Automated loading, unloading, and palletizing production line using AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) trolleys and its production method

Abstract

This invention proposes an automated loading and unloading palletizing production line and its production method using AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) carts for material handling. The line includes a PLC, a wireless communication link, a linear conveyor belt for material transport, AGV carts, and a loading robot at the beginning of the production line. The AGV transport path is parallel to the conveyor belt. Limit switches for the AGV inlet and outlet are located at the beginning of the transport path. Multiple photoelectric sensors arranged in a straight line at the beginning of the conveyor belt are used to detect the presence of materials beside the conveyor belt. A lifting device for supporting material racks is located on the top of the AGV cart. When the AGV cart triggers the limit switches for the inlet and outlet, it repeatedly moves back and forth to continuously place multiple material racks along the transport path. When the material to be processed triggers all the photoelectric sensors, the loading robot transfers the material to the conveyor belt, which then delivers it to the processing equipment in the middle of the production line for processing. This invention optimizes the material handling process for the uncertain processing time of bamboo and wood products, ensuring compatibility with production sequence requirements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of bamboo and wood product processing technology, and in particular to an automated loading and unloading palletizing production line using AGV carts for transfer and its production method. Background Technology

[0002] Bamboo and wood products with complex structures often require manual operation due to their intricate processes, which can take a considerable amount of time to process. Furthermore, the processing time for each bamboo and wood product is unpredictable. When materials are transported via conveyor belts, the conveyor belts may need to be stopped for varying periods of time to wait for the materials to be processed. This poses challenges to the material transfer design of automated production lines based on conveyor belts. Integrating a specially designed material transfer structure into the conveyor belt itself would further increase equipment costs.

[0003] AGVs can be used to transport materials. Therefore, if they can be coordinated with the production sequence of conveyor belt-based automated production lines, they will greatly facilitate the material transfer of the production line and effectively control the equipment cost of the production line. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention proposes an automated loading and unloading palletizing production line and its production method using AGV carts for material transfer. It can be used for material transfer in automated production lines for bamboo and wood products based on conveyor belts, and the transfer process can be compatible with the production sequence for uncertain processing times of bamboo and wood products.

[0005] The present invention adopts the following technical solution.

[0006] An automated loading and unloading palletizing production line using AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) carts for material transport includes a PLC, a wireless communication link, a linear conveyor belt for material transport, AGV carts, and a loading robot at the beginning of the production line. The AGV carts travel along a transport path parallel to the conveyor belt. Limit switches for cart entry and exit are located at the beginning of the transport path. Multiple photoelectric sensors arranged in a straight line at the beginning of the conveyor belt are used to detect the presence of materials beside the conveyor belt. A lifting device for lifting material racks is located on the top of the AGV carts. When an AGV cart carrying a material rack enters the transport path and triggers the limit switches for cart entry and exit, the AGV cart repeatedly moves back and forth to continuously place multiple material racks along the transport path. When the material to be processed on the top of the material rack triggers all photoelectric sensors, the production line starts the loading robot and the conveyor belt, transferring the material to the conveyor belt, which then transports it to the processing equipment in the middle of the production line for processing.

[0007] The production line is equipped with a palletizing robot for finished product removal and palletizing at the end; the transfer path is equipped with a rear limit switch at the end of the vehicle; the material rack can hold a fixed number of materials; the AGV trolley starts from the beginning of the transfer path and continuously places multiple material racks along the transfer path to trigger all photoelectric sensors, and the number of material racks required is also a fixed number; when the loading robot transfers the materials on each material rack to the conveyor belt, the AGV trolley obtains the loading count of the loading robot through a wireless communication link to determine whether the material rack has been emptied, and sends the empty material rack to the end of the transfer path. The palletizing robot takes the finished products processed by the production line from the conveyor belt and stacks them on the material rack at the end of the transfer path.

[0008] The number of finished products that can be placed on the material rack is a fixed value. When the palletizing robot stacks the finished products from the conveyor belt onto the material rack, the AGV trolley determines whether the material rack is full of finished products according to the number of times the palletizing robot has stacked the finished products, and transports the material rack full of finished products to the finished product warehouse.

[0009] The loading robot is equipped with a camera and a suction cup for picking up materials. The PLC uses the image captured by the camera at the feeding port at the beginning of the transfer path to locate the material rack and control the loading robot to pick up the materials to be processed. The suction cup is equipped with a pressure sensor for measuring the load-bearing capacity of the suction cup. The pressure sensor is connected to the PLC. When the load-bearing capacity of the suction cup measured by the pressure sensor is less than a threshold, the PLC determines that the suction cup cannot reliably transfer the material to the conveyor belt and sends a manual intervention request to the remote management personnel.

[0010] The materials to be processed at the top of the material rack are complex-shaped wooden or bamboo products. When the remote management personnel receive the manual intervention request information from the PLC, they observe the materials to be processed through a camera via a wireless communication link and remotely control the loading robot to transfer the materials to be processed to the conveyor belt.

[0011] The material rack is a rectangular frame with four legs. The height of the material rack's legs is greater than that of the AGV trolley. The top of the AGV trolley is equipped with a lifting mechanism that can lift the material rack. When transporting the material rack, the AGV trolley crawls under the material rack and uses the lifting mechanism to lift the material rack and drive it. After reaching the destination, the lifting mechanism lowers the material rack to place it on the ground.

[0012] The palletizing robot is a gantry robot supported by a truss; the rear limit switch at the end of the transfer path is located within the coverage area of ​​the truss. When the AGV travels in a straight line from the beginning of the transfer path to trigger the rear limit switch, the AGV stops, the lifting mechanism lowers and places the material rack at the discharge port under the truss, and then crawls out from under the material rack; the gantry robot positions the material rack at the discharge port according to the camera at the truss and stacks the finished products on the empty material rack.

[0013] When the processing equipment processes materials, the conveyor belt stops moving for a period of not less than 20 seconds. The processing equipment includes automatic processing equipment, semi-automatic processing equipment, or manual processing station.

[0014] When the AGV trolley places two material racks along the transfer path, starting from the beginning of the transfer path, all the photoelectric sensors at the beginning of the conveyor belt are triggered, and the PLC determines that there are enough materials to be processed in the feeding port.

[0015] A production method for an automated loading and unloading palletizing production line using AGV carts for transfer, employing the automated loading and unloading palletizing production line using AGV carts for transfer as described in claim 3, is characterized by comprising the following steps;

[0016] Step S1: The AGV trolley moves the material rack to the feeding port at the beginning of the transfer path, making no less than two round trips, until all the photoelectric sensors at the beginning of the conveyor belt are triggered, and the PLC determines that there is enough material to be processed in the feeding port.

[0017] Step S2: The PLC starts the loading robot; it transfers the material to be processed on the material rack at the feeding port to the conveyor belt, and starts the conveyor belt at the same time.

[0018] Step S3: The AGV car obtains the number of times the loading robot has loaded via the wireless communication link, determines whether there is a material rack with empty material at the feeding port, and sends the empty material rack to the end of the transfer path for the palletizing robot to place the finished product.

[0019] Step S4: The AGV trolley obtains the number of palletizing actions of the palletizing robot through the wireless communication link, determines whether there is a material rack full of finished products at the discharge port, transports the material rack full of finished products to the external finished product warehouse, and then returns to the discharge port.

[0020] Step S4: After the AGV has delivered all the material racks at the feeding port to the end of the transfer path, the PLC determines that the current processing batch of the production line has completed feeding. The AGV then transports the material racks containing the materials to be processed from the raw material warehouse to the feeding port for use by the next processing batch of the production line.

[0021] Because this invention uses AGV carts to transport materials and finished products, multiple material racks can be placed at the feeding port at one time. It can also accommodate the uncertainties in the processing time of bamboo and wood products. The production sequence of feeding and finished product warehousing is more compatible. At the same time, the AGV carts and the original conveyor belt are independent of each other, so there is no need to make major modifications to the conveyor belt, thereby greatly saving equipment modification costs.

[0022] This invention uses a suction cup to pick up materials, thereby avoiding damage to the surface of delicate bamboo and wood products. In order to prevent the suction cup from being unable to reliably pick up materials due to the irregularity of the surface of the bamboo and wood products, this invention also uses a pressure sensor to measure the load on the suction cup to determine whether the suction cup can reliably pick up the current material, and introduces human intervention in a timely manner based on the judgment result, so as to minimize damage to delicate bamboo and wood products during the production process.

[0023] In this invention, the AGV trolley transfers the material rack along a transfer path parallel to the conveyor belt, which greatly saves transfer time, makes it easier for on-site personnel to manage, and can also work well with the conveyor belt to achieve better reliability.

[0024] Because the AGV in this invention integrates cameras and photoelectric sensors for obstacle avoidance, the AGV's travel path in the finished product warehouse and raw material warehouse outside the conveyor belt transfer path can be flexibly scheduled using a genetic intelligent algorithm based on the distribution of obstacles between the warehouse and each processing station, resulting in better compatibility with the production site. Attached Figure Description

[0025] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments:

[0026] Appendix Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the present invention;

[0027] Appendix Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of the present invention;

[0028] Appendix Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0029] In the diagram: 1-Lifting mechanism; 2-Loading robot; 3-Conveyor belt; 4-Processing equipment; 5-Platformer robot; 6-Truss; 7-Material rack; 8-Photoelectric sensor; 9-AGV trolley. Detailed Implementation

[0030] As shown in the figure, an automated loading and unloading palletizing production line using AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) carts is described. The production line includes a PLC, a wireless communication link, a linear conveyor belt 3 for transporting materials, AGV carts 9, and a loading robot 2 located at the beginning of the production line. The AGV carts travel along a transport path parallel to the conveyor belt. A cart inlet / outlet limit switch is located at the beginning of the transport path. Multiple photoelectric sensors 8, arranged in a straight line, are located at the beginning of the conveyor belt to detect the presence of materials beside the conveyor belt. A lifting device is located on the top of the AGV cart to lift material racks. When an AGV cart carrying a material rack enters the transport path and triggers the inlet / outlet limit switch, the AGV cart makes multiple round trips to continuously place multiple material racks along the transport path. When the material to be processed on the top of the material rack triggers all photoelectric sensors, the production line starts the loading robot and the conveyor belt, transferring the material to the conveyor belt and then to the processing equipment 4 in the middle of the production line for processing.

[0031] The production line is equipped with a palletizing robot 5 at the end for finished product removal and palletizing; the transfer path is equipped with a vehicle rear limit switch at the end; the material rack can hold a fixed number of materials; the AGV trolley starts from the beginning of the transfer path and continuously places multiple material racks along the transfer path to trigger all photoelectric sensors. The number of material racks required is also a fixed number; when the loading robot transfers the materials on each material rack to the conveyor belt, the AGV trolley obtains the loading number of the loading robot through the wireless communication link to determine whether the material rack has been emptied and sends the empty material rack to the end of the transfer path. The palletizing robot takes the finished products processed by the production line from the conveyor belt and stacks them on the material rack at the end of the transfer path.

[0032] The number of finished products that can be placed on the material rack is a fixed value. When the palletizing robot stacks the finished products from the conveyor belt onto the material rack, the AGV trolley determines whether the material rack is full of finished products according to the number of times the palletizing robot has stacked the finished products, and transports the material rack full of finished products to the finished product warehouse.

[0033] The loading robot is equipped with a camera and a suction cup for picking up materials. The PLC uses the image captured by the camera at the feeding port at the beginning of the transfer path to locate the material rack and control the loading robot to pick up the materials to be processed. The suction cup is equipped with a pressure sensor for measuring the load-bearing capacity of the suction cup. The pressure sensor is connected to the PLC. When the load-bearing capacity of the suction cup measured by the pressure sensor is less than a threshold, the PLC determines that the suction cup cannot reliably transfer the material to the conveyor belt and sends a manual intervention request to the remote management personnel.

[0034] The materials to be processed at the top of the material rack are complex-shaped wooden or bamboo products. When the remote management personnel receive the manual intervention request information from the PLC, they observe the materials to be processed through a camera via a wireless communication link and remotely control the loading robot to transfer the materials to be processed to the conveyor belt.

[0035] The material rack is a rectangular frame with four legs. The height of the material rack's legs is greater than that of the AGV trolley. The top of the AGV trolley is equipped with a lifting mechanism 1 that can lift the material rack. When transporting the material rack, the AGV trolley crawls under the material rack and uses the lifting mechanism to lift the material rack and drive it. After reaching the destination, the lifting mechanism lowers the material rack to place it on the ground.

[0036] The palletizing robot is a gantry robot supported by truss 6; the rear limit switch at the end of the transfer path is located within the coverage area of ​​the truss. When the AGV trolley travels in a straight line from the beginning of the transfer path to trigger the rear limit switch, the AGV trolley stops, the lifting mechanism lowers and places the material rack at the discharge port under the truss, and then crawls out from under the material rack; the gantry robot positions the material rack at the discharge port according to the camera at the truss and stacks the finished products on the empty material rack.

[0037] When the processing equipment processes materials, the conveyor belt stops moving for a period of not less than 20 seconds. The processing equipment includes automatic processing equipment, semi-automatic processing equipment, or manual processing station.

[0038] When the AGV trolley places two material racks along the transfer path, starting from the beginning of the transfer path, all the photoelectric sensors at the beginning of the conveyor belt are triggered, and the PLC determines that there are enough materials to be processed in the feeding port.

[0039] A production method for an automated loading and unloading palletizing production line using AGV carts for transfer, employing the automated loading and unloading palletizing production line using AGV carts for transfer as described in claim 3, is characterized by comprising the following steps;

[0040] Step S1: The AGV trolley moves the material rack to the feeding port at the beginning of the transfer path, making no less than two round trips, until all the photoelectric sensors at the beginning of the conveyor belt are triggered, and the PLC determines that there is enough material to be processed in the feeding port.

[0041] Step S2: The PLC starts the loading robot; it transfers the material to be processed on the material rack at the feeding port to the conveyor belt, and starts the conveyor belt at the same time.

[0042] Step S3: The AGV car obtains the number of times the loading robot has loaded via the wireless communication link, determines whether there is a material rack with empty material at the feeding port, and sends the empty material rack to the end of the transfer path for the palletizing robot to place the finished product.

[0043] Step S4: The AGV trolley obtains the number of palletizing actions of the palletizing robot through the wireless communication link, determines whether there is a material rack full of finished products at the discharge port, transports the material rack full of finished products to the external finished product warehouse, and then returns to the discharge port.

[0044] Step S4: After the AGV has delivered all the material racks at the feeding port to the end of the transfer path, the PLC determines that the current processing batch of the production line has completed feeding. The AGV then transports the material racks containing the materials to be processed from the raw material warehouse to the feeding port for use by the next processing batch of the production line.

[0045] In this example, the AGV stores the travel path. When the AGV starts from the beginning of the transfer path and continuously places material racks along the transfer path, the length and width of the material racks are used as path references so that the placed material racks can be arranged continuously without gaps.

[0046] In this example, the camera at the loading robot is located at the connection between the suction cup and the robot. When manual intervention is required, the operator changes the camera's field of view by moving the loading robot to select a reasonable suction position on top of the material.

Claims

1. An automated loading, unloading, and palletizing production line using AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) trolleys for material handling, characterized in that: The production line includes a PLC, a wireless communication link, a linear conveyor belt for transporting materials, AGV trolleys, and a loading robot located at the beginning of the production line. The transfer path of the AGV trolley is located beside and parallel to the conveyor belt. The beginning of the transfer path is equipped with inlet and outlet limit switches. The beginning of the conveyor belt is equipped with multiple photoelectric sensors arranged in a straight line to detect whether there are materials beside the conveyor belt. The top of the AGV trolley is equipped with a lifting device for lifting material racks. When the AGV trolley carrying material racks enters the transfer path and triggers the inlet and outlet limit switches, the AGV trolley makes multiple round trips to continuously place multiple material racks along the transfer path. When the material to be processed on the top of the material rack triggers all photoelectric sensors, the production line starts the loading robot and the conveyor belt to transfer the material to the conveyor belt, and the conveyor belt sends it to the processing equipment in the middle of the production line for processing. The production line is equipped with a palletizing robot for finished product removal and palletizing at the end; the transfer path is equipped with a rear limit switch at the end of the vehicle; the material rack can hold a fixed number of materials; the AGV trolley starts from the beginning of the transfer path and continuously places multiple material racks along the transfer path to trigger all photoelectric sensors. The number of material racks required is also a fixed number; when the loading robot transfers the materials on each material rack to the conveyor belt, the AGV trolley obtains the loading number of the loading robot through a wireless communication link to determine whether the material rack has been emptied and sends the empty material rack to the end of the transfer path. The palletizing robot takes the finished products processed by the production line from the conveyor belt and stacks them on the material rack at the end of the transfer path. The number of finished products that can be placed on the material rack is a fixed value. When the palletizing robot stacks the finished products from the conveyor belt onto the material rack, the AGV trolley judges whether the material rack is full of finished products according to the number of times the palletizing robot has stacked, and transports the material rack full of finished products to the finished product warehouse. The production method of an automated loading, unloading, and palletizing production line using AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) trolleys for material handling. Includes the following steps; Step S1: The AGV trolley moves the material rack to the feeding port at the beginning of the transfer path, making no less than two round trips, until all the photoelectric sensors at the beginning of the conveyor belt are triggered, and the PLC determines that there is enough material to be processed in the feeding port. Step S2: The PLC starts the loading robot; it transfers the material to be processed on the material rack at the feeding port to the conveyor belt, and starts the conveyor belt at the same time. Step S3: The AGV car obtains the number of times the loading robot has loaded via the wireless communication link, determines whether there is a material rack with empty material at the feeding port, and sends the empty material rack to the end of the transfer path for the palletizing robot to place the finished product. Step S4: The AGV trolley obtains the number of palletizing actions of the palletizing robot through the wireless communication link, determines whether there is a material rack full of finished products at the discharge port, transports the material rack full of finished products to the external finished product warehouse, and then returns to the discharge port. Step S4: After the AGV has delivered all the material racks at the feeding port to the end of the transfer path, the PLC determines that the current processing batch of the production line has completed feeding. The AGV then transports the material racks containing the materials to be processed from the raw material warehouse to the feeding port for use by the next processing batch of the production line.

2. The automated loading and unloading palletizing production line using AGV trolleys for transfer as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The loading robot is equipped with a camera and a suction cup for picking up materials. The PLC uses the image captured by the camera at the feeding port at the beginning of the transfer path to locate the material rack and control the loading robot to pick up the materials to be processed. The suction cup is equipped with a pressure sensor for measuring the load-bearing capacity of the suction cup. The pressure sensor is connected to the PLC. When the load-bearing capacity of the suction cup measured by the pressure sensor is less than a threshold, the PLC determines that the suction cup cannot reliably transfer the material to the conveyor belt and sends a manual intervention request to the remote management personnel.

3. The automated loading and unloading palletizing production line using AGV trolleys for transfer as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The materials to be processed at the top of the material rack are complex-shaped wooden or bamboo products. When the remote management personnel receive the manual intervention request information from the PLC, they observe the materials to be processed through a camera via a wireless communication link and remotely control the loading robot to transfer the materials to be processed to the conveyor belt.

4. The automated loading and unloading palletizing production line using AGV trolleys for transfer as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The material rack is a rectangular frame with four legs. The height of the material rack's legs is greater than that of the AGV trolley. The top of the AGV trolley is equipped with a lifting mechanism that can lift the material rack. When transporting the material rack, the AGV trolley crawls under the material rack and uses the lifting mechanism to lift the material rack and drive it. After reaching the destination, the lifting mechanism lowers the material rack to place it on the ground.

5. The automated loading and unloading palletizing production line using AGV trolleys for transfer as described in claim 4, characterized in that: The palletizing robot is a gantry robot supported by a truss; the rear limit switch at the end of the transfer path is located within the coverage area of ​​the truss. When the AGV travels in a straight line from the beginning of the transfer path to trigger the rear limit switch, the AGV stops, the lifting mechanism lowers and places the material rack at the discharge port under the truss, and then crawls out from under the material rack; the gantry robot positions the material rack at the discharge port according to the camera at the truss and stacks the finished products on the empty material rack.

6. The automated loading and unloading palletizing production line using AGV trolleys for transfer as described in claim 1, characterized in that: When the processing equipment processes materials, the conveyor belt stops moving for a period of not less than 20 seconds. The processing equipment includes automatic processing equipment, semi-automatic processing equipment, or manual processing station.

7. The automated loading and unloading palletizing production line using AGV trolleys for transfer as described in claim 1, characterized in that: When the AGV trolley places two material racks along the transfer path, starting from the beginning of the transfer path, all the photoelectric sensors at the beginning of the conveyor belt are triggered, and the PLC determines that there are enough materials to be processed in the feeding port.

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