Chip feeder

A chip feeder arranged to intermittently transport a tape having a row of a multiplicity of chip-like electronic parts retained thereon from a tape supply section to a chip takeout section along a guide path. Along the tape guide path are provided a pair of fixed and movable guide plates, a guide width adjusting device and a pitch adjusting device. The guide plates engage both lateral edges, respectively, of the tape being fed so as to guide it. The guide width adjusting device changes the spacing between the two guide plates in accordance with the width of the tape by moving the movable guide plate toward or away from the fixed guide plate. The pitch adjusting device adjusts the tape feed pitch in accordance with the dimensions of chips to be fed. Chips which are transported to the chip takeout section are removed from the tape by means of suction after a protective cover covering the tape has been separated therefrom.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a chip feeder which transports a tape 
having a row of a multiplicity of chiplike electronic parts retained 
thereon from a tape supply section to a chip takeout section along a guide 
path. 
2. Related Art Statement 
A tape which is employed in a chip feeder of the type described above is 
generally arranged as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13. More specifically, a 
multiplicity of chips 3 are disposed in a row on a tape body 2, and the 
surface of this tape body 2 is covered with a protective cover 4 to form a 
tape 1 which is then reeled and stored in this state. 
The reeled tape 1 is loaded on the feeder in which it is intermittently 
transported from the tape supply section to the chip takeout section by 
means of traction applied thereto through perforations 5 provided along 
one lateral edge thereof. At the chip takeout section, the protective 
cover 4 is separated from the surface of the tape 1 and the chips 3 are 
removed from the tape body 2 one by one and fed onto a printed-wiring 
board or the like. 
However, as will be clear from FIGS. 11, 13(a) and 13(b), the tapes 1 
differ from each other in terms of the tape width and the chip disposition 
pitch in accordance with the width and length of chips 3. Accordingly, it 
is conventional practice to prepare feeders which respectively conform to 
tapes 1 which differ from each other in terms of the width and pitch of 
chips 3 and use them selectively. Thus, it is inconveniently necessary to 
provide a large number of different kinds of feeders, and this costs a 
great deal. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a chip feeder having 
general-purpose properties which enable it to handle tapes which differ 
from each other in terms of the chip width and the chip disposition pitch. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a chip feeder 
which has a simplified structure and can be produced at reduced costs. 
To these ends, the present invention provides a chip feeder comprising: a 
pair of guide plates provided along the tape guide path in such a manner 
that the guide plates engage both lateral edges, respectively, of a tape 
being transported so as to guide it; guide width adjusting means for 
adjusting the width of the guide path by moving one of the guide plates 
toward or away from the other in accordance with the width of the tape; 
and pitch adjusting means for adjusting the tape feed pitch provided in 
the vicinity of the guide path. 
Accordingly, the chip feeder according to the present invention enables one 
guide plate to move toward or away from the other guide plate by operating 
the guide width adjusting means, thereby allowing the guide spacing 
between the two guide plates to be readily changed in accordance with the 
width of a tape which is to be handled. Further, the tape feed pitch can 
be changed in accordance with the pitch of chips disposed in a row on the 
tape by operating the pitch adjusting means. Accordingly, it is possible 
to handle tapes which differ from each other in terms of the tape width 
and the chip disposition pitch without the need to prepare a multiplicity 
of different kinds of feeders. In addition, the feeder according to the 
present invention has a simplified structure and can be produced at 
reduced costs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to the drawings, the chip feeder in accordance with one 
embodiment of the present invention has a frame 11 having a substantially 
flat plate-like configuration, and a tape supply section 12 is provided on 
the front side of the left-hand part of the frame 11 as shown in FIG. 1. 
The tape supply section 12 is arranged so that a reeled tape 1 can be 
loaded thereon, the tape 1 having a row of a multiplicity of chips 3 
retained thereon as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13. A chip takeout section 13 is 
provided on the front side of the right-hand part of the frame 11. At the 
chip takeout section 13, a protective cover 4 is separated from the tape 1 
which is transported thereto from the tape supply section 12, and the 
chips 3 are removed one by one from the tape 1. 
A discharge gutter 14 is provided on the front side of the frame 11 in such 
a manner that the gutter 14 extends horizontally above the tape supply 
section 12. Thus, the protective cover 4 which is separated from the tape 
1 is discharged through the gutter 14. A partition plate 15 and a guide 
plate 16 are provided on the front side of the lower part of the frame 11 
in such a manner that the plates 15 and 16 extend from the chip takeout 
section 13 to the tape supply section 12. Thus, the tape body 2 having the 
chips 3 removed therefrom in the chip takeout section 13 is discharged 
while being guided through the path defined between the partition plate 15 
and the guide plate 16. 
The arrangement of the tape supply section 12 will be described below in 
detail. 
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a stepped support shaft 17 is provided on the 
frame 11 so as to project from the front side thereof. A flange 17a is 
formed at the proximal portion of the shaft 17, and an engagement pin 18 
projects from the outer periphery of the distal end of the shaft 17. A 
tubular support member 19 is fitted on the support shaft 17 so as to be 
supported thereby in such a manner that the support member 19 is rotatable 
and movable axially, the support member 19 having a flange 19a formed on 
the outer periphery thereof. A pair of engagement grooves 20 and 21 which 
define in combination a cross-shaped groove are formed in the distal end 
surface of the support member 19 in such a manner that the grooves 20 and 
21 are selectively engageable with the engagement pin 18, one engagement 
groove 20 being deeper than the other engagement groove 21. A spring 22 is 
interposed between the step portion of the support shaft 17 and the 
tubular support member 19 so as to bias the support member 19 forwardly. 
When the tubular support member 19 is turned to a position where the 
engagement pin 18 is engaged with the deeper engagement groove 20 as shown 
in FIGS. 1 and 2, the spacing between the flanges 17a and 19a is 
increased, so that a central fitting bore 1a provided in a reeled tape 1 
having a relatively large width, such as that shown in FIG. 11, can be 
fitted on the support shaft 17 and the tubular support member 19 so that 
the tape 1 is supported thereby. On the other hand, when the tubular 
support member 19 is turned to a position where the engagement pin 18 is 
engaged with the shallower engagement groove 21 as shown in FIG. 8, the 
spacing between the flanges 17a and 19a is decreased, so that a reeled 
tape 1 having a relatively small width, such as that shown in FIG. 13(a), 
can be fitted on and supported by the support shaft 17 and the tubular 
support member 19. 
The arrangement of the chip takeout section 13 will next be described in 
detail. 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the guide path of the tape 1 which is delivered 
from the tape supply section 12 is partly defined by a fixed guide plate 
23 which is secured to the front side of the right-hand part of the frame 
11. A substantially track-shaped guide plate member 24 is provided on the 
front side of the fixed guide plate 23. Three stepped support pins 25 
project from the front side of the guide plate member 24, and stop rings 
26 are respectively attached to the distal ends of the support pins 25. A 
movable guide plate 27 is supported by the support pins 25 which extend 
through the guide plate 27 so that the movable guide plate 27 is 
positioned in the front of the guide plate member 24 and movable in the 
longitudinal direction of the support pins 25. The rear side of the 
movable guide plate 27 is provided with a guide plate member 28 having the 
same shape as that of the guide plate member 24 provided on the fixed 
guide plate 23. Springs 29 are respectively wound around the support pins 
25 to bias both the movable guide plate 27 and the guide plate member 28 
forwardly, that is, in a direction in which they move away from the fixed 
guide plate 23. 
As shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, substantially oval through-holes 30 are 
formed in the respective centers of the movable guide plate 27 and the 
guide plate member 28. An adjuting member 31 is rotatably and axially 
movably supported through a pin 32 on the front side of the guide plate 
member 24 provided on the fixed guide plate 23 so that the adjusting 
member 31 faces the through-holes 30. A substantially oval engagement 
projection 31a which is slightly smaller than the through-holes 30 is 
formed at the distal end of the adjusting member 31. A spring 33 having a 
stronger resilient force than that derived from the springs 29 on the 
support pins 25 is wound around the pin 32 to bias the adjusting member 31 
rearwardly, that is, in a direction in which both the movable guide plate 
27 and the guide plate member 28 move toward the fixed guide plate 23. 
When the adjusting member 31 is turned to a position where the engagement 
projection 31a is coincident with the through-holes 30 as shown in FIGS. 1 
and 4, the movable guide plate 27 and the guide plate member 28 are 
disposed relatively away from the fixed guide plate 23 and the guide plate 
member 24, so that it is possible to guide a tape 1 having a relatively 
large width, such as that shown in FIG. 11, along the respective outer 
peripheral surfaces of the guide plate members 24 and 28 while limiting 
the lateral movement of the tape 1 by the guide plates 23 and 27. On the 
other hand, when the adjusting member 31 is turned to a position where the 
engagement projection 31a is not coincident with the through-holes 30 and 
the movable guide plate 27 is thereby enagaged with the rear end edge of 
the engagement projection 31a as shown by the chain line in FIG. 1 and 
also in FIG. 9, the movable guide plate 27 and the guide plate member 28 
are disposed relatively close to the fixed guide plate 23 and the guide 
plate member 24, so that it is possible to guide a tape 1 having a 
relatively small width, such as that shown in FIG. 13(a). 
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 8, a guide pin 34 is provided so as to project 
from the front side of the frame 11 at an intermediate position between 
the tape supply section 12 and the chip takeout section 13 for the purpose 
of guiding the tape 1 delivered from the tape supply section 12 into the 
guide path defined between the guide plates 23 and 27. 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, a support plate 64 is pivotally supported 
through a shaft 65 at the forward, or right-hand end (as viewed in FIG. 
1), of the fixed guide plate 23. A regulating plate 35 is disposed on the 
support plate 64 in such a manner that the plate 35 extends from a 
position above and to the right of the guide pin 34 along the upper ends 
and right-hand edges of the guide plate members 24 and 28, thus preventing 
the tape 1 from rising from the guide path defined between the guide 
plates 23 and 27. The regulating plate 35 is provided with a pair of right 
and left pawl receiving openings 35a, 35b, a cover delivery port 35c and a 
chip takeout port 35d. 
As will be clear from FIGS. 1 and 4, a feed pawl 36 is supported through a 
pin 37 on the front side of the support plate 64 at a position above the 
regulating plate 35 in such a manner that the feed pawl 36 is horizontally 
movable through a slot, and a pawl portion formed at the distal end of the 
feed pawl 36 extends through the pawl receiving opening 35b in the 
regulating plate 35 so as to engage perforations 5 which are provided in 
the tape 1. A reverse feed preventing pawl 38 is pivotally supported 
through a pin 39 on the front side of the support plate 64 at a position 
to the left of the feed pawl 36 as viewed in FIG. 1, and a pawl portion 
formed at the distal end of the pawl 38 extends through the pawl receiving 
opening 35a in the regulating plate 35 so as to engage one of the 
perforations 5 provided in the tape 1. A spring 40 is stretched between 
the feed pawl 36 and the reverse feed preventing pawl 38 to bias the feed 
pawl 36 leftwardly and also bias the reverse feed preventing pawl 38 so as 
to pivot clockwise as viewed in FIG. 1. As the feed pawl 36 reciprocates 
horizontally, the tape 1 is intermittently fed rightward while being 
prevented from being fed reversely, that is, leftwardly, by means of the 
reverse feed preventing pawl 38. 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, a delivery roller 41 is rotatably supported 
through a pin 42 on the front side of the support plate 64 at a position 
above the reverse feed preventing pawl 38. A ratchet wheel 43 is fitted on 
the tubular shaft portion of the delivery roller 41 so that the wheel 43 
is rotatable relative to said shaft portion. The arrangement is such that 
the clockwise rotation of the ratchet wheel 43 alone is transmitted to the 
delivery roller 41 through a one-way clutch 44. An oscillating lever 45 is 
pivotally supported through a pin 46 on the front side of the support 
plate 64 at a position near the delivery roller 41, and a pressure roller 
47 is rotatably supported on the front side of the distal end of the lever 
45 in such a manner that the roller 47 is in contact with the roller 41. A 
spring 48 is stretched between the lever 45 and the regulating plate 35 to 
bias the lever 45 so as to pivot clockwise as viewed in FIG. 1. Thus, the 
protective cover 4 which is separated from the surface of the tape 1 and 
drawn out upward from the cover delivery port 35c provided in the 
regulating plate 35 is passed through the area between the delivery roller 
41 and the pressure roller 47 and transported to the discharge gutter 14 
in response to the rotation of the roller 41. 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, an actuating lever 49 consisting of three arm 
portions is pivotally supported through a pin 50 on the front side of the 
support plate 64 at a position above the feed pawl 36. One of the arm 
portions of the lever 49 is provided with an engagement pin 51 which 
projects therefrom so as to engage a slot provided in the feed pawl 36. A 
press roller 52 is rotatably supported by another arm portion of the lever 
49. A spring 53 is stretched between the actuating lever 49 and the 
support plate 64 to bias the lever 49 to pivot counterclockwise as viewed 
in FIG. 1. A ratchet 54 is pivotally supported through a pin 55 by the 
remaining arm portion of the lever 49 and biased by the action of a spring 
56 so as to pivot in a direction in which it engages the ratchet wheel 43. 
As shown in FIG. 1, a press rod 57 is disposed above the press roller 52 so 
as to be able to reciprocate vertically, and reciprocated at a 
predetermined timing by the operation of a drive unit (not shown). In 
response to the reciprocating movement of the press rod 57, the actuating 
lever 49 is reciprocatively pivoted through the press roller 52, and the 
feed pawl 36 is thereby reciprocated horizontally through the engagement 
pin 51, thus causing the tape 1 to be fed intermittently and also the 
delivery roller 41 to be intermittently rotated through the ratchet 54, 
the ratchet wheel 43 and the one-way clutch 44 in order to transport the 
protective cover 4. 
A chip takeout member 58 is disposed above the chip takeout port 35d in the 
regulating plate 35 so as to be able to reciprocate vertically, and 
reciprocated together with the press rod 57 in one unit by the operation 
of the above-described drive unit. When the chip takeout member 58 is 
lowered, a suction nozzle 58a provided at the lower end of the chip 
takeout member 58 extends through the chip takeout port 35b in the 
regulating plate 35 so as to face one of the chips 3 retained on the tape 
1. In this state, the chips 3 are removed one by one from the surface of 
the tape body 2 by means of suction force generated when air is sucked 
into the suction nozzle 58a, and the chips 3 are then fed onto a 
printed-wiring board or the like (not shown). 
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, a stopper 59 is pivotally supported through a 
pin 60 on the front side of the support plate 64 at a position to the left 
of the feed pawl 36 so as to limit the amount of feed of the tape 1 
through engagement with the left end of the feed pawl 36. An engagement 
ball 61 and a spring 62 are provided on the rear side of the stopper 59, 
the ball 61 being selectively engaged with a pair of right and left 
positioning recesses 63 formed in the front side of the frame 11 to 
thereby position and retain the stopper 59 at either the left-hand 
position shown by the solid line in FIGS. 1 and 7 or the right-hand 
position shown by the chain line. When the stopper 59 is disposed at the 
left-hand position, the amount of reciprocating movement of the feed pawl 
36 is increased, so that a tape 1 retaining chips 3 whose dimension 
measured in the direction of row of perforations 5 is relatively large, 
such as that shown in FIG. 13(a), can be fed intermittently at a 
relatively large feed per stroke. When the stopper 59 is disposed at the 
right-hand position, the amount of reciprocating movement of the feed pawl 
36 is decreased, so that a tape 1 retaining chips 3 whose dimension 
measured in the direction of row of perforations 5 is relatively small, 
such as that shown in FIG. 13(b), can be fed intermittently at a 
relatively small feed per stroke. 
The following is a description of the operation of the chip feeder arranged 
as detailed above. 
When a tape 1 retaining chips 3 whose dimensions respectively measured in 
the direction of row of perforations 5 and in the direction perpendicular 
to said direction are relatively large, such as that shown in FIGS. 11 and 
12, is to be handled by the chip feeder, the engagement pin 18 provided on 
the support shaft 17 is engaged with the deeper engagement groove 20 
formed in the tubular support member 19 provided in the tape supply 
section as shown in FIG. 2 to increase the spacing between the flanges 17a 
and 19a, and in this state, the central fitting bore 1a in the reeled tape 
1 is fitted on the support shaft 17 and the tubular support member 19 so 
that the tape 1 is supported thereby. Further, the engagement projection 
31a of the adjusting member 31 provided in the chip takeout section 13 is 
made coincident with the through-holes 30 as shown in FIG. 4 to increase 
the spacing between the guide plates 23 and 27, and in this state, the 
tape 1 which is delivered from the tape supply section 12 is extended 
rightwardly (as viewed in FIG. 1) along the upper end edges of the guide 
plate members 24, 28 and through the guide path defined between the guide 
plates 23, 27. The protective cover 4 which is separated from the surface 
of the tape 1 is drawn out upwardly from the cover delivery port 35c 
provided in the regulating plate 35, and the leading end of the protective 
cover 4 is inserted into the area between the delivery roller 41 and the 
pressure roller 47. In addition, the stopper 59 is pivoted to the 
left-hand position shown by the solid line in FIG. 1. 
In this state, the chip feeder is activated. In consequence, the press rod 
57 and the chip takeout member 58 are reciprocated vertically at a 
predetermined timing by the operation of the drive unit (not shown). In 
response to the reciprocating movement of the press rod 57, the feed pawl 
36 is reciprocated horizontally through the actuating lever 49, thus 
causing the tape 1 to be intermittently fed rightward. In addition, the 
delivery roller 41 is rotated intermittently through the actuating lever 
49, the ratchet 54, the ratchet wheel 43, etc., and the protective cover 4 
is thereby separated from the surface of the tape 1 and discharged onto 
the discharge gutter 14. Further, when the chip takeout member 58 is 
lowered, air is sucked into the suction nozzle 58a to generate suction 
force by which the chips 3 are removed one by one from the surface of the 
tape body 2 and then transferred onto a printed-wiring board or the like 
(not shown). The tape body 2 having the chips 3 removed therefrom is 
transported along the guide plate 16 and discharged to the lower side of 
the tape supply section 12. 
When a relatively narrow tape 1 retaining chips 3 whose dimension measured 
in the direction perpendicular to the direction of row of perforations 5 
is small, such as that shown in FIG. 13(a), is to be handled, the 
engagement pin 18 provided on the support shaft 17 is engaged with the 
shallower engagement groove 21 formed in the tubular support member 19 
provided in the tape supply section 12 as shown in FIG. 8 to decrease the 
spacing between the flanges 17a and 19a, and in this state, the reeled 
tape 1 is fitted on the support shaft 17 and the tubular support member 19 
so as to be supported thereby. Further, the adjusting member 31 in the 
chip takeout section 13 is turned to a position where the engagement 
projection 31a is not coincident with the through-holes 30 and the movable 
guide plate 27 is engaged with the rear end edge of the engagement 
projection 31a as shown in FIG. 9 to decrease the spacing between the 
guide plates 23 and 27, and in this state, the tape 1 delivered from the 
tape supply section 12 is extended rightwardly while being guided through 
the path defined between the guide plates 23 and 27 in a manner similar to 
that in the above. In addition, the protective cover 4 is similarly drawn 
out from the cover delivery port 35c, and the leading end of the cover 4 
is inserted into the area between the delivery roller 41 and the pressure 
roller 47. 
When, in this state, the chip feeder is activated, the intermittent feed of 
the tape 1, the separation of the protective cover 4 and the takeout of 
the chips 3 are effected in a manner similar to that in the 
above-described operation. Accordingly, when there is a change in the 
width of the tape 1 which is to be handled, it is unnecessary to replace 
the whole of the chip feeder with another kind of feeder, and it is 
possible to alter the tape supporting width at the tape supply section 12 
and the width of the guide path in the chip takeout section 13 by a simple 
adjusting operation and to resume the operation quickly. 
When a tape 1 retaining chips 3 whose dimension measured in the direction 
of row of perforations 5 is relatively small, such as that shown in FIG. 
13(b), is to be handled, the stopper 59 is pivoted to the right-hand 
position shown by the chain line in FIGS. 1 and 7. When, in this state, 
the chip feeder is activated, the amount of reciprocating movement of the 
feed pawl 36 is relatively small, so that the tape 1 is fed intermittently 
at a relatively small feed per stroke. Accordingly, when there is a change 
in the amount of feed of the tape 1, it is also possible to readily cope 
with such change by a simple adjusting operation. 
As described above, in the chip feeder in accordance with this embodiment, 
the guide width and the feed pitch each can be adjusted to two selective 
levels in conformity with the width of the tape 1 to be handled and the 
pitch of chips disposed in a row on the tape 1, and therefore the chip 
feeder can handle four different kinds of tape. 
In the chip feeder in accordance with this embodiment, the tape guide 
section can be exposed by pivoting the support plate 64 as shown in FIG. 
10, thus facilitating change of tapes 1 and cleaning of the guide section. 
Since the feed of the tape 1 is effected by the movement of the press rod 
57 which operates together with the chip takeout member 58 in one unit, 
there is no need for a drive unit for feeding the tape 1, and the feed of 
the tape 1 and the action of the chip takeout member 58 can reliably be 
synchronized with each other, which means that there is no fear of a chip 
3 failing to be suction-held by the chip-takeout member 58. 
It should be noted that the present invention is not necessarily limited to 
the above-described embodiment and the arrangement of each part or member 
may be changed or modified as desired without departing from the scope and 
spirit of the present invention. For example, a pivotal eccentric cam may 
be provided in place of the stopper 59 in order to enable stepless 
adjustment of the feed pitch, and the arrangement of the guide width 
adjusting means may also be changed. 
As has been described in detail above, the present invention enables one 
guide plate to move toward or away from the other guide plate by operating 
the guide width adjusting means, thereby allowing the guide spacing 
between the two guide plates to be readily changed in accordance with the 
width of a tape which is to be handled. Further, the tape feed pitch can 
be changed in accordance with the pitch of chips disposed in a row on the 
tape by operating the pitch adjusting means. Accordingly, it is possible 
to handle tapes which differ from each other in terms of the tape width 
and the chip disposition pitch without the need to prepare a multiplicity 
of different kinds of feeders. In addition, the feeder according to the 
present invention has a simplified structure and can be produced at 
reduced costs.