A camera module glue drying and curing device

Abstract

A kind of camera module glue drying solidification device, including solidification furnace, module tray and tray rack, module tray is equipped with multiple module installation areas for placing camera module to be solidified on, module tray includes tray seat and tray cover detachably installed above tray seat, the bottom of tray seat is provided with through air inlet window corresponding to glue application area, and it is solid plane corresponding to flexible circuit board area, the bottom of tray seat is fixed with flow guide plate corresponding to each air inlet window, flow guide plate is configured to guide airflow into air inlet window.This application utilizes the air inlet window corresponding to glue application area on the bottom of tray seat, combined with air outlet window and heat insulation lining on the tray cover, to form a forced vertical hot air channel in the glue application area, so that the hot air is concentrated and orderly through the area where the glue is located. The flexible circuit board is isolated and protected by the solid plane and the heat insulation lining, avoiding direct impact and heat conduction damage of hot air.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of curing device technology, specifically referring to a device for drying and curing adhesive for camera modules. Background Technology

[0002] In the production of camera modules, such as those for mobile phones and automobiles, components like lenses, filters, and sensors need to be glued to flexible circuit boards or substrates. After bonding, the modules must be baked in a hot air circulating oven to fully cure the adhesive, ensuring bonding strength and optical stability.

[0003] Current practices typically involve placing the entire camera module directly onto an oven tray, with hot air blowing directly onto all areas of the module. However, the flexible circuit boards in camera modules are relatively thin, generally 0.1–0.3 mm, and made of polyimide or liquid crystal polymers, which have limited heat resistance. When the oven's hot air bakes the flexible circuit boards, it can cause some circuits to break, solder joints to crack, or delamination from the substrate. Simultaneously, the areas where adhesive is applied may not receive sufficient heat due to the flexible circuit boards obstructing the process or turbulent airflow, leading to incomplete adhesive curing and problems such as decreased adhesion, porosity, and excess adhesive. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above situation and to overcome the defects of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a device for drying and curing adhesive for camera modules, so as to at least partially solve the problems mentioned in the background art.

[0005] The technical solution adopted in this invention is as follows: A device for drying and curing adhesive for camera modules is proposed, comprising: A curing oven, including an oven cavity and multiple hot air nozzles disposed within the oven cavity; A module tray is disposed within the furnace cavity; A tray rack is installed inside the furnace cavity and supports and positions multiple module trays in parallel. The module tray has multiple module placement areas for placing camera modules to be cured. The module tray includes a tray base and a tray cover that can be detachably installed on the tray base. The camera modules are placed between the tray base and the tray cover. The module placement area includes an adhesive application area and a flexible circuit board area corresponding to the camera module. The bottom of the tray base has a through air inlet window corresponding to the adhesive application area, and the corresponding flexible circuit board area is a solid plane. A guide plate is fixed at the bottom of the tray base corresponding to each air inlet window. The guide plate is configured to guide the airflow into the air inlet window.

[0006] Furthermore, each of the corresponding glued areas on the tray cover has a through-hole air outlet window, and the positions of the air inlet window and the air outlet window are vertically aligned. A heat insulation liner is fixed between the tray base and the tray cover to the area corresponding to the flexible circuit board. The heat insulation liner covers the upper and lower sides of the flexible circuit board area, so that a vertical channel for hot air to pass through is formed between the air inlet window and the air outlet window.

[0007] Furthermore, the guide plate is provided in an arc-shaped guide plate or guide tube structure, and the guide plate is used to guide the hot air to flow from the air inlet window to the air outlet window.

[0008] Furthermore, the guide plate is constructed as a conical arc plate structure with its upper opening aligned with the edge of the air inlet window and its lower opening widened.

[0009] Furthermore, the adhesive application area includes a first adhesive application area and a second adhesive application area, wherein the amount of adhesive in the first adhesive application area is greater than the amount of adhesive in the second adhesive application area. The air inlet window corresponding to the first adhesive application area and the second adhesive application area includes a first air inlet window and a second air inlet window. The air outlet window corresponding to the first adhesive application area and the second adhesive application area includes a first air outlet window and a second air outlet window. A first vertical channel is formed between the first air inlet window and the first air outlet window, and a second vertical channel is formed between the second air inlet window and the second air outlet window. The throughput of the first vertical channel is greater than the throughput of the second vertical channel.

[0010] Furthermore, the deflector includes a first deflector disposed at the bottom of the first air inlet and a second deflector disposed at the bottom of the second air inlet. The height of the first deflector is greater than that of the second deflector, and the circumferential width of the first deflector is less than that of the second deflector.

[0011] Furthermore, the surface of the heat-insulating liner is provided with a protruding wind-blocking ring corresponding to the periphery of the vertical channel. The wind-blocking ring is used to block the adhesive coating area and the flexible circuit board area.

[0012] Furthermore, the multiple module placement areas on the module tray are arranged in a linear or matrix order, and each module placement area can hold two camera modules. The flexible circuit board areas of the two camera modules overlap, and the adhesive application areas are located on both sides of the flexible circuit board areas respectively.

[0013] Furthermore, multiple module trays are stacked in the height direction via the tray frame, and an air duct is left between any two adjacent module trays. A hot air nozzle is provided at the height position of each air duct in the curing oven, and the hot air nozzle is configured to blow air into the air duct horizontally.

[0014] Furthermore, the tray base and tray cover include aluminum alloy plates, and support frames are fixedly provided at both ends of the tray cover. The tray cover is mounted on the tray base through the support frames, and the flexible circuit board area of ​​the camera module is placed between the heat insulation liner. The heat insulation liner includes ceramic fiber paper or polytetrafluoroethylene sheet.

[0015] Beneficial effects: This invention places the camera module between a tray base and a tray cover. An air inlet is created at the bottom of the tray base corresponding to the adhesive application area, combined with an air outlet and a heat-insulating liner on the tray cover, forming a forced vertical hot air channel in the adhesive application area. This allows hot air to pass through the adhesive area in a concentrated and orderly manner, while the flexible circuit board is isolated and protected by a solid plane and the heat-insulating liner, preventing direct impact and heat conduction damage from the hot air. A deflector plate below the air inlet efficiently captures horizontal hot air and guides it vertically upwards, enhancing airflow directionality and heat exchange efficiency. Different vertical channels with varying flow rates and differentiated deflector plate structures are used for areas with different adhesive volumes, enabling on-demand distribution of hot air volume, resulting in more uniform heating and more complete curing of the adhesive. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a camera module adhesive drying and curing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the module tray structure is provided for an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of a single-layer module tray is provided for an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the cross-sectional surface of a single-layer module tray is provided for an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 A partial structural schematic diagram of the tray base is provided for an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a partial structural diagram of the tray cover provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Among them, 10 is the curing oven; 100 is the oven cavity; 11 is the hot air nozzle; 20 is the module tray; 200 is the module placement area; 21 is the tray seat; 210 is the air inlet window; 2101 is the first air inlet window; 2102 is the second air inlet window; 211 is the guide plate; 2111 is the first guide plate; 2112 is the second guide plate; 22 is the tray cover; 220 is the air outlet window; 2201 is the first air outlet window; 2202 is the second air outlet window; 221 is the support frame; 23 is the heat insulation lining; 231 is the wind baffle ring; and 30 is the tray frame.

[0018] The accompanying drawings are provided to further understand the embodiments and form part of the specification. They are used together with the embodiments for explanation and do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solutions in 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 some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection.

[0020] In the description of the embodiments, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the embodiments.

[0021] This invention provides a device for drying and curing adhesive for camera modules, including a curing oven 10, a module tray 20, and a tray frame 30.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, the curing oven 10 includes an oven cavity 100 and a plurality of hot air nozzles 11 disposed inside the oven cavity 100. The oven cavity 100 is a closed metal shell. The interior of the curing oven 10 is provided with a heat insulation layer and a circulating fan. The circulating fan drives the air to pass through the heater and become hot air, which is then sent into the interior of the oven cavity 100.

[0023] In some embodiments, multiple hot air nozzles 11 are horizontally arranged on the left and right side walls of the oven cavity 100 and distributed in multiple layers along the height direction. Module trays 20 are horizontally placed inside the oven cavity 100 to support camera modules to be cured. The tray frame 30 is a frame structure fixed to the inner wall of the oven cavity 100 and has multiple layers of parallel and spaced-apart support slides. Multiple module trays 20 are respectively placed horizontally on each layer of the tray frame 30, so that each module tray 20 is parallel in the height direction and maintains a fixed vertical distance from each other. This distance forms a horizontally penetrating air duct so that hot air flows horizontally under each tray.

[0024] like Figure 2 As shown, the module tray 20 has multiple module placement areas 200 for placing camera modules to be cured. In this embodiment, the module placement areas 200 are arranged in a matrix on the tray to facilitate batch operation and automated handling.

[0025] The module tray 20 includes a tray base 21 and a tray cover 22 that is detachably mounted on the tray base 21. The tray base 21 is flat. In use, the camera module is placed in the corresponding module placement area 200 on the tray base 21, and then the tray cover 22 is closed and locked with a snap-fit, so that the camera module is clamped between the tray base 21 and the tray cover 22 to prevent displacement when hot air flows.

[0026] Furthermore, each module placement area 200 is spatially divided into an adhesive application area for the camera module and a flexible circuit board area. The adhesive is typically located at the junction of the lens and the substrate, or around the sensor.

[0027] In some embodiments, the bottom of the tray 21 is provided with a vertically extending air inlet 210 corresponding to the adhesive application area within each module placement area 200. The shape of the air inlet 210 can be rectangular, circular, or oblong to match the contour of the adhesive application area. The bottom of the tray 21 corresponding to the flexible circuit board area is a solid plane without any openings, thereby completely preventing hot air from blowing directly onto the flexible circuit board from below.

[0028] Furthermore, a guide plate 211 is fixed to the bottom lower surface of the tray base 21 at the position corresponding to each air inlet 210. The guide plate 211 can be made of stainless steel sheet or aluminum alloy sheet by stamping and is fixed to the bottom of the tray base 21 by riveting or welding. The opening direction of the guide plate 211 faces the airflow direction of the hot air nozzle 11, which is used to guide the horizontal hot airflow upward and concentrate it into the air inlet 210, so as to avoid the formation of useless vortices in the hot air at the bottom of the tray.

[0029] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, each module placement area 200 on the tray cover 22 has a vertically extending air outlet 220, which is vertically aligned with the air inlet 210. The shape and size of the air outlet 220 can be the same as the air inlet 210, or can be adjusted according to airflow requirements. A heat insulation liner 23 is fixed between the tray base 21 and the tray cover 22 at the location corresponding to the flexible circuit board area. The heat insulation liner 23 has a two-piece structure. The lower heat insulation liner 23 is pasted or embedded in the inner surface of the tray base 21 and covers the entire flexible circuit board area, while the upper heat insulation liner 23 is pasted or embedded in the inner surface of the tray cover 22 and also covers the flexible circuit board area.

[0030] Thus, when the tray cover 22 is closed, the flexible circuit board is completely encased between the upper and lower heat-insulating linings 23, isolating it from the surrounding hot air and heat radiation from the adhesive coating area. The gaps between the air inlet window 210 and the air outlet window 220, as well as around the adhesive coating area, together form a vertical channel through which heated air passes.

[0031] The sidewalls of the vertical channel are formed by the tray base 21, the tray cover 22, and the side edges of the heat insulation liner 23. When hot air enters from the lower air inlet 210, due to the suction effect of the upper air outlet 220 and the buoyancy of the hot air itself, the hot air will pass vertically upward through the adhesive coating area, forcibly heating the adhesive through convection, and then exiting from the upper air outlet 220. This achieves directional and concentrated heating of the adhesive coating area by the hot air, while the flexible circuit board remains in a protected static environment.

[0032] In some embodiments, the guide plate 211 is configured as an arc-shaped guide plate or a guide cylinder structure, which is generally curved plate or cylinder-shaped and faces the direction of hot air flow. The concave surface or guide channel of the guide plate 211 is used to capture the hot air flowing horizontally in the curing oven 10, gradually changing the hot air flow direction from horizontal to vertical upward, guiding the hot air from the air inlet 210 into the module tray 20, and further flowing towards the air outlet 220, thereby increasing the flow rate and speed of hot air entering the adhesive application area.

[0033] In a more specific embodiment, the deflector 211 is constructed as a conical arc plate structure with its upper opening aligned with the edge of the air inlet 210 and its lower opening expanding downwards and outwards. That is, the lower port diameter of the deflector 211 is larger than the aperture of the air inlet 210, and the overall shape is an inverted cone or a trumpet. This structure can increase the cross-sectional area of ​​the deflector 211 for capturing horizontal hot air.

[0034] Furthermore, considering that the amount of glue used may vary in different areas of the same camera module, such as the main bonding area having a larger amount of glue and requiring more heat, while the auxiliary fixing area has a smaller amount of glue and requires less heat, the glue application area is divided into a first glue application area and a second glue application area, with the first glue application area having a larger amount of glue than the second glue application area.

[0035] Specifically, the air inlet 210 is configured as a first air inlet 2101 and a second air inlet 2102 corresponding to the first and second adhesive application areas, respectively, and the air outlet 220 is configured as a first air outlet 2201 and a second air outlet 2202. A first vertical channel is formed between the first air inlet 2101 and the first air outlet 2201, and a second vertical channel is formed between the second air inlet 2102 and the second air outlet 2202.

[0036] To achieve a higher throughput in the first vertical channel than in the second vertical channel, the opening area of ​​the first air inlet window 2101 and / or the first air outlet window 2201 can be designed to be larger than the opening area of ​​the second air inlet window 2102 and / or the second air outlet window 2202.

[0037] This allows for the distribution of more hot air to areas with larger amounts of adhesive, ensuring that the curing speed of areas with large amounts of adhesive matches that of areas with small amounts of adhesive, thus preventing areas with large amounts of adhesive from curing too slowly or areas with small amounts of adhesive from overheating.

[0038] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the deflector 211 includes a first deflector 2111 disposed at the bottom of the first air inlet 2101 and a second deflector 2112 disposed at the bottom of the second air inlet 2102. In order to adapt to the aforementioned different channel throughput requirements, the vertical height of the first deflector 2111, that is, the downward extension length, is greater than the height of the second deflector 2112. At the same time, the circumferential width of the first deflector 2111, that is, the lateral dimension of the deflector perpendicular to the airflow direction in the horizontal plane, is smaller than the circumferential width of the second deflector 2112, so as to achieve the effect of differentiated air supply to areas with different adhesive amounts.

[0039] Furthermore, the surface of the heat insulation liner 23, corresponding to the periphery of the vertical channel, i.e., near the edges of the air inlet window 210 and the air outlet window 220, is provided with an upward or downward protruding wind deflector ring 231. The wind deflector ring 231 may be an annular protrusion integrally molded with the heat insulation liner 23.

[0040] When the tray base 21 and the tray cover 22 are closed, the wind deflector ring 231 is tightly attached to the inner surface of the tray base 21 or the tray cover 22, forming a sealed or semi-sealed barrier structure. The wind deflector ring 231 is used to block the airflow between the adhesive coating area and the flexible circuit board area, preventing hot air entering from the air inlet 210 from bypassing the adhesive coating area and leaking laterally into the flexible circuit board area. This ensures that the hot air must pass through the adhesive coating area before being discharged from the air outlet 220, improving the efficiency of hot air utilization and further protecting the flexible circuit board from hot air attack.

[0041] In some embodiments, multiple module placement areas 200 on the module tray 20 are arranged in a linear or matrix pattern to facilitate batch positioning and automated placement and retrieval. Each module placement area 200 can hold two camera modules simultaneously.

[0042] The specific placement method is as follows: the flexible circuit board areas of the two camera modules are overlapped vertically or horizontally, and the upper and lower heat-insulating inner linings 23 respectively contact the flexible circuit board areas of the two modules, while the adhesive-coated areas of the two camera modules are located on both sides of the flexible circuit board areas. This placement method increases the loading density of a single-layer tray by 1 to 2 times, while both modules can be effectively heated.

[0043] Furthermore, multiple module trays 20 are stacked in the height direction via tray frames 30, and a horizontally penetrating air duct is left between any two adjacent module trays 20. A hot air nozzle 11 is provided at the height position corresponding to each air duct inside the curing oven 10, and the hot air nozzle 11 is configured to blow air horizontally into the air duct.

[0044] During operation, the hot air nozzles 11 spray hot air horizontally into the interlayer air ducts. The hot air flows horizontally within the ducts, passing beneath each module tray 20. At this time, the guide plates 211 fixed to the bottom of each module tray 20 are oriented precisely towards the direction of the hot air flow, capturing and guiding the horizontally flowing hot air upwards into the air inlet 210. This allows multiple trays to simultaneously and independently receive directional hot air supply. Because each layer of the air duct is supplied with air by an independent hot air nozzle 11, the airflow between layers does not interfere with each other, ensuring consistent heating conditions for module trays 20 at different heights, thus improving batch curing efficiency and curing uniformity.

[0045] In some embodiments, the tray base 21 and the tray cover 22 are made of aluminum alloy plate to ensure good thermal conductivity and structural strength. Both ends of the tray cover 22 are fixed with downwardly protruding support frames 221, the height of which is slightly greater than the thickness of the camera module. The tray cover 22 is mounted on the tray base 21 via the support frames 221, creating a clearance between the tray cover 22 and the tray base 21 to prevent damage to the camera module and to ensure that the flexible circuit board area of ​​the camera module is positioned precisely between the upper and lower heat-insulating inner linings 23, preventing compression.

[0046] Furthermore, the heat insulation liner 23 is made of ceramic fiber paper or polytetrafluoroethylene sheet, which gives the heat insulation liner 23 a low thermal conductivity and heat resistance, making it suitable for long-term use in hot air circulating ovens, while effectively blocking heat from being conducted from the glued area to the flexible circuit board area.

[0047] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0048] The embodiments have been described above, and such description is not restrictive. The figures shown are only one embodiment, and the actual structure is not limited to this. In short, if a person skilled in the art is inspired by this description and designs a similar structure and embodiment without departing from the inventive spirit, such design should fall within the scope of protection.

Claims

1. A device for drying and curing adhesive for camera modules, characterized in that, include: The curing oven (10) includes an oven cavity (100) and a plurality of hot air nozzles (11) disposed in the oven cavity (100); A module tray (20) is disposed within the furnace cavity (100); A tray rack (30) is disposed inside the furnace cavity (100) and provides parallel support and positioning for multiple module trays (20); The module tray (20) is provided with multiple module placement areas (200) for placing camera modules to be cured. The module tray (20) includes a tray base (21) and a tray cover (22) that can be detachably installed on the tray base (21). The camera module is placed between the tray base (21) and the tray cover (22). The module placement area (200) includes an adhesive application area and a flexible circuit board area corresponding to the camera module. The bottom of the tray base (21) is provided with a through air inlet window (210) corresponding to the adhesive application area, and the corresponding flexible circuit board area is a solid plane. The bottom of the tray base (21) is fixed with a guide plate (211) corresponding to each air inlet window (210). The guide plate (211) is configured to guide the airflow into the air inlet window (210).

2. The device for drying and curing adhesive for camera modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tray cover (22) has through-hole air outlet windows (220) on the corresponding glued area. The air inlet window (210) and the air outlet window (220) are vertically aligned. A heat insulation liner (23) is fixed between the tray base (21) and the tray cover (22) corresponding to the flexible circuit board area. The heat insulation liner (23) covers the upper and lower sides of the flexible circuit board area, so that a vertical channel for hot air is formed between the air inlet window (210) and the air outlet window (220).

3. The device for drying and curing adhesive for camera modules according to claim 2, characterized in that: The guide plate (211) is provided in an arc-shaped guide plate or guide tube structure. The guide plate (211) is used to guide hot air to flow from the air inlet window (210) to the air outlet window (220).

4. The device for drying and curing adhesive for camera modules according to claim 3, characterized in that: The guide plate (211) is constructed as a conical arc plate structure with its upper opening aligned with the edge of the air inlet window (210) and its lower opening enlarged.

5. The device for drying and curing adhesive for camera modules according to claim 2, characterized in that: The adhesive application area includes a first adhesive application area and a second adhesive application area. The amount of adhesive in the first adhesive application area is greater than that in the second adhesive application area. The air inlet window (210) corresponds to the first adhesive application area and the second adhesive application area and includes a first air inlet window (2101) and a second air inlet window (2102). The air outlet window (220) corresponds to the first adhesive application area and the second adhesive application area and includes a first air outlet window (2201) and a second air outlet window (2202). A first vertical channel is formed between the first air inlet window (2101) and the first air outlet window (2201). A second vertical channel is formed between the second air inlet window (2102) and the second air outlet window (2202). The throughput of the first vertical channel is greater than that of the second vertical channel.

6. The device for drying and curing adhesive for camera modules according to claim 5, characterized in that: The deflector plate (211) includes a first deflector plate (2111) disposed at the bottom of the first air inlet window (2101) and a second deflector plate (2112) disposed at the bottom of the second air inlet window (2102). The height of the first deflector plate (2111) is greater than that of the second deflector plate (2112), and the circumferential width of the first deflector plate (2111) is less than that of the second deflector plate (2112).

7. The device for drying and curing adhesive for camera modules according to claim 2, characterized in that: The surface of the heat insulation liner (23) is provided with a protruding windproof ring (231) on the periphery of the vertical channel. The windproof ring (231) is used to block the glue coating area and the flexible circuit board area.

8. The device for drying and curing adhesive for camera modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multiple module placement areas (200) on the module tray (20) are arranged in a linear or matrix order, and each module placement area (200) can hold two camera modules. The flexible circuit board areas of the two camera modules overlap, and the glue application areas are located on both sides of the flexible circuit board area.

9. The device for drying and curing adhesive for camera modules according to claim 1, characterized in that: Multiple module trays (20) are stacked in the height direction by the tray frame (30), and an air duct is left between any two adjacent module trays (20). A hot air nozzle (11) is provided in the curing oven (10) at the height position corresponding to each air duct. The hot air nozzle (11) is configured to blow air into the air duct horizontally.

10. The device for drying and curing adhesive for camera modules according to claim 2, characterized in that: The tray base (21) and tray cover (22) include aluminum alloy plates. Both ends of the tray cover (22) are fixed with support frames (221). The tray cover (22) is mounted on the tray base (21) through the support frames (221) and the flexible circuit board area of ​​the camera module is placed between the heat insulation liner (23).

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