A fully automatic palletizing and sealing system and method

Abstract

The patent relates to a full-automatic stacking and sealing welding system, belonging to the technical field of welding equipment. The system contains a welding robot, a three-axis truss with a three-dimensional displacement mechanical gripper, a positioner located in the middle of the three-axis truss and adjacent to the welding robot, a conveying line for conveying the inner barrel to the positioner, an air charging device and a storage table located on both sides of the positioner respectively. When automatic welding is performed, the outer barrel body is grabbed by the mechanical gripper of the three-axis truss from the positioner, and then the barrel cover is taken away and stored, and the inner barrel body is grabbed and placed in the outer barrel body on the positioner; then the barrel cover is grabbed back and moved to a predetermined distance above the outer barrel body on the positioner, the air charging device is turned to charge the protective gas into the outer barrel body, the mechanical gripper closes the barrel cover, and the positioner cooperates with the welding robot to complete the automatic sealing and welding of the outer barrel and the barrel cover. The present application significantly reduces the labor intensity, greatly improves the work efficiency, and ensures the stable welding quality.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a full-automatic stacking and sealing welding system, in particular to a full-automatic, conveying, stacking and welding multifunctional combined system, and relates to a corresponding method, and belongs to the technical field of welding equipment. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the continuous development of science and technology, it has become a mature technology to complete automatic laser welding by means of welding robots (see 202211527742.0, an automatic welding device, automatic welding equipment and automatic welding method, and 202211649752.1, an orthodontic bracket automatic laser welding device and full-automatic laser welding method), but when it is applied to the welding of the outer barrel body and the barrel cover of a double-layer sealing barrel, since there is no supporting facility to automatically complete a series of actions such as conveying, opening the outer barrel cover, nesting the inner barrel and filling protective gas, manual assistance is still needed to complete the welding, which is not only low in efficiency but also unstable in quality. Moreover, since the barrel body is heavy, a large amount of manpower is needed to participate in the handling and other operations, which is labor-intensive. SUMMARY

[0003] The present application aims at the problems existing in the prior art and provides a full-automatic stacking and sealing welding system matched with a welding robot, so as to significantly reduce the labor intensity, improve the work efficiency and ensure the stable welding quality.

[0004] In order to achieve the above purpose, the basic technical scheme of the automatic sealing and welding system of the present application is as follows:

[0005] The welding robot is characterized in that it further comprises a three-axis gantry on which a three-dimensional displacement mechanical gripper is installed, a positioner located in the middle of the three-axis gantry and adjacent to the welding robot, a conveying line for conveying the inner barrel to the positioner, and a gas filling device and a material storage table located on both sides of the positioner, respectively.

[0006] The upright column of the three-axis gantry supports two parallel cross beams, each of which supports a cross rail on which a cross rack is installed. A longitudinal beam is installed between the two cross rails and forms a moving pair with the cross rails. The longitudinal beam supports a cross gear driven by a cross driving device at both ends and engaged with the corresponding cross rack. A longitudinal rail with a longitudinal rack is installed on the longitudinal beam, and a lifting support seat forming a moving pair with the longitudinal rail is installed. The lifting support seat is provided with a longitudinal gear driven by a longitudinal driving device and engaged with the longitudinal rack, and a lifting column driven by a vertical driving device forming a vertical moving pair. The lower end of the lifting column is provided with a mechanical gripper.

[0007] The short beam of the mechanical gripper is equipped with a slider guide rail and a horizontal lead screw driven by a motor with a bidirectional helix; both ends of the lead screw are respectively equipped with inner hook claws that form a helical pair with it. The upper end of the inner hook claw forms a horizontal moving pair with the slider guide rail, and the lower end has a hook claw adapted to the barrel to be gripped.

[0008] The positioner includes a power-driven turntable supported on a base and radially movable grippers spaced around the turntable.

[0009] The inflation device includes a servo motor-driven indexable cantilever support supported on a column. An air pipe mounted on the cantilever support has an air inlet at the upper end of the column and a downward-facing inflation nozzle at the outer end of the cantilever support.

[0010] A further improvement to the present invention is that the storage platform includes a storage bucket platform and a storage lid platform that are respectively adjacent to and far away from the welding robot.

[0011] A further improvement to the present invention is that the upper surface of the crossbeam is equipped with a transverse guide rail with an I-shaped cross section and a transverse rack parallel to it, and the lower surface of the carrier plate fixed to the longitudinal beam has a slider that matches the cross section of the transverse guide rail, thereby forming a sliding pair.

[0012] A further improvement of the present invention is that the upper surface of the carrier plate supports a planetary reducer driven by a servo motor, and the output end of the planetary reducer meshes with a transverse gear and a transverse rack through a transverse gear.

[0013] A further improvement to the present invention is that each guide rail is equipped with a hard limit switch at its end, and a fall arrestor is installed above the mechanical gripper.

[0014] A further improvement of the present invention is that the column of the inflation device is composed of an upper column inserted into a lower column, and the upper column and the lower column are connected by an adjusting bolt.

[0015] A further improvement to the present invention is that the upper end of the upper column supports a rotating platform connected to a servo motor via a planetary reducer, and the rotating platform is fixedly connected to the cantilever support.

[0016] The fully automated palletizing and sealing method using the system of this invention has the following steps:

[0017] Step 1: Prepare for sealing and welding - The outer barrel is conveyed to its predetermined position via a conveyor line, and then the mechanical gripper of the three-axis truss picks it up and places it on the storage platform. Then the inner barrel is conveyed to its predetermined position via the conveyor line.

[0018] Step 2: Loading and stacking materials

[0019] The first step is for the mechanical gripper of the three-axis truss to pick up the outer barrel from the storage platform and place it on the positioner, and then the positioner clamps the outer wall of the barrel.

[0020] The second step involves the mechanical gripper of the three-axis truss opening and separating the bucket lid, placing it on the lid storage platform.

[0021] The third step involves the mechanical gripper of the three-axis truss grabbing the inner barrel on the conveyor line and placing it into the outer barrel at the positioner.

[0022] Step 4: The mechanical gripper of the three-axis truss grabs the bucket lid of the temporary storage lid platform and moves it to a predetermined distance above the outer bucket body on the positioner.

[0023] Step 5: Rotate the inflation device to a predetermined angle, rotate the inflation nozzle to the space between the outer barrel and its lid, and inflate with protective gas;

[0024] Step 6: After the protective gas reaches the predetermined amount, the inflation device rotates to make the inflation nozzle rotate away, and the mechanical gripper of the three-axis truss closes the barrel lid.

[0025] Step 3: Automated Welding – The positioner and welding robot work together to automatically seal the lid and outer barrel.

[0026] Step 4, Unloading and Stacking – The mechanical gripper of the three-axis truss removes the welded barrel from the positioner and places it on the conveyor line for output.

[0027] By following this cyclical operation, fully automated stacking and sealing welding can be carried out continuously, significantly reducing labor intensity, greatly improving work efficiency, and ensuring stable welding quality. Attached Figure Description

[0028] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Top view.

[0031] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the three-axis truss in the embodiment.

[0032] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the three-axis truss transmission structure in the embodiment.

[0033] Figure 5 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the positioner structure in the embodiment.

[0034] Figure 6 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the mechanical gripper structure in the embodiment.

[0035] Figure 7 of Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the FF cross-sectional structure.

[0036] Figure 8 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the inflation device in the embodiment. Detailed Implementation Example

[0037] The basic structure of the automatic sealing system in this embodiment is as follows: Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the main components include FANUC's M-10ID / 10L welding robot, a three-axis truss 2 with a three-dimensional displacement mechanical gripper, a positioner 4 located in the middle of the three-axis truss and adjacent to the welding robot, a conveyor line 1 that transports the inner barrel to the positioner 4, an inflation device 3 located on both sides of the positioner, and storage platforms 8 and 11, where 8 is mainly used for storing barrels and 11 is mainly used for temporarily storing barrel lids.

[0038] The specific structure of the three-axis truss 2 is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, four columns 21 support transverse guide rails 23, each equipped with a transverse rack 25, via two parallel crossbeams 22. Between the two transverse guide rails 23, a longitudinal beam 27, forming a sliding pair with the transverse guide rails, is installed. At both ends of the longitudinal beam 27, transverse gears driven by transverse drive devices 26 meshing with the corresponding transverse racks 25 are supported. A longitudinal guide rail 23' with a longitudinal rack 25' is mounted on the longitudinal beam 27, and a lifting support seat 29, forming a sliding pair with the longitudinal guide rail 27, is also mounted. The lifting support seat 29 is equipped with a longitudinal gear driven by a longitudinal drive device 28 meshing with the longitudinal rack 25', and a lifting column driven by a vertical drive device 210, forming a vertical sliding pair with it. A mechanical gripper 5 is installed at the lower end of the lifting column.

[0039] More specifically, such as Figure 4 As shown, the upper surface of the crossbeam 22 is equipped with an I-shaped cross-section transverse guide rail 23 and a parallel transverse rack 25. The lower surface of the carrier plate 215, which is fixed to the longitudinal beam 27, has a slider that matches the cross-section of the transverse guide rail 23, thus forming a sliding pair. The upper surface of the carrier plate 215 supports a planetary reducer 213 driven by a servo motor, and its output end meshes with the transverse rack 25 through a transverse gear 212. The driving structures of the sliding pairs in the other two directions can be deduced similarly. Therefore, the mechanical gripper 5 can be controlled to move to any position within the range of the three-axis truss 2. In addition, each guide rail is equipped with a hard limit 24 to ensure safety, and a fall arrestor 211 is installed above the mechanical gripper 5.

[0040] The specific structure of the positioner 4 is as follows Figure 5As shown, it includes a power-driven turntable 42 supported on a base 41 and three radially movable grippers 43 evenly distributed around the turntable. Therefore, the grippers can be controlled to hold and position the outer barrel 9 so as to perform automatic opening and closing operations.

[0041] The specific structure of the mechanical gripper 5 is as follows: Figure 6 , Figure 7 As shown, its short beam 53 is equipped with a slider guide rail 59 and a horizontal lead screw 52 with a bidirectional helix. Both ends of the lead screw 52 are equipped with inner hook claws 51 that form a helical pair with it. The upper end of the inner hook claw 51 forms a horizontal moving pair with the slider guide rail, and the lower end has a hook claw adapted to the bucket to be gripped. A servo motor 58, located at one end of the short beam 53, is connected to one end of the lead screw 52 via a belt drive consisting of a reducer 57, a synchronous pulley 54, and a synchronous belt 55. Therefore, relying on the three-axis truss 2, the mechanical gripper 5 can not only grip the outer or inner bucket and transfer it to a suitable position, but also realize the opening and closing action of the bucket lid required for sealing welding, thus creating favorable conditions for automatic sealing welding.

[0042] The specific structure of the inflation device 3 is shown in Figure 8. The upper column 33 is inserted into the lower column 31, and the two are connected by an adjusting bolt 32, so the support height can be adjusted as needed. The upper end of the upper column 33 supports a rotating platform 36 connected to the servo motor 34 via a planetary reducer 35. The rotating platform 36 is fixedly connected to the cantilever support 38, and an air pipe 39 is installed on the cantilever support 38. The air inlet 391 of the air pipe 39 is located at the upper end of the column, and the downward-facing inflation nozzle 392 is located at the outer end of the cantilever support. Therefore, controlling the servo motor 34 can drive the cantilever support to rotate as needed, thereby allowing the inflation nozzle to reach the required position.

[0043] When preparing for sealing and welding, the outer barrel 9 is conveyed to the predetermined position via the conveyor line 1, and then the mechanical gripper 5 of the three-axis truss 2 picks up the outer barrel in sequence and places it on the storage platform 8. After the upper control system receives the information that the storage platform is full, the conveyor line 1 starts to convey the inner barrel 12 to the predetermined position.

[0044] Next, the material loading and stacking process begins. The mechanical gripper 5 of the three-axis truss 2 picks up the outer barrel 9 from the storage platform 8 and transfers it to the positioner 4. The gripper 43 on the positioner 4 clamps the outer wall of the barrel. The mechanical gripper 5 of the three-axis truss 2 then opens and separates the barrel lid 10, placing it on 11. After that, the mechanical gripper 5 of the three-axis truss 2 picks up the inner barrel 12 from the conveyor line 1 and places it inside the outer barrel 9 at the positioner 4. After placement, it picks up the barrel lid 10 temporarily stored at 11 and moves it to a predetermined distance above the outer barrel 9 on the positioner 4. The inflation device 3 rotates to a predetermined angle, rotating the inflation nozzle between the outer barrel 9 and its lid to inflate protective gas. Once the inflated protective gas reaches the predetermined amount, the inflation device 3 rotates to open the inflation nozzle, and the mechanical gripper 5 of the three-axis truss 2 closes the barrel lid 10, thus completing the material loading and stacking process.

[0045] After that, automatic welding is carried out. The positioner 4 and the welding robot 7 on the base 6 first scan with a line laser tracker to confirm the welding trajectory. After the positioner 4 is reset, it works with the welding robot 7 to complete the welding work.

[0046] Finally, the material unloading and stacking work begins. The mechanical gripper 5 of the three-axis truss removes the welded barrel from the positioner 4 and places it on the conveyor line 1. The conveyor line 1 outputs the welded barrel and inputs the new inner barrel 12 back into the predetermined position, waiting to be gripped.

[0047] The above four steps are repeated in sequence until there are no more outer barrels 9 on the storage platform 8. Then, outer barrels 9 are replenished and the next round of operation is carried out.

[0048] As can be seen, this embodiment organically combines various parts through reasonable equipment configuration and layout. The conveyor line can complete the conveying, loading and unloading of the barrel; the three-axis truss mechanical gripper completes the opening of the outer barrel and the stacking of the inner and outer barrels; the positioner realizes the self-centering of the barrel and effective and reliable clamping; the inflation device with rotation function ensures that the inflation of the inflation nozzle avoids the closing operation; finally, the double-layer sealed barrel outer barrel and barrel lid are sealed and welded, which has significant advantages such as high stacking accuracy, good self-centering concentricity, saving manpower and improving work efficiency, and effectively ensuring the sealing and welding quality.

[0049] In addition to the embodiments described above, the present invention may have other implementations. All technical solutions formed by equivalent substitution or equivalent transformation fall within the protection scope claimed by the present invention.

Claims

1. A fully automated palletizing and sealing method for a fully automated palletizing and sealing system, the system comprising a welding robot, characterized in that: It also includes a three-axis truss (2) for installing a three-dimensional displacement mechanical gripper, a positioner (4) located in the middle of the three-axis truss and adjacent to the welding robot, a conveyor line (1) for conveying the inner barrel to the positioner (4), an inflation device (3) and a storage platform (8, 11) located on both sides of the positioner respectively. The column (21) of the three-axis truss is supported by two parallel crossbeams (22) on the transverse guide rails (23) equipped with transverse racks respectively; between the two transverse guide rails is a longitudinal beam (27) that forms a sliding pair with the transverse guide rails, and the two ends of the longitudinal beam support the transverse gears driven by the transverse drive device (26) that meshes with the corresponding transverse rack respectively; the longitudinal beam is equipped with a longitudinal guide rail with a longitudinal rack, and a lifting support seat (29) that forms a sliding pair with the longitudinal guide rail; the lifting support seat is equipped with a longitudinal gear driven by the longitudinal drive device that meshes with the longitudinal rack, and a lifting column driven by the vertical drive device that forms a vertical sliding pair with it, and a mechanical gripper is installed at the lower end of the lifting column. The short beam (53) of the mechanical gripper is equipped with a slider guide rail (59) and a motor-driven horizontal lead screw (52) with a bidirectional spiral. Both ends of the lead screw are respectively equipped with inner hook claws (51) that form a spiral pair with it. The upper end of the inner hook claw forms a horizontal moving pair with the slider guide rail, and the lower end has a hook claw adapted to the barrel to be gripped. The positioner includes a power-driven turntable (42) supported on a base (41) and radially movable grippers (43) spaced around the turntable. The inflation device includes a rotatable cantilever support (38) driven by a servo motor (34) supported on a column (31, 33). An air pipe (39) mounted on the cantilever support has an air inlet (391) at the upper end of the column and a downward inflation nozzle (392) at the outer end of the cantilever support. The column of the inflation device is formed by an upper column inserted into a lower column, and the upper column and the lower column are connected by an adjustment bolt; The upper end of the upper column supports a rotating platform connected to a servo motor via a planetary reducer, and the rotating platform is fixedly connected to the cantilever support. The method includes the following steps: Step 1: Prepare for sealing and welding - The outer barrel is conveyed to its predetermined position via a conveyor line, and then the mechanical gripper of the three-axis truss picks it up and places it on the storage platform. Then the inner barrel is conveyed to its predetermined position via the conveyor line. Step 2: Loading and stacking materials The first step is for the mechanical gripper of the three-axis truss to pick up the outer barrel from the storage platform and place it on the positioner, and then the positioner clamps the outer wall of the barrel. The second step involves the mechanical gripper of the three-axis truss opening and separating the bucket lid, placing it on the lid storage platform. The third step involves the mechanical gripper of the three-axis truss grabbing the inner barrel on the conveyor line and placing it into the outer barrel at the positioner. Step 4: The mechanical gripper of the three-axis truss grabs the bucket lid of the temporary storage lid platform and moves it to a predetermined distance above the outer bucket body on the positioner. Step 5: Rotate the inflation device to a predetermined angle, rotate the inflation nozzle to the space between the outer barrel and its lid, and inflate with protective gas; Step 6: After the protective gas reaches the predetermined amount, the inflation device rotates to make the inflation nozzle rotate away, and the mechanical gripper of the three-axis truss closes the barrel lid. Step 3: Automated Welding – The positioner and welding robot work together to automatically seal the lid and outer barrel. Step 4, Unloading and Stacking – The mechanical gripper of the three-axis truss removes the welded barrel from the positioner and places it on the conveyor line for output.

2. The fully automated palletizing and sealing method of the fully automated palletizing and sealing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The storage platform includes a barrel storage platform and a lid storage platform that are relatively close to and far from the welding robot, respectively.

3. The fully automated palletizing and sealing method of the fully automated palletizing and sealing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper surface of the crossbeam is equipped with a transverse guide rail with an I-shaped cross section and a transverse rack parallel to it. The lower surface of the carrier plate fixed to the longitudinal beam has a slider that matches the cross section of the transverse guide rail, thus forming a sliding pair.

4. The fully automated palletizing and sealing method of the fully automated palletizing and sealing system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The upper surface of the carrier plate supports a planetary reducer driven by a servo motor, and the output end of the planetary reducer meshes with a transverse gear and a transverse rack through a transverse gear.

5. The fully automated palletizing and sealing method of the fully automated palletizing and sealing system according to claim 4, characterized in that: Each guide rail is equipped with a hard limit switch at its end, and a fall arrestor is installed above the mechanical gripper.

6. The fully automated palletizing and sealing method of the fully automated palletizing and sealing system according to claim 5, characterized in that: In step three, the line laser tracker first scans to confirm the welding trajectory, and then the positioner resets and works with the welding robot to automatically seal the lid and outer barrel.

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