Viscous fluid supply device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10722964-B2
Application number	US-201616085867-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2016
Priority date	Mar 18, 2016
Publication date	Jul 28, 2020
Grant date	Jul 28, 2020

Abstract

In solder printer, solder supply device uses positive and negative pressure supply device to apply pressure inside air chamber to move solder cup inside outer tube, such that solder paste is supplied from supply nozzle. Controller, when supply of solder paste from supply nozzle is stopped, performs drive control of positive and negative pressure supply device to decrease the pressure inside air chamber, and uses timer to measure the time required from the starting of decreasing the pressure inside the air chamber to when the pressure inside air chamber has reached a set pressure. Because this required time corresponds to the movement amount of solder cup from the start of supply of the solder paste to when supply is stopped, controller using the measured required to estimate the remaining amount of the solder paste in detail with good accuracy.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A viscous fluid supply device comprising:
a housing;
a movable member arranged inside the housing in a state maintaining airtightness and so as to be movable in accordance with a pressure level inside an air chamber;
an ejection nozzle configured to eject a viscous fluid filled between the housing and the movable member in accordance with movement of the movable member inside the housing;
a pressure adjusting device configured to apply pressure to the air chamber so as to move the movable member inside the housing, the viscous fluid being supplied from the ejection nozzle by pressure being applied to the air chamber by the pressure adjusting device;
a control device configured to control operation related to supply of the viscous fluid via the ejection nozzle; and
a pressure sensor configured to detect whether the pressure inside the air chamber has reached a specified set pressure;
wherein
the control device includes
a pressure adjusting control section configured to control operation of the pressure adjusting device so as to decrease the pressure inside the air chamber when supply of the viscous fluid from the ejection nozzle has been stopped,
a time measuring control section configured to measure a required time from starting to decrease the pressure inside the air chamber using the pressure adjusting device to when the pressure sensor detects that the pressure inside the air chamber has been reduced to the set pressure, and
a remaining amount estimating control section configured to estimate a remaining amount of the viscous fluid based on a measurement result of the required time measured by the time measuring control section.

2. The viscous fluid supply device according to claim 1 , further including
a reporting device configured to report various information,
wherein
the control device includes a remaining amount reporting control section configured to control the reporting device so as to report the remaining amount of the viscous fluid estimated by the remaining amount estimating control section.

3. The viscous fluid supply device according to claim 1 , further including
a reporting device configured to report various information,
wherein
the control device includes
a leak determining section configured to determine whether were is an air leak in the air chamber or an air path connected to the air chamber based on a measurement result of the required time measured by the time measuring control section; and
an error reporting control section configured to control the reporting device to report that an error is occurring when the leak determining section has determined that there is an air leak.

4. The viscous fluid supply device according to claim 1 further including
a memory section configured to memorize a measurement result of the required time measured immediately prior by the time measuring control section, and
a reporting section configured to report various information,
wherein
the movable member is formed as a tube sealed at one end that houses the viscous fluid inside the tube,
the ejection nozzle is configured to eject the viscous fluid externally from inside the movable member by being inserted inside the movable member and a relative position inside the movable member being changed in accordance with movement of the movable member due to the increased pressure inside the air chamber, and
the control device includes
an exchange period determining section configured to determine whether it is an exchange period of the ejection nozzle by comparing an immediately previous measurement result of the required time memorized on the memory section and a current measurement result of the required time measured by the time measuring control section, and
an exchange period reporting control section configured to control the reporting device so as to report that the exchange period of the ejection nozzle has been reached in a case in which the exchange period determining section has determined that the exchange period of the ejection nozzle has been reached.

5. The viscous fluid supply device according to claim 1 , further including
a viscous fluid cutting device configured to cut the viscous fluid supplied from the ejection nozzle by blowing air,
wherein
the control device includes a viscous fluid cutting control section configured to control the viscous fluid cutting device such that the viscous fluid is cut by blowing air when the pressure sensor detects that the pressure inside the air chamber has reached the set pressure.

Assignees

• Fuji Corp

Inventors

• Fukakusa Shoji
• Asaoka Kento

Classifications

• B05C11/101 Primary

  responsive to weight of a container for liquid or other fluent material; responsive to level of liquid or other fluent material in a container · CPC title

• B05C11/028

  with a body having a large flat spreading or distributing surface · CPC title

• H05K3/3485

  Application of solder paste, slurry or powder (using printing techniques to form the desired conductive pattern of the printed circuit by applying conductive material H05K3/12) · CPC title

• H05K3/1233

  Methods or means for supplying the conductive material and for forcing it through the screen or stencil · CPC title

• B23K3/0638

  for viscous material feeding, e.g. solder paste feeding (B23K3/0623 takes precedence) · CPC title