Patent ID: 6839959

Claim:
A component mounting apparatus for successively removing components from a component supply unit and mounting the components onto an object at prescribed positions, comprising: supply-side component holding members, each of said supply-side component holding members for (i) performing intermittent rotational movement between a component take-out position and a supply-side component delivering and receiving position so as to define a closed path, (ii) removing a component from a component supply unit at the component take-out position, and holding the component, (iii) reversing the component, held by said each of said supply-side component holding members, during the intermittent rotational movement, and (iv) at the supply-side component delivering and receiving position, delivering the component from said each of said supply-side component holding members; and a mounting-side component holding member for (v) moving, by intermittent rotational movement in synchronization with the intermittent rotational movement of said each of said supply-side component holding members, between a mounting-side component delivering and receiving position and a component mounting position so as to define a closed path that is different from the closed path defined by the intermittent rotational movement of said each of said supply-side component holding members, wherein the mounting-side component delivering and receiving position overlaps, or is in close proximity to, the supply-side component delivering and receiving position, (vi) at the mounting-side component delivering and receiving position, receiving the component delivered from one of said each of said supply-side component holding members, and holding the component, and (vii) at the component mounting position, mounting the component held by said mounting-side component holding member onto the object, wherein said supply-side component holding members and said mounting-side component holding member are constructed and arranged such that while a component is delivered by one of said supply-side component holding members and received by said mounting-side component holding member another of said supply-side component holding members is positioned at the component take-out position to remove another component from the component supply unit.