JP7691736B2 - Soldering Method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a soldering method, and more specifically, to a method for soldering a pin terminal protruding outward from the component body of an electronic component to a winding wound around the pin terminal.

The soldering of a pin terminal protruding outward from the body of an electronic component to a winding wound around the pin terminal is generally performed by winding the winding around the pin terminal, and then immersing the pin terminal with its tip facing downwards in a solder bath up to near its base (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, in order to ensure and strengthen the soldering between the pin terminal and the winding, it is generally necessary to immerse the pin terminal in the solder bath multiple times. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 proposes a technique for immersing such pin terminals in a solder bath by loosening the spacing between the winding and the pin terminal to make the soldering more reliable and stronger.

Conventional soldering work, which requires multiple immersions in a solder bath, has limited the ability to improve productivity.

Therefore, for example, Patent Document 3 proposes soldering the pin terminal and the winding using a heatable soldering tip that is roughly cylindrical and has a solder hole that runs through it in the axial direction through which the solder piece is supplied.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-74030 JP 2007-49105 A Re-table No. 2008-23461

When soldering is performed using the proposed approximately cylindrical iron tip, as shown in FIG. 9, the iron tip 5b moves relative to the pin terminal P at a predetermined distance in the vertical direction so that the central axes _C1 and _C2 of the two terminals are approximately collinear, and then the iron tip 5b moves relatively in a direction approaching the pin terminal P (as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 9), and the pin terminal P around which the winding 83 is wound is inserted into the solder hole 51 of the iron tip 5b.

However, if the central axis _C1 of the iron tip 5b and the central axis _C2 of the pin terminal P are not substantially collinear but are misaligned, the periphery of the bottom opening of the solder hole 51 in the iron tip 5b will come into contact with the winding 83, and the winding 83 may be pushed down toward the base of the pin terminal P by the relative movement of the iron tip 5b, thereby shortening the winding interval of the winding 83, as shown in Fig. 10. If the winding interval of the winding 83 becomes narrow, the molten solder may not be able to sufficiently penetrate between the pin terminal P and the winding 83, resulting in insufficient soldering. For this reason, when soldering the pin terminal P to the winding 83, the relative movement of the iron tip 5b with respect to the pin terminal P is required to be controlled more precisely than in other cases.

The object of the present invention is to provide a soldering method that, when using the above-mentioned roughly cylindrical soldering tip to solder a pin terminal and a winding, can perform secure soldering without the risk of the soldering tip pushing the winding down toward the base of the pin terminal, even if the movement control of the soldering tip relative to the pin terminal has the same degree of precision as normal movement control.

A soldering method according to one aspect of the present invention that achieves the above object is a method of soldering a pin terminal protruding outward from a component body of an electronic component to a winding wound around the pin terminal using a heatable soldering tip that is substantially cylindrical and has a solder hole penetrating in the axial direction in which the solder piece is supplied, the inner diameter of the solder hole being equal to or greater than the outermost diameter of the winding wound around the pin terminal, and the soldering tip is heated to a temperature of 1000° C. for a predetermined length from the downstream end of the soldering tip in the supply direction of the solder piece to the upstream end in the supply direction of the solder piece. It has a width equal to or greater than the inner diameter of the hole, and has an opening extending from the outer circumferential surface of the iron tip to the inner circumferential surface of the solder hole, and at least one of the pin terminal with the winding wound thereon and the iron tip moves in a direction approximately perpendicular to the axial direction of the pin terminal, and the pin terminal with the winding wound thereon is inserted through the opening into the solder hole of the iron tip, and then a solder piece is supplied into the solder hole, and the solder piece is melted by the heated iron tip, soldering the pin terminal and the winding together.

In the soldering method of the above configuration, the width of the opening may be continuously narrowed from the radially outer side to the radially inner side of the soldering tip.

In addition, in the soldering method configured as above, it is preferable that the front end of the solder piece supplied into the solder hole in the supply direction abuts against the pin terminal or the winding.

In the soldering method described above, it is preferable that the tip of the soldering iron is heated before the solder piece is supplied to the solder hole.

The present invention also provides an iron tip for use in the soldering method described above, characterized in that it has a generally cylindrical shape, a solder hole that penetrates in the axial direction in which the solder pieces are supplied, and an inner diameter that is equal to or greater than the outermost diameter of the winding wound around the pin terminal, and an opening that has a width equal to or greater than the inner diameter of the solder hole, a predetermined length from the downstream end of the iron tip in the supply direction of the solder pieces to the upstream side in the supply direction of the solder pieces, and that extends from the outer peripheral surface of the iron tip to the inner peripheral surface of the solder hole.

In the trowel tip of the above configuration, it is preferable that the width of the opening narrows continuously from the outer side to the inner side in the radial direction of the trowel tip.

According to the soldering method of the present invention, the tip of the soldering iron moves relative to the pin terminal in a direction approximately perpendicular to the axial direction of the pin terminal, and the pin terminal is inserted into the solder hole of the tip of the soldering iron. Therefore, even if the movement control of the tip of the soldering iron relative to the pin terminal is performed with the same degree of precision as normal movement control, the winding wound around the pin terminal is not pushed down toward the base of the pin terminal by the tip of the soldering iron. This ensures good soldering.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one form of an iron tip that can be used in the present invention. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the lower part of the iron tip 5a of FIG. 1. 1 is a process diagram of soldering using a soldering iron tip 5a. 1 is a process diagram of soldering using a soldering iron tip 5a. 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. 7 is a schematic vertical sectional view of the device main body A1 shown in FIG. 6. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a part of a drive mechanism provided in the apparatus main body A1 shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating normal soldering using a conventional soldering iron tip. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an abnormal soldering process using a conventional soldering iron tip.

The soldering method according to the present invention and the tip of the soldering device used therein are described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

(trowel tip)
1 and 2 show one form of the iron tip that can be used in the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the iron tip 5a, and FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the lower part of the iron tip 5a. The iron tip 5a is cylindrical and has a solder hole 51 with a circular cross section that penetrates in the axial direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1) centered on the central axis _C1 . The iron tip 5a also has an opening 52 at the outer periphery of the lower end that reaches from the outer periphery to the inner periphery of the solder hole 51. The opening 52 has a length L (shown in FIG. 1) from the lower end of the iron tip 5a upward, and has a width W in the perpendicular direction to the central axis _C1 direction that continuously decreases from width W1 to width W2 toward the radially inward direction of the iron tip 5a. The width W2 is equal to the inner diameter d of the solder hole 51. The iron tip 5a also has a release hole 53 above the opening 52 that communicates with the solder hole 51 and the outer periphery. 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 opening of the solder hole 51 is blocked by molten solder.

The width W of the opening 52 is usually the same as the width W2 (the inner diameter d of the solder hole 51) at the minimum, and the same as the outer diameter D of the iron tip 5a at the maximum. The preferred range of the width W of the opening 52 is larger than the inner diameter d of the solder hole 51 and smaller than the outer shape D of the iron tip 5a. In this range, even if the positions of the iron tip 5a and the pin terminal P before movement (before insertion) are deviated from the normal positions or the relative movement direction of the iron tip 5a is deviated from the normal direction, the pin terminal P is guided into the solder hole 51 of the iron tip 5a by the side of the opening 52. The inner diameter d of the solder hole 51 is set to be equal to or larger than the outermost diameter of the winding 83 wound around the pin terminal P described later.

(Soldering process)
Figures 3 and 4 show soldering process diagrams. Figures 3 and 4 are partial vertical cross-sectional views of a component body 81 of an electronic component and the iron tip 5a on a plane including the central axis _C1 and the central axis _C2 . An electronic component 8 (shown in Figure 5) such as a transformer to be soldered includes a component body 81, a pin terminal P embedded in the component body 81, and a winding 83 that is drawn out from the component body 81 through a drawing groove 82 formed in the component body 81 and wound around the pin terminal P.

As will be described later with reference to Fig. 5, the control means Cont of the soldering device AP controls the rotational movement of the articulated arm Am of the manipulator ML to move the iron tip 5a to a position (first position) where the outer peripheral surface of the iron tip 5a does not contact the winding 83 wound around the pin terminal P and the lower end surface of the iron tip 5a is close to the pin terminal P implantation surface of the component body 81, as shown in Fig. 3(a). Next, as shown in Fig. 3(b), the control means Cont controls the manipulator ML to move the iron tip 5a in a direction perpendicular to the central axis _C2 of the pin terminal P, i.e., leftward in Fig. 3, to position the pin terminal P around which the winding 83 is wound, in the solder hole 51 of the iron tip 5a (second position). Preferably, the central axis _C2 of the pin terminal P and the central axis _C1 of the iron tip 5a are positioned on the same straight line.

Here, if the first position deviates from the set position or the direction of movement from the first position to the second position deviates, even if the iron tip 5a comes into contact with the winding 83 wound around the pin terminal P when moving relatively from the first position to the second position, only a force perpendicular to the direction of the central axis _C2 of the pin terminal P is applied to the winding 83, and no force is applied in the direction of the central axis C2 _. Therefore, there is no risk of the winding 83 being pushed down toward the base of the pin terminal P and the winding spacing of the winding 83 becoming shorter.

In the second position, it is desirable to make the distance as small as possible between the bottom surface of the iron tip 5a and the surface on which the pin terminal P is implanted in the component body 81. Since the periphery of the pin terminal P around which the winding 83 is wound is largely surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the solder hole 51 of the iron tip 5a, the winding 83 and the pin terminal P are easily heated by radiant heat from the iron tip 5a, etc. For this reason, it is preferable that the length L of the opening 52 in the direction of the central axis _C1 exceeds the protruding height of the pin terminal P from the component body 81.

3(c), a solder piece Wh is supplied to the solder hole 51 of the iron tip 5a. Here, the inner diameter d of the solder hole 51 of the iron tip 5a is equal to or larger than the outermost diameter of the winding 83 wound around the pin terminal P, as described above. (Naturally, the inner diameter d of the solder hole 51 is larger than the outer diameter of the solder piece Wh.) It is desirable to set the maximum gap between the inner peripheral surface of the solder hole 51 and the outermost circumference of the winding 83 wound around the pin terminal P to be smaller than the outer diameter of the solder piece Wh supplied to the solder hole 51. As a result, the solder piece Wh supplied into the solder hole 51 comes into contact with the pin terminal P or the tip of the winding 83. Incidentally, even if the central axis _C1 of the iron tip 5a and the central axis _C2 of the pin terminal P are not aligned in the same straight line but are misaligned, the misalignment is permissible as long as the solder piece Wh supplied into the solder hole 51 abuts against the tip portion of the pin terminal P or the wire 83.

When the solder piece Wh is supplied into the solder hole 51, a portion of it usually comes into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the solder hole 51 (except when the solder piece Wh stands on the pin terminal P or on the winding 83 without coming into contact with the inner circumferential surface of the solder hole 51), so the solder piece Wh is directly heated by heat transfer from the iron tip 5a. Note that the iron tip 5a is heated before the solder piece Wh is supplied to the solder hole 51. Specifically, when the main power of the soldering device AP is turned on, the heater unit 4 heats the iron tip 5a, and the iron tip 5a is maintained at a predetermined temperature.

The solder piece Wh supplied into the solder hole 51 is heated to its melting temperature in a short time by heat transfer from the iron tip 5a. In the process of heating and melting the solder piece Wh, the flux, which has a lower melting temperature than solder, melts first and flows onto the surface of the solder piece Wh. Because flux has a higher thermal conductivity than solder, heat transfer from the iron tip 5a to the solder piece Wh is accelerated via the flux. In addition, some of the flux that flows down from the solder piece Wh removes the oxide film on the surfaces of the pin terminal P and winding 83 and prevents oxidation of the pin terminal P and winding 83 during the soldering process.

When the temperature of the solder piece Wh reaches the melting temperature, it melts, and the molten solder MS becomes roughly spherical on the top of the pin terminal P due to surface tension. When the pin terminal P is heated to the solder melting temperature or higher, it flows down, soldering the pin terminal P to the winding 83 as shown in FIG. 4(d).

Thereafter, the control means Cont controls the manipulator ML to move the iron tip 5a in a direction perpendicular to the central axis _C2 of the pin terminal P, i.e., to the right in Fig. 4, from the second position to the first position, as shown in Fig. 4(e). Next, the iron tip 5a is moved in the direction of the central axis _C1 in a direction away from the component body 81, i.e., upward in Fig. 4, and the next soldering operation is performed.

After soldering is completed, the iron tip 5a may immediately be moved in the direction of the central axis _C1 in a direction away from the component body 81, that is, in the upward direction in FIG. 4, to perform the next soldering operation.

(Overall configuration of soldering device)
5 is a perspective view of a soldering apparatus AP that performs soldering using the above-described iron tip 5a, and shows the case where the soldering apparatus AP solders pin terminals P of an electronic component 8 fixed to a jig Gj by a conventionally known means, and windings 83 wound around the pin terminals P. Two pin terminals P are implanted on the upper surface of a component body 81 of the electronic component 8 so as to protrude upward, and each of the pin terminals P has a winding 83 wound around it.

The soldering device AP includes 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 plurality of joints. The control device 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 direction, Y direction, and Z direction shown in FIG. 5. The control device Cont also controls the operation of the cutter unit 2, drive mechanism 3, solder feed mechanism 6, and heater unit 4 (all shown in FIG. 6) of the device body A1, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the cutter unit 2, drive mechanism 3, and solder feed mechanism 6 constitute the solder piece supplying means.

When soldering is performed by the soldering device AP, the device body A1 is moved in the X, Y and Z directions by the manipulator ML, and the tip 5a is moved to a position close to the pin terminal P installation surface of the component body 81 without the outer circumferential surface of the tip 5a contacting the winding 83 wound around the pin terminal P. The tip 5a is then moved in a direction approaching the pin terminal P, and the pin terminal P around which the winding 83 is wound is inserted into the solder hole of the tip 5a. Note that in this embodiment, the device body A1 is moved, but the device body A1 may be fixed and the jig Gj may be moved, or both the device body A1 and the jig Gj may be moved.

Such movement control by the control means Cont of the trowel tip 5a may be performed based on a preset input value, or based on a detection signal from a detection means (not shown), such as a contact sensor.

(Apparatus body A1)
Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of the device main body A1, and Fig. 7 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of the device unit U shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a part of the drive mechanism provided in the device unit U shown in Fig. 7. In Fig. 6, a part of the housing is cut away to show the inside of the device main body A1.

As shown in FIG. 6, the device main body A1 has an device unit U, a support member SP that supports the device unit U so that it can move within a predetermined distance range in the Z direction, and a cover C (indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 6) that covers the device 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 , a heater unit 4 , a solder 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. 6, 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. 6, 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 unit fixing 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 unit fixing section 14 is a member that fixes the heater unit 4, 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 fixed together by fastening them to the wall body 11 with fasteners such as screws.

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 come into contact with 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 coming 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. 7, 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 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, that is, 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 upper blade hole 211 and the lower blade hole 221 overlap in the Z direction, the solder thread W is fed from the solder feed mechanism 6, and the solder thread W that passes 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 like a cutting blade, and the edge of the upper end of the lower blade hole 221 is also formed like a cutting blade. 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 upper cutter blade 21 slides in the X direction with the solder thread W inserted into the lower blade hole 221, the solder thread W is cut by the cutting blades of the upper blade hole 211 and the lower blade hole 221.

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.

6 and 7, the drive mechanism 3 has an air cylinder 31, a piston rod 32, a cam member 33, a slider portion 34, and a guide column portion 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 (extended and retracted) 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 column portion 35 and moves linearly back and forth along the guide column portion 35. The tip of the piston rod 32 is fixed to the 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 column portion 35.

As shown in FIG. 7, the lower end of the guide pillar 35 fits 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 pillar 35 passes through a hole provided in the holding part 12, and movement is restricted by a pin 352. In other words, the guide pillar 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 column portion 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 column portion 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 Figures 7 and 8, 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 pillar portion 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 pillar portion 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 column 35, a pin pushing portion 333 adjacent to the recess 330 for pushing the pusher pin 23, and a shaft 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 shaft bearing 334 is fitted onto the guide column 35 and is a member that allows the cam member 33 to slide smoothly without rattling.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, 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 pillar portion 35, and a second groove portion 342 on the lower side that also extends parallel to the guide pillar portion 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 pillar portion 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 slide portion 34 is provided with a cam groove 340. However, in reality, the cam member may have a cam groove, and the slide 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 6 and 7, 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 strained within the range where the upper cutter blade 21 slides.

The heater unit 4 is a heating device for heating and melting the solder pieces Wh, and is fixed to a heater unit fixing portion 14 provided at the lower end of the wall body 22, as shown in FIG. 7. The heater unit 4 includes a heater 41 and a heater block 42. The heater 41 generates heat when electricity is applied. Here, the heater 41 has an electric heating wire wound around the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical heater block 42.

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. 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 are in communication. 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.

(Operation of soldering device)
Next, the operation of the soldering device AP will be described. As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the control means Cont controls the rotational movement of the articulated arm Am of the manipulator ML to position the iron tip 5a of the device body A1 such that its outer circumferential surface does not contact the winding 83 wound around the pin terminal P and the lower end surface of the iron tip 5a is close to the pin terminal P implantation surface of the component body 81. Next, the control means Cont controls the manipulator ML to move the iron tip 5a in a direction approaching the pin terminal P, and the pin terminal P around which the winding 83 is wound is inserted into the solder hole 51 of the iron tip 5a.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, a solder piece Wh is supplied to the solder hole 51 of the iron tip 5a. Heat is transferred from the heater 41 (shown in FIG. 7) to the iron tip 5a, and the solder piece Wh is heated by heat transfer and radiation from the iron tip 5a, as well as by convection within the solder hole 51. As shown in FIG. 4, when the temperature of the solder piece Wh reaches its melting temperature, the solder piece Wh melts and becomes molten solder MS, which flows down and solders the pin terminal P and the winding 83. The soldering device AP repeats this series of operations to sequentially solder the pin terminal P of the electronic component 8 to the winding 83.

The above-described embodiment shows an example of the soldering method and soldering tip according to the present invention, and various modifications are possible without impairing the effects of the present invention.

According to the soldering method of the present invention, the winding 83 wound around the pin terminal P is not pushed down toward the base of the pin terminal P by the soldering iron tip 5a, ensuring good soldering.

AP soldering device A1 device body 4 heater unit 41 heater 42 heater block 5a, 5b iron tip 51 solder hole 52 opening 6 solder feed mechanism 8 electronic component 81 component body 82 draw-out groove 83 winding _C1 central axis C of iron tip ₂ central axis d of pin terminal inner diameter D of solder hole outer diameter L of iron tip axial length _W1 , _W2 width of opening (length perpendicular to axial direction of iron tip)
P Pin terminal W Solder wire Wh Solder piece

Claims (4)

A soldering method for soldering a pin terminal protruding outward from a body of an electronic component to a winding wound around the pin terminal, using a heatable soldering tip that is substantially cylindrical and has a solder hole penetrating in an axial direction through which a solder piece is supplied, comprising the steps of:
an inner diameter of the solder hole is equal to or larger than an outermost diameter of the wire wound around the pin terminal;
the tip of the soldering iron has an opening extending from the outer circumferential surface of the tip to the inner circumferential surface of the solder hole, the opening having a width perpendicular to the axial direction of the solder hole equal to or greater than the inner diameter of the solder hole, the width narrowing continuously from the outer side to the inner side in the radial direction of the tip of the soldering iron, the opening being a predetermined length from the downstream end of the tip of the tip in the supply direction of the solder piece to the upstream side in the supply direction of the solder piece,
At least one of the pin terminal around which the winding is wound and the soldering tip is moved in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the pin terminal, so that the pin terminal around which the winding is wound is inserted into the solder hole of the soldering tip through the opening,
Next, a solder piece is provided in the solder hole,
a soldering method comprising: melting the solder piece with the heated tip of the soldering iron to solder the pin terminal and the winding wire together; 2. The soldering method according to claim 1 , wherein a front end of the solder piece supplied into the solder hole in a supply direction abuts against the pin terminal or the winding. 3. The soldering method according to claim 1 , wherein the tip of the soldering iron is heated before the solder piece is supplied to the solder hole. A soldering tip used in the soldering method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
Approximately cylindrical in shape,
a solder hole that penetrates in the axial direction through which the solder piece is supplied and has an inner diameter equal to or larger than the outermost diameter of the wire wound around the pin terminal;
The solder tip is characterized in having an opening extending from the outer peripheral surface of the solder tip to the inner peripheral surface of the solder hole, the opening having a predetermined length from the downstream end of the solder tip in the supply direction of the solder piece to the upstream side in the supply direction of the solder piece, the width perpendicular to the axial direction of the solder hole being equal to or greater than the inner diameter of the solder hole, and the opening narrowing continuously from the radially outward to the radially inward direction of the solder tip.