Wave Solder Finger Detection for PCB Conveyor Misalignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fingers in the finger conveyor system of wave soldering machines can become misaligned or jammed, leading to potential damage to printed circuit boards or the conveyor system, due to improper setup or calibration.
Innovation Solution
A finger detection system is integrated into the wave soldering machine, utilizing a tension roller assembly and sensor to detect misaligned or non-operational fingers, generating a signal to the controller when a finger is out of position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a finger conveyor system is used to support and convey printed circuit boards, then the PCB can be efficiently transported through the wave soldering machine, but the fingers may become misaligned or jammed during operation, causing damage to the PCB or conveyor system
Solution Approach 1:
The tension roller assembly is positioned to engage fingers before they reach critical misalignment positions. The sensor detects finger position in advance, allowing the system to alert operators before misalignment causes damage, thus performing the detection action preliminarily to prevent harmful effects
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor provides continuous feedback about finger position to the control system. When the sensor detects that a finger has moved to a non-operational position, it generates a signal that feeds back to alert operators, enabling real-time monitoring and correction of finger alignment issues
2Manufacturing precision
If fingers are tightly constrained to maintain precise alignment, then manufacturing precision is improved, but the complexity of the conveyor system increases due to additional detection and control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The tension roller assembly serves as an intermediary mechanical element that gently engages with the fingers to maintain their operational positions. Rather than using complex active control mechanisms, the passive tension roller provides continuous mechanical guidance, simplifying the overall system while maintaining precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex active mechanical control systems with a simpler sensor-based detection system. Instead of using motors or actuators to actively correct finger misalignment, the system uses sensors to detect position and relies on operator response, substituting complex mechanical control with a simpler detection-and-correct approach
Data Source
AI summary
A wave soldering machine includes a wave soldering station configured to create a solder wave used to perform the wave soldering operation on the printed circuit board. The wave soldering machine further includes a finger conveyor system configured to deliver a printed circuit board to the wave soldering station. The finger conveyor system includes at least one chain conveyor including a chain having a plurality of fingers configured to support an edge of the printed circuit board. The finger conveyor system further includes a finger detection system having a tension roller assembly configured to engage each finger of the plurality of fingers. The tension roller assembly further is configured to move in response to engaging a finger in a non-operational position. The finger conveyor system further includes a sensor configured to detect movement of the tension roller assembly to the non-operational position.