Component mounting device and negative pressure control method

Abstract

Provided is a component mounting device to which a plurality of types of nozzles having different sizes of suction openings for suctioning a component are detachably attached, said component mounting device comprising: a pressure supply unit which is capable of supplying a negative pressure from a negative pressure source to a suction opening of a nozzle via a negative pressure supply flow path; and a control unit which controls the pressure supply unit such that, when a small-diameter nozzle having a suction opening size that is less than a prescribed size is used to suction and mount the component, a negative pressure having a high flow rate higher than a prescribed flow rate is supplied at the start of the supply of the negative pressure, and a negative pressure having the prescribed flow rate is supplied from a prescribed timing onward.

Description

Component mounting device and negative pressure control method

[0001] This specification discloses a component mounting device and a negative pressure control method.

[0002] Conventionally, as a component mounting device, in a device that mounts a component adsorbed by a suction port of a nozzle by negative pressure, a device that changes the flow rate of the negative pressure according to the size of the suction port has been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1, when a component is adsorbed by a nozzle with a relatively small diameter suction port, by suppressing the flow rate of the negative pressure, the pressure difference between normal adsorption and leakage is made apparent, and the presence or absence of component adsorption can be appropriately determined.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-175282

[0004] When suppressing the flow rate of the negative pressure as described above, it takes a relatively long time from the start of the supply of the negative pressure until the negative pressure required for component adsorption is reached. As a result, the component mounting time becomes long.

[0005] The main object of the present disclosure is to prevent the component mounting time from becoming long while appropriately supplying the necessary negative pressure.

[0006] The present disclosure has adopted the following means to achieve the above main object.

[0007] The component mounting device of the present disclosure is a component mounting device to which a plurality of types of nozzles with different sizes of suction ports for adsorbing components are detachably attached, a pressure supply unit capable of supplying negative pressure from a negative pressure source to the suction port of the nozzle through a negative pressure supply flow path, and when adsorbing and mounting a component with a small-diameter nozzle having a size of the suction port less than a predetermined size, at the start of the supply of the negative pressure, a large flow rate of negative pressure larger than a predetermined flow rate is supplied, and after a predetermined timing, the negative pressure of the predetermined flow rate is supplied, and a control unit for controlling the pressure supply unit. The gist is to include this.

[0008] In the component mounting apparatus of this disclosure, when components are mounted by suction using a small-diameter nozzle with a suction port size less than a predetermined size, the pressure supply unit is controlled to supply a large flow rate of negative pressure greater than a predetermined flow rate at the start of negative pressure supply, and then to supply a predetermined flow rate of negative pressure after a predetermined timing. This allows the negative pressure to be quickly built up at the start of supply compared to a system that supplies a predetermined flow rate of negative pressure from the start of supply until mounting. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately supply the necessary negative pressure while preventing the component mounting time from becoming prolonged.

[0009] A perspective view showing the general configuration of the component mounting device 10. A block diagram showing the electrical connection relationships of the component mounting device 10. A block diagram showing the main components for supplying pressure. A configuration diagram showing the general configuration of the pressure supply device 70. An explanatory diagram showing an example of how negative pressure is supplied to the large-diameter nozzle 52L. An explanatory diagram showing an example of how negative pressure is supplied to the small-diameter nozzle 52S. A flowchart showing an example of the component mounting process. An explanatory diagram showing an example of how the pressure P changes in this embodiment. An explanatory diagram showing an example of how the pressure P changes in a comparative example. An explanatory diagram showing how the negative pressure changes during component adsorption and air leakage.

[0010] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the component mounting device 10. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical connection relationships of the component mounting device 10. In this embodiment, the left-right direction in Figure 1 is the X-axis direction, the front-back direction is the Y-axis direction, and the up-down direction is the Z-axis direction.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the component mounting device 10 includes a component supply device 20, a substrate transport device 30, a moving device 40, a head unit 50, a part camera 62, a mark camera 64, a nozzle stocker 66, a pressure supply device 70 (see Figure 2), and a control device 90 (see Figure 2). The component supply device 20 is provided at the front of the base 12 of the component mounting device 10 and is a tape feeder equipped with, for example, a reel 22 containing components on tape at predetermined intervals. It pulls the tape from the reel 22 by the drive of a motor (not shown) and supplies components to the component supply position. The substrate transport device 30 includes, for example, a pair of conveyor belts 32 provided on the base 12 with a gap in the front-to-back direction (Y-axis direction) and spanning in the left-to-right direction. It transports the substrate S from left to right in Figure 1 by driving the conveyor belts 32 by the drive of a motor (not shown). The moving device 40 includes a guide rail 46 provided along the Y-axis direction, a Y-axis slider 48 that moves along the guide rail 46, a guide rail 42 provided on the Y-axis slider 48 along the X-axis direction, and an X-axis slider 44 that moves along the guide rail 42. The head unit 50 is attached to the X-axis slider 44. The moving device 40 moves the head unit 50 in the XY direction by moving the X-axis slider 44 and the Y-axis slider 48.

[0012] The head unit 50 is configured as a single nozzle head, for example, with one nozzle 52 mounted on its axis, and includes an R-axis actuator 54 and a Z-axis actuator 56 (see Figure 2). The head unit 50 rotates the nozzle 52 around its axis by the drive of the R-axis actuator 54. The head unit 50 also raises and lowers a Z-axis slider 57 (see Figure 2) in the Z-axis direction by the drive of the Z-axis actuator 56. The Z-axis slider 57 has a nozzle holding part 51 (see Figure 2) at its lower end that holds the nozzle 52, and the Z-axis actuator 56 raises and lowers the nozzle 52 in the Z-axis direction. The nozzle 52 attracts parts to its tip by negative pressure and releases the parts by positive pressure. The nozzle 52 is held by the nozzle holding part 51 by negative pressure. The pressure supply device 70 supplies negative and positive pressure to the nozzle holding part 51 and the nozzle 52, and its details will be described later.

[0013] The parts camera 62 is installed between the parts supply device 20 and the substrate transport device 30. The parts camera 62 has an imaging range above it and generates an image by imaging objects such as parts that are attracted to the nozzle 52 from below.

[0014] The mark camera 64 is located on the underside of the X-axis slider 44. The mark camera 64 captures an image of the target object from above and generates an image. Examples of targets for the mark camera 64 include parts supplied from the tape feeder of the parts supply device 20, marks on the circuit board S, and marks on the nozzles 52 in the nozzle stocker 66.

[0015] The nozzle stocker 66 is configured to accommodate multiple types of nozzles 52 of different sizes and shapes in each of its storage compartments. The nozzles 52 stocked in the nozzle stocker 66 can be automatically replaced by the head unit 50. Furthermore, while the component mounting device 10 is stopped, the operator can remove the types of nozzles 52 that are not needed for the mounting process from the nozzle stocker 66 and store the types of nozzles 52 that are needed for the mounting process.

[0016] As shown in Figure 2, the control device 90 is configured as a microprocessor centered on a CPU 91, and in addition to the CPU 91, it includes a ROM 92, HDD 93, RAM 94, input / output interface (I / F) 95, etc. These are connected via a bus 96. The control device 90 controls the component mounting device 10 to perform component mounting processing based on a production job for the substrate S obtained from a management device (not shown). The production job is data that specifies which components to mount on the substrate S in what order by the component mounting device 10, and how many substrates S with components mounted in that manner to be produced. The control device 90 also automatically replaces the nozzle 52 attached to the head unit 50 with a nozzle 52 of a size (diameter) and shape suitable for component mounting, and obtains information on the size and shape of the attached nozzle 52.

[0017] Furthermore, the control device 90 receives image signals from the parts camera 62 and the mark camera 64 via the input / output interface 95. The X-axis slider 44, Y-axis slider 48, and Z-axis slider 57 are each equipped with position sensors (not shown), and the control device 90 also receives position information from these position sensors. The control device 90 also outputs drive signals to the parts supply device 20, the substrate transport device 30, the X-axis actuator 45 that moves the X-axis slider 44, the Y-axis actuator 49 that moves the Y-axis slider 48, the Z-axis actuator 56 that moves the Z-axis slider 57, and the pressure supply device 70 (including various valves described later) via the input / output interface 95.

[0018] The following is a description of the pressure supply device 70 for supplying negative and positive pressure to the nozzle holding section 51 and the nozzle 52. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the main configuration for supplying pressure. Figure 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of the pressure supply device 70. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, negative pressure from a vacuum pump as a negative pressure source 71A is supplied to the nozzle 52 via a switching valve 81 from a relatively large flow rate channel (large flow rate channel 74) and also via a switching valve 83 from a relatively small flow rate channel (small flow rate channel 75). The nozzle 52 is configured to attract components by supplying at least one of the large flow rate negative pressure and the small flow rate negative pressure to the nozzle 52. The vacuum pump as the negative pressure source 71A is provided by the component mounting device 10. Furthermore, positive pressure from factory air, which acts as a positive pressure source 71B, is supplied to the ejector 88 via a switching valve 84. The negative pressure generated by the ejector 88 using this positive pressure is supplied to the nozzle holding unit 51, thereby causing the nozzle holding unit 51 to attract the nozzle 52.

[0019] Here, as shown in Figure 4, the nozzle 52 attracts parts with a suction port 52a at the tip (lower end) of the cylindrical shaft portion, and a flange portion 52b is formed so as to protrude radially from the upper end of the shaft portion. The nozzle holding portion 51 is provided at the lower end of the Z-axis slider 57 and has a central hole 51a that penetrates vertically through its center, an annular recess 51b provided on the lower surface (holding surface) where the nozzle 52 is held, and a communication hole 51c that penetrates vertically from the upper surface to the bottom surface of the recess 51b. The recess 51b of the nozzle holding portion 51 is covered by the upper surface of the flange portion 52b of the attached nozzle 52, thereby forming a negative pressure chamber. The nozzle holding portion 51 is able to attract and hold the nozzle 52 when negative pressure is supplied to its negative pressure chamber (inside the recess 51b) through the communication hole 51c. Furthermore, the nozzle 52 is able to attract and hold parts at the suction port 52a by negative pressure supplied to the suction port 52a through the central hole 51a of the nozzle holding portion 51 and the central hole of the shaft portion. Although not shown in the figures, a permanent magnet is embedded in a part of the bottom surface of the recess 51b. In addition, a metal plate is embedded in the upper surface (the surface to be held) of the flange portion 52b of the nozzle 52 at a position facing the permanent magnet in the recess 51b. As a result, the nozzle 52 is held in the nozzle holding portion 51 by the attractive force due to the negative pressure and the attractive force of the magnet.

[0020] The pressure supply device 70 includes a plurality of flow paths through which positive or negative pressure air flows, a plurality of switching valves 81 to 87 for switching the communication state of each flow path, an ejector 88, and a pressure reducing valve 89. The main flow paths of the pressure supply device 70 include a negative pressure flow path 72, a positive pressure flow path 73, a high flow rate flow path 74, a low flow rate flow path 75, a connecting flow path 76, an ejector flow path 77, a nozzle holding flow path 78, and a pressure reducing flow path 79. In addition, the pressure supply device 70 includes a pressure sensor 74a for detecting the pressure (negative pressure) in the high flow rate flow path 74 and the low flow rate flow path 75, and a pressure sensor 78a for detecting the pressure (negative pressure) in the nozzle holding flow path 78. The pressure supply device 70 outputs the detected pressure detected by the pressure sensors 74a and 78a to the control device 90. In this embodiment, the pressure supply device 70 (multiple switching valves 81-87, an ejector 88, and a pressure reducing valve 89) is provided inside the head body 50a of the head unit 50, and each operates based on a drive signal from the control device 90. In addition, a portion of the flow path, for example, the high-flow flow path 74, the low-flow flow path 75, and a portion of the nozzle holding flow path 78, is configured to supply pressure to the nozzle holding section 51 and the nozzle 52 through the Z-axis slider 57.

[0021] The negative pressure passage 72 is a passage that communicates with the negative pressure source 71A. The positive pressure passage 73 is a passage that communicates with the positive pressure source 71B. The high-flow passage 74 communicates with the central hole 51a of the nozzle holding part 51 and supplies a large flow rate of negative pressure to the suction port 52a of the nozzle 52 via the central hole 51a. The low-flow passage 75 communicates with the high-flow passage 74 (central hole 51a of the nozzle holding part 51) and supplies a smaller flow rate of negative pressure than the high-flow passage 74 to the suction port 52a of the nozzle 52. The high-flow passage 74 and the low-flow passage 75 function as negative pressure supply passages for component suction, supplying negative pressure for the nozzle 52 to suction components. The low-flow passage 75 is configured as a passage with a smaller diameter than the high-flow passage 74, for example, with an inner diameter of about 1 / 3 to 1 / 2 of that of the high-flow passage 74. The ejector passage 77 is a passage that supplies positive pressure to flow through the ejector 88. The nozzle holding passage 78 communicates with the communication hole 51c of the nozzle holding section 51 and is a passage that supplies the negative pressure generated by the ejector 88 into the recess 51b via the communication hole 51c. In other words, it functions as a negative pressure supply passage for nozzle holding, supplying the negative pressure necessary for the nozzle holding section 51 to hold (adsorb) the nozzle 52. The depressurization passage 79 is a passage through which air, whose positive pressure in the positive pressure passage 73 has been reduced by the depressurization valve 89, flows.

[0022] The switching valve 81 switches between a state in which the negative pressure passage 72 and the high-flow passage 74 are connected and the high-flow passage 74 is blocked from the connecting passage 76, and a state in which the negative pressure passage 72 and the high-flow passage 74 are blocked and the high-flow passage 74 is connected to the connecting passage 76. By setting the switching valve 81 to a state in which the negative pressure passage 72 and the high-flow passage 74 are connected, negative pressure from the negative pressure source 71A can be supplied to the high-flow passage 74, thereby supplying negative pressure to the suction port 52a of the nozzle 52. The switching valve 82 switches between a state in which the connecting passage 76 is open to the atmosphere and a state in which the connecting passage 76 is blocked from the atmosphere. By setting the switching valve 81 to a state in which the high-flow passage 74 and the connecting passage 76 are connected, and setting the switching valve 82 to a state in which the connecting passage 76 is open to the atmosphere, atmospheric pressure can be supplied to the high-flow passage 74, thereby supplying atmospheric pressure to the suction port 52a of the nozzle 52.

[0023] The switching valve 83 switches between a state in which the negative pressure passage 72 and the small flow passage 75 are connected, and a state in which the negative pressure passage 72 and the small flow passage 75 are blocked. By setting the switching valve 83 to a state in which the negative pressure passage 72 and the small flow passage 75 are connected, negative pressure from the negative pressure source 71A can be supplied to the small flow passage 75, thereby supplying negative pressure to the suction port 52a of the nozzle 52. As will be described later, the small flow passage 75 is connected to the switching valves 85 and 86. Therefore, in order to supply negative pressure to the nozzle 52 by the small flow passage 75, it is necessary to set the switching valves 85 and 86 to a state in which the connection between the small flow passage 75 and the other passages is blocked.

[0024] The switching valve 84 switches between a state in which the ejector passage 77 is connected to the positive pressure passage 73 and a state in which the ejector passage 77 is open to the atmosphere. The ejector 88 operates to draw in air from the nozzle holding passage 78 by causing the positive pressure air supplied from the ejector passage 77 to flow at high speed. This supplies negative pressure to the nozzle holding passage 78, and thus allows negative pressure to be supplied into the recess 51b through the communication hole 51c of the nozzle holding part 51.

[0025] The switching valve 85 switches between a state in which the pressure-reducing passage 79 and the low-flow passage 75 are connected, and a state in which the pressure-reducing passage 79 and the low-flow passage 75 are blocked. The switching valve 86 switches between a state in which the positive-pressure passage 73 and the low-flow passage 75 are connected, and a state in which the positive-pressure passage 73 and the low-flow passage 75 are blocked. As described above, when the switching valve 83 is in a state in which the negative-pressure passage 72 and the low-flow passage 75 are connected, the switching valve 85 is in a state in which the pressure-reducing passage 79 and the low-flow passage 75 are blocked, and the switching valve 86 is in a state in which the positive-pressure passage 73 and the low-flow passage 75 are blocked. By setting the switching valve 83 to block the negative pressure passage 72 and the low flow passage 75, setting the switching valve 85 to connect the depressurization passage 79 and the low flow passage 75, and setting the switching valve 86 to block the positive pressure passage 73 and the low flow passage 75, reduced positive pressure is supplied from the low flow passage 75 to the suction port 52a of the nozzle 52. This releases the suction of the component that the nozzle 52 was holding, allowing the component to be mounted on the substrate S. Furthermore, by setting the switching valve 83 to block the negative pressure passage 72 and the low flow passage 75, setting the switching valve 85 to block the depressurization passage 79 and the low flow passage 75, and setting the switching valve 86 to connect the positive pressure passage 73 and the low flow passage 75, positive pressure from the positive pressure source 71B can be supplied from the low flow passage 75 to the suction port 52a of the nozzle 52. This supplies relatively high positive pressure to the nozzle 52, which can resolve clogging of the nozzle 52.

[0026] The switching valve 87 switches between a state in which the positive pressure passage 73 and the nozzle holding passage 78 are in communication, and a state in which the positive pressure passage 73 and the nozzle holding passage 78 are blocked. By setting the switching valve 87 to a state in which the positive pressure passage 73 and the nozzle holding passage 78 are in communication, positive pressure can be supplied to the nozzle holding passage 78 and to the recess 51b through the communication hole 51c of the nozzle holding part 51. This releases the suction of the nozzle 52 that was being held by the nozzle holding part 51.

[0027] In the pressure supply device 70 of this embodiment, the positive pressure generated by the ejector 88 is supplied to the nozzle holding section 51 from the nozzle holding passage 78 using the positive pressure from the positive pressure source 71B through the positive pressure passage 73 and the ejector passage 77 to hold the nozzle 52. The pressure supply device 70 also supplies negative pressure generated by the negative pressure source 71A (negative pressure pump) to the nozzle 52 from at least one of the high-flow passage 74 and the low-flow passage 75 via the negative pressure passage 72 to hold the component. When a component is attracted by the nozzle 52, if the suction port 52a and the component are in close contact, air leakage will not be a problem. However, in reality, depending on the shape of the component and the condition of its top surface, air leakage is more likely to occur if the suction port 52a is not in close contact. For example, with components that have a hemispherical top surface, such as LED components, the gap with the spherical surface becomes larger depending on the suction position, making leakage more likely. Furthermore, in components such as switch parts, where an operating part is provided on the top surface, leakage is more likely to occur if the suction port 52a overlaps with the step between the operating part and its surroundings. In a configuration where the negative pressure source and supply channel used for the suction of the nozzle 52 and the suction of the component are shared, the effect of air leakage due to component suction can affect the suction of the nozzle 52, reducing the suction force (holding force) and potentially causing the nozzle 52 to fall. In the pressure supply device 70 of this embodiment, the negative pressure source and supply channel used for the suction of the nozzle 52 and the suction of the component are configured separately, thus preventing the effect of leakage from affecting the suction of the nozzle 52.

[0028] Furthermore, as mentioned above, during component suction (holding), there is a possibility of air leakage depending on the type of component, and a stable supply of negative pressure is necessary to properly hold the component while tolerating leakage. Here, although the ejector 88 is generally more compact and less expensive than a vacuum pump, the vacuum pump generates a more stable negative pressure. For this reason, in order for the ejector 88 to supply the required negative pressure flow rate at the same level as the vacuum pump, a larger ejector 88 would be required, making it difficult to mount on the head unit 50 (head body 50a). In addition, the positive pressure flow rate supplied to the ejector 88 would increase, increasing the flow rate consumed by the component mounting device 10. Therefore, in the pressure supply device 70 of this embodiment, by using negative pressure from the vacuum pump for component suction, these problems can be prevented and component suction can be performed stably. As a result, even with components that are prone to leakage, the orientation of the component during suction can be stabilized, and the component can be properly mounted.

[0029] On the other hand, when holding the nozzle 52 compared to holding the parts, the negative pressure chamber formed by the nozzle holding portion 51 (recess 51b) of the head unit 50 and the upper surface of the flange portion 52b of the nozzle 52 is sealed, so there is almost no leakage. For this reason, the nozzle 52 can be held with a small flow rate, and it is possible to select a smaller ejector 88 compared to when the ejector 88 is used to hold the parts. In the pressure supply device 70 of this embodiment, since the negative pressure generated by the ejector 88 is used to adsorb (hold) the nozzle 52, the device can be made more compact and the cost reduced compared to a system in which vacuum pumps are provided for both the adsorption of parts and the adsorption of the nozzle 52. Furthermore, since the ejector 88 is provided on the head body 50a of the head unit 50, it is possible to prevent the nozzle holding passage 78 from becoming longer compared to a configuration in which it is provided elsewhere, such as on the base 12 of the parts mounting device 10. Therefore, negative pressure can be appropriately applied from the ejector 88 to the nozzle holding section 51 via the nozzle holding passage 78, thereby stabilizing the suction of the nozzle 52. The magnetic attraction force is also used for the suction of the nozzle 52 (flange section 52b). For these reasons, the negative pressure generated by the ejector 88 does not cause any problems with the suction of the nozzle 52.

[0030] Furthermore, the pressure supply device 70 has two flow paths for supplying negative pressure for component adsorption: a high-flow path 74 and a low-flow path 75. Here, Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how negative pressure is supplied to the large-diameter nozzle 52L. The large-diameter nozzle 52L is a nozzle in which the size (opening diameter) φL of the adsorption port 52a is greater than or equal to a predetermined size (predetermined diameter). Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how negative pressure is supplied to the small-diameter nozzle 52S. The small-diameter nozzle 52S is a nozzle in which the size (φS) of the adsorption port 52a is less than a predetermined size (predetermined diameter). As shown in Figure 5, when adsorbing a component with the large-diameter nozzle 52L, the control device 90 sets the switching valve 81 to a state where the negative pressure path 72 and the high-flow path 74 are connected (open state), and the switching valve 83 to a state where the negative pressure path 72 and the low-flow path 75 are connected (open state). This allows negative pressure to be supplied to the large-diameter nozzle 52L from the two supply paths, the high-flow path 74 and the low-flow path 75. Therefore, compared to the case where negative pressure is supplied only from the high-flow channel 74, a larger flow rate (maximum flow rate) of negative pressure can be supplied to the large-diameter nozzle 52L. Furthermore, when a part is attracted by the small-diameter nozzle 52S, the control device 90, except at the start of negative pressure supply, sets the switching valve 81 to block the negative pressure channel 72 and the high-flow channel 74, connecting the high-flow channel 74 to the connecting channel 76 (closed state), and sets the switching valve 83 to connect the negative pressure channel 72 and the small-flow channel 75 (open state). Note that the switching valve 82 is set to block the connecting channel 76 from the atmosphere. As a result, a small flow rate of negative pressure can be supplied to the small-diameter nozzle 52S from the small-flow channel 75. This small flow rate is the flow rate set when a part is attracted by the small-diameter nozzle 52S.

[0031] Furthermore, the component mounting device 10 performs the component mounting process as follows. Figure 7 is a flowchart of an example of the component mounting process. Figure 7 illustrates the process of picking up and mounting components with a small-diameter nozzle 52S. For this reason, in the following description, the nozzle 52 is the small-diameter nozzle 52S. In the component mounting process, the CPU 91 of the control device 90 first controls the moving device 40 (X-axis actuator 45, Y-axis actuator 49) to move the head unit 50 above the component supply position by the component supply device 20 (S100). Next, the CPU 91 controls the Z-axis actuator 56 so that the nozzle 52 begins to descend (S110), and controls the pressure supply device 70 so that negative pressure is supplied to the nozzle 52 from two supply channels, the large-flow channel 74 and the small-flow channel 75 (S120). In other words, even when performing mounting processing with a small-diameter nozzle 52S, when the negative pressure supply is started, negative pressure is supplied from the large-flow channel 74 and the small-flow channel 75, just as when performing mounting processing with a large-diameter nozzle 52L (see Figure 5).

[0032] Next, the CPU 91 determines whether the nozzle 52 has reached its lower end (S130). If it determines that the nozzle 52 has reached its lower end, it controls the pressure supply device 70 to shut off the large flow path 74 and supply negative pressure to the small diameter nozzle 52S from the small flow path 75 (S140, see Figure 6). It has been confirmed through experiments that when negative pressure is supplied to the nozzle 52 from both the large flow path 74 and the small flow path 75, the negative pressure acting on the small diameter nozzle 52S during the time from when the nozzle 52 starts to descend until it reaches its lower end becomes a predetermined negative pressure Pn necessary for the adsorption of the part. The CPU 91 also controls the Z-axis actuator 56 to adsorb the part to the nozzle 52 and cause the nozzle 52 to start rising (S150), and determines whether the nozzle 52 has reached its rising end (S160). When the CPU 91 determines that the nozzle 52 has reached its upper limit, it acquires the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 74a as the detected pressure P1 (S170).

[0033] The CPU 91 then controls the moving device 40 to move the head unit 50 above the parts camera 62, causing the parts camera 62 to image the part that the nozzle 52 is holding, and performs image processing on the image (S180). Next, the CPU 91 determines whether the nozzle 52 is properly holding the part based on whether or not it was able to detect the part in the image during the image processing (S190). The state in which the part is not properly held includes the state in which the part is held at an angle and cannot be mounted, and the state in which the part is not held due to dropping or other reasons. If the CPU 91 is able to detect the part in the image, it further calculates the positional misalignment of the part relative to the nozzle 52 and corrects the mounting position of the part to eliminate the misalignment. If the CPU 91 determines in S190 that the part is not properly held, it notifies an error (S200) and terminates this process. The CPU 91 notifies the operator of the error by, for example, displaying an error message indicating that the part is not properly held on a display device (not shown) provided on the parts mounting device 10.

[0034] Meanwhile, if the CPU 91 determines in S190 that the nozzle 52 is properly adsorbing the component, it controls the moving device 40 to move the head unit 50 above the component mounting position (S210). The CPU 91 also acquires the detected pressure of the pressure sensor 74a as detected pressure P2 and calculates the difference ΔP, which is the difference between detected pressure P1 and detected pressure P2 (S220). For example, when the head unit 50 has moved above the mounting position (before the nozzle 52 starts to descend), the CPU 91 acquires the detected pressure P2 and calculates the difference ΔP.

[0035] Next, the CPU 91 determines whether the difference ΔP is less than a predetermined difference ΔPref, which is a threshold (S230). In this embodiment, since it is determined in S190 that the nozzle 52 is properly adsorbing the part, if the part does not fall during the movement of the head unit 50 in S210, the nozzle 52 will continue to adsorb the part. In that case, the difference between the detected pressure P1 and the detected pressure P2 is almost negligible, so the difference ΔP will be a small value less than the predetermined difference ΔPref. On the other hand, if the part falls during the movement of the head unit 50 in S210, the difference ΔP will be large, exceeding the predetermined difference ΔPref. Thus, S230 is a process to determine whether or not the part has fallen.

[0036] If the CPU 91 determines in S230 that the difference ΔP is not less than a predetermined difference ΔPref, it determines that the component has fallen, reports an error (S200), and terminates this process. On the other hand, if the CPU 91 determines in S230 that the difference ΔP is less than a predetermined difference ΔPref, it mounts the component that the nozzle 52 is holding onto the substrate S (S240) and terminates this process.

[0037] Here, Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how pressure P changes in this embodiment. Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how pressure P changes in a comparative example. In this embodiment, negative pressure is supplied from both the large flow path 74 and the small flow path 75 at S120 (time t10). On the other hand, in the comparative example, unlike this embodiment, negative pressure is supplied only from the small flow path 75 (time t20). As a result, in this embodiment, pressure P drops rapidly, i.e., quickly reaches a predetermined negative pressure Pn (time t11), whereas in the comparative example, it takes a long time to reach the predetermined negative pressure Pn (time t22). In this embodiment, when the nozzle height reaches the lowered end (time t12), pressure P has already reached the predetermined negative pressure Pn. Therefore, at time t12, the switching valve 81 is switched to the closed state to block the large flow path 74, causing the component to be attracted to the nozzle 52, and the nozzle 52 can be quickly started to rise (time t13). On the other hand, in the comparative example, even when the nozzle height reaches the lowered end (time t21), the pressure P has not reached the predetermined negative pressure Pn, and after a waiting period from time t21 to time t22, the pressure P reaches the predetermined negative pressure Pn. Then, the nozzle 52 is attracted to the part and the nozzle 52 starts to rise (time t23). The pressure P at the time the nozzle 52 reaches the raised end is acquired as the detected pressure P1 (times t14, t24). Thus, in this embodiment, by starting the supply of negative pressure from the large flow path 74 and the small flow path 75, the predetermined negative pressure Pn can be reached quickly, so that the part mounting process can be performed efficiently.

[0038] Here, the correspondence between the components of this embodiment and the components of the present disclosure will be clarified. The pressure supply device 70 of this embodiment corresponds to the pressure supply unit of the present disclosure, and the control device 90 (CPU 91) that executes S110 and S140 of the component mounting process corresponds to the control unit. Furthermore, the high-flow channel 74 corresponds to the first channel, and the low-flow channel 75 corresponds to the second channel. The pressure sensor 74a corresponds to the pressure sensor, and the control device 90 (CPU 91) that executes S170, S220 and S230 of the component mounting process corresponds to the determination unit. In addition, in this embodiment, an example of the negative pressure control method of the present disclosure is also clarified by explaining the operation of the component mounting device 10.

[0039] In the component mounting apparatus 10 of the embodiment described above, when components are mounted by adsorption using a small-diameter nozzle 52S, the pressure supply device 70 is controlled to supply a large flow rate of negative pressure (larger than a small flow rate (predetermined flow rate)) at the start of negative pressure supply, and to supply a small flow rate of negative pressure from a predetermined timing until mounting. As a result, the time required to reach the predetermined negative pressure Pn can be shortened compared to supplying a small flow rate of negative pressure from the start of negative pressure supply until component mounting, and the predetermined negative pressure Pn can be continuously supplied as a small flow rate after the predetermined timing. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the component mounting time from becoming long while appropriately supplying the predetermined negative pressure Pn.

[0040] Furthermore, in the component mounting device 10, when negative pressure supply begins, a large flow rate (maximum flow rate) of negative pressure is supplied from the large flow rate channel 74 and the small flow rate channel 75. After the nozzle 52 reaches its lower end (after a predetermined timing), the supply of negative pressure from the large flow rate channel 74 is shut off, and a small flow rate of negative pressure is supplied from the small flow rate channel 75. This controls the pressure supply device 70 in this manner. Therefore, the flow rate of the negative pressure can be changed with a relatively simple configuration. In addition, the flow rate of the negative pressure is changed by switching the presence or absence of negative pressure supply (negative pressure supply state) from the large flow rate channel 74 and the small flow rate channel 75 using switching valves 81 and 83, respectively, which allows for a simple configuration.

[0041] Furthermore, the component mounting device 10 changes the negative pressure flow rate at a predetermined timing, which is determined based on the time required to bring the high-flow channel 74 and the low-flow channel 75 to a predetermined negative pressure Pn, when the nozzle 52 reaches its lowered end (a predetermined timing). Therefore, the negative pressure flow rate can be appropriately changed with a simple process.

[0042] Furthermore, the component mounting device 10 determines whether the small-diameter nozzle 52S has successfully attracted the component based on the difference ΔP between the detected pressure P1 (first detected pressure) after the component has been attracted and the detected pressure P2 (second detected pressure) before the component has been mounted. Therefore, even if the detected pressure at the time of attraction differs due to differences in the shape of each component type, the presence or absence of attraction of the component can be accurately determined based on the difference ΔP.

[0043] Also, in the component mounting device 10, when a component is adsorbed and mounted by the large-diameter nozzle 52L, the pressure supply device 70 is controlled so as to supply a large flow rate of negative pressure from the start of the supply of the negative pressure to the mounting of the component. Therefore, the necessary negative pressure can be appropriately supplied according to the size of the suction port.

[0044] Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that the present disclosure can be implemented in various modes as long as it belongs to the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0045] For example, in the above-described embodiment, it is determined whether or not the nozzle 52 is normally adsorbing the component by image processing of the image captured by the parts camera 62 in S180 and S190 of the component mounting process, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. Instead of the determination by image processing, or in addition to the determination by image processing, it may be determined whether or not the nozzle 52 is normally adsorbing the component based on the detected pressure of the pressure sensor 74a. Further, the present disclosure is not limited to the determination based on the difference ΔP of the detected pressure, and the determination based on the detected pressure may be performed as follows.

[0046] Here, Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the change in negative pressure during component adsorption and air leakage. In Figure 10, the vertical axis represents negative pressure, and the horizontal axis represents component adsorption (no air leak) and air leakage. If the nozzle 52 is adsorbing the component normally, the negative pressure will increase to the negative side and fall below the threshold Pref, and if air leakage occurs, the negative pressure will exceed the threshold Pref. As shown in the figure, when a large flow rate of negative pressure is supplied to the large diameter nozzle 52L from the large flow rate channel 74 and the small flow rate channel 75 (dotted line), the negative pressure will exceed the threshold Pref during air leakage. Therefore, the control device 90 can determine an abnormality in adsorption based on the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 74a. That is, because the pressure (negative pressure) change during air leakage is large, the presence or absence of adsorbed components can be appropriately detected. On the other hand, unlike this embodiment, when a large flow rate of negative pressure is supplied to the small-diameter nozzle 52S from the large flow rate channel 74 and the small flow rate channel 75, not only at the start of negative pressure supply but also until the component is mounted (dotted line), the pressure change during air leakage is small, so the negative pressure remains below the threshold Pref during air leakage. For this reason, the control device 90 cannot determine an abnormality in adsorption based on the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 74a. In other words, when a large flow rate of negative pressure is supplied to the small-diameter nozzle 52S, the presence or absence of adsorption components cannot be appropriately detected. In this embodiment, a large flow rate of negative pressure is supplied at the start of negative pressure supply to quickly reach a predetermined negative pressure Pn, and thereafter a small flow rate of negative pressure is supplied to the small-diameter nozzle 52S. By supplying a small flow rate of negative pressure, the pressure change during air leakage becomes larger, so that the negative pressure exceeds the threshold Pref during air leakage (solid line). For this reason, the control device 90 can determine an abnormality in adsorption based on the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 74a. In other words, in this embodiment, the presence or absence of adsorption components can be appropriately detected from the pressure change during air leakage.

[0047] Thus, in the component mounting apparatus 10, it may be determined whether the small-diameter nozzle 52S is normally sucking the component based on the detected pressure of the pressure sensor 74a in a state where a negative pressure of a small flow rate is supplied. Even in this case, the presence or absence of component suction can be appropriately determined. Instead of S220 and S230, it may be continuously determined whether the component is normally sucked by continuously monitoring the detected pressure of the pressure sensor 74a. Alternatively, the determination of whether the component is normally sucked is not essential, and either one or both of the two determinations of S190, S200 and S220, S230 may be omitted. However, in order to perform component mounting more appropriately, it is preferable to perform these determinations.

[0048] In the embodiment, at the start of negative pressure supply, negative pressure supply was started from two supply channels, i.e., the large flow rate channel 74 and the small flow rate channel 75. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and at least the negative pressure supply may be started from the large flow rate channel 74.

[0049] In the embodiment, the timing when the nozzle 52 reaches the lower end was set as the predetermined timing, and the large flow rate channel 74 was blocked and the negative pressure was supplied from the small flow rate channel 75 to the small-diameter nozzle 52S. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the timing when the detected pressure of the pressure sensor 74a falls below a predetermined pressure may be set as the predetermined timing, and the large flow rate channel 74 may be blocked and the negative pressure may be supplied from the small flow rate channel 75 to the small-diameter nozzle 52S. That is, S130 may be a process of determining whether the detected pressure of the pressure sensor 74a falls below a predetermined pressure. Note that the predetermined pressure is not limited to the predetermined negative pressure Pn described above, and may be a threshold value determined exclusively for determination.

[0050] In this embodiment, a large-flow channel 74 and a small-flow channel 75 are provided, and the negative pressure flow rate is changed in two stages by switching the presence or absence of negative pressure supply to the large-flow channel 74 and the small-flow channel 75. However, the invention is not limited to this, and it may be possible to change it in three or more stages depending on the size of the suction port 52a of the nozzle 52. In this case, multiple channels that supply the same flow rate may be provided, and the negative pressure flow rate supplied to the suction port 52a of the nozzle 52 may be changed by changing the number of switching valves that are opened. Alternatively, the negative pressure flow rate may be changed by changing the driving state of the vacuum pump, such as the rotation speed of the vacuum pump as the negative pressure source 71A. That is, when a part is adsorbed by a small-diameter nozzle 52S, the control device 90 should drive the vacuum pump at a rotation speed higher than a predetermined rotation speed to supply a large flow rate of negative pressure at the start of negative pressure supply, and thereafter drive the vacuum pump at a predetermined rotation speed (low rotation speed) to supply a small flow rate of negative pressure. Furthermore, when using the large-diameter nozzle 52L to pick up parts, the control device 90 can drive the vacuum pump at high speed from the start of negative pressure supply until the parts are mounted to supply a large flow rate of negative pressure. The control device 90 may also continuously change the flow rate of the negative pressure by continuously changing the rotation speed of the vacuum pump according to the size of the suction port 52a. In addition, when changing the flow rate of the negative pressure by changing the drive state of the vacuum pump, the negative pressure supply path for picking up parts may be a single path.

[0051] In this embodiment, the small flow path 75 is configured as a smaller diameter path than the large flow path 74, but it is not limited to this. For example, the small flow path 75 and the large flow path 74 may be configured as paths of similar diameters, and a throttling mechanism such as a throttle valve may be provided in front of or behind the switching valve 83 to supply a smaller flow rate of negative pressure to the small flow path 75 than to the large flow path 74. Also, when changing the flow rate of the negative pressure with a throttling mechanism, the negative pressure supply path for component adsorption may be a single path.

[0052] In this embodiment, when using a large-diameter nozzle 52L, a large flow rate of negative pressure was supplied from the large flow rate channel 74 and the small flow rate channel 75 from the start of negative pressure supply until the mounting of the components, but this is not limited to this. For example, the supply of negative pressure when using a large-diameter nozzle 52L can be any process, such as supplying negative pressure only from the large flow rate channel 74.

[0053] In this embodiment, the positive pressure from the positive pressure channel 73 is used for releasing the component from suction and releasing the nozzle 52 from suction, and for generating negative pressure by the ejector 88, but it is not limited to this. Channels may be provided to supply the positive pressure used for releasing the component from suction and releasing the nozzle 52 from suction, and the positive pressure used for generating negative pressure by the ejector 88, separately.

[0054] In this embodiment, the head unit 50 is equipped with (houses) a pressure supply device 70, but it is not limited to this, and some of the components of the pressure supply device 70 (switching valves 81-87, ejector 88, and part of the pressure reducing valve 89) may be housed in the X-axis slider 44, the Y-axis slider 48, the base 12 of the component mounting device 10, etc. However, it is preferable to have the ejector 88 acting as in this embodiment in order to ensure that negative pressure is applied more reliably.

[0055] In this embodiment, the negative pressure generated by the ejector 88 using the positive pressure from the positive pressure flow path 73 is used for the suction of the nozzle 52. However, the system is not limited to this, and the ejector 88 may not be provided if the negative pressure generated by a vacuum pump is used for the suction of the nozzle 52. In order to prevent the effects of leakage during component suction, it is preferable to have a separate vacuum pump for nozzle suction in addition to the vacuum pump for component suction.

[0056] In this embodiment, the component mounting device 10 is equipped with one vacuum pump as a negative pressure source 71A, but it is not limited to this, and may be equipped with two vacuum pumps. For example, the negative pressure source 71A may be equipped with two vacuum pumps: one connected to the negative pressure passage 72 to the switching valve 81, and another connected to the negative pressure passage to the switching valve 83. In this case, the negative pressure passage 72 to the switching valve 81 and the negative pressure passage to the switching valve 83 may be connected to each other or may be independent of each other.

[0057] The negative pressure control method of the present disclosure is a negative pressure control method for a component mounting apparatus that includes a pressure supply unit capable of supplying negative pressure from a negative pressure source to the suction ports of the nozzles via a negative pressure supply channel, wherein, when a component is mounted by suction using a small-diameter nozzle with a suction port size less than a predetermined size, the pressure supply unit is controlled to supply a large flow rate of negative pressure greater than a predetermined flow rate at the start of negative pressure supply, and to supply a predetermined flow rate of negative pressure thereafter at a predetermined timing.

[0058] The negative pressure control method of this disclosure, similar to the component mounting apparatus of this disclosure described above, can appropriately supply the necessary negative pressure while preventing the component mounting time from becoming prolonged. In this negative pressure control method, various embodiments of the component mounting apparatus of this disclosure may be adopted, or steps that realize the functions of the component mounting apparatus of this disclosure may be added.

[0059] This specification also discloses technical concepts in which the "component mounting apparatus described in claim 1 or 2" in the original claim 5 has been changed to "component mounting apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 4," and technical concepts in which the "component mounting apparatus described in claim 1 or 2" in the original claim 7 has been changed to "component mounting apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 6."

[0060] This disclosure can be used in industries such as the manufacturing of component mounting equipment.

[0061] 10 Component mounting device, 12 Base, 20 Component supply device, 22 Reel, 30 Substrate transport device, 32 Conveyor belt, 40 Moving device, 42, 46 Guide rail, 44 X-axis slider, 45 X-axis actuator, 48 Y-axis slider, 49 Y-axis actuator, 50 Head unit, 50a Head body, 51 Nozzle holding part, 51a Center hole, 51b Recess, 51c Communication hole, 52 Nozzle, 52L Large diameter nozzle, 52S Small diameter nozzle, 52a Suction port, 52b Flange part, 54 R-axis actuator, 56 Z-axis actuator, 57 Z-axis slider, 62 Parts camera, 64 Mark camera, 66 Nozzle stocker, 70 Pressure supply device, 71A Negative pressure source, 71B Positive pressure source, 72 Negative pressure flow path, 73 Positive pressure flow path, 74 Large flow channel, 74a, 78a Pressure sensor, 75 Small flow channel, 76 Connecting channel, 77 Ejector channel, 78 Nozzle holding channel, 79 Pressure reducing channel, 81-87 Switching valve, 88 Ejector, 89 Pressure reducing valve, 90 Control device, 91 CPU, 92 ROM, 93 HDD, 94 RAM, 95 Input / output interface, 96 Bus, S board.

Claims

1. A component mounting apparatus to which multiple types of nozzles with different sizes of suction ports for adsorbing components can be detachably attached, comprising: a pressure supply unit capable of supplying negative pressure from a negative pressure source to the suction ports of the nozzles via a negative pressure supply channel; and a control unit that controls the pressure supply unit such that, when components are adsorbed and mounted using a small-diameter nozzle with a suction port size less than a predetermined size, a large flow rate of negative pressure greater than a predetermined flow rate is supplied at the start of negative pressure supply, and after a predetermined timing, the negative pressure is supplied at the predetermined flow rate.

2. The component mounting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressure supply unit comprises a first flow path and a second flow path having a smaller flow path diameter than the first flow path as the negative pressure supply flow path, the predetermined flow rate is a flow rate set when the component is adsorbed by the small diameter nozzle, and the control unit controls the pressure supply unit such that at least the large flow rate of negative pressure is supplied from the first flow path when the negative pressure supply is started, and after the predetermined timing the supply of negative pressure from the first flow path is cut off and the predetermined flow rate of negative pressure is supplied from the second flow path.

3. The component mounting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit sets the predetermined timing to a timing determined based on the time required to create a predetermined negative pressure in the negative pressure supply channel necessary for the adsorption of the component.

4. The component mounting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure in the negative pressure supply channel, wherein the control unit sets the timing at which the pressure detected by the pressure sensor falls below a predetermined pressure as the predetermined timing.

5. A component mounting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure in the negative pressure supply channel and a determination unit for determining whether or not a component is adsorbed, wherein the determination unit determines whether or not the small-diameter nozzle has successfully adsorbed the component based on the pressure detected by the pressure sensor after the small-diameter nozzle has adsorbed the component after a predetermined timing.

6. The component mounting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the determination unit acquires the pressure detected by the pressure sensor as a first detection pressure after the component has been adsorbed by the small-diameter nozzle, acquires the pressure detected by the pressure sensor as a second detection pressure between the acquisition of the first detection pressure and the mounting of the component, and determines whether the small-diameter nozzle has successfully adsorbed the component based on the difference between the first detection pressure and the second detection pressure.

7. The component mounting apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit controls the pressure supply unit to supply a large flow rate of negative pressure from the start of negative pressure supply until the component is mounted, when the size of the suction port is a large-diameter nozzle with a size equal to or greater than the predetermined size for suction and mounting of the component.

8. A negative pressure control method for a component mounting apparatus, comprising a pressure supply unit capable of supplying negative pressure from a negative pressure source to the suction ports of the nozzles via a negative pressure supply channel, wherein, when a component is mounted by suction using a small-diameter nozzle with a suction port size less than a predetermined size, the pressure supply unit is controlled to supply a large flow rate of negative pressure greater than a predetermined flow rate at the start of negative pressure supply, and to supply a predetermined flow rate of negative pressure thereafter at a predetermined timing.

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