Dispenser and dispenser lifting device

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a dispenser for discharging a material onto a substrate. The dispenser includes a pair of rails, a heating device, and a pair of lifting devices. One of the pair of rails is movable in the Y-axis direction toward or away from the other to adjust the distance between the pair of rails. Each rail has a support surface and a blocking portion above the support surface for supporting the substrate in the transfer position. The blocking portion is used to maintain the substrate in the discharge position. The heating device is disposed below the pair of rails in the Z-axis direction and is movable in the Z-axis direction. The pair of lifting devices are respectively attached to the pair of rails and each include a lifting member movably connected to the rail and a return member between the rail and the lifting member. The lifting member can be pushed by the heating device to rise and lift the substrate from the transfer position to the discharge position, and can be lowered from the discharge position to the transfer position by the action of the return member when the heating device descends.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD This disclosure relates generally to devices for dispensing viscous materials onto substrates (e.g., printed circuit boards). [Background technology]

[0002] During the manufacture of printed circuit boards, it is sometimes necessary to dispense a viscous material (e.g., viscous) onto the circuit board to better connect some circuit elements to the circuit board. A dispenser or dispensing device that dispenses the viscous material onto a printed circuit board is also referred to as a dispenser. Such a dispenser includes a transport rail for transporting the substrate, a dispensing unit disposed above the rail, and a heating device disposed below the rail. The heating device is used to heat the substrate during the dispensing operation by the dispensing unit so that the viscous material can better adhere to desired locations on the substrate. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a dispenser for dispensing a material onto a substrate, the dispenser comprising a pair of rails configured to move a substrate into and out of the dispenser in an X-axis direction, one of the pair of rails being movable in a Y-axis direction toward or away from the other rail to adjust the distance between the pair of rails, each of the pair of rails being provided with a support surface and a blocking portion higher than the support surface, the support surface of the pair of rails being configured to support the substrate in a transfer position, and the blocking portion of the pair of rails being configured to maintain the substrate in a dispensing position, and a processing unit disposed below the pair of rails in a Z-axis direction and movable in the Z-axis direction. The apparatus comprises a heating device and a pair of lifting devices respectively attached to a pair of rails, each of the pair of lifting devices being movably connected to the rails and movable in the Z-axis direction, and a return member arranged between the rails and the lifting member, which is compressed when the lifting member rises relative to the rails and is capable of lowering the lifting member relative to the rails by its elastic force, and the lifting member is configured to be raised by being pushed by the heating device to raise the substrate from the transfer position to the discharge position, and to lower the substrate from the discharge position to the transfer position by the action of the return member when the heating device descends.

[0004] According to the above-mentioned dispenser, the lifting device further includes a connection device having a connection slot arranged on the lifting member and a connection member connected to the rail, the connection slot extending along the Z-axis direction, and the connection member inserted into the connection slot and movable in the Z-axis direction within the connection slot.

[0005] According to the above-mentioned dispenser, the lifting member is clevis-shaped and is provided (sleeved) on the rail from below to form a sleeve on the rail, and the lifting member includes a pair of side plates and a base plate connected between the pair of side plates, the pair of side plates being respectively arranged on both sides of the rail, the base plate being arranged below the rail, and the pair of side plates each having at least one connecting slot.

[0006] According to the above dispenser, the lifting member extends a certain distance along the X-axis direction, and the lifting device includes several return members, several connection slots arranged on each of the side plates, and several connection members corresponding to the several connection slots, where several return members are arranged in the X-axis direction and several connection slots are arranged in the X-axis direction.

[0007] According to the dispenser described above, the rail is provided with a hole, and the return member is disposed at least partially within the hole.

[0008] According to the above dispenser, the restoring member is a coil spring.

[0009] According to the above dispenser, the dispenser also includes a guide pin, the bottom end of the guide pin is connected to the lifting member, and the restoring member is provided to form a sleeve on the guide pin.

[0010] According to the dispenser, the lifting device further comprises a guide wheel having a slit on its outer surface, the slit extending circumferentially along the guide wheel, the guide wheel being adapted to form a sleeve on the connecting member, the guide wheel being inserted into the connecting slot, and the opposite edges of the side plates of the lifting member constituting the connecting slot being clamped in the slit of the guide wheel.

[0011] According to the dispenser described above, the blocking portion is constituted by a baffle attached to the top end of the rail.

[0012] According to the above dispenser, the dispenser further includes a drive device that is disposed below the heating device and drives the movement of the heating device in the Z-axis direction. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of a dispenser according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 2 is a three-dimensional view of the rail, the lifting device, the heating device, and the drive device of FIG. 1. [Figure 3A] FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional view of the rail and lifting device of FIG. 2. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the rail and lifting device of FIG. 2. [Figure 3C] 3 is a partially enlarged top view of the rail and lifting device of FIG. 2. [Figure 3D] FIG. 3D is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3C. [Figure 3E] FIG. 3D is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3C. [Figure 4A] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the substrate of FIG. 2 in a transfer position. [Figure 4B] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the heating device of FIG. 2 when it is raised and in contact with the lifting device. FIG. [Figure 4C] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the substrate of FIG. 2 when it is raised to a discharge position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Various specific embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application. While orientational terms such as "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," and the like are used in this disclosure to describe various exemplary structural components and elements of the present disclosure, it should be understood that these terms are used herein merely for convenience of illustration and are determined based on the exemplary orientations shown in the accompanying drawings. Because the examples disclosed in this disclosure can be positioned in different orientations, these orientational terms are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered limiting.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of a dispenser 100 according to one example of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the dispenser 100 includes a box-shaped main body frame 102 having a width extending in the X-axis direction, a length extending in the Y-axis direction, and a height extending in the Z-axis direction. The main body frame 102 has a storage space for supporting and storing various components of the dispenser 100. The dispenser 100 also includes a front cover 103 disposed on the main body frame 102 for opening and closing the storage space of the main body frame 102. The main body frame 102 includes an opening 107 extending therethrough in the X-axis direction. The dispenser 100 includes a pair of rails 120 extending within the main body frame 102 through the opening 107 so as to move a substrate 110 (e.g., a printed circuit board) in and out of the dispenser 100, which dispenses a viscous material (e.g., an adhesive) onto the substrate 110. The dispenser 100 also includes dispensing units 105 arranged above the rail 120 and a rack 150 for the dispensing units 105. The dispensing units 105 are, for example, dispensing heads capable of dispensing a viscous material onto the substrate 110. The number of dispensing units 105 can be set as desired, and in the example shown in FIG. 1, two dispensing units are arranged side by side in the X-axis direction. The rack 150 is used to move the dispensing units 105 in the Y-axis and X-axis directions and to move the dispensing units 105 to a position where they will dispense onto the substrate 110. The dispenser 120 also includes a heating device 201 arranged below the rail 120 that heats the substrate 110 before the dispensing units 105 perform the dispensing operation to better adhere the viscous material dispensed onto the substrate 110.

[0016] In the dispenser 100 according to the present disclosure, the dispensing unit 105 can move to a desired dispensing position on the alignment substrate 110 by moving in the Y-axis direction and the X-axis direction parallel to the rails 120 before performing a dispensing operation, but the dispensing unit 105 does not move to a position close to the dispensing position on the substrate by moving in the Z-axis direction perpendicular to the rails, but rather lifts the heating device 201 to drive the substrate 110 upward, thereby bringing the substrate 110 closer to the dispensing unit 105. Therefore, the dispenser 100 according to the present disclosure also includes a drive device 203 (shown in FIG. 2) that drives the movement of the heating device 201 in the Z-axis direction, and a pair of lifting devices 250 (shown in FIG. 2) that are respectively mounted on the pair of rails 120.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional view of the rails 120, lifting device 250, heating device 201, and drive device 203 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of rails 120 are arranged parallel to each other and extend in the X-axis direction. One of the rails is a fixed rail, and the other is a movable rail that is movable in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, the distance between the pair of rails 120 can be adjusted to accommodate various substrate widths. Each rail 120 is provided with a transport belt 208, such as a circular belt, that transports the substrate 110 in the X-axis direction. The transport belts 208 are arranged on opposing sides of the pair of rails 120. The transport belts 208 form support surfaces 210 extending in the X-axis direction, and the support surfaces 210 of the pair of rails 120 jointly support the substrate 110. Each rail 120 also includes a blocking portion 220 arranged above the support surface 210, which is formed by a baffle arranged on the top of the rail 120. When the substrate 110 is placed on the support surfaces 210 of the pair of rails 120, the substrate 110 is in its transfer position, which allows the substrate 110 to be transferred in the X-axis direction. When the substrate 110 moves up along the Z-axis direction and contacts the blocking portion 220, the substrate 110 is in its discharge position, in which the substrate 110 is close to the dispensing unit 105, which allows the dispensing unit 105 to dispense the viscous material onto the desired location on the substrate 110.

[0018] As further shown in FIG. 2 , the heating device 201 is disposed below the rail 120, and the driving device 203 is disposed below the heating device 201. The heating device 201 is used to heat the substrate 110, and the driving device 203 drives the heating device 201 to move up and down along the Z-axis so that the heating device 201 can be moved closer to or farther from the substrate 110. The heating device 201 includes an air guide plate 202 disposed on its top, which has uniformly distributed air guide holes for directing hot air to be blown uniformly toward the substrate 110. The driving device 203 is, for example, an air cylinder. One lifting device 250 is attached to each rail 120 and disposed below the substrate 110 so as to lift the substrate 110. The lifting device 250 can lift the substrate 110 from the transfer position to the discharge position when pushed by the heating device 201, and can lower the substrate from the discharge position to the transfer position when the heating device 201 is lowered.

[0019] 3A to 3E show a specific structure of the lifting device 250. FIG. 3A is a three-dimensional view of the rail 120 and the lifting device 250. FIG. 3B is an exploded view of the rail 120 and the lifting device 250. FIG. 3C is a partially enlarged top view of the rail 120 and the lifting device 250. FIG. 3D is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3C. FIG. 3E is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3C. As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3E, the lifting device 250 includes a lifting member 310, a restoring member 320, and a connecting device 330. The lifting member 310 is movably connected to the rail 120 by the connecting device 330 and is movable in the Z-axis direction. The restoring member 320 is disposed between the lifting member 310 and the rail 120. When the lifting member 310 rises relative to the rail 120, the restoring member 320 is compressed, and its elastic force allows the lifting member 310 to descend relative to the rail 120. The lifting member 310 is disposed below the substrate 110, and is capable of moving the substrate 110 from a transfer position to a discharge position when raised, and of moving the substrate 110 from the discharge position to the transfer position when lowered. The connection device 330 includes a connection slot 332 disposed on the lifting member 310 and a connection member 334 connected to the rail 120, and the connection member 334 is, for example, a bolt.

[0020] The lifting member 310 is clevis-shaped and extends a certain distance along the extension direction of the rail 120 (i.e., the X-axis direction). The lifting member 310 includes a pair of side plates 312 and a base plate 314 connected between the pair of side plates 312. The pair of side plates 312 and the base plate 314 together form the clevis-shaped lifting member 310, which allows the lifting member 310 to be mounted on the rail 120 from below to form a sleeve on the rail 120, where the pair of side plates 314 are arranged on both sides of the rail 120 and the base plate 314 is arranged below the rail 120. The pair of side plates 312 of the lifting member 310 each have several connecting slots 332 on each side plate 312, the several connecting slots 332 being arranged along the extension direction of the lifting member 310 (i.e., the X-axis direction), and each connecting slot 332 extending along the Z-axis direction, and therefore has a length that allows the lifting member 310 to move along the Z-axis direction.

[0021] The lifting device 250 also includes several guide wheels 335, the number of which corresponds to the number of connecting slots 332. The guide wheels 335 are configured to form sleeves on connecting members 334 fixed to the rails 120, and both the guide wheels 335 and the connecting members 334 are inserted into the connecting slots 332. The guide wheels 335 are configured to cooperate with the connecting slots 332 to guide the lifting member 310 to move smoothly in the Z-axis direction. The outer surface of the guide wheels 335 is formed as slits 338 extending circumferentially along the guide wheels 335, and the width of the slits 338 is slightly larger than the thickness of the side plates 314 of the lifting member 310, so that a pair of opposing edges 337 of the side plates 314 that form the connecting slots 332 are clamped within the slits 338 of the guide wheels 335.

[0022] 3B and 3D , the side plate 314 is provided with an opening 339 that is larger in size than the width of the connecting slot 332 at the bottom end of the connecting slot 332, the opening 339 communicates with the connecting slot 332, and the opening 339 is sized to be larger than the outer diameter of the guide wheel 335, so that when the guide wheel 335 is inserted into the connecting slot 332 through the opening 339 and moved upward, the slit 338 clamps to form a pair of edges 337 of the slit 338. Therefore, the guide wheel 335 can be oriented to smoothly move the lifting member 310 in the Z-axis direction.

[0023] In some examples, the return member 320 is a coil spring. There may be multiple return members 320, which are arranged along the extension direction (i.e., the X-axis direction) of the lifting member 310. The return members 320 are arranged in the holes of the rail 120, with the bottom ends of the rail 120 extending through the holes and abutting the bottom plate 314 of the lifting member 310, and the top ends connected to the rail.

[0024] The lifting device 250 also includes guide pins 325, and the number of the guide pins 325 is the same as the number of the return members 320. The bottom ends 326 of the guide pins 325 are connected to the bottom plate 314 of the lifting member 310, and the guide pins 325 are disposed between the pair of side plates 312. The guide pins 325 extend generally along the Z-axis direction, and the return members 320 are configured to form sleeves around the guide pins 325 so that the return members 320 can be compressed or released along the Z-axis direction.

[0025] When the lifting member 310 rises relative to the rail 120 along the Z axis, the return member 320 is compressed by the lifting member 310 and accumulates elastic force. When the elastic force of the return member 320 acts, the lifting member 310 can also be lowered relative to the rail 120 along the Z axis.

[0026] 4A to 4C show changes in the state of the lifting device 250 of the dispenser 100 as the substrate 110 moves between the transfer position and the dispensing position. Fig. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the substrate in Fig. 2 when it is at the transfer position, Fig. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the heating device 201 when it has risen and is in contact with the lifting device 250, and Fig. 4C is a cross-sectional view of the substrate 110 when it has risen to the dispensing position.

[0027] 4A , when the substrate 110 is in the transfer position, the substrate 110 is supported by the support surfaces 210 of the pair of rails 120, and the lifting member 310 of the lifting device 250 is not in contact with the air guide plate 202 of the heating device 201 but is spaced apart from the air guide plate 202. When it is necessary to discharge a viscous material onto the substrate 110, the heating device 201 is driven upward by the driving device 203 to bring the heating device 210 closer to the substrate 110 in order to perform a heating operation on the substrate 110, and at the same time, the heating device 210 can move the substrate 110 to the discharge position.

[0028] 4B, the heating device 201 is driven by the driving device 203 to rise, and its air guide plate 202 comes into contact with the lifting member 310 of the lifting device 250. Thereafter, the driving device 203 continues to drive the heating device 201 to move axially along the Z axis, and the movement of the heating device 201 causes the lifting member 310 of the lifting device 250 to rise relative to the rail 120. When the lifting member 310 is positioned below the substrate 110, the lifting member 310 comes into contact with the substrate 110 and pushes the substrate 110 up until the substrate 110 reaches the position shown in FIG. 4C.

[0029] As shown in Figure 4C, when the substrate 110 rises and abuts the blocking portion 220, the substrate 110 is prevented from continuing to rise, and the substrate 110 has reached its discharge position. During the movement from the state shown in Figure 4B to the state shown in Figure 4C, the movement of the lifting member 310 relative to the rail 120 compresses the return member 320.

[0030] When the ejection operation on the substrate 110 is completed, the driving device 203 drives the heating device 201 to descend along the Z axis, and the lifting member 310 can descend along the Z axis under the elastic force of the return member 320, which is no longer pressed by the heating device 201, thereby causing the substrate 110 to also descend until it is supported by the support surface 210 of the rail 120 and reaches its transfer position.

[0031] The dispenser 100 typically needs to be designed to process substrates 110 having various widths. To move the substrate 110 between the transfer position and the dispensing position, the distance between the lifting devices 250 needs to be adjusted to fit the width of the substrate 110 so that the lifting devices 250 can push and lift or lower the substrate 110. To support the substrate 110, the distance between the pair of rails 120 needs to be adjusted to fit the width of the substrate 110. The contributor 100 of the present disclosure is provided with the lifting devices 250 mounted on the pair of rails 120, respectively. The lifting devices 250 can be pushed by the heating device 201 to further push the substrate 110, thereby moving the substrate 110 from its transfer position to the contribution position where it performs the contribution operation. If the distance between the pair of rails 120 needs to be adjusted according to the width of the substrate 110, the distance between the lifting devices 250 mounted on the pair of rails 120 is also adjusted accordingly, so that the distance between the lifting devices 250 also fits the width of the substrate 110. Therefore, the same lifting device 110 and heating device 201 can be adapted to various substrate widths.

[0032] In addition, since the lifting device 250 of the present disclosure surrounds the rail 120 with the lifting member 310, when the heating device 201 contacts the lifting member 310 and pushes the lifting member 310 upward to perform a heating operation on the substrate 110, the lifting member 310 isolates the rail 120 from the heating device 210, thereby protecting the rail 120 (particularly the transport belt 208 on the rail 120) from being burned by the high temperature caused by the heating device 210.

[0033] While the present disclosure has been described in connection with the examples outlined above, various alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements, and / or substantial equivalents, whether known or foreseeable now or in the near future, may be apparent to at least those skilled in the art. Additionally, the technical effects and / or technical problems described herein are illustrative and not limiting; thus, the disclosure herein may be used to solve other technical problems, may have other technical effects, and / or may solve other technical problems. Accordingly, the examples of the present disclosure set forth above are illustrative and not intended to be limiting. Various changes can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure is intended to include all known or previously developed alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements, and / or substantial equivalents.

Claims

1. A dispenser (100) configured to dispense a material onto a substrate (110), comprising: a pair of rails (120) configured to move the substrate (110) into and out of the dispenser (100) in an X-axis direction, one of the pair of rails (120) being movable toward or away from the other in a Y-axis direction to adjust the distance between the pair of rails (120), each of the pair of rails (120) having a support surface (210) and a blocking portion (220) higher than the support surface (210), the support surface (210) of the pair of rails (120) being configured to support the substrate (110) in a transfer position, and the blocking portion (220) of the pair of rails (120) being configured to maintain the substrate (110) in a dispensing position; a heating device (201) disposed below the pair of rails (120) in the Z-axis direction and movable in the Z-axis direction; a pair of lifting devices (250) attached to the pair of rails (120), respectively; Equipped with Each of the pair of lifting devices (250) a lifting member (310) movably connected to the rail (120) and movable in the Z-axis direction; a return member (320) disposed between the rail (120) and the lifting member (310) so as to be compressed when the lifting member (310) rises relative to the rail (120) and to be able to lower the lifting member (301) relative to the rail (120) by elastic force; Equipped with The lifting member (310) is configured to be able to rise when pushed by the heating device (201) to lift the substrate (110) from the transfer position to the discharge position, and to lower the substrate (110) from the discharge position to the transfer position by the action of the return member (320) when the heating device (201) descends. Dispenser (100).

2. 2. The dispenser (100) of claim 1, wherein the lifting device (250) further comprises a connection device (330) having a connection slot (332) arranged on the lifting member (310) and a connection member (334) connected to the rail (120), the connection slot (332) extending along the Z-axis direction, and the connection member (334) inserted into the connection slot (332) and movable in the Z-axis direction within the connection slot (332).

3. 3. The dispenser (100) of claim 2, wherein the lifting member (310) is clevis-shaped and is provided to form a sleeve on the rail (120) from the underside of the rail (120), the lifting member (310) comprises a pair of side plates (312) and a base plate (314) connected between the pair of side plates (312), the pair of side plates (312) being respectively arranged on both sides of the rail (120), the base plate (314) being arranged below the rail (120), and the pair of side plates (312) each having at least one connecting slot (332).

4. The lifting member (310) extends a distance along the X-axis direction, 4. The dispenser (100) of claim 3, wherein the lifting device (250) comprises several return members (320), several connection slots (332) arranged on each of the side plates (312), and several connection members (334) corresponding to the several connection slots (332), wherein the several return members (320) are arranged in the X-axis direction and the several connection slots (332) are arranged in the X-axis direction.

5. 5. The dispenser (100) of claim 4, wherein the rail (120) is provided with a hole (340), and the return member (320) is at least partially disposed within the hole (340).

6. The dispenser (100) of claim 1, wherein the return member (320) is a coil spring.

7. 7. The dispenser (100) of claim 6, further comprising a guide pin (325), a bottom end (326) of which is connected to the lifting member (310), and the return member (320) is configured to form a sleeve around the guide pin (325).

8. The lifting device (250) further comprises a guide wheel (335) having a slit (338) on an outer surface thereof, the slit (338) extending circumferentially along the guide wheel (335); The guide wheel (335) is provided on the connecting member (334) to form a sleeve, the guide wheel (335) is inserted into the connecting slot (332), and opposing edges (337) of the side plate (312) of the lifting member (310) that form the connecting slot (332) are clamped into the slit (338) of the guide wheel (335). The dispenser (100) of claim 3.

9. 2. The dispenser (100) of claim 1, wherein the blocking portion (220) is formed by a baffle attached to a top end of the rail (120).

10. 2. The dispenser (100) of claim 1, further comprising a drive device (203) disposed below the heating device (201) for driving movement of the heating device (201) in the Z-axis direction.

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