Soldering apparatus and method of detecting failures of gasket

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11819952-B2
Application number	US-202117328197-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 24, 2021
Priority date	Jun 29, 2020
Publication date	Nov 21, 2023
Grant date	Nov 21, 2023

Abstract

Provided is a soldering apparatus including: a furnace body including a processing chamber in which boards are processed; a gasket provided at least to a part of the furnace body, and configured to seal the furnace body; a sealed space isolated from the processing chamber, and defined by the furnace body and the gasket; a gas supply apparatus configured to supply a first gas into the sealed space; and a measuring apparatus configured to measure one of pressure in the sealed space and concentration of a second gas in the sealed space.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A soldering apparatus, comprising:
a furnace body including an upper furnace body, a lower furnace body, and a processing chamber in which boards are processed;
a gasket
provided along an edge of the upper furnace body or the lower furnace body,
configured to seal the furnace body,
including a first seal and a second seal spaced apart from the first seal along the edge of the upper furnace body or the lower furnace body,
including a third seal that effects sealing between the first seal and the second seal when the third seal of the gasket is in contact with the other of the upper or lower furnace body and the furnace body is closed, and
including a fourth seal
that effects the sealing between the first seal and the second seal when the third seal of the gasket is in contact with the other of the upper or lower furnace body and the furnace body is closed; and

that is arranged away from the third seal;

a sealed space
isolated from the processing chamber, and
defined between the first seal and the second seal of the gasket, between the upper furnace body and the lower furnace body, and at least by the furnace body, the first seal, the second seal, the third seal, and the fourth seal when the furnace body is closed;

a gas supply apparatus configured to supply a first gas into the sealed space;
a measuring apparatus configured to measure one of
pressure in the sealed space, and
concentration of a second gas in the sealed space; and

a control apparatus capable of communicating with the measuring apparatus,
wherein the control apparatus is configured to determine whether the one of the pressure and the concentration received from the measuring apparatus has reached a predetermined threshold.

2. The soldering apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first gas is nitrogen.

3. The soldering apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second gas is oxygen.

4. The soldering apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the third seal is arranged between respective end portions on one side of the first seal and the second seal, and
wherein the fourth seal is arranged between respective end portions on another side of the first seal and the second seal.

5. A soldering apparatus, comprising:
a furnace body including an upper furnace body, a lower furnace body, and a processing chamber in which boards are processed;
a gasket
provided along an edge of the upper furnace body or the lower furnace body,
configured to seal the furnace body,
including a first seal and a second seal spaced apart from the first seal along the edge of the upper furnace body or the lower furnace body,
including a third seal that effects sealing between the first seal and the second seal when the third seal of the gasket is in contact with the other of the upper or lower furnace body and the furnace body is closed, and
including a fourth seal
that effects the sealing between the first seal and the second seal when the third seal of the gasket is in contact with the other of the upper or lower furnace body and the furnace body is closed; and
that is arranged away from the third seal;

a sealed space
isolated from the processing chamber, and
defined between the first seal and the second seal of the gasket, between the upper furnace body and the lower furnace body, and at least by the furnace body, the first seal, the second seal, the third seal, and the fourth seal when the furnace body is closed;

a gas supply apparatus configured to supply a first gas into the sealed space;
a measuring apparatus configured to measure a concentration of the first gas in the sealed space; and
a control apparatus capable of communicating with the measuring apparatus,
wherein the control apparatus is configured to determine whether the concentration received from the measuring apparatus has reached a predetermined threshold.

6. The soldering apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the measuring apparatus is configured to transmit measurement data obtained by measuring the one of the pressure and the concentration to the control apparatus.

7. The soldering apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the gasket extends in a longitudinal direction along the edge of the upper furnace body or the lower furnace body, and
wherein the first seal and the second seal extend in the longitudinal direction along the edge of the upper furnace body or the lower furnace body, with the second seal being spaced apart from the first seal in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction along the edge of the upper furnace body or the lower furnace body.

8. A soldering apparatus, comprising:
a furnace body including an upper furnace body and a lower furnace body that together define a processing chamber when the furnace body is closed;
a gasket extending in a longitudinal direction along at least one edge of the upper furnace body or the lower furnace body, the gasket being configured to form a seal between the upper furnace body and the lower furnace body when the furnace body is closed that prevents gas leakage from the processing chamber to an outside of the furnace body, the gasket including:
a first seal and a second seal spaced apart from the first seal in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the first seal and the second seal extending in the longitudinal direction along the at least one edge of the upper furnace body or the lower furnace body, and
a fixation portion coupled to the first seal and the second seal, the fixation portion extending in the longitudinal direction along the at least one edge of the upper furnace body or the lower furnace body and extending in a transverse direction between the first seal and the second seal,
wherein, when the furnace body is closed, a first sealing surface of the first seal and a second sealing surface of the second seal respectively contact discrete portions of the upper furnace body or the lower furnace body,
wherein, when the furnace body is closed, the first seal, the second seal, the fixation portion, and the furnace body together define a sealed space between the upper furnace body and the lower furnace body that is isolated from the processing chamber and from the outside of the furnace body;
a gas supply apparatus configured to supply a first gas to the sealed space; and
a measuring apparatus configured to measure one of pressure in the sealed space or a concentration of a second gas in the sealed space.

9. The soldering apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the first seal, the second seal, and the fixation portion are of integral construction.

10. The soldering apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the first seal and the second seal have substantially the same thickness, wherein the fixation portion is thinner than each of the first seal and the second seal, and wherein, when the furnace body is closed, substantially uniform pressure is applied to the first sealing surface of the first seal and the second sealing surface of the second seal.

11. The soldering apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a control apparatus communicably connected to the measuring apparatus,
wherein the measuring apparatus is configured to transmit measurement data obtained by measuring the pressure in the sealed space or the concentration of the second gas in the sealed space to the control apparatus, and
wherein the control apparatus is configured to determine whether the one of the pressure in the sealed space or the concentration of the second gas in the sealed space has reached a predetermined threshold.

12. The soldering apparatus according to claim 8 ,

Assignees

• Senju Metal Industry Co

Inventors

• Hiyama Tsutomu
• Kojima Nobuhiro

Classifications

• B23K3/08 Primary

  Auxiliary devices therefor · CPC title

• B23K3/04

  Heating appliances · CPC title

• G01M3/30

  using progressive displacement of one fluid by another · CPC title

• B23K2101/42

  Printed circuits · CPC title

• B23K3/00 Primary

  Tools, devices or special appurtenances for soldering, e.g. brazing, or unsoldering, not specially adapted for particular methods · CPC title