A transfer mechanism for circuit board production

Abstract

A kind of transfer mechanism for circuit board production, including base, driver, horizontal sliding table and slidingly connected on horizontal sliding table intermediate transfer conveyor.The intermediate transfer conveyor is provided with limit seat for detachably installing carrier plate, and the carrier plate is provided with positioning slot for fixing circuit board.Each buffer assembly is provided with limit sliding slot on horizontal sliding table, sliding block slidingly fitted in the slot and spring connecting sliding block and conveyor at the front and rear ends of the intermediate transfer conveyor in moving direction.The length of limit sliding slot is less than half of the stroke of conveyor, and when the conveyor is located at the midpoint of stroke, sliding block abuts the inner end of sliding slot, and both sides of spring are in natural state.The mechanism realizes multi-stage buffer smooth start and stop through buffer assembly, effectively absorbs motion impact, prevents circuit board components from displacement or damage due to vibration, and has simple and reliable structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of circuit board manufacturing technology, and in particular to a transfer mechanism for circuit board manufacturing. Background Technology

[0002] In the circuit board manufacturing process, frequent short-distance transport between adjacent workstations is required, such as from the loading station to the inspection station, or from the printing station to the soldering station. Currently, this short-distance transport is mostly achieved using cylinder-driven linear modules. The principle is that the extension and retraction of the cylinder piston rod drives a transfer conveyor carrying the circuit board to move on a slide. The front and rear endpoint positions are usually determined by the stroke of the cylinder itself or by rigid limit blocks set on the base.

[0003] However, using this traditional conveying method, when the conveyor reaches its destination at a certain speed, it will instantly collide rigidly with a physical limit (such as the end of a cylinder stroke or a limit stop), causing its speed to drop to zero abruptly. This rapid release of kinetic energy generates enormous impact acceleration and vibration. For the circuit boards supported on it, this rigid impact is extremely harmful. Especially in the early stages of the production process, when tiny chips, capacitors, resistors, and other precision components have just been mounted or soldered onto the circuit board and their connections are not yet stable, the severe impact can easily cause component displacement, poor soldering, or even detachment from the board, directly resulting in product scrap. In addition, long-term rigid impacts will also reduce the service life of the conveying mechanism itself.

[0004] Therefore, in view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, it is necessary to design a transfer mechanism for circuit board production to solve the above problems.

[0005] It should be noted that the above introduction to the technical background is only for the purpose of providing a clear and complete explanation of the technical solution of this utility model and facilitating the understanding of those skilled in the art. It should not be assumed that the above content is known to those skilled in the art simply because it has been described in the background section of this utility model. Utility Model Content

[0006] To overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention aims to disclose a transfer mechanism for circuit board production.

[0007] This utility model discloses a transfer mechanism for circuit board production, including a base, a driver and a horizontal slide table disposed on the base, a transfer conveyor table slidably connected to the horizontal slide table, and the output end of the driver being drively connected to the transfer conveyor table, wherein:

[0008] A limiting seat is provided on the transfer conveyor, and a carrier plate is placed inside the limiting seat in a way that can be picked up and put in. The carrier plate is provided with a positioning groove for fixing the circuit board.

[0009] Both ends of the transfer conveyor are connected to buffer components along the direction of movement. The buffer components include a limiting groove formed on the horizontal slide. The extension direction of the limiting groove is parallel to the direction of movement of the transfer conveyor. A slider is slidably fitted inside the limiting groove. A spring is connected between the slider and the transfer conveyor. The length of the limiting groove is less than half of the travel of the transfer conveyor.

[0010] When the transfer conveyor is in the middle of its travel stroke, the slider abuts against the inner wall of the limit groove near the transfer conveyor, and the springs on both sides are in their natural state.

[0011] A preferred technical solution: A telescopic sleeve is also connected between the slider and the transfer conveyor, with a spring sleeved on the outer circumference of the telescopic sleeve. The telescopic sleeve ensures that the spring is always compressed or stretched axially, preventing instability and improving the stability and reliability of the buffer.

[0012] Preferred technical solution: The buffer components are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the transfer conveyor platform to ensure consistent buffering effect during bidirectional movement.

[0013] A preferred technical solution: The limiting seat includes at least four locking blocks arranged around the periphery of the carrier plate to collectively restrict the movement of the carrier plate in the horizontal plane, preventing the carrier plate from shifting during the buffering process.

[0014] Preferred technical solution: The actuator is one of a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or an electric cylinder.

[0015] The preferred technical solution is that the limiting groove is a T-slot or a dovetail groove, and the shape of the slider is adapted to the shape of the limiting groove. This structure can prevent the slider from falling out of the groove, making the operation more reliable.

[0016] Preferred technical solution: Limiting blocks are installed on the base at both ends of the transfer conveyor's movement direction. This serves as a final safety limit to further absorb any residual impact.

[0017] Preferred technical solution: The side of the limit block facing the transfer conveyor is equipped with an elastic buffer.

[0018] Due to the application of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of this utility model compared with the prior art are as follows:

[0019] This invention completely revolutionizes the traditional stopping method of mechanisms through its unique "spring-slider-limiting groove" buffer assembly. When the conveyor table approaches the end of its stroke, it does not directly impact the rigid stop block, but instead absorbs its kinetic energy through spring compression (or tension), transforming the violent rigid collision into a gentle elastic deceleration process. This significantly reduces impact acceleration and vibration during deceleration, effectively protecting precision components on the circuit board and preventing displacement, poor soldering, or detachment caused by impact. The buffer assembly is equally effective during the starting process. At the moment of startup, the pre-tension (or pre-compression) of the spring provides a gradual acceleration force, avoiding the jitter caused by a sudden start. This smooth start-stop characteristic is particularly suitable for production processes where component connections are not yet stable, and is of great significance for improving overall product yield. The initial state of the buffer assembly is set at the midpoint of the stroke, with the spring at its natural length. This design ensures that the spring can immediately and without delay engage in buffering regardless of the direction the mechanism moves from the midpoint, providing symmetrical and efficient buffering performance without any dead zones. The quick-access carrier design improves the flexibility of loading and unloading and increases production efficiency. Meanwhile, the entire buffer mechanism is a purely mechanical structure, requiring no complex sensors or electronic control systems. It has a simple structure, low manufacturing cost, and stable and reliable operation, making it very suitable for long-term use in harsh industrial environments. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of this utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a front view of a transfer mechanism for circuit board production according to this utility model;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a top view of a transfer mechanism for circuit board production according to the present invention.

[0023] In the above attached diagram, 1 is the base; 2 is the driver; 3 is the horizontal slide; 4 is the transfer conveyor; 5 is the carrier plate; 5a is the positioning groove; 6 is the limiting slide groove; 7 is the slider; 8 is the spring; 9 is the snap-fit ​​block; 10 is the telescopic sleeve; and 11 is the limiting stop. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of this utility model. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this utility model from the content disclosed in this specification.

[0025] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be used interchangeably where appropriate for the purposes of describing embodiments of this application herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and their synonyms, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0026] In this application, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "back," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "middle," "vertical," "horizontal," "lateral," and "longitudinal" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. These terms are primarily for the purpose of better describing this utility model and its embodiments, and are not intended to limit the indicated device, element, or component to having a specific orientation, or to be constructed and operated in a specific orientation.

[0027] Furthermore, in addition to indicating direction or positional relationship, some of the aforementioned terms may also have other meanings. For example, the term "above" may also be used in some cases to indicate a certain dependency or connection relationship. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0028] Furthermore, the terms "installation," "setting," "equipped with," "connection," "linking," "sleeving," and "fitting" should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral structure; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be an internal connection between two devices, components, or parts. Similarly, "fitting" can mean completely or partially fitted. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0029] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. This application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0030] Example:

[0031] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the present invention provides a transfer mechanism for circuit board production, including a base 1 as an integral support. A driver 2 and a horizontal slide 3 are mounted on the base 1. In this embodiment, the driver 2 is a cylinder. A transfer conveyor 4 is slidably connected to the horizontal slide 3 via a linear guide pair. The piston rod of the cylinder is fixedly connected to the transfer conveyor 4 to drive it to reciprocate linearly along the horizontal slide 3.

[0032] The upper surface of the transfer conveyor 4 is provided with a limiting seat, which consists of four surrounding locking blocks 9, forming a positioning area that can accommodate the carrier plate 5. The carrier plate 5 can be easily inserted or removed from above, and the locking blocks 9 restrict the movement of the carrier plate 5 in any direction in the horizontal plane. The carrier plate 5 has a positioning groove 5a that matches the shape of the circuit board to be transferred for precise fixing of the circuit board.

[0033] The core component of this invention is a buffer assembly, which is symmetrically installed at both ends of the transfer conveyor 4 in the direction of movement. The buffer assembly includes a T-shaped limiting groove 6 machined on a horizontal slide 3. A T-shaped slider 7 is slidably fitted within the limiting groove 6. A telescopic sleeve 10 connects the slider 7 to the side wall of the transfer conveyor 4, and a spring 8 is sleeved on the outer periphery of the telescopic sleeve 10. The length of the limiting groove 6 is less than half the travel distance of the transfer conveyor 4.

[0034] The principle and process of buffering are as follows:

[0035] Assuming the transfer conveyor is initially positioned at the midpoint of its travel, the sliders at both ends abut against the end wall of their respective limiting grooves closest to the center of the transfer conveyor's travel, with the springs in their natural state. When the driver moves the transfer conveyor to one side, the slider on that side slides outward along the limiting groove under the action of the spring until it abuts against the end wall of the limiting groove furthest from the center of the transfer conveyor's travel, compressing the spring on that side. Simultaneously, the spring on the other side is stretched, and the slider on that side remains in contact with the end of the limiting groove. This design allows the system to buffer and decelerate the conveyor in two stages when starting from the midpoint.

[0036] When the actuator drives the transfer conveyor to reset, the spring on the compressed side pushes the slider on the same side, jointly applying a thrust to the transfer conveyor; simultaneously, the spring on the other side, which was stretched, begins to release its elastic potential energy, pulling the conveyor. Under the combined action of the two spring forces, the conveyor gains initial acceleration and begins to move towards the midpoint. As the transfer conveyor moves, the deformation of the springs on both sides gradually decreases. At the instant the transfer conveyor passes the midpoint, the sliders on both sides just abut against the end wall of their respective limiting grooves near the center of the transfer conveyor's stroke, the springs return to their natural state, and the acceleration process ends. If the actuator continues to run thereafter, the transfer conveyor will pass the midpoint again and begin the deceleration process of the next stroke.

[0037] To further improve system stability, some embodiments are equipped with telescopic sleeves, which exert minimal force on the conveyor table and whose main function is to prevent the spring from bending and deforming during compression.

[0038] Limit blocks are installed on the base at the two extreme positions corresponding to the conveyor table's travel as a final safety protection. A polyurethane buffer pad is attached to the side of the block facing the conveyor table to effectively absorb impacts in extreme cases and prevent the mechanism from overtraveling.

[0039] Workflow:

[0040] The operator places the carrier board 5, with the circuit board already secured, between the latching blocks 9 of the transfer conveyor 4. The driver 2 is activated, and the transfer conveyor 4 moves the circuit board towards the target workstation. Throughout the start-up and shutdown process, the buffer assembly continuously operates to ensure smooth, shock-free movement. Upon arrival at the target workstation, the carrier board 5 can be quickly removed for subsequent operations.

[0041] Finally, it should be noted that the above are merely preferred embodiments of the present utility model and are not intended to limit the present utility model. Although the present utility model has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A transfer mechanism for circuit board production, comprising a base (1), wherein a driver (2) and a horizontal slide (3) are disposed on the base (1), and a transfer conveyor (4) is slidably connected to the horizontal slide (3), wherein the output end of the driver (2) is drively connected to the transfer conveyor (4), characterized in that: The transfer conveyor (4) is provided with a limiting seat, and a carrier plate (5) is provided in the limiting seat in a removable manner. The carrier plate (5) is provided with a positioning groove (5a) for fixing the circuit board. The transfer conveyor (4) is connected to buffer components at both ends along the moving direction. The buffer components include a limiting groove (6) formed on the horizontal slide (3). The extending direction of the limiting groove (6) is parallel to the moving direction of the transfer conveyor (4). A slider (7) is slidably fitted inside the limiting groove (6). A spring (8) is connected between the slider (7) and the transfer conveyor (4). The length of the limiting groove (6) is less than half of the moving stroke of the transfer conveyor (4). When the transfer conveyor (4) is in the middle of its travel stroke, the slider (7) abuts against the inner wall of the limiting groove (6) near the transfer conveyor (4), and the springs (8) on both sides are in their natural state.

2. The transfer mechanism for circuit board production according to claim 1, characterized in that: A telescopic sleeve (10) is also connected between the slider (7) and the transfer conveyor (4), and the spring (8) is sleeved on the outer periphery of the telescopic sleeve (10).

3. The transfer mechanism for circuit board production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The buffer components are symmetrically arranged at the front and rear ends of the transfer conveyor (4).

4. The transfer mechanism for circuit board production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The limiting seat includes at least four locking blocks (9) arranged around the periphery of the carrier plate (5) to collectively restrict the movement of the carrier plate (5) in the horizontal plane.

5. The transfer mechanism for circuit board production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The actuator (2) is one of a cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder or an electric cylinder.

6. The transfer mechanism for circuit board production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The limiting groove (6) is a T-groove or a dovetail groove, and the shape of the slider (7) is adapted to the shape of the limiting groove (6).

7. The transfer mechanism for circuit board production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transfer conveyor (4) has limit blocks (11) on the base (1) at both ends of the moving direction.

8. A transfer mechanism for circuit board production according to claim 7, characterized in that: The limiting block (11) is provided with an elastic buffer on the side facing the transfer conveyor (4).

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