Intelligent docking device

Abstract

This disclosure provides an intelligent connection device, including a controller, a movable body, a conveying mechanism for conveying materials, and a handling mechanism for transporting materials. The conveying mechanism includes a production line disposed on the movable body. The handling mechanism is disposed on the movable body. The controller is electrically connected to the movable body and the handling mechanism. The movable body is used to move to a position for connection with upstream and downstream equipment according to control commands sent by the controller. The handling mechanism is used to perform material transport operations between any two of the upstream equipment's production line, the downstream equipment's production line, and an external processing area according to control commands sent by the controller. This enables connection between the upstream and downstream equipment's production lines, and by utilizing the handling mechanism of the intelligent connection device to transport materials, production efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of automated production equipment technology, and in particular to an intelligent connection device. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional production lines often have limitations due to space constraints, meaning that upstream and downstream operations sometimes occur on different assembly lines. This necessitates connecting these different assembly lines. In some cases, conventional assembly line connections are used, but the installation and disassembly of these lines are complex and time-consuming. In other cases, manual handling of products is employed, which is not only inefficient but also prone to damaging the products. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide an intelligent docking device that can improve production efficiency.

[0004] This disclosure provides an intelligent docking device, including: a controller, a movable body, a conveying mechanism for conveying materials, and a handling mechanism for transporting materials; the conveying mechanism includes a production line disposed on the movable body; the handling mechanism is disposed on the movable body;

[0005] The controller is electrically connected to the movable body and the conveying mechanism; the movable body is used to move to a position to connect with the upstream and downstream equipment according to the control command sent by the controller; the conveying mechanism is used to perform material conveying operations between any two of the upstream equipment's production line, the production line, the downstream equipment's production line, and the external processing area according to the control command sent by the controller.

[0006] Optionally, it also includes a temporary storage mechanism for storing materials, disposed on the movable body; the conveying mechanism is used to perform conveying operations on materials between any two of the production line of the preceding process equipment, the production line, the temporary storage mechanism, the production line of the following process equipment, and the external processing area according to the control command.

[0007] Optionally, the materials include multiple categories, the temporary storage mechanism includes multiple temporary storage bins corresponding to the quantity of the categories, the temporary storage bins are used to store materials of the corresponding categories; the handling mechanism is used to perform handling operations on the materials between any two of the production line of the previous process equipment, the production line, the temporary storage bins, the production line of the subsequent process equipment, and the external processing area according to the control instructions.

[0008] Optionally, the types of materials include good products and defective products; the handling operation includes at least one of the following:

[0009] The good products are transferred between any two of the following: the production line of the preceding process equipment, the production line, the temporary storage bin, and the production line of the following process equipment; and

[0010] Defective products are transferred between any two of the following: the production line of the preceding process equipment, the production line, the temporary storage bin, the production line of the following process equipment, and the external processing area.

[0011] Optionally, the plurality of temporary storage warehouses include a good product temporary storage warehouse, a defective product temporary storage warehouse, and a cache temporary storage warehouse, wherein the cache temporary storage warehouse is used to cache materials.

[0012] Optionally, the temporary storage mechanism further includes a first drive module for driving the temporary storage bin to move.

[0013] Optionally, the first drive module includes:

[0014] The first guide rail is located on the movable main body;

[0015] The first platform, the activity is set on the first guide rail, and the multiple temporary storage bins are arranged side by side on the first platform;

[0016] A first driving component is connected to the first platform and is used to drive the first platform to move along the first guide rail.

[0017] Optionally, a buffer mechanism is also included, disposed on the movable body, for buffering materials; the conveying mechanism is used to perform conveying operations on materials between any two of the production line of the preceding process equipment, the production line, the temporary storage mechanism, the buffer mechanism, and the production line of the subsequent process equipment according to the control instructions.

[0018] Optionally, the caching mechanism includes: a plurality of caching bins for caching materials and a second drive module, the second drive module being used to drive the caching bins to move.

[0019] Optionally, the second drive module includes:

[0020] A second guide rail is provided on the movable body;

[0021] The second platform, with the activity set on the second guide rail, and the multiple cache bins arranged side by side on the second platform;

[0022] The second driving component is connected to the second platform and is used to drive the second platform to move along the second guide rail.

[0023] Optionally, the second drive module further includes:

[0024] Multiple third guide rails are arranged side by side on the second platform, and each third guide rail is provided with at least one of the buffer compartments;

[0025] The third driving component is connected to the cache compartment and is used to drive the cache compartment to move along the third guide rail.

[0026] Optionally, it also includes a receiving mechanism, located on the movable body, for recycling materials; the conveying mechanism is used to perform material conveying operations between any two of the following according to the control instructions: the production line of the preceding process equipment, the production line, the temporary storage mechanism, the buffer mechanism, the receiving mechanism, the production line of the following process equipment, and the external processing area.

[0027] Optionally, the receiving mechanism includes multiple receiving bins for recovering materials and a third drive module; the third drive module is used to drive the receiving bins to move.

[0028] Optionally, the third drive module includes:

[0029] A fourth guide rail is provided on the movable body;

[0030] The third platform is set on the fourth guide rail, and the multiple receiving bins are arranged side by side on the third platform;

[0031] The fourth driving component is connected to the third platform and is used to drive the third platform to move along the fourth guide rail.

[0032] Optionally, the third drive module further includes:

[0033] Multiple fifth guide rails are arranged side by side on the third platform, and each fifth guide rail is provided with at least one receiving bin;

[0034] The fifth driving component is connected to the receiving bin and is used to drive the receiving bin to move along the fifth guide rail.

[0035] Optionally, the conveying mechanism includes:

[0036] The first handling module, located on the movable body, is used to perform handling operations on materials between any two of the production lines of the preceding process equipment, the production lines, the temporary storage mechanism, and the production lines of the following process equipment, according to the control instructions.

[0037] Optionally, the first conveying module includes:

[0038] The sixth guide rail is provided on the movable body.

[0039] The first handling component for moving materials is movably mounted on the sixth guide rail.

[0040] Optionally, the conveying mechanism further includes:

[0041] The second handling module is located on the movable body and is used to perform handling operations on materials between any two of the temporary storage mechanism, the buffer mechanism and the receiving mechanism according to the control command.

[0042] Optionally, the second transport module includes:

[0043] The seventh guide rail is provided on the movable body;

[0044] A second material handling assembly is movably mounted on the seventh guide rail.

[0045] Optionally, the seventh guide rail is arranged along the first direction, and the second conveying assembly includes:

[0046] The eighth guide rail is movably mounted on the seventh guide rail and is arranged along the second direction;

[0047] A material handling component is movably mounted on the eighth guide rail.

[0048] Optionally, the conveying mechanism further includes:

[0049] The third transport module is used to perform transport operations on materials between the receiving mechanism and the external processing area according to the control instructions.

[0050] Optionally, the conveying mechanism further includes a carrier for loading materials, disposed on the production line, the carrier including at least two loading positions for assembling materials; the types of materials include good products and defective products, and the handling operation includes at least one of the following:

[0051] Remove the defective products loaded on the vehicle from the loading position; and

[0052] Good products from at least one of the production line, the temporary storage mechanism, and the buffer mechanism are moved to the available loading position.

[0053] Optionally, a detection mechanism is also included, disposed on the movable body and electrically connected to the controller, the detection mechanism being used to determine information about the material.

[0054] Optionally, the materials include multiple categories, and the production line includes multiple sub-production lines corresponding to the number of the categories; the handling mechanism is used to handle the materials to the corresponding sub-production lines according to the category based on the control instructions.

[0055] Optionally, the production line includes at least one first production line and at least one second production line connected to the first production line. The first production line is used to connect to the production line of the preceding process equipment, and the second production line is used to connect to the production line of the following process equipment.

[0056] Optionally, it also includes a switching mechanism connected to the first production line for driving the first production line to move in order to switch the conveying mode of the first production line;

[0057] In the first conveying mode, the input end of the first conveyor line is connected to the conveyor line of the preceding process equipment, and the output end of the first conveyor line is connected to the input end of the second conveyor line; in the second conveying mode, the output end of the first conveyor line is connected to the conveyor line of the preceding process equipment.

[0058] Optionally, the switching mechanism includes:

[0059] A platform is movably mounted on the movable main body, and the first production line is mounted on the platform.

[0060] The fourth drive module is connected to the platform and is used to drive the platform to move, thereby driving the first production line to move.

[0061] Optionally, the conveying mechanism further includes a carrier for loading materials, located on the first production line; in the second conveying mode, the conveying mechanism is also used to move the materials away from the carrier according to the control command.

[0062] The intelligent docking device disclosed herein includes a controller, a movable body, a conveying mechanism, and a handling mechanism. The controller is used to send control commands, and the movable body is used to move to a position for docking with the upstream and downstream equipment according to the control commands. The handling mechanism is used to perform material handling operations between any two of the upstream equipment's production line, the downstream equipment's production line, and an external processing area, according to the control commands. This enables docking between upstream and downstream equipment and material handling, meeting various functional requirements and application scenarios on automated production lines, improving material handling efficiency, and thus increasing production efficiency.

[0063] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0064] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure.

[0065] Figure 1 The figure shown is a perspective view of an intelligent docking device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0066] Figure 2 The image shown is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure of a smart docking device from another angle.

[0067] Figure 3 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the material flow of an intelligent docking device according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure.

[0068] Figure 4 The diagram shown is a schematic representation of the material flow of an intelligent docking device according to another exemplary embodiment of this disclosure;

[0069] Figure 5 The diagram shown is a perspective view of the temporary storage mechanism of an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure of a smart docking device;

[0070] Figure 6 The diagram shown is a perspective view of the buffer mechanism of an intelligent connection device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0071] Figure 7 The figure shown is a perspective view of the material receiving mechanism of an intelligent docking device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0072] Figure 8 The diagram shown is a perspective view of the second drive module of an intelligent docking device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0073] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this disclosure as detailed in the appended claims.

[0074] The terminology used in this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the disclosure. Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this disclosure should be understood in their ordinary sense by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The terms “first,” “second,” and similar terms used in this disclosure and the claims do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Similarly, the terms “a” or “one,” and similar terms do not indicate a quantity limitation, but rather indicate the presence of at least one. “A plurality” or “several” indicates two or more. Unless otherwise indicated, the terms “front,” “rear,” “lower,” and / or “upper,” and similar terms are for ease of description only and are not limited to a location or spatial orientation. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and similar terms mean that the elements or objects preceding “comprising,” encompass the elements or objects listed following “comprising,” and their equivalents, and do not exclude other elements or objects. The terms “connected,” “linked,” and similar terms are not limited to physical or mechanical connections and can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect.

[0075] The terminology used in this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” as used in this disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0076] This disclosure provides an intelligent connection device. The intelligent connection device of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the features of the following embodiments and implementations can be combined with each other.

[0077] See Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, this disclosure provides an intelligent connection device 100, which can be applied to automated production lines throughout the entire production process, such as intelligent manufacturing plants and digital factories. The intelligent connection device 100 may include: a controller (not shown), a movable body 10, a conveying mechanism 20 for conveying materials 90, and a handling mechanism 30 for transporting materials 90. The conveying mechanism 20 includes a production line 21 disposed on the movable body 10, on which materials 90 can be conveyed. Materials 90 may include complete products such as mobile phones and watches, or components of products such as circuit boards and screens. Multiple workstations can be set up on the production line 21, and each workstation can load one material or one carrier. A workstation may also load multiple materials or multiple carriers depending on the actual situation, or materials and carriers may be mixed and loaded; this disclosure does not impose any limitations on this.

[0078] The controller is electrically connected to the movable body 10 and the conveying mechanism 30. The controller sends control commands to the execution-side mechanisms, which can refer to the movable body 10, the conveying mechanism 20, the conveying mechanism 30, and other mechanisms or modules mentioned below. The execution-side mechanisms perform corresponding operations according to the control commands. The conveying mechanism 30 is located on the movable body 10, and the number of conveying mechanisms 30 is unlimited. The controller can be an intelligent digital system that can autonomously send control commands to each execution-side mechanism according to actual conditions. Alternatively, it can be connected to the factory's main control system or the cloud, whereby the factory's main control system or the cloud sends control commands to the controller, which then sends the control commands to each execution-side mechanism.

[0079] The movable body 10 is used to move to a designated position according to control commands. The designated position may refer to the position relative to the preceding process equipment 200 (see [link]). Figure 3 and Figure 4 (as shown) and subsequent process equipment 300 (see) Figure 3 and Figure 4 (As shown) At the connection point, the conveying mechanism 30 is used to transfer the material 90 to the production line 201 of the preceding process equipment (see...) according to the control commands sent by the controller. Figure 3 and Figure 4 (As shown), assembly line 21, assembly line 301 for subsequent process equipment (see...) Figure 3 and Figure 4The intelligent connection device 100 can perform material handling operations between any two of the following: the upstream equipment 200 and the downstream equipment 300, as shown. This enables the connection between the upstream equipment 200 and the downstream equipment 300, and the handling of materials 90, thus realizing both the connection and material handling functions. The intelligent connection device 100 is simple to connect, install, and disassemble, and the handling of materials 90 is faster and more convenient, improving the handling efficiency of materials 90 and production efficiency. Optionally, the bottom of the movable body 10 can be equipped with casters 11 for movement. The intelligent connection device 100 can be configured with a navigation system, allowing the movable body 10 to move autonomously to a designated position according to control commands with the assistance of the navigation system, or it can be manually moved and installed to a designated position; this disclosure does not impose any limitations.

[0080] Understandably, the external processing area can refer to at least one of the following: repair area, reassembly area, and retesting area. The preceding process equipment 200 and the following process equipment 300 can refer to any one of the following: assembly equipment and testing equipment. The preceding process equipment 200 and the following process equipment 300 can be the same type of equipment or different types of equipment.

[0081] In some optional embodiments, the intelligent connection device 100 may further include a detection mechanism 50 for determining information about the material 90. The information about the material 90 may include its type, model, assembly date, testing structure, etc. The type of material 90 may include good and defective products; defective products may include poorly assembled products, poorly tested products, and bad products. Poorly assembled products require reassembly, poorly tested products require retesting, and bad products require repair. This configuration allows the detection mechanism 50 to detect and determine the type of material 90 during its flow on any production line 21, enabling more precise handling of the material 90 and improving the working efficiency of the intelligent connection device 100.

[0082] In one application scenario, during the regular production process, the good products that have been inspected by the inspection mechanism 50 on the production line 201 of the previous process equipment can be transported by the handling mechanism 30 to the production line 21 of the intelligent connecting device, and then transferred to the production line 301 of the subsequent process equipment in a conventional mode through the production line 21 of the intelligent connecting device 100, thereby realizing the conventional transfer function of the material 90.

[0083] In one application scenario, when the production process of the downstream equipment 300 is relatively fast and there is spare capacity, the good products that have been inspected by the inspection mechanism 50 can be directly transported from the production line 201 of the upstream equipment or the production line 21 of the intelligent connecting device to the production line 301 of the downstream equipment through the handling mechanism 30, thereby accelerating the production process and improving production efficiency.

[0084] In one application scenario, the conveying mechanism 30 can transport defective products detected by the inspection mechanism 50 from the production line 301 of the downstream equipment or the production line 21 of the intelligent connecting device to the production line 201 of the upstream equipment, realizing the return function of material 90. This allows for the separation of good and defective products; after the defective products are returned, the remaining good products can continue normal transport without manual screening, improving work efficiency. It is understood that when the upstream equipment 200 is a testing device, the intelligent connecting device 100 of this disclosure can realize the return and retesting function of material 90. When the upstream equipment 200 is an assembly device, the intelligent connecting device 100 of this disclosure can realize the return and reassembly function of material 90.

[0085] In one application scenario, when the inspection agency 50 detects defective products in the production line 201 of the preceding process equipment, the production line 21 of the intelligent connection device, and the production line 301 of the subsequent process equipment, the defective products can be transported to an external processing area by the handling mechanism 30 for reassembly, retesting, or repair, thereby achieving the function of removing defective products.

[0086] In one application scenario, after defective products are reassembled, retested, or repaired and pass inspection in the external processing area, the material 90 that has passed inspection by the testing agency 50 can be transported back to the production line 201 of the previous process equipment, the production line 21 of the intelligent connection device, or the production line 301 of the subsequent process equipment by the handling mechanism 30 according to actual needs, so as to realize the material redeployment function.

[0087] In this way, the intelligent connection device 100 can be integrated into multi-process production lines to realize the connection function between different devices, meet the various functional requirements of automated production lines, and be compatible with various application scenarios of automated production lines. It can efficiently solve problems such as defective products, reassembly, retesting, reflow, and rework in automated production.

[0088] In some optional embodiments, the inspection mechanism 50 may include a barcode scanner, and a QR code or barcode may be affixed to the material 90. The barcode stores information about the material, and the inspection mechanism 50 confirms the material information by scanning the barcode. In other examples, the inspection mechanism 50 may include a camera or other vision-processing device, which can directly confirm the information of the material 90 through visual processing.

[0089] In some optional embodiments, the number of barcode scanners can be one or more. For example, the conveying mechanism 30 can be equipped with a first barcode scanner that can scan materials 90 with their identification codes facing upwards. A second barcode scanner can be installed at the bottom of the production line 21 that can scan materials 90 with their identification codes facing downwards. In this way, materials 90 can be scanned regardless of whether their identification codes are facing upwards or downwards, further improving the working efficiency of the intelligent connection device 100.

[0090] See Figure 1 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the production line 21 includes at least one first production line 211 and at least one second production line 212 connected to the first production line 211. The first production line 211 is used to connect to the production line 201 of the preceding process equipment, and the second production line 212 is used to connect to the production line 301 of the following process equipment. In this embodiment, the first production line 211 and the second production line 212 can extend along a third direction Z and are arranged sequentially along a first direction X, wherein the second production line 212 can be located in the middle of the movable body 10. Thus, by connecting at least one first production line 211 to the preceding process equipment 200 and at least one second production line 212 to the following process equipment 300, the intelligent connection device 100 can realize the docking of at least one production line 201 of the preceding process equipment 200 and at least one production line 301 of the following process equipment 300, thereby being compatible with multiple production lines of the preceding process equipment 200 and the following process equipment 300.

[0091] For example, if there are two production lines 201 in the current process equipment and one production line 301 in the subsequent process equipment, then there can be two first production lines 211 and one second production line 212. The two first production lines 211 are respectively connected to the two production lines 201 in the previous process equipment. One end of the second production line 212 is connected to the two first production lines 211, and the other end is connected to the production line 301 in the subsequent process equipment, thus realizing the connection between the two production lines 201 in the previous process equipment and the production line 301 in the subsequent process equipment. It should be noted that the number of first production lines 211 and second production lines 212 can be set according to the actual number of compatible production lines, and this disclosure does not impose any limitations. In this way, the intelligent connection device 100 can be adapted to connect different numbers of production lines 201 in the previous process equipment and production lines 301 in the subsequent process equipment, facilitating the connection between the previous process equipment 200 and the subsequent process equipment 300.

[0092] See Figure 1 and Figure 3As shown, in this embodiment, the preceding process equipment 200 can be an assembly device, and the subsequent process equipment 300 can be a testing device. The example uses one production line 201 for the preceding process equipment and two production lines 301 for the subsequent process equipment. The arrows in the diagram indicate the flow direction of the material 90. When the material 90 from the preceding process equipment's production line 201 flows into or is transported to the first production line 211 of the intelligent connecting device 100, the transport mechanism 30 can transport the material 90 from the first production line 211 to the two second production lines 212 respectively.

[0093] See Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the preceding process equipment 200 is a testing device, and the subsequent process equipment 300 is an assembly device. The following description uses two production lines 201 for the preceding process equipment and one production line 301 for the subsequent process equipment as an example. The arrows in the illustration indicate the flow direction of the material 90. When the material 90 from the preceding process equipment's production line 201 flows into or is transported to the first production line 211 of the intelligent connecting device 100, the transport mechanism 30 can transport the material 90 from both first production lines 211 to the second production line 212.

[0094] See Figure 1 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the intelligent connection device 100 may further include a switching mechanism 70 connected to the first production line 211, used to drive the first production line 211 to move, thereby switching the conveying mode of the first production line 211. In the first conveying mode, the input end of the first production line 211 is connected to the production line 201 of the preceding process equipment, and the output end of the first production line 211 is connected to the input end of the second production line 212; in the second conveying mode, the output end of the first production line 211 is connected to the production line 201 of the preceding process equipment. When the intelligent connection device 100 is in the first conveying mode, the material 90 flows from the first production line 211 to the second production line 212; when the intelligent connection device 100 is in the second conveying mode, the material 90 flows from the first production line 211 to the production line 201 of the preceding process equipment. This setup allows the intelligent connection device 100 to be switched to the second transmission mode, so that the output end of the first production line 211 is connected to the production line 201 of the previous process equipment, thereby transporting the defective products detected by the inspection mechanism 50 to the production line 201 of the previous process equipment, so as to realize the return function of the material 90.

[0095] In some optional embodiments, the switching mechanism 70 includes a platform 71 and a fourth drive module 72. The platform 71 is movably disposed on the movable body 10. The platform 71 can be movably disposed on the movable body 10 in both vertical and horizontal directions, or it can be rotatably disposed on the movable body 10. The first production line 211 is disposed on the platform. The fourth drive module 72 is connected to the platform 71 and is used to drive the platform 71 to move, thereby driving the first production line 211 to move. Thus, the platform 71 can be driven to move by the fourth drive module 72, thereby driving the first production line 211 to move, allowing the intelligent connecting device 100 to switch between a first conveying mode and a second conveying mode, thereby realizing the switching between the conventional conveying function of material 90 and the return function of material 90. In this embodiment, the fourth drive module 72 can be a linear drive module such as a cylinder or hydraulic cylinder. The fourth drive module 72 is used to drive the platform 71 to move vertically, thereby driving the first production line 211 to move vertically. When the first production line 211 rises to the first position, it connects to the second production line 212. At this time, the first production line 211 runs in the forward direction, and its output end connects to the input end of the second production line 212. When the first production line 211 rises to the second position, it connects to the return production line of the previous process equipment's production line 201. At this time, the first production line 211 runs in the reverse direction, and its output end connects to the return production line of the previous process equipment's production line 201. In this way, the lifting and lowering of the first production line 211 can be achieved through the fourth drive module 72. When the first production line 211 is lifted to the second position, the first production line 211 is connected to the return production line of the production line 201 of the previous process equipment, so that the first production line 211 runs in reverse and the defective products of the production line 21 flow back to the production line 201 of the previous process equipment, so as to realize the return function of material 90.

[0096] In some optional embodiments, the conveying mechanism 20 may further include a carrier 91 for loading material 90. The carrier 91 may be disposed in at least one of the production line 21, the production line 201 of the preceding process equipment, and the production line 301 of the following process equipment. The conveying mechanism 20 may directly convey material 90 or convey the carrier 91 loaded with material 90. The handling mechanism 30 may directly handle material 90 or handle the carrier 91 loaded with material 90. The carrier 91 may be provided with at least one loading position for loading material 90. The number of loading positions may be one, two, or more, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0097] In one application scenario, the carrier 91 can be located on the first production line 211. In the second conveying mode, the handling mechanism 30 is also used to move the material 90 away from the carrier 91 according to control commands, so that the carrier 91 returns to the production line 201 of the preceding process equipment in an empty state, thereby realizing the return function of the carrier 91. The return process is convenient and quick. In this way, the empty carrier 91 is returned to the preceding process equipment 200 to be reloaded with the material 90 before flowing into the production line 21 of the intelligent connecting device 100. The empty carrier 91 does not flow to the production line 301 of the subsequent process equipment, thus avoiding occupying the workstation of the production line 301 of the subsequent process equipment, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0098] See Figure 1 and Figure 5 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the intelligent connection device 100 of this disclosure may further include a temporary storage mechanism 40 for storing materials, disposed on the movable body 10. The conveying mechanism 30 may also be used to perform conveying operations on materials 90 between any two of the preceding process equipment's production line 201, production line 21, temporary storage mechanism 40, the following process equipment's production line 301, and an external processing area, according to control commands. Thus, when the quantity of materials 90 on the production line 21 of the intelligent connection device 100 is large, in order to avoid the accumulation of materials 90, the materials 90 can be temporarily stored in the temporary storage mechanism 40, thereby realizing the temporary storage function, which can solve short-term line failures and alleviate the material accumulation pressure on the production line.

[0099] In one application scenario, when the downstream equipment 300 malfunctions, the downstream equipment production line 301 fails, or the upstream equipment 200 has excessively high capacity and the downstream equipment 300 has excessively low capacity, the above situation can also be understood as the material output capacity 90 of the upstream equipment production line 201 being greater than the material receiving capacity 90 of the downstream equipment production line 301. In this case, the intelligent connection device's production line 21 may cause a certain amount of material accumulation.

[0100] At this point, the material 90 from at least one of the production lines 201 of the preceding process equipment and 21 of the intelligent connecting device can be transported by the conveying mechanism 30 to the temporary storage mechanism 40 for temporary storage. For example, the carrier 91 already conveyed to the production line 21 and the material 90 can be transported together to the temporary storage mechanism 40, or the carrier 91 and the material 90 of the preceding process equipment's production line 201 can be transported together to the temporary storage mechanism 40. This reduces the amount of material 90 accumulating on the intelligent connecting device's production line 21, ensuring smooth transport of other materials on the production line 21.

[0101] Thus, when the material receiving capacity of the downstream equipment 301 is low or the downstream equipment 300 malfunctions, material accumulation on the intelligent transfer device's production line 21 will not occur, resolving short-term line malfunctions without affecting the material production of the upstream equipment's production line 201. Once the downstream equipment 300 has been repaired and resumed normal operation and production capacity, the material temporarily stored in the temporary storage mechanism 40 can be transferred to the production line 21 via the handling mechanism 30, thereby being released back into the production line. This operation is the reverse of the temporary storage operation and will not be elaborated upon here. It should be noted that the intelligent transfer device 100 of this disclosure can also perform temporary storage operations or reverse operations between the temporary storage mechanism 40 and the downstream equipment 300, depending on the actual situation; this disclosure does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0102] In some optional embodiments, the material 90 includes multiple categories, and the temporary storage mechanism 40 includes multiple temporary storage bins 41 corresponding to the number of categories. The temporary storage bins 41 are used to store materials of the corresponding categories. The handling mechanism can also be used to perform handling operations on the material 90 between any two of the preceding process equipment's production line 201, production line 21, temporary storage bins 41, the following process equipment's production line 301, and an external processing area, according to control instructions. In this embodiment, the multiple temporary storage bins 41 can be arranged side by side along a first direction X, or side by side along a third direction Z. The first direction X can be the setting direction of the first production line 211 and the second production line 212, and the third direction Z can be the extension direction of the first production line 211 or the second production line 212. This can reduce the space occupied by the temporary storage mechanism 40 in the vertical direction and make the temporary storage mechanism 40 lower and more stable in installation. It should be noted that the arrangement of the temporary storage bins 41 can be set according to actual needs, and this disclosure does not limit it.

[0103] Thus, when material 90 on production line 21 may accumulate, the detection mechanism 50 can identify the type of material 90 and temporarily store it in the corresponding temporary storage bin 41 according to its type to alleviate the pressure of material 90 accumulation on production line 21. This also allows for the separation and partitioning of materials of different types, eliminating the need for manual screening, facilitating subsequent secondary handling operations, and improving work efficiency. When it is necessary to release material 90 for use on the production line, the material 90 temporarily stored in the temporary storage bin 41 can be moved back to production line 21.

[0104] In some alternative embodiments, the material 90 includes good products and defective products. The handling operation includes at least one of the following: handling good products between any two of the preceding process equipment's production line 201, production line 21, temporary storage bin 41, and the following process equipment's production line 301; and handling defective products between any two of the preceding process equipment's production line 201, production line 21, temporary storage bin 41, the following process equipment's production line 301, and an external processing area.

[0105] Thus, when material 90 on production line 21 may accumulate, the inspection mechanism 50 can confirm the type of material 90, and good products can be temporarily stored in the temporary storage warehouse 41. Defective products can also be temporarily stored in the corresponding temporary storage warehouse 41 first, and then, depending on the actual situation, the handling mechanism 30 can transport the defective products to the external processing area for reassembly, retesting, or repair. After the defective products pass the reassembly, retesting, or repair in the external processing area, the handling mechanism 30 can transport the qualified material 90, which has been inspected by the inspection mechanism 50, back to the temporary storage warehouse 41. When it is necessary to release good products for use on the production line, the good products temporarily stored in the temporary storage warehouse 41 can be transported back to production line 21.

[0106] See Figure 5 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the multiple temporary storage bins 41 may include a good product temporary storage bin 411, a defective product temporary storage bin 412, and a buffer temporary storage bin 414, whereby the buffer temporary storage bin 414 can be used to buffer materials. During the classification and temporary storage operation, when both the good product temporary storage bin 411 and the defective product temporary storage bin 412 are full of materials 90, other materials 90 that still need to be temporarily stored can be temporarily stored in the buffer temporary storage bin 414 to achieve the buffering function. When there is space in the good product temporary storage bin 411 and the defective product temporary storage bin 412, the materials 90 in the buffer temporary storage bin 414 are then classified and temporarily stored in the corresponding good product temporary storage bin 411 or defective product temporary storage bin 412. This further alleviates the material 90 accumulation pressure on the production line. It is understood that the good product temporary storage bin 411 may include multiple good product waiting positions 4111 for temporarily storing good products. The defective product temporary storage bin 412 may include multiple defective product waiting positions 4121 for temporarily storing defective products. The buffer storage bin 414 may include multiple buffer waiting positions 4141 for buffering materials. In the example shown in the figure, two waiting positions 4111 for good products, two waiting positions 4121 for defective products, and two buffer waiting positions 4141 are used as examples, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0107] Thus, when material 90 on production line 21 may accumulate, the inspection mechanism 50 can confirm the category of material 90, and good products can be temporarily stored in the good product storage warehouse 411. Defective products and retested products can also be temporarily stored in the corresponding defective product storage warehouse 412, and then, depending on the actual situation, the handling mechanism 30 can transport the defective products and retested products to the external processing area for reassembly, retesting, or repair. After the defective products and retested products pass the reassembly, retesting, or repair in the external processing area, the handling mechanism 30 can transport the qualified material 90, which has been inspected by the inspection mechanism 50, back to the good product storage warehouse 411. When it is necessary to release good products for use on the production line, the good products temporarily stored in the good product storage warehouse 411 can be transported back to production line 21. In this way, the intelligent connection device 100 can realize the functions of classified temporary storage of material 90, release of material 90 for use on the production line, and retesting, reassembly, and repair of material 90, thereby improving the automation rate of the production line and increasing work efficiency.

[0108] In some optional embodiments, the multiple temporary storage bins 41 may further include a retest product temporary storage bin 413. During the classification and temporary storage operation, when the good product temporary storage bin 411, the defective product temporary storage bin 412, and the retest product temporary storage bin 413 are all full of material 90, other materials 90 that still need to be temporarily stored can be temporarily stored in the buffer temporary storage bin 414. When there is space in the good product temporary storage bin 411, the defective product temporary storage bin 412, and the retest product temporary storage bin 413, the material 90 in the buffer temporary storage bin 414 is then classified and temporarily stored in the corresponding good product temporary storage bin 411, defective product temporary storage bin 412, or retest product temporary storage bin 413. This can further alleviate the material 90 accumulation pressure on the production line. It is understood that the retest product temporary storage bin 413 includes multiple retest product waiting positions 4131 for temporarily storing retest products.

[0109] Thus, when material 90 on production line 21 may accumulate, the inspection agency 50 can confirm the category of material 90, and good products can be temporarily stored in the good product temporary storage warehouse 411. Defective products and retested products can also be temporarily stored in the corresponding defective product temporary storage warehouse 412 and retested product temporary storage warehouse 413, and then, depending on the actual situation, the handling mechanism 30 can be used to transport the defective products and retested products to the external processing area for reassembly, retesting, or repair. After the defective products and retested products pass the reassembly, retesting, or repair in the external processing area, the handling mechanism 30 can be used to transport the qualified material 90, which has been inspected by the inspection agency 50, back to the good product temporary storage warehouse 411, depending on the actual situation.

[0110] In this embodiment, the good product storage bin 411, the defective product storage bin 412, and the retest product storage bin 413 are arranged along the third direction Z. This reduces the vertical space occupied by the storage mechanism 40 and makes the storage mechanism 40 lower and more stable to install. The buffer storage bin 414 and the defective product storage bin 412 are arranged along the second direction Y. This reduces the horizontal space occupied by the storage mechanism 40, allowing the connecting device 100 to be smaller and easier to move and install.

[0111] In some optional embodiments, the temporary storage mechanism 40 further includes a first drive module 42 for driving the temporary storage bin 41 to move. The first drive module 42 can drive the temporary storage bin 41 to move along a third direction Z. Thus, the position of the temporary storage bin 41 can be changed via the first drive module 42, and the temporary storage bin 41 moves together with the transport mechanism 30, resulting in a shorter transport distance and faster speed for the transport mechanism 30.

[0112] In some optional embodiments, the first drive module 42 includes a first drive member 421, a first guide rail 422, and a first platform 423. The first drive member 421 can be a linear drive module such as a cylinder or hydraulic cylinder. The first guide rail 422 is disposed on the movable body 10. The first platform 423 is movably disposed on the first guide rail 422, and multiple temporary storage compartments 41 are arranged side-by-side on the first platform 423. The first drive member 421 is connected to the first platform 423 and is used to drive the first platform 423 to move along the first guide rail 422. The first drive member 421, by extending and retracting, can drive the first platform 423 to move along the first guide rail 422, thereby causing the multiple temporary storage compartments 41 to move along the first guide rail 422. The first guide rail 422 extends horizontally to allow the first platform 423 and the multiple temporary storage compartments 41 to move horizontally. This simplifies the movement of the multiple temporary storage compartments 41 and reduces the likelihood of malfunctions.

[0113] See Figure 1 and Figure 6As shown, in some optional embodiments, the intelligent connection device 100 may further include a buffer mechanism 80, which is disposed on the movable body 10 and used to buffer material 90. The conveying mechanism 30 is used to perform conveying operations between any two of the preceding process equipment's production line 201, production line 21, temporary storage mechanism 40, buffer mechanism 80, and the subsequent process equipment's production line 301, according to control instructions. It is understood that when all the temporary storage bins 41 of the temporary storage mechanism 40 are full, some of the material from the production line 21 can be placed in the buffer mechanism 80 to further buffer the material 90 and further alleviate the pressure of material 90 accumulation on the production line 21. It should be noted that the intelligent connection device 100 of this disclosure may also perform buffering operations or reverse operations between the buffer mechanism 80 and the preceding process equipment 200 and the subsequent process equipment 300, depending on the actual situation, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0114] In some optional embodiments, the buffer mechanism 80 includes a plurality of buffer bins 81 for buffering materials 90 and a second drive module 82 for driving the buffer bins 81 to move. The plurality of buffer bins 81 can be arranged side-by-side in a vertical direction. The second drive module 82 can be used to drive the buffer bins 81 to move vertically. Thus, when the buffer mechanism 80 has accommodated a full buffer bin 81, the empty space in the buffer mechanism 80 can be aligned with the temporary storage mechanism 40, making the storage of the next buffer bin 81 easier and faster; or when a buffer bin 81 is removed from the buffer mechanism 80, the next buffer bin 81 can be aligned with the temporary storage mechanism 40, making the removal of the next buffer bin 81 easier and faster.

[0115] In some optional embodiments, the second drive module 82 includes a second guide rail 821, a second platform 822, and a second drive component 823. The second drive component 823 can be a cylinder or a motor, and this disclosure does not impose any limitations. The second guide rail 821 is disposed on the movable body 10. The second platform 822 is movably disposed on the second guide rail 821, and multiple buffer bins 81 are arranged side-by-side on the second platform 822. The second drive component 823 is connected to the second platform 822 and is used to drive the second platform 822 to move along the second guide rail 821. Thus, the second platform 822 can be driven to move along the second guide rail 821 by the second drive component 823 to change the position of the buffer bins 81, making the movement of the buffer bins 81 faster and simpler.

[0116] In some optional embodiments, the second drive module 82 further includes multiple third guide rails 824 and third drive components. The multiple third guide rails 824 are arranged side by side on the second platform 822, and each third guide rail 824 has at least one buffer compartment 81. The third drive component is connected to the buffer compartment 81 and is used to drive the buffer compartment 81 to move along the third guide rail 824. The number of third drive components can be multiple, corresponding one-to-one with each buffer compartment 81. Alternatively, there can be only one third drive component, which can drive multiple buffer compartments 81 individually or simultaneously to move along the third guide rail 824. Thus, by using the third drive component to move the buffer compartment 81 along the third guide rail 824 into the buffer mechanism 80, the buffer compartment 81 can be stored; or by using the third drive component to remove the buffer compartment 81 from the buffer mechanism 80 along the third guide rail 824, the storage and removal of the buffer compartment 81 can be achieved, making the storage and removal of the buffer compartment 81 simpler and faster.

[0117] In some optional embodiments, the production line 21 may include multiple sub-production lines (not shown) corresponding to the number of different material categories, depending on the type of material 90. The handling mechanism 30 can be used to handle the material 90 to the corresponding sub-production line according to control commands. It is understood that the temporary storage mechanism 40 can be located on one of the sub-production lines. The buffer mechanism 80 can be located on another sub-production line. Thus, after the detection mechanism 50 confirms the information of the material 90 or the material 90 in the carrier 91, the handling mechanism 30 can grab the corresponding material 90 or carrier 91 based on the feedback information, allocate it to the corresponding sub-production line, and then transmit it to the temporary storage mechanism 40 or the buffer mechanism 80. This eliminates the need to transport the material 90 or carrier 91 all the way to the temporary storage mechanism 40 or the buffer mechanism 80, saving the handling distance and time of the handling mechanism 30, resulting in higher handling and transmission efficiency, and improving the working efficiency of the intelligent connection device 100. In this embodiment, the sub-production line can be set above the first production line 211 and the second production line 212, which can save space in the horizontal direction of the intelligent connection device 100, so that the intelligent connection device 100 occupies a smaller volume and is easier to move and install.

[0118] See Figure 1 and Figure 7 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the intelligent docking device 100 further includes a receiving mechanism 60, disposed on the movable body 10, for collecting material 90. The conveying mechanism 30 is used to perform conveying operations on material 90 between any two of the following: the production line 201 of the preceding process equipment, the production line 21, the temporary storage mechanism 40, the buffer mechanism 80, the receiving mechanism 60, the production line 301 of the following process equipment, and an external processing area, according to control commands. In this embodiment, the receiving mechanism 60 is movably disposed on the movable body 10, and is used to collect defective products.

[0119] Thus, defective products can be transported to the receiving mechanism 60 for recycling via the handling mechanism 30, realizing the material recycling function. After a certain quantity is recycled, the defective products can be transported to an external processing area via the handling mechanism 30 for reassembly, retesting, or repair. When the defective products pass the reassembly, retesting, or repair in the external processing area, the materials 90 that have passed the inspection by the testing mechanism 50 can be transported back to the intelligent connection device's production line 21, the temporary storage mechanism 40, or the downstream process equipment's production line 301 via the handling mechanism 30, according to actual needs, realizing the material re-dispatch function. It should be noted that the intelligent connection device 100 of this disclosure can also perform buffering operations or reverse operations between the receiving mechanism 60 and the upstream process equipment 200 and the downstream process equipment 300, according to actual conditions, and this disclosure does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0120] In the embodiments of this disclosure, taking defective products as an example, the steps for defective product recycling are as follows: When defective products or carriers 91 containing materials flow into the assembly line 21 of the intelligent connecting device 100, the detection mechanism 50 detects the defective products. The handling mechanism 30 can transport the defective products to the defective product temporary storage bin 412 for temporary storage, or directly transport them to the receiving mechanism 60, which can save the handling time of transporting defective products to the defective product temporary storage bin 412 and improve the working efficiency of the intelligent connecting device 100. When the defective product temporary storage bin 412 is full, the handling mechanism 30 can transport the defective products temporarily stored in the defective product temporary storage bin 412 to the receiving mechanism 60. After the receiving mechanism 60 is filled with a certain number of defective products, it can be transported to an external repair area by an unmanned guided vehicle (AGV) for repair of the defective products in the receiving mechanism 60.

[0121] In the embodiments of this disclosure, taking defective products as an example, the steps for re-feeding defective products after repair are as follows: The unmanned transport vehicle transports the receiving mechanism 60 containing defective products to the repair area for inspection. After inspection, the defective products become good products. At this time, the unmanned transport vehicle transports the receiving mechanism 60 containing good products to the intelligent connecting device 100. The handling mechanism 30 can transport the good products to the good product temporary storage bin 411 for temporary storage, or directly transport them to the production line 21 for release on the production line. This can save the handling time of transporting good products to the good product temporary storage bin 412 and improve the working efficiency of the intelligent connecting device 100.

[0122] In some optional embodiments, the receiving mechanism 60 includes a plurality of receiving bins 61 for recovering material 90 and a third drive module 62; the third drive module 62 is used to drive the receiving bins 61 to move. The plurality of receiving bins 61 can be arranged side-by-side in a vertical direction. The third drive module 62 can be used to drive the receiving bins 61 to move vertically. Thus, when the receiving mechanism 60 has received a full receiving bin 61, the empty receiving bin 61 can be aligned with the temporary storage mechanism 40, making the placement of the next empty receiving bin 61 simpler and faster.

[0123] In some optional embodiments, the third drive module 62 includes a fourth guide rail 621, a third platform 622, and a fourth drive component 623. The fourth drive component 623 can be a cylinder or a motor, and this disclosure is not limited thereto. The fourth guide rail 621 is disposed on the movable body 10. The third platform 622 is movably disposed on the fourth guide rail 621, and multiple receiving bins 61 are arranged side-by-side on the third platform 622. The fourth drive component 623 is connected to the third platform 622 and is used to drive the third platform 622 to move along the fourth guide rail 621. Thus, the third platform 622 can be driven to move vertically by the fourth drive component 623 to achieve position changes of the receiving bins 61, making the movement of the receiving bins 61 faster and simpler.

[0124] In some optional embodiments, the third drive module 62 further includes a fifth drive member and multiple fifth guide rails 624. The multiple fifth guide rails 624 are arranged side-by-side on the third platform 622, and each fifth guide rail 624 has at least one receiving bin 61. The fifth drive member is connected to the receiving bin 61 and is used to drive the receiving bin 61 to move along the fifth guide rail 624. The number of fifth drive members can be multiple, corresponding one-to-one with each receiving bin 61. Alternatively, there can be only one fifth drive member, which can drive multiple receiving bins 61 individually or simultaneously to move along the fifth guide rail 624. By using the fifth drive member to move a fully loaded receiving bin 61 along the fifth guide rail 624 into the receiving mechanism 60, the fully loaded receiving bin 61 can be received. Similarly, by using the fifth drive member to remove an empty receiving bin 81 from the receiving mechanism 60 along the fifth guide rail 624, the empty receiving bin 81 can be removed, making the receiving and removal of the receiving bins 61 simpler and faster.

[0125] In some optional embodiments, the receiving mechanism 60 further includes an installation platform 63, which may be a conveyor belt or a conveyor line, and this disclosure is not limited thereto. A third platform 622 is disposed on the installation platform 63 and can move along the flow direction of the installation platform 63. Thus, when all the receiving bins 61 in the receiving mechanism 60 are full of defective products, the receiving mechanism 60 moves on the installation platform 63 in a direction away from the intelligent docking device 100 and is received by the unmanned transport vehicle.

[0126] See you again Figure 1 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the conveying mechanism 20 further includes a carrier 91 for loading materials 90, disposed on the assembly line 21, the carrier 91 including at least two loading positions for accommodating the materials 90; the types of materials 90 include good products and defective products, and the handling operation includes at least one of the following:

[0127] Remove the defective goods loaded in vehicle 91 from the loading position; and

[0128] Move the good products from at least one of the production line 21, temporary storage unit 40, and cache unit 80 to an available loading position.

[0129] In this way, defective products in carrier 91 can be identified and removed, allowing carrier 91 to return to the production line 201 of the previous process equipment in an empty state; or defective products in carrier 91 can be identified and removed, and the conveying mechanism 30 can move good products to an empty loading position, so that carrier 91 can be fully loaded with good products and normally conveyed to the production line 301 of the next process equipment.

[0130] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the conveying mechanism 30 includes a first conveying module 31, disposed on the movable body 10, for conveying material 90 between any two of the preceding process equipment's production line 201, production line 21, temporary storage mechanism 40, and the following process equipment's production line 301, according to control commands. Thus, the first conveying module 31 can realize the conveying operation of material 90 between the preceding process equipment's production line 201, the following process equipment's production line 301, and the intelligent connecting device's production line 21; it can also realize the conveying operation of material 90 between the first production line 211 and the second production line 212 of the intelligent connecting device 100; and it can also realize the conveying operation of material 90 between production line 21 and the temporary storage mechanism 40. Using the first conveying module 31 to convey material 90 results in a simple, fast, and highly efficient conveying process.

[0131] In some optional embodiments, the first handling module 31 includes a sixth guide rail 311 and a first handling component 312 for handling materials. The sixth guide rail 311 is disposed on the movable body 10, and the first handling component 312 is movably disposed on the sixth guide rail 311. The sixth guide rail 311 may extend along a first direction X, and the first handling component 312 is slidably disposed on the sixth guide rail 311. The first handling component 312 may be a robotic arm, a gripper, or other structure, used to grasp and handle materials 90. The first handling component 312 is movably disposed on the sixth guide rail 311, allowing its position to change to facilitate grasping materials 90 from the preceding process equipment's production line 201, production line 21, temporary storage mechanism 40, and the subsequent process equipment's production line 301.

[0132] See Figure 1 and Figure 8 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the conveying mechanism 30 further includes a second conveying module 32, disposed on the movable body 10, for performing conveying operations on the material 90 between any two of the temporary storage mechanism 40, the buffer mechanism 80, and the receiving mechanism 60 according to control commands. Thus, the second conveying module 32 can realize the conveying operation of the material 90 between the temporary storage mechanism 40 and the buffer mechanism 80, between the temporary storage mechanism 40 and the receiving mechanism 60, and between the buffer mechanism 80 and the receiving mechanism 60. Using the second conveying module 32 to convey the material 90 results in a simple, fast, and efficient conveying process. Meanwhile, the first transport module 31 is used to transport the material 90 between any two of the preceding process equipment's production line 201, production line 21, temporary storage mechanism 40, and the subsequent process equipment's production line 301. The second transport module 32 is used to transport the material 90 between any two of the temporary storage mechanism 40, buffer mechanism 80, and receiving mechanism 60. The first transport module 31 and the second transport module 32 can operate simultaneously, improving the working efficiency of the transport mechanism 30.

[0133] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the second transport module 32 is disposed on the temporary storage mechanism 40. The second transport module 32 can be fixedly disposed on the temporary storage mechanism 40 and can move together with the temporary storage mechanism 40 along the third direction Z. When the temporary storage mechanism 40 is in the first position, the temporary storage mechanism 40 is docked with the receiving mechanism 60, and the second transport module 32 can transport the material 90 in the temporary storage mechanism 40 to the receiving mechanism 60; or transport the material 90 in the receiving mechanism 60 to the temporary storage mechanism 40. When the temporary storage mechanism 40 is in the second position, the temporary storage mechanism 40 is docked with the buffer mechanism 80, and the second transport module 32 can transport the material 90 in the temporary storage mechanism 40 to the buffer mechanism 80; or transport the material in the buffer mechanism 80 to the temporary storage mechanism 40. The movement of the temporary storage bin 41 together with the second transport module 32 can improve the transport efficiency of the transport mechanism 30.

[0134] In some optional embodiments, the second conveying module 32 includes a seventh guide rail 321 and a second conveying component 322 for conveying material 90. The seventh guide rail 321 is disposed on the movable body 10, and the second conveying component 322 is movably disposed on the seventh guide rail 321. The seventh guide rail 321 may extend along a first direction X, and the second conveying component 322 is slidably disposed on a sixth guide rail 311. The second conveying component 322 may be a robotic arm, clamp, hook, or other structure, and can be used to grip or push / pull material 90. The movable disposal of the second conveying component 322 on the seventh guide rail 321 allows its position to change, facilitating the gripping or pulling out of the temporary storage mechanism 40, the buffer mechanism 80, and the receiving mechanism 60; or gripping or pushing material 90 into the temporary storage mechanism 40, the buffer mechanism 80, and the receiving mechanism 60. The third and fifth driving components mentioned above may refer to the second transport module 32 or other structures with transport functions, and this disclosure does not impose any restrictions.

[0135] In some optional embodiments, the seventh guide rail 321 is arranged along the first direction X, and the second conveying assembly 322 includes an eighth guide rail 3221 and a conveying component 3222 for conveying material 90. The eighth guide rail 3221 is not limited to a guide rail; it can also be a cylinder, hydraulic cylinder, or other structure capable of linear motion. The eighth guide rail 3221 is movably disposed on the seventh guide rail 321 and arranged along the second direction Y, and the conveying component 3222 is movably disposed on the eighth guide rail 3221. The second conveying assembly 322 can be movably disposed on the seventh guide rail 321 along the first direction X, and the conveying component 3222 in the second conveying assembly 322 can be movably disposed on the eighth guide rail 3221 along the second direction Y, so as to realize the movement of the conveying component 3222 along the first direction X and the second direction Y, so as to grab or pull out material 90 from the temporary storage mechanism 40, the buffer mechanism 80, and the receiving mechanism 60; or to grab or push material 90 into the temporary storage mechanism 40, the buffer mechanism 80, and the receiving mechanism 60.

[0136] In some optional embodiments, the handling mechanism 30 further includes a third handling module (not shown), which can be an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) or a conveyor line, without limitation in this disclosure. The third handling module is used to perform handling operations on the material 90 between the receiving mechanism 60 and the external processing area according to control commands. It can also handle defective products to the external processing area for reassembly, retesting, or repair, thus achieving the function of defective product removal. After the defective product passes reassembly, retesting, or repair in the external processing area, the third handling module can, according to actual needs, handle the qualified material 90, which has been inspected by the testing mechanism 50, back to the production line 201 of the preceding process equipment, the production line 21 of the intelligent connecting device, or the production line 301 of the following process equipment, thus achieving the function of material redeployment.

[0137] In one application scenario, the carrier 91 includes two loading positions, meaning that the carrier 91 can load two materials. When the carrier 91 flows into the workstation of the intelligent transfer device's assembly line 21, the following scenarios may occur:

[0138] Scenario (1): When both materials loaded on carrier 91 are good products, carrier 91 can be normally transferred to the production line 301 of the downstream equipment through the production line 21 of the intelligent connection device.

[0139] Alternatively, the good products in the carrier 91 can be transferred to the intelligent connection device's production line 21 and normally conveyed to the production line 301 of the subsequent process equipment, or temporarily stored in the temporary storage mechanism 40, or buffered in the buffer mechanism 80, so that the remaining empty carrier 91 can be returned to the carrier 91.

[0140] Scenario (2): When both materials loaded on the carrier 91 are defective, the carrier 91 can be directly transported to the receiving mechanism 60 for recycling, or the carrier 91 can be directly recirculated and retested.

[0141] Alternatively, defective products can be removed from carrier 91, allowing the remaining empty carrier 91 to be returned to the original carrier. Defective products removed from carrier 91 can then undergo re-testing, re-reconstruction, repair, temporary storage, buffering, recycling, or redeployment.

[0142] Scenario (3): When the two materials loaded in carrier 91 are a good product and a defective product, the good product in carrier 91 can be transferred to the production line 21 of the intelligent connection device and normally conveyed to the production line 301 of the subsequent process equipment, or temporarily stored in the temporary storage mechanism 40, or buffered in the buffer mechanism 80. The defective product in carrier 91 can be removed from carrier 91, so that the remaining empty carrier 91 can be returned to carrier 91. The defective products removed from carrier 91 can be returned for retesting, reprocessing, repair, temporary storage, buffering, recycling, and redeployment.

[0143] Alternatively, defective products can be removed from carrier 91 and a good product can be moved from assembly line 21, temporary storage mechanism 40 or buffer mechanism 80 to an empty loading position on carrier 91, so that both materials loaded on carrier 91 are good products, as in the above scenario (1).

[0144] Alternatively, the good products in carrier 91 can be transferred to the production line 21 of the intelligent connection device and normally conveyed to the production line 301 of the subsequent process equipment, or temporarily stored in the temporary storage mechanism 40, or buffered in the buffer mechanism 80. Then, a defective product can be transferred from the production line 21, the temporary storage mechanism 40, or the buffer mechanism 80 to an empty loading position on carrier 91, so that both materials 90 loaded on carrier 91 are defective products, as in the above scenario (2).

[0145] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure herein. This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the following claims.

[0146] It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An intelligent docking device, characterized in that, include: The system includes a controller, a switching mechanism, a movable body, a conveying mechanism for conveying materials, a temporary storage mechanism for storing materials, and a handling mechanism for transporting materials; the conveying mechanism includes a production line located on the movable body; the handling mechanism is located on the movable body; and the temporary storage mechanism is located on the movable body. The materials include multiple categories, and the categories of materials include good products and defective products; the temporary storage mechanism includes multiple temporary storage warehouses corresponding to the quantity of the categories, and the temporary storage warehouses are used to store materials of the corresponding categories; the multiple temporary storage warehouses include a good product temporary storage warehouse, a defective product temporary storage warehouse and a cache temporary storage warehouse, and the cache temporary storage warehouse is used to cache materials; The production line includes at least one first production line and at least one second production line connected to the first production line. The first production line is used to connect to the production line of the preceding process equipment, and the second production line is used to connect to the production line of the following process equipment. The switching mechanism is connected to the first production line and is used to drive the first production line to move up and down in the vertical direction to switch the conveying mode of the first production line. In the first conveying mode, the first pipeline is raised and lowered to the first position, the first pipeline runs in the forward direction, the first pipeline is connected to the second pipeline, and the output end of the first pipeline is connected to the input end of the second pipeline. In the second conveying mode, the first production line is raised and lowered to the second position, the first production line is connected to the return production line of the production line of the previous process equipment, the first production line runs in reverse, and the output end of the first production line is connected to the return production line of the production line of the previous process equipment. The controller is electrically connected to the movable body and the conveying mechanism; the movable body is used to move to a position to connect with the upstream and downstream equipment according to the control command sent by the controller; the conveying mechanism is used to perform material conveying operations between any two of the upstream equipment's production line, the production line, the temporary storage bin, the downstream equipment's production line, and the external processing area according to the control command sent by the controller.

2. The intelligent docking device of claim 1, wherein, The handling operation includes at least one of the following: Good products are transferred between any two of the following: the production line of the preceding process equipment, the production line, the temporary storage bin, and the production line of the following process equipment. as well as Defective products are transferred between any two of the following: the production line of the preceding process equipment, the production line, the temporary storage bin, the production line of the following process equipment, and the external processing area.

3. The intelligent docking device of claim 1, wherein, The temporary storage mechanism also includes a first drive module for driving the temporary storage bin to move.

4. The intelligent connection device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first drive module includes: The first guide rail is located on the movable main body; The first platform, the activity is set on the first guide rail, and the multiple temporary storage bins are arranged side by side on the first platform; A first driving component is connected to the first platform and is used to drive the first platform to move along the first guide rail.

5. The intelligent connection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a buffer mechanism, located on the movable body, for buffering materials; the conveying mechanism is used to perform conveying operations on materials between any two of the production line of the preceding process equipment, the production line, the temporary storage mechanism, the buffer mechanism, and the production line of the subsequent process equipment according to the control instructions.

6. The intelligent connection device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The caching mechanism includes: multiple cache bins for caching materials and a second drive module, wherein the second drive module is used to drive the cache bins to move.

7. The intelligent connection device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The second drive module includes: A second guide rail is provided on the movable body; The second platform, with the activity set on the second guide rail, and the multiple cache bins arranged side by side on the second platform; The second driving component is connected to the second platform and is used to drive the second platform to move along the second guide rail.

8. The intelligent connection device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second drive module also includes: Multiple third guide rails are arranged side by side on the second platform, and each third guide rail is provided with at least one of the buffer compartments; The third driving component is connected to the cache compartment and is used to drive the cache compartment to move along the third guide rail.

9. The intelligent connection device according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes a receiving mechanism, located on the movable body, for recycling materials; the conveying mechanism is used to perform material conveying operations between any two of the following according to the control instructions: the production line of the preceding process equipment, the production line, the temporary storage mechanism, the buffer mechanism, the receiving mechanism, the production line of the following process equipment, and the external processing area.

10. The intelligent connection device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The receiving mechanism includes multiple receiving bins for recovering materials and a third drive module; the third drive module is used to drive the receiving bins to move.

11. The intelligent connection device according to claim 10, characterized in that, The third drive module includes: A fourth guide rail is provided on the movable body; The third platform is set on the fourth guide rail, and the multiple receiving bins are arranged side by side on the third platform; The fourth driving component is connected to the third platform and is used to drive the third platform to move along the fourth guide rail.

12. The intelligent connection device according to claim 11, characterized in that, The third drive module also includes: Multiple fifth guide rails are arranged side by side on the third platform, and each fifth guide rail is provided with at least one receiving bin; The fifth driving component is connected to the receiving bin and is used to drive the receiving bin to move along the fifth guide rail.

13. The intelligent connection device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The transport mechanism includes: The first handling module, located on the movable body, is used to perform handling operations on materials between any two of the production lines of the preceding process equipment, the production lines, the temporary storage mechanism, and the production lines of the following process equipment, according to the control instructions.

14. The intelligent connection device according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first transport module includes: The sixth guide rail is provided on the movable body; The first handling component for moving materials is movably mounted on the sixth guide rail.

15. The intelligent connection device according to claim 13, characterized in that, The transport mechanism also includes: The second handling module is located on the movable body and is used to perform handling operations on materials between any two of the temporary storage mechanism, the buffer mechanism and the receiving mechanism according to the control command.

16. The intelligent connection device according to claim 15, characterized in that, The second transport module includes: The seventh guide rail is provided on the movable body; A second material handling assembly is movably mounted on the seventh guide rail.

17. The intelligent connection device according to claim 16, characterized in that, The seventh guide rail is arranged along the first direction, and the second conveying assembly includes: The eighth guide rail is movably mounted on the seventh guide rail and is arranged along the second direction; A material handling component is movably mounted on the eighth guide rail.

18. The intelligent connection device according to claim 15, characterized in that, The transport mechanism also includes: The third transport module is used to perform transport operations on materials between the receiving mechanism and the external processing area according to the control instructions.

19. The intelligent connection device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The conveying mechanism further includes a carrier for loading materials, disposed on the assembly line, the carrier including at least two loading positions for assembling materials; the types of materials include good products and defective products, and the handling operation includes at least one of the following: Remove the defective products loaded on the vehicle from the loading position; and Good products from at least one of the production line, the temporary storage mechanism, and the buffer mechanism are moved to the available loading position.

20. The intelligent connection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a detection mechanism, which is disposed on the movable body and electrically connected to the controller, and the detection mechanism is used to determine the information of the material.

21. The intelligent connection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The materials include multiple categories, and the production line includes multiple sub-production lines corresponding to the quantity of each category; the handling mechanism is used to handle the materials according to the category to the corresponding sub-production line according to the control command.

22. The intelligent connection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The switching mechanism includes: A platform is movably mounted on the movable main body, and the first production line is mounted on the platform. The fourth drive module is connected to the platform and is used to drive the platform to move, thereby driving the first production line to move.

23. The intelligent connection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conveying mechanism also includes a carrier for loading materials, which is located on the first production line; in the second conveying mode, the handling mechanism is also used to move the materials away from the carrier according to the control command.

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