A tray feeder includes tray supply mechanisms and arranged in parallel. Each of the tray supply mechanisms has a function of retrieving a tray from a tray housing portion by a tray retrieving unit, and transferring the pallet up to a component pickup position set in the vicinity of a height at the upper end of the tray housing portion. A lock state of a door by a door lock mechanism is released only in a state where the tray retrieving unit is located at the component pickup position and blocks an interior of the tray feeder from a head transfer space in which the mounting head transfers.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a component mounting device and a component mounting method for mounting an electronic component on a substrate.

BACKGROUND ART

The component mounting device for mounting the electronic component on the substrate is equipped with a component supply unit for supplying the electronic component, and a component supply device such as a tape feeder or a tray feeder is arranged according to a type of components to be mounted in the component supply unit. In the component supply device, if stored components are consumed and out of stock, or if the type of stored components is changed for switching one type of products to another type, work for resupply of the components or for exchange of the component is conducted by an operator. In the tape feeder, a tape reel on which a carrier tape that holds components is winded and stored is exchanged for another tape reel, and in the tray feeder, a tray on which the components are stored in a plane is exchanged for another tray.

In recent years, there has been used the component supply device in which the above-mentioned component resupply or component exchange is conducted while continuing the device operation without stopping production upon a request for improving productivity in a component mounting line. For example, the tape feeder employs a tape spline system that joins the carrier tape of the mounted tape reel and a carrier tape of a tape reel to be newly exchanged. Also, the tray feeder employs the component supply device that can exchange a magazine that houses a tray therein to another magazine during the device operation (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). In the related art disclosed in the Patent Document, the magazine is detachably mounted on each of two pallet units that transfer vertically in advance, and the pallet unit on which the magazine to be exchanged is mounted is transferred to an operation position set at an ascent end or a descent end to exchange the magazine to another one.

RELATED ART DOCUMENTS

Patent Documents

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

In recent years, in production sites of manufacturing industries including electronic manufacturers, production facilities giving more consideration than that in the conventional art to the safety when the operator operates are demanded. For example, there are required facilities, in which assuming an event in which an unskilled operator operates a device, the safety of the operator is secured even if an unskilled operator operating a device accidentally allows his hand to enter a portion where an access by the operator is not expected. However, in the component mounting including the component supply by the tray feeder, the above safety measure is not always perfect, and the safety in conducting a process change such as the tray exchange during the device operation has been required.

An object of the present invention is to provide a component mounting device and a component mounting method that can ensure safety at a process change during device operation in a component mounting including component supply by a tray feeder.

Means for Solving the Problem

The present invention provides a component mounting device for mounting electronic components picked up from a component supply unit on a substrate, including: a tray feeder having a function of: retrieving a tray by a tray retrieving unit from a tray housing portion which are arranged in the component supply unit and which stores the tray in which the electronic components are arranged in a plane, and transferring the tray up to a component pickup position set in the vicinity of a height of the upper end of the tray housing portion; a component mounting mechanism including: a mounting head that picks up and holds the electronic components from the tray transferred to the component pickup position; and a heat transfer mechanism that transfers the mounting head; a door lock mechanism that locks open/close of an operation access door disposed in the tray housing portion in the tray feeder; and a controller that controls the component supply unit, the component mounting mechanism, and the door lock mechanism, wherein the controller releases a lock state of the door by the door lock mechanism only in a state where the tray retrieving unit is located at the component pickup position and blocks an interior of the tray feeder from a head transfer space where the mounting head transfers.

The present invention provides a component mounting method for mounting electronic components picked up from a component supply unit on a substrate by a component mounting device, the component mounting device including: a tray feeder including a plurality of tray supply mechanisms arranged in parallel, each of the tray supply mechanisms having a function of: retrieving a tray by a tray retrieving unit from a tray housing portion which are arranged in the component supply unit and which stores the tray in which the electronic components are arranged in a plane; and transferring the tray up to a component pickup position set in the vicinity of a height of the upper end of the tray housing portion; a component mounting mechanism including: a mounting head that picks up and holds the electronic components from the tray transferred to the component pickup position; and a heat transfer mechanism that transfers the mounting head; a door lock mechanism that locks open/close of an operation access door disposed in the tray housing portion in each of the plurality of tray supply mechanisms; and a controller that controls the component supply unit, the component mounting mechanism, and the door lock mechanism, and has a function of: releasing a lock state of the door by the door lock mechanism only in a state where the tray retrieving unit is located at the component pickup position and blocks an interior of the tray feeder from a head transfer space where the mounting head transfer, the component mounting method including: simultaneously executing tray exchange operation conducted on the tray housing portion in a state where the lock state of the door is released and the door is opened in any one of the tray supply mechanisms, and tray supply operation in which the tray is retrieved from the tray housing portion by the tray retrieving unit and transferred up to the component pickup position for pickup of the component by the mounting head in another tray supply mechanism.

Advantages of the Invention

In a tray feeder including tray supply mechanisms and arranged in parallel, each having a function of retrieving a tray from a tray housing portion by a tray retrieving unit, and transferring the pallet up to a component pickup position set in the vicinity of a height at the upper end of the tray housing portion, a lock state of a door by a door lock mechanism is released only in a state where the tray retrieving unit is located at the component pickup position and blocks an interior of the tray feeder from a head transfer space in which the mounting head transfers. Consequently, safety can be ensured at a process change during device operation in a component mounting including component supply by a tray feeder.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Subsequently, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, a description will be given of a structure of a component mounting device1that mounts on a substrate an electronic component picked up from a component supply unit with reference toFIGS. 1 and 2. Referring toFIG. 1, a substrate transport mechanism2is disposed on a base1aof the component mounting device1. The substrate transport mechanism2is configured such that a first substrate transport lane LI and a second substrate transport lane LII for transporting respective substrates for mounting are arranged in parallel to a substrate transport direction (X-direction). The first substrate transport lane LI and the second substrate transport lane LII are configured by a pair of first substrate transport conveyers2A and a pair of second substrate transport conveyers2B, respectively. Each of the first substrate transport lane LI and the second substrate transport lane LII transports a substrate3transferred from an upstream side, and positions and holds the substrate3at an operation position where operation is conducted by a component mounting mechanism which will be described later. The first substrate transport lane LI and the second substrate transport lane LII are equipped with substrate detection sensors S1and S2, respectively, and each of the substrate detection sensors S1and82detects the carried substrate3.

A first component supply unit4A and a second component supply unit4B are arranged on both sides of the substrate transport mechanism2. A tray feeder5in which a first tray supply mechanism5A and a second tray supply mechanism5B are disposed in parallel is arranged in the first component supply unit4A. As illustrated inFIG. 2, the first tray supply mechanism5A and the second tray supply mechanism5B configuring the tray feeder5have a function of retrieving, from each tray housing portion5b, a pallet16that holds a tray storing relatively large-sized electronic components among electronic components to be mounted, in a plane, and of moving the pallet16up to each component pickup position5aset in the vicinity of a height of the upper end of the tray housing portion5b.

A plurality of tape feeders6is disposed in parallel in the second component supply unit4B. Each of the tape feeders6has a function of feeding pitch by pitch a carrier tape15that holds small-sized electronic components up to a pickup position6a(refer toFIG. 2). Each of the tape feeders6is mounted on a carriage13movably set in the second component supply unit4B, and the carrier tape15is extracted from a supply reel14held by the carriage13and supplied to the tape feeder6.

A Y-axial transfer table7is disposed on one end of an upper surface of the base1ain a Y-direction, and a first X-axial transfer table8A and a second X-axial transfer table8B are mounted on the Y-axial transfer table7so as to be slidable in a Y-direction. A first mounting head9A and a second mounting head9B are mounted on the first X-axial transfer table8A and the second X-axial transfer table8B, respectively, so as to be slidable in the X-direction. Each of the first mounting head9A and the second mounting head9B is a multi-type head having a plurality of unit mounting heads10. An adsorption nozzle10a(refer toFIG. 2) that adsorbs and holds the electronic component is mounted on a lower end of each unit mounting heads10.

With the driving of the Y-axial transfer table7, the first X-axial transfer table8A, and the second X-axial transfer table8B, the first mounting head9A and the second mounting head9B transfer horizontally, individually, the first mounting head9A picks up and holds the electronic component from the tray feeder5of the first component supply unit4A, and the second mounting head9B picks up and holds the electronic component from the tape feeders6of the second component supply unit4B, so as to transfer and mount the electronic components on the substrates3carried in the first substrate transport lane LI and the second substrate transport lane LII. The Y-axial transfer table7, the first X-axial transfer table BA, and the second X-axial transfer table8B configure a head transfer mechanism that transfers the first mounting head9A and the second mounting head9B. The head transfer mechanism, the first mounting head9A, and the second mounting head9B configure a component mounting mechanism that picks up the electronic components from the pallet16transferred to the component pickup position5aof the tray feeder5in the first component supply unit4A, picks up the electronic components from the tape feeders6in the second component supply unit4B, and mounts the electronic components on the substrates3.

A substrate recognition camera11transferred integrally with each of the first mounting head9A and the second mounting head9B is equipped in each of the first mounting head9A and the second mounting head9B so as to be located on a lower surface side of each of the first X-axial transfer table8A and the second X-axial transfer table8B. The first mounting head9A and the second mounting head9B are transferred above the respective substrates3so that the substrates3can be imaged by the respective substrate recognition cameras11. The imaged results are subjected to recognition processing to recognize the positions of the substrates3and the component mounted points.

A component recognition camera12is disposed in a path along which each of the first mounting head9A and the second mounting head9B is transferred to the substrates3from a corresponding component supply unit thereof. Each of the first mounting head9A and the second mounting head9B holding the electronic components is transferred above the component recognition camera12whereby the held electronic component is imaged by the component recognition camera12to recognize the position of the electronic component that is held by each of the first mounting head9A and the second mounting head9B. In the operation of mounting the electronic components on the respective substrates3, the mounting positions of the first mounting head9A and the second mounting head9B are corrected by taking the substrate recognition results from the substrate recognition camera11and the component recognition results from the component recognition camera12into account.

Subsequently, a structure of the tray feeder5will be described with reference toFIGS. 3A and 3B. As illustrated inFIG. 3A, the tray feeder5is configured such that the first tray supply mechanism5A and the second tray supply mechanism5B, which are operable, independently, are arranged in parallel to each other. Each of the first tray supply mechanism5A and the second tray supply mechanism5B has a function of positioning each pallet16holding the tray in which the electronic component is stored to the component pickup position5a.

FIG. 3Billustrates a configuration of the first tray supply mechanism5A and the second tray supply mechanism5B. The tray housing portions5bare fixed to a frame25, and a plurality of the pallets16stacked within the magazine is stacked within each tray housing portion5b. The tray in which a large number of electronic components are stored in a reticular pattern is loaded into each of the pallets16housed within the tray housing portions5b. In the figure, the tray is not illustrated. Openable doors29for an operation access are disposed in the rear of the tray housing portions5b, and the pallets16housed in the magazines are housed and retrieved for each of the magazines. In this example, the operation of opening and closing the doors29is controllably locked by a door lock mechanism29adisposed in the tray housing portion5b. Each door29can be opened only in a state where a lock state of the door lock mechanism29ais released.

Also, in the doors29, door open/close detection sensors S3and S4are disposed for the first tray supply mechanism5A and the second tray supply mechanism5B, respectively, and the door open/close detection sensors S3and S4detect the open/close state of the doors29. The open/close state of the doors29is interlocked with an operation state of a movable mechanism unit of the component mounting device1. For safety protection for the operator, in a state where the door29is opened, the device operation is not permitted so far as a predetermined access allowance condition is not met.

Elevating mechanisms20each having a motor26and a feed screw27are disposed on a frame22, and each of the elevating mechanisms20is driven to move up and down the tray retrieving unit28. Each tray retrieving unit28retrieves the pallet16housed in the tray housing portion5b, and holds the pallet16on an upper surface thereof. The tray retrieving unit28is equipped with a pallet transfer mechanism (not shown), and the pallet16within the tray housing portion5bcan be retrieved to the tray retrieving unit28, or the pallet16can be pushed and fed into the tray housing portion5bso as to be housed therein, by the pallet transfer mechanism. Each of the elevating mechanisms20is driven to move up the tray retrieving unit28, as a result of which the pallet16transfers to the component pickup position5aof the electronic component which is picked up by each of the first mounting head9A and the second mounting head9Bm, together with the held tray.

Each of the first mounting head9A and the second mounting head9B picks up the electronic component from the tray held in the pallet16by the adsorption nozzle10aof each unit mounting head10, and transfers and mounts the picked up electronic component onto the substrate transport mechanism2. Each ejection unit Sc that stores the electronic components ejected without being mounted is disposed above each of the tray housing portions5b, and each resupply unit5dfor retrieving the pallet16on which an empty tray is mounted after the electronic component has been picked up, or resupplying the pallet16after the electronic component has been resupplied is disposed above each ejection unit5c.

Subsequently, a configuration of the control system will be described with reference toFIG. 4. The component mounting device1includes a controller30, a storage unit31, a recognition processor32, a mechanism driver33, an operation/input unit34, and a display unit35. The controller30has a function of executing an operation control or arithmetic processing necessary for the operation of the component mounting device1on the basis of a control program or various data stored in the storage unit31, and includes a mounting control processor30aand an access permission/non-permission processor30bfor internal process function. The mounting control processor30aprocesses to control mounting operation for mounting the electronic components on the substrate3.

The access permission/non-permission processor30bsets an access permission or non-permission of the mounting heads and the operator to the tray supply mechanism. That is, in the first tray supply mechanism5A and the second tray supply mechanism5B, if the door open/close detection sensors S3and S4detect an open state of the door29, an access of the mounting head to the tray supply mechanism is prohibited. Also, in order that the operator accesses to the tray supply mechanism, there is a need to open the door29. However, in this embodiment, in order to ensure the safety of the operator, interlock under control is set so that the door lock mechanism29areleases the lock state of the door29only when a given state is satisfied.

The storage unit31stores various operation programs necessary for executing the component mounting operation as well as mounting data31aand component storage data31btherein. The mounting data31aassociates mounting coordinates that specify the type and the mounting position of the component to be mounted with mounting points indicative of a mounting region on the substrate3for mounting according to a mounting order. The component storage data31bindicates a storage state of the tray in the tray housing portion5bof each of the first tray supply mechanism5A and the second tray supply mechanism5B, and this data specifies the type and the storage position of the component in the tray housed in each of the tray housing portions5b.

The recognition processor32recognizes the imaged results of the substrate recognition camera11and the component recognition camera12to detect the component mounting position on the substrate3, discriminate the electronic component which is held in the first mounting head9A and the second mounting head9B, and detect the position of the electronic component. In the control of the component mounting operation by the mounting control processor30a, the position of the component when the component is mounted is corrected taking those position detection results into account. The mechanism driver33is controlled by the mounting control processor30a, and drives the substrate transport mechanism2, the first component supply unit4A, the second component supply unit4B, the component mounting mechanism including the Y-axial transfer table7, the first X-axial transfer table8A, the second X-axial transfer table8B, the first mounting head9A, and the second mounting head9B, and the door lock mechanism29a. In the control of the mechanism driver33by the controller30, the lock state of the door29by the door lock mechanism29ais released only in a state where the tray retrieving unit28is at the component pickup position5aclose to the upper end, and the tray retrieving unit28blocks the interior of the tray feeder5from a head transfer space in which the first mounting head9A and the second mounting head9B transfer, by the control process of the access permission/non-permission processor30b.

The operation/input unit34is an input device such as a touch panel switch or a keyboard, and designed to input operation commands or various data by the operator. The operation command includes an input command for setting a use stop of the first tray supply mechanism5A and the second tray supply mechanism5B. The display unit35is a display panel such as liquid crystal, and displays a guide screen or various annunciation screens during input operation through the operation/input unit34.

The component mounting device1is configured as described above. Hereinafter, a description will be given of a component mounting method in which the electronic components are picked up from the first component supply unit4A and the second component supply unit4B by the first mounting head9A and the second mounting head9B, and mounted on the substrates3transported by the substrate transport mechanism2, by the aid of the component mounting device1with reference toFIGS. 5,6A, and6B.

In starting the component mounting operation, first in the first component supply unit4A, the trays in which the electronic components of the type corresponding to the mounting operation of the substrate3for mounting are stored are arranged in the first tray supply mechanism5A and the second tray supply mechanism5B. Then, the component mounting operation starts, and the electronic components are picked up from the trays on the pallets16retrieved from the first tray supply mechanism5A and the second tray supply mechanism5B by the first mounting head9A, and then transferred and mounted onto the substrates3.

In a process of continuously executing the component mounting operation, there is a need to access to the tray supply mechanism by the operator, for the component resupply when the component is out of stock in any tray supply mechanism, or preceding process change for producing a subsequent substrate type. In such cases, in order to ensure the safety of the operator, up to now, an access of the first mounting head9A to the tray feeder5is prohibited, and operation such as tray exchange is executed in a state where the operation stops. For that reason, when the tray feeder5has the plurality of first tray supply mechanism5A and second tray supply mechanism5B, both of those tray supply mechanisms must stop the operation.

On the contrary, in the component mounting device1according to this embodiment, only the tray supply mechanism to be accessed stops the operation, and the other tray supply mechanism is subjected to the component pickup by the first mounting head9A as it is. That is, for example, if the tray exchange operation is required by the second tray supply mechanism5B, as illustrated inFIG. 5, the component pickup by the first mounting head9A is continued while the door29is closed in the first tray supply mechanism5A, and the door29is opened in the second tray supply mechanism5B.

As illustrated inFIG. 6A, the opening of the door29is enabled by locating the tray retrieving unit28at the component pickup position5aclose to the upper end of the tray housing portion5b. That is, it is assumed that the tray retrieving unit28is at the component pickup position5a, and blocks the interior of the tray feeder5from the head transfer space in which the first mounting head9A transfers. With this configuration, even if the operator inserts his hand into the interior of the tray housing portion5b, there occurs no situation in which the hand enters the head transfer space which causes a risk that the hand interferes with the first mounting head9A.

In this situation, since the first tray supply mechanism5A, moves up and down inside of the tray feeder5in order that the tray retrieving unit28retrieves the pallet16from the tray housing portion5b, the access permission/non-permission processor30blocks the door lock mechanism29ato always prohibit the open of the door29. Accordingly, the operator cannot operationally access to the interior of the tray housing portion5b, and an unsafe action that the operator allows his hand to enter the head transfer space in which the first mounting head9A is operating is completely precluded.

That is, in the component mounting method according to this embodiment, the tray feeder5having the plurality of tray supply mechanisms executes the tray exchange operation that is conducted on the tray housing portion5bin a state where the lock state of the door29is released, and the door29is opened in any one tray supply mechanism, and the tray supply operation in which the pallet16is retrieved from the tray housing portion5bby the tray retrieving unit28, and transferred up to the component pickup position5afor pickup of the component by the first mounting head9A in the other tray supply mechanism, simultaneously in parallel.

As a result, in the component mounting including the component supply by the tray feeder, the process change for producing the subsequent substrate type can start without waiting for completion of the component mounting operation currently being executed. Accordingly, even if there is a need to iteratively implement the process change associated with the component type change for the plural types of substrates with a high frequency, a device stop time associated with the component type change can be precluded as much as possible to improve the productivity, and the safety when the process change is conducted during the device operation can be ensured.

The present invention has been described in detail and with reference to the specific embodiments, but it would be obvious to an ordinary skilled person that various changes and modifications can be conducted on the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The present invention is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-156883 filed on Jul. 9, 2010, and content thereof is incorporated herein by reference.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The component mounting device and the component mounting method according to the present invention have such advantages that the safety can be ensured when the process change is conducted during the device operation in the component mounting including the component supply by the tray feeder, and are useful in a field where the component mounting operation is conducted on various types of substrates.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE SKINS