Apparatus for assembling parts in a carrier strip

Details Apparatus for assembling parts in a carrier strip Apparatus for assembling parts in a carrier strip

1999-06-24

2001-06-19

Hughes, S. Thomas (Department: 3726)

Metal working

Means to assemble or disassemble

Means to interrelatedly feed plural work parts from plural...

C029S822000, C029S819000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06247227

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to the supply of parts, and more particularly to a carrier strip for carrying parts and an apparatus for assembling parts therein.
BACKGROUND ART
Many machines for trimming workpieces from a supply of workpieces are known. These machines include conventional punch presses in which a reciprocating cutting punch or die sequentially contacts a supply feedstock to separate a workpiece therefrom. Other machines may include trimming machines which trim an individual part or workpiece from a connecting member interconnecting a plurality of such workpieces, such as a strip or other carrier item. In these machines, the supply feedstock may consist of a coil of sheet metal in which individual workpieces have been previously stamped and formed. Yet other machines, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,438, utilize a strip of feedstock which is fed into the punch press and acted upon thereby to form the feedstock into a predetermined configuration along the entire length thereof. Individual workpieces are subsequently trimmed from the feedstock as a further finishing step.
In the manufacture of a variety of electronic and other components, robotic loaders or other automated assembly devices are used more frequently to achieve better production line efficiencies. Such automated assembly devices pick up individual parts or workpieces from a predesignated location and insert the part into a portion of the component. Such automated assembly devices are commonly used in the construction of electronic circuit boards. These automated devices may include, for example, an arm which moves along a designated path to a predesignated location where the arm picks up an individual workpiece and inserts it in place onto a production line component, such as a circuit board, where it is subsequently soldered or otherwise attached thereto by another automated device. In order to maintain production line efficiencies, the robotic devices must have individual workpieces consistently presented to them in a predesignated orientation and at a predesignated location. Deviation from either the predesignated orientation or location may result in the automated device not engaging the workpiece and inserting it into the production line component.
Many of the workpieces or parts used in such automated production lines are delicate in nature because they are stamped and formed from thin sheet metal prior to being presented to an automated assembly device. The stamping and forming of the workpiece typically occurs away from the automated production line. Robotic assemblers utilize “carrier strips,” “carrier tapes” or trays to feed parts thereto. One such type of carrier tape is known as “debossed tape and reel” and consists of a plastic carrier tape with a plurality of recessed pockets or openings formed therein along the longitudinal extent of the tape. A part is placed in each of the pockets and a plastic sealing tape or bonding tape is adhesively applied to the carrier tape, thereby sealing the parts in respective pockets. The carrier tape is fed into a robotic assembler and the seal tape is peeled away and the part removed and installed. Both the seal tape and the carrier tape are then discharged to waste by the robot. Examples of such constructions are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,712,675 and 4,781,953. However, human insertion of the parts into the pockets is often required and the two-part nature of the debossed tape is expensive. Additionally, a specific orientation of the parts in the pocket must also be maintained for pick-up by the robot loader.
Another type of carrier type is known by the tradename of “GPAX” and is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,583,641 and 4,757,895. In a GPAX-type structure, a carrier tape is provided with a plurality of holes and intervening slots punched into it along the longitudinal extent thereof. The holes are adapted to engage legs or stubs of each electrical part to insure proper and secure positioning of the part on the tape. A plastic bonding tape overlays the carrier tape and parts and is pressed or stitched into the carrier tape between adjacent parts. This bonding tape offers protection to the parts and retains the parts in place on the carrier tape. This type of carrier tape construction shares certain disadvantages with the debossed tape and reel construction previously described. For example, the assembled tapes are composed of multiple pieces and thus increases the amount of waste generated by the process.
Ziberna U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,857 discloses a work piece finishing and presentation machine including means for mounting a supply of interconnected work pieces in the form of a continuous belt, means for engaging and feeding the continuous belt, means for trimming individual work pieces from the belt and means for receiving an individual work piece and for presenting same to a robotic loader or assembler.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention, a parts carrier comprises a flexible member which can be flattened into a planar strip and having a plurality of part-receiving apertures extending fully therethrough. Each aperture is defined by walls including a tab portion which is resiliently deflectable from an undeflected position while the flexible member is flattened to permit placement of a preformed part in a part-receiving aperture, and which thereafter returns to substantially the undeflected position to releasably engage a recess in the part. Preferably, the tab portions are coplanar and the walls defining each aperture may include four portions wherein each wall portion may include two tab portions. Still further in accordance with the preferred embodiment, each aperture may be rectangular.
Also, the flexible member may include a series of positioning holes. In accordance with a specific embodiment, first and second series of marginal positioning holes are disposed on first and second sides, respectively, of the apertures. In addition, each series of marginal positioning holes may include a first set of spaced holes each of a first size and a second set of spaced holes interspersed between the first set of spaced holes and each of a second size smaller than the first size. Also, the apertures and the positioning holes may be regularly spaced. In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a combination includes a flexible planar strip having a plurality of part-receiving apertures extending fully through the strip wherein each aperture is defined by walls including tab portions which are deflectable when the strip is flattened to releasably engage a recess in a part. The strip further includes a series of positioning holes adjacent the apertures. A plurality of parts are disposed in the plurality of apertures wherein each part has a recess which receives one of the tab portions.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, apparatus for assembling a part carried by a parts strip into a carrier strip includes first means for conveying the parts strip along a first path to deliver the part to an assembly station and second means for conveying the carrier strip along a second path transverse to the first path to position a part-receiving aperture in the carrier strip at the assembly station. A punch is operative when the part is aligned with the part-receiving aperture at the assembly station for separating the part from the parts strip and placing the part into the part-receiving aperture during a single punch stroke.
These and other features of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following detailed description.


REFERENCES:
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patent: 3512438 (1970-05-01), Burdge
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