Handling: hand and hoist-line implements – Hook – hoistline – or grab type – Locking device
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-07
2003-01-07
Cherry, Johnny D. (Department: 3652)
Handling: hand and hoist-line implements
Hook, hoistline, or grab type
Locking device
C294S087100, C294S119100, C294S907000, C901S037000, C901S049000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06502881
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a picking apparatus of a module IC (Integrated Circuit) handler used for automatically handling and testing module ICs. More particularly, the invention relates to a gripper for such a picking apparatus.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
Typically, a module IC refers to a substrate where one side or both sides of the substrate are used for mounting a plurality of ICs and/or electrical components, for example, by soldering. Typically, memory ICs are mounted on the substrate, and the module IC has a function for extending a memory capacity of a computer when the module IC is coupled to another substrate, such as a mother board of the computer.
A module IC usually provides higher added-value when sold, as compared with the sale of the individual ICs. For this reason, the IC manufacturers tend to develop it as a main product and sell it.
However, the typical module IC is relatively expensive, and thus requires high reliability to ensure customer satisfaction. This requires strict quality tests, wherein only products determined to be good pass. Module ICs that do not pass the tests are discarded.
The testing of module ICs usually begins when the module ICs are contained in a customer tray
101
, as shown in FIG.
1
. The module ICs
103
can be safely maintained in the customer tray
101
, wherein the customer tray
101
, includes a box-type body
105
having a plurality of partition walls
104
. However, each insertion slot
102
provided inside of the customer tray
101
has a greater width than the width of the module ICs
103
themselves, as shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
. This allows the module ICs
103
to be inserted into and removed from the slots
102
without damaging the module ICs
103
.
Also, usually a manufacturer uses only one kind of customer tray
101
to accommodate various kinds of module ICs
103
, each of whose widths may be different. This requires that the customer tray
101
have slots
102
wide enough to accommodate the largest of the module ICs. As a result, the slots
102
may be much wider than the most narrow of the module ICs.
In order to reduce costs the customer tray
101
is usually vacuum molded, rather than injection molded. Vacuum molding often results in relatively bad precision in the formation of the insertion slots
102
.
As a result of all the above facts, when module ICs
103
to be tested are accommodated in the customer tray
101
, the module ICs
103
are placed in the insertion slots
102
with arbitrarily different inclinations of the ICs
103
, as shown in FIG.
2
. Due to the distinct configuration of the customer tray
101
, the distances between the inserted module ICs are different from each other, respectively.
When the module ICs are to be tested in an automated testing machine, the module ICs must be removed from the customer tray with automated grippers. Usually, a plurality of grippers are mounted on a movable arm of the testing machine so that the arm can grasp a plurality module ICs simultaneously.
A “picking apparatus”
110
having a plurality of gripping devices
108
is shown in FIG.
4
. The picking apparatus is designed so that a spacing between the grippers matches the spacing between the module ICs in a customer tray. As shown in
FIG. 5
, the gripper
108
includes jaws
109
, one or both of which may be movable so that the gripper can pick up modules ICs by their end edges.
Because the spacing between the grippers
108
of an automated test machine is fixed, when the machine is used to automatically test module ICs, the module ICs must be provided in trays that hold the module ICs at a precise spacing corresponding to the spacing between the grippers, like the one shown in FIG.
3
. If the module ICs were held in a customer tray like the one shown in
FIG. 2
, the grippers would have problems effectively grasping the module ICs due to the irregular spacing between the module ICs.
Also, known types of grippers have jaws
109
made of metal, or other hard materials. The jaws of known grippers
109
can damage the module ICs due to an impact between end edges of a module IC
103
and the jaws
109
. This problem is made worse when the module ICs in a customer tray are not properly aligned with the gripper jaws, as can occur when module ICs are loaded into a customer tray as shown in FIG.
2
. Further, if the IC is not properly aligned when it is grasped by the jaws of a gripper, additional feeding problems can occur with the gripper tries to place the module IC in a test socket or a carrier.
Moreover, known gripper devices often do not maintain a regular grasping tension, due to lack of damping means, which also causes gripping and feeding errors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a gripper for a picking apparatus of a module IC test handler that is capable of picking up module ICs without damaging the module ICs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved gripper for a picking apparatus which is capable of grasping and moving module ICs that have been tilted at angles.
In order to accomplish the above objects, a gripper embodying the invention includes: a gripper body; a first support, a second support and a third support, all of which are vertically formed at a lower part of the gripper body; a cylinder for driving at least one jaw located between first and second supports and the second and third supports; a pair of jaws movably connected at a lower part of the cylinder and configured to grasp a module IC; damping means for reducing an impact when a module IC is gripped by the jaws; and a module IC sensor for sensing the presence of a module IC.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2896994 (1959-07-01), Fischer
patent: 3199910 (1965-08-01), Bradley
patent: 3392851 (1968-07-01), Pearne et al.
patent: 3700274 (1972-10-01), Paschal et al.
patent: 4579380 (1986-04-01), Zaremsky et al.
patent: 4638231 (1987-01-01), Monforte
patent: 4680523 (1987-07-01), Goumas et al.
patent: 4696503 (1987-09-01), Collodel
patent: 4699414 (1987-10-01), Jones
patent: 5520501 (1996-05-01), Kouno et al.
patent: 6089635 (2000-07-01), Lee
Kim Do Il
Paek Seung Joo
Cherry Johnny D.
Mirae Corporation
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