Bending device and lead bending method

Abstract

A bending device includes a pair of bending pins, each of which makes contact with a pair of leads of a lead component inserted into a through hole of a substrate, and bends the pair of leads. The pair of leads of the lead component are bent at different timings, one by one in the same direction.

Description

Bending device and lead bending method

[0001] The present invention relates to a bending device and a bending method for bending a pair of leads of a lead component inserted into a through hole in a substrate.

[0002] The following patent document describes a technique for bending a pair of leads of a lead component.

[0003] International Publication No. 2020 / 183535 Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 61-066954

[0004] An object of the present specification is to appropriately bend a pair of leads of a lead component inserted into a through-hole in a substrate.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, this specification discloses a bending device having a pair of bending claws, each of which contacts and bends a pair of leads of a lead component inserted into a through hole in a substrate, and which bends the pair of leads of the lead component, one at a time, in the same direction at different times.

[0006] In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, this specification discloses a lead bending method for bending a pair of leads of a lead component inserted into a through hole of a substrate using a bending device equipped with a pair of bending claws, the method comprising: a first lead bending step for bending one of the pair of leads by moving one of the bending claws in a predetermined direction while the bending claw is in contact with the one of the pair of leads; and a second lead bending step for bending the other of the pair of leads of the lead component by moving the other of the pair of bending claws in the same direction as the predetermined direction after the first lead bending step, thereby bending the other lead.

[0007] In the present disclosure, a pair of leads of a lead component inserted into a through hole in a substrate are bent one by one in the same direction at different times, thereby allowing the pair of leads of the lead component inserted into the through hole in the substrate to be bent appropriately.

[0008] 1 is a perspective view of a component mounting machine; 2 is a perspective view of a component mounting device of the component mounting machine; 3 is a perspective view of a conveying device and a clinching device; 4 is a perspective view of a clinching device; 5 is a perspective view of a bending body; 6 is a block diagram of a control device; 7 is a schematic view of a lead component with a lead inserted into a through hole of a circuit board; 8 is a schematic view of a lead inserted into a through hole of a circuit board and bent; 9 is a schematic view of a lead component with a lead inserted into a through hole of a circuit board; 10 is a schematic view of a lead inserted into a through hole of a circuit board and bent; 11 is a schematic view of a lead component with a lead inserted into a through hole of a circuit board; 12 is a schematic view of a lead inserted into a through hole of a circuit board and bent; 13 is a schematic view of a through hole of a circuit board and a bending rod of a clinching unit; 14 is a schematic view of a lead inserted into a through hole of a circuit board and bent; 15 is a schematic view of a through hole of a circuit board and a bending rod of a clinching unit; 16 is a schematic view of a lead inserted into a through hole of a circuit board and bent; 17 is a schematic view of a through hole of a circuit board and a bending rod of a clinching unit; 18 is a schematic view of a lead inserted into a through hole of a circuit board and bent; 19 is a schematic view of a lead component with a lead inserted into a through hole of a circuit board and bent; 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams of a lead inserted into a through-hole of a circuit substrate and bent, a through-hole of the circuit substrate and a bending rod of a clinch unit, a through-hole of the circuit substrate and a bending rod of a clinch unit, and a lead inserted into a through-hole of the circuit substrate and bent, respectively.

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings as modes for carrying out the present invention.

[0010] 1 shows a component mounter 10. The component mounter 10 is a device for performing the operation of mounting components on a circuit board 12. The component mounter 10 includes a device main body 20, a substrate transport / holding device 22, a component mounting device 24, a mark camera 26, a parts camera 28, a component supply device 30, a bulk component supply device 32, a clinching device (see FIG. 3) 34, and a control device (see FIG. 7) 36. The circuit board 12 may be a circuit board or a substrate with a three-dimensional structure, and the circuit board may be a printed wiring board or a printed circuit board.

[0011] The device main body 20 is composed of a frame 40 and a beam 42 suspended from the frame 40. The substrate transport and holding device 22 is disposed in the center of the frame 40 in the front-to-rear direction and includes a transport device 50 and a clamping device 52. The transport device 50 transports the circuit board 12, and the clamping device 52 holds the circuit board 12. The substrate transport and holding device 22 transports the circuit board 12 while securely holding the circuit board 12 at a predetermined position. The substrate transport and holding device 22 transports the circuit board 12 horizontally. In the following description, the direction in which the substrate transport and holding device 22 transports the circuit board 12 is referred to as the X-direction, the horizontal direction perpendicular to that direction is referred to as the Y-direction, and the vertical direction is referred to as the Z-direction. In other words, the width direction of the component mounter 10 is the X-direction, and the front-to-rear direction is the Y-direction.

[0012] The component mounting device 24 is mounted on the beam 42 and includes two work heads 60, 62 and a work head moving device 64. As shown in FIG. 2, a suction nozzle 66 is provided on the lower end surface of each work head 60, 62, and the suction nozzle 66 sucks and holds components. The work head moving device 64 also includes an X-direction moving device 68, a Y-direction moving device 70, and a Z-direction moving device 72. The X-direction moving device 68 and the Y-direction moving device 70 move the two work heads 60, 62 together to any desired position on the frame 40. Each work head 60, 62 is detachably attached to a slider 74, 76, and the Z-direction moving device 72 moves the slider 74, 76 individually in the vertical direction. In other words, the work heads 60, 62 are moved individually in the vertical direction by the Z-direction moving device 72.

[0013] Mark camera 26 is attached to slider 74 facing downward, and moves in the X, Y, and Z directions together with work head 60. This allows mark camera 26 to capture an image of any position on frame 40. Part camera 28, as shown in FIG. 1, is disposed on frame 40 between substrate material conveying and holding device 22 and component supply device 30 facing upward. This allows part camera 28 to capture an image of a component held by component holder 78 of work heads 60, 62.

[0014] The component supply device 30 is disposed at one end of the frame 40 in the front-to-rear direction. The component supply device 30 has a tray-type component supply device 97 and a feeder-type component supply device (see FIG. 7) 98. The tray-type component supply device 97 is a device that supplies components placed on a tray. The feeder-type component supply device 98 is a device that supplies components using a tape feeder (not shown) or a stick feeder (not shown).

[0015] The bulk component supply device 32 is disposed at the other end of the frame 40 in the front-to-rear direction. The bulk component supply device 32 aligns multiple components scattered loosely and supplies the aligned components. In other words, it aligns multiple components in any orientation into a predetermined orientation and supplies the components in the predetermined orientation. Components supplied by the component supply device 30 and the bulk component supply device 32 include electronic circuit components, solar cell components, and power module components. Electronic circuit components include components with leads and components without leads.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 3 , the clinching device 34 is disposed between a pair of conveying lanes 99 (only one of the pair of conveying lanes is shown in FIG. 3 ) provided on the conveying device 50. As shown in FIG. 4 , the clinching device 34 includes a clinching unit 100 and a unit moving device 102. The clinching unit 100 is a device that bends leads (see FIG. 8 ) 108 of a lead component (see FIG. 8 ) 106 inserted into a through-hole (see FIG. 8 ) 104 formed in the circuit board 12. As shown in FIG. 5 , the clinching unit 100 includes a unit main body 110 and a pair of slide bodies 112. A slide rail 116 is disposed at the upper end of the unit main body 110 so as to extend linearly, and the pair of slide bodies 112 are slidably supported by the slide rail 116. This allows the pair of slide bodies 112 to approach and move away from each other linearly. The distance between the pair of slide bodies 112 is controlled by driving an electromagnetic motor 118 (see FIG. 7).

[0017] A pair of bending bodies 120 are fixed to the upper surfaces of the pair of slide bodies 112. As shown in FIG. 6 , each of the pair of bending bodies 120 is composed of a main body 122, a bending rod 124, and a support pin 126. The main body 122 is generally rectangular parallelepiped-shaped and is fixed to the upper surface of the slide body 112. The bending rod 124 is generally rod-shaped and is erected on the upper surfaces of the pair of main bodies 122 so that the pair of bending rods 124 face each other. A notch 130 is formed at the upper end of each bending rod 124. The notch 130 opens to the upper end surface and two adjacent side surfaces of the bending rod 124. The notch 130 of each bending rod 124 is formed so as to face in opposite directions. The support pin 126 is erected on the upper surface of the main body 122 next to the bending rod 124. The length of the support pin 126 is several mm longer than the length of the bent rod 124. Therefore, the upper end of the support pin 126 extends slightly upward beyond the upper end of the bent rod 124.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 4 , the unit movement device 102 includes an X-direction movement device 150, a Y-direction movement device 152, a Z-direction movement device 154, and a rotation device 156. The X-direction movement device 150 includes a slide rail 160 and an X-slider 162. The slide rail 160 is disposed so as to extend in the X direction, and the X-slider 162 is slidably held on the slide rail 160. The X-slider 162 moves in the X direction by driving an electromagnetic motor (see FIG. 7 ) 164. The Y-direction movement device 152 includes a slide rail 166 and a Y-slider 168. The slide rail 166 is disposed on the X-slider 162 so as to extend in the Y direction, and the Y-slider 168 is slidably held on the slide rail 166. The Y-slider 168 moves in the Y direction by driving an electromagnetic motor (see FIG. 7 ) 170. Z-direction movement device 154 includes a slide rail 172 and a Z slider 174. Slide rail 172 is disposed on Y slider 168 so as to extend in the Z direction, and Z slider 174 is slidably held on slide rail 172. Z slider 174 is driven by an electromagnetic motor (see FIG. 7) 176 to move in the Z direction.

[0019] The rotation device 156 also has a generally disk-shaped rotation table 178. The rotation table 178 is supported by a Z-slider 174 so as to be rotatable about its vertical axis, and is rotated by driving an electromagnetic motor (see FIG. 7) 180. The clinch unit 100 is disposed on the rotation table 178. With this structure, the clinch unit 100 can be moved to any position and positioned at a predetermined position by the X-direction movement device 150, the Y-direction movement device 152, and the Z-direction movement device 154, and can also be rotated at any angle and positioned at a predetermined angle by the rotation device 156. This allows the clinch unit 100 to be positioned at any position and angle below the circuit board 12 held by the clamp device 52.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 7 , the control device 36 includes a controller 190, multiple drive circuits 192, and an image processing device 196. The multiple drive circuits 192 are connected to the transport device 50, clamp device 52, work heads 60 and 62, work head moving device 64, tray-type component supply device 97, feeder-type component supply device 98, bulk component supply device 32, and electromagnetic motors 118, 164, 170, 176, and 180. The controller 190, which includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like and is primarily a computer, is connected to the multiple drive circuits 192. This allows the controller 190 to control the operation of the substrate transport and holding device 22, component mounting device 24, and the like. The controller 190 is also connected to the image processing device 196. The image processing device 196 processes image data obtained by the mark camera 26 and the part camera 28, and the controller 190 acquires various information from the image data.

[0021] With the above-described configuration, the component mounter 10 mounts components onto the circuit board 12 held by the substrate conveying and holding device 22. The component mounter 10 can mount various components onto the circuit board 12, but the following describes the case where a lead component 106 is mounted onto the circuit board 12.

[0022] Specifically, the conveying device 50 of the substrate conveying and holding device 22 conveys the circuit board 12 to the work position, where the clamping device 52 securely holds the circuit board 12. Next, the mark camera 26 moves above the circuit board 12 and captures an image of the circuit board 12. This allows the controller 190 to acquire information regarding the holding position of the circuit board 12, etc. Additionally, the component supply device 30 or the bulk component supply device 32 supplies lead components 106 at a predetermined supply position. Then, either the work head 60, 62 moves above the component supply position, and the suction nozzle 66 sucks and holds the component body 107 of the lead component 106.

[0023] Next, the work heads 60, 62 holding the lead component 106 move above the part camera 28, which captures an image of the lead component 106 held by the suction nozzle 66. This allows the controller 190 to acquire information regarding the component's holding position, etc. Next, the work heads 60, 62 holding the lead component 106 move above the circuit board 12, correcting any errors in the holding position of the circuit board 12, errors in the holding position of the component, etc. The work heads 60, 62 then insert the leads 108 of the lead component 106 held by the suction nozzle 66 into the through-holes 104 formed in the circuit board 12. At this time, the clinch unit 100 is moving below the circuit board 12.

[0024] Specifically, the clinch unit 100 moves and positions the pair of sliders 112 by driving the electromagnetic motor 118 so that the distance between the notched holes 130 of the pair of bending rods 124 is the same as the distance between the two through holes 104 formed in the circuit board 12. The rotation device 156 is also operated to rotate and position the clinch unit 100 so that the alignment direction of the two through holes 104 in the circuit board 12 coincides with the alignment direction of the notched holes 130 in the pair of bending rods 124. Note that, for example, the two through holes 104 in the circuit board 12 are aligned along the X direction.

[0025] Then, the X-direction moving device 150 and the Y-direction moving device 152 are actuated to move the clinch unit 100, thereby positioning it so that the positions of the notched holes 130 of the bending rod 124 coincide with the positions of the through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12 in the XY coordinates. As a result, by moving the clinch unit 100 along the X and Y directions, the notched holes 130 of the pair of bending rods 124 and the two through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12 are positioned so that they overlap in the vertical direction.

[0026] Next, the clinch unit 100 is raised and positioned by operation of the Z-direction movement device 154 so that the upper ends of the support pins 126 contact the underside of the circuit board 12 or are positioned close to and slightly below the underside of the circuit board 12. In this way, by controlling the operations of the X-direction movement device 150, the Y-direction movement device 152, the Z-direction movement device 154, and the rotation device 156, the clinch unit 100 is positioned below the circuit board 12 with the notched holes 130 of the pair of bending rods 124 and the two through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12 aligned in the vertical direction.

[0027] Next, the controller 190 activates the Z-direction movement device 72 to lower the work heads 60, 62, thereby inserting the leads 108 of the lead component 106 held by the suction nozzle 66 into the through-hole 104 of the circuit board 12, and the work heads 60, 62 then stop. At this time, the work heads 60, 62 insert the leads 108 of the lead component 106 held by the suction nozzle 66 all the way into the through-hole 104, so that the bottom surface of the component body 107 comes into contact with the top surface of the circuit board 12. Note that when the suction nozzle 66 inserts the leads 108 of the lead component 106 all the way into the through-hole 104, the circuit board 12 is pressed downward, but the support pins 126 support the bottom surface of the circuit board 12.

[0028] When the work heads 60, 62 insert the leads 108 of the lead component 106 held by the suction nozzles 66 into the through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12 in this manner, the lower ends of the leads 108 are inserted into the notched holes 130 of the bending rods 124, as shown in FIG. 8 . The pair of sliders 112 then slide away from each other due to the drive of the electromagnetic motor 118, i.e., the motor force. At this time, the pair of bending rods 124 also slide away from each other along with the pair of sliders 112, causing the pair of leads 108 to come into contact with the inner wall surfaces defining the pair of notched holes 130 and bend away from each other. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9 , the pair of leads 108 are bent outward in different directions, preventing them from slipping out of the through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12, and the lead component 106 is attached to the circuit board 12.

[0029] Furthermore, the clinch unit 100 can attach the lead component 106 to the circuit board 12 not only with the pair of leads 108 bent in directions away from each other, but also with the pair of leads 108 bent in directions toward each other. Specifically, when the clinch unit 100 moves below the through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12, the electromagnetic motor 118 drives the pair of sliders 112 to move and position the pair of bending rods 124 so that the distance between the pair of bending rods 124 is longer than the distance between the two through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12. Furthermore, by operating the X-direction moving device 150 and the Y-direction moving device 152 to move the clinch unit 100, the positions of the pair of bending rods 124 are positioned in the XY coordinate system so that they sandwich the positions of the two through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12. In addition, the clinch unit 100 is raised and positioned by operating the Z-direction movement device 154 so that the upper end of the support pin 126 contacts the underside of the circuit board 12 or is positioned slightly below and close to the underside of the circuit board 12.

[0030] Next, the working heads 60, 62 are lowered by actuation of the Z-direction moving device 72, thereby inserting the leads 108 of the lead component 106 held by the suction nozzle 66 into the through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12 and then stopping. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10 , the working heads 60, 62 insert the lower ends of the pair of leads 108 between the pair of bending rods 124. Then, the pair of sliding bodies 112 of the clinch unit 100 are slid toward each other by the drive of the electromagnetic motor 118, i.e., by the motor force. At this time, the pair of bending rods 124 also slide toward each other together with the pair of sliding bodies 112 of the clinch unit 100, causing the clinch unit 100 to bring the pair of leads 108 into contact with the outer wall surfaces of the pair of bending rods 124 and bend them toward each other. As a result, as shown in Figure 11, the pair of leads 108 are bent inward in different directions, preventing them from coming out of the through hole 104 in the circuit board 12, and the lead component 106 is attached to the circuit board 12.

[0031] Furthermore, the clinch unit 100 can not only attach the lead component 106 to the circuit board 12 by bending the pair of leads 108 in mutually different directions, but can also attach the lead component 106 to the circuit board 12 by bending the pair of leads 108 in the same direction. Specifically, when the controller 190 moves the clinch unit 100 below the through-hole 104 of the circuit board 12, it drives the electromagnetic motor 118 to move and position the pair of sliders 112 so that the distance between the pair of bending rods 124 is longer than the distance between the two through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12. 12 , the controller 190 operates the X-direction moving device 150 and the Y-direction moving device 152 to move the clinch unit 100 so that, in the XY coordinate system, the position of the notched hole 130a of one bending rod 124a of the pair of bending rods 124 coincides with the position of one of the two through holes 104 in the circuit board 12, and the position of the other bending rod 124b of the pair of bending rods 124 is positioned outside the position of the other through hole 104b of the two through holes 104 in the circuit board 12. The controller 190 also operates the Z-direction moving device 154 to move the clinch unit 100 so that the upper end of the support pin 126 is in contact with the underside of the circuit board 12 or is positioned slightly below and close to the underside of the circuit board 12.

[0032] Next, the controller 190 activates the Z-direction moving device 72 to lower the working heads 60, 62, causing the working heads 60, 62 to insert the leads 108 of the lead component 106 held by the suction nozzles 66 into the through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12, and then stops lowering after the insertion. As a result, the lower end of the lead 108a is inserted into the notched hole 130a of the bending rod 124a and faces the outer wall surface of the bending rod 124b where the notched hole 130b is not formed. The controller 190 then activates the X-direction moving device 150 to move the clinch unit 100 in the X1 direction. At this time, the lead 108a comes into contact with the inner wall surface defining the notched hole 130a of the bending rod 124a, and the lead 108b comes into contact with the outer wall surface of the bending rod 124b, thereby bending the pair of leads 108. As a result, as shown in Figure 13, the pair of leads 108 are bent in the same direction (the direction of X1) to prevent them from coming out of the through hole 104 of the circuit board 12, and the lead component 106 is attached to the circuit board 12.

[0033] The clinch unit 100 can also attach the lead component 106 to the circuit board 12 in a state in which the pair of leads 108 are bent in the direction opposite to the X1 direction. Specifically, when the controller 190 moves the clinch unit 100 below the through-hole 104 of the circuit board 12, the controller 190 drives the electromagnetic motor 118 to move and position the pair of sliders 112 so that the distance between the pair of bending rods 124 included in the clinch unit 100 is longer than the distance between the two through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12. 14 , the controller 190 operates the X-direction moving device 150 and the Y-direction moving device 152 to move the clinch unit 100, thereby aligning the position of the notched hole 130b of one bending rod 124b of the pair of bending rods 124 with the position of one of the two through holes 104 in the circuit board 12, and positioning the position of the other bending rod 124a of the pair of bending rods 124 outside the position of the other through hole 104a of the two through holes 104 in the circuit board 12. The controller 190 also operates the Z-direction moving device 154 to raise the clinch unit 100, thereby positioning the upper end of the support pin 126 so that it is in contact with the underside of the circuit board 12 or is located slightly below and close to the underside of the circuit board 12.

[0034] Next, the controller 190 activates the Z-direction moving device 72 to lower the working heads 60, 62, causing the working heads 60, 62 to insert the leads 108 of the lead component 106 held by the suction nozzles 66 into the through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12 and stop their descent after insertion. As a result, the lower ends of the leads 108b are inserted into the notched holes 130b of the bending rod 124b and face the outer wall surface of the bending rod 124a where the notched holes 130a are not formed. The controller 190 then activates the X-direction moving device 150 to move the clinch unit 100 in the X2 direction, opposite the X1 direction. At this time, the leads 108b come into contact with the inner wall surface defining the notched holes 130b of the bending rod 124b, and the leads 108a come into contact with the outer wall surface of the bending rod 124a, thereby bending the pair of leads 108. As a result, as shown in Figure 15, the pair of leads 108 are bent in the same direction (the direction of X2) to prevent them from coming out of the through hole 104 of the circuit board 12, and the lead component 106 is attached to the circuit board 12.

[0035] The clinch unit 100 can also attach the lead component 106 to the circuit board 12 with the pair of leads 108 bent in the same direction, the Y direction, relative to each other. Specifically, when the controller 190 moves the clinch unit 100 below the through-hole 104 of the circuit board 12, the controller 190 positions the pair of sliders 112 by driving the electromagnetic motor 118 to move them so that the distance between the pair of bending rods 124 included in the clinch unit 100 is the same as the distance between the two through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12. The controller 190 also operates the X-direction moving device 150 and the Y-direction moving device 152 to move the clinch unit 100, thereby positioning it so that the positions of the notched holes 130 in the pair of bending rods 124 coincide with the positions of the two through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12 in the X and Y coordinates, as shown in FIG. The controller 190 also operates the Z-direction moving device 154 to raise the clinch unit 100, thereby positioning the clinch unit 100 so that the upper end of the support pin 126 provided on the clinch unit 100 is in contact with the underside of the circuit board 12 or is positioned slightly below and close to the underside of the circuit board 12.

[0036] Next, the controller 190 activates the Z-direction movement device 72 to lower the work heads 60, 62, causing the work heads 60, 62 to insert the leads 108 of the lead component 106 held by the suction nozzles 66 into the through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12, and then stops lowering after the insertion. As a result, the lower ends of the pair of leads 108 are inserted into the notched holes 130 of the pair of bending rods 124. The controller 190 then activates the Y-direction movement device 152 to move the clinch unit 100 in the Y1 direction. At this time, the pair of leads 108 come into contact with the inner wall surfaces that define the notched holes 130 of the pair of bending rods 124, causing the pair of leads 108 to bend. As a result, as shown in Figure 17, the pair of leads 108 are bent in the same direction (the Y2 direction) to prevent them from coming out of the through hole 104 of the circuit board 12, and the lead component 106 is attached to the circuit board 12.

[0037] The clinch unit 100 can also attach the lead component 106 to the circuit board 12 with the pair of leads 108 bent in the direction opposite to the Y1 direction. Specifically, when the controller 190 moves the clinch unit 100 below the through hole 104 of the circuit board 12, the controller 190 positions the pair of sliders 112 by driving the electromagnetic motor 118 to move the pair of sliders 112 so that the distance between the pair of bending rods 124 included in the clinch unit 100 is the same as the distance between the two through holes 104 of the circuit board 12. The controller 190 also operates the X-direction moving device 150 and the Y-direction moving device 152 to move the clinch unit 100, thereby positioning the clinch unit 100 so that the positions of the two through holes 104 of the circuit board 12 and the outer wall surfaces of the pair of bending rods 124 where the notched holes 130 are not formed face each other in the Y direction in the XY coordinate system, as shown in FIG. The controller 190 also operates the Z-direction moving device 154 to raise the clinch unit 100, thereby positioning the clinch unit 100 so that the upper end of the support pin 126 provided on the clinch unit 100 is in contact with the underside of the circuit board 12 or is positioned slightly below and close to the underside of the circuit board 12.

[0038] Next, the controller 190 activates the Z-direction moving device 72 to lower the work heads 60, 62, thereby inserting the leads 108 of the lead component 106 held by the suction nozzle 66 into the through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12, and then the work heads 60, 62 stop descending. As a result, the lower ends of the pair of leads 108 face the outer wall surfaces of the pair of bending rods 124 in the Y direction, where the notched holes 130 are not formed. The controller 190 then activates the Y-direction moving device 152 to move the clinch unit 100 in the Y2 direction, opposite the Y1 direction. At this time, the pair of leads 108 come into contact with the outer wall surfaces of the pair of bending rods 124, thereby bending the pair of leads 108. As a result, as shown in Figure 19, the pair of leads 108 are bent in the same direction (the Y2 direction) to prevent them from coming out of the through hole 104 of the circuit board 12, and the lead component 106 is attached to the circuit board 12.

[0039] In this way, the clinch unit 100 can bend a pair of leads 108 in different directions or in the same direction by contacting the bending rod 124 with the leads 108 inserted into the through holes 104 of the circuit board 12. However, when the clinch unit 100 bends a pair of leads 108 in the same direction, a large load is applied to the circuit board 12, which may cause the circuit board 12 to become misaligned. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9 , when the clinch unit 100 bends a pair of leads 108 in different directions outward, a load corresponding to F1 is applied to the circuit board 12 when bending lead 108a, and a load corresponding to F2 is applied when bending lead 108b. Because the linear shapes of the pair of leads 108 bent by the clinch unit 100 are substantially the same, the loads corresponding to F1 and F2 are substantially the same. Furthermore, the loads corresponding to F1 and F2 occur in opposite directions. Therefore, the loads corresponding to F1 and F2 that are generated when the clinch unit 100 bends the pair of leads 108 are offset and do not act in a direction that shifts the circuit board 12.

[0040] 11, the loads corresponding to F1 and F2 are generated in opposite directions. Therefore, the loads corresponding to F1 and F2 generated when the clinch unit 100 bends the pair of leads 108 are canceled out and do not act in a direction that shifts the circuit board 12.

[0041] Thus, the load generated when the clinch unit 100 bends a pair of leads 108 in different directions does not act in a direction that displaces the circuit board 12. On the other hand, when the clinch unit 100 bends a pair of leads 108 in the same direction (the X1 direction), as shown in FIG. 13 , for example, a load equivalent to F1 is applied to the circuit board 12 when bending lead 108a, and a load equivalent to F2 is applied to the circuit board 12 when bending lead 108b. Furthermore, the loads equivalent to F1 and F2 are substantially the same, and the loads equivalent to F1 and F2 occur in the same direction (the X1 direction). Therefore, a load equal to the sum of the loads equivalent to F1 and F2 acts on the circuit board 12 in the X1 direction. In other words, there is a risk that the circuit board 12 will be displaced in the X1 direction if a load twice the load generated when bending one lead 108 is applied.

[0042] 15, 17, and 19, even when the clinch unit 100 bends a pair of leads 108 in the same direction (X2 direction, Y1 direction, Y2 direction), the loads corresponding to F1 and F2 are generated in the same direction. Therefore, the sum of the loads corresponding to F1 and F2 acts to press on the circuit board 12. When such a large load acts on the circuit board 12, there is a risk that the position of the circuit board 12 may shift even if the clamp device 52 holds and positions the circuit board 12.

[0043] Therefore, it is conceivable to change the structure of the clamp device 52 so as to increase the force with which the clamp device 52 holds the circuit board 12. However, changing the structure of the clamp device 52 requires a change in the design of the clamp device 52, which may in turn increase the cost and weight of the clamp device 52. In view of this, the clinch unit 100 bends a pair of leads 108 one at a time in the same direction at different times.

[0044] Specifically, for example, when the controller 190 moves the clinch unit 100 below the through-hole 104 of the circuit board 12, it positions the pair of slide bodies 112 by driving the electromagnetic motor 118 so that the distance between the pair of bending rods 124 is shorter than the distance between the two through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12. The controller 190 also operates the X-direction movement device 150 and the Y-direction movement device 152 to move the clinch unit 100, thereby aligning the position of the notched hole 130a of one bending rod 124a of the pair of bending rods 124 with the position of one through-hole 104a of the two through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12 in the XY coordinates, as shown in Fig. 20 , and positioning the other bending rod 124b of the pair of bending rods 124 with the position of the other through-hole 104b of the two through-holes 104b of the circuit board 12 so that they do not overlap in the vertical direction. The controller 190 also operates the Z-direction movement device 154 to raise the clinch unit 100, thereby positioning the clinch unit 100 so that the upper end of the support pin 126 is in contact with the underside of the circuit board 12 or is positioned slightly below and close to the underside of the circuit board 12.

[0045] Next, the controller 190 activates the Z-direction moving device 72 to lower the work heads 60, 62, causing the work heads 60, 62 to insert the leads 108 of the lead component 106 held by the suction nozzles 66 into the through-holes 104 of the circuit board 12 and stop their descent after inserting the leads. As a result, the lower end of lead 108a is inserted into the notched hole 130a of the bending rod 124a, and the lower end of lead 108b faces the outer wall surface of the bending rod 124b without contacting the bending rod 124b. The controller 190 then activates the Y-direction moving device 152 to move the clinch unit 100 in the Y1 direction. At this time, lead 108a comes into contact with the inner wall surface defining the notched hole 130a of the bending rod 124a and is bent in the Y1 direction. Meanwhile, lead 108b does not come into contact with the bending rod 124b and is therefore not bent. As a result, as shown in FIG. 21, only one lead 108a of the pair of leads 108 is bent in the Y1 direction, and the other lead 108b of the pair of leads 108 remains straight without being bent.

[0046] Next, the controller 190 operates the Z-direction moving device 154 to lower the clinch unit 100, thereby positioning the upper end of the bending rod 124b below the lower end of the lead 108b. Then, the controller 190 operates the X-direction moving device 150 and the Y-direction moving device 152 to move the clinch unit 100, thereby aligning the position of the notched hole 130b of one bending rod 124b of the pair of bending rods 124 with the position of one through hole 104b of the two through holes 104 in the circuit board 12, and positioning the position of the other bending rod 124a of the pair of bending rods 124 with the position of the other through hole 104a of the two through holes 104 in the circuit board 12 so that they do not overlap in the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. The controller 190 also operates the Z-direction movement device 154 to raise the clinch unit 100, thereby raising and positioning the clinch unit 100 so that the upper end of the support pin 126 contacts the underside of the circuit board 12 or is positioned slightly below and close to the underside of the circuit board 12.

[0047] As a result, the lower end of the lead 108b is inserted into the notched hole 130b of the bending rod 124b, and the lower end of the lead 108a faces the outer wall surface of the bending rod 124a without contacting the bending rod 124a. The controller 190 then operates the Y-direction movement device 152 to move the clinch unit 100 in the Y1 direction. At this time, the lead 108b comes into contact with the inner wall surface defining the notched hole 130b of the bending rod 124b and is bent in the Y1 direction. Meanwhile, the lead 108a is not in contact with the bending rod 124a and is already bent in the Y1 direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 23 , the pair of leads 108 are bent in the same direction (the Y1 direction). In other words, one lead 108a of the pair of leads 108 is bent, and then the other lead 108b of the pair of leads 108 is bent, and the bending direction (Y1 direction) of one lead 108a of the pair of leads 108 is the same as the bending direction (Y1 direction) of the other lead 108b of the pair of leads 108.

[0048] In this way, by bending lead 108a in the Y1 direction and then bending lead 108b in the same Y1 direction, it is possible to reduce the load applied to the circuit board 12. That is, as shown in Fig. 21 , when lead 108a is bent, lead 108b is not bent, so the load applied to the circuit board 12 is only a load equivalent to F1 that occurs when one lead 108a is bent. Furthermore, after bending lead 108a, as shown in Fig. 23 , when lead 108b is bent, lead 108a is not bent, so the load applied to the circuit board 12 is only a load equivalent to F2 that occurs when one lead 108b is bent. In this way, by performing a series of continuous operations (sequences) for bending one lead 108a of the pair of leads 108 in the Y1 direction and a series of continuous operations (sequences) for bending the other lead 108b of the pair of leads 108 in the Y1 direction at different times, the load applied to the circuit board 12 can be reduced to half of the load applied to the circuit board 12 when two leads are bent simultaneously as in the conventional case. This makes it possible to prevent misalignment of the circuit board 12 when the clinch unit 100 bends the pair of leads 108 relative to each other in the Y1 direction.

[0049] Furthermore, when the clinch unit 100 bends a pair of leads 108 relative to each other in the X1 direction, when the clinch unit 100 bends a pair of leads 108 relative to each other in the X2 direction, and when the clinch unit 100 bends a pair of leads 108 relative to each other in the Y2 direction, the pair of leads 108 are bent one by one in the same direction at different timings, just as when the clinch unit 100 bends a pair of leads 108 relative to each other in the Y1 direction. This makes it possible to prevent misalignment of the circuit board 12 when the clinch unit 100 bends a pair of leads 108 relative to each other in any of the X1 direction, the X2 direction, and the Y2 direction.

[0050] When the clinch unit 100 bends the pair of leads 108 in opposite directions, as described above, the load generated when bending the pair of leads 108 does not act in a direction that shifts the circuit board 12. Therefore, when the clinch unit 100 bends the pair of leads 108 in opposite directions, the pair of leads 108 are bent in different directions at the same timing, and when the clinch unit 100 bends the pair of leads 108 in the same direction, the pair of leads 108 are bent one by one in the same direction at different timings.

[0051] The circuit board 12 is an example of a substrate. The clinch unit 100 is an example of a bending device. The unit moving device 102 is an example of a moving device. The through hole 104 is an example of a through hole. The lead component 106 is an example of a lead component. The lead 108 is an example of a lead. The bending rod 124 is an example of a bending claw. The electromagnetic motor 164 is an example of a motor. The electromagnetic motor 170 is an example of a motor.

[0052] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and improvements can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Specifically, in the above-described embodiment, the clinch unit 100 performs a series of consecutive operations (sequences) to bend one reed 108a of the pair of reeds 108 in a predetermined direction and a series of consecutive operations (sequences) to bend the other reed 108b of the pair of reeds 108 in the same direction as the predetermined direction, at different times. Alternatively, the clinch unit 100 may perform a series of consecutive operations (sequences) to bend one reed 108a of the pair of reeds 108 in a predetermined direction and a series of consecutive operations (sequences) to bend the other reed 108b of the pair of reeds 108 in the same direction as the predetermined direction. In other words, although the clinch unit 100 bends the pair of reeds 108 in two sequences in the above-described embodiment, it may also bend the pair of reeds 108 in a single sequence.

[0053] In the above embodiment, one bending rod 124a of the pair of bending rods 124 bends one lead 108a of the pair of leads 108 in a predetermined direction, and then the other bending rod 124b of the pair of bending rods 124 bends the other lead 108b of the pair of leads 108 in the same direction as the predetermined direction. On the other hand, one bending rod 124a of the pair of bending rods 124 may bend one lead 108a of the pair of leads 108 in a predetermined direction, and then the bending rod 124a may bend the other lead 108b of the pair of leads 108 in the same direction. In other words, one bending rod 124a of the pair of bending rods 124 may bend each lead 108 in the same direction at different times.

[0054] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the pair of bending rods 124 of the clinch unit 100 are moved by the operation of the X-direction moving device 150 and the Y-direction moving device 152, i.e., by the driving of the electromagnetic motors 164, 170, thereby bending the pair of leads 108 one by one in the same direction at different timings. On the other hand, the pair of bending rods 124 of the clinch unit 100 may be moved by the sliding of the pair of bending bodies 120, i.e., by the driving of the electromagnetic motor 118, thereby bending the pair of leads 108 one by one in the same direction at different timings. Furthermore, without being limited to the driving of the electromagnetic motor, i.e., by the motor force, the pair of bending rods 124 of the clinch unit 100 may be driven by an air cylinder or the like, i.e., by the force of air, thereby bending the pair of leads 108 one by one in the same direction at different timings.

[0055] In the above embodiment, when the clinch unit 100 bends the pair of leads 108 in the same direction, the pair of leads 108 are bent in any one of the X1 direction, the X2 direction, the Y1 direction, and the Y2 direction, but the direction is not limited to these directions and the pair of leads 108 may be bent in various directions. Also, when the clinch unit 100 bends the pair of leads 108 in opposite directions, the pair of leads 108 are bent in either the inward bending direction or the outward bending direction, but the direction is not limited to these directions and the pair of leads 108 may be bent in various directions such as the N-bend direction.

[0056] In addition, in the above embodiment, a clinch unit 100 is used to bend the leads 108 of the lead component 106, but instead of the clinch unit 100, a cut and clinch unit may be used to cut and bend the leads 108 of the lead component 106.

[0057] 12: Circuit board (substrate) 100: Clinch unit (bending device) 102: Unit moving device (moving device) 104: Through hole 106: Lead component 108: Lead 124: Bending rod (bending claw) 164: Electromagnetic motor (motor) 170: Electromagnetic motor (motor)

Claims

1. A bending device having a pair of bending claws that each contact and bend a pair of leads of a lead component inserted into a through-hole in a substrate, bending the pair of leads of the lead component one by one in the same direction at different times.

2. A bending device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a moving device operated by a motor moves the bending device in a horizontal direction, and the bending device moves in the horizontal direction by the operation of the moving device, thereby bending a pair of leads of the lead component one by one in the same direction at different times.

3. The bending device according to claim 2, wherein the bending device bends one of the pair of leads of the lead component by moving in a predetermined direction with one of the pair of bending claws in contact with the one of the pair of leads, and then bends the other of the pair of leads by moving in the same direction as the predetermined direction with the other of the pair of bending claws in contact with the other of the pair of leads of the lead component.

4. A lead bending method for bending a pair of leads of a lead component inserted into a through-hole in a substrate using a bending device equipped with a pair of bending claws, comprising: a first lead bending step for bending one of the pair of leads by moving one of the pair of bending claws in a predetermined direction while in contact with the one lead of the pair; and a second lead bending step for bending the other of the pair of leads of the lead component by moving the other of the pair of bending claws in the same direction as the predetermined direction after the first lead bending step, thereby bending the other lead of the pair of leads of the lead component, one at a time, in the same direction at different times.

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