Part mounting method

A part mounting method of mounting first mounting parts and a second mounting part to a board includes taking an image of a configuration of the second mounting part and performing an image-recognition, mounting the first mounting parts to the board based on a result of the image-recognition of the configuration of the second mounting part, and mounting the second mounting part to the board based on a result of an image-recognition of the first mounting parts mounted to the board.

FIELD

The embodiment discussed herein is directed to a part mounting apparatus and method.

BACKGROUND

As a mounting method for mounting electronic parts and optical parts to a board, there are face-up alignment mounting and face-down alignment mounting. The face-up alignment mounting is a mounting method of image-recognizing a mounting position on a board and a front surface (top surface) of a mounting part, and moving the mounting part to the mounting position. The face-down alignment mounting is a mounting method of image-recognizing a mounting position on a board and a back surface (bottom surface) of a mounting part, and moving the mounting part to the mounting position. Because an image-recognition mechanism (a camera, a mounting part supporting apparatus, etc.) used in the face-up alignment mounting and the image-recognition mechanism (a camera, a mounting part supporting apparatus, etc.) used in the face-down alignment mounting are different in their arrangements and configurations, the face-up alignment mounting and the face-down alignment mounting are carried out using different mounting apparatuses.

FIG. 1is a perspective view illustrating an outline structure of a face-up alignment mounting apparatus. A mounting board1is placed on an XY-stage2, and an optical part3A, which is a mounting part, is supported by a head5attached to a Z-stage4. The head5is formed of a transparent material such as glass. A camera6is arranged above the Z-stage4so that a front surface (top surface) of the optical part3A supported by the transparent head5can be image-recognized through a through hole4apenetrating through the Z-stage4. The camera6can carry out image recognition of a mounting surface of the mounting board1through the transparent head5. The camera6is movable up and down by a Z-axis moving mechanism7, and, thereby, the focal position of the camera6can be located at the front surface of the optical part3or at the mounting surface of the mounting board1.

FIG. 2is a perspective view illustrating an outline structure of a face-down alignment mounting apparatus. A mounting board1is placed on an XY-stage12. A camera16is arranged above the position where a mounting board1is placed. The camera16is capable of image-recognizing the mounting surface of the mounting board1on an XY-stage12. The camera16is movable up and down by a Z-axis moving mechanism17, and, thereby, the focal position of the camera16can be placed at the mounting surface of the mounting board1.

In the face-down alignment mounting apparatus illustrated inFIG. 2, a Z-stage14is provided at a position shifted from the camera16, and a mounting part supporting head15is attached to the Z-stage14. The Z-stage14is movable up and down by a Z-axis moving mechanism18. A camera19is provided above the XY-stage12so that the back surface (bottom surface) of the optical part20, which is a mounting part supported by the head15, can be image-recognized by the camera19. It should be noted that the face-down alignment mounting illustrated inFIG. 2is a process for mounting the optical part20on the optical parts3A and3B.

Here, a description will be given, with reference toFIG. 3AthroughFIG. 8, of a process of mounting the optical parts3A,3B and20to the mounting board1using the mounting apparatuses illustrated inFIG. 1andFIG. 2.

FIG. 3Ais a plan view of the mounting board1.FIG. 3Bis a side view of the mounting board1. Alignment marks1afor position detection are provided to the mounting board1.FIG. 4Ais a plan view of the mounting board1after mounting the optical part3B.FIG. 4Bis a side view of the mounting board1after mounting the optical part3B.FIG. 5Ais a plan view of the mounting board1after mounting the optical part3A.FIG. 5Bis a side view of the mounting board1after mounting the optical part3A.FIG. 6Ais a plan view of the mounting board1after mounting the optical part20.FIG. 6Bis a side view of the mounting board1after mounting the optical part20.FIG. 7is a flowchart of a process of mounting the optical parts3A and3B on the mounting board1using the face-up alignment mounting apparatus illustrated inFIG. 1.FIG. 8is a flowchart of a process of mounting the optical part20on the mounting board1using the face-down alignment mounting apparatus illustrated inFIG. 2.

In the mounting process illustrated inFIG. 7, the optical parts3A and3B are mounted to the mounting board1. First, in step S1, the alignment patterns1aprovided on the mounting surface of the mounting board1placed on the XY-stage2are detected by image recognition by the camera6. At this time, the image recognition by the camera6is carried out by the picture of the mounting surface of the mounting board1taken through the through hole4aof the Z-stage4and the transparent head5.

Next, in step S2, a position where the optical part3B is to be suction-attached and held by the head5is determined. The optical part3B is accommodated in a part tray (not illustrated in the figure) provided on the XY-stage2, and the suction-attaching position of the optical part3B is detected by image-recognizing the optical part3B by the cameral6by moving the part tray under the head5by driving the XY-stage2.

Subsequently, in step S3, the optical part3B is suction-attached and held by the head5in accordance with the suction-attaching position detected in step S2. Then, the mounting board1is located under the head5again by driving the XY-stage2. Then, in step S4, the mounting surface of the mounting board1is image-recognized by the camera6, and the mounting position of the optical part3B is computed. Then, in step S5, the XY-stage2is moved so that the mounting position computed is located under the optical part3B suction-attached by the head5, and the optical part3B is mounted on the mounting board1by moving the head5downward by driving the Z-stage4.FIGS. 4A and 4Billustrate a state where the optical part3B is mounted on the mounting board1. Then, in step S6, the position where the optical part3B is mounted is detected based on the image recognition of the camera6.

Next, in step S7, the suction-attaching position of the optical part3A is detected. The optical part3A is accommodated in a part tray (not illustrated in the figure) provided on the XY-stage2, and the suction-attaching position of the optical part3A is detected by image-recognizing the optical part3A in the part tray by the cameral6by moving the part tray under the head5by driving the XY-stage2.

Then, in step S8, the optical part3A is suction-attached and held by the head5based on the suction-attaching position detected in step S7. Then, the mounting board1is located under the head5again by driving the XY-stage2. Then, in step S9, the mounting surface of the mounting board1is image-recognized by the camera6, and the mounting position of the optical part3A is computed. At this time, the mounting position of the optical part3A is computed based on the position of the optical part3A suction-attached to the head5and the position of the optical part3B on the mounting board1. Then, the XY-stage2is moved so that the mounting position computed in step S9is located under the optical part3A suction-attached by the head5, and the optical part3A is mounted on the mounting board1by moving the head5downward by driving the Z-stage4.FIGS. 5A and 5Billustrate a state where the optical parts3A and3B are mounted on the mounting board1.

According to the above-mentioned process, the optical parts3A and3B are mounted on the mounting board1. Because the optical part3A is mounted based on the result of detection of the position of the optical part3B, which is mounted first, the optical parts3A and3B can be mounted with a highly accurate positional relationship.

After mounting the optical parts3A and3B to the mounting board1, the process proceeds to a mounting process of the optical part20. Here, the optical part20has on its back surface (bottom surface) functional parts, which cooperate with the optical parts3A and3B mounted previously, and the optical part must be arranged on the optical parts3A and3B so that the optical parts3A and3B and the functional parts are in an aligned state. Thus, a mounting operation of the optical part20to the mounting board1is performed in the mounting process illustrated inFIG. 8using the face-down alignment mounting apparatus while image-recognizing the back surface (bottom surface) of the optical part20. Therefore, after mounting the optical parts3A and3B to the mounting board1, it is necessary to move the mounting board1to the XY-stage12of the face-down alignment mounting apparatus.

After moving and placing the mounting board1onto the XY-stage12of the face-down alignment mounting apparatus, first in step S11, the optical part20is suction-attached to and held by the head15. The optical part20is accommodated in the part tray (not illustrated in the figure) provided on the XY-stage12, and the XY-stage12is driven to move the part tray under the head15to hold the optical part20by the head15. In this case, the position of the optical part20accommodated in the part tray has been image-recognized previously by the camera16and stored as image data, and the position of the optical part20can be detected from the image data as a result of the image-recognition and the optical part20can be held by the head15.

After holding the optical part20by the head15, the mounting board1is image-recognized, in step S12, by the camera16to detect the position of the optical part3A previously mounted. Further, in step S13, the position of the optical part3B previously mounted is also detected.

Subsequently, in step S14, the back surface (bottom surface) of the optical part20held by the head15is image-recognized to detect the present holding position of the optical part20. Then, in step S15, the mounting position of the optical part20is computed based on the result of detection of the optical parts3A and3B in steps S12and S13. Then, in step S16, the XY-stage12is driven to move the XY-stage12so that the computed mounting position is aligned with the optical part20held by the head15, and the Z-stage14is moved downward to mount the optical part20to the mounting board1. At this time, as illustrated inFIGS. 6A and 6B, the functional parts20aof the optical part20is in an aligned state with the optical parts3A and3B.

As mentioned above, according to the conventional mounting method, face-up alignment mounting of the optical parts3A and3B is performed first, and, subsequently, face-down alignment mounting of the optical parts20is performed. That is, although the mounting apparatuses are different, the positions of the mounting board1and the optical parts3A and3B are image-recognized by the cameras6and16from the upper side and the back surface of the optical part20is image-recognized by the camera19, and the mounting position of the optical part20is determined according to the thus-acquired image-recognition data.

Here, there is suggested a chip bonding apparatus which, when mounting a single semiconductor chip to a board according to face-down alignment mounting, performs positioning of the semiconductor chip by image-recognizing the back surface of the semiconductor chip by one camera and image-recognizing the mounting surface of the board by another camera (for example, refer to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 9-8104).

As mentioned above, in the case where after mounting a plurality of first mounting parts (corresponding to the optical parts3A and3B) to a board according to face-up alignment mounting, a second mounting part (corresponding to the optical part20) is mounted to the board (corresponding to the mounting board1) according to face-down alignment mounting, the plurality of mounting parts can be mounted on the board with high positional accuracy with each other and the second mounting part can be accurately positioned to the plurality of first mounting parts on the board. However, because there is a manufacturing variation in the position of the functional parts in the second mounting part, even if the relative position accuracy is raised, there may be a problem in that the first mounting parts cannot be accurately positioned to the respective functional parts of the second mounting part having variation in the relative positions.

Additionally, when performing face-down alignment mounting, there is a problem in that the camera for image-recognizing the mounting surface of the board and the camera for image-recognizing the back surface of the part are different cameras, and it is difficult to prevent an offset even if the positions and angles of the cameras are accurately corrected and the results of the image-recognition results are combined.

Further, if the resolution of the cameras is increased in order to perform highly accurate image-recognition, the view is narrowed and it becomes difficult to recognize the position of the part accommodated in the part tray. Thus, if a wide-view camera for recognizing the part positions is provided separately, it invites an increase in size and cost of the mounting apparatus.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the invention, a part mounting apparatus for mounting a plurality of mounting parts to a board, includes: a placement stage on which the board is placed; a first part support part supporting a first mounting part; a second part support part supporting a second mounting part; a first camera image-recognizing the first mounting part supported by the first part support part from above, and image-recognizing a mounting surface of the board placed on the placement stage from above the first part support part; and a second camera image-recognizing the second mounting part supported by the second part support part from underneath.

Additionally, according to another aspect of the present invention a part mounting method of mounting first mounting parts and a second mounting part to a board, includes: taking an image of a configuration of the second mounting part and performing an image-recognition; mounting the first mounting parts to the board based on a result of the image-recognition of the configuration of the second mounting part; and mounting the second mounting part to the board based on a result of an image-recognition of the first mounting parts mounted to the board.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT(S)

Preferred embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, a description will be given, with reference toFIG. 9, of a part mounting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 9is a perspective view of a part mounting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The part mounting apparatus illustrated inFIG. 9is an apparatus for mounting a mounting part, such as an electronic part and an optical part, to a mounting board, and it is configured so that face-up alignment mounting and face-down alignment mounting can be performed continuously by one apparatus. In the example illustrated inFIG. 9, optical parts3A and3B (first mounting parts) and an optical part20(second mounting part) are mounted as mounting parts to the mounting board1.

The part mounting apparatus illustrated inFIG. 9includes an XY-stage22, which is movable in an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction. Provided on the XY-stage22is a placement stage22aon which the mounting board1is placed. The optical parts3A and3B, which are mounting parts, are supported by a head25attached to a Z-stage24, which is movable in a Z-axis direction. A camera26as a first camera is arranged above the Z-stage24so that a front surface (top surface) of the optical part3A supported by the transparent head25can be image-recognized through a through hole24apenetrating the Z-stage24. Moreover, the camera26can image-recognize a mounting surface of the mounting board1through the transparent head25. The camera26is movable up and down by a Z-axis moving mechanism27, and, thereby, a focal point of the camera26can be located at the front surface of the optical part3A, or located at the mounting surface of the mounting part1. It should be noted that, inFIG. 9, another optical part3B has already been mounted at a specified position of the mounting board1according to face-up alignment mounting.

FIG. 10is a cross-sectional view of the above-mentioned head25for supporting the optical parts3A and3B. The head25includes a member25ahaving a space penetrating vertically, an upper plate25bprovided to close an upper side of the space of the member25a, and a lower plate25cprovided to close the lower side of the space of the member25a. The upper plate25band the lower plate25care formed by a transparent material such as, for example, glass. The member25acan be any material if it has a rigidity of a certain degree, and may be formed by, for example, aluminum.

The space inside the member25ais closed by the upper plate25band the lower plate25c. A suction passage25dis formed in the member25ain order to suction air in the interior space. Additionally, a suction-attaching hole25ecommunicating with the inner space is formed in the lower plate25c. By suctioning air inside the interior space from the suction passage25d, the optical parts3A and3B can be suction-attached and held through the suction-attaching hole25eof the lower plate25c.

Because the upper plate25band the lower plate25care formed by a transparent material, a light irradiated from above the head25is irradiated onto front surfaces (top surfaces) of the optical parts3A and3B by transmitting through the head25. Thereby, an image of the front surfaces (top surfaces) of the optical parts3A and3B can be taken by the camera26, which is arranged above the head25. Additionally, the light transmitted through the head25is also irradiated onto the mounting board1, which is arranged under the head25, and an image of the mounting surface of the mounting board1can be taken by the camera26arranged above the head25. It should be noted that the illumination light irradiated through the head25is preferably a white light so that interference fringes due to reflection of light are not generated in the front surfaces of the upper plate25band the lower plate25cof the head25.

In addition, the head25is attached to the Z-stage24using a hydrostatic bearing in order to reduce a pressure of pressing the head25to the optical parts3A and3B when suction-attaching the optical parts3A and3B. Thereby, the optical parts3A and3B are prevented from being damaged or losing their functions. The hydrostatic bearing has a well-known structure and an explanation thereof is omitted.

A camera28as a second camera is provided in the XY-stage22for carrying out image-recognition of the back surface of the optical part20. A Z-stage29, which is movable in a Z-axis direction, is provided above the camera28, and a head30for supporting a mounting part is attached to the Z-stage29. The Z-stage29is movable up and down by a Z-axis moving mechanism31, and, thereby, the head30is also movable up and down. The head30has a mechanism for supporting the optical part20. Although the head30grasps and supports the optical part20in the example illustrated inFIG. 9, the head30may be configured to suction-attach and hold the optical part20similar to the head25.

Moreover, a camera alignment unit32is provided to the XY-stage22. The camera aligning unit32is a mechanism for performing a correction to accurately aligning a position on an image taken by the camera26as the first camera for image-recognizing the front surfaces (top surfaces) of the optical parts3A and3B with a position on an image taken by the camera28as the second camera for image-recognizing the back surface (bottom surface) of the optical part20.

The camera alignment unit32is attached to the XY-stage22via a moving mechanism33to be movable on the XY-stage22. The camera aligning unit32has an alignment mark member34, which extends parallel to the top surface of the XY stage22. An alignment mark35is provided to the alignment mark member34. The alignment mark35is a hole of a specified shape or a slit formed to penetrate the alignment mark member34. The planar shape of the hole or slit is, for example, a cross-shape in order to be able to easily recognize XY directions and a rotating direction. Alternatively, an arrangement of a plurality of circular holes may be used as an alignment mark.

Here, a description will be given, with reference toFIG. 11andFIG. 12, of an alignment of the upper camera26and the lower camera28. FIG.11is an illustration illustrating a process of detecting the alignment mark35by the upper camera26, andFIG. 12is an illustration illustrating a process of detecting the alignment mark35by the lower camera28.

In order to align the camera26and the camera28, the camera alignment unit32is moved by driving the moving mechanism to position the alignment mark member34to extend above the camera28. The position of the alignment mark member34is adjusted so that the alignment mark35is located within the view of the cameral28. Then, the camera28is located directly under the camera26by driving the XY-stage22. Thereby, as illustrated inFIG. 11, the camera28, the alignment mark member34, the head25and the camera26are in an aligning state in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction). A coaxial illumination apparatus26ais incorporated in the camera26so that an illumination light can be irradiated in a direction of a camera view. Similarly, a coaxial illumination apparatus28ais incorporated in the camera28so that an illumination light can be irradiated in a direction of a camera view.

First, as illustrated inFIG. 11, an illumination light is irradiated from the upper camera26, and the lower camera28takes an image. The illumination light passes through the through hole24aof the Z-stage24, and also passes through the transparent head25and irradiated onto the alignment mark member34. Because the illumination light can pass through only a portion of the alignment mark35of the alignment mark member34, the lower camera28can image-recognize the alignment mark35.

Next, as illustrated inFIG. 12, an illumination light is irradiated from the lower cameral28, and the upper camera26takes an image. The illumination light is irradiated onto the alignment mark member34. Because the illumination light passes through only a portion of the alignment mark35of the alignment mark member34, the upper camera26can image-recognize the alignment mark35.

Then, when a misalignment is generated in the positional relationship between the image taken by the upper camera26and the image taken by the lower camera28, the misalignment can be corrected by correcting the image data so that the position of the alignment mark35image-recognized by the upper camera26and the position of the alignment mark35image-recognized by the lower camera28are recognized as the same position. That is, the alignment of the upper camera26and the lower camera28can be performed with good accuracy by performing the data correction to recognize that, when viewing the same object by the upper camera26and the lower camera28in opposite directions, the object is at the same position.

Next, a description will be given of a part mounting method performed using the part mounting apparatus illustrated inFIG. 9.FIG. 13is a flowchart of a mounting process performed using the part mounting apparatus illustrated inFIG. 9.

In the mounting process illustrated inFIG. 13, the optical parts3A and3B and the optical part20are mounted to the mounting board1. First, in step S21, an alignment of the first camera26and the second camera28is corrected according to the above-mentioned camera alignment. Next, in step S22, the optical part20which is the second mounting part, is supported by the head30, and the configuration of the optical part20is detected by image-recognizing the back surface of the optical part20by the camera28. That is, the configuration of the functional parts20aof the back surface of the optical part20is detected by the camera28, and the position of the functional parts20ais computed and stored as data.

Next, in step S23, the alignment pattern1aprovided to the mounting surface of the mounting board1placed on the placement stage22aof the XY-stage22is detected by image-recognition by the cameral26. The image-recognition by the camera26is performed by the image of the mounting surface of the mounting board1taken through the through hole24of the X-stage24and the transparent head25.

Next, in step S24, a determination is made of a position where the optical part3B is suction-attached and held by the head25. The optical part3B is accommodated in a part tray (not illustrated in the figure) provided on the XY-stage2, and the suction-attaching position of the optical part3B can be detected by moving the part tray under the head25by moving the XY-stage22and image-recognizing the optical part3B by the camera26.

Subsequently, in step S25, the optical part3B is suction-attached and held by the head25based on the suction attaching position detected in step S24. Then, the mounting board1is located again under the head25by moving the XY-stage22. Next, in step S26, the optical part3B suction-attached by the head25is image-recognized by the camera26in order to detect the position of the optical part3B in the suction-attached state. Subsequently, in step S27, the mounting surface of the mounting board1is image-recognized by the camera26, and the mounting position of the optical part3B is computed.

Then, in step S28, the XY-stage22is moved so that the computed mounting position is located directly under the optical part3B, which is suction-attached by the head25, and the head25is moved downward by driving the Z-stage24to mount the optical part3B onto the mounting board1. Then, in step S29, the position where the optical part3B is mounted is detected based on the image-recognition of the camera26.

In addition, the image-recognition of the optical part3B in the above-mentioned step S26and the image-recognition of the mounting board1in step S27are performed by the single camera26. Specifically, when performing the image-recognition of the optical part3B, the camera26or the head25is moved in the Z-axis direction so that the optical part3B is located at a focal position of the camera26, and, when performing the image-recognition of the mounting board1, because the optical part3B is located between the camera26and the mounting board1, the optical part3B is moved to the farthest position from the focal point so that, for example, the optical part3B is preferably distant from the mounting board1by equal to or more than a half of the focal distance. For example, if the focal distance of the camera26is 65 mm, it is preferable to move the optical part3B, when image-recognizing the mounting board1, to a position distant from the mounting board1by 32.5 mm or more. Thereby, even if the optical part3B is located within the view of the camera26when taking an image of the mounting board1, the optical part3B is not focused, which is in a defocused state, and the image-recognition of the mounting board1can be performed without any problems.

After completion of mounting the optical part3B, then, in step S30, the suction-attaching position of the optical part3A is detected. The optical part3A is accommodated in a part tray (not illustrated in the figure) provided on the XY-stage22, and the suction-attaching position of the optical part3A is detected by moving the part tray under the head25by moving the XY-stage22and image-recognizing the optical part3A by the camera26.

Subsequently, in step S31, the optical part3A is suction-attached and held by the head25based on the suction attaching position detected in step S30. Then, the mounting board1is located again under the head25by moving the XY-stage22. Next, in step S32, the optical part3A suction-attached by the head25is image-recognized by the camera26in order to detect the position of the optical part3A in the suction-attached state.

Subsequently, in step S33, the mounting surface of the mounting board1is image-recognized by the camera26, and the mounting position of the optical part3A is computed. At this time, the mounting position of the optical part3A is computed based on the position of the optical part3A suction-attached by the head25, the position of the optical part3B on the mounting board1and the configuration (positions of the functional parts20a) of the optical part20detected in step S22. Then, the XY-stage22is moved so that the mounting position computed in step S33is located directly under the optical part3A suction-attached by the head25, and the head25is moved downward by driving the Z-stage24to mount the optical part3A onto the mounting board1.

As mentioned above, according to the present embodiment, because the configuration (positions of the functional parts20a) of the optical part20, which is mounted later, is taken into consideration when computing, in step S33, the mounting position of the optical part3A relative to the optical part3B, even if there is a manufacturing variation in the configuration and size of the optical part20, the optical parts3A and3B can be mounted in a positional relationship, which matches the configuration of each optical part20. Specifically, because in step S22, an interval of the functional parts20aof the optical part20is previously detected in step S22and the interval of the optical parts3A and3B is determined to match the interval of the functional parts20a, the optical parts3A and3B can be mounted with good accuracy in accordance with each optical part20even if the interval of the functional parts20avaries.

According to the above process, the optical parts3A and3B are mounted to the mounting board1. Subsequently, the process proceeds to a mounting process of the optical part20, and the part mounting apparatus illustrated inFIG. 9is configured to be capable of performing face-down alignment mounting, and, therefore, there is no need to transfer the mounting substrate1and the image data and the detection results obtained by the previous image-recognition can be used in the subsequent process. Specifically, the holding position of the optical part20detected in step S22, the position of the mounting board1detected in step S23, the mounting position of the optical part3B detected in step S29, the mounting position of the optical part3A detected in step S32, etc., can be used also in the mounting process of the optical part20.

After proceeding to the mounting process of the optical part20, first, in step S35, the camera alignment is performed in the same manner as step S22. The camera alignment at this time is performed for maintaining the camera alignment accuracy because a time has passed from the time point of step S22and the cameras26and28have been moved, but the process of step S35may be omitted if it is not necessary.

Then, in step S36, the mounting position of the optical part20is computed based on the result of detection of the mounting positions of the optical parts3A and3B. Then, in step S37, the XY-stage22is moved by driving the XY-stage22so that the computed mounting position is aligned with the optical part20held by the head30, and the Z-stage24is moved downward to mount the optical part20to the mounting board1. Because the optical parts3A and3B are mounted to the positions corresponding to the interval of the functional parts20aof the optical part20, the functional parts20aof the optical part20are in a state of being aligned with the respective optical parts3A and3B with good accuracy.

It should be noted that, after mounting the optical part3A in step S34and before computing the mounting position of the optical part20in step S36, the mounting position of the optical parts3A and3B and the holding position of the optical20may be detected so as to confirm that these parts have not been displaced from the previously detected positions.

Although tow optical parts3A and3B are used as the first mounting parts and one optical part20is used as the corresponding second mounting part in the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention may be applied to a case where three or more optical parts are provided to one optical part20. That is, the second mounting part can be arranged with respect to a plurality of first mounting apparatuses with good positional accuracy by mounting the plurality of first mounting parts while determining the mutual mounting positions of the plurality of first mounting parts on a board based on a result of image-recognition of the configuration of the second mounting part. Additionally, a plurality of optical parts20may be used as the second mounting parts, and a plurality of mounting parts3A and3B may be used as the first mounting parts. That is numbers of the first mounting parts and the second mounting parts are not limited to the numbers indicated in the above-mentioned embodiment.

Although the configuration of the optical part20is detected one by one so as to individually match the mounting positions of the optical parts3A and3B to the configuration of the optical part20in the above-mentioned mounting process, if the configuration of the optical part20hardly varies within a lot, the configuration of the optical part20may be detected one time within the lot and data thereof may be used.

FIG. 14is a flowchart of a mounting process in the case of detecting the configuration of the optical part20only once and using the data thereof in subsequent mounting. InFIG. 14, steps that are the same as the steps illustrated inFIG. 13are given the same step numbers, and descriptions there of will be omitted.

In the mounting process illustrated inFIG. 14, first, in step S40, it is determined whether or not the configuration of the optical part20has been detected. For example, in a case of mounting the first optical part20within one lot of the optical part20, it becomes NO in step S40because the configuration of the optical part20has not been detected, and the process proceeds to step S41. In step S41, the configuration of the optical part20is detected similar to the above-mentioned step S22. Subsequently, in step S42, the data of the configuration of the optical part20detected in step S41is registered and saved. Thereafter, proceeding to step S23illustrated inFIG. 13, the process from step S23to step S37is performed so as to mount the optical parts3A and3B and the optical part20to the mounting board1.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S40that the configuration of the optical part20has been detected, the process proceeds to step S23so as to perform the process from step S23to step S37using the configuration data of the optical part registered and saved so as to mount the optical parts3A and3B to the mounting board1.

As mentioned above, for example, when the lot of the optical parts20is changed, a mounting process time can be shortened by detecting the configuration of the first optical parts20and saving the data thereof to use the data in mounting another optical part20in the same lot.

Next, a description will be given of a process of detecting a position of the part tray when taking the optical parts3A and3B and the optical part20out of the part tray.FIG. 15is a plan view of the part tray in which optical parts are accommodated. InFIG. 15, a part tray40as an example is illustrated in which a plurality of optical parts3A are accommodated. Here, the view41of the camera26, which image-recognizes the optical part3A, is considerably smaller than the entire size of the part tray40. In this case, as indicated by arrows ofFIG. 15, the entire part tray40is scanned by the camera so as to image-recognize the optical part3A.

FIG. 16is a flowchart of a process of detecting a position of the optical part3A in the part tray40. First, in step S51, the scan of the view of the camera26is started from the end of the part tray40. In step S52, an image of the optical part3A, which enters the view, is acquired while continuing the scan of the view of the camera26. Then, in step S53, it is determined whether or not a scan of one line is ended. If the scan of one line has been ended, the process returns to step S52so as to continue the detection of position of the optical part3A while continuing the scan of the view of the camera26.

If it is determined in step S53that the scan of one line has been ended, the process proceeds to step S54to save the image corresponding to the scanned one line. Then, in step S55, the view of the camera26is shifted in a transverse direction so as to align the view with the next line. Subsequently, in step S56, it is determined whether or not the scan of the entire part tray40has been ended. If the scan of the entire part tray40has not been ended, the process returns to step S51so as to perform scanning of one line from the present position of the view of the camera26. If it is determined that the scan of the entire part tray40has been ended, the process proceeds to step S57to perform a process of combining a plurality of images acquired for each line into a single image to acquire an image of the entire part tray40. Subsequently, in step S58, the position of each optical part3A is detected from the image of the entire part tray40acquired by combining the images.

As mentioned above, when scanning a part tray larger than a camera view, each position of a plurality of optical parts3A in the part tray40is detected collectively after combining a plurality of images acquired by scanning the camera view. Thereby, even if there is an optical part3A of which an image of only a portion is taken by the scan of one line of the camera view, it becomes a complete optical part3A on the combined image by combining an image taken by scanning a next line. For example, there is a larger merit that the process is simplified in detecting the optical parts collectively after combining the images than performing a process of detecting the optical parts3A for each one line scan of the camera view and determining whether to recognize the optical part3A, of which an image of only a half portion is taken. Additionally, there is no need to provide a wide view camera separately for image-recognition of a part tray, which reduces an increase in cost of the apparatus.