At&t Technologies, Inc.

Western Electric Company, Inc.

Joseph A Tamashasky

Donald M Large

Charles R Fegley

Anderson F Johnson, Jr

Fred J Reinhard

Kristen E Bankes

Michael K Avedissian

Lorenz Regneth

Carl H Herman

Anthony J Schorr

At least one article such as a device (10) is reoriented to achieve uniform orientation of a plurality thereof. The devices (10) typically have a head (12) and a body portion (18) depending therefrom along a plane (26) dividing the head asymmetrically. A portion of head (12) has a fully developed shape typically seen along one side of a disc while another portion of head (12) has at least one segment omitted. A preferably air powered track (30) is utilized to guidably advance the devices (10) in a single file. The body portions (18) are disposed in track (30) with their respective dividing planes (26) lying substantially along a common plane passing through a longitudinal slot (50) in a feed section of track (30). A device (10) is assumed to have a desirable orientation when its flat (24) faces such as to the back of track (30) and an undesirable orientation when flat (24) faces oppositely such as to the front of track (30). A turning station (60) is disposed in track (30) and contains a special section (75), such station being adapted for: (1) guidably passing to a subsequent discharge section of track (30), devices (10) advanced into station (60) with the desirable orientation and blocking a device (10) advanced therein having the undesirable orientation; and (2) turning the station track (75) with the blocked device (10) sufficiently to engage the previously trailing end of station track (75) to the subsequent discharge track and discharging thereto the turned device (10) now having the desirable orientation.

Orienting asymmetrically shaped articles

A workpiece such as a miniature stud (10) supports a chip (20) having a heat and light sensitive device therein. Such stud (10) is thermally bonded to an insulative body (12) to form a guide (14) for converting light to electrical pulses. A positive and a negative electrode (44 and 45), respectively, are each connected to a respective pole of a power supply for providing electrical current adequate for the bonding. A resistance heating element (42) conducts the current from electrode (44) at least partially along a path through the stud (10) to electrode (45). For stud (10), the path is selected preferably by providing a thru hole (90) in element (42) under the position occupied by the heat sensitive device when stud (10) is placed upon the element (42). The current concentrates in stud (10) along an annular ring (29) where heating is required sufficiently to thermally bond at least the ring (29) of the stud (10) to the body (12).

Bonding a workpiece to a body

Articles such as miniature laser chips (15) are individually removed from an array on an adhesive web (20). A subjacent forming die has a planar, central surface (160) containing a vacuum cavity (120) and peripheral sloping surfaces (162). The web (20) has an adhesive side for holding the chips (15) and a smooth side for conforming to surfaces (160) and (162) of die (116). A leading target chip (15) is located centrally of cavity (120) on a planar portion of web (20) which portion is substantially restrained from movement away from die (116) by vacuum drawn in cavity (120). At the smooth side of web (20), within cavity (120), there is a needle (135) which is movable perpendicularly of and through web (20) along a path containing the target chip (15). At the adhesive side of web (20), opposite needle (135), there is a pickup probe (147) having a vacuum port (166 ) to retain a chip (15). Also, probe (147) is movable relative to and with a target chip (15) and the needle (135). Conveniently, probe (147) is registered with and forces a chip (15) into web (20) to reflect light and confirm contact. Then subjacent needle (135) is advanced to contact the same chip (15) from the smooth side of web (20). In synchronization, the probe (147) and needle (135) are then moved, with the chip (15) held therebetween, at least until the chip (15) is separated from web (20).

Removing articles from an adhesive web

An off-line system for handling elongated magnetic articles such as axially leaded diodes 12 includes a magnetic receiving chute 20, a blocking mechanism 45, a magnetic loading station 75 for supporting at least one tray 55 and for loading diodes 12 therein, and a drive train 115. The chute 20 receives the diodes 12 and guides such diodes downwardly to an outlet 24 and the tray 55. Over a major accessible face of the tray 55 a cover 63 is slidably removable from a second end 60. At the loading station 75, the tray 55 is disposed in an upright manner resting on the second end 60 at a first elevation with a first end 59 extending at least to the outlet 24 of chute 20. An elevating mechanism 80 applied to the end 60 elevates tray 55 to a second elevation, while the cover 63 remains at about the first elevation. A portion of tray 55 is thereby opened adjacent the first end 59 which opening abuts to and registers with the outlet 24 of chute 20. The blocking mechanism 45 has stored diodes 12 in chute 20 while a tray 55 has been changed and mechanism 45 now releases the diodes 12 which are introduced into tray 55. Loading station 75 includes magnetic assemblies 100 and 108 which maintain orientation of the diodes 12 as they are loaded into a tray 55. When a machine count indicates that tray 55 is loaded, the mechanism 45 blocks further advancement of diodes 12 in chute 20. A ram mechanism 95 pushes the tray 55 downwardly to the first elevation while the cover 63 is slidably closed therealong. In a computer controlled operation, the drive train 115 advances the loaded tray 55 away from and an empty tray 55 into the loading station 75 to continue the loading with a minimum of operator attention.

Introducing elongated magnetic articles into containers

Elongated magnetic articles 12 are introduced into vacant positions 31 on a carrier wheel 18 for a given operation. A magnetic bin 40 has a feed end in communication with wheel 18 and includes spaced sidewalls 41-44, with arm sections 43-44 thereof extending substantially beyond the periphery of wheel 18 and along the sides thereof. There is established between said sidewalls 41-44 a first, magnetic field and a second, stronger field to orient and suspend the articles 12 in bin 40. However, the field between arm sections 43-44 is established substantially within the periphery of wheel 18 and such field includes the stronger second field located in a specific region of arm sections 43-44. For loading articles 12 into continuously occurring vacant positions 31 which are advanced in an ascendent path, the stronger second field is located in a lower region of arm sections 43-44. For a difficult make-up function, articles 12 are introduced into randomly occurring vacant positions 31 as such are advanced in a descendent path. A bin 80 also has a strong second magnetic field located within the periphery of wheel 18; however, such field is confined to an upper region of arm sections 83-84 and there is a non-magnetic lower region to avoid downwardly attracting articles 12. In a taping operation, means are employed to machine sense all diodes, to machine eject unacceptable diodes 13 and to machine count all diodes and positions 31. Input is made to a microprocessor which determines the exact time to control various functions on a substantially automatic basis.

Growing community of inventors

New Philadelphia, PA, United States of America

Joseph A Tamashasky