Advancing material of indeterminate length – With material-responsive control means – Detector means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-04
2001-11-06
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3653)
Advancing material of indeterminate length
With material-responsive control means
Detector means
C226S002000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06311886
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a position sensing system, and more particularly, to a position sensing system for use in a taper module of an inspection and handling system for devices such as semiconductors.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Some devices, such as integrated circuit chips, need to be precisely fabricated. Accordingly, inspection of the devices is necessary to ascertain whether the devices meet exacting acceptance standards. The devices to be inspected are often provided in compartmented trays that have multiple rows and columns of pockets in which the devices are transported.
An inspection and handling system is utilized to inspect such devices. Trays of devices are transported through various stages of the inspection and handling system including laser scanning, inversion, camera scanning, and individual placement at a final destination so that devices meeting the exacting acceptance standards are separated from those devices which do not meet such standards.
One final destination of devices that meet the acceptance standards is carrier tape. Typically, carrier tape is an elongated tape that includes pockets that are arranged in series. The pockets are typically shaped to be complementary to the dimensions of the devices that are to be housed therein. An instrument such as a vacuum operated precisor of a pick and place system can transport a device from a tray into a pocket of the carrier tape. Once devices are individually placed into the pockets of the carrier tape, a cover tape is often applied and the carrier tape with devices housed in the sealed pockets can be wound onto a reel and conveniently transported to another destination, such as on in which the devices will be put into final use.
Pick and place systems are generally capable of motion in one direction (transverse to the direction of movement of trays through the inspection and handling system) and have limited, if any, movement in a direction perpendicular to that motion (parallel to the direction of movement of the trays). Therefore, the carrier tape needs to be incrementally moved by a drive system so that the pick and place system can place devices into successive pockets of the carrier tape. It is therefore necessary to determine the location of individual pockets of the carrier tape with respect to the pick and place system. Typically, the carrier tape includes sprocket holes that run the length of the carrier tape on one or both sides of the pockets. The sprocket holes are utilized to determine the position of a pocket relative to the pick and place system.
In some inspection and handling systems, problems may occur if the carrier tape is not consistently advanced by the proper distance equivalent to the length of one pocket. Traditionally, the beginning of a pocket is determined by forwarding the carrier tape by a fixed distance, and assuming that the carrier tape moved forward the distance programmed. Use of a sensor may also be employed to detect the number of sprocket holes passed as the carrier tape is advanced. In such systems, the drive system assumes that the point to which the carrier tape is forwarded is the correct starting point of the pocket.
Specifically, in some systems, simply advancing the carrier tape by a set distance, or counting the number of sprocket holes passed, may not be sufficiently accurate in determining the position of a pocket. Jitter or slipping of the carrier tape can occur. In the case of slipping, the carrier tape may not be advanced the amount the drive system is programmed to advance. In the case of jitter, the carrier tape may move backward, thereby counting a sprocket hole twice. Accordingly, errors may incur in determining the location of a pocket.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Known pick and place systems are incapable of determining the direction of movement of the carrier tape through the taper module. This inability to discern direction can compromise accuracy of the taper module as occasionally it is necessary to move the carrier tape in a reverse direction to precisely position the tape. Moreover, pick and place systems may be run essentially in reverse to unload devices from the pockets of the carrier tape or to load and unload carrier tape from its reel. Therefore, a system that determines both position and direction of the carrier tape improves accuracy and allows the tape module to be run in both loading and unloading modes.
Accordingly, the invention provides a pick and place system having a taper module that determines both placement and direction of the carrier tape by optically counting sprocket holes as they move in either direction.
More specifically, the carrier tape has a plurality of compartments sized to receive one semiconductor device. The compartments are serially spaced along the longitudinal axis of the tape and the tape also includes a plurality of sprocket holes serially spaced along a line that is parallel to said longitudinal axis. The distance between compartments corresponds to a predetermined number of sprocket holes. Two optical couplers are set at a predetermined distance smaller than the spacing between consecutive sprocket holes. Signals from the couplers will have a unique sequence depending on the direction of the tape. By using direction and number of sprocket holes, the exact position of the tape can be determined.
Preferably, this invention also contemplates transporting the tape by engaging the tape surfaces and not the sprocket holes, and it includes the capability of inspecting for the presence of a device in the tape compartment and proper positioning of the device in the compartment.
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patent: 4485949 (1984-12-01), Gebhart et al.
patent: 5020959 (1991-06-01), Soth
patent: 5027993 (1991-07-01), Ferguson
patent: 5191693 (1993-03-01), Umetsu
patent: 5410124 (1995-04-01), Jackson
patent: 5725140 (1998-03-01), Weber et al.
patent: 6032845 (2000-03-01), Piccone et al.
patent: 6206263 (2001-03-01), Rich et al.
Alexander Steven J.
Ubert Jon
Michael & Best & Friedrich LLP
Pham Minh-Chau
Robotic Vision Systems Inc.
Walsh Donald P.
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