Chip mounter and feeder therefor

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of patch machine and its feeder, feeder is used in patch machine, feeder includes mounting bracket, first traction mechanism and second traction mechanism;First traction mechanism includes the first driver connected to mounting bracket, the transmission assembly linked with the output end of first driver, the material wheel linked with transmission assembly, and be provided in the two bearings of material wheel, bearing has axial bearing capacity, first driver is used to drive material wheel rotation by transmission assembly, to move substrate of material tape through feed channel to material taking groove by material wheel traction;Two bearings are sleeved on the shaft, to realize the rotary connection of material wheel and mounting bracket, and two bearings are mirror image symmetrically arranged in the axial direction of material wheel;Second traction mechanism is connected to mounting bracket to be used for traction film material of material tape separates from substrate and enters material receiving cavity.The above structure can prevent material wheel from appearing in axial direction during the working process of feeder, to further guarantee the working reliability of feeder.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of pick and place machine technology, and in particular to a pick and place machine and its feeder. Background Technology

[0002] Automatic placement machines are used to place electronic components at high speed and with high precision. They are the most critical and complex equipment in the entire SMT (Surface Mount Technology) production process.

[0003] In related technologies, pick-and-place machines generally use feeders to supply surface mount components. During the placement process of the pick-and-place machine, the roll of tape is installed on the frame, and the feeder pulls the tape to move, realizing the separation of the tape film from the substrate. The substrate then pulls the surface mount component to the pick-up position, where the machine head can pick up the surface mount component for surface mounting.

[0004] As disclosed in patent CN117395980B, the feeder moves the substrate by pulling the feed plate. During this process, the feed plate only applies traction force to one edge of the substrate. The reaction force on the feed plate during the movement of the substrate can easily cause the feed plate to move axially or even cause the substrate to fall off the feed plate, reducing the working reliability of the feeder. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides a chip mounter and its feeder to ensure the reliability of the feeder's operation.

[0006] A feeder for use in a pick-and-place machine, the feeder comprising:

[0007] The mounting frame has a feeding channel, a material receiving slot, a material receiving chamber, and a rotating shaft, wherein the feeding channel and the material receiving chamber are spaced apart.

[0008] The first traction mechanism includes a first driver connected to the mounting bracket, a transmission assembly linked to the output end of the first driver, a feed wheel linked to the transmission assembly, and two bearings disposed on the feed wheel, the bearings having axial load-bearing capacity; the first driver is used to drive the feed wheel to rotate via the transmission assembly, so as to pull the substrate of the material strip through the feed channel to the pick-up slot, thereby exposing the surface mount components on the substrate for the pick-up machine head to pick up; the two bearings are sleeved on the rotating shaft to realize the rotational connection between the feed wheel and the mounting bracket, and the two bearings are arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner along the axial direction of the feed wheel; and

[0009] A second traction mechanism is connected to the mounting frame to traction the film material of the strip to separate from the substrate and enter the receiving chamber.

[0010] In one embodiment, the mounting bracket has a film-peeling position, a pressing position, and a picking position arranged sequentially along the moving direction of the substrate. The picking position is arranged corresponding to the picking groove. The distance between the picking position and the pressing position, and the distance between the pressing position and the film-peeling position are equal to the minimum reference distance between adjacent surface mount elements on the substrate.

[0011] In one embodiment, the mounting frame includes a frame body, a material cover, and a baffle. One end of the material cover and one end of the baffle are rotatably connected to the frame body. The material cover has a tearing position, a pressing position, a picking position, and a picking groove. The frame body has a feeding channel, a receiving chamber, and a rotating shaft. The opposite ends of the material cover and the opposite ends of the baffle are interlocked to close the material cover onto the frame body.

[0012] In one embodiment, the material cover includes a cover body, a limiting plate, and side plates. The cover body is integrally formed with the limiting plate and the side plates. The cover body has the tear-off position, the pressing position, and the material taking position. The cover body has a first end and a second end opposite to each other. The first end is rotatably connected to the frame. The limiting plate is constructed as at least a part of the second end and is fastened to the baffle. The material taking groove is located between the first end and the second end. In the direction of movement perpendicular to the substrate, the side plates are respectively provided on opposite sides of the limiting plate, and the opposite sides of the limiting plate abut against the corresponding side plates.

[0013] In one embodiment, the second traction mechanism includes a second driver connected to the frame, a film-tearing gear linked to the output end of the second driver, a swing frame oscillatingly connected to the frame, and a film-pressing gear rotatably connected to the swing frame and linked to the film-tearing gear. The film-tearing gear and the film-pressing gear are used to pass the film material through, so as to pull the film material into the receiving chamber by the second driver. The second driver is a brushless motor and includes an encoder.

[0014] In one embodiment, the feeder includes a support plate fixedly connected to the frame, and the two ends of the film-tearing gear are supported one-to-one on the frame and the support plate.

[0015] In one embodiment, recessed areas are provided on opposite axial sides of the film-tearing gear and opposite axial sides of the film-pressing gear; at the entrance of the receiving chamber, arc-shaped guide portions are provided on opposite axial sides of the film-tearing gear and opposite axial sides of the film-pressing gear, and the arc-shaped guide portions cover the recessed areas.

[0016] In one embodiment, the film-tearing gear and the film-pressing gear are both single-gear disks.

[0017] In one embodiment, the feeder includes two Hall sensors fixed relative to the mounting bracket and a magnetic ring fixed relative to the feed wheel. The two Hall sensors are arranged circumferentially at intervals on the feed wheel to form a detection zone, which is used to determine the tooth distribution of the feed wheel.

[0018] A pick-and-place machine includes a machine body and a feeder as described in any of the above claims, the feeder being detachably disposed on the machine body.

[0019] The above-mentioned pick-and-place machine and its feeder are described. The feeder is used in the pick-and-place machine and includes a mounting frame, a first traction mechanism, and a second traction mechanism. The mounting frame has a feeding channel, a pick-up slot, a take-up chamber, and a rotating shaft. The feeding channel and the take-up chamber are spaced apart. The first traction mechanism includes a first driver connected to the mounting frame, a transmission assembly linked to the output end of the first driver, a feed roller linked to the transmission assembly, and two bearings on the feed roller. The bearings have axial load-bearing capacity. The first driver is used to drive the feed roller to rotate through the transmission assembly, so as to pull the substrate of the material strip through the feeding channel to the pick-up slot to expose the surface mount components on the substrate for the pick-and-place machine head to pick up. The two bearings are sleeved on the rotating shaft to realize the rotational connection between the feed roller and the mounting frame, and the two bearings are arranged in a mirror symmetrical manner in the axial direction of the feed roller. The second traction mechanism is connected to the mounting frame to pull the film material of the material strip from the substrate and into the take-up chamber. During the operation of the pick-and-place machine, the first driver drives the feed roller to rotate through the transmission assembly. The feed roller pulls the substrate of the material strip through the feeding channel to the pick-up slot, exposing the surface mount components on the substrate. The pick-and-place machine head can then pick up the material from the pick-up slot. In this process, because the two bearings with axial load capacity used to realize the rotational connection between the feed roller and the mounting bracket are arranged in a mirror symmetrical arrangement along the axial direction of the feed roller, for example, two deep groove ball bearings are arranged in a mirror symmetrical arrangement along the axial direction of the feed roller, this structure can balance the axial force of the feed roller during the movement of the substrate pulled by the feed roller, prevent the feed roller from moving axially, and thus ensure the working reliability of the feeder. Attached Figure Description

[0020] 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 these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a feeder feeder according to one embodiment;

[0022] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the first traction mechanism of the feeder shown;

[0023] Figure 3 for Figure 2 The first traction mechanism shown is a cross-sectional view of the feed wheel after the gears, bearings, and shafts are assembled.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a partial schematic diagram of a feeder feeder according to one embodiment;

[0025] Figure 5 for Figure 1 A partial schematic diagram of the feeder shown from another perspective;

[0026] Figure 6 for Figure 5 An enlarged schematic diagram of point B on the feeder shown;

[0027] Figure 7 for Figure 5 An enlarged schematic diagram of point C of the feeder shown;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the second traction mechanism of a feeder in one embodiment;

[0029] Figure 9 for Figure 1 An enlarged schematic diagram of point A on the feeder shown;

[0030] Figure 10 for Figure 1 The diagram shows a swing frame with a pressure plate gear mounted on the feeder. Detailed Implementation

[0031] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more complete description will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings. However, the invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure of the invention.

[0032] It should be noted that when a component is said to be "fixed to" another component, it can be directly attached to the other component or there may be an intervening component. When a component is said to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intervening component. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this document are for illustrative purposes only.

[0033] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the description of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0034] refer to Figure 1 This invention discloses a feeder 10 for a pick-and-place machine, which is detachably mounted on the machine body (not shown). The pick-and-place machine can be used to mount surface mount components onto a circuit board. Surface mount components include, but are not limited to, LED chips. During the mounting process, a roll of tape is mounted on the machine body. The tape generally includes a substrate and a film covering the substrate. The surface mount component is placed on the substrate and covered by the film. The feeder 10 pulls the tape to the pick-up position, separating the film from the substrate to expose the surface mount component, and positioning the surface mount component at the pick-up position. The pick-and-place machine head (not shown) can move relative to the machine body and is positioned at the pick-up position. After picking up the surface mount component from the pick-up position, the surface mount component is mounted onto the circuit board.

[0035] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The feeder 10 includes a mounting frame 11, a first traction mechanism 12, and a second traction mechanism 13. The mounting frame 11 provides rigid support for the entire structure. The mounting frame 11 has a feeding channel 11a, a receiving slot 11b, a receiving chamber 11c, and a rotating shaft 111. The feeding channel 11a and the receiving chamber 11c are spaced apart. The first traction mechanism 12 includes a first driver 121 connected to the mounting frame 11, a transmission assembly 123 linked to the output end of the first driver 121, a feed wheel 125 linked to the transmission assembly 123, and two bearings 127 disposed on the feed wheel 125. The bearings 127 have axial load-bearing capacity. The first driver 121 can be a brushless motor to achieve relatively high control accuracy. The transmission assembly 123 can include multi-stage gears, for example... Figure 2In the illustrated embodiment, the first traction mechanism 12 employs a six-stage gear transmission. The first-stage gear is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the first driver 121, and the sixth-stage gear is constructed as part of the feed wheel 125, or in other words, the feed wheel 125 includes the sixth-stage gear. The tip circle diameter and related parameters of the first to sixth-stage gears can be designed according to requirements. For example, the transmission ratio can be set to 60-80. For instance, in one embodiment, the transmission ratio is set to 76. The larger the transmission ratio, the smaller the load on the first driver 121, thereby improving the service life and transmission stability of the first driver 121. Two bearings 127 are sleeved on the rotating shaft 111 to achieve a rotatable connection between the feed wheel 125 and the mounting bracket 11, and the two bearings 127 are arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner along the axial direction of the feed wheel 125. Of course, in other embodiments, the number of stages of the transmission assembly 123 can be increased or decreased.

[0036] The substrate of the material strip has multiple perforations (not shown) spaced apart on one side edge. When the substrate is unfolded, the perforations are evenly spaced along the length of the substrate. The first driver 121 drives the feeding wheel 125 to rotate via the transmission assembly 123. The circumferential teeth of the feeding wheel 125 can be inserted into the corresponding perforations, thereby pulling the substrate of the material strip through the feeding channel 11a to the picking slot 11b. During this process, the second traction mechanism 13 connected to the mounting frame 11 can pull the film material of the material strip to separate from the substrate and enter the receiving chamber 11c, so that the surface mount components on the substrate are exposed to the picking slot 11b for the pick-up machine head to pick up.

[0037] Because the transmission assembly 123 uses multi-stage gear transmission, and given the limited overall thickness of the feeder 10, there is still relatively large adjustment space for the axial dimensions of the second to fifth stage gears. For example, by designing the axial width of the second to fifth stage gears, the axial dimension of the feed wheel 125 can be appropriately increased, allowing the two bearings 127 to be mounted symmetrically in the axial direction of the feed wheel 125. For instance, two deep groove ball bearings can be mounted symmetrically in the axial direction of the feed wheel 125. Deep groove ball bearings have the characteristic of being able to withstand a certain axial force (i.e., the inner ring can withstand a certain axial force without dislodging from the outer ring). Figure 3Taking the illustrated embodiment as an example, this structural arrangement allows both deep groove ball bearings to withstand axial forces in the same direction. When the axial component of the force exerted by the substrate on the feed wheel 125 points to the right, the reaction force of the shaft 111 and the two bearings 127 on the feed wheel 125 points to the left, thus achieving a balance between the two forces. Similarly, when the axial component of the force exerted by the substrate on the feed wheel 125 points to the left, the reaction force of the shaft 111 and the two bearings 127 on the feed wheel 125 points to the right, again achieving a balance between the two forces. This prevents the feed wheel 125 from shifting axially or even losing teeth, thereby ensuring the reliability of the feeder 10. In this embodiment, the two deep groove ball bearings increase the axial load-bearing capacity of the feed wheel 125.

[0038] In other embodiments, the deep groove ball bearing can be replaced by other types of bearings capable of withstanding greater axial forces, such as angular contact ball bearings or tapered roller bearings. Taking an angular contact ball bearing as an example, exemplarily, the axial force that the left bearing 127 can withstand points to the right (i.e., within the load-bearing range, the outer ring is fixed, and an axial force to the right can be applied to the inner ring without dislodging from the outer ring), and the axial force that the right bearing 127 can withstand points to the left (i.e., within the load-bearing range, the outer ring is fixed, and an axial force to the left can be applied to the inner ring without dislodging from the outer ring). When the axial component of the force exerted by the substrate on the feed wheel 125 points to the right, that is, when the force exerted by the feed wheel 125 on the inner ring and the shaft 111 through the outer ring points to the right... When the rotating shaft 111 and the right bearing 127 exert their reaction force on the feeding wheel 125 to the left, the two forces can be balanced. When the component of the force exerted by the substrate on the feeding wheel 125 in the axial direction of the feeding wheel 125 points to the left, that is, when the force exerted by the feeding wheel 125 on the inner ring and the rotating shaft 111 through the outer ring points to the left, the reaction force exerted by the rotating shaft 111 and the left bearing 127 on the feeding wheel 125 points to the right, the two forces can be balanced. This prevents the feeding wheel 125 from shifting axially or even losing teeth, thereby ensuring the reliability of the feeder 10.

[0039] The above-mentioned pick-and-place machine and its feeder 10 are used in the pick-and-place machine. The feeder 10 includes a mounting frame 11, a first traction mechanism 12, and a second traction mechanism 13. The mounting frame 11 has a feeding channel 11a, a receiving slot 11b, a receiving chamber 11c, and a rotating shaft 111. The feeding channel 11a and the receiving chamber 11c are spaced apart. The first traction mechanism 12 includes a first driver 121 connected to the mounting frame 11, a transmission assembly 123 linked to the output end of the first driver 121, a feed wheel 125 linked to the transmission assembly 123, and two bearings 127 disposed on the feed wheel 125. Bearing 127 has axial load-bearing capacity. The first driver 121 is used to drive the feeding wheel 125 to rotate through the transmission assembly 123, so that the substrate of the material strip is pulled by the feeding wheel 125 through the feeding channel 11a to the picking slot 11b, so as to expose the surface mount components on the substrate for the pick-and-place machine head to pick up the material. Two bearings 127 are sleeved on the rotating shaft 111 to realize the rotational connection between the feeding wheel 125 and the mounting frame 11, and the two bearings 127 are arranged in a mirror symmetrical manner in the axial direction of the feeding wheel 125. The second traction mechanism 13 is connected to the mounting frame 11 to pull the film material of the material strip to separate from the substrate and enter the receiving chamber 11c. During the operation of the pick-and-place machine, the first driver 121 drives the feed roller 125 to rotate through the transmission assembly 123. The feed roller 125 pulls the substrate of the material strip through the feed channel 11a to the pick-up slot 11b to expose the surface mount components on the substrate. The pick-and-place machine head can then pick up the material from the pick-up slot 11b. During this process, since the two bearings 127 with axial bearing capacity used to realize the rotational connection between the feed roller 125 and the mounting bracket 11 are arranged in a mirror symmetrical arrangement along the axial direction of the feed roller 125, this structure can balance the axial force of the feed roller 125 during the movement of the feed roller 125 pulling the substrate, preventing the feed roller 125 from moving axially or even losing teeth, thereby ensuring the working reliability of the feeder 10.

[0040] refer to Figure 4 In some embodiments, the feeder 10 may further include two Hall sensors 141 fixed relative to the mounting bracket 11, and a magnetic ring 143 fixed relative to the feed wheel 125. The two Hall sensors 141 are arranged circumferentially at intervals around the feed wheel 125 to form a detection zone, which is used to determine the tooth distribution of the feed wheel 125. The principle of the Hall sensor 141 and the magnetic ring 143 cooperating to detect the rotation angle has been fully disclosed and will not be described in detail here.

[0041] In related technologies, because the transmission between the substrate and the feed wheel 125 is similar to chain drive, the movement accuracy of the substrate is difficult to guarantee. The position of the surface mount component in the pick-up slot 11b will also have a positioning error due to the transmission error between the substrate and the feed wheel 125. Although the theoretical pick-up position can be manually specified as a specific location on the mounting bracket 11 (e.g., specifying the MARK position), due to the limited transmission characteristics between the substrate and the feed wheel 125, the surface mount component will still deviate from the pick-up position during the continuous operation of the feeder 10. Generally, it is necessary to use the image sensor of the pick-up machine combined with image recognition technology to obtain the position of the surface mount component in the pick-up slot 11b in order to determine the accurate movement path of the machine head and ensure the accuracy of pick-up. With this design, the machine head usually needs to continuously adjust the pick-up path based on the position of the surface mount component detected by the image sensor during each pick-up process, which leads to a relatively complex control program for the machine head and reduces pick-up efficiency.

[0042] In this embodiment, based on the design parameters of the feed wheel 125, the central angle formed by the two Hall sensors 141 in the circumferential direction of the feed wheel 125 and the axis of the feed wheel 125 can be adapted to the tooth distribution of the feed wheel 125, or to the tooth profile distribution of the sixth-stage transmission gear (i.e., the last driven gear). Through the interaction between the two Hall sensors 141 and the magnetic ring 143, the rotation angle of the feed wheel 125 can be accurately detected. The central angle between the two Hall sensors 141 can be manually specified. When adapting to the tooth distribution of the feed wheel 125, the tooth distribution corresponding to the central angle between the two Hall sensors 141 is also determined. Therefore, the spatial distribution of the teeth of the entire feed wheel 125 can also be determined at any time during the operation of the feeder feeder 10. In other words, the tooth distribution corresponding to the detection interval formed by the two Hall sensors 141 is fixed, therefore the tooth distribution of the entire feeding wheel 125 is also fixed. After the image sensor detects the position of the surface mount component in the feeding slot 11b, the rotation angle of the feeding wheel 125 can be precisely controlled within the time interval between two feeding operations of the machine head, ensuring the positioning accuracy of the surface mount component in the feeding slot 11b. In this way, the feeding control program of the machine head can be greatly simplified, eliminating the need to calculate the feeding path during each feeding process. While ensuring feeding accuracy, the feeding efficiency is improved, thereby ensuring the efficiency of the mounting process.

[0043] refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6The mounting bracket 11 has a film-peeling position 11d, a pressing position 11e, and a picking position 11f arranged sequentially along the substrate moving direction. The picking position 11f is arranged corresponding to the picking groove 11b. The distance d1 between the picking position 11f and the pressing position 11e, and the distance d2 between the pressing position 11e and the film-peeling position 11d are equal to the minimum reference distance between adjacent surface mount components on the substrate. For example, in some embodiments, after the material strip is straightened, the distance between any two adjacent surface mount elements on the substrate is 2 mm, taking into account engineering errors. The distance between the material pick-up position 11f and the material pressing position 11e is set to 2 mm, and the distance between the material pressing position 11e and the film tearing position 11d is also set to 2 mm. For any three surface mount elements arranged in sequence, when the last surface mount element (which may be referred to as element 3) abuts against the mounting bracket 11 at the film tearing position 11d, the first and adjacent surface mount element (which may be referred to as element 2) abuts against the material pressing position 11e, and the first surface mount element (which may be referred to as element 1) is exposed at the film tearing position 11d. This structural arrangement ensures that only one complete surface mount component (component 1) is exposed at the pick-up position 11f at a time. The next adjacent and subsequent surface mount component (component 2) can be abutted by the mounting bracket 11 at the pressing position 11e, and the last surface mount component (component 3) can be abutted by the mounting bracket 11 at the film-tearing position 11d. During the process of the machine head picking up the surface mount component from the pick-up position 11f, this arrangement can reduce the force exerted by the machine head's nozzle on the surface mount component and substrate, which would cause vibration of the substrate and surface mount component during the feeding and picking process, thus ensuring smooth picking.

[0044] For the applicant's chip mounter industry, in standardized tape products, the minimum distance between any two adjacent surface mount components on the substrate is 2mm (considering engineering errors). That is, when the tape is straightened, 2mm is the minimum reference distance between adjacent surface mount components. For other tape specifications, the distance is generally an integer multiple of the minimum reference distance, such as 4mm, 6mm, 8mm, etc. For a tape with a 4mm distance between adjacent surface mount components, when the preceding surface mount component reaches the pick-up position 11f, the next adjacent surface mount component can be abutted by the mounting bracket 11 at the tear-off position 11d. This also prevents vibration of the substrate and surface mount components during feeding and picking, ensuring smooth picking. For tapes with a distance of 6mm or more, when the preceding surface mount component reaches the pick-up position 11f, the next adjacent surface mount component has not yet reached the tear-off position 11d, similarly preventing vibration of the substrate and surface mount components during feeding and picking.

[0045] Furthermore, combined with Figure 5 and Figure 6The mounting frame 11 may include a frame body 113, a material cover 115, and a baffle 117. One end of the material cover 115 and one end of the baffle 117 are rotatably connected to the frame body 113. The material cover 115 has a tearing position 11d, a pressing position 11e, a picking position 11f, and a picking groove 11b. The frame body 113 is generally made of materials such as aluminum alloy and has a feeding channel 11a, a receiving chamber 11c, and a rotating shaft 111. The positioning accuracy of the tearing position 11d, the pressing position 11e, and the picking position 11f can be ensured by the machining accuracy of specific surfaces of the material cover 115, such as the slotted side. A Hall sensor 141 is fixedly connected to the frame body 113. Simultaneously, combined with... Figure 7 The opposite ends of the cover 115 and the opposite ends of the baffle 117 are fastened together so that the cover 115 covers the frame 113. During the installation of the material tape in the feeder 10, the fastening of the cover 115 and the baffle 117 is first released, and the cover 115 is lifted. The free end of the material tape enters from the feed channel 11a and extends to the tearing position 11d. The film material at the free end can be separated from the substrate and pulled from the inside of the cover 115 to the outside through the opening at the tearing position 11d, and then pulled to the entrance of the receiving chamber 11c. The substrate and the surface mount components on it continue to move from the inside of the cover 115 to the position of the picking slot 11b, and bypass the end of the frame 113 near the baffle 117 to realize the recycling of substrate waste. After the substrate and film material at the free end of the material tape have been operated in this way, the cover 115 returns to its original position and fastens with the baffle 117, which can guide and limit the substrate on the inside. The substrate is pulled and moved by the first traction mechanism 12, while the membrane material at the inlet of the receiving chamber 11c is moved into the receiving chamber 11c by the force of the second traction mechanism 13 for recycling.

[0046] The material cover 115 and the baffle 117 can be engaged through a convex-concave mating structure. For example, one of the material cover 115 and the baffle 117 can be provided with a locking groove, and the other can be provided with a protrusion that mates with the locking groove. The engagement structure between the material cover 115 and the baffle 117 can prevent the baffle 117 from easily detaching from the material cover 115, which would cause the material cover 115 to be pulled up by the film material and hit the machine head, thereby ensuring the reliability and safety of the feeder 10.

[0047] Further, refer to Figure 7The material cover 115 includes a cover body 1151, a limiting plate 1153, and a side plate 1155. The cover body 1151 is integrally formed with the limiting plate 1153 and the side plate 1155. The cover body 1151 has a tearing position 11d, a pressing position 11e, and a material taking position 11f. The cover body 1151 has a first end and a second end that are opposite to each other. The first end is rotatably connected to the frame 113. The limiting plate 1153 is constructed as at least a part of the second end and is fastened to the baffle 117. The material taking groove 11b is located between the first end and the second end. In the direction of movement perpendicular to the substrate, the opposite sides of the limiting plate 1153 are respectively provided with side plates 1155, and the opposite sides of the limiting plate 1153 respectively abut against the corresponding side plates 1155. In some embodiments, the limiting plate 1153 is inclined toward the baffle 117 to guide the substrate to move tilted toward the baffle 117. The upper edges of the side plates 1155 on opposite sides of the limiting plate 1153 can be flush with the upper surface of the limiting plate 1153 to facilitate processing and ensure the overall appearance of the material cover 115. In the direction perpendicular to the movement of the substrate, the opposite sides of the limiting plate 1153 abut against the corresponding side plates 1155. The side plates 1155 can support and limit the opposite edges of the limiting plate 1153, ensuring the structural strength of the front end of the material cover 115 and preventing deformation of the limiting plate 1153 that would reduce operational reliability.

[0048] refer to Figure 8 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 The second traction mechanism 13 may include a second driver 131 connected to the frame 113, a film-tearing gear 133 linked to the output end of the second driver 131, a swing frame 135 oscillatingly connected to the frame 113, and a film-pressing gear 137 rotatably connected to the swing frame 135 and linked to the film-tearing gear 133. A film material is threaded between the film-tearing gear 133 and the film-pressing gear 137 to traction the film material into the receiving chamber 11c via the second driver 131. The feeder 10 may also be equipped with... Figure 1The tensioning structure shown, including the tensioning frame 151 and spring 153, tensions the membrane material. The tensioning frame 151 is oscillatingly connected to the frame 113 and supports the membrane material. One end of the spring 153 is connected to the tensioning frame 151, and the other end is connected to the frame 113, maintaining the tension force of the tensioning frame 151 on the membrane material and ensuring smooth separation of the membrane material from the substrate. During this process, sensors can typically be used to detect the position of the membrane material or the tensioning frame 151, and the rotation speed of the second driver 131 can be adjusted accordingly to maintain the tension of the membrane material, thereby ensuring smooth separation of the membrane material from the substrate. In some embodiments, the second driver 131 is a brushless motor and includes an encoder. During operation, the brushless motor with the encoder can adjust the output torque to adjust the tension force of the membrane material. Therefore, the membrane tensioning structure shown, including the tensioning frame 151 and spring 153, as well as the related detection sensors, can be simplified or even eliminated, simplifying the structure of the feeder 10 while ensuring the operational reliability of the feeder 10.

[0049] It is understandable that a multi-stage transmission gear structure similar to the first traction mechanism 12 can also be used between the output end of the second driver 131 and the film-tearing gear 133 to ensure the output torque of the film-tearing gear 133 and reduce the load on the second driver 131, thereby extending the service life of the second driver 131. This will not be elaborated further here.

[0050] Continue to refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10 In some embodiments, the tearing gear 133 and the pressing gear 137 are both single gear disks, meaning that the teeth of the tearing gear 133 and the pressing gear 137 extend continuously along the axial direction of the tearing gear 133. When the film material is not passed between the tearing gear 133 and the pressing gear 137, the two can mesh and drive each other, that is, the second driver 131 drives the tearing gear 133 to rotate, and the tearing gear 133 drives the pressing gear 137 to rotate. When the film material is passed between the tearing gear 133 and the pressing gear 137, the two exert a squeezing force on the film material passed between them, which can drive the film material to move towards the receiving chamber 11c, thereby realizing the recycling of the film material and avoiding interference with the feeding of surface mount components.

[0051] In some embodiments, an elastic element, such as a spring, can be provided at the end of the swing frame 135 away from the tearing gear 133. The elastic element is compressed, so that the end of the swing frame 135 away from the tearing gear 133 tends to move away from the frame body 113. This allows the pressure gear 137 to apply appropriate squeezing force to the film material passing between the pressure gear 137 and the tearing gear 133, ensuring the traction force on the film material and thus ensuring the smooth execution of the tearing operation.

[0052] The tearing gear 133 and the pressing gear 137 are both single-gear disks, which allows for a relatively large continuous meshing width in the axial direction of the tearing gear 133. Compared to a structure in which multiple gear disks are stacked axially to form the tearing gear 133 (or pressing gear 137), this design avoids axial meshing jumps, thus ensuring the stability of the film material traction. It also prevents the film material from being pressed into the gap between adjacent gear disks of the tearing gear 133 (or pressing gear 137), which could cause jamming or even stuck problems during the tearing process, thereby ensuring the smooth execution of the tearing operation.

[0053] refer to Figure 9 In some embodiments, the mounting frame 11 may include a support plate 118 fixedly connected to the frame body 113, with the two axial ends of the film-tearing gear 133 correspondingly supported on the frame body 113 and the support plate 118. The support plate 118 may be detachably connected to the frame body 113 by means of threaded fasteners or other connection methods. In other words, in this embodiment, both axial ends of the film-tearing gear 133 are supported. Compared to a cantilever beam structure formed by supporting only one end, supporting both ends makes the force on the film-tearing gear 133 more stable, thereby ensuring the smooth transmission of the film-tearing gear 133 and ensuring the working reliability of the feeder 10.

[0054] In some embodiments, the tearing gear 133 and the pressing gear 137 each have recessed areas 13a on opposite axial sides. In other words, the tearing gear 133 has a single-gear disk structure with protruding ends in the axial direction to form recessed areas 13a on opposite axial sides, creating a gap between the opposite sides of the tearing gear 133 and the mounting bracket 11; similarly, the pressing gear 137 has a structure with protruding ends in the axial direction to form recessed areas 13a on opposite axial sides, creating a gap between the opposite sides of the pressing gear 137 and the swing frame 135. At the entrance of the receiving chamber 11c, the tearing gear 133 and the pressing gear 137 each have arc-shaped guide portions 13b on opposite axial sides, covering the recessed areas 13a. On opposite sides of the axial direction of the film-tearing gear 133, there can be a suitable gap between the two arc-shaped guide portions 13b and the gear disk surface of the film-tearing gear 133 to ensure the smooth rotation of the film-tearing gear 133.

[0055] Taking the arc-shaped guide portions 13b on both sides of the tearing gear 133 as an example, the arc-shaped guide portions 13b on both sides of the tearing gear 133 can be part of the frame 113 to simplify the structure of the frame 113 and improve the processing and forming efficiency of the frame 113. The end of any arc-shaped guide portion 13b corresponding to the tearing gear 133 that is away from the receiving cavity 11c extends at least to the position corresponding to the meshing start position of the tearing gear 133 and the pressing gear 137. The meshing start position can be understood as the meshing contact position of the tearing gear 133 and the pressing gear 137 that is farthest from the receiving cavity 11c when the film material is not passed between the tearing gear 133 and the pressing gear 137, thereby preventing the film material from being squeezed into the recessed areas 13a on both sides of the tearing gear 133 during the process of being pulled into the receiving cavity 11c, thus preventing jamming or stuck problems. The end of the arc-shaped guide portion 13b away from the receiving chamber 11c can extend to the diameter corresponding to the meshing start position. The top surface of the end of the arc-shaped guide portion 13b away from the receiving chamber 11c can be slightly lower than the meshing start position and lower than the tooth tip of the gear at the meshing start position, thereby providing sufficient space for the extrusion deformation of the film material and ensuring the traction force on the film material. In the direction in which the arc-shaped guide portion 13b extends from the meshing start position to the receiving chamber 11c, the height difference between the top surface of the arc-shaped guide portion 13b and the tooth tip of the film-tearing gear 133 gradually decreases and then gradually increases, forming an arc-shaped curved surface with one end lower than the tooth tip, the other end higher than the tooth tip, and a smooth transition in the middle. Thus, the arc-shaped guide portions 13b on both sides of the film-tearing gear 133 limit and guide the film material to smoothly enter the receiving chamber 11c, preventing the film material from getting stuck or jammed.

[0056] Furthermore, the edge of either of the arc-shaped guide portions 13b on both sides of the tearing gear 133 near the gear disk surface can be machined into an arc-shaped surface, or in other words, the cross-sectional profile of the edge of the arc-shaped guide portion 13b near the gear disk surface can be arc-shaped. Even if the gear disk surface on either side of the tearing gear 133 contacts the arc-shaped guide portion 13b in the axial direction due to machining errors, installation errors, or transmission errors, this structure can reduce the contact area between the tearing gear 133 and the corresponding arc-shaped guide portion 13b, reduce the rotational resistance of the tearing gear 133, and ensure the smooth operation of the tearing gear 133.

[0057] The arc-shaped guide portions 13b on both sides of the pressure-forming gear 137 can be part of the swing frame 135 to simplify the structure of the swing frame 135 and improve the processing and forming efficiency of the swing frame 135. The end of any arc-shaped guide portion 13b corresponding to the pressure-forming gear 137 that is away from the receiving cavity 11c extends at least to the position corresponding to the meshing start position of the tearing gear 133 and the pressure-forming gear 137, thereby preventing the film material from being squeezed into the recessed areas 13a on both sides of the pressure-forming gear 137 during the process of being pulled into the receiving cavity 11c, which would cause jamming or stuck problems. Similarly, the edge of either of the arc-shaped guide portions 13b on both sides of the pressure-film gear 137 near the gear disk surface can be machined into an arc-shaped surface, or in other words, the cross-sectional profile of the edge of the arc-shaped guide portion 13b near the gear disk surface can be arc-shaped. Even if the gear disk surface on either side of the pressure-film gear 137 contacts the arc-shaped guide portion 13b due to machining errors, installation errors, or transmission errors, this structure can reduce the contact area between the film-tearing gear 133 and the corresponding arc-shaped guide portion 13b, reduce the rotational resistance of the pressure-film gear 137, and ensure the smooth operation of the pressure-film gear 137; for the pressure-film gear 137, the arc-shaped guide portion 13b of its corresponding part away from the receiving cavity 11c The top surface of the end can be slightly lower than the meshing start position and lower than the tooth tip of the gear at the meshing start position, providing sufficient space for the extrusion deformation of the film material and ensuring the traction force on the film material. In the direction from the meshing start position to the receiving chamber 11c, the height difference between the top surface of the arc-shaped guide 13b and the tooth tip of the pressure gear 137 can also be set to gradually decrease and then gradually increase, forming an arc-shaped surface with one end lower than the tooth tip, the other end higher than the tooth tip, and a smooth transition in the middle. Thus, the arc-shaped guide 13b on both sides of the pressure gear 137 limits and guides the film material to smoothly enter the receiving chamber 11c, preventing the film material from getting stuck or jammed. This will not be elaborated further here.

[0058] Continue to refer to Figure 9In some embodiments, in the direction of film material movement, the frame 113 has a boss 1131 near the tearing gear 133. There is a gap between the meshing start position of the tearing gear 133 and the pressing gear 137 and the boss 1131. In the direction perpendicular to the film material movement, or in the direction parallel to the axial direction of the tearing gear 133, two or more bosses 1131 can be spaced apart, and the upper surfaces of the bosses 1131 are flush to abut against the film material. During the process of the film material being pulled towards the receiving chamber 11c by the tearing gear 133 and the pressing gear 137, the bosses 1131 slide against the film material. Compared to the scheme where the film material directly slides against the upper end of the frame 113, this structure can reduce the contact area between the film material and the frame 113, thereby reducing the frictional resistance of the film material and ensuring that the film material is smoothly pulled into the receiving chamber 11c. Furthermore, in the horizontal direction, i.e. after the feeder 10 is installed on the machine, the upper surface of the boss 1131 can protrude beyond the meshing start position of the film tearing gear 133 and the film pressing gear 137. This allows the film material to be pushed upward by the boss 1131 within a short distance before entering the area between the film tearing gear 133 and the film pressing gear 137. This prevents the film material from easily entering the recessed areas 13a on both sides of the film tearing gear 133 under the combined influence of the squeezing force of the film pressing gear 137 and gravity, which could lead to jamming or stuck problems. This ensures the working reliability of the feeder 10.

[0059] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0060] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of this invention patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A feeder, characterized in that, The feeder is used in a pick-and-place machine, and the feeder includes: The mounting frame has a feeding channel, a material receiving slot, a material receiving chamber, and a rotating shaft, wherein the feeding channel and the material receiving chamber are spaced apart. The first traction mechanism includes a first driver connected to the mounting bracket, a transmission assembly linked to the output end of the first driver, a feed wheel linked to the transmission assembly, and two bearings disposed on the feed wheel, the bearings having axial load-bearing capacity; the first driver is used to drive the feed wheel to rotate via the transmission assembly, so as to pull the substrate of the material strip through the feed channel to the pick-up slot, thereby exposing the surface mount components on the substrate for the pick-up machine head to pick up; the two bearings are sleeved on the rotating shaft to realize the rotational connection between the feed wheel and the mounting bracket, and the two bearings are arranged in a mirror-symmetrical manner along the axial direction of the feed wheel; and The second traction mechanism includes a second driver connected to the mounting frame, a film-tearing gear linked to the output end of the second driver, a swing frame oscillatingly connected to the mounting frame, and a film-pressing gear rotatably connected to the swing frame and linked to the film-tearing gear. The film-tearing gear and the film-pressing gear are both single gear disks. The film-tearing gear and the film-pressing gear are respectively provided with recessed areas on opposite axial sides. At the entrance of the receiving chamber, the film-tearing gear and the film-pressing gear are respectively provided with arc-shaped guide portions on opposite axial sides. The arc-shaped guide portions cover the recessed areas, and the end of any arc-shaped guide portion corresponding to the film-tearing gear that is away from the receiving chamber extends at least to the position corresponding to the meshing start position of the film-tearing gear and the film-pressing gear. Film material is passed between the film-tearing gear and the film-pressing gear to pull the film material of the material strip from the substrate and into the receiving chamber.

2. The feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mounting bracket has a film-peeling position, a pressing position, and a picking position arranged sequentially along the moving direction of the substrate. The picking position is arranged corresponding to the picking groove. The distance between the picking position and the pressing position, and the distance between the pressing position and the film-peeling position are equal to the minimum reference distance between adjacent surface mount elements on the substrate.

3. The feeder according to claim 2, characterized in that, The mounting frame includes a frame body, a material cover, and a baffle. One end of the material cover and one end of the baffle are rotatably connected to the frame body. The material cover has a tearing position, a pressing position, a picking position, and a picking groove. The frame body has a feeding channel, a receiving chamber, and a rotating shaft. The opposite ends of the material cover and the opposite ends of the baffle are interlocked to close the material cover onto the frame body.

4. The feeder according to claim 3, characterized in that, The material cover includes a cover body, a limiting plate, and side plates. The cover body is integrally formed with the limiting plate and the side plates. The cover body has the tear-off position, the pressing position, and the material taking position. The cover body has a first end and a second end opposite to each other. The first end is rotatably connected to the frame. The limiting plate is constructed as at least a part of the second end and is fastened to the baffle. The material taking groove is located between the first end and the second end. In the direction of movement perpendicular to the substrate, the side plates are respectively provided on opposite sides of the limiting plate, and the opposite sides of the limiting plate abut against the corresponding side plates.

5. The feeder according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second driver is a brushless motor and includes an encoder.

6. The feeder according to claim 5, characterized in that, The feeder includes a support plate fixedly connected to the frame, and the two ends of the film-tearing gear are supported one-to-one on the frame and the support plate.

7. The feeder according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The feeder includes two Hall sensors fixed relative to the mounting bracket and a magnetic ring fixed relative to the feed wheel. The two Hall sensors are arranged circumferentially at intervals on the feed wheel to form a detection zone, which is used to determine the distribution of the feed wheel teeth.

8. A pick-and-place machine, characterized in that, It includes a body and a feeder as described in any one of claims 1-7, wherein the feeder is detachably disposed on the body.

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