Circuit-component supplying apparatus, feeder, and ciruit-component supplying method

A feeder for storing a plurality of circuit components of a same sort and supplying the components one by one from a component-supply portion thereof, the feeder comprising:

• a main portion which is adapted to be held by a movable table and which supports a feeding mechanism which feeds the circuit components one by one to the component-supply portion;
• a component-holding portion which holds the circuit components and from which the components are fed to the main portion by the feeding mechanism;
• and
• a connecting device which connects the component-holding portion to the main portion such that the connecting device allows a center of gravity of the component-holding portion and the circuit components held thereby to be moved relative to the main portion in a direction substantially parallel to a direction in which the movable table is moved.

A method of supplying circuit components, comprising the steps of:

• moving a movable table along a line, the movable table holding a plurality of feeders such that respective component-supply portions of the feeders are arranged along said line, each of the feeders storing a plurality of circuit components of a same sort and supplying the components one by one from the component-supply portion thereof, at least one of the feeders comprising a main portion which is held by the movable table and which supports a feeding mechanism which feeds the circuit components one by one to the component-supply portion thereof, and a component-holding portion which holds the circuit components and from which the components are fed to the main portion by the feeding mechanism, wherein a center of gravity of the component-holding portion and the circuit components held thereby is movable relative to the main portion in a direction substantially parallel to a direction in which the main portion is moved by the movement of the movable table, and
• intermittently stopping the movable table and thereby sequentially positioning the component-supply portion of each of the feeders at a predetermined component-supplying position where said each feeder supplies at least one circuit component from the component-supply portion thereof, wherein when the movable table is moved, the component-holding portion and the circuit components are moved at an acceleration and a deceleration which are lower than an acceleration and a deceleration, respectively, at which the main portion is moved.