Feeding device and feeding method thereof

Abstract

The present invention discloses a feeding device and a feeding method thereof, wherein the feeding device is used for separating multi-layer stacked objects, and comprises a bearing mechanism, a loading elevator, a transfer device, a reflux elevator, and a reflux conveyor line. The scheme can lift a low-position pallet to a high position for splitting by setting a loading elevator, thereby effectively meeting the unloading requirements of the high-position material tray. In addition, by setting a transfer device, the loading elevator can be effectively released. When the pallet is unloaded, the pallet of the loading elevator can be picked up again, thereby effectively utilizing the unloading time, which is beneficial to improving the feeding efficiency. Further combined with the reflux elevator and the reflux conveyor line, the reflux of the empty pallet can be effectively realized, creating favorable conditions for the rapid reuse of the empty pallet.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of automatic feeding equipment, in particular to a feeding device and a feeding method thereof. Background Art

[0002] In various automated processing systems, batches of parts to be assembled or processed are often placed on pallets, and then the pallets are overlapped and stacked together for feeding. When feeding, a mechanism is needed to separate the stacked pallets to achieve one-by-one feeding. For example, the pallet separation device disclosed in application No. 201711211291.9 separates the pallets that do not need to be moved from the pallets that need to be moved on the carrier plate 5 by lifting and lowering two gripping devices, and then the carrier plate moves to output one of the pallets on it. Although this structure effectively realizes the separation of stacked pallets, it has certain problems:

[0003] (1) When unloading the pallet, the pallet is always on the load plate 5, causing the load plate 5 to be occupied for a long time and unable to be reset for material removal. The load plate 5 can only be reset to move the next pallet after all the materials on the pallet are unloaded, which reduces the working efficiency of the entire equipment;

[0004] (2) This structure is difficult to apply to scenarios where the unloading position is high. When the unloading position is high, the entire equipment needs to be installed at a high position. At this time, placing the stacked trays on the supporting plate 5 is another problem.

[0005] (3) After the pallet is unloaded, there is no effective reflux structure. Summary of the invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the above problems existing in the prior art and to provide a feeding device and a feeding method thereof.

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0008] A feeding device for separating multiple stacked objects, comprising

[0009] The bearing mechanism comprises two bearing members which are opposite to each other and are arranged with a gap, the two bearing members can respectively move back and forth along a first direction, in a first state, the multi-layer stacked objects can move between upper and lower positions of the bearing members through the gap between the two bearing members, and in a second state, the multi-layer stacked objects cannot move between upper and lower positions of the bearing members through the gap between the two bearing members;

[0010] A loading elevator, comprising two lifting brackets capable of carrying multi-layer stacked objects, each of the lifting brackets corresponding to a position of a carrier, the two lifting brackets can move the multi-layer stacked objects thereon from a low position to above the two carriers in a first state, and the carrying surface of the lifting bracket can be moved to a height at least equivalent to the height of the carrying surface of the carrier;

[0011] The transfer device includes a transfer platform that is lower than the supporting member, and the height difference between the supporting surface of the transfer platform and the supporting member is sufficient to allow at least one layer of the multi-stacked objects to be placed on the loading bracket located between them. The transfer platform can move between a unloading position and a loading position. In the unloading position, it is located outside the loading elevator, and in the loading position, it is located between the two lifting brackets.

[0012] Preferably, in the feeding device, the lifting bracket includes a carrier plate, and two positioning blocks are arranged on the carrier plate, and the two positioning blocks are located outside the two ends of the carrier, and the positioning blocks include rounded positioning surfaces, right-angle positioning surfaces, or chamfered positioning surfaces that match the outer wall shape of the top corners of each layer of the multi-stacked objects.

[0013] Preferably, in the feeding device, the two lifting brackets can respectively move back and forth along the first direction to adjust the distance between them.

[0014] Preferably, in the feeding device, the transfer platform includes two supporting positioning frames of equal height and maintaining a gap, each of the positioning support frames is arranged on a primary translation mechanism that drives it to reciprocate along the second direction, and the primary translation mechanism is arranged on a secondary translation mechanism.

[0015] Preferably, the feeding device further includes a limiting mechanism, which includes two limiting members located above and on both sides of the transfer platform, each of the limiting members can move reciprocatingly in a linear manner along the first direction and can be moved above the transfer platform.

[0016] Preferably, the feeding device further includes

[0017] A reflow elevator, comprising a material unloading bracket corresponding to the position of the transfer platform at the unloading position, wherein the support surface of the material unloading bracket can support each layer of the multi-layer stacked objects and can move between a position higher than the support surface of the transfer platform and a position lower than the transfer device;

[0018] The return conveying line comprises a conveying surface for conveying each layer of multi-layer stacked objects, wherein the conveying surface has a portion located directly below the unloading bracket, and the height of the conveying surface is higher than the lowest height to which the supporting surface of the unloading bracket can move.

[0019] Preferably, in the feeding device, the lifting drive mechanism for driving the unloading bracket to lift and lower includes a longitudinally extending rack, the rack is meshed with a gear, the gear is coaxially connected to the motor, the motor is fixed on the unloading bracket, and the unloading bracket can move along the guide structure.

[0020] Preferably, the feeding device includes a feeding trolley, which includes a vehicle body and a carrying platform arranged thereon for carrying multiple stacked objects. A limiting block is arranged on the supporting plane of the carrying platform, which can be moved to a feeding position. At the feeding position, its carrying platform is located between the two lifting brackets, and the two lifting brackets can respectively move back and forth along the first direction.

[0021] Preferably, in the feeding device, the translation mechanism that drives each of the lifting brackets to reciprocate along the first direction includes a cylinder, the extension direction of the cylinder axis of the cylinder maintains an angle of 85°-90° with the first direction and is pivotally connected to one end of a transmission member, the middle part of the transmission member is rotatably connected to a support shaft, the other end of the transmission member is pivotally connected to one end of a transmission rod, the other end of the transmission rod is pivotally connected to the carrier plate, and the carrier plate is slidably set on a guide rail extending along the first direction.

[0022] Preferably, in the feeding device, the reflux conveyor line includes two belt conveyors, which extend from the outer straight lines on both sides of the unloading bracket to the left and right sides of the supporting platform of the feeding trolley in the feeding position. Each of the belt conveyors can rotate around an axis at one end close to the reflux elevator, and is also connected to a cylinder that drives it to rotate around the axis. When the conveying surfaces of the two belt conveyors are in a horizontal state, the height is lower than the supporting plane of the supporting platform.

[0023] The feeding method comprises the following steps:

[0024] S1, push the feeding trolley with multi-layer material trays between two belt conveyors;

[0025] S2, lifting all the trays to a first height by two lifting brackets of the loading elevator, at which only the trays at the bottom layer are located below the carrier;

[0026] S3, providing support to the other trays except the tray at the bottom through the bearing mechanism;

[0027] S4, the transfer platform of the transfer device moves to the loading position and is located directly below the material tray at the bottom layer;

[0028] S5, the loading elevator drives the bottommost tray on it to fall onto the transfer platform and releases the restriction on the tray;

[0029] S6, the transfer platform moves the material tray on it to the outside of the loading elevator for unloading;

[0030] S7, the lifting bracket of the loading elevator rises and provides support for the material tray on the carrying mechanism, the carrying mechanism releases the support for the material tray, and after the two lifting brackets are lowered by a material tray height, S3-S7 are repeated;

[0031] S8, after unloading is completed, the unloading bracket of the reflux elevator moves to separate the empty material tray on the transfer platform from the transfer platform, and the transfer platform moves to the loading position again;

[0032] S9, the unloading bracket moves downward so that the empty tray on it falls onto the return conveyor line;

[0033] S10, the reflux conveyor line conveys the empty tray to the carrying platform of the feeding trolley;

[0034] S11, before the next empty tray is moved from the reflux conveyor line to the feed trolley, all the empty trays on the feed trolley are lifted by a lifting bracket to at least the height of a tray, and after the next empty tray is conveyed to the feed trolley, the lifting bracket is moved downward to place the empty tray on it back onto the feed trolley.

[0035] The advantages of the technical solution of the present invention are mainly reflected in:

[0036] This solution can lift the low-level pallet to a high level for disassembly by setting up a loading elevator, effectively meeting the unloading requirements of the high-level material trays. In addition, by setting up a transfer device, the loading elevator can be effectively released. When the pallet is unloading, the pallet of the loading elevator can be used to pick up materials again, thereby effectively utilizing the unloading time and helping to improve the feeding efficiency. Further combined with the reflux elevator and the reflux conveyor line, the reflux of the empty pallets can be effectively realized, creating favorable conditions for the rapid reuse of the empty pallets.

[0037] The present scheme further arranges a feeding trolley, which can effectively cooperate with the loading elevator, so that there is no need to manually place the stacked material trays on the loading elevator. The loading elevator can automatically take the materials, which is conducive to reducing labor intensity and improving efficiency.

[0038] The lifting bracket of the present invention is provided with positioning blocks, and the shape design of the positioning blocks can effectively position the pallet. Even if the position of the feeding trolley deviates, the pallet can be quickly positioned through the four positioning blocks. At the same time, the position accuracy between the pallet and the transfer platform can be guaranteed, ensuring that the pallet can accurately fall onto the transfer platform to achieve transfer.

[0039] The transfer platform of this solution adopts a two-stage translation mechanism, which can effectively solve the problem that a long installation space is required when a one-stage translation mechanism is adopted, thereby causing the size of the whole machine to become larger, and is conducive to reducing the size of the whole machine.

[0040] In this solution, the translation mechanism that drives the lifting bracket to move back and forth adopts a cylinder shaft extending along the second direction and is transmitted through a multi-stage connecting rod, which can effectively avoid the lead screw, so that the connection point between the translation mechanism and the lifting bracket can be as close as possible to the symmetry axis of the lifting bracket to ensure the balance of the driving force and avoid the problem of jamming between the lifting bracket and the guide rail, which is conducive to improving the smoothness of movement.

[0041] The limiting mechanism of the present invention can effectively limit the material tray during unloading, thereby preventing the material tray from being deflected from the transfer platform due to the upward pulling force during unloading, thereby ensuring the stability of unloading.

[0042] The return conveyor line of this solution extends to the feeding trolley, which can directly return the empty trays to the feeding trolley. At the same time, it can cooperate with the loading elevator to stack all the trays supplied by the feeding trolley on the feeding trolley after unloading, so as to facilitate the centralized recovery and reuse of the trays. The stacking process of the empty trays is carried out automatically without manual intervention, and the degree of automation is high.

[0043] The belt conveyor is installed in a way that one end can be lifted, which can effectively avoid the limit block on the feeding trolley, thereby ensuring that the material tray can reliably flow back to the feeding trolley. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a feeding device of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 2 is a top view of the feeding device of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Enlarged view of the middle ellipse area;

[0047] Figure 4 is a side view of a feeding device of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a translation mechanism for driving a lifting bracket to translate along a first direction in a feeding device of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 6 is a top view of the transfer device in the feeding device of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 7 is an end view of a transfer device in a feeding device of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 8It is a front view of the return flow elevator in the feeding device of the present invention;

[0052] Fig. 9 It is a top view of a reflux upgrader in a feeding device of the present invention;

[0053] Fig.10 It is a front view of the feeding trolley of the present invention;

[0054] Fig.11 It is a three-dimensional diagram of a feeding trolley in a feeding device of the present invention in a feeding state;

[0055] Fig.12 It is a top view of the feeding trolley in the feeding device of the present invention in the feeding state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] The purpose, advantages and features of the present invention will be illustrated and explained by the non-limiting description of the following preferred embodiments. These embodiments are only typical examples of the application of the technical solution of the present invention, and any technical solution formed by equivalent replacement or equivalent transformation falls within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

[0057] In the description of the scheme, it should be noted that the terms "center", "up", "down", "left", "right", "front", "back", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of description and simplified description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. Moreover, in the description of the scheme, with the operator as a reference, the direction close to the operator is the proximal end, and the direction away from the operator is the distal end.

[0058] The feeding device disclosed in the present invention is explained below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is used for splitting multi-layer stacked objects and feeding them out one by one. The multi-layer stacked object is an object obtained by overlapping and stacking multiple material trays or pallets or workpieces from bottom to top, wherein each material tray or pallet or workpiece is a layer of the multi-layer stacked object. In this embodiment, the multi-layer stacked object composed of a rectangular material tray containing materials is mainly used as an example for explanation.

[0059] As attached Figure 1 , Attachment Figure 2 As shown, it includes a carrying mechanism 100 , a loading elevator 200 , a transfer device 300 , a return elevator 400 , a return conveyor line 500 and a feeding trolley 600 .

[0060] The bearing mechanism 100 is used to provide support for the material tray lifted by the loading elevator 200 to a certain height. Figure 1 , Attachment Figure 2 As shown, it includes two symmetrical and spaced bearing members 110, the two bearing members 110 can respectively move back and forth linearly along the first direction X; the shape and bearing capacity of the two bearing members 110 are designed to be adaptive according to the shape of the tray. In the preferred structure, as shown in the attached Figure 3 As shown, the bearing member 110 includes a horizontally arranged support plate 111, and the support plate 111 can be a large rectangular rigid plate or several small rectangular plates with gaps. The support plate 111 is connected to a vertical plate 112 perpendicular to it, and the vertical plate 112 is connected to a connecting plate 113 parallel to the support plate 111, which are approximately Z-shaped. The connecting plate 113 is connected to a cylinder 120 that drives it to reciprocate along the first direction X. The position of the cylinder 120 is fixed, and the specific installation position is designed according to needs, which is not limited here. Of course, the cylinder 120 can also be implemented by other devices or mechanisms that can generate linear motion, such as an electric push rod or a hydraulic cylinder.

[0061] The gap between the two carriers is sufficient that, in a first state, multi-layer stacked objects can move between the upper and lower positions of the carriers through the gap, that is, the gap between the two carriers is larger than the width of the tray; in a second state, the objects cannot move between the upper and lower positions of the carriers through the gap, that is, the distance between the two carriers is smaller than the width of the tray, so that the tray can be mounted on the two carriers.

[0062] When the cylinder shaft of the cylinder 120 extends to drive the two supporting members 110 to move toward each other, they switch to the second state, and their support plates 111 can move from the outside of both sides of the material tray at a certain height to the bottom of the material tray to provide support for the material tray located on the support plate 111. At the same time, the two vertical plates 112 can contact with the opposite side surfaces of the material tray to achieve the positioning of the material tray.

[0063] The loading elevator 200 is at least used to move the material tray thereon between different heights, as shown in the attached Figure 1 , Attachment Figure 2As shown, it includes a lifting bracket 210 capable of carrying the multi-layer material tray, and the lifting bracket 210 can be a bracket with sufficient supporting strength and can be located between the two bearing members 210. Preferably, there are two lifting brackets 210 and they are arranged opposite to each other, each lifting bracket 210 corresponds to one bearing member 110, and can move between a low position and a high position, the low position is a position close to the ground or the equipment installation plane, and the high position satisfies that the support surface of the lifting bracket 210 is at least equivalent to the height of the support surface of the bearing member (the top surface of the support plate 111). More preferably, when in the high position, the lifting bracket 210 can move above the bearing member.

[0064] Specifically, as attached Figure 3 As shown, each of the lifting brackets 210 includes a carrier plate 211, the top surface of the carrier plate 211 is the support surface of the lifting bracket 210, and the carrier plate 211 can be a rectangular plate located directly below the support plate 111 of the carrier 110. At this time, the carrier plate 211 cannot move above the support plate 111. Preferably, there are two carrier plates 211 and they are arranged with a gap. The two carrier plates 211 are located at the outer sides of the two ends of the support plate of the corresponding carrier 110 and are connected by a connecting member 213. The distance between the connecting member 213 and the front end surface of the carrier plate 211 forms an avoidance space for the support plate and the vertical plate of the carrier to pass through. Of course, the avoidance space is not necessary, and the two carrier plates 211 may not be arranged outside the two ends of the support plate 111.

[0065] As attached Figure 1As shown, each of the carrier plates 211 is provided with a positioning block 212, and the positioning block 212 is also located outside the two ends of the support plate 111, and the positioning block 212 includes a rounded positioning surface or a right-angle positioning surface or a chamfered positioning surface. For example, in one embodiment, the positioning block 212 includes a first limiting surface 2121 and a second limiting surface 2122 connected, the first limiting surface 2121 is a plane perpendicular to the carrier plate 211 and the extension direction is perpendicular to the first direction X, and the second limiting surface 2122 is an arc surface, which constitute the rounded positioning surface, that is, the positioning block 212 as a whole is approximately a J-shaped block. Of course, in other embodiments, the first limiting surface 2121 and the second limiting surface 2122 can be two vertical planes, which constitute a right-angle positioning surface, that is, the positioning block 212 is an L-shaped block, and the four L-shaped blocks are distributed in a rectangular shape, and their rounded positioning surfaces or right-angle positioning surfaces or chamfered positioning surfaces correspond to the top angle positions of the rectangular space respectively. In practical applications, the rounded positioning surface, right-angle positioning surface, or chamfered positioning surface of each positioning block 212 fits with the outer wall of a vertex area of ​​the material tray, so that the four positioning blocks 212 clamp the four vertex corners of the material tray. In this case, in addition to supporting the material tray, the material tray can also be accurately positioned, thereby providing a guarantee for effectively placing the material tray on the transfer device 300 for positioning.

[0066] As attached Figure 4 As shown, the two lifting brackets 210 are respectively connected to a lifting mechanism 220 for driving the lifting thereof, the lifting mechanism 220 includes a bracket 221, the bracket 221 is provided with a screw rod 222 extending in the longitudinal direction, the longitudinal direction is a direction perpendicular to the first direction X and the second direction Y described below, the screw rod of the screw rod 222 is rotatably arranged on the bracket 221 and connected to a motor 223 for driving the self-rotation, the motor 223 is fixed on the top of the bracket 221, the movable block of the screw rod 222 is connected to a lifting plate 224, the lifting plate 224 is provided with a guide sleeve 225, the guide hole of the guide sleeve 225 is slidably provided with a guide shaft 226 extending in the longitudinal direction of the bracket 221, and the lifting bracket 210 can be reciprocated along the first direction X and is arranged on the lifting plate 224.

[0067] In a more preferred embodiment, the two lifting brackets 210 can respectively move back and forth in a straight line along the first direction X, that is, the distance between them can be adjusted to be larger than the width of the tray and smaller than the width of the tray. Of course, it is not necessary for the lifting brackets 210 to move along the first direction X. The reason why they are respectively set to be movable along the first direction X is to facilitate the automatic lifting of the multi-layer tray on the feeding trolley with the feeding trolley described below, so as to avoid manually placing the multi-layer tray on the lifting bracket 210.

[0068] As attached Figure 4 , Attachment Figure 5 As shown, the translation mechanism 230 for driving each lifting bracket 210 to reciprocate along the first direction X includes a cylinder 231, the tail end of the cylinder 231 is pivotally connected to a pivot seat, the extension direction of the cylinder axis of the cylinder 231 is perpendicular or approximately perpendicular to the first direction X and parallel to the carrier plate 211, the cylinder axis is pivotally connected to one end of a transmission member 232, the middle part of the transmission member 232 is rotatably connected to a support shaft 233, the support shaft 233 is vertically fixed to the lifting plate 224, and the transmission member 2 The shape of 32 can be designed as needed, for example, it can be a straight rod or an L-shaped rod or a curved rod. Preferably, it includes a first section and a second section at an obtuse angle. The support shaft 233 is pivotally connected at the connecting position of the first section and the second section. The other end of the transmission member 232 is pivotally connected to one end of a transmission rod 234. The other end of the transmission rod 234 is pivotally connected to the connecting member 213. The two carrier plates 211 are slidably arranged on a guide rail 235 extending along the first direction. The guide rail 235 is fixed to the bottom of the lifting plate 224. The loading elevator 200 is used to transport a material tray to the transfer device 300 for transfer. The transfer device 300 is used to receive a material tray transported by the loading elevator 200 and move the material tray out to the outside of the loading elevator 200 for unloading.

[0069] As attached Figure 1 , Attachment Figure 6 It includes a transfer platform 310 that can move between a material picking position and a material unloading position. At the material unloading position, the transfer platform 310 is located outside one end of the two lifting brackets 210 (located on the left side of the loading elevator in the figure), specifically: at the material picking position, it is located in the gap between the two lifting brackets 100 and below them.

[0070] As attached Figure 6As shown, the transfer platform 310 includes two support positioning frames 311 of equal height and maintaining a gap, the distance between the two support positioning members 311 is smaller than the minimum distance between the two lifting brackets 210 and smaller than the width of the material tray, and the support positioning member 311 includes a bottom plate 3111, and a positioning protrusion 3112 is respectively provided at both ends of the bottom plate 3111. The translation of the two supporting positioning frames 311 can make the four positioning protrusions 3112 distributed in a rectangular shape. When they are distributed in a rectangular shape, the four positioning protrusions 3112 can be embedded in the bottom groove of the material tray, and each positioning protrusion 3112 is located at a vertex position of the material tray, that is, the side wall of each positioning protrusion 3112 has a limiting portion 3113 that fits with the inner wall of the vertex area of ​​the material tray, and the shape of the limiting portion 3113 is consistent with the shape of the four vertex corners of the material tray. For example, when the four vertex corners of the material tray are rounded, the limiting portion 3113 is rounded; when the four vertex corners of the material tray are right angles, the limiting portion 3113 is right angles; when the four vertex corners of the material tray are chamfered or other shapes, the limiting portion 3113 is chamfered or has a corresponding shape, so that the four positioning protrusions 3112 can effectively position the material tray.

[0071] When the transfer platform 310 is located at the material taking position, the four positioning protrusions 3112 thereof are located in a space surrounded by the four positioning blocks 212 , and each positioning protrusion 3112 corresponds to a position of a positioning block 212 .

[0072] As attached Figure 6 As shown, in order to facilitate the tray to fall onto the positioning protrusions 3112, the top and bottom surfaces of each positioning protrusion 3112 have the same shape, the top surface is located in the area covered by the bottom surface, and the arcuate edge of the top surface maintains a gap with the arcuate edge of the bottom surface. Figure 6 , Attachment Figure 7 As shown, each positioning support frame 311 is arranged on a primary translation mechanism 320, and the primary translation mechanism 320 is arranged on a secondary translation mechanism 330. The primary translation mechanism 320 includes a linear motor 321 extending horizontally along a second direction Y, and the second direction Y is perpendicular to the first direction X. The positioning support frame 311 is arranged on the slider of the linear motor 321, and the slider of the linear motor 321 is also fixed by a limiting member 322, and the limiting member 322 is fixed to a belt 323, and the inner surface of the belt 323 is toothed, and the belt 323 is sleeved on two rollers 324 and 325 arranged at the same height, and the two rollers 324 and 325 are rotatably arranged at both ends of the linear motor 321 and located on the side of the linear motor 321, and they have an annular groove that limits the belt 323.

[0073] As attached Figure 6 , Attachment Figure 7As shown, the secondary translation mechanism 330 includes a translation cylinder 331 extending along the second direction Y, the translation cylinder 331 is fixed on a support plate 332, the cylinder shaft of the translation cylinder 331 is connected to the linear motor 321, the bottom of the linear motor 321 is provided with a track 333 extending along the second direction Y, the track 333 is slidably provided on a slider 334, and the slider 334 is provided on the support plate 332. The cylinder shaft of the translation cylinder 331 drives the linear motor to move, and the linear motor in turn drives the positioning support frame 311 to translate.

[0074] Of course, in other embodiments, one frame may be used to replace the two support and positioning frames 311 arranged with a gap, and correspondingly, the structure for driving the transfer platform 310 to translate may be simplified accordingly.

[0075] After the support platform 310 moves the material tray to the unloading position, unloading can be performed by various unloading robots with grippers.

[0076] As attached Figure 1 As shown, the return lift 400 is used to separate the empty trays after unloading from the transfer platform 310 from the transfer platform and transport the empty trays to the return conveyor line 500 to realize tray return. Figure 8 As shown, it includes a material unloading bracket 410 corresponding to the position of the transfer platform 310 at the unloading position, and the support surface of the material unloading bracket 410 can move between a position higher than the support surface of the transfer platform 410 and a position lower than the transfer device.

[0077] Specifically, as attached Figure 8 As shown, the unloading bracket 410 includes two horizontal support plates 411 that are spaced apart and arranged at the same height. The top surfaces of the two horizontal support plates 411 are the supporting surfaces of the unloading bracket 410, and the two horizontal support plates 411 are located between the two positioning support frames 311. Of course, in other embodiments, if the transfer platform 310 is a frame body and is located in the middle of the bottom of the material tray, the two horizontal support plates 411 can also be located on both sides of the transfer platform 310, but the distance between them must be less than the width of the material tray. The two horizontal support plates 411 are connected to a lifting member 430 through a vertical mounting plate 412 that is perpendicular thereto, and a reinforcing plate 413 is provided between the horizontal support plates 411 and the vertical mounting plate 412.

[0078] As attached Figure 8 , Attachment Fig. 9As shown, the lifting member 430 is connected to a lifting drive device 420 that drives its lifting and lowering. The lifting drive device 420 includes a reduction motor 421, and the reduction motor 421 is fixed on the lifting member 430. Its power output shaft is coaxially connected to a gear 422. The gear 422 is meshed with a rack 423. The rack 423 extends longitudinally, and its two ends extend to the top and bottom of the transfer platform 310. The rack 423 is fixed on a mounting frame 470, and the mounting frame blocks the two ends of the rack 423. At the same time, the rack 423 passes through a through hole 431 on the lifting member 430. When the motor rotates, the gear 422 moves up and down along the rack 423, thereby driving the lifting member 430 to rise and fall.

[0079] In order to limit the movement of the lifting member 430, as shown in the attached Fig. 9 As shown, two sleeves 440 are arranged on the lifting member 430, and each sleeve 440 is movably mounted on a guide shaft 450 extending in the longitudinal direction and fixed in position. At the same time, a guide wheel 460 is rotatably arranged on the lifting member 430 and is in contact with the surface of the rack 423, and the surface in contact with the guide wheel 460 is opposite to the tooth surface of the rack.

[0080] As attached Figure 1 As shown, after the unloading bracket 410 removes the empty tray from the transfer platform 310, the empty tray falls back to the reflux conveyor line 500, and the reflux conveyor line 500 outputs it. The reflux conveyor line 500 can be various feasible conveying equipment, and its conveying surface has a portion located directly below the unloading bracket 410. The height of the conveying surface of the reflux conveyor line 500 is higher than the lowest height to which the supporting surface of the unloading bracket 410 can move.

[0081] In a more preferred embodiment, in order to facilitate placing the stacked trays into the lifting bracket 210, as shown in the attached Fig.10 As shown, the feeding device further includes a feeding trolley 600, which is used to place the stacked material trays and realize the movement of the stacked material trays, and includes a vehicle body 610 and a bearing platform 620 arranged thereon. The vehicle body 610 can be a structure of various known movable trolleys, which includes a chassis 611 and wheels 612. The vehicle body 610 can be a powered trolley, such as an AGV trolley or a trolley that can be remotely controlled. Of course, it can also be an unpowered vehicle body. In this case, a stand 613 is also provided on the chassis 611, and a push handle 614 for hand-holding is provided on the outer end surface of the stand 613.

[0082] As attached Fig.10As shown, the carrying platform 620 is arranged on the chassis 611. The carrying platform 620 can be various feasible structures with a supporting plane 621. The width of the supporting plane 621 is smaller than the width of the material tray. The supporting plane 621 is provided with a limit block 622 or a pin for limiting the material tray. When the material tray is limited on the supporting plane 621, its two sides extend to the outside of the supporting plane 621. The end of the supporting plane 621 close to the stand 613 is provided with a column 623, and the column 623 can be connected to the stand 613. In the loading position, the carrying platform 620 is located between the two lifting brackets 110.

[0083] At this time, in order to facilitate the return transportation of the tray, as shown in the attached Fig.11 As shown, the empty tray after unloading flows back to the supporting platform 620 of the feeding trolley 600 through the reflux conveyor line 400 and is stacked into multiple layers. Specifically, the reflux conveyor line 400 includes two belt conveyors 510 arranged at a gap, and the two belt conveyors 510 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the unloading bracket 410, and extend from both sides of the unloading bracket 410 along the second direction Y straight line to the bottom of the lifting bracket 210, and the distance between them is less than the minimum distance between the two lifting brackets 210 and less than the width of the tray, but greater than the width of the supporting platform 620. When the feeding trolley is in the feeding position, the two belt conveyors 510 extend to the left and right sides of the supporting platform 620 (attached Fig.12 The conveying surface height of the two belt conveyors 510 is lower than the supporting plane 621 of the carrying platform 620, and when the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 510 is in a horizontal state, the distance between the conveying surface of the belt conveyor 510 and the supporting plane 621 is greater than the thickness of the supporting plate 111. At the same time, the height of the belt conveyor 510 is higher than the top height of the chassis 611, so that the chassis 611 can smoothly enter between the two belt conveyors 510. The specific structure of the belt conveyor 510 is a known technology and will not be described here.

[0084] In addition, since the support plane 621 is also provided with a limit block 622, the limit block 622 will hinder the conveyance of the material tray. Fig.11As shown, the pivot of each belt conveyor 510 at one end away from the loading elevator 200 is connected to a foot seat 520, and the axis connecting the belt conveyor 510 and the foot seat 520 is perpendicular to the conveying direction of the belt conveyor 510 and extends along the first direction X. The bottom pivot of the belt conveyor 510 is connected to the cylinder axis of a lifting cylinder 530, and the cylinder axis of the lifting cylinder 530 extends longitudinally, so that the belt conveyor 510 can be driven to rotate around the axis, so that it is lifted close to one end of the loading elevator 200, so that the material tray on it can effectively pass the limit block 622 and be transported to the supporting platform 620.

[0085] Further, in order to ensure that the material tray will not deviate when being transported on the two belt conveyors 510, as shown in the attached Fig.11 As shown, side baffles 540 extending to the conveying surface are respectively arranged on the outer sides of the two belt conveyors 510. At the same time, a gap is formed on the baffle 540 for the lifting bracket 210 to avoid the feeding trolley 600.

[0086] After the material tray moves to the unloading position for unloading, in order to avoid lifting the material tray when unloading, in a more preferred embodiment, the material tray needs to be fixed. Figure 1 , Attachment Fig.11 As shown, the feeding device further includes a limiting mechanism 700, which includes two limiting members 710 that are opposite and of equal height and are located above the transfer platform. Each limiting member 710 can reciprocate and move linearly along the first direction X. Each limiting member 710 corresponds to the position of one of the positioning support frames 311 under normal conditions and is located outside the positioning protrusion 3112 of the support positioning frame 311. The limiting member 710 includes a vertical plate 711, and a stopper 712 that is perpendicular to the vertical plate 711 and faces another limiting member 710 is arranged above the vertical plate 711. Each limiting member 710 is connected to a push-pull cylinder 720 that drives it to move along the first direction X. The push-pull cylinder 720 is fixed on a base 730, and the base 730 is fixed on the support plate 332. At the same time, the limiting member 710 is connected to a guide shaft that is slidably arranged on the base 730. When the two limiting members 710 move relative to each other, pressure can be applied to the opposite side walls of the material tray on the transfer platform, thereby fixing the material tray. Of course, in other ways, the vertical plates 711 of the two limiting members 710 may not contact the side walls of the tray, but the two stoppers 712 may be moved to the top of the tray and may apply downward pressure to the tray or maintain a small gap with the top of the tray. When the entire device is working, the control device can be combined with various sensors to control various cylinders, motors and other components. The connection and communication between the control device and various components and sensors are known technologies and will not be described in detail here.

[0087] The following will focus on describing the feeding method of the above-mentioned feeding device, which includes the following steps:

[0088] S0, first stack a plurality of material trays on the supporting platform 620 of the feeding trolley 600.

[0089] S1, manually push or push the feeding trolley 600 carrying the multi-layer stacked objects between the two lifting brackets 210, specifically between the two belt conveyors 510, as shown in the attached Fig.11 , Attachment Fig.12 shown.

[0090] S2, at this time, the two lifting brackets 210 of the loading elevator 200 move synchronously to the two sides of the material tray, and the carrier plate 211 of the lifting bracket 210 is located at the bottom outer side of the bottom material tray. At this time, the cylinder shafts of the two cylinders 231 extend to make the two lifting brackets 210 move toward each other, so that the carrier plate 211 moves to the bottom of the bottom material tray, and the four positioning blocks 212 clamp the bottom material tray for positioning. At this time, the motors 223 of the two lifting mechanisms 210 are started, driving the two lifting brackets 210 to synchronously lift all the material trays to the first height. At the first height, except for the material tray at the bottom, the other material trays are located above the support plate 111 of the carrier.

[0091] S3, at this time, the two cylinders 120 of the supporting mechanism 100 drive the two supporting members 110 to move toward each other, so that the support plate 111 moves between the bottom material tray and a material tray thereon, and at the same time, the vertical plates 112 of the two supporting members 110 are respectively close to or fitted with the opposite side surfaces of the material tray, so that the support plate 111 provides support for other material trays except the bottom material tray.

[0092] S4, after the lifting bracket 210 moves to above the transfer platform 310 of the transfer device 300, the linear motor 321 and the translation cylinder 331 are started to move the transfer platform 310 from the unloading position to the loading position. At this time, the transfer platform 310 is located directly below the bottom material tray.

[0093] S5, then, the two motors 223 of the loading elevator 200 start to drive the two lifting brackets 210 to descend, so that the bottommost material tray on them is moved down to the transfer platform 310. At this time, the two cylinders 231 of the loading elevator 200 start to release the restriction of the material tray by the four positioning blocks 212. Of course, if there is no positioning block 212 or the positioning block 212 does not limit the movement of the material tray in the second direction Y, the two cylinders 231 may not drive the positioning block 212 to retract.

[0094] S6, then, the linear motor 321 and the translation cylinder 332 are started to move the transfer platform 310 from the loading position to the unloading position for unloading. Unloading is performed manually or by automated equipment. Of course, before unloading, the two cylinders of the limiting mechanism can drive the two limiting members to move toward each other, thereby limiting the material tray located on the transfer platform 310.

[0095] S7, after the material tray on the lifting bracket 210 of the loading elevator is removed by the transfer platform 310, the lifting bracket 210 rises to a position where its carrier plate 211 is at the same height as the support plate, and then the two cylinders 231 drive the carrier plates 211 of the two lifting brackets 210 to move to below the material tray on the carrier 110. At this time, the two carriers 110 move back to back and open, so that all the material trays are transferred from the two carriers 110 to the lifting bracket 210, and then the lifting bracket 210 moves down by a material tray height, and then repeats steps S3-S7, each time supplying the bottom layer of material trays to the transfer platform 310.

[0096] S8, after the material tray on the transfer platform 310 is unloaded, the reduction motor 421 of the reflux elevator 400 drives the unloading bracket 410 to rise, and moves to lift the empty material tray on the transfer platform 310 from the transfer platform 310. At this time, the empty material tray is higher than the positioning protrusion 3113 on the transfer platform 310. Then, the transfer platform 310 moves to the material picking position to pick up the material again.

[0097] S9, the reduction motor 421 of the reflux elevator 400 drives the unloading bracket 410 to move downward so that the empty tray on it falls onto the reflux conveyor line 500.

[0098] S10, the return conveyor line 500 conveys the empty tray to the support platform 620 of the feeding trolley 600. Before or at the same time as the two conveyor belts of the return conveyor line 500 convey the empty tray, the two lifting cylinders 530 drive the two conveyor belts to lift toward one end of the feeding trolley 600, and when the empty tray on the conveyor belt moves to the column 623 of the support platform 620, the lifting cylinders 530 drive the two conveyor belts to fall back at the same time so that the empty tray falls back onto the support platform 620.

[0099] S11, before the next empty tray is moved from the return conveyor line 500 to the feed trolley 600, the carrier plate 211 of the lifting bracket 210 moves downward to below the bottom empty tray of the carrier platform 620, and then the two carrier plates 211 move toward each other to below the bottom empty tray, and then the lifting bracket 210 rises at least one tray height, and then the return conveyor line 500 conveys the next empty tray to the carrier platform 620 of the feed trolley according to the above step S10, and then the lifting bracket 210 moves down to place the empty tray on it back on the carrier platform of the feed trolley 600. Before the lifting bracket 210 lifts the empty tray on the feed trolley 600, it can first convey a tray with materials to the transfer platform, and after putting the empty tray back on the feed trolley, it lifts up again to separate a tray from the carrier, and so on.

[0100] When all the empty trays are returned to the feeding trolley 600, the feeding trolley is removed from between the belt conveyors and replaced with another feeding trolley carrying trays, which are now loaded with materials.

[0101] When the parts for stacking are separated, each part no longer needs a reflow process after unloading, so the corresponding process can be omitted.

[0102] There are many implementation methods of the present invention, and all technical solutions formed by equivalent transformation or equivalent transformation fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A feeding device for separating multi-layer stacked objects, characterized in that: include The bearing mechanism comprises two bearing members which are opposite to each other and are arranged with a gap, the two bearing members can respectively move back and forth along a first direction, in a first state, the multi-layer stacked objects can move between upper and lower positions of the bearing members through the gap between the two bearing members, and in a second state, the multi-layer stacked objects cannot move between upper and lower positions of the bearing members through the gap between the two bearing members; A loading elevator, comprising two lifting brackets capable of carrying multi-layer stacked objects, each of the lifting brackets corresponding to a position of a carrier, the two lifting brackets can move the multi-layer stacked objects thereon from a low position to above the two carriers in a first state, and the carrying surface of the lifting bracket can be moved to a height at least equivalent to the height of the carrying surface of the carrier; The transfer device includes a transfer platform that is lower than the supporting member, and the height difference between the supporting surface of the transfer platform and the supporting member is sufficient to allow at least one layer of the multi-stacked objects to be placed on the loading bracket located between them. The transfer platform can move between a unloading position and a loading position. In the unloading position, it is located outside the loading elevator, and in the loading position, it is located between the two lifting brackets.

2. The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting bracket includes a carrier plate, on which two positioning blocks are arranged. The two positioning blocks are located outside the two ends of the carrier, and the positioning blocks include rounded positioning surfaces, right-angle positioning surfaces, or chamfered positioning surfaces that match the outer wall shape of the top corners of each layer of the multi-stacked objects.

3. The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two lifting brackets can respectively reciprocate along the first direction to adjust the distance between them.

4. The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transfer platform includes two support positioning frames of equal height and maintaining a gap, each of the positioning support frames is arranged on a primary translation mechanism that drives it to reciprocate along the second direction, and the primary translation mechanism is arranged on a secondary translation mechanism.

5. The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It comprises a limiting mechanism, which comprises two limiting members located above the transfer platform and on both sides thereof, each of the limiting members can move back and forth linearly along a first direction and can move to above the transfer platform.

6. The feeding device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes A reflow elevator, comprising a material unloading bracket corresponding to the position of the transfer platform at the unloading position, wherein the support surface of the material unloading bracket can support each layer of the multi-layer stacked objects and can move between a position higher than the support surface of the transfer platform and a position lower than the transfer device; The return conveying line comprises a conveying surface for conveying each layer of multi-layer stacked objects, wherein the conveying surface has a portion located directly below the unloading bracket, and the height of the conveying surface is higher than the lowest height to which the supporting surface of the unloading bracket can move.

7. The feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: It comprises a feeding trolley, which comprises a vehicle body and a carrying platform arranged thereon for carrying multiple stacked objects. A limiting block is arranged on the supporting plane of the carrying platform, which can be moved to a feeding position. At the feeding position, the carrying platform is located between the two lifting brackets.

8. The feeding device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The translation mechanism that drives each lifting bracket to reciprocate along the first direction includes a cylinder, the extension direction of the cylinder axis of the cylinder maintains an angle of 85°-90° with the first direction and is pivotally connected to one end of a transmission member, the middle part of the transmission member is rotatably connected to a support shaft, the other end of the transmission member is pivotally connected to one end of a transmission rod, the other end of the transmission rod is pivotally connected to the carrier plate of the lifting bracket, and the carrier plate is slidably set on a guide rail extending along the first direction.

9. The feeding device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The reflux conveyor line includes two belt conveyors, which extend from the outer straight lines on both sides of the unloading bracket to the left and right sides of the supporting platform of the feeding trolley in the feeding position. Each of the belt conveyors can rotate around an axis at one end away from the loading elevator, and is also connected to a cylinder that drives it to rotate around the axis. When the conveying surfaces of the two belt conveyors are in a horizontal state, the height is lower than the supporting plane of the supporting platform.

10. The feeding method of the feeding device according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that: The steps include: S1, push the feeding trolley with multi-layer material trays between two belt conveyors; S2, lifting all the trays to a first height by two lifting brackets of the loading elevator, at which only the trays at the bottom layer are located below the carrier; S3, providing support to the other trays except the tray at the bottom through the bearing mechanism; S4, the transfer platform of the transfer device moves to the loading position and is located directly below the material tray at the bottom layer; S5, the loading elevator drives the bottommost tray on it to fall onto the transfer platform and releases the restriction on the tray; S6, the transfer platform moves the material tray on it to the outside of the loading elevator for unloading; S7, the lifting bracket of the loading elevator rises and provides support for the material tray on the carrying mechanism, the carrying mechanism releases the support for the material tray, and after the two lifting brackets are lowered by a material tray height, S3-S7 are repeated; S8, after unloading is completed, the unloading bracket of the reflux elevator moves to separate the empty material tray on the transfer platform from the transfer platform, and the transfer platform moves to the loading position again; S9, the unloading bracket moves downward so that the empty tray on it falls onto the return conveyor line; S10, the reflux conveyor line conveys the empty tray to the carrying platform of the feeding trolley; S11, before the next empty tray is moved from the reflux conveyor line to the feed trolley, all the empty trays on the feed trolley are lifted by a lifting bracket to at least the height of a tray, and after the next empty tray is conveyed to the feed trolley, the lifting bracket is moved downward to place the empty tray on it back onto the feed trolley.

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