An automated production line for fidget spinners

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automated production line for a fingertip gyroscope. The automated production line uses a joint arm with a gyroscope body gripper at the end to automatically clamp the fingertip gyroscope body from a pallet, and place the body on a positioning fixture of an automatic fixture in a numerical control machine tool. The automatic fixture positions and clamps the gyroscope body, and the numerical control machine tool completes the automatic milling of the fingertip gyroscope body. After the processing by the numerical control machine tool is completed, the joint arm clamps the gyroscope body again and puts it back into the pallet from the automatic fixture, and the pallet carrying the processed gyroscope body is transported to the next process by a conveyor belt. For the production line of the fingertip gyroscope, the automated milling of the gyroscope body is completed by the coordination of the joint arm, the conveyor belt, the gyroscope body gripper and the numerical control machine tool. At the same time, the technical problems of the transmission, clamping, positioning and clamping of the fingertip gyroscope are solved, and the reliability and stability of the automated processing of the fingertip gyroscope are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an automated production line for a fidget spinner, in particular to an automated production line. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, under the background of transformation and upgrading of my country's manufacturing industry, automated production lines have become one of the main trends in modern production development as an important way to accelerate the development of social productivity, improve enterprise production technology and reduce workers' physical labor. Automated production lines have the characteristics of good processing accuracy, high productivity and small footprint, which can greatly shorten the production cycle and reduce costs, and ensure the balance of production. They have been more and more widely used in industrial production.

[0003] As a new toy that has been popular in the market in recent years, the degree of automation in the production and processing of fidget spinners is still at a low level. At present, the processing process usually uses manual clamping of the blank on the fixture, and then manually taking out the processed workpiece, placing it in a container, and moving it to the next process. Every process of the manual production line requires the intervention of workers, which is inefficient and consumes a lot of labor costs. Automated production lines generally use pneumatic devices and articulated arms to replace the mechanized operations of workers, and are placed on conveyor belts to transfer materials. The entire process of fixture clamping, blank machining, and material transfer can be achieved without manual intervention, which greatly improves production efficiency, saves labor costs, and can achieve 24-hour uninterrupted production.

[0004] Pneumatic devices have the characteristics of simple structure, light weight, simple installation and maintenance, and low pressure level, so safety during use can be guaranteed. At the same time, pneumatic devices use air as the working medium, which can be directly discharged into the air after use. It is not only low-cost, but also pollution-free to the environment. Articulated arm robots usually have a high degree of freedom and are almost suitable for work at any angle or trajectory within the range of travel. Each repeated action of the articulated arm robot has a high consistency, which can control the probability of errors in the production process to an extremely low level. The roller conveyor belts are easy to connect and transition, and multiple roller lines and other conveying equipment or special machines can be used to form a complex logistics conveying system to meet various process needs. It is suitable for conveying items with a flat bottom. It is mainly composed of a transmission roller, a rack, a bracket, a drive part, etc., and has the advantages of large conveying capacity and fast speed.

[0005] This patent is aimed at the production line of the fidget gyroscope, which uses a joint arm, a conveyor belt, a gyroscope body gripper and a CNC machine tool to complete the automated milling of the gyroscope body. At the same time, it solves the technical problems of the transmission, clamping, positioning and clamping of the fidget gyroscope, and improves the reliability and stability of the automated processing of the fidget gyroscope. Summary of the invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an automated production line for fidget spinners to achieve the above functions and objectives.

[0007] An embodiment of the present invention provides an automated production line for fidget gyroscopes, characterized in that the automated production line uses an articulated arm to automatically clamp a fidget gyroscope body from a pallet and place the body on an automatic fixture of a numerically controlled machine tool, and the numerically controlled machine tool performs automatic milling processing on the fidget gyroscope body; the automated production line mainly comprises a fidget gyroscope body, a conveyor belt, a pallet, an articulated arm, a gyroscope body gripper, a numerically controlled machine tool, and an automatic fixture; the articulated arm is installed on a base between the numerically controlled machine tool and the conveyor belt, an optimal operating plane at the end of the articulated arm is flush with the pallet and the automatic fixture, the fidget gyroscope body is placed on the pallet, the pallet is placed above the conveyor belt, the automatic fixture is fixed on the cradle of the numerically controlled machine tool, and the gyroscope body gripper is installed on the end of the articulated arm via an adapter plate.

[0008] Furthermore, the main body of the fidget gyroscope has an inward-concave triangular structure, with three arc protruding structures and three inward-concave arc waistlines, and the CNC machine tool automatically completes the milling process of the three arc protruding structures; the tray is made of aluminum alloy material, and the triangular tooling is fixed to the surface of the tray by means of threaded connection, and a positioning stop is designed at the bottom of the triangular tooling, and three arc bosses are designed on the upper part of the triangular tooling that match the inward-concave arc waistlines, and the main body of the fidget gyroscope is placed on the triangular tooling, and the arc bosses position the main body of the fidget gyroscope.

[0009] Furthermore, the gyroscope body gripper includes a three-claw finger cylinder and a body clamping finger. The three-claw finger cylinder is a cylindrical structure and includes three movable sliders with rectangular grooves. The three body clamping fingers are respectively installed on the three movable sliders by screws. A rectangular boss matching the rectangular groove is provided at the bottom of the body clamping finger. The upper part of the body clamping finger is designed with a concave arc structure matching the arc protruding structure of the gyroscope body. The body clamping finger and the movable slider are retracted and extended along the radial direction of the three-claw finger cylinder at the same time to complete the clamping and release of the gyroscope body.

[0010] Furthermore, the automatic fixture includes a positioning mechanism, a clamping mechanism, a positioning tool, a base plate and a cradle pad. The gyro body gripper places the gyro body on the positioning tool. The positioning tool is installed on the base plate. The axis of the positioning tool coincides with the cradle pad. The clamping mechanism and the positioning mechanism are installed on the surface of the base plate. The base plate is connected to the cradle of the CNC machine tool through the cradle pad. The positioning mechanism realizes the positioning of the gyro body, and the clamping mechanism presses the gyro body on the positioning tool to prepare for the milling process of the CNC machine tool.

[0011] Furthermore, the positioning mechanism includes a positioning cylinder, a linear guide rail, a slider, a positioning block and an adjusting nut. The linear guide rail is installed on the base plate and is perpendicular to the concave arc waistline of the gyroscope body. The front end of the positioning block is designed with a convex arc that matches the concave arc waistline of the gyroscope body. The positioning cylinder is connected to the base plate through an L adapter plate. The positioning block is installed on the upper surface of the slider and connected to the end of the push rod of the positioning cylinder. The relative position of the positioning block and the push rod of the positioning cylinder can be adjusted by the adjusting nut to control the telescopic stroke of the push rod; the push rod of the positioning cylinder drives the positioning block to extend, and the convex arc of the positioning block contacts the concave arc waistline of the gyroscope body and exerts a certain force, so as to realize the accurate positioning of the gyroscope body on the positioning tooling;

[0012] Furthermore, the clamping mechanism includes a clamping cylinder, a clamping connecting rod, and a pressure plate. The clamping connecting rod is installed at the end of the push rod of the clamping cylinder. The clamping cylinder can realize the rotation of the clamping connecting rod in a vertical plane. The pressure plate is installed at the end of the clamping connecting rod through an upper adjusting nut and a lower adjusting nut. The position of the pressure plate relative to the clamping connecting rod is adjustable. The pressure plate and the clamping connecting rod are rotated downward to clamp the gyroscope body, and the pressure plate and the clamping connecting rod are rotated upward to loosen the gyroscope body.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: (1) for the production line of the fidget gyroscope, the automated milling process of the gyroscope body is completed by cooperating with an articulated arm, a conveyor belt, a gyroscope body gripper and a CNC machine tool; (2) the technical difficulties in the transmission, clamping, positioning and clamping of the fidget gyroscope are solved, thereby improving the reliability and stability of the automated processing of the fidget gyroscope. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is an axial side view of the automated production line of the fidget spinner of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a fingertip gyroscope;

[0016] Figure 3 It is an exploded view of the pallet;

[0017] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the stop feature of the triangular fixture installation;

[0018] Figure 5 It is an exploded view of the articulated arm-adapter-gyro body gripper;

[0019] Figure 6 It is an exploded view of the gripper of the gyro body;

[0020] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the positioning boss features of the body clamping fingers;

[0021] Figure 8This is a schematic diagram of the automatic clamp release state;

[0022] Fig. 9 It is an exploded view of the articulated arm-adapter-gyro body gripper-automatic fixture;

[0023] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the automatic clamp clamping state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the various embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, but it should be noted that these embodiments are not limitations of the present invention, and any equivalent transformations or substitutions in functions, methods, or structures made by ordinary technicians in the field based on these embodiments are all within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] Ginseng Figures 1 to 8 As shown, Figure 1 This is an axial side view of the automatic production line of the fidget gyroscope of the present invention. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a fingertip gyroscope. Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the pallet. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the installation features of the triangular fixture. Figure 5 This is an exploded view of the articulated arm-adapter-gyro body gripper. Figure 6 This is an exploded view of the gyro body gripper. Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the positioning boss features of the body clamping fingers. Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic clamp release state. Fig. 9 This is an exploded view of the joint arm-adapter-gyro body gripper-automatic fixture. Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the automatic clamp clamping state.

[0026] This embodiment provides an automated production line for a fidget gyroscope. Figure 1As shown, the automated production line uses the articulated arm 3 to automatically clamp the fidget gyroscope body 6 from the pallet 4 and place it on the automatic fixture 34 of the CNC machine tool 1, and the CNC machine tool 1 completes the automatic milling of the fidget gyroscope body 6. The automated production line mainly includes the CNC machine tool 1, the gyroscope body gripper 2, the articulated arm 3, the pallet 4, the conveyor belt 5, the gyroscope body 6 and the automatic fixture 34. The CNC machine tool 1 uses a five-axis machining center with a cradle, the articulated arm 3 uses a six-degree-of-freedom articulated arm, and the end has a flange for installing external accessories. At the same time, the end of the articulated arm has a rotational degree of freedom. The upper rolling shafts of the conveyor belt 5 all have a power output function. The pallet 4 is in contact with four rolling shafts at the same time. Driven by the rolling shafts, the pallet 4 can move forward continuously. The articulated arm 3 is installed on the base 7 between the CNC machine tool 1 and the conveyor belt 5. The optimal operating plane of the end of the articulated arm 3 is flush with the pallet 4 and the automatic fixture 34. The gyroscope body gripper 2 is installed on the end of the articulated arm 3 through the adapter plate 15. The fingertip gyroscope body 6 is placed on the pallet 4. The pallet 4 is placed above the conveyor belt 5. The articulated arm 3 clamps the gyroscope body 6 and places it on the automatic fixture 34. The automatic fixture 34 positions and clamps the gyroscope body 6. The automatic fixture 34 is fixed on the cradle of the CNC machine tool 1. According to the processing instructions, the CNC machine tool 1 performs milling processing on the gyroscope body 6.

[0027] Ginseng Figure 2 As shown, the fingertip gyroscope is composed of a gyroscope body 6, a holding screw 8, a deep groove ball bearing 9 and a holding base cover 10. The shaft of the holding base cover 8 is matched with the inner ring of the deep groove ball bearing 9. The deep groove ball bearing 9 is installed in the center of the fingertip gyroscope body 6 by interference fit. The front end external thread of the holding screw 10 is matched with the internal thread of the holding base cover 8. At the same time, the inner ring of the deep groove ball bearing 9 is pressed by the shoulder, thereby completing the assembly of the fingertip gyroscope. Under the short-term action of the external rotation force, the gyroscope body 6 can rotate for a long time around the axis of the holding screw 8 and the holding base cover 10 by its own inertia.

[0028] Ginseng Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the gyroscope body 6 is an inward-concave triangular structure, with three arc-shaped protruding structures 6b and three inward-concave arc-shaped waistlines 6a, and the CNC machine tool 1 automatically completes the milling process of the three arc-shaped protruding structures 6b. The tray 11 is made of aluminum alloy material, and the weight of the tray 11 is reduced by adding weight-reducing grooves while ensuring the strength of the tray 11. The triangular fixture 14 is fixed to the surface of the tray 11 by threaded connection, and the bottom of the triangular fixture 14 is designed with a positioning stop 14a to improve the installation accuracy of the triangular fixture 14. The upper part of the triangular fixture 14 is designed with three arc-shaped bosses 14b that match the inward-concave arc-shaped waistlines, and the inner side of the arc-shaped bosses 14b has a guiding structure. The gyroscope body 6 is placed on the triangular fixture 14, and the arc-shaped bosses 14b position the gyroscope body 6 so that the gyroscope body 6 placed on the triangular fixture 14 does not move. The holding screw 8 and the holding base cover 10 are respectively placed on a screw fixing base 12 and a pin fixing base 13 installed on the surface of the tray 11. The screw fixing base 12 is fixed to the tray 11 by a threaded connection. The end of the pin fixing base 13 is designed with an external thread and fixed in a threaded hole at a corresponding position of the tray 11.

[0029] Ginseng Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, because the threaded hole positions at the end of the articulated arm 3 and the gyro body gripper 2 are inconsistent, the two are connected to each other through the adapter plate 15, and the articulated arm 3 can drive the gyro body gripper 2 to move to any position in three-dimensional space. The gyro body gripper 2 includes a three-claw finger cylinder 16 and a body clamping finger 17. The three-claw finger cylinder 16 is a cylindrical structure and includes three movable sliders 29 with rectangular grooves. The three body clamping fingers 17 are respectively installed on the three movable sliders 29 by screws 18. The bottom of the body clamping finger 17 is provided with a rectangular boss 17b that matches the rectangular groove. The upper part of the body clamping finger 17 is designed with a concave arc structure 17a that matches the arc protruding structure 6b of the gyro body 6. The body clamping finger 17 and the movable slider 29 are simultaneously retracted and extended along the radial direction of the three-claw finger cylinder 16 to complete the clamping and release of the gyro body 6. The concave arc structure 17 a ensures that the contact area between the gyro body gripper 2 and the gyro body 6 is always kept at the maximum when the gyro body gripper 2 grips the gyro body 6 , thereby ensuring that the gyro body gripper 2 grips the gyro body 6 effectively.

[0030] Ginseng Figure 8 and Fig. 9As shown, the automatic fixture 34 mainly includes a positioning mechanism, a clamping mechanism, a positioning fixture 24, a base plate 23 and a cradle pad 25. The gyro body gripper 2 places the gyro body 6 on the positioning fixture 24. The positioning fixture 24 is installed on the base plate 23. The axis of the positioning fixture 24 and the cradle pad 25 coincide. The clamping mechanism and the positioning mechanism are installed on the surface of the base plate 23. The base plate 23 is connected to the cradle of the CNC machine tool 1 through the cradle pad 25. In order to improve the positioning accuracy of the gyro body 6, the positioning mechanism pushes the concave arc waistline 6a of the gyro body 6 to achieve accurate positioning of the gyro body 6, so as to limit the three degrees of freedom of movement and three degrees of freedom of rotation of the gyro body 6. The clamping mechanism presses the gyro body 6 on the positioning fixture 24 to prepare for the milling process of the CNC machine tool 1. When the articulated arm 3 grabs the gyro body 6 and puts it into the automatic fixture 34 , the positioning mechanism retracts and the pressing mechanism is raised to the highest position, so that the gyro body 6 can be quickly placed on the positioning fixture 24 .

[0031] The positioning mechanism includes a positioning cylinder 30, a linear guide 33, a slider 32, a positioning block 26 and an adjusting nut 27. The linear guide 32 is mounted on the base plate 23 and is perpendicular to the concave arc waistline 6a of the gyro body 6. The front end of the positioning block 26 is designed with a convex arc that matches the concave arc waistline 6a of the gyro body 6. The positioning cylinder 30 is connected to the base plate 23 through an L adapter plate 31. The positioning block 26 is mounted on the upper surface of the slider 32 and is connected to the end of the push rod of the positioning cylinder 30. The relative position of the positioning block 26 and the push rod of the positioning cylinder 30 can be adjusted by adjusting the nut 27 to control the telescopic stroke of the push rod. The push rod of the positioning cylinder 30 drives the positioning block 26 to extend, and the convex arc of the positioning block 26 contacts the concave arc waistline 6a of the gyro body 6 and applies a certain force, so as to realize the accurate positioning of the gyro body 6 on the positioning fixture 24. During the actual adjustment process, it is necessary to ensure that the stroke of the positioning block 26 when in contact with the gyro body 6 is significantly smaller than the maximum stroke of the positioning cylinder 30, and to ensure that the thrust of the positioning cylinder 30 is fully applied to the side of the gyro body 6 when it is extended, so as to achieve accurate positioning of the gyro body 6.

[0032] The clamping mechanism includes a clamping cylinder 19, a clamping connecting rod 28, and a pressure plate 22. The clamping connecting rod 28 is installed at the end of the push rod of the clamping cylinder 19. The clamping cylinder 19 can realize the rotation of the clamping connecting rod 28 in a vertical plane. The pressure plate 22 is installed at the end of the clamping connecting rod through an upper adjustment nut 20 and a lower adjustment nut 21. The position of the pressure plate 22 relative to the clamping connecting rod 28 is adjustable. The pressure plate 22 and the clamping connecting rod 28 rotate downward to realize the clamping of the gyro body 6, and the pressure plate 22 and the clamping connecting rod 28 rotate upward to realize the loosening of the gyro body 6. By adjusting the positions of the upper adjustment nut 20 and the lower adjustment nut 21, when the pressure plate 22 rotates downward to clamp, the clamping plane of the pressure plate 22 is parallel to the end face of the gyro body 6, ensuring that the pressure plate 22 clamps the gyro body 6 with the maximum contact area.

[0033] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above and that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered exemplary and non-restrictive in all respects, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the above description, and it is intended that all changes falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims be included in the present invention.

Claims

1. An automated production line for fidget spinners, characterized in that: The articulated arm is used to automatically clamp the fidget gyroscope body from the pallet and place it on the automatic fixture of the CNC machine tool, and the CNC machine tool completes the automatic milling process of the fidget gyroscope body; the automated production line includes the fidget gyroscope body, a conveyor belt, a pallet, an articulated arm, a gyroscope body gripper, a CNC machine tool, and an automatic fixture; the articulated arm is installed on a base between the CNC machine tool and the conveyor belt, the optimal operating plane at the end of the articulated arm is flush with the pallet and the automatic fixture, the fidget gyroscope body is placed on the pallet, the pallet is placed above the conveyor belt, the automatic fixture is fixed on the cradle of the CNC machine tool, and the gyroscope body gripper is installed on the end of the articulated arm through an adapter plate; The automatic fixture includes a positioning mechanism, a clamping mechanism, a positioning fixture, a base plate and a cradle pad. The gyro body gripper places the gyro body on the positioning fixture. The positioning fixture is installed on the base plate. The axis of the positioning fixture and the cradle pad coincide. The clamping mechanism and the positioning mechanism are installed on the surface of the base plate. The base plate is connected to the cradle of the CNC machine tool through the cradle pad. The positioning mechanism realizes the positioning of the gyro body, and the clamping mechanism presses the gyro body on the positioning fixture to prepare for the milling process of the CNC machine tool. The positioning mechanism includes a positioning cylinder, a linear guide, a slider, a positioning block and an adjusting nut. The linear guide is installed on the base plate and is perpendicular to the concave arc waistline of the gyroscope body. The front end of the positioning block is designed with a convex arc that matches the concave arc waistline of the gyroscope body. The positioning cylinder is connected to the base plate through an L adapter plate. The positioning block is installed on the upper surface of the slider and connected to the end of the push rod of the positioning cylinder. The relative position of the positioning block and the push rod of the positioning cylinder can be adjusted by adjusting the nut to control the telescopic stroke of the push rod; the push rod of the positioning cylinder drives the positioning block to extend, and the convex arc of the positioning block contacts the concave arc waistline of the gyroscope body and applies a force to achieve accurate positioning of the gyroscope body on the positioning tooling; The clamping mechanism includes a clamping cylinder, a clamping connecting rod, and a pressure plate. The clamping connecting rod is installed at the end of the push rod of the clamping cylinder. The clamping cylinder can realize the rotation of the clamping connecting rod in a vertical plane. The pressure plate is installed at the end of the clamping connecting rod through an upper adjusting nut and a lower adjusting nut. The position of the pressure plate relative to the clamping connecting rod is adjustable. The pressure plate and the clamping connecting rod are rotated downward to clamp the gyroscope body, and the pressure plate and the clamping connecting rod are rotated upward to loosen the gyroscope body.

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