Patent ID: 7219708

Claim:
An apparatus for inspecting a film carrier tape for mounting electronic component in which a plurality of electronic component mounting portions is provided in multiple strips in a transverse direction, comprising: an unwinding device for unwinding the film carrier tape for mounting electronic component in the multiple strips in which the individual film carrier tapes for mounting electronic component previously cut and separated into the individual strips are wound upon an unwinding reel, respectively; a back tension roller; an inspecting section for simultaneously inspecting the film carrier tapes for mounting electronic component, which are cut into strips, while causing them to run in parallel with each other; a drive gear; a take-up device for simultaneously taking up the film carrier tapes for mounting electronic component cut into strips, which are inspected in the inspecting section upon a plurality of take-up reels attached to an identical take-up shaft in parallel, respectively; and wherein the apparatus further comprises a guide member located at the inspection section for causing the cut strips of film carrier tapes to run in parallel with each other, the guide member comprising: a side guide portion formed on opposed transverse ends of the guide member to guide opposed outermost sides of the parallel running strips of film carrier tapes, a centrally located adjacent part guide portion positioned intermediate the side guide portions to guide adjacent innermost adjacent sides of the parallel running strips of film carrier tapes, said guide member further having undercut portions defining underlying spaces beneath each transverse region between each of the outermost side guide portions and the centrally located adjacent part guide portion whereby only edge portions of the adjacent strips are engaged by the guide member and the underlying spaces do not contact a central region of the strips running parallel through the guide member, whereby interaction between the edge support provided by the guide member and the drive gear and the back tension roller eliminates a transverse curling of the strips and causes the strips of film carrier tapes to reside in a common plane so as to locate an entire transverse width of the strips in a common focal length for simultaneous viewing of the strips in the inspecting station.