1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic-component holding apparatus, an electronic-component mounting system, and an electronic-component mounting method, and particularly to an electronic-component holding apparatus including a plural-nozzle head that holds a plurality of suction nozzles adapted to hold respective electronic components, and a head holding member that holds the plural-nozzle head such that the plural-nozzle head is detachable from the head holding member; an electronic-component mounting system including the electronic-component holding apparatus; and an electronic-component mounting method using the electronic-component holding apparatus.
2. Discussion of Related Art
An example of the above-indicated electronic-component holding apparatus is disclosed by, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-221518. The electronic-component holding apparatus is employed by an electronic-component mounting system, and includes a head holding member that selectively holds an arbitrary one of different sorts of nozzle heads. The different sorts of nozzle heads hold different sorts and/or numbers of suction nozzles. Therefore, the head holding member selectively holds an appropriate one of the different nozzle heads that holds one or more suction nozzles corresponding to a sort or sorts, and/or a total number, of electronic components to be mounted on a circuit substrate.
The head holding member is provided with a head clamping device including an engaging pin and an engaging-pin operating device. The engaging-pin operating device includes a cam plate, and a rod member that is operable by an operator to rotate the cam plate and thereby move the engaging pin upward and downward. When a nozzle head is held by the head holding member, the operator rotates the cam plate so as to retract the engaging pin to its retracted position and, in this state, the nozzle head is attached to the head holding member. Then, the cam plate is rotated in a reverse direction so as to move the engaging pin to its operative position where the pin engages a roller provided in the nozzle head attached. When the nozzle head is removed from the head holding member, the operator operates in a reverse order, so that the engaging pin is disengaged from the roller and the nozzle head is detached from the head holding member.
However, it is cumbersome to attach the nozzle head to the nozzle holding member while operating the head clamping device. That is, it is time-consuming to attach and detach, while operating the head clamping device, the nozzle head to and from the nozzle holding member, which may lead to lowering an efficiency of mounting of electronic components.