US 5,207,312 AGranted

Method of and apparatus for cramming electronic components into storage means

AssigneeTDK Corporation

InventorsKuniaki Takahashi, Manabu Uesugi

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Abstract

A method of cramming electronic components into a plate-like casing, comprises preparing the casing having a spiral passageway, an opening as a continuation of the passageway to communicate with the exterior of the casing and vents; preparing components; sending the components to vibration-free zone while applying vibration to the components; feeding the foremost one of the components, forwarded to the vibration-free zone, into the passageway through the opening of the casing by the push of subsequent components against the foremost component; causing the foremost components to be moved toward an inside terminal portion of the spiral passageway, while applying vibration to the casing in a manner to cause the vibration, applied to the casing, to extend from an outside terminal portion of the spiral passageway to the inside terminal portion of the spiral passageway and permitting air in the passageway to escape through the vents; and feeding from the vibration-free zone and moving the subsequent components toward the inside terminal portion of the spiral passageway in the same manner as the feeding and moving of the foremost component is performed. Also, an apparatus for cramming electronic components into a plate-like casing.

Claims42

Dependent claims

A method of automatically and successively cramming electronic components into storage means, comprising the steps of:

a. preparing storage means comprising a substantially plate-like body, said plate-like body having a substantially spiral passageway formed in its interior, an opening formed therein as a continuation of said spiral passageway to communicate with the exterior of said plate-like body, and a plurality of vents communicating with said spiral passageway;
b. preparing a plurality of electronic components;
c. successively sending said electronic components to vibration-free zone while applying vibration to said electronic components to line up said electronic components;
d. feeding the foremost one of said electronic components, forwarded to said vibration-free zone, into said spiral passageway of said storage means through said opening of said storage means by the push of subsequent electronic components against said foremost electronic component;
e. causing said foremost electronic component to be moved toward an inside terminal portion of said spiral passageway of said storage means, while applying vibration to said storage means in a manner to cause the vibration, applied to said storage means to extend from an outside terminal portion of said spiral passageway to said inside terminal portion of said spiral passageway and permitting air contained in said spiral passageway of said storage means to escape through the vents;
f. successively feeding said subsequent electronic components into said spiral passageway of said storage means from said vibration-free zone in the same manner as the feeding of said foremost electronic component from said vibration-free zone into said spiral passageway of said storage means is performed;
and
g. causing said subsequent electronic components to be successively moved toward said inside terminal portion of said spiral passageway in the same manner as the moving of said foremost electronic component toward said inside terminal portion of said spiral passageway is carried out.

5 more elements

An apparatus for automatically and sucessively cramming electronic components into storage means, said storage means comprising a substantially plate-like body, said plate-like body having a substantially spiral passageway formed in its interior, an opening formed therein as a continuation of said spiral passageway to communicate with the exterior of said plate-like body, and vents communicating with said spiral passageway, said cramming apparatus comprising:

vibratory feed means for feeding electronic components in one direction while applying vibration to said electronic components, said vibratory feed means comprising passageway means for lining up and guiding said electronic components when vibration is applied to said electronic components in said feed means;
vibratory means for supporting said storage means and applying vibration to said storage means in a manner to permit the vibration, applied to said storage means, to extend from an outside terminal portion of said spiral passageway to an inside terminal portion of said spiral passageway;
and
vibration-free receiver means for receiving said electronic components from said feed means, said receiver means comprising passageway means for lining up and guiding said electronic components and arranged between said feed means and said vibratory means in a manner such that said passageway means of said vibration-free receiver means is aligned with said passageway means of said feed means and said opening of said storage means supported by said vibratory means.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.