High repeatability tape feeder for electronic component carrier tapes
AssigneeTyco Electronics Corporation
InventorDavid Alan College
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A tape feeder for precisely advancing a component-carrying tape to present sequential electronic components disposed at a pitch in the tape to a pick-and-place machine. A feed sprocket and an encoder disc are operatively associated with each other and rotatably disposed on a common axis within a housing. A motor is operatively connected to the feed sprocket to repetitively rotate the feed sprocket over an angle corresponding to the pitch of the component-carrying tape. An encoder is disposed to read the encoder disc and provide a feedback signal indicating the angular position of the feed sprocket.
Claims15
A tape feeder for advancing a component-carrying tape to present sequential electronic components disposed in the tape at a pitch for assembly, the tape feeder comprising:
- a feed sprocket having a number of teeth thereon and an encoder disc operatively associated with each other and rotatably disposed on a common axis;
- a motor operatively connected to the feed sprocket to repetitively rotate the feed sprocket over an angle corresponding to the pitch of the component-carrying tape;
- an encoder disposed to read the encoder disc and provide a feedback signal indicating the angular position of the feed sprocket;
- and
- the encoder disc having two rings of lines, the first ring having a line spacing corresponding to the pitch of the component-carrying tape, and the second ring having a line spacing less than the pitch of the component-carrying tape and substantially greater than the number of teeth on the feed sprocket.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.