Automatic die bonding equipment and method for flexible printed circuit board

Abstract

The invention discloses automatic die bonding equipment for a flexible printed circuit board, which comprises a jig transmission unit, a die bonder, a jig recovery unit and a fixing jig, and is characterized in that the jig transmission unit comprises a feeding group and a discharging group, the feeding group is arranged between the tail end of the jig recovery unit and an input end track of the die bonder, and the discharging group is arranged between the tail end of the jig recovery unit and the input end track of the die bonder; the discharging group is arranged between an output end track of the die bonder and the head end of the jig recovery unit, and the feeding group, the die bonder, the discharging group and the jig recovery unit are sequentially and circularly connected; a feeding unit is arranged on one side of the feeding set, and a discharging unit is arranged on one side of the discharging set. The invention further discloses an automatic die bonding method for the flexible printed circuit board. According to the technical scheme, the feeding unit, the jig conveying unit, the discharging unit and the jig recycling unit are arranged, so that the production efficiency is improved, the operation deviation is reduced, the overall production rhythm is optimized, and the labor cost and the production cost are reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) technology, and particularly to an automated die bonding device and method for flexible printed circuit boards. Background Technology

[0002] Flexible printed circuit boards (FPCs), also known as flexible circuit boards or FPCs, are circuit boards made from flexible insulating materials such as polyimide or polyester film as the substrate, through processes such as pattern etching and lamination. They are characterized by their thinness, light weight, flexibility, high wiring density, and high reliability, and are widely used in signal transmission and component interconnection in various electronic devices. In the field of LED decoration and lighting, die bonding is typically used to fix LED chips onto a printed circuit board to form a flexible printed circuit board with fixed LED chips. Electrical connections and light emission control are achieved through printed circuits on the printed circuit board, thus meeting the application needs of diverse lighting scenarios.

[0003] Currently, the die bonding operation of LED chips and printed circuit boards is mostly completed using a collaborative "manual + die bonding machine" model. The specific processing flow is as follows: First, the printed circuit board is accurately placed into the receiving slot of a special fixing fixture by a person, and then the fixture pressure plate is pressed to fix the printed circuit board. Next, the fixing fixture containing the printed circuit board is transferred manually to the input track of the die bonding machine. Then, the fixing fixture is transported into the die bonding machine by the input track, and the die bonding operation of the LED chip is completed automatically. After the die bonding is completed, the fixing fixture and the flexible printed circuit board are output to the output track of the die bonding machine. Then, the fixing fixture and the flexible printed circuit board are removed from the output track by a person, and the printed circuit board is taken out of the fixing fixture. The fixing fixture is then recycled for reuse.

[0004] It is evident that existing die bonding methods rely on manual participation in multiple stages, including substrate clamping, fixture transfer, finished product handling, and fixture recycling. However, manual operation is inefficient and prone to operational errors (such as inaccurate substrate positioning or delays in fixture transfer), which can affect the overall production rhythm. This results in high labor and production costs, low production efficiency, and hinders the expansion of the flexible printed circuit board industry and cost optimization, making it difficult to meet the needs of large-scale mass production. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main objective of this invention is to propose an automated die bonding device and method for flexible printed circuit boards, aiming to solve the technical problems that the existing die bonding operation of flexible printed circuit boards relies on the collaboration of "manual labor + die bonding machine", resulting in high labor and production costs, low production efficiency and difficulty in adapting to the needs of large-scale mass production.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention proposes an automated die bonding device for flexible printed circuit boards, comprising a die bonding machine having an input track and an output track, and further comprising a fixture transfer unit, a fixture retrieval unit, and a fixing fixture. The fixture transfer unit includes a loading group and a unloading group. The loading group is disposed between the end of the fixture retrieval unit and the input track of the die bonding machine, and the unloading group is disposed between the output track of the die bonding machine and the beginning of the fixture retrieval unit. The loading group, the die bonding machine, the unloading group, and the fixture retrieval unit are sequentially and cyclically connected. The fixing fixture reciprocates and cyclically transports materials along the conveying direction of the fixture transfer unit and the fixture retrieval unit. A loading unit is provided on one side of the loading group, and an unloading unit is provided on one side of the unloading group.

[0007] Optionally, the fixing fixture has a supporting part and a substrate fixing part. The supporting part can support the printed circuit board, and the substrate fixing part fixes the printed circuit board after loading.

[0008] Optionally, the support portion includes a mounting groove disposed in the middle of the fixing fixture, and a compression spring and a base plate disposed in the mounting groove, wherein the compression spring is disposed between the base plate and the inner bottom wall of the mounting groove; The substrate fixing part includes two sets of elastic pressure plates, which are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the mounting groove. A portion of the elastic pressure plate is fixed to the top surface of the fixing fixture, and the other portion extends into the interior of the mounting groove.

[0009] Optionally, the feeding unit includes a feeding basket and a feeding robot. The feeding basket contains a plurality of printed circuit boards, and the feeding robot includes a feeding suction cup.

[0010] Optionally, a front rail for a reflow soldering device is provided on one side of the unloading unit. The unloading unit includes an unloading robot equipped with an unloading suction cup, which transfers the flexible printed circuit board on the fixed fixture to the front rail of the reflow soldering device.

[0011] Optionally, the feeding unit, die bonder, and unloading unit are all equipped with a visual recognition component, which is used to identify the marking points on the printed circuit board.

[0012] This invention also discloses an automated die bonding method for flexible printed circuit boards, applied to the automated die bonding equipment for flexible printed circuit boards as described above, comprising the following steps: S1: The loading unit transfers the printed circuit board to the fixing fixture for fixation; S2: The loading group will transport the fixed fixture after the loading operation is completed to the input track of the die bonder; S3: The die bonder performs die bonding on the printed circuit board in the fixture. After completing the die bonding operation, the fixture is output to the unloading group. S4: The unloading group transfers the fixed fixture to the unloading unit, where the unloading unit performs the unloading.

[0013] Optionally, in step S4, after the unloading unit completes unloading, the empty fixture is continued to be transported by the unloading group to the beginning of the fixture recycling unit.

[0014] Optionally, the process also includes step S5: the fixture recycling unit transports the empty fixture to the loading group.

[0015] The technical solution of this invention has the following beneficial effects: This invention replaces manual labor with automated mechanical operations such as substrate clamping, fixture transfer, finished product handling, and fixture recycling by setting up a loading unit, a fixture transport unit, a unloading unit, and a fixture recycling unit. This improves production efficiency, reduces operational deviations, optimizes the overall production rhythm, and lowers labor and production costs. It also solves problems that restrict the industrial scale expansion and cost optimization of flexible printed circuit boards and make it difficult to adapt to the needs of large-scale mass production. Attached Figure Description

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

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an automated die bonding device for flexible printed circuit boards according to the present invention. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the fixing fixture in an automated die bonding device for flexible printed circuit boards according to the present invention. Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of an automated die bonding method for flexible printed circuit boards according to the present invention.

[0018] The attached diagrams are labeled as follows: 1. Fixture; 2. Base plate; 3. Elastic pressure plate.

[0019] The realization of the objective, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0022] Furthermore, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but only if they are feasible for those skilled in the art. If the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by this invention.

[0023] This invention proposes an automated die bonding device for flexible printed circuit boards.

[0024] like Figures 1 to 2 As shown in Embodiment 1 of the present invention, the automated die bonding equipment for flexible printed circuit boards includes a fixture transfer unit, a die bonding machine, a fixture recycling unit, and a fixing fixture 1. The die bonding machine is a commonly used and mature die bonding device. This device includes input and output tracks on both sides, and a receiving component, a dispensing component, a die picking component, and a die bonding component disposed inside it. Before the die bonding operation, the operator loads several LED chips into the receiving component. During the die bonding operation, the fixing fixture 1 carrying the printed circuit board is fed into the die bonding machine from the input track. Then, the dispensing component applies adhesive to the printed circuit board. Next, the die picking component transfers the LED chips from the receiving component to the printed circuit board. Then, the die bonding component fixes the LED chips onto the printed circuit board. Finally, the output track outputs the fixing fixture 1 and the flexible printed circuit board after the die bonding operation to the unloading group. Since the specific structure of the die bonding machine and its specific process and principle for performing the die bonding operation are mature existing technologies, they will not be described in detail in this embodiment. In other embodiments, a die bonder with a structure, process and principle similar to the die bonder described above can be used to perform die bonding operations on printed circuit boards.

[0025] Specifically, the fixture transfer unit includes a loading group and a unloading group. The loading group is located between the end of the fixture recycling unit and the input track of the die bonder, while the unloading group is located between the output track of the die bonder and the beginning of the fixture recycling unit. The loading group, die bonder, unloading group, and fixture recycling unit are sequentially and cyclically connected, and the fixed fixture 1 is reciprocated and cyclically transported along the conveying direction of the fixture transfer unit and fixture recycling unit. Furthermore, a loading unit is provided on one side of the loading group, and an unloading unit is provided on one side of the unloading group.

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, the jig recovery unit includes two docking groups and one recovery group. The loading and unloading groups are similar in structure to the docking and recovery groups, differing only in length, and all include a frame, a motor mounted on the frame, conveyor rollers, and a circular conveyor belt. Specifically, there are two sets of conveyor rollers located at both ends of the frame. The circular conveyor belt wraps around the two sets of conveyor rollers. The motor drives one of the conveyor rollers to rotate, thereby causing the circular conveyor belt to rotate around the two sets of conveyor rollers, thus achieving the function of forward conveying the fixed jig 1.

[0027] During production, the loading unit transfers the printed circuit board (PCB) to the fixed fixture 1 located at the beginning of the loading group. The loading group then transports the fixed fixture 1 and the PCB to the input track. After die bonding, the unloading group transports the fixed fixture 1 and the flexible printed circuit board from the output track to the unloading unit. The unloading unit then removes the PCB after die bonding and uses a fixture recycling unit to return the empty fixed fixture 1 to the loading group. This design, by setting up a loading unit, fixture transport unit, unloading unit, and fixture recycling unit, replaces manual labor with automated operations such as PCB clamping, fixture transfer, finished product handling, and fixture recycling. This improves production efficiency, reduces operational errors, optimizes the overall production rhythm, and lowers labor and production costs. It also solves problems that restrict the industrial scale expansion and cost optimization of flexible printed circuit boards, making it difficult to adapt to the needs of large-scale mass production.

[0028] like Figure 2As shown, in this embodiment, the fixing fixture 1 has a support part and a substrate fixing part. The support part can support the printed circuit board, and the substrate fixing part fixes the printed circuit board after loading. Specifically, the support part includes a mounting groove disposed in the middle of the fixing fixture 1, and a compression spring and a base plate 2 disposed in the mounting groove. The compression spring is disposed between the base plate 2 and the inner bottom wall of the mounting groove, and the two ends of the compression spring are respectively connected to the bottom surface of the base plate 2 and the inner bottom wall of the mounting groove. In addition, the substrate fixing part includes two sets of elastic pressure plates 3. The two sets of elastic pressure plates 3 are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the mounting groove. Half of the elastic pressure plate 3 is fixed to the top surface of the fixing fixture 1, and the other half extends into the interior of the mounting groove. It is worth noting that: on both the printed circuit board and the flexible printed circuit board, there are empty areas (also called clearance positions) where LED chips are not fixed. The loading unit and the unloading unit complete the loading and unloading operations through the empty areas.

[0029] Specifically, the loading unit includes a loading basket and a loading robot. Several printed circuit boards (PCBs) are stacked in the loading basket (similar to several blank sheets of paper stacked in the paper tray of a printer). The loading robot includes an X-axis assembly, a Y-axis assembly, a Z-axis assembly, and a loading suction cup, which is located at the end of the loading robot. During loading, the loading robot moves the loading suction cup in three dimensions via the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis assemblies, and then uses the loading suction cup to pick up empty areas of the PCBs, thereby removing the PCBs from the loading basket and placing them in the fixed fixture 1.

[0030] When the loading unit loads the printed circuit board (PCB), the loading robot first moves the PCB directly above the base plate 2 and the elastic pressure plate 3. At this point, the PCB with the larger projected area simultaneously covers both the base plate 2 and the elastic pressure plate 3, while the loading robot with the smaller projected area only covers the area between the elastic pressure plates 3. Then, the loading robot presses down on the PCB, forcing the base plate 2 to press down and the elastic pressure plate 3 to bend downwards. At this time, the compression spring is driven downwards by the base plate 2. After pressing down to a certain depth, the elastic pressure plate 3 bends to its limit and then returns to its flat state. At this point, the loading robot stops pressing down and rises in the opposite direction. The base plate 2 and the PCB can then be lifted by the lifting action of the compression spring until the top surface of the PCB abuts against the bottom surface of the elastic pressure plate 3, thus fixing the PCB through the compression spring, the base plate 2, and the elastic pressure plate 3. Finally, the loading robot is removed to complete the loading operation.

[0031] Furthermore, a front track for a reflow soldering device (the reflow soldering device is not a technical solution claimed in this invention) is provided on the empty side of the unloading unit. The unloading unit includes an unloading robot, which comprises an X-axis assembly, a Y-axis assembly, a Z-axis assembly, and an unloading suction cup. During unloading, the unloading robot moves the unloading suction cup in three dimensions via the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis assemblies, and then uses the unloading suction cup to adsorb empty areas of the printed circuit board, thereby transferring the flexible printed circuit board on the fixture 1 to the front track of the reflow soldering device. It is worth noting that both the loading and unloading suction cups are connected to a vacuum device to achieve the function of adsorbing the printed circuit board / flexible printed circuit board. In addition, since a three-axis robot capable of moving its end effector in three dimensions is mature prior art, the specific structure and movement principle of the loading and unloading robot will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0032] During the unloading process, the unloading robot first moves above the flexible printed circuit board (PCB), then drives the unloading suction cup to press down until it abuts against the empty area on the top surface of the PCB. The suction cup then picks up the empty area to lift the PCB upwards. During the lifting process, the elastic pressure plate 3 first bends and deforms upwards along with the PCB, and after the PCB is lifted to a certain height, it bends to its limit and returns to a flat state, so that the unloading suction cup can remove the PCB from the fixture 1. Finally, the PCB is transferred to the front track of the reflow soldering equipment, while the empty fixture 1 is continued to be transported forward by the unloading group to the beginning of the fixture recovery unit.

[0033] In this embodiment, marking points are provided on the printed circuit board (PCB), and visual recognition components are provided on the loading unit, die bonder, and unloading unit. These visual recognition components are used to identify the marking points on the PCB. Specifically, the marking points are circular, triangular, or polygonal ink or copper marking points located on the PCB; the visual recognition components are industrial cameras or industrial lenses. During production, the loading unit, die bonder, and unloading unit identify the marking points to confirm the position, size, and other parameters of the PCB / flexible printed circuit board, thereby performing corresponding operations, further improving production efficiency, reducing operational errors, and optimizing the overall production rhythm.

[0034] like Figure 3 As shown, the present invention also discloses an automated die bonding method for flexible printed circuit boards, applied to the automated die bonding equipment for flexible printed circuit boards as described above, comprising the following steps: S1: The feeding unit transfers the printed circuit board in the feeding basket to the fixing fixture 1 for fixation; S2: The loading group will transport the fixed fixture 1, which has completed the loading operation, to the input track of the die bonder; S3: The die bonder performs die bonding on the printed circuit board in the fixture 1. After completing the die bonding, the fixture 1 is output to the unloading group through the output end track. S4: The unloading group conveys the fixed fixture 1 to the unloading unit, where the unloading unit unloads the fixture. After the unloading unit finishes unloading, the empty fixed fixture 1 is conveyed by the unloading group to the beginning of the fixture recycling unit. S5: The fixture recycling unit transports the empty fixture 1 to the feeding group to achieve the effect of recycling the fixture 1.

[0035] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformations made using the contents of the present invention's specification and drawings under the inventive concept of the present invention, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automated die bonder for flexible printed circuit boards comprising a die bonder having an input track and an output track, characterized in that, The jig conveying unit comprises a feeding group and a discharging group, the feeding group is arranged between the tail end of the jig recycling unit and the input end track of the die bonder, the discharging group is arranged between the output end track of the die bonder and the head end of the jig recycling unit, the feeding group, the die bonder, the discharging group and the jig recycling unit are sequentially and circularly connected, and the fixed jig is reciprocatingly and circularly conveyed along the conveying direction of the jig conveying unit and the jig recycling unit.

2. The apparatus for automated die bonding of flexible printed circuit boards of claim 1, wherein, The fixed jig is provided with a supporting part and a substrate fixing part, the supporting part can support the printed circuit substrate, and the substrate fixing part fixes the printed circuit substrate after feeding.

3. The apparatus for automated die bonding of flexible printed circuit boards of claim 2, wherein, The supporting part comprises a mounting groove arranged in the middle part of the fixed jig and a compression spring and a bottom plate arranged in the mounting groove, and the compression spring is arranged between the bottom plate and the inner bottom wall of the mounting groove. The substrate fixing part comprises two groups of elastic pressing plates, and the two groups of elastic pressing plates are arranged on the opposite sides of the mounting groove, one part of the elastic pressing plate is fixed to the top surface of the fixed jig, and the other part extends to the inside of the mounting groove.

4. The apparatus for automated die bonding of flexible printed circuit boards of claim 1, wherein, The feeding unit comprises a feeding basket and a feeding manipulator, a plurality of printed circuit substrates are stacked in the feeding basket, and the feeding manipulator comprises a feeding suction disc.

5. The apparatus for automated die bonding of flexible printed circuit boards of claim 1, wherein, The front track of the reflow soldering equipment is arranged on one side of the discharging unit, the discharging unit comprises a discharging manipulator provided with a discharging suction disc, and the discharging manipulator transfers the flexible printed circuit board on the fixed jig to the front track of the reflow soldering equipment.

6. The apparatus for automated die bonding of flexible printed circuit boards of claim 1, wherein, The feeding unit, the die bonder and the discharging unit are all provided with a visual identification assembly, and the visual identification assembly is used for identifying the identification point on the printed circuit substrate.

7. An automated die bonding method for flexible printed circuit board, applied to the automated die bonding apparatus for flexible printed circuit board as claimed in any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The method comprises the following steps: S1: The feeding unit transfers the printed circuit substrate to the fixed jig for fixing; S2: The feeding group conveys the fixed jig after the feeding operation to the input end track of the die bonder; S3: The die bonder performs die bonding operation on the printed circuit substrate in the fixed jig, and outputs the fixed jig to the discharging group after the die bonding operation is completed; S4: The discharging group conveys the fixed jig to the discharging unit, and the discharging unit discharges.

8. The automated die bonding method for a flexible printed circuit board according to claim 7, wherein, In the step S4, after the discharging unit completes the discharging, the empty fixed jig is continuously conveyed to the head end of the jig recycling unit by the discharging group.

9. The automated die bonding method for a flexible printed circuit board according to claim 8, wherein, The method further comprises a step S5: the jig recycling unit conveys the empty fixed jig to the feeding group.

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