Parts feeder and parts loading equipment

Abstract

To provide a part supply device capable of suppressing lateral vibration of a part feeder attached to a feeder cart, and a part mounting device including the part supply device.SOLUTION: A part feeder 11 includes a hook-shaped member 61 configured to engage with a lock pin 34c on a feeder cart 12 when slid with respect to a feeder base 23. The feeder cart 12 has a plurality of guide pieces 35 arranged side by side in a lateral direction. The hook-shaped member 61 is configured to engage with the lock pin 34c through a guide passage 36 between the two adjacent guide pieces 35 out of the plurality of guide pieces 35. A pair of parallel guide faces 35G opposed to each other in the lateral direction of the two guide pieces 35 constituting the guide passage 36 support both sides of the hook-shaped member 61 before and after the hook-shaped member 61 engages with the lock pin 34c.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 19

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a component supply device including a parts feeder for supplying components and a feeder carriage to which the parts feeder is attached, and a component mounting device including this component supply device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a component mounting device for mounting components on a component mounting object such as a printed circuit board includes a component supply unit (component supply device) and a component mounting unit for mounting the components supplied from the component supply unit on the component mounting object. The component supply device includes a parts feeder for supplying components and a feeder carriage to which the parts feeder is attached. The parts feeder includes a slider on the lower surface of the front portion of the housing, and the feeder carriage includes a feeder attachment portion on the upper surface of a block-shaped feeder base, where the slider is slid and attached (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below). The parts feeder attached to the feeder base is locked to the feeder base by engaging a hook-shaped feeder-side engaging member provided at the rear portion of the housing with a carriage-side engaging member provided on the feeder carriage side.

[0003] In a component supply device having such a configuration, the component supply port of the parts feeder is located at the front portion of the housing, and the housing is held by attaching the slider located at the front portion of the slider to the feeder attachment portion. This can reduce the influence of the lateral sway (displacement in the falling direction) of the parts feeder and contribute to improving the supply accuracy of the components.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, as parts feeders have become thinner in recent years, simply holding the front of the enclosure to the feeder base is no longer sufficient to prevent lateral movement of the enclosure, which could lead to a decrease in the accuracy of parts supply.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a parts supply device that can suppress lateral swaying of a parts feeder attached to a feeder trolley, and a parts mounting device equipped with this parts supply device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The parts feeder of the present invention is a parts feeder installed on a feeder base attached to a feeder trolley and used to supply parts, wherein the parts feeder includes a feeder-side engaging member that engages with a first member provided on the feeder trolley side by sliding relative to the feeder base, and the feeder-side engaging member is Engages with the first member At that time, the feeder trolley passes between two adjacent guide pieces among the multiple guide pieces provided on the feeder trolley and is guided by the two adjacent guide pieces, and furthermore, the feeder side engaging member but Engage with the first member By The parts feeder is locked to the feeder base.

[0008] The component mounting device of the present invention comprises the parts feeder of the present invention described above, and a mounting head that picks up the components supplied by the parts feeder and mounts them onto an object to be mounted. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, lateral swaying of a parts feeder mounted on a feeder trolley can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Side view of a main part of a component mounting device in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]A perspective view of the parts feeder and feeder base of the feeder trolley, which constitute the parts supply section of a parts loading device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] Perspective view of the feeder base of a feeder trolley in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] A perspective view of a portion of the feeder base of a feeder trolley in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] A partial plan view of the feeder base of a feeder trolley in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] (a) Side view (b) Front view of a portion of the feeder base of a feeder trolley in one embodiment of the present invention [Figure 7] A perspective view of a portion of the feeder base of a feeder trolley in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] (a)(b) Partial side view of a feeder trolley in one embodiment of the present invention [Figure 9] Perspective view of a parts feeder in one embodiment of the present invention [Figure 10] (a) Side view and (b) Bottom view of a parts feeder in one embodiment of the present invention [Figure 11] A partial perspective view of a parts feeder in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] Perspective view of the downward extension of a parts feeder in one embodiment of the present invention [Figure 13] (a)(b) Perspective side view of a part of a parts feeder in one embodiment of the present invention [Figure 14] A side view showing the state in which the air plug and valve unit of a parts feeder in one embodiment of the present invention are connected by a first tube. [Figure 15] (a)(b)(c) Diagram showing the procedure for attaching the plate member of the parts feeder in one embodiment of the present invention to the bolt mounting portion of the housing. [Figure 16] (a)(b) Diagram showing a parts feeder according to one embodiment of the present invention mounted on a feeder trolley. [Figure 17]Cross-sectional views of (a) the slider and the feeder mounting member and (b) the positioning projection and the positioning guide in the state where the parts feeder in one embodiment of the present invention is attached to the feeder carriage [Figure 18] (a)(b)(c) Diagram for explaining the operation of the lock arm when the parts feeder in one embodiment of the present invention is attached to the feeder carriage [Figure 19] (a)(b) Perspective views of a region including a part of the parts feeder and a guide piece provided on the feeder carriage in one embodiment of the present invention [Figure 20] (a)(b) Side views showing the movement of the parts feeder when the parts feeder in one embodiment of the present invention is removed from the feeder carriage [Figure 21] (a)(b)(c) Diagram for explaining the operations of the unlocking member and the lock arm when the parts feeder in one embodiment of the present invention is removed from the feeder carriage [Figure 22] (a)(b) Side views showing the movement of the parts feeder when the parts feeder in one embodiment of the present invention is removed from the feeder carriage [Figure 23] (a)(b) Diagrams showing the state where the parts feeder in one embodiment of the present invention is being removed from the feeder carriage

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a component mounting apparatus 1 in one embodiment of the present invention. The component mounting apparatus 1 is an apparatus that repeatedly executes a component mounting operation of mounting a component BH on a component mounting target object (for example, a printed circuit board) KB carried in from the upstream process side and discharging it to the downstream process side. Here, for convenience of explanation, the horizontal direction along the conveyance direction of the component mounting target object KB in the component mounting apparatus 1 is defined as the X direction, the horizontal direction orthogonal to the X direction is defined as the Y direction, and the vertical direction is defined as the Z direction. Also, the X direction as viewed from the operator OP is the lateral direction, the Y direction as viewed from the operator OP is the front-rear direction, and the farther side from the operator OP in the front-rear direction is expressed as the front, and the nearer side is expressed as the rear.

[0012] In Figure 1, the component mounting device 1 consists of a component supply unit 1A that supplies component BH and a component mounting unit 1B that mounts the component BH supplied by the component supply unit 1A onto the component mounting target KB. The component supply unit 1A is equipped with a parts feeder 11 and a feeder trolley 12, and the component mounting unit 1B is equipped with a base 13, a transport unit 14, a mounting head 15, a head movement mechanism 16 and a mounting unit control device 17.

[0013] In Figure 2, the parts feeder 11, which constitutes the parts supply unit 1A, has a shape that spreads out along the YZ plane as a whole. When the parts feeder 11 is attached to the feeder trolley 12, it has a parts supply port (parts supply port 11K) at the top of the front (rear side) as seen from the operator OP.

[0014] In Figure 1, the feeder trolley 12 has a feeder base support section 22 extending upward from a body section 21 that can move on the floor surface FL, and a block-shaped feeder base 23 is provided on the upper part of the feeder base support section 22 to which parts feeders 11 can be detachably attached. Multiple parts feeders 11 can be attached to the feeder base 23 in a line in the X direction.

[0015] In Figure 1, the transport unit 14 constituting the component mounting unit 1B consists of a pair of belt conveyors 14a and is provided extending in the X direction on the base 13. The transport unit 14 receives the component mounting target KB sent from the upstream process side and positions it at a predetermined work position.

[0016] In Figure 1, the mounting head 15 is equipped with multiple nozzles 15N extending downward. The mounting head 15 can move each nozzle 15N vertically and can also rotate it around the vertical axis. The mounting head 15 can also generate a suction force by vacuum pressure at the lower end of each nozzle 15N. The head movement mechanism 16 consists of, for example, an XY table mechanism and moves the mounting head 15 along the horizontal plane (XY plane) in the area above the base 13.

[0017] In Figure 1, a mounting unit control device 17 is provided within the base 13. The mounting unit control device 17 controls the operation of each part of the component mounting unit 1B. Specifically, the mounting unit control device 17 controls the transport operation and positioning operation of the component mounting target KB by the transport unit 14, and controls the lifting, lowering, and rotational operation of each of the multiple nozzles 15N provided on the mounting head 15. The mounting unit control device 17 also generates an attractive force for the component BH at the lower end of each nozzle 15N, and activates the head moving mechanism 16 to move the mounting head 15.

[0018] When the component loading device 1 performs component loading, it first receives the component to be loaded KB, which has been sent from the upstream process, via the transport unit 14, transports it, and positions it at the work position. Once the component to be loaded KB is positioned at the work position, the head moving mechanism 16 is activated to move the loading head 15 above the parts feeder 11, and the component BH is picked up by each of the multiple nozzles 15N.

[0019] Once the component BH is attracted to each of the multiple nozzles 15N, the mounting head 15 is moved above the component mounting target KB. Then, the nozzles 15N are lowered above the target mounting position set on the component mounting target KB, and the component BH is mounted at the target mounting position. This operation of the mounting head 15 is repeated until all the component BH to be mounted on the component mounting target KB is mounted, at which point the transport unit 14 is activated to transport the component mounting target KB to the downstream process side. This completes the component mounting operation for each component mounting target KB by the component mounting device 1.

[0020] In this component loading device 1, the configuration of the parts feeder 11 and feeder trolley 12 that constitute the parts supply unit 1A is a distinctive feature of this embodiment, and will be described below.

[0021] First, let's describe the feeder trolley 12. In Figures 2 and 3, the front area of ​​the upper surface of the feeder base 23 of the feeder trolley 12 (the area furthest from the worker OP's perspective) has a platform-like section 23D that is positioned higher on its upper surface than the rear area of ​​the feeder base 23 (the area furthest from the worker OP's perspective). Multiple feeder mounting members 24 are provided on the platform-like section 23D at intervals in the X direction.

[0022] Each feeder mounting member 24 consists of a rod-shaped member with a "T" cross-section extending in the Y direction. The space between two adjacent feeder mounting members 24 is shaped like an "inverted T" with the "T" shape reversed, and this space will hereafter be referred to as the feeder mounting section 25.

[0023] In Figures 2 and 3, a positioning guide 26 is attached to the rear region of the upper surface of the feeder base 23. As shown in Figure 4, the positioning guide 26 consists of a plate-shaped member extending in the lateral direction (X direction). Multiple wall portions 26F are provided on the upper surface of the positioning guide 26, arranged in the X direction at regular intervals. Between two adjacent wall portions 26F is a positioning groove 26M into which the positioning projection 56 of the parts feeder 11, which will be described later, engages. Thus, the positioning guide 26 is configured to have multiple positioning grooves 26M arranged in the X direction on its upper surface (Figure 4).

[0024] In Figure 4, screw insertion holes 26H are provided on the bottom surface of each of the two positioning grooves 26M located at both ends of the positioning guide 26, and projection engagement holes 26K are provided on the bottom surface of each of the other two positioning grooves 26M that are different from the two positioning grooves 26M that have screw insertion holes 26H. Two alignment protrusions 23T are provided on the upper surface of the feeder base 23, which protrude upward and engage with the two projection engagement holes 26K of the positioning guide 26, and screw holes 23H (Figure 4) are provided at two positions that coincide with the two screw insertion holes 26H when the two alignment protrusions 23T are engaged with the two projection engagement holes 26K.

[0025] To attach the positioning guide 26 to the top surface of the feeder base 23, first, the positioning guide 26 is positioned and placed on the top surface of the feeder base 23 by fitting the two projection engagement holes 26K of the positioning guide 26 into the two alignment projections 23T of the feeder base 23. Once the two screw insertion holes 26H on the positioning guide 26 and the two screw holes 23H on the feeder base 23 are aligned, screws 27 are inserted into each of the two screw insertion holes 26H and screwed into the corresponding screw holes 23H. As a result, the positioning guide 26 is attached to the top surface of the feeder base 23 in a state where it is accurately positioned relative to the feeder base 23 by the alignment projections 23T.

[0026] Here, the screw 27 is, for example, a countersunk screw, and when the screw 27 inserted through the screw insertion hole 26H is screwed into the screw hole 23H, the upper surface of the head of the screw 27 is at the same height as the bottom surface of the positioning groove 26M of the positioning guide 26, or at a lower height than the bottom surface of the positioning groove 26M. Also, the upper end of the alignment projection 23T engaged with the projection engagement hole 26K does not protrude upward from the projection engagement hole 26K (i.e., it is located at a lower position than the bottom surface of the positioning groove 26M).

[0027] In Figures 2 and 5, each of the multiple feeder mounting sections 25 arranged horizontally (X direction) on the feeder base 23 and the positioning guide 26 corresponding to each feeder mounting section 25 form a single slot 28. That is, the feeder base 23 has a configuration in which multiple slots 28 arranged in the X direction are provided on its upper surface. In this embodiment, there are two positioning guides 26 attached to the upper surface of the feeder base 23, and the multiple positioning grooves 26M located on the upper surface of the feeder base 23 are divided and provided on the two positioning guides 26.

[0028] In this embodiment, the positioning grooves 26M are arranged in a row in the lateral direction (X direction), which is perpendicular to the sliding direction (Y direction) of the parts feeder 11 relative to the feeder base 23, and multiple positioning grooves 26M are formed on a single positioning guide 26. Furthermore, the multiple positioning grooves 26M on the feeder base 23 are divided and provided on multiple (in this case, two) positioning guides 26 provided on the upper surface of the feeder base 23.

[0029] In this embodiment, the positioning guide 26 is detachably attached to the feeder base 23 by a screw 27 that penetrates the bottom surface of the positioning groove 26M and is screwed into the feeder base 23. When the positioning guide 26 is attached to the feeder base 23 by the screw 27, the upper surface of the head of the screw 27 does not protrude above the bottom surface of the positioning groove 26M.

[0030] In Figures 2 and 3, a feeder stopper 31 is provided at the front end (the rear end as seen from the operator OP) of the feeder base 23. The feeder stopper 31 has a shape that spreads out along the XZ plane and extends upward as a whole. The upper and lower parts of the feeder stopper 31 are provided with an upper pin insertion hole 31A and a lower pin insertion hole 31B, respectively, arranged to correspond to each slot 28.

[0031] In Figures 2, 3, and 6(a) and 6(b), an overhanging member 32 is provided on the lower surface of the rear of the feeder base 23 (the side facing the operator OP), extending downward and rearward from the feeder base 23. A bracket 33, which has a shape that spreads out along the XZ plane and extends downward as a whole, is detachably provided on the rear of the overhanging member 32.

[0032] In Figures 2, 3, and 6(a) and 6(b), a plurality of lock arms 34 are provided at the rear end of the overhanging member 32, arranged in the X direction in a configuration corresponding to each slot 28. As shown in Figure 7, the lock arm 34 comprises a pair of arm plates 34a arranged opposite each other in the X direction and extending in the front-rear direction (Y direction), and an operating pin 34b and a lock pin 34c provided between the pair of arm plates 34a and extending in the X direction.

[0033] In Figure 3, a plurality of hook-shaped portions 23K are provided at the rear end of the feeder base 23, arranged in the X direction. As shown in Figures 6(a) and 7, the front ends of a pair of arm plates 34a are pivotally supported by a pivot shaft 34d that extends in the X direction. The operating pin 34b is supported at both ends of the rear ends of the pair of arm plates 34a in the front-rear direction. The lock pin 34c is supported at both ends of the pair of arm plates 34a in the front-rear direction. The portion of the lock arm 34 in front of the pivot shaft 34d is biased upward by a biasing spring 34e.

[0034] In Figures 2, 3 and 6(a) and 6(b), a plurality of guide pieces 35 are provided on the rear end surface of the overhanging member 32, below a plurality of locking arms 34 arranged in the X direction, arranged laterally (in the X direction). Each guide piece 35 has a shape that protrudes rearward, and a guide passage 36 is formed between a pair of side surfaces (referred to as "guide surfaces 35G") of two adjacent guide pieces 35 that face each other laterally (in the X direction).

[0035] In this embodiment, the feeder trolley 12 is provided with a plurality of guide pieces arranged in the lateral direction (X direction), which is perpendicular to the front-to-back direction (Y direction), which is the direction in which the parts feeder 11 slides relative to the feeder base 23. A guide passage 36 is formed between a pair of adjacent guide pieces 35 that correspond to the lateral direction. As shown in Figure 5, the portions connecting to the rear of each of the two guide surfaces 35G are tapered surfaces 35M formed in a tapered shape that widens towards the rear.

[0036] In Figures 2, 3, and 6(a), an air socket 37 is provided at the rear end of the overhanging member 32. A trolley-side connector 38 and an engagement pin 39 are provided on the upper part of a bracket 33 that is detachably attached to the overhanging member 32.

[0037] In Figures 2, 3, and 6(a), the air socket 37, the bogie-side connector 38, and the engagement pin 39 are positioned in this order from above, each protruding to the rear. The air socket 37, the bogie-side connector 38, and the engagement pin 39 are arranged in the X direction, and one set of one air socket 37, one bogie-side connector 38, and one engagement pin 39, arranged vertically, is positioned corresponding to each of the multiple slots 28.

[0038] The air socket 37 is connected to an air pipe inside the component mounting section 1B, which is supplied with air from an air supply source (not shown) located outside the component mounting section 1B. The bogie-side connector 38 is connected to an electrical cable inside the component mounting section 1B, which is supplied with power from a power source (not shown) located outside the component mounting section 1B.

[0039] In Figures 2, 3, and 6(a), the trolley-side control board 41, which is the control board for the feeder trolley 12, is mounted in the front (rear) region of the bracket 33. More specifically, the trolley-side control board 41 is mounted on the bracket 33 in a vertical orientation such that its thickness direction (normality NR to the surface) is oriented in the sliding direction of the parts feeder 11 relative to the feeder base 23 (the direction in which the feeder mounting member 24 extends, which is the Y direction).

[0040] In this embodiment, the trolley-side control board 41 provided on the feeder trolley 12 is provided in a vertical position instead of a horizontal position as in the conventional design. This allows for a reduction in the depth (Y direction) dimension of the feeder base 23, making the entire feeder trolley 12 more compact.

[0041] In Figure 6(a), each of the multiple bogie-side connectors 38 is electrically connected to the bogie-side control board 41 by bogie-side wiring 41C. That is, the bogie-side control board 41 is configured as a unit (control board unit 41U) that is integrated with the bogie-side connectors 38 and brackets 33.

[0042] As mentioned above, since the bracket 33 is detachably attached to the protruding member 32 of the feeder base 23, the entire control board unit 41U, including the bogie-side control board 41 and the bogie-side connector 38, can be removed from the feeder base 23 by removing the bracket 33 from the feeder base 23. This makes maintenance work on the bogie-side control board 41 and the bogie-side connector 38 extremely easy.

[0043] In Figures 6(a) and 6(b), a floating mechanism 43 is provided between the feeder base support portion 22 and the feeder base 23 of the feeder trolley 12 to support (floating support) the feeder base 23 so that the upper surface of the feeder base 23 is in a nearly horizontal reference position. The floating mechanism 43 is composed of a fixed-side member 43a provided at the upper end of the feeder base support portion 22 and a movable-side member 43b located above the fixed-side member 43a and coupled to the feeder base 23.

[0044] In its natural state, when no external vertical forces other than its own weight are applied, the feeder base 23 (fixed side member 43a) is in a horizontal position (reference position) with the upper surface of the movable side member 43b in contact from above. However, when an external force is applied, it tilts from the reference position according to that external force. Specifically, when an upward external force is applied to the rear end of the feeder base 23, the feeder base 23 (and therefore the movable side member 43b) will tilt forward. Conversely, when a downward external force is applied to the rear end of the feeder base 23, the feeder base 23 will tilt from the reference position according to that external force.

[0045] As described above, the feeder trolley 12 in this embodiment is equipped with a floating mechanism 43 interposed between the feeder base 23 and the feeder base support portion 22 that supports the feeder base 23 from below, thereby providing floating support for the feeder base 23.

[0046] In Figures 6(a) and 6(b), a contact member 44 is provided on the lower surface of the feeder base 23, protruding downward. On the other hand, a contacted member 45 is provided on the upper surface of the fixed-side member 43a that constitutes the floating mechanism 43, protruding upward. As shown in Figure 6(a), the contact member 44 consists of a member with a channel-shaped cross-section extending in the lateral direction (X direction), and multiple contact members are provided side by side in the lateral direction. The fixed-side member 43a also consists of a member with a channel-shaped cross-section extending in the lateral direction (X direction).

[0047] The contact member 44 contacts the contacted member 45 from above when the feeder base 23 is in its reference position (see standard contact point T0 shown in Figures 6(a) and (b)). Therefore, the feeder base 23 cannot easily tilt (tilt forward) even if it tries to tilt downward from its reference position towards its front end.

[0048] In this embodiment, the contact member 44, which is a base-side member that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the feeder base 23, and the contacted member 45, which is a support-side member that is provided on the feeder base support portion 22 that supports the feeder base 23 (more directly on the fixed-side member 43a) and contacts the contact member 44, form a forward tilt restricting portion 46 that restricts the range of motion of the forward tilt movement in which the feeder base 23 tilts in a direction that lowers its front end from a nearly horizontal reference position.

[0049] If an external force is applied that attempts to forcibly tilt the feeder base 23 forward from a state where the contact member 44 is in contact with the contacted member 45 and the forward tilt of the feeder base 23 from its reference position is restricted, the feeder base 23 will tilt forward using the forward-tilting contact point T1, which is forward of the standard contact point T0, as the pivot point. Even in this case, the forward tilt is limited to the range in which the tilt limiting stopper (forward tilt limiting stopper 47; Figure 6(a)) provided on the movable side member 43b comes into contact with the fixed side member 43a, preventing the feeder base 23 from tilting any further (Figure 8(a)).

[0050] As described above, the feeder trolley 12 in this embodiment includes a floating mechanism 43 interposed between the feeder base support portion 22 and the feeder base 23 to provide floating support for the feeder base 23, as well as a forward tilt restricting portion 46 that restricts the range of motion of the forward tilt movement in which the feeder base 23 tilts downward from a nearly horizontal reference position. Therefore, although the feeder base 23 is floatingly supported by the floating mechanism 43, the forward tilt restricting portion 46 restricts its forward tilt from a nearly horizontal reference position. This prevents the feeder base 23 from tilting forward due to its own weight, even if the center of gravity of the feeder base 23 is located forward due to its compact design.

[0051] On the other hand, if an external force acts on the feeder base 23 in the direction of lowering its rear end in the reference position, the feeder base 23 will tilt backward according to that external force. When the tilt angle from the reference position reaches a certain amount, it will come into contact with the rear end 43E of the fixed side member 43a from above. If an external force acts to further tilt the feeder base 23 from this state in which the feeder base 23 is in contact with the rear end 43E of the fixed side member 43a (Figure 8(b)), the feeder base 23 will tilt backward using the contact point with the rear end 43E of the fixed side member 43a (rearward tilt contact point T2; Figure 8(b)) as a fulcrum. Even in this case, the backward tilt is limited to the range in which the tilt limiting stopper (rearward tilt limiting stopper 49; Figure 6(a)) provided on the fixed side member 43a comes into contact with the movable side member 43b, preventing the feeder base 23 from tilting any further (Figure 8(b)).

[0052] Thus, the feeder trolley 12 in this embodiment is equipped with a rearward tilt restricting unit that restricts the range of motion of the rearward tilt movement in which the feeder base 23 tilts in a direction that lowers the rear end from the reference position.

[0053] Next, the parts feeder 11 will be described. In Figures 9 and 10(a) and (b), the parts feeder 11 has a thin housing 51 with a small overall horizontal (X-direction) dimension. Inside the housing 51, there is a parts supply mechanism (not shown) that transports the carrier tape CT from the rear of the housing 51 toward the parts supply port 11K located at the front upper part of the housing 51, and a handle portion 51D is provided at the rear upper part of the housing 51.

[0054] In Figures 2, 9, and 10(a), the portion protruding downward from the rear of the housing 51 (part of the housing 51) is the downward extension 52. In this embodiment, the parts feeder 11 is assumed to be a tape feeder that supplies parts BH to the parts supply port 11K by pulling out the carrier tape CT containing the parts BH from the reel RL and transporting it, as shown in Figure 1. However, the parts feeder 11 is not limited to a tape feeder and may be a bulk feeder, stick feeder, or the like.

[0055] In Figures 9 and 10(a) and (b), two positioning pins, an upper pin 53 and a lower pin 54, are provided at the front end of the housing 51, each protruding forward. A slider 55 is provided at the front of the housing 51 in the front-to-back direction (Y direction), extending along the lower surface of the housing 51, and a positioning projection 56 is provided at the middle of the housing 51 in the front-to-back direction, protruding downward.

[0056] The slider 55 has an "inverted T" shaped cross-section that can be inserted into the space (the aforementioned feeder mounting portion 25) formed between two adjacent feeder mounting members 24 provided on the upper surface of the feeder base 23 (more specifically, the table-shaped portion 23D). As shown in Figures 2, 9 and 10(a),(b), the slider 55 has a notch 55K in the middle of the housing 51 in the front-to-back direction (Y direction), that is, in the sliding direction relative to the feeder base 23, and is divided into a portion located in front of the notch 55K (front slider 55a) and a portion located behind the notch 55K (rear slider 55b).

[0057] In other words, in this embodiment, a notch 55K is provided in the middle of the slider 55 of the parts feeder 11 in the sliding direction (Y direction) relative to the feeder base 23, and it consists of a front slider 55a located in front of the notch 55K and a rear slider 55b located behind the notch 55K.

[0058] In Figures 2, 9, and 10(a) and (b), the positioning projection 56 is made up of a cylindrical pin member. The positioning projection 56 is located on the extension of the slider 55, that is, on the center line along the Y-axis of the slider 55.

[0059] In Figures 9, 10(a), and 11, the downward extension 52 is provided with a hook-shaped member 61, a lock release member 62, an air plug 63, a feeder-side connector 64, and a bottom plate member 65. The hook-shaped member 61, the lock release member 62, the air plug 63, and the feeder-side connector 64 are each provided protruding forward from the front surface of the downward extension 52.

[0060] In Figures 10(a) and 11, the hook-shaped member 61 is an engaging member on the parts feeder 11 side (feeder-side engaging member) that engages with the aforementioned lock pin 34c, which is an engaging member on the trolley side (truck-side engaging member), and consists of a plate-shaped member extending along the YZ plane. The base end of the hook-shaped member 61 on the rear end is fixed to the housing 51 (more specifically, the downward extension 52).

[0061] In Figures 11 and 12, the upper edge of the hook-shaped member 61 is a sloped portion 61a that slopes upward from the tip (front end) side towards the rear. The tip of the hook-shaped member 61 is provided with a tip-side recess 61b that opens upward, and the base end of the hook-shaped member 61 is provided with a base-side recess 61c that also opens upward. The rear upper edge of the tip-side recess 61b and the front upper edge of the base-side recess 61c are connected to the sloped portion 61a.

[0062] In Figure 11, the unlocking member 62, like the hook-shaped member 61, consists of a plate-shaped member aligned with the YZ plane and is provided to the side of the hook-shaped member 61. As also shown in Figure 12, the upper surface (upper edge) of the unlocking member 62 is an inclined surface 62a that decreases in height from rear to front.

[0063] In Figures 12 and 13(a) and (b), the unlocking member 62 is pivotally supported at its intermediate portion by a front pivot pin 71 located within the downward extension 52. As a result, the unlocking member 62 can swing freely in a plane along the YZ plane around the front pivot pin 71, and can move between a reference position (Figure 13(a)) in which it is in a nearly horizontal position and an unlocked position (Figure 13(b)) in which its tip (front end) is raised from the reference position.

[0064] In Figures 11 and 12, a lever member 72 is provided at the rear position of the unlocking member 62 within the downward extension 52. The lever member 72 is a plate-shaped member that extends in the Y direction as a whole, and its middle portion is pivotally supported by a rear pivot pin 73 located within the downward extension 52. As a result, the lever member 72 can swing freely in a plane along the YZ plane around the rear pivot pin 73, and can move between a first position (Figure 13(a)) where the rear is lowered and the front part 72M is raised, and a second position (Figure 13(b)) where the rear is raised and the front part 72M is lowered.

[0065] In Figures 10(a) and 13(a) and (b), a slide space 51S extending in the Y direction is provided at the upper rear of the housing 51. A slide member 74, which has a shape extending in the Y direction, is inserted into the slide space 51S from the rear side of the housing 51.

[0066] The slide member 74 is slidable in the Y direction within the slide space 51S and is movable between a non-operational position located furthest forward within the slide space 51S (Figure 13(a)) and an operation position located furthest rear within the slide space 51S (Figure 13(b)). When the slide member 74 is in the operational position, it abuts against the inner wall 51N of the housing 51 that forms the slide space 51S from the rear (Figure 13(a)), and when it is in the operation position, it protrudes to the rear of the housing 51 (Figure 13(b)).

[0067] In Figures 9 and 10(a), an operating knob 75 is attached to the rear end of the slide member 74. The base end of the operating knob 75 is pivotally supported on the slide member 74 by a knob pivot pin 75P, and the operating knob 75 is swingable in a plane along the YZ plane around the knob pivot pin 75P. The operating knob 75 can be moved between a stowed position with its tip positioned above the base end (see operating knob 75 shown by a solid line in Figure 13(a)) and a usage position with its tip positioned behind the base end (see operating knob 75 shown by a dashed line in Figure 13(a)).

[0068] In Figures 10(a) and 13(a),(b), a pulley 76 is provided in front of the sliding member 74 inside the housing 51. One end (upper end) of a wire 77 is connected to the rear end of the sliding member 74, and the other end (lower end) of the wire 77 is attached to the rear end of the lever member 72 via the pulley 76 (Figures 10(a) and 13(a),(b)).

[0069] As shown in Figure 13(a), when the operator OP is not operating the control knob 75, the slide member 74 is in a non-operational position with its front end in contact with the inner wall 51N of the housing 51, and the lever member 72 is in a first position with its front portion 72M raised. The front portion 72M of the lever member 72 is in contact from above with the operated pin 62P, which is provided at the rear end of the unlocking member 62 and protrudes in the X direction, but the lever member 72 is not pushing down the operated pin 62P, and the unlocking member 62 is in a reference position where it is in a nearly horizontal position. The tip-side recess 61b and base-side recess 61c of the hook-shaped member 61 are exposed above the inclined surface 62a of the unlocking member 62 in a side view (Figure 13(a)).

[0070] As described above, when the operating knob 75 is pulled backward by the operator OP from the unoperated state (Figure 13(a) → Figure 13(b)), the sliding member 74 moves to protrude from the rear of the housing 51 and takes the operating position, and the rear end of the lever member 72 is lifted via the wire 77. As a result, the lever member 72 swings around the rear pivot pin 73 and takes the second position (Figure 13(b)), and the front part 72M pushes down the operated pin 62P of the unlocking member 62, so the unlocking member 62 swings around the front pivot pin 71 and takes the unlocked position. When the unlocking member 62 is in the unlocked position, the tip recess 61b and base recess 61c of the hook-shaped member 61 are hidden below the inclined surface 62a of the unlocking member 62 in a side view (Figure 13(b)).

[0071] When operator OP releases the position where they have pulled the operating knob 75 backward, the lever member 72 returns to the first position due to its own weight balance, and the downward pressure on the operated pin 62P of the unlocking member 62 is released. As a result, the unlocking member 62 returns to a reference position where it is almost horizontal due to its own weight balance (Figure 13(b) → Figure 13(a)), and the slide member 74 is pulled by the wire 77 and returns to the non-operated position (Figure 13(a)).

[0072] As shown in Figures 11, 12, and 14, a plate member 81 is provided on the front side of the downward extension 52. The plate member 81 consists of a substantially rectangular plate-like member that extends in the vertical direction. In the middle of the plate member 81, the middle portion in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of an air plug 63, which is attached to penetrate the plate member in the thickness direction, is held in place by two fixing nuts 81N (Figures 11 and 14). The air plug 63 is the coupling member (feeder-side coupling member) on the parts feeder 11 side of an air coupling formed between the feeder trolley 12 and the parts feeder 11 attached thereto.

[0073] In Figures 11, 12, and 14, the plate member 81 is attached to the front surface of the downward extension 52 by two stepped bolts 82 (upper stepped bolt 82a and lower stepped bolt 82b) at its upper and lower ends. As a result, one end 63a of the air plug 63, whose middle portion is held by the plate member 81, is located inside the housing 51, while the other end 63b of the air plug 63 is located outside the housing 51 (in front of the downward extension 52).

[0074] Here, the plate member 81 is attached to the front surface of the downward extension 52 (i.e., the outer surface of the housing 51) in a manner that allows it to move freely with respect to the front surface of the downward extension 52 (i.e., the outer surface of the housing 51) by an air plug holding portion 83 (Figures 11, 12, and 14) which consists of the plate member 81 and two stepped bolts 82. To explain this in detail, as shown in Figures 15(a), (b), and (c), bolt insertion portions 84 (upper bolt insertion portion 84a and lower bolt insertion portion 84b) are provided at the upper and lower positions of the plate member 81, i.e., at two locations above and below the holding portion of the air plug 63. Two stepped bolts 82 (upper stepped bolt 82a and lower stepped bolt 82b) are screwed into bolt holes 51H provided in the upper and lower plate holding portions 51T, which are members on the housing 51 side, respectively. Here, the height dimension of the collar portion 82C, which is the non-threaded part of the stepped bolt 82, is greater than the thickness dimension of the plate member 81 (Figure 15(a)). As a result, the plate member 81 can move freely within the height range of the collar portion 82C of the stepped bolt 82.

[0075] In this embodiment, the parts feeder 11 includes an air plug 63, which is a feeder-side coupling member that is the coupling member on the parts feeder 11 side of the air coupling formed between the parts feeder 11 and the feeder trolley 12 to which the parts feeder 11 is slid and mounted, and an air plug holding part 83, which is a feeder-side coupling member holding part that holds the air plug 63 in a horizontal and freely movable state relative to the housing 51 of the parts feeder 11. The air plug holding part 83 consists of a plate member 81 to which the air plug 63 is attached, and a plurality of stepped bolts 82 that are plate member mounting members that attach the plate member 81 in a freely movable state relative to the housing 51 of the parts feeder 11 and hold the air plug 63 in a nearly horizontal position. Two of the stepped bolts 82 are inserted into two bolt insertion parts 84 provided at upper and lower positions that sandwich the portion of the plate member 81 to which the air plug 63 is attached.

[0076] When attaching the plate member 81 to the front surface of the downward extension 52 (i.e., the outer surface of the housing 51), first, the plate member 81 is tilted 90° to extend laterally (Figure 15(a)). Then, the upper bolt insertion portion 84a is engaged with the collar portion 82C of the upper stepped bolt 82a from the side (Figure 15(b)), and the plate member 81 is rotated 90° using the upper stepped bolt 82a as a pivot point so that the lower end of the plate member 81 is lowered. Then, the lower bolt insertion portion 84b is engaged with the collar portion 82C of the lower stepped bolt 82b. This completes the process of attaching the plate member 81 to the housing 51 (Figure 15(c)).

[0077] In this embodiment, the plate member 81 has a configuration in which one of the two bolt insertion portions 84 (here, the upper bolt insertion portion 84a) opens on the upper edge of the plate member 81, and the other of the two bolt insertion portions 84 (here, the lower bolt insertion portion 84b) opens on the side edge of the plate member 81. Therefore, when attaching the plate member 81 to the housing 51, the two stepped bolts 82 can be screwed into the plate holding portions 51T of the housing 51.

[0078] In this embodiment, the upper bolt insertion portion 84 opened to the upper edge of the plate member 81 and the lower bolt insertion portion 84 opened to the side of the plate member 81. However, the lower bolt insertion portion 84 may open to the lower edge of the plate member 81 and the upper bolt insertion portion 84 may open to the side edge of the plate member 81. In other words, it is sufficient if one of the two bolt insertion portions 84 provided by the plate member 81 opens to the upper or lower edge of the plate member 81, and the other of the two bolt insertion portions 84 opens to the side edge of the plate member 81.

[0079] In Figures 12 and 14, an air control valve unit 91 and two tubes for air piping (a first tube 92 and a second tube 93) are arranged inside the housing 51. The first tube 92 and the second tube 93 are each made of an elastic material such as rubber and can be bent and deformed.

[0080] The first tube 92 has one end (lower end) connected to the first connection port 91a, which is one of two air piping connection ports that protrude upward from the valve unit 91, and the other end (upper end) connected to the one end 63a of the air plug 63. In other words, the first tube 92 is provided inside the housing 51, and is an air piping tube made of an elastic material, with one end connected to the first connection port 91a, which is an air piping connection port located inside the housing 51, and the other end connected to the one end 63a of the air plug 63, which is a feeder-side coupling member.

[0081] On the other hand, one end (lower end) of the second tube 93 is connected to the second connection port 91b, which is the other of the two air piping connection ports provided by the valve unit 91, and the other end (upper end) is connected to an air-operated device (not shown) installed inside the housing 51 that operates by receiving an air supply. The air introduced into the first tube 92 through the air plug 63 is controlled by the valve unit 91 and sent to the air-operated device through the second tube 93.

[0082] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 14, the first connection port 91a faces upwards in the figure, and one end of the air plug 63 faces to the left in the figure. The first tube 92 is positioned inside the housing 51 such that, with one end connected to the first connection port 91a and the other end attached to one end of the air plug 63, an elastic restoring force acts on it that attempts to return it from the state shown by the dashed line in Figure 14 to the state shown by the solid line. That is, the first tube 92 is positioned such that the elastic restoring force of the first tube 92 near the end (one end) connected to the first connection port 91a has a component that presses the air plug 63 from the inside to the outside of the housing 51.

[0083] Here, the air plug 63 is held horizontally and freely relative to the housing 51 by an air plug holding part 83 consisting of a plate member 81 and two stepped bolts 82. Furthermore, as can be seen from Figures 14 and 15(a), (b), and (c), the length of the other end located outside the housing 51 is greater than the length of the one end located inside the housing 51. As a result, the air plug 63 is in a downward-sloping position with the end located outside the housing 51 drooping due to its own weight.

[0084] However, in this embodiment, the air plug 63 is pressed from the inside to the outside of the housing 51 by the first tube 92, and the upper and lower ends of the plate member 81 are pressed from the inside against the heads of the two stepped bolts 82, thereby holding it in a horizontal position. In this state, where the upper and lower ends of the plate member 81 are pressed from the inside against the heads of the two stepped bolts 82 by the first tube 92, the air plug 63 held by the plate member 81 is held in a floating state in a horizontal position by the elastic force of the first tube 92.

[0085] As described above, the parts feeder 11 in this embodiment includes an air plug holding part 83 (plate member 81 and two stepped bolts 82) as a feeder-side coupling member holding part that holds the air plug 63 in a horizontal and movable state relative to the housing 51, positioning one end 63a of the air plug 63 inside the housing 51 and the other end 63b of the air plug 63 outside the housing 51, and a first tube 92 which is an air piping tube made of an elastic material that is provided inside the housing 51, with one end connected to a first connection port 91a which is an air piping connection port located inside the housing 51, and the other end connected to one end 63a of the air plug 63, so that the air plug 63 is pressed from the inside to the outside of the housing 51 by the first tube 92.

[0086] Therefore, in the parts feeder 11 of this embodiment, even if the amount of protrusion of the air plug 63 to the outside of the housing 51 is large, the air plug 63 is prevented from being held in a downward-sloping position relative to the housing 51 due to its own weight, and the air plug 63 can be smoothly fitted into the air socket 37 on the feeder trolley 12 when it is attached to the feeder trolley 12. In addition, if the first tube 92 is positioned to press the air plug 63 from the inside to the outside of the housing 51, the force FC that the first tube 92 presses against the air plug 63 increases as the outer diameter of the first tube 92 increases, and also as the length of the first tube 92 increases.

[0087] In Figure 12, a feeder-side control board 94 is provided at the rear position of the valve unit 91 within the downward extension 52. The feeder-side control board 94 has the function of controlling the operation of each part of the parts feeder 11. The feeder-side control board 94 is electrically connected to the feeder-side connector 64 by feeder internal wiring 95. The feeder-side connector 64 is the electrical connector on the parts feeder 11 side of the electrical coupling formed between the parts feeder 11 and the feeder trolley 12.

[0088] In Figure 12, the bottom plate member 65 is provided extending in the Y direction from the lower surface of the downward extension portion 52. The front end portion of the bottom plate member 65 protrudes forward from the downward extension portion 52, and this protruding portion bends upward to form a bent portion 65K. The bent portion 65K is provided with a pin engagement hole 65H that penetrates the bottom plate member 65 in the thickness direction (Y direction).

[0089] When attaching a parts feeder 11 with this configuration to the feeder base 23 of a feeder trolley 12, the operator OP inserts the sliders 55 (front slider 55a and rear slider 55b) of the parts feeder 11 into the feeder mounting section 25 of one of the multiple slots 28 selected from the rear of the feeder base 23, and pushes the housing 51 of the parts feeder 11 forward (towards the back) (arrow A1 shown in Figure 16(a)). As a result, the front slider 55a moves backward first within the feeder mounting section 25 of the slot 28, and then the rear slider 55b moves backward within the feeder mounting section 25.

[0090] As described above, as the rear slider 55b of the parts feeder 11 moves within the feeder mounting section 25, the upper and lower positioning pins (upper pin 53 and lower pin 54) located at the front end of the housing 51 fit into the upper and lower pin insertion holes (upper pin insertion hole 31A and lower pin insertion hole 31B) provided in the feeder stopper 31, causing the front end of the parts feeder 11 to contact the feeder stopper 31 (Figure 16(b)). This positions the front of the housing 51 in the front-rear direction (Y direction). Furthermore, as the slider 55 moves within the feeder mounting section 25, the positioning projection 56 provided in the middle of the housing 51 in the front-rear direction enters from the rear into the positioning groove 26M located at the rear of the feeder mounting section 25 and engages with it (Figure 16(b)).

[0091] Figure 17(a) is a view of the slider 55 attached to the feeder mounting section 25, seen from the rear of the feeder trolley 12. As can be seen from this figure, the lower surface of the slider 55 within the feeder mounting section 25 is spaced apart from the upper surface of the feeder base 23. The front of the housing 51 is positioned laterally (X direction) by the side of the slider 55 being sandwiched between two adjacent feeder mounting members 24 that form the feeder mounting section 25, and the height direction (Z direction) is positioned by the lower pin 54 being fitted into the lower pin insertion hole 31B and the positioning projection 56 being fitted into the positioning groove 26M as described above. In this state, the lower surface of the housing 51 is spaced apart from the upper surface of the feeder mounting member 24, and the lower surface of the slider 55 is spaced apart from the upper surface of the feeder base 23 (more specifically, the upper surface of the platform-shaped section 23D) (Figure 17(a)).

[0092] Figure 17(b) is a view of the positioning projection 56 engaged with the positioning groove 26M, as seen from the rear of the feeder trolley 12. As can be seen from this figure, the lower end of the positioning projection 56 in the positioning groove 26M is in contact with the bottom surface of the positioning groove 26M. The middle part of the housing 51 is positioned in the height direction (Z direction) by the lower end of the positioning projection 56 contacting the bottom surface of the positioning groove 26M.

[0093] In this embodiment, the positioning projection 56 protruding downward from the middle of the housing 51 has the function of positioning the parts feeder 11 in the height direction relative to the feeder base 23 (specifically, the middle part of the housing 51 in the front-to-back direction) when it is attached to the feeder base 23.

[0094] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 17(b), the positioning projection 56 is fitted with a clearance smaller than the tolerance of the two wall portions 26F that constitute the positioning groove 26M. The positioning projection 56 is slidable in the Y direction within the positioning groove 26M, but is constrained in the X direction. As a result, the engagement of the positioning projection 56 with the positioning groove 26M enables lateral (X direction) positioning of the rear of the parts feeder 11 relative to the feeder base 23 when it is attached to the feeder base 23.

[0095] As mentioned above, the heads of the multiple screws 27 that attach the positioning guide 26 to the upper surface of the feeder base 23 do not protrude into the positioning groove 26M, and the height dimension of the alignment projection 23T is set so that its upper end does not protrude upward from the bottom surface of the positioning groove 26M. Therefore, when attaching or detaching the parts feeder 11 to the feeder base 23, the positioning projection 56 of the parts feeder 11 does not interfere with the screws 27 or the alignment projection 23T in the positioning groove 26M. As a result, the parts feeder 11 can be attached to and detached from the feeder base 23 smoothly, and there is no risk of damaging the positioning projection 56 of the parts feeder 11.

[0096] In this embodiment, the feeder trolley 12 has a positioning guide 26 that is detachably attached to the feeder base 23. The positioning guide 26 has a positioning groove 26M that receives the positioning projection 56 and supports the lower surface of the positioning projection 56, thereby positioning the parts feeder relative to the feeder base 23 during the process of attaching the parts feeder 11. As a result, the positioning guide 26 can be manufactured as a separate component from the feeder base 23, and there is no need to process the upper surface of the feeder base 23 to form a complex uneven shape as in the conventional method, so the feeder base 23 can be manufactured at a low cost.

[0097] Furthermore, since the positioning guide 26 is detachable from the feeder base 23, maintenance work such as cleaning the positioning groove 26M is easy. Also, even if the wall portion 26F that forms the positioning groove 26M is damaged due to wear, it is not necessary to replace the entire feeder base 23.

[0098] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since multiple positioning grooves 26M are formed in one positioning guide, maintenance of multiple positioning grooves 26M can be performed together, making maintenance work more efficient. Also, in this embodiment, not all of the multiple positioning grooves 26M arranged in the sliding direction (X direction) of the parts feeder 11 are formed in one positioning guide 26, but rather the multiple (all) positioning grooves 26M are provided on multiple positioning guides 26 (Figure 4). As a result, the positioning guide 26, which tends to be long, can be made to a compact size, making it easier to handle and store.

[0099] As described above, during the process of attaching the parts feeder 11 to the feeder base 23, the air plug 63, which is the feeder-side coupling member, and the air socket 37, which is the trolley-side coupling member, engage, and the air coupling is connected. This makes it possible to supply air from the feeder trolley 12 side (i.e., the parts mounting section 1B side) to the parts feeder 11 side.

[0100] As mentioned above, the air plug 63 is attached by the air plug holding part 83 in a state that allows it to move freely relative to the downward extension part 52 (i.e., relative to the housing 51). Therefore, when the parts feeder 11 is attached to the feeder mounting part 25, even if the housing 51 of the parts feeder 11 is slightly tilted laterally, the air plug 63 can be smoothly fitted into the air socket 37 on the feeder trolley 12 side. Furthermore, the air plug 63 is pressed from the inside to the outside of the housing 51 by the first tube 92, preventing it from tilting downwards and maintaining a horizontal position. Therefore, when attaching the parts feeder 11 to the feeder trolley 12, the air plug 63 can be smoothly fitted into the air socket 37 on the feeder trolley 12 side. Moreover, even after the air plug 63 is fitted into the air socket 37, the state in which it is pressed from the inside to the outside of the housing 51 by the first tube 92 is maintained, so that the air plug 63 can be firmly connected to the air socket 37.

[0101] Furthermore, as described above, during the process of attaching the parts feeder 11 to the feeder base 23, the feeder-side connector 64 and the trolley-side connector 38 engage, and the engagement pin 39 on the feeder trolley 12 side engages with the pin engagement hole 65H on the parts feeder 11 side. This enables power to be supplied from the parts mounting section 1B to the parts feeder 11, and also enables the mounting section control device 17 to control the operation of the parts feeder 11. The engagement of the engagement pin 39 with the pin engagement hole 65H restricts the lateral movement of the rear of the parts feeder 11, preventing the rear of the housing 51 from swaying laterally when subjected to vibration while attached to the feeder base 23.

[0102] Furthermore, as described above, just before the front end of the housing 51 contacts the feeder stopper 31, the hook-shaped member 61 of the parts feeder 11 and the lock pin 34c of the lock arm 34 of the feeder trolley 12 engage. To explain this in detail, when the slider 55 is inserted into the feeder mounting section 25 and the housing 51 is pushed forward (towards the rear) (arrow A1 shown in Figure 18(a)), first, the slanted portion 61a of the hook-shaped member 61 contacts the operating pin 34b of the lock arm 34 from the rear (Figure 18(a)).

[0103] After the inclined surface 61a contacts the operating pin 34b, as the housing 51 is pushed further backward, the inclined surface 61a of the hook-shaped member 61 pushes the operating pin 34b upward. This causes the lock arm 34 to swing around the pivot shaft 34d while compressing the biasing spring 34e (arrow R1 shown in Figure 18(b)). Subsequently, when the operating pin 34b reaches above the recessed portion 61c on the base end of the hook-shaped member 61, the upward push-up state of the operating pin 34b by the inclined surface 61a is released. As a result, the lock arm 34 swings back to its original position due to the restoring force of the biasing spring 34e (arrow R2 shown in Figure 18(c)), and the operating pin 34b falls into the recessed portion 61c on the base end of the hook-shaped member 61. At the same time, the lock pin 34c of the lock arm 34 falls into the recessed portion 61b on the tip end of the hook-shaped member 61 and engages with it. This locks the parts feeder 11 into the feeder base 23.

[0104] In this embodiment, the hook-shaped feeder-side engaging member 61 of the parts feeder 11 engages with the lock pin 34c, which is a trolley-side engaging member provided on the feeder trolley 12, by sliding relative to the feeder base 23 of the feeder trolley 12.

[0105] As described above, when the hook-shaped member 61 engages with the lock pin 34c, the hook-shaped member 61 enters the guide passage 36 between two guide pieces 35 of the feeder trolley 12 that are located corresponding to the lock pin 34c to be engaged. At this time, both sides of the hook-shaped member 61 are smoothly guided into the guide passage 36 by the tapered surfaces 35M provided on the two guide pieces 35.

[0106] The hook-shaped member 61, once guided into the guide passage 36, is guided on both sides by a pair of side surfaces (guide surfaces 35G) that constitute the guide passage 36 (Figure 19(a) → Figure 19(b)), and even after engaging with the lock pin 34c, it remains guided (supported) by the pair of guide surfaces 35G. Here, the distance KK between the pair of guide surfaces 35G (Figure 5) is set to be slightly larger than the thickness dimension of the hook-shaped member 61, and the hook-shaped member 61, with both sides guided (supported) by the pair of guide surfaces 35G, is protected from lateral tilting displacement of the housing 51 (i.e., the parts feeder 11). As a result, even when subjected to excitation forces generated by the parts feeder 11 performing parts supply operations, the lateral sway of the housing 51 can be reduced. This improves the accuracy of supplying parts BH to the parts supply port 11K by the parts feeder 11.

[0107] As described above, the parts feeder 11 of the parts supply unit 1A in this embodiment is equipped with a hook-shaped member 61 that engages with a lock pin 34c provided on the feeder trolley 12 side when it slides relative to the feeder base 23. The feeder trolley 12 is equipped with a plurality of guide pieces 35 arranged in the lateral direction (X direction), which is perpendicular to the front-to-back direction (Y direction), which is the direction in which the parts feeder 11 slides relative to the feeder base 23. The hook-shaped member 61 engages with the lock pin 34c by passing through a guide passage 36 between a pair of laterally opposing guide surfaces 35G of two adjacent guide pieces 35. The pair of guide surfaces 35G are configured to support both sides of the hook-shaped member 61 before and after it engages with the lock pin 34c.

[0108] Therefore, even if the parts feeder 11 is made thinner and the front of the housing 51 on which the slider 55 is installed is fixed to the feeder base 23, it is not possible to sufficiently prevent the lateral (tilting) displacement of the housing 51, it is still possible to suppress the lateral sway of the parts feeder 11 relative to the feeder base 23. Furthermore, by suppressing the lateral sway of the housing 51, when attaching the parts feeder 11 to the feeder base 23 by sliding, the air plug 63 and the feeder-side connector 64 can be smoothly fitted into the air socket 37 and the trolley-side connector 38 on the feeder trolley 12 side, respectively, and the engagement pin 39 and the pin engagement hole 65H can be smoothly engaged.

[0109] To remove the parts feeder 11 while it is attached to the feeder base 23, the operator OP slides the parts feeder 11 in the opposite direction to when it was attached to the feeder base 23 and pulls it out. Specifically, the operator OP pulls the operating knob 75 located on the rear surface of the parts feeder 11 that they are trying to remove from the feeder base 23 backward (arrow A2 shown in Figure 20(a)).

[0110] When operator OP pulls the operating knob 75 backward, the sliding member 74 connected to the operating knob 75 slides backward within the sliding space 51S, pulling the upper end of the wire 77 backward, so that the rear end of the lever member 72 connected to the lower end of the wire 77 is pulled up (Figure 13(a) → Figure 13(b)). When the rear end of the lever member 72 is pulled up, the front part 72M of the lever member 72 pushes down the operated pin 62P of the unlocking member 62, and the unlocking member 62 swings in the direction of raising the front end around the front pivot pin 71, so that the operating pin 34b located in the base end recess 61c of the hook-shaped member 61 is pushed upward by the inclined surface 62a of the unlocking member 62 (Figure 13(a) → Figure 13(b), Figure 21(a) → Figure 21(b)). As a result, the lock pin 34c detaches upward from the recessed portion 61b at the tip of the hook-shaped member 61, and the engagement (lock) between the hook-shaped member 61 and the lock pin 34c is released (Figure 21(a) → Figure 21(b)).

[0111] As described above, when the engagement between the hook-shaped member 61 and the lock pin 34c is released, the force exerted by the operator OP pulling the operating knob 75 backward causes the parts feeder 11 to move backward on the feeder base 23. This causes the slider 55 to slide backward within the feeder mounting section 25, and the positioning projection 56 to slide within the positioning groove 26M and disengage from the positioning groove 26M. In addition, the air plug 63 separates from the air socket 37, the feeder-side connector 64 separates from the trolley-side connector 38, and the engagement pin 39 separates from the pin engagement hole 65H (Figure 21(b) → Figure 21(c)).

[0112] As described above, the slider 55 slides backward within the feeder mounting section 25, causing the rear slider 55b to detach backward from the feeder mounting section 25 first (Figure 22(a)). At this point, the entire front slider 55a remains inside the feeder mounting section 25, so the housing 51 maintains an almost horizontal position. However, as the front slider 55a slides further backward within the feeder mounting section 25 and is about to detach from the feeder mounting section 25, the housing 51 tilts downward towards the rear (arrow B1 shown in Figure 22(b)). Then, the rear end of the front slider 55a contacts the positioning guide 26 from the front (Figures 22(b) and 20(b)), preventing the housing 51 from moving further backward, thus interrupting the withdrawal of the parts feeder 11 from the feeder base 23 (feeder mounting section 25).

[0113] As described above, the slider 55 of the parts feeder 11 has a notch 55K in the middle of the sliding direction (Y direction) relative to the feeder base 23, and the feeder base 23 has a positioning guide 26 as a stopper behind the feeder mounting section 25. The positioning guide 26 is positioned so that when the parts feeder 11 is moved backward from the state in which the slider 55 is attached to the feeder mounting section 25, and the parts feeder 11 tilts downward just before the front slider 55a, which is located in front of the notch 55K, comes out of the feeder mounting section 25, the rear end of the front slider 55a comes into contact with the rear end of the front slider 55a.

[0114] To completely remove the parts feeder 11 from the feeder mounting section 25 when the removal of the parts feeder 11 from the feeder base 23 has been interrupted as described above, the operator OP grasps the handle portion 51D provided on the housing 51 with their hand HD and lifts the upper rear of the housing 51 (arrow B2 shown in Figure 23(a)), making the housing 51 horizontal (Figure 23(a)). Then, while still holding the handle portion 51D, the operator OP pulls the housing 51 horizontally backward (arrow A2 shown in Figure 23(b)), and the parts feeder 11 is completely removed from the feeder base 23.

[0115] In this embodiment, even when the operating knob 75 is pulled backward to simultaneously release the lock of the parts feeder 11 from the feeder base 23 and withdraw the parts feeder 11 from the feeder base 23, the backward movement of the parts feeder 11 is interrupted before it is completely withdrawn from the feeder base 23. Therefore, when removing the parts feeder 11 from the feeder base 23, the parts feeder 11 will not suddenly come out of the feeder base 23. As a result, the parts feeder 11 attached to the feeder trolley 12 can be safely and easily removed with one hand. In addition, because the movement of the parts feeder 11 is interrupted, it becomes easier for the operator OP to work on the parts feeder 11.

[0116] As described above, in the parts supply device (parts supply unit 1A) and the parts mounting device 1 equipped therewith in this embodiment, both sides of the hook-shaped member 61 of the parts feeder 11 are guided by a pair of guide pieces 35 (a pair of guide surfaces 35G) of the feeder trolley 12, thereby suppressing lateral (tilting) displacement of the parts feeder 11. As a result, the lateral sway of the parts feeder 11 can be reduced, and the accuracy of supplying parts BH to the parts supply port 11K can be improved.

[0117] While embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to those described above, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above-described embodiments, the parts feeder 11 was described as a tape feeder, but the parts feeder 11 is not limited to a tape feeder and may be a bulk feeder or the like. [Industrial applicability]

[0118] The present invention provides a parts supply device capable of suppressing lateral swaying of a parts feeder mounted on a feeder trolley, and a parts mounting device equipped with this parts supply device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0119] 1. Component mounting device 1A Parts Supply Unit 1B Component mounting section 11 Parts Feeder 12 Feeder Cart 15 Mounted Heads 22 Feeder base support 23 Feeder Base 23T Alignment protrusion 24 Feeder mounting components 25 Feeder mounting section 26 Positioning guide 26F wall section 26M positioning groove 27 Screws 28 slots 31 Feeder Stopper 33 brackets 34 Lock Arm 34c Lock pin (engaging member on the trolley side) 35 Guide Pieces 35M Tapered Surface 35G guide surface 36 Guide walkway 37 Air Socket 38 Bogie-side connector 41 Bogie-side control board 41C Bogie-side wiring 41U Control Board Unit 43 Floating mechanism 43a Fixed side member 43b Movable side member 44 Contact Member 45 Member to be contacted 46 Forward tilt regulation part 51 cabinets 52 Downward extension part 55 Slider 55K Notch 55a Front slider 55b Rear slider 56 Positioning protrusions 61 Hook-shaped member (feeder-side engaging member) 61b Tip side recess 61c Proximal recess 62. Lock release member 63 Air plug 64 Feeder-side connector 81 Plate Member 82-step bolt 82a Upper stepped bolt 82b Lower stepped bolt 83 Air plug retaining part 84 Bolt insertion section 91 Valve Unit 91a First connection port 91b Second connection port 92 First tube 93 Second tube BH parts

Claims

1. A parts feeder that is installed on a feeder base attached to a feeder trolley and supplies parts, The parts feeder includes a feeder-side engaging member that engages with a first member provided on the feeder trolley side by sliding relative to the feeder base, When the feeder-side engaging member engages with the first member, it passes between two adjacent guide pieces among the multiple guide pieces provided on the feeder trolley and is guided by the two adjacent guide pieces. Furthermore, the parts feeder is locked to the feeder base by the feeder-side engaging member engaging with the first member. Parts feeder.

2. The feeder-side engaging member has a recess that engages with the first member, The recess is located on the upper part of the feeder-side engaging member, The feeder-side engaging member is guided by the adjacent guide piece along its lower side when engaging with the first member. The parts feeder according to claim 1.

3. The feeder-side engaging member is a plate-shaped member, Both sides of the feeder-side engaging member are guided by the two adjacent guide pieces. The parts feeder according to claim 2.

4. A parts feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 3, and a mounting head for picking up parts supplied by the parts feeder and mounting them onto an object to be mounted, Component mounting device.

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