The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 16, 1999
Filed:
Dec. 24, 1996
Charles F Miller, Anaheim Hills, CA (US);
West Bond, Inc., Anaheim, CA (US);
Abstract
A micropositioner affording the ability to precisely move the tip of an ultrasonic bonding tool relative to a miniature workpiece such as a microcircuit includes a pantograph-like input manipulator mechanism coupled by a single ball joint coupling to a follower mechanism which supports an ultrasonic transducer support housing from which a transducer and bonding tool attached thereto protrudes. In the preferred embodiment, the input manipulator includes a longitudinally outwardly protruding control arm having a control knob at the outer longitudinal end thereof, for grasping between the thumb and fingers of a human operator. The control arm is coupled to the outer lateral end of a four-bar parallelogram linkage comprising part of a pantograph mechanism, while the inner lateral end of the pantograph mechanism is pivotably connected through vertically and horizontally disposed pivot support bearings to a support structure. Motions of the input control ball are followed by, a ball joint attached to the pantograph mechanism, and coupled by the ball joint to the follower mechanism. By a suitable choice of spacings between the pivot axes of the pantograph mechanism support bearings and ball joint, the tip of the bonding tool is made to move in coordinate directions of a second coordinate system containing the tool tip in precisely scaled fractions of corresponding motions of the control knob in a first coordinate system thereof. In the preferred embodiment a tool support plate supporting the transducer housing is longitudinally slidably mounted to a tool support guide plate, which is in turn pivotably supported by a yoke having a yaw pivot bearing allowing lateral motion of the tool tip. The yoke is pivotably mounted by a pitch pivot bearing to the support structure, thereby permitting pivotal motion in a vertical plane of the yoke, tool support plate and tool tip. Preferably, the longitudinal slide axis of the tool tip, and the pivot axes of the rear pitch and yaw pivots all intersect at a common point, thereby assuring completely orthogonal motions of the tool tip in three orthogonal coordinate directions that are precisely scaled fractions of corresponding control knob motions.