An automatic ultrasonic welding machine for steering wheel tube socket housing

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of steering wheel processing, and relates to an automatic ultrasonic welding machine for a steering wheel tube base shell, which comprises a rack, a workbench, a welding unit and a control unit, the workbench is provided with a clamp, the rack is provided with a power unit for controlling the lifting of the clamp, the clamp is provided with a clamping station for workpiece placement, the welding unit comprises a first welding gun, a second welding gun, a third welding gun, a fourth welding gun, a fifth welding gun and a sixth welding gun, and the control unit comprises a processor, a storage, a video acquisition module and an execution module, the processor is used for obtaining initial parameters of a workpiece after being welded by the six welding guns from the storage, the video acquisition module acquires welding points on the workpiece after processing, and sends the acquired image data to the storage, and the processor reads the image data in the storage to compare whether the welding points are abnormal, and the present application is stable in combined welding of the steering wheel tube base shell and high in welding precision.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of steering wheel manufacturing, and more specifically, to an automatic ultrasonic welding machine for steering wheel tube housings. Background Technology

[0002] Using ultrasonic welding machines to fix components together is a common method. For example, our company's publicly disclosed CN105397271B describes an ultrasonic welding machine used for welding the seat ring and sleeve in a transmission dust cover. By setting up a slide table, a linear reciprocating motion mechanism, an ultrasonic welding gun, and a welding gun head around the fixed base, welding is performed around the perimeter of the transmission dust cover to make the connection between the seat ring and sleeve more secure.

[0003] For example, CN206455288U discloses an ultrasonic welding assembly and welding fixture for automotive side trim panels. This assembly can be manually adjusted to meet actual production needs based on usage. Furthermore, when changing the product being manufactured, the fixture can be adjusted to suit the new product, making it adaptable to welding various products.

[0004] The steering column housing, located below the steering wheel to cover the steering column, is typically composed of a plastic tube and an outer sheath covering it. Currently, the outer sheath and the plastic tube are usually connected manually with glue, a method that is inefficient. While ultrasonic welding could be used, the lack of precise positioning in ultrasonic welding due to the multiple, staggered connection points between the plastic tube and the outer sheath leads to unstable connections. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic ultrasonic welding machine with a reasonable and simple structure, strong practicality, stable welding of steering wheel tube housing, and high welding precision.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0007] An automatic ultrasonic welding machine for steering wheel tube housing includes a frame, a worktable, a welding unit, and a control unit.

[0008] The worktable and frame are movably connected, with the worktable positioned below the welding unit.

[0009] The worktable is equipped with a fixture, which is movably connected to the worktable. The frame is equipped with a power unit that controls the lifting and lowering of the fixture. The fixture has a clamping station for placing the workpiece.

[0010] The welding unit includes a first welding gun and a second welding gun for welding the connection points at the front and rear ends of the workpiece, a third welding gun, a fourth welding gun, and a fifth welding gun for welding the connection points on the left side of the workpiece, and a sixth welding gun for welding the connection points on the right side of the workpiece.

[0011] The control unit includes a processor, storage, a video acquisition module, and an execution module.

[0012] The processor retrieves the initial parameters of the workpiece after it has been welded by six welding guns from the memory. The execution module controls the six welding guns to process the workpiece with the initial parameters. The video acquisition module acquires the welding points on the processed workpiece and sends the acquired image data to the memory. The processor reads the image data in the memory to compare whether the welding points are abnormal.

[0013] The invention is further configured such that: the fixture includes a base and clamping cylinders, the clamping station is on the top surface of the base, and there are three clamping cylinders arranged around the clamping station.

[0014] A guide column is connected to the bottom surface of the platform, and the other end of the guide column passes through the workbench and is connected to a connecting plate. A lifting cylinder is provided below the workbench, and the output end of the lifting cylinder is connected to the connecting plate.

[0015] The present invention is further configured such that: the frame is provided with two slide rails, a motor and a lead screw, the worktable and the slide rails are slidably connected, the output end of the motor is connected to the lead screw, and the worktable and the lead screw are connected so that the motor drives the lead screw to control the displacement of the worktable.

[0016] The present invention is further configured such that: the clamping station is provided with a mold base for fitting the end face of the workpiece, the mold base is provided with a groove for placing the workpiece, and the clamping cylinder is located on the outside of the mold base.

[0017] The present invention is further configured such that: the first welding gun and the second welding gun are arranged in a front-to-back relationship, and each of the first welding gun and the second welding gun has three gun heads at its end.

[0018] After the execution module drives the second welding gun to weld the workpiece for 2-5 seconds, it drives the first welding gun to weld the workpiece for 3-5 seconds. After the first welding gun completes the welding command, the first welding gun and the second welding gun are simultaneously detached from the workpiece.

[0019] The present invention is further configured such that the third welding gun, the fourth welding gun and the fifth welding gun are in a front-to-back position relationship. After the execution module drives the fourth welding gun to weld the workpiece for 2-3 seconds, it drives the third welding gun to weld the workpiece for 2-3 seconds. When the third welding gun is welding the workpiece, the fourth welding gun stays on the workpiece for 1-2 seconds and then detaches from the workpiece, and then the third welding gun detaches from the workpiece.

[0020] The present invention is further configured such that: the execution module drives the fifth welding gun and the sixth welding gun to weld the workpiece synchronously in an alternating state, wherein the welding time of the fifth welding gun is 3-5 seconds and the welding time of the sixth welding gun is 5-7 seconds.

[0021] The present invention is further configured such that: the video acquisition module includes an industrial camera and a ring light source, the ring light source is placed below the industrial camera, the industrial camera and the ring light source are movably connected to the frame through a connector, the ring light source illuminates the welding point of the workpiece, and after the industrial camera takes a picture of the welding point, it uploads the pattern data to the memory so that the processor can analyze the pattern data.

[0022] The present invention is further configured such that: the connecting member includes a drive motor, a turntable and a rod, the output end of the motor is connected to the center of the turntable, the rod is eccentrically connected to the turntable, one side wall of the industrial camera is connected to the rod, and the ring light source is connected to the rod through a support rod.

[0023] The present invention is further configured such that: a connecting seat for mounting the lifting cylinder is connected to the workbench.

[0024] Compared with the shortcomings of the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0025] The workpiece is manually fed and then automatically ultrasonically welded. The welding guns are controlled by a processor to weld in sequence. Time difference control is used to improve the accuracy of welding and also has a detection function. Data is collected from the weld points on the workpiece to ensure the stability of the welding. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the invention viewed from the left.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the main view of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the invention in the first direction;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the second direction of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 This is a block diagram of the control unit of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the workpiece being processed.

[0032] Frame 1, Workbench 2, Fixture 3, Lifting Cylinder 31, Mold Base 4, Platform 32, Clamping Cylinder 33, Guide Column 34, Connecting Seat 21, Slide Rail 51, Motor 52, Lead Screw 53, First Welding Gun 61, Second Welding Gun 62, Third Welding Gun 63, Fourth Welding Gun 64, Fifth Welding Gun 65, Sixth Welding Gun 66, Industrial Camera 71, Ring Light Source 72, Drive Motor 81, Turntable 82, Rod 83, Support Rod 84. Detailed Implementation

[0033] Reference Figures 1 to 6 The embodiments of the present invention will be further described below.

[0034] The specific structure of this embodiment includes: frame 1, workbench 2, welding unit and control unit.

[0035] Workbench 2 and frame 1 are movably connected, with workbench 2 positioned below the welding unit.

[0036] A fixture 3 is installed on the workbench 2. The frame 1 is equipped with a power unit for controlling the lifting and lowering of the fixture 3, which is a lower lifting cylinder 31. The fixture 3 has a clamping station for placing the workpiece 9. The clamping station is on the top surface of the base 32. The clamping station has a mold base 4 for fitting the end face of the workpiece 9. The mold base 4 has a groove for placing the workpiece 9.

[0037] The fixture 3 includes a base 32 and three clamping cylinders 33 surrounding the outside of the clamping station. The clamping cylinders 33 are rotary cylinders used to press down and clamp the workpiece 9 within the clamping station. Four guide pillars 34 are connected to the bottom surface of the base 32. The other end of each guide pillar 34 passes through the worktable 2 and is connected to a connecting plate. A connecting seat 21 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the worktable 2. A lifting cylinder 31 is installed on the end face of the connecting seat 21, and the output end of the lifting cylinder 31 is connected to the connecting plate. The lifting cylinder 31 controls the lifting and lowering of the worktable 2, thereby enabling the fixture 3 to lift and lower the workpiece 9 so that it can be welded and fixed by the welding unit.

[0038] Two slide rails 51, a motor 52, and a lead screw 53 are installed on the frame 1. The slide rails 51 are slidably connected to the worktable 2. The motor 52 is a servo motor. The output end of the motor 52 is connected to the lead screw 53, which is a ball screw. The worktable 2 is connected to the ball nut seat on the lead screw 53, so that the motor 52 drives the lead screw 53 to control the forward and backward displacement of the worktable 2.

[0039] The welding unit includes a first welding gun 61 and a second welding gun 62 for welding the connection between the front and rear ends of the workpiece 9, a third welding gun 63, a fourth welding gun 64 and a fifth welding gun 65 for welding the connection on the right side of the workpiece 9, and a sixth welding gun 66 for welding the connection on the left side of the workpiece 9.

[0040] The control unit includes a processor, a memory, a video acquisition module, and an execution module. The processor controls the six welding guns, motor 52, lifting cylinder 31, and other motors via a PLC control system.

[0041] The processor is used to obtain the initial parameters of workpiece 9 after it has been welded by six welding guns from the memory. The execution module controls the six welding guns to process workpiece 9 with the initial parameters. The video acquisition module acquires the welding points on workpiece 9 after processing and sends the acquired image data to the memory. The processor reads the image data in the memory to compare whether the welding points are abnormal.

[0042] The first welding gun 61 and the second welding gun 62 are arranged in a front-to-back relationship, and each of the first welding gun 61 and the second welding gun 62 has three gun heads at its end.

[0043] The workpiece 9 is manually placed into the slot of the mold base 4. Simultaneously, as the lifting cylinder 31 drives the platform 32 to rise, the downward pressing end of the clamping cylinder rotates inward from the outside of the mold base 4 and presses down to fix the workpiece 9. The motor 52 drives the lead screw 53, causing the worktable 2, carrying the workpiece 9, to move below the six welding guns. First, the execution module drives the second welding gun 62 to weld the workpiece 9 for 2-5 seconds (usually 2 seconds), then drives the first welding gun 61 to weld the workpiece 9 for 3-5 seconds (usually 4 seconds). After the first welding gun 61 completes the welding command, the first welding gun 61 and the second welding gun 62 simultaneously detach from the workpiece 9.

[0044] Because workpiece 9 has a height difference between its front and back, in order to ensure the firmness of the second weld point 12, the welding time of the second welding gun 62 on the second weld point 12 needs to be longer. It must wait until the first welding gun 61 finishes welding the first weld point 11 and stop welding at the same time. Moreover, during the time difference, the second welding gun 62 can also help ensure the stability of the static state of workpiece 9 while welding.

[0045] The third welding gun 63, the fourth welding gun 64, and the fifth welding gun 65 are positioned sequentially in a front-to-back relationship, meaning there is a movable gap between the three welding guns. This gap is set according to the positions of the third welding point 13, the fourth welding point 14, and the fifth welding point 15.

[0046] After workpiece 9 completes two sets of first welding points 11 and second welding points 12, motor 52 drives worktable 2 to continue feeding to the welding gun behind. The execution module drives the fourth welding gun 64 to weld workpiece 9 for 2-3 seconds, usually 2 seconds. Then it drives the third welding gun 63 to weld workpiece 9 for 2-3 seconds, usually 2 seconds. While the third welding gun 63 is welding workpiece 9, the fourth welding gun 64 stays on workpiece 9 for 1-2 seconds, usually 1 second, and then detaches from workpiece 9. Then the third welding gun 63 detaches from workpiece 9.

[0047] When the above welding gun executes the welding command, since the fourth welding gun 64 is in the middle position, it first welds the third weld point 13, and then the third welding gun 63 welds the fourth weld point 14. This can ensure the balance and stability of the workpiece 9. The state in which the fourth welding gun 64 stays on the workpiece 9 is its stopped state, and its purpose is to assist the third welding gun 63 in ensuring the stability of the workpiece 9.

[0048] After the workpiece 9 completes the above three welding processes, the motor 52 continues to control the worktable 2 to feed to the welding gun at the rear. The execution module drives the fifth welding gun 65 and the sixth welding gun 66 to weld the workpiece 9 in an alternating state. The welding time of the fifth welding gun 65 is 3-5 seconds, usually 3 seconds, and the welding time of the sixth welding gun 66 is 5-7 seconds, usually 6 seconds.

[0049] When the welding gun executes the welding command, it fixes the fifth welding point 15 and the sixth welding point 16 on the left and right sides of the workpiece 9 by welding. The workpiece 9 is balanced by the staggered extrusion method, which ensures the stability of the welding point. The sixth welding point 16 of the sixth welding gun 66 is the finishing position, so the welding time is set to be long in order to prepare for the subsequent video acquisition module.

[0050] The video acquisition module includes an industrial camera 71 and a ring light source 72. The ring light source 72 is a ring-shaped lamp positioned below the industrial camera 71. The industrial camera 71 and the ring light source 72 are movably connected to the frame 1 via a connector, which includes a drive motor 81, a turntable 82, and a rod 83. The motor is either an electric motor 52 or a rotary cylinder. The output end of the motor is connected to the center of the turntable 82. The rod 83 is eccentrically connected to the turntable 82. One side wall of the industrial camera 71 is connected to the rod 83. The ring light source 72 is connected to the rod 83 via a support rod 84.

[0051] After completing two sets of weld points and four independent weld points, motor 52 drives the worktable 2 to reset, positioning workpiece 9 in a position illuminated by ring light source 72. Industrial camera 71 then photographs the weld points. Since workpiece 9 has weld points in all directions (front, back, left, right), when photographing the weld points on the left and right sides, motor drives turntable 82 to rotate, allowing industrial camera 71 and ring light source 72 to focus and photograph the welds on both sides. Ring light source 72 illuminates the weld points of workpiece 9, and after industrial camera 71 photographs the weld points, the pattern data is uploaded to memory for processor analysis. The processor, a PC, uses analog data to determine the quality of the weld points, comparing the shape and deformation depth of the weld points with the originally acquired data.

[0052] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any ordinary changes and substitutions made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic ultrasonic welding machine for steering wheel boss housings, characterized by: Includes a frame (1), a workbench (2), a welding unit, and a control unit. The workbench (2) and the frame (1) are movably connected, with the workbench (2) positioned below the welding unit. The workbench (2) is equipped with a fixture (3), which is movably connected to the workbench (2). The frame (1) is equipped with a power unit that controls the lifting and lowering of the fixture (3). The fixture (3) has a clamping station for placing the workpiece. The welding unit includes a first welding gun (61) and a second welding gun (62) for welding the connection between the front and rear ends of the workpiece, a third welding gun (63), a fourth welding gun (64) and a fifth welding gun (65) for welding the connection on the right side of the workpiece, and a sixth welding gun (66) for welding the connection on the left side of the workpiece. The control unit includes a processor, storage, a video acquisition module, and an execution module. The processor retrieves the initial parameters of the workpiece after it has been welded by six welding guns from memory. The execution module controls the six welding guns to process the workpiece according to these initial parameters. The video acquisition module captures the weld points on the processed workpiece and sends the captured image data to memory. The processor reads the image data from memory to compare the weld points for any abnormalities. The fixture (3) includes a base (32) and clamping cylinders (33). The clamping station is located on the top surface of the base (32). There are three clamping cylinders (33), which are arranged around the clamping station. A guide column (34) is connected to the bottom surface of the platform (32). The other end of the guide column (34) passes through the workbench (2) and is connected to a connecting plate. A lifting cylinder (31) is provided below the workbench (2). The output end of the lifting cylinder (31) is connected to the connecting plate. The first welding gun (61) and the second welding gun (62) are arranged in a front-to-back relationship, and each of the first welding gun (61) and the second welding gun (62) has three gun heads at its end. The execution module drives the second welding gun (62) to weld the workpiece for 2-5 seconds, and then drives the first welding gun (61) to weld the workpiece for 3-5 seconds. After the first welding gun (61) completes the welding command, the first welding gun (61) and the second welding gun (62) simultaneously detach from the workpiece. The third welding gun (63), fourth welding gun (64), and fifth welding gun (65) are arranged in a front-to-back position. After the execution module drives the fourth welding gun (64) to weld the workpiece for 2-3 seconds, it drives the third welding gun (63) to weld the workpiece for 2-3 seconds. While the third welding gun (63) is welding the workpiece, the fourth welding gun (64) stays on the workpiece for 1-2 seconds and then detaches from the workpiece. Then the third welding gun (63) detaches from the workpiece. The execution module drives the fifth welding gun (65) and the sixth welding gun (66) to weld the workpiece synchronously in an alternating manner, wherein the welding time of the fifth welding gun (65) is 3-5 seconds and the welding time of the sixth welding gun (66) is 5-7 seconds. The video acquisition module includes an industrial camera (71) and a ring light source (72). The ring light source (72) is placed below the industrial camera (71). The industrial camera (71) and the ring light source (72) are movably connected to the frame (1) through a connector. The ring light source (72) illuminates the welding point of the workpiece. After the industrial camera (71) takes a picture of the welding point, it uploads the pattern data to the memory so that the processor can analyze the pattern data.

2. The automatic ultrasonic welder for steering wheel pipe socket housing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The frame (1) is provided with two slide rails (51), a motor (52) and a lead screw (53). The worktable (2) and the slide rails (51) are slidably connected. The output end of the motor (52) is connected to the lead screw (53). The worktable (2) and the lead screw (53) are connected so that the motor (52) drives the lead screw (53) to control the displacement of the worktable (2).

3. The automatic ultrasonic welder for steering wheel pipe socket housing according to claim 2, characterized in that: The clamping station is provided with a mold base (4) for fitting the end face of the workpiece. The mold base (4) is provided with a groove for inserting the workpiece. The clamping cylinder (33) is located on the outside of the mold base (4).

4. An automatic ultrasonic welding machine for a steering wheel tube housing according to claim 3, characterized in that: The connector includes a drive motor (81), a turntable (82), and a rod (83). The output end of the motor is connected to the center of the turntable (82), and the rod (83) is eccentrically connected to the turntable (82). One side wall of the industrial camera (71) is connected to the rod (83), and the ring light source (72) is connected to the rod (83) through a support rod (84).

5. The automatic ultrasonic welder for steering wheel pipe socket housing of claim 3, wherein: The workbench (2) is connected to a connecting seat (21) for mounting the lifting cylinder (31).

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