WO2008050954A1 - Memory module handler with automatic spacing aligner and picker spacing adjusting method using the same - Google Patents

Memory module handler with automatic spacing aligner and picker spacing adjusting method using the same Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2008050954A1
WO2008050954A1 PCT/KR2007/004806 KR2007004806W WO2008050954A1 WO 2008050954 A1 WO2008050954 A1 WO 2008050954A1 KR 2007004806 W KR2007004806 W KR 2007004806W WO 2008050954 A1 WO2008050954 A1 WO 2008050954A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
spacing
picker
pickers
memory module
handler
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/KR2007/004806
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Ssang-Geun Im
Yi-Bae Choi
Byeong-Gwon Joo
Original Assignee
Intekplus Co., Ltd.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Intekplus Co., Ltd. filed Critical Intekplus Co., Ltd.
Publication of WO2008050954A1 publication Critical patent/WO2008050954A1/en

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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67703—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations between different workstations
    • H01L21/67706—Mechanical details, e.g. roller, belt
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/677—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations
    • H01L21/67703—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations between different workstations
    • H01L21/67721—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for conveying, e.g. between different workstations between different workstations the substrates to be conveyed not being semiconductor wafers or large planar substrates, e.g. chips, lead frames
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67005—Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/67242—Apparatus for monitoring, sorting or marking
    • H01L21/67259—Position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
    • H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
    • H01L21/68—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for positioning, orientation or alignment

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a memory module handler, and more particularly, to a memory module handler with an automatic spacing aligner, which comprises a sensor located at a basic point thereof to sense the contact of a picker such that a spacing adjusting operation is performed if the sensor senses the contact of the picker, thereby preventing a spacing alignment error of a plurality of pickers .
  • a memory module independently constitutes a circuit by soldering a plurality of ICs and other elements onto one surface or both surfaces of a substrate.
  • the memory module is mounted in a main board and serves to enhance a capacity or performance of the main board.
  • a semiconductor module, having ICs, etc., must undergo strict quality inspections prior to shipping since the reliability of a product is very important.
  • a semiconductor IC module on a cassette, produced by a series of manufacturing processes is automatically loaded on an inspection apparatus to undergo predetermined inspections. Then, the resulting completely inspected semiconductor IC modules are conveyed onto an unloading cassette after undergoing a sorting operation based on inspection results.
  • a handler is used to hold, move vertically, and convey horizontally the semiconductor IC module.
  • FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a conventional memory module handler.
  • the conventional memory module handler 100 comprises a pickup device 200 to pick up a memory module, a holding device 300 to hold the pickup device 200, a spacing adjustment device 400, and a lifting device 500 to move the holding device 300 upward and downward.
  • the conventional memory module handler 100 comprises a plurality of units each including the pickup device 200, holding device 300, spacing adjustment device 400, and lifting device 500.
  • the pickup device 200 includes a pair of grippers 210 to grip or release both sides of the memory module, and a pair of pickers 220 having lower ends coupled to the respective grippers 210.
  • the holding device 300 is used to hold the pickers 220, and includes a picker head 310, to which the pickers 220 are mounted.
  • the spacing adjustment device 400 is used to adjust a spacing, i.e. a pitch between the pickers 220.
  • the spacing adjustment device 400 includes a screw rod 420, to which upper ends of the pickers 220 mounted to the picker head 310 are fitted, a drive motor 410 to rotate the screw rod 420 so as to reciprocally move the pickers 220 in a horizontal direction, and a guide rail 430 to guide the pickers 220.
  • the picker head 310 in operation of the conventional memory module handler 100, the picker head 310, to which the pickers 220 are mounted, is moved downward by operation of the lifting device 500, to grip both sides of the memory module by use of the grippers 210. Then, the picker head 310 is moved upward by operation of the lifting device 500 and is conveyed horizontally to a desired position.
  • the screw rod 420 is rotated by operation of the drive motor 410, to allow the pickers 220 to be moved reciprocally along screw threads formed on the screw rod 420.
  • the conventional memory module handler may cause a spacing adjustment/alignment error between the pickers.
  • a spacing between the plurality of pickers becomes uneven due to vibrations, etc. caused during operation of the handler, and thus, some pickers have a difference in spacing. If a spacing adjustment operation is performed on all the pickers simultaneously in the same manner as each other without compensation of the spacing error, it is impossible to achieve an equal spacing alignment between the respective pickers.
  • the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a memory module handler with an automatic spacing aligner, which comprises: a plurality of pickers/ a plurality of picker heads, to which the pickers are mounted; a plurality of spacing adjustment devices to automatically adjust a spacing between the pickers/ and a picker detecting sensor provided at a basic position on one end of each picker head to sense the contact of the associated picker, so as to achieve an equal spacing alignment between the plurality of pickers, and a picker spacing adjusting method using the memory module handler.
  • a memory module handler with an automatic spacing aligner comprising: a plurality of pickers/ a plurality of picker heads, to which the respective pickers are mounted/ a plurality of spacing adjustment devices each including a drive motor and a screw rod, to adjust a spacing between the pickers/ and a lifting device to move the picker heads upward and downward
  • the memory module handler further comprises: a picker detecting sensor provided at one end of each picker head, to sense the contact of the associated picker, so as to allow each spacing adjustment device to be operated when the sensor senses the contact of the picker.
  • the memory module handler may further comprise: a fixing device provided at a lower end of the lifting device, to fix the screw rod after completing an automatic spacing alignment, so as to prevent the spacing between the pickers from being changed by a rotation of the screw rod due to vibrations of the handler.
  • a picker spacing adjusting method using a memory module handler comprising a plurality of pickers, a plurality of picker heads to which the respective pickers are mounted, a plurality of spacing adjustment devices each including a drive motor and a screw rod to adjust a spacing between the pickers, a lifting device, and a picker detecting sensor provided at one end of each picker head to sense the contact of the associated picker, the method to adjust the spacing between the pickers prior to picking up a memory module comprising: operating each spacing adjustment device only when the picker detecting sensor provided at each picker head senses the contact of the associated picker, to adjust the spacing between the pickers.
  • FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a conventional memory module handler
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a memory module handler with an automatic spacing aligner according to the present invention
  • FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating the memory module handler with the automatic spacing aligner according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a spacing adjusting method using the memory module handler with the automatic spacing aligner according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a memory module handler with an automatic spacing aligner according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 3 is a side view of the memory module handler.
  • the memory module handler 1 according to the present invention comprises a pickup device 11, a holding device 12 to hold the pickup device 11, a plurality of spacing adjustment devices 13, and a lifting device 14 to move the holding device 12 upward and downward.
  • the memory module handler 1 further comprises a plurality of picker detecting sensors 122.
  • the memory module handler 1 comprises a plurality of units each including the pickup device 11, holding device 12, spacing adjustment devices 13, and lifting device 14.
  • the pickup device 11 includes a plurality of pickers 112 and grippers 111 mounted at lower ends of the respective pickers 112 to grip and release both sides of a memory module.
  • the holding device 12 is used to hold the pickers 112, and includes a plurality of picker heads 121, to which the pickers 112 are mounted, and the picker detecting sensors 122 each provided at one end of the associated picker head 121 to detect the contact of the associated picker 112.
  • the spacing adjustment devices 13 are used to adjust a spacing, i.e. a pitch between the pickers 112.
  • Each of the spacing adjustment devices 13 includes a screw rod 132, to which upper ends of the pickers 112 mounted to the associated picker head 121 are fitted, a drive motor 131 to rotate the screw rod 132 so as to reciprocally move the pickers 112 in a horizontal direction, and a guide rail 133 to guide the pickers 112.
  • the screw rod 132 is rotated by operation of the drive motor 131, to allow the pickers 112 to be moved reciprocally along screw threads formed on the screw rod 420 and the guide rail 133.
  • the picker head 121 in operation of the memory module handler 1 of the present invention, the picker head 121, to which the pickers 112 are mounted, is moved downward by operation of the lifting device 14, to grip both sides of a memory module by use of the grippers 111. Then, the picker head 121 is moved upward by operation of the lifting device 14 and is conveyed horizontally to a desired position.
  • the spacing adjustment device 13 to adjust a spacing between the pickers 112 is operated only when the picker detecting sensor 122 mounted at the picker head 121 senses the contact of the picker 112.
  • a spacing adjustment operation has to be performed only when each picker 121 is moved to a basic position, i.e. a position to be sensed by the picker detecting sensor 122. Thereby, a spacing between the pickers 112 can be adjusted equally without an error.
  • the memory module handler 1 of the present invention may further comprise a fixing device 15 provided at a lower end of the lifting device 14. After completing the spacing adjustment operation, the fixing device 15 keeps the screw rod 132 at a fixed position, so as to prevent a spacing between the pickers 112 from being changed as the screw rod 132 is rotated by vibrations of the handler 1.
  • the screw rod 132 is rotated slightly by vibrations, etc., and thus, a spacing between the pickers 112 may be changed.
  • the lifting device and other handler moving devices of the memory module handler 1 with an automatic spacing aligner according to the present invention and operations thereof are known, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
  • a spacing between the pickers is adjusted to conform to the size of a memory module.
  • each spacing adjustment device 13 is rotated by operation of the drive motor 131, to move the plurality of pickers 112 backward (S200) .
  • the present invention can achieve the effect of preventing slight movements of the pickers 112 due to vibrations caused during the movement of the handler 1 or the movement of the holding device 12 and the lifting device 14.
  • the pickup device 11 is moved upward (S600) .
  • each picker head 121 to which the pickers 112 are mounted, is moved downward by use of the lifting device 14, the memory module is gripped by use of the grippers 111, and the picker head 121 is moved upward.
  • the handler 1 is moved to a desired memory module conveyance position (S700) .
  • each picker is first located at a basic position prior to being adjusted in spacing. This enables the implementation of an equal spacing alignment of the plurality of pickers, and can prevent a spacing alignment error of the pickers.
  • the present invention provides a memory module handler having the following several effects.
  • a picker detecting sensor is provided at a basic position on one end of each picker head to sense the contact of a picker, such that each spacing adjustment device is operated to adjust a spacing between pickers only when the picker is moved to the basic position and the sensor senses the contact of the picker.
  • a fixing device is provided to keep a screw rod, which is rotatable to move the pickers forward and backward, at a fixed position so as not to be rotated after completing a spacing adjustment operation.
  • the present invention has an advantage of preventing a spacing between the pickers from being changed by the slight rotations of the screw rod.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Testing Of Individual Semiconductor Devices (AREA)
  • Container, Conveyance, Adherence, Positioning, Of Wafer (AREA)

Abstract

Disclosed is a memory module handler with an automatic spacing aligner. The memory module handler includes a plurality of pickers, a plurality of picker heads to which the respective pickers are mounted, a plurality of spacing adjustment devices each including a drive motor and a screw rod to adjust a spacing between the pickers, a lifting device to move the picker heads upward and downward, and a picker detecting sensor provided at one end of each picker head to sense the contact of the associated picker, so as to allow each spacing adjustment device to be operated when the sensor senses the contact of the picker. With this configuration, only when the sensor, located at a basic point of the memory module handler, senses the contact of the picker, the spacing adjusting operation is performed. This has the effect of preventing a spacing alignment error of the plurality of pickers.

Description

MEMORY MODULE HANDLER WITH AUTOMATIC SPACING ALIGNER AND PICKER SPACING ADJUSTING METHOD USING THE SAME
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a memory module handler, and more particularly, to a memory module handler with an automatic spacing aligner, which comprises a sensor located at a basic point thereof to sense the contact of a picker such that a spacing adjusting operation is performed if the sensor senses the contact of the picker, thereby preventing a spacing alignment error of a plurality of pickers .
Description of the Related Art
Generally, a memory module independently constitutes a circuit by soldering a plurality of ICs and other elements onto one surface or both surfaces of a substrate. The memory module is mounted in a main board and serves to enhance a capacity or performance of the main board.
A semiconductor module, having ICs, etc., must undergo strict quality inspections prior to shipping since the reliability of a product is very important. For example, a semiconductor IC module on a cassette, produced by a series of manufacturing processes, is automatically loaded on an inspection apparatus to undergo predetermined inspections. Then, the resulting completely inspected semiconductor IC modules are conveyed onto an unloading cassette after undergoing a sorting operation based on inspection results.
In this case, to load or unload the semiconductor IC module to or from the inspection apparatus, a handler is used to hold, move vertically, and convey horizontally the semiconductor IC module.
FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a conventional memory module handler.
Referring to the drawing, the conventional memory module handler 100 comprises a pickup device 200 to pick up a memory module, a holding device 300 to hold the pickup device 200, a spacing adjustment device 400, and a lifting device 500 to move the holding device 300 upward and downward. Here, the conventional memory module handler 100 comprises a plurality of units each including the pickup device 200, holding device 300, spacing adjustment device 400, and lifting device 500.
The pickup device 200 includes a pair of grippers 210 to grip or release both sides of the memory module, and a pair of pickers 220 having lower ends coupled to the respective grippers 210. The holding device 300 is used to hold the pickers 220, and includes a picker head 310, to which the pickers 220 are mounted.
The spacing adjustment device 400 is used to adjust a spacing, i.e. a pitch between the pickers 220. The spacing adjustment device 400 includes a screw rod 420, to which upper ends of the pickers 220 mounted to the picker head 310 are fitted, a drive motor 410 to rotate the screw rod 420 so as to reciprocally move the pickers 220 in a horizontal direction, and a guide rail 430 to guide the pickers 220.
With the above described configuration, in operation of the conventional memory module handler 100, the picker head 310, to which the pickers 220 are mounted, is moved downward by operation of the lifting device 500, to grip both sides of the memory module by use of the grippers 210. Then, the picker head 310 is moved upward by operation of the lifting device 500 and is conveyed horizontally to a desired position.
Here, it is noted that, since the size of a memory module is changed according to the kind of the memory module, it is necessary to adjust a spacing between pickers, in order to pick up different kinds of memory modules using a single handler.
To adjust a spacing between the pickers 220, in the conventional memory module handler 100, the screw rod 420 is rotated by operation of the drive motor 410, to allow the pickers 220 to be moved reciprocally along screw threads formed on the screw rod 420.
However, due to the fact that a plurality of pickers are automatically adjusted in spacing at a time, the conventional memory module handler may cause a spacing adjustment/alignment error between the pickers.
More specifically, a spacing between the plurality of pickers becomes uneven due to vibrations, etc. caused during operation of the handler, and thus, some pickers have a difference in spacing. If a spacing adjustment operation is performed on all the pickers simultaneously in the same manner as each other without compensation of the spacing error, it is impossible to achieve an equal spacing alignment between the respective pickers.
Consequently, a spacing, i.e. a pitch between the pickers used to pick up the memory module becomes inaccurate, making it impossible to accurately pick up the memory module. This causes the pickers to drop the memory module, or results in a damage to the memory module during the pickup of the memory module when the pitch is excessively small.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a memory module handler with an automatic spacing aligner, which comprises: a plurality of pickers/ a plurality of picker heads, to which the pickers are mounted; a plurality of spacing adjustment devices to automatically adjust a spacing between the pickers/ and a picker detecting sensor provided at a basic position on one end of each picker head to sense the contact of the associated picker, so as to achieve an equal spacing alignment between the plurality of pickers, and a picker spacing adjusting method using the memory module handler.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a memory module handler with an automatic spacing aligner comprising: a plurality of pickers/ a plurality of picker heads, to which the respective pickers are mounted/ a plurality of spacing adjustment devices each including a drive motor and a screw rod, to adjust a spacing between the pickers/ and a lifting device to move the picker heads upward and downward, wherein the memory module handler further comprises: a picker detecting sensor provided at one end of each picker head, to sense the contact of the associated picker, so as to allow each spacing adjustment device to be operated when the sensor senses the contact of the picker.
The memory module handler may further comprise: a fixing device provided at a lower end of the lifting device, to fix the screw rod after completing an automatic spacing alignment, so as to prevent the spacing between the pickers from being changed by a rotation of the screw rod due to vibrations of the handler.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a picker spacing adjusting method using a memory module handler, the memory module handler comprising a plurality of pickers, a plurality of picker heads to which the respective pickers are mounted, a plurality of spacing adjustment devices each including a drive motor and a screw rod to adjust a spacing between the pickers, a lifting device, and a picker detecting sensor provided at one end of each picker head to sense the contact of the associated picker, the method to adjust the spacing between the pickers prior to picking up a memory module comprising: operating each spacing adjustment device only when the picker detecting sensor provided at each picker head senses the contact of the associated picker, to adjust the spacing between the pickers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a conventional memory module handler;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a memory module handler with an automatic spacing aligner according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating the memory module handler with the automatic spacing aligner according to the present invention; and
FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a spacing adjusting method using the memory module handler with the automatic spacing aligner according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Now, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, to allow those skilled in the art to easily understand and reproduce the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a memory module handler with an automatic spacing aligner according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view of the memory module handler. The memory module handler 1 according to the present invention comprises a pickup device 11, a holding device 12 to hold the pickup device 11, a plurality of spacing adjustment devices 13, and a lifting device 14 to move the holding device 12 upward and downward. In the present invention, the memory module handler 1 further comprises a plurality of picker detecting sensors 122. Here, the memory module handler 1 comprises a plurality of units each including the pickup device 11, holding device 12, spacing adjustment devices 13, and lifting device 14.
The pickup device 11 includes a plurality of pickers 112 and grippers 111 mounted at lower ends of the respective pickers 112 to grip and release both sides of a memory module.
The holding device 12 is used to hold the pickers 112, and includes a plurality of picker heads 121, to which the pickers 112 are mounted, and the picker detecting sensors 122 each provided at one end of the associated picker head 121 to detect the contact of the associated picker 112.
The spacing adjustment devices 13 are used to adjust a spacing, i.e. a pitch between the pickers 112. Each of the spacing adjustment devices 13 includes a screw rod 132, to which upper ends of the pickers 112 mounted to the associated picker head 121 are fitted, a drive motor 131 to rotate the screw rod 132 so as to reciprocally move the pickers 112 in a horizontal direction, and a guide rail 133 to guide the pickers 112.
To adjust a spacing between the pickers 112 by use of the spacing adjustment device 13, the screw rod 132 is rotated by operation of the drive motor 131, to allow the pickers 112 to be moved reciprocally along screw threads formed on the screw rod 420 and the guide rail 133.
With the above described configuration, in operation of the memory module handler 1 of the present invention, the picker head 121, to which the pickers 112 are mounted, is moved downward by operation of the lifting device 14, to grip both sides of a memory module by use of the grippers 111. Then, the picker head 121 is moved upward by operation of the lifting device 14 and is conveyed horizontally to a desired position. In accordance with a characteristic feature of the present invention, the spacing adjustment device 13 to adjust a spacing between the pickers 112 is operated only when the picker detecting sensor 122 mounted at the picker head 121 senses the contact of the picker 112. More specifically, to handle different kinds of memory modules by use of the single handler 1, it is necessary to adjust a spacing between the pickers 112 to conform to the different sizes of memory modules. Since a spacing between the plurality of pickers 112 becomes uneven due to vibrations, etc. caused during operation of the handler 1, some pickers have a difference in spacing.
Accordingly, to reduce an alignment error between the pickers 112 mounted to each picker head 121, a spacing adjustment operation has to be performed only when each picker 121 is moved to a basic position, i.e. a position to be sensed by the picker detecting sensor 122. Thereby, a spacing between the pickers 112 can be adjusted equally without an error.
The memory module handler 1 of the present invention may further comprise a fixing device 15 provided at a lower end of the lifting device 14. After completing the spacing adjustment operation, the fixing device 15 keeps the screw rod 132 at a fixed position, so as to prevent a spacing between the pickers 112 from being changed as the screw rod 132 is rotated by vibrations of the handler 1.
More specifically, while the handler 1 is moved vertically and horizontally in opposite directions to pick up, hold, and convey the memory module, the screw rod 132 is rotated slightly by vibrations, etc., and thus, a spacing between the pickers 112 may be changed. To solve this problem, it is preferable to fix the screw rod 132 by use of the fixing device 15.
The lifting device and other handler moving devices of the memory module handler 1 with an automatic spacing aligner according to the present invention and operations thereof are known, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
Now, the operation of the memory module handler 1 with an automatic spacing aligner according to the present invention will be described in brief with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.
First, after the handler 1 is moved to a memory module pickup position (SlOO) , a spacing between the pickers is adjusted to conform to the size of a memory module.
More specifically, the screw rod 132 of each spacing adjustment device 13 is rotated by operation of the drive motor 131, to move the plurality of pickers 112 backward (S200) .
Then, after determining whether or not each picker detecting sensor 112 senses the contact of the picker 112 (S300) , the screw rod 132 of the spacing adjustment device
13, related to the sensor 112 sensing the contact of the picker 112, is rotated reversely to move the pickers 112 forward, thereby adjusting the spacing between the pickers
112 to a preset value (S400) . After the spacing between the pickers 112 is adjusted to the preset value, the screw rod 132 is fixed by use of the fixing device 15, so as not to be further rotated (S500) .
As a result that the screw rod 132 of the spacing adjustment device 13 is fixed, by use of the fixing device 15, so as not to be rotated after completing the adjustment of the spacing between the pickers 112, the present invention can achieve the effect of preventing slight movements of the pickers 112 due to vibrations caused during the movement of the handler 1 or the movement of the holding device 12 and the lifting device 14.
Subsequently, in a state of gripping the memory module, the pickup device 11 is moved upward (S600) .
More specifically, after each picker head 121, to which the pickers 112 are mounted, is moved downward by use of the lifting device 14, the memory module is gripped by use of the grippers 111, and the picker head 121 is moved upward.
Thereafter, the handler 1 is moved to a desired memory module conveyance position (S700) .
After repeating the gripping, pickup, and conveyance of the memory module, it is determined whether or not another memory module has to be conveyed sequentially (S800) . If the conveyance of the memory module is determined, it is determined whether or not a spacing between the pickers has to be adjusted to convey the memory module (S900) . If the new type of the memory module requires the re- adjustment of the spacing, the above described processes for the adjustment of the spacing are repeated.
In conclusion, when it is desired to adjust the spacing between the pickers according to the type of the changed memory module or since the spacing between the pickers is changed due to vibrations of the handler, etc. after completing the conveyance of the memory module, according to the present invention, each picker is first located at a basic position prior to being adjusted in spacing. This enables the implementation of an equal spacing alignment of the plurality of pickers, and can prevent a spacing alignment error of the pickers.
As apparent from the above description, the present invention provides a memory module handler having the following several effects.
Firstly, according to the present invention, a picker detecting sensor is provided at a basic position on one end of each picker head to sense the contact of a picker, such that each spacing adjustment device is operated to adjust a spacing between pickers only when the picker is moved to the basic position and the sensor senses the contact of the picker. With this configuration, an equal spacing alignment of a plurality of pickers can be accomplished without causing a spacing alignment error, resulting in an improvement in the reliability of the memory module handler .
Secondly, according to the present invention, a fixing device is provided to keep a screw rod, which is rotatable to move the pickers forward and backward, at a fixed position so as not to be rotated after completing a spacing adjustment operation. As a result of preventing slight rotations of the screw rod due to vibrations of the handler, etc., the present invention has an advantage of preventing a spacing between the pickers from being changed by the slight rotations of the screw rod.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A memory module handler with an automatic spacing aligner comprising: a plurality of pickers; a plurality of picker heads, to which the respective pickers are mounted; a plurality of spacing adjustment devices each including a drive motor and a screw rod, to adjust a spacing between the pickers; and a lifting device to move the picker heads upward and downward, wherein the memory module handler further comprises: a picker detecting sensor provided at one end of each picker head, to sense the contact of the associated picker, so as to allow each spacing adjustment device to be operated when the sensor senses the contact of the picker.
2. The memory module handler according to claim 1, further comprising: a fixing device provided at a lower end of the lifting device, to fix the screw rod after completing an automatic spacing alignment, so as to prevent the spacing between the pickers from being changed by a rotation of the screw rod due to vibrations of the handler.
3. A picker spacing adjusting method using a memory module handler, the memory module handler comprising a plurality of pickers, a plurality of picker heads to which the respective pickers are mounted, a plurality of spacing adjustment devices each including a drive motor and a screw rod to adjust a spacing between the pickers, a lifting device, and a picker detecting sensor provided at one end of each picker head to sense the contact of the associated picker, the method to adjust the spacing between the pickers prior to picking up a memory module comprising: operating each spacing adjustment device only when the picker detecting sensor provided at each picker head senses the contact of the associated picker, to adjust the spacing between the pickers.
PCT/KR2007/004806 2006-10-24 2007-10-02 Memory module handler with automatic spacing aligner and picker spacing adjusting method using the same WO2008050954A1 (en)

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KR1020060103641A KR100775056B1 (en) 2006-10-24 2006-10-24 Memory module handler having the apparatus for auto gap align and method for gap regulate of picker using the same
KR10-2006-0103641 2006-10-24

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KR102359420B1 (en) * 2017-04-25 2022-02-09 (주)테크윙 Handler for testing electronic components
KR102177347B1 (en) * 2019-04-19 2020-11-12 씨티에스(주) Apparatus for adjusting clearance between adjacent pickers configured to convey optical element

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JPS59197325A (en) * 1983-04-22 1984-11-08 Aida Eng Ltd Transfer device by time divided control of motor
KR20000009924A (en) * 1998-07-29 2000-02-15 정문술 Apparatus for loading and unloading a module ic of a module ic handler
KR20030049839A (en) * 2001-12-17 2003-06-25 미래산업 주식회사 Picker for transferring semiconductor in handler

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR100236774B1 (en) * 1997-12-27 2000-01-15 정문술 Device for adjusting space of pickers in handler for module ic

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS59197325A (en) * 1983-04-22 1984-11-08 Aida Eng Ltd Transfer device by time divided control of motor
KR20000009924A (en) * 1998-07-29 2000-02-15 정문술 Apparatus for loading and unloading a module ic of a module ic handler
KR20030049839A (en) * 2001-12-17 2003-06-25 미래산업 주식회사 Picker for transferring semiconductor in handler

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