Conductive ball brushing device and method for brushing conductive balls in matrix arrangement

Abstract

The invention discloses a conductive ball brushing device and a method for brushing conductive balls arranged in a matrix mode and comprising the conductive ball brushing device. The conductive ball brushing device comprises a conductive ball discharging mechanism and a mechanical arm, conductive balls are stored in the conductive ball discharging mechanism, an outlet of the conductive ball discharging mechanism is communicated with the mechanical arm, a conductive ball outlet is formed in the bottom of the mechanical arm, a base plate is arranged below the mechanical arm, a plurality of hole grooves used for containing the conductive balls are formed in the base plate, and the conductive balls are arranged in the hole grooves. The manipulator acts to switch positions at a plurality of point positions above the substrate and pauses for a first time period at each point position above the substrate, so that a plurality of conductive ball stacks are formed at the plurality of point positions on the substrate, and a ball brushing brush is further arranged at the bottom of the manipulator; and the manipulator acts to brush the conductive balls of the plurality of conductive ball stacks into the hole grooves of the substrate through the ball brushing brush. The conductive ball brushing device can efficiently brush the conductive balls into the hole grooves arranged in the matrix on the substrate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention specifically relates to a conductive ball brushing device and a method for brushing conductive balls arranged in a matrix including the conductive ball brushing device. Background Art

[0002] ACF film (Anisotropic Conductive Film) is widely used in electronic products. When used, it is necessary to adhere conductive balls to be used in the next process.

[0003] In the prior art, conductive balls are usually placed on the substrate manually by using a spoon. The manual method is not only inefficient, but also prone to missed or misplaced conductive balls. In addition, the manual method may cause uneven distribution of conductive balls on the substrate, and may cause holes in the holes and conductive balls to stick together, thus resulting in unqualified conductive ball loading. Summary of the invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a conductive ball brushing device and a ball brushing method including the conductive ball brushing device in view of the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art. The conductive ball brushing device can efficiently brush the conductive balls into the holes and grooves arranged in a matrix on the substrate.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A conductive ball brushing device comprises a conductive ball unloading mechanism and a manipulator, wherein the conductive ball unloading mechanism stores conductive balls, and its outlet is connected to the manipulator, a conductive ball outlet is provided at the bottom of the manipulator, a substrate is provided below the manipulator, a plurality of holes and grooves for accommodating conductive balls are provided on the substrate, the manipulator moves to switch positions at a plurality of points above the substrate, and pauses for a first time period at each point above the substrate, thereby forming a plurality of conductive ball piles at a plurality of points on the substrate, a ball brush is also provided at the bottom of the manipulator, and the manipulator moves to brush the conductive balls of the plurality of conductive ball piles into the holes and grooves of the substrate through the ball brush.

[0007] Preferably, the holes and grooves on the substrate are arranged in a matrix.

[0008] Preferably, the conductive ball unloading mechanism comprises a storage box, a unloading pipe, and a valve. The storage box is used to store conductive balls. One end of the unloading pipe is connected to the storage box, and the other end is connected to the manipulator. The valve is arranged on the unloading pipe.

[0009] Preferably, the manipulator is a six-axis manipulator.

[0010] Preferably, the conductive ball brushing device further comprises a conveying line, the conveying line is arranged below the robot, and the substrate is placed on the conveying line.

[0011] Preferably, the conductive ball brushing device also includes a control mechanism, which includes a controller and a position sensor. The position sensor is arranged directly below the manipulator and electrically connected to the controller for detecting the position of the movement of the substrate. When the substrate moves to directly below the manipulator, a stop signal is sent to the controller. The controller is also electrically connected to the driving device of the conveyor line. When the controller receives the stop signal, it controls the driving device of the conveyor line to stop moving.

[0012] Preferably, the conductive ball brushing device also includes a conductive ball recovery mechanism, which includes a recovery tube and a recovery box. The bottom of the conveying line is a closed structure and has a first opening. One end of the recovery tube is connected to the recovery box, and the other end is connected to the first opening.

[0013] Preferably, the diameter of the conductive ball is in the range of 2-5 μm.

[0014] Preferably, the brush ball is made of wool.

[0015] The present invention also provides a method for brushing conductive balls arranged in a matrix, using the conductive ball brushing device described above, and the method is as follows:

[0016] Divide the substrate into nine squares of equal area;

[0017] The conductive ball unloading mechanism is turned on, and the robot moves in turn on the six grids on the two parallel sides and the grid in the middle, and stays on each grid for three seconds, thus forming seven piles of conductive balls;

[0018] The robot arm continues to move to drive the brush to brush the six piles of conductive balls located on the two sides in turn, with the brushing direction being perpendicular to the sides, and to brush the conductive ball pile in the middle of the substrate, with the brushing direction being parallel to the sides.

[0019] The conductive ball brushing device in the present invention improves the drawbacks of traditional manual placement of conductive balls, adopts a robot to efficiently place the conductive balls on the substrate, has high efficiency, and avoids the possible leakage and misplacement of conductive balls in traditional manual placement of conductive balls, improves the situation of holes in the holes and grooves on the substrate and the adhesion of conductive balls, and ensures that there is only one conductive ball in a hole and groove. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a conductive ball brushing device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the ball brushing process in Example 2 of the present invention.

[0022] 100-manipulator, 110-brush, 200-conductive ball pile, 210-substrate, 300-storage box, 310-feeding pipe, 320-valve, 400-conveyor line, 500-recovery pipe, 510-recovery box. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings in the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of the present invention.

[0024] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the term "upper" and the like to indicate orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience and simplification of description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0025] In the description of the present invention, the terms “first” and “second” are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0026] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connect", "set", "install", "fix" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection or a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0027] The present invention provides a conductive ball brushing device, comprising a conductive ball unloading mechanism and a manipulator, wherein the conductive ball unloading mechanism stores conductive balls, and the outlet of the conductive ball unloading mechanism is connected to the manipulator, a conductive ball outlet is provided at the bottom of the manipulator, a substrate is provided below the manipulator, a plurality of holes and grooves for accommodating conductive balls are provided on the substrate, the manipulator moves to switch positions at a plurality of points above the substrate, and pauses for a first time period at each point above the substrate, thereby forming a plurality of conductive ball piles at the plurality of points on the substrate, a ball brush is also provided at the bottom of the manipulator, and the manipulator moves to brush the conductive balls of the plurality of conductive ball piles into the holes and grooves of the substrate through the ball brush.

[0028] The present invention also provides a method for brushing conductive balls arranged in a matrix, using the conductive ball brushing device described above, and the method is as follows:

[0029] Divide the substrate into nine squares of equal area;

[0030] The conductive ball unloading mechanism is turned on, and the robot moves in turn on the six grids on the two parallel sides and the grid in the middle, and stays on each grid for three seconds, thus forming seven piles of conductive balls;

[0031] The robot arm continues to move to drive the brush to brush the six piles of conductive balls located on the two sides in turn, with the brushing direction being perpendicular to the sides, and to brush the conductive ball pile in the middle of the substrate, with the brushing direction being parallel to the sides.

[0032] Example 1

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment discloses a conductive ball brushing device, including a conductive ball unloading mechanism and a manipulator 100. The conductive ball unloading mechanism stores conductive balls, and its outlet is connected to the manipulator 100. The bottom of the manipulator 100 is provided with a conductive ball outlet, and a substrate 210 is provided below the manipulator 100. The substrate 210 is provided with a plurality of holes and grooves for accommodating conductive balls (one substrate 210 is provided with hundreds of millions of holes and grooves for accommodating conductive balls, and one hole and groove has only one conductive ball, and the diameter of each hole and groove is 2.5-5μm), and the plurality of holes and grooves are arranged in a matrix on the substrate 210.

[0034] When the conductive balls are dropped onto the substrate 210, the outlet of the conductive ball feeding mechanism is opened, the manipulator 100 moves to switch positions at multiple points above the substrate 210, and pauses for a first time period at each point above the substrate 210 (the outlet of the conductive ball feeding mechanism is opened only when the target point is reached), thereby forming multiple conductive ball piles 200 at multiple points on the substrate 210. A ball brush 110 is also provided at the bottom of the manipulator 100. The manipulator 100 moves to brush the conductive balls of the multiple conductive ball piles 200 into the holes and grooves of the substrate 210 through the ball brush 110.

[0035] In this embodiment, the conductive ball feeding mechanism includes a storage box 300, a feeding tube 310, and a valve 320. The storage box 300 is used to store conductive balls. One end of the feeding tube 310 is connected to the storage box 300, and the other end is connected to the manipulator 100. The valve 320 is arranged on the feeding tube 310. The manipulator 100 is provided with a conductive ball channel inside to connect one end of the upper part of the manipulator 100 connected to the feeding tube 310 and the outlet at the bottom thereof. When the valve 320 is opened, the conductive balls can enter the feeding tube 310 from the storage box 300, and then fall onto the substrate 210 along the conductive ball channel inside the manipulator 100.

[0036] Specifically, the robot 100 is a six-axis robot of the Nachi-Fujikoshi brand.

[0037] In this embodiment, the conductive ball brushing device further includes a conveyor line 400 , which is disposed below the robot 100 , and the substrate 210 is placed on the conveyor line 400 .

[0038] In this embodiment, the conductive ball brushing device also includes a control mechanism, which includes a controller and a position sensor. The position sensor is arranged directly below the manipulator 100 and is electrically connected to the controller for detecting the moving position of the substrate 210. When the substrate 210 moves to directly below the manipulator 100, a stop signal is sent to the controller. The controller is also electrically connected to the driving device of the conveyor line 400. When the controller receives the stop signal, it controls the driving device of the conveyor line 400 to stop moving.

[0039] In this embodiment, the conductive ball brushing device further includes a conductive ball recovery mechanism, which includes a recovery tube 500 and a recovery box 510. The bottom of the conveying line 400 is a closed structure and has a first opening. One end of the recovery tube 500 is connected to the recovery box 510, and the other end is connected to the first opening. The conductive balls dropped from the conveying line 400 are collected on the closed structure at the bottom of the conveying line 400, enter the recovery tube 500 from the first opening, and enter the recovery box 510 along the recovery tube 500.

[0040] In this embodiment, the diameter of the conductive ball is in the range of 2-5 μm, and the diameter of the hole on the substrate 210 is in the range of 2.5-5 μm, so as to ensure that each hole of the substrate 210 can accommodate exactly one conductive ball.

[0041] In this embodiment, the ball brush 110 is made of wool, which can effectively brush the conductive balls into the holes on the substrate 210 .

[0042] The brushing process of the conductive ball brushing device in this embodiment is as follows:

[0043] like Figure 2 As shown, the substrate 210 is divided into nine nine-square grids of equal area;

[0044] The valve 320 of the discharge pipe 310 is opened, and the conductive balls fall from the storage box 300 through the discharge pipe 310 and the conductive ball channel inside the manipulator 100 onto the substrate 210. The manipulator 100 stays at seven points above the substrate 210 for a first time period, which is three seconds, thereby forming seven conductive ball piles 200 on the substrate 210; specifically, the seven conductive ball piles 200 are distributed in the middle positions of the six grids on both sides of the nine-square grid and in the middle position of the grid in the middle of the nine-square grid;

[0045] The robot 100 then performs a ball brushing operation on the seven conductive ball piles 200 to brush the conductive balls into the holes and grooves on the substrate 210, and ensures that there is only one conductive ball in each hole and groove;

[0046] Specifically, the ball brushing action is as follows:

[0047] like Figure 2 As shown, according to the arrow direction in the figure, the robot 100 drives the brush 110 below to first brush the conductive ball piles 200 of the six grids on both sides of the nine-square grid, and the brushing trajectory is Figure 2 Brush back and forth several times in the direction of the arrow in the figure, from the edge of the substrate 210 to the middle line of the substrate 210, and then brush from the middle line to the edge of the substrate 210, and do this several times;

[0048] Then, the conductive ball pile 200 in the middle grid of the nine-square grid is brushed, and the brushing trajectory is Figure 2 Brush the substrate 210 up and down several times in the direction of the arrow, from one edge of the substrate 210 to the other edge, and repeat this process several times;

[0049] At this point, each hole groove on the substrate 210 is filled with a conductive ball.

[0050] The conductive ball brushing device in the present invention improves the drawbacks of the traditional manual placement of conductive balls, and uses the manipulator 100 to efficiently place the conductive balls on the substrate 210, which is highly efficient and avoids the possibility of missed and misplaced conductive balls in the traditional manual placement of conductive balls, improves the situation of holes and conductive balls sticking in the holes and slots on the substrate 210, and ensures that there is only one conductive ball in one hole and slot. In addition, the holes and slots arranged in a matrix on the substrate 210 can allow the conductive balls to be arranged in a matrix form, which can reduce the waste of conductive balls and enable them to be used in high-end products later.

[0051] Example 2

[0052] This embodiment discloses a method for brushing conductive balls arranged in a matrix, using the conductive ball brushing device in Embodiment 1, and the method is as follows:

[0053] like Figure 2 As shown, the substrate 210 is divided into nine nine-square grid areas of equal area;

[0054] The conductive ball unloading mechanism is turned on, and the robot 100 moves in turn on the six grids on the two parallel sides and the grid in the middle, and stays on each grid for three seconds, thereby forming seven piles of conductive balls 200; wherein each pile of conductive balls 200 is located in the middle of its grid;

[0055] The robot 100 continues to move to drive the brush 110 to brush the six piles of conductive balls 200 located on the two sides in turn, and the brushing direction is perpendicular to the side. Specifically, Figure 2 As shown, the ball brushing trajectory is Figure 2 Brush back and forth several times in the direction of the arrow in the figure, from the edge of the substrate 210 to the middle line of the substrate 210, and then brush from the middle line to the edge of the substrate 210, and do this back and forth several times.

[0056] Then, the conductive ball pile 200 in the middle of the substrate 210 is brushed in a direction parallel to the side and brushed from the middle of the substrate 210 toward the two side edges of the substrate 210. Specifically, the brushing trajectory is: Figure 2 Brush the substrate 210 up and down several times in the direction of the arrow, from one edge of the substrate 210 to the other edge.

[0057] After the ball brushing process is completed, each hole groove on the substrate 210 is filled with a conductive ball.

[0058] The brushing method of the matrix-arranged conductive balls in this embodiment adopts mechanical automated unloading and brushing by a robot 100, which can efficiently and quickly brush the conductive balls into each hole groove on the substrate 210, and can ensure that there is only one conductive ball in each hole groove.

[0059] It is to be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For those of ordinary skill in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A conductive ball brushing device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a conductive ball unloading mechanism and a manipulator (100), wherein the conductive ball unloading mechanism stores conductive balls, and an outlet thereof is connected to the manipulator (100), a conductive ball outlet is provided at the bottom of the manipulator (100), a base plate (210) is provided below the manipulator (100), and a plurality of holes and grooves for accommodating conductive balls are provided on the base plate (210), The robot (100) moves to switch positions at multiple points above the substrate (210) and pauses for a first time period at each point above the substrate (210), thereby forming multiple conductive ball piles (200) at multiple points on the substrate (210). A ball brush (110) is also provided at the bottom of the manipulator (100), and the manipulator (100) is operated to brush the conductive balls of the plurality of conductive ball piles (200) into the holes and grooves of the substrate (210) through the ball brush (110).

2. The conductive ball brushing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The holes and grooves on the substrate (210) are arranged in a matrix.

3. The conductive ball brushing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The conductive ball unloading mechanism comprises a storage box (300), a unloading pipe (310), and a valve (320); the storage box (300) is used to store conductive balls; one end of the unloading pipe (310) is connected to the storage box (300), and the other end is connected to the manipulator (100); and the valve (320) is arranged on the unloading pipe (310).

4. The conductive ball brushing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The manipulator (100) is a six-axis manipulator.

5. The conductive ball brushing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: It also includes a conveyor line (400), which is arranged below the robot (100) and on which the substrate (210) is placed.

6. The conductive ball brushing device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The robot also includes a control mechanism, the control mechanism including a controller and a position sensor, the position sensor being arranged directly below the robot (100) and electrically connected to the controller and used to detect the position of the substrate (210) when it moves to directly below the robot (100), and sending a stop signal to the controller when the substrate (210) moves to directly below the robot (100). The controller is also electrically connected to the driving device of the conveyor line (400), and when the controller receives a stop signal, it controls the driving device of the conveyor line (400) to stop moving.

7. The conductive ball brushing device according to claim 6, characterized in that: It also includes a conductive ball recovery mechanism, which includes a recovery tube (500) and a recovery box (510). The bottom of the conveying line (400) is a closed structure and is provided with a first opening; one end of the recovery pipe (500) is in communication with the recovery box (510), and the other end is in communication with the first opening.

8. The conductive ball brushing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The diameter of the conductive ball is in the range of 2-5 μm.

9. The conductive ball brushing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The ball brush (110) is made of wool.

10. A method for brushing conductive balls arranged in a matrix, characterized in that: Using the conductive ball brushing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the method is as follows: Dividing the substrate (210) into nine nine-square grids with the same area; The conductive ball unloading mechanism is turned on, and the robot (100) moves in turn on the six grids on the two parallel sides and the grid in the middle, and stays on each grid for three seconds, thereby forming seven piles of conductive balls (200); The robot arm (100) continues to move to drive the brush (110) to brush the six piles of conductive balls (200) located on the two sides in sequence, with the brushing direction being perpendicular to the sides, and to brush the conductive balls pile (200) in the middle of the substrate (210), with the brushing direction being parallel to the sides.

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