Abstract: The present invention provides a device and a method for determining whether or not component holder is good, which enable detecting component holders that are to affect correct component recognition and further enable preventing interferences between constituent devices, a component mounting apparatus with the determining device, and a component mounting method. The determining device has an illuminating device, a CCD camera and a controller to determine whether or not a suction nozzle is good based on a luminance at a component hold face of the suction nozzle. The suction nozzle having the light reflectance of the component hold face increased to a level whereat the correct recognition of an electronic component held by the suction nozzle is affected can be detected accordingly. An interference preventing device is also provided, so that the interference between the CCD camera and the suction nozzle can be prevented.

Abstract: Disclosed are a component recognizing method and apparatus, and a component mounting method and apparatus, by which components with various heights held by a plurality of nozzles can be recognized continuously. The drive of a head is transmitted to nozzles, with surfaces to be recognized of components being controlled so as to be positioned in a recognizable range during respective recognizing operations of the components, and a continuous recognition is thereby made possible. The adjustment of heights of the surfaces to be recognized during the recognizing operations of the components is achieved by one drive unit and a plurality of drive transmitting units.

Abstract: A bumper beam includes a first portion of a first material and a second portion of a second material. The first material has different material properties than the second material. For example, the first material may have a generally higher tensile or yield strength than the second material. In one embodiment, the first material comprises martensitic steel, while the second material comprises a dual-phase, multiphase, complex-phase or TRIP steel. In addition, the first material may have a different thickness than the second material. The bumper beam provides an improved strength to weight ratio than conventional bumper beams. This abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that allows a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b).

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for mounting electronic components are provided which shorten a cycle time required for mounting and enable a component mounting machine to be arranged in a small area. There is provided a controller, so that a retreat control for a second electronic component is performed to a second component feeder so as to avoid an interference if a first electronic component or a component holder interferes with the second electronic component of the second component feeder because of movement of a mounting head. The time conventionally required for moving up and down a component holder can be reduced, and moreover the need of uselessly moving along a detour at a time of moving the mounting head is eliminated. The cycle time can be shortened, and eventually costs can be reduced.

Abstract: An occurrence component lack at a component arrangement position, designated by a mounting program, of a component feed part, which feeds components to be mounted, is determined. Whether a spare component for the lacking component to be mounted is present in a spare component feed area of the component feed part is determined, and supply of the component to be mounted from a designated component arrangement position of the component feed part is switched to supply of the spare component from the spare component feed area.

Abstract: A component mounting method including carrying in a circuit board to a component mounting position and carrying out the circuit board after component-mounting operation. The component mounting operation includes sucking up the component from the component feed section and moving the component to the mounting position, and mounting the component on a specified site of the circuit board. Also, a remaining-component discarding operation is performed to discard a component which remains at the suction nozzle during a specified time period following the component-mounting operation while the component mounting operation is stopped.

Abstract: A parts mounting method employing a suction section having a plurality of suction nozzles is provided. The suction section is moved to a parts supply section in which a plurality of parts are suctioned by the suction nozzles at the same time. The parts are then mounted onto a board. The suction nozzles are divided into groups: a first group having a shift amount within an allowable range in which simultaneous suction is possible; and a second group having a shift amount outside the allowable range in which simultaneous suction is possible. The parts are then sucked at the same time for each of the groups.

Abstract: A bumper beam includes a first portion of a first material and a second portion of a second material. The first material has different material properties than the second material. For example, the first material may have a generally higher tensile or yield strength than the second material. In one embodiment, the first material comprises martensitic steel, while the second material comprises a dual-phase, multiphase, complex-phase or TRIP steel. In addition, the first material may have a different thickness than the second material. The bumper beam provides an improved strength to weight ratio than conventional bumper beams. This abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that allows a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope of the claims.

Abstract: An offset measuring board is formed of a rectangular metal plate which can be positioned at a component mounting position by a positioning device and which has at least in proximity to one corner portion thereof a recognition through hole, serving as a recognition mark, having a black bottom face within a recessed portion.

Abstract: The present invention allows a parts remaining number to be efficiently controlled using adaptability check result of an electronic part added during operation, and allows the electronic part to be mounted without mistake.

Abstract: A cassette control device by which high-speed processing can be expected even by using an arithmetical unit with current processing capability, even when the number of cassettes increases simultaneously with an increase in the number of nozzles which can suck electronic parts. There is provided storage unit (18) having storage regions in which programs for respective operation patterns of the cassettes (3-1 to 3-M) are set for each of the nozzles. An arithmetic unit (19) extracts a specific program required for driving in a specific operation pattern based on a command (17) inputted according to the content of packaging, from a specific region which is provided in the storage unit (18) to correspond to a specific nozzle to be used, and the arithmetic unit (19) operates the specific cassette using the specific program.

Abstract: A component mounting apparatus and method allows for components supplied from component supplying members to be simultaneously or continuously held by component holding members without being affected by positional displacements of the component holding members relative to a head, a positional displacement of the component supplying members or the like. With a positional displacement amount (&Dgr;y) along a Y direction relative to a reference position of a nozzle taken into account, at a component supply cassette, driving a motor for moving components one by one along the Y direction to a component supply position is controlled, thereby positionally adjusting a component at the component supply position and absorbing the positional displacement amount.

Abstract: A slide-type solvent transfer unit is used, and a plurality of nozzles at a head part which suck and hold components are moved down simultaneously to transfer flux to electronic components. In comparison with an electronic component mounting method including a transfer operation whereby nozzles are lowered one by one by a conventional electronic component mounting apparatus equipped with a rotary type solvent transfer unit, the time required for moving the nozzles up and down is shortened and a total cycle time is reduced, so that production efficiency is improved.

Abstract: A polyimide film of 20 to 125 &mgr;m thick composed of aromatic polyimide prepared from an aromatic tetracarboxylic acid component (composed mainly of 3,4,3′,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic acid or its derivative) and an aromatic diamine component (composed mainly of p-phenyl-enediamine) and containing a micro-granular filler of metal atom-containing inorganic material, can be so denatured on its surfaces that an amount of the metal atom and a ratio of oxygen/carbon would increase by 0.03 to 1.0 atomic % and 0.01 to 0.20, respectively, on the processed surfaces, upon running in a gaseous mixture of argon and hydrogen between a plurality of activated plasma discharge electrodes arranged in a double line under such condition that the running polyimide film is free from contact with the electrodes.

Abstract: An in-plane magnetic recording medium includes a resin substrate and an underlayer, the resin substrate formed without requiring a complex manufacturing process and having an optimum surface smoothness. The underlayer provides a satisfactory in-plane orientation property to a magnetic film, whereby high coercive force and high S/N ratio are provided in the magnetic recording medium, thus making the magnetic recording medium suitable for high density recording. The in-plane magnetic recording medium includes at least a substrate made of resin, an underlayer made of an alloy of Ti and tungsten W, an intermediate layer having a hexagonal close-packed structure, a magnetic film mainly composed of Co, a protecting film and a lubricant coat, successively provided one on another. The underlayer is made of an alloy of Ti containing W between 25 and 60 atomic percent, and the thickness thereof falls within 5 nm and 25 nm.

Abstract: A component mounting apparatus includes a board transfer section for carrying in circuit boards to a component mounting position and carrying out the circuit board after component-mounting operation. A component feed section is provided for feeding, to a specified position, a component to be mounted onto the circuit board, and a component mounting section is provided for loading a suction nozzle matching the component to be mounted, sucking up the component from the component feed section and moving the component to the mounting position, and mounting the component on a specified site of the circuit board. A controller is provided for controlling operations of the individual sections is order to execute a productional operation of component-mounting onto the circuit boards.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium having a high coercive force and a high signal to noise ratio suitable for use in a high density recording, and a method of manufacture thereof are provided, by using a resin substrate capable of processing approximately at room temperatures. A magnetic film mainly comprising Co—Pt—Cr and including a silicon oxide is formed on the resin substrate wherein an amount of silicon element constituting the silicon oxide in terms of atomic percent relative to the Co—Pt—Cr is 8 atomic % or more and 16 atomic % or less, thereby efficiently decreasing the inter-crystal interaction between crystal grains therein. Further, the magnetic film is formed on the substrate made of the resin in the non-heated state by sputtering in a sputtering chamber at a gas pressure of 0.133 Pa or more and 2.66 Pa or less.

Abstract: A component lack at a component arrangement position designated by a mounting program at a component feed part which feeds components to be mounted is detected, whether a spare component for the lacking component to be mounted is present in a spare component feed area (16s) of the component feed part is detected, and the supply of the component to be mounted from the designated component arrangement position in the component feed part is switched to the supply of the spare component from the spare component feed area.

Abstract: The present invention allows a parts remaining number to be efficiently controlled using adaptability check result of an electronic part added during operation, and allows the electronic part to be mounted without mistake.

Abstract: A component mounting apparatus includes a board transfer section for carrying in one of circuit boards to a component mounting position and carrying out the circuit board after component-mounting, a component feed section for feeding to a specified position a component to be mounted onto the circuit board, a component mounting section for loading a suction nozzle matching the component to be mounted, sucking up the-component from the component feed section and moving the component to the mounting position, and mounting the component to a specified site of the circuit board, a controller for controlling operations of the individual sections to execute a productional operation of component-mounting onto the circuit boards, and a remaining-component discarding device for performing an operation of discarding a component which remains at the suction nozzle during a time period for which the component-mounting operation by the component mounting section is kept halted.