WO2024257382A1 - Mounting device and mounting assistance method - Google Patents

Abstract

A component mounting device (1020) comprises: a head (1160) that mounts, on a substrate (1200), a component supplied from a component supply unit (31); an arrangement unit that arranges a plurality of feeders included in the component supply unit (31) side by side in a predetermined direction; and one or more antennas (314) configured to be able to communicate with a tag (315t) of a case (315) attached to the feeders. The one or more antennas (314) are provided over the component supply unit (31).

Description

Mounting device and mounting support method

This disclosure relates to an implementation device and an implementation support method.

Conventionally, there is known a component supplying device that removes components from a container in which the components are stored and supplies the components to a mounting device. The component supplying device needs to supply the mounting device with components appropriate for production from among many different types of components. For this reason, it is desirable for the component supplying device to obtain information about the components stored in the container.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an RF tag reading system that includes a reader with an antenna that receives signals from RF (Radio Frequency) tags attached to managed items, and a control device that acquires information about the RF tag from the received signals. The control device can acquire information about the managed items based on the received signals.

For example, if an RF tag is attached to a container that holds parts and is attached to a feeder, the technology of Patent Document 1 can be used to read the RF tag via the feeder to obtain information about the parts contained in the container.

JP 2010-102530 A

However, since the feeder has a metal housing, when reading an RF tag through a feeder having a metal housing using the technology of Patent Document 1, the feeder needs to be processed, for example by providing a transparent window that allows radio waves to pass through, which makes the feeder configuration complicated. For this reason, it is desirable to obtain information about the target object using a simpler configuration.

The present disclosure therefore provides an implementation device and implementation support method that can obtain information about an object with a simpler configuration.

A mounting device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a head that mounts components supplied from a component supply unit onto a board, an arrangement unit that arranges a plurality of feeders provided in the component supply unit in a predetermined direction, and one or more receiving units configured to be able to communicate with a tag of a first component container attached to the feeder, the one or more receiving units being provided above the component supply unit.

A mounting support method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a mounting support method for identifying the position of a component container in the placement section in a mounting device that includes a head that mounts components supplied from a component supply unit on a board, a placement section that arranges a plurality of feeders of the component supply unit in a predetermined direction, and one or more receiving sections that are configured to be able to communicate with tags of component containers attached to the feeders, the one or more receiving sections being provided above the component supply unit, and the mounting support method identifies the position of the component container in the placement section based on the strength of radio waves received by the one or more receiving sections from the tags of the component containers.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to realize a mounting device or the like that can acquire information about an object with a simpler configuration.

FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a component mounting line according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the component mounting system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the bogie according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of tape cassettes in a temporary storage area according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the feeder according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an arrangement of tags and antennas provided on a plurality of objects according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a partially exploded perspective view of the tape cassette according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the tape cassette supplying device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the component mounting system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the arrangement of antennas and tags used in the verification according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the distribution of radio wave reception strength for each antenna according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the component mounting system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an antenna according to a modification of the first embodiment. In FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a component mounting apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a bogie and its surroundings according to the second embodiment. FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a bogie according to a modified example of the second embodiment.

The mounting device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes a head that mounts components supplied from a component supply unit onto a board, an arrangement unit that arranges a plurality of feeders provided in the component supply unit in a predetermined direction, and one or more receiving units that are configured to be able to communicate with a tag of a first component container attached to the feeder, and the one or more receiving units are provided above the component supply unit.

As a result, the receiving unit is positioned above the component supply unit, making it possible to read the tag information without going through the feeder. In other words, there is no need to provide a transparent window or the like in the feeder. Therefore, the mounting device can obtain information about the target object with a simpler configuration.

Also, for example, the mounting device according to the second aspect of the present disclosure may be the mounting device according to the first aspect, and may include a protective cover part that is provided above the component supply unit and separates the movable range of the head from the component supply unit, and the one or more receiving parts may be attached to the protective cover part.

As a result, for example, if a protective cover is provided on the mounting device, the receiving unit can be attached to the protective cover. In other words, there is no need to add a configuration for attaching the receiving unit to the mounting device. Therefore, the mounting device can obtain information about the target object with an even simpler configuration.

Also, for example, the mounting device according to the third aspect of the present disclosure may be the mounting device according to the second aspect, and one side of the feeder that is the joining surface with the one side of the first component container on which the tag is provided may be provided so as to protrude from the protective cover portion in a plan view.

As a result, the protective cover is less likely to get in the way when attaching the first component container to the feeder. This makes it possible to obtain information about the target object with a simpler configuration while minimizing the decrease in workability.

Also, for example, the mounting device according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure may be the mounting device according to the second or third aspect, in which the component supply unit holds the multiple feeders together and is provided on a detachable cart section at a predetermined position on the device body, and the protective cover section is provided on the cart section.

As a result, for example, if the protective cover is provided on the cart, the receiving unit can be attached to the protective cover. In other words, there is no need to add a configuration for attaching the receiving unit to the cart. Therefore, with the mounting device, it is possible to obtain information about the target object with an even simpler configuration.

Furthermore, for example, the mounting device according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure may be a mounting device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, and the first component container may be provided above the feeder.

This makes it possible to more reliably prevent the feeder from interfering with communication between the receiver and the tag.

Also, for example, a mounting device according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure may be the mounting device according to the fifth aspect, in which a holding area for holding a second component container is provided below the component supply unit, and the one or more receiving units are further configured to be able to communicate with a tag of the second component container held in the holding area.

This allows the receiving unit to also obtain information from the tag of the second component holder. For example, if the receiving unit for the first component holder and the receiving unit for the second component holder are realized by a common receiving unit, the configuration of the mounting device can be simplified compared to when a receiving unit is provided for each.

Furthermore, for example, a mounting device according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure may be a mounting device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, and the number of the one or more receiving units may be less than the number of the first component receptacles that can be arranged in the arrangement section.

This allows the number of receivers to be reduced, further simplifying the configuration of the mounting device.

The mounting support method according to the eighth aspect of the present disclosure is a mounting support method for identifying the position of a component container in the placement section in a mounting device that includes a head that mounts components supplied from a component supply unit on a board, a placement section that arranges a plurality of feeders of the component supply unit in a predetermined direction, and one or more receiving sections that are configured to be able to communicate with tags of component containers attached to the feeders, the one or more receiving sections being provided above the component supply unit, and the mounting support method identifies the position of the component container in the placement section based on the strength of radio waves received by the one or more receiving sections from the tags of the component containers.

This provides the same effect as the mounting device described above.

These general or specific aspects may be realized as a system, method, integrated circuit, computer program, or non-transitory recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or as any combination of a system, method, integrated circuit, computer program, or recording medium. The program may be pre-stored in the recording medium, or may be supplied to the recording medium via a wide area communication network including the Internet.

The following describes the embodiment in detail with reference to the drawings.

The embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, components, component placement and connection forms, steps, and order of steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in an independent claim are described as optional components.

In addition, each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily an exact illustration. Therefore, for example, the scales of each figure do not necessarily match. In addition, in each figure, the same reference numerals are used for substantially the same configuration, and duplicate explanations are omitted or simplified.

In addition, in this specification and the drawings, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis represent the three axes of a right-handed three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system. The Z-axis direction is parallel to the height direction of the component mounting system.

In addition, in this specification, terms indicating relationships between elements, such as "same," terms indicating the shapes of elements, such as "U-shaped" or "L-shaped," as well as numerical values and numerical ranges, are not expressions that express only the strict meaning, but are expressions that include a substantially equivalent range, for example, a difference of about a few percent (or about 10%).

In addition, in this specification, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" do not refer to the number or order of components, unless otherwise specified, but are used for the purpose of avoiding confusion between and distinguishing between components of the same type.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, a component mounting system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A to 11. FIG.

[1-1. Configuration of component mounting system]
First, the configuration of a component mounting system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1A to 8. Figure 1A is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a component mounting line according to the present embodiment. Figure 1B is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a component mounting system 10 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the component mounting system 10 includes multiple production devices (M1 to M7) that make up a component mounting line. The multiple production devices include at least one component mounting device 20 (see FIG. 1B). The component mounting line mounts components on mounting targets such as boards to produce circuit boards (boards on which components are mounted). Specifically, the component mounting line includes a board supply device M1, a board transfer device M2, a printing device M3, component mounting devices M4 and M5 (two component mounting devices 20 connected in series), a reflow device M6, and a board recovery device M7, and these multiple production devices (M1 to M7) are connected in series. Each of the multiple production devices (M1 to M7) is connected to a management device via a communication network. The multiple production devices (M1 to M7) can use publicly known equipment used in publicly known component mounting lines.

When a component mounting line starts producing circuit boards, it is necessary to replenish materials such as components to be mounted on the boards. Also, the work units used by the production equipment (M1 to M7) may be changed. For this reason, component mounting system 10 is equipped with a supply device that supplies either work units or materials to the production equipment (M1 to M7). As shown in FIG. 1B, component mounting system 10 is equipped with a tape cassette supply device 40. Tape cassette supply device 40 is an example of a supply device. Component mounting system 10 is an example of a mounting system.

The component mounting device 20 is a device that mounts components supplied by a component supply unit 31 provided on a cart 30 onto a mounting target such as a board 50. Specifically, the component mounting device 20 includes a component mounting device main body 20a (device main body) and a cart 30. The component mounting device main body 20a includes a head 21 that picks up components (not shown) (components supplied from the component supply unit 31) on the component supply unit 31 of the cart 30 and transfers and mounts them onto the board 50, a board transport section 22 that transports the board 50 on which the components are mounted by the head 21 to a downstream reflow device (for example, the reflow device M6 shown in FIG. 1A), and a positioning device 23 that positions the cart 30. The component mounting device 20 is an example of a mounting device. The component supply unit 31 is an example of a work unit.

The dolly 30 is a dolly that is connected to the component mounting device main body 20a by being positioned by the positioning device 23. The dolly 30 includes a component supply unit 31 having a feeder (see FIGS. 2 and 4) described later, a first tape cassette support section 70 (see FIG. 2) that detachably holds a plurality of tape cassettes 60 that store rolls of carrier tape, and a feeder support section 75 (see FIG. 2) that detachably holds a feeder (see FIGS. 2 and 4). Each feeder support section 75 is arranged in the X-axis direction so as to be paired with each first tape cassette support section 70. The dolly 30 has a configuration that allows a plurality of feeders to be arranged in the X-axis direction, on which component containers (cases 315 or tape cassettes 60 (e.g., rolls 80 shown in FIG. 6) that store components) are attached.

Note that the X-axis direction is an example of a predetermined direction, the trolley 30 is an example of a trolley section, and the feeder support section 75 and the first tape cassette support section 70 are an example of a placement section.

The tape cassette supplying device 40 is an example of a supplying device that supplies the tape cassette 60 to the first tape cassette support portion 70 of the dolly 30, or retrieves the tape cassette 60 from the first tape cassette support portion 70. In other words, the tape cassette 60 is an example of a member that is supplied to the supplying device, and the holding portion that holds the tape cassette 60 provided in the tape cassette supplying device 40 is an example of a placement portion.

The tape cassette supply device 40 can also transfer the tape cassette 60 from the tape cassette supply device 40 to the temporary storage area. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of the tape cassette 60 in the temporary storage area 700 according to this embodiment. For convenience, the tag 615t is shown in solid lines in FIG. 3. The temporary storage area 700 is arranged, for example, on the production floor (floor) where the component mounting device 20 is arranged, and includes an arrangement section for temporarily lining up and arranging the tape cassettes 60 and the like.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, an antenna stand 701 is placed in the temporary storage area 700, and the antenna stand 701 has a configuration capable of holding materials to be supplied to the production devices (M1 to M7) or materials collected from the production devices (M1 to M7). Specifically, the antenna stand 701 can hold tape cassettes 60. The antenna stand 701 is also provided with one or more antennas 702 configured to be able to receive wireless signals from tags 615t provided on the multiple tape cassettes 60. The antenna stand 701 may hold the tape cassettes 60 such that the tags 615t of the tape cassettes 60 are positioned on the antennas 702. A cover may be provided on the antenna 702 (for example, between the antenna 702 and the held tape cassette 60). The cover may be configured without including a metal material. The antenna stand 701 is an example of a placement unit, and the antennas 702 are an example of one or more receiving units.

The supply device (tape cassette supply device 40) may be capable of supplying or retrieving at least one of the case 315, cassette feeder 311 (or a bulk feeder described later), etc., in place of or together with the tape cassette 60. The printing device M3 uses a printing mask having a pattern formation area in which multiple openings are formed, to pattern print solder on a mounting target such as a board. For example, the supply device may be capable of supplying or retrieving a printing mask (not shown). In this case, the supply device is configured to be capable of transferring at least one of the case 315, cassette feeder 311 (or a bulk feeder described later), and printing mask (not shown), etc., to the temporary storage area 700. Thus, the object transferred to the temporary storage site 700 is not limited to the tape cassette 60, but may be the case 315, the cassette feeder 311 (or a bulk feeder described later), a printing mask, a board 50 before components are mounted, a circuit board (either a finished product or a work-in-progress), an automated item 318 (see FIG. 2) for setting tape components in a feeder, etc. The temporary storage site 700 may be provided in a component mounting line (e.g., a device having a storage function that constitutes the component mounting line) or outside the component mounting line (e.g., a device having a storage function that is not physically connected to the component mounting line). When the temporary storage site 700 is provided in a component mounting line, the travel distance of the supply device when supplying components to the production devices (M1 to M7) is short, and therefore the time required to supply the components is reduced.

Next, the details of the cart 30 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the cart 30 according to this embodiment. Note that FIG. 2 illustrates only the cassette feeders 311 at both ends in the X-axis direction out of the multiple cassette feeders 311, and illustrates only the tape cassettes 60 at both ends in the X-axis direction out of the multiple tape cassettes 60.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cart 30 has a component supply unit 31, a plurality of first tape cassette support parts 70, a plurality of feeder support parts 75, and a cart body 32 that supports these. The component supply unit 31 is equipped with a cassette feeder 311 that supplies components stored in the tape cassette 60. The component mounting device 20 is also capable of using a bulk feeder (see FIG. 4) that is held by the feeder support part 75 in the same manner as the cassette feeder 311 and supplies bulk components stored in a case 315.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cassette feeder 311 holds an automated item 318 for loading a carrier tape into the cassette feeder 311.

Note that pulling the carrier tape into the cassette feeder 311 is an example of mounting the tape cassette 60 (component container) in a feeder. In the following, the cassette feeder 311 and the bulk feeder will also be referred to simply as feeders.

The feeder may also be provided with a tag (e.g., the 317t RFID tag in FIG. 4) that stores information about the feeder.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the bulk feeder 317 according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4, a case 315 that contains parts in a bulk state is attached to the bulk feeder 317. The case 315 is held on the upper surface of the bulk feeder 317. The case 315 is provided with a tag 315t that stores information about the parts that the case 315 contains. The information about the parts includes, for example, the type, size, and shape of the parts contained in the case 315. The bulk feeder 317 is provided with a tag 317t that stores information about the feeder. The tag 315t may also include information about the feeder to which the case 315 is attached. The information about the feeder includes the type of the feeder, identification information that uniquely identifies the feeder, size, and the like. The case 315 is an example of a part container.

In addition, when the bulk feeder 317 shown in FIG. 4 is placed in the placement section, the antenna 314 should be placed directly below the tag 317t.

Next, an antenna that receives radio signals from tags attached to multiple objects in the component mounting system 10 configured in this manner will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of tags and antennas attached to multiple objects in this embodiment. The tags (e.g., tag 315t) are arranged side by side in a predetermined direction. The number of antennas (e.g., antenna 314) is less than the number of tags attached to the multiple objects.

Here, the feeder held by the feeder support part 75 is an example of an object. The tape cassette 60 placed on the tape cassette supply device 40 or the first tape cassette support part 70 is an example of an object. A member placed on the antenna stand provided in the temporary storage area is an example of an object. The case 315 held by the feeder support part 75 via the bulk feeder 317 is an example of an object.

Referring again to FIG. 2, in this embodiment, an antenna 314 for reading information on the tag (e.g., at least one of tags 315t and 317t) shown in FIG. 4 is disposed on the feeder support portion 75. The antenna 314 is configured to be capable of communicating with tags of multiple objects including at least one of multiple cases 315 and multiple feeders disposed in the holding area 75a that holds multiple feeders arranged in the X-axis direction. The antenna 314 is disposed so that the information can be read from below the feeder. One or more antennas 314 are disposed. Note that the multiple feeders here may include multiple cassette feeders 311 and bulk feeders 317, or may include both cassette feeders 311 and bulk feeders 317.

In this embodiment, the number of antennas 314 is less than the number of feeders or cases 315 that can be arranged in the holding area 75a. It can also be said that the number of antennas 314 is less than the number of slots (e.g., feeder support parts 75) that can be arranged in the holding area 75a. Note that the holding area 75a is an area in which multiple feeder support parts 75 are provided.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, an antenna 614 for reading information on the tag 615t shown in FIG. 6 is disposed on the first tape cassette support portion 70. The antenna 614 is configured to be able to communicate with tags of multiple objects, which are multiple tape cassettes 60 disposed in the holding area 70a. The number of antennas 614 is less than the number of tape cassettes 60 that can be disposed in the holding area 70a. It can also be said that the number of antennas 614 is less than the number of slots (e.g., first tape cassette support portion 70) disposed in the holding area 70a.

The antenna 314 has a plate-shaped substrate 314a. In addition, an antenna pattern 314b, which is a wiring, is formed on the substrate 314a. The antenna pattern 314b is a conductor pattern that meanders in a meandering manner, but is not limited to this. In the example of FIG. 2, one antenna pattern 314b is formed on one antenna 314. This makes it possible to suppress signal interference within the substrate 314a, thereby improving communication quality. The antenna pattern 314b or the antenna 314 is an example of a receiving unit.

The antenna 614 also has a plate-shaped substrate 614a. An antenna pattern 614b, which is a wiring, is formed on the substrate 614a. The antenna pattern 614b is a conductor pattern that meanders in a meandering manner, but is not limited to this. The antenna pattern 614b or the antenna 614 is an example of a receiving unit.

The antenna 314 only needs to be able to communicate with at least one of the tags 315t provided on the case 315 and the tag 317t provided on the bulk feeder 317. The antenna 314 may also be able to communicate with a tag (not shown) provided on the cassette feeder 311 and a tag (not shown) provided on the automated item 318 held in the cassette feeder 311. The antenna 614 may also be able to communicate with a tag (not shown) provided on the automated item 318 held in the cassette feeder 311. Below, an example in which the antenna 314 communicates with the tag 315t provided on the case 315 will be mainly described.

As shown in FIG. 5, the arrangement interval P1 between adjacent antennas 314 is greater than the arrangement interval P2 between tags 315t. The arrangement intervals of the cassette feeders 311 and the arrangement intervals of the cases 315 are the same as the arrangement interval P2 between tags 315t. In addition, the multiple antennas 314 are arranged, for example, at equal intervals, but are not limited to this.

If the placement intervals P1 and P2 are not equal, the placement intervals P1 and P2 may be the average value of multiple placement intervals, or may be the median, mode, maximum value, minimum value, etc.

The RFID reading unit 24 is connected to each of the multiple antennas 314, and performs wireless communication with the tag 315t via the multiple antennas 314. The RFID reading unit 24, for example, transmits non-directional radio waves to the tag 315t. The radio waves are received by each of the multiple tags 315t. The RFID reading unit 24 is also capable of receiving radio waves from each of the multiple tags 315t. The RFID reading unit 24 is realized by a reader device. The RFID reading unit 24 is an example of an acquisition unit.

In this way, since the number of antennas 314 is smaller than the number of tags 315t, the number of connection terminals required for the RFID reading unit 24 can be reduced compared to when there are the same number of antennas 314 and tags 315t. This prevents the RFID reading unit 24 from becoming larger. Furthermore, since the number of wires connecting the antennas 314 and the RFID reading unit 24 can be reduced, the wiring is prevented from becoming complicated.

If the number of antennas 314 is less than the number of cases 315 that can be placed in the holding area 75a, it is necessary to identify the case 315 (tag 315t) in which the radio waves received by one or more antennas 314 were transmitted. For example, this is because it is necessary to determine whether the part housed in the attached case 315 is the part that corresponds to the attached position. The determination of the position of each case 315 will be described later.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the cassette feeder 311 pulls out the carrier tape from the tape cassette 60 (first tape cassette 61 or second tape cassette 65) held by the first tape cassette support portion 70, and transports the components stored on the carrier tape to a position for removal by the head 21.

The first tape cassette 61 is supported by a first tape cassette support portion 70 formed in the holding area 70a. The roll body 80 of the first tape cassette 61 is an example of a first component container.

The second tape cassette 65 is supported by a first tape cassette support portion 70 formed above the holding area 70a (on the positive side of the Z axis). The roll body 80 of the second tape cassette 65 is an example of a second component storage body.

In the example of FIG. 2, the first tape cassette 61 and the second tape cassette 65 are held below the cassette feeder 311, but this is not limited to this.

In this embodiment, the antenna 614 is arranged in both the holding area 70a, which holds a plurality of first tape cassettes 61 arranged in the X-axis direction, and the holding area 70b, which holds a plurality of second tape cassettes 65 arranged in the X-axis direction. The antenna 614 arranged in the holding area 70a is configured to be able to communicate with the tag 615t of the first tape cassette 61 shown in FIG. 6, which will be described later. The antenna 614 arranged in the holding area 70b is configured to be able to communicate with the tag 615t of the second tape cassette 65 shown in FIG. 6. The antenna 614 is arranged so that the information can be read from below the tape cassette 60, but may also be arranged so that the information can be read from above the tape cassette 60. For example, the antenna 614 may be arranged below the tape cassette 60, or above the tape cassette 60.

The first tape cassette support portion 70 (an example of a first arrangement portion) provided in the holding area 70a and the first tape cassette support portion 70 (an example of a second arrangement portion) provided in the holding area 70b hold the first tape cassette 61 and the second tape cassette 65 such that the tag 615t (first tag) provided on the first tape cassette 61 and the tag 615t (second tag) provided on the second tape cassette 65 are arranged at different positions from each other in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The first tag is provided on the underside (first side) of the first tape cassette 61, and the second tag is provided on the underside (second side) of the second tape cassette 65. For example, the first tape cassette support section 70 provided in the holding area 70a and the first tape cassette support section 70 provided in the holding area 70b are configured to be able to arrange the first tape cassette 61 and the second tape cassette 65 so that the vertical positions of the first side surface and the second side surface are different from each other. For example, it can be said that a tag 615t is provided on the side surface of the component container (e.g., the tape cassette 60), and the first component container (e.g., the first tape cassette 61) and the second component container (e.g., the second tape cassette 65) are held in the first arrangement section and the second arrangement section so that the positions of the side surfaces are different.

In this case, the positions of the first tape cassette 61 (e.g., roll body 80) and the second tape cassette 65 (e.g., roll body 80) in the X-axis direction may be identified based on radio signals via radio waves received by one or more antennas 614 from each of the first tag and the second tag (hereinafter, also simply referred to as based on radio waves). Specifically, the position of the first tape cassette 61 (e.g., roll body 80) in the X-axis direction may be identified based on radio waves received by one or more antennas 614 (an example of a first receiving unit) provided in the holding area 70a from each of the first tags, and the position of the second tape cassette 65 (e.g., roll body 80) in the X-axis direction may be identified based on radio waves received by one or more antennas 614 (an example of a second receiving unit) provided in the holding area 70b from each of the second tags. Furthermore, each of the one or more antennas 614 may be provided to be capable of communicating with the tag 315t of the case 315 attached to each of the one or more feeders (e.g., bulk feeder 317) arranged in the holding area 75a. The position of the case 315 in the X-axis direction may be identified based on the distribution of the reception intensity of the radio waves acquired by the one or more antennas 614 from the tag 315t of the one or more cases 315.

For example, the number of the one or more first receiving units is less than the number of first component holders that can be placed in the first placement section, and the number of the one or more second receiving units is less than the number of second component holders that can be placed in the second placement section. For example, the holding areas 70a, 70b that hold the tape cassettes 60 (e.g., the rolls 80) are divided into a plurality of zones (e.g., holding areas 70a and 70b), and antennas 614 are provided individually corresponding to each zone, and it can be said that the number of antennas 614 provided is less than the number of tape cassettes 60 that can be held in the zone.

The positions of the antennas 314 and 614 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 2, and may be located, for example, between the cassette feeder 311 and the tape cassette 60 in the vertical direction.

Comparing the first tape cassette 61 and the second tape cassette 65, they have roughly the same basic structure but differ in size. The second tape cassette 65 is smaller than the first tape cassette 61. Below, the structures of the first tape cassette 61 and the second tape cassette 65 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view in which a portion of the tape cassette 60 according to this embodiment is disassembled. FIG. 6 shows the tape cassette 60 with the cover body 622 (see FIG. 2) removed.

As shown in FIG. 6, the tape cassette 60 includes a storage section 62 and a tape feed section 63. The tape feed section 63 feeds the leading end of the carrier tape stored in the storage section 62 to the component supply unit 31.

The tape cassette 60 has a flat outer shape with its thickness oriented in the X-axis direction. The top surface 611 of the tape cassette 60 is formed parallel to the XY plane, and the base end surface 612 in the negative Y-axis direction is formed parallel to the XZ plane.

The storage section 62 stores a roll 80 around which carrier tape is wound. Specifically, the storage section 62 has a frame body 621 in which the roll body 80 is set, and a pair of cover bodies 622 (see FIG. 2), and the pair of cover bodies 622 are attached to the frame body 621 so as to sandwich the frame body 621 in the X-axis direction. A tag 615t is provided on the side of the storage section 62. The storage section 62 is also called a cassette.

A gripped portion 625 is provided above the frame body 621 via the tape feed section 63.

The gripped portion 625 is the portion that is gripped by the tape cassette supplying device 40. That is, when the tape cassette 60 is supplied to the first tape cassette support portion 70 by the tape cassette supplying device 40, or when it is removed from the first tape cassette support portion 70, the gripped portion 625 is gripped by the holding portion 43 (see FIG. 7) of the tape cassette supplying device 40. The gripped portion 625 has an L-shaped notch formed on both sides in the Y-axis direction, and the holding portion 43 of the tape cassette supplying device 40 is inserted into this notch.

A tag 626 that stores various information is provided on the upper surface 611 of the frame body 621. The information stored in the tag 626 includes information about the parts stored in the carrier tape that forms the roll body 80 or information about the tape cassette 60. Information about the parts includes the type and size of the parts. Information about the tape cassette 60 includes the type and size of the tape cassette 60. The tag 626 is designed so that information can be read by an antenna 423 (see Figure 7) provided in the holding portion 43. The information stored in the tag 626 may be the same as the information stored in the tag 615t, or it may be different.

Next, the tape cassette supplying device 40 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the general configuration of the tape cassette supplying device 40 according to this embodiment. FIG. 7(a) shows the general configuration of the tape cassette supplying device 40 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 7(b) shows an enlarged view of the tape cassette 60 housed in the tape cassette supplying device 40. Note that FIG. 7 also shows the holding portion 43.

As shown in FIG. 7(a), the tape cassette supplying device 40 is a mobile device that is transported on a floor surface by a transport vehicle 490, for example an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle), and is a device that supplies and collects tape cassettes 60 to the component mounting devices 20. In other words, the tape cassette supplying device 40 is a device that moves between multiple component mounting devices 20 by the transport vehicle 490 and transfers tape cassettes 60 to each component mounting device 20.

The tape cassette supplying device 40 is transported by a transport vehicle 490 and connected to the end of the component mounting device 20 in the negative Y-axis direction (see FIG. 1B). Therefore, in the connected state, the tape cassette supplying device 40 and the component mounting device 20 are arranged side by side in the Y-axis direction. The tape cassette supplying device 40 supplies the storage section 62 that stores the roll body 80 to the component mounting device 20.

Inside the tape cassette supply device 40 are a support part 42 that supports the tape cassette 60, a holding part 43 that holds the tape cassette 60 supported by the support part 42, and a support part movement mechanism (not shown) that moves the support part 42.

The support section 42 has a plurality of second tape cassette support sections 421 that individually support each tape cassette 60, and a mounting base 422 on which the plurality of second tape cassette support sections 421 are placed. Each second tape cassette support section 421 is a slot extending in the Y-axis direction, and is arranged along the X-axis direction relative to the mounting base 422. In the connected state, each second tape cassette support section 421 faces each first tape cassette support section 70 of the cart 30 in the Y-axis direction. In other words, the Y-axis direction is an example of a facing direction.

The holding unit 43 is also provided with an antenna 423 for reading information from the tag 626 of the tape cassette 60 held by the holding unit 43. The number of antennas 423 is less than the number of tape cassettes 60 (i.e., tags 626) that can be held by the holding unit 43.

The area in which the holding unit 43 is provided is an example of a placement unit. In other words, the placement unit and the antenna 423 (an example of a receiving unit) may be provided in the tape cassette supplying device 40. Also, together with the antenna 423, or instead of the antenna 423, an antenna for reading information from the tag 615t of the tape cassette 60 may be provided in the tape cassette supplying device 40 or the transport vehicle 490.

In the above, an example in which the component mounting system 10 includes a tape cassette supplying device 40 that supplies and collects the tape cassette 60 to the component mounting device 20 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition to the tape cassette supplying device 40, or instead of the tape cassette supplying device 40, a supplying device that supplies and collects the cassette feeder 311 (or bulk feeder 317) or case 315 to the component mounting device 20 may be provided. In this supplying device, like the tape cassette supplying device 40, one or more antennas are arranged that are less than the number of cassette feeders 311 (or bulk feeders 317) or cases 315 that the supplying device can hold, and the one or more antennas can read information from all of the tags of the cassette feeders 311 (or bulk feeders 317) or cases 315 that are greater than the number of antennas. In addition, such a supplying device is configured to be able to transfer the cassette feeders 311 (or bulk feeders 317) or cases 315 to a temporary storage area. That is, the antenna provided at the temporary storage area can read information from the tag of the cassette feeder 311 or the case 315. Also, the antenna 702 provided at the temporary storage area 700 may be capable of reading information from a tag (not shown) provided on the automated item 318 held by the cassette feeder 311.

Next, the functional configuration of the component mounting system 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the component mounting system 10 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, the component mounting system 10 includes a component mounting device 20, a floor control device 11, and a higher-level system 12. Note that FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of a system that includes only a cassette feeder 311 as a feeder.

The component mounting device 20 has an RFID reader 24 connected to the antenna 314, a trolley controller 25, and an equipment controller 26 (NCIO: Numerical Control Input/Output). Note that in FIG. 8, the antenna 614 connected to the RFID reader 24 is not shown.

The trolley control unit 25 is a control device that controls each component of the trolley 30 connected to the component mounting device main body 20a of the component mounting device 20. The trolley control unit 25 may, for example, control the component supply unit 31 to supply components. The trolley control unit 25 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memory, and each function is realized by the CPU executing a program stored in the memory.

The equipment control unit 26 is a control device that controls each component of the component mounting device 20. The equipment control unit 26 controls, for example, each component of the component mounting device 20 except for the trolley 30. The component mounting device 20 controls the operation of the head 21, the board transport unit 22, etc. The equipment control unit 26 has a CPU, memory, etc., and each function is realized by the CPU executing a program stored in the memory.

The floor control device 11 is a control device separate from the component mounting device 20 and is placed on the same floor as the component mounting device 20. There are multiple component mounting devices 20 on the floor, and the floor control device 11 monitors and controls the multiple component mounting systems 10. The floor control device 11 is connected to the component mounting devices 20 (e.g., the equipment control unit 26) so that it can communicate with them. The higher-level system 12 has a CPU, memory, etc., and each function is realized by the CPU executing a program stored in the memory.

The upper system 12 is a control device that is placed in a location different from the floor on which the component mounting device 20 is placed. The upper system 12 is placed, for example, in a remote location different from the building (e.g., a factory) on which the component mounting device 20 is placed, and is connected to the floor control device 11 so as to be able to communicate (e.g., wirelessly). The upper system 12 has a CPU, memory, etc., and each function is realized by the CPU executing a program stored in the memory.

Any of the above control devices performs the determination of the positions in the X-axis direction of the multiple objects held in the holding area 70a or the like (first process). Furthermore, any of the above control devices performs the determination of whether or not a suitable component container corresponding to the object (cassette feeder 311 or tape cassette 60) placed in the first tape cassette support unit 70, feeder support unit 75, or the like (second process) is held in the holding area 70a or the like based on the information of the tag 315t or the like whose position has been determined. If the processing unit that performs the first process is the first processing unit and the processing unit that performs the second process is the second processing unit, the function of the first processing unit may be provided in the component mounting device 20. Furthermore, the function of the first processing unit may be provided in the component mounting device 20, and the function of the second processing unit may be provided outside the component mounting device 20. The function of the second processing unit may be provided in a device (e.g., the upper system 12) that is placed in an area different from the floor on which the component mounting device 20 is installed. In the following, an example in which the equipment control unit 26 functions as the first processing unit and the second processing unit will be described.

[1-2. Method for identifying the position of an object]
Next, an example of identifying the position of an object in the X-axis direction by radio waves received from each of the tags 315t, etc. will be described with reference to Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the antenna 314 and the tag 315t used in the verification of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 9, four antennas 314 (ant1 to ant4) are arranged, and above them, 15 tags 315t are arranged at a specified distance from the antennas 314 via spacers 315s.

Under these conditions, signals are output in sequence from the four antennas 314 using radio waves, and when the tag 315t receives the radio signal, it returns the radio signal to the RFID reading unit 24 via the antenna 314.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the distribution of radio wave reception strength (signal strength) for each antenna 314 in this embodiment. FIG. 10 shows the distribution of radio wave reception strength received under the conditions shown in FIG. 9, with the horizontal axis showing the tag 315t number (1 to 15) and the vertical axis showing reception strength (RSSI).

The radio waves from tag 315t contain identification information for identifying tag 315t. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the RFID reading unit 24 can obtain information indicating the reception strength of radio waves from tag 315t having which identification information (e.g., which number) by using the radio waves received from tag 315t. At this point, however, it is not known in which position in the slot tag 315t having which identification information is located.

The equipment control unit 26 then uses the first learning model to identify the position of the case 315 in the X-axis direction (i.e., which slot has the tag 315t with which identification information placed in it). The first learning model is a machine learning model that uses as input information the reception strength of radio waves received by each of one or more antennas 314 (four antennas 314 in this case) from the tag 315t of the target object (case 315 in this case), and learns information about the position in the X-axis direction (a specified direction) of the managed object in which the tag 315t is installed as correct answer data. The information about the position in the X-axis direction includes, for example, information indicating the position of the slot (e.g., an address).

The equipment control unit 26 determines which of the multiple feeder support units 75 (which slot) the case 315 attached to has transmitted the wireless signal received by the antenna 314 based on the reception intensity distribution shown in FIG. 10. The equipment control unit 26 inputs the reception intensity distribution shown in FIG. 10 into a trained model trained by supervised learning using the position of the feeder support unit 75 as correct answer data, and determines the output obtained as the position of the case 315 that transmitted the wireless signal. The reception intensity distribution shown in FIG. 10 is an example of information based on signal intensity.

In addition, in the trained model, a position determination threshold, weight parameters, etc. for associating the reception intensity distribution of the radio signal received by the antenna 314 with the slot position in which the object that transmitted the radio signal (e.g., case 315) is set can be set by training.

The above method makes it possible to accurately identify the positions at which the cases 315 are attached, even if the number of antennas 314 is less than the number of cases 315.

Note that, although one trained model may be generated, it is more preferable to generate multiple trained models according to the type of holding area 75a. The type of holding area 75a is the number of slots, but may also be, for example, the length of holding area 75a in the X-axis direction or the width of the slots. In this case, for example, the reception intensity distribution shown in FIG. 10 is obtained for each number of slots, and a trained model is generated for each number of slots. The equipment control unit 26 obtains information indicating the number of slots in holding area 75a, determines one trained model according to the obtained information indicating the number of slots, and identifies the position of tag 315t (position of case 315) using the determined trained model.

In the example of FIG. 2, the antenna 314 is described as being provided below the cassette feeder 311, but it may be provided above the cassette feeder 311. Furthermore, if the feeder is a bulk feeder 317, the antenna 314 may be provided below the bulk feeder 317 or above the case 315. In this case, when receiving radio waves from the tag 315t of the case 315, multiple trained models may be generated according to the number of parts in the case 315. This is because, if the parts housed in the case 315 contain metal, the signal strength of the radio waves received by the antenna 314 changes according to the number of parts in the case 315.

For example, a first learning model, which is a trained model, may be generated by the method described above based on the distribution of radio wave reception strength obtained from tag 315t when the number of parts in case 315 is a first number (e.g., the maximum number), and a second learning model, which is a trained model, may be generated by the method described above based on the distribution of radio wave reception strength obtained from tag 315t when the number of parts in case 315 is a second number (e.g., half the maximum number) that is less than the first number. The generation of the first learning model and the second learning model is performed, for example, by the equipment control unit 26.

The equipment control unit 26 may then switch between the first learning model and the second learning model depending on the number of parts contained in the case 315 attached to the bulk feeder 317 arranged in the placement unit. Note that three or more learned models may be generated depending on the number of parts in the case 315.

The trained model (third trained model) may be generated in multiple ways depending on at least one of the number of objects placed in the placement section (holding area 75a, holding areas 70a and 70b, the area where holding section 43 is provided, support section 42, and antenna stand 701 of temporary storage area 700) and the positions at which the objects are attached. Specifically, multiple trained models may be generated in multiple ways depending on at least one of the number of cases 315 placed in holding area 75a and the positions at which the cases 315 are attached. This is because if the ratio of the area occupied by case 315 to holding area 75a changes or the position of the area occupied by case 315 changes, the signal strength of the radio waves received by antenna 314 changes. In this case, equipment control section 26 may switch between the first trained model and the third trained model depending on at least one of the number and positions of cases 315 held in multiple bulk feeders 317 placed in the placement section. Here, the third trained model is trained using as input information information based on the radio wave reception strength (third signal strength) acquired when at least one of the number and positions of the cases 315 held in the multiple bulk feeders 317 arranged in the placement section differs from at least one of the number and positions when radio waves with the reception strength included in the input information used to train the first trained model were received.

Furthermore, for example, a plurality of trained models (fourth trained model) may be generated according to at least one of the number and positions of the feeders (cassette feeders 311 or bulk feeders 317) placed in the placement section (antenna stand 701 in holding area 75a or temporary storage area 700). Specifically, a plurality of trained models may be generated according to at least one of the number and positions of the bulk feeders 317 placed in holding area 75a. This is because when the proportion of the area occupied by the work unit relative to holding area 75a or the position of the area occupied by the feeder changes, the signal strength of the radio waves received by antenna 314 changes. In this case, equipment control unit 26 may switch between the first trained model and the fourth trained model according to at least one of the number and positions of the multiple work units placed in the placement section. Here, the fourth trained model is trained using as input information information based on the radio wave reception strength (fourth signal strength) acquired when at least one of the number and position of task units arranged in the placement section is different from at least one of the number and position when radio waves with the reception strength included in the input information used to train the first trained model were received.

[1-3. Operation of component mounting system]
Next, the operation of the component mounting system 10 configured as above will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation (mounting support method) of the component mounting system 10 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 11, the RFID reading unit 24 starts tag detection (S10). Specifically, the RFID reading unit 24 sequentially transmits radio waves to each antenna 314, and receives radio waves transmitted from the tag 315t in response to the radio waves.

Next, the RFID reading unit 24 acquires the reception strength (RSSI) for each antenna 314 from the received radio waves (S20). The RFID reading unit 24 acquires the reception strength for each antenna 314 and each tag 315t. For example, if there are four antennas 314 and 15 tags 315t, 60 reception strengths are acquired. The RFID reading unit 24 outputs the acquired reception strength to the equipment control unit 26 via the trolley control unit 25.

Then, the equipment control unit 26 uses the machine learning model to determine the tag position (S30). As described above, the equipment control unit 26 reads out the trained model that has been trained in advance, and determines that the output of the trained model obtained by inputting the coordinates of the three coordinate axes of the principal component analysis corresponding to the reception strength into the read trained model is the tag position of the tag 315t. The tag position is the position in the X-axis direction (slot position) within the holding area 75a.

Next, the equipment control unit 26 links the tag information contained in the radio waves from the tag 315t with the position in the X-axis direction (slot position) within the holding area 75a (S40). This identifies the position (slot) of the case 315 in which the tag 315t was attached that transmitted the signal.

Then, based on the position of the case 315 identified in step S30, the equipment control unit 26 determines whether or not an appropriate case 315 corresponding to that position is being held in the holding area 75a. That is, the equipment control unit 26 performs a component matching to determine whether or not the type of component indicated in the tag information of the tag 315t of the case 315 identified in step S30 matches the type of component that should originally be placed at that position (S50). Information indicating the type of component that should originally be placed may be obtained, for example, from the floor control device 11 or the higher-level system 12, or may be stored in the component mounting device 20. In addition, the information may be obtained, for example, from a production plan, etc.

Next, the equipment control unit 26 executes a production judgment as to whether or not to start production (S60). In other words, production is not taking place until step S50, and production is started based on the judgment result of step S60. For example, if the part types match in the part matching, the equipment control unit 26 judges to start production, and if the part types do not match in the part matching, the equipment control unit 26 judges not to start production.

Then, the equipment control unit 26 notifies the host system 12 of the determination result of step S60 (S70). The equipment control unit 26 may also issue a notification according to the determination result of step S60. This allows floor workers to be notified that the part types do not match, enabling a quick response if the case 315 is attached by mistake.

Note that the component matching (S50) and production judgment (S60) according to the first embodiment may be performed by the higher-level system 12. In this case, the equipment control unit 26 notifies the higher-level system 12 of the result of step S40. By separating the processing unit that judges the position (S30) and links the judged position to tag information (S40) from the processing unit that executes the component matching (S50) and production judgment (S60) processes, the load on each processing unit is reduced. This makes it possible to reduce the cost of the equipment control unit 26, and as a result, the cost of the component mounting device 20 can be reduced. Separation here means that multiple processes are distributed and processed using different information processing devices.

(Modification of the first embodiment)
The component mounting system according to this modification will be described below with reference to Fig. 12. Note that the following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment, and descriptions of the same or similar contents as the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of an antenna 316 according to this modified example. In FIG. 12, only the upper portion of the trolley 30a is shown.

As shown in FIG. 12, the shape of the antenna 316 in the component mounting system of this modified example is different from that of the antenna 314 in the first embodiment.

The antenna 316 has a substrate 316a that is elongated in the X-axis direction. In addition, multiple antenna patterns 316b, which are wiring, are formed on the substrate 316a. In other words, multiple antenna patterns 316b are formed on a single substrate 316a.

This allows the cost of antenna 316 to be reduced compared to when one antenna is formed on one substrate.

In addition, a switch may be provided on the substrate 316a, and the connection between the multiple antenna patterns 316b and the RFID reading unit 24 may be switched by the switch. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of wiring connecting the antenna 316 and the RFID reading unit 24.

The same applies to antennas 423 and 614 according to embodiment 1. In other words, antennas 423 and 614 may be realized by a single substrate on which multiple meandering antenna patterns are formed.

(Embodiment 2)
[2-1. Configuration of component mounting device]
The configuration of the component mounting device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 13 and 14. The following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a component mounting device 1020 according to the present embodiment. The component mounting device 1020 according to the present embodiment differs from the component mounting device 20 according to the first embodiment in that the antenna 314 is disposed above the case 315. The component mounting system 10 according to the first embodiment may include the component mounting device 1020 instead of the component mounting device 20.

As shown in FIG. 13, the component mounting device 1020 includes a component mounting device main body 1110 (device main body), a board transport unit 1120, a cart 1130, an X-axis movement mechanism 1140, a Y-axis movement mechanism 1150, a head 1160, a protective cover unit 1170, and an antenna 314.

The board transport section 1120 is disposed near the center of the component mounting device main body 1110 along the X-axis (along the transport direction of the board 1200). The board transport section 1120 transports the board 1200 brought in from the upstream side in a direction along the X-axis, and positions and holds it on a mounting stage set up to perform the component mounting work.

The trolley 1130 is a trolley that is connected to the component mounting device main body 1110 of the component mounting device 1020. The trolley 1130 can be attached and detached to a predetermined position of the component mounting device main body 1110, for example. The trolley 1130 is equipped with a component supply unit 31 having a bulk feeder 317 that aligns and supplies bulk-shaped components stored in a case 315. The component supply unit 31 arranges multiple bulk feeders 317 in a predetermined direction (X-axis direction). For example, the trolley 1130 can hold multiple bulk feeders 317 together. The trolley 1130 has a configuration that allows multiple cases 315, which are component containers that store components, to be arranged in the X-axis direction. It can also be said that the trolley 1130 has an arrangement section that allows multiple cases 315 to be arranged in the X-axis direction. The cart 1130 may have a configuration that allows multiple cassette feeders 311 and tape cassettes 60 to be arranged side by side in the X-axis direction. Here, "detachable" means that the cart 1130 can be connected to the component mounting device main body 1110 and the connection between the component mounting device main body 1110 and the cart 1130 can be released without destroying the component mounting device main body 1110 and the cart 1130.

A Y-axis movement mechanism 1150 equipped with a linear drive mechanism is disposed in the Y-axis direction at the end in the positive direction of the X-axis on the top surface of the component mounting device main body 1110, and two X-axis movement mechanisms 1140 similarly equipped with linear drive mechanisms are coupled to the Y-axis movement mechanism 1150 so as to be freely movable in the Y-axis direction. A head 1160 is attached to each of the two X-axis movement mechanisms 1140 so as to be freely movable in the X-axis direction.

The head 1160 mounts (mounts) the components supplied from the bulk feeder 317 arranged on the cart 1130 onto the board 1200.

The head 1160 is equipped with a component suction nozzle 1160a that can pick up and hold a component and move up and down individually. The head 1160 has a Z-axis lifting mechanism that lifts and lowers the component suction nozzle 1160a, and a θ-axis rotation mechanism that rotates the component suction nozzle 1160a around the nozzle axis.

The protective cover part 1170 is a cover provided to ensure the safety of the worker during work so that the worker does not come into contact with moving parts such as the head 1160. The protective cover part 1170 is provided above the component supply unit 31 and is provided to separate the movable range of the head 1160 from the component supply unit 31.

The protective cover part 1170 has a shape that conforms to the bulk feeder 317 to which the case 315 is attached. Specifically, the protective cover part 1170 has a first part 1170a that covers the head 1160 side of the bulk feeder 317, and a second part 1170b that covers the bulk feeder 317 and is provided on the positive Z-axis side of the first part 1170a. The second part 1170b is inclined, for example, along the top surface of the case 315. The second part 1170b is inclined so as to face the top surface of the case 315. The antenna 314 is provided on the second part 1170b.

Furthermore, one side surface 317a of the bulk feeder 317, which is the joining surface with one side surface 315b on which the tag 315t of the case 315 is provided, is provided at a position protruding from the protective cover portion 1170 in a plan view. For example, in a plan view, the area of the portion of the case 315 that does not overlap with the second portion 1170b is larger than the area of the portion that overlaps with the second portion 1170b. Also, for example, the antenna 314 and the tag 315t may be positioned so that they do not overlap each other in a plan view.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the cart 1130 and its surroundings according to this embodiment. Note that FIG. 14 shows one bulk feeder 317 installed.

As shown in FIG. 14, the protective cover part 1170 has a plate-like portion extending along the X-axis direction, and is provided above the case 315. The antenna 314 is disposed, for example, on the lower surface (the surface on the negative Z-axis side) of the protective cover part 1170.

Referring again to FIG. 13, the case 315 is provided on top of the bulk feeder 317.

The antenna 314 is provided above the component supply unit 31. In this embodiment, the antenna 314 is attached to the protective cover part 1170. For example, no metallic members such as the bulk feeder 317 are disposed between the antenna 314 and the case 315. The antenna 314 is also connected to the RFID reading part 24 (see FIG. 8).

The antenna 314 is an antenna for communicating with the tags 315t, etc., in order to read information from the tags 315t, etc. One or more antennas 314 are provided. In this embodiment, a plurality of antennas 314 are provided. The arrangement interval between adjacent antennas 314 (corresponding to the arrangement interval P2 in embodiment 1) may be the same as the arrangement interval between the tags 315t (corresponding to the arrangement interval P1 in embodiment 1), or the arrangement interval between the antennas 314 may be greater. For example, the number of the one or more antennas 314 may be the same as the number of cases 315 that can be arranged in the component supply unit 31 (i.e., the number of bulk feeders 317), or may be less than the number of cases 315.

A holding area (e.g., holding area 70a shown in FIG. 2) for holding tape cassettes 60 may be provided below the component supply unit 31. One or more antennas 314 may be configured to be able to communicate with a tag 615t of a tape cassette 60 held in the holding area. In other words, tags 315t and 615t may each be able to communicate with an antenna 314 provided above.

In addition, the antenna 314 may also be capable of reading information from a tag provided on the bulk feeder 317, either instead of or in addition to the tag 315t on the case 315.

The operation (mounting support method) of the component mounting system including the component mounting device 1020 according to this embodiment may be the same as that of the component mounting device 20 according to the first embodiment. For example, when the number of antennas 314 is the same as the number of cases 315, the position of the case 315 may be identified by the method shown in FIG. 11 of the first embodiment. For example, in the component mounting device 1020, one or more antennas 314 are provided above the component supply unit 31, and the mounting support method may acquire the reception strength of radio waves received from the tag 315t by the one or more antennas 314 provided above the component supply unit 31, and identify the position of each object in a predetermined direction based on the acquired reception strength of each object (e.g., the case 315 or the bulk feeder 317).

(Modification of the second embodiment)
The component mounting system according to this modification will be described below with reference to Fig. 15. Note that the following description will focus on the differences from the second embodiment, and descriptions of the same or similar contents as the second embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic diagram of the carriage 1130a according to this modified example.

As shown in FIG. 15, the cart 1130a may include a holding portion 1180 that holds the antenna 314. The holding portion 1180 holds the antenna 314 so that it can receive radio waves from the tag 315t from above the case 315. The holding portion 1180 holds the antenna 314 so that, for example, in a plan view, at least a portion of the antenna 314 and the case 315 overlap.

In this way, one or more antennas 314 are provided on the cart 1130a. The holding unit 1180 is also provided on the cart 1130a. Although not shown in FIG. 15, the cart 1130a is provided with a fixing mechanism for fixing the holding unit 1180 to the main body of the cart 1130a.

Other Embodiments
Although the component mounting system according to one or more aspects has been described based on the embodiment, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment. As long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present disclosure, various modifications conceived by a person skilled in the art to the present embodiment and forms constructed by combining components in different embodiments may also be included in the present disclosure.

For example, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the first tape cassette 61 and the second tape cassette 65 are different sizes, but this is not limited to this and they may be the same size.

The antenna 314 according to the second embodiment may also be applied to the cart 30 according to the first embodiment. For example, the antenna 314 may receive radio waves from the tag of the bulk feeder 317 or the case 315 and the tag 615t or 626 of the tape cassette 60, respectively, to identify the positions of the bulk feeder 317 or the case 315 and the tape cassette 60 in the X-axis direction.

In addition, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the first tape cassette 61 and the second tape cassette 65 are different sizes, but this is not limited to this and they may be the same size.

In addition, in this specification, the placement of the case 315 on the trolley 30 or the like via the bulk feeder 317 is also included in the placement of the object on the placement section.

In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the mounting target was a board, but this is not limited to this, and any object on which a component can be mounted may be used, for example, other components on which components can be mounted.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, each component may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

The order in which each step in the flowchart is performed is merely an example to specifically explain the present disclosure, and orders other than those described above may also be used. Some of the steps may also be performed simultaneously (in parallel) with other steps, and some of the steps may not be performed.

Furthermore, the division of functional blocks in the block diagram is one example, and multiple functional blocks may be realized as one functional block, one functional block may be divided into multiple blocks, or some functions may be transferred to other functional blocks. Furthermore, the functions of multiple functional blocks having similar functions may be processed in parallel or in a time-shared manner by a single piece of hardware or software.

Furthermore, each control device according to the above embodiments may be realized as a single device, or may be realized by multiple devices. When each control device is realized by multiple devices, the components of each control device may be distributed in any manner among the multiple devices. When each control device is realized by multiple devices, the communication method between the multiple devices is not particularly limited, and may be wireless communication or wired communication. Furthermore, wireless communication and wired communication may be combined between the devices.

Furthermore, these general or specific aspects may be realized in a system.

Another aspect of the present disclosure may be a computer program that causes a computer to execute each of the characteristic steps included in the implementation support method shown in FIG. 11.

Furthermore, for example, the program may be a program to be executed by a computer. Furthermore, one aspect of the present disclosure may be a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which such a program is recorded. For example, such a program may be recorded on a recording medium and distributed or circulated. For example, the distributed program may be installed in a device having another processor, and the program may be executed by that processor, thereby making it possible to cause that device to perform each of the above processes.

The present disclosure is useful for component mounting devices for producing mounted boards by mounting components on a board, or supply devices for supplying objects to component mounting devices.

10. Component mounting system (mounting system)
11 Floor control device 12 Upper system 20, 1020, M4, M5 Component mounting device (mounting device)
20a, 1110 Component mounting device body (device body)
21, 1160 Head 22, 1120 Substrate transport unit 23 Positioning device 24 RFID reader (acquisition unit)
25 Carriage control unit 26 Equipment control unit (first processing unit, second processing unit)
30, 30a, 1130, 1130a Cart (cart section)
31 Part supply unit 32 Cart body 40 Tape cassette supply device (supply device)
42 Supporting portion 43, 1180 Holding portion 50, 314a, 316a, 614a, 1200 Substrate 60 Tape cassette (component container)
61 First tape cassette 62 Storage section 63 Tape feed section 65 Second tape cassette 70 First tape cassette support section (arrangement section)
70a, 70b, 75a Holding area 75 Feeder support section 80 Roll body 311 Cassette feeder 314, 316, 614, 702 Antenna 314b, 316b, 614b Antenna pattern (receiving section)
315 Case (parts container)
315b, 317a One side surface 315s Spacer 315t, 317t, 615t, 626 Tag 317 Bulk feeder 318 Automated item 421 Second tape cassette support portion 422 Placement base 423 Antenna (receiving portion)
Description of the Reference Signs 490: Transport vehicle 611: Upper surface 612: Base end surface 621: Frame body 622: Cover body 625: Grasped part 700: Temporary storage area 701: Antenna stand 1140: X-axis movement mechanism 1150: Y-axis movement mechanism 1160a: Component suction nozzle 1170: Protective cover part 1170a: First part 1170b: Second part M1: Board supply device M2: Board transfer device M3: Printing device M6: Reflow device M7: Board removal device P1, P2: Arrangement interval

Claims (8)

a head that mounts components supplied from a component supply unit onto a board;
an arrangement unit that arranges a plurality of feeders provided in the component supply unit in a predetermined direction;
one or more receiving units configured to be able to communicate with a tag of a first component container attached to the feeder,
The one or more receiving units are provided above the component supply unit.
Mounting equipment. a protective cover portion provided above the component supply unit and separating a movable range of the head from the component supply unit;
The one or more receiving units are attached to the protective cover unit.
The mounting device according to claim 1 . The one side surface of the feeder, which is a coupling surface with the one side surface of the first component housing on which the tag is provided, is provided so as to protrude from the protective cover portion in a plan view.
The mounting device according to claim 2 . the component supply unit holds the plurality of feeders together and is provided on a carriage that can be attached to and detached from a predetermined position of the device body;
The protective cover portion is provided on the carriage portion,
The mounting device according to claim 2 . The first component container is provided on an upper portion of the feeder.
The mounting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. a holding area for holding a second component container is provided below the component supply unit,
The one or more receiving units are further configured to be able to communicate with a tag of the second component container held in the holding area.
The mounting device according to claim 5 . the number of the one or more receiving units is less than the number of the first component holders that can be arranged in the arrangement section;
The mounting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A mounting support method for identifying a position of a component container in the placement unit in a mounting device including a head that mounts components supplied from a component supply unit on a board, a placement unit that arranges a plurality of feeders of the component supply unit in a predetermined direction, and one or more receiving units configured to be able to communicate with tags of component containers attached to the feeders, comprising:
The one or more receiving units are provided above the component supply unit,
The implementation support method includes:
a position of the component container in the placement section based on the intensity of radio waves received by the one or more receiving sections from the tag of the component container.

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