Patent ID: RE38880

Claim:
Apparatus for processing electronic circuit devices contained in a work piece comprising, in combination, an infeed station, an outfeed station, a work piece containing electronic circuit devices, first transport mechanism extending from said infeed station to said outfeed station for transporting a said work piece along a horizontal path from said infeed station to said outfeed station, a plurality of additional stations serially arranged along said path between said infeed and outfeed stations, a control unit operative to activate selective ones of said stations to perform predetermined operations on said work piece electronic circuit devices and sequence said work piece through said stations under the influence of said transport mechanism in response to the initiation and completion of said predetermined operations in said stations, one of said additional stations is a first inspection station positioned , said first inspection station with reference to the movement of said work piece by said first transfer mechanism being located downstream of said infeed station, an inverter station positioned downstream of said first inspection station, a second inspection station positioned downstream of said inverter station, a sorting station positioned downstream of said second inspection station, said work piece electronic circuit devices having a top side to be inspected at said first inspection station and an underside to be inspected at said second inspection station, and said inverter station includes an inversion unit for displacing said work piece and said electronic circuit devices contained therein vertically relative to and displaced from said first transport mechanism and, when displaced vertically, turning said work piece and said electronic circuit devices contained therein to reverse the position of the top side and the underside of said work piece electronic circuit devices , said inversion unit returning said work piece to said first transport mechanism after it has been so turned.