JP7757014B2 - Component mounting system, component mounting method, program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a component mounting technology that has a first conveyor lane and a second conveyor lane and that can alternately perform component mounting on the first conveyor lane and component mounting on the second conveyor lane.

Patent Document 1 describes a component mounting system equipped with a printing device, a component mounting device, and a reflow oven. The printing device prints solder or other bonding material onto a board (equivalent to an example of the "pre-processing process" in the present invention). The component mounting device receives the printed board from the printing device and mounts components onto the board (component mounting process). The reflow oven receives the board with components mounted from the component mounting device and performs a reflow process (equivalent to an example of the "post-processing process" in the present invention). Boards with components mounted are produced by a component mounting system that combines these devices.

JP 2019-54045 A

The component mounting device described in Patent Document 1 has a first transport lane and a second transport lane and is configured to perform alternating mounting. This component mounting device alternates between mounting components on boards transported by the first transport lane and mounting components on boards transported by the second transport lane, according to the order of delivery from the printing device. Therefore, the following problem can arise: The delivery order is affected by production upstream of the component mounting device in the board transport direction, i.e., the progress of the printing process. For this reason, as shown in columns (a) to (c) of Figure 6 (described later), it cannot necessarily be said that the board delivered first to the component mounting device (reference symbol B2 in Figure 6) has started printing before the board delivered next (reference symbol B1 in Figure 6). Therefore, in the component mounting system, the time from printing to delivery of the board to the reflow oven can vary greatly. As a result, for example, if printing on the previously loaded board (B2) is performed after printing on the subsequently loaded board (B1), the bonding material on the previously loaded board (B2) may not dry sufficiently, which may result in poor quality. Note that the above-mentioned production time variation is not limited to component mounting systems equipped with a printing device as an upstream device (pre-processing device) of the component mounting device. In other words, the above-mentioned problem is common to all component mounting systems equipped with pre-processing devices that perform predetermined processing on boards before component mounting.

This invention was developed in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to reduce variation in the time required from pre-processing to transporting to post-processing equipment (hereinafter referred to as "production time") in component mounting technology in which components are mounted on a board using a component mounting device capable of so-called alternating mounting.

A first aspect of the present invention is a component mounting system that mounts components on a first board and a second board and transports the first board and the second board on which the components are mounted toward a post-processing device, the component mounting system including: a pre-processing device that performs pre-processing on the first board and the second board before the components are mounted; and a component mounting device that mounts components on the first board and the second board that have been pre-processed by the pre-processing device, the component mounting device having a first transport lane that transports the first board and the second board toward the post-processing device via a first mounting position; a second transport lane that transports the first board and the second board toward the post-processing device via a second mounting position; a head unit that is configured to be able to selectively perform a first mounting operation that mounts components on the first board at the first mounting position and a second mounting operation that mounts components on the second board at the second mounting position ; and a control unit that controls the head unit, the control unit The device is configured to receive production control information specifying the procedure for mounting components on the first board and the second board from the host computer, and to cause the head unit to execute a first mounting operation and a second mounting operation based on the production control information.The device is characterized by having a time information acquisition unit that acquires time information regarding the first time and the second time from the pre-processing device via the host computer, and a priority determination unit that compares the first time and the second time based on the time information acquired by the time information acquisition unit, and controls the head unit to prioritize executing the first mounting operation when the first time at which the pre-processing was performed on the first board by the pre-processing device is earlier than the second time at which the pre-processing was performed on the second board by the pre-processing device, and to prioritize executing the second mounting operation when the second time is earlier than the first time.

A second aspect of the present invention is a component mounting method, comprising: a pre-processing step of applying pre-processing to a first board and a second board by a pre-processing device ; a component mounting step of receiving production control information defining a procedure for mounting components onto the first board and the second board from a host computer and mounting components onto the first board and the second board that have been pre-processed based on the production control information; and a post-processing step of applying post-processing to the first board and the second board that have been mounted with the components, wherein the component mounting step determines a first time when the pre-processing is applied to the first board in the pre-processing step and a second time when the pre-processing is applied to the second board. The method includes the steps of: acquiring time information relating to the first time and the second time when preprocessing was performed on the second board from the preprocessing device via a host computer; comparing the first time and the second time based on the time information; when the first time is earlier than the second time, executing a first mounting step of mounting components on the first board at the first mounting position with priority over a second mounting step of mounting components on the second board at the second mounting position; and when the second time is earlier than the first time, executing the second mounting step with priority over the first mounting step.

A third aspect of the present invention is a program for mounting components on a first board and a second board using the component mounting system, characterized in that the program causes a computer to implement a time information acquisition process of acquiring time information regarding a first time and a second time from a preprocessing device via a host computer ; a process of comparing the first time and the second time based on the time information acquired in the time information acquisition process; a first mounting process of executing the first mounting operation with priority over the second mounting operation when the first time is earlier than the second time; and a second mounting process of executing the second mounting operation with priority over the first mounting operation when the second time is earlier than the first time.

Furthermore, a fourth aspect of the present invention is a non-transitory recording medium on which the above program is recorded.

In the invention configured as described above, when two boards are present in the component mounting device, priority is given to mounting components on the board that was preprocessed first, regardless of the order in which the boards are brought into the component mounting device. In other words, components are mounted on the board that was preprocessed earlier. As a result, the time required from preprocessing to being transported to the post-processing device, i.e., the variation in production time, is reduced.

The component mounting device may be provided with a control unit for prioritizing the execution of the first mounting operation or the second mounting operation. In other words, the control unit provided in the component mounting device may control the head unit so that the first mounting operation by the head unit is prioritized when the first time is earlier than the second time, and the second mounting operation by the head unit is prioritized when the second time is earlier than the first time. This allows for smooth and fast switching of mounting operation priorities in the component mounting device.

Furthermore, to execute the priority switching, the control unit may be configured to include a time information acquisition unit that acquires time information regarding the first time and the second time from the preprocessing device, and a priority determination unit that compares the first time and the second time based on the time information acquired by the time information acquisition unit and prioritizes the first implementation operation or the second implementation operation based on the comparison result. By acquiring time information directly from the preprocessing device in this way, the control unit can prepare for the priority switching early.

In addition to being obtained directly from the pre-processing device (directly by the computer of the component mounting device), the time information may also be obtained via a host computer. This host computer provides the component mounting device with production control information that specifies the procedure for mounting components on the first and second boards. Based on this production control information, the control unit of the component mounting device causes the head unit to perform the first and second mounting operations. This host computer may also be used to provide the time information to the control unit of the pre-processing device. In other words, the time information is provided from the pre-processing device to the control unit via the host computer simultaneously with or independently of the production control information. Meanwhile, by receiving the production control information and time information in this way, the control unit can mount components in accordance with the production control information while appropriately performing priority switching.

Furthermore, the host computer that acquires time information from the preprocessing device may be configured to change the production control information based on the first time and the second time.The component mounting device then operates in accordance with the changed production control information, thereby ensuring that the priority switching is performed appropriately and reliably.

Also, the first time may be the time when pre-processing is first performed on the first substrate, and the second time may be the time when pre-processing is first performed on the second substrate. For example, when the pre-processing device is a printing device that performs a printing process to print bonding material on the first substrate and the second substrate as pre-processing, the first time may be the start time of the printing process on the first substrate, and the second time may be the start time of the printing process on the second substrate. Also, the end of the printing process may be used as the reference rather than the start time. In other words, the first time may be the end time of the printing process on the first substrate, and the second time may be the end time of the printing process on the second substrate. By unifying the first time and the second time in this way, variations in production time are suppressed with high precision.

The preprocessing device may also be configured to have multiple printing devices that perform a printing process to print bonding material on the first and second substrates, and to perform the preprocessing process by sequentially performing the printing processes using the multiple printing devices. In this case, the first and second times preferably represent the start time of the printing process on the first and second substrates by the printing device that first performs the printing process, or the end time of the printing process on the first and second substrates by the printing device that first performs the printing process. By standardizing the first and second times in this way, variations in production time can be accurately suppressed even when printing processes (preprocessing) are performed using multiple printing devices.

In the invention configured as described above, priority is given to mounting components on boards that have been pre-processed first, regardless of the order in which the boards are brought into the component mounting device. This reduces variations in production time. As a result, it is possible to produce boards with components mounted on them with excellent quality.

1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a first embodiment of a component mounting system according to the present invention. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of a component mounting device provided in the component mounting system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the component mounting apparatus shown in FIG. 2 . 3 is a flowchart showing an alternate mounting operation in the component mounting apparatus shown in FIG. 2 . 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an alternate mounting operation when two boards are simultaneously carried into a first transport lane and a second transport lane from a printing device. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an alternate mounting operation when two boards are carried in from a printing device onto a first transport lane and a second transport lane at different times. FIG. 10 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a second embodiment of a component mounting system according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a third embodiment of a component mounting system according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a fourth embodiment of a component mounting system according to the present invention.

Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a first embodiment of a component mounting system according to the present invention. The component mounting system 1 includes a printing device 100, three component mounting devices 200, and a reflow oven 300, all arranged in series in the X direction (left-right direction in Figure 1), which is the board transport direction. These components are controlled collectively by a host computer 400 to produce boards with mounted components. The host computer 400 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 401 that handles arithmetic processing, as well as a memory 402 that stores various information. The host computer 400 also includes a reading unit 420 that accesses a computer-readable, non-transitory recording medium RMa, such as a CD (Compact Disc), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, and reads a control program from the recording medium RMa. The host computer 400 then issues appropriate commands to the control units 110, 210, and 310 of the printing device 100, component mounting device 200, and reflow furnace 300 in accordance with the control program thus read. Of these commands, the command output to the control unit 210 is a production program (corresponding to an example of "production control information" in the present invention) that defines the procedure for mounting components on a board. This production program is created by the CPU 201 of the host computer 400, which functions as a production program creation unit. Meanwhile, upon receiving the commands, the control units 110, 210, and 310 control the operation of the corresponding units of the printing device 100, component mounting device 200, and reflow furnace 300 in accordance with the commands to perform predetermined processing.

The host computer 400 also has a display 430 that displays information to the operator as appropriate, as well as an input unit 440 such as a keyboard and mouse. Since the configuration and operation of the reflow furnace 300 are the same as in the conventional example, a description of the reflow furnace 300 will be omitted here. On the other hand, the printing device 100 and component mounting device 200 have the following features to reduce variations in production time:

The printing device 100 prints a bonding material on the top surface of a substrate brought into the device (printing process). Its basic configuration and operation are the same as those of conventional devices. However, in this embodiment, the priority of the mounting operation (described in detail below) is switched based on the time information when the printing process was performed on the substrate by the printing device 100. To achieve this function, the control unit 110 of the printing device 100 performs the following operation. That is, the control unit 110 of the printing device 100 acquires a substrate ID that identifies the substrate brought in. The control unit 110 also acquires the time when the printing process started (hereinafter referred to as the "production start time"). Then, at the start of printing or before the end of printing, the control unit 110 creates information associating the substrate ID with the production start time as production start time information and transmits it to the component mounting device 200, as indicated by the dashed line in Figure 1. Note that this transmission is performed by a communication unit (not shown) provided in the control units 110 and 210. This also applies to communications between the printing apparatus 100, the component mounting apparatus 200, the reflow furnace 300, and the host computer 400.

In this embodiment, three component mounting devices 200 are installed in the component mounting system 1. These component mounting devices 200 correspond to an embodiment of the "component mounting device" of the present invention, and all have the same configuration. Below, the configuration and operation of the component mounting device 200 adjacent to the printing device 100 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 2 to 6.

Figure 2 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a component mounting device equipped in the component mounting system shown in Figure 1. In Figure 2, the Z direction is the vertical direction, the X direction and the Y direction are horizontal directions, and in particular the X direction indicates the transport direction of the board B.

As shown in Figure 2, the component mounting device 200 has a component supply unit 2a provided on one side in the Y direction and a component supply unit 2b provided on the other side in the Y direction. Each component supply unit 2a, 2b has multiple mounting locations 20 lined up in the X direction, and a feeder 21 is removably attached to each mounting location 20. Thus, each component supply unit 2a, 2b has multiple feeders 21 attached and lined up in the X direction. The multiple feeders 21 then supply components E to the component removal units 22 at their respective tips. Components E include small electronic components such as semiconductor integrated circuit devices, transistors, capacitors, and resistors.

The component mounting device 200 also has a first conveyor lane 3a and a second conveyor lane 3b arranged in parallel between the component supply unit 2a and the component supply unit 2b. Of the first and second conveyor lanes 3a and 3b, which are adjacent in the Y direction, the first conveyor lane 3a is located on the component supply unit 2a side, and the second conveyor lane 3b is located on the component supply unit 2b side. Each of these conveyor lanes 3a and 3b is composed of conveyor units 31, 32, and 33, which are arranged in this order in the X direction, which is the board transport direction, and transports the board B in the X direction while supporting it approximately horizontally. Each of these conveyor units 31, 32, and 33 has a pair of conveyors 35, 35 arranged at a distance in the Y direction, and the distance in the Y direction between the conveyors 35, 35 can be changed depending on the width of the board B in the Y direction.

In this first transport lane 3a, when a printed board B is transported from the printing device 100, the conveyor unit 31 transports the board B from the upstream side in the X direction (left-hand side in Figure 2). The conveyor unit 32 receives the board B from the conveyor unit 31 and transports it to and holds it at the specified first mounting position A1 (the position of board B in Figure 1). Furthermore, when the head units 4a and 4b (described later) complete mounting of components E on board B at first mounting position A1, the conveyor unit 32 transports board B downstream in the X direction from first mounting position A1, and the conveyor unit 33 receives the board B from the conveyor unit 32 and transports it downstream in the X direction (right-hand side in Figure 2). In this way, the first transport lane 3a transports the board B transported from the printing device 100 to the reflow furnace 300 via the first mounting position A1.

The second transport lane 3b is also configured in the same way as the first transport lane 3a, and transports the board B transported from the printing device 100 towards the reflow furnace 300 via the second mounting position A2. To distinguish between the board B receiving component E at the first mounting position A1 on the first transport lane 3a and the board B receiving component E at the second mounting position A2 on the second transport lane 3b, the former will be referred to as the "first board B1" and the latter will be referred to as the "second board B2" as appropriate.

The component mounting device 200 further includes a head unit 4a provided in correspondence with the component supply unit 2a and a head unit 4b provided in correspondence with the component supply unit 2b. The component mounting device 200 also includes support beams 5a and 5b extending in the X direction to support the head units 4a and 4b, respectively. Each of the support beams 5a and 5b has a ball screw 51 extending in the X direction and an X-axis motor 52 that rotates the ball screw 51. The support beam 5a drives the head unit 4a, which is attached to the nut 511 of the ball screw 51, in the X direction by rotating the ball screw 51 using the X-axis motor 52, and the support beam 5b drives the head unit 4b, which is attached to the nut 511 of the ball screw 51, in the X direction by rotating the ball screw 51 using the X-axis motor 52.

Furthermore, the support beams 5a and 5b can be moved in the Y direction along the Y-axis rail 54 by a Y-axis motor 53 (linear motor). That is, field coils are attached to both ends of the support beams 5a and 5b as linear motor movers. Meanwhile, on the Y-axis rail 54, multiple permanent magnets are arranged along the Y direction and function as the linear motor stators. When current is supplied to the mover of the support beam 5a, the support beam 5a moves in the Y direction along with the head unit 4a, and when current is supplied to the mover of the support beam 5b, the support beam 5b moves in the Y direction along with the head unit 4b. In this way, the head unit 4a and the head unit 4b can move in the X and Y directions above the first and second transport lanes 3a and 3b, respectively.

Head unit 4a and head unit 4b each have eight mounting heads 41 aligned in the X direction, and each mounting head 41 picks up and holds a component E using a nozzle N (not shown) removably attached to its bottom end. Of head units 4a and 4b, the mounting head 41 of head unit 4a on the component supply unit 2a side picks up a component E supplied by component supply unit 2a and mounts it on board B, while the mounting head 41 of head unit 4b on the component supply unit 2b side picks up a component E supplied by component supply unit 2b and mounts it on board B.

In order for head units 4a and 4b to mount component E on board B, the following operations are performed. To remove component E from component removal section 22, head units 4a and 4b generate negative pressure on nozzle N, hold nozzle N stationary for a predetermined suction time while in contact with component E, and then raise nozzle N at a predetermined ascending speed. Next, head units 4a and 4b transport component E above board B by moving horizontally at a predetermined transport speed while holding component E on nozzle N. Next, head units 4a and 4b lower nozzle N at a predetermined descending speed, hold nozzle N stationary for a predetermined placement time while in contact with board B, and then release the negative pressure on nozzle N and raise nozzle N. At this time, the suction time, ascending speed, transport speed, descending speed, and placement time are included in advance in the production program as mounting operation conditions, and control unit 210 controls each unit of component mounting device 200 in accordance with the production program.

Nozzle changers 6 are also located between the first conveyor lane 3a and the component supply unit 2a, and between the second conveyor lane 3b and the component supply unit 2b. The nozzle changers 6 perform nozzle changes to change the nozzles attached to the head units 4a and 4b by removing and storing nozzles from the mounting head 41, or attaching stored nozzles to the mounting head 41. Of the two nozzle changers 6, the nozzle changer 6 on the component supply unit 2a side performs nozzle changes for head unit 4a, and the nozzle changer 6 on the component supply unit 2b side performs nozzle changes for head unit 4b.

The component mounting device 200 configured in this manner repeats alternate mounting to sequentially manufacture boards B mounted with components E and transport them to the reflow furnace 300. This alternate mounting is a process in which the mounting lane used to mount components E on boards B positioned at the mounting position is alternately switched between the first transport lane 3a and the second transport lane 3b. In other words, the component mounting device 200 can alternately perform component mounting (first mounting operation) on the first board B1 at the first mounting position A1 on the first transport lane (mounting lane) 3a and component mounting (second mounting operation) on the second board B2 at the second mounting position A2 on the second transport lane (mounting lane) 3b.

Here, the conventional technology employing the so-called FIFO (first-in, first-out) method, which executes the first and second mounting operations according to the order in which board B is loaded, results in the problems described above. Therefore, in this embodiment, the control unit 210 of the component mounting device 200 is configured as follows, and alternate mounting is performed according to the procedure shown in Figure 4.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the component mounting device shown in Figure 2. The control unit 210 of the component mounting device 200 is a computer having an arithmetic processing unit 211, which is a processor composed of a CPU and RAM, and a memory unit 212 composed of an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like. Furthermore, the control unit 210 has a drive control unit 213 that controls the drive system of the component mounting device 200 (first conveying lane 3a, second conveying lane 3b, X-axis motor 52, Y-axis motor 53, etc.), an imaging control unit 214 that controls the imaging system of the component mounting device 200 (component recognition camera, etc.), and a reading unit 215 that reads the control program for controlling each unit of the component mounting device 200 from a recording medium RMb. Note that, like the recording medium RMa, the recording medium RMb is also composed of a CD, DVD, USB memory, etc.

The memory unit 212 stores a control program read from the recording medium RMb, a production program provided by the host computer 400, and production start time information sent from the printing device 100. The calculation processing unit 211 then performs component mounting by controlling the drive control unit 213 and the imaging control unit 214 in accordance with the control program read from the memory unit 212. In particular, when performing alternate mounting, the calculation processing unit 211 controls each unit of the component mounting device 200 according to the procedure shown in Figure 4. Alternate mounting performed in this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 4 to 6.

Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the alternating mounting operation in the component mounting device shown in Figure 2. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the alternating mounting operation when two boards are simultaneously loaded from the printing device into the first and second transport lanes, respectively. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the alternating mounting operation when two boards are loaded from the printing device into the first and second transport lanes, respectively, at different times. Note that in Figures 5 and 6, the vertical axis represents the time axis. Also, the bubble indicates the production start time of the first board B1 and the second board B2. These figures illustrate a case in which the production start time of the first board B1 is earlier than the production start time of the second board B2. The alternating mounting operation will be described with reference to this case as appropriate. In Figures 5 and 6, to clearly indicate the mounting lanes and the boards on which components are to be mounted, the transport lanes corresponding to the mounting lanes are dotted, and the boards on which components are to be mounted are hatched.

As shown in columns (a) and (b) of Figure 5 and columns (a) and (b) of Figure 6, the timing of printing the bonding material on board B in the printing device 100 may differ. In this case, the first board B1 is printed at an earlier production start time than the second board B2. Therefore, in the prior art, control is performed under the assumption that the first board B1 is brought into the component mounting device 200 before the second board B2. In other words, sufficient consideration is not given to the simultaneous introduction of the first board B1 and the second board B2 (column (c) of Figure 5) or the introduction of the second board B2 into the component mounting device 200 before the first board B1 (column (c) of Figure 6). As a result, component mounting on the first board B1 (first mounting operation) is postponed, resulting in problems such as increased production time and an increase in work-in-progress.

In this embodiment, therefore, the operation shown in Figure 4 is performed on the assumption that board B has been loaded into at least one of the first transport lane 3a and the second transport lane 3. In other words, the mounting lane is reviewed each time one group of components E (a group of components held by head units 4a and 4b) is mounted in the mounting lane corresponding to the production start time of board B. More specifically, the calculation processing unit 211, which functions as the "time information acquisition unit" and "priority determination unit" of the present invention, controls each unit of the component mounting device 200 to operate as follows.

In step S1, the calculation processing unit 211 determines whether the current mounting lane is set to the first carrier lane 3a. When performing alternate mounting, board B is present in one of the first carrier lane 3a and the second carrier lane 3b, and component mounting is performed on that board B. Therefore, in this embodiment, the mounting lane determination process (steps S2a to S6a) performed when the first carrier lane 3a is set as the mounting lane, as shown in section (d) of Figure 5 and section (e) of Figure 6, for example, and the mounting lane determination process (steps S2b to S6b) performed when the second carrier lane 3b is currently set as the mounting lane, as shown in section (e) of Figure 5 and sections (d) and (f) of Figure 6, for example, are described separately.

If step S1 returns "YES," the processing unit 211 detects the presence or absence of a board in the second transport lane 3b, which is on the opposite side of the mounting lane, i.e., the second board B2 (step S2a). Here, the presence or absence of the second board B2 can be detected directly by a sensor (not shown) installed near the second mounting position A2. The presence or absence of board B may also be obtained indirectly by other means, such as by tracking the transport operation of board B through the transport lanes 3a and 3b or by receiving production start time information from the printing device 100.

Based on this detection result, the calculation processing unit 211 detects that the second board B2 is present on the second transport lane 3b ("YES" in step S3a), and then acquires the production start times of the first board B1 located at the first mounting position A1 and the second board B2 located at the second mounting position A2 (step S4a), as shown in (d) of Figure 5 and (e) of Figure 6, for example. More specifically, the calculation processing unit 211 reads out the production start times corresponding to the board IDs of the first board B1 and the second board B2. The production start times of boards B1 and B2 acquired in this way are referred to as the "first time T1" and the "second time T2," respectively.

The calculation processing unit 211 compares the first time T1 and second time T2 thus obtained. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, if the first time T1 is earlier than the second time T2 and printing on the first board B1 begins before printing on the second board B2 ("NO" in step S5a), the mounting lane remains the first transport lane 3a. Conversely, if the second time T2 is earlier than the first time T1 and printing on the second board B2 begins before printing on the first board B1 ("YES" in step S5a), the calculation processing unit 211 switches the mounting lane from the first transport lane 3a to the second transport lane 3b (step S6a).

On the other hand, if the second transport lane 3b is currently set as the mounting lane, that is, if step S1 returns "NO," the calculation processing unit 211 executes steps S2b to S6b. That is, the calculation processing unit 211 directly or indirectly detects the presence or absence of a board, i.e., the first board B1, in the first transport lane 3a opposite the mounting lane using the same means as step S2a (step S2b).

Based on this detection result, the calculation processing unit 211 detects that the first board B1 is present on the first transport lane 3a ("YES" in step S3b), and then obtains the production start times, i.e., the first time T1 and the second time T2, of the first board B1 located at the first mounting position A1 and the second board B2 located at the second mounting position A2, as shown in (d) of Figure 6, in the same manner as in step S4a above (step S4b).

The calculation processing unit 211 compares the first time T1 and second time T2 thus obtained. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, if the first time T1 is earlier than the second time T2 and printing of the first board B1 begins before printing of the second board B2 ("YES" in step S5b), the calculation processing unit 211 switches the mounting lane from the second transport lane 3b to the first transport lane 3a (step S6b). Conversely, if the second time T2 is earlier than the first time T1 and printing of the second board B2 begins before printing of the first board B1 ("NO" in step S5b), the mounting lane remains the second transport lane 3b.

Once the mounting lane is determined by executing steps S2a-S6a and S2b-S6b described above, the calculation processing unit 211 controls each unit of the device so that the group of components held by the head units 4a and 4b, i.e., one group of components E, are mounted on the board B on the mounting lane (step S7). In other words, if the printing process for the first board B1 starts earlier than the second board B2, component mounting on the first board B1 (first mounting operation, first mounting step) is performed with priority, even if the first board B1 is loaded simultaneously with the second board B2 as shown in FIG. 5 or loaded later than the second board B2 as shown in FIG. 6. Conversely, if the printing process for the second board B2 starts earlier than the first board B1, component mounting on the second board B2 (second mounting operation, second mounting step) is performed with priority.

The above-described process of determining the mounting lane and mounting one group of components is repeated until mounting of all components E on board B on the mounting lane is completed (step S8 returns "YES"). In other words, while step S8 returns "NO," the calculation processing unit 211 returns to step S1 and repeats the series of processes.

Note that although the above describes alternating mounting in the component mounting device 200 adjacent to the printing device 100, the alternating mounting shown in Figure 4 is also performed in other component mounting devices 200.

As described above, in this embodiment, priority is given to mounting component E on board B that has been printed first, regardless of the order in which boards B are brought into component mounting device 200. Therefore, as shown by the dashed lines in Figures 5 and 6, for example, variation in the production time of boards B on which components E are mounted can be effectively suppressed without being affected by the order in which boards B are brought into component mounting device 200. As a result, boards B on which components E are mounted can be produced with excellent quality. Furthermore, because boards B can be brought out of the reflow furnace 300 in the order in which they were printed, it is possible to reduce the number of work-in-progress items.

In the above embodiment, the printing device 100 and the printing process applied to the board B in the printing device 100 correspond to examples of the "pre-processing device" and "pre-processing" of the present invention, respectively. Furthermore, the reflow furnace 300 and the reflow process applied to the board B on which components have been mounted in the reflow furnace 300 correspond to examples of the "post-processing device" and "post-processing" of the present invention, respectively. Furthermore, the operations shown in (d) of FIG. 5 and (e) of FIG. 6 correspond to examples of the "first mounting operation" and "first mounting process" of the present invention, and the operations shown in (c) of FIG. 5 correspond to examples of the "second mounting operation" and "second mounting process" of the present invention. Furthermore, the process of selectively performing these operations corresponds to an example of the "selection and execution process" of the present invention. Furthermore, steps S4a and S4b correspond to an example of the "time information acquisition process" of the present invention. Furthermore, step S7 corresponds to an example of the "component mounting process" of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a second embodiment of a component mounting system according to the present invention. This second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the manner in which production start time information is assigned to the component mounting devices 200. In other words, whereas in the first embodiment, production start time information is sent directly from the printing device 100 to each component mounting device 200, in the second embodiment, it is sent indirectly. As shown by the dashed lines in Figure 7, the production start time information is sent from the printing device 100 to the host computer 400 and stored in memory 420. The host computer 400 then reads the production start time information from memory 420 depending on the operating status of each device, and sends it to each component mounting device 200, either together with the production program (production control information) or independently. Meanwhile, by receiving the production program and production start time information in this manner, the control unit 210 performs component mounting in accordance with the production program while appropriately performing priority switching.

Figure 8 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a third embodiment of a component mounting system according to the present invention. This third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the manner in which production start time information is used. In other words, in the third embodiment, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 8, production start time information is transmitted from the printing device 100 to the host computer 400 and stored in memory 420. The host computer 400 reads the production start time information from memory 420 according to the operating status of each device component and modifies the production program (production control information) to achieve alternate mounting corresponding to the production start time information (this corresponds to an example of the "modification process" of the present invention). The modified production program is then provided to each component mounting device 200 from the host computer 400, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 8. Meanwhile, upon receiving the production program reflecting the production start time information, the control unit 210 performs component mounting while appropriately performing priority switching.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made to the above as long as they do not deviate from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the above embodiment, three component mounting devices 200 are provided, but the present invention can also be applied to a component mounting system having one, two, or four or more component mounting devices 200.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the start time of the printing process is used as the first time and the second time, but any time during the printing process may be set as the first time and the second time. For example, the end time of the printing process may be set as the first time and the second time.

In the above embodiment, one printing device 100 is provided as the preprocessing device. However, the number of printing devices 100 installed is not limited to one and may be multiple. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, two printing devices 100 may be provided as preprocessing devices, and the "preprocessing" of the present invention may be configured to perform printing processes sequentially using these printing devices 100 (fourth embodiment). In this case, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 9, production start time information may be provided to each component mounting device 200, which associates the start time of printing process on board B by printing device 100A, which performs printing first, with the board ID of that board B. Of course, as in the second embodiment, production start time information from printing device 100A may be provided to each component mounting device 200 via host computer 400. As in the third embodiment, the production program may be modified based on the production start time information from printing device 100A, and the modified production program may then be provided to each mounting device 200.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a component mounting system 1 equipped with a printing device 100 as a pre-processing device, but the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to a component mounting system 1 equipped with a pre-processing device that applies bonding material in multiple spots as a pre-processing step for mounting chip components on a substrate.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a component mounting system 1 equipped with a reflow furnace 300 as a post-processing device, but the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a component mounting system in which an inspection device is placed at the position of the reflow furnace 300 as a post-processing device.

This invention can be applied to general component mounting technologies that have a first carrier lane and a second carrier lane and can alternately perform component mounting on the first carrier lane and component mounting on the second carrier lane.

1... Component mounting system 3a... First transport lane 3b... Second transport lane 4a, 4b... Head unit 100, 100A... Printing device (pre-processing device)
210...Control unit 200...Component mounting device 300...Reflow furnace (post-processing device)
400... Host computer 420... (Control) program A1... First mounting position A2... Second mounting position B1... First board B2... Second board E... Component RMa, RMb... Recording medium T1... First time T2... Second time

Claims (8)

1. A component mounting system that mounts components on a first substrate and a second substrate, and transports the first substrate and the second substrate on which the components are mounted to a post-processing device,
a pre-processing device that performs pre-processing on the first board and the second board before the components are mounted;
a component mounting device that mounts components onto the first substrate and the second substrate that have been subjected to the preprocessing by the preprocessing device,
The component mounting device
a first conveyance lane that conveys the workpiece toward the post-processing device via a first mounting position;
a second conveyance lane that conveys the workpiece toward the post-processing device via a second mounting position;
a head unit configured to be able to selectively execute a first mounting operation of mounting a component on the first substrate at the first mounting position and a second mounting operation of mounting a component on the second substrate at the second mounting position;
a control unit that controls the head unit,
The control unit
a controller configured to receive production control information defining a procedure for mounting the components onto the first substrate and the second substrate from a host computer, and to cause the head unit to execute the first mounting operation and the second mounting operation based on the production control information;
a time information acquiring unit that acquires, from the preprocessing device via the host computer, time information relating to a first time when the preprocessing is performed on the first substrate by the preprocessing device and a second time when the preprocessing is performed on the second substrate by the preprocessing device;
a priority determination unit that compares the first time and the second time based on the time information acquired by the time information acquisition unit, and controls the head unit to prioritize executing the first mounting operation when the first time is earlier than the second time, and to prioritize executing the second mounting operation when the second time is earlier than the first time. 2. The component mounting system according to claim 1,
the first time is the time when the pretreatment is first applied to the first substrate;
A component mounting system, wherein the second time is the time when the pre-processing is first performed on the second substrate. 2. The component mounting system according to claim 1,
the pretreatment device is a printing device that performs a printing process of printing a bonding material on the first substrate and the second substrate as the pretreatment,
the first time is a start time of the printing process on the first substrate,
A component mounting system in which the second time is a start time of the printing process on the second board. 2. The component mounting system according to claim 1,
the pretreatment device is a printing device that performs a printing process of printing a bonding material on the first substrate and the second substrate as the pretreatment,
the first time is an end time of the printing process on the first substrate,
A component mounting system in which the second time is the end time of the printing process on the second board. 2. The component mounting system according to claim 1,
the pre-processing device includes a plurality of printing devices that perform a printing process of printing a bonding material on the first substrate and the second substrate, and executes the pre-processing by sequentially performing the printing processes by the plurality of printing devices;
The first time and the second time are
a start time of the printing process on the first substrate and the second substrate by the printing device that first executes the printing process, or
A component mounting system that is the end time of the printing process on the first board and the second board by the printing device that first executes the printing process. a pretreatment step of applying pretreatment to the first substrate and the second substrate using a pretreatment device;
a component mounting process of receiving production control information defining a procedure for mounting components onto the first board and the second board from a host computer, and mounting components onto the first board and the second board that have been subjected to the pre-processing based on the production control information;
a post-processing step of performing post-processing on the first substrate and the second substrate on which the components are mounted,
The component mounting step includes:
acquiring, from the pretreatment device via the host computer, time information relating to a first time when the pretreatment is applied to the first substrate and a second time when the pretreatment is applied to the second substrate in the pretreatment step;
comparing the first time and the second time based on the time information;
a step of executing a first mounting step of mounting a component on the first board at a first mounting position prior to a second mounting step of mounting a component on the second board at a second mounting position when the first time is earlier than the second time;
a step of executing the second mounting process with priority over the first mounting process when the second time is earlier than the first time;
A component mounting method comprising: 2. A program for mounting components on the first board and the second board using the component mounting system according to claim 1,
a time information acquiring step of acquiring time information relating to the first time and the second time from the preprocessing device via the host computer;
a step of comparing the first time and the second time based on the time information acquired in the time information acquisition step;
a first mounting process of executing the first mounting operation with priority over the second mounting operation when the first time is earlier than the second time;
a second mounting process of executing the second mounting operation with priority over the first mounting operation when the second time is earlier than the first time;
A program that enables a computer to achieve this. A non-transitory recording medium on which the program according to claim 7 is recorded.