A multi-station robotic arm

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of robotic arm technology, and in particular to a multi-station robotic arm, which includes a bracket, a support seat connected to the bracket; a transverse slide, the transverse slide is connected to the support seat in a transverse sliding manner, and a first transverse driving mechanism is connected between the transverse slide and the support seat. A plurality of pick-and-place devices, each of which is connected to the transverse slide in a transverse sliding manner, and a second transverse driving mechanism is connected between each of the pick-and-place devices and the transverse slide, and each second transverse driving mechanism is independent of each other. The pick-and-place device has a pick-and-place movable end, the pick-and-place movable end is suitable for vertical and longitudinal movement, and a gripper is installed on the pick-and-place movable end. This multi-station robotic arm can simultaneously pick up and place materials on multiple stations from the previous station and transfer them to the next station, and has good integrity, high production efficiency, high pick-and-place accuracy, and strong adaptability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of mechanical arms, and in particular to a multi-station mechanical arm. Background Art

[0002] At present, for stamping processing, it is sometimes necessary to perform multiple stamping steps on the material. For example, the stamping processing of brake pads generally requires punching, grooving, corner pressing and other steps, and each step needs to be performed in the corresponding mold, which requires the brake pad to be taken up after processing in one mold and placed in another mold.

[0003] In the past, the material transfer work was done manually by the staff. The noise in the stamping workshop was relatively loud, and the staff worked next to the stamping machine, which was quite dangerous. This made the staff work in a harsh environment all the time. Moreover, the manual transfer method of the staff often caused the brake pads to be placed crooked, affecting the processing accuracy and product quality.

[0004] At present, robots are also used to transfer materials. However, in the face of multiple workstations, multiple robots need to be set up, which makes the equipment cost high and difficult to implement in a limited space. Moreover, multiple independently set robots are placed in front of the stamping equipment, so when the mold needs to be replaced or repaired, the robot needs to be moved away before the operation, which is not conducive to the normal production.

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to propose improvements for the problems existing in the prior art. Summary of the invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a multi-station robot arm which can complete the transfer of materials between multiple stations.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a multi-station robotic arm, which includes a bracket; a support seat, the support seat is connected to the bracket; a transverse slide, the transverse slide is connected to the support seat along a transverse sliding manner, and a first transverse driving mechanism is connected between the transverse slide and the support seat; a plurality of pick-and-place devices, each of the pick-and-place devices is connected to the transverse slide along a transverse sliding manner, and a second transverse driving mechanism is connected between each of the pick-and-place devices and the transverse slide, and each of the second transverse driving mechanisms is independent of each other; the pick-and-place device has a pick-and-place movable end, the pick-and-place movable end is suitable for vertical and longitudinal movement, and a gripper is installed on the pick-and-place movable end.

[0008] Furthermore, the support seat is vertically slidably connected to the bracket, and a first lifting mechanism is connected between the support seat and the bracket.

[0009] Furthermore, the first lifting mechanism includes a screw-nut mechanism and a motor, the screw of the screw-nut mechanism is rotatably connected to the bracket, the nut of the screw-nut mechanism is connected to the support seat, and the motor drives the screw to rotate.

[0010] Furthermore, the picking and placing device includes a mounting frame, a lifting frame and an outrigger arm; the mounting frame is connected to the transverse movement slide along a transverse sliding manner, and the second transverse movement drive mechanism is connected between the mounting frame and the transverse movement slide; the lifting frame is connected to the mounting frame along a vertical sliding manner, and a second lifting mechanism is connected between the lifting frame and the mounting frame; the outrigger arm is connected to the lifting frame along a longitudinal sliding manner, and an outrigger drive mechanism is connected between the outrigger arm and the lifting frame.

[0011] Furthermore, the second lifting mechanism includes a screw-nut mechanism and a motor, the screw of the screw-nut mechanism is rotatably connected to the mounting frame, the nut of the screw-nut mechanism is connected to the lifting frame, and the motor drives the screw to rotate; a cylinder is connected between the lifting frame and the mounting frame.

[0012] Furthermore, the gripper is rotatably mounted on the pick-and-place movable end, and the gripper is connected to a rotation driving mechanism.

[0013] Furthermore, the gripper comprises a mounting plate and at least two electromagnets, wherein the mounting plate is rotatably mounted on the pick-and-place movable end and is driven by the rotation drive mechanism, and the at least two electromagnets are mounted on the mounting plate.

[0014] Furthermore, the rotation driving mechanism comprises a pulley mechanism, an input end of the pulley mechanism is connected to the motor, and an output end of the pulley mechanism is connected to the gripper.

[0015] Furthermore, the first transverse driving mechanism includes a screw-nut mechanism and a motor, the screw of the screw-nut mechanism is rotatably connected to the support seat, the nut of the screw-nut mechanism is connected to the transverse sliding seat, and the motor drives the screw to rotate.

[0016] Furthermore, the second transverse driving mechanism includes a screw-nut mechanism and a motor, the screw of the screw-nut mechanism is rotatably connected to the transverse sliding seat, the nut of the screw-nut mechanism is connected to the pick-and-place device, and the motor drives the screw to rotate.

[0017] The multi-station robot arm provided by the present invention can transfer materials on multiple stations from the previous station to the next station at the same time. Compared with the prior art, one such multi-station robot arm can complete the transfer of materials between multiple stations. It has good integrity and can transfer materials on multiple stations at the same time, with high production efficiency. Through the coordination of the mechanical structure, the picking and placing accuracy is higher than that of manual labor. Each gripper moves independently of each other and can adapt to different stamping equipment, with strong adaptability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the multi-station robot arm of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the multi-station robot arm of the present invention after removing part of the outer shell;

[0020] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure when multiple pick-and-place devices are installed on the transverse slide;

[0021] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure when part of the pick-and-place device is hidden;

[0022] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the pick-and-place device in the first direction;

[0023] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the pick-and-place device in the second direction.

[0024] [Description of Reference Numerals]

[0025] 1- Bracket;

[0026] 2-support seat, 21-first lifting mechanism;

[0027] 3-transverse sliding seat, 31-first transverse driving mechanism;

[0028] 4-pick-and-place device, 41-second lateral movement drive mechanism, 42-mounting frame, 43-lifting frame, 431-second lifting mechanism, 432-cylinder, 44-extended arm, 441-pick-and-place movable end, 442-extended drive mechanism;

[0029] 5-gripper, 51-rotation drive mechanism, 52-mounting plate, 53-electromagnet. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0031] It should be noted that the directional terms such as horizontal, vertical, and vertical in the present invention are determined according to the installation method of the multi-station robot arm or the matching direction between the parts. The horizontal direction refers to the sliding direction of the transverse slide, that is, the direction of translation of the gripper when transferring materials from one station to another; the vertical direction refers to the direction of extension and retraction of the outrigger arm. When the mold is closed, the outrigger arm cannot be located between the upper mold and the lower mold, but when taking and placing materials, the outrigger arm needs to be located between the upper mold and the lower mold, so the outrigger arm needs to have the function of extension and retraction. The vertical direction here is also the direction of extension and retraction of the outrigger arm; the vertical direction refers to the direction of lifting and lowering of the outrigger arm. When taking and placing materials, the outrigger arm needs to be lifted and lowered to complete the picking and placing action. Correspondingly, when the installation method of the multi-station robot arm or the matching direction between the parts changes, the direction actually referred to by the corresponding directional terms will also change. As long as it does not deviate from the above principles, the direction changes made should also fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0032] The present invention provides a multi-station robot arm, such as Figures 1 to 6 As shown, it includes a bracket 1 and a support base 2, and the support base 2 is connected to the bracket 1.

[0033] It also includes a transverse slide 3, which is slidably connected to the support seat 2 in the transverse direction, and a first transverse driving mechanism 31 is connected between the transverse slide 3 and the support seat 2. Preferably, the first transverse driving mechanism 31 includes a screw nut mechanism and a motor, the screw of the screw nut mechanism is rotatably connected to the support seat 2, the nut of the screw nut mechanism is connected to the transverse slide 3, and the motor drives the screw to rotate.

[0034] It also includes a plurality of pick-up and placement devices 4, each of which is slidably connected to the transverse slide 3 in the transverse direction, and a second transverse driving mechanism 41 is connected between each pick-up and placement device 4 and the transverse slide 3, and each second transverse driving mechanism 41 is independent of each other. Preferably, the second transverse driving mechanism 41 includes a screw nut mechanism and a motor, the screw of the screw nut mechanism is rotatably connected to the transverse slide 3, the nut of the screw nut mechanism is connected to the pick-up and placement device 4, and the motor drives the screw to rotate.

[0035] The pick-and-place device 4 has a pick-and-place movable end 441, which is suitable for vertical and longitudinal movement, and a gripper 5 is installed on the pick-and-place movable end 441. The gripper 5 is used for picking up and placing materials.

[0036] Based on the above structure, the multi-station robot arm provided by the present invention is set beside the stamping equipment when in use (this stamping equipment should be provided with multiple stations, and multiple molds are configured at the same time, and multiple molds are arranged in a row, and one stamping can simultaneously perform different processing on multiple materials), so that multiple grippers 5 basically correspond to each station. When it is necessary to transfer the material to the station, each gripper 5 extends and descends, the gripper 5 picks up the material, then the gripper 5 rises, the transverse slide 3 moves horizontally, so that multiple grippers 5 move horizontally together, then the gripper 5 descends, the gripper 5 puts down the material, the gripper 5 rises and retracts, and the above completes the action of moving the material from the previous station to the next station, and the materials on multiple stations are transferred together. In addition, under normal circumstances, multiple molds are not arranged at equal intervals. If the intervals between the grippers 5 are fixed, the grippers 5 may not be aligned with the mold after the transverse slide 3 moves horizontally. For this reason, the present invention sets up multiple independent second transverse drive mechanisms 41. Each gripper 5 is driven to move independently by an independently set second transverse drive mechanism 41. Through the second transverse drive mechanism 41, the transverse position of each gripper 5 can be fine-tuned, so that each gripper 5 can be adjusted to a suitable position before and after the transverse slide 3 moves horizontally. As for the materials at the first and last stations, they can be placed and taken away by external equipment, which is not described in the present invention.

[0037] Compared with the existing technology, setting up one such multi-station robotic arm can complete the picking, placing and transferring of materials between multiple stations. It has good integrity and can transfer materials on multiple stations at the same time, with high production efficiency. Through the coordination of the mechanical structure, the picking and placing accuracy is higher than manual. Each gripper moves independently of each other and can adapt to different stamping equipment, with strong adaptability.

[0038] In this embodiment, the support seat 2 is connected to the bracket 1 in a vertical sliding manner, and a first lifting mechanism 21 is connected between the support seat 2 and the bracket 1. Based on the above structure, when the staff needs to replace or repair the mold, the support seat 2 is lifted by the first lifting mechanism 21, and the staff can approach the mold from the bottom of the support seat 2 to operate the mold. Preferably, the first lifting mechanism 21 includes a screw nut mechanism and a motor, the screw of the screw nut mechanism is rotatably connected to the bracket 1, the nut of the screw nut mechanism is connected to the support seat 2, and the motor drives the screw to rotate.

[0039] In this embodiment, the pick-and-place device 4 includes a mounting frame 42, a lifting frame 43 and an outrigger arm 44; the mounting frame 42 is connected to the transverse slide 3 in a lateral sliding manner, and the second transverse driving mechanism 41 is connected between the mounting frame 42 and the transverse slide 3; the lifting frame 43 is connected to the mounting frame 42 in a vertical sliding manner, and a second lifting mechanism 431 is connected between the lifting frame 43 and the mounting frame 42; the outrigger arm 44 is connected to the lifting frame 43 in a longitudinal sliding manner, and an outrigger driving mechanism 442 is connected between the outrigger arm 44 and the lifting frame 43. Based on the above structure, when placing and taking materials, the lifting frame 43 is driven to rise and fall by setting the second lifting mechanism 431 to drive the outrigger arm 44 to rise and fall; when the mold is closed, the outrigger arm 44 cannot be located between the upper mold and the lower mold, but when placing and taking materials, the outrigger arm 44 needs to be located between the upper mold and the lower mold, and the outrigger driving mechanism 442 is set to drive the outrigger arm 44 to extend and retract. The extension drive mechanism 442 can adopt a pulley mechanism, in which a motor drives the pulley to move, and the extension arm 44 is connected to the belt and moves with the belt to achieve extension and retraction.

[0040] Preferably, the second lifting mechanism 431 includes a screw-nut mechanism and a motor, the screw of the screw-nut mechanism is rotatably connected to the mounting frame 42, the nut of the screw-nut mechanism is connected to the lifting frame 43, and the motor drives the screw to rotate; a cylinder 432 is connected between the lifting frame 43 and the mounting frame 42. The cylinder 432 is provided to assist the lifting frame 43 in rising, and the cylinder 432 provides an upward force for the lifting frame 43 to reduce the load of the second lifting mechanism 431.

[0041] In this embodiment, the gripper 5 is rotatably mounted on the pick-and-place movable end 441, and the gripper 5 is connected to the rotation drive mechanism 51. Based on the above structure, when the shape of some parts is relatively special, or when the direction of the material needs to be adjusted in different processing steps, it can be achieved by rotating the gripper 5. Preferably, the gripper 5 includes a mounting plate 52 and at least two electromagnets 53, the mounting plate 52 is rotatably mounted on the pick-and-place movable end 441 and driven by the rotation drive mechanism 51, and at least two electromagnets 53 are mounted on the mounting plate 52. Further preferably, the rotation drive mechanism 51 includes a pulley mechanism, the input end of the pulley mechanism is connected to the motor, and the output end of the pulley mechanism is connected to the gripper 5.

[0042] Of course, in the mechanical field, in addition to using screw-nut mechanisms and pulley mechanisms to achieve translation, telescopic and lifting, there are other mechanisms that can also achieve the above functions, such as telescopic cylinders, linear motors, electric slides, chain sprocket mechanisms, etc. The above mechanisms can also be used as the first lifting mechanism 21, the second lifting mechanism 431, the first transverse drive mechanism 31, the second transverse drive mechanism 41, and the extension drive mechanism 442 mentioned in the present invention; the above replacements also fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0043] In the absence of conflict, the above-mentioned embodiments and features thereof may be combined with each other.

[0044] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, rather than to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solution of the present invention can be modified or replaced by equivalents without departing from the essence and scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-station robot arm, characterized in that: include Bracket; A support seat, the support seat is connected to the bracket; A transverse sliding seat, the transverse sliding seat is connected to the support seat in a transverse sliding manner, and a first transverse driving mechanism is connected between the transverse sliding seat and the support seat; A plurality of pick-and-place devices, each of which is connected to the transverse sliding seat in a transverse sliding manner, a second transverse driving mechanism is connected between each of the pick-and-place devices and the transverse sliding seat, and each of the second transverse driving mechanisms is independent of each other; the pick-and-place device has a pick-and-place movable end, the pick-and-place movable end is suitable for vertical and longitudinal movement, and a gripper is installed on the pick-and-place movable end; The support seat is vertically slidably connected to the bracket, and a first lifting mechanism is connected between the support seat and the bracket; The pick-and-place device comprises a mounting frame, a lifting frame and an outrigger; the mounting frame is connected to the transverse sliding seat in a transverse sliding manner, and the second transverse driving mechanism is connected between the mounting frame and the transverse sliding seat; the lifting frame is connected to the mounting frame in a vertical sliding manner, and a second lifting mechanism is connected between the lifting frame and the mounting frame; The outrigger arm is connected to the lifting frame in a longitudinal sliding manner, and an outrigger driving mechanism is connected between the outrigger arm and the lifting frame; The gripper is rotatably mounted on the pick-and-place movable end, and the gripper is connected to a rotation driving mechanism.

2. The multi-station robot arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first lifting mechanism includes a screw-nut mechanism and a motor. The screw of the screw-nut mechanism is rotatably connected to the bracket, the nut of the screw-nut mechanism is connected to the support seat, and the motor drives the screw to rotate.

3. The multi-station robot arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second lifting mechanism includes a screw-nut mechanism and a motor, the screw of the screw-nut mechanism is rotatably connected to the mounting frame, the nut of the screw-nut mechanism is connected to the lifting frame, and the motor drives the screw to rotate; A cylinder is connected between the lifting frame and the mounting frame.

4. The multi-station robot arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gripper comprises a mounting plate and at least two electromagnets. The mounting plate is rotatably mounted on the pick-and-place movable end and is driven by the rotation drive mechanism. The at least two electromagnets are mounted on the mounting plate.

5. The multi-station robot arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotation driving mechanism comprises a pulley mechanism, an input end of the pulley mechanism is connected to a motor, and an output end of the pulley mechanism is connected to the gripper.

6. The multi-station robot arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first transverse driving mechanism includes a screw-nut mechanism and a motor. The screw of the screw-nut mechanism is rotatably connected to the support seat, the nut of the screw-nut mechanism is connected to the transverse sliding seat, and the motor drives the screw to rotate.

7. The multi-station robot arm according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second transverse driving mechanism includes a screw-nut mechanism and a motor. The screw of the screw-nut mechanism is rotatably connected to the transverse sliding seat, the nut of the screw-nut mechanism is connected to the pick-and-place device, and the motor drives the screw to rotate.

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