A method for transferring SMT parts trays

Abstract

This invention provides an SMT tray transfer method that automatically replenishes the tray when the material tape is about to run out through automatic cutting, receiving, and loading of new trays. This method boasts a high degree of automation and accuracy, reducing production costs. It includes a pick-and-place machine trolley and a receiving machine, which are independently configured. The receiving machine is a mobile device equipped with a transfer robot, a loading platform, an empty tray placement mechanism, a lifting mechanism, a buffer bin, a receiving mechanism, and a material tail shearing mechanism. The loading platform has material boxes arranged on it, each containing a tray. Each material box has a material tape drive mechanism, and the initial end of each new tray is aligned with the material tape drive mechanism. The output end of the transfer robot has a tray clamp, which also has a winding motor for winding the tray.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of tray transfer, specifically to a method for transferring SMT trays. Background Technology

[0002] SMT (Surface Mount Technology) is an abbreviation for a series of processes performed on a PCB (Printed Circuit Board). SMT is a surface mount technology and one of the most popular technologies and processes in the electronics assembly industry.

[0003] In the existing SMT production process, the feed station's trays deliver tape to the pick-and-place machine, which then completes the placement. When the tape in the old tray at the feed station is about to run out, operators need to remove the old tray from the feed station, retrieve a new tray, and connect the tape head of the new tray to the tape tail of the old tray using a splicing machine. The new tray is then placed back at the feed station to continue feeding the old tray. Before splicing, the blank portion at the tail of the old tray needs to be cut off. This manual blank cutting and splicing relies on human judgment, has a high error rate, and is cumbersome, resulting in low efficiency and increased production costs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention provides an SMT material tray transfer method that automatically replenishes the material tray when it is about to run out through automatic material cutting, receiving, and loading of new trays. This method is highly automated and accurate, thereby reducing production costs.

[0005] A method for transferring SMT material trays includes a pick-and-place machine trolley and a receiving machine, which are independently configured. The receiving machine is a mobile device equipped with a transfer robot, a loading platform, an empty material tray placement mechanism, a lifting mechanism, a buffer bin, a receiving mechanism, and a material tail shearing mechanism. Material boxes are arranged on the loading platform, each containing a material tray. A material belt drive mechanism is installed on each material box, with the initial end of each new material tray aligned with the material belt drive mechanism. A material tray clamp is installed at the output end of the transfer robot, and a winding motor is also installed on the material tray clamp for winding up the material tray.

[0006] After the old material tray on the pick-and-place machine trolley that needs to be replenished is pushed out, the old material tray is taken away from the pick-and-place machine trolley by the transfer robot. At the same time, the old material tape is carried into the receiving channel of the receiving mechanism. The excess part of the old material tape is carried into the buffer bin, so that the material tape can ensure the normal operation of the pick-and-place machine trolley during the transfer process. Meanwhile, the CCD of the tail shearing mechanism detects the empty material tape at the tail, the tail material cutting mechanism cuts off the empty material tape at the tail, and the old material tray is transferred to the empty material tray placement mechanism.

[0007] The new material tray is lifted by the lifting mechanism, and then the new material tray is driven into the feeding channel by the material belt drive mechanism until the CCD detects the empty material belt position at the head and stops. The tail end of the old material belt and the head end of the new material belt are fed into the receiving mechanism at the same time to bond the head and tail material belts together.

[0008] Then the transfer robot takes out the new material tray, and at the same time the receiving motor starts to receive the material, placing the new material tray at the corresponding feeding position on the placement machine trolley that needs to be replenished.

[0009] Its further feature is that it includes the following specific steps:

[0010] S1. Prepare the material tray for the pick-and-place machine in the material basket and place the material basket in the buffer station;

[0011] S2. Automatically move the material basket to the feeding platform of the receiving machine;

[0012] S3. Move the receiving machine to the corresponding receiving position according to the requirements of the SMT production line;

[0013] S4. The feeding platform will also move to the corresponding material position, and the lifting mechanism will lift the material box corresponding to the new material tray.

[0014] S5. The transfer robot moves to the position of the new material tray, the scanner scans and confirms the information, the lifting mechanism lowers the new material tray to make way, and at the same time the push-pull module of the placement machine trolley pushes out the material box to be replenished.

[0015] S6. The transfer robot moves to the position of the chip mounter trolley, scans to confirm the information of the old material tray, and takes a photo again to confirm the position of the old material tray.

[0016] S7. The buffer bin rotates and straightens, and the robot arm takes the old material tray out of the material bin of the pick and place machine trolley and puts the old material tape into the receiving channel;

[0017] S8. The action of the buffer pressing mechanism restricts the flow of old material strips. The winding motor of the transfer robot arm feeds in the reverse direction, so that the old material strip is buffered into the buffer bin without affecting the feeding of the chip mounter trolley. After the CCD on the tail material buffer module detects the empty material strip position at the tail, the winding motor stops, and the transfer robot arm places the empty material tray in a fixed position.

[0018] S9. The tail material cutting mechanism cuts off the empty tail strip;

[0019] S10. The lifting mechanism raises the new material tray and connects it with the feeding channel. The material is fed through the material belt drive mechanism until the corresponding CCD detects the position of the material belt at the head and then stops the driving operation of the material belt drive mechanism.

[0020] S11. The first and last strips are fed into the receiving mechanism at the same time, and the first and last strips are bonded together.

[0021] S12. The transfer robot takes out the new material tray, and at the same time the material receiving motor starts to receive the material;

[0022] S13. When the robotic arm moves above the buffer compartment, the buffer module presses down, lifts up, and rotates back to its original position.

[0023] S14. The robotic arm places the new tray back into the corresponding tray on the placement machine trolley;

[0024] S15. The push-pull module of the placement machine trolley automatically pulls the material box back into the trolley.

[0025] S16, All modules of the receiving machine return to their original positions.

[0026] S17, The robotic arm returns to the safe position.

[0027] Its further characteristic is:

[0028] Several sets of material boxes are arranged in a straight line inside the material basket. Each material box is lifted by a lifting mechanism and then the material tray is detached from the material box by a material tray clamp. After that, the material box is lowered to the corresponding position in the material basket by the lifting mechanism. The entire material basket moves in a straight line under the drive of the linear drive mechanism until all the material trays in all the material boxes have been transferred. Then, the empty material basket is transferred out by an external transfer mechanism and a new material basket is fed in.

[0029] Once the empty material tray of the empty material tray placement mechanism is full, the external transfer mechanism will simultaneously remove the empty material tray located on the empty material tray placement mechanism.

[0030] After adopting the above technical solution, the material trays on the placement machine trolley operate for a set time. When the system senses that the material on the trays is about to be exhausted, the placement machine trolley pushes out the corresponding trays. The old trays are then transferred to the transfer bin by the movement of the transfer robot and the action of its tray clamps. The old material tape is placed in the receiving channel, and the old trays are transferred to the empty tray placement mechanism. Then, new trays are replenished. The new material tape is connected to the receiving channel. After the tail of the empty material tape is cut off, the material tape is received by the receiving mechanism. Then, the transfer robot places the new trays in the corresponding tray positions on the placement machine trolley. The system operates continuously and reliably. This allows the material tape to be replenished automatically when the material tape is about to be exhausted, through automatic cutting, receiving, and automatic loading of new trays. It has a high degree of automation and high accuracy, reducing production costs. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 A top view showing the equipment layout corresponding to the method of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the device corresponding to the method of the present invention;

[0033] The names of the corresponding serial numbers in the figure are as follows:

[0034] 100 pick-and-place machine trolleys, 200 receiving machines, and 300 AGV vehicles

[0035] 1. Transfer robot, 2. Feeding platform, 3. Empty material tray placement mechanism, 4. Lifting mechanism, 5. Buffer bin, 6. Receiving mechanism, 7. Material tail shearing mechanism, 8. Material basket, 9. Material box, 91. Material belt drive mechanism, 10. Material tray clamp, 11. Rewinding motor, 12. Drive motor, 13. Detailed Implementation

[0036] A method for transferring SMT material trays, see Figures 1-2 It includes a pick-and-place machine trolley 100 and a receiving machine 200. The pick-and-place machine trolley 100 and the receiving machine 200 are set up independently. The receiving machine 200 is set as a mobile device. In specific implementation, an AGV 300 is set at the bottom of the receiving machine 200. The receiving machine 200 is equipped with a transfer robot 1, a loading platform 2, an empty material tray placement mechanism 3, a lifting mechanism 4, a buffer bin 5, a receiving mechanism 6, and a material tail shearing mechanism 7. A material basket 8 is set on the loading platform 2. Several sets of material boxes 9 are arranged in a straight line in the material basket 8. Each material box 9 contains a material tray 10. The material box 9 is equipped with a material belt drive mechanism 91. The initial end of each new material tray is located at the material belt drive mechanism 91. In specific implementation, the material belt drive mechanism 91 is equipped with an insertion hole. The lifting mechanism 4 rises to the position, and the output end of the drive motor 13 is inserted into the insertion hole to drive the material belt drive mechanism 91 to move and drive the material belt input. The output end of the transfer robot 1 is equipped with a material tray clamp 11. The material tray clamp 11 is also equipped with a winding motor 12, which is used to wind up the material tray 10.

[0037] After the old material tray on the pick-and-place machine trolley 100 that needs to be replenished is pushed out, the old material tray is taken away from the pick-and-place machine trolley 100 by the transfer robot 1. At the same time, the old material tape is carried into the receiving channel of the receiving mechanism 6. The excess part of the old material tape is carried into the buffer bin 5, so that the material tape can ensure the normal operation of the pick-and-place machine trolley 100 during the transfer process. Meanwhile, the CCD of the tail shearing mechanism 7 detects the empty material tape at the tail, the tail material cutting mechanism of the tail shearing mechanism 7 cuts off the empty material tape at the tail, and the old material tray is transferred to the empty material tray placement mechanism 3.

[0038] The new material tray is lifted by the lifting mechanism 4, and then enters the feeding channel through the material belt drive mechanism 91, until the CCD detects an empty material belt position at the head, at which point the feeding stops.

[0039] The end of the old material strip and the beginning of the new material strip are fed into the receiving mechanism 6 at the same time to bond the beginning and end of the material strip together.

[0040] Then, the transfer robot 1 takes out the new material tray, and at the same time, the winding motor 12 starts to take in the material and places the new material tray on the corresponding loading position on the pick-and-place machine trolley 100 that needs to be replenished.

[0041] It includes the following specific steps:

[0042] S1. Prepare the material tray for the pick-and-place machine in the material basket and place the material basket in the buffer station;

[0043] S2. Automatically move the material basket to the feeding platform of the receiving machine;

[0044] S3. Move the receiving machine to the corresponding receiving position according to the requirements of the SMT production line;

[0045] S4. The feeding platform will also move to the corresponding material position, and the lifting mechanism will lift the material box corresponding to the new material tray.

[0046] S5. The transfer robot moves to the position of the new material tray, the scanner scans and confirms the information, the lifting mechanism lowers the new material tray to make way, and at the same time the push-pull module of the placement machine trolley pushes out the material box to be replenished.

[0047] S6. The transfer robot moves to the position of the chip mounter trolley, scans to confirm the information of the old material tray, and takes a photo again to confirm the position of the old material tray.

[0048] S7. The buffer bin rotates and straightens, and the robot arm takes the old material tray out of the material bin of the pick and place machine trolley and puts the old material tape into the receiving channel;

[0049] S8. The action of the buffer pressing mechanism restricts the flow of old material strips. The winding motor of the transfer robot arm feeds in the reverse direction, so that the old material strip is buffered into the buffer bin without affecting the feeding of the chip mounter trolley. After the CCD on the tail material buffer module detects the empty material strip position at the tail, the winding motor stops, and the transfer robot arm places the empty material tray in a fixed position.

[0050] S9. The tail material cutting mechanism cuts off the empty tail strip;

[0051] S10. The lifting mechanism raises the new material tray and connects it with the feeding channel. The material is fed through the material belt drive mechanism until the corresponding CCD detects the position of the material belt at the head and then stops the driving operation of the material belt drive mechanism.

[0052] S11. The first and last strips are fed into the receiving mechanism at the same time, and the first and last strips are bonded together.

[0053] S12. The transfer robot takes out the new material tray, and at the same time the material receiving motor starts to receive the material;

[0054] S13. When the robotic arm moves above the buffer compartment, the buffer module presses down, lifts up, and rotates back to its original position.

[0055] S14. The robotic arm places the new tray back into the corresponding tray on the placement machine trolley;

[0056] S15. The push-pull module of the placement machine trolley automatically pulls the material box back into the trolley.

[0057] S16, All modules of the receiving machine return to their original positions.

[0058] S17, The robotic arm returns to the safe position.

[0059] In practice: Several sets of material boxes are arranged in a straight line inside the material basket. Each material box is lifted by a lifting mechanism and then the material tray is detached from the material box by a material tray clamp. After that, the material box is lowered to the corresponding position in the material basket by the lifting mechanism. The entire material basket moves in a straight line under the drive of the linear drive mechanism until all the material trays in all the material boxes have been transferred. Then, the empty material basket is transferred out by an external transfer mechanism and a new material basket is sent in.

[0060] Once the empty material tray of the empty material tray placement mechanism is full, the external transfer mechanism will simultaneously remove the empty material tray located on the empty material tray placement mechanism.

[0061] Its working principle is as follows: After a set time of operation, when the system senses that the material on the tray on the placement machine trolley is about to be exhausted, the placement machine trolley pushes out the corresponding tray. Through the movement of the transfer robot and the action of its tray clamp, the old tray is transferred to the transfer bin, and the old material tape is placed in the receiving channel. The old tray is then transferred to the empty tray placement mechanism, and then a new tray is added. The new material tape is connected to the receiving channel, and after the empty material tape at the end is cut off, the material tape is received by the receiving mechanism. Then, the transfer robot places the new tray in the corresponding tray position on the placement machine trolley. The system operates continuously and reliably. It enables the material tape to be replenished automatically when the material tape is about to be exhausted through automatic cutting, receiving, and automatic loading of new trays. It has a high degree of automation and high accuracy, reducing production costs.

[0062] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within the present invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0063] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A method for transferring SMT material trays, comprising a pick-and-place machine trolley and a receiving machine, wherein the pick-and-place machine trolley and the receiving machine are independently configured, characterized in that: The receiving machine is configured as a mobile device, equipped with a transfer robot, a feeding platform, an empty material tray placement mechanism, a lifting mechanism, a buffer bin, a receiving mechanism, and a material tail shearing mechanism. Material boxes are arranged on the feeding platform, each containing a material tray. A material belt drive mechanism is installed on the material box, with the initial end of each new material tray aligned with the material belt drive mechanism. A material tray clamp is installed at the output end of the transfer robot, and a winding motor is also installed on the material tray clamp for winding up the material tray. It includes the following specific steps: S1. Prepare the material tray for the pick-and-place machine in the material basket and place the material basket in the buffer station; S2. Automatically move the material basket to the feeding platform of the receiving machine; S3. Move the receiving machine to the corresponding receiving position according to the requirements of the SMT production line; S4. The feeding platform will also move to the corresponding material position, and the lifting mechanism will lift the material box corresponding to the new material tray. S5. The transfer robot moves to the position of the new material tray, the scanner scans and confirms the information, the lifting mechanism lowers the new material tray to make way, and at the same time the push-pull module of the placement machine trolley pushes out the material box to be replenished. S6. The transfer robot moves to the position of the placement machine trolley, scans to confirm the information of the old material tray, and takes a photo again to confirm the position of the old material tray. S7. The buffer bin rotates and straightens, and the transfer robot takes the old material tray out of the material bin of the pick and place machine trolley and puts the old material tape into the receiving channel; S8. The buffer pressing mechanism presses down to restrict the flow of old material tape. The rewinding motor of the transfer robot feeds in the opposite direction, so that the old material tape is buffered into the buffer bin without affecting the feeding of the chip mounter trolley. After the CCD of the tail shearing mechanism detects the empty material tape position at the tail, the rewinding motor stops, and the transfer robot places the empty material tray into the empty material tray placement mechanism. S9, the tail shearing mechanism cuts off the empty material strip at the tail end; S10. The lifting mechanism raises the new material tray and connects it with the feeding channel. The material is fed through the material belt drive mechanism until the corresponding CCD detects the position of the material belt at the head and then stops the driving operation of the material belt drive mechanism. S11. The first and last strips are fed into the receiving mechanism at the same time, and the first and last strips are bonded together. S12. The transfer robot takes out the new material tray, and at the same time the material receiving motor starts to receive the material; S13. When the transfer robot arm moves above the buffer compartment, the buffer pressing mechanism lifts up and rotates back to its original position. S14. The transfer robot puts the new material tray back into the corresponding material box on the pick and place machine trolley; S15. The push-pull module of the placement machine trolley automatically pulls the material box back into the trolley. S16. All modules of the receiving machine return to their original positions; S17. The transfer robot returns to the safe position.

2. The SMT tray transfer method as described in claim 1, characterized in that: Several sets of material boxes are arranged in a straight line inside the material basket. Each material box is lifted by a lifting mechanism and then the material tray is detached from the material box by a material tray clamp. After that, the material box is lowered to the corresponding position in the material basket by the lifting mechanism. The entire material basket moves in a straight line under the drive of the linear drive mechanism until all the material trays in all the material boxes have been transferred. Then, the empty material basket is transferred out by an external transfer mechanism and a new material basket is transported in.

3. The SMT tray transfer method as described in claim 1, characterized in that: Once the empty material tray of the empty material tray placement mechanism is full, the external transfer mechanism will simultaneously remove the empty material tray located on the empty material tray placement mechanism.

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