Tape and components for tape and reel packaging

Abstract

A combination of a carrier tape and electronic components for a tape and reel product feed, includes components arranged along the carrier tape held by an adhesive surface. Also, a dispensing device receives the carrier tape and includes a mechanism for peeling the components from the carrier tape onto a staging surface. The mechanism includes a gap and the carrier tape extends through the gap and the components are peeled from the carrier tape over the gap and onto the staging surface. A method is provided for carrying components on a tape using an adhesive surface and peeling the components off of the tape in a controlled fashion, one component after another, onto a staging surface for removal by a pick device.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A combination of a carrier tape and electronic components for a tape and reel product feed, comprising a plurality of components and a carrier tape having an adhesive surface, the components arranged along the carrier tape held by the adhesive surface. 
     
     
         2 . An assembly for holding and dispensing components, comprising:
 a carrier tape having an adhesive surface;   a dispensing device having a surface for receiving the carrier tape with components held on the adhesive surface and having a mechanism for peeling the components from the carrier tape.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the dispensing device comprises a corner adjacent to a staging surface, wherein said carrier tape is drawn over said corner and components are peeled onto the staging surface. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the dispensing device comprises a first block portion that carries the carrier tape and a second block portion that carries the staging surface and the corner is adjacent a gap between the first and second block portions, wherein the carrier tape extends through the gap and the components are peeled from the carrier tape over the gap and onto the staging surface. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the first block portion is a separate piece from the second block portion. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , comprising a cap portion that covers a top side of the carrier tape with components at least over the first block portion. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the staging surface comprises a length at least as long as two components such that a lead component will be pushed along the staging surface by a trailing component being peeled off the carrier tape. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the staging surface includes a pick up area wherein components are removed for processing, and including an optical sensor below the pick up area to communicate to machine control the presence or absence of a component in the pick up area. 
     
     
         9 . A method of carrying components and dispensing components for assembly comprising the steps of:
 providing an elongated strip having an adhesive surface;   applying components to the adhesive surface;   providing a dispensing apparatus;   feeding the elongated strip with attached components into the dispensing apparatus;   using the dispensing apparatus, peeling components off of the elongated strip onto a staging surface.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the step of peeling is further defined in that the staging surface has a pick up area, and wherein a trailing component peeled from the elongated strip pushes a leading component into the pick up area.