A four-arm carton unpacking robot and automatic unpacking method

Abstract

The present invention provides a four-arm unpacking robot for carton boxes and an automatic unpacking method, wherein the robot comprises a workbench, a horizontal lead screw nut motion mechanism, a vertical bracket, a vertical lead screw nut motion mechanism, a swing flip mechanism and an elastic clamping mechanism; the workbench comprises two horizontal motion mechanism mounting plates and a work platform; the horizontal lead screw nut motion mechanism is mounted on the horizontal motion mechanism mounting plate, and one of the vertical brackets is provided at each end of the horizontal lead screw nut motion mechanism; the vertical lead screw nut motion mechanism and the elastic clamping mechanism are mounted on the vertical bracket; the swing flip mechanism is mounted on the vertical lead screw nut motion mechanism; the swing flip mechanism is used to flip the swing cover of the carton box to open the box; and the elastic clamping mechanism is used to fix the position of the carton box when opening the box. The present invention solves the problem that the prior art cannot automatically unpack the formed carton box.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automated cargo picking, and in particular to a four-arm carton unpacking robot and an automated carton unpacking method. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of the logistics industry and the continuous innovation of the packaging manufacturing industry, corrugated paper boxes are widely used as outer packaging for goods. However, the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the continuous mutation of the COVID-19 strain have led to questions about the safety of the logistics industry, especially the frequent transmission of the pandemic by cold chain workers caused by foreign cold chain products. Therefore, how to reduce the contact between goods and personnel and reduce the risk of infection during the transportation of goods has become a key issue that the logistics industry needs to solve urgently.

[0003] At present, the unpacking and picking of cold chain goods cartons needs to be done manually. For large quantities of cartons of different specifications, manual unpacking and picking is a heavy task, prone to infection, and inefficient, and is not very suitable. Therefore, the demand for automated unpacking equipment is urgent.

[0004] In the existing literature and patent searches, no device or method for automatically unpacking and picking up corrugated paper boxes has been found, and there is a lack of relevant research on the automated unpacking and picking up of large quantities of corrugated paper boxes of different specifications. Xiexun Electronics (Ji'an) Co., Ltd. proposed a structure for automatic unpacking of color boxes (CN 114872991 A), which uses a telescopic cylinder to drive a vacuum suction cup to suck the carton box for telescopic movement and a rotating cylinder to drive the sheet metal to flip to achieve the automatic unpacking action of folded unformed carton boxes. Since the specifications of the opened carton boxes are single and only the formed unpacking operation of folded unformed carton boxes can be achieved, it has certain limitations; Lilan Intelligent Equipment (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. proposed a fully automatic carton opening, packing and sealing integrated equipment (CN 114852425 A), which uses a telescopic cylinder to drive a vacuum suction cup to suck the carton box to achieve the opening and forming of the unformed carton, and the telescopic cylinder drives the folding plate to move to achieve the folding and forming of the inner and outer flaps of the carton box. Since it can only achieve the formed unpacking operation of folded unformed carton boxes, it has certain limitations and cannot meet the unpacking operation of formed carton boxes.

[0005] In summary, there is no automated unpacking device or method for formed cartons, and automated unpacking, picking up goods, sampling and testing without direct human contact cannot be achieved, which greatly affects the safety of cold chain cargo transportation and seriously restricts the development of automation in the logistics industry. Summary of the invention

[0006] According to the above technical problem that the prior art cannot automatically open the formed carton boxes, a four-arm carton opening robot and an automatic carton opening method are provided.

[0007] The technical means adopted by the present invention are as follows:

[0008] A four-arm carton unpacking robot comprises a workbench, a horizontal lead screw and nut motion mechanism, a vertical bracket, a vertical lead screw and nut motion mechanism, a swinging and flipping mechanism and an elastic pressing mechanism;

[0009] The workbench comprises a horizontal motion mechanism mounting plate and a working platform; the two horizontal motion mechanism mounting plates are arranged in a cross shape, and the working platform is arranged at the intersection of the two horizontal motion mechanism mounting plates;

[0010] The horizontal lead screw nut movement mechanism is installed on the horizontal movement mechanism mounting plate, and one of the vertical brackets is respectively provided at both ends of the horizontal lead screw nut movement mechanism, and the horizontal lead screw nut movement mechanism is used to drive the vertical brackets at both ends to move toward or in opposite directions in the horizontal direction;

[0011] The vertical screw nut movement mechanism and the elastic clamping mechanism are installed on the vertical bracket; the swinging and flipping mechanism is installed on the vertical screw nut movement mechanism, and the vertical screw nut movement mechanism is used to drive the swinging and flipping mechanism to move in the vertical direction; the swinging and flipping mechanism is used to flip the lid of the carton box to open the box; the elastic clamping mechanism is installed at the lower part of the vertical bracket, and is used to fix the position of the carton box when opening the box.

[0012] Furthermore, the horizontal lead screw nut movement mechanism includes a horizontal lead screw nut assembly, a first slide and a first motor assembly; the first motor assembly is connected to the horizontal lead screw nut assembly and is used to control the operation of the horizontal lead screw nut assembly; one first slide is installed at each end of the horizontal lead screw nut assembly, and the first slide is installed on the vertical bracket;

[0013] The horizontal screw nut assembly includes a forward and reverse threaded screw, a first nut, a horizontal screw seat and a horizontal linear guide; the horizontal screw seat and the horizontal linear guide are respectively installed on the horizontal motion mechanism mounting plate, the horizontal screw seat is used to install the forward and reverse threaded screw, the first slide is fixedly installed on the first nut and is slidably connected to the horizontal linear guide through a slider.

[0014] Furthermore, the vertical screw nut motion mechanism includes a vertical screw nut assembly, a second slide and a second motor assembly; the second motor assembly is connected to the vertical screw nut assembly and is used to control the operation of the vertical screw nut assembly; the second slide is installed on the vertical screw nut assembly, and the vertical bracket is installed on the second slide;

[0015] The vertical screw nut assembly includes a screw, a second nut, a vertical screw seat and a vertical linear guide; the vertical screw seat and the vertical linear guide are respectively installed on the vertical bracket, the vertical screw seat is used to install the screw, and the second slide is fixedly installed on the second nut and is slidably connected to the vertical linear guide through a slider.

[0016] Furthermore, the vertical bracket includes a pair of vertical brackets I and a pair of vertical brackets II; the two vertical brackets I are respectively installed on two of the first slides corresponding to a set of the horizontal screw nut motion mechanism, and the two vertical brackets II are respectively installed on two of the first slides corresponding to another set of the horizontal screw nut motion mechanism.

[0017] Furthermore, the swinging and flipping mechanism includes a suction cup group, a rotating cylinder, a swinging connecting rod, a hinge, a suction cup mounting plate and a cylinder mounting plate; the swinging and flipping mechanism is fixedly mounted on the second slide through the cylinder mounting plate; the rotating cylinder is mounted on the cylinder mounting plate, one end of the swinging connecting rod is connected to the rotating cylinder, and the other end is connected to the suction cup mounting plate through the hinge; the suction cup group is mounted on the suction cup mounting plate and can be adsorbed on the rocking cover of the carton box.

[0018] Further, when the suction cup group is adsorbed on the carton box swing cover, the rotation cylinder controls the movement of the planar four-bar mechanism formed by the suction cup group, the swing link and the carton box swing cover to realize box opening, and the planar four-bar mechanism satisfies the following formula:

[0019]

[0020] Among them, L0 is the distance between the turning angle O1 of the carton box swing cover and the center O2 of the rotating cylinder axis, L1 is the distance between the center B of the contact area when the suction cup group adsorbs the swing cover and the turning angle point O1 of the carton box swing cover, L2 is the length of the suction cup group, L3 is the length of the swing link, θ1 is the angle between L0 and L1, θ2 is the angle between L1 and L2, and θ3 is the angle between L2 and L3.

[0021] Furthermore, the swinging and flipping mechanism also includes an adjusting screw and a torsion spring installed at the connection between the swinging link and the hinge; the swinging and flipping mechanism also includes a distance sensor fixedly installed on the cylinder mounting plate, which is used to detect and feedback the distance signal between the swinging and flipping mechanism and the upper surface of the carton box when the swinging and flipping mechanism moves in the vertical direction driven by the second slide.

[0022] Furthermore, the elastic clamping mechanism includes a retractable buffer rod, a large-diameter suction cup, a clamping mechanism mounting plate and a micro switch, and the elastic clamping mechanism is installed on the vertical bracket through the clamping mechanism mounting plate; one end of the retractable buffer rod is fixedly installed on the clamping mechanism mounting plate, and the other end is fixedly installed on the large-diameter suction cup; the extension length of the retractable buffer rod after installation is adjustable and has a buffering effect; the micro switch is installed on the clamping mechanism mounting plate, and is used to feedback the action signal detected by the elastic clamping mechanism when clamping the carton box.

[0023] Furthermore, the robot also includes a vacuum and pneumatic system for controlling the operation of the swing and flip mechanism, and the vacuum and pneumatic system is provided with electromagnetic valves for controlling the operation of the rotating cylinder and the suction cup group respectively.

[0024] The present invention also provides a method for automatically unpacking a carton box, which uses the four-arm unpacking robot to perform the operation, and specifically includes the following steps:

[0025] A. Place the carton box stably on the work platform, and keep the four sides of the carton box parallel to a vertical support respectively;

[0026] B. By controlling the horizontal screw nut motion mechanisms on the two horizontal motion mechanism mounting plates, the two vertical brackets on each horizontal screw nut motion mechanism move toward each other and approach the carton box, and the four sides of the carton box are clamped by the elastic clamping mechanism provided on each vertical bracket;

[0027] C. Control the vertical screw nut motion mechanism on the vertical bracket parallel to the sides corresponding to the two outer flaps of the carton box to drive the swing flip mechanism to descend and approach the carton box, control the rotary cylinder to rotate and drive the swing connecting rod and the suction cup group to swing downward, so that the suction cup group is adsorbed on the outer flap of the carton box, and control the rotary cylinder to rotate in the opposite direction to make the suction cup group open the outer flap of the carton box;

[0028] D. Control the vertical screw nut motion mechanism on the vertical bracket parallel to the sides corresponding to the two inner swing covers of the carton box to drive the swing flip mechanism to descend and approach the carton box, control the rotary cylinder to rotate and drive the swing connecting rod and the suction cup group to swing downward, so that the suction cup group is adsorbed on the inner swing cover of the carton box, and control the rotary cylinder to rotate in the opposite direction to make the suction cup group open the inner swing cover of the carton box.

[0029] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0030] 1. Based on the principle of a four-bar mechanism, the present invention provides a device and method for automatically unpacking a formed carton box, which provides a feasible solution for efficient and automated unpacking and picking up of goods during random inspection of carton boxes; automated unpacking can be performed for cartons of different specifications, and the applicable scenarios and scope are relatively large.

[0031] 2. The present invention feeds back signals to the PLC system through a micro switch and a distance sensor, and combines the movement characteristics of the four-bar mechanism that drives the driven rocker arm through the active rocker arm, thereby finally realizing the automatic unpacking of cartons. It can not only complete the unpacking operation of cartons of different specifications, but also can make the mechanical structure of the equipment lightweight and the control system simple, and further reduce the difficulty of operation in actual use.

[0032] 3. The adjusting screw and torsion spring of the present invention can be fine-tuned according to actual conditions during the debugging process to ensure the normal operation of the unpacking action during actual use. After the debugging is completed, the adjusting screw is locked, and the subsequent unpacking action does not need to be adjusted again, which can ensure the long-term stable operation of the equipment, greatly reduce the auxiliary adjustment time, and improve production efficiency.

[0033] 4. The present invention includes two sets of identical horizontal screw nut movement mechanisms, four sets of identical vertical screw nut movement mechanisms and a swinging and flipping mechanism, which simplifies the mechanical structure to a certain extent, has a simple equipment structure, a short manufacturing cycle and low cost; a vacuum suction cup is used to absorb the inner and outer swing covers of the carton, and a rotating cylinder drives the swing connecting rod and the suction cup group to flip, thereby finally realizing the complex opening and closing box action.

[0034] Based on the above reasons, the present invention can be widely promoted in the field of automatic cargo collection. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0036] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the unpacking robot described in the present invention.

[0037] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the workbench structure of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of the horizontal lead screw and nut motion mechanism of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of the vertical screw nut motion mechanism of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the swing and flip mechanism of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of the elastic pressing mechanism of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the working principle of the vacuum and pneumatic system of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the principle of the automatic box opening method of the present invention.

[0044] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the principle of the automatic box opening method of the present invention.

[0045] Among them, 1. workbench; 2. horizontal screw nut movement mechanism; 3. vertical bracket I; 4. vertical bracket II; 5. vertical screw nut movement mechanism; 6. swing flip mechanism; 7. elastic clamping mechanism; 8. vacuum and pneumatic system; 9. carton box; 101. base; 102. horizontal movement mechanism mounting plate; 103. work platform; 201. horizontal screw nut assembly; 202. first slide; 203. first motor assembly; 2011. positive and negative thread screw; 2012. first nut; 2013. horizontal screw seat; 2014. horizontal linear guide; 2031. first motor; 2032. first reducer; 2033. first coupling; 501. vertical screw nut assembly; 502. second slide; 503. second Motor assembly; 5011, lead screw; 5012, second nut; 5013, vertical lead screw seat; 5014, vertical linear guide; 5031, second motor; 5032, second reducer; 5033, second coupling; 601, suction cup assembly; 602, rotary cylinder; 603, swing connecting rod; 604, hinge; 605, suction cup mounting plate; 606, cylinder mounting plate; 607, adjusting screw; 608, torsion spring; 609, distance sensor; 6011, vacuum suction cup; 701, retractable buffer rod; 702, large diameter suction cup; 703, clamping mechanism mounting plate; 704, micro switch; 801, solenoid valve I; 802, solenoid valve II; 803, vacuum generator; 804, negative pressure gauge; 805, air pipe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is actually only illustrative and is by no means intended to limit the present invention and its application or use. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0047] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit exemplary embodiments according to the present invention. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, it indicates the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0048] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of the parts and steps described in these embodiments, the numerical expressions and numerical values ​​do not limit the scope of the present invention. At the same time, it should be clear that, for ease of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship. The technology, methods and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant field may not be discussed in detail, but in appropriate cases, the technology, methods and equipment should be regarded as part of the authorization specification. In all examples shown and discussed here, any specific value should be interpreted as merely exemplary, rather than as a limitation. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar numbers and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, so once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0049] In the description of the present invention, it is necessary to understand that the directions or positional relationships indicated by directional words such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "lateral, vertical, perpendicular, horizontal" and "top, bottom" are usually based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise specified, these directional words do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction or be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention: the directional words "inside and outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the contours of each component itself.

[0050] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used here to describe the spatial positional relationship between a device or feature and other devices or features as shown in the figure. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the figure. For example, if the device in the accompanying drawings is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "above other devices or structures" will be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "below their position devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptions used here are interpreted accordingly.

[0051] In addition, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to limit components is only for the convenience of distinguishing the corresponding components. If not otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0052] Example 1

[0053] The packaging of conventional cartons is achieved by folding two inner flaps and two outer flaps inward, and then sticking the outer flaps with tape. For manual unpacking and picking of such conventional cartons, the steps are to first cut the packaging tape, then flip the outer flaps to more than 90°, then flip the inner flaps to more than 90°, and finally unpack and pick up the goods. Therefore, achieving precise cutting of the packaging tape and flipping of the inner and outer flaps by more than 90° is the key to automated unpacking and picking of conventional cartons, among which the automatic precise cutting of the formed cartons with packaging tape is completed by the previous process.

[0054] The invention adopts a planar four-bar mechanism as a way to realize the flipping movement of the inner and outer covers of a formed carton box, and proposes a four-arm box-opening robot and an automatic box-opening method for the formed carton box.

[0055] like Figure 1-7 As shown, a carton box four-arm unpacking robot provided by the present invention comprises a workbench 1, a horizontal lead screw nut motion mechanism 2, a vertical bracket, a vertical lead screw nut motion mechanism 5, a swing flip mechanism 6 and an elastic pressing mechanism 7;

[0056] The workbench 1 includes a horizontal motion mechanism mounting plate 102 and a working platform 103; the two horizontal motion mechanism mounting plates 102 are arranged in a cross shape, and the working platform 103 is arranged at the intersection of the two horizontal motion mechanism mounting plates 102;

[0057] The horizontal lead screw nut motion mechanism 2 is installed on the horizontal motion mechanism mounting plate 102, and one of the vertical brackets is respectively provided at both ends of the horizontal lead screw nut motion mechanism 2. The horizontal lead screw nut motion mechanism 2 is used to drive the vertical brackets at both ends to move toward or in opposite directions in the horizontal direction. Specifically, the movement of the horizontal lead screw nut motion mechanism 2 in the horizontal direction can drive the vertical bracket to realize forward and reverse bidirectional synchronous movement in the X and Y directions;

[0058] The vertical screw nut movement mechanism 5 and the elastic clamping mechanism 7 are installed on the vertical bracket; the swinging and flipping mechanism 6 is installed on the vertical screw nut movement mechanism 5, and the vertical screw nut movement mechanism 5 is used to drive the swinging and flipping mechanism 6 to move in the vertical direction. Specifically, the movement of the vertical screw nut movement mechanism 5 in the vertical direction can drive the swinging and flipping mechanism 6 to realize the movement in the Z direction. The vertical movement of the swinging and flipping mechanisms 6 on the relatively arranged vertical brackets can be synchronous or asynchronous; the swinging and flipping mechanism 6 is used to flip the lid of the carton box 9 to open the box; the elastic clamping mechanism 7 is installed at the lower part of the vertical bracket, and is used to fix the position of the carton box 9 when opening the box.

[0059] Furthermore, the workbench 1 also includes a base 101 ; the horizontal motion mechanism mounting plate 102 and the work platform 103 are both fixedly mounted on the base 101 .

[0060] Furthermore, the horizontal screw nut movement mechanism 2 includes a horizontal screw nut assembly 201, a first slide 202 and a first motor assembly 203; the first motor assembly 203 is connected to the horizontal screw nut assembly 201 for controlling the operation of the horizontal screw nut assembly 201; a first slide 202 is installed at each end of the horizontal screw nut assembly 201, and the first slide 202 is installed on the vertical bracket.

[0061] Furthermore, the horizontal screw nut assembly 201 includes a forward and reverse threaded screw 2011, a first nut 2012, a horizontal screw seat 2013 and a horizontal linear guide 2014; the horizontal screw seat 2013 and the horizontal linear guide 2014 are respectively installed on the horizontal motion mechanism mounting plate 102, the horizontal screw seat 2013 is used to install the forward and reverse threaded screw 2011, and the first slide 202 is fixedly installed on the first nut 2012 and is slidably connected to the horizontal linear guide 2014 through a slider.

[0062] Furthermore, the first motor assembly 203 includes a first motor 2031, a first reducer 2032 and a first coupling 2033, and the first motor 2031 is connected to the forward and reverse threaded screw 2011 via the first reducer 2032 and the first coupling 2033 in sequence.

[0063] Furthermore, the vertical screw nut motion mechanism 5 includes a vertical screw nut assembly 501, a second slide 502 and a second motor assembly 503; the second motor assembly 503 is connected to the vertical screw nut assembly 501 for controlling the operation of the vertical screw nut assembly 501; the second slide 502 is installed on the vertical screw nut assembly 501, and the vertical bracket is installed on the second slide 502.

[0064] Furthermore, the vertical screw nut assembly 501 includes a screw 5011, a second nut 5012, a vertical screw seat 5013 and a vertical linear guide 5014; the vertical screw seat 5013 and the vertical linear guide 5014 are respectively installed on the vertical bracket, the vertical screw seat 5013 is used to install the screw 5011, and the second slide 502 is fixedly installed on the second nut 5012 and is slidably connected to the vertical linear guide 5014 through a slider.

[0065] Furthermore, the second motor assembly 503 includes a second motor 5031 , a second reducer 5032 , and a second coupling 5033 , and the second motor 5031 is connected to the lead screw 5011 via the second reducer 5032 and the second coupling 5033 in sequence.

[0066] Furthermore, the vertical bracket includes a pair of vertical brackets I3 and a pair of vertical brackets II4; the two vertical brackets I3 are respectively installed on the two first slides 202 corresponding to a set of the horizontal screw nut motion mechanism 2, and the two vertical brackets II4 are respectively installed on the two first slides 202 corresponding to another set of the horizontal screw nut motion mechanism 2; since the two horizontal motion mechanism mounting plates 102 are arranged in a cross shape, there is a height difference between the two, and therefore, the heights of the vertical brackets I3 and II4 are different, which is used to compensate for the height difference.

[0067] Furthermore, the swinging and flipping mechanism 6 includes a suction cup group 601, a rotating cylinder 602, a swinging link 603, a hinge 604, a suction cup mounting plate 605 and a cylinder mounting plate 606; the swinging and flipping mechanism 6 is fixedly mounted on the second slide 502 through the cylinder mounting plate 606; the rotating cylinder 602 is mounted on the cylinder mounting plate 606, one end of the swinging link 603 is connected to the rotating cylinder 602, and the other end is connected to the suction cup mounting plate 606 through the hinge 604, and the suction cup group 601 is mounted on the suction cup mounting plate 606, and can be adsorbed on the rocking cover of the carton box 9.

[0068] Further, when the suction cup group 601 is adsorbed on the swing cover of the carton box 9, the rotation cylinder 602 controls the movement of the planar four-bar mechanism formed by the suction cup group 601, the swing link 603 and the swing cover of the carton box 9 to realize opening of the box, and the planar four-bar mechanism satisfies the following formula:

[0069]

[0070] like Figure 8-9 As shown, O1 is the turning point of the swing cover of the carton box 9, O2 is the center of the axis of the rotating cylinder 602, A is the center of the hinge 604 between the swing link 603 and the suction cup group 601, and B is the center of the contact area when the suction cup group 601 adsorbs the swing cover. In formula (1), L0 is the distance between the turning point O1 of the swing cover of the carton box and the center O2 of the rotating cylinder axis, L1 is the distance between the center B of the contact area when the suction cup group 601 adsorbs the swing cover and the turning point O1 of the swing cover of the carton box 9, L2 is the length of the suction cup group 601, L3 is the length of the swing link 603, θ1 is the angle between L0 and L1, θ2 is the angle between L1 and L2, and θ3 is the angle between L2 and L3.

[0071] Furthermore, according to formula (1), the real-time size of the angle between each rod is determined by the spatial position and actual access length of each rod. The spatial position and access length may be different from the theory due to processing errors and installation errors. Therefore, an adjustment structure that can adapt to the above situation is also provided for the swing flip mechanism 6. Specifically, the swing flip mechanism 6 also includes an adjustment screw 607 and a torsion spring 608 installed at the connection between the swing link 603 and the hinge 604, which are used to adjust and eliminate manufacturing errors and assembly errors to ensure that the swing flip mechanism 6 can realize the opening action of the flip cover of the carton box 9.

[0072] Furthermore, the torsion spring 608 is sleeved on the axis of the hinge 604, and the adjusting screw 607 is installed on the end of the swing link 603 and passes through the swing link 603 to press on the hinge 604, so as to adjust the angle θ2 between the suction cup group 601 and the swing link 603.

[0073] Furthermore, the suction cup group 601 includes a plurality of swing-type vacuum suction cups 6011 with adjustable angles.

[0074] Furthermore, the swing flipping mechanism 6 also includes a distance sensor 609 fixedly mounted on the cylinder mounting plate 606 , which is used to detect and feedback the distance signal between the swing flipping mechanism 6 and the upper surface of the carton box 9 when the swing flipping mechanism 6 moves in the vertical direction driven by the second slide 502 .

[0075] Furthermore, the elastic clamping mechanism 7 includes a retractable buffer rod 701, a large-diameter suction cup 702, a clamping mechanism mounting plate 703 and a micro switch 704. The elastic clamping mechanism 7 is mounted on the vertical bracket through the clamping mechanism mounting plate 703. The four vertical brackets arranged on the two horizontal motion mechanism mounting plates 102 arranged in a cross shape are respectively provided with one elastic clamping mechanism 7, which can symmetrically clamp the carton box 9 in four directions to ensure that the carton box 9 is located at the center of the workbench 1 and cannot move when the swing flip mechanism 6 performs the unpacking action; one end of the retractable buffer rod 701 is fixedly mounted on the clamping mechanism mounting plate 703, The large diameter suction cup 702 is fixedly mounted at the other end, and the extended length of the retractable buffer rod 701 after installation is adjustable and has a buffering effect; the mounting hole of the clamping mechanism mounting plate 703 on the vertical bracket is a long strip hole, and the distance between the elastic clamping mechanism 7 and the vertical bracket can be adjusted by adjusting the mounting position of the clamping mechanism mounting plate 703. When the elastic clamping mechanism 7 clamps the carton box 9, it can ensure that the swinging flipping mechanism 6 and the rocking cover of the carton box 9 meet the requirements of formula (1); the micro switch 704 is installed on the clamping mechanism mounting plate 701, and is used to feedback the action signal detected by the elastic clamping mechanism 7 when clamping the carton box 9.

[0076] Furthermore, the robot also includes a vacuum and pneumatic system 8 for controlling the operation of the swing and flip mechanism 6. The vacuum and pneumatic system 8 is provided with electromagnetic valves for controlling the operation of the rotating cylinder 602 and the suction cup group 601 respectively.

[0077] Further, the vacuum and pneumatic system 8 includes a solenoid valve I 801, a solenoid valve II 802 and a vacuum generator 803;

[0078] The solenoid valve I 801 is connected to the rotary cylinder 602 through the air pipe 805, and controls the on-off of the two air inlets of the rotary cylinder 602, thereby controlling the rotation direction of the rotary cylinder 602;

[0079] The solenoid valve II 802 is connected to the suction cup group 601 through the vacuum generator 803, and the adsorption force of the suction cup group 601 is controlled by controlling the operation of the vacuum generator 803. A negative pressure gauge 804 is provided between the vacuum generator 803 and the suction cup group 601 for feeding back the detected negative pressure signal.

[0080] Furthermore, the robot also includes a PLC system, which is electrically connected to the first motor assembly 203, the second motor assembly 503, the distance sensor 609 and the micro switch 704, respectively. The PLC system controls the operation of the second motor assembly 503 and the first motor assembly 203 according to the signals fed back by the distance sensor 609 and the micro switch 704, and further controls the operation of the vertical screw nut motion mechanism 5 and the horizontal screw mother motion mechanism 2, so that the vertical bracket and the swing flipping mechanism 6 move to a suitable position to flip the cover of the carton box 9 for opening the box.

[0081] Furthermore, the solenoid valve I801, the solenoid valve II802 and the negative pressure gauge 804 are electrically connected to the PLC system respectively, and the PLC system is used to control the operation of the solenoid valve II802, and control the swing flipping mechanism 6 to flip the cover of the carton box 9 for opening the box by controlling the operation of the solenoid valve I801 according to the negative pressure signal fed back by the negative pressure gauge 804.

[0082] The present invention also provides a method for automatically unpacking a carton box, which uses the four-arm unpacking robot to perform the operation, and specifically includes the following steps:

[0083] A. Wait for the carton box 9 to be stably placed on the work platform 103, so that the four sides of the carton box 9 are parallel to a vertical support respectively;

[0084] B. By controlling the horizontal screw nut motion mechanisms 2 on the two horizontal motion mechanism mounting plates 102, the two vertical brackets on each horizontal screw nut motion mechanism 2 move toward each other and approach the carton box 9, and the four sides of the carton box 9 are clamped by the elastic clamping mechanism 7 provided on each vertical bracket;

[0085] C. Control the vertical screw nut motion mechanism 5 on the vertical bracket parallel to the sides corresponding to the two outer flaps of the carton box 9 to drive the swing flip mechanism 6 to descend and approach the carton box 9, control the rotary cylinder 602 to rotate and drive the swing link 603 and the suction cup group 601 to swing downward, so that the suction cup group 601 is adsorbed on the outer flap of the carton box 9, and control the rotary cylinder 602 to rotate in the opposite direction to make the suction cup group 601 open the outer flap of the carton box 9;

[0086] D. Control the vertical screw nut motion mechanism 5 on the vertical bracket parallel to the sides corresponding to the two inner swing covers of the carton box 9 to drive the swing flip mechanism 6 to descend and approach the carton box 9, control the rotating cylinder 602 to rotate and drive the swing connecting rod 603 and the suction cup group 601 to swing downward, so that the suction cup group 601 is adsorbed on the inner swing cover of the carton box 9, and control the rotating cylinder 602 to rotate in the opposite direction to make the suction cup group 601 open the inner swing cover of the carton box 9.

[0087] Furthermore, step B specifically includes: starting the first motor 2031 through the PLC system to drive the forward and reverse screws 2011 to rotate, and driving the first slide 202 and the vertical bracket to move through the movement of the first nut 2012, approaching the carton box 9, until the large-diameter suction cup 702 of the elastic clamping mechanism 7 presses against the carton box 9, the retractable buffer rod 701 contracts and clamps, and the micro switch 704 is actuated, and the PLC system controls the first motor 2031 to stop working according to the action signal fed back by the micro switch 704.

[0088] Furthermore, step C specifically includes:

[0089] C-1. The second motor 5031 is started through the PLC system to drive the lead screw 5011 to rotate, and the second slide 502 and the swing flip mechanism 6 are driven to descend through the movement of the second nut 5012, approaching the carton box 9, until the distance signal fed back by the distance sensor 609 received by the PLC system meets the requirement, and the second motor 5031 is controlled to stop working through the PLC system;

[0090] C-2. Control the solenoid valve I 801 to work through the PLC system, thereby controlling the rotary cylinder 602 to rotate and drive the swing link 603 and the suction cup group 601 to swing downward, so that the vacuum suction cup 6011 of the suction cup group 601 contacts the outer swing cover of the carton box 9; control the solenoid valve II 802 to work through the PLC system, thereby controlling the vacuum generator 803 to generate vacuum, so that the vacuum suction cup 6011 is adsorbed on the outer swing cover of the carton box 9;

[0091] C-3. The PLC system controls the solenoid valve I 801 to reset according to the negative pressure signal fed back by the negative pressure meter 804, so that the rotary cylinder 602 rotates in the opposite direction, driving the swing link 603 and the suction cup assembly 601 to swing upward to open the outer cover of the carton box 9.

[0092] Further, step D specifically includes:

[0093] D-1. Start the second motor 5031 through the PLC system to drive the lead screw 5011 to rotate, and drive the second slide 502 and the swing flip mechanism 6 to descend through the movement of the second nut 5012, approaching the carton box 9, until the distance signal fed back by the distance sensor 609 received by the PLC system meets the requirement, and control the second motor 5031 to stop working through the PLC system;

[0094] D-2. Control the solenoid valve I 801 to work through the PLC system, thereby controlling the rotary cylinder 602 to rotate and drive the swing link 603 and the suction cup group 601 to swing downward, so that the vacuum suction cup 6011 of the suction cup group 601 contacts the swing cover inside the carton box 9; control the solenoid valve II 802 to work through the PLC system, thereby controlling the vacuum generator 803 to generate vacuum, so that the vacuum suction cup 6011 is adsorbed on the swing cover inside the carton box 9;

[0095] D-3. The solenoid valve I 801 is reset according to the negative pressure signal fed back by the negative pressure meter 804 through the PLC system control, so that the rotary cylinder 602 rotates in the opposite direction, driving the swing connecting rod 603 and the suction cup group 601 to swing upward to open the inner cover of the carton box 9.

[0096] Furthermore, the unpacking method further comprises the following steps:

[0097] E. Control the solenoid valve II 802 to reset through the PLC system, so that the vacuum suction cup 6011 loses its true vacuum and is separated from the inner and outer covers of the carton box 9;

[0098] F. Start the second motor 5031 through the PLC system to drive the lead screw 5011 to rotate in the opposite direction, so that the swing flip mechanism 6 rises to the origin position;

[0099] G. Start the first motor 2031 through the PLC system to drive the forward and reverse screws 2011 to rotate in the opposite direction, so that the two vertical brackets on each horizontal screw nut motion mechanism 2 move in the opposite direction, away from the carton box 9, until they return to the original position.

[0100] After the unpacking robot and the unpacking method provided by the present invention are used to unpack the carton box 9, the carton closing operation can be performed after other equipment or manual work has performed relevant packing operations on the carton box 9.

[0101] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein by equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A four-arm carton unpacking robot, characterized in that: It includes a workbench, a horizontal screw and nut motion mechanism, a vertical bracket, a vertical screw and nut motion mechanism, a swing and flip mechanism, and an elastic pressing mechanism; The workbench includes a horizontal motion mechanism mounting plate and a working platform; the two horizontal motion mechanism mounting plates are arranged in a cross shape, and the working platform is arranged at the intersection of the two horizontal motion mechanism mounting plates; The horizontal screw-nut motion mechanism is mounted on the horizontal motion mechanism mounting plate, and one vertical bracket is provided at each end of the horizontal screw-nut motion mechanism. The horizontal screw-nut motion mechanism is used to drive the vertical brackets at both ends to move toward or in opposite directions in the horizontal direction; The vertical screw-nut movement mechanism and the elastic pressing mechanism are installed on the vertical bracket; the swing flip mechanism is installed on the vertical screw-nut movement mechanism, and the vertical screw-nut movement mechanism is used to drive the swing flip mechanism to move in the vertical direction; the swing flip mechanism is used to flip the swing cover of the carton box to open the box; the elastic pressing mechanism is installed at the lower part of the vertical bracket to fix the position of the carton box when opening the box; The horizontal screw-nut motion mechanism includes a horizontal screw-nut assembly, a first slide, and a first motor assembly; the first motor assembly is connected to the horizontal screw-nut assembly for controlling the operation of the horizontal screw-nut assembly; a first slide is installed at each end of the horizontal screw-nut assembly, and the first slide is installed on the vertical bracket; The horizontal screw nut assembly includes a positive and negative thread screw, a first nut, a horizontal screw seat and a horizontal linear guide rail; the horizontal screw seat and the horizontal linear guide rail are respectively mounted on the horizontal motion mechanism mounting plate, the horizontal screw seat is used to mount the positive and negative thread screw, the first slide is fixedly mounted on the first nut and is slidably connected to the horizontal linear guide rail via a slider; The vertical screw-nut motion mechanism includes a vertical screw-nut assembly, a second slide and a second motor assembly; the second motor assembly is connected to the vertical screw-nut assembly and is used to control the operation of the vertical screw-nut assembly; the second slide is mounted on the vertical screw-nut assembly, and the vertical bracket is mounted on the second slide; The vertical screw nut assembly includes a screw, a second nut, a vertical screw seat and a vertical linear guide rail; the vertical screw seat and the vertical linear guide rail are respectively mounted on the vertical bracket, the vertical screw seat is used to mount the screw, and the second slide is fixedly mounted on the second nut and is slidably connected to the vertical linear guide rail through a slider; The vertical brackets include a pair of vertical brackets I and a pair of vertical brackets II; the two vertical brackets I are respectively mounted on the two first slides corresponding to one set of the horizontal screw and nut motion mechanism, and the two vertical brackets II are respectively mounted on the two first slides corresponding to the other set of the horizontal screw and nut motion mechanism; The swinging and flipping mechanism includes a suction cup group, a rotating cylinder, a swinging connecting rod, a hinge, a suction cup mounting plate and a cylinder mounting plate; the swinging and flipping mechanism is fixedly mounted on the second slide through the cylinder mounting plate; the rotating cylinder is mounted on the cylinder mounting plate, one end of the swinging connecting rod is connected to the rotating cylinder, and the other end is connected to the suction cup mounting plate through the hinge, and the suction cup group is mounted on the suction cup mounting plate and can be adsorbed on the rocking cover of the carton box.

2. The four-arm carton unpacking robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the suction cup group is adsorbed on the carton box swing cover, the rotary cylinder controls the movement of the planar four-bar mechanism formed by the suction cup group, the swing link and the carton box swing cover to realize box opening. The planar four-bar mechanism satisfies the following formula: Among them, L0 is the distance between the corner O1 of the carton box swing cover and the center O2 of the rotating cylinder axis, L1 is the distance between the center B of the contact area when the suction cup group adsorbs the swing cover and the corner point O1 of the carton box swing cover, L2 is the length of the suction cup group, L3 is the length of the swing link, θ1 is the angle between L0 and L1, θ2 is the angle between L1 and L2, and θ3 is the angle between L2 and L3.

3. The four-arm carton unpacking robot according to claim 2, characterized in that: The swinging and flipping mechanism also includes an adjusting screw and a torsion spring installed at the connection between the swinging link and the hinge; the swinging and flipping mechanism also includes a distance sensor fixedly installed on the cylinder mounting plate, which is used to detect and feedback the distance signal between the swinging and flipping mechanism and the upper surface of the carton box when the swinging and flipping mechanism moves in the vertical direction driven by the second slide.

4. The four-arm carton unpacking robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: The elastic pressing mechanism includes a retractable buffer rod, a large-diameter suction cup, a pressing mechanism mounting plate and a micro switch. The elastic pressing mechanism is installed on the vertical bracket through the pressing mechanism mounting plate; one end of the retractable buffer rod is fixedly mounted on the pressing mechanism mounting plate, and the other end is fixedly mounted on the large-diameter suction cup. The extended length of the retractable buffer rod after installation is adjustable and has a buffering effect; the micro switch is installed on the pressing mechanism mounting plate, and is used to feedback the action signal detected by the elastic pressing mechanism when pressing the carton box.

5. The four-arm carton unpacking robot according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes a vacuum and pneumatic system for controlling the operation of the swing and flip mechanism. The vacuum and pneumatic system is provided with electromagnetic valves for controlling the operation of the rotating cylinder and the suction cup group respectively.

6. A method for automatically opening a carton box, characterized in that: The four-arm carton unpacking robot according to claim 1 is used to perform the operation, which specifically includes the following steps: A. Place the carton box stably on the work platform, making sure that the four sides of the carton box are parallel to a vertical support respectively; B. Control the horizontal screw-nut motion mechanisms on the two horizontal motion mechanism mounting plates respectively, so that the two vertical brackets on each horizontal screw-nut motion mechanism move toward each other and approach the carton box, and clamp the four sides of the carton box through the elastic clamping mechanism provided on each vertical bracket; C. Control the vertical screw nut motion mechanism on the vertical bracket parallel to the sides corresponding to the two outer flaps of the carton box to drive the swing flip mechanism to descend and approach the carton box. Control the rotary cylinder to rotate and drive the swing connecting rod and the suction cup assembly to swing downward, so that the suction cup assembly is adsorbed on the outer flaps of the carton box. Control the rotary cylinder to rotate in the opposite direction to make the suction cup assembly open the outer flaps of the carton box. D. Control the vertical screw nut motion mechanism on the vertical bracket parallel to the sides corresponding to the two inner swing covers of the carton box to drive the swing flip mechanism to descend and approach the carton box. Control the rotary cylinder to rotate and drive the swing connecting rod and the suction cup group to swing downward, so that the suction cup group is adsorbed on the inner swing cover of the carton box. Control the rotary cylinder to rotate in the opposite direction to make the suction cup group open the inner swing cover of the carton box.

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