Abstract: A pick and place assembly for picking up and positioning an article wherein a hollow spindle carrying a head for receiving vacuum for picking up an article, via a vacuum directed through the spindle, is housed within a hollow spindle housing and a sealing assembly is situated between the spindle housing and the spindle for directing the vacuum through the spindle as the spindle is driven by a driving assembly.

Abstract: A device for preventing damage to a driven spindle of a rotatably driven mechanism upon the occurrence of a radially-inwardly applied force wherein the spindle is disconnected without damage. The disclosed construction is particularly useful in conjunction with spindles of relatively smaller diameter.

Abstract: A pick and place quadruple head construction for transferring as many as four small workpieces such as computer chips and the like simultaneously from a first matrix to a second matrix. The four individual head units are arranged to form a rectangular area which may be contracted or enlarged upon moving three of the units relative to each other along two mutually perpendicular axes. Each unit includes a reciprocable spindle capable of movement along a third axis, and rotatable about the third axis in repeatable cyclic manner. The spindles include vacuum means for picking up and releasing transferred workpieces. Also disclosed is a wear compensating structure for the spindle. In several of the disclosed embodiments, the head units are arranged such that the reciprocating spindles are located in a common vertical plane so that the articles deposited on the place matrix permit an in-line separation.

Abstract: Disclosed is an improved pick and place head construction of a type employed for transporting individual semi-conductor chips and similar articles of manufacture during manufacturing processes, and similar non-manufacturing environments. The disclosed device includes a dual head for engaging the chips as well as improved structure for varying the space between the heads by means of programmable actuators. In one embodiment, the vacuum spindles which reciprocate axially to engage the chips are also capable of axial rotation to enable the engaged chips to be rotated as they are transported to a place location. Also disclosed are improved article engaging members formed of synthetic resinous foam materials to enable effective vacuum engagement of non-planar surfaces. One form provides for simultaneous static dissipation.

Abstract: An arrangement for handling stacks of articles, each article having a predetermined height dimension, employs a stack guide for maintaining the stack of articles in stacked alignment, and an elevator for rasing and lowering the stack guide. A retractable support is coupled to the stack guide for supporting the articles and selectably releasing a lowermost one of the articles, or in the alternative, picking up an article, such that the article is added onto the bottom of the stack. The retractable supports extend along the length of the articles and are rotatable between engaged and disengaged positions. A linear actuator is coupled to the retractable supports by operation of links and effects the rotation between the engaged and disengaged positions. A limiter assembly determines the lowermost limit of the elevator, and also defines a predetermined extent of upward travel, which predetermined extent corresponds to the height of an article of the stack.

Abstract: A clamping arrangement employs a rotatable element, such as a ball, driven by a cam to apply a biasing force to an article desired to be clamped. The ball is contained within a housing having first and second through-holes arranged substantially orthogonal to one another. An elongated cam enters through one of the through-holes, and urges the ball to protrude through the other through-hole. The ball is larger than the through-hole through which it protrudes, and therefore does not exit the housing. In one embodiment, the cam is urged into communication with the ball by the application of air pressure to a pneumatic cylinder. The air pressure can be controlled to ensure that the biasing force applied by the ball is applied gently and resiliently to avoid jarring the article to be clamped, and displacing its contents. A position sensor is employed to provide an indication of the location of the pneumatic piston.

Abstract: A handler/sorter for articles such as the trays of integrated circuit chips is provided with an unstacking elevator system, an inspection station, a sorting station for repopulating the tray with non-defective integrated circuit chips, and an output station. The output station has a stacking elevator which is essentially the mirror image of the unstacking elevator at the input station, reducing the number of different parts. The elevators employ pneumatic or linear motor drives which gently place the trays on the conveyor shuttles, without rattling the integrated circuit chips. In an optical inspection embodiment, a focussing elevator is provided at the inspection station. The focussing elevator operates in response to focus control signals issued by a scanning camera system. Transportation between the respective stations is provided by a pair of conveyor shuttles which employ linear motors.

Abstract: A vacuum pickup arrangement, particularly for a pick and place system for automated testing of integrated circuits, employs a resilient, bellows-like retractable device for making a secure vacuum-tight engagement with the integrated circuit specimen. The creation of the vacuum-tight engagement causes axial collapse of the bellows-like arrangement whereby the specimen is brought into communication with one or more protuberances or edges which define a predetermined angular orientation of the integrated circuit specimen desired to be achieved. Laterally disposed alignment jaws are employed to align the integrated circuit specimen with a test socket at a remote location. However, when the specimen is returned, the resilient nature of the bellows automatically realigns the integrated circuit specimen with the location at which it was originally picked up.

Abstract: A handler system for transferring circuit packages, such as integrated circuits, from a tray containing a batch of the integrated circuits to a testing socket at a test site enjoys the advantages of high precision placement of the integrated circuit in the testing socket to achieve greatly reduced lead bending and damage to the integrated circuit body. Such precision is achieved by a simple mechanism wherein the travel of the integrated circuit from the tray to the test site and back to a selectable one of the good tray and the reject tray is performed exclusively along a single axis of movement of a carrier. The linear bidirectional motion of the carrier is limited to the z-axis, and eliminates misalignment which might result from wear of a ball screw and nut. The system is controlled by a computer which contains in its memory information relating to the dimensions of the trays and the types of circuit packages which are to be tested.

Abstract: A circuit handler provides a controllable environment for monitoring of an electrical device which is being subjected to a test procedure. The controllable environment may correspond to temperature extreme on the order of -55.degree. C. and +155.degree. C. The circuit handler has a support base with a conditioning input for receiving the conditioning fluid, which may be heated air or super-cooled nitrogen or hydrogen, a control input for receiving pneumatic signals, and a pressurized air input for forming an air curtain which prevents the cold conditioning fluid from forming ice on the transport rails. The mechanical operations within the support base are performed by pneumatic solenoids to avoid the generation of stray magnetic or electrical fields which might interfere with the electrical testing process. Delivery of the conditioning fluid to the test site, and possibly a pre-soak site, is achieved by manifold depressions formed on the underside of a test site portion of the transport rail.

Abstract: An improved wire terminal is provided in which an internal coiled spring wire clamping member is opened with the usual clockwise twist of the wire terminal when wires are inserted into the wire terminal, with an intermediate portion of the spring initially contacting the wires as they are inserted into the wire terminal such that the clockwise rotation opens an upper spring portion anchored at its end to the wire terminal. Release of the wire terminal causes the spring to collapse on itself to squeeze the wires together, thereby preventing dislodging of the wire terminal as by vibration.

Abstract: An improved wire terminal is provided in which an internal coiled spring wire clamping member is opened with the usual clockwise twist of the wire terminal when wires are inserted into the wire terminal, with an intermediate portion of the spring initially contacting the wires as they are inserted into the wire terminal such that the clockwise rotation opens an upper spring portion anchored at its end to the wire terminal. In one embodiment, the portion of the spring contacting the inserted wires is open at the top and has a parallel running portion, such that with the wires held in position manually, the rotation in the clockwise direction permits further insertion of the wires up through the parallel portion of the spring and into a cavity at the top of the wire terminal. Release of the wire terminal causes the spring to collapse on itself to squeeze the wires together, thereby preventing dislodging of the wire terminal as by vibration.

Abstract: Flat multiconductor cable is prepared for pitch change mass termination by use of a connector housing having conductor retention channels arranged in the pattern of such pitch change and an assembly tool which collectively forces the conductors of the cable from their mutually aligned disposition in the cable into retention in the channels and hence into the pitch change pattern. The housing includes a further channel accessible exteriorly of the housing and in communication with the retained conductors whereby they may be collectively engaged by insulation piercing contacts.

Abstract: A narrow-pitch flat cable connector for use in connection of flat cables to printed circuit boards or other substrates includes wireform or prestamped female contacts on the same narrow pitch as that of the cable conductors and a connector housing with contact-receiving slots on the same narrow pitch as that of the cable conductors. The female contacts have U-shaped forward portions and in one embodiment are mounted in staggered offset relationship to the printed circuit board to present contacts at the same narrow pitch established by the narrow pitch of the conductors in the cable. The cable is terminated with a connector housing having a lateral cable insertion channel and vertical pairs of contact-receiving slots communicating with the cable insertion channel and aligned with the conductors of the cable.

Abstract: A flat embedded-shield multiconductor signal transmission cable includes an embedded conformal shield interposed between adjacent conductors to significantly reduce cross-talk by as much as several orders of magnitude over conventional techniques. The shield is forced to a shape in which it is interposed between adjacent conductors by pinch rolling a sandwich of the conductors, insulation and shield between heated rollers, in which the top and bottom sets of conductors are forced inwardly to lie one beside the other with the shield in between. Uniform termination impedance is achieved because the embedded shield is protected during cable stripping. In an alternative embodiment, external shielding may be utilized to completely circumferentially surround the conductors. For improved pitch control, both heated pinch rollers are identical and are provided with resilient surfaces.

Abstract: An apparatus for removing insulation from an insulated, flat multiconductor cable comprises a body having a channel therein for lateral receipt of the cable. The apparatus includes blades for slicing the cable insulation during insertion into the channel. A rotary driving mechanism is provided for drawing the cable through the channel away from the cutter to thereby remove the sliced insulation. The apparatus includes means associated with the driving mechanism to enable lateral cable insertion into the driving mechanism in non-interfering relation while simultaneously inserting the cable into the cutter.

Abstract: A connector for impedance-matched low capacitance connection to coaxial cable includes an electrically conductive housing having a pair of intersecting channels therein. A first channel receives the insulated conductor of a coaxial cable and the other channel seats an insulator which supports a contact element in the first channel for insulation-piercing of the insulated conductor. The housing is electrically connected to the shield of the coaxial cable and the transition through the contact element to ancillary apparatus is carried out with electrical equivalence to the coaxial cable environment.

Abstract: A transition connector for interconnecting a standard coaxial cable to a microcoaxial cable employing a uniquely configured printed circuit module to preserve the integrity of signal transmission by providing controlled impedance paths between the desired cable termination points. The connectors or wire wrap posts to accept the cables are placed upon the module substrate which in turn is mounted in a protected floor-mounted pedestal. By the use of appropriate jumpers, the transition connector can be used as a splice for either the microcoaxial or standard coaxial cables.

Abstract: An electrical connector for terminating a coaxial cable assembly has joinable housings, one housing providing a passage for cable assembly receipt and a second passage for receiving an insulation-piercing contact, the other housing supporting an insulating-piercing contact for entry into the first housing to electrically engage the central conductor of the coaxial cable assembly. Housing interlock means are provided for enabling registry of the contact and central conductor and for imposing strain-relief force upon the cable assembly at the same time.

Abstract: An undercarpet cable assembly for use in signal transmission systems has a coaxial cable subassembly retained by but strippable from an abrasion-protective and crush-resistant resilient retention body. Stripping is facilitated by an unbonded relation between the subassembly and the retention body.