JPH0472634B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates primarily to a device for holding electrical or electrical components, especially during soldering. The present invention particularly relates to the retention of integrated circuit packs.

European patent application no.
60248), the package is slid into a track with rails that limit all lateral movement. A carrier for a dual-impact cage is disclosed. Once installed in the carrier, the package cage must be cleaned and
It can be subjected to the processing steps of cleaning, etching, cleaning, drying, fluxing, preheating, flow soldering, fan drying, hot water cleaning, cooling and unloading. Although the carrier disclosed in the above patent application is effective in the case of dual in-line packages, a need exists for carriers for handling other types of packages.

In particular, PLCC or Kotsudo Pack is becoming more and more popular. These are relatively flat and square in plan and have contact points on their four sides. The contact point is slightly raised from one of the main faces of the pack and typically curves over a ridge extending from the side and running around the circumference of this face. Current available PLCCs can have 5, 7, 11, 13 or 17 contacts along each side and are square in plan.

The presence of contacts along the four sides makes it inconvenient to try to adapt the device disclosed in the said European patent application, where the package cage is slid along the rails, and thus makes it difficult for PLCCs and other components with similar problems. There is a demand for different types of carriers.

In accordance with the invention, the parallel comprises a first set of parallel elongate members and a second set of parallel elongate members intersecting the first set to form a grid of a plurality of quadrilaterals; Corners are intersection points, and every other quadrilateral in any direction constitutes a zone for accommodating parts, and each of the four members forming such a zone a pair of body surface abutments on each outside of the intersection thereof for resisting lateral movement, and a pair of body surface abutments for restricting vertical movement in one vertical direction between each pair of such abutments; at least one portion, and the carrier is provided with means for limiting vertical movement in the other vertical direction;
A device for holding electrical or electronic components is provided.

In the following description, it is assumed that the PLCC is held in the device of the invention with its contacts facing down. In that case, the upper portions of the four sides of the PLCC have no contact points, and the upper major surface is generally flat, and the lower major surface inside the peripheral ridge is also generally flat.

For use in the PLCC arrangement described above, the two sets of members would intersect at right angles and define a square zoo. Total of 8 in each zone
The abutments will engage the upper portion of each PLCC edge, one edge on each side of each corner. Other means may be provided for engaging the lower surface.

The contact area between each member and component is limited, since contamination may otherwise occur during the various processing steps.
Preferably it is fairly small. Therefore, in a preferred construction, there are two upwardly facing steps between the body abutting portions on each member, and the portion of the member between them is recessed so as not to contact the component. The steps may extend over only a short length of the member, but are preferably as far apart as possible to provide the best stability. Advantageously, one step is provided adjacent to each abutment and can stop short of the intersection of the two members. As such, each member may include a plurality of equally spaced indentations along its length with steps on both sides, with the members intersecting between the steps.

Although it is conceivable for the grid to be formed from small sections, some of which constitute one of the elongated members, for all practical purposes it is preferred that the grid consists of continuous interlocking members. This is accomplished by providing one set of members with downward slots half the depth of the members and the other set of members with upward slots again half the depth of the members.

The members are preferably in the form of relatively thin strips of sufficient depth to provide the required rigidity of the grid. They can be fabricated from titanium or any suitable material that can withstand the environment of various processing steps. The grid is generally supported in a frame, and the connections between the grid and frame can be made to allow some degree of thermal expansion.

The device of the invention also includes means for holding the parts of each row and restricting them to movement laterally and in one vertical direction, as well as vertical movement in the other vertical direction. Contains the means to do so. This means consists of a plurality of parallel elongated members each having a plurality of projections along its length suitable for engaging a component and each attached to the frame by a ledge and slot arrangement.

When used in the PLCC described above, the projections allow the parts to be held in place, but the bodies of each member can be removed from contact. To reduce the contact area with the lower major surface of the component, each protrusion must extend a relatively short length. To improve stability while meeting this requirement, the protrusions can be grouped longitudinally so that they are located on both sides of the part. Additionally or alternatively, the projections can be laterally grouped in pairs. Laterally related pairs may engage the same parts on a suitably designed single elongate member or by separate members both attached to the frame by ledge and slot structures. can be provided.

The elongate member is preferably in the form of a relatively thin strip, although it must have sufficient depth to be rigid. They are made of titanium or, like all other components of the device disclosed herein,
It can be fabricated from any other suitable material that can withstand the environments of various processing steps.

In a preferred device, movement in the lateral direction and in said one vertical direction is restricted by said grid structure. In such a device, two separate frame parts are provided, one with a grid in which the parts are initially placed, and the other with an elongated member with projections. The frame sections are assembled to position the parts. The two frame parts can be pivoted and locked in place by any convenient means.

In a preferred configuration, the grid provides the upper position and the other structure provides the lower position. The downward system provides easy solder access to the components. Furthermore, by aligning the elongate members of the lower system parallel to the relative direction of solder flow and spacing them below other frame members, resistance to flow is reduced. To this end, preferably the elongated members of the system are mounted on posts projecting downwardly from the frame members.

To facilitate assembly, these elongated members have enlarged portions that can pass over the heads of the ledges on the pillars that project downwardly on the frame members, and during relative movement of the ledges and the members during assembly. The slot may have a narrowed portion for positioning while providing sufficient space for thermal expansion. A similar structure for positioning other types of members is described in the European patent application no.
Disclosed in No. 85305437.7.

Some embodiments of the apparatus will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from below of a carrier for 20 PLCCs.

Figure 2 is an exploded view of the same carrier as that in Figure 2, except that it is suitable for carrying 36 PLCCs.

FIG. 3 shows the PLCC in place. Figure 3 is a bottom perspective view of a portion of the upper grid of the apparatus of Figure 2;

4 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the lattice members of the carrier of FIG. 2; FIG.

5 is another enlarged perspective view of the carrier grid member of FIG. 2; FIG.

6 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower support member of the carrier of FIG. 2; FIG.

7 is a side view of the member of FIG. 6; FIG.

8A is an enlarged view of a portion of the frame member of the carrier of FIG. 2, and FIG. 8B is an enlarged perspective view of the same portion.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the lower support member of an alternative embodiment of the carrier.

FIG. 10A is an end view of a frame member used in this alternative embodiment, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of this member.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an alternative method of attaching the grid members.

Referring to FIG. 1, the carrier includes an upper frame 1 pivotally connected at 2 to a lower frame 3. This upper frame comprises four members 4 supporting a grid 5 and bearing a handle 6. The lower frame 3 comprises two end members 7 with posts 8 carrying parallel lower support members 9 in the form of strips, and one side member 10 carrying a second handle 11. . End member 7 has a spring-loaded catch 1 positioned in opening 13 in member 4 when the two frame parts are pivoted together.
2.

The grid 5 comprises ten parallel longitudinal grid members 14 in the form of strips and eight interlocking parallel transverse grid members 15 in the form of strips extending at right angles to the members 14. including. The grid member has a notched end, for example as shown at 16, which extends into a recess 17 in the frame member 4, which notch engages a shelf 18.

The lower support member 9 has a slot 1 that engages a ledge on the column to allow thermally induced movement.
It is attached to the column 8 by 9.

The lower support members 9 are arranged in pairs, one member being attached to each side of the column. Each support member includes four pairs of upwardly directed projections 21 along its length.

The structure and operation of the above carrier depends on the number of parts,
This will become more readily apparent from the detailed description of the carriers in FIGS. 2 to 8, which are the same in all respects except that there are 36 in this case. The carrier for this purpose consists of 12 longitudinal grid members 14 and 12
It has a transverse book lattice member 15 and six pairs of lower support members 9 each having six pairs of projections 21. Like numbers are used for like parts in this example.

As can be seen, the vertical grid member 14 is provided with a pair of downwardly opening slots 22, the terminal ends of which are located one-half the depth of the member 14.
Similarly, the horizontal grid member 15 is provided with a corresponding open top slot 24 whose terminus is located half way down the depth of the member 15. For this purpose, members 14 and 15 are connected to the grid 5 shown in FIG.
can be fitted together to form a square grid of the same type as the upper surfaces 26 and 27 are flush and the lower surfaces 28 and 29 are flush. Referring to FIG. 3, it is illustrated how interlocking slots 22 and 24 form an intersection 30. This structure is such that in the rectangular lattice formed as described above, every other square in any direction forms a zone 31 that accommodates the component 32, and in this example the zone 31 is a square. It's summery.

As clearly shown in FIG.
The lower surface 29 of 4 comprises a plurality of depressions 33. The end of this recess forms a body surface abutment 34, which lies outside the slot 23 forming an intersection in the grid 5. The depression 33 becomes a step at 35,
It has a base 36 extending between the slots 23, and the stepped portion 35 extends only to the outer edge of the slots 23.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower surface 28 of the grid member 15 includes a plurality of depressions 37. These ends form a protrusion of the slot 24 and thus a facing abutment 38 which is outside the intersection point 30 in the grid 5. Recess 37 is stepped at 39 and has a base 40 extending between the protrusions of slot 24, with step 39 extending only to the outer edge of slot 24.

The recesses 33 and 37 are of the same size and shape, and the pair of abutments 34 and the pair of abutments 38 are separated by the same distance. Steps 35 and 39
are of the same depth, and so are bases 35 and 40.

Thus, in the grid 5, each zone 31 has at its four corners one step 35 with an associated abutment 34 outside the intersection 30 and one step 39 with an associated abutment 38. . The remainder of the members 14 and 15 in zone 31 is recessed upwardly, formed by the bases 36 and 40 of depressions 33 and 37.

Thus, when part 32 is placed in zone 31, it engages only four steps 35 and four steps 39, and abuts 34 and 38.
Laterally positioned by.

In this embodiment, part 32 is a square PLCC without contacts and having edge portions 41 that can engage abutments 34 and 38. The PLCC has contacts in area 42 on each side, the contacts are
It extends above the raised portion 43 so as to rise up from the lower surface 44 of the PLCC.

The contact area with the top surface of the PLCC is the stepped portions 35 and 3.
9, the PLCC is effectively prevented from unwanted upward and lateral movements.

To limit downward movement, the bottom surface 4 of the PLCC 32
4 is engaged by a projection 21 of the lower support member 9. In this embodiment there is a respective pair of two adjacent support members 9. The two pairs of protrusions 21 are
Bottom surface 44 of PLCC to provide good stability
will be engaged with. In this way, the contact area with the lower surface 44 is four times the area 45 of each protrusion 21,
And in this way it can be minimized while providing the necessary stability.

As clearly shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, each support member 9 has an opening 19 on each side that is shaped to have a wide portion 46 and a narrow portion 47. As shown in FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the post 8 has a ledge 20 shaped to have a relatively thin section 48 and a relatively wide flange 49.
have. To assemble the support member 9 to the ledge 20, the enlarged portion 46 of the opening 19 is attached to the flange 49.
and then the member 9 is pressed onto the thin part 48 of the ledge 20 with respect to the post 8, opening 1
9 into slot portion 47. Flange 4
9 prevents lateral escape of the member 9 and once the entire lower frame 3 is assembled the only possible longitudinal movement will be that caused by thermal effects.

Figures 9, 10A and 10B show each PLCC44
An alternative structure is illustrated that requires only one protrusion 21 for each. Such a structure may be suitable if the PLCC is relatively small and requires little support. The column 8 has only one ledge on one side thereof, and the lower member 9 has one equally spaced lugs 21 for each zone 31 when a PLCC is mounted.
has. In this specific example, the carrier has 60
It can be equipped with several PLCCs.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the grating 5 is
Upper frame 1 by means of cutout portions 16 that engage latches 18 around the base of frame member 4.
The ends of the grid members 14 and 15 pass through recesses 17 in the frame member. Another member (not shown) is then attached to the frame member around the top edge to prevent upward movement of the grid 5.

In the alternative construction of FIG. 11, the modified grid member 14' has longitudinally extending slots 50 at each end.
has. This is suitable for engaging an outwardly projecting portion 51 of an angle member 52 which extends completely around the frame member 4' and is spot welded, for example at 53, to the frame member. This provides a simple structure that is easily assembled and easily accommodates large degrees of thermal expansion.

In using the embodiment described above, the carrier is inverted and the PLCC is inserted into the grid 5. The frame part 3 is then rotated so that the protrusion 21 on the member 9 engages the PLCC. The frame parts are kept closed by a catch 12 which engages an opening 13. The carrier can then be flipped over in the correct direction and transported by means of the handle 6 to the position where the soldering is to be carried out. The carrier will be oriented parallel to the solder flow so that the member 9 suspended on the post 8 provides minimal resistance to the flow. After soldering, the reverse operation is performed to empty the carrier.

It will be appreciated that in all of the above constructions there must be some tolerance in dimensions and that the parts may not be in engagement with all of the appropriate surfaces at all times.

Although we have specifically described carriers for PLCCs in flow soldering, the principles can be applied to other components, other soldering operations, and entirely other fields.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 is a perspective view of the device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded view thereof, FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the upper grid of the device in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one of the grid members, and FIG. Figure 6 is a perspective view of the other grid member, Figure 6 is a perspective view of the lower support member, Figure 7 is a side view of the member in Figure 6, Figure 8A is an enlarged view of the frame member, and Figure 8B is the same part. 9 is a perspective view of a lower support member of an alternative embodiment; FIG. 10A is an end view of a frame member used in the alternative embodiment; FIG. 10B is a partially enlarged perspective view of this member; The figure is a schematic diagram of a method of attaching a grid member. 1 is the upper frame, 3 is the lower frame, 14,
15 is a grid member, 31 is a component placement zone, 9 is a lower support member, and 21 is a projection.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. An apparatus for holding electrical or electronic components during soldering, comprising: a first set of parallel elongated members; and a second set of parallel elongated members intersecting the quadrilaterals, the corners of the quadrilaterals being intersection points, and every other quadrilateral in any direction constituting a zone for accommodating parts. , each of the four members forming such a zone has a pair of abutments so as to limit the lateral movement of the parts disposed in the zone outside its intersection; and at least one portion between each of the parts for restricting vertical movement in one vertical direction, and the apparatus further comprising means for engaging the parts to restrict vertical movement of the parts in the other vertical direction. A device for holding electrical or electronic components. 2. The device of claim 1, comprising two upwardly facing steps between the abutments on each member, the portion between the steps being recessed. 3. The device according to paragraph 2, wherein a stepped portion is provided adjacent to each contact portion. 4. The device of claim 3, wherein each member includes a plurality of equally spaced indentations along its length with steps on both sides, and the members intersect between the steps. 5. A device according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the parallel elongate members are continuous members interlocked to form a lattice. 6. The members are interlocked by providing one set of members with downward slots half the depth of the members and the other set of members with upward slots half the depth of the members. 6. The device according to paragraph 5. 7. Clause 5 or 6, wherein said member is a thin strip.
Apparatus described in section. 8 Devices for holding electrical or electronic components during soldering, including means for holding a number of components in rows and restricting them against movement in lateral and one vertical directions and other vertical the means for limiting vertical movement in the other vertical direction, the means for limiting vertical movement in the other vertical direction having a plurality of protrusions along its length adapted to engage the component. Apparatus for holding electrical or electronic components, characterized in that it consists of a plurality of parallel elongated members each attached to a frame by means of ledges and slot structures that permit thermal expansion. 9. The device of claim 8, wherein the protrusions are grouped vertically in pairs so as to be located on opposite sides of the part. 10. The device of claim 8 or 9, wherein the projections are laterally grouped in pairs. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said laterally grouped pairs are provided by pairs of elongated members each attached to the frame by a ledge and slot structure. 12. The apparatus of any of clauses 8-11, wherein the elongate member is attached to a post projecting downwardly from a frame member. 13 the elongate member has an enlarged portion that can pass over the ledge of the frame member;
13. A device according to any one of clauses 8 to 12, further comprising a slot having a narrow portion for positioning the member by relative movement between the assembly ledge and the member. 14. The means for holding the plurality of parts in a row and restricting their movement in a lateral and one vertical direction comprises a first set of parallel elongated members and a plurality of quadrilateral grids. a second set of parallel elongated members intersecting the first set to form a second set of parallel elongated members, the corners of the quadrilaterals being intersection points, and every other quadrilateral in any direction containing parts; forming a zone for the zone, each of the four members forming such zone having a pair of abutments outside the intersection thereof so as to limit lateral movement of the component disposed in the zone; 14. A device according to any of clauses 8 to 13, comprising at least one section between each pair of such abutments for limiting vertical movement in one vertical direction. 15. 14. The one vertical direction is an upward direction.
Apparatus described in section. 16. Apparatus according to any of clauses 8 to 15, for use in flow soldering, wherein the direction of relative movement between the apparatus and the solder is parallel to the elongate member.