WO2018229122A1

WO2018229122A1 - Wire fixation apparatus and soldering method

Info

Publication number: WO2018229122A1
Application number: PCT/EP2018/065650
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yingcong Deng; Jeffrey ROCHETTE; Qiyu Cai; Yang Zhou; Wenzhao LIAO; Yumin LAN; Yanbing FU; Yun Liu; Dandan Zhang; Qinglong Zeng
Original assignee: Tyco Electronics Shanghai Co Ltd; Measurement Specialties China Ltd; Shenzhen Shenli Precision Machine Technology Co Ltd; Tyco Electronics UK Ltd
Current assignee: Tyco Electronics Shanghai Co Ltd; Measurement Specialties China Ltd; Shenzhen Shenli Precision Machine Technology Co Ltd; Tyco Electronics UK Ltd
Priority date: 2017-06-14
Filing date: 2018-06-13
Publication date: 2018-12-20
Anticipated expiration: 2019-12-14
Also published as: CN109079388B; US20200114447A1; DE112018003050B4; CN109079388A; US11471967B2; DE112018003050T5

Abstract

A fixation apparatus includes a base, a wire fixing device and a pressing device. The wire fixing device includes a fixing frame fixedly mounted on the base, and a moving unit received in a receiving chamber of the fixing frame and movable between a clamping position and a release position. The receiving chamber of the fixing frame is formed with a first positioning groove in a first side wall thereof, and the moving unit is provided with a second positioning groove coupled with the first positioning groove. The wire is allowed to be inserted into a wire insertion hole in the circuit board between the first positioning groove and the second positioning groove when the mobile unit is moved to the release position; and the wire inserted into the wire insertion hole is clamped and fixed between the first positioning groove and the second positioning groove when the moving unit is moved to the clamping position. Thus, it is possible to conveniently hold the wire within the insertion hole in the circuit board and ensure a center of the wire to be aligned with that of the wire insertion hole to improve soldering quality.

Description

WIRE FIXATION APPARATUS AND SOLDERING METHOD

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. CN201710449806.2 filed on June 14, 2017 in the State Intellectual Property Office of China, the whole disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a fixation apparatus and a solder method for solder a wire onto a circuit board.

Description of the Related Art

In a field of manufacturing an electronic device, it is often necessary to solder a wire onto a circuit board. In order to ensure soldering quality, it is usually required to insert the wire centrally into a wire insertion hole in the circuit board, and then to solder the wire to the circuit board with a soldering head. In the relevant art, all soldering operations are generally performed manually. The wire is firstly inserted into one corresponding insertion hole in the circuit board and then is held in the wire insertion hole by an operator with his hand. Thereafter, the wire is soldered onto the circuit board with the soldering head. However, it is very time-consuming to manually insert and hold the wire. Further, only one wire may be held at a time, which reduces the soldering efficiency. In addition, it is impossible for the wire to be accurately held in the wire insertion hole in the circuit board centrally, which may degrade soldering quality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the disclosure have been made to overcome or alleviate at least one aspect of the above mentioned disadvantages.

According to an object of the disclosure, there is provided a fixation apparatus which is capable of conveniently holding a wire within a wire insertion hole in a circuit board and ensuring a center of the wire to be aligned with that of the wire insertion hole.

According to one aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a fixation apparatus comprising: a base; a wire fixing device mounted on the base and adapted to position and fix the wire; and a pressing device mounted on the base and adapted to press the circuit board against the wire fixing device. The wire fixing device comprises: a fixing frame fixedly mounted on the base; and a moving unit received in a receiving chamber of the fixing frame and movable between a clamping position and a release position. The receiving chamber of the fixing frame is formed with a first positioning groove in a first side wall thereof, and the moving unit is provided with a second positioning groove coupled with the first positioning groove. The wire is allowed to be inserted into a wire insertion hole in the circuit board between the first positioning groove and the second positioning groove when the mobile unit is moved to the release position. In addition, the wire inserted into the wire insertion hole is clamped and fixed between the first positioning groove and the second positioning groove when the moving unit is moved to the clamping position.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, when the circuit board is pressed against the wire fixing device, a central axis of the wire insertion hole in the circuit board is aligned with that of the first positioning groove so that the wire inserted into the wire insertion hole is positioned within the wire insertion hole of the circuit board centrally. The first positioning groove has an insertion port at which a blocking structure for blocking insertion of an outer insulation layer of the wire is formed to control a depth of the wire inserted into the wire insertion hole of the circuit board.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, the moving unit comprises: a slider slidably mounted onto the fixing frame and slidable between the clamping position and the release position; a first spring disposed between the slider and a second side wall of the receiving chamber opposite to the first side wall and adapted to push the slider to the clamping position; a slide plate slidably mounted in an accommodation cavity of the slider with the second positioning groove being formed thereon; and a second spring received in the accommodation cavity of the slider and adapted to push the slide plate against the wire. When the slider is pushed to the clamping position by the first spring, the sliding plate is pushed against the wire by the second spring so that the wire is clamped and fixed between the first positioning groove and the second positioning groove.

According to further another exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, the slider has an operating handle mounted thereon, by which the slider is driven against an elastic force of the first spring to move from the clamping position to the release position.

According to yet another exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, a slide rail is mounted on an inner wall of the receiving chamber of the fixing frame, the slider being slidably mounted on the slide rail.

According to still another exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, the wire fixing device comprises a plurality of fixing frames each formed with a plurality of receiving chambers, each of which is adapted to receive one moving unit.

According to further another exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, each receiving chamber of the fixing frame of the wire fixing device has an open side from which the wire soldered into the wire insertion hole of the circuit board is removed.

According to yet another exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, each of the fixing frames has a substantial E-shape, and the first positioning groove is formed on the first side wall in the middle of the E- shaped fixing frame.

According to still another exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, the side wall of each receiving chamber is formed with one or more first positioning grooves.

According to further another exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, the circuit board is pressed against a top surface of the fixing frame of the wire fixing device.

According to yet another exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, the pressing device comprises: a circuit board carrier on which the circuit board is loaded; a support frame fixedly mounted on the base; and a lever mechanism pivotally mounted on the support frame. The lever mechanism has one end connected to the circuit board carrier and the other end provided with a driving handle. The circuit board is pressed against the top surface of the fixing frame of the wire fixing device by applying a downward pressing force to the circuit board carrier through the drive handle.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a soldering method comprising:

S100: providing the fixation apparatus in any one of exemplary embodiments as described above;

S200: pressing the circuit board against the wire fixing device with the pressing device; S300: moving the moving unit to the release position;

S400: inserting the wire into the wire insertion hole in the circuit board between the first positioning groove and the second positioning groove of the wire fixing device;

S500: moving the moving unit to the clamping position so as to clamp and fix the wire inserted into the wire insertion hole between the first positioning groove and the second positioning groove;

S600: soldering the wire inserted into the wire insertion hole to the circuit board with a soldering head; and

S700: moving the moving unit to the release position and removing the soldered wire from the wire fixing device.

In the above various exemplary embodiments according to the disclosure, the wire may be conveniently held in the wire insertion hole of the circuit board by the wire fixing device, thereby improving the welding efficiency.

In addition, in the above some exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, the wire fixing device is capable of ensuring that a center of the wire is aligned with that of the wire insertion hole, thereby improving the soldering quality.

Other objects and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the following description of the disclosure when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and may give a comprehensive understanding of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features of the disclosure will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a fixation apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, in which a wire and a circuit board are not shown;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of the fixation apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure in which the wire and the circuit board are shown; FIG. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of a wire fixing device of the fixation apparatus shown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic perspective view of a fixing frame and moving units received within a receiving chamber of the fixing frame of the wire fixing device shown in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the moving unit of the wire fixing device shown in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The technical solution of the disclosure will be described hereinafter in further detail with reference to the following embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the specification, the same or similar reference numerals indicate the same or similar parts. The description of the embodiments of the disclosure hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended to explain the general inventive concept of the disclosure and should not be construed as a limitation on the disclosure.

In addition, in the following detailed description, for the sake of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may also be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are illustrated schematically in order to simplify the drawing.

According to a general technical concept of the disclosure, there is provided a fixation apparatus comprising: a base; a wire fixing device mounted on the base and adapted to position and fix a wire to be soldered on a circuit board; and a pressing device mounted on the base and adapted to press the circuit board against the wire fixing device. The wire fixing device comprises: a fixing frame fixedly mounted on the base and formed with a first positioning groove in a first side wall thereof; and a moving unit received in a receiving chamber of the fixing frame, being movable between a clamping position and a release position, and provided with a second positioning groove coupled with the first positioning groove. The wire is allowed to be inserted into a wire insertion hole in the circuit board between the first positioning groove and the second positioning groove when the mobile unit is moved to the release position. In addition, the wire inserted into the wire insertion hole is clamped and fixed between the first positioning groove and the second positioning groove when the moving unit is moved to the clamping position.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a fixation apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, in which a wire 20 and a circuit board 10 are not shown; and FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of the fixation apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure in which a wire 20 and a circuit board 10 are shown;

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the illustrated embodiment, the fixation apparatus mainly comprises a base 1, a wire fixing device 210, 220 mounted on the base 1 and adapted to position and fix a wire 20 to be soldered on a circuit board, and a pressing device 110, 120, 130 mounted on the base 1 and adapted to press the circuit board 10 against the wire fixing device 210, 220.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of the wire fixing device of the fixation apparatus shown in FIG. 1 ; and FIG. 4 shows a schematic perspective view of a fixing frame

210 and a moving unit 220, 221, 222, 230 received within a receiving chamber 201 of the fixing frame 210 of the wire fixing device shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the illustrated embodiment, the wire fixing device 210, 220 mainly comprises a fixing frame 210 fixedly mounted on the base 1, and a moving unit 220, 221, 222, 230 received in the receiving chamber 201 of the fixing frame 210 and movable between a clamping position and a release position.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic perspective view of the mobile unit 220, 221, 222, 230 of the wire fixing device shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, in the illustrated embodiment, the receiving chamber 201 of the fixing frame 210 is formed with a first positioning groove 211a in a first side wall

211 thereof. The moving unit 220, 221, 222, 230 is provided with a second positioning groove 221a coupled with the first positioning groove 211a.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, in the illustrated embodiment, the wire 20 is allowed to be inserted into a wire insertion hole (not shown) in the circuit board 10 which is located between the first positioning groove 211a and the second positioning groove 211a when the mobile unit 220, 221, 222, 230 is moved to the release position. In addition, the wire 20 inserted into the wire insertion hole may be clamped and fixed between the first positioning groove 211a and the second positioning groove 221a when the moving unit 220, 221, 222, 230 is moved to the clamping position (as shown in FIG. 3).

As shown in FIG. 2, in the illustrated embodiment, when the circuit board 10 is pressed against the wire fixing device 210, 220, a central axis of the wire insertion hole in the circuit board 10 is aligned with that of the first positioning groove 211a so that the wire 20 inserted into the wire insertion hole is positioned within the wire insertion hole of the circuit board 10 centrally.

In an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, the first positioning groove 211a is provided with an insertion port at which a blocking structure (not shown) for blocking insertion of an outer insulation layer of the wire 20 is formed to control a depth of the wire 20 inserted into the wire insertion hole of the circuit board 10. In this way, it is possible to accurately control a distance between an end surface of an outer insulation layer of the wire 20 and a surface of the circuit board 10.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the illustrated embodiment, the moving unit 220, 221, 222, 230 mainly comprises a slider 220, a first spring 230, a slide plate 221 and a second spring 222. The slider 220 is slidably mounted onto the fixing frame 210 and is slidable between the clamping position and the release position. The first spring 230 is disposed between the slider 220 and a second side wall 212 of the receiving chamber 201 opposite to the first side wall 211. The first spring 230 is adapted to push the slider 220 to the clamping position. The slide plate 221 is slidably mounted in an accommodation cavity 202 of the slider 220, and the second positioning groove 221a is formed on the slide plate 221. The second spring 222 is received in the accommodation cavity 202 of the slider 220 and is adapted to push the slide plate 221 against the wire 20. In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a connection passage is formed in the first side wall 211 to communicate the second positioning groove 221a and the accommodation cavity 202, so that a part of the slide plate 221 is protrude into the second positioning groove 221 to hold the wire 20 in a space defined by the first positioning groove 211a and the second positioning groove 221a. As shown in FIGS. 3, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, in the illustrated embodiment, when the slider 220 is pushed to the clamping position by the first spring 230, the sliding plate 221 may be pushed against the wire 20 by the second spring 222 so that the wire 20 may be clamped and fixed between the first positioning groove 211a and the second positioning groove 221a.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, in the illustrated embodiment, the slider 220 is provided with an operating handle 224 thereon, by which the slider 220 may be driven manually, against an elastic force of the first spring 230, to move from the clamping position to the release position.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, in the illustrated embodiment, a slide rail 214 is mounted on an inner wall of the receiving chamber 201 of the fixing frame 210. The slider 220 is slidably mounted on the slide rail 214.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, in the illustrated embodiment, the wire fixing device 210, 220 comprises a plurality of fixing frames 210, each of which is formed with a plurality of receiving chambers 201 therein. Further, one moving unit 220, 221, 222, 230 is received in each of the receiving chambers 201.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, in the illustrated embodiment, each receiving chamber 201 of the fixing frame 210 of the wire fixing device 210, 220 has an open side from which the wire 20 soldered into the wire insertion hole of the circuit board 10 may be removed.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, in the illustrated embodiment, each of the fixing frames 210 has a substantial E-shape, and the first positioning groove 211a is formed on the first side wall 211 in the middle of the E- shaped fixing frame 210.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, in the illustrated embodiment, the first side wall 211 of each receiving chamber 201 may be formed with one or more first positioning grooves 211a.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the illustrated embodiment, the circuit board 10 is pressed against a top surface of the fixing frame 210 of the wire fixing device 210, 220.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the illustrated embodiment, the pressing device 110, 120, 130 mainly comprises a circuit board carrier 110 on which the circuit board 10 is loaded, a support frame 130 fixedly mounted on the base 1, and a lever mechanism 120 pivotally mounted on the support frame 130. Further, the lever mechanism 120 has one end 121 connected to the circuit board carrier 110 and the other end provided with a driving handle 122. The circuit board 10 may be pressed against the top surface of the fixing frame 210 of the wire fixing device 210, 220 by applying a downward pressing force to the circuit board carrier 110 through the drive handle 122.

In another exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, there is also disclosed a soldering method comprising:

S100: providing the fixation apparatus as described above;

S200: pressing the circuit board 10 against the wire fixing device 210, 220 with the pressing device 110, 120, 130;

S300: moving the moving unit 220, 221, 222, 230 to the release position;

S400: inserting the wire 20 into the wire insertion hole in the circuit board 10 between the first positioning groove 211a and the second positioning groove 221a of the wire fixing device 210, 220;

S500: moving the moving unit 220, 221, 222, 230 to the clamping position so as to clamp and fix the wire 20 inserted into the wire insertion hole between the first positioning groove 211a and the second positioning groove 221a;

S600: soldering the wire 20 inserted into the wire insertion hole to the circuit board 10 with a soldering head (for example, an iron or laser soldering head); and

S700: moving the moving unit 220, 221, 222, 230 to the release position and removing the soldered wire 20 from the wire fixing device 210, 220.

It should be appreciated by those skilled in this art that the above embodiments are intended to be illustrative, and many modifications may be made to the above embodiments by those skilled in this art, and various structures described in various embodiments may be freely combined with each other without conflicting in configuration or principle.

Although the disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, it should be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments in the attached drawings are intended to illustrate the preferred embodiments of the disclosure by way of example, and should not be construed as limitation to the disclosure.

Although several exemplary embodiments of the general concept of the disclosure have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general concept of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

It should be noted that, the word "comprise" doesn't exclude other elements or steps, and the word "a" or "an" doesn't exclude more than one. In addition, any reference numerals in the claims should not be interpreted as the limitation to the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

What is claimed is,

1. A fixation apparatus comprising:

a base;

a wire fixing device mounted on the base, adapted to position and fix a wire to be soldered on a circuit board, and comprising:

a fixing frame mounted on the base and formed with a first positioning groove in a first side wall thereof; and

a moving unit received in a receiving chamber of the fixing frame, being movable between a clamping position and a release position, and provided with a second positioning groove coupled with the first positioning groove; and

a pressing device mounted on the base and adapted to press the circuit board against the wire fixing device,

wherein the wire is allowed to be inserted into a wire insertion hole in the circuit board between the first positioning groove and the second positioning groove when the mobile unit is moved to the release position; and

wherein the wire inserted into the wire insertion hole is clamped and fixed between the first positioning groove and the second positioning groove when the moving unit is moved to the clamping position.

2. The fixation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when the circuit board is pressed against the wire fixing device, a central axis of the wire insertion hole in the circuit board is aligned with that of the first positioning groove so that the wire inserted into the wire insertion hole is positioned within the wire insertion hole of the circuit board centrally; and

wherein the first positioning groove has an insertion port at which a blocking structure for blocking insertion of an outer insulation layer of the wire is formed to control a depth of the wire inserted into the wire insertion hole of the circuit board.

3. The fixation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the moving unit comprises: a slider slidably mounted onto the fixing frame and slidable between the clamping position and the release position;

a first spring disposed between the slider and a second side wall of the receiving chamber opposite to the first side wall and adapted to push the slider to the clamping position;

a slide plate slidably mounted in an accommodation cavity of the slider with the second positioning groove being formed thereon; and

a second spring received in the accommodation cavity of the slider and adapted to push the slide plate against the wire; and

wherein when the slider is pushed to the clamping position by the first spring, the sliding plate is pushed against the wire by the second spring so that the wire is clamped and fixed between the first positioning groove and the second positioning groove.

4. The fixation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the slider is provided with an operating handle thereon, by which the slider is driven against an elastic force of the first spring to move from the clamping position to the release position.

5. The fixation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a slide rail is mounted on an inner wall of the receiving chamber of the fixing frame, the slider being slidably mounted on the slide rail.

6. The fixation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the wire fixing device comprises a plurality of fixing frames each formed with a plurality of receiving chambers, each of which is adapted to receive one moving unit.

7. The fixation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein each receiving chamber of the fixing frame of the wire fixing device has an open side from which the wire soldered into the wire insertion hole of the circuit board is removed.

8. The fixation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein each of the fixing frames has a substantial E-shape, and the first positioning groove is formed on the first side wall in the middle of the E- shaped fixing frame.

9. The fixation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the side wall of each receiving chamber is formed with one or more first positioning grooves.

10. The fixation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuit board is pressed against a top surface of the fixing frame of the wire fixing device.

11. The fixation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the pressing device comprises:

a circuit board carrier on which the circuit board is loaded;

a support frame fixedly mounted on the base; and

a lever mechanism pivotally mounted on the support frame and having one end connected to the circuit board carrier and the other end provided with a driving handle; and the circuit board is pressed against the top surface of the fixing frame of the wire fixing device by applying a downward pressing force to the circuit board carrier through the drive handle.

12. A soldering method comprising:

S100: providing the fixation apparatus according to claim 1;

S600: soldering the wire inserted into the wire insertion hole to the circuit board with a soldering head; and S700: moving the moving unit to the release position and removing the soldered from the wire fixing device.