Safety device for an IC handler and method for its operation
AssigneeAdvantest Corporation
InventorsNoriyuki Igarashi, Katsumi Kojima, Akio Kojima
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a safety device for an IC handler in which a carrier arm and a carrier head, which carry IC elements to testing stations and carry tested IC elements from said testing stations to another position, are covered with covers for safety in such a manner that they can freely be opened and closed, a cover lock mechanism for locking the covers in their closed state and a cover unlock switch are provided. When it is detected, in the ON state of the cover unlock switch, that the IC handler is not in operation, the cover lock mechanism is unlocked by the detected output and the drive current to a motor for driving the carrier arm and the carrier head is cut off, and then it is displayed that the covers may be opened.
Claims10
A safety device for an IC handler in which cover means for securing safety during operation of a carrier arm and a carrier head is provided in such a manner that it can be freely opened and closed, said safety device comprising:
- a cover lock mechanism for locking said cover means in a state in which it cannot be opened;
- a cover unlock switch to deactivate said cover lock mechanism to allow opening of said cover means;
- stop detecting means for detecting an inoperative state of said handler when said cover unlock switch is turned ON;
- control means which unlocks said cover lock mechanism responsive to the detected output of said stop detecting means and cuts off a drive current of motor means for driving said carrier arm and said carrier head;
- and
- means for displaying permission to open said cover means, after cutoff of said drive current.
A method for operation of a safety device for an IC handler in which cover means for securing safety during operation of a carrier arm and a carrier head is provided in such a manner that it can be freely opened and closed and which includes a cover lock mechanism for locking said cover means in its closed state and a cover unlock switch to deactivate said cover lock mechanism to allow opening of said cover means, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) checking whether or not the carrier arm and the carrier head are in operation when the cover unlock switch is detected to be ON;
- b) unlocking the cover means by the cover lock mechanism when it is determined that the carrier arm and the carrier head are not in operation;
- c) cutting off a drive current of motor means for driving the carrier arm and the carrier head after unlocking of the cover lock mechanism;
- and
- d) displaying permission to open the cover means after the cutoff of the drive current.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.