MXPA97006111A - Component carrying tape - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a flexible carrier tape for the storage and supply of electronic components by a feed mechanism, the carrier tape is characterized in that it comprises: (a) a portion of strip having an upper surface, a lower surface opposite to the upper surface, and means for receiving in a coupled manner the advancing mechanism, and (b) a plurality of aligned cavities or receptacles for transporting electronic components, the cavities are spaced along the strip portion and open through the upper surface thereof, wherein the means for receiving in a coupled manner the advancing mechanism comprises a plurality of hollow protuberances which are equally spaced along the strip portion, open through the strip portion, and which extend outwardly from the strip portion, the protuberances being adapted to receive the advancing mechanism inside the hollow portion of the

Description

CARRIER RIBBON OF COMPONENTS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Technical Field The present invention relates generally to carrier belts of the kind used to transport components from a component manufacturer to a different manufacturer that assembles the components into new products. More specifically, this invention relates to carrier tapes for storing electronic surface-mount components and for supplying these components in series to a machine. This invention is further related to a method for manufacturing such carrier ribbons. 2. Description of Related Art In general, carrier belts that are used to transport components from a manufacturer of the components to a different manufacturer that assembles the components into new products are well known. For example, in the field of electronic circuit assembly, electronic components R * £ .25291 are frequently carried from a supply of such components to a specific location on a circuit board for attachment thereto. The components can be of several different types, including surface mount components. Particular examples include memory microplates, integrated circuit microplates, resistors, connectors, in-line processors, doubles, capacitors, networks or door arrays, etc. Such components are typically fixed to a board or circuit board that can be incorporated later into an electronic device. Instead of manually setting each individual electronic component to a circuit board, the electronic devices industry makes extensive use of robotic positioning machines, sometimes referred to as "receive and place" machines, which attach a component to a location specific (supply) and place it in another specific location (the board or circuit board). To ensure sustained operation of the robotic laying machine, a continuous supply of electronic components must be provided to the machine at a predetermined speed and location to allow the machine to be programmed to repeat an accurate sequence of movements during each cycle . Therefore, it is important that each such component be located in the same position (i.e., the point at which the robotic positioning machine holds the component) as each preceding and subsequent component. One way to provide a continuous supply of electronic components to a desired location is to use a carrier tape. Conventional carrier belts generally comprise an elongated strip having a series of identical cavities or receptacles formed in uniformly spaced intervals, predetermined, along the length of the belt. Each cavity or receptacle is shaped to closely receive an electronic component. The tapes also typically include a series of through holes evenly spaced along one or both edges of the elongated strip. The through holes, often referred to as feed holes, drive holes, drive holes or indexing holes, receive the teeth of a drive gear that advances the belt toward the robotic laying machine. Typically, the carrier tapes are manufactured in one place, wound on a reel, and transported to a second location where the tape is unwound and continuously fed to a machine that automatically loads the cavities or receptacles with the electronic components. The advance holes accurately place the cavities or receptacles relative to the machine that loads the components, to help ensure that each component is deposited within the cavity or receptacle and in an appropriate orientation for subsequent removal by the machine. robotic placement. A continuous covering tape can then be applied over the elongated strip to retain the components in the cavities or receptacles. Usually, the loaded carrier tape is then wound onto another reel for transport to the manufacturing location where the new products are being assembled. The loaded carrier tape is then unrolled from the reel and fed to the robotic laying machine which removes the components from the cavities or receptacles and places them on the circuit board. The advance holes accurately place the loaded carrier tape with respect to the robotic placement machine to ensure accurate removal of stored components. Carrier belts are often manufactured in a thermoforming operation in which a continuous coil or roll of thermoplastic polymer is supplied to a mold that forms the cavities or receptacles of the component. The thermoformed continuous coil or roll is usually cooled to room temperature before it is supplied to another manufacturing station where the advance holes are drilled through the continuous coil or roll by an automatic drilling machine. Although these operations can be operated at an acceptably high line speed, they also require precise manipulation of the continuous roll or coil to ensure that the subsequently drilled through holes are properly aligned and in exact correspondence with respect to the cavities or receptacles of the component. Failure to provide proper alignment and registration can lead to an inappropriate subsequent placement of the carrier tape in the component loading machine and / or in the robotic laying machine. Since the cavities or receptacles of the component are formed separately from the advancing holes, it is necessary to regain registration or correspondence when the thermoformed continuous coil or roll is supplied to the punching machine. This is not always easy to do.

In another manufacturing approach, the continuous coil or roll of thermoplastic polymer is indexed with respect to a machine that both thermoformed the cavities or receptacles and perforates the advancing holes. The segments of the carrier tape of approximately 30 centimeters can be formed in each cycle, and the registration or exact correspondence between the cavities or receptacles of the component and the advance holes in any given segment is typically very good. However, carrier ribbons of up to about 1000 meters in length are often provided on a single spool. This requires approximately 3000 thermoforming / perforating operations to produce a single spool of carrier tape, and it may be difficult to maintain a consistent record of the cavity or receptacle of the component with respect to the advance hole over these distances. In addition, this process is associated with the use of a flat forming matrix which can limit the speed of the manufacturing line. Both of the processes described above involve the drilling of a thermoformed continuous coil or roll to provide the advance holes. Drilling creates waste (waste material) that can contaminate the components, which can be of special interest when manufacturing precision electronic parts. In addition, the thermoplastic continuous coil or roll can be an elastic, strong material, which can be difficult to pierce. As a result, the punches wear out or break and have to be replaced frequently. Precision punches are expensive and replacing them is a time-consuming process that requires a delicate realignment of the new punch. Accordingly, there is a continuing need for component carrying belts which exhibit an excellent registration or correspondence of the advancing hole with respect to the component cavity or pocket, especially over the long distances typically found on the carrier ribs wound on a spool, used in the electronics industry. There is also a need for a manufacturing process that provides a means for advancing the carrier tape without the drilling holes, especially if this can be done without the generation of waste materials.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is broadly related to a carrier tape having a plurality of cavities or receptacles formed therein. In one embodiment, the invention relates to a flexible carrier tape for storing and supplying electronic components by an advancing mechanism. The carrier tape comprises a strip portion having an upper surface, a lower surface opposite the upper surface, and means for receiving the advancing mechanism in a coupled manner. The carrier tape further includes a plurality of cavities or receptacles aligned to carry the electronic components, the cavities or receptacles are spaced along the portion of the strip and open through the upper surface thereof. The means for receiving the advancing mechanism in a coupled manner comprises a plurality of hollow protuberances that are equally spaced along the portion of the strip, open through the portion of the strip, and extend outwardly from the strip portion. the same, the protuberances are adapted to receive the mechanism of advance inside the hollow portion thereof. The cavities or receptacles include at least one side wall that joins and extends downwardly from the portion of the strip, and a bottom wall that joins the side wall. The cavities or receptacles more preferably include four side walls each generally at right angles to each adjacent side wall. Typically, each of the cavities or receptacles is essentially identical and equally spaced along the portion of the strip. The bottom wall of each cavity or receptacle may include an opening or through hole to accommodate, for example, to a mechanical upsetting device. The hollow protuberances which provide the means for receiving in a coupled manner the advancing mechanism can be opened through the upper surface of the portion of the strip and extend downwards from the lower surface, or they can be opened through the bottom surface of the portion of the strip and extend upwardly from the top surface. Desirably, the hollow protuberances define circular openings through the portion of the strip. The portion of the strip further has first and second parallel longitudinal edge surfaces, and preferably at least one of the edge surfaces includes the means for reciprocally receiving the advancing mechanism. It is still more preferable to have both the first and the second longitudinal edge surfaces including the means for receiving the advancing mechanism in a coupled manner. The carrier tape further includes a cover that is releasably secured or secured to the upper surface of the portion of the strip, extends along the portion of the strip, and covers the cavities or receptacles. Typically, the cover is positioned between the first and second parallel longitudinal edge surfaces of the portion of the strip. The carrier ribbons of the invention are especially useful for storing and supplying surface mounted electronic components to a machine, such as a robotic laying machine. To facilitate this, the carrier tape can be wound around a core to form a supply reel. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing such flexible carrier tape. In one approach, the method includes the steps of: (a) providing a continuous coil or roll of a flexible thermoplastic polymer; (b) supplying the continuous coil or roll to a mold or a die; (c) forming the continuous coil or roll by simultaneously thermoforming the cavities or receptacles and the hollow protuberances; and (d) cooling the shaped coil or continuous roll to solidify it. The continuous roll or roll may be provided as a preformed sheet or roll, by direct extrusion, or by continuous injection molding. Preferably, the continuous coil or roll is formed into a vacuum thermoforming die or mold, a rotating vacuum forming die or mold is particularly advantageous. Carrier belts of the invention offer significant advantages when the coupling means receiving the advancing mechanism are in the form of hollow protuberances. Included among these advantages are: an excellent record of the advancing means with respect to the cavity or receptacle of the components, a simplified manufacture, a reduced waste, and the elimination of the need to perforate the coil or continuous roll to form holes of drag. However, there are situations in which it may be desirable to provide a carrier tape having conventional drive holes. In this situation, the hollow protuberances can be removed to form through holes in the portion of the strip, the through holes provide the means to receive in a coupled manner the advancing mechanism. Advantageously, the hollow protuberances can be removed by techniques other than perforation through the portion of the strip, such as by contact with a sharp blade that cuts the hollow protuberances in a level manner with the portion of the strip. It is also possible to thermoform a hollow projection that opens through the lower wall of the cavity or receptacle and depends on it. This can be done at the same time that the cavities or receptacles and the hollow protuberances are thermoformed. To form a through hole in the bottom wall, the hollow projection can be subsequently removed by contact with a sharp blade that cuts or separates the hollow projection in a level manner with the bottom wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be more fully appreciated with reference to the following drawings in which like reference numerals designate similar or analogous components from beginning to end and in which: Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of one embodiment of a tape carrier according to the invention, with a cover thereof that has been partially removed to show the components stored within the carrier tape; Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along lines 2-2 in Figure 1 and showing, in greater detail, the structures for advancing the carrier tape; Figure 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged sectional view showing in more detail one embodiment of an advance structure for use on a carrier tape according to the invention; Figure 4 is a sectional view similar to that of Figure 3 and showing another embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to Figure 3 and showing a further embodiment of the invention; Figure 6 is a sectional view similar to that of Figure 3 and showing a different embodiment of the invention; Figure 7 is a schematic illustration of a method for manufacturing a carrier tape according to the invention; Figure 8 is a sectional view similar to that of Figure 2 and showing a further embodiment of the invention in which the advance structures of Figure 2 have been removed; Figure 9 is a sectional view similar to that of Figure 2 (but without a stored component) and showing a carrier tape according to the invention prior to the removal of a hollow projection, such removal forms an opening in a wall bottom of a cavity or receptacle of the component that is formed in the carrier tape; Figure 10 is a schematic view illustrating how a carrier tape according to the invention can be loaded with the components followed by the application of a cover; and Figure 11 is a schematic view illustrating a robotic machine that removes the components from a carrier tape according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES Turning now to the drawings, one embodiment of a carrier tape according to the invention is shown in Figures 1 to 3. The illustrated carrier tape is useful for the storage and supply of the electronic components by an advancing mechanism. More specifically, a flexible carrier tape 100 has a tape portion 102 defining a top surface and a bottom surface opposite the top surface. The portion 102 of the strip includes longitudinal edge surfaces 104 and 106, and a row of aligned advancing structures 108 and 110, formed in and extending along one, and preferably both, edge surfaces. The advancing structures 108 and 100 provide a means for receiving the advancing mechanism in a coupled manner and are described more fully hereinafter. A series of cavities or receptacles 112 is formed at and spaced along the portion 102 of the strip, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cavities or receptacles are opened through the upper surface of the serving portion. strip. Within a given carrier tape, each cavity or receptacle is in the usual manner essentially identical to the other cavities or receptacles. Typically, they are aligned with each other and spaced at equal distances. In the illustrated embodiment, each cavity or receptacle includes four side walls 114, each generally at right angles to each adjacent wall. The side walls 114 join and extend downward from the upper surface of the strip portion and join the bottom wall 116 to form the cavity or receptacle 112. The bottom wall 116 is generally flat and parallel to the plane of the wall. portion 102 of the strip. Optionally, although desirable, the bottom wall 116 may include an aperture or through hole 118 that is of a size to accommodate a mechanical upsetting device (eg, a pass needle inside) to facilitate removal of the component 119 (such as an electronic component) that is stored in the cavity or receptacle 112. The opening 118 can also be used by an optical scanner to detect the presence or absence of a component within any given cavity or receptacle. In addition, the opening 118 may be useful in applying a vacuum to the cavity or receptacle to allow a more efficient loading of the cavities or receptacles with the components. A further description of the opening 118 and how it can be formed according to the invention is provided below. In general, the cavities or receptacles 112 are designed to conform to the size and shape of the components they are intended to receive. Although not specifically illustrated, the cavities or receptacles may have more or less side walls than the four that are shown in the preferred embodiment. In general, each cavity or receptacle includes at least one side wall that joins and extends downwardly from the portion 102 of the strip, and a bottom wall that attaches to the side wall to form the cavity or receptacle. Accordingly, the cavities or receptacles may be circular, oval, triangular, pentagonal, or may have other shapes in their general lines. Each side wall can also be formed with a slight inclination (i.e., a slope of 2o to 12 ° towards the center of the cavity or receptacle) to facilitate the insertion of the component, and to assist in the release of the cavity or receptacle a mold or the shaping die during the manufacture of the carrier tape. The depth of the cavity or receptacle may also vary depending on the component that the cavity or receptacle is intended to receive. In addition, the interior of the cavity or receptacle can be formed with wedges, rims, pedestals, bars, rails, abutments, and other similar structural features to better accommodate or support the particular components. Although a single column of the cavities or receptacles is illustrated in the drawings, two or more columns of the aligned cavities or receptacles could also be formed along the length of the portion of the strip to facilitate the simultaneous supply of multiple components. It is expected that the columns of cavities or receptacles may be arranged or distributed in parallel to each other with the cavities or wells in a column that are in rows aligned with the recesses or pockets in the (s) column (s) adjacent (s ). The portion 102 of the strip can be formed of any polymeric material having sufficient caliber and flexibility to allow it to be wound around the hub of a storage reel. A variety of polymeric materials may be used including, but not limited to, polyester (e.g., glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate), polycarbonate, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene. The portion 102 of the strip can be optically clear, pigmented or modified to be electrically dissipative. In the latter case, the strip may include an electrically conductive material, such as carbon black or vanadium pentoxide, i.e. either interdispersed within the polymeric material or subsequently coated on the strip. The material that conducts the electricity allows an electrical charge to dissipate throughout the carrier tape and preferably by means of a ground connection. This feature can prevent damage to the components contained within the carrier belt due to an accumulated static electric charge. The carrier tape 100 typically further includes an elongated cover 120, although its inclusion is optional. The cover 120 is applied over the cavities or receptacles of the carrier tape to retain the components therein. As best shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cover 120 is flexible, is superimposed on a part or, more preferably, on all the cavities or receptacles 112, and is placed between the rows of the advance structures 108 and 100 along the length of the portion 102 of the strip. The cover 120 is releasably secured or secured to the upper surface of the portion 102 of the strip so that it can be subsequently removed to gain access to the stored components. As illustrated, the cover 120 includes parallel longitudinal joint portions 122 and 124, which are joined to the surfaces 104 and 106 of the longitudinal edges, respectively, of the portion 102 of the strip. For example, a pressure sensitive adhesive such as an acrylate material, or a heat activated adhesive such as an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, can be used to adhere the cover to the surfaces 104 and 106 of the edges. Alternatively, the cover 120 could be secured or secured to the portion 102 of the strip by a mechanical fastener such as a press fit interference fastener or a hook and loop fastener (with the hooks being carried either by the cover or the portion of the strip and the rings that are carried by the other portion). Referring now to Figures 2 to 6, the advancement structures 108 and 110 comprise a series of hollow protrusions extending outwardly from the portion 102 of the strip, preferably in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the portion of the strip. The hollow protuberances have a proximal end that opens through the portion 102 of the strip and a remote end that can be open or closed. The advancing structures are adapted to receive in a coupled manner an advancing mechanism such as a gear tooth 209 shown in Fig. 10 and the gear tooth 224 shown in Fig. 11 (described more fully below). The advancing mechanism typically comprises a gear tooth for each row of the advancing structures, and a tooth of each gear tooth is received in coupled form within the hollow portion of the protrusion where it opens through the portion 102 of the strip. The feed structures in combination with the gear teeth advance the carrier tape 100 to a predetermined location. At the predetermined location, the carrier tape can be filled with the components (see Figure 10) or a robotic laying machine can hold the components, in series, for example, by subsequently placing them on a circuit board (see Figure 11) . The advancing structures 108 and 110 can be formed to have a variety of shapes such as the truncated cone illustrated both in Fig. 2 and in the enlarged, fragmentary sectional view of Fig. 3, the closed cylinder shown in FIG. Figure 4, or the shallow depression, or the slit or dome described in Figure 5. Other shapes are also possible, such as a cone or a cylinder with a dome-shaped far end. The base of the advancing structures where they open through a portion 102 of the strip are typically circular in their general lines but could have other shapes if desired. In one embodiment, the advancing structures comprise truncated cones having an inclination angle of 10 ° (i.e., a slight slope that tapers from the proximal end to the far end), a depth of approximately 0.76 mm (0.030 inches) , and a circular base with an internal diameter that measures approximately 1.55 mm (0.061 inches), the advance structures are equally spaced along the portion of the strip at a distance of approximately 4 mm (0.16 inches) above the center. The form of the advance structure, the shape of the general lines of the base, and the spacing between the adjacent structures can be varied to accommodate the different types of advancement mechanisms. In the electronics industry, the number, size and spacing of the advancing orifices is widely standardized to ensure uniformity, and the advancing structures of the invention can be formed to be consistent with the standardization of the industry. In Figures 1 to 5, the advancing structures 108 and 110 are illustrated when they are opened through the upper surface of the portion 102 of the strip such that the hollow protuberances project or extend below the lower surface of the strip. the portion of the strip, as do the cavities or receptacles 112. However, as shown in Figure 6, the hollow protuberances may also project or extend above the portion 102 of the strip such that they are open through the lower surface of the portion of the strip, this is the mode used in conjunction with the schematic views of Figures 10 and 11. In general, the carrier ribbons of the present invention are made by forming both the cavities or receptacles as the advancing structures of the hollow protuberance in a sheet of polymeric material and winding the carrier tape on a reel to form a roll. More specifically, and with reference to the schematic view of Figure 7, as an example, a continuous coil or roll 200 of a flexible thermoplastic polymer is supplied as a preformed roll, such as a preformed sheet, by direct extrusion (e.g., a three-zone, single-screw extruder, powered by cooper, equipped with a sheet-forming die), or by continuous injection molding in a mold or die 204 (which may be a pair of corresponding female and male dies) Thermoform the coil or continuous roll. The mold 204 simultaneously thermoformed the cavities or receptacles and the advancing structures to the desired size and shape (allowing any subsequent shrinkage during cooling). The dimensions of the coil or continuous polymeric inlet roll will be determined by the size and width of the carrier tape to be formed. By "thermoforming" and "thermoforming" is meant a process that is based on the use of heat as a pressure to deform a thermoplastic material. The heat may be provided by the mold itself, a preheater 202, or an extruder (not specifically shown). In any case, the coil or polymeric continuous roll 200 is heated sufficiently to allow thermoforming. The temperature at which the continuous coil or roll must be heated varies over a wide range (ie, approximately 93.33-187.77 ° C (200-370 ° F) depending on the gauge and type of material being thermoformed as well as the manufacturing line speed The applied pressure is sufficient to allow high quality duplication of the mold or matrix configuration and can be provided by, for example, the force that the mold exerts on the continuous coil or roll 200 when the mold is closed or by the application of a vacuum that pushes the coil or continuous roll to deform it on a male die or pull the coil or continuous roll to a female die (ie, vacuum thermoforming). Vacuum, rotating, is particularly useful The coil or continuous roll 200 is typically cooled after thermoforming, which can be effected by cooling with air, fans, a year with water or a cooling oven until the thermoplastic polymer solidifies. Importantly, the cavities or receptacles and the advancement structures are formed simultaneously, which allows an excellent correspondence or registration between these characteristics since their relative orientation is determined by the configuration of the mold in which the carrier tape is thermoformed. Conversely, in conventional conveyor belts, the feed, shred or gear tooth holes are subsequently formed in a punching operation with separate punches, which requires precise handling of the coil or continuous roll to ensure that the feed holes punched with punches subsequently, are aligned and properly registered with the cavities or receptacles of the components. Failure to provide proper alignment and registration can lead to subsequent improper positioning of the carrier tape in the component loading machine and / or in the robotic laying machine. Since the cavities or receptacles of the components are conventionally formed separately from the advancing holes, it is necessary to regain registration or correspondence when the thermoformed continuous coil or roll is supplied to the performation machine with a punch. This is especially challenging in the manufacture of carrier belts that have multiple rows of cavities or receptacles of the components, when it is necessary to keep the transverse register of the coil or continuous roll between the perforated advance holes and each of the cavities or receptacles of the container. component in a row. The methods described herein facilitate the manufacture of such carrier tapes since the cavities or receptacles and the advancement structures are formed simultaneously. In addition, the carrier ribbons of the invention offer the advantage that they produce reduced waste. Since the carrier ribbons are not perforated, the amount of waste material that must be collected and disposed of is reduced. In addition, the speeds of the manufacturing line can be increased and the manufacturing process of the carrier tape simplified, since the generally slow step of perforating the coil or continuous roll has been eliminated. This also brings the benefits of reduced maintenance costs and reduced manufacturing downtime since relatively expensive punches do not have to be replaced and recalibrated. Other known manufacturing approaches involve the simultaneous thermoforming of the cavities or receptacles and the puncturing of the advance holes. However, in these operations it can be difficult to maintain a consistent record or correspondence of the cavity or receptacle of the component with respect to the advancing hole over long distances and these processes are associated with the use of a flat formation matrix which can limit the manufacturing line speed. These processes also require the cleaning of the waste materials generated by the punch and the maintenance of the punches that produce the advance holes. Although the carrier belts of the invention offer particular advantages when the advancing structures are in the form of hollow protuberances, there may be situations in which it is desirable to remove the protrusion to form advance holes similar to those found in conventional carrier • belts. Accordingly, and with continued reference to Fig. 7, once the thermoformed continuous roll or coil 200 leaves the mold 204 it can be transported to the extrusion removal station 206 where the feed structures 108 and 110 are removed to give a carrier tape 100 'having feed, drive or gear teeth 126 and 128, respectively, as shown in Figure 8. Accordingly, the feed holes 126 and 128 provide the means for receiving in coupled form the mechanism of advance. The advancing structures can be removed by a variety of techniques such as by laser beam, water jet, or hot wire application techniques, or by smoothing, sanding, milling, grooving, or grinding. Although not shown in the drawings, a vacuum line can be used to accumulate the waste materials generated. however, it has been found especially advantageous to employ a sharp edge (for example, a fixed or vibratory knife or shaving razor, which optionally can be heated) that makes contact with the advancing structures to cut or separate them in a level manner with the portion 102 of the strip such as a sharp edge 207 shown in Figure 7. The blade or blade can be formed from a variety of materials including tool steel, high carbide steel and ceramic materials. Particularly useful is an ordinary stainless steel blade that has been cut to the appropriate size (if necessary), oriented at an angle of 45 ° with respect to the longitudinal axis of the coil or continuous polymeric continuous roll, and placed with a spacing about 10 ° so that the advancing carrier tape rises or rests on the blade which engages and separates each advancing structure in sequence. For the carrier belts having feed structures formed along each longitudinal edge, as shown in Fig. 1, a separate removal station for the protuberances can be used to remove the feed structures of each longitudinal edge of the feed. the carrier tape, or a single removal station configured, for example, to have a separate blade to remove the advancing structures of each edge, can be used. Each of the techniques described above offers the advantage of removing the advancing structures 108 and 110 in a level manner with the portion 102 of the strip. Accordingly, the size and location of the advance holes 126 and 128 that are formed during the removal of, respectively, the advancement structures 108 and 100, is essentially the same as the size and location of the openings through the openings. the portion 102 of the strip, originally created by the advancing structures. Similarly, the spacing between the adjacent advancing holes along each longitudinal edge is the same as the spacing that existed between the adjacent advancing structures prior to their removal. Consequently, drilling is not considered as a preferred removal technique because repetitive punching of the carrier tape creates a new set of holes. The precise placement of the advance holes by the perforation with subsequent punches through the advance structures, could require re-registration or correspondence between the cavities or receptacles of the component and the advance structures, which could erase the original benefits achieved by the formation of the same simultaneously. Accordingly, the methods described herein offer the advantage of removing hollow protuberances differently from punching through the portion of the strip. Turning now to Figure 9, it is also possible to thermoform a hollow projection 130 in the lower wall 116 of the cavity or receptacle 112 at the same time as the cavity or receptacle and the advancement structures 108 and 110 are thermoformed. The hollow projection 130 has a proximal end that opens through the bottom wall 116 and a remote end that can be open or closed, the hollow projection depends on the bottom wall. The hollow projection 130 may have a variety of shapes, configurations and sizes, all of which are described above as being available to provide the advancing structures 108 and 110. In one embodiment, the hollow projection 130 comprises a truncated cone having an angle of inclination of 10 °, a depth of approximately 0.51 mm (0.020 inches), and a circular base with an internal diameter that measures approximately 1 mm (0.04 inches). The hollow projection 130 is removed in the removal station 2u6 of the protuberances, or in another station of a similar function, to form the opening 118 shown in Figure 1. The hollow projection 130 can be removed by the same techniques as described above to remove the advancement structures 108 and 110 and the use of a sharp edge (eg, a fixed or vibratory shaving blade or blade, which can optionally be heated) that contacts the projection 130 to cut or separate it in a level manner with the bottom wall 116, is preferred. Particularly useful is an ordinary stainless steel blade that has been cut to the appropriate size (if necessary), oriented at an angle of 45 ° with respect to the longitudinal axis of the coil or continuous polymeric continuous roll, and placed at about 10 ° spacing such that the advancing carrier tape projects over the blade of the contacting blade and cuts each hollow projection in sequence. Accordingly, the openings 118 can be formed without puncturing the carrier tape with punches. Referring again to Figure 7, the carrier tape (if the advancing structures of the hollow protrusion have been removed or not) is rolled (in either concentric or level windings) around the core of the spool 208 to form a supply roll for the storage until the carrier tape is loaded with the components. Alternatively, and as shown in Fig. 10, immediately after the carrier tape 100 (or 100 ', not shown) is formed, a magazine 210 of the components can fill the cavities or receptacles 112 with the components 119, the cover 120 (if included) is supplied from a roller 212 and secured or secured by an applicator 214 (which is heated in the case of a cover providing a heat-activated bond) to the longitudinal edge surfaces of the strip portion. of the carrier tape, and the loaded carrier tape is wound around a core or reel 216 for storage or supply. The carrier tape 100 is advanced by means of a gear tooth 209, which is received in a coupled manner by the feed structures (or the feed holes if the feed structures have been removed) formed on the carrier tape 100, to advance the carrier tape toward the magazine 210 of the components. In use, the carrier tape is unloaded as shown in the schematic example of Figure 11, which illustrates a carrier tape 100 (or 110 ') in combination with a robotic laying machine 218. The supply spool 216 provides the carrier tape 100. A spacer assembly 220 detaches the cover 120 of the carrier tape 110 around the spacer block 222, which helps prevent the spacer assembly from pulling the carrier tape away from its designated path. The carrier tape 100 is advanced by a gear tooth 224, which is received by the feed structures (or the feed holes if the feed structures have been removed) formed on the carrier tape 100, to remove the carrier tape towards the robotic placement machine 218.

When each successive component reaches the desired reception point, the robotic positioning machine holds the component (either manually or by suction) and places it, for example, on a circuit board at the appropriate location. Carrier belts of the invention are particularly useful in the electronics industry for transporting and supplying surface mount electronic components such as memory microplates, integrated circuit microplates, resistors, connectors, line processors, doubles, capacitors, networks. or door arrangements, etc. The present invention has now been described with reference to various embodiments thereof. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes can be made in the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should not be limited by the structures described herein, but only by the structures described by the language of the claims and the equivalents of these structures.

It is noted that in relation to this date the best method known by the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention. Having described the invention as above, property is claimed as contained in the following

Claims (37)

1. A flexible carrier tape for the storage and supply of the electronic components by a feed mechanism, the carrier tape is characterized in that it comprises: (a) a portion of strip having an upper surface, a lower surface opposite the upper surface, and means for receiving in a coupled manner the advancing mechanism; and (b) a plurality of cavities or receptacles aligned to carry or transport the electronic components, the cavities or receptacles are spaced along the portion of the strip and open through the upper surface thereof; wherein the means for receiving the advancing mechanism in a coupled manner comprises a plurality of hollow protuberances that are equally spaced along the portion of the strip, which open through the portion of the strip, and extend toward out from the portion of the strip, the protuberances are adapted to receive the advancing mechanism within the hollow portion thereof.

2. A flexible carrier tape according to claim 1, characterized in that each cavity or receptacle comprises: (i) at least one side wall that joins and extends downwardly from the portion of the strip; and (ii) a bottom wall that attaches to at least one side wall to form the cavity or receptacle.

3. A flexible carrier tape according to claim 2, characterized in that each cavity or receptacle comprises: (i) four side walls each generally at right angles to each adjacent side wall, the side walls are joined and extend downwards from the portion of the strip; Y (ii) a lower wall that joins the side walls to form the cavity or receptacle.

4. A flexible carrier tape according to claim 3, characterized in that the lower wall of each cavity or receptacle includes an opening formed through the lower wall.

5. A flexible carrier tape according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the cavities or receptacles is essentially identical and is equally spaced along the portion of the strip.

6. A flexible carrier tape according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of cavities or receptacles include more than one aligned column of cavities or receptacles that extend along the length of the portion of the strip.

7. A flexible carrier tape according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of hollow protuberances open through the upper surface of the strip portion and extend downwardly from the lower surface of the strip portion.

8. A flexible carrier tape according to claim 1, characterized in that the plurality of hollow protuberances are opened through the lower surface of the strip portion and extend upwardly from the upper surface of the strip portion.

9. A flexible carrier tape according to claim 1, characterized in that the portion of the strip has first and second longitudinal, parallel edge surfaces, and at least one of the edge surfaces includes means for receiving in a coupled manner the advancing mechanism. .

10. A flexible carrier tape according to claim 9, characterized in that both of the first and second longitudinal edge surfaces include means for receiving in a coupled manner the advancing mechanism.

11. A flexible carrier tape according to claim 1, characterized in that the hollow protuberances are tapered.

12. A flexible carrier tape according to claim 1, characterized in that the hollow protuberances define circular openings through the portion of the strip.

13. A flexible carrier tape according to claim 1, characterized in that each cavity or receptacle comprises: (i) at least one side wall that joins and extends downwardly from the portion of the strip; and (ii) a bottom wall that attaches to and depends on at least one side wall that opens through the bottom wall.

14. A flexible carrier tape according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the cavities or receptacles contains an electronic surface-mount component.

15. A flexible carrier tape according to claim 1, characterized in that it further includes a cover releasably secured to the upper surface of the portion of the strip, which extends along the portion of the strip, and which covers the plurality of cavities or receptacles.

16. A flexible carrier tape according to claim 1, characterized in that the portion of the strip has first and second longitudinal edge surfaces, parallel and at least one of the surfaces of the edge includes the means for receiving in a coupled manner the advancing mechanism, the carrier tape further includes a cover releasably secured to the upper surface of the portion of the strip between the surfaces of the longitudinal edge, which extends along the portion of the strip, and which covers the plurality of the cavities or receptacles.

17. A flexible carrier tape according to claim 1, wound around the core of a reel.

18. A flexible carrier tape for the storage and supply of electronic components by an advancing mechanism, the carrier tape is characterized in that it comprises: (a) a portion of strip having a carrier surface, a bottom surface opposite to the top surface, and first and second parallel longitudinal edge surfaces, at least one of the edge surfaces has means for receiving the advancing mechanism in a coupled manner; and (b) a plurality of cavities or receptacles aligned to carry or transport the electronic components, the cavities or receptacles are equally spaced along the portion of the strip and open through the upper surface thereof, each cavity or receptacle comprises: (i) four side walls each generally at right angles to each adjacent side wall, the side walls join and extend downwardly from the portion of the strip; and (ii) a bottom wall that joins the side walls to form the cavity or receptacle; wherein the means for reciprocally receiving the advancing mechanism comprises a plurality of hollow protuberances that are equally spaced along the portion of the strip and that either (1) are opened through the upper surface of the portion of the strip and extend downward from the lower surface of the portion of the strip or (2) open through the lower surface of the portion of the strip and extend upwardly from the upper surface of the portion of the strip. strip, the protuberances define circular openings through the portion of the strip and are adapted to receive the advancing mechanism within the hollow portion thereof.

19. A flexible carrier tape according to claim 18, characterized in that it further comprises a cover fixed or releasably secured to the upper surface of the portion of the strip between the longitudinal edge surfaces, which extend along the portion of the strip , and covering the plurality of cavities or receptacles.

20. A flexible carrier tape according to claim 19, characterized in that at least one of the cavities or receptacles contains a surface mounted electronic component.

21. A method for manufacturing a flexible carrier tape for the storage and supply of the components by a feed mechanism, the carrier tape comprises a portion of the strip having means for receiving in a coupled manner the feed mechanism, a plurality of cavities or receptacles for carrying or transporting the components, cavities or receptacles are opened through the portion of the strip, and a plurality of hollow protuberances that open through the portion of the strip and extend outward therefrom. , the method is characterized in that it comprises the steps: (a) providing a continuous coil or roll of a flexible thermoplastic polymer; (b) supplying the continuous coil or roll of thermoplastic polymer to a mold or a die; (c) forming the continuous coil or roll of the thermoplastic polymer by simultaneously thermoforming the cavities or receptacles and the hollow protuberances; and (d) cooling the shaped continuous roll or coil to solidify the thermoplastic polymer.

22. A method according to claim 21, characterized in that the continuous roll or roll of the flexible thermoplastic polymer is provided as a preformed sheet or roll.

23. A method according to claim 21, characterized in that the flexible coil or continuous roll of flexible thermoplastic polymer is provided by direct extrusion or continuous injection molding.

24. A method according to claim 21, characterized in that the mold or matrix is a mold or thermoforming matrix under vacuum.

25. A method according to claim 24, characterized in that the mold or matrix is a rotating vacuum thermoforming mold or matrix.

26. A method according to claim 21, characterized in that the continuous coil or roll of the thermoplastic material is formed by vacuum thermoforming.

27. A method according to claim 21, characterized in that the portion of the strip includes an upper surface and a lower surface opposite the upper surface and the hollow protuberances either (1) are opened through the upper surface of the portion of the strip and extend downwardly from the lower surface of the strip portion or (2) open through the bottom surface of the strip portion and extend upwardly from the upper surface of the strip portion. , the hollow protuberances are adapted to receive the advancing mechanism within the hollow portion thereof.

28. A method according to claim 27, characterized in that the hollow protuberances define circular openings through the portion of the strip.

29. In a method according to claim 21, the method is further characterized in that it comprises the step of removing the hollow protuberances to form through holes in the portion of the strip, the through holes provide means for receiving in a coupled manner the advancing mechanism.

30. A method according to claim 29, characterized in that the hollow protuberances are removed differently than punched holes through the portion of the strip.

31. A method according to claim 29, characterized in that the hollow protuberances are removed by contact with a sharp blade.

32. A method according to claim 31, characterized in that contact with the sharp blade cuts or separates the hollow protuberances in a level manner with the portion of the strip.

33. A method according to claim 21, characterized in that each cavity or receptacle comprises at least one side wall that joins and extends downwardly from the portion of the strip, and a bottom wall that joins at least one side wall to forming the cavity or receptacle, the lower wall has a hollow projection that opens through and depends on the lower wall, wherein the hollow projection is thermoformed simultaneously with the cavities or receptacles and the hollow protuberances.

34. A method according to claim 33, the method is characterized in that it further comprises the step of removing the hollow projection to form a through hole in the lower wall of the cavity or receptacle.

35. A method according to claim 34, characterized in that the hollow projection is removed by contact with a sharp blade to cut or separate the hollow projection in a level with the lower wall of the cavity or receptacle.

36. A method for manufacturing a flexible carrier tape for the storage and supply of the components by a feed mechanism, the carrier tape comprises a portion of the strip having means for reciprocally receiving the feed mechanism, a plurality of cavities or receptacles to carry or transport the components, the cavities or receptacles are opened through the portion of the strip, and a plurality of hollow protuberances that open through the portion of the strip and extend outward therefrom, the method is characterized in that it comprises the steps of: (a) providing a continuous coil or roll of a flexible thermoplastic polymer; (b) supplying the continuous coil or roll of thermoplastic polymer to a mold or a die; (c) forming the continuous coil or roll of the thermoplastic polymer by vacuum thermoforming simultaneously the cavities or receptacles and the hollow protuberances; (d) cooling the shaped continuous coil or roll to solidify the thermoplastic polymer; Y (e) removing the hollow protuberances by contact with a sharp blade to cut or separate the hollow protuberances in a level manner with the portion of the strip to form circular through holes in the portion of the strip, the circular through holes provide means for receiving in coupled form the mechanism of advance.

37. The method according to claim 36, characterized in that each cavity or receptacle comprises at least one side wall that joins and extends downward from the portion of the strip, and a bottom wall that joins at least one side wall to form the cavity or receptacle, the lower wall has a hollow projection that opens through and depends on the lower wall, wherein the hollow projection is thermoformed simultaneously with the cavities or receptacles and the hollow protuberances and is then removed by contact with a sharp blade to cut or separate the hollow projection in a level with the lower wall of the cavity or receptacle to form a through hole in the lower wall of the cavity or receptacle.