JP7807286B2 - Image processing device, component mounting machine, and image processing method - Google Patents

Description

This specification discloses an image processing device, a component mounter, and an image processing method.

Conventionally, an image processing device has been proposed that processes an image of a tape on which cavities for accommodating components are arranged at a fixed pitch along the feed direction to recognize the pitch of the cavities (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This device extracts the brightness of pixels on a line along the feed direction from the image of the tape to generate a brightness waveform for that line, performs a periodic analysis of brightness changes from the generated brightness waveform, and recognizes the cavity pitch based on the wavelength obtained from this periodic analysis.

International Publication No. 2021/166230

In the image processing device described above, brightness changes may be detected in areas other than the edge of the cavity due to disturbances or other factors during image processing, which may result in an incorrect determination of the cavity pitch.

The primary objective of this disclosure is to further improve the detection accuracy for detecting cavity pitch.

This disclosure takes the following measures to achieve the above-mentioned primary objective:

The image processing device of the present disclosure includes:
An image processing device that processes an image of a tape on which cavities for accommodating components are provided at a fixed pitch among a plurality of pitches in a feed direction,
a storage unit that stores in advance, for each of the plurality of types of pitches, information on the sizes of components that can be accommodated in cavities that are provided at the corresponding pitches;
an acquisition unit that acquires component size information relating to the sizes of the components contained in the tape;
a detection unit that sets a determination target from among a plurality of candidate positions where the cavity can exist at any of the plurality of pitches on the image of the tape, excluding an excluded position where the cavity cannot exist based on the component size information and the accommodation size information, and detects the pitch of the cavity by comparing the brightness value of the pixel of the determination target with a reference value to determine whether a cavity exists in the determination target;
The gist of the project is to provide the following:

The image processing device disclosed herein stores in advance in a memory unit, for each of multiple types of pitch, available size information regarding the size of components that can be accommodated in cavities provided at the corresponding pitch. The image processing device then sets a determination target by excluding excluded positions where cavities cannot exist from multiple candidate positions on the tape image based on the component size information and available size information, and detects the cavity pitch by determining whether a cavity exists in the determination target. This allows the image processing device to avoid determining whether a cavity exists by using positions where cavities cannot exist as determination targets, further reducing the possibility of erroneous determination due to disturbances, etc. As a result, the detection accuracy for detecting cavity pitch can be further improved.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a component mounter system. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a feeder. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the component supply position of the feeder. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical connection relationship between the component mounter and the management device. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an automatic feed pitch detection process. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an imaging position for reading a feeder mark on a tape and an imaging position for measuring a feed pitch; FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a pitch detection process. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a reference luminance measurement position. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of measurement points on a 1 mm feed tape, a 2 mm feed tape, and a 4 mm feed tape. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of information about the size of components that can be accommodated stored in a storage device.

Next, the form for implementing this disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the component mounter system 1. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the feeder 20. Figure 3 is a partially enlarged view of the feeder 20 near the component supply position. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical connection relationship between the component mounter 10 and the management device 60. Note that the left-right direction in Figure 1 is the X-axis direction, the front (near) and back (far) direction is the Y-axis direction which is roughly perpendicular to the X-axis direction, and the up-down direction is the Z-axis direction which is roughly perpendicular to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction (horizontal plane).

As shown in Figure 1, the component mounter system 1 comprises a component mounter 10 and a management device 60. Multiple component mounters 10 are arranged side by side in the board transport direction to form a component mounting line.

Each mounter 10 includes a housing 11, a board transport device 12, a feeder 20, a head moving device 30, a mounting head 40, and a mounting control device 50 (see Figure 4). In addition to these, the mounter 10 also includes a parts camera 14, a mark camera 16, and other components.

The substrate transport device 12 has a pair of conveyor belts that are spaced apart from one another in the front-to-back direction (Y-axis direction) in Figure 1 and span the left-to-right direction (X-axis direction). The substrates are transported from left to right in the figure by the conveyor belts of the substrate transport device 12.

As shown in FIG. 1, the feeders 20 are attached to a feeder table provided at the front of the housing 11 so that they are aligned in the left-right direction (X-axis direction). As shown in FIG. 2, the feeders 20 are configured as tape feeders including a reel 21, feeder marks 23, a tape feeding mechanism 24, a connector 26, and a feeder control device 28. A tape 22 is wound around the reel 21. As shown in FIG. 3, the tape 22 has cavities 22a and sprocket holes 22b formed at predetermined intervals along its length. A component P is accommodated in the cavity 22a. The size and pitch of the cavities 22a are determined according to the size of the component to be accommodated. In this embodiment, the pitch of the cavities 22a is 1 mm, 2 mm, or 4 mm.

The tape feed mechanism 24 includes a motor 24a configured as a stepping motor, a drive gear 24b attached to the rotation shaft of the motor 24a, a transmission gear 24c meshing with the drive gear 24b, and a sprocket 24d having sprocket teeth on its outer periphery that mesh with the transmission gear 24c. The tape feed mechanism 24 engages the sprocket teeth of the sprocket 24d with sprocket holes 22b formed in the tape 22 and intermittently rotates the sprocket 24d by driving the motor 24a, thereby unwinding the tape 22 from the reel 21 and sequentially feeding it to the component supply position F (see Figure 3). The components P stored on the tape 22 are protected by a film covering the surface of the tape 22. The film is peeled off just before the component supply position F, exposing the components P at the component supply position F and making them available for suction by the suction nozzle 44.

As shown in FIG. 4, the feeder control device 28 includes a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as "mc") 28a incorporating a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and a motor driver 28b as a drive circuit for the motor 24a. The mc 28a receives a detection signal from a feed sensor 25, which detects the feed amount of the tape 22 by detecting the rotational displacement of the transmission gear 24c, and outputs a pulse signal to the motor driver 28b to drive the motor 24a. The motor driver 28b generates a drive current based on the input pulse signal and outputs it to the motor 24a. The driving force from the motor 24a rotates the sprocket 24d via the transmission gear 24c, and the tape 22 engaged with the sprocket 24d is fed to the component supply position F at a predetermined feed pitch. The feed pitch of the tape 22 is preset to match the pitch of the cavities 22a. The feed pitch can be set by an operator using an input device (not shown) or by reading the state of a setting switch provided on the feeder 20.

The head moving device 30 moves the mounting head 40 back and forth and left and right (X and Y axis directions). As shown in FIG. 1, the head moving device 30 includes an X-axis slider 32 and a Y-axis slider 34. The X-axis slider 32 is supported by a pair of upper and lower X-axis guide rails 31 that extend left and right (X axis direction) on the front surface of the Y-axis slider 34, and can be moved left and right by driving an X-axis motor (not shown). The Y-axis slider 34 is supported by a pair of left and right Y-axis guide rails 33 that extend back and forth (Y axis direction) on the upper section of the housing 11, and can be moved left and right by driving a Y-axis motor (not shown). The mounting head 40 is attached to the X-axis slider 32. Therefore, the mounting head 40 can be moved along the XY plane (horizontal plane) by driving and controlling the head moving device 30 (X axis motor and Y axis motor).

The mounting head 40 includes a holder 42 that holds a suction nozzle 44 and an elevator that raises and lowers the holder 42. The suction nozzle 44 has a suction port at its tip, and is able to pick up a component P using negative pressure supplied to the suction port from a negative pressure source (not shown).

The part camera 14 is installed between the feeder 20 and the board transport device 12 and captures images of the component P picked up by the suction nozzle 44 of the mounting head 40 from below. The image of the component captured by the part camera 14 is used to detect any misalignment of the component P.

The mark camera 16 is mounted on the mounting head 40 and captures images of the marks (board marks) attached to the board from above, as well as the marks (feeder marks 23) on the feeder 20 and the tape 22 from above. Images of the board marks captured by the mark camera 16 are used to recognize the position of the board. Images of the tape 22 captured by the mark camera 16 are used to detect the pitch of the cavities 22a.

As shown in FIG. 4, the mounting control device 50 is configured as a microprocessor centered around a CPU 51, and in addition to the CPU 51, it also includes ROM 52, RAM 53, a storage device 54 (such as a hard disk drive or solid state drive), and an input/output interface 55. These are connected via a bus 56. The mounting control device 50 inputs various detection signals from a position sensor (not shown) that detects the position of the mounting head 40, as well as image signals from the part camera 14 and mark camera 16. The mounting control device 50 also outputs various control signals to the feeder 20, substrate transport device 12, head movement device 30 (X-axis motor, Y-axis motor), part camera 14, mark camera 16, etc.

The management device 60 is a general-purpose computer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, and storage devices (such as a hard disk drive or solid state drive), and is communicatively connected to the mounting control device 50 of each mounter 10. The management device 60 generates production jobs that determine which components will be mounted on which boards in each mounter 10, and how many boards with such components mounted will be produced. The production job includes board information about the boards to be produced, nozzle information about the suction nozzles 44 to be used, and component information about the components to be mounted (including component size). The management device 60 instructs each mounter 10 to perform production by sending the generated production job to each mounter 10 (mounting control device 50).

When production is instructed, the mounting control device 50 of each mounter 10 performs mounting processing to mount components on a board in accordance with the production job. That is, the mounting control device 50 first instructs the feeder 20 to feed the tape at a predetermined feed pitch to supply the components to component supply position F, and causes the head moving device 30 to move the mounting head 40 above component supply position F on the feeder 20. Next, the mounting control device 50 uses the elevator device to lower the suction nozzle 44, causing the suction nozzle 44 to pick up the component P. Next, the mounting control device 50 uses the head moving device 30 to move the component P picked up by the suction nozzle 44 above the part camera 14, and captures an image of the component with the part camera 14. After capturing the image, the mounting control device 50 processes the captured image of the component P to measure the amount of suction misalignment of the component P and corrects the mounting position of the component on the board. The mounting control device 50 then uses the head moving device 30 to move the component P picked up by the suction nozzle 44 to above the corrected mounting position, and uses the lifting device to lower the suction nozzle 44 to mount the component P on the board.

Next, we will explain the operation for detecting the required feed pitch of the tape 22 when the feeder 20 feeds the tape 22. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the automatic feed pitch detection process executed by the CPU 51 of the mounting control device 50. This process is executed when the feeder 20 is set on the feeder table. In this embodiment, the feeder 20 is set on the feeder table manually by an operator, but it may also be set automatically by an automatic exchange robot (not shown).

When the automatic feed pitch detection process is executed, the CPU 51 of the mounting control device 50 first controls the head moving device 30 to move the mounting head 40 to the feeder mark reading imaging position (see FIG. 6) to read the feeder mark 23, captures an image of the feeder mark 23 with the mark camera 16, processes the captured image, and reads the feeder mark 23 that appears in the captured image (S100). The CPU 51 then determines whether the reading of the feeder mark 23 was successful (S110). If the CPU 51 determines that the reading was unsuccessful, it determines that the feeder 20 is not properly set (NG) (S120), and ends the automatic feed pitch detection process without detecting the feed pitch of the tape 22 (the pitch of the cavities 22a).

On the other hand, if the CPU 51 determines in S110 that the feeder mark 23 was successfully read, it reads the sprocket holes 22b shown in the captured image obtained in S100 (S130). The CPU 51 then determines whether there is any misalignment (pitch misalignment) in the feed direction of the tape 22 based on the relative positions of the read sprocket holes 22b and the feeder mark 23 read in S100 (S140). If the CPU 51 determines that there is a pitch misalignment, it determines that the feeder 20 is not properly set (NG) (S120) and terminates the automatic feed pitch detection process without detecting the feed pitch of the tape 22 (the pitch of the cavities 22a). If the CPU 51 determines that the feeder 20 is not properly set, it displays an error on a display device (not shown) or sounds a warning sound to prompt the operator to reset the feeder 20. This allows for operator errors in setting the feeder 20 (such as misalignment) to be checked before production, reducing part loss due to pickup errors caused by misalignment of the feeder 20.

On the other hand, if the CPU 51 determines that there is no pitch misalignment, it controls the head moving device 30 to move the mounting head 40 to the feed pitch measurement imaging position (see FIG. 6) for measuring the feed pitch, and then images the tape 22 with the mark camera 16 (S150). Next, the CPU 51 corrects the coordinates of each pixel in the image of the tape 22 obtained in S150 based on the position of the feeder mark 23 read in S100 (feeder mark correction) (S160), and then executes a feed pitch detection process to detect the feed pitch (pitch of the cavities 22a) from the image of the tape 22 (S170). The CPU 51 then determines whether the detected pitch matches the set value (S180). If the CPU 51 determines that the detected pitch does not match the set value, it determines that the feeder 20 is not properly set (NG) (S120), and terminates the automatic feed pitch detection process. This allows for checking before production whether the operator has attached the reel 21 correctly, reducing part loss caused by feeding out the tape 22 at a pitch different from the pitch of the cavity 22a (skipping pitch).

On the other hand, if the CPU 51 determines that the detected pitch matches the set value, it determines that the feeder 20 is set correctly (OK) (S190) and ends the automatic feed pitch detection process. This allows the feeder 20 to feed out the tape 22 at a feed pitch that matches the pitch of the cavity 22a.

The feed pitch detection process of S170 is performed by executing the feed pitch detection process illustrated in Figure 7.

In the feed pitch detection process of FIG. 7, the CPU 51 first reads the sprocket holes 22b in the captured image of the tape 22 obtained by S150 of the automatic feed pitch detection process (S200). Next, the CPU 51 determines the center position of two sprocket holes 22b aligned in the feed direction (Y-axis direction) of the tape 22 as the reference brightness measurement position, acquires the brightness value of the pixel at the reference brightness measurement position from the captured image of the tape 22 (S210), and sets the acquired brightness value as the reference brightness S (S220). The reference brightness measurement position of this embodiment is shown in FIG. 8(a), and the reference brightness measurement position of the comparative example is shown in FIG. 8(b). As shown in FIG. 8(b), the reference brightness measurement position of the comparative example is determined on a straight line that passes through the center of the feeder mark 23 and extends in a direction perpendicular to the feed direction of the tape 22 (X-axis direction). The feed pitch is detected by defining multiple (seven) measurement points in the tape feed direction at the minimum pitch (1 mm) of the existing tape 22 and comparing the luminance value of each measurement point with the reference luminance S to determine the presence or absence of a cavity 22a at each measurement point. Therefore, when measuring the reference luminance S, it is necessary to obtain a luminance value from an empty portion of the tape 22 as the reference luminance measurement position. In the comparative example, depending on the size of the cavity 22a, the reference luminance measurement position may overlap the edge of the cavity 22a, as shown in Figure 8(b). If the CPU 51 sets the luminance value of the edge portion as the reference luminance S, an incorrect reference luminance S may result in an erroneous determination of the feed pitch. In this embodiment, the CPU 51 reads the sprocket holes 22b, sets the center position between the two read sprocket holes 22b as the reference luminance measurement position, and sets the reference luminance S from the luminance value of the pixel at the reference luminance measurement position. This allows for a more stable and accurate reference luminance S than the comparative example.

Next, the CPU 51 acquires the component size of the components stored on the tape 22 loaded on the feeder 20 (S230). The component size can be acquired from the component information included in the production job received from the management device 60. Next, the CPU 51 sets measurement points to be excluded from the multiple measurement points used to detect the feed pitch based on the acquired component size and the component size information that can be stored in advance in the storage device 54 (S240). The exclusion from the judgment refers to excluding measurement points among the multiple measurement points at which no cavity 22a may exist from the determination of whether or not a cavity exists; details of this will be described later.

Then, the CPU 51 initializes the variable i to the value 1 (S250) and determines whether the variable i is equal to or less than a predetermined value (7). If the CPU 51 determines that the variable i is equal to or less than the predetermined value, it determines whether the measurement point i is set to be excluded from the determination (S270).

When the CPU 51 determines that measurement point i is not set to be excluded from determination, it acquires the brightness value of the pixel at measurement point i in the captured image of the tape 22 (S280) and determines whether the acquired brightness value Li is smaller than the reference brightness S by a predetermined value α or more (S290). The cavity 22a portion of the captured image of the tape 22 appears darker than the portion without any formed area. Therefore, by determining whether the brightness value Li of measurement point i is smaller than the reference brightness S by a predetermined value α or more, it is possible to determine whether a cavity 22a is present at measurement point i. When the CPU 51 determines that the brightness value Li of measurement point i is smaller than the reference brightness S by a predetermined value α or more, it determines that a cavity 22a is present at measurement point i (S300), increments the variable i by 1 (S310), and returns to S260. On the other hand, if the CPU 51 determines that the luminance value Li of the measurement point i is not smaller than the reference luminance S by the predetermined value α or more, it determines that there is no cavity 22a at the measurement point i (S320), increments the variable i (S310), and returns to S260.

If the CPU 51 determines in S270 that measurement point i is set to be excluded from judgment, it determines that there is no cavity 22a without determining whether there is a cavity 22a at that measurement point i (S320), increments the variable i (S310), and returns to S260.

If the CPU 51 determines in S260 that the variable i is not equal to or less than the predetermined value, it determines that the determination of the presence or absence of cavities 22a at all measurement points has been completed, determines the feed pitch of the tape 22 from the determination results at each measurement point (S330), and terminates the feed pitch detection process. Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram showing examples of measurement points for a 1 mm feed tape, a 2 mm feed tape, and a 4 mm feed tape. For a tape 22 with multiple measurement points (first through seventh) currently present, where the minimum pitch is set to 1 mm, if a cavity is determined to be present at all of the first through seventh measurement points from the top, the tape 22 is determined to be a 1 mm feed tape (see Figure 9(a)). Furthermore, if a cavity is determined to be present at the first, third, fifth, and seventh measurement points and no cavity is determined at the remaining measurement points, the tape 22 is determined to be a 2 mm feed tape (see Figure 9(b)). Furthermore, if a cavity is determined to be present at the first and fifth measurement points and no cavity is determined to be present at the other measurement points, the tape 22 is determined to be a 4 mm feed tape (see Figure 9 (c)).

Here, we will explain the measurement points that are excluded from judgment. Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of accommodable component size information. As shown in the figure, each tape type is associated with a accommodable component size. That is, a 1 mm feed tape can accommodate components of sizes "0402", "0603", and "1005". A 2 mm feed tape can accommodate components of sizes "0402", "0603", "1005", and "1608". Furthermore, a 4 mm feed tape can accommodate components of sizes "1608", "2125", "3216", and "3225". For example, if the component size of the component accommodated on tape 22 of feeder 20 is "1608", then according to the accommodable component size information, tape 22 may be fed 2 mm or 4 mm, but not 1 mm. In this case, the CPU 51 excludes the second, fourth, and sixth measurement points from the judgment, as these are measurement points where a cavity 22a may be present at a feed of 1 mm, but where a cavity 22a is not present at a feed of 2 mm or 4 mm (see the dotted lines in Figure 9C). This reduces the number of measurement points to be judged, minimizing the risk of erroneous judgment due to disturbances, etc. As a result, the detection accuracy of the feed pitch of the tape 22 can be further improved. Note that although the accommodateable component size information is stored in the storage device 54, it may also be stored in the storage device of the management device 60.

Here, the correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the present disclosure described in the claims will be explained. Specifically, the mounting control device 50 of the embodiment corresponds to the image processing device of the present disclosure, the tape 22 corresponds to the tape, the cavity 22a corresponds to the cavity, the storage device 54 of the mounting control device 50 corresponds to the storage unit, the mounting head 40 corresponds to the head, the head moving device 30 corresponds to the moving device, the CPU 51 of the mounting control device 50 that executes the process at S230 of the pitch detection process corresponds to the acquisition unit, and the CPU 51 of the mounting control device 50 that executes the processes at S240 to S330 of the pitch detection process corresponds to the detection unit. Furthermore, the sprocket hole 22b corresponds to the engagement hole, and the CPU 51 of the mounting control device 50 that executes the processes at S200 to S220 of the pitch detection process corresponds to the setting unit.

It goes without saying that the present disclosure is in no way limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms as long as they fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

As described above, the image processing device of the present disclosure stores in advance in a memory, for each of multiple types of pitch, available size information regarding the size of components that can be accommodated in cavities provided at the corresponding pitch. The image processing device then sets a determination target by excluding excluded positions where cavities cannot exist from multiple candidate positions on the tape image based on the component size information and available size information, and detects the cavity pitch by determining whether a cavity exists in the determination target. This allows the image processing device to avoid determining whether a cavity exists by using positions where cavities cannot exist as determination targets, further reducing the possibility of erroneous determination due to disturbances, etc. As a result, the detection accuracy for detecting cavity pitch can be further improved.

The image processing device disclosed herein may include a setting unit that sets the reference value to the brightness value of a pixel at a designated position that has been designated in advance on the image of the tape, the tape being arranged in parallel with the cavity in the feed direction and having a plurality of engagement holes with which sprockets for feeding the tape engage, and the designated position may be a position between two adjacent engagement holes in the feed direction. This allows the reference value to be set appropriately.

In the above embodiment, the image processing device (mounting control device 50) has been described as an embodiment, but the image processing device may also be an image processing method or a component mounting machine.

This disclosure can be used in industries such as the manufacturing of image processing devices and component mounters.

1 Component mounter system, 10 Component mounter, 11 Housing, 12 Board transport device, 14 Parts camera, 16 Mark camera, 20 Feeder, 21 Reel, 22 Tape, 22a Cavity, 22b Sprocket hole, 23 Feeder mark, 24 Tape feed mechanism, 24a Motor, 24b Drive gear, 24c Transmission gear, 24d Sprocket, 25 Feed amount sensor, 26 Connector, 28 Feeder control device, 28a Microcomputer, 28b Motor driver, 30 Head moving device, 31 X-axis guide rail, 32 X-axis slider, 33 Y-axis guide rail, 34 Y-axis slider, 40 Mounting head, 42 Holder, 44 Suction nozzle, 50 Mounting control device, 51 CPU, 52 ROM, 53 RAM, 54 Storage device, 55 Input/output interface, 56 Bus, 60 management device, F parts supply position, P parts.

Claims (4)

An image processing device that processes an image of a tape on which cavities for accommodating components are provided at a fixed pitch among a plurality of pitches in a feed direction,
a storage unit that stores in advance, for each of the plurality of types of pitches, information on the sizes of components that can be accommodated in the cavities provided at the corresponding pitches;
an acquisition unit that acquires component size information relating to the sizes of the components contained in the tape;
a detection unit that sets a determination target from among a plurality of candidate positions where the cavity can exist at any of the plurality of pitches on the image of the tape, excluding an excluded position where the cavity cannot exist based on the component size information and the accommodation size information, and detects the pitch of the cavity by comparing the brightness value of the pixel of the determination target with a reference value to determine whether a cavity exists in the determination target;
An image processing device comprising: 2. The image processing device according to claim 1,
a setting unit that sets the luminance value of a pixel at a designated position that is designated in advance on the image of the tape to the reference value;
the tape has a plurality of engagement holes that are aligned in parallel with the cavities in the feeding direction and that engage with sprockets for feeding the tape;
the designated position is a position between two adjacent engagement holes in the feed direction;
Image processing device. A component mounter equipped with a feeder that feeds a tape having cavities for accommodating components arranged at a fixed pitch among a plurality of pitches in a feed direction, the component mounter picking up components from the cavities of the tape and mounting them on an object,
an imaging unit that captures an image of the tape;
a storage unit that stores in advance, for each of the plurality of types of pitches, information on the sizes of components that can be accommodated in the cavities provided at the corresponding pitches;
an acquisition unit that acquires component size information relating to the sizes of the components contained in the tape;
a detection unit that sets a determination target from among a plurality of candidate positions where the cavity can exist at any of the plurality of pitches on the image of the tape, excluding an excluded position where the cavity cannot exist based on the component size information and the accommodation size information, and detects the pitch of the cavity by comparing the brightness value of the pixel of the determination target with a reference value to determine whether a cavity exists in the determination target;
a control unit that controls the feeder to feed the tape based on the cavity pitch detected by the detection unit;
A component mounting machine comprising: 1. An image processing method for processing an image of a tape having cavities for accommodating components arranged at a constant pitch among a plurality of pitches in a feeding direction, comprising:
storing in advance, for each of the plurality of types of pitches, information on the sizes of components that can be accommodated in the cavities provided at the corresponding pitches;
acquiring component size information relating to the sizes of the components contained on the tape;
a determination target is set by excluding an excluded position where the cavity cannot exist based on the component size information and the accommodation size information from a plurality of candidate positions where the cavity can exist at any of the plurality of pitches on the image of the tape, and the cavity pitch is detected by comparing the brightness value of the pixel of the determination target with a reference value to determine whether or not a cavity exists in the determination target;
Image processing methods.