KR20240143996A - Carrier frame for electronic device handler - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an opening device for an electronic component handler.
An opening device for an electronic component handler according to the present invention has an opener capable of opening a loading module of a carrier frame by having a first opening bar and a second opening bar whose gaps therebetween can be narrowed or widened, or a support plate and an adjusting member capable of supporting the lower part of a low electronic component to assist in the unloading operation of a picking device.
According to the present invention, the versatility of the opening device is expanded, so that it is possible to achieve the effects of recycling resources, preventing waste of resources, reducing replacement costs, and improving operating rates.

Description

CARRIER FRAME FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICE HANDLER

It relates to a handler for handling electronic components, and particularly to an opening device for opening a carrier frame capable of loading electronic components.

Module IC (or 'modular RAM') is an independent circuit formed by fixing multiple ICs and other components on one or both sides of a circuit board. It is an important electronic component required for the operation of computer devices, but is expensive.

Therefore, after completing a product, it must undergo rigorous performance testing before shipping.

For testing such a module IC, in addition to the tester, a handler that can electrically connect the module IC to the tester is required.

The handler loads module ICs onto a carrier frame by a pickup device in a loading section, then transports the carrier frame loaded with module ICs to a test chamber by a transfer device to support testing of the module ICs loaded onto the carrier frame, and then transports the carrier frame, on which testing of the loaded module ICs has been completed, to a sorting section by another transfer device, and then unloads the module ICs while sorting them according to the test results.

In order to unload the module IC from the carrier frame in the above series of processes, the carrier frame must be opened by a separate opening device. Therefore, the handler must be equipped with an opening device for opening the carrier frame.

The Republic of Korea Publication Nos. 10-2011-0136312 and 10-2014-0072847 disclose technologies related to the aforementioned opening device (hereinafter referred to as “prior technologies”).

The conventional technology has a structure in which, when the control plate is raised, the guide bar of the control plate is inserted into the guide groove of the pressure member in the carrier frame (called a 'carrier board' in the conventional technology) and the pressure member is pushed to one side to open the carrier frame.

However, although the above conventional technology can be appropriately applied when the specifications of all electronic components to be tested are the same, it has the following problem of low universality and ultimately increases the manufacturing cost.

First, if an electronic component with a different width than the electronic component being tested is to be tested, the position of the guide rod must be changed, so the adjustment plate equipped with the guide rod must be replaced. This results in a lack of resource recyclability, ultimately increasing the manufacturing cost, and waste of manpower and a decrease in the operating rate due to the replacement time.

Second, there is no other practical solution when electronic components with different heights than the electronic components being tested are to be tested. In particular, if the height of the electronic components to be loaded onto the carrier frame is lower than the height of the socket, there is the difficulty of having to replace the carrier frame or at least the socket.

The purpose of the present invention is as follows.

First, it provides technology regarding an open device that can be applied to electronic components of various widths.

Second, it provides technology regarding an opening device that can be applied to electronic components of various heights.

A carrier frame for an electronic component handler according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises: a loading module for loading electronic components; the loading module comprises: a first loading member for holding one side of the electronic component; a second loading member for holding the other side of the electronic component; and springs which are respectively provided corresponding to the first loading member and the second loading member and elastically support the first loading member and the second loading member in a direction in which a gap therebetween is narrowed.

The above first loading member and the above second loading member may further have guide grooves formed in the vertical direction on surfaces facing each other.

The lower ends of the first loading member and the second loading member may be configured to support the outer lower ends of the lower corners of the electronic component.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a carrier frame for an electronic component handler is provided so as to be opened by the opening device in pairs to unload the electronic component, wherein the opening device comprises an elevating frame that can ascend or descend toward the carrier frame, and an opener installed on the elevating frame and opening the carrier frame, and when the elevating frame ascends, the loading module opens by widening the gap between the first loading member and the second loading member by the opener, thereby ultimately opening the carrier frame.

The above opener comprises a first opening bar and a second opening bar which are provided facing each other and are configured to have a gap therebetween that is widened or narrowed, and when the lifting frame rises toward the carrier frame and the gap between the first loading member and the second loading member is widened by the first opening bar and the second opening bar, the loading module is opened, thereby ultimately allowing the carrier frame to be opened.

The above opening device may further include a support plate for supporting the electronic components when the lifting frame rises toward the carrier frame, and an adjustment member for adjusting the height of the support plate so that the support plate can support the lower ends of electronic components of various specifications having different heights.

The above-mentioned support plate and the above-mentioned adjustment member can be raised and lowered together with the above-mentioned lifting frame.

The above-mentioned support plate has a gripping groove for gripping the lower end of the electronic component, and the adjusting member raises the support plate so that the support plate can grip the lower end of the electronic component, and by adjusting the height of the support plate, the gripping or release of the electronic component by the picking device can be assisted.

According to the present invention, since electronic components of various widths and heights can be handled without replacing parts, versatility is increased, and thus, there is an effect of promoting recycling of resources, prevention of waste of resources, reduction of replacement costs, and improvement of operating rate.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carrier frame paired with an opening device according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a loading module applied to the carrier frame of Figure 1.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an opening device for an electronic component handler according to the present invention.
Fig. 4 is an excerpted perspective view of an opener applied to the opening device of Fig. 3.
Figure 5 is an excerpted perspective view of the support plate and adjustment member applied to the opening device of Figure 3.
Figures 6 and 7 are reference drawings for explaining the operation of loading electronic components into a loading module.
Figure 8 is a reference diagram for explaining the state immediately before opening the loading module when handling tall electronic components.
Figure 9 is a reference diagram for explaining the state immediately before opening the loading module when handling low-height electronic components.
Figure 10 is a reference drawing for explaining a state in which the loading module is opened, further than Figure 9.
Figure 11 is a reference diagram for explaining the operation of the support plate and adjustment member.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. However, for the sake of brevity, descriptions of redundant or substantially identical components are omitted or compressed as much as possible.

<Description of carrier frame>

Before describing the opening device for an electronic component handler according to the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “opening device”), a carrier frame on which electronic components are loaded will be described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carrier frame (CF) paired with an opening device according to the present invention.

The carrier frame (CF) can be opened by an opening device to allow unloading of electronic components (ED), or closed to allow retention of loaded electronic components.

As shown in detail in Fig. 2, the carrier frame (CF) is equipped with a plurality of loading modules (LM) for loading electronic components (ED). Opening and closing of these loading modules (LM) ultimately means opening and closing of the carrier frame (CF).

Each loading module (LM) has a first loading member (L1) and a second loading member (L2), and the first loading member (L1) grips one side (the left side in the drawing) of the electronic component (ED), and the second loading member (L2) grips the other side (the right side in the drawing) of the electronic component (ED). That is, when the gap between the first loading member (L1) and the second loading member (L2) is widened by the opening device, the loading module (LM) is opened, and when the gap between the first loading member (L1) and the second loading member (L2) is narrowed, the loading module (LM) is closed so that both sides of the electronic component (ED) are gripped. Here, in order to enable opening by an opening device, a catch (J) that can be caught on opening bars to be described later is formed on the first loading member (L1) and the second loading member (L2), and in order to close the loading module (LM), the first loading member (L1) and the second loading member (L2) are elastically supported by a spring (S) in a direction in which the gap between them is narrowed.

<Description of the opening device>

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an opening device (100, hereinafter abbreviated as “opening device”) for an electronic component handler according to the present invention.

The opening device (100) includes a lifting frame (110), a lifting member (120), an opening device (130), a support plate (140), and an adjusting member (150).

The lifting frame (110) is equipped to rise toward or descend in the opposite direction toward the carrier frame (CF).

The elevator (120) may be equipped with a cylinder and raises and lowers the elevator frame (110).

The opener (130) is installed in the lifting frame (110) and opens the carrier frame (CF) so that electronic components (ED) can be unloaded from the carrier frame (CF). To this end, as shown in the extract of FIG. 4, the opener (130) includes a first opening bar (131), a second opening bar (132), a gap adjustment belt (133), and a power source (134).

The first opening bar (131) and the second opening bar (132) are provided so as to face each other and are connected to a gap adjustment belt (133) so as to be moved in opposite directions, so that when the power source (134) is operated, they move under the guidance of the guide rail (GL) so that the gap between them is widened or narrowed. Here, the first opening bar (131) is provided with a first step (131a) for engaging the catches (J) of the first loading members (L1) at once, and the second opening bar (132) is provided with a second step (132a) for engaging the catches (J) of the second loading members (L2) at once.

The gap adjustment belt (133) rotates forward and backward with the driving pulley (DP) and the driven pulley (PP) as the rotational return points, thereby transmitting the driving force of the power source (134) to the first opening bar (131) and the second opening bar (132).

The power source (134) provides power to widen the gap between the first opening bar (131) and the second opening bar (132), and is equipped with a motor that can adjust the degree of the gap between the first opening bar (131) and the second opening bar (132) so that it can correspond to the widths of various electronic components (EDs) of different specifications with different widths. Accordingly, the gap between the first opening bar (131) and the second opening bar (132) can be varied depending on the rotational amount of the motor, which is the power source (134).

Referring to the extract drawing of FIG. 5, the support plate (140) and the adjustment circle (150) are described.

The support plate (140) supports the electronic components (ED) mounted on the carrier frame (CF). The support plate (140) has a number of gripping grooves (141) formed to grip the lower portions of the electronic components (ED) corresponding to the number of electronic components (ED) to be supported.

The adjustment member (150) adjusts the elevation height of the support plate (140) so that the support plate (140) can support the lower portions of electronic components (ED) of various specifications with different heights. The adjustment member (150) may be provided as a cylinder, but it is preferable to be provided as a motor so that the elevation height of the support plate (140) can be adjusted to help with the picking or releasing of electronic components (ED) by the picking device described later.

The operation of the opening device (100) as described above will be described.

For reference, when loading an electronic component (ED) onto a carrier frame (CF), the picking device loads the electronic component (ED) onto the loading module (LM). At this time, when the electronic component is loaded from the state of FIG. 6 to the state of FIG. 7, the first loading member (L1) and the second loading member (L2) forming the loading module (LM) are spread in the direction of the arrow of FIG. 7 by the electronic component (ED) being forcibly loaded while overcoming the elastic force of the spring (S) by the descending force of the picking device (PA), and when the loading of the electronic component (ED) is completed, the loading module (LM) is closed while the elastic force is applied in the direction where the gap between the first loading member (L1) and the second loading member (L2) is narrowed by the compressed spring (S). Therefore, the operation (loading operation) of the picking device (PA) loading the electronic component (ED) onto the carrier frame (CF) can be performed independently of the opening device (100).

1. First operation example regarding unloading - When the height of the electronic component is high

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, when the height of the electronic component (ED) is high, the operation of the support plate (140) and the adjustment member (150) is not required because the picking device (PA) can grip the electronic component (ED) even when the electronic component (ED) is loaded on the loading module (LM).

In this operating example, when the support plate (140) rises toward the carrier frame (CF), as shown in FIG. 8, the step (131a) of the first opening bar (131) and the step (132a) of the second opening bar (132) are positioned at a height at which they can be caught on the catches (J) of the first loading member (L1) and the second loading member (L2), respectively. Then, in the state of FIG. 8, the opener (130) operates so that the gap between the first opening bar (131) and the second opening bar (132) widens in the direction of the arrow, thereby opening the loading modules (LM), and in this state, the picking device (PA) unloads the electronic components (ED).

2. Second operation example regarding unloading - When the height of the electronic component is low

When the height of the electronic component (ED) is low, there is insufficient area for the picking device (PA) to grip. Therefore, operation of the support plate (140) and the adjustment member (150) is required.

In this operating example, when the support plate (140) rises toward the carrier frame (CF), as shown in FIG. 9, the step (131a) of the first opening bar (131) and the step (132a) of the second opening bar (132) are positioned at a height at which they can be caught on the catches (J) of the first loading member (L1) and the second loading member (L2), respectively. Then, the opener (130) operates so that the gap between the first opening bar (131) and the second opening bar (132) increases, thereby opening the loading modules (LM) as shown in FIG. 10, and in this state, the adjusting member (150) operates as shown in FIG. 11 to raise the support plate (140). Accordingly, the picking device (PA) becomes capable of gripping both upper ends of the electronic component (ED), and in this state, the unloading operation by the picking device (PA) is performed.

For reference, this example only considers the case where the picking device (PA) unloads the electronic component (ED) from the carrier frame (CF). However, depending on the implementation, it may be sufficiently considered that the opening device (100) is also applied to the loading area for the loading operation of loading the electronic component (ED) into the carrier frame (CF). For example, it may be desirable to provide the opening device (100) in the loading area, and load the electronic component (ED) after widening the gap between the first loading member (L1) and the second loading member (L2) by the opening device (100). At this time, the electronic component (ED) has a downward flow while its position is aligned using the guide rails formed in the upper and lower directions on the first loading member (L1) and the second loading member (L2). Here, the lower end of each loading member (L1, L2) is configured to support the lower end of the outer edge of the lower edge of the electronic component (ED). Of course, when the electronic component (ED) is loaded, the electronic component (ED) is released from the picking device (PA), so that when the electronic component (ED) falls, the support plate (140) is raised in advance to receive the electronic component (ED) at a certain position and then the support plate (140) is lowered so that the electronic component (ED) can be stably loaded onto the loading module (LM).

For reference, a state similar to FIG. 11 may also occur during loading, and at this time, when the grip of the electronic component (ED) of the picking device (PA) is released, the electronic component (ED) falls freely. However, by slightly widening the gap between the loading members (L1, L2), the loading members (L1, L2) have a gap that can guide the downward movement of the electronic component (ED). This is because if the gap between the loading members (L1, L2) is too wide, the loading members (L1, L2) cannot guide the downward movement of the electronic component (ED), and thus the electronic component (ED) may fall off to another place or fall over, or the shock from the drop may be too strong. Therefore, it is desirable to ensure stable loading of the electronic component (ED) and minimize the shock from the drop by allowing the guide grooves formed on the facing surfaces of the loading members (L1, L2) to guide the downward movement of the electronic component (ED). Of course, it can be sufficiently seen from Figures 9 to 11 that the extent to which the gap between these loading members (L1, L2) is widened is the same even during unloading.

And in this example, the electronic components (ED) are mounted in two rows on the carrier frame (CF), but it can be sufficiently seen that the present invention can be appropriately applied even in cases where the electronic components (ED) are mounted in one row on the carrier frame (CF) or in three or more rows.

In addition, although the background technology is explained using a module IC as an example, the present invention can be sufficiently applied to any handler for handling electronic components (ED) in the form of a board in addition to a module IC.

As described above, although the specific description of the present invention has been made by means of embodiments with reference to the attached drawings, since the above-described embodiments have only described preferred examples of the present invention, the present invention should not be understood as being limited to the above-described embodiments, and the scope of the rights of the present invention should be understood by the claims described below and their equivalents.

100 : Opening device for electronic component handler
110 : Elevating Frame
120 : Elevator
130 : Opening
131: 1st opening bar 132: 2nd opening bar
131a: 1st step 132a: 2nd step
134 : Power source
140 : Support plate
150 : Adjustment

Claims (5)

An elevating frame capable of ascending or descending toward a carrier frame capable of loading electronic components by loading them onto an equipped loading module;
An elevator that elevates the above-mentioned elevator frame; and
An opening device is installed on the above-mentioned lifting frame and opens the carrier frame so as to enable unloading of the electronic component from the carrier frame;
The above loading module is opened by the opening device when the above lifting frame rises, thereby ultimately opening the carrier frame.
Opening device for electronic component handler. In the first paragraph
Further comprising a support plate for supporting the above electronic components;
Opening device for electronic component handler. In the second paragraph
The above support plate can be raised and lowered together with the above lifting frame,
The above support plate supports the electronic components when the above lifting frame rises toward the carrier frame.
Opening device for electronic component handler. In the second paragraph
Further comprising an adjustment member for adjusting the lifting height of the above-mentioned support plate;
The unloading operation of the electronic component is performed while the above adjustment source is operating to raise the support plate.
Opening device for electronic component handler. In the second paragraph
The above-mentioned support plate has a gripping groove for gripping the bottom of the above-mentioned electronic component.
Opening device for electronic component handler.