U tube aggregate equipment

Abstract

The present invention discloses a U-tube aggregate equipment, which relates to the technical field of automated production equipment, wherein the U-tube aggregate equipment comprises: a material receiving and transferring module for receiving and transferring U-tubes; a combing and shrinking module, which is arranged on one side of the material receiving and transferring module, for receiving the U-tubes transferred by the material receiving and transferring module, and combing and shrinking the U-tubes; an aggregate feeding switching module, which is arranged on the side of the combing and shrinking module away from the material receiving and transferring module, and the aggregate feeding switching module has an aggregate station and a feeding station, and the aggregate feeding switching module includes at least two aggregate mechanisms that can switch back and forth between the aggregate station and the feeding station; the aggregate mechanism at the aggregate station is used to collect the U-tubes that have been shrunken by the combing and shrinking module for buffering aggregate; the aggregate mechanism at the feeding station is used to feed the automatic film threading machine. The technical solution provided by the present invention can realize continuous aggregate and feeding of U-tubes, ensure the continuity of the rhythm of the entire production process, and improve production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automated production equipment, and in particular to a U-tube aggregate equipment. Background Art

[0002] The success rate of automated fin threading for air conditioner components (condensers and evaporators) depends largely on the quality of the long U-tube aggregate. Traditional manual assembly is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also results in a disorganized and chaotic process, making subsequent automated threading impossible. Currently, some U-tube aggregate equipment can automate a series of processes, including long U-tube splicing, transfer and shrinking, and aggregate buffering. However, after the aggregate is buffered, the material cart must be towed to the automated threading station, resulting in a discontinuous production process and impacting production efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The main purpose of the present invention is to propose a U-tube aggregation equipment, which aims to achieve continuous aggregation and feeding of U-tubes, ensure the continuity of the entire production process rhythm, and improve production efficiency.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention proposes a U-tube aggregate equipment, comprising:

[0005] Material receiving and transferring module, used to receive and transfer U-tubes;

[0006] The combing and shrinking module is provided on one side of the material receiving and transferring module, and is used to receive the U-tube transferred by the material receiving and transferring module, and comb and shrink the U-tube;

[0007] The material collection and feeding switching module is arranged on the side of the combing and shrinking module away from the material receiving and transferring module. The material collection and feeding switching module has a material collection station and a feeding station. The material collection and feeding switching module includes at least two material collection mechanisms that can switch back and forth between the material collection station and the feeding station; the material collection mechanism at the material collection station is used to collect the U-tubes after shrinking by the combing and shrinking module for buffering the aggregate; the material collection mechanism at the feeding station is used to feed the automatic film threading machine.

[0008] In one embodiment, the material receiving and transplanting module has a material receiving station, a leveling station and a transplanting station, and the material receiving and transplanting module includes:

[0009] A material receiving mechanism, used for receiving a plurality of U-tubes at the material receiving station and transferring them toward the leveling station and the transplanting station;

[0010] A flattening mechanism, used to flatten the ends of the multiple U-tubes at the flattening station; and

[0011] The transferring mechanism is used to receive the multiple U-tubes with both ends flattened and transferred by the receiving mechanism at the transferring station, and transport them toward the combing and shrinking module.

[0012] In one embodiment, the material receiving mechanism includes:

[0013] Material receiving rack;

[0014] A lifting assembly is installed on the material receiving frame;

[0015] The material receiving assembly is connected to the lifting assembly, and the lifting assembly is used to drive the material receiving assembly to rise and fall so that the material receiving assembly can switch positions among the material receiving station, the leveling station and the transplanting station; the material receiving assembly has multiple material receiving troughs, each of which is used to receive a single U-tube.

[0016] In one embodiment, the material receiving assembly includes a variable distance module and multiple material receiving parts. The variable distance module includes a slide rail, multiple sliders sliding on the slide rail, and a variable distance drive assembly driven by the multiple sliders. The multiple sliders are arranged side by side along the extension direction of the slide rail. The variable distance drive assembly is used to drive the sliders to move along the slide rail and adjust the distance between two adjacent sliders. The material receiving parts are installed one-to-one on the sliders, and each of the material receiving parts is provided with the material receiving groove.

[0017] In one embodiment, the transplanting mechanism includes:

[0018] Two supporting racks are arranged opposite to each other and spaced apart along the first direction, with an escape space for the material receiving assembly to be raised and lowered being formed between the two supporting racks, and the two supporting racks are respectively used to support the portions of the U-tube extending from both ends of the material receiving trough; and

[0019] The transplanting and conveying module is connected to the supporting frame, and the transplanting and conveying module is used to drive the supporting frame to move between the transplanting station and the combing and necking module.

[0020] In one embodiment, the flattening mechanism includes two flattening components arranged opposite to each other along a first direction, and the flattening station is formed between the two flattening components. The flattening component includes a positioning push plate and a flattening drive connected to the positioning push plate, and the flattening drive is used to drive the positioning push plate to reciprocate along the first direction.

[0021] In one embodiment, the combing and shrinking module includes:

[0022] Main frame;

[0023] A material receiving and combing mechanism is movably mounted on the main frame, and is used to receive and comb the U-tubes transferred by the material receiving and transferring module;

[0024] a feeding clamping mechanism movably mounted on the main frame and located on one side of the material receiving and combing mechanism along the first direction, the feeding clamping mechanism being used to clamp the curved end of the U-tube on the material receiving and combing mechanism, and the feeding clamping mechanism and the material receiving and combing mechanism both being capable of reciprocating along the first direction on the main frame; and

[0025] The necking mechanism is installed on the main frame and is located on the side of the material receiving and combing mechanism away from the feeding clamping mechanism. The necking mechanism is used to neck the tube end of the U tube on the material receiving and combing mechanism.

[0026] In one embodiment, the material receiving and combing mechanism includes:

[0027] A receiving platform, which can be reciprocally mounted on the main frame along the first direction, and is used to receive the U-tube transferred by the receiving and transferring module;

[0028] a combing assembly, movably mounted on the material receiving platform, the combing assembly being used to be inserted into a single U-tube and / or between two adjacent U-tubes on the material receiving platform; and

[0029] A combing material driving member is installed on the material receiving platform and is drivingly connected to the combing material assembly. The combing material driving member is used to drive the combing material assembly to reciprocate along the first direction on the material receiving platform.

[0030] In one embodiment, the combing assembly includes a first material sorting block, a second material sorting block and a rotary chuck. The first material sorting block and the rotary chuck are arranged along the first direction and inserted between the two straight tube sections of a single U-tube. The second material sorting block is inserted between two adjacent U-tubes. When the rotary chuck is rotated to a preset angle, it can be crimped to the top surface of the two straight tube sections of the single U-tube.

[0031] In one embodiment, the feeding and gripping mechanism includes:

[0032] a support, mounted on the main frame so as to be reciprocatable along the first direction;

[0033] A clamping claw is provided on the support, and is used to clamp or release the U-tube; and

[0034] The pipe pressing assembly includes a movable module arranged on the support and a pipe pressing part connected to the movable module. The movable module is used to drive the pipe pressing part to rise and fall so that the pipe pressing part can be pressed onto the top surface of the U-tube. The movable module is also used to drive the pipe pressing part to reciprocate along the first direction.

[0035] In one embodiment, the necking mechanism includes:

[0036] A necking die, used to neck the end of the U-tube; and

[0037] The necking guide assembly is located on the side of the necking mold close to the material receiving and combing mechanism. The necking guide assembly has a guide channel for the U-tube to pass through. The guide channel is used to guide the tube end of the U-tube to be inserted into the necking mold.

[0038] In one embodiment, the necking guide assembly includes:

[0039] A support plate, wherein a top surface of the support plate is provided with a plurality of positioning holes spaced apart along the second direction;

[0040] a lifting base plate, which is liftably disposed above the support plate, and a bottom surface of the lifting base plate is provided with a plurality of follower bearings spaced apart along the second direction, and when the lifting base plate descends to a preset position, the follower bearings are engaged one-to-one in the positioning holes, and the guide channel is formed between two adjacent follower bearings; and

[0041] A guide plate is provided between the guide channel and the necking mold. The guide plate is provided with guide holes corresponding to the guide channels one by one. The guide holes pass through both sides of the guide plate along the first direction, and the first direction intersects with the second direction.

[0042] In one embodiment, the material collection and feeding switching module also includes a support frame and two conveying modules arranged on the support frame, each of the conveying modules is provided with the material collection station and the feeding station along the first direction, and two material collection mechanisms are provided side by side along the second direction. The conveying modules are driven and connected to the material collection mechanisms one-to-one to drive each material collection mechanism to move back and forth between the material collection station and the feeding station, and the first direction intersects with the second direction.

[0043] In one embodiment, the material collecting mechanism includes:

[0044] A material collecting frame is movably mounted on the support frame, and the material collecting frame includes a fixed bottom plate and a plurality of partition columns extending upward from the fixed bottom plate;

[0045] A supporting plate is provided above the fixed base plate, the partition column passes through the supporting plate, the supporting plate is used to support the U-tube, and the partition column is used to be inserted into a single U-tube, or inserted between two adjacent U-tubes, or abut against the outside of the outermost U-tube; and

[0046] The lifting drive assembly is provided on the aggregate frame and is drivingly connected to the supporting plate, and is used for driving the supporting plate to lift and lower along the axial direction of the partition column.

[0047] In one embodiment, the collecting frame further includes two limit plates provided on opposite sides of the fixed base plate and extending upward, the two limit plates being respectively used to limit the two ends of the U-tube, wherein at least one of the limit plates can be adjusted in position relative to the fixed base plate along the length direction of the U-tube;

[0048] And / or, the material collecting mechanism further includes a material shortage detection element provided at the top of the material collecting frame, and a material fullness detection element provided at the bottom of the material collecting frame.

[0049] In one embodiment, the U-tube collection equipment also includes a color code detection module, which is used to be set at the feed end of the pipe bending machine. The color code detection module is used to detect the surface color of the material pipe entering the pipe bending machine, and the material receiving and transferring module is used to receive the U-tube output by the pipe bending machine and transfer it.

[0050] In one embodiment, the U-tube material collecting equipment further includes:

[0051] A material collecting robot is used to pick up the U-tube after being shrunken by the combing and shrinking module, and transfer it to the material collecting mechanism located at the material collecting station for buffering and collecting; and

[0052] The feeding robot is used to pick up the U-tube on the collecting mechanism at the feeding station and transport it to the automatic film threading machine.

[0053] In one embodiment, the combing and shrinking module has a temporary storage area, and the material collection robot includes a first mechanical claw and a second mechanical claw. The first mechanical claw is used to pick up the U-tube after shrinking by the combing and shrinking module and transfer it to the temporary storage area for storage. The second mechanical claw is used to pick up the U-tube in the temporary storage area and transfer it to the material collection mechanism located at the material collection station for caching and collection.

[0054] In the technical solution of the present invention, when the U-tube gathering equipment is working, it can receive the U-tubes delivered by other equipment (such as a pipe bending machine) through the material receiving and transferring module, and transfer the U-tubes to the combing and shrinking module; the U-tubes are combed and shrunken through the combing and shrinking module to shape the U-tubes into a shape suitable for the subsequent sheet-threading process; the U-tubes after shrinking can be gathered and fed through the gathering and feeding switching module; in this way, a series of automated processes such as U-tube gathering and transferring, combing and shrinking, gathering and feeding can be realized. Among them, the aggregation and feeding switching module has an aggregation station and a feeding station. The aggregation and feeding switching module includes at least two aggregation mechanisms that can switch back and forth between the aggregation station and the feeding station. When one part of the aggregation mechanism is at the aggregation station, the other part of the aggregation mechanism is at the feeding station; the aggregation mechanism at the aggregation station is used to collect the U-tubes after being shrunken by the combing and shrinking module for buffering aggregation; the aggregation mechanism at the feeding station is used to feed the automatic film threading machine. In this way, when the aggregation mechanism at the aggregation station collects full U-tubes, it moves to the feeding station for feeding, and the aggregation mechanism at the feeding station can move to the aggregation station to continue collecting U-tubes after emptying the materials. In this way, continuous aggregation and feeding of U-tubes can be achieved, and there will be no production interruptions, thereby ensuring the continuity of the rhythm of the entire production process and effectively improving production efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0056] Figure 1 A top view of an embodiment of a U-tube aggregate collection device provided by the present invention;

[0057] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Assembly diagram of the center-joint material transfer module, color mark detection module, and pipe bending machine;

[0058] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A partial enlarged view of point A in the middle;

[0059] Figure 4 for Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the center material receiving mechanism;

[0060] Figure 5 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the middle combing material necking module;

[0061] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A partial enlarged view of point B in the middle;

[0062] Figure 7 for Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the combing mechanism for the middle material splicing;

[0063] Figure 8 for Figure 7 A partial enlarged view of point C in the middle;

[0064] Figure 9 for Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the feeding clamping mechanism;

[0065] Figure 10 It is a structural schematic diagram of the necking guide assembly;

[0066] Figure 11 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the medium aggregate feeding switching module;

[0067] Figure 12 for Figure 11 Schematic diagram of the structure of the intermediate aggregate mechanism;

[0068] Figure 13 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the color mark detection module.

[0069] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0070] 10. Material receiving and transplanting module; 11. Material receiving mechanism; 111. Material receiving rack; 112. Lifting assembly; 1121. Fixed plate; 1122. Lifting plate; 1123. Lifting power component; 113. Material receiving assembly; 1131. Pitch-changing module; 1132. Material receiving component; 11321. Material receiving trough; 12. Pushing mechanism; 121. Pushing assembly; 1211. Positioning push plate; 1212. Pushing drive component; 13. Transplanting mechanism; 131. Material support rack; 1311. Material support trough; 132. Transplanting and conveying module; 133. Transplanting rack; 134. U-tube temporary storage mechanism;

[0071] 20. Combing and shrinking module; 21. Main frame; 22. Material receiving and combing mechanism; 221. Material receiving platform; 222. Combing assembly; 2221. First material sorting block; 2222. Second material sorting block; 2223. Rotating chuck; 23. Feeding and clamping mechanism; 231. Support; 232. Clamping jaws; 233. Moving module; 2331. Transverse driving member; 2332. Moving seat; 2333. Lifting driving member; 234. Pipe pressing member; 24. Narrowing mechanism; 241. Narrowing die; 242. Narrowing guide assembly; 2421. Support plate; 24211. Positioning hole; 2422. Lifting base plate; 2423. Follower bearing; 2424. Guide plate; 24241. Guide hole; 243. Narrowing detection element; 25. Temporary storage area;

[0072] 30. Aggregation and feeding switching module; 301. Aggregation station; 302. Feeding station; 31. Aggregation mechanism; 311. Aggregation frame; 3111. Fixed bottom plate; 3112. Partition column; 3113. Limit plate; 312. Support plate; 313. Lifting drive assembly; 314. Full material detection element; 315. Low material detection element; 32. Support frame; 33. Conveying module;

[0073] 40. Color mark detection module; 41. Color mark sensor; 42. Mounting bracket; 43. Mounting plate;

[0074] 50. Material collecting robot; 51. First mechanical claw; 52. Second mechanical claw;

[0075] 60. Feeding robot;

[0076] 70. Automatic film threading machine;

[0077] 80. Pipe bending machine;

[0078] 100, U-tube; 101, pipe end; 102, elbow end.

[0079] The purpose, features and advantages of the present invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and in conjunction with the embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0080] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0081] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indications are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components under a certain specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indications will also change accordingly.

[0082] In addition, if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or suggesting their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features limited to "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In addition, if "and / or" or "and / or" appears in the full text, its meaning includes three parallel solutions. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes solution A, solution B, or solutions that satisfy both A and B. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in this field to implement. When the combination of technical solutions is mutually contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0083] The success rate of automated fin threading for air conditioner components (condensers and evaporators) depends largely on the quality of the long U-tube aggregate. Traditional manual assembly is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also results in a disorganized and chaotic process, making subsequent automated threading impossible. Currently, some U-tube aggregate equipment can automate a series of processes, including long U-tube splicing, transfer and shrinking, and aggregate buffering. However, after the aggregate is buffered, the material cart must be towed to the automated threading station, resulting in a discontinuous production process and impacting production efficiency.

[0084] The present invention proposes a U-tube collection device, which aims to achieve continuous collection and feeding of U-tubes 100, ensure the continuity of the entire production process rhythm, and improve production efficiency.

[0085] See also Figure 1In one embodiment of the present invention, the U-tube collection equipment includes a material receiving and transferring module 10, a material combing and shrinking module 20, and a material collection and feeding switching module 30. The material receiving and transferring module 10 is used to receive and transfer the U-tube 100; the material combing and shrinking module 20 is used to receive the U-tube 100 transferred by the material receiving and transferring module 10, and comb and shrink the U-tube 100; the material collection and feeding switching module 30 has a material collection station 301 and a feeding station 302, and the material collection and feeding switching module 30 includes at least two material collection mechanisms 31 that can switch back and forth between the material collection station 301 and the feeding station 302; the material collection mechanism 31 at the material collection station 301 is used to collect the U-tube 100 that has been shrunken by the material combing and shrinking module 20 for buffering and collection; the material collection mechanism 31 at the feeding station 302 is used to feed the automatic film threading machine 70.

[0086] In the technical solution of the present invention, when the U-tube collecting equipment is working, the material receiving and transferring module 10 can receive the U-tube 100 delivered by other equipment (such as the tube bending machine 80) and transfer the U-tube 100 to the combing and shrinking module 20; the combing and shrinking module 20 combs and shrinks the U-tube 100 to shape it into a shape suitable for the subsequent sheeting process; the collecting and feeding switching module 30 can collect and feed the U-tube 100 after shrinking; in this way, a series of automated processes such as material receiving and transferring, combing and shrinking, collecting and feeding of the U-tube 100 can be realized. Among them, the collecting and feeding switching module 30 has a collecting station 301 and a feeding station 302, and the collecting and feeding switching module 30 includes at least two collecting mechanisms 31 that can switch back and forth between the collecting station 301 and the feeding station 302. Exemplarily, when a part of the gathering mechanism 31 is at the gathering station 301, another part of the gathering mechanism 31 is at the feeding station 302; or, a part of the gathering mechanism 31 is at the gathering station 301, a part of the gathering mechanism 31 is at the feeding station 302, and another part of the gathering mechanism 31 is located on the flow path between the gathering station 301 and the feeding station 302. Among them, the collecting mechanism 31 at the collecting station 301 is used to collect the U-tubes 100 that have been shrunken by the combing and shrinking module 20 for buffering and collecting; the collecting mechanism 31 at the feeding station 302 is used to feed the automatic threading machine 70. In this way, when the collecting mechanism 31 at the collecting station 301 collects all the U-tubes 100, it moves to the feeding station 302 for feeding, and the collecting mechanism 31 at the feeding station 302 can move to the collecting station 301 to continue collecting the U-tubes 100 after emptying the material. In this way, the continuous collection and feeding of the U-tubes 100 can be achieved, and there will be no production interruptions, thereby ensuring the continuity of the rhythm of the entire production process and effectively improving production efficiency.

[0087] It is understandable that in order to ensure production efficiency, the material receiving and transplanting module 10 usually receives multiple U-tubes 100 at the same time. For example, 8 or 16 U-tubes 100 can be processed at one time by the tube bending machine 80. The material receiving and transplanting module 10 can receive multiple U-tubes 100 processed by the tube bending machine 80 at the same time. In the subsequent process, the combing and shrinking module 20 can comb and shrink multiple U-tubes 100 at the same time. Of course, the specific number of U-tubes 100 can be set according to actual needs and is not specifically limited here. Figure 7 As shown, the U-tube 100 is formed by bending a straight tube from the middle, and the overall structure is U-shaped. The U-tube 100 includes two straight tube sections that are opposite and spaced apart, and a curved tube section that connects the same ends of the two straight tube sections. The open end of the U-tube 100 is the tube mouth end 101 of the U-tube 100, and the end of the U-tube 100 with the curved tube section is the curved tube end 102 of the U-tube 100.

[0088] When the material receiving and transferring mechanism 13 receives multiple U-tubes 100 at the same time, the arrangement of the multiple U-tubes 100 on the material receiving and transferring mechanism 13 may not be neat. For example, when the necking ends of the multiple U-tubes 100 are not in the same plane, when the multiple U-tubes 100 are subsequently necked, some U-tubes 100 may not be inserted into the necking mold 241, thereby affecting the processing efficiency.

[0089] In order to further improve the subsequent processing efficiency, such as Figure 2 As shown, in one embodiment, the material receiving and transferring module 10 has a material receiving station, a flattening station, and a transferring station, and the material receiving and transferring module 10 includes a material receiving mechanism 11, a flattening mechanism 12, and a transferring mechanism 13. The material receiving mechanism 11 is used to receive multiple U-tubes 100 at the material receiving station and transfer them toward the flattening station and the transferring station; the flattening mechanism 12 is used to flatten the ends of the multiple U-tubes 100 at the flattening station; the transferring mechanism 13 is used to receive the multiple U-tubes 100 that have been flattened at both ends and transferred by the material receiving mechanism 11 at the transferring station, and transfer them toward the combing and shrinking module 20.

[0090] In this embodiment, the receiving mechanism 11 first moves to the receiving station to receive the multiple U-tubes 100 processed by the tube bender 80. The receiving mechanism 11 then carries the multiple U-tubes 100 to the flattening station. Next, the flattening mechanism 12 flattens the ends of the multiple U-tubes 100 on the receiving mechanism 11, aligning the ends 101 and the bends 102 of the multiple U-tubes 100. The receiving mechanism 11 then moves, carrying the multiple U-tubes 100 with their ends flattened, to the transfer station for material transfer with the transfer mechanism 13. The transfer mechanism 13 receives the multiple U-tubes 100, which have been flattened, and transports them to the combing and necking module 20. This ensures that the ends of the multiple U-tubes 100 transported to the combing and necking module 20 are aligned, facilitating simultaneous necking processing and effectively improving processing efficiency. Among them, the arrangement of the material receiving station, the leveling station and the transplanting station can be arranged vertically or horizontally according to the actual spatial layout of the equipment.

[0091] like Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, in one embodiment, the material receiving mechanism 11 includes a material receiving frame 111, a lifting assembly 112, and a material receiving assembly 113. The lifting assembly 112 is installed on the material receiving frame 111; the material receiving assembly 113 is connected to the lifting assembly 112, and the lifting assembly 112 is used to drive the material receiving assembly 113 to move up and down, so that the material receiving assembly 113 can switch between the material receiving station, the leveling station, and the transplanting station; the material receiving assembly 113 has a plurality of material receiving troughs 11321, each of which is used to receive a single U-tube 100.

[0092] In this embodiment, the material receiving station, the leveling station, and the transplanting station are arranged in sequence from top to bottom. First, the lifting assembly 112 drives the material receiving assembly 113 to rise to the material receiving station to receive the U-tube 100. In order to ensure the stability of the placement of the U-tube 100, the material receiving assembly 113 has multiple material receiving troughs 11321 arranged side by side. Each material receiving trough 11321 can hold a U-tube 100. The material receiving troughs 11321 can limit the position of the U-tube 100 to prevent the U-tube 100 from falling during the movement of the material receiving assembly 113; and the side walls of the material receiving troughs 11321 separate two adjacent U-tubes 100, which can ensure that there is a certain distance between the two adjacent U-tubes 100 to prevent them from colliding or wearing each other. The receiving trough 11321 can be a U-shaped trough aligned with the extension direction of the U-tube 100. The length of the receiving trough 11321 is shorter than the length of the U-tube 100, allowing both ends of the U-tube 100 to extend beyond the receiving trough 11321, facilitating the subsequent transfer of the U-tube 100 to the transfer mechanism 13. After the receiving assembly 113 receives the U-tube 100, the lifting assembly 112 drives the receiving assembly 113 down to the leveling station, allowing the leveling mechanism 12 to level the ends of the multiple U-tubes 100. Next, the lifting assembly 112 drives the receiving assembly 113 down further to the transfer station, facilitating the transfer of the U-tube 100 to the transfer mechanism 13. In this embodiment, the material receiving station, the leveling station and the transplanting station are arranged in sequence from top to bottom, so that the material receiving component 113 can switch between multiple stations only through lifting and lowering movements, which can simplify the movement trajectory of the material receiving component 113 and can make full use of the height space of the equipment to arrange multiple stations, making the overall layout more compact and helping to reduce the footprint of the entire equipment.

[0093] Alternatively, as Figure 4 As shown, the lifting assembly 112 includes a fixed plate 1121, a lifting plate 1122, and a lifting power member 1123. The fixed plate 1121 is fixed to the material receiving frame 111. The lifting power member 1123 is mounted on the fixed plate 1121. The lifting plate 1122 is connected to the lifting power member 1123. The material receiving assembly 113 is mounted on the lifting plate 1122. Thus, the lifting power member 1123 drives the lifting plate 1122 to move upward and downward, thereby driving the material receiving assembly 113 to move upward and downward between the various workstations. The lifting power member 1123 may include, but is not limited to, a transmission structure such as an electric push rod, a synchronous belt, a sprocket chain, a gear rack, a nut and a screw to achieve the lifting drive. To ensure the lifting stability of the material receiving assembly 113, the lifting plate 1122 may optionally be provided with a plurality of downwardly extending guide posts. The fixed plate 1121 may be provided with guide members that slide one-to-one with the guide posts. For example, the guide members may be linear bearings or guide sleeves that are sleeved around the guide posts.

[0094] In the subsequent necking process, there are certain requirements for the center distance between two adjacent U-tubes 100. In order to ensure that the center distance of the multiple U-tubes 100 transferred to the combing necking module 20 meets the subsequent processing requirements, such as Figure 4 As shown, in one embodiment, the material receiving assembly 113 includes a variable distance module 1131 and a plurality of material receiving parts 1132, the variable distance module 1131 includes a slide rail, a plurality of sliders slidingly arranged on the slide rail, and a variable distance drive assembly drivingly connected to the plurality of sliders, the plurality of sliders are arranged side by side along the extension direction of the slide rail, the variable distance drive assembly is used to drive the sliders to move along the slide rail and adjust the distance between two adjacent sliders, the material receiving parts 1132 are installed one-to-one on the sliders, and each of the material receiving parts 1132 is provided with the material receiving groove 11321.

[0095] In this embodiment, the slide rail extends perpendicular to the direction of extension of the U-tube 100. Multiple sliders are arranged side by side along the extension of the slide rail. Each slider is secured with a material receiving member 1132. Each material receiving member 1132 has a material receiving slot 11321 positioned within it, allowing multiple U-tubes 100 to be arranged side by side along the extension of the slide rail. Specifically, the material receiving member 1132 comprises a material receiving base plate and side panels disposed on either side of the receiving base plate. The side panels are positioned opposite each other along the extension of the slide rail. Together with the material receiving base plate, the side panels and the material receiving base plate form a material receiving slot 11321. The side of the material receiving base plate facing away from the material receiving slot 11321 is fixedly connected to the sliders. To adjust the center-to-center distance between any two adjacent U-tubes 100 to a predetermined center-to-center distance, the variable pitch drive assembly simply drives the multiple sliders to slide along the extension of the slide rail and adjusts the spacing between the two adjacent sliders. This makes adjusting the center-to-center distance between adjacent U-tubes 100 simpler and more convenient.

[0096] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, in one embodiment, the transplanting mechanism 13 includes a support rack 131 and a transplanting and conveying module 132. The support racks 131 are arranged opposite each other and spaced apart along a first direction. A clearance space is formed between the two support racks 131 for the material receiving assembly 113 to be raised and lowered. The two support racks 131 are respectively used to support the portions of the U-tube 100 extending from the two ends of the material receiving trough 11321; the transplanting and conveying module 132 is connected to the support racks 131 and is used to drive the support racks 131 to move between the transplanting station and the combing and necking module 20.

[0097] In this embodiment, the first direction is consistent with the extension direction of the U-tube 100 carried by the material receiving assembly 113. When the lifting assembly 112 drives the material receiving assembly 113 to descend to the transfer station, the material receiving assembly 113 can be accommodated in the avoidance space between the two brackets 131. The parts of the U-tube 100 extending from the two ends of the material receiving trough 11321 can be received by the two brackets 131 respectively. Then, the material receiving assembly 113 is lowered a certain distance, and the U-tube 100 can be separated from the material receiving assembly 113 to transfer the U-tube 100 to the brackets 131. Then, the transfer and conveying module 132 drives the two brackets 131 to carry the U-tube 100 toward the combing and shrinking module 20 to transfer the U-tube 100 to the combing and shrinking module 20. In this way, the U-tube 100 can be smoothly transferred between the material receiving assembly 113, the transfer mechanism 13 and the combing and shrinking module 20, thereby improving turnover efficiency. The transplanting and conveying module 132 includes but is not limited to using a conveying mechanism such as a linear slide and a synchronous belt to realize the conveying of the support rack 131 .

[0098] Optionally, the transplanting mechanism 13 also includes a transplanting frame 133, and the transplanting conveying module 132 is arranged on the transplanting frame 133. The transplanting conveying module 132 includes two transplanting conveying lines that are arranged relative to and spaced apart along the first direction, and each of the transplanting conveying lines is driven and connected to a supporting rack 131. Specifically, the transplanting station and the combing and shrinking module 30 are arranged relative to each other along the second direction, and the supporting rack 131 is driven to reciprocate along the second direction by the transplanting conveying line to achieve the transplanting of the U-tube 100. The transplanting conveying line includes but is not limited to a synchronous belt conveyor line, a linear slide conveyor line, etc. Optionally, the two transplanting conveying lines are connected by a transmission assembly, and the transmission assembly is connected to the driving mechanism. In this way, only one set of driving mechanism is needed to drive the two transplanting conveying lines to move at the same time, which can reduce costs and ensure the synchronization of the two transplanting conveying lines.

[0099] Alternatively, as Figure 3 As shown, the support rack 131 has a plurality of support troughs 1311 arranged along the conveying direction of the transplanting and conveying module 132, and each of the support troughs 1311 is used to receive a single U-tube 100. The U-tube 100 can be limited by the support troughs 1311 to prevent the U-tube 100 from falling during the movement of the support rack 131; and the side walls of the support troughs 1311 separate two adjacent U-tubes 100, which can ensure that the center distance between the two adjacent U-tubes 100 is maintained at a preset center distance. Specifically, the support rack 131 includes a support base extending along the conveying direction of the transplanting and conveying module 132, and the top surface of the support base is provided with a plurality of partition plates spaced along its length, and a support trough 1311 is formed between two adjacent partition plates.

[0100] Alternatively, as Figure 3As shown, the transplanting mechanism 13 also includes a U-tube temporary storage mechanism 134 disposed on the transplanting frame 133. The U-tube temporary storage mechanism 134 is located between the two material supports 131. In some scenarios, if the downstream combing and necking module 20 fails, the U-tube temporary storage mechanism 134 can temporarily store the U-tubes 100 on the material supports 131, allowing the upstream material receiving process to operate normally and ensure production efficiency.

[0101] like Figure 2 As shown, in one embodiment, the flattening mechanism 12 includes two flattening components 121 arranged opposite to each other along a first direction, and the flattening station is formed between the two flattening components 121. The flattening component 121 includes a positioning push plate 1211 and a flattening driving member 1212 driven and connected to the positioning push plate 1211. The flattening driving member 1212 is used to drive the positioning push plate 1211 to reciprocate along the first direction.

[0102] In this embodiment, when the material receiving assembly 113 carries multiple U-tubes 100 to the flattening station, the flattening driving members 1212 on both sides respectively drive the positioning push plates 1211 to move toward the material receiving assembly 113, so that the ends of the multiple U-tubes 100 are respectively limited and abutted against the two flattening positioning plates, thereby keeping the ends of the multiple U-tubes 100 aligned, which facilitates the subsequent synchronous shrinking of the multiple U-tubes 100. The flattening driving member 1212 includes but is not limited to a pneumatic cylinder, an electric push rod, etc.

[0103] like Figure 5 As shown, in one embodiment, the combing and necking module 20 includes a main frame 21, a material receiving and combing mechanism 22, a material feeding and clamping mechanism 23 and a necking mechanism 24. The material receiving and combing mechanism 22 is movably mounted on the main frame 21, and the material receiving and combing mechanism 22 is used to receive the U-tube 100 transferred by the material receiving and transplanting module 10 and comb it; the feeding clamping mechanism 23 is movably mounted on the main frame 21, and is located on one side of the material receiving and combing mechanism 22 along the first direction, and the feeding clamping mechanism 23 is used to clamp the curved tube end 102 of the U-tube 100 on the material receiving and combing mechanism 22, and the feeding clamping mechanism 23 and the material receiving and combing mechanism 22 can both move back and forth on the main frame 21 along the first direction; the necking mechanism 24 is mounted on the main frame 21, and the necking mechanism 24 is located on the side of the material receiving and combing mechanism 22 away from the feeding clamping mechanism 23, and the necking mechanism 24 is used to neck the tube mouth 101 of the U-tube 100 on the material receiving and combing mechanism 22.

[0104] In this embodiment, the receiving and combing mechanism 22 receives the U-tube 100 transferred by the receiving and transferring module 10. The U-tube 100 extends along a first direction, with the curved end 102 of the U-tube 100 facing the feeding and clamping mechanism 23, and the tube end 101 of the U-tube 100 facing the necking mechanism 24. The feeding and clamping mechanism 23 moves a certain distance toward the receiving and combing mechanism 22 to clamp and fix the curved end 102 of the U-tube 100. Then, the feeding and clamping mechanism 23 and the receiving and combing mechanism 22 move synchronously toward the necking mechanism 24. During this period, the receiving and combing mechanism 22 can also comb and correct the U-tube 100 so that the two straight sections of the U-tube 100 remain parallel, preventing the tube end of the U-tube 100 from easily forming a flare or crossing, and ensuring that the tube end 101 of the U-tube 100 can be smoothly inserted into the necking mechanism 24 for necking. The feeding and clamping mechanism 23 clamps and positions the curved ends 102 of the U-tube 100, preventing the U-tube 100 from moving in the first direction during transport. Typically, the receiving and combing mechanism 22 receives multiple U-tubes 100 at a time, and the feeding and clamping mechanism 23 can simultaneously clamp the curved ends 102 of multiple U-tubes 100 to ensure that the ends of the multiple U-tubes 100 remain aligned during transport, facilitating subsequent simultaneous necking of the multiple U-tubes 100.

[0105] Please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 7 In one embodiment, the material receiving and combing mechanism 22 includes a material receiving platform 221, a material combing assembly 222, and a material combing drive. The material receiving platform 221 can be reciprocatingly mounted on the main frame 21 along the first direction, and the material receiving platform 221 is used to receive the U-tube 100 transferred by the material receiving and transferring module 10; the material combing assembly 222 is movably mounted on the material receiving platform 221, and the material combing assembly 222 is used to be inserted into a single U-tube 100 on the material receiving platform 221 and / or between two adjacent U-tubes 100; the material combing drive is mounted on the material receiving platform 221, and the material combing drive is drivingly connected to the material combing assembly 222, and the material combing drive is used to drive the material combing assembly 222 to reciprocate along the first direction on the material receiving platform 221.

[0106] In this embodiment, the material receiving platform 221 can be movably mounted on the main frame 21 through a movable assembly, and the material receiving platform 221 can be driven to reciprocate along the first direction on the main frame 21 through the movable assembly. Specifically, the main frame 21 can be provided with guide rails on opposite sides along the second direction, and the guide rails are extended along the first direction. The two sides of the material receiving platform 221 are slidably connected to the guide rails, and the movable assembly is provided on the main frame 21 and is driven and connected to the material receiving platform 221. The movable assembly includes but is not limited to the use of linear slides, synchronous belts, etc. to achieve linear drive. The material receiving platform 221 can specifically include a base movably mounted on the main frame 21, and a material receiving plate that can be raised and lowered on the base. The material receiving and transferring module 10 carrying the U-tube 100 moves to the top of the material receiving platform 221, and the material receiving plate is lifted upward by a certain distance to receive the U-tube 100 on the material receiving and transferring module 10. After the receiving platform 221 receives a U-tube 100, the combing assembly 222 can be inserted into a single U-tube 100 on the receiving platform 221 and / or between two adjacent U-tubes 100. As the feeding gripper mechanism 23 and the receiving platform 221 synchronously move toward the necking mechanism 24, the combing drive can drive the combing assembly 222 in a first direction from the curved end 102 of the U-tube 100 toward the tube end 101 to correct the flaring and crossover problems that easily occur at the tube end of the U-tube 100. The combing drive can be driven by a servo motor.

[0107] Please refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 In one embodiment, the combing assembly 222 includes a first sorting block 2221, a second sorting block 2222 and a rotary chuck 2223. The first sorting block 2221 and the rotary chuck 2223 are arranged along the first direction and inserted between the two straight tube sections of a single U-tube 100. The second sorting block 2222 is inserted between two adjacent U-tubes 100. When the rotary chuck 2223 is rotated to a preset angle, it can be crimped to the top surfaces of the two straight tube sections of the single U-tube 100.

[0108] In this embodiment, the first sorting block 2221 and the second sorting block 2222 may be in the form of long strips extending along a first direction, the rotary chuck 2223 may be spaced apart at one end of the first sorting block 2221, and the second sorting block 2222 may include a main body having a substantially identical structure to the first sorting block 2221, and a protrusion provided at one end of the main body near the rotary chuck 2223, the protrusion corresponding to the gap between the first sorting block 2221 and the rotary chuck 2223. The rotary chuck 2223 may specifically include a rotating shaft and a chuck portion provided at the top of the rotating shaft, and the chuck portion may be driven to rotate by the rotating shaft. When the receiving platform 221 is receiving the material, the rotary chuck 2223 rotates to a retracting position to ensure that the U-tube 100 can be smoothly transferred to the receiving platform 221, so that the first sorting block 2221 and the rotary chuck 2223 can be inserted between the two straight sections of a single U-tube 100, and the second sorting block 2222 can be accommodated between two adjacent U-tubes 100. The rotary chuck 2223 then rotates to a crimping position, so that the chuck head can be crimped onto the top surfaces of the two straight sections of a single U-tube 100. In this way, when the receiving drive element drives the first sorting block 2221, the second sorting block 2222, and the rotary chuck 2223 to move simultaneously, the straight sections of the U-tube 100 can be straightened and flattened by the first sorting block 2221 and the second sorting block 2222, and the rotary chuck 2223 can be pressed down by the U-tube 100, preventing the U-tube 100 from moving up and down during the sorting process.

[0109] like Figure 5 and Figure 9 As shown, in one embodiment, the feeding clamping mechanism 23 includes a support 231, a clamping claw 232 and a pipe pressing assembly, and the support 231 can be installed on the main frame 21 for reciprocating movement along the first direction; the clamping claw 232 is provided on the support 231, and the clamping claw 232 is used to clamp or release the U-tube 100; the pipe pressing assembly includes a movable module 233 provided on the support 231, and a pipe pressing member 234 driven and connected to the movable module 233, and the movable module 233 is used to drive the pipe pressing member 234 to rise and fall so that the pipe pressing member 234 can be crimped to the top surface of the U-tube 100, and the movable module 233 is also used to drive the pipe pressing member 234 to reciprocate along the first direction.

[0110] In this embodiment, the support 231 of the feeding gripper mechanism 23 is movably mounted on the main frame 21 via a movable assembly. This movable assembly drives the feeding gripper mechanism 23 to reciprocate along the first direction on the main frame 21. Specifically, guide rails may be provided on opposite sides of the main frame 21 along the second direction. The guide rails extend along the first direction, and the two sides of the support 231 are slidably connected to the guide rails. The movable assembly includes, but is not limited to, linear slides, synchronous belts, etc. to achieve linear drive. The clamping jaws 232 include upper and lower clamping jaws that can move toward or away from each other. When the upper and lower clamping jaws move toward each other, they clamp the U-tube 100. When the upper and lower clamping jaws move away from each other, the U-tube 100 is released. Among them, the number of clamps 232 can be designed according to the number of U-tubes 100 that the material receiving and combing mechanism 22 can receive at a single time. For example, the material receiving and combing mechanism 22 can receive 8 U-tubes 100 at a single time. Accordingly, 8 clamps 232 can be provided, and each clamp 232 is used to clamp a U-tube 100.

[0111] like Figure 9 As shown, the movable module 233 may specifically include a transverse driving member 2331, a lifting driving member 2333, and a movable base 2332. The transverse driving member 2331 is mounted on the top of the support 231. One end of the movable base 2332 is drivingly connected to the transverse driving member 2331, and the other end is connected to the lifting driving member 2333. The lifting driving member 2333 is connected to the pipe pressing member 234. The pipe pressing member 234 may be a long strip pressing block extending along the second direction. The lifting drive 2333 drives the tube pressing member 234 down a certain distance, allowing it to press against the top surface of the U-tube 100. As the feeding gripper mechanism 23 and the material receiving and combing mechanism 22 move synchronously toward the necking mechanism 24, the transverse drive 2331 drives the tube pressing member 234 to move along a first direction against the top surface of the U-tube 100, thereby ensuring that the bottom surface of the U-tube 100 always adheres to the receiving platform 221 of the material receiving and combing mechanism 22, preventing the U-tube 100 from moving up and down during the transfer and lining process. To prevent scratches on the surface of the U-tube 100, a flexible rubber pad can be provided on the side of the tube pressing member 234 that contacts the U-tube 100.

[0112] like Figure 5 and Figure 10 As shown, in one embodiment, the necking mechanism 24 includes a necking die 241 and a necking guide assembly 242. The necking die 241 is used to neck the tube end 101 of the U-tube 100; the necking guide assembly 242 is located on a side of the necking die 241 close to the material receiving and combing mechanism 22. The necking guide assembly 242 has a guide channel for the U-tube 100 to pass through, and the guide channel is used to guide the tube end 101 of the U-tube 100 to be inserted into the necking die 241.

[0113] In this embodiment, the feeding gripper mechanism 23 and the receiving and combing mechanism 22 move synchronously toward the necking mechanism 24 to convey the U-tube 100 toward the necking mechanism 24. The tube end 101 of the U-tube 100 first passes through the guide channel, which guides the tube end 101 of the U-tube 100 to be smoothly inserted into the necking mold 241, thereby reducing the scrap rate of the U-tube 100.

[0114] like Figure 10 As shown, in one embodiment, the necking guide assembly 242 includes a support plate 2421, a lifting base plate 2422, and a guide plate 2424. The top surface of the support plate 2421 is provided with a plurality of positioning holes 24211 spaced apart along the second direction; the lifting base plate 2422 is liftably disposed above the support plate 2421, and the bottom surface of the lifting base plate 2422 is provided with a plurality of follower bearings 2423 spaced apart along the second direction. When the lifting base plate 2422 descends to a preset position, the follower bearings 2423 are engaged one-to-one with the positioning holes 24211, forming the guide channel between two adjacent follower bearings 2423; the guide plate 2424 is disposed between the guide channel and the necking mold 241, and is provided with guide holes 24241 corresponding one-to-one to the guide channels. The guide holes 24241 pass through both sides of the guide plate 2424 along the first direction, and the first direction intersects the second direction.

[0115] In this embodiment, before the U-tube 100 enters the necking die 241, the lifting base plate 2422 descends to a preset position, allowing the follower bearings 2423 on the lifting base plate 2422 to engage with the positioning holes 24211 on the support plate 2421. A guide channel is formed between two adjacent follower bearings 2423. One end of the guide channel faces the tube end 101 of the U-tube 100, and the other end faces the guide hole 24241 on the guide plate 2424. The U-tube 100 passes through the guide channel between the two guide bearings for the first stage of guidance, then enters the guide hole 24241 on the guide plate 2424 for the second stage of guidance, and finally is inserted into the necking die 241 for necking. This allows the U-tube 100 to undergo multiple guiding processes before entering the necking die 241, further reducing the scrap rate of the U-tube 100.

[0116] like Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, in one embodiment, the necking mechanism 24 further includes a necking detection element 243 corresponding to the necking mold 241. The necking detection element 243 is used to detect whether the U-tube 100 is properly necked. Specifically, the necking detection element 243 can be located at the front side of the necking mold 241. Before the U-tube 100 enters the necking mold 241, it will be inspected by the necking detection element 243. If the U-tube 100 is not detected, it indicates that the necking is not in place and the material will be discarded later. The necking detection element 243 includes but is not limited to a photoelectric sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, etc.

[0117] like Figure 1 and Figure 11 As shown, in one embodiment, the aggregate feeding switching module 30 also includes a support frame 32 and two conveying modules 33 arranged on the support frame 32, each of the conveying modules 33 is respectively provided with the aggregate station 301 and the feeding station 302 along the first direction, and two aggregate mechanisms 31 are provided side by side along the second direction, and the conveying modules 33 are driven and connected to the aggregate mechanisms 31 one-to-one to drive each aggregate mechanism 31 to move back and forth between the aggregate station 301 and the feeding station 302, and the first direction intersects with the second direction.

[0118] In this embodiment, the conveying module 33 includes, but is not limited to, a synchronous belt conveyor mechanism, a linear slide conveyor mechanism, a sprocket chain conveyor mechanism, etc. By providing two collecting mechanisms 31, one conveying module 33 drives the corresponding collecting mechanism 31 to the collecting station 301 for collecting materials, while the other conveying module 33 drives the corresponding collecting mechanism 31 to the feeding station 302 for feeding materials. This allows for continuous material collection and feeding, enabling non-stop production and improving production efficiency.

[0119] like Figure 12 As shown, in one embodiment, the material collecting mechanism 31 includes a material collecting frame 311, a supporting plate 312 and a lifting drive assembly 313. The material collecting frame 311 is movably mounted on the support frame 32, and includes a fixed base plate 3111 and a plurality of partition columns 3112 extending upward from the fixed base plate 3111; the supporting plate 312 is arranged above the fixed base plate 3111, and the partition columns 3112 pass through the supporting plate 312. The supporting plate 312 is used to support the U-tube 100, and the partition columns 3112 are used to be inserted into a single U-tube 100, or inserted between two adjacent U-tubes 100, or abut against the outside of the outermost U-tube 100; the lifting drive assembly 313 is arranged on the material collecting frame 311 and is drivingly connected to the supporting plate 312, and is used to drive the supporting plate 312 to move up and down along the axial direction of the partition columns 3112.

[0120] In this embodiment, during the material collection process, the support plate 312 initially rises to its highest position to receive the U-tube 100. The support plate 312 is then gradually lowered a certain distance under the drive of the lifting drive assembly 313. The separators 3112 can limit the position of the U-tube 100, making the placement of the U-tube 100 more regular and facilitating subsequent material collection by the material retrieving robot. Typically, the support plate 312 supports multiple U-tubes 100 arranged side by side at a time. Accordingly, multiple separators 3112 are provided at intervals along the arrangement direction of the U-tubes 100. The outermost separators 3112 are used to limit the outer side of the outermost U-tube 100, thereby preventing the U-tube 100 from falling off the support plate 312. The intermediate separators 3112 can be inserted between two straight sections of a single U-tube 100, or between two adjacent U-tubes 100, to regularize the positions of multiple U-tubes 100. Furthermore, the separator columns 3112 can also guide the lifting and lowering of the support plate 312, ensuring smoother lifting and lowering. Optionally, two rows of separator tubes are provided on opposite sides of the fixed base plate 3111 along the first direction, each row comprising a plurality of separator tubes spaced apart along the second direction. Optionally, the top ends of the separator tubes are tapered or frustum-shaped, tapering upward, to prevent interference between the top ends of the separator tubes and the U-tube 100 when the support plate receives the U-tube 100.

[0121] like Figure 12 As shown, in one embodiment, the aggregate frame 311 also includes two limit plates 3113 arranged on opposite sides of the fixed base plate 3111 and extending upward, and the two limit plates 3113 are respectively used to limit the two ends of the U-tube 100, and at least one of the limit plates 3113 can be positioned relative to the fixed base plate 3111 along the length direction of the U-tube 100.

[0122] In this embodiment, the two ends of the U-tube 100 can be limited by the limiting plates 3113 on both sides, thereby preventing the U-tube 100 from moving and misaligning along the length direction. The limiting plates 3113 and the partition columns 3112 can make the placement of the U-tube 100 more regular, which is conducive to the subsequent feeding of the U-tube 100. In order to enable the collection frame 311 to be suitable for U-tubes 100 of different lengths, at least one of the limiting plates 3113 can be adjusted relative to the fixed bottom plate 3111 along the length direction of the U-tube 100, so that the spacing between the two limiting plates 3113 can be adjusted to meet the needs of storing U-tubes 100 of different lengths, which can improve the applicability of the collection frame 311. There are various ways to adjust the position of the limiting plate 3113 relative to the fixed base plate 3111. For example, a screw can be provided on the fixed base plate 3111, with a nut seat mounted on the screw, and the limiting plate 3113 can be fixedly connected to the nut seat. In this way, simply rotating the screw can drive the limiting plate 3113 to move along the screw for position adjustment. Optionally, a drive motor can be connected to the end of the screw, and the drive motor can automatically drive the screw to rotate, thereby achieving automatic adjustment of the limiting plate 3113.

[0123] like Figure 12 As shown, in one embodiment, the material collecting mechanism 31 further includes a material shortage detection element 315 disposed at the top of the material collecting frame 311 , and a material fullness detection element 314 disposed at the bottom of the material collecting frame 311 .

[0124] In this embodiment, the full material detection element 314 is used to detect whether there is a U-tube 100 at the bottom of the collection frame 311, and the short-material detection element 315 is used to detect whether there is a U-tube 100 at the top of the collection frame 311. When the full material detection element 314 at the bottom of the collection frame 311 senses the U-tube 100, the collection of materials stops. When the full material detection element 314 and the short-material detection element 315 of the two collection frames 311 are respectively in effect, that is, when the full material detection element 314 of the collection frame 311 at the collection station 301 detects that it is full of material, and when the short-material detection element 315 of the collection frame 311 at the feeding station 302 detects that it is short of material, the conveying module 33 drives the two collection frames 311 to move back and forth along the first direction to switch between collection and feeding.

[0125] like Figure 2 As shown, in one embodiment, the U-tube collection equipment also includes a color code detection module 40, which is used to be set at the feed end of the pipe bender 80. The color code detection module 40 is used to detect the surface color of the material pipe entering the pipe bender 80, and the material receiving and transferring module 10 is used to receive and transfer the U-tube 100 output by the pipe bender 80.

[0126] In this embodiment, the U-tube collection equipment's material receiving and transferring module 10 is positioned near the tube bender 80, and the color mark detection module 40 is located at the feed end of the tube bender 80. Before entering the tube bender 80 for bending, the material tube passes through the color mark detection module 40, where it detects the tube's surface color. For example, the material tube is typically made of copper. The color mark detection module 40 detects whether the tube's surface has oxidized and blackened. If this occurs, the subsequently bent U-tube 100 is deemed unqualified and will be discarded during subsequent collection. After being bent, formed, and cut by the tube bender 80, the material tube lands on the receiving and transferring module 10, where it is then transported to downstream processes.

[0127] Alternatively, as Figure 13 As shown, the color mark detection module 40 includes a color mark sensor 41, a mounting bracket 42, and a mounting plate 43. Two mounting plates 43 are spaced apart in the vertical direction. The two ends of the mounting plates 43 are respectively fixed by mounting brackets 42. The mounting brackets 42 are also used to fix to the pipe bender 80. Each mounting plate 43 is fixed with multiple color mark sensors 41 along the length direction. The color mark sensors 41 on the upper and lower mounting plates 43 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence. In this way, the material pipe can be transported to the pipe bender 80 through the gap between the two mounting plates 43, and the surface color of the material pipe is detected by the upper and lower color mark sensors 41.

[0128] Based on the above embodiments, Figure 1 As shown, in one embodiment, the U-tube collecting equipment further includes a collecting robot 50 and a feeding robot 60. The collecting robot 50 is used to pick up the U-tubes 100 after being shrunken by the combing and shrinking module 20 and transfer them to the collecting mechanism 31 located at the collecting station 301 for buffering and collecting; the feeding robot 60 is used to pick up the U-tubes 100 on the collecting mechanism 31 at the feeding station 302 and transfer them to the automatic threading machine 70.

[0129] In this embodiment, the combing and shrinking module 20 transfers the U-tube 100 to a preset position after the shrinking is completed, and then the collecting robot 50 picks up the U-tube 100 on the combing and shrinking module 20 and transfers it to the collecting mechanism 31 at the collecting station 301 for buffering; at the same time, the feeding robot 60 can pick up the U-tube 100 in the collecting mechanism 31 at the feeding station 302 and transfer it to the automatic film threading machine 70, realizing automatic feeding of the automatic film threading machine 70. In this way, through the modules of the U-tube 100 machine and material equipment, and the mutual cooperation of the collecting robot 50 and the feeding robot 60, it is possible to realize continuous automatic operation of the entire process from the U-tube 100 material receiving and transplanting, combing and shrinking, buffering and collecting to feeding to the automatic film threading machine 70. The overall layout is compact and the beat is sufficient, which can effectively improve the quality of the automatic collection of the U-tube 100 and greatly improve the success rate of subsequent automatic film threading. The collecting robot 50 and the feeding robot 60 may be truss robots, specifically comprising a truss and a mechanical gripper movably mounted on the truss. To prevent damage to the U-tube 100 when grasping it, the mechanical gripper may be provided with a flexible member, such as a flexible member made of polyurethane or rubber, mounted on the support block of the mechanical gripper. The U-tube 100 contacts the flexible member on the mechanical gripper to prevent damage.

[0130] In order to further improve production efficiency, such as Figure 1 and Figure 5 As shown, in one embodiment, the combing and shrinking module 20 has a temporary storage area 25, and the collecting robot 50 includes a first mechanical claw 51 and a second mechanical claw 52. The first mechanical claw 51 is used to pick up the U-tube 100 after shrinking by the combing and shrinking module 20 and transfer it to the temporary storage area 25 for storage. The second mechanical claw 52 is used to pick up the U-tube 100 in the temporary storage area 25 and transfer it to the collecting mechanism 31 located at the collecting station 301 for caching and collecting.

[0131] In this embodiment, the material collecting robot 50 may include a truss provided above the combing and shrinking module 20 and the material collecting and feeding switching module 30, and a first mechanical claw 51 and a second mechanical claw 52 slidably provided on the truss. In the combing and shrinking module 20, the U-tube 100 after shrinking by the shrinking mold 241 can be transferred to a position close to the temporary storage area 25 via the material receiving and combing mechanism 22. The first mechanical claw 51 picks up the U-tube 100 on the material receiving and combing mechanism 22 and transfers it to the temporary storage area 25 for storage. The second mechanical gripper 232 picks up the U-tube 100 in the temporary storage area 25 and transfers it to the material collecting mechanism 31 located at the material collecting station 301 for caching the machine material. Through the coordinated cooperation of the first mechanical claw 51 and the second mechanical claw 52, ​​the material collecting robot 50 can synchronously realize material picking and unloading, which can further improve production efficiency.

[0132] In one embodiment, the U-tube collection equipment further includes a material removal frame located between the temporary storage area 25 and the collection station 301. The second mechanical gripper 52 is further used to transfer unqualified U-tubes 100 to the material removal frame. For example, in the early stages of the process, the color mark detection module 40 can be used to detect whether the surface of the U-tube 100 is blackened, and the necking detection element 243 can be used to detect whether the necking of the U-tube 100 is in place. U-tubes 100 with blackened surfaces or inadequate necking are considered unqualified and cannot be used for subsequent automatic sheeting. The color mark detection module 40 and the shrinkage detection element 243 are communicated with the collecting robot 50. When the collecting robot 50 collects materials in the later stage, the second mechanical clamp 232 grabs the U-tube 100 with a blackened surface or an incomplete shrinkage, and transfers these unqualified U-tubes 100 to the throwing frame, while the qualified U-tubes 100 will be transferred to the collecting mechanism 31 to feed the automatic film threading machine 70, thereby further improving the qualified rate of subsequent automatic film threading.

[0133] The above description is merely an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformation made by utilizing the contents of the present invention's description and drawings under the technical concept of the present invention, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields, is included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A U-tube aggregate equipment, characterized in that: include: Material receiving and transferring module, used to receive and transfer U-tubes; The combing and shrinking module is provided on one side of the material receiving and transferring module, and is used to receive the U-tube transferred by the material receiving and transferring module, and comb and shrink the U-tube; A material collection and feeding switching module is provided on a side of the combing and shrinking module away from the material receiving and transferring module. The material collection and feeding switching module has a material collection station and a material feeding station. The material collection and feeding switching module includes at least two material collection mechanisms that can switch back and forth between the material collection station and the material feeding station. The material collection mechanism at the material collection station is used to collect the U-tubes that have been shrunken by the combing and shrinking module for buffering and collection. The collecting mechanism at the feeding station is used to feed the automatic film threading machine; The combing and shrinking module comprises: Main frame; A material receiving and combing mechanism is movably mounted on the main frame, and is used to receive and comb the U-tubes transferred by the material receiving and transferring module; The material receiving and combing mechanism comprises: A receiving platform is mounted on the main frame so as to be reciprocatable along a first direction, and is used to receive the U-tube transferred by the receiving and transferring module; A material combing assembly is movably mounted on the material receiving platform, the material combing assembly is used to be inserted into a single U-tube and between two adjacent U-tubes on the material receiving platform, the material combing assembly includes a first material sorting block, a second material sorting block and a rotary chuck, the first material sorting block and the rotary chuck are arranged along the first direction and inserted between the two straight tube sections of the single U-tube, the second material sorting block is inserted between the two adjacent U-tubes, and the rotary chuck can be pressed against the top surfaces of the two straight tube sections of the single U-tube when rotated to a preset angle; A combing material driving member is installed on the material receiving platform and is drivingly connected to the combing material assembly. The combing material driving member is used to drive the combing material assembly to reciprocate along the first direction on the material receiving platform.

2. The U-tube aggregate equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material receiving and transplanting module has a material receiving station, a leveling station and a transplanting station, and the material receiving and transplanting module includes: A material receiving mechanism, used for receiving a plurality of U-tubes at the material receiving station and transferring them toward the leveling station and the transplanting station; A flattening mechanism, used to flatten the ends of the multiple U-tubes at the flattening station; and The transferring mechanism is used to receive the multiple U-tubes with both ends flattened and transferred by the receiving mechanism at the transferring station, and transport them toward the combing and shrinking module.

3. The U-tube aggregate equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The material receiving mechanism comprises: Material receiving rack; A lifting assembly is installed on the material receiving frame; The material receiving assembly is connected to the lifting assembly, and the lifting assembly is used to drive the material receiving assembly to rise and fall so that the material receiving assembly can switch positions among the material receiving station, the leveling station and the transplanting station; the material receiving assembly has multiple material receiving troughs, each of which is used to receive a single U-tube.

4. The U-tube aggregate equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The material receiving assembly includes a variable distance module and multiple material receiving parts. The variable distance module includes a slide rail, multiple sliders sliding on the slide rail, and a variable distance drive assembly driven by the multiple sliders. The multiple sliders are arranged side by side along the extension direction of the slide rail. The variable distance drive assembly is used to drive the sliders to move along the slide rail and adjust the distance between two adjacent sliders. The material receiving parts are installed one-to-one on the sliders, and each of the material receiving parts is provided with the material receiving groove.

5. The U-tube aggregate equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The transplanting mechanism comprises: Two supporting racks are arranged opposite to each other and spaced apart along the first direction, with an escape space for the material receiving assembly to be raised and lowered being formed between the two supporting racks, and the two supporting racks are respectively used to support the portions of the U-tube extending from both ends of the material receiving trough; and The transplanting and conveying module is connected to the supporting frame, and the transplanting and conveying module is used to drive the supporting frame to move between the transplanting station and the combing and necking module.

6. The U-tube aggregate equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The flattening mechanism includes two flattening components arranged opposite to each other along a first direction, and the flattening station is formed between the two flattening components. The flattening component includes a positioning push plate and a flattening drive connected to the positioning push plate, and the flattening drive is used to drive the positioning push plate to reciprocate along the first direction.

7. The U-tube aggregate equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The combing and shrinking module also includes: a feeding clamping mechanism movably mounted on the main frame and located on one side of the material receiving and combing mechanism along the first direction, the feeding clamping mechanism being used to clamp the curved end of the U-tube on the material receiving and combing mechanism, and the feeding clamping mechanism and the material receiving and combing mechanism both being capable of reciprocating along the first direction on the main frame; and The necking mechanism is installed on the main frame and is located on the side of the material receiving and combing mechanism away from the feeding clamping mechanism. The necking mechanism is used to neck the tube end of the U tube on the material receiving and combing mechanism.

8. The U-tube aggregate equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that: The feeding and clamping mechanism comprises: a support, mounted on the main frame so as to be reciprocatable along the first direction; A clamping claw is provided on the support, and is used to clamp or release the U-tube; and The pipe pressing assembly includes a movable module arranged on the support and a pipe pressing part connected to the movable module. The movable module is used to drive the pipe pressing part to rise and fall so that the pipe pressing part can be pressed onto the top surface of the U-tube. The movable module is also used to drive the pipe pressing part to reciprocate along the first direction.

9. The U-tube aggregate equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that: The necking mechanism comprises: A necking die, used to neck the end of the U-tube; and The necking guide assembly is located on the side of the necking mold close to the material receiving and combing mechanism. The necking guide assembly has a guide channel for the U-tube to pass through. The guide channel is used to guide the tube end of the U-tube to be inserted into the necking mold.

10. The U-tube aggregate equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that: The necking guide assembly comprises: A support plate, wherein a top surface of the support plate is provided with a plurality of positioning holes spaced apart along the second direction; a lifting base plate, which is liftably disposed above the support plate, and a bottom surface of the lifting base plate is provided with a plurality of follower bearings spaced apart along the second direction, and when the lifting base plate descends to a preset position, the follower bearings are engaged one-to-one in the positioning holes, and the guide channel is formed between two adjacent follower bearings; and A guide plate is provided between the guide channel and the necking mold. The guide plate is provided with guide holes corresponding to the guide channels one by one. The guide holes pass through both sides of the guide plate along the first direction, and the first direction intersects with the second direction.

11. The U-tube aggregate equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material collection and feeding switching module also includes a support frame and two conveying modules arranged on the support frame. Each conveying module is provided with the material collection station and the feeding station along the first direction respectively. Two material collection mechanisms are provided side by side along the second direction. The conveying module is driven and connected to the material collection mechanism one-to-one to drive each material collection mechanism to move back and forth between the material collection station and the feeding station. The first direction intersects with the second direction.

12. The U-tube aggregate equipment according to claim 11, characterized in that: The material collecting mechanism comprises: A material collecting frame is movably mounted on the support frame, and the material collecting frame includes a fixed bottom plate and a plurality of partition columns extending upward from the fixed bottom plate; A supporting plate is provided above the fixed base plate, the partition column passes through the supporting plate, the supporting plate is used to support the U-tube, and the partition column is used to be inserted into a single U-tube, or inserted between two adjacent U-tubes, or abut against the outside of the outermost U-tube; and The lifting drive assembly is provided on the aggregate frame and is drivingly connected to the supporting plate, and is used for driving the supporting plate to lift and lower along the axial direction of the partition column.

13. The U-tube aggregate equipment according to claim 12, characterized in that: The aggregate frame also includes two limit plates arranged on opposite sides of the fixed base plate and extending upward, and the two limit plates are respectively used to limit the two ends of the U tube, and at least one of the limit plates can be adjusted in position relative to the fixed base plate along the length direction of the U tube.

14. The U-tube collecting equipment according to claim 12, characterized in that: The material collecting mechanism further comprises a material shortage detection element arranged at the top of the material collecting frame, and a material fullness detection element arranged at the bottom of the material collecting frame.

15. The U-tube aggregate equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The U-tube collection equipment also includes a color mark detection module, which is used to be set at the feed end of the pipe bender. The color mark detection module is used to detect the surface color of the material pipe entering the pipe bender, and the material receiving and transferring module is used to receive the U-tube output by the pipe bender and transfer it.

16. The U-tube aggregate equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that: The U-tube aggregate equipment further comprises: A material collecting robot is used to pick up the U-tube after being shrunken by the combing and shrinking module, and transfer it to the material collecting mechanism located at the material collecting station for buffering and collecting; and The feeding robot is used to pick up the U-tube on the collecting mechanism at the feeding station and transport it to the automatic film threading machine.

17. The U-tube collecting equipment according to claim 16, characterized in that: The combing and shrinking module has a temporary storage area, and the collecting robot includes a first mechanical claw and a second mechanical claw. The first mechanical claw is used to pick up the U-tube after shrinking by the combing and shrinking module and transfer it to the temporary storage area for storage. The second mechanical claw is used to pick up the U-tube in the temporary storage area and transfer it to the collecting mechanism located at the collecting station for caching and collecting.

Images