Patent ID: 7058216

Claim:
An apparatus for detecting a coplanarity of a plurality of leads of an electronic component that laterally extend from a main body thereof, the main body having, in a plan view thereof, a shape including a plurality of straight side portions from each of which the leads laterally extend, the apparatus comprising: a holding device which holds the main body of the electronic component at an upper surface of the main body, wherein the holding device includes a rotating device which rotates the electronic component about an axis line thereof that perpendicularly passes through the upper surface of the main body; an image taking device which faces the electronic component held by the holding device and has an optical axis that is inclined by a predetermined angle relative to a plane containing a bottom surface of the main body such that in a direction from the image taking device toward the electronic component, the optical axis goes down in a direction from the upper surface to the bottom surface, wherein the rotating device rotates the electronic component, about the axis line thereof, to each of a plurality of angular positions at which a corresponding one of the plurality of side portions of the main body extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of the image taking device, at a position between the axis line of the electronic component and the image taking device, so that the image taking device takes an image of respective end portions of the leads extending from said one side portion of the main body; a background forming device which is provided on one of opposite sides of the electronic component that is opposite to the other side thereof on which the image taking device is provided, and which forms a background having an optical characteristic different from an optical characteristic of the leads; and an image processing device which processes the image of the respective end portions of the leads taken by the image taking device and thereby determines, as a first coplanarity, the coplanarity of the leads extending from said one side portion of the main body.