Mounting support device and bulk feeder

Abstract

This bulk feeder comprises: a plurality of cavities that are formed in a supply region for supplying a component in a collectable manner, and that accommodate the component; and a reference mark that is provided at a prescribed position with respect to the cavities. This mounting support device comprises an identification unit that, on the basis of image data acquired by imaging the reference mark and at least a portion of the supply region and cavity information indicating the position of each of the plurality of cavities with respect to the reference mark, identifies the positions of the plurality of cavities included in the image data.

Description

Mounting support device and bulk feeder

[0001] The present invention relates to a mounting support device and a bulk feeder.

[0002] A bulk feeder is installed in a component mounter that mounts components on a substrate, and is used for supplying bulk components in a supply area. As disclosed in Patent Document 1, a bulk feeder is set with a component case that accommodates a large number of components in bulk, and conveys the components discharged from the component case to a predetermined supply area, thereby supplying the components to the component mounter in a pickable manner. After components are supplied by the bulk feeder, the component mounter performs supply state recognition processing and component picking processing based on the result of the recognition processing.

[0003] International Publication No. 2021 / 095219

[0004] Incidentally, in component mounting processing, the component mounter performs control to correct the movement amount and the like of a movable part so as to eliminate the influence of thermal displacement occurring in the movable part. However, the finer the components supplied by the bulk feeder are, the higher the accuracy required for thermal displacement correction becomes.

[0005] An object of the present specification is to provide a mounting support device and a bulk feeder that can suppress the influence of thermal displacement occurring in a movable part of a component mounter on component supply by the bulk feeder and the like, thereby supporting mounting processing.

[0006] The present specification discloses a mounting support device applied to a component mounter that mounts components supplied by a bulk feeder onto a substrate, wherein the bulk feeder includes a plurality of cavities formed in a supply area that supplies the components in a pickable manner and accommodates the components, and a reference mark provided at a predetermined position with respect to the cavities, and the mounting support device includes a specifying unit that specifies the positions of the plurality of cavities included in image data based on the image data obtained by imaging at least a part of the supply area and the reference mark, and cavity information indicating the respective positions of the plurality of cavities relative to the reference mark.

[0007] This specification discloses a bulk feeder for supplying components to a component mounting machine in a supply area, wherein the component mounting machine comprises a camera that is movably mounted horizontally and capable of imaging the supply area, a state recognition unit that recognizes the supply state of the components in the supply area based on image data acquired by imaging by the camera, and a mounting control unit that mounts the components taken from the supply area onto a substrate, and the bulk feeder comprises a feeder body, a plurality of cavities formed in the supply area for accommodating the components, and reference marks provided at predetermined positions relative to the cavities, arranged within the camera's field of view together with at least a portion of the supply area.

[0008] This specification also discloses the technical idea of ​​changing "the mounting support device described in any one of claims 2-4" to "the mounting support device described in any one of claims 2-5" in claim 6 of the original application, the technical idea of ​​changing "the mounting support device described in any one of claims 1-4" to "the mounting support device described in any one of claims 1-8" in claim 9 of the original application, and the technical idea of ​​changing "the mounting support device described in any one of claims 1-4" to "the mounting support device described in any one of claims 1-8" in claim 10 of the original application. Furthermore, this specification also discloses the technical idea of ​​changing "the mounting support device described in any one of claims 1-4" to "the mounting support device described in any one of claims 1-10" in claim 11 of the original application, the technical idea of ​​changing "the mounting support device described in any one of claims 1-4" to "the mounting support device described in any one of claims 1-11" in claim 12 of the original application, and the technical idea of ​​changing "the mounting support device described in any one of claims 1-4" to "the mounting support device described in any one of claims 1-12" in claim 13 of the original application.

[0009] With this configuration, the positions of multiple cavities are determined by taking into account the thermal displacement that may occur in the movable parts of the component mounting machine, thereby suppressing the impact of thermal displacement on component supply by the bulk feeder. This makes it possible to support the recognition process of the supply status and the collection operation during the mounting process.

[0010] This is a schematic plan view of a parts mounting machine to which a mounting support device is applied. This is a schematic side view of the parts mounting machine and feeder. This is a plan view showing an enlarged view of the supply area of ​​a bulk feeder. This is a block diagram of a production system including a mounting support device. This is a flowchart of the supply state recognition process. This is a diagram showing an enlarged view of a portion of the image data captured of the supply area. This is a diagram showing an enlarged view of a portion of the image data after the blob generation process has been performed. This is an enlarged view showing the result of the supply state recognition process. This is a schematic plan view of an error that occurred in the parts mounting machine or bulk feeder. This is a diagram showing the acquisition of image data used for recognition processing in high-precision mode. This is a diagram showing the movement of the camera when acquiring multiple image data. This is a diagram showing a pair of reference marks before and after the occurrence of an error.

[0011] 1. Overview of the Mounting Support Device 60 The mounting support device 60 assists the mounting process performed by the component mounting machine 10 using the bulk feeder 20. In this embodiment, the mounting support device 60 is incorporated into the control device 16 of the component mounting machine 10. The mounting support device 60 suppresses errors in the sampling operation during the mounting process by improving the accuracy of image processing that recognizes the supply status of the components supplied by the bulk feeder 20.

[0012] The component mounting machine 10 performs the mounting process of attaching components to the substrate 91 as a predetermined substrate operation. The component mounting machine 10 is installed in the transport direction of the substrate 91 together with other substrate operation machines to form a production line. Each of the multiple substrate operation machines is communicated to a host computer 2 (see Figure 4) that controls the production line in the production system 1. The production line includes, for example, a printing press, a component mounting machine 10, a reflow oven, and an inspection machine as multiple substrate operation machines.

[0013] 2. Configuration of the component mounting machine 10 2-1. Substrate transport device 11, component supply device 12 As shown in Figure 1, the component mounting machine 10 includes a substrate transport device 11 that sequentially transports the substrate 91 in the transport direction and positions the substrate 91 at a predetermined position inside the machine. The component supply device 12 of the component mounting machine 10 supplies the components to be mounted on the substrate 91. The component supply device 12 has feeders 122 set in each of the multiple slots 121.

[0014] The feeder 122 includes a tape feeder that supplies parts by feeding and moving a carrier tape in which parts are packaged at predetermined intervals, and a stick feeder that supplies parts by sequentially pushing out parts arranged on a stick. The feeder 122 also includes a bulk feeder 20 that supplies parts by discharging parts stored in a bulk state (a loose state where each part is in an irregular position) from the parts case 35. The detailed configuration of the bulk feeder 20 will be described later.

[0015] 2-2. Component Transfer Device 13, Component Camera 14, Substrate Camera 15 The component transfer device 13 of the component mounting machine 10 transfers components supplied by the component supply device 12 to predetermined mounting positions on the substrate 91. The head drive device 131 of the component transfer device 13 moves the mobile table 132 horizontally (X direction and Y direction) by a linear motion mechanism. The mounting head 133, which is detachably fixed to the mobile table 132, supports a plurality of suction nozzles 134 so as to be rotatable and vertically movable. The suction nozzles 134 are holding members that adsorb components supplied by the feeder 122 using supplied negative pressure air. In this embodiment, the mounting head 133 supports eight suction nozzles 134.

[0016] The component camera 14 and the substrate camera 15 of the component mounting machine 10 perform imaging based on control signals and transmit the image data acquired by the imaging. The component camera 14 is configured to be able to image components held by the suction nozzle 134 from below. The substrate camera 15 is provided at a predetermined position relative to the mounting head 133 (in this embodiment, at a predetermined distance in the Y direction relative to the mounting head 133), as shown in Figure 2. The substrate camera 15 is provided on a movable table 132 so as to be able to move horizontally integrally with the mounting head 133. The substrate camera 15 is configured to be able to image the substrate 91 from above.

[0017] Furthermore, in addition to imaging the surface of the substrate 91, the substrate camera 15 can also image various devices and other objects as long as they are within the movable range of the mobile stand 132. For example, the substrate camera 15 can capture images of the supply area As where the bulk feeder 20 supplies components, or a reference mark provided on the top of the bulk feeder 20, within its camera field of view. In this way, the substrate camera 15 can be used to image different objects in order to acquire image data that can be used for various image processing tasks.

[0018] 2-3. Control Device 16 The control device 16 of the component mounting machine 10 is mainly composed of a CPU, various memories, and control circuits. As shown in Figure 4, the control device 16 stores various data such as a control program M1 used to control the mounting process, component data M2, cavity information M3, and storage information M4. The control program M1 indicates the mounting position, mounting angle, and component type of the components to be mounted on the substrate 91 in the planned mounting order during the mounting process. Here, the mounting process includes a process that repeats a PP cycle (pick and place cycle), which includes a sampling cycle and a mounting cycle, multiple times.

[0019] The "sampling cycle" described above is a process in which the sampling operation, in which parts supplied by the parts supply device 12 are picked up by the suction nozzle 134, is repeated multiple times. The "mounting cycle" described above is a process in which the mounting operation, in which the picked-up parts are mounted on the substrate 91 at a predetermined mounting position and at a predetermined mounting angle, is repeated multiple times. In this way, the control program M1 sets the PP cycle and its execution order based on multiple sampling and mounting operations that are grouped together, taking into consideration the number of suction nozzles 134 supported by the mounting head 133 (eight in this embodiment) and the travel distance of the mounting head 133.

[0020] The part data M2 contains shape data for each type of part. The "shape data" mentioned above includes at least one of the part's outer edge shape, the shape of the part's characteristic parts, and the part's dimensions. The "outer edge shape" of a part corresponds to the shape of the outer edge when the inside of the part is separated from the background by the outer edge. The "shape of the part's characteristic parts" corresponds to the boundary shape of the external characteristic parts resulting from the shape, pattern, color, etc., of the part. Characteristic parts of a part may include corners, bumps, terminals, and lead parts.

[0021] In this embodiment, the components supplied by the bulk feeder 20 include solder balls having a spherical outer surface. The component data M2 includes the circular shape as the "outer shape" of the solder ball, its diameter, and the tolerance for individual differences. In addition to shape data, the component data M2 may also include, for example, the maximum allowable travel speed (acceleration) for each component, the picking position (e.g., the position in contact with the suction nozzle 134), and the type of holding member applicable to component picking.

[0022] Cavity information M3 is information about cavities 45 formed in the supply area As of the bulk feeder 20, which individually house parts. Cavity information M3 includes the shape of the cavity 45 in the supply area As (including the length and depth of each side), its position, orientation, and the type of corresponding part. Cavity information M3 is stored in association with the identification information (ID) of the bulk feeder 20.

[0023] In this embodiment, the cavity information M3 indicates the position of each of the multiple cavities 45 with respect to a reference mark 49 attached to the bulk feeder 20, in order to correspond to the recognition process of the supply status of the parts described later. The information indicating the position of each of the multiple cavities 45 in this way may be coordinate data that shows the relative positions of the multiple cavities 45 with respect to the reference mark 49 using coordinate values, or it may be master image data that shows the relative positions of the multiple cavities 45 with respect to the reference mark 49 using an image.

[0024] The storage information M4 is information indicating the result of the process of recognizing the supply status of parts by the bulk feeder 20. The supply status recognition process is performed by the status recognition unit 17, which will be described later. The storage information M4 is updated each time the supply status recognition process and the collection operation are performed.

[0025] 2-4. Various Processing and Configuration by the Control Device 16 The control device 16 performs recognition processing of the holding state of the parts held by each of the multiple holding members (suction nozzles 134). Specifically, the control device 16 processes the image data acquired by the part camera 14 to recognize the position and angle of each part with respect to the reference position of the mounting head 133. In addition to the part camera 14, the control device 16 may also process image data acquired by, for example, a head camera unit integrally provided with the mounting head 133, which images the parts from the side, below, or above.

[0026] The control device 16 includes a state recognition unit 17 that recognizes the supply status of components in the supply area As of the bulk feeder 20. The state recognition unit 17 has a determination unit 62 that processes image data acquired by imaging the supply area As with a camera (in this embodiment, a substrate camera 15) to determine which of the three supply statuses each of the multiple cavities 45 is in: a state in which components are contained in a way that allows for collection, a state in which components are contained but cannot be collected, or a state in which components are not contained. The result of the supply status recognition process is recorded in the storage information M4.

[0027] The control device 16 has a mounting control unit 18 that controls the mounting operation by the mounting head 133 so that the component is mounted on the substrate 91 in a predetermined orientation during the mounting process. The mounting control unit 18 controls the mounting operation based on the recognized holding state of the component. The mounting control unit 18 corrects the position of the mounting head 133 and the angle of the suction nozzle 134 around the Q axis to correct any positional and angular deviations of the component held by the suction nozzle 134 with respect to the Q axis (the rotation axis of the suction nozzle 134). As a result, the component held by the suction nozzle 134 is mounted at a predetermined mounting position and at a predetermined mounting angle as instructed by the control program M1.

[0028] Furthermore, the control device 16 has a correction unit 19 that corrects the movement of the mounting head 133 for the sampling and mounting operations in the mounting process. The correction unit 19 performs a correction process corresponding to thermal displacement that may occur in the movable part (for example, the head drive device 131 of the component transfer device 13) due to the continuous operation of the component mounting machine 10 over a long period of time. The correction unit 19 grasps the direction and amount of thermal displacement that has occurred in the movable part based on the positional relationship between the control position coordinates of the mounting head 133 and the actual position coordinates of the object recognized by imaging by the substrate camera 15 which moves integrally with the mounting head 133, and corrects it by adding a predetermined correction amount to the direction and amount of movement of the mounting head 133.

[0029] The correction processes described above become more necessary as the parts to be mounted become smaller and as the precision required for the mounting operation increases. Furthermore, in the recognition process of the part's supply status, processing that takes into account the displacement of the movable part is useful to improve recognition accuracy. Details of the supply status recognition process with displacement correction will be described later.

[0030] 3. Configuration of the Bulk Feeder 20 As shown in Figure 2, the bulk feeder 20 is mounted on the parts mounting machine 10 and functions as part of the parts supply device 12. The bulk feeder 20 supplies parts that are stored in bulk in the parts case 35. Therefore, unlike a tape feeder, the bulk feeder 20 does not use a carrier tape, which has the advantage of eliminating the need for loading carrier tapes and collecting used tapes.

[0031] Some bulk feeders 20 supply parts in irregular positions to a planar supply area. However, if the parts are so close together in the supply area that they are touching each other, or if they are piled up (overlapping vertically), or if they are in a horizontal position with their width oriented vertically, the parts mounting machine 10 cannot pick up these parts. Therefore, in order to increase the proportion of parts that can be picked up, some bulk feeders 20 supply parts in an aligned state within the supply area. In this embodiment, a bulk feeder 20 of the type that aligns parts will be described as an example.

[0032] 3-1. Feeder Body 21 The feeder body 21 of the bulk feeder 20 is formed in a flat, box-like shape. A connector 211 and two pins 212 are provided at the front of the feeder body 21 (the right end in Figure 2). When the feeder body 21 is set in the slot 121 of the component supply device 12, it is powered via the connector 211 and becomes capable of communicating with the control device 16 of the component mounting machine 10. The two pins 212 are inserted into guide holes provided in the slot and are used for positioning when the feeder body 21 is set in the slot 121.

[0033] 3-2. Track Member 41 The feeder body 21 supports the track member 41 so that it can vibrate. The track member 41 is vibrated by the vibration device 51. The track member 41 forms a transport path R through which multiple parts are transported, and a supply area As that is connected to the transport path R and opens upward so that multiple parts can be picked up. The "supply area As" is an area in which parts are supplied in bulk and is an area from which parts can be picked up by the parts mounting machine 10. The "transport path R" is a path through which parts that have flowed from the parts case 35 side along the track member 41 are transported to the supply area As.

[0034] The track member 41 is formed so as to extend in the front-to-back direction (left-to-right direction in Figure 2) of the feeder body 21. In this embodiment, an alignment member 42 is interchangeably attached to the track member 41. This alignment member 42 is, for example, one or more plate-shaped members. The track member 41 is unitized by attaching one of several types of alignment members 42, selected according to the shape of several types of parts, to the main body of a common track member 41.

[0035] Here, the components supplied by the bulk feeder 20 include chip components such as resistors and capacitors formed in a chip shape, and conductive ball components. Figure 3 illustrates an example where the supplied component 92 is a spherical solder ball. The solder ball 92 is used, for example, as a bonding material to join multiple electrode portions formed in a grid pattern on an electronic component such as a BGA (Ball Grid Array) to lands on a substrate.

[0036] As shown in Figure 3, the alignment member 42 constitutes a plurality of cavities 45 arranged in a predetermined pattern (staggered in this embodiment). Each of the plurality of cavities 45 has a circular shape slightly larger than the diameter of a solder ball and is formed to accommodate solder balls transported to the supply area As. When the components supplied by the bulk feeder 20 are chip components, the cavities 45 have a rectangular shape slightly larger than the outer shape of the chip component and are formed to accommodate the chip component.

[0037] Thus, the bulk feeder 20 is equipped with a plurality of cavities 45 for accommodating parts 92 in the supply area As. A pair of side walls 46 projecting upward are formed on both edges of the track member 41 in the width direction (vertical direction in Figure 3). The pair of side walls 46, together with the tip portion 47 of the track member 41, surround the periphery of the transport path R, preventing leakage of parts 92 being transported along the transport path R.

[0038] A shutter 48 is provided on the front end of the track member 41. The shutter 48 is installed on the track member 41 so as to be openable and closable, closing the opening of the supply area As when closed and opening the supply area As when open. The shutter 48 is connected to a shutter drive device 27, which controls the opening and closing operation. The bulk feeder 20 can prevent parts from flying out and foreign matter from entering the supply area As by opening and closing the shutter 48. The vibration device 51 provides vibration to the track member 41 by supplying a predetermined amount of power to, for example, a piezoelectric element acting as a vibrator. As a result, parts on the transport path R are transported along the transport path R in the front-to-back direction (left-to-right direction in Figure 2).

[0039] When the amplitude and frequency of vibration of the track member 41 fluctuate, the transport speed of the transported parts and the degree of dispersion of the parts fluctuate. The vibration exciter 51 detects vibration values ​​that indicate the vibration state of the track member 41. The vibration values ​​that indicate the vibration state can include amplitude, frequency, damping time, and vibration trajectory (the movement trajectory of a specific part associated with the vibration). In addition, the parts case 35 is subjected to vibration by a discharge vibration exciter different from the vibration exciter 51 described above. As a result, parts are discharged from the parts case 35.

[0040] 3-3. Feeder Control Device 52 The feeder control device 52 of the bulk feeder 20 is mainly composed of a CPU, various memories, and control circuits. When the bulk feeder 20 is set in the slot 121 of the component mounting machine 10, the feeder control device 52 is powered via the connector 211 and becomes capable of communicating with the control device 16 of the component mounting machine 10. Various data such as programs used to control the component supply process and transport parameters are stored in the feeder control device 52.

[0041] The feeder control device 52 controls the operation of the vibration exciter 51 and other components. The "transport parameters" described above are parameters used to control the operation of the vibration exciter 51 so that the vibration applied to the track member 41 is appropriate when transporting parts in the parts supply process. These parameters are set in advance, for example, in association with each type of part.

[0042] In the bulk feeder 20 configured as described above, the track member 41 and the vibration excitation device 51 constitute a conveying device that conveys components discharged from the component case 35 between the conveying path R and the supply area As. As the conveying device for the bulk feeder 20, in addition to the vibration excitation method that applies vibration to the track member 41, an air conveying method that blows positive pressure air upward from the upper surface of the conveying path R and the supply area As, or forward and backward from the side surface, may be adopted.

[0043] Further, the feeder control device 52 adjusts the electric power (driving voltage and driving frequency) supplied to the vibrator in subsequent conveying processes based on the current amplitude, which is the amplitude detected as the vibration value by an unillustrated vibration sensor. The feeder control device 52 also executes a calibration process when power is supplied to the bulk feeder 20. This calibration process is a process for grasping the current vibration environment, and is also a process for setting initial values of the initial driving voltage and driving frequency so that the track member 41, which is vibrated during the component supply process, vibrates at the target amplitude.

[0044] 4. Component Supply Process of Bulk Feeder 20 First, the feeder control device 52 discharges components from the component case 35 and supplies components to the conveying path R of the track member 41. Then, based on an external supply command, the feeder control device 52 causes the vibration excitation device 51 to apply vibration to the track member 41, and executes a conveying process of conveying the components on the conveying path R. In the conveying process, the vibration excitation device applies forward vibration, so that a plurality of components move forward and are conveyed toward the supply area As. A part of the plurality of components conveyed to the supply area As are accommodated in the cavity 45 formed in the supply area As.

[0045] Parts not placed in the cavities are retracted into the transport path R by vibrations applied by the vibration device 51 and removed from the supply area As. When the shutter 48 is opened, the parts placed in the multiple cavities become available for pickup by the parts mounting machine 10. The opening and closing of the shutter 48 is performed based on an external command. After the execution of the above series of processes, the feeder control device 52 performs an adjustment process to set and adjust the frequency of vibrations applied to the track members 41 in subsequent parts transport processes.

[0046] This adjustment process adjusts the drive voltage as needed based on the actual amplitude (current amplitude) of the track member 41 detected by the vibration sensor after the component transport process is performed, and further adjusts the drive frequency according to the adjusted drive voltage. By performing such adjustment processes as appropriate, the actual amplitude of the track member 41 is controlled to approach the target amplitude in response to the fluctuating vibration environment.

[0047] 5. Recognition of Supply State The supply state recognition process by the state recognition unit 17 will be explained with reference to Figures 3 and 5-8. Here, an example of the normal mode processing mode will be given (S11: Yes). The state recognition unit 17 acquires image data D1 (see Figure 6) obtained by imaging the supply area As in which a plurality of cavities 45 are formed (S12). At this time, the substrate camera 15 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "camera 15") capable of imaging the supply area As is positioned at an imaging position where the entire supply area As is contained within the camera's field of view Fc, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 3, and imaging is performed.

[0048] Here, the bulk feeder 20 is detachably mounted in the slot 121 of the component supply device 12, and the mounted state can vary each time it is mounted. In other words, relative to the coordinate system for control of the component mounter 10, the reference position of the bulk feeder 20 and the positions of the plurality of cavities 45 can vary each time the bulk feeder is mounted in the slot 121. Therefore, the control device 16 of the component mounter 10 executes calibration processing to recognize the positions of the plurality of cavities 45 inside the machine. In the above calibration processing, the control device 16 first moves the camera 15 to above the reference mark 49 of the bulk feeder 20, and acquires image data through imaging by the camera 15.

[0049] Then, the control device 16 recognizes the reference position of the bulk feeder 20 inside the machine based on the positions of the pair of reference marks 49 included in the image data obtained through image processing and the position of the camera 15 at the time of imaging (imaging position). The control device 16 can acquire the coordinate values of each individual cavity 45 based on the result of the calibration processing and the cavity information M3 indicating the arrangement of the cavities 45. The result of the calibration processing is maintained until the bulk feeder 20 is removed from the slot 121, and is discarded when the bulk feeder 20 is removed.

[0050] In the supply area As included in the image data D1 acquired in S12, as shown in FIG. 6, there are a plurality of bulk components 92. For example, there may be components normally accommodated in the cavities 45, components located outside the cavities 45, and components that contact each other or are stacked on each other. Therefore, the state recognition unit 17 performs image processing (for example, blob analysis) on the image data D1, and executes recognition processing for the components 92 in the image data D1. Specifically, the state recognition unit 17 binarizes the image data D1 using a predetermined threshold to generate blobs 70 (S13).

[0051] As a result, as shown in Figure 7, the alignment member 42 including the cavity 45 becomes black (background), and the part 92 becomes white (blob 70). The dashed lines in Figure 7 show the positions and shapes of multiple cavities 45 that are invisible as background on the image data D1 after image processing, based on the calibration processing results and cavity information M3, superimposed on the image data D1.

[0052] Here, the blobs 70 in the image-processed image data D1 may include parts 92 or foreign objects that are not housed in the cavity 45. If these defective blobs 72 and 73 are mistakenly identified as parts 92, the accuracy of the recognition process will decrease. Therefore, the state recognition unit 17 extracts candidate blobs 71 that are deemed suitable for recognition processing from among the multiple blobs 70 (S14). In other words, this extraction process is a process of removing blobs 70 (72 and 73) that are unsuitable for recognition processing.

[0053] Various methods can be applied to extract candidate blobs 71. For example, the state recognition unit 17 extracts a blob 70 whose center is located inside the cavity 45 as a candidate blob 71. The state recognition unit 17 obtains the position and shape of the cavity 45 from the cavity information M3. This makes it possible to remove, for example, defective blobs 72 corresponding to closed regions of components 92 not housed in the cavity 45, and defective blobs 73 corresponding to foreign objects located outside the cavity 45, so that they are not used in subsequent processing.

[0054] In addition, in the extraction process (S14), depending on the relationship with subsequent processes, the extraction using the positional relationship between the blob 70 and the cavity 45 as described above may be omitted. In other words, in the extraction process (S14), an approach may be adopted in which candidate blobs 71 corresponding to at least some closed regions of the component 92 are extracted from among the plurality of blobs 70 (allowing for some defective blobs to be included).

[0055] Next, the state recognition unit 17 performs a determination process for each of the multiple candidate blobs 71 to determine whether or not it corresponds to a component 92 (S15). Specifically, if the outer edge shape of component 92 is a rectangular chip component, the determination is made based on whether a rectangular region containing one or more candidate blobs 71 resembles the outer edge shape of component 92. In this case, since the component 92 to be supplied is a spherical solder ball, the determination is made based on the shape and dimensions of the candidate blob 71, that is, whether it is circular and has a predetermined diameter.

[0056] For example, whether a candidate blob 71 is a component 92 can be determined by whether the number of pixels constituting the candidate blob 71 corresponds to the area occupied in the image data D1 based on the diameter of the solder ball recorded in the component data M2 (i.e., whether it is composed of a predetermined number of pixels or more). A candidate blob 71 that is determined to be a component 92 by the determination process (S15) is designated as a "determined component".

[0057] Next, the determination unit 62 of the state recognition unit 17 performs a determination process to determine whether the recognized component can be collected (S16). Even if a component 92 is located in the supply area As, if the entire component is not housed in the cavity 45, or if it is in contact with other components 92, it is determined that it cannot be collected (unsuitable as a target for collection). In detail, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, the determination unit 62 determines that certified components that are not entirely housed in the cavity 45 cannot be collected. This determination is made, for example, by whether a part of the blob 70 constituting the certified component is located outside the cavity 45, or whether the outline of the certified component intersects with the outline of the cavity 45.

[0058] The state recognition unit 17 records the recognition result of the supply state (S17). In this embodiment, the state recognition unit 17 determines the state for each of the multiple cavities 45. As a result, the multiple cavities 45 are classified into: storage cavities that can accommodate parts 92 in a way that allows them to be collected (shown with diagonal lines in Figure 8, "OK"), unsuitable cavities that contain parts 92 but contain at least a portion of parts 92 that are unsuitable for collection (shown with an X mark in Figure 8, "NG"), and empty cavities that do not contain parts 92 (shown with dashed lines in Figure 8, "EMP"). The state recognition unit 17 calculates the number (V1, V2, V3) of each state (OK, NG, EMP) of the multiple cavities 45.

[0059] The above-described supply status recognition process is performed after the bulk feeder 20 has performed the supply operation of the components 92. The status recognition unit 17 can perform the supply status recognition process in parallel with, for example, the substrate loading process or the PP cycle. In this embodiment, the status recognition unit 17 performs the supply status recognition process each time a transport operation is performed in which a plurality of components 92 are transported between the transport path R and the supply area As and an attempt is made to accommodate the components 92 into a plurality of cavities 45. The result of the recognition process is updated according to the take-up operation when a component 92 is taken from the bulk feeder 20, and is discarded when the bulk feeder 20 performs the supply operation of the components 92.

[0060] The control device 16 sets the movement path of the mounting head 133 in the sampling cycle based on the results of the supply state recognition process. The above-mentioned "movement path" is the path taken when the mounting head 133 moves in the XY direction to pick up parts 92 from multiple cavities 45 in the sampling cycle of the PP cycle, and indicates the position and order of the multiple cavities 45 in which the mounting head 133 is positioned. In this way, the control device 16 controls the system to efficiently pick up the required number of parts 92 from the supply area As of the bulk feeder 20 in the PP cycle.

[0061] 6. Mounting Support Device 60 As described above, thermal displacement may occur in the movable parts of the component mounting machine 10, such as the head drive device 131. In such cases, the correction unit 19 performs correction according to the direction and amount of thermal displacement. As a result, the amount of horizontal movement of the suction nozzle 134 is corrected to eliminate the effect of thermal displacement occurring in the movable parts during the component mounting process, and mounting accuracy is ensured so that the error between the target mounting position and the actual mounting position is below a specified level.

[0062] Such thermal displacement compensation can also be applied, for example, to the positioning when the camera 15 images the supply area As. However, partly because the location of thermal displacement and the amount of displacement can change over time, errors may occur in positioning the camera 15 to the target imaging position. In that case, errors will occur in the positioning of the multiple cavities 45 identified based on the calibration process results and cavity information M3 during the component supply state recognition process.

[0063] Specifically, as shown in Figure 9, when attempting to position the camera 15 to imaging position Pm1, which is set so that the entire supply area As is contained within the camera's field of view Fc based on the calibration process, the camera is actually positioned at displacement position PmF due to the effect of thermal displacement. When image processing is performed on the image data D1 captured at this displacement position PmF to recognize the supply state, an error (displacement amount Ta) occurs between the predetermined cavity 45F position ScF derived based on the cavity information M3 and the actual cavity 45 position Sc1.

[0064] If the above displacement amount Ta exceeds a predetermined value, for example, even if the part 92 is contained in the cavity 45 in a way that allows for collection, it will be determined that the part 92 is not properly contained in the mispositioned cavity 45F and therefore cannot be collected. In this way, the displacement amount Ta between the imaging position Pm1 and the displacement position PmF due to thermal displacement may affect the recognition process of the supply status of the part. The above-mentioned problems become more pronounced as the parts supplied by the bulk feeder 20 become smaller.

[0065] Therefore, the mounting support device 60 of this embodiment employs a configuration that can suppress the influence of thermal displacement generated in the component mounting machine 10 on component supply by the bulk feeder 20 and the recognition process of the supply state. The mounting support device 60 includes a identification unit 61 that identifies the positions of a plurality of cavities 45 included in image data acquired by imaging at least a part of the supply area As and the reference mark 49. In addition, the mounting support device 60 may further include a determination unit 62 that constitutes the state recognition unit 17 in this embodiment.

[0066] 6-1. Recognition of supply status by the identification unit 61 and in high-precision mode The identification of the cavity 45 by the identification unit 61 may be performed when the processing mode of the supply status recognition process by the state recognition unit 17 is in high-precision mode (S11: No. in Figure 5). This high-precision mode may be set, for example, when the amount of thermal displacement grasped by the correction unit 19 exceeds a predetermined amount, or it may be set as a trigger by events such as the measured temperature inside the machine or the continuous operating time.

[0067] When the processing mode is set to high-precision mode (S11: No), the state recognition unit 17 acquires image data D1 (image data DRh for high-precision mode, see Figure 10) obtained by imaging at least a portion of the supply area As in which a plurality of cavities 45 are formed, and the reference marks 49 (S21). Here, in normal mode, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 3, the camera 15 is positioned at the normal imaging position so that the entire supply area As is included in the camera field of view Fc. In contrast, in high-precision mode, as shown by the double-dashed line in Figure 3, the camera 15 is positioned at a predetermined imaging position so that a pair of reference marks 49 are included in the camera field of view Fc.

[0068] Next, the state recognition unit 17 executes the blob generation process (S22). This generation process is substantially the same as the generation process in normal mode (S13), so a detailed explanation is omitted. Subsequently, the identification unit 61 identifies the positions of the multiple cavities 45 contained in the image data DRh based on the image-processed image data DRh and cavity information M3 (S23). In detail, the identification unit 61 recognizes a reference mark 49 in the image-processed image data DRh or the original image data DRh. Then, using the recognized reference mark 49 as a reference, it determines the relative positions of the multiple cavities 45 from the cavity information M3.

[0069] As a result, even if the imaging position where the camera 15 is positioned contains errors due to thermal displacement, the positions of the multiple cavities 45 are always identified in the image data DRh by their relative positions with respect to the reference mark 49. This makes it possible to reduce the error (displacement amount Ta) in the image data DRh between the cavities 45 included in the image data DRh and the identified cavities 45 to zero or negligible levels.

[0070] Subsequently, the state recognition unit 17 performs candidate blob extraction processing (S24), component certification processing (S25), and determination processing by the determination unit 62 to determine whether or not to collect the blob (S26). Since this series of processes (S24-S26) is substantially the same as the series of processes (S14-S16) in normal mode, a detailed explanation is omitted. Finally, the state recognition unit 17 records the supply state recognition result together with correction information M41 (S27). The above correction information M41 indicates a correction amount that corrects the error (displacement amount Ta in Figure 9) between the position on the image data DRh where the reference mark 49 should exist if there were no thermal displacement, and the position on the image data DRh of the reference mark 49 that was actually recognized. The correction information M41 is generated in the identification processing (S23) by the identification unit 61.

[0071] The control device 16 sets the movement path of the mounting head 133 in the sampling cycle based on the result of the supply state recognition process. Then, when the control device 16 moves the mounting head 133 along the set movement path, it positions the mounting head 133 by reflecting the amount of movement corrected by the correction unit 19 and the correction amount indicated by the correction information M41. As a result, the suction nozzle 134 supported by the mounting head 133 is positioned above the cavity 45 that accommodates the part 92 in a sampling manner. Consequently, the influence of thermal displacement on part supply and supply state recognition processing can be suppressed, and the accuracy of recognition processing and sampling operations can be improved.

[0072] 6-2. Recognition Process for Supply Status in High-Precision Mode In the supply status recognition process (S21-S27) in the high-precision mode described above, unlike the normal mode, it is necessary to include the reference mark 49 as the target of imaging in the imaging process (S21). The image data D1 (image data DRh) is acquired by imaging at least a part of the supply area As and the reference mark 49 in a single image. At this time, the imaging conditions suitable for imaging the supply area As and the imaging conditions suitable for imaging the reference mark 49 may differ. This is because, for example, in image processing, the exposure time, illumination time, and illumination means may differ depending on the type of part supplied by the bulk feeder 20 in order to clarify the boundary between the background and the part.

[0073] In the above-described case, the image data DRh may be obtained by combining the two first image data and the second image data. In this specification, "combining" multiple image data includes not only linking or superimposing them into a single image data, but also combining the results obtained by performing image processing on each while aligning their respective reference positions.

[0074] The first image data is image data acquired by imaging at least a portion of the supply area As under the first imaging conditions. The first imaging conditions are set to imaging conditions suitable for imaging the component 92. The second image data is image data acquired by restricting the horizontal movement of the camera 15 from the state in which at least a portion of the supply area As has been imaged, and imaging the reference mark 49 under the second imaging conditions. The second imaging conditions are set to imaging conditions suitable for imaging the reference mark 49.

[0075] The two image data obtained in this way differ only in the imaging conditions during acquisition, and the camera 15 does not move. Therefore, based on the second image data, it is possible to obtain the error (displacement amount Ta) due to the influence of thermal displacement at the imaging position of the thermal displacement. In addition, the identification unit 61 can identify the positions of multiple cavities 45 based on the reference mark 49 and cavity information M3 included in the second image data. This allows for the appropriate execution of the candidate blob extraction process and the determination process by the determination unit 62 to determine whether or not to collect the sample.

[0076] 6-3. Bulk Feeder 20 for High-Precision Mode In this embodiment, the bulk feeder 20 is configured to be suitable for recognition processing, assuming that recognition processing of the supply state in high-precision mode is performed. Specifically, the reference mark 49 is positioned within the camera field of view Fc of the camera 15, together with at least a portion of the supply area As. As a result, multiple cavities 45 that fit within the camera field of view Fc can be imaged together with the reference mark 49 without moving the camera 15. Therefore, the bulk feeder 20 of this embodiment has the reference mark 49 positioned closer to the supply area As compared to the conventional bulk feeder 20.

[0077] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the bulk feeder 20 has a number of cavities 45 in a portion of the supply area As that is imaged together with the reference mark 49 that is one or more greater than the number of parts that the parts mounting machine 10 collects in one sampling cycle. In this embodiment, since the mounting head 133 supports eight suction nozzles 134, the maximum number of parts collected in a sampling cycle is eight. Therefore, nine or more cavities 45 are arranged in a portion of the supply area As.

[0078] Furthermore, the number of cavities 45 may be set taking into consideration the proportion of the cavity to be accommodated in the supply process of the parts 92. For example, in a portion of the supply area As that is imaged together with the reference mark 49 by the camera 15, a number of cavities 45 equal to or greater than 1.5 times the maximum number of parts that the parts mounting machine 10 can collect in one collection cycle (8 in this embodiment) (12 in this embodiment) may be arranged. Also, for example, if the mounting head 133 supports 24 suction nozzles 134, at least 25 or more cavities 45 are arranged in a portion of the supply area As that is imaged together with the reference mark 49, and preferably 36 or more cavities 45 are arranged.

[0079] Furthermore, the bulk feeder 20 is configured to have a higher density of cavities 45 in the area close to the reference mark 49 compared to a conventional bulk feeder 20, so that as many cavities 45 as possible are present in a portion of the supply area As that is imaged together with the reference mark 49. This reduces the distance between adjacent cavities 45 and is expected to increase the number of components 92 that are subject to image processing.

[0080] Furthermore, the bulk feeder 20 may also be provided with a second reference mark 49B, as shown in Figure 11. Specifically, when the camera 15 is moved so that the remaining portion AsR of the supply area As, excluding the portion imaged by the camera 15 together with the reference mark 49A, fits within the camera's field of view Fc, the second reference mark 49B is positioned in the area that fits within the camera's field of view Fc together with the remaining portion AsR of the supply area As. In this configuration, the cavity information M3 indicates the respective positions of the multiple cavities 45 relative to the first reference mark 49A and the second reference mark 49B.

[0081] The identification unit 61 performs identification processing using the second reference mark 49B when the target area, which includes the first reference mark 49A and the entire supply area As, is wider than the camera field of view Fc. Specifically, the identification unit 61 moves the camera 15 so that the remaining portion AsR of the supply area As, excluding the portion that is imaged by the camera 15 together with the first reference mark 49A, fits within the camera field of view Fc, and acquires preliminary image data obtained by imaging the second reference mark 49B.

[0082] Then, the identification unit 61 identifies the locations of multiple cavities 45 included in the preliminary image data based on the preliminary image data and cavity information M3. As a result, even cavities 45 that cannot be contained within the same camera field of view Fc in the first reference mark 49A can be included as targets for processing in the recognition process of the supply status of the high-precision mode.

[0083] In this embodiment, the image data D1 (image data DRh, backup image data) in the high-precision mode supply state recognition process is obtained by capturing at least a portion of the supply area As and the reference mark 49 in a single image. However, if circumstances exist such as the reference mark 49 being spaced further apart from the supply area As than the dimensions of the camera field of view Fc, a method may be adopted in which multiple image data acquired by capturing multiple images are combined.

[0084] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 10, image data D1 is acquired by combining stored image data Da1 and reference position image data Da2. Stored image data Da1 is acquired by imaging the supply area As. Reference position image data Da2 is acquired by moving the camera 15 horizontally from the imaging position of stored image data Da1 and imaging the reference mark 49. Then, image data D1 is acquired by combining the stored image data Da1 and the reference position image data Da2 based on the direction and amount of movement of the camera 15 during imaging.

[0085] Even with this configuration, the effect of reducing the influence of thermal displacement can be obtained, similar to the embodiment. However, since the camera 15 moves between the acquisition of multiple image data Da1 and Da2, there is a risk that the thermal displacement of the movable part may have an effect. From this viewpoint, an imaging method that does not involve movement, as illustrated in the embodiment, is useful. On the other hand, the method of combining multiple image data Da1 and Da2 can be applied to bulk feeders 20 that do not have a configuration suitable for high-precision mode, and is useful in that it can include a wide supply area As in the combined image data D1.

[0086] 6-4. Addressing Thermal Displacement, etc. The configuration exemplified in the embodiment addresses the possibility of thermal displacement occurring in the movable parts of the component mounting machine 10, particularly causing errors in positioning to the imaging position. In contrast, it is anticipated that thermal displacement may occur in various parts of the component mounting machine 10 and the bulk feeder 20 depending on the internal temperature, and that the positional relationship of the bulk feeder 20 with respect to the slot 121 may change due to the effects of vibration control of the bulk feeder 20 or the replacement work of the feeder 122.

[0087] To address such thermal displacement, the identification unit 61 may, for example, identify the positions of multiple cavities 45 based on how the positions and specified intervals (Vs1) of the pair of reference marks 49 in the current image data D1 have changed with respect to the positions and specified intervals (Vs) of the pair of reference marks 49 acquired during the calibration process. Specifically, as shown in Figure 12, the identification unit 61 first extracts a reference line segment LgS connecting the pair of reference marks 49 during the calibration process. Then, during the identification process, the identification unit 61 extracts a line segment Lg connecting the pair of reference marks 49 in the image data D1.

[0088] The specific unit 61 calculates the slope θ and elongation amount (Vs1 - Vs) of line segment Lg with respect to the reference line segment LgS. At this time, the elongation rate d of line segment Lg with respect to the reference line segment LgS is expressed as the ratio of the lengths of each line segment (d = Vs1 / Vs). The cavity information M3 also includes coordinate data M31 that shows the relative positions of multiple cavities 45 with respect to the reference mark 49 as coordinate values.

[0089] The specific unit 61 then calculates the relative displacement position of each of the multiple cavities 45 with respect to the mounting head 133 and the camera 15 using (Equation 1). The original coordinate values ​​shown by the coordinate data M31 are (Ax1, Ay1), the original coordinate values ​​of one reference mark 49 are (Fx1, Fy1), the coordinate values ​​of the displaced cavity 45 are (Ax2, Ay2), and the coordinates of the displaced reference mark 49 are (Fx2, Fy2).

[0090]

[0091] This configuration makes it possible to suppress the influence of thermal displacement in the movable parts of the component mounting machine 10, and thermal displacement and positional misalignment in the supply area As of the bulk feeder 20 on the recognition process of the supply state and the control of the sampling operation. As a result, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the recognition process of the supply state and the sampling operation in the mounting process.

[0092] 7. Modified Embodiments 7-1. Reference Mark 49 In this embodiment, the reference mark 49 is provided on the upper part of the track member 41. In contrast, the reference mark 49 can be placed in various positions as long as it can be imaged by the camera 15. For example, the reference mark 49 may be attached to the feeder body 21 or to the alignment member 42 that forms the cavity 45.

[0093] If a reference mark 49 is placed inside the supply area As, it is conceivable that some of it may not be imaged by the supplied component 92. However, if the excess component is properly removed and one or more of the multiple reference marks 49 are imaged, the high-precision mode supply state recognition process can be performed in the same manner as in the embodiment. By replacing the interchangeable alignment member 42 in this way, a configuration suitable for the high-precision mode supply state recognition process can be achieved.

[0094] Furthermore, if the imaging target area, including the reference mark 49 and the entire supply area As, is wider than the camera field of view Fc, it is assumed that the camera 15 will be moved and imaging will be performed multiple times to acquire image data D1, as illustrated in the embodiment. In this case, in addition to the configuration in which the first reference mark 49A and the second reference mark 49B are attached to correspond to multiple imaging positions, for example, a common reference mark 49 may be attached to the overlapping area of ​​the camera field of view Fc corresponding to each imaging position. This will produce the same effects as in the embodiment.

[0095] 7-2. Regarding the mounting support device, in this embodiment, the mounting support device 60 is configured to be incorporated into the control device 16 of the component mounting machine 10. In contrast, part or all of the mounting support device 60 may be incorporated into the host computer 2 and other external devices. For example, the mounting support device 60 may be incorporated into the host computer 2 and may also be a dedicated device installed on the production line.

[0096] 1: Production system, 2: Host computer, 10: Component mounting machine, 15: Circuit board camera (camera), 16: Control device, 17: State recognition unit, 18: Mounting control unit, 19: Correction unit, 20: Bulk feeder, 41: Track member, 42: Alignment member, 45: Cavity, 49: Reference mark, 51: Vibration device, 52: Feeder control device, 60: Mounting support device, 61: Identification unit, 62: Judgment unit, 91: Circuit board, 92: Component (solder ball), As: Supply area, R: Transport path, M3: Cavity information, M4: Storage information, D1, DRh: Image data, Da1: Storage image data, Da2: Reference position image data, Fc: Camera field of view

Claims

1. Applicable to a component mounting machine that mounts components supplied by a bulk feeder onto a substrate, wherein the bulk feeder comprises a plurality of cavities formed in a supply area for supplying components in a manner that allows for the collection of the components and for accommodating the components, and reference marks provided at predetermined positions relative to the cavities, and the mounting support device comprises a specification unit that identifies the positions of the plurality of cavities included in the image data based on image data acquired by imaging at least a portion of the supply area and the reference marks, and cavity information indicating the respective positions of the plurality of cavities relative to the reference marks.

2. The mounting support device according to claim 1, wherein the component mounting machine is provided with a camera that is movable in the horizontal direction and capable of imaging the reference mark and the supply area, and the reference mark is positioned within the range that fits within the camera's field of view together with at least a portion of the supply area.

3. The mounting support device according to claim 2, wherein the image data is obtained by capturing at least a portion of the supply area and the reference mark in a single image.

4. The mounting support device according to claim 2, wherein the image data is obtained by combining first image data obtained by imaging at least a portion of the supply area under first imaging conditions, and second image data obtained by restricting the horizontal movement of the camera and imaging the reference mark under second imaging conditions.

5. The mounting support device according to any one of claims 2-4, wherein, when the target area including the reference mark and the entire supply area is wider than the camera field of view, the camera is moved so that the remaining portion of the supply area, excluding the portion that is imaged by the camera together with the reference mark, is within the camera field of view, and the position of a plurality of cavities included in the preliminary image data is determined based on preliminary image data obtained by image-taking a second reference mark positioned within the camera field of view together with the remaining portion of the supply area, and cavity information indicating the position of each of the plurality of cavities relative to the second reference mark.

6. The component mounting machine performs a PP cycle in which, in a mounting process for mounting the components onto the substrate, a sampling cycle is performed which involves repeatedly performing a sampling operation to sample a plurality of the components, and a mounting cycle is performed which involves repeatedly performing a mounting operation to mount the sampled plurality of components onto the substrate, wherein a portion of the supply area that is imaged together with the reference marks by the camera has one or more cavities than the number of components that the component mounting machine samples in one sampling cycle, as described in any one of claims 2-4.

7. The mounting support device according to claim 6, wherein a portion of the supply area that is imaged together with the reference mark by the camera has a number of cavities equal to or greater than 1.5 times the maximum number of parts that the part mounting machine can collect in one sampling cycle.

8. The mounting support device according to claim 1, wherein the component mounting machine is provided with a camera that is movable in the horizontal direction and capable of imaging the reference mark and the supply area, and the image data is obtained by synthesizing the storage image data obtained by imaging the supply area and the reference position image data obtained by moving the camera horizontally and imaging the reference mark, based on the direction and amount of movement of the camera during imaging.

9. The mounting support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cavity information includes coordinate data indicating the relative positions of a plurality of cavities with respect to the reference mark using coordinate values, or master image data indicating the relative positions of a plurality of cavities with respect to the reference mark using images.

10. The mounting support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bulk feeder comprises a pair of reference marks arranged at a specified interval, the image data is obtained by imaging at least a portion of the supply area and the pair of reference marks, the cavity information includes coordinate data indicating the relative positions of a plurality of cavities with respect to the pair of reference marks, and the identification unit extracts a line segment connecting the pair of reference marks in the image data, calculates the slope and extension of the line segment based on the coordinate data, and identifies the positions of the plurality of cavities.

11. The mounting support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a determination unit that determines whether the part is retrievably housed in each of the multiple cavities based on the positions of the multiple cavities in the image data identified by the identification unit.

12. The mounting support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the component is a solder ball having a spherical outer surface.

13. The mounting support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising: a head that is movable in the horizontal direction and has a holding member for picking up the component from the supply area in a mounting process for mounting the component to the substrate; a camera that is provided at a predetermined position relative to the head and is provided to be movable in the horizontal direction integrally with the head and capable of capturing images of the reference mark and the supply area; and a correction unit that corrects the movement of the head for picking up the component by the holding member based on the image data acquired by the camera.

14. A bulk feeder for supplying components to a component mounting machine in a supply area, wherein the component mounting machine comprises a camera that is movable in the horizontal direction and capable of imaging the supply area, a state recognition unit that recognizes the supply state of the components in the supply area based on image data acquired by imaging by the camera, and a mounting control unit that mounts the components taken from the supply area onto a substrate, and the bulk feeder comprises a feeder body, a plurality of cavities formed in the supply area for accommodating the components, and reference marks arranged within a range that fits within the camera's field of view together with at least a part of the supply area and provided at predetermined positions relative to the cavities.

15. The bulk feeder according to claim 14, further comprising a second reference mark positioned within the range that fits within the camera's field of view together with the remaining portion of the supply area, when the camera is moved such that the remaining portion of the supply area, excluding the portion that is imaged by the camera together with the reference mark, fits within the camera's field of view.

16. The bulk feeder according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the component mounting machine performs a PP cycle in which, in the mounting process of mounting the component onto the substrate, a sampling cycle is performed which involves repeating a sampling operation to sample a plurality of the component, and a mounting cycle is performed which involves repeating a mounting operation to mount the sampled plurality of component onto the substrate, and a portion of the supply area that is imaged by the camera together with the reference marks has one or more cavities than the number of component that the component mounting machine samples in one sampling cycle.

Images