WO2018161250A1

WO2018161250A1 - Carrier tape having anti-nesting features

Info

Publication number: WO2018161250A1
Application number: PCT/CN2017/075869
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yunwei Chen; Zheng Liu; Hengyuan ZHOU; Cheng Lee; Kuangyu CHEN
Original assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
Priority date: 2017-03-07
Filing date: 2017-03-07
Publication date: 2018-09-13
Also published as: PH12019502034A1; CN211656785U; TW201838896A; TWI759439B; MY207975A

Abstract

A flexible carrier tape (100) is disclosed. The carrier tape (100) includes a plurality of spaced apart pockets (120) formed in the flexible substrate (110) along the longitudinal axis (102) of the carrier tape (100). Each pocket (120) includes a main pocket (130) defining a main pocket cavity (131) shaped and dimensioned to receive and store the component (101). At least one of the pockets (120) further includes at least one side pocket (141) that is contiguous with the main pocket cavity (131). The side pocket (140) has a bottom outside surface (142b) that extends at least as far below the substrate (110) as the bottom outside surface (132b) of the corresponding main pocket cavity (131). The side pocket cavity (141) is shaped and dimensioned so as to neither receive nor store the pre-determined component (101).

Description

CARRIER TAPE HAVING ANTI-NESTING FEATURES

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to carrier tapes useful for electronic component packaging applications.

BACKGROUND

Carrier tape is used to transport components (e.g.， electrical components such as resistors， capacitors， or integrated circuits) from a component manufacturer to a different manufacturer that assembles the components carried within the carrier tape into a complete product. The carrier tape includes a number of pockets formed within the carrier tape at regular intervals and having a geometry that is compatible with the components to be carried. The pockets are typically defined by a number of wall portions extending from the top of the carrier tape to the bottom of the pocket. In this way， the components being carried by the carrier tape rest within the defined pockets.

Typically， a carrier tape is manufactured in a first manufacturing location， wound on a reel and transported to the supplier of the components it is intended to transport. The component supplier unwinds the carrier tape from the reel， fills the pockets along the carrier tape with components， adheres a removable cover strip along the carrier tape over the component-filled pockets， winds the component-filled carrier tape with the attached cover strip onto a reel， and sends it to the user who feeds it from the reel onto the assembly equipment which removes the components.

A common problem associated with carrier tapes wound onto reels in this manner is the tendency for pockets on a first wrap of the carrier tape to settle or nest into the pockets of an adjacently wrapped portion of the carrier tape. The nesting of one pocket into another pocket causes the wall portions of the pockets to frictionally engage one another such that a large force is then required to unwind the carrier tape. This may result in the deforming of the carrier tape such that the automated equipment is no longer able to reliably remove components from the carrier tape.

SUMMARY

In one aspect， the present invention is a flexible carrier tape for transporting a plurality of pre-determined components， such as electronic components. The carrier tape includes a flexible substrate extending along a longitudinal axis of the carrier tape and a plurality of spaced apart pockets formed in the flexible substrate along the longitudinal axis of the carrier tape. Each pocket includes a main pocket defining a main pocket cavity shaped and dimensioned to receive and store the component. The main pocket cavity has a bottom inside surface and a bottom outside surface， with the bottom outside surface of the pocket extending below the substrate. At least one of the plurality of pockets further includes at least one side pocket， each side pocket defining a side pocket cavity contiguous with a corresponding main pocket cavity. The side pocket cavity has a bottom inside surface and a bottom outside surface， the bottom outside surface of the side pocket cavity extending at least as far below the substrate as the bottom outside surface of the corresponding main pocket cavity. The at least one side pocket cavity is shaped and dimensioned so as to not receive or store the pre-determined component.

In another aspect of the invention， the bottom outside surface of the at least one side pocket cavity extends further below the substrate than does the bottom outside surface of the corresponding main pocket cavity.

In other aspects of the invention， each side pocket may be elongated having a pair of substantially parallel longer sidewalls and a shorter end wall substantially perpendicular to the sidewalls. The side pocket may be elongated along the longitudinal axis of the carrier tape， or alternatively， elongated along a first oblique direction with respect to the longitudinal axis.

In one embodiment， the side pocket cavity and the main pocket cavity define an opening interface there between， the opening interface being shaped and sized so that when a pre-determined component is received and stored in the main pocket， the component is at most capable of only partially moving from the main pocket to the side pocket. Alternatively， the opening interface may be shaped and sized so that the component is not able to even partially move into a side pocket.

In another embodiment， the pocket that includes a main pocket and at least one side pocket further includes a first side pocket extending from the main pocket from a first side of the main pocket and a second side pocket extending from the main pocket from an opposite second side of the main pocket.

In other embodiments， the at least one side pocket may further include a first longitudinal side pocket portion extending along a first direction and a second longitudinal side pocket portion extending along a different second direction. This configuration may take the form of a T-shape or a Y-shape， with the base of the T or Y extending from the main pocket.

In another embodiment， there may be more than one side pocket on a side of the main pocket. For example， there may be at least a first side pocket extending from a first side of the main pocket， and second and third side pockets extending from the main pocket from an opposite second side of the main pocket.

In another embodiment， the carrier tape may include (1) at least a first pocket in the plurality of pockets， which includes (a) a main pocket， (b) a first side pocket extending from the main pocket from a first side of the main pocket， and (c) a second side pocket extending from the main pocket from an opposite second side of the main pocket， and (2) at least a different second pocket in the plurality of pockets， which includes (d) a main pocket， (e) a first side pocket extending from the main pocket from a first side of the main pocket， and (f) second and third side pockets extending from the main pocket from an opposite second side of the main pocket.

In another embodiment， when considering at least a first and a second pocket in the plurality of pockets， each pocket may have a main pocket and two side pockets extending from opposite sides of the main pocket， the two side pockets aligned with each other and elongated along the longitudinal axis of the carrier tape， with the two side pockets of the first pocket offset relative to the two side pockets of the second pocket along a transverse direction (that is to say， perpendicular to the longitudinal axis) of the carrier tape.

The present disclosure also includes a flexible carrier tape for transporting a plurality of pre-determined components， including (1) a flexible substrate extending along a longitudinal axis of the carrier tape， (2) a plurality of spaced apart pockets formed in the flexible substrate along the longitudinal axis of the carrier tape and extending below the substrate a maximum first distance D1， where each pocket configured to receive and store a pre-determined component， and (3) a plurality of spaced apart features formed in the flexible substrate along the longitudinal axis of the carrier and extending below the substrate a second distance D2. Distance D2 may be greater than or equal to distance D1 (so D2 ＞＝ D1) ， such that when a first pocket in the plurality of pockets receives and stores a pre-determined component and a second pocket in the plurality of pockets is centered with respect to and placed on the first pocket， the features reduce contact between a bottom of the second pocket and the component stored in the first pocket.

With respect to the previous paragraph， preferred embodiments may further include the following： (1) Distance D2 may preferably be greater than distance D1 (D2 ＞D1) . (2) The features may prevent the bottom of the second pocket from contacting the component stored in the first pocket. (3) Each feature in the plurality of features may be directly attached to a corresponding pocket in the plurality of pockets. (4) Each feature may define a feature cavity and the pocket corresponding to the feature defines a pocket cavity contiguous with the feature cavity.

The present disclosure also includes a flexible carrier tape for transporting a plurality of pre-determined components， including a flexible substrate extending along a longitudinal axis of the carrier tape and a plurality of spaced apart pockets formed in the flexible substrate along the longitudinal axis. Each pocket defines a continuous pocket cavity including a main pocket cavity portion contiguous with at least one auxiliary pocket cavity portion， where the at least one auxiliary pocket cavity portion extends below the substrate and beyond the main pocket cavity portion. The main pocket cavity portion and the at least one auxiliary pocket cavity portion， in combination， define a continuous opening at a top surface of the substrate and an opening interface there between， where the opening interface is shaped and sized so that when a pre-determined component is received and stored in the main pocket cavity portion， the component is not able to even partially move into the at least one auxiliary pocket cavity portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a carrier tape 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a pocket 120 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective cross-sectional view of carrier tape 100 taken along the direction of longitudinal axis 102 through pockets 120 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of carrier tape 100 taken along the direction of longitudinal axis 102 through pockets 120 and showing pre-determined components 101 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of carrier tape 100 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of carrier tape 100 according to additional embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a pocket according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are schematic perspective views illustrating exemplary side pocket shapes according to additional embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are schematic top views of pockets 120 according to other embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a stack of carrier tapes 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

The figures are not necessarily to scale. Like numbers used in the figures refer to like components. However， it will be understood that the use of a number to refer to a component in a given figure is not intended to limit the component in another figure labeled with the same number.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Carrier tapes according to the present disclosure are generally used in combination with electronic components and a cover tape. Referring to FIG. 1， a flexible carrier tape 100 is designed to transport a plurality of pre-determined (typically electronic) components and includes a flexible substrate 110 extending along a longitudinal axis 102 of the carrier tape. A plurality of spaced apart pockets 120 for receiving and storing the components are formed in flexible substrate 110 along longitudinal axis 102 of carrier tape 100. A series of optional sprocket holes 111 are provided in carrier tape 100 to facilitate mechanical handling of the carrier tape.

Referring to FIGS. 2-4， pockets 120 include a main pocket 130 extending below substrate 110 which includes a main pocket cavity 131 shaped and dimensioned to receive and store a pre-determined component 101. As shown in FIGS. 2-4， the bottom of the main pocket cavity 131 is defined by a bottom inside surface 132a which defines the inside floor of the main pocket cavity. The opposite side of bottom inside surface 132a is a bottom outside surface 132b.

Referring again to FIG. 2， one or more of pockets 120 further include， in addition to main pocket 130， at least one side pocket 140， and may include two side pockets as illustrated in FIG. 2， or more side pockets. Each side pocket 140 includes a side pocket cavity 141 which is contiguous with the corresponding main pocket cavity 131. As was the case with main pocket cavity 131， the bottom of side pocket cavity 141 is defined by a bottom inside surface 142a which defines the inside floor of the side pocket cavity. The opposite side of bottom inside surface 142a is a bottom outside surface 142b.

As further illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4， bottom outside surface 142b of at least one of side pockets 140 may extend at least as far， if not farther， below the bottom surface of substrate 110 as does bottom outside surface 132b of the main pocket. In other words， the distance SPD as shown in FIG. 4 may be equal to or greater than the distance MPD. SPD is preferably from about 1％to about 50％longer than MPD， and more preferably from about 5％to about 40％. The distance MPD is typically within the range of about 0.2 mm to about 10 mm， and may be outside of that range depending on the size and thickness of pre-determined electronic components 101.

Main cavity 131 of main pocket 130 of pocket 120 is shaped and dimensioned for receiving and storing pre-determined components， such as electronic components， which may have dimensions on the order of about 0.6 mm by about 0.3 mm or smaller. Main pockets 130 may also include an optional vacuum hole 121 in the bottom of the pocket which may be used in applying a vacuum to the pockets to permit more efficient loading of the pockets with electronic components 101. In addition， vacuum holes 121 may also be used for visual inspection to confirm that component 101 is present in pocket 120.

In some cases， while main cavity 131 of main pocket 130 of pocket 120 is shaped and dimensioned for receiving and storing pre-determined components 101， the at least one side pocket 140 may be shaped and dimensioned so as to not be able to receive nor store such components. Note therefore that， in such cases， there may be no need to have a vacuum hole in the bottom of side pocket 140 since there would be no component 101 stored there.

As shown in the Figures and further described herein， not all of pockets 120 may have side pockets 140. For example， as shown in FIG. 1， pockets 120 having side pockets 140 may occur every six pockets， with each pocket 120 having such side pocket (s) 140 being separated by five pockets 120 which have no side pockets. The pockets 120 having side pocket (s) 140 may occur at shorter regular intervals， such as every fifth pocket， every fourth pocket， every third pocket， every other pocket， or even every pocket. The pockets 120 having side pocket (s) 140 may also occur at longer intervals， such as every seventh pocket， eighth， etc. Or the pockets 120 having side pocket (s) 140 may occur at irregular intervals.

In some cases， such as in the exemplary embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5， side pocket cavity 141 of side pocket 140 and main pocket cavity 131 of main pocket 130 define an opening interface 150 there between， the opening interface being shaped and sized so that when a component 101 is received and stored in the main pocket， the component may be at most capable of partially moving from the main pocket to the side pocket. In some cases， opening interface 150 may be shaped and sized so that component 101 may not able to even partially move into side pocket 140.

In some cases， such as in the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4， each pocket 120 may be considered to define a continuous pocket cavity 155 including a main pocket cavity 131 contiguous with at least one side or auxiliary pocket cavity 141， the at least one auxiliary pocket cavity extending below substrate 110 and further below the substrate than the main pocket cavity. Main pocket cavity 131 and auxiliary pocket cavity 141， in combination， define a continuous opening 156 at a top surface 112 of substrate 110.

Side pocket 140 may be designed in a variety of shapes and dimensions. One such shape is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5， and further shown in cross-section in FIGS. 3 and 4. Each side pocket 140 may have an elongated shape defined by a pair of substantially parallel longer sidewalls 143 and a shorter end wall 144 which is substantially perpendicular to the sidewalls. As shown in FIGS. 2-5， this elongation may be parallel to longitudinal axis 102 of carrier tape 100， and therefore side walls 143 may be substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis.

Other shapes and orientations of side pocket 140 may be desirable， some exemplary embodiments of which are illustrated in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 6， a side pocket 240 is elongated in a direction 103 that is oblique with respect to longitudinal axis 102. As used herein， oblique means any direction that is neither parallel nor perpendicular to longitudinal axis 102. For example， direction 103 may make an angle in a range from about 5 degrees to about 85 degrees， or about 20 degrees to about 70 degrees， or about 30 degrees to about 60 degrees， with longitudinal axis 102. In some cases， the angle between direction 103 and axis 102 may be about 45 degrees.

In general， a pocket may have any number of side pockets that may be desirable in an application where the side pockets may extend from any locations around the main pocket desired in the application. For example， as shown in FIG. 7， a pocket 120 may include a first side pocket 140a extending from main pocket 130 on a first side 133 of the main pocket and a second side pocket 140b extending from the main pocket from an opposite second side 134 of the main pocket. Or it may be desirable to have either of

side pockets

140a and 140b rather than both. Side pockets 140a and 140b may each be longitudinal extending in opposite directions from main pocket 130. Side pockets 140a and 140b may each be elongated along the same axis and may be parallel to the longitudinal axis 102， or they may be parallel to the longitudinal axis， but displaced from each other in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (as illustrated in FIG. 6) .

Alternatively， side pockets 140a and b may be elongated and parallel to each other but not parallel to the longitudinal axis 102， as illustrated in FIG. 6. Alternatively， the two side pockets may not be parallel to each other， and one or neither of the side pockets may be parallel to the longitudinal axis 102.

In some cases， such as in the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8， at least one side pocket 140c may be T-shaped， with the base of the T extending from a side of main pocket 130. T-shaped side pocket 140c may have a first elongate side pocket portion 145 that extends in the longitudinal direction 102 from a side of main pocket 130 to a second elongate side pocket portion 146 of the T-shaped side pocket 140c. Second elongate side pocket portion 146 defines the top of the T and is oriented in direction 104 which is perpendicular to longitudinal axis 102. In some cases， there may be a second T-shaped side pocket on the opposite side of main pocket 130 as shown in Fig. 8， or there may instead be a second different shaped side pocket on the opposite side of the main pocket， or there may be only one side pocket.

In some cases， such as in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 9， a side pocket 140d may be Y-shaped， with the base of the Y of extending perpendicularly from a side of main pocket 130. There may be a second Y-shaped side pocket on the opposite side of main pocket 130 as shown in Fig. 9， or there may instead be a second different shaped pocket on the opposite side of the main pocket， or there may be only one side pocket.

In some cases， it may be desirable to have pockets 120 having different side pocket shapes on carrier tape 100. For example， one or more pockets on carrier tape 100 may have

side pockets

140a and 140b extending from

sides

133 and 134， respectively， as shown in FIG. 7， while one or more other pockets may have side pockets 140c and/or 140d extending from

sides

133 and 134 of the main pocket. See， for example， FIGS. 6-9.

Referring now to FIG. 10， a pocket 120 includes main pocket 130 and side pockets 140e and 140fwhich extend from the top and bottom sides (as shown in FIG. 10) of the main pocket. These side pockets 140e and 140f therefore extend in direction 104， which is perpendicular to longitudinal axis 102. Side pockets 140e and 140fmay otherwise have the characteristics described herein with respect to side pockets 140a-d and 140g-i.

FIG. 11 shows several other permutations of pockets 120 which are illustrated by

main pockets

130a， 130b， and 130c. As shown in FIG. 11， pocket 120 having main pocket 130a is similar to the pocket shown in FIG. 7 having

side pockets

140a and 140b. A few permutations of side pockets 140 are shown with respect to main pocket 130c. Main pocket 130c has a first side pocket 140g extending from first side 133 of main pocket 130c， and a second side pocket 140i on the opposite second side 134 of the main pocket. Both side pockets 140g and 140i are elongated and extend along the direction of longitudinal axis 102. However， unlike main pocket 130a having

side pockets

140a and 140b also shown in FIG. 11， side pockets 140g and 140i extend not from the middle of main pocket 130c but rather are displaced along the width of carrier tape 100 (in transverse direction 104) . As shown in FIG. 11， side pockets 140g and 140i may extend in longitudinal direction 102 from the side of main pocket 130c near the top side of main cavity 130c. Alternatively， as illustrated with respect to main pocket 130b in FIG. 11， these side pockets may instead extend from the side of main pocket 130b in longitudinal direction 102 along the bottom (opposite) side of the main pocket. Or these side pockets may instead be located somewhere else along

sides

133 and 134 of main pocket 130 between the two extremes illustrated in main pockets 130b and c. In some cases， opposing

sides

133 and 134 of

main pocket

130a， 130b or 130c， may each have opposing top and bottom ends. In some cases， such as in the exemplary left pocket shown in FIG. 11， the side pockets may extend from the bottom ends of the opposing sides of main pocket 130b. In some cases， such as in the exemplary right pocket shown in FIG. 11， side pockets 140i and 140g may extend from the top ends of the opposing sides of main pocket 130c.

As shown in FIG. 11， when comparing main pocket 130a and main pocket 130c， it is apparent that side pockets 140a and b associated with main pocket 130a are offset transversely along the width of carrier tape 100 when compared with side pockets 140g and i associated with main pocket 130c. Similarly， the side pockets associated with main pocket 130b are offset transversely across the width of carrier tape 110 when compared with side pockets 140a and b and 140i and g associated with main pockets 130a and c， respectively.

In some cases， such as the embodiments illustrated with respect to main pocket 130c in FIG. 11， there may be more than one side pocket 140 on a side of the main pocket. For example， in addition to side pockets 140g and 140i discussed above， the pocket may include a third side pocket 140h. As shown in FIG. 11， third side pocket 140h may be located on side 134 of main cavity 130c parallel to side pocket 140i and spaced apart from it transversely across the width of carrier tape 120. While side pocket 140h is shown as being elongate and extending from side 134 of main pocket 130 along the bottom of that side as shown in FIG. 11， it will be apparent that side pocket 140h may be locatsed elsewhere along the side 134 of the main pocket. Although not shown in FIG. 11， optionally a fourth side pocket may be added on side 133 of main pocket 130c to form four side pockets extending from four corners of main pocket 130c.

Although side pockets 140a and b are shown as being directly across from each other on opposite sides of main pocket 130a， and side pockets 140i and g are similarly shown as being directly across from each other on opposite sides of main pocket 130c (in other words， co-aligned along longitudinal direction 102) ， it will be apparent that this orientation is an exemplary embodiment and may be different as desired in different applications. For example， side pockets and 140a and b may be offset from each other in transverse direction 104， so that the two side pockets are not co-aligned. The same may be said for side pockets 140i and g.

A further embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 12. With reference to that Figure， two portions of flexible carrier tape 100 are illustrated， which may be accomplished by wrapping the carrier tape around a carrier tape reel or otherwise. As described above， a plurality of spaced apart pockets 120 are formed in flexible substrate 110 along longitudinal axis 102 extending below the substrate a first distance D1， each pocket configured to receive and store a pre-determined component 101. A plurality of spaced apart features 160 formed in substrate 110 along longitudinal axis 102 extend below the substrate a second distance D2 which is equal to or greater than D1 (D2 ≥ D1) such that when a first pocket (120a) in the plurality of pockets receives and stores a pre-determined component 101 and a second pocket 120b in the plurality of pockets is centered with respect to and placed on the first pocket， the features 160 reduce contact between a bottom 121 of the second pocket and the component stored in the first pocket.

In some cases， it may be preferable for D2 to be greater than D1 (D2 ＞ D1) to further reduce the contact between the bottom of the second pocket and the component stored in the first pocket. In such cases， D2 may be preferably from about 1％to about 50％longer than D1， and more preferably from about 5％to about 40％longer. In some cases， D1 may be typically within the range of about 0.2 mm to about 10 mm， and may be outside of that range depending on the size and thickness of pre-determined electronic components 101.

In one embodiment， features 160 are sufficient to not only reduce contact between bottom 121 of second pocket 120b and electronic component 101 stored in first pocket 120a but to also prevent the bottom of the second pocket from contacting the component stored in the first pocket.

As illustrated in FIG. 12， each feature 160 in the plurality of features may be directly associated with a corresponding pocket 120 in the plurality of pockets. Each feature 160 may define a feature cavity 161. A continuous pocket cavity 155 may include a main pocket cavity 131 contiguous with at least one feature cavity 161. The top of cavity 155 may define a continuous opening 156 at a top surface 112 of substrate 110.

Carrier tapes 100 used in practice of the present disclosure may be made of any suitable material including， for example， thermoplastic polymeric materials， cardboard， and/or metal foil. In addition， the materials that may be used for carrier tape 100 may be dimensionally stable， durable， and readily formable into the desired configuration. Preferably， the material includes a thermoplastic polymeric material that has a sufficient thickness and flexibility to permit it to be wound about the hub of a storage reel. Suitable thermoplastic polymeric materials include， but are not limited to， polyesters (e.g.， glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate， or polybutylene terephthalate ) ， polycarbonate， polypropylene， polystyrene， polyvinyl chloride， acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene， amorphous polyethylene terephthalate， polyamide， polyolefins (e.g.， polyethylene， polybutene， or polyisobutene) ， modified poly (phenylene ether) ， polyurethane， polydimethylsiloxane， acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resins， and polyolefin copolymers. In some embodiments， the material may have a melt temperature in the range of about 400°F (204℃) to about 630°F (332℃) . The carrier tape 100 may be optically clear， pigmented or modified to be electrically dissipative. In the latter case， the carrier tape may include an electrically conductive material， such as carbon black or vanadium pentoxide， either dispersed within the resin material or coated onto the surface (s) of the formed carrier tape. The electrically conductive material may help dissipate an electric discharge that may occur during removal of the cover film or unwinding of the carrier tape assembly from a storage spool thus helping to prevent damage to the electronic components contained within the pockets of the carrier tape. In addition dyes， colorants， pigments， UV stabilizers， or other additives may be added to the resin material before forming the carrier tape.

Carrier tapes according to the present disclosure may have any dimensions suitable for use with particular desired electronic components， and the pockets may be spaced as suitable for the specific application. For example， the pockets 120 may be spaced apart on 1.6 cm centers.

It may be desirable to design and manufacture electronic components such as integrated circuit (IC) chips in smaller and smaller sizes. As the size of the chips used with carrier tape 100 decreases， the chips may become increasingly harder to remove from pockets 120， resulting in skipping pockets (thereby failing to remove the chips) ， slowing down the chip removal process (and perhaps taking the removal process out of sync with other processes) ， and increasing the force required to remove the chip (increasing the likelihood of damaging or dropping the chip) . These effects are exacerbated when carrier tape 100 is wrapped on a reel and adjacent layers of the carrier tape exert a compressive force on each other， thereby forcing the chips deeper into main pockets 130. These forces are mitigated by the present disclosure， which provides for side pockets， auxiliary pockets， and features which are designed to decrease these forces， thereby facilitating removal of the chips from the carrier tape when desired.

Unless otherwise indicated， all numbers expressing feature sizes， amounts， and physical properties used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about. ” Accordingly， unless indicated to the contrary， the numerical parameters set forth in the foregoing specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by those skilled in the art utilizing the teachings disclosed herein. The use of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers within that range (e.g. 1 to 5 includes 1， 1.5， 2， 2.75， 3， 3.80， 4， and 5) and any range within that range.

Various modifications and alterations of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art and it should be understood that this scope of this disclosure is not limited to the illustrative embodiments set forth herein. For example， the reader should assume that features of one disclosed embodiment may also be applied to all other disclosed embodiments unless otherwise indicated.

Claims

A flexible carrier tape for transporting a plurality of pre-determined components， comprising a flexible substrate extending along a longitudinal axis of the carrier tape， and a plurality of spaced apart pockets formed in the flexible substrate along the longitudinal axis of the carrier tape， each pocket comprising a main pocket defining a main pocket cavity shaped and dimensioned to receive and store a pre-determined component， the main pocket cavity having a bottom inside surface and a bottom outside surface， the bottom outside surface of the pocket extending below the substrate；

wherein at least one of the plurality of pockets further comprises at least one side pocket， each side pocket defining a side pocket cavity contiguous with a corresponding main pocket cavity， the side pocket cavity having a bottom inside surface and a bottom outside surface， the bottom outside surface of the side pocket cavity extending at least as far below the substrate as the bottom outside surface of the corresponding main pocket cavity， wherein the at least one side pocket cavity is shaped and dimensioned so as to not receive nor store the pre-determined component.
The flexible carrier tape of claim 1， wherein the bottom outside surface of the at least one side pocket cavity extends further below the substrate than does the bottom outside surface of the corresponding main pocket cavity.
The flexible carrier tape of claim 1， wherein each side pocket is elongated having a pair of substantially parallel longer sidewalls and a shorter end wall substantially perpendicular to the sidewalls.
The flexible carrier tape of claim 2， wherein at least one side pocket is elongated along the longitudinal axis of the carrier tape.
The flexible carrier tape of claim 2， wherein at least one side pocket is elongated along a first oblique direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the carrier tape.
The flexible carrier tape of claim 1， wherein for each pocket that comprises a main pocket and at least one side pocket， the side pocket cavity of the at least one side pocket and the main pocket cavity of the main pocket define an opening interface there between， the opening interface being shaped and sized so that when a pre-determined component is received and stored in the main pocket， the component is at most capable of partially moving from the main pocket to the at least one side pocket.
The flexible carrier tape of claim 6， wherein the opening interface is shaped and sized so that when a pre-determined component is received and stored in the main pocket， the component is not able to even partially move into the at least one side pocket.
The flexible carrier tape of claim 1， wherein each pocket that comprises a main pocket and at least one side pocket comprises a first side pocket extending from the main pocket from a first side of the main pocket and a second side pocket extending from the main pocket fiom an opposite second side of the main pocket.
The flexible carrier tape of claim 1， wherein at least one side pocket comprises a first longitudinal side pocket portion extending along a first direction and a second longitudinal side pocket portion extending along a different second direction.
The flexible carrier tape of claim 1， wherein at least one side pocket is T-shaped， with the base of the T extending from the main pocket.
The flexible carrier tape of claim 1， wherein at least one side pocket is Y-shaped， with the base of the Y extending from the main pocket.
The flexible carrier tape of claim 1， wherein：

at least a first pocket in the plurality of pockets comprises a main pocket， a first side pocket extending from the main pocket from a first side of the main pocket， and a second side pocket extending from the main pocket from an opposite second side of the main pocket； and

at least a different second pocket in the plurality of pockets comprises a main pocket， a first side pocket extending from the main pocket from a first side of the main pocket， and second and third side pockets extending from the main pocket from an opposite second side of the main pocket.
The flexible carrier tape of claim 1， wherein at least a first and a second pocket in the plurality of pockets， each having a main pocket and two side pockets extending from opposite sides of the main pocket， the two side pockets aligned with each other and elongated along the longitudinal axis of the carrier tape， the two side pockets of the first pocket offset relative to the two side pockets of the second pocket along a transverse direction of the carrier tape.
A flexible carrier tape for transporting a plurality of pre-determined components， comprising：

a flexible substrate extending along a longitudinal axis of the carrier tape；

a plurality of spaced apart pockets formed in the flexible substrate along the longitudinal axis of the carrier tape and extending below the substrate a maximum first distance D1， each pocket configured to receive and store a pre-determined component； and

a plurality of spaced apart features formed in the flexible substrate along the longitudinal axis of the carrier and extending below the substrate a second distance D2， where D2 ≥ D1， such that when a first pocket in the plurality of pockets receives and stores a pre-determined component and a second pocket in the plurality of pockets is centered with respect to and placed on the first pocket， the features reduce contact between a bottom of the second pocket and the component stored in the first pocket.
The flexible carrier tape of claim 14， wherein D2 ＞ D1.
The flexible carrier tape of claim 14， wherein the features prevent the bottom of the second pocket from contacting the component stored in the first pocket.
The flexible carrier tape of claim 14， wherein each feature in the plurality of features is directly attached to a corresponding pocket in the plurality of pockets.
The flexible carrier tape of claim 17， wherein each feature defines a feature cavity and the pocket corresponding to the feature defines a pocket cavity contiguous with the feature cavity.
A flexible carrier tape for transporting a plurality of pre-determined components， comprising a flexible substrate extending along a longitudinal axis of the carrier tape， and a plurality of spaced apart pockets formed in the flexible substrate along the longitudinal axis of the carrier tape， each pocket defining a continuous pocket cavity comprising a main pocket cavity portion contiguous with at least one auxiliary pocket cavity portion， the at least one auxiliary pocket cavity portion extending below the substrate and beyond the main pocket cavity portion， the main pocket cavity portion and the at least one auxiliary pocket cavity portion， in combination， defining a continuous opening at a top surface of the substrate and an opening interface there between， the opening interface being shaped and sized so that when a pre-determined component is received and stored in the main pocket cavity portion， the component is not able to even partially move into the at least one auxiliary pocket cavity portion.