Diode orienting apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR ORIENTING A PLURALITY OF SIMILARLY PACKAGED SEMICONDUCTOR DIODES TO PLACE THE DIODES IN A PREDETERMINED ALIGNMENT AND IN A DESIRED ORIENTATION WITH RESPECT TO THEIR DIRECTION OF CONDUCTION, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: (A) FEEDER MEANS FOR RECEIVING SAID DIODES AND TRANSPORTING THEM IN SPACED APART PARALLEL ALIGNMENT ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH FROM A FIRST PREDETERMINED POINT TO A SECOND PREDETERMINED POINT, SAID FEEDER MEANS INCLUDING AN INCLINED GUIDEWAY AND A FEEDER WHEEL, SAID INCLINED GUIDEWAY HAVING AN UPPERMOST INLET DISPOSED AT SAID FIRST PREDETERMINED POINT AND A LOWERMOST OUTLET DISPOSED ADJACENT THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID FEEDER WHEEL, SAID FEEDER WHEEL BEING ROTATED ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS AND BEING POSITIONED DIRECTLY BENEATH THE OUTLET OF SAID INCLINED GUIDEWAY AND ABOVE SAID SECOND PREDETERMINED POINT, THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID FEEDER WHEEL INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF RADIALLY SPACED INDENTATIONS, EACH OF SAID INDENTATIONS BEING ADAPTED FOR THE RECEPTION OF ONE OF SAID DIODES; (B) ELECTRICAL CONTACT MEANS POSITIONED AT A TEST STATION ALONG SAID PREDETERMINED PATH NEAR SAID SECOND PREDETERMINED POINT TO ESTABLISH ELECTRICAL CONTACT WITH DIODES BEING TRANSPORTED BY SAID FEEDER MEANS AS THEY PASS THROUGH SAID TEST STATION: (C) ELECTRONIC SENSING MEANS COUPLED TO SAID ELECTRICAL CONTACT MEANS TO DETERMINE THE DIRECTION OF CONDUCTION OF A DIODE AT SAID TEST STATION, SAID ELECTRONIC SENSING MEANS PRODUCING A FIRST PREDETERMINED ELECTRICAL OUTPUT WHEN THE DIODE AT SAID TEST STATION IS ORIENTED IN ONE DIRECTION WITH RESPECT TO ITS DIRECTION OF CONDUCTION AND A SECOND PREDETERMINED ELECTRICAL OUTPUT WHEN THE DIODE AT SAID TEST STATION IS ORIENTED IN THE OTHER DIRECTION WITH RESPECT TO ITS DIRECTION OF CONDUCTION; (D) GENERALLY ARCUATE GUIDE MEANS EXTENDING PARTIALLY AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID FEEDER WHEEL FROM SAID TEST STATION TOWARD THE OUTLET OF SAID INCLINED GUIDEWAY TO PREVENT DIODES DISPOSED WITHIN THE INDENTATIONS IN THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE OF SAID FEEDER WHEEL FROM FALLING THEREFROM WHILE BEING TRANSPORTED TO SAID TEST STATION; (E) FIRST DIODE DIRECTING MEANS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID SECOND PREDETERMINED POINT FOR ROTATION ABOUT A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL AXIS TO SAID SECOND PREDETERMINED POINT FOR A PREDETERMINED SHORT TIME INTERVAL IN RESPONSE TO THE FIRST PREDETERMINED ELECTRICAL OUTPUT OF SAID ELECTRONIC SENSING MEANS TO RECEIVE A DIODE GRAVITATIONALLY DISCHARGED FROM SAID FEEDER WHEEL AT SAID SECOND PREDETERMINED POINT AND TO EJECT THE DIODE AT A THIRD PREDETERMINED POINT WITHOUT ALTERING THE PARTICULAR ORIENTATION OF THE DIODE, SAID FIRST DIODE DIRECTING MEANS INCLUDING FIRST ROTARY SOLENOID MEANS COUPLED TO SAID ELECTRONIC SENSING MEANS FOR SELECTIVE ENERGIZATION BY SAID FIRST PREDETERMINED ELECTRICAL OUTPUT; (F) SECOND DIODE DIRECTING MEANS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ADJACENT SAID SECOND PREDETERMINED POINT FOR ROTATION ABOUT A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL AXIS TO SAID SECOND PREDETERMINED POINT FOR A PREDETERMINED SHORT TIME INTERVAL IN RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PREDETERMINED ELECTRICAL OUTPUT OF SAID ELECTRONIC SENSING MEANS TO RECEIVE A DIODE GRAVITATIONALLY DISCHARGED FROM SAID FEEDER WHEEL AT SAID SECOND PREDETERMINED POINT AND TO EJECT THE DIODE AT A FOURTH PREDETERMINED POINT, SAID SECOND DIODE DIRECTING MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO REVERSE THE ORIENTATION OF A DIODE DISPOSED THEREIN DURING MOVEMENT OF SAID DIODE BETWEEN SAID SECOND AND FOURTH PREDETERMINED POINTS, SAID SECOND DIODE DIRECTING MEANS INCLUDING SECOND ROTARY SOLENOID MEANS COUPLED TO SAID ELECTRONIC SENSING MEANS FOR SELECTIVE ENERGIZATION BY SAID SECOND PREDETERMINED ELECTRICAL OUTPUT; AND, (G) A DUAL INLET CHANNEL MEANS FOR DISCHARGE OF DIODES FROM SAID APPARATUS IN THE DESIRED ORIENTATION, SAID CHANNEL MEANS HAVING A FIRST INLET POSITIONED AT SAID THIRD PREDETERMINED POINT FOR RECEPTION OF DIODES EJECTED FROM SAID FIRST DIODE DIRECTING MEANS, SAID CHANNEL MEANS HAVING A SECOND INLET POSITIONED AT SAID FOURTH PREDETERMINED POINT FOR RECEPTION OF DIODES EJECTED FROM SAID SECOND DIODE DIRECTING MEANS, SAID CHANNEL MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO MAINTAIN THE ALIGNMENT AND ORIENTATION OF DIODES FED TO ITS INLETS.