Patent ID: 7337533

Claim:
A component mounting apparatus comprising: a nozzle for holding a component at its lower end, said component being supplied from a component supply unit; a nozzle elevating means for moving said nozzle up/down; a nozzle moving means for moving said nozzle horizontally; obstacles higher than a height with which said component is picked up from said component supply unit or a height with which said component is to be mounted on a board conveyed by conveyance rails; and a control means for controlling said nozzle elevating means and said nozzle moving means so that said component moved by said nozzle moving means is mounted on said board; wherein said control means stores positions and heights of a plurality of said obstacles disposed between said component supply unit and said board; and when said nozzle having picked up said component in a position to pick up said component from said component supply unit is to move to a position to mount said component on said board, said control means locates said nozzle at a height high enough not to interfere with a first one of said obstacles and then moves said nozzle to a height high enough not to interfere with a next one of said obstacles in sync with the time when said nozzle has finished passing over said first obstacle.