FPC clamping fixture

Abstract

An FPC clamping fixture is suitable for clamping an FPC. The FPC clamping fixture comprises a fixing base, a push rod, two sliding blocks and two magnetic metal parts. The push rod is movably arranged on the fixing base, and a magnet is arranged at one end thereof. The two sliding blocks are movably connected to the fixing base via two elastic members. The two magnetic metal parts are respectively arranged on one of the sliding block. The push rod is adapted to be moved by force to a position where the magnet is aligned to the two magnetic metal parts, so that the two sliding blocks are moved closer to each other by the magnetic attraction between the magnet and the two magnetic metal parts to clamp the FPC from opposite sides.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to a flexible circuit board (PCB) clamping fixture, and more particularly to a PCB clamping fixture that can mechanically clamp and assemble PCBs in an automated process. [Previous Technology]

[0002] Due to the flexible and deformable nature of flexible printed circuits (FPCs), they are currently assembled manually on production lines, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. At the same time, it is not conducive to the improvement of full production line automation. [Summary of the Invention]

[0003] In view of the above, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a flexible board clamping fixture is provided for clamping a flexible board. The flexible board clamping fixture includes a fixed base, a push rod, two sliders, and two magnetic metal parts. The push rod is movably disposed on the fixed base, and a magnet is disposed at one end. The two sliders are movably connected to the fixed base via two elastic members. The two magnetic metal parts are respectively disposed on one slider. The push rod is adapted to be moved under force until the magnet is located at the two magnetic metal parts, so that the two sliders move closer to each other by the magnetic attraction between the magnet and the two magnetic metal parts, thereby clamping the flexible board from opposite sides.

[0004] In this way, a force can be applied to the push rod by a robotic arm or other device, causing the push rod to move under force, which in turn causes the two sliders used to clamp the flexible circuit board to move relative to each other. When the flexible circuit board needs to be clamped and moved, the flexible circuit board clamping fixture is moved above the flexible circuit board, so that the two sliders of the flexible circuit board clamping fixture are located on opposite sides of the flexible circuit board. Then, the robotic arm applies a forward force to the push rod, causing the two sliders to move closer from opposite sides of the flexible circuit board to clamp the flexible circuit board, thereby moving the flexible circuit board. After the flexible circuit board is moved to the desired position, the robotic arm applies a force in the opposite direction to the push rod, causing the two sliders to return to their original position under the action of the two elastic elements after losing the magnetic attraction between the magnet and the magnetic metal, thus releasing the clamping of the flexible circuit board. Although the flexible circuit board is made of a flexible material, by controlling the distance between the two sliders and the magnetic attraction between the magnet and the magnetic metal, the sliders can clamp the flexible circuit board with appropriate force, so that the assembly of the flexible circuit board can also be carried out mechanically, achieving production line automation and reducing the required time and assembly manpower.

Implementation Method

[0006] The following embodiments are provided for detailed description. However, these embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of protection intended by this disclosure. Furthermore, some elements are omitted in the drawings of the embodiments to clearly show the technical features of this disclosure. The same reference numerals will be used to denote the same or similar elements in all drawings.

[0007] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a flexible board clamping fixture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 2 is an exploded view of a flexible board clamping fixture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 3 is a perspective view of a flexible board according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The flexible board clamping fixture of this example is suitable for clamping the flexible board 100 shown in Figure 3. As can be seen from Figures 1 and 2, the flexible board clamping fixture includes a fixed base 10, a push rod 20, two sliders 30, two elastic elements 40, and two magnetic metal elements 50. The push rod 20 is movably disposed on the fixed base 10, and a magnet 22 is disposed at one end 21. The magnet 22 can be fixed to the end 21 of the push rod 20 by means of adhesive, locking, or clamping. The two sliders 30 are movably connected to the fixed base 10. The two elastic elements 40 respectively abut against one slider 30 and the fixed base 10. As shown in Figure 1, there is an elastic element 40 between the slider 30 on one side and the fixed base 10, and there is also an elastic element 40 between the slider 30 on the other side and the fixed base 10. Two magnetic metal parts 50 are respectively disposed on one of the corresponding sliders 30. As shown in Figure 1, a magnetic metal part 50 is assembled on each of the two sliders 30 facing each other.

[0008] Next, please refer to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of two sliders of a flexible board clamping fixture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, with their distance from each other. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of two sliders of a flexible board clamping fixture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, with their distance from each other, clamping the flexible board. For ease of explanation, the extension direction of the push rod 20 is set as the first direction X, the direction perpendicular to the first direction X is the second direction Y, and the direction perpendicular to both the first direction X and the second direction Y is the third direction Z. When the flexible board clamping fixture is placed at an appropriate position above the flexible board 100, as shown in Figure 4, the two sliders 30 are relatively far apart in the second direction Y and are located on opposite sides of the flexible board 100 without clamping the flexible board 100. At this time, the push rod 20 is moved by force to the magnet 22 located at the two magnetic metal parts 50, as shown in Figure 5, so that the two sliders 30 move closer to each other by the magnetic attraction between the magnet 22 and the two magnetic metal parts 50, thereby clamping the flexible board 100 from opposite sides of the flexible board 100. In this embodiment, the push rod 20 is moved forward by a force in the first direction X until the magnet 22 at its end 21 moves between the two magnetic metal parts 50. At this time, the magnet 22 attracts the two magnetic metal parts 50 to move closer to it, so that the two magnetic metal parts 50 move closer to each other in the second direction Y due to magnetic attraction, until the flexible plate 100 is clamped.

[0009] In this way, a force can be applied to the push rod 20 through a robotic arm or other means, causing the push rod 20 to move under force, which in turn causes the two sliders 30 used to clamp the flexible board 100 to move relative to each other. When the flexible board 100 needs to be clamped and moved, the flexible board clamping fixture is moved above the flexible board 100, so that the two sliders 30 of the flexible board clamping fixture are located on opposite sides of the flexible board 100. Then, the robotic arm applies a forward force to the push rod 20, causing the two sliders 30 to move closer to each other from opposite sides of the flexible board 100 to clamp the flexible board 100, thereby moving the flexible board 100 and setting it in the desired position. In addition, although the flexible board 100 is made of a soft material, the spacing between the two sliders 30, the magnetic attraction between the magnet 22 and the magnetic metal parts 50 can be controlled, so that the sliders 30 can clamp the flexible board 100 with appropriate force, so that the assembly of the flexible board 100 can be carried out mechanically, achieving production line automation and reducing the required working hours and assembly manpower.

[0010] Returning to Figures 1 and 2, the flexible plate clamping fixture further includes a spring 60 connected between the fixed base 10 and the end 21 of the push rod 20. As shown in Figure 2, the fixed base 10 can extend forward along the first direction X to form an assembly that is coaxial with the push rod 20 and allows one end of the spring 60 to abut against it. The spring 60 can be connected at one end to the fixed base 10 and at the other end to the push rod 20. When the push rod 20 is forced to move forward and compress the spring 60, when the force stops or a force in the opposite direction is received, the compressed spring 60 can provide the push rod 20 with a force to return to its original position under the action of elastic restoring force.

[0011] Referring again to Figures 1 and 2, in this embodiment, the fixing base 10 includes an adjusting rod 11 and two base plates 12. The two base plates 12 are adjustablely connected to both sides of the adjusting rod 11 and can be closer to or further away from each other. As shown in Figure 2, the adjusting rod 11 extends along the first direction X, while the two base plates 12 are mirror-symmetrical and of the same shape, and are assembled on both sides of the adjusting rod 11 in the second direction Y, and can be respectively assembled at the desired positions on the adjusting rod 11. Two sliders 30 are movably connected to one base plate 12 via an elastic member 40. Since the positions of the two base plates 12 assembled on the adjusting rod 11 can be freely adjusted, the distance between the two base plates 12 in the second direction Y can be adjusted according to the width of the flexible board 100 to be clamped, until the distance between the two sliders 30 connected to the two base plates 12 in the second direction Y is suitable for clamping the flexible board 100.

[0012] In this embodiment, the fixing seat 10 is formed by detachable multiple components such as the adjusting rod 11 and the two base plates 12. However, in other embodiments, the fixing seat 10 can also be integrally formed. In the case of integral forming, multiple fixing seats 10 can be used, and each fixing seat 10 has a second direction Y width corresponding to clamping flexible boards 100 of different sizes, so as to be suitable for clamping flexible boards 100 with different width dimensions.

[0013] Further, the adjusting rod 11 includes a guide portion 111 and two positioning portions 112. The two positioning portions 112 are disposed on both sides of the guide portion 111. As shown in FIG2, the two positioning portions 112 are disposed on opposite sides of the guide portion 111 along the second direction Y. The push rod 20 is movably disposed on the guide portion 111. In this embodiment, the push rod 20 has a through hole 23 in the first direction X that is longer than the length of the guide portion 111, and the size of the through hole 23 in the second direction Y is approximately equal to the width of the guide portion 111. After the through hole 23 of the push rod 20 is fitted onto the guide portion 111, a cover plate 113 that is longer than the length of the through hole 23 in the first direction X or longer than the length of the through hole 23 in the second direction Y can be locked on top, so that the push rod 20 cannot be disengaged from the guide portion 111 in the third direction Z. Under the limitation of the guide portion 111, the push rod 20 will only move in the first direction X when subjected to force.

[0014] Two substrates 12 are disposed on two positioning portions 112 and can move and be fixed along the two positioning portions 112. There are various ways in which the two substrates 12 are disposed on the two positioning portions 112. For example, each positioning portion 112 can be provided with multiple locking holes according to the commonly used flexible board 100 size, and each substrate 12 is locked with the required locking holes by screws to adjust the spacing between the two substrates 12 in the second direction Y. In this embodiment, each positioning portion 112 includes a guide hole 1121, and each substrate 12 includes a protrusion 121 and a locking fastener 122. The guide hole 1121 is an elongated slot, and the direction of the long side of the elongated slot is perpendicular to the moving direction of the push rod 20. As shown in Figure 2, the direction of the long side of the elongated slot of the guide hole 1121 is the second direction Y, and as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the direction of the push rod 20 under force is the first direction X, and the two directions are perpendicular to each other.

[0015] A protrusion 121 passes through one side of the positioning portion 112 into the guide hole 1121, and a fastener 122 passes through the guide hole 1121 from the other side of the positioning portion 112 and is locked to the protrusion 121. The fastener 122 can be directly locked to abut against the positioning portion 112 to confirm the tight fixation. Furthermore, the guide hole 1121 provides more precise adjustment possibilities, allowing the spacing between the two substrates 12 to accommodate more sizes of flexible printed circuit boards 100. In addition, the positioning portion 112 may have a recess along the circumference of the guide hole 1121 corresponding to the upper surface of the guide hole 1121, so that the screw head of the fastener 122, such as a screw, can be located in this recess, providing a limiting effect in the first direction X.

[0016] Referring again to Figure 3, the flexible board clamping fixture further includes a fixing plate 70. The fixing plate 70 is fixed to the flexible board 100, and the two sliders 30 are clamped to the fixing plate 70 from opposite sides to hold the flexible board 100. In cases where the flexible board 100 is narrower or more flexible, the fixing plate 70 can be added to one end of the flexible board 100 or at any position where it is to be clamped to increase the rigidity of the clamping point and prevent the flexible board 100 from deforming due to excessive force after clamping. The fixing plate 70 can be fixed to the flexible board 100 by adhesive, snap-fit, or clamping.

[0017] As can be seen from Figures 2 to 4, each slider 30 includes a limiting recess 31, and the fixing plate 70 includes two positioning protrusions 71 disposed opposite to each other. When the two sliders 30 clamp the fixing plate 70, each limiting recess 31 corresponds to one positioning protrusion 71, so that one positioning protrusion 71 is accommodated in one limiting recess 31. In this way, when the fixing plate 70 of the flexible plate 100 is clamped in the first direction X, it can be clamped at the desired position in the second direction Y, thereby providing an alignment effect in both the first direction X and the second direction Y.

[0018] Furthermore, each slider 30 further includes a plate 32 disposed on the lower surface of a slider 30 and located at the corresponding limiting recess 31 to cover the lower opening of the limiting recess 31. After the flexible plate 100 is clamped as shown in FIG5, if it is necessary to move the flexible plate 100 upward along the third direction Z, the plate 32 can provide an auxiliary function in the third direction Z to avoid the possibility that the flexible plate 100 may fall downward under the action of gravity when the clamping force is insufficient.

[0019] In addition, please refer to Figure 6, which is a bottom view of a flexible board clamping fixture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when it is placed on a flexible board. The fixing plate 70 includes two oppositely arranged stop portions 72, and the fixing seat 10 includes two limiting members 123 respectively arranged oppositely and located on one side facing the fixing plate 70. When the fixing seat 10 is disposed on the fixing plate 70, the two limiting members 123 abut against the two stop portions 72. When the flexible board clamping fixture shown in Figure 1 is to clamp the flexible board 100, a force can be applied to the push rod 20 along the first direction X, so that the entire flexible board clamping fixture is driven to move towards the fixing plate 70 of the flexible board 100. As can be seen from Figure 6, when the flexible board clamping fixture moves along the first direction X until the limiting member 123 abuts against the stop portion 72, the fixing seat 10 will no longer be able to move forward along the first direction X. If a force is applied to the push rod 20 at this point, the fixed base 10 will remain stationary while the push rod 20 will be moved forward, thus completing the subsequent clamping action as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

[0020] The stop 72 allows for more precise positioning of the flexible plate clamping fixture, and the limiting member 123 ensures that the slider 30 is in the required position before clamping. That is, the limiting recess 31 at the front end of the slider 30 corresponds to the two positioning protrusions 71 of the fixed plate 70 to facilitate subsequent clamping operations.

[0021] In summary, this disclosure allows for the application of force to the push rod 20 via a robotic arm or similar device. This force causes the push rod 20 to move, thereby enabling the two sliders 30 used to hold the flexible circuit board 100 to move relative to each other. Furthermore, after the flexible circuit board 100 is moved to the desired position, a reverse force can be applied to the push rod 20 via the robotic arm. This causes the two sliders 30 to return to their original position under the influence of the two elastic members 40 after losing the magnetic attraction between the magnet 22 and the magnetic metal part 50, thus releasing the clamping force on the flexible circuit board 100. Therefore, the assembly of the flexible circuit board 100 can be performed mechanically, achieving production line automation and reducing required labor time and assembly manpower. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0005] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a flexible circuit board clamping fixture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is an exploded view of a flexible circuit board clamping fixture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 is a perspective view of a flexible circuit board according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of two sliders of a flexible circuit board clamping fixture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure being relatively far apart. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of two sliders of a flexible circuit board clamping fixture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure being relatively close together, clamping the flexible circuit board. Figure 6 is a bottom view of a flexible circuit board clamping fixture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when it is placed on the flexible circuit board.

Claims

1. A flexible board clamping fixture, suitable for clamping a flexible board, the flexible board clamping fixture comprising: One fixed base; A push rod is movably mounted on the fixed base, and a magnet is provided at one end; two sliders are movably connected to the fixed base; Two elastic elements are respectively abutted between one of the sliders and the fixed base; and two magnetic metal elements are respectively disposed on one of the sliders. The push rod is adapted to be moved by force until the magnet is located at the two magnetic metal elements, so that the two sliders move closer to each other by the magnetic attraction between the magnet and the two magnetic metal elements, so as to clamp the flexible plate from the opposite sides of the flexible plate.

2. The flexible board clamping fixture as described in claim 1 further includes a spring connected between the fixed base and the end of the push rod.

3. The flexible circuit board clamping fixture as described in claim 1, wherein the fixing base includes: One adjusting lever; And two substrates, which are adjustablely connected to the two sides of the adjusting rod and can be close to or far from each other, and the two sliders are respectively movably connected to one of the substrates via an elastic member.

4. The flexible board clamping fixture as described in claim 3, wherein the adjusting rod includes a guide portion and two positioning portions, the two positioning portions are disposed on two sides of the guide portion, the push rod is movably disposed on the guide portion, and the two substrates are disposed on the two positioning portions.

5. The flexible board clamping fixture as described in claim 4, wherein each positioning portion includes a guide hole, each substrate includes a protrusion and a locking fastener, the protrusion passing through the guide hole from one side of the positioning portion, and the locking fastener passing through the guide hole from the other side of the positioning portion and locking the protrusion therein.

6. The flexible board clamping fixture as described in claim 5, wherein the guide hole is an elongated slot, and the direction of the long side of the elongated slot is perpendicular to the direction of movement of the push rod.

7. The flexible board clamping fixture as described in claim 1 further includes a fixed plate fixed to the flexible board, and the two sliders clamp the flexible board from opposite sides of the fixed plate.

8. The flexible board clamping fixture as described in claim 7, wherein each slider includes a limiting recess, and the fixing plate includes two positioning protrusions disposed opposite each other, wherein when the two sliders clamp the fixing plate, each limiting recess corresponds to one positioning protrusion, such that one positioning protrusion is accommodated in one limiting recess.

9. The flexible board clamping fixture as claimed in claim 8, wherein each slider further includes a plate disposed on the lower surface of one slider and located at the corresponding limiting recess to cover the lower opening of the limiting recess.

10. The flexible board clamping fixture as claimed in claim 7, wherein the fixing plate includes two oppositely disposed stop portions, the fixing seat includes two limiting members respectively disposed oppositely and located on one side facing the fixing plate, and when the fixing seat is disposed on the fixing plate, the two limiting members abut against the two stop portions.

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