Automatic component mounting apparatus

In an automatic component mounting apparatus for automatically mounting on a plate-like workpiece having a plurality of pairs of holes electrical components one at a time, each of said components being of a type constituted by a component body having a pair of terminal wires extending axially outwardly from the component body in opposite directions with respect to each other, which apparatus comprises a supply unit from which the components are issued successively one at a time, and a mounting unit for bending the terminal wires of each component which has been delivered from said supply unit, and also for mounting the component on the workpiece with the bent terminal wires inserted through a pair of holes in the workpiece, the improvement wherein said mounting unit comprises:

• a substantially elongated inserting head supported for axial sliding and rotary motion between elevated and lowered positions in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof and first and second positions angularly spaced about said longitudinal axis thereof, respectively, said inserting head including a pair of spaced inserting bars made of elastic material;
• a pair of opposed, first and second transfer units positioned on respective sides of said inserting head and connected to the supply unit for receiving the components in each of said transfer units;
• and
• a shaper assembly pivotally carried by said inserting head for selective movement between first and second positions and having spaced, first and second component supports, said first component support being, when said shaper assembly is in said first position, aligned with said first transfer unit for receiving the component from said first transfer unit while said second component support is substantially downwardly oriented towards the workpiece, said second component support being, when said shaper assembly is in said second position, aligned with said second transfer unit for receiving the component from said second transfer unit while said first component support is substantially downwardly oriented towards the workpiece, each of said transfer units having means for transferring the components to said shaper assembly, each of said component supports in said shaper assembly having means shaped so that, as the component is transferred from the adjacent transfer unit onto the shaper assembly, said component support receives said component so transferred while causing the outer end portions of said terminal wires of said component transferred to be bent in the direction of said adjacent transfer unit;
• said inserting head when moved to the lowered position causing the inserting bars to push said component carried by either one of said first and second component supports then downwardly oriented towards the workpiece for moving the bent outer end portions of the component terminal wires facing the workpiece through the pair of holes in the workpiece, and further comprising a clinching unit for cutting unnecessary portions of the bent terminal wires which project outwards from the workpiece and simultaneously for bending the cut ends of the terminal wires inwardly in a direction towards each other to secure the component to the workpiece.