Conveyor equipment and method for conveyor belt waste, as well as assembly equipment and system

Abstract

The present invention describes a conveying device for conveying waste-laden belts from an assembly component, the conveying device comprising: i) a conveying member arranged along a first conveying direction and a second conveying direction, the conveying member including: a first pusher attached to the conveying member in a protruding manner, and a second pusher attached to the conveying member in a protruding manner and spaced from the first pusher in the conveying direction; ii) a driver coupled to the conveying member and configured to: a) cause the conveying member to move continuously along the first conveying direction and the second conveying direction; b) guide the first pusher from a first initial position along the first conveying direction to a discharge, wherein the first pusher pushes a first waste-laden belt; c) guide the first pusher back to the first initial position along the second conveying direction; d) guide the second pusher from a second initial position along the first conveying direction to a discharge; and e) guide the second pusher back to the second initial position along the second conveying direction.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to handling the tape waste accumulated during the operation of an automatic assembly machine when automatically assembling electronic components onto a substrate. In particular, the present invention relates to a conveying device for conveying tape waste from an assembly component, the use of the conveying device, an assembly device, an assembly system, and a method for conveying tape waste from an assembly component. Background Art

[0002] In an assembly component for assembling electronic components onto a substrate or a component carrier (such as a printed circuit board), components are typically provided by a supply device arranged on an assembly machine of the assembly component. These components are located in the recesses of a so-called component tape. The component tape is conveyed by a conveying mechanism of the supply device to sequentially provide the components at a defined pick-up position, and the assembly head of the assembly machine picks up the components from the corresponding recesses here. Then, the emptied component tape exits the supply device at an appropriate location.

[0003] Generally, after the emptied component tape exits the supply device at regular intervals, it needs to be cut short or severed so that the emptied component tape representing residual waste becomes a shape that is easy to handle. The shredded segments of the emptied component tape are collected in a waste container provided therefor, and the operator has to empty it from time to time.

[0004] Especially in the case of a larger assembly system having a plurality of assembly components, the tape waste can become a very complex and costly challenge. In one example, the waste container needs to be emptied approximately every 20 minutes. If the assembly system has 25 assembly lines, each assembly line having 4 assembly components (each with two waste containers), then 200 waste containers have to be emptied every 20 minutes. During a 24-hour shift, 14,400 waste containers need to be emptied. Traditionally, this is carried out by an operator, resulting in a large amount of work and cost expenditure. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to achieve an efficient and cost-effective handling of component tape waste, especially one that can be easily integrated into an existing system.

[0006] The solution of the present invention to achieve the above object is the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the present invention are referred to the dependent claims.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a conveying device for conveying strip waste of (components) from an assembly component is described. The conveying device includes: a conveying member arranged along a first conveying direction (the strip waste conveying direction) and a second conveying direction (the return conveying direction of the pusher), wherein the second conveying direction is (substantially) opposite to the first conveying direction. The conveying member includes: a first pusher attached to the conveying member in a protruding manner (especially vertically); and a second pusher attached to the conveying member in a protruding manner (especially vertically) and spaced (successively) from the first pusher in the conveying direction. The conveying device further includes a driver mechanically coupled to the conveying member and configured to:

[0008] i) cause the conveying member to move continuously (forward) along the first conveying direction and the second conveying direction (i.e., a circular motion similar to a conveyor belt or a conveyor chain in principle); (at this time)

[0009] ii) guide the first pusher from a first initial position along the first conveying direction (in the first conveying direction) to a discharge, wherein the first pusher pushes or conveys a first strip waste (provided by the strip waste output of the assembly component) (and feeds the first strip waste to the discharge); (thereafter)

[0010] iii) guide the first pusher back to the first initial position along the second conveying direction (the first pusher is actually guided along a loop with the conveying member), wherein the first pusher (substantially) does not push any strip waste (which has been fed to the discharge);

[0011] iv) guide the second pusher from a second initial position along the first conveying direction (in the first conveying direction) to a discharge, wherein the second pusher pushes a second strip waste (provided by the strip waste output of the assembly component) (and feeds the second strip waste to the discharge), and (thereafter)

[0012] v) guide the second pusher back to the second initial position along the second conveying direction (the second pusher is actually guided along a loop), wherein the second pusher (substantially) does not push any strip waste (which has been fed to the waste).

[0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, a use of a conveying device for conveying strip waste from an assembly component for assembling electronic components on a component carrier (especially a plurality, more especially at least four assembly components (or assembly systems)) is described.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, an assembly device is described. The assembly device includes: (i) an assembly component for assembling electronic components onto a component carrier, the assembly component having: a) a component supply device for supplying electronic components located in a component tape; b) an automatic assembly machine having an assembly head for picking up the supplied electronic components and placing the picked-up electronic components on the component carrier to be assembled located in an assembly area; and c) a cutting device for cutting off an empty section of the component tape, wherein the cut-off section represents tape waste. Additionally, the assembly device includes: ii) a conveying device as described above for conveying the tape waste to a discharge opening.

[0015] According to still another aspect of the present invention, an assembly system is described, which includes: the assembly component as described above and another assembly component that outputs additional tape waste. Here, the conveying device is configured to also convey the additional tape waste to a discharge opening.

[0016] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for conveying (component) tape waste from an assembly component is described. The method includes:

[0017] i) causing a conveying member to move continuously along a first conveying direction and a second conveying direction, wherein the second conveying direction is (substantially) opposite to the first conveying direction;

[0018] ii) guiding a first pusher attached to the conveying member in a protruding manner from a first initial position along the first conveying direction to a discharge opening, wherein the first pusher pushes a first tape waste;

[0019] iii) guiding the first pusher back to the first initial position along the second conveying direction, wherein the first pusher (substantially) does not push any tape waste;

[0020] iv) guiding a second pusher attached to the conveying member in a protruding manner and spaced from the first pusher in the conveying direction from a second initial position along the first conveying direction to a discharge opening, wherein the second pusher pushes a second tape waste; and

[0021] v) guiding the second pusher back to the second initial position along the second conveying direction, wherein the second pusher (substantially) does not push any tape waste.

[0022] In the context of the present text, the term "conveyor element" may refer to any part adapted to move continuously along a conveying direction by means of a drive (continuous conveyor). Preferably, there is a first conveying direction along which the waste belt is conveyed to the discharge by means of a pusher. Additionally, preferably, there is a second conveying direction along which the pusher (without the waste belt) is conveyed back to its respective initial position. The term "initial position" preferably refers to a position along the first conveying direction at which no waste belt from the assembly component has been provided for the respective pusher yet. The conveyor element can move continuously in the same direction, such that the conveyor element can be arranged as a closed loop extending continuously along the first conveying direction and along the second conveying direction. In a preferred example, the conveyor element is configured as a conveyor chain running in a circle, while the protruding pushers push the waste belt. Here, the driving element of the drive, for example, has a sprocket wheel that causes the conveyor chain to move continuously forward. In another example, the conveyor element can be designed as a conveyor belt, where the driving element is, for example, a roller (reel). For example, the conveyor belt can move continuously from one roller to another (reel to reel), while the pusher pushes the waste belt.

[0023] In the context of the present text, the term "drive" may in particular refer to any device adapted to continuously move the above-mentioned conveyor element. For example, the drive can have a motor and a driving element. Then, a coupling between the motor and the conveyor element can be provided by means of the driving element (such as a sprocket wheel or a roller).

[0024] In the context of this document, the term "pusher" may refer to any part that can be attached to the conveyor element and is adapted to convey or push (transfer) the waste belt. Specifically, these pushers work according to the broom (or brush) principle, whereby dirt or waste is conveyed by means of a suitable pushing motion. In one embodiment, the pushers are plate-shaped, but they can also be implemented as brush elements, for example. There can be both a rigid design (such as made of metal) and a (semi-)flexible design (such as made of a polymer like plastic).

[0025] It should be noted that there is in principle no upper limit to the number of pushers. As the number of pushers increases, the spacing between adjacent pushers can be shortened, which helps to reduce the amount of waste belt assigned to each pusher. Additionally, as the number of pushers increases, the length of the entire conveying path can also be increased.

[0026] In the context of the present text, the term "discharge" may refer to the fact that the waste belt conveyed by means of a conveying device leaves here. Thus, the discharge can be both a method step (discharging the waste belt from the conveying device) and an object (such as a waste container). In a simple embodiment, the waste belt drops out of the conveying device (by means of gravity). In another embodiment, the conveying device has a discharge element (such as a material chute) by means of which the waste belt can be conveyed to a specific location (such as into a waste container).

[0027] According to an exemplary embodiment, the present invention can be based on the following concept: If a conveyor with a protruding pusher is provided to an assembly component, and the accumulated strip waste is continuously conveyed along a first conveying direction to a blanking point by means of the pusher, then an efficient and cost-effective treatment of the strip waste of the assembly component can be achieved. Here, the conveyor is designed such that a drive causes the conveyor to move steadily forward during a continuous motion cycle. A closed loop is achieved by conveying the pusher back to its respective initial position along a second conveying direction (substantially opposite to the first conveying direction).

[0028] Traditional strip waste has to be laboriously processed manually, but it has been unexpectedly recognized in the present invention that an efficient and cost-effective treatment is achieved by providing a (continuous) conveying loop.

[0029] The conveying device can in particular be easily integrated into an existing assembly system. For example, the conveying device can be placed below one or (preferably) more assembly components without special modification of the system. The conveying device can be arranged such that the pusher carries all the strip waste that drops from the strip waste outlets (such as material chutes) of various assembly components (thereby, for example, eliminating other commonly used waste containers).

[0030] In principle, for very large systems with long assembly lines (and / or a large number of assembly components), the conveying device can be extended in this way. This can contribute to a significant reduction in the work steps in the assembly system. Referring to the example given above, the conveying device (or a plurality of such conveying devices) can in principle, for example, replace the manual collection and emptying of 14,400 waste containers in each 24-hour shift.

[0031] According to one embodiment, the conveyor has a conveyor chain or a conveyor belt. The advantage of this can be that an efficient circular motion can be achieved by simple means. The conveyor chain in particular has high efficiency and tear resistance and rarely requires maintenance. Different types of fixtures, such as pushers, can be configured in a practical way.

[0032] According to another embodiment, the drive has at least one rotatable part (in particular a sprocket or a roller). This also has the advantage that an efficient circular motion can be achieved by simple means. The wear degree of continuous rotation in the same direction is very low, thereby extending the service life, for example, compared with other conveying methods that involve direction changes (forward, backward).

[0033] According to another embodiment, the waste strip comprises a plurality of sections that empty the element strip. Such an advantage may be that the emptied element strip, which represents a large amount of processing, can be efficiently transported away directly after output. It has been proven that cutting the emptied element strip is a mandatory measure because there is not enough space under the automatic assembly machine or between the assembly lines to rewind the emptied element strip.

[0034] According to another embodiment, the first pusher and / or the second pusher is designed as one selected from the group consisting of: rigid, flexible, semi-flexible. In this way, a matching configuration can be selected for the current situation. In some cases, a rigid (robustness) design is preferred. Hard materials such as metals can be used here. In another case, a flexible (bendability) or semi-flexible design may be preferred, so that bendable materials such as polymers (plastics, rubbers, etc.) can be used. Depending on the need, the pusher can be a hard slide or a soft slide. It may also be a combination of the two, such as a combination of a rigid pusher and a flexible pusher.

[0035] According to another embodiment, the first pusher and / or the second pusher is plate-shaped or brush-shaped. Similarly, in this way, a matching configuration can be selected for the current situation. The term "plate-shaped" can especially refer to a (monolithic) shape in which the extent in two spatial directions (x, y) is many times greater than the extent in the third spatial direction (z). On the other hand, a "brush" is not a monolithic shape but can have a plurality of brush elements, such as bristles or a brush cloth.

[0036] According to another embodiment, the conveying device further comprises: a conveying channel arranged along the conveying direction, wherein the conveying element is (at least partially) arranged inside the conveying channel. In this way, the conveying can be carried out in a particularly reliable manner because the conveyed waste strip will not fall off from the side. By means of a suitable chute, it is possible to reliably transfer the cut section of the emptied strip into the conveying channel, and these chutes can ensure that the strip section is transferred into the conveying channel by gravity.

[0037] According to another embodiment, the conveying channel (at least partially) encloses the conveying element. The top surface of the conveying channel especially has an opening for receiving the waste strip. Such an advantage may be that the conveyed waste strip will neither fall off from the side nor can the waste strip be reliably introduced (for example, through the material chute of the assembly component). The conveying channel can have sides (and optionally a bottom surface). Additionally, the conveying channel can have a top surface. In this case, the conveying channel is substantially closed around the conveying device. The opening in the top surface can preferably be arranged along the waste strip output part.

[0038] According to another embodiment, the conveying device further includes a blanking member, which is coupled to the conveying member and can guide the strip waste to the blanking member. Such an advantage can be that the strip waste can be targeted from the conveying device to the intended processing location (such as a waste container). The blanking member can be implemented as a funnel, a cylinder, or a material chute, for example. The blanking member is preferably attached to the point where the first conveying direction converges with the second conveying direction (commutation point) or where the driving member is provided.

[0039] According to another embodiment, the first part of the conveying member is arranged (substantially) flat, especially parallel to the ground, and the second part of the conveying member is attached to a higher position relative to the first part. In particular, its height is at least ten times (especially at least twenty times) the width of the conveying member. In addition, in particular, the second part has a blanking member. Such a configuration can provide the following advantages: the first part can be arranged under the assembly component in a space-saving manner, while the second part can achieve targeted blanking into the waste container. Here, in particular, the blanking is conveyed by gravity, which can be achieved without any additional cost. The height of the blanking member can be very flexible and, for example, based on the height of the waste container.

[0040] According to another embodiment, the first part includes a conveying channel while the second part does not include a conveying channel. In this way, the second part can be flexibly matched to the situation at that time or the waste container used and its position.

[0041] According to another embodiment, both the first part and the second part include a conveying channel. In contrast, such an advantage is that it is impossible to fall from the side along the second part of the conveying member.

[0042] According to another embodiment, the assembly component has a strip waste output. It can have an inclination and can be constructed as a material chute, for example.

[0043] According to another embodiment, the above-mentioned conveying device is used to collect and convey strip waste not only from one assembly component but from at least two assembly components. In this case, these two assembly components (i.e., the assembly component and another assembly component) can be at least a part of an assembly line, where mainly multiple assembly components are associated by an element carrier conveying device, and at least partially convey the element carriers to be assembled from the upstream-positioned assembly component to the downstream-positioned (another) assembly component by means of this element carrier conveying device.

[0044] Generally, the upstream-positioned first assembly component can ensure placing the first group of electronic components on the element carrier to be assembled. The downstream-positioned second assembly component can ensure placing the second group of electronic components on the element carrier to be assembled, where the second group is at least partially different from the first group.

[0045] The conveying direction of the component carrier conveying device is preferably parallel to the conveying direction of the waste tape conveying device. The component supply device and the additional component supply device can preferably be positioned laterally beside the component carrier conveying device.

[0046] According to another embodiment, the conveying device (especially the first part of the conveying element) is at least partially located below the assembly unit (preferably below at least two assembly units), especially below at least one selected from the group consisting of: the component supply device, the assembly area, and the cutting device.

[0047] In this way, the structural space of the conveying device or the above-mentioned conveying system for automatically removing waste tape can be utilized in an advantageous manner, which has basically not been used in the known assembly lines. In this way, the waste tape can be automatically removed in the production area or the machine shop without any additional placement positions.

[0048] In addition, the above-mentioned conveying device can be integrated into the existing assembly line without any fundamental reconstruction of the relevant assembly line. To implement the present invention, the assembly line does not require a larger placement area.

[0049] According to still another embodiment of the present invention, the additional assembly unit includes: (i) an additional component supply device for supplying additional electronic components located in an additional component tape; (ii) an additional automatic assembly machine having an additional assembly head for picking up the supplied additional electronic components and placing the picked additional electronic components on a component carrier to be assembled located in an additional assembly area of the additional automatic assembly machine; and (iii) an additional cutting device for cutting off the emptied section of the additional component tape, wherein the cut-off section represents additional waste tape.

[0050] According to another embodiment, the assembly unit and the additional assembly unit are arranged adjacent to each other (or both are part of an assembly line), and the conveying device (at least partially) is arranged below the assembly unit and below the additional assembly unit. The advantage of this is that the cumulative waste tape from multiple assembly units can be collected by a single conveying device. In principle, a single conveying device can handle all the cumulative waste from the entire assembly line in this way. The assembly units of this production line (especially in the case of an extremely long production line) preferably delay the dropping of their waste tape, so that particularly efficient conveying can be achieved (without the risk of blocking the conveying device). In the case where each assembly unit has two supply devices (and two spatially offset waste tape output parts), two conveying devices (preferably parallel to each other) can also be placed below the assembly unit.

[0051] According to another embodiment, the assembly system includes a plurality of assembly components and corresponding multiple material drops. In a particularly time- and cost-saving manner, these material drops (such as drop pieces and / or waste containers) are coupled to a common waste container. This enables the particularly efficient removal or processing of waste-laden materials.

[0052] According to another embodiment, the method is performed for an assembly line having at least two, in particular at least four (more particularly at least eight) assembly components. The advantage of this can be that the method (or the conveying device) can be used for a large number of assembly components and preferably for the entire assembly line.

[0053] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in connection with different inventive concepts. In particular, certain embodiments of the present invention are described by product claims, while other embodiments of the present invention are described by method claims. However, it will be clear to those skilled in the art after reading this application that, in addition to combinations of features belonging to one type of inventive concept, any combination of features belonging to different types of inventive concepts may also exist, unless otherwise explicitly stated.

[0054] More advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the present invention by way of example. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] Figure 1 A plan view of a conveying device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0056] Figure 2 A top view of a conveying device according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0057] Figure 3 A top view of an assembly device having assembly components and a conveying device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0058] Figure 4 A top view of an assembly device having assembly components and a conveying device according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0059] Figure 5 A top view of an assembly device according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown, wherein the conveying device has a conveying channel.

[0060] Figure 6 A top view of a conveying device having a conveying channel and a raised drop piece according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0061] Figure 7 A side view of an assembly system according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0062] Figure 8Shows a side view of an assembly system according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0063] Figure 9 Shows a bottom view of an assembly system according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] Reference numerals:

[0065] 100 Conveyor equipment

[0066] 101 First part

[0067] 102 Second part

[0068] 105 Driving member

[0069] 110 Conveyor

[0070] 120 First pusher

[0071] 130 Second pusher

[0072] 150 Overall waste

[0073] 150a, 150b First waste, second waste

[0074] 160 Blanking

[0075] 161 Blanking member

[0076] 180 Conveyor channel

[0077] 181 Top surface of the conveyor channel

[0078] 182 Conveyor channel opening

[0079] 200 Assembly equipment

[0080] 201 Assembly component

[0081] 202 Component supply equipment

[0082] 204 Automatic assembly machine

[0083] 205 Assembly area

[0084] 206 Cutting equipment

[0085] 210 Waste output section

[0086] 260 Waste container

[0087] 301 Additional assembly component

[0088] 302 Additional component supply equipment

[0089] 304 Additional automatic assembly machine

[0090] 305 Additional assembly area

[0091] 310 Additional waste output section

[0092] 360 Additional waste container

[0093] 400 Assembly system

[0094] F1 First conveying direction

[0095] F2 Second conveying direction. Detailed implementation manners

[0096] It should be noted that in the following detailed description, corresponding features or components of different embodiments and another embodiment that are the same or at least functionally the same are marked with the same reference numerals or the last two digits of their reference numerals are the same as those of the corresponding features or components that are the same or at least functionally the same. To avoid repetition, the features or components that have been described based on the foregoing embodiments will not be specifically elaborated hereinafter.

[0097] It should also be noted that the embodiments described hereinafter only show a limited selection of possible variant solutions of the present invention. In particular, the features of various embodiments can be combined with each other in an appropriate manner, so that those skilled in the art can clearly see that there are various different embodiments of the variant solutions explicitly shown herein.

[0098] According to an exemplary embodiment, the removal of the belt waste can be described as follows: The brush member on the chain in the channel is assembled under the assembly machine. The residual belt falls into a path, in which the brush member can make the residual in the channel move along one direction. The chain with brushes is a continuously moving closed system. An automated solution for conveying belt waste is described herein, which will reduce the workload of the operator on the machine and take a further step towards Industry 4.0.

[0099] Figure 1A plan view of a conveying device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, which forms part of an assembly device 200, is shown. The conveying device 100 conveys strip waste 150 accumulated at an assembly component 201 due to the cutting and emptying of an element strip. The strip waste 150 is output through a strip waste output section 210 (such as a material chute) of the assembly component 201. The conveying device 100 has a conveying member 110, which is designed as a conveyor chain or a conveyor belt. The conveying member 110 is arranged along a first conveying direction F1, which is the conveying direction of the strip waste 150 to the blanking 160. In addition, the conveying member 110 is arranged along a second conveying direction F2, which is opposite to the first conveying direction F1 and is the return conveying direction (of the pusher). This is because the conveying member 110 is arranged as a closed loop, which continuously moves in one direction by means of a drive.

[0100] The conveying member 110 has a plurality of (substantially vertical) protruding pusher members 120, 130, and two of them will be described by way of example below. The first pusher member 120 and the second pusher member 130 are attached to the conveying member 110 in a protruding manner and spaced apart from each other in the conveying directions F1, F2. In the illustrated example, they are designed as rigid plates. However, the pusher members can also be, for example, brush-shaped and / or arranged to be flexible.

[0101] The drive of the conveying device 100 has a motor (not shown), which is mechanically coupled to the conveying member 110 via two drive members 105. The drive members 105 can be implemented, for example, as rollers or sprockets, depending on whether a conveyor belt or a conveyor chain is used as the conveying member 110.

[0102] In the operating state, the conveyor element 110 moves continuously (by means of a drive) along a first conveying direction F1 and a second conveying direction F2. Due to this configuration, the following additional steps result: The first pusher 120 is guided from a first initial position along the first conveying direction F1 (in the direction F1 as shown in the figure) to the discharge 160, where the first pusher 120 pushes the first strip of waste 150a. The first strip of waste 150a is provided by the strip waste output 210 and carried or conveyed / pushed by the first pusher 120. At the end of the first conveying direction F1, a discharge 160 of the first strip of waste 150a takes place, for example, it is fed into a waste container. Then, the first pusher 120 is guided back to the first initial position along the second conveying direction F2, where the first pusher 120 no longer pushes any strip of waste. The same process is repeated for the second pusher 130, which carries the second strip of waste 150b provided by the strip waste output 210: The second pusher 130 is guided from a second initial position along the first conveying direction F1 to the discharge 160 (subsequently the second strip of waste 150b drops), where the second pusher 130 pushes the second strip of waste 150b, and the second pusher 130 is guided back to the second initial position along the second conveying direction F2, where the second pusher no longer pushes any strip of waste.

[0103] Figure 2 Shows a top view of two mutually parallel arranged conveying devices 100 according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention. The conveying device 100 is constructed in a manner similar to the above Figure 1 wherein the conveyor elements 110 are additionally arranged inside a conveying channel 180, which includes a top surface 181 and two side walls. The conveying channel 180 is made of metal, for example, and ensures that the strip of waste 150 does not fall between the pushers 120, 130 during conveyance. In the example shown, the conveying channel 180 has an opening 182 in the top surface at those locations where the strip waste outputs 210 of the assembly unit 200 are located. Two conveying devices 100 are used, each conveying device 100 being coupled to the strip waste outputs 210, 310 of two assembly units 201, 301. This is because each of the two assembly units 201, 301 has two spatially spaced strip waste outputs 210, 310. The continuous circular movement of the respective conveyor elements 110 along the first conveying direction F1 and the second conveying direction F2 is indicated by arrows.

[0104] Figure 3Shows a top view of an assembly device 200 having an assembly component 201 and the conveying device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The assembly component 201 is used to assemble electronic components for a component carrier and includes: i) a component supply device 202 (not shown in this figure), which is used to supply electronic components located in a component tape; ii) an automatic assembly machine 204 having an assembly head, which is used to pick up the supplied electronic components and place the picked-up electronic components on the component carrier to be assembled located in the assembly area 205; and iii) a cutting device 206, which is used to cut off the emptied section of the component tape (the cut section represents tape waste 150), wherein the cutting device 206 is located above the tape waste output section 210. The conveying device 100 for conveying the tape waste 150 is associated with the assembly device 200, rather than the assembly component 201. The conveying device 100 can be flexibly installed as an independent part into an existing (assembly) system.

[0105] Figure 4 Shows, as shown in Figure 3 a top view of the assembly device 200 in an operating state. The arrow indicates that the tape waste 150 falls from the tape waste output section 210 between the pushing members 120 and 130 of the conveying member 110 and is jointly pushed by these pushing members along the first conveying direction F1.

[0106] Figure 5 Shows, as shown in Figure 4 a top view of the assembly device 200 in an operating state, wherein the conveying device 100 additionally has a conveying channel 180 (see Figure 2 ). The tape waste 150 precisely falls through the tape waste output section 210 into the opening 182 of the conveying channel 180. Inside the (substantially) closed conveying channel 180, the tape waste 150 is conveyed along the first conveying direction F1 without the risk of waste falling from the side.

[0107] Figure 6A top view of a conveying device 100 having a conveying channel 180 and a raised discharge member 161 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. Here, two portions 101, 102 of the conveying device 100 can be defined. The first portion 101 is surrounded by the conveying channel 180, and an opening 182 for introducing the strip waste 150 is present therein. The first portion 101 is configured to be placed flat (in a plane) on the ground (such as a factory floor) or under one or more assembly components 201, 301. The second portion 102 (in this example) is not surrounded by the conveying channel 180 and is different from the first portion 101. The second portion 102 is not configured to be placed on the ground. Instead, the second portion 102 is bent upward. Its height relative to the ground (where the first portion 101 is placed on the ground) is at least ten times the width of the conveying member 110. This design enables the targeted discharge 160 to be provided by gravity. For this purpose, a tubular discharge member 161 is provided at the end of the second portion 102, and the strip waste can be discharged through the tubular discharge member 161 in a targeted manner. For example, a waste container can be positioned below the raised discharge member 161. The discharge member 161 is arranged adjacent to the driving member 105 (such as a sprocket) such that the strip waste can leave the conveying member 110 at this turning point (from the conveying direction F1 to the conveying direction F2). For clarity, the pusher members are not shown in this figure (and the following figure). However, these pusher members preferably exist and convey the strip waste 150 upward until the discharge member 161.

[0108] Figure 7 A side view of an assembly system 400 having two assembly components 201, 301 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. The two assembly components 201, 301 are similarly (or substantially identically) constructed and placed adjacent to each other such that they form an assembly line (or a part thereof). The overall configuration of the assembly component 201 has been described above with respect to Figure 3 Another assembly component 301 includes another supply device 302, another automatic assembly machine 304 having another assembly area 305, and another cutting device. Figure 7 The supply device 202 and another supply device 302 are also shown in

[0109] The two automatic assembly machines 204 and 304 are connected to each other by an element carrier conveying device (not shown). Using this conveying device, an element carrier that has been partially assembled with electronic components by the automatic assembly machine 304 can be transported into the assembly area 205 of the automatic assembly machine 204. Then, additional electronic components are assembled for the element carrier in this assembly area.

[0110] As with the component carriers, the waste belt handling systems of the two automatic assembly machines 204, 304 are connected or coupled. The conveying device 100 is placed below the assembly assemblies 201, 301 and guided through these assembly assemblies. In the view shown, only the conveying channel 180 of the first part 101 of the conveying device 100 below the assembly assemblies 201, 301 can be seen. In the present embodiment, each of the assembly assemblies 201, 301 has two spatially separated waste belt outlets 210, 310, such that the two conveying devices 100 are used side by side with each other.

[0111] During operation of the assembly system 400, each of the four cutting devices 206 produces waste belts 150. These waste belts 150 accumulate simultaneously and / or staggered in time. As Figure 2 shown, the falling waste belts 150 are collected and conveyed to the second part 102 of the conveying device 100, where they are cleared via the blanking member 161 into the respective waste containers 260 (preferably a single one).

[0112] Figure 8 shown Figure 7 is a side view of the assembly system 400. It can be seen from this figure that the two conveying devices 100 are positioned below the assembly assemblies 201, 301 and accordingly convey away all the accumulated waste belts 150. Each of the two conveying devices 100 conveys the respective waste belts 150 into its own waste containers 260, 360. In this way, all four waste belt outlets 210 of the two assembly assemblies 201, 301 can be emptied directly and continuously. In principle, this function can be extended to significantly more assembly assemblies (within an assembly line). Preferably, the waste belts 150 of all these assembly assemblies can be collected in one (or two) waste containers.

[0113] Figure 9 shown Figure 7 and Figure 8 is a bottom view of the assembly system 400. It can be clearly seen how the two conveying devices 100 are placed below the assembly assemblies 201, 301.

Claims

1. A conveying device (100) placed below a plurality of assembly components, the conveying device being used to convey waste strips (150) from the assembly components (201, 301), the conveying device (100) comprising: A conveying member (110) arranged along a first conveying direction (F1) and a second conveying direction (F2), wherein the second conveying direction (F2) is opposite to the first conveying direction (F1), and the conveying member (110) comprises: A first pusher (120) attached to the conveying member (110) in a protruding manner, and A second pusher (130) attached to the conveying member (110) in a protruding manner and spaced from the first pusher (120) in the conveying direction (F1, F2); A driver coupled to the conveying member (110) and configured to: Cause the conveying member (110) to move continuously along the first conveying direction (F1) and the second conveying direction (F2); Guide the first pusher (120) from a first initial position along the first conveying direction (F1) to a blanking point (160), wherein the first pusher (120) pushes a first waste strip (150a); Guide the first pusher (120) back to the first initial position along the second conveying direction (F2), wherein the first pusher (120) does not push any waste strip; Guide the second pusher (130) from a second initial position along the first conveying direction (F1) to the blanking point (160), wherein the second pusher (130) pushes a second waste strip (150b); and Guide the second pusher (130) back to the second initial position along the second conveying direction (F2), wherein the second pusher (130) does not push any waste strip; Wherein the conveying member (110) comprises a conveyor chain or a conveyor belt, and Wherein the driver has at least one rotatable driving member (105) arranged to rotate about a vertical axis so that the first pusher (120) and the second pusher (130) protrude laterally from the conveyor chain or the conveyor belt; The conveying device (100) further comprises: A blanking member (161) coupled to the conveying member (110) and enabling the waste strip (150) to be guided to the blanking point (160), Wherein a first part (101) of the conveying member (110) can be attached flat and parallel to the ground, Wherein a second part (102) of the conveying member (110) can be attached at a higher position relative to the first part (101), and Wherein the second part (102) comprises the blanking member (161).

2. The conveying device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one rotatable driving member (105) comprises a sprocket or a roller.

3. The conveying device (100) according to claim 1, Among them, The waste strip (150) comprises a plurality of sections of at least one emptying element strip.

4. The conveying device (100) according to claim 1, Among them, The first pusher (120) and / or the second pusher (130) are designed to be one selected from the group consisting of: rigid, flexible, semi-flexible.

5. The conveying device (100) according to claim 1, Among them, The first pusher (120) and / or the second pusher (130) has a plate shape or a brush shape.

6. The conveying device (100) according to claim 1, further comprising: A conveying channel (180) arranged along the conveying direction (F1, F2), wherein the conveying member (110) is at least partially arranged inside the conveying channel (180).

7. The conveying device (100) according to claim 6, Among them, The conveying channel (180) is at least partially closed around the conveying member (110).

8. The conveying device (100) according to claim 7, Among them, The conveying channel (180) has an opening (182) for receiving the tape waste (150) from the assembly component (201).

9. The conveying device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the second part (102) of the conveying member is attached at a higher position relative to the first part (101), and the height is at least ten times the width of the conveying member (110).

10. The conveying device (100) according to claim 6, Among them, The first part (101) includes the conveying channel (180); and wherein the second part (102) does not include the conveying channel (180), or wherein the second part (102) includes the conveying channel (180).

11. The use of the conveying device (100) according to claim 1 is for conveying the tape waste (150) of the assembly component (201) for assembling electronic components on an element carrier.

12. An assembly device (200), comprising: An assembly component (201) for assembling electronic components on an element carrier, the assembly component (201) comprising: An element supply device (202) for supplying electronic components located in an element tape; An automatic assembly machine (204) having an assembly head for picking up the supplied electronic components and placing the picked-up electronic components on the element carrier to be assembled located in the assembly area (205); A cutting device (206) for cutting off the emptied section of the element tape, wherein the cut-off section represents the tape waste (150); and The conveying device (100) according to claim 1 for conveying the tape waste (150) towards the blanking (160).

13. The assembly device (200) according to claim 12, wherein, The conveying device (100) is at least partially located below the assembly component (201).

14. An assembly system (400), comprising: The assembly device (200) according to claim 12; Another assembly component (301), which comprises: Another element supply device (302) for supplying another electronic component located in another element tape; Another automatic assembly machine (304) with an additional assembly head, which is used to pick up the supplied additional electronic components and place the picked additional electronic components on a component carrier to be assembled located in an additional assembly area (305) of the said another automatic assembly machine (304); and Another cutting device, which is used to cut off the emptied section of the said another component tape, wherein the cut-off section represents another tape waste (150); Wherein, the conveying device (100) is configured to also convey the said another tape waste (150) to the chute (160).

15. The assembly system (400) according to claim 14, Among them, The said assembly component (201) is arranged adjacent to the said another assembly component (301), and Wherein, the conveying device (100) is at least partially arranged below the said assembly component (201) and below the said another assembly component (301).

16. The assembly system (400) according to claim 14 or 15, Further comprising: A plurality of assembly devices (200); and Corresponding multiple chutes (160); Wherein, the said chutes (160) are coupled to a common waste container.

17. A method for conveying tape waste (150a, 150b) from an assembly component (201), the method comprising: Providing the conveying device according to claim 1; The conveying member (110) moves continuously along the said first conveying direction (F1) and the said second conveying direction (F2), wherein the said second conveying direction (F2) is opposite to the said first conveying direction (F1); Guiding a first pusher (120) attached to the conveying member (110) in a protruding manner from a first initial position along the said first conveying direction (F1) to the chute (160), wherein the said first pusher (120) pushes a first tape waste (150a); Guiding the said first pusher (120) back to the said first initial position along the said second conveying direction (F2), wherein the said first pusher (120) does not push any tape waste; Guiding a second pusher (130) attached to the conveying member (110) in a protruding manner and spaced from the said first pusher (120) in the said conveying direction (F1, F2) from a second initial position along the said first conveying direction (F1) to the said chute (160), wherein the said second pusher (130) pushes a second tape waste (150b); and Guiding the said second pusher (130) back to the said second initial position along the said second conveying direction (F2), wherein the said second pusher (130) does not push any tape waste.

18. The method according to claim 17, Among them, The method is executed for an assembly line having at least two assembly components (201, 301).

19. The method according to claim 18, Among them, The method is executed for an assembly line having at least 4 assembly components (201, 301).

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