# US 10,118,770 B2 · Electronic component mounter and electronic component mounting system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,118,770 B2 - Document ID: US10118770B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/351,587 - Filed: 2016-11-15 - Published: 2017-06-22 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-12-22 - Assignees: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Gouki Chiba; Toshihiko Nagaya - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10118770B2 ## CPC - B65G 43/02: detecting dangerous physical condition of load carriers, e.g. for interrupting the drive in the event of overheating - H05K 13/0061: {Tools for holding the circuit boards during processing; handling transport of printed circuit boards} - H05K 13/0417: {Feeding with belts or tapes} - H05K 13/0812: {the monitoring devices being integrated in the mounting machine, e.g. for monitoring components, leads, component placement} - B65G 23/44: Belt or chain tensioning arrangements - B65G 2203/0275: Damage on the load carrier - B65G 2203/041: Camera - B65G: TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS (packaging B65B; handling thin or filamentary materials, e.g. paper sheets or thread, B65H; cranes B66C; portable mobile or lifting or hauling appliances, e.g. hoists, B66D; devices for lifting or lowering goods for loading or unloading purposes, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/00; emptying bottles, jars, casks, barrels or similar containers, not otherwise provided for, B67C9/00; delivering or transferring liquids B67D; filling or discharging vessels for liquefied, solidified or compressed gases F17C; pipe-line systems for fluids F17D) - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ## Abstract An electronic component mounter having a mounting head includes: a board transporter (transport mechanism) that transports a board with a transport belt supporting the board; a recognizer (a board recognition camera or a height sensor) that is provided in the mounting head and recognizes a state of a front surface of the transport belt; and a determiner (wear determiner) that determines a degradation state (wear degree) of the transport belt based on the state of the front surface of the transport belt recognized by the recognizer. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic component mounter having a mounting head that mounts an electronic component on a board, the electronic component mounter comprising: a board transporter that transports the board with a transport belt supporting the board; a recognizer for recognizing a state of a front surface of the transport belt, the recognizer being provided in the mounting head; and a determiner for determining a degradation state of the transport belt based on the state of the front surface of the transport belt recognized by the recognizer. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electronic component mounter of claim 1, wherein the recognizer recognizes the state of the front surface of the transport belt both at a position at which the board is supported and at a position at which the board is not supported, and wherein the determiner determines the degradation state of the transport belt based on the state of the front surface of the transport belt at the position at which the board is supported and the state of the front surface at the position at which the board is not supported. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electronic component mounter of claim 1, wherein the recognizer is a camera that images the state of the front surface of the transport belt, and wherein the determiner determines the degradation state of the transport belt based on contrasting density of an image of the front surface of the transport belt imaged by the camera. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electronic component mounter of claim 1, wherein the recognizer is a height sensor that measures a height of the front surface of the transport belt, and wherein the determiner determines the degradation state of the transport belt based on the height of the front surface of the transport belt measured by the height sensor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electronic component mounter of claim 1, further comprising: a notifier that notifies maintenance of the transport belt in a case where the transport belt is degraded. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The electronic component mounter of claim 1, wherein the mounting head further includes a nozzle that blasts, with air, to the front surface of the transport belt, which is recognized, before the recognizer recognizes the state of the front surface of the transport belt. ### Claim 7 An electronic component mounting system comprising: an electronic component mounter having a mounting head that mounts an electronic component on a board, wherein the electronic component mounter includes a board transporter that transports the board with a transport belt supporting the board; a recognizer for recognizing a state of a front surface of the transport belt, the recognizer being provided in the mounting head; and a determiner for determining a degradation state of the transport belt based on the state of the front surface of the transport belt recognized by the recognizer. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The electronic component mounting system of claim 7, wherein the recognizer recognizes the state of the front surface of the transport belt both at a position at which the board is supported and at a position at which the board is not supported, and wherein the determiner determines the degradation state of the transport belt based on the state of the front surface of the transport belt at the position at which the board is supported and the state of the front surface at the position at which the board is not supported. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The electronic component mounting system of claim 7, wherein the recognizer is a camera that images the state of the front surface of the transport belt, and wherein the determiner determines the degradation state of the transport belt based on contrasting density of an image of the front surface of the transport belt imaged by the camera. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The electronic component mounting system of claim 7, wherein the recognizer is a height sensor that measures a height of the front surface of the transport belt, and wherein the determiner determines the degradation state of the transport belt based on the height of the front surface of the transport belt measured by the height sensor. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The electronic component mounting system of claim 7, further comprising: a notifier that notifies maintenance of the transport belt in a case where the transport belt is degraded. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The electronic component mounting system of claim 7, wherein the mounting head further includes a nozzle that blasts, with air, to the front surface of the transport belt, which is recognized, before the recognizer recognizes the state of the front surface of the transport belt.