Patent ID: 7738118

Claim:
A tape feeder, comprising: a feeding member which feeds a carrier tape having a plurality of feed holes arranged in a lengthwise direction of the carrier tape, and a plurality of component accommodating pockets which are arranged in the lengthwise direction of the carrier tape, accommodate respective electronic circuit components and have a predetermined relative position relative to the plurality of feed holes, wherein the feeding member has at least one engaging projection to engage the feed holes of the carrier tape and thereby feed the carrier tape so that the respective electronic circuit components accommodated by the component accommodating pockets are sequentially positioned at a component-supply position; and a tape-support surface which supports a surface of the carrier tape that is opposite to respective openings of the component accommodating pockets, and which has, in a path-related portion thereof located along a path of movement of the feed holes, at least one optical-characteristic giving portion which is larger than one of the feed holes and which has a first optical characteristic that is given to said one feed hole and is recognized differently by an optical recognizing device than a second optical characteristic had by an other portion of the path-related portion.