An assembly line

Abstract

The application discloses an assembly line for assembling a key, which comprises a first assembly device and a second assembly device. The first assembly device comprises a first flow tool, a metal piece and a lower shell assembling device, a circuit board assembling device and a key pad assembling device. The metal piece and the lower shell assembling device are used to assemble the metal piece and the lower shell placed on the first flow tool to form a first lower shell assembly. The circuit board assembling device is used to place a circuit board in the lower shell of the first lower shell assembly to form a second lower shell assembly. The key pad assembling device is used to place a key pad on the circuit board of the second lower shell assembly to form a lower shell assembly. The second assembly device comprises an upper and lower shell assembling device, which is used to assemble an upper shell assembly and a lower shell assembly at an upper and lower shell assembling station. The technical scheme realizes the automatic assembly of the key, saves the labor cost, improves the consistency of product output and the product yield, and improves the production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of assembly technology, and in particular to an assembly production line. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the assembly of button components is mainly done manually, which results in low production efficiency, high costs, poor product uniformity and yield, and high labor intensity. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The main objective of this invention is to provide an assembly line that automates the assembly of buttons, saves labor costs, improves product consistency and yield, and increases production efficiency.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention proposes an assembly line for assembling buttons. The assembly line includes a first assembly device and a second assembly device. The first assembly device has multiple first assembly stations, including a metal part and lower shell assembly station, a circuit board assembly station, and a button pad assembly station. The first assembly device includes a first flowing fixture, a metal part and lower shell assembly device, a circuit board assembly device, and a button pad assembly device. The first flowing fixture flows along the multiple first assembly stations and can stop at each of the first assembly stations. The metal part and lower shell assembly device is used to assemble the metal part and lower shell placed on the first flowing fixture and located at the metal part and lower shell assembly station. The assembly process includes: assemblies for forming a first lower shell assembly; a circuit board assembly device for placing a circuit board within the lower shell of the first lower shell assembly, which is located on the first moving fixture and at the circuit board assembly station, to form a second lower shell assembly; a keypad assembly device for placing a keypad on the circuit board of the second lower shell assembly, which is located on the first moving fixture and at the keypad assembly station, to form a lower shell assembly; the second assembly equipment includes at least one second assembly station, which includes upper and lower shell assembly stations, and the second assembly equipment includes an upper and lower shell assembly device for assembling the upper shell assembly and the lower shell assembly at the upper and lower shell assembly stations.

[0005] Optionally, the plurality of first assembly stations further include a cleaning and dust removal station, which is located between the circuit board assembly station and the keypad assembly station during the travel of the first moving tool; the first assembly equipment further includes a cleaning and dust removal device for cleaning and dust removal of the second lower shell assembly placed on the first moving tool and located at the cleaning and dust removal station.

[0006] Optionally, the first assembly equipment includes a mounting base, and the cleaning and dust removal device includes a housing disposed on the mounting base. The bottom of the housing is open, and a contact probe is provided on the inner side of the top of the housing. The mounting base is movably disposed vertically so that the housing moves downward to cover the second lower housing assembly located on the first moving fixture and at the cleaning and dust removal station. The contact probe is used to detect whether there is a circuit board in the second lower housing assembly located on the first moving fixture and at the cleaning and dust removal station.

[0007] Optionally, the first assembly equipment further includes a metal part feeding station and a lower shell feeding station, and the plurality of first assembly stations further include a metal part and lower shell loading station; the first assembly equipment includes a first conveying mechanism, the first conveying mechanism includes a first adapter seat, the first adapter seat is provided with a first picking part and a second picking part, the first adapter seat is movably disposed and has a moving stroke between the metal part feeding station, the lower shell feeding station and the metal part and lower shell loading station, the first picking part is used to convey the metal part located at the metal part feeding station to the first flowing fixture located at the metal part and lower shell loading station, and the second picking part is used to convey the lower shell located at the lower shell feeding station to the metal part located on the first flowing fixture and located at the metal part and lower shell loading station.

[0008] Optionally, the first assembly equipment further includes a circuit board feeding station and a first component unloading station; the first assembly equipment includes a second conveying mechanism, the second conveying mechanism includes a second adapter seat, the second adapter seat is provided with a third pickup part and a fourth pickup part, the second adapter seat is movably disposed and has a travel between the circuit board feeding station, the circuit board assembly station and the first component unloading station, the third pickup part is used to convey the circuit board located at the circuit board feeding station to the lower shell of the first lower shell assembly located on the first moving tooling and at the circuit board assembly station, and the fourth pickup part is used to convey the lower shell assembly located at the circuit board assembly station to the first component unloading station.

[0009] Optionally, the first assembly equipment further includes a keypad loading station and a second component unloading station; the first assembly equipment includes a third conveying mechanism, the third conveying mechanism includes a third adapter, the third adapter is provided with a fifth pickup part and a sixth pickup part, the third adapter is movably disposed and has a travel between the keypad loading station, the keypad assembly station and the second component unloading station, the fifth pickup part is used to convey the keypad located at the keypad loading station to the circuit board of the second lower shell assembly located on the first moving tooling and at the keypad assembly station, and the sixth pickup part is used to convey the lower shell assembly located at the keypad assembly station to the second component unloading station.

[0010] Optionally, the first assembly equipment further includes a keypad feeding station and a keypad pre-processing station. The first assembly equipment also includes a keypad conveying component and a cyclic pressing component. The cyclic pressing component is used to press the keypad located at the keypad pre-processing station multiple times. The keypad conveying component is used to convey the keypad from the keypad feeding station to the keypad pre-processing station, and to convey the keypad that has been pressed multiple times from the keypad pre-processing station to the keypad loading station.

[0011] Optionally, the second assembly equipment includes a plurality of second assembly stations, the plurality of second assembly stations further including keycap and upper shell assembly stations, the second assembly equipment further including a second flow fixture and a keycap and upper shell assembly device, the second flow fixture flowing along the plurality of second assembly stations and capable of stopping at each of the second assembly stations respectively; the keycap and upper shell assembly device is used to assemble the keycap and lower shell placed on the second flow fixture and located at the keycap and upper shell assembly station to form the upper shell assembly.

[0012] Optionally, the second assembly equipment further includes a keycap feeding station, an upper shell feeding station, and a lower shell assembly feeding station. The plurality of second assembly stations also include a keycap loading station, an upper shell loading station, and a lower shell assembly loading station. The second assembly equipment further includes a third flow fixture, a fourth transport mechanism, a fifth transport mechanism, and a sixth transport mechanism. The third flow fixture flows along the plurality of second assembly stations and can stop at each of the second assembly stations. The fourth transport mechanism is used to transport the keycaps located at the keycap feeding station to the second flow fixture located at the keycap loading station. The fifth conveying mechanism is used to convey the upper shell located on the upper shell feeding station to the keycap located on the second moving fixture and the upper shell loading station; the sixth conveying mechanism is used to convey the lower shell assembly located on the lower shell assembly feeding station to the second moving fixture located on the lower shell assembly loading station; wherein, the fifth conveying mechanism is also used to convey the upper shell assembly located on the second moving fixture and the upper shell loading station to the lower shell assembly located on the third moving fixture and the upper shell loading station.

[0013] Optionally, the assembly line further includes testing equipment, which has multiple testing stations, including an appearance inspection station, a force and displacement inspection station, and a current and voltage inspection station. The testing equipment includes appearance inspection devices, force and displacement inspection devices, and current and voltage inspection devices respectively corresponding to the appearance inspection station, the force and displacement inspection station, and the current and voltage inspection station.

[0014] Optionally, the plurality of test stations further includes a first switching station and a second switching station, and the plurality of test stations are distributed along a circumferential direction. The test equipment is also provided with a button feeding station, a first finished product unloading station, and a second finished product unloading station. The test equipment also includes a platform, a seventh conveying mechanism, and an eighth conveying mechanism. The platform is rotatably configured and is provided with a plurality of mounting parts for supporting buttons. The plurality of mounting parts are distributed along a circumferential direction, and the center of the circumference is located on the rotation axis of the platform, so that when the platform is rotated to each corresponding angle, the buttons on each mounting part can be correspondingly located on each test station. The seventh conveying mechanism is used to transport the buttons located on the button feeding station to the first switching station, and to transport the buttons located on the first switching station that have completed testing to the first finished product unloading station. The eighth conveying mechanism is used to transport the buttons located on the second switching station that have completed testing to the second finished product unloading station.

[0015] In the technical solution of this invention, the assembly line includes a first assembly equipment and a second assembly equipment. The first assembly equipment includes a first flow fixture, a metal part and lower shell assembly device, a circuit board assembly device, and a keypad assembly device. The metal part and lower shell can reach each of the first assembly stations through the flow of the first flow fixture. The metal part and lower shell assembly device assembles the metal part and lower shell placed on the first flow fixture and located at the metal part and lower shell assembly station to form a first lower shell assembly. The circuit board assembly device places the circuit board in the lower shell of the first lower shell assembly located on the first flow fixture and at the circuit board assembly station. The button pad assembly device places the button pad on the circuit board of the second lower shell assembly, which is located on the first flow fixture and at the button pad assembly station, to form the lower shell assembly. This completes the assembly of the lower shell assembly, which includes metal parts, a lower shell, a circuit board, and a button pad. The second assembly equipment includes an upper and lower shell assembly device, which assembles the upper shell assembly and the lower shell assembly at the upper and lower shell assembly station, thereby realizing the assembly of all the components of the button. This replaces manual assembly, realizes automated assembly of the button, saves labor costs, improves the consistency of product output and product yield, and improves production efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the first assembly equipment of the assembly line provided by the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A partial schematic diagram of the first assembly equipment in the process;

[0019] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A second partial schematic diagram of the first assembly equipment in the diagram;

[0020] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A third partial schematic diagram of the first assembly equipment in the diagram;

[0021] Figure 5 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the second assembly equipment of the assembly line provided by the present invention;

[0022] Figure 6 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the testing equipment for an assembly line provided by the present invention;

[0023] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A top-view diagram of the testing equipment.

[0024] Explanation of icon numbers:

[0025]

[0026]

[0027] The realization of the objective, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indicators are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicators will also change accordingly.

[0030] Furthermore, if the embodiments of this invention involve descriptions such as "first" or "second," these descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the meaning of "and / or" throughout the text includes three parallel solutions; for example, "A and / or B" includes solution A, solution B, or a solution where both A and B are satisfied simultaneously. Furthermore, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by this invention.

[0031] Currently, the assembly of button components is mainly done manually, which results in low production efficiency, high costs, poor product uniformity and yield, and high labor intensity.

[0032] In view of this, the present invention provides an assembly line designed to automate the assembly of buttons, save labor costs, improve product consistency and yield, and increase production efficiency. Figures 1 to 7 An embodiment of the assembly line provided by the present invention.

[0033] In this embodiment of the invention, please refer to the accompanying drawings. The assembly line 100 is used to assemble buttons, and the assembly line 100 includes a first assembly device 1 (see details). Figures 1 to 4 ) and second assembly equipment 2 (see details) Figure 5 The first assembly equipment 1 has multiple first assembly stations, including a metal part and lower shell assembly station 101, a circuit board assembly station 102, and a keypad assembly station 103. The first assembly equipment 1 includes a first flowing fixture 11, a metal part and lower shell assembly device 12, a circuit board assembly device 13, and a keypad assembly device 14. The first flowing fixture 11 flows along the multiple first assembly stations and can stop at each of the first assembly stations. The metal part and lower shell assembly device 12 is used to assemble the metal part and lower shell placed on the first flowing fixture 11 and located at the metal part and lower shell assembly station 101 to form a first lower shell assembly. The circuit board assembly device... 13 is used to place the circuit board in the lower shell of the first lower shell assembly located on the first flow fixture 11 and at the circuit board assembly station 102 to form a second lower shell assembly; the keypad assembly device 14 is used to place the keypad on the circuit board of the second lower shell assembly located on the first flow fixture 11 and at the keypad assembly station 103 to form a lower shell assembly; the second assembly equipment 2 includes at least one second assembly station, the at least one second assembly station includes an upper and lower shell assembly station 201, the second assembly equipment 2 includes an upper and lower shell assembly device 21, the upper and lower shell assembly device 21 is used to assemble the upper shell assembly and the lower shell assembly at the upper and lower shell assembly station 201.

[0034] In the technical solution of the present invention, the assembly line 100 includes a first assembly equipment 1 and a second assembly equipment 2. The first assembly equipment 1 includes a first flow fixture 11, a metal part and lower shell assembly device 12, a circuit board assembly device 13, and a keypad assembly device 14. The metal part and lower shell can reach each of the first assembly stations through the flow of the first flow fixture 11. The metal part and lower shell assembly device 12 assembles the metal part and lower shell placed on the first flow fixture 11 and located at the metal part and lower shell assembly station 101 to form a first lower shell assembly. The circuit board assembly device 13 places the circuit board on the first flow fixture 11 and located at the circuit board assembly station 102 of the first lower shell. In the lower shell of the component, a second lower shell assembly is formed. The keypad assembly device 14 places the keypad on the circuit board of the second lower shell assembly, which is located on the first flow tooling 11 and at the keypad assembly station 103, to form the lower shell assembly, thereby completing the assembly of the lower shell assembly including the metal parts, the lower shell, the circuit board, and the keypad. The second assembly equipment 2 includes an upper and lower shell assembly device 21, which assembles the upper shell assembly and the lower shell assembly at the upper and lower shell assembly station 201, thereby realizing the assembly of all the components of the key. In this way, it replaces manual assembly, realizes the automated assembly of the key, saves labor costs, improves the consistency of product output and product yield, and improves production efficiency.

[0035] It should be further noted that the buttons described in this application include, but are not limited to, various instrument switching buttons, cruise control buttons, and intelligent driving buttons. Each button comprises an upper shell assembly and a lower shell assembly. The lower shell assembly includes a metal component, a lower shell, a circuit board, and a button pad. The upper shell assembly includes an upper shell and a keycap. The lower shell and upper shell together define a receiving cavity. The metal component is used for conducting electricity, and the keycap is used for pressing. The circuit board and button pad are disposed within the receiving cavity. The circuit board is located within the lower shell, and the button pad is disposed on the circuit board. The button pad is made of elastic materials such as silicone, rubber, or plastic. The button pad also has several alloy contacts. When the keycap is pressed, the button pad elastically deforms, causing its alloy contacts to contact the circuit board, thereby triggering the relevant operation.

[0036] In this embodiment, see Figure 1 and Figure 3The first assembly station also includes a cleaning and dust removal station 104, which is located between the circuit board assembly station 102 and the keypad assembly station 103 during the travel of the first moving fixture 11. The first assembly equipment 1 also includes a cleaning and dust removal device 15, which is used to clean and remove dust from the second lower shell assembly placed on the first moving fixture 11 and located at the cleaning and dust removal station 104. The cleaning and dust removal device 15 cleans and removes dust from the second lower shell assembly. That is, after assembling the metal parts, lower shell, and circuit board into the second lower shell assembly, the second lower shell assembly is first cleaned and dust removed by the cleaning and dust removal device 15 before the keypad assembly is performed. Through cleaning and dust removal, dust and impurities are avoided from remaining in the second lower shell assembly, especially ensuring the cleanliness of the circuit board surface and ensuring the trigger sensitivity of the circuit board surface, thereby improving product quality.

[0037] In this embodiment, the first assembly device 1 includes a mounting base, and the cleaning and dust removal device 15 includes a housing 151 disposed on the mounting base. The bottom of the housing 151 is open, and a contact probe is provided on the inner side of the top of the housing 151. The mounting base is movably disposed vertically, so that the housing 151 moves downward to cover the second lower shell assembly located on the first flowing tooling 11 and at the cleaning and dust removal station 104. The contact probe is used to detect whether there is a circuit board in the second lower shell assembly located on the first flowing tooling 11 and at the cleaning and dust removal station 104. With this configuration, when the mounting base moves downward, the housing 151 covers the second lower shell assembly located on the first flowing tooling 11 and at the cleaning and dust removal station 104, thereby forming a cavity for accommodating the second lower shell assembly. Air is drawn out of the cavity, creating an airflow on the surface of the second lower shell assembly, which carries away dust and impurities, achieving the purpose of cleaning and dust removal. At the same time, the contact probe moves downward to detect the height of the circuit board to determine whether there is a circuit board in the second lower shell assembly located on the first flow tooling 11 and at the cleaning and dust removal station 104. This avoids missing circuit boards, ensuring that the final assembled button contains a circuit board, improving assembly quality, and enabling timely detection and correction of missing circuit boards. This avoids waste of other parts and processes caused by rework, saving costs and improving assembly efficiency. Furthermore, the cleaning and dust removal of the second lower shell assembly and the determination of whether there is a circuit board can be performed simultaneously, improving assembly cycle time and efficiency. The dust removal component and the contact probe are mounted on the same mounting base, which also simplifies the structure and reduces equipment costs.

[0038] To achieve automated feeding of metal parts and the lower shell, and improve assembly efficiency, in this embodiment, see... Figure 1 and Figure 2 The first assembly equipment 1 is further provided with a metal part feeding station 105 and a lower shell feeding station 106. Multiple first assembly stations also include metal part and lower shell loading stations 107. The first assembly equipment 1 includes a first conveying mechanism 16, which includes a first adapter seat. The first adapter seat is provided with a first pickup part 161 and a second pickup part 162. The first adapter seat is movably configured and has a travel distance between the metal part feeding station 105, the lower shell feeding station 106, and the metal part and lower shell loading station 107. The first pickup part 161 is used to convey the metal part located at the metal part feeding station 105 to the first flowing tooling 11 located at the metal part and lower shell loading station 107. The second pickup part 162 is used to convey the lower shell located at the lower shell feeding station 106. The metal part is placed on the first moving fixture 11 and located at the metal part and lower shell feeding station 107. Thus, the first transfer seat moves to the metal part feeding station 105 and the lower shell feeding station 106 respectively, and the first picking part 161 picks up the metal part at the metal part feeding station 105 and the second picking part 162 picks up the lower shell at the lower shell feeding station 106 respectively. Then the first transfer seat moves to the metal part and lower shell feeding station 107, first placing the metal part on the first picking part 161 onto the first moving fixture 11, and then placing the lower shell on the metal part on the first moving fixture 11. The metal part and the lower shell share the first conveying mechanism 16 for automated feeding, which improves assembly efficiency, simplifies the equipment structure, and reduces equipment costs.

[0039] It should be further explained that after the second picking unit 162 transports the lower shell located at the lower shell feeding station 106 to the metal part located on the first flow tooling 11 and at the metal part and lower shell loading station 107, the metal part and the upper shell are unloaded on the first flow tooling 11. Then, the metal part and the lower shell placed on the first flow tooling 11 and located at the metal part and lower shell assembly station 101 are assembled by the metal part and lower shell assembly device 12 to form the first lower shell assembly, thereby completing the assembly of the metal part and the lower shell. The metal part and lower shell assembly device 12 (see...) Figure 3 It includes a first pressing device that presses down on the stacked lower shell and metal parts to achieve a stable and reliable connection between the metal parts and the lower shell.

[0040] To improve assembly quality, in one embodiment, the first assembly equipment 1 further includes a first detection device (not shown in the figure) corresponding to the metal part and lower shell loading station 107. The first detection device is used to detect whether there is a metal part on the first flow tooling 11 after the first pick-up unit 161 transports the metal part located at the metal part feeding station 105 to the first flow tooling 11 located at the metal part and lower shell loading station 107. The first detection device can be a photoelectric sensor, a vision detection device, etc., to detect whether the metal part has been properly placed, ensuring that the first flow tooling 11 flowing to the subsequent first assembly station has been properly loaded. The device is equipped with metal parts to prevent omissions and ensure that the final assembled buttons contain metal parts, thereby improving assembly quality. It can also detect omissions of metal parts in a timely manner and correct them promptly, avoiding waste of other parts and processes caused by rework, saving costs and improving assembly efficiency. Similarly, the first detection device is also used to detect whether there is a lower shell on the first flow tooling 11 after the second picking unit 162 transports the lower shell located at the lower shell feeding station 106 to the metal part located on the first flow tooling 11 and the metal part and lower shell loading station 107, so as to detect omissions of the lower shell in a timely manner, thereby improving assembly efficiency and assembly quality.

[0041] In another embodiment, the first assembly equipment 1 further includes a second detection device (not shown in the figure) corresponding to the metal part and lower shell assembly station 101. The second detection device is used to detect whether the metal part and lower shell on the first flow tooling 11 are assembled in place after the metal part and lower shell assembly equipment 12 assembles the metal part and lower shell placed on the first flow tooling 11 and located at the metal part and lower shell assembly station 101. Similarly, the third detection device can also be a photoelectric sensor, a vision detection device, etc., to detect in a timely manner that the metal part and the lower shell are not assembled in place, and to correct it in time, thereby improving assembly efficiency and assembly quality.

[0042] In another embodiment, the first assembly equipment 1 further includes a third detection device (not shown in the figure) corresponding to the button assembly station. The third detection device is used to detect whether the button pad is on the first flow fixture 11 after the button pad assembly device 14 places the button pad on the circuit board of the second lower shell assembly located on the first flow fixture 11 and at the button pad assembly station 103. Similarly, the third detection device can also be a photoelectric sensor, a vision inspection device, etc., to detect the missing button pad in a timely manner, thereby improving assembly efficiency and assembly quality.

[0043] The above three embodiments can be selected to exist in two or simultaneously. It is understood that the effect is better when they exist simultaneously.

[0044] In this embodiment, see Figure 1 and Figure 3 The first assembly equipment 1 further includes a circuit board feeding station 108 and a first component unloading station 109. The first assembly equipment 1 includes a second conveying mechanism 17, which includes a second adapter seat. The second adapter seat has a third pickup part and a fourth pickup part (not shown in the figure). The second adapter seat is movably configured and has a travel distance between the circuit board feeding station 108, the circuit board assembly station 102, and the first component unloading station 109. The third pickup part is used to transport the circuit board located at the circuit board feeding station 108 to the lower shell of the first lower shell assembly located on the first moving tooling 11 and at the circuit board assembly station 102. The fourth pickup part is used to transport the lower shell assembly located at the circuit board assembly station 102 to the first component unloading station 109. Thus, the second adapter seat moves from the circuit board feeding station 108 to the circuit board assembly station 102, so that the third pickup part... The picking unit transports the circuit board from the circuit board feeding station 108 to the lower shell of the first lower shell assembly located on the first flow tooling 11 and at the circuit board assembly station 102. The second transport mechanism 17 realizes the automated feeding and assembly of the circuit board. That is, the second transport mechanism 17 is not only a feeding and transporting device for the circuit board, but also forms the circuit board assembly device 13. In addition, the second adapter moves from the circuit board assembly station 102 to the first component unloading station 109, so that the fourth picking unit transports the lower shell assembly located at the circuit board assembly station 102 to the first component unloading station 109, realizing the automated unloading of the lower shell assembly. That is, the second transport mechanism 17 is also an unloading and transporting device for the lower shell assembly. By realizing the automated feeding and assembly of the circuit board and the automated unloading of the lower shell assembly through the second transport mechanism 17, the assembly efficiency is improved, the equipment structure is simplified, and the equipment cost is reduced.

[0045] In this embodiment, the first assembly equipment 1 further includes a keypad loading station 110 and a second component unloading station 111; the first assembly equipment 1 includes a third conveying mechanism 18, the third conveying mechanism 18 includes a third adapter seat, the third adapter seat is provided with a fifth pickup part and a sixth pickup part (not shown in the figure), the third adapter seat is movably disposed, and has a travel between the keypad loading station 110, the keypad assembly station 103 and the second component unloading station 111, the fifth pickup part is used to transport the keypad located at the keypad loading station 110 to the circuit board of the second lower shell assembly located on the first flow tooling 11 and on the keypad assembly station 103, the sixth pickup part is used to transport the lower shell assembly located at the keypad assembly station 103 to the second component unloading station 111, so that the third adapter seat moves from the keypad loading station 110 to the keypad assembly station 103, so that the keypad loading station 110 moves to the second component unloading station 111. The fifth pickup unit transports the keypad from the keypad loading station 110 to the circuit board of the second lower shell assembly located on the first moving fixture 11 and the keypad assembly station 103. The third transport mechanism 18 realizes the automated loading and assembly of the keypad. That is, the third transport mechanism 18 is not only a loading and transporting device for the keypad, but also forms the keypad assembly device 14. In addition, the third adapter moves from the keypad assembly station 103 to the second component unloading station 111, so that the sixth pickup unit transports the lower shell assembly located at the keypad assembly station 103 to the second component unloading station 111, realizing the automated unloading of the lower shell assembly. That is, the third transport mechanism 18 is also an unloading and transporting device for the lower shell assembly. By realizing the automated loading and assembly of the keypad and the automated unloading of the lower shell assembly through the third transport mechanism 18, the assembly efficiency is improved, the equipment structure is simplified, and the equipment cost is reduced.

[0046] The two embodiments described above can be used interchangeably or simultaneously. It is understood that when the two embodiments are used simultaneously, the embodiments include the first component unloading station 109 and the second component unloading station 111. The setting of the two component unloading stations can distinguish the unloading of the lower shell components. For example, the lower shell components can be distinguished into OK components and NG components based on whether the lower shell components have passed the inspection. The second conveying mechanism 17 and the third conveying mechanism 18 are respectively used to convey the NG components and OK components to the first component unloading station 109 and the second component unloading station 111, so as to realize the automated unloading of NG components and OK components, avoid confusion between OK components and NG components, and improve assembly efficiency and assembly quality.

[0047] In this embodiment, see Figure 1 and Figure 4 The first assembly equipment 1 is further provided with a keypad feeding station 112 and a keypad pre-processing station 113. The first assembly equipment 1 also includes a keypad conveying component 19 and a circulating pressing component 20. The circulating pressing component 20 is used to press the keypad located on the keypad pre-processing station 113 multiple times. The keypad conveying component 19 is used to convey the keypad from the keypad feeding station 112 to the keypad pre-processing station 113, and to convey the keypad that has been pressed multiple times from the keypad pre-processing station 113 to the keypad loading station 110. In this way, the pre-processing of the keypad is automated, improving assembly efficiency and assembly quality.

[0048] In this embodiment, see Figure 5 The second assembly equipment 2 includes multiple second assembly stations, each of which includes a keycap and upper shell assembly station 202. The second assembly equipment 2 also includes a second flowing fixture 22 and a keycap and upper shell assembly device 23. The second flowing fixture 22 flows along the multiple second assembly stations and can stop at each of the second assembly stations. The keycap and upper shell assembly device 23 is used to assemble the keycap and lower shell placed on the second flowing fixture 22 and located at the keycap and upper shell assembly station 202 to form the upper shell assembly. In this way, the second assembly equipment 2 can assemble the keycap and the upper shell, and then assemble the assembled upper shell assembly with the lower shell assembly assembled by the first assembly equipment 1, thereby enabling the assembly line 100 to achieve fully automated assembly of the keys and improve assembly efficiency.

[0049] In this embodiment, the second assembly equipment 2 further includes a keycap feeding station 203, an upper shell feeding station 204, and a lower shell assembly feeding station 205. The multiple second assembly stations also include a keycap loading station 206, an upper shell loading station 207, and a lower shell assembly loading station 208. The second assembly equipment 2 further includes a third moving tool 24, a fourth conveying mechanism 25, a fifth conveying mechanism 26, and a sixth conveying mechanism 27. The third moving tool 24 flows along the multiple second assembly stations and can stop at each of the second assembly stations. The fourth conveying mechanism... The fifth conveying mechanism 25 is used to transport the keycaps located at the keycap feeding station 203 to the second moving fixture 22 located at the keycap loading station 206; the fifth conveying mechanism 26 is used to transport the upper shell located at the upper shell feeding station 204 to the keycap located at the second moving fixture 22 and the upper shell loading station 207; the sixth conveying mechanism 27 is used to transport the lower shell assembly located at the lower shell assembly feeding station 205 to the second moving fixture 22 located at the lower shell assembly loading station 208; wherein, the fifth conveying mechanism 25 is used to transport the keycaps located at the keycap feeding station 203 to the second moving fixture 22 located at the lower shell assembly loading station 208; wherein, the fifth conveying mechanism 26 is used to transport the keycaps located at the keycap feeding station 204 to the keycap located at the second moving fixture 22 and the upper shell loading station 207; wherein, the fifth conveying mechanism 27 is used to transport the lower shell assembly located at the lower shell assembly feeding station 205 to the second moving fixture 22 located at the lower shell assembly loading station 208; wherein, the fifth conveying mechanism 26 is used to transport the keycaps located at the keycap feeding station 203 to the keycap loading station 206 to the keycap loading station 206 to the keycap loading station 207 to the keycap loading station 206 to the keycap loading station 207 to the keycap loading station 208 to the keycap loading station 206 to the keycap loading station 207 ... The transport mechanism 26 is also used to transport the upper shell assembly, which is located on the second mobile fixture 22 and at the upper shell loading station 207, to the lower shell assembly, which is located on the third mobile fixture 24 and at the upper shell loading station 207. Thus, the fourth transport mechanism 25 automates the loading of the keycaps, and the fifth transport mechanism 26 automates the loading of the upper shell. Then, the keycaps and upper shell placed on the second mobile fixture 22 are assembled by the keycap and upper shell assembly device 23, thereby completing the assembly of the upper shell assembly. The sixth transport mechanism 2... 7. The lower shell assembly is automatically fed, and then the assembled upper shell assembly is transferred to the lower shell assembly by the fifth transport mechanism 26. The upper and lower shell assembly device 21 then assembles the upper shell assembly and the lower shell assembly. The fourth transport mechanism 25, the fifth transport mechanism 26 and the sixth transport mechanism 27 respectively realize the automated feeding of the keycap, the upper shell and the lower shell assembly, improving assembly efficiency. The feeding of the upper shell and the transfer of the upper shell assembly share the fifth transport mechanism 26, which simplifies the equipment structure and reduces equipment costs.

[0050] It should be further explained that after the fifth conveying mechanism 26 conveys the upper shell located on the upper shell feeding station 204 to the keycap located on the second flow tooling 22 and on the upper shell loading station 207, the keycap and the upper shell are loaded on the second flow tooling 22. Then, the keycap and the lower shell placed on the second flow tooling 22 and located at the keycap and upper shell assembly station 202 are assembled by the keycap and upper shell assembly device 23 to form the upper shell assembly. The keycap and upper shell assembly device 23 includes a second pressing device, which presses the stacked keycap and upper shell to achieve a stable and reliable connection between the keycap and the upper shell. After the fifth conveying mechanism 26 conveys the upper shell assembly, which is located on the second moving fixture 22 and at the upper shell loading station 207, to the lower shell assembly, which is located on the third moving fixture 24 and at the upper shell loading station 207, the upper shell assembly and the lower shell assembly are then assembled at the upper shell assembly station 201 by the upper and lower shell assembly device 21. The upper and lower shell assembly device 21 includes a third pressing device, which presses the stacked upper shell assembly and the lower shell assembly to achieve a stable and reliable connection between the upper shell assembly and the lower shell assembly.

[0051] To improve assembly capacity and efficiency, in one embodiment, multiple first flow fixtures 11 are provided, and multiple sets of first assembly stations are correspondingly provided. Each first flow fixture 11 flows along the multiple first assembly stations of the corresponding group and can stop at each of the first assembly stations in that group. In this way, multiple lower shell components can be assembled simultaneously, improving assembly capacity and efficiency. At the same time, metal parts and lower shell assembly devices 12, circuit board assembly devices 13, keypad assembly devices 14, other components, and various handling mechanisms can be shared, simplifying the structure and controlling equipment costs. Similarly, in one embodiment, multiple second flow fixtures 22 and third flow fixtures 24 are provided (see... Figure 5 There are two second mobile tooling 22 and two third mobile tooling 24. The second mobile tooling 22 and the third mobile tooling 24 are set on a mobile platform and move with the mobile platform. There are a total of two mobile platforms. The first mobile tooling 11 in the previous embodiment can also be set in two (the setting method is similar). There are multiple sets of second assembly stations. Each second mobile tooling 22 and the third mobile tooling 24 flows along the multiple second assembly stations of the corresponding group and can stop at each of the second assembly stations of the group. In this way, multiple upper shell components can be assembled at the same time, and the upper shell components and lower shell components can be assembled, which improves the assembly capacity and efficiency. At the same time, the upper and lower shell assembly devices 21, keycap and upper shell assembly devices 23, and various handling mechanisms can be shared, which simplifies the structure and controls equipment costs.

[0052] In this embodiment, see Figure 6 and Figure 7 The assembly line 100 also includes a testing device 3, which has multiple testing stations, including an appearance inspection station 301, a force and displacement inspection station 302, and a current and voltage inspection station 303. The testing device 3 includes an appearance inspection device 31, a force and displacement inspection device 32, and a current and voltage inspection device 33 respectively corresponding to the appearance inspection station 301, the force and displacement inspection station 302, and the current and voltage inspection station 303. In this way, the assembly line 100 can perform appearance inspection, force and displacement inspection, and current and voltage inspection on the completed components of the buttons, thereby realizing automated inspection of the finished buttons, improving inspection efficiency, and increasing product yield.

[0053] In this embodiment, the plurality of test stations further includes a first switching station 304 and a second switching station 305, and the plurality of test stations are distributed along a circumferential direction. The test equipment 3 is also provided with a button feeding station 306, a first finished product unloading station 307, and a second finished product unloading station 308. The test equipment 3 also includes a platform 34, a seventh conveying mechanism 35, and an eighth conveying mechanism 36. The platform 34 is rotatably disposed, and the platform 34 is provided with a plurality of mounting parts 341, which are used to support the buttons. Multiple mounting parts 341 are distributed along a circumference, the center of which is located on the rotation axis of the platform 34, so that when the platform 34 rotates to each corresponding angle, the buttons on each mounting part 341 can be positioned at each of the detection stations; the seventh conveying mechanism 35 is used to convey the buttons located at the button feeding station 306 to the first switching station 304, and to convey the buttons located at the first switching station 304 that have completed testing to the first finished product unloading station 307. The eighth transport mechanism 36 is used to transport the buttons that have been tested and are located at the second switching station 305 to the second finished product unloading station 308. In this way, the multiple mounting parts 341 on the platform 34 can be located at different testing stations, so that multiple buttons on them can undergo different testing processes simultaneously without interference, thereby improving testing efficiency. The seventh transport mechanism 35 completes the automated loading of the buttons, improving the loading efficiency of the buttons. The setting of the first finished product unloading station 307 and the second finished product unloading station 308 can distinguish the buttons for unloading. Based on whether the buttons pass the test at each testing station, the buttons are divided into OK products and NG products. The seventh transport mechanism 35 and the eighth transport mechanism 36 are used to transport NG products and OK products to the first finished product unloading station 307 and the second finished product unloading station 308, respectively, to realize the automated unloading of NG products and OK products. This can avoid confusion between OK products and NG products, improve testing efficiency and testing quality, and ensure product yield.

[0054] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformations made under the concept of the present invention using the description and drawings of the present invention, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An assembly line for assembling buttons, characterized in that, The assembly line includes a first assembly equipment and a second assembly equipment: The first assembly equipment has multiple first assembly stations, including a metal parts and lower shell assembly station, a circuit board assembly station, and a keypad assembly station. The first assembly equipment includes: The first moving tool flows along the plurality of first assembly stations and can stop at each of the first assembly stations respectively; A metal part and lower shell assembly device is used to assemble a metal part and a lower shell placed on the first flow tooling and located at the metal part and lower shell assembly station to form a first lower shell assembly. A circuit board assembly apparatus for placing a circuit board into the lower shell of a first lower shell assembly located on a first moving fixture and at the circuit board assembly station, to form a second lower shell assembly; and, A keypad assembly device for placing a keypad on the circuit board of the second lower shell assembly, which is located on the first flow fixture and at the keypad assembly station, to form the lower shell assembly. The second assembly equipment includes at least one second assembly station, the at least one second assembly station includes an upper and lower shell assembly station, and the second assembly equipment includes an upper and lower shell assembly device for assembling the upper shell assembly and the lower shell assembly at the upper and lower shell assembly station.

2. The assembly line as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of first assembly stations also include a cleaning and dust removal station, which is located between the circuit board assembly station and the keypad assembly station during the travel of the first moving tool. The first assembly equipment also includes a cleaning and dust removal device for cleaning and dust removal of the second lower shell assembly placed on the first mobile tooling and located at the cleaning and dust removal station.

3. The assembly line as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The first assembly equipment includes a mounting base, and the cleaning and dust removal device includes a housing disposed on the mounting base. The bottom of the housing is open, and a contact probe is provided on the inner side of the top of the housing. The mounting base is movably disposed vertically so that the housing moves downward to cover the second lower housing assembly located on the first moving fixture and at the cleaning and dust removal station. The contact probe is used to detect whether there is a circuit board in the second lower housing assembly located on the first moving fixture and at the cleaning and dust removal station.

4. The assembly line as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first assembly equipment is also provided with a metal parts feeding station and a lower shell feeding station, and the multiple first assembly stations also include metal parts and lower shell loading stations; The first assembly equipment includes a first conveying mechanism, which includes a first adapter seat. The first adapter seat is provided with a first pickup part and a second pickup part. The first adapter seat is movably disposed and has a travel between the metal part feeding station, the lower shell feeding station, and the metal part and lower shell loading station. The first pickup part is used to convey the metal part located at the metal part feeding station to the first mobile fixture located at the metal part and lower shell loading station. The second pickup part is used to convey the lower shell located at the lower shell feeding station to the metal part located on the first mobile fixture and at the metal part and lower shell loading station.

5. The assembly line as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first assembly equipment is also equipped with a circuit board feeding station and a first component unloading station; The first assembly equipment includes a second conveying mechanism, which includes a second adapter seat. The second adapter seat is provided with a third pickup part and a fourth pickup part. The second adapter seat is movably disposed and has a travel distance between the circuit board feeding station, the circuit board assembly station and the first component unloading station. The third pickup part is used to transport the circuit board located at the circuit board feeding station to the lower shell of the first lower shell assembly located on the first moving tooling and at the circuit board assembly station. The fourth pickup part is used to transport the lower shell assembly located at the circuit board assembly station to the first component unloading station.

6. The assembly line as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first assembly equipment is also equipped with a button pad loading station and a second component unloading station; The first assembly equipment includes a third conveying mechanism, which includes a third adapter seat. The third adapter seat is provided with a fifth pickup part and a sixth pickup part. The third adapter seat is movably disposed and has a travel distance between the keypad loading station, the keypad assembly station, and the second component unloading station. The fifth pickup part is used to transport the keypad located at the keypad loading station to the circuit board of the second lower shell assembly located on the first moving tooling and at the keypad assembly station. The sixth pickup part is used to transport the lower shell assembly located at the keypad assembly station to the second component unloading station.

7. The assembly line as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The first assembly equipment is further provided with a keypad feeding station and a keypad pre-processing station. The first assembly equipment also includes a keypad conveying component and a circulating pressing component. The circulating pressing component is used to press the keypad located at the keypad pre-processing station multiple times. The keypad conveying component is used to convey the keypad from the keypad feeding station to the keypad pre-processing station, and to convey the keypad that has been pressed multiple times from the keypad pre-processing station to the keypad loading station.

8. The assembly line as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The second assembly equipment includes multiple second assembly stations, and the multiple second assembly stations further include keycap and upper shell assembly stations. The second assembly equipment also includes: The second flow fixture flows along the plurality of second assembly stations and can stop at each of the second assembly stations respectively; and, A keycap and upper shell assembly device is used to assemble a keycap and a lower shell that are placed on the second flow tooling and located at the keycap and upper shell assembly station to form the upper shell assembly.

9. The assembly line as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The second assembly equipment also includes a keycap feeding station, an upper shell feeding station, and a lower shell assembly feeding station. The multiple second assembly stations also include a keycap loading station, an upper shell loading station, and a lower shell assembly loading station. The second assembly equipment further includes: The third flow fixture flows along the plurality of second assembly stations and can stop at each of the second assembly stations respectively; The fourth conveying mechanism is used to convey the keycaps located at the keycap feeding station to the second mobile fixture located at the keycap loading station; The fifth conveying mechanism is used to convey the upper shell located at the upper shell feeding station to the keycap located on the second flow tooling and at the upper shell loading station; and, The sixth conveying mechanism is used to convey the lower shell assembly located at the lower shell assembly feeding station to the second mobile tooling located at the lower shell assembly loading station; The fifth conveying mechanism is further used to convey the upper shell assembly, which is located on the second moving fixture and at the upper shell loading station, to the lower shell assembly, which is located on the third moving fixture and at the upper shell loading station.

10. The assembly line as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The assembly line also includes testing equipment, which has multiple testing stations, including an appearance inspection station, a force and displacement inspection station, and a current and voltage inspection station. The testing equipment includes appearance inspection devices, force and displacement inspection devices, and current and voltage inspection devices respectively set for the appearance inspection station, the force and displacement inspection station, and the current and voltage inspection station.

11. The assembly line as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The plurality of test stations also include a first switching station and a second switching station, and the plurality of test stations are distributed along a circumferential direction. The test equipment is also provided with a button feeding station, a first finished product unloading station and a second finished product unloading station. The testing equipment also includes: The platform is rotatable and has multiple mounting parts for supporting buttons. The mounting parts are distributed along a circumference, and the center of the circumference is located on the rotation axis of the platform, so that when the platform is rotated to each corresponding angle, the buttons on each mounting part can be positioned at each detection station. A seventh conveying mechanism is used to convey buttons located at the button feeding station to the first switching station, and to convey buttons located at the first switching station that have completed testing to the first finished product unloading station; and, The eighth transport mechanism is used to transport the button that has been tested and is located at the second switching station to the second finished product unloading station.

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