Cutterhead changing device, cutter changing method, and circuit board machining apparatus, system and method

Abstract

A cutterhead changing device. A circuit board machining apparatus (100) comprises: a workbench (10), wherein the workbench (10) is provided with at least one machining station (11), and a first region (111) and a second region (112), which are adjacent to each other, are provided on the machining station (11); a first cutter box (1111) and a second cutter box (1112), wherein the first cutter box (1111) for storing a first cutter and the second cutter box (1112) for storing a second cutter are both arranged in the first region (111), and when the first cutter box (1111) is used for machining a circuit board, the second cutter box (1112) is used for externally replacing a cutter box, and when the first cutter box (1111) is used for externally replacing a cutter box, the second cutter box (1112) is used for machining the circuit board; and a shared cutter box (1121), wherein the shared cutter box (1121) for storing a shared cutter is arranged in the second region (112), and the shared cutter, and the first cutter or the second cutter at least comprise all kinds of cutters for machining the circuit board. Further disclosed are a cutter changing method, and a circuit board machining apparatus and system and method.

Description

Cutter disc replacement device, tool changing method, circuit board processing equipment, system and method

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent applications filed with the Patent Office of China on August 3, 2023, with application number 202322071079.4 and application name “A cutter disc replacement device”; filed with the Patent Office of China on November 27, 2023, with application number 202311596502.0 and application name “A circuit board processing equipment and tool changing method”; and filed with the Patent Office of China on February 26, 2024, with application number 202410209272.6 and application name “A automatic cutter disc replacement device, PCB processing system and processing method”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The embodiments of the present application relate to, but are not limited to, the technical field of circuit board processing equipment, and in particular to a cutter head replacement device, a tool changing method, circuit board processing equipment, systems, and methods. Background Art

[0003] As PCB (Printed Circuit Board) production moves toward automation and unmanned operations, the importance of tool automation in PCB processing equipment is becoming increasingly apparent. For example, a drilling machine is a common piece of PCB processing equipment. The drilling process utilizes the high-speed rotation of the machine's spindle, which drives the tool to rotate and drill holes in the PCB. Depending on the design requirements, the PCB requires holes of varying diameters. In these cases, the tool must be replaced to ensure the diameter meets the design requirements.

[0004] To manage cutting tools, the entire tool box is often replaced manually, requiring the manual transport of numerous cutting discs. This is labor-intensive and inefficient, and some cutting discs may not reach their full lifespan, leading to tool waste. Ideally, each cutting disc would be used to its full lifespan before replacement, ensuring optimal utilization. Currently, there is no suitable method to ensure efficient tool replacement and minimize tool life wastage.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following is a summary of the subject matter described in detail herein. This summary is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0007] The present application provides a circuit board processing device and a tool changing method.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present application, a circuit board processing device is provided, comprising: a workbench, on which at least one processing station is provided, and on which adjacent first and second areas are provided; a first knife box and a second knife box, wherein the first knife box for storing a first tool and the second knife box for storing a second tool are both provided in the first area; when the first knife box is used for processing a circuit board, the second knife box is used for externally replacing the knife box; when the first knife box is used for externally replacing the knife box, the second knife box is used for processing the circuit board; a common knife box, wherein the common knife box for storing a common tool is provided in the second area; the common tool and the first tool or the second tool at least include all types of tools for processing the circuit board.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present application, the common knife box is fixedly arranged on the workbench, and the common knife box replaces the common knife through the first knife box or the second knife box.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present application, the circuit board processing equipment includes a tool management module, which monitors and updates the lifespan of the common tool, the first tool, and the second tool in real time.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present application, the workbench further includes a first tool holder and a second tool holder, and the old shared tool is controlled to be unloaded to the first tool holder, and the new shared tool is controlled to be transferred to the second tool holder; or, the workbench includes a first tool holder, and the old shared tool is controlled to be unloaded to the first tool holder, and the new shared tool is controlled to be transferred to the shared tool box; or, the workbench includes a second tool holder, and the new shared tool is controlled to be transferred to the second tool holder, and the old shared tool is controlled to be unloaded to the first tool box or the second tool box; or, the old shared tool is controlled to be transferred to the first tool box or the second tool box, and the new shared tool box is controlled to be transferred to the shared tool box.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present application, when unloading the common tool, if the current life of the common tool is less than the preset life, the common tool is controlled to be unloaded to the common tool box; if the current life of the last common tool of this type is equal to the preset life, the common tool is controlled to be unloaded to the first tool box or the second tool box.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present application, the common knife box is detachably disposed on the workbench, and the frequency of external tool replacement by the common knife box is less than the frequency of external tool replacement by the first knife box and the second knife box.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present application, during the process of processing one of the circuit boards, the workload of each type of shared tool is less than the workload of each type of the first tool or the second tool.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present application, the time used to replace the knife box externally is less than the time the first knife box or the second knife box is used to process the circuit board; the first knife box is exactly the same as the second knife box, or, in the first knife box and the second knife box, at least one of the first knife and the second knife is different.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present application, the circuit board processing equipment processes the circuit board according to the first object parameter, and the tool management module determines the following parameters based on the number of circuit boards in the first object parameter, the type and workload of the tool required to process the circuit board, and the life parameters of the common tool, the first tool or the second tool: (1) the type and quantity of the common tool; (2) the type and quantity of the first tool; (3) the type and quantity of the second tool.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present application, the external replacement of the shared tool is triggered according to any of the following trigger conditions: (1) at least one tool has reached the end of its service life; (2) all tools of any type have reached the end of their service life; (3) each type of tool reaches a predetermined threshold for the total life; (4) the remaining total life of at least one type of tool cannot meet the workload of processing the next circuit board.

[0018] In some embodiments of the present application, the external replacement of the first tool box or the second tool box is triggered according to any of the following trigger conditions: (1) all tools have reached the end of their service life; (2) all tools of any type have reached the end of their service life; (3) the remaining total life of at least one type of tool cannot meet the workload of processing the next circuit board; (4) the tool box completes the predetermined workload.

[0019] According to a second aspect of the present application, a tool changing method is provided, which is applied to circuit board processing equipment, including: obtaining parameters of the circuit board and the tool in the first object parameters; determining the type and quantity of the tool in the tool box; controlling the circuit board processing equipment to pick up the tool to process the circuit board; when the sum of all remaining lifespans of at least one of the tools in the tool box cannot meet the workload of processing the next circuit board, controlling the external replacement of the tool box; or, when the sum of all remaining lifespans of at least one of the tools in the tool box cannot meet the workload of processing the next circuit board, controlling the external replacement of the tool.

[0020] According to a third aspect of the present application, a tool changing method is provided, which is applied to circuit board processing equipment, including: a tool management module obtains the life of a shared tool in real time; when the remaining life of the shared tool is less than a preset value; controls the transfer of a new shared tool to a first tool box or a second tool box; after processing the circuit board and before processing the next circuit board, or when the shared tool reaches the end of its service life; controls the replacement of the shared tool with the first tool box or the second tool box.

[0021] According to a fourth aspect of the present application, a tool changing method is provided, which is applied to circuit board processing equipment, including: a tool management module obtains the life of a shared tool in real time; when the remaining life of the shared tool cannot meet the workload of processing the next circuit board; controls the transfer of a new shared tool to a first tool box or a second tool box; after processing the circuit board until processing the next circuit board, or when the shared tool reaches its service life; controls the replacement of the shared tool with the first tool box or the second tool box.

[0022] The above-mentioned embodiments of the present application have at least the following beneficial effects: this circuit board processing equipment and tool changing method can reduce the life waste of shared tools, save costs, and improve tool changing efficiency.

[0023] According to a fifth aspect of the present application, there is provided an automatic cutter head replacement device, comprising:

[0024] Transfer mechanism and material reclaiming mechanism;

[0025] The apparatus further comprises a material frame mechanism, wherein the material frame mechanism is used to store a cutter disc, the transfer mechanism is used to take out the cutter disc from the material frame mechanism, and the cutter disc is configured to be movable along a first direction;

[0026] The material taking mechanism is used for taking and placing the transfer mechanism and the cutter head on the drilling rig.

[0027] In some embodiments of the present application, a moving device is further included, and the transfer mechanism and the material taking mechanism are both arranged on the moving device.

[0028] In some embodiments of the present application, the material frame mechanism is installed on the moving device, and a lifting mechanism is further provided on one side of the material frame mechanism. The lifting mechanism is provided above the moving device and is used to drive the material frame mechanism to move along the first direction.

[0029] In some embodiments of the present application, at least one layer plate is slidably disposed in the material frame mechanism, and the cutter disc is placed on the layer plate.

[0030] In some embodiments of the present application, the transfer mechanism includes a carrier fixedly mounted on a mobile device, and a translation mechanism is also provided on the carrier, which slides along the second direction on the carrier, and the translation mechanism is used to drive the layer plate in and out along the interior of the material frame mechanism.

[0031] In some embodiments of the present application, the lifting mechanism includes a mounting plate fixed to the carrier, a first driving component and a supporting component slidably connected to the end face of the mounting plate, the first driving component is used to drive the supporting component to move, and the material frame mechanism is placed on the supporting component.

[0032] In some embodiments of the present application, the support assembly includes a slide that slides on the mounting plate, and the slide has a support arm;

[0033] The material frame mechanism includes a material bin and a supporting assembly, and the material bin is placed on the supporting arm.

[0034] In some embodiments of the present application, there are two limit blocks on both sides below the silo, and the two limit blocks are respectively stopped on both sides of the support arm. There is also a positioning structure between the silo and the support arm, and the positioning structure is used to locate the installation position between the silo and the support arm.

[0035] In some embodiments of the present application, there is at least one supporting component distributed along both horizontal inner sides of the silo, the two opposing supporting components are arranged at the same height and form a sliding plane, and at least parts of the two opposing supporting components slide with the layer plate.

[0036] In some embodiments of the present application, the translation mechanism includes a rotating plate arranged on the carrier, and the carrier is slidably connected above the rotating plate. A second drive component is also provided on the rotating plate, and the second drive component is used to drive the carrier to move, wherein the carrier also has a registration structure coupled with the silo.

[0037] In some embodiments of the present application, the alignment structure includes a protruding member arranged on the stage, and a groove position is provided below the layer plate, and the protruding member is coupled and adapted to the groove position.

[0038] In some embodiments of the present application, a temporary storage seat is fixedly installed on the loading platform, and a detection element is also provided at the upper end of the loading platform.

[0039] In some embodiments of the present application, the material picking mechanism includes a robotic arm and a clamping mechanism installed on the end shaft of the robotic arm, and the clamping mechanism is used to pick up the cutter disc.

[0040] In some embodiments of the present application, the clamping mechanism includes a driving part and at least two clamping parts, and a connecting part connected to the robotic arm is fixedly installed on the top of the driving part, wherein a clamping claw extension is also fixed on the clamping part, and a camera and a position detection element are also fixedly installed on the front side of the driving part through a bracket.

[0041] In addition, the present application also discloses a PCB processing system, including the above-mentioned automatic cutter head replacement device and drilling machine.

[0042] In addition, the present application also discloses a method for automatically replacing a cutter disc, using the above-mentioned PCB processing system, the method comprising the following steps:

[0043] Step 1: Control the mobile device to move to the cutterhead replacement position of the corresponding drilling rig;

[0044] Step 2: After the moving device is in place, the lifting mechanism lifts the material frame mechanism in the first direction until the required layer moves to the position where it docks with the translation mechanism;

[0045] Step 3: The translation mechanism pulls the layer plate in the relative material frame mechanism out along the second direction so that the layer plate is above the carrier;

[0046] Step 4: The reclaiming mechanism moves between the layer plate and the drilling rig to load the drilling rig cutter head;

[0047] Step 5: The lifting mechanism moves the material frame mechanism along the first direction to another layer full of new cutter discs and docks it with the relative translation mechanism. Repeat the above steps to replace all the cutter discs required by the drilling rig;

[0048] Step 6: The mobile device moves to the next drilling rig and repeats the above steps.

[0049] In some embodiments of the present application, step 4 includes:

[0050] Step 41: The retrieving mechanism moves to the position of the old cutterhead on the drilling rig, grabs the old cutterhead, and then returns to place the old cutterhead on the temporary storage position of the cutterhead on the translation mechanism;

[0051] Step 42: The retrieving mechanism grabs the new cutter disc on the shelf and places the new cutter disc on the old cutter disc. The retrieving mechanism then grabs the old cutter disc on the temporary storage position and returns to place the old cutter disc on the vacant position on the shelf.

[0052] Step 43: Repeat the above steps until all new cutter discs on the shelf are removed and replaced with old ones.

[0053] The present application proposes an automatic cutter disc replacement device, method and PCB processing system, which have the following beneficial effects: the cutter disc replacement device adopts a fully automated system, which reduces labor cost expenditure, and solves the problems of low labor efficiency, long equipment downtime, and easy scratches and bumps during transportation. Secondly, the robotic arm, lifting mechanism and translation mechanism can work independently at the same time, improving material replacement efficiency and space utilization. For old equipment, the subsequent modification cost is high and the modification is difficult. The material replacement device has flexible configuration and diverse methods, which greatly improves the company's production efficiency and operation convenience.

[0054] According to another aspect of the present application, a cutter head replacement device is provided, comprising:

[0055] A workbench, on which is provided at least one cutter disc placement area for placing a cutter disc; the workbench is configured to place a PCB and to drive the cutter disc to move in a first direction;

[0056] A lifting mechanism is configured to drive the cutter disc to move in a second direction, and is used for connecting and separating the cutter disc placement area and the cutter disc.

[0057] In some embodiments of the present application, the ejecting mechanism includes a driving member and a lifting structure, and the lifting structure is driven by the driving member to drive the cutter disc to move in the second direction.

[0058] In some embodiments of the present application, a locating pin cone is provided on the jacking structure, and the locating pin cone is configured to cooperate with a groove on the cutter disc, thereby fixing the cutter disc.

[0059] In some embodiments of the present application, the driving member is a lifting and rotating device, and the lifting structure is used to drive the cutter disc to move in the second direction under the drive of the lifting and rotating device and then fix the cutter disc by rotation.

[0060] In some embodiments of the present application, an electromagnet is provided on the lifting structure, and the electromagnet is constructed to include at least a power-on state and a power-off state; in the power-on state, the electromagnet is connected to the cutter disc to fix the cutter disc; in the power-off state, the electromagnet is separated from the cutter disc.

[0061] In some embodiments of the present application, the ejecting mechanism is constructed to be movable along a third direction, and is used to sequentially dock with a plurality of the cutter discs to achieve replacement of the cutter discs.

[0062] In some embodiments of the present application, a moving device is further included, and the moving device is configured to drive the ejecting mechanism to move along the first direction.

[0063] In some embodiments of the present application, at least one cutter disc is provided on each cutter disc placement area; the ejecting mechanism is configured to move along a third direction to connect and disconnect the cutter discs within the cutter disc placement area from the cutter disc placement area. In some embodiments of the present application, platform locating pins are provided on the workbench, configured to provide positioning for the cutter disc when it is transferred on the workbench.

[0064] In some embodiments of the present application, a locking mechanism is provided at the bottom of the workbench, and the locking mechanism is configured to fix the cutter disc on the workbench.

[0065] In some embodiments of the present application, the driving member is installed below the cutter head, or the driving member is installed on the workbench.

[0066] One beneficial effect of the present application is that the cutter disc replacement device of the present application realizes automatic replacement of the cutter disc through the cooperation between the lifting mechanism and the workbench, thereby improving the replacement efficiency of the cutter disc replacement device.

[0067] The ejector mechanism can be designed to move along the third direction, enabling rapid replacement of multiple cutterheads, realizing semi-automatic and fully automatic cutterhead structures, and efficiently connecting with manual or AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) operations, providing a flexible timeline for the deployment of workshop personnel and machinery.

[0068] The ejecting mechanism is staggered and avoids gaps, and the structure makes reasonable use of the avoidance space to reduce the size of the equipment;

[0069] The cutter disc replacement device provides movement in the first direction. When the workbench is in the loading position, it moves to the cutter disc replacement position and lifts up to replace the cutter disc.

[0070] The cutter disc, cutter disc replacement device and workbench are respectively equipped with positioning devices for positioning between the workbench, the ejection mechanism and the cutter disc, and for positioning between the positioning pin and the pin hole to ensure the precision of the machining spindle.

[0071] Still other aspects will become apparent upon reading and understanding the accompanying drawings and detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0072] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the application.

[0073] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a circuit board processing device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0074] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a circuit board processing device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0075] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a circuit board processing device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0076] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a circuit board processing device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0077] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a circuit board processing device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0078] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a circuit board processing device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0079] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a circuit board processing device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0080] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a host computer provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0081] FIG9 is a partial structural diagram of a circuit board processing device provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0082] FIG10 is a partial flow diagram of a tool changing method provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0083] FIG11 is a partial flow diagram of a tool changing method provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0084] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a partial flow chart of a tool changing method provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0085] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the present application;

[0086] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a lifting mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0087] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a material frame mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0088] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of a layer plate structure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0089] FIG17 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a translation mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0090] FIG18 is a schematic structural diagram of a clamping mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0091] FIG19 is an action flow chart of an embodiment of the present application;

[0092] FIG20 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the present application;

[0093] FIG21 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the present application

[0094] FIG22 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the present application;

[0095] FIG23 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the present application;

[0096] FIG24 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a large gear according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0097] FIG25 is a schematic diagram of a pinion structure according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0098] FIG26 is a layout diagram of the device and the drilling machine according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0099] FIG27 is an action flow chart of an embodiment of the present application;

[0100] FIG28 is a layout diagram of the device and the drilling machine according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0101] FIG29 is an action flow chart of an embodiment of the present application;

[0102] FIG30 is a layout diagram of the device and the drilling machine according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0103] FIG31 is an action flow chart of an embodiment of the present application;

[0104] FIG32 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a cutter head replacement device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0105] FIG33 is a second schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the cutter head replacement device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0106] FIG34 is a diagram showing the cooperation between the ejecting mechanism and the cutter disc according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0107] FIG35 is a second diagram showing the cooperation between the ejecting mechanism and the cutter disc according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0108] FIG36 is a third schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the cutter head replacement device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0109] Figure 37 is a structural diagram of a workbench according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0110] Implementation Methods of the Application

[0111] Various exemplary embodiments of the present application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangements of components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application.

[0112] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or uses.

[0113] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0114] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters refer to like items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0115] The specific implementation of this application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0116] In this document, “upper”, “lower”, “front”, “back”, “left”, “right”, etc. are only used to indicate the relative position relationship between related parts, rather than to limit the absolute positions of these related parts.

[0117] In this article, "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish each other, and do not indicate the importance and order, or the prerequisite for each other's existence.

[0118] In this article, "equal", "same", "vertical", "collinear", "same side", etc. are not strict limitations in the mathematical and / or geometric sense, but also include errors that can be understood by those skilled in the art and allowed in manufacturing or use.

[0119] As PCB production becomes increasingly automated and unmanned, tool automation in PCB processing equipment is becoming increasingly important. Current mainstream tool management methods rely on universal tool cassettes or tool matching by material number, both of which are currently inadequate for the current demands of automated PCB production. Universal tool cassettes can be replaced with either a full-size cassette or a single-blade cassette. Single-blade replacement primarily utilizes an AGV coupled with a robotic arm to handle individual blades. However, the AGV's poor positioning accuracy prevents tool placement within the cassette. Full-size cassette replacement allows for precise tool management by enabling traceability of each blade within the cassette (via QR code tracking, cassette location tracking, or RFID tags embedded within the cassette). After tool removal, tool room management maximizes tool life by tracking tool diameter and life. However, this introduces redundant tool information, requiring both tool diameter and life classification, making storage difficult in the cassette and further reducing sorting and tool matching efficiency. Furthermore, due to the complex nature of the material being processed, the cassette capacity required for universal tool matching is relatively large. The existing drilling rigs, which operate in a non-stop mode with two tool cassettes running alternately, cannot meet the capacity requirements for universal tool cassettes. While the material number arrangement reduces the number of tool types and improves tool room efficiency to a certain extent, it still cannot solve the problems of complex tool information management and wasted tool life in the drilling room.

[0120] In order to efficiently replace cutting tools and reduce tool life waste, the present application provides a circuit board processing equipment, comprising: a workbench, the workbench is provided with at least one processing station, the processing station is provided with a first area and a second area adjacent to each other; a first tool box and a second tool box, the first tool box storing a first cutting tool and the second tool box storing a second cutting tool are both provided in the first area; when the first tool box is used to process a circuit board, the second tool box is used to replace the cutting tool box externally; when the first tool box is used to replace the cutting tool box externally, the second tool box is used to process the circuit board; a shared tool box, the shared tool box storing a shared cutting tool is provided in the second area; the shared cutting tool and the first tool or the second tool contain all types of cutting tools for processing the circuit board. This circuit board processing equipment can realize fully automatic tool replacement, reduce the problem of tool life waste, save costs, and improve the efficiency of workshop automation production.

[0121] As shown in Figure 8, the present application provides a workshop automation management system, including: a host computer 500, a warehouse management system 300, a self-moving tool changing device 200, and a circuit board processing device 100. Under the control of the scheduling control system of the host computer 500, the circuit board processing device 100 processes the circuit board fully automatically and realizes automatic loading and unloading. The warehouse management system 300 schedules and manages cutting tools, processes cutting tools, loads and unloads tool boxes, and outputs new tool boxes or cutting tools to the circuit board processing equipment 100, and receives old tool boxes replaced by the circuit board processing equipment 100. The self-moving tool changing device 200 serves as a carrier for the tool box, and under the control of the scheduling control system of the host computer 500, it realizes the transfer of tool boxes between the circuit board processing equipment 100 and the warehouse management system 300. In this way, multiple circuit board processing equipment 100 can realize fully automatic tool replacement.

[0122] In Figure 8, the host computer 500 scheduling control system of the present application manages and controls the circuit board processing equipment 100, the self-moving tool changing equipment 200 and the warehouse management system 300. The circuit board processing equipment 100 clamps the tool in the tool box to process the circuit board, and the tool needs to be replaced regularly. In some embodiments, the self-moving tool changing equipment 200 includes a material box and a robotic arm, and the circuit board processing equipment 100 includes a cache device. When there is no replaceable new tool in the tool box on the workbench of the circuit board processing equipment 100, the tool box needs to be replaced as a whole. The workbench of the circuit board processing equipment 100 unloads the old tool box to the cache device, the robotic arm of the self-moving tool changing equipment 200 picks up the old tool box from the cache device and transfers it to the material box, and picks up the new tool box from the material box to the cache device. The circuit board processing equipment 100 loads the new tool box on the cache device onto the workbench, thus completing the process of automatic tool box change. The host computer 500 control system acts as a central control system, controlling the information exchange between the circuit board processing equipment 100 and the self-moving tool changer 200. The circuit board processing equipment 100 sends a request to the host computer 500 control system to replace the tool cartridge. The host computer 500 control system then calls the self-moving tool changer 200, which loads a material box containing a new tool cartridge from the workstation of the warehouse management system 300 and moves toward the circuit board processing equipment 100. When the self-moving tool changer 200 accurately locates the processing station of the circuit board processing equipment 100 through identification marks and / or a visual positioning system, it prepares and begins the process of replacing the tool cartridge. During the tool change process, the host computer 500 dispatches the control system to receive and send information and instructions to the circuit board processing equipment 100 and the self-moving tool changer 200, and controls the circuit board processing equipment 100 and the self-moving tool changer 200 to perform the task of replacing the tool cartridge. In the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, the host computer 500 is a terminal control computer system of a circuit board processing workshop, which manages the workshop's warehouse management system 300, multiple circuit board processing equipment 100 and multiple self-moving tool changing equipment 200.

[0123] As shown in FIG7 , the circuit board processing equipment 100 of the present application includes a base 40, a crossbeam 30, a spindle assembly 20, a workbench 10, etc. The workbench 10 is arranged on the base 40, and the crossbeam 30 is mounted above the workbench 10. At least one spindle assembly 20 is slidably connected to the crossbeam 30, and at least one spindle assembly 20 moves along the crossbeam 30 in a first direction. Each spindle assembly 20 includes at least one spindle 21, and each spindle 21 clamps a tool at its bottom end. The workbench 10 is on the base 40 and moves in a second direction. At least one processing station 11 is provided on the workbench 10, and each processing station 11 places a circuit board. Each spindle assembly 20 corresponds to a circuit board on each processing station 11. The spindle 21 clamps the tool and moves along a third direction to add the corresponding circuit board. The first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are perpendicular to each other. In the context of the present application, the circuit board processing equipment 100 can be implemented as a drilling device, a forming device, a gong machine, a drilling and gonging integrated device, etc., without limitation. In the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, the number of spindle assemblies 20 of the circuit board processing equipment 100 can be one, two, three, four, five, six, ten, twelve, etc., and the number of spindles 21 included in each spindle assembly can be one, two, three, etc., without limitation.

[0124] In the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, circuit board processing equipment includes a workbench, which is provided with at least one processing station, and each processing station is placed on a circuit board. Circuit boards come in different types, and their materials, sizes, thicknesses, softness and hardness vary, and the physical properties of different types of circuit boards vary greatly. However, these circuit boards are all fixed to the workbench, and a high-speed moving spindle assembly clamps the tool to process the circuit board. There are various ways to fix the circuit board to the workbench, including but not limited to: air clamps, bakelite boards, adsorption devices, etc. These fixing methods can achieve stable and reliable fixing of the circuit board to the workbench, so that the high-speed moving tool does not move when processing the circuit board.

[0125] As shown in Figures 1 to 7, in the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, a circuit board processing device 100 includes a workbench 10, on which at least one processing station 11 is provided. The processing station 11 is provided with a first area 111 and a second area 112 adjacent to each other; a first tool box 1111 and a second tool box 1112, wherein the first tool box 1111 for storing a first tool and the second tool box 1112 for storing a second tool are both provided in the first area 111; when the first tool box 1111 is used for processing a circuit board, the second tool box 1112 is used for external tool replacement; when the first tool box 1111 is used for external tool replacement, the second tool box 1112 is used for processing the circuit board; a shared tool box 1121 for storing shared tools is provided in the second area 112; the shared tool 1121 and the first tool 1111 or the second tool 1112 contain at least all types of tools for processing the circuit board. The tools in these tool boxes are used by the spindle 21 to process the circuit board, and the tool boxes are replaced after their service life expires.

[0126] In the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, the first area 111 includes at least two knife boxes, which can be interchanged. To facilitate quick and efficient knife box replacement, the first area 111 can be equipped with a third knife box, a fourth knife box, and so on. The number of knife boxes in the first area is not strictly limited and can be freely configured according to actual knife box replacement needs. The first knife box 1111 and the second knife box 1112 are merely exemplary. Similarly, in the second area 112, there is no limit on the number of shared knife boxes 1121; there can be one, two, or three shared knife boxes 1121, etc., without strict limitation. In the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, the shared knife box 1121, the first knife box 1111, and the second knife box 1112 are all carriers for storing knives. The shared knife box 1121, the first knife box 1111, and the second knife box 1112 each contain 50 to 500 identical knife storage locations for each knife. Each knife storage location can only store one knife. The knife storage location structure of the three knife boxes is identical, but the number of knife storage locations, the type of knife, and the number of knife boxes may vary. In some embodiments, a predetermined number of cutting tools are directly stored in the shared cutting tool box 1121, the first cutting tool box 1111, and the second cutting tool box 1112. For example, the shared cutting tool box 1121 has 400 cutting tool storage locations, storing 350 or 400 cutting tools. The first cutting tool box 1111 and the second cutting tool box 1112 have the same number of cutting tool storage locations, each storing the same number of cutting tools. The first cutting tool box 1111 and the second cutting tool box 1112 have 300 cutting tool storage locations, storing 299 or 300 first cutting tools and 299 or 300 second cutting tools, respectively. This is not a strict limitation. As shown in FIG6 , in some other embodiments, the shared knife box 1121, the first knife box 1111, and the second knife box 1112 all include sub-knife boxes 12, each of which includes the same number of knife storage positions 121. For example, the shared knife box 1121 includes 8 sub-knife boxes 12, each of which includes 50 knife storage positions 121. The first knife box 1111 and the second knife box 1112 both include 6 sub-knife boxes 12, each of which also includes 50 knife storage positions 121. In some other optional embodiments, the shared knife box 1121 includes 500 knife storage positions 121, and the first knife box 1111 and the second knife box 1112 each include 200 knife storage positions 121. In the above-mentioned embodiments, each knife box and sub-knife box has a rectangular arrangement structure. The rational arrangement of the structure and layout of the knife boxes helps save space on the workbench, improves the efficiency of knife box replacement, and reduces costs.

[0127] In some embodiments of the present application, the circuit board processing equipment further includes a buffer device. At least two buffer devices are disposed on the front baffle outside the workbench. The buffer device, the first area, and the second area are located on the same side of the workbench. Each buffer device corresponds to a replaceable tool cartridge, and the position of the buffer device aligns with the position of the replaceable tool cartridge on the workbench. The buffer device is used to buffer new and old tool cartridges between the circuit board processing equipment and the self-propelled tool changer, serving as a temporary transfer. For the circuit board processing equipment, tool cartridges can be replaced without stopping the machine. For the self-propelled tool changer, exchanging tool cartridges with the buffer device does not affect the operation of the circuit board processing equipment. The buffer device is fixed to the outside of the front baffle of the circuit board processing equipment and includes a base frame, a lifting assembly, and a buffer frame. The base frame and buffer frame are fixed to the front baffle. The lifting assembly extends from the base frame to the buffer frame, passing through the buffer frame. When the lifting assembly rises, it passes through the buffer frame and supports the tool cartridge above the buffer frame. When the lifting assembly descends, the tool cartridge follows the lowering until the buffer frame lifts the tool cartridge. The cache rack is used to cache old and new tool boxes. It can cache old tool boxes unloaded from circuit board processing equipment, and can also cache new tool boxes picked up from self-moving tool changing equipment.

[0128] In some other embodiments of the present application, a buffer device is not required on the front baffle on the outside of the circuit board processing equipment. When the workbench carrying the tool box moves to the tool changing position, the self-moving tool changing equipment moves to each processing station one by one; when unloading the tool box, the robotic arm directly grabs the tool box that needs to be replaced on the workbench and transfers it to the material box; when loading the tool box, the robotic arm transfers the new tool box from the material box to the workbench. In this way, the self-moving tool changing equipment and the circuit board processing equipment can directly and automatically replace the tool box. In this embodiment, the buffer device is omitted, and the robotic arm of the self-moving tool changing equipment directly picks up or unloads the tool box from the processing station.

[0129] In the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, the circuit board processing equipment can replace the tool in the following manner. As shown in Figure 7 and Figure 1, the spindle 21 can replace the tool through the transfer of the manipulator 22 and the tool holder 113. Specifically, a tool box and a tool holder 113 are set on the workbench, and the spindle assembly 20 includes a manipulator 22. The spindle assembly 20 and the workbench 10 move relative to each other. When a certain spindle 21 is aligned with the tool holder 113, the spindle 21 unloads the old tool to the tool holder 113, and the spindle assembly 20 moves relative to the workbench 10 again. The manipulator 22 is aligned with the tool holder 113, and the manipulator 22 clamps the old tool and moves relatively to the top of the tool box to unload the old tool into the tool box. The spindle assembly 20 then moves relative to the workbench 10, and the manipulator 22 moves to align with the new tool. The manipulator 22 picks up the new tool and moves relative to the tool holder 113, where it unloads the new tool into the tool holder. The spindle assembly 20 then moves relative to the workbench 10, and the spindle 21 moves above the tool holder, where it picks up and loads the new tool into the tool holder 113. This completes the process of replacing the same type of tool.

[0130] In the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, a self-propelled tool changer 200 comprises a moving chassis, a material bin, and a manipulator. The material bin contains multiple storage locations for tool cartridges. The manipulator is used to remove tool cartridges from the material bin and transfer them to a workbench, or to pick up tool cartridges from a workbench or buffer and transfer them to the material bin. The moving chassis carries the material bin and manipulator in motion. Under the control of a host computer's scheduling and control system, the self-propelled tool changer moves to a workstation in the warehouse management system, receives a material bin from the workstation, and then moves the material bin toward the circuit board processing equipment, aligning it with a processing station on the workbench. The manipulator then replaces the tool cartridge at that processing station. After replacing the tool cartridge at one processing station, the self-propelled tool changer replaces the tool cartridges at the other processing stations in the circuit board processing equipment one by one. After replacing all the tool cartridges in the material bin, the self-propelled tool changer carries the material bin back to the workstation in the warehouse management system and unloads the old material bin into the warehouse management system. Under the control of the host computer's scheduling and control system, the self-propelled tool changer receives control commands for replacing other tool cartridges and performs other tasks. In the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, the moving chassis is a self-moving guided vehicle or an AGV cart. The moving chassis carries the material box and moves along a predetermined trajectory, transferring the material box between the workstation of the warehouse management system and the circuit board processing equipment to realize fully automatic replacement of the tool box.

[0131] In the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, no matter it is a shared tool, a first tool or a second tool, each tool has a predetermined lifespan. According to the process requirements of the tool processing, a reasonable tool lifespan is set. The lifespan here can be understood as the maximum workload completed by the tool. After the tool reaches the workload limit, the processed circuit board does not meet the process requirements. Therefore, a predetermined value of the tool lifespan is set. After the lifespan is exceeded, the tool can no longer be used. In different application scenarios, the parameters of the tool lifespan may be different. For example, in the drilling process, if the tool lifespan is specified as 3000 holes, it means that the maximum workload of the tool is to process 3000 holes. In the molding equipment, if the tool movement stroke is 1000 meters, it means that the maximum workload of the tool is 1000 meters. After exceeding the above lifespan, the tool needs to be replaced.

[0132] As shown in Figure 9, to manage the lifespan of each tool, the circuit board processing equipment also includes a tool management module. The tool management module collects data information about the first object parameter for processing the circuit board, calculates tool requirement information, and transmits the tool parameter information to a host computer. The host computer then transmits the tool requirement information to a warehouse management system based on the tool parameter information. The warehouse management system configures the predetermined tools based on the tool requirement information of the circuit board processing equipment and, under the control of the host computer scheduling control system, transports the tools to the circuit board processing equipment via a self-propelled tool changing device. During the continuous processing of circuit boards, tool life often expires. Therefore, it is necessary to equip a reasonable number and variety of tools to reduce the number of times the tool box needs to be replaced. In the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, the first object parameter is a computer program for processing circuit boards. The first object parameter is different for processing different types of circuit boards, but the first object parameter is the same for processing the same type of circuit boards. The first object parameter is preset in the circuit board processing equipment and includes tool parameters, circuit board parameters, tool motion trajectories and rules, etc. The first object parameter is a collection of multiple data information.

[0133] In the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, each circuit board processing device 100 includes a workbench 10, on which is disposed at least one processing station 11. Each processing station 11 is provided with a processing area 114, a first area 111, a second area 112, a tool holder 113, a tool detection assembly 116, etc. The processing area 114 is used to place circuit boards. The first area 111, the second area 112, the tool holder 113, the tool detection assembly 116, etc. are disposed on the side of the processing area 114 near the safety door of the circuit board processing device (also referred to as the operating side or the front side). Therefore, the first area 111, the second area 112, and the tool holder 113 of the processing station 11 are located on the same side of the circuit board, and to save space on the workbench 10, the first area 111, the second area 112, and the tool holder 113 are disposed adjacent to each other, resulting in a compact layout.

[0134] As shown in Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5, the layout of the first area 111 and the second area 112 can be a variety of structures, which can be reasonably arranged according to the actual size of the knife box to improve the space utilization of the workbench 10. In Figure 2, the knife seat 113 and the second area 112 are located on the same side of the first area 111. In Figure 3, the knife seat 113 and the second area 112 are also located on the same side of the first area 111, but the common knife box in the second area is arranged in the same direction as the first knife box and the second knife box. In the case where the common knife box is replaceable, this layout is conducive to the self-moving tool changing equipment to pick up and replace the knife boxes in the same direction. In Figure 4, the common knife box is located between the first knife box and the second knife box. When the common knife box is fixedly set on the workbench, the first knife box and the second knife box are not adjacent, and there is enough circumferential space to replace the first knife box or the second knife box externally. In Figure 5, the first area 111 and the second area 112 are arranged along the second direction, the shared tool box 1121 and the first and second tool holders 1131 and 1132 are arranged along the first direction between the first area 111 and the processing area 114, and the first and second tool boxes 1111 and 1112 of the first area 111 are arranged outside the second area 112. This layout structure helps to reduce the size of each processing station 11 in the first direction, especially for processing stations with dual spindles. Reducing the size in the first direction and increasing the size in the second direction can accommodate two sets of tool boxes corresponding to the two spindles in one processing station 11, so that each shared tool box, first tool box, and second tool box corresponds to one spindle. The structure of the processing station 11 in Figure 5 has higher workbench space utilization and a more reasonable layout.

[0135] As one of the optional embodiments of the present application, as shown in Figure 2, in the first area 111, the first blade box 1111 and the second blade box 1112 are arranged along a first direction; the short side of the shared blade box 1121 is arranged along a second direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction. A blade holder 113 is provided on the workbench 10 adjacent to the second area 112, and the blade holder 113 and the shared blade box 1121 are located on the same side of the first area 111. At least one pin slot 115 is provided on the processing station 11, and within the plane of the workbench 10, the extended lines of the shared blade box 1121 and the pin slot 115 do not intersect. The shared tool holder is set at a special position on the processing station and is reasonably arranged with the tool holder and the second area. While providing the capacity of the shared tool box, it can also improve the space utilization of the workbench. At the same time, the position of the tool holder is reasonably arranged so that the tool holder is approximately the same distance from the shared tool box and the first tool box, reducing the relative motion stroke of the spindle and the manipulator, and improving the efficiency of the spindle assembly in replacing the tool. In addition, the extension line of the shared tool box and the pin slot do not intersect, which can avoid interference or potential collision between the shared tool in the shared tool box and the pins on the circuit board, especially during front loading.

[0136] As shown in FIG6 , in the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, the first knife box 1111, the second knife box 1112, and the shared knife box 1121 contain multiple identical tool storage locations 121. Each tool storage location 121 can store only one tool. The tool storage locations 121 in the three knife boxes are structurally identical, but may differ in the number of tool storage locations, type, and quantity of tools. It should be noted that the shared knife box 1121 stores shared tools, meaning that the multiple tool storage locations within the shared knife box store at least one tool of one type, with at least one tool of each type. These tools of different types, whether the same or different in number, are collectively referred to as shared tools. Similarly, the first knife box 1111 stores a first tool, meaning that the multiple tool storage locations within the first knife box store at least one tool of one type. These tools of different types, whether the same or different in number, are collectively referred to as first tools. Similarly, the second knife box 1112 stores a first tool, meaning that the multiple tool storage locations within the second knife box store at least one tool of one type. These tools of different types, whether the same or different in number, are collectively referred to as second tools. The first tool, the second tool and the shared tool are only distinguished according to the tool box, and are a general term for the tools in the tool box, and are not strictly limited here.

[0137] In the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, the first blade box 1111 and the second blade box 1112 have different uses and working states. They are used alternately for processing circuit boards or for external blade box replacement. Specifically, when the first blade box is used for processing circuit boards, the second blade box is used for external blade box replacement; when the first blade box is used for external blade box replacement, the second blade box is used for processing the circuit boards.

[0138] In some embodiments of the present application, the spindle assembly 20 picks up a tool from either the first tool box 1111 or the shared tool box 1121 to process a circuit board, while the second tool box 1112 is used to replenish the number of tools in the first tool box. Therefore, while the first tool box is processing the circuit board, the second tool box is used to replace the tool box. In this case, the first and second tool boxes are identical, and the first tools in the first tool box and the second tools in the second tool box can be identical in number and type. During circuit board processing, regardless of whether the shared tool box requires tool replacement or the status of tool replacement in the shared tool box, the first and second tool boxes alternate. When the tools in the first tool box are exhausted and the second tool box is ready, the tool box switches to the second tool box and processes the circuit board using the tools in the second tool box. At this point, the first tool box enters the external tool replacement state. During tool replacement by the first or second tool box using the self-propelled tool changer, the time spent on external tool replacement is less than the time spent by the first or second tool box processing the circuit board. Therefore, before the tools in the first or second tool box are exhausted, the other tool box has completed the external tool replacement and is in the ready state. The first and second knife boxes are processed and replaced alternately in this way, so that the circuit board processing equipment can be replaced with knife boxes without stopping. Even if the knife boxes are replaced when processing the same circuit board, the processing efficiency will not be affected.

[0139] In another embodiment of the present application, the spindle assembly 20 picks up a tool from either the first tool box 1111 or the shared tool box 1121 to process a single circuit board, while the second tool box 1112 is used to process another type of circuit board. Circuit boards are processed continuously. When switching to processing a different type of circuit board, the first object parameters for processing the circuit board change accordingly, and the required tool also changes. Of course, tools must be prepared in advance to avoid wasting time retrieving tools from the warehouse management system when switching circuit boards. Therefore, when processing the last circuit board of a first type (batch), the required tool type and quantity are determined based on the second object parameters of the sequentially arranged second type (batch) of circuit boards. The type and quantity of the second tool are then allocated, and the second tool required for the second type of circuit board is transferred to the workbench via the self-propelled tool changing device via the second tool box. At this point, the second tool in the second tool box is compared to the first tool in the first tool box, and at least one of the first and second tools differs. In this application scenario, when the first tool box is used to process circuit boards, the second tool box is used to replace the tool box externally; when the first tool box is used to replace the tool box externally, the second tool box is used to process the circuit board. Similarly, while the first or second knife box is being used to change cutters via the self-propelled tool changing device, the time spent on external tool changes is less than the time spent processing the circuit board. Therefore, before the cutters in the first or second knife box are exhausted, the other knife box has already completed external tool changes and is ready. By alternating between these two knife boxes for external tool changes, the circuit board processing equipment can be changed without stopping, and processing efficiency is not affected even when switching between different types (batches) of circuit boards.

[0140] In the above and below embodiments of this aspect, the shared tool and the first tool or the second tool at least include all types of tools for processing the circuit board. The shared tool and the first tool, the shared tool and the second tool all include multiple types of tools required for processing the corresponding circuit board. Specifically, before processing each circuit board, the tool management module obtains the types of all tools based on the first object parameter corresponding to the circuit board, calculates the number of each tool, and reasonably arranges the predetermined types of tools and the predetermined number of each tool in the shared tool and the first tool or the second tool. In some embodiments of the present application, the following Table 1 and Table 2 illustrate the types and quantities of the first tool, the second tool and the shared tool. In the following Table 1 and Table 2, Φ1, Φ2, Φ3...Φ20 illustrate 20 types of tools. The types of these 20 tools are different. The different types specifically include different tool diameters, different lifespans, different lengths, different weights, different markings, etc. Each tool is configured with a predetermined number. In the same type of PCB processing, as shown in Table 1, the first and second tool boxes both contain 100 Φ1 tools and 200 Φ2 tools, which are referred to as first tools or second tools. The shared tools include 40 Φ5 tools, 25 Φ6 tools, 30 Φ7 tools, and so on, 20 Φ20 tools. In different types of PCB processing, as shown in Table 2, the first tool box contains 100 Φ1 tools and 200 Φ2 tools, which are referred to as first tools. The second tool box contains 150 Φ3 tools and 150 Φ4 tools, which are referred to as second tools. The shared tools include 40 Φ5 tools, 25 Φ6 tools, 30 Φ7 tools, and so on, 20 Φ20 tools. When processing the same type of circuit board, as shown in Table 1, this type of circuit board requires five cutting tools: Φ1, Φ2, Φ5, Φ9, and Φ17. These five cutting tools are assigned to the shared tool box and either the first or second tool box. The shared tool box actually also contains 13 other shared cutting tools, Φ6, Φ7, Φ8, ..., Φ20. When processing different types of circuit boards, as shown in Table 2, the first type of circuit board requires three cutting tools: Φ1, Φ2, and Φ6. These three cutting tools are assigned to the shared tool box and the first tool box, respectively. The second type of circuit board requires Φ3, Φ4, and Φ18. These three cutting tools are assigned to the shared tool box and the second tool box, respectively. The shared tool box actually also contains 14 other shared cutting tools, Φ5, Φ7, Φ8, ..., Φ20. In other words, when processing a particular circuit board, the shared tool box and the first tool box, or the shared tool box and the second tool box, at least contain all the cutting tools required to process the corresponding circuit board. Therefore, when processing circuit boards, the number of types of shared tools in the shared tool box is greater than the number of types of first tools in the first tool box or the number of types of second tools in the second tool box; there are 16 types of shared tools, Φ5, Φ6...Φ20, which are more than the 4 types of tools in the first tool or the second tool, Φ1, Φ2, Φ3, Φ4.The number of each type of shared cutting tool in the shared cutting tool box is less than the number of each type of first cutting tool in the first cutting tool box or the number of each type of second cutting tool in the second cutting tool box. In Tables 1 and 2 below, the number of each type of shared cutting tool is 45, 25, 30, 20, etc., which are all less than the number of each type of first cutting tool or second cutting tool: 100, 150, 200.

[0141] Table 1:

[0142] Table 2:

[0143] In the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, the shared tool box 1121 is pre-installed on the workbench 10. The shared tool box 1121 contains most of the types of tools required by the entire circuit board processing equipment workshop. In actual applications, the types of tools required by the entire workshop in one month are pre-counted. These tool types are obtained by enumerating the types of tools required for each circuit board processing, and then obtaining a collection of multiple tool types to obtain the total number of common tools and the first or second tool types. Specifically, processing the first type of circuit board requires a total of five types of tools: Φ1, Φ2, Φ5, Φ9, and Φ17; processing the second type of circuit board requires a total of three types of tools: Φ3, ​​Φ4, and Φ18; processing the third type of circuit board requires a total of three types of tools: Φ1, Φ2, and Φ6... According to this enumeration method, the total number of tool types required for processing 50 types of circuit boards in the entire workshop in one month is obtained: Φ1, Φ2, Φ3... Φ20 represents 20 types of tools.

[0144] In the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, the knives have different types and quantities, etc. The circuit board processing equipment processes each circuit board according to the first object parameter. The tool management module configures the following parameters according to the number of circuit boards in the first object parameter, the type of tool and workload required to process a single circuit board, and the life parameters of the shared tool, the first tool or the second tool: (1) the type and quantity of shared tools in the shared tool box; (2) the type and quantity of the first tool in the first tool box; (3) the type and quantity of the second tool in the second tool box. Each tool has a life span. If the life span exceeds the life span, the tool needs to be replaced and processing cannot continue. Ideally, each tool is replaced only when it reaches its life span. Therefore, the workload of the tool is calculated based on the maximum workload of the tool. The life span of tools of the same type is the same. In a circuit board processing workshop, or a single circuit board, or on a tool box, the product of the number of each tool and the life span of each tool can be used to obtain the workload of the tool. For example, if the number of tools Φ8 is 50 and the life span of tool Φ8 is 3,000 holes or 3,000 meters, the workload of tool Φ8 is 150,000 holes or 150,000 meters. As shown in Table 3 below, within a month, the entire workshop needed to process 50 types of circuit boards. These 50 types of circuit boards required 20 types of cutting tools, Φ1, Φ2, Φ3, ..., and Φ20, to process each of the 50 types of circuit boards. The total workload of each of the 20 types of cutting tools within the 50 types of circuit boards was calculated. The statistical method was as follows: the workload of each tool used in the 50 types of circuit boards was listed separately, and the workload of tools of the same type was added together to obtain the workload of each tool in the workshop within a month. The workload of each tool used in each circuit board can be obtained from the data in the corresponding object parameters. Multiplying this by the number of circuit boards yields the workload of the tools used for each type of circuit board. Expanding this to the 50 types of circuit boards within a month, the workload of the 20 types of cutting tools was added together by tool type. Finally, the workload of each tool used in the 50 types of circuit boards within a month was obtained. The workload was sorted in descending order, as shown in Table 3. During the processing of one of these circuit boards, the workload of each shared tool was less than the workload of each primary or secondary tool. Several tools with a large workload are designated as the first or second tools, for example, tools Φ1, Φ2, Φ3, and Φ4, and are stored in the first or second tool box. Several tools with a smaller workload are designated as shared tools, for example, Φ5, Φ6, Φ7, ..., and Φ20, and are stored in the shared tool box. The number of tools with a large workload could be one, two, three, ..., seven, eight, and so on, while the number of tools with a smaller workload could be ten, fifteen, twenty, and so on, without any specific restrictions.The actual division of shared tools and first or second tools according to tool workload is a floating process, and the division boundary is affected by many factors: (1) the total number of tool types, (2) the number of tools at the critical point, (3) the capacity of the shared tool box, (4) the number of each type of tool in each tool box, and (5) the number of tool or tool box changes. The division of shared tool boxes and first or second tool boxes is mainly to reduce the waste of shared tool life, reduce the number of tool changes, and improve tool change efficiency. In some embodiments, processing circuit boards requires five types of tools, namely Φ1, Φ2, Φ5, Φ9, and Φ17. The shared tools contain Φ5, Φ6, Φ7...Φ20, a total of 16 types of tools. The first or second tool box contains two types of tools, namely Φ1 and Φ2. Therefore, the shared tools and the first or second tools contain at least all types of tools for processing the circuit boards. Table 3 below shows a monthly statistics table of the number of tools in the workshop. The individual tools are arranged according to the workload to determine the division boundary between shared tools and first tools. Then, the number of individual tools is calculated separately based on the life of the individual tools. Combined with the number of tool storage slots in the shared tool box, the first tool box, and the second tool box, the number of shared tool boxes and the number of first tool boxes or second tool boxes are determined, and multiple first tool boxes and second tool boxes are replaced alternately. This ensures that tools with heavy workloads are constantly being replaced, while shared tools with light workloads are always set on the workbench and do not need to be replaced with the first tool box or the second tool box. This reduces waste of shared tools and allows shared tools to be replaced after their lifespan has expired, avoiding the need to replace shared tools along with the first tool or the second tool box before their lifespan has expired.

[0145] Table 3:

[0146] It should be noted here that the number of a single type of cutting tool in a single tool box needs to be determined in combination with the specific circuit board. When a circuit board requires five types of cutting tools to process, as shown in Table 1 above, for example, there are five types of cutting tools, namely Φ1, Φ2, Φ5, Φ9, and Φ17. According to the above-mentioned division of shared cutting tools, Φ5, Φ9, and Φ17 are shared cutting tools and are stored in a shared tool box. Φ1 and Φ2 are both the first cutting tools in the first tool box. The first tool box is exactly the same as the second tool box. The first tool box is the same as the second tool box. The second tool box also stores the same type and quantity of second cutting tools. The second tool box is used to replace the tool box after the first tool box is used up, that is, it is alternately used to process circuit boards or to replace tool boxes. The first tool box contains two types of cutting tools, Φ1 and Φ2. According to the workload of the two cutting tools in the current circuit board and the life of the two cutting tools, the number of the two tool boxes can be determined. For example, in some embodiments, during the continuous processing path of a current circuit board, the workload of two tools, Φ1 and Φ2, within a sub-circuit board is 60,000 and 120,000 holes, respectively, while the workload of shared tools Φ5, Φ9, and Φ17 is 100, 30, and 6,000 holes. Considering the lifespan of the five tools, which is 3,000 holes, the number of these five tools can be 20, 40, 1, 1, and 2. Since the circuit boards are processed continuously, the next sub-circuit board will also require the same five tools, Φ1, Φ2, Φ5, Φ9, and Φ17. Therefore, the number of first tools that can be configured in the first tool box is: 100 Φ1 tools and 200 Φ2 tools, totaling 300 tools. This first tool box can meet the first tool requirements for processing five sub-circuit boards. Only by configuring the shared tool box with at least one Φ5 tool, one Φ9 tool, and two Φ17 tools can the processing requirements be met. When the number of Φ5, Φ9, and Φ17 tools in the shared tool box is insufficient, a condition triggering the replacement of the shared tool is triggered, and the shared tool is replaced. However, the pre-configured second tool box is also configured with 100 Φ1s and 200 Φ2s. The second tool box is used to replace external tool boxes. After all the tools in the first tool box have used up their lifespan, the second tool box is used to process circuit boards. The first tool box is used to replace external tools. Therefore, in the above-mentioned process of processing circuit boards, the shared tools Φ5, Φ9, and Φ17 are pre-configured in the shared tool box. In the process of replacing the first tool box or the second tool box, the shared tools Φ5, Φ9, and Φ17 are not replaced. Not only are each first tool replaced after its lifespan is reached, but each shared tool Φ5, Φ9, and Φ17 is also replaced after its lifespan is reached. Therefore, the five tools Φ1, Φ2, Φ5, Φ9, and Φ17 are all fully utilized, and the lifespan of each tool is fully used, reducing the waste of shared tool lifespan and reducing costs.

[0147] In the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, the circuit board processing equipment includes a tool management module, which monitors and updates the life of the shared tool, the first tool or the second tool in real time. In the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, the life has two physical units of measurement, the number of drilling times (in holes) and the movement distance (in meters). In some embodiments of the present application, during the process of processing the circuit board, the CDB detection module is used to detect the number of times the spindle clamps the tool to drill along the third direction, thereby directly obtaining the number of times the current tool has been used. Each time the tool is used to drill a hole, it processes one hole, and the life is reduced by one. By subtracting the number of uses from the total drilling life of the current tool, the real-time remaining life of the current tool is directly obtained. In other embodiments of the present application, during the process of processing the circuit board, the CBD detection module is used to detect the time it takes for the spindle clamps the tool to drill the edge, and combined with the relative movement speed, the total distance the tool moves can be determined; each time the tool moves one meter, the life is reduced by one. By subtracting the distance already traveled from the total distance life of the current tool, the remaining distance life of the current tool is directly obtained. In either case, tool life can be measured in real time. This can be either the remaining life or the currently used life. Regardless of the dimension, once a tool reaches its preset life, it can no longer be used. When a compatible tool of the same type is available in the tool box, the tool replacement step is executed. If there are no available tools in the tool box, the tool change condition is triggered, and the automatic tool change or tool box change step is executed.

[0148] In some embodiments of the present application, as shown in Figures 1 to 7, a shared tool box 1121 is fixedly mounted on the workbench 10, and the shared tool box 1121 replaces the shared tool with the first tool box 1111 or the second tool box 1112. For the circuit board processing equipment 100, a shared tool box 1121 is pre-configured. As described above, the shared tool box stores all tools with a small workload within a predetermined period of one month. Regardless of the type of circuit board being processed, the corresponding shared tool can be found in the shared tool box 1121. The remaining tools with a large workload are allocated to the first tool box 1111 and the second tool box 1112, which are replaced alternately to ensure maximum tool life utilization and reduce turnover. For the shared tool box 1121, the shared tool box 1121 is fixedly mounted on the processing station 11 on the workbench 10, and a shared tool is pre-configured in the shared tool box 1121. When switching circuit boards, only the first tool box 1111 or the second tool box 1112 needs to be switched, without switching the shared tool box 1121. This ensures that the shared tools are used to their full potential, and each shared tool can be used for its entire life before being replaced, thereby increasing the life of the shared tools and reducing costs. In this embodiment, the shared tool box 1121 is fixedly mounted on the workbench 10, which means that the shared tool box 1121 is fixed to the processing station 11 of the workbench with a screw or other connecting piece. At this time, the shared tool box 1121 cannot be replaced, and the shared tool box 1121 becomes one of the structural components of the workbench 10.

[0149] When the shared tool box 1121 is fixedly set on the workbench 10, the shared tool box 1121 contains a variety of shared cutting tools, which are used to process different types of circuit boards. However, the capacity of the shared tool box is limited. Even if the shared tool box stores a lot of shared cutting tools, they will eventually run out of life. Therefore, how to replace the shared cutting tools? In this embodiment, the first tool box or the second tool box is used to replace the cutting tools in the shared tool box. Through the transfer of the first tool box or the second tool box, the shared tool box can be used to replace the cutting tools externally. Specifically, when the life of a certain type of cutting tool in the shared tool box is completely used up and the cutting tools need to be replaced, the shared cutting tools can be replaced by any of the following methods.

[0150] The first method for replacing a shared tool, the workbench 10 also includes a first tool holder 1131 and a second tool holder 1132, which control the unloading of the old shared tool to the first tool holder 1131, and control the transfer of the new shared tool to the second tool holder 1132 or the shared tool box 1121. In this method for replacing a shared tool, each processing station 11 needs to be equipped with two tool holders 113: a first tool holder 1131 and a second tool holder 1132. Usually, the first tool holder 1131 is used to cache the unloaded old tool, and the second tool holder 1132 is used to cache the loaded new tool, so as to avoid mutual contamination between the old and new tools on the same tool holder. In the process of replacing the old tool in the shared tool box 1121, under the control of the control system of the circuit board processing equipment 100, the following steps are included:

[0151] S11: When a shared tool box is out of tools, or when a tool needs to be replaced, the tool management module sends a request for a shared tool replacement to the host computer management system via the PCB processing equipment. The host computer then queries the inventory of tools in the warehouse management system and loads the required shared tools into the first or second tool box. The self-propelled tool changer loads the first or second tool box and transfers them to a processing station on the PCB processing equipment. The first or second tool box is then transferred to the processing station via a manipulator or buffer device. In this way, the shared tools of the type missing from the shared tool box are transferred to the processing station, and only the shared tools need to be transferred between the shared tool box and the first or second tool box.

[0152] S12: Controlling the unloading of the old shared tool to the first tool holder. The manipulator on the spindle assembly picks up the old tool from the shared tool box and unloads it to the first tool holder. Alternatively, the spindle assembly directly unloads the old shared tool to the first tool holder. When the new shared tool is transferred to the processing station, the first method is to first unload the old shared tool to the first tool holder to provide at least one tool storage position on the shared tool box for the new shared tool.

[0153] S13, control the new shared tool to be transferred to the second tool holder. The first tool box or the second tool box stores the required types of shared tools. The shared tools here can be one tool, five tools, or ten tools of two types, without limitation. Of course, in order to improve the efficiency of transportation, the first tool box must store the first tool, or the second tool box must store the second tool. Each tool box can be loaded with multiple tools at a time, which can save the number of times the tool box is replaced and improve the efficiency of automatic tool changing. Specifically, the manipulator on the spindle assembly picks up the shared tool in the first tool box or the second tool box and transfers it directly to the second tool holder. After the transfer through the second tool holder, the new shared tool is transferred to the shared tool box. Similarly, the old shared tool is transferred from the first tool holder to the first tool box or the second tool box. The replacement of a shared tool is completed as above, and it can be repeated multiple times. The task of replacing the shared tool can be completed through the first tool holder, the second tool holder, the first tool box or the second tool box.

[0154] In the first method of replacing shared tools, there is no order restriction for S12 and S13; either one can complete the task of replacing the shared tool. In this method, the shared tool box is not involved in the replacement; only the shared tool needs to be replaced. Using the first or second tool box to transport shared tools can reduce the difficulty of tool management in the warehouse management system, improve the efficiency of transporting tools from mobile devices to equipment, reduce costs, and save the cost of shared tool boxes. Each workshop only needs to be equipped with a small number of shared tool boxes, improving the transport efficiency of the entire workshop.

[0155] The second method for replacing a shared tool is that the workbench also includes a first tool holder 1131, which controls the unloading of the old shared tool to the first tool holder 1131, and controls the transfer of the new shared tool to the shared tool box. The same as S11 and S12 in the first method, both transfer the shared tool to the first tool box or the second tool box, and control the unloading of the old shared tool to the first tool holder. The difference is that only one tool holder is needed to complete the task of replacing the shared tool. Specifically, after unloading the old shared tool to the first tool holder, the new shared tool is directly transferred to the shared tool box during the process of loading the new shared tool; after the robot picks up the shared tool from the first tool box or the second tool box, it does not need to pass through the first tool holder and is directly transferred to the shared tool box. This method is simpler and more direct. In addition to the technical effects of the first method for replacing shared tools, it can also further improve the efficiency of replacing shared tools.

[0156] The third method for replacing a shared tool is that the workbench also includes a second tool holder 1132, which controls the transfer of the new shared tool to the second tool holder 1132 and the unloading of the old shared tool to the first tool box 1111 or the second tool box 1112. The same as S11 in the first method, both transfer the shared tool to the first tool box or the second tool box, the difference is that the new shared tool is first loaded to the second tool holder, and then the old shared tool is unloaded to the first tool box or the second tool box. This order depends on the idleness of the spindle assembly, the shared tool box, and the tool storage position of the first tool box or the second tool box, and is not particularly limited. For example, when the first tool box or the second tool box is full of knives, the first tool box or the second tool box can no longer accommodate the old shared tool. Therefore, it is necessary to first pick up the new shared tool to the second tool holder so that a vacant tool storage position in the first tool box or the second tool box is left to accommodate the old shared tool. Similar to the second shared tool replacement method, after the new shared tool is transferred to the second tool holder, the old shared tool is transferred directly from the shared tool box to the first or second tool box without passing through the tool holder. This method is also simple and direct, and in addition to the technical benefits of the first shared tool replacement method, it can further improve the efficiency of shared tool replacement.

[0157] A fourth method for replacing a shared tool involves controlling the transfer of an old shared tool to the first or second tool box, and controlling the transfer of a new shared tool box to the shared tool box. This fourth method is applicable to simultaneously replacing multiple shared tools. If a shared tool box contains multiple old shared tools that need to be replaced, and the first or second tool box is loaded with multiple new shared tools, the robot on the spindle assembly can perform the aforementioned transfer operations. Specifically, in some embodiments, the robot picks up an old shared tool from the shared tool box and transfers it to the first or second tool box; then, it picks up a new shared tool from the first or second tool box and transfers it to the shared tool box. The new and old shared tools are alternately transferred to the other's storage location. Of course, the first or second tool box has an empty storage location for both to rotate. In other embodiments, when the shared tool box, the first or second tool box, has multiple empty storage locations, the robot picks up old shared tools one by one from the shared tool box and transfers them to the first or second tool box; then, the robot picks up new shared tools one by one from the first or second tool box and transfers them to the shared tool box. These two replacement methods mainly depend on the empty condition of the tool box, the number of tools to be changed, etc., and are comprehensively considered in combination with the tool change efficiency to achieve the purpose of improving tool change efficiency.

[0158] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "new shared tool" and "old shared tool" refer to tools that have been used or have reached the end of their life and need to be replaced during the shared tool replacement process. These tools are referred to as "old shared tools." The terms "new shared tool" and "old shared tool" are merely relative terms used during the tool replacement process and are not intended to be limiting.

[0159] The above four methods are examples and are not particularly limited. In the process of replacing a shared tool, at least one of the replacement methods may be used. In actual application, a shared tool box may contain multiple types of shared tools in multiple quantities that need to be replaced at the same time in order to improve efficiency and reduce the number of replacements. Therefore, it is more likely to replace multiple shared tools at one time. In the process of replacing multiple shared tools at the same time, in order to improve the transfer and turnover efficiency, at least one of the above four methods can be used, or a similar deformation method can be applied. There is no special limitation here. In actual application, the ultimate goal is to improve efficiency.

[0160] In some embodiments of the present application, when unloading a shared tool, if the current life of the shared tool is less than the preset life, the shared tool is controlled to be unloaded to the shared tool box; if the current life of the last shared tool of the same type is equal to the preset life, the shared tool is controlled to be unloaded to the first tool box or the second tool box. The tool management module monitors and replaces the life of each tool, and triggers the control information for replacing the shared tool after detecting that the life of the shared tool has expired. Specifically, for each tool in the shared tool box, there are two replacement methods: (1) Replace the last one of a shared tool. In order not to waste the life of each shared tool, it is best to replace each shared tool after it has been used up, especially in the shared tool box. When the other tools of the same type have used up their life, the last tool of the same type is processed on the spindle. In this case, the tool management module updates the service life of each tool in real time, including the last tool. When the life of the last tool expires, the tool cannot continue to process, and the spindle clamps the tool at this time. In order to improve the efficiency of tool change, it is necessary to control the unloading of the shared tool to the first tool box or the second tool box without returning it to the shared tool box. Whether it is necessary to transfer through the tool holder can be freely selected in combination with the above-mentioned method of replacing the shared tool. In this scenario, the tool management module updates the tool life in real time, and the control system of the circuit board processing equipment collects the tool life. When unloading the tool of this type, if the current life of the shared tool is equal to the preset life, the shared tool is controlled to be unloaded to the first tool box or the second tool box. The shared tool here is the last shared tool of this type. After the spindle clamps the tool for processing, if it is found that the current life of the shared tool is equal to the preset life, the last tool is directly unloaded to the first tool box or the second tool box. A prerequisite here is that the first tool box or the second tool box already has at least one vacant tool storage position, or the first tool box or the second tool box is not full.

[0161] Replace any other shared tool except the last one. In this application scenario, the spindle assembly sequentially picks up shared tools of that type to process circuit boards. When one shared tool reaches the end of its life, the spindle assembly returns the expired shared tool to its original storage position in the shared tool box and picks up another shared tool of the same type to continue processing the circuit board. During this process, the shared tool box stores other shared tools of the same type, so there is no need to exchange tools externally; the spindle only needs to replace another shared tool of the same type. Once all shared tools except the last one of the same type have been used up, the spindle picks up the last tool and can then directly process the circuit board using the above method and unload it to the first or second tool box.

[0162] In the above and below embodiments of the present application, there are two methods for replacing shared tools. The first tool-changing method involves: a tool management module obtaining the life of a shared tool in real time; if the remaining life of the shared tool is less than a preset value, control is performed to transfer a new shared tool to a second tool box; and after processing the circuit board and before processing the next circuit board, or when the shared tool reaches the end of its life, control is performed to replace the shared tool with the second tool box. The second tool-changing method, applied to circuit board processing equipment, includes: a tool management module obtaining the life of a shared tool in real time; if the remaining life of the shared tool is insufficient to meet the workload of processing the next circuit board, control is performed to transfer a new shared tool to the second tool box; and after processing the circuit board and before processing the next circuit board, or when the shared tool reaches the end of its life, control is performed to replace the shared tool with the second tool box. During the process of replacing shared tools on a spindle, in most cases, the shared tool's life has not yet expired. Therefore, the tool management module updates the shared tool's life in real time. If the current shared tool's life is less than the preset life, control is performed to unload the shared tool from the shared tool box, allowing the shared tool to continue to be used until its life is exhausted. This reduces the waste of shared tool life.

[0163] In some embodiments of the present application, there are multiple methods for replacing shared tools as described above, but for the tool management module and the circuit board processing equipment control system, when do shared tools need to be replaced? Although ideally, each shared tool should be replaced only after its life is exhausted, the replacement of tools also needs to consider multiple factors such as the efficiency of tool replacement and the classification of tool boxes. Seek the most reasonable balance point under multiple conflicting factors. In other words, many times, the tool needs to be replaced before its life is completely exhausted, so as to improve efficiency. Therefore, the conditions for triggering the external replacement of shared tools include any one of the following: (1) All tools have reached their service life; (2) All tools of any type have reached their service life; (3) Each tool reaches a predetermined threshold for the total life; (4) The remaining total life of at least one type of tool cannot meet the workload of processing the next circuit board.

[0164] The first trigger condition, when all tools have reached their service life, triggers a control message to replace shared tools. This means that the tool management module has preset conditions for replacing shared tools. When these conditions are met, the tool management module issues a control message to replace shared tools. Specifically, when all tools reach their service life, a shared tool box containing multiple types and quantities of shared tools must have reached the end of their service life.

[0165] For the second trigger condition, when all tools of any type have reached their service life, the control information for replacing the shared tools is triggered. This means that the conditions for replacing shared tools are preset in the tool management module. When these conditions are met, the tool management module sends the control information for replacing shared tools. When all tools of any type have reached their service life, it means that in a shared tool box, there are multiple types and quantities of tools stored. As long as all shared tools of one type have reached their service life, the control information for replacing shared tools of that type is triggered. Here, one type can be five tools or one tool, and there is no restriction here.

[0166] The third trigger condition is that each tool reaches a predetermined threshold for total lifespan, triggering a control message to replace the shared tool. This condition is preset in the tool management module. When this condition is met, the tool management module issues a control message to replace the shared tool. Each tool reaches a predetermined threshold for total lifespan. This means that within the shared tool box, the total lifespan of each tool type is determined by multiplying the number of tools of that type by their lifespan. When the total lifespan of the used tools reaches 90% of the total lifespan of the tools of that type, a preemptive replacement of the shared tool is triggered. For example, a tool box contains 16 types of male tools, each with a different total lifespan. However, when the total lifespan of each of the 16 types reaches 90% of its total lifespan, the condition to replace the shared tool is triggered, requiring preparation for tool replacement to prevent a situation where the shared tool box is completely empty.

[0167] The fourth trigger condition is that the remaining total life of at least one type of tool cannot meet the workload for processing the next circuit board; this triggers a control message to replace the shared tool. This means that the tool management module has preset conditions for replacing shared tools. When these conditions are met, the tool management module issues a control message to replace the shared tool. The remaining total life of at least one type of tool cannot meet the workload for processing the next circuit board refers to the fact that each type of shared tool has its lifespan updated during continuous use. The remaining total life of the shared tool of that type is calculated by subtracting the usage information from the total lifespan of the tool of that type. Processing the next circuit board means that tool replacement requires advance prediction to allow sufficient time for transfer from the mobile tool changing equipment. Therefore, when processing the current circuit board, the workload of each type of shared tool required for the next circuit board is predicted in advance. Here, the workload refers to the number of holes or distances that the tool of that type needs to process on the next circuit board. If the remaining total life of the shared tool of that type cannot meet the workload for processing the next circuit board, the control message to replace the shared tool is triggered, and preparations for replacing the shared tool are made in advance. On the one hand, it can prevent the standby state where no shared tool is available when processing the next circuit board; on the other hand, it can save tool changing time. When the two circuit boards are being replaced, the shared tool can be replaced in advance. Although some of the shared tools have not yet reached their service life, it can save time and improve the efficiency of tool and material changing.

[0168] Another aspect of the present application provides a tool changing method, which is applied to circuit board processing equipment, including: obtaining parameters of the circuit board and the tool in the first object parameters; determining the type and quantity of the tool in the tool box; controlling the circuit board processing equipment to pick up the tool to process the circuit board; when the sum of all remaining lifespans of at least one of the tools in the tool box cannot meet the workload of processing the next circuit board, controlling the external replacement of the tool.

[0169] In some other embodiments of the present application, the common knife box 1121 is detachably mounted on the workbench 10, and the frequency of external tool replacement by the common knife box 1121 is less than the frequency of external tool replacement by the first knife box 1111 and the second knife box 1112. As two implementation methods of the present application, when the common knife box is fixed on the workbench, the common knife box replaces the tool through the first knife box or the second knife box; when the common knife box is detachably mounted on the workbench, the common knife box can replace the common knife box externally. Specifically, like the first knife box or the second knife box, the common knife box can be replaced by a self-moving tool changing device, which will not be described in detail here. In the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, regardless of how the common knife box is mounted on the workbench, the first knife box and the second knife box are both detachably mounted on the workbench. It should be noted that in the upper and lower embodiments of the present application, being detachably mounted on the workbench means that the common knife box, the first knife box, and the second knife box are mounted on the workbench by means of magnetic attraction, elastic limiting, mechanical limiting, etc., and the three knife boxes can be switched between locked and released states. Specifically, when the three types of tool boxes are located on the processing station of the workbench, they are in a locked state. When the three types of tool boxes need to be replaced with external tool boxes or cutting tools, they are in a released state, so as to facilitate the self-moving tool changing equipment and the circuit board processing equipment to exchange the old and new tool boxes.

[0170] When the shared knife box is detachably arranged on the workbench, the shared knife box, the first knife box, and the second knife box all need to be replaced with external knife boxes to meet the cutting tools required by the circuit board processing equipment. However, as mentioned above, the workload of the cutting tools in the shared knife box is less than that of the cutting tools in the first knife box and the second knife box, and the workload of each shared cutting tool is relatively small. Therefore, the frequency of external replacement of the shared knife box is relatively small, which is less than the frequency of external replacement of the first knife box or the second knife box. Specifically, the self-moving tool changing device needs to replace the first knife box or the second knife box of the processing station every 2 hours, but the self-moving tool changing device only needs to replace the shared knife box every 48 hours. For the warehouse management system, the host computer, and the self-moving tool changing device, this separate replacement of the knife boxes can, on the one hand, improve the transportation efficiency, and on the other hand, make the best use of the materials, increase the service life of the shared cutting tools in the shared knife box, reduce the waste of the shared cutting tools' life, and thus reduce costs.

[0171] In the preceding and following embodiments of the present application, the method for replacing the first and second tool cassettes is as follows. Taking the first tool cassette as an example, each first tool cassette stores a predetermined number and type of first tools. The spindle assembly, based on the first object parameters and the configuration of the tool management module, selects a first tool and processes the circuit board according to predetermined rules. During this process, the spindle may need to change tools. Whether it is a first tool or a shared tool, the original tool held by the spindle is returned to its original storage location in the first tool cassette to facilitate the next use of that first tool. Once a first tool reaches the end of its life, the spindle assembly's tool replacement method is used to replace another first tool of the same type in the first tool cassette to continue processing. This process continues in this manner until the spindle assembly has used up all the first tools in the first tool cassette. After the first tool cassette is depleted of tools, the circuit board processing equipment switches to the second tool cassette and continues processing the circuit board using the tools in the second tool cassette. At this point, the first tool cassette is used for external tool exchange, cooperating with the self-propelled tool changer to replace the entire first tool cassette. Before the second tool cassette has used up all the second tools, the first tool cassette has been replaced and enters a waiting state. This goes on and on. When the second knife box is used to process the circuit board, the first knife box is used to replace the knife box externally; when the first knife box is used to process the circuit board, the second knife box is used to replace the knife box externally.

[0172] In the process of replacing the first and second tool boxes, it is also necessary to predict the type and quantity of the tools in advance. As mentioned above, the type of tools in each tool box and the number of tools of each type can be determined by parameters such as the workload of the circuit board. After obtaining the type and quantity of the tools through the tool management module and the first object parameter, when will the control information for replacing the tool box be triggered? In the tool management module, the conditions for triggering the replacement of the first and second tool boxes are pre-configured. Only when any of the following trigger conditions is met, the control information for replacing the first or second tool box is activated. The circuit board processing equipment sends this control information to the host computer. Under the control of the scheduling control system, the host computer retrieves the tool box from the mobile tool changing device from the warehouse management system to the circuit board processing equipment. The trigger conditions include the following four: (1) All tools have reached the end of their service life; (2) All tools of any type have reached the end of their service life; (3) The remaining total life of at least one type of tool cannot meet the workload of processing the next circuit board; (4) The tool box completes the predetermined workload.

[0173] For the first trigger condition, all cutting tools have reached their service life, triggering the control information for externally replacing the first or second cutting tool box. This means that the conditions for replacing the first or second cutting tool box are preset in the cutting tool management module. When this condition is met, the cutting tool management module sends the control information for externally replacing the first or second cutting tool box. Specifically, all cutting tools have reached their service life means that in the first cutting tool box, there are multiple types and multiple quantities of first cutting tools, and all of these first cutting tools have reached their service life. At this time, the first cutting tool box definitely needs to be replaced. Alternatively, in the second cutting tool box, there are multiple types and multiple quantities of second cutting tools, and all of these second cutting tools have reached their service life. At this time, the second cutting tool box definitely needs to be replaced.

[0174] For the second trigger condition, when all the cutting tools of any type have reached their service life, the control information for replacing the first or second cutting tool box is triggered. This means that the conditions for replacing the first or second cutting tool box are preset in the cutting tool management module. When this condition is met, the cutting tool management module sends the control information for replacing the first or second cutting tool box. When all the cutting tools of any type have reached their service life, it means that in the first cutting tool box, there are multiple types and quantities of first cutting tools stored. As long as one type of first cutting tool has reached its service life, the control information for replacing the first cutting tool box of that type is triggered. Similarly, for the second cutting tool, when all the cutting tools of any type have reached their service life, it means that in the second cutting tool box, there are multiple types and quantities of second cutting tools stored. As long as one type of second cutting tool has reached its service life, the control information for replacing the second cutting tool box of that type is triggered. One type here may have 150 first cutting tools or second cutting tools, and there is no limit here.

[0175] Regarding the third trigger condition, the remaining total life of at least one type of tool cannot meet the workload for processing the next circuit board; triggering a control message to replace the first or second tool cartridge. This means that the tool management module has preset conditions for replacing the first or second tool cartridge. When these conditions are met, the tool management module issues a control message to replace the first or second tool cartridge. The remaining total life of at least one type of tool cannot meet the workload for processing the next circuit board refers to the fact that the life of each type of first or second tool is updated during continuous use. The total life of the tool of that type minus the usage information is the remaining total life of the first or second tool of that type. Processing the next circuit board means that tool replacement needs to be predicted in advance to allow sufficient time for transfer from the mobile tool changing equipment. Therefore, when processing the current circuit board, the workload of each type of first or second tool required for the next circuit board is predicted in advance. Here, the workload refers to the number of holes or distances that the tool of that type needs to process on the next circuit board. If the remaining total life of the tool of that type cannot meet the workload for processing the next circuit board, a control message to replace the first or second tool cartridge is triggered, and preparations for tool cartridge replacement are made in advance. On the one hand, it can prevent the standby state where the first tool or the second tool is not available when processing the next circuit board; on the other hand, it can save tool changing time. While the two circuit boards are being replaced, the first tool box or the second tool box can be replaced in advance. Although a small part of the first tool or the second tool has not been used up, it can save time and improve the efficiency of tool box and material changing.

[0176] The fourth trigger condition, when the tool cartridge completes its predetermined workload, triggers control information to replace the first or second tool cartridge. This condition is preset in the tool management module. When this condition is met, the tool management module issues control information to replace the first or second tool cartridge. Completing the predetermined workload means that the first or second tool cartridge completes the predetermined workload assigned by the first object parameter during the circuit board processing process, triggering the control information to replace the tool cartridge. Specifically, at the end of processing a circuit board or a type of circuit board, only half a box of first or second tools is needed to complete the task. In this case, the mobile tool changer delivers a half-box of tools. Some of these tools may not have been fully used. For example, a tool may have only used 1% of its lifespan, yet it has completed the workload for processing the circuit board. This tool, along with the entire tool cartridge, has completed the predetermined task of processing the circuit board. At this point, even if some of the tools have not yet reached their full lifespan, the first or second tool must be replaced to accommodate the need to replace the circuit board or type of circuit board, thereby improving circuit board processing efficiency.

[0177] Another aspect of the present application provides a tool changing method, which is applied to circuit board processing equipment, including: obtaining parameters of the circuit board and the tool in the first object parameters; determining the type and quantity of the tool in the tool box; controlling the circuit board processing equipment to pick up the tool to process the circuit board; when the sum of all remaining lifespans of at least one of the tools in the tool box cannot meet the workload of processing the next circuit board, controlling the external replacement of the tool box.

[0178] The above-mentioned circuit board processing equipment and tool changing method of the present application can reduce the life waste of shared tools, improve the utilization rate of shared tools, save costs, and improve the efficiency of automatic tool changing.

[0179] Example 1

[0180] This embodiment takes the circuit board processing equipment 100 as a two-axis drilling equipment as an example to explain in detail the structure of the circuit board processing equipment and the tool changing method in an automated circuit board processing equipment workshop.

[0181] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 6, and 7, a circuit board processing device 100 includes a workbench 10, a spindle assembly 20, a crossbeam 30, and a base 40. The spindle assembly 20 includes a spindle 21 and a manipulator 22. The workbench 10 is provided with at least one processing station 11, and the processing station 11 is provided with adjacent first and second areas 111 and 112; a first tool box 1111 and a second tool box 1112, wherein the first tool box 1111 storing a plurality of first tools and the second tool box 1112 storing a plurality of second tools are both provided in the first area 111; and a shared tool box 1121 storing a plurality of shared tools is provided in the second area 112, and the shared tool box 1121 is fixedly provided on the workbench 10, and the shared tool box 1121 is replaced by the first tool box 1111 or the second tool box 1112. In this embodiment, the first knife box 1111 and the second knife box 1112 are arranged on the workbench 10 by magnetic attraction, so as to facilitate external replacement of the knife boxes.

[0182] As shown in Figures 1, 2, 6, and 7, a workbench 10 is provided with two processing stations 11. Each processing station 11 is provided with a processing area 114, a first area 111, a second area 112, a tool holder 113, a tool detection assembly 116, and the like. The processing area 114 is used to place circuit boards. The first area 111, the second area 112, the tool holder 113, the tool detection assembly 116, and the like are located on the side of the processing area 114 near the safety door of the circuit board processing equipment (also known as the operating side or front side). Therefore, the first area 111, the second area 112, and the tool holder 113 of the processing station 11 are located on the same side of the circuit board. To save space on the workbench, the first area 111, the second area 112, and the tool holder 113 are arranged adjacent to each other, resulting in a compact layout. As shown in Figure 1, a shared tool box 1121 is fixedly mounted on the workbench 10. The shared tool box 1121 replaces the shared tool with the first tool box 1111 or the second tool box 1112. When the first knife box 1111 is used for processing a circuit board, the second knife box 1112 is used for externally replacing the knife box; when the first knife box 1111 is used for externally replacing the knife box, the second knife box 1112 is used for processing the circuit board.

[0183] As shown in Figure 2, in the first area 111, the first blade box 1111 and the second blade box 1112 are arranged along a first direction; the short side of the shared blade box 1121 is arranged along a second direction, with the first direction and the second direction being perpendicular. A blade holder 113 is positioned on the workbench 10 adjacent to the second area 112, and is located on the same side of the first area 111 as the shared blade box 1121. The processing station 11 is provided with at least one pin slot 115, and within the plane of the workbench 10, the extended lines of the shared blade box 1121 and the pin slot 115 do not intersect.

[0184] As shown in Figure 6, each shared knife box 1121, the first knife box 1111 or the second knife box 1112 includes multiple identical sub-knife boxes 12. Specifically, the shared knife box 1121 includes 10 sub-knife boxes 12, the first knife box 1111 or the second knife box 1112 includes 6 sub-knife boxes 12, and each sub-knife box 12 includes 50 identical tool storage positions 121. Each tool storage position 121 can only store one tool.

[0185] In Figure 1 , whether using a shared tool box or the first or second tool box, the tool holder 113 and the manipulator 22 on the spindle assembly 20 can be freely selected to replace tools of the same type. When a tool reaches the end of its life, it can be replaced with another tool of the same type stored in the tool box. In Table 1, replacing 40 Φ5 tools or 200 Φ2 tools can be accomplished by selecting the first tool holder 1131 and / or the second tool holder 1132 as appropriate.

[0186] As shown in Figure 8, the automated workshop includes a host computer 500, circuit board processing equipment 100, an automated tool changer 200, and a warehouse management system 300. Under the control of the scheduling control system of the host computer 500, the automated tool changer 200 transfers tool boxes between the circuit board processing equipment 100 and the warehouse management system 300 to achieve the purpose of automatic tool change.

[0187] In this embodiment, the shared tool box 1121 stores multiple types of shared cutting tools. As shown in Table 1, the shared tool box 1121 includes 16 types of shared cutting tools, namely Φ5, Φ6...Φ20, with a total of 500 tools. The first tool box 1111 and the second tool box 1112 both include the same two types of cutting tools, namely Φ1 and Φ2, with a total of 300 tools. Processing the target circuit board requires five types of cutting tools, namely Φ1, Φ2, Φ5, Φ9, and Φ17. These five types of cutting tools are distributed in the shared tool box 1121 and the first tool box 1111, and the second tool box 1112 is used to replace the first tool box 1111. Therefore, the shared tool and the first tool or the second tool at least include all types of cutting tools required for processing circuit boards.

[0188] In Table 1 above, before all 40 Φ5 are used up, the shared tool Φ5 can be replaced by the following method. Specifically, as shown in FIG10 , the method includes the following steps:

[0189] S20, obtain the parameters of the circuit board and the tool in the first object parameter. Before processing the circuit board, each circuit board has a corresponding first object parameter. The first object parameters of the 50 types of circuit boards planned to be processed within a month are obtained, and the first object parameters of each circuit board are queried from them to obtain the workload of various tools. The workload of 20 types of tools in the above 50 types of circuit boards is counted, and the tools are classified and superimposed and then sorted. Determine the dividing line between shared tools and the first tool or the second tool. Several types of tools with a large workload are determined as the first tool or the second tool, such as tools Φ1, Φ2, Φ3, Φ4; they are divided into the first tool box or the second tool box for storage; several types of tools with a small workload are determined as shared tools, such as: Φ5, Φ6, Φ7...Φ20, and are divided into a public tool box for storage. At this point, the types and quantity of shared tool boxes have been determined.

[0190] S30: Determine the type and quantity of the cutting tools within the cutting tool box. After determining the boundaries of the cutting tool box, the number of first cutting tools within the first cutting tool box is determined by comparing the first object parameter of the target circuit board to be processed. After querying the first object parameter to obtain the types of the two cutting tools (Φ1 and Φ2), the number of the two cutting tools (Φ1 and Φ2) is determined based on the processing path of the first object parameter.

[0191] S40: Control the circuit board processing equipment to pick up the cutting tool to process the circuit board. After determining the type and quantity of the common cutting tool and the first cutting tool, the spindle 21 is controlled to pick up the cutting tool to process the circuit board. According to the rules of the first object parameter, the five cutting tools (Φ1, Φ2, Φ5, Φ9, and Φ17) are freely selected to process the circuit board.

[0192] S50, when the sum of all the remaining lifespans of at least one of the cutting tools in the cutting tool box cannot meet the workload of processing the next circuit board, control the external replacement of the cutting tool. Because the cutting tool box cannot be replaced with a shared cutting tool, only the cutting tool can be replaced. Therefore, when the sum of all the remaining lifespans of at least one of the cutting tools in the shared cutting tool box cannot meet the workload of processing the next circuit board, control the external replacement of the shared cutting tool. Specifically, when the sum of all the remaining lifespans of Φ5 is 10 holes, and the workload of Φ5 to process the next circuit board is 12 holes, the shared cutting tool Φ5 cannot completely process the next circuit board. In order to improve efficiency and save time, the remaining lifespan of the shared cutting tool Φ5, 10 holes, is wasted, and the control information for external replacement of the shared cutting tool Φ5 is triggered, and the external replacement of the shared cutting tool Φ5 is started.

[0193] In Table 1 above, before all 200 first cutting tools Φ2 are used up, the common cutting tool Φ2 can be replaced by the following method. Specifically, as shown in FIG10 , the method includes the following steps:

[0194] S120, obtaining the parameters of the circuit board and the tool in the first object parameters. Similar to S20 above, determining the boundary between the shared tool and the first tool or the second tool. No further details will be given.

[0195] S130, determining the type and quantity of the cutting tools in the cutting tool box. Similar to the above S30, determining the type and quantity of the first cutting tool. No further details will be given.

[0196] S140: Control the circuit board processing equipment to pick up the tool to process the circuit board. Similar to S40 above, according to the rule of the first object parameter, five tools of Φ1, Φ2, Φ5, Φ9, and Φ17 are freely selected to process the circuit board. No further details will be given.

[0197] S150, when the sum of all the remaining lifespans of at least one of the cutting tools in the cutting tool box cannot meet the workload of processing the next circuit board, control the external replacement of the cutting tool box. S150 is slightly different from S50. In step S150, the first cutting tool box needs to be replaced externally before all 200 first cutting tools Φ2 are used up. Specifically, when the sum of all the remaining lifespans of Φ2 is 1000 holes, and the workload of Φ2 processing the next circuit board is 1200 holes, the first cutting tool Φ2 cannot completely process the next circuit board. In order to improve efficiency and save time, the remaining lifespan of the shared cutting tool Φ2, 1000 holes, is wasted, and the control information for external replacement of the first cutting tool Φ2 is triggered, and the external replacement of the first cutting tool box is started.

[0198] In the process of replacing the shared tool in the shared tool box, specifically the shared tool Φ5, the external tool replacement can be achieved in the following way. As shown in Figure 12, the following steps are included:

[0199] At step S200, the tool management module obtains tool life in real time. The PCB processing equipment includes a tool management module that monitors and updates tool life in real time. For a shared Φ5 tool, the life decreases by one for each hole processed. In Table 3, the 40 Φ5 tools have a total life of 120,000.

[0200] S300: When the remaining life of the shared tool cannot meet the workload of processing the next circuit board, control is performed to transfer a new shared tool to the second tool box or the second tool box. In the shared tool box, the total life of Φ5 is 120,000. When the remaining life of Φ5 is 10 holes, it can no longer meet the workload of processing the next circuit board with 12 holes, which triggers the control information for replacing the shared tool Φ5. The circuit board processing equipment sends the control information for replacing Φ5 to the host computer. Under the control of the scheduling control system of the host computer, the mobile tool changing device 200 retrieves 40 Φ5 tools from the warehouse management system 300, transfers them to the first tool box 1111 or the second tool box 1112, and moves them to the circuit board processing equipment.

[0201] S400, after processing the circuit board until the next circuit board is processed, or when the shared tool reaches the end of its service life, control the replacement of the shared tool with the first tool box or the second tool box. The circuit board processing equipment is in a processing state. Therefore, in this embodiment, after processing the current circuit board and before processing the next circuit board, the shared tool Φ5 is replaced. Although part of the life of Φ5 is wasted, the tool change efficiency can be improved, and a reasonable balance can be found between the tool change efficiency and the tool life, which also saves costs. In some other embodiments, when the shared tool Φ5 reaches the end of its service life, that is, Φ5 continues to be used to process the next circuit board, and after Φ5 has used up the remaining life of 10 holes, the shared tool Φ5 is replaced. This method is to replace the shared tool Φ5 during the processing of a circuit board, so that the shared tool Φ5 can use up its entire life, reduce the waste of the life of the shared tool Φ5, and save costs. Regardless of the state in which the shared tool Φ5 is replaced, the shared tool Φ5 is replaced through the first tool box or the second tool box.

[0202] Example 2

[0203] This embodiment takes the circuit board processing equipment 100 as a two-axis drilling equipment as an example to explain in detail the structure of the circuit board processing equipment and the tool changing method in an automated circuit board processing equipment workshop.

[0204] The rest of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, with the difference being that the shared knife box 1121 is detachably mounted on the workbench 10. The shared knife box 1121, the first knife box 1111, and the second knife box 1112 are all mounted on the processing station 11 of the workbench 10 by means of magnetic attraction. The shared knife box 1121 itself can replace the knife box externally, without the need for the first knife box or the second knife box to be transferred. Correspondingly, the structure of the shared knife box is exactly the same as that of the first knife box and the second knife box, both of which include 6 sub-knife boxes, each with a total of 50 knife storage positions. The shared knife box is configured with predetermined types and quantities of knives in the warehouse management system, and is the same as the first embodiment. The dividing line between the shared knife box, the first knife box, or the second knife box is determined by the method of the first embodiment, and then the types and quantities of knives in each knife box are determined. Finally, it is transported to the workbench of the circuit board processing equipment through the self-moving tool changing device.

[0205] In this embodiment, the method of replacing the shared blade box, the first blade box, and the second blade box is the same as the method of replacing the first blade box in the embodiment, and will not be described in detail.

[0206] Compared with the first embodiment, this circuit board processing equipment is more flexible and can also reduce the life waste of shared tools, save costs, and improve tool changing efficiency.

[0207] Example 3

[0208] This embodiment takes the circuit board processing equipment 100 as a two-axis drilling equipment as an example to explain in detail the structure of the circuit board processing equipment and the tool changing method in an automated circuit board processing equipment workshop.

[0209] The rest of this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment, except that the conditions for triggering the replacement of the shared tool are different. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG11 , the method for replacing the shared tool includes the following steps:

[0210] S600: The tool management module obtains the tool life in real time. Similar to step S200, the tool management module monitors and updates the tool life in real time. The total life of the shared tool Φ5 is 120,000 holes.

[0211] S700, when the remaining life of the shared tool is less than the preset value; control the transfer of a new shared tool to the first tool box or the second tool box. The tool management module configures a preset value for the shared tool Φ5. When the remaining life of the shared tool Φ5 is 10 holes, which is less than the preset value of 11 holes, the condition for external replacement of the shared tool is triggered. The circuit board processing equipment sends the control information for replacing Φ5 to the host computer. Under the control of the scheduling control system of the host computer, the mobile tool changing device 200 retrieves 40 Φ5 tools from the warehouse management system 300, transfers them to the first tool box 1111 or the second tool box 1112, and moves them to the circuit board processing equipment.

[0212] S800: After processing the circuit board and before processing the next circuit board, or when the shared tool reaches the end of its service life, control the replacement of the shared tool with the first tool box or the second tool box. Similar to step S400, regardless of the state in which the shared tool Φ5 is replaced, the shared tool Φ5 is replaced with the first tool box or the second tool box.

[0213] In this embodiment, the structures of the shared tool box, the first tool box, and the second tool box are the same as those in the first embodiment. A detailed description thereof will not be given here. Compared with the first embodiment, this circuit board processing equipment tool changing method is more flexible, and can also reduce the life of the shared tool, save costs, and improve tool changing efficiency.

[0214] Example 4

[0215] This embodiment takes the circuit board processing equipment 100 as a two-axis molding equipment as an example to explain in detail the structure of the circuit board processing equipment and the tool changing method in an automated circuit board processing equipment workshop.

[0216] The rest of this embodiment is basically the same as the first embodiment, or slightly adjusted as appropriate. The differences are: (1) the tool life is measured in meters; (2) the corresponding calculation method for the tool workload is also different, and the distance is calculated by the spindle movement speed and time. Other structures or methods can be adaptively adjusted. Those skilled in the art can make translations or fine adjustments based on this to obtain the structure of the molding equipment and the tool changing method. Again, no further details will be given.

[0217] For molding equipment, it can also reduce the life waste of shared tools, save costs and improve tool change efficiency.

[0218] The embodiments of the present application have been described above. The above description is exemplary, not exhaustive, and is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terms used herein are selected to best explain the principles of the embodiments, their practical applications, or technical improvements in the marketplace, or to enable other persons skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein. The scope of this application is defined by the appended claims.

[0219] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments.

[0220] Example 1

[0221] Referring to Figures 13 to 19, an embodiment of the present application discloses an automatic cutter disc replacement device, which is mainly aimed at PCB processing equipment widely used in current processing plants. With the help of the mutual cooperation of multiple mechanisms, the cutter disc replacement function of the PCB processing equipment is realized. It has a compact structure, simple control, various methods, and convenient maintenance. After the cutter disc replacement device realizes the function of automatically replacing the cutter disc of the PCB equipment, it can reduce the number of workshop staff, improve work efficiency, and reduce labor costs.

[0222] 13 , the device specifically includes a transfer mechanism 7a and a retrieving mechanism 6a, and also includes a mobile device 1a. In this embodiment, the mobile device 1a is used to move within the processing workshop to achieve shuttle between the drilling rigs and complete the replacement of the cutter head. Of course, those skilled in the art know that the mobile device 1a can be designed as an electric or non-powered sliding platform. In this embodiment, an electric drive design can be optionally adopted to improve the convenience of movement. The transfer mechanism 7a and the retrieving mechanism 6a are both provided on the mobile device 1a. Of course, in other embodiments, the transfer mechanism 7a and the retrieving mechanism 6a can also be installed separately.

[0223] It also includes a material frame mechanism 3a, wherein the material frame mechanism 3a is used to store the cutter disc, and the transfer mechanism 7a is used to take out the cutter disc from the material frame mechanism 3a, and the cutter disc is configured to be able to move along a first direction;

[0224] The material taking mechanism 6a is used to take and place the transfer mechanism 7a and the cutter head on the drilling rig.

[0225] Specifically, in this embodiment, the material frame mechanism 3a is installed on the moving device 1a. A lifting mechanism 4a is further provided on one side of the material frame mechanism 3a. The lifting mechanism 4a is provided above the moving device 1a and is used to drive the material frame mechanism 3a to move along the first direction.

[0226] Of course, in other embodiments, the above-mentioned material frame mechanism 3a and the lifting mechanism 4a can also be set separately, that is, not connected to the moving device 1a. At this time, the material frame mechanism 3a can be fixed in position as required by technical personnel in the relevant field in the processing workshop, and the lifting mechanism 4a is used to control the up and down displacement. The moving device 1a drives the material picking mechanism 6a to move back and forth between the material frame mechanism 3a and the drilling machine to realize the removal of the cutter disc.

[0227] In addition, at least one layer plate 31 a is slidably disposed in the material frame mechanism 3 a , and the cutter disc is placed on the layer plate 31 a .

[0228] In some embodiments, the transfer mechanism 7a includes a carrier 2a fixedly mounted on a mobile device 1a, and a translation mechanism 5a is also provided on the carrier 2a. The translation mechanism 5a slides along the second direction on the carrier 2a, and the translation mechanism 5a is used to drive the layer plate 31a in and out along the interior of the material frame mechanism 3a.

[0229] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the above-mentioned first direction and second direction are taken as examples of the height direction and length direction of the mobile device 1a, that is, in this embodiment, the height direction of the mobile device 1a is defined as the first direction, and the length direction of the mobile device 1a is defined as the second direction. The first direction and the second direction are designed to be vertical. Secondly, in this embodiment, "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish each other, rather than to indicate the importance and order, and the premise of mutual existence.

[0230] Referring to Figure 14, in some embodiments, the lifting mechanism 4a described in the present application includes a mounting plate 41a fixed to the carrier 2a, and the mounting plate 41a is vertically mounted on the carrier 2a, wherein the height direction of the mounting plate 41a is consistent with the height direction of the carrier 2a to provide a long-distance sliding support surface, and a first driving component 42a and a supporting component 43a are provided on the end face of the mounting plate 41a. The first driving component 42a is used to drive the supporting component 43a to move. Of course, in this embodiment, the supporting component 43a is connected by a guide rail and a slider to achieve sliding, thereby ensuring its sliding stability and smoothness, and the material frame mechanism 3a is placed on the supporting component 43a.

[0231] In this embodiment, the first drive component 42a includes but is not limited to a ball screw component driven by a motor, and the support component 43a is connected to the slide portion of the above-mentioned ball screw component. Of course, in other embodiments, the first drive component 42a can also be directly driven by a cylinder, an electric push rod, and a hydraulic cylinder, or a motor can be used to drive the sprocket chain to rotate, and the mechanical structure design of the chain lifting is adopted. The above means are technical solutions that can be set up by technical personnel in the relevant field without any technical obstacles, and will not be elaborated here.

[0232] Referring to Figure 14, the support assembly 43a includes a slide 431 sliding on the mounting plate 41a, and a support arm 432a is provided on the slide 431. In this embodiment, when designed as one support arm 432a, since a larger support area needs to be provided, a single support arm 432a needs to be designed with a wider width. Therefore, in some embodiments, multiple support arms 432a can be arranged at intervals, and optionally, two support arms 432a can be arranged at intervals, which can save materials while achieving stable support for the material frame mechanism 3a.

[0233] 15 , the material frame mechanism 3 a includes a material bin 32 a and a supporting assembly 33 a , and the material bin 32 a is placed on the support arm 432 a .

[0234] On the basis of the above embodiment, in the present application, there are two limit blocks 321a on both sides below the silo 32a, and the two limit blocks 321a are respectively stopped on both sides of the support arm 432a. When the support arm 432a is set to two, the two limit blocks 321a are respectively stopped on both sides of the two support arms 432a, wherein a positioning structure 44a is also provided between the silo 32a and the support arm 432a, and the positioning structure 44a is used to locate the installation position between the silo 32a and the support arm 432a.

[0235] As shown in Figure 15, the positioning structure 44a described in this embodiment includes a positioning pin fixed on the support arm 432a, and a positioning hole adapted to the positioning pin is provided below the hopper 32a. In this embodiment, a plurality of positioning pins and positioning holes can be provided accordingly to enhance the accuracy of positioning.

[0236] On the other hand, the positioning structure 44a may also include a first positioning block 441a installed on the mounting plate 41a, and a second positioning block 442a is installed below the silo 32a. The first positioning block 441a is also provided with a positioning pin, and the second positioning block 442a is provided with a positioning hole that is compatible with the first positioning block 441a.

[0237] Of course, the above-mentioned positioning pins and positioning holes can also be designed as other coupling structures, such as the clamping method of the protrusion and the groove, or the mechanical structure of the spring rod assembly plug-in, which can realize the connection positioning between the support arm 432a and the hopper 32a.

[0238] Referring to Figures 15 and 16, in this embodiment, there is at least one supporting component 33a distributed along the two horizontal inner sides of the silo 32a, and the two opposing supporting components 33a are arranged at the same height and form a sliding plane. At least parts of the two opposing supporting components 33a slide with the layer plate 31a. Specifically, in this embodiment, the supporting component 33a includes a fixed seat, and rollers are respectively provided on two perpendicular surfaces of the fixed seat, and an L-shaped slide is formed between the two rollers. The layer plate 31a is slidably connected in the L-shaped slide. In addition, in this embodiment, the above-mentioned supporting components 33a are relatively arranged inside the silo 32a to meet the placement requirements of multiple layer plates 31a.

[0239] Referring to Figures 15 and 16, in addition, in the embodiment of the present application, a plurality of layer positioning members are further provided inside the silo 32a, and the layer positioning members are located below the layer 31a. Corresponding positioning blocks can also be provided below the layer 31a, and the positioning blocks stop the layer positioning members to position the insertion position of the layer 31a, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the position of the layer 31a inserted into the silo 32a.

[0240] Referring to Figure 17, in some embodiments, the translation mechanism 5a described in the present application includes a rotating plate 56a arranged on the carrier 2a, and the work platform 51a is slidably connected above the rotating plate 56a. A second driving component 52a is also provided on the rotating plate 56a, and the second driving component 52a is used to drive the work platform 51a to move, wherein the work platform 51a also has a registration structure 53a coupled with the silo 32a.

[0241] The second drive component 52a described in this embodiment can also be designed as a ball screw component driven by a motor, and the slide portion of the worktable 51a is connected to the above-mentioned ball screw component. Of course, in other embodiments, the second drive component 52a can also be directly driven by a cylinder, an electric push rod, a hydraulic cylinder, etc., or a motor can be used to drive the sprocket chain to rotate, and the mechanical structure design of the chain drives the displacement. The above means are technical solutions that can be set up by technical personnel in the relevant field without any technical obstacles, and will not be elaborated here.

[0242] Referring to Figure 17, in addition, on the basis of the above embodiment, the alignment structure 53a in the present application includes a protrusion 531a arranged on the workbench 51a, and a groove position 532a is provided below the layer plate 31a. The protrusion 531a is coupled and adapted with the groove position 532a. In order to improve the stability of traction, in this embodiment, the protrusion 531a and the groove position 532a are both set as two, wherein the protrusion position 531a can be set as a column or a bolt, which is inserted into the groove position 532a through its protruding part to realize the coupling connection between the workbench 51a and the layer plate 31a.

[0243] 18 , in addition, in the present application, a temporary storage seat 54a is fixedly mounted on the loading platform 51a, and a detection element 55a is further provided at the upper end of the loading platform 51a. The temporary storage seat 54a is used to form a temporary storage position. When the picking mechanism 6a is picking up the old cutter disc, the old cutter disc can be placed in the temporary storage position first. When the picking mechanism 6a is transferring the new cutter disc to the drilling rig, the old cutter disc in the temporary storage position can be placed to the vacant position of the layer plate 31a through the picking mechanism to complete the placement of the old cutter disc. Secondly, the detection element 55a described in this embodiment can be provided with a proximity switch. The function of the proximity switch is to detect the alignment of the loading platform 51a and the layer plate 31a, so as to facilitate the accurate positioning and adaptation of the above-mentioned raised position 531a and the groove position 532a.

[0244] On the other hand, technicians in the relevant field know that several proximity switches can also be set on the end face of the turn plate 56a. The proximity switches can be used to detect the position of the worktable 51a, such as the maximum forward position, the initial position, etc., to avoid adaptation to the precise position of the material picking mechanism 6a and improve the accuracy of the tool disc picking.

[0245] As another optional embodiment of the present application, the material taking mechanism 6a includes a mechanical arm 61a and a clamping mechanism 62a installed on the end shaft of the mechanical arm 61a, and the clamping mechanism 62a is used to take the cutter disc;

[0246] 18 , the clamping mechanism 62a includes a driving portion 621a and at least two clamping portions 622a, and a connecting member 623a connected to the robotic arm 61a is fixedly installed on the top of the driving portion 621a, wherein a clamping claw extension 624a is also fixed on the clamping portion 622a, and the clamping claw extension 624a is used to provide a larger gripping area to improve the stability of gripping the cutter disc, and a camera 625a and a position detection element 626a are fixedly installed on the front side of the driving portion 621a through a bracket, and the camera 625a is used for visual positioning of the cutter disc to improve the accuracy of gripping the cutter disc by the robotic arm. Secondly, in the embodiment of the present application, the position detection element 626a is set as a spirit level, which is used for positioning the spatial position. In other embodiments, the above-mentioned camera 625a and position detection element 626a can also be set as a combination of a 3D camera and a distance sensor, which can also achieve the above-mentioned function. This means is a conventional means for technical personnel in the relevant field and will not be elaborated here.

[0247] Referring to Figure 18, it should be noted that, in this embodiment, the driving part 621a is an electric clamp, and the two clamping parts 622a in this embodiment correspond to the two clamping parts of the electric clamp respectively. The clamping claw extension 624a is fixed on the clamping claw part to realize the gripping action of the cutter disc. Specifically, the clamping plate extension plate 624 is set to an H-shaped structure, which can be fastened to the clamping part 622a with bolts. After fastening, the two clamping claw extensions 624a remain in a horizontal state, so that a stable clamping operation of the cutter disc can be achieved, thereby improving the applicability of the cutter disc.

[0248] In summary, in the present application, the robotic arm, lifting mechanism 4a and translation mechanism 5a can work independently at the same time to improve the material changing efficiency. The robotic arm has a wide working range and high flexibility; it can realize picking and placing materials within a larger range. The robotic arm is equipped with a visual system with high positioning accuracy and more accurate picking and placing of materials. The electric gripper is equipped with a gripper extension 624a to enable it to clamp larger objects. The camera is installed on the camera bracket to make the positioning of the object more accurate through visual capture. The gripper assembly is equipped with a spirit level to calibrate its position at any time to make the picking and placing posture of the gripper assembly more accurate. The material frame mechanism 3a is constructed by multiple single-layer plates 31a and material bins 32a. Each single-layer plate 31a can be translated by rollers in the material bin 32a and positioned by the positioning piece of the plate 31a. The overall structure is compact, and the space is utilized to the greatest extent, and more materials can be stored. The positioning and guiding design is simple, and fast picking and placing of materials can be achieved.

[0249] In some embodiments of the present application, a PCB processing system is also proposed, including the above-mentioned automatic cutter disc replacement device and a drilling rig. The automatic cutter disc replacement device is located on one side of the drilling rig and is used to automatically replace the cutter disc of the drilling rig.

[0250] 19 , in addition, a method for automatically replacing a cutter disc is proposed in the present application, the method comprising the following steps;

[0251] Step 1: Control the mobile device 1a to move to the cutterhead replacement position of the corresponding drilling rig;

[0252] Step 2: After the moving device 1a is in place, the lifting mechanism 4a lifts the material frame mechanism 3a along the first direction until the required layer plate 31a moves to the position where the translation mechanism 5a docks. Specifically, taking Figure 19 as an example, the lifting mechanism 4a in this embodiment corresponds to a lifting drive assembly, the first direction is the Z direction, the material frame 31 is a material bin, the layer plate 31a is a single-layer assembly, the second direction is the X direction, and the clamping portion 622a is a clamping claw assembly;

[0253] Step 3: The translation mechanism 5a pulls the layer plate 31a in the relative material frame mechanism 3a out along the second direction, so that the layer plate 31a is above the carrier 2a;

[0254] Step 4: The material taking mechanism 6a moves between the layer plate 31a and the drilling rig to fill the drilling rig cutter head;

[0255] Among them, step 4 specifically includes:

[0256] Step 41: The retrieving mechanism 6a moves to the position of the old cutterhead on the drilling rig, grabs the old cutterhead, and then returns to place the old cutterhead on the temporary storage position of the cutterhead on the translation mechanism 5a;

[0257] Step 42: The picking mechanism 6a picks up the new cutter disc on the shelf 31a and places the new cutter disc on the old cutter disc. The picking mechanism 6a then grabs the old cutter disc from the temporary storage position and returns to place the old cutter disc on the empty position on the shelf 31a.

[0258] Step 43: Repeat the above steps until all new cutter discs on the layer plate 31a are removed and replaced with old cutter discs;

[0259] Step 5: The lifting mechanism 4a moves the material frame mechanism along the first direction to another layer 31a filled with new cutter discs and docks it with the relative translation mechanism 5a. Repeat the above steps to replace all the cutter discs required by the drilling rig;

[0260] Step 6: The moving device 1a moves to the next drilling rig and repeats the above actions.

[0261] Example 2

[0262] In the above embodiment, the supporting assembly 33a includes a fixed seat, and rollers are respectively provided on two perpendicular surfaces of the fixed seat, and an L-shaped slide is formed between the two rollers, as shown in Figure 20. The difference in this embodiment is that the supporting assembly 33a in this embodiment is configured as a two-section slide rail structure that cooperates with each other, wherein one section of the slide rail is fixedly connected to the interior of the silo 32a, and the other section of the slide rail is connected to the layer plate 31a through a support plate. The design structure of the two sections of the slide rail is used for support transition, which has better stability than the rollers.

[0263] Example 3

[0264] In the above embodiment, the clamping mechanism 62a is an electric clamping jaw as an example, as shown in Figure 21. In this embodiment, the driving part 621a of the clamping mechanism 62a can also be set as a bidirectional screw driven by a motor. The two clamping parts 622a are respectively provided with clamping jaws, and the two clamping jaws are respectively threadedly connected to the two threaded parts of the bidirectional screw. When clamping, the two clamping jaws are driven by the motor to move toward each other to achieve clamping of the cutter disc. Of course, in this embodiment, the clamping jaw extension 624a is fixedly connected to the clamping jaw.

[0265] Example 4

[0266] In Example 1 and Example 3, the clamping mechanism 62a is taken as a single one, as shown in Figure 22. Considering the stability of clamping, the above-mentioned clamping mechanisms 62a can also be set as two. Taking the clamping mechanism 62a of Example 1 as an example, in this embodiment, the two clamping mechanisms 62a are set adjacent to each other to achieve stable clamping of the cutter disc.

[0267] Example 5

[0268] In the above embodiment, a single material frame mechanism 3a is used as an example. Considering the storage quantity of materials and the material turnover time, as shown in Figures 23 to 25, in this embodiment, two material frame mechanisms 3a are provided, and are respectively installed above the carrier 2a. Of course, in this embodiment, two lifting mechanisms 4a should also be provided to drive the movement of the two material frame mechanisms 3a respectively.

[0269] In some embodiments of the present application, in this embodiment, the rotating plate 56a is rotatably connected to the carrier 2a to achieve adaptation to the two material frame mechanisms 3a.

[0270] As described in some embodiments, a large gear 21a and a small gear 22a are rotatably connected to the top of the carrier 2a, the large gear 21a is engaged with the small gear 22a, and the large gear 21a is fixed to the base plate 56, wherein a rotating motor 23a is also fixed below the carrier 2a, and the shaft end of the rotating motor 23a is fixed to the small gear 22a. When it is necessary to dock the layer plates 31a on the two material frame mechanisms 3a, the rotating motor 23a controls the rotation of the small gear 22a, and after the small gear 22a engages with the large gear 21a, the rotation control of the rotating plate 56a is realized. In this way, the feeding end of the rotating plate 56a can be aligned with the two material frame mechanisms 3a respectively, so as to realize the separate taking of the layer plates 31a in the two material frame mechanisms 3a. As shown in Figure 26, a schematic layout diagram of the device and the drilling machine equipment in this embodiment is shown.

[0271] This design allows the layer plate 31a to rotate in any direction after reaching the loading platform 51a. At the same time, a material frame mechanism 3a and a lifting mechanism 4a are added on the other side of the translation mechanism 5a. In this way, under the action of the rotating base plate 56, the translation mechanism 5a can dock with any material frame mechanism 3a to realize loading and unloading. This method increases the storage quantity of materials, reduces the material turnover time, indirectly reduces the downtime waiting time of the equipment, and improves the equipment utilization rate. Of course, in other embodiments, the above-mentioned material frame mechanism 3a can be set to three or four, etc., and technical personnel in the relevant field can make adaptive adjustments according to the actual demand quantity and placement position, which will not be elaborated here.

[0272] As shown in FIG27 , in this embodiment, the cutter head method includes the following steps;

[0273] Step 1: Control the mobile device 1a to move to the cutterhead replacement position of the corresponding drilling rig;

[0274] Step 2: After the moving device 1a is in place, the lifting mechanism 4a lifts the material frame mechanism 3a along the first direction until the required layer 31a moves to the position where it docks with the translation mechanism 5a;

[0275] Step 3: The translation mechanism 5a pulls the layer plate 31a in the relative material frame mechanism 3a out along the second direction, so that the layer plate 31a is above the carrier 2a;

[0276] Step 4: The material taking mechanism 6a moves between the layer plate 31a and the drilling rig to fill the drilling rig cutter head;

[0277] Among them, step 4 specifically includes:

[0278] Step 41: The retrieving mechanism 6a moves to the position of the old cutterhead on the drilling rig, grabs the old cutterhead, and then returns to place the old cutterhead on the temporary storage position of the cutterhead on the translation mechanism 5a;

[0279] Step 42: The picking mechanism 6a picks up the new cutter disc on the shelf 31a and places the new cutter disc on the old cutter disc. The picking mechanism 6a then grabs the old cutter disc from the temporary storage position and returns to place the old cutter disc on the empty position on the shelf 31a.

[0280] Step 43: Repeat the above steps until all new cutter discs on the layer plate 31a are removed and replaced with old cutter discs;

[0281] Step 5: The lifting mechanism 4a moves the material frame mechanism along the first direction to another layer 31a filled with new cutter discs and docks with the relative translation mechanism 5a. After the cutter discs on the first material frame mechanism 3a are removed, the second material frame mechanism 3a is started and the above steps are repeated to replace all the cutter discs required by the drilling rig.

[0282] Step 6: The moving device 1a moves to the next drilling rig and repeats the above actions.

[0283] Example 6

[0284] In the above embodiments, the layout of a single robotic arm is taken as an example. Considering that a single robotic arm can only realize the replacement of the cutter head of a single drilling rig, as shown in Figure 28, in this embodiment, two material-taking mechanisms 6a are provided, and both are installed on the carrier 2a. In addition, one translation mechanism 5a is provided. It should be noted that the translation mechanism 5a is also rotatable as described in Example 5. Three material frame mechanisms 3a are provided, and the three material frame mechanisms 3a are distributed on the side of one translation mechanism 5a. Secondly, in the layout of this embodiment, this device should be located between two drilling rigs. Between the machines, the cutter discs on each material frame mechanism 3a are taken through the two material-taking mechanisms 6a, and then the cutter discs on the two drilling rigs are replaced respectively. Under the action of the rotating base plate 56, the translation component can dock with any layer plate 31a to realize loading and unloading. In addition, this solution adopts dual robotic arms. This method increases the storage quantity of materials and reduces the material turnover time; the dual robotic arms increase the efficiency of material replacement; multiple drilling rigs can be replaced at the same time; the robotic arm 1 and the robotic arm 2 can work independently for better flexibility. Figure 29 is a processing flow chart of the device in this embodiment.

[0285] Example 7

[0286] In this embodiment, the structure of the rotating base plate 56 is still taken as an example. In the above embodiments, a single translation mechanism 5a is used as an example. Since the material taking efficiency of the single translation mechanism 5a is limited, as shown in Figures 30 and 31, in this embodiment, two material frame mechanisms 3a, translation mechanisms 5a and material taking mechanisms 6a are each provided. The two translation mechanisms 5a are used to transfer the cutterheads on the two material frame mechanisms 3a respectively, and the cutterheads are moved to the drilling rigs by two robotic arms. Of course, in this embodiment, this device is also provided between the two drilling rigs to realize separate material feeding for the two drilling rigs. In other embodiments, multiple material frame mechanisms 3a can be provided with reference to the above embodiment, thereby increasing the storage capacity of the cutterheads. This method increases the storage quantity of materials and reduces the material turnover time; the dual robotic arms increase the efficiency of material change; multiple drilling rigs can be changed at the same time; sharing a moving device saves space compared to embodiment 1; group 1 and group 2 can work independently, which is more flexible.

[0287] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "installation" and "connection" should be understood broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connection, detachable connection, or integral connection; they can refer to mechanical connection or electrical connection. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of these terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0288] The above is only a preferred specific implementation method of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can make equivalent replacements or changes based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present application within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, and they should be covered by the scope of protection of the present application.

[0289] The present application provides a cutter disc replacement device, which is used to replace the cutter disc 3b on PCB processing equipment; the PCB processing equipment can be a drilling machine, a forming machine, a drilling machine, or other equipment that needs to process the PCB. The cutter disc replacement device of the present application includes a workbench 1b and a material ejection mechanism 4b. The workbench 1b is configured to place the PCB, and a cutter disc placement area 2b is provided on the workbench 1b. The cutter disc placement area 2b is configured to place the cutter disc 3b and simultaneously drive the cutter disc 3b to move in a first direction. The material ejection mechanism 4b is configured to drive the cutter disc 3b to move in a second direction, and is used to connect and separate the cutter disc placement area 2b and the cutter disc 3b.

[0290] Among them, this application is shown in Figure 33:

[0291] The first direction refers to the direction of horizontal movement of the workbench 1b, the Y-axis direction;

[0292] The second direction refers to the direction in which the spindle 6b moves perpendicular to the workbench 1b, the Z-axis direction;

[0293] The third direction refers to: the horizontal movement direction perpendicular to the first direction, the X-axis direction;

[0294] The first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0295] The cutter disc replacement device may further include a temporary storage mechanism 5b, which is configured to temporarily store the new and old cutter discs 3b.

[0296] In this solution, the ejecting mechanism 4b can be installed on the temporary storage mechanism 5b, or installed on the workbench 1b at the bottom of the cutter disc 3b, or installed on a support table, wherein the support table is constructed to support the workbench 1b; the workbench 1b moves along the Y-axis direction on the support table; this solution provides three installation methods, but is not limited to these.

[0297] For ease of understanding, the specific structure and working principle of the cutter disc replacement device of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the temporary storage mechanism 5b in Figures 32 to 37 and in combination with multiple embodiments.

[0298] To facilitate explanation of the specific structure and motion principle of the cutterhead replacement device, in a three-dimensional coordinate system, the PCB's movement direction is defined as the Y-axis, the horizontal direction perpendicular to the Y-axis is defined as the X-axis, and the height direction is defined as the Z-axis. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions are merely for clarification and do not limit the cutterhead replacement device.

[0299] In an application scenario of the present application, the ejecting mechanism 4b is installed on a support table.

[0300] When the cutter disc 3b needs to be replaced, the workbench 1b moves in the Y-axis direction on the support platform. When the workbench 1b approaches the ejection mechanism 4b, the ejection mechanism 4b is in a low position, avoiding the bottom surface of the cutter disc 3b on the workbench 1b, providing space for the cone pin to rise and fall. The workbench 1b moves to the cutter disc 3b replacement position, and the cutter disc 3b locking mechanism on the workbench 1b releases the cutter disc 3b. At this time, the driving member 41b moves, and the ejection structure 42b cooperates with the cutter disc 3b to lift the cutter disc 3b off the workbench 1b and raise it to a high position to avoid air space, waiting for the cutter disc 3b to be replaced.

[0301] Specifically, when the old cutter disc 3b is removed, the workbench 1b moves to the cutter disc 3b replacement position, and the cutter disc 3b locking structure of the workbench 1b releases the cutter disc 3b; at this time, the driving member 41b moves, and the jacking structure 42b cooperates with the cutter disc 3b to lift the old cutter disc 3b away from the workbench 1b, and rise to a high position to avoid air, thereby completing the unloading of the old cutter disc 3b.

[0302] When loading a new cutter disc 3b, the workbench 1b moves to the cutter disc 3b replacement position, and the jacking mechanism 4b equipped with the new cutter disc 3b descends to the cutter disc placement area 2b, and cooperates with the cutter disc 3b through the jacking structure 42b to lock the new cutter disc 3b on the workbench 1b; at this time, the driving member 41b continues to move downward, the jacking member 42b is separated from the workbench 1b, and is raised to a low altitude to avoid air, completing the loading of the new cutter disc 3b.

[0303] At the same time, the materials are loaded and unloaded. After the lifting structure 42b is replaced to the disc, when another cutter disc 3b needs to be replaced, the workbench 1b moves to the cutter disc 3b replacement position. As shown in Figure 34 above, one side of the cutter disc 3b is lifted by the lifting structure 42b, so that the old cutter disc 3b is separated from the workbench 1b, and the lifting structure of the new cutter disc 3b on the other side descends, so that the cutter disc 3b is placed on the workbench 1b, and the equipment can continue processing. In this way, the double cutter disc 3b structure of the equipment is replaced alternately to achieve non-stop operation.

[0304] In an application scenario of the present application, the ejecting mechanism 4b is installed on the temporary storage mechanism 5b.

[0305] When a new cutterhead 3b on the temporary storage mechanism 5b needs to be transferred to the cutterhead placement area 2b, the workbench 1b is configured to move the cutterhead placement area 2b in the Y-axis direction until it docks with the temporary storage mechanism 5b. The temporary storage mechanism 5b is then configured to move the cutterhead 3b in the Y-axis direction to place the cutterhead 3b on the temporary storage mechanism 5b in the cutterhead placement area 2b.

[0306] During unloading, when the cutter disc 3b located in the cutter disc placement area 2b needs to be transferred to the temporary storage mechanism 5b, the temporary storage mechanism 5b is configured to move the cutter disc 3b in the Y-axis direction to place the cutter disc 3b located in the cutter disc placement area 2b in the temporary storage mechanism 5b. First, the workbench 1b moves to the cutter disc 3b replacement position, and the cutter disc 3b locking mechanism on the workbench 1b releases the cutter disc 3b. At this point, the drive member 41b on the temporary storage mechanism 5b moves, engaging the cutter disc 3b through the lifting structure 42b, lifting the old cutter disc 3b off the workbench 1b and raising it to a high position out of the air, completing the unloading operation of the old cutter disc 3b.

[0307] In this way, the cutter disc replacement device of the present application can realize automatic tool changing operation through the cooperation between the workbench 1b and the lifting mechanism. The entire tool changing operation process does not require human intervention, which is conducive to improving the replacement efficiency of the cutter disc replacement device.

[0308] When loading a new cutter disc 3b: the workbench 1b moves to the cutter disc 3b replacement position, the jacking mechanism 4b with the new cutter disc 3b installed on the temporary storage mechanism 5b descends to the cutter disc placement area 2b, and cooperates with the cutter disc 3b through the jacking structure 42b to lock the new cutter disc 3b on the workbench 1b; at this time, the driving member 41b continues to move downward, the jacking member 42b is separated from the workbench 1b, and is raised to a low altitude to avoid air, completing the loading of the new cutter disc 3b.

[0309] The cutter disc replacement device can be a drilling machine, a forming machine, a drilling machine, or other equipment that needs to process PCBs. Specifically, the cutter disc replacement device of the present application includes a workbench 1b and at least one temporary storage mechanism 5b. The workbench 1b is configured to place the PCB, and a cutter disc placement area 2b is provided on the workbench 1b, and the cutter disc placement area 2b is configured to place the cutter disc 3b. At least one temporary storage mechanism 5b is provided on the temporary storage mechanism 5b, and the temporary storage mechanism 5b is configured to drive the cutter disc 3b to move in the Y-axis direction, so as to place the cutter disc 3b located on the temporary storage mechanism 5b in the cutter disc placement area 2b, or to transfer the cutter disc 3b located in the cutter disc placement area 2b to the temporary storage mechanism 5b.

[0310] In this embodiment, when it is necessary to transfer the cutter disc 3b on at least one of the temporary storage mechanism 5b and the cutter disc 3b to the cutter disc placement area 2b, the workbench 1b is constructed to drive the cutter disc placement area 2b to move in the Y-axis direction to the docking position with the temporary storage mechanism 5b, and the lifting mechanism 4b cooperates to drive the temporary storage mechanism 5b and at least one of the cutter disc 3b to move in the height direction, and then drives the cutter disc 3b to move in the Y-axis direction through the temporary storage mechanism 5b to place the cutter disc 3b located on the temporary storage mechanism 5b in the cutter disc placement area 2b, thereby completing the loading operation of the cutter disc 3b.

[0311] Thus, the cutterhead replacement device of the present application can achieve fully mechanized and automated operation when performing a cutterhead 3b blade change operation, eliminating the need for human intervention throughout the entire blade change process. This significantly reduces the downtime of the cutterhead replacement device during blade changes, thereby improving the efficiency of the cutterhead replacement device. Furthermore, reducing human intervention also helps reduce labor costs, thereby reducing PCB production costs.

[0312] The ejection mechanism 4b includes a driving member 41b and a lifting structure 42b. The lifting structure 42b is driven by the driving member 41b to drive the cutter head 3b to move in the Z-axis direction. The driving member 41b can be a linear cylinder, a motor, etc. The lifting structure 42b is used to cooperate with the cutter head 3b.

[0313] In one embodiment, the lifting structure 42b is provided with a positioning pin cone 43b, which is configured to engage with a groove 31b on the cutter disc 3b, thereby securing the cutter disc 3b. When the workbench 1b moves to the cutter disc 3b replacement position, the cutter disc 3b locking structure of the workbench 1b releases the cutter disc 3b. At this time, the driving member 41b moves, and the positioning pin cone engages with the groove 31b on the cutter disc 3b, lifting the old cutter disc 3b off the workbench 1b and raising it to a high position to avoid airflow, completing the unloading of the old cutter disc 3b.

[0314] In another embodiment, the lifting structure 42b is provided with an electromagnet 46b. The electromagnet 46b is configured to have at least an energized state and a de-energized state. In the energized state, the electromagnet 46b is connected to the cutterhead 3b, securing the cutterhead 3b to the cutterhead 3b. In the de-energized state, the electromagnet is separated from the cutterhead 3b. When the workbench 1b moves to the cutterhead 3b replacement position, the cutterhead 3b locking structure of the workbench 1b releases the cutterhead 3b. At this time, the driving member 41b moves, and through the magnetic attraction between the electromagnet and the cutterhead 3b, the old cutterhead 3b is lifted off the workbench 1b and raised to a high position to avoid airflow, completing the unloading of the old cutterhead 3b.

[0315] In another embodiment, the lifting structure 42b is provided with an electromagnet 46b. The electromagnet 46b is configured to have at least an energized state and an energized state. In the energized state, the electromagnet 46b is connected to the cutterhead 3b, securing the cutterhead 3b thereto. In the energized state, the electromagnet is separated from the cutterhead 3b. This solution can reduce the problem of heat generation during electromagnetic connection. Alternatively, a permanent magnet can be used.

[0316] In another embodiment, the driving member 41b is a lifting and rotating device 44b. The lifting structure 42b, driven by the lifting and rotating device 44b, is used to move the cutterhead 3b in the second direction, and then rotates to fix the cutterhead 3b. The lifting structure is a clamping block 45b. The clamping block 45b is driven in the second direction by the lifting and rotating device 44b, passes through the avoidance hole 32b of the cutterhead 3b, and then moves and rotates to fix the cutterhead 3b.

[0317] In a specific embodiment of the present application, referring to FIG37 , the platform positioning pins 23b of the temporary storage mechanism 5b are constructed as platform positioning pins 23b that are arranged in the cutter disc placement area 2b and extend upward. The platform positioning pins 23b are constructed to position the cutter disc 3b when it moves in the cutter disc placement area 2b. At least two platform positioning pins 23b arranged along the X-axis direction are constructed to support the opposite ends of the cutter disc 3b to form a platform positioning pin 23b. The spacing between two adjacent platform positioning pins 23b is adapted to the length of the cutter disc 3b in the X-axis direction. In this way, when the cutter disc 3b is placed on the workbench 1b, the two platform positioning pins 23b can cooperate with the cutter disc 3b to support the cutter disc 3b, so that the cutter disc 3b can be stably placed in the cutter disc placement area 2b. To increase the accuracy and firmness of the cutterhead placement area 2b's positioning of the cutterhead 3b, a locking mechanism 11b is provided on the workbench 1b, with reference to the temporary storage mechanism 5b in Figure 37. A groove 31b is provided at a position corresponding to the cutterhead 3b, which engages with the locking mechanism 11b. Thus, when the cutterhead 3b is placed on the workbench 1b, the locking mechanism 11b on the workbench 1b engages with the groove 31b on the cutterhead 3b, thereby limiting and securing the cutterhead 3b in both the X- and Y-axis directions.

[0318] In this embodiment, referring to the temporary storage mechanism 5b in Figure 37, the side walls of the two adjacent platform positioning pins 23b cooperate with the end face of the workbench 1b to form a positioning edge, and the upper end of the positioning edge is open, so that the cutter disc 3b can fall into and stop inside the workbench 1b through the positioning edge during the movement, so as to transfer the cutter disc 3b located on the temporary storage mechanism 5b to the workbench 1b; or the cutter disc 3b located in the workbench 1b can be moved without being offset, thereby completing the transfer of the cutter disc 3b between the workbench 1b and the temporary storage mechanism 5b.

[0319] In a specific application scenario of the present application, when the cutter disc 3b on the workbench 1b needs to be transferred to the temporary storage mechanism 5b, the temporary storage mechanism 5b will move to the loading position under the drive of the lifting mechanism, and then the workbench 1b drives the cutter disc placement area 2b to move in the Y-axis direction until the temporary storage mechanism 5b extends into the docking position, and finally the cutter disc 3b moves along the Y-axis driven by the temporary storage mechanism 5b, so that the cutter disc 3b is separated from the cutter disc placement area 2b.

[0320] In some embodiments of the present application, in order to further reduce interference between devices and reasonably optimize the movement process, before the temporary storage mechanism 5b moves from the initial position to the docking position, it is necessary to control the workbench 1b to be in a safe zone position to avoid interference between the temporary storage mechanism 5b and the workbench 1b when the temporary storage mechanism 5b moves downward. For example, when the cutter disc placement area 2b and the temporary storage mechanism 5b overlap in the height direction, the workbench 1b will drive the cutter disc placement area 2b to move away from the temporary storage mechanism 5b until there is no interference between the two in the Z-axis direction. When the cutter disc placement area 2b and the temporary storage mechanism 5b do not overlap in the height direction, that is, the workbench 1b is already in the safe zone position, then there is no need to move the workbench 1b, and the temporary storage mechanism 5b is directly controlled to move from the initial position to the docking position.

[0321] In some embodiments of the present application, the temporary storage mechanism 5b includes a material changing layer, and the material changing layer includes a base and a material changing table composed of at least one material changing layer. The material changing table extends from the base toward the workbench 1b and is constructed to carry the cutter disc 3b. The material changing layer includes two platform locating pins 23b extending outward from the end face of the base, and the two platform locating pins 23b are constructed to cooperate together so that the cutter disc 3b can be stably placed on the material changing table. Of course, the platform locating pin 23b can also be a whole plate structure, as long as it can achieve the cutter disc 3b being stably placed on the material changing table and the workbench 1b can be extended into the avoidance position 32, the present application does not impose too many restrictions here.

[0322] In one embodiment of the present application, the cutterhead replacement device further includes a control unit, at least one spindle 6b, and a base. The spindle 6b is configured to process the PCB on the worktable 1b. A temporary storage mechanism 5b is disposed on the base. The worktable 1b is disposed on the base between the spindle 6b and the temporary storage mechanism 5b and is configured to move toward the temporary storage mechanism 5b to dock with it, or toward the spindle 6b to process the PCB on the worktable 1b via the spindle 6b. In this embodiment, the control unit is configured to determine the distance traveled by the worktable 1b in the Y-axis direction based on the positional relationship between the worktable 1b and the temporary storage mechanism 5b. When the cutterhead 3b needs to be replaced, the control unit is configured to control the worktable 1b to move in the Y-axis direction to dock with the temporary storage mechanism 5b. When processing the PCB on the worktable 1b is required, the control unit is configured to control the worktable 1b to move in the Y-axis direction according to design requirements to cooperate with the spindle 6b to process the PCB.

[0323] In some embodiments of the present application, to further increase the replacement efficiency of the cutter disc replacement device, each spindle 6b corresponds to at least two cutter disc placement areas 2b distributed in the X-axis direction, respectively designated as the first cutter disc placement area 21b and the second cutter disc placement area 22b. At least two material change layers are provided, designated as the first material change layer corresponding to the first cutter disc placement area 21b and the second material change layer corresponding to the second cutter disc placement area 22b. The control unit is configured to transfer the old cutter disc 3b in the first cutter disc placement area 21b to the first material change layer or the ejection mechanism 4b during a tool change operation, and / or transfer the new cutter disc 3b on the second material change layer to the second cutter disc placement area 22b. During another tool change operation, the new cutter disc 3b on the first material change layer is transferred to the first cutter disc placement area 21b, and the old cutter disc 3b in the second cutter disc placement area 22b is transferred to the second material change layer.

[0324] The ejecting mechanism 4b is configured to be movable along the X direction, and is used to sequentially dock with a plurality of cutter discs 3b to achieve replacement of the cutter discs 3b.

[0325] In one application scenario of the present application, referring to Figures 32, 33, and 37, the temporary storage mechanism 5b; each spindle 6b corresponds to at least two cutter disc placement areas 2b, which allows the spindle 6b to be replaced with the cutter discs 3b in the two cutter disc placement areas 2b. That is, the spindle 6b is constructed to be able to obtain the cutter discs 3b in the first cutter disc placement area 21b and the second cutter disc placement area 22b, respectively. After the ejection mechanism 4b replaces the cutter disc 3b in the first cutter disc placement area 21b, it can move along the X direction to the second cutter disc placement area 22b to replace the old cutter disc 3b with the new one.

[0326] In a specific embodiment of the present application, the control unit is configured to transfer the old cutter disc 3b in the first cutter disc placement area 21b to the first material change layer, and / or transfer the new cutter disc 3b on the second material change layer to the second cutter disc placement area 22b during a cutter change operation. Specifically, for example, when it is necessary to unload the old cutter disc 3b in the first cutter disc placement area 21b and load the new cutter disc 3b in the second material change layer.

[0327] In another application scenario of the present application, referring to the temporary storage mechanism 5b in Figures 32 and 37, each cutter disc placement area 2b corresponds to at least two cutter disc positions, and each cutter disc placement area 2b can be provided with at least one cutter disc replacement device, which rotates and replaces to keep the processing platform supplied with tools at all times.

[0328] In the embodiment of the present application, it is necessary to process the cutter disc 3b on the cutter disc placement area 2b, for example, by manually or mechanically removing the old cutter disc 3b, or by placing a new cutter disc 3b on the cutter disc placement area 2b. However, if there is only one cutter disc 3b in the cutter disc placement area 2b, processing the cutter disc 3b on the material replacement layer will take a long time, thereby affecting the working efficiency of the cutter disc replacement device.

[0329] In the embodiment of the present application, each cutter disc placement area 2b can be provided with a push-up mechanism 4b, which is constructed to be movable along the X-axis and used to sequentially dock with multiple cutter discs 3b to replace the cutter discs 3b. The control unit will first control the movement of the push-up mechanism 4b in the x-axis direction based on the positional relationship between the workbench 1b and the push-up mechanism 4b. The first cutter disc position is vacant, and the second cutter disc position has an old cutter disc 3b placed on it. The push-up mechanism 4b corresponding to the first cutter disc position will drive the first cutter disc position to move, that is, move downward until the first cutter disc 3b moves to the first cutter disc position; the locking mechanism 11b on the first cutter disc position will secure the first cutter disc 3b to the first cutter disc position.

[0330] At the same time, the second cutterhead position remains at a different initial position, that is, the second cutterhead is located at the workbench 1b. When the first cutterhead position is moved into position, the ejection mechanism 4b moves along the x-axis until the second cutterhead 3b is positioned directly above the second cutterhead placement area 22b. In other words, the ejection mechanism 4b is positioned directly below the second cutterhead placement area 22b. Simultaneously, the ejection mechanism 4b corresponding to the second cutterhead position drives the second cutterhead position in the z-axis, disengaging the second re-material layer from the new cutterhead 3b, thereby completing the task of loading the new cutterhead 3b into the second cutterhead placement area 22b.

[0331] In another embodiment of the present application, two ejection mechanisms 4b can be provided for each cutter disc placement area 2b, with one ejection mechanism 4b corresponding to each cutter disc position. The first cutter disc position is vacant, and an old cutter disc 3b is placed on the second cutter disc position. The first ejection mechanism 4b corresponding to the first cutter disc position will drive the first cutter disc position to move, that is, move downward until the first cutter disc 3b moves to the first cutter disc position; the locking mechanism 11b on the first cutter disc position will fix the first cutter disc 3b on the first cutter disc position. At the same time, the second cutter disc position remains in a different position from the initial position, that is, the second cutter disc is located at the position of the workbench 1b. When the first cutter disc position is moved into position, the second ejection mechanism 4b corresponding to the second cutter disc position will drive the second cutter disc position to move in the z-axis direction and separate the second material change layer from the new cutter disc 3b, thereby completing the task of loading the new cutter disc 3b into the second cutter disc placement area 22b.

[0332] The two ejecting devices are rotated and replaced to keep the processing platform supplied with tools at all times.

[0333] The above steps enable simultaneous unloading from the first cutterhead placement area 21b and loading into the second cutterhead placement area 22b during a single tool change operation. Although there is no cutterhead 3b in the first cutterhead placement area 21b, the spindle 6b can still perform a tool change using a new cutterhead 3b in the second cutterhead placement area 22b. This ensures that while the cutterhead 3b on the material change layer is being processed, the spindle 6b always has a cutterhead 3b in the cutterhead placement area 2b available to process the PCB on the worktable 1b, thus avoiding downtime and reduced work efficiency.

[0334] The first and second cutter disc positions perform loading and unloading operations simultaneously under the control of their respective lifting mechanisms, which is beneficial to reducing the downtime of the cutter disc changing device when performing tool changing operations, thereby achieving the purpose of increasing the replacement efficiency of the cutter disc changing device.

[0335] Based on the above disclosure, during a tool change operation, the tool disc 3b in the first tool disc placement area 21b can be unloaded separately. The tool disc 3b in the second tool disc placement area 22b can also be loaded separately. The specific unloading and loading methods will not be described in detail.

[0336] In this application scenario, the old cutter disc 3b in the first cutter disc placement area 21b was unloaded during the previous tool change operation, and a new cutter disc 3b is loaded into the second cutter disc placement area 22b. After the spindle 6b has processed the PCB for a predetermined period of time, i.e., when the cutter disc replacement device needs to perform another tool change, the new cutter disc 3b in the first cutter disc position is transferred to the first cutter disc placement area 21b, and the old cutter disc 3b in the second cutter disc placement area 22b is transferred to the second cutter disc position. The specific execution steps can be found above, and this application will not elaborate on them here.

[0337] By continuously repeating the above steps, the new or old cutter disc 3b in the first and / or second cutter disc positions can be replaced while the cutter disc replacement device is performing machining operations, effectively shortening the time the cutter disc replacement device requires for tool changes. By alternating between the first and second cutter disc placement areas 21b, 22b, tool changes for loading and unloading are performed step by step. That is, during one tool change, while unloading is being performed in the first cutter disc placement area 21b, loading is performed in the second cutter disc placement area 22b. During another tool change, while loading is being performed in the first cutter disc placement area 21b, loading is performed in the second cutter disc placement area 22b. This ensures that between tool changes, there is always a cutter disc 3b in the cutter disc placement area 2b available for use by the spindle 6b, allowing the spindle 6b to continue machining the PCB. Furthermore, during this machining process, the cutter discs 3b in the cutter disc positions can be handled manually or by a robot. By alternately replacing the cutter disc, the downtime of the cutter disc replacement device when performing the cutter replacement operation is reduced, thereby achieving the purpose of improving the replacement efficiency of the cutter disc replacement device.

[0338] In some embodiments of the present application, referring to Figure 32, a bracket 7b is provided at the outer edge of the workbench 1b, and the bracket 7b includes a mounting plate. The opposite ends of the mounting plate are constructed to be installed at the outer edge of the base, and the mounting plate is constructed to be suspended on the outside of the base, and the temporary storage mechanism 5b is provided on the bracket 7b. Such a design can reduce the work area of ​​the workbench 1b occupied by the lifting mechanism, thereby increasing the processing stroke of the workbench 1b, so that the tool disc replacement device can perform a larger range of processing.

[0339] In some embodiments of the present application, referring to FIG33 , a fixing structure is provided at the outer edge of the workbench 1b, located above the bracket 7b. The fixing structure includes a support plate, with opposite ends of the support plate configured to be mounted on the outer edge of the base. The support plate is configured to be suspended from the outer side of the base. The temporary storage mechanism 5b is provided on the bracket 7b. This design can reduce the working area of ​​the workbench 1b occupied by the temporary storage mechanism 5b, thereby increasing the processing range of the workbench 1b and enabling the tool changer to perform a wider range of processing.

[0340] In some embodiments of the present application, the temporary storage mechanism 5b, the lifting mechanism, and the temporary storage mechanism 5b are configured to be installed on a transport robot, and the transport robot is configured to walk on the ground until it docks with the workbench 1b. Installing the temporary storage mechanism 5b, the lifting mechanism, and the temporary storage mechanism 5b on the transport robot can further reduce the area of ​​the base occupied by the temporary storage mechanism 5b, thereby facilitating an increase in the processing range of the workbench 1b and further expanding the processing range of the cutterhead replacement device of the present application.

[0341] In some embodiments of the present application, the temporary storage mechanism 5b includes a driving member 41b, and a contact member is provided at the output end of the driving member 41b. The contact member is configured to cooperate with the groove 31b on the cutter disc 3b, thereby fixing the cutter disc 3b.

[0342] The driving member 41b is configured to drive the contact member to move along the Y-axis direction, thereby driving the cutter disc 3b to move in the Y-axis direction, so as to place the cutter disc 3b on the temporary storage mechanism 5b in the cutter disc placement area 2b.

[0343] The drive member 41b is mounted on a support plate of a fixed structure. The drive member 41b is a pneumatic cylinder with a contact element at its output end. The contact element includes a telescopic mechanism, which includes a connecting block at its output end. The connecting block is configured to engage with a groove 31b on the cutter disc 3b. The telescopic mechanism extends and retracts, connecting and disconnecting the connecting block from the cutter disc 3b. The pneumatic cylinder drives the connecting block along the y-axis toward the worktable 1b and is configured to move the cutter disc 3b. The contact element, which may be a clamping claw, a pin hole, or a connecting block, is mounted on the output end of the pneumatic cylinder via a telescopic cylinder. The cutter disc 3b is provided with a groove 31b that mates with the contact element. When the cutter disc 3b needs to be replaced, the contact element engages with the groove 31b on the cutter disc 3b to secure it. Driven by the pneumatic cylinder, the contact element moves along the y-axis along the platform positioning pins 23b on the reloading platform or worktable 1b, preventing the cutter disc 3b from shaking during movement.

[0344] The advantages of this embodiment are: the temporary storage mechanism 5b is simplified, the overall footprint is smaller, the temporary storage mechanism 5b is installed in the avoidance position, the structure rationally utilizes the avoidance position, and high-position avoidance is achieved; at the same time, the motion cylinder is combined with the contact piece structure, and the temporary storage mechanism 5b realizes the rapid replacement of the cutter disc 3b.

[0345] In other embodiments of the present application, the temporary storage mechanism 5b includes a driving member 41b, and a contact member is provided at the output end of the driving member 41b. The contact member is constructed to cooperate with the groove 31b on the cutter disc 3b, thereby fixing the cutter disc 3b.

[0346] The driver 41b is configured to move the contact member along the Y-axis, thereby moving the cutter disc 3b in the Y-axis direction to place the cutter disc 3b located on the temporary storage mechanism 5b in the cutter disc placement area 2b. The driver 41b is mounted on the reloading platform, away from the upper workbench 1b. The driver 41b is a cylinder that pushes the cutter disc 3b. The output end of the cylinder is equipped with a contact member. The cylinder drives the contact member along the Y-axis toward the workbench 1b and is configured to move the cutter disc 3b. The contact member may be a clamping claw, a pin hole, or a connecting block; the contact member is mounted on the output end of the cylinder that pushes the cutter disc 3b. The cutter disc 3b is provided with a groove 31b that mates with the contact member. When the cutter disc 3b needs to be replaced, the contact piece cooperates with the groove 31b on the cutter disc 3b to fix the cutter disc 3b, and is driven by the motion cylinder to move along the platform positioning pin 23b on the material changing table or workbench 1b along the Y-axis direction to avoid shaking of the cutter disc 3b during the movement.

[0347] The advantages of this embodiment are that the overall structure of the temporary storage mechanism 5b is simplified to be smaller, the contact structure is simplified, the equipment size is reduced, and the cutter head 3b can be quickly replaced through the temporary storage mechanism 5b.

[0348] In other embodiments of the present application, a positioning block is further provided on the workbench 1b, and the positioning block is located between the two platform positioning pins 23b on the workbench 1b. The positioning block is constructed to position the cutter disc 3b to a specified position; specifically, two beveled edges are provided on the top of the positioning block. When the cutter disc 3b moves with deviation, the cutter disc 3b is adjusted to the correct position through the two beveled edges.

[0349] In other embodiments of the present application, the temporary storage mechanism 5b includes a driving member 41b, and a contact member is provided at the output end of the driving member 41b. The contact member is constructed to cooperate with the groove 31b on the cutter disc 3b, thereby fixing the cutter disc 3b.

[0350] The driving member 41b is configured to drive the contact member to move along the Y-axis, thereby driving the cutter head 3b to move along the Y-axis, thereby placing the cutter head 3b located on the temporary storage mechanism 5b in the cutter head placement area 2b. The driving member 41b is mounted below the cutter head 3b, or the driving member 41b is mounted on the workbench 1b.

[0351] To enhance the stability of the connection between the reloading platform and the cutterhead 3b, a locking mechanism 11b is provided on the workbench 1b, and a groove 31b is provided on the cutterhead 3b to engage with the locking mechanism 11b. When the cutterhead 3b is placed on the reloading platform, the locking mechanism 11b engages with the groove 31b on the cutterhead 3b to limit the position of the cutterhead 3b and prevent it from shaking during movement.

[0352] Optionally, the locking mechanism 11b includes a linear cylinder, which is installed at the bottom of the workbench 1b. The output end of the linear cylinder is provided with a rotary cylinder, and the output end of the rotary cylinder is provided with a pressure plate. When the cutter disc 3b needs to be fixed on the workbench 1b, the linear cylinder drives the rotary cylinder to move along the Z axis to extend the pressure plate into the groove 31b. Then, the rotary cylinder drives the pressure plate to rotate to a specified position. After that, the linear cylinder drives the pressure plate to descend and press the workbench 1b, so as to limit the cutter disc 3b and avoid shaking of the cutter disc 3b during operation. The locking mechanism 11b may be a rotary clamping cylinder, which can also realize the rotation function during the linear motion process. However, the locking mechanism 11b in this embodiment is not limited to this. In addition, there are other means to realize the clamping function.

[0353] In a specific application scenario of the present application, when the cutter disc 3b on the workbench 1b needs to be transferred to the lifting mechanism 4b, the lifting mechanism 4b will move to the loading position under the drive of the driving member 41b, and then the workbench 1b drives the cutter disc placement area 2b to move in the Y-axis direction until the temporary storage mechanism 5b extends into the docking position, and finally the cutter disc 3b moves along the Y-axis driven by the lifting mechanism 4b, so that the cutter disc 3b is separated from the cutter disc placement area 2b.

[0354] In some embodiments of the present application, in order to further reduce interference between devices and reasonably optimize the movement process, the lifting mechanism 4b also includes a moving device 47b, which is configured to drive the lifting mechanism 4b to move along a first direction. Before the lifting mechanism 4b moves from the initial position to the docking position, it is necessary to control the workbench 1b to be in a safe zone position to prevent the temporary storage mechanism 5b from interfering with the workbench 1b during the downward movement. For example, when the cutter head placement area 2b and the lifting mechanism 4b overlap in height, the workbench 1b will drive the cutter head placement area 2b to move away from the lifting mechanism 4b, or the lifting mechanism 4b to move away from the lifting mechanism 4b, until there is no interference between the two in the y-axis direction. When the cutter head placement area 2b and the temporary storage mechanism 5b do not overlap in height, that is, the workbench 1b is already in the safe zone, then there is no need to move the workbench 1b or the lifting mechanism 4b, and the temporary storage mechanism 5b is directly controlled to move from the initial position to the docking position. The initial position indicates that the material pushing mechanism 4b is away from the workbench 1b; the docking position indicates that the material pushing mechanism 4b moves to the position directly below the cutter head placement area 2b and is ready to change materials.

[0355] The embodiments of the present application have been described above. The above description is exemplary, not exhaustive, and is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terms used herein are selected to best explain the principles of the embodiments, their practical applications, or technical improvements in the marketplace, or to enable other persons skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein. The scope of this application is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A circuit board processing device, comprising: A workbench, wherein at least one processing station is arranged on the workbench, and the processing station is provided with a first area and a second area adjacent to each other; A first knife box and a second knife box, wherein the first knife box for storing a first knife and the second knife box for storing a second knife are both arranged in the first area; when the first knife box is arranged to process a circuit board, the second knife box is arranged to replace the knife box externally; when the first knife box is arranged to replace the knife box externally, the second knife box is arranged to process the circuit board; A common tool box for storing common tools is arranged in the second area; the common tool and the first tool at least include all kinds of tools for processing the circuit board, or the common tool and the second tool at least include all kinds of tools for processing the circuit board.

2. The circuit board processing equipment according to claim 1, wherein: The common knife box is fixedly arranged on the workbench, and the common knife box replaces the common knife through the first knife box or the second knife box.

3. The circuit board processing equipment according to claim 2, wherein: The circuit board processing equipment comprises a tool management module, which monitors and updates the life of the common tool, the first tool and the second tool in real time.

4. The circuit board processing equipment according to claim 3, wherein: The workbench also includes a first tool holder and a second tool holder, which controls the unloading of the old shared tool to the first tool holder and controls the transfer of the new shared tool to the second tool holder; Alternatively, the workbench includes a first tool holder, and the old shared tool is controlled to be unloaded to the first tool holder, and the new shared tool is controlled to be transferred to the shared tool box; Alternatively, the workbench includes a second tool holder, and controls the new shared tool to be transferred to the second tool holder, and controls the old shared tool to be unloaded to the first tool box or the second tool box; Alternatively, the old shared tool is controlled to be transferred to the first tool box or the second tool box, and the new shared tool box is controlled to be transferred to the shared tool box.

5. The circuit board processing equipment according to claim 3, wherein: When unloading the common tool, if the current life of the common tool is less than the preset life, the common tool is controlled to be unloaded to the common tool box; if the current life of the last common tool of this type is equal to the preset life, the common tool is controlled to be unloaded to the first tool box or the second tool box.

6. The circuit board processing equipment according to claim 1, wherein: The common knife box is detachably arranged on the workbench, and the frequency of replacing external knives by the common knife box is lower than the frequency of replacing external knife boxes by the first knife box and the second knife box.

7. The circuit board processing equipment according to claim 1, wherein: In the process of processing one of the circuit boards, the workload of each type of the common tool is less than the workload of each type of the first tool or the second tool.

8. The circuit board processing equipment according to claim 1, wherein: The time for replacing the knife box externally is shorter than the time for the first knife box or the second knife box to process the circuit board; The first knife box is completely identical to the second knife box, or, in the first knife box and the second knife box, at least one of the first knives is different from the second knives.

9. The circuit board processing equipment according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein: The circuit board processing equipment processes the circuit board according to the first object parameters, and the tool management module determines the following parameters according to the number of circuit boards in the first object parameters, the type and workload of tools required to process the circuit boards, and the life parameters of the common tool, the first tool or the second tool: (1) the type and quantity of the common tool; (2) the type and quantity of the first tool; (3) the type and quantity of the second tool.

10. The circuit board processing equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: According to any of the following triggering conditions, the shared tool is replaced externally: (1) At least one tool has reached the end of its service life; (2) All tools of any type have reached the end of their service life; (3) Each tool reaches a predetermined threshold for the total life span; (4) The remaining total life of at least one type of tool cannot meet the workload of processing the next circuit board.

11. The circuit board processing equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: According to any of the following triggering conditions, the first blade box or the second blade box is triggered to be replaced externally: (1) All cutting tools have reached the end of their service life; (2) All tools of any type have reached the end of their service life; (3) The remaining total life of at least one type of tool cannot meet the workload of processing the next circuit board; (4) The knife box completes the predetermined workload.

12. A tool changing method, the tool changing method being applied to circuit board processing equipment, comprising: Obtaining parameters of the circuit board and the tool in the first object parameters; Determining the type and quantity of the knives in the knife box; Controlling the circuit board processing equipment to pick up the tool to process the circuit board; When the sum of all remaining lifespans of at least one of the cutting tools in the cutting tool box cannot meet the workload of processing the next circuit board, controlling the external replacement of the cutting tool box; or, When the sum of all remaining lifespans of at least one of the cutting tools in the cutting tool box cannot meet the workload of processing the next circuit board, the cutting tools are controlled to be replaced externally.

13. A tool changing method, the tool changing method being applied to circuit board processing equipment, comprising: The tool management module obtains the life of shared tools in real time; When the remaining life of the common tool is less than a preset value; controlling the transfer of a new common tool to the first tool box or the second tool box; After processing the circuit board and before processing the next circuit board, or when the common tool reaches the end of its service life, control is performed to replace the common tool with the first tool box or the second tool box.

14. A tool changing method, the tool changing method being applied to circuit board processing equipment, comprising: The tool management module obtains the life of shared tools in real time; When the remaining life of the common tool cannot meet the workload of processing the next circuit board; control the transfer of a new common tool to the first tool box or the second tool box; After processing the circuit board and before processing the next circuit board, or when the common tool reaches the end of its service life, control is performed to replace the common tool with the first tool box or the second tool box.

15. An automatic cutter disc replacement device, comprising: Transfer mechanism and material collection mechanism; It also includes a material frame mechanism, the material frame mechanism is configured to store a cutter disc, the transfer mechanism is configured to take out the cutter disc from the material frame mechanism, and the cutter disc is configured to be movable along a first direction; The material taking mechanism is configured to take and place the cutting disc on the transfer mechanism and the drilling rig.

16. The automatic blade replacement device according to claim 15, wherein: It also includes a moving device, and the transfer mechanism and the material taking mechanism are both arranged on the moving device.

17. The automatic blade replacement device according to claim 16, wherein: The material frame mechanism is installed on the moving device. A lifting mechanism is also provided on one side of the material frame mechanism. The lifting mechanism is provided above the moving device and is configured to drive the material frame mechanism to move along the first direction.

18. The automatic blade replacement device according to claim 17, wherein: At least one layer plate is slidably disposed in the material frame mechanism, and the cutter disc is placed on the layer plate.

19. The automatic blade replacement device according to claim 18, wherein: The transfer mechanism includes a platform fixedly mounted on a moving device, on which a translation mechanism is also arranged. The translation mechanism slides along a second direction on the platform, and the translation mechanism is arranged to drive the layer plate to enter and exit along the interior of the material frame mechanism.

20. The automatic blade replacement device according to claim 19, wherein: The lifting mechanism includes a mounting plate fixed to the carrier, a first driving component and a supporting component slidably connected to the end surface of the mounting plate, the first driving component is configured to drive the supporting component to move, and the material frame mechanism is placed on the supporting component.

21. The automatic blade replacement device according to claim 20, wherein: The support assembly includes a slide seat sliding on the mounting plate, and a support arm is provided on the slide seat; The material frame mechanism comprises a material bin and a supporting assembly, and the material bin is placed on the supporting arm.

22. The automatic blade replacement device according to claim 21, wherein: There are two limit blocks on both sides below the silo, and the two limit blocks stop the two sides of the support arm respectively. There is also a positioning structure between the silo and the support arm, and the positioning structure is configured to locate the installation position between the silo and the support arm.

23. The automatic blade replacement device according to claim 21, wherein: There is at least one supporting component distributed along the two horizontal inner sides of the silo, and the two opposing supporting components are arranged at the same height and form a sliding plane, and at least parts of the two opposing supporting components slide with the layer plate.

24. The automatic blade replacement device according to claim 21, wherein: The translation mechanism includes a rotating plate arranged on the carrier, and the carrier is slidably connected to the top of the rotating plate. A second driving component is also arranged on the rotating plate, and the second driving component is configured to drive the carrier to move. The carrier also has a registration structure coupled with the silo.

25. The automatic blade replacement device according to claim 24, wherein: The registration structure includes a protruding piece arranged on the object carrier, and a groove is provided below the layer plate, and the protruding piece is coupled and adapted with the groove.

26. The automatic blade replacement device according to claim 24, wherein: A temporary storage seat is also fixedly installed on the loading platform, and a detection element is also arranged on the upper end of the loading platform.

27. The automatic blade replacement device according to claim 16, wherein: The material taking mechanism comprises a mechanical arm and a clamping mechanism installed on the shaft at the end of the mechanical arm, and the clamping mechanism is configured to take and hold the cutter disc.

28. The automatic blade replacement device according to claim 27, wherein: The clamping mechanism includes a driving part and at least two clamping parts. A connecting piece connected to the robotic arm is fixedly installed on the top of the driving part, a clamping claw extension is also fixed on the clamping part, and a camera and a position detection element are fixedly installed on the front side of the driving part through a bracket.

29. A PCB processing system, comprising an automatic cutter head replacement device and a drilling machine as claimed in any one of claims 15 to 28.

30. A method for automatically replacing a cutter disc, using the PCB processing system as claimed in claim 29, comprising the following steps; Step 1: Control the mobile device to move to the cutterhead replacement position of the corresponding drilling rig; Step 2: After the moving device is in place, the lifting mechanism lifts the material frame mechanism along the first direction until the required layer plate moves to the position where it docks with the translation mechanism; Step 3: The translation mechanism pulls the layer plate in the relative material frame mechanism out along the second direction, so that the layer plate is above the carrier; Step 4: The material taking mechanism moves between the layer plate and the drilling rig to load the drilling rig cutter head; Step 5: The lifting mechanism moves the material frame mechanism along the first direction to another layer full of new cutter discs and docks with the relative translation mechanism, and repeats the above steps to replace all the cutter discs required by the drilling rig; Step 6: The mobile device moves to the next drilling rig, repeating the above actions.

31. A method for automatically replacing a cutter disc according to claim 30, wherein: The step 4 comprises: Step 41: The material taking mechanism moves to the position of the old cutter disc on the drilling rig, grabs the old cutter disc, and then returns to place the old cutter disc on the cutter disc temporary storage position on the translation mechanism; Step 42: The material taking mechanism clamps the new cutter disc on the layer plate, and then places the new cutter disc on the original position of the old cutter disc. Thereafter, the material taking mechanism grabs the old cutter disc on the temporary storage position, and then returns to place the old cutter disc on the vacant position of the layer plate; Step 43: Repeat the above steps until all new blade discs on the shelf are removed and replaced with old blade discs.

32. A cutter disc replacement device, comprising: A workbench, on which is disposed at least one cutter disc placement area configured to place a cutter disc; The workbench is configured to be able to place a PCB, and is configured to drive the cutter disc to move in a first direction; The lifting mechanism is configured to drive the cutter disc to move in a second direction, and is used for connecting and separating the cutter disc placement area and the cutter disc.

33. The blade replacement device according to claim 32, wherein: The material ejection mechanism comprises a driving member and a lifting structure. The lifting structure can drive the cutter disc to move in the second direction when driven by the driving member.

34. The blade disc replacement device according to claim 33, wherein: The jacking structure is provided with a positioning pin cone, and the positioning pin cone is constructed to be able to cooperate with the groove on the cutter disc, so as to fix the cutter disc.

35. The blade replacement device according to claim 33, wherein: The driving member is a lifting and rotating device. The lifting structure can drive the cutter disc to move in the second direction under the drive of the lifting and rotating device and then fix the cutter disc by rotating.

36. The blade replacement device according to claim 33, wherein: An electromagnet is provided on the lifting structure, and the electromagnet is constructed to at least include a power-on state and a power-off state; In the power-on state, the electromagnet is connected to the cutter disc to fix the cutter disc; In the power-off state, the electromagnet is separated from the cutter disc.

37. The blade replacement device according to claim 32, wherein: The ejecting mechanism is configured to be movable along a third direction, and is used to sequentially dock with a plurality of the cutter discs to achieve replacement of the cutter discs.

38. The blade replacement device according to claim 32, wherein: It also includes a moving device, which is configured to drive the ejecting mechanism to move along a first direction.

39. The blade replacement device according to claim 32, wherein: At least one cutter disc position is provided on each cutter disc placement area; the material ejecting mechanism is constructed to be movable along a third direction so as to connect and separate the cutter discs in the cutter disc placement area from the cutter disc placement area respectively.

40. The blade disc replacement device according to claim 32, wherein: A locking mechanism is provided at the bottom of the workbench, and the locking mechanism is configured to fix the cutter disc on the workbench.

41. The blade replacement device according to claim 33, wherein: The driving member is installed below the cutter disc, or the driving member is installed on the workbench.

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