A conformal circuit printer and a printer space coordinate mapping method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a conformal circuit printer and a printer space coordinate mapping method, relating to the field of printing technology. The conformal circuit printer includes: a machine tool, as well as a print head, a scanner, a contact probe, an origin calibration component, a workpiece seat for placing a workpiece, and a plurality of positioning reference balls configured on the machine tool; at least the scanner, the contact probe, the origin calibration component, and the reference balls are used to cooperate to determine the actual coordinate relationship between the print head and the workpiece. The conformal circuit printer in the embodiments of the present disclosure realizes the measurement and detection of the printer space coordinates through the scanner, the contact probe, the origin calibration component, and the reference balls, which can effectively reduce the errors in the processes such as the installation and assembly of the printer and the operation movement, and further can accurately and reliably determine the coordinate relationship between the print head and the workpiece.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of printing technology, and particularly relates to a conformal circuit printer and a printer space coordinate mapping method. Background Art

[0002] Circuits (circuit boards) are important electronic components. Almost all electronic devices rely on circuit boards. From electronic watches, general-purpose computers, televisions, to supercomputers, communication devices, military weapon systems, etc., electrical interconnections between them all require circuits. To meet the demand for continuous miniaturization of electronic devices, many manufacturers have started using conformal electronics technology to directly set circuits on the surface of structural parts. Usually, the integrated manufacturing of structural workpieces and conformal circuits is achieved by stacking slices of multiple materials layer by layer. However, for high-precision and complex structural parts, the 3D printing quality and efficiency are difficult to meet industrial requirements.

[0003] In this regard, compared with traditional 3D printing, surface conformal printing does not require machining of structural parts and can directly print circuits on structural parts, thus avoiding the manufacturing requirements for high-precision and complex structural parts and greatly improving manufacturing efficiency. Currently, conformal circuit printers mainly rely on scanners to obtain the coordinate relationship between the workpiece and the machine tool. Since the deflection of the print head relative to the machine tool is measured during installation and the spatial coordinate relationship between the print head and the workpiece can be obtained after conversion, and then the printing trajectory is generated. However, the accuracy of the position relationship between the machine tool and the print head measured manually cannot be guaranteed. In addition, since the print head and / or the workpiece need to follow the motion mechanism for multi-axis linkage, motion errors will also occur and cause interference, especially for micro-nano level precision requirements, which has a greater impact on printing stability and reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, an object of the present invention is to provide a conformal circuit printer to solve the problem of poor reliability of printer space coordinate positioning in the prior art.

[0005] In some illustrative embodiments, the conformal circuit printer includes: a machine tool, and a print head, a scanner, a contact probe, an origin calibration component, a workpiece seat for placing a workpiece, and a plurality of positioning reference balls configured on the machine tool; at least the scanner, the contact probe, the origin calibration component, and the reference balls are used in cooperation to determine the actual coordinate relationship between the print head and the workpiece.

[0006] In some optional embodiments, the number of the reference balls is not less than 3 and is distributed around multiple sides of the workpiece seat.

[0007] In some optional embodiments, the number of the reference balls is 6 and is evenly distributed on both sides of the workpiece seat.

[0008] In some alternative embodiments, the contact probe is a conductive probe, and the reference ball is made of a conductive material; a signal trigger circuit is formed after the contact probe and the reference ball come into contact.

[0009] In some alternative embodiments, the scanner is one or a combination of a photographic scanner, a laser scanner, and an ultrasonic scanner.

[0010] In some alternative embodiments, the origin calibration assembly includes: at least five microswitches; among them, there are two first microswitches arranged oppositely in the X-axis direction of the printer for calibrating the X-axis origin of the target component; among them, there are two second microswitches arranged oppositely in the Y-axis direction of the printer for calibrating the Y-axis origin of the target component; among them, there is one third microswitch arranged in the Z-axis direction of the printer for calibrating the Z-axis origin of the target component.

[0011] In some alternative embodiments, the first microswitch and the second microswitch are arranged in a pairwise opposite square structure, and the third microswitch is arranged at the center bottom of the square structure, so that the central area of the square structure constitutes a spatially multiplexed X-axis deviation correction execution area, a Y-axis deviation correction execution area, and a Z-axis deviation correction execution area.

[0012] In some alternative embodiments, the conformal circuit printer further includes: a multi-axis motion mechanism for at least realizing the movement of any one or the linkage of any plurality of the print head, the scanner, the contact probe, the origin calibration assembly, the carrier workpiece, and the reference ball.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to propose a printer space coordinate mapping method to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0014] In some illustrative embodiments, the printer space coordinate mapping method is applied to the conformal circuit printer described in any one of the above, and includes: obtaining the spatial coordinates of the workpiece and the reference ball in the first reference system through the scanner; obtaining the spatial coordinates of the reference ball in the second reference system through the contact probe; determining the spatial coordinate relationship between the contact probe and the print head through the origin calibration assembly; performing mapping conversion on the above spatial coordinates to determine the spatial coordinate relationship between the print head and the workpiece.

[0015] In some alternative embodiments, the performing mapping conversion on the above spatial coordinates to determine the spatial coordinate relationship between the print head and the workpiece includes: converting the spatial coordinates of the workpiece in the first reference system into the spatial coordinates in the second reference system; and then generating the spatial coordinates of the workpiece in the third reference system of the print head according to the spatial coordinate relationship between the contact probe and the print head.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following advantages:

[0017] In the conformal circuit printer according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the measurement and detection of the spatial coordinates of the printer are jointly realized by a scanner, a contact probe, an origin calibration component, and a reference sphere, which can effectively reduce the errors in the processes such as the installation and assembly of the printer and the operation movement, and further can accurately and reliably determine the coordinate relationship between the print head and the workpiece. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 is a front view of the conformal circuit printer according to the embodiments of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the conformal circuit printer according to the embodiments of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 is a partially enlarged view of the conformal circuit printer according to the embodiments of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 is a structural example of the origin calibration component according to the embodiments of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 is a structural example of the aerosol jet printing system according to the embodiments of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of the method for mapping the spatial coordinates of the printer according to the embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0024] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Apparently, the described embodiments are some but not all of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0025] It should be noted that the technical features in the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0026] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, a conformal circuit printer is disclosed. Specifically, as Figure 1-3 shown, Figure 1 is a front view of the conformal circuit printer according to the embodiments of the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the conformal circuit printer according to the embodiments of the present invention; Figure 3It is a partial enlarged view of the conformal circuit printer in an embodiment of the present invention. The conformal circuit printer includes: a machine tool 6, and a print head 10, a workpiece seat 5, and a space calibration system disposed on the machine tool 6; wherein, the space calibration system includes: a scanner 2, a contact probe 3, an origin calibration component 8, and a plurality of fiducial balls 4;

[0027] The workpiece seat 5 can be used to hold a workpiece;

[0028] The print head 10 can be used to print and form conductive traces on the surface of the workpiece;

[0029] The scanner 2 can be used to obtain the spatial coordinates of an object under the scanner reference;

[0030] The contact probe 3 can be used to obtain the spatial coordinates of an object under the contact probe reference;

[0031] The origin calibration component 8 can be used to initialize (or correct) the motion origin of a target component;

[0032] The fiducial balls 4 can be used to assist in the space calibration of the scanner 2 and the contact probe 3.

[0033] Among them, the scanner 2, the contact probe 3, the origin calibration component 8, and the fiducial balls 4 are at least used to cooperate with each other to determine the actual coordinate relationship between the print head 10 and the workpiece.

[0034] Specifically, the scanner 2 can obtain the spatial coordinates of the workpiece and the fiducial balls 4 in a first reference system; the contact probe 3 can obtain the spatial coordinates of the fiducial balls 4 in a second reference system; the spatial coordinate relationship between the contact probe 3 and the print head 10 can be determined through the origin calibration component 8; by performing mapping transformation on the above spatial coordinates, the spatial coordinate relationship between the print head 10 and the workpiece can be determined.

[0035] The conformal circuit printer in the embodiments of the present disclosure jointly realizes the measurement and detection of the spatial coordinates of the printer through the scanner, the contact probe, the origin calibration component, and the fiducial balls, which can effectively reduce the errors in the processes such as the installation and assembly of the printer and the operation movement, and further can accurately and reliably determine the coordinate relationship between the print head and the workpiece.

[0036] In some embodiments, the conformal circuit printer may further include: a multi-axis motion mechanism 7, at least used to realize the movement of any one or the linkage of any plurality of the print head 10, the scanner 2, the contact probe 3, the origin calibration component 8, the carrier workpiece, and the fiducial balls 4. Among them, one or more of the above components can share a set of multi-axis motion mechanisms to realize movement or linkage, or are respectively configured with motion mechanisms to realize the movement or linkage of the corresponding components.

[0037] Specifically, the multi-axis motion mechanism can achieve the motion of at least two of the X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, A-axis (rotation axis system along the X-axis), B-axis (rotation axis system along the Y-axis), and C-axis (rotation axis system along the Z-axis). Those skilled in the art can select and match according to the requirements of the printing operation.

[0038] Preferably, the multi-axis motion mechanism can adopt a five-axis motion mechanism, and its motion axis system can include: X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, A-axis, and C-axis. For example, the combination of XYZ axes + AC axes, or the combination of XZ axes + YAC axes, etc.

[0039] For the convenience of those skilled in the art to quickly understand, in the embodiments of the present invention, a multi-axis motion mechanism of XZ axis (i.e., XZ axis motion mechanism) + YAC axis (i.e., YAC axis motion mechanism) is selected for illustration; among them, the print head, scanner, and contact probe are configured on the machine tool through the XZ axis motion mechanism, the workpiece seat is configured on the machine tool through the YAC axis motion mechanism, and the origin calibration component and the reference ball are only configured on the Y axis of the machine tool through the YAC axis motion mechanism and move along with the Y axis.

[0040] At this time, the print head, scanner, and contact probe can achieve spatial linkage under the five axes of XYZAC, and the print head, scanner, and contact probe can achieve spatial linkage under the three axes of XYZ.

[0041] Specifically, in the conformal circuit printer in this example, the print head 10, contact probe 3, and scanner 2 are configured on the Z axis 75. The scanner 2 and the contact probe 3 can move simultaneously along the Z-axis direction, while the print head 10 can move independently along the Z-axis direction, and the Z axis 75 is configured on the X axis 71. That is, the X-axis and Z-axis motions of the print head 10, contact probe 3, and scanner 2 are achieved.

[0042] The workpiece seat 5 is configured on the C axis 72, the C axis 72 is configured on the A axis 73, the A axis 73 is configured on the Y axis 74, and the reference ball 4 and the origin calibration component 8 are configured on the Y axis 74. That is, the YAC axis motion of the workpiece and the Y-axis motion of the reference ball 4 and the origin calibration component 8 are achieved.

[0043] Among them, the above installation and configuration structure can be realized through structures such as mounting plates, seats, sliding tables, and sliding rails, which are all conventional technologies in the art and will not be elaborated here.

[0044] In addition to the above five-axis motion mechanism, a conventional XYZ three-axis motion mechanism or any other two-axis motion mechanism can also be adopted, which will not be elaborated in this application.

[0045] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the number of reference spheres 4 should be no less than 3, so as to facilitate the accurate cooperation between the scanner 2 and the contact probe 3 to complete the spatial calibration. Among them, the larger the distribution range of the reference spheres 4, the smaller the subsequent measurement error. Therefore, they can be distributed around multiple sides of the workpiece seat 5 to reduce the measurement error. Those skilled in the art should understand that the reference spheres can also be concentrated in a relatively smaller range, but this may bring a larger measurement error. When the measurement error does not exceed the maximum reception threshold, this reference sphere distribution structure can also be adopted.

[0046] Furthermore, the more the number of reference spheres, the smaller the subsequent measurement error. However, if the number of reference spheres is too large, it will have a greater impact on the spatial layout and size of the printer. Therefore, this application can adopt 6 reference spheres 4, which are evenly distributed on the opposite sides of the workpiece seat 5, that is, 3 on each side. Existing algorithms such as 3-sphere calibration, 4-sphere calibration, and 5-sphere calibration can be used, and calibration and deviation correction can also be performed with other combinations of spheres.

[0047] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the scanner 2 is used to simultaneously obtain the data images of the workpiece and the reference spheres 4, and then the reference spheres 4 are used for spatial coordinate calibration to obtain the spatial coordinates of the workpiece and the reference spheres 4. This belongs to the conventional technology in the art and will not be elaborated here. Among them, the scanner 2 adopts one or a combination of a photographic scanner, a laser scanner, and an ultrasonic scanner.

[0048] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the contact probe 3 adopts a contact detection method, and uses the stroke and / or position during the contact as the measurement result. The contact probe 3 can adopt a pressure probe or a conductive probe; preferably, the contact probe 3 in the embodiments of this application can adopt a conductive probe, and the reference sphere 4 adopts a conductive material; a signal trigger circuit is formed after the contact probe 3 contacts the reference sphere 4. That is, when the contact probe 3 contacts the reference sphere 4, a trigger signal can be generated, and thus a contact measurement is completed.

[0049] The method of using the contact probe 3 to obtain the spatial coordinates of the reference sphere 4 can adopt the three-point centering method, that is, the contact probe 3 is used to sequentially contact three points on the reference sphere 4, and then the three-point centering algorithm is used to determine the center (center of the sphere) of the reference sphere 4. After detecting at least 3 different reference spheres 4, the spatial coordinates of the reference sphere 4 can be determined. Among them, other existing centering algorithms can also be used to determine the center of the reference sphere 4.

[0050] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the position arrangement of the reference spheres 4 should be within the detection stroke ranges of the scanner 2 and the contact probe 3.

[0051] Such as Figure 4As shown, the origin calibration component 8 in the embodiments of the present disclosure includes: at least five microswitches; among them, there are two first microswitches 81 arranged oppositely in the X-axis direction of the printer for calibrating the X-axis origin of the target component; among them, there are two second microswitches 82 arranged oppositely in the Y-axis direction of the printer for calibrating the Y-axis origin of the target component; among them, there is one third microswitch 83 arranged in the Z-axis direction of the printer for calibrating the Z-axis origin of the target component.

[0052] A microswitch (also known as a sensitive switch) generally has a specific trigger stroke and is electrically connected to a signal trigger circuit. After its paddle or contact is squeezed and triggered, the internal switch element can be turned on or off, and after its state changes, the corresponding electrical signal can be obtained through the signal trigger circuit.

[0053] The two first microswitches arranged oppositely in the X-axis direction of the printer in the embodiments of the present disclosure mean that the operating surfaces (the surfaces where the paddles or contacts are located) of the two microswitches are arranged oppositely. During detection, only the target component needs to be inserted into its X-axis deviation correction execution area, and then the target component is controlled to move left and right along the X-axis to trigger the signal and record the moving stroke, so as to know the position of the target component in the X-axis deviation correction execution area, and then adjust it to the midpoint of the X-axis deviation correction execution area to achieve the origin calibration of the target component in the X-axis direction.

[0054] The two second microswitches arranged oppositely in the Y-axis direction of the printer in the embodiments of the present disclosure also mean that the operating surfaces (the surfaces where the paddles or contacts are located) of the two microswitches are arranged oppositely. During detection, only the target component needs to be inserted into its Y-axis deviation correction execution area, and then the target component is controlled to move up and down along the Y-axis to trigger the signal and record the moving stroke, so as to know the position of the target component in the Y-axis deviation correction execution area, and then adjust it to the midpoint of the Y-axis deviation correction execution area to achieve the origin calibration of the target component in the Y-axis direction.

[0055] By controlling the target component to fall in the Z-axis deviation correction execution area, the Z-axis height of the target component is adjusted after triggering.

[0056] The origin calibration component 8 can be used at least to initialize (correct) the spatial coordinate origin of the contact probe 3 and the print head 10. At the same time, since the spatial coordinate origin of the contact probe 3 and the print head 10 is known, the deviation between the two spatial coordinate origins can be determined, and then the spatial coordinate relationship between the contact probe 3 and the print head 10 can be determined, and then the coordinate conversion mapping between the two can be realized.

[0057] In some embodiments, the first microswitches 81 and the second microswitches 82 are arranged in a pairwise opposite square structure, and the third microswitch 83 is arranged at the center bottom of the square structure, so that the central area of the square structure forms a spatially multiplexed X-axis deviation correction execution area, Y-axis deviation correction execution area, and Z-axis deviation correction execution area.

[0058] Further, the size of the multiplexed deviation correction execution area formed by the five microswitches can be designed according to actual requirements, such as 0.25 cm 2 ~100 cm 2 range; preferably, the size of the multiplexed deviation correction execution area can be designed to not exceed 4 cm 2 , thereby minimizing the impact on the size of the printer space.

[0059] The print head 10 in the embodiments of the present invention is an execution component of the printing system. The printing system can adopt an aerosol printing system, a piezoelectric inkjet printing system, an electric field-driven printing system, a dispensing extrusion printing system, etc. Usually, the spatial coordinates of the print head refer to the spatial coordinates of the nozzle of the print head, that is, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the spatial coordinate relationship between the print head and the contact probe refers to the spatial coordinate relationship between the nozzle of the print head and the contact probe.

[0060] Preferably, the embodiments of the present invention disclose an aerosol jet printing system. Specifically, as Figure 5 shown, Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of the aerosol jet printing device in the embodiments of the present invention. The aerosol jet printing device 1 includes: an atomization chamber 14, an atomizer 12, a sensor 13, a print head 10, and one or more exhaust valves 15; wherein, the atomizer 12, the sensor 13, the print head 10, and the exhaust valve 15 are respectively communicated with the atomization chamber 14.

[0061] Specifically, the atomizer 12 is used to generate a carrier gas stream (also called an aerosol gas stream) carrying an aerosol; the atomization chamber 14 is used to store a certain amount of the aerosol for use by the print head 10; the print head 10 is used to eject ink from the carrier gas stream under the action of a sheath gas stream; the sensor 13 is used to detect the air pressure intensity in the atomization chamber 14; the exhaust valve 15 is used to stabilize the air pressure intensity in the atomization chamber within a set threshold range.

[0062] Among them, the set threshold range is related to the ideal aerosol printing pressure and can be determined through theoretical calculation and / or actual verification.

[0063] The aerosol jet printing system in the present disclosure is provided with a sensor and an exhaust valve communicated with the atomization chamber, so as to always stabilize the air pressure intensity in the atomization chamber within the set threshold range by using the sensor and the exhaust valve, ensuring the printing quality of the aerosol jet printing device.

[0064] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the atomizer 12 can be a pneumatic atomizer or an ultrasonic atomizer. For the pneumatic atomizer, the atomizing air flow uses the siphon effect or the Venturi effect to lift the printing material for impinging atomization, thereby generating the aerosol for printing. At this time, the atomizing air flow can also act as the carrier gas flow, playing a pressurizing role in the atomization chamber, so as to drive the carrier gas flow carrying the aerosol to surge in the printing direction. For the ultrasonic atomizer, it uses the ultrasonic vibration principle to break and atomize the printing material into the aerosol for printing. At this time, an additional carrier gas flow can be provided to the ultrasonic atomizer, and then play a pressurizing role in the atomization chamber, so as to drive the carrier gas flow carrying the aerosol to surge in the printing direction.

[0065] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the print head 10 is an aerosol print head, which can be respectively connected to the atomization chamber 14 and the sheath gas flow system, so that the aerosol gas flow entering the print head is ejected with ink under the wrapping of the sheath gas flow. The structure between the aerosol gas path and the sheath gas path in the aerosol print head can refer to the prior art, and the embodiments of the present disclosure will not elaborate on this.

[0066] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the sensor 13 can be a pressure sensor or a vacuum sensor, which can be configured to be associated with the exhaust valve 15 for control, and operate the start and stop of the exhaust valve according to the change of the air pressure intensity in the atomization chamber detected by the sensor.

[0067] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the aerosol jet printing system can be applied to the aerosol printing and forming of printing materials such as metals, plastics, ceramics, and conductive inks (before aerosol atomization) in the prior art. Conductive inks include low-temperature conductive inks such as liquid metals, conductive silver pastes, conductive copper pastes, and conductive aluminum pastes.

[0068] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the print head 10 and the atomization chamber 14 are connected through a flexible pipeline 16, and a pinch valve 17 for controlling the on / off state of the flexible pipeline 16 is arranged on the flexible pipeline 16.

[0069] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the cooperation of the flexible pipeline 16 and the pinch valve 17 is used to realize the conduction and cut-off of the printing path. Compared with the control of the traditional electromagnetic cut-off valve, the aerosol will not cause pollution and damage to the solenoid valve, which is beneficial to reducing the equipment maintenance cost.

[0070] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the atomizer 12 and the atomization chamber 14 are movably and detachably connected. Among them, the movable and detachable connection is, for example, conventional techniques such as threads, clamping, socketing, and bonding. In the prior art, the atomizer is often integrated inside the atomization chamber. However, the atomization structure of the atomizer has a high degree of fineness, and when atomizing conductive silver paste, conductive copper paste, and conductive aluminum paste with high viscosity and easy to solidify, the phenomenon of ink blockage is likely to occur. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the movable and detachable connection between the atomizer and the atomization chamber is beneficial to the cleaning and replacement of the atomizer.

[0071] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the atomizer 12 communicates with the bottom of the atomization chamber 14, and the print head 10 communicates with the top of the atomization chamber 14.

[0072] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, by disposing the atomizer 12 at the bottom of the atomization chamber 14 and connecting the print head 10 to the top of the atomization chamber 14, it is easier to evenly disperse the aerosol in the atomization chamber and ensure that the aerosol flow with uniform concentration enters the print head.

[0073] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the aerosol jet printing system may further include: a first filter 18 and / or a second filter 19; the at least one exhaust valve 15 communicates with the atomization chamber 14 through the first filter 18; the sensor 13 communicates with the atomization chamber 19 through the second filter 19.

[0074] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first filter 18 can reduce the pollution and damage of the exhaust valve 15, and the second filter 19 can reduce the pollution and damage of the sensor 13, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the exhaust valve 15 and the sensor 13.

[0075] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one side of the atomization chamber 14 is a visible structure, so as to satisfy the user's intuitive view of the atomization degree and quickly discover atomization problems. Exemplarily, the atomization chamber can be made of a transparent material, or one side is covered with a transparent material cover plate.

[0076] An embodiment of the present invention also discloses a conformal circuit printer, including: a machine tool 6, a five-axis motion mechanism 7 disposed on the machine tool 6, and a printing system 1, a space calibration system, and a workpiece seat 5 for placing a workpiece disposed on the five-axis motion mechanism 7; wherein, the five-axis motion mechanism 7 supports the printing system 1 and the workpiece to perform linear interpolation motion to manufacture a conformal circuit on the surface of the workpiece; the space calibration system is used to determine the spatial coordinate relationship between the printing system 1 and the workpiece.

[0077] Wherein, the five-axis motion mechanism 7 includes: a first transmission chain and a second transmission chain; the printing system 1 is disposed on the first transmission chain and can realize the independent movement of the printing system 1 along the X-axis and the Z-axis; the workpiece seat 5 is disposed on the second transmission chain and can realize the independent movement of the workpiece along the Y-axis, the A-axis and the C-axis.

[0078] In some embodiments, the printing system includes: a print head disposed on the first transmission chain;

[0079] In some embodiments, the spatial calibration system includes a scanner, a touch probe, an origin calibration component, and a plurality of positioning reference spheres; the scanner and the touch probe are arranged on the first transmission chain; the origin calibration component and the reference spheres are arranged on the second transmission chain; at least the scanner, the touch probe, the origin calibration component, and the reference spheres cooperate to determine the spatial coordinate relationship between the print head and the workpiece.

[0080] In some embodiments, the origin calibration component and the reference spheres are only linked to the Y-axis on the second transmission chain.

[0081] For the structure and principle of the above spatial calibration system, reference can be made to the foregoing embodiments, and details will not be elaborated herein.

[0082] In some embodiments, the reference spheres are located within the measurement ranges of the scanner and the touch probe, and the number of the reference spheres is at least 3, and they are arranged in a ring outside the workpiece seat.

[0083] In some embodiments, the origin calibration component includes two first microswitches arranged oppositely in the X-axis direction of the printer for calibrating the X-axis origin of the target component; two second microswitches arranged oppositely in the Y-axis direction of the printer for calibrating the Y-axis origin of the target component; and a third microswitch arranged in the Z-axis direction of the printer for calibrating the Z-axis origin of the target component.

[0084] In some embodiments, the first microswitches and the second microswitches are arranged in a pairwise opposite square layout, and the third microswitch is arranged at the center bottom of the square structure, so that the central area of the square structure forms an X-axis deviation correction execution area, a Y-axis deviation correction execution area, and a Z-axis deviation correction execution area for spatial multiplexing.

[0085] The printing system in the embodiments of the present disclosure can adopt an aerosol printing system, a piezoelectric inkjet printing system, an electric field-driven printing system, a dispensing extrusion printing system, etc.; among them, for the aerosol printing system, reference can be made to the foregoing embodiments, and details will not be elaborated herein.

[0086] Another object of the present invention is to propose a method for mapping the spatial coordinates of a printer to solve the problems existing in the prior art. Specifically, as Figure 6 shown, Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of the method for mapping the spatial coordinates of a printer in the embodiments of the present invention; this method for mapping the spatial coordinates of a printer is applied to the conformal circuit printer described in any one of the above, and includes:

[0087] Step S11: Obtain the spatial coordinates of the workpiece and the reference spheres in the first reference system through the scanner.

[0088] Step S12: Obtain the spatial coordinates of the reference sphere in the second reference system through the contact probe;

[0089] Step S13: Determine the spatial coordinate relationship between the contact probe and the print head through the origin calibration component;

[0090] Step S14: Perform mapping transformation on the above spatial coordinates to determine the spatial coordinate relationship between the print head and the workpiece.

[0091] Specifically, performing mapping transformation on the above spatial coordinates to determine the spatial coordinate relationship between the print head and the workpiece includes: converting the spatial coordinates of the workpiece in the first reference system into the spatial coordinates in the second reference system; and then generating the spatial coordinates of the workpiece in the third reference system of the print head according to the spatial coordinate relationship between the contact probe and the print head.

[0092] Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements on some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A conformal circuit printer, characterized in that, Including: A machine tool, as well as a print head, a scanner, a contact probe, an origin calibration component, a workpiece seat for placing a workpiece, and a plurality of positioning reference balls disposed on the machine tool; The scanner is used to obtain the spatial coordinates of the workpiece and the reference balls in a first reference system; The contact probe is used to obtain the spatial coordinates of the reference balls in a second reference system; The origin calibration component is used to determine the spatial coordinate relationship between the contact probe and the print head; By performing mapping conversion on the above spatial coordinates, the spatial coordinate relationship between the print head and the workpiece is determined.

2. The conformal circuit printer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of the reference balls is not less than 3, and they are distributed around multiple sides of the workpiece seat.

3. The conformal circuit printer according to claim 2, characterized in that, The number of the reference balls is 6, and they are evenly distributed on both sides of the workpiece seat.

4. The conformal circuit printer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The contact probe uses a conductive probe, and the reference ball uses a conductive material; a signal trigger circuit is formed after the contact probe and the reference ball are in contact.

5. The conformal circuit printer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The scanner uses one or a combination of a photographic scanner, a laser scanner, and an ultrasonic scanner.

6. The conformal circuit printer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The origin calibration component includes: at least 5 microswitches; among them, there are 2 first microswitches arranged oppositely in the X-axis direction of the printer to calibrate the X-axis origin of the target component; among them, there are 2 second microswitches arranged oppositely in the Y-axis direction of the printer to calibrate the Y-axis origin of the target component; among them, there is 1 third microswitch arranged in the Z-axis direction of the printer to calibrate the Z-axis origin of the target component.

7. The conformal circuit printer according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first microswitch and the second microswitch are arranged in a pairwise opposite square structure, and the third microswitch is disposed at the center bottom of the square structure, so that the central area of the square structure constitutes an X-axis deviation correction execution area, a Y-axis deviation correction execution area, and a Z-axis deviation correction execution area for spatial multiplexing.

8. The conformal circuit printer according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes: A multi-axis motion mechanism, at least used to realize the movement of any one or any multiple linkages among the print head, the scanner, the contact probe, the origin calibration component, the carrier workpiece, and the reference balls.

9. A method for mapping the spatial coordinates of a printer, characterized in that, Applied to the conformal circuit printer according to any one of claims 1-8, including: Obtaining the spatial coordinates of the workpiece and the reference balls in a first reference system through a scanner; Obtaining the spatial coordinates of the reference balls in a second reference system through a contact probe; Determining the spatial coordinate relationship between the contact probe and the print head through an origin calibration component; Performing mapping conversion on the above spatial coordinates to determine the spatial coordinate relationship between the print head and the workpiece.

10. The method for mapping the spatial coordinates of a printer according to claim 9, characterized in that, The performing mapping conversion on the above spatial coordinates to determine the spatial coordinate relationship between the print head and the workpiece includes: Converting the spatial coordinates of the workpiece in the first reference system into the spatial coordinates in the second reference system; and then generating the spatial coordinates of the workpiece in a third reference system of the print head according to the spatial coordinate relationship between the contact probe and the print head.

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