Optical Soldering Alignment With Local Shielding Gas Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing soldering methods for components in safety-critical applications like electrohydraulic servo valves in aircraft suffer from high error rates due to manual positioning, long waiting times, high protective gas consumption, and lack of automated process control, leading to inefficiency and increased production costs.
Innovation Solution
A soldering device and method utilizing a linear unit, optical measuring unit, and soldering unit with induction heating, combined with a shielding unit and detection units for automated positioning, atmosphere control, and reduced protective gas consumption, enabling precise and efficient soldering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If manual positioning of constituents is used, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical positioning with an optical measuring unit that automatically detects and verifies the positions of constituents. The system uses optical measurement technology to achieve precise positioning without requiring complex mechanical positioning mechanisms, thus maintaining device simplicity while improving manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-verification of constituent positions through the optical measuring unit. The device automatically checks whether constituents are correctly positioned before soldering, eliminating the need for complex pre-positioning mechanisms and reducing overall device complexity while ensuring high positioning accuracy.
2Reliability
If low-oxygen atmosphere is created for soldering, then reliability of soldering process is improved, but loss of substance (protective gas consumption) increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of creating a low-oxygen atmosphere throughout the entire soldering device, the patent applies protective gas locally only at the soldering location where it is actually needed. This localized approach maintains soldering reliability while significantly reducing protective gas consumption compared to atmosphere-wide treatment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a low-oxygen atmosphere partially, only in the immediate vicinity of the solder joint, rather than throughout the entire workspace. This partial application of protective atmosphere is sufficient to ensure soldering quality while minimizing gas consumption.
3Manufacturing precision
If automated positioning and monitoring are implemented, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical positioning systems with a simpler optical measuring unit that uses non-contact optical methods to detect and verify constituent positions. This substitution achieves high manufacturing precision while keeping the device relatively simple by eliminating complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms.
4Productivity
If fully automated soldering process is implemented, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions (position verification, atmosphere control, and soldering) into an integrated automated system that operates with minimal human intervention. By merging these functions into a coordinated process, the system achieves high productivity while avoiding the complexity of separate independent systems for each function.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution allows for a fully automated, process-reliable soldering process with minimized consumable media use, ensuring high positioning and dimensional tolerance adherence, and optimized results through integrated monitoring and data-driven optimization.
Implementation Method 1
an optical measuring unit (2) comprising a detection region directed onto a portion of the linear unit (1) in order to measure a component placed on the linear unit (1)
Implementation Method 2
heating the constituents to be interconnected to a temperature that is below the melting point of the constituents to be interconnected
Implementation Method 3
heating of the typically also metal constituents causes the solder material to liquify
Implementation Method 4
the solder material to liquify and penetrate into gaps of the connection region, such that after cooling a connection of the two components to be soldered together has occurred
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a soldering device for soldering components, and comprises a linear unit that is configured for moving a component placed thereon back and forth along one direction, an optical measuring unit comprising a detection region directed onto a portion of the linear unit in order to measure a component placed on the linear unit, and a soldering unit which is configured for soldering a first constituent of the component, preferably a sphere, to a second constituent of the component, preferably a wire.