Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
Mounting apparatus having a two-dimensional linear motor |
| Patent Number: |
5,860,208 |
| Publication Date: |
January 19, 1999 |
| Appl. No: |
08/812,207 |
| Application Filed: |
March 06, 1997 |
| Abstract: |
A mounting apparatus includes two stages each, a carrier which carries two printed boards to respective stages and parts feeders located on both sides of the carrier. The mounting apparatus further includes two heads driven by two-dimensional linear motor system, each of which is arranged to mount electronic components onto the respective board. Since two boards are treated at the same time, large throughput is obtained. Further, since one board is treated by one head, the tangle of the cables does not occur. |
| Inventors: |
Nomura, Hiroaki (Ichinomiya, JPX) |
| Assignees: |
Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Aichi-ken, JPX) |
| Claim: |
What is claimed is |
| Claim: |
1. A mounting apparatus for mounting components onto boards comprising |
| Claim: |
a station that supports a plurality of boards, said station having a plurality of stages, each of said stages supporting each of said plurality of boards thereon; |
| Claim: |
a carrier that carries said plurality of boards to said plurality of stages respectively; |
| Claim: |
a feeding device that feeds components; |
| Claim: |
a plurality of heads, each of which is provided at a respective stage for picking up a component from said feeding device and mounting said component onto a board supported on the corresponding stage; and |
| Claim: |
a driving mechanism for driving said plurality of heads in two dimensions within a plane parallel to said boards supported on said stages, said driving mechanism comprising |
| Claim: |
a single platen; and |
| Claim: |
at least one first electromagnet unit provided on each of said plurality of heads cooperating with said single platen to act as a first linear motor for driving said head in an X-direction of said plane and at least one second electromagnet unit provided on each of said plurality of heads cooperating with said single platen to act as a second linear motor in a Y-direction of said plane. |
| Claim: |
2. The mounting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an inspecting device that inspects the orientation of said components held by said heads. |
| Claim: |
3. The mounting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said feeding device comprises a plurality of parts feeders respectively provided to said stages, and wherein said inspecting device comprises a plurality of inspecting cameras respectively provided to said stages. |
| Claim: |
4. The mounting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of stages are arranged in line with a carrying path of said carrier. |
| Claim: |
5. The mounting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said platen comprises magnetic material and non-magnetic material both arranged in a grid. |
| Claim: |
6. The mounting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said platen is provided above said stages and said platen magnetically supports said heads therebeneath. |
| Claim: |
7. The mounting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said heads has a nozzle that picks up and holds said component, and wherein said nozzle extends and can be protruded in the direction perpendicular to said plane. |
| Claim: |
8. The mounting apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said nozzle is arranged to suck a component to pick up and hold said component. |
| Claim: |
9. The mounting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said carrier includes a pair of folks that support two side ends of each of said boards. |
| Claim: |
10. The mounting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said head has a positioning camera that recognizes a positioning mark provided on said board, thereby to detect the position of said head with respect to said board. |
| Claim: |
11. A mounting apparatus for mounting components onto boards comprising |
| Claim: |
a plurality of parts feeders located on both sides of said carrier, each of said parts feeders provided at a respective stage; |
| Claim: |
a plurality of heads, each of which is provided at a respective stage to pick up a component from one of said parts feeders and to mount said component onto a board supported on the corresponding stage; and |
| Claim: |
at least one first electromagnet unit provided on each of said plurality of heads cooperating with said single platen to act as a first linear motor for driving said head in an X-direction of said plane and at least one second electromagnet unit provided on each of said plurality of heads cooperating with said single platen to act as a second linear motor for driving said head in a Y-direction of said plane. |
| Claim: |
12. The mounting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said platen comprises magnetic material and non-magnetic material both arranged in a grid. |
| Claim: |
13. The mounting apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a plurality of inspecting cameras respectively provided to said plurality of stages, each of said inspecting device being arranged for inspecting the orientation of a component held by one of said heads. |
| Claim: |
14. A mounting apparatus for mounting components onto boards comprising |
| Claim: |
a station having at least one stage that supports said board thereon; |
| Claim: |
a carrier that carries said board to said stage; |
| Claim: |
a plurality of parts feeders provided at said stage and located on both sides of said carrier to feed components to said stage; |
| Claim: |
a plurality of heads for picking up a component from one of said parts feeders and mounting said component onto said board; and |
| Claim: |
a driving mechanism for driving said plurality of heads in two dimensions within a plane parallel to said board supported on said stage, said driving mechanism comprising |
| Claim: |
at least one first electromagnet unit provided on each of said plurality of heads cooperating with said single platen to act as a first linear motor for driving said head in an X-direction of said plane and a second electromagnet unit provided on each of said plurality of heads cooperating with said single platen to act as a second linear motor for driving said head in a Y-direction of said plane. |
| Claim: |
15. The mounting apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said platen comprises magnetic material and non-magnetic material both arranged in a grid. |
| Current U.S. Class: |
29/740; 29/712; 29/742; 29/743; 29/744; 29/759; 72/446; 724/829 |
| Current International Class: |
B23P 1902 |
| Patent References Cited: |
5671527 September 1997 Asai et al.
5692292 December 1997 Asai et al. |
| Primary Examiner: |
Hughes, S. Thomas |
| Assistant Examiner: |
Chang, Rick Kiltae |
| Attorney, Agent or Firm: |
Kane, Dalsimer, Sullivan, Kurucz, Levy, Eisele and Richard, LLP |
| Accession Number: |
edspgr.05860208 |
| Database: |
USPTO Patent Grants |
