A grinding disc quick-change structure for automated grinding by a manipulator

Abstract

The present invention discloses a quick-change structure for grinding discs used in robotic automated grinding, comprising a grinding disc, a tray assembly, a tool holder, and a hollow cylinder clamp assembly. A lower toothed snap disc is fixed to the back of the grinding disc. The tray assembly comprises an upper toothed disc, a retractable locking pin mechanism, a grinding disc support tray, and a mandrel. The retractable locking pin mechanism secures the lower toothed snap disc on the grinding disc to the upper toothed disc, achieving meshing of the face gears on both sides. One end of the tool holder is connected to the grinding disc via the tray assembly, while the other end is loaded and connected to the grinding machine. This invention solves the problem of quick-change of high-cutting grinding discs, thereby significantly improving the efficiency and effectiveness of robotic grinding processes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a grinding plate quick-change structure, in particular to a grinding plate quick-change structure for automated grinding by a manipulator. Background Art

[0002] Because grinding is a high-intensity, high-dust, and high-noise high-risk job, and skilled and stable grinding labor resources are becoming increasingly scarce today, more and more grinding processes will be performed through automated equipment or systems in the future. Robotic arms, due to their operational flexibility, have gradually been used in the field of grinding. However, the vast majority of grinding tools and grinding consumables currently on the market are designed for manual operation and are not suitable for direct use by robots. Although some research and inventions have begun on grinding tools for use with robots, there has been very little research on new types of consumables specifically suitable for use with robots, as well as on how to better coordinate consumables with grinding tools through automated systems.

[0003] Robotic grinding can be categorized into two main types: handheld workpieces and handheld grinding tools. For robotic handheld grinding, quick-change grinding consumables must be addressed first. This is because the lifespan of any grinding consumable is very limited, especially for small grinding discs. Currently, there are two main methods for quick-change grinding discs. One is to use a velvet-backed abrasive disc that attaches to the tool tray using Velcro-style hooks. This method is simple and quick: after use, an auxiliary mechanism in the robotic system removes the disc and replaces it with a new one, enabling quick change. However, this method of quick-change is only suitable for lightweight abrasive discs, such as sandpaper, sanding discs, and thin nylon discs, and is primarily used in low-speed eccentric sanding. For grinding applications requiring high power and high speed, such as weld grinding, this velvet-backed quick-change method is not suitable because the heavy abrasive discs can easily cause flying discs. Currently, the quick-change method for grinding discs operating at high power and speed mainly relies on toolholders. Specifically, a toolholder is installed for each grinding disc, and a toolholder library is created for the multiple grinding discs that need to be replaced. A robot then quickly changes the grinding discs by replacing the toolholders. However, this method has many disadvantages: first, the toolholder library is relatively expensive; second, the number of toolholders is limited. When a grinding process involves the combination of multiple grinding discs, the number of toolholders becomes very large, making the entire quick-change system very complex; third, each grinding disc still needs to be manually installed on the toolholder, which is very time-consuming and labor-intensive.

[0004] Therefore, how to achieve quick replacement of high-cutting grinding discs in a simple and economical way is an important technical problem that needs to be solved urgently, which directly affects the popularization of robot grinding. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a grinding disc quick-change structure for robot automated grinding, which solves the problem of quick-change of high-cutting grinding discs, thereby greatly improving the efficiency and effectiveness of robot grinding processing.

[0006] The grinding disc quick-change structure for robot-automated grinding of the present invention is realized by the following technical solutions: comprising a grinding disc, a tray assembly, a tool handle and a hollow cylinder clamping jaw assembly;

[0007] A lower toothed snap disc is fixed to the back of the grinding disc; the tray assembly consists of an upper toothed disc, a retractable locking pin mechanism, a grinding disc support tray and a core shaft, and the retractable locking pin mechanism grasps the lower toothed snap disc on the grinding disc to the upper toothed disc to achieve the engagement of the face gears on both sides; one end of the tool handle is connected to the grinding disc through the tray assembly, and the other end of the tool handle is loaded and connected to the grinder; the hollow cylinder jaw assembly consists of a hollow cylinder and a jaw driven by the hollow cylinder piston; the hollow cylinder has a central through hole, and the tool handle passes through the hollow cylinder through the central through hole, and the jaw driven by the hollow cylinder is used to compress the retractable locking pin mechanism on the tray assembly.

[0008] As a preferred technical solution, the lower tooth buckle plate is composed of upright buckles located at the periphery and a surface tooth plate located in the center. The size of the lower tooth buckle plate corresponds to the size of the grinding disc used.

[0009] As an optimal technical solution, a curved sliding surface is provided on the upright buckle of the lower tooth buckle plate. When the locking pin of the retractable locking pin mechanism is inserted into the upright buckle, the radial force can be converted into an axial pulling force, thereby realizing the engagement of the upper and lower toothed plates.

[0010] As an optimal technical solution, the retractable locking pin mechanism includes a spring mechanism seat, a locking pin, an unlocking compression column and a spring; a sliding groove is processed on the spring mechanism seat, the locking pin and the spring are installed in the sliding groove, and the unlocking compression column and the locking pin are directly connected vertically through a thread.

[0011] As a preferred technical solution, one end of the lock pin is a sliding end, which is inserted into the sliding groove of the spring mechanism seat, and the other end of the lock pin is a locking end, which has a locking surface that fits with the upright snap-in sliding surface of the toothed snap disk below; the lock pins are equally divided along the radial circumference of the shaft core.

[0012] As a preferred technical solution, the upper toothed disc, the spring mechanism seat of the retractable locking pin mechanism and the grinding disc support tray are all coaxially assembled with the shaft core by fastening screws.

[0013] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention solves the problem of quick replacement of high-cutting grinding discs, thereby greatly improving the efficiency and effectiveness of robot grinding processing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0015] Figure 1 It is the overall assembly diagram of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 2 AA cross-sectional structural diagram of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the tray assembly of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 4 BB is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a grinding disc with a continuous face tooth snap disc according to the present invention;

[0020] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the grinding disc with discrete structure face tooth snap disc of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the clamping jaws of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] All features disclosed in this specification, or all steps in the disclosed methods or processes, except mutually exclusive features and / or steps, can be combined in any manner.

[0023] like Figure 1 — Figure 7 As shown, a grinding disc quick-change structure for automated grinding by a robot according to the present invention comprises a grinding disc 1, a tray assembly 2, a tool handle 3, and a hollow cylinder clamping jaw assembly 4;

[0024] The back of the grinding disc 1 is fixed with a lower toothed snap disc 5; the tray assembly 2 is composed of an upper toothed disc 10, a retractable locking pin mechanism 7, a grinding disc support tray 8 and a core shaft 9. The retractable locking pin mechanism 7 grasps the lower toothed snap disc 5 on the grinding disc 1 to the upper toothed disc 10 to achieve the meshing of the face gears on both sides; one end of the tool handle 3 is connected to the grinding disc 1 through the tray assembly 2, and the other end of the tool handle 3 is loaded and connected to the grinder 11; the hollow cylinder jaw assembly 4 is composed of a hollow cylinder 12 and a jaw 13 driven by the piston 20 of the hollow cylinder 12; the hollow cylinder 12 has a central through hole, and the tool handle 3 is connected to the center through hole The central through hole passes through the hollow cylinder 12, and the clamping jaw 13 driven by the hollow cylinder 12 is used to compress the retractable locking pin mechanism 7 on the pallet assembly 2; the hollow cylinder can be a radially acting cylinder or an axially acting cylinder, and the radially acting cylinder is preferred in the present invention; the function of the clamping jaw is to convert the radial piston force or axial piston force of the hollow cylinder into a gripping force on the compression column on the pallet assembly, and the end thereof can be a semicircular clamping ring 21. After the cylinder provides the gripping force, the clamping ring 21 can compress the compression column on the pallet assembly, thereby driving the locking pin to unlock and disengage from the toothed snap disc below.

[0025] In this embodiment, the lower tooth snap plate 5 is composed of upright snaps 14 located on the periphery and a surface tooth plate 15 located in the center. The upright snaps 14 can be connected together to form a whole or can be separated from each other. For better mechanical properties, in this embodiment, the two parts are preferably composed of a whole; the size of the lower tooth snap plate 5 corresponds to the size of the grinding plate 1 used, and the tooth type of the lower tooth snap plate 5 can be selected from spiral teeth and straight teeth. In this embodiment, spiral teeth are preferred.

[0026] In this embodiment, a curved sliding surface is provided on the upright buckle 14 of the lower tooth buckle disk 5. When the locking pin of the retractable locking pin mechanism 7 is inserted into the upright buckle 14, the radial force can be converted into an axial pulling force, thereby realizing the engagement of the upper and lower toothed disks. The upright buckle 14 can be an internal buckle or an external buckle. The internal buckle refers to the locking pin extending from the inside to the outside to apply lifting force to the buckle disk, and the external buckle refers to the locking pin gripping from the outside to the inside to apply lifting force to the buckle disk. The internal buckle structure is preferred in this embodiment.

[0027] In this embodiment, the retractable locking pin mechanism 7 includes a spring mechanism seat 15, a locking pin 16, an unlocking compression column 17 and a spring 18; a sliding groove 19 is processed on the spring mechanism seat, and the locking pin 16 and the spring 18 are installed in the sliding groove 19, and the unlocking compression column 17 is directly connected to the locking pin 16 vertically through a thread; the clamping pressure of the hollow cylinder is first loaded on the unlocking compression column, driving the locking pin and compressing the spring to slide in the sliding groove at the same time. When the external force of the hollow cylinder is removed, the restoring force of the spring can push the locking pin out, thereby realizing the locking function of the tray assembly on the grinding plate.

[0028] In this embodiment, one end of the locking pin 16 is a sliding end, and the sliding end of the locking pin 16 is inserted into the sliding groove 19 of the spring mechanism seat 15. The other end of the locking pin 16 is a locking end, and the locking end of the locking pin 16 has a locking surface that fits into the sliding surface of the upright buckle 14 of the lower tooth buckle plate 5; the locking pins 16 are equally arranged along the radial circumference of the shaft core, and the number thereof can be 2-6. In this embodiment, the preferred number of locking pins 16 is four.

[0029] In this embodiment, the upper gear disc 10, the spring mechanism seat 15 of the retractable locking pin mechanism 7 and the grinding disc support tray 8 are all coaxially assembled with the shaft core 9 by fastening screws, thereby achieving overall high-speed rotation.

[0030] In this embodiment, the material of the lower tooth clip plate may include but is not limited to engineering plastics such as ABS, nylon, PC, POM, PLA, etc., engineering plastics reinforced with inorganic powders such as nano-calcium titanate reinforced ABS, carbon fiber or glass fiber composite materials, lightweight aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, etc., and nylon and ABS plastics are preferred in this embodiment.

[0031] In this embodiment, the preparation process of the lower gear clip disk is injection molding, casting molding, 3D printing, CNC machining, etc. The combination of the face gear clip disk and the grinding disc can include adhesive bonding, ultrasonic welding, etc. In this embodiment, structural adhesive bonding is preferred.

[0032] In this embodiment, the size of the grinding disc support tray can be adjusted according to the size of the grinding disc, and its hardness can also be adjusted according to the grinding requirements.

[0033] In this embodiment, the tool handle is a transition connection component that quickly connects the grinding disc and tray assembly to the grinder. The tool handle is selected from standard types, including but not limited to ISO series, BT series, NT series, JT series, HSK series, etc.

[0034] Example 1

[0035] A 70mm diameter face-tooth snap plate is bonded to the reverse side of the grinding surface of a 5-inch flap disc using epoxy structural adhesive, creating a quick-change, high-cutting disc. The face-tooth snap plate consists of two parts: a central spiral face-tooth ring and a peripheral upright snap ring, and is integrally injection-molded from ABS engineering plastic.

[0036] In order to grab and replace the louver disc grinding disc, a matching tray assembly is redesigned. The tray assembly consists of the upper toothed disc, the retractable locking pin mechanism, the grinding disc support tray and the central shaft. The retractable locking pin mechanism includes a spring mechanism seat, a locking pin, an unlocking compression column, a spring and other components (such as Figure 4The four locking pins of the tray assembly slide radially outward within the sliding grooves within the spring mechanism seat due to the action of springs and can be inserted into the upright snap rings of the grinding disc, thereby locking the grinding disc and tray assembly together and causing the lower gear ring on the grinding disc to mesh with the upper gear disk on the tray assembly. When the four compression pins are radially gathered inward, the corresponding four locking pins also contract inward, disengaging from the upright snap rings of the grinding disc, allowing the grinding disc to fall off under the action of gravity.

[0037] The helical upper gear plate and retractable locking pin mechanism of the tray assembly are made of die steel, while the 5-inch grinding disc support tray is made of ABS plastic.

[0038] The upper gear disc, retractable locking pin mechanism and grinding disc support tray are uniformly fastened to the central shaft, and a BT-30 quick-change tool holder is connected to the top of the central shaft. In this way, the grinder can grasp the entire tray assembly and the louvered grinding disc engaged and locked on the tray assembly through the tool holder to realize the robot grinding of the weld.

[0039] A pneumatic cylinder jaw assembly is mounted beneath the grinder. It consists of a radially-acting cylinder with a central through-hole and a jaw driven by the cylinder's piston. The toolholder, along with the central axis of the tray assembly, passes through the through-hole and connects to the grinder. When the cylinder jaw applies gripping force, it compresses the unlocking compression post on the tray assembly, unlocking and disengaging the locking pin from the underlying toothed retaining plate, allowing the old grinding disc to fall out. When the cylinder jaw releases force, the locking pin re-extends under the force of the spring, securing the new grinding disc and allowing grinding to proceed.

[0040] Example 2

[0041] A 70mm diameter face-toothed clip plate is bonded to the reverse side of a 5-inch nylon disc using epoxy structural adhesive, creating a quick-change surface conditioning disc. The face-toothed clip plate consists of two parts: a spiral face-toothed ring in the center and an upright clip ring at the periphery, and is integrally injection-molded from nylon plastic.

[0042] In order to grab and replace the nylon disc, a matching tray assembly was redesigned. The tray assembly consists of four parts: an upper toothed disc, a retractable locking pin mechanism, a grinding disc support tray, and a central shaft. The retractable locking pin mechanism includes a spring mechanism seat, a locking pin, an unlocking compression column, a spring, and other components. Due to the action of the spring, the four locking pins of the tray assembly can slide radially outward in the sliding groove in the spring mechanism seat and can be inserted into the upright snap ring of the grinding disc, thereby fitting and locking the grinding disc and the tray assembly together, and achieving the engagement of the lower toothed ring on the grinding disc with the upper toothed disc on the tray assembly. When the four compression columns are radially gathered inward, the corresponding four locking pins also shrink inward, thereby disengaging from the upright snap ring of the grinding disc, and the grinding disc can fall off under the action of gravity.

[0043] The spiral upper gear plate and retractable locking pin mechanism of the tray assembly are made of aluminum alloy, while the 5-inch grinding disc support tray is made of rubber of different hardnesses.

[0044] The upper gear plate, retractable locking pin mechanism and grinding disc support tray are uniformly fastened to the central shaft. An HSK-63A quick-change tool holder is connected to the top of the central shaft. In this way, the grinder can grasp the entire tray assembly and engage the nylon disc locked on the tray assembly through the tool holder, realizing the robot's blending of the workpiece surface.

[0045] A pneumatic cylinder jaw assembly is mounted beneath the grinder. It consists of a radially-acting cylinder with a central through-hole and a jaw driven by the cylinder's piston. The toolholder, along with the center axis of the tray assembly, passes through the cylinder's central through-hole and connects to the grinder. When the cylinder jaw applies gripping force, it compresses the compression pin on the tray assembly, unlocking the locking pin from the underlying toothed retaining plate and allowing the old grinding disc to fall out. When the cylinder jaw releases force, the locking pin re-extends under the force of the spring, securing the new grinding disc and enabling grinding and blending.

[0046] Example 3

[0047] ABS board was used as the base of the 6-inch louver plate, and an 80mm outer diameter face-tooth snap plate was bonded to its reverse side using epoxy structural adhesive, creating a quick-change grinding plate. The face-tooth snap plate consists of two parts: a spiral face-tooth ring in the center and an upright snap ring at the periphery, and is integrally injection-molded using PLA plastic.

[0048] In order to grasp and replace the louvered disc grinding disc, a matching tray assembly was redesigned. The tray assembly consists of four parts: an upper gear disc, a retractable locking pin mechanism, a grinding disc support tray, and a central shaft. The retractable locking pin mechanism includes a spring mechanism seat, a locking pin, an unlocking compression column, a spring, and other components. Due to the action of the spring, the four locking pins of the tray assembly can slide radially outward within the sliding groove in the spring mechanism seat and can be inserted into the upright snap ring of the grinding disc, thereby fitting and locking the grinding disc and the tray assembly together and achieving engagement between the lower gear ring on the grinding disc and the upper gear disc on the tray assembly. When the four compression columns are radially gathered inward, the corresponding four locking pins also contract inward, disengaging from the upright snap ring of the grinding disc, allowing the grinding disc to fall off under the action of gravity.

[0049] The helical upper gear plate and retractable locking pin mechanism of the tray assembly are made of die steel material.

[0050] The upper gear disc, retractable locking pin mechanism and grinding disc support tray are uniformly fastened to the central shaft, and a BT-40 quick-change tool holder is connected to the top of the central shaft. In this way, the grinder can grasp the entire tray assembly and the louvered grinding disc engaged and locked on the tray assembly through the tool holder to realize the robot grinding of the weld.

[0051] A pneumatic clamp assembly is mounted beneath the grinder. It consists of an axially actuated cylinder with a central through-hole and a clamp driven by the cylinder's piston. The toolholder, along with the central axis of the tray assembly, passes through the through-hole and connects to the grinder. When the pneumatic clamp provides gripping force, it compresses the compression pin on the tray assembly, unlocking the locking pin from the underlying toothed retaining plate and allowing the old grinding disc to fall out. When the pneumatic clamp releases force, the locking pin re-extends under the force of the spring, securing the new grinding disc and allowing grinding to proceed.

[0052] Here’s how it works:

[0053] When the grinding disc needs to be grabbed, the cylinder jaw assembly drives its jaws to compress and hold the compression column on the tray assembly inward, causing the locking pin to retract inward. The manipulator moves the end mill and tray assembly according to the positioning of the grinding disc, aligning and compacting the upper toothed disc on the tray assembly with the lower toothed snap disc on the grinding disc. The cylinder jaw is released, and the locking pin extends under the action of the spring and locks with the lower toothed snap disc. The grinder rotates at high speed, transmitting torque to the grinding disc through the face toothed disc, and grinding is carried out according to the pre-set manipulator trajectory. When grinding is completed or the grinding disc reaches the end of its service life, the cylinder jaw assembly can drive the jaws to hold the compression column again, unlocking the locking pin between the grinding disc and the tray assembly. The grinding disc automatically falls under the action of gravity, allowing the next cycle of grinding disc replacement to be completed.

[0054] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that are not conceived through creative work should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be based on the scope of protection defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A quick-change structure for grinding discs used in automated grinding with a manipulator, characterized by: Includes grinding disc, tray assembly, tool holder and hollow cylinder clamp assembly; A lower tooth snap disc is fixed on the back of the grinding disc; the tray assembly consists of an upper tooth disc, a retractable locking pin mechanism, a grinding disc support tray and a core shaft, and the retractable locking pin mechanism grasps the lower tooth snap disc on the grinding disc to the upper tooth disc to achieve the engagement of the face gears on both sides; one end of the tool handle is connected to the grinding disc through the tray assembly, and the other end of the tool handle is loaded and connected to the grinder; the hollow cylinder jaw assembly consists of a hollow cylinder and a jaw driven by the hollow cylinder piston; the hollow cylinder has a central through hole, and the tool handle passes through the hollow cylinder through the central through hole, and the jaw driven by the hollow cylinder is used to compress the retractable locking pin mechanism on the tray assembly.

2. The grinding disc quick-change structure for automated grinding by a manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower tooth buckle plate is composed of upright buckles located at the periphery and a face tooth plate located in the center. The size of the lower tooth buckle plate corresponds to the size of the grinding disc used.

3. The grinding disc quick-change structure for automated grinding by a manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: A curved sliding surface is provided on the upright buckle of the lower tooth buckle plate. When the locking pin of the retractable locking pin mechanism is inserted into the upright buckle, the radial force can be converted into an axial pulling force, thereby realizing the engagement of the upper and lower toothed discs.

4. The grinding disc quick-change structure for automated grinding by a manipulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The retractable locking pin mechanism includes a spring mechanism seat, a locking pin, an unlocking compression column and a spring; a sliding groove is processed on the spring mechanism seat, the locking pin and the spring are installed in the sliding groove, and the unlocking compression column is directly connected to the locking pin vertically through a thread.

5. The grinding disc quick-change structure for automated grinding by a manipulator according to claim 3, characterized in that: One end of the lock pin is a sliding end, which is inserted into the sliding groove of the spring mechanism seat. The other end of the lock pin is a locking end, which has a locking surface that fits with the upright snap-in sliding surface of the toothed snap disk below. The lock pins are equally divided along the radial circumference of the shaft core.

6. The grinding disc quick-change structure for automated grinding by a manipulator according to claim 4, characterized in that: The upper toothed disc, the spring mechanism seat of the retractable locking pin mechanism and the grinding disc support tray are all coaxially assembled with the core shaft through fastening screws.

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