# US 10,369,648 B2 · Guiding board for a ball placement machine

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- Number: US 10,369,648 B2
- Document ID: US10369648B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/405,740
- Filed: 2017-01-13
- Published: 2018-07-19
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2017-01-13
- Assignees: Horng Terng Automation Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Horng Terng Automation Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Eric Wang
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10369648B2

## CPC

- B23K 3/0623: {for shaped solder piece feeding, e.g. preforms, bumps, balls, pellets, droplets}
- H05K 3/3478: Application of solder preforms; Transferring prefabricated solder patterns
- H05K 3/4015: {using auxiliary conductive elements, e.g. pieces of metal foil, metallic spheres}
- B23K 2101/40: Semiconductor devices
- H05K 2201/10734: Ball grid array [BGA]; Bump grid array
- H05K 2203/041: Solder preforms in the shape of solder balls
- H10W 72/01204: {using temporary auxiliary members, e.g. using sacrificial coatings or handle substrates}
- H10W 72/01225: {in solid form, e.g. by using a powder or by stud bumping}
- H10W 72/07178: {Means for aligning}
- B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A guiding board for a ball placement machine has a board body. The board body has a top surface, a bottom surface, a ball-dropping area, and multiple guiding grooves. The ball-dropping area is defined on the top surface. The guiding grooves are defined in the ball-dropping area and are parallel to each other. Each guiding groove has a bottom and multiple ball-dropping holes defined in the bottom and extending through the bottom surface of the board body.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A guiding board for a ball placement machine comprising
a board body having
a top surface;
a bottom surface;
a ball-dropping area defined on the top surface; and
multiple guiding grooves defined in the ball-dropping area and being parallel to each other, wherein each guiding groove has a bottom and multiple ball-dropping holes defined in the bottom and extending through the bottom surface of the board body, wherein the board body further has
a ball-collecting area defined on the top surface of the board body and located at a position being adjacent to a front end of the ball-dropping area;
multiple collecting grooves defined in the ball-collecting area and respectively aligned and communicating with the multiple guiding grooves, wherein each collecting groove is formed as a straight line in cooperation with a corresponding one of the guiding grooves;
a retrieval area defined on the top surface of the board body at a position being adjacent to a rear end of the ball-dropping area; and
multiple ball-retrieval holes defined in the retrieval area and formed through the top surface and the bottom surface of the board body.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The guiding board as claimed in claim 1, wherein the board body further has multiple elongated protrusions formed on and protruding from the top surface of the board body, being parallel to each other, and located respectively between adjacent two of the guiding grooves.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The guiding board as claimed in claim 2, wherein each guiding groove has a U-shaped cross section.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The guiding board as claimed in claim 1, wherein a distance defined between the bottom of each guiding groove and the bottom surface of the board body is smaller than a distance between the top surface and the bottom surface of the board body.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The guiding board as claimed in claim 1, wherein each guiding groove has a U-shaped cross section.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The guiding board as claimed in claim 4, wherein the board body further has
multiple elongated protrusions formed on and protruding from the top surface of the board body,
being parallel to each other, and located respectively between adjacent two of the guiding grooves.