A packing and palletizing machine

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of object stacking, and specifically discloses a packing and stacking machine, wherein a suction cup seat is fixedly mounted on a manipulator; a plurality of vacuum suction cups capable of being connected to an external vacuum generating device are arranged on the lower side of the suction cup seat, and the vacuum suction cup is a bellows-shaped structure and has an outer convex portion and an inner concave portion; a bearing member is located between the vacuum suction cup and the suction cup seat and is connected to the suction cup seat through a telescopic member, and the telescopic member is used to control the vertical movement of the bearing member; a sleeve hole corresponding to the vacuum suction cup is provided on the bearing member, and an annular airbag capable of being connected to an external air source is provided in the sleeve hole, and when the bearing member moves toward the vacuum suction cup, the annular airbag can be clamped at the inner concave portion of the vacuum suction cup by inflating. The packing and stacking machine of the present invention utilizes the annular airbag to lock the inner concave portion and the vacuum suction cup, thereby reducing the shaking of the vacuum suction cup, thereby reducing the shaking of the cargo box, improving the accuracy of the cargo box landing point, and enhancing the effect and stability of the stacking.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of object stacking, and in particular to a case packing and stacking machine. Background Art

[0002] A case palletizer is a device used to stack cartons or articles that have been loaded into containers on carriers such as pallets and pallets in a certain order and automatically stack them into stacks. It can greatly reduce labor and labor intensity, and improve production efficiency and automation. According to the level of intelligence, it is divided into robot palletizers and mechanical palletizers. Mechanical palletizers can be further divided into gantry palletizers, column palletizers, robotic arm palletizers, etc.

[0003] The Chinese patent application with publication number CN117302997A discloses a flexible adsorption type palletizing and handling robot, comprising a base, the base is connected to an adjustment component through a swivel seat, a first mechanical arm, and a second mechanical arm in sequence, the swivel seat, the first mechanical arm, and the second mechanical arm are used to coordinate the handling of goods, and the lower surfaces of both sides of the adjustment component are provided with a grasping component, the grasping component comprises a micro vacuum pump for exhausting air and a suction cup for flexible adsorption, and the micro vacuum pump and the suction cup are connected. The robot realizes alignment with the cargo box through the spatial movement of the adjustment component, and realizes flexible adsorption of the cargo box through the suction of the micro vacuum pump and the suction cup, which is convenient for grasping and handling the cargo box. The material of the existing vacuum suction cup is usually flexible rubber, which can improve the sealing effect and avoid scratching the surface of the cargo box. However, when the cargo box is transported, the cargo box is prone to shaking under the action of gravity and inertia, resulting in inaccurate landing points. In the process of stacking layers, errors will continue to accumulate, thereby affecting the effect and stability of the stacking. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention provides a case packing and palletizing machine, aiming to solve the problem in the related art that the cargo case may not land accurately due to shaking, thereby affecting the effect and stability of palletizing.

[0005] The case packing and stacking machine of the present invention comprises a belt assembly line, a manipulator and a suction cup mechanism, the belt assembly line is used to transport cargo boxes, the manipulator is arranged beside the belt assembly line, the suction cup mechanism is formed on the hand of the manipulator, the suction cup mechanism comprises a suction cup seat and a bearing member, the suction cup seat is fixedly mounted on the manipulator; a plurality of vacuum suction cups capable of being externally connected to a vacuum generating device are arranged on the lower side of the suction cup seat, the vacuum suction cup is a bellows-shaped structure and has an outer convex portion and an inner concave portion; the bearing member is located between the vacuum suction cup and the suction cup seat and is connected to the suction cup seat through a telescopic member, the telescopic member is used to control the vertical movement of the bearing member; the bearing member is provided with sleeve holes corresponding to the vacuum suction cups one by one, the sleeve holes are provided with an annular air bag capable of being externally connected to an air source, and when the bearing member moves toward the vacuum suction cup, the annular air bag can be clamped at the inner concave portion of the vacuum suction cup by inflation.

[0006] The effect is that after the annular airbag is clamped in the inner recess of the vacuum suction cup, the vacuum suction cup can be locked through the inner recess, thereby reducing the shaking of the vacuum suction cup. In this way, after the vacuum suction cup adsorbs and grasps the cargo box, the shaking of the cargo box is greatly reduced because the vacuum suction cup itself is restricted, thereby improving the accuracy of the cargo box landing point, reducing the accumulated error in the process of stacking layers, and improving the palletizing effect and stability.

[0007] Preferably, after being inflated, the inner diameter of the annular airbag is larger than the outer diameter of the outer protrusion of the vacuum suction cup.

[0008] The effect is that when the telescopic member controls the bearing member to move toward the vacuum suction cup, the annular airbag will be stuck above the outer protrusion of the vacuum suction cup and stretch the entire vacuum suction cup downward through the outer protrusion, forcing the suction surface of the vacuum suction cup to be tightly attached to the surface of the cargo box. In this way, when the surface of the cargo box is uneven or uneven, the vacuum suction cup can still be completely attached to the surface of the cargo box, ensuring the suction capacity of the cargo box and avoiding the situation where it cannot be completely sucked. In addition, the vertical elongation of the vacuum suction cup reduces the gas residue in the vacuum suction cup, which facilitates the vacuum suction cup to quickly suck the cargo box.

[0009] Preferably, a lining protruding downward is provided on the supporting member, and a limiting surface is formed on the lower surface of the lining. When the annular airbag is clamped in the inner recess of the vacuum suction cup, the limiting surface is flush with the adsorption surface of the vacuum suction cup, so that after the adsorption surface of the vacuum suction cup adsorbs the cargo box, the limiting surface of the lining fits with the outer surface of the cargo box to limit the left and right shaking of the cargo box.

[0010] Preferably, friction lines are provided on the limiting surface of the lining, and the friction lines are used to limit the back-and-forth rocking of the cargo box.

[0011] The effect is that: this embodiment further reduces the shaking of the cargo box during transportation through the supporting effect of the lining and the friction effect of the friction pattern, enhances the stability of the cargo box, and ensures the accuracy of the landing point of the cargo box. In addition, due to the stable transportation of the cargo box, it is easy to increase the transportation speed, thereby improving the efficiency of palletizing.

[0012] Preferably, the lining comprises a lining plate.

[0013] Preferably, the vacuum suction cup and the annular airbags are distributed in a matrix shape, the lining comprises a plurality of strip airbags, each of the strip airbags is located between two adjacent annular airbags and connects the two annular airbags, and any one of the plurality of strip airbags is used for an external air source.

[0014] The effect is that the air source supplies external air to each annular air bag through each strip air bag, thereby realizing the inflation of the annular air bag. The connection design of the strip air bag and the annular air bag reduces the number of air sources to be set.

[0015] Preferably, the vacuum suction cup is detachably connected to the suction cup seat via a connecting tube, one end of the connecting tube is connected to the inner cavity of the vacuum suction cup, and the other end is connected to an external vacuum generating device, so that the air in the inner cavity of the vacuum suction cup can be extracted through the connecting tube.

[0016] The effect is that the connecting pipe is used as an intermediate medium for connecting the vacuum suction cup and the suction cup seat, and is also used to guide the air in the inner cavity of the vacuum suction cup, thereby realizing the functions of connection and ventilation. The vacuum suction cup is detachable from the suction cup seat through the connecting pipe, which facilitates the separation of the vacuum suction cup and the suction cup seat, and further facilitates the maintenance and replacement of the vacuum suction cup.

[0017] Preferably, the telescopic member includes any one of a hydraulic rod, a cylinder, and an electric telescopic rod.

[0018] By adopting the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0019] The present invention locks the vacuum suction cup by the clamping effect of the annular airbag on the inner recess, thereby reducing the shaking of the vacuum suction cup. After the vacuum suction cup absorbs and grasps the cargo box, the vacuum suction cup itself is restricted, so that the shaking of the cargo box is greatly reduced, thereby enhancing the stability of the cargo box, improving the accuracy of the landing point of the cargo box, reducing the accumulated error in the process of stacking layers, and improving the palletizing effect and stability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the appearance of the case packing and palletizing machine of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2It is a schematic diagram of the appearance of the manipulator part of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the suction cup mechanism part of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4 It is an exploded schematic diagram of the suction cup mechanism part of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 5 It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the annular airbag to strip-shaped airbag portion of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of the annular airbag of the present invention when it is clamped in the inner concave part of the vacuum suction cup.

[0026] Reference numerals:

[0027] 100. Cargo boxes;

[0028] 200. Belt assembly line;

[0029] 300. Robotic arm;

[0030] 400. Suction cup mechanism; 1. Suction cup seat; 11. Vacuum suction cup; 111. Outer convex part; 112. Inner concave part; 113. Adsorption surface; 12. Connecting pipe; 2. Supporting part; 21. Telescopic part; 22. Hole; 23. Annular airbag; 24. Lining part; 241. Strip airbag; 241a. Limiting surface; 242. Air supply pipe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to be used to explain the present invention, but should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0032] Combine the following Figures 1 to 6 A case packer and palletizer according to the invention is described.

[0033] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the case packing and stacking machine of the present invention includes a belt assembly line 200, a robot 300 and a suction cup mechanism 400.

[0034] The belt assembly line 200 in this embodiment is a type of assembly line, also known as a belt conveyor or a belt line, which can convey cargo boxes 100 and various bulk materials, and is used to save labor and improve work efficiency.

[0035] The robot 300 is disposed beside the belt conveyor line 200 and is used to carry and stack the cargo boxes 100 on the belt conveyor line 200 .

[0036] The suction cup mechanism 400 is formed on the hand of the manipulator 300 and serves as an operating end of the manipulator 300 to absorb the cargo box 100 to achieve the picking up of the cargo box 100 .

[0037] Continue to refer Figures 2 to 4 , the suction cup mechanism 400 includes a suction cup seat 1 and a carrier 2. The suction cup seat 1 is fixedly mounted on the manipulator 300, and a plurality of vacuum suction cups 11 are arranged on the lower side of the suction cup seat 1. In the present embodiment, the number of vacuum suction cups 11 is four and they are arranged in a matrix shape. The material of the vacuum suction cups 11 may be nitrile rubber, silicone rubber, polyurethane, fluororubber, etc., and each vacuum suction cup 11 is connected to a connecting tube 12, which is detachably connected to the suction cup seat 1. The connecting tube 12 serves as an intermediate medium connecting the vacuum suction cup 11 and the suction cup seat 1. Its detachable design facilitates the separation of the vacuum suction cup 11 from the suction cup seat 1, and further facilitates the inspection and replacement of the vacuum suction cup 11. The detachable connection is a conventional technology in the art, and specifically may be a threaded connection, a bolted connection, a flange connection, etc., which will not be described in detail here. One end of the connecting tube 12 is connected to the inner cavity of the vacuum suction cup 11, and the other end is connected to an external vacuum generating device, so that the air in the inner cavity of the vacuum suction cup 11 can be extracted by the vacuum generating device through the connecting tube 12. In this embodiment, the vacuum generating device can be installed on the suction cup seat 1, or it can be installed on the side of the manipulator 300. When installed on the side of the manipulator 300, the vacuum generating device can be connected to the connecting tube 12 through a hose, so that when the manipulator 300 moves with the connecting tube 12, the hose compensates for the length of the movement of the connecting tube 12. Here, the vacuum generating device can be a miniature vacuum pump or a vacuum generator. The vacuum suction cup 11 is a bellows-like structure, and the outwardly protruding part of the outer surface of the vacuum suction cup 11 forms an outer protrusion 111, and the inwardly recessed part forms an inner recess 112.

[0038] The supporting member 2 is located between the vacuum suction cup 11 and the suction cup seat 1 and is connected to the suction cup seat 1 through a telescopic member 21. The telescopic member 21 is used to control the vertical movement of the supporting member 2. In this embodiment, the number of telescopic members 21 can be one, two or other numbers, etc., which is not limited here. The telescopic member 21 includes any one of a hydraulic rod, a cylinder, and an electric telescopic rod; the specific shape of the supporting member 2 can be table-shaped, plate-shaped, etc., which is not limited. The supporting member 2 is provided with a sleeve hole 22 corresponding to the vacuum suction cup 11 one by one. The sleeve hole 22 is coaxially arranged above the corresponding vacuum suction cup 11. An annular airbag 23 is coaxially arranged in the sleeve hole 22, and the outer edge of the annular airbag 23 is fixedly connected to the hole wall of the sleeve hole 22.

[0039] During operation, the manipulator 300 can control the vacuum suction cup 11 to be close to the cargo box 100 on the belt assembly line 200. Then the annular airbag 23 is inflated. After inflation, the inner diameter of the annular airbag 23 is larger than the outer diameter of the outer protrusion 111 of the vacuum suction cup 11. At the same time, the telescopic member 21 can control the carrier 2 to move toward the vacuum suction cup 11. The annular airbag 23 will be stuck above the outer protrusion 111 of the vacuum suction cup 11 and stretch the entire vacuum suction cup 11 downward through the outer protrusion 111, thereby the vertical height of the vacuum suction cup 11 is elongated, and the adsorption surface 113 of the vacuum suction cup 11 can be tightly attached to the surface of the cargo box 100. In this way, when the surface of the cargo box 100 is uneven or uneven, the vacuum suction cup 11 can still be completely pressed or tightly attached to the surface of the cargo box 100, ensuring the adsorption capacity of the cargo box 100 and avoiding the situation where it cannot be completely adsorbed. In addition, the vertical elongation of the vacuum suction cup 11 reduces the residual gas in the vacuum suction cup 11 , making it easier for the vacuum suction cup 11 to quickly suck the cargo box 100 .

[0040] When the vacuum suction cup 11 is stretched vertically, the vacuum suction cup 11 becomes narrower, that is, the diameter is reduced. At this time, the outer protrusion 111 gradually retracts to the inner side of the annular airbag 23 to avoid the annular airbag 23. As the annular airbag 23 continues to move downward, it will pass over the outer protrusion 111 and approach the inner recess 112. Then, the vacuum suction cup 11 returns to its original state under the action of its own elastic force, and the annular airbag 23 enters the inner recess 112. The inflated annular airbag 23 is clamped on the surrounding side of the inner recess 112, locking the inner recess 112 on the inner side, thereby reducing the back and forth shaking of the inner recess 112 and the up and down movement of the inner recess 112, thereby reducing the shaking of the vacuum suction cup 11. In this way, after the vacuum suction cup 11 absorbs and grasps the cargo box 100, the shaking of the cargo box 100 is greatly reduced because the vacuum suction cup 11 itself is restricted, thereby improving the accuracy of the landing point of the cargo box 100, reducing the accumulated error in the process of stacking layers, and improving the stacking effect and stability.

[0041] In this embodiment, the above-mentioned "shaking" is an assembly of multiple movements. In short, during the process of the cargo box 100 being sucked and transported, it continuously moves up and down like a seesaw. "Swaying back and forth" means that during the process of transport, the cargo box 100 encounters a temporary stop and slides in the left and right directions under the action of inertia. Both of these movements affect the stability of the cargo box 100, causing inaccurate landing points. The annular airbag 23 locks the vacuum suction cup 11 through the inner concave portion 112, which can weaken these two phenomena and make the cargo box 100 more stable during transport.

[0042] Continue to refer Figures 3 to 6A lining member 24 protruding downward is provided on the supporting member 2, and the lining member 24 includes a plurality of strip air bags 241, each of which is located between two adjacent annular air bags 23 and connects the two annular air bags 23, one of which is used for an external air source, and the air source supplies external air to each annular air bag 23 through each strip air bag 241 to inflate the annular air bag 23. In this embodiment, the air source can directly adopt a micro air pump, which can be installed on the supporting member 2 and connected to the strip air bag 241 through the air supply pipe 242. Of course, the air source can also be installed on the suction cup seat 1 or on the side of the manipulator 300, and connected to the strip air bag 241 through a hose or a telescopic tube, which is not limited here.

[0043] The lower surface of the strip airbag 241 forms a limiting surface 241a. When the annular airbag 23 is clamped in the inner concave portion 112 of the vacuum suction cup 11, the limiting surface 241a is flush with the adsorption surface 113 of the vacuum suction cup 11, so that after the adsorption surface 113 of the vacuum suction cup 11 adsorbs the cargo box 100, the limiting surface 241a of the strip airbag 241 fits with the outer surface of the cargo box 100, thereby limiting the left and right shaking of the cargo box 100 and enhancing the stability of the cargo box 100 during transportation. The limiting surface 241a of the strip airbag 241 is provided with friction lines (not shown in the figure), which enhance the friction between the limiting surface 241a of the strip airbag 241 and the outer surface of the cargo box 100, thereby limiting the back and forth shaking of the cargo box 100.

[0044] Continue to refer Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 6 In this embodiment, the shaking of the cargo box 100 during transportation is further reduced through the supporting effect of the strip airbags 241 and the friction effect of the friction patterns, thereby enhancing the stability of the cargo box 100 and ensuring the accuracy of the landing point of the cargo box 100. In addition, due to the stable transportation of the cargo box 100, it is easy to increase the transportation speed, thereby improving the efficiency of palletizing.

[0045] In another embodiment, the lining member 24 includes a hard lining plate (not shown in the figure). In this case, each annular airbag 23 can be externally connected to an air source, and the air source is used to supply air to the annular airbag 23 separately.

[0046] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0047] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0048] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and are not to be construed as limitations of the present invention. A person skilled in the art may change, modify, replace and vary the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A case packing and stacking machine, comprising a belt conveyor for conveying cargo boxes, a manipulator arranged beside the belt conveyor, and a suction cup mechanism formed on the hand of the manipulator, characterized in that: The suction cup mechanism comprises: A suction cup seat, the suction cup seat is fixedly mounted on the manipulator; a plurality of vacuum suction cups capable of being externally connected to a vacuum generating device are arranged on the lower side of the suction cup seat, the vacuum suction cup is a bellows-shaped structure and has an outer convex portion and an inner concave portion; A bearing member, the bearing member is located between the vacuum suction cup and the suction cup seat and is connected to the suction cup seat through a telescopic member, the telescopic member is used to control the vertical movement of the bearing member; the bearing member is provided with sleeve holes corresponding to the vacuum suction cups one by one, the sleeve holes are provided with an annular air bag capable of connecting to an external air source, when the bearing member moves toward the vacuum suction cup, the annular air bag can be clamped at the inner concave part of the vacuum suction cup by being inflated; A lining member protruding downward is provided on the supporting member, and a limiting surface is formed on the lower surface of the lining member. When the annular airbag is clamped in the inner recessed portion of the vacuum suction cup, the limiting surface is flush with the adsorption surface of the vacuum suction cup, so that after the adsorption surface of the vacuum suction cup adsorbs the cargo box, the limiting surface of the lining member is in contact with the outer surface of the cargo box to limit the left and right shaking of the cargo box.

2. The case packing and palletizing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: After being inflated, the inner diameter of the annular airbag is larger than the outer diameter of the outer protrusion of the vacuum suction cup.

3. The case packing and palletizing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The limiting surface of the lining is provided with friction lines, and the friction lines are used to limit the back and forth shaking of the cargo box.

4. The case packing and palletizing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lining member includes a lining plate.

5. The case packing and palletizing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vacuum suction cup and the annular airbags are distributed in a matrix shape. The lining comprises a plurality of strip airbags. Each of the strip airbags is located between two adjacent annular airbags and connects the two annular airbags. Any one of the plurality of strip airbags is used for an external air source.

6. The case packing and palletizing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vacuum suction cup is detachably connected to the suction cup seat via a connecting tube, one end of the connecting tube is connected to the inner cavity of the vacuum suction cup, and the other end is connected to an external vacuum generating device, so that the air in the inner cavity of the vacuum suction cup can be extracted through the connecting tube.

7. The case packing and palletizing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The telescopic member includes any one of a hydraulic rod, a cylinder, and an electric telescopic rod.

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