Die carrier

Abstract

A die carrier for receiving multiple circuit protection devices is disclosed. In some embodiments, the die carrier may include a die body and a recess located in the die body, wherein the recess is operable to receive a die for a circuit protection device. The recess may include a central region defined by a set of sidewalls and a plurality of corner regions extending from the central region, each of the plurality of corner regions being defined by a first curved wall, a second curved wall connected to the first curved wall, and a third curved wall connected to the second curved wall, wherein a first curvature center of the first curved wall is located at a different position than a second curvature center of the second curved wall.

Description

Reduce die damage and alleviate undercutting at corners The present disclosure generally relates to the field of circuit protection device fabrication. More specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a corner relief undercut design for reducing die damage. Existing designs of boat die aligners for die window openings typically use single-sided or double-sided undercuts for each of the four corners to prevent die chip-out while still providing limited motion for die placement by manual insertion by an operator. However, die failures are still common with existing undercut designs. Therefore, there is a need for an improved undercut relief to eliminate die corner chipping associated with die aligners in discrete manual line assemblies. This summary is provided to introduce a series of concepts in a simplified form, which are further described in the detailed description below. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to assist in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. In one method, a die carrier may include a recess operable to receive a die, the recess comprising a central region defined by a set of sidewalls and a plurality of corner regions extending from the central region. Each of the plurality of corner regions may be defined by a first curved wall, a second curved wall connected to the first curved wall, and a third curved wall connected to the second curved wall, wherein a first center of curvature of the first curved wall is located at a different position than a second center of curvature of the second curved wall. In another approach, a die carrier may include a die body and a recess in the die body, wherein the recess is operable to receive a circuit protection device from a plurality of circuit protection devices. The recess may include a central region defined by a set of sidewalls, and a plurality of corner regions extending from the central region, each of the plurality of corner regions being defined by a first curved wall, a second curved wall connected to the first curved wall, and a third curved wall connected to the second curved wall, wherein a first center of curvature of the first curved wall is located at a different position than a second center of curvature of the second curved wall. In another approach, a die carrier for receiving a plurality of dies for circuit protection devices may include a die body and a recessed portion in the die body, wherein the recessed portion is operable to receive a circuit protection device from the plurality of circuit protection devices. The recessed portion may include a central region defined by a set of sidewalls and a plurality of corner regions extending from the central region. Each of the plurality of corner regions may be defined by a first curved wall, a second curved wall connected to the first curved wall, and a third curved wall connected to the second curved wall, wherein a first center of curvature of the first curved wall is located at a different position than a second center of curvature of the second curved wall and is located at a different position than a third center of curvature of the third curved wall. The assemblies, devices, systems, and methods according to the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments. The assemblies, devices, systems, and methods may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Turning to FIG. 1 , a die carrier 100 will be described. As shown, the die carrier 100 may include a body 102 having a plurality of recessed portions or openings 104 formed therein. Each of the openings 104 may represent an area 120 in which a die (e.g., a die used during the manufacture of a circuit protection device) may be positioned. As shown, each of the openings 104 may be recessed below an upper surface 108 of the body 104. While only five openings 104 are shown, it should be understood that a greater or fewer number of openings 104 may be present in other embodiments. FIG2 illustrates an exemplary region 120 in greater detail. As shown, the opening 104 may include a central region 112 defined by a set of sidewalls. More specifically, the set of sidewalls may include a first sidewall 114 opposite a second sidewall 116 and a top sidewall 118 opposite a bottom sidewall 122. In the illustrated embodiment, the first sidewall 114 and the second sidewall 116 are parallel to each other, and the top sidewall 118 and the bottom sidewall 122 are also parallel to each other. As such, the central region 112 generally has a square shape. As further shown, the opening 104 includes a plurality of corner regions 125 extending from the central region 104. More specifically, each corner region 125 connects to two adjacent sidewalls in the set of sidewalls. As will be described in greater detail herein, each of the corner regions 125 defines a first curved wall 131, a second curved wall 132 connected to the first curved wall 131, and a third curved wall 133 connected to the second curved wall 132. In the illustrated embodiment, the depth of the plurality of corner regions 125 is the same as, or substantially the same as, the depth of the central region 104. In other embodiments, the depth of the plurality of corner regions 125 may differ from the depth of the central region 104. FIG3 shows one of the corner regions 125 in greater detail. As shown, first curved wall 131 defines a first radius of curvature 141, a first center of curvature 142, and a first imaginary circle 143. Similarly, second curved wall 132 defines a second radius of curvature 144, a second center of curvature 145, and a second imaginary circle 146. Third curved wall 133 defines a third radius of curvature 148, a third center of curvature 149, and a third imaginary circle 150. As shown, first imaginary circle 143, second imaginary circle 146, and third imaginary circle 150 overlap or intersect with each other. First center of curvature 142, second center of curvature 145, and third center of curvature 149 are arranged at different locations, with second center of curvature 145 being located farthest from the center of central region 104. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the first curved wall 131, the second curved wall 132, and the third curved wall 133 may have the same or substantially the same length and a constant radius of curvature. Consequently, the areas of the first imaginary circle 143, the second imaginary circle 146, and the third imaginary circle 150 may be the same or substantially the same. In other embodiments, the areas of the first imaginary circle 143, the second imaginary circle 146, and the third imaginary circle 150 may differ. 4A-4B illustrate the beneficial effects of corner regions 125 during use with die 155. As shown, die 155 may be positioned skewed within opening 104. However, due to the size and geometry of each of corner regions 125, corner 158 of die 155 may not strike any of first sidewall 131, second sidewall 132, or third sidewall 133, thereby reducing (or eliminating) potential damage to corner 158. As used herein, an element or step recited in the singular and preceded by the word "a" or "an" is to be understood as not excluding plural elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly stated. Furthermore, references to "one embodiment" of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. The use of "including," "comprising," or "having" and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Thus, the terms "including," "comprising," or "having" and variations thereof are open-ended and may be used interchangeably herein. As used herein, the phrases "at least one of," "one or more of," and "and / or" are open-ended expressions and are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, the expressions "at least one of A, B, and C," "at least one of A, B, or C," "one or more of A, B, and C," "one or more of A, B, or C," and "A, B, and / or C" mean A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B, and C together. All directional references (e.g., proximal, distal, upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, lateral, longitudinal, front, rear, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, radial, axial, clockwise, and counterclockwise) are used for identification purposes only to assist the reader in understanding the present disclosure. The directional references are not intended to limit, and in particular do not limit, the position, orientation, or use of the present disclosure. Unless otherwise indicated, connective references (e.g., attach, couple, connect, and join) should be interpreted broadly and may include intermediate members between a set of elements and relative movement between elements. As such, connective references do not necessarily imply that two elements are directly connected and fixed relative to each other. Furthermore, identifying reference terms (e.g., primary, secondary, first, second, third, fourth, etc.) are not intended to imply importance or priority, but rather are used to distinguish one feature from another. The drawings are for illustrative purposes, and the size, position, order, and relative sizes reflected in the drawings may vary. Furthermore, the terms "substantial" or "approximately" and the terms "approximately" or "approximately" may be used interchangeably in some embodiments and may be described using any relative measure acceptable to one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, these terms may serve as a comparison to a reference parameter to indicate a deviation from the ability to provide the intended function. The deviation from the reference parameter may be, for example, less than 1%, less than 3%, less than 5%, less than 10%, less than 15%, less than 20%, etc., without limitation. Because the present disclosure has as broad a scope as the art will allow, and the specification should be interpreted accordingly, although certain embodiments of the present disclosure have been described herein, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting. Rather, the above description is merely an exemplification of specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the appended claims. 100: Die Carrier 102: Body 104: Opening 108: Upper Surface 112: Central Region 114: First Sidewall 116: Second Sidewall 118: Top Sidewall 120: Region 122: Bottom Sidewall 125: Corner Region 131: First Curved Wall / First Sidewall 132: Second Curved Wall / Second Sidewall 133: Third Curved Wall / Third Sidewall 141: First Radius of Curvature 142: First Center of Curvature 143: First Imaginary Circle 144: Second Radius of Curvature 145: Second Center of Curvature 146: Second Imaginary Circle 148: Third Radius of Curvature 149: Third Center of Curvature 150: Third Imaginary Circle 155: Die 158: Corner The accompanying drawings illustrate exemplary methods of the disclosed embodiments devised to date for practical application of their principles, and in which: FIG1 illustrates a top view of a die carrier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG2 illustrates a close-up view of a portion of an opening of a die carrier according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG3 illustrates a close-up view of a corner region of an opening according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG4A-4B illustrate top views of a die carrier and a die according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The drawings are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are schematic diagrams only and are not intended to depict specific parameters of the present disclosure. The drawings are not intended to depict exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting in scope. In the drawings, like numbers represent like elements. In addition, for clarity of illustration, certain elements in some of the figures may be omitted or shown not to scale. For clarity of illustration, the cross-sectional views may be in the form of "fragmented" or "close-up" cross-sectional views, omitting certain background lines that would be visible in a "true" cross-sectional view. In addition, for clarity, some reference numbers may be omitted in some of the drawings. 104: Opening 112: Central area 114: first side wall 116: Second side wall 118: Top side wall 120: Area 122: bottom side wall 125: Corner area 131: First curved wall / first side wall 132: Second curved wall / second side wall 133: Third curved wall / third side wall

Claims

1. A grain support, comprising: A recess, operable to receive a grain, includes: a central region defined by a set of sidewalls; and a plurality of corner regions extending from the central region, each of the plurality of corner regions being defined by a first curved wall, a second curved wall connected to the first curved wall, and a third curved wall connected to the second curved wall, wherein a first curvature center of the first curved wall is located at a different position from a second curvature center of the second curved wall, wherein the first curved wall defines a first radius of curvature and a first imaginary circle, wherein the second curved wall defines a second radius of curvature and a second imaginary circle, and wherein the third curved wall defines a third radius of curvature and a third imaginary circle, wherein the first radius of curvature, the second radius of curvature, and the third radius of curvature each have the same length and are each constant, and wherein the first imaginary circle, the second imaginary circle, and the third imaginary circle overlap each other.

2. The grain carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the third curvature center of the third curved wall is located at a different position from the first curvature center and the second curvature center.

3. The grain carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the set of sidewalls comprises: The first sidewall is opposite to the second sidewall; And a top sidewall, opposite to a bottom sidewall, wherein the top sidewall and the bottom sidewall are connected to the first sidewall and the second sidewall by means of the plurality of corner regions.

4. The grain carrier as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a second recess operable to receive a second grain.

5. The grain carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second curved wall is positioned further away from the central region than the first curved wall and the third curved wall.

6. The grain carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recess extends below the upper surface of the grain body.

7. A die carrier for receiving a plurality of dies for a plurality of circuit protection devices, the die carrier comprising: A grain body; and a recess located within the grain body, wherein the recess is operable to receive one of the plurality of circuit protection devices, and wherein the recess includes: a central region defined by a set of sidewalls; and a plurality of corner regions extending from the central region, each of the plurality of corner regions being defined by a first curved wall, a second curved wall connected to the first curved wall, and a third curved wall connected to the second curved wall, wherein a first curvature center of the first curved wall is located at a different position from a second curvature center of the second curved wall, wherein the first curved wall defines a first radius of curvature and a first imaginary circle, wherein the second curved wall defines a second radius of curvature and a second imaginary circle, and wherein the third curved wall defines a third radius of curvature and a third imaginary circle, wherein the first radius of curvature, the second radius of curvature, and the third radius of curvature each have the same length and are each constant, wherein the first imaginary circle, the second imaginary circle, and the third imaginary circle overlap each other.

8. The grain carrier as claimed in claim 7, wherein the third curvature center of the third curved wall is located at a different position from the first curvature center and the second curvature center.

9. The grain carrier as claimed in claim 7, wherein the set of sidewalls comprises: The first sidewall is opposite to the second sidewall; And a top sidewall, opposite to a bottom sidewall, wherein the top sidewall and the bottom sidewall are connected to the first sidewall and the second sidewall by means of the plurality of corner regions.

10. The grain carrier as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second curved wall is positioned further away from the central region than the first curved wall and the third curved wall.

11. A grain carrier for receiving a plurality of grains, the grain carrier comprising: A grain body; and a recess located within the grain body, wherein the recess is operable to receive one of a plurality of circuit protection devices, and wherein the recess includes: a central region defined by a set of sidewalls; and a plurality of corner regions extending from the central region, each of the plurality of corner regions being defined by a first curved wall, a second curved wall connected to the first curved wall, and a third curved wall connected to the second curved wall, wherein a first curvature center of the first curved wall is located at a position different from a second curvature center of the second curved wall and at a position different from a third curvature center of the third curved wall, wherein the first curved wall defines a first radius of curvature and a first imaginary circle, wherein the second curved wall defines a second radius of curvature and a second imaginary circle, and wherein the third curved wall defines a third radius of curvature and a third imaginary circle, wherein the first radius of curvature, the second radius of curvature, and the third radius of curvature each have the same length and are each constant, wherein the first imaginary circle, the second imaginary circle, and the third imaginary circle overlap each other.

12. The grain carrier as claimed in claim 11, wherein the set of sidewalls comprises: The first sidewall is opposite to the second sidewall; And a top sidewall, opposite to a bottom sidewall, wherein the top sidewall and the bottom sidewall are connected to the first sidewall and the second sidewall by means of the plurality of corner regions.

13. The grain carrier as claimed in claim 11, wherein the second curved wall is positioned further away from the central region than the first curved wall and the third curved wall.

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