An automatic assembly machine for inner chain links of a conveyor chain and its assembly method

Abstract

The present invention discloses an automatic assembly machine for inner chain links of a conveyor chain and its assembly method, which includes an eight-station assembly workbench that rotates clockwise according to the production rhythm, and equipment for feeding lower chain plates, feeding sleeves, feeding rollers, a first detection device, feeding upper chain plates, a second detection device, hydraulic equipment, and inner chain link discharging equipment that are sequentially arranged around it according to the assembly sequence; as the eight-station assembly workbench rotates, the eight stations sequentially pass through the equipment for feeding lower chain plates, feeding sleeves, feeding rollers, the first detection device, feeding upper chain plates, the second detection device, hydraulic equipment, and inner chain link discharging equipment, and the inner chain links are assembled by riveting in a cyclic and reciprocating manner. The assembly machine of the present invention can realize automatic positioning, handling, and assembly, replace the traditional manual assembly of products with an automated production line with good continuity, greatly improve the safe production environment of operators, and greatly improve the continuous production efficiency and labor utilization rate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of conveyor chain assembly production, and in particular to an automatic assembly machine for chain links in a conveyor chain and an assembly method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Conveyor chains are generally composed of outer link plates, inner link plates, pins, sleeves, rollers, locking parts and other parts; forming a complete chain requires processes such as semi-outer section assembly, inner link assembly, chain forming, pin head and rivet head exposure, and locking part installation.

[0003] The existing inner chain link assembly is mainly done manually, with one operator mainly responsible for assembling the inner chain plate, outer chain plate, sleeve and roller on the mold; then another operator carries it to the punch press for riveting to form a semi-finished product. Under this traditional riveting production process, not only is the production efficiency low, but also because the labor intensity of the operator is high, the worker's continuous working time is limited to 8 hours; at the same time, when the production product is changed, the mold replacement time is long; and during the entire traditional riveting process, the worker manually delivers the product to the bottom of the equipment for riveting, and the manual operation process of production has safety hazards.

[0004] With the rapid development of social economy and technology and the advancement of science and technology, the degree of automation in industrial production is getting higher and higher. In the production and assembly workshops of enterprises and factories, more and more production and assembly work are gradually moving towards automation. Among them, the emergence of industrial production lines is an important manifestation of the process of industrial automation, and it has become an important part of industrial automation. Therefore, the automated assembly of inner chain links has also become a problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide an automatic assembly machine for inner chain links of a conveyor chain and an assembly method thereof, so as to realize the fully automatic assembly of inner chain links in a conveyor chain.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides an automatic assembly machine for chain links in a conveyor chain, comprising an eight-station assembly workbench rotating clockwise according to a production rhythm.

[0007] The eight-station assembly workbench is equipped with the following in order of assembly:

[0008] A lower chain plate feeding device, which picks up the lower chain plate of the inner chain link and places it on one of the eight-station assembly workbench;

[0009] The sleeve loading device picks up the sleeves of the two inner chain links and places them on the lower chain plate;

[0010] The roller feeding device picks up the rollers of the two inner links and sets them on the two sleeves respectively;

[0011] The first detection device detects whether the placement positions of the lower chain plate, the two sleeves and the two rollers are accurate;

[0012] The upper chain plate feeding device picks up the upper chain plate of the inner link and places it above the two sleeves and the rollers;

[0013] The second detection device detects whether the placement positions of the lower chain plate, the two sleeves, the two rollers and the upper chain plate are accurate;

[0014] The hydraulic device rivets and assembles the lower chain plate, the two sleeves, the two rollers and the upper chain plate into a molded inner link;

[0015] The inner link discharging device picks up the assembled and molded inner link and places it into the storage bin;

[0016] As the eight-station assembly workbench rotates, the eight stations sequentially pass through the lower chain plate feeding device, the sleeve feeding device, the roller feeding device, the first detection device, the upper chain plate feeding device, the second detection device, the hydraulic device and the inner link discharging device, and repeatedly rivet and assemble to produce the inner link of the conveyor chain.

[0017] Preferably, a workbench drive motor is installed at the bottom of the eight-station assembly workbench, which can drive the eight-station assembly workbench to rotate according to the production rhythm. Eight inner link riveting tools are evenly distributed around the central axis on the eight-station assembly workbench, and the eight inner link riveting tools respectively correspond to the eight stations.

[0018] Preferably, the lower chain plate feeding device includes a chain plate feeding disk, and a plurality of chain plate racks are installed on the chain plate feeding disk, and a plurality of lower chain plates are stacked and placed on each chain plate rack.

[0019] Preferably, the lower chain plate feeding device further includes a chain plate gripper, a chain plate gripper transverse movement device and a chain plate gripper lifting device;

[0020] The chain plate gripper is a double-claw pneumatic gripper, and under the action of the chain plate gripper lifting device, it extends into the through holes at both ends of the lower chain plate to clamp the lower chain plate;

[0021] The chain plate gripper transverse movement device is connected to the chain plate gripper lifting device and the chain plate gripper connected to the chain plate gripper lifting device, and drives the chain plate gripper that clamps the lower chain plate to move towards the direction of the eight-station assembly workbench.

[0022] Preferably, the chain plate rack includes a rack base and two vertically arranged rack bars. The two rack bars are respectively sleeved in the through holes at both ends of the chain plate, and a notch is opened at the inner side of the top end of the rack bar for the chain plate gripper to pass through the through holes at both ends of the chain plate at the notch and clamp it.

[0023] Preferably, the lower link plate feeding device further includes a blanking device, which includes a blanking cylinder, a blanking plate and a blanking elevator. The blanking plate is connected to the piston rod of the blanking cylinder, and the blanking plate is horizontally fed into the frame base, and driven by the blanking elevator, the blanking plate and the lower link plates stacked on the frame base are lifted upward for the link plate gripper to pick up.

[0024] Preferably, the sleeve feeding device includes a sleeve storage bin, a sleeve conveyor, a sleeve pre-setting assembly and a double sleeve gripper;

[0025] The sleeve conveyor is installed on the top of the sleeve storage bin, and the sleeve pre-setting assembly is arranged at the end of the sleeve conveyor. The sleeves in the sleeve storage bin are conveyed by the sleeve conveyor to be placed in pairs on the sleeve pre-setting assembly, and the double sleeve gripper picks up the paired sleeves and moves towards the eight-station assembly workbench;

[0026] A reciprocating mechanism is installed on the side plate of the sleeve storage bin close to the sleeve conveyor. The reciprocating mechanism includes a feeding motor and a crank-link assembly connected between the feeding motor and the side plate. As the feeding motor rotates, the crank-link assembly drives the side plate to reciprocate up and down, so as to convey the sleeves upward into the sleeve conveyor;

[0027] The side plate is inclined from the sleeve conveyor end towards the bottom of the sleeve storage bin, and a plurality of steps are arranged at intervals on the inner side of the sleeve storage bin where the side plate is located. As the side plate reciprocates up and down, the sleeves rise step by step on the plurality of steps;

[0028] The sleeve conveyor includes a conveyor belt extending from the sleeve storage bin to the sleeve pre-setting assembly and a conveying motor for driving the conveyor belt to run. The sleeves are conveyed on the conveyor belt to the sleeve pre-setting assembly;

[0029] A blocking mechanism is arranged in the middle of the conveyor belt. The blocking mechanism includes a blocking plate spanning the conveyor belt and a blocking cylinder for driving the blocking plate to move; the blocking plate intercepts the sleeves on the conveyor belt, and the blocking mechanism is also provided with a reflux channel communicating with the sleeve storage bin, and the intercepted sleeves return to the sleeve storage bin through the reflux channel;

[0030] The blocking mechanism is also installed with a counting sensor for recording the number of sleeves passing on the conveyor belt;

[0031] One end of the sleeve conveyor close to the sleeve pre-setting assembly is connected with a turning channel, and the turning channel is bent at 90 degrees, so that the sleeves horizontally conveyed on the conveyor belt are vertically placed on the sleeve pre-setting assembly after passing through the turning channel.

[0032] Preferably, the sleeve preloading assembly includes a preloading table, a first moving member for driving the preloading table to move in a first direction, and a second moving member for driving the preloading table to move in a second direction;

[0033] Two sleeve preloading holes are formed in the preloading table, so that the preloading table can load two sleeves each time;

[0034] The first moving member is installed on the second moving member, and the first direction is perpendicular to the movement direction of the second direction, so that the preloading table can move along the horizontal plane under the combined action of the first moving member and the second moving member, so that the two sleeve preloading holes can respectively receive the sleeves conveyed by the sleeve conveyor.

[0035] Preferably, the double-sleeve gripper includes two three-jaw pneumatic grippers for simultaneously gripping two sleeves on the preloading table;

[0036] The double-sleeve gripper is further equipped with a sleeve gripper lifting device and a sleeve gripper transverse movement device;

[0037] The sleeve gripper lifting device is connected to the double-sleeve gripper and is used to drive the double-sleeve gripper to move up and down. The sleeve gripper transverse movement device is connected to the sleeve gripper lifting device and is used to drive the sleeve gripper lifting device and the double-sleeve gripper to move towards the eight-station assembly workbench.

[0038] The present invention also provides an assembly method for an inner link automatic assembly machine of a conveyor chain, including the following steps:

[0039] Step (A): Lower link plate feeding:

[0040] The lower link plates of the inner link are manually stacked and loaded onto the link plate rack of the loading tray. At this time, the loading tray is rotated to rotate one of the link plate racks below the lower link plate feeding device. First, the lower link plates stacked and placed are lifted from the bottom of the link plate rack by the ejector device until the first lower link plate at the bottom reaches the notch at the top of the rack bar. Then, under the simultaneous action of the link plate gripper transverse movement device and the link plate gripper lifting device, the link plate gripper extends into the through holes at both ends of the lower link plate to clamp the lower link plate. After the clamping is completed, under the simultaneous action of the link plate gripper transverse movement device and the link plate gripper lifting device, the lower link plate is transported to one of the stations of the eight-station assembly workbench. After completion, the link plate gripper returns to the link plate rack to clamp the next lower link plate lifted by the ejector device and places it on the next station of the eight-station assembly workbench, and so on;

[0041] Step (B): Sleeve feeding:

[0042] The sleeves of the inner chain links are continuously put into the sleeve storage box manually. At this time, under the action of the reciprocating mechanism, the side plates move up and down reciprocally to convey the sleeves upward to the sleeve conveyor at the top, and then they are conveyed to the sleeve pre-setting assembly by the conveyor belt. Before the sleeves reach the pre-setting table of the sleeve pre-setting assembly, they will first pass through the turning channel, making the sleeves perpendicular to the lower chain plate. When each sleeve comes out of the turning channel, the pre-setting table will move horizontally under the action of the first moving part and the second moving part, so that the sleeves fall into two sleeve pre-setting holes;

[0043] Among them, whenever the counting sensor of the blocking mechanism counts an even number, the blocking plate intercepts the sleeves on the conveyor belt and returns them to the sleeve storage box through the reflux channel until the two sleeves on the pre-setting table are clamped by the double-sleeve gripper, and then the conveyor belt resumes to be unobstructed;

[0044] When both of the two sleeve pre-setting holes on the pre-setting table are loaded with sleeves, the double-sleeve gripper clamps the two sleeves simultaneously, and under the action of the sleeve gripper lifting device and the sleeve gripper transverse movement device, the two sleeves are transported to the station where the lower chain plate has been placed. After completion, the double-sleeve gripper returns to the pre-setting table to clamp the next set of sleeves and places them on the next station where the lower chain plate has been placed, and so on in a cycle;

[0045] Step (C): Roller feeding:

[0046] Since the structure of the roller is the same as that of the sleeve, except for the difference in size, the same equipment and the same operation as in step (B) are used to transport the rollers of the inner chain links in the roller storage box to the station where the sleeves have been placed, and so on in a cycle;

[0047] Step (D): First inspection:

[0048] The visual camera of the first inspection device is used to detect whether the combination of the lower chain plate, two sleeves and two rollers is complete and placed in place. If the inspection is qualified, the upper chain plate will continue to be assembled by the upper chain plate feeding equipment. If the inspection is unqualified, the subsequent upper chain plate feeding equipment, the second inspection device and the hydraulic equipment will all stop operating on this station until the parts combination on this station is picked up by the inner chain link blanking equipment and put into the waste box;

[0049] Step (E): Upper chain plate feeding:

[0050] For the combination that has passed the inspection by the first inspection device, after reaching below the upper chain plate feeding equipment, since the upper chain plate of the inner chain link has the same structure as the lower chain plate, only the difference is in the symmetrical installation, the same equipment and the same operation as in step (A) are used to transport the upper chain plate to the station where the lower chain plate, sleeves and rollers have been placed to form an inner chain link assembly;

[0051] Step (F): Second inspection:

[0052] The visual camera of the second detection device is used to detect whether the assembly of the lower link plate, two sleeves, two rollers and the upper link plate is complete and properly placed. If the detection is qualified, the hydraulic equipment will be used to rivet and form an inner link, and then the inner link blanking equipment will pick it up and place it in the storage bin; if the detection is unqualified, the subsequent hydraulic equipment will stop operating on this station until the assembly on this station is picked up by the inner link blanking equipment and placed in the waste bin.

[0053] Step (G): Riveting and forming:

[0054] The hydraulic rod of the hydraulic press presses down the assembly composed of the lower link plate, two sleeves, two rollers and the upper link plate, and rivets and forms an inner link.

[0055] Step (H): Inner link blanking:

[0056] The blanking gripper picks up the qualified or unqualified products and places them in the corresponding storage bin and waste bin respectively.

[0057] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0058] The automatic assembly machine for the inner link of the conveyor chain of the present invention can realize automatic positioning, handling and assembly, replacing the traditional manual assembly of products with an automated production line with good continuity, greatly improving the safe production environment of operators, and greatly improving the continuous production efficiency and labor utilization rate. Specifically:

[0059] 1. It replaces manual assembly and die handling, saving labor and labor intensity;

[0060] 2. Multiple stations complete the process synchronously, making the assembly beat higher than the manual assembly beat and improving the assembly efficiency;

[0061] 3. One person can operate multiple assembly machines, improving efficiency and production capacity. Description of the drawings

[0062] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the automatic assembly machine for the inner link of the conveyor chain provided by the present invention from the first perspective;

[0063] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of the automatic assembly machine for the inner link of the conveyor chain provided by the present invention from the second perspective;

[0064] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of the automatic assembly machine for the inner link of the conveyor chain provided by the present invention from the third perspective;

[0065] Figure 4 It is a top view of the automatic assembly machine for the inner link of the conveyor chain provided by the present invention;

[0066] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of the eight-station assembly workbench of the inner link automatic assembly machine provided by the present invention;

[0067] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of the lower chain plate feeding device from the first perspective provided by the present invention;

[0068] Figure 7 It is a schematic structural diagram of the lower chain plate feeding device from the second perspective provided by the present invention;

[0069] Figure 8 It is a schematic structural diagram of the sleeve feeding device from the first perspective provided by the present invention;

[0070] Figure 9 It is a schematic structural diagram of the sleeve feeding device from the second perspective provided by the present invention;

[0071] Figure 10 It is a schematic structural diagram of the sleeve feeding device from the third perspective provided by the present invention;

[0072] Figure 11 It is a schematic structural diagram of the sleeve pre-setting assembly provided by the present invention;

[0073] Figure 12 It is a schematic structural diagram of the double-sleeve gripper provided by the present invention.

[0074] In the figure: 1. Eight-station assembly workbench; 2. Lower chain plate feeding device; 3. Sleeve feeding device; 4. Roller feeding device; 5. First detection device; 6. Upper chain plate feeding device; 7. Second detection device; 8. Hydraulic equipment; 9. Inner link blanking device; 101. Inner link riveting and pressing tooling; 201. Chain plate feeding tray; 202. Chain plate rack; 203. Chain plate gripper; 204. Chain plate gripper transverse movement device; 205. Chain plate gripper lifting device; 206. Ejector cylinder; 207. Ejector plate; 208. Ejector hoist; 301. Sleeve storage box; 302. Sleeve conveyor; 303. Sleeve pre-setting assembly; 304. Double-sleeve gripper; 305. Reciprocating mechanism; 306. Sleeve gripper lifting device; 307. Sleeve gripper transverse movement device; 3011. Side plate; 3012. Step; 3021. Conveyor belt; 3022. Conveyor motor; 3023. Blocking mechanism; 3024. Steering channel; 3031. Pre-setting table; 3032. First moving part; 3033. Second moving part. Detailed implementation manners

[0075] The following is a further detailed description of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The advantages and features of the present invention will become clearer according to the following description and the claims. It should be noted that the drawings are all in a very simplified form and use non-precise scales, only for the purpose of facilitating and clearly assisting in explaining the purpose of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0076] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, so it cannot be understood as a limitation of the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first", "second", etc. may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise stated, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more.

[0077] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "mounted", "connected", "coupled" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood through specific situations.

[0078] Embodiment 1

[0079] The present invention provides an automatic assembly machine for inner chain links of a conveyor chain. Please refer to Figures 1-4 , which includes an eight-station assembly workbench 1 that rotates clockwise according to the production rhythm. Around the eight-station assembly workbench 1, the following are sequentially equipped in the assembly order:

[0080] A lower chain plate feeding device 2 that picks up the lower chain plates of the inner chain links and places them on one of the stations of the eight-station assembly workbench 1;

[0081] A sleeve feeding device 3 that picks up the sleeves of two inner chain links and places them on the lower chain plates;

[0082] A roller feeding device 4 that picks up the rollers of two inner chain links and slews them respectively on the two sleeves;

[0083] The first detection device 5 detects whether the placement positions of the lower link plate, the two sleeves, and the two rollers are accurate;

[0084] The upper link plate feeding device 6 picks up the upper link plate of the inner link and places it above the two sleeves and the rollers;

[0085] The second detection device 7 detects whether the placement positions of the lower link plate, the two sleeves, the two rollers, and the upper link plate are accurate;

[0086] The hydraulic device 8 rivets and assembles the lower link plate, the two sleeves, the two rollers, and the upper link plate to form an inner link;

[0087] The inner link discharging device 9 picks up the assembled inner link and places it into the storage box;

[0088] As the eight-station assembly workbench 1 rotates, the eight stations sequentially pass through the lower link plate feeding device 2, the sleeve feeding device 3, the roller feeding device 4, the first detection device 5, the upper link plate feeding device 6, the second detection device 7, the hydraulic device 8, and the inner link discharging device 9, and circularly and repeatedly rivet and assemble to produce the inner links of the conveyor chain.

[0089] Specifically, please refer to Figure 5 , a workbench drive motor is installed at the bottom of the eight-station assembly workbench 1, which can drive the eight-station assembly workbench 1 to rotate according to the production rhythm. Eight inner link riveting tools 101 are evenly distributed around the central axis on the eight-station assembly workbench 1, and the eight inner link riveting tools 101 respectively correspond to the eight stations.

[0090] Specifically, please refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 , the lower link plate feeding device 2 includes a link plate feeding disk 201, a plurality of link plate racks 202 are installed on the link plate feeding disk 201, and a plurality of lower link plates are stacked on each link plate rack 202.

[0091] In the embodiment of the present invention, six groups of the link plate racks 202 are evenly distributed on the link plate feeding disk 201, and a feeding disk motor is further equipped at the bottom of the link plate feeding disk 201 for driving the link plate feeding disk 201 to rotate.

[0092] Furthermore, the lower link plate feeding device 2 further includes a link plate gripper 203, a link plate gripper transverse movement device 204, and a link plate gripper lifting device 205.

[0093] Among them, the chain plate gripper 203 is a double-jaw pneumatic gripper, which extends into the through holes at both ends of the lower chain plate under the action of the chain plate gripper lifting device 205 to clamp the lower chain plate; the chain plate gripper transverse movement device 204 is connected to the chain plate gripper lifting device 205 and the chain plate gripper connected to the chain plate gripper lifting device 205, and drives the chain plate gripper 203 that clamps the lower chain plate to move towards the eight-station assembly workbench 1.

[0094] In some embodiments, the chain plate gripper transverse movement device 204 is a cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder, and the piston rod is connected to the chain plate gripper 203, so as to push the chain plate gripper 203 to move.

[0095] In some embodiments, the chain plate gripper transverse movement device 204 is a motor lead screw assembly, which is connected to the chain plate gripper 203 through a nut pair. The lead screw rotates under the action of the motor, and the nut pair drives the chain plate gripper 203 to move.

[0096] In some embodiments, the chain plate gripper transverse movement device 204 is a slide rail slider assembly, which is connected to the chain plate gripper 203 through a slider, so as to drive the chain plate gripper 203 to move.

[0097] In some embodiments, the structure of the chain plate gripper lifting device 205 is one of the structures of the chain plate gripper transverse movement device 204, and its function is to drive the chain plate gripper 203 to move in the vertical direction.

[0098] Furthermore, the chain plate rack 202 includes a rack base and two vertically arranged rack bars. The two rack bars are respectively sleeved in the through holes at both ends of the chain plate, and a notch is formed in the inner side of the top end of the rack bar for the chain plate gripper 203 to pass through the through holes at both ends of the chain plate at the notch and clamp it.

[0099] In an embodiment of the present invention, the lower chain plate feeding device 2 further includes a blanking device. The blanking device includes a blanking cylinder 206, a blanking plate 207, and a blanking elevator 208. The blanking plate 207 is connected to the piston rod of the blanking cylinder 206, and the blanking plate 207 is horizontally fed into the rack base, and under the action of the blanking elevator 208, the blanking plate 207 and the lower chain plates stacked on the rack base are driven to move upward for the chain plate gripper 203 to clamp.

[0100] Specifically, please refer to Figure 8, the sleeve feeding device 3 includes a sleeve storage bin 301, a sleeve conveyor 302, a sleeve pre-setting assembly 303, and a double-sleeve gripper 304. Among them, the sleeve conveyor 302 is installed on the top of the sleeve storage bin 301, and the sleeve pre-setting assembly 303 is arranged at the end of the sleeve conveyor 302. The sleeves in the sleeve storage bin 301 are conveyed by the sleeve conveyor 302 to be placed in pairs on the sleeve pre-setting assembly 303, and the double-sleeve gripper 304 grabs the paired sleeves and moves towards the eight-station assembly workbench 1 direction.

[0101] Further, please refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10 , a reciprocating mechanism 305 is installed on the side plate 3011 of the sleeve storage bin 301 close to the sleeve conveyor 302. The reciprocating mechanism 305 includes a feeding motor and a crank-link assembly connected between the feeding motor and the side plate. As the feeding motor rotates, the crank-link assembly drives the side plate to reciprocate up and down, so as to convey the sleeves upward into the sleeve conveyor 302; the side plate 3011 is inclined from the end of the sleeve conveyor 302 towards the bottom of the sleeve storage bin 301, and a plurality of steps 3012 are arranged at intervals on the inner side of the side plate 3011 in the sleeve storage bin 301. As the side plate 3011 reciprocates up and down, the sleeves rise step by step on the plurality of steps 3012.

[0102] In some embodiments, the bottom plate of the sleeve storage bin 301 is inclined towards the side plate 3011, so that the sleeves converge towards the side plate 3011 under the action of gravity. When the side plate 3011 reciprocates up and down, a plurality of steps 3012 thereon can lift a larger number of sleeves.

[0103] Specifically, please continue to refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10 , the sleeve conveyor 302 includes a conveyor belt 3021 extending from the sleeve storage bin 301 to the sleeve pre-setting assembly 303 and a conveying motor 3022 for driving the conveyor belt 3021 to run. The sleeves are conveyed on the conveyor belt 3021 to the sleeve pre-setting assembly 303.

[0104] Further, a blocking mechanism 3023 is provided in the middle of the conveyor belt 3021. The blocking mechanism 3023 includes a blocking plate spanning the conveyor belt 3021 and a blocking cylinder for driving the movement of the blocking plate. The blocking plate intercepts the sleeves on the conveyor belt 3021, and the blocking mechanism 3023 is further provided with a reflux channel communicating with the sleeve storage box 301. The intercepted sleeves return to the sleeve storage box 301 through the reflux channel. Moreover, a counting sensor is installed on the blocking mechanism 3023 for recording the number of sleeves passing on the conveyor belt 3021.

[0105] One end of the sleeve conveyor 302 close to the sleeve pre-setting assembly 303 is connected with a turning channel 3024. The turning channel 3024 is bent at 90 degrees, so that the sleeves horizontally conveyed on the conveyor belt 3021 are vertically placed on the sleeve pre-setting assembly 303 after passing through the turning channel 3024.

[0106] Further, please refer to Figure 11 simultaneously. The sleeve pre-setting assembly 303 includes a pre-setting table 3031, a first moving member 3032 for driving the pre-setting table 3031 to move in a first direction, and a second moving member 3033 for driving the pre-setting table 3031 to move in a second direction. Two sleeve pre-setting holes are formed on the pre-setting table 3031, so that the pre-setting table 3031 loads two sleeves each time. The first moving member 3032 is installed on the second moving member 3033, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction of movement, so that the pre-setting table 3031 can move along the horizontal plane under the combined action of the first moving member 3032 and the second moving member 3033, so that the two sleeve pre-setting holes respectively receive the sleeves conveyed by the sleeve conveyor 302.

[0107] In some embodiments, the first moving member 3032 and the second moving member 3033 are cylinders or hydraulic cylinders. The piston rod of the first moving member 3032 is connected to the pre-setting table 3031, and the piston rod of the second moving member 3033 is connected to the first moving member 3032, thereby pushing the pre-setting table 3031 to move along the horizontal plane.

[0108] In some embodiments, the first moving member 3032 and the second moving member 3033 are slide rail and slider assemblies. The first moving member 3032 is connected to the pre-setting table 3031 through a slider, and the slide rail of the first moving member 3032 is connected to the slider of the second moving member 3033, thereby driving the chain plate gripper 203 to move along the horizontal plane.

[0109] Specifically, please refer to Figure 12, the double-sleeve gripper 304 includes two three-jaw pneumatic grippers that simultaneously grasp two sleeves on the preset table 3031; the double-sleeve gripper 304 is also equipped with a sleeve gripper lifting device 306 and a sleeve gripper transverse movement device 307; the sleeve gripper lifting device 306 is connected to the double-sleeve gripper 304 and is used to drive the double-sleeve gripper 304 to move up and down, and the sleeve gripper transverse movement device 307 is connected to the sleeve gripper lifting device 306 and is used to drive the sleeve gripper lifting device 306 and the double-sleeve gripper 304 to move toward the eight-station assembly workbench 1.

[0110] In some embodiments, the sleeve gripper lifting device 306 is a cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder, and the piston rod is connected to the double-sleeve gripper 304, thereby driving the double-sleeve gripper 304 to move up and down.

[0111] In some embodiments, the sleeve gripper lifting device 306 is a motor screw rod assembly, which is connected to the double-sleeve gripper 304 through a nut pair. The screw rod rotates under the action of the motor, and the nut pair drives the double-sleeve gripper 304 to move up and down.

[0112] In some embodiments, the sleeve gripper lifting device 306 is a slide rail slider assembly, which is connected to the double-sleeve gripper 304 through a slider, thereby driving the double-sleeve gripper 304 to move up and down.

[0113] In some embodiments, the structure of the sleeve gripper transverse movement device 307 is one of the structures of the sleeve gripper lifting device 306, and its function is to drive the double-sleeve gripper 304 to move in the horizontal direction.

[0114] In an embodiment of the present invention, the roller feeding device 4 has a similar structure to the sleeve feeding device 3. Since the rollers of the inner link are similar in shape to the sleeves, only the difference in size, the rollers can be transported to the stations of the eight-station assembly workbench 1 and sleeved outside the sleeves by adopting a structure similar to the sleeve feeding device 3.

[0115] In an embodiment of the present invention, the upper chain plate feeding device 6 has a similar structure to the lower chain plate feeding device 2. Since the upper chain plate and the lower chain plate of the inner link have the same structure, only the difference in symmetric installation, the upper chain plate can be transported to the stations of the eight-station assembly workbench 1 and assembled by adopting a structure similar to the lower chain plate feeding device 2.

[0116] In an embodiment of the present invention, please continue to refer to Figures 1-4 , both the first detection device 5 and the second detection device 7 are visual camera detections. By pre-entering and comparing images in the system and then comparing and identifying them with the real-time detected station images;

[0117] Among them, the first detection device 5 is used to detect whether the combination of the lower chain plate, two sleeves and two rollers is complete and placed in place. If the detection is qualified, the upper chain plate will be assembled by the upper chain plate feeding device 6. If the detection is unqualified, the subsequent upper chain plate feeding device 6, the second detection device 7 and the hydraulic device 8 will all stop operating on this station until the component combination on this station is picked up by the inner link blanking device 9 and put into the waste bin;

[0118] The second detection device 7 is used to detect whether the assembly of the lower chain plate, two sleeves, two rollers and the upper chain plate is complete and placed in place. If the detection is qualified, the hydraulic device 8 will rivet and form an inner link, and then the inner link blanking device 9 will pick it up and put it into the storage bin; if the detection is unqualified, the subsequent hydraulic device 8 will stop operating on this station until the assembly on this station is picked up by the inner link blanking device 9 and put into the waste bin.

[0119] In an embodiment of the present invention, the hydraulic device 8 is a hydraulic press, which presses down the assembly composed of the lower chain plate, two sleeves, two rollers and the upper chain plate through a hydraulic rod, and rivets and forms an inner link.

[0120] In an embodiment of the present invention, the inner link blanking device 9 includes a blanking jaw, a blanking lifting device and a blanking transverse movement device. The blanking lifting device is connected to the blanking jaw and is used to drive the blanking jaw to move up and down. The blanking transverse movement device is connected to the blanking lifting device and is used to drive the blanking lifting device and the blanking jaw to move horizontally; the inner link blanking device 9 further includes a storage bin and a waste bin, and the blanking jaw clamps the qualified products or unqualified products and puts them into the corresponding storage bin and waste bin respectively.

[0121] Embodiment Two

[0122] The present invention also provides an assembly method for an automatic assembly machine for inner links of a conveyor chain. Please refer to Figures 1-12 , including the following steps:

[0123] Step (A): Feeding the lower chain plate:

[0124] The lower link plate of the inner link is loaded onto the link plate rack 202 of the loading tray 201 manually in a stacked manner. At this time, rotate the loading tray 201 to rotate one of the link plate racks 202 under the lower link plate feeding device 2. First, lift the stacked lower link plates from the bottom of the link plate rack 202 through the pusher device until the first lower link plate at the bottom reaches the notch at the top of the rack bar. Then, under the simultaneous action of the link plate gripper crosswise movement device 204 and the link plate gripper lifting device 205, the link plate gripper 203 extends into the through holes at both ends of the lower link plate to grip the lower link plate. After the gripping is completed, under the simultaneous action of the link plate gripper crosswise movement device 204 and the link plate gripper lifting device 205, transfer the lower link plate to one of the workstations of the eight-station assembly workbench 1. After completion, the link plate gripper 203 returns to the link plate rack 202 to grip the next lower link plate lifted by the pusher device and place it on the next workstation of the eight-station assembly workbench 1, repeating the cycle; during this process, since there are six groups of link plate racks 202 evenly distributed on the link plate loading tray 201, workers can replenish the empty link plate racks 202 to ensure the continuous operation of this inner link automatic assembly machine;

[0125] Step (B): Sleeve feeding:

[0126] The sleeves of the inner link are continuously put into the sleeve storage box 301 manually. At this time, the side plate 3011 moves up and down reciprocally under the action of the reciprocating mechanism 305 to convey the sleeves upward to the sleeve conveyor 302 at the top, and then conveyed to the sleeve pre-setting assembly 303 by the conveyor belt 3021. Before the sleeve reaches the pre-setting table 3031 of the sleeve pre-setting assembly 303, it will first pass through the turning channel 3024 to make the sleeve perpendicular to the lower link plate. When each sleeve comes out of the turning channel 3024, the pre-setting table 3031 will move horizontally under the action of the first moving member 3032 and the second moving member 3033, so that the sleeve falls into two sleeve pre-setting holes;

[0127] Among them, whenever the counting sensor of the blocking mechanism 3023 counts an even number, the blocking plate intercepts the sleeves on the conveyor belt 3021 and returns them to the sleeve storage box 301 through the reflux channel until the two sleeves on the pre-setting table 3031 are clamped by the double-sleeve gripper 304, and then the conveyor belt 3021 resumes unobstructed;

[0128] When both of the two sleeve pre-setting holes on the pre-setting table 3031 are loaded with sleeves, the double-sleeve gripper 304 clamps the two sleeves simultaneously and, under the action of the sleeve gripper lifting device 306 and the sleeve gripper crosswise movement device 307, transfers the two sleeves to the workstation where the lower link plate has been placed. After completion, the double-sleeve gripper 304 returns to the pre-setting table 3031 to clamp the next set of sleeves and place them on the next workstation where the lower link plate has been placed, repeating the cycle;

[0129] Step (C): Roller feeding:

[0130] Since the structures of the roller and the sleeve are the same except for the size, the same equipment and the same operation as in step (B) are used to transfer the rollers of the inner link in the roller storage box to the station where the sleeves have been placed, and this process is repeated;

[0131] Step (D): First inspection:

[0132] The vision camera of the first inspection device 5 is used to detect whether the combination of the lower chain plate, two sleeves and two rollers is complete and properly placed. If the inspection is qualified, the upper chain plate will continue to be assembled by the upper chain plate feeding device 6. If the inspection is unqualified, the subsequent upper chain plate feeding device 6, the second inspection device 7 and the hydraulic device 8 will all stop operating on this station until the component combination on this station is picked up by the inner link blanking device 9 and placed into the waste bin;

[0133] Step (E): Upper chain plate feeding:

[0134] After the combination that has passed the inspection by the first inspection device 5 reaches below the upper chain plate feeding device 6, since the upper chain plate and the lower chain plate of the inner link have the same structure, only the difference is in the symmetric installation, the same equipment and the same operation as in step A are used to transfer the upper chain plate to the station where the lower chain plate, the sleeve and the roller have been placed to form an inner link assembly;

[0135] Step (F): Second inspection:

[0136] The vision camera of the second inspection device 7 is used to detect whether the assembly of the lower chain plate, two sleeves, two rollers and the upper chain plate is complete and properly placed. If the inspection is qualified, the hydraulic device 8 will be used to rivet and form an inner link, and then the inner link blanking device 9 will pick it up and place it into the storage box; if the inspection is unqualified, the subsequent hydraulic device 8 will stop operating on this station until the assembly on this station is picked up by the inner link blanking device 9 and placed into the waste bin;

[0137] Step (G): Riveting and forming:

[0138] The hydraulic rod of the hydraulic press presses down on the assembly composed of the lower chain plate, two sleeves, two rollers and the upper chain plate, and rivets and forms it into an inner link;

[0139] Step (H): Inner link blanking:

[0140] The blanking gripper picks up the qualified or unqualified products and places them into the corresponding storage box and waste bin respectively.

[0141] The assembly method using this automatic assembly machine for the inner link of the conveyor chain can replace manual assembly and die handling, save labor and labor intensity. At the same time, the processes are completed synchronously at multiple stations, making the assembly beat higher than the manual assembly beat and improving the assembly efficiency.

[0142] The above description is only a description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention and does not limit the scope of the present invention in any way. Any changes and modifications made by those of ordinary skill in the art to the present invention based on the above disclosure shall fall within the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. An automatic assembly machine for inner chain links of a conveyor chain, characterized in that, It includes an eight-station assembly workbench (1) that rotates clockwise according to the production rhythm. Around the eight-station assembly workbench (1), the following equipment is sequentially arranged according to the assembly order: The lower chain plate feeding equipment (2) picks up the lower chain plate of the inner chain link and places it on one of the stations of the eight-station assembly workbench (1); the lower chain plate feeding equipment (2) includes a chain plate feeding tray (201), on which a plurality of chain plate racks (202) are installed, and a plurality of lower chain plates are stacked on each chain plate rack (202); the lower chain plate feeding equipment (2) further includes a chain plate gripper (203), a chain plate gripper transverse movement device (204) and a chain plate gripper lifting device (205); the chain plate gripper (203) is a double-claw pneumatic gripper, and under the action of the chain plate gripper lifting device (205), it extends into the through holes at both ends of the lower chain plate to clamp the lower chain plate; the chain plate gripper transverse movement device (204) is connected to the chain plate gripper lifting device (205) and drives the chain plate gripper (203) that has clamped the lower chain plate to move towards the eight-station assembly workbench (1); the chain plate rack (202) includes a rack base and two vertically arranged rack bars, the two rack bars are respectively sleeved in the through holes at both ends of the chain plate, and a notch is opened at the inner side of the top end of the rack bar for the chain plate gripper (203) to pass through the through holes at both ends of the chain plate at the notch and clamp the chain plate. The lower chain plate feeding equipment (2) further includes a blanking device, which includes a blanking cylinder (206), a blanking plate (207) and a blanking elevator (208), the blanking plate (207) is connected to the piston rod of the blanking cylinder (206), and the blanking plate (207) is horizontally fed into the rack base, and under the action of the blanking elevator (208), it drives the blanking plate (207) and the lower chain plates stacked on the rack base to move upward for the chain plate gripper (203) to clamp. The sleeve feeding equipment (3) picks up the sleeves of two inner chain links and places the sleeves on the lower chain plate. The roller feeding equipment (4) picks up the rollers of two inner chain links and sleeves the rollers on the two sleeves respectively. The first detection device (5) detects whether the placement positions of the lower chain plate, the two sleeves and the two rollers are accurate. The upper chain plate feeding equipment (6) picks up the upper chain plate of the inner chain link and places the upper chain plate above the two sleeves and the rollers. The second detection device (7) detects whether the placement positions of the lower chain plate, the two sleeves, the two rollers and the upper chain plate are accurate. The hydraulic equipment (8) rivets and assembles the lower chain plate, the two sleeves, the two rollers and the upper chain plate into a formed inner chain link. The inner chain link blanking equipment (9) picks up the assembled inner chain link and puts it into the storage box. As the eight-station assembly workbench (1) rotates, the eight stations sequentially pass through the lower chain plate feeding device (2), the sleeve feeding device (3), the roller feeding device (4), the first detection device (5), the upper chain plate feeding device (6), the second detection device (7), the hydraulic device (8), and the inner link blanking device (9), and the inner links of the production conveyor chain are riveted and assembled in a cycle.

2. The automatic assembly machine for inner chain links of a conveyor chain according to claim 1, characterized in that, A workbench drive motor is installed at the bottom of the eight-station assembly workbench (1), which can drive the eight-station assembly workbench (1) to rotate according to the production rhythm. Eight inner link riveting tools (101) are evenly distributed around the central axis on the eight-station assembly workbench (1), and the eight inner link riveting tools (101) respectively correspond to the eight stations.

3. An automatic assembly machine for inner chain links of a conveyor chain according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sleeve feeding device (3) includes a sleeve storage box (301), a sleeve conveyor (302), a sleeve pre-setting component (303), and a double-sleeve gripper (304); The sleeve conveyor (302) is installed on the top of the sleeve storage box (301), and the sleeve pre-setting component (303) is arranged at the end of the sleeve conveyor (302). The sleeves in the sleeve storage box (301) are conveyed to the sleeve pre-setting component (303) by the sleeve conveyor (302) and placed in pairs, and the double-sleeve gripper (304) grabs the paired sleeves and moves towards the eight-station assembly workbench (1). A reciprocating mechanism (305) is installed on the side plate (3011) of the sleeve storage box (301) close to the sleeve conveyor (302). The reciprocating mechanism (305) includes a feeding motor and a crank-link assembly connected between the feeding motor and the side plate. As the feeding motor rotates, the crank-link assembly drives the side plate to move up and down reciprocally, so as to convey the sleeves upwards into the sleeve conveyor (302). The side plate (3011) is inclined from the end of the sleeve conveyor (302) towards the bottom of the sleeve storage box (301), and a plurality of steps (3012) are arranged at intervals on the inner side of the sleeve storage box (301). As the side plate (3011) moves up and down reciprocally, the sleeves rise step by step on the plurality of steps (3012). The sleeve conveyor (302) includes a conveyor belt (3021) extending from the sleeve storage box (301) to the sleeve pre-setting component (303) and a conveying motor (3022) for driving the conveyor belt (3021) to run. The sleeves are conveyed to the sleeve pre-setting component (303) on the conveyor belt (3021). A blocking mechanism (3023) is provided in the middle of the conveyor belt (3021). The blocking mechanism (3023) includes a blocking plate spanning the conveyor belt (3021) and a blocking cylinder for driving the movement of the blocking plate. The sleeves on the conveyor belt (3021) are intercepted by the blocking plate, and the blocking mechanism (3023) is further provided with a reflux channel communicating with the sleeve storage bin (301). The intercepted sleeves return to the sleeve storage bin (301) through the reflux channel. A counting sensor is further installed on the blocking mechanism (3023) for recording the number of sleeves passing on the conveyor belt (3021). One end of the sleeve conveyor (302) close to the sleeve pre-setting assembly (303) is connected with a turning channel (3024). The turning channel (3024) is bent at 90 degrees, so that the sleeves horizontally conveyed on the conveyor belt (3021) are vertically placed on the sleeve pre-setting assembly (303) after passing through the turning channel (3024).

4. The automatic assembling machine for inner chain links of a conveying chain according to claim 3, characterized in that, The sleeve pre-setting assembly (303) includes a pre-setting table (3031), a first moving member (3032) for driving the pre-setting table (3031) to move in the first direction, and a second moving member (3033) for driving the pre-setting table (3031) to move in the second direction. Two sleeve pre-setting holes are formed on the pre-setting table (3031), so that the pre-setting table (3031) loads two sleeves each time. The first moving member (3032) is installed on the second moving member (3033), and the first direction is perpendicular to the movement direction of the second direction. Under the combined action of the first moving member (3032) and the second moving member (3033), the pre-setting table (3031) can move along the horizontal plane, so that the two sleeve pre-setting holes respectively receive the sleeves conveyed on the sleeve conveyor (302).

5. An automatic assembling machine for inner chain links of a conveying chain according to claim 4, characterized in that, The double-sleeve gripper (304) includes two three-jaw pneumatic grippers for simultaneously gripping two sleeves on the pre-setting table (3031). The double-sleeve gripper (304) is further equipped with a sleeve gripper lifting device (306) and a sleeve gripper transverse movement device (307). The sleeve gripper lifting device (306) is connected with the double-sleeve gripper (304) for driving the lifting movement of the double-sleeve gripper (304). The sleeve gripper transverse movement device (307) is connected with the sleeve gripper lifting device (306) for driving the sleeve gripper lifting device (306) and the double-sleeve gripper (304) to move towards the eight-station assembly workbench (1).

6. An assembly method of an automatic assembly machine for inner chain links of a conveyor chain according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, It includes the following steps: Step (A): Feeding the lower chain plate. The lower link plate of the inner link is loaded onto the link plate rack (202) of the loading tray (201) by manual stacking. At this time, the loading tray (201) is rotated to rotate one of the link plate racks (202) below the lower link plate feeding device (2). First, the lower link plates stacked and placed are lifted from the bottom of the link plate rack (202) by the pusher device until the first lower link plate at the bottom reaches the notch at the top of the rack bar. Then, under the simultaneous action of the link plate gripper crosswise movement device (204) and the link plate gripper lifting device (205), the link plate gripper (203) extends into the through holes at both ends of the lower link plate to clamp and remove the lower link plate. After the clamping is completed, under the simultaneous action of the link plate gripper crosswise movement device (204) and the link plate gripper lifting device (205), the lower link plate is transported to one of the workstations of the eight-station assembly workbench (1). After completion, the link plate gripper (203) returns to the link plate rack (202) to clamp the next lower link plate lifted by the pusher device and places the lower link plate on the next workstation of the eight-station assembly workbench (1), repeating the cycle; Step (B): Sleeve feeding: The sleeves of the inner link are continuously put into the sleeve storage box (301) manually. At this time, the side plate (3011) moves up and down reciprocally under the action of the reciprocating mechanism (305) to convey the sleeves upward to the sleeve conveyor (302) at the top, and then they are conveyed to the sleeve pre-setting assembly (303) by the conveyor belt (3021). Before the sleeves reach the pre-setting table (3031) of the sleeve pre-setting assembly (303), they will first pass through the turning channel (3024) so that the sleeves are perpendicular to the lower link plates. When each sleeve comes out of the turning channel (3024), the pre-setting table (3031) will move horizontally under the action of the first moving member (3032) and the second moving member (3033) so that the sleeves fall into two sleeve pre-setting holes; Among them, whenever the counting sensor of the blocking mechanism (3023) counts an even number, the blocking plate intercepts the sleeves on the conveyor belt (3021) and returns them to the sleeve storage box (301) through the reflux channel until the two sleeves on the pre-setting table (3031) are clamped by the double-sleeve gripper (304), and then the conveyor belt (3021) resumes unobstructed; When both of the two sleeve pre-setting holes on the pre-setting table (3031) are loaded with sleeves, the double-sleeve gripper (304) clamps the two sleeves simultaneously and, under the action of the sleeve gripper lifting device (306) and the sleeve gripper crosswise movement device (307), transports the two sleeves to the workstation where the lower link plates have been placed. After completion, the double-sleeve gripper (304) returns to the pre-setting table (3031) to clamp the next set of sleeves and places the sleeves on the next workstation where the lower link plates have been placed, repeating the cycle; Step (C): Roller feeding: Since the structure of the roller is the same as that of the sleeve except for the size, the same equipment and the same operation as in step (B) are used to transport the rollers of the inner link in the roller storage box to the workstations where the sleeves have been placed, repeating the cycle; Step (D): First inspection: The vision camera of the first detection device (5) detects whether the combination of the lower link plate, two sleeves and two rollers is complete and properly placed. If the detection is qualified, the upper link plate feeding device (6) will continue to assemble the upper link plate. If the detection is unqualified, the subsequent upper link plate feeding device (6), the second detection device (7) and the hydraulic device (8) will all stop operating until the component combination on the station is picked up by the inner link blanking device (9) and placed into the waste bin. Step (E): Feeding the upper link plate: After the combination body that has passed the detection by the first detection device (5) reaches below the upper link plate feeding device (6), since the upper link plate and the lower link plate of the inner link have the same structure, only the difference is in the symmetric installation, the same equipment and the same operation as in step (A) are used to transfer the upper link plate to the station where the lower link plate, sleeves and rollers have been placed to form an inner link assembly. Step (F): Second detection: The vision camera of the second detection device (7) detects whether the assembly of the lower link plate, two sleeves, two rollers and the upper link plate is complete and properly placed. If the detection is qualified, the hydraulic device (8) will press and form it into an inner link, and then the inner link blanking device (9) will pick it up and place it into the storage bin. If the detection is unqualified, the subsequent hydraulic device (8) will stop operating until the assembly on the station is picked up by the inner link blanking device (9) and placed into the waste bin. Step (G): Pressing and forming: The hydraulic rod of the hydraulic press presses down the assembly composed of the lower link plate, two sleeves, two rollers and the upper link plate, and presses and forms the assembly into an inner link. Step (H): Inner link blanking: The blanking gripper picks up the qualified or unqualified products and places them into the corresponding storage bin and waste bin respectively.

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