TRANSPORT PACKAGE

Abstract

A transport package (1) for the transportation of a plurality of electronic components (9), said trans-port package (1) comprising a carrying pallet portion (2), a circumambient side cover (3) and a lid (4). Said electronic components (9) are supported by a partition array (5), wherein said partition array (5) is arranged to form a plurality of pockets (51) having upper edges (52) and optionally a closed base (53). Said electronic components (9) are arranged standing on edge in said pockets (51). A plurality of said partition arrays (5) containing said electronic components (9) are arranged inside the transport package (1) and that said partition arrays (5) can be folded to reduce volume during empty transport.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a transport package especially suited for transport of electronic components such as printed board assemblies.

2. Description of Related Prior Art

Racks for keeping electronic components such as printed circuit boards organized and protected during transport and storage is a well known item. Even though these racks are known from a number of different technical fields a great variation on the theme can be found in the electronic industry where printed circuit boards with components installed often are stored and transported this way, both during assembly in so called surface mounting lines and for delivery of fully assembled and semi-assembled boards. Racks are also used during curing and similar treatment of the printed circuit board prior to installation of components. One such rack is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,044 showing a rack which have an adjustable width. This will make it possible to adjust the rack for the specific printed circuit board currently in use. Another rack is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,046. This rack is foldable but have a great number of hinges which will make it very difficult to ensure parallelity between the panels carrying the printed circuit boards. It will furthermore be very difficult to ensure that the panels and the arms connecting them relate to one another perpendicular as seen from above.

It is known that printed circuit boards, as well as other electronic components comes in great number of different formats and sizes. One may from this draw the conclusion that a great number of different packages will have to be produced to carry these products. There is accordingly a need to achieve a flexible package system for these type of products without foregoing the need for protection of these delicate and very often expensive products.

One such system is known through WO 2005/102874. The package system shown in the publication have a lot of advantages compared to previously known systems as it allows a great amount of flexibility and high packing density without jeopardizing the safety of the products during transport. It is also possible to collapse the package during empty return transport which is a great advantage. There is however still a problem due to the fact that a number of different trays will have to be produced in order to accommodate all different sizes possible. Furthermore, the edges of the printed circuit board will have to take up all the loads during transport. There is a risk that the edges will chip or crack during transport in cases where heavy components are mounted on the printed circuit board.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims at solving the above problems by providing a transport package with a flexible electronic component carrier which also creates an amount of cushioning. Accordingly, the invention relates to a transport package for the transportation of a plurality of electronic components. Said transport package comprises a carrying pallet portion, a circumambient side cover and a lid. The invention is characterized in that said electronic components are supported by a partition array, wherein said partition array is arranged to form a plurality of pockets having upper edges and optionally a closed base, whereby said electronic components are arranged standing on edge in said pockets, that a plurality of said partition arrays containing said electronic components are arranged inside the transport package and that said partition arrays can be folded to reduce volume during empty transport.

The transport package advantageously further comprises a shock absorber arranged on the pallet portion. This shock absorber may be manufactured of open or closed cell expanded polymer material, corrugated polymeric material, corrugated elastomeric material, or a viscoelastic material. It is also possible to design this shock absorber so that it cooperates with the partition arrays so that the electronic components in practice are resting on the shock absorber and is guided in standing position by the partition array. In cases where a shock absorber is not used it becomes necessary to have closed base on the partition array. The partition array will then act as shock absorber by providing a predetermined distance between the upper surface of the pallet portion and the closed base of the partition array.

It is furthermore advantageous to arrange a shock absorber similar or identical to the one described above on top of the partition array containing electronic components, and beneath the lid.

The side cover is suitably foldable to fit within the foot print of the pallet portion when in folded state.

According to one embodiment of the invention parts of the transport package shields the content from electromagnetic impulse, said parts of the transport package being selected from the group consisting of; the carrying pallet portion, the circumambient side cover, the lid, the partition array, the shock absorber and combinations thereof. Such a shielding can be provided through any known means of shielding.

Also according to an embodiment of the invention, parts of the transport package protects the content from electrostatic discharge by being conductive within the range 10¹¹-10³Ω/cm, said parts of the transport package being selected from the group consisting of; the carrying pallet portion, the circumambient side cover, the lid, the partition array, the shock absorber and combinations thereof. The desired conductivity can for example be achieved by using metal, polymers modified with carbon black, polymers modified with carbon fiber, polymers modified with metal fiber or ion doped polymers.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the partition array further comprises a stabilizing frame. The pockets are then advantageously supported by hanging from their respective upper edges. The partition array preferably comprises a material selected from the group consisting of; a foil, a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric and a combination thereof. The partition array can accordingly be a rigid or semi rigid construction made of a polymeric material, a cellulose based material or even a metal. It can also be made of a flexible material. Accordingly, the partition array forms a number of parallel pockets stretching from a first side wall of the transport package to a second side wall arranged opposite the first side wall. According to one embodiment of the invention at least one pocket is parted into a plurality of smaller pockets via means selected from the group consisting of; stitching, Velcro® strips, buttons, welding, gluing, holes and strings, holes and bars and a combination thereof. It is also possible to provide the pockets with some kind of closing device thereby holding the electronic component in place during transport. This closing can for example be achieved by using a buttoned down lid, Velcro® strips or any other known means.

The flexible material is suitably corrugated so as to form a resilient cushion between electronic components in adjacent pockets. This corrugation is then suitably so arranged that the corrugation between two adjacent pockets will align in order to achieve a high degree of compression during empty transport. Such corrugations will also provide cushioning between electronic components arranged in adjacent pockets.

According to one embodiment of the invention the flexible material is provided with inflatable sections. These inflatable sections will provide cushioning and at the same time hold the electronic components in place. The inflatable sections may also provide partitioning between electronic components arranged side by side in the same pocket. The inflatable sections can be inflated once the electronic components are placed in the pockets, and be deflated when the electronic components are to be removed. The inflation can be performed through means of a pump, but also trough means of small CO₂ canister. The latter can even accompany the transport package through the transport cycle.

According to one alternative embodiment of the invention the flexible material is provided with deflatable sections, said deflatable sections having a first volume when in an non-deflated state and a second volume when in an deflated state, that the first volume is larger than the second volume. This can be achieved by utilizing for example, a hose filled with an expanded polymeric elastomer. The deflatable sections are then preferably actively deflated during packing and unpacking and non-deflated during transport and optionally during storing. This can be achieved by deflating the deflatable sections through means of a vacuum pump.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT EXAMPLE

The invention is described further in connection to enclosed figures showing different embodiments of the invention whereby,

FIG. 1 shows, in perspective, blown view, a transport package 1 according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows, in perspective, blown view, a transport package 1 with folded partition arrays 5 according to an embodiment of the invention.

Accordingly FIG. 1 shows a transport package 1 for the transportation of a plurality of electronic components 9 according to an embodiment of the invention. The transport package 1 comprises a carrying pallet portion 2, a circumambient side cover 3 and a lid 4. The electronic components 9 are supported by a partition array 5 which partition array 5 is arranged to form a plurality of pockets 51 having upper edges 52. The pockets 51 are supported by hanging from their respective upper edges 52 whereby said electronic components 9 are arranged standing on edge in said pockets 51 resting on a shock absorber 21. A plurality of said partition arrays 5 containing said electronic components 9 are arranged inside the transport package 1. Said partition arrays 5 can be folded (see FIG. 2) to reduce volume during empty transport.

According a preferred embodiment of the invention transport package 1 comprises a shock absorber 21 arranged on the pallet portion 2. According to an alternative embodiment of the invention the partition array 5 is provided with a closed base 53 allowing the electronic components 9 to rest directly on said base. By providing a distance between said closed base 53 and the upper surface of the pallet portion 2, the partition array 5 will provide cushioning during transport. In this case the shock absorber 21 may be omitted. There are however certain advantages in having such a shock absorber 21. A shock absorber 21 is also arranged between the lid 4 and the partition array 5. In this case the electronic components 9 are clamped between the upper and lower shock absorbers 21 and will effectively be kept in place during transport.

The side cover 3 is foldable and fit within the foot print of the pallet portion 2 when in folded state. This will allow a certain flexibility when packing a number of transport packages for empty return transport.

The carrying pallet portion 2, the circumambient side cover 3 and the lid 4 of the transport package 1 are configured to shield the content from electromagnetic impulse.

At least the carrying pallet portion 2 and the partition array 5 of the transport package is configured to protect the content from electrostatic discharge by being conductive within the range 10¹¹-10³Ω/cm.

The partition array 5 further comprises a stabilizing frame 54. The partition array 5 is made of a non-woven fabric.

The pockets may be parted into a plurality of smaller pockets via means of stitching. It is also possible to achieve this partitioning by using Velcro® strips, buttons, holes and strings or holes and bars.

The invention is not limited by the embodiments shown since these can be varied in different ways within the scope of the invention. It is for example possible to provide the flexible material with corrugations so as to form a resilient cushion between electronic components in adjacent pockets 51. These corrugations is then so arranged that the corrugation between two adjacent pockets 51 will align in order to achieve a high degree of compression during empty transport. It is also possible to provide the flexible material with inflatable sections or deflatable sections. These inflatable sections or deflatable sections will then provide cushioning during transport.

Claims

1. A transport package (1) for the transportation of a plurality of electronic components (9), said transport package (1) comprising a carrying pallet portion (2), a circumambient side cover (3) and a lid (4) wherein said electronic components (9) are supported by a partition array (5), wherein said partition array (5) is arranged to form a plurality of pockets (51) having upper edges (52) and optionally a closed base (53), whereby said electronic components (9) are arranged standing on edge in said pockets (51), that a plurality of said partition arrays (5) containing said electronic components (9) are arranged inside the transport package (1).

2. A transport package (1) according to claim 1 wherein the partition arrays (5) can be folded to reduce volume during empty transport.

3. A transport package (1) according to claim 1 wherein the transport package (1) further comprises a shock absorber (21) arranged on the pallet portion (2).

4. A transport package (1) according to claim 1 wherein the side cover (3) is foldable and fit within the foot print of the pallet portion (2) when in folded state.

5. A transport package (1) according to claim 1 or 3 wherein parts of the transport package (1) shields the content from electromagnetic impulse, said parts of the transport package (1) being selected from the group consisting of; the carrying pallet portion (2), the circumambient side cover (3), the lid (4), the partition array (5), the shock absorber (21) and combinations thereof.

6. A transport package (1) according to claim 1 or 3 wherein parts of the transport package (1) protects the content from electrostatic discharge by being conductive within the range 1011-103Ω/cm, said parts of the transport package (1) being selected from the group consisting of; the carrying pallet portion (2), the circumambient side cover (3), the lid (4), the partition array (5), the shock absorber (21) and combinations thereof.

7. A transport package (1) according to claim 1 wherein the partition array (5) further comprises a stabilizing frame (54).

8. A transport package (1) according to claim 1 wherein the pockets (51) are supported by hanging from their respective upper edges (52).

9. A transport package (1) according to claim 1 or 8 wherein the partition array (5) comprises a material selected from the group consisting of; a foil, a plate, a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric and a combination thereof.

10. A transport package (1) according to claim 9 wherein at least one pocket (51) is parted into a plurality of smaller pockets (51) via means selected from the group consisting of; stitching, Velcro® strips, buttons, welding, gluing, holes and strings, holes and bars and a combination thereof.

11. A transport package (1) according to claim 9, wherein the flexible material is corrugated so as to form a resilient cushion between electronic components in adjacent pockets (51).

12. A transport package (1) according to claim 11, wherein the corrugation is so arranged that the corrugation between two adjacent pockets (51) will align in order to achieve a high degree of compression during empty transport.

13. A transport package (1) according to claim 9, wherein the flexible material is provided with inflatable sections.

14. A transport package (1) according to claim 13, wherein the inflatable sections provides cushioning.

15. A transport package (1) according to claim 13, wherein the inflatable sections provides partitioning.

16. A transport package (1) according to claim 1, wherein the flexible material is provided with deflatable sections, said deflatable sections having a first volume when in an non-deflated state and a second volume when in an deflated state, that the first volume is larger than the second volume.

17. A transport package (1) according to claim 16, wherein the deflatable sections are actively deflated during packing and unpacking and non-deflated during transport and optionally during storing.

18. A transport package (1) according to claim 17, wherein the deflatable sections are deflated through means of a vacuum pump.