JP7516287B2 - Parts placement unit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a component placement unit that moves a component from a predetermined position and places the component on a board.

For example, a component mounting device (an example of a component placement unit) that mounts electronic components on a board includes a head unit including a mounting head with component suction nozzles, a controller that controls the operation of the head unit, and a power supply unit including a power transformer that transforms commercial voltage into a voltage for operating the device. The controller and the power supply unit generate heat during operation. For this reason, the component mounting device is equipped with multiple cooling fans to dissipate heat from within the device to the outside (for example, Patent Document 1).

Generally, the cooling fans are not controlled to turn on or off in response to the temperature inside the device, nor are their rotation speeds controlled. In many component mounting devices, the cooling fans are turned on when the device power is turned on, and are in a constant rotating state.

JP 2014-150106 A

If the cooling fan is operated at all times while the device power is ON, problems such as high power consumption and loud noise occur. In recent years, component mounting devices have become more powerful as the number of heat-generating elements increases, and the number of cooling fans also tends to increase. Even if the power consumption of one cooling fan is only a few watts, the power consumption increases as the number of fans increases. In addition, since the cooling fans inevitably generate rotational noise, the noise increases as the number of fans increases. This noise can be a stressor for workers. Furthermore, the cooling fans are driven by a DC power supply provided inside the device. In order to ensure the inrush power of a large number of cooling fans, the problem of needing to increase the capacity of the DC power supply also occurs.

The present invention aims to reduce power consumption and noise in a component mounting unit equipped with a fan for cooling the device.

A component placement unit according to one aspect of the present invention is a component placement unit that moves a component from a predetermined position and places the component on a substrate, and is characterized by comprising: a base having a storage section; a head unit that is attached to the base and holds and moves the component at the predetermined position and places the component on the substrate; a heating element that is stored in the storage section and includes a control unit that controls the operation of the head unit; a Peltier element that has a first surface that is thermally connected to the heating element; and a fan that is driven by power supplied from the Peltier element and generates an airflow that dissipates heat in the storage section to the outside of the base.

According to this component placement unit, the Peltier element generates electricity using heat generated by the heat generating element contained in the unit itself, and the fan is driven by the electricity. In other words, the exhaust heat of the component placement unit is recovered, and the exhaust heat energy is used to generate electricity and operate the cooling fan. This reduces power consumption. Furthermore, unless the heat generating element is heated to a suitable temperature, the Peltier element does not generate sufficient electromotive force, and the fan does not operate. In other words, when the temperature inside the storage unit is low, the fan does not operate normally, and the operating noise of the fan can be suppressed. Furthermore, by driving at least a portion of the fan required for cooling the component placement unit with the electromotive force of the Peltier element, the capacity of the DC power supply for driving the fan can be suppressed. This contributes to the miniaturization of the component placement unit and the reduction of the amount of heat generated.

In the above component mounting unit, it is preferable that the Peltier element has a second surface that is not thermally connected to the heating element.

This component mounting unit can increase the temperature difference between the first and second surfaces of the Peltier element. This makes it possible to increase the electromotive force generated by the Peltier element, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the fan.

It is preferable that the component mounting unit further includes a heat sink attached to the second surface.

This component mounting unit allows the heat on the second surface to be actively dissipated by the heat sink. This makes it possible to increase the temperature difference between the first and second surfaces of the Peltier element and increase the amount of power generated.

In the above-mentioned component mounting unit, it is preferable that the Peltier element has a second surface that is thermally connected to a cold body that is a predetermined temperature lower than the heat source. In this case, it is preferable that the Peltier element further includes a heat conductive member that transfers the cold heat held by the cold body to the second surface.

These configurations also allow the temperature difference between the first and second surfaces of the Peltier element to be increased. The cooling body may be a housing or frame provided on the component placement unit, or may be a cooling member other than the component placement unit.

In the above component mounting unit, it is preferable that the heating element has a heating surface that dissipates heat, and the Peltier element is arranged so that the first surface is directly attached to the heating surface.

With this component mounting unit, heat is directly transferred from the heat generating surface of the heat generating element to the first surface of the Peltier element. Therefore, the heat generated by the heat generating element can be efficiently transferred to the first surface, and the power generation efficiency of the Peltier element can be improved.

In the above-mentioned component mounting unit, it is preferable that the heating element includes a transformer with an exposed iron core, and that the heating surface is the surface of the iron core.

The iron core of a transformer easily becomes hot. By directly attaching the first surface to such an iron core, the first surface can be efficiently heated to a high temperature.

The component mounting unit may further include a transport means for transporting heat generated by the heat generating element, and the Peltier element may be configured such that the first surface is positioned to receive the heat transported by the transport means.

With this component mounting unit, the heat generated by the heating element can be transferred to the first surface of the Peltier element by the transport means. Therefore, the Peltier element can be operated even in cases where it is difficult to extract heat directly from the heating element or where it is difficult to place the Peltier element in the vicinity of the heating element.

In the above-mentioned component mounting unit, the control unit includes a substrate on which a heat generating portion is mounted and a storage box for storing the substrate, the storage box has an opening that opens outward and an airflow generating device that generates a transport airflow that exhausts the air in the storage box containing the heat generated by the heat generating portion through the opening, and it is preferable that the Peltier element is arranged so that the first surface is located near the opening.

When the control unit has a box structure, this component mounting unit allows the heat in the storage box to be transported by airflow and supplied to the first surface of the Peltier element located near the opening of the storage box.

In the above-mentioned component mounting unit, it is preferable that the transport means includes a heat-conducting member that transfers heat held by the heat generating element to the first surface. With this configuration, heat can be efficiently supplied to the first surface through the heat-conducting member.

In the above-mentioned component mounting unit, it is preferable that the housing section includes a first housing section that houses the control section and a second housing section that houses a transformer, and that the fan includes a first fan that generates an airflow that releases heat in the first housing section to the outside, and a second fan that generates an airflow that releases heat in the second housing section to the outside.

This component mounting unit makes it possible to operate the unit such that when the control unit generates heat and the temperature inside the first storage unit increases, the first fan is operated to cool the first storage unit, and when the transformer generates heat and the temperature inside the second storage unit increases, the second fan is operated to cool the second storage unit. Therefore, when either the control unit or the transformer generates heat and the first or second storage unit increases in temperature, it is possible to make it difficult for that heat to be transferred to the other storage unit. Therefore, it is sufficient to operate only the fan of the storage unit that is actually generating heat, which helps to reduce noise.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce power consumption and noise in a component mounting unit equipped with a fan for cooling the device.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the appearance of a surface mounter which is an example of a component mounting unit of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of the surface mounter. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of the surface mounter. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a surface mounter according to a first embodiment incorporating a Peltier element. 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams showing examples of mounting a Peltier element to a heating element. 6A is a cross-sectional view taken along the VIA-VIA line in FIG. 6B, and is a schematic diagram of a surface mounter according to a second embodiment incorporating a Peltier element, and FIG. 6B is a side view of the base portion 10. FIG. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams showing examples of mounting a Peltier element to a power transformer. 8A to 8C are schematic diagrams showing examples of mounting a Peltier element to a control box. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a surface mounter according to the third embodiment incorporating a Peltier element. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a surface mounter according to the fourth embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the component placement unit of the present invention is applied to a surface mounter that mounts various electronic components on a board. The component placement unit of the present invention can be applied not only to surface mounters but also to various devices that have a mechanism for moving a component from a predetermined position and placing the component on a board.

[Overall structure of surface mounter]
Fig. 1 is a side view showing the appearance of a surface mounter 1 (component mounting unit), Fig. 2 is a top view showing the schematic configuration of the surface mounter 1, and Fig. 3 is a side view showing the schematic configuration of a mounting unit 40 portion of the surface mounter 1. The surface mounter 1 is a device that produces mounted boards by mounting various electronic components on a board P. In Figs. 1 to 3, directions XYZ are indicated. In the following description, the X direction may be referred to as the left-right direction that is the movement direction of the board P, the Y direction as the front-rear direction, and the Z direction as the up-down direction.

The surface mounter 1 includes a base 10 (base) and a mounting unit 40 arranged on the base 10. The base 10 is made of an assembly of rigid frame members. A board transport unit 2 and a component supply unit 3 are assembled on the upper surface of the base 10. The mounting unit 40 includes a head unit 4 having multiple heads 4H, and a board recognition camera 5 fixed to the head unit 4.

As shown in FIG. 1, the periphery of the base section 10 and the mounting unit 40 is covered by an enclosure 1A, which is the casing of the surface mounter 1. However, openings are provided on the left and right sides of the enclosure 1A for the board P to be loaded and unloaded by the board transport section 2. A monitor 12 that displays various information related to the surface mounter 1 and an indicator light 13 that shows the status of the surface mounter 1 are attached to the top of the enclosure 1A.

The board transport unit 2 transports the board P on which electronic components are mounted. The board transport unit 2 has a pair of conveyors 21, 22 that transport the board P in the left-right direction on the base unit 10. The conveyors 21, 22 transport the board P from the right side into the inside of the enclosure 1A, transport it to the left to a specified work position (the position of the board P shown in Figure 1) and stop it temporarily. At this work position, the electronic components are mounted on the board P. After the mounting work, the conveyors 21, 22 transport the board P to the left and out to the outside of the enclosure 1A.

The component supply units 3 supply electronic components to be mounted on the board P. The component supply units 3 are arranged in the front-to-rear direction of the board transport unit 2. Each component supply unit 3 has a plurality of tape feeders 31 arranged in the left-to-right direction. Each tape feeder 31 holds a reel around which a tape is wound that contains various electronic components at predetermined intervals. The tape feeder 31 intermittently pays out tape from the reel, and supplies electronic components to the component supply position at the tip of the feeder.

The head unit 4 holds the component at a predetermined position and moves it to place the component on the substrate P. The head unit 4 is located above the base portion 10, and removes electronic components from the tape feeder 31 at the component supply position and mounts the electronic components at a predetermined position on the substrate P at the work position.

As shown in FIG. 3, two Y-axis fixed rails 25 extending in the Y direction are installed on the upper surface of the base portion 10. In the surface mounter 1, a support beam 23 extending in the X direction is supported by these two Y-axis fixed rails 25, and an X-axis fixed rail 24 is fixed to the support beam 23. The head unit 4 is supported by the X-axis fixed rail 24 fixed to the support beam 23.

A Y-axis servo motor 28 and a ball screw shaft 29 are attached to the Y-axis fixed rail 25. The support beam 23 to which the X-axis fixed rail 24 is fixed can move in the Y direction along the Y-axis fixed rail 25. An X-axis servo motor 26 and a ball screw shaft 27 are attached to the X-axis fixed rail 24. Thus, the head unit 4 moves in the X direction by the rotational drive of the ball screw shaft 27 by the X-axis servo motor 26, and moves in the Y direction by the rotational drive of the ball screw shaft 29 by the Y-axis servo motor 28. In other words, the head unit 4 is freely movable in the X and Y directions via the X-axis fixed rail 24 and the Y-axis fixed rail 25.

The head unit 4 is equipped with multiple mounting heads 4H for holding and transporting components. Each head 4H includes a shaft 41 extending in the Z direction and a suction nozzle 42 attached to the lower end of the shaft 41. The shaft 41 can be raised and lowered relative to the head unit 4 and rotated around the nozzle central axis (R axis). The suction nozzle 42 is capable of suctioning and holding electronic components and mounting them on the surface of the substrate P.

The base unit 10 is equipped with a multi-camera 11. The multi-camera 11 is a camera whose imaging field of view is above the base unit 10. The main role of the multi-camera 11 is to capture an image of the electronic component adsorbed by the suction nozzle 42 from the underside in order to image-recognize the state of suction of the electronic component by the suction nozzle 42.

The board recognition camera 5 is fixed to the left side of the head unit 4. The board recognition camera 5 captures images of various marks attached to the surface of the board P brought into the work position by the conveyors 21, 22. In FIG. 2, a pair of fiducial marks FM attached diagonally to a rectangular board P are shown as an example of such marks. The fiducial marks FM are marks for detecting the amount of positional deviation of the brought-in board P from the origin coordinates of the work position.

As shown in FIG. 3, the base unit 10 incorporates a controller 14 (control unit), an interface board 15, a power transformer 16, and a DC power supply 17. The controller 14 includes a board on which electronic control components are mounted. The controller 14 is a controller that controls the operation of each part of the surface mounter 1, including the operation control of the head unit 4. The interface board 15 is a control board that enables data communication between the surface mounter 1 and other machines, control devices such as personal computers, or mobile terminals. The power transformer 16 is a device that transforms commercial voltage into the operating voltage of the surface mounter 1. The DC power supply 17 supplies DC voltage to DC-operated devices equipped in the surface mounter 1.

Of the devices built into the base unit 10, the controller 14, power transformer 16, and DC power supply 17 are heat-generating devices that generate a large amount of heat during operation. In addition, the controller 14, interface board 15, and DC power supply 17 have relatively low heat resistance. For this reason, these devices require cooling. For the cooling, an air-cooling fan is generally used. In this embodiment, a Peltier element, which is widely used as a thermoelectric element, is incorporated into the surface mounter 1. The heat generated by the heat-generating devices is used to generate an electromotive force in the Peltier element, and the generated power drives the air-cooling fan. Below, a specific example of a surface mounter 1 incorporating a Peltier element is shown.

[First embodiment]
Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the surface mounter 1 according to the first embodiment incorporating the Peltier elements 7 and 70. The base portion 10 is provided with a housing portion 18 for housing electrical devices such as a control unit and a power supply unit. The housing portion 18 is a substantially sealed space to prevent the intrusion of dust and the like. Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a heating element HR housed in the housing portion 18. The heating element HR is, for example, part or all of the above-mentioned controller 14, power supply transformer 16, and DC power supply 17.

A cooling fan 6 is attached to the housing 18. The fan 6 generates an air current that releases heat inside the housing 18 to the outside of the base 10. Figure 4 shows an example of a fan 6 that releases heat to the outside of the enclosure 1A, which is further outside the base 10. An enclosure fan 60 is attached to the enclosure 1A, which generates an air current that releases heat from the housing space of the mounting unit 40 to the outside.

A Peltier element 7 with a heat sink HS attached is thermally connected to the heating element HR. The Peltier element 7 generates power to operate the fan 6. In other words, the fan 6 is driven by the power supplied from the Peltier element 7. A Peltier element 70 with a heat sink HS attached is also thermally connected to the inner surface of the enclosure 1A. The Peltier element 70 generates power to operate the enclosure fan 60.

The manner in which the Peltier elements 7 and 70 are attached will be described with reference to Figs. 5(A) to (C). Fig. 5(A) is a schematic diagram showing the manner in which the Peltier element 7 arranged in the housing portion 18 is attached to the heating element HR. The Peltier element 7 includes a flat semiconductor unit 71, and a heat absorption plate 72 and a heat dissipation plate 73 arranged to sandwich the semiconductor unit 71. The semiconductor unit 71 is a unit that generates an electromotive force based on the Seebeck effect, and is made up of multiple unit elements in which a P-type semiconductor and an N-type semiconductor are joined, connected in series. The heat absorption plate 72 is an insulating plate such as a ceramic plate attached to the high temperature side of the semiconductor unit 71, and the heat dissipation plate 73 is attached to the low temperature side of the semiconductor unit 71.

The surface of the heat absorbing plate 72 is the high temperature side (first surface) that is thermally connected to the heating element HR. On the other hand, the surface of the heat dissipating plate 73 is the low temperature side (second surface) that is not thermally connected to the heating element HR. The heating element HR has a heat generating surface that dissipates heat to the outside. In the example of FIG. 5(A), the upper surface of the heating element HR is the heat generating surface. The Peltier element 7 is arranged so that the heat absorbing plate 72 is directly attached to the heat generating surface. The heat absorbing plate 72 absorbs heat from the heat generating surface of the heating element HR. A heat sink HS is attached to the heat dissipating plate 73. The heat sink HS is made of a metal with excellent thermal conductivity such as aluminum, and has many fins that dissipate heat. The heat dissipating plate 73 dissipates heat via the heat sink HS.

Here, the heat absorption plate 72 being "thermally connected" to the heat generating element HR includes various modes in which heat can be transferred from the heat generating element HR to the heat absorption plate 72. The most obvious mode is a mode in which the heat absorption plate 72 is directly attached to the heat generating surface of the heat generating element HR, as in the example of FIG. 5(A). In addition, the heat may be transferred indirectly from the heat generating element HR to the heat absorption plate 72. For example, the heat of the heat generating element HR may be transported to the heat absorption plate 72 using an air flow generated by a fan or convection, or a heat transfer member such as a metal plate or a heat pipe. When using the air flow, the air flow may be blown directly onto the heat absorption plate 72, or may be blown onto a heat absorbing member such as a heat sink attached to the heat absorption plate 72.

The semiconductor unit 71 generates a DC electromotive force when a temperature difference occurs between the heat absorption plate 72 and the heat dissipation plate 73. Naturally, the greater the temperature difference, the greater the electromotive force. A positive lead wire 74P and a negative lead wire 74N are drawn out from the semiconductor unit 71 and are electrically connected to a motor M that rotates and drives the fan 6. Therefore, when the semiconductor unit 71 generates an electromotive force, the fan 6 is rotated and generates an exhaust flow. This exhaust flow allows the heat inside the storage section 18, which has become hot due to the heat generated by the heating element HR, to escape to the outside of the enclosure 1A.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5(A), the heat absorption plate 72 of the Peltier element 7 is attached directly to the heat generating surface of the heat generating element HR, so that heat is directly transferred from the heat generating surface to the heat absorption plate 72. Therefore, the heat generated by the heat generating element HR can be efficiently transferred to the first surface. In addition, the heat dissipation plate 73 is not only not thermally connected to the heat generating element, but is also configured to actively dissipate heat using the heat sink HS. Therefore, the temperature difference between the heat absorption plate 72 and the heat dissipation plate 73 can be increased to increase the power generation efficiency and increase the power generated by the Peltier element 7 (semiconductor unit 71).

Figure 5 (B) is a modified example of the mounting mode of the Peltier element 7 shown in Figure 5 (A). In this modified example, too, the heat absorption plate 72 is the surface that is thermally connected to the heating element HR, while the heat dissipation plate 73 is the surface that is not thermally connected to the heating element HR. This modified example differs from the mode in Figure 5 (A) in that a heat sink HS is not attached to the heat dissipation plate 73. If it is expected that a sufficient temperature difference will occur between the heat absorption plate 72 and the heat dissipation plate 73 when the surface mounter 1 is in operation, the heat sink HS can be omitted, as in this modified example.

Figure 5 (C) is a schematic diagram showing the mounting state of the Peltier element 70 arranged in the enclosure 1A. The structure of the Peltier element 70 is similar to that of the Peltier element 7 described above, and includes a semiconductor unit 71, a heat absorption plate 72, and a heat dissipation plate 73. The DC power generated by the semiconductor unit 71 based on the temperature difference between the heat absorption plate 72 and the heat dissipation plate 73 is supplied to the motor M that rotates the enclosure fan 60 through the positive lead wire 74P and the negative lead wire 74N.

The members attached to the heat absorption plate 72 and heat dissipation plate 73 of the Peltier element 70 are different from those of the previous Peltier element 7. A heat sink HS is attached to the heat absorption plate 72 on the high temperature side. Meanwhile, the heat dissipation plate 73 is directly attached to the enclosure 1A (an example of a cold body). The internal space of the enclosure 1A may become hot due to heat radiated from the base part 10 or heat accompanying the operation of the mounting unit 40. The heat sink HS exchanges heat with the internal space of the enclosure 1A and transfers the heat to the heat absorption plate 72. Meanwhile, the enclosure 1A itself can be treated as a cold body in terms of heat, since its outer surface is in contact with the outside air. The heat dissipation plate 73 is thermally connected to such an enclosure 1A.

When the temperature inside the enclosure 1A rises, the heat transferred to the heat absorption plate 72 via the heat sink HS also rises. On the other hand, the heat dissipation plate 73 can be maintained at a temperature close to room temperature by dissipating heat through the enclosure 1A. As a result, the temperature difference between the heat absorption plate 72 and the heat dissipation plate 73 increases, and the Peltier element 70 can generate DC power to drive the motor M of the enclosure fan 60. An exhaust flow is generated by the rotational drive of the enclosure fan 60, and the hot air inside the enclosure 1A is released to the outside. Note that the heat dissipation plate 73 may be thermally connected to another cold body such as a frame member or sheet metal member provided in the surface mounter 1, instead of the enclosure 1A.

[Second embodiment]
6A and 6B are diagrams showing the base portion 10 of the surface mounter 1 according to the second embodiment incorporating a Peltier element. Fig. 6B is a side view of the base portion 10, and Fig. 6A is a cross-sectional view along the VIA-VIA line in Fig. 6B. The base portion 10 is divided into four parts: a first housing portion 181 and a second housing portion 182 (housing portions) arranged in parallel, an upstream air chamber 183 located upstream of both housing portions 181 and 182 in the air flow direction, and a downstream air chamber 184 located downstream.

The base unit 10 houses the heat-generating devices shown in FIG. 3. Specifically, the first housing section 181 houses the controller 14. The second housing section 182 houses the interface board 15, the power transformer 16, and the DC power supply 17. Of these heat-generating devices, the first Peltier element 7A is thermally connected to the controller 14, and the second Peltier element 7B is thermally connected to the power transformer 16.

A first fan 6A is attached to the wall forming the first storage section 181, generating an air current that releases heat from within the first storage section 181 to the outside. A second fan 6B is attached to the wall forming the second storage section 182, generating an air current that releases heat from within the second storage section 182 to the outside. The first fan 6A is a fan driven by DC power generated by the first Peltier element 7A. The second fan 6B is a fan driven by DC power generated by the second Peltier element 7B.

A third fan 63 is arranged on the other wall forming the first storage section 181, which faces the wall on which the first fan 6A is attached. A fourth fan 64 is arranged on the other wall forming the second storage section 182, which faces the wall on which the second fan 6B is attached. An intake fan 61 is arranged in the intake opening of the upper flow air chamber 183. An exhaust fan 62 is arranged in the exhaust opening of the lower flow air chamber 184.

The upstream air chamber 183 communicates with the first storage section 181 through the mounting opening of the first fan 6A, and with the second storage section 182 through the mounting opening of the second fan 6B. The downstream air chamber 184 communicates with the first storage section 181 through the mounting opening of the third fan 63, and with the second storage section 182 through the mounting opening of the fourth fan 64.

The intake fan 61, exhaust fan 62, third fan 63, and fourth fan 64 are fans that are driven by DC power supplied from the DC power source 17, and are constantly driven while the surface mounter 1 is in operation. As a result of the operation of these fans, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 6, an exhaust flow is constantly formed from the upper air chamber 183 through the first housing section 181 and the second housing section 182, and from the lower air chamber 184 to the outside, regardless of whether the first fan 6A and the second fan 6B are in operation. The first housing section 181 and the second housing section 182 are air-cooled by this exhaust flow.

The first fan 6A is driven by the first Peltier element 7A generating electricity as the controller 14 heats up. The second fan 6B is driven by the second Peltier element 7B generating electricity as the power transformer 16 heats up. By driving the first fan 6A and the second fan 6B, more active exhaust flows are formed in the first housing section 181 and the second housing section 182, respectively, promoting air cooling of the first housing section 181 and the second housing section 182.

In other words, while the surface mounter 1 is operating, the first housing section 181 and the second housing section 182 are basically cooled with a minimum number of fans, but when the controller 14 and/or the power transformer 16 become hot, the first fan 6A and/or the second fan 6B are additionally driven to increase the cooling power. Moreover, the power source for the additional drive is the electromotive force generated by the first Peltier element 7A and the second Peltier element 7B using the heat. Therefore, the operating noise of the fans generated by the surface mounter 1 can be suppressed, and power consumption can be suppressed. In addition, since the first fan 6A and the second fan 6B can be excluded from the power supply destination of the DC power supply 17, the capacity of the DC power supply 17 can be suppressed, and it can be made smaller.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the housing that houses the heat-generating device in the base unit 10 is divided into a first housing unit 181 and a second housing unit 182. When the controller 14 generates heat and the temperature inside the first housing unit 181 increases, the first fan 6A is operated to cool the first housing unit 181, and when the power transformer 16 generates heat and the temperature inside the second housing unit 182 increases, the second fan 6B is operated to cool the second housing unit 182, and air cooling can be performed separately for each housing unit. Therefore, when either the controller 14 or the power transformer 16 generates heat and the first housing unit 181 or the second housing unit 182 increases in temperature, air cooling of the one housing unit that has increased in temperature is promoted by driving the first fan 6A or the second fan 6B. This makes it difficult for the heat from one housing unit that has increased in temperature to be transmitted to the other housing unit, and the other housing unit can be prevented from increasing in temperature. As a result, it is possible to expect a situation in which only the fans 6A and 6B of the storage sections 181 and 182 that are actually generating heat will operate. This also leads to the suppression of fan noise.

Next, a specific mounting mode of the first Peltier element 7A and the second Peltier element 7B will be described. Figures 7(A) and (B) are schematic diagrams showing an example of mounting the power transformer 16 to the second Peltier element 7B. The power transformer 16 includes an iron core 161 formed by combining an E core 162 and an I core 163, and a primary coil 164 and a secondary coil 165 wound around the iron core 161. The upper surface of the I core 163 (the surface of the iron core 161) is the surface exposed in the second housing portion 182 and is the heat generating surface.

The second Peltier element 7B shown in FIG. 7(A) is arranged with respect to the power transformer 16 in such a manner that the heat absorption plate 72 is directly attached to the surface of the iron core 161. The surface of the iron core 161 often includes a flat surface, so that it is relatively easy to directly attach the heat absorption plate 72. The iron core 161 also heats up easily. Therefore, the heat absorption plate 72 can be efficiently heated to a high temperature. A heat sink HS is attached to the heat dissipation plate 73. The iron core 161 becomes highly heated by the voltage transformation operation of the power transformer 16, and the heat absorption plate 72 is heated. Meanwhile, the heat dissipation plate 73 constantly dissipates heat through the heat sink HS. The semiconductor unit 71 generates an electromotive force based on the temperature difference between the heat absorption plate 72 and the heat dissipation plate 73, and drives the second fan 6B.

Figure 7 (B) is a diagram showing another mounting form of the second Peltier element 7B. The difference from the example in Figure 7 (A) is that the heat held by the cold body CR is actively transferred to the heat sink 73. The cold body CR is a member that is a predetermined temperature lower than the power transformer 16 (heat generating body) during operation. The cold body CR can be, for example, the enclosure 1A, a frame member of the surface mounter 1, or the floor surface on which the surface mounter 1 is installed.

The heat sink 73 and the cold body CR are thermally connected by a heat conducting member 75 and a heat equalizing plate 76. The heat conducting member 75 is, for example, a heat transfer plate with good thermal conductivity such as copper or aluminum, or a heat pipe that transports heat. The heat equalizing plate 76 is a metal plate with good thermal conductivity and approximately the same size as the heat sink 73. The heat conducting member 75 is a member that transfers the cold held by the cold body CR to the heat sink 73, and has one end 751 that is thermally connected to the heat equalizing plate 76 and the other end 752 that is thermally connected to the cold body CR. The heat equalizing plate 76 is a member that transfers the cold transferred to the one end 751 evenly to the entire surface of the heat sink 73.

When the iron core 161 of the power transformer 16 becomes hot, the heat absorption plate 72 is heated. On the other hand, the heat dissipation plate 73 is constantly supplied with cold heat from the cold body CR via the thermal conductive member 75 and the heat equalization plate 76. This makes it easier to increase the temperature difference between the heat absorption plate 72 and the heat dissipation plate 73. This makes it easier to generate a large electromotive force in the semiconductor unit 71.

Figures 8 (A) to (C) are schematic diagrams showing examples of mounting the first Peltier element 7A to the controller 14. The controller 14 includes a substrate 141 and a heat-generating component 142 mounted on the substrate 141. The heat-generating component 142 is, for example, a power semiconductor element such as a motor control transistor or a thyristor.

The first Peltier element 7A shown in FIG. 8(A) is arranged relative to the controller 14 in such a manner that the heat absorption plate 72 is directly attached to one side of the substrate 141. The back side of the substrate 141 on which the heat generating component 142 is mounted is the heat generating surface. The first Peltier element 7A is attached to the controller 14 so that the heat absorption plate 72 comes into contact with this heat generating surface. When the controller 14 operates, the substrate 141 becomes highly heated, and the heat absorption plate 72 is heated. On the other hand, the heat dissipation plate 73 is not thermally connected to the heat generating surface. Therefore, a temperature difference occurs between the heat absorption plate 72 and the heat dissipation plate 73, and the semiconductor unit 71 generates an electromotive force. This electromotive force drives the first fan 6A.

If it is possible to directly attach the first Peltier element 7A to the controller 14, the attachment mode of the first Peltier element 7A shown in FIG. 8(A) can be adopted. However, the controller 14 is generally boxed, and may be pulled out from the base part 10 during maintenance, or the board 141 may be replaced. Also, there may be few places on the controller 14 where the first Peltier element 7A can be directly attached. For these reasons, it is often difficult to directly attach the first Peltier element 7A to the controller 14. Therefore, FIGS. 8(B) and (C) show examples of configurations in which the heat generated by the controller 14 is transported by a transport means, and the first Peltier element 7A is placed at a position where it can receive the transported heat.

Figure 8 (B) shows another mounting method for the first Peltier element 7A. In this example, an air supply fan 65 is used as the transport means. A first heat sink HS1 is attached to the rear surface of the substrate 141. A second heat sink HS2 is attached to the heat absorption plate 72 of the first Peltier element 7A. The first heat sink HS1 promotes the dissipation of heat generated by the controller 14. The second heat sink HS2 enhances the heat absorption of the heat absorption plate 72.

The air supply fan 65 generates an air flow F from the controller 14 toward the first Peltier element 7A, and transfers the heat generated by the controller 14 to the heat absorption plate 72 of the first Peltier element 7A. Specifically, the air supply fan 65 generates an air flow F that directs the air containing the heat dissipated by the first heat sink HS1 toward the second heat sink HS2. The heat transferred by the air flow F is applied to the heat absorption plate 72 via the second heat sink HS2. This creates a temperature difference between the heat absorption plate 72 and the heat dissipation plate 73, and the semiconductor unit 71 generates an electromotive force. According to this embodiment, even if it is difficult to extract heat directly from the controller 14, the first Peltier element 7A can be operated.

Figure 8 (C) is a diagram showing yet another mounting mode of the first Peltier element 7A. In this example, a heat conductive member 75A is used as the transport means. As the heat conductive member 75A, for example, a heat transfer plate or a heat pipe made of a material with good thermal conductivity such as copper or aluminum can be used.

The heat conducting member 75A is a member that transfers the generated heat to the heat absorbing plate 72 of the first Peltier element 7A, and has one end 751 attached to the back surface of the substrate 141 and the other end 752 attached to the heat absorbing plate 72. The heat transferred by the heat conducting member 75A is transferred to the heat absorbing plate 72. This creates a temperature difference between the heat absorbing plate 72 and the heat dissipating plate 73, and the semiconductor unit 71 generates an electromotive force. According to this embodiment, heat can be efficiently supplied to the heat absorbing plate 72 through the heat conducting member 75A.

[Third embodiment]
Next, an application example in which the controller 14 has a box structure will be described. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of the accommodation section 18 of the surface mounter 1 according to the third embodiment incorporating a Peltier element. The controller 14 includes a substrate 141 and a storage box 143 that accommodates the substrate 141. The substrate 141 includes a heat dissipation section 14H (heat generating section). The heat dissipation section 14H is, for example, a heat sink that dissipates heat generated by the above-mentioned heat generating component 142. The storage box 143 includes an accommodation space 14A that accommodates the substrate 141, an air vent 144 provided below the accommodation space 14A, an air inlet opening 145 provided in the air vent 144, an exhaust opening 146 (opening) provided near the upper end of the accommodation space 14A, and an air supply fan 66 (airflow generating device).

When the air supply fan 66 is driven to rotate, it generates a transport air flow F, indicated by an arrow in the figure, which flows from the air intake opening 145 to the exhaust opening 146 via the ventilation chamber 144 and the storage space 14A. The air supply fan 66 is a fan that is always in an operating state when the surface mounter 1 is in operation. The exhaust opening 146 opens toward the outside of the storage box 143. A Peltier element 7 is disposed outside the storage box 143, facing the exhaust opening 146. The Peltier element 7 is disposed so that a heat absorption plate 72 to which a heat sink HS is attached is located near the exhaust opening 146.

The heat sink 73 of the Peltier element 7 is attached to a heat conducting member 75B. The heat conducting member 75B is, for example, a metal plate such as copper or aluminum, or a heat pipe. The heat conducting member 75B has one end 751 that is thermally connected to the heat sink 73, and the other end 752 that is thermally connected to an appropriate position on the base portion 10.

When the heat dissipation section 14H generates heat due to the operation of the controller 14, the air in the storage space 14A containing that heat is directed toward the exhaust opening 146 by the transport airflow F generated by the air supply fan 66. The airflow F is blown onto the heat sink HS attached to the Peltier element 7. As a result, the heat sink HS exchanges heat with the heated air exhausted from the exhaust opening 146, and provides heat to the heat absorption plate 72. Meanwhile, the heat dissipation plate 73 is provided with cold heat from the enclosure 1A. This creates a temperature difference between the heat absorption plate 72 and the heat dissipation plate 73, and the semiconductor unit 71 generates an electromotive force. This electromotive force is used to drive a fan (not shown) placed in an appropriate position.

[Fourth embodiment]
10 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment in which the controller 14 has a box structure. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which convection is utilized. The controller 14 has a board 141 and a storage box 143, and the board 141 includes a heat dissipation section 14H. A duct 77 is attached to the top wall of the storage box 143. The duct 77 is located directly above the heat dissipation section 14H and opens downward. A ventilation fan 67 is provided on the side wall of the storage box 143 to generate an air current that dissipates heat inside the storage box 143 to the outside.

A Peltier element 7 equipped with a heat sink HS is placed at the attachment position of the duct 77. The heat sink HS is attached to the heat absorption plate 72 of the Peltier element 7, and the fin portion is exposed to the duct 77. The duct 77 has a tapered shape with an opening area that increases toward the bottom.

When the heat dissipation section 14H generates heat due to the operation of the controller 14, convection occurs within the storage box 143. The hot air H heated by the heat dissipation section 14H forms an ascending air current and enters the duct 77. The heat sink HS attached to the Peltier element 7 exchanges heat with the hot air H and provides heat to the heat absorption plate 72. On the other hand, the heat dissipation plate 73 is located outside the storage box 143, so it is not affected by the hot air H. This creates a temperature difference between the heat absorption plate 72 and the heat dissipation plate 73, and the semiconductor unit 71 generates an electromotive force. This electromotive force drives the air supply fan 67, which cools the inside of the storage box 143.

The above-mentioned aspect of using convection can also be applied to the second embodiment described above. For example, as an aspect of the thermal connection between the power transformer 16 and the second Peltier element 7B shown in FIG. 7(A), a Peltier element 7 equipped with a duct 77 and a heat sink HS may be placed at an upper position spaced apart from the surface of the iron core 161.

According to the surface mounter 1 according to each of the above-described embodiments, the Peltier element 7 (7A, 7B) generates electricity using heat generated by the heat-generating devices it contains (in the above-described embodiment, the controller 14 and the power transformer 16), and the fan 6 (6A, 6B) is driven by the electricity. In other words, the Peltier element 7 recovers the exhaust heat of the surface mounter 1, and generates electricity using the exhaust heat energy, which then operates the cooling fan 6. This makes it possible to reduce power consumption.

In addition, unless the heat-generating device reaches a suitable temperature, the Peltier element 7 does not generate sufficient electromotive force, and the fan 6 does not operate. In other words, when the temperature inside the storage section 18 is low, the fan 6 does not perform its normal airflow generating operation, so the operating noise of the fan 6 can be suppressed.

Furthermore, by driving at least some of the fans required for cooling the surface mounter 1 with the power generated by the Peltier element 7, the number of fans driven by the direct current power source (DC power source 17) for driving the fans can be reduced. Generally, when a fan starts to rotate, it requires the supply of inrush power that is several times the power required during normal rotation. Naturally, as the number of fans increases, the inrush power also increases, and the capacity of the DC power source 17 must be increased to ensure that inrush power is available. However, according to the above embodiment, the number of fans to be driven by the DC power source 17 is reduced, so that the capacity of the DC power source 17 can be suppressed, and the surface mounter 1 can be made smaller and less expensive.

In addition, in each of the above embodiments, an example has been described in which only one board recognition camera 5 is fixed to the side of the head unit 4. However, the surface mounter 1 may have multiple board recognition cameras 5 (for example, two). When the surface mounter 1 has two board recognition cameras 5, one of the board recognition cameras 5 is fixed to the left side of the head unit 4, and the other is fixed to the right side of the head unit 4. This makes it possible to shorten the movement time of the head unit 4 when capturing an image of the board.

Furthermore, in the surface mounter according to the second embodiment, an example has been described in which the third fan 63 and the fourth fan 64 are fans driven by DC power supplied from the DC power source 17. However, the surface mounter of the present invention may be configured such that a third Peltier element electrically connected to the third fan 63 is provided in the first housing portion 181, and the third fan 63 rotates by the power supplied from the third Peltier element. At this time, the third fan 63 rotates in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the first fan 6A in plan view so as to discharge the air in the first housing portion 181 to the outside. Needless to say, the surface mounter may be configured such that a fourth Peltier element electrically connected to the fourth fan 64 is also provided in the second housing portion 182, and the fourth fan 64 rotates by the power supplied from the fourth Peltier element. The explanation of the rotation direction of the fourth fan 64 can be used to refer to the explanation of the rotation direction of the third fan 63. In addition, both the first fan 6A and the third fan 63 may be driven by the power generated by the first Peltier element 7A, and both the second fan 6B and the fourth fan 64 may be driven by the power generated by the second Peltier element 7B.

1. Surface mount machine (component placement unit)
1A Enclosure (cold body)
10 Base part (base)
14 Controller (control unit/heating element)
15 Interface board (heating element)
16 Power transformer (transformer/heating element)
161 Iron core 17 DC power supply (heating element)
18 Storage section 181 First storage section 182 Second storage section 187 Exhaust opening (opening)
4 Head unit 6 Fan 6A First fan 6B Second fan 65 Air supply fan (vehicle)
66 Air supply fan (vehicle/airflow generating device)
7, 70 Peltier element 7A First Peltier element 7B Second Peltier element 72 Heat absorption plate (first surface)
73 Heat sink (second side)
75, 75A, 75B Thermal conductive member CR Cooling element F Air flow HR Heating element HS Heat sink

Claims (8)

A component placement unit that moves a component from a predetermined position and places the component on a board,
A base having a storage portion;
a head unit that is attached to the base and that holds and moves a component at the predetermined position and places the component on the board;
A heating element that is accommodated in the accommodation portion and includes a control portion that controls the operation of the head unit;
a Peltier element having a first surface thermally connected to the heating element;
a fan that is driven by power supplied from the Peltier element and generates an air current that dissipates heat in the housing portion to the outside of the base;
In a component mounting unit comprising:
The Peltier element has a second surface that is thermally connected to a cold body that is a predetermined temperature lower than that of the heat source. 2. The component mounting unit according to claim 1 ,
The component mounting unit further comprises a heat conductive member that transfers the cold heat held by the cooling body to the second surface. 3. The component mounting unit according to claim 1 ,
The heating element has a heating surface that dissipates heat,
The Peltier element is arranged such that the first surface is directly attached to the heat generating surface. A component placement unit that moves a component from a predetermined position and places the component on a board,
A base having a storage portion;
a head unit that is attached to the base and that holds and moves a component at the predetermined position and places the component on the board;
A heating element that is accommodated in the accommodation portion and includes a control portion that controls the operation of the head unit;
a Peltier element having a first surface thermally connected to the heating element;
a fan driven by power supplied from the Peltier element and generating an air current for dissipating heat in the housing portion to the outside of the base,
The heating element has a heating surface that dissipates heat,
The Peltier element is disposed such that the first surface is directly attached to the heat generating surface;
The heating element includes a transformer with an exposed iron core,
The component mounting unit, wherein the heat generating surface is a surface of the iron core. 3. The component mounting unit according to claim 1 ,
The heating element further includes a transport means for transporting heat generated by the heating element,
The Peltier element is disposed at a position where the first surface receives the heat transported by the transport means. A component placement unit that moves a component from a predetermined position and places the component on a board,
A base having a storage portion;
a head unit that is attached to the base and that holds and moves a component at the predetermined position and places the component on the board;
A heating element that is accommodated in the accommodation portion and includes a control portion that controls the operation of the head unit;
a Peltier element having a first surface thermally connected to the heating element;
a fan driven by power supplied from the Peltier element and generating an air current for dissipating heat in the housing portion to the outside of the base,
The control unit includes a substrate on which a heat generating unit is mounted, and a storage box for storing the substrate,
the storage box includes an opening that opens outward, and an airflow generating device that generates a transport airflow that discharges air in the storage box, including heat generated by the heat generating portion, through the opening;
The Peltier element is disposed such that the first surface is located near the opening. 6. The component mounting unit according to claim 5 ,
The transport means includes a heat conductive member that transfers heat contained in the heat generating element to the first surface of the component mounting unit. The component mounting unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
the housing includes a first housing portion that houses the control unit and a second housing portion that houses a transformer,
The fan includes a first fan that generates an airflow to radiate heat in the first accommodating portion to the outside, and a second fan that generates an airflow to radiate heat in the second accommodating portion to the outside.