Component handler and method and apparatus utilizing same

Claim 2

A TESTING AND SORTING APPARATUS FOR ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS COMPRISING MEANS FOR HOLDING A PLURALITY COMPONENTS TO BE TESTED IN PREDETERMINED PATTERN, SAID HOLDING MEANS SUPPORTING SAID COMPOUNDS IN SPACED RELATION AND INCLUDING COMMON MEANS ELECTRICALLY COMTACTING EACH COMPONENT AND INDIVIDUAL CONTACT MEANS ELECTRICALLY CONTACTING EACH COMPONENT. TWESTING MEANS SEQUENTIALLY ELECTRICALLY CONTACTING EACH SEPARATE CONTACT MEANS TO ESTABLISH AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTION WITH SAID COMMON MEANS THROUGH THE COMPONENT BEING TESTED SAID TESTING MEANS INCLUDING MEANS PROVIDING A TESTINGSIGNAL FOR EACH OF THE COMPONENTS, EACH OF SAID TESTING SIGNALS BEING INDICATIVE OF THE RESULTS OF THE TEST OF THE ASSICIATED COMPONENT, PROGRAMMABLE EJACTOR MEANS FOR EJACTING PREDETERMINED SELECTED COMPONENTS FROM THE HOLDING MEANS IN ACCORDANCE WITH A PROGRAM. MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE TESTING SIGNALS FOR PROGRAMMING THE EJACTOR MEANS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TESTING SIGNALS, AND SAID EJECTING MEANS INCLUDING A BODY HAVING A FACE AND A PLURALITY OF EJACTOR PINS CORRESPONDING TO PREDETERMINED SELECTED COMPONENTS AND MOUNTED ON SAID BODY FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID BODY, SAID PROGRAMMING MEANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR POSITIONING SAID EJACTOR PINS RELATIVE TO SAID FACE.

Claim 3

An appartus as defined in claim 1 wherein said ejector means includes at least one ejector member for each of said components held by the holding means, said holding means retains the components in a first pattern and at least one group of said ejector members is arranged in a pattern which is substantially identical to said first pattern.

Claim 4

A component handler for use with a testing apparatus wherein the testing apparatus is adapted to test at least one electrical characteristic of each of the components and to provide a testing signal for each of the components which is indicative of the results of the test of such components, said component handler comprising: a holder for holding a plurality of the components to be tested in a predetermined pattern; said holder supporting said components in spaced relation and including common means electrically contacting each component and individual contact means electrically contacting each component, a memory including a body having a face and a plurality of memory members mounted for movement on said body between a first position in which the memory members project from a face of said body and a second position in which the memory members project a lesser distance from said face; and means responsive to the testing signals to position the memory members in one of said positions whereby the positions of said memory members relative to said body are controlled by the test results.

Claim 5

A component handler for use with a testing apparatus wherein the testing apparatus is adapted to test at least one electrical characteristic of each of the components and to provide a testing signal for each of the components which is indicative of the results of the test of such components, said component handler comprising: a holder for holding a plurality of the components to be tested in a predetermined pattern; said holder supporting said components in spaced relation and including common means electrically contacting each component and individual contact means electrically contacting each component, a memory including a body having a face and a plurality of memory members mounted for movement on said body between a first position in which the memory members project from a face of said body and a second position in which the memory members project a lesser distance from said face; and means responsive to the testing signals to position the memory members in one of said positions whereby the positions of said memory members relative to said body are controlled by the test results.

Claim 6

A component handler as defined in claim 3 including means responsive to positioning one of the memory members in said first position for automatically retaining said one memory member in said first position.

Claim 7

A component handler as defined in claim 3 wherein said holder has a plurality of openings for receiving said components, respectively, said memory members and said openings are arranged in corresponding patterns, said memory and said holder are relatively positionable in closely adjacent relationship, and said memory members in said first position project sufficiently from said face to serve as ejector members for ejecting the corresponding components from the carrier.

Claim 8

A component handler as defined in claim 3 including magnetic means for releasably holding said memory members in at least one of said positions thereof.

Claim 9

A component handler as defined in claim 3 wherein said last mentioned means includes a solenoid, said solenoid being energizable to cause movement of at least one of the memory members from one of said positions to the other of said positions.

Claim 10

A component handler for use with a testing apparatus wHerein the testing apparatus is adapted to test the components and to provide a testing signal for each of the components which is indicative of the results of the test of such components, said component handler comprising: a holder for holding the components to be tested, said holder having a plurality of openings therein adapted to receive the components, respectively; an ejector including a body and a plurality of ejector members, each of said ejector members being mounted for movement on said body between an ejecting position in which the ejector member projects from a face of said body and a non-ejecting position in which the ejector member projects a lesser distance from said face; means responsive to said testing signals for positioning the associated ejector members in one of said positions whereby the positions of each of said ejector members is controlled by the test results of the corresponding component; and said openings and said ejector members being arranged in corresponding patterns and at least portions of said ejector members being sized to be received within portions of said openings, respectively, whereby said ejector members which are positioned in the extended position can eject components from said holder.

Claim 11

A component handler for use with a testing apparatus wHerein the testing apparatus is adapted to test the components and to provide a testing signal for each of the components which is indicative of the results of the test of such components, said component handler comprising: a holder for holding the components to be tested, said holder having a plurality of openings therein adapted to receive the components, respectively; an ejector including a body and a plurality of ejector members, each of said ejector members being mounted for movement on said body between an ejecting position in which the ejector member projects from a face of said body and a non-ejecting position in which the ejector member projects a lesser distance from said face; means responsive to said testing signals for positioning the associated ejector members in one of said positions whereby the positions of each of said ejector members is controlled by the test results of the corresponding component; and said openings and said ejector members being arranged in corresponding patterns and at least portions of said ejector members being sized to be received within portions of said openings, respectively, whereby said ejector members which are positioned in the extended position can eject components from said holder.

Claim 12

A component hander as defined in claim 8 wherein said holder includes a holding plate having said openings extending therethrough for receiving said components, respectively, said component handler includes a contact plate and a plurality of contacts carried by said contact plate, said contact plate being adapted to confront said holding plate with said contacts being engageable with the components in said openings, respectively.

Claim 13

A component handler as defined in claim 9 including a ground plate adapted to make electrical contact with the components in said holding plate, said holding plate being adapted to be sandwiched between said contact plate and said ground plate.

Claim 14

A component handler as defined in claim 10 wherein said ground plate has a plurality of apertures therein in registry respectively with the openings of the holding plate, and said component handler includes means for releasably mounting the contact plate on said carrier plate.

Claim 17

A method as defined in claim 12 wherein said step of removing includes simultaneously removing a plurality of the components from the holder utilizing the adjusted removal members.

Claim 18

A method as defined in claim 12 wherein said step of utilizing includes juxtaposing the holder and the removal device subsequent to said step of adjusting so that appropriately adjusted removal members can remove the corresponding components from the holder.

Claim 21

A method as defined in claim 15 including automatically retaining the ejector members which are positioned in the extended position as a result of said step of positioning and subsequently positively locking the automatically retained ejector members in the extended position.

Claim 22

A method as defined in claim 15 wherein the components are tested sequentially and said step of positioning is carried out automatically, and said step of inserting includes juxtaposing the ejector and the holder and simultaneously inserting the ejector members in the extended position into the corresponding openings subsequent to said step of positioning.

Claim 23

A method as defined in claim 15 wherein said body is a first body, said face is a first face, and said movable ejector members are first movable ejector members, said ejector including a second body having a second face and a plurality of second movable ejector members mounted on the second body and arranged in said predetermined pattern for movement relative to said second face, each of said second ejector members being adapted to be associated with one of said components in said holder, said method including positioning each of said second ejector members in extended or retracted positions relative to the second face of the second body in accordance with the results of the test of the corresponding component in the holder, and inserting the second ejector members which are in the extended position into the corresponding openings in the holder to eject the associated components, said last mentioned step of inserting being carried out subsequently to said first mentioned step of inserting.

Claim 26

A component handler for use with a testing apparatus wherein the testing apparatus is adapted to test electrical components and to provide a testing signal for each of the components which is indicative of the results of the test of such components, said component handler comprising: means for holding a plurality of components to be tested in a predetermined pattern; said holding means supporting said components in spaced relation and including common means electrically contacting each component and individual contact means electrically contacting each component; programmable sorting means for sorting the components in accordance with a program; sAid sorting means including a plurality of movable elements and means for mounting said movable elements for movement relative to said mounting means, said sorting means being programmable by positioning said movable elements relative to said mounting means; and means responsive to the testing signals for positioning the movable elements relative to said mounting means to program the sorting means in accordance with the testing signals whereby components can be sorted in accordance with the results of the test.

Claim 27

A component handler for use with a testing apparatus wherein the testing apparatus is adapted to test electrical components and to provide a testing signal for each of the components which is indicative of the results of the test of such components, said component handler comprising: means for holding a plurality of components to be tested in a predetermined pattern; said holding means supporting said components in spaced relation and including common means electrically contacting each component and individual contact means electrically contacting each component; programmable sorting means for sorting the components in accordance with a program; sAid sorting means including a plurality of movable elements and means for mounting said movable elements for movement relative to said mounting means, said sorting means being programmable by positioning said movable elements relative to said mounting means; and means responsive to the testing signals for positioning the movable elements relative to said mounting means to program the sorting means in accordance with the testing signals whereby components can be sorted in accordance with the results of the test.

Claim 28

A component handler as defined in claim 20 wherein a first group of said movable elements are provided for a first of the components and said positioning means positions at least one of said movable elements of said first group in response to the testing signal for such first component.