JP7498484B2 - Soldering Equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a soldering device that allows the soldering tip to be replaced.

In recent years, many electrical devices are equipped with electronic circuits that mount electronic components. In the electronic circuits, terminals and wires of the electronic components are inserted into through holes (through holes) formed in a wiring board, and the ends of the terminals and wires are soldered to wiring patterns (lands) formed around the through holes, thereby mounting and fixing the electronic components and wires to the wiring board. A soldering device that performs the soldering with high precision and efficiency is described in, for example, Patent Document 1.

The soldering device described in Patent Document 1 has a cylindrical iron tip. The soldering device supplies solder wire into the tube while the tip of the terminal (or wire) protruding from the through hole is surrounded by the inner surface of the iron tip. The solder is melted by heating the iron tip, and the molten solder is evenly supplied around the terminal, soldering the terminal and the land. By using such a soldering device, it is possible to prevent molten solder and/or flux from adhering to unnecessary locations.

In a soldering device equipped with a cylindrical iron tip, repeated soldering can cause deposits from the solder flux to accumulate inside the tip tube. If the amount of accumulated flux fumes increases, it becomes difficult to supply the wire solder. Therefore, in a soldering device equipped with a cylindrical iron tip, after performing soldering operations a certain number of times or for a certain period of time, the tip is cleaned or replaced to remove the flux fumes that have accumulated inside the tube. However, cleaning or replacing the tip requires complicated work, which can lead to longer downtimes of soldering operations and reduced efficiency of the overall work.

For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a device that provides a nozzle station with multiple replacement nozzles in a nozzle socket, removes a used nozzle from a nozzle unit into an empty nozzle socket, and then attaches a new nozzle to the nozzle unit.

Patent No. 5184359 JP 2017-28290 A

The device disclosed in Patent Document 2 allows the trowel tip (nozzle) to be replaced automatically, but because the used trowel tip and the replacement trowel tip are placed in the same station, there is a risk that the used trowel tip will be confused with the replacement trowel tip and the used trowel tip will be mistakenly reinstalled.

The present invention was made in consideration of these conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide a soldering device in which a used soldering tip is not confused with a replacement soldering tip and reused.

The soldering device according to the present invention, which achieves the above-mentioned object, is a soldering device comprising a cylindrical iron tip having an axially extending through hole through which wire solder is supplied, an iron tip attachment part having a recess to which the iron tip can be attached and detached, an attachment holding part that holds the iron tip inserted in the recess, and a control part that controls the movement of the iron tip attachment part, and is characterized in that it comprises a tip removal unit that removes a used iron tip from the recess of the tip attachment part, and a tip attachment unit in which a replacement iron tip is placed and that attaches the replacement iron tip to the recess of the tip attachment part, and the tip removal unit and the tip attachment unit are provided separately.

In the soldering device of the above configuration, the mounting and holding unit may have an engagement recess formed on the outer circumferential surface of the used iron tip and the replacement iron tip, a fixing pin inserted into the engagement recess, and a drive unit that selectively moves the fixing pin between an operating position where it is inserted into the engagement recess and a non-operating position where it is not inserted into the engagement recess, and the control unit also controls the drive unit, and the control unit controls the drive unit to move the fixing pin from the operating position to the non-operating position, thereby making it possible to remove the used iron tip from the recess of the iron tip mounting unit and insert the replacement iron tip into the recess, and the replacement iron tip may be held in the recess of the iron tip mounting unit by moving the fixing pin from the non-operating position to the operating position.

Here, the fixing pin may be configured to move from the operating position to the non-operating position, causing the used trowel tip to come out of the recess in the trowel tip attachment portion due to its own weight.

In the soldering device of the above configuration, the tip removal unit may have a movement prevention part that engages with the tip to prevent the tip from moving, and the control part may control the drive part with the used tip engaged with the movement prevention part to move the fixing pin from the operating position to the non-operating position and move the tip attachment part in the axial direction of the used tip and in a direction away from the used tip to remove the used tip from the recess of the tip attachment part.

In the soldering device of the above configuration, the mounting and holding section may include a receiving section provided on the tip mounting section, and a contact section provided on the used tip and the replacement tip and facing the receiving section, one of the receiving section or the contact section has a magnet, and the other has a portion formed of a ferromagnetic material or a portion provided with a magnet, the used tip or the replacement tip is held in the recess of the tip mounting section by a magnetic force acting between the receiving section and the contact section, the tip removal unit has a movement prevention section that engages with the used tip to prevent the movement of the used tip, and the control section may move the tip mounting section in the axial direction of the used tip and in a direction away from the used tip while the used tip is engaged with the movement prevention section, thereby removing the used tip from the recess of the tip mounting section against the magnetic force.

In the soldering device of the above configuration, the control unit may move the tip attachment part to the tip mounting unit, insert the replacement tip into the recess of the tip attachment part, and the contact part of the replacement tip may approach or contact the receiving part of the tip attachment part, thereby holding the replacement tip to the tip attachment part by magnetic force.

In the soldering device of the above configuration, the used iron tip may have a protrusion or step on its outer circumferential surface, the movement preventing part may have an engagement part that engages with the protrusion or step of the used iron tip, the protrusion or step of the used iron tip and the engagement part may engage in a state in which the engagement part is located upstream of the protrusion or step of the iron tip in the removal direction of the used iron tip, and the control part may move the iron tip attachment part in the direction opposite to the removal direction of the used iron tip, thereby removing the used iron tip from the recess of the iron tip attachment part.

In the soldering device having the above configuration, the tip removal unit may be configured to have a cooling means for cooling a used tip that has been removed from the recess of the tip attachment part.

In the soldering device having the above configuration, the tip removal unit may be configured to include a cleaning means for cleaning a used tip that has been removed from the recess of the tip attachment part.

Here, the cleaning means may heat the used trowel tip to burn off any attached matter.

In the soldering device of the above configuration, the tip attachment unit may also be configured to include a preheating means for preheating the replacement tip that is placed on the tip attachment unit.

Here, the preheating means may be configured to be activated by the control unit a predetermined time before the used trowel tip is replaced with the replacement trowel tip.

In the soldering device of the above configuration, the tip attachment unit may have a detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the replacement tip, and when the detection means detects that the tip attachment unit does not have the replacement tip, the absence of the replacement tip may be notified by a notification means.

The soldering device of the above configuration may further include a reading means for reading an individual information display displayed on the outer surface of the replacement soldering tip, and a storage means for storing data of the replacement soldering tip corresponding to the individual information display, and when attaching the replacement soldering tip to the soldering tip attachment part, the control unit may read the data of the replacement soldering tip from the storage means based on the individual information display read by the reading means and determine whether the replacement soldering tip is suitable.

The soldering device according to the present invention has a tip removal unit that removes the used tip from the recess of the tip attachment part, and a tip attachment unit that attaches a replacement tip to the recess of the tip attachment part, which are provided separately, so there is no risk of the used tip and the replacement tip being confused.

1 is a perspective view of an example of a soldering apparatus AP according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the apparatus main body A1. 3 is a schematic vertical sectional view of the device main body A1 shown in FIG. 2. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the iron tip 5a. 3 is a plan view and a cross section taken along line AA of the iron tip removal unit UT1. This is a plan view and a cross section along line BB of the trowel tip attachment unit UT2. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of removing the iron tip 5a from the device main body A1. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of removing the iron tip 5a from the device main body A1. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of removing the iron tip 5a from the device main body A1. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of removing the iron tip 5a from the device main body A1. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of attaching the iron tip 5a to the device main body A1. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of attaching the iron tip 5a to the device main body A1. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of attaching the iron tip 5a to the device main body A1. FIG. 11 is a control flow chart for replacing the iron tip of the apparatus main body A1. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the state in which the iron tip 5b is attached to the device main body A1. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of removing the iron tip 5b from the device main body A1. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of removing the iron tip 5b from the device main body A1. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of attaching the iron tip 5b to the device main body A1. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of attaching the iron tip 5b to the device main body A1. FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a cooling means for cooling the tip of the iron. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of a cooling means for cooling the tip of the iron. FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a means for heating and cleaning the removed iron tip. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a means for preheating a replacement iron tip. 4A and 4B are front and bottom views of the iron tip 5c. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a mechanism for installing the trowel tip 5c in a predetermined direction in the trowel tip attachment unit UT2. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a means for detecting the presence or absence of a replacement iron tip in the iron tip attachment unit UT2. FIG. 13A and 13B are front and top views of a replacement iron tip 5a on which individual information about the iron tip and an installation direction are indicated. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control means Cont.

The soldering device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

First embodiment (overall configuration of soldering device)
1 is a perspective view of a case where an electronic component Ep is soldered to a printed circuit board Bd by a soldering device AP. Four through holes Th are formed in the printed circuit board Bd fixed to a jig Gj, and lands Ld are formed on the inner circumferential surface and periphery of each through hole Th. Four pin terminals P extending from electronic components Ep arranged on the back surface of the printed circuit board Bd are inserted from below to above into each of the four through holes Th, with the tips of the pin terminals P protruding from the top surface of the printed circuit board Bd.

On the other hand, the soldering device AP according to the present invention comprises a manipulator ML as a moving means having a multi-joint arm Am, a device body A1 attached to the tip of the manipulator ML, and a control device Cont that controls the operation of the manipulator ML and the device body A1. The manipulator ML is installed on a base Bs, and the multi-joint arm Am is rotatable at each of a number of joints. The control device (control unit) Cont controls the rotational operation of the multi-joint arm Am of the manipulator ML to move the device body A1 to a desired position in the X, Y, and Z directions. The control device Cont also controls the operation of the cutter unit 2, drive mechanism 3, solder feed mechanism 6, iron tip attachment part 4, and attachment and holding part 7a of the device body A1, which will be described later.

In addition, in an area adjacent to the soldering area of the soldering device AP, there are disposed an iron tip removal unit UT1 that removes the iron tip 5a from the device body A1, and an iron tip attachment unit UT2 that attaches the iron tip to the device body A1 in which three replacement iron tips 5a are disposed. When soldering work has been performed using the iron tip 5a a predetermined number of times or for a predetermined period of time, the iron tip 5a is removed from the device body A1 by the iron tip removal unit UT1, and a new iron tip 5a is attached to the device body A1 by the iron tip attachment unit UT2. The configurations of the iron tip removal unit UT1 and the iron tip attachment unit UT2 will be described later.

When soldering is performed by the soldering device AP, the device body A1 is moved in the X and Y directions by the manipulator ML to position it relative to the land Ld of the printed circuit board Bd. Then, the device body A1 is moved in the Z direction, so that the tip of the iron tip 5a comes into contact with the land Ld. In the embodiment described below, this soldering device AP is used to position the pin terminal P protruding from the top surface of the printed circuit board Bd within the solder hole 51 (shown in FIG. 3) of the iron tip 5a of the device body A1, and the solder piece Wh supplied to the solder hole 51 of the iron tip 5a is melted to solder the pin terminal P and the land Ld. Note that in this embodiment, the device body A1 is moved, but the device body A1 may be fixed and the printed circuit board Bd may be moved, or both the device body A1 and the printed circuit board Bd may be moved.

(Apparatus body A1)
Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the device main body A1, and Fig. 3 shows a vertical sectional view of the soldering device shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 2, a part of the housing is cut away to show the inside of the device main body A1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the device main body A1 has an equipment unit U, a support member SP that supports the equipment unit U so that it can move within a predetermined distance range in the Z direction, and a cover C (indicated by a wavy line in FIG. 2) that covers the equipment unit U and the support member SP.

The support member SP has a plate-like base Mf with a rectangular YZ plane and a predetermined thickness in the X direction, a guide rail Mg with a predetermined width in the Y direction at the center of the Y direction on one side of the base Mf in the X direction, protruding in the X direction and continuing in the Z direction, and a block Mb attached to the guide rail Mg so as to be movable in the Z direction.

The upper end of the base Mf in the Z direction is attached to the tip of the articulated arm Am of the manipulator ML. The wall 11 of the equipment unit U is attached to the block Mb over almost the entire area in the Z direction. In other words, the equipment unit U is fixed to the block Mb and can move in the Z direction together with the block Mb. In addition, a movement restriction pin 91 is provided at the lower end of one side surface of the block Mb in the Y direction, protruding vertically outward from the side surface.

On the other hand, at the Y-direction end position of the lower Z-direction portion of one side surface in the X-direction of the base Mf, a rectangular parallelepiped upper stopper portion 93 and a lower stopper portion 94 are provided facing each other at a predetermined distance in the Z-direction.

The movement restriction pin 91 provided on one side of the block Mb is located in the area between the upper stopper portion 93 and the lower stopper portion 94 of the base portion Mf, and in the initial state, i.e., when the iron tip 5a is not in contact with the wiring board Bd, the movement restriction pin 91 is in contact with the lower stopper portion 94 due to the weight of the equipment unit U and the block Mb. In other words, the movement of the equipment unit U downward in the Z direction is restricted by the movement restriction pin 91 abutting against the lower stopper portion 94. On the other hand, when the iron tip 5a abuts against the wiring board Bd and the equipment unit U moves upward in the Z direction, the movement restriction pin 91 abuts against the upper stopper portion 93, restricting the upward movement of the equipment unit U in the Z direction.

(Equipment unit U)
The equipment unit U includes a support portion 1 , a cutter unit 2 , a drive mechanism 3 , an iron tip mounting portion 4 , a mounting and holding portion 7 a , an iron tip 5 a , and a solder feed mechanism 6 .

The support portion 1 has a flat wall 11 that is erected. In the following description, for convenience, as shown in FIG. 2, the horizontal direction along the wall 11 is defined as the X direction, the horizontal direction perpendicular to the wall 11 is defined as the Y direction, and the vertical direction along the wall 11 is defined as the Z direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the wall 11 has a ZX plane.

The support section 1 comprises a wall body 11, a holding section 12, a sliding guide 13, and a heater block holding section 14. The wall body 11 is a flat wall body erected in the vertical direction. The wall body 11 serves as a support member for the device main body A1. The holding section 12 is fixed at a position shifted upward from the lower end of the wall body 11 in the Z direction. The holding section 12 holds an air cylinder 31 of the drive mechanism 3, which will be described later. The heater block holding section 14 is a member that fixes the heater block 42, and is provided at the end (lower end) of the wall body 11 in the Z direction.

The sliding guide 13 is fixed near the lower end of the wall 11 in the Z direction. The sliding guide 13 is fixed to the wall 11 together with the lower cutter blade 22 of the cutter unit 2, which will be described later, and guides the upper cutter blade 21 of the cutter unit 2, which will be described later, so that it can slide in the X direction.

The sliding guides 13 are a pair of members that face each other in the Y direction. The sliding guides 13 have a pair of wall portions 131 and a retaining portion 132. The wall portions 131 are flat members that extend in the X direction. One wall portion 131 is disposed in contact with the wall body 11, and the surface opposite the wall body 11 is in contact with the cutter lower end 22. The other wall portion 131 is in contact with the side of the cutter lower blade 22. In other words, the pair of walls 131 sandwich the cutter lower blade 22 from both sides in the Y direction. The pair of walls 131 and the cutter lower blade 22 are then fastened together to the wall body 11 by fasteners such as screws, and are fixed.

The retaining portions 132 are provided on each of the pair of wall portions 131. The pair of wall portions 131 extend in the Z direction further than the Z direction upper surface of the cutter lower blade 22, and each extends from the Z direction upper end of the pair of wall portions 131 toward the other. That is, the sliding guide 13 has a pair of retaining portions 132. The Y direction tips of the pair of retaining portions 132 do not contact each other, in other words, the sliding guide 13 has an opening at the top. At least a portion of the cutter upper blade 21 is disposed between the upper surface of the cutter lower blade 22 and the retaining portions 132. As a result, the cutter upper blade 21 is guided in the X direction and prevented from falling out in the Z direction.

The cutter unit 2 is a cutting tool that cuts the solder thread W fed by the solder feed mechanism 6 into solder pieces Wh of a predetermined length. The cutter unit 2 includes an upper cutter blade 21, a lower cutter blade 22, and a pusher pin 23.

As described above, the lower cutter blade 22 is fixed to the wall body 11 together with the sliding guide 13. As shown in FIG. 3, the lower cutter blade 22 has a lower blade hole 221 and a gas inlet hole 222. The lower blade hole 221 is a through hole that penetrates the lower cutter blade 22 in the Z direction, and the solder thread W that penetrates the upper blade hole 211 of the upper cutter blade 21, which will be described later, is inserted into the lower blade hole 221. The upper edge of the lower blade hole 221 is formed in a cutting blade shape. The upper blade hole 211 and the lower blade hole 221 are used to cut the solder thread W into solder pieces Wh of a predetermined length. The cut solder pieces Wh fall downward inside the lower blade hole 221 by their own weight or by being pushed by the pusher pin 23. The lower blade hole 221 is connected to the solder hole 51 of the iron tip 5a, which will be described later, through the solder supply hole 422 of the heater unit 4, which will be described later. The solder piece Wh that falls inside the lower blade hole 221 reaches the solder supply hole 422 and then falls into the solder hole 51.

The gas inlet hole 222 is a hole that connects the outer surface of the cutter lower blade 22 with the lower blade hole 221. Gas supplied from a gas supply source (not shown) flows into the gas inlet hole 222. The gas then passes through the lower blade hole 221 and the solder supply hole 422 to reach the solder hole 51. The gas is used to suppress oxidation of the solder when the solder is heated and melted. In other words, the gas is used to suppress contact between the molten solder and oxygen. Examples of gas include nitrogen gas, argon gas, helium gas, and carbon dioxide. In the soldering device AP of this embodiment, nitrogen gas is supplied.

As described above, the upper cutter blade 21 is disposed on the Z-direction upper surface of the lower cutter blade 22. The upper cutter blade 21 is guided by the sliding guide 13 so that the sliding direction is the X-direction when sliding, and is prevented from coming off in the Z-direction. In other words, the upper cutter blade 21 slides in the X-direction on the Z-direction upper surface of the lower cutter blade 22. The upper cutter blade 21 is slid by the drive mechanism 3.

The upper cutter blade 21 has an upper blade hole 211 and a pin hole 212. The upper blade hole 211 is a through hole that passes through the upper cutter blade 21 in the Z direction. The solder thread W sent from the solder feed mechanism 6 is inserted into the upper blade hole 211. The edge portion of the lower end of the upper blade hole 211 is formed into a cutting blade shape. The pin hole 212 is a through hole that passes through the upper cutter blade 21 in the Z direction. A rod portion 231 of the pusher pin 23, which will be described later, is slidably inserted into the pin hole 212.

The pusher pin 23 has a rod portion 231, a head portion 232, and a spring 233. The rod portion 231 is a cylindrical member, and is slidably inserted into the pin hole 212. When the pusher pin 23 moves downward in the Z direction, the tip of the rod portion 23 protrudes from the pin hole 212. The head portion 232 is connected to the upper end of the rod portion 231 in the axial direction. The head portion 232 is a disk shape having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the pin hole 212. The head portion 232 is not inserted into the pin hole 212. In other words, the head portion 232 serves as a so-called stopper that limits the movement of the rod portion 231 into the pin hole 212.

The spring 233 is a compression coil spring that surrounds the radial outside of the rod portion 231. The Z-direction lower end of the spring 233 contacts the upper surface of the cutter upper blade 21, and the Z-direction upper end of the spring 233 contacts the lower surface of the head portion 232. That is, the spring 233 receives a reaction force from the upper surface of the cutter upper blade 21 and pushes the head portion 232 upward in the Z direction. As a result, the rod portion 231 connected to the head portion 232 is lifted upward in the Z direction, and the lower end of the rod portion 231 is maintained so as not to protrude from the lower end of the pin hole 212. The Z-direction lower end of the rod portion 231 is provided with a stopper (not shown) that prevents it from coming out of the pin hole 212.

The pusher pin 23 pushes downward the solder piece Wh that has been cut by the upper cutter blade 21 and the lower cutter blade 22 and remains in the lower blade hole 221. The pusher pin 23 is always pushed upward, i.e., toward the opposite side to the lower cutter blade 22, by the elastic force of the spring 233. In other words, when the head portion 232 is pushed, the rod portion 231 protrudes downward from the lower end of the pin hole 212 in the Z direction. The head portion 232 is then pushed by the cam member 33 of the drive mechanism 3, which will be described later.

In the upper cutter blade 21, the upper blade hole 211 and the pin hole 212 are arranged side by side in the X direction. By sliding in the X direction, the upper cutter blade 21 moves to a position where the upper blade hole 211 and the lower blade hole 221 overlap vertically, or to a position where the pin hole 212 and the lower blade hole 221 overlap vertically. The upper cutter blade 21 may slide such that the upper blade hole 211 and the lower blade hole 221 overlap when it slides to one sliding end, and the pin hole 212 and the lower blade hole 221 overlap when it slides to the other sliding end.

When the solder feed mechanism 6 feeds the solder thread W while the upper blade hole 211 and the lower blade hole 221 are overlapping in the Z direction, the solder thread W that has passed through the upper blade hole 211 is inserted into the lower blade hole 221. As described above, the edge of the lower end of the upper blade hole 211 is formed in a cutting blade shape, and the edge of the upper end of the lower blade hole 221 is also formed in a cutting blade shape. The lower surface of the upper cutter blade 21 is in contact with the upper surface of the lower cutter blade 22. Therefore, when the solder thread W is inserted into the lower blade hole 221, the upper cutter blade 21 slides in the X direction, and the solder thread W is cut by the cutting blades of the upper blade hole 211 and the lower blade hole 221. After cutting the solder thread W, the solder feed mechanism 6 may be driven in the reverse direction to pull up the solder thread W and store the tip of the solder thread W in the upper blade hole 211 to protect the tip of the solder thread W. Then, during the next soldering, the feed amount of the solder wire W is increased by adding the drive amount in the reverse direction described above.

The upper cutter blade 21 is slid in the X direction by the cam member 33. Therefore, the upper cutter blade 21 and the pusher pin 23 are synchronized with the cam member 33. The cam member 33 pushes the head portion 232 when the pin hole 212 overlaps with the lower blade hole 221 in the Z direction. Therefore, when the upper cutter blade 21 slides in the X direction, the tip of the rod portion 231 of the pusher pin 23 is accommodated in the pin hole 212. Therefore, when the upper cutter blade 21 slides in the X direction, the tip of the rod portion 231 is prevented from coming into contact with the upper surface of the lower cutter blade 22, and deformation, damage, etc. of the tip of the rod portion 231 and/or the lower cutter blade 22 is prevented.

As the cutter upper blade 21 slides in the X direction, the lower blade hole 211 and the pin hole 212 overlap in the Z direction. With the pin hole 212 overlapping the lower blade hole 211, the head portion 232 is pushed by the cam member 33. This causes the pusher pin 23 to move downward in the Z direction. When the pusher pin 23 protrudes downward in the Z direction from the pin hole 212, a part of the pusher pin 23 is inserted into the lower blade hole 211. If a solder piece (described later) remains at the entrance of the lower blade hole 211 after the solder thread has been cut, the tip of the pusher pin 23 pushes the solder piece, causing it to fall.

2 and 3, the drive mechanism 3 has an air cylinder 31, a piston rod 32, a cam member 33, a slider portion 34, and a guide shaft 35. The air cylinder 31 is held by the holding portion 12. The air cylinder 31 is cylindrical with a bottom. The piston rod 32 is housed inside the air cylinder 31, and the piston rod 32 is slidably driven (extends and contracts) by the pressure of air supplied from the outside. The air cylinder 31 and the piston rod 32 constitute the actuator of the drive mechanism 3. The piston rod 32 is disposed inside the air cylinder 31, and a part of the piston rod 32 always protrudes from one end of the air cylinder 31 in the axial direction (here, the lower end in the Z direction). The air cylinder 31 is held by the holding portion 12 so that the surface from which the piston rod 32 protrudes faces the cutter unit 2, i.e., faces downward in the Z direction.

The piston rod 32 passes through a through hole (not shown) provided in the holding portion 12. The piston rod 32 is provided parallel to the guide shaft 35 and moves linearly back and forth along the guide shaft 35. The tip of the piston rod 32 is fixed to a cam member 33, and the extension and contraction of the piston rod 32 causes the cam member 33 to slide in the Z direction. The sliding of the cam member 33 is guided by the guide shaft 35.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lower end of the guide shaft 35 is fitted into a recessed hole provided in the cutter lower blade 22, and is fixed to the cutter lower blade 22 with a screw 351. The upper part of the guide shaft 35 passes through a hole provided in the holding part 12, and its movement is restricted by a pin 352. In other words, the guide shaft 35 is fixed to the cutter lower blade 22 by the screw 351, and to the holding part 12 by the pin 352.

In this embodiment, the guide shaft 35 is fixed by a screw 351 and a pin 352, but this is not limited thereto, and it may be fixed by a fixing method such as press fitting or welding. In this embodiment, the guide shaft 35 is a cylindrical member, but this is not limited thereto, and it may be a polygonal cross-sectional shape or an ellipse, etc.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cam member 33 is a rectangular member and includes a recess 330 formed by cutting out a portion of the long side in a rectangular shape, and a cylindrical support portion 331 connected to the cam member 33 and having a through hole through which the guide shaft 35 passes. The slider portion 34 is slidably arranged (in the X and Z directions) in the recess 330. The support portion 331 also has a shape that extends parallel to the guide shaft 35, and is provided to suppress rattling of the cam member 33. In other words, if the cam member 33 has a certain thickness and is configured so that rattling is unlikely to occur, the cylindrical portion may be omitted and the support portion 331 may be configured only with a through hole.

The cam member 33 includes a cylindrical pin 332 provided in the middle of the recess 330 and with a central axis perpendicular to the guide shaft 35, a pin pushing portion 333 adjacent to the recess 330 for pushing the pusher pin 23, and a bearing 334 disposed inside the support portion 331. The pin 332 is inserted into a cam groove 340 (described later) provided in the slider portion 34. The bearing 334 is fitted onto the guide shaft 35 and is a member that allows the cam member 33 to slide smoothly without rattling.

As shown in FIG. 3, the slider portion 34 is a rectangular plate-like member and is formed integrally with the cutter upper blade 21. The slider portion 34 has a cam groove 340 that penetrates in the plate thickness direction and extends in the longitudinal direction. The cam groove 340 has a first groove portion 341 on the upper side that extends parallel to the guide shaft 35, and a second groove portion 342 on the lower side that also extends parallel to the guide shaft 35. The first groove portion 341 and the second groove portion 342 are offset in the X direction, and the cam groove 340 has a connecting groove portion 343 that connects the first groove portion 341 and the second groove portion 342.

The pin 332 of the cam member 33 is inserted into the cam groove 340, and as the cam member 33 moves along the guide shaft 35, the pin 332 slides on the inner surface of the cam groove 340. When the pin 332 is positioned in the connection groove portion 343 of the cam groove 340, it presses on the inner surface of the connection groove portion 343. This causes the slider portion 34 and the upper cutter blade 21 formed integrally with the slider portion 34 to move (slide against the lower cutter blade 22) in a direction (X direction) that intersects with the sliding direction (Z direction) of the cam member 33.

In this embodiment, the cam member 33 is provided with a pin 332, and the slider portion 34 is provided with a cam groove 340. However, in reality, the cam member may have a cam groove, and the slider portion may have a pin.

In this embodiment, air pressure is used as the actuator for the drive mechanism 3, but this is not limited to this and it may be one that uses a fluid other than air (e.g., hydraulic oil) (hydraulics). Also, this is not limited to using a fluid and it may be one that uses electricity such as a motor or solenoid. In this embodiment, the upper cutter blade 21 slides and the pusher pin 23 is pressed down using one actuator, a cam, and a cam groove, but this is not limited to this. For example, multiple actuators (2 actuators) may be provided to slide the upper cutter blade 21 and press the pusher pin 23.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the solder feed mechanism 6 supplies the solder thread W. The solder feed mechanism 6 includes a pair of feed rollers 61 and a guide tube 62. The pair of feed rollers 61 are rotatably attached to the support wall 11. The pair of feed rollers 61 feed the solder thread W downward by rotating while pinching the sides of the solder thread W. The pair of feed rollers 61 are biased toward each other, and the biasing force pinches the solder thread W. The length of the fed solder thread W is measured (determined) based on the rotation angle (number of rotations) of the feed rollers 61.

The guide tube 62 is an elastically deformable tube, and its upper end is located close to the portion of the feed roller 61 where the solder thread W is fed out. The lower end of the guide tube 62 is provided so as to communicate with the upper blade hole 211 of the upper cutter blade 21. The lower end of the guide tube 62 moves following the sliding of the upper cutter blade 21, and the guide tube 62 has a length and shape that prevents it from being excessively pulled or stretched within the range where the upper cutter blade 21 slides.

(Tron tip attachment part)
As shown in Figure 3, the trowel tip attachment part 4 has a cylindrical heater block 42 and a heater 41 consisting of an electric heating wire wound around the outer circumferential surface of the heater block 42, and is fixed to the heater block fixing part 14 provided at the lower end of the wall body 22.

The heater block 42 has a cylindrical shape and is provided with a recess 421 with a circular cross section for attaching the iron tip 5a to the axial end, and a solder supply hole 422 that penetrates from the center of the bottom of the recess 421 to the opposite side. A through hole 423 is formed at the bottom of the recess 421 into which the plunger 722 of the solenoid 72 described below can be inserted. The heater block 42 is provided in contact with the cutter lower blade 22 so that the solder supply hole 422 and the lower blade hole 221 communicate with each other. By providing the heater block 42 in this manner, the solder piece Wh moves from the lower blade hole 221 to the solder supply hole 422.

(Attachment holding part)
The mounting and holding part 7a, which holds the iron tip 5a mounted in the recess 421 of the heater block 42, has a solenoid 72 and a mounting base part 71 to which the solenoid 72 is attached. The mounting base part 71 is a substantially L-shaped plate-like body having a vertical part 711 extending downward from the side end of the cutter lower blade 22 and a horizontal part 712 extending horizontally from the lower end of the vertical part 711 toward the heater block 42, and the solenoid 72 is attached and fixed to the horizontal part 712. The solenoid 72 has a main body part 721, a plunger 722 that can be freely inserted and removed from the main body part 721, a flange part 73 attached to the axial middle part of the plunger 722, and a compression coil spring 74 inserted on the outer periphery of the plunger 722 between the flange part 73 and the main body part 721. The power supply to the solenoid 72 is controlled by the control part Cont. When power is supplied to the solenoid 72 and the solenoid 72 is turned "ON", the plunger 722 is pulled into the main body 721 against the elastic force of the compression coil spring 74. This disengages the tip of the plunger 722 from the engagement hole 52 of the iron tip 5a (described later) and makes it possible to remove the iron tip 5a from the recess 421 of the heater block 42. On the other hand, when the power supply to the solenoid 72 is stopped and the solenoid 72 is turned "OFF", the plunger 722 is pulled outward from the main body 721 by the elastic force of the compression coil spring 74. This causes the tip of the plunger 722 to engage with the engagement hole 52 of the iron tip 5a attached to the recess 421 of the heater block 42, and the iron tip 5a is fixedly held to the heater block 42.

(trowel tip)
4 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of the iron tip 5a. The iron tip 5a is a generally cylindrical member, and has a solder hole 51 with a circular cross section that penetrates the iron tip 5a in the axial direction at its center. A step 54 is formed at the generally central axial portion of the iron tip 5a. Below the step 54 is a large diameter portion 55 with a larger outer diameter, and above the step 54 is a small diameter portion 56 with a smaller outer diameter than the large diameter portion 55.

The outer diameter of the small diameter portion 56 of the iron tip 5a is set to be the same as or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the recess 421 of the heater block 42, and the small diameter portion 56 of the iron tip 5a is inserted into the recess 421 of the heater block 42 to attach the iron tip 5a to the heater block 42. An engagement hole 52 is formed on the outer periphery of the small diameter portion 56 of the iron tip 5a, more specifically, at a position facing the through hole 423 of the heater block 42 when the iron tip 5a is attached to the heater block 42. The engagement hole 52 has a shape that allows the tip of the plunger 722 to be engaged. As described later, when the iron tip 5a is attached to the recess 421 of the heater block 42, the tip of the plunger 722 of the solenoid 72 passes through the through hole 423 of the heater block 42 and engages with the engagement hole 52 of the iron tip 5a, and the iron tip 5a is attached and fixed to the heater block 42. The solder hole 51 of the iron tip 5a communicates with the solder supply hole 422 of the heater block 42, and the solder piece Wh is sent from the solder supply hole 422 to the solder hole 51. In this embodiment, the engagement hole 52 is formed in a part of the circumference of the iron tip 5a, but it may be formed as a circumferential groove over the entire circumference.

A release hole 53 is formed in the large diameter portion 55 of the iron tip 5a, extending from the outer periphery of the iron tip 5a to the solder hole 51. Since the large diameter portion 55 is exposed to the outside from the heater block 42 even when the iron tip 5a is attached to the recess 421 of the heater block 42, the release hole 53 serves to allow nitrogen gas supplied from a gas supply unit (not shown) and vaporized flux to escape to the outside of the iron tip 5a when the lower end opening of the solder hole 51 is blocked by molten solder.

Heat is transferred from the heater 41 to the tip 5a of the iron, and the heat melts the solder piece Wh. For this reason, the tip 5a is preferably made of a material with high thermal conductivity. In addition, to prevent the molten solder from adhering to the tip, a material with poor wettability with the molten solder is preferable. Examples of such materials include ceramics such as silicon carbide and aluminum nitride, and metals such as tungsten.

In the device body A1, the iron tip 5a is cylindrical, but this is not limited to this and a cylindrical tip with a polygonal or elliptical cross section may be used. Iron tips of different shapes may be prepared to match the shapes of the pin terminals P of the printed circuit board Bd and/or electronic components Ep to be soldered (for example, the iron tip 5c in FIG. 24).

(Tip removal unit UT1)
5 shows a top view of the iron tip removal unit UT1 and a cross-sectional view of the line A-A of the top view. The iron tip removal unit UT1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 5. The iron tip removal unit UT1 has a main body 81 having a bottom wall 811 having a rectangular shape in top view, a rear wall 812 extending upward from one end of the bottom wall 811 in the Y direction, and a front wall 813 extending upward from the other end of the bottom wall 811 in the Y direction, and a plate-shaped movement prevention part 82 protruding from the center in the X direction at the upper end of the rear wall 812 of the main body 81 toward the front wall 813 perpendicular to the rear wall 812. As shown in FIG. 5(b), the front wall 813 has a shorter length in the vertical direction than the rear wall 812, so that the iron tip 5a attached to the recess 421 of the heater block 42 can enter the iron tip removal unit UT1. The upper surface of the bottom wall 811 has a horizontal portion 811a that is horizontal for a predetermined length from the front wall 813 toward the rear wall 812, and an inclined portion 811b that is continuous with the horizontal portion 811a and inclined upward toward the rear wall 812. The length in the Y direction of the horizontal portion 811a of the bottom wall 811 is equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the trowel tip 5a.

As shown in FIG. 5(a), the movement prevention portion 82 is rectangular in top view, and a rectangular cutout 820 with a width D and length L and a semicircular end wall is formed from approximately the center in the X direction of the end edge on the front wall 813 side toward the rear wall. The width D of the cutout 820 is set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the large diameter portion 55 of the trowel tip 5a and larger than the outer diameter of the small diameter portion 56. The length L of the cutout 820 is also set to be longer than the outer diameter of the large diameter portion 55.

The main body 81 and the movement prevention part 82 of the trowel tip removal unit UT1 may be formed as a single unit, or may be molded separately and then assembled. There are no particular limitations on the material of the trowel tip removal unit UT1, and any conventionally known material may be used as long as it is heat resistant.

(Trojan tip attachment unit UT2)
6 shows a top view of the iron tip attachment unit UT2 and a cross-sectional view of the line B-B of the top view. The iron tip attachment unit UT2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 6. The iron tip attachment unit UT2 has a rectangular parallelepiped main body 90 whose vertical height is longer than the axial length of the large diameter portion 55 of the iron tip 5a, and three support holes 95 formed on the top surface of the main body 90 at approximately the center in the Y direction and spaced at a predetermined interval in the X direction into which the iron tip 5a can be inserted. The inner diameter of the support holes 95 is set to be the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the large diameter portion 55 of the iron tip 5a. The depth of the support holes 95 is set to be the same as or slightly shorter than the axial length of the large diameter portion 55 of the iron tip 5a.

In the present embodiment, the trowel tip attachment unit UT2 has three support holes 95 formed at a predetermined interval in the X direction, but is not limited to this, and for example, multiple support holes 95 may be provided in the X direction and Y direction. The large diameter portion 55 of the replacement trowel tip 5a is inserted into these support holes 95, and the small diameter portion 56 is exposed in preparation for replacement of the trowel tip 5a. There is no particular limitation on the material of the trowel tip attachment unit UT2, and conventionally known materials can be used, but when preheating the replacement trowel tip 5a described below, a heat-resistant material is required.

(Removing the iron tip)
The operation of removing the tip of the soldering device AP will be described. Figures 7 to 10 show a process diagram of the operation of removing the tip from the soldering device AP. As shown in Figure 7, the control means Cont controls the rotational operation of the articulated arm Am of the manipulator ML to move the small diameter portion 56 (shown in Figure 4) of the tip 5a of the device main body A1 so as to engage with the notch 820 of the movement prevention portion 82 of the tip removal unit UT1. Next, as shown in Figure 8, the control means Cont supplies power to the solenoid 72 to pull the plunger 722 into the main body 721 against the elastic force of the compression coil spring 74. This releases the engagement between the engagement hole 52 of the tip 5a and the tip of the plunger 722, making it possible to remove the tip 5a from the recess 421 of the heater block 42. Next, as shown in Figure 9, the control means Cont moves the device main body A1 upward. At this time, step 54 of tip 5a abuts against the underside of notch 820 of movement prevention portion 82, preventing further upward movement of tip 5a, and as device main body A1 rises, the relative distance between device main body A1 and tip 5a increases, causing tip 5a to be removed from recess 421 of heater block 42. Then, as shown in Figure 10, removed tip 5a rolls down inclined portion 811b of bottom wall 811 of tip removal unit UT1 and is stored in horizontal portion 811a.

When the control means Cont supplies power to the solenoid 72 and pulls the plunger 722 into the main body 721 against the elastic force of the compression coil spring 74, the engagement between the engagement hole 52 of the trowel tip 5a and the tip of the plunger 722 is released, which may cause the trowel tip 5a to fall from the recess 421 of the heater block 42 due to its own weight. However, since the trowel tip 5a is usually heated to 300°C or higher and thermally expands, it is useful to remove it using the movement prevention part 82 of the trowel tip removal unit UT1 described above.

(Attaching the trowel tip)
The operation of attaching the soldering tip of the soldering device AP will be described. Figures 11 to 13 show a process diagram of the operation of attaching the soldering tip to the semi-device main body A1. As shown in Figure 11, the control means Cont controls the rotational operation of the articulated arm Am of the manipulator ML to move the recess 421 of the heater block 42 to a position above the desired replacement soldering tip 5a prepared in the soldering tip attachment unit UT2, where the central axis of the replacement soldering tip 5a coincides with the central axis of the recess 421 of the heater block 42. Then, the control means Cont supplies power to the solenoid 72 to pull the plunger 722 into the main body 721 against the elastic force of the compression coil spring 74. As a result, the tip of the plunger 722 sinks into the through hole 423 from the inner peripheral wall of the recess 421 of the heater block 42, and the small diameter part 56 of the soldering tip can enter the recess 421.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12, the control means Cont moves the device main body A1 downward. This causes the small diameter portion 56 of the replacement iron tip 5a to engage with the recess 421 of the heater block 42. The movement of the device main body A1 is stopped at a position where the top surface of the replacement iron tip 5a and the inner top surface of the recess 421 are in contact or close to each other. At this time, the through hole 423 of the heater block 42 and the engagement hole 52 of the replacement iron tip are in a position facing each other. Then, the control means Cont stops the power supply to the solenoid 72. Then, the elastic force of the compression coil spring 74 causes the plunger 722 to protrude from the main body 721, and the tip of the plunger 722 enters the through hole 423 of the replacement iron tip 5a from the inner peripheral wall of the recess 421, and the replacement iron tip 5a is held by the heater block 42.

Then, as shown in FIG. 13, the control means Cont moves the device main body A1 upward. The replaced iron tip 5a is held by the heater block 42, so it moves upward together with the device main body A1 and is detached from the main body 90 of the iron tip attachment unit UT2. The device main body A1 then performs the specified soldering operation.

In this embodiment, the replacement trowel tip 5a is attached by moving the device main body A1, but the replacement trowel tip 5a may be attached by moving the trowel tip attachment unit UT2, or by moving both the device main body A1 and the trowel tip attachment unit UT2. When attaching the replacement trowel tip 5a to the recess 421 of the heater block 42, power is supplied to the solenoid 72 to pull the plunger 722 into the main body 721 against the elastic force of the compression coil spring 74. However, for example, the tip of the plunger 722 may be made into an inclined surface that is inclined from the bottom to the top in a direction away from the main body 721, or may be made into a spherical surface, so that when the upper end of the replacement trowel tip 5a comes into contact with the tip of the plunger 722, a force that moves the plunger 722 to the main body 721 may be applied without supplying power to the solenoid 72.
Also, in order to facilitate insertion of the trowel tip 5a into the recess 421, each end may be chamfered or an automatic centering mechanism (compliance mechanism) may be provided in the trowel tip attachment unit UT2. Furthermore, the top of the replacement trowel tip 5a may be covered with a protective cover and the protective cover may be removed before replacement, or an air current may be blown onto the replacement trowel tip 5a before replacement to remove foreign matter.

Figure 14 shows a control flow chart for replacing the soldering tip of the semi-device main body A1. When the device main body A1 performs a soldering operation (step S101), the number of soldering operations is accumulated (step S102). Then, it is determined whether the accumulated number of soldering operations has reached a predetermined number or more (step S103). If the accumulated number of soldering operations has reached a predetermined number or more, the soldering tip 5a is removed from the recess 421 of the heater block 42 in the soldering tip removal unit UT1 (step S104). Then, the control means Cont selects the soldering tip 5a to be replaced (step S105). Next, a new soldering tip 5a is attached in the soldering tip attachment unit UT2 (S106), and the number of uses and initial values of the new soldering tip 5a are set (step S107). Then, in step S108, it is determined whether the soldering operation has been completed, and if the soldering operation has not been completed, the process returns to step S101 and the soldering operation is performed. Also, if the cumulative number of soldering operations is less than the predetermined number in step S103, a determination is made in step S108 as to whether the soldering operation has been completed. If the soldering operation has not been completed, the process returns to step S101 and the soldering operation is performed. If the soldering operation has been completed, the control ends.

Second Embodiment
15 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the device main body A1. The difference from the device main body A1 of the first embodiment is the attachment and holding part 7b that holds the iron tip attached to the recess 421 of the heater block 42. The attachment and holding part 7b that differs from the first embodiment will be described below.

The mounting holder 7b is composed of a receiving portion 75 that extends downward from the side end of the cutter lower blade 22 and a contact portion 76 provided on the trowel tip 5b. The lower end surface of the receiving portion 75 contacts the contact portion 76.

The contact portion 76 is a rod-shaped member that is attached to the outer surface of the iron tip 5b and extends radially outward. The contact portion 76 is fixed to the iron tip 5b by, for example, but not limited to, a method of fixing such as by screwing or press fitting. Any fixing method that will not loosen or break when the iron tip 5 is heated and the temperature rises can be used.

A magnet (e.g., ferrite, neodymium magnet, etc.) 751 is attached to the tip of the receiving portion 75, and the abutment portion 76 is made of a ferromagnetic material such as iron, nickel, cobalt, etc. That is, the magnetic force of the magnet 751 provided at the tip of the receiving portion 75 acts on the abutment portion 76, which is made of a ferromagnetic material, pulling it toward the receiving portion 75. Note that although a permanent magnet is used as the magnet here, an electromagnet may also be used. However, when an electromagnet is used, it is necessary to constantly energize the electromagnet in order to maintain the attachment state between the trowel tip 5b and the trowel tip holder 4. From the viewpoint of energy saving, it is preferable to use a permanent magnet.

The contact portion 76 is formed so that it can come into contact with the receiving portion 75 when the trowel tip 5b is inserted into the recess 421. When the contact portion 76 and the receiving portion 75 come into contact with each other, the contact portion 76 is attracted by the magnetic force of the magnet 751. This magnetic force causes an upward pulling force acting on the contact portion 76 to also act on the trowel tip 5b. In the attachment holder 7, the magnet 751 and the contact portion 76 are configured so that the upward pulling force acting on the trowel tip 5b is stronger than gravity, and the trowel tip 5b is fixed to the recess 421.

In the device body A1 configured in this way, the removal and installation of the trowel tip 5b can be performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment using the trowel tip removal unit UT1 and the trowel tip installation unit UT2.

First, to remove the trowel tip 5b from the device body A1, the control means Cont controls the rotational movement of the articulated arm Am of the manipulator ML to engage the small diameter portion 56 of the trowel tip 5b of the device body A1 with the notch 820 of the movement prevention portion 82 of the trowel tip removal unit UT1, as shown in Fig. 16. Next, the control means Cont moves the device body A1 upward, as shown in Fig. 17. At this time, the step 54 of the trowel tip 5b abuts against the underside of the peripheral portion of the notch 820 of the movement prevention portion 82, preventing further upward movement of the trowel tip 5a, and the device body A1 rises against the magnetic force between the magnet 751 and the abutment portion 76, causing the trowel tip 5b to be removed from the recess 421 of the heater block 42. As in the first embodiment, the removed trowel tip 5b rolls down the inclined portion 811b of the bottom wall 811 of the trowel tip removal unit UT1 and is stored in the horizontal portion 811a.

As shown in Fig. 18, the attachment of the trowel tip 5b to the device main body A1 is performed by the control means Cont controlling the rotational movement of the articulated arm Am of the manipulator ML to move the recess 421 of the heater block 42 to a position above the desired replacement trowel tip 5b prepared in the trowel tip attachment unit UT2, where the central axis of the replacement trowel tip 5b coincides with the central axis of the recess 421 of the heater block 42. The control means Cont then moves the device main body A1 downward. This causes the recess 421 of the heater block 42 to engage with the small diameter portion 56 of the replacement trowel tip 5b. Then, as shown in Fig. 19, the movement of the device main body A1 is stopped at a position where the top surface of the replacement trowel tip 5b and the inner top surface of the recess 421 are in contact or close to each other. At this time, the magnet 751 and the abutment portion 76 are positioned opposite each other, and the replacement iron tip 5b is held to the heater block 42 by the magnetic force between the magnet 751 and the abutment portion 76. The control means Cont then moves the device main body A1 upward. Since the replacement iron tip 5b is held by the heater block 42, it moves upward together with the device main body A1 and detaches from the main body 90 of the iron tip attachment unit UT2. The device main body A1 then performs the specified soldering operation.

In addition, at the soldering position AP in this embodiment, the soldering tip 5b may be rotated around the central axis to separate the receiving portion 75 and the abutting portion 76, thereby removing the soldering tip 5b from the recess 421 of the heater block 42.

(Other embodiments)
(Cooling of used iron tips)
The used iron tip removed by the iron tip removal unit UT1 cannot be moved from the iron tip removal unit UT1 for a while because it is hot at nearly 300°C immediately after the soldering work. There is also a risk that an operator may accidentally touch the iron tip whose temperature has not yet sufficiently cooled. Therefore, a cooling means may be provided in the iron tip removal unit UT1. FIG. 20 shows an example of the cooling means. The cooling means Co1 shown in this figure has a nozzle 96 that sprays cooling gas, which may be air or the like supplied from a supply means (not shown), toward the removed iron tip 5a. The iron tip 5a removed by the movement prevention part 82 of the iron tip removal unit UT1 rolls down the inclined part 811b and reaches the horizontal part 811a and stays there. The nozzle 96 sprays cooling gas onto the iron tip 5a that stays on the horizontal part 811a to air-cool the iron tip 5a. The driving time of the cooling means Co1 may be a preset time, or a sensor for measuring the temperature of the iron tip 5a may be provided separately and the cooling means Co1 may be driven until the temperature of the iron tip 5a falls to a predetermined temperature or lower. In addition, a gas cooled to a temperature lower than the outside air may be used as the cooling gas.

Another example of the cooling means is shown in FIG. 21. The cooling means Co2 shown in this figure has a cooling container 98 equipped with a cooling member 97 such as a Peltier element. The cooling container 98 has an internal volume capable of accommodating at least a portion of the trowel tip 5a, and is installed on the horizontal portion 811a of the trowel tip removal unit UT1. The trowel tip 5a removed by the movement prevention portion 82 of the trowel tip removal unit UT1 rolls down the inclined portion 811b and is received in the cooling container 98. The cooling container 98 may be cooled in advance, or cooling may begin when a sensor (not shown) detects that the trowel tip 5a has been accommodated in the cooling container 98.

(Cleaning used iron tips)
Dross (mainly flux carbides and solder oxides) is attached to the solder hole 51, the lower surface, and the lower outer peripheral surface of the used iron tip 5a removed by the iron tip removal unit UT1. If such deposits are attached to the iron tip 5a, it becomes difficult to efficiently transfer heat to the solder piece Wh, and the appropriate heating and melting of the solder is hindered. Therefore, in order to reuse the iron tip 5a, a cleaning operation is required to remove the deposits from the iron tip 5a. Therefore, the iron tip removal unit UT1 may be provided with a cleaning means CL, and the iron tip 5a removed from the device main body A1 may be cleaned in the iron tip removal unit UT1. By cleaning the iron tip 5a in a high temperature state immediately after the completion of the soldering operation, the temperature rise time can be shortened compared to the case where the iron tip 5a that has dropped to room temperature is raised to the cleaning temperature. FIG. 22 shows an example of an iron tip removal unit UT1 provided with a cleaning means CL.

The cleaning means CL is installed below the movement prevention part 82 in the trowel tip removal unit UT1. The cleaning means CL has a rectangular parallelepiped main body part 77 and a cylindrical receiving part 78 formed on the upper surface of the main body part 77. An electric heater HT is provided inside the main body part 77. The inner diameter of the receiving hole 781, which has a circular cross section and is formed in the axial direction of the receiving part 78, is set to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the large diameter part 55 of the trowel tip 5a. The axial depth of the receiving hole 781 is set to a length such that at least a part of the small diameter part 56 of the trowel tip 5a is exposed upward from the upper opening of the receiving hole 781. The opening periphery of the receiving hole 781 is an inclined surface that slopes inward toward the axial downward direction. As a result, even if the drop position of the trowel tip 5a removed by the movement prevention part 82 is slightly deviated from the receiving hole, it can be guided to the receiving hole 781 by the inclined surface.

When the trowel tip 5a removed by the movement prevention part 82 is received in the receiving hole 781 of the cleaning means CL, the electric heater HT starts heating the trowel tip 5a. Of course, the electric heater HT may be driven before the trowel tip 5a is received. When the trowel tip 5a is heated to, for example, 450°C or higher, the deposits such as carbides on the trowel tip 5a are burned and removed. The remaining deposits are mainly metal oxides. The adhesion between the metal oxides and the trowel tip 5a is weak, and most of them fall off naturally due to mechanical vibration or their own weight, but the metal oxides may be forcibly removed from the trowel tip 5a by blowing gas onto the trowel tip 5a from a nozzle (not shown). It is preferable that the heating temperature of the trowel tip 5a by the electric heater HT is 450°C or higher from the viewpoint of burning the carbides in the deposits in a short time. Heating by the electric heater HT is controlled by the control means Cont so that the temperature is within the range of 450°C to 650°C, for example. It is believed that deposits such as carbides on the tip 5a will be almost completely burned if a temperature of 450°C to 650°C is maintained for about 10 minutes.

(Preheating replacement iron tip)
After replacing the iron tip, it takes a certain amount of time to reheat the iron tip to a temperature suitable for soldering, which reduces the efficiency of the soldering operation by the soldering device AP. Therefore, the replacement iron tip may be preheated so that the replacement iron tip reaches a temperature suitable for soldering as quickly as possible after replacement. Figure 23 shows an example of an iron tip attachment means UT2 equipped with a preheating means. The iron tip attachment unit UT2 shown in this figure is the same as that described in the first embodiment, except that it is equipped with an electric heater HT as the preheating means. Note that the preheating means that can be used here may be an electric heater or any other conventionally known heating means.

The heating control of the replacement iron tip 5a by the electric heater HT is performed by the control means Cont. For example, the replacement iron tip 5a is heated by the electric heater HT a predetermined time before the time to replace the iron tip, which is predicted from the number of soldering operations and the accumulated time. The heating temperature is, for example, the iron tip temperature during soldering operation (approximately 400°C).

(Attaching the trowel tip asymmetrically to the central axis)
When soldering various electronic components to a wiring board, depending on the shape and density of the electronic components, it may happen that the tip of the iron cannot approach the terminals and wires of the electronic components to be soldered. In such a case, the shape of the tip of the iron is made various shapes that can approach the terminals and wires of the wiring board in accordance with the shape of the electronic components to be soldered. In such a case, the shape of the tip of the iron is often asymmetric with respect to the central axis. FIG. 24 shows an example of an iron tip 5c that is asymmetric with respect to the central axis. FIG. 24(A) is a front view of the tip of the iron 5c, and FIG. 24(B) is a bottom view of the tip of the iron 5c. The tip of the iron 5c shown in FIG. 24 has the same basic configuration as the tip of the iron 5a shown in the first embodiment of FIG. 4, but a cutout portion 57 is formed in the large diameter portion 55 from approximately the axial center to the bottom surface, so that the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axial direction is D-shaped. A positioning hole 58 is formed on the outer periphery of the large diameter portion 55 at a position spaced a predetermined angle (180° in FIG. 24 ) from the notch 57 in the circumferential direction on approximately the center of the large diameter portion 55 in the axial direction. The notch 57 of the iron tip 5c is provided to avoid contact with electronic components, etc., during soldering.

Since such an asymmetrical trowel tip 5c must be attached to the device body A1 in a specific direction, it must also be oriented in a specific direction when placed in the trowel tip attachment unit UT2 as a replacement trowel tip 5c. The trowel tip attachment unit UT2 shown in FIG. 25 ensures that such an asymmetrical replacement trowel tip 5c is always held in a specific direction.

The trowel tip attachment unit UT2 shown in FIG. 25 has the same basic configuration as the trowel tip attachment unit UT2 shown in FIG. 6, and has a rectangular parallelepiped main body 90 whose vertical height is longer than the axial length of the large diameter portion 55 of the trowel tip 5c, and support holes 95 formed on the upper surface of the main body 90 at approximately the center in the Y direction and at a predetermined interval in the X direction into which the trowel tip can be inserted. The inner diameter of the support hole 95 is set to be the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the large diameter portion 55 of the trowel tip 5c. The depth of the support hole 95 is set to a length such that at least a part of the small diameter portion 56 of the trowel tip 5c is exposed upward from the upper opening of the support hole 95. On the other hand, unlike the trowel tip attachment unit UT2 in FIG. 6, a through hole 83 is formed that penetrates between the inner circumferential surface of the support hole 95 and the side surface of the main body 90 (the left side surface in FIG. 25). In the through hole 83, there are arranged an engagement member 84 that engages with the positioning hole 58 of the iron tip 5c, a compression coil spring 86 whose one end abuts against the engagement member 84 and urges the engagement member 84 toward the support hole 95, and a cover member 85 that abuts against the other end of the compression coil spring 86 and closes the side opening of the main body 90 of the through hole 83. The opening of the inner peripheral surface of the support hole 95 of the through hole 83 is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the semispherical tip of the engagement member 84 and smaller than the outer diameter of the main body of the engagement member 84. The engagement member 84 is always urged toward the support hole 95 by the elastic force of the compression coil spring 86, and when the iron tip 5c is not inserted into the support hole 95, the semispherical tip of the engagement member 84 is held in a state of protruding inward from the inner peripheral wall of the support hole 95.

When the trowel tip 5c is inserted into the support hole 95 and the lower edge of the trowel tip 5c abuts against the hemispherical tip of the engagement member 84, the outer circumferential surface of the trowel tip 5c causes the engagement member 84 to sink into the through hole 83 against the elastic force of the compression coil spring 86, and the trowel tip 5c can be inserted further downward in the support hole 95. The trowel tip 5c is then completely attached to the support hole 95. At this time, if the trowel tip 5c is facing a predetermined direction, the positioning hole 58 of the trowel tip 5c is positioned opposite the engagement member 84, and the tip of the engagement member 84 engages with the positioning hole 58, so that the trowel tip 5c is supported by the support hole 95 in a predetermined orientation. On the other hand, when the trowel tip 5c is not facing the specified direction in the support hole 95, the positioning hole 58 of the trowel tip 5c is not located at a position opposite the engagement member 84, and the engagement member 84 is pressed by the outer circumferential surface of the trowel tip 5c to maintain a state of being recessed in the through hole 83. In this case, the trowel tip 5c is rotated around the central axis in the support hole 95 so that the positioning hole 58 of the trowel tip 5c is located at a position opposite the engagement member 84, that is, so that the trowel tip 5c faces the specified direction. Then, when the positioning hole 58 of the trowel tip 5c is located at a position opposite the engagement member 84, the tip of the engagement member 84 engages with the positioning hole 58 due to the elastic force of the compression coil spring 86, and the trowel tip 5c cannot rotate around its central axis, and the trowel tip 5c is supported in the support hole 95 in the specified direction.

Attachment of the trowel tip 5c supported in this manner by the trowel tip attachment unit UT2 to the device body A1 is the same as the attachment operation in the first embodiment shown in Figures 11 to 13. When the device body A1 rises and the trowel tip 5c is pulled upward from the support hole 95, the engagement between the engagement member 84 and the positioning hole 58 of the trowel tip 5c is released when the semi-spherical tip of the engagement member 84 abuts against the lower inner wall of the positioning hole 58 and the engagement member 84 sinks into the through hole 83 against the elastic force of the compression coil spring 86, allowing the trowel tip 5c to move further upward in the support hole 95.

(Detection of the presence or absence of a replacement iron tip in the iron tip attachment unit UT2)
Fig. 26 shows an example of the device main body A1 capable of detecting the presence or absence of a replacement trowel tip in the trowel tip attachment unit UT2. The device main body A1 shown in this figure is equipped with a camera CM as a detection means on the lower side of the horizontal part 712 of the mounting base part 71. The camera CM is capable of photographing the state near the lower part of the recess 421 of the heater block 42. As shown in the figure, when there is no replacement trowel tip in the support hole 95 of the trowel tip attachment unit UT2, the control means Cont determines that there is no replacement trowel tip in the trowel tip attachment unit UT2 based on the image from the camera CM and notifies the operator of this fact by the notification means. At the same time, the control means Cont stops the attachment operation of the replacement trowel tip in the device main body A1.

It is also possible to detect the presence or absence of a replacement trowel tip in the trowel tip attachment unit UT2 in other ways. For example, a sensor such as a touch sensor or photointerrupter may be provided on the inner surface or bottom surface of the support hole 95 to detect the presence or absence of a replacement trowel tip by an on/off signal.

(Identifying replacement iron tips)
Fig. 27 shows the iron tip 5a with a two-dimensional code M1 printed on the side periphery as individual information display and an arrow M2 printed on the top surface as an attachment direction display. Fig. 27(a) is a top view of the iron tip 5a, and Fig. 27(b) is a front view of the iron tip. The memory means RAM (shown in Fig. 28) of the control means Cont stores usage history information of the iron tip 5a corresponding to the two-dimensional code M1 printed on the iron tip 5a. The camera CM provided in the device main body A1 shown in Fig. 26 is used not only to detect the presence or absence of a replacement iron tip, but also as a reading means for reading the two-dimensional code MA1 of the replacement iron tip prepared in the iron tip attachment unit UT2.

When a replacement trowel tip 5a is attached to the device body A1, the two-dimensional code M1 of each trowel tip prepared in the trowel tip attachment unit UT2 is read by the camera CM of the device body A1. The control means Cont reads out the usage history information of each trowel tip from the storage means RAM based on the two-dimensional code M1 read by the camera CM, judges whether the trowel tip to be attached to the device body A1 is suitable, and controls the movement of the device body A1 so that the desired trowel tip is attached to the device body A1. At this time, if the trowel tip has a directional attachment, the control means Cont controls the movement of the device body A1 so that the trowel tip is attached to the device body A1 in a predetermined direction based on the arrow M2 on the top surface of the trowel tip photographed by the camera CM. In addition, usage history information such as the number of times the trowel tip has been half-attached and the number of times it has been replaced is successively updated and stored in the storage means RAM. If the camera CM cannot read the two-dimensional code M1 when replacing the trowel tip, the control means Cont notifies the worker of this through the notification means and simultaneously stops the operation of installing the replacement trowel tip on the device main body A1.

(Control Means Cont)
FIG. 28 shows a block diagram of the control means Cont. The control means Cont includes a central processing unit CPU that performs calculations according to a control program, a storage means ROM (read-only memory) that stores the control program, a storage means RAM (random access memory) that stores individual information such as the use history of each iron tip and calculation results, an input interface, and an output interface. From the input interface of the control means Cont configured in this manner, image signals from the camera CM and detection signals from each sensor such as the iron tip temperature are input. In addition, the preheating temperature of the replacement iron tip and the number of soldering operations that are the time to replace the iron tip are input from the setting input means. On the other hand, control signals are output from the output interface to the manipulator, cooling means, cleaning means, preheating means, solenoids, and notification means such as an alarm buzzer and lamp.

In addition, in this embodiment, the printed circuit board Bd is fixed and the iron tip 5a is moved, but the iron tip 5a may be fixed and the printed circuit board Bd may be moved. Alternatively, both the printed circuit board Bd and the iron tip 5a may be moved.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this content. Furthermore, various modifications can be made to the embodiment of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the invention.

AP Soldering device A1 Device body CL Cleaning means CM Camera (detection means, reading means)
Co1, Co2 cooling means Cont control means HT electric heater (heating means)
M1 2D code (individual information display)
M2 Arrow (Installation direction indication)
UT1 Iron tip removal unit UT2 Iron tip attachment unit 4 Heater unit 41 Heater 42 Heater block 421 Recess 422 Solder supply hole 423 Through holes 5a, 5b, 5c Iron tip 51 Solder hole 52 Engagement hole (engagement recess)
54 Step 55 Large diameter portion 56 Small diameter portion 57 Notch portion 58 Positioning holes 7a, 7b Mounting and holding portion 71 Mounting base portion 72 Solenoid (driving portion)
722 Plunger (fixed pin)
75 Receiving portion 751 Magnet 76 Contact portion 77 Main body portion 78 Receiving portion 781 Receiving hole 82 Movement prevention portion 820 Notch 83 Through hole 84 Engagement member 85 Lid member 86 Compression coil spring 90 Main body portion 95 Support hole 96 Nozzle 97 Peltier element (cooling member)
98 Cooling container

Claims (14)

A cylindrical iron tip extending in an axial direction and having a through hole through which solder wire is supplied;
a trowel tip attachment portion having a recess to which the trowel tip can be attached and detached;
a mounting and holding part for holding the trowel tip in a mounted state in which the trowel tip is inserted into the recess;
A control unit that controls the movement of the iron tip attachment unit;
A soldering apparatus comprising:
a tip removal unit that removes a used tip from the recess of the tip attachment portion;
a tip attachment unit in which a replacement tip is disposed and which attaches the replacement tip to the recess of the tip attachment part;
Equipped with
A soldering apparatus characterized in that the soldering tip removing unit and the soldering tip attaching unit are provided separately. The mounting and holding portion is
An engagement recess formed on an outer circumferential surface of the used trowel tip and the replacement trowel tip;
A fixing pin that is inserted into the engagement recess;
a drive unit that selectively moves the fixing pin between an operating position where the fixing pin is inserted into the engagement recess and a non-operating position where the fixing pin is not inserted into the engagement recess;
having
The control unit also controls the driving of the drive unit,
The soldering device of claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the drive unit to move the fixing pin from an operative position to a non-operative position, thereby enabling the removal of the used tip from the recess of the tip mounting part and the insertion of the replacement tip into the recess, and the movement of the fixing pin from the non-operative position to the operative position to hold the replacement tip in the recess of the tip mounting part. The soldering device according to claim 2, wherein the used iron tip is released from the recess of the iron tip attachment part by its own weight when the fixing pin moves from the operating position to the non-operating position. The iron tip removal unit has a movement prevention portion that engages with the iron tip to prevent the iron tip from moving,
3. The soldering device of claim 2, wherein the control unit, while the used tip is engaged with the movement preventing portion, controls the drive unit to move the fixing pin from an operative position to a non-operative position and to move the tip attachment portion in the axial direction of the used tip and in a direction away from the used tip, thereby removing the used tip from the recess of the tip attachment portion. The mounting and holding portion is
A receiving portion provided on the iron tip attachment portion;
The used trowel tip and the replacement trowel tip are provided with an abutment portion facing the receiving portion,
One of the receiving portion and the abutting portion has a magnet, and the other has a portion made of a ferromagnetic material or a portion equipped with a magnet,
The used iron tip or the replacement iron tip is held in the recess of the iron tip attachment part by a magnetic force acting between the receiving part and the abutting part,
The iron tip removal unit has a movement prevention portion that engages with the used iron tip to prevent the movement of the used iron tip,
2. The soldering device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit, with the used tip engaged with the movement preventing portion, moves the tip attachment portion in the axial direction of the used tip and in a direction away from the used tip, thereby removing the used tip from the recess of the tip attachment portion against the magnetic force. The control unit moves the iron tip attachment unit to the iron tip mounting unit and inserts the replacement iron tip into the recess of the iron tip attachment unit;
6. The soldering device according to claim 5, wherein the replacement iron tip is held by magnetic force on the iron tip mounting portion when the abutting portion of the replacement iron tip approaches or abuts on the receiving portion of the iron tip mounting portion. The used trowel tip has a protrusion or a step on its outer circumferential surface,
The movement preventing portion has an engaging portion that engages with the protrusion or the step portion of the used iron tip,
The protrusion or the step portion of the used iron tip and the engagement portion are engaged with each other in a state in which the engagement portion is located upstream of the protrusion or the step portion of the iron tip in a removal direction of the used iron tip,
The soldering apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the control section removes the used soldering tip from the recess of the soldering tip mounting section by moving the soldering tip mounting section in a direction opposite to a direction in which the used soldering tip is removed. The soldering device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the tip removal unit has a cooling means for cooling a used tip that has been removed from the recess of the tip attachment part. The soldering device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the tip removal unit is provided with a cleaning means for cleaning a used tip that has been removed from the recess of the tip attachment part. The trowel tip replacement device according to claim 9, wherein the cleaning means heats the used trowel tip to burn off any attached matter. The soldering device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the tip attachment unit is provided with a preheating means for preheating the replacement tip that is placed on the tip attachment unit. The soldering device according to claim 11, wherein the preheating means is operated by the control unit a predetermined time before the used soldering tip is replaced with the replacement soldering tip. The trowel tip attachment unit has a detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the replacement trowel tip,
13. The soldering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when said detection means detects that said replacement iron tip is not present on said iron tip attachment unit, a notification means notifies said user that there is no replacement iron tip. A reading means for reading an individual information display displayed on an outer surface of the replacement iron tip;
A storage means for storing data of the replacement iron tip corresponding to the individual information display;
Further equipped with
A soldering device as described in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein when attaching the replacement soldering tip to the soldering tip attachment portion, the control unit reads data of the replacement soldering tip from the memory means based on the individual information display read by the reading means, and determines whether the replacement soldering tip is suitable.