A flexible connection device for a boiler drum welding robot

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of machines for drum welding, and particularly relates to a flexible connection device for a drum welding robot, which includes a flexible component; the flexible component includes a fixed plate, a first cylinder, and a movable plate; the first cylinder and the movable plate are respectively arranged on both sides of the fixed plate along the thickness direction, and a through hole is arranged on the fixed plate; the movable end of the first cylinder passes through the fixed plate and is spherically hinged to one end surface of the movable plate facing the fixed plate; a frustum is arranged on one end surface of the movable plate facing the fixed plate, the small-diameter end of the frustum passes through the through hole, the maximum diameter of the frustum is greater than or equal to the diameter of the through hole, and the end surface of the movable plate far from the fixed plate is connected to the positioning shaft of the drum welding robot. The present invention can compensate for the angular deviation between the positioning shaft and the heat exchange tube to be welded, so that the positioning shaft and the heat exchange tube to be welded are coaxial.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of machines for drum welding, and particularly relates to a flexible connection device for a drum welding robot. Background Art

[0002] A drum is a cylindrical pressure vessel used in a water tube boiler for steam-water separation and steam purification, forming a water circulation loop and storing boiler water. The drum is mainly composed of two rigid cylinders with a radius of 0.5 m to 1.2 m and thousands of heat exchange tubes with a radius of 44 mm to 55 mm. Since the connection between the drum and the heat exchange tubes must be completely sealed, circumferential welding needs to be carried out along the outer wall of the heat exchange tubes inside the drum. Traditional manual welding requires multiple welders to take turns to weld one by one inside the rigid cylinder. This method not only consumes a lot of manpower, has low efficiency, but also has many restrictive conditions. In order to improve the welding efficiency, robot welding is adopted.

[0003] When using a robot for welding inside a drum, the difficulty lies in accurately positioning the tube holes at different positions. During the welding process, the robot needs to first move the positioning shaft and then insert the positioning shaft into the heat exchange tube to be welded, and perform circumferential welding with the axis of the positioning shaft as the center of the circumferential seam of the welding torch. However, in the curved surface space inside the drum, it is impossible to ensure that each heat exchange tube is perpendicular to the inner wall of the curved surface, and there is a certain deviation. As a result, after multiple positionings, due to the accumulation of errors, the axis of the positioning shaft of the robot cannot coincide with the axis of the heat exchange tube, causing the positioning shaft to get stuck or the center of the circumferential seam of the welding torch to shift, resulting in situations such as incomplete fusion or missed welding in robot welding. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is: to provide a flexible connection device for a drum welding robot, which can make the positioning shaft of the robot coaxial with the heat exchange tube to be welded and ensure the quality of circumferential welding.

[0005] To solve the above technical problem, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a flexible connection device for a drum welding robot, including a flexible component; the flexible component includes a fixed plate, a first cylinder and a movable plate.

[0006] The fixed plate is provided with a first cylinder and a movable plate on both sides along the thickness direction respectively, and the fixed plate is provided with a through hole.

[0007] The movable end of the first cylinder passes through the fixed plate and is ball-jointed to one end surface of the movable plate facing the fixed plate.

[0008] A frustum is provided on one end surface of the movable plate facing the fixed plate. The small-diameter end of the frustum passes through the through hole, and the maximum diameter of the frustum is greater than or equal to the diameter of the through hole. The end surface of the movable plate far from the fixed plate is connected to the positioning shaft of the drum welding robot.

[0009] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The positioning shaft of the boiler drum welding robot is connected to the flexible component. By using the first cylinder to move the movable plate away from the fixed plate, that is, to let the large-diameter end of the frustum exit the through hole on the fixed plate. At the same time, since the movable end of the first cylinder is spherically hinged to the movable plate, the movable plate can swing after moving away from the fixed plate. Thus, during the process of the positioning shaft extending into the heat exchange tube to be welded, by using the swing of the movable plate, the positioning shaft can be self-aligned, and then the positioning shaft and the heat exchange tube to be welded are coaxially arranged to ensure the circumferential weld quality of the heat exchange tube by the boiler drum welding robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the application scenario of a flexible connection device of a boiler drum welding robot in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0011] Figure 2 It is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a flexible connection device of a boiler drum welding robot in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0012] Figure 3 It is a schematic assembly structure diagram of the positioning shaft and the elastic component of a flexible connection device of a boiler drum welding robot in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] Reference numerals description:

[0014] 1. Flexible component; 11. Fixed plate; 111. Through hole; 12. First cylinder; 13. Movable plate; 131. Frustum;

[0015] 2. Positioning shaft; 21. Expansion head; 22. Elastic component; 221. Collar; 222. Elastic sheet; 23. Spring;

[0016] 3. Spherical hinge assembly; 31. Support; 32. Connecting rod;

[0017] 4. Limiting device; 41. Second cylinder; 42. Limiting plate; 43. Abutting sleeve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0018] To describe in detail the technical content, the achieved objectives and the effects of the present invention, the following is described in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a flexible connection device of a boiler drum welding robot according to the present invention includes a flexible component 1; the flexible component 1 includes a fixed plate 11, a first cylinder 12 and a movable plate 13;

[0020] The first cylinder 12 and the movable plate 13 are respectively arranged on both sides of the fixed plate 11 along the thickness direction, and a through hole 111 is provided on the fixed plate 11;

[0021] The movable end of the first cylinder 12 passes through the fixing plate 11 and is ball-jointed to one end face of the movable plate 13 facing the fixing plate 11;

[0022] A frustum 131 is provided on one end face of the movable plate 13 facing the fixing plate 11. The small-diameter end of the frustum 131 passes through the through hole 111, and the maximum diameter of the frustum 131 is greater than or equal to the diameter of the through hole 111. The end face of the movable plate 13 away from the fixing plate 11 is welded to the positioning shaft 2 of the drum welding robot.

[0023] As can be seen from the above description, the beneficial effect of the present invention is that the positioning shaft 2 of the drum welding robot is connected to the flexible component 1. By using the first cylinder 12, the movable plate 13 is moved away from the fixing plate 11, that is, the large-diameter end of the frustum 131 is withdrawn from the through hole 111 on the fixing plate 11. At the same time, since the movable end of the first cylinder 12 is ball-jointed to the movable plate 13, the movable plate 13 can swing after moving away from the fixing plate 11. Thus, during the process of the positioning shaft 2 extending into the heat exchange tube to be welded, by using the swing of the movable plate 13, the positioning shaft 2 can be automatically aligned, and then the positioning shaft 2 is coaxially aligned with the heat exchange tube to be welded, so as to ensure the circumferential seam welding quality of the heat exchange tube by the drum welding robot.

[0024] Further, the maximum extension amount of the movable end of the first cylinder 12 is less than the length of the frustum 131.

[0025] As can be seen from the above description, it can be ensured that the frustum 131 always passes through the fixing plate 11, avoiding the situation that the movable plate 13 cannot be moved closer to the fixing plate 11 after moving away from the fixing plate 11.

[0026] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, further, a ball-joint assembly 3 is provided between the movable end of the first cylinder 12 and the movable plate 13; the ball-joint assembly 3 includes a support 31 connected to the movable end of the first cylinder 12 and a connecting rod 32 threadedly connected to the movable plate 13. A ball cage is provided on the support 31, and a ball head is provided on the connecting rod 32. The ball head is rotatably arranged in the ball cage.

[0027] As can be seen from the above description, between the movable end of the first cylinder 12 and the movable plate 13, through the ball-joint assembly 3, the movable plate 13 can swing in all directions after moving away from the fixing plate 11.

[0028] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, further, a limiting device 4 is provided at the end of the movable plate 13 away from the fixing plate 11. The limiting device 4 includes a second cylinder 41, a limiting plate 42, and an abutting sleeve 43;

[0029] On both sides of the limiting plate 42 in the thickness direction, a second cylinder 41 and a contact sleeve 43 are respectively arranged. The positioning shaft 2 is slidably connected to the contact sleeve 43 relatively, and one end of the positioning shaft 2 is connected to the movable end of the second cylinder 41; a head 21 for expansion is arranged at the end of the positioning shaft 2 far away from the second cylinder 41, and the diameter of the head 21 for expansion is larger than that of the positioning shaft 2.

[0030] An elastic component 22 is sleeved on the shaft body of the positioning shaft 2. One end of the elastic component 22 abuts against the contact sleeve 43, the other end of the elastic component 22 is an elastic end, and the elastic end extends towards the direction of the head 21 for expansion.

[0031] As can be seen from the above description, after the positioning shaft 2 extends into the heat exchange tube to be welded, the second cylinder 41 pulls the positioning shaft 2 to move towards the limiting plate 42. Since the elastic component 22 is restricted by the contact sleeve 43 and cannot move with the positioning shaft 2, the elastic end of the elastic component 22 will deform under the action of the head 21 for expansion, so that the elastic end of the elastic component 22 is closely attached to the inner wall of the heat exchange tube to be welded, thereby fixing the positioning shaft 2 in the heat exchange tube to be welded, and further avoiding the positioning shaft 2 from moving during the welding process and affecting the welding quality.

[0032] Please refer to Figure 3 As shown, further, the elastic component 22 includes a collar 221 and a plurality of elastic pieces 222 arranged circumferentially along the contour of the collar 221. The collar 221 is sleeved on the shaft body of the positioning shaft 2, and the collar 221 abuts against the contact sleeve 43. An assembly groove is arranged circumferentially along the outer contour of the collar 221, and one end of the elastic piece 222 is arranged in the assembly groove.

[0033] As can be seen from the above description, during the process of fixing the positioning shaft 2, the expansion head 21 pushes the elastic pieces 222 open, so that the elastic pieces 222 are closely attached to the inner wall of the heat exchange tube to be welded, and further the fixing of the positioning shaft 2 in the heat exchange tube is completed.

[0034] The elastic pieces 222 are installed on the collar 221 through the assembly groove. In this way, when some of the elastic pieces 222 are damaged, the damaged elastic pieces 222 can be replaced, so that it is not necessary to replace the entire elastic component 22.

[0035] Please refer to Figure 3 As shown, further, a spring 23 is sleeved on the shaft body of the positioning shaft 2. One end of the spring 23 abuts against the collar 221, and the other end of the spring 23 abuts against the expansion head 21.

[0036] As can be seen from the above description, the spring 23 can buffer the impact of the expansion head 21 on the elastic pieces 222, thereby improving the service life of the elastic pieces 222.

[0037] Further, a chamfer is provided at one end of the expansion head 21 away from the second cylinder 41.

[0038] As can be seen from the above description, providing a chamfer on the expansion head 21 facilitates the expansion head 21 to extend into the heat exchange tube to be welded for positioning.

[0039] The application scenario of the flexible connection device of a drum welding robot of the present invention: When it is necessary to accurately extend the positioning shaft 2 into the heat exchange tube to be welded, the positioning shaft 2 of the drum welding robot is connected to the flexible component 1. The first cylinder 12 is used to move the movable plate 13 away from the fixed plate 11, that is, to let the large-diameter end of the frustum 131 withdraw from the through hole 111 on the fixed plate 11. At the same time, since the movable end of the first cylinder 12 is spherical-hinged to the movable plate 13, the movable plate 13 can swing after moving away from the fixed plate 11. Thus, during the process of the positioning shaft 2 extending into the heat exchange tube to be welded, by using the swing of the movable plate 13, the positioning shaft 2 can be self-aligned, and then the positioning shaft 2 and the heat exchange tube to be welded are coaxially arranged to ensure the circumferential seam welding quality of the heat exchange tube by the drum welding robot.

[0040] Embodiment 1

[0041] A flexible connection device of a drum welding robot, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, it includes a flexible component 1; the flexible component 1 includes a fixed plate 11, a first cylinder 12 and a movable plate 13; the first cylinder 12 and the movable plate 13 are respectively arranged on both sides of the fixed plate 11 along the thickness direction, and a through hole 111 is provided on the fixed plate 11; the movable end of the first cylinder 12 passes through the fixed plate 11 and is spherical-hinged to one end face of the movable plate 13 facing the fixed plate 11; a frustum 131 is provided on one end face of the movable plate 13 facing the fixed plate 11, the small-diameter end of the frustum 131 passes through the through hole 111, the maximum diameter of the frustum 131 is greater than or equal to the diameter of the through hole 111, and the end face of the movable plate 13 away from the fixed plate 11 is connected to the positioning shaft 2 of the drum welding robot. The maximum extension amount of the movable end of the first cylinder 12 is less than the length of the frustum 131. A spherical hinge assembly 3 is provided between the movable end of the first cylinder 12 and the movable plate 13; the spherical hinge assembly 3 includes a support 31 connected to the movable end of the first cylinder 12 and a connecting rod 32 threadedly connected to the movable plate 13, a ball cage is provided on the support 31, a ball head is provided on the connecting rod 32, and the ball head is rotatably arranged in the ball cage.

[0042] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3As shown, a limiting device 4 is provided at one end of the movable plate 13 away from the fixed plate 11, and the limiting device 4 includes a second cylinder 41, a limiting plate 42 and an abutting sleeve 43; the limiting plate 42 is respectively provided with a second cylinder 41 and an abutting sleeve 43 on both sides along the thickness direction, the positioning shaft 2 is relatively slidably connected with the abutting sleeve 43, and one end of the positioning shaft 2 is connected with the movable end of the second cylinder 41; an expansion head 21 is provided at one end of the positioning shaft 2 away from the second cylinder 41, and the diameter of the expansion head 21 is larger than the diameter of the positioning shaft 2; an elastic component 22 is sleeved on the shaft body of the positioning shaft 2, one end of the elastic component 22 abuts against the abutting sleeve 43, and the other end of the elastic component 22 is an elastic end, and the elastic end extends toward the direction of the expansion head 21. The elastic component 22 includes a collar 221 and a plurality of spring pieces 222 arranged along the circumference of the collar 221. The collar 221 is sleeved on the shaft body of the positioning shaft 2, and the collar 221 abuts against the abutment sleeve 43. The collar 221 is provided with a mounting groove along the circumference of the outer contour, and one end of the spring piece 222 is arranged in the mounting groove. A spring 23 is sleeved on the shaft body of the positioning shaft 2, one end of the spring 23 abuts against the collar 221, and the other end of the spring 23 abuts against the expansion head 21. The expansion head 21 is provided with a chamfer at one end away from the second cylinder 41.

[0043] Working principle: when it is necessary to accurately extend the positioning shaft 2 into the heat exchange tube to be welded, the first cylinder 12 extends the movable end to move the movable plate 13 away from the fixed plate 11, and the limiting device 4 connected to the positioning shaft 2 moves toward the direction of the heat exchange tube to be welded; since the large diameter end of the cone 131 exits the through hole 111 on the fixed plate 11, and the movable end of the first cylinder 12 is connected to the movable plate 13 via the ball hinge assembly 3, the movable plate 13 can swing in all directions after being away from the fixed plate 11, and then when the positioning shaft 2 extends into the heat exchange tube to be welded, if it conflicts with the inner wall of the heat exchange tube to be welded, the movable plate 13 will automatically swing accordingly, so that the positioning shaft 2 can smoothly penetrate into the heat exchange tube to be welded, and then the positioning shaft 2 is coaxial with the heat exchange tube to be welded.

[0044] After the positioning shaft 2 is inserted into the heat exchange tube to be welded, the second cylinder 41 is used to pull the positioning shaft 2 to move toward the limit plate 42. Since the ring 221 of the elastic component 22 is restricted by the abutment sleeve 43 and cannot move with the positioning shaft 2, the spring piece 222 of the elastic component 22 will be stretched open by the expansion head 21, so that the spring piece 222 is tightly fitted with the inner wall of the heat exchange tube to be welded, thereby completing the fixation of the positioning shaft 2 in the heat exchange tube.

[0045] After welding is completed, the movable end of the second cylinder 41 extends, causing the positioning shaft 2 to move away from the limit plate 42, restoring the elastic piece 222 to its initial state. Then, the movable end of the first cylinder 12 retracts, causing the movable plate 13 to move towards the fixed plate 11, and the large-diameter end of the frustum 131 to cooperate with the through hole 111 on the fixed plate 11, and causing the limiting device 4 and the positioning shaft 2 to withdraw from the heat exchange tube. Since the maximum diameter of the frustum 131 is greater than or equal to the diameter of the through hole 111, the movable plate 13 cannot move after the large-diameter end of the frustum 131 cooperates with the through hole 111. Therefore, after the boiler drum welding robot swings the positioning shaft 2 by a certain angle and makes the positioning shaft 2 face the nozzle of another heat exchange tube to be welded, the positioning shaft 2 will not swing under the influence of gravity.

[0046] The above are only the embodiments of the present invention, and do not limit the patent scope of the present invention accordingly. Any equivalent transformation made by using the content of the specification and drawings of the present invention, or directly or indirectly applied in the relevant technical field, shall be similarly included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flexible connection device for a boiler drum welding robot, characterized in that: It includes a flexible component; the flexible component includes a fixed plate, a first cylinder, and a movable plate; The first cylinder and the movable plate are respectively arranged on both sides of the fixed plate in the thickness direction, and through holes are arranged on the fixed plate; The movable end of the first cylinder passes through the fixed plate and is spherical-jointedly connected to one end face of the movable plate facing the fixed plate; A frustum is arranged on one end face of the movable plate facing the fixed plate. The small-diameter end of the frustum passes through the through hole, and the maximum diameter of the frustum is greater than or equal to the diameter of the through hole. The end face of the movable plate away from the fixed plate is connected to the positioning shaft of the drum welding robot; The maximum extension amount of the movable end of the first cylinder is less than the length of the frustum; A spherical-joint component is arranged between the movable end of the first cylinder and the movable plate; the spherical-joint component includes a support connected to the movable end of the first cylinder and a connecting rod threadedly connected to the movable plate. A ball cage is arranged on the support, a ball head is arranged on the connecting rod, and the ball head is rotatably arranged in the ball cage.

2. The flexible connection device of the drum welding robot according to claim 1, wherein: A limiting device is arranged at the end of the movable plate away from the fixed plate. The limiting device includes a second cylinder, a limiting plate, and an abutting sleeve; The second cylinder and the abutting sleeve are respectively arranged on both sides of the limiting plate in the thickness direction. The positioning shaft is slidably connected to the abutting sleeve relatively, and one end of the positioning shaft is connected to the movable end of the second cylinder; an expansion head is arranged at the end of the positioning shaft away from the second cylinder, and the diameter of the expansion head is greater than the diameter of the positioning shaft; An elastic component is sleeved on the shaft body of the positioning shaft. One end of the elastic component abuts against the abutting sleeve, and the other end of the elastic component is an elastic end, and the elastic end extends towards the direction of the expansion head.

3. The flexible connection device of the drum welding robot according to claim 2, wherein: The elastic component includes a collar and a plurality of elastic pieces arranged circumferentially along the contour of the collar. The collar is sleeved on the shaft body of the positioning shaft, and the collar abuts against the abutting sleeve. An assembly groove is arranged circumferentially along the outer contour of the collar, and one end of the elastic piece is arranged in the assembly groove.

4. The flexible connection device of the drum welding robot according to claim 3, characterized in that: A spring is sleeved on the shaft body of the positioning shaft. One end of the spring abuts against the collar, and the other end of the spring abuts against the expansion head.

5. The flexible connection device of the drum welding robot according to claim 2, wherein: A chamfer is arranged at the end of the expansion head away from the second cylinder.

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