A robot automatic following hanging chain feeding and discharging method

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of robot automatic follow-up suspension chain feeding and discharging method, including suspension chain feeding and suspension chain discharging.Suspension chain feeding is that robot is grabbed workpiece from non-suspension chain conveying line, and is dynamically fed to suspension chain conveying line.Suspension chain discharging is that robot dynamically grabs workpiece on suspension chain conveying line and is placed to non-suspension chain conveying line.By being equipped with hanging frame follow-up positioning component on suspension chain conveying line, the positioning follow-up of hanging frame is realized;Positioning follow-up method includes step 1, hanging frame guiding;Step 2, follow-up component on hanging frame follows;Step 3, monitoring follow-up walking displacement;Step 4, active sliding of lower positioning component of hanging frame;Step 5, monitoring active sliding displacement;Step 6, hanging frame positioning.In the application, robot component dynamically follows according to the active sliding displacement fed back by slide position encoder, and synchronizes with the hanging frame transmitted from hanging frame follow-up station to reach workpiece feeding and discharging position, to realize dynamic accurate feeding and discharging.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of assembly automation, and in particular to a method for automatic loading and unloading of materials by a robot following a suspended chain. Background Technology

[0002] In the processing or assembly of home appliance components and other industries, some parts need to be transferred between non-overhead chain conveyor lines and overhead chain conveyor lines. Currently, this transfer is done manually, and the following shortcomings exist in the process, which need to be improved:

[0003] 1. Due to the fast production line cycle and the large weight of the parts, such as the refrigeration compressor which weighs 7 kg, the intensity of manual labor is high.

[0004] 2. The workers need to work between the two moving conveyor lines, which poses a high safety risk.

[0005] When using robots to transfer workpieces between non-overhead conveyor lines and overhead conveyor lines, the following shortcomings arise and need to be improved:

[0006] 1. The hangers on the overhead conveyor line will swing constantly as the conveyor line moves, making alignment difficult.

[0007] 2. Slight collisions during loading and unloading may damage the workpiece, such as the outer surface of the compressor, and may further affect the position and performance of internal parts of the compressor; therefore, automatic loading and unloading must be precise and free from any slight collisions. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to address the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a robot automatic following suspension chain loading and unloading method. This robot automatic following suspension chain loading and unloading method uses a hanger following and positioning component set on the suspension chain conveyor line to realize the positioning and following of empty hangers or hangers with workpieces entering the hanger following station, thereby achieving automatic loading and unloading with high positioning accuracy.

[0009] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0010] A method for automatic loading and unloading of materials by a robot following a suspended chain includes loading and unloading of the suspended chain.

[0011] Overhead conveyor loading is a process in which the robot component dynamically loads workpieces picked up from the workpiece gripping and releasing positions on the non-overhead conveyor line onto a hanger located in the empty space between the workpiece loading and unloading positions on the overhead conveyor line.

[0012] Overhead conveyor unloading is a process in which a robot component dynamically picks up workpieces located on the workpiece loading / unloading racks of an overhead conveyor line and places them at workpiece picking / unloading positions outside the overhead conveyor line.

[0013] By installing a hanger following and positioning component on the overhead conveyor line, the empty hangers or hangers with workpieces entering the hanger following station can be positioned and followed. The positioning and following method of the hanger following and positioning component includes the following steps:

[0014] Step 1, Hanger Guiding: The guide component in the hanger following and positioning assembly guides the hanger entering the hanger following station in the X direction; where X direction is the transmission direction of the overhead conveyor.

[0015] Step 2, Follow-up component on the hanger: When the hanger enters the hanger following station, the follow-up component on the hanger in the hanger following positioning component slides and clamps the top of the hanger located in the hanger following station and follows it.

[0016] Step 3: Monitor the following movement displacement: The follower component on the bracket has a built-in follower position encoder, which will monitor the following movement displacement of the follower component on the bracket in real time and feed it back to the control cabinet in real time.

[0017] Step 4: Active sliding of the lower positioning component of the hanger: While the follower component on the hanger is moving along, the slide component of the lower positioning component of the hanger in the hanger following positioning component will actively slide along the X direction according to the following displacement monitored by the follower position encoder.

[0018] Step 5: Monitor active sliding displacement: The positioning component under the bracket has a built-in slide position encoder, which will monitor the active sliding displacement of the slide component in real time and provide feedback to the control cabinet in real time.

[0019] Step 6, Hanger Positioning: When the active sliding displacement monitored by the slide position encoder is equal to the following walking speed monitored by the follow position encoder, the hanger lower positioning claw in the hanger lower positioning component will position and clamp the bottom of the hanger, so that the hanger remains vertical and does not shake.

[0020] The robot component dynamically follows the active sliding displacement fed back by the slide position encoder, and arrives at the workpiece loading and unloading position synchronously with the hanger transmitted from the hanger following the workstation, thus achieving dynamic and accurate loading and unloading.

[0021] Step 6, the bracket positioning method, specifically includes the following steps:

[0022] Step 6-1, Hanger presence detection: Install a hanger lower positioning gripper on the slide assembly. The hanger lower positioning gripper is equipped with a hanger presence detection sensor to detect whether there is a hanger in front of the hanger lower positioning gripper.

[0023] Step 6-2, Initial positioning of the bottom of the hanger: The slide assembly includes a long slide and a short slide; the long slide is used for active sliding along the X direction, and the short slide is used for active sliding along the Y direction; the Y direction is a horizontal direction perpendicular to the X direction; the lower positioning gripper of the hanger includes a hanger lifting assembly and a hanger bottom positioning assembly; the hanger bottom positioning assembly includes a parallel guide fork and a hanger positioning gripper; the short slide drives the lower positioning gripper of the hanger to slide in the Y direction towards the hanger; the guide fork guides the hanger in the Y direction to achieve initial positioning of the bottom of the hanger.

[0024] Step 6-3, Hanger Height Positioning: The hanger lifting component drives the hanger to rise to the set height, and the hanger is positioned at the set height.

[0025] Step 6-4, Secondary positioning of the bottom of the hanger: The positioning jaws of the hanger close and clamp the bottom of the hanger to achieve secondary positioning of the bottom of the hanger.

[0026] In step 1, each hanger includes two parallel vertical hanging rods; the two vertical hanging rods are connected by several parallel horizontal rods; one of the horizontal rods forms the height positioning rod; in step 6-2, the bottom positioning assembly of the hanger has two sets, which are arranged in parallel; in step 6-3, the hanger lifting assembly realizes the synchronous lifting of the height of the two vertical hanging rods in each hanger by lifting the height positioning rod.

[0027] In step 4, the slide assembly actively slides along the X direction, driven by a lead screw transmission mechanism; the lead screw transmission mechanism includes a lead screw and a lead screw drive servo motor; the slide position encoder is installed on the lead screw.

[0028] The feeding method for overhead conveyors includes the following steps:

[0029] Step A1, Workpiece Conveying: The non-suspended chain conveyor line transports the workpiece to the workpiece gripping and releasing position, and the tooling plate lifting and positioning assembly positions and lifts the workpiece located at the workpiece gripping and releasing position.

[0030] Step A2, workpiece gripping: The robot grips the workpiece after it has been positioned and lifted.

[0031] Step A3, Hanger Following: The hanger following positioning component positions and follows the empty hanger that enters the hanger following station.

[0032] Step A4, Robot Following: The robot in the robot assembly dynamically follows the active sliding displacement fed back by the slide position encoder in step A3, and synchronously reaches the workpiece loading and unloading position with the hanger transmitted from the hanger following station.

[0033] Step A5, workpiece loading: At the workpiece loading / unloading position, the robot dynamically places the gripped workpiece onto the workpiece rack on the hanger.

[0034] Step A6: The robot assembly and the hanger follow-up positioning assembly are reset, and the loading of the next workpiece is repeated.

[0035] In step A2, the robot component includes a robot and a robot gripper assembly.

[0036] The robot gripper assembly includes a base plate and at least one set of workpiece clamping mechanisms.

[0037] The base plate is located at the end of the robot, and each workpiece clamping mechanism includes a vacuum suction cup and a pneumatic gripper.

[0038] Vacuum suction cups can pick up the top of a workpiece; pneumatic grippers can clamp the two side walls of a workpiece.

[0039] In step A2, each workpiece clamping mechanism also includes a vacuum sensor and a laser sensor; the vacuum sensor can detect the vacuum level of the vacuum chuck; the laser sensor can detect whether there is a workpiece in front of the pneumatic gripper; the vacuum chuck is a spring-loaded floating chuck.

[0040] In step A2, the method for the robot to grasp the workpiece includes the following steps:

[0041] Step A21, Workpiece presence / absence detection: The robot moves to the workpiece gripping / releasing position and checks whether the workpiece located at the workpiece gripping / releasing position is present or not.

[0042] Step A22, adsorbing the workpiece: The spring-loaded floating suction cup elastically adsorbs the top of the workpiece; and a vacuum sensor is used to detect the adsorption vacuum level to ensure that the vacuum level is within the set range.

[0043] Step A23, workpiece clamping: While the workpiece is being adsorbed, the pneumatic grippers close to clamp the side wall of the workpiece.

[0044] The method for unloading overhead chains includes the following steps:

[0045] Step B1, Tooling plate conveying: The non-suspended chain conveyor line transports the tooling plate of the hole to the workpiece gripping and unloading position. The tooling plate lifting and positioning assembly positions and lifts the tooling plate located at the workpiece gripping and unloading position.

[0046] Step B2: The robot component moves to the loading / unloading waiting position;

[0047] Step B3, Hanger Following: The hanger following positioning component positions and follows the hanger that enters the hanger following station and has a workpiece suspended on it.

[0048] Step B4, Robot Following: The robot in the robot assembly dynamically follows the active sliding displacement fed back by the slide position encoder in step B3, and synchronously reaches the workpiece loading and unloading position with the hanger transmitted from the hanger following station.

[0049] Step B5, workpiece unloading: At the workpiece unloading position, the robot dynamically grabs the workpiece suspended on the workpiece hanger and places it on the tooling plate after positioning and lifting in step B1.

[0050] Step B6: The robot assembly and the hanger follow-up positioning assembly are reset, and the unloading of the next workpiece is repeated.

[0051] In step 1, the workpiece is a refrigeration compressor.

[0052] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0053] 1. The follower component on the hanger of the present invention slides and clamps the top of the hanger located at the hanger following station and follows it; the follower position encoder monitors the following displacement of the follower component on the hanger in real time and feeds it back to the control cabinet in real time; while the follower component on the hanger follows, the slide assembly of the lower positioning assembly in the hanger following positioning assembly actively slides along the X direction according to the following displacement monitored by the follower position encoder; the slide position encoder monitors the active sliding displacement of the slide assembly in real time and feeds it back to the control cabinet in real time; the robot assembly dynamically follows according to the active sliding displacement fed back by the slide position encoder and reaches the workpiece loading and unloading position synchronously with the hanger transmitted from the hanger following station, realizing dynamic and accurate loading and unloading.

[0054] 2. During loading and unloading, the hanger following positioning component will clamp the top and bottom of the hanger and position it at a certain height, so that the hanger will not swing with the conveyor of the overhead chain, thus ensuring high loading and unloading accuracy. The relative position positioning accuracy of the workpiece can be controlled within ±0.2mm, and the automatic following speed difference is ≤0.2mm / s.

[0055] 3. During the loading and unloading process, the precise positioning will prevent damage to the workpiece caused by micro-collisions. Attached Figure Description

[0056] Figure 1 The diagram shows the overall structure of a robot-automatic following overhead conveyor for loading and unloading materials according to the present invention.

[0057] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the non-suspended chain conveyor line in this invention is shown.

[0058] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the hanger in the overhead conveyor line of the present invention is shown.

[0059] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the hanger following and positioning component in this invention is shown.

[0060] Figure 5A schematic diagram of the follower component on the hanger in this invention is shown.

[0061] Figure 6 This shows an overall isometric view of the positioning assembly under the bracket in this invention.

[0062] Figure 7 This is a side perspective view of the positioning component under the bracket in this invention.

[0063] Figure 8 The diagram shows the structure of the lifting gripper assembly for lifting and gripping the hanging frame in this invention.

[0064] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the robot gripper assembly in this invention is shown.

[0065] Figure 10 This diagram shows the structure of the robot gripper assembly after it has gripped the workpiece.

[0066] Among them are:

[0067] 1. Non-suspended chain conveyor line;

[0068] 11. Tooling plate lifting and positioning assembly; 12. Stopper assembly; 13. Anti-rebound assembly; 14. Tooling plate positioning detection assembly; 15. Workpiece presence / absence detection assembly;

[0069] 2. Hanger following and positioning component;

[0070] 21. Frame; 22. Protective cover; 23. Guide assembly; 231. Sliding guide section; 232. Initial guide section;

[0071] 24. Follow-up components on the bracket;

[0072] 241. Follower bracket; 242. Follower slide; 243. Synchronous belt; 244. Follower position encoder; 245. Follower pneumatic gripper; 246. Follower clamp; 247. Slide reset cylinder; 248. Hanger position detection sensor;

[0073] 25. Slide assembly;

[0074] 251. Long slide table; 251a. Long guide rail; 252. Lead screw drive servo motor; 253. Lead screw; 254. Slide table position encoder; 255. Short slide table; 255a. Short guide rail; 256. Short slide table cylinder;

[0075] 26. Lifting gripper assembly;

[0076] 261. Lifting cylinder; 262. Guide fork; 263. Hanger positioning gripper; 264. Workpiece presence / absence detection sensor; 265. Hanger pneumatic gripper; 266. Hanger support plate;

[0077] 3. Robot components;

[0078] 31. Robot;

[0079] 32. Robot gripper assembly; 321. Base plate; 322. Vacuum suction cup; 323. Vacuum sensor; 324. Robot pneumatic gripper; 325. Laser sensor; 326. Pneumatic gripper;

[0080] 4. Protective netting components; 41. Protective netting; 42. Safety gate;

[0081] 5. Overhead chain conveyor line;

[0082] 51. Suspension base; 52. Suspension frame; 521. Folding plate; 522. Vertical hanging rod; 523. Horizontal bar; 524. Workpiece hanger;

[0083] 6. Control station. Detailed Implementation

[0084] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific preferred embodiments.

[0085] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific preferred embodiments.

[0086] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "left side," "right side," "upper part," "lower part," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. "First," "second," etc., do not indicate the importance of the components, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this invention. The specific dimensions used in this embodiment are only for illustrating the technical solution and do not limit the scope of protection of this invention.

[0087] like Figure 1 As shown, an automatic robot-following overhead conveyor for loading and unloading includes a non-overhead conveyor line 1, a tooling plate lifting and positioning component 11, a hanging frame following and positioning component 2, a robot component 3, an overhead conveyor line 5, and a control station 6.

[0088] The non-suspended chain conveyor is equipped with workpiece gripping and releasing positions. Several tooling plates are evenly arranged along the transmission direction of the non-suspended chain conveyor. Each tooling plate can hold at least one workpiece. In this embodiment, it is preferable to place two workpieces in parallel on each tooling plate.

[0089] The tooling plate lifting and positioning component is located at the workpiece gripping and unloading position, and can position and lift the tooling plate located at the workpiece gripping and unloading position.

[0090] like Figure 2 As shown, a stopper assembly 12 is installed on the non-suspended chain conveyor line upstream of the workpiece gripping and releasing position to block the tooling plate being transported to the workpiece gripping and releasing position.

[0091] An anti-rebound assembly 13 is installed on the non-suspended chain conveyor line downstream of the workpiece gripping and releasing position to limit the tooling plate transmitted to the workpiece gripping and releasing position downstream.

[0092] The workpiece gripping and unloading station is also equipped with a tooling plate arrival detection component 14 and a workpiece presence / absence detection component 15, both preferably existing photoelectric sensors. The tooling plate arrival detection component 14 is used to detect whether the tooling plate at the workpiece gripping and unloading station has been transferred into position. The workpiece presence / absence detection component 15 is used to detect whether a workpiece is on the tooling plate that has been transferred into position at the workpiece gripping and unloading station.

[0093] The overhead chain conveyor line is equipped with hangers following the workstations and workpiece loading and unloading positions along the transmission direction.

[0094] like Figure 3 As shown, robot component 3 can transfer workpiece 7 between the workpiece gripping and placing positions on the non-suspended chain conveyor and the workpiece loading and unloading positions on the suspended chain conveyor.

[0095] The overhead conveyor 5 has several suspension bases 51 suspended at equal intervals along the transmission direction, and each suspension base has a hanger 52 hinged to its bottom.

[0096] Each hanger preferably includes a folded plate 521 and a hanging frame.

[0097] The top of the folded plate 521 is hinged to the corresponding suspension base, and the bottom of the folded plate is integrally set or welded to the center of the top of the hanging frame (preferably the center of the topmost horizontal bar).

[0098] Each hanging frame includes several vertical hanging rods 522 and several horizontally arranged crossbars 523 connecting the hanging rods. In this embodiment, two vertical hanging rods are preferred, that is, two workpieces 7 can be loaded in parallel at one time.

[0099] Each vertical hanging rod is preferably equipped with at least one set of workpiece hangers 524. In this embodiment, the workpiece is preferably a refrigeration compressor, which is heavy, preferably 7 kg, and each workpiece has hook holes and rod holes on its side wall.

[0100] Therefore, each workpiece hanger 524 includes a hook and a T-shaped plate; the hook engages with the hook hole of the workpiece, and the T-shaped plate engages with the rod hole of the workpiece to achieve the suspension and positioning of the workpiece.

[0101] The aforementioned crossbars can form height positioning rods, which facilitates subsequent positioning of the bracket's height and prevents height errors during the bracket's suspension process.

[0102] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the hanger following positioning assembly includes a frame 21, a protective cover 22, a guide assembly 23, an upper hanger follower assembly 24, and a lower hanger positioning assembly.

[0103] The guide assembly is located at the bottom of the frame and can guide the bottom of the hanger located at the hanger following station and the workpiece loading and unloading station.

[0104] The guide assembly preferably includes a sliding guide section 231 and initial guide sections 232 symmetrically arranged on both sides of the sliding guide section.

[0105] The sliding guide section includes two opposing baffles, and several guide rollers are arranged along the length of one side of the two baffles facing each other.

[0106] The initial guide section is V-shaped and includes two inclined plates, each of which is located at the end of the corresponding blocking plate.

[0107] The aforementioned protective cover is preferably used for the protection of the follow-up component 24 on the hanger and the positioning component under the hanger.

[0108] The follower component on the hanger is located in the upper part of the frame, which can slide and clamp the top of the hanger located in the hanger following station and follow it.

[0109] like Figure 5 As shown, the follow-up components on the hanger include a follow-up bracket 241, a follow-up slide 242, a synchronous transmission device, a follow-up pneumatic gripper 245, a follow-up clamp 246, a slide reset cylinder 247, and a hanger positioning detection sensor 248.

[0110] The follower bracket is installed in the upper part of the frame.

[0111] The follower slide is slidably mounted on the follower bracket and is parallel to the sliding direction of the hanger. The follower slide can be reset under the drive of the slide reset cylinder 247, that is, it returns to the hanger following position.

[0112] The synchronous transmission device can actively or passively drive the follower slide to slide. In this embodiment, the synchronous transmission device preferably includes a synchronous belt 243 and a synchronous motor that can drive the synchronous belt transmission. The top surface of the synchronous belt is connected to the bottom of the follower slide. The synchronous motor has a built-in follower position encoder 244.

[0113] The follower gripper is mounted on the top of the follower slide and can open and close actively.

[0114] The follower gripper is installed on the opposite side of the follower pneumatic gripper and can slide and clamp against the top of the bracket or the side wall of the folded plate. See the structural diagram after clamping for details. Figure 4 As shown.

[0115] The aforementioned hanger positioning detection sensor can be used to detect whether the hanger-following station has a hanger. Similar positioning detection sensors and workpiece presence / absence sensors in this embodiment are existing photoelectric sensors and will not be described further.

[0116] like Figure 4 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the lower positioning component of the hanger is located in the lower part of the frame, including the slide assembly 25 and the lifting gripper assembly 26.

[0117] The slide assembly can drive the positioning gripper under the hanger to actively slide back and forth between the hanger following station and the workpiece loading and unloading position.

[0118] The slide assembly includes a long guide rail assembly, a short guide rail assembly, a long sliding drive device, and a short sliding drive device.

[0119] The long guide rail assembly includes a long guide rail 251a and a long slide table 251; the long guide rail is arranged along the transmission direction of the parallel hanger; the long slide table can slide along the long guide rail under the drive of the long sliding drive device.

[0120] The aforementioned longitudinal sliding drive device is preferably driven by a lead screw transmission mechanism; the lead screw transmission mechanism includes a lead screw 253 and a lead screw drive servo motor 252; a slide position encoder 254 is mounted on the lead screw for detecting the active reciprocating sliding displacement of the slide assembly. Alternatively, the longitudinal sliding drive device can also be other drive mechanisms in the prior art.

[0121] The short guide rail assembly includes a short guide rail 255a and a short slide table 255; the short guide rail is arranged on the top surface of the long slide table and is perpendicular to the long guide rail; the short slide table can slide along the short guide rail under the drive of the short sliding drive device. Preferably, the short sliding drive device is a short slide table cylinder 256.

[0122] The lifting gripper assembly 26, also known as the lower positioning gripper of the bracket, preferably includes a bracket lifting assembly and a bracket bottom positioning assembly.

[0123] The bracket lifting assembly preferably includes a lifting cylinder 261 and a bracket support plate 266. The lifting cylinder 261 is preferably mounted on the top surface of the short slide 255 of the slide assembly.

[0124] The bottom positioning assembly of the hanger is preferably located at the top of the lifting cylinder. In this embodiment, it is preferred to have two sets, which can respectively position the two vertical hanging rods of the hanger. Each set of bottom positioning assemblies preferably includes a guide fork 266, a hanger positioning gripper 263, and a workpiece presence / absence detection sensor 264.

[0125] The short slide table drives the lower positioning gripper of the hanger to slide in the Y direction towards the hanger; where Y is the horizontal direction perpendicular to X; X is the transmission direction of the overhead conveyor. The guide fork is preferably Y-shaped, which can guide the hanger in the Y direction and achieve initial positioning of the bottom of the hanger.

[0126] The hanger positioning gripper 263, driven by the corresponding hanger pneumatic gripper 265, can position and clamp the bottom of the hanger located above the guide assembly. In this embodiment, the hanger positioning gripper 263 is a V-shaped structure with three openings arranged opposite each other. Two of the V-shaped structures are arranged in parallel and driven by the same hanger pneumatic gripper, while the third V-shaped structure is located on the other side, higher than the middle of the two V-shaped structures on the corresponding side.

[0127] The aforementioned bracket plate 266 is preferably positioned above the top of the bracket positioning claw 263, and can fit against the bottom of the height positioning rod in the bracket. By lifting the height positioning rod, the height positioning and lifting of the bracket can be achieved.

[0128] like Figure 1 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the robot assembly includes a robot 31 and a robot gripper assembly 32.

[0129] The robot gripper assembly includes a base plate 341 and at least one set of workpiece clamping mechanisms.

[0130] The base plate is located at the end of the robot, and each workpiece clamping mechanism includes a vacuum suction cup 342, a vacuum sensor 343, a laser sensor 345, and a pneumatic gripper 346.

[0131] The aforementioned vacuum chuck is a spring-loaded floating chuck, capable of picking up the top of a workpiece, and the vacuum sensor can detect the vacuum level of the chuck.

[0132] The aforementioned pneumatic gripper is preferably able to clamp the two side walls of the workpiece under the drive of the robot gripper 344.

[0133] The aforementioned laser sensor can detect whether a workpiece is present in front of the pneumatic gripper;

[0134] Control station 6 is connected to the non-suspended chain conveyor line, the tooling plate lifting and positioning component, the robot component, the suspended chain conveyor line, and the hanger following and positioning component.

[0135] A method for automatic loading and unloading of materials by a robot following a suspended chain includes loading and unloading of the suspended chain.

[0136] Overhead conveyor loading is a process in which the robot component dynamically loads workpieces picked up from the non-overhead conveyor workpiece gripping and placing positions onto a hanger located in the empty space between the workpiece loading and unloading positions on the overhead conveyor line.

[0137] A method for feeding overhead chains includes the following steps.

[0138] Step A1, Workpiece Conveying: The non-suspended chain conveyor line transports the workpiece to the workpiece gripping and releasing position, and the tooling plate lifting and positioning assembly positions and lifts the workpiece located at the workpiece gripping and releasing position.

[0139] Step A2, workpiece gripping: The robot grips the workpiece after positioning and lifting. The preferred method for gripping the workpiece includes the following steps.

[0140] Step A21, Workpiece presence detection: The robot moves to the workpiece gripping and placing position and uses a laser sensor to detect whether the workpiece is present at the workpiece gripping and placing position.

[0141] Step A22, adsorbing the workpiece: The spring-loaded floating suction cup elastically adsorbs the top of the workpiece; and a vacuum sensor is used to detect the adsorption vacuum level to ensure that the vacuum level is within the set range.

[0142] Step A23, workpiece clamping: While the workpiece is being adsorbed, the pneumatic grippers close to clamp the side wall of the workpiece.

[0143] Step A3, Hanger Following: The hanger following positioning component positions and follows the empty hanger that enters the hanger following station.

[0144] By installing a hanger following and positioning component on the overhead conveyor line, the empty hangers or hangers with workpieces entering the hanger following station can be positioned and followed. The positioning and following method of the hanger following and positioning component includes the following steps:

[0145] Step 1, Hanger Guiding: The guide component in the hanger following and positioning assembly guides the hanger entering the hanger following station in the X direction; where X direction is the transmission direction of the overhead conveyor.

[0146] Step 2, Follow-up component on the hanger: When the hanger enters the hanger following station, the follow-up component on the hanger in the hanger following positioning component slides and clamps the top of the hanger located in the hanger following station and follows it.

[0147] Step 3: Monitor the following movement displacement: The follower component on the bracket has a built-in follower position encoder, which will monitor the following movement displacement of the follower component on the bracket in real time and feed it back to the control cabinet in real time.

[0148] Step 4: Active sliding of the lower positioning component of the hanger: While the follower component on the hanger is moving along, the slide component of the lower positioning component of the hanger in the hanger following positioning component will actively slide along the X direction according to the following displacement monitored by the follower position encoder.

[0149] Step 5: Monitor active sliding displacement: The positioning component under the bracket has a built-in slide position encoder, which will monitor the active sliding displacement of the slide component in real time and provide feedback to the control cabinet in real time.

[0150] Step 6, Hanger Positioning: When the active sliding displacement monitored by the slide position encoder is equal to the following walking speed monitored by the follow position encoder, the hanger lower positioning gripper in the hanger lower positioning component will position and clamp the bottom of the hanger, so that the hanger remains vertical and does not shake.

[0151] The robot component dynamically follows the active sliding displacement fed back by the slide position encoder, and arrives at the workpiece loading and unloading position synchronously with the hanger transmitted from the hanger following the work station, thus achieving dynamic and accurate loading and unloading.

[0152] Step 6, the bracket positioning method, specifically includes the following steps:

[0153] Step 6-1, Hanger presence detection: Install a hanger lower positioning gripper on the slide assembly. The hanger lower positioning gripper is equipped with a hanger presence detection sensor to detect whether there is a hanger in front of the hanger lower positioning gripper.

[0154] Step 6-2, Initial positioning of the bottom of the hanger: The slide assembly includes a long slide and a short slide; the long slide is used for active sliding along the X direction, and the short slide is used for active sliding along the Y direction; the Y direction is a horizontal direction perpendicular to the X direction; the lower positioning gripper of the hanger includes a hanger lifting assembly and a hanger bottom positioning assembly; the hanger bottom positioning assembly includes a parallel guide fork and a hanger positioning gripper; the short slide drives the lower positioning gripper of the hanger to slide in the Y direction towards the hanger; the guide fork guides the hanger in the Y direction to achieve initial positioning of the bottom of the hanger.

[0155] Step 6-3, Hanger Height Positioning: The hanger lifting component drives the hanger to rise to the set height, and the hanger is positioned at the set height.

[0156] Step 6-4, Secondary positioning of the bottom of the hanger: The positioning jaws of the hanger close and clamp the bottom of the hanger to achieve secondary positioning of the bottom of the hanger.

[0157] Step A4, Robot Following: The robot in the robot assembly dynamically follows the active sliding displacement fed back by the slide position encoder in step A3, and synchronously reaches the workpiece loading and unloading position with the hanger transmitted from the hanger following station.

[0158] Step A5, workpiece loading: At the workpiece loading / unloading position, the robot dynamically places the gripped workpiece onto the workpiece rack on the hanger.

[0159] Step A6: The robot assembly and the hanger follow-up positioning assembly are reset, and the loading of the next workpiece is repeated.

[0160] Overhead conveyor unloading is a process in which a robot component dynamically picks up workpieces located on the workpiece loading / unloading racks of an overhead conveyor line and places them at workpiece picking / unloading positions outside the overhead conveyor line.

[0161] The method for unloading overhead chains includes the following steps:

[0162] Step B1, Tooling plate conveying: The non-suspended chain conveyor line transports the tooling plate of the hole to the workpiece gripping and unloading position. The tooling plate lifting and positioning assembly positions and lifts the tooling plate located at the workpiece gripping and unloading position.

[0163] Step B2: The robot component moves to the loading / unloading waiting position.

[0164] Step B3, Hanger Following: The hanger following positioning component positions and follows the hanger that has entered the hanger following station and is carrying a workpiece. The specific following method is the same as in step A3, and will not be repeated here.

[0165] Step B4, Robot Following: The robot in the robot assembly dynamically follows the active sliding displacement fed back by the slide position encoder in step B3, and synchronously reaches the workpiece loading and unloading position with the hanger transmitted from the hanger following station.

[0166] Step B5, workpiece unloading: At the workpiece unloading position, the robot dynamically grabs the workpiece suspended on the workpiece hanger and places it on the tooling plate after positioning and lifting in step B1.

[0167] Step B6: The robot assembly and the hanger follow-up positioning assembly are reset, and the unloading of the next workpiece is repeated.

[0168] This invention enables the relative position positioning accuracy of the workpiece to be controlled within ±0.2mm, and the automatic following speed difference to be ≤0.2mm / s.

[0169] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention, various equivalent transformations can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention, and these equivalent transformations all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for automatic loading and unloading of materials by a robot following a suspended chain, characterized in that: This includes overhead chain loading and overhead chain unloading; Overhead conveyor feeding is a process in which the robot component dynamically feeds workpieces picked up from the workpiece gripping and unloading positions on the non-overhead conveyor line onto empty hangers located at the workpiece loading and unloading positions on the overhead conveyor line. Overhead conveyor unloading is a process in which a robot component dynamically picks up workpieces located on the workpiece loading / unloading racks of the overhead conveyor line and places them at the workpiece picking / unloading positions outside the overhead conveyor line. By installing a hanger following and positioning component on the overhead conveyor line, the empty hangers or hangers with workpieces entering the hanger following station can be positioned and followed. The positioning and following method of the hanger following and positioning component includes the following steps: Step 1, Hanger Guiding: The guide component in the hanger following and positioning assembly guides the hanger entering the hanger following station in the X direction; where X direction is the transmission direction of the overhead conveyor line; Step 2, Follow-up component on the hanger: When the hanger enters the hanger following station, the follow-up component on the hanger in the hanger following positioning component slides and clamps the top of the hanger located at the hanger following station and follows it. Step 3: Monitor the following movement displacement: The follower component on the bracket has a built-in follower position encoder, which will monitor the following movement displacement of the follower component on the bracket in real time and feed it back to the control cabinet in real time. Step 4, Active sliding of the lower positioning component of the hanger: While the follower component on the hanger is moving along, the slide component of the lower positioning component of the hanger in the hanger following positioning component will actively slide along the X direction according to the following movement displacement monitored by the follower position encoder. Step 5: Monitor active sliding displacement: The positioning component under the bracket has a built-in slide position encoder, which will monitor the active sliding displacement of the slide component in real time and provide real-time feedback to the control cabinet. Step 6, Hanger positioning: When the active sliding displacement monitored by the slide position encoder is equal to the following walking speed monitored by the follow position encoder, the hanger lower positioning claw in the hanger lower positioning component will position and clamp the bottom of the hanger to keep the hanger vertical and not shake. The robot component dynamically follows the active sliding displacement fed back by the slide position encoder, and arrives at the workpiece loading and unloading position synchronously with the hanger transmitted from the hanger following the work station, thus achieving dynamic and accurate loading and unloading.

2. The robot automatic following overhead conveyor loading and unloading method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Step 6, the bracket positioning method, specifically includes the following steps: Step 6-1, Hanger presence detection: Install a hanger lower positioning gripper on the slide assembly. The hanger lower positioning gripper is equipped with a hanger presence detection sensor to detect whether there is a hanger in front of the hanger lower positioning gripper. Step 6-2, Initial positioning of the bottom of the hanger: The slide assembly includes a long slide and a short slide; the long slide is used for active sliding along the X direction, and the short slide is used for active sliding along the Y direction; the Y direction is a horizontal direction perpendicular to the X direction; the lower positioning gripper of the hanger includes a hanger lifting assembly and a hanger bottom positioning assembly; the hanger bottom positioning assembly includes a parallel guide fork and a hanger positioning gripper; the short slide drives the lower positioning gripper of the hanger to slide in the Y direction towards the hanger; the guide fork guides the hanger in the Y direction to achieve initial positioning of the bottom of the hanger; Step 6-3, Hanger Height Positioning: The hanger lifting assembly raises the hanger to the set height, and the hanger is positioned at the set height. Step 6-4, Secondary positioning of the bottom of the hanger: The positioning jaws of the hanger close and clamp the bottom of the hanger to achieve secondary positioning of the bottom of the hanger.

3. The robot automatic following overhead conveyor loading and unloading method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 1, each hanger includes two parallel vertical hanging rods; the two vertical hanging rods are connected by several parallel horizontal rods; one of the horizontal rods forms a height positioning rod; in step 6-2, the bottom positioning components of the hanger have two sets, which are arranged in parallel; in step 6-3, the hanger lifting component realizes the synchronous lifting of the height of the two vertical hanging rods in each hanger through the lifting height positioning rod.

4. The robot automatic following overhead conveyor loading and unloading method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 4, the slide assembly actively slides along the X direction, driven by a lead screw transmission mechanism; the lead screw transmission mechanism includes a lead screw and a lead screw drive servo motor; the slide position encoder is installed on the lead screw.

5. The robot automatic following overhead conveyor loading and unloading method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding method for overhead conveyors includes the following steps: Step A1, Workpiece Conveying: The non-suspended chain conveyor line transports the workpiece to the workpiece gripping and releasing position, and the tooling plate lifting and positioning assembly positions and lifts the workpiece located at the workpiece gripping and releasing position; Step A2, Workpiece Grabbing: The robot grabs the workpiece after it has been positioned and lifted. Step A3, Hanger Following: The hanger following positioning component positions and follows the empty hanger entering the hanger following station; Step A4, Robot Following: The robot in the robot assembly dynamically follows the active sliding displacement fed back by the slide position encoder in step A3, and synchronously reaches the workpiece loading and unloading position with the hanger transmitted from the hanger following station. Step A5, workpiece loading: At the workpiece loading / unloading position, the robot dynamically places the gripped workpiece onto the workpiece rack on the hanger. Step A6: The robot assembly and the hanger follow-up positioning assembly are reset, and the loading of the next workpiece is repeated.

6. The robot automatic following overhead conveyor loading and unloading method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The robot components include the robot and the robot gripper assembly; The robot gripper assembly includes a base plate and at least one set of workpiece clamping mechanisms; The base plate is located at the end of the robot, and each workpiece clamping mechanism includes a vacuum suction cup and a pneumatic gripper; Vacuum suction cups can pick up the top of a workpiece; pneumatic grippers can clamp the two side walls of a workpiece.

7. The robot automatic following overhead conveyor loading and unloading method according to claim 6, characterized in that: In step A2, each workpiece clamping mechanism also includes a vacuum sensor and a laser sensor; the vacuum sensor can detect the vacuum level of the vacuum chuck; the laser sensor can detect whether there is a workpiece in front of the pneumatic gripper; the vacuum chuck is a spring-loaded floating chuck.

8. The robot automatic following overhead conveyor loading and unloading method according to claim 7, characterized in that: In step A2, the method for the robot to grasp the workpiece includes the following steps: Step A21, Workpiece presence / absence detection: The robot moves to the workpiece gripping and unloading position and checks whether the workpiece located at the workpiece gripping and unloading position is present; Step A22, Adsorbing the workpiece: The spring-loaded floating suction cup elastically adsorbs the top of the workpiece; and a vacuum sensor is used to detect the adsorption vacuum level to ensure that the vacuum level is within the set range; Step A23, workpiece clamping: While the workpiece is being adsorbed, the pneumatic grippers close to clamp the side wall of the workpiece.

9. The robot automatic following overhead conveyor loading and unloading method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method for unloading overhead chains includes the following steps: Step B1, Tooling plate conveying: The non-suspended chain conveyor line transports the empty tooling plate to the workpiece gripping and unloading position, and the tooling plate lifting and positioning assembly positions and lifts the tooling plate located at the workpiece gripping and unloading position. Step B2: The robot component moves to the loading / unloading waiting position; Step B3, Hanger Following: The hanger following positioning component positions and follows the hanger that enters the hanger following station and has a workpiece suspended on it; Step B4, Robot Following: The robot in the robot assembly dynamically follows the active sliding displacement fed back by the slide position encoder in step B3, and reaches the workpiece loading and unloading position synchronously with the hanger transmitted from the hanger following station. Step B5, workpiece unloading: At the workpiece unloading position, the robot dynamically grabs the workpiece suspended on the workpiece hanger and places it on the tooling plate after positioning and lifting in step B1. Step B6: The robot assembly and the hanger follow-up positioning assembly are reset, and the unloading of the next workpiece is repeated.

10. The robot automatic following overhead conveyor loading and unloading method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 1, the workpiece is a refrigeration compressor.

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