Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Surface bonding means and/or assembly means therefor – Presses or press platen structures – per se
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-15
2001-11-27
Osele, Mark A. (Department: 1734)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Surface bonding means and/or assembly means therefor
Presses or press platen structures, per se
C156S345420, C221S025000, C221S072000, C221S087000, C414S411000, C414S416060
Reexamination Certificate
active
06321817
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic component supply device wherein electronic components, held within cavities formed in a carrier tape, are removed while a top tape covering the surface of the carrier tape is peeled away.
A conventional electronic component supply device is described with reference to
FIGS. 5 through 7
. As shown in
FIG. 6
, electronic components
3
are held within cavities
2
formed in a carrier tape
1
; the surface of the carrier tape
1
is covered with a removable top tape
5
to prevent the electronic components
3
from jumping out of the cavities.
The carrier tape
1
accommodating the electronic components
3
is wound on a reel
7
which is installed on the base end portion of the electronic component supply device
6
as shown in FIG.
5
. The carrier tape is drawn out from the reel
7
and transferred by a tape feed wheel
9
that is linked to the reciprocating action of a feed lever
8
and rotates intermittently in one direction. The carrier tape
1
is transferred while being pressed by a tape pressing member
10
against the tape transfer surface
11
in the distal end of the electronic component supply device
6
as shown in FIG.
6
.
As the carrier tape
1
is transferred at a prescribed pitch by the tape feed wheel
9
, the top tape
5
is separated therefrom by a peeling portion
12
comprising a peel-away cutout portion
117
formed in the tape pressing member
10
and is drawn at an angle backwards (in the direction of arrow B). Thereafter, the electronic components
3
are removed by a suction nozzle
13
.
The top tape
5
, which is peeled away and drawn at an angle backwards, is wound onto a take-up cap
15
, mounted on a take-up ratchet
14
which can be rotated in only one direction by the reciprocating action of the feed lever
8
.
However, with the above-described conventional constitution, there is a risk that the top tape
5
will enter between the portion of the tape pressing member
10
and the carrier tape
1
at a point downstream of the peeling portion
12
in the tape transfer direction, as shown in
FIG. 7
, depending on the relationship between the width W of the peel-away cutout portion
117
in the peeling portion
12
, the adhesive strength of the top tape
5
and carrier tape
1
, the amount of rotation and rotary speed of the tape feed wheel
9
, and the winding force by the receiving ratchet
14
.
The problem is therefore that the top tape
5
may cover the cavities
2
at the position where the suction nozzle
13
removes the electronic components
3
, resulting in problems in taking out the electronic components
3
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the foregoing problems with the background art in view, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic component supply device that is able to provide a stable supply of electronic components without any risk of the top tape covering the cavities at the position where the electronic components are removed.
In the electronic component supply device according to the present invention, the peeling portion for separating the top tape from the carrier tape comprises a peel-away cutout portion formed in the tape pressing member, and a thin plate which can be elastically deformed. The base end of the thin plate is fixed to the lower surface of the tape pressing member facing the upper surface of the carrier tape at a location downstream of the peel-away cutout portion of the tape pressing member in the tape transfer direction, while the free end of the thin plate is protruded at an angle upwards toward the peel-away cutout portion.
The thin plate stops the top tape that attempts to enter below the tape pressing member, and reduces the load exerted to the top tape by the elastic deformation, whereby the top tape is prevented from being caught between the tape pressing member and the carrier tape, and the top tape returns spontaneously to its normal state. The top tape peeling operation may be destabilized due to any of the increase in the rotation speed of the tape feed wheel in response to the demands for high-speeded operation, or variations due to changes over time in the adhesive strength of the top tape, and differences in the properties of types of adhesive and carrier tape materials supplied by different manufacturers. Such risk is eliminated according to the present invention.
Thanks to the feature of preventing the top tape from being caught as described above, problems with removal of the electronic components are sharply reduced and electronic components are supplied more efficiently. Down time of machinery for mounting electronic components resulting from problems with the supply of electronic components is reduced, whereby high operating rates in the machinery can be realized.
If a concavity is formed in the tape pressing member so that the thin plate can deform elastically in this concavity, a space in which the free end of the thin plate performs its function is ensured without having to enlarge the peel-away cutout portion of the tape pressing member. Furthermore, stable operation of the angled portion can be ensured because extreme deformation of the angled portion is limited by the concavity.
If the thin plate is given the resiliency such that it deforms elastically with a load smaller than the peeling force of the top tape, the thin plate can elastically deform upwards without failure and thereby smoothly reduce the load exerted to the top tape when it returns to its normal state.
With a constitution wherein at least the distal end of the thin plate facing the peel-away cutout portion is formed in a rounded shape and other portions thereof have a width sufficient to cover the entirety of the electronic components within the cavities, it becomes possible to protect and restrict the electronic components within the cavities with the thin plate after the top tape is peeled away.
While novel features of the invention are set forth in the preceding, the invention, both as to organization and content, can be further understood and appreciated, along with other objects and features thereof, from the following detailed description and examples when taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5214653 (1993-05-01), Akahori et al.
patent: 5839637 (1998-11-01), Kanai
patent: 6196783 (2001-03-01), Foster
patent: 3736563A1 (1988-05-01), None
patent: 0817560A2 (1998-01-01), None
patent: 0838991A1 (1998-04-01), None
Endo Tadashi
Kabeshita Akira
Kashiwazaki Takao
Kubota Shuichi
Okawa Koji
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Osele Mark A.
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