Tray carrier and corresponding method

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to tray carriers and corresponding methods. A tray carrier includes a base plate having a first pair and a second pair of opposing sides and opposing first and second surfaces. Channel-shaped corner members provide a containment structure for trays stacked at the first surface of the base plate. Tray carrier gripping cavities disposed in the first pair of opposing sides are engageable by a gripping structure of an automated gripping device to facilitate gripping of the tray carrier. Raised portions at the first surface of the base plate provide tray gripping spaces that are engaged by the gripping structure of the automated gripping device to facilitate gripping of trays stacked at the first surface of the base plate. Handle members at the second side of the base plate facilitate manual manipulation of the tray carrier, and a pair of opposing notches in the first side of the base plate provide a narrowed middle portion of the base plate for manual manipulation of the trays.

Description

[0001] priority

[0002] This application claims priority to Italian patent application No. 102021000030233, filed on November 30, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference to the fullest extent permitted by law. Technical Field

[0003] This description pertains to pallet carriers.

[0004] One or more embodiments can be advantageously applied to the processing of integrated circuits (ICs). Background Technology

[0005] The microelectronics industry currently employs solutions for handling integrated circuits, modules, and other components that involve the use of so-called JEDEC matrix trays. JEDEC trays, made of materials such as plastic or aluminum, effectively hold and protect the items within.

[0006] Pallets such as JEDEC pallets can stack bundles of pallets secured together (e.g., via hook and loop straps—such as “Velcro” straps) for manual handling by an operator: for example, an operator can manually deliver the bundles of pallets to the test equipment operator.

[0007] A tray box with a front tray insertion slot can be used for tray handling. For example, see Chinese patent document CN210140085U, which describes such a box for storing ball grid array (BGA) substrates.

[0008] Such a solution cannot be without its drawbacks.

[0009] For example, vibrations during tray insertion may cause the package to pop out of the slot.

[0010] In addition, a lot of manpower may still be needed when loading pallets (usually one by one, because it is difficult to pick up the entire pallet bundle by hand inside the box).

[0011] It would be desirable to extend the Automated Material Handling System (AMHS) currently used with the Front-End Application Bundle (FAB) to the back-end and testing environments. Moreover, such an arrangement would benefit original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of the equipment being tested.

[0012] There is a need in the field for such an extension that can help facilitate automated material handling. Summary of the Invention

[0013] One or more embodiments relate to pallet carriers.

[0014] One or more embodiments relate to a corresponding method of manipulating a pallet, such as by means of an automated (e.g., “robotic”) gripper device configured to cooperate with a pallet carrier.

[0015] One or more embodiments provide a pallet carrier that facilitates pallet handling by an automated (robotic) processing system while retaining the possibility of handling by a human operator.

[0016] In this regard, it should be understood that although for simplicity, the handling tray for holding semiconductor devices (e.g., packaged chips) will be mentioned throughout the description, the examples discussed herein can also be applied to other areas of industry.

[0017] When considering automated pallet handling, the example presented here takes into account various factors that come into play.

[0018] For example, it may be nearly impossible for an automated robotic transport vehicle to untie the straps of a pallet while maintaining the integrity of the pallet bundle without causing physical damage to the pallet bundle and the devices inside.

[0019] On the other hand, moving bundled pallets around in a loose state can be dangerous and / or involve disadvantages: for example, loose bundles may expose quality problems, such as undesirable mixing of products contained in the bundles and pallets.

[0020] It is also worth noting that while convenient automation is the desired outcome, various applications may benefit from retaining the ability to manually handle trays.

[0021] Therefore, the examples discussed herein provide a pallet carrier that is suitable for automating pallet bundles (e.g., by automated robotic transport) while retaining the possibility of manual pallet handling by operators.

[0022] The examples discussed in this article can be combined with features that allow operators to easily remove / place pallet bundles in the pallet carrier and move the pallet carrier around.

[0023] Examples discussed in this article may include quality characteristics, such as the identification and / or shape characteristics of pallet bundles, which contribute to the correct orientation of bundled pallets and / or pallet carriers (e.g., in automated robotic vehicles).

[0024] Some of the examples discussed herein involve the possibility of an automated gripper device grasping a pallet carrier and moving it around, such as if transported by, for example, an automated robotic vehicle, to easily and safely remove / place bundles of pallets.

[0025] In some examples, pallet bundles can be fully tracked via the pallet carrier's identifier, which facilitates paperless and safer operations using automated transport vehicles. For instance, a user who reads the tracker identifier can ascertain the nature and type of the pallet bundle and / or the processing steps currently being performed on it. Attached Figure Description

[0026] One or more embodiments will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0027] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a pallet carrier according to an embodiment of this specification.

[0028] Figure 2 It was observed from different perspectives. Figure 1 A perspective view of the pallet carrier.

[0029] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A partial side view along line III-III.

[0030] Figure 4 and Figure 5 This is a perspective view of an exemplary automatic gripper device that can be used in conjunction with embodiments of this specification.

[0031] Figure 6A and Figure 6B Is it like this? Figure 4 and Figure 5 The operation example of the clamping device shown is as follows.

[0032] Figure 7 and Figure 8 Is it like this? Figure 4 and Figure 5 A further example of the operation of the clamping device shown, and

[0033] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating exemplary steps in a process according to an embodiment of this specification. Detailed Implementation

[0034] Unless otherwise stated, the corresponding numbers and symbols in different figures usually refer to the corresponding parts.

[0035] The accompanying drawings are provided to clearly illustrate relevant aspects of the embodiments and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0036] The edges of features drawn in the diagram do not necessarily indicate the end of the feature's range.

[0037] In the following description, various specific details are shown to provide a thorough understanding of various examples of embodiments according to the description. Embodiments may be obtained without one or more specific details, or by other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, known structures, materials, or operations have not been shown or described in detail so as not to obscure various aspects of the embodiments.

[0038] The references to "embodiment" or "an embodiment" within the framework of this specification are intended to indicate that a particular configuration, structure, or feature described with respect to that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Therefore, phrases such as "in an embodiment," "in one embodiment," etc., that may appear at various points in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, in one or more embodiments, a particular configuration, structure, or feature may be combined in any suitable manner.

[0039] The headings / references used herein are provided for convenience only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection or the scope of the embodiments.

[0040] The traditional way of moving tray bundles in industry (e.g., in the semiconductor industry) involves forming tray bundles that are held together by straps such as hook and loop straps (so-called "Velcro" straps).

[0041] This is a relatively convenient method for manually handling small batches of tray bundles, such as so-called JEDEC trays, used to hold packaged chips.

[0042] Furthermore, to reiterate, the mention throughout this specification of handling trays for storing semiconductor devices, such as packaged chips, is merely for simplicity: the examples discussed are not limited to this possible area of ​​use.

[0043] In fact, various embodiments can also be applied to other industrial sectors where the pallets are intended to be handled by or on automated robotic vehicles, for example, using pallet carriers that can be advantageously configured to carry a corresponding identifier (ID).

[0044] In all the figures, reference numeral 10 indicates a pallet carrier intended for carrying a stack of pallets T formed therein (the pallets in such a stack are also indicated in the figures as T1, T2 or Tn).

[0045] In the semiconductor (microelectronics) industry, the so-called JETEC tray used to hold packaged chips can be an example of such a tray; again, it should be noted that the embodiments are not limited to such trays and such possible areas of use.

[0046] As shown in the figure, the pallet carrier 10 includes a (quadrilateral, for example, generally rectangular) base plate 12 having a first pair of opposite sides 121 extending along a first direction X1 and a second pair of opposite sides 122 extending along a second direction X2 that is transverse to (for example, perpendicular to) the first direction X1.

[0047] As shown in the figure, the base plate 12 has four corners 1224 at the intersection of the first pair of opposite sides 121 (here longer) and the second pair of opposite sides 122 (here shorter).

[0048] Moreover, as shown in the figure, the base plate 12 has a (front or top) first surface 12A (on which the tray T is stacked) and a second (rear or bottom) surface 12B opposite to the first surface 12A.

[0049] As shown in the figure, the pallet carrier 10 includes four channel-shaped (e.g., L-shaped) corner members 14, which are erected (i.e., exposed) from the first surface 12A of the base plate 12, for example, orthogonal to the base plate 12.

[0050] Each corner member 14 is located at one corner 1224 of the base plate 12, and its channel shape faces (i.e., the opening faces) the base plate 12.

[0051] The channel shape of the corner member 14 helps to provide an angled receiving structure for pallets T stacked on the first surface 12A of the base plate. Two such pallets, located at the top of the stack and designated as T1 and T2, are... Figure 1 It is shown in the middle with a dashed outline.

[0052] Reference numeral 16 indicates a set of, for example, four pallet carrier clamping cavities (e.g., stepped recesses formed in the second surface 12B) provided on the first pair of opposite sides 121 of the base plate 12.

[0053] As discussed below, the pallet carrier clamping cavity 16 is configured to engage (insert) with the clamping structure of the clamping device.

[0054] The pallet carrier 10 (and a stack of pallets T that may be stacked therein) can therefore be grasped by an automated handling system such as an automated robotic vehicle and may be lifted and / or transported.

[0055] like Figure 1 (as well as Figure 3 As shown in the side view, the first surface 12A of the base plate 12 includes a protrusion 120A.

[0056] As shown in this article, the protrusion 120A (here, centrally located and roughly quadrilateral) is at a certain distance from both the first pair of opposite sides 121 and the second pair of opposite sides 122 of the base plate.

[0057] It should be noted that this "tabletop" implementation of the protruding portion 120A is merely exemplary.

[0058] For example, in other possible examples, multiple protrusions 120A may be provided, for example, in the form of a pair of protruding bands extending substantially along direction X2 from one side of the first pair of opposing sides 121 to the other side.

[0059] Regardless of the specific implementation, the size and dimensions of the protrusion 120A are designed such that a stack of pallets piled on the first surface 12A of the base plate 12 will protrude laterally from the protrusion 120A (see, for example, pallet Tn, whose outline is in...). Figure 3 (shown in dashed lines), and a pallet clamping space 18 is formed around the periphery of the first surface 12A (top or front) of the base plate 12 between the first surface 12A and the pallet stack T.

[0060] This space will be suitable for the engagement (insertion) of the clamping structure of the clamping device, as discussed below.

[0061] In this way, for example, a stack of pallets T formed on the first surface 12A of the base plate 12 can be clamped—without involving the base plate 12 and thus the clamping action of the pallet carrier 10.

[0062] By entering Figure 1 The area marked 18 is such that this clamping structure can therefore "dive" between the base plate 12 and the pallet T stack formed on its first surface 12A, having the ability to clamp the pallet T stack (only), thus allowing the pallet stack to be lifted and unloaded from the pallet carrier 10.

[0063] The advantageous feature of the example presented herein is the ability to associate the automatic gripping feature (of the pallet carrier 10 with pallets T that may be stacked on it—or pallets only) as described above with the manual handling feature of the pallets.

[0064] As shown in the figure, a pair of handle members 20 are arranged to extend in a bridge-like manner between the distal ends 140 of the two corner members 14 at the opposite ends of the second pair of opposite sides 122. The handle members 20 are thus configured to facilitate manual operation of the pallet carrier 10 (empty or with pallets T stacked therein).

[0065] Furthermore, a pair of opposing recesses 22 are provided in the first pair of opposing sides 121 of the base plate 12. The recesses 22 together define a narrow waist-shaped middle portion of the base plate 12. This facilitates manual operation (e.g., lifting) of pallets T stacked on the first surface 12A of the base plate 12, and allows for (only) clamping of these pallets T, thus enabling the pallets T to be lifted and unloaded from the pallet carrier 10.

[0066] As shown in this document, a pair of (stepped) pallet carrier clamping cavities 16 are provided on the flanks of the (central) recess 22 at each of the first pair of opposite sides 121 of the base plate 12.

[0067] The various advantageous features of the pallet carrier 10 facilitate the stacking of pallets T (either by automated equipment or manually).

[0068] For example, the distal end 140 of the corner member 14 opposite the first surface 12A of the base plate 12 may have a chamfered end. This chamfer facilitates the insertion of the pallet T into the pallet carrier 10.

[0069] Furthermore, the corner members 14 may have different (asymmetrical) shapes (e.g., the corner members 14 on one side are smaller and / or thinner than the corner members on the opposite side) so that the pallets can be loaded into the pallet carrier 10 only in a specific, desired orientation and prevent the pallets T from being stacked in the pallet carrier 10 with an undesirable 180° rotation in the pallet plane.

[0070] Additional advantageous features of the pallet carrier 10 may include one or more structures 24, such as (possibly asymmetrical) slots, to prevent the pallet carrier 10 from being undesirably positioned in an undesirable (e.g., rotated 180°) mounting location.

[0071] Further advantageous features may include code-bearing surface 26, which is configured as a unique identifier (ID) for a particular tray carrier 10 (and its contents).

[0072] As shown in the figure, features such as the anti-pallet rotation feature 24 and the code bearing surface can be provided on one or both sides of the second pair of opposite sides 122 of the base plate (here, the shorter side).

[0073] This feature is only available on one side of the bottom of the pallet carrier. To reduce manufacturing costs, side panels with notches are used on both sides of the pallet carrier.

[0074] Figures 4 to 8 Reference numeral 50 in the figures indicates an automatic gripper device configured to work in conjunction with the pallet carrier 10 as described above.

[0075] The use of the plural form to refer to grippers is intended to emphasize the fact that different gripper devices can be used during different pallet handling steps, as discussed below (e.g., in combination). Figure 9 ).

[0076] As shown in the figure, the clamping device 50 (which may be of any type known to those skilled in the art for this purpose) includes a pair of opposing clamping members, such as forks, 51, 52.

[0077] One of the paired fork-shaped clamping members 51 and 52, and the other clamping member, each includes fork teeth 510 (first clamping member) and 520 (second clamping member) having distal clamping structures 511 and 521.

[0078] As shown in the figure, the distal clamping structure 511 in one of the clamping members (e.g., clamping member 51) points to the corresponding distal clamping structure 521 in the other pair of clamping members (e.g., clamping member 52).

[0079] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown (and in a manner known to those skilled in the art), the gripping heads carrying the gripping members 51 and 52 include a motorizing device (e.g., a motor with an associated reduction gear) that can be selectively activated to provide relative movement of the fork-shaped gripping members 51 and 52 toward and away from each other.

[0080] This relative motion can occur between the following two states:

[0081] First spaced-out state (see example) Figure 6A The clamping device is arranged to straddle the pallet carrier 10, with the distal clamping structures 511 and 521 located in the fork teeth of the fork-shaped clamping members 51 and 52, maintaining the first pair of opposite sides away from the bottom plate 12 of the pallet carrier 10.

[0082] In the second clamping state, in response to the opposing fork-shaped clamping members 51 and 52 moving towards each other (in... Figure 1 and 2 (in the direction indicated by X2), the distal clamping structures 511 and 521 of the fork-shaped clamping members 51 and 52—acting in two different possible clamping states depending on the relative vertical position of the clamping device 50 relative to the pallet carrier 10.

[0083] In the first clamping state (e.g.) Figure 7 As shown), clamping structures 511 and 521 engage with a pallet carrier clamping cavity 16 (e.g., stepped) disposed in the base plate 12. Thus, fork-shaped clamping members 51 and 52 (at the base plate 12, for example, at its lower side 12B) clamp the pallet carrier 10, which may have a stack of pallets formed thereon: the lowest pallet in the stack (designated Tn) is at... Figure 7 As can be seen, the outline of the entire stack (specified as T) is shown as a dashed line.

[0084] In this way, the clamping device can manipulate the pallet carrier 10 and the pallet T (possibly) stacked on it.

[0085] Second clamping state (e.g.) Figure 8As shown), clamping structures 511 and 521 engage (insert) into the pallet clamping space 18 provided around the protrusion 120A of the first surface 12A of the base plate 12, thereby (only) clamping the pallet T stacked on the first surface 12A of the base plate 12.

[0086] In this way, the clamping device is able to manipulate the pallets T stacked in the pallet carrier 10 (only), for example, it is possible to lift the stacked pallets T relative to the base plate 12, thereby unloading the pallet carrier 10.

[0087] Although not visible in the figures for simplicity, the gripper device 50 can be configured—in a manner known to those skilled in the art—to achieve, in addition to the relative forward (gripping) and backward (releasing) movements of the fork-shaped gripping members 51 and 52, the adjustment of the distance between the fork teeth in each of the fork-shaped gripping members 51 and 52 (and thus between the gripping structures 511, 521).

[0088] This switching motion can help, for example, adjust the distance between the clamping structures 511, 521 in the fork-shaped clamping members 51 and 52 to precisely match the distance between the pallet carrier clamping cavities 16 provided in the base plate 12.

[0089] Figure 9 The flowchart is an example of the possible sequences of pallet carriers used as discussed in this article.

[0090] exist Figure 9 In the flowchart, box 100 is an exemplary step of placing a bundle of pallets T in a pallet carrier such as 10.

[0091] These steps can be performed manually by an operator or through automated loading, such as by an automatic gripper device.

[0092] Box 102 is an example of a pallet carrier 10, which is therefore loaded with a stack of pallets gripped by an automatic gripper device (e.g., 50), which acts on the pallet carrier 10 and substantially as... Figure 7 As illustrated in the example, the pallets are stacked on the pallets, i.e., the pallet carrier clamping cavities 16 are engaged (e.g., stepped) at the first pair of opposite sides 121 of the (lower) base plate 12 using the clamping structures 511, 521 of the fork-shaped clamping members 51, 52.

[0093] The pallet carrier 10 loaded with pallets can therefore be transported (e.g., using an automated robotic transport vehicle) to a processing facility (e.g., for testing purposes).

[0094] An automated robotic transport vehicle (same or different from the previous one) can then remove the bundle of pallets T from the pallet carrier 10, for example, as shown below. Figure 8As shown, the clamping structures 511 and 521 of the clamping members 51 and 52 are inserted into the pallet clamping space 18 between the base plate 12 and the pallet T stack, which is provided by the protrusion 120A of the first surface 12A of the base plate 12.

[0095] Such steps are by Figure 9 Example of box 104 in the flowchart.

[0096] Instructions can be sent to an automated robotic vehicle to retrieve the "processed" bundles and load them into (another) processing unit, for example, by stacking them onto a pallet carrier, such as 10. Figure 9 (in box 106), then put them ( Figure 9 The box 108 in the middle is loaded into another processing device in a fully automated manner.

[0097] This series of steps is merely an example of a range of possible processing sequences that take advantage of the following possibilities provided by the examples described herein: —automatic or possibly manual —processing (empty or containing pallets) pallet carriers such as 10, or simply a stack of pallets, for example for loading or unloading pallet carriers such as pallet carrier 10.

[0098] Without affecting the fundamental principles and without departing from the scope of protection, details and embodiments may vary, and may even differ significantly from those described by way of example only.

[0099] The claims are an integral part of the technical teachings provided herein in conjunction with the embodiments.

[0100] The scope of protection is determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A pallet carrier, comprising: A base plate having a first pair of opposite sides extending along a first direction, a second pair of opposite sides extending along a second direction transverse to the first direction, and corners, wherein the base plate has a lower surface and an upper surface opposite to the lower surface; Corner members having a channel shape and extending upright from the base plate, wherein each corner member is arranged at a corner of the base plate, and the channel shape of the corner members is configured to provide a receiving structure for trays stacked on the upper surface of the base plate; and Pallet carrier clamping cavities are located on the lower surface of the base plate on the first pair of opposite sides, and the pallet carrier clamping cavities are configured to be engaged by the clamping structure of an automatic clamping device to clamp the pallet carrier. and At least one protrusion on the upper surface of the base plate is configured to provide a tray clamping space at the first pair of opposite sides of the base plate between the upper surface of the base plate and the lower surface of the tray stacked on the at least one protrusion on the upper surface of the base plate. The pallet clamping space is configured to be engaged by the clamping structure to clamp the pallets stacked on the upper surface of the base plate.

2. The pallet carrier according to claim 1, comprising: A pair of handle members extending in a second direction transverse to the first direction, the pair of handle members being configured to facilitate manual handling of the pallet carrier; as well as A pair of opposing recesses on the first pair of opposing sides of the base plate, the pair of opposing recesses providing a narrowed middle portion of the base plate for manual handling of trays stacked on a first surface of the base plate, the first surface being the upper surface of the base plate.

3. The pallet carrier of claim 2, wherein each handle member extends in a bridge-like manner between the distal ends of two corner members in the channel-shaped corner members.

4. The pallet carrier according to claim 2, wherein the pallet carrier clamping cavity comprises a pair of pallet carrier clamping cavities at the first pair of opposite sides, the pair of pallet carrier clamping cavities being located on the flanks of each of the pair of opposite recesses.

5. The pallet carrier of claim 1, wherein the channel-shaped corner member has a distal end opposite a first surface of the base plate, the distal end having a terminal pallet introduction chamfer, the first surface being the upper surface of the base plate.

6. The pallet carrier according to claim 1, wherein adjacent corner members of the channel-shaped corner members have asymmetrical anti-pallet rotation shapes.

7. The pallet carrier according to claim 1, wherein the base plate has at least one anti-rotation feature.

8. The pallet carrier of claim 7, wherein the at least one anti-rotation feature is arranged to be associated with at least one of the second pair of opposite sides of the base plate.

9. The pallet carrier according to claim 1, wherein the pallet carrier has at least one code-bearing surface.

10. The pallet carrier of claim 9, wherein the at least one code-bearing surface is arranged to be associated with at least one of the second pair of opposing sides of the base plate.

11. A method of manipulating a tray, comprising: Pallets are stacked and loaded into a pallet carrier, wherein the pallet carrier comprises: A base plate having a first pair of opposite sides extending along a first direction, a second pair of opposite sides extending along a second direction transverse to the first direction, and four corners, wherein the base plate has a lower surface and an upper surface opposite to the lower surface; Corner members are configured to provide a receiving structure for the pallet stack; At least one protruding portion of the upper surface of the base plate is configured to provide a pallet clamping space at the first pair of opposite sides of the base plate, between the upper surface of the base plate and the lower surface of the pallet stack; and Pallet carrier clamping cavities at the first pair of opposite sides in the lower surface of the base plate; The automatic gripper device clamps a pallet carrier in which the pallet stack is loaded, the automatic gripper engaging the pallet carrier clamping cavities in the first pair of opposite sides of the base plate; and The pallet stack is unloaded from the pallet carrier by means of the clamping structure, which engages the pallet clamping space provided by at least one protrusion between the upper surface of the base plate and the lower surface of the pallet stack.

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