A floating valve integrated module

Abstract

The application provides a floating valve integrated module, which comprises a baffle, a ball, a flow limiting plate and a flexible element. The baffle is provided with an air inlet hole with a width D and a length L, which is connected with a suction disc. The diameter d of the ball satisfies D < d < L. The flow limiting plate is provided with an air outlet hole connected with a vacuum cavity. The flexible element comprises a connecting part abutting against the flow limiting plate and a gas guiding part abutting against the baffle. The gas guiding part is provided with a gas flow channel with a hole diameter Φ. The air inlet hole, the gas flow channel and the air outlet hole form a sealed cavity, and the ball is movably arranged in the cavity. The ball is positioned by gravity, driven by air pressure and cooperated with interference sealing to realize the double anti-blocking mechanism of "normal micro-gap dust blocking and sudden sealing dust breaking", significantly reduce the dust blocking risk of the PCB under the working condition, and no additional sensor or electric control is needed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of vacuum adsorption, and more particularly to a floating valve integrated module. Background Technology

[0002] In PCB manufacturing, especially in critical processes like forming and cleaning, adsorption mechanisms are needed for frequent picking, transferring, and placing of semi-finished or finished boards. Traditional adsorption mechanisms typically rely on vacuum negative pressure to adsorb PCB boards. However, PCB boards usually have numerous through-holes and are characterized by their thinness, susceptibility to deformation, and high surface cleanliness requirements. With the development of smart factories and the widespread application of AGV integration, equipment is trending towards unmanned operation. This necessitates adsorption mechanisms with broader adaptability, capable of stably adsorbing PCB boards of different specifications or with slight misalignments without frequent manual adjustments to the suction cup position. Current technologies often achieve effective coverage of a wider area of ​​the board surface by increasing the number of integrated adsorption mechanisms, but this "quantity over quality" approach directly leads to a significant increase in the vacuum system's gas consumption. Simultaneously, dust in the production environment is easily drawn into the vacuum system, causing blockages in pipes and components, increasing equipment maintenance frequency and downtime, and severely restricting equipment efficiency and reliability.

[0003] To address the clogging issues caused by air leakage or dust intrusion during PCB adsorption, existing technologies primarily employ multi-layer precision filters, such as sintered metal filter elements or screens, within the vacuum pipeline to intercept dust before it reaches sensitive valves or the vacuum generator. This is the most common passive protection method.

[0004] However, because the filters themselves are easily clogged by dust, frequent shutdowns are required to replace or clean the filter cartridges, increasing manual maintenance costs and downtime. Furthermore, as clogging worsens, the effective negative pressure of the suction cup decreases and energy consumption increases. For extremely fine dust, the filtration effect is also limited. Therefore, existing anti-clogging technologies for suction nozzles generally suffer from high energy consumption or affect adsorption stability, making it difficult to simultaneously meet the requirements of low energy consumption and anti-clogging intelligent production in dusty environments and when dealing with porous PCB boards.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new anti-clogging technology that can adapt to changes in airflow, effectively prevent dust blockage, and not affect normal adsorption function. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this application is to provide an anti-clogging floating valve integrated module.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present application, a floating valve integration module is provided, wherein two opposite side surfaces of the floating valve integration module are configured for connecting a suction cup and a vacuum chamber, and the floating valve integration module comprises a baffle, a sphere and a flexible element. An air inlet hole penetrating through the thickness of the baffle is formed on the baffle, the width of the air inlet hole is D, the length of the air inlet hole is L, and the air inlet hole communicates with the suction cup. The diameter d of the sphere satisfies: D<d<L. A vent hole penetrating through the thickness of the flow restricting plate is formed on the flow restricting plate, and the vent hole communicates with the vacuum chamber. The flexible element is arranged between the baffle and the flow restricting plate. The flexible element comprises a connecting part and an air guide part. The connecting part abuts against one side of the flow restricting plate facing the baffle. The air guide part extends from the connecting part towards the baffle and abuts against the baffle. An axially penetrating air flow channel is formed inside the air guide part, the aperture Φ of the air flow channel satisfies: 0.2mm≤Φ≤0.5mm. The air inlet hole, the air flow channel and the vent hole communicate with each other and together form a sealed cavity. The sphere is movably arranged in the cavity. When the vacuum chamber starts negative pressure and the air pressure in the chamber does not reach the preset protective air pressure value, the sphere abuts against the inside of the air inlet hole by its own weight. When projected along the penetration direction of the air inlet hole, an arc-shaped gap band is formed between the projection circle of the sphere and the contour of the air inlet hole, and the maximum width δ of the gap band is smaller than the diameter of the sphere, so as to allow gas to flow in through the gap and keep the air flow channel unobstructed. When a large amount of gas gushes in due to the fact that the suction port is aligned with a hole on a PCB, the sudden drop of negative pressure drives the sphere to move towards the inlet of the air flow channel of the flexible element, so that the sphere forms an interference fit with the inlet of the air flow channel to seal the air flow channel and prevent external dust from invading.

[0008] In at least one embodiment of the present application, when high-pressure gas is introduced into the vacuum chamber for back blowing, the high-pressure gas pushes the sphere to abut against the baffle and acts on the air guide part of the flexible element. The air guide part produces radial elastic deformation under the action of the high-pressure gas, overcomes the elastic restoring force of its material, and causes the aperture of the air flow channel to expand. The gas flow allowable to pass through the expanded air flow channel is greater than the gas flow when the aperture is Φ, thereby facilitating the discharge of dust accumulated in the adsorption process out of the cavity. The vent hole of the flow restricting plate is directly connected to the vacuum chamber, and an air flow path consisting of the suction cup, the air inlet hole, the cavity, the micro-channel, the vent hole, and the vacuum chamber is formed successively.

[0009] In at least one embodiment of the present application, the air inlet hole is an elongated hole, and the direction of its length L is parallel to the distribution direction of the vent holes of the flow restricting plate.

[0010] In at least one embodiment of this application, the flexible element is made of an insulating elastic material with electrostatic adsorption properties. The sphere is made of a conductive material. In the event of side suction, the residual electrostatic force of the flexible element acts on the conductive sphere, causing the sphere to adhere and fix to the inner wall of the cavity, thereby overcoming the influence of gravity and keeping the airflow channel unobstructed.

[0011] In at least one embodiment of this application, the insulating elastic material with electrostatic adsorption properties is silicone rubber. The elastic modulus of the silicone rubber ranges from 0.5 MPa to 5 MPa, to simultaneously satisfy: Under the action of backflushing high-pressure gas, effective radial elastic deformation is generated, thereby expanding the airflow channel; Maintaining its shape when not in operation ensures the stability of the cavity structure and generates sufficient residual electrostatic force to attract the sphere.

[0012] In at least one embodiment of this application, the maximum width of the arc-shaped gap band satisfy: 0.05mm≤ ≤0.15mm, and <0.1d. During normal adsorption, the arc-shaped gap allows gas to pass through the gap in a laminar flow state, maintaining the basic adsorption force. During air adsorption triggering, the arc-shaped gap ensures that the negative pressure difference generated by the inrush airflow is sufficient to overcome the weight of the sphere and frictional resistance, driving the sphere to move towards the airflow channel inlet; Among them, the maximum width of the gap band satisfy: , where R is the radius of the sphere.

[0013] In at least one embodiment of this application, when viewed along the through direction of the air inlet, the air inlet is an elongated hole, the length L of which is parallel to the distribution direction of the exhaust holes of the flow restrictor.

[0014] In at least one embodiment of this application, the flow-limiting plate has a plurality of pressure-equalizing grooves on its end face facing the vacuum chamber, and each pressure-equalizing groove extends along the length direction of the flow-limiting plate. The exhaust port penetrates the bottom of the pressure-equalizing groove and communicates with the vacuum chamber.

[0015] In at least one embodiment of this application, when viewed along the through direction of the exhaust holes, a plurality of the exhaust holes extend along the length direction of the pressure equalization groove.

[0016] In at least one embodiment of this application, the flow limiting plate is further provided with a sealing ring located on the same plane as the pressure equalization groove, and the sealing ring is arranged around the edge of the flow limiting plate.

[0017] Therefore, this application discloses a floating valve integrated module, in which a sphere is movably positioned within a sealed cavity composed of a baffle air inlet, a flexible element airflow channel, and a flow-limiting plate exhaust port, forming a dynamic position response mechanism. During normal adsorption, the sphere, under its own weight, rests against the rectangular air inlet of the baffle, forming an arc-shaped gap with a maximum width δ smaller than the sphere's diameter d between its projection and the hole outline. This micro-gap allows for necessary airflow, ensuring the adsorption function; simultaneously, this narrow gap itself constitutes an effective physical barrier, significantly limiting the cross-sectional area of ​​larger dust particles entering the channel with the airflow, achieving preliminary dust blocking. When the adsorption port accidentally aligns with a hole in the PCB board, causing a large influx of gas and a sudden drop in vacuum chamber negative pressure, the resulting pressure difference drives the sphere to rapidly detach from the air inlet and move towards the flexible element. The sphere is then guided to the inlet of the tiny airflow channel in the flexible element's air guide section, and its size forms an interference fit with the inlet. This positional change achieves an immediate and reliable seal at the airflow channel inlet, effectively blocking the path of external dust entering the vacuum system with the high-speed influx of air. The flexible element not only provides a mating surface suitable for the spherical seal, but its material properties also ensure the reliability and durability of the sealing contact. Therefore, this solution does not rely on additional sensors or complex electronic control. It adaptively achieves a dual anti-clogging mechanism of "normal micro-gap blocking large dust" and "sudden interference seal cutting off dust source" through the synergy of three factors: gravity positioning and air pressure difference drive of the sphere, precisely controlled gap size, and interference seal fit between the sphere and the micro airflow channel inlet. This significantly reduces the risk of clogging and maintenance requirements when the nozzle is operating in a PCB dust environment. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application 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 this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 An axial exploded view of a floating valve integrated module; Figure 2 This is a front view of a floating valve integrated module; Figure 3 for Figure 2 Sectional view AA; Figure 4 for Figure 3 Enlarged view of part A; Figure 5 Rear view of a floating valve integrated module; Figure 6 for Figure 2 Enlarged view of part B.

[0020] Explanation of icon numbers: 100. A floating valve integrated module; 110. Baffle; 111. Air inlet; 120. Ball; 130. Flow limiting plate; 131. Exhaust port; 132. Pressure equalizing groove; 140. Flexible element; 141. Connecting part; 142. Air guiding part; 150. Sealing cavity; 160. Sealing ring; 170. Arc-shaped gap band. Detailed Implementation

[0021] To facilitate understanding of this application, a more complete description will be provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of this application are shown in the drawings. However, this application can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure of this application.

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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 application belongs. The terminology used herein in the specification of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0024] Please refer to Figure 1 - Figure 6, an embodiment of the present application provides a floating valve integrated module 100, two opposite sides of which are used for connecting a suction cup and a vacuum cavity. The floating valve integrated module comprises a baffle plate 110, a sphere 120 and a flexible element 140. The baffle plate 110 is provided with an air inlet hole 111 penetrating through the thickness thereof, the air inlet hole 111 has a width D and a length L, and the air inlet hole 111 is in communication with the suction cup. The diameter d of the sphere 120 satisfies: D < d < L. The flow limiting plate 130 is provided with an exhaust hole 131 penetrating through the thickness thereof, and the exhaust hole 131 is in communication with the vacuum cavity. The flexible element 140 is arranged between the baffle plate 110 and the flow limiting plate 130. The flexible element 140 comprises a connecting part 141 and an air guide part 142. The connecting part 141 abuts against one side of the flow limiting plate 130 facing the baffle plate 110. The air guide part 142 extends from the connecting part 141 toward the baffle plate 110 and abuts against the baffle plate 110. An axially penetrating air flow channel is formed inside the air guide part 142, and the aperture Φ of the air flow channel satisfies: 0.2mm ≤ Φ ≤ 0.5mm. The air inlet hole 111, the air flow channel and the exhaust hole 131 are in communication with each other and together form a sealed cavity. The sphere 120 is movably arranged in the cavity. When the vacuum cavity starts negative pressure and the air pressure in the cavity does not reach a preset protection air pressure value, the sphere 120 abuts against the inside of the air inlet hole 111 by its own weight, and when projected along the penetration direction of the air inlet hole 111, an arc-shaped gap band 170 is formed between the projection circle of the sphere 120 and the contour of the air inlet hole 111, and the maximum width δ of the gap band is smaller than the diameter of the sphere 120, so as to allow gas to flow in through the gap and keep the air flow channel unblocked. When a large amount of gas gushes in due to the fact that an adsorption opening is aligned with a hole in a PCB, the sudden drop of negative pressure drives the sphere 120 to move toward the inlet of the air flow channel of the flexible element 140, so that the sphere 120 forms an interference fit with the inlet of the air flow channel to seal the air flow channel and prevent external dust from invading.

[0025] Further, the diameter of the sphere 120 is slightly larger than the width of the air inlet hole 111 (d>Dd>D) but smaller than the length thereof (d<Ld<L). When observed along the groove depth direction, an annular groove shape similar to a bayonet is formed, so that the sphere 120 can roll along the long side direction of the air inlet hole 111 without falling out of the hole. When the vacuum adsorption works normally, the sphere 120 falls into the air inlet hole 111 by its own weight, and a tiny arc gap is formed between the spherical surface of the sphere 120 and the inner wall of the long side of the air inlet hole 111, and the maximum width δ of the gap is controlled at 0.05–0.15mm).

[0026] This size is determined by the geometric relationship δ=R2 (R d / 2)2δ=R2 (R d / 2)2 constraint (R is the radius of the sphere 120), ensuring that the air flow passes smoothly.

[0027] Furthermore, the connecting portion 141 of the flexible element 140 is tightly fitted to the surface of the flow restrictor 130, while the air guide portion 142 extends upward like a bridge pier, with its top end abutting against the lower side of the baffle 110. This ensures that the airflow channel (orifice diameter Φ = 0.2–0.5 mm) inside the air guide portion 142 is strictly aligned with the air inlet 111 of the baffle 110 and the exhaust outlet 131 of the flow restrictor 130, together forming a closed chamber space. The sphere 120 is constrained to move freely within this chamber, neither detaching from the chamber nor moving with changes in airflow.

[0028] Furthermore, when the suction cup accidentally aligns with a hole in the PCB board, a large influx of external air causes a sudden drop in negative pressure within the chamber. At this moment, the air pressure below the sphere 120 is instantly higher than above, creating an upward thrust. This thrust pushes the sphere 120 away from the air inlet 111 and slides along the surface of the air guide 142 to the inlet of the airflow channel. Since the diameter d of the sphere 120 is larger than the channel aperture Φ, the sphere 120 is pressed into the channel inlet like a stopper, achieving an interference seal by compressing the silicone rubber material.

[0029] In at least one embodiment of this application, when the vacuum chamber is backflushed with high-pressure gas, the high-pressure gas pushes the sphere 120 against the baffle 110 and acts on the air guide portion 142 of the flexible element 140. Under the action of the high-pressure gas, the air guide portion 142 undergoes radial elastic deformation, overcoming the elastic restoring force of its material, causing the aperture of the airflow channel to expand. The expanded airflow channel allows a gas flow rate greater than the gas flow rate when the aperture is Φ, thereby promoting the discharge of dust accumulated during the adsorption process from the cavity. The exhaust port 131 of the flow restrictor 130 directly connects to the vacuum chamber, sequentially forming an airflow path of suction cup, air inlet 111, cavity, microporous channel, exhaust port 131, and vacuum chamber.

[0030] Furthermore, when high-pressure gas is injected in reverse from the vacuum chamber, the airflow first flows into the cavity through the exhaust port 131 of the flow-limiting plate 130. The high-pressure airflow pushes the sphere 120 upward, causing it to tightly press against the lower edge of the air inlet 111 of the baffle 110, blocking the air inlet 111 like a plug. This action forces the airflow to be unable to return along its original path and instead concentrates its flow into the internal channel of the air guide section 142 of the flexible element 140. The upper end of the air guide section 142 is firmly pressed against the baffle 110, and the lower end is fixed to the connecting part 141 on the flow-limiting plate 130, forming a "miniature rubber tube" fixed at both ends. When the high-pressure airflow enters the channel, it directly squeezes the tube wall of the air guide section 142 from the inside. When the air pressure exceeds the elastic resistance of the silicone rubber, the air guide section 142 expands outward like a balloon, rather than being stretched axially.

[0031] In at least one embodiment of the present application, the air inlet hole 111 is an elongated hole, and the direction of its length L is parallel to the distribution direction of the exhaust holes 131 of the flow restriction plate 130.

[0032] Further, the length L of the air inlet hole 111 is greater than the diameter d of the sphere 120, and the width D thereof is less than d, so as to ensure that the sphere 120 can roll freely along the L direction but cannot escape laterally. The exhaust holes 131 are linearly arranged along a single axial direction on the flow restriction plate 130, and the distribution direction thereof is parallel to the length L direction of the air inlet hole 111. The movement trajectory of the sphere 120 in the cavity is limited to a straight path parallel to the distribution direction (X direction) of the exhaust holes 131, ensuring that the moving direction thereof coincides with the axis of the inlet of the air flow channel.

[0033] In at least one embodiment of the present application, the flexible element 140 is made of an insulating elastic material with electrostatic adsorption property. The sphere 120 is made of a conductive material. In the case of side suction, the residual electrostatic force of the flexible element 140 acts on the conductive sphere 120, so that the sphere 120 is adsorbed and fixed on the inner wall of the cavity, thereby overcoming the influence of gravity and keeping the air flow channel unobstructed.

[0034] Further, under side suction or back suction working conditions, the sphere 120 may break away from the air inlet hole 111 due to gravity and adhere to an unexpected position on the inner wall of the cavity, which causes the sphere 120 to block the air flow channel of the air guide portion 142 resulting in a sharp drop in adsorption force, displacement failure during idle suction leading to dust intrusion into the vacuum system, and impact and jamming of the sphere 120 by reverse blowing high-pressure gas causing cracking of the flexible element 140. The flexible element 140 is made of an insulating elastic material, such as silicone rubber, which has natural surface electrostatic adsorption property, and the sphere 120 is made of a conductive material, such as copper or stainless steel, serving as an adsorption target for electrostatic force. Since the sphere 120 continuously rubs against the inner wall of silicone rubber when rolling in the cavity, the silicone rubber captures electrons and becomes negatively charged, and the conductive sphere 120 induces positive charges to form a "rubber-sphere 120" electrostatic field, so as to achieve the adsorption effect. When the suction cup is in a side suction or back suction state, the sphere 120 breaks away from the air inlet hole 111 due to gravity and approaches the inner wall of the cavity.

[0035] In at least one embodiment of the present application, the maximum width of the arc-shaped gap band 170 is δ, and δ satisfies: 0.05mm ≤ δ ≤ 0.15mm, and δ < 0.1d. Specifically, when viewed along the penetration direction of the air inlet hole 111, the air inlet hole 111 is an elongated hole, and the air inlet hole 111 has hole edges oppositely arranged along the width direction thereof. When the sphere 120 abuts against the air inlet hole 111 by its own weight, the arc-shaped gap band 170 is formed between the projection circle of the sphere 120 and the hole edges of the air inlet hole 111 in the width direction. The maximum width δ of the arc-shaped gap band 170 refers to the maximum spacing between the arc of the projection circle of the sphere 120 and the corresponding hole edge in the direction perpendicular to the hole edge.

[0036] Further, let the radius of the spherical body 120 be R, and R=d / 2. Since the radius of the projected circle of the spherical body 120 is R, the width D of the air intake hole 111 corresponds to the chord length of the arc-shaped gap belt 170 formed in the projected circle of the spherical body 120, and the maximum width δ of the arc-shaped gap belt 170 corresponds to the sagitta of the circular arc formed by said chord length. Therefore, the following geometric relationship is satisfied among D, R and δ: δ=R-√[R²-(D / 2)²].

[0037] It can be inversely derived from the above relationship that when the target maximum width δ is predetermined, the width D of the air intake hole 111 is determined according to the following relationship: D=2√[R²-(R-δ)²].

[0038] Further, D<d<L is used to define the basic limiting relationship between the spherical body 120 and the air intake hole 111, so that the spherical body 120 can abut against the inside of the air intake hole 111 and prevent the spherical body 120 from coming out through the air intake hole 111; and in this embodiment, the width D of the air intake hole 111 is further determined by the above geometric relationship, so that the maximum width δ of the arc-shaped gap belt 170 falls within the range of 0.05mm≤δ≤0.15mm and δ<0.1d. That is, not any size combination satisfying D<d<L will necessarily form the arc-shaped gap belt 170 in the above range, but on the basis of satisfying D<d<L, the width D of the air intake hole 111 is determined by the radius R of the spherical body 120 and the target maximum width δ.

[0039] In the first embodiment, the diameter d of the spherical body 120 is 2 mm, the radius R of the spherical body 120 is 1 mm, and the length L of the air intake hole 111 is greater than 2 mm. When the target maximum width δ is 0.05 mm, the width D of the air intake hole 111 is determined according to D=2√[R²-(R-δ)²], and D is calculated to be approximately 0.6245 mm. At this time, D is smaller than the diameter d of the spherical body 120, and the length L of the air intake hole 111 is larger than the diameter d of the spherical body 120, so the spherical body 120 can abut against the inside of the air intake hole 111 and will not come out through the air intake hole 111. Meanwhile, the arc-shaped gap belt 170 with a maximum width of approximately 0.05 mm is formed between the projected circle of the spherical body 120 and the hole edge of the air intake hole 111.

[0040] Further, in the first embodiment, since the maximum width of the arc-shaped gap belt 170 is small, the gas on the chuck side can still enter the sealed cavity 150 through the arc-shaped gap belt 170, and then flow to the vacuum chamber sequentially through the gas flow channel of the flexible element 140 and the exhaust hole 131 of the flow restrictor plate 130, so as to maintain the basic adsorption force. At the same time, the smaller arc-shaped gap belt 170 can reduce the passage cross-section for dust entering the sealed cavity 150, making it difficult for large-particle dust to enter the sealed cavity 150 with the air flow. Therefore, the first embodiment is suitable for adsorption working conditions with a large amount of dust or high dust-proof requirements.

[0041] In the second embodiment, the diameter d of the spherical body 120 is 2 mm, the radius R of the spherical body 120 is 1 mm, and the length L of the air intake hole 111 is greater than 2 mm. When the target maximum width δ is 0.15 mm, the width D of the air intake hole 111 is determined according to D=2√[R²-(R-δ)²], and the calculated D is approximately 1.0536 mm. At this time, D is still smaller than the diameter d of the spherical body 120, and the length L of the air intake hole 111 is greater than the diameter d of the spherical body 120, so the spherical body 120 can also abut against the inside of the air intake hole 111 and will not disengage through the air intake hole 111. Meanwhile, an arc-shaped gap band 170 with a maximum width of approximately 0.15 mm is formed between the projection circle of the spherical body 120 and the hole edge of the air intake hole 111, and δ<0.1d.

[0042] Further, in the second embodiment, compared with the first embodiment, the maximum width of the arc-shaped gap band 170 is larger, and the allowable gas flow rate is correspondingly increased, which is beneficial to improve the basic adsorption response speed during normal adsorption. Under this dimensional relationship, the arc-shaped gap band 170 is still limited within the range of 0.05mm≤δ≤0.15mm and δ<0.1d, so it can still form a cross-sectional restriction on large particle dust, reducing the possibility of dust entering the sealed cavity 150 along with the airflow. Therefore, the second embodiment is suitable for adsorption working conditions that balance the requirements of basic adsorption flow and anti-clogging.

[0043] Further, in the above first embodiment and second embodiment, the formation of the arc-shaped gap band 170 does not simply depend on the basic dimensional relationship D<d<L, but is determined by the geometric relationship among the radius R of the spherical body 120, the target maximum width δ, and the width D of the air intake hole 111. D<d<L is used to ensure that the spherical body 120 can be limited by the air intake hole 111, and D=2√[R²-(R-δ)²] is used to ensure that the arc-shaped gap band 170 can reach the predetermined maximum width. Thus, the basic limiting relationship and the gap size control relationship cooperate with each other, so that the spherical body 120 can not only maintain the micro-gap ventilation state at the air intake hole 111 during normal adsorption, but also can be driven by the air pressure difference to disengage from the air intake hole 111 when empty suction is triggered.

[0044] Further, during normal adsorption, the gas on the suction cup side enters the sealed cavity 150 through the arc-shaped gap band 170, and then flows to the vacuum cavity through the gas flow channel of the flexible element 140 and the exhaust hole 131 of the flow limiting plate 130. At this time, the spherical body 120 abuts against the inside of the air intake hole 111 under the action of its own weight, and the arc-shaped gap band 170 serves as a micro-gap gas flow channel to maintain the basic adsorption force. Since the maximum width of the arc-shaped gap band 170 is limited by the above dimensional relationship, the cross-section of the passage for dust entering the sealed cavity 150 is reduced, thereby reducing the risk of dust entering the vacuum cavity.

[0045] Furthermore, during air suction triggering, for example, when the suction port is aligned with a hole in the PCB board, causing a large influx of external gas, the arc-shaped gap 170 restricts the airflow through the cross-section, creating a pressure difference on both sides of the sphere 120. When the force generated by this pressure difference exceeds the weight of the sphere 120 and the contact resistance between the sphere 120 and the air inlet 111, the sphere 120 detaches from the air inlet 111 and moves towards the airflow channel inlet of the flexible element 140. Since the diameter d of the sphere 120 is larger than the aperture of the airflow channel inlet, the sphere 120 forms a sealed fit with the airflow channel inlet after moving to it, thereby preventing external dust from continuing to enter the vacuum chamber through the airflow channel.

[0046] In at least one embodiment of this application, the flow limiting plate 130 has a plurality of pressure equalization grooves 132 on its end face facing the vacuum chamber, each pressure equalization groove 132 extending along the length direction of the flow limiting plate 130, and the exhaust hole 131 penetrating the bottom of the pressure equalization groove 132 and communicating with the vacuum chamber.

[0047] Furthermore, the width and depth of the equalizing groove 132 are optimized, typically 2-5 mm wide and 1-3 mm deep, to ensure uniform airflow diffusion within the groove. The number of grooves can be adjusted according to the size of the vacuum chamber, generally 3-5, arranged in parallel to cover the main airflow area of ​​the flow restrictor 130. The exhaust holes 131 are typically 0.5-1.5 mm in diameter, evenly distributed along the length of the equalizing groove 132 at intervals of 5-10 mm to ensure uniform airflow. The total flow area of ​​the exhaust holes 131 must be greater than the total area of ​​the inlet holes 111 to avoid becoming an airflow bottleneck.

[0048] In at least one embodiment of this application, when viewed along the through direction of the exhaust hole 131, a plurality of the exhaust holes 131 extend along the length direction of the pressure equalization groove 132.

[0049] Furthermore, multiple exhaust holes 131 extend along the length of the equalizing groove 132, arranged in a linear array with uniform spacing. Each equalizing groove 132 contains 3-8 exhaust holes 131. The diameter of a single exhaust hole 131 is 0.8-1.2 mm. The center-to-center distance between adjacent exhaust holes 131 is 3-5 times the hole diameter. The total cross-sectional area of ​​the exhaust holes 131 is not less than 120% of the total cross-sectional area of ​​the inlet holes 111. The axis of the exhaust holes 131 is perpendicular to the bottom surface of the equalizing groove 132. The inlet of the exhaust holes 131 has a 0.2 mm chamfer, and the outlet of the exhaust holes 131 is directly connected to the vacuum chamber.

[0050] In at least one embodiment of this application, the flow limiting plate 130 is further provided with a sealing ring 160 located on the same plane as the pressure equalization groove 132, and the sealing ring 160 is arranged around the edge of the flow limiting plate 130.

[0051] Furthermore, the sealing ring 160 is an annular sealing ring with a cross-sectional diameter of 1.5-2 mm. The groove depth of the sealing ring 160 is 70-80% of the cross-sectional diameter. The compression of the sealing ring 160 is controlled within the range of 15-25%. The sealing ring 160 and the pressure equalization groove 132 are located on the same mounting plane. The edge of the groove of the sealing ring 160 is 2-3 mm away from the outer edge of the flow restrictor plate 130. A 0.1 mm deep air guiding micro-groove is provided at the bottom of the groove of the sealing ring 160.

[0052] Therefore, the floating valve integrated module 100 of this application is movably disposed within a sealed cavity 150 composed of an air inlet 111 of a baffle 110, an airflow channel of a flexible element 140, and an exhaust port 131 of a flow restrictor 130, forming a dynamic position response mechanism. During normal adsorption, the ball 120, under its own weight, rests against the rectangular air inlet 111 of the baffle 110, forming an arc-shaped gap 170 with a maximum width δ smaller than the diameter d of the ball 120 between its projection and the hole outline. This micro-gap allows necessary airflow to be maintained, ensuring the adsorption function; at the same time, this narrow gap itself constitutes an effective physical barrier, significantly limiting the cross-sectional area of ​​larger dust particles entering the channel with the airflow, achieving preliminary dust blocking. When the adsorption port is accidentally aligned with a hole in the PCB board, causing a large influx of gas and a sudden drop in the negative pressure of the vacuum chamber, the resulting pressure difference drives the ball 120 to quickly detach from the air inlet 111 and move towards the flexible element 140. The sphere 120 is then guided to the inlet of the tiny airflow channel in the air guide section 142 of the flexible element 140, and its size forms an interference fit with the inlet. This positional change achieves an immediate and reliable seal on the airflow channel inlet, effectively blocking the path of external dust entering the vacuum system with the high-speed influx of airflow. The flexible element 140 not only provides a mating surface for the sealing of the sphere 120, but its material properties also ensure the reliability and durability of the sealing contact. Therefore, this solution does not rely on additional sensors or complex electronic control. Through the synergy of gravity positioning and air pressure difference drive of the sphere 120, precisely controlled gap size, and the interference seal fit between the sphere 120 and the tiny airflow channel inlet, it adaptively achieves a dual anti-clogging mechanism of "normal micro-gap blocking large dust" and "sudden interference seal cutting off dust source," significantly reducing the clogging risk and maintenance requirements of the nozzle when operating in a PCB dust environment.

[0053] The embodiments described above are merely examples of several implementations of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these modifications and improvements all fall within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A floating valve integrated module, wherein opposite sides are used to connect a suction cup and a vacuum chamber, characterized in that, The floating valve integration module includes: A baffle plate, wherein an air inlet hole penetrating its thickness is provided on the baffle plate, the width of the air inlet hole is D and the length is L, and the air inlet hole is connected to the suction cup; A sphere with diameter d satisfies: D <d<L; A flow-limiting plate, wherein an exhaust hole penetrating its thickness is provided on the flow-limiting plate, and the exhaust hole is connected to the vacuum chamber; A flexible element is disposed between the baffle and the flow-limiting plate, the flexible element comprising: The connecting part abuts against the side of the flow-limiting plate facing the baffle; An air guide extends from the connecting portion toward the baffle and abuts against the baffle; The air guide section has an axially penetrating airflow channel inside, and its aperture Φ satisfies: 0.2mm≤Φ≤0.5mm; The air inlet, the airflow channel, and the exhaust port are interconnected and together form a sealed cavity; The sphere is movably disposed within the cavity; When the vacuum chamber is opened under negative pressure and the air pressure inside the chamber does not reach the preset protective air pressure value, the sphere presses against the air inlet by its own weight and projects along the through direction of the air inlet. An arc-shaped gap band is formed between the projection circle of the sphere and the outline of the air inlet. The maximum width δ of the gap band is less than the diameter of the sphere. This allows gas to flow in through the gap and maintains the airflow channel. When the adsorption port is aligned with the hole in the PCB board, causing a large amount of gas to rush in, the sudden drop in negative pressure drives the ball to move toward the airflow channel inlet of the flexible element, so that the ball and the airflow channel inlet form an interference fit to seal the airflow channel and prevent external dust from entering.

2. The floating valve integrated module according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the vacuum chamber is backflushed by high-pressure gas... The high-pressure gas pushes the sphere against the baffle and acts on the gas guide of the flexible element; The air guide part undergoes radial elastic deformation under the action of the high-pressure gas, overcoming the elastic restoring force of its material, causing the aperture of the airflow channel to expand. The expanded airflow channel allows a gas flow rate greater than that when the orifice diameter is Φ, thereby promoting the discharge of dust accumulated during the adsorption process from the cavity.

3. The floating valve integrated module according to claim 2, characterized in that, The air intake is an elongated hole, with its length L parallel to the distribution direction of the exhaust holes on the flow restrictor.

4. The floating valve integrated module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible element is made of an insulating elastic material with electrostatic adsorption properties; The sphere is made of a conductive material; In the case of side suction, the residual electrostatic force of the flexible element acts on the conductive sphere, causing the sphere to adhere and fix to the inner wall of the cavity, thereby overcoming the influence of gravity and keeping the airflow channel unobstructed.

5. A floating valve integrated module according to claim 4, characterized in that, The insulating elastic material with electrostatic adsorption properties is silicone rubber; The elastic modulus of the silicone rubber is in the range of 0.5 MPa to 5 MPa, so as to simultaneously satisfy: Under the action of backflushing high-pressure gas, effective radial elastic deformation is generated, thereby expanding the airflow channel; Maintaining its shape when not in operation ensures the stability of the cavity structure and generates sufficient residual electrostatic force to attract the sphere.

6. A floating valve integrated module according to claim 1, characterized in that, Viewed along the through-hole direction, the air inlet is an elongated hole. When the sphere rests against the air inlet due to its own weight, an arc-shaped gap is formed between the projected circle of the sphere and the edge of the air inlet in the width direction. The maximum width of the arc-shaped gap is δ, which satisfies: 0.05mm≤δ≤0.15mm, and δ<0.1d; Where R = d / 2, the width D of the air inlet is the chord length of the projected circle of the sphere corresponding to the arc-shaped gap zone, and is determined according to the following relationship: D = 2√[R² - (R - δ)²]; So that when the sphere rests against the air inlet under its own weight, its projection along the through direction of the air inlet forms an arc-shaped gap band that satisfies the above-mentioned width range between the sphere's projection circle and the outline of the air inlet. During normal adsorption, the arc-shaped gap allows gas to pass through and maintains the basic adsorption force; When air suction is triggered, the arc-shaped gap band causes the incoming airflow to form a pressure difference that drives the sphere to move toward the airflow channel inlet.

7. A floating valve integrated module according to claim 1, characterized in that, Viewed along the through-hole direction, the air inlet is an elongated hole with its length L parallel to the distribution direction of the exhaust holes on the flow restrictor.

8. A floating valve integrated module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flow limiting plate has multiple pressure equalization grooves on its end face facing the vacuum cavity, and each pressure equalization groove extends along the length of the flow limiting plate. The exhaust port penetrates the bottom of the equalizing tank and communicates with the vacuum chamber.

9. A floating valve integrated module according to claim 8, characterized in that, Viewed along the through direction of the exhaust holes, a plurality of the exhaust holes extend along the length direction of the pressure equalization groove.

10. A floating valve integrated module according to claim 8, characterized in that, The flow limiting plate is also provided with a sealing ring located on the same plane as the pressure equalization groove, and the sealing ring is arranged around the edge of the flow limiting plate.

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