End effector of a robot for a mixer car capping machine and a capping method thereof

Abstract

An end effector and its capping method for a robot used for capping mixed-steel cars belong to the field of robot control. The end effector includes at least: a pickup and release unit, a buffer unit, a heat-insulating cover distance detection unit, an end effector structure protection unit, and a pneumatic actuator unit. The capping method includes: after a heat-insulating cover vision system identifies the center of the heat-insulating cover at the current pickup location and feeds this information back to the robot system, the end effector's pickup center moves to directly above the center of the heat-insulating cover; the value fed back by the heat-insulating cover distance detection unit drives the robot system to descend with the end effector and pick up the heat-insulating cover; the tank opening vision system identifies the current orientation of the mixed-steel car's tank opening and feeds back the data to the robot system, guiding it to move above the tank opening, and then releasing the heat-insulating cover to complete the capping operation. This automatically guides the robot to perform precise capping operations on the mixed-steel car's tank opening, ensuring the safety of the operating equipment and the object being operated on throughout the entire operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technology of a robotic end effector for capping the mouth of a molten iron car in the iron transport process of the steel industry, and more specifically, to an end effector for a robot for capping molten iron cars and a capping method thereof. Background Technology

[0002] In the iron and steel metallurgical process, the transportation of molten iron is mainly undertaken by mixed iron cars.

[0003] Currently, in the molten iron transportation process, it takes about 5 hours for the molten iron car to complete the iron unloading operation and return to the blast furnace to wait for iron to be received.

[0004] Currently, the ladle openings of the molten iron mixing cars lack covering devices, causing the hot air inside the ladle to come into direct contact with the ambient atmosphere, resulting in pollution emissions. Furthermore, the temperature inside the ladle drops significantly, leading to energy waste in subsequent molten iron processing.

[0005] Currently, most installations use manual electric hoists to lift the insulated covers (such as those designed for mixed-rail cars) to the concrete cars. Figure 1 (As shown) The material was moved from the ground to the top of the mixing tank opening for capping.

[0006] Typically, this type of insulation cover 1 consists of two main parts: the main structure 2 and the insulation cotton 3. The main structure 2 has a flat iron plate in the center, providing various lifting options for operations. The insulation cotton 3 is a single, round piece, usually made of fiberglass wool, and the main structure 2 and the insulation cotton 3 are bound together with high-temperature resistant iron wire.

[0007] Because the operation requires workers to stand close to the mixing car, the extremely high temperatures, dust, and molten steel splashes around the mixing car pose safety risks such as burns. In addition, there is a significant height difference between the operator and the opening of the mixing car, making it impossible to observe the condition of the opening and the lid. Therefore, the operation is unreliable in terms of both safety and efficiency.

[0008] To more efficiently complete the covering work on the mixed-rail vehicle, industrial robots can be used to replace manual labor, and the relevant robot end effectors should be developed as soon as possible.

[0009] Chinese invention patent application CN 106378790 A, published on February 8, 2017, discloses a robotic suction cup device, including a suction cup assembly, a positioning guide sleeve fitted inside the suction cup assembly, and a suction cup with one end fixed inside the suction cup assembly and connected to the positioning guide sleeve. The suction cup assembly includes an air duct connector with a through hole and a housing fitted onto the positioning guide sleeve; the air duct connector is threadedly connected to the suction cup connector. This device does not experience radial displacement or swaying during high-speed pickup, exhibiting good centering; the flexible vacuum suction cup is radially limited, preventing the object from shaking during high-speed handling; and the flexible suction cup itself provides excellent cushioning, ensuring good safety performance. However, this technical solution is designed for high-speed handling and palletizing needs. The suction cup is made of rubber, which lacks high-temperature protection and cannot meet the application requirements of all scenarios. The device only has a single suction cup, which limits the weight of the object being picked up. Structurally, after it is installed on the end flange of the robot, it does not provide additional depth of movement and can only realize handling near the robot's own range of motion.

[0010] Chinese invention patent CN 106514690 B, authorized on February 15, 2019, discloses "a robot end effector," including a fixture bracket for providing an end effector mounting interface, a drive system, and three grippers arranged around the center line of a cylinder. The drive system is mounted on the fixture bracket and connected to the three grippers, driving the three grippers to retract or expand to grasp or release a workpiece. The drive system drives the three grippers to move radially around the center line in a plane perpendicular to the center line to grasp or release the workpiece. The gripping surface of the grippers is adapted to the surface of the workpiece, and the contact with the workpiece during grasping is a surface contact. This technical solution improves the reliability of the grasping process by ensuring surface contact between the gripping surface and the workpiece surface. However, since its design is to handle the compressor inside an air conditioner, its gripper structure is only suitable for cubes of a certain volume. It cannot complete the task for the work object targeted by this invention (the covering operation of a mixed-iron vehicle).

[0011] Meanwhile, neither of the above two patents' technical solutions includes any related sensors or devices for locating and detecting the picked-up object. Summary of the Invention

[0012] The purpose of this invention is to provide an end effector and a capping method for a robot for capping mixed iron cars, which can automatically guide the robot to accurately pick up the insulation cap, locate the position of the mixed iron car can opening, and then guide the robot to accurately cap the mixed iron car can opening.

[0013] The technical solution of the present invention is: to provide an end effector for a robot for covering a mixed-rail vehicle, characterized in that the end effector comprises:

[0014] 1) Pick-up and release unit for picking up and releasing the heat preservation cover; including: a suction cup for picking up and releasing the heat preservation cover, and a guide rod for providing a retractable air tube for supplying compressed gas; the retractable air tube is fitted into the guide rod so that it can only move in the axial direction of the guide rod.

[0015] 2) A buffer unit for connecting the suction cup to the component mounting plate on the end effector; comprising: a buffer rod that allows for a compression stroke between the suction cup and the component mounting plate, and a buffer rod bushing that increases the contact stroke between the buffer rod and the mounting plate; an L-shaped stop is fixed above the buffer rod; the buffer rod is distributed in four holes on the mounting plate, which are square or rectangular; the diameter of the four holes on the mounting plate is slightly larger than the diameter of the buffer rod; a detection device is installed and set on the component mounting plate.

[0016] 3) Insulation cover distance detection unit, used to detect the relative distance between the insulation cover and the mounting plate; including: a laser rangefinder for performing the detection; the mounting plate has a rectangular hole in the distance measurement monitoring area of ​​the laser rangefinder, so that the detection beam of the laser rangefinder can shine directly below the mounting plate;

[0017] 4) End effector structure protection unit, used to detect the current compression of the buffer support rod; including: photoelectric sensors for detection; two photoelectric sensors are assembled in one group and installed and fixed between the fixed bracket and the mounting plate; the two photoelectric sensors in a single group are arranged vertically and installed and fixed in the direction of the end effector axis;

[0018] 5) Pneumatic actuator unit, used to control the flow of compressed air inside the suction cup; including: a two-position three-way solenoid valve and related air pipe connectors for performing air circuit control; the air inlet of the two-position three-way solenoid valve is connected to compressed air, and the two air outlets are respectively connected to a double-headed two-set connector, which is then connected to the magnetic force generation port and magnetic force elimination port of four permanent magnet pneumatic suction cups, so as to achieve the purpose of controlling the suction cup through the two-position three-way solenoid valve;

[0019] 6) End effector protective housing unit, used to enclose and protect the components inside the end effector; including: an angle steel frame to reinforce the frame structure and a sealing plate to enclose the components at the front end of the end effector, as well as a suction cup protective housing to prevent direct collision with the suction cup during movement;

[0020] 7) Heat dissipation unit, used to block high-temperature exhaust gas and dust from entering the end effector; including: a gas distribution block for performing gas distribution and a retractable and flexible air nozzle. The gas distribution block disperses the incoming gas path and connects it to the air nozzle. The high-pressure gas released by the air nozzle keeps the high-temperature exhaust gas and dust in the working environment from entering the end effector.

[0021] Furthermore, the end effector also includes a lid / can opening vision system for identifying the center position of the lid / can opening at the current pickup location and feeding it back to the robot system; including: a lid vision camera and / or a can opening vision camera.

[0022] Specifically, the suction cup used to pick up and release the heat preservation cover can be a permanent magnet pneumatic suction cup or an electromagnetic suction cup.

[0023] Preferably, the buffer support rod and the suction cup are connected and fixed by a ball joint, so that when the heat preservation cover is tilted, the suction cup is given a twisting amount, which can better complete the picking operation.

[0024] Specifically, a buffer support rod bushing is fixed between the component mounting plate and the buffer support rod. Its function is to increase the contact area between the buffer support rod and the component mounting plate by fitting the buffer support rod into the buffer support rod bushing fixed in the hole of the component mounting plate without increasing the thickness of the component mounting plate. This reduces the shaking of the buffer support rod caused by external force during operation and minimizes the weight of the end effector.

[0025] Specifically, the detection device fixed on the component mounting plate within the end effector protection unit is a photoelectric sensor.

[0026] Furthermore, the lower horizontal plane of the suction cup protective cover inside the end effector protective cover unit is higher than the horizontal plane of the bottom surface of the suction cup at the pressure limit position.

[0027] The technical solution of the present invention also provides a capping method for the end effector of the above-mentioned robot for capping mixed-rail vehicles, characterized in that it includes at least the following steps:

[0028] 1) After the end effector moves above the insulation cover, the vision system of the insulation cover identifies the center of the insulation cover at the current pick-up position and feeds it back to the robot system. Then the pick-up center position of the end effector moves to directly above the center of the insulation cover.

[0029] 2) The robot system, driven by the value fed back by the distance detection unit of the insulation cover, descends and picks up the insulation cover. During this process, if the value fed back by the distance detection unit of the insulation cover has a measurement deviation, causing the descent stroke to be too large and thus damaging the mechanical structure of the end effector, the end effector protection unit will monitor the compression of the buffer unit at all times. When it reaches the critical compression, it will send a message and drive the robot system to stop descending and lift upward.

[0030] 3) When the end effector moves above the tank opening of the mixed iron car, the tank opening vision system will identify the current position of the tank opening of the mixed iron car and feed back the data to the robot system, guiding it to move above the tank opening and then releasing the insulation cover to complete the covering operation.

[0031] Furthermore, the method of covering specifically includes the following steps:

[0032] 1) After the end effector moves above the insulation cover, the insulation cover vision camera is activated and takes a picture of the insulation cover to identify and center it; then, the insulation cover vision camera feeds back the center position coordinates of the insulation cover to the robot system.

[0033] 2) After the robot system moves the end effector directly above the insulation cover, the suction cup executes the magnetization command; the laser rangefinder inside the end effector begins to measure the distance between the current end effector and the insulation cover to be picked up; then, the end effector executes the descent command based on the feedback value;

[0034] During this process, if the feedback value is incorrect and the descent stroke is too large, the buffer support rod installed on the suction cup will start to compress. When the compression reaches the preset value and the L-shaped baffle installed on the upper end of the buffer support rod triggers the photoelectric sensor signal, the feedback robot system will stop the descent command, and it will be assumed that the picking operation of the heat preservation cover has been completed and raised to the process position height.

[0035] At this point, the laser rangefinder takes another measurement. Since the value fed back by the laser rangefinder will remain constant after the pickup is successful, this value is used to determine whether the end effector has completed the operation of picking up the insulation cover.

[0036] 3) Move the end effector that picks up the insulation cover to the process position above the tank opening of the mixing car; then, the tank opening vision camera takes a picture of the tank opening of the mixing car to identify and center it; then, the tank opening vision camera feeds back the coordinates of the center position of the tank opening to the robot system; after the robot system moves the end effector to the capping process position above the tank opening, the suction cup executes the demagnetization command, so that the insulation cover is released above the tank opening, thereby completing the capping operation;

[0037] 4) During the entire operation, the air nozzle connected to the heat dissipation unit releases high-pressure gas into the end effector, thereby preventing external high-temperature exhaust gas and dust from entering the end effector through holes or gaps, thus protecting the components.

[0038] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are:

[0039] 1. The technical solution of the present invention can automatically and accurately pick up the heat insulation cover, efficiently transport and accurately complete the capping operation of the mixing iron car mouth, which can improve the efficiency of capping the mixing iron car and reduce the danger of manual operation.

[0040] 2. Due to the adoption of automatic positioning mode, the robot can be automatically guided to accurately pick up the insulation cover, and after positioning the position of the iron-mixing car tank opening, the robot is guided again to accurately cover the iron-mixing car tank opening, ensuring the accurate positioning and smooth progress of the entire operation process, and also ensuring the safety of the operating equipment and the object being operated on during the entire operation process.

[0041] 3. The end effector of the robot system of this invention can perform efficient and high-quality capping operations on the mouth of the mixed iron car, replacing manual operation while speeding up the efficiency and safety of capping, and can be beneficially utilized in the metallurgical industry. Attached Figure Description

[0042] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the insulation cover.

[0043] Figure 2 This is an overall schematic diagram of the end effector of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the end effector of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the present invention during the operation of picking up the heat insulation cover;

[0046] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the present invention for picking up the heat-insulating cover;

[0047] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the compressed internal buffer unit of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the capping operation of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0049] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0050] This invention provides an end effector for a robot that adds a cover to a mixed-steel car, which is used to perform operations on the insulation cover of the tank opening of the mixed-steel car.

[0051] like Figure 1 As shown, the heat-insulating cover 1 includes: a pickup structure 2 and heat-insulating cotton 3.

[0052] The end effector 7 described in this invention is connected to the end of the robot via the flange mounting surface 23, and the components inside the end effector 7 communicate with the robot system through the IO-LINK controller 25.

[0053] Combination Figures 2 to 7 As shown, the end effector of the present invention includes:

[0054] 1) Pick-up and release execution unit, used to pick up and release the heat preservation cover.

[0055] The pick-up and release actuator includes: a permanent magnet pneumatic chuck 4 for picking up and releasing the heat preservation cover, a retractable air tube for providing compressed gas, and a guide rod 6 for fixing the retractable air tube.

[0056] The retractable air tube is inserted into the guide rod 6, so that it can only move in the axial direction of the guide rod 6; the permanent magnet pneumatic chuck 4 is equipped with an electromagnetic sensor 5, which can monitor the working status of the permanent magnet start-up chuck 4 in real time; the permanent magnet pneumatic chuck 4 can also be replaced by an electromagnetic chuck.

[0057] Preferably, the retractable air tube is made of a high-temperature resistant material.

[0058] 2) Buffer unit, used to connect the permanent magnet pneumatic chuck 4 to the component mounting plate 8 on the end effector 7.

[0059] The buffer unit includes: a buffer rod 9 that allows for a compression stroke between the permanent magnet pneumatic chuck 4 and the component mounting plate 8, and a buffer rod bushing 10 that increases the contact stroke between the buffer rod 9 and the mounting plate 8.

[0060] An L-shaped stop 11 is fixed above the buffer support rod 9.

[0061] The buffer support rod 9 is distributed in four holes on the mounting plate 8, which are square or rectangular.

[0062] The diameter of the four holes on the mounting plate 8 is slightly larger than the diameter of the buffer support rod 9.

[0063] 3) Insulation cover distance detection unit, used to detect the relative distance between the insulation cover 1 and the mounting plate 8.

[0064] The insulation cover distance detection unit includes a laser rangefinder 12 for performing the detection.

[0065] The laser rangefinder 12 is installed and fixed between the fixed bracket and the mounting plate 8;

[0066] The mounting plate 8 has a rectangular hole in the ranging monitoring area of ​​the laser rangefinder 12, so that the detection beam of the laser rangefinder 12 can shine directly below the mounting plate 8.

[0067] 4) End effector structure protection unit, used to detect the current compression of the buffer rod 9.

[0068] The end effector structure protection unit includes: a photoelectric sensor 13 for performing detection;

[0069] Two photoelectric sensors 13 are assembled together and are fixed to the mounting plate 8 by means of a fixed bracket;

[0070] Two photoelectric sensors are arranged vertically and fixedly facing the axis of the end effector 7.

[0071] 5) Pneumatic actuator, used to control the flow of compressed air inside the permanent magnet pneumatic chuck 4.

[0072] The pneumatic actuator includes a two-position three-way solenoid valve 14 and related air pipe connectors for performing pneumatic control.

[0073] The two-position three-way solenoid valve 14 is connected to compressed air at its inlet and to a double-headed two-set connector at each of its two outlets. Then, it is connected to the magnetic force generation port and magnetic force elimination port of the four permanent magnet pneumatic chucks 4 respectively, so as to achieve the purpose of controlling the permanent magnet pneumatic chucks 4 through the two-position three-way solenoid valve 14.

[0074] 6) End effector protective housing unit, used to enclose and protect the components inside the end effector.

[0075] The end effector protective housing unit includes: an angle steel frame 21 for reinforcing the frame structure, a sealing plate 22 for enclosing the components at the front end of the end effector, and a suction cup protective housing 24 to prevent direct collision with the suction cup during movement.

[0076] 7) Heat dissipation unit, used to block high-temperature exhaust gas in the working environment from the end effector.

[0077] The heat dissipation unit includes an air distribution block 19 for separating the air path and an air pipe nozzle 20 for performing air blowing operations.

[0078] After the main air path enters the end effector, it splits into two: one supplying the pneumatic actuator and the other supplying the heat dissipation unit.

[0079] The air nozzle is made of a flexible material that can extend and bend, making it easy to blow high-pressure gas into every corner of the end effector.

[0080] Furthermore, the end effector also includes a lid / can opening vision system for identifying the center position of the lid / can opening at the current pickup location and feeding it back to the robot system; including: a lid vision camera and / or a can opening vision camera.

[0081] In practical applications, in order to simplify the system configuration and spare parts types, the same type of vision camera can be used for the insulation cover vision camera and the tank opening vision camera. If the control program makes corresponding definitions and distinctions, the same vision camera can also be used for the insulation cover vision camera and the tank opening vision camera, realizing the "one machine, two uses" function reuse of the vision camera.

[0082] The present invention also provides a capping method for the end effector of the above-mentioned hybrid car capping robot, comprising the following steps:

[0083] 1) Move the end effector 7 to the process position (hereinafter referred to as the process position) above the insulation cover 1. The insulation cover vision camera 15 installed on the end effector takes a picture of the insulation cover 1 for identification. After finding the center position and feeding back the coordinates, the robot carries the end effector 7 to move directly above the insulation cover 1. That is, the center point of the rectangle where the four permanent magnet pneumatic suction cups 4 installed on the mounting plate 8 are distributed coincides with the center point of the insulation cover 1 in the vertical direction.

[0084] 2) The two-position three-way solenoid valve 14 switches the air supply to the magnetic force generation channel; that is, at this time, the four permanent magnet pneumatic suction cups 4 generate magnetic force; then, the laser rangefinder 12 measures the relative distance between the current end effector 7 and the insulation cover 1, and converts it into the relative distance between the adsorption surface of the permanent magnet pneumatic suction cup 4 and the insulation cover 1; the end effector 7 descends by the measured distance and completes the operation of picking up the insulation cover 1. During this process, if the measurement value of the laser rangefinder 12 deviates, resulting in an excessive descent stroke, the buffer support rod 9 fixed to the permanent magnet pneumatic suction cup 4 will move upward; when the error value is large and the upward movement of the buffer support rod 9 increases, the L-shaped stop 11 fixed on the buffer support rod 4 also moves with the buffer support rod 9 during this process. When the upward movement of the L-shaped stop 11 triggers the photoelectric sensor 13, the robot will receive a signal feedback and terminate the descent of the end effector 7 to protect the main structure of the end effector 7.

[0085] 3) After the end effector 7 completes the pickup operation, it returns to the process position; at this time, the laser rangefinder 12 performs measurement again. When the end effector 7 is picking up the insulation cover 1, the measurement value of the laser rangefinder 12 should be a fixed value. When the value feedback result is much greater than the fixed value, it is determined that the current insulation cover 1 is lost or the pickup operation has failed.

[0086] 4) After the end effector 7 moves above the tank opening 17 of the mixed iron car, the high-pressure gas blown out by the air nozzle 20 in the air blowing device 18 can block the high-temperature exhaust gas emitted above the tank opening 17 from the end effector. The tank opening vision camera 16 takes a picture of the tank opening 17 of the mixed iron car, finds the center position and feeds back the coordinates. Then the end effector 7 moves to directly above the tank opening 17 of the mixed iron car, and the two-position three-way solenoid valve 14 switches the air supply to the magnetic force disappearance channel. That is, at this time, the four permanent magnet pneumatic suction cups 4 lose their magnetic force, and the heat preservation cover 1 is then placed on the tank opening 17 of the mixed iron car, and the covering operation is completed.

[0087] In summary, the covering device and method of the present invention, by replacing the step of manually lifting the insulation cover from the ground and then covering it onto the mixing car, and by using the automated covering device of the present invention, accelerates the sampling efficiency and improves safety and reliability. Therefore, it can be beneficially utilized in the iron and steel industry.

[0088] Furthermore, in the technical solution of this invention, a heat insulation cover distance detection unit is set on the end effector, which can measure the position and distance of the heat insulation cover in real time and accurately, find the center position of the heat insulation cover and feed back the coordinates, ensuring the safety of the working equipment and the object being worked on throughout the entire operation process.

[0089] This invention can be widely used in the design and manufacture of molten iron transportation equipment in the steel industry.

[0090] Those skilled in the art should recognize that the above embodiments are merely illustrative of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any variations or modifications to the above embodiments that are within the spirit and essence of the present invention will fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An end effector for a robot used in adding covers to mixed-rail vehicles, characterized in that: The end effector includes: 1) Pick-up and release unit for picking up and releasing the heat preservation cover; including: a suction cup for picking up and releasing the heat preservation cover, and a guide rod for providing a retractable air tube for supplying compressed gas; the retractable air tube is fitted into the guide rod so that it can only move in the axial direction of the guide rod. 2) A buffer unit for connecting the suction cup to the component mounting plate on the end effector; comprising: a buffer rod that provides a compression stroke between the suction cup and the component mounting plate, and a buffer rod bushing that increases the contact stroke between the buffer rod and the mounting plate; an L-shaped stop is fixed above the buffer rod; the buffer rod is distributed in four holes on the mounting plate, which are square or rectangular; the diameter of the four holes on the mounting plate is slightly larger than the diameter of the buffer rod; a detection device is installed and set on the component mounting plate. 3) Insulation cover distance detection unit, used to detect the relative distance between the insulation cover and the mounting plate; including: a laser rangefinder for performing the detection; the mounting plate has a rectangular hole in the distance measurement monitoring area of ​​the laser rangefinder, so that the detection beam of the laser rangefinder can shine directly below the mounting plate; 4) End effector structure protection unit, used to detect the current compression of the buffer support rod; including: photoelectric sensors for detection; two photoelectric sensors are assembled in one group and fixed between the fixed bracket and the mounting plate; the two photoelectric sensors in a single group are arranged vertically and fixed in the direction of the end effector axis. 5) Pneumatic actuator unit, used to control the flow of compressed air inside the suction cup; including: a two-position three-way solenoid valve and related air pipe connectors for performing air circuit control; the air inlet of the two-position three-way solenoid valve is connected to compressed air, and the two air outlets are respectively connected to a double-headed two-set connector, which is then connected to the magnetic force generation port and magnetic force elimination port of four permanent magnet pneumatic suction cups, so as to achieve the purpose of controlling the suction cup through the two-position three-way solenoid valve; 6) End effector protective housing unit, used to enclose and protect the components inside the end effector; including: an angle steel frame to reinforce the frame structure and a sealing plate to enclose the components at the front end of the end effector, as well as a suction cup protective housing to prevent direct collision with the suction cup during movement; 7) Heat dissipation unit, used to block high-temperature exhaust gas and dust outside the end effector; including: a gas distribution block for performing gas distribution and a telescopic and bendable air pipe nozzle. The gas distribution block disperses the incoming gas path and connects it to the air pipe nozzle. The high-pressure gas released by the air pipe nozzle keeps the high-temperature exhaust gas and dust in the working environment outside the end effector.

2. The end effector for a robot for covering a mixed-rail vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end effector also includes a lid / can opening vision system for identifying the center position of the lid and / or can opening to be picked up and feeding it back to the robot system; including: a lid vision camera and / or a can opening vision camera.

3. The end effector for a robot for covering a mixed-rail vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The suction cup used to pick up and release the heat preservation cover is a permanent magnet pneumatic suction cup or an electromagnetic suction cup.

4. The end effector for a robot for covering a mixed-rail vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The buffer support rod and the suction cup are connected and fixed by a ball joint, so that when the heat preservation cover is tilted, the suction cup is given a twisting amount, which can better complete the picking operation.

5. The end effector for a robot for covering a mixed-rail vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: A buffer support bushing is fixed between the component mounting plate and the buffer support rod. Its function is to increase the contact area between the buffer support rod and the component mounting plate by fitting the buffer support rod into the buffer support bushing fixed in the hole of the component mounting plate without increasing the thickness of the component mounting plate. This reduces the shaking of the buffer support rod caused by external force during operation and minimizes the weight of the end effector.

6. The end effector for a robot for covering a mixed-rail vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: Within the end effector structure protection unit, the detection device fixed on the component mounting plate is a photoelectric sensor.

7. The end effector for a robot for covering a mixed-rail vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The suction cup protective cover inside the end effector protective cover unit has a lower horizontal plane that is higher than the horizontal plane of the bottom surface of the suction cup at the pressure limit position.

8. A capping method for an end effector of a robot for capping mixed-rail vehicles as described in any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, At least the following steps are included: 1) After the end effector moves above the insulation cover, the vision system of the insulation cover identifies the center of the insulation cover at the current pick-up position and feeds it back to the robot system. Then the pick-up center position of the end effector moves to directly above the center of the insulation cover. 2) The robot system, driven by the value fed back by the distance detection unit of the insulation cover, descends and picks up the insulation cover with the end effector. During this process, if the value fed back by the distance detection unit of the insulation cover has a measurement deviation, resulting in an excessive descent stroke that may damage the mechanical structure of the end effector, the end effector protection unit will monitor the compression of the buffer unit at all times. When it reaches the critical compression, it will send a message and drive the robot system to stop descending and lift upward. 3) When the end effector moves above the tank opening of the mixed iron car, the tank opening vision system will identify the current position of the tank opening of the mixed iron car and feed back the data to the robot system, guiding it to move above the tank opening and then releasing the insulation cover to complete the covering operation.

9. The capping method of the end effector for the capping robot of a mixed-rail vehicle according to claim 8, characterized in that: The method of covering the cap specifically includes the following steps: 1) After the end effector moves above the insulation cover, the insulation cover vision camera is activated and takes a picture of the insulation cover to identify and center it; then, the insulation cover vision camera feeds back the center position coordinates of the insulation cover to the robot system. 2) After the robot system moves the end effector directly above the insulation cover, the suction cup executes the magnetization command; the laser rangefinder inside the end effector starts to measure the distance between the current end effector and the insulation cover to be picked up, and converts it into the relative distance between the adsorption surface of the permanent magnet pneumatic suction cup and the insulation cover; the end effector descends by this distance and completes the operation of picking up the insulation cover; During this process, if the feedback value is incorrect and the descent stroke is too large, the buffer support rod installed on the suction cup will start to compress. When the compression reaches the preset value and causes the L-shaped baffle installed on the upper end of the buffer support rod to trigger the photoelectric sensor signal, the feedback robot system will stop the descent command, and it will be assumed that the picking operation of the heat preservation cover has been completed and raised to the process position height. At this point, the laser rangefinder takes another measurement. Since the value fed back by the laser rangefinder will remain constant after the pickup is successful, this value is used to determine whether the end effector has completed the operation of picking up the insulation cover. 3) Move the end effector that picks up the insulation cover to the process position above the tank opening of the mixing car; then, the tank opening vision camera takes a picture of the tank opening of the mixing car to identify and center it; then, the tank opening vision camera feeds back the coordinates of the center position of the tank opening to the robot system; after the robot system moves the end effector to the capping process position above the tank opening, the suction cup executes the demagnetization command, so that the insulation cover is released above the tank opening, thereby completing the capping operation; 4) During the entire operation, the air nozzle connected to the heat dissipation unit releases high-pressure gas into the end effector, thereby preventing external high-temperature exhaust gas and dust from entering the end effector through holes or gaps, thus protecting the components.

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