Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Differential fluid etching apparatus – With microwave gas energizing means
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-19
2004-08-10
Osele, Mark A. (Department: 1734)
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Differential fluid etching apparatus
With microwave gas energizing means
C156S583200, C221S025000, C221S072000, C221S087000, C414S411000, C414S416060
Reexamination Certificate
active
06773542
ABSTRACT:
This nonprovisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) on Patent Application No. 01850159.3 filed in Europe on Sep. 19, 2001, which is herein incorporated by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to the field of manufacture and assembly of circuit boards. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system for handling components at a component mounting machine, the system comprising a plurality of component tapes, a plurality of component tape holders, each holder being arranged for holding a component tape, and a plurality of tape guides arranged for receiving a component tape and for bringing it in position for feeding and for picking components therefrom. The invention also relates to a tape guide for use in the system.
TECHNICAL BACKGROUND
Generally, within the field of manufacture and assembly of circuit boards, electronic components are fed to a component mounting machine for mechanically and/or electrically mounting the components onto a circuit board. These surface mounted components are often delivered spaced apart along the length of a component tape. Generally, two different types of component tapes are used. The first type consists of a lower carrier tape, preferably plastic, provided with component holding compartments, which are enclosed by a separable, thin, plastic upper cover, or cover tape or protective tape. The second type consists of a cardboard body provided with through holes. The body is provided with separable, thin, plastic, top and bottom cover tapes, thus forming component compartments with the through holes. For ease of description, the term cover tape will hereinafter refer only to the top cover, since the bottom cover is generally not removed during the component mounting process. Consequently, the term carrier tape will hereinafter also refer to the cardboard body with the bottom cover tape provided thereon.
The component tapes are further provided with a lateral portion, extending next to the compartments along the entire length of the component tape, provided with through holes. These through holes are used for engagement with an element of a feeding device of suitable type, the feeding device feeding the component tape into position for picking of components from the tape.
After having positioned the electronic components in their corresponding compartments, the cover tape is attached to the carrier tape, and the component tape is wound on a component tape holder, which within the art generally consists of a component tape reel. Then, the component holder is transferred to a component mounting machine, which feeds a component to a certain predetermined picking position where it can be picked, or collected, by a pick-up head.
The attachment of the cover tape to the carrier tape can, for instance, be performed by providing areas on either or both of the cover tape and the carrier tape with adhesive, or areas where the cover tape is fused to the carrier tape. Generally, these areas are elongated and run along the entire extension of the component tape, along and adjacent to each side of the component compartments.
According to one method for exposing and picking a component from a component tape, a particular type of tape guide is used for bringing the component tape in position for feeding the component tape by interaction with a feeding device, and for picking of components from the tape. The tape guide is provided with an exposure device, the exposure device exposing the components at a picking position, by separating and lifting a portion of the cover tape from the carrier tape, and leaving the remaining portion of the cover at least partially attached to the carrier tape. Furthermore, the tape guide is releasably mountable in a component mounting machine, or in a component magazine for use in the mounting process by the component mounting machine, and virtually operates as an adapter between the component tape and feeding and picking devices of the component mounting machine. Thus, a component tape is preferably first loaded into the tape guide, and the loaded tape guide is then mounted in position in or at the component mounting machine. A more detailed description of the tape guide and the methods of using such a tape guide are disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 09/886,482 and 09/886,384, which are incorporated herein by reference.
The use of such a tape guide is advantageous in that, inter alia, it is easy to load the tape guide with a component tape, it is easy to mount the loaded tape guide in a component mounting machine, or in a magazine for use with the component mounting machine, and remove it therefrom, and the tape guide has a simple configuration and build-up without moving parts that is easy and cost-efficient to manufacture.
However, the result from using the above-mentioned method is not altogether satisfactory.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of handling components using a tape guide as described above.
The present invention is based on the insight of using, for component tapes of the same width, different tape guides with specific component exposing devices for exposing the components carried by said component tapes, the design of said component exposure devices being dependent on the configuration of the component tape to be used with that tape guide, which configuration in turn is dependent on the size and configuration of the carried component. Thereby, use may be made of tape guides having a same or similar basic configuration and geometrical outline, but with different component exposure devices. Consequently, tape guides having one type of basic configuration are provided for handling component tapes with the same component tape width, wherein the tape guides are varied in terms of the design of the exposure device for the tape guide.
Furthermore, and according to preferred embodiments of the invention, use is made of visual markings for distinguishing between tape guides with different component exposure devices.
A significant advantage of the present invention is that it allows for the simply configured tape guides of the invention to be used independent of the type and size of different components to be handled and, in turn, of the configuration of the component tape on which they are provided. The invention also entails a facilitated handling in connection with the use of this type of component tape guides, since a minimum of auxiliary equipment and extra labor is required for handling a vast number of different component tapes and components.
It should be noted that the following description refers to component tapes having the same component tape width.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for handling components at a component mounting machine, which system comprises a plurality of component tapes of a given component tape width, each component tape, in turn, comprising a carrier tape and a cover tape, and carrying components that are positioned in sequence on the carrier tape and are covered by the cover tape, wherein the component tapes have different configurations depending on the carried components. The system also comprises a plurality of component tape holders, each holder being arranged for holding a component tape, and a plurality of tape guides arranged for receiving a component tape of said given component tape width and for bringing said component tape in position for feeding of the component tape and for picking components from the component tape at said component mounting machine, wherein said tape guides are releasably mountable at said component mounting machine, preferably in a component magazine. Each tape guide is provided with a component exposure device, the exposure device exposing a component at a picking position by at least partly removing or displacing the portion of the cover tape covering said component. Also, said tape guides are divided into sub-sets of tape guides, wherein th
Bergstrom Johan
Liljegren Maria
Skaborn Johan
Mydata Automation AB
Osele Mark A.
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