Universal alignment fixture
US4860439A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 25, 1988 |
| Grant date | Aug 29, 1989 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 25, 2008 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T29/53261
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An apparatus is configured to pick up and hold a pin grid array (PGA) and to automatically align it in that process by using the electrical lead pins themselves of the pin grid array as the indexing element for the pick up process. Included are a plurality of grippers, each of the grippers having an alignment surface for engaging from outside the rectangular perimeter of lead pins on the PGA, at least one side of the rectangular perimeter of the pins, each of the grippers having a gripper indexing surface. The apparatus also includes a base for holding the PGA and the plurality of grippers. The base has a base indexing surface for each gripper indexing surface, the base having a spring element for pulling on each of the grippers so as to bring each of the gripper indexing surfaces into juxtaposition with its respective base indexing surface. Each base indexing surface is located such that when the gripper indexing surface is pulled against the base indexing surface, the alignment surface of each gripper is located at a position that would engage that side of the rectangular perimeter of the pins.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.