Metal working – Means to assemble or disassemble – Means to assemble electrical device
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-17
2004-02-24
Chang, Richard (Department: 3729)
Metal working
Means to assemble or disassemble
Means to assemble electrical device
C029S739000, C029S741000, C029S832000, C226S128000, C242S558000, C242S566000, C242S564400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06694606
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for supplying electric components (i.e., circuit components used for providing electric circuits (e.g., electronic circuits)), and a method of assembling an electric circuit on a print-wired board, i.e., a circuit board, and in particular to the art of improving the supplying of electric components from an electric-component tape holding the electric components.
2
. Related Art Statement
There is known an electric-component (“EC”) tape which includes a carrier tape and which holds a plurality of electric components (“ECs”) at a predetermined pitch in a lengthwise direction of the carrier tape, and there is known an EC supplying device which supplies ECs from an EC tape holding the ECs. The EC supplying device includes a feeding device which feeds the EC tape in its lengthwise direction so that the ECs are supplied, one by one, to an object device. If the ECs are supplied one after another and the EC tape is consumed near to the end, an operator connects an initial end portion of another EC tape to a terminal end portion of the current EC tape now supplying the ECs, before the ECs of the current tape are completely consumed. Thus, the ECs of the new tape are successively supplied after the ECs of the preceding tape, without interruption, as if the ECs were supplied limitlessly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electric-component supplying apparatus, an electric-component supplying system, and a circuit-board assembling method each of which detects a connection portion where two electric-component tapes are connected to each other and which can utilize the detected connection portion.
The present invention provides an electric-component supplying apparatus, an electric-component supplying system, and a circuit-board assembling method which have one or more of the technical features that are described below in respective paragraphs given parenthesized sequential numbers (1) to (27). 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 technical features and the appropriate combinations thereof are just examples to which the present invention is by no means limited.
(1) According to a first feature of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for feeding a plurality of electric-component tapes each of which includes a carrier tape and holds a plurality of electric components in a lengthwise direction of the carrier tape, and supplying, from the each electric-component tape, the electric components, one by one, to an object device, the apparatus comprising: a feeding device which feeds a first electric-component tape in a lengthwise direction thereof; and a connection-portion detecting device which detects a connection portion where a terminal end portion of the first electric-component tape being fed by the feeding device is connected to an initial end portion of a second electric-component tape. The EC tape may be an embossed-carrier-type one, a punched-carrier-tape one, or a lead-wire-terminal-taped-type one. The embossed-carrier-type EC tape includes (a) a carrier tape which includes a pair of widthwise opposite end portions each extending in a lengthwise direction thereof, and a plurality of embossed portions each projecting downward from between the two end portions and each accommodating one EC, and (b) a top cover tape which is adhered to the carrier tape to close respective upper openings of the embossed portions. The punched-carrier-tape EC tape includes (c) a carrier tape which includes (c
1
) a base tape which is formed of, e.g., paper or synthetic resin and which has a plurality of through-holes formed through the thickness thereof and (c
2
) a bottom cover tape which closes respective lower openings of the through-holes to provide a plurality of EC accommodating pockets each accommodating one EC, and (d) a top cover tape which is adhered to the carrier tape to close respective upper openings of the through-holes or the EC accommodating pockets. The lead-wire-terminal-taped-type EC tape may be one which includes a carrier tape which is provided by a tacky tape and which holds a plurality of electric components whose respective lead-wire terminals are adhered thereto, or one which includes a carrier tape which includes a tacky tape and a support sheet and which holds a plurality of electric components whose respective lead-wire terminals are adhered thereto. The second EC tape may be a new one from which no ECs have not been taken, or a used one from which one or more ECs have been taken. The first and second EC tapes to be connected to each other must at least be of a same type, e.g., both of the embossed-carrier type, the punched-carrier tape, or the lead-wire-terminal-taped type, and must hold a same sort of ECs. The object device to which the present EC supplying apparatus supplies the ECs may be an EC mounting system as an element of a circuit-board (“CB”) assembling system, or an EC transferring device which transfers ECs from the EC supplying apparatus to a third device. However, the EC mounting system can be said as a sort of EC transferring device, because it transfers ECs from the EC supplying apparatus to respective EC-mount places on a print-wired board (“PWB”). The present EC supplying apparatus detects the connection portion of the two EC tapes connected to each other. Accordingly, for example, the present apparatus can judge whether the second EC tape actually connected to the first EC tape is a correct sort of EC tape to be connected to the first tape, and can monitor the amount of ECs remaining on the first EC tape, or the first and second EC tapes connected to each other.
(2) According to a second feature of the present invention that includes the first feature (1), the supplying apparatus further comprises a frame including a guide which guides the movement of each of the first and second electric-component tapes in the lengthwise direction thereof, and the connection-portion detecting device is supported by the frame in vicinity of a path of movement of the each electric-component tape. The connection-portion detecting device may be provided on the path of movement of each EC tape, or at a location somewhat distant from the path. In the case where the connection-portion detecting device is provided at a location largely distant from the path defined by the guide, each EC tape must take a circuitous route for the connection portion to be detected by the detecting device. In contrast, in the case where the connection-portion detecting device is provided in the vicinity of the path, the detecting device can directly detect the connection portion while each EC tape is moved on the path defined by the guide. In the latter case, a smaller space is needed for the movement of the EC tape, which contributes to reducing the overall size of the present EC supplying apparatus.
(3) According to a third feature of the present invention that includes the first or second feature (1) or (2), the connection-portion detecting device comprises a metal detector which detects a metallic connection member which connects the terminal end portion of the first electric-component tape and the initial end portion of the second electric-component tape to each other. The metallic connection member is formed of, e.g., steel, copper, brass, SUS, or aluminum. The connection member cooperates with the the terminal and initial end portions of the two EC tapes to provide the connection portion. The metal detector detects the connection member and thereby detects the connection portion.
(4) According to a fourth feature of the present invention that includes the third feature (3), the metal detector compri
Asai Koichi
Muto Yasuo
Ohashi Hiroyasu
Chang Richard
Fuji Machine Mfg. Co. Ltd.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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