Component supply means

Claim 2

Component supply means (18) comprising a carrier (24), a plurality of component supply magazines (22) mounted on the carrier each magazine having a component transfer position at which components in the magazine are presented for transfer, characterised in that each magazine has a location mark (362) precisely positioned in a predetermined position relative to the transfer position, and the supply means comprises drive means (264) for moving the carrier to present the component transfer position of a magazine at a transfer station, sensing means (358) mounted at the transfer station to sense the location mark on a magazine at the station when the supply means is in a characterising mode and control means to which information is supplied from the sensing means when the supply means is in its characterising mode for determining when the transfer position (286) of a magazine is at a precise location of the transfer station (26) and, when the supply means is in an operational mode, for controlling the drive means (264) to present the transfer position of the magazine at said precise location of the transfer station from which components are to be transferred.

Claim 3

Component supply means according to claim 1, characterised in that the carrier comprises a turntable (24).

Claim 4

Component supply means according to either one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the sensing means (358) comprises means for emitting radiation towards the location mark and detecting reflected radiation and wherein each location mark on the magazines is provided by the junction between a region which reflects the radiation emitted by the sensing means and a region which does not reflect that radiation.

Claim 5

Component supply means comprising a carrier (24) and a plurality of magazines (22) exchangeably mounted on the carrier, the carrier being mounted for movement to present a selected one of the magazines at a transfer station (26), characterised in that the supply means further comprises cooperating location means (276, 278, 280) disposed on the carrier and the magazines by engagement of which magazines may be located on the carrier with mounting positions spaced substantially equally one from the next considered in the direction of movement of the carrier and clamp means (292) comprising cooperating locating faces (288, 290) on the magazine and carrier and clamping instrumentalities on each magazine so constructed and arranged that by engagement of the instrumentalities with the carrier the magazine may be clamped to the carrier with the locating faces in engagement whereby to locate the magazine transversely to the direction of movement of the carrier.

Claim 6

Component supply means comprising a carrier (24) and a plurality of magazines (22) exchangeably mounted on the carrier, the carrier being mounted for movement to present a selected one of the magazines at a transfer station (26), characterised in that the supply means further comprises cooperating location means (276, 278, 280) disposed on the carrier and the magazines by engagement of which magazines may be located on the carrier with mounting positions spaced substantially equally one from the next considered in the direction of movement of the carrier and clamp means (292) comprising cooperating locating faces (288, 290) on the magazine and carrier and clamping instrumentalities on each magazine so constructed and arranged that by engagement of the instrumentalities with the carrier the magazine may be clamped to the carrier with the locating faces in engagement whereby to locate the magazine transversely to the direction of movement of the carrier.

Claim 7

Component supply means according to claim 4, characterised in that the location means comprises location holes (276, 278) in the carrier and cooperating location pegs (280) on the magazines (22).

Claim 8

Component supply means according to either one of claims 4 and 5, characterised in that wherein the carrier (24) comprises a supporting surface (270) on which the magazines (22) are supported, the locating face on the carrier meeting the supporting surface to form a substantially V-shaped locating portion received in a complementary V-shaped groove (282, 288) provided on the magazine, the locating face on the magazine being provided by one face defining the V-shaped groove.

Claim 9

Component supply means according to claim 6, characterised in that the clamping instrumentalities comprise a toggle mechanism (292) including a clamping bar (294) which, when the toggle mechanism is locked, is urged against an inclined face (296) of the carrier (24) whereby both to impel the locating faces firmly into engagement and to clamp the magazine (22) firmly against the supporting surface of the carrier.

Claim 10

Component supply means according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the carrier is a turntable (24) and the magazines (22) are mounted on the turntable with their transfer positions (286) lying on an annular locus (284) centered on an axis of rotation of the turntable substantially equally spaced about said axis of rotation and wherein the control means is arranged, in the characterising mode of the supply means, to index the turntable through a series of equiangular rotary steps corresponding with the spacing between the transfer positions (286) of adjacent magazines starting from an initial position in which a first magazine is at the transfer station (26) thereby establishing a reference position of the turntable (24), to record said reference position, to sense the location mark (362) of the first magazine and, by comparison with said reference position, to determine and record the rotary position about its axis of rotation of the turntable in which the transfer position (286) of the first magazine is at said precise location, to index the turntable through one of said rotary steps to present the transfer position of a second magazine at the transfer station and by sensing its location mark (362) to similarly determine and record the rotary position about its axis of rotation of the turntable in which the transfer position of the second magazine is in said precise location, and to repeat the indexing movement until the rotary position of the turntable about its axis of rotation has been determined and recorded for every magazine mounted on the turntable whereby when the supply means is in its operational mode the control means rotates the turntable to the recorded rotary position necessary to present the transfer position of a selected magazine at said precise location of the transfer station.

Claim 11

Component supply means according to claim 8, characterised in that said control means records a digital representation of the rotary positions of the turntable necessary to present the transfer positions of the magazines at said precise location of the transfer station.

Claim 12

A component placement machine for electrical or electronic components comprising a frame (20), placement means (16) mounted on the frame adapted to receive components at a transfer station (26) and place them at desired positions on a substrate and component supply means (18) arranged to supply components to the transfer station, characterised in that the component supply means comprises an exchangeable carriage (19) by which a plurality of component magazines are carried for presentation of components at the transfer station, positioning means (228, 230, 232, 234, 242, 248) by which the carriage may be positioned in a desired position relative to the frame and locking means (250) by which the carriage may be locked in that position to the frame.

Claim 13

A component placement machine for electrical or electronic components comprising a frame (20), placement means (16) mounted on the frame adapted to receive components at a transfer station (26) and place them at desired positions on a substrate and component supply means (18) arranged to supply components to the transfer station, characterised in that the component supply means comprises an exchangeable carriage (19) by which a plurality of component magazines are carried for presentation of components at the transfer station, positioning means (228, 230, 232, 234, 242, 248) by which the carriage may be positioned in a desired position relative to the frame and locking means (250) by which the carriage may be locked in that position to the frame.