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. 20, 2001
Filed:
Jul. 22, 1999
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Nagaokakyo, JP;
Abstract
A component feeder minimizes damage to chip components and efficiently discharges chip components aligned in a line. A bulk case is attached on the top portion of an external storage housing capable of being supplied with a large number of chip components. A predetermined number of the chip components is supplied at a time from the external storage housing to an inner housing of a component storage housing via a supplying path. The chip components in the inner housing enter into the outer housing from the reception inlet via a guide path by being scooped up by pockets in accordance with rotation of a rotary drum. The chip components are dropped into an aligning groove to be aligned and are discharged aligned in a line via a gate and a discharge path. The chip components slide down on the aligning groove to be discharged to a discharge path, via the gate, aligned in a line. Since excess components in the outer housing are returned to the inner housing via the return path by raking them up by a raking-up portion formed in the rotary drum, the number of chip components in the outer housing is small, resulting in maintaining increased alignment efficiency.