A robot-based automatic assembly and distribution based trolley online system

Abstract

The application relates to a trolley on-line system based on robot automatic assembly, and belongs to the technical field of trolley on-line. The trolley on-line system based on robot automatic assembly comprises a trolley on-line mechanism, the trolley on-line mechanism comprises a trolley driving mechanism for enabling the trolley to move on a positioning guide rail, a rod switching mechanism for switching a trolley accompanying rod state and a stopping mechanism for stopping the trolley from walking, a robot assembly mechanism comprises a clamp robot mechanism arranged on a platform and a robot driving mechanism for driving the clamp robot mechanism to move on the platform, and an accompanying mechanism comprises a synchronous driving mechanism arranged on a bracket and used for synchronizing with a vehicle body. The application can keep the same speed through the synchronous movement of the synchronous driving mechanism and the vehicle body hanger, then the hanger speed signal is transmitted to the robot driving mechanism through an encoder to make the robot driving mechanism synchronous, so that the robot driving mechanism and the hanger are synchronously operated, and the clamp robot mechanism can be synchronously assembled while the vehicle body moves.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of material cart loading technology, and in particular to a material cart loading system based on robot automatic collection and distribution. Background Technology

[0002] Automotive chassis assembly lines often use cranes to support the vehicle body. To meet different assembly height requirements, such as 1.6m, 0.9m, or 0.4m, assembly stations at varying heights are typically set up. Currently, chassis lines require powertrain assembly via elevated platforms. The parts on these platforms are usually handled manually, a method that is difficult, physically demanding, and inefficient. Therefore, to achieve low-cost, high-efficiency parts delivery, a robotic automated material handling and distribution system needs to be developed. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a material cart online system based on robot automatic collection and distribution to solve the problems in the existing assembly of parts on high platforms in related technologies, which can usually only be achieved by manual handling and delivery, resulting in high difficulty of operation, high labor intensity and low efficiency.

[0004] This application provides a material cart online system based on robot-assisted automatic material distribution, including:

[0005] The material cart loading mechanism is used to enable the automatic loading and following of the SPS material cart. The material cart loading mechanism includes a positioning guide rail, a material cart drive mechanism for moving the material cart on the positioning guide rail, a lever-activating mechanism for switching the state of the material cart following lever, and a stop mechanism for stopping the material cart from moving.

[0006] A robotic assembly mechanism is used to grip and assemble the assembly box inside the material cart with the cart body. The robotic assembly mechanism includes a platform located outside the material cart loading mechanism, a gripper robot mechanism located on the platform, and a robot drive mechanism for driving the gripper robot mechanism to move on the platform.

[0007] The accompanying mechanism is used for the clamping robot mechanism to move with the vehicle body. The accompanying mechanism includes a bracket, a synchronous drive mechanism disposed on the bracket for synchronizing with the vehicle body, and an encoder that enables the clamping robot mechanism to move with the vehicle body at the same speed.

[0008] In some embodiments, the material cart drive mechanism is disposed on one side of the positioning guide rail. The material cart drive mechanism includes a first linear slide rail supported on the ground by a support frame, a material cart gripper mechanism disposed on the first linear slide rail, a drive mechanism for driving the material cart gripper mechanism, and a switch for detecting the material cart.

[0009] In some embodiments, the material cart gripper mechanism includes grippers mounted on a first linear slide rail and movable, gripper cylinders for driving the grippers to clamp and release, and a drag chain for stabilizing the movement of the grippers.

[0010] In some embodiments, the drive mechanism includes a drive motor, which is connected to the gripper via a transmission belt mechanism.

[0011] In some embodiments, the lever-action mechanism includes a base disposed on one side of the material cart's follower lever, a lever-action arm hinged to the end of the base away from the ground, and a lever-action cylinder for driving the lever-action arm to move.

[0012] In some embodiments, the stopping mechanism includes a material cart blocking pusher disposed on one side of the positioning guide rail, a blocking cylinder for driving the material cart blocking pusher to move, and a pneumatic control box for controlling the blocking cylinder.

[0013] In some embodiments, the gripper robot mechanism includes a robotic arm that can rotate in multiple directions and is mounted on a robot drive mechanism, and a robot gripper mounted on the gripping end of the robotic arm.

[0014] In some embodiments, the robot gripper includes a gripper mounting plate, two robot grippers disposed opposite each other with a gap, a clamping cylinder disposed on the side of the gripper mounting plate away from the robot grippers and used to drive the robot grippers to clamp, and a triggering mechanism disposed on the side of the gripper mounting plate away from the robot grippers for limiting the position.

[0015] The fixture mounting plate is provided with a fixture slide rail, the two robot grippers are mounted on the fixture slide rail, and a connecting rod is provided between the two robot grippers to enable them to move relative to each other.

[0016] The triggering mechanism includes a contact edge disposed on the outside of the clamp mounting plate and a spring telescopic rod disposed on the clamp mounting plate, wherein the spring telescopic rod is connected to the contact edge.

[0017] In some embodiments, the robot drive mechanism includes a second linear slide rail mounted on the platform, a rack mounted on the second linear slide rail, and a motion mechanism mounted on the robotic arm;

[0018] The motion mechanism includes a base mounted on a second linear slide rail, a servo motor mounted on the base, and a gear meshing with a rack and pinion, wherein the output shaft of the servo motor is connected to the gear.

[0019] In some embodiments, the synchronous drive mechanism includes a transmission belt mounted on a bracket, a following slide rail mounted on one side of the transmission belt, a lifting cylinder mounted on the following slide rail for synchronously following the lifting device, a following plate mounted on the following slide rail to drive the transmission belt, a following motor to drive the transmission belt, and a telescopic cylinder to drive the following plate to flip. The transmission belt is connected to an encoder.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the technical solution provided in this application include:

[0021] The positioning guide rail includes a guide rail with guide wheels at the entrance and a precision positioning guide rail connected to the guide rail with guide wheels. Both the guide rail with guide wheels and the precision positioning guide rail are supported on the ground by brackets. The guide rail with guide wheels initially guides the material car, allowing it to enter the precision positioning guide rail and move forward, improving the accuracy of the material car's movement. After the material car enters the guide rail, it is guided into the correct position, and then the precision positioning guide rail achieves precise guidance of the material car.

[0022] The synchronous drive mechanism and the vehicle body lifting device can move synchronously and maintain the same speed. Then, the speed signal of the lifting device is transmitted to the robot drive mechanism through the encoder to synchronize it, so that the robot drive mechanism and the lifting device can run synchronously, so that the clamping robot mechanism can assemble synchronously while the vehicle body is moving.

[0023] The accompanying mechanism enables the robot's distribution mechanism to move synchronously with the lifting device, allowing the distribution boxes to be accurately placed.

[0024] The lever mechanism changes the operating state of the material car, preventing the material car's movement from conflicting with the operation of other mechanisms. Attached Figure Description

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0026] Figure 1 This is a first three-dimensional structural schematic diagram provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a second three-dimensional structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 3 A structural schematic diagram of the material loading mechanism used in this application;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram of the robot assembly mechanism provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0030] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the first structure of the robot gripper provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0031] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the second structure of the robot gripper provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0032] Figure 7This is a schematic diagram of the clamping state provided by the robot gripper in the embodiments of this application;

[0033] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the accompanying mechanism provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0034] 1. Positioning guide rail; 2. Platform; 3. Bracket; 4. Encoder; 5. Support frame; 6. First linear slide rail; 7. Switch; 8. Drive motor; 9. Base; 10. Lever arm; 11. Lever cylinder; 12. Cart blocking pusher; 13. Blocking cylinder; 14. Pneumatic control box; 15. Gripper; 16. Gripper cylinder; 17. Cable chain; 18. Robotic arm; 19. Fixture mounting plate; 20. Fixture slide rail; 21. Machine 21. Human gripper; 22. Clamping cylinder; 23. Connecting rod; 24. Contact edge; 25. Spring telescopic rod; 26. Second linear slide rail; 27. Rack; 28. Base; 29. ​​Servo motor; 30. Gear; 31. Transmission belt; 32. Lifting cylinder; 33. Traveling plate; 34. Traveling motor; 35. Telescopic cylinder; 36. Material cart loading mechanism; 37. Robot assembly mechanism; 38. Traveling mechanism; 39. Traveling slide rail. Detailed Implementation

[0035] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0036] This application provides a material cart online system based on robot automatic collection and distribution, which can solve the problems of high difficulty, high labor intensity and low efficiency caused by the existing method of assembling parts on the platform, which can usually only be achieved by manual handling and delivery.

[0037] See Figure 1-8 As shown in the figure, this application provides a material cart online system based on robot automatic collection and distribution, including:

[0038] The material cart loading mechanism 36 is used to enable the automatic loading and following of the SPS material cart. The material cart loading mechanism 36 includes a positioning guide rail 1, a material cart drive mechanism for moving the material cart on the positioning guide rail 1, a lever-activating mechanism for switching the state of the material cart following lever, and a stop mechanism for stopping the material cart from moving.

[0039] The positioning guide rail 1 includes a guide rail with guide wheels set at the entrance and a precision positioning guide rail connected to the guide rail with guide wheels. Both the guide rail with guide wheels and the precision positioning guide rail are supported on the ground by brackets. The guide rail with guide wheels initially guides the material car, allowing it to enter the precision positioning guide rail and move forward, thus improving the accuracy of the material car's movement. After the material car enters the guide rail, it is guided into the correct position, and then the precision positioning guide rail achieves precise guidance of the material car.

[0040] Once the material trolley enters the positioning guide rail 1, the stopping mechanism stops the material trolley at the designated position, and then the material trolley drive mechanism drives the material trolley forward to the material picking area.

[0041] The robot assembly mechanism 37 is used to grip the assembly box and assemble the body of the material cart. The robot assembly mechanism 37 includes a platform 2 set outside the material cart online mechanism 36, a gripper robot mechanism set on the platform 2, and a robot drive mechanism for driving the gripper robot mechanism to move on the platform 2.

[0042] The material cart loading mechanism 36 is located below platform 2, which is n-shaped, allowing the material cart to pass underneath it. When the material cart reaches the picking area, it stops. The robot drive mechanism receives a signal and drives the clamping robot mechanism to move to the picking position. Then, the clamping robot mechanism picks up the material. After the picking is completed, the lever-attacking mechanism activates the lever of the material cart, causing the following lever of the material cart to switch from a vertical state to a horizontal state. Then, the material cart drive mechanism releases the material cart and returns to its original position to wait for the next cycle.

[0043] The following mechanism 38 is used for the clamping robot mechanism to follow the movement of the vehicle body. The following mechanism 38 includes a bracket 3, a synchronization drive mechanism set on the bracket 3 for synchronizing with the vehicle body, and an encoder 4 that enables the clamping robot mechanism to follow the movement of the vehicle body at the same speed.

[0044] The synchronous drive mechanism and the vehicle body sling can move synchronously and maintain the same speed. Then, the encoder 4 transmits the speed signal of the sling to the robot drive mechanism for synchronization, so that the robot drive mechanism and the sling can run synchronously, so that the clamping robot mechanism can assemble synchronously while the vehicle body is moving.

[0045] In some alternative embodiments, see Figure 1-3 As shown, in the robot-based automatic material cart loading system, the material cart drive mechanism is located on one side of the positioning guide rail 1. The material cart drive mechanism includes a first linear slide rail 6 supported on the ground by a support frame 5, a material cart gripper mechanism set on the first linear slide rail 6, a drive mechanism for driving the material cart gripper mechanism, and a switch 7 for detecting the material cart.

[0046] In this embodiment, the material cart gripper mechanism includes a gripper 15 disposed on and movable on the first linear slide rail 6, a gripper cylinder 16 for driving the gripper 15 to clamp and release, and a drag chain 17 for stabilizing the movement of the gripper 15.

[0047] In this example, the drive mechanism includes a drive motor 8, which is connected to the gripper 15 via a transmission belt mechanism.

[0048] Three material carts are grouped together. When a material cart enters the positioning guide rail 1, the switch 7 detects that the material cart is in place. After stopping through the stop mechanism, the drive motor 8 drives the transmission belt mechanism to run. The transmission belt mechanism drives the gripper 15 connected to it to move. The gripper 15 moves to the material cart leg frame. Then, the gripper cylinder 16 drives the gripper 15 to clamp and fix the material cart leg frame. Then, the drive motor 8 drives the transmission belt mechanism to move, which drives the gripper 15 to move. The gripper 15 drives the first material cart and the second material cart to automatically separate and move towards the material picking waiting area.

[0049] The transmission belt mechanism includes a transmission shaft disposed on one side of the first linear slide rail 6 and a transmission belt connected to the transmission shaft. The output shaft of the drive motor 8 is connected to the transmission shaft. The drag chain 17 is disposed on the smooth surface of the first linear slide rail 6, and the drag chain 17 makes the gripper 15 more stable when moving.

[0050] The gripper 15 consists of two hinged claws in a V-shape. The gripper cylinder 16 can drive the two claws to move relative to each other. When clamping, they move towards each other and when releasing, they move away from each other. Before clamping the material trolley leg frame, the gripper 15 is initially in an unfolded state. When clamping is required, the length of the claws is sufficient to allow the gripper 15 to close and hold the material trolley leg frame.

[0051] In some alternative embodiments, see Figure 1-3 As shown, in this robot-based automatic material cart loading system, the lever mechanism includes a base 9 located on one side of the material cart's follower lever, a lever arm 10 hinged to the end of the base 9 away from the ground, and a lever cylinder 11 that drives the lever arm 10 to move. When the lever mechanism is inactive, the lever is in a horizontal state until the material box is picked up. After the robot and the lever mechanism are signal interlocked, the robot does not move and the system alarms. When the lifting device detects that it is empty, the lever mechanism will not run, and the material cart will not be loaded onto the line.

[0052] In some alternative embodiments, see Figure 1-3 As shown, in the robot-based automatic material cart loading system, the stopping mechanism includes a material cart blocking pusher 12 located on one side of the positioning guide rail 1, a blocking cylinder 13 for driving the material cart blocking pusher 12, and a pneumatic control box 14 for controlling the blocking cylinder 13.

[0053] When the material cart is detected by switch 7, the pneumatic control box 14 controls the movement of the blocking cylinder 13. The piston rod of the blocking cylinder 13 drives the material cart blocking push head 12 to move, so that the material cart blocking push head 12 extends to block the material cart from moving forward, so as to stop the material cart and prevent the material cart from rushing out and affecting the operation of the material cart in front.

[0054] In some alternative embodiments, see Figure 1-2 and Figure 4-7 As shown, in the robot-based automated material cart online system, the clamping robot mechanism includes a robotic arm 18 that can rotate in multiple directions and a robot clamp located at the clamping end of the robotic arm 18.

[0055] In this example, the robot gripper includes a gripper mounting plate 19, two robot grippers 21 disposed opposite to each other with a gap, a clamping cylinder 22 disposed on the side of the gripper mounting plate 19 away from the robot grippers 21 and used to drive the robot grippers 21 to clamp, and a triggering mechanism disposed on the side of the gripper mounting plate 19 away from the robot grippers 21 for limiting the position.

[0056] A fixture slide rail 20 is provided on the fixture mounting plate 19, and two robot grippers 21 are provided on the fixture slide rail 20. A connecting rod 23 is provided between the two robot grippers 21 to enable them to move relative to each other.

[0057] The triggering mechanism includes a contact edge 24 disposed on the outside of the clamp mounting plate 19 and a spring telescopic rod 25 disposed on the clamp mounting plate 19, the spring telescopic rod 25 being connected to the contact edge 24.

[0058] In this example, the robot drive mechanism includes a second linear slide rail 26 mounted on the platform 2, a rack 27 mounted on the second linear slide rail 26, and a motion mechanism mounted on the robotic arm 18.

[0059] The motion mechanism includes a base 28 mounted on the second linear slide rail 26, a servo motor 29 mounted on the base 28, and a gear 30 meshing with a rack 27. The output shaft of the servo motor 29 is connected to the gear 30.

[0060] When the gripper robot needs to move, the servo motor 29 drives the gear 30 to rotate. The gear 30 meshes with the rack 27. There are two second linear slide rails 26, which are set opposite each other with space between them. The rack 27 is set on one side opposite to the two second linear slide rails 26. The base 28 is set on the second linear slide rail 26. A slider is set between the base 28 and the second linear slide rail 26. The slider allows the base 28 to slide on the second linear slide rail 26, reducing friction.

[0061] When gear 30 rotates, it can cooperate with rack 27 to drive base 28 to move on the second linear slide rail 26, so that the robot gripper on base 28 moves to the material picking area. Then, the robotic arm 18 rotates to change the direction of the robot gripper so that the robot gripper faces the material cart. Then, the robotic arm 18 drives the robot gripper to move towards the material cart so that the robot gripper can hold the collection box on the material cart.

[0062] When the robot gripper needs to grip the collection box, the clamping cylinder 22 drives one of the robot grippers 21 to move, and the other robot gripper 21 is linked by the linkage 23, which allows the two robot grippers 21 to move relative to each other.

[0063] The connecting rod 23 is a multi-link configuration. In this embodiment, it is preferably a three-link configuration. A rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the middle connecting rod of the three-link configuration. The end of the rotating shaft away from the middle connecting rod is rotatably connected to the clamp mounting plate 19. The connecting rods on both sides are respectively connected to two robot grippers 21.

[0064] The robot gripper 21 includes a sliding plate slidably mounted on the fixture slide rail 20 and a gripper plate mounted on the side of the sliding plate away from the fixture slide rail 20. A gripper arm is connected between the gripper plate and the sliding plate. The gripper plate has an L-shaped cross-section to ensure that the material box is effectively gripped without causing damage to the material box. The two connecting rods of the connecting rod 23 are connected to the sliding plate. An elongated hole is provided on the fixture mounting plate 19. A drive rod with one end passing through the elongated hole is connected to the sliding plate. The end of the drive rod passing through the elongated hole is hinged to the drive end of the clamping cylinder 22. The clamping cylinder 22 can drive the drive rod to move. The drive rod drives the sliding plate to slide on the fixture slide rail 20. The sliding plate drives the connecting rod 23 to move, so that the two robot grippers 21 can move relative to each other to grip the material box.

[0065] Three triggering mechanisms are provided on the fixture mounting plate 19, located on the sides and front respectively. A connecting plate for connecting to the robotic arm 18 is provided on the rear side of the fixture mounting plate 19. When the robot gripper 21 puts the collection box, if one or more of the left, right, or front sides touch the vehicle body, the contact edge 24 will compress the spring telescopic rod 25. The compression of the spring telescopic rod 25 will trigger the detection switch, and then the system will stop suddenly. The feedback is synchronously sent to the chassis line to stop the chassis line and prevent the fixture robot mechanism from hitting the vehicle body.

[0066] In some alternative embodiments, see Figure 1-2 and Figure 4-8As shown, in this robot-based automated material handling system, the synchronous drive mechanism includes a transmission belt 31 mounted on the bracket 3, a following slide rail 39 mounted on one side of the transmission belt 31, a lifting cylinder 32 mounted on the following slide rail 39 for synchronous movement with the lifting device, a following plate 33 mounted on the following slide rail 39 to drive the transmission belt 31, a following motor 34 for driving the transmission belt 31, and a telescopic cylinder 35 for driving the following plate 33 to flip. The transmission belt 31 is connected to the encoder 4.

[0067] The upstream MES sends a queue, and the system server determines the current vehicle type based on the queue information. The robot's assembly mechanism 37 then adjusts the delivery trajectory of the corresponding vehicle type to await delivery. When the lifting device reaches the delivery position, the system's vehicle body detection switch checks whether the lifting device carries a vehicle body. If the lifting device is empty, neither the robot's assembly mechanism 37 nor the following mechanism 38 moves, and they continue to wait for the next lifting device to arrive. When the system detects that the lifting device carries a vehicle body, the robot's assembly mechanism 37 performs the delivery action of the assembly box. Furthermore, when the fully loaded lifting device reaches a specific position, the piston rod of the telescopic cylinder 35 extends, pushing the following plate 33 to flip into a vertical state. Simultaneously, the lifting cylinder 32 extends and clamps against the rear support of the lifting device, forming a clamping state with the rear support of the lifting device, ensuring that the following mechanism 38 is synchronized with the lifting device in real time. Furthermore, the rear support of the fully loaded lifting device pushes the traveling plate 33 forward on the transmission belt 31, and the transmission belt 31 begins to rotate. The traveling speed is calculated in real time through the conversion of the encoder 4. Further, the robot collection and distribution mechanism 37 begins to put the collection and distribution box during the traveling process. Under the action of the corresponding vehicle model's placement trajectory, the material cart is placed on the floor on the passenger side of the assembly vehicle body. Then, the clamping cylinder 22 moves, driving the robot gripper 21 to open. The robotic arm 18 drives the robot gripper 21 to move outside the vehicle body.

[0068] Furthermore, after the robot's material collection mechanism 37 finishes feeding, it disengages from the chassis line and accelerates forward to the material collection position of the robot's material collection mechanism 37. Then, the follower motor 34 drives the transmission belt 31 to move, causing the transmission belt 31 to drive the follower plate 33 and the lifting cylinder 32 back to their original positions, waiting for the next cycle.

[0069] Furthermore, the fully loaded spreader continues to move forward. When the front of the spreader reaches the material car's following rod, which is now horizontal, the spreader will cause the material car to enter a non-powered following state. Further, after the first material car has moved without power and reached the material car loading mechanism 36, the material car loading mechanism 36 will drive the second material car to complete the above cycle. Even further, during the material car's following process, the chassis line operator can directly retrieve parts from the material car for assembly. Operators on the powertrain platform can directly retrieve parts from the material collection box at the co-driver's position.

[0070] The lifting cylinder 32 is connected to the transmission belt 31 by a clamping plate, the traveling plate 33 and the telescopic cylinder 35 are mounted on the same mounting base, and a clamping plate is also connected between the mounting base and the transmission belt 31.

[0071] One side of the transmission belt 31 is fitted onto the encoder 4 and connected to it for transmission, which can detect the speed in real time.

[0072] The working principle and process of this application:

[0073] When the material cart enters the positioning guide rail 1, the material cart is detected by the switch 7 and the pneumatic control box 14 controls the movement of the blocking cylinder 13. The piston rod of the blocking cylinder 13 drives the material cart blocking push head 12 to move, so that the material cart blocking push head 12 extends to block the material cart from moving forward and stop the material cart. The drive motor 8 drives the transmission belt mechanism to run, and the transmission belt mechanism drives the gripper 15 connected to it to move, so that the gripper 15 moves to the material cart leg frame. Then, the gripper cylinder 16 drives the gripper 15 to clamp and fix the material cart leg frame. Then, the drive motor 8 drives the transmission belt mechanism to move, so that the transmission belt mechanism drives the gripper 15 to move. The gripper 15 drives the first material cart and the second material cart to automatically separate and move towards the material picking waiting area.

[0074] When the gripper robot needs to move, the servo motor 29 drives the gear 30 to rotate. The gear 30 meshes with the rack 27. There are two second linear slide rails 26, which are set opposite each other with space between them. The rack 27 is set on one side opposite to the two second linear slide rails 26. The base 28 is set on the second linear slide rail 26. A slider is set between the base 28 and the second linear slide rail 26. The slider allows the base 28 to slide on the second linear slide rail 26, reducing friction.

[0075] When gear 30 rotates, it can cooperate with rack 27 to drive base 28 to move on the second linear slide rail 26, so that the robot gripper on base 28 moves to the material picking area. Then, the robotic arm 18 rotates to change the direction of the robot gripper so that the robot gripper faces the material cart. Then, the robotic arm 18 drives the robot gripper to move towards the material cart so that the robot gripper can hold the collection box on the material cart.

[0076] When the robot gripper needs to grip the collection box, the clamping cylinder 22 drives one of the robot grippers 21 to move, and the other robot gripper 21 is linked by the linkage 23, which allows the two robot grippers 21 to move relative to each other.

[0077] After the material is picked up, the piston of the striking cylinder 11 extends, driving the striking arm 10 to rotate toward the following rod of the material cart, so that the following rod of the material cart switches from a vertical state to a horizontal state.

[0078] When the robot gripper 21 places the collection box, if one or more sides of the left or right or front side touch the vehicle body, the contact edge 24 will compress the spring telescopic rod 25. The compression of the spring telescopic rod 25 will trigger the detection switch, and then the system will stop suddenly. The feedback will be sent to the chassis line to stop the chassis line and prevent the gripper robot mechanism from hitting the vehicle body.

[0079] The upstream MES sends a queue, and the system server determines the current vehicle type based on the queue information. The robot's assembly mechanism 37 then adjusts the delivery trajectory of the corresponding vehicle type to await delivery. When the lifting device reaches the delivery position, the system's vehicle body detection switch checks whether the lifting device carries a vehicle body. If the lifting device is empty, neither the robot's assembly mechanism 37 nor the following mechanism 38 moves, and they continue to wait for the next lifting device to arrive. When the system detects that the lifting device carries a vehicle body, the robot's assembly mechanism 37 performs the delivery action of the assembly box. Furthermore, when the fully loaded lifting device reaches a specific position, the piston rod of the telescopic cylinder 35 extends, pushing the following plate 33 to flip into a vertical state. Simultaneously, the lifting cylinder 32 extends and clamps against the rear support of the lifting device, forming a clamping state with the rear support of the lifting device, ensuring that the following mechanism 38 is synchronized with the lifting device in real time. Furthermore, the rear support of the fully loaded lifting device pushes the traveling plate 33 forward on the transmission belt 31, and the transmission belt 31 begins to rotate. The traveling speed is calculated in real time through the conversion of the encoder 4. Further, the robot collection and distribution mechanism 37 begins to put the collection and distribution box during the traveling process. Under the action of the corresponding vehicle model's placement trajectory, the material cart is placed on the floor on the passenger side of the assembly vehicle body. Then, the clamping cylinder 22 moves, driving the robot gripper 21 to open. The robotic arm 18 drives the robot gripper 21 to move outside the vehicle body.

[0080] Furthermore, after the robot's material collection mechanism 37 finishes feeding, it disengages from the chassis line and accelerates forward to the material collection position of the robot's material collection mechanism 37. Then, the follower motor 34 drives the transmission belt 31 to move, causing the transmission belt 31 to drive the follower plate 33 and the lifting cylinder 32 back to their original positions, waiting for the next cycle.

[0081] Furthermore, the fully loaded spreader continues to move forward. When the front of the spreader reaches the material car's following rod, which is now horizontal, the spreader will cause the material car to enter a non-powered following state. Further, after the first material car has moved without power and reached the material car loading mechanism 36, the material car loading mechanism 36 will drive the second material car to complete the above cycle. Even further, during the material car's following process, the chassis line operator can directly retrieve parts from the material car for assembly. Operators on the powertrain platform can directly retrieve parts from the material collection box at the co-driver's position.

[0082] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "upper," "lower," etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application 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 this application. Unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installed," "connected," and "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0083] It should be noted that in this application, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0084] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, enabling those skilled in the art to understand or implement this application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this application. Therefore, this application is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features claimed herein.

Claims

1. A material cart loading system based on robotic automated material distribution, characterized in that, include: The material cart loading mechanism (36) is used to enable the automatic loading of the SPS material cart. The material cart loading mechanism (36) includes a positioning guide rail (1), a material cart drive mechanism for moving the material cart on the positioning guide rail (1), a lever-activating mechanism for switching the state of the material cart follower rod, and a stop mechanism for stopping the material cart from moving. When the material is picked up, the lever-activating mechanism switches the material cart follower rod from a vertical state to a horizontal state. The material cart drive mechanism is located on one side of the positioning guide rail (1). The material cart drive mechanism includes a first linear slide rail (6) supported on the ground by a support frame (5), a material cart gripper mechanism located on the first linear slide rail (6), a drive mechanism for driving the material cart gripper mechanism, and a switch (7) for detecting the material cart. The material car gripper mechanism includes a gripper (15) mounted on a first linear slide rail (6) and movable, a gripper cylinder (16) for driving the gripper (15) to clamp and release, and a drag chain (17) for stabilizing the movement of the gripper (15). The lever mechanism includes a base (9) disposed on one side of the material cart follower lever, a lever arm (10) hinged to the end of the base (9) away from the ground, and a lever cylinder (11) for driving the lever arm (10) to move. The stopping mechanism includes a material cart blocking pusher (12) disposed on one side of the positioning guide rail (1), a blocking cylinder (13) for driving the material cart blocking pusher (12) to move, and a pneumatic control box (14) for controlling the blocking cylinder (13). Robot assembly mechanism (37), the robot assembly mechanism (37) is used to clamp the assembly box in the material cart and assemble it with the car body. The robot assembly mechanism (37) includes a platform (2) set outside the material cart online mechanism (36), a clamping robot mechanism set on the platform (2) and a robot drive mechanism for driving the clamping robot mechanism to move on the platform (2). The following mechanism (38) is used to make the clamping robot mechanism follow the movement of the vehicle body. The following mechanism (38) includes a bracket (3), a synchronous drive mechanism set on the bracket (3) for synchronizing with the vehicle body, and an encoder (4) that enables the clamping robot mechanism to follow the movement of the vehicle body at the same speed. The synchronous drive mechanism includes a transmission belt (31) mounted on the bracket (3), a traveling slide rail (39) mounted on one side of the transmission belt (31), a lifting cylinder (32) mounted on the traveling slide rail (39) for synchronously following the lifting device, a traveling plate (33) mounted on the traveling slide rail (39) to drive the transmission belt (31), a traveling motor (34) to drive the transmission belt (31), and a telescopic cylinder (35) to drive the traveling plate (33) to flip. The transmission belt (31) is connected to the encoder (4) in a transmission connection.

2. The material cart loading system based on robot automatic distribution as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The driving mechanism includes a drive motor (8), which is connected to the gripper (15) via a transmission belt mechanism.

3. The material cart loading system based on robot automatic distribution as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The gripper robot mechanism includes a robotic arm (18) that can rotate in multiple directions and is mounted on a robot drive mechanism, and a robot gripper mounted on the gripping end of the robotic arm (18).

4. The material cart loading system based on robot automatic distribution as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The robot gripper includes a gripper mounting plate (19), two robot grippers (21) arranged opposite each other with a gap, a clamping cylinder (22) located on the side of the gripper mounting plate (19) away from the robot grippers (21) and used to drive the robot grippers (21) to clamp, and a triggering mechanism located on the side of the gripper mounting plate (19) away from the robot grippers (21) for limiting the position. The clamp mounting plate (19) is provided with a clamp slide rail (20), and the two robot grippers (21) are provided on the clamp slide rail (20). A connecting rod (23) is provided between the two robot grippers (21) to make them move relative to each other. The triggering mechanism includes a contact edge (24) disposed on the outside of the clamp mounting plate (19) and a spring telescopic rod (25) disposed on the clamp mounting plate (19), wherein the spring telescopic rod (25) is connected to the contact edge (24).

5. The material cart loading system based on robot automatic distribution as described in claim 4, characterized in that: The robot drive mechanism includes a second linear slide rail (26) mounted on the platform (2), a rack (27) mounted on the second linear slide rail (26), and a motion mechanism mounted on the robotic arm (18); The motion mechanism includes a base (28) mounted on a second linear slide rail (26), a servo motor (29) mounted on the base (28), and a gear (30) meshing with a rack (27). The output shaft of the servo motor (29) is connected to the gear (30).

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