Welding tool, automatic welding production line equipment and control method thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides a welding tool, automatic welding production line equipment and a control method thereof, and relates to the technical field of arc-starting plate welding. The welding tool comprises: two fixing devices, a first pushing device, a second pushing device, a workbench and an air pump device, the two fixing devices are respectively arranged at the front and rear sides of the workbench, and the two fixing devices respectively fix the plate-shaped workpiece and the arc-starting plate on the workbench by controlling the corresponding first pneumatic drive; the second pushing device pushes the arc-starting plate backward by controlling the third pneumatic drive; the air pump device is respectively connected to the two first pneumatic drives, the second pneumatic drive and the third pneumatic drive, and the air pump device is provided with a regulator, and the regulator is used to keep the air pressure output by the air pump device within a set range.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of arc-starting plate welding, and in particular to a welding tool, automatic welding production line equipment and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] In the batch welding process of plate workpieces, automatic welding production lines are generally used to ensure the high efficiency of welding of plate workpieces. At the same time, in order to ensure the welding quality of plate workpieces, the arc starting plate is often welded together with the plate workpiece in the welding process to ensure the welding quality of the plate workpiece in the subsequent welding process.

[0003] To this end, corresponding auxiliary tooling is set in the existing automatic welding production line to align and position the arc-starting plate and the plate workpiece, and then the welding robot welds the arc-starting plate and the plate workpiece together. Finally, the plate workpiece and the arc-starting plate are transferred to the next workstation for processing.

[0004] However, the arc-starting plate welding tooling has the defect of inaccurate positioning accuracy during use, which often causes the arc-starting plate and the edge of the plate workpiece to be unable to align; at the same time, since the arc-starting plate is mainly used as a transitional component, the economic efficiency of the design and manufacturing of the arc-starting plate welding tooling is the main consideration. Therefore, how to reduce the cost of the arc-starting plate tooling while ensuring its positioning accuracy has become a major problem. Summary of the invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is how to reduce the cost of arc-starting plate tooling while ensuring its positioning accuracy.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a welding tool, which is used for automatic welding production line equipment. The welding tool comprises: two fixing devices, a first pushing device, a second pushing device, a workbench and an air pump device.

[0007] The automatic welding production line equipment places the plate-shaped workpiece and the arc-starting plate on the rear side and the front side of the workbench respectively.

[0008] The two fixing devices are respectively arranged at the front side and the rear side of the workbench, and the fixing devices are provided with first pneumatic drivers, and the two fixing devices respectively fix the plate-shaped workpiece and the arc-starting plate on the workbench by controlling the corresponding first pneumatic drivers;

[0009] The workbench is provided with a limiting mechanism, the first pushing device and the limiting mechanism are arranged on the left and right sides of the arc-starting plate, and the limiting mechanism is provided with an elastic deformation member at the side wall facing the arc-starting plate.

[0010] The first ejection device is provided with a second pneumatic driver, and the second pneumatic driver is controlled to enable the first ejection device to simultaneously eject the plate-shaped workpiece and the arc-starting plate toward the side of the limiting mechanism;

[0011] The second pushing device is provided with a third pneumatic driver, and the third pneumatic driver is controlled to enable the second pushing device to push the arc-starting plate backward;

[0012] The air pump device is connected to the two first pneumatic drivers, the second pneumatic driver and the third pneumatic driver respectively, and the air pump device is provided with a regulator, and the regulator is used to keep the air pressure output by the air pump device within a set range;

[0013] The workbench is a lifting workbench, and the workbench is used to be lifted and lowered relative to the plate-shaped workpiece.

[0014] Optionally, the fixing device further comprises:

[0015] A vertical arm, arranged upright near the workbench;

[0016] A pressing arm is arranged on the top of the vertical arm and is hinged to the vertical arm, and one end of the pressing arm is located above the workbench;

[0017] Wherein, the first pneumatic driver is a cylinder piston mechanism and is telescopic in the vertical direction, and the top of the first pneumatic driver is hinged to the other end of the pressing arm.

[0018] Optionally, there are two first ejecting devices, and the two first ejecting devices are arranged on the workbench.

[0019] There are two limit mechanisms, which are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the workbench, one elastic deformation member is arranged at each limit mechanism, and two first ejection devices are arranged between the two limit mechanisms.

[0020] There are two second ejecting devices, which are arranged in parallel, and each second ejecting device is arranged at the front side of the workbench.

[0021] The fixing device also includes a cross arm, which is connected to one end of the pressing arm, extends in the left-right direction, and is placed above the workbench.

[0022] Optionally, the cross arm is hinged to one end of the pressure arm so that the cross arm swings left and right relative to the pressure arm, and the bottoms of the left and right sides of the cross arm are respectively provided with first protruding structures, which protrude downwards.

[0023] A connecting arm and two buffers are provided at one end of the pressure arm, the connecting arm is arranged above the cross arm, the connecting arm is arranged parallel to the cross arm, and the left and right ends of the connecting arm extend out of the left and right sides of the pressure arm, the two buffers are respectively arranged at the left and right ends of the connecting arm, and the telescopic ends of the buffers extend downward and contact with the cross arm.

[0024] Optionally, the second pneumatic actuator is arranged on the workbench, and the second pneumatic actuator is a cylinder piston mechanism and is retractable in the left-right direction;

[0025] The first ejection device further comprises: a first ejection arm, a plurality of rolling bodies and a plurality of baffles;

[0026] The first ejection arm is a long strip structure extending in the front-to-back direction, the piston rod of the second pneumatic driver is connected to the first ejection arm, a second protrusion structure is provided on one side of the long side of the first ejection arm, and the second protrusion structure is used to eject the front end of the plate-like workpiece;

[0027] The plurality of rolling bodies are arranged at the first ejection arm, and the plurality of rolling bodies are arranged in sequence along the length direction of the first ejection arm. The plurality of rolling bodies are used to eject the arc-starting plate.

[0028] Optionally, the rolling body is a cylinder, and a plurality of grooves are provided on the side of the first pushing arm, the grooves penetrate the first pushing arm vertically, the side wall surface of the grooves is an arc surface, each of the rolling bodies is placed in one of the grooves, the side of the rolling body remains exposed at the opening of the groove and is flush with the second protruding structure, the width of the opening of the groove is smaller than the diameter of the rolling body, and a plurality of baffles are covered on the top of the grooves in a one-to-one manner, and the baffles are detachably connected to the top surface of the first pushing arm.

[0029] Optionally, there are two first ejecting devices, the two first ejecting devices are arranged adjacent to each other in sequence from front to back, the two first ejecting arms are arranged in parallel with a distance, and the two first ejecting devices are arranged between the two first ejecting arms.

[0030] Optionally, the third pneumatic actuator is arranged at the front side of the workbench, and the third pneumatic actuator is a cylinder piston mechanism and is telescopic along the front-rear direction;

[0031] The second ejection device also includes a second ejection arm, which is connected to the piston rod of the third pneumatic driver, and is used to eject the front end of the arc-starting plate.

[0032] In addition, the present invention also provides an automatic welding production line equipment, which includes the welding tool, a conveying device and a robotic arm. The conveying device is used to transport the plate-like workpiece to the workbench of the welding tool. The end of the robotic arm is integrated with a picking device and a welding gun. The picking device is used to pick up the arc-starting plate and place it on the workbench. The welding gun is used to weld the arc-starting plate to the plate-like workpiece.

[0033] In addition, the present invention also provides a control method, which is used to control the automatic welding production line equipment, and the control method includes:

[0034] Controlling the conveyor device to convey the plate-shaped workpiece forward to the upper part of the workbench;

[0035] raising the workbench to contact the front portion of the plate-like workpiece;

[0036] Using one of the fixing devices to fix the plate-like workpiece on the workbench;

[0037] Controlling the picking device of the robot arm to place the arc-starting plate on the workbench in front of the plate-like workpiece;

[0038] Using the first pushing device to push the plate-shaped workpiece and the arc-starting plate toward the limiting mechanism at the same time;

[0039] Using the second pushing device to push the arc-starting plate backwards and make it contact with the front end of the plate-like workpiece;

[0040] Using another fixing device to fix the arc-starting plate on the workbench;

[0041] Using a welding gun of a robot arm to weld the arc-starting plate and the plate-shaped workpiece together;

[0042] The workbench is lowered, and the conveying device is controlled to push the plate-shaped workpiece away from the welding tool.

[0043] The technical effects of the present invention include at least:

[0044] The welding fixture in the present invention can ensure accurate positioning. In order to ensure that one side edge of the plate-like workpiece is aligned with one side edge of the arc-starting plate, the first push-up device pushes the plate-like workpiece and the arc-starting plate toward the side of the limiting mechanism at the same time. At this time, the arc-starting plate is not fixed, while the plate-like workpiece is fixed, and the weight of the arc-starting plate is much smaller than the weight of the plate-like workpiece. When the first push-up device pushes and touches the plate-like workpiece, the arc-starting plate continues to move along the pushing direction of the first push-up device due to the aforementioned reasons, while the plate-like workpiece is already stationary, which will cause the arc-starting plate to move relative to the plate-like workpiece, resulting in inaccurate positioning of the arc-starting plate. In order to prevent the arc-starting plate from moving, a limiting mechanism is set on the opposite side of the first push-up device in the present invention to prevent the arc-starting plate from moving too much, and an elastic deformation member is set at the limiting mechanism, so that when the arc-starting plate moves, it first pushes against the elastic deformation member and causes the elastic deformation member to undergo elastic deformation. Because there is a gap between the first pushing device and the arc-striking plate after the arc-striking plate moves, the arc-striking plate moves toward the first pushing device and sticks to it under the elastic force of the elastic deformation member. In this way, the arc-striking plate and the plate-like workpiece both keep in contact with the first pushing device at the same time, thereby ensuring that the edge of the arc-striking plate is flush with the edge of the plate-like workpiece, thereby ensuring positioning accuracy.

[0045] In this way, after one side edge of the arc-starting plate is aligned with one side edge of the plate-like workpiece, the second pushing device is used to push the arc-starting plate backward from the front end of the arc-starting plate, so that the arc-starting plate and the plate-like workpiece are in close contact. Then, the arc-starting plate and the plate-like workpiece are fixed on the workbench by two fixing devices for welding.

[0046] In addition, in order to reduce the cost of welding tooling, the present invention does not use any detection components such as limit switches, proximity switches, and pressure sensors, thereby greatly reducing the cost. At the same time, in order to ensure feedback adjustment of the pushing force of the arc-starting plate and the plate-like workpiece and prevent equipment damage caused by overload, an air pump is used to drive the first pneumatic driver to the third pneumatic driver to push, position, and fix the arc-starting plate and the plate-like workpiece. On the one hand, the characteristic that the pneumatic drive has a smaller bearing capacity than the hydraulic drive is utilized to ensure that the two fixing devices, the first pushing device, and the second pushing device will not squeeze and deform the arc-starting plate and the plate-like workpiece; on the other hand, the regulator is used to keep the air pressure output by the air pump device within a set range. In this way, when the two fixing devices, the first pushing device, and the second pushing device cannot continue to move, as the air pressure delivered by the air pump continues to increase and exceeds the set range, the regulator can adjust the air pressure output by the air pump so that the air pressure is always kept within the set range, thereby preventing the air pressure in the pipeline from being too high and damaging the entire pneumatic control system.

[0047] In this way, the welding tooling in the present invention not only achieves low cost, but also ensures accurate docking and positioning of the arc-starting plate and the plate-shaped workpiece, thereby solving the technical problem of how to reduce the cost of the arc-starting plate tooling while ensuring its positioning accuracy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of the welding tool according to a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The schematic structure diagram at P in FIG. is enlarged;

[0050] Figure 3 Another schematic structural diagram of the welding tool according to a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 4 It is a schematic flow chart of the control method according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] In order to make the above-mentioned purpose, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation mode of the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. The embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0053] It can be understood that the terms "first", "second", etc. used in the present invention can be used in this article to describe various professional terms, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. However, unless otherwise specified, these professional terms are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one professional term from another professional term. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first receiving device and the second receiving device are different receiving devices, the first surface and the second surface are different surfaces, and the first plane, the second plane, the third plane and the fourth plane are different planes. In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, the meaning of "multiple" and "several" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0054] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "install", "connect", "set", "fix" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral one; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two components or the interaction relationship between two components, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0055] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" or "above" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than the horizontal height of the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the horizontal height of the first feature is lower than the horizontal height of the second feature.

[0056] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed on" or "set on" another component, or similar words such as "fixed on" or "set on", it can be directly on the other component or there can be a central component. When a component is considered to be "connected" to another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there can be a central component at the same time.

[0057] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in the present invention have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the present invention. The terms used in the specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0058] Moreover, the Z-axis in the accompanying drawings represents the vertical direction, that is, the up and down direction, and the positive direction of the Z-axis (that is, the direction of the arrow of the Z-axis) represents the top, and the negative direction of the Z-axis (that is, the direction opposite to the positive direction of the Z-axis) represents the bottom; the X-axis in the accompanying drawings represents the longitudinal direction, that is, the front and back direction, and the positive direction of the X-axis (that is, the direction of the arrow of the X-axis) represents the back, and the negative direction of the X-axis (that is, the direction opposite to the positive direction of the X-axis) represents the front; the Y-axis in the accompanying drawings represents the horizontal direction, that is, the left and right direction. It should be noted that the aforementioned Z-axis, Y-axis and X-axis are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0059] See also Figures 1 to 4 This embodiment provides a welding tool, which is used for automatic welding production line equipment.

[0060] The welding tool comprises: two fixing devices 100, a first pushing device 200, a second pushing device 300, a workbench 400 and an air pump device.

[0061] The automatic welding production line equipment places the plate-shaped workpiece 510 and the arc-starting plate 520 on the rear side and the front side of the workbench 400, respectively.

[0062] The two fixing devices 100 are respectively arranged at the front side and the rear side of the workbench 400, and the fixing devices 100 are provided with a first pneumatic driver 160, and the two fixing devices 100 respectively fix the plate-shaped workpiece 510 and the arc-starting plate 520 on the workbench 400 by controlling the corresponding first pneumatic driver 160;

[0063] The workbench 400 is provided with a limiting mechanism 410, the first ejecting device 200 and the limiting mechanism 410 are arranged on the left and right sides of the arc-starting plate 520, and the limiting mechanism 410 is provided with an elastic deformation member 420 at the side wall facing the arc-starting plate 520.

[0064] The first ejection device 200 is provided with a second pneumatic driver 210, and the first ejection device 200 simultaneously ejects the plate-shaped workpiece 510 and the arc-starting plate 520 toward the side of the limiting mechanism 410 by controlling the second pneumatic driver 210;

[0065] The second pushing device 300 is provided with a third pneumatic driver 310, and the second pushing device 300 pushes the arc-starting plate 520 backward by controlling the third pneumatic driver 310;

[0066] The air pump device is connected to the two first pneumatic drivers 160, the second pneumatic driver 210 and the third pneumatic driver 310 respectively, and the air pump device is provided with a regulator, and the regulator is used to keep the air pressure output by the air pump device within a set range;

[0067] The workbench 400 is a lifting workbench 400 , and the workbench 400 is used to be lifted and lowered relative to the plate-shaped workpiece 510 .

[0068] It should be noted that the elastic deformation member 420 in this embodiment may be a rubber block or a spring sheet that can be elastically deformed, or may be other elastically deformable members.

[0069] Preferably, the elastic deformation member 420 is an arch structure formed by bending the long side of a metal plate, the raised portion of the arch is arranged toward the arc-starting plate 520 , and both ends of the arch are connected to the limiting mechanism 410 .

[0070] In addition, it should be noted that the plate-shaped workpiece 510 here can be much larger than the arc-starting plate 520. For example, the ratio of the plate surface area of ​​the plate-shaped workpiece 510 to the plate surface area of ​​the arc-starting plate 520 is 10:1, or the areas can be equivalent, such as 3:1. As long as the process requires welding the plate-shaped workpiece 510 and the arc-starting plate 520 together, the welding tool in this embodiment can be used.

[0071] In addition, it should be noted that the regulator here can be a unloading valve. After the air pressure exceeds the set pressure, the unloading valve opens to discharge the excess air pressure so that the air pressure in the entire pipeline is maintained within the set range.

[0072] In addition, it should be noted that the workbench 400 is raised and lowered by the fourth pneumatic driver 430 , and the fourth pneumatic driver 430 here may be a cylinder piston device connected to an air pump.

[0073] The method of using the welding tool in the present invention can be found in the control method described later in this embodiment.

[0074] The welding fixture in this embodiment can ensure accurate positioning. To ensure that one side edge of the plate-like workpiece 510 is aligned with one side edge of the arc-starting plate 520, the first pushing device 200 simultaneously pushes the plate-like workpiece 510 and the arc-starting plate 520 toward the side of the limiting mechanism 410. At this time, the arc-starting plate 520 is not fixed, while the plate-like workpiece 510 is fixed, and the weight of the arc-starting plate 520 is much smaller than that of the plate-like workpiece 510. When the first pushing device 200 pushes and touches the plate-like workpiece 510, the arc-striking plate 520 continues to move along the pushing direction of the first pushing device 200 due to the aforementioned reasons, while the plate-like workpiece 510 is stationary. This will cause the arc-striking plate 520 to move relative to the plate-like workpiece 510, resulting in inaccurate positioning of the arc-striking plate 520. To prevent the arc-striking plate 520 from moving, a limiting mechanism 410 is provided on the opposite side of the first pushing device 200 in the present invention to prevent the arc-striking plate 520 from moving too much. At the same time, an elastic deformation member 420 is provided at the limiting mechanism 410, so that when the arc-striking plate 520 moves, it first pushes against the elastic deformation member 420 and causes the elastic deformation member 420 to undergo elastic deformation. Because there is a gap between the first ejection device 200 and the arc-striking plate 520 after the arc-striking plate 520 moves, the arc-striking plate 520 moves toward the first ejection device 200 and sticks to it under the elastic force of the elastic deformation member 420. In this way, the arc-striking plate 520 and the plate-like workpiece 510 both keep in contact with the first ejection device 200 at the same time, thereby ensuring that the edge of the arc-striking plate 520 is flush with the edge of the plate-like workpiece 510, thereby ensuring positioning accuracy.

[0075] In this way, after one side edge of the arc-starting plate 520 is aligned with one side edge of the plate-like workpiece 510, the second pushing device 300 is used to push the arc-starting plate 520 backward from the front end of the arc-starting plate 520, so that the arc-starting plate 520 and the plate-like workpiece 510 are in close contact. Then, the arc-starting plate 520 and the plate-like workpiece 510 are fixed on the workbench 400 by two fixing devices 100 for welding.

[0076] In addition, in order to reduce the cost of welding tooling, the present invention does not use any detection components such as limit switches, proximity switches, and pressure sensors, thereby greatly reducing the cost. At the same time, in order to ensure the feedback adjustment of the pushing force of the arc-starting plate 520 and the plate-like workpiece 510 and prevent equipment damage caused by overload, an air pump is used to drive the first pneumatic driver 160 to the third pneumatic driver 310 to push and position and fix the arc-starting plate 520 and the plate-like workpiece 510. On the one hand, the characteristic that the pneumatic drive has a smaller bearing capacity than the hydraulic drive is utilized to ensure that the two fixing devices 100 and the third pneumatic driver 310 have a smaller bearing capacity than the hydraulic drive. The first ejection device 200 and the second ejection device 300 will not squeeze and deform the arc-starting plate 520 and the plate-shaped workpiece 510; on the other hand, the air pressure output by the air pump device is maintained within a set range through the regulator. In this way, when the two fixing devices 100, the first ejection device 200 and the second ejection device 300 cannot continue to move, as the air pressure delivered by the air pump continues to increase and exceeds the set range, the regulator can adjust the air pressure output by the air pump to keep the air pressure within the set range at all times, thereby preventing the air pressure in the pipeline from being too high and damaging the entire pneumatic control system.

[0077] In this way, the welding tooling in the present invention not only achieves low cost, but also ensures accurate docking and positioning of the arc-starting plate 520 and the plate-like workpiece 510, thereby solving the technical problem of how to reduce the tooling cost of the arc-starting plate 520 while ensuring its positioning accuracy.

[0078] See also Figures 1 to 4 , further, the fixing device 100 also includes:

[0079] The vertical arm 110 is vertically arranged close to the workbench 400;

[0080] A pressing arm 120 is disposed on the top of the vertical arm 110 and is hinged to the vertical arm 110, and one end of the pressing arm 120 is located above the workbench 400;

[0081] The first pneumatic driver 160 is a cylinder piston mechanism and is telescopic in the vertical direction. The top of the first pneumatic driver 160 is hinged to the other end of the pressing arm 120 .

[0082] When in use, the first pneumatic driver 160 is utilized to vertically extend the relative arm 110, so that the other end of the pressing arm 120 is lifted high, thereby utilizing the lever principle to make one end of the pressing arm 120 descend and press the plate-like workpiece 510 or the arc-starting plate 520 on the workbench 400 to prevent it from moving relative to the workbench 400.

[0083] On the contrary, after welding is completed, the first pneumatic driver 160 is shortened so that one end of the pressing arm 120 is lifted, thereby releasing the pressing on the arc-starting plate 520 or the plate-like workpiece 510 .

[0084] Such arrangement is mainly due to two interference factors. One interference factor is that the plate-like components have a large flat area and a large contact area with the assembly line, which causes the arc-starting plate 520 and the plate-like workpiece 510 to vibrate frequently during the assembly line transportation process, especially the vibration occurs near the welding tooling of the present invention, which has a greater impact on welding. Another interference factor is that the edge of the arc-starting plate 520 is not absolutely flat, and there are local protrusions or depressions at the contact point between it and the plate-like workpiece 510. Similarly, the plate-like workpiece 510 is not absolutely flat either. In this way, these two interference factors are combined with each other, especially the uneven contact point between the arc-starting plate 520 and the plate-like workpiece 510, which is easy to vibrate under the vibration of the equipment and the continuous pushing of the second pushing device 300. At the same time, the supporting force of the elastic deformation member 420 on the arc-starting plate 520 is weaker than the pushing force of the first pushing device 200, and the arc-starting plate 520 is easy to move toward the elastic deformation member 420 again, resulting in poor welding accuracy.

[0085] To this end, another fixing device 100 is used to press the arc-striking plate 520 onto the workbench 400, so that the arc-striking plate 520 is strongly fixed from the top and bottom directions.

[0086] More importantly, the arc-striking plate 520 and the plate-like workpiece 510 are respectively pressed down by two fixing devices 100, which can prevent the arc-striking plate 520 from warping due to uneven surface, keep the surface of the arc-striking plate 520 flat, and prevent the weld from being skewed during the welding process of the arc-striking plate 520; it can also effectively suppress the arc-striking plate 520 and the plate-like workpiece 510 from moving left and right in response to thermal deformation occurring during the welding process, thereby ensuring the stability of the welding quality between the arc-striking plate 520 and the plate-like workpiece 510.

[0087] See also Figures 1 to 4 Furthermore, there are two first ejecting devices 200, and the two first ejecting devices 200 are arranged on the workbench 400.

[0088] There are two limit mechanisms 410, which are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the two workbenches 400. Each limit mechanism 410 is provided with an elastic deformation member 420. The two first ejection devices 200 are arranged between the two limit mechanisms 410.

[0089] There are two second pushing devices 300, which are arranged in parallel, and each second pushing device 300 is arranged at the front side of the workbench 400.

[0090] The fixing device 100 further includes a cross arm 130 , which is connected to one end of the pressing arm 120 . The cross arm 130 extends in the left-right direction and is placed above the workbench 400 .

[0091] Such an arrangement forms a double workstation. With the cooperation of the robot arm, the two workstations can independently fix and weld the arc-starting plate 520. During one welding operation performed by the robot arm, the arc-starting plates 520 on the two workstations can be welded in sequence, thereby improving the welding efficiency.

[0092] See also Figures 1 to 4 Furthermore, the cross arm 130 is hinged to one end of the pressure arm 120 so that the cross arm 130 swings left and right relative to the pressure arm 120. The bottoms of the left and right sides of the cross arm 130 are respectively provided with first protruding structures 131, which protrude downward.

[0093] A connecting arm 140 and two buffers 150 are provided at one end of the pressure arm 120. The connecting arm 140 is arranged above the cross arm 130. The connecting arm 140 is arranged parallel to the cross arm 130, and the left and right ends of the connecting arm 140 extend out of the left and right sides of the pressure arm 120. The two buffers 150 are respectively arranged at the left and right ends of the connecting arm 140, and the telescopic ends of the buffers 150 extend downward and contact with the cross arm 130.

[0094] The buffer 150 here may be an elastic buffer 150 , in which a spring is arranged. The bottom end of the buffer 150 is a telescopic end and cooperates with the spring. Under the elastic force of the spring force, the telescopic end presses the cross arm 130 downward.

[0095] In this embodiment, the left or right station can be selected for single welding as needed. This is designed for rapid adjustment as needed in response to fluctuations in the production batch of the plate-shaped workpiece 510, and can also ensure the continuity of the arc-starting plate 520 welding. When the two fixing devices 100, the first push-up device 200, and the second push-up device 300 at one station are damaged, the welding tool at another station can continue to operate, ensuring the continuous operation of the automatic welding production line.

[0096] At the same time, when the output is not large and only one side of the welding tool needs to be opened, during the extension and retraction of the first pneumatic driver 160, since one side of the workstation has a plate-shaped workpiece 510 and an arc-starting plate 520, while the other side of the workstation does not, one end of the cross arm 130 is unloaded during the downward pressing process of the two pressure arms 120, resulting in uneven load on the entire equipment, especially for the first pneumatic driver 160, resulting in uneven contact between its piston and cylinder body. Over time, one side of the cylinder body is severely worn, while the other side of the cylinder body is slightly worn, which seriously affects the service life of the first pneumatic driver 160.

[0097] To solve this problem, when welding a single arc-starting plate 520 to a plate-like workpiece 510, the arc-starting plate 520 and the plate-like workpiece 510 are located at one side of the workstation. When the first pneumatic driver 160 drives the pressing arm 120 to press downward, the first protruding structure 131 on one side of the cross arm 130 presses the arc-starting plate 520 or the plate-like workpiece 510. At this time, since the cross arm 130 is hinged to the pressing arm 120, one side of the cross arm 130 swings upward and pushes the buffer 150 on one side of the connecting arm 140, so that the telescopic end of the buffer 150 retracts. At the same time, the first protruding structure 131 on the other side of the cross arm 130 The structure 131 is in contact with the workbench 400. Since the cross arm 130 is in a skewed state at this time, and the other end of the cross arm 130 is lower than one end thereof, the hinged joint of the cross arm 130 and the pressure arm 120 becomes the fulcrum of the lever. The other end of the cross arm 130 uses the fulcrum to press down one end of the cross arm 130, thereby ensuring sufficient pressure on the arc-starting plate 520 or the plate-like workpiece 510. In this process, the first pneumatic driver 160 and the pressure arm 120 are balanced in force, and only the hinged joint of the pressure arm 120 is subjected to a slight deflection force, while the piston in the first pneumatic driver 160 does not have any lateral uneven force. When one end of the pressure arm 120 is lifted, the spring in the buffer 150 is used to push up its telescopic end, driving one side of the cross arm 130 to swing downward, and under the action of the left and right buffers 150, the cross arm 130 is kept in a horizontal state.

[0098] In this way, the cross arm 130 is hinged with the pressure arm 120 so that the two ends of the cross arm 130 become floating structures, which can adaptively adjust the pressure on the arc-starting plate 520 or the plate-like workpiece 510 according to the different actual conditions of two workstations or one workstation without causing serious lateral swing of the piston rod of the first pneumatic driver 160 relative to the cylinder body, thereby extending the service life of the first pneumatic driver 160.

[0099] See also Figures 1 to 4 , further, the second pneumatic actuator 210 is disposed on the workbench 400, and the second pneumatic actuator 210 is a cylinder piston mechanism and is telescopic in the left-right direction;

[0100] The first ejection device 200 further includes: a first ejection arm 220, a plurality of rolling bodies 222 and a plurality of baffles 223;

[0101] The first ejection arm 220 is a long strip-shaped structure extending in the front-to-back direction. The piston rod of the second pneumatic driver 210 is connected to the first ejection arm 220. A second protrusion structure 224 is provided on one side of the long side of the first ejection arm 220. The second protrusion structure 224 is used to eject the front end of the plate-shaped workpiece 510.

[0102] The plurality of rolling bodies 222 are disposed at the first ejection arm 220 , and the plurality of rolling bodies 222 are sequentially arranged along the length direction of the first ejection arm 220 . The plurality of rolling bodies 222 are used to eject the arc-starting plate 520 .

[0103] Through actual tests, it was found that after the first pushing device 200 and the limiting mechanism 410 clamp the arc-starting plate 520 from the left and right sides, the second pushing device 300 is still needed to push the arc-starting plate 520 backward. During this process, if the surface of the first pushing arm 220 is in direct contact with the side wall surface of the arc-starting plate 520, the resistance of the second pushing device 300 to push the arc-starting plate 520 will increase, causing a gap between the arc-starting plate 520 and the plate-like workpiece 510, thereby affecting the welding accuracy.

[0104] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the first pushing device 200 pushes the arc-starting plate 520, the second protruding structure 224 pushes the plate-like workpiece 510, and the plurality of rolling bodies 222 push the arc-starting plate 520. In this way, after the first pushing device 200 cooperates with the limiting mechanism 410 to clamp the left and right sides of the arc-starting plate 520, when the second pushing device 300 pushes the arc-starting plate 520 from front to back, there is rolling friction between the arc-starting plate 520 and the rolling bodies 222, so that the first pushing arm 220 reduces the movement resistance of the arc-starting plate 520, so that the arc-starting plate 520 and the plate-like workpiece 510 are more easily and tightly attached together, thereby ensuring the welding accuracy.

[0105] See also Figures 1 to 4 Further, the rolling body 222 is a cylinder, and a plurality of grooves 221 are provided on the side of the first pushing arm 220, and the grooves 221 penetrate the first pushing arm 220 vertically, and the side wall surface of the groove 221 is an arc surface, and each of the rolling bodies 222 is placed in one of the grooves 221, and the side of the rolling body 222 remains exposed at the opening of the groove 221 and is flush with the second protruding structure 224, and the width of the opening of the groove 221 is smaller than the diameter of the rolling body 222, and a plurality of baffles 223 are covered on the top of the groove 221 in a one-to-one manner, and the baffles 223 are detachably connected to the top surface of the first pushing arm 220.

[0106] It should be noted that the baffle 223 and the top surface of the first ejection arm 220 are detachably connected via threaded fasteners, such as screws.

[0107] In this embodiment, the side wall surface of the groove 221 is an arc surface, and the width of the opening of the groove 221 is smaller than the diameter of the rolling body 222, so that the rolling body 222 is confined in the groove 221, and then the baffle 223 covers the top of the groove 221 and is detachably connected to the first ejection arm 220, so as to prevent the rolling body 222 from separating from the first ejection arm 220. The side surface of the rolling body 222 is an arc surface and keeps extending out of the groove 221, so that the side surface of the rolling body 222 forms a rolling contact with the arc-starting plate 520, reducing the friction of the arc-starting plate 520 moving forward and backward.

[0108] In this way, through the mutual cooperation of the above-mentioned groove 221, rolling body 222 and baffle 223, while reducing the resistance of the arc-starting plate 520 to move forward and backward, the matching structure of the rolling body 222 and the first push arm 220 is also simplified, thereby facilitating manufacturing and reducing production costs.

[0109] See also Figures 1 to 4 Further, there are two first pushing devices 200 , the two first pushing devices 200 are arranged adjacent to each other from front to back, the two first pushing arms 220 are arranged in parallel with a spacing, and the two first pushing devices 200 are arranged between the two first pushing arms 220 .

[0110] The two first ejecting devices 200 are arranged adjacent to each other from the front to the back, and the two first ejecting devices 200 are arranged between the two first ejecting arms 220 , so that the space occupied by the two first ejecting devices 200 on the workbench 400 is fully compressed.

[0111] See also Figures 1 to 4 , further, the third pneumatic driver 310 is arranged at the front side of the workbench 400, and the third pneumatic driver 310 is a cylinder piston mechanism and is telescopic along the front-to-back direction;

[0112] The second ejection device 300 further includes a second ejection arm 320 , which is connected to the piston rod of the third pneumatic driver 310 , and the second ejection arm 320 is used to eject the front end of the arc-starting plate 520 .

[0113] In this embodiment, the first ejection device 200, the second ejection device 300 and the two fixing devices 100 are pneumatically driven by a cylinder piston device to achieve positioning and fixing of the arc-starting plate 520 and the plate-like workpiece 510. The cylinder piston device has a simple structure, is suitable for use in scenarios with small loads, and is inexpensive. At the same time, it is used in conjunction with the air pump equipped with a regulator in this embodiment, and does not require the use of any sensors, such as proximity switches, limit switches, pressure sensors, etc., thereby greatly reducing costs.

[0114] In addition, this embodiment also provides an automatic welding production line equipment, which includes the welding tool, a conveying device and a robotic arm. The conveying device is used to transport the plate-like workpiece 510 to the workbench 400 of the welding tool. The end of the robotic arm is integrated with a picking device and a welding gun. The picking device is used to pick up the arc-starting plate 520 and place it on the workbench 400. The welding gun is used to weld the arc-starting plate 520 to the plate-like workpiece 510 together.

[0115] In this embodiment, a robotic arm is used in conjunction with a conveying device, and a picking device and a welding gun are integrated at the end of the robotic arm, thereby improving the picking and welding efficiency of the arc-starting plate 520.

[0116] In addition, this embodiment further provides a control method, which is used to control the automatic welding production line equipment, and the control method includes:

[0117] Controlling the conveying device to convey the plate-shaped workpiece 510 forward to the upper part of the workbench 400;

[0118] Raise the workbench 400 and make it contact with the front of the plate-like workpiece 510;

[0119] Using one of the fixing devices 100 to fix the plate-shaped workpiece 510 on the workbench 400;

[0120] Controlling the picking device of the robot arm to place the arc-starting plate 520 on the workbench 400 in front of the plate-like workpiece 510;

[0121] Using the first pushing device 200 to push the plate-shaped workpiece 510 and the arc-starting plate 520 toward the limiting mechanism 410 at the same time;

[0122] Using the second pushing device 300 to push the arc-starting plate 520 backwards and make it contact with the front end of the plate-like workpiece 510;

[0123] Using another fixing device 100 to fix the arc-starting plate 520 on the workbench 400;

[0124] Using a welding gun of a robot arm to weld the arc-starting plate 520 and the plate-shaped workpiece 510 together;

[0125] The workbench 400 is lowered, and the conveying device is controlled to push the plate-shaped workpiece 510 away from the welding tool.

[0126] In this embodiment, the above control method is adopted for the aforementioned welding tool to ensure its efficient use and prevent the two fixing devices 100, the first ejecting device 200 and the second ejecting device 300 from interfering with each other during the matching process.

[0127] It should be noted that the conveying device here can be a clamping device equipped on the conveying line, which can clamp the plate-like workpiece 510 from multiple directions through the clamping device to prevent the plate-like workpiece 510 from moving relative to the conveying line.

[0128] Specifically, before the plate-like workpiece 510 is transported to the welding station, the workbench 400 is first lowered to prevent the limiting mechanism 410 from hindering the forward movement of the plate-like workpiece 510, and to avoid the plate-like workpiece 510 from contacting the surface of the workbench 400 and generating sliding friction that hinders movement, thereby allowing the plate-like workpiece 510 to move quickly to the welding station and improve efficiency.

[0129] Then, a fixing device 100 is used to fix the plate-like workpiece 510 on the workbench 400, so that the plate-like workpiece 510 can be used as a reference, and then the first pushing device 200 and the second pushing device 300 cooperate to make the arc-starting plate 520 and the plate-like workpiece 510 closely attached together to ensure accurate positioning. In addition, the arc-starting plate 520 is mainly pushed up, and the plate-like workpiece 510 does not need to be pushed up, thereby improving the positioning efficiency.

[0130] In particular, the first pushing device 200 pushes the arc-striking plate 520 and the plate-like workpiece 510 at the same time to ensure that the lateral edge of the arc-striking plate 520 is aligned with the lateral edge of the plate-like workpiece 510, and then the arc-striking plate 520 is pushed from front to back by the second pushing device 300 to ensure that the arc-striking plate 520 is in close contact with the plate-like workpiece 510.

[0131] On this basis, another fixing device 100 is used to fix the arc-starting plate 520, so as to prevent the arc-starting plate 520 from moving due to thermal deformation during the subsequent welding process, and then welding is performed using a welding gun at the robot arm.

[0132] Finally, the workbench 400 is lowered, and the welded arc-starting plate 520 and the plate-shaped workpiece 510 are transported to the next workstation by a conveying device.

[0133] In this way, the control method ensures that the arc-starting plate 520 and the plate-shaped workpiece 510 are accurately positioned before welding, and the positioning efficiency is improved. On the one hand, the first to third pneumatic actuators have the characteristic of rapid response, so that the two fixing devices 100, the first push-out device 200 and the second push-out device 300 can be positioned quickly in a set order. Moreover, the above-mentioned devices are prevented from interfering with each other during the mutual movement process, ensuring smooth positioning and clamping.

[0134] Although the disclosure is disclosed as above, the protection scope of the disclosure is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, and these changes and modifications will fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A welding tool, which is used for automatic welding production line equipment, characterized in that: The welding tool comprises: two fixing devices, a first pushing device, a second pushing device, a workbench and an air pump device. The automatic welding production line equipment places the plate-shaped workpiece and the arc-starting plate on the rear side and the front side of the workbench respectively. The two fixing devices are respectively arranged at the front side and the rear side of the workbench, and the fixing devices are provided with first pneumatic drivers, and the two fixing devices respectively fix the plate-shaped workpiece and the arc-starting plate on the workbench by controlling the corresponding first pneumatic drivers; The workbench is provided with a limiting mechanism, the first pushing device and the limiting mechanism are arranged on the left and right sides of the arc-starting plate, and the limiting mechanism is provided with an elastic deformation member at the side wall facing the arc-starting plate. The first ejection device is provided with a second pneumatic driver, and the second pneumatic driver is controlled to enable the first ejection device to simultaneously eject the plate-shaped workpiece and the arc-starting plate toward the side of the limiting mechanism; The second pushing device is provided with a third pneumatic driver, and the second pushing device pushes the arc-starting plate backward by controlling the third pneumatic driver; The air pump device is connected to the two first pneumatic drivers, the second pneumatic driver and the third pneumatic driver respectively, and the air pump device is provided with a regulator, and the regulator is used to keep the air pressure output by the air pump device within a set range; The workbench is a lifting workbench, and the workbench is used to lift relative to the plate-shaped workpiece; The second pneumatic actuator is arranged on the workbench, and the second pneumatic actuator is a cylinder piston mechanism and extends and retracts along the left and right directions; The first ejection device further comprises: a first ejection arm, a plurality of rolling bodies and a plurality of baffles; The first ejection arm is a long strip structure extending in the front-to-back direction, the piston rod of the second pneumatic driver is connected to the first ejection arm, a second protrusion structure is provided on one side of the long side of the first ejection arm, and the second protrusion structure is used to eject the front end of the plate-like workpiece; The plurality of rolling bodies are arranged at the first ejection arm, and the plurality of rolling bodies are arranged in sequence along the length direction of the first ejection arm. The plurality of rolling bodies are used to eject the arc-starting plate.

2. The welding tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixing device also includes: A vertical arm, arranged upright near the workbench; A pressing arm is arranged on the top of the vertical arm and is hinged to the vertical arm, and one end of the pressing arm is located above the workbench; Wherein, the first pneumatic driver is a cylinder piston mechanism and is telescopic in the vertical direction, and the top of the first pneumatic driver is hinged to the other end of the pressing arm.

3. The welding tool according to claim 2, characterized in that: There are two first ejecting devices, and the two first ejecting devices are arranged on the workbench. There are two limit mechanisms, which are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the workbench, one elastic deformation member is arranged at each limit mechanism, and two first ejection devices are arranged between the two limit mechanisms. There are two second ejecting devices, which are arranged in parallel, and each second ejecting device is arranged at the front side of the workbench. The fixing device also includes a cross arm, which is connected to one end of the pressing arm, extends in the left-right direction, and is placed above the workbench.

4. The welding tool according to claim 3, characterized in that: The cross arm is hinged with one end of the pressure arm so that the cross arm can swing left and right relative to the pressure arm. The bottoms of the left and right sides of the cross arm are respectively provided with first protruding structures, which protrude downwards. A connecting arm and two buffers are provided at one end of the pressure arm, the connecting arm is arranged above the cross arm, the connecting arm is arranged parallel to the cross arm, and the left and right ends of the connecting arm extend out of the left and right sides of the pressure arm, the two buffers are respectively arranged at the left and right ends of the connecting arm, and the telescopic ends of the buffers extend downward and contact with the cross arm.

5. The welding tool according to claim 4, characterized in that: The rolling body is a cylinder, and a plurality of grooves are provided on the side of the first ejection arm. The grooves penetrate the first ejection arm vertically, and the side wall surface of the grooves is an arc surface. Each of the rolling bodies is placed in one of the grooves, and the side of the rolling body remains exposed at the opening of the groove and flush with the second protruding structure. The width of the opening of the groove is smaller than the diameter of the rolling body. A plurality of baffles are covered on the top of the grooves in a one-to-one correspondence, and the baffles are detachably connected to the top surface of the first ejection arm.

6. The welding tool according to claim 4, characterized in that: There are two first ejecting devices, the two first ejecting devices are arranged adjacent to each other in sequence from front to back, the two first ejecting arms are arranged in parallel with a spacing, and the two first ejecting devices are arranged between the two first ejecting arms.

7. The welding tool according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The third pneumatic actuator is arranged at the front side of the workbench, and the third pneumatic actuator is a cylinder piston mechanism and is telescopic along the front-rear direction; The second ejection device also includes a second ejection arm, which is connected to the piston rod of the third pneumatic driver, and is used to eject the front end of the arc-starting plate.

8. An automatic welding production line equipment, characterized in that: The automatic welding production line equipment includes the welding tool, conveying device and robot arm as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, the conveying device is used to transport the plate-like workpiece to the workbench of the welding tool, the end of the robot arm is integrated with a picking device and a welding gun, the picking device is used to pick up the arc-starting plate and place it on the workbench, and the welding gun is used to weld the arc-starting plate to the plate-like workpiece.

9. A control method, characterized in that: The control method is used to control the automatic welding production line equipment according to claim 8, and the control method includes: Controlling the conveyor device to convey the plate-shaped workpiece forward to the top of the workbench; raising the workbench to contact the front portion of the plate-like workpiece; Using one of the fixing devices to fix the plate-like workpiece on the workbench; Controlling the picking device of the robot arm to place the arc-starting plate on the workbench in front of the plate-shaped workpiece; Using the first pushing device to push the plate-shaped workpiece and the arc-starting plate toward the limiting mechanism at the same time; Using the second pushing device to push the arc-starting plate backward and make it contact with the front end of the plate-like workpiece; Using another fixing device to fix the arc-starting plate on the workbench; Using a welding gun of a robot arm to weld the arc-starting plate and the plate-shaped workpiece together; The workbench is lowered, and the conveying device is controlled to push the plate-shaped workpiece away from the welding tool.

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