LED Temporary Carrier Alignment for Precise PCB Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for aligning lighting elements such as LEDs on printed circuit boards (PCBs) are complex, expensive, and prone to inaccuracies due to mechanical tolerances and assembly challenges, particularly when precise alignment is required with less than 100 μm tolerance.
Innovation Solution
A method involving pre-assembling lighting elements onto a temporary carrier with reference elements, aligning this pre-assembly structure to a substrate, and then mounting it using a pick-and-place process, allowing for accurate alignment and reduced complexity through standard SMT placement and reflow soldering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If mechanical references like holes in the PCB are used for alignment, then alignment can be achieved, but the positional tolerances of PCB drilled holes referenced to the receiving section become critical and the assembly process becomes complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a temporary carrier as an intermediary component that holds both the lighting element and reference element during assembly. This carrier mediates the alignment process by providing a stable platform that eliminates the need for critical PCB hole positioning, thereby reducing assembly complexity while maintaining precision
Solution Approach 2:
The reference element is pre-mounted onto the temporary carrier before the lighting element assembly process. This preliminary action establishes the alignment reference in advance, allowing for simpler subsequent assembly steps on the PCB without requiring high-precision hole drilling and positioning
2Manufacturing precision
If individual LEDs are glued in reference to drilled holes before reflow soldering, then alignment can be achieved, but additional assembly steps are needed and the process becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the reference element and lighting element onto a single temporary carrier, merging their positioning functions. This allows both elements to be aligned and assembled together in fewer steps, eliminating the need for separate gluing and reflow soldering operations while maintaining alignment accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
Both the reference element and lighting element are pre-positioned on the temporary carrier before final assembly. This preliminary positioning establishes accurate alignment relationships in advance, enabling more efficient final assembly without requiring multiple sequential steps
3Ease of manufacture
If LEDs are mounted directly onto the PCB, then the assembly process is simpler, but the LEDs may tilt during mounting leading to less accurate alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The temporary carrier serves as a mediator that provides mechanical support and stability to the lighting element during the mounting process. This intermediary structure prevents LED tilting while maintaining assembly simplicity, as the carrier holds the LED in the correct orientation throughout the assembly operation
Data Source
AI summary
The invention refers to a method for assembling at least one lighting element onto a substrate, the method comprising: pre-assembling at least one lighting element onto a temporary carrier; pre-assembling at least one reference element onto the temporary carrier; aligning the pre-assembled temporary carrier onto the substrate based, at least in part, on the at least one reference element of the temporary carrier; and mounting the at least one lighting element onto the substrate. The invention further relates to substrate comprising: at least one lighting element, wherein the at least one lighting element is assembled onto the substrate, in particular by a method according to the first aspect of the present invention, and to a use of a method for assembling at least one lighting element onto a substrate.