A one-to-many feeding method and system based on PLC control

Abstract

The present invention discloses a one-to-many feeding method and system based on PLC control, which is used to feed multiple processing devices through a conveying streamline and a feeding device. The method includes the steps of: when there is no material in the material taking position corresponding to any processing device, sending a material request signal to the feeding device; after the feeding device receives the material request signal, judging whether to supply material to the processing device immediately; the judgment conditions include: judging whether there is material being conveyed on the conveying streamline, and judging the priority of the processing device among the processing devices sending material request signals in the same time period; after the material flows to the material taking position, the material taking execution end of the processing device removes the material from the material taking position, and at the same time feeds back the material in place signal to the feeding device; after the processing device completes the processing of the material, judging whether the processed material can be placed on the conveying streamline. The present invention can realize the one-to-many feeding of the feeding device, improve the production efficiency and ensure the production accuracy at the same time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of feeding methods, and particularly to a one-to-many feeding method and system based on PLC control. Background Art

[0002] Currently, in the field of industrial automation production, there is usually a processing method in which one feeding device serves multiple processing devices. This processing method has relatively high requirements for PLC control logic. If the control logic is not ideal, it will cause the adverse phenomenon of chaotic feeding. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The main technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a one-to-many feeding method and system based on PLC control, with simple, reasonable and clear control logic, which can realize the feeding of one feeding device to multiple devices. While improving production efficiency, it also ensures production accuracy and reduces the input of production costs.

[0004] To solve the above technical problems, a technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0005] A one-to-many feeding method based on PLC control is used to feed multiple processing devices (3) through a conveying line (1) and a feeding device (2). The feeding method includes the steps of:

[0006] Setting the priorities of multiple said processing devices;

[0007] When there is no material in the material taking position corresponding to any processing device, a material request signal is sent to the feeding device. After receiving the material request signal, the feeding device determines whether to immediately supply material to the processing device. The determination conditions include:

[0008] (a) Whether there is material being conveyed on the conveying line;

[0009] (b) The priority of the processing device;

[0010] The feeding device conveys the material to the corresponding material taking position according to the determination result. After the processing device takes the material, it feeds back a material arrival signal to the feeding device;

[0011] After the processing device completes processing, it interacts with the feeding device and the remaining processing devices to determine the time to put the processed material on the conveying line.

[0012] Preferably, with reference to the conveying direction of the conveying line, the priorities of the downstream processing devices are successively higher than those of the upstream processing devices.

[0013] Preferably, the basis for determining whether material can be supplied to the processing device includes:

[0014] Ⅰ) If there is material being conveyed on the conveying line, regardless of the priority level of this processing equipment among the processing equipment that sends material requisition signals in the same time period, the feeding equipment will not release the material. After the material on the conveying line is conveyed completely, it will return to the initial judgment logic;

[0015] Ⅱ) If there is no material being conveyed on the conveying line, and this processing equipment is in the first priority level among the processing equipment that sends material requisition signals in the same time period, the feeding equipment releases the material to this processing equipment. Meanwhile, the feeding equipment sends the processing parameters of the material to this processing equipment;

[0016] Ⅲ) If there is no material being conveyed on the conveying line, and this processing equipment is not in the first priority level among the processing equipment that sends material requisition signals in the same time period, the feeding equipment will not release the material to the current processing equipment, but releases the material to other processing equipment ranked in the first priority level; after the feeding to other processing equipment ranked in the first priority level is completed, it will return to the initial judgment logic.

[0017] Preferably, the conditions for judging whether the processed material can be put on the conveying line include: judging whether there is material being conveyed on the conveying line:

[0018] Ⅰ) If there is material being conveyed on the conveying line, after the conveyance is completed, it will return to the judgment logic again;

[0019] Ⅱ) If there is no material being conveyed on the conveying line, the processing equipment puts the processed material on the conveying line and it flows to the next workstation.

[0020] Preferably, each of the processing equipment is also provided with a pre - storage position. When there is no material in the corresponding material - taking position of any processing equipment, first judge whether there is material in the pre - storage position;

[0021] If there is material in the pre - storage position, the processing equipment obtains the material from the pre - storage position, and sends a material requisition signal to the feeding equipment after taking the material, and the feeding equipment conveys the material to the pre - storage position;

[0022] If there is no material in the pre - storage position, the processing equipment sends a material requisition signal to the feeding equipment, and the feeding equipment conveys the material to the corresponding material - taking position according to the above feeding logic, and then conveys the material to the corresponding pre - storage position again.

[0023] A one - to - many feeding system based on PLC control, including: a conveying line, a feeding equipment and multiple processing equipment. There are several material - taking positions arranged on the conveying line. The feeding equipment is arranged at the feeding end of the conveying line. Multiple processing equipment are arranged beside the conveying line in sequence along the conveying direction of the conveying line. PLC controllers are respectively configured in the feeding equipment and multiple processing equipment, and the multiple PLC controllers communicate with each other through the TCP / IP protocol.

[0024] Preferably, a pre-storage position is provided on each side of the conveying line at each material taking position, and the pre-storage position is used to store the materials waiting for processing.

[0025] Preferably, a sensor assembly for sensing whether the material is in place, a blocking and limiting assembly for blocking and limiting the material, and a lifting assembly for lifting the material are provided at each material taking position. The sensor assembly, the blocking and limiting assembly, and the lifting assembly are respectively electrically connected to the PLC controller of the corresponding processing equipment.

[0026] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: A one-to-many feeding method and system based on PLC control of the present invention has a simple, reasonable, and clear control logic, can realize the feeding of one-to-many by the feeding equipment, while improving the production efficiency, ensuring the production accuracy, and reducing the input of production costs. Description of the Drawings

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings, where:

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic flow chart of a specific embodiment of the one-to-many feeding system in the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 is a schematic flow chart of another specific embodiment of the one-to-many feeding system in the present invention. Detailed Embodiments

[0030] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] Embodiment 1:

[0032] As Figure 1As shown in the figure, a one-to-many feeding system based on PLC control includes: a conveying line 1, a feeding device 2, and multiple processing devices 3. A number of material taking positions 4 are arranged on the conveying line. The feeding device is arranged at the feeding end of the conveying line. The multiple processing devices are arranged side by side along the conveying direction of the conveying line. PLC controllers are respectively configured in the feeding device and the multiple processing devices, and the multiple PLC controllers communicate with each other through the TCP / IP protocol. A sensor assembly for sensing whether the material is in place, a blocking assembly for blocking and limiting the material, and a lifting assembly for lifting the material are arranged at each material taking position. The sensor assembly, the blocking and limiting assembly, and the lifting assembly are respectively electrically connected to the PLC controller of the corresponding processing device.

[0033] During operation, when the material is moved to the material taking position along with the carrier (the carrier may not be configured according to the type of the material and the conveying line), the sensor assembly senses the material information and transmits it to the PLC controller. The PLC controller first controls the blocking and limiting assembly to act to block and limit the carrier, and then controls the lifting assembly to act to separate the carrier from the conveying line, facilitating the processing device to take the material.

[0034] It should be noted that the sensor assembly, the blocking and limiting assembly, and the lifting assembly are all common technical means in the automated production line, so they will not be elaborated here.

[0035] The feeding method is as follows:

[0036] S1: When any one of the processing devices 3 needs materials, it sends a material request signal to the feeding device 2 through the mutual communication between the PLC controllers. After receiving the material request signal, the feeding device 2 judges whether it can supply materials to the processing device 3. The judgment conditions include: judging whether there is a material being conveyed on the conveying line 1, and judging the priority of the processing device 3 among the processing devices that send material request signals in the same time period;

[0037] Ⅰ) If there is a material being conveyed on the conveying line 1, regardless of the priority level of the processing device 3 among the processing devices that send material request signals in the same time period, the feeding device 2 does not release the material. After the material on the conveying line 1 is conveyed, it returns to the initial judgment logic;

[0038] Ⅱ) If there is no material being conveyed on the conveying line 1, and the processing device 3 is in the first priority among the processing devices that send material request signals in the same time period, the feeding device 2 releases the material to the processing device 3. At the same time, the feeding device 2 also sends the processing parameters of the material to the processing device 3 through the mutual communication between the PLC controllers. In this embodiment, the feeding system is used for feeding the film coating device, so the parameter information here includes which model of film needs to be coated, etc.;

[0039] Ⅲ) If there is no material being transported on the conveying streamline 1 and the processing equipment 3 is not of the first priority among the processing equipment that send material requisition signals in the same time period, the feeding equipment 2 will not feed the processing equipment 3, but will feed other processing equipment of the first priority; after finishing feeding other processing equipment of the first priority, it will return to the initial judgment logic;

[0040] S2: After the material flows to the material taking position 4, the material taking execution end (such as a clamping jaw) of the processing equipment 3 removes the material from the material taking position. At the same time, the processing equipment 3 also feeds back the material in place signal to the feeding equipment 2 through mutual communication between PLCs;

[0041] S3: After the processing equipment 3 finishes processing the material, the processing equipment 3 interacts with the feeding equipment 2 and other processing equipment 3 through mutual communication between PLCs to judge whether the processed material can be placed on the conveying streamline 1. The judgment conditions include: judging whether there is material being transported on the conveying streamline 1. If:

[0042] Ⅰ) There is material being transported on the conveying streamline 1. After the transportation is completed, it will return to the judgment logic;

[0043] Ⅱ) There is no material being transported on the conveying streamline 1. The processing equipment 3 places the processed material on the conveying streamline 1 and it flows to the next work station.

[0044] Embodiment 2:

[0045] As Figure 2 shown, on the basis of Embodiment 1, a pre-storage position 5 is arranged on the side of each material taking position on the conveying streamline. The pre-storage position is used to store the materials waiting for processing.

[0046] The working logic is:

[0047] When there is no material in any material taking position, the processing equipment corresponding to the material taking position will first judge whether there is material in the pre-storage position. If:

[0048] Ⅰ) There is material in the pre-storage position. The PLC in the processing equipment controls to transport the material in the pre-storage position to the material taking position; after the feeding is in place, the processing equipment will send a material requisition signal to the feeding equipment through mutual communication between PLCs. After the feeding equipment judges the material requisition signal, it feeds the pre-storage position;

[0049] Ⅱ) There is no material in the pre-storage position. The processing equipment will send a material requisition signal to the feeding equipment through mutual communication between PLCs. After the feeding equipment judges the material requisition signal, it directly feeds the material taking position;

[0050] After the feeding is in place, the processing equipment will continue to send a material requisition signal to the feeding equipment so that there is material stored in the pre-storage position.

[0051] In addition, the way of storing materials in the pre-storage position can be as follows: a lifting mechanism is provided in the pre-storage position. The lifting mechanism includes a material clamping cylinder and a lifting cylinder that drives the material clamping cylinder to move up and down. When materials arrive, the material clamping cylinder clamps the materials, and the lifting cylinder rises, so that the materials can be separated from the conveying streamline for storage. When it is necessary to discharge materials from the pre-storage position, the lifting cylinder descends and the material clamping cylinder opens, so that the materials can move along the conveying streamline to the material taking position. It should be noted that there are various ways of storing materials in the pre-storage position, not limited to the above-mentioned lifting mechanism.

[0052] The above are only embodiments of the present invention, and do not limit the patent scope of the present invention accordingly. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made by using the content of the specification of the present invention, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, shall be equally included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A one-to-many feeding method based on PLC control, using a one-to-many feeding system for feeding multiple processing devices (3) through a conveying streamline (1) and a feeding device (2) of the one-to-many feeding system, characterized in that, The feeding method includes the steps of: Setting the priorities of multiple said processing devices; When there is no material in the material taking position corresponding to any one of the processing devices, a material request signal is sent to the feeding device. After receiving the material request signal, the feeding device determines whether to supply material to this processing device immediately. The determination conditions include: (a) Whether there is material being conveyed on the conveying line; (b) The priority of this processing device; The feeding device conveys the material to the corresponding material taking position according to the determination result. After this processing device takes the material, it feeds back the material in-place signal to the feeding device; After this processing device completes processing, it interacts with the feeding device and the remaining processing devices to determine the time to put the processed material onto the conveying line; The basis for determining whether material can be supplied to this processing device includes: Ⅰ) If there is material being conveyed on the conveying line, regardless of the priority level of this processing device among the processing devices that send material request signals in the same time period, the feeding device does not discharge the material. After the material on the conveying line is conveyed, it returns to the initial judgment logic; Ⅱ) If there is no material being conveyed on the conveying line, and this processing device is in the first priority level among the processing devices that send material request signals in the same time period, the feeding device discharges the material to this processing device. At the same time, the feeding device sends the processing parameters of the material to this processing device; Ⅲ) If there is no material being conveyed on the conveying line, and this processing device is in a non-first priority level among the processing devices that send material request signals in the same time period, the feeding device does not discharge the material to the current processing device, but discharges the material to other processing devices ranked in the first priority level; after discharging the material to other processing devices ranked in the first priority level, it returns to the initial judgment logic; The conditions for determining whether the processed material can be put onto the conveying line include: determining whether there is material being conveyed on the conveying line: Ⅰ) If there is material being conveyed on the conveying line, after the conveyance is completed, it returns to the judgment logic again; Ⅱ) If there is no material being conveyed on the conveying line, the processing device puts the processed material onto the conveying line and flows to the next workstation.

2. The one-to-many feeding method based on PLC control according to claim 1, wherein With reference to the conveying direction of the conveying line, the priorities of the downstream said processing devices are successively higher than those of the upstream said processing devices.

3. The one-to-many feeding method based on PLC control according to claim 1, characterized in that Each said processing device is also provided with a pre-storage position for storing the materials waiting for processing. When there is no material in the material taking position corresponding to any processing device, first judge whether there is material in the pre-storage position; If there is material in the pre-storage position, the processing device obtains the material from the pre-storage position and sends a material request signal to the feeding device after taking the material, and the feeding device conveys the material to the pre-storage position; If there is no material in the pre-storage position, the processing device sends a material request signal to the feeding device, and the feeding device conveys the material to the corresponding material taking position according to the above feeding logic, and then conveys the material to the corresponding pre-storage position again.

4. The one-to-many feeding method based on PLC control according to claim 1, characterized in that Including: The feeding device is arranged at the feeding end of the conveying line, and multiple said processing devices are arranged side by side along the conveying direction of the conveying line. The feeding device and multiple processing devices are each configured with a PLC controller, and the multiple PLC controllers communicate with each other through the TCP / IP protocol.

5. The one-to-many feeding method based on PLC control according to claim 1, characterized in that At each of the material taking positions, there is a sensor assembly for sensing whether the material is in place, a blocking and limiting assembly for blocking and limiting the material, and a jacking assembly for jacking up the material. The sensor assembly, the blocking and limiting assembly, and the jacking assembly are respectively electrically connected to the PLC controller of the corresponding processing equipment.

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