Feeder and method of supplying a continuous strip of surface mount contacts to surface mounting equipment
DCFirst Claim
1. Feeder for individually dispensing surface-mount contacts from a strip of tab-connected contacts on a pick-and-place machine having a pick-up member at a pick-up station and an actuator for actuating the feeder when the pick-and-place machine is ready to pick up a surface-mount contact oriented along a predetermined direction at the pick-up station, the feeder comprising receiving means for receiving a leading end of the tab-connected strip of surface-mounted contacts;
- transporting means for transporting at least the leading surface-mount contact with an orientation along said predetermined direction to said pick-up station;
advancing means responsive to the actuator for advancing the strip of contacts one contact at a time along said transporting means;
cutting means responsive to the actuator for severing a connecting tab between the leading surface-mount contact and the next following surface mount contact of the strip to thereby free said leading surface-mount contact, said cutting means temporarily holding said leading surface-mount contact to maintain said predetermined direction and position of the severed surface-mount contact between the time that said leading surface-mount contacts is severed from the strip and the time that the pick-up member of the pick-and-place machine has engaged the contact sufficiently to enable it to pick up the contact and remove it from said pick-up station.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A feeder and method are disclosed for individually dispensing surface-mount contacts in a strip of tab-connected contacts on a pick-and-place machine having a pick-up member and pick-up station actuator for actuating the feeder when the pick-and-place machine is ready for pick-up surface-mount contact oriented along a predetermined direction at the pick-up station. The strip of contacts are fed from a roll or spool and the end received within a guide, with the strip being advanced to position the end contact or connector to be mounted suspended beyond the guide. When the component is ready to be mounted, it is sheared or severed at a connecting tab from the strip to free it. The component is temporarily held in place while the freed component is moved towards the vacuum pick-up nozzle of the pick-and-place machine, and released at such time that the pick-up member of vacuum nozzle has sufficiently engaged the contact to enable it to pick up the contact and remove it from the pick-up station. A control circuit, using a PLC, obtains signals from a series of sensors to regulate the cycle of advancing and sensing the strip of contacts with a series of actuators in the form of solenoids, which cycle is commenced when a pick-up nozzle of a surface mounting machine is sensed at the pick-up station. The tension of the strip is regulated by the control circuit, and a collection system is provided to remove cut off fragments of connecting tabs or carrier strips from the pick-up station.
33 Citations
10 Claims
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1. Feeder for individually dispensing surface-mount contacts from a strip of tab-connected contacts on a pick-and-place machine having a pick-up member at a pick-up station and an actuator for actuating the feeder when the pick-and-place machine is ready to pick up a surface-mount contact oriented along a predetermined direction at the pick-up station, the feeder comprising receiving means for receiving a leading end of the tab-connected strip of surface-mounted contacts;
- transporting means for transporting at least the leading surface-mount contact with an orientation along said predetermined direction to said pick-up station;
advancing means responsive to the actuator for advancing the strip of contacts one contact at a time along said transporting means;
cutting means responsive to the actuator for severing a connecting tab between the leading surface-mount contact and the next following surface mount contact of the strip to thereby free said leading surface-mount contact, said cutting means temporarily holding said leading surface-mount contact to maintain said predetermined direction and position of the severed surface-mount contact between the time that said leading surface-mount contacts is severed from the strip and the time that the pick-up member of the pick-and-place machine has engaged the contact sufficiently to enable it to pick up the contact and remove it from said pick-up station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
- transporting means for transporting at least the leading surface-mount contact with an orientation along said predetermined direction to said pick-up station;
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8. Feeder for individually dispensing surface-mount contacts from a strip of tab-connected contacts on a pick-and-place machine having a pick-up member at a pick-up station and an actuator for actuating the feeder when the pick-and-place machine is ready to pick up a surface-mount contact oriented along a predetermined direction at the pick-up station, the feeder comprising receiving means for receiving a leading end of the tab-connected strip of surface-mounted contacts;
- transporting means for transporting at least the leading surface-mount contact with an orientation along said predetermined direction to said pick-up station;
advancing means responsive to the actuator for advancing the strip of contacts one contact at a time along said transporting means;
cutting means responsive to the actuator for severing a connecting tab between the leading surface-mount contact and the next following surface mount contact of the strip to thereby free said leading surface-mount contact;
sensing means for at least sensing the presence of the pick-up member at said pick-up station just prior to pick-up of the leading surface mount contact; and
control means for initiating the operation cycle of the feeder in response to sensing of the pick-up member by said sensing means resulting in the severing of the leading surface mount contact from the strip of contacts and pick-up thereof by the pick-up member.
- transporting means for transporting at least the leading surface-mount contact with an orientation along said predetermined direction to said pick-up station;
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9. Feeder for individually dispensing surface-mount contacts from a source of strip of tab-connected contacts on a pick-and-place machine having a pick-up member at a pick-up station and an actuator for actuating the feeder when the pick-and-place machine is ready to pick up a surface-mount contact oriented along a predetermined direction at the pick-up station, the feeder comprising receiving means for receiving a leading end of the tab-connected strip of surface-mounted contacts;
- transporting means for transporting at least the leading surface-mount contact with an orientation along said predetermined direction to said pick-up station;
advancing means responsive to the actuator for advancing the strip of contacts one contact at a time along said transporting means;
cutting means responsive to the actuator for severing a connecting tab between the leading surface-mount contact and the next following surface mount contact of the strip to thereby free said leading surface-mount contact; and
tension adjusting means for adjusting the tension of the strip of surface-mounted contacts to be substantially uniform at said receiving means substantially independently of the tension on the strip at the source thereof.
- transporting means for transporting at least the leading surface-mount contact with an orientation along said predetermined direction to said pick-up station;
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10. Feeder for individually dispensing surface-mount contacts from a strip of tab-connected contacts on a pick-and-place machine having a pick-up member at a pick-up station and an actuator for actuating the feeder when the pick-and-place machine is ready to pick up a surface-mount contact oriented along a predetermined direction at the pick-up station, the feeder comprising receiving means for receiving a leading end of the tab-connected strip of surface-mounted contacts;
- transporting means for transporting at least the leading surface-mount contact with an orientation along said predetermined direction to said pick-up station;
advancing means responsive to the actuator for advancing the strip of contacts one contact at a time along said transporting means;
cutting means responsive to the actuator for severing a connecting tab between the leading surface-mount contact and the next following surface mount contact of the strip to thereby free said leading surface-mount contact; and
disposing means for removing the severed connecting tabs from said pick-up station to avoid intereference with the continued advancement of the strip of contacts and operation of the feeder.
- transporting means for transporting at least the leading surface-mount contact with an orientation along said predetermined direction to said pick-up station;
Specification