# US 11,993,465 B2 · Vacuum adsorption module

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- Number: US 11,993,465 B2
- Document ID: US11993465B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/097,361
- Filed: 2020-11-13
- Published: 2021-05-20
- Granted: 2024-05-28
- Earliest claimed: 2019-11-15
- Assignees: Kunshan League Automechanism Co., Ltd.; TE Connectivity Solutions GmbH; Measurement Specialties (Chengdu) Ltd.; Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.; TE Connectivity Services GmbH; Measurement Specialties (Chengdu) Ltd.; Kunshan League Automechanism Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Yingcong Deng; Dandan Zhang; Fengchun Xie; Lvhai Hu; Bo Pang; Haidong Wu; Jianyong Fan; Rong Zhang; Roberto Francisco-Yi Lu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11993465B2

## CPC

- B65G 47/917: {control arrangements}
- B25J 15/0625: {provided with a valve}
- H05K 13/0069: {Holders for printed circuit boards}
- B65G: TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS (packaging B65B; handling thin or filamentary materials, e.g. paper sheets or thread, B65H; cranes B66C; portable mobile or lifting or hauling appliances, e.g. hoists, B66D; devices for lifting or lowering goods for loading or unloading purposes, e.g. fork-lift trucks, B66F9/00; emptying bottles, jars, casks, barrels or similar containers, not otherwise provided for, B67C9/00; delivering or transferring liquids B67D; filling or discharging vessels for liquefied, solidified or compressed gases F17C; pipe-line systems for fluids F17D)
- B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50})
- H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS

## Abstract

A vacuum adsorption module includes a supporting block, a carrier installed and positioned on the supporting block, and a plurality of valves installed on the supporting block. The supporting block has a plurality of air connection holes, each row of air connection holes is connected to a total air path formed in the supporting block via a branch air path formed in the supporting block. The carrier has a plurality of air suction holes corresponding to the air connection holes. The valves control closing and opening of the branch air paths between the plurality of rows of air connection holes and the total air path. An adsorption length of the carrier in a column direction of the array is adjustable to match a length of an article to be adsorbed by the carrier by changing a number of the valves to be closed or opened.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vacuum adsorption module, comprising:
a supporting block having a plurality of rows and columns of air connection holes distributed in an array, each row of air connection holes being connected to a total air path formed in the supporting block via a branch air path formed in the supporting block, the total air path in the supporting block is adapted to be connected to a vacuum pump;
a carrier installed and positioned on the supporting block, the carrier having a plurality of rows and columns of air suction holes corresponding to the air connection holes in the supporting block, respectively, and distributed in an array, the air suction holes in the carrier are adapted to be docked with the air connection holes in the supporting block; and
a plurality of valves installed on the supporting block, the plurality of valves being used to control closing and opening of the branch air paths between the plurality of rows of air connection holes and the total air path, each valve controls connection and disconnection of an air communication between one of the rows of air suction holes in the carrier and the vacuum pump, an adsorption length of the carrier in a column direction of the array is adjustable to match a length of an article to be adsorbed by the carrier by changing a number of the valves to be closed or opened.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vacuum adsorption module of claim 1, wherein each air suction hole in the carrier has an inlet on a top surface of the carrier and an outlet on a bottom surface of the carrier.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The vacuum adsorption module of claim 2, wherein each air connection hole in the supporting block has a connecting port on a top surface of the supporting block, the connecting port is adapted to be hermetically docked with the outlet of the air suction hole.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The vacuum adsorption module of claim 3, wherein an elastic sealing ring is provided on at least one of the connecting port of the air connection hole and the outlet of the air suction hole.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The vacuum adsorption module of claim 1, wherein a plurality of positioning holes are formed in one of the supporting block and the carrier, and a plurality of positioning pins are formed on the other of the supporting block and the carrier, the positioning pins engage the positioning holes to position the carrier on the top surface of the supporting block.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The vacuum adsorption module of claim 1, wherein the supporting block has a pipe joint connected to an outlet of the total air path, the total air path is connected to the vacuum pump by the pipe joint.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The vacuum adsorption module of claim 1, wherein a column direction of the air suction holes in the carrier arranged in the array is defined as a length direction of the carrier, and a row direction of the air suction holes in the carrier is defined as a width direction of the carrier.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The vacuum adsorption module of claim 1, wherein each of the valves is a manual switch valve connected to the branch air path.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The vacuum adsorption module of claim 1, wherein each of the valves is a solenoid valve connected to the branch air path.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The vacuum adsorption module of claim 9, further comprising a controller for controlling closing and opening the solenoid valve.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The vacuum adsorption module of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to control a number of solenoid valves to be closed or opened according to the length of the article to be adsorbed by the carrier, so that the adsorption length of the carrier matches the length of the article.