Component mounter and mounting head

A component mounter for mounting a component on a mounting target object, comprising:

• a mounting head comprising a base section having, in the interior thereof, a first gas passage and a second gas passage that does not communicate with the first gas passage;
• a lifting and lowering mechanism for lifting and lowering the base section;
• a suction nozzle having a nozzle section disposed below the base section and configured to be lifted up and lowered, as the base section is lifted up and lowered, to pick up the component through a negative pressure supplied to the first gas passage;
• a biasing section for biasing the nozzle section downwards while permitting the nozzle section to be pushed in towards the base section;
• and
• a valve for switching between absence of communication between the second gas passage and the outside when a push-in amount of the nozzle section has not yet reached a predetermined value and presence of communication between the second gas passage and the outside when the push-in amount of the nozzle section has reached the predetermined value;
• and
• a detecting device for detecting at least one of a flow rate or a pressure of gas flowing through the second gas passage.