1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to a device that applies a peristaltic effect to dispense precise amounts of material. A system incorporating the device and a method of using the device are also disclosed.
2. Related Art
In the art of material dispensing systems, efforts for more accurate dispensing devices and systems are continuously being made. Metering accuracy is highly desirous wherein accuracies of actually metering material, for example, within 5% of the desired quantity of metered material are important in certain technologies, such as computer chip underfill dispensing.
Further, the costs of maintenance and cleaning of dispensing systems is highly regarded, as with any manufacturing costs. With most precision metering systems, significant manhours and manufacturing downtime, which translate into costs, must be expended to clean the material dispensing system between dispensing cycles, uses, workshifts, or material changes. Often with material dispensing systems, such as those used in computer chip underfill operations, the entire dispensing end of the system has to be changed out with a second dispensing end when the system has to be cleaned. As a result, a manufacturer is, in essence, forced to procure and keep at least two dispensing ends on hand per each dispensing system. This is a significant cost because the dispensing ends are typically quite expensive. Some, for example, may cost thousands of dollars.
In the art of underfilling computer chips, many of the aforementioned deficiencies are exacerbated because underfill material typically has a short pot life and is also very expensive.
Another deficiency with the use of underfill material in dispensing systems, is that because the fillers (e.g., quartz, silica, glass-based materials, etc.) used in the underfill material have scouring properties, the underfill material shortens the life of the dispensing systems that it comes into contact with. In particular, rubber seals, metal, and other dispensing system parts wear out quicker due to the scouring action caused by these fillers.
Thus, a need exists for a precision metering device, system, and method which overcomes these, and other, deficiencies in the art.
According to the present invention, several of the aforementioned deficiencies, and others in the art are overcome. The present invention relates to an apparatus, system, and method of using the same in the art of precision metering of materials.
In a first general aspect, the present invention provides a metering device comprising:
a metering element, operationally attached for engaging a compressible material line, thereby causing a selectable peristaltic effect upon a material in said compressible material line.
In a second general aspect, the present invention provides a precision metering system comprising:
a material delivery unit including:
a base;
a metering element, adapted to engage said compressible material line between said metering element and said base, thereby creating a peristaltic effect upon a material in said compressible material line, said peristaltic effect thereby causing a precision dispensing of a unit of material from said material dispensing end, wherein said unit of material is selectable.
In a third general aspect, the present invention provides a metering device comprising:
a metering element that is one of slidable and rotatable, operationally attached for engaging a compressible material line, and upon said sliding or rotation causes a peristaltic effect upon a material located within said compressible material line further causing a precision dispensing of a unit of material from said device.
In a fourth general aspect, the present invention provides a metering system comprising:
a metering device including:
a control system operatively attached to said metering element, wherein said control system allows for control of said metering element; and
a robotic positioning system operatively attached to said metering device.
In a fifth general aspect, the present invention provides a method of precision dispensing of material comprising:
providing a device which includes a base; and
positioning a compressible material line between said metering element and said base;
moving one of said base, metering element, compressible material line, or a combination thereof, thereby causing a peristaltic effect upon a material within said compressible material line; and
dispensing a precise unit of material from said device.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of embodiments of the invention. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, but are not restrictive, of the invention.
Some of the embodiments of this invention will be described in detail, with reference to the following figures, wherein like designations denote like members wherein:
Although certain preferred embodiments of the present invention will be shown and described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims. The scope of the present invention will in no way be limited to the number of constituting components, the materials thereof, the shapes thereof, the relative arrangement thereof, etc., and are disclosed simply as an example of an embodiment. The features and advantages of the present invention are illustrated in detail in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the drawings.
As a preface to the detailed description, it should be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
The present invention offers an improved apparatus for accurately dispensing metered materials. Although for purposes of illustration only, an embodiment that can be used for dispensing inter alia computer chip underfill material is disclosed herein. The apparatus and method can be readily used for accurately metering other materials. For example, water, epoxy, or any material where highly accurate, precision, dispensing is required can utilize the present invention. Highly accurate metering of material could be required for technical reasons or financial reasons where the cost of the material dispensed is critical. Another area of technology where precision metering of materials may be required is in the area of medicine.
The present invention is able to dispense material for areas of art wherein precision is required. For example, the present invention is able to dispense within accuracies of ±2% of the desired quantity to be dispensed. This accuracy level is for quantities being dispensed from about 15 mg to about 100 mg. Further, the present invention is able to meter selectable precision quantities of material. That is either the user directly, or via a mechanized, or computerized system, the quantity of metered material can be changed, adjusted, set, varied, etc. based on a pre-determined amount, or adjusted based on a myriad of factors (e.g., costs, environment, etc.).
Now referring to
The device 10 which may include inter alia a valve actuating system 70, a metering element 50, and a material holding system 90 all attached to a base frame 11. The base frame 11, in turn, can be attached, via screws 12, or other attachment devices, to a robotic positioning system 200 (See e.g.,
Attached to the base frame 11 is a servo motor 20. Typically a size 17 servo motor 20 can be used. Attached at one end of the servo motor 20 is an interface 25, while at the other end of the servo motor 20 is a mount 21. The interface 25 acts as a communication interface between the servo motor 20 and a control system 80 (See e.g.,
The material holding system 90 includes a clamp base 92 which is attached to a guide plate 57. On the clamp base 92 is a slot 94 which allows for a spring clamp 91 to be slidingly attached the base 92 via screws 93.
The metering element 50 includes a pinch roller 52 which is attached to a pinch shaft 53. The ends of the pinch shaft 53 are held within trunnion-like shaft clamps 55. The shaft clamps 55, in turn, are attached to two pneumatic cylinders 56. Extending from the pneumatic cylinders 56 are various sensors 81. The sensors 81 communicate back to a pneumatic system 300 (See e.g.,
At the end distal to the servo motor 20 (i.e. lower end of device 10) is the valve actuating system 70, which is attached to the guide plate 57 and/or frame 11, via a rotary mount 75. To the rotary mount 75 is attached a pneumatic actuator 76 with a pneumatic port 78 which connects to a pneumatic system 300 (See e.g.,
Also at the lower end of the device 10, and adjacent to the valve actuating system 70 is a ball valve housing, comprised of a ball valve top clamp 71 and a ball valve bottom clamp 72. The housing is attached to the guide plate 57 and/or the frame 11 via a ball valve mount 73. When a material supply system 100 (See e.g.,
Note that while the embodiment shown indicates that the dispensing end of the apparatus 10 is typically facing downwards, towards the ground (e.g., the material holding system 90 is at the “top” of the apparatus 10), it should be apparent to one skilled in the art, that the apparatus 10 can take on virtually any directional configuration. For example, the apparatus 10 could be placed, during use, in a substantially horizontal configuration, similar to the view shown in
Turning to
Thus, in order to prepare for dispensing of material 110, the user may first reattach the ball valve top clamp 71 over the ball valve 103 via tightening of the thumbscrews 79 thereby securing the ball valve 103, the dispensing needle 104 and the distal end of the material supply system 100 to the device 10. As shown in
Once the tubing 102, material reservoir 101, and ball valve 103 are held in place, the metering element 50 may be moved down towards the guide plate 57 so that portions of the pinch roller 52 contact the roller guides 51 (see e.g.,
In alternative embodiments, instead of the metering element 50 moving relative to the tubing 102 and guide plate 57, other elements may move to create a similar peristaltic effect. For example, the metering element 50 may be stationary, while the guide plate 57, roller guides 51, depression 60, and possibly other parts of the apparatus 10 move. Similarly, in another embodiment, both the metering element 50 and base (i.e., guide plate 57, roller guides 51, depression 60) are stationary, while the tubing 102 is moved laterally therebetween causing the peristaltic effect.
For example, a user either through prior use, or by trial and error, or by other methods, can calculate to very precise tolerances what quantity of movement (e.g., lateral and/or rotation) of the metering element 50 causes the resultant precision dispensing of a quantity of material 110 from the apparatus 10. The method of calculating these quantities could likewise be done via a computer, or other suitable means and methods. As a result, this creates an apparatus which ultimately allows the user to select the precise quantity for dispensing i.e., selectable dispensing. This selectable dispensing is, in turn, caused by a selectable peristaltic effect placed upon the material 110 in the material line 102. Thus, aside from the aforementioned lateral or rotational movement of the metering element 50, other factors can also affect the quantity of peristaltic effect created. For example, how tightly the metering element 50 is placed against the material line 102, temperature, speed of movement of the metering element 50, type of tubing used for the material line 102, type of underfill material, etc. can all also affect the peristaltic effect.
Although
While the aforementioned embodiments describe an apparatus 10 with a single metering element 50 and single material supply system 100, it should be apparent to one skilled in the art, that other configurations with different quantities of metering elements 50 and materials 110 can be used in the present invention. For example, instead of a single material reservoir 101, two material supply systems 100 could be used with two metering elements 50. Thus, the two metering elements 50, operatively attached to two material tubes 102 containing two different materials 110 therein, could, for example, rotate and slide at different rates along the base. As a result, the quantity of material 110 dispensed from each of the two different materials 110 could be different. This difference in rate, and quantity dispensed, could correspond to a required ratio of materials 110, like in the example, of certain types of epoxy.
Various modifications and variations of the described apparatus and methods of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Although the invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments, outlined above, it should be understood that the invention should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20050023291 A1 | Feb 2005 | US |