A conformal circuit printer

Abstract

The application discloses a conformal circuit printer and a printer space coordinate mapping method, and relates to the technical field of printing. The conformal circuit printer comprises a machine tool, a printing head, a scanner, a contact probe, an origin calibration assembly, a workpiece seat for supporting a workpiece and a plurality of positioning reference balls arranged on the machine tool. At least the scanner, the contact probe, the origin calibration assembly and the reference balls are used to cooperate to determine the actual coordinate relationship between the printing head and the workpiece. The conformal circuit printer in the embodiment of the application can realize the measurement and detection of the printer space coordinate through the scanner, the contact probe, the origin calibration assembly and the reference balls, can effectively reduce the error in the processes of printer installation assembly and operation movement, and can accurately and reliably determine the coordinate relationship between the printing head and the workpiece.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of printing, and particularly relates to a conformal circuit printer and a printer space coordinate mapping method. BACKGROUND

[0002] Circuit (circuit board) is an important electronic component, and almost all electronic devices cannot be separated from circuit board. From electronic watch, general computer, television, to giant computer, communication equipment, military weapon system, etc., they are electrically interconnected and use circuit.

[0003] In order to realize the demand of continuous miniaturization of electronic equipment, many manufacturers begin to set the circuit directly on the surface of the structure part conformal electronic technology, usually using multi-material slicing to realize the integrated manufacturing of structure workpiece and conformal circuit in the form of layer-by-layer stacking, but for high-precision and complex structure parts, 3D printing quality and efficiency are difficult to meet the industrial demand. Therefore, the prior art lacks a multi-degree-of-freedom circuit manufacturing technology which can be directly performed on a structure workpiece. SUMMARY

[0004] Therefore, an object of the present application is to provide a conformal circuit printer to solve the problem of poor quality and low efficiency of conformal circuit formed by slicing and stacking in the prior art.

[0005] In some illustrative embodiments, the conformal circuit printer comprises a machine tool, a five-axis motion mechanism arranged on the machine tool, a printing system, a space calibration system and a workpiece seat arranged on the five-axis motion mechanism and arranged to hold a workpiece; wherein the five-axis motion mechanism supports the printing system and the workpiece to perform linear interpolation motion, thereby realizing the manufacturing of conformal circuit on the surface of the workpiece; and the space calibration system is used to determine the spatial coordinate relationship between the printing system and the workpiece.

[0006] In some optional embodiments, the five-axis motion mechanism comprises a first transmission chain and a second transmission chain; the printing system is arranged on the first transmission chain, and can realize the independent motion of the printing system along the X-axis and the Z-axis; and the workpiece seat is arranged on the second transmission chain, and can realize the independent motion of the workpiece along the Y-axis, the A-axis and the C-axis.

[0007] In some alternative embodiments, the printing system comprises: a print head configured on the first transmission chain; the space calibration system comprises: a scanner, a contact probe, an origin calibration assembly and a plurality of positioning reference balls; the scanner and the contact probe are configured on the first transmission chain; the origin calibration assembly and the reference balls are configured on the second transmission chain; the scanner, the contact probe, the origin calibration assembly and the reference balls are at least used to cooperate to determine the spatial coordinate relationship between the print head and the workpiece.

[0008] In some alternative embodiments, the reference balls are located within the measurement range of the scanner and the contact probe, and the number of reference balls is at least three, and the reference balls are arranged on the outer side of the workpiece seat.

[0009] In some alternative embodiments, the origin calibration assembly and the reference balls are only associated with the Y-axis linkage on the second transmission chain.

[0010] In some alternative embodiments, the origin calibration assembly comprises: two first micro switches arranged opposite to each other in the X-axis direction of the printer, used to calibrate the X-axis origin of the target component; two second micro switches arranged opposite to each other in the Y-axis direction of the printer, used to calibrate the Y-axis origin of the target component; and a third micro switch arranged in the Z-axis direction of the printer, used to calibrate the Z-axis origin of the target component.

[0011] In some alternative embodiments, the first micro switch and the second micro switch are arranged in a square shape opposite to each other, and the third micro switch 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 domain, a Y-axis deviation correction execution domain and a Z-axis deviation correction execution domain.

[0012] In some alternative embodiments, the printing system comprises: an atomization chamber, an atomizer in communication with the atomization chamber, a sensor, a print head and at least one exhaust valve; the atomizer is used to generate a carrier gas flow carrying aerosol; the atomization chamber is used to store a predetermined amount of the aerosol for use by the print head; the print head is used to realize the ejection of the carrier gas flow under the action of the sheath gas flow; the sensor is used to detect the air pressure intensity in the atomization chamber; and the exhaust valve is used to stabilize the air pressure intensity in the atomization chamber within a set threshold range.

[0013] In some alternative embodiments, the print head and the atomization chamber are in communication through a flexible pipeline, and a pinch valve is arranged on the flexible pipeline to control the switching state of the flexible pipeline.

[0014] In some optional embodiments, the printing system further comprises a first filter and / or a second filter; the at least one exhaust valve is in communication with the atomization chamber through the first filter; the sensor is in communication with the atomization chamber through the second filter.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following advantages:

[0016] The conformal circuit printer in the embodiments of the present disclosure can determine the actual relative coordinates between the printing system and the workpiece by using the space calibration system, so as to facilitate the printing track of the conformal circuit, and then realize the printing operation of the printing system on the workpiece on the basis of the multi-degree-of-freedom machining of the five-axis motion mechanism. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 is a front view of the conformal circuit printer in the embodiments of the present application;

[0018] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the conformal circuit printer in the embodiments of the present application;

[0019] Figure 3 is a partial enlarged view of the conformal circuit printer in the embodiments of the present application;

[0020] Figure 4 is a structural example of the origin calibration assembly in the embodiments of the present application;

[0021] Figure 5 is a structural example of the aerosol jet printing system in the embodiments of the present application;

[0022] Figure 6 is a flowchart of the printer space coordinate mapping method in the embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are some of the embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0024] It should be noted that each technical feature in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0025] The present disclosure discloses a conformal circuit printer, specifically as shown in Figures 1-3 , Figure 1 is a front view of the conformal circuit printer in the embodiments of the present application;Figure 2 is a perspective view of a conformal circuit printer in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 3 is a partial enlarged view of a conformal circuit printer in an embodiment of the present application. The conformal circuit printer comprises a machine tool 6, and a printing head 10, a workpiece seat 5, and a space calibration system arranged on the machine tool 6; wherein the space calibration system comprises a scanner 2, a contact probe 3, an origin calibration assembly 8, and a plurality of reference balls 4;

[0026] The workpiece seat 5 can be used to hold a workpiece;

[0027] The printing head 10 can be used to print conductive traces on the surface of the workpiece;

[0028] The scanner 2 can be used to obtain the spatial coordinates of the target object under the scanner reference;

[0029] The contact probe 3 can be used to obtain the spatial coordinates of the target object under the contact probe reference;

[0030] The origin calibration assembly 8 can be used to initialize (or correct) the motion origin of the target component;

[0031] The reference balls 4 can be used to assist in the space calibration of the scanner 2 and the contact probe 3.

[0032] Among them, at least the scanner 2, the contact probe 3, the origin calibration assembly 8 and the reference ball 4 cooperate with each other to determine the actual coordinate relationship between the printing head 10 and the workpiece.

[0033] Specifically, the scanner 2 can obtain the spatial coordinates of the workpiece and the reference ball 4 under the first reference system; the contact probe 3 can obtain the spatial coordinates of the reference ball 4 under the second reference system; the spatial coordinate relationship between the contact probe 3 and the printing head 10 can be determined through the origin calibration assembly 8; and the spatial coordinate relationship between the printing head 10 and the workpiece can be determined by mapping and converting the above spatial coordinates.

[0034] The conformal circuit printer in the embodiment of the present application can effectively reduce the errors in the processes of printer installation and assembly, operation and the like, and can accurately and reliably determine the coordinate relationship between the printing head and the workpiece, by using the scanner, the contact probe, the origin calibration assembly and the reference ball to jointly realize the measurement and detection of the space coordinates of the printer.

[0035] In some embodiments, the conformal circuit printer can further comprise a multi-axis motion mechanism 7 configured to move or link any one of the printhead 10, the scanner 2, the contact probe 3, the origin calibration assembly 8, the workpiece carrier and the fiducial ball 4. One or more of the above components can share a set of multi-axis motion mechanisms to achieve movement or linkage, or each component can be equipped with a motion mechanism to achieve movement or linkage.

[0036] Specifically, the multi-axis motion mechanism can achieve movement of at least two of the X-axis, the Y-axis, the Z-axis, the A-axis (rotation axis system along the X-axis), the B-axis (rotation axis system along the Y-axis), and the C-axis (rotation axis system along the Z-axis). Those skilled in the art can select the appropriate combination according to the printing requirements.

[0037] Preferably, the multi-axis motion mechanism can be a five-axis motion mechanism, and the motion axis system can include the X-axis, the Y-axis, the Z-axis, the A-axis, and the C-axis. For example, the combination of XYZ axis + AC axis, or the combination of XZ axis + YAC axis, and the like.

[0038] For the convenience of those skilled in the art, the multi-axis motion mechanism of XZ axis (i.e., XZ axis motion mechanism) + YAC axis (i.e., YAC axis motion mechanism) is selected as an example in the embodiments of the present application. The printhead, the scanner, and the 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 assembly and the fiducial ball are configured on the machine tool through the Y-axis of the YAC axis motion mechanism and move with the Y-axis.

[0039] At this time, the printhead, the scanner, and the contact probe can achieve spatial linkage under the XYZAC five-axis, and the printhead, the scanner, and the contact probe can achieve spatial linkage under the XYZ three-axis.

[0040] Specifically, in the conformal circuit printer in the present example, the printhead 10, the contact probe 3, and the scanner 2 are configured on the Z-axis 75, the scanner 2 and the contact probe 3 can move in the Z-axis direction simultaneously, the printhead 10 can move independently in the Z-axis direction, and the Z-axis 75 is configured on the X-axis 71. That is, the X-axis and the Z-axis movement of the printhead 10, the contact probe 3, and the scanner 2 are achieved.

[0041] 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 fiducial ball 4 and the origin calibration assembly 8 are configured on the Y-axis 74. That is, the YAC axis movement of the workpiece and the Y-axis movement of the fiducial ball 4 and the origin calibration assembly 8 are achieved.

[0042] The above mounting and configuration structures can be achieved by mounting plates, seats, sliding tables, sliding rails, and the like, which are conventional techniques in the art, and will not be described in detail.

[0043] In addition to the five-axis motion mechanism described above, a conventional XYZ three-axis motion mechanism or any other two-axis motion mechanism can also be used, and the present application will not be described here.

[0044] The number of reference balls 4 in the embodiments of the present disclosure should be no less than three, so as to facilitate the accurate cooperation of the scanner 2 and the contact probe 3 to complete the space calibration. The greater the distribution range of the reference balls 4, the smaller the subsequent measurement error. Therefore, the reference balls can be distributed on multiple sides of the workpiece seat 5, so as to reduce the measurement error. Those skilled in the art should understand that the reference balls can also be gathered in a relatively small range, but this may bring greater measurement error. In the case that the measurement error does not exceed the maximum receiving threshold, the reference ball distribution structure can also be used.

[0045] In addition, the more the number of reference balls, the smaller the subsequent measurement error. However, if the number of reference balls is too large, it will have a greater impact on the space arrangement and size of the printer. Therefore, the present application can use six reference balls 4, which are evenly distributed on the opposite sides of the workpiece seat 5, i.e. three on each side. The existing 3-ball calibration, 4-ball calibration, 5-ball calibration, etc. algorithms can be used, and other ball combinations can also be used for calibration and correction.

[0046] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the scanner 2 is used to simultaneously acquire data images of the workpiece and the reference balls 4, and then the reference balls 4 are used for space coordinate calibration, so as to obtain the space coordinates of the workpiece and the reference balls 4. This belongs to the conventional technology in the art, and will not be described in detail. The scanner 2 can be one or a combination of a photographic scanner, a laser scanner, and an ultrasonic scanner.

[0047] The contact probe 3 in the embodiments of the present disclosure adopts a contact detection mode, and uses the stroke and / or point position in the contact process as the measurement result. The contact probe 3 can be a pressure probe or a conductive probe. Preferably, the contact probe 3 in the embodiments of the present application can be a conductive probe, and the reference ball 4 can be made of a conductive material. The contact probe 3 and the reference ball 4 form a signal triggering loop after contact. That is, when the contact probe 3 contacts the reference ball 4, a trigger signal can be generated, and then one contact measurement is completed.

[0048] The method for acquiring the space coordinates of the reference ball 4 by the contact probe 3 can adopt a three-point bisection method, that is, three points on the reference ball 4 are contacted by the contact probe 3, so as to determine the center (the center of the ball) of the reference ball 4 by using the three-point bisection algorithm. After detecting at least three different reference balls 4, the space coordinates of the reference ball 4 can be determined. Other bisection algorithms can also be used to determine the center of the reference ball 4.

[0049] The position arrangement of the reference ball 4 in the embodiments of the present disclosure should be within the detection stroke range of the scanner 2 and the contact probe 3.

[0050] like Figure 4 As shown, the origin calibration component 8 in the embodiment of the present disclosure includes: at least 5 micro switches; there are two first micro switches 81 arranged relative to each other in the X-axis direction of the printer, for calibrating the X-axis origin of the target component; there are two second micro switches 82 arranged relative to each other in the Y-axis direction of the printer, for calibrating the Y-axis origin of the target component; there is one third micro switch 83 arranged in the Z-axis direction of the printer, for calibrating the Z-axis origin of the target component.

[0051] A micro switch (also known as a sensitive switch) generally has a specific trigger stroke and is electrically connected to a signal trigger circuit. When its paddle or contact is squeezed and triggered, the internal switch element can be turned on or off, and when its state changes, the corresponding electrical signal can be obtained through the signal trigger circuit.

[0052] In the disclosed embodiment, the two first micro switches arranged opposite to each other in the X-axis direction of the printer refer to the two micro switches whose operating surfaces (the surfaces where the paddles or contacts are located) are arranged opposite to each other. During detection, it is only necessary to move the target component deeper into its X-axis correction execution domain, then control the target component to move left and right along the X-axis to trigger a signal, and record the movement stroke. The position of the target component in the X-axis correction execution domain can be determined, and the target component can be adjusted to the midpoint of the X-axis correction execution domain to achieve the origin calibration of the target component in the X-axis direction.

[0053] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the two second micro switches are arranged opposite to each other in the Y-axis direction of the printer. Similarly, the operating surfaces of the two micro switches (the surfaces where the paddles or contacts are located) are arranged opposite to each other. During detection, it is only necessary to move the target component deep into its Y-axis correction execution domain, and then control the target component to move up and down along the Y-axis to trigger the signal and record the movement stroke. The position of the target component in the Y-axis correction execution domain can be known, and it can be adjusted to the midpoint of the Y-axis correction execution domain to achieve the origin calibration of the target component in the Y-axis direction.

[0054] By controlling the target component to fall on the Z-axis correction execution domain, the Z-axis height of the target component is adjusted after triggering.

[0055] The origin calibration component 8 can at least be used to initialize (correct) the spatial coordinate origins of the contact probe 3 and the print head 10. At the same time, since the spatial coordinate origins of the contact probe 3 and the print head 10 are 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, thereby realizing the conversion mapping of the coordinates of the two.

[0056] In some embodiments, the first micro switch 81 and the second micro switch 82 are arranged in a square structure opposite to each other, and the third micro switch 83 is arranged at the center bottom of the square structure, so that the central region of the square structure constitutes a spatially multiplexed X-axis deviation correction execution domain, a Y-axis deviation correction execution domain and a Z-axis deviation correction execution domain.

[0057] Further, the size of the multiplexed deviation correction execution domain formed by the five micro switches can be designed according to actual needs, for example, 0.25cm 2 ~100cm 2 ; preferably, the size of the multiplexed deviation correction execution domain can be designed to be not more than 4cm 2 , thereby greatly reducing the impact on the size of the printer.

[0058] The print head 10 in the embodiment of the application is an execution component of a printing system, which can adopt an aerosol printing system, a piezoelectric inkjet printing system, an electric field driven printing system, a point glue extrusion printing system, etc. Generally, the spatial coordinates of the print head refer to the spatial coordinates of the needle nozzle / nozzle of the print head, i.e. 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 needle nozzle / nozzle of the print head and the contact probe.

[0059] Preferably, the embodiment of the application discloses an aerosol jet printing system, specifically as shown in Figure 5 , Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of the aerosol jet printing device in the embodiment of the application. The aerosol jet printing device comprises 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.

[0060] Specifically, the atomizer 12 is used to generate a carrier gas flow (also referred to as aerosol gas flow) carrying aerosol; the atomization chamber 14 is used to store a certain amount of aerosol for use by the print head 10; the print head 10 is used to realize the ejection of the carrier gas flow under the action of a sheath gas flow; the sensor 13 is used to detect the air pressure intensity in the atomization chamber 14; and the exhaust valve 15 is used to stabilize the air pressure intensity in the atomization chamber within a set threshold range.

[0061] The set threshold range is related to the ideal aerosol printing pressure and can be determined through theoretical calculation and / or actual verification.

[0062] The aerosol jet printing system in the present disclosure is provided with a sensor and an exhaust valve in communication with the atomization chamber, so that the sensor and the exhaust valve are used to always stabilize the air pressure intensity in the atomization chamber within a set threshold range, thereby ensuring the printing quality of the aerosol jet printing device.

[0063] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the atomizer 12 can be selected from a pneumatic atomizer or an ultrasonic atomizer. For the pneumatic atomizer, the atomization gas flow is used to impact and atomize the printing material based on the siphon effect or the Venturi effect, so as to generate the printing aerosol. At this time, the atomization gas flow can also act as a carrier gas flow, and the carrier gas flow carrying the aerosol tends to surge in the printing direction. For the ultrasonic atomizer, the printing material is broken and atomized into the printing aerosol by using the ultrasonic vibration principle. At this time, an additional carrier gas flow can be provided to the ultrasonic atomizer, so as to pressurize the atomization chamber, and the carrier gas flow carrying the aerosol tends to surge in the printing direction.

[0064] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the print head 10 is selected from an aerosol print head, which can be in communication with the atomization chamber 14 and the sheath gas flow system, so that the aerosol gas flow entering the print head is ejected under the sheath gas flow. The structure between the aerosol gas path in the aerosol print head and the sheath gas flow path can refer to the prior art, and the embodiments of the present disclosure will not be described in detail.

[0065] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the sensor 13 can be selected from an air pressure sensor or a vacuum sensor, which can be configured to be associated with the control of the exhaust valve 15, and the opening and closing of the exhaust valve is operated according to the change of the air pressure intensity in the atomization chamber detected by the sensor.

[0066] The aerosol jet printing system in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to the aerosol printing forming of the printing materials (before aerosol atomization) such as metal, plastic, ceramic, conductive ink and the like in the prior art. The conductive ink includes low-temperature conductive ink such as liquid metal, conductive silver paste, conductive copper paste, conductive aluminum paste and the like.

[0067] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the print head 10 and the atomization chamber 14 are in communication through a flexible pipe 16, and the flexible pipe 16 is provided with a pinch valve 17 for controlling the opening and closing state of the flexible pipe 16.

[0068] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the flexible pipe 16 and the pinch valve 17 are used to realize the conduction and shutdown of the printing path. Compared with the control of the traditional electromagnetic shutdown valve, the aerosol will not cause pollution and damage to the electromagnetic valve, thereby facilitating the reduction of equipment maintenance cost.

[0069] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the atomizer 12 and the atomization chamber 14 are connected in a detachable manner. The detachable connection can be achieved by using conventional techniques such as threading, clamping, sleeving, and bonding. In the prior art, the atomizer is usually integrated inside the atomization chamber. However, the atomization structure of the atomizer has high precision, and when the atomization is performed on conductive silver paste, conductive copper paste, and conductive aluminum paste which have high viscosity and are prone to solidification, the atomizer is prone to be blocked. The detachable connection between the atomizer and the atomization chamber in the embodiments of the present disclosure facilitates the cleaning and replacement of the atomizer.

[0070] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the atomizer 12 is in communication with the bottom of the atomization chamber 14, and the print head 10 is in communication with the top of the atomization chamber 14.

[0071] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the atomizer 12 is arranged at the bottom of the atomization chamber 14, and the print head 10 is in communication with the top of the atomization chamber 14. This can more easily make the aerosol uniformly dispersed in the atomization chamber and ensure that the aerosol gas flow with uniform concentration enters the print head.

[0072] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the aerosol jet printing system can further include a first filter 18 and / or a second filter 19. The at least one exhaust valve 15 is in communication with the atomization chamber 14 through the first filter 18. The sensor 13 is in communication with the atomization chamber 14 through the second filter 19.

[0073] 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.

[0074] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one side of the atomization chamber 14 is a visible structure, thereby satisfying the user's intuitive observation of the atomization degree and rapid discovery of atomization problems. For example, the atomization chamber can be made of transparent material, or one side can be provided with a transparent cover plate.

[0075] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, a conformal circuit printer is also disclosed, which includes a machine tool 6, a five-axis motion mechanism 7 arranged on the machine tool 6, a printing system 1 arranged on the five-axis motion mechanism 7, a space calibration system, and a workpiece seat 5 for holding a workpiece. The five-axis motion mechanism 7 supports the printing system 1 and the workpiece to perform linear interpolation motion, thereby achieving the manufacture of 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.

[0076] The five-axis movement mechanism 7 comprises a first transmission chain and a second transmission chain; the printing system 1 is arranged on the first transmission chain, and independent movement of the printing system 1 along the X axis and the Z axis can be realized; and the workpiece seat 5 is arranged on the second transmission chain, and independent movement of the workpiece along the Y axis, the A axis and the C axis can be realized.

[0077] In some embodiments, the printing system comprises a print head arranged on the first transmission chain.

[0078] In some embodiments, the space calibration system comprises a scanner, a contact probe, an origin calibration assembly and a plurality of positioning reference balls; the scanner and the contact probe are arranged on the first transmission chain; the origin calibration assembly and the reference balls are arranged on the second transmission chain; and the scanner, the contact probe, the origin calibration assembly and the reference balls are at least used to cooperatively determine the spatial coordinate relationship between the print head and the workpiece.

[0079] In some embodiments, the origin calibration assembly and the reference balls are only associated with the Y axis on the second transmission chain.

[0080] The structure and principle of the above space calibration system can refer to the foregoing embodiments, and will not be described here.

[0081] In some embodiments, the reference balls are located within the measurement stroke range of the scanner and the contact probe, and the number of the reference balls is at least three, and the reference balls are annularly arranged outside the workpiece seat.

[0082] In some embodiments, the origin calibration assembly comprises two first micro switches oppositely arranged in the X axis direction of the printer, used to calibrate the X axis origin of the target component; two second micro switches oppositely arranged in the Y axis direction of the printer, used to calibrate the Y axis origin of the target component; and a third micro switch arranged in the Z axis direction of the printer, used to calibrate the Z axis origin of the target component.

[0083] In some embodiments, the first micro switch and the second micro switch are arranged in a square shape in pairs, and the third micro switch is arranged at the center bottom of the square structure, so that the central region of the square structure constitutes a spatially multiplexed X axis deviation correction execution domain, a Y axis deviation correction execution domain and a Z axis deviation correction execution domain.

[0084] The printing system in the embodiments of the present disclosure can adopt an aerosol printing system, a piezoelectric inkjet printing system, an electric field driving printing system, a point gluing extrusion printing system and the like; wherein the aerosol printing system can refer to the foregoing embodiments, and will not be described here.

[0085] Another object of the present application is to provide a printer space coordinate mapping method to solve the problems in the prior art. Specifically, asFigure 6 as shown, Figure 6 is a flowchart of a printer space coordinate mapping method in an embodiment of the present application; the printer space coordinate mapping method is applied to any of the conformal circuit printer described above, and comprises:

[0086] Step S11: obtaining the space coordinates of the workpiece and the reference ball in a first reference system through a scanner;

[0087] Step S12: obtaining the space coordinates of the reference ball in a second reference system through a contact probe;

[0088] Step S13: determining the space coordinate relationship between the contact probe and the print head through an origin calibration component;

[0089] Step S14: mapping and converting the above space coordinates to determine the space coordinate relationship between the print head and the workpiece.

[0090] Specifically, the mapping and conversion of the above space coordinates to determine the space coordinate relationship between the print head and the workpiece comprises: converting the space coordinates of the workpiece in the first reference system into the space coordinates in the second reference system; and then generating the space coordinates of the workpiece in the third reference system of the print head according to the space coordinate relationship between the contact probe and the print head.

[0091] Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and not to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that: they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the above embodiments, or make equivalent replacement for part 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 application.

Claims

1. A conformal circuit printer characterized by, The machine tool comprises a five-axis motion mechanism arranged on the machine tool, a printing system arranged on the five-axis motion mechanism, a space calibration system, and a workpiece seat for holding a workpiece; the five-axis motion mechanism supports linear interpolation motion of the printing system and the workpiece to realize manufacturing of a conformal circuit on a surface of the workpiece; the space calibration system is used to determine a spatial coordinate relationship between the printing system and the workpiece. The five-axis motion mechanism comprises a first transmission chain and a second transmission chain; the printing system is arranged on the first transmission chain to realize independent motion of the printing system along an X-axis and a Z-axis; the workpiece seat is arranged on the second transmission chain to realize independent motion of the workpiece along a Y-axis, an A-axis, and a C-axis. The printing system comprises a printing head arranged on the first transmission chain. The space calibration system comprises a scanner, a contact probe, an origin calibration assembly, and a plurality of positioning reference balls; the scanner and the contact probe are arranged on the first transmission chain; the origin calibration assembly and the reference balls are arranged on the second transmission chain. The scanner, the contact probe, the origin calibration assembly, and the reference balls are used to cooperatively determine the spatial coordinate relationship between the printing head and the workpiece, and specifically comprise the following steps: The scanner is used to obtain spatial coordinates of the workpiece and the reference balls in a first reference system; the contact probe is used to obtain spatial coordinates of the reference balls in a second reference system; the spatial coordinate relationship between the contact probe and the printing head is determined through the origin calibration assembly; and the spatial coordinate relationship between the printing head and the workpiece is determined through mapping conversion of the spatial coordinates. The origin calibration assembly comprises two first micro switches arranged opposite to each other in an X-axis direction of the printer to calibrate an X-axis origin of a target component; two second micro switches arranged opposite to each other in a Y-axis direction of the printer to calibrate a Y-axis origin of the target component; and a third micro switch arranged in a Z-axis direction of the printer to calibrate a Z-axis origin of the target component. The first micro switches and the second micro switches are arranged in a square shape, and the third micro switch is arranged at a bottom center of the square structure, so that a central region of the square structure constitutes a spatially multiplexed X-axis deviation correction execution domain, a Y-axis deviation correction execution domain, and a Z-axis deviation correction execution domain. The reference balls are located within a measurement stroke range of the scanner and the contact probe, and the number of the reference balls is at least three.

2. The conformal circuit printer of claim 1, wherein, The origin calibration assembly and the reference balls are only associated with the Y-axis of the second transmission chain.

3. The conformal circuit printer of claim 1, wherein, The printing system comprises an atomization chamber, an atomizer in communication with the atomization chamber, a sensor, a printing head, and at least one exhaust valve.

4. The conformal circuit printer of claim 1, wherein, The atomizer is used to generate a carrier gas flow carrying aerosol. The atomization chamber is used to store a fixed amount of the aerosol for use by the printing head. The printing head is used to realize ejection of the carrier gas flow under the action of a sheath gas flow. The sensor is used to detect air pressure intensity in the atomization chamber. ​ ​ The exhaust valve is used to stabilize the air pressure in the atomization chamber within a set threshold range.

5. The conformal circuit printer of claim 4, wherein, The print head and the atomization chamber are communicated through a flexible pipeline, and a pinch valve is arranged on the flexible pipeline to control the opening and closing state of the flexible pipeline.

6. The conformal circuit printer of claim 4, wherein, The printing system further comprises a first filter and / or a second filter; the at least one exhaust valve is communicated with the atomization chamber through the first filter; and the sensor is communicated with the atomization chamber through the second filter.

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