Tape feeder and surface mounting machine
Patent Information
- Application Number
- PCT/JP2024/008986
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-03-08
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-02
AI Technical Summary
Existing tape feeders require multiple sensors to detect a locking failure of the tape guide, which is inefficient and increases complexity.
A tape feeder design that uses a single sensor to detect locking failures by incorporating an opening/closing mechanism with a rod, movable member, and spring member to control a passage hole, allowing detection of locking status through light passage or blockage.
Reduces the number of sensors needed and simplifies the mechanism for detecting tape guide locking failures, preventing interference with the mounting head and ensuring accurate component supply.
Smart Images
Figure JP2024008986_02102025_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Tape feeders and surface mounters
[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a tape feeder.
[0002] A surface mounter is a device that mounts electronic components on a substrate, and is equipped with a mounting head that mounts the electronic components and a feeder that supplies the electronic components. One type of feeder is a tape feeder. A tape feeder supplies electronic components using a component carrier tape. Some tape feeders are equipped with a tape guide that guides the component carrier tape. Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose technologies related to tape feeders.
[0003] JP 2009-130322 Patent No. 6854396
[0004] The mounting head moves above the tape feeder. Therefore, if the tape guide is separated from the feeder body due to a locking failure, it may interfere with the mounting head. Patent Document 2 discloses that a cover sensor installed above the feeder detects the open state (unlocked) of the tape retaining cover (tape guide).
[0005] In this method, for example, as shown in Fig. 12, in order to cover the movable range θ of the tape retaining cover (tape guide 200) that accompanies unlocking, multiple sensors S may be required. For example, in the case of Fig. 12, three sensors S1 to S3 are used to cover the movable range θ, which poses a problem in that the number of sensors S used is large.
[0006] An object of the present invention is to detect a locking failure of a tape guide relative to a feeder main body without increasing the number of sensors used.
[0007] (1) The tape feeder disclosed in this specification comprises a feeder main body having a passage hole through which sensor light passes, a sprocket provided in the feeder main body for transporting a component storage tape, a tape guide attached to the top of the feeder main body, a locking member attached to the feeder main body for locking the tape guide, and an opening / closing mechanism.
[0008] When the tape guide is locked to the feeder main body, it guides the component storage tape transported by the sprocket on the top surface of the feeder main body. The opening / closing mechanism is provided on the feeder main body and opens and closes the passage hole in the feeder main body in response to the locking or unlocking of the tape guide by the locking member. In the tape feeder described in (1), any configuration other than the above is optional and may be used.
[0009] In the configuration (1), the opening / closing mechanism opens and closes the passage hole in the feeder main body in response to the locking or unlocking of the tape guide. Therefore, a lock failure of the tape guide relative to the feeder main body can be detected based on whether the sensor light passes through the passage hole or is blocked by the passage hole. Furthermore, compared to the method of Patent Document 2, this method has the advantage of using only one sensor, which reduces the number of sensors required even when the tape guide has a wide range of movement due to unlocking.
[0010] (2) In the tape feeder described in (1), the opening / closing mechanism may include a movable member having a blocking portion capable of blocking the passage hole, and a spring member. The movable member may move downward against the elastic force of the spring member as the tape guide is locked to the feeder main body, thereby blocking or opening the passage hole with the blocking portion. The spring member may reverse the opening and closing of the passage hole by pushing the movable member back upward when the tape guide is unlocked. In the tape feeder described in (2), any configuration other than the above is optional and may be used. In the configuration described in (2), when the tape guide is unlocked, the movable member can be automatically pushed back upward using spring force. This simplifies the mechanism for pushing back the movable member.
[0011] (3) In the tape feeder described in (1) or (2), the opening / closing mechanism may include a rod in addition to the movable member and the spring member. The rod may move the movable member downward as the tape guide is locked to the feeder main body. In the tape feeder described in (3), any configuration other than the above is optional. The configuration of (3) allows for interlocking by the rod, thereby increasing the flexibility in arranging the passage holes and movable members relative to the feeder main body. For example, the passage holes and movable members can be arranged at a position away from the tape guide, such as the lower part of the feeder main body.
[0012] (4) In the tape feeder described in (3), the tape guide may include an opposing wall that faces the upper surface of the component storage tape transported on the upper surface of the feeder main body, and guide walls on both sides of the opposing wall that guide both sides of the component storage tape. When the tape guide is locked to the feeder main body, the lower end of the guide wall may abut against the rod and press the rod and the movable member downward. In the tape feeder described in (4), any configuration other than the above is optional and may be used. In the configuration of (4), the guide wall of the tape guide is relatively rigid, so when the tape guide is locked, it can firmly press the rod downward.
[0013] (5) In the tape feeder described in (3) or (4), the rod may be located adjacent to the side of the sprocket. In the tape feeder described in (5), any configuration other than the above is optional and may be used. In the configuration of (5), the rod is located adjacent to the sprocket, so it is possible to arrange the movable member and the passage hole around the sprocket.
[0014] (6) In the tape feeder according to any one of (3) to (5), the feeder main body may have a through-hole extending vertically. A portion of the rod may be inserted into the through-hole. In the tape feeder according to (6), any configuration other than the above is optional and may be any configuration. The configuration of (6) can stabilize the vertical movement of the rod.
[0015] (7) In the tape feeder according to any one of (3) to (6), the blocking portion may open the passage hole while the tape guide is locked by the locking member, and may overlap the passage hole to block the passage hole as the tape guide is unlocked by the locking member. In the tape feeder according to (7), any configuration other than the above is optional and may be any configuration.
[0016] (8) In the tape feeder according to any one of (1) to (7), the sensor and the passage hole may be used to detect both a locking failure of the tape guide relative to the feeder main body and a failure of the tape feeder relative to a mounting member. In the tape feeder according to (8), any configuration other than the above is optional and any configuration may be used. In the configuration of (8), two abnormalities can be detected by a single sensor.
[0017] The present invention can detect a lock failure of the tape guide relative to the feeder main body without increasing the number of sensors used.
[0018] Plan view of the surface mounter Side view of the head unit Side view of the tape feeder Perspective view of the component storage tape Perspective view of the front of the tape feeder Cross-sectional view of the top of the tape feeder Side view showing the locked state of the tape guide Perspective view of Figure 7 Perspective view of the opening / closing mechanism Perspective view of the movable member Side view showing the unlocked state of the tape guide Figure showing a comparative example Figure showing the detection operation of the sensor Figure showing the detection operation of the sensor Diagram summarizing the light receiving patterns of the sensor
[0019] <Embodiment 1> 1. Description of the Structure of the Surface Mounting Machine 10 Fig. 1 is a plan view of the surface mounting machine 10. The surface mounting machine 10 is a device that mounts electronic components E on a printed circuit board P. The surface mounting machine 10 includes a base 11, a transport conveyor 12, an X beam 13, a Y beam 14, a head unit 15, a drive unit 17, a component camera 18, a feeder bank 20, a tape feeder 30, and a sensor 100. In the following description, the board transport direction is defined as the X direction (the left-right direction in Fig. 1), and the direction perpendicular to the X direction is defined as the Y direction (the up-down direction in Fig. 1). The height direction is defined as the Z direction.
[0020] The base 11 is rectangular in plan view. In this embodiment, the long side is in the X direction and the short side is in the Y direction. The transfer conveyor 12 is made up of two conveyor rails 12A and 12B that are long in the X direction. The conveyor rails 12A and 12B have a transfer surface formed by a conveyor belt. The transfer conveyor 12 transfers the print circuit board P to be worked on in the X direction on the base 11 by moving the transfer surface formed by the conveyor belt in the X direction.
[0021] The Y beams 14 are located at both ends in the X direction of the base 11. The Y beams 14 are elongated in the Y direction. Guide rails 14A are provided on the upper surfaces of the Y beams 14.
[0022] The X beam 13 is elongated in the X direction, and is supported by a guide rail 14A installed on the upper surface of the Y beam 14 so as to be slidable in the Y direction.
[0023] The head unit 15 is supported slidably relative to the X beam 13, and slides integrally with the X beam.
[0024] As shown in Fig. 2, the head unit 15 is equipped with a plurality of mounting heads 16. The mounting heads 16 are supported on the head unit 15 so that they can be raised and lowered, and have suction nozzles attached to their tips. By generating negative pressure in the suction nozzles, the electronic components E can be sucked and held. The mounting heads 16 are also capable of rotating around their axes.
[0025] The drive unit 17 is a device that moves the head unit 15 in planar directions (X direction and Y direction) on the base 11. The drive unit 17 can be exemplified by a two-axis or three-axis ball screw mechanism using a motor as a drive source.
[0026] 1 denotes a Y-axis motor, and 17B denotes an X-axis motor in Fig. 2. The Y-axis motor 17A is a motor for moving the X beam 13 in the Y direction, and the X-axis motor 17B is a motor for moving the head unit 15 in the X direction.
[0027] Feeder bank 20 is disposed on one side in the Y direction (the lower side in FIG. 1 ) on base 11. Feeder bank 20 has a feeder base 21 that is elongated in the Y direction, and a positioning wall 22. Positioning wall 22 is located at the front end of feeder base 21, and regulates the position of tape feeders 30 installed in feeder base 21.
[0028] The tape feeders 30 are elongated in the Y direction and are arranged side by side in the X direction on the feeder base 21. The tape feeders 30 supply electronic components E using component carrying tapes 25. The structures of the component carrying tapes 25 and the tape feeders 30 will be described later.
[0029] By operating the drive unit 17, the head unit 15 and the mounting head 16 can move back and forth between above the feeders installed in the feeder bank 20 and above the board stopped on the transport conveyor 12, and mount the electronic components E supplied by the tape feeder 30 onto the printed circuit board P stopped at the working position on the transport conveyor 12.
[0030] The component camera 18 is located on the base 11 and is disposed between the feeder bank 20 and the transport conveyor 12 in the Y direction. The component camera 18 has its imaging surface facing upward, and images the electronic component E taken out of the tape feeder 30 by the mounting head 16 from below.
[0031] The image from the component camera 18 can be used to recognize the suction state (misalignment of the suction position and misalignment of the suction angle) of the electronic component E relative to the mounting head 16. By correcting the mounting position and mounting angle of the electronic component E relative to the printed circuit board P based on the recognition results (misalignment of the suction position and misalignment of the suction angle) from the component camera 18, the mounting accuracy of the electronic component E relative to the board P can be improved.
[0032] Sensor 100 is an optical sensor and is composed of a light-emitting unit 110 and a light-receiving unit 120. Light-emitting unit 110 and light-receiving unit 120 are arranged opposite each other with a tape feeder 30 installed in feeder bank 20 in between. Light-emitting unit 110 emits laser light in the X direction, and light-receiving unit 120 receives the laser light. The position of optical axis LC of sensor 100 corresponds to the position of passage hole 46 of tape feeder 30 installed in feeder bank 20.
[0033] 2. Structure of Tape Feeder 30 As shown in FIG. 3 , the tape feeder 30 includes a feeder main body 31, a sprocket 50, a motor 55, a take-up device 57, a tape guide 60, a first locking member 71, and a second locking member 75.
[0034] The feeder body 31 is elongated in the Y direction and is made of, for example, aluminum die-cast. The feeder body 31 has a passage 32 through which the component carrying tape 25 passes. The passage 32 is a groove-like passage through which the component carrying tape 25 can pass. As shown in FIG. 4 , the component carrying tape 25 is composed of a carrier tape 26 and a top tape 29.
[0035] The carrier tape 26 has component accommodating sections 27 at regular intervals. The component accommodating sections 27 are hollow and open upward, and accommodate electronic components E such as chip resistors. The carrier tape 26 also has engagement holes 28 formed at regular intervals.
[0036] The top tape 29 is attached to the carrier tape 26. The top tape 29 closes the top surface of the component receiving portion 27, and prevents the electronic component E from jumping out of the component receiving portion 27.
[0037] An entrance for passing the component carrier tape 25 is provided on the rear end surface 33 of the feeder body 31. The component carrier tape 25 can be passed through this entrance into the passage 32.
[0038] The feeder main body 31 also includes a positioning pin 35, a main lock 36, a release lever 37, and the like. As shown in FIG. 3 , the positioning pin 35 is located at the lower front end of the feeder main body 31. The positioning pin 35 is a pin that positions the tape feeder 30 relative to the feeder bank 20. The positioning wall 22 of the feeder bank 20 has a positioning hole 22A into which the positioning pin 35 fits (see FIG. 7 ). The positioning pin 35 makes it possible to position at least the X-direction position and the Z-direction position of the feeder 30 relative to the feeder bank 20. Furthermore, positioning in the Y-direction is possible, for example, by using the rear surface of the positioning wall 22 of the feeder bank 20 as the abutment surface for the feeder 30. The positioning method is not limited to the above, and various methods can be used.
[0039] The main lock 36 is disposed in the lower center of the feeder main body 31. The main lock 36 is a device that locks the tape feeder 30 to the feeder bank 20. The feeder bank 20 is formed with a lock receiving portion (not shown) that is a counterpart of the main lock 36. The release lever 37 is a lever that is operated to release the main lock 36.
[0040] As shown in Figure 3, the sprocket 50 is disposed at the upper front end of the feeder body 31. The sprocket 50 has teeth 51 formed at equal intervals on its outer periphery. The teeth 51 of the sprocket 50 engage with the engaging holes 28 of the component carrier tape 25.
[0041] The motor 55 is attached to the feeder main body 31. In this embodiment, the motor 55 is located below and behind the sprocket 50. The motor shaft of the motor 55 is coupled to the sprocket 50 via a gear 56.
[0042] The motor 55 drives the sprocket 50 to rotate, and the component storage tape 25 is delivered to a component supply position G at the front of the feeder.
[0043] The tape guide 60 is made of, for example, a metal material. The tape guide 60 is not limited to being made of metal, but may be made of resin. The tape guide 60 is elongated in the Y direction and is attached to the front of the top surface of the feeder main body 31.
[0044] 5 and 6, the tape guide 60 has a top wall 61 and a pair of guide walls 62, 63. The guide walls 62, 63 are located on both sides of the top wall 61 in the X direction (on both sides in the width direction of the top wall) and extend downward. The cross section of the tape guide 60 is a so-called U-shape.
[0045] The upper wall 61 faces the upper surface of the component storage tape 25 conveyed along the upper surface 34 of the feeder body, and prevents the component storage tape 25 from floating during conveyance. The upper wall 61 corresponds to the "opposing wall" of the present invention.
[0046] The guide walls 62, 63 are located on both sides in the X direction of the component storage tape 25 transported on the upper surface 34 of the feeder main body. The guide walls 62, 63 guide the component storage tape 25 so that the component storage tape 25 does not tilt during transport.
[0047] 5, a component removal hole 61A is provided in the top wall 61 of the tape guide 60. The component removal hole 61A is provided corresponding to the component supply position G (see FIG. 3).
[0048] When the top tape 29 reaches the component removal hole 61A, it is folded back upstream by an edge of the component removal hole 61A or the like and is peeled off from the carrier tape 26.
[0049] This allows the mounting head 16 to be moved to the component supply position G in accordance with the timing of transporting the electronic component E, thereby allowing the electronic component E to be picked up from the component storage section 27 of the carrier tape 26 through the component removal hole 61A.
[0050] The take-up device 57 is a device that takes up the top tape 29 peeled off from the carrier tape 26 and collects it in a tape storage section (not shown) within the tape main body.
[0051] 3, the first locking member 71 is located in front of the tape guide 60, and the second locking member 75 is located behind the tape guide 60. The second locking member 75 presses down on the pivot pin 66 provided at the rear of the tape guide 60. The tape guide 60 is rotatable around the pivot pin 66.
[0052] 5 and 7, the first locking member 71 is a lever that can be rotated around a shaft 72. The first locking member 71 has a claw 73 that locks with the front end 65 of the tape guide 60. Also, reference numeral 74 in Fig. 7 denotes a locking spring that biases the first locking member 71 in the locking direction.
[0053] By operating the lever of the first locking member 71, the front end 65 can be fixed to lock the tape guide 60, as shown in Figure 7. The lock can also be released. When the lock is released, the front end 65 of the tape guide 60 rises, exposing the sprocket 50, as shown in Figure 11.
[0054] Therefore, the component housing tape 25 can be easily replaced, and the maintenance performance of the tape feeder 30 can be improved.
[0055] 7 indicates the movement height position when the mounting head 16 moves above the tape feeder 30. When the tape guide 60 is locked to the feeder main body 31, the tape guide 60 is located below the movement height position H1, so the mounting head 16 does not interfere with the tape guide 60.
[0056] However, when the lock is released, as shown in Figure 11, the front end 65 of the tape guide 60 may be located above the moving height position H1, which may cause the mounting head 16 to interfere with the tape guide 60.
[0057] The tape feeder 30 is provided with an opening / closing mechanism 80 to detect when the tape guide 60 is unlocked.
[0058] The structure of the feeder main body 31 at the attachment location of the opening / closing mechanism 80 will be described below, followed by a description of each component that constitutes the opening / closing mechanism 80.
[0059] 9, feeder body 31 is formed with arc-shaped outer peripheral walls 41, 42 that surround the outer periphery of sprocket 50. An upper portion of outer peripheral wall 41 is formed with a through-hole 41A that passes through vertically.
[0060] The feeder main body 31 is provided with a first storage section 45 and a second storage section 47. The two storage sections 45, 47 are located side by side below an outer peripheral wall 42 that surrounds the outer periphery of the sprocket 50.
[0061] A communication groove 42A that communicates with the first housing portion 45 is formed in the outer peripheral wall 42. A passage hole 46 is formed in the lower portion of the first housing portion 45.
[0062] The through hole 46 penetrates the feeder main body 31 in the X direction. The through hole 46 is a hole through which light from the sensor 100 passes, and is located at the rear lower part of the sprocket 50 in relation to the sprocket 50. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, a cover 58 that covers the motor 55 and gear 56 is installed at the front of the feeder main body 31. A hole is also provided on the cover 58 side at the position of the through hole 46 so that the through hole 46 is not blocked by the cover 58.
[0063] The opening / closing mechanism 80 is provided in the feeder main body 31, and opens and closes the passage hole 46 in conjunction with locking or unlocking of the tape guide 60. As a configuration example of the opening / closing mechanism 80, embodiment 1 discloses a configuration using a rod 81, a movable member 85, and a spring member 91.
[0064] The rod 81 is positioned so as to overlap the outline of the sprocket 50 when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 7 (direction X), and is positioned adjacent to the sprocket 50 when viewed from above (direction A) in Figure 7. In other words, in this embodiment, the rod 81 is positioned adjacent to the side of the sprocket 50.
[0065] As shown in Figure 9, the rod 81 is made up of a first shaft portion 82 and a second shaft portion 83. The two shaft portions 82, 83 are connected at the top. The second shaft portion 83 is inserted vertically through a through-hole 41A in the outer peripheral wall 41. By inserting the second shaft portion 83 into the through-hole 41A, the rod 81 can be moved stably in the vertical direction.
[0066] The first shaft 82 has a connecting portion 82A at its lower portion. The connecting portion 82A is located inside the first housing portion 45 and is inserted into a connecting hole 87A of the movable member 85.
[0067] 9 and 10, the movable member 85 is made up of a base 86 and a lever 89. A mountain-shaped protrusion 87 is formed on the upper surface of the base 86. A connecting hole 87A is formed in the protrusion 87, into which the connecting portion 82A of the rod 81 is inserted. In addition, a boss 88 is formed on the lower surface of the base 86, into which a spring member 91 is fixed.
[0068] 9, the base 86 is located in the second housing portion 47. A guide wall 47A is formed in the second housing portion 47, and the base 86 is movable up and down along the guide wall 47A.
[0069] The lever portion 89 is located in the first housing portion 45. The lever portion 89 extends diagonally downward from the tip of the base portion 86. The lever portion 89 has a blocking portion 90 at its bottom. The blocking portion 90 is generally circular. The blocking portion 90 has a larger diameter than the passage hole 46 and can block the passage hole 46.
[0070] The spring member 91 is a coil spring, and as shown in Fig. 9, is disposed within the second housing portion 47. The lower end of the spring member 91 abuts against the bottom wall 47B of the second housing portion 47, and the upper end is fitted into a boss 88 formed on the lower surface of the base portion 86. An upward spring force (elastic force) acts on the movable member 85 via the spring member 91.
[0071] When the tape guide 60 is attached to the feeder main body 31 and locked by the first locking member 71, the lower end 62A of the guide wall 62 presses the rod 81 downward, as shown in Figures 7 and 8. This causes the rod 81 to be pushed in against the elastic force of the spring member 91, lowering the position of the movable member 85. With the movable member 85 lowered, the blocking portion 90 moves below the passage hole 46, opening it.
[0072] 7, a part 89A of the lever portion 89 abuts against the wall surface 45A of the first storage portion 45, causing the movable member 85 to rotate slightly. This prevents the closing portion 90 from lowering too far and jumping out from the bottom end of the feeder main body 31.
[0073] 11 , when the tape guide 60 is unlocked by the first locking member 71, the spring member 91 pushes the movable member 85 upward. As a result, the blocking portion 90 overlaps with the passage hole 46, closing the passage hole 46.
[0074] In this way, when the tape guide 60 is unlocked, the movable member 85 is displaced from the lowered position shown in Figure 7 to the raised position shown in Figure 11, resulting in the blocking portion 90 opening and closing the passage hole 46.
[0075] Therefore, for example, when replacing the component storage tape 25, after installing the replaced tape feeder 30 in the feeder bank 20, the sensor 100 can be used to confirm reception of laser light before production begins, thereby detecting whether the tape guide 60 has been unlocked.
[0076] Specifically, if light reception is confirmed, it can be determined that the tape guide 60 is locked (normal), and if light reception is not confirmed, it can be determined that the tape guide 60 is unlocked (abnormal).
[0077] When unlocking is detected, production is stopped, thereby preventing the mounting head 16 from interfering with the unlocked tape guide 60.
[0078] Furthermore, if unlocking is detected after production has started, the head unit 15 can be stopped to prevent the mounting head 16 from interfering with the tape guide 60 in which the unlocking has occurred.
[0079] As a method for detecting unlocking of the tape guide 60, a sensor S may be installed above the tape guide as shown in FIG. 12, and the sensor S may detect abnormalities above the tape guide.
[0080] However, in the case of the detection method of Fig. 12, in order for the sensors S to cover the movable range θ of the tape guide 200 that accompanies unlocking, multiple sensors S are required. For example, in the case of Fig. 12, three sensors S1 to S3 are used to cover the movable range θ.
[0081] With the detection method of embodiment 1, even if the movable range θ associated with unlocking the tape guide 60 is wide, it is possible to detect a locking failure of the tape guide 60 with a single sensor 100, which has the advantage of allowing the number of sensors 100 to be reduced.
[0082] Furthermore, with this configuration, when the tape guide 60 is unlocked, the spring force can be used to automatically push the movable member 85 back upward, which has the advantage of simplifying the mechanism for pushing the movable member 85 back.
[0083] Second Embodiment In the first embodiment, (A) is detected by emitting laser light from the light-emitting unit 110 toward the passage hole 46 and receiving the light by the light-receiving unit 120. In the second embodiment, in addition to (A), (B) is detected.
[0084] (A) The tape guide 60 is not locked properly relative to the feeder body 31. (B) The tape feeder 30 is not properly installed relative to the feeder bank 20.
[0085] Regarding (B), when the tape feeders 30 are properly attached to the feeder bank 20, as shown in Figure 13A, the laser light emitted from the light-emitting unit 110 passes continuously through the passage holes 46 of each tape feeder 30 and is received by the light-receiving unit 120.
[0086] If the tape feeder 30 is improperly installed in the feeder bank 20, as shown in Figure 13B, the position of the passage hole 46 of the improperly installed tape feeder 30B is shifted from the optical axis LC of the laser light, so the laser light emitted from the light-emitting unit 110 is blocked by the feeder main body 31 and is not received by the light-receiving unit 120.
[0087] 14, the sensor 100 is in a light-receiving state only when neither the tape guide 60 has been unlocked nor the tape feeder 30 has been installed improperly, and is in a light-blocking state when either the tape guide 60 has been unlocked or the tape feeder 30 has been installed improperly. Therefore, two abnormalities can be detected with one sensor 100.
[0088] Other Embodiments The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated with reference to the drawings, and the following embodiments, for example, are also included within the technical scope.
[0089] (1) In the first embodiment, the opening / closing mechanism 80 is configured with the rod 81, the movable member 85, and the spring member 91. The opening / closing mechanism 80 may have any configuration as long as it opens and closes the passage hole 46 of the feeder main body 31 in conjunction with the locking or unlocking of the tape guide 60.
[0090] (2) In the first embodiment, the opening / closing mechanism 80 is configured with the rod 81, the movable member 85, and the spring member 91. The rod 81 may be omitted, and the opening / closing mechanism 80 may be configured with the movable member 85 and the spring member 91. In particular, if the passage hole 46 and the movable member 85 can be disposed near the tape guide 60, the rod 81 can be omitted by configuring the tape guide 60 to directly push the movable member 85.
[0091] (3) In the first embodiment, the rod 81 is pushed by the lower end surface of the guide wall 62 to move the movable member 85 downward in response to the locking operation of the tape guide 60. Alternatively, for example, the rod 81 may be pushed by the lower surface of the component housing tape 25 to move the movable member 85 downward.
[0092] (4) In the first embodiment described above, when the tape guide 60 is locked, the blocking portion 90 is moved from the passage hole 46 to open the passage hole 46, and when the tape guide 60 is unlocked, the blocking portion 90 is moved to the passage hole 46 to close the passage hole 46. The opening and closing of the passage hole 46 may be reversed. When the tape guide 60 is locked, the blocking portion 90 may be moved to the passage hole 46 to close the passage hole 46, and when the tape guide 60 is unlocked, the blocking portion 90 may be moved from the passage hole 46 to open the passage hole 46.
[0093] (5) In the second embodiment, two abnormalities, i.e., improper installation of the tape feeder 30 and improper locking of the tape guide 60, are detected by one sensor 100. The two abnormalities may be detected separately by two sensors (two passage holes).
[0094] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Surface mounter 20 Feeder bank 25 Component storage tape 30 Tape feeder 31 Feeder main body 50 Sprocket 55 Motor 60 Tape guide 71 First locking member (locking member) 80 Opening / closing mechanism 81 Rod 85 Movable member 90 Shielding portion 91 Spring member
Claims
1. A tape feeder comprising: a feeder main body having a passage hole through which sensor light passes; a sprocket provided on the feeder main body and transporting a component-containing tape; a tape guide attached to an upper part of the feeder main body; a locking member provided on the feeder main body and locking the tape guide; and an opening / closing mechanism, wherein the tape guide, when locked to the feeder main body, guides the component-containing tape transported by the sprocket along the top surface of the feeder main body, and the opening / closing mechanism is provided on the feeder main body and opens and closes the passage hole in the feeder main body in response to the locking or unlocking of the tape guide by the locking member.
2. A tape feeder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the opening and closing mechanism comprises a movable member having a blocking portion capable of blocking the passage hole, and a spring member, wherein the movable member moves downward against the elastic force of the spring member as the tape guide is locked to the feeder main body, thereby blocking or opening the passage hole with the blocking portion, and the spring member pushes the movable member back upward as the tape guide is unlocked, thereby reversing the opening and closing of the passage hole.
3. A tape feeder as claimed in claim 2, wherein the opening and closing mechanism comprises a rod in addition to the movable member and the spring member, and the rod moves the movable member downward as the tape guide is locked relative to the feeder main body.
4. A tape feeder as set forth in claim 3, wherein the tape guide comprises an opposing wall that faces the upper surface of the component storage tape transported along the upper surface of the feeder main body, and guide walls on both sides of the opposing wall that guide both sides of the component storage tape, and when the tape guide is locked to the feeder main body, the lower ends of the guide walls abut against the rod and push the rod and the movable member downward.
5. A tape feeder according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the rod is positioned adjacent to the side of the sprocket.
6. A tape feeder according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the feeder body has a through hole that passes through it vertically, and a part of the rod is inserted into the through hole.
7. A tape feeder as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the blocking portion opens the passage hole while the tape guide is locked by the locking member, and blocks the passage hole by overlapping with the passage hole when the tape guide is unlocked by the locking member.
8. A tape feeder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sensor and the passage hole are used to detect both a locking failure of the tape guide and a failure to install the tape feeder.
9. A surface mounter comprising: a tape feeder according to claim 1 or 2; and a mounting head that mounts components supplied by the tape feeder onto a substrate.