Component mounting machine

Abstract

This component mounting machine comprises: a plurality of lanes which run in parallel along a conveyance direction when viewed in plan view, and each of which conveys a substrate in the conveyance direction; a component supply unit which is disposed in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction with respect to the plurality of lanes when viewed in plan view, and which supplies a component to be mounted on a substrate disposed in each of the plurality of lanes; a mounting head which moves the component supplied to the component supply unit above the substrate disposed in each of the plurality of lanes and mounts the component on the substrate; an imaging device which images the substrate disposed in each of the plurality of lanes; and a control device which can communicate with the imaging device. The plurality of lanes include at least a first lane and a second lane. The control device executes inspection processing for inspecting the upper surface of the substrate on the basis of an image of the substrate disposed in the second lane when the mounting head mounts the component on the substrate disposed in the first lane and a predetermined condition is satisfied.

Description

Component Mounting Machine

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a component mounter that inspects a board.

[0002] The mounter in Patent Document 1 monitors for component falling from a mounting head that mounts components onto a board, and when a component falling is detected, sets the board as a board to be inspected for foreign matter. Furthermore, the mounter inspects the set board for foreign matter inspection for the presence or absence of foreign matter.

[0003] JP 2015-95586 A

[0004] In the component mounter disclosed in Patent Document 1, boards are placed on each of two parallel lanes, and one mounting head mounts components onto the boards placed on each lane. In this component mounter, of the boards placed on the two lanes, the board that is the target for component mounting when a component drop is detected is inspected, but the other board that is not the target for component mounting is not inspected for foreign matter. However, even if the board is not the target for component mounting, a component that has fallen from the mounting head may remain on the top surface of the board. In this case, the board that is not inspected will be processed further with the foreign matter still on it, increasing the likelihood that it will be a defective product. On the other hand, simply inspecting each board placed on multiple lanes requires time for inspection, resulting in reduced productivity. This specification provides a technology that can improve the quality of boards that are not the target for component mounting in conventional technology while suppressing productivity drops.

[0005] The component mounter disclosed in this specification includes a plurality of lanes running parallel to a transport direction in a plan view, each of which transports a board in the transport direction; a component supply unit arranged perpendicular to the transport direction with respect to the plurality of lanes in a plan view, the component supply unit supplying components to be mounted on the boards arranged on each of the plurality of lanes; a mounting head that moves the components supplied to the component supply unit above the boards arranged on each of the plurality of lanes to mount the components on the boards; an imaging device that images the boards arranged on each of the plurality of lanes; and a control device that can communicate with the imaging device. The plurality of lanes include at least a first lane and a second lane. When the mounting head mounts components on the board arranged on the first lane and a predetermined condition is met, the control device executes an inspection process to inspect the top surface of the board arranged on the second lane based on an image of the board arranged on the second lane.

[0006] In the above-described component mounter, when the mounting head mounts components on a board placed in the first lane, inspection processing is performed on the board placed in the second lane, which is not the target board, if a predetermined condition is met. Therefore, even if a component that has fallen from the mounting head remains on the top surface of a board that is not the target board, the presence of the component can be detected through the inspection processing. This can improve the quality of the board placed in the second lane. Furthermore, when the predetermined condition is not met (e.g., when there is a low possibility that a component has fallen on the board placed in the second lane), inspection is not performed on the board placed in the second lane. This can prevent a decrease in productivity.

[0007] A side view of a component mounter according to a first embodiment. A cross-sectional view of the component mounter taken along line II-II in Figure 1. A flowchart of a first board mounting process executed by a control device according to a first embodiment. A flowchart of a second board inspection process executed by control devices according to second to fourth embodiments.

[0008] The main features of the embodiments described below are listed below. Note that the technical elements described below are independent technical elements that exhibit technical utility alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing.

[0009] (Feature 1) In the component mounter described above, the plurality of lanes may be configured by the first lane and the second lane.

[0010] With this configuration, the size of the mounter can be made smaller than with a configuration having three or more lanes. However, in other embodiments, the number of lanes may be three or more.

[0011] (Feature 2) In the component mounter described above, the second lane may be located closer to the component supply unit than the first lane.

[0012] In this configuration, the mounting head moving from the component supply unit toward the first lane passes above the second lane. Therefore, if a component falls from the mounting head above the second lane, the component is likely to remain on the board placed in the second lane. For this reason, the technology disclosed in this specification is particularly useful for component mounters with this configuration.

[0013] (Feature 3) In the above-described component mounter, the component may be held by the mounting head in the component supply unit, pass above the board arranged in the second lane, move above the board arranged in the first lane, and then be mounted on the board. In this case, the control device may perform the inspection process based on an image of the board arranged in the second lane that corresponds to a region through which the component held by the mounting head passed, among the images of the board arranged in the second lane.

[0014] With this configuration, the load of image processing can be reduced compared to a configuration in which inspection processing is performed based on an image of the entire area of ​​the board placed in the second lane.

[0015] (Feature 4) In the component mounter described above, the second lane may be located farther from the component supply unit than the first lane.

[0016] Even in a configuration in which the mounting head mounts components on a board placed in the first lane without passing over the second lane, there is a risk that components may fall onto the top surface of the board placed in the second lane due to, for example, the inertial force generated when the mounting head moves. With this configuration, an inspection process can be used to detect whether or not a component that has fallen from the mounting head is present on the top surface of a board placed in the second lane, which is located away from the component supply unit.

[0017] (Feature 5) In the component mounter described above, the control device may further execute a drop detection process to detect whether the component has fallen from the mounting head while the mounting head is moving from the component supply unit toward the board arranged in the first lane. In this case, the predetermined condition may be met when the drop of the component is detected in the drop detection process.

[0018] With this configuration, if a component falling is detected by the fall detection process executed while the mounting head is moving, the inspection process is executed on the component placed in the second lane, thereby preventing unnecessary inspection processes from being executed.

[0019] (Feature 6) In the component mounter described above, the predetermined condition may be met when a fall of the component is detected in the fall detection process and the board is placed on the second lane.

[0020] With this configuration, it is possible to prevent unnecessary inspection processes from being performed when no board is placed on the second lane.

[0021] (Feature 7) In the above-described component mounter, the component mounter may further include a carry-in sensor that detects that the board has been carried into the second lane from outside. After the carry-in sensor detects that the board has been carried into the second lane, the control device may perform the drop detection process when the mounting head mounts the components on the board placed in the first lane until mounting of the components on the board placed in the second lane is started, and if the drop detection process detects that the components have fallen, perform the inspection process on the board placed in the second lane.

[0022] With this configuration, the inspection process is performed before components are mounted on the board carried into the second lane. Therefore, the presence of fallen components on the top surface of the board can be detected before components are mounted on the board. This makes it possible to take measures such as removing fallen components from the board before components are mounted on it, thereby improving the quality of the board.

[0023] (Feature 8) In the component mounter described above, if the component cannot be properly mounted on the board arranged in the second lane, the board may be held at a predetermined position on the second lane. The control device may perform the drop detection process when the mounting head mounts the component on the board arranged in the first lane with the board held at the predetermined position on the second lane, and if the drop detection process detects a drop of the component, perform the inspection process on the board arranged in the second lane.

[0024] If a component falls from the mounting head that mounts the component on the board placed in the first lane while the board is held at a predetermined position on the second lane, there is a possibility that the fallen component will end up on the board held at a predetermined position on the second lane. With this configuration, the presence of a fallen component on the top surface of the board held at a predetermined position can be detected before the component is mounted on the board. This makes it possible to take measures, such as removing the fallen component from the board, thereby improving the quality of the board.

[0025] (Feature 9) The mounter may further include a carry-out sensor that detects that the board arranged in the second lane is positioned at a carry-out position where the board arranged in the second lane is carried out to the outside. After the components are mounted on the board arranged in the second lane, the control device may perform the drop detection process when the mounting head mounts the components on the board arranged in the first lane until the carry-out sensor detects that the board is positioned at the carry-out position, and when the drop detection process detects that the components have fallen, the control device may perform the inspection process on the board arranged in the second lane.

[0026] With this configuration, if a component drop is detected before the board arranged in the second lane is carried out from the component mounter, an inspection process can be performed on the board.

[0027] First Embodiment First, the structure of a component mounter 10 according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a side view of the component mounter 10, and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the component mounter 10 taken along line II-II in Figure 1. That is, Figure 2 shows the internal structure of the component mounter 10 as viewed from above. The component mounter 10 is a device that mounts components 4 onto boards 2F and 2S. Both boards 2F and 2S are circuit boards, and the components 4 are electronic components. The component mounter 10, together with other component mounters and other devices (e.g., solder printers), constitutes a component mounting line.

[0028] The mounter 10 has two lanes, i.e., a first lane L1 and a second lane L2. This allows the size of the component mounting line to be reduced, particularly in the direction in which the board is transported (i.e., the X direction), compared to a configuration with only one lane. Furthermore, the size of the mounter 10 can be reduced in the depth direction (i.e., the Y direction) compared to a configuration with three or more lanes.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2 in particular, the lanes L1 and L2 are parallel to each other and extend in the X direction (i.e., the left-right direction in FIG. 2 ). That is, the lanes L1 and L2 run side by side along the X direction. Of the lanes L1 and L2, the first lane L1, located in the Y direction (i.e., the upward direction in FIG. 2 ), includes a pair of conveyors 22F, an inlet sensor 24F, and an outlet sensor 26F. The pair of conveyors 22F supports the board 2F from below and transports it in a transport direction D1. In this embodiment, the transport direction D1 is parallel to the X direction. The pair of conveyors 22F also hold the board 2F at a first mounting position P1. The first mounting position P1 is located approximately in the center of the pair of conveyors 22F in the X direction. Components 4 are mounted on the board 2F held at the first mounting position P1.

[0030] The carry-in sensor 24F detects that the board 2F has been carried into the first lane L1. The carry-in sensor 24 is equipped with a mass sensor, and when the board 2F is placed above the carry-in sensor 24, it detects the mass of the board 2F to detect that the board 2F has been carried into the mounter 10 from outside (for example, an adjacent mounter). The carry-out sensor 26F detects that the board 2F has been carried out from the mounter 10 to outside (for example, an adjacent mounter). Like the carry-in sensor 24F, the carry-out sensor 26S also detects the carrying-out of the board 2F using a mass sensor.

[0031] The second lane L2 has a configuration similar to that of the first lane L1 and includes a pair of conveyors 22S, a carry-in sensor 24S, and a carry-out sensor 26S. The pair of conveyors 22S of the second lane L2 support the board 2S from below and transport it in the transport direction D1. The pair of conveyors 22S hold the board 2S at a second mounting position P2. The second mounting position P2 is located approximately in the center of the pair of conveyors 22S in the X direction. Components 4 are mounted on the board 2S held at the second mounting position P2. The carry-in sensor 24S has a configuration similar to that of the carry-in sensor 24F of the first lane L1 described above, and the carry-out sensor 26S has a configuration similar to that of the carry-out sensor 26F. Note that each of the sensors 24F, 24S, 26F, and 26S may detect the board being carried in and out using, for example, a photo sensor or an infrared sensor instead of a mass sensor.

[0032] In addition to the first lane L1 and the second lane L2, the component mounter 10 further includes a touch screen 11, a feeder unit 12, a lower camera 13, a mounting head 14, an upper camera 16, a head moving device 18, and a control device 30.

[0033] The touch screen 11 is disposed on the surface of the mounter 10 in the -Y direction (i.e., the left direction in the plane of FIG. 1). The touch screen 11 is a display that displays various information related to the mounter 10 to the operator, and also an operation unit that accepts operations by the operator. In a modified example, the mounter 10 may be provided with, for example, a separate display and operation unit (e.g., keyboard) instead of the touch screen 11.

[0034] The feeder unit 12 is disposed in the -Y direction of the second lane L2. That is, the feeder unit 12 is disposed in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction D1 (i.e., the X direction). As shown in FIG. 2, the feeder unit 12 includes a plurality of tape feeders arranged in the X direction (i.e., the left-right direction on the paper surface of FIG. 2). Each of the plurality of tape feeders stores components 4 and supplies the components 4 to the mounter 10. In a modified example, instead of or in addition to the feeder unit 12 having tape feeders, the mounter 10 may include, for example, a tray-type component supply unit in which a plurality of components 4 are arranged on a tray, or a wafer-type component supply unit in which a semiconductor wafer is diced and divided into a plurality of components 4.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 1 , the placement head 14 has a cylindrical nozzle 6 that picks up a component 4. The placement head 14 can move the nozzle 6 along the Z axis (i.e., up and down on the paper surface of FIG. 1 ), for example, to move the nozzle 6 toward and away from the feeder unit 12 and the boards 2F and 2S. Note that the placement head 14 is not limited to a single nozzle 6, but may have multiple nozzles 6. Although not shown, the placement head 14 also has a pressure sensor that detects the pressure value within the nozzle 6. For example, if a component 4 picked up by the nozzle 6 falls, the pressure value within the nozzle 6 drops suddenly. The placement head 14 detects that the component 4 has fallen from the nozzle 6 when the pressure value within the nozzle 6 detected by the pressure sensor drops below a predetermined value. In a modified example, the placement head 14 may have a flow rate sensor that detects the air flow rate within the nozzle 6 instead of the pressure sensor. In this modified example, the mounting head 14 may detect that the component 4 has fallen from the nozzle 6 when the air flow rate in the nozzle 6 detected by the flow sensor drops below a predetermined value.

[0036] The head moving device 18 is an XY robot that moves the mounting head 14 and the upper camera 16 along the XY plane. As shown in FIG. 1 , the head moving device 18 moves the mounting head 14 and the upper camera 16, for example, along path R1, and positions them above the board 2F. This allows the mounting head 14 to mount components 4 on the upper surface 3F of the board 2F. Similarly, the mounting head 14 is moved above the board 2S by the head moving device 18, and then mounts components 4 on the upper surface 3S of the board 2S. Note that the upper camera 16 is not limited to being held by the head moving device 18, and may be fixed to the ceiling surface of the component mounter 10, for example.

[0037] The lower camera 13 is disposed between the feeder unit 12 and the second lane L2. The lower camera 13 has an objective lens facing upward. The lower camera 13 captures an image of the lower surface of the component 4 sucked by the nozzle 6, for example.

[0038] The upper camera 16 is adjacent to the mounting head 14 and is held by a head moving device 18. The upper camera 16 has an objective lens that faces downward. The upper camera 16 captures images of, for example, the upper surface 3F of the substrate 2F and the upper surface 3S of the substrate 2S.

[0039] 1, the control device 30 is a computer including a CPU 32 and a memory 34, and controls each section of the mounter 10. The memory 34 is composed of a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. The memory 34 stores a program 36 and a carry-in information table T1. The program 36 is a program for executing the first board mounting process (described later) in accordance with job information received from a management device (not shown), for example.

[0040] The control device 30 can communicate with, for example, the feeder unit 12, the cameras 13 and 16, the mounting head 14, the head moving device 18, and the lanes L1 and L2. The control device 30 receives, from the feeder unit 12, identification information identifying the components 4 stored in the feeder unit 12. The control device 30 also receives, from the lower camera 13, an image of the underside of the component 4 picked up by the nozzle 6. Based on the image received from the lower camera 13, the control device 30 can determine, for example, whether the component 4 is properly picked up by the nozzle 6. The control device 30 also receives, from the upper camera 16, an image of the upper surface 3S of the board 2S. This allows the control device 30 to determine, for example, whether a foreign object is present on the upper surface 3S of the board 2S based on the image received from the upper camera 16. The control device 30 also receives, from the mounting head 14, a drop signal indicating that the component 4 has fallen from the nozzle 6. The control device 30 also receives, from each of the input sensors 24F and 24S, a carry-in signal indicating that the board has been carried in. The control device 30 also receives, from each of the unloading sensors 26F and 26S, an unloading signal indicating that the substrate has been unloaded.

[0041] The delivery information table T1 is a table for storing delivery information for each lane L1, L2. The delivery information is information that allows the control device 30 to determine whether or not a board is currently placed in each lane L1, L2. The delivery information includes "Yes," which indicates that a board is placed in each lane L1, L2, and "No," which indicates that a board is not placed in each lane L1, L2. For example, in response to receiving a delivery signal from the delivery sensor 24S of the second lane L2, the control device 30 associates the delivery information "Yes" with the second lane L2 and stores it in the delivery information table T1. Furthermore, in response to receiving an unloading signal from the unloading sensor 26S of the second lane L2, the control device 30 deletes the delivery information "Yes" and stores the delivery information "No" in association with the second lane L2 in the delivery information table T1. The same applies to the first lane L1. The control device 30 determines whether or not a board is placed in each of the lanes L1 and L2 based on the carry-in information table T1 in the memory 34.

[0042] The second lane L2, together with the lower camera 13, is located between the first lane L1 and the feeder unit 12. That is, the second lane L2 is located closer to the feeder unit 12 than the first lane L1. For this reason, for example, when the mounting head 14 moves along the path R1 toward above the board 2F located at the first mounting position P1, the mounting head 14 may pass above the board 2S located at the second mounting position P2. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2 , the component 4 picked up by the nozzle 6 of the mounting head 14 passes above the area A1 of the board 2S. For this reason, if the component 4 falls from the nozzle 6 as it passes above the board 2S, the fallen component 4 is likely to remain on the top surface 3S of the board 2S. If the component 4 is mounted on the board 2S while the fallen component 4 is still on the top surface 3S, the board 2S will be determined to be defective in a downstream quality inspection and discarded.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 3 , a first board mounting process executed by the CPU 32 of the control device 30 will be described. The first board mounting process is a process for mounting components 4 on a board (e.g., 2F) arranged in the first lane L1. The control device 30 executes the process of FIG. 3 in response to receiving a mounting instruction for the board arranged in the first lane L1 from the management device. Hereinafter, for ease of understanding, the operations executed by the CPU 32 of the control device 30 will be described mainly in terms of the control device 30, rather than the CPU 32. Furthermore, the board arranged in the first lane L1 (e.g., 2F) may be referred to as the "first board," and the board arranged in the second lane L2 (e.g., 2S) may be referred to as the "second board."

[0044] In S10, the control device 30 monitors whether the component 4 has fallen from the nozzle 6. If the control device 30 receives the above-described drop signal from the mounting head 14 (YES in S10), the control device 30 proceeds to S12. If the control device 30 does not receive the drop signal from the mounting head 14 (NO in S10), the control device 30 proceeds to S50.

[0045] In S50, the control device 30 determines whether mounting of the component 4 on the first board is complete. The control device 30 compares the component included in the mounting instruction received from the management device with the mounted component mounted on the first board, and if they match (YES in S50), it determines that mounting on the first board is complete and ends the processing of FIG. 3. If the component 4 included in the mounting instruction and the mounted component are different (NO in S50), the control device 30 returns to S10 and again determines whether the component 4 has fallen. In other words, the control device 30 repeats the processing of S10 until mounting on the first board is complete.

[0046] In S12, the control device 30 acquires an image of the first board from the upper camera 16 held on the mounting head 14 located above the first board to confirm whether or not any components 4 have fallen onto the first board.

[0047] In S20, based on the image of the first board received in S12, the control device 30 determines whether or not a foreign object (i.e., a dropped component) is present on the top surface of the first board. Specifically, the control device 30 compares a pre-stored ideal top surface image with the image of the first board received from the upper camera 16. If the two images do not match by more than a predetermined percentage (YES in S20), the control device 30 determines that a foreign object is present on the top surface of the first board, and proceeds to S42. If the two images match by more than a predetermined percentage (NO in S20), the control device 30 determines that no foreign object is present on the top surface of the first board, and proceeds to S30.

[0048] In S30, the control device 30 determines whether a second substrate is placed in the second lane L2. If the carry-in information table T1 (see FIG. 1) in the memory 34 stores carry-in information "absent" in association with the second lane L2 (NO in S30), the control device 30 determines that a second substrate is not placed in the second lane L2 and returns to S10. If the carry-in information table T1 stores carry-in information "present" in association with the second lane L2 (YES in S30), the control device 30 determines that a second substrate is placed in the second lane L2 and proceeds to S32.

[0049] In S32, the control device 30 positions the mounting head 14 above the second board using the head moving device 18, and causes the upper camera 16 to capture an image of the second board. Furthermore, the control device 30 receives an image of the second board from the upper camera 16.

[0050] In S34, the control device 30 determines whether the component 4 (the mounting head 14 that has picked up the component 4) has passed over the second board. Specifically, the control device 30 determines whether the range of the second board includes the path R1 based on a set of coordinate values ​​defining the path (e.g., R1) along which the mounting head 14 moves over the first board and a set of coordinate values ​​of the image defining the range of the second board received in S32. If the range of the second board does not include the path R1 (NO in S34), the control device 30 determines that the component 4 has not passed over the second board and returns to S10. If the range of the second board includes the path R1 (YES in S34), the control device 30 determines that the component 4 has passed over the second board and proceeds to S40.

[0051] In S40, the control device 30 determines whether a foreign object is present in a pass area (e.g., area A1 in FIG. 2 ), which is an area on the second board through which the component 4 passed, from the image of the second board received in S32. The control device 30 calculates the pass area using the movement path (e.g., R1) of the mounting head 14 calculated in S34. The pass area includes an area indicating the movement path and area widths set on both sides of the area in the X direction. This area width is a range within which the component 4 is likely to move on the second board if it falls, and is pre-stored in the memory 34. Note that the set value of the area width can be changed later by the operator. In this way, in S40, the control device 30 determines whether a foreign object is present on the second board based on an image of the second board corresponding to the pass area where the component 4 is likely to be present. This reduces the image processing load compared to a configuration in which the presence of a foreign object on the second board is determined based on an image of the entire area of ​​the second board. If the control device 30 determines that there is no foreign object in the passing area (NO in S40), the process returns to S10. If the control device 30 determines that there is a foreign object in the passing area (YES in S40), the process proceeds to S42.

[0052] In S42, the control device 30 stops mounting the components 4 onto the first board.

[0053] Furthermore, in S44, the control device 30 executes a notification process using the touch screen 11. The notification process is a process for notifying the worker that a foreign object is present on the board. When the control device 30 determines that a foreign object is present on the first board (YES in S20), it displays a message on the touch screen 11 indicating that a foreign object is present on the first board. On the other hand, when the control device 30 determines that a foreign object is present in the passage area of ​​the second board (YES in S40), it displays a message on the touch screen 11 indicating that a foreign object is present on the second board. This allows the worker to know whether the foreign object is present on the first board or the second board and can take measures to remove the foreign object, for example. This prevents the board determined to have a foreign object from continuing to mount components 4, resulting in a defect. When the process of S44 is completed, the control device 30 terminates the process of FIG. 3.

[0054] (Effects of the Present Embodiment) As described above, in the component mounter 10 of the present embodiment, when the mounting head 14 mounts components 4 on the first board arranged in the first lane L1 (triggering the process of FIG. 3 ) and detects a fallen component 4 (YES in S10), the mounter 10 determines whether or not there is a foreign object on the top surface of the second board arranged in the second lane L2 (S40). Therefore, the mounter 10 can detect the presence of a fallen component on the top surface of the second board, which is not the target board on which the component 4 is to be mounted. This allows, for example, a notification to an operator that a fallen component is present on the top surface of the second board (S44), which allows the operator to remove the fallen component, thereby improving the quality of the second board. Note that in a modified example, instead of the notification process of S44, the control device 30 may, for example, perform a process to remove the fallen component using the nozzle 6 of the mounting head 14. Furthermore, if a fallen component 4 is not detected (NO in S10), the control device 30 does not perform the process of S40. This prevents unnecessary processing from being performed when the component 4 is properly adsorbed by the nozzle 6. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in productivity of the component mounter 10. Furthermore, the component mounter 10 does not execute the process of S40 when the second board is not placed in the second lane L2 (NO in S30), thereby preventing unnecessary processing from being executed in a situation where there is no possibility that a fallen component may be present on the upper surface of the second board.

[0055] Furthermore, if there is no foreign matter on the top surface of the first board (NO in S20), the mounter 10 of this embodiment determines whether there is a foreign matter on the top surface of the second board (S40). Therefore, for example, if a component 4 is found on the first board (YES in S20), it is possible to prevent unnecessary processing from being executed.

[0056] The correspondence relationships in this embodiment are as follows: The feeder unit 12 is an example of a "component supply unit." The detection of a dropped component 4 in the process of S10 is an example of a "predetermined condition." The process of S40 in FIG. 3 is an example of an "inspection process." The process of S10 is an example of a "drop detection process."

[0057] Second Embodiment A mounter 10 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The mounter 10 according to this embodiment executes a second board inspection process shown in Fig. 4 instead of the first board mounting process shown in Fig. 3. The second board inspection process is a process for determining whether or not there is a foreign object on the top surface of the second board. The control device 30 executes the process shown in Fig. 4 in response to receiving a carry-in signal from the carry-in sensor 24S (see Fig. 1) of the second lane L2.

[0058] In S60, the control device 30 monitors whether the mounting head 14 has started mounting the components 4 onto the first board. If the control device 30 detects that the mounting head 14 has started moving toward the first board (YES in S60), the process proceeds to S70.

[0059] In S70, the control device 30 monitors whether the component 4 has fallen from the nozzle 6. The process of S70 is the same as the process of S10 in Fig. 3 in the first embodiment. If the control device 30 does not detect a component 4 falling (NO in S70), the process proceeds to S90, and if the control device 30 detects a component 4 falling (YES in S70), the process proceeds to S72.

[0060] In S72, the control device 30 receives an image of the second board from the upper camera 16. The process of S72 is similar to the process of S32 in FIG.

[0061] In S80, the control device 30 determines whether or not a foreign object is present on the second substrate based on the image of the second substrate received in S72. Unlike S40 in FIG. 3, in S80, the control device 30 determines whether or not a foreign object is present across the entire area of ​​the image of the second substrate, regardless of whether or not there is a passing area. The control device 30 determines whether or not a foreign object is present on the second substrate using a method similar to the processing of S20 in FIG. 3. If the control device 30 determines that a foreign object is present on the second substrate (YES in S80), the control device 30 proceeds to S84. If the control device 30 determines that a foreign object is not present on the second substrate (NO in S80), the control device 30 proceeds to S82.

[0062] In S82, the control device 30 determines whether component mounting on the first board, for which the start of mounting was detected in S60, has been completed. If component mounting on the first board has not been completed (NO in S82), the control device 30 returns to S70 and again monitors for falling components 4. That is, the control device 30 repeats the process of S70 while components 4 are being mounted on the first board. If component mounting on the first board has been completed (YES in S82), the control device 30 ends the process of FIG. 4.

[0063] The process of S84 is the same as the process of S42 in Fig. 3. In S86, the control device 30 displays a message on the touch screen 11 indicating that a foreign object is present on the second substrate.

[0064] In S90, the control device 30 monitors whether the mounting head 14 has started mounting the components 4 on the second board. If the control device 30 does not detect movement of the mounting head 14 toward the second board (NO in S90), it determines that mounting of the components 4 on the first board is continuing, and returns to S70 to monitor for falling of the components 4 again. Furthermore, if the control device 30 detects movement of the mounting head 14 toward the second board (YES in S90), it determines that mounting of the components 4 on the first board has finished, and ends the processing of FIG. 4 . As described above, in the component mounter 10 of this embodiment, after the second board is carried into the second lane L2 (trigger in FIG. 4 ), mounting processing on the first board is started (YES in S60) during the period until mounting processing on the second board is started (S90), and if falling of the components 4 is detected (YES in S70), it determines whether or not a foreign object is present on the second board (S80). Therefore, even if a fallen component is present on the second board, the presence of the fallen component can be detected before mounting of components 4 on the second board begins (S80). This allows, for example, a worker to be notified that a fallen component is present on the top surface of the second board (S86), allowing the worker to remove the fallen component and improving the quality of the second board.

[0065] Third Embodiment A mounter 10 of a third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. In the mounter 10 of this embodiment, even if movement of the mounting head 14 toward the second board is detected in S90 (YES in S90) in the second board inspection process of the second embodiment described above, the process of Fig. 4 is not terminated and the process of S100 is further executed.

[0066] In S100, the control device 30 monitors whether a component shortage occurs during the mounting process on the second board, the start of which was detected in S80. A component shortage indicates, for example, a state in which components 4 to be mounted on the second board have not been supplied to the feeder unit 12 and the components 4 cannot be mounted on the second board. The control device 30, for example, compares the identification information of the mounted components included in the mounting instruction received from the management device with the identification information of the stored components stored in the feeder unit 12, and detects a component shortage if the identification information of the mounted components is not included in the identification information of the stored components. In this case, the control device 30 controls the second lane to hold the second board at a predetermined position (e.g., second mounting position P2). Furthermore, for example, if the time until the missing components are newly supplied to the mounter 10 exceeds a predetermined time, the control device 30 starts the mounting process on the first board while holding the second board at the predetermined position. Therefore, when the control device 30 detects that a component shortage has occurred (YES in S100), it returns to S60 and monitors again for the start of mounting on the first board without terminating the process in Fig. 4. When the control device 30 does not detect that a component shortage has occurred (NO in S100), it terminates the process in Fig. 4.

[0067] In this manner, even after the mounting process on the second board has begun (YES in S90), the mounter 10 of this embodiment monitors whether the mounting process on the first board has begun (S60) if a component shortage occurs (YES in S100), and monitors whether the component 4 has fallen (S70) if the mounting process on the first board has begun (YES in S60). Furthermore, when the control device 30 detects a drop (YES in S70), it determines whether there is a foreign object on the second board held at a predetermined position (e.g., second mounting position P2) (S80). When a component shortage occurs and components 4 have not yet been mounted on the second board held at the predetermined position, the control device 30 can therefore detect the presence of a fallen component on the second board before mounting of components 4 on the second board begins (S80).

[0068] Fourth Embodiment A mounter 10 of a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The mounter 10 of this embodiment executes the process of S110 instead of S100 executed by the mounter 10 of the third embodiment described above.

[0069] In this embodiment, the control device 30 monitors in S110 whether the second board is being transported. Specifically, the control device 30 monitors whether an unloading signal is received from the unloading sensor 26S of the second lane L2. If the control device 30 does not receive an unloading signal from the unloading sensor 26S (NO in S110), the control device 30 returns to S60 and monitors again for the start of mounting on the first board. If the control device 30 receives an unloading signal from the unloading sensor 26S (YES in S110), the control device 30 determines that the second board is being transported to the outside, and ends the processing of FIG. 4.

[0070] In this way, even after the mounting process on the second board has started (YES in S90), the mounter 10 of this embodiment monitors whether the mounting process on the first board has started (S60) until the second board is unloaded (NO in S100), and when the mounting process on the first board is started (YES in S60), it monitors whether the components 4 have fallen (S70). Furthermore, when the control device 30 detects a fall (YES in S70), it determines whether there is a foreign object on the second board located inside the mounter 10 (S80). Therefore, it is possible to determine whether there is a foreign object on the second board before the second board is unloaded from the mounter 10.

[0071] The following points should be noted regarding the mounter 10 described in the embodiment. The mounter 10 may further include a third lane running parallel to each of the lanes L1 and L2. In other words, the mounter 10 may include three or more lanes.

[0072] For example, the mounter 10 may execute the second board mounting process when receiving a mounting instruction to mount components 4 on a second board instead of the first board mounting process of FIG. 3 . That is, in this modification, the control device 30 may determine whether or not there is a foreign object on the first board when mounting components 4 on the second board. In this modification, the first lane L1 is an example of a “second lane,” and the second lane L2 is an example of a “first lane.” Even if the mounting head 14 mounts components on the second board arranged in the second lane L2 without passing over the first lane L1, for example, there is a risk that the component 4 may fall onto the top surface of the first board arranged in the first lane L1 due to inertial force generated during the movement of the mounting head 14. According to the mounter 10 of this modification, when mounting components on the second board by the second board mounting process, it is possible to detect the presence of a fallen component on the top surface of the first board arranged in the first lane L1, which is different from the mounting target.

[0073] The control device 30 may determine whether or not a foreign object is present only in the mounting area of ​​the pass area where the component 4 should be mounted. In this modification, when it is determined in S34 that the component 4 has passed over the second board (YES in S34 of FIG. 3 ), the control device 30 may calculate the pass area and determine whether or not there is a common area between the pass area and the mounting area on the second board. If there is a common area between the pass area and the mounting area, the control device 30 may determine whether or not there is a foreign object in the common area (S40), and if there is no common area, return to S10. This determines whether or not there is a foreign object only in the common area between the pass area and the mounting area, thereby reducing the image processing load compared to a configuration in which image processing is performed on the entire pass area. Furthermore, because the processing of S40 is performed only if there is a common area, unnecessary processing can be prevented from being performed on areas of the pass area where the component 4 is not mounted.

[0074] Instead of detecting the falling of the component 4 by receiving a drop signal from the mounting head 14, the control device 30 may detect the falling of the component 4 based on images from the upper camera 16. In this modification, the upper camera 16 further includes an objective lens arranged facing sideways, and the control device 30 receives and compares images of the nozzle 6 taken from the side at predetermined intervals from the upper camera 16. The control device 30 may detect that the component 4 has fallen when an image of the component 4 is not included at the tip of the nozzle 6.

[0075] The control device 30 of the mounter 10 of the first embodiment does not need to execute the process of S30 in Fig. 3. In other words, the control device 30 may execute the processes of S32 to S40 regardless of whether the second board is placed in the second lane L2.

[0076] The technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical utility either alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. Furthermore, the technologies illustrated in this specification or drawings simultaneously achieve multiple objectives, and achieving one of those objectives is itself technically useful.

[0077] For example, this specification also discloses the technical idea of ​​changing "a component mounter according to claim 1 or 2" in claim 6 to "a component mounter according to any one of claims 1 to 5."

Claims

1. A component mounter comprising: a plurality of lanes running parallel to a transport direction when viewed in a plane, each of which transports a board in the transport direction; a component supply unit arranged in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction when viewed in a plane relative to the plurality of lanes, the component supply unit supplying components to be mounted on the boards placed on each of the plurality of lanes; a mounting head that moves the components supplied to the component supply unit above the boards placed on each of the plurality of lanes to mount the components on the boards; an imaging device that images the boards placed on each of the plurality of lanes; and a control device that can communicate with the imaging device, wherein the plurality of lanes include at least a first lane and a second lane, and wherein the control device, when the mounting head is mounting components on the board placed in the first lane and a predetermined condition is met, executes an inspection process to inspect the top surface of the board based on an image of the board placed in the second lane.

2. The component mounter according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of lanes are configured by the first lane and the second lane.

3. The component mounter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second lane is located closer to the component supply unit than the first lane.

4. The component mounter described in claim 3, wherein the component is held by the mounting head in the component supply unit, passes above the board placed in the second lane, moves above the board placed in the first lane, and is then mounted on the board, and the control device performs the inspection process based on an image of the board placed in the second lane that corresponds to an area through which the component held by the mounting head passed.

5. The component mounter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second lane is located farther from the component supply unit than the first lane.

6. The component mounter according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device further executes a fall detection process to detect that the component has fallen from the mounting head while the mounting head is moving from the component supply unit toward the board arranged in the first lane, and the predetermined condition is met when the fall of the component is detected in the fall detection process.

7. The component mounter according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined condition is met when a component fall is detected in the fall detection process and the board is placed on the second lane.

8. The component mounter according to claim 6, further comprising an inlet sensor that detects that the board has been brought into the second lane from outside, and the control device performs the fall detection process when the mounting head mounts the component on the board placed in the first lane after the inlet sensor detects that the board has been brought into the second lane and before mounting of the component on the board placed in the second lane begins, and if the fall detection process detects that the component has fallen, performs the inspection process on the board placed in the second lane.

9. The component mounter of claim 6, wherein, if the component cannot be properly mounted on the board placed in the second lane, the board is held at a predetermined position on the second lane, and the control device executes the fall detection process when the mounting head mounts the component on the board placed in the first lane while the board is held at the predetermined position on the second lane, and if the fall of the component is detected by the fall detection process, executes the inspection process on the board placed in the second lane.

10. The component mounter according to claim 6, further comprising an unloading sensor that detects that the board placed in the second lane is positioned at an unloading position where the board is unloaded to the outside, and the control device executes the fall detection process when the mounting head mounts the component on the board placed in the first lane after the component has been mounted on the board placed in the second lane and before the unloading sensor detects that the board is positioned at the unloading position, and if the fall detection process detects that the component has fallen, executes the inspection process on the board placed in the second lane.

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