FPC flat cable positioning and guiding type automatic bending device

Abstract

The invention provides an FPC flat cable positioning and guiding type automatic bending device. The device comprises a machine table; the material loading module is arranged on the machine table and comprises a transferring plate and a first linear driving module for driving the transferring plate to transversely move in the horizontal direction, and a feeding station and a bending station are arranged on the moving path of the transferring plate; the jig assembly is arranged on the transfer plate, and the jig assembly comprises a jig body and a lateral clamping mechanism; the bending executing mechanism is arranged at the position, corresponding to the bending station, of the machine table and used for driving a turnover plate to execute turnover action, and the turnover plate is arranged on one side of the first side face in parallel; and the heating and pressing mechanism is arranged at the position, corresponding to the bending station, of the machine table and is used for pressing and heating the connecting part of the FPC flat cable. By means of the mode, high-efficiency, high-precision and high-consistency automatic bending machining of the FPC flat cable is achieved.

Description

An FPC cable positioning and guiding automatic bending device Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of precision machining technology for flexible circuit boards, and in particular to an automatic bending device for positioning and guiding FPC cables. Background Technology

[0002] In modern electronic devices, flexible printed circuit boards (FPCs) are widely used in camera modules due to their bendability and thinness. Such camera modules 5 (as shown in Figure 1) typically include a camera body 51 and a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) cable 52 connected to the camera body 51. The camera body 51 includes a first structural portion 511 and a second structural portion 512 disposed on the first structural portion 511. To adapt to the increasingly compact internal space of devices, the FPC cable 51 needs to undergo multiple bending processes so that it can wrap around the side of the camera body 51 at a specific angle (e.g., 90°) to smoothly fit into the housing.

[0003] Currently, the final bending process of such precision wiring cables mostly relies on manual operation, which is not only inefficient, but also prone to problems such as damage to the wiring cables, excessive bending angles, or non-compliant shapes due to uneven force application, positioning deviations, or inconsistent techniques. This seriously affects the assembly yield and long-term reliability of camera modules. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention proposes an FPC cable positioning and guiding automatic bending device, which can effectively improve bending accuracy and bending efficiency.

[0005] The main contents of this invention include: a machine base; a material loading module, disposed on the machine base, comprising a transfer plate and a first linear drive module for driving the transfer plate to move horizontally, the transfer plate having a loading station and a bending station along its movement path; a fixture assembly, disposed on the transfer plate, the fixture assembly comprising a fixture body and a lateral clamping mechanism; the fixture body having a positioning block for positioning the camera body, the positioning block being disposed opposite to the lateral clamping mechanism, forming a placement area for placing the camera body between them, the bottom of the placement area having a vacuum adsorption hole for adsorbing and fixing the camera body; the... The positioning block is configured as an L-shaped structure to define the first and second sides adjacent to the first structural part of the camera body; the fixture body is provided with a vertically extending positioning slot on the outer side corresponding to the second side, the positioning slot being located on the side of the positioning block away from the placement area, for guiding the FPC cable that has been bent in the previous step; the bending execution mechanism is set at the position of the machine corresponding to the bending station, for driving the flipping plate to perform a flipping action, the flipping plate being arranged parallel to one side of the first side; the heating and pressing mechanism is set at the position of the machine corresponding to the bending station, for pressing down and heating the connection part of the FPC cable.

[0006] Preferably, the positioning slot is formed by a side baffle, which is arranged parallel to the outer wall of the fixture body, and the two together form the positioning slot. The upper end of the side baffle near the positioning slot is set as an inclined surface.

[0007] Preferably, the bottom of the positioning slot is set as an inclined slope, which extends downward from the end near the first side to the end near the third side.

[0008] Preferably, the lateral clamping mechanism includes: a mounting base plate; a clamping push plate slidably disposed on the mounting base plate in a direction close to or away from the fixture body; and a first driving member disposed on the mounting base plate for driving the clamping push plate to slide; wherein the clamping push plate includes a pressing portion facing the fixture body, the pressing portion cooperating with the positioning block to clamp the camera body from the side.

[0009] Preferably, the first driving component includes: a telescopic cylinder fixedly mounted on the mounting base plate, the push rod of the telescopic cylinder being positioned towards the clamping push plate; a fixed base plate, mounted on the mounting base plate and located on the side of the clamping push plate away from the telescopic cylinder; and a spring, arranged horizontally and connected between the fixed base plate and the clamping push plate; wherein, in the initial state, the push rod of the telescopic cylinder is extended to overcome the elastic force of the spring and keep the clamping push plate away from the fixture body; when performing the clamping action, the push rod of the telescopic cylinder retracts, and the spring drives the clamping push plate to move towards the fixture body to press against the camera body.

[0010] Preferably, the clamping part includes a clamping part body and a first adjusting plate that is slidably connected to the clamping part body along the clamping direction. The first adjusting plate is fixed in position relative to the clamping part body by a first locking member. The end of the first adjusting plate near the fixture body is provided with a first limiting groove for conformal engagement with the first structural part of the camera body.

[0011] Preferably, the first adjusting plate is further provided with a second adjusting plate whose position is adjustable along the clamping direction. The second adjusting plate is used to abut against the second structural part of the camera body, and the second adjusting plate is fixed in position relative to the first adjusting plate by a second locking member.

[0012] Preferably, the bending actuator includes a folding plate, a rotary drive member that drives the folding plate to rotate about an axis parallel to the bending axis, and a first drive assembly; the first drive assembly drives the folding plate to move to a working position, that is, the upper end surface of the folding plate is in contact with the bottom surface of the FPC cable to be bent, and the side end surface of the folding plate is in contact with the side end surface of the fixture body.

[0013] Preferably, the heating and pressing mechanism includes a pressing plate, an electric heater connected to the pressing plate, and a second driving assembly; the second driving assembly drives the pressing plate to move, so that it presses against the FPC cable connection part, and makes the outer side of the pressing plate away from the placement area collinear with the bending axis.

[0014] Preferably, the outer wall of the lower pressure plate is configured as an inclined plane, which is inclined from its bottom to its top and towards the direction of the placement area.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: by integrating the material loading module, fixture assembly, bending execution mechanism, and heating and pressing mechanism, high-precision and high-efficiency final bending processing of partially bent FPC cables is achieved; by using L-shaped positioning blocks and lateral clamping mechanisms in conjunction with vacuum adsorption, stable and flexible clamping of the camera body is achieved, avoiding damage to the product; by using positioning slots and inclined groove bottoms to guide the FPC cables to accurate positioning, it can adapt to the previous bending shape and ensure that the final bending posture meets the requirements. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a partially bent camera module to be processed; Figure 2 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a preferred embodiment; Figure 3 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a material loading module in a preferred embodiment; Figure 4 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a fixture body in a preferred embodiment; Figure 5 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a bending actuator in a preferred embodiment; Figure 6 is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a heating and pressing mechanism in a preferred embodiment; Reference numerals: 1. Machine base; 2. Material loading module; 21. Transfer plate; 22. First linear drive module; 23. Fixture body; 231. Positioning block; 232. Side baffle; 233. Positioning slot; 234. Vacuum suction hole; 24. Lateral Clamping mechanism; 241, mounting base plate; 242, clamping push plate; 2421, top clamping part body; 2422, first adjusting plate; 2423, first limiting groove; 2424, second adjusting plate; 243, telescopic cylinder; 244, fixed base plate; 245, spring; 3, bending actuator; 31, folding plate; 32, rotary drive component; 33, first drive assembly; 4, heating and pressing mechanism; 41, pressing plate; 42, electric heater; 43, second drive assembly; 5, camera module; 51, camera body; 511, first structural part; 512, second structural part; 52, FPC cable; 521, connecting part; 522, part to be bent. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The technical solution protected by this invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] As shown in Figure 1, this application proposes an FPC cable positioning and guiding automatic bending device, which is mainly used to perform the final bending action on the partially bent FPC cable 51, so that the FPC cable 51 can be semi-enclosed on the designated sides (specifically the first side, the second side and the third side) of the camera body 51 to meet the assembly requirements of compact space. The bending process is simple and significantly improves the bending accuracy.

[0019] As shown in Figure 2, the equipment includes a machine base 1, on which a material loading module 2, a bending actuator 3, and a heating and pressing mechanism 4 are installed. The material loading module 2 is used to move the product between the loading station and the bending station; the bending actuator 3 and the heating and pressing mechanism 4 work together to complete the heating, pressing, and folding actions of the FPC cable 51 at the bending station.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, the loading module 2 includes a transfer plate 21 that can move horizontally on the machine base 1 and a first linear drive module 22 that drives its movement. The transfer plate 21 has a loading station and a bending station along its movement path. A fixture assembly is provided on the transfer plate 21 for precisely positioning and firmly clamping the camera body. The fixture assembly mainly includes a fixture body 23 and a lateral clamping mechanism 24.

[0021] As shown in Figure 2-4, an L-shaped positioning block 231 is provided on the fixture body 23. This positioning block 231 is used to press against the first and second sides adjacent to the first structural part 511 of the camera body 51, realizing the initial positioning of the workpiece in two directions in the horizontal plane. A lateral clamping mechanism 24 is provided on the side opposite to the positioning block 231, and the two together form a placement area for placing the camera body 51. A vacuum adsorption hole 234 is opened at the bottom of the placement area, and the vacuum adsorption hole 234 is connected to a vacuum generator. After the camera body 51 is placed in place, the vacuum adsorption is activated to adsorb and fix the workpiece on the fixture, thereby limiting the vertical displacement of the camera body. When the camera module 5 is fixed on the fixture body 23, the connection part 521 of its camera body 51 and FPC cable is placed on the fixture body 23, and the cable bending part 522 extends outside the fixture. The bending axis of the connection part 521 and the bending part 522 is collinear with the outer wall of the fixture body 23.

[0022] As shown in Figures 2-4, to accommodate the partially bent shape of the FPC cable 51 in the previous process and to guide it to accurately wrap around the side of the camera body during this bending, the fixture body 23 has a vertically extending positioning slot 233 on the outer side corresponding to the second side. This positioning slot 233 is located on the side of the positioning block 231 away from the placement area and is composed of a side baffle 232 parallel to the outer wall of the fixture body 23. The gap between the side baffle 232 and the outer wall of the fixture forms the positioning slot 233. Preferably, the upper end of the side baffle 232 near the entrance of the positioning slot 233 is set as a slope. This sloped structure guides the insertion of the FPC cable 51, ensuring that the FPC cable can smoothly enter the slot.

[0023] As shown in Figures 2-4, the lateral clamping mechanism 24 is used to clamp the first structural part 511 of the product from two other sides. It includes a mounting base plate 241, a clamping push plate 242 slidably disposed thereon, and a first driving member for driving the clamping push plate 242 to move. The end of the clamping push plate 242 is provided with a pressing part facing the fixture body 23. When the actuator moves towards the fixture body 23, the pressing part works in conjunction with the L-shaped positioning block 231 to press the third and fourth sides of the camera body 51 from the side, thereby fixing the workpiece in the horizontal direction.

[0024] Preferably, a slide rail is provided on the mounting base plate 241, and the clamping push plate 242 is slidably mounted on the slide rail to ensure the stability of the clamping push plate 242 during movement.

[0025] As shown in Figures 2-4, in a preferred embodiment, the first driving component consists of a telescopic cylinder 243, a fixed base plate 244, and a spring 245 to achieve flexible clamping. Specifically, a telescopic cylinder 243 is fixedly mounted on the mounting base plate 241, with its push rod facing the clamping push plate 242. A fixed base plate 244 is mounted on the side of the clamping push plate 242 away from the telescopic cylinder 243, and a horizontally arranged spring 245 connects the two. In the initial state, the push rod of the telescopic cylinder 243 extends, overcoming the elastic force of the spring 245, and pushes the clamping push plate 242 away from the fixture body 23. At this time, the fixture is in an open state for easy loading. When clamping is required, the push rod of the telescopic cylinder 243 retracts, its pushing force on the clamping push plate 242 disappears, the compressed spring 245 releases its elastic force, and smoothly pushes the clamping push plate 242 to slide towards the fixture body 23 until the clamping part presses the workpiece against the positioning block 231. With this design, the final clamping force is provided by spring 245 to form a flexible clamping effect, effectively avoiding damage to the camera body due to excessive clamping force.

[0026] As shown in Figure 2-4, to further improve the adaptability of the fixture and accommodate camera bodies of different sizes, the clamping push plate 242's clamping part is designed as an adjustable structure. The clamping part consists of a clamping part body 2421 and a first adjusting plate 2422. The first adjusting plate 2422 is connected to the clamping part body 2421 via a sliding mechanism and its relative position is locked by a first locking element (such as a bolt). By adjusting the extension length of the first adjusting plate 2422, the clamping part can adapt to the size of different products. Specifically, the first adjusting plate 2422 has a first adjusting groove extending along the clamping direction, and the clamping part body 2421 has a corresponding threaded hole. By sliding the first adjusting plate 2422, the total length of the clamping part can be changed. After adjustment, the bolt is screwed through the groove into the threaded hole and locked to fix the position. This structure ensures that the clamping part can always hold the product in place while the spring still has sufficient elastic travel.

[0027] Preferably, the first adjusting plate 2422 is provided with a first limiting groove 2423 at one end near the fixture body 23. The first limiting groove 2423 is configured to conform to the corner of the first structural part 511 of the camera body, specifically a right-angle groove, so that the two inner sidewalls of the limiting groove can fit against the sidewall of the product, and together with the L-shaped positioning block 231, it can achieve horizontal limiting of the first structural part 511 at the bottom of the product.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2-4, furthermore, since there are different horizontal misalignments between the second structural part 512 and the first structural part 511 in different product models, a second adjusting plate 2424 can be provided above the first adjusting plate 2422 to tighten the second structural part 512 of the product. The second adjusting plate 2424 also achieves position adjustment in the clamping direction through a sliding groove and a second locking element (bolt), and the position of the second adjusting plate 2424 can be adjusted according to the product model. After adjustment, the end of the second adjusting plate 2424 abuts against the side of the second structural part 512 of the camera body. Through this design structure, it is ensured that during the clamping process, the clamping force can be applied to both the first structural part 511 and the second structural part 512 of the product simultaneously, preventing the product from tilting or shaking in the fixture due to uneven force, effectively improving the stability and adaptability of clamping.

[0029] As shown in Figures 2-5, the bending actuator 3 is positioned at the bending station of the machine tool 1. It includes a folding plate 31, a rotary drive 32 that drives the folding plate 31 to rotate, and a first drive assembly 33 that drives the folding plate 31 to move in multiple directions. The first drive assembly 33 includes a first lifting drive and a first lateral drive. The two drives work together to precisely move the folding plate 31 to the working position: the upper surface of the folding plate 31 is in contact with the lower surface of the FPC to be bent portion 522, and its side surface is in close contact with the side surface of the fixture body 23. The folding plate 31 is driven by the rotary drive 32 (such as a servo motor) and can rotate around an axis parallel to the bending axis. When the folding plate 31 is in position, the rotary drive 32 drives it to rotate upwards, thereby pushing the FPC to be bent portion 522 upwards.

[0030] As shown in Figure 2-6, the heating and pressing mechanism 4 is also located at the bending station. It includes a pressing plate 41, an electric heater 42 connected to the pressing plate 41, and a second drive assembly 43 that drives the pressing plate 41. The second drive assembly also consists of a second lifting drive and a second lateral drive. Before the bending action begins, the second drive assembly 43 drives the preheated pressing plate 41 to move downwards and laterally, so that it is accurately pressed onto the connection part 521 of the FPC cable. The outer edge of the pressing plate 41 is collinear with the aforementioned bending axis. The pressing action of the pressing plate 41 fixes the connection part 521 of the FPC cable, preventing it from being pulled and displaced during the bending process; at the same time, its heat is conducted to the bending area of ​​the FPC cable, causing the material to soften locally and the internal stress to be reduced, thereby making the bending process smoother and greatly reducing the risk of material breakage due to bending.

[0031] Preferably, the outer wall of the lower pressure plate 41 away from the placement area is processed into an inclined plane, which slopes from its bottom to its top and towards the placement area. When the folding plate 31 folds the FPC cable upward, its upper end face continues to rotate a small angle after reaching the vertical position, so that its end face finally abuts against the inclined plane of the lower pressure plate 41. The rotation angle is greater than 90 degrees, i.e., "over-bending". Through this design, after the external force is removed, the springback of the FPC cable is exactly offset by the over-bending amount, thereby stably and accurately maintaining the required 90-degree bending angle, significantly improving the consistency of the product angle.

[0032] Correspondingly, the bottom of the positioning slot 233 is set as an inclined slope, which extends downward from the end near the first side to the end near the third side. This ensures that when the folding plate 31 is bent, the FPC cable in the positioning slot 233 will also tilt to a certain extent, and the inclined bottom of the positioning slot 233 can effectively avoid interference with the cable.

[0033] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made based on the content of the present invention's specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An FPC cable positioning and guiding automatic bending device, characterized in that, Mainly includes: Machine base (1); loading module (2), set on the machine base (1), which includes a transfer plate (21) and a first linear drive module (22) for driving the transfer plate (21) to move horizontally in the horizontal direction. The transfer plate (21) has a loading station and a bending station on its moving path; fixture assembly, set on the transfer plate (21), the fixture assembly includes a fixture body (23) and a lateral clamping mechanism (24); the fixture body (23) is provided with a positioning block (231) for positioning the camera body. The positioning block (231) is arranged opposite to the lateral clamping mechanism (24) and forms a placement area for placing the camera body between them. The bottom of the placement area is provided with a vacuum adsorption hole (234) for adsorbing and fixing the camera body; the positioning block (231) is set with an L-shaped structure to limit The camera body has a first structural part (511) with an adjacent first side and a second side; the jig body (23) has an outer edge corresponding to the first side that is collinear with the bending axis of the FPC cable; the jig body (23) has a vertically extending positioning slot (233) on the outer side corresponding to the second side, the positioning slot (233) is located on the side of the positioning block (231) away from the placement area, and is used to guide the FPC cable that has been bent in the previous step; the bending execution mechanism (3) is set at the position of the machine (1) corresponding to the bending station, and is used to drive the flip plate (31) to perform the flipping action, the flip plate (31) is set parallel to one side of the first side; the heating and pressing mechanism (4) is set at the position of the machine (1) corresponding to the bending station, and is used to press down and heat the connecting part (521) of the FPC cable.

2. The FPC cable positioning and guiding automatic bending device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The positioning slot (233) is formed by a side baffle (232). The side baffle (232) is arranged parallel to the outer wall of the fixture body (23), and the two form the positioning slot (233). The upper end of the side baffle (232) near the positioning slot (233) is set as an inclined surface.

3. The FPC cable positioning and guiding automatic bending device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The bottom of the positioning slot (233) is set as an inclined slope, which extends downward from the end near the first side to the end near the third side.

4. The FPC cable positioning and guiding automatic bending device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lateral clamping mechanism (24) includes: a mounting base plate (241); a clamping push plate (242) slidably disposed on the mounting base plate (241) in a direction close to or away from the fixture body (23); and a first driving member disposed on the mounting base plate (241) for driving the clamping push plate (242) to slide; wherein the clamping push plate (242) includes a pressing portion facing the fixture body (23), the pressing portion cooperating with the positioning block (231) to clamp the camera body from the side.

5. The FPC cable positioning and guiding automatic bending device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first driving component includes: a telescopic cylinder (243) fixedly mounted on the mounting base plate (241), with the push rod of the telescopic cylinder (243) facing the clamping push plate (242); a fixed base plate (244) mounted on the mounting base plate (241) and located on the side of the clamping push plate (242) away from the telescopic cylinder (243); and a spring (245) arranged horizontally and connected between the fixed base plate (244) and the clamping push plate (242). In the initial state, the push rod of the telescopic cylinder (243) is extended to overcome the elastic force of the spring (245) and keep the clamping push plate (242) away from the fixture body (23). When the clamping action is performed, the push rod of the telescopic cylinder (243) retracts, and the spring (245) drives the clamping push plate (242) to move towards the fixture body (23) to press against the camera body.

6. The FPC cable positioning and guiding automatic bending device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The clamping part includes a clamping part body (2421) and a first adjusting plate (2422) that is slidably connected to the clamping part body (2421) along the clamping direction. The first adjusting plate (2422) is fixed in position relative to the clamping part body (2421) by a first locking member. The first adjusting plate (2422) has a first limiting groove (2423) at one end near the fixture body (23) for conformal cooperation with the first structural part (511) of the camera body (51).

7. The FPC cable positioning and guiding automatic bending device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first adjustment plate (2422) is also provided with a second adjustment plate (2424) whose position is adjustable along the clamping direction. The second adjustment plate (2424) is used to abut against the second structural part (512) of the camera body (51). The second adjustment plate (2424) is fixed relative to the first adjustment plate (2422) by a second locking member.

8. The FPC cable positioning and guiding automatic bending device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bending actuator (3) includes a folding plate (31), a rotary drive (32) that drives the folding plate (31) to rotate around an axis parallel to the bending axis, and a first drive assembly (33). The first drive assembly drives the folding plate (31) to move to the working position: that is, the upper end face of the folding plate (31) is in contact with the bottom surface of the part (522) to be bent in the FPC cable, and the side end face of the folding plate (31) is in contact with the side end face of the fixture body (23).

9. The FPC cable positioning and guiding automatic bending device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating and pressing mechanism (4) includes a pressing plate (41), an electric heater (42) connected to the pressing plate (41), and a second driving assembly (43). The second driving assembly (43) drives the pressing plate (41) to move, so that it presses against the FPC cable connection part (521), and makes the outer side of the pressing plate (41) away from the placement area collinear with the bending axis.

10. The FPC cable positioning and guiding automatic bending device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The outer wall of the lower pressure plate (41) is configured as an inclined plane that slopes from its bottom to its top and toward the placement area.

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