Patent Publication Number: US-2007102327-A1

Title: Sorting apparatus for the high voltages test of chip capacitors

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to a sorting apparatus, particularly to a sorting apparatus for the high voltage test of chip capacitors.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Chip capacitors are important electronic elements, and after fabrication, they will be sorted by the high voltage test to insure that they can perform normally.  
      In the conventional sorting apparatuses, a feeder mechanism selects a single chip capacitor and sends it to a test device for testing, and according the test result, a diverter mechanism separates the qualified and unqualified chip capacitors into different containers; thus, the qualified chip capacitors are sorted out.  
      The conventional sorting apparatuses can only test and sort a single chip capacitor each time; therefore, owing to low sort speed, the conventional sorting apparatuses are inefficient and hard to meet users&#39; requirement.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a sorting apparatus for the high voltage test of chip capacitors, which can increase sort efficiency and promote the yield of sorting apparatuses to meet user&#39;s requirement.  
      The present invention proposes a sorting apparatus for the high voltage test of chip capacitors, which is used to sort chip capacitors and comprises: an align/position module, a sucker/transport module, a clamp/test module, and a diverter/store module. The align/position module aligns at least one chip capacitor to a specified direction and sends them to a specified position. The sucker/transport module uses at least one sucker sucks the chip capacitors and then uses at least one transport mechanism to transport them to the clamp/test module. The clamp/test module uses at least one pair of dampers and at least one actuation mechanism to clamp the chip capacitors and test them and output test results. The diverter module separates the chip capacitors according to the test results and stores them in different containers. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a diagram showing the perspective appearance of the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a diagram showing the right view of the feeder module of the present invention.  
       FIG. 3  is a diagram showing the front view of the align/position module of the present invention.  
       FIG. 4  is a diagram showing the right view of the sucker/transport module of the present invention.  
       FIG. 5  is a diagram schematically showing that the sucker/transport module sucks the chip capacitors according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 6  is a diagram showing the front view of the clamp/test module of the present invention.  
       FIG. 7  is a diagram schematically showing that the clamp/test module clamps the chip capacitors according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 8  is a diagram showing the front view of the diverter/store module of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      In order to clarify the objectives, characteristics, and efficacies of the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention are to be described below in detail in cooperation with the drawings.  
      As shown in  FIG. 1 , the sorting apparatus for the high voltage test of chip capacitors  90  of the present invention comprises: a feeder module  10 , an align/position module  20 , a sucker/transport module  30 , a clamp/test module  40 , and a diverter/store module  50 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 2 , the feeder module  10  has a funnel-like storage tank  11 , a feeding chute  12 , and a vibratory conveyer  13 . The bottom of the storage tank  12  has an opening facing the feeding chute  12 ; the feeding chute  12  is installed above the vibratory conveyer  13 ; the end of the feeding chute  12  is positioned above the align/position module  20 ; thereby, the vibratory conveyer  13  utilizes vibratory motions to convey the chip capacitors  90  from the storage tank  11  via the feeding chute  12  to drop on the align/position module  20 . The end  121  of the feeding chute  12  has a tilt angle with respect to the feeding chute  12  so that the chip capacitors  90  can evenly drop onto the align/position module  20 . To avoid that too many chip capacitors  90  accumulate on the align/position module  20 , a detector  14  is installed on the feeding chute  12  and above the align/position module  20 , and the vibratory conveyer  13  will stop automatically when the chip capacitors  90  on the align/position module  20  are accumulated to a given height.  
      As shown in  FIG. 3 , the align/position module  20  aligns at least one chip capacitor  90  to a specified direction and sends them to a specified position. The align/position module  20  further comprises: a vibratory conveyer  21 , an align platform  22  and a cover  23 . The align platform  22  is installed above the vibratory conveyer  21  and has at least one align trench  221  on its surface. The vibratory motions of the vibratory conveyer  21  make the chip capacitors  90  drop into the align trenches  221  and then be aligned to a specified direction. The cover  23  is installed above and hoods the align platform  22  but exposes the side  222  of the align platform  22 . The gap between the cover  23  and the align platform  22  is just enough to let a single chip capacitor  90 , which is moved by vibration along the align trench  221 , pass and then slide to the side  222  of the align platform  22 , and the specified position mentioned above is exactly the side  222  of the align platform  22 . An adjustable blocking plate  24  may be further installed above the align platform  22  and fixed to the cover  23  by screws  241 . When the cross section of the chip capacitor  90  is a rectangle, the chip capacitor  90  can be enabled to enter into the cover  23  only with the longer side of the rectangle contacting the align platform  22  via adjusting the gap between the adjustable blocking plate  24  and the align platform  22 ; thereby, the align efficiency of the align platform  22  is promoted.  
      As shown in  FIG. 4 , the sucker/transport module  30  has at least one sucker  31  and at least one transport mechanism  32 ; the quantity of the suckers  31  is the same as that of the align trenches  221 , and in this embodiment, there are eight suckers  31 , but the number of the suckers  31  is not limit to eight in the present invention. The suckers  31  are installed on the transport mechanisms  32  and connected to a vacuum generator (not shown in the drawing), and a pressure detector  33 , which is used to detect whether the chip capacitor  90  is sucked by the sucker  31 , is installed between the sucker  31  and the vacuum generator. The transport mechanism  32  can move horizontally and vertically along a latitudinal slide rail  321  and a longitudinal slide rail  322 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 5 , when the chip capacitors  90  are moved by vibration along the align trenches  221  to the side  222  of the align platform  22 , the transport mechanisms  32  will move the suckers  31  to contact and suck the chip capacitors  90 , and the pressure detector  33  will detect whether the suckers  31  have sucked the chip capacitors  90 . The present invention can further comprises a shield plate  60 ; when the chip capacitors  90  stay at the specified position, the shield plate  60  covers the chip capacitors  90 , and when the suckers  31  intend to suck the chip capacitors  90 , the shield plate  60  will translate to expose the chip capacitors  90 ; thereby, the chip capacitors  90  are less likely to fall from the align platform  22 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 , the clamp/test module  40  has at least one pair of dampers  41 , and the number of the pairs of dampers  41  is the same as the suckers  31 . The dampers  41  are coupled to a high-voltage test equipment (not shown in the drawing) and are separately installed to both sides of an actuation mechanism  42 . The suckers  31  suck the chip capacitors  90  from the specified position; next, the transport mechanisms  32  transport the chip capacitors  90  to the clamp/test module  40 ; and next, the actuation mechanisms  42  move the pairs of dampers  41  to clamp the chip capacitors  90 , and then, the test equipments test the chip capacitors  90  and output test results.  
      As shown in  FIG. 8 , the diverter/store module  50  has two containers  51  and at least one diverter mechanism  52 , and the number of the diverter mechanisms  52  is the same as the pairs of dampers  41 . The diverter mechanisms  52  are installed below the pairs of dampers  41 . When the tests are completed, the pairs of dampers  41  release the chip capacitors  90 , and the chip capacitors  90  fall into the diverter mechanisms  52 , and then, the diverter mechanisms  52  will choose one of the containers  51  to receive the chip capacitors  90  respectively according to their test result. Thereby, the chip capacitors  90  are sorted.  
      The diverter mechanism  52  further comprises: a slide chute  521 , a push rod  522  and a restore spring  523 , and two containers  51  separately have their own inlets  53 . The slide chute  521  has a receiving opening  521   a  and a bottom opening  521   b . The push rod  522  and the restore spring  523  can drive the slide chute  521  to move horizontally above two containers  51  and between a normal position and an enable position. The bottom opening  521   b  will be exactly aligned to one of two inlets  53  when the slide chute  521  is at the normal position or the enable position. The receiving opening  521  can always receive the chip capacitors  90  dropping from the pairs of dampers  41  no matter whether the slide chute  521  is at the normal position or the enable position. The diverter mechanism  52  also has a sensor  524 , which is used to detect whether the slide chute  521  is at the enable position and then determine whether the diverter mechanism  52  operates normally. In this embodiment, when the chip capacitor  90  passes the test, the push rod  522  will pushes the slide chute  521  to the enable position, and the qualified chip capacitor  90  is then collected in the left container  51 , and meanwhile, the sensor  524  detects whether the slide chute  521  is at the enable position and determines whether the diverter mechanism  52  operates normally. When the chip capacitor  90  does not pass the test, or when the chip capacitor  90  has dropped for some unknown reason before the test, the slide chute  521  will stay at the normal position, and the chip capacitor will be collected into the right container  51  for a further examination. Thus, all the chip capacitors  90  collected in the left container  51  are indeed the qualified ones. As described above, the present invention can simultaneously test multiple chip capacitors; further, when the clamp/test module are testing the chip capacitors, the sucker/transport module can suck the next batch of chip capacitors ready for testing; therefore, the sort speed is increased, and the sort efficiency is also promoted, and users&#39; requirement is then satisfied.