Chain winding jig

Abstract

A chain winding jig 1 comprises: a lower portion 10; an upper portion 20; a winding portion 50 provided on the upper portion 20 for winding a chain 107 of a substrate conveyance portion 105; and a rotation portion 30 provided between the lower portion 10 and the upper portion 20 for rotating the upper portion 20 relative to the lower portion 10. The winding portion comprises an insertion portion 40 for insertion into the chain 107 of the substrate conveyance portion 105, and a wrapping portion 45 for wrapping the chain 107.

Description

Chain winding jig

[0001] The present invention relates to a chain winding jig.

[0002] Conventionally, in a soldering apparatus, the conveyance of a substrate has been performed by a conveyance unit. For example, in Japanese Patent No. 7506353 (

[0014] ), a conveyance unit having a conveyance rail, conveyance claws movable along the conveyance rail while gripping the substrate, and a conveyance drive unit for applying a driving force for moving the conveyance claws along the conveyance rail is disclosed.

[0003] In the conveyance unit, a chain for conveying the conveyance claws is adopted. When performing maintenance work such as cleaning the chain, it is necessary to remove the chain from the conveyance unit. In this case, in the conventional aspect, an operator performing the maintenance work simply removed the chain from the conveyance unit.

[0004] The present invention provides a chain winding jig for winding a chain. By adopting such a chain winding jig, for example, the efficiency of the work of removing the chain in a soldering apparatus can be improved.

[0005] [Concept 1] The chain winding jig according to the present invention includes a lower part, an upper part, a winding part provided on the upper part for winding the chain of the substrate conveyance part, and a rotating part provided between the lower part and the upper part for relatively rotating the upper part with respect to the lower part. The winding part may have an insertion part for inserting into the chain of the substrate conveyance part and a winding part for winding the chain.

[0006] [Concept 2] In the chain winding jig according to the present invention, the lower part is composed of a lower plate, the upper part is composed of an upper plate, and the insertion part and the winding part may extend along the normal direction of the upper plate from the upper plate.

[0007] [Concept 3] In the chain winding jig according to the present invention, the heights of the insertion part and the winding part may be substantially the same.

[0008] [Concept 4] In the chain winding jig according to the present invention, the tip of the insertion portion may be tapered.

[0009] [Concept 5] In the chain winding jig according to the present invention, a rotation center may be provided between the winding portion and the insertion portion.

[0010] [Concept 6] In the chain winding jig according to the present invention, the insertion portion may be positioned at a distance of 4 mm or more from the winding portion in a plan view.

[0011] [Concept 7] The chain winding method according to the present invention is a chain winding method using a chain winding jig described in any one of Concepts 1 to 6, and may include the steps of: removing a conveying claw attached to the chain; inserting the insertion part into the starting end of the chain from which the conveying claw has been removed; and winding the chain around the winding part by rotating the upper part.

[0012] The present invention provides a chain winding jig for winding up a chain. By employing such a chain winding jig, for example, the efficiency of chain removal work in a soldering device can be increased.

[0013] A plan view of a soldering apparatus having a substrate transport section. A front view illustrating how a substrate is transported by the transport claws of the substrate transport section. A side view of a chain winding jig according to an embodiment of the present invention. A perspective view of a chain winding jig according to an embodiment of the present invention. A plan view showing the second upper plate of a chain winding jig according to an embodiment of the present invention. A plan view showing the first lower plate, second lower plate, and first upper plate of a chain winding jig according to an embodiment of the present invention. A photograph of a disassembled chain winding jig according to an embodiment of the present invention. A photograph of the chain winding jig in Figure 7 after assembly. A photograph showing how a chain is wound using a chain winding jig according to an embodiment of the present invention. A photograph showing how winding has progressed further than in Figure 9. A photograph showing how winding has progressed further than in Figure 10. A photograph showing how the chain winding using a chain winding jig according to an embodiment of the present invention is completed. A diagram illustrating how the start and end points are formed by removing the transport claws.

[0014] Embodiment

[0015] The chain winding jig of this embodiment is a jig used for winding a chain, and is particularly used in a soldering apparatus to wind up a chain 107 used for transporting a circuit board.

[0016] Let me briefly explain an example of a soldering device.

[0017] The soldering apparatus shown in Figure 1 is a device for soldering electronic components such as semiconductor elements, resistors, and capacitors onto a substrate 200 on which such components are mounted in a circuit. Typically, the electronic components are positioned on the lower side of the substrate 200. The soldering apparatus has a main body 101 and a substrate transport unit 105 for transporting the substrate 200. The substrate transport unit 105 has a chain 107 (see Figure 9, etc.) to which transport claws 106 are attached, and the chain winding jig 1 in this embodiment is typically used to wind up this chain 107. During winding, the chain 107 is wound up together with the transport claws 106.

[0018] The main body 101 has an entrance 102 for loading the substrate 200 and an exit 103 for unloading the substrate 200. The substrate 200 may be transported at a predetermined angle when viewed from the side, for example, at an incline of about 3 to 6 degrees. In this case, the downstream side will be positioned higher than the upstream side in the substrate transport direction A. However, it is not limited to this, and the substrate 200 may be transported horizontally, for example. The substrate transport unit 105 may have a transport rail, a transport claw 106 (see Figure 2, etc.) that can move along the transport rail while gripping the substrate 200, and a transport drive unit that provides driving force to move the transport claw 106 along the transport rail. Aluminum, iron, stainless steel, etc. may be used as the transport rail. The transport claw 106 has a recess 106a for gripping the substrate 200.

[0019] As shown in Figure 1, the main body 101 may be provided with a fluxer 110 for applying flux to the substrate 200, a preheater 115 for preheating the flux-coated substrate 200, a jet soldering device 100 for spraying molten solder into contact with the substrate 200, and a cooler 120 for cooling the soldered substrate 200. The substrate 200, transported along the transport rail of the substrate transport unit 105, will pass through the fluxer 110, the preheater 115, the jet soldering device 100, and the cooler 120 in that order.

[0020] The fluxer 110 is used to apply flux to the transported substrate 200. The flux may contain a solvent and an activator. The fluxer 110 may be equipped with multiple application devices. The type of flux may be selected depending on the type of solder and the type of substrate 200.

[0021] The preheater unit 115 heats the substrate 200, thereby uniformly raising the substrate 200 to a predetermined temperature. Heating the substrate 200 in this way makes it easier for solder to adhere to predetermined locations on the substrate 200. For example, a halogen heater can be used for the preheater unit 115. A halogen heater can rapidly heat the substrate 200 to a set temperature. Alternatively, the gas (hot air) heated by the heater may be blown onto the substrate 200 by a fan to heat the substrate 200. In addition, a far-infrared panel heater or the like may be used as the preheater unit 115.

[0022] The jet soldering apparatus 100 supplies molten solder to the substrate 200, thereby soldering electronic components such as semiconductor elements, resistors, and capacitors mounted on the substrate 200.

[0023] The cooling unit 120 has a cooling fan (not shown) and cools the substrate 200 that has been soldered by the jet soldering device 100. The cooling fan may be controlled simply by turning it ON and OFF, but the airflow speed may also be adjusted. In addition, the cooling unit 120 may use a chiller or the like to cool the substrate 200 until it reaches a predetermined temperature.

[0024] Next, the chain winding jig 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, the chain winding jig 1 has a lower part 10, an upper part 20, a winding part 50 provided on the upper part 20 for winding up the chain 107 of the substrate transport unit 105, and a rotating part 30 provided between the lower part 10 and the upper part 20 for rotating the upper part 20 relative to the lower part 10. The winding part 50 has an insertion part 40 for inserting into the chain 107 of the substrate transport unit 105 and a winding part 45 for winding the chain 107. The lower part 10 is placed on the floor or table where work is performed. The upper part 20 is rotatable relative to the lower part 10, and by rotating the upper part 20, the chain 107 is wound up around the winding part 50 (see Figures 9 to 12). By employing such a chain winding jig 1, it is possible to remove the chain 107 from the substrate transport unit 105 while winding up the chain 107, thereby significantly increasing work efficiency. The chain 107 needs to be removed for maintenance work such as cleaning or when it needs to be replaced. While the frequency of removing the chain 107 from the circuit board transport unit 105 is not high for individual soldering machines, the applicant performs maintenance work such as cleaning the circuit board transport unit 105 for many clients, resulting in a large number of soldering machines and a high frequency of removal. In this respect, the chain winding jig 1 of this embodiment is very beneficial in that it can improve efficiency in such frequently performed tasks.

[0026] The lower part 10 of the chain winding jig 1 may consist of, for example, a lower plate 11, and the upper part 20 may consist of, for example, an upper plate 21. The insertion part 40 and the winding part 45 may extend upward from the upper plate 21 along the direction normal to the upper plate 21. As shown in Figure 6, the lower plate 11 may have a first lower plate 12 and a second lower plate 13 provided above the first lower plate 12. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the upper plate 21 may have a first upper plate 22 and a second upper plate 23 provided above the first lower plate 12. In the embodiments shown in Figures 6 and 7, the first lower plate 12 and the second upper plate 23 are made of circular plates in plan view, and the second lower plate 13 and the first upper plate 22 are made of rectangular plates in plan view. A rotatable rotating part 30 is provided between the second lower plate 13 and the first upper plate 22.

[0027] The second lower plate 13, the first upper plate 22, and the rotating part 30 may also serve as bearing members. A first lower plate 12 for fixing may be provided below the second lower plate 13, and a second upper plate 23 for supporting the wound chain 107 may be provided above the first upper plate 22. The first lower plate 12 and the second lower plate 13 may be fixed by fasteners such as screws. Similarly, the first upper plate 22 and the second upper plate 23 may be fixed by fasteners such as screws. By providing the first lower plate 12, which has a larger area in plan view than the second lower plate 13, the chain winding jig 1 itself can be prevented from tilting. By providing the second upper plate 23, which has a larger area in plan view, the lower surface of the conveying claws 106 attached to the chain 107 can be stably supported, and the chain 107 can be stably wound onto the chain winding jig 1 (see Figures 9 to 12).

[0028] The heights of the insertion portion 40 and the winding portion 45 may be approximately the same. Here, "approximately the same" means that the difference between the two portions is 5% or less relative to the longer of the two portions. If the height of the insertion portion 40 is H1 and the height of the winding portion 45 is H2, then the absolute value of the difference between H1 and H2 (|H1 - H2|) is 5% or less of the larger of H1 and H2.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3, the tip (upper end) of the insertion portion 40 may be tapered. By adopting this configuration, it is possible to make it easier to insert the chain 107 into the insertion hole 107a (see Figures 9 and 13). When the tip (upper end) of the insertion portion 40 is tapered in this way, and the heights of the insertion portion 40 and the winding portion 45 are approximately the same, the height of the winding portion 45 will be higher than the height of the lower end of the tapered portion.

[0030] Furthermore, if the distance between the axes of the insertion portion 40 and the winding portion 45 is small, and the height of the winding portion 45 is lower than the lower surface of the chain 107 which is supported vertically by the insertion portion 40, the chain 107 may spin freely above the winding portion 45 (making it difficult to wind the chain 107 onto the winding portion 45). Therefore, it is beneficial for the height of the winding portion 45 to be higher than the lower surface of the chain 107 which is supported vertically by the insertion portion 40. The lower end of the chain 107 which is supported vertically by the insertion portion 40 is, for example, the lower surface of the chain 107 that abuts against the upper end of the lower insertion portion 40b, which will be described later. In another example, if the tip (upper end) of the insertion portion 40 is tapered, and the diameter of the lower end of the tapered portion is larger than the diameter of the insertion hole 107a, then the lower end of the chain 107, which is supported vertically by the insertion portion 40, is at a position where the diameter of the insertion portion 40 and the diameter of the insertion hole 107a coincide, causing the chain 107 to catch on the insertion portion 40.

[0031] The diameter of the insertion portion 40 may be smaller than the insertion hole 107a of the chain 107. In this embodiment, when the conveying claw 106 is provided below the chain 107, if this configuration is adopted, the chain 107 will not be stopped vertically by the insertion portion 40, and the lower end of the conveying claw 106 will come into contact with the upper plate 21.

[0032] In this embodiment, when the conveying claws 106 are provided below the chain 107, it is beneficial for the height H2 of the winding portion 45 to be higher than the height of the conveying claws 106 in order to prevent the chain 107 from spinning freely above the winding portion 45. It should be noted that when the conveying claws 106 are provided below the chain 107, it is also possible to wind the conveying claws 106 around the winding portion 45, so it is not essential that the height H2 of the winding portion 45 be higher than the height of the conveying claws 106. However, in order to reliably wind the conveying claws 106 around the winding portion 45, when the conveying claws 106 are provided below the chain 107, it is necessary that the height H2 of the winding portion 45 be higher than the lower end of the conveying claws 106.

[0033] In this embodiment, the description uses a configuration in which the conveying claws 106 are provided below the chain 107, but the invention is not limited to this configuration. A configuration in which the conveying claws 106 are provided above the chain 107 and the chain 107 is wound around the winding section 45 may also be adopted. However, from the viewpoint of winding the chain 107 in a balanced manner, it is advantageous for the chain 107 to be wound around the winding section 45 with the conveying claws 106 provided below the chain 107.

[0034] The insertion portion 40 may have a lower insertion portion 40b with a larger diameter than the insertion hole 107a of the chain 107, and an upper insertion portion 40a provided above the lower insertion portion 40b with a smaller diameter than the insertion hole 107a of the chain 107 (see Figures 3 and 4). In this case, the upper surface of the lower insertion portion 40b will come into contact with the lower surface of the chain 107. For this reason, it is beneficial for the height H2 of the winding portion 45 to be higher than the height of the lower insertion portion 40b.

[0035] Although it was stated above that the heights of the insertion portion 40 and the winding portion 45 may be approximately the same, the configuration is not limited to this. For example, if the tip (upper end) of the insertion portion 40 is not tapered, the height H2 of the winding portion 45 may be higher than the height H1 of the insertion portion 40.

[0036] The rotation center of the chain winding jig 1 may be provided between the winding section 45 and the insertion section 40. One of the conveying claws 106 provided on the chain 107 is removed and the insertion section 40 is inserted into the location where the conveying claw 106 was provided (insertion hole 107a) (see Figure 13). By adopting a configuration in which the rotation center of the chain winding jig 1 is provided between the winding section 45 and the insertion section 40, the chain 107 can be wound up in a balanced manner.

[0037] The insertion portion 40 may be positioned at a distance of 4 mm or more from the winding portion 45 in a plan view. The lower limit of this distance is sufficient to allow the insertion portion 40 to be inserted into the insertion hole 107a without any problems, and 4 mm is one example. The upper limit of this distance is not particularly limited, but 25 mm is one example from the viewpoint of compactly winding the chain 107.

[0038] In the configurations shown in Figures 9 to 12, the chain 107 is wound in a circular shape in plan view. However, the configuration is not limited to this. For example, three winding sections 45 may be provided, causing the chain 107 to be wound in a triangular shape in plan view, or two winding sections 45 may be provided, causing the chain 107 to be wound in an elliptical shape in plan view. However, from the viewpoint of winding the chain 107 in a balanced manner with a simple configuration, it is advantageous for the chain 107 to be wound in a circular shape in plan view. Furthermore, when the configuration in which the chain 107 is wound in a circular shape in plan view is adopted, the shape becomes compact, making it suitable for one worker to carry.

[0039] On the other hand, when the wound-up chain 107 is to be transported by two or more people, the configuration may be such that the chain 107 is wound up in an elliptical shape in a plan view, as described above, in order to make it easier to carry, or four winding sections 45 may be provided so that the chain 107 is wound up in a rectangular or other square shape in a plan view.

[0040] The chain winding method using the chain winding jig 1 according to this embodiment is carried out as follows, as an example.

[0041] Remove one of the conveying claws 106 attached to the chain 107 (see FIG. 13). By removing the conveying claw 106, the start and end of the chain 107 that formed a loop and the insertion holes 107a thereof will be formed.

[0042] Next, insert the insertion hole 107a at the start end of the chain 107 from which the conveying claw 106 has been removed into the insertion portion 40. At this time, the lower plate 11 will be placed on the floor or table for the operation.

[0043] Rotate the upper plate 21 with respect to the lower plate 11 via the rotating portion 30 to wind the chain 107 around the winding portion 45.

[0044] Thereafter, perform maintenance work such as cleaning of the chain 107. During the maintenance work, the chain 107 may be unwound from the chain winding jig 1 and the chain 107 may be spread out.

[0045] When the maintenance work such as cleaning of the chain 107 is completed, after unwinding the chain 107 again with the chain winding jig 1, it is conveyed to the vicinity of the soldering device. Thereafter, while unwinding the chain winding jig 1, the chain 107 may be attached to the substrate conveying portion 105. When the attachment of the chain 107 to the substrate conveying portion 105 is completed, attach the removed conveying claw 106 to the chain 107.

[0046] The description of the above-described embodiment and the disclosure of the drawings are merely examples for explaining the invention described in the claims, and the invention described in the claims is not limited by the description of the above-described embodiment or the disclosure of the drawings.

[0047] 10 Lower part 11 Lower plate 20 Upper part 21 Upper plate 30 Rotating portion 40 Insertion portion 45 Winding portion 50 Winding portion 105 Substrate conveying portion 107 Chain

Claims

1. A chain winding jig comprising a lower part, an upper part, a winding part provided on the upper part for winding up the chain of the substrate transport section, and a rotating part provided between the lower part and the upper part for rotating the upper part relative to the lower part, wherein the winding part has an insertion part for inserting into the chain of the substrate transport section and a winding part for winding the chain.

2. The chain winding jig according to claim 1, wherein the lower part consists of a lower plate, the upper part consists of an upper plate, and the insertion part and winding part extend from the upper plate along the direction normal to the upper plate.

3. The chain winding jig according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the height of the insertion portion and the winding portion are substantially the same.

4. The chain winding jig according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tip of the insertion part is tapered.

5. The chain winding jig according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a rotation center is provided between the winding portion and the insertion portion.

6. The chain winding jig according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the insertion portion is located at a distance of 4 mm or more from the winding portion in a plan view.

7. A chain winding method using the chain winding jig described in claim 1 or 2, comprising the steps of: removing a conveying claw attached to the chain; inserting the insertion part into the starting end of the chain from which the conveying claw has been removed; and winding the chain around the winding part by rotating the upper part.

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