Flexible concave part grasping manipulator, grasping method, separation mechanism and separation method

Abstract

The present invention provides a flexible concave part grabbing manipulator, a grabbing method, a separation mechanism and a separation method. The flexible concave part grabbing manipulator includes a support seat, a slide rod slidingly inserted into the support seat, a follower seat connected to the slide rod, and at least three groups of claws hingedly arranged along the circumference of the support seat. The claws are hinged to the follower seat by a link plate hinged thereon, and a flexible sleeve is sleeved on the end of the claw. The sliding slide rod is used to pull the claws inward or outward, and when expanding outward, a flexible concave part external support structure is formed between the flexible sleeves; the separation mechanism includes a flexible concave part grabbing manipulator, a stacking rack for stacking flexible concave parts, and a flexible separation brush arranged at the discharge port of the stacking rack. The present invention adopts this grabbing manipulator, which is ingenious in conception and scientifically and rationally designed. It can achieve stable and reliable grabbing of flexible concave parts to meet actual production needs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of devices for grasping flexible concave parts, and in particular to a flexible concave part grasping manipulator, a grasping method, a separation mechanism and a separation method. Background Art

[0002] During the production process of existing flexible material objects, it is necessary to grasp and transfer the flexible material objects between various processes according to actual processing requirements to ensure the smooth progress of the entire production process. For example, the nutrient pots used for large-scale seedling cultivation are relatively thin. When the manufacturer produces them, they are usually packaged together in dozens or hundreds. Before use, the nested nutrient pots need to be separated one by one to lay the foundation for the subsequent automatic filling of soil and seedling cultivation in individual nutrient pots. However, when grasping and separating them, the following problems often occur:

[0003] 1. Since the nutrient pot itself is made of a flexible material and is relatively thin, it is difficult to use an existing manipulator (for example, the manipulator gripper disclosed in the Chinese patent application dated July 24, 2018, publication number CN108656147A, and invention titled "An Adaptive Manipulator Gripper") to stably and reliably grip flexible objects through external clamping.

[0004] 2. In order to achieve the grabbing and separation of stacked nutrient pots (i.e., multiple nutrient pots set together), the existing technology also uses a suction cup adsorption method to grab the nutrient pots. However, in actual operation, in dusty working environments, the suction cup adsorption is easily disturbed, so it cannot guarantee reliable adsorption of flexible material objects. In addition, it is easy to suck up multiple stacked flexible material objects at the same time during adsorption, resulting in poor separation effect and affecting processing efficiency.

[0005] Therefore, in order to solve the problems existing in the existing technology and meet actual production needs, our company has carried out corresponding research and development. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The main purpose of the present invention is to solve the problems existing in the prior art and to provide a flexible concave part grasping robot, grasping method, separation mechanism and separation method that are ingeniously conceived, scientifically and rationally designed, and can achieve stable and reliable grasping of flexible concave parts to meet actual production needs.

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a flexible concave part grasping robot arm, wherein the flexible concave part grasping robot arm includes a support seat, a sliding rod slidingly inserted in the support seat, a follower seat connected to the sliding rod, and at least three groups of claws hingedly arranged along the circumference of the support seat. The claws are hinged to the follower seat by a link plate hinged thereon, and a flexible sleeve is sleeved on the end of the claws. The sliding slide rod is used to pull the claws inward or outward, and when expanding outward, a flexible concave part external support structure is formed between the flexible sleeves. The support seat, the sliding rod, the follower seat, at least three groups of claws and the link plate cooperate to form an openable and closable robot arm structure, and combined with the flexible sleeve set at the end of the claw, a stable and reliable external support grasping method for the flexible concave part is formed, so as to effectively solve the problem that the flexible concave part is directly grasped by the existing robot by external clamping because of its soft texture, it is not easy to reliably clamp it externally, and the adsorption method is used to grasp it, which is easy to fail to be reliably adsorbed due to the harsh external environment.

[0008] Furthermore, the support seat and the follower seat are arranged coaxially. After at least three groups of the claws are fully retracted, the outer diameter between the ends of the claws is smaller than the outer diameter between the starting ends. After at least three groups of the claws are fully retracted, the state structure between the claws makes the manipulator suitable for grasping flexible concave parts of various specifications, and also makes its volume smaller after retraction, which is convenient for storage.

[0009] Furthermore, a first engaging ear is arranged on the support seat along its circumferential direction, and a hand claw is hinged on the first engaging ear.

[0010] Furthermore, the end of the sliding rod is also connected to a central top rod.

[0011] Furthermore, two engaging ears are arranged on the follower seat along its circumferential direction, and the two engaging ears are hinged to an end of the link plate away from the hand claw.

[0012] Furthermore, the flexible sleeve is configured as a spring silicone sleeve (rubber sleeve), a steel wire silicone sleeve (rubber sleeve) or a flexible silicone rod.

[0013] Furthermore, a gripper dome plate is provided at one end of the center top rod away from the sliding rod. Through the matching structure of the center top rod and the gripper dome plate, a rigid support and positioning can be provided between the center top rod and the flexible concave part to be grasped when the flexible concave part grasping robot grasps it, so as to ensure that the gripper has good external support and grasping of the flexible concave part.

[0014] A grasping method according to the above-mentioned flexible concave part grasping manipulator, wherein the grasping method is:

[0015] S1. Slide the slide bar in the support seat to close the claws inward;

[0016] S2, placing the flexible concave part grabbing manipulator in the concave area of the flexible concave part;

[0017] S3. Slide the slide bar in the opposite direction, and the claw moves toward the support seat and rotates and expands around the hinge point between it and the support seat, so that the flexible sleeve and the flexible concave part are in curved contact and the side wall of its concave area is supported outward. Under the action of the friction between the two, the flexible concave part is grasped.

[0018] By adopting the above-mentioned grasping method, through the innovative combination of the gripper and the flexible sleeve, a reasonable multi-point support layout for the concave area of the flexible concave part and stable and reliable external support assisted by friction can be formed, thereby meeting the needs of convenient and efficient grasping of the flexible concave part.

[0019] Furthermore, the method further includes a step of pressing the gripper dome plate on the central top rod against the bottom wall of the concave area of the flexible concave part, and this action is performed after step S2.

[0020] A separation mechanism, wherein the separation mechanism comprises the above-mentioned flexible concave part grasping robot.

[0021] Furthermore, the separation mechanism also includes a stacking rack for placing stacked flexible concave parts, and a flexible separation brush arranged at the discharge port of the stacking rack. The flexible concave part grabbing robot grabs the flexible concave parts one by one at the discharge port of the stacking rack, and the flexible separation brush brushes off the remaining flexible concave parts adhering to the outer wall of the grabbed flexible concave parts. The stacking rack places the stacked flexible concave parts to be separated, and the flexible separation brush assists in separating the remaining stacked parts adhering to the grabbed parts during the process of the flexible concave part grabbing robot taking the parts one by one, so as to ensure the smooth progress of the separation process of the stacked flexible concave parts one by one.

[0022] Furthermore, the flexible concave part grabbing robot is also driven to approach or move away from the stacking rack through a clamping jaw adjustment module, and the clamping jaw adjustment module moves with the flexible concave part grabbing robot to realize the grabbing and transfer of the flexible concave parts in the stacking rack one by one.

[0023] Furthermore, the flexible concave part grabbing manipulators and stacking racks are arranged in multiple groups in parallel, and the flexible concave part grabbing manipulators and stacking racks correspond one to one. The cooperation of multiple groups of flexible concave part grabbing manipulators and stacking racks enables the separation mechanism to simultaneously realize the simultaneous grabbing and separation of multiple groups of flexible concave parts, thereby improving production efficiency.

[0024] Furthermore, the sliding rods of the multiple groups of flexible concave part grasping manipulators are connected to the clamping joints, and the multiple groups of clamping joints are connected in series through a connecting rod to form a row of flexible concave part grasping manipulators.

[0025] Furthermore, the connecting rod in the flexible concave part grasping manipulator in the row is connected to the output end of a clamping jaw opening and closing cylinder module, and the clamping jaw opening and closing cylinder module drives the flexible concave part grasping manipulator in the row to move synchronously.

[0026] Furthermore, the flexible concave part grasping robots in rows are arranged in multiple rows side by side to form flexible concave part grasping robots in rows, wherein each connecting rod is connected to the output end of the same clamping jaw opening and closing cylinder module, and the same clamping jaw opening and closing cylinder module drives the flexible concave part grasping robots in rows to move synchronously, so as to realize batch stacking of flexible concave parts and grasping them one by one at the same time. The structural design of the flexible concave part grasping robots in rows further improves the production efficiency of the separation mechanism, so that it can perform efficient separation operations of batch stacked flexible concave parts.

[0027] Furthermore, a stacking adjustment module is provided at the stacking rack, and the stacking adjustment module adjusts the pieces to be grasped in the flexible concave pieces in the stacking rack to the grasping station.

[0028] Furthermore, the stacking rack includes a support frame and at least three groups of columns arranged on the support frame. The at least three groups of columns form a stacking flexible concave part placement area, and the spacing between adjacent columns is smaller than the diameter of the flexible concave part. The coordination of the support frame and the at least three groups of columns, as well as the design of the spacing between adjacent columns, achieves a good placement of the stacking flexible concave parts to ensure the smooth progress of the subsequent stacking separation process.

[0029] Furthermore, the support frame is configured as a regular polygonal support frame.

[0030] Furthermore, the support frame is configured as a square frame, and a group of columns is respectively provided at the midpoint of each group of frames of the square frame, and a placement area for stacked flexible concave parts is formed by four groups of columns. The placement area structure formed by the square frame and the four groups of columns utilizes the principle of an inscribed circle in a square to confine the stacked flexible concave parts to the placement area.

[0031] Furthermore, any two adjacent groups of the plurality of stacking racks share a set of support frame edges and columns to form stacking racks in rows.

[0032] Furthermore, the stacking racks are arranged in a row on a carrying frame, and the carrying frame is connected to the output end of the stacking adjustment module.

[0033] Furthermore, the stacking racks are arranged in multiple rows side by side, wherein any two adjacent rows share a row of support frame edges and columns, forming a layout of stacking racks in rows and rows, and any two adjacent groups of stacking racks share a group of support frame edges and columns. This ensures the strength of the stacking racks while saving materials and minimizing the overall weight.

[0034] Furthermore, the stacking racks arranged in rows and columns are all arranged on the same carrying frame, and the carrying frame is connected to the output end of the stacking adjustment module.

[0035] A method for separating stacked flexible concave parts based on the above-mentioned separation mechanism, wherein the method for separating stacked flexible concave parts is as follows: when a flexible concave part grasping robot grasps a flexible concave part, after the claw expands outward, the flexible sleeve generates an outward supporting force on the grasped flexible concave part, and the side wall of its concave area expands outward and deforms. At this time, when the flexible concave part is moved by the flexible concave part grasping robot, the subsequent flexible concave part will automatically have a tendency to detach, and the stacked flexible concave parts will expand outward and separate.

[0036] Furthermore, before the outward expansion and separation, the gripper dome plate in the flexible concave part grasping robot presses against the bottom wall of the concave area of the flexible concave part, causing the side walls of the concave area to gather close to the center top rod. The flexible concave part deforms inward and tends to separate from the side wall of the subsequent flexible concave part. The inward separation between the stacked flexible concave parts cooperates with the outward expansion and separation to form a first-level separation between the stacked flexible concave parts.

[0037] Furthermore, the flexible separation brush intercepts and brushes away the remaining flexible concave parts adhering to the outer side wall of the grasped flexible concave parts at the discharge port of the stacking rack, thereby achieving secondary separation between the stacked flexible concave parts.

[0038] Furthermore, for the stacked flexible parts placed vertically in the stacking rack, when the flexible concave parts are lifted upward one by one by the flexible concave part grabbing robot, the remaining flexible concave parts adhered to the outer wall of the lifted flexible concave parts will be detached under the action of gravity, forming gravity separation between the stacked flexible concave parts.

[0039] The combination of the above-mentioned multi-stage separation method for stacked flexible concave parts realizes the one-by-one grabbing and separation of batch stacked flexible concave parts, filling the technical gap in the existing stacked flexible concave parts that are difficult to grab and separate one by one. It has strong practicality and broad application prospects.

[0040] A method for destacking stacked flexible concave parts according to the above separation mechanism, wherein the destacking method for stacked flexible concave parts is:

[0041] Step 1: The stacking flexible concave part placed on the stacking rack is adjusted to the grabbing position by the stacking adjustment module;

[0042] Step 2: The gripper opening and closing cylinder module controls the gripper in the flexible concave part grasping manipulator to retract. During this process, the gripper adjustment module drives the flexible concave part grasping manipulator to move toward the grasping station until the gripper dome plate on the central push rod presses against the bottom wall of the concave area of the flexible concave part, and the retracted gripper is placed in the concave area of the flexible concave part.

[0043] Step 3: The gripper opening and closing cylinder module controls the gripper of the flexible concave part grasping manipulator to expand outwards and grasp the flexible concave part;

[0044] Step 4: The gripper adjustment module drives the flexible concave part grabbing manipulator to move away from the grabbing station. At the discharge port of the stacking rack, the flexible separation brush brushes away the remaining flexible concave parts adhering to the outer wall of the grabbed flexible concave part.

[0045] Step 5: The gripper opening and closing cylinder module controls the flexible concave part grabbing manipulator to place the grabbed flexible concave part on its storage fixture, completing the unstacking and grabbing of a group of flexible concave parts in the stacked flexible concave parts;

[0046] Step 6: Repeat the above steps 1 to 5 to realize unstacking and grabbing the flexible concave parts in the stacked flexible concave parts one by one.

[0047] The advantages and positive effects of the present invention are:

[0048] (1) The structure of an openable and closable manipulator is formed by the cooperation of a support seat, a slide rod, a follower seat, at least three groups of grippers and a link plate, and combined with a flexible sleeve provided at the end of the gripper, a stable and reliable external support grasping method for flexible concave parts is formed, so as to effectively solve the problem that the flexible concave parts are grasped by direct external clamping by the existing manipulator, which is not easy to be reliably clamped due to their soft texture, and grasped by adsorption, which is easy to be unable to be reliably adsorbed due to the harsh external environment.

[0049] (2) Through the innovative combination of the gripper and the flexible sleeve, a reasonable multi-point support layout is formed for the concave area of the flexible concave part, and a stable and reliable external support is provided with the assistance of friction, thereby meeting the needs of convenient and efficient grasping of the flexible concave part.

[0050] (3) Any two adjacent stacking racks share a set of support frame edges and columns, which not only ensures the strength of the stacking racks, but also saves materials and has the lightest overall weight.

[0051] (4) The combination of the multi-stage separation method for stacked flexible concave parts realizes the one-by-one grabbing and separation of batch stacked flexible concave parts, filling the technical gap of the existing stacked flexible concave parts that are difficult to grab and separate one by one. It has strong practicality and broad application prospects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the flexible concave part grasping manipulator in the present invention.

[0053] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the separation mechanism in the present invention.

[0054] Figure 3 It is a structural diagram of the flexible concave part grasping robot when it is set in the separation mechanism.

[0055] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure when the central push rod and the gripper dome plate are pressed against the bottom wall of the concave area of the flexible concave part (at this time, the claws in the flexible concave part gripping robot are in the open state).

[0056] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of a stacking rack in rows and columns (where the support frame adopts a square frame).

[0057] Figure 6 This is another structural diagram of a stacking rack in rows and columns (where the support frame adopts an equilateral triangle frame).

[0058] Figure 7 yes Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the partially enlarged structure of the flexible separation brush part.

[0059] Figure 8 This is a block diagram of the control relationship between the controller and various electrical components in the present invention.

[0060] In the figure: flexible concave part grabbing robot 1, support base 11, slide rod 12, follower base 13, gripper 14, link plate 15, flexible sleeve 16, center push rod 17, gripper dome plate 18, gripper joint 19, stacking rack 2, support frame 21, column 22, flexible separation brush 3, gripper adjustment module 4, stacking adjustment module 5, connecting rod 6, gripper opening and closing cylinder module 7, connecting plate 71, carrying frame 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] In order to better understand the present invention, the present invention is further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and drawings.

[0062] Example 1

[0063] like Figure 1 As shown, the flexible concave part grasping robot 1 includes a support base 11, a slide rod 12 slidingly inserted into the support base 11, a follower base 13 connected to the slide rod 12, and at least three groups of grippers 14 hingedly arranged along the circumference of the support base 11. The grippers 14 are hinged to the follower base 13 by a link plate 15 hinged thereon, and a flexible sleeve 16 is sleeved on the end of the gripper 14. The sliding slide rod 12 is used to pull the grippers 14 inward or outward, and when expanding outward, a flexible concave part external support structure is formed between the flexible sleeves 16.

[0064] Among them, the flexible concave part can be a concave object of flexible material such as a nutrient bowl. When grasping the concave object of the aforementioned flexible material, the flexible concave part grasping robot 1 in the present application can be used to make its claw 14 open from the concave cavity of the concave object of the flexible material. At this time, the flexible sleeve 16 is pressed against the inner side wall of the concave object of the flexible material, forming a tendency for its side wall to expand outward, thereby realizing external support grasping. Of course, for convex objects of flexible materials, the grasping robot in the present application can also use an external clamping method with the assistance of the friction between its flexible sleeve 16 and the convex object of the flexible material to reliably grasp the convex object of the flexible material.

[0065] Specifically, at least three groups of grippers 14 are evenly hinged along the circumferential direction of the support seat 11, and a four-link 6 structure is formed between the support seat 11, the grippers 14, the link plate 15 and the follower seat 13, so that when the slide bar 12 slides in the support seat 11, the opening and closing action of the flexible concave part grasping robot 1 is realized; the flexible sleeve 16 is sleeved on the end of the gripper 14, so that after the flexible sleeve 16 is worn out after long-term use of the robot, only the flexible sleeve 16 needs to be replaced, and its grippers 14 and other parts can still continue to be used, thereby extending the service life of the robot and reducing costs. At the same time, the corresponding flexible sleeve 16 can be matched and replaced according to the material of the flexible material object being grasped, further improving the scope of application of the robot and making it highly practical.

[0066] In addition, the flexible concave part grasping robot 1 in the present application adopts an innovative combination of a robot and a flexible sleeve 16 to achieve convenient and reliable grasping of flexible material objects (flexible concave parts and convex objects made of flexible materials). No matter what angle the flexible material object to be grasped is placed at (vertically, horizontally or at a certain angle), the robot in the present application can grasp the flexible material object, thereby effectively avoiding the use of existing adsorption methods, which makes it difficult to ensure reliable adsorption of flexible material objects when the environment is harsh (such as a lot of dust), and the problem that it is inconvenient to use existing robots to grasp flexible material objects.

[0067] Furthermore, the support seat 11 and the follower seat 13 are coaxially arranged, and after at least three groups of claws 14 are completely retracted, the outer diameter between the ends of the claws 14 is smaller than the outer diameter between the starting ends.

[0068] Specifically, in order to achieve that when at least three groups of claws 14 are completely retracted, the outer diameter between their ends is smaller than the outer diameter between their starting ends, the radial distance a from the hinge point of the claws 14 at the support seat 11 to the axis of the support seat 11 can be greater than the radial distance b from the hinge point of the link plate 15 at the follower seat 13 to the axis of the follower seat 13, and the sum of the length of the link plate 15 and the radial distance b is greater than the radial distance a.

[0069] Furthermore, a connecting ear 1 is arranged along the circumferential direction of the support seat 11, and the connecting ear 1 is hinged to the claw 14. A connecting ear 2 is arranged along the circumferential direction of the follower seat 13, and the connecting ear 2 is hinged to the end of the link plate 15 away from the claw 14.

[0070] Specifically, the number and position of the first engaging lug and the second engaging lug correspond one-to-one to the grippers 14 .

[0071] Furthermore, the flexible sleeve 16 is configured as a spring silicone sleeve (rubber sleeve), a steel wire silicone sleeve (rubber sleeve) or a flexible silicone rod.

[0072] Specifically, the flexible sleeve 16 can be sleeved on the end of the gripper 14. The sleeve length on the end of the gripper 14 and the contact length between the flexible sleeve 16 and the flexible material object to be grasped need to be determined according to the friction coefficient of its own material and the friction performance between the flexible material objects to be grasped. The optimal sleeve length range is determined to ensure a better grasping effect. Generally speaking, when grasping the nutrient pot, the contact length value between the flexible sleeve 16 and the inner wall of the nutrient pot is 2 / 3 of the height value of the nutrient pot.

[0073] Example 2

[0074] like Figure 1 As shown, the difference from the first embodiment is that, further, the end of the slide rod 12 is further connected to a central top rod 17 , and a grip dome plate 18 is provided at the end of the central top rod 17 away from the slide rod 12 .

[0075] Among them, a gripper dome plate 18 can also be directly set at the end of the slide rod 12. At this time, the end of the slide rod 12 should extend out of the plane where the end of the claw 14 is located after it is inwardly or outwardly expanded, so as to ensure that when grasping the flexible concave part, the gripper dome plate 18 can first be pressed against the bottom wall of the concave area of the flexible concave part to be grasped, providing a rigid support positioning for the grasping operation of the claw 14.

[0076] Example 3

[0077] like Figure 1 As shown, a grasping method of the flexible concave part grasping manipulator 1 according to the first and second embodiments is as follows:

[0078] S1. Slide the slide bar 12 in the support base 11 to close the hand claw 14;

[0079] S2, placing the flexible concave part grasping robot 1 in the concave area of the flexible concave part;

[0080] S3. Slide the slide bar 12 in the opposite direction, and the claw 14 moves toward the support seat 11 and rotates and expands around the hinge point between it and the support seat 11, so that the flexible sleeve 16 is in curved contact with the flexible concave part and the side wall of its concave area is supported outward. Under the action of the friction between the two, the flexible concave part is grasped.

[0081] Specifically, during the outward expansion process of the gripper 14, the gripper 14 has two actions. It not only generates a rotation tendency around the hinge point of the support seat 11 to support the side wall of the concave area of the flexible concave part, but also generates a moving action with the slide bar 12 to lift the entire flexible concave part through the side wall of the concave area of the flexible concave part. In addition, after the gripper 14 supports the side wall of the concave area of the flexible concave part, due to the effect of its own material and the material of the flexible concave part (both are flexible materials, and when the gripper 14 moves with the flexible sleeve 16, the two will be deformed due to the extrusion effect), the two are in curved contact, thereby increasing the friction between the gripper 14 and the flexible concave part, thereby realizing a reliable grasping operation of the flexible concave part.

[0082] Furthermore, the method further includes pressing the gripping dome plate 18 on the central push rod 17 against the bottom wall of the concave area of the flexible concave member, and this action is performed after step S2.

[0083] Example 4

[0084] like Figure 2 、 Figure 3 、 Figure 4 and Figure 7 As shown, the separation mechanism includes the flexible concave part grasping robot 1 described in the first and second embodiments.

[0085] Furthermore, the separation mechanism also includes a stacking rack 2 for placing stacked flexible concave parts, and a flexible separation brush 3 arranged at the discharge port of the stacking rack 2. The flexible concave part grabbing robot 1 grabs the flexible concave parts one by one from the discharge port of the stacking rack 2, and the flexible separation brush 3 brushes away the remaining flexible concave parts adhering to the outer wall of the grabbed flexible concave parts.

[0086] Specifically, in order to be able to brush off the remaining flexible concave parts adhering to the outer wall of the grasped flexible concave part without affecting the normal grasping operation of the flexible concave part grasping robot 1, it is necessary to debug to ensure that the friction force of the flexible separation brush 3 in brushing off the sticky accessories is less than the grasping friction force of the grasped flexible concave part. The debugging of the friction force of the flexible separation brush 3 can be achieved by adjusting the diameter specifications of the flexible separation brush 3, the number of settings at the discharge port, the length of its end extending to the discharge port, and the selection of its specific material.

[0087] Furthermore, the flexible concave part grabbing robot 1 is driven to approach or move away from the stacking rack 2 through a gripper adjustment module 4 .

[0088] Specifically, the gripper adjustment module 4 can adopt an existing lifting cylinder structure (specifically, it can be one of a pneumatic cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, an electric cylinder or an oil cylinder), and the output end of its piston rod is fixedly connected to the support seat 11 in the flexible concave part grasping robot 1, or adopt an existing chain sprocket transmission lifting structure, a belt transmission lifting structure, a gear rack lifting structure, a ball screw lifting structure, etc. Of course, in order to further meet actual needs, the flexible concave part can be transferred in space after separation, and a three-coordinate transfer mechanical structure can also be designed to match it, which will not be expanded here.

[0089] Furthermore, a stacking adjustment module 5 is provided at the stacking rack 2 , and the stacking adjustment module 5 adjusts the pieces to be grasped in the flexible concave pieces stacked in the stacking rack 2 to the grasping station.

[0090] Specifically, the stacking adjustment module 5 can adopt the lifting cylinder structure of the existing technology (specifically, it can be one of the pneumatic cylinder, hydraulic cylinder, electric cylinder or oil cylinder), or adopt the existing chain sprocket transmission lifting structure, belt transmission lifting structure, gear rack lifting structure, ball screw lifting structure, etc.

[0091] Example 5

[0092] like Figure 2 、 Figure 3 、 Figure 4 and Figure 7 As shown, the difference from the fourth embodiment is that, further, multiple groups of flexible concave part grasping robots 1 and stacking racks 2 are arranged in parallel, and the flexible concave part grasping robots 1 and stacking racks 2 correspond one to one.

[0093] Specifically, the support bases 11 in the multiple groups of flexible concave part grasping robots 1 are all fixed on a mounting plate, and the other parts of the flexible concave part grasping robots 1 are slidably passed through the mounting plate, and the mounting plate is fixed to the output end of the gripper adjustment module 4.

[0094] Furthermore, the sliding rods 12 of the multiple groups of flexible concave part grasping manipulators 1 are all connected to the clamping claw joints 19, and the multiple groups of clamping claw joints 19 are connected in series through a connecting rod 6 to form a row of flexible concave part grasping manipulators 1.

[0095] Furthermore, the connecting rod 6 in the array of flexible concave parts grasping manipulator 1 is connected to the output end of a clamping jaw opening and closing cylinder module 7, and the clamping jaw opening and closing cylinder module 7 drives the array of flexible concave parts grasping manipulator 1 to move synchronously.

[0096] Furthermore, a plurality of stacking racks 2 arranged in parallel form a row of stacking racks, and the row of stacking racks is arranged on a carrying frame 8 , and the carrying frame 8 is connected to the output end of the stacking adjustment module 5 .

[0097] Example 6

[0098] like Figure 2 、 Figure 3 、 Figure 4 and Figure 7 As shown, the difference from Example 5 is that, further, multiple rows of flexible concave part grasping robots 1 are arranged side by side to form rows of flexible concave part grasping robots 1, wherein each connecting rod 6 is connected to the output end of the same clamping jaw opening and closing cylinder module 7, and the same clamping jaw opening and closing cylinder module 7 drives the rows of flexible concave part grasping robots 1 to move synchronously, so as to realize batch stacking of flexible concave parts and grasping them one by one.

[0099] Specifically, the gripper joint 19 adopts a fisheye joint, a universal joint or other structure with a universal effect (or capable of achieving an angle adjustment effect) to adjust the vertical position of the flexible concave part grasping manipulator 1 in the same row, so as to facilitate the series connection of the flexible concave part grasping manipulator 1 in the same row by the connecting rod 6; the connecting rod 6 can be an optical axis, and the gripper opening and closing cylinder module 7 is arranged on the mounting plate, and the gripper opening and closing cylinder module 7 can be arranged to include a telescopic cylinder and a connecting plate 71 connected to the output end of the telescopic cylinder. The connecting plate 71 is clamped on the connecting rod 6 so that when the telescopic cylinder is extended and retracted, the connecting rod 6 moves accordingly, and the connecting rod 6 drives the multiple groups of flexible concave part grasping manipulators 1 to open and close synchronously, thereby realizing the synchronous opening and closing of the flexible concave parts in multiple groups of stacked flexible concave parts. The connecting plate 71 can be a mounting plate with an F-type adjustment block or other structure capable of realizing horizontal and vertical adjustment, so as to adjust the horizontal mounting gap between adjacent connecting rods 6 through the horizontal slot of the F-type adjustment block on the mounting plate, and adjust the vertical mounting position between adjacent connecting rods 6 through the vertical slot hole of the F-type adjustment block on the mounting plate, so as to ensure good assembly between the flexible concave parts grasping manipulator 1 in rows and the clamping jaw opening and closing cylinder module 7, and adopt a structure that cooperates with the clamping jaw joint 19, the connecting rod 6 and the connecting plate 71, so that the flexible concave parts grasping manipulator 1 in rows and columns can be opened and closed at the same time, which not only ensures the synchronization of the flexible concave parts grasping manipulator 1 in rows and columns when working, but also reduces the processing cost.

[0100] Furthermore, corresponding to the rows of flexible concave part grabbing manipulators 1, multiple rows of row stacking racks are arranged side by side to form row stacking racks.

[0101] Furthermore, the stacking racks arranged in rows and columns are all arranged on the same carrying frame 8 , and the carrying frame 8 is connected to the output end of the stacking adjustment module 5 .

[0102] In addition, if Figure 8As shown, in order to further improve the degree of automation of the separation mechanism, a controller can also be provided, which is electrically connected to the clamping jaw adjustment module 4, the stacking adjustment module 5 and the clamping jaw opening and closing cylinder module 7. The specific electrical connection method, control principle and electrical connection structure between the controller and the aforementioned components are all existing technologies, so they will not be described in detail.

[0103] The structural design of the above-mentioned row-by-row flexible concave part grabbing robot 1 and row-by-row stacking rack can realize the simultaneous grabbing of multiple rows and columns of stacked flexible concave parts one by one, so as to meet the efficient separation of batch stacked flexible concave parts according to actual production needs.

[0104] Example 7

[0105] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the difference from Examples 4 to 6 is that, further, the stacking rack 2 includes a support frame 21, and at least three groups of columns 22 arranged on the support frame 21, and the at least three groups of columns 22 are surrounded to form a stacking flexible concave part placement area, and the distance between adjacent columns 22 is less than the diameter of the flexible concave part.

[0106] Specifically, the stacking rack 2 adopts the above-mentioned structure, which is applicable when the flexible concave member is in a conical, truncated cone or columnar structure.

[0107] Furthermore, the support frame 21 is configured as a regular polygonal support frame 21 .

[0108] Specifically, the support frame 21 may be in the shape of a regular triangle, a square, a regular pentagon, or a regular hexagon.

[0109] Furthermore, the support frame 21 is configured as a square frame, and a group of columns 22 are respectively provided at the midpoint of each group of frames of the square frame, and a stacking flexible concave component placement area is formed by four groups of columns 22 surrounding each other.

[0110] Furthermore, any two adjacent groups of the plurality of stacking racks 2 share a set of support frame 21 edges and columns 22 to form a row of stacking racks.

[0111] Furthermore, multiple rows of stacking racks are arranged side by side, wherein any two adjacent rows share a row of support frames 21 borders and columns 22 to form row-by-row stacking racks.

[0112] Specifically, it is preferred that the support frame 21 in multiple groups of stacking racks 2 is a square frame. When a set of frame frames and columns 22 are shared between two adjacent groups, the stacking flexible concave parts in the rows and columns of stacking racks can be arranged in a collinear manner, which is convenient for the flexible concave part robot to clamp them. However, when frames of other shapes form rows and columns of stacking racks, adjacent stacking flexible concave parts are not collinear, and the positions of the flexible concave part robots in the rows and columns need to be arranged accordingly, and the corresponding series structure needs to be designed, or the sensor components and the three-coordinate transfer mechanical structure need to be coordinated to ensure their synchronous movement. The structure is complex and the cost is high.

[0113] Example 8

[0114] like Figure 2-Figure 8 As shown, a method for separating stacked flexible concave parts according to the separation mechanism described in Examples 4 to 7, wherein the method for separating stacked flexible concave parts is as follows: during the process of the flexible concave part grasping robot 1 grasping the flexible concave part, after the claw 14 expands outward, the flexible sleeve 16 generates an outward supporting force on the grasped flexible concave part, and the side wall of the concave area thereof expands outward and deforms. At this time, when the flexible concave part grasping robot 1 moves with the flexible concave part, the subsequent flexible concave part will automatically have a tendency to detach, and the stacked flexible concave parts will expand outward and separate.

[0115] Furthermore, before the outward expansion and separation, the gripper dome plate 18 in the flexible concave part grasping robot 1 presses against the bottom wall of the concave area of the flexible concave part, causing the side walls of the concave area to gather close to the center top rod 17. The flexible concave part deforms inward and tends to separate from the side wall of the subsequent flexible concave part. The inward separation between the stacked flexible concave parts cooperates with the outward expansion and separation to form a first-level separation between the stacked flexible concave parts.

[0116] Specifically, the center top rod 17 and the gripper dome plate 18 press against the bottom wall of the concave area of the flexible concave part, which can generate a pressure on the stacked flexible concave parts when the flexible concave part grasping robot 1 performs the grasping work, and compress the stacked flexible concave parts, so that the stacked flexible concave parts in the rows and columns of the stacking rack can be grasped basically in the same plane (that is, the rows and columns of stacked flexible concave parts are leveled before grasping), so as to ensure good grasping of the rows and columns of flexible concave parts and avoid some flexible concave parts from being grasped. The grasping robot 1 has not yet reached the flexible concave parts to be grasped, while some flexible concave parts grasping robot 1 are already located in them, so that the grasping work can be carried out smoothly. At the same time, the center top rod 17 and the grasping dome plate 18 press against the bottom wall of the concave area of the flexible concave parts, which can provide a rigid support for the flexible concave part grasping robot 1 when grasping. In addition, after the previous flexible concave part is pressed, a gap will be generated between it and the next flexible concave part due to the inward trend, which makes it easy to separate the stacked flexible concave parts.

[0117] Furthermore, the flexible separation brush 3 intercepts and brushes away the remaining flexible concave parts adhering to the outer side wall of the grasped flexible concave parts at the discharge port of the stacking rack 2, thereby achieving secondary separation between the stacked flexible concave parts.

[0118] Furthermore, for the stacked flexible parts placed vertically in the stacking rack 2, when the flexible concave parts are lifted upward one by one by the flexible concave part grabbing robot 1, the remaining flexible concave parts adhered to the outer wall of the lifted flexible concave parts will be detached under the action of gravity, forming gravity separation between the stacked flexible concave parts.

[0119] The combination of the above-mentioned multi-stage separation method for stacked flexible concave parts realizes the one-by-one grabbing and separation of batch stacked flexible concave parts, filling the technical gap in the existing stacked flexible concave parts that are difficult to grab and separate one by one. It has strong practicality and broad application prospects.

[0120] Example 9

[0121] like Figure 2-Figure 8 As shown, a method for destacking stacked flexible concave parts of the separation mechanism according to the fourth to seventh embodiments is described, wherein the method for destacking stacked flexible concave parts is as follows:

[0122] Step 1: The stacking flexible concave parts placed on the stacking rack 2 are adjusted to the grabbing position by the stacking adjustment module 5;

[0123] Step 2: The gripper opening and closing cylinder module 7 controls the gripper 14 in the flexible concave part grasping manipulator 1 to close inward. During this process, the gripper adjustment module 4 drives the flexible concave part grasping manipulator 1 to move toward the grasping station until the gripper dome plate 18 on the central push rod 17 presses against the bottom wall of the concave area of the flexible concave part, and the closed gripper 14 is placed in the concave area of the flexible concave part.

[0124] Step 3: The gripper opening and closing cylinder module 7 controls the gripper 14 of the flexible concave part grasping manipulator 1 to expand outwards and grasp the flexible concave part;

[0125] Step 4: The gripper adjustment module 4 drives the flexible concave part grabbing robot 1 to move away from the grabbing station. At the discharge port of the stacking rack 2, the flexible separation brush 3 brushes away the remaining flexible concave parts adhering to the outer wall of the grabbed flexible concave part.

[0126] Step 5: The jaw opening and closing cylinder module 7 controls the flexible concave part grabbing manipulator 1 to place the grabbed flexible concave part on its storage fixture, completing the unstacking and grabbing of a group of flexible concave parts in the stacked flexible concave parts;

[0127] Step 6: Repeat the above steps 1 to 5 to realize unstacking and grabbing the flexible concave parts in the stacked flexible concave parts one by one.

[0128] Specifically, the storage fixture is a holding device for placing the grasped flexible concave part, which is specifically combined with the structural design of the flexible concave part.

[0129] Now take the above separation mechanism to grab and separate the stacked nutrient pots as an example, and the destacking process is as follows:

[0130] 1. Place multiple groups of stacked nutrient pots in sequence between the columns 22 on the support frame 21 in multiple rows and columns;

[0131] 2. Start the stacking adjustment module 5 to adjust each stack of nutrient pots to the grabbing position;

[0132] 3. Start the jaw opening and closing cylinder module 7 and the jaw adjustment module 4. The jaw opening and closing cylinder module 7 controls the slide bar 12 to slide in the support base 11, so that the claws 14 are brought inward. During this process, the claw adjustment module simultaneously moves the entire flexible concave part grasping robot 1 toward the grasping station until the gripper dome plate 18 presses against the inner bottom wall of the stacking nutrient pot, and the inwardly gathered claws 14 are located in the inner cavity of the nutrient pot;

[0133] 4. Then control the jaw opening and closing cylinder module 7 to slide the slide rod 12 in the opposite direction in the support base 11, so that the claw 14 expands outward and the flexible sleeve 16 opens the side wall of the nutrient pot outward to achieve the grasping of the nutrient pot;

[0134] 5. Afterwards, the gripper adjustment module 4 controls the flexible concave part grabbing manipulator 1 to take the grabbed nutrient pot away from the grabbing station. During this process, the flexible separation brush 3 intercepts and brushes away the remaining nutrient pots adhering to the outer wall of the nutrient pot;

[0135] 6. When the gripper adjustment module 4 in step 5 moves the flexible concave part grabbing manipulator 1 to the nutrient pot storage fixture, the gripper opening and closing cylinder module 7 and the slide rod 12 slide in the support seat 11, controlling the hand gripper 14 to close inward, placing the nutrient pot on its storage fixture, and completing the grabbing and separation of a single group of nutrient pots;

[0136] 7. Repeat steps 2 to 6 above to achieve multiple groups of stacked nutrient pots and separate them one by one.

[0137] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above, but the contents described are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and should not be considered to limit the scope of the present invention. All equivalent changes and improvements made within the scope of the present invention should still fall within the scope of this patent.

Claims

1. Separation mechanism, characterized by: The separation mechanism comprises a plurality of flexible concave part grasping manipulators (1); The flexible concave part grasping manipulator (1) comprises a support seat (11), a slide rod (12) slidingly inserted into the support seat (11), a follower seat (13) connected to the slide rod (12), and at least three groups of grippers (14) hingedly arranged along the circumference of the support seat (11), wherein the grippers (14) are hingedly connected to the follower seat (13) by a link plate (15) hinged thereon, and a flexible sleeve (16) is sleeved on the end of the grippers (14), and the slide rod (12) is slid to pull the grippers (14) inward or outward, and when expanding outward, a flexible concave part outer support structure is formed between the flexible sleeves (16); The end of the slide rod (12) is also connected to a central top rod (17); A gripping dome plate (18) is provided at one end of the central top rod (17) away from the slide rod (12); The separation mechanism further comprises a stacking rack (2) for placing stacked flexible concave parts, and a flexible separation brush (3) arranged at the discharge port of the stacking rack (2); the flexible concave part grabbing manipulator (1) grabs the flexible concave parts one by one from the discharge port of the stacking rack (2), and the flexible separation brush (3) brushes away the remaining flexible concave parts adhering to the outer side wall of the grabbed flexible concave parts; The stacked flexible concave parts separation method applied to the separation mechanism is as follows: when the flexible concave part grasping manipulator (1) grasps the flexible concave parts, after the claw (14) expands outward, the flexible sleeve (16) generates an outward supporting force on the grasped flexible concave parts, and the side wall of the concave area thereof expands outward and deforms. At this time, when the flexible concave part grasping manipulator (1) moves with the flexible concave parts, the next flexible concave parts will automatically have a tendency to separate, and the stacked flexible concave parts will expand outward and separate; Before the outward expansion separation, the gripper dome plate (18) in the flexible concave part grasping manipulator (1) presses against the bottom wall of the concave area of the flexible concave part, causing the side walls of the concave area to gather close to the center top rod (17). The flexible concave part deforms inwardly and has a tendency to separate from the side wall of the next flexible concave part. The inward separation between the stacked flexible concave parts cooperates with the outward expansion separation to form a first-level separation between the stacked flexible concave parts.

2. The separation mechanism according to claim 1, wherein: The flexible separation brush (3) is located at the discharge port of the stacking rack (2) and intercepts the remaining flexible concave parts adhering to the outer side wall of the grasped flexible concave parts, thereby achieving secondary separation between the stacked flexible concave parts.

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