Electronic component handler

• US 6,204,464 B1
• Filed: 06/25/1999
• Issued: 03/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Electro Scientific Industries Incorporated (MKS Instruments Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Electro Scientific Industries Incorporated (MKS Instruments Incorporated)
• Inventors: Twite, Martin J. III, Garcia, Douglas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan N.
• Application Number:
  US09/344,428
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 209/571, 209/573, 209/574, 209/600, 209/601, 209/602, 209/604, 209/643, 209/644, 209/919, 209/932, 324/158.1, 324/755, 324/757, 324/754, 324/762
• US Class Current: 209/574
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/344 according to electric or electromagnetic properties sorting according to size measured electrically or electronically B07C5/08; material testing by magnetic means G01N24/00, G01N27/00, by electrical means G01N27/00; electrical measuring devices in general G01R; coin testing G07D5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/01 Subjecting similar articles in turn to test, e.g. "go/no-go" tests in mass production; Testing objects at points as they pass through a testing station testing of cables continuously passing the testing apparatus G01R31/59; testing dielectric strength or breakdown voltage G01R31/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/115 Selection of the code volume for a coding unit prior to coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/124 Quantisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/132 Sampling, masking or truncation of coding units, e.g. adaptive resampling, frame skipping, frame interpolation or high-frequency transform coefficient masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/149 by estimating the code amount by means of a model, e.g. mathematical model or statistical model
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/152 by measuring the fullness of the transmission buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/172 the region being a picture, frame or field
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/919 Rotary feed conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/932 Fluid applied to items

Abstract

A high-speed handler for receiving a heap of randomly oriented parallel piped-shaped ceramic components, each component of the type having at least one set of metal terminations located on opposite edges thereof, presenting them in individual seats in controlled orientation for electrical parametric testing, and sorting them according to their test results, including a rotating feed wheel, mounted on a central shaft and defined by an outer rim concentric with the axis of the central shaft, the wheel inclined to the horizontal and including an upper surface on which to receive a heap of randomly oriented ceramic components, a plurality of radially-pointing, spaced-apart bosses extending upward and outward on the upper wheel surface terminating at component-sized cavities formed in the wheel adjacent the outer rim and arranged to receive therein a single ceramic component in specific orientation, a rotating carrier plate mounted planar to and spaced-apart from the feed wheel having an upwardly extending circular peripheral wall arranged in tangential adjacency and synchronous peripheral velocity with the feed wheel, the peripheral wall having formed therein a plurality of test seat notches in spaced-apart arrangement and adjacent alignment with the cavities in the feed wheel, the notches of a size and shape to receive a ceramic component therein with its opposed terminals facing inward and outward from the wall, first vacuum pressure device to draw the ceramic component radially from the cavity into the test seat notch and a second vacuum pressure device to hold the component in the test seat notch during further rotation of the carrier plate, a device for testing including at least one roller assembly arranged to contact the terminals of the ceramic components as they are moved in the test seat notches on the carrier plate, and a device for separately ejecting the ceramic components from the test seat notches and transferring them to separate locations according to their test results.

Claims

1. A high-speed handler for receiving a heap of randomly oriented parallel-piped-shaped ceramic components, each component of the type having at least one set of metal terminations located on opposite edges thereof, presenting them in individual seats in controlled orientation for electrical parametric testing, and sorting them according to their test results, comprising:

a) a rotating feed wheel, mounted on a central shaft and defined by an outer rim concentric with the axis of said central shaft, said wheel inclined to the horizontal and including an upper surface on which to receive a heap of randomly oriented ceramic components;

b) a plurality of radially-pointing, spaced-apart bosses extending upward and outward on said upper wheel surface terminating at component-sized cavities formed in said wheel adjacent said outer rim and arranged to receive therein a single ceramic component in specific orientation;

c) a rotating carrier plate mounted planar to, and spaced-apart from, said feed wheel having an upwardly extending circular peripheral wall arranged in tangential adjacency and synchronous peripheral velocity with said feed wheel;

d) said peripheral wall having formed therein a plurality of test seat notches in spaced-apart arrangement and adjacent alignment with said cavities in said feed wheel, said notches of a size and shape to receive a ceramic component therein with its opposed terminals facing inward and outward from said wall;

e) first vacuum pressure means to draw the ceramic component radially from said cavity into said test seat notch and second vacuum pressure means to hold said component in said test seat notch during further rotation of said carrier plate;

f) means for testing including at least one roller assembly arranged to contact the terminals of the ceramic components as they are moved in said test seat notches on said carrier plate; and

,

g) means for separately ejecting the ceramic components from said test seat notches and transferring them to separate locations according to their test results.

2. The high-speed handler of claim 1 wherein said parallelepiped-shaped ceramic components are flirter defined by having opposite faces, normal to four relatively thinner edges, wherein the terminals are disposed on opposite long thin side edges of the component between shorter, spaced-apart end edges.

3. The high-speed handler of claim 2 wherein said component-sized cavities, formed in said wheel adjacent said outer rim and arranged to receive therein a single ceramic component in specific orientation, include an outwardly-facing open side, and said cavities are each arranged to receive therein one ceramic component standing on an end edge with a terminal edge facing said open side of said cavity and said open side of said test seat notches when one said cavity and one said test seat notch come into aligned adjacency.

4. The high-speed handler of claim 1 wherein said rotating feed wheel is inclined at an angle of 45°

to the horizontal.

5. The high-speed handler of claim 1 wherein said plurality of radially-pointing, spaced-apart bosses extending upward and outward on said upper wheel surface of said feed wheel are uniformly juxtaposed around said rim.

6. The high-speed handler of claim 5 wherein each pair of adjacent bosses define a slot which guides the ceramic components toward said outer rim of said feed wheel.

7. The high-speed handler of claim 1 wherein said plurality of radially-pointing, spaced-apart bosses extending upward and outward on said upper wheel surface of said feed wheel are long enough to hold two or more ceramic components in line, but narrow enough to only admit them edge-wise.

8. The high-speed handler of claim 1 further including a stationary peripheral wall surrounding the sides and lower part of said outer rim of said inclined feed wheel to retain the ceramic components on said upper surface thereof and prevent them from spilling off said upper surface as said feed wheel rotates with a heap of ceramic components loaded thereon.

9. The high-speed handler of claim 1 wherein the spacing between said test seat notch matches the spacing between said cavity and said carrier plate and said feed wheel are indexed synchronously such that each index step brings a test seat notch into alignment with a cavity.

10. The high-speed handler of claim 1 wherein said first vacuum pressure means, to draw the ceramic component radially from said cavity into said test seat notch, comprises:

a) a vacuum nozzle disposed on the inboard side of said carrier plate close to said carrier plate wall; and

,

b) an orifice defined by said vacuum nozzle to communicate with a vacuum source, said orifice being smaller in overall size that the ceramic component;

c) said orifice arranged to draw a ceramic component from said cavity to said test seat notch and not beyond.

11. The high-speed handler of claim 1 wherein said second vacuum pressure means, to hold said component in said test seat notch during further rotation of said carrier plate, comprises:

a) a stationary vacuum plate located beneath said rotating carrier plate;

b) said vacuum plate defining a vacuum channel circularly thereabout running beneath said wall from at least said point of transfer, of the ceramic component from said cavity in said feed wheel to said test seat notch, to the location where said means ejects the ceramic component from said test seat notch;

c) wherein said circular peripheral wall has formed therein a vacuum port, communicating said vacuum channel and said test seat notch for applying vacuum pressure to hold the oriented ceramic component in said notch.

12. The high-speed handler of claim 11 further including a sensor for detecting components and debris that were not ejected from said test seat notches by said ejection means, said sensor comprising:

a) a light source positioned above the path of said test seat notches and arranged to shine light down into each said notch;

b) said stationary vacuum plate forming a straight through-hole for alignment with a test seat notch as it is indexed along with rotation of said carrier plate after passing through said ejection means;

c) a light detector aligned with said light source and said through-hole whereupon said detector will detect any blockage of light passing from said source through said hole and into said detector caused by a ceramic component or debris; and

,

d) safety means for preventing said blockage from interfering with operation of said handler.

13. The high-speed handler of claim 1 wherein said means for testing a ceramic component include at least one pair of opposing contactor modules wherein each module comprises:

a) a mounting bracket;

b) a non-electrically conductive bridge affixed to said bracket for holding a plurality of roller assemblies; and

,

c) a roller guide framework affixed to said bracket.

14. The high-speed handler of claim 13 wherein each said roller assembly comprises:

a) a flexible, electrically conductive shank having first and second terminal ends wherein said first end thereof is clamped in said bridge and said second end has a fork extending therefrom;

b) an electrical lead extending from said first shank end to said means for testing the ceramic components; and

,

c) a conductive roller pivotally mounted on an axle journaled in said fork and electrically connected to said shank, said roller canted inwardly to conform to the pitch of the terminals of the ceramic components that it is contacting.

15. The high-speed handler of claim 14 wherein said roller guide framework comprises:

a) a framework bridge extending from said mounting bracket;

b) a plurality of finger bars projecting from said bridge between which said rollers move as their shanks are flexed; and

,

c) a pair of limiting bars extending from said framework bridge to electrically isolate each said roller.

16. The high-speed handler of claim 13 further including a micro-adjusting device for making very small changes in the pitch, pressure and operation of said contactor module, said micro-adjusting device comprising:

a) a base plate having hole means formed therethrough for attachment to the upper surface of said carrier plate;

b) an adjustment plate placed adjacent said base plate and held in sliding relationship therewith;

c) a pair of guide pins received in guide pin bores formed in upwardly extending spaced-apart ears formed on said base plate;

d) a pair of spaced-apart pins receivable in a like spaced of similarly sized holes formed in said bracket; and

,

e) an adjustment screw threadably received in one of said ears for bearing against one edge of said adjustment plate to move said adjustment plate relative to said base plate and adjust the position said contactor module on said carrier plate.

17. The high-speed handler of claim 1 wherein said means for separately ejecting the ceramic components, from said test seat notches and transferring them to separate locations according to their test results, comprises:

a) a high-pressure pneumatic ejection manifold defining a plurality of ports arranged to register with a set of said test seat notches each time said carrier plate is rotated an increment;

b) a plurality of ejection tubes, each defined by first and second spaced-apart terminal ends, wherein said first terminal end of each said tube is arranged on the opposite side of a test seat notch connected from a port;

c) a plurality of open-close air valves interposed said manifold and said ports and arranged to allow a blast of high-pressure air from said manifold through said valve, said port and said tube, upon command, to dislocate a ceramic component from said test seat notch and move it through said tube; and

,

d) a plurality of sorting bins connected to said tubes and arranged to collect ceramic components from said ejection means according to the results of said tests.

18. The high-speed handler of claim 1 further including a sensor for detecting components that were not ejected by said means for separately ejecting the ceramic components from said test seat notches, comprising:

a) a light source arranged above the path of said test seat notches and shining down onto each seat as they are indexed below the light;

b) a through-hole aligned with said light as each said test seat notch is indexed there below;

c) a light detector for detecting light from said light source if said test seat notch is empty or for not detecting light if said test seat notch is occupied; and

,

d) means for clearing said test seat notch if it is detected as occupied when it should not be occupied so as to prevent damage to said carrier plate.