Intelligent modular automatic soldering system and soldering method

Abstract

The application provides a kind of intelligent modular automatic soldering system and soldering method, the system includes rack, transverse displacement module, feed bin, protective cover, spot welding module, cooling buffer flow channel, discharge flow channel, empty pipe bin, soldering platform flow channel, feed flow channel;The intelligent modular automatic soldering system has the following advantages: through the cooperation of feed bin, transverse displacement module and multiple feed flow channels, automatic deployment and stable feeding of pipe type incoming material are realized, and manual feeding and transfer are reduced.Through the cooperation of the fixed-distance feeding mechanism of the yoke and the soldering platform flow channel, the product can enter the welding position with a fixed step, improving the consistency of welding positioning. Y, Z two-axis linear module carries out spot compensation positioning by electric iron, which can adapt to product attitude deviation and improve soldering precision. Through the continuous cooperation of the post-welding cooling buffer flow channel and the reversing mechanism, cooling, temporary storage, reversing and pipe loading can be completed without increasing manual intervention, forming a continuous closed loop.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automatic soldering equipment technology, specifically to an intelligent modular automatic soldering system and soldering method. Background Technology

[0002] In existing tinning or soldering equipment, products typically require manual loading, unloading, or transfer. For batches of products already loaded into the feed tubes, manual loading and unloading is not only slow and labor-intensive, but also prone to problems such as product burns, unstable posture, and chaotic transfer after soldering, making it difficult to meet the requirements of continuous, high-speed production.

[0003] In addition, although existing automatic soldering equipment of the same type already has modules for feeding, soldering, and discharging, it generally suffers from the following problems:

[0004] 1. The material feeding method is not matched with the welding cycle, which can easily lead to material jams or waiting.

[0005] 2. The welding head positioning relies on a single motion mode, which is not adaptable enough to product posture errors;

[0006] 3. Post-weld products are directly transported at high temperatures, lacking stable cooling and buffering structures;

[0007] 4. The unloading and loading processes often require manual intervention, resulting in a low degree of continuous automation;

[0008] 5. Equipment configurations are usually fixed, making it difficult to balance low-cost verification machines and high-capacity versions.

[0009] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a system that can automatically feed materials into the tube, automatically solder, cool and buffer the tube after soldering, automatically reverse direction, and automatically load the tube, so as to reduce the degree of manual intervention and improve cycle stability and welding consistency. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of existing technologies by providing an intelligent modular automatic soldering system that can effectively solve the aforementioned problems.

[0011] To achieve the above requirements, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: to provide an intelligent modular automatic soldering system, the intelligent modular automatic soldering system comprising...

[0012] The advantages of this intelligent modular automated soldering system are as follows:

[0013] First, by coordinating the feeding hopper, the transverse displacement module, and multiple feeding channels, the automatic unfolding and stable feeding of material in the tube can be achieved, reducing manual feeding and transfer.

[0014] Secondly, by cooperating with the fixed-distance feeding mechanism of the shift fork and the flow channel of the welding station, the product can enter the welding position at a fixed step distance, thereby improving the consistency of welding positioning.

[0015] Third, by using a soldering iron mounted on a Y and Z axis linear module for solder joint compensation and positioning, it can adapt to product posture deviations and improve soldering accuracy.

[0016] Fourth, through the continuous coordination of the post-weld cooling buffer channel and the reversing mechanism, cooling, temporary storage, reversing and tube loading can be completed without increasing manual intervention, forming a continuous closed loop.

[0017] Fifth, through modular welding head configuration, both economical and high-efficiency production capacity modes can be compatible on the same platform, facilitating future expansion. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this application and form part of this application, use the same reference numerals to denote the same or similar parts. The illustrative embodiments of this application and their descriptions are used to explain this application and do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings:

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an intelligent modular automatic soldering system according to an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the feed bin of an intelligent modular automatic soldering system according to an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0021] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the feed channel of an intelligent modular automatic soldering system according to an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0022] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the soldering station flow path of an intelligent modular automatic soldering system according to an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0023] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the spot welding module of an intelligent modular automatic soldering system according to an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0024] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the cooling buffer flow channel of an intelligent modular automatic soldering system according to an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0025] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the discharge flow channel of an intelligent modular automatic soldering system according to an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0026] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the dispensing bin of an intelligent modular automatic soldering system according to an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0027] The components include: 1. Frame; 2. Pipe throwing slide; 3. Lateral displacement module; 4. Feed bin; 5. Protective cover; 6. Spot welding module; 7. Human-machine interface; 8. Cooling buffer channel; 9. Discharge channel; 10. Empty pipe bin; 11. Discharge bin; 12. Welding station channel; 13. Feed channel. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0029] In the following description, references to "an embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example," "example," etc., indicate that the described embodiment or example may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation, but not every embodiment or example necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation. Furthermore, the repeated use of the phrase "an embodiment according to this application," while possibly referring to the same embodiment, does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0030] For simplicity, certain technical features known to those skilled in the art are omitted in the following description.

[0031] According to one embodiment of this application, an intelligent modular automatic soldering system is provided, such as... Figure 1As shown, the assembly includes a frame 1, a transverse displacement module 3, a feeding bin 4, a protective cover 5, a spot welding module 6, a cooling buffer channel 8, a discharge channel 9, an empty tube hopper 10, a welding station channel 12, and a feeding channel 13. The feeding bin is located inside the protective cover and is used to store multiple layers of tubes. The transverse displacement module is located at the bottom of the feeding bin and is used to transversely move the bottom tubes to the feeding position. During the feeding process, it coordinates with tilting actions and / or vibration assistance to improve production efficiency. The product slides into the feed channel from the feed tube; the feed channel is a multi-row channel with a material separation mechanism and a buffer section. The material separation mechanism is used to arrange products in rows, while the remaining products are temporarily stored in the buffer section to form a stable feeding cycle. The welding station channel is located below the spot welding module. The welding station channel is equipped with a fork-driven fixed-distance feeding mechanism, which is driven by a servo motor and a cam transmission mechanism to allow the product to enter the welding position at a fixed step distance. The spot welding module includes a soldering iron and a wire feeder. The system includes a mechanism and Y and Z axis linear modules. The wire feeding mechanism uses a stepper motor-type solder breaker to supply wire to the soldering iron. The Y and Z axis linear modules are used to position the soldering iron to the solder joint to compensate for positioning errors during product transport. The spot welding module is preferably configured as a modular multi-head structure with three soldering irons per group. Single or double group configurations can be selected according to production capacity requirements to expand production capacity without changing the cycle time. The cooling buffer channel is located behind the soldering station channel. After the soldered product enters the cooling buffer channel, it is cooled by a cooling fan and then fed into the discharge channel. The discharge channel is equipped with a reversing mechanism. After temporarily storing the product, the reversing mechanism rotates 180 degrees to complete the product reversal. During the reversal process, the product is kept in a lifted state by a retaining pin to prevent the product from accidentally falling out. The empty tube hopper is used to store empty tubes. The empty tube hopper discharges from the bottom. With the help of the transverse displacement module, the filled product is loaded into the empty tube layer by layer and output to the downstream collection device.

[0032] According to one embodiment of this application, the protective cover 5 of the intelligent modular automatic soldering system is provided with a human-machine interface 7.

[0033] According to one embodiment of this application, the outer end face of the transverse displacement module 3 of the intelligent modular automatic soldering system is provided with a tube throwing slide 2.

[0034] According to one embodiment of this application, the empty tube hopper 10 of the intelligent modular automatic soldering system is provided with a discharge hopper 11 on its lower side.

[0035] According to one embodiment of this application, the components of the intelligent modular automatic soldering system are described below:

[0036] 1. Feeding Bin and Lateral Positioning Module: The feeding bin adopts a bottom discharge method, with a material separating mechanism at the bottom, discharging only one layer of material tubes at a time. The lateral positioning module picks up one layer of material tubes from the bottom of the feeding bin each time, delivers it to the feeding position, and pours the product out of the material tube through tilting feeding. If necessary, a vibration auxiliary device is used to ensure the product smoothly slides into the feeding channel. Empty material tubes can also be discharged outside the machine via a tube throwing chute for easy collection in a turnover box.

[0037] 2. Feed Channel: The feed channel has a three-row layout and adopts an inclined discharge method, corresponding to the three-row layout of the feed pipe. The material separation mechanism releases one row of products at a time, and the remaining products are buffered in the buffer section to avoid material blockage caused by the inconsistency between the feeding cycle and the welding cycle.

[0038] 3. Welding Station Flow Channel: Located below the spot welding module, the welding station flow channel uses a fork-based fixed-distance feeding method to ensure accurate positioning of the product after it reaches the welding position. The welding station flow channel can be driven by a servo motor and cam mechanism to achieve efficient, stable, and repeatable fixed-distance conveying.

[0039] 4. Spot Welding Module: The spot welding module consists of a soldering iron, a wire feeding mechanism, and a Y / Z two-axis linear module. The soldering iron features a temperature-controlled structure, and the shape and specifications of the soldering tip are replaceable. The wire feeding mechanism uses a stepper motor-type solder breaker, which can precisely control the wire feeding distance and speed. The Y / Z module is used for soldering tip positioning and error compensation. Each set contains three soldering irons, and one or two sets can be configured according to production capacity requirements.

[0040] 5. Cooling Buffer Channel: After welding, the product enters the cooling buffer channel for temporary storage and cooling. There are three rows of cooling buffer channels, which use cooling fans to cool the product and ensure that it will not deform, burn, or become unstable due to high temperatures during subsequent tube assembly.

[0041] 6. Discharge Channel and Reversing Mechanism: After cooling, the product enters the discharge channel. The discharge channel is equipped with a reversing mechanism. This mechanism first temporarily stores the product, then rotates it 180 degrees to complete the reversal. During rotation, the stop pin remains raised to prevent the product from detaching. After reversal, the product slides into the inclined empty material tube.

[0042] 7. Empty Tube Hopper and Discharge Hopper: The empty tube hopper uses a bottom discharge method, with the material separation mechanism discharging only one layer of tubes at a time. After the lateral displacement module delivers the empty tubes to the receiving position, the product slides into the empty tube at an angle. Full tubes can enter the discharge hopper, cargo box elevator, or other material collection devices for easy subsequent handling and turnover.

[0043] According to one embodiment of this application, the cooperative relationship between the modules of the intelligent modular automatic soldering system is specifically reflected in the following aspects:

[0044] 1. Cycle matching between the three flow channels and the number of welding heads: The solution explicitly proposes the use of three flow channels and a modular design for the welding heads. The verification machine can initially adopt a three-flow-channel, three-welding-head structure, while reserving space for a second set of welding heads, allowing the same equipment to simultaneously offer both economical and high-efficiency configurations. The essence of this design is to achieve platform expansion through structural reservations and cycle matching.

[0045] 2. The welding head uses a Y / Z dual-axis linear module to compensate for positioning errors: The spot welding module is not a simple fixed welding unit, but uses a Y / Z dual-axis linear module to carry a soldering iron, positioning the welding head to the solder joint for soldering and compensating for positioning errors during product transportation. This design is crucial for ensuring consistent solder joints.

[0046] 3. Shift fork fixed-distance feeding + cam drive: The welding station flow channel uses a shift fork fixed-distance feeding mechanism for step distance control, and a servo motor works in conjunction with a cam drive mechanism to achieve stable feeding and ensure product positioning accuracy. The solution also explicitly mentions that Reuleaux triangle cams or similar cam types can be used.

[0047] 4. Post-weld cooling buffer + reversing tube loading closed loop: After welding, the product is not immediately loaded into the tube, but first enters the cooling buffer channel, is cooled by the cooling fan, and then enters the discharge channel; on the discharge side, the product is rotated 180 degrees by the reversing mechanism and finally sent into the empty material tube. This closed-loop design enables the equipment to continue to operate automatically under high-temperature conditions.

[0048] 5. Bottom discharge, lateral displacement and tilting feeding are adopted for both material inlet and empty pipe outlet: Both the inlet hopper and the empty pipe hopper adopt the bottom discharge method, which, together with the lateral displacement module, realizes pipe picking, pipe feeding, tilting feeding and pipe retraction. The entire feeding and receiving logic is consistent, which facilitates automation integration.

[0049] According to one embodiment of this application, the product is carried by a material tube, with multiple products loaded in each material tube. The material tubes are stored in a feeding hopper, which has a bottom discharge structure and a layered release mechanism at the bottom, releasing only one layer of material tubes at a time. A lateral displacement module removes the material tubes from the bottom of the feeding hopper and sends them to the feeding position. Through inclined feeding combined with vibration assistance, the products slide from the material tubes into three rows of feeding channels.

[0050] After entering the soldering station flow channel, the product is controlled by a fork-driven, fixed-distance feeding mechanism. This mechanism, driven by a servo motor and a cam transmission mechanism, ensures the product enters the soldering position stably. Once the product reaches the soldering position, the spot welding module is activated. The soldering iron is fed with wire by a stepper motor-type solder breaker, and the solder joints are positioned by Y and Z axis linear modules to compensate for minor deviations in the product's transport and positioning.

[0051] After welding, the product does not directly enter the discharge end. Instead, it first enters the cooling buffer channel, where it is cooled and buffered by a cooling fan before being sent to the discharge channel. A reversing mechanism is installed in the discharge channel. This mechanism temporarily stores the product before rotating 180 degrees to complete the attitude change. During this rotation, the stop pin remains raised to prevent the product from accidentally detaching. Finally, the product enters the inclined empty material pipe for collection.

[0052] In terms of capacity configuration, the system preferably adopts a three-channel structure; the spot welding module preferably adopts a modular configuration of three soldering irons per group, with space reserved for a second group of soldering heads. In this way, without changing the cycle time, it can be expanded from a single group to a double group, allowing both economical and high-efficiency versions to share the same platform.

[0053] like Figure 2 As shown, the feeding hopper adopts a bottom discharge method. The material separation mechanism discharges only one layer of material pipe at a time. The horizontal displacement mechanism picks up the material pipe (3 rows / layer) from the bottom of the hopper and sends it to the feeding position. The horizontal displacement mechanism tilts the material feeding (with vibration-assisted discharge device) to allow the product to slide into the feeding channel. The horizontal displacement mechanism removes the empty material pipe and drops it outside the machine through the pipe throwing slide (a turnover box can be arranged).

[0054] like Figure 3 As shown, there are 3 columns of feed channel, and the inclined discharge method is adopted (corresponding to the 3-column layout of the hopper); the separating mechanism releases one row (3 products / row) of products at a time; products blocked by the separating mechanism are buffered in the buffer section; the products released by the separating mechanism slide from the feed channel into the welding station channel.

[0055] like Figure 4 As shown, the soldering station has three columns of flow channels. It adopts a fixed-distance feeding method with a fork to ensure accurate product positioning. A cam drive mechanism (a Reuleaux triangle is chosen as the cam in this example) is used to achieve fixed-distance feeding, which is efficient and stable. A servo motor is used as the power source, which is flexible, convenient, precise and reliable. After the product is delivered to the welding position by the fork, the spot welding module solders the product. The soldered product is then sent into the cooling buffer flow channel by the feeding fork.

[0056] like Figure 5 As shown, an electric soldering iron is used as the soldering device, with controllable temperature and selectable soldering tip shape and specifications for easy replacement. A stepper motor-type solder breaker supplies wire to the soldering iron, with precise and controllable wire feeding distance and speed. The soldering iron is mounted on a Y and Z axis linear module, which positions it to the solder joint for soldering, compensating for positioning errors. The Y and Z linear modules can be driven by pneumatic or servo motors, and can be distributed for simple two-point positioning or for modes requiring multiple flow channels. Each Y and Z linear module contains 3 soldering irons, and 1 or 2 sets can be selected according to actual production needs. Under the premise of unchanged cycle time, the production capacity of 2 sets is twice that of 1 set.

[0057] like Figure 6 As shown, there are three cooling channels. The product is fed by the fork end of the welding station channel. The product is buffered and fed in the channel and cooled by the cooling fan. After cooling, the product flows into the discharge channel.

[0058] like Figure 7 As shown, there are 3 columns of feed channel, which adopts an inclined discharge method (corresponding to the 3-column layout of the hopper); the products released by the separating mechanism slide into the reversing mechanism (temporary storage) through the feed channel; the separating mechanism releases one row (3 products / row) of products at a time until the number of products temporarily stored in the reversing mechanism is sufficient; products blocked by the separating mechanism are buffered in the buffer section; the reversing mechanism rotates 180 degrees to complete the product reversal. During the rotation, the reversing mechanism's own stop pin remains in a raised state to ensure that the products do not accidentally fall out; the products that have completed the reversal slide into the inclined empty material tube.

[0059] like Figure 8 As shown, the empty tube hopper adopts a bottom discharge method. The material separation mechanism discharges only one layer of tubes at a time. The horizontal displacement mechanism picks up the tubes (3 rows / layers) at the bottom of the hopper each time and sends them to the receiving position. The horizontal displacement mechanism tilts the material feed (with vibration-assisted discharge device) to allow the product to slide into the empty tube. The horizontal displacement mechanism then exits the tube filled with product and enters the downstream process / collection device.

[0060] The embodiments described above are merely examples of several implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. 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 scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the claims.

Claims

1. An intelligent modular automatic soldering system, characterized in that: It includes a frame, a transverse displacement module, a feeding hopper, a protective cover, a spot welding module, a cooling buffer channel, a discharge channel, an empty tube hopper, a welding station channel, and a feeding channel; The feeding hopper is located inside the protective cover and is used to store multiple layers of material tubes; the transverse displacement module is located at the bottom of the feeding hopper and is used to move the bottom material tube to the feeding position, and during the feeding process, it is used in conjunction with tilting action and / or vibration assistance to make the product slide from the material tube into the feeding channel; The feed channel is a multi-row channel and is equipped with a material separation mechanism and a buffer section. The material separation mechanism is used to arrange products in rows, and the remaining products are temporarily stored in the buffer section to form a stable feeding cycle. The welding station flow channel is located below the spot welding module. The welding station flow channel is equipped with a shift fork fixed-distance feeding mechanism. The shift fork fixed-distance feeding mechanism is driven by a servo motor and a cam transmission mechanism, so that the product enters the welding position at a fixed step distance. The spot welding module includes a soldering iron, a wire feeding mechanism, and Y and Z axis linear modules. The wire feeding mechanism uses a stepper motor-type solder breaker to feed the soldering iron with wire. The Y and Z axis linear modules are used to position the soldering iron to the solder joint position to compensate for the positioning error of the product during the transportation process. The spot welding module is preferably configured as a modular multi-head structure, with three soldering irons in each group. It can be configured as a single group or a double group according to the production capacity requirements, so as to expand the production capacity without changing the cycle time. The cooling buffer channel is located behind the welding station channel. After the welded product enters the cooling buffer channel, it is cooled by a cooling fan and then sent into the discharge channel after being buffered. The discharge channel is equipped with a reversing mechanism. After temporarily storing the product, the reversing mechanism rotates 180 degrees to complete the product reversal. During the reversal process, the product is kept in a lifted state by the stop pin to prevent the product from accidentally falling out. The empty tube hopper is used to store empty tubes. The empty tube hopper discharges from the bottom, and the horizontal displacement module loads the filled products into the empty tubes layer by layer and outputs them to the downstream collection device.

2. The intelligent modular automatic soldering system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protective cover is equipped with a human-machine interface.

3. The intelligent modular automatic soldering system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer end face of the transverse displacement module is provided with a tube throwing slide.

4. The intelligent modular automatic soldering system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The empty tube hopper is located on its lower side with a discharge hopper.

5. An intelligent modular automatic soldering method, characterized in that: Soldering is performed using the intelligent modular automatic soldering system as described in claims 1 to 4.

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