3 through the inside of the attachment 30 and the first radio wave transmitting portion 230a, and therefore can more reliably acquire information about the RF tag T2 provided in the case 10 even if the attachment 30 has a radio wave shielding portion 230. Furthermore, the tag reading system 300 can more reliably write information to the RF tag T2 by transmitting information through the inside of the attachment 30 and the first radio wave transmitting portion 230a.

[0236] In addition, the RF tag T3 may be positioned so that a virtual extension line (dashed line shown in Figure 14) passing through one end and the other end of the main surface on which the antenna pattern m2 of the RF tag T3 is formed intersects with a virtual plane including the main surface on which the antenna pattern m1 of the antenna a3 is formed.

[0237] The RF tag T3 in the tag reading system 300 is an example of a first RF tag.

[0238] This increases the degree of freedom in arranging the RF tag T3. Furthermore, for example, when there are multiple types of attachments 30 with different lengths in the Z-axis direction, by preparing one RF tag T3 and arranging the RF tag T3 by adjusting the angle θ, it is possible to prevent the number of different sizes of the RF tag T3 from increasing.

[0239] The RF tag T3 may also be placed so that the imaginary extension line and the imaginary plane are orthogonal to each other.

[0240] This increases the degree of freedom in arranging the RF tag T3.

[0241] The attachment 30 of the tag reading system 300 has a pair of radio wave shielding sections 230 arranged to face each other in a cross-sectional view. The RF tag T3 may be arranged between the pair of radio wave shielding sections 230 and on the side of one of the pair of radio wave shielding sections 230.

[0242] This increases the reliability with which the antenna a3 detects the RF tag T2.

[0243] The attachment 30 in the tag reading system 300 has a pair of radio wave shielding sections 230 arranged to face each other, and a first radio wave transmitting section 230a provided between the pair of radio wave shielding sections 230. The main surface of the RF tag T3 on which the antenna pattern m2 is formed is arranged in the center between the pair of radio wave shielding sections 230. Note that the pair of radio wave shielding sections 230 and the main surface of the RF tag T3 may be arranged to face each other, for example.

[0244] This allows the radio waves from the antenna a3 to propagate to the RF tag T2 by utilizing the antenna pattern m2 formed on the RF tag T3. In other words, the radio waves from the antenna a3 can propagate to the RF tag T2 without providing the relay board 250. Therefore, compared to when the relay board 250 is provided, the internal configuration of the attachment 30 can be simplified, leading to cost reduction.

[0245] The attachment 30 of the tag reading system 300 further includes a relay board 250 disposed between the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3 and having a main surface on which the antenna pattern m3 is formed. One end of the main surface of the relay board 250 is disposed on the RF tag T2 side, and the other end of the main surface is disposed closer to the antenna a3 than the one end. The RF tag T2 is detected by the antenna a3 via the relay board 250.

[0246] The principal surface on which the antenna pattern m3 is formed is an example of a third principal surface.

[0247] As a result, the relay board 250 is disposed between the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3, so that radio waves from the antenna a3 can be transmitted to the RF tag T2 more reliably than when the relay board 250 is not disposed between the RF tag T2 and the antenna a3. For example, if the interior of the attachment 30 is narrower than the wavelength of the radio waves (e.g., 920 MHz radio waves), it becomes difficult for the radio waves to propagate from the RF tag T3 to the RF tag T2, but by providing the relay board 250, the radio waves can be transmitted to the RF tag T2 more reliably.

[0248] The attachment 30 also has a second radio wave transmitting portion 230b that is radio wave transparent and is provided so as to face the first radio wave transmitting portion 230a. The antenna a3 is disposed outside the second radio wave transmitting portion 230b.

[0249] This allows the antenna a3 to detect the RF tag T2 through the second radio wave transmitting portion 230b, the inside of the attachment 30, and the first radio wave transmitting portion 230a.

[0250] Furthermore, the first production equipment unit may be a feeder 20 having a mounting portion (for example, mounting portion 32 shown in FIG. 3) to which the case 10 is attached, and the second production equipment unit may be a case 10 that contains a part.

[0251] This allows the RF tag T2 attached to the case 10 to be read more reliably.

[0252] The tag reading system 300 may further include a second production equipment unit. The first production equipment unit may be a feeder main body 40 to which a case 10 for accommodating components is attached via an attachment 30, and the second production equipment unit may be the attachment 30 having an attachment portion 32 to which the case 10 is attached.

[0253] This allows the RF tag T3 attached to the attachment 30 to be read more reliably.

[0254] Furthermore, as described above, the mounting system 1 according to this embodiment may include a substrate conveying mechanism 102 that holds the substrate 103, the above-mentioned tag reading system 300, a first control device 50a or an integrated control device 50 that determines whether the components are correct or incorrect based on the first tag information based on the RF tag T2 and the second tag information based on the RF tag T3 read by the tag reading system 300, and a mounting head 107 that mounts the components held by the feeder 20 onto the substrate 103 based on the determination result of the first control device 50a or the integrated control device 50.

[0255] The substrate 103 is an example of an object, the substrate transport mechanism 102 is an example of a holder, and the first control device 50a or the integrated control device 50 is an example of a determination device.

[0256] This makes it possible to realize the mounting system 1 that can more reliably read the information of the RF tag T2 attached to the case 10 or the RF tag T3 attached to the attachment 30. Furthermore, since the occurrence of errors in reading the information of the RF tag is suppressed, the productivity of the mounting system 1 is improved.

[0257] Furthermore, as described above, the tag placement method of this embodiment is a method for placing an RF tag T3 attached to an attachment 30 (an example of a first production equipment unit), and includes attaching the RF tag T3 inside the attachment 30 so that one end of the main surface of the RF tag T3 faces the antenna a3 and the other end of the main surface faces the RF tag T2.

[0258] This allows the number of antennas, cables, etc. provided inside the attachment 30 to be reduced.

[0259] (Other embodiments) Although the embodiments have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to such embodiments.

[0260] For example, in the above embodiment, the control device uses the transport robot to replace the case and prepare and replace the supply unit in advance, but this is not limited to this. The control device may present to the worker via a presentation device that the case replacement and the supply unit preparation and replacement should be performed. The presentation device may be, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display, but may also be a sound output device.

[0261] Furthermore, communication between the control device in the above embodiment and the components to be controlled (for example, a drive unit, a vibration generating unit, a power supply unit, a transport robot, etc.) is not particularly limited, and may be performed by wired communication or wireless communication. Wireless communication may be performed using Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee, optical communication, or specified low-power radio.

[0262] In the above embodiment, the attachment is fixed to the case and the attachment is fixed to the feeder body by the engagement of the hooks and the engagement parts, but the fixing method is not limited to the above and any known fixing method may be used.

[0263] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, an example of the feeder arrangement unit is a carriage, but the present invention is not limited to this. The feeder arrangement unit may be a fixed support table (for example, a support table attached to a mounting line). In other words, the feeder arrangement unit is not limited to a movable one.

[0264] In the above-described embodiment, the conveying unit conveys the components by vibration generated by the vibration generating unit, but the method of conveying the components is not limited to this. For example, the conveying unit may convey the components by air supply, magnetic force, a conveyor, or the like.

[0265] In addition, the reading device installed on the trolley in the above-mentioned embodiments may be realized by a reader / writer that can simultaneously acquire tag information transmitted from multiple RF tags and simultaneously transmit information to be written to the RF tags to the multiple RF tags.

[0266] In the above-described embodiment, the action of the action portion on the cover provided at the opening of the case is described as pressing the cover, but the action is not limited to pressing. The action may be pulling the cover while the action portion and the cover are engaged. Furthermore, the action of the action portion on the cover also includes the action of the action portion indirectly acting on the cover.

[0267] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which one relay board is provided inside the attachment, but the number of relay boards is not limited to one and may be two or more. When there are two or more relay boards, the two or more relay boards may be arranged side by side in the Y-axis direction or in the Z-axis direction.

[0268] The present disclosure may also be realized as a tag reading method for reading information about an RF tag in a case using an attachment in which a relay board is arranged as shown in Fig. 10, or an attachment in which an RF tag is arranged as shown in Fig. 11, 14 to 16. In the tag reading method, an attachment as shown in any of Fig. 10, 11, and 14 to 16 is prepared, and an antenna arranged outside the second radio wave transparent portion of the prepared attachment detects, via the relay board, the RF tag inside the attachment and the RF tag in the case arranged outside the first radio wave transparent portion.

[0269] Furthermore, the general or specific aspects of the present disclosure may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0270] The order of the processes described in the flowcharts of the above embodiments is merely an example. The order of the processes may be changed, or the processes may be executed in parallel.

[0271] The division of functional blocks in the block diagram is an example, and multiple functional blocks may be realized as a single functional block, one functional block may be divided into multiple blocks, or some functions may be moved to another functional block.Furthermore, the functions of multiple functional blocks having similar functions may be processed in parallel or in time-sharing by a single piece of hardware or software.

[0272] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, each component (for example, a processing unit such as a control unit) may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory. Also, for example, each component may be a circuit (or integrated circuit). These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or each may be a separate circuit. Also, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

[0273] In addition, the present disclosure also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to the above-described embodiments that a person skilled in the art would conceive, or forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment within the scope that does not deviate from the spirit of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0274] The present disclosure can be used in a system for producing a mounted board by mounting components on a board. [Explanation of symbols]

[0275] 1. Mounting system 10 cases 11, 32a, 35 cover 12 Case body 13, 36 Engagement portion 14 First protrusion 15, 32b, 35a, 40a opening 20 Feeder 30 Attachments 32 Attached part 34 Conveying section 37, 43 Claws 38, 44 Convex part 40 Feeder body 41 Vibration generating unit 45 Drive unit 50 Integrated control device 50a First control device 50b Second control device 51 Control section 52 Storage section 60 Transport Robot 61 Robot Arm 62 Running part 63 Storage area 63a, 71 Holding part 70 carts 80 supply units 90 Mounting Line 100 Component mounting equipment 101 Foundation 102 Substrate transport mechanism 103, 250a, aa3, TT2 board 105 X-axis moving table 106 Y-axis moving table 107 Mounting head 108 Component Mounting Mechanism 109 Circuit Board Recognition Camera 110 Parts Recognition Camera 111 Power supply section 120 roll case 130 Reading device 131 Reading unit 132 Switching section 140 sensors 141 Part detection unit 230 Radio wave shielding part 230a First radio wave transmitting portion 230b Second radio wave transparent portion 250 relay board 300 Tag Reading System A1 Storage Area A2 Preparation Area A21 Waiting Area A3 Mounting area a1, a2, a3, a4, a5, a6, a7 antennas C1, C2, C3, C4, C5 cables I IC chip L1, L2, L3, L4 lengths m1, m2, m3 antenna patterns n2, n3, n4 connectors r Resin plate RW reader / writer T, T1, T2, T3, T4 RF Tags W Parts Storage

Claims

1. a first production equipment unit having a radio wave shielding portion having radio wave shielding properties and a first radio wave transparent portion having radio wave transparent properties, and having a first RF tag attached thereto, and a second production equipment unit having a second RF tag attached thereto, the second production equipment unit being provided outside the first radio wave transparent portion; an antenna for detecting the first RF tag and the second RF tag; the first RF tag has a first main surface on which an antenna pattern is formed, one end of the first main surface is disposed on the second RF tag side, and the other end of the first main surface is disposed on the antenna side relative to the one end; the antenna is configured to detect the second RF tag through the interior of the first production equipment unit and the first radio wave transparent portion; Tag reading system.

2. the first RF tag is disposed so that an imaginary extension line passing through the one end and the other end intersects with an imaginary plane including a second main surface on which an antenna pattern of the antenna is formed; The tag reading system according to claim 1 .

3. the first RF tag is disposed so that the imaginary extension line and the imaginary plane are orthogonal to each other; The tag reading system according to claim 2 .

4. the first production equipment unit has a pair of the radio wave shielding portions arranged to face each other in a cross-sectional view, the first RF tag is disposed between the pair of radio wave shielding portions and on the side of one of the pair of radio wave shielding portions; The tag reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. the first production equipment unit has a pair of the radio wave shielding portions arranged to face each other, and the first radio wave transmitting portion provided between the pair of the radio wave shielding portions, the first main surface of the first RF tag is disposed at the center between the pair of radio wave shielding portions; The tag reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. the first production equipment unit further includes a relay board disposed between the second RF tag and the antenna within the first production equipment unit, the relay board having a third main surface on which an antenna pattern is formed; one end of the third main surface of the relay board is disposed on the second RF tag side, and the other end of the third main surface is disposed on the antenna side relative to the one end; The second RF tag is detected by the antenna via the relay board. The tag reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. the first production equipment unit has radio wave transparency and includes a second radio wave transparent portion provided opposite the first radio wave transparent portion; the antenna is disposed outside the second radio wave transparent portion. The tag reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. the first production equipment unit is a feeder having a mounting portion to which the second production equipment unit is mounted, the second production equipment unit is a case for accommodating parts; The tag reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The second production facility unit is further provided, the first production equipment unit is a feeder main body to which a case for accommodating parts is attached via an attachment; the second production equipment unit is the attachment having a mounting portion to which the case is attached; The tag reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. a holder for holding an object; A tag reading system according to claim 8; a determination unit that determines whether a part is genuine or not based on information from the first RF tag and the second RF tag read by the tag reading system; a mounting head for mounting the components held by the feeder onto the target object based on the determination result of the determination unit. Implementation system.

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