Tape feeder, component mounting apparatus, and component mounting method

A tape feeder that makes a tape member comprising a plurality of component storage units that are aligned at regular intervals and a plurality of feed holes that are aligned at regular intervals in parallel with the alignment of the component storage units proceed, and supplies components that are housed in each of the component storage units of the tape member to a predetermined component ejection slot, the tape feeder comprising:

• a feeder main body comprising a tape passage that is a passage of the tape member;
• a sprocket that is provided rotatable under the tape member that passes inside the tape passage of the feeder main body, and comprises a number of projections on an outer perimeter;
• and
• sprocket driving means for moving each of the projections provided on the outer perimeter of the sprocket on a circular orbit having a rotation axis of the sprocket as its center by drivingly rotating the sprocket intermittently, inserting each of the projections from beneath into each of the feed holes of the tape member that passes through the tape passage of the feeder main body to engage each of the projections with each of the feed holes before and after each of the projections passes through one region on the circular orbit, and making the tape member proceed in a manner that each of the projections leaves the tape member for the beneath of the feed holes after retracting the tape member,
• wherein a size of each of the projections provided on the outer perimeter of the sprocket in a proceeding direction of the tape member at a height where each of the projections is engaged with each of the feed holes of the tape member is larger than a diameter of each of the feed holes of the tape member, and a size of each of the projections in a direction perpendicular to the proceeding direction of the tape member at a height where each of the projections is engaged with each of the feed holes of the tape member is smaller than the diameter of each of the feed holes of the tape member.

A component mounting apparatus comprising:

• a substrate positioning unit arranged to perform positioning of a substrate;
• a tape feeder that is arranged to make a tape member comprising:
• a plurality of component storage units that are aligned at regular intervals;
• and
• a plurality of feed holes that are aligned at regular intervals in parallel with the
• alignment of the component storage units, proceed, and to supply components that are housed in each of the component storage units of the tape member to a predetermined component ejection slot;
• and
• a mounting head arranged to pick up the components that are supplied to the predetermined component ejection slot of the tape feeder and to mount the components on the substrate of which positioning is performed by the substrate positioning unit,
• wherein the tape feeder comprises
• a feeder main body comprising a tape passage that is a passage of the tape member,
• a sprocket that is provided rotatable under the tape member that passes inside the tape passage of the feeder main body, and comprises a number of projections on an outer perimeter, and
• sprocket driving means for moving each of the projections provided on the outer perimeter of the sprocket on a circular orbit having a rotation axis of the sprocket as its center by drivingly rotating the sprocket intermittently, inserting each of the projections from beneath into each of the feed holes of the tape member that passes through the tape passage of the feeder main body to engage each of the projections with each of the feed holes before and after each of the projections passes through one region on the circular orbit, and making the tape member proceed in a manner that each of the projections leaves the tape member for the beneath of the feed holes after retracting the tape member, and
• wherein a size of each of the projections provided on the outer perimeter of the sprocket in a proceeding direction of the tape member at a height where each of the projections is engaged with each of the feed holes of the tape member is larger than a diameter of each of the feed holes of the tape member, and a size of each of the projections in a direction perpendicular to the proceeding direction of the tape member at a height where each of the projections is engaged with each of the feed holes of the tape member is smaller than the diameter of each of the feed holes of the tape member.

A component mounting method by a component mounting apparatus, the component mounting apparatus comprising:

• a substrate positioning unit arranged to perform positioning of a substrate;
• a tape feeder that is arranged to make a tape member comprising:
• a plurality of component storage units that are aligned at regular intervals;
• and
• a plurality of feed holes that are aligned at regular intervals in parallel with the
• alignment of the component storage units, proceed, and to supply components that are housed in each of the component storage units of the tape member to a predetermined component ejection slot;
• and
• a mounting head arranged to pick up the components that are supplied to the predetermined component ejection slot and to mount the components on the substrate of which positioning is performed by the substrate positioning unit,
• wherein the tape feeder comprises
• a feeder main body comprising a tape passage that is a passage of the tape member,
• a sprocket that is provided rotatable under the tape member that passes inside the tape passage of the feeder main body, and comprises a number of projections on an outer perimeter, and
• sprocket driving means for moving each of the projections provided on the outer perimeter of the sprocket on a circular orbit having an rotation axis of the sprocket as its center by drivingly rotating the sprocket intermittently, inserting each of the projections from beneath into each of the feed holes of the tape member that passes through the tape passage of the feeder main body to engage each of the projections with each of the feed holes before and after each of the projections passes through one region on the circular orbit, and making the tape member proceed in a manner that each of the projections leaves the tape member for the beneath of the feed holes after retracting the tape member, and
• wherein a size of each of the projections provided on the outer perimeter of the sprocket in a proceeding direction of the tape member at a height where each of the projections is engaged with each of the feed holes of the tape member is larger than a diameter of each of the feed holes of the tape member, and a size of each of the projections in a direction perpendicular to the proceeding direction of the tape member at a height where each of the projections is engaged with each of the feed holes of the tape member is smaller than the diameter of each of the feed holes of the tape member, the component mounting method comprising the steps of:
• performing positioning of the substrate by the substrate positioning unit;
• supplying the components to the component ejection slot by the tape feeder;
• and
• picking up the components that are supplied by the tape feeder with use of the mounting head to mount the components on the substrate of which positioning is performed.