Method and device for automatic storage of tape guides
AssigneeMycronic AB
InventorNils Jacobsson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for surface mount assembly of PCB's, using an automated pick-and-place machine into which component tapes on reels are fed, uses component tape reels each of which has been pre-threaded into its appropriate tape guide and been stored as a reel/tape guide packet in an automated SMD storage tower, from which appropriate packets are retrieved for coupling to the pick-and-place machine.
Claims8
An automated SMD tower storage unit and pallets, suitable for storing an electronic component tape reel with a pre-threaded tape guide having surface mount components in pockets, the automated storage unit comprising:
- the automated storage unit includes an interior surrounded by a wall and a deposition port in the wall, further comprising interior locations that accept automated storage of each of the pallets,
- wherein
- one or more of the pallets has a horizontal surface with a top and carries an electronic component tape reel with a pre-threaded tape guide that is placed on the top of the pallet with the reel laying on its side, and
- the pallets further include a spacer element and/or mechanical holder configured to carry, as a unit, the electronic component tape reel with the pre-threaded tape guide,
- an internal robot arm that performs automated pick up and retrieval of the pallets,
- the deposition port through which the pallets passes, at which the internal robot arm can pick up the pallets and move them to a selected one of the interior locations inside the automated storage unit storage.
A method of supporting assembly of printed circuit boards by surface mount technology, using a system including an automated pick-and-place machine and an automated SMD warehouse, wherein a plurality of tapes with a series of pockets holding electronic components are pre-threaded into tape guides, the method comprising of:
- (a) receiving, at a deposition port of the automated SMD warehouse, a component tape reel that is pre-threaded into a tape guide,
- (b) associating an identity of the tape guide with the component tape reel as a unit prior to storing the unit in the automated SMD warehouse,
- (c) automatically, by an internal robot arm of the automated SMD warehouse, picking up and storing the pre-threaded component tape reel and the tape guide as a unit, with the pre-threaded component tape reel placed on top of a pallet and positioned to have a vertically oriented rotational axis, in the automated SMD warehouse,
- (d) repeating steps a and b for a plurality of different component tape reels, and
- (e) retrieving a plurality of said pre-threaded component tape reel and the tape guide units from storage in the automated SMD warehouse for coupling to the pick-and-place machine, using identities associated with the units using the barcode reader.
A pallet configured for use in an automated component tape reel storage device having an internal robot arm suitable for automated pick up and retrieval of pallets, the pallet comprising:
- a horizontal surface with a top that carries an electronic component tape reel with a pre-threaded tape guide that is placed on the top of the pallet with the reel laying on its side, and
- a spacer element and/or mechanical holder configured to hold, as a unit, the electronic component tape reel with the pre-threaded tape guide, wherein the pallet, electronic tape reel and pre-threaded tape guide are automatically retrievable by the internal robot arm of the automated component tape reel storage device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.