Automatic production line of thermal printing head and manufacturing method of thermal printing head

Abstract

The invention provides an automatic production line of a thermal printing head and a manufacturing method of the thermal printing head. The automatic production line of the thermal printing head comprises a carrier flowing in a circulating line, and the circulating line comprises a heat dissipation plate assembling station, a rubberizing station, a support assembling station, a first overturning station, a screw driving station, a second overturning station, an attaching station and a pressure maintaining station; the production line comprises a plurality of devices, and the heat dissipation plate feeding device places the heat dissipation plate into a carrier of a heat dissipation plate assembling station; the rubberizing equipment is used for rubberizing the heat dissipation plate at the rubberizing station; the support feeding equipment places a support into a carrier of a support assembling station; the first overturning equipment is used for overturning the carrier at the first overturning station; the screw driving equipment drives screws at the screw driving station; the second overturning equipment is used for overturning the carrier at the second overturning station; the thermosensitive piece feeding equipment attaches the thermosensitive piece to the heat dissipation plate of the attaching station; and the pressure maintaining equipment is used for carrying out pressure maintaining treatment on the pressure maintaining station. The assembly of the thermal printing head is completed in a full-automatic manner, and the efficiency and the yield are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automated production, and in particular to an automatic production line for a thermal print head and a method for manufacturing the thermal print head. Background Art

[0002] See also Figure 1 The thermal print head includes a thermal sheet 94, an FPC flexible circuit board (not shown in the figure), a metal heat sink 91 and two brackets 92. The two brackets 92 need to be fixed to the two ends of the length of the metal heat sink 91 by screws 93 respectively. The thermal sheet 94 welded with the FPC flexible circuit board needs to be bonded to the first surface 911 of the metal heat sink 91 and pressed, and then UV glue needs to be applied and the glue needs to be cured.

[0003] The assembly process of thermal print heads has many steps and is complex. It now needs to be fully automated to improve efficiency and yield. Summary of the invention

[0004] The first object of the present invention is to provide an automatic production line for thermal print heads that fully automates the assembly of thermal print heads.

[0005] A second object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a thermal print head that fully automates the assembly of the thermal print head.

[0006] The automatic production line for thermal print heads provided by the present invention includes a circulation line and a carrier circulating on multiple stations of the circulation line, the multiple stations including a heat sink assembly station, a gluing station, a bracket assembly station, a first flipping station, a screwing station, a second flipping station, an attachment station and a pressure holding station which are arranged in sequence; the automatic production line for thermal print heads also includes heat sink feeding equipment, gluing equipment, bracket feeding equipment, a first flipping equipment, a screwing equipment, a second flipping equipment, a thermal sheet feeding equipment and a pressure holding equipment. The heat sink loading equipment is used to place the heat sink into the carrier of the heat sink assembly station; the gluing equipment is used to perform gluing treatment on the first surface of the heat sink at the gluing station; the bracket loading equipment is used to place the bracket into the carrier of the bracket assembly station; the first flipping equipment is used to flip the carrier at the first flipping station; the screw driving equipment is used to perform screw driving treatment between the heat sink and the bracket from the opposite side of the first surface at the screw driving station; the second flipping equipment is used to flip the carrier at the second flipping station; the thermistor loading equipment is used to attach the thermistor of the soldered flexible circuit board to the first surface of the heat sink at the attaching station; the pressure holding equipment is used to perform pressure holding treatment on the thermistor and the heat sink in the pressure holding station.

[0007] It can be seen from the above scheme that the present invention can automatically and sequentially complete the double-sided adhesive process of the first surface of the heat sink, the assembly process of the bracket, the screwing process of the bracket, the bonding process of the thermal sheet, the pressure-maintaining process of the thermal sheet and the heat sink, the UV adhesive coating of the thermal sheet, and the adhesive curing process. First of all, the present invention takes into account the process sequence. Generally, the assembly of components is performed in sequence, and the required process of assembling a certain component is performed continuously. For example, if the bracket is assembled first and then the thermal sheet is assembled, then the bracket will generally be placed and screwed first, and then the heat sink and thermal sheet will be glued. The thermal sheet ... In summary, the present invention chooses to insert the assembly process of the bracket between the gluing process and the attaching process in the assembly of the thermal film. Then, the present invention also takes into account the particularity of the bracket assembly. The bracket needs to be overlapped on the back side of the heat sink opposite to the first surface and screwed on this side. Generally, it is considered to directly overlap the bracket on the heat sink with the back side facing up and immediately continue the screwing process. However, the present invention takes into account the particularity of the shape of the bracket. When the bracket is loaded, the bracket cannot be placed with the back side facing up and flush to wait for being grabbed by the robot. Therefore, the present invention takes into account the success rate of the bracket loading, grabs the bracket with the front side facing up and flush, and moves it to the side of the heat sink with the first surface facing up, and then pushes it to the bottom of the heat sink, and then flips it over to perform the screwing process.

[0008] A further solution is that the multiple workstations also include a glue dispensing station and a glue curing station which are sequentially arranged downstream of the pressure holding station; the automatic production line for thermal print heads also includes glue dispensing equipment and glue curing equipment, the glue dispensing equipment is used to perform glue dispensing processing between the thermal sheet and the heat sink in the glue dispensing station; the glue curing equipment is used to perform glue curing processing between the thermal sheet and the heat sink in the glue curing station.

[0009] A further solution is that the multiple workstations also include a third flipping station, a laser coding station, and a fourth flipping station which are sequentially arranged downstream of the glue curing station; the thermal print head automatic production line also includes a third flipping device, a laser coding device and a fourth flipping device, the third flipping device is used to flip the carrier of the third flipping station; the laser coding device is used to perform laser coding on the heat sink and / or bracket of the laser coding station; the fourth flipping device is used to flip the carrier of the fourth flipping station.

[0010] As can be seen from the above, based on the setting of the reversible carrier, the carrier can be flipped over at the end and the laser coding process can be completed on the back of the heat sink before flipping over and restoring and waiting for discharge.

[0011] Another further solution is that the multiple workstations also include a first visual inspection station arranged between the gluing station and the bracket assembly station, and the automatic production line for thermal print heads also includes a first visual inspection device, and the first visual inspection device is used to perform visual inspection on the gluing condition of the heat sink in the first visual inspection station; and / or, the multiple workstations also include a second visual inspection station arranged between the pressure holding station and the gluing station, and the automatic production line for thermal print heads also includes a second visual inspection device, and the second visual inspection device is used to perform visual inspection on the relative positions of the thermal sheet and the heat sink after pressure holding in the second visual inspection station.

[0012] It can be seen from the above that the assembly accuracy of the thermal sheet directly affects the function of the thermal print head. Therefore, in view of the gluing accuracy of the double-sided tape, the present invention adopts a first visual inspection device to detect whether the double-sided tape is flat and free of bubbles. In addition, even if the position accuracy is guaranteed when the thermal sheet is attached, the thermal sheet and the heat sink may be relatively displaced after pressing down during the pressure holding process, thereby affecting the attachment accuracy. Therefore, the present invention adopts a second visual inspection device to detect the relative position between the characteristic points of the thermal sheet and the characteristic points of the heat sink or the bracket after completing the pressure holding process. If the situation does not meet the tolerance, it is determined to be a defective product. Another further solution is that the thermistor feeding equipment includes a thermistor feeding robot, a welding device and a power-on detection device; the welding device is used to weld the flexible circuit board to the thermistor; the power-on detection device is used to perform power-on detection on the thermistor to which the flexible circuit board has been welded; the thermistor feeding robot can be moved between the welding device, the power-on detection device and the carrier of the attachment station.

[0013] As can be seen from the above, under this setting, the welding of the flexible circuit board and the thermal sheet is integrated into the automatic production line, further improving the automated process of product assembly. Before the welding is completed and sent to the attachment station, power is turned on to perform functional testing on the flexible circuit board and the thermal sheet to eliminate front-end defects and avoid subsequent waste of processes and other raw materials.

[0014] A further solution is that the automatic production line of thermal print heads also includes a third visual inspection device arranged at the attachment station, and the third visual inspection device includes a third camera device and a fourth camera device; the third camera device is used to obtain first image data of the thermal film at the attachment station, and the third camera device is used to obtain second image data of the heat sink and / or bracket at the attachment station, and the thermal film loading robot is used to attach the thermal film to the first surface of the heat sink according to the first image data and the second image data.

[0015] As can be seen from the above, the assembly accuracy of the thermal sheet directly affects the function of the thermal print head. Also, because the thermal sheet is directly attached to the flat first surface of the heat sink, the thermal sheet cannot be assisted by the structural features on the heat sink to reach the exact position. To this end, the present invention considers using two sets of visual systems, the third camera device and the fourth camera device, to distribute and acquire the feature points on the thermal sheet and the feature points on the heat sink or the bracket. Through two photos, the relative position and distance between the thermal sheet and the heat sink are confirmed by visual calculation. Then the visual system transmits the data to the controller of the thermal sheet feeding robot. The controller compares the data provided by the visual system with the standard data, and then controls the thermal sheet feeding robot to correct the deviation, rotation angle and movement distance of the thermal sheet, and move the thermal sheet to the top of the heat sink. Then, the fourth camera device takes pictures of the thermal sheet and the heat sink or bracket at the same time, and recalculates and confirms whether the relative position and distance between the thermal sheet and the heat sink are within the dimensional tolerance required by the product. If so, it will be attached immediately; if not, the thermal sheet will be further corrected and aligned until the relative position and distance between the thermal sheet and the heat sink are within the attachment dimensional tolerance required by the product before attachment. After the thermal sheet is attached, the fourth camera device takes pictures of the thermal sheet and the heat sink again at the same time, and rechecks and calculates the relative distance and position between the thermal sheet and the heat sink to ensure that they are within the attachment tolerance required by the product and that there are no defective products in the product attachment.

[0016] Another further solution is that the bracket loading equipment includes a bracket transfer robot, a bracket loading robot and two sets of bracket loading devices arranged relatively to each other; the bracket loading device includes a bracket silo, a flexible vibration disk and a straight vibrator, and the bracket silo is connected to the flexible vibration disk; the bracket transfer robot is used to transfer the bracket from the flexible vibration disk to the entrance of the straight vibrator; the bracket loading robot is used to transfer the bracket from the outlet of the straight vibrator to the carrier of the bracket assembly station.

[0017] As can be seen from the above, the present invention takes into account the particularity of the shape of the bracket. When loading the bracket, the bracket cannot be placed with the back facing up and flush to wait for being grabbed by the robot. Therefore, the present invention takes into account the success rate of bracket loading and grabs the bracket with the front facing up and flush. However, a large part of the brackets that fall from the silo are in a posture with the bottom facing up and tilted, which makes it difficult for the bracket loading robot to clamp the bracket. For this reason, the present invention uses a flexible vibration plate to flexibly vibrate the brackets that fall from the bracket silo. After vibration, all the brackets will reach a horizontal posture that can be clamped with the front facing up. The straight vibrator sends out the brackets one by one to ensure that the angle of the output bracket is accurate and does not need to be adjusted.

[0018] A further solution is that the bracket includes a connecting portion and a protruding portion that are bent and connected to each other, the heat sink includes a back surface opposite to the first surface, and the connecting portion is used to overlap and connect with the back surface of the heat sink; the bracket loading robot grabs the protruding portion when transferring the bracket; the carrier includes a bracket placement position and a floating limiting mechanism, and in a natural state, the limiting mechanism limits the bracket in the bracket placement position from the length direction of the heat sink; the bracket loading robot can force the limiting mechanism to float and release its limiting effect in the process of placing the bracket into the bracket placement position.

[0019] As can be seen from the above, the method of placing the bracket with the front side facing up and then moving it horizontally to extend it under the heat sink will cause new technical problems: in the space where the bracket needs to move horizontally, the carrier cannot limit the brackets on both sides from the length direction of the thermal print head. To this end, the present invention further improves the carrier and sets a floating limit mechanism. In the natural state, the limit mechanism limits the bracket in the bracket placement position from the length direction of the heat sink; in the process of the bracket loading robot placing the bracket into the bracket placement position, the limit mechanism can be forced to float and release its limit effect. In this way, the floating design of the limit mechanism allows it to give way during the bracket placement process. When the bracket is in place, the restored limit mechanism can limit the bracket from the length direction of the thermal print head to prevent the bracket from loosening.

[0020] Another further solution is that the heat sink loading equipment includes a tray conveyor line, a heat sink transfer robot, a heat sink positioning mechanism and a heat sink loading robot. The heat sink transfer robot is used to transfer the heat sink from the tray conveyor line to the heat sink positioning mechanism. The heat sink positioning mechanism is used to position the heat sink. The heat sink loading robot is used to transfer the heat sink from the heat sink positioning mechanism to the carrier of the heat sink assembly station. The heat sink loading robot cooperates with the heat sink positioning mechanism to position the heat sink in the length, width and height directions of the heat sink.

[0021] It can be seen from the above that in order to ensure the accuracy of the angle and level of the heat sink before being placed in the carrier, the heat sink transfer robot first sends the heat sink to the heat sink positioning mechanism. The heat sink positioning mechanism can limit the heat sink from the opposite sides in the width direction, the opposite sides in the length direction and the bottom side, and the suction cup of the heat sink loading robot can limit the heat sink from the top side. In this way, before the heat sink loading robot takes out the heat sink, the horizontal angle and level of the heat sink are adjusted to improve the subsequent process accuracy.

[0022] Another further solution is that the multiple workstations also include a finished product discharging station at the most downstream of the circulation line, and the finished product discharging station and the heat sink assembly station are arranged opposite to each other along the width direction of the circulation line; the circulation line also includes a clamping device, and the clamping device is arranged between the finished product discharging station and the heat sink assembly station; when the clamping device is working, it can force the carrier of the heat sink assembly station and the carrier of the finished product discharging station to loosen the clamps at the same time.

[0023] As can be seen from the above, when placing the heat sink and taking out the finished product, the carrier needs to be loosened. Since the heat sink loading station and the finished product discharging station are located at the beginning and end of the circulation line, the two positions are relatively close. Therefore, the present invention sets the two relatively on the circulation line, and sets a single-powered loosening device between the two. When the loosening device extends to push one carrier, the loosening device itself retreats and pushes the other carrier at the same time. In this way, only one linear drive unit is set to loosen the carriers on both sides at the same time, effectively reducing the equipment cost.

[0024] The second object of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a thermal print head by using an automatic production line for thermal print heads according to any one of claims 1 to 10; the manufacturing method comprises: placing a heat sink into a carrier of a heat sink assembly station; gluing the first surface of the heat sink at a gluing station; placing a bracket into a carrier of a bracket assembly station; flipping the carrier at a first flipping station; screwing the heat sink and the bracket; flipping the carrier at a second flipping station; and attaching a thermal sheet with a soldered flexible circuit board to the first surface of the heat sink at an attaching station.

[0025] As can be seen from the above scheme, the present invention can automatically and sequentially complete the process of attaching double-sided tape to the first surface of the heat sink, the process of assembling the bracket, the process of screwing the bracket, and the process of bonding the thermal film. The present invention also considers the success rate of bracket loading, grabs the bracket facing up and flush, moves it to the side of the heat sink with the first surface facing up, and then pushes it horizontally under the heat sink, and then turns it over to perform the screwing process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a finished thermal print head of an embodiment of an automatic production line for thermal print heads of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 It is a top view of an embodiment of an automatic production line for thermal print heads of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 3 It is an isometric view of an embodiment of an automatic production line for thermal print heads of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 4 It is a structural diagram of the heat sink positioning mechanism in the embodiment of the automatic production line of the thermal print head of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 5 for Figure 3 Enlarged view of point A in the middle.

[0031] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of placing a bracket on a carrier in an embodiment of an automatic production line for thermal print heads of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of flipping the carrier in the embodiment of the automatic production line of thermal print heads of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of screwing in an embodiment of an automatic production line for thermal print heads of the present invention.

[0034] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of attaching thermal sheets to the automatic production line of thermal print heads according to the present invention.

[0035] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the third visual inspection device of the thermal print head automatic production line embodiment of the present invention respectively identifying the thermal sheet and the heat sink.

[0036] Fig.11 This is a schematic diagram of the third visual inspection device in the thermal print head automatic production line embodiment of the present invention checking the relative position of the thermal sheet and the heat sink.

[0037] Fig.12 for Figure 3 Enlarged view of point B in the middle.

[0038] Fig.13 It is a schematic diagram of the unclamping device unclamping two carriers in the embodiment of the automatic production line of thermal print heads of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] Thermal print head automatic production line example See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 The automatic production line of thermal print heads of this embodiment includes a circulation line and a plurality of carriers 8 ( Figure 6 and Figure 7), the number of carriers 8 is consistent with the number of stations, that is, at any processing time point, there is a workpiece in a carrier 8 on each station being operated by the equipment of the current station. The multiple stations include a heat sink assembly station 101, a glue sticking station 102, a first visual inspection station 103, a bracket assembly station 104, a first flipping station 105, a screwing station 106, a second flipping station 107, an attachment station 108, a pressure holding station 109, a second visual inspection station 110, a glue sticking station 111, a glue curing station 112, a third flipping station 113, a laser coding station 114, a fourth flipping station 115 and a finished product discharge station 116, which are arranged in sequence. On the circulation line, the distance between any two adjacent stations among the multiple stations is equal. The heat sink assembly station 101 as the first station and the finished product discharge station 116 as the last station are adjacent to each other because the circulation line is connected end to end. As shown in the figure, the x-axis direction is the length direction of the circulation line, and the y-axis direction is the width direction of the circulation line. Both the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction are horizontal directions. Multiple workstations are arranged in rows along the length direction of the circulation line, and each row includes 8 workstations. Multiple workstations are arranged in columns along the width direction of the circulation line, and each column includes 2 workstations.

[0040] The automatic production line of thermal print heads includes a heat sink feeding device 201 arranged corresponding to the heat sink assembly station 101. The heat sink feeding device 201 includes a tray conveying line 2011, a heat sink transfer robot 2012, a heat sink positioning mechanism 2013 and a heat sink feeding robot 2014. The tray conveying line 2011 uses a conveyor belt to convey the stacked trays placed by the staff to the pickup position in a straight line; the heat sink transfer robot 2012 is a three-axis robot, and the gripping part of the heat sink transfer robot 2012 is a negative pressure suction head arranged downward; Figure 4 As shown, the heat sink positioning mechanism 2013 is a mechanism that can position the heat sink 91 from both sides in the width direction, both sides in the length direction, and the bottom side of the heat sink 91.

[0041] Among them, the heat sink loading manipulator 2014 is a truss robot, and the gripping part of the heat sink loading manipulator 2014 can move along the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis directions, and the gripping part of the heat sink loading manipulator 2014 is a negative pressure suction head set downward. After the staff puts the stacked trays into the tray conveying line 2011, the tray conveying line 2011 will send the stacked trays to the pickup position along a straight line, and the heat sink transfer manipulator 2012 is used to transfer the heat sink from the tray conveying line 2011 to the heat sink positioning mechanism 2013. The heat sink loading manipulator 2014 cooperates with the heat sink positioning mechanism 2013 to position the heat sink in the length direction, width direction and height direction of the heat sink. The heat sink loading manipulator 2014 is used to transfer the heat sink from the heat sink positioning mechanism 2013 to the carrier 8 of the heat sink assembly station 101.

[0042] Combination Figure 4 The heat sink positioning mechanism 2013 includes a fixed seat 37, a driving unit 36, a long side positioning component 31, a wide side positioning component 32, a linkage plate 33 and a roller 34. The long side positioning component 31 is movably connected to the fixed seat 37 along the y-axis direction through a first slide rail assembly, and the wide side positioning component 32 is movably connected to the fixed seat 37 along the x-axis direction through a second slide rail assembly. A positioning groove 30 for the heat sink 91 is provided on the fixed seat 37. The fixed seat 37 includes a first rib 351 disposed on opposite sides of the positioning groove 30 along the y-axis direction with the long side positioning component 31, and the fixed seat 37 also includes a second rib 352 disposed on opposite sides of the positioning groove 30 along the x-axis direction with the wide side positioning component 32.

[0043] The linkage plate 33 is fixedly connected to the long side positioning component 31, and the roller 34 is connected to the wide side positioning component 32. A track groove 330 extending obliquely to the x-axis direction is provided on the linkage plate 33. The roller 34 is arranged in the track groove 330 and the movement of the roller 34 is limited by the track groove 330. In this way, when the driving unit 36 ​​drives the long side positioning component 31 to move along the y-axis direction and approach the positioning groove 30, with the cooperation of the roller 34 and the track groove 330, the wide side positioning component 32 is also forced to move along the x-axis direction and approach the positioning groove 30. In this way, after the heat sink 91 is placed in the positioning groove 30, a single driving unit can also achieve positioning in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction.

[0044] In addition, the bottom of the positioning groove 30 supports the heat sink 91. When the heat sink loading robot 2014 puts the heat sink 91 into the positioning groove 30, the negative pressure suction head of the heat sink loading robot 2014 and the bottom of the positioning groove 30 respectively position the heat sink 91 from the upper and lower sides. In this way, the heat sink loading robot 2014 and the heat sink positioning mechanism 2013 cooperate to position the heat sink 91 in the length direction, width direction and height direction of the heat sink 91.

[0045] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 The automatic production line of thermal print heads includes a gluing device 202 corresponding to the gluing station 102, and the gluing device 202 is used to perform gluing on the first surface 911 of the heat sink 91 of the gluing station 102. The gluing device 202 includes a masterbatch unwinding mechanism of double-sided adhesive, a tensioning wheel set, a recycling roll, a vertical moving mechanism, a horizontal moving mechanism, and the like.

[0046] The automatic production line of thermal print heads also includes a first visual inspection device 203 arranged corresponding to the first visual inspection station 103. The first visual inspection device 203 includes a high-definition camera. The first visual inspection device 203 is used to perform visual inspection on the gluing condition of the heat sink 91 in the first visual inspection station 103. The gluing condition includes the accuracy of the gluing position, the completeness of the gluing, and whether there are bubbles.

[0047] See also Figure 2 , Figure 3 as well as Figure 5 The automatic production line of thermal print heads includes a bracket loading device 204 arranged corresponding to the bracket assembly station 104, the bracket loading device 204 includes a bracket transfer robot 2041, a bracket loading robot 2042 and two sets of bracket loading devices arranged relatively, the bracket loading device includes a bracket silo 2043, a flexible vibration disk 2044 and a straight vibrator 2045, wherein the bracket transfer robot 2041 and the bracket loading robot 2042 are both three-axis robots, and the grasping parts of the bracket transfer robot 2041 and the bracket loading robot 2042 include two clamps driven by pneumatic fingers.

[0048] The thermal print head needs to be installed with brackets 92 at both ends of its length, and two sets of bracket loading devices are responsible for loading the two brackets 92 on the left and right. The bracket silo 2043 is connected to the flexible vibration plate 2044, and the bracket transfer robot 2041 is used to transfer the bracket 92 from the flexible vibration plate 2044 to the entrance of the straight vibrator 2045; the bracket loading robot 2042 is used to transfer the bracket 92 from the exit of the straight vibrator 2045 to the carrier 8 of the bracket assembly station 104. In this embodiment, the transfer of the brackets 92 on the left and right sides is completed by the same bracket loading robot 2042. In other embodiments, two bracket loading robots 2042 can be set on the left and right to transfer the brackets 92 on both sides at the same time to improve efficiency.

[0049] Combination Figure 1 The bracket 92 includes a connecting portion 921 and a protruding portion 922 connected by a bend, and the heat sink 91 includes a back surface 912 opposite to the first surface 911. The connecting portion 921 is used to overlap with the back surface 912 of the heat sink. On the bracket 92, the connecting portion 921 is used as a base, and the protruding side of the protruding portion 922 is the front side of the bracket 92, and the side of the connecting portion 921 opposite to the protruding portion 922 and having a flat surface is the bottom surface of the bracket 92. Since the bottom surface of the bracket 92 is flat, the bracket 92 can be Figure 1 The horizontal posture with the front side facing upward is temporarily set; if the bottom surface of the bracket 92 faces upward, it will be in a tilted posture due to the presence of the protruding portion 922.

[0050] If the bracket 92 is temporarily stored in a tilted posture with the bottom facing upward, the clamp of the bracket transfer robot 2041 cannot grasp the bracket 92 vertically downward. If the clamp of the bracket transfer robot 2041 grasps the bracket 92 at an angle, the grasping part of the bracket transfer robot 2041 is required to have an additional degree of rotational freedom, and the inclined grasping will also push the bracket 92 away, reducing the grasping success rate. On the contrary, the bracket 92 facing upward is in a horizontal posture, and the protruding part 922 protruding upward becomes the grasping point of the clamp. For this reason, the present invention takes into account the particularity of the shape of the bracket 92. In order to improve the success rate of loading the bracket 92, when the bracket 92 is loaded, the bracket transfer robot 2041 grabs the bracket 92 facing upward and flush.

[0051] Furthermore, a large portion of the brackets 92 dropped from the bracket silo 2043 are in a tilted posture with the bottom facing upward, which makes it difficult for the bracket loading manipulator 2042 to pick up the brackets 92. To this end, the present invention uses a flexible vibration plate 2044 to flexibly vibrate the brackets 92 dropped from the bracket silo 2043, and after vibration, all the brackets 92 will reach a horizontal posture with the front side facing upward and can be clamped. The straight vibrator 2045 sends out the brackets 92 one by one, ensuring that the angle of the output brackets 92 is accurate and does not need to be adjusted.

[0052] See also Figure 2 and Figure 6 In order to ensure that the bracket 92 is effectively positioned and limited, the carrier 8 includes a bracket placement position 890 and a limiting mechanism 81. The limiting mechanism 81 is used to limit the bracket 92 in the bracket placement position 890 from the length direction of the heat sink (the x-axis direction in the figure). However, the bent bracket 92 needs to be moved downward along the Z-axis to one side of the heat sink 91 with the front side facing up until the connecting portion 921 reaches below the position of the heat sink 91, and then translated along the x-axis direction so that the connecting portion 921 overlaps with the back side 912 of the heat sink 91.

[0053] In order to avoid the interference of the limiting mechanism 81 on the transfer of the bracket 92, the limiting mechanism 81 is set as a floating structure in the present invention. Specifically, the limiting mechanism 81 is set to be able to swing around the axis 800, and the limiting mechanism 81 is connected to the fixed part of the carrier 8 by a spring. In this way, under the restoring force of the spring, the limiting mechanism 81 is kept Figure 6 The upper limit position of state a is also the natural state of the present invention. When the limit mechanism 81 is pressed downward, it will swing downward. Figure 6 The limit mechanism 81 shown in state b is in the lower limit position, at which time the spring is energized.

[0054] The bracket loading robot 2042 puts the bracket 92 into the bracket placement position 890 in sequence. Figure 6 The states shown in the a, b and c state diagrams. Figure 6As shown in the state diagram a and the state diagram b, when the bracket loading robot 2042 places the bracket 92 into the bracket placement position 890, the bracket 92 abuts against the limit mechanism 81 during the downward movement and forces the limit mechanism 81 to swing down to the lower limit position, so that the limit mechanism 81 releases its limit function in the x-axis direction, achieving the avoidance effect. Figure 6 As shown in the state diagrams b and c, after the bracket 92 translates along the x-axis direction and completely reaches the bracket placement position 890, the limiting mechanism 81 rebounds and swings back to the natural state under the restoring force of the spring, and limits the bracket 92 from the x-axis direction.

[0055] See also Figure 2 and Figure 7 The automatic production line of thermal print heads includes a first flipping device 205 corresponding to the first flipping station 105, and the first flipping device 205 is used to flip the carrier 8 of the first flipping station 105. The first flipping device 205 can be engaged with the bearing part 82, and the first flipping device 205 can drive the bearing part 82 to flip after being engaged with the bearing part 82.

[0056] like Figure 6 As shown in the state diagram in the middle d, after the bracket 92 is placed, the connection part 921 is located below the heat sink 91, and the first surface 911 is still facing upward. The screwing needs to be done from the side where the connection part 921 is located. For this purpose, the carrier 8 of the present invention is provided with a bearing part 82 that can be flipped along the x-axis direction. The bearing part 82 is provided with a fixing mechanism 821 that fixes the heat sink 91 along the y-axis direction to ensure that the heat sink 91 will not fall off during and after the flipping of the bearing part 82. Figure 6 As shown in the middle e state diagram, after the carrying portion 82 is flipped over, the connecting portion 921 is located above the heat dissipation plate 911 .

[0057] Combination Figure 2 and Figure 8 The automatic production line of thermal print heads includes a screw driving device 206 arranged corresponding to the screw driving station 106. The screw driving device 206 includes an electric screwdriver. The screw driving device 206 is used to drive the screws 93 into the bracket 92 and the heat sink 91 from top to bottom at the screw driving station 106 from the opposite side of the first surface 911, that is, the side where the connecting portion 921 is located.

[0058] See also Figure 2 The automatic production line for thermal print heads includes a second flipping device 207 arranged corresponding to the second flipping station 107 , and the second flipping device 207 is used to flip the carrier 8 of the second flipping station 107 again.

[0059] See also Figure 2 , Figure 3 as well as Figures 9 to 11The automatic production line of thermal print heads includes a thermal sheet feeding device 208 and a third visual inspection device 2080 arranged corresponding to the attachment station 108. The thermal sheet feeding device 208 includes a thermal sheet feeding robot 2081, a welding device 2082 and a power-on detection device 2083; the welding device 2082 is used to weld the flexible circuit board to the thermal sheet 94; the power-on detection device 2083 is used to perform power-on detection on the thermal sheet 94 to which the flexible circuit board has been welded. The thermal sheet feeding robot 2081 is a three-axis robot, and the thermal sheet feeding robot 2081 can be moved between the welding device, the power-on detection device and the carrier 8 of the attachment station 108.

[0060] The thermal sheet loading robot 2081 can transfer the thermal sheet 94 that has completed welding and power-on detection to the attachment station 108. Fig.10 A schematic diagram from a bird's-eye view. Fig.10 Two dotted boxes respectively indicate the imaging range of the third camera device 2084 and the imaging range of the fourth camera device 2085. Before attaching the thermal sheet 94 to the first surface 911, visual inspection and correction processing need to be performed, and the visual inspection is performed by the third visual inspection device 2080. The third visual inspection device 2080 includes a third camera device 2084 and a fourth camera device 2085; the third camera device 2084 is used to obtain the first image data of the thermal sheet 94 of the attaching station 108, and the third camera device 2084 is used to obtain the second image data of the heat sink 91 of the attaching station 108.

[0061] The present invention uses two sets of visual systems, namely the third camera device 2084 and the fourth camera device 2085, to obtain the characteristic points on the thermal sheet 94 and the characteristic points of the heat sink 91 in a distributed manner. By taking two photos, the relative position and distance between the thermal sheet 94 and the heat sink 91 are confirmed by visual calculation. Then the visual system transmits the data to the controller of the thermal sheet loading robot 2081. The controller compares the data provided by the visual system with the standard data, and then controls the thermal sheet loading robot 2081 to correct the deviation, rotate the angle and move the distance of the thermal sheet 94, and move the thermal sheet 94 to the top of the heat sink 91. Then, the fourth camera device 2085 takes pictures of the thermal sheet 94 and the heat sink 91 at the same time, and calculates and confirms again whether the relative position and distance between the thermal sheet 94 and the heat sink 91 are within the dimensional tolerance required by the product. If so, it is immediately lowered for attachment; if not, the thermal sheet 94 is further corrected and aligned until the relative position and distance between the thermal sheet 94 and the heat sink 91 are within the attachment dimensional tolerance required by the product, and then attached. Among them, the relative position and distance between the thermal sheet 94 and the heat sink 91 can be calculated based on the feature point coordinates of the first image data and the feature point coordinates of the second image data. For example, the feature point in the first image data is the end point of the line 941 where the thermosensitive element on the thermal sheet 94 is located. The system determines the tolerance with the preset distance based on the feature point in the second image data being the edge of the heat sink 91 and the actual distance n between the line 941 and the edge of the heat sink 91 in the x-axis direction.

[0062] After the thermal sheet 94 is attached, the fourth camera device 2085 takes pictures of the thermal sheet 94 and the heat sink 91 again, and re-checks and calculates the relative distance and position of the thermal sheet 94 and the heat sink 91 to ensure that they are within the attachment tolerance range required by the product and that there are no defective products in the product attachment.

[0063] See also Figure 2 The automatic production line of thermal print heads includes a pressure-maintaining device 209 corresponding to the pressure-maintaining station 109, and the pressure-maintaining device 209 is used to perform pressure-maintaining treatment on the thermal sheet 94 and the heat sink 91 in the pressure-maintaining station 109. The pressure-maintaining device 209 mainly includes a pressure head with pressure detection and buffering, and the pressure head presses down the thermal sheet 94 to provide pressure-maintaining pressure.

[0064] See also Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Fig.12The automatic production line of thermal print heads includes a second visual inspection device 210 corresponding to the second visual inspection station 110. The second visual inspection device 210 is used to visually inspect the relative position of the thermal sheet 94 and the heat sink 91 after the pressure is maintained in the second visual inspection station 110. During the pressure maintenance process, the thermal sheet 94 and the heat sink 91 may be relatively displaced after the pressure is pressed down, thereby affecting the attachment accuracy. Therefore, the present invention uses the second visual inspection device 210 to detect the relative position between the characteristic points of the thermal sheet 94 and the characteristic points of the heat sink 91 after the pressure maintenance process is completed. If the situation does not meet the tolerance, it is determined to be a defective product.

[0065] See also Figure 2 The automatic production line of thermal print heads includes a glue dispensing device 211 corresponding to the glue dispensing station 111 and a glue curing device 212 corresponding to the glue curing station 112. The glue dispensing station 111 and the glue curing station 112; The automatic production line of thermal print heads also includes a glue dispensing device 211 and a glue curing device 212, the glue dispensing device 211 is used to perform UV glue treatment on the surrounding connection seams between the thermal sheet 94 and the heat sink 91 in the glue dispensing station 111, and the glue curing device 212 is used to perform UV glue irradiation curing treatment on the thermal sheet 94 and the heat sink 91 in the glue curing station 112.

[0066] See also Figure 2 The automatic production line for thermal print heads includes a third flipping station 113, a laser coding station 114, and a fourth flipping station 115, respectively, and also includes a third flipping device 213, a laser coding device 214, and a fourth flipping device 215. The third flipping device 213 is used to flip the carrier 8 of the third flipping station 113, the laser coding device 214 is used to perform laser coding on the back side 912 of the heat dissipation plate 91 of the laser coding station 114, and the fourth flipping device 215 is used to flip the carrier 8 of the fourth flipping station 115 again.

[0067] See also Figure 2 The automatic production line of thermal print heads includes a discharging device 216 corresponding to the finished product discharging station 116, and the discharging device 216 includes a discharging robot 2161, a qualified product placement station 2162, and a defective product placement station 2163. The gripping part of the discharging robot 2161 can be moved between the discharging station 116 and the qualified product placement station 2162, and can be moved between the discharging station 116 and the defective product placement station 2163. If any of the multiple stations has a defective output, the subsequent stations stop processing the defective product, and finally the discharging robot 2161 transfers the defective product to the defective product placement station 2163.

[0068] See also Figure 2 Combined with Fig.13The finished product discharging station 116 and the heat sink assembly station 101 are arranged opposite to each other along the width direction of the circulation line (the y-axis direction shown in the figure); the circulation line also includes a clamping device 218, which is arranged between the finished product discharging station 116 and the heat sink assembly station 101. The clamping device 218 includes a cylinder, and the cylinder body 2182 of the cylinder is slidably connected to the fixed part 2181 along the width direction of the circulation line through a slide rail assembly, and a tension spring is pulled between the cylinder body 2182 and the fixed part 2181. Two pushing components 2189 are connected to the rod body 2182 of the cylinder and the end 2183 of the piston rod, and the two pushing components 2189 extend relatively along the width direction of the circulation line.

[0069] When the cylinder is operating, the piston rod end 2183 moves forward until the pushing part 2189 thereon abuts against a carrier 8. Since the advancement of the piston rod end 2183 is blocked and the piston rod end 2183 has not reached the extension limit, the sliding cylinder body 2182 is forced to move in the opposite direction until the pushing part 2189 thereon abuts against another carrier 8. In this way, the loosening device 218 can force the carrier 8 of the heat sink assembly station and the carrier 8 of the finished product discharge station 116 to loosen when working.

[0070] The present invention fully automatically completes the assembly of the thermal print head, thereby improving assembly efficiency and improving the yield rate.

[0071] Among them, the heat sink and the bracket are both fully automated. The two loading devices occupy a large space, while the distance between two adjacent workstations is small. The heat sink loading device 201 and the bracket loading device 204 will face the problem of insufficient space. On the other hand, the assembly of the thermal sheet involves higher precision requirements. If the thermal sheet is assembled first, the thermal sheet may be damaged during the subsequent bracket assembly process, resulting in defects. Considering the above, the present invention optimizes the process sequence and chooses to insert the assembly process of the bracket between the gluing process and the attachment process in the assembly of the thermal sheet.

[0072] Among them, the present invention also takes into account the particularity of the shape of the bracket. When the bracket is loaded, the bracket cannot be placed with the back facing up and flush waiting to be grabbed by the robot. Therefore, the present invention takes into account the success rate of loading the bracket. The bracket with the front facing up and flush is grabbed and transferred to the side of the heat sink with the first surface 911 facing up, and then pushed horizontally to the bottom of the heat sink, and then turned over to perform the screw driving process.

[0073] Among them, the present invention also takes into account the characteristics of the circulation line being connected end to end. The first workstation is adjacent to the last workstation and the distance is close, and the first workstation and the last workstation are respectively the loading station and the unloading station, both of which require the carrier to be loosened. For this reason, a loosening device with a single power can realize the loosening of two carriers at the same time, so that the production line layout is more compact and tight, reducing equipment costs.

[0074] Thermal print head manufacturing method embodiment See also Figures 1 to 3 In the method for manufacturing a thermal print head, the thermal print head is manufactured using the thermal print head automatic production line of the present invention.

[0075] The manufacturing method of the thermal print head comprises the following steps: The heat sink loading robot 2014 is controlled to transfer the heat sink from the heat sink positioning mechanism 2013 to the carrier 8 of the heat sink assembly station 101 .

[0076] The glue laminating device 202 is controlled to perform glue laminating processing on the first surface 911 of the heat sink 91 of the glue laminating station 102 .

[0077] The first visual inspection device 203 is controlled to perform visual inspection on the gluing condition of the heat sink 91 in the first visual inspection station 103 , wherein the gluing condition includes the gluing position accuracy, the gluing completeness, and whether there are bubbles.

[0078] The bracket loading robot 2042 is controlled to transfer the bracket 92 from the outlet of the straight vibrator 2045 to the carrier 8 of the bracket assembly station 104 .

[0079] The first flipping device 205 is controlled to flip the carrier 8 of the first flipping station 105 .

[0080] The screw driving device 206 is controlled to drive the screws 93 into the bracket 92 and the heat sink 91 from top to bottom at the screw driving station 106 from the opposite side of the first surface 911 , ie, the side where the connecting portion 921 is located.

[0081] The second flipping device 207 is controlled to flip the carrier 8 of the second flipping station 107 again.

[0082] The thermal sheet loading robot 2081 is controlled to move between the welding equipment, the power-on detection equipment and the carrier 8 of the attachment station 108 and attach the thermal sheet 94 to the first surface 911. Before attaching the thermal sheet 94 to the first surface 911, visual inspection and correction processing are required. The visual inspection is performed by the third visual inspection device 2080.

[0083] During the deviation correction process, the thermal sheet feeding robot 2081 is controlled to correct the deviation of the thermal sheet 94 , rotate the angle and move the distance, and move the thermal sheet 94 to the top of the heat sink 91 .

[0084] After the thermal sheet 94 is attached, the fourth camera device 2085 is controlled to take pictures of the thermal sheet 94 and the heat sink 91 again at the same time, and the relative distance and position of the thermal sheet 94 and the heat sink 91 are re-checked and calculated to ensure that they are within the attachment tolerance range required by the product and that there are no defective products in the product attachment.

[0085] Subsequently, the pressure-maintaining device 209 is controlled to perform pressure-maintaining treatment on the thermal sheet 94 and the heat sink 91 in the pressure-maintaining station 109 .

[0086] Then, the second visual inspection device 210 is controlled to perform visual inspection on the relative positions of the heat-sensitive sheet 94 and the heat dissipation plate 91 after pressure maintenance in the second visual inspection station 110 .

[0087] Next, the glue dispensing device 211 is controlled to perform UV glue dispensing treatment on the surrounding connecting seams between the thermal film 94 and the heat sink 91 in the glue dispensing station 111, and then the glue curing device 212 is controlled to perform UV glue irradiation curing treatment on the thermal film 94 and the heat sink 91 in the glue curing station 112.

[0088] Then, the third flipping device 213 is controlled to flip the carrier 8 of the third flipping station 113, and then the laser coding device 214 is controlled to perform laser coding on the back side 912 of the heat sink 91 of the laser coding station 114, and then the fourth flipping device 215 is controlled to flip the carrier 8 of the fourth flipping station 115 again.

[0089] Finally, the gripping part of the discharging robot 2161 is controlled to move between the discharging station 116 and the qualified product placement station 2162 to deliver the qualified workpiece, or the discharging robot 2161 is controlled to move between the discharging station 116 and the defective product placement station 2163 to recycle the defective products.

[0090] Finally, it should be emphasized that the above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various changes and modifications. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. Automatic production line for thermal print heads, characterized by: include: A circulation line and a carrier circulating on a plurality of stations of the circulation line, wherein the plurality of stations include a heat sink assembly station, a gluing station, a bracket assembly station, a first flipping station, a screwing station, a second flipping station, an attaching station and a pressure holding station which are arranged in sequence; The automatic production line for thermal print heads also includes: Heat sink loading equipment, used to place the heat sink into the carrier of the heat sink assembly station; A glue sticking device, used for performing glue sticking treatment on the first surface of the heat sink at the glue sticking station; A bracket loading device, used for placing the bracket into the carrier of the bracket assembly station; A first flipping device, used to flip the carrier at the first flipping station; A screw driving device, used for performing screw driving between the heat sink and the bracket from the opposite side of the first surface at the screw driving station; A second flipping device, used to flip the carrier at the second flipping station; A thermal sheet feeding device, used for attaching the thermal sheet to which the flexible circuit board has been soldered to the first surface of the heat sink of the attaching station; The pressure-maintaining device is used for performing pressure-maintaining treatment on the thermal sheet and the heat sink in the pressure-maintaining station.

2. The automatic production line for thermal print heads according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of workstations further include a glue dispensing workstation and a glue curing workstation sequentially arranged downstream of the pressure holding workstation; The automatic production line for thermal print heads also includes: Glue dispensing equipment, used for performing glue dispensing between the thermal sheet and the heat sink in the glue dispensing station; The glue curing device is used for performing glue curing treatment on the thermal sheet and the heat sink in the glue curing station.

3. The automatic production line for thermal print heads according to claim 2, characterized in that: The plurality of workstations further include a third flipping workstation, a laser coding workstation, and a fourth flipping workstation which are sequentially arranged downstream of the glue curing workstation; The automatic production line for thermal print heads also includes: A third flipping device, used to flip the carrier at the third flipping station; Laser coding equipment, used for laser coding the heat sink and / or the bracket of the laser coding station; The fourth flipping device is used to flip the carrier at the fourth flipping station.

4. The automatic production line for thermal print heads according to claim 2, characterized in that: The plurality of workstations further include a first visual inspection workstation disposed between the gluing workstation and the bracket assembly workstation, and the thermal print head automatic production line further includes a first visual inspection device, the first visual inspection device being used to perform visual inspection on the gluing condition of the heat sink in the first visual inspection workstation; and / or, The multiple workstations also include a second visual inspection station arranged between the pressure holding station and the dispensing station, and the thermal print head automatic production line also includes a second visual inspection device, which is used to perform visual inspection on the relative position of the thermal sheet and the heat sink after pressure holding in the second visual inspection station.

5. The automatic production line for thermal print heads according to claim 4, characterized in that: The thermal sheet feeding equipment comprises a thermal sheet feeding manipulator, a welding device and a power-on detection device; The welding device is used to weld the flexible circuit board to the thermal sheet; The power-on detection device is used to perform power-on detection on the thermal sheet of the soldered flexible circuit board; The heat-sensitive sheet feeding robot can be moved between the welding equipment, the power-on detection equipment and the carrier of the attachment station.

6. The automatic production line for thermal print heads according to claim 5, characterized in that: The automatic production line for thermal print heads further comprises a third visual inspection device arranged at the attachment station, wherein the third visual inspection device comprises a third camera device and a fourth camera device; The third camera device is used to obtain first image data of the thermal film at the attaching station, the third camera device is used to obtain second image data of the heat sink and / or the bracket at the attaching station, and the thermal film loading robot is used to attach the thermal film to the first surface of the heat sink according to the first image data and the second image data.

7. The automatic production line for thermal print heads according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The bracket loading equipment includes a bracket transfer robot, a bracket loading robot and two sets of bracket loading devices arranged opposite to each other; The support feeding device comprises a support silo, a flexible vibration plate and a straight vibrator, and the support silo is connected to the flexible vibration plate; The support transfer robot is used to transfer the support from the flexible vibration plate to the entrance of the straight vibrator; The bracket loading robot is used to transfer the bracket from the outlet of the straight vibrator to the carrier of the bracket assembly station.

8. The automatic production line for thermal print heads according to claim 7, characterized in that: The bracket includes a connecting portion and a protruding portion connected by bending, the heat sink includes a back surface opposite to the first surface, and the connecting portion is used to overlap and connect with the back surface of the heat sink; The bracket loading robot grasps the protruding portion when transferring the bracket; The carrier includes a bracket placement position and a floating limiting mechanism, and in a natural state, the limiting mechanism limits the bracket in the bracket placement position from the length direction of the heat sink; When the bracket loading robot puts the bracket into the bracket placement position, the limiting mechanism can be forced to float and release its limiting effect.

9. The automatic production line for thermal print heads according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The heat sink loading equipment includes a tray conveyor line, a heat sink transfer robot, a heat sink positioning mechanism and a heat sink loading robot. The heat sink transfer robot is used to transfer the heat sink from the tray conveyor line to the heat sink positioning mechanism. The heat sink positioning mechanism is used to position the heat sink. The heat sink loading robot is used to transfer the heat sink from the heat sink positioning mechanism to the carrier of the heat sink assembly station. The heat sink loading robot cooperates with the heat sink positioning mechanism to position the heat sink in the length, width and height directions of the heat sink.

10. The automatic production line for thermal print heads according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The plurality of workstations further includes a finished product discharging workstation located at the most downstream of the circulation line, and the finished product discharging workstation and the heat sink assembly workstation are arranged opposite to each other along the width direction of the circulation line; The circulation line further comprises a clamping release device, which is arranged between the finished product discharging station and the heat sink assembly station; When the clamping release device is in operation, it can simultaneously force the carrier at the heat sink assembly station and the carrier at the finished product discharge station to release the clamps.

11. A method for manufacturing a thermal print head, characterized in that: The thermal print head is manufactured by the automatic production line for thermal print heads according to any one of claims 1 to 10; The manufacturing method comprises: Placing the heat sink into the carrier of the heat sink assembly station; Performing glue application on the first surface of the heat sink at the glue application station; placing a bracket into the carrier of the bracket assembly station; Turning over the carrier at the first turning station; Perform screwing between the heat sink and the bracket; Turning over the carrier at the second turning station; The thermal sheet to which the flexible circuit board has been soldered is attached to the first surface of the heat dissipation plate of the attaching station.

Images