Automatic paving equipment and method for high-flexibility composite material

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of automatic paving equipment, in particular to high-flexibility composite material automatic paving equipment and method.The high-flexibility composite material automatic paving equipment comprises a suction cup array, a telescopic component and a fixed platform, the telescopic component is installed on one side of the fixed platform, and the suction cup array is located at the lower end of the fixed platform; elastic rods are fixedly mounted on the left side and the right side of the lower end of the fixed platform, the outer ends of the elastic rods are slidably sleeved with a plurality of fixed plates, and the fixed plate located at the outermost end is connected with a telescopic component; the equipment has the beneficial effects that the suction cup array can pick up composite material sheets, curved surface reconstruction of the suction cup array is achieved through motor driving, automatic paving of composite material fabric can be completed in combination with auxiliary equipment, the equipment overcomes the problems that after paving is conducted through other automatic paving means, secondary processing is needed for the boundary of a prefabricated body, and the paving efficiency is low; and the types of materials for automatic paving are widened, and higher forming adaptability is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automatic paving equipment, and in particular to an automatic paving equipment and method for high-flexibility composite materials. Background Art

[0002] Composite materials have the characteristics of light weight, high strength, fatigue resistance, corrosion resistance, material component integration, structural function integration, design and manufacturing integration, etc. Their stiffness and strength performance are equivalent to or exceed that of aluminum alloys. Their usage is an important indicator of the degree of advancement of modern aircraft. At present, composite materials are widely used in the manufacture of aircraft fuselage structures and the overall structure of small unmanned aerial vehicles.

[0003] Composite materials are mostly manufactured by manual laying with low automation, especially in aircraft skins, doors, covers and fairings. However, manual laying is difficult, inefficient and of unstable quality. In addition, composite materials are expensive and the losses caused by scrapped parts are high. Therefore, there is an urgent need for automated laying of composite materials by machines.

[0004] There are currently two widely used methods of automatic laying: automatic tape laying and automatic wire laying. The former is not easy to control its laying boundary shape during laying, resulting in the need for reprocessing of the preform after laying, which not only causes material waste, but also causes a significant decrease in its structural performance due to internal defects, and even causes parts to be scrapped, resulting in heavy losses. When laying a large area, the latter needs to hang a large amount of bulky wire supply equipment on its end effector, and needs to replace the wire tube regularly, which reduces the laying efficiency. Moreover, both are only for unidirectional tape laying, and cannot meet the laying of multiple materials including fabrics. Therefore, these two cannot meet the needs of some components with neat boundary shapes and large laying areas during use. Therefore, in the manufacturing process of composite materials, how to lay out large-area parts with relatively precise boundary shapes, improve laying efficiency, and solve the singleness of automated laying materials are currently urgent problems that need to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a highly flexible composite material automatic laying equipment and method to solve the problems raised in the above background technology.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: an automatic paving equipment for highly flexible composite materials, comprising: a suction cup array, a telescopic component and a fixed platform, the telescopic component is installed on one side of the fixed platform, the suction cup array is located at the lower end of the fixed platform, elastic rods are fixedly installed on both the left and right sides of the lower end of the fixed platform, the outer ends of the elastic rods are slidably sleeved with a plurality of fixed plates, and the fixed plate at the outermost end is connected to the telescopic component;

[0007] The suction cup array includes several rows of suction cups, each row is provided with several suction cups, and two adjacent suction cups in each row are rotatably connected by hinges, the front and rear sides of the upper end of each suction cup are rotatably connected to the shaft sleeve, and the shaft sleeves on the two adjacent suction cups are rotatably connected with long rods, and the two adjacent long rods are movably connected, and the front and rear sides of the upper ends of the suction cups located in the middle of each row are fixedly installed with fixed plates, and a driving component is provided at the center of each row of suction cups.

[0008] Preferably, each of the fixing plates has through holes on both sides of the upper end, one end of the elastic rod is fixedly mounted on the lower end of the fixing platform, and the other end of the elastic rod slides through several through holes in sequence and is fixedly mounted on a limiting sleeve.

[0009] Preferably, two vertical plates are fixedly installed on the front and rear sides of the upper end of each suction cup, a rotating shaft is fixedly installed on the inner side of the upper end of the vertical plate, rotating grooves are symmetrically opened on the side walls of the front and rear ends of the sleeve, and are rotatably connected to the outer end of the rotating shaft through the rotating grooves, a wire groove is opened at the inner end of the sleeve, and a protrusion is provided at the outer end of the long rod, which is inserted into the wire groove to cooperate with it.

[0010] Preferably, the driving component includes a motor seat and a transmission gear. The motor seat is rotatably mounted on the outer end of the shaft sleeve in the center, and the motor seat is fixed to the side wall of the mounting plate by bolts. A motor is fixedly mounted in the motor seat, and a driving gear is fixedly mounted on the output end of the motor.

[0011] Preferably, there are a plurality of transmission gears, which are respectively fixedly mounted on the outer wall of the long rod at the center, and the outer walls of the transmission gear and the driving gear are meshed and connected.

[0012] Preferably, an arc groove is fixedly installed at one end of each long rod, and a sphere is fixedly installed at the other end. The arc groove is two-thirds spherical, an arc block is fixedly installed in the arc groove, and an annular groove corresponding to the arc block is opened on the outer wall of the sphere.

[0013] Preferably, the ball is slidably inserted into the arc groove, and the arc block is inserted into the annular groove.

[0014] Preferably, the telescopic component includes a cylinder frame, which is rotatably connected to the side wall of the other end of the fixed platform, a cylinder is installed at one end of the cylinder frame, a rotating cylinder is fixedly installed at the other end of the cylinder, the rotating cylinder is rotatably sleeved with a fixed seat, and the fixed seat is fixedly installed on the upper end of the fixed plate located at the outermost end.

[0015] A method for using a highly flexible composite material automatic paving device specifically comprises the following steps:

[0016] S1. Decompose the plies according to the part structure, write the blanking program, and then cut out the pieces to be laid according to the blanking program (the raw materials in this process can be unidirectional tape or fabric, prepreg or dry fabric);

[0017] S2, the robot drives the suction cup array to pick up the sheets in sequence;

[0018] S3, by controlling the extension and retraction of the telescopic component and the rotation of the connecting rod of the suction cup, the curvature of the suction cup array is adjusted in combination with the structural parameters of the equipment design and the conversion relationship with the target curvature, that is, the suction cup reconstructs the surface according to the part structure so that the reconstructed surface is consistent with the part structure;

[0019] S4. Under the premise of ensuring the accuracy of paving and bonding, it is combined with corresponding auxiliary equipment to realize the automatic paving of composite materials.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] The suction cup array can pick up composite material sheets and realize surface reconstruction of the suction cup array through motor drive. Combined with auxiliary equipment, it can complete the automated paving of composite material fabrics. This equipment overcomes the problems of other automated paving methods that require secondary processing of the preform boundaries after paving and low paving efficiency, and broadens the types of materials for automated paving, with higher molding adaptability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 It is a front view schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 It is a rear view schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 A top view of the suction cup array structure of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 It is a side view of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the suction cup of the present invention being connected via a hinge;

[0027] Figure 6 A side view of the suction cup array of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 7 It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the shaft sleeve and the long rod of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the process of the present invention.

[0030] In the figure: 1. fixed platform; 2. elastic rod; 3. fixed plate; 4. through hole; 5. limit sleeve; 6. cylinder frame; 7. cylinder; 8. fixed seat; 9. rotating cylinder; 10. suction cup; 11. hinge; 12. vertical plate; 13. bushing; 14. long rod; 15. wire groove; 16. arc groove; 17. ball; 18. motor seat; 19. motor; 20. driving gear; 21. transmission gear; 22. arc block; 23. circular ring groove; 100. suction cup array; 200. telescopic component. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to make the purpose and technical solution of the present invention clearly and completely described, and the advantages more clearly understood, the embodiments of the present invention are further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments, and are only used to explain the embodiments of the present invention, and are not used to limit the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "middle", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inner", "outer", "top", "bottom", "side", "vertical", "horizontal" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "one", "first", "second", "third", "fourth", "fifth", "sixth" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0033] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0034] For the purpose of simplicity and illustration, the principles of the embodiments are mainly described by reference to examples. In the following description, many specific details are proposed to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it is obvious that for those of ordinary skill in the art, these embodiments may not be limited to these specific details in practice. In some instances, known methods and structures are not described in detail to avoid making these embodiments unnecessarily difficult to understand. In addition, all embodiments can be used in combination with each other.

[0035] See also Figures 1 to 8 The present invention provides a technical solution: an automatic paving equipment for high-flexibility composite materials, comprising: a suction cup array 100, a telescopic component 200 and a fixed platform 1, wherein the telescopic component 200 is installed on one side of the fixed platform 1, the suction cup array 100 is located at the lower end of the fixed platform 1, elastic rods 2 are fixedly installed on both the left and right sides of the lower end of the fixed platform 1, the outer ends of the elastic rods 2 are slidably sleeved with a plurality of fixed plates 3, and each of the upper ends of the fixed plates 3 is provided with through holes 4 on both sides, one end of the elastic rod 2 is fixedly installed at the lower end of the fixed platform 1, and the other end of the elastic rod 2 slides through the plurality of through holes 4 in turn and is fixedly installed with a limiting sleeve 5, the limiting sleeve 5 limits the outer end of the elastic rod 2, and the fixed plate 3 at the outermost end is connected to the telescopic component 200;

[0036] The suction cup array 100 includes a plurality of rows of suction cups 10, each row is provided with a plurality of suction cups 10, and two adjacent suction cups 10 in each row are rotatably connected by a hinge 11, and the front and rear sides of the upper end of each suction cup 10 are rotatably connected to a shaft sleeve 13, and two vertical plates 12 are fixedly installed on the front and rear sides of the upper end of each suction cup 10, and a rotating shaft is fixedly installed on the inner side of the upper end of the vertical plate 12, and the side walls of the front and rear ends of the shaft sleeve 13 are symmetrically provided with rotating grooves, and are rotatably connected to the outer end of the rotating shaft through the rotating grooves, and the shaft sleeves 13 on the adjacent two suction cups 10 are rotatably connected with long rods 14, and the adjacent two long rods 14 are movably connected, and each long rod 14 passes through the shaft sleeve 13 and the long rod 14 The two suction cups 10 are connected in the form of a universal joint at the center position, and the front and rear sides of the upper ends of each row of suction cups 10 located in the middle are fixedly installed with a fixing plate 3. A driving component is provided at the center of each row of suction cups 10, which can rotate with the shaft sleeve 13. The fixing plate 3 is fixedly installed on the upper end of the suction cup 10 in the center. Each row of suction cups 10 is fixed to the elastic rod 2 through the fixing plate 3. One end of the elastic rod 2 is fixed to the fixed platform 1, and the other end passes through the corresponding hole sleeve of the telescopic component 200. The telescopic component 200 is pin-connected to the fixed platform 1 and can rotate around the axis. A flange structure is designed on the fixed platform 1, which can be assembled with a robotic arm to meet the working requirements of high degree of freedom and high flexibility.

[0037] The driving component includes a motor seat 18 and a transmission gear 21. The motor seat 18 is rotatably installed on the outer end of the shaft sleeve 13 in the center, and the motor seat 18 is fixed to the side wall of the mounting plate 3 by bolts. A motor 19 is fixedly installed in the motor seat 18, and a driving gear 20 is fixedly installed at the output end of the motor 19. There are several transmission gears 21, which are respectively fixedly installed on the outer wall of the long rod 14 in the center. The transmission gear 21 is meshed with the outer wall of the driving gear 20. The motor 19 drives the driving gear 20 to rotate, the driving gear 20 drives the transmission gear 21 to rotate, and the transmission gear 21 drives the long rod 14 to rotate.

[0038] An arc groove 16 is fixedly installed at one end of each long rod 14, and a ball 17 is fixedly installed at the other end. The arc groove 16 is two-thirds spherical, and an arc block 22 is fixedly installed in the arc groove 16. An annular groove 23 corresponding to the arc block 22 is opened on the outer wall of the ball 17. When the ball 17 is slidably inserted into the arc groove 16, two-thirds of the ball 17 is located in the arc groove 16. The arc groove 16 limits the ball 17 to allow the ball 17 to rotate in the arc groove 16. At the same time, the arc block 22 is inserted into the annular groove 23. When the ball 17 rotates, The arc block 22 slides in the annular groove 23, and the torque is transmitted between the motor 19 and the long rod 14 through gears. The rotation of the motor 19 drives the long rod 14 to rotate. Due to the connection structure of the arc groove 16 and the ball 17 between the long rods 14, the long rods 14 on both sides rotate synchronously. A wire groove 15 is provided at the inner end of the sleeve 13, and a protrusion is provided at the outer end of the long rod 14. The protrusion is inserted into the wire groove 15 and cooperates with it. When the long rod 14 rotates, the sleeve 13 will move along the long rod 14 due to the spiral wire groove 15 and the protrusion, so that the column of suction cups 10 can achieve curved surface reconstruction.

[0039] The telescopic component 200 includes a cylinder frame 6, which is rotatably connected to the side wall of the other end of the fixed platform 1. A cylinder 7 is installed at one end of the cylinder frame 6, and a rotating cylinder 9 is fixedly installed at the other end of the cylinder 7. The rotating sleeve of the rotating cylinder 9 is connected with a fixed seat 8, and the fixed seat 8 is fixedly installed on the upper end of the fixed plate 3 located at the outermost end. When the telescopic component 200 needs to be telescoped, the cylinder 7 is started to drive the cylinder frame 6 to move to achieve telescoped. Since one end of the elastic rod 2 is fixed to the end of the telescopic component 200, the elastic rod 2 is also bent and deformed, thereby driving the curved surface reconstruction of the suction cup array 100.

[0040] A method for using a highly flexible composite material automatic paving device specifically comprises the following steps:

[0041] S1. Decompose the ply according to the part structure, write the blanking program, and then cut out the pieces to be laid according to the blanking program. The raw materials in this process can be unidirectional tape or fabric, prepreg or dry fabric;

[0042] S2, the robot drives the suction cup array 100 to pick up the sheets in sequence;

[0043] S3, by controlling the telescopic component 200 to telescope and the connecting rod 14 of the suction cup 10 to rotate, the curvature of the suction cup array 100 is adjusted in combination with the structural parameters of the equipment design and the conversion relationship with the target curvature, that is, the suction cup 10 reconstructs the surface according to the part structure so that the reconstructed surface is consistent with the part structure;

[0044] S4. Under the premise of ensuring the accuracy of paving and bonding, it is combined with corresponding auxiliary equipment to realize the automatic paving of composite materials.

[0045] When the device is working, the rotation angle of the motor 19 and the telescopic stroke of the telescopic component 200 are determined according to the curvature of the target component. The torque is transmitted between the motor 19 and the long rod 14 through gears. The rotation of the motor 19 drives the long rod 14 to rotate. The long rods 14 rotate synchronously due to the connection structure of the arc groove 16 and the sphere 17. A spiral groove 15 is arranged inside the sleeve 13. A convex block is inserted into the groove to cooperate with the long rod 14. When the long rod 14 rotates, the sleeve 13 will move along the long rod 14 due to the spiral groove 15, so that the column of suction cups can achieve curved surface reconstruction.

[0046] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A highly flexible composite material automatic laying equipment, comprising: A suction cup array (100), a telescopic component (200) and a fixed platform (1), wherein the telescopic component (200) is installed on one side of the fixed platform (1), and the suction cup array (100) is located at the lower end of the fixed platform (1), characterized in that elastic rods (2) are fixedly installed on both left and right sides of the lower end of the fixed platform (1), and the outer ends of the elastic rods (2) are slidably sleeved with a plurality of fixed plates (3), and the fixed plate (3) located at the outermost end is connected to the telescopic component (200); The suction cup array (100) comprises a plurality of rows of suction cups (10), each row being provided with a plurality of suction cups (10), two adjacent suction cups (10) in each row being rotatably connected via a hinge (11), the front and rear sides of the upper end of each suction cup (10) being rotatably connected to a shaft sleeve (13), the shaft sleeves (13) on the two adjacent suction cups (10) being rotatably connected to a long rod (14), the two adjacent long rods (14) being movably connected, the front and rear sides of the upper ends of the suction cups (10) located in the middle of each row being fixedly mounted with a fixing plate (3), and a driving component being provided at the center of each row of suction cups (10).

2. The highly flexible composite material automatic paving equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: Through holes (4) are provided on both left and right sides of the upper end of each fixing plate (3); one end of the elastic rod (2) is fixedly mounted on the lower end of the fixing platform (1); the other end of the elastic rod (2) slides through a plurality of through holes (4) in sequence and is fixedly mounted on a limiting sleeve (5).

3. The highly flexible composite material automatic paving equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two vertical plates (12) are fixedly mounted on the front and rear sides of the upper end of each suction cup (10); a rotating shaft is fixedly mounted on the inner side of the upper end of the vertical plate (12); rotating grooves are symmetrically opened on the side walls of the front and rear ends of the shaft sleeve (13), and the shaft sleeve (13) is rotatably connected to the outer end of the rotating shaft through the rotating grooves; a wire groove (15) is opened on the inner end of the shaft sleeve (13); a convex block is arranged on the outer end of the long rod (14), and the convex block is inserted into the wire groove (15) to match with the convex block.

4. The highly flexible composite material automatic paving equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving component comprises a motor seat (18) and a transmission gear (21); the motor seat (18) is rotatably mounted on the outer end of the shaft sleeve (13) at the exact center, and the motor seat (18) is fixed to the side wall of the mounting plate (3) by bolts; a motor (19) is fixedly mounted inside the motor seat (18), and a driving gear (20) is fixedly mounted on the output end of the motor (19).

5. The highly flexible composite material automatic paving equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: There are a plurality of transmission gears (21) which are respectively fixedly mounted on the outer wall of the long rod (14) at the exact center, and the transmission gear (21) is meshedly connected with the outer wall of the driving gear (20).

6. The highly flexible composite material automatic paving equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: An arc groove (16) is fixedly mounted on one end of each long rod (14), and a sphere (17) is fixedly mounted on the other end. The arc groove (16) is in the shape of two-thirds of a sphere. An arc block (22) is fixedly mounted in the arc groove (16). An annular groove (23) corresponding to the arc block (22) is formed on the outer wall of the sphere (17).

7. The highly flexible composite material automatic paving equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that: The ball (17) is slidably inserted into the arc groove (16), and the arc block (22) is inserted into the annular groove (23).

8. The highly flexible composite material automatic paving equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The telescopic component (200) comprises a cylinder frame (6), the cylinder frame (6) is rotatably connected to the other end side wall of the fixed platform (1), a cylinder (7) is mounted on one end of the cylinder frame (6), a rotating cylinder (9) is fixedly mounted on the other end of the cylinder (7), the rotating cylinder (9) is rotatably sleeved with a fixed seat (8), and the fixed seat (8) is fixedly mounted on the upper end of the fixed plate (3) located at the outermost end.

9. A method for using the highly flexible composite material automatic paving equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The specific steps include: S1. Decompose the plies according to the part structure, write the blanking program, and then cut out the pieces to be laid according to the blanking program (the raw materials in this process can be unidirectional tape or fabric, prepreg or dry fabric); S2, the robot drives the suction cup array (100) to pick up the sheets in sequence; S3, by controlling the telescopic component (200) to telescope and the long connecting rod (14) of the suction cup (10) to rotate, the curvature of the suction cup array (100) is adjusted in combination with the structural parameters of the equipment design and the conversion relationship with the target curvature, that is, the suction cup (10) performs surface reconstruction according to the part structure, so that the reconstructed surface is consistent with the part structure; S4. Under the premise of ensuring the accuracy of paving and bonding, it is combined with corresponding auxiliary equipment to realize the automatic paving of composite materials.

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