Patents Examined by Kiley Stoner
  • Patent number: 9847313
    Abstract: A method of operating a thermocompression bonding system is provided. The method includes the steps of: bringing first conductive structures of a semiconductor element into contact with second conductive structures of a substrate in connection with a thermocompression bonding operation; and moving the semiconductor element relative to the substrate along at least one substantially horizontal direction using a motion system of at least one of the semiconductor element and the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Horst Clauberg, Thomas J. Colosimo, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9847314
    Abstract: A bond head for a thermocompression bonder is provided. The bond head includes a tool configured to hold a workpiece to be bonded, a heater configured to heat the workpiece to be bonded, and a chamber proximate the heater. The chamber is configured to receive a cooling fluid for cooling the heater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew B. Wasserman, Michael P. Schmidt-Lange
  • Patent number: 9839973
    Abstract: A friction stir spot welding apparatus according to the present invention includes: a rotary tool; and a perpendicular-to-plane detector, which detects whether or not the rotary tool is positioned to be in a perpendicular-to-plane state relative to a joining target portion of workpieces. The perpendicular-to-plane detector measures distances to at least three measurement positions set around the joining target portion by means of, for example, position sensors. The measurement positions are set to be positioned at the vertices of a polygon on a reference plane to which forward and backward movement directions of the rotary tool are normal. The perpendicular-to-plane detector detects that the rotary tool is positioned to be in the perpendicular-to-plane state relative to the joining target portion of the workpieces if all the distances to the measurement positions are equal to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideki Okada, Ryoji Ohashi, Satoru Yamasumi
  • Patent number: 9833861
    Abstract: A friction stir welding method for welding steel sheets together includes a heating device disposed ahead of a rotating tool in an advancing direction that preheats an unwelded portion before the welding thereof by the rotating tool and at the time of preheating, the surface temperature distribution in a direction perpendicular to the advancing direction in a position at which the welding by the rotating tool is initiated is set such that given that TAc1 is the Ac1 point of a steel sheet, the maximum temperature (TU) thereof is 0.6×TAc1<TU<1.8×TAc1, and given that L is the width of the heating region exceeding a temperature (TL)=0.6×TAc1, 0.3×d?L?2.0×d is satisfied with a diameter (d) of the shoulder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: JFE Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Koichi Taniguchi, Muneo Matsushita, Rinsei Ikeda
  • Patent number: 9833855
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a power module substrate includes a first lamination step of laminating a ceramic substrate and a copper sheet through an active metal material and a filler metal having a melting point of 660° C. or lower on one surface side of the ceramic substrate; a second lamination step of laminating the ceramic substrate and an aluminum sheet through a bonding material on the other surface side of the ceramic substrate; and a heating treatment step of heating the ceramic substrate, the copper sheet, and the aluminum sheet laminated together, and the ceramic substrate and the copper sheet, and the ceramic sheet and the aluminum sheet are bonded at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Terasaki, Yoshiyuki Nagatomo
  • Patent number: 9837559
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to a soldering system containing a soldering apparatus and a heating apparatus. The soldering apparatus includes a heating plate having a body defining a plurality of first air exits, each first air exit extending through the body of the heating plate and the heating plate being configured to supply hot air through the first air exits; a cover disposed on the heating plate, the cover and the heating plate defining a hot air chamber; a plurality of axially movable positioning shafts extending though the body of the heating plate, in which each shaft has a first end and a second end, the first end is in the hot air chamber, and the second end is outside the hot air chamber; and a conduit attached to the cover, the conduit being configured to supply hot air to the hot air chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: China Sunergy (Nanjing) Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Jun Lu, Jiyuan Zhang, Thowphock Chua, Jilei Wang, Aihua Wang, Jianhua Zhao
  • Patent number: 9827635
    Abstract: A fixture assembly for use with fine wire laser soldering. The fixture includes a holding and support fixture and a wire securing and tensioning fixture. The holding and support fixture has a wire holding member and a retention member. The wire holding member and the retention member cooperate with wires prior to the wires being soldered. The wire securing fixture has wire tensioning projections and wire retention members. The wire tensioning projections and wire retention members cooperate with the wires to provide tension to the wire prior to the wires being soldered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: TE Connectivity Corporation
    Inventors: Huadong Wu, Yasser M. Eldeeb
  • Patent number: 9821407
    Abstract: A process of pre-heating treatment is performed such that steel sheets or plates as working materials are heated by a heating unit provided ahead of a rotational tool moving in a welding direction to precisely control the surface temperature, area, position and the like of a heating region in the process of pre-heating treatment when performing friction stir welding on structural steel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: JFE Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Muneo Matsushita, Koichi Taniguchi, Rinsei Ikeda
  • Patent number: 9822423
    Abstract: A method for producing a silicon steel normalizing substrate comprises: steelmaking, hot rolling and normalizing steps. The normalizing step uses a normalizing furnace having a nonoxidizing heating furnace section. The nonoxidizing heating furnace section comprises more than 3 furnace zones. An energy investment ratio of the furnace zones used in the nonoxidizing heating furnace section is adjusted, so as to control an excess coefficient ? of the nonoxidizing heating furnace section to be within a range of 0.8??<1.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Baoshan Iron & Steel, Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hongxu Hei, Bo Wang, Shishu Xie, Xiandong Liu, Guohua Yang, Yongjie Yang, Aihua Ma, Xiaolin Li, Liang Zou, Huawei Zhang
  • Patent number: 9825000
    Abstract: A methodology and medium for regular and predictable cleaning the support hardware such as capillary tube in semiconductor assembly equipment components, while it is still in manual, semi-automated, and automated assembly are disclosed. The cleaning material may include a cleaning pad layer and one or more intermediate layers that have predetermined characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: International Test Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Alan E. Humphrey, Wayne C. Smith, Janakraj Shivlal, Bret A. Humphrey
  • Patent number: 9821415
    Abstract: An internal heat exchanger (IHEX) for pipeline welding includes a drive system configured to move the IHEX into a position within at least one pipe section near a weld joint location with another pipe section. The IHEX further includes a cooling section including cooling structure configured to selectively cool one or more interior surface portions of the at least one pipe section, and a controller in communication with the cooling structure and configured to activate the cooling section when the IHEX is at the position within the at least one pipe section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: CRC-EVANS PIPELINE INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventors: Shankar T. Rajagopalan, Jose C. Bouche, Jason W. Curbo, Jonathon B. Kettelkamp, Brian L. Kirk, Siddharth Mallick
  • Patent number: 9821419
    Abstract: The method for manufacturing a heat exchanger plate includes a lid groove closing process to insert a lid plate into a lid groove formed at a periphery of a concave groove opening to a surface of a base member; and a primary joining process to perform friction stirring while relatively moving a primary joining rotary tool equipped with a stirring pin along a butting portion of a side wall of the lid groove and a side surface of the lid plate, and in the primary joining process, the rotating stirring pin is inserted into the butting portion, and the friction stirring is performed in a state of only the stirring pin being in contact with the base member and the lid plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: NIPPON LIGHT METAL COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Hisashi Hori, Nobushiro Seo
  • Patent number: 9819027
    Abstract: A method for producing a battery resulting from the joining with a plurality of weld nuggets therebetween of a foil layered part, at which foil exposed portions exposing an aluminum foil overlap, and a positive terminal member made of aluminum, includes: a formation step for forming at the foil layered part a foil welded part at which are formed, by welding aluminum foils together by means of ultrasonic welding, a first high-position part at at least a section of a surface to be joined, and a plurality of first low-position parts distributed at scattered points within the first high-position part; and a resistance-welding step for contacting the first high-position part to the positive terminal member, generating weld nuggets at the first low-position part by flowing an electric current, and resistance-welding the foil welded part and the positive terminal member with the weld nuggets therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiko Inoue, Masaharu Miyahisa, Hajime Konishi, Koichi Toriyama
  • Patent number: 9818520
    Abstract: The invention provides a nanocomposite magnet, which has achieved high coercive force and high residual magnetization. The magnet is a non-ferromagnetic phase that is intercalated between a hard magnetic phase with a rare-earth magnet composition and a soft magnetic phase, wherein the non-ferromagnetic phase reacts with neither the hard nor soft magnetic phase. A hard magnetic phase contains Nd2Fe14B, a soft magnetic phase contains Fe or Fe2Co, and a non-ferromagnetic phase contains Ta. The thickness of the non-ferromagnetic phase containing Ta is 5 nm or less, and the thickness of the soft magnetic phase containing Fe or Fe2Co is 20 nm or less. Nd, or Pr, or an alloy of Nd and any one of Cu, Ag, Al, Ga, and Pr, or an alloy of Pr and any one of Cu, Ag, Al, and Ga is diffused into a grain boundary phase of the hard magnetic phase of Nd2Fe14B.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE
    Inventors: Hidefumi Kishimoto, Noritsugu Sakuma, Masao Yano, Weibin Cui, Yukiko Takahashi, Kazuhiro Hono
  • Patent number: 9815152
    Abstract: A method for repairing a defect affecting a weld. A sheet of filler metal is placed on the surface of the welded part, next to the region of the defect. The sheet is locally welded to the welded part in the region of the defect using a friction stir welding tool having a retractable welding pin. The welded part and the sheet are separated such that the filler metal amalgamated with the metal of the welded part remains in position. The local welding operation includes successively performing the following: setting the welding tool into rotation and putting it under pressure; inserting the pin to a small distance from the anvil while maintaining or increasing the pressure on the shoulder of the welding tool; progressively retracting the pin while maintaining or increasing the pressure on the shoulder; and stopping the pressure on the shoulder when the retractable pin has been retracted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: AIRBUS
    Inventors: Gilles Foucher, François Marie, Daniel Aliaga
  • Patent number: 9816328
    Abstract: A heavy weight drill pipe for use in a downhole tool. The heavy weight drill pipe may include a tool joint made of as first steel alloy selected from the group consisting of AISI 4135, AISI 4137, AISI 4140, AISI 4142, AISI 4145, and AISI 4147. The tool joint may have as radial thickness between about 3.0 cm and about 5.7 cm. The heavy weight drill pipe may also include as pipe made of as second steel alloy selected from the group consisting of AISI 4135, AISI 4137, AISI 4140, AISI 4142, AISI 4145, and AISI 4147. The pipe may have a radial thickness between about 1.6 cm and about 3.3 cm. A weld region may be formed between the tool joint and the pipe. The weld region may be formed by friction welding the tool joint to the pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: SMITH INTERNATIONAL, INC.
    Inventors: Wenhui Jiang, Alan W. Lockstedt
  • Patent number: 9802274
    Abstract: A lead-free solder wire includes a core wire with a first alloy and a shell coating layer with a second alloy. The first alloy may be composed of Bi—Ag, Bi—Cu, Bi—Ag—Cu, or Bi—Sb; and the second alloy may be composed of Sn, In Sn—Ag, Sn—Cu, Sn—Ag—Cu, Sn—Zn, Bi—Sn, Sn—In, Sn—Sb or Bi—In, such that the shell coating layer is applied to a surface of the core wire. In another implementation, the lead free solder wire may include a first wire with a first alloy and a second wire with a second alloy. The first alloy may be composed of Bi—Ag, Bi—Cu, Bi—Ag—Cu, or Bi—Sb; and the second alloy may be composed of Sn, Sn—Ag, Sn—Cu, Sn—Ag—Cu, Sn—Zn, Bi—Sn, Sn—In, Sn—Sb or Bi—In, such that the first alloy of the first wire and the second alloy of the second wire are braided together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Indium Corporation
    Inventors: Hongwen Zhang, Ning-Cheng Lee
  • Patent number: 9802276
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments provide an apparatus to manufacture a mask frame assembly, including: extending unit configured to extend both ends of a mask in a first direction and arrange the mask on a frame, the mask including a deposition pattern and the frame including an opening; a pressurizing unit including a plurality of pressing portions the plurality of pressing portions configured to independently press the mask toward the frame; and a welding unit configured to weld the mask to affix the mask onto the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Myungkyu Kim, Jeongwon Han
  • Patent number: 9796035
    Abstract: A screen printing machine for forming a print of paste supplied to a mask plate having pattern holes, includes: a flexible filling squeegee which performs a squeegeeing operation in which the filling squeegee is moved relative to the mask plate in a printing direction; and a scraping squeegee which is held to maintain a given interval from the filling squeegee in the printing direction and to be movable together with the filling squeegee in the printing direction, and which scraps off the paste remaining on the mask plate after passage of the filling squeegee. In the squeegeeing operation, the filling squeegee is pushed up and bent by the paste to provide a clearance between a bottom end of the filling squeegee and the mask plate with the paste interposed therebetween so that the pattern holes are filled with paste with a prescribed filling pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Seiya Kuroda, Tetsuya Tanaka, Michinori Tomomatsu
  • Patent number: 9801285
    Abstract: A method of assembling components, such as electronic components, onto a substrate, such as an electronic substrate, includes applying solder paste to an electronic substrate to form a solder paste deposit, placing a low temperature preform in the solder paste deposit, processing the electronic substrate at a reflow temperature of the solder paste to create a low temperature solder joint, and processing the low temperature solder joint at a reflow temperature that is lower than the reflow temperature of the solder paste. Other methods of assembling components and solder joint compositions are further disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Inventors: Paul Joseph Koep, Ellen S. Tormey, Girard Sidone