Methods, devices, equipment and storage media for cleaning work boxes

Abstract

This application relates to the field of 3D printing technology, and discloses a method, apparatus, device, and storage medium for clearing material from a workbox. The method includes: obtaining the material quantity of the workbox in a first chamber; determining whether the workbox needs to be replaced based on the material quantity; when the workbox in the first chamber needs to be replaced, driving a transport device based on preset transport rules to transport the workbox in the first chamber to a first workstation and to transport a workbox that has been cleared from a second workstation to the first chamber, or to transport the workbox in the first chamber to a second workstation and to transport a workbox that has been cleared from the first workstation to the first chamber. Embodiments of this application can reduce clearing waiting time and improve the printing efficiency of 3D printing equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of three-dimensional molding technology, and in particular to a method, apparatus, equipment and storage medium for cleaning a work box. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, 3D printing equipment generally suffers from low printing efficiency, high time costs, and inability to meet production needs. The main reason is that 3D printing equipment has a similar structural composition, consisting of a single workpiece, a material placer, a print head, and other functional modules. Furthermore, the working sequence and time required for each module are basically fixed. To improve the printing efficiency of single-workpiece 3D printing equipment, the only solutions are often to increase the size or speed. However, due to limited room for adjustment in equipment size and speed, the results of using these methods to improve printing efficiency are not ideal. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide a method, apparatus, device and storage medium for cleaning the workbox, which aims to reduce the cleaning waiting time and improve the printing efficiency of 3D printing equipment.

[0004] This application provides a method for cleaning a work box, including:

[0005] Obtain the material quantity of the working box in the first chamber;

[0006] Determine whether the working box needs to be replaced based on the amount of material in the working box of the first chamber;

[0007] When the work box in the first chamber needs to be replaced, the transport device is driven based on the preset transport rules to transport the work box in the first chamber to the first station and to transport the cleaned work box in the second station to the first chamber, or to transport the work box in the first chamber to the second station and to transport the cleaned work box in the first station to the first chamber; a cleaning device is provided below the first station, and a third station is provided on the inlet and outlet side of the first chamber, and the third station is connected to the first station and the second station respectively.

[0008] Furthermore, the step of determining whether the working box needs to be replaced based on the amount of material in the working box of the first chamber includes:

[0009] Determine whether the number of times the material is laid in the first chamber has reached the preset material laying threshold number;

[0010] If the material laying threshold number of times is not reached, determine whether the material weight in the working box of the first chamber has reached the preset material threshold weight.

[0011] If the material threshold weight is not reached, determine whether the material height of the working box in the first chamber has reached the preset material threshold height.

[0012] If the material laying threshold number of times, the material threshold weight, and / or the material threshold height are reached, output a judgment result indicating that the working box of the first chamber needs to be replaced;

[0013] Conversely, the output indicates that the working chamber of the first chamber does not need to be replaced.

[0014] Furthermore, the transportation device driven by preset transportation rules includes:

[0015] Check whether the first station and / or the second station are equipped with a work box, and obtain the first test result;

[0016] Based on the first test result, when a work box is provided at the first work station, a first control command is output to transport the work box of the first chamber to the second work station and to transport the work box of the first work station to the first chamber. When a work box is provided at the second work station, a first control command is output to transport the work box of the first chamber to the first work station and to transport the work box of the second work station to the first chamber.

[0017] The transportation device is driven to perform the corresponding transportation actions according to the first control command.

[0018] Furthermore, the method for cleaning the work box also includes:

[0019] When there is no need to replace the work box in the first chamber, the work box that has not been cleaned is transported to the first station, and the work box that has been cleaned in the first station is transported to the second station or kept in the first station.

[0020] Furthermore, the method for cleaning the work box also includes:

[0021] Obtain the material quantity of the working box in the second chamber;

[0022] Determine whether the working box needs to be replaced based on the amount of material in the working box of the second chamber;

[0023] When it is necessary to replace the work box in the second chamber, the conveying device is driven according to the preset priority to transport the work box in the second chamber to the first station before or after the first chamber, and to transport the work box that has been cleared from the fifth station to the second chamber, or to transport the work box in the second chamber to the fifth station and to transport the work box that has been cleared from the first station to the second chamber; a fourth station is provided on the inlet and outlet side of the second chamber, and the fourth station is connected to the first station and the fifth station respectively.

[0024] Furthermore, the method of driving the transportation device according to a preset priority includes:

[0025] The second detection result is obtained by detecting whether the material quantity in the working box of the first chamber reaches the preset material threshold content.

[0026] Based on the second detection result, when the material threshold content is reached, a second control command is output to replace the working box of the first chamber first and then the working box of the second chamber. When the material threshold content is not reached, a second control command is output to replace the working box of the second chamber.

[0027] The transportation device is driven to perform the corresponding transportation actions according to the second control command.

[0028] Furthermore, the first chamber and the second chamber are respectively located in two 3D printing devices.

[0029] This application embodiment also provides a working box cleaning device, including:

[0030] The first module is used to obtain the amount of material in the working box of the first chamber;

[0031] The second module is used to determine whether the working box needs to be replaced based on the amount of material in the working box of the first chamber;

[0032] The third module is used to drive the transport device based on preset transport rules when the work box in the first chamber needs to be replaced, so as to transport the work box in the first chamber to the first station and transport the work box that has been cleaned on the second station to the first chamber, or transport the work box in the first chamber to the second station and transport the work box that has been cleaned on the first station to the first chamber; a cleaning device is provided below the first station, and a third station is provided on the inlet and outlet side of the first chamber, and the third station is connected to the first station and the second station respectively.

[0033] This application also provides an electronic device, which includes a memory and a processor. The memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program to implement the above-described workbox cleaning method.

[0034] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the above-described workbox clearing method.

[0035] The beneficial effects of this application are as follows: When the work box in the first chamber needs to be replaced, control commands are output based on preset transportation rules to transport the work box in the first chamber to the first station for direct cleaning or to the second station for cleaning via a transportation device, and to transport the cleaned work box at the first or second station to the first chamber via a transportation device, thereby automating the detection, transportation and cleaning process. The cleaning process does not require manual operation, reducing the cleaning waiting time and improving the printing efficiency of the 3D printing equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the workbox cleaning method provided in the first embodiment of this application.

[0037] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The flowchart for step S102.

[0038] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The flowchart for step S103.

[0039] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the workbox cleaning method provided in the second embodiment of this application.

[0040] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of the workbox cleaning method provided in the third embodiment of this application.

[0041] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 The flowchart for step S502 in the process.

[0042] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the work box cleaning device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0043] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the electronic device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0044] Figure 9 yes Figure 1 A schematic plan view showing the positional relationship between the first chamber, the first workstation, the second workstation, and the third workstation in the embodiment.

[0045] Figure 10 yes Figure 5 A schematic plan view showing the positional relationship of the first chamber, the second chamber, the first workstation, the second workstation, the third workstation, the fourth workstation, and the fifth workstation in the embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0046] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0047] It should be noted that although functional modules are divided in the device schematic diagram and a logical order is shown in the flowchart, in some cases, the steps shown or described may be performed in a different order than the module division in the device or the order in the flowchart. The terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and the aforementioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0048] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments of this application only and is not intended to limit this application.

[0049] 3D printing (3DP), also known as additive manufacturing, is a rapid prototyping technology. It's a technique that uses digital model files as a basis and employs powdered metals or non-metals and other bondable materials to construct objects layer by layer. 3D printing typically uses digital material printers. The working principle of a 3D printer is basically the same as that of a regular printer, except for the printing materials. Regular printers use ink and paper, while 3D printers contain various "printing materials" such as metals, ceramics, plastics, and sand. After connecting to a computer, the printer is controlled to layer these materials, ultimately turning the blueprint on the computer into a physical object. In simple terms, a 3D printer is a device that can "print" real 3D objects, such as robots, toy cars, various models, and even food. It's commonly called a "printer" because the layer-by-layer process is very similar to inkjet printing; this printing technology is called 3D stereolithography.

[0050] In related technologies, the working principle of 3D printing equipment is as follows: First, a layup device lays a layer of premixed printing material containing curing agent on the work chamber. Then, the print head sprays binder onto the selected printing material. As the binder and printing material solidify layer by layer, the three-dimensional product gradually takes shape. Finally, the printed product is removed, and the remaining printing material is cleaned up. During this process, the underutilized material needs to be cleaned up and recycled. Traditionally, the method of cleaning printing material mainly relies on manual labor. However, this method of cleaning printing material is relatively inefficient, and the printing material flies everywhere during the cleaning process, which can easily cause environmental pollution. Long-term work in this environment can also have adverse effects on the health of workers.

[0051] Based on this, embodiments of this application provide a workbox cleaning method, apparatus, electronic device, and storage medium, aiming to reduce cleaning waiting time and improve the printing efficiency of 3D printing equipment.

[0052] The workbox cleaning method, apparatus, electronic device, and storage medium provided in this application are specifically described through the following embodiments. First, the workbox cleaning method in this application is described.

[0053] The workbox clearing method provided in this application relates to the field of 3D molding technology. This workbox clearing method can be applied to a terminal, a server, or software running on either a terminal or a server. In some embodiments, the terminal can be a smartphone, tablet, laptop, desktop computer, etc.; the server can be configured as an independent physical server, a server cluster or distributed system composed of multiple physical servers, or a cloud server providing basic cloud computing services such as cloud services, cloud databases, cloud computing, cloud functions, cloud storage, network services, cloud communication, middleware services, domain name services, security services, CDN, and big data and artificial intelligence platforms; the software can be an application implementing anti-fracture 3D printing methods, but is not limited to the above forms.

[0054] This application can be used in a wide variety of general-purpose or special-purpose computer system environments or configurations. Examples include: personal computers, server computers, handheld or portable devices, tablet devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set-top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and distributed computing environments including any of the above systems or devices. This application can be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions executed by a computer, such as program modules. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. This application can also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices connected via a communication network. In distributed computing environments, program modules can reside in local and remote computer storage media, including storage devices.

[0055] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the workbox cleaning method according to the first embodiment of this application. Figure 1 The method may include, but is not limited to, steps S101 to S103.

[0056] Step S101: Obtain the material quantity of the working box in the first chamber.

[0057] Step S102: Determine whether the working box needs to be replaced based on the amount of material in the working box of the first chamber.

[0058] Step S103: Drive the transport device based on the preset transport rules to transport the work box in the first chamber to the first station and transport the cleaned work box in the second station to the first chamber, or transport the work box in the first chamber to the second station and transport the cleaned work box in the first station to the first chamber.

[0059] The first station is equipped with a cleaning device below it, and the third station is located on the inlet and outlet side of the first chamber. The third station is connected to the first station and the second station respectively.

[0060] In step S101, the material quantity in the first chamber's workbox is determined by acquiring sensor information collected by sensors or recording the number of prints since the last workbox replacement from the 3D printing equipment's controller. The sensors, located in the first chamber, are used to detect the material quantity and may include a laser sensor for detecting material height and a pressure sensor for detecting material weight.

[0061] Understandably, 3D printing equipment is equipped with a first chamber for the 3D printing process, which includes material placement and printing. In the 3D printing method, the material placement mechanism moves at a constant speed and places the material at the same feeding rate. After the material placement is completed, the material placement mechanism moves back to the initial position, and the printing mechanism moves to spray the binder. After the current layer is printed, it moves back to the initial position, and the forming chamber worktable moves down to a certain layer thickness to start manufacturing the next layer. Excess material from the material placement and printing processes falls into the work box in the first chamber for storage.

[0062] In step S102, a preset material threshold content is set. When the amount of material obtained reaches the preset material threshold content, it is determined that the work box needs to be replaced and step S103 is executed. Conversely, when the amount of material obtained does not reach the preset material threshold content, it is determined that the work box does not need to be replaced and the process returns to step S101.

[0063] In step S103, control commands are output to the 3D printing equipment and its external transport device to cause the 3D printing equipment to send its workpiece from the first chamber to the transport device, and to cause the transport device to transport the workpiece from the first chamber to a cleaning or waiting-to-clean location, and to send the cleaned workpiece back into the first chamber. Specifically, as shown... Figure 9 As shown, the exterior of the first chamber has three workstations: the first workstation, the second workstation, and the third workstation. A cleaning device is installed below the first workstation. The third workstation connects to the inlet and outlet of the first, second, and first chambers, respectively. The first workstation serves as the cleaning workstation, the second workstation as the waiting workstation, and the third workstation as the common transport workstation. Cleaned work boxes can be placed at either the first or second workstation. When a cleaned work box is placed at the first workstation, the transport device receives the work box from the first chamber and transports it to the second workstation via the third workstation, and also transports work boxes from the first workstation to the first chamber. When a cleaned work box is placed at the second workstation, the transport device receives the work box from the first chamber and transports it to the first workstation via the third workstation for cleaning, and also transports work boxes from the second workstation to the first chamber.

[0064] In the embodiments of this application, steps S101 to S103 involve outputting control commands based on preset transportation rules when the work box in the first chamber needs to be replaced. This allows the work box in the first chamber to be transported to the first station for direct cleaning or to the second station for cleaning via a transportation device. Additionally, the work box that has been cleaned at the first or second station can be transported to the first chamber via a transportation device. This achieves automated completion of the detection, transportation, and cleaning process. The cleaning process requires no manual operation, reduces cleaning waiting time, and improves the printing efficiency of the 3D printing equipment.

[0065] Please see Figure 2 In some embodiments, step S102 may include, but is not limited to, steps S201 to S205.

[0066] Step S201: Determine whether the number of times the material is laid in the first chamber has reached the preset material laying threshold. If not, proceed to step S202; if so, proceed to step S204.

[0067] Step S202: Determine whether the weight of the material in the working box of the first chamber reaches the preset material threshold weight. If it does not reach the threshold, proceed to step S203; if it does reach the threshold, proceed to step S204.

[0068] Step S203: Determine whether the material height in the working box of the first chamber has reached the preset material threshold height. If not, proceed to step S205; if so, proceed to step S204.

[0069] Step S204: Output the judgment result that the working box of the first chamber needs to be replaced.

[0070] Step S205: Output the judgment result that the working box of the first chamber does not need to be replaced.

[0071] In step S201, the number of material placements after the last work chamber replacement recorded by the controller of the 3D printing equipment is used for judgment. For example, each printed layer can be recorded as one material placement. The number of material placements increases as the number of printed layers increases. The number of material placements after the last work chamber replacement is compared with the preset material placement threshold in real time. When the number of material placements is greater than or equal to the preset material placement threshold, it is determined that the work chamber of the first chamber needs to be replaced, and step S204 is executed. When the number of material placements is less than the preset material placement threshold, it is determined that the work chamber of the first chamber does not need to be replaced, and step S202 is executed.

[0072] In step S202, the weight of the material inside the working chamber is collected by a pressure sensor for judgment. The pressure sensor is located at the bottom of the working chamber or at the position in the first chamber where the working chamber is placed. The pressure sensor collects the weight of the material inside the working chamber and converts it into corresponding sensing information. The sensing information of the pressure sensor is used to determine the real-time weight of the material inside the working chamber. The material weight is compared with a preset material threshold weight in real time. When the material weight is greater than or equal to the preset material threshold weight, it is determined that the working chamber in the first chamber needs to be replaced, and step S204 is executed. When the material weight is less than the preset material threshold weight, it is determined that the working chamber in the first chamber does not need to be replaced, and step S203 is executed.

[0073] In step S203, the weight of the material inside the working chamber is collected by a laser sensor for judgment. The laser sensor is located near the top of the working chamber. The laser sensor collects the height of the material inside the working chamber and converts it into corresponding sensing information. The sensing information of the laser sensor is used to determine the real-time material height inside the working chamber. The material height is compared with a preset material threshold height in real time. When the material height is greater than or equal to the preset material threshold height, it is determined that the working chamber of the first chamber needs to be replaced, and step S204 is executed. When the material height is less than the preset material threshold height, it is determined that the working chamber of the first chamber does not need to be replaced, and step S205 is executed.

[0074] Please see Figure 3 In some embodiments, step S103 may include, but is not limited to, steps S301 to S303.

[0075] Step S301: Detect whether the first station and / or the second station are equipped with a work box, and obtain the first detection result.

[0076] Step S302: Based on the first detection result, when a work box is provided at the first workstation, output a first control command to transport the work box of the first chamber to the second workstation and to transport the work box of the first workstation to the first chamber; when a work box is provided at the second workstation, output a first control command to transport the work box of the first chamber to the first workstation and to transport the work box of the second workstation to the first chamber.

[0077] Step S303: Drive the transport device to perform the corresponding transport action according to the first control command.

[0078] In step S301, the sensing information from the pressure sensors installed at the first and second workstations is acquired. Based on this acquired information, it is determined whether a workbox is present at the first and second workstations, which serves as the first detection result. Specifically, the sensing information from the pressure sensors installed at the first and second workstations is acquired, converted into corresponding force parameters, and the value of these force parameters is used to determine whether a workbox is present at the first and second workstations. If a workbox is present at the first workstation, the first detection result indicating that a workbox is present at the first workstation is output; if a workbox is present at the second workstation, the first detection result indicating that a workbox is present at the second workstation is output.

[0079] In step S302, a first control command is output based on the transportation rules, so that the transportation device, upon receiving the first control command, transports the work boxes that have been removed from the first chamber to either the first station or the second station where no work boxes are installed, and transports the work boxes to the first chamber after they have been cleaned. Specifically, when a first detection result is obtained that a work box is installed at the first station, the first control command is output, so that the transportation device, upon receiving the first control command, transports the work boxes from the first chamber to the second station and transports the cleaned work boxes at the first station to the first chamber. When a first detection result is obtained that a work box is installed at the second station, the first control command is output, so that the transportation device, upon receiving the first control command, transports the work boxes from the first chamber to the first station and transports the cleaned work boxes at the second station to the first chamber.

[0080] In step S303, a first control command is output to the transport device so that the transport device receives the first control command and transports the work box of the first chamber to the first station for direct cleaning or to the second station for cleaning, and transports the cleaned work box at the first station or the second station to the first chamber via the transport device.

[0081] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the workbox cleaning method according to the second embodiment of this application. Figure 1 Based on the implementation examples, Figure 4 The method may include, but is not limited to, step S401.

[0082] In step S401, if there is no need to replace the work box in the first chamber, the work box that has not been cleaned is transported to the first station, and the work box that has been cleaned in the first station is transported to the second station or kept in the first station.

[0083] In step S401, a control command is output to the transport device to transport the workbox that was previously removed from the first chamber to the first station for cleaning. After cleaning, the device waits to receive a control command to replace the workbox in the first chamber. Specifically, before determining that a workbox needs to be replaced, the workbox in the first chamber does not need to be replaced. The uncleaned workbox can be placed at either the first or second station. When the uncleaned workbox is placed at the first station, a control command is directly output to start the cleaning device for cleaning. After cleaning, the workbox can be kept at the first station or transported to the second station. When the uncleaned workbox is placed at the second station, a control command is output to drive the transport device to transport the uncleaned workbox to the first station, and then a control command is output to start the cleaning device for cleaning. After cleaning, the workbox can be kept at the first station or transported to the second station.

[0084] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of the workbox cleaning method according to the third embodiment of this application. Figure 1 Based on the implementation examples, Figure 5 The method may include, but is not limited to, steps S501 to S503.

[0085] Step S501: Obtain the material quantity of the working box in the second chamber.

[0086] Step S502: Determine whether the working box needs to be replaced based on the amount of material in the working box of the second chamber.

[0087] Step S503: Drive the transport device according to the preset priority to transport the work box of the second chamber to the first station before or after the first chamber and transport the work box that has been cleared at the fifth station to the first chamber, or transport the work box of the second chamber to the fifth station and transport the work box that has been cleared at the first station to the second chamber.

[0088] The second chamber has a fourth workstation on its inlet and outlet sides, which is connected to the first and fifth workstations respectively.

[0089] In step S501, the material quantity in the workbox of the second chamber is determined by acquiring sensor information collected by the sensor or recording the number of prints since the last workbox replacement from the controller of the 3D printing equipment. The sensor, located in the second chamber, is used to detect the material quantity and may include a laser sensor for detecting material height and a pressure sensor for detecting material weight.

[0090] It is understandable that the first chamber and the second chamber are independent of each other and each completes a different 3D printing task. The first chamber and the second chamber share a set of transport devices.

[0091] In step S502, a preset material threshold content is set. When the amount of material obtained reaches the preset material threshold content, it is determined that the work box needs to be replaced and step S503 is executed. Conversely, when the amount of material obtained does not reach the preset material threshold content, it is determined that the work box does not need to be replaced and the process returns to step S501.

[0092] In step S503, when replacing the workpiece in the second chamber, control commands are output to the 3D printing equipment and its external transport device. This causes the 3D printing equipment to send its workpiece from the second chamber to the transport device, and the transport device to transport the workpiece from the second chamber to a cleaning or waiting-to-clean location, and to send the cleaned workpiece into the second chamber. Specifically, as shown... Figure 10 As shown, the work box of the second chamber is transported to the first or fifth station via the fourth station. The cleaned work box is placed at the first or fifth station. When the cleaned work box is placed at the first station, the transport device receives the work box of the second chamber and transports it to the fifth station via the fourth station. The transport device also transports the work box at the first station to the second chamber via the fourth station. When the cleaned work box is placed at the fifth station, the transport device receives the work box of the second chamber and transports it to the first station via the fourth station for cleaning. The transport device also transports the work box at the second station to the second chamber via the fourth station.

[0093] It is understandable that the preset priority can be to prioritize the first chamber and the second chamber. When the first chamber has a higher priority, the working box of the first chamber can be replaced, and when the second chamber has a higher priority, the working box of the second chamber can be replaced.

[0094] Please see Figure 6 In some embodiments, step S502 may include, but is not limited to, steps S601 to S603.

[0095] Step S601: Detect whether the amount of material in the working chamber of the first chamber reaches the preset material threshold content, and obtain the second detection result.

[0096] Step S602: Based on the second detection result, when the material threshold content is reached, output a second control command to replace the working box of the first chamber first and then the working box of the second chamber; when the material threshold content is not reached, output a second control command to replace the working box of the second chamber.

[0097] Step S603: Drive the transport device to perform the corresponding transport action according to the second control command.

[0098] In step S601, specifically, the sensing information of the sensors installed in the first chamber is acquired, and the material quantity in the working box of the first chamber is determined based on the acquired sensing information to determine whether it reaches a preset material threshold content, which is then used as the second detection result. Specifically, the sensing information of the pressure sensor installed in the first chamber is acquired, the sensing information is converted into corresponding force parameters, and the material quantity in the working box of the first chamber is determined based on the value of the force parameters. If it does, a second detection result indicating that the material threshold content has been reached is output; otherwise, a second detection result indicating that the material threshold content has not been reached is output.

[0099] In step S602, a second control command is output based on priority, so that the transport device, upon receiving the second control command, replaces the work box with a higher priority first and then replaces the work box with a lower priority. Specifically, when a second detection result indicating that the material content has reached the material threshold is obtained, the second control command is output, so that the transport device, upon receiving the second control command, replaces the work box in the first chamber first and then replaces the work box in the second chamber. When a second detection result indicating that the material content has not reached the material threshold is obtained, the second control command is output, so that the transport device, upon receiving the second control command, replaces the work box in the second chamber first and then replaces the work box in the first chamber.

[0100] In step S603, the second control command is output to the transport device so that the transport device receives the second control command and replaces the working box of the first chamber and the working box of the second chamber.

[0101] In the above embodiments, the first chamber and the second chamber are respectively located in two 3D printing devices, and the two 3D printing devices share the same set of first and second workstations.

[0102] Please see Figure 7 This application embodiment also provides a work box cleaning device, which can implement the above-mentioned work box cleaning method. The device includes:

[0103] The first module 701 is used to obtain the amount of material in the working box of the first chamber;

[0104] The second module 702 is used to determine whether the working box needs to be replaced based on the amount of material in the working box of the first chamber;

[0105] The third module 703 is used to drive a transport device based on preset transport rules when the work box in the first chamber needs to be replaced, so as to transport the work box in the first chamber to the first station and transport the work box that has been cleaned on the second station to the first chamber, or transport the work box in the first chamber to the second station and transport the work box that has been cleaned on the first station to the first chamber; a cleaning device is provided below the first station, and a third station is provided on the inlet and outlet side of the first chamber, and the third station is connected to the first station and the second station respectively.

[0106] The specific implementation method of the working box cleaning device is basically the same as the specific implementation method of the working box cleaning method described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0107] Figure 8 This is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0108] The following reference Figure 8 To describe an electronic device 800 according to such an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8 The electronic device 800 shown is merely an example and should not impose any limitation on the functionality and scope of use of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0109] like Figure 8 As shown, the electronic device 800 is presented in the form of a general-purpose computing device. The components of the electronic device 800 may include, but are not limited to: at least one processing unit 810, at least one storage unit 820, a bus 830 connecting different system components (including storage unit 820 and processing unit 810), a display unit 840, etc.

[0110] The storage unit stores program code, which can be executed by the processing unit 810, causing the processing unit 810 to perform the steps described in the above-described workbox clearing method section of this specification according to various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. For example, the processing unit 810 can perform, as follows: Figures 1 to 6 The steps are shown in the figure.

[0111] Storage unit 820 may include a readable medium in the form of a volatile storage unit, such as random access memory (RAM) 8201 and / or cache memory 8202, and may further include a read-only memory (ROM) 8203.

[0112] The storage unit 820 may also include a program / utility 8204 having a set (at least one) of program modules 8205, including but not limited to: an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data, each or some combination of these examples may include an implementation of a network environment.

[0113] Bus 830 can represent one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory cell bus or memory cell controller, a peripheral bus, a graphics acceleration port, a processing unit, or a local bus using any of the various bus structures.

[0114] Electronic device 800 can also communicate with one or more external devices 800' (e.g., keyboard, pointing device, Bluetooth device, etc.), and with one or more devices that enable a user to interact with electronic device 800, and / or with any device that enables electronic device 800 to communicate with one or more other computing devices (e.g., router, modem, etc.). This communication can be performed via input / output (I / O) interface 850. Furthermore, electronic device 800 can also communicate with one or more networks (e.g., local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), and / or public networks, such as the Internet) via network adapter 860. Network adapter 860 can communicate with other modules of electronic device 800 via bus 830. It should be understood that, although not shown in the figures, other hardware and / or software modules can be used in conjunction with electronic device 800, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data backup storage systems.

[0115] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the above-described workbox cleaning method.

[0116] The workbox cleaning method, apparatus, equipment, and storage medium provided in this application embodiment can automatically complete the detection, transportation, and cleaning process when the workbox in the first chamber needs to be replaced, based on preset transportation rules. This allows the workbox in the first chamber to be transported to the first station for direct cleaning or to the second station for cleaning via a transportation device. It can also transport the cleaned workboxes at the first or second station to the first chamber via a transportation device.

[0117] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the exemplary embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solutions according to the embodiments of this disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (such as a CD-ROM, USB flash drive, external hard drive, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to cause a computing device (such as a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described above according to the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0118] The program product may employ any combination of one or more readable media. A readable medium may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. A readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of readable storage media include: electrical connections having one or more wires, portable disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0119] Computer-readable storage media may include data signals propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, carrying readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. A readable storage medium may also be any readable medium other than a readable storage medium that can transmit, propagate, or transfer a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The program code contained on the readable storage medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, optical fiber, RF, etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0120] Program code for performing the operations of this disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java and C++, and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as C or similar languages. The program code can execute entirely on the user's computing device, partially on the user's computing device, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In cases involving remote computing devices, the remote computing devices can be connected to the user's computing device via any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or can be connected to an external computing device (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0121] Those skilled in the art will understand that the above modules can be distributed in the device as described in the embodiments, or they can be modified accordingly and placed in one or more devices that are unique to this embodiment. The modules in the above embodiments can be combined into one module, or they can be further divided into multiple sub-modules.

[0122] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the exemplary embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solutions according to the embodiments of this disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (such as a CD-ROM, USB flash drive, external hard drive, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to cause a computing device (such as a personal computer, server, mobile terminal, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods according to the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0123] Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure have been specifically shown and described above. It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the detailed structures, arrangements, or implementations described herein; rather, this disclosure is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements contained within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for cleaning a work box, characterized in that, include: Obtain the material quantity of the working box in the first chamber; Determine whether the working box needs to be replaced based on the amount of material in the working box of the first chamber; When the work box in the first chamber needs to be replaced, the transport device is driven based on the preset transport rules to transport the work box in the first chamber to the first station and to transport the cleaned work box in the second station to the first chamber, or to transport the work box in the first chamber to the second station and to transport the cleaned work box in the first station to the first chamber; a cleaning device is provided below the first station, and a third station is provided on the inlet and outlet side of the first chamber, and the third station is connected to the first station and the second station respectively; When there is no need to replace the work box in the first chamber, the work box that has not been cleaned is transported to the first station, and the work box that has been cleaned in the first station is transported to the second station or kept in the first station; Obtain the material quantity of the working box in the second chamber; Determine whether the working box needs to be replaced based on the amount of material in the working box of the second chamber; When it is necessary to replace the work box in the second chamber, the conveying device is driven according to the preset priority to transport the work box in the second chamber to the first station before or after the first chamber, and to transport the work box that has been cleared from the fifth station to the second chamber, or to transport the work box in the second chamber to the fifth station and to transport the work box that has been cleared from the first station to the second chamber; a fourth station is provided on the inlet and outlet side of the second chamber, and the fourth station is connected to the first station and the fifth station respectively; The transportation device driven by preset transportation rules includes: Check whether the first station and / or the second station are equipped with a work box, and obtain the first test result; Based on the first test result, when a work box is provided at the first work station, a first control command is output to transport the work box of the first chamber to the second work station and to transport the work box of the first work station to the first chamber. When a work box is provided at the second work station, a first control command is output to transport the work box of the first chamber to the first work station and to transport the work box of the second work station to the first chamber. The transportation device is driven to perform the corresponding transportation actions according to the first control command.

2. The method for cleaning the work box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining whether the working box needs to be replaced based on the material quantity in the working box of the first chamber includes: Determine whether the number of times the material is laid in the first chamber has reached the preset material laying threshold number; If the material laying threshold number of times is not reached, determine whether the material weight in the working box of the first chamber has reached the preset material threshold weight. If the material threshold weight is not reached, determine whether the material height of the working box in the first chamber has reached the preset material threshold height. If the material laying threshold number of times, the material threshold weight, and / or the material threshold height are reached, output a judgment result indicating that the working box of the first chamber needs to be replaced; Conversely, the output indicates that the working chamber of the first chamber does not need to be replaced.

3. The method for cleaning the work box according to claim 2, characterized in that, The transportation device driven according to a preset priority includes: The second detection result is obtained by detecting whether the material quantity in the working box of the first chamber reaches the preset material threshold content. Based on the second detection result, when the material threshold content is reached, a second control command is output to replace the working box of the first chamber first and then the working box of the second chamber. When the material threshold content is not reached, a second control command is output to replace the working box of the second chamber. The transportation device is driven to perform the corresponding transportation actions according to the second control command.

4. The method for cleaning the work box according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first chamber and the second chamber are respectively located in two 3D printing devices.

5. An electronic device, characterized in that, The electronic device includes a memory and a processor, the memory storing a computer program, and the processor executing the computer program to implement the work box cleaning method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the workbox cleaning method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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