An annular workpiece clamping system

Abstract

This invention relates to a ring-shaped workpiece clamping system, comprising an industrial robot; a ring-shaped workpiece; and a clamping fixture. The ring-shaped workpieces, one or more side-by-side, are placed upright on a working surface to be gripped. Each ring-shaped workpiece includes a ring lug and a ring top. The clamping fixture includes a support frame, which is a portal frame with an open lower end and fixedly connected on three sides. During gripping, the support frame descends vertically from above and fits onto the outside of the ring-shaped workpiece. The lower opening of the support frame is larger than the outer diameter of the ring-shaped workpiece. A connecting part, a ring lug clamping part, and a ring top clamping part respectively cooperate with corresponding components. The advantages of this invention compared to the prior art are: the ring-shaped workpiece is placed vertically on a plane and efficiently cooperates with the portal structure of the support frame; the ring lug and ring top are circumferentially locked, preventing the ring-shaped workpiece from tilting during the fitting process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a workpiece clamping system, specifically a ring-shaped workpiece clamping system. Background Technology

[0002] In various engineering applications, industrial robots are required to grip and fix tooling on the working plane for the forming of items on the fixed working plane or the installation of external environmental equipment. In the process of extruding workpieces, an annular workpiece needs to be placed on the hot extruded workpiece to help protect the end of the extruder and also to improve the strength of the metal material after forming at the root position of the variable cross-section in the extruded variable cross-section workpiece.

[0003] Due to the limited operating space (small internal space of the extruder stroke and potential safety hazards) and the fact that the workpiece to be extruded is in a high-temperature state, the workpiece is usually put on the ring by hand with the help of fixed pulleys and manual clamping tools. The ring-putting efficiency is low and still requires manual operation to enter the extrusion space, which inevitably poses safety hazards. In addition, the cross-section of the ring-shaped workpiece is often non-rectangular and has a certain slope, so how to effectively grasp it has become a problem in the existing technology.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a ring-shaped workpiece clamping system for handling ring-shaped workpieces that are difficult to grip and for completing ring-shaped workpieces with small clearance fits. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To overcome the problems in the prior art, the inventors pre-fixed the end to be gripped in the circumferential direction of the annular workpiece and designed a gate-shaped vertical cutting gripping fixture to complete the gripping and fitting work. The technical solution adopted in this invention is: an annular workpiece clamping system, comprising; Industrial robots; Ring-shaped workpieces are ring-shaped bodies with inclined, conical, or parabolic surfaces on their outer and inner walls, used for forming metals with different cross-sections. Clamping fixture; The ring-shaped workpiece is characterized in that it is placed upright on the working surface to be gripped, with one or more ring-shaped workpieces arranged side by side. The ring lugs are two mirror images of each other, fixedly connected to the annular workpiece, arranged on both sides of a vertical axis passing through the center of the annular workpiece, and protruding outward along the radial direction of the annular workpiece. The ring top is a protrusion fixed to the top of the upright annular workpiece, extending radially outward along the annular workpiece. The clamping fixture includes: The supporting frame is a portal frame with an opening at the bottom and fixed connections on three sides. During the gripping process, the support frame descends vertically from the top and is fitted onto the outside of the annular workpiece, with the lower opening of the support frame being larger than the outer diameter of the annular workpiece. A connecting part is fixedly installed on the top of the lintel of the support frame, and the connecting part is detachably connected to the execution end of the industrial robot; The ring ear clamping part is fixed to the inner side of the support frame door post and cooperates with the ring ear, which can be separated to clamp the ring ear; The ring top clamping part is fixed to the inner side of the lintel of the support frame and cooperates with the ring top, and can be separated to clamp the ring top.

[0006] Furthermore, the ring ear clamping part and the ring top clamping part are pneumatic finger clamps.

[0007] Furthermore, the ring ear clamping part and the ring top clamping part are pneumatic finger clamps that rotate at the finger root.

[0008] Furthermore, the fingertips of the ring ear clamping part and the ring top clamping part have inwardly curved protrusions.

[0009] Furthermore, the cross-section of the ear and the top of the ring is rectangular, and the outer plane of the ear and the top of the ring matches the inner plane of the ear clamping part and the top clamping part.

[0010] Furthermore, the top part of the ring protrudes outward and matches the inner side of the finger clamping part of the ring top.

[0011] Furthermore, the lintel of the supporting frame is provided with a protruding bracket in the horizontal direction, and the connecting part is fixed to the protruding bracket in the horizontal direction of the supporting frame lintel.

[0012] Furthermore, the connecting part is a quick-connect coupling for industrial robots.

[0013] The advantages of this invention over the prior art are as follows: 1. The annular workpiece is placed vertically on the plane and efficiently cooperates with the gate-shaped structure of the supporting frame. During the gripping process, the two workpieces to be gripped will not interfere with each other. Moreover, if there is a small positional deviation of the workpiece to be gripped, the concave-convex cooperation between the gate-shaped structure and the annular workpiece can minimize the above error; 2. The circumferential locking of the ring ear and the ring top prevents the annular workpiece from tilting during the sleeve process; 3. The pneumatic clamping fingers cooperate with the ring ear and the ring top to improve the clamping efficiency. The structure of the ring top protruding outward and matching the inner side of the clamping fingers of the ring top clamping part can improve the positioning effect and clamping stability, and limit the vertical position. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is an axial view of the workpiece clamping system in a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a front view of the workpiece clamping system in a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a side view of the workpiece clamping system in a specific embodiment of the present invention; The markings are as follows: 100-support frame; 110-ring ear clamping part; 120-ring top clamping part; 200-connecting part; 300-ring workpiece; 310-ring ear; 320-ring top. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The technical solutions in the embodiments are clearly and completely described. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

[0016] To overcome the problems in existing technologies, the inventors pre-fixed the end to be gripped circumferentially on the annular workpiece and designed a gate-shaped vertical cutting gripping fixture to complete the gripping and mounting work. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figures 1 to 3 The technical solution adopted in this invention is: a ring-shaped workpiece clamping system, comprising; Industrial robots; in this technical solution, the optimal one is a six-axis industrial robot. Of course, the number of degrees of freedom can also be reduced according to the space requirements. Six-axis robots are more advantageous for realizing complex actions.

[0017] The annular workpiece 300 is an annular body with an outer wall or both the outer and inner walls being inclined, conical, or parabolic surfaces, used for forming metals with different cross-sections. In some existing technologies, if the outer wall of the annular workpiece 300 is relatively flat and has a certain friction, a general fork-type fixture can complete the clamping work. However, in this technical solution, the outer wall of the annular workpiece 300 cannot be simply and directly clamped.

[0018] Clamping fixture; The invention is characterized in that one or more annular workpieces 300 are placed side by side, upright on the working surface to be gripped. The vertical placement of the annular workpieces 300 is one of the inventor's creative efforts. At the beginning of the design of this technical solution, the placement form of the annular workpieces 300 was closely related to the structural form of the clamping fixture. The system in this technical solution is a specific placement form and clamping fixture to overcome the problems in the prior art.

[0019] The annular workpiece 300 includes: The ring lug 310 is a radially outward protrusion arranged on both sides of the vertical axis passing through the center of the annular workpiece 300, which is mirrored and fixedly connected to the annular workpiece 300. The ring top 320 is a protrusion fixed to the top of the upright annular workpiece 300 and extending radially outward along the annular workpiece 300. While adding an additional ring lug 310 and ring top 320 to the annular workpiece 300 to be clamped increases complexity, it is also the inventive point that distinguishes this technical solution from some simple annular workpiece clamping methods in the prior art. Since a single clamping action cannot be achieved, a protrusion can be welded in advance to achieve clamping. Of course, if it is necessary for the protrusion to detach in subsequent work, the welding strength between the protrusion and the annular workpiece 300 can be weakened to only meet the requirement of fitting. The above is the inventive content of the inventor of this invention.

[0020] The clamping fixture includes: The supporting frame 100 is a portal frame with an opening at the bottom and fixed connections on three sides. During the grasping process, the support frame 100 descends vertically from the top and is fitted onto the outside of the annular workpiece 300. The opening at the lower end of the support frame 100 is larger than the outer diameter of the annular workpiece 300. The connecting part 200 is fixedly installed on the top of the lintel of the support frame 100, and the connecting part 200 is detachably connected to the execution end of the industrial robot; The ring ear clamping part 110 is fixed to the inner side of the door post of the support frame 100 and cooperates with the ring ear 310, which can separate and clamp the ring ear 310. The ring top clamping part 120 is fixed to the inner side of the lintel of the support frame 100 and cooperates with the ring top 320, which can be separated to clamp the ring top 320.

[0021] The engagement of the lug clamping part 110 and the ring top clamping part 120 with the lug 310 and the ring top 320 satisfies the fitting requirements during the small-gap fitting process. During the initial design phase, the inventors conducted numerous experiments and discovered that either the ring top 320 or the lug 310 alone could cause errors in the position and shape of the ring workpiece 300 during the fitting process due to friction or inaccurate positioning between the ring workpiece 300 and the object to be fitted. To avoid this problem, the interference clamping action of the lug clamping part 110 and the ring top clamping part 120 with the lug 310 and the ring top 320 was also achieved through experimentation.

[0022] In some embodiments, the ring ear clamping portion 110 and the ring top clamping portion 120 are pneumatic finger clamps.

[0023] Please see Figure 1 The ring ear clamping part 110 and the ring top clamping part 120 are pneumatic clamping fingers with finger root rotation. The design of the pneumatic clamping fingers with finger root rotation is to maintain the position of the ring workpiece 300 inaccurately, and can use the scissor-type structure to correct the position deviation, and the clamping and separation actions are more efficient.

[0024] In some embodiments, to improve the anti-slip capability, the fingertips of the ear clip 110 and the top clip 120 have inwardly curved protrusions.

[0025] In some embodiments, to improve the clamping force, the ring lug 310 and the ring top 320 have rectangular cross-sections, and the outer planes of the ring lug 310 and the ring top 320 match the inner planes of the ring lug clamping portion 110 and the ring top clamping portion 120. The end of the ring top 320 protrudes outward and matches the inner side of the ring top clamping portion 120.

[0026] In some embodiments, to avoid singularity alarms of industrial robots, the lintel of the support frame 100 is provided with a protruding bracket in the lateral direction, and the connecting part 200 is fixed to the protruding bracket in the lateral direction of the support frame 100.

[0027] In some embodiments, in order to improve the efficiency of gripping and changing, the connecting part 200 is an industrial robot quick-change connector.

[0028] In specific operation: The annular workpiece 300 is placed vertically on the platform. The clamping fixture of the industrial robot execution end falls vertically from the top and is fitted onto the outer circumference of the annular workpiece 300. The ring top 320 and the ring top clamping part 120 cooperate to complete the initial positioning. The ring ear 310 and the ring ear clamping part 110 cooperate to complete the secondary positioning and enhanced clamping action. The industrial robot execution end moves to the workpiece to be fitted and fits the annular workpiece 300 into the designated position. The clamping fixture separates from the annular workpiece 300, and the annular workpiece 300 and the workpiece to be fitted enter the next process together.

[0029] The advantages of this invention compared to existing technologies are as follows: the annular workpiece is placed vertically on a plane and efficiently cooperates with the portal structure of the supporting frame. During the gripping process, the two workpieces to be gripped will not interfere with each other. Furthermore, if there is a small positional deviation in the workpiece to be gripped, the concave-convex fit between the portal structure and the annular workpiece can minimize this error. The circumferential locking of the ring lugs and the ring top prevents the annular workpiece from tilting during the fitting process. The pneumatic gripping fingers cooperate with the ring lugs and the ring top to improve gripping efficiency. The outward protrusion of the ring top, matching the inner side of the gripping fingers of the ring top gripping part, can improve the positioning effect and gripping stability, and limit the vertical position. The above description is only a preferred embodiment of this invention, but the scope of protection of this invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this invention, based on the technical solution and inventive concept of this invention, should be covered within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A ring-shaped workpiece clamping system, comprising: Industrial robots; The ring-shaped workpiece (300) is a ring-shaped body with an outer wall or an outer wall and an inner wall that are inclined or parabolic, used for forming metals with different cross sections; Clamping fixture; Its features are, The annular workpieces (300) are arranged one or more side by side, and are placed upright on the working surface to be gripped. The annular workpieces (300) include: The ring lug (310) is a two mirror image of the ring workpiece (300) and fixedly connected to the ring workpiece (300) on both sides of the vertical axis passing through the center of the ring workpiece (300), and protrusions radially outward along the ring workpiece (300). The ring top (320) is a protrusion fixed to the top of the upright annular workpiece (300) and extending radially outward along the annular workpiece (300); The clamping fixture includes: The supporting frame (100) is a portal frame with an opening at the bottom and fixed connections on three sides. During the gripping process, the support frame (100) descends vertically from the top and is fitted onto the outside of the annular workpiece (300). The opening at the lower end of the support frame (100) is larger than the outer diameter of the annular workpiece (300). A connecting part (200) is fixedly installed on the top of the lintel of the support frame (100), and the connecting part (200) is detachably connected to the execution end of the industrial robot; The ring ear clamping part (110) is fixed to the inner side of the door post of the support frame (100) and cooperates with the ring ear (310) to separate and clamp the ring ear (310). The ring top clamping part (120) is fixed to the inner side of the lintel of the support frame (100) and cooperates with the ring top (320) to separate and clamp the ring top (320).

2. The annular workpiece clamping system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ring ear clamping part (110) and the ring top clamping part (120) are pneumatic finger clamps.

3. The annular workpiece clamping system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The ring ear clamping part (110) and the ring top clamping part (120) are pneumatic finger clamps that rotate at the base of the finger.

4. The annular workpiece clamping system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The fingertips of the ring ear clamping part (110) and the ring top clamping part (120) have inwardly curved protrusions.

5. The annular workpiece clamping system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The cross-section of the ear (310) and the top (320) is rectangular, and the outer plane of the ear (310) and the top (320) matches the inner plane of the ear clamping part (110) and the top clamping part (120).

6. The annular workpiece clamping system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The end of the ring top (320) protrudes outward and matches the inner side of the ring top clamping part (120) for clamping fingers.

7. The annular workpiece clamping system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lintel of the support frame (100) is provided with a protruding bracket in the horizontal direction, and the connecting part (200) is fixed to the protruding bracket in the horizontal direction of the lintel of the support frame (100).

8. The annular workpiece clamping system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connecting part (200) is a quick-change connector for industrial robots.

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