US20050180844A1 - Device handling system and method - Google Patents
Device handling system and method Download PDFInfo
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- US20050180844A1 US20050180844A1 US10/916,626 US91662604A US2005180844A1 US 20050180844 A1 US20050180844 A1 US 20050180844A1 US 91662604 A US91662604 A US 91662604A US 2005180844 A1 US2005180844 A1 US 2005180844A1
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- Prior art keywords
- tray
- trays
- stack
- sorted
- platform
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Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- G01R31/00—Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere
- G01R31/01—Subjecting similar articles in turn to test, e.g. "go/no-go" tests in mass production; Testing objects at points as they pass through a testing station
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G60/00—Simultaneously or alternatively stacking and de-stacking of articles
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G2201/00—Indexing codes relating to handling devices, e.g. conveyors, characterised by the type of product or load being conveyed or handled
- B65G2201/02—Articles
- B65G2201/0235—Containers
- B65G2201/0258—Trays, totes or bins
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
- G01R31/00—Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere
- G01R31/28—Testing of electronic circuits, e.g. by signal tracer
- G01R31/2851—Testing of integrated circuits [IC]
- G01R31/2886—Features relating to contacting the IC under test, e.g. probe heads; chucks
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to the field of device handling.
- the invention relates to methods and systems for handling devices that are sorted into a plurality of categories.
- Device handlers are typically used to supply electronic devices to a tester, which may perform any of a variety of tests upon the electronic devices. For example, the tester may determine the actual processor speed of a chip. Once the electronic device is tested, it may be categorized into one of a plurality of categories based on the tested characteristics. The device handler may then sort the electronic devices according to these categories.
- an operator typically loads a stack of input trays containing electronic devices to be sorted.
- the operator When the sorting of the stack is completed, the operator must manually remove the sorted stack and insert a new stack of input trays. While the operator is performing these tasks, the tester may be unable to operate, leading to substantial downtime.
- One embodiment of the invention relates to an apparatus for handling devices adapted to be assigned to one of a plurality of categories.
- the apparatus includes an elevator adapted to move a stack of trays along a vertical path, a locking mechanism adapted to selectively engage a tray in the stack of trays and to support the engaged tray and additional trays positioned above the engaged tray, and a tray load arm positioned at a fixed vertical position and having a support mechanism for supporting one or more trays, the tray load arm being adapted to move horizontally into and out of the vertical path.
- Another embodiment of the invention relates to a method of sorting a tray of devices adapted to be assigned to one of a plurality of categories.
- the method includes receiving a sorted tray of devices assigned to one of the categories, determining a sort position for the sorted tray in a stack of trays on a platform, vertically moving the platform to align a locking mechanism with an upper tray in the stack immediately above the sort position, locking the upper tray with the locking mechanism, vertically moving the platform to position a lower tray below a load arm having the sorted tray, the lower tray being immediately below the sort position; and placing the sorted tray on the lower tray on the platform.
- FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a device testing system including a device handling system according to an embodiment of the invention
- FIG. 2 is a top view of a device handler according to one embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 3 is a top view of a device handler according to another embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 4A is a perspective illustration of a modular binning load port (BLP) for a device handler according to an embodiment of the invention
- FIG. 4B is a perspective illustration of a modular binning load port (BLP) for a device handler according to another embodiment of the invention.
- BLP modular binning load port
- FIGS. 5A and 5B are perspective front views of the BLP of FIG. 4A with certain panels removed;
- FIG. 6A illustrates an embodiment of a modular system having four BLP units
- FIGS. 6B and 6C illustrate the interface points of the modular system shown in FIG. 6A ;
- FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate front and side views, respectively, of an elevator mechanism according to an embodiment for positioning trays of electronic devices
- FIG. 8A-8L illustrate the operation of various functions performed by a device handler according to an embodiment of the invention
- FIG. 9 is a perspective illustration of a tray for transporting devices using a device handler according to an embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 10 illustrates category separator plates for use with a device handler according to an embodiment of the invention.
- the device testing system 10 includes a device handling system 11 in accordance with the invention.
- the device testing system 10 and the device handling system 11 may be adapted to test and handle devices such as electronic devices including integrated circuits, semiconductor chips, transistors, microprocessors, diodes, hybrid circuits, memory chips, for example.
- the device handling system 11 includes an input and sort system 12 for providing untested devices to a tester 20 and for sorting devices tested by the tester 20 according to a plurality of categories.
- the input and sort system 12 includes a plurality of horizontally arranged category tray locating stations in combination with a vertical binning load port 13 .
- the tested devices may first be placed in trays corresponding to various categories. When those trays are filled, the trays are transferred to an appropriate position in the vertical binning load port 13 .
- One such embodiment is described below with reference to FIG. 2 .
- the input and sort system 12 is a vertical handling system similar to the binning load port described above.
- the horizontally arranged category tray locating stations are not required. Instead, the devices are directly placed into an appropriate position in a stack of vertically sorted trays.
- One such embodiment is described below with reference to FIG. 3 .
- a transfer system 14 is provided to pick up untested devices from input trays and place the untested devices into a load station 16 .
- the untested devices in the load station 16 may be transported to a thermal conditioner 18 in preparation for testing in the tester 20 , as is known in the art.
- the transfer system 14 may also pick up tested devices at the load station 16 and place the tested devices into one of a plurality of sort categories, based on the results of the testing.
- the tester 20 may test each device, may then assign a sort category code to each of the devices based on the testing criteria, and may then return the devices for transport to the load station 16 through a queuing conveyor 22 .
- the devices may be tested for various functional characteristics and then be sorted into a particular category based on, for example, the speed or the functionality of the particular electronic device.
- the invention is not limited to any particular type of testing system or any particular type of device.
- the testing system 10 is preferably controlled by a processor 24 that may be connected to each of the systems within the testing system 10 .
- the processor 24 may also be contained within the device handling system 11 or the input and sort system 12 .
- the illustrated embodiment of the device handling system 11 includes an input and sort system which includes a plurality of tray locating stations 28 . Each tray locating station 28 corresponds to either input, buffer or a sort category.
- An input pick-and-place mechanism 30 is provided to deliver devices to be tested from an input tray in one of the tray locating stations 28 to the tester 20 .
- An output pick-and-place mechanism 32 is provided to return the tested devices to a tray in a tray locating station 28 corresponding to a sort category.
- Each pick-and-place mechanism 30 , 32 is capable of two dimensional movement in a substantially horizontal plane, in addition to limited vertical movement for picking and placing of devices.
- the sort categories in the various tray locating stations 32 either may be predetermined or may be dynamically assigned as needed.
- a tray handling shuttle 26 is provided to transport a tray between the tray locating stations and one or more vertical sort binning load ports (BLP's). Other embodiments may include additional tray handling shuttles at various stations.
- the tray handling shuttle 26 is positioned below or above the tray locating stations 28 , but is shown outside the device handling system 11 in FIG. 2 for purposes of clarity.
- the trays, such as tray 27 transported by the tray handling shuttle 26 may be empty, contain untested devices or contain sorted devices.
- the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 includes four BLP units 13 . It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that any practical number of BLP units 13 may be used depending on the particular use.
- the device handler 11 may be capable of mating to one or more BLP units 13 via a standard docking interface and communications protocol between the device handler 11 and the BLP 13 .
- an operator may load one or more BLP units 13 with a stack of trays of untested devices and empty trays.
- a control processor such as processor 24 shown in FIG. 1 , may control the operation of the tester 20 and the device handler 11 .
- a specified tray e.g., empty or untested
- the BLP unit 13 then provides a tray from the stack of trays through the use of a tray load arm, as described below with reference to FIG. 4A .
- the tray shuttle 26 may transport the tray from the BLP unit 13 and place it in one of the tray locating stations 28 , where it can be accurately positioned and held.
- the input pick and place mechanism 30 removes individual devices from the tray and transports to the device tester 20 . After each device is tested, the output pick and place mechanism 32 transports the device from the device tester 20 and places it in a tray corresponding to the category assigned by the tester 20 . Trays may be automatically presented to the device handler 11 and the device tester 20 and may be sorted as described above.
- the filled tray can be removed by the tray shuttle 26 and inserted into one of the BLP units 13 .
- the tray is returned to the same BLP unit 13 from which it was removed.
- the BLP unit 13 places the tray in a vertically sorted position corresponding to the test category of the devices in the tray.
- Device processing may continue until all devices from a single BLP unit 13 have been tested and sorted back into the same BLP unit 13 .
- the device testing system 10 may start processing devices from the next available BLP unit.
- the incoming trays can be distributed between multiple BLP units and the tray handling system will retrieve and sort trays to all associated BLP units as necessary.
- FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a second embodiment of a device testing system.
- the device handling system 11 is provided with a vertical input and sort system 12 similar to the BLP unit of the embodiment of FIG. 2 and described in detail below.
- An input tray may be presented directly from the vertical input and sort system 12 which has been loaded with a stack of trays containing untested devices. Once an individual device is tested, it is placed directly into an appropriate tray in the vertically sorted stack of trays in the vertical input and sort system 12 .
- the horizontally arranged category tray locating stations shown in FIG. 2 are not required.
- FIG. 4A illustrates an exemplary BLP unit 13 .
- the BLP unit 13 includes a tray load arm 34 which can slide into and out of the BLP unit 13 .
- the tray load arm 34 can move between a vertical path of an elevator inside the BLP unit 13 and a loading/unloading position substantially outside the BLP unit 13 .
- the tray load arm 34 is ergonomically positioned to allow an operator to load or unload a stack of trays 36 . Since loading and unloading trays is done externally to the BLP unit 13 , the device testing system (not shown in FIG. 4A ) to which the BLP unit 13 is attached can continue processing devices from other BLP units without interruption. This increases the number of devices processed per unit time.
- the stack of trays 36 may contain trays that are empty, loaded with untested devices or loaded with tested and sorted devices.
- a single tray 27 may be exchanged between the BLP unit 13 and, for example, a device testing system (not shown).
- the tray handling shuttle 26 described above with reference to FIG. 2 may be used to remove trays from the BLP unit 13 and to transport tested and sorted trays from the testing system (not shown) to the BLP unit 13 .
- FIG. 4B illustrates another embodiment of a BLP.
- the BLP 13 a illustrated in FIG. 4B includes an automated conveyor 35 which allows automated loading and unloading of trays.
- the BLP 13 a may function in conjunction with an external device adapted to interface with the BLP.
- the external device (not shown) may be adapted to supply untested trays to the BLP 13 a for testing, for example.
- the tested and sorted trays may be removed from the BLP 13 a in an automated manner through the automated conveyor 35 .
- the automated conveyor 35 may include a conveyor belt adapted to transport a stack of trays between devices.
- the conveyor belt can be driven by a motor adapted to turn drive rollers positioned under the conveyor belt.
- Such conveyor systems are well known to those skilled in the art.
- FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the BLP unit 13 of FIG. 4A in greater detail with certain panels removed.
- the BLP unit 13 includes an elevator 38 adapted to position a tray stack and separator plates vertically in the system. Separator plates are a specific type of tray which may not include any devices and will be described below in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 8A-8L .
- a plate lock mechanism 40 is provided to lock and hold a set of trays or category separator plates in a specified position.
- the BLP unit 13 includes the tray load arm 34 for separating and holding trays of devices, as well as allowing an operator to insert and extract trays from the BLP unit 13 .
- the tray load arm 34 is supported by a bearing rail 44 extending horizontally at a desired height. The height is generally set so as to allow ergonomic positioning of the tray load arm 34 when accessed by an operator.
- a set of lower vertical tray guides 42 is provided to limit lateral displacement of the trays during various operations.
- the guides 42 ensure proper alignment of the trays for engagement by various components, as described below with reference to FIGS. 8A-8L .
- a set of upper tray guides 46 are provided to laterally constrain the trays and separator plates during various operations when they are above the plate lock mechanism 40 .
- the elevator 38 is moved in the vertical direction by a drive motor 48 .
- the drive motor 48 may be an electric motor.
- a ball-screw assembly is provided to transfer energy from the drive motor 48 to the elevator 38 .
- the elevator 38 may be supported by an elevator-bearing rail 50 which allows movement of the elevator 38 in the vertical direction.
- an embodiment of the BLP unit 13 provides a modular platform.
- a plurality of BLP units 13 may be used in a system 52 wherein a processing component 54 can be changed as desired by the end user.
- each BLP unit 13 is provided with a substantially identical mechanical and electrical interface and is externally docked to the processing component.
- the BLP unit 13 may be interchangeably used with any number of processing components.
- the system 52 includes four BLP units 13 docked to an off-line binning process tool 54 .
- FIGS. 6B and 6C illustrate the mechanical and electrical interface points of the modular system shown in FIG. 6A .
- the BLP unit 13 may modularly interface with a variety of external devices, such as the offline binning process tool 54 shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B .
- the offline binning process tool 54 includes a set of mechanical coupling points 76 a - c for each BLP to be interfaced.
- the offline binning process tool 54 is provided with three mechanical coupling points 76 a - c to ensure proper alignment of the BLP with the process tool 54 .
- Additional couplings may be provided for other functions.
- an electrical and pneumatic coupling 78 may be provided to interface the electrical and pneumatic subsystems of the BLP with those of the process tool 54 .
- each BLP 13 is provided with interface points corresponding to the interface points of the external devices with which the BLP can modularly interface.
- the BLP is adapted to interface with an external device having interface points similar to those provided on the offline-binning process tool 54 shown in FIG. 6B .
- the BLP 13 is provided with mechanical couplings 80 a - c to correspond to the mechanical couplings 76 a - c on the process tool 54 of FIG. 6B .
- an electrical and pneumatic coupling 82 is provided on the BLP 13 to interface with the electrical and pneumatic coupling 78 of the process tool 54 of FIG. 6B .
- FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate front and side views, respectively, of an elevator mechanism 56 used to position trays and category separator plates in a vertical stack.
- Conventional systems use mechanical components to constrain and move support shelves for each sort category. Mechanisms are provided to move and support the shelves vertically, as well as mechanism to move and support a category support latch. In this regard, multiple motors and support rails may be required. As illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B , the illustrated embodiment requires only one bearing rail 50 and a single ball screw 58 to raise and lower all plates and trays.
- FIGS. 8A-8L are front views illustrated to describes the positioning and movement of the various mechanisms during certain operations, such as loading, sorting and unloading.
- Four categories of trays are illustrated, including categories 1 - 3 and untested. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the system may be adapted to accommodate any number of categories.
- FIG. 8A illustrates the system as it may appear at initial start-up with no trays in the system.
- the elevator 38 is provided to move in the vertical direction and to support a plurality of trays (none shown in FIG. 8A ) and separator plates 64 a - d .
- the tray load arm 34 is provided to move horizontally at a fixed height.
- the tray load arm 34 is provided with a tray support mechanism, such as retractable support fingers 60 , for supporting one or more trays.
- the plate lock mechanism 40 is positioned at a fixed height above the height of the tray load arm 34 .
- the plate lock mechanism 40 is adapted to secure a category separator plate 64 a - d or a tray with retractable latches 62 adapted to engage latch receivers 66 formed in the category separator plates 64 a - d or features formed in the trays or separator plates.
- the elevator 38 moves into a position which allows the latches 62 of the plate lock mechanism 40 to engage the separator plate 64 a marked “UNTESTED”.
- the latches 62 are moved to engage the separator plate 64 a , which supports additional separator plates 64 b - d , and the elevator 38 then moves downward to a position below the tray load arm 34 , as shown in FIG. 8B .
- the support fingers 60 are extended such that a platform is provided on which to a stack of trays 68 is supported.
- the elevator 38 moves upward until the stack of trays 68 is lifted by the elevator 38 .
- the support fingers 60 then retract, and the stack 68 is fully supported by the elevator 38 .
- a number of trays may be included in a stack carried by the tray load arm 34 .
- a full complement of input trays may require multiple input cycles.
- the elevator may lower such that the stack of trays 68 is at a position such that the top tray in the stack 68 is positioned below the load arm 34 .
- An additional stack of trays 69 may then be input to be added to the stack of trays 68 already supported by the elevator.
- a tray 68 a from the stack of trays 68 is provided to a device tester, for example.
- the elevator 38 will position the stack of trays to a position where the support fingers 60 can engage the top tray 68 a in the stack 68 .
- the elevator moves downward.
- the top tray 68 a can then be transported to the device handler into one of the tray locating stations described above with reference to FIG. 2 , for example, via the tray-handling shuttle. Additional trays may be provided to the device handler or the tester in a similar manner until either all trays in the stack 68 have been delivered or a sorted tray is required to be inserted into the BLP.
- the device handler may request to place a tray of tested and sorted devices back into the BLP in a certain category location.
- the elevator 38 raises the stack of trays 68 until the stack 68 lifts the separator plates 64 a - d above the plate lock mechanism 40 .
- the latches 62 of the lock mechanism 40 are retracted and disengage from the separator plate 64 a.
- the system prepares to receive a tested and sorted tray 70 belonging to category 2 .
- the elevator 38 moves downward until the separator plate 64 c labeled “CATEGORY 2 ” is positioned to be supported by the plate lock mechanism 40 .
- the latches 62 engage the separator plate 64 c
- the elevator 38 moves downward with other category separator plates 64 a - b on top of the stack of untested trays 68 .
- the elevator moves down far enough so that the top tray or separator plate supported by the elevator is below the height of the tray load arm 34 , as shown in FIG. 8G .
- the tested tray 70 can then be moved into position, supported by the support fingers 60 .
- the elevator 38 may now move upward to support the tested tray 70 , allowing the support fingers 60 to retract.
- FIG. 8G shows the tested tray 70 as belonging to “CATEGORY 2 ”, the disclosed system does not require pre-assignment of the categories. Specifically, the allocation and assignment of the categories and the separator plates 64 a - d can be performed dynamically.
- the first separator plate 64 a may be assigned to the first tested tray, regardless of the actual characteristics of the devices associated with the first tested tray.
- a second tested tray may be allocated to the first category tray 64 a if the characteristics of the devices in the second tray correspond to those in the first tested tray. Otherwise, the second separator plate 64 b may be dynamically assigned to the category of the second tested tray. This process may be repeated to categorize all trays to be tested.
- the sorting of the tested trays can be achieved without the use of separator plates 64 a - d .
- tested trays belonging to a category are positioned next to each other.
- the separation of categories can be tracked by a processor within or outside the BLP.
- the next untested tray 68 b from the stack of trays 68 is now positioned to be delivered to the device handler for testing.
- the elevator 38 moves upward until the separator plate 64 a labeled “UNTESTED” can be engaged by the latches 62 .
- the elevator 38 then moves downward until the support fingers 60 can remove the untested tray 68 b from the stack 68 , as shown in FIG. 8H .
- each category of trays is positioned in a stack below a category separator plate identifying the stack.
- a stack of trays 70 a belonging to category 1 are positioned above or below (below in the example illustrated in FIG. 8I ) the separator plate 64 b labeled “CATEGORY 1 .”
- Other stacks 70 b , 70 c are similarly positioned below corresponding separator plates 64 c , 64 d , respectively.
- FIG. 8J illustrates the unloading of trays belonging to category 2 .
- the elevator 38 moves upward until the separator plate 64 c labeled “CATEGORY 2 ” can be engaged by the latches 62 .
- the elevator 38 moves downward until the bottom tray in the stack 70 b of category 2 trays can be supported by the support fingers 60 .
- the support fingers 60 then extend and capture the bottom tray in the sorted stack 70 b , and the elevator 38 moves downward.
- the tray load arm 34 can then move the stack 70 b horizontally for access by the operator.
- FIGS. 8K and 8L illustrate an unloading operation in which the number of trays in a stack to be unloaded are greater than the capacity of either the tray load arm 34 or another component in the system.
- the elevator 38 moves to a position such that the maximum capacity of trays of the stack 70 a is positioned above the support fingers 60 .
- the support fingers 60 then extend to support the maximum capacity of trays, an the elevator 38 moves downward with the remaining trays.
- the stack 70 a of sorted category 1 trays is divided into two stacks 70 a - 1 , 70 a - 2 , of which one stack 70 a - 1 is supported by the support fingers 60 and the other stack 70 a - 2 is supported by the elevator, as illustrated in FIG. 8K .
- the elevator 38 moves upward to allow the support fingers 60 to support the remaining stack 70 a - 2 .
- the elevator 38 then moves downward, and the remaining stack 70 a - 2 can then be unloaded by the operator.
- the separator plates 64 a - d provide a visual guide of the categories of various trays.
- the separator plates 64 a - d are not required for operation of the embodiments of the invention.
- the separator plates 64 a - d may be eliminated, and a processor may track the boundaries between various categories.
- the plate lock mechanism 40 is capable of supporting the trays, rather than the separator plates.
- FIGS. 8A-8L corresponds to a BLP unit for use as shown in FIG. 2 . It is noted that similar processes may be performed in an embodiment such as that illustrated in FIG. 3 . In this regard, a pick-and-place mechanism may interact directly with trays positioned on, for example, the support fingers.
- FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of a device tray 27 for use with embodiments of the invention.
- the tray 27 may be provided with a number of slots in which devices, such as an electronic device 72 , can be positioned.
- the device tray 27 may be formed of any of a number of materials, such as a rigid plastic.
- FIG. 10 illustrates category separator plates for use with embodiments of the present invention.
- the separator plates 64 are provided with the latch receiver 66 for engaging a latch 60 of the plate lock mechanism 40 ( FIG. 8A ).
- the plates 64 are provided with a substantially flat surface 74 for supporting the device trays.
- the plates 64 may be made of a light-weight material, such as aluminum, which is capable of supporting a desired number of trays.
- BLP's may be configured in a variety of ways. For example, as noted above, BLP's may be configured with any type of trays having any number of devices, lot separator plates or empty trays, for example. Such variations are contemplated within the scope of the invention.
Abstract
An apparatus and method for handling devices adapted to be assigned to one of a plurality of categories are disclosed. The apparatus includes an elevator adapted to move a stack of trays along a vertical path, a locking mechanism adapted to selectively engage a tray in the stack of trays and to support the engaged tray and additional trays positioned above the engaged tray, and a tray load arm positioned at a fixed vertical position and having a support mechanism for supporting one or more trays, the tray load arm being adapted to move horizontally into and out of the vertical path.
Description
- This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/546,103, titled “MODULAR VERTICAL TRAY-SORTING APPARATUS WITH INTEGRAL OPERATOR LOAD/UNLOAD INTERFACE,” filed Feb. 18, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
- The present invention relates generally to the field of device handling. In particular, the invention relates to methods and systems for handling devices that are sorted into a plurality of categories.
- Device handlers are typically used to supply electronic devices to a tester, which may perform any of a variety of tests upon the electronic devices. For example, the tester may determine the actual processor speed of a chip. Once the electronic device is tested, it may be categorized into one of a plurality of categories based on the tested characteristics. The device handler may then sort the electronic devices according to these categories.
- Conventional handlers are very expensive and occupy a large amount of floor space in the manufacturing facility. In a conventional system for handling devices in a testing environment, the sort bins are horizontally located with respect to each other. In such a system, a pick-and-place head must move horizontally a great distance in order to place a tested electronic device in one of a plurality of bins corresponding to its performance characteristics. As the number of sort category bins increases, the travel time required for the second pick-and-place head to place an electronic device into a sort category bin increases to unacceptable levels. In addition, the size of the handling machine, known as a footprint, increases dramatically because each additional sort category increases the footprint.
- Further, in conventional handling systems, an operator typically loads a stack of input trays containing electronic devices to be sorted. When the sorting of the stack is completed, the operator must manually remove the sorted stack and insert a new stack of input trays. While the operator is performing these tasks, the tester may be unable to operate, leading to substantial downtime.
- One embodiment of the invention relates to an apparatus for handling devices adapted to be assigned to one of a plurality of categories. The apparatus includes an elevator adapted to move a stack of trays along a vertical path, a locking mechanism adapted to selectively engage a tray in the stack of trays and to support the engaged tray and additional trays positioned above the engaged tray, and a tray load arm positioned at a fixed vertical position and having a support mechanism for supporting one or more trays, the tray load arm being adapted to move horizontally into and out of the vertical path.
- Another embodiment of the invention relates to a method of sorting a tray of devices adapted to be assigned to one of a plurality of categories. The method includes receiving a sorted tray of devices assigned to one of the categories, determining a sort position for the sorted tray in a stack of trays on a platform, vertically moving the platform to align a locking mechanism with an upper tray in the stack immediately above the sort position, locking the upper tray with the locking mechanism, vertically moving the platform to position a lower tray below a load arm having the sorted tray, the lower tray being immediately below the sort position; and placing the sorted tray on the lower tray on the platform.
- It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and exemplary only, and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed.
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FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a device testing system including a device handling system according to an embodiment of the invention; -
FIG. 2 is a top view of a device handler according to one embodiment of the invention; -
FIG. 3 is a top view of a device handler according to another embodiment of the invention; -
FIG. 4A is a perspective illustration of a modular binning load port (BLP) for a device handler according to an embodiment of the invention; -
FIG. 4B is a perspective illustration of a modular binning load port (BLP) for a device handler according to another embodiment of the invention; -
FIGS. 5A and 5B are perspective front views of the BLP ofFIG. 4A with certain panels removed; -
FIG. 6A illustrates an embodiment of a modular system having four BLP units; -
FIGS. 6B and 6C illustrate the interface points of the modular system shown inFIG. 6A ; -
FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate front and side views, respectively, of an elevator mechanism according to an embodiment for positioning trays of electronic devices; -
FIG. 8A-8L illustrate the operation of various functions performed by a device handler according to an embodiment of the invention; -
FIG. 9 is a perspective illustration of a tray for transporting devices using a device handler according to an embodiment of the invention; and -
FIG. 10 illustrates category separator plates for use with a device handler according to an embodiment of the invention. - Referring to
FIG. 1 , a block diagram of adevice testing system 10 is illustrated. Thedevice testing system 10 includes adevice handling system 11 in accordance with the invention. Thedevice testing system 10 and thedevice handling system 11 may be adapted to test and handle devices such as electronic devices including integrated circuits, semiconductor chips, transistors, microprocessors, diodes, hybrid circuits, memory chips, for example. Thedevice handling system 11 includes an input andsort system 12 for providing untested devices to atester 20 and for sorting devices tested by thetester 20 according to a plurality of categories. - In certain embodiments, the input and
sort system 12 includes a plurality of horizontally arranged category tray locating stations in combination with a verticalbinning load port 13. In this manner, the tested devices may first be placed in trays corresponding to various categories. When those trays are filled, the trays are transferred to an appropriate position in the verticalbinning load port 13. One such embodiment is described below with reference toFIG. 2 . - In other embodiments, the input and
sort system 12 is a vertical handling system similar to the binning load port described above. In this regard, the horizontally arranged category tray locating stations are not required. Instead, the devices are directly placed into an appropriate position in a stack of vertically sorted trays. One such embodiment is described below with reference toFIG. 3 . - Referring again to
FIG. 1 , atransfer system 14 is provided to pick up untested devices from input trays and place the untested devices into aload station 16. The untested devices in theload station 16 may be transported to athermal conditioner 18 in preparation for testing in thetester 20, as is known in the art. Thetransfer system 14 may also pick up tested devices at theload station 16 and place the tested devices into one of a plurality of sort categories, based on the results of the testing. - The
tester 20 may test each device, may then assign a sort category code to each of the devices based on the testing criteria, and may then return the devices for transport to theload station 16 through a queuingconveyor 22. In the case of electronic devices, the devices may be tested for various functional characteristics and then be sorted into a particular category based on, for example, the speed or the functionality of the particular electronic device. The invention is not limited to any particular type of testing system or any particular type of device. - The
testing system 10 is preferably controlled by aprocessor 24 that may be connected to each of the systems within thetesting system 10. Theprocessor 24 may also be contained within thedevice handling system 11 or the input andsort system 12. - Referring now to
FIG. 2 , a top view of an embodiment of adevice handling system 11 is illustrated in conjunction with adevice tester 20. In other embodiments, thedevice handling system 11 may operate without adevice tester 20 and with any of numerous types of other equipment. The illustrated embodiment of thedevice handling system 11 includes an input and sort system which includes a plurality oftray locating stations 28. Eachtray locating station 28 corresponds to either input, buffer or a sort category. An input pick-and-place mechanism 30 is provided to deliver devices to be tested from an input tray in one of thetray locating stations 28 to thetester 20. An output pick-and-place mechanism 32 is provided to return the tested devices to a tray in atray locating station 28 corresponding to a sort category. Each pick-and-place mechanism tray locating stations 32 either may be predetermined or may be dynamically assigned as needed. - A
tray handling shuttle 26 is provided to transport a tray between the tray locating stations and one or more vertical sort binning load ports (BLP's). Other embodiments may include additional tray handling shuttles at various stations. Thetray handling shuttle 26 is positioned below or above thetray locating stations 28, but is shown outside thedevice handling system 11 inFIG. 2 for purposes of clarity. The trays, such astray 27, transported by thetray handling shuttle 26 may be empty, contain untested devices or contain sorted devices. - The embodiment illustrated in
FIG. 2 includes fourBLP units 13. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that any practical number ofBLP units 13 may be used depending on the particular use. Thedevice handler 11 may be capable of mating to one ormore BLP units 13 via a standard docking interface and communications protocol between thedevice handler 11 and theBLP 13. - In operation of the system illustrated in
FIG. 2 , an operator may load one ormore BLP units 13 with a stack of trays of untested devices and empty trays. A control processor, such asprocessor 24 shown inFIG. 1 , may control the operation of thetester 20 and thedevice handler 11. In this regard, a specified tray (e.g., empty or untested) may be requested from one of theBLP units 13. TheBLP unit 13 then provides a tray from the stack of trays through the use of a tray load arm, as described below with reference toFIG. 4A . Thetray shuttle 26 may transport the tray from theBLP unit 13 and place it in one of thetray locating stations 28, where it can be accurately positioned and held. The input pick andplace mechanism 30 removes individual devices from the tray and transports to thedevice tester 20. After each device is tested, the output pick andplace mechanism 32 transports the device from thedevice tester 20 and places it in a tray corresponding to the category assigned by thetester 20. Trays may be automatically presented to thedevice handler 11 and thedevice tester 20 and may be sorted as described above. - Once a tray in one of the
tray locating stations 28 has been filled with tested devices, the filled tray can be removed by thetray shuttle 26 and inserted into one of theBLP units 13. - In one embodiment, the tray is returned to the
same BLP unit 13 from which it was removed. TheBLP unit 13 places the tray in a vertically sorted position corresponding to the test category of the devices in the tray. Device processing may continue until all devices from asingle BLP unit 13 have been tested and sorted back into thesame BLP unit 13. At this time, thedevice testing system 10 may start processing devices from the next available BLP unit. - As an alternative to using a single BLP, the incoming trays can be distributed between multiple BLP units and the tray handling system will retrieve and sort trays to all associated BLP units as necessary.
- Once all devices in a
particular BLP unit 13 have been completely tested and sorted, that BLP unit can now be available for unload and reload by an operator. Any time a BLP unit is open for operator interaction it may be interlocked such that thetray shuttle 26 will not be able to enter an enclosure of thatparticular BLP unit 13. -
FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a second embodiment of a device testing system. In this embodiment, thedevice handling system 11 is provided with a vertical input andsort system 12 similar to the BLP unit of the embodiment ofFIG. 2 and described in detail below. An input tray may be presented directly from the vertical input andsort system 12 which has been loaded with a stack of trays containing untested devices. Once an individual device is tested, it is placed directly into an appropriate tray in the vertically sorted stack of trays in the vertical input andsort system 12. In this regard, the horizontally arranged category tray locating stations shown inFIG. 2 are not required. -
FIG. 4A illustrates anexemplary BLP unit 13. TheBLP unit 13 includes atray load arm 34 which can slide into and out of theBLP unit 13. Specifically, thetray load arm 34 can move between a vertical path of an elevator inside theBLP unit 13 and a loading/unloading position substantially outside theBLP unit 13. In this regard, thetray load arm 34 is ergonomically positioned to allow an operator to load or unload a stack oftrays 36. Since loading and unloading trays is done externally to theBLP unit 13, the device testing system (not shown inFIG. 4A ) to which theBLP unit 13 is attached can continue processing devices from other BLP units without interruption. This increases the number of devices processed per unit time. As noted above, the stack oftrays 36 may contain trays that are empty, loaded with untested devices or loaded with tested and sorted devices. In the rear of theBLP unit 13, asingle tray 27 may be exchanged between theBLP unit 13 and, for example, a device testing system (not shown). In this regard, thetray handling shuttle 26 described above with reference toFIG. 2 , may be used to remove trays from theBLP unit 13 and to transport tested and sorted trays from the testing system (not shown) to theBLP unit 13. -
FIG. 4B illustrates another embodiment of a BLP. TheBLP 13 a illustrated inFIG. 4B includes anautomated conveyor 35 which allows automated loading and unloading of trays. In this regard, theBLP 13 a may function in conjunction with an external device adapted to interface with the BLP. The external device (not shown) may be adapted to supply untested trays to theBLP 13 a for testing, for example. The tested and sorted trays may be removed from theBLP 13 a in an automated manner through theautomated conveyor 35. - The
automated conveyor 35 may include a conveyor belt adapted to transport a stack of trays between devices. The conveyor belt can be driven by a motor adapted to turn drive rollers positioned under the conveyor belt. Such conveyor systems are well known to those skilled in the art. -
FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate theBLP unit 13 ofFIG. 4A in greater detail with certain panels removed. TheBLP unit 13 includes anelevator 38 adapted to position a tray stack and separator plates vertically in the system. Separator plates are a specific type of tray which may not include any devices and will be described below in greater detail with reference toFIGS. 8A-8L . Aplate lock mechanism 40 is provided to lock and hold a set of trays or category separator plates in a specified position. TheBLP unit 13 includes thetray load arm 34 for separating and holding trays of devices, as well as allowing an operator to insert and extract trays from theBLP unit 13. Thetray load arm 34 is supported by a bearingrail 44 extending horizontally at a desired height. The height is generally set so as to allow ergonomic positioning of thetray load arm 34 when accessed by an operator. - A set of lower vertical tray guides 42 is provided to limit lateral displacement of the trays during various operations. In this regard, the
guides 42 ensure proper alignment of the trays for engagement by various components, as described below with reference toFIGS. 8A-8L . A set of upper tray guides 46 are provided to laterally constrain the trays and separator plates during various operations when they are above theplate lock mechanism 40. - The
elevator 38 is moved in the vertical direction by adrive motor 48. Thedrive motor 48 may be an electric motor. In the illustrated embodiment, a ball-screw assembly is provided to transfer energy from thedrive motor 48 to theelevator 38. Theelevator 38 may be supported by an elevator-bearingrail 50 which allows movement of theelevator 38 in the vertical direction. - As described in
FIG. 2 above, an embodiment of theBLP unit 13 provides a modular platform. In this regard, as illustrated inFIG. 6A , a plurality ofBLP units 13 may be used in asystem 52 wherein aprocessing component 54 can be changed as desired by the end user. Thus, eachBLP unit 13 is provided with a substantially identical mechanical and electrical interface and is externally docked to the processing component. Thus, theBLP unit 13 may be interchangeably used with any number of processing components. In the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 6A , thesystem 52 includes fourBLP units 13 docked to an off-linebinning process tool 54. -
FIGS. 6B and 6C illustrate the mechanical and electrical interface points of the modular system shown inFIG. 6A . As noted above, theBLP unit 13 may modularly interface with a variety of external devices, such as the offlinebinning process tool 54 shown inFIGS. 6A and 6B . As shown inFIG. 6B , the offlinebinning process tool 54 includes a set of mechanical coupling points 76 a-c for each BLP to be interfaced. In the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 6B , the offlinebinning process tool 54 is provided with three mechanical coupling points 76 a-c to ensure proper alignment of the BLP with theprocess tool 54. Additional couplings may be provided for other functions. For example, an electrical andpneumatic coupling 78 may be provided to interface the electrical and pneumatic subsystems of the BLP with those of theprocess tool 54. - As shown in
FIG. 6C , eachBLP 13 is provided with interface points corresponding to the interface points of the external devices with which the BLP can modularly interface. In the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 6C , the BLP is adapted to interface with an external device having interface points similar to those provided on the offline-binning process tool 54 shown inFIG. 6B . In this regard, theBLP 13 is provided with mechanical couplings 80 a-c to correspond to the mechanical couplings 76 a-c on theprocess tool 54 ofFIG. 6B . Further, an electrical andpneumatic coupling 82 is provided on theBLP 13 to interface with the electrical andpneumatic coupling 78 of theprocess tool 54 ofFIG. 6B . Thus, the interfacing of the BLP with any number of devices can be easily achieved in a modular fashion through a common set of couplings for various subsystems. -
FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate front and side views, respectively, of anelevator mechanism 56 used to position trays and category separator plates in a vertical stack. Conventional systems use mechanical components to constrain and move support shelves for each sort category. Mechanisms are provided to move and support the shelves vertically, as well as mechanism to move and support a category support latch. In this regard, multiple motors and support rails may be required. As illustrated inFIGS. 7A and 7B , the illustrated embodiment requires only one bearingrail 50 and asingle ball screw 58 to raise and lower all plates and trays. -
FIGS. 8A-8L are front views illustrated to describes the positioning and movement of the various mechanisms during certain operations, such as loading, sorting and unloading. Four categories of trays are illustrated, including categories 1-3 and untested. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the system may be adapted to accommodate any number of categories. -
FIG. 8A illustrates the system as it may appear at initial start-up with no trays in the system. In the illustrated embodiment, theelevator 38 is provided to move in the vertical direction and to support a plurality of trays (none shown inFIG. 8A ) andseparator plates 64 a-d. Thetray load arm 34 is provided to move horizontally at a fixed height. Thetray load arm 34 is provided with a tray support mechanism, such asretractable support fingers 60, for supporting one or more trays. Theplate lock mechanism 40 is positioned at a fixed height above the height of thetray load arm 34. Theplate lock mechanism 40 is adapted to secure acategory separator plate 64 a-d or a tray withretractable latches 62 adapted to engagelatch receivers 66 formed in thecategory separator plates 64 a-d or features formed in the trays or separator plates. - Referring now to
FIG. 8B , when an operator loads a stack of trays containing untested devices, theelevator 38 moves into a position which allows thelatches 62 of theplate lock mechanism 40 to engage theseparator plate 64 a marked “UNTESTED”. Thelatches 62 are moved to engage theseparator plate 64 a, which supportsadditional separator plates 64 b-d, and theelevator 38 then moves downward to a position below thetray load arm 34, as shown inFIG. 8B . Thesupport fingers 60 are extended such that a platform is provided on which to a stack oftrays 68 is supported. - Referring now to
FIG. 8C , theelevator 38 moves upward until the stack oftrays 68 is lifted by theelevator 38. Thesupport fingers 60 then retract, and thestack 68 is fully supported by theelevator 38. - In certain embodiments, a number of trays may be included in a stack carried by the
tray load arm 34. In this regard, in certain embodiments, a full complement of input trays may require multiple input cycles. In these cases, as shown inFIG. 8D , the elevator may lower such that the stack oftrays 68 is at a position such that the top tray in thestack 68 is positioned below theload arm 34. An additional stack oftrays 69 may then be input to be added to the stack oftrays 68 already supported by the elevator. - Referring now to
FIG. 8E , atray 68 a from the stack oftrays 68 is provided to a device tester, for example. When the device tester requests a tray of untested devices from the BLP, theelevator 38 will position the stack of trays to a position where thesupport fingers 60 can engage thetop tray 68 a in thestack 68. With thetop tray 68 a being supported by thesupport fingers 60, the elevator moves downward. Thetop tray 68 a can then be transported to the device handler into one of the tray locating stations described above with reference toFIG. 2 , for example, via the tray-handling shuttle. Additional trays may be provided to the device handler or the tester in a similar manner until either all trays in thestack 68 have been delivered or a sorted tray is required to be inserted into the BLP. - Referring now to
FIG. 8F , the device handler may request to place a tray of tested and sorted devices back into the BLP in a certain category location. Theelevator 38 raises the stack oftrays 68 until thestack 68 lifts theseparator plates 64 a-d above theplate lock mechanism 40. At this point, thelatches 62 of thelock mechanism 40 are retracted and disengage from theseparator plate 64 a. - Referring now to
FIG. 8G , the system prepares to receive a tested and sortedtray 70 belonging tocategory 2. Theelevator 38 moves downward until theseparator plate 64 c labeled “CATEGORY 2” is positioned to be supported by theplate lock mechanism 40. At this point, thelatches 62 engage theseparator plate 64 c, and theelevator 38 moves downward with othercategory separator plates 64 a-b on top of the stack ofuntested trays 68. The elevator moves down far enough so that the top tray or separator plate supported by the elevator is below the height of thetray load arm 34, as shown inFIG. 8G . The testedtray 70 can then be moved into position, supported by thesupport fingers 60. Theelevator 38 may now move upward to support the testedtray 70, allowing thesupport fingers 60 to retract. - It is noted that, although
FIG. 8G shows the testedtray 70 as belonging to “CATEGORY 2”, the disclosed system does not require pre-assignment of the categories. Specifically, the allocation and assignment of the categories and theseparator plates 64 a-d can be performed dynamically. Thus, for example, thefirst separator plate 64 a may be assigned to the first tested tray, regardless of the actual characteristics of the devices associated with the first tested tray. A second tested tray may be allocated to thefirst category tray 64 a if the characteristics of the devices in the second tray correspond to those in the first tested tray. Otherwise, thesecond separator plate 64 b may be dynamically assigned to the category of the second tested tray. This process may be repeated to categorize all trays to be tested. For certain embodiments, the sorting of the tested trays can be achieved without the use ofseparator plates 64 a-d. In those embodiments, tested trays belonging to a category are positioned next to each other. The separation of categories can be tracked by a processor within or outside the BLP. - Referring now to
FIG. 8H , the nextuntested tray 68 b from the stack oftrays 68 is now positioned to be delivered to the device handler for testing. Theelevator 38 moves upward until theseparator plate 64 a labeled “UNTESTED” can be engaged by thelatches 62. Theelevator 38 then moves downward until thesupport fingers 60 can remove theuntested tray 68 b from thestack 68, as shown inFIG. 8H . - Referring now to
FIG. 8I , when all the trays of untested devices in thestack 68 have been tested, trays of sorted devices are positioned appropriately. As shown inFIG. 8I , each category of trays is positioned in a stack below a category separator plate identifying the stack. Thus, a stack oftrays 70 a belonging tocategory 1 are positioned above or below (below in the example illustrated inFIG. 8I ) theseparator plate 64 b labeled “CATEGORY 1.”Other stacks separator plates - Referring now to
FIG. 8J , the sorted trays may now be unloaded by an operator. As an example,FIG. 8J illustrates the unloading of trays belonging tocategory 2. Theelevator 38 moves upward until theseparator plate 64 c labeled “CATEGORY 2” can be engaged by thelatches 62. Once theseparator plate 64 c is supported by thelatches 62, theelevator 38 moves downward until the bottom tray in thestack 70 b ofcategory 2 trays can be supported by thesupport fingers 60. Thesupport fingers 60 then extend and capture the bottom tray in the sortedstack 70 b, and theelevator 38 moves downward. Thetray load arm 34 can then move thestack 70 b horizontally for access by the operator. -
FIGS. 8K and 8L illustrate an unloading operation in which the number of trays in a stack to be unloaded are greater than the capacity of either thetray load arm 34 or another component in the system. In this case, theelevator 38 moves to a position such that the maximum capacity of trays of thestack 70 a is positioned above thesupport fingers 60. Thesupport fingers 60 then extend to support the maximum capacity of trays, an theelevator 38 moves downward with the remaining trays. Thus, thestack 70 a ofsorted category 1 trays is divided into twostacks 70 a-1, 70 a-2, of which onestack 70 a-1 is supported by thesupport fingers 60 and theother stack 70 a-2 is supported by the elevator, as illustrated inFIG. 8K . Once the first of thesestacks 70 a-1 has been unloaded by the operator, theelevator 38 moves upward to allow thesupport fingers 60 to support the remainingstack 70 a-2. Theelevator 38 then moves downward, and the remainingstack 70 a-2 can then be unloaded by the operator. - It is important to note that the
separator plates 64 a-d provide a visual guide of the categories of various trays. Theseparator plates 64 a-d are not required for operation of the embodiments of the invention. In certain embodiments, theseparator plates 64 a-d may be eliminated, and a processor may track the boundaries between various categories. In such an arrangement, theplate lock mechanism 40 is capable of supporting the trays, rather than the separator plates. - The description of
FIGS. 8A-8L corresponds to a BLP unit for use as shown inFIG. 2 . It is noted that similar processes may be performed in an embodiment such as that illustrated inFIG. 3 . In this regard, a pick-and-place mechanism may interact directly with trays positioned on, for example, the support fingers. -
FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of adevice tray 27 for use with embodiments of the invention. Thetray 27 may be provided with a number of slots in which devices, such as anelectronic device 72, can be positioned. Thedevice tray 27 may be formed of any of a number of materials, such as a rigid plastic. -
FIG. 10 illustrates category separator plates for use with embodiments of the present invention. Theseparator plates 64 are provided with thelatch receiver 66 for engaging alatch 60 of the plate lock mechanism 40 (FIG. 8A ). Theplates 64 are provided with a substantiallyflat surface 74 for supporting the device trays. Theplates 64 may be made of a light-weight material, such as aluminum, which is capable of supporting a desired number of trays. - The foregoing includes description of certain embodiments of the BLP. Those skilled in the art will recognize that BLP's may be configured in a variety of ways. For example, as noted above, BLP's may be configured with any type of trays having any number of devices, lot separator plates or empty trays, for example. Such variations are contemplated within the scope of the invention.
- The foregoing description of embodiments of the invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variation are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modification as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.
Claims (30)
1. An apparatus for handling devices adapted to be assigned to one of a plurality of categories, comprising:
an elevator adapted to move a stack of trays along a vertical path; and
a locking mechanism adapted to selectively and directly secure a tray in said stack of trays and to support said engaged tray and any additional trays positioned above said engaged tray.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the trays in said stack of trays include device trays and separator plates.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a tray load arm positioned at a fixed vertical position and having a support mechanism for supporting one or more trays, said tray load arm being adapted to move horizontally into and out of said vertical path.
4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the tray load arm is adapted to provide trays to and receive trays from an operator for unloading and loading the apparatus.
5. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the tray load arm is adapted to provide trays to and receive trays from an external device for unloading and loading the apparatus in an automated manner.
6. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the tray load arm is adapted to provide trays to and receive trays from an external device for processing of the trays.
7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the external device is a device handler having a tray-handling shuttle.
8. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the tray load arm is adapted to position a desired tray to provide access to individual devices on said desired tray to an external device.
9. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the external device includes a pick-and-place mechanism.
10. The apparatus of claim 3 , further comprising:
a processor adapted to control said elevator, said locking mechanism and said tray load arm to sort devices in said trays according to a plurality of categories.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a modular interface adapted to allow the apparatus to modularly interface with an external device.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the modular interface comprises:
one or more mechanical couplings adapted to mechanically align the apparatus with the external device; and
one or more subsystem couplings, each subsystem coupling being adapted to couple a subsystem of the apparatus with a corresponding subsystem of the external device.
13. An apparatus for handling devices adapted to be assigned to one of a plurality of categories, comprising:
means for moving a stack of trays along a vertical path; and
means for selectively and directly securing a tray in said stack of trays and for supporting said engaged tray and any additional trays positioned above said engaged tray.
14. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the trays in said stack of trays include device trays and separator plates.
15. The apparatus according to claim 13 , further comprising:
means for moving a stack of trays horizontally into and out of said vertical path, said means for moving being positioned at a fixed vertical position and having a support mechanism for supporting one or more trays.
16. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the means for moving a stack of trays horizontally is adapted to provide trays to and receive trays from an operator for unloading and loading the apparatus.
17. The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the means for moving a stack of trays horizontally is adapted to provide trays to and receive trays from an external device for unloading and loading the apparatus in an automated manner.
18. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the means for moving a stack of trays horizontally is adapted to provide trays to and receive trays from an external device for processing of the trays.
19. The apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the external device is a device handler having a tray-handling shuttle.
20. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the means for moving a stack of trays horizontally is adapted to position a desired tray to provide access to individual devices on said desired tray to an external device.
21. The apparatus according to claim 20 , wherein the external device includes a pick-and-place mechanism.
22. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising:
means for modularly interfacing the apparatus with an external device.
23. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the means for modularly interfacing comprises:
means for mechanically aligning the apparatus with the external device; and
means for coupling a subsystem of the apparatus with a corresponding subsystem of the external device.
24. A method of sorting a tray of devices adapted to be assigned to one of a plurality of categories, comprising:
receiving a sorted tray of devices assigned to one of said categories;
determining a sort position for said sorted tray in a stack of trays on a platform;
vertically moving said platform to align a locking mechanism with an upper tray in said stack, said upper tray being immediately above said sort position;
locking said upper tray with said locking mechanism;
vertically moving said platform to position a lower tray below a load arm having said sorted tray, said lower tray being immediately below said sort position; and
placing said sorted tray on said lower tray on said platform.
25. The method according to claim 24 , wherein at least one of said upper tray and said lower tray is a separator plate.
26. A program product, comprising machine readable program code for causing a machine to perform the following method steps:
receiving a sorted tray of devices assigned to one of said categories;
determining a sort position for said sorted tray in a stack of trays on a platform;
vertically moving said platform to align a locking mechanism with an upper tray in said stack, said upper tray being immediately above said sort position;
locking said upper tray with said locking mechanism;
vertically moving said platform to position a lower tray below a load arm having said sorted tray, said lower tray being immediately below said sort position; and
placing said sorted tray on said lower tray on said platform.
27. The program product according to claim 26 , wherein at least one of said upper tray and said lower tray is a separator plate.
28. A system for sorting a tray of devices adapted to be assigned to one of a plurality of categories, comprising:
means for receiving a sorted tray of devices assigned to one of said categories;
means for determining a sort position for said sorted tray in a stack of trays on a platform;
means for vertically moving said platform to align a locking mechanism with an upper tray in said stack, said upper tray being immediately above said sort position;
means for locking said upper tray with said locking mechanism;
means for vertically moving said platform to position a lower tray below a load arm having said sorted tray, said lower tray being immediately below said sort position; and
means for placing said sorted tray on said lower tray on said platform.
29. A method of sorting a device adapted to be assigned to one of a plurality of categories, comprising:
receiving a sorted device assigned to one of said categories;
determining a sort tray for said sorted device in a stack of trays on a platform;
vertically moving said platform to align a locking mechanism with an upper tray in said stack immediately above said sort tray;
locking said upper tray with said locking mechanism;
vertically moving said platform to position said sort tray in a loading position; and
placing said sorted tray on said lower tray on said platform.
30. A system for sorting a device adapted to be assigned to one of a plurality of categories, comprising:
means for receiving a sorted device assigned to one of said categories;
means for determining a sort tray for said sorted device in a stack of trays on a platform;
means for vertically moving said platform to align a locking mechanism with an upper tray in said stack immediately above said sort tray;
means for locking said upper tray with said locking mechanism;
means for vertically moving said platform to position said sort tray in a loading position; and
means for placing said sorted tray on said lower tray on said platform.
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WO2021046264A3 (en) * | 2019-09-03 | 2021-04-15 | DWFritz Automation, Inc. | Tray exchange and dispositioning systems, methods, and apparatuses |
EP3729115A4 (en) * | 2017-12-19 | 2021-12-22 | Boston Semi Equipment, LLC | Kit-less pick and place handler |
TWI782566B (en) * | 2020-06-17 | 2022-11-01 | 韓商泰克元股份有限公司 | Handling system for testing electric component and adapter for mounting electronic component |
TWI804322B (en) * | 2022-05-20 | 2023-06-01 | 鴻勁精密股份有限公司 | Tray displacing device and handler |
US20230329435A1 (en) * | 2022-04-19 | 2023-10-19 | Ford Global Technologies, Llc | Locking system for retractable and removable delivery bin |
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EP1012875B1 (en) * | 1997-06-16 | 2002-09-04 | Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. | Tray storing and feeding apparatus |
JP4028263B2 (en) * | 2002-03-15 | 2007-12-26 | ヤマハ発動機株式会社 | Parts storage device |
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- 2004-08-12 US US10/916,626 patent/US20050180844A1/en not_active Abandoned
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- 2005-02-02 KR KR1020067018955A patent/KR20060127195A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 2005-02-02 DE DE112005000395T patent/DE112005000395T5/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2005-02-02 JP JP2006554107A patent/JP2007527003A/en active Pending
- 2005-02-02 WO PCT/US2005/002646 patent/WO2005082752A2/en active Application Filing
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US3236374A (en) * | 1964-02-10 | 1966-02-22 | Universal Instruments Corp | Line testing and handling apparatus |
US3664499A (en) * | 1970-11-06 | 1972-05-23 | Fairchild Camera Instr Co | High speed automatic sequential tester-handler |
US3844423A (en) * | 1972-12-08 | 1974-10-29 | Hartman Metal Fab Inc | Pallet accumulator |
US4845843A (en) * | 1985-10-28 | 1989-07-11 | Cimm, Inc. | System for configuring, automating and controlling the test and repair of printed circuit boards |
US5313156A (en) * | 1991-12-04 | 1994-05-17 | Advantest Corporation | Apparatus for automatic handling |
US5669755A (en) * | 1993-02-27 | 1997-09-23 | Heidelberger Druckmaschinen Ag | Device for producing individual stacks of sheets |
US6227373B1 (en) * | 1997-07-14 | 2001-05-08 | Delta Design, Inc. | Electronic device handling system and method |
US6248967B1 (en) * | 1998-04-14 | 2001-06-19 | Advantest Corporation | IC testing apparatus |
US6966744B1 (en) * | 1998-11-06 | 2005-11-22 | Mirae Corporation | Multi stacker for handler |
US6406246B1 (en) * | 1998-12-15 | 2002-06-18 | Advantest Corporation | Device handler |
Cited By (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US20090169345A1 (en) * | 2005-11-21 | 2009-07-02 | Hirata Corporation | Tray Holding Device |
US8118531B2 (en) * | 2005-11-21 | 2012-02-21 | Hirata Corporation | Tray holding device |
CN108885992A (en) * | 2016-03-31 | 2018-11-23 | 株式会社国际电气 | Manufacturing method, substrate packing method and the recording medium of semiconductor devices |
US10559485B2 (en) * | 2016-03-31 | 2020-02-11 | Kokusai Electric Corporation | Method of manufacturing semiconductor device, method of loading substrate and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium |
US20200144082A1 (en) * | 2016-03-31 | 2020-05-07 | Kokusai Electric Corporation | Substrate Processing Apparatus, Method of Manufacturing Semiconductor Device, Method of Loading Substrate and Non-Transitory Computer-readable Recording Medium |
US11854850B2 (en) * | 2016-03-31 | 2023-12-26 | Kokusai Electric Corporation | Substrate processing apparatus, method of manufacturing semiconductor device, method of loading substrate and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium |
EP3729115A4 (en) * | 2017-12-19 | 2021-12-22 | Boston Semi Equipment, LLC | Kit-less pick and place handler |
US11474147B2 (en) | 2017-12-19 | 2022-10-18 | Boston Semi Equipment Llc | Kit-less pick and place handler system for thermal testing |
TWI811276B (en) * | 2017-12-19 | 2023-08-11 | 美商波士頓半導體設備有限公司 | Kit-less pick and place handler |
WO2021046264A3 (en) * | 2019-09-03 | 2021-04-15 | DWFritz Automation, Inc. | Tray exchange and dispositioning systems, methods, and apparatuses |
TWI782566B (en) * | 2020-06-17 | 2022-11-01 | 韓商泰克元股份有限公司 | Handling system for testing electric component and adapter for mounting electronic component |
US20230329435A1 (en) * | 2022-04-19 | 2023-10-19 | Ford Global Technologies, Llc | Locking system for retractable and removable delivery bin |
TWI804322B (en) * | 2022-05-20 | 2023-06-01 | 鴻勁精密股份有限公司 | Tray displacing device and handler |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2005082752A3 (en) | 2007-02-08 |
JP2007527003A (en) | 2007-09-20 |
WO2005082752A2 (en) | 2005-09-09 |
KR20060127195A (en) | 2006-12-11 |
DE112005000395T5 (en) | 2007-03-01 |
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Legal Events
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Owner name: DELTA DESIGN, INC., CALIFORNIA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:UEKERT, KENNETH B.;KABBANI, SAMER;STUCKEY, LARRY;REEL/FRAME:016086/0113;SIGNING DATES FROM 20041130 TO 20041201 |
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