A recognition device for recognizing a position of a protruding section of a component to be mounted on a board by a component mounter, the recognition device comprising: a light source configured to emit light to a downwardly protruding section of a component; an imaging device configured to image the protruding section of the component from below based on light reflected by the protruding section when light is emitted from the light source to the protruding section of the component; and a data analysis device configured to recognize the position of the protruding section of the component imaged by the imaging device based on image data imaged by the imaging device, the data analysis device including a creating section configured to, when a target component that is an imaging target of the imaging device is moved from one to another of a predetermined first set position and a second set position that is lower than the first set position, use the imaging device to image the protruding section of the component for each of a predetermined pitch and create image data for each pitch, a determining section configured to determine whether the position of the protruding section of the component can be recognized based on each piece of image data for each pitch created by the creating section, and a deciding section configured to decide, from among imaging positions that are positions of the target component during imaging according to image data for which it was determined by the determining section to be possible to recognize the position of the protruding section of the component, a position that is between a recognition upper limit position that is a position closest to the first set position and a recognition lower limit position that is a position closest to the second set position as a recommended imaging position, characterized in that the light source is configured to emit laser light along a horizontal light path with a specified vertical width from the side of the target component. a light source configured to emit light to a downwardly protruding section of a component; an imaging device configured to image the protruding section of the component from below based on light reflected by the protruding section when light is emitted from the light source to the protruding section of the component; and a data analysis device configured to recognize the position of the protruding section of the component imaged by the imaging device based on image data imaged by the imaging device, the data analysis device including a creating section configured to, when a target component that is an imaging target of the imaging device is moved from one to another of a predetermined first set position and a second set position that is lower than the first set position, use the imaging device to image the protruding section of the component for each of a predetermined pitch and create image data for each pitch, a determining section configured to determine whether the position of the protruding section of the component can be recognized based on each piece of image data for each pitch created by the creating section, and a deciding section configured to decide, from among imaging positions that are positions of the target component during imaging according to image data for which it was determined by the determining section to be possible to recognize the position of the protruding section of the component, a position that is between a recognition upper limit position that is a position closest to the first set position and a recognition lower limit position that is a position closest to the second set position as a recommended imaging position, characterized in that the light source is configured to emit laser light along a horizontal light path with a specified vertical width from the side of the target component.