# US 12,191,173 B2 · Wire tension adjustment method and wire tension adjuster > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,191,173 B2 - Document ID: US12191173B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/026,589 - Filed: 2021-10-21 - Published: 2024-09-05 - Granted: 2025-01-07 - Earliest claimed: 2021-10-21 - Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Shinkawa - Applicants: Shinkawa Ltd. - Inventors: Toshihiko Toyama; Yuu Hasegawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12191173B2 ## CPC - H10P 72/0444: {Apparatus for wiring semiconductor or solid-state device} - B23K 20/004: {Wire welding} - B23K 20/005: {Capillary welding} - H10P 72/0428: {Apparatus for mechanical treatment or grinding or cutting} - H10P 72/0606: {Position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection} - H10W 72/071: {Connecting or disconnecting} - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 - 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 - H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract Provided is a wire tension adjuster (60) that adjusts tension (T) applied to a wire (18) of a wire bonding apparatus (100). In the wire tension adjuster (60), in a state in which the wire (18) is gripped by a wire clamper (17), air is supplied to a wire tensioner (40) and a height position (H) of a tip (14f) of a bonding arm (14) is detected, and a flow rate (G) of the air supplied to the wire tensioner (40) is adjusted based on the height position (H) detected, thereby adjusting the tension (T) applied to the wire (18). ## Claims ### Claim 1 A wire tension adjustment method, for adjusting tension applied to a wire of a wire bonding apparatus, the wire bonding apparatus comprising: a bonding arm, rotatably attached to a bonding head and having a tip movable in an up-down direction; a wire clamper, attached to the bonding arm, gripping and releasing the wire inserted through a bonding tool held by the tip; a wire tensioner, applying tension to the wire by an airflow; an air flow detector, detecting a flow rate of air supplied to the wire tensioner; a height position detector, detecting a height position of the tip of the bonding arm; and a spring member, generating a rotational moment in a direction opposite to a rotation direction of the bonding arm, wherein the wire tension adjustment method comprises: a height position detection step, in which air is supplied to the wire tensioner in a state in which the wire is gripped by the wire clamper, and the height position of the tip of the bonding arm where a rotational moment in the rotation direction of the bonding arm due to tension of the wire and the rotational moment in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the bonding arm due to the spring member balance each other is detected by the height position detector; and an adjustment step, in which, by adjusting the flow rate of the air supplied to the wire tensioner based on the height position detected, the tension applied to the wire is adjusted. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The wire tension adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein, in the height position detection step, the height position of the tip of the bonding arm is detected using the flow rate of the air supplied to the wire tensioner as a reference air flow rate; and in the adjustment step, based on a ratio between the height position detected of the tip of the bonding arm and a reference height position of the tip of the bonding arm, the flow rate of the air supplied to the wire tensioner is corrected, and the tension applied to the wire is adjusted. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The wire tension adjustment method according to claim 2, wherein, after the adjustment step, air at a corrected flow rate is supplied to the wire tensioner and the height position detection step is executed, and in response to a difference between the height position detected of the tip of the bonding arm and the reference height position exceeding a threshold range, the height position detection step and the adjustment step are executed again. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The wire tension adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein, in the height position detection step, the height position of the tip of the bonding arm is detected a plurality of times at a plurality of flow rates of the air supplied to the wire tensioner; in the adjustment step, each ratio between each of the height position of the tip of the bonding arm detected at each flow rate and each reference height position of the tip of the bonding arm at each flow rate is calculated; each flow rate of the air supplied to the wire tensioner is corrected based on each of the ratio calculated, and an approximation curve defining each of the reference height position of the tip of the bonding arm with respect to each flow rate corrected is generated; and the tension applied to the wire is adjusted based on the approximation curve generated. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The wire tension adjustment method according to claim 4, wherein, air at each flow rate corrected is supplied to the wire tensioner and each of the height position of the tip of the bonding arm is detected, and in response to a difference between each of the height position detected at each flow rate and each of the reference height position at each flow rate exceeding each threshold range, the height position detection step and the adjustment step are executed again. ### Claim 6 A wire tension adjustment method, for adjusting tension applied to a wire of a wire bonding apparatus, the wire bonding apparatus comprising: a bonding arm, rotatably attached to a bonding head and having a tip movable in an up-down direction; a wire clamper, attached to the bonding arm, gripping and releasing the wire inserted through a bonding tool held by the tip; a wire tensioner, applying tension to the wire by an airflow; an air flow detector, detecting a flow rate of air supplied to the wire tensioner; a height position detector, detecting a height position of the tip of the bonding arm; and a spring member, generating a rotational moment in a direction opposite to a rotation direction of the bonding arm, wherein the wire tension adjustment method comprises: a detection step, in which, in a state in which the wire is gripped by the wire clamper, while the flow rate of the air supplied to the wire tensioner is changed, a plurality of the height positions of the tip of the bonding arm where a rotational moment in the rotation direction of the bonding arm due to tension of the wire and the rotational moment in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the bonding arm due to the spring member balance each other and a plurality of flow rates of air are detected by the height position detector and the air flow detector; and an adjustment step, in which an approximation curve defining each of the height position detected of the tip of the bonding arm with respect to each flow rate detected is generated, and the tension applied to the wire is adjusted based on the approximation curve generated. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The wire tension adjustment method according to claim 6, wherein the spring member is a cross leaf spring in which two spring plates intersect in a cross shape, and the bonding arm is attached to the bonding head so as to be rotatable about an axis along a line of intersection of the two spring plates. ### Claim 8 A wire tension adjuster, used in a wire bonding apparatus and adjusting tension applied to a wire, the wire bonding apparatus comprising: a bonding arm, rotatably attached to a bonding head and having a tip movable in an up-down direction; a wire clamper, attached to the bonding arm, gripping and releasing the wire inserted through a bonding tool held by the tip; a wire tensioner, applying tension to the wire by an airflow; an air flow detector, detecting a flow rate of air supplied to the wire tensioner; a height position detector, detecting a height position of the tip of the bonding arm; and a spring member, generating a rotational moment in a direction opposite to a rotation direction of the bonding arm, wherein, in the wire tension adjuster, air is supplied to the wire tensioner in a state in which the wire is gripped by the wire clamper, and the height position of the tip of the bonding arm where a rotational moment in the rotation direction of the bonding arm due to tension of the wire and the rotational moment in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the bonding arm due to the spring member balance each other is detected by the height position detector; and by adjusting the flow rate of the air supplied to the wire tensioner based on the height position detected, the tension applied to the wire is adjusted. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The wire tension adjuster according to claim 8, wherein the height position of the tip of the bonding arm is detected by the height position detector using the flow rate of the air supplied to the wire tensioner as a reference air flow rate; and based on a ratio between the height position detected of the tip of the bonding arm and a reference height position of the tip of the bonding arm, the flow rate of the air supplied to the wire tensioner is corrected, and the tension applied to the wire is adjusted. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The wire tension adjuster according to claim 9, wherein the height position of the tip of the bonding arm is detected a plurality of times by the height position detector at a plurality of flow rates of the air supplied to the wire tensioner that are detected by the air flow detector; each ratio between each of the height position of the tip of the bonding arm detected at each flow rate and each of the reference height position of the tip of the bonding arm at each flow rate is calculated; each flow rate of the air supplied to the wire tensioner is corrected based on each of the ratio calculated, and an approximation curve defining each of the reference height position of the tip of the bonding arm with respect to each flow rate corrected is generated; and the tension applied to the wire is adjusted based on the approximation curve generated. ### Claim 11 A wire tension adjuster, used in a wire bonding apparatus and adjusting tension applied to a wire, the wire bonding apparatus comprising: a bonding arm, rotatably attached to a bonding head and having a tip movable in an up-down direction; a wire clamper, attached to the bonding arm, gripping and releasing the wire inserted through a bonding tool held by the tip; a wire tensioner, applying tension to the wire by an airflow; an air flow detector, detecting a flow rate of air supplied to the wire tensioner; a height position detector, detecting a height position of the tip of the bonding arm; and a spring member, generating a rotational moment in a direction opposite to a rotation direction of the bonding arm, wherein, in the wire tension adjuster, in a state in which the wire is gripped by the wire clamper, while the flow rate of the air supplied to the wire tensioner is changed, a plurality of the height positions of the tip of the bonding arm where a rotational moment in the rotation direction of the bonding arm due to tension of the wire and the rotational moment in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the bonding arm due to the spring member balance each other are detected by the height position detector, and a plurality of flow rates of the air supplied to the wire tensioner are detected by the air flow detector; and an approximation curve defining each of the height position detected of the tip of the bonding arm with respect to each flow rate detected is generated, and the tension applied to the wire is adjusted based on the approximation curve generated. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The wire tension adjuster according to claim 11, wherein the spring member of the wire bonding apparatus is a cross leaf spring in which two spring plates intersect in a cross shape, and the bonding arm is attached to the bonding head so as to be rotatable about an axis along a line of intersection of the two spring plates. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The wire tension adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein the spring member is a cross leaf spring in which two spring plates intersect in a cross shape, and the bonding arm is attached to the bonding head so as to be rotatable about an axis along a line of intersection of the two spring plates. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The wire tension adjuster according to claim 8, wherein the spring member of the wire bonding apparatus is a cross leaf spring in which two spring plates intersect in a cross shape, and the bonding arm is attached to the bonding head so as to be rotatable about an axis along a line of intersection of the two spring plates.