Pick and place method and apparatus for handling electrical components
AssigneeUniversal Instruments Corporation
InventorsStanley W. Janisiewicz, Edward J. Lovell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A component is centered and oriented on a pick and place head by positive closing of pivotal fingers onto the component which is supported on a vacuum tube, and subsequent placement pressure is sensed and controlled. Rapid automated changing of component-engaging tips of the centering fingers is also provided.
Claims10
In a method of handling electrical components comprising picking up an electrical component by vacuum at the tip of a nozzle and placing said component onto a selected position of a substrate with a placement pressure, the improvement comprising the steps of:
- sensing and monitoring pressure experienced by said component during said placing;
- and
- limiting said placement pressure automatically to a preselected amount.
In a method of handling electrical components comprising aligning a reference axis of an electrical component with a longitudinal axis of an apparatus by closing tips of a set of aligning fingers onto said component and engaging at least one edge of said component in order to move said component transverse to said longitudinal axis to effect said aligning, wherein said method further comprises picking up said component by vacuum at the tip of a nozzle, supporting said component thereon by vacuum during said aligning, and placing said component onto a selected position of a substrate with a placement pressure, the improvement comprising the steps of:
- closing at least a first pair of opposed tips, generally centered on said longitudinal axis, positively and at a controlled rate in order to improve an aligning accuracy;
- closing a second pair of opposed tips, generally centered on said longitudinal axis, positively and at a controlled rate, after closing of said one pair, in order to provide for aligning of said reference and longitudinal axes by positively moving said component along two different directions transverse to said longitudinal axis;
- sensing and monitoring pressure experienced by said component during said placing;
- and
- limiting said placement pressure automatically to a preselected amount.
In an apparatus for effecting an electrical component handling method comprising picking up an electrical component by vacuum at the tip of a nozzle and placing said component onto a selected position of a substrate with a placement pressure, the improvement comprising:
- means, operatively associated with said nozzle, for sensing and monitoring pressure experienced by said component during said placing;
- means, operatively associated with said sensing means, for limiting said placement pressure to a preselected amount in response to said sensing and according to a controller.
In a method of aligning a reference axis of an electrical component with a longitudinal axis of an apparatus by closing tips of a set of aligning fingers onto said component and engaging at least one edge of said component in order to move said component transverse to said longitudinal axis to effect said aligning, the improvement comprising the steps of:
- providing plural sets of replaceable tips corresponding to said aligning fingers set, each tips set being particularly configured to facilitate aligning of components of a correspondingly particular shape;
- and
- replacing said tips sets on said aligning fingers automatically according to a controller.
In an apparatus for effecting a method of handling electrical components comprising aligning a reference axis of an electrical component with a longitudinal axis of the apparatus by closing tips of a set of aligning fingers onto said component and engaging at least one edge of said component in order to move said component transverse to said longitudinal axis to effect said aligning, wherein said method further comprises picking up said component by vacuum at the tip of a nozzle, supporting said component thereon by vacuum during said aligning, and placing said component onto a selected position of a substrate with a placement pressure, the improvement comprising:
- means for effecting closing of a first pair of said tips generally centered on said longitudinal axis, positively and at a controlled rate in order to improve an aligning accuracy;
- means for closing a second pair of opposed tips, operatively associated with said first pair of tips and generally centered on said longitudinal axis, positively and at a controlled rate, after closing of said first pair, in order to provide for aligning of said reference and longitudinal axes by positively moving said component along two different directions transverse to said longitudinal axis;
- means, operatively associated with said nozzle, for sensing pressure experienced by said component during said placing;
- and
- means, operatively associated with said sensing means, for limiting said placement pressure to a preselected amount in response to said sensing and according to a controller.
In an apparatus for aligning a reference axis of an electrical component with a longitudinal axis of the apparatus by closing tips of a set of aligning fingers onto said component and engaging at least one edge of said component in order to move said component transverse to said longitudinal axis to effect said aligning, the improvement comprising:
- plural sets of replaceable tips for and operatively associatable with said aligning fingers set, each tips set being particularly configured to facilitate aligning of components of a correspondingly particular shape;
- and
- means operatively associated with said fingers for replacing said tips sets on said aligning fingers automatically according to a controller.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.