Metal working – Means to assemble or disassemble – Means to assemble electrical device
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-30
2001-05-01
Young, Lee (Department: 3729)
Metal working
Means to assemble or disassemble
Means to assemble electrical device
C029S743000, C029S832000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06223425
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and a method for supplying a plurality of circuit components, one by one.
2. Related Art Statement
The above-indicated sort of circuit-component supplying system and method are widely used for, e.g., mounting circuit components on a circuit substrate, such as a printed circuit board, and thereby producing an electric circuit (e.g., an electronic circuit). The circuit-component supplying system includes a supplying device which stores the circuit components and supplies the components, one by one; a holding head which holds a circuit component; a head moving device which moves the holding head so that the head receives a circuit component from the supplying device and holds the component. The holding head includes a movable member which is moved by the head moving device; and a component holder which is held by the movable member. Meanwhile, there are various sorts of circuit components which have various shapes and sizes. Thus, it is difficult for a single sort of holding head to hold all the sorts of circuit components to be mounted on the circuit substrate. To solve this problem, it has been practiced that a plurality of sorts of component holders are prepared, one of the holders which is suitable for each of the components is selected, and the selected holder is held by the movable member. In this way, a plurality of sorts of holding heads are prepared.
There is known a method in which one of the above-indicated component holders is automatically changed with another holder. In this known method, however, the components holders are stored in, and supplied from, a holder supplying device which is provided independent of a component supplying device which stores and supplies the circuit components. Thus, the known method needs both the component supplying device and the holder supplying device, and a circuit-component supplying system for carrying out the method suffers from a complex construction and a high production cost. In the case where circuit components of one sort that needs the use of a first sort of component holder are supplied and then circuit components of another sort that needs the use of a second sort of component holder are supplied, the changing of the two holders requires the movable member to be moved in a manner different from the manner in which the movable member is moved for the first sort of component holder to receive and hold each of the circuit components of one sort. This leads to lowering the efficiency of the circuit-component supplying operation as a whole that includes the component-holder changing operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a circuit-component supplying system which enjoys a simple construction and a low production cost and which performs, with improved efficiency, a circuit-component supplying operation including a component-holder changing operation.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a circuit-component mounting system which includes a circuit-component supplying system and which enjoys the same advantages as those indicated above.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a circuit-component supplying method which enjoys improved efficiency.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a recording medium for recording a control program or programs which is or are needed to control a circuit-component supplying system.
The present invention provides an electric-component supplying system, an electric-component mounting system, an electric-component supplying method, and a recording medium which have one or more of the technical features that are described below in respective paragraphs given parenthesized sequential numbers (1) to (16). Any technical feature which includes another technical feature shall do so by referring, at the beginning, to the parenthesized sequential number given to that technical feature. Thus, two or more of the following technical features may be combined, if appropriate. Each technical feature may be accompanied by a supplemental explanation, as needed. However, the following features and the appropriate combinations thereof are just examples, and the present invention is by no means limited thereto.
(1) According to a first feature of the invention, there is provided a circuit-component supplying system comprising a supplying device which stores a plurality of circuit components in a first storing manner and stores a plurality of circuit-component holders in a second storing manner substantially identical with the first storing manner, and which supplies the circuit components in a first supplying manner and supplies the circuit-component holders in a second supplying manner substantially identical with the first supplying manner; at least one movable member to which one of the circuit-component holders is detachably attachable; and a movable-member moving device which moves, in a first moving manner, the movable member so that the movable member receives the one circuit-component holder from the supplying device, and which moves, in a second moving manner substantially identical with the first moving manner, a holding head including the movable member and the one circuit-component holder held by the movable member, so that the one circuit-component holder receives one of the circuit components from the supplying device and holds the one circuit component.
(2) According to a second feature of the invention that includes the first feature (1), the one circuit-component holder comprises a suction pipe which sucks and holds the one circuit component by applying a negative air pressure to the one circuit component; and an attachable portion which is detachably attachable to the movable member.
(3) According to a third feature of the invention that includes the first or second feature (1) or (2), the supplying device comprises a plurality of trays which cooperate with each other to store each of the circuit components and the circuit-component holders at a corresponding one of a plurality of predetermined storage positions. It is preferred that the supplying device comprise a tray accommodating member and a tray moving device according to the fourth feature (4) described below, because the supplying device enjoys a compact construction and the holding head can quickly receive a circuit component and a component holder. However, the supply device is not essentially required to employ the fourth feature (4). For example, the supplying device may be one which includes a plurality of trays which are arranged on a common plane, or one which includes a plurality of trays which are accommodated in a tray accommodating member such that the trays are superposed over each other with a space being left between each pair of vertically adjacent trays. In the last case, the holding head may enter the space to receive a desired circuit component or a desired component holder.
(4) According to a fourth feature of the invention that includes the third feature (3), the supplying device further comprises a tray accommodating member which accommodates the trays in such a manner that the trays are superposed over each other; and a tray moving device which selectively moves one of the trays relative to the tray accommodating member in such a manner that the one tray is positioned at a predetermined supply position thereof. The tray moving device may be a tray drawing device which draws each of the trays by engaging a front portion of the each tray, or a tray pushing device which pushes each of the trays by engaging a rear portion of the each tray. The tray accommodating member may be a box-like member or a frame-like member.
(5) According to a fifth feature of the invention that includes the fourth feature (4), the supplying device further comprises a tray elevating and lowering device which elevates and lowers the tray accommodating member in such a manner that the one tray is positioned at a predetermined height position.
Asai Koichi
Hattori Tomohiko
Chang Rick Kiltae
Fuji Machine Mfg. Co. Ltd.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Young Lee
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