A tool clamp for cable bridge robot welding

Abstract

This invention relates to a tooling fixture for robotic welding of cable trays, comprising a support frame, a side plate clamping mechanism, and a crossbar clamping mechanism. The support frame is divided into a feeding area, a welding area, and a discharging area. The side plate clamping mechanism has multiple sets, each containing symmetrical side plate clamping units. A linkage drive mechanism is installed in the drive box at the bottom of the support frame to drive the clamping units to open and close quickly, adjusting the side plate spacing. The crossbar clamping mechanism uses a servo motor to drive two sets of conveyor belt mechanisms arranged in a stepped manner to clamp and convey the crossbars. The crossbar spacing is controlled by adjusting the motor start-stop interval, and a limit baffle is installed at the feeding position. The welding area includes a welding station and a welding robot, with pneumatic grippers on both sides, equipped with crossbar and side plate detection units. After detection, the conveyor mechanism is stopped and welding operations begin. A side plate limit mechanism is also provided. This invention is adaptable to cable trays of different sizes, offering high versatility and production flexibility, a high degree of automation, convenient feeding, short downtime, reduced equipment investment, and improved production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of cable tray processing technology, specifically to a tooling fixture for robotic welding of cable trays. Background Technology

[0002] Cable trays, as core supporting components for power transmission and communication line laying, are widely used in construction, industrial plants, rail transportation, and other fields. Their production quality directly affects the safety and stability of the line laying. Currently, the most commonly used cable trays on the market are ladder-type structures, which are welded together from two side plates and several crossbars. With the improvement of industrial automation, robotic welding has gradually replaced manual welding and become the mainstream method for mass production of cable trays. Tooling fixtures are used to clamp and fix the side plates and crossbars during the welding process.

[0003] Currently, existing tooling fixtures for welding cable tray robots mainly include a support frame, side plate clamping mechanisms on both sides of the support frame, and multiple sets of crossbar clamping grippers inside the side plate clamping mechanisms. During operation, the side plates and crossbars need to be clamped in the side plate clamping mechanisms and crossbar clamping grippers first, and then welded by the welding robot. Since the process of fixing and unloading the raw materials takes a long time, multiple welding robots can only perform multi-station welding simultaneously to improve work efficiency, which greatly increases equipment costs. The above-mentioned tooling fixtures only have adjustable spacing in the side plate clamping mechanisms (for easy loading and unloading), and the crossbar clamping grippers are usually fixed on the base of the side plate clamping mechanisms. This makes it impossible for this tooling fixture to produce cable trays with different crossbar spacings, resulting in high production changeover costs. Furthermore, the side wall clamping mechanisms of the above-mentioned tooling fixtures are often adjusted by a screw drive corresponding to the base, which is slow. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the above-mentioned technical defects and provide a tooling fixture for welding cable tray robots.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this invention adopts the following technical solution: A tooling fixture for welding cable tray robots, comprising a support, a side plate clamping mechanism, and a crossbar clamping mechanism. The support is divided into a loading area, a welding area, and a unloading area from left to right. Multiple sets of side plate clamping mechanisms are provided, each set including two side plate clamping units symmetrically arranged on the front and rear sides of the loading and welding areas. A drive box is provided at the bottom of the support, containing multiple sets of linkage drive mechanisms, each corresponding to one of the multiple sets of side plate clamping mechanisms. The linkage drive mechanisms drive the corresponding side plate clamping units to move closer or further apart. A gear and rack transmission mechanism is provided between the linkage drive mechanisms to achieve the transmission connection of the multiple sets of linkage drive mechanisms. A crossbar clamping mechanism is provided between the side plate clamping units on both sides of the loading and welding areas, comprising two conveyor belt mechanisms driven by servo motors. By clamping the crossbar from the vertical direction, the crossbar is moved towards... The material discharge area is conveyed at one end; the servo motor starts intermittently, and the spacing of the conveyed crossbars can be adjusted by adjusting the start-stop time interval of the servo motor; the upper and lower conveyor belt mechanisms are distributed in a stepped manner, and a crossbar unloading position is formed at the first end of the lower conveyor belt mechanism. A limiting baffle is provided above the crossbar unloading position to limit the crossbar; a welding station is provided in the welding area, and a welding robot is set at the welding station. Pneumatic grippers are provided on both sides of the lower belt conveyor mechanism at the welding station; a crossbar detection unit and a side plate detection unit are provided at the welding station. After the crossbar detection unit detects the crossbar, the pneumatic gripper grabs the crossbar, and the welding robot performs welding. After welding is completed, the pneumatic gripper opens. After the side plate detection unit detects that there is no side plate, the conveyor belt mechanism stops conveying and resumes after the side plate is loaded; the welding area is provided with a side plate limiting mechanism to limit the side plate when it is loaded.

[0006] Furthermore, the side plate clamping unit includes a base, a C-shaped bracket fixedly mounted on the top of the base, a clamping roller and a clamping wheel rotatably mounted inside the C-shaped bracket, and a fine-tuning mechanism on the top of the C-shaped bracket, which includes a fixed threaded seat, a fine-tuning threaded rod that cooperates with the fixed threaded seat, and a sliding seat. The top of the central shaft of the clamping wheel is rotatably connected to the bottom of the sliding seat. The fine-tuning threaded rod passes through the fixed threaded seat, and one end is fixedly provided with a rotating handle, while the other end is rotatably connected to the side wall of the sliding seat. The top of the C-shaped bracket is provided with a rectangular through hole, and the sliding seat is slidably mounted inside the rectangular through hole.

[0007] Furthermore, the linkage drive mechanism includes a drive linkage and a driven linkage. The drive linkage has a rotating shaft at its center and is installed in the drive housing through the rotating shaft. One end of the driven linkage is connected to the base, and the other end is connected to the drive linkage. The top of the drive housing has a rectangular through hole two along the moving direction of the base. The base passes through the rectangular through hole two and is slidably disposed therein.

[0008] Furthermore, the gear and rack transmission mechanism includes multiple gears and two racks. The gears are fixedly mounted on corresponding rotating shafts, and the two racks are located on both sides of the gears and mesh with multiple gears. The drive box is provided with a sliding groove, and the racks are slidably mounted in the sliding groove.

[0009] Furthermore, both ends of the crossbar clamping mechanism are provided with support components. The support components include a U-shaped main frame, two first support frames symmetrically arranged on the front and rear sides of the lower conveyor belt mechanism, and two second support frames symmetrically arranged on the front and rear sides of the upper conveyor belt mechanism. The first support frame is a horizontal plate-shaped structure, with one end fixedly connected to the corresponding conveyor belt mechanism and the other end slidably connected to the side wall of the main frame. The second support frame is an inverted L-shaped structure, with its vertical part fixed to the corresponding conveyor belt mechanism and the other end of its horizontal part slidably arranged on the side wall of the main frame. The two opposite side walls of the main frame are provided with lifting cylinders corresponding to the first and second support frames. The extension and retraction ends of the lifting cylinders are fixedly connected to the corresponding first and second support frames.

[0010] Furthermore, the crossbar is provided with lifting mechanisms on both sides of the material position, which are used to lift the newly placed crossbar and lower the crossbar when the distance between it and the previous crossbar reaches the set distance.

[0011] Furthermore, the lifting mechanism includes a lifting cylinder and a lifting seat. The lifting seat is fixedly mounted on the top of the telescopic rod of the lifting cylinder. The lifting seat has an L-shaped structure, with the crossbar placed on the horizontal part of the lifting seat, and the vertical part of the lifting seat abutting against the side wall of the crossbar.

[0012] Furthermore, the lifting mechanism includes a lifting motor and a lifting turntable. The lifting turntable is evenly provided with multiple lifting slots along the circumferential direction, and the crossbar can be placed into the lifting slots. The lifting motor is used to drive the lifting turntable to rotate.

[0013] Furthermore, a distance monitoring sensor is provided at the material release position of the crossbar. When the distance between the previous crossbar and the material release position is detected to be equal to the set spacing, the lifting mechanism will lower the crossbar.

[0014] Furthermore, the side plate limiting mechanism includes a jog control button, an electromagnet, a sliding sleeve, a sliding block made of magnetic metal, and a limiting rod. The jog control button is located on the ground at the left end of the bracket. The sliding sleeve is located on the side plate clamping unit at the material outlet end of the welding area. The inside of the sliding sleeve is smooth, and the sliding block is slidably disposed within it. The electromagnet is fixedly disposed on the top of the sliding sleeve, and the limiting rod is fixedly disposed on the top of the sliding block and can extend from the top of the sliding sleeve.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention uses a linkage drive mechanism to move the corresponding side plate clamping units closer together or apart, which can quickly adjust the spacing between the two side plates; it uses a servo motor to control the conveyor belt mechanism to transport and stop the crossbars, which can not only move the cable tray towards the discharge area, but also quickly adjust the crossbar distribution spacing by adjusting the start and stop time interval of the servo motor; through the above two parts of the structure, this device can adapt to the production needs of cable trays of different sizes, effectively improving the versatility and production flexibility of the equipment, and reducing the cost of changeover and debugging.

[0016] This invention, by setting up a lifting mechanism, allows workers to simply place the crossbar onto the lifting mechanism when needed. When the conveyor belt stops and material needs to be loaded, the lifting mechanism places the crossbar onto the conveyor belt, thus avoiding accidental manual loading.

[0017] This invention can also detect the distance between the material release position of the crossbar and the previous crossbar through a distance monitoring sensor. When the set spacing is reached, the lifting mechanism is controlled to lower the crossbar, realizing automated and precise control of the crossbar spacing, effectively avoiding human operation errors, and improving the production accuracy and consistency of cable trays.

[0018] This invention uses a crossbar detection unit and a side plate detection unit to accurately detect the crossbar and side plate, which facilitates the control of the welding robot and the conveyor belt mechanism to start and stop. On the one hand, it enables precise control of the welding process and ensures welding quality; on the other hand, it can issue timely material feeding prompts to avoid production interruptions caused by material shortages and improve production efficiency.

[0019] The present invention allows for crossbar feeding without stopping the machine, only stopping when the side plate is being fed. When feeding the side plate, it is only necessary to insert it between the clamping roller and the clamping wheel of the side plate clamping mechanism, which can achieve rapid feeding, greatly shorten the downtime for feeding, and indirectly improve work efficiency. Moreover, this device requires a maximum of two welding robots, saving equipment costs. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a tooling fixture for welding cable trays by a robot according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a tooling fixture for welding cable trays by a robot according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a tooling fixture for welding cable trays by a robot in use, according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the side plate clamping unit in a tooling fixture for welding cable tray robots according to the present invention; Figure 5This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the drive box in a perspective view of a tooling fixture for welding cable tray robots according to the present invention; Figure 6 yes Figure 4 Enlarged view of section A; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the crossbar clamping unit and its support components in a tooling fixture for welding cable tray robots according to the present invention. Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the crossbar clamping unit, lifting mechanism and support assembly structure in Embodiment 3 of the present invention; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the longitudinal section structure of the side plate limiting mechanism in this invention; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the distance monitoring sensor and the limiting baffle in Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

[0022] 1. Support frame; 1.1 Loading area; 1.2 Welding area; 1.3 Discharge area; 2. Side plate clamping unit; 2.1 Base; 2.2 C-shaped support; 2.21 Rectangular through hole one; 2.3 Clamping roller; 2.4 Clamping wheel; 3. Conveyor belt mechanism; 3.1 Crossbar feeding position; 3.11 Limiting baffle; 4. Drive box; 4.1 Rectangular through hole two; 4.2 Slide groove; 5. Linkage drive mechanism; 5.1 Drive linkage; 5.11 Rotating shaft; 5.2 Driven linkage; 6. Gear and rack transmission mechanism; 6.1 Gear; 6.2 Rack; 7. Lifting mechanism; 7.1 Lifting cylinder; 7.2 Lifting... 7.3 Lifting Motor; 7.4 Lifting Turntable; 7.41 Lifting Groove; 8 Crossbar Detection Unit; 9 Side Plate Detection Unit; 10 Side Plate Limiting Mechanism; 10.1 Jog Control Button; 10.2 Electromagnet; 10.3 Sliding Sleeve; 10.4 Sliding Block; 10.5 Limiting Rod; 11 Fine Adjustment Mechanism; 11.1 Fixed Threaded Seat; 11.2 Fine Adjustment Threaded Rod; 11.3 Sliding Seat; 12 Support Assembly; 12.1 Main Frame; 12.2 First Support Frame; 12.3 Second Support Frame; 12.4 Lifting Cylinder; 13 Distance Monitoring Sensor; 14 Pneumatic Claw Hand. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] Embodiment 1 of the present invention: as follows Figure 1 , 4As shown in Figures 5, 6, 7, and 9, a tooling fixture for welding cable trays by a robot includes a support 1, a side plate clamping mechanism, and a crossbar clamping mechanism. The support 1 is divided into a feeding area 1.1, a welding area 1.2, and a discharging area 1.3 from left to right. The side plate clamping mechanism and the crossbar clamping mechanism are arranged in the feeding area 1.1 and the welding area 1.2. The discharging area 1.3 is provided with multiple conveying rollers for supporting and conveying the welded cable trays.

[0025] like Figure 1 As shown, the side plate clamping mechanism is provided in multiple sets, each set including two side plate clamping units 2 symmetrically arranged on the front and rear sides of the feeding area 1.1 and the welding area 1.2; the side plate is supported and positioned at multiple points by multiple sets of side plate clamping units 2 to ensure that the side plate remains straight and does not deviate during the conveying and welding process.

[0026] like Figure 4 As shown, the side plate clamping unit 2 includes a base 2.1, a C-shaped bracket 2.2 fixedly mounted on the top of the base 2.1, a clamping roller 2.3 and a clamping wheel 2.4 rotatably mounted inside the C-shaped bracket 2.2. The top of the C-shaped bracket 2.2 is provided with a fine-tuning mechanism 11, which includes a fixed threaded seat 11.1, a fine-tuning threaded rod 11.2 that cooperates with the fixed threaded seat 11.1, and a sliding seat 11.3. The top of the central axis of the clamping wheel 2.4 is rotatably connected to the bottom of the sliding seat 11.3. The fine-tuning threaded rod 11.2 passes through the fixed threaded seat 11.1, and one end is fixedly provided with a rotating handle, while the other end is rotatably connected to the side wall of the sliding seat 11.3. The top of the C-shaped bracket 2.2 is provided with a rectangular through hole 2.21, and the sliding seat 11.3 is slidably mounted inside the rectangular through hole 2.21. Rotating the fine-tuning threaded rod 11.2 moves the sliding seat 11.3 and the clamping wheel 2.4, enabling fine-tuning of the clamping gap. This adapts to side plates of different thicknesses, providing stable clamping and facilitating smooth forward conveying of the side plates. When feeding side plates, simply insert the side plate between the clamping roller 2.3 and the clamping wheel 2.4 of the first-end side plate clamping unit 2. The operation is simple and quick, improving the feeding speed and reducing downtime for feeding.

[0027] like Figure 5 As shown, the bottom of the bracket 1 is equipped with a drive box 4, which contains multiple sets of linkage drive mechanisms 5, each corresponding to multiple sets of side plate clamping mechanisms. The linkage drive mechanisms 5 drive the corresponding side plate clamping units 2 to move closer or separate. A gear and rack transmission mechanism 6 is provided between the linkage drive mechanisms 5 to realize the synchronous transmission connection of multiple sets of linkage drive mechanisms 5. The gear and rack transmission mechanism 6 ensures that the actions of each set of linkage drive mechanisms 5 are synchronized, thereby enabling the side plate clamping units 2 on both sides to open and close synchronously, quickly and accurately adjusting the distance between the two side plates, adapting to the production of cable trays of different widths and improving the versatility of the tooling.

[0028] like Figure 5As shown, the linkage drive mechanism 5 includes a drive link 5.1 and a driven link 5.2. A rotating shaft 5.11 is located at the center of the drive link 5.1, and the drive link 5.11 is mounted inside the drive housing 4. One end of the driven link 5.2 is connected to the base 2.1, and the other end is connected to the drive link 5.1. A rectangular through hole 4.1 is provided on the top of the drive housing 4 along the moving direction of the base 2.1. The base 2.1 passes through the rectangular through hole 4.1 and is slidably disposed within it. The drive housing is equipped with a drive motor (a servo motor) or a drive motor with a reduction gearbox, used to drive the rotating shaft 5.11 to rotate. The rotation of the drive link 5.1 pulls the base 2.1 along the rectangular through hole 4.1 via the driven link 5.2, realizing the opening and closing action of the side plate clamping unit 2. The transmission is reliable and the response is rapid.

[0029] like Figure 5 As shown, the output of the drive motor (or the output of the gearbox) is connected to one of the rotating shafts 5.11. The gear and rack transmission mechanism 6 includes multiple gears 6.1 and two racks 6.2. The gears 6.1 are fixedly mounted on the corresponding rotating shafts 5.11, and the two racks 6.2 are located on both sides of the gears 6.1 and mesh with the multiple gears 6.1. The drive housing 4 is provided with a sliding groove 4.2, and the racks 6.2 are slidably mounted in the sliding groove 4.2. Specifically, a trapezoidal slider is provided on the side of the rack near the gear, and the sliding groove corresponds to the slider. With the above structure, one drive motor can drive all the linkage drive mechanisms 5 to move synchronously. The structure is compact and stable, ensuring synchronous displacement of the clamping units on both sides and improving the positioning accuracy of the bridge frame side plate.

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, a crossbar clamping mechanism is provided between the side plate clamping units 2 on both sides of the feeding area 1.1 and the welding area 1.2. It includes two conveyor belt mechanisms 3 driven by servo motors (the two servo motors are of the same model and start and stop synchronously). By clamping the crossbar from the top and bottom, the crossbar is conveyed to one end of the discharge area 1.3. The servo motors start intermittently. By adjusting the start and stop time interval of the servo motors, the spacing of the conveyed crossbars can be adjusted. The top and bottom clamping conveying ensures that the crossbar is conveyed smoothly and without slippage, realizing the overall forward stepping conveying of the cable tray.

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, the upper and lower conveyor belt mechanisms 3 are arranged in a stepped manner. A crossbar feeding position 3.1 is formed at the first end of the lower conveyor belt mechanism 3. A limiting baffle 3.11 is provided above the crossbar feeding position 3.1 to limit the crossbar. The stepped arrangement facilitates the insertion of the crossbar, and the limiting baffle 3.11 limits the crossbar to ensure accurate feeding position.

[0032] like Figure 7As shown, the crossbar clamping mechanism has support components 12 at both ends. The support components 12 include a U-shaped main frame 12.1, two first support frames 12.2 symmetrically arranged on the front and rear sides of the lower conveyor belt mechanism 3, and two second support frames 12.3 symmetrically arranged on the front and rear sides of the upper conveyor belt mechanism 3. The first support frame 12.2 is a horizontal plate structure (since the side plate is located above the lower conveyor belt mechanism 3, the first support frame 12.2 will not obstruct the conveying of the side plate). One end of the first support frame 12.2 is fixedly connected to the corresponding conveyor belt mechanism 3, and the other end is slidably connected to the side wall of the main frame 12.1. The second support frame 12.3 is an inverted L-shaped structure (second support frame 12.1). 3. If the structure were identical to that of the first support frame 12.3, it would obstruct the conveying of the side plate. Therefore, it is designed as an L-shape to allow for clearance and ensure smooth conveying of the side plate. Its vertical part is fixed to the corresponding conveyor belt mechanism 3, and the other end of the horizontal part is slidably mounted on the side wall of the main frame 12.1. Lifting cylinders 12.4 are provided on the opposite side walls of the main frame 12.1, corresponding to the first support frame 12.2 and the second support frame 12.3. The telescopic ends of the lifting cylinders 12.4 are fixedly connected to the corresponding first support frame 12.2 and the second support frame 12.3. It is worth noting that the four lifting cylinders 12.4 corresponding to the same conveyor belt mechanism 3 are of the same model and operate synchronously. The lifting cylinders 12.4 can drive the upper and lower conveyor belt mechanisms 3 to rise and fall, adjust the clamping height, adapt to crossbars and bridge structures of different heights, and expand the range of the lifting device.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, a welding station is provided in the welding area 1.2, and a welding robot is set at the welding station. At the welding station, pneumatic grippers 14 are provided on both sides of the belt conveyor mechanism 3 located below. The pneumatic grippers 14 can clamp and fix the horizontal bar in place to prevent the horizontal bar from shifting or shaking during the welding process, thereby improving the welding quality and stability.

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, the welding station is equipped with a crossbar detection unit 8 and a side plate detection unit 9. When the crossbar detection unit 8 detects a crossbar, the pneumatic gripper 14 grasps it, and the welding robot performs the welding. After welding, the pneumatic gripper 14 opens to facilitate the movement of the crossbar, enabling the transport of the cable tray. When the side plate detection unit 9 detects the absence of a side plate, the conveyor belt mechanism 3 stops transporting and resumes operation once a side plate is added. The welding area 1.2 is equipped with a side plate limiting mechanism 10, used to limit the side plate during loading. The crossbar detection unit and the side plate detection unit use infrared sensors or vision cameras, which have high detection accuracy and can accurately detect the crossbar and side plate, ensuring accurate welding timing, avoiding insufficient material and incomplete welding, and improving the level of automation.

[0035] like Figure 1 , 9As shown, the side plate limiting mechanism 10 includes a jog control button 10.1, an electromagnet 10.2, a sliding sleeve 10.3, a magnetically attracted sliding block 10.4, and a limiting rod 10.5. The jog control button 10.1 is located on the ground at the left end of the bracket 1. The sliding sleeve 10.3 is located on the side plate clamping unit 2 at the material outlet end of the welding area. The interior of the sliding sleeve 10.3 is smooth, and the sliding block 10.4 is slidably disposed within it. The electromagnet 10.2 is fixedly disposed on the top of the sliding sleeve 10.3, and the limiting rod 10.5 is fixedly disposed on the top of the sliding block 10.4 and can extend from the top of the sliding sleeve 10.3. The jog control button 10.1 is connected to the power line of the electromagnet 10.2 and is used to control the on / off state of the electromagnet 10.2. When the side plate is being loaded, the worker can press the jog control button 10.1 to energize the electromagnet 10.2, which attracts the sliding block 10.4 to rise, thereby driving the limit rod 10.5 to rise to the limit. When the worker leaves the jog control button 10.1, the electromagnet 10.2 is de-energized, and the sliding block 10.4 moves down under the action of gravity, driving the limit rod 10.5 to retract into the sliding sleeve 10.3, thus releasing the limit.

[0036] The device also includes a controller, and the welding robot, servo motor, drive motor crossbar detection unit, and side plate detection unit are all connected to the controller.

[0037] In specific use of this invention: Adjust the sidewall spacing: A drive motor (or a drive motor with a gearbox) drives one of the rotating shafts 5.11 to rotate, which in turn drives the drive linkage 5.1 to rotate. This, in turn, drives the side plate clamping unit 2 to move rapidly, allowing them to move closer together or separate, thus quickly adjusting the spacing between the side plates. Simultaneously, as the drive motor drives one of the rotating shafts 5.11 to rotate, gears 6.1 and racks 6.2 work together to achieve synchronous rotation of multiple rotating shafts 5.11, and synchronous operation of multiple linkage drive mechanisms 5.

[0038] Adjust the spacing between the crossbars: The servo motor starts intermittently, and the spacing of the conveyed crossbars can be adjusted by adjusting the start-stop time interval of the servo motor.

[0039] The servo motor start / stop control method is as follows: Let the conveying speed of the conveyor belt mechanism 3 be V, and the interval between the two crossbars be S1. Then, when the distance S from the crossbar placement position to the welding station is an integer multiple of the interval S1, the conveying time of the conveyor belt mechanism 3 each time is T = S1 / V (the conveyor belt mechanism 3 stops conveying after the crossbar detection unit detects the crossbar, and the worker places a new crossbar at the crossbar placement position 3.1). The duration of each stop of the conveyor belt mechanism 3 is the welding time. When the distance S from the crossbar placement position to the welding station is not an integer multiple of the interval S1, i.e., S = N... S1+S2 means the conveyor belt mechanism starts and stops twice, and the worker places a crossbar. The first conveying time of the transmission belt mechanism 3 is T1=S2 / V, and the first stopping time is the welding time. The second conveying time is T2=(S1-S2) / V, and the second stopping time is the time for the worker to place the crossbar (usually set to 2-3 seconds). The start and stop times of the servo motor cycle in the order of first conveying time, first stopping time, second conveying time, second stopping time, first conveying time, etc. Each time the crossbar spacing is adjusted, the first conveying time and the second conveying time are calculated using the above formula, and then the conveying time of the servo motor is adjusted by the controller, which can achieve convenient and fast adjustment.

[0040] Welding process: Pressing the jog control button 10.1 causes the limit rod 10.5 to extend, inserting the side plate between the clamping roller 2.3 and the clamping wheel 2.4 of the side plate clamping unit 2; Place the crossbar at the crossbar loading position 3.1 and ensure its sidewall abuts against the limiting baffle 3.11. Start the equipment, and the conveyor belt mechanism 3 will move the crossbar towards the welding station. The conveyor belt mechanism 3 will operate according to the aforementioned transmission stop time. The worker will place the crossbar on time. After the crossbar is conveyed to the welding station, the crossbar detection unit 8 will detect the crossbar, and the welding robot will move. After welding is completed, the welding robot will move aside, and the conveyor belt mechanism 3 will continue to drive. Since the crossbar is welded to the side plate, when the conveyor belt mechanism 3 moves the crossbar towards the discharge area 1.3, it will simultaneously move the side plate, conveying the welded cable tray to the discharge area 1.3.

[0041] When the side panel detection unit 9 detects that there is no side panel, the equipment stops. After the staff puts in the side panel material, the equipment restarts and continues the previous work process.

[0042] Embodiment 2 of the present invention: like Figure 2 , 3As shown in Example 1, since the crossbar is usually loaded when the conveyor belt mechanism 3 stops for the second time, the operator needs to constantly monitor the number of times the conveyor belt mechanism 3 stops. After working for a long time, the crossbar is prone to being loaded incorrectly. Therefore, a lifting mechanism 7 is set on both sides of the crossbar loading position to lift the newly placed crossbar. When the distance between the crossbar and the previous crossbar reaches the set distance, the crossbar is lowered. In this way, the operator no longer needs to constantly monitor the number of times the conveyor belt mechanism 3 stops. The crossbar can be loaded when there is no crossbar on the lifting mechanism 7, thus avoiding work errors.

[0043] The lifting mechanism 7 includes a lifting cylinder 7.1 and a lifting seat 7.2. The lifting seat 7.2 is fixedly installed on the top of the telescopic rod of the lifting cylinder 7.1. The lifting seat 7.2 has an L-shaped structure, with the crossbar placed on the horizontal part of the lifting seat 7.2 and the vertical part of the lifting seat 7.2 abutting against the side wall of the crossbar. The lifting cylinder 7.1 is connected to a controller.

[0044] After the conveyor belt mechanism sends the crossbar on the lifting seat 7.2 away, the lifting cylinder 7.1 drives the lifting seat 7.2 to rise. Once the staff sees the lifting seat 7.2 rise, they can put the crossbar back in, simplifying the workflow.

[0045] Embodiment 3 of the present invention: like Figure 8 As shown, the lifting mechanism 7 includes a lifting motor 7.3 and a lifting turntable 7.4. The lifting turntable 7.4 has multiple lifting slots 7.41 evenly distributed along its circumference. Crossbars can be placed into the lifting slots 7.41. The lifting motor 7.3 drives the lifting turntable 7.4 to rotate and is connected to a controller. Preferably, as shown, the lifting turntable 7.4 has eight lifting slots 7.41. The lifting motor 7.3 is also a servo motor, facilitating control of its rotation and stopping. The lifting motor 7.3 rotates once whenever a crossbar needs to be loaded. This lifting mechanism 7 is only suitable for situations where the side plate has a regular shape and will not obstruct the rotation of the crossbar with the lifting turntable 7.4.

[0046] In this embodiment, a lifting turntable 7.4 is used to lift the crossbar. The operator only needs to place the crossbar into the lifting slot 7.41 at the top of the lifting turntable 7.4 when there is no crossbar in the slot.

[0047] Embodiment 4 of the present invention: like Figure 10 As shown, a distance monitoring sensor 13 is provided at the crossbar feeding position 3.1. The distance monitoring sensor 13 is connected to the lifting mechanism 7 through the controller. When the distance between the previous crossbar and the crossbar feeding position 3.1 is detected to be equal to the set spacing, the lifting mechanism 7 lowers the crossbar.

[0048] In this embodiment, the crossbar detection unit 8 is connected to the conveyor belt mechanism 3 via a controller, allowing the conveyor belt mechanism 3 to start and stop solely through the crossbar detection unit 8, eliminating the need to calculate the conveying time. When adjusting the crossbar spacing, only the set distance of the distance monitoring sensor 13 needs to be adjusted. During operation, the conveyor belt mechanism 3 stops welding when the crossbar detection unit 8 detects a crossbar, and the lifting mechanism 7 lowers the crossbar when the distance monitoring sensor 13 detects that the crossbar spacing has reached the set distance.

Claims

1. A tooling fixture for robotic welding of cable trays, comprising a bracket (1), a side plate clamping mechanism, and a crossbar clamping mechanism, characterized in that: The bracket (1) is divided into a feeding area (1.1), a welding area (1.2), and a discharging area (1.3) from left to right. The side plate clamping mechanism is provided in multiple sets, each set containing two side plate clamping units (2) symmetrically arranged on the front and rear sides of the feeding area (1.1) and the welding area (1.2). The bottom of the bracket (1) is provided with a drive box (4), which contains multiple sets of linkage drive mechanisms (5), corresponding to the multiple sets of side plate clamping mechanisms. The linkage drive mechanisms (5) drive the corresponding side plate clamping units (2). The linkage drive mechanism (5) is provided with a gear and rack transmission mechanism (6) between the linkage drive mechanism (5) to realize the transmission connection of multiple linkage drive mechanisms (5); a crossbar clamping mechanism is provided between the side plate clamping units (2) on both sides of the loading area (1.1) and the welding area (1.2), which includes two conveyor belt mechanisms (3) driven by servo motors. By clamping the crossbar from the vertical direction, the crossbar is conveyed to one end of the discharge area (1.3); the servo motor starts intermittently, and the start and stop times of the servo motor are adjusted. The spacing between the conveyor belts can be adjusted; the upper and lower conveyor belt mechanisms (3) are arranged in a stepped manner, and a crossbar feeding position (3.1) is formed at the beginning of the lower conveyor belt mechanism (3). A limiting baffle (15) is provided above the crossbar feeding position (3.1) to limit the crossbar; a welding station is provided in the welding area (1.2), and a welding robot is set at the welding station. At the welding station, pneumatic grippers (14) are provided on both sides of the lower belt conveyor mechanism (3); the welding robot... The position is equipped with a crossbar detection unit (8) and a side plate detection unit (9). After the crossbar detection unit (8) detects the crossbar, the pneumatic gripper (14) grabs the crossbar and the welding robot performs welding. After welding is completed, the pneumatic gripper (14) opens, and the side plate detection unit (9) detects that there is no side plate. The conveyor belt mechanism (3) stops conveying and resumes after the side plate is loaded. The welding area (1.2) is equipped with a side plate limiting mechanism (10) for limiting the side plate when it is loaded.

2. The tooling fixture for robotic welding of cable trays according to claim 1, characterized in that: The side plate clamping unit (2) includes a base (2.1), a C-shaped bracket (2.2) fixedly mounted on the top of the base (2.1), a clamping roller (2.3) and a clamping wheel (2.4) rotatably mounted in the C-shaped bracket (2.2). The top of the C-shaped bracket (2.2) is provided with a fine adjustment mechanism (11), which includes a fixed thread seat (11.1), a fine adjustment thread rod (11.2) that cooperates with the fixed thread seat (11.1), and a sliding seat (11.3). The top of the central shaft of the clamping wheel (2.4) is rotatably connected to the bottom of the sliding seat (11.3). The fine adjustment thread rod (11.2) passes through the fixed thread seat (11.1), and one end is fixedly provided with a rotating handle, and the other end is rotatably connected to the side wall of the sliding seat (11.3). The top of the C-shaped bracket (2.2) is provided with a rectangular through hole (2.21), and the sliding seat (11.3) is slidably mounted in the rectangular through hole (2.21).

3. The tooling fixture for robotic welding of cable trays according to claim 2, characterized in that: The linkage drive mechanism (5) includes a drive link (5.1) and a driven link (5.2). The drive link (5.1) has a rotating shaft (5.11) at its center and is installed in the drive box (4) through the rotating shaft (5.11). One end of the driven link (5.2) is connected to the base (2.1) and the other end is connected to the drive link (5.1). The top of the drive box (4) has a rectangular through hole (4.1) along the moving direction of the base (2.1). The base (2.1) passes through the rectangular through hole (4.1) and is slidably disposed therein.

4. The tooling fixture for robotic welding of cable trays according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gear and rack transmission mechanism (6) includes multiple gears (6.1) and two racks (6.2). The gears (6.1) are fixedly mounted on the corresponding rotating shafts (5.11). The two racks (6.2) are located on both sides of the gears (6.1) and mesh with the multiple gears (6.1). The drive box (4) is provided with a sliding groove (4.2), and the racks (6.2) are slidably mounted in the sliding groove (4.2).

5. The tooling fixture for robotic welding of cable trays according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both ends of the crossbar clamping mechanism are provided with support components (12). The support components (12) include a U-shaped main frame (12.1), two first support frames (12.2) symmetrically arranged on the front and rear sides of the lower conveyor belt mechanism (3), and two second support frames (12.3) symmetrically arranged on the front and rear sides of the upper transmission belt mechanism (3). The first support frame (12.2) is a horizontal plate structure, one end of which is fixedly connected to the corresponding conveyor belt mechanism (3), and the other end slides against the side wall of the main frame (12.1). The second support frame (12.3) is an inverted L-shaped structure. Its vertical part is fixed on the corresponding conveyor belt mechanism (3), and the other end of its horizontal part is slidably set on the side wall of the main frame (12.1). The two opposite side walls of the main frame (12.1) are equipped with lifting cylinders (12.4) corresponding to the first support frame (12.2) and the second support frame (12.3). The telescopic end of the lifting cylinder (12.4) is fixedly connected to the corresponding first support frame (12.2) and the second support frame (12.3).

6. The tooling fixture for robotic welding of cable trays according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material position on the crossbar is provided with a lifting mechanism (7) on both sides, which is used to lift the newly placed crossbar and lower the crossbar when the distance between it and the previous crossbar reaches the set distance.

7. A tooling fixture for robotic welding of cable trays according to claim 6, characterized in that: The lifting mechanism (7) includes a lifting cylinder (7.1) and a lifting seat (7.2). The lifting seat (7.2) is fixedly installed on the top of the telescopic rod of the lifting cylinder (7.1). The lifting seat (7.2) has an L-shaped structure, with the crossbar placed on the horizontal part of the lifting seat (7.2) and the vertical part of the lifting seat (7.2) abutting against the side wall of the crossbar.

8. A tooling fixture for robotic welding of cable trays according to claim 6, characterized in that: The lifting mechanism (7) includes a lifting motor (7.3) and a lifting turntable (7.4). The lifting turntable (7.4) has multiple lifting slots (7.41) evenly arranged along the circumferential direction. The crossbar can be placed into the lifting slots (7.41). The lifting motor (7.3) is used to drive the lifting turntable (7.4) to rotate.

9. The tooling fixture for robotic welding of cable trays according to claim 1, characterized in that: A distance monitoring sensor (13) is provided at the material release position (3.1) of the crossbar. When the distance between the previous crossbar and the material release position (3.1) is equal to the set spacing, the lifting mechanism (7) lowers the crossbar.

10. A tooling fixture for robotic welding of cable trays according to claim 1, characterized in that: The side plate limiting mechanism (10) includes a jog control button (10.1), an electromagnet (10.2), a sliding sleeve (10.3), a sliding block (10.4) made of magnetic metal, and a limiting rod (10.5). The jog control button (10.1) is located on the ground at the left end of the bracket (1). The sliding sleeve (10.3) is located on the side plate clamping unit (2) at the material outlet end of the welding area. The inside of the sliding sleeve (10.3) is smooth, and the sliding block (10.4) is slidably disposed inside it. The electromagnet (10.2) is fixedly disposed on the top of the sliding sleeve (10.3). The limiting rod (10.5) is fixedly disposed on the top of the sliding block (10.4) and can extend from the top of the sliding sleeve (10.3).

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