Directional array feeding device for assembling relay assembly

Abstract

The invention discloses a directional array feeding device for assembling relay assemblies. The device comprises a feeding base, a microcosmic array interface arranged on the feeding base and a posture locking transmission module. The microcosmic array interface comprises discrete guide units which are arranged in a matrix mode, non-continuous point-shaped contact is established between the microcosmic array interface and a to-be-assembled electronic element, and under plane reciprocating mechanical excitation, the non-assembling face (generally a plane) of the element is stably supported on the discrete guide units by means of the gravity center offset characteristic of the element. All elements are unified to a middle stable posture with an assembly surface (generally a convex surface) facing upwards. And then, through locking and overall overturning of the posture locking transmission module, the feeding posture with the non-assembly face exposed upwards is output. The off-line feeding jig can efficiently provide contact materials which are uniform in direction and suitable for being sucked by a vacuum suction nozzle for a relay automatic assembly production line, and the problems that micro contacts are difficult to feed and prone to adhesion, and the surfaces of the micro contacts are prone to being scratched are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the technical field of electronic component manufacturing and assembly, specifically relating to a device for assisting in the batch directional alignment and feeding of micro contact elements during the production process of relays or printed circuit boards (PCBs). Background Technology

[0002] In the automated assembly of precision electronic components such as relays and microswitches, the feeding of contact components is a crucial preliminary step. Relay contacts typically have an asymmetrical physical structure, with one side being a soldering plane (non-assembly surface, for picking up) and the other side being a working convex surface (assembly surface, functional side). In SMT placement or robotic assembly, the assembly equipment (such as a placement machine) requires that incoming materials be uniformly in a "plane-up" orientation to facilitate stable picking up and transfer by the vacuum nozzle.

[0003] Currently, the feeding of such miniature asymmetric components mainly relies on vibratory feeders. However, for the specific object of relay contacts, traditional vibratory feeder feeding has the following significant drawbacks: Unstable feeding posture leads to suction failure: Vibratory feeders rely on track screening. For micro-contacts with extremely small center-of-gravity differences, the screening yield is difficult to reach 100%. There are often reversed materials mixed in, which causes the assembly machine's suction nozzle to become clogged or to stop and throw out materials.

[0004] Surface damage affects electrical performance: The long-distance spiral conveying of the vibratory feeder causes severe friction between contacts and between contacts and the track. The surface of relay contacts is usually plated with a soft silver layer, which is easily scratched during conveying, seriously affecting the contact resistance and electrical life of the finished product.

[0005] Static electricity and oil adhesion: Miniature sheet metal components are easily adsorbed onto the conveyor track due to surface van der Waals forces or static electricity, causing feeding delays and affecting the production line cycle.

[0006] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a dedicated feeding device that can replace traditional vibratory feeders, utilize discrete microstructures for batch arrangement, and output materials in a non-destructive and efficient manner suitable for vacuum suction posture. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In view of the above-mentioned technical problems existing in the prior art, the present invention proposes a directional alignment feeding device for relay assembly, so as to solve the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0008] This invention proposes a directional alignment feeding device for relay assembly, comprising: The feeding base is used to support electronic components to be assembled. A micro-alignment interface is set on the feeding base; the micro-alignment interface includes several discrete guiding units arranged in a matrix, and the discrete guiding units are configured to establish discontinuous point contact with the electronic components to be assembled. An attitude locking transmission module is configured to cooperate with a feeding base to lock and output the assemblable attitude of the electronic components to be assembled. The device is configured to perform pre-assembly material feeding: upon receiving planar reciprocating mechanical excitation, it utilizes the coordination between the discrete guiding unit and the center-of-gravity offset characteristics of the electronic components to be assembled, ensuring that the non-assembly surfaces of the electronic components are stably supported on the discrete guiding unit, thereby unifying all electronic components to be assembled into a stable intermediate posture with the assembly surface facing upwards. The posture locking transmission module is used to flip the electronic components to be assembled in the stable intermediate posture and output a material feeding posture with the assembly surface facing downwards. This solves the problem in existing relay assembly lines where the inconsistent posture of micro-contacts causes placement machine nozzles to fail to pick them up, and also replaces expensive and easily scratch-damaging vibratory feeder equipment, achieving low-cost, high-reliability automated material feeding pre-processing.

[0009] In a specific embodiment, the discrete guiding unit is a miniature cone or column structure protruding from the surface of the microscopic alignment interface substrate. This configuration ensures that the element maintains extremely high motion sensitivity to mechanical stimuli.

[0010] In a specific embodiment, the discrete guide units are distributed in a uniform grid array on the micro-alignment interface; the grid spacing of the grid array is greater than the bottom diameter of the discrete guide units and smaller than the minimum projected size of the electronic components to be assembled. This arrangement ensures that the guide units are distributed densely enough to provide stable multi-point support, while preventing components from being embedded or stuck in the array gaps due to size mismatch, ensuring that the components are always in a sliding or jumping state, rather than a locked state, during the alignment process.

[0011] In a specific embodiment, the discrete guiding unit is a conical protrusion structure. This geometry accelerates the process of eliminating incorrect postures and improves the alignment efficiency.

[0012] In a specific embodiment, the height of the discrete guide unit is set to 0.1 mm, and the array spacing between the discrete guide units is set to 0.5 mm; the geometry defined by the height and spacing can stably support the unassembled surface. This precise geometric tuning ensures that only one orientation (plane facing down) can remain stable for a long time, thus achieving extremely high orientation alignment yield without visual inspection.

[0013] In a specific embodiment, the feeding base includes a rigid bearing base plate and a feeding constraint frame surrounding the micro-alignment interface; the micro-alignment interface is attached to the upper surface of the rigid bearing base plate, and the feeding constraint frame is fixedly connected to the rigid bearing base plate to form an integrated trough-type feeding structure.

[0014] In a specific embodiment, the feed constraint frame has a physical barrier that is higher than the thickness of the electronic component to be assembled, which is used to confine the electronic component to be assembled within the range of the micro-alignment interface.

[0015] In a specific embodiment, the attitude locking transmission module is a flat cover whose geometric dimensions match the contour dimensions of the feeding base; the lower surface of the flat cover is a locking surface used to close the feeding area. During the flipping process, the cover eliminates the degree of freedom of movement of the components, preventing the already aligned components from being misaligned or falling off at the moment of flipping, ensuring that the alignment results can be transferred to the locking surface without damage.

[0016] In a specific embodiment, after the device completes its posture transformation and rotates 180 degrees, the electronic component to be assembled rests on the locking surface, with the non-assembly side of the component exposed upwards, allowing the vacuum nozzle of the external assembly equipment to pick up the non-assembly side. This design greatly caters to the working habits of SMT placement machines and assembly robots, significantly improving the success rate of subsequent processes.

[0017] In a specific embodiment, the electronic component to be assembled is a relay contact; the non-assembly surface is the planar side of the relay contact, and the assembly surface is the convex side of the relay contact; the device is an offline tray feeding fixture adapted to automated relay assembly lines. This design provides a more flexible, lower-cost, and more effective feeding solution for automated relay assembly lines than traditional vibratory feeders, and is particularly suitable for flexible manufacturing scenarios with multiple varieties and small batches.

[0018] This invention provides a directional alignment feeding device for assembling relay components. Compared with the prior art, its significant advantages are as follows: This invention abandons probabilistic track selection and utilizes deterministic physical logic of center of gravity offset and micro-array to uniformly arrange all contacts with the non-assembly surface (plane) facing upwards. This orientation is the ideal pick-up surface for SMT placement machines and vacuum nozzles, fundamentally eliminating nozzle clogging and material rejection problems caused by reverse feeding, and significantly improving the first-pass yield of assembly lines.

[0019] Unlike the long-distance friction conveying of vibratory feeders, this device employs discrete point contact and short-time planar excitation. The functional area of ​​the contacts (silver plating) experiences almost no severe friction with any surface throughout the entire alignment process and is protected underneath in the final feeding state. This design minimizes contact scratches and ensures the contact reliability of the finished relay.

[0020] By using discrete guide units with a height of 0.1mm, this invention creates a physical air gap between the contact and the fixture substrate, cutting off the paths of van der Waals forces and electrostatic adsorption. Even under conditions of varying workshop humidity or trace amounts of oil on the contact surface, it maintains extremely high alignment sensitivity, solving the industry pain point of automating the feeding of miniature, lightweight components.

[0021] As an offline pallet feeding fixture, this device has a simple structure, requires no complex electrical control system, and can be flexibly configured according to production plans. Compared with expensive and difficult-to-change dedicated vibratory feeders, this invention greatly reduces equipment investment costs and is very suitable for flexible assembly production of relays with multiple varieties and small batches. Attached Figure Description

[0022] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the embodiments and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. Other embodiments and many anticipated advantages of the embodiments will be readily recognized as they become better understood through reference to the following detailed description. Elements in the drawings are not necessarily to scale. The same reference numerals refer to corresponding similar parts.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a directional alignment feeding device for assembling relay components according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a front view of a directional alignment feeding device for assembling relay components according to a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 AA section view; Figure 4 This is according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 A partial schematic diagram at point C in the diagram; Figure 5 This is according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 BB section view in the middle; Figure 6 This is according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 A partial schematic diagram of point D in the diagram.

[0024] The meanings of the numbers in the diagram are as follows: 1. Feeding base; 2. Microscopic alignment interface; 3. Feeding constraint frame; 4. Attitude locking transmission module; 5. Discrete guiding unit. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and not intended to limit it. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts relevant to the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0026] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the present invention can be combined with each other. The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0027] The specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a directional alignment feeding device for assembling relay components according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 2 A front view of a directional alignment feeder for assembling relay components according to a specific embodiment of the present invention is shown, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the device mainly consists of a feeding base 1, a micro-alignment interface 2, a feeding constraint frame 3, and an attitude locking transmission module 4. The feeding base 1 forms the main support structure of the device, and its material is typically a rigid material (such as hard alloy or engineering plastic) to ensure that it does not undergo elastic deformation when receiving reciprocating mechanical excitation from an external plane. The micro-alignment interface 2 is located on the bearing surface of the feeding base 1, and it defines a feeding area for receiving the electronic components to be assembled (relay contacts in this embodiment). To prevent components from overflowing during the feeding pre-processing, the feeding constraint frame 3 surrounds the micro-alignment interface 2, forming a closed slot-type feeding structure. The feeding constraint frame 3 has a preset physical barrier height, which is greater than the maximum thickness of the electronic components to be assembled, thereby strictly confining the components within the feeding range.

[0029] Figure 3 This is according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 AA section view, Figure 4 This is according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 A partial schematic diagram at point C in the diagram is shown below. Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the microscopic array interface 2 comprises several discrete guiding units 5 arranged in a matrix. In this embodiment, the discrete guiding units 5 are constructed as micro-conical or cylindrical structures (preferably conical protrusions) protruding from the substrate surface. The tips of these protrusions collectively define a discontinuous discrete support surface on a macroscopic scale. When the electronic component to be assembled is placed on this interface, the tip of the discrete guiding unit 5 forms a point contact with the component, thereby lifting the component body and forming an anti-adhesion air gap between it and the interface substrate. This structural design effectively cuts off the van der Waals forces and electrostatic adsorption paths between the component and the substrate, completely solving the problem of adhesion that easily occurs during the feeding process of micro-contacts, and ensuring that it can respond sensitively to mechanical excitation.

[0030] Figure 5 This is according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 BB section view in the middle, Figure 6 This is according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 A partial schematic diagram of point D in the diagram is shown below. Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural parameters of the discrete guide unit 5 are configured to form a geometric feed filter for a specific electronic component (relay contact) to be assembled: the vertical height of the discrete guide unit 5 is set to 0.1 mm; the center array spacing between adjacent discrete guide units 5 is set to 0.5 mm; the geometric space defined by the height and spacing is used to stabilize the non-assembly surface (i.e., flat reference surface) of the support element, and to use the torque imbalance principle to eliminate the assembly surface (i.e., convex surface) with a higher center of gravity to support the posture.

[0031] In a specific embodiment, the electronic component to be assembled in this application is a relay contact; the non-assembly surface is the planar side of the relay contact, and the assembly surface is the convex side of the relay contact; the device is an offline tray feeding fixture adapted to automated relay assembly lines. This design provides a feeding solution for automated relay assembly lines that is more flexible, lower cost, and effectively protects the coating on the contact surface compared to traditional vibratory feeders, making it particularly suitable for flexible manufacturing scenarios with multiple varieties and small batches.

[0032] The specific working principle of the directional alignment feeding device for relay assembly of the present invention is as follows: Phase 1: Feeding Pre-processing. With the attitude locking transmission module 4 removed, the scattered relay contacts are placed onto the microscopic alignment interface 2 of the feeding base 1. Planar reciprocating mechanical excitation (i.e., rapid horizontal oscillation) is applied to the feeding base 1. If the assembly surface (convex surface) of the contact faces downward, the convex point forms an extremely unstable point contact with the tip of the discrete guide unit 5, and the center of gravity is high, causing it to quickly become unstable and flip under oscillation. If the non-assembly surface (flat surface) of the contact faces downward, the flat surface can be supported by multiple discrete guide units 5 simultaneously, resulting in the lowest and most stable center of gravity, thus this orientation is retained. After a short period of excitation, all contacts are unified to an intermediate state where the non-assembly surface (flat surface) is supported on the guide unit and the assembly surface (convex surface) faces upward.

[0033] Phase Two: Material Feeding and Output. The attitude-locking transmission module 4 (flat cover) is placed over the material feeding constraint frame 3, sealing the feeding area. The closed device is then rotated 180 degrees. At this point, the contacts, in a stable intermediate position, are smoothly transferred and supported by gravity on the flat suction-bearing surface of the attitude-locking transmission module 4. After removing the feeding base 1 (now positioned above), all contacts are in a feeding posture with the assembled surface (convex) facing down and the non-assembled surface (flat) facing up. This posture fully meets the process requirements of SMT placement machines or assembly robots. The vacuum nozzle of external equipment can directly and stably pick up the exposed non-assembled surface (flat) and accurately transfer it to the relay assembly for assembly. Thus, this device transforms disordered bulk materials into a standard tray feeding mode, which can be directly placed into the feeding station of an SMT placement machine without the need for an additional vibratory feeder.

[0034] This invention proposes a directional alignment feeding device for relay assembly, specifically addressing the challenge of precision feeding and pick-up of micro-components such as relay contacts. This device ingeniously introduces mechanical logic into the realm of micro-manipulation. Through a specific discrete guide array, driven by external random mechanical excitation (planar reciprocating oscillation), the device can drive the components to self-organize and evolve their posture, ultimately forcing an unstable support posture into a unique intermediate stable support posture (non-assembly surface support). Combined with a flipping output mechanism, this provides a pick-up posture with the non-assembly surface facing upwards. This achieves precise control from disordered random input to a single deterministic output, providing a low-cost, high-efficiency, and significantly improved pick-up yield dedicated mechanical solution for the automated assembly of micro-components.

[0035] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps not listed in the claims. The word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The simple fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that combinations of these measures cannot be used for improvement. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. A directional alignment feeding device for assembling relay components, characterized in that, include: The feeding base is used to support electronic components to be assembled. A micro-alignment interface is provided on the feeding base; The micro-alignment interface includes a plurality of discrete guiding units arranged in a matrix, the discrete guiding units being configured to establish discontinuous point contact with the electronic components to be assembled; An attitude locking transmission module is configured to cooperate with the feeding base to lock and output the assemblable attitude of the electronic component to be assembled. The device is configured to perform pre-assembly feeding preprocessing: when receiving planar reciprocating mechanical excitation, the discrete guiding unit cooperates with the center-of-gravity offset characteristics of the electronic components to be assembled, so that the non-assembly surface of the electronic components to be assembled is stably supported on the discrete guiding unit, thereby unifying all the electronic components to be assembled into an intermediate stable posture with the assembly surface facing upward; the posture locking transmission module is used to flip the electronic components to be assembled in the intermediate stable posture and output a feeding posture with the assembly surface facing downward.

2. The directional alignment feeding device for relay assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The discrete guiding unit is a micro-cone or column structure protruding from the surface of the micro-alignment interface substrate.

3. The directional alignment feeding device for relay assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that, The discrete guiding units are distributed in a uniform grid array on the micro-alignment interface; the grid spacing of the grid array is greater than the bottom diameter of the discrete guiding units and smaller than the minimum projected size of the electronic components to be assembled.

4. The directional alignment feeding device for relay assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that, The discrete guiding unit is a conical protrusion structure.

5. The directional alignment feeding device for relay assembly according to any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that, The height of the discrete guide unit is set to 0.1 mm, and the array spacing between the discrete guide units is set to 0.5 mm; the geometric structure defined by the height and spacing can stably support the unassembled surface.

6. The directional alignment feeding device for relay assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding base includes a rigid bearing base plate and a feeding constraint frame surrounding the micro-alignment interface; the micro-alignment interface is attached to the upper surface of the rigid bearing base plate, and the feeding constraint frame is fixedly connected to the rigid bearing base plate to form an integrated trough-type feeding structure.

7. The directional alignment feeding device for relay assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that, The feeding constraint frame has a physical barrier that is higher than the thickness of the electronic component to be assembled, which is used to confine the electronic component to be assembled within the range of the micro-alignment interface.

8. The directional alignment feeding device for relay assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The attitude locking transmission module is a flat cover whose geometric dimensions match the outline dimensions of the feeding base; the lower surface of the flat cover is a locking surface used to close the feeding area.

9. The directional alignment feeding device for relay assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that, After the device completes the attitude conversion and rotates 180 degrees, the electronic component to be assembled is supported on the locking surface, and the non-assembly surface of the electronic component to be assembled is exposed upwards, so that the vacuum nozzle of the external assembly equipment can pick up the non-assembly surface.

10. The directional alignment feeding device for relay assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electronic component to be assembled is a relay contact; the non-assembly surface is the planar side of the relay contact, and the assembly surface is the convex side of the relay contact; the device is an offline tray feeding fixture adapted to an automated relay assembly production line.

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