A quadrilateral multi-station welding and material taking mechanism

Abstract

The present invention relates to a quadrilateral multi-station welding and material-taking mechanism, belonging to the technical field of welding equipment, and comprising a robotic arm, an operation frame and a control module. One end of the robotic arm is provided with a universal joint, and the universal joint is in transmission connection with the operation frame. A plurality of grippers are arranged on the circumferential side wall of the operation frame. The robotic arm and the universal joint drive the operation frame to move and rotate, driving the plurality of grippers to sequentially align with the welding stations for loading or unloading materials; any one of the grippers is detachably connected to the side wall of the operation frame, and any one of the grippers comprises two clamping pieces. Any one of the grippers is electrically connected to the control module, and the two clamping pieces approach or move away from each other under the instruction of the control module. The moving directions of the two clamping pieces are both perpendicular to the circumference of the operation frame; while taking into account the transportation range, the motor load is relatively small.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of welding equipment, and particularly relates to a quadrilateral multi-station welding and material taking mechanism. Background Art

[0002] Welding is an important process in industrial production. During welding, each raw material to be welded needs to be placed on the welding station through feeding, and then welding is carried out. Finally, the welded raw materials are unloaded from the station to complete the entire welding process.

[0003] Since the feeding and unloading operations need to be completed during the welding process, in general process flows, a robotic arm with a single gripper is often used for feeding and unloading. When multiple raw materials are required for one welding, the robotic arm needs to move back and forth between the welding station and another station multiple times to complete the transfer of multiple raw materials. To address this drawback, in the prior art, generally, a number of grippers are arranged circumferentially along a closed-loop structure, so that the number of grippers sequentially clamp a number of workpieces, and then the transfer of the workpieces is completed. For example, a robotic arm for automotive part production disclosed in Chinese Patent CN113524150B includes a lifting base, a robotic arm, and a robotic hand assembly. The robotic hand assembly includes: a rotating cylinder, a bracket, and a conveying mechanism. A number of clamping mechanisms are evenly arranged circumferentially on the rotating cylinder, and a transmission mechanism is also arranged inside the rotating cylinder. The bracket is arranged on the robotic arm, a connecting shaft is fixedly arranged on the bracket, the rotating cylinder is rotatably arranged on the connecting shaft, and a driving mechanism for driving the rotating cylinder to rotate is also arranged on the bracket. The conveying mechanism can convey the tubular parts on the conveying line into one of the clamping mechanisms. The robotic hand assembly of the present invention can grasp multiple tubular parts and transfer them from one conveying line to another conveying line, greatly improving the transfer efficiency compared with the robotic arm in the prior art that can only grasp one tubular part. However, in the above structure, the number of clamping mechanisms acting as grippers is evenly arranged along the rotating cylinder. In different production requirements, the sizes of the parts to be transferred are different. The number of grippers with fixed spacing and fixed shape can only transfer the parts that conform to the shape and distribution of the grippers, and the transportable size range is too small. At the same time, in the above structure or the improved structure based on the above structure, when transporting heavier parts, as the rotating cylinder rotates, when the lever arm of the self-weight of the part is longer, the motor load is larger, and the above structure does not have an additional structure to reduce the motor load. Therefore, a quadrilateral multi-station welding and material taking mechanism with a smaller motor load while taking into account the transport range is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To solve the above problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a quadrilateral multi-station welding and material taking mechanism, which has the characteristics of a smaller motor load while taking into account the transport range.

[0005] The object of the present invention can be achieved by the following technical solutions:

[0006] A quadrilateral multi-station welding and material taking mechanism, comprising a robotic arm, an operation frame and a control module. One end of the robotic arm is provided with a universal joint, which is in transmission connection with the operation frame. A plurality of grippers are arranged on the circumferential side wall of the operation frame. The robotic arm and the universal joint drive the operation frame to move and rotate, driving the plurality of grippers to sequentially align with the welding stations for loading or unloading materials.

[0007] Comprising a robotic arm, an operation frame and a control module. One end of the robotic arm is provided with a universal joint, which is in transmission connection with the operation frame. A plurality of grippers are arranged on the circumferential side wall of the operation frame. The robotic arm and the universal joint drive the operation frame to move and rotate, driving the plurality of grippers to sequentially align with the welding stations for loading or unloading materials.

[0008] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the operation frame is square, and two reinforcing ribs are arranged in the operation frame. The two reinforcing ribs are respectively connected to two pairs of opposite side frames of the operation frame. An interface is provided at the intersection of the two reinforcing ribs. The operation frame is connected to the robotic arm through the interface. The two reinforcing ribs are arranged perpendicular to each other. Sliding components are respectively arranged on the two reinforcing ribs. Counterweights are slidably arranged on the two sliding components. The control module is electrically connected to the two sliding rails respectively and drives the two counterweights to slide.

[0009] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, a weight sensor is arranged on any one of the grippers. The weight sensor is used to measure the weight m of the workpiece and upload it to the control module. The distance between the edge of the operation frame where the gripper is located and the universal joint is a. The control module is pre-input with the value of a, the weight value n of the counterweight and the weight threshold m 0 , after the control module receives the weight data m, it compares it with m 0 , when the comparison result shows that m > m 0 , the control module instructs the sliding component to drive the counterweight to move to a position at a distance c from the initial position in the direction away from the workpiece;

[0010] wherein, c = (a × m) / n.

[0011] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, any one of the sliding components includes a plurality of sliding rails, and counterweights are arranged on any one of the sliding rails. The control module instructs the plurality of sliding rails to drive the counterweights to slide according to the weight data m.

[0012] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the robotic arm is provided with a locking component. The reinforcing rib is provided with an insertion hole in cooperation with the locking component. The locking component cooperates with the insertion hole to lock the reinforcing rib at a fixed angle.

[0013] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the locking assembly includes a sight, the reinforcing rib is provided with a reference hole in cooperation with the sight, the sight is arranged in cooperation with the reference hole, the control module makes the sight and the reference hole cooperate to judge the rotation angle of the operation frame, the locking assembly is electrically connected with an alarm, and the locking assembly instructs the alarm to emit an alarm signal according to the cooperation situation between the sight and the reference hole.

[0014] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, a connecting groove is provided at the edge of the operation frame, and a plurality of the grippers are detachably connected to the operation frame through the connecting groove.

[0015] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, a welding head is detachably arranged at the edge of the operation frame, the welding head is electrically connected with the control module, and the control module instructs the operation of the welding head.

[0016] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, it further includes a control panel, the control panel is electrically connected with the control module and instructs the operation of the robotic arm through the control module.

[0017] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, a limit detector is arranged on one side of the robotic arm, the limit detector is electrically connected with an alarm, the limit detector is used to detect and judge whether the overall size after the gripper grabs the workpiece reaches the limit, and when the judgment result is yes, the limit detector instructs the alarm to start.

[0018] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0019] (1) By setting the robotic arm and the operation frame that can rotate around the robotic arm, and setting the gripper to be detachably linked to the operation frame, and at the same time setting the movement directions of the two clamping pieces of the gripper to be perpendicular to the axial direction of the operation frame, the operation frame cooperates with the gripper, and multiple parts can be transported simultaneously in one transfer, and at the same time, parts with smaller sizes and parts with relatively slender contours can be transported in one transfer, improving the transfer efficiency while taking into account the size range of the workpieces that can be transferred;

[0020] (2) By setting the slide rail and the counterweight block sliding on the slide rail, and at the same time setting a weight sensor on each gripper, the control module can automatically adjust the distance of the counterweight block relative to the initial position according to the measurement result of the weight sensor, and make the moment of the counterweight block on the universal joint after moving be approximately equal to the moment of the workpiece on the universal joint and the moment of the gripper and the workpiece on it on the universal joint, improving the automation degree and efficiency while ensuring the reduction of the load of the counterweight block on the universal joint when transporting heavier workpieces;

[0021] (3) By setting the locking component and the jack cooperating with the locking component, when the operation frame and the gripper thereon drive a relatively heavy workpiece to translate during the material taking process, and when the relatively heavy workpiece causes an additional rotation tendency to the operation frame, it can prevent the operation frame from rotating additionally and resulting in a deviation in the rotation angle, so as to avoid inaccurate feeding during the feeding process to the welding station after the material taking is completed;

[0022] (4) By setting the sighting device, the rotation angle of the operation frame can be measured before the locking component locks, and after the measurement, normal locking can be performed according to the result or an alarm can be issued to prompt the operator, preventing the situation that the locking mechanism cannot cooperate accurately with the jack and causing damage to the jack. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] For the convenience of those skilled in the art to understand, the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings.

[0024] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 It is a partial schematic diagram of the material taking and welding mechanism and the welding station of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the welding and material taking mechanism of the present invention in another direction;

[0027] Figure 4 It is a front view of the structure of the operation frame of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 5 It is a rear view of the structure of the operation frame of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 6 It is a schematic sectional view of the structure of the operation frame of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 7 It is a block diagram of the control circuit of the control module of the present invention.

[0031] Description of the Main Component Symbols:

[0032] In the figures: 1, robotic arm; 11, locking mechanism; 12, sighting device; 2, operation frame; 21, reinforcing rib; 22, slide rail; 23, counterweight; 24, gripper; 241, weight sensor; 242, connection groove; 25, jack; 3, control module; 31, control panel; 32, limit detector; 4, welding station; 5, workpiece; 51, slender workpiece. Detailed Embodiments

[0033] In order to further explain the technical means and effects adopted by the present invention to achieve the predetermined invention purpose, the specific implementation methods, structures, features and effects of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments.

[0034] See also Figure 1-7 A quadrilateral multi-station welding material-collecting mechanism comprises a mechanical arm 1, an operating frame 2 and a control module 3. A universal joint is arranged at one end of the mechanical arm 1, and the universal joint is in transmission connection with the operating frame 2. A plurality of grippers 24 are arranged on the circumferential side wall of the operating frame 2. The mechanical arm 1 and the universal joint drive the operating frame 2 to move and rotate, and drive the plurality of grippers 24 to align with the welding stations 4 in sequence for loading or unloading;

[0035] In this embodiment, the robot arm 1 includes two arm sections, one end of the two arm sections is connected to a base, and the other end is connected to a universal joint. The base is a universal joint, which drives the two arm sections to rotate around the base in a horizontal plane or a vertical plane. The two arm sections are connected by a single-axis rotation mechanism, so that the angle between the two arm sections can be changed. When in use, the end of the robot arm 1 provided with a working frame 2 extends to the material storage point. When the working frame 2 completes the material collection, the end provided with the working frame 2 is extended to the welding station 4, and the workpiece 5 welded in the previous round of welding is removed and the material loading of this round of welding is completed. Then, the welded workpiece 5 is sent to the material storage point and re-extended to the material storage point. At this time, the welding station 4 is welding, and the robot arm 1 part performs the material collection movement for the next round of welding.

[0036] Specifically, in this embodiment, the operation frame 2 is square. There are two reinforcing ribs 21 inside the square operation frame 2. The two ends of one of the reinforcing ribs 21 are respectively connected to the edges of two opposite frames, and the two ends of the other reinforcing rib 21 are connected to the edges of the other two opposite frames. The positions of the two reinforcing ribs 21 in the direction perpendicular to the frame are the same. At this time, the intersection point of the two reinforcing ribs 21 forms the geometric center of the operation frame 2, and the two reinforcing ribs 21 are perpendicular to each other. There is a connection point at the intersection of the two reinforcing ribs 21 of the operation frame 2. The operation frame 2 is connected to the universal joint through the connection point. A number of grippers 24 are arranged on the edge of the operation frame 2. At this time, the number of grippers 24 is arranged along the circumferential edge of the operation frame 2. At the same time, the universal joint drives the operation frame 2 to rotate in multiple directions around the universal joint. When the robotic arm 1 extends the operation frame 2 to the welding station 4, the universal joint keeps the operation frame 2 perpendicular to the ground throughout the process. At the same time, the universal joint makes the first edge of the square operation frame 2 face downwards. At this time, the robotic arm 1 aligns one of the grippers 24 on the first edge with the workpiece 5. The gripper 24 picks up the workpiece 5. Subsequently, the robotic arm 1 moves the operation frame 2 horizontally to drive another gripper 24 on the first edge to align with and pick up the workpiece 5. When all the grippers 24 on the first edge have picked up the workpiece 5, the universal joint rotates the operation frame 2 around the axis parallel to the ground to make the second edge face downwards. At this time, the robotic arm 1 continuously repeats the above movement process to make several grippers 24 on the second edge pick up the workpiece 5;

[0037] When several grippers 24 on three edges of the square operation frame 2 have picked up the workpiece 5 according to the above process, the robotic arm 1 extends the end with the operation frame 2 above the welding station 4. The operation frame 2 makes the fourth edge where the gripper 24 has not picked up the workpiece 5 face downwards, and makes the gripper 24 on the fourth edge pick up the workpiece 5 that has been welded on the welding station 4. Subsequently, the universal joint rotates the operation frame 2 until the first edge faces downwards. The robotic arm 1 moves to drive one of the grippers on the first edge to move to the corresponding position on the welding station 4, and releases the gripper 24 to make this workpiece 5 stay at the corresponding position on the welding station 4. The robotic arm 1 continuously moves. During the movement process, it continuously makes each workpiece 5 on the first edge move to the corresponding position. Whenever a workpiece 5 moves to the corresponding position, the gripper 24 holding this workpiece 5 is released until each workpiece 5 on the first edge stays at the corresponding position, completing the loading of the workpieces 5 on the first edge. Subsequently, repeat the above movement until the workpieces 5 on the second edge and the third edge have all been loaded. Then the welding station 4 starts welding. The robotic arm 1 extends the operation frame 2 to the storage point. The operation frame 2 and the gripper cooperate to store the processed workpiece 5 at the storage location. Finally, the robotic arm 1 makes the gripper on the first edge hold the workpiece 5 and starts a new round of loading.

[0038] In the above process, in actual production, especially in the automotive production process, the size of the workpiece 5 to be welded varies greatly, and some components are relatively slender. Two grippers 24 arranged along the axial direction of the slender workpiece 51 need to be used for simultaneous grasping to ensure stable grasping. For some smaller workpieces 5, a dedicated gripper 24 is required for grasping. To ensure that this welding and material-taking mechanism can adjust and grasp parts of various sizes, each gripper 24 is detachably connected to the side wall of the operation frame 2. Each gripper 24 includes two clamping pieces. The two clamping pieces can approach each other under the instruction of the control module 3 and fit with the workpiece 5 between the two clamping pieces to complete the grasping of the workpiece 5, and can move away from each other under the instruction of the control module 3 to complete the release of the workpiece 5. The moving directions of the two clamping pieces of each gripper 24 are perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the operation frame 2. At the same time, when it is necessary to transfer a relatively slender workpiece 5, an operator installs two grippers 24 on one of the side frames of the operation frame 2, and the distance between the two grippers 24 is slightly smaller than the axial dimension of the slender workpiece 51. During use, the robotic arm 1 moves to a position where the two clamping pieces of the two grippers 24 are respectively located on both sides of the two ends of the slender workpiece 51, and then the two clamping pieces of the two grippers 24 clamp simultaneously. At this time, the two ends of the slender workpiece 51 are fixed by the two grippers 24 at the same time. When it is necessary to transfer a smaller workpiece 5, the robotic arm 1 moves to a position where the two clamping pieces of one gripper 24 are respectively located on both sides of the smaller workpiece 5, and the clamping pieces approach each other to complete the clamping of the smaller part;

[0039] By setting the gripper 24 to be detachably connected to the operation frame 2 and setting the moving directions of the two clamping pieces of the gripper 24 to be perpendicular to the axial direction of the operation frame 2, the operation frame 2 cooperates with the gripper 24 to enable the transfer of both smaller parts and relatively slender parts in one transfer, improving the size range of the workpieces 5 that can be transferred.

[0040] In actual use, since the gripper 24 is replaceable and can transfer various parts, sometimes parts with a relatively heavy weight are required. During the rotation of the work frame 2 along the universal joint during loading and unloading, when the connection line between such a heavy part and the universal joint is parallel to the ground, the gravitational moment of the part that the universal joint needs to overcome reaches the maximum. At this time, the load on the universal joint drive motor reaches the maximum, reducing the service life of the drive motor. To avoid such a situation, sliding components are respectively provided on the two reinforcing ribs 21. The sliding components include two slide rails 22 respectively provided on each reinforcing rib 21. Counterweight blocks 23 are slidably arranged on the four slide rails 22. One end of each slide rail 22 is connected to the projection of the edge of the universal joint in the projection perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the work frame 2, and the other end is arranged close to the edge of the work frame 2. The control module 3 is electrically connected to the four slide rails 22 respectively and drives the counterweight blocks 23 to slide. Each edge corresponds to one slide rail 22, and the slide rail 22 corresponding to each edge is on the other side of the connection point away from this edge. In this embodiment, a lock is provided on the slide rail 22 to lock the position of the counterweight block 23 on the slide rail 22 when the counterweight block 23 slides to a certain position. When a relatively heavy workpiece 5 needs to be transferred at one edge, before the gripper 24 clamps the workpiece, the operator controls the slide rail 22 corresponding to this edge through the control module 3 to move the counterweight block 23 in the direction opposite to the direction away from this edge. Subsequently, the work frame 2 clamps the relatively heavy workpiece 5 and rotates. During the rotation process, the relatively heavy workpiece 5 is on one side of the connection point, and the counterweight block 23 is on the other side of the connection point. The moment of the counterweight block 23 on the other side cancels out part of the moment of the relatively heavy workpiece 5, reducing the load on the universal joint drive motor during the rotation process. When the counterweight block 23 is not required or the material taking is stopped, the slide rail 22 drives the counterweight block 23 and stops near the connection point. At this time, the counterweight block 23 is relatively close to the connection point, the moment is small, and the obstruction to the rotation of the universal joint of the work frame 2 is small;

[0041] By providing the sliding components and making the sliding components drive the counterweight blocks 23 to slide in the direction away from the relatively heavy workpiece 5, the load on the universal joint drive motor is reduced when the work frame 2 transfers the relatively heavy workpiece 5.

[0042] In the above process, it is necessary for the operator to manually adjust the sliding of the counterweight 23 along the slide rail 22 before each transfer. The degree of automation is not high and the operation efficiency is low. To improve the degree of automation, a weight sensor is provided on each gripper 24. The weight sensor is used to measure the weight m of the workpiece 5 and upload it to the control module 3. The side length of the working frame 2 is a. Since the working frame 2 is square, the distance from each edge to the universal joint connection point is a. At the same time, the control module 3 is pre-input with the value of a, the weight value n of the counterweight 23, and the weight threshold m0. In this embodiment, a tension sensor is provided at the connection between the working frame 2 and each gripper 24 as the weight sensor. When the working frame 2 grabs each workpiece 5, since the gripper 24 that performs the grabbing and the edge where the gripper 24 is located are vertically downward, the tension received by the tension sensor between the gripper 24 and the working frame 2 represents the gravity of the gripper 24 and the workpiece 5. When one of the edges is about to grab the workpiece 5 downward, the control module 3 energizes the tension sensor on this edge and starts to receive the data of this part of the tension sensor. At the same time, this part of the tension sensor uploads data at a frequency of once per second. After the gripper 24 grabs the workpiece 5, the tension data read by the tension sensor increases. After the control module 3 receives several data from the same tension sensor, it takes the maximum value among them and divides it by the value of the earth's gravitational acceleration G as the weight value m. Subsequently, the control module 3 compares m with m0. When the comparison result shows that m > m0, it means that the weight of the workpiece 5 is relatively large. The control module 3 instructs the slide rail 22 corresponding to the current edge to drive the counterweight 23 to move along the direction away from the workpiece 5 to a position at a distance c from the initial position, where c = (a × m) / n. When the counterweight 23 is at the position c, the torque it exerts on the universal joint is approximately equal to the torque exerted on the universal joint by the gripper 24 and the workpiece 5 thereon. And in this embodiment, there is an upper limit value of 0.4a for c;

[0043] In actual production, there is a probability that the value of m sensed by a single tension sensor is less than m0, but the total weight of multiple sensors is greater than m0. In this case, the workpiece 5 with a relatively large total weight on multiple grippers 24 will also cause a relatively large load on the universal joint drive motor. To solve this problem, preferably, the weight sensors 241 on the grippers 24 located on the same edge are set as a group in the control module 3. After the control module 3 compares the data of several weight sensors 241 with m0 respectively, the control module 3 sums up several weight data m to obtain a weight sum value m1, and compares m1 with m0. When the comparison result shows that m1 > m0, the control module 3 instructs the slide rail 22 corresponding to the current edge to drive the counterweight 23 to move along the direction away from the workpiece 5 to a position at a distance c from the initial position, where c = (a × m1) / n;

[0044] By setting a weight sensor on each gripper 24, the control module 3 can automatically adjust the distance of the counterweight 23 relative to the initial position according to the measurement results of the weight sensor, and make the torque of the counterweight 23 on the universal joint after movement approximately equal to the torque of the workpiece 5 on the universal joint and the torque of the gripper 24 and the workpiece 5 thereon on the universal joint. While improving the automation degree and efficiency, it ensures the reduction of the load of the counterweight 23 on the universal joint when transporting heavier workpieces 5.

[0045] Although by setting the operation frame 2 and a number of grippers 24 on the operation frame 2, multiple parts can be transported simultaneously in one transfer, reducing the number of actions during the transfer process, there is still a probability of deviation in long-term use, resulting in a deviation between the actual position of the gripper 24 and the target position in the program, causing the workpiece 5 to not be correctly placed at the corresponding position of the welding station 4. For example, when the operation frame 2 is translating while carrying a heavier workpiece 5, the inertia of the workpiece 5 drives the operation frame 2 to rotate additionally, causing a deviation in the drive motor controlling the universal joint. The operation frame 2 cannot rotate to the target angle, and one edge of the operation frame 2 cannot be completely facing the ground during loading and unloading. To ensure that the rotation angle of the operation frame 2 meets the expectations and prevent the operation frame 2 from rotating under the action of external forces when it does not need to rotate, the robotic arm 1 is provided with a locking component, with a jack 25 provided. The locking component cooperates with the jack 25 to lock the reinforcing rib 21 at a fixed angle. During actual use, on each side of the connection point on the side of the reinforcing rib 21 close to the robotic arm 1, there is a jack 25. At this time, there are a total of four jacks 25, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the connection point of the two reinforcing ribs 21. At the same time, four locking bolts are arranged on the side wall of the robotic arm 1 to cooperate with the four jacks 25. The settings of the four locking bolts and the four jacks 25 are symmetrically arranged around the center of the rotation axis of the operation frame 2, and the setting positions are such that when locked, one edge of the operation frame 2 is parallel to the ground. At this time, when the square operation frame 2 rotates 90° each time, the four locking bolts and the four jacks 25 are aligned. During use, when picking up materials during the loading process, when the universal joint drives the operation frame 2 to rotate until the first edge is downward, the four locking bolts are aligned with the jacks 25. At this time, the control module 3 drives the four locking bolts to extend into the jacks 25 to complete the locking of the operation frame 2. When the operation frame 2 drives a heavier workpiece 5 to translate and has a tendency to rotate additionally along the universal joint, the edge of the jack 25 abuts against the locking bolt, and the locking bolt prevents the operation frame 2 from rotating additionally;

[0046] At the same time, when the control module 3 instructs the locking bolt to extend into the jack 25 and the rotation angle of the operation frame 2 deviates, the locking bolt abuts against the surface of the reinforcing rib 21 near the jack 25 and cannot extend into the jack 25. At this time, the locking bolt sends a signal of abnormal locking to the control module 3. The control module 3 is electrically connected to an alarm, and after receiving the signal of abnormal locking, the control module 3 instructs the alarm to send a signal;

[0047] By setting the locking component and the jack 25 that cooperates with the locking component, when the working frame 2 and the gripper 24 thereon drive the heavier workpiece 5 to translate during the material taking process, when the heavier workpiece 5 causes an additional rotation tendency to the working frame 2, it can prevent the working frame 2 from rotating additionally and resulting in a deviation in the rotation angle, so that it is impossible to accurately load the welding station 4 after the material taking is completed.

[0048] When the rotation angle of the working frame deviates, the latch abuts against the surface of the reinforcing rib 21 near the jack 25 and cannot extend into the jack 25, which may cause damage with a certain probability. And when this situation occurs, the operator needs to be reminded to handle it. For this reason, the locking component includes a sight 12. The reinforcing rib 21 is provided with a reference hole in cooperation with the sight 12, and the sight 12 is arranged in cooperation with the reference hole. In this embodiment, the sight 12 is a laser rangefinder. Before each time the control module 3 commands the latch to extend, the control module 3 commands the sight 12 to measure the distance. When the rotation angle is normal, the sight 12 can be aligned with the reference hole. At this time, the ranging result of the laser rangefinder is the standard depth. The standard depth is the distance from the laser rangefinder to the reinforcing rib 21 plus the depth of the reference hole. When the control module 3 receives the ranging result and shows that the ranging result is equal to the reference depth according to the comparison, it means that it has been aligned. At this time, it commands the locking component to extend and lock the working frame 2. When the ranging result shows that the distance is only the distance from the laser rangefinder to the reinforcing rib 21, it means that the sight 12 is not aligned with the reference hole, but with the surface of the reinforcing rib 21 around the reference hole. At this time, the control module 3 stops the movement of the locking component. The control module 3 is electrically connected to an alarm. After the control module 3 receives the signal of abnormal locking, it commands the alarm to send out a signal;

[0049] By setting the sight 12, the rotation angle of the working frame 2 can be measured correctly before the locking component locks, and after the measurement, normal locking or an alarm can be given according to the result to prevent the situation that the locking mechanism 11 cannot cooperate with the jack 25 accurately and cause damage to the jack 25.

[0050] Specifically, to facilitate the disassembly and assembly of the gripper 24 on the operation frame 2 during the above process, a number of connection grooves 242 are provided at the edge of the operation frame 2. Each gripper 24 is connected to the operation frame 2 through the connection groove 242. In this embodiment, the connection groove 242 is a dovetail groove protruding from the surface of the operation frame 2. A groove is provided in the dovetail groove that cooperates with each gripper 24. A weight sensor is connected between the gripper 24 and the groove part and the clamping piece part. Concave pits are provided on the surface of the dovetail groove. A retractable protrusion is provided on the inner surface of the groove of the gripper 24 to cooperate with the concave pits. When installing the gripper 24, the operator retracts the protrusion below the surface of the groove, and then inserts the groove into the dovetail groove. At this time, the protrusion is aligned with the concave pit. Then the operator extends the protrusion. The cooperation between the protrusion and the concave pit prevents the gripper 24 from moving along the dovetail groove. The cooperation between the dovetail groove and the groove fixes the gripper 24 on the operation frame 2. When removing the gripper 24, the operator retracts the protrusion and slides the gripper 24 out of the dovetail groove along the direction of the dovetail groove to complete the removal of the gripper 24. By providing the connection groove 242, the disassembly and assembly of the gripper 24 are facilitated.

[0051] Sometimes, the welding head of the welding station 4 itself cannot meet the welding efficiency. For this reason, a welding head is detachably provided at the edge of the operation frame 2. The welding head is electrically connected to the control module 3. The control module 3 commands the operation of the welding head. In this embodiment, the welding head is also connected to the operation frame 2 through the connection groove 242. When it is necessary to insert a welding process assisted by the operation frame 2 in the loading and unloading process, the operator installs the welding head in the same way as installing the gripper 24. During the loading and unloading process, the robotic arm 1 and the universal joint cooperate to make the edge with the welding head face downward and drive the welding head to move to the welding point. The welding head performs welding on the welding point. Then the robotic arm 1 drives the operation frame 2 to translate or the universal joint drives the operation frame 2 to rotate to continue the loading and unloading operation. By optionally providing a welding head on the operation frame 2, it is not necessary to wait for the operation frame 2 to completely leave the welding station 4 before welding, which improves the flexibility of the production process.

[0052] To facilitate the operator's control of the robotic arm 1, the universal joint and the gripper 24, a control panel 31 is further included. The control panel 31 is electrically connected to the control module 3 and commands the operation of the robotic arm 1 through the control module 3.

[0053] During actual use, since this material taking mechanism can take materials of various parts, and in order to prevent solder splash or mechanical injury in the welding station 4, a protective cover is often provided outside the welding station 4. Only a feeding window is opened near the welding head and the welding table to facilitate the robotic arm 1 to drive the operation frame 2 to extend above the welding table in the welding station 4 for loading or unloading. However, the passing area of the feeding window is limited. When the operation frame 2 transports a workpiece 5 with a larger size, there is a probability that the workpiece 5 will collide with the frame of the feeding window, resulting in an accident. To avoid such situations, a limit detector 32 is provided on one side of the robotic arm 1. The limit detector 32 is electrically connected to an alarm. The limit detector 32 is used to detect and determine whether the overall size after the gripper 24 grabs the workpiece 5 reaches the limit. When the judgment result is yes, the limit detector 32 commands the alarm to start. In this embodiment, the limit detector 32 is arranged in front of the feeding window. The limit detector 32 includes four laser detectors, and the four laser detectors surround and form a square with the same area and shape as the feeding window. When the limit detector 32 detects that an object passes by, it means that when the operation frame 2 drives the workpiece 5 to continue to extend towards the feeding window, a collision will occur. At this time, the limit detector 32 commands the alarm to start to remind the operator to handle it.

[0054] The working principle and usage process of the present invention:

[0055] During use, the end of the robotic arm 1 provided with the operation frame 2 extends to the stockpiling point. When the operation frame 2 finishes taking materials, the end provided with the operation frame 2 extends to the welding station 4, removes the workpiece 5 that has been welded in the previous round of welding and completes the loading for the current round of welding. Subsequently, the welded workpiece 5 is sent to the stockpiling point, and then extends to the stockpiling point again. At this time, the welding station 4 performs welding, and the robotic arm 1 part performs the material taking movement for the next round of welding;

[0056] When taking materials, when the robotic arm 1 makes the operation frame 2 extend to the welding station 4, the universal joint makes the operation frame 2 perpendicular to the ground throughout the process. At the same time, the universal joint makes the first edge of the square operation frame 2 face downwards. At this time, the robotic arm 1 aligns one of the grippers 24 on the first edge with the workpiece 5, and the gripper 24 picks up the workpiece 5. Subsequently, the robotic arm 1 makes the operation frame 2 translate to drive another gripper 24 on the first edge to align with and pick up the workpiece 5. When all the grippers 24 on the first edge pick up the workpiece 5, the universal joint makes the operation frame 2 rotate along the axis parallel to the ground to make the second edge face downwards. At this time, the robotic arm 1 continuously repeats the above movement process to make several grippers 24 on the second edge all pick up the workpiece 5;

[0057] When a number of grippers 24 on three edges of the square working frame 2 pick up the workpiece 5 according to the above process, the robotic arm 1 extends the end with the working frame 2 above the welding station 4. The working frame 2 positions the fourth edge where the grippers 24 do not pick up the workpiece 5 downward, and the grippers 24 on the fourth edge pick up the workpiece 5 that has been welded at the welding station 4. Subsequently, the universal joint rotates the working frame 2 so that the first edge faces downward. The robotic arm 1 moves to drive one of the grippers on the first edge to the corresponding position at the welding station 4, and releases the gripper 24, causing this workpiece 5 to stay at the corresponding position of the welding station 4. The robotic arm 1 keeps moving, and during the movement, it continuously moves each workpiece 5 on the first edge to the corresponding position. Whenever a workpiece 5 moves to the corresponding position, the gripper 24 holding this workpiece 5 is released until each workpiece 5 on the first edge stays at the corresponding position, completing the loading of the workpieces 5 on the first edge. Subsequently, the above movement is repeated until the workpieces 5 on the second edge and the third edge are all loaded. Then the welding station 4 starts welding. The robotic arm 1 extends the working frame 2 to the storage point. The working frame 2 and the grippers cooperate to store the processed workpiece 5 at the storage location. Finally, the robotic arm 1 makes the grippers on the first edge hold the workpiece 5 and starts a new round of loading;

[0058] During the above process, when one of the edges is lowered to prepare to pick up the workpiece 5, the control module 3 powers on the tension sensors on this edge and starts receiving the data of this part of the tension sensors. At the same time, this part of the tension sensors upload data at a frequency of once per second. When the gripper 24 picks up the workpiece 5, the tension data read by the tension sensor increases. After the control module 3 receives several data from the same tension sensor, it takes the maximum value among them and divides it by the value of the acceleration due to gravity G of the earth as the weight value m. Subsequently, the control module 3 compares m with m0. When the comparison result shows that m > m0, it means that the weight of the workpiece 5 is relatively large. The control module 3 instructs the corresponding slide rail 22 of the current edge to drive the counterweight 23 to move to a position at a distance c from the initial position away from the workpiece 5, where c = (a × m) / n.

[0059] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and it does not impose any form of limitation on the present invention. Although the present invention has been disclosed above with the preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some changes or modifications to equivalent embodiments by using the disclosed technical content within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention. However, as long as it does not depart from the content of the technical solution of the present invention, any brief modification, equivalent change, and modification made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A quadrilateral multi-station welding material taking mechanism, Features: It includes a mechanical arm, an operating frame and a control module. A universal joint is provided at one end of the mechanical arm, and the universal joint is in transmission connection with the operating frame. A plurality of grippers are provided on the circumferential side wall of the operating frame. The mechanical arm and the universal joint drive the operating frame to move and rotate, and drive the plurality of grippers to align with the welding stations in sequence to load or unload materials. Any of the grippers is detachably connected to the side wall of the working frame, any of the grippers comprises two clamping pieces, any of the grippers is electrically connected to the control module, the two clamping pieces move closer to or farther from each other under the command of the control module, and the movement directions of the two clamping pieces are perpendicular to the circumference of the working frame; The working frame is square, and two reinforcing ribs are arranged in the working frame, and the two reinforcing ribs are respectively connected to two pairs of oppositely arranged frames of the working frame, and an interface is arranged at the intersection of the two reinforcing ribs, and the working frame is connected to the robot arm through the interface, and the two reinforcing ribs are arranged perpendicular to each other, and sliding components are respectively arranged on the two reinforcing ribs, and counterweight blocks are slidably arranged on the two sliding components, and the control module is respectively electrically connected to the two slide rails and drives the two counterweight blocks to slide; A weight sensor is provided on any one of the grippers. The weight sensor is used to measure the weight m of the workpiece and upload it to the control module. The distance between the edge of the operation frame where the gripper is located and the universal joint is a. The control module is pre-input with the value of a, the weight value n of the counterweight, and the weight threshold m 0 , after receiving the weight data m, the control module compares it with m 0 When the comparison result shows that m > m 0 , the control module commands the sliding component to drive the counterweight to move along the direction away from the workpiece to a position at a distance c from the initial position; Where c = (a×m) / n.

2. A quadrilateral multi-station welding material taking mechanism according to claim 1, Features: Any of the sliding assemblies comprises a plurality of slide rails, and any of the slide rails is provided with a counterweight block. The control module instructs the plurality of slide rails to drive the counterweight block to slide according to the weight data m.

3. A quadrilateral multi-station welding material taking mechanism according to claim 1, Features: The mechanical arm is provided with a locking assembly, and the reinforcing rib is provided with a socket in cooperation with the locking assembly, and the locking assembly cooperates with the socket to lock the reinforcing rib at a fixed angle.

4. A quadrilateral multi-station welding material taking mechanism according to claim 3, Features: The locking assembly includes a sight, the reinforcing rib is provided with a reference hole in cooperation with the sight, the sight and the reference hole are provided in cooperation with each other, the control module makes the sight and the reference hole cooperate to determine the rotation angle of the working frame, the locking assembly is electrically connected to an alarm, and the locking assembly instructs the alarm to send an alarm signal according to the cooperation between the sight and the reference hole.

5. A quadrilateral multi-station welding material taking mechanism according to claim 1, Features: A connecting groove is provided at the edge of the working frame, and a plurality of the grippers are detachably connected to the working frame through the connecting groove.

6. A quadrilateral multi-station welding material taking mechanism according to claim 1, Features: A welding head is detachably provided on the edge of the working frame. The welding head is electrically connected to a control module, and the control module instructs the operation of the welding head.

7. A quadrilateral multi-station welding material taking mechanism according to claim 1, Features: It also includes a control panel, which is electrically connected to the control module and instructs the operation of the robotic arm through the control module.

8. A quadrilateral multi-station welding material taking mechanism according to claim 1, Features: A limit detector is provided on one side of the robotic arm. The limit detector is electrically connected to an alarm. The limit detector is used to detect and determine whether the overall size after the gripper grasps the workpiece reaches the limit. When the judgment result is yes, the limit detector instructs the alarm to start.

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